Thursday, October 6, 2011
Picture Update
I have been a big slacker in the blogging department. The last 9 months have brought some big changes to our little family. We took a little trip with Madden to Springdale and Zions, Madden turned 1, we added Krew to our family and moved into our new house. Here are a few pictures of the last 9 months!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Lately...
Things have been a little crazy at our house lately. We have a crazy 7 month old that like to crawl, climb and get into whatever is at his reach. He is always falling over, hitting his head, or getting stuck in crazy places. He has been having to entertain himself a lot lately because his Mama has been doing lots of:
And has seen a lot of this!
That's because...
Notice his shirt and shocked face? That is how his Mama felt when she found out too. You read right, Baby #2 is due in August!
And has seen a lot of this!
That's because...
Notice his shirt and shocked face? That is how his Mama felt when she found out too. You read right, Baby #2 is due in August!
Monday, January 24, 2011
6 Months
Nicknames: Monkey, Bug, Silly Boy
Temperament: You are always a happy smiling boy. You love to flirt with everyone and then act shy and try to hide your face. You are content to sit and play with toys until you notice no one is by you so you will whine.
Things I Could Do Without:Whining and Teething.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Any toy that make music or noise. They seem to keep you the most entertained. Your high chair has become a lifesaver when we are trying to get stuff done.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You still love Sophie the Giraffe but you also love your high chair. You can see what we are doing and you love to eat treats and drink from your sippy cup.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Since you have become mobile you are always on the move. You never want to sit still. If you notice that I am in another room you will come and find me. You have also learned to climb into your bouncy chair and love to bounce on your hands and knees!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You are loving anything that you can put into your mouth. You like to try new foods and treats. You love to eat graham crackers, fruit puff, fruit leathers, Daddy's smoothies, or anything that we are eating. You are still loving to explore our house and have gotten into some big messes!
Temperament: You are always a happy smiling boy. You love to flirt with everyone and then act shy and try to hide your face. You are content to sit and play with toys until you notice no one is by you so you will whine.
Things I Could Do Without:Whining and Teething.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Any toy that make music or noise. They seem to keep you the most entertained. Your high chair has become a lifesaver when we are trying to get stuff done.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You still love Sophie the Giraffe but you also love your high chair. You can see what we are doing and you love to eat treats and drink from your sippy cup.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: Since you have become mobile you are always on the move. You never want to sit still. If you notice that I am in another room you will come and find me. You have also learned to climb into your bouncy chair and love to bounce on your hands and knees!
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You are loving anything that you can put into your mouth. You like to try new foods and treats. You love to eat graham crackers, fruit puff, fruit leathers, Daddy's smoothies, or anything that we are eating. You are still loving to explore our house and have gotten into some big messes!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
5 Months
Nicknames: Monkey, Handsome Boy
Temperament: You are still the most happy when you wake up. You are starting to get frustrated when you can reach a toy or something that you want. I feel like you are in a needy stage where you always want to be held or doing something. You are no longer content to just sit.
Things I Could Do Without: You are still drooling a ton. You have also learned to blow bubbles and make sounds with your lips. You love doing this while I feed you which gets food everywhere!
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Bumbo chair. You love to be in the middle of everything we are doing. I will set you in the bumbo while I am making dinner or cleaning and you love it.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You love Sophie the Giraffe and love toys that make sounds. You still are chewing on anything you can get in your mouth.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You have just started to army crawl. It is so great to see you growing and learning new things. You have started holding your own bottle and reaching for people.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Now that you are on the move you are in everything. We set toys out for you to crawl to. You love to turn in circle in your belly to see everything. You really love to kick and splash at bath time. You love to eat your baby food and get so excited when you realize it is time to eat.
Temperament: You are still the most happy when you wake up. You are starting to get frustrated when you can reach a toy or something that you want. I feel like you are in a needy stage where you always want to be held or doing something. You are no longer content to just sit.
Things I Could Do Without: You are still drooling a ton. You have also learned to blow bubbles and make sounds with your lips. You love doing this while I feed you which gets food everywhere!
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Bumbo chair. You love to be in the middle of everything we are doing. I will set you in the bumbo while I am making dinner or cleaning and you love it.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: You love Sophie the Giraffe and love toys that make sounds. You still are chewing on anything you can get in your mouth.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You have just started to army crawl. It is so great to see you growing and learning new things. You have started holding your own bottle and reaching for people.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: Now that you are on the move you are in everything. We set toys out for you to crawl to. You love to turn in circle in your belly to see everything. You really love to kick and splash at bath time. You love to eat your baby food and get so excited when you realize it is time to eat.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Real Investment
My Aunt posted this on Facebook from a website called the The Exponent and I think it is a great reminder of what is really important!
Real Investment
Posted on November 30, 2010 by Whoa-man
For my birthday this weekend my husband and I went to a fancy French restaurant in a nearby historic town. We noshed on decadent food and pretended to live an indulgent life. It was a blast. However, nothing could be further from the truth. We are both graduate students living off University stipends. We rent a small apartment near campus, have hot pockets in our freezer, and wear thrift store finds– quintessential signs of eternal students. In fact, we live such an inexpensive life that I am often embarrassed when a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or graduation day rolls around and we have to tell others about the elaborate things we do because most people I know do not invest very much into these holidays.
You see, my theory is to invest more in the things I can’t live without than in the things I can. For example, if my education, career, car, housing, or possessions were suddenly gone it would be difficult, but I would get by. However, if all of a sudden my health, spouse, friends, family, or sex life were gone it would be devastating. It would fundamentally change me. Awhile ago I realized that I was spending most of my time, money, energy, and empathy on the former things rather than the latter. Why was it easier to justify investing in an academic conference rather than an anniversary? Cutting back on presents for each other in order to get that new gadget? Taking the time to listen to experts in my field but being impatient with my kids? Budgeting time for church but not for sex? Focusing on others but not myself?
Real investment is my family’s approach to spending time, money energy, and empathy on the things that matter most. Some basic approaches to this plan are:
* Viewing birthdays as a time to test your connection with another person, i.e. Do you really know what they want? Have you been listening? Watching? What are you willing to invest into that relationship? Usually investing more time, energy, and empathy on a birthday makes a bigger impact than just investing more money.
* Seeing Valentine’s Day as a time to show other’s how much they mean to you. Often real investment isn’t so much about what you do, but rather how the other person feels. It feels nice to be doted on, taken care of, and shown concern. It feels special to take precedence over work, budget, kids, and church duties. It feels fantastic to take the time to focus on the people you love and figure out ways to communicate that.
* Using anniversaries as a time to evaluate and work on your sex life. How often do you have open and honest communication and make needed changes to your sex life? Is one day out of 365 too much to ask for such an important part of your lives?
* Looking at graduations or promotions as a time to celebrate all of the hard work and sacrifice this accomplishment has meant. Rewards are not just kid stuff.
* Realizing that your health and self-perspective influence every aspect of your life and relationships with others. Are you investing enough time and energy on yourself? It is important to figure out what you need to feel good and then asking for those things. Most of the time people are willing to invest the real things but they just don’t know how or they need to be asked.
I’ve found that during the lowest points in my life or the times when we argue the most I have failed to invest in the real things. Real investment has been a really great way for our family to show that we cherish each other above everything else. That French restaurant was a big portion of our budget this month. Sure it could have gone toward something more practical, but it made me feel like I was important and worth the sacrifice it would take to stay on track for the rest of the month.
What do you invest in? Where does most of your time, money, energy, and empathy go? Have you ever tried to invest in the more important things? What was your experience?
Real Investment
Posted on November 30, 2010 by Whoa-man
For my birthday this weekend my husband and I went to a fancy French restaurant in a nearby historic town. We noshed on decadent food and pretended to live an indulgent life. It was a blast. However, nothing could be further from the truth. We are both graduate students living off University stipends. We rent a small apartment near campus, have hot pockets in our freezer, and wear thrift store finds– quintessential signs of eternal students. In fact, we live such an inexpensive life that I am often embarrassed when a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or graduation day rolls around and we have to tell others about the elaborate things we do because most people I know do not invest very much into these holidays.
You see, my theory is to invest more in the things I can’t live without than in the things I can. For example, if my education, career, car, housing, or possessions were suddenly gone it would be difficult, but I would get by. However, if all of a sudden my health, spouse, friends, family, or sex life were gone it would be devastating. It would fundamentally change me. Awhile ago I realized that I was spending most of my time, money, energy, and empathy on the former things rather than the latter. Why was it easier to justify investing in an academic conference rather than an anniversary? Cutting back on presents for each other in order to get that new gadget? Taking the time to listen to experts in my field but being impatient with my kids? Budgeting time for church but not for sex? Focusing on others but not myself?
Real investment is my family’s approach to spending time, money energy, and empathy on the things that matter most. Some basic approaches to this plan are:
* Viewing birthdays as a time to test your connection with another person, i.e. Do you really know what they want? Have you been listening? Watching? What are you willing to invest into that relationship? Usually investing more time, energy, and empathy on a birthday makes a bigger impact than just investing more money.
* Seeing Valentine’s Day as a time to show other’s how much they mean to you. Often real investment isn’t so much about what you do, but rather how the other person feels. It feels nice to be doted on, taken care of, and shown concern. It feels special to take precedence over work, budget, kids, and church duties. It feels fantastic to take the time to focus on the people you love and figure out ways to communicate that.
* Using anniversaries as a time to evaluate and work on your sex life. How often do you have open and honest communication and make needed changes to your sex life? Is one day out of 365 too much to ask for such an important part of your lives?
* Looking at graduations or promotions as a time to celebrate all of the hard work and sacrifice this accomplishment has meant. Rewards are not just kid stuff.
* Realizing that your health and self-perspective influence every aspect of your life and relationships with others. Are you investing enough time and energy on yourself? It is important to figure out what you need to feel good and then asking for those things. Most of the time people are willing to invest the real things but they just don’t know how or they need to be asked.
I’ve found that during the lowest points in my life or the times when we argue the most I have failed to invest in the real things. Real investment has been a really great way for our family to show that we cherish each other above everything else. That French restaurant was a big portion of our budget this month. Sure it could have gone toward something more practical, but it made me feel like I was important and worth the sacrifice it would take to stay on track for the rest of the month.
What do you invest in? Where does most of your time, money, energy, and empathy go? Have you ever tried to invest in the more important things? What was your experience?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Happy Halloween
This year for Halloween we didn't go trick or treating or to any parties we just took our little Monkey around to see the Grandparents. I am sure next year will be a whole lot funny when the Monkey is running around and will actually be able to get some treats for his mom! While visiting Grandma and Grandpa Chris we were able to see Dorothy and her Lion before they headed out trick or treating. And as you will see my mom thought she should give Madden his first piece of Halloween candy!
4 Months
Nicknames: Monkey, Handsome, Sweetheart
Temperament: You have started showing your little personality. You are still always smiling but when you get frustrated you have started to make lots of noise. You still only cry when you are super tired or hungry.
Things I Could Do Without: Drool! You are always blowing bubbles and have strings of drool coming from your mouth which means your shirt is always soaking wet.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: The bouncy chair and swing. We also like mirrors that can seem to keep you entertained awhile.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Your love your teething rings or anything that you can chew on. You also love your rattles of toys that make noise or play music. Any book with bright colors and pictures.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You are starting to show that your personality and love to always be making noise. You are using your hands more to grab anything within reach. I love when you wake up and have the biggest smile on your face.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You have learned to roll over and that is all you want to do now. As soon as you are set down you roll right over. You love being able to see things from your belly and love to reach out and play with toys. You love to chew on your hands and any toy you can put into your mouth.
Temperament: You have started showing your little personality. You are still always smiling but when you get frustrated you have started to make lots of noise. You still only cry when you are super tired or hungry.
Things I Could Do Without: Drool! You are always blowing bubbles and have strings of drool coming from your mouth which means your shirt is always soaking wet.
Item/Toy We Love The Most: The bouncy chair and swing. We also like mirrors that can seem to keep you entertained awhile.
Item/Toy You Love The Most: Your love your teething rings or anything that you can chew on. You also love your rattles of toys that make noise or play music. Any book with bright colors and pictures.
Things I’m Loving Most Right Now: You are starting to show that your personality and love to always be making noise. You are using your hands more to grab anything within reach. I love when you wake up and have the biggest smile on your face.
Things You’re Loving Most Right Now: You have learned to roll over and that is all you want to do now. As soon as you are set down you roll right over. You love being able to see things from your belly and love to reach out and play with toys. You love to chew on your hands and any toy you can put into your mouth.
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