When Grant Decides to Grow Up, He Grows Up Fast

This weekend was so fun visiting with Jay's parents and brothers!
They are such a fun family and it's so nice to get away and not worry about all the stuff that you worry about when you are home.

Nancy always gets sick when we come but I think the energy transfers to Grant because last time we went he started crawling soon after. This time we had another major development. Um, it's been 2 weeks? since he started crawling and now:...
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Yah, forget walking. We have a runner folks!!! What is going on?!!!

10 Months. Monk's Favorite number. Mine too up to this point.

He is not my baby anymore. He's my little boy. It's official.

Favorites:

• After someone sneezes, I always say, "A-choo!!!" to tell him that was a sneeze and he copies me!!!! He says, "Nnnnn-cchhhhhhh!"  He has also started copying other noises too like owl says, "who who" and he will say, "Oooo ooo". 
• Waving at me from the other room. So sweet. He'll just look up from playing with his toys and I'll look in from the dishes and wave and he smiles and waves back. Then, he keeps waving. And waving and waving....
• Says "mama" with a smile. Yay!!! He used to only say "dada" when he was happy and "mama" when he was sad or needed something but now he says my name when he's happy and just talking with me.

New Stuff:

• Pointing. Started as flexing but now he's got it down.
• Crawling and me interfering= screaming. Uh, not my little baby anymore. He for sure has his own agenda.
• Pulling himself up on everything by himself. So cool to watch. Except when he falls:( or decides to use a drawer to stand up and the drawer closes from his weight pushing against it as he tries to balance resulting in smashed fingers and big tears. He also will just stop in the middle of the floor and do downward facing dog- straightening his legs, looking like he might just stand right up.
• He is able to get down from a standing position by himself.
• He takes whoever is giving him attention hostage to let him walk around. I have heard more complaints about everyone's backs since this has been the new thing.
• He can stand on his own for 10 seconds. I've seen it.

My Thoughts:

When G started crawling, that marked the day when he wasn't my "baby" anymore. He is now a little boy in every sense. I am actually not too sad about it...just makes me want another baby who is totally dependent on me for everything because now my little boy thinks I am in the way and I am not going to lie- the first few days were really frustrating because I was so used to the way things had been- me coming and picking him up resulting in smiles and gratitiude and love to now I am interupting his fun time. Those first few days were hard when he was becoming a little boy. I remember thinking I am not going to like this at all. I hated it in fact. But all of a sudden I just adjusted the way I went about things and instead of just expecting him to like that I'm picking him up, instead distract him or whatever and let me tell you I have never had more fun with any person. I am having the time of my life. He is so fun. We laugh all day every day. I love it. I love having a little boy and his personality is wonderful. I never thought having a kid would be this dang fun. Like I can't even stand it fun.

Owies. There are a lot more incidents of him hurting himself because he can get around to where he wants and pull things down (things I figured couldn't harm a fly somehow seem to manage to hurt him!) I put this metal bowl at his level and somehow he was able to hit his eye with it? I don't know.

Valentine's Dance 2013 -Hello Happiness

My sister visited one day and gifted us with tickets to an institute dance and free frozen yogurt coupons! Um, hello date night!

The key words for the ticket were:
best dressed
dinner
dance lessons
dancing

We had to go. So I called up my cousins Quincie and Macall (2nd Attendant to Miss Provo-um hello beautiful dresses!) I think I borrow a dress from them every year! Actually I am going to have to borrow one of Q's dresses for our anniversary because it is spectacular.
I picked a shimmery blue and got dressed up for a night out. Who does that?
That alone made the night, or so I thought.

Obviously when you think "Institute dance" you really just picture what? The scriptures and pictures of the prophets on the walls. I will admit I saw pictures of prophets and such but let me tell you this was no ordinary thingy to get you interested in institute.

This was everyone is dressed up creating an amazing vibe of "specialness".
This was dinner, as in like 5 different yummy soups, rolls, salads and drinks and brownies.
This was a live band affair. Oh my goodness what a difference a live band makes to a party. It classes everything up a few notches and adds to the atmosphere!
This was get your picture taken for free to remember your night.
This was laughing and dancing and flirting with my hubs.
This was acting ridiculous and loving every moment of it.
This was just about me and him.
This was the most fun we've had in a long time.

And this date totally did make me want to go to institute- they can sure through a party.
This made the list for one of my all time favorite dates with Jay- for sure in the top 5! I think it might even be my favorite. The night was perfect.
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Photo credit: MarkSpencerPics.com

I Never Want Diamonds For Valentine's Day

Have I already mentioned I love being poor? Other than the fact that it can get stressful I am really, really happy not having a lot of money.
Reasons? You want reasons you say.
Okay.
#1 It forces you to get creative. Um... would I ever in a million years save every card board box that enters our place and think of all the amazing things I could do with cardboard?
#2 It has been really humbling.
#3 I am learning my value really isn't based on what I have.
#4 I have become a really grateful person. Gratitude has been somewhat of a weak part of my life and something I didn't know how to really go about fixing. Well, not having a lot and then people being generous to you makes you real grateful real fast.
#5 My faith has been stretched to, well, almost forcing me to have faith. You have to have faith or you become discouraged really quickly. And I've realized faith is a choice. I choose to have faith.


Well, back to Valentine's Day.
What girl doesn't like flowers? Honestly. Unless maybe if you are deathly allergic or something to the pollen? They are beautiful and smell fabulous and just brighten your day right?
Jay doesn't like flowers- he had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that a couple little doodah flowers that last a couple doodah days could make me feel sooooo special. He has bought me flowers before and I loved it of course and felt really special. But of course I knew I wouldn't be getting any flowers this year because it just doesn't make sense to buy flowers over food;) ha ha. So I really didn't know what to expect from the hubs. I knew I could make him something in the kitchen and he would love that.

So I made him some Costco muffins again(He loved them for his birthday) but this time I made super sized ones. And I wrote a little poem about how much he means to me.







And this, this is what I received:

There are 7 and in his note he said he made one for every day of the week he loves me....sweet.

Aren't they beautiful?

Best Valentine's Day ever. This means so much more to me than him running over to the store and grabbing chocolate and flowers. I mean, I like real flowers a lot and I still feel loved but this was much greater.

He took the time to make each and everyone of these. I imagine he is giddy with anticipation and happiness that he is creating this for me. His special wife. And these take some time to make so I imagine he was thinking about me and his love for me while he hand crafted these. It just makes my heart melt a little.


I know someday we will have money. Well, that's the plan at least with Jay going to school. I know we will have it but I don't want to lose this. This creativity and excitement for simple sweet things.

I never want diamonds for Valentine's Day.

Favorites of the 9-er Boy

I forgot some of my favorite things lately that I just adore about this sweet boy:

1. He shares his food with us. He reaches out with a huge smile on his face and waits for you to take a bite of his food. Usually I do but sometimes, like when he's been eating his prune and spinach concoction I made up for him to get iron and get pooping, I decline.

2.When he is excited, his hands go crazy. Happy hands. And then he bangs one of them down hard and fast!

3.. Did I mention that one day G-man STARTED CRAWLING???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yah, no big deal. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I am soOoooooooOOOOO excited!!!!

The 9-er Boy!

I always wonder what these boys do when I'm not home. I love finding gems like this:

That is 9 month-er boy.

Doctor time. I think I'm finally coming to grips with the fact that everything he is doing is so normal. The nurse reads this big list of things like, "Does he babble and pull himself up from a seated position..." yada yada and everything they read off they say it so normally.
These are HUGE people! Come on.

 It's funny because when your world is your little one you think everything they do is so amazing and then you go to the doctor and they read this list like they are about to fall asleep and it's what every baby does. Yah, so I guess he's not so amazing. You might fall asleep looking at all the NORMAL things he does.

NOT!!!

It is exciting, okay? I love everything about this little boy and I am glad he is doing things that other babies do and life is so so so fun.

 He loves standing sooooo much.

He looooves his reflection. He laughs and waves to himself (like his reflection is his little friend) in the mirror. Talk about cute.

More teeth! His top two incisors are cutting through. Tooth brushing has become a struggle though! He refuses to open and let me brush his teeth. I try 3+ times a day, trying to make it as fun as possible, not forcing to make it traumatizing but he just won't. 

He makes a sad face before he starts crying now to get my attention. His eyes just scrunch up and he makes little "eh-eh" noises. I know, looks really like he's crying but it's just an expression to get me to pick him up or help him with something.

He juts out his jaw and his bottom teeth cover his top teeth. It's cute but then he scrapes! Ah! I can't take the grinding!!!!

Screaming at the top of his lungs. Then laughing. Then stop. Scream. Laugh. Repeat.

Scooting and "revving" moving forward onto his knees and making sure each time he tries this that he can move back to his bum.

Eating a dust bunny under the fridge- yuck!!!

Constipation....:( We've been sneaking prune concentrate into peaches and pears and he eats it- poor baby.

Personality.

Scared of people- very affectionate to his parents especially when others are around. Goes with sleeping too though- he wakes up and realizes we aren't there and cries out.

Biting....he dives for my chest when he wants milk but that's not all- he bites our toes and knees and fingers and he bit my collar bone the other day! Ouch those teeth are sharp!


Hair is getting lighter.... He still has his dark mo-hawk then the lighter hair on the sides....

And it still stands up in the back sometimes. It's more a wave now instead of straight feather looking.

Looks like weight has leveled off thank goodness and is moving lots slower.

Still gots the chunkiness going though. Those cheeks.

And he is so cuddly. I love having a baby who will just randomly move in close and snuggle and hug you. It makes your day 1000 times better.

He loves the guitar!!!

Nursing: he is starting to kick at me and his body is moving away from mine while still attached at the breast. Uh- what do you do with that? ha ha. Other than that, it's so easy now- I can't believe at one time it was hard to nurse.

Double chin time!

How cute can you get? Seriously.

Perfect. 

The Hubs turns 25!!!!

So guess what?

I made a new friend! Yay! And she asked me how old I was....

I sat there thinking for like 30 seconds! 

Then answered: 23.

She laughed and thought I was so hilarious that I had to think about my age. *um yikes! seriously aubrey? you forgot your age? now you don't have to feel bad when I miss your birthday or something- just think, "oh yah, that girl doesn't even know how old she is". and chuckle to yourself.

Then I remembered Jay is turning 25- that means I am 24! 

Totally didn't tell her. So I now have a friendship starting with a lie. 

January 29th, 2013

So Jay's birthday?

We celebrated the weekend before by going to the dollar theater! We haven't been in ages and we went and saw "Here Comes The Boom". It was good and we laughed and then shared a frozen yogurt. It was fun to get out for a night and really just be the two of us. 

Then, birthday morning I made him blueberry muffins! He lovvvves Costco muffins so I tried to do a copycat recipe but they were a little different. I didn't have eggs so substituted applesauce (it does wonders). Well, he said my muffins were better than Costco- good hubby.

And now you are probably craving blueberry muffins so here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/our-favorite-blueberry-muffins-recipe#ReviewSection

They are really really good.

Then, I gave him my gift which is a framed word art wedding picture. I wrote the words to one of my favorite songs that Jay wrote for me while we were dating with fancy letters and such. I think it's cute and he said he liked it!