Craziness

I feel like my head is cluttered right now. It seems like each time I'm doing good at keeping up on my blog, something happens which holds me back from continuing. My laptop got a virus, yet again. I know, you probably don't even believe me now. Yes, I had virus protection and still, my computer was invaded. It's hopeless I decided. That laptop was doomed from the start. I loved it, but it was doomed. So after coming to this conclusion I decided to start researching new laptops. Luckily it's the holidays, and all the stores are starting to have awesome deals on their electronics. So as I'm researching & researching, I found it. At midnight. I was watching QVC. Yes, me, watching QVC! And there it was... "HP Pavilion with 4 years of McAfee virus protection, plus Over $700 in software including Photoshop Elements 10 for just $529"... WHAT???!! It was like some sort of divine intervention. Like someone, somewhere knew just what I wanted/needed, and practically placed it in my lap. I immediately ordered, and today it came...

Isn't she lovely?! And I must say, I see now why so many women get addicted to QVC, it's like window shopping in the comfort of your own home. And then suddenly, you see it, that one thing you just MUST have. And it's at a killer price. So you order it, and did you know it only takes a few days to be delivered. It's fantastic!

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So I think the craziness really started a couple weeks ago. Duke was going to be in town for Halloween, so we thought it would be a good idea to bless the baby on the 30th, the day before Halloween. It was something we've been wanting to do, but with Duke's crazy work schedule we hadn't been able to plan it out. It was just supposed to be a simple gathering of family and close friends, where after we would all meet up at my dad's for some refreshments and snacks.

It turned into much more than that.

We (I) decided we should actually feed everyone, since most everybody was coming a pretty long way to be there. I settled on ribs & chicken from Famous Dave's. I figured the sides such as potato salad, beans and dessert was something that could be homemade by myself and a few loving family members in order to save on cost. Well, I was right, but let me tell you, ribs & chicken for 60 people is NOT cheap!

I asked a few family members to make a few things, but since I'm not very good at delegating who should make what, and I always feel guilty asking for favors, I decided I would make the potato salad & cornbread myself. This was a big mistake. Not only was I making the potato salad and cornbread, but I decided I should make it the night before so it would be fresh for the following day. That's fine, except that I didn't get started until 8:30 at night. Duke and I ran errands all day trying to find an all white outfit to bless Tiuke in, (this was a hard enough task to begin with), and we also picked up a new crib for him that day. (Not something that needed to be done RIGHT THEN!) We also still had to go shopping to buy everything we needed to make, and all of the plates, napkins, plasticware, etc.

I made 20 lbs of potato salad.

I got done cooking at 1:15am.

Thank goodness Duke was there helping me clean & peel & cut  & boil and everything in between. It would have been much longer without his help. We were both exhausted, but that couldn't stop us, because we only had a few hours before we had to be up & getting ready for Tiuke's big day! So many people came to the blessing, and we felt so humbled. It was awesome seeing all the people who came to support our new baby. And we had even more people sending emails & text messages wishing us luck and congratulations from those who weren't able to be there. We are so thankful for all of the love that surrounds us and our beautiful family. It was a beautiful day, but I am so happy to have it over with!

(I'm a moron and forgot my camera that day with all the commotion. Don't worry though, we got lots of photos on my dad's camera, so I will be posting those pictures soon!)

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Halloween was awesome though! We were so tired that morning, and didn't feel much like doing anything. But we got it together about 5:30 and headed to Wal-Mart for some last minute costume necessities. Duke had no costume, so as we walked around the store searching for random accessories, silly shirts or shoes we found it, while wandering in the Christmas section. We stopped to admire the newest in "Santa Hat Technology", and then it happened. Duke picked up what looked like a camo hunting baseball cap with a pair of light-up antlers on it. It was HILARIOUS on him! I told him he had to get it!We took it with us and stopped over at the costume aisle just to see what they had, and it just so happened that they had a mullet wig on sale for $5. We couldn't pass it up! Duke already had a plaid coat at home and that was it!! He was a redneck hunter guy. It was AMAZING!! I went as the Sundrop girl. All it took was a Sundrop shirt from Wal Mart, some red leg warmers (which were actually socks because leg warmers are NOT easy to find!) and a $7 pair of "Mormon shorts" over my black leggings. Then Tiuke was a lime green Dragon! (I think I ordered his costume over a month in advance!!)

Luckily everyone was really understanding about us being too tired to travel across the whole valley just so they could see the baby in his costume, so we sent a photo to most everybody. We stopped over at Duke's sister's to see everyone there, but they were all out trick or treating, so then we headed over to Jocy's. She was so excited to see Tiuke in his costume, and they didn't have many trick or treaters so we were able to sit and visit for a while. Buddy was ready to get out of his costume and headed straight for the candy.

He wanted the candy so bad he was even willing to settle for the bowl instead.

And after realizing all he was going to get out of it was a candy wrapper to suck on and drool all over, he decided instead he would tell Aunt Jocy all the stories about his very first halloween.

He was so happy!

And we were lucky enough to sneak in a family photo really quick before Tiuke passed out from a long night of Trick-or-Treating!

It was so nice to have Duke home. In 9 weeks I had only seen him for 4 1/2 days, so it was great being able to have him here. I felt like the whole time we were busy though, and didn't get any time to just sit home and relax. Hopefully next time he's here we can just enjoy being couch potatoes for a couple days!

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There is one thing though that I've always noticed about the time when Duke is here. The week before he came home I cleaned & cleaned and scrubbed & scrubbed. I went through everything, piles of cd's, cleaned out cabinets, sifted through "junk drawers" and I threw out EVERYTHING!!!

On the left... got my coupon book all organized and updated. And the picture on the right, well that's just a little craft I threw together in the middle of cleaning made out of random nik naks I found in the junk drawer!

And yet somehow, after all that cleaning and de-junking, my house still ends up looking like a hurricane came through after the week Duke is home. I don't know if it's me not wanting to spend the time cleaning while he's home, or maybe he just really is extra messy when he comes home, but there has to be some sort of explanation for why my house always seems to become a complete disaster by the time he goes back to work! Luckily though, my house is now back to normal, and will hopeful stay clean at least for the next few weeks until he's home again!!

October went by so fast and I can't believe we're already 9 days into November. I've been looking for a wreath or something to hang on the door for Thanksgiving, but it is not easy finding something that doesn't have pilgrims and turkeys all over it. But I finally found it today. I think it was made just for me.

Oh ya... it's got feathers! Feathers everywhere! It's such a cute, chic wreath. Just what I was looking for. I've got the most fashionable door on the block people!

And just as a goodbye note... I will leave you with these pictures. I'm spoiling my baby. Don't judge me. I got a popsicle out the other day, and he followed my every move from the second I pulled it out of the freezer. He kept looking at me with these adorable eyes that said "why can't I have any mom? Don't you love me?" Yes, yes I do. So I gave in. Don't judge me.

He's so big he thought he should hold it himself!

Happy Wednesday everybody!

Night time Ritual

I never knew that bathtime and books would ever be so important and exciting as they are now. Right now. In this moment. There are so many things I love about being a stay at home mom and spending every moment with my little man, but one of my absolute favorite things is bath time & reading. Each night after Tiuke eats his last bottle of the night, I fill up his bath tub, get out a clean washcloth, grab a new hooded towel and hang it on the towel rack, and then put my little buddy's squirmy body in the water, and he giggles. He splashes, and giggles, and smiles. It is better than I could have ever imagined.

And after his bath is over, and he gets his "swim" time, I pull him out, wrap him in his towel, snuggle him for a while, and then lay him on the bed to lotion up his soft silky body & put him in some warm baby jammies that smell like they've just been taken out of a room full of Dreft. It is the most delicious smell in the world, by the way! He laughs the whole time. Then, like magic, his eyes get sleepy, and as I pick him up he snuggles up to my chest just a little bit closer than usual. It's story book time. And he LOVES to read!

Tonight was a new book that we bought at Witches Night Out. It's called "Frank was a Monster who Wanted to Dance". It is so adorable, and he just loves the pictures. The contrast of Frank's lime green face next to the dark greys and deep purples make it so fun to look at. And it is the perfect book for October. I've made sure to make it a ritual, every night before bed, to read to him. I can see that as he gets older he will love having story time before bed, and I hope that as he grows up and becomes too big to read with me that he remembers his childhood, and that one of his favorite memories is reading books before bed with mom and dad.

There's just something about having him sit on my lap and talk to the pictures while I read him the story that is just so comforting and relaxing. It's like a special bonding moment. Just my son & I, sitting in bed reading books together. I promise to cherish these moments, every day, and never take a single one for granted. I was born for this. And it is so much better than I ever thought it would be.

I even let him lay in bed and read the book himself sometimes!

I can't wait for tomorrow night!

Comfort Cookies

I got up this morning, just like every weekday morning, at 7am to take Lisi to school. I picked Tiuke's warm body up out of bed, and layed him softly on my shoulder while I carried him downstairs to buckle him into his carseat. We drove her to school, and when we got home I hoped that buddy would sleep til 9 like he does most mornings, I could really use the extra hour of sleep. My brain has been busy the last few nights and I haven't been able to get to sleep before 1am to save my life. But I wasn't that fortunate, Tiuke was awake & giggling and ready to take on the day. So I gladly put on a pot of coffee and talked and giggled with him in bed. I was actually glad to be awake, even though I was tired, I was determined to mark off a good chunk of things from my "to do" list.

Do you see where this is going? Well, the deep cleaning that I really thought I'd get done today, didn't. And I didn't get a single load of laundry in the washer. I didn't even make the bed, (but I heard making the bed actually promotes bed bugs, so I'm feeling ok about that!) Other than washing a few dishes & clipping my coupons, I didn't get anything done that I needed to. So, to make up for feeling like I just didn't accomplish enough, I decided to make some homemade chocolate chip cookies. Not those pre-made frozen cookies, oh no... these were from scratch!

Don't get me wrong, I love pre-made cookie dough just as much as the next girl. And I'm totally guilty of using it most of the time when I'm making cookies, but I had a dream.... that's right, I had a dream about homemade chocolate chip cookies. There's just something about the taste, and even the smell of chocolate chip cookies made from scratch that you just don't get from the pre-made dough.

And they did not disappoint.

I forgot how much a single batch will make though, so I took some over to the neighbors, and I even bagged some and put them in the freezer so Duke can chow some down when he gets home!

And I must say, I've been feeling just a little bit lonely lately and really missing Duke, and nothing makes you feel more comforted than walking into a house that smells of homemade baked goodies. It's like walking into a time machine. I can just remember the smell of my house growing up when my mom was always cooking homemade treats, it's kind of like the comfort of chicken noodle soup when you're sick, only this is the comfort food for a lonely heart!

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I gave Tiuke his nightly bath tonight, and then handed him over to Lisi for a bit while I went downstairs, turned everything off, and grabbed the things I would be needing for the night (bottles, formula, binkies, etc). I had planned to come back upstairs and read buddy a book before putting him to bed, but instead I walked in to this...



He was OUT!! My cute little buddy must have been exhausted from watching all the coupon clipping I was doing today! I always look forward to reading with him at night, but when I walk upstairs to this it just melts my heart. He is just so dang cute. And it's UEA weekend, which means I get to sleep in for the next 5 DAYS!!!

With that said... happy long weekend everybody! I'm going to attempt to get some sleep now!

It Has Begun...

My favorite time of year is officially in full swing. I love walking onto my front step and breathing in a deep breath of cool, crisp air. Especially when it smells like living room fireplaces burning, and homemade chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. And there's nothing like a beautiful orange, red and yellow backdrop of fall leaves to top it off. And I must say, I thuroughly enjoy the bright oranges, blacks, deep purples and lime greens of Halloween decorations to really bring in the Autumn cheer! I think what I like most, is it symbolizes the beginning of the holiday season. It means it's time to put away the flip flops & pull out the snow boots. Grab your snuggliest blanket & an extra large container of hot cocoa cause winter is on the way, and that means cold nights in watching movies & hanging out with my little family. 

And to get into the mood of fall, I decided it would be a good time to take Tiuke to Wheeler Farm & shoot a few fall photos. The time passed so quickly, I wasn't able to take any "3 Months" photos, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to capture this time in his tiny little life, as I know I will never get these precious moments back, and he will never be this little again.

Grandma Jacalyn came with us to take the photos, she was a great "prop holder"!! She made it so much easier and she just loves "her" baby!! And thanks to her being there, Tiuke & I got a couple shots together!

This Saturday marked yet another tradition that just makes Autumn feel like Autumn even more, Witches Night Out!! Every year the ladies in my family get decked out in our witch hats, and brave the traffic to make it out to Witches Night Out at Gardner Village. It's such a fun tradition, and I just love walking around and seeing all of the creative costumes and checking out the neat little shops with their creative decorations & must-have trinkets. Although this year a lot of us were boring & didn't wear a hat.... but next year FOR SURE!!

Tiuke absolutely LOVED it there! I wasn't sure how he would feel about the whole thing. It could go one of two ways, either he was going to get freaked out by all the crazy women dressed as witches, or he was going to love it, and he LOVED IT!! (Such a momma's boy!) I put him in his baby bjorn and decided I'd have him facing out, at least to begin with, so he could see what was going on. We walked up to the event and all of a sudden I start hearing this tiny little voice squeeking and squeeling and making out a tiny little baby laugh. I realized after a few moments that it was Tiuke! He was loving it! I'm sure he was thinking "look at all these silly women dressed up in their funny looking costumes, and running around like little kids." But it just made me so happy to hear that tiny little squeek every couple of minutes!

These "witches" made their own costumes... and even stayed in character the whole night!

About halfway through the night Tiuke needed to be changed, and then I decided to turn him around to face momma in the baby bjorn. It took about 2 minutes and he was OUT!

We had so much fun at Witches Night Out. My Aunt Debbie & cousin Stephanie came, and my Aunt Tracy came with Lacee, Martina & Becca. Then my cute mommy, (who spent the weekend with us), and my sister came out. We also invited my neighbor Jaclyn and her 2 daughters. It was so fun to see everybody and hang out. Even though we all got split up for a little while, it's always nice to catch up for a bit and see how everyone is doing.

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I forgot to mention in my last post that we took Tiuke to the doctor for his 4 month check up. He is so big! He has grown 5 1/2 inches, he is now 26 inches long, and he also weighs in at a whopping 15 lbs. 11 oz. ... HOLY COW!! Then he had to get a couple shots in his chubby thighs, but he & I both braved through it, and he barely even cried. He's such a brave little buddy!

And my sweet little boy has a new, well, lets just call it a "hobby" that he has recently discovered as a means of entertaining himself. He likes to grab his blanket, or burp cloth, or whatever is close by, and pull it up over his head and then he wiggles around and giggles. It's almost like he's playing peek-a-boo with himself. Its so hilarious. And the other day while he was playing his game I turn to look at him and find this...

I just adore him!

That's it for today. Happy Monday everybody!

Sick Day

I decided it would be a good idea to get my annual "season changing cold". Every year,  just as the seasons are changing from Summer to Autumn, I get a really neat cold. It starts with just a small cough, and rapidly turns into  a cough that sounds like it's coming from an 80 year old man, accompanied by a headache, chills, hot flashes and aches and pains all over. So, I was happy to be able to stay home today. This is the first time I've been sick, and not have to worry about calling my job to tell them I wouldn't be in. It was such a relief. And lets be honest, it doesn't hurt having a beautiful baby boy to snuggle with while I'm feeling crappy.

It also gave me a chance to catch up on some beanies I needed to make. While I was pregnant and on bed rest I started crocheting, I had posted a few photos of some of the things I had made, and had quite a few people ask if I would be willing to "take orders"!! I, of course, was more than happy to whip up a few things for everyone... but then I had more and more people asking for them. So I started posting photos on facebook, and selling them at a very decent price! It's so flattering to have people who like my things so much!!



My bed was turned into a play place/ crochet garden!


The weather finally cleared up today, and it was just perfect for going outside. I was a little bummed that I wasn't feeling well enough to go out and enjoy it, but I'm hoping to get feeling better by the end of the week, so I can get Tiuke to a pumpkin patch. But it's days like today that I appreciate Duke so much for what he does for our family. Not only did I not have to call in sick to a job today, but every day I get to be with my baby boy, and I don't have to miss a single minute of his little life!

 Today was wonderful.

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And just one more add-on.... how do you not love this...

He MUST hold my finger as tight as possible while he eats, and he absolutely WILL NOT let go. I love it!

Overload

 I think this is the only thing I could name this post because it is going to be an overload of photos and activities since my last post! My laptop got a virus, (that will teach me a lesson not to renew my virus protection!), so I'll be pretty much dumping a whole bunch of stuff into this post!



Big boy outfit for the aquarium!



We took buddy to the aquarium for his first time! I was really excited, but was prepared for him not being able to really enjoy it, I mean lets be honest, at only a few months old he had no idea what was going on! But I was pleasantly surprised when we got there, and realized that there are tons of bright colors and neon lights everywhere. He actually loved looking at everything and discovering all the new things he had never seen before!

Buddy on the froggy... and can you spot the bull frog??!!

I can't lie, it was nice for Duke and I to be able to get out of the house and do something out of the ordinary also! We really had a great time together, and it was fun seeing all the new attractions they had there. Especially the penguins! We also watched an anaconda eat a guinhea pig. It was interesting for about 2 seconds, then I was ready to go! I think Duke really enjoyed it though. (That must be a dude thing!)

Alligators, sting rays, electric eels & driving the "boat"!

I can't wait for him to be big enough to run around the aquarium grinning from ear to ear, unable to contain his excitement for each new creature & critter he discovers there! But for now, I will enjoy every moment of him being a little baby, and I'll love his excitement for colors and bright lights, and my heart will be full being able to have these moments with my boys!

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ATTENTION: The following is yet another "first" and a milestone in our litte buddy's life! His first time eating cereal!! It was hilarious... and a mess!



He was NOT happy at first!



We learned our lesson... we were going to have to feed him his cereal, before he thought he was going to waste away! It took a few minutes before he realized that what he was eating was food. Once he realized that, he just wanted to eat it as fast as possible. This posed a problem for him, though... he had no idea what the blue plastic thing was that we kept putting in his mouth. And he would move his little tongue in and out of his mouth, which ended up pushing more food out, than shoveling it in! It sure made for some really cute pictures though...

Bottom right... sexy face!

Oh I just love this one!

Okay, I promise that's it for the eating photos... I just couldn't choose!!

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 Tiuke is rolling over and cooing, and is getting closer and closer every day to crawling. He's just over 4 months old. I can't believe how quickly they grow up. I'm so thankful to be able to be a stay-at-home mom so I don't have to miss a single moment of my little buddy growing up!

Heaven on Earth

How do you not enjoy this...

He's like a little peice of Heaven that was sent down here just for me! I am so thankful for my little man.



Well Traveled Baby Part 2

So after our first little extravaganza to Colorado, we had to return for an appointment Duke had back in SLC, but then he had to be back in Colorado to finish his training. So I decided that I was going to continue taking full advantage of the opportunity we had to spend more time with Duke. We packed up our things once again, and the next day we headed back to Fruita, this time with Lisi!! I was so glad that she came with, because it meant I would have someone to hang out with while Duke was gone training, and plus I thought it would be nice for her to go somewhere she had never been, and see some things she hadn't ever seen.

We got to Colorado Friday evening and Duke was then informed, (of course AFTER we drove to Colorado), that he wouldn't be able to do any training until Monday. But, we decided to make the best of it and go do some fun things around town that I always enjoyed. The first was the Dinosaur Museum.



It's been so long since I had been to this museum, I was a little afraid that Lisi might be too old to enjoy it, but it turned out we all had a really great time!



And just for a little information, that T-Rex you see is the largest robotic dinosaur in the country... And it is AWESOME!

After the museum we decided we hadn't had enough adventure for one day, so we decided to take a trip up to the Colorado National Monument.



It was such a beautiful day, aside from a little wind, we couldn't have asked for better weather. I had so much fun taking them around and showing them where I grew up, but it really made me miss Colorado. Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is there, and how much I miss it sometimes. I hope as Tiuke gets older we are able to continue traveling to Colorado so he can love it there just as much as I do.

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The next day we decided should be swim day. I took everyone to the LIncoln Park swimming pool which is where I learned to swim. Lisi, Duke & I had a blast climbing the stairs all the way to the top of the water slide and sliding down, and doing that over & over & over! (I guess those pictures may have to come later, as I have misplaced my usb cord for the camera I took to the pool!) Lisi and I had a really good time going off the diving boards too, especially the "high" one. For the record, it's much higher once you get up there, than it looks from the ground! Duke was too scared to go, but his excuse was that he had to hold the baby!

And as if that wasn't enough swimming, we went some more once we got to the hotel!



Tiuke loved the water! I can't wait to start him in "mommy & baby swim lessons" this winter!

After packing in all the fun and adventure that we could that weekend, the next couple days in Colorado were pretty relaxing. As Duke went to training, Lisi and I would get up, grab some bagels & cereal from the free continental breakfast downstairs, and then come back to the room to watch movies and sleep while the baby slept! It was actually pretty nice to be able to take a nap in the middle of the day & not feel guilty for sleeping instead of doing laundry, or picking up the bedroom!

All in all our little adventure turned out to be a really great time, and even though Lisi can't admit it, I think she had fun too!

Well Traveled Baby Part 1

One of my favorite things to do is go road-tripping! Whether it's with family or friends, you're always in store for some fun and adventure. And no matter how planned out your trip, there's always something unexpected that happens. I think looking at those unexpected moments as something positive, and turning them into fun usually makes them the best, most memorable experiences you have on your trip! It's also a great way to see new things and really be able to absorb and appreciate your surroundings. My love for road trips and adventure is something I really hope to pass on to my children, so when I got the chance to take Tiuke on a road trip I JUMPED at the opportunity! Especially because it also meant more time with Duke for me & baby!!

Duke's work was sending him over to Vernal, Utah for some training, and I saw it as an opportunity for us to spend some extra time together, and also to take Tiuke on his first road trip! I had never been to Vernal before, so I was excited to go somewhere new! We drove up there on a Monday, Duke had to be to his training by noon. After we checked into our hotel, and I dropped Duke off, I drove around the town a bit to see what kinds of things I could go do with the baby over the next couple of days. Then I headed back to the hotel to feed Tiuke and relax a little bit. Not even 2 hours later I got a call from Duke that he needed me to come pick him up, and we were going to head to Fruita, Colorado. I was a bit shocked considering we had just got to town, but I was excited, as I grew up in Grand Junction which is the town just east of Fruita. Apparantly the training he had to do couldn't be done in Vernal, so I picked him up, we packed up our things and headed out to Fruita!

The drive from Vernal to Fruita was so beautiful, and there was this neat little spot to pull off and look out onto the canyon...



...then as we got to the bottom of the canyon we spotted a momma deer & her 2 little babies, they were so adorable. I wish the picture did them justice, but since we were driving it was hard to get a good shot.

It was only about a 2 hour drive to Fruita, but it was a lot of fun just jamming out to music & having fun in the car! The next few days in Colorado was mostly spent hanging out in the hotel with the baby, going out to dinners with Duke, lots of snuggling for all 3 of us, and visiting friends and family.



It was nice to have those few days together and to visit old friends and family, and just for me to be able to be back in my hometown. I can't wait to take Tiuke there when he's older and will remember it! But for now we'll just have these pictures to show him his first time there! We'll especially make sure he sees this one... his first time in sunglasses, as we walked along the Colorado River!

We left Wednesday evening and headed back to Utah. But don't worry... this is not the end of our Road Trip story... there is more to come!