1 Year Pictures....round 1

One has come and gone. Now my baby is 13 months! He is slimming out and I just had to get some pictures of those little leg rolls before they disappear completely!

My sis and I went and switched off camera/keeping kiddo entertained/ safe/ happy.

He was okay for one second

Okay maybe two seconds.

"Add Done....done..DONE!"

He's finally letting me lead him while holding his hand- I just have to talk to him..."we are going over to the park! Look swings!"

Seeing the park always brings a big smile.

Jean diaper! Look at those rolls! I love 'em.

Well hello there beautiful.

This is his "Shy flirty face". He does this seriously to complete strangers when they smile at him- he blinks and smiles and "hides".

I love it when he does this.

He has to hold on to two pieces of bark- in both hands.

"my bark!"

My precious.

I think he picked this up from us- we always look at him with a gaping mouth- he's doing it too now.

I'm hoping round two will be up soon!

Mom on T.V- the Fire

My mom was on t.v.

http://fox13now.com/2013/06/13/fire-burning-in-provo/


She told me she was embarrassed she couldn't brush her hair-typical mom.

Well, the scoop is this:
My dad took the dog fishing which he has never done before and has never thought of doing before but just happened to take her that day.

There was a fireman who was directed to go down the hill, below the flames to get the base of the fire under control but had an impression to come to the top to fight the fire- if he hadn't....

The firemen were baffled that the houses didn't burn with the strong winds

My family is staying in a hotel because the smell is so bad. And my mom is excited because now the insurance covers all the walls to be cleaned (smoke gets into everything).

I knew what I would see- my mom described it to me, but standing there it just hit me that my family's house could have been gone. All that they have, just like that.

You can see how close the flames were to our neighbor's house- the trees were starting to burn and their home is right there.

That is where the power box was that fell when the pole snapped from the wind.

 

The fire licked the yard, making way to the house.

The dog would have died from the heat.

The view sure is nice though- I think my parent's should put in an off-the-edge- pools ....

Come on! Wouldn't that be so perfect?!!!

What a blessing my dad took the dog that day. What a blessing everyone is uninjured and the houses are still standing.

Tender mercies.  

The Flu and a Fire

G had the flu yesterday. I woke up to baby vomit all over me and all over the bed. Bath. Clean. He wants milk- okay? Bad idea. Baby vomit again. This time all over the floor and all over me. Okay. Shower. Then a few not so fun messes in the diaper. Miserable crying baby.

We've all been sick and I'm sure you moms have all had your days of dealing with sickness. I just have to say why I am so grateful:

1. Jay staying home a bit to help me clean up so I could take care of the baby
2. New friend who stopped by with some essential oils to help baby's body heal
3. That G was able to sleep a lot and by 3 or 4 in the afternoon able to keep something down.
4. G didn't get dehydrated
5. I was able to find some coconut water nearby- Good Earth, oh how I love that store
6. I was healthy and able to help G with whatever he needed to help his comfort as we waited for the sickness to pass- what a blessing
7. That he was able to sleep all night pretty much
8. That he was back to his smiling, happy self today




I am so grateful my family is okay and their house is intact. There was a freak fire tonight in their backyard and my dad just called me as I'm writing this and told me they are all okay. I am so grateful for my family and so so happy to hear that their lives are not going to be turned upside down from this fire. I love my family.
http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story/Provo-brush-fire/Lyxo0-o5102ge9GT1g3uug.cspx

Cloth Diapers...a Quest...

I am finding out there are yucky yucky things in disposable diapers. 

They are so convenient, yes but really? Dioxin? Ah! Terrible. 

So I am in the market for some cloth diapers. Every company is like, "these are so good because blah blah blah". Because I have never cloth-diapered before and there is a language I just don't quite understand yet, "hook and loop" "aplix" "double inner gussets". What the heck?

I just really don't want to invest in diapers unless I know they will work. I might just have to get a few different ones and try them out. Ugh though $30 a diaper? In the long run it will save you money but that initial cost is yucky. Then I have no idea how to clean them. What do you do with poop? I might just start by buying one diaper and trying it out. But I would really love to have enough for a day: so about 7. What is 7 x 30? Ah! Yikes. Okay, we'll just start with one. I have heard really good things about Rumparooz from a friend so I think that's the one I'm going to try. Unless anyone else has any advice from me or just loooovvvves their cloth diapers and convinces me to try that brand. Anyone?

The Old Lady's Honesty About G's Cuteness

Well, I love my cutie patootie and I've really tried hard not to always get on here and go "He's so cute! Huh? Huh guys? Don't you think? Someone said he was cute. You can see it right?"

I just am obsessed. Okay? I'm obsessed with my kid and every time someone says something about him I just feel soooooo lucky that I get to play mom while we are here on earth for this short little thing we call "life". We all know we existed before right? And we will exist after? And that this life is sooooo teeny tiny compared to eternity? Okay, just making sure we are all on the same page.

I just have to tell you about this little old lady who pulled up in her motorized shopping cart today. She pulls up and starts by saying, "Your baby is so cute! Look at those dark eyes. He is beautiful." These are things many people admire, myself included mind you, but what she said next was not expected at all. She starts pulling away then stops again and looks back and says, "You know, I have 9 great-grandchildren and none of them are as cute as him!" Jay and I just burst out laughing. "Don't tell my grand-kids I said that!" and off she goes.

He is a doll.

Such an angel. 

Going to Church....with an active one-year old.

Sunday school has been different with an active walker who isn't old enough yet for nursery.

It started as nursing and sleeping during sunday school and relief society.

That worked pretty well for the most part. If I really felt he needed a nap I would go home after sacrament. But mostly he will nap in my arms if I go to the mother's lounge and nurse him to sleep. 

Then he started growing up.

For a couple weeks we brought books and that helped.

Then we started bringing toys and cups to stack on the floor so I would hurry in the room and claim my "territory" before anyone else could get it: 

a nice corner section in the back of the room where I could feel free to let G sit on the floor and play.

Now that he runs around though we have:

Brought a ball to church and let him chase it around in between people. 

People throw it back to him- it is soooo disrupting but he is happy and he isn't crying so....?

I don't know, he's playing and I actually get to sit through a lesson- I could just not go to church but I'm trying to make it work. What do people do with active children before nursery? 

Then this last sunday G ran around touching every knee and looking up into the faces of each individual he could touch and giving them his best heart melting earth shattering toothy smile. 

Then he holds up his hands for a high-five and some he gives, some he holds up then as soon as the person raises their hand to give him one, he puts his down and runs off. 

Then, someone had a football touch and feel book and G lovvvved it.

He started reading it even.

Very loudly.

It sounded like a fat cat was dying, "Gah! GAHAHA  ga loosha gugaaaaaaaAAAAAA!"

It was very throaty and growly. I don't know where he learned to read a story like that. 

I read to him but never with a voice and tone like that. It was hilarious. 

Then he was tired enough for a nap so I got to go to relief society and actually listen to lesson which was sooooo good. About aligning our will with God's will. He slept up until the last five minutes. Then I put stickers on my nose to keep him occupied. It worked like a charm. 

What new tricks are we going to try next week?

Strawberries in the Garden

We visited Erda these past two weekends and the first weekend G was super tired and teething and congested and it was....as good as it could have been with all that goin' on.

There was a cute moment though last week:

This chair is the all-time best rocker/sleeper- usually  sleep befalls the rocker and rockee.

Love sleeping pictures- it just pushes those little  lips out so perfectly.

The next weekend was breezy and beautiful. Uncle Garrett taught Grant how to climb down the stairs...backwards! Grant actually smiled and laughed and we enjoyed the day picking fresh strawberries from Nana Banana and Garbanzo's garden ;) 

Can I just tell you nothing beats eating a sun-warmed fresh juicy ripe strawberry right from the garden. Actually that wasn't a question. I'm going to tell you that is the best thing in the whole entire world. Ever. Best. Yes. Oh I can't wait to have a garden with strawberry plants.

Never satisfied with just one hand full: must have both hands holding whatever is desired.

Garden boy

Windblown hair

Then on the way home we got him to fall asleep! I love car trips with a sleeping baby!

A couple stories and some nursing and baby is asleep! Yes, sometimes I lean over the seat and feed the baby to help him calm down. It is very awkward but it is magic for calming him down.

Then I had some fun with his hair- all that gorgeous feather hair.

The norm- messy beautiful.

Poised

Rocker

This one looks like a wig.