Dinosaur

Isn't this just the cutest little outfit on Jensen! 

 

Seriously can't believe I JUST found this outfit in the bottom of his drawer (right as spring is upon us).  But Saturday ended up being a slightly chilly day so I pulled it out and had him wear it on our walk around the Snake River.  Melted my heart!  Love the little claws on his socks.  I always loved dressing Adalyn up with all of the little accessories, tights, dresses, and shoes that all come with being a little girl so this little "dress up" moment with my little man was way too fun for me! 

 

Oh and I officially decided that 4-5 months is my favorite 'baby' stage.  Smiles, giggles, sleeping, eating, and can't run away!  :)  (this was the stage with Adalyn that tricked us into thinking we could handle another child.  hehe I am not going to be fooled twice...)

 

Have a great day!

Weddings + Work Parties = Weekend Fun

The past few weeks have been packed with family activities (this is including the trip to Draper that was in one of my previous posts).  This weekend was also suppose to be a trip to Provo, but a few things changed and we ended up not needing to go down there.  It was sad to not see family, but we were definitely ok with laying low and getting a few things done around home. 

The first weekend of May was McKay's dads 60th birthday.  His family planned a temple trip that Friday afternoon to the Salt Lake Temple followed by a family dinner at Chuck a Rama.  Unfortunately because it was during the day, no babysitters were available, and Jensen refuses to take a bottle I decided to stay at my grandma's house with the kids while McKay went to the Temple and dinner with his family.  We had a lot of fun visiting with Grandma and  She enjoyed seeing her garnd kids.  Fun time was had by all and she fed us so much yummy food and cookies.  We spent Friday at her house and then headed to Logan the next day. 

In Logan we went to Jesse and Natalie's new house and the men folk worked on a few house projects.  The house is a fixer upper and they are doing a lot of the work themselves, so it was fun for all of McKay's brothers to work together on it for a day.  While the men worked the women tended babies, chatted, and went to the park.  It was the first really nice day of the year for us.  Such a nice blessing since we were hanging out outside all day.  It was so warm that Adalyn actually ended up throwing up towards the end of the day (outside thank heavens!) and we realized that she was probably dehydrated.  The girl does not drink much on her own and we forgot to remind her.  Bad parent moment I know!  Luckily it only happened once and she was acting normal soon after getting a few cups of water. 

P.S. I don't have any pictures of our Logan adventures.  I will let Natalie post her own pictures of the house. :) 



Last weekend we made another trip to Logan (Last one for a awhile since most of our family members who live there have now moved... or are about to.  Melanie and John seriously Idaho is great. jk) We went to Jared and Lauren's wedding.  Jared is McKay's cousin.  It was a beautiful day.  Here are a few pictures from the wedding.  The bride's twin sister took all of her pictures.  I am sure she got pretty dizzy running back and forth from the camera to be in the pictures. 

They got married in the Logan temple and I stayed out in the waiting room and watched a few of the kids while McKay went to the sealing.  Apparently all the teenage cousins were busy that day.  I am sure that McKay's family is starting to wonder if I am avoiding all these temple trips for some reason or another.  But I promise, it was just for the kids... Oh the life of a nursing mother.  :)

Outside the temple the tulips were in bloom and it was so pretty.  Here is Adalyn's pose with the flowers...    

 

Then she refused to look when I wanted a picture of her with Grandma. 

 

 

After temple we went to the luncheon.  Adalyn loved just cruising around on the stairs that they had there and for the most part we were able to just let her.  Jensen was also very happy camper all day so dare I say the day was nice and relaxing... Yes. Yes I Do.  I always love visiting with McKay's cousins and family.  After the luncheon we ran out of steam and headed back to Idaho.  That Saturday was going to be a day full of yard work so we wanted to get all rested and prepped for that.  

 

That saturday moring we woke up bright and early and finally got a good chunk of work done on our back yard.  We are/were hoping to have the seed for the grass planted by next weekend, but that is starting to feel to hopeful since progress has been slowed by one thing after another so we will see.  McKay worked till 11:00 pm that night, but we still have a good ways to go.  More pictures and posts about our backyard will come in the future. 

 

 

This weekend.  Well this weekend we just kind of ignored life.  It was raining, we were recovering from being sick, and honestly we were all a little tired from life.  So we took a couple nights to watch some movies, went on a family walk, did some garage sales, and talked.  Adalyn was super cranky and moody, but we tag teamed her and at least got a little bit of sleep.  Oh, I don't think either of us know what we have gotten ourselves into.  The terrible two's is going to be interesting... 

 

Watching a movie while sick this past week

You can tell she is sick by her little red nose

 

 

 

 

 

     Weekends come and go so fast, but we are grateful for the sweet family memories that we are able to make together. 

 

Have a great Sunday!          

2 Tips

So... I have lost some weight. 

I have been working on being healthier for almost a year now.  Mostly it really has been fun, but it is always nice when your hard work starts to pay off.  In my case payment has been in losing pounds and having more energy. 

I have finally reached the point where other people are starting to notice the changes.  You know the old weight loss cycle.  You notice after 5 lbs, family notices after 10-15 lbs, and then friends notice after 20 lbs.  I am starting to have a lot of conversations about how great I look and how lucky it is that I have been able to lose the weight so fast after having Jensen.  They often ask how I did it and what my "secret" is.  (Honestly I haven't done anything extra since having Jensen.  I am still just following my same guidelines that I set last summer.)  So I will quickly explain to people the basic changes in food that I made.  I tell them that I have been researching food a lot and I just try and eat the healthiest food out there (at least most of the time). 

Many times they get curious and ask this final question.  "So what would be one tip that you would give to others who are trying to eat healthier/lose weight?" 

I have thought about this question a lot recently and what I would say.  And today on my way home from the grocery store (after Addie had thrown up all over the cart and I only had half of my shopping done.  Oh well there is always late tonight to finish it...) I decided on what my answer would be.  Oh and I just couldn't decide on one answer so I have two tips.

1.  Shop around the edges of the grocery store.  The fresh real food is mostly along the outside of the aisles of the grocery store.  Besides a few things on the baking aisle the outside edges is where you want to spend the majority of your time and money while at the store.  Pay attention to the things that you are buying that aren't in these areas and see if you can cut them out.

2. Get the junk food out of your house.  If it isn't there you wont eat it.  Don't wait till the last Oreo is gone before you start making changes, just throw it out.  Trust me your health will thank you for it later.  I can't even have chocolate chips in my house.  Because trust me... I will find them and eat them.  Yes getting rid of all of the junk food in the whole house, kind of makes this healthy eating stuff a family affair, and that is a good thing.  The more support you have the more likely you will be able to stick to your goals.       

So there you have it.  Short and sweet. 

Have a great day!   
  

Mother's Day 2013

This is my second Mothers Day as a mother. 

 

All week I have been wanting to write something.  Something that would explain all that I have learned from being a mother.  But there just isn't words.  The more I learn the more I realize I really know so little.  So I will just continue to pondering things in my heart and maybe someday I will have something profound to say that will show just how much being a mother has changed me. 

 

I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who is forever forgiving me of my pride and ignorance when I think that I know what is best in many situations.  But then he lovingly reminds that he is in charge and things will not always go according to "my" plans.

 

 

 

  I am also grateful that children come to us very forgiving and loving.  I am growing and learning right along with them.  So hopefully by the time they are older and can remember things I will be a little better at all of this parenting stuff. :) 

 

 

 

I am so grateful for the beauty that women bring to the world.  Let us all try and protect our sacred role just a little bit more.  Less immodesty, more purity.  Less gossip, more love.  Less comparison, more forgiveness.  This world needs more beauty. 

 

 

Today I have had a different attitude towards Mothers Day.  Instead of insisting that I do nothing I have just tried to enjoy the little things with my husband and children. Changing diapers, giving baths, and cuddling with a sick little girl (Adalyn came home from church with a fever).  Although tomorrow I will probably want a break :)

 

 

I love my family.  I love my mothers (all 3 of them), I love my grandmothers, I love my sisters, I love my daughter. 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day!     

Larissa's BYU Graduation

A couple weekends ago we headed down to Provo for my older sister's graduation from BYU.  College graduations are pretty cool experiences to attend.  Many years of hard work and dedication.  She graduated in Mechanical Engineering (same as McKay) and was one of about 5 women is her graduating class.

On a quick side note... we played a game while waiting for the graduation to start.  It was called spot the pregnant lady.  We counted at least 30.  Crazy!  Provo you have been busy!  hehe  That didn't even count the 15-20 newborns that we saw.

Anyways, moving on... the graduation was very enjoyable.  We all found the main speaker to be very interesting.  He talked a lot about careers, goals, and keeping your values in the work place.  One point that McKay and I took to heart among other things, was to not let your religion be an excuse for why you are not reaching your career goals.

Right now McKay is very focused on what he wants out of his career and we are making decisions now that will hopefully put us on the right path for his future "dream job/position" so we found this advice to be a good reminder to stay focused.  The speaker said don't let excuses like needing to stay in Utah/close to family, not working on Sunday, saying I need to stay home more, etc. stop you from reaching your full potential.  Invest in yourself and stretch a little bit to get where you want to be.  Obviously it is all a balance but a little pep talk here and there can't hurt.  :) 

After the ceremony we took pictures and met the 'boyfriend'  His name is Rusty and is super nice.  Hoepfully we will get to know him more in the next few months. ;)

 

We love her!

 

And having sisters is the best these days. Made ALL of the cat fights worth it ;)

 

Later in the day we went to Tucanos and ate yummy food to celebrate.  As great as the graduation was I am kinda wishing that BYU could use her a little bit longer so that she didn't have to move SO far away.  But alas the time has come.  Larissa has accepted a great job in Connecticut with Pratt and Whitney (they build jet engines).  So in June she will be off... sigh...  We will miss you terribly auntie Larissa.

 

And if Connecticut wasn't enough she headed off to Peru the day after graduation to help build some solar ovens for them.  So we spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with the rest of my family and helped them do a few projects around their house (painting shutters, hanging lights, and fixing broken sprinkler pipes).  The kids loved the extra attention and the beautiful spring weather. 

 

 

That is all.  Hopefully I will get caught up soon.  Have a great day!

4 Months- Jensen

Um, my cutie is 4 months!  yay!

Crazy how fast time passes. Crazy. 

People give me some funny looks when I tell them that I have a 20 month old and a 4 month old.  I have to admit those two ages together sounds pretty crazy.  But they are both fairly well behaved and life really doesn't feel that crazy (only gets crazy when you throw in a 10 month old into the mix a few times a week) 

 

I will have to add his stats later.  His 4 month appointment isn't for a few weeks. 

 

New things he is doing-

Reaching for toys

playing with his feet

loves sucking on his fingers

drools lots (almost thought he was cutting teeth already)

rolls over tummy to back

eats 5-6 times a day

naps about 4 times a day (amazing!)

fussy time is from about 6-9

recognizes faces

wears 3-6 month clothes

 

His personality is really mild.  Not too cranky and not too smiley.  Just likes to be held and watch all the action.  Adalyn is still doing really well with him.  She has started hitting at times, but rarely aims at Jensen.  Hopefully they continue to get along.

 

 

Adalyn really likes to let Jensen play with her dolls.  I find scenes like the ones below all the time

 

Rolling over...

 

Jensen has a fairly flat head on the back.  It wasn't misshaped or lopsided.  Just flat.  I was starting to get worried and really wanted to avoid having to wear/buying one of those helmets so we decided to use a wedge and have him sleep on his side.  At first I thought he wasn't going to like it, but he has done great.  He will now sleep on either side or his back, and I am happy to report that his head is slowly shaping correctly.

 

 

Loved this little brown and white outfit on him... oh and always sucking on his hands

 

Also loves his feet

 

 

he has rolls!  It was one proud moment for this nursing mama.  He has been pretty tall and skinny up to this point. 

 

Well that is all.  Thanks for reading.  Have a great day!

My Husband Always Brings Me Roses

If I was in my first year of marriage that statement *might* be true.  McKay gave me flowers a lot when we were dating and first married and it was ALWAYS red rose.  He gave me them so much that I figured that I should use them in our wedding.  Our wedding colors were red, brown, and cream so it fit perfectly.

 
But then as most marriages go, we got complacent, money got tight, and the flowers stopped coming. 

For the most part I am ok with that.

 No I do not need flowers 5-6 times a year or for every major holiday like he did the first year (I am aware of how much they can cost), but there is a part of me (probably the selfish part) that wants them once or twice a year. (it has definitely been more than a year since I got any)

So.... I decided at the beginning of the year that I would give him a couple months, but if none came I was going to make a comment/reminder that I LOVED receiving flowers.  

Well Valentines and my birthday past and... no flowers ( they happen to be the same week).  Although he did make me a yummy cake for my birthday.  So one night a few weeks later I stated my case.  It was a pretty direct and to the point comment, but I have found that I can't always beat around the bush when it comes to comments like these because he might not always understand my hint (men don't read between the lines very well... they need it spelled out.).  He seemed to understand and I may get some flowers this year. 

P.S. complaining about not receiving flowers is not the MAIN part of this post, I was just laying the ground work for this next part.

Yesterday I ran across a post on another blog about a 30 day challenge that they were going to do; where everyday for 30 days they were going to make a conscious effort to do something nice for their husbands.  I thought it was a sweet idea and it got me thinking about what I would do for McKay.  Good thought right?  Well it also got me thinking about what McKay does for me (tons of stuff), oh and how I still haven't gotten any flowers this year...  Not good thought. 

As I was contemplating this thought I was cleaning out our basement.  Specifically all of my childhood treasures (so fun to look through some of that stuff) I came across my wedding time capsule that I made in Young Women's at church.  Of course I had already opened it 3 1/2 years ago but I looked at a few things again and found an ensign article tucked inside. 

By the way, a wedding time capsule is where you put little trinkets and ideas for your future wedding into a can and then seal it until you get engaged.  Some of the things in mine were qualities I wanted in a husband, my dream wedding colors, pictures of your favorite dress, how many kids you want, etc.  (basically a Pinterest board on paper) :) Mine was fairly similar to how my wedding actually turned out because we did these time capsules when I was almost 18 and I got married at the ripe old age of 19.  So not much time had passed.  I even had wished that the wedding dress picture in mine was my real dress.  But I couldn't find the exact one so I got one close to it. 

Just for fun here is the picture of me that was taken on the night that we made our time capsules...

 

Anyways, back to that ensign article that I mentioned above.  The title of it was "My Husband Always Brings Me Roses- But they're rarely from the florist".  It was written by Carol M. Sieverts and published in the April 1988 ensign.  Click here to read the full version.  

 

As you can imagine she talks about how her husband stopped buying her flowers over the years.  How she got annoyed with it, but then realized that even though he didn't buy her actual flowers he was still showing her lots of love. 

 

Just. What. I. Needed. To. Read.

 

I was looking at the negative side of things and not focusing on all of the wonderful things McKay does for me daily.  Yes my romantic heart expect flowers throughout my life as a wife and mother, but honestly all of the other things he does mean so much more than a bouquet a few times a year.   

 

Some of the "roses" that he gives me are...

*wakes up early on the weekends with Addie so that I can sleep in a little bit.

*never complains about a cluttered house or no dinner on the table when he gets home from work.

*Does the dishes often

*loves spending time with me, and tells me this regularly

*Listens to me ramble at the dinner table about this thing or that thing.  With all of my adventures in learning about healthy eating he is the first one that I go to to tell him all the cool things I have learned. 

*Takes Jensen with him to sunday school and priesthood EVERY Sunday so that I can teach my class baby free. 

*Not only lets me, but encourages me to go to Zumba 3 times a week and runs on the weekends kid free

*Watches chick flicks on our date nights because he knows they are my favorite

*Deals with the ups and downs of a stay at home mom's emotions (can be scary sometimes when all you have talked to that day is a 1 year old).

 

and many more things

 

Did reading this article change my attitude towards not getting flowers.  Yep.  I already KNEW that McKay loves me dearly.  I can see it in his actions and hard work for our family.  Silly me for thinking that I NEEDED flowers to show me.  

Love him dearly...

 

 

But you know I am NOT going to inform him of this change in my attitude and let him off the hook of buying me flowers.  A girl can still like pretty things :)   

 

Have a great day!