Lilo at 9 months

My little baby is gone. And while I haven't been able to swaddle him for a while now, I still can't believe how fast the time is passing. I feel a little cheated. In just a few months he'll be a year old and toddlerhood will be just around the corner. Here's some fun milestones:

-He went from having one tooth to having four in one month! Two top and two bottom. And I can already feel more on top.

- Since the arrival of his new fangs, eating has officially become his favorite pastime. 

- He's itching to walk in a bad way. He pulls himself up on everything, and yesterday I found him standing on the stairs, holding onto the banister! One heart stopping moment of many.

- He learned how to clap! It so fun to see how excited he gets too. His squeals and screams can be heard within a mile radius, no joke!

-His obsession with water is at an all time high. Bath time is my least favorite time of day right now. The only way I can describe it is like holding onto a buttered up turkey! He is all over the place, slipping constantly!

Liam at 9 months

 Almost time for that first haircut!

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! 

My 3 month Trend

So I've been making a bad habit out of going three months in between posts! Sorry! (not that anyone probably cares, but I should be better about for my own personal memories) Anyway, many new things have been happening. Ryan started nursing school in January (and turned 27 this year!), Shelby is now potty trained (hallelujah!), and our little Liam is changing so much! I swear that he is growing and changing so much faster than Shelby did when she was a baby. I blinked my eyes and he's already six months. Just today I got video of him scooting his little self around the floor for the first time. I know he's just gearing up for some serious crawling. My recent mindset of "there's no way I'm having anymore kids!", has already started to change, and in my heart I know I'm so not done! But for a while, I'm good....
I'm so excited for all the fun things that spring and summer will bring, and after that it's crazy to think that Shelby will be starting preschool (eeek!). And I'm so proud of my hubby for all the hard work he puts into school and taking care of us. He still has a looong road before school is completely over, but we're learning to enjoy the journey and our little family.
Here's some cute little snapshots of us the last few months...
She looves crawling into bed with him and playing. His eyes light up when he sees her, its soo cute! I better enjoy this, cause I know that wont last forever!

5 months

My boys in their Sunday best

Liam and mommy after bath time :)

Aggghh, how on earth can I resist this face?!?!

Shelby in her new rainboots. She's lives for the outdoors, I wish for her we were farmers lol!

Oogway, our little backyard dweller decided to pop his head out after sleeping all winter. Shelby was so excited!


Shelby in her St. Patty's day garb. My mom gets her holiday outfits every year.


A rare photo of the four of us.

6 months

The Last 3 Months

Okay, so I have officially been a horrible blogger. 12 weeks, no updates. Oh well, newborn babies tend to throw me off my groove. Things are finally getting on a schedule, and I've had a whole week of uninterrupted sleep! (Halleluiah!) I cannot believe that it has been 3 months since our little Liam was born! So much has changed, included our Shelby girl. She has become so much more independent. Maybe a little jealous at times, yes, but overall she has really done so well. We are so enjoying this time in our lives, and the fact that Ryan has 5 weeks off from school has been awesome! NOTE: Sorry for the ridiculous amount of pictures below. Three months worth jammed packed into one post right here!


4 Days Old


One Month



Halloween at Bonnie Springs. Shelby's first "horsie" ride on a little pony named butter. She LOVED it! No fear with that child when it comes to animals.

My little tigger boy

Miss Minnie


2 Months


Liam's first Thanksgiving

The turkey thief
Liam's Baby Blessing
Always finding an excuse to sleep, even if it means sleeping in Shelby's bed. Poor guy!

Auntie Courtney making him giggle!



Baby powder fiasco. See Facebook page for more info.



3 Months


Gingerbread building

Snow leftover in Ryan's truck from snowboarding that day.

Always so happy :)