Saturday, May 31, 2014

Talking like a four year old

Behold the most random conversation with Aiden

Sometimes when I think about how he will be old enough for kindergarten in a year, I am terrified. The way he uses five different letters for “C” and cannot pronounce any consonant blends and uses pronouns incorrectly makes me wonder if people will be able to understand him. On the flip side, when I’m not worrying about his future, I think the way he speaks is pretty cute, so here’s a sample. Smile

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Memorial Day Weekend

We went up Tahoe for the long weekend, and it was so nice! It makes me even more anxious for summer and more time to spend with this face:

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We met up with my parents and siblings, and we all just had a relaxing weekend away.

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I was very bad about taking pictures on our trip, but here’s one of all the boys surrounded by dirt and pine trees and sun. It was a beautiful weekend.

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I also loved seeing flags on our way home on Memorial Day. Sometimes I feel like patriotism isn’t as prevalent as it used to be or as it probably should be, but I sure am grateful to be an American. I am grateful for the liberties we enjoy and take for granted. I am proud of the veterans in my family and thankful to all the men and women who support our country and who have fought to uphold our freedoms over the years.

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Happy Memorial Day to all!

Sunday, May 18, 2014

First Tooth!

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Landon had his first tooth break through on Mother’s Day, and the one next to it is just starting to come through now. He even bit his lip for the first time today… I’m not sure how he did it, but the poor baby started crying and bleeding this afternoon. Even blessings like teeth come with challenges, right?

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Is it summer yet?

There are still 23 days of school. I don’t think I have ever felt so much like the year is dragging. I don’t know if it’s the very summer-like weather we’ve been having lately or the very late Spring Break that made the months before that feel even longer than normal or that I have Landon at home, delightfully keeping me from being productive most of the time… but summer can’t come soon enough.  Oh well.

We went to the Disney store today for their swimwear sale so we could get a new suit for Aiden, and the place was packed with parents waiting in line to get items from the new Frozen shipment that apparently came in this morning. Parents were even waiting in line to get raffle tickets for the drawing to see who could buy one of the few Elsa or Anna dresses. The only thing left from the Frozen shipment was Olaf… and Isaac can’t pass up a great SNOWman, so we picked it up along with Aiden’s new swim gear since we were there.

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Today was a lovely 67 degrees, but the temperature is estimated to jump 7-9 degrees a day and be in the nineties next week… so we’re prepared. My mom brought over an inflatable pool, and we got it all set up. Aiden loves it already, and when it’s hotter later this week, I’m sure he’ll be even more pleased.

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Landon can’t get enough food. We have been trying new purees, the latest of which was green beans. I thought for sure I’d get an “icky face” on that one, but he just raised his eyebrows a little in a “oh, this is new” way, and kept clamoring for more until I cut him off. I’m only giving him solids once a day right now, but if he could talk, he’d probably ask for more food all the time.

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How many snowmen do you see? Winking smile

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Six Months!

Landon is half a year old! At six months old, Landon…

* maintains his incredible love of food and attention.

* has a loud voice and “talks” quite a bit but he is generally a happy baby

* loves to grab anything he can,

* holds onto things pretty well,

* loves shaking rattles

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* is fascinated by things he hasn’t held (and slobbered on) before

* is incredibly drooly but still doesn’t have any teeth poking through

* shows preference for people he knows sometimes

* loves to sit in the swing outside

* is learning to sit, but is very wobbly

* loves to watch Aiden play and run

* is calmed by music, particularly singing

* is a less predictable sleeper than Aiden—sometimes he’ll go days sleeping 8-9 hours a night, and then he’ll have a stretch where he wakes up every four hours acting hungry; he is hard to get to sleep for naps sometimes, and he wakes up often

* loves any food he can get. He has had squash, banana, and peach purees, rice cereal, and even some bit of rice and bread when he wails for some at dinner, and he’s eats all of it with delight

Finally, here he is alongside Aiden at six months old. They look different to me, but they are definitely brothers.

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

To Provo we Go

Mandy and Bryant graduated from BYU the same week as my mom’s birthday and my Spring Break, so we all made a road trip of it. We drove the 13 hours straight through on Tuesday and the 12.5 or so hours back on Saturday, which was making pretty decent time with two little boys in the car.

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Not only did we get to see graduation, but we had so much good food… CafĂ© Rio, Leatherby’s, Zupas, Chick-Fil-A in the CougarEat, Kneaders, JCW burgers…

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Many thanks to Mom and Dad for not only driving their big vehicle to allow us to all fit in one car, but for getting a room to accommodate all of us. Aiden loved his “magic bed.”

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We saw all the temples in the valley, at least from a distance, and we drove past the Provo City Center temple in progress, which was pretty fun to see.

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We visited with family friends the Gabrielsons, Kayla and her girls, and Dad’s friend from SL & BYU, Jeff. We saw Stephani & Nora, Dad’s Uncle Doug & Aunt Bonnie, and of course Mandy & Bry and some of his family.

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We walked around campus, saw where Mandy worked on the sixth floor of the library, shopped in the bookstore, attended the Sacred Gifts art exhibit at the MOA, and went to the Marriott School graduation.

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We even squeezed in a hike up Y mountain. It was my first time, and the view was fantastic, and it was such a perfect day for a hike.

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The boys were generally very good little travelers, so I felt very lucky. Taking little kids on long trips can be pretty daunting, but Aiden was a superstar in the car, and Landon wasn’t too tough himself. The kid likes to eat. He sucked on those disintegrating baby biscuits when he got fussy, drank from bottles, and napped in between bouts of amusement. It was fun to be in Provo and reminisce about our college days… that were now so long ago… and to be reminded of how lucky we were to love our college so much, to make good friends, and to have memories that we will treasure forever. It was even more fun to see my little sister graduate with her husband and prepare to make the next step in their lives and move to a new city for a new job. It seems like everyone is moving this year—all of Isaac’s siblings and one of mine. We are not planning to move, so I guess we’re not that cool. Or maybe we just set the trend by moving last year? Speaking of which, we are using our tax refund to replace the two set of French doors on our balcony, and I’m super pumped about the prospect of having doors that are sturdier, better sealed, and generally in better condition. Also, we are planning to paint the house this summer, but picking colors for the outside of a house is terrifying to me. I’m thinking something safe like shades of gray with white trim…