Four Months and getting cuter by the minute

Adalyn is four months old and getting her own personality. We had been on a really great schedule and she was taking three-for naps a day and sleeping through the night, but something is up these days and things are a little off. I think she is a little frustrated with her lack of mobility. She is so close to rolling over but doesn't like to be on the floor long enough to figure it out. She would much rather be sitting up or in her swing. She loves the swing and hangs onto the toy bar like she is riding a roller coaster. :) Here she is asleep in the swing...

She has really started figuring out how to grab toys and likes to actually "play" with the things on her jumperoo (that we scored for $10 on KSL, definitely beats the original price of $90)

We also tried feeding her some rice cereal with a spoon and she HATED that idea. She loves the taste (because we tried putting some in her bottle) but did not like eating it from the spoon. So hopefully someday she will get used to the idea of a spoon so she doesn't scream through her meals. But then again that is what she does these days when she eats. Nursing is one big crying feast to her. She through a royal fit at church when I tried to feed her. She is very impatient, hates being burped, and probably just wishes that I would give her a bottle because she takes that SO much better. Our nursing days may be numbered... Here she is when we tried spoon feeding her for the first time. Don't let that smile fool you she was just happy that I stopped trying to feed her, can you see those teary eyes. :(

But some things that she does love are her hands (always in her mouth), reading books, singing songs, daddy, and of course mommy. She gets so excited when either one of us walks in the room. When I am holding her she likes to play with my hair *so cute*. She is a flirt and loves to be the center of attention. We are so grateful that we have her in our lives.

And the other night we were trying to get her to do some tummy time so we gave her a ball to play with and she decided that it made a good head rest. silly girl.

Well that is all for today! Have a great day!

Our New House

Well we are getting all settled in to our new house. We are scared to mess anything up so we haven't hung any pictures on the wall yet (because that would put holes in our new wall) and don't even THINK about painting anything yet (it will be a few months/years before we get up the courage). But just like our apartment I have tons of decorating ideas and plans to make our house a home, up first is the living room and dining room so stay tuned. (but don't get too exited we are very short these days on time and money so it could be awhile before the big reveal)

But today I would like to document our journey to our first house. Our original plan was to wait a few years until we had a larger amount of money for the down payment and all of the other things that you have to buy with a house such as a lawn mower. I was ok with squeezing into our apartment with two (maybe three) children so we had a few years to save up. But like McKay's brother told/warned us when I told him of our plan he said that we would not wait that long. And lo and behold McKay started looking at houses about three months ago in the paper. When I asked him why he started looking he just said that he was bored and needed a project. I also started looking with him because I was curious at what type of house we could afford. So we started calculating and crunching numbers(well McKay did, I just wanted to know how much I could spend) and we realized that we did already have enough to buy a house if we wanted to. At this point it was still just a game, we weren't serious just bored I guess (man we need to find better things to do with our time). We really had no idea about what kind of house we were looking for so we just picked one that we might like. It was a house built in 1975, had been added on to, and updated. I went out for a run that morning and ran past it (and really liked it).

So we decided to go see it. It was HUGE. Like 5,600 sq ft. 12 foot ceilings in the basement and 7 bedrooms. It wasn't super fancy quite plain actually (blank canvas) but it was unique and I loved all of the decorating ideas that were already starting to flow. I could have decorated for 20 years and never finished it all. It was across from my favorite park and right by the mall. The realitor thought it was a crazy huge house and didn't think that we would have considered it, but we were. I was sold on it until my parents came and looked at it and they thought it was crazy too because it was so big we would have been lost in it with just the three of us. Also we learned that the utilities to heat the house in the winter would have been around 350+ dollars a month. Now that was nuts and not something that we wanted to spend. So I finally realized that it would have been fun, but not realistic. I tried to move on, but even though we didn't buy it I still love the idea of it (maybe someday when we have 10 kids it will still be on the market and we can buy it then lol).

So we kept looking but I just couldn't find one that I really liked they were all too much the same and not nearly as exciting as the huge house. So... our next idea was to buy a fixer upper. We *love* projects and since I couldn't find anything that I liked we thought that we would just create what we liked. So we looked at some houses in the 120K range of price so that we could have some extra money to fix it up. We found one that was old and needed updating, but I loved that floor plan and it was in the perfect neighborhood right by McKay's uncles house. So we almost made an offer on that one, but after much discussing and feeling a little bit nervous about the amount of projects that needed to be done to the house we decided against it.

When we asked our parents their opinion they both said that we should buy the newest house that we could afford and to not worry about not having enough projects because you would still have plenty even with a new house. So that is what we started looking for. We finally found the house that we are living in, the builder had just finished building it and we loved the location and the three car garage (those are what caught our attention first). It isn't too big and it is new which I love. It needs a yard and the basement finished but i am confident that McKay will do well with both of those projects. It took us a while to finalize the sale because it did not appraise for what the builder wanted to sell it for at first, but then we switched appraisers and banks and then we got the appraisal that we needed (the builder would not go down on the price). But even that small problem only slowed us down by a few weeks. This was a great time to buy and the house prices in Idaho were so good I was seriously amazed. We love living in it and feel so blessed that we are able to have such a comfortable place to live. So without further ado here is our new house...(from the outside, like I said the inside we are still working on) Oh and please come visit because we now have a guest room :)

Thanks for reading!

Two Years :)

Happy Anniversary McKay! Two years ago today I was putting on that beautiful white dress in the brides room getting ready to marry the perfect man for me. How great marriage has been. You are a wonderful husband and work so hard to make this marriage work. Marriage is a HUGE commitment. It is the most important choice we ever make and honestly I can't believe that we make such a big decision at such a young age. We dated for six months before we got engaged (how little we knew each other) Crazy! I am still learning things about you and will be for the next 30+ years, but thankfully I am more sure that I made the right choice today than I was two years ago. I am loving the newlywed stage and hope that we can stay in it forever. Thank you for making me laugh, and for helping me slow down and enjoy living life. I love you!

Love, Your Wife (love saying that)

To celebrate this year McKay is taking me out to dinner (hopefully without Adalyn, but we will see if we can find a babysitter) and then shopping (he knows that I love it too much). I also got McKay a drill for his gift. So it should be a fun weekend! Have a good day!
p.s. Pictures and updates on the house and our cutie bug (aka Adalyn) coming soon. We have been having computer problems (my laptop died), car issues (flat tires and a dead battery), and plumbing backups (gross) so blogging has been on the back burner. but I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas.

Quick Update...Last one for awhile

Hello Everyone! (If you are still there, not sure if anyone reads this) But IF by chance there are some readers left who still read about our family we have an update.:) We bought a house!!! (or are in the process of buying a house) and we are moving tomorrow! Today we walked through the house with the builder (it is a brand new home) and told us EVERYTHING we EVER wanted to know about our house. I have the keys in my hand this very minute. We love it, it is in a fantastic neighborhood out in the country (somewhat, as much "in the country" as I will get). This is a huge step for us and we are basically signing our lives away for the next thirty years, but I am trying to not think about that too much.

My favorite things about the house are the three car garage and the master bath/closet... oh and the island in the kitchen and the huge pantry (ok I like a lot of things). McKay's favorite parts are the unfinished basement and the unfinished yard. Those two things are MY LEAST favorite parts :P but I am glad that he is happy.

When we first started looking for a house we weren't really sure what we wanted so we basically looked at every option fixer upper, brand new, town home, building a new home, really really big house, or smaller home, etc. But thanks to both of our parents opinions we settled with the newest house that we could afford. And even though I will slightly miss the adventure of fixing up an old one I know that this is the right decision for us. So let the adventures continue and I am excited to see what life has in store for us in this next chapter of life as we become homeowners. :)

P.S. If I don't post again in the near future know that it is because we don't have internet yet at our new place, but don't worry I will be back. :) Happy December everyone!

Family Pictures November 2011

Over Thanksgiving weekend my family had our family pictures taken by my talented Aunt Heather. She was also very kind and did Adalyn's 3 month pictures. It was a quick session (my dad's request) and I think they turned out great.

She is getting so big!

Adalyn's First Thanksgiving

This year was Thanksgiving with my family. We started our vacation on Wednesday by driving down to my parents house. We spent the whole weekend at their house and had a ton of fun. It was a much needed break for me from daily life and I was so excited to get to spend time with everyone. Thursday we started off the day with a race. It was just a 5k, but still tons of fun to be able to do it with family. My sisters, McKay, my cousin Caleb, and I all ran in it. Sadly I came in last, but that is ok because I was just happy to be running. The weather was perfect and it was nice to get some exercise in before the feast. :) Adalyn enjoyed hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and cheering us on.

After the race we headed to my Grandma and Grandpa Fry's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time hanging out with family and Adalyn loved all of the attention. I love spending time with family and the whole day was just perfect. Ofcourse we got half way through the day and I realized that I had not taken any pictures of Adalyn. So I pulled the camera out then... sadly she had already spit up on her cute outfit, but we still think she is adorable.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for letting us all come to your house and for all of the yummy food!

I hope everyone also had a fun Thanksgiving! Bring on the Christmas Spirit!

A Blessed Year

Well I wanted to write a Gratitude post, but I kind of ran out of time (we are leaving for my parents house in an hour and it takes a while to gather all of the baby nessesities. So it will be short (lucky for you), Hopefully you aren't too sick of hearing about what everyone is thankful for.
This year has been a VERY blessed year for our little family. I guess years like this are what keep you going through the hard times. I marvel daily at the blessings that we have recieved this year and wonder how I got so lucky. I have been writing in my journal a lot lately to record the daily miracles in my life and I can't wait to go back and read old entrys in the years to come. I have grown a lot in the last few months and I thank Adalyn for giving me the chance to slow down in life and get to know myself and Heavenly Father better. I know that this is not how life is suppose to be, trials are what make us stronger and though there have been a few this year the blessings have by far out weighed them. I think every year could be like this if we just stay positive and count our MANY blessings.
I am thankful for a healthy baby girl who giggles and smiles more than anyone I know. She has made us a family and we are so excited to have her in our home.
I am thankful for McKay's job, the joy he finds there, and the chance that we have had to move to Idaho and try out life on our own. He gets up so early and works so hard each day to provide for us.
I am thankful for our Ward here and the example that they have been to me. Their testimonies are SO powerful and strong and in turn my testimony has developed even more.
I am thankful for our extended families and all of their help to us. I am also thankful for their examples as we began our journey through parenthood it was such a blessing to have their love and guidance.
I am SO very thankful for my mom and her endless service to me. The first week after having Adalyn would have been a huge challenge without her help and organization skills. Having children finally helps you understand the sacrifice that your parents made for you.
I am thankful for the temple. It is beautiful, the blessings are beautiful and I love the peace that I feel when I am there. I am grateful to have one so close and for McKay's willingness to watch Adalyn so that I can attend often.
And finally the number one person that I am thankful for is Jesus Christ, our savior. The gospel of church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the reason that we are on this earth. It is truely the only thing that matters and the only thing that will bring us true happiness. The Savior saved us because he loves us and wants us to return and live with him.

Now since no post is ever complete without a picture here are a few of Adalyn being snuggled in a blanket after her bath.

Thanks for Reading and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Entertainment

Adalyn is three months old and SO fun. She is getting more interactive and we are finding out the things that she does and does not like. She hates the dark and getting lotion put on. She used to hate the swing and now that is where she LOVES being the most (besides being held). She is getting stronger and loves to pull herself up to sitting up position when you are holding her.
But I think her most favorite thing is TV. She will sit and watch a movie for a very long time. The other day I needed to make some business phone calls so I put Tangled on for her and she was as happy as can be. I never thought that a child this young could be captivated by something for so long. McKay and I realized that we will have to make sure we monitor what she is around carefully because she eats it all up. I have been trying to decide what I should get her for Christmas this year so I have been researching different toys and trying to figure out which ones she would like best (McKay thinks I am crazy and doesn't want to buy any, but he isn't here all day when she is bored out of her mind unless I am staring right at her) and I think I have found some good ones and thanks to Amazon Mom I don't even have to leave my house to buy them. :) So excited for Christmas!

Meeting Grandpa Pace

This past weekend Adalyn got to meet Grandpa Pace at a family get together. As always she was all smiles and loved the attention. McKay loved joking around with his brothers and teasing Skyler. We don't get to see the Pace side of the family very often anymore and it was nice to catch up with them, it also made us very excited for Christmas. Oh December you can't come fast enough, or maybe just make it to next week when we get to have an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. :) Good luck with all of the food prep this next week! Here are a few pictures with Adalyn and a few of her aunts and uncles

Winter Workouts

"Aren't you freezing?" (one lady asked me when I was wearing shorts and flip flops and it was about to snow later that day) Honestly I didn't even realize that it was so cold that day until she asked me. I guess I should get out of my "cave" a little more often and stay up to date with the changing seasons.
But I finally figured out that it is no longer warm weather and so I have had to change my morning workouts from daily walks to indoor stuff. In earlier years I would just bundle up and keep going outside until ice came, but with a baby I figured I had better play it safe and not force her to endure the cold just so that I could workout. My morning workouts consist of the two DVDs that I own and then I will substitute in with workout movies from the library. I have really gotten into Kickboxing and other Cardio Stuff. I have found that I can incorporate the abs without having to do the much dreaded crunches (they are not my cup of tea). Today I did a dance workout (it was a ton of fun!) and I was reminded of my childhood and all of those years of dancing. The only difference is back then my favorite part of dancing were the performances and now I would not be caught dead "dancing" in front of an audience. No my living room all by my lonesome is good enough for me. I just hope that the library can supply me with enough DVDs that do not require weights, a step, or exersize balls until Christmas and then hopefully Santa can help me get a few pieces of equipment. And maybe someday far far away (hopefully with Craiglist's help) I will be able to get a treadmill. I would LOVE to get into running again (hint hint McKay lol). But for now I will enjoy my fun morning dance parties.
Well that is basically it, if you are wondering why I wrote this post...I don't know. hows that for an answer? Oh and another random piece of information I have not had a piece of chocolate since Halloween! Hopefully I can make it to Thanksgiving without a slip up, but I just made some Carmel Brownies today and I just don't know if I can resist... could you?