Mama's Weekend

Happy Mother's day to all of you beautiful, patient and loving mothers out there! Especially to my mother, I love you so much mom! I cherish our relationship. I love our conversations that can go from extremely petty to deeply spiritual. I love how close we are. But mostly I love what an amazing grandmother you are. You've planted strong roots in my children's heart that they will carry with them for a lifetime. You are a wonderful person, and you empower me to be the best mom I can. I love you.

The first Presidency of the Church has stated that "Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angles." What a wonderful gift us women have within us. I hope your day was extra special.

 *** On a side note, my best friend Amy gave birth to her first baby this weekend! Baby girl Claire Dalley made her grand entrance just in time for Mother's day. Congratulations Amy and Aaron!! Enjoy every single moment with your new little love bundle :)

Well Ryan had one, I repeat one week off before his next semester of school starts. So we decided to get the most out it before the endless night of studying until midnight begin again. We were going to go to San Diego for a little vacay, but quickly realized that that wouldn't be the most financially savvy move at this moment. So we went to St. George to visit Lindsi, Rob and the kidlets. Im so glad we did, it was so much fun!

 We went to a super fun splash pad/ river park that even had a carousel. Vegas desperately needs one!

 This little sprout LOVES water!

 Ya I know, handsome to the second power.

 

 The twinsies. Bostyn and Madden looking so grown up!

 Can I get a carousel installed in my backyard please?? She is obsessed. She even has a "merry-go-round fund" when she earns enough we take her lol!

He was falling asleep haha. Had to capture this!

 Later that day we had family pictures taken by my lovely sister in law Lindsi. Thanks again Linz, I'm soo excited to get them!

 The next day we went to Zion. I had never been (ridiculous I know!) I was soo excited to take some pretty pics with our new camera, but guess what? I left the battery in the charger! Grrrr I was soo bummed! So the iphone just had to do!

We didn't stay for more than a couple hours. Shelby got sunscreen in her eye, and, well she was the epitome of miserable. Plus hiking uphill with a three year old in the stroller was quite the workout!

Shelbs and the Big Three

Is it just me, or did time literally speed up when you became a parent? As a child I remember grown ups always saying "gee time is just flying by!" And I'd think, "ya right, Christmas is still a million days away and I'm still too short for half the rides at Disneyland!" Yes, Christmas was my measurement of time as child... Then the time comes when you're the parent and your days are filled with chaos, tantrums and lots of laughs. And yes it becomes true that the time does feel like it's flying by. That's how I felt recently as my little "big girl" Shelby turned three. Three!! What is going on?? Well this was the first birthday(of many) that she talked about for weeks in advance. It was a really fun and crazy party. It was ice cream parlor themed, well kind of. It was "supposed" to be a small birthday this year, but that just didn't seem to happen. But I didn't want to go crazy either, so I just made a ice cream & toppings table with banner and balloons and that's it! It was mostly family, but a few of her little gal pals came too :)

Ice cream cone cupcakes. Definitely not my proudest work, but I was trying to finish them as guests were coming through the door!

Shelby was sneaking some serious sprinkles off the ice cream table. I caught her in the act.

 Blowing out her candles. Singing or being sung "happy birthday to you" is probably one of her top five all time favorite things. If you want to feel special on your birthday, just call Shelby and she'll sing her heart out for you!

Pure childhood happiness. 

And after the party was over, instead of playing with her mound of presents, she decided to hang out in a gift bag with her blankie :) Happy birthday Shelby Brooke, we love you with all our hearts!

Liam Lately

My little man doesn't feel so little anymore. I can feel it when I pick him up out of his crib at 3 am for his ritual feeding. As I feed him I think to myself, "how on earth am I going to wean him??" Shelby slept through the night at 11 weeks, so weaning her was pretty easy. Liam will be eight months old in just a few days and he's still as attached as ever. I plan on weaning him at 12 months, but I have a feeling it will be a bit of a challenge. That being said, he is still changing in so many ways. First thing, I started cloth diapering him about four months ago. Gross right? Actually not really. That was my first comment to my mom when she mentioned it to me when I was pregnant with him. But as I looked into it, not only are they so cute, but they are softer and much more gentle on baby's skin (great for babies who suffer from chronic diaper rash). And most importantly, they will save me mucho bucks in the long run. They also wont sit in a landfill for hundreds of years either. It makes me feel like I'm doing just a teeny tiny part in helping our beautiful planet lol!  Now what about the poop? I know that's what your thinking. Well I usually just "plop" it into the toilet and go on my way. But if it's especially icky I have a sprayer attached to the toilet that sprays it right off no biggie. I love it, truly. I still use disposables while out and about or traveling. It makes for less bulk in my bag. And thats that!

He also started crawling at the speed of light. Literally I turn around and he's in the dog food or trying to crawl out the doggie door! It won't be long before he's causing mass destruction..

And my little Lilo also got his fist tooth! Whoo Hoo! His one little tooth nubbin sticking out of his gums is so cute! I think the one next to it will be popping out any day now.

It still surprises me how each little spirit is born so special and unique with they're own personalities. While both my kids are so outgoing and fun, Liam I know is a boy to his core. Ripping his sisters hair out started months ago hasn't ceased. He loves when his daddy jumps on Shelby's itty bitty trampoline with him in his arms. I can see the sense of adventure in his eyes, and as his mother I am already nervous for the heart stopping moments he is going to put me through. I just wish he would stay a baby a little longer!