A Doctot's Appointment and A Present Thief

We finally had Connor's six month check-up, and our little guy is one big boy! he is in the 50th percentile of weight at 17.6 lbs and in the 95th percentile (WOW!) in height at 28 1/2 inches! we are pleased to say that he has been doing very well, and his doc seemed very impressed. and we did ask her about his little hives episode, and she said there's a possibility he may have some kind of a dairy intolerance, but it also could just be because his body wasn't ready to digest it. so, we're supposed to keep him away from the dairy til about 9 months, then try again and see if anything happens. and as far as his hives coming and going after nursing, she said its most likely because hives take a while to go away after they show-up. we're being much more careful of what we let him taste now. we're hopeful it really is nothing though! everyone cross your fingers for us!

Connor hit a big milestone this week! he has been trying to stand using things to pull himself up, and on Sunday he actually did it!!! he was SO proud of himself! he seems to be much more interested in it than crawling, but he has also made drastic improvements with his crawling. its pretty obvious he loves being more mobile and being a big boy! we love watching him play and babble to himself. :) sorry its such a blurry picture... i was worried he'd loose his balance and fall so i snapped one really quick without checking to see how it looked haha.



He still loves his baby food, and loves his fluffy blankies, and especially loves his two fingers for sucking on! he hates bottles unless they've got yummy juice, and we even got him a sippy cup he's been very enthusiastic about. can't believe how fast our little boy is growing up!!!


Because of Connor's new-found mobility, we had a little present thief incident yesterday. :) he decided that since mommy's back was turned it would be a good idea to scope out those cool looking things under that weird tree, and managed to get himself over there and look around. he was handling a couple DVD's at first, and when i peeked around the corner to see what he was up to i saw him pick up a little gift (that happened to be his) and he of course shook it. well, this toy was a rattle, and you should have seen the excitement in his eyes when he heard it make fun sounds instead of nothing! i had to grab the camera and take some pictures cuz it was the cutest thing ever!


He would NOT put it down and cried when i took it away. Of course later when i turned my back again he managed to get back over there and get it. and this time, he succedded in ripping it open. and man was he proud! Caleb had picked out that present for him, so when i told him Connor had got it open he said to just let him have it. It is now one of his favorite toys, and he gets upset when i try to make him put it down. so, here's the little cutie with his new toy. he wasn't in a smiley mood as you can tell, but in my opinion, he's still a cutie :). we're pretty excited for christmas to get here now that we know he does a pretty good job opening his own gifts!!!!

Thanksgiving Week

This week was Thanksgiving!!!! Caleb had to work, so we did our own little dinner by ourselves. i thought i would hate it, but afterwards, i kinda thought it was fun to have just our little family! :) i went all out with the cooking. we had a turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, stuffing, and even pumpkin pie! since i am NOT a cooking fan, i was incredibly impressed with myself. everything tasted delicious, even the pie that didn't quite work out right lol. Caleb left for work at his usual 3:45, but we were happily surprised when he got to come home early around 6. we had planned to go black friday shopping after Caleb was home, but since he got home early we decided we could go around midnight. we wanted to find something fun to do to use up the time,so Caleb went and got a redbox for us to watch as a family. we picked gnomeo and juliet, which i thought was pretty cute lol. our black friday adventure started around 11:30, with a wide-awake baby who REFUSED to sleep at all beforehand, and we headed off to begin our night at the dreaded walmart. it was just as crazy as i remembered it being the year before, but we worked out a system that consisted of me staying with Connor and the stroller, and Caleb going into the crowds and getting what we were looking for. i liked that system alot lol. our second stop was kohls, which had even crazier lines than walmart had! but, we got everything on our list at an amazing deal, and ended up saving more money than we spent! by the time we left there it was nearly 4 am, but luckily Connor was asleep. our last stop was babies R us, to catch the amazing sale on a highchair and a bouncy toy i REALLY wanted to get for Connor. Babies R Us didn't open til 5, but surprisingly there wasn't much of a line, so we stayed in our car til it opened, and then we got in and out in seriously like half an hour! the lines at the checkout were non-existent, and we were able to get everything from there we'd hoped for, plus some. it was great! we didn't get to bed til like 6 though, and it was exhausting the next day. but soooo worth it!

Caleb started his new job this week at the Papa Murphy's down the street, so he worked friday and saturday. he's been working his butt off, and not complaining at all. i love him so much for working to hard so i can be home with connor! we had a bit of a scary incidence though while caleb was at work saturday :(. i had been eating icecream, and of course connor wanted some. he'd had icecream before, but not this specific kind. so i shared a bit with him, thinking it would be fine like all the other times. but less than five minutes later i see hives on his leg and i'm like HUH?!?!?!? and when i turned him towards me his face was COVERED! i freaked out! i took his onesie off of him and nearly lost my mind when i saw them all over his body. :(  after a phone call to my mom i put him straight in an oatmeal bath, which helped a little bit, and asked a friend of mine to run to the store for bendryl. because she's an angel, she did. once i got it in him it was helping wonderfully...until he threw up all over me, him, and the couch. then i freaked out AGAIN! my poor little boy :( of course the hives came back, and stayed all night and all today. they're finally going away... but i still feel so horrible! i'm hoping at his 6 month checkup on wednesday the pediatrician will be able to help us figure out what caused it. if he has a food allergy i'd like to know about it now, so i never cause that to happen to him again! :( it was definitely a scary experience. i'm just grateful he didn't have any troubles breathing or anything. definently a thanksgiving week i'll never forget!!!

Six Months Old!!!!

i can still hardly believe it, but our little munchkin turned 6 months old yesterday!!! i took some super cute pictures of him to document it, but my camera isn't that good, so they LOOKED super cute i thought, until i actually got them on the computer so they were big enough to look at. because of that, you won't get to see them. but just take my word on the fact that he is freakishly adorable!

lately he has been putting some serious effort into learning to crawl. he just doesn't get that you have to use both your arms and legs at the same time to make it work lol. my favorite thing ever is when he gets his cute little bum up in the air but his face is still squashed into the floor! i'll have to get a picture of it or something, because it is seriously adorable! he is learning to make different vowel sounds when he babbles, and it is super cute. his favorites right now are mamamamamama and babababababab. and he LOVES screaming in a very shrill way, and laughing when i copy him. he laughs all the time now and it is soooooooo cute! another thing he loves is grabbing peoples faces and staring into their eyes. and trying to grab your lips. and he also loves sucking on his daddy's nose too haha. and his hand/eye coordination has definitely improved over the last couple days . he has started pinching...(which i don't exactly love, since i'm the one that is usually the recipient of it, and he pinches so hard i've got bruises lol) but, he doesn't know any better so we don't yell at him. despite that, he's pretty much one of the most well-behaved babies i've ever seen! and we just LOVE HIM!!!!!

An Amazing Weekend!

Everything about this weekend was perfect! we loved having our families here to share it with us, and were so grateful that they were so willing to travel so far to be here with us! It was so special to see our sweet little boy in white and have him sealed to us for eternity! he had pretty much all of the sister temple workers in love with him after only a smile! i was told over and over again how he was stealing all of their hearts and how he was such a joy! we are so blessed to have a son that is so joyful and sweet and that has such a precious spirit! after the temple yesterday we went out to a visit goldfield ghost town with Caleb's mom and dad, and we got to walk around and see a gunfight, and take a train ride. it was tons of fun, and after, we got to go to dinner and meet up with my parents. my dad took us to a place called organ stop pizza, and it was SOOOO cool! i'd never been to a place like it before, but i'm pretty sure we'll have to go back sometime! even though we spent the whole weekend doing things and definently not relaxing, it was still amazing! caleb didn't get any time to himself and has to go back to work, and even has drill next weekend, so he won't get a break for a very long time, but he says it was worth it. we are so glad to have finally been through the temple and to be sealed for eternity now! and we're grateful for all our friends and family that supported us, and were understanding and loving. i know many people are rude and judgmental to those who don't get married in the temple originally, and we weren't any exception to that. i know there were plenty of people who looked down on us for it, but there were also wonderful people who never once judged or were unkind, and those are the people that we're so thankful for, and that helped us get there! we know how truly wonderful the temple is, and loved every second of it! we had such a special day there, and even were lucky enough to be able to have caleb's grandfather come from utah to seal us, and it was incredibly special for us! he told us to come back often, and we're planning on it! we can't wait to go again soon! :)

Loving Life

so, i'm back from my second trip to Idaho! and it was of course, AMAZING!  i was so glad to get to be there for Bethy's wedding!!! and i got to see nearly all of my dad's side of the family, plus i got to see my cousin Ahna on my mom's side that is leaving for her mission! it was wonderful to see so many supportive family members there! i'm sure it meant alot to bethy to know that her family loves her and supports her no matter what! Connor and i missed Caleb a TON, but it was still a good time. and i think Caleb missed us just as much, if not more. i know for a fact that he missed my cooking! not really sure why...lol i mean, its not much, but suppose it IS better than the pre-cooked meals i left frozen for him everyday. he told his mother he was sooooo sick of leftovers all week! lol we're very glad to be home, and have spent tons of time together as a family during this weekend, since Caleb's days off are fridays and saturdays. and on another positive note, we now have less than two weeks until our parents/families come down for our exciting weekend!!!! yay! :)

since our return from Idaho, Connor has gained the back strength to sit up unsupported! we are very proud of our big boy! take a look at how handsome he is!!! ;) occasionally he will get so excited he lifts his feet up and goes over like a seesaw and smacks down on his back, so i like to put a fluffy pillow behind him about where his head would fall, just for safety. he loves to sit and play with his toys!

he got to sit up and play in his bath for the first time yesterday, instead of me laying him on his back. he was SOOOOO excited about it. i was extremely nervous and didn't want him to smack his head or fall in the water face-first, but he did very well and only slipped around a few times and i was was attentively watching and catching him each time, so i'd say it was a definite success!

we just LOVE having such a sweet little boy in our family! Caleb got him to fall asleep at church today and it was pretty much the sweetest thing i have ever seen! how come babies look so angelic and peaceful when they sleep, but are so dang mischevious and energetic awake?!?!?!? everywhere we go we get constant compliments and remarks on him. on the airplane to and from idaho nearly everyone said how cute he was or how sweet and well-behaved, and especially how much he looks like his mommy! haha i still think its depends who you ask, and in my opinion, he's got caleb's features on my face, and is the perfect blend and perfect just the way he is! its so fun! :) we are so lucky to be his parents! and while on that note...let me just say that i'm lucky to have the wonderful parent's that i do also! i know that without that guidance, love, and support of them i wouldn't be half the person i am today! and also my siblings. i LOVE my siblings! the older i get, the more i appreciate them. and i think that i'm pretty lucky to be married to a man with great siblings also. family is just SO important to me!!!! well, that may be a bit off topic, but i wanted to make sure people know it.

back to the topic at hand.... haha. everyone enjoying the brief summary of our oh-so-exciting days???? you better be.

Caleb has been working super hard and doesn't even complain about being tired. he's such a hard working husband! and, he's even thinking of picking up a part-time job on the weekend at papa murphy's. we were in there getting food the other day (cuz i had found a super nice coupon and decided to make it date night) and caleb was talking to the owner and mentioned that he used to work at one several years ago, and the guy perked right up and was hinting that he always needs more weekend help. i'm amazed that he'd be able to work anymore than he already is, but i guess that's what you do for love: work a million-bajillion hours so that your wife can stay home with your son, so that you can provide comfortably for them. what a wonderful man! he definently keeps busy.

Connor and i have been also keeping busy playing and cleaning, and i've recently rearranged my apartment, and i'm working on making a cute dress. i know my skills aren't the best, but i'm willing to learn and would like to improve. i have seriously slacked on my fitness stuff the last several weeks, and i really need to do better, but i was pleased to see that i've made it back down to 135 lbs. better, but still not good enough. i'm determined to to better and restart my routine, and maybe take time to go down to our fitness center sometime. but we'll see... no promises :).

Life is Good :)

It is crazy how quickly time has been passing these last few weeks! Connor started moving around on his tummy this week. i was shocked, but then i realized yes he may be growing up fast, but its better to be doing it early than not learn to do it until way late. He tries to scoot but usually only gets one little push in before face-planting. he hasn't quite got the hang of moving the arms in coordination with the legs. but he can turn himself in different dirrections, and on monday (the 7th) he even rolled from his tummy back onto his back! he has only done it that one time, but it is definently a step in the right direction. lately he will automatically roll onto his tummy when i put him down, but then gets tired of it and screams to be rolled back over, only to promptly roll back over the second after. he's such a silly boy! i've started giving him baths in the big tub instead of his little one, and he has been LOVING it! he thoroughly enjoys splashing!!!!! but, he tries rolling over in the water, which of course scares the crap out of me! i usually stop him quick enough, but the other day he got half way over before i managed to grab him and got a mouthful of water, which scared both him and mommy very much! so, needless to say, we've been taking a bit of a break from  the fun baths lol.

Connor and i have been preparing to go to Idaho on Tuesday for Bethy's wedding! i'm of course super excited, but a bit sad that caleb cant' come and will have to be home alone the entire week. he's been working hard every day, and has come down with a bit of a cold. i hate leaving him when he's sick! he's been working a 3:30-12 shift during his training. but he's only got one more week of that, and then it changes to 4-1:30. he says its not too hard of a job, and we're very grateful that he has one now. we've been working hard to stay within the new income, which requires strict budgeting, which i'll admit is a challenge, but we're managing fine. i know i miss everyone in Idaho alot right now though. i've got  no social life, which isn't bad, just boring. i know i need to put all my spare time to a better use, but i'll admit, i'm not really one of those people who is good at little crafts and projects to make me home cute and stuff. i really gotta work on that!!! other than that we've just been preparing for the temple, and spending time together as a family. life is good :) i love my little family!

Looking Forward

So, first of all, let me just share the exciting news our family has! we have set a time and date to go to the TEMPLE!!!!! We'll be taking out our Endowments the morning of Nov 11th, and Nov 12th at noon we'll be sealed as a family in the Mesa Arizona Temple!!!!!! Super Exciting!!!!! we are REALLY looking forward to it! i know it will be the happiest day of our lives!

The next thing i have to say, is that i completely enjoyed General Conference this last weekend. there were so many amazing talks! so many, that i can't even list all of my favorites, i will instead just list the things that i realized from them. I have decided i really must to a whole makeover on my lifestyle...
1st thing... i really must begin doing my visiting teaching. i really have no excuse for not doing it, and by not doing it, i'm just denying myself of blessings, and failing to do my part in relief society.
2nd thing.... i need to learn to use my time more wisely. i have made a long list of things that i should do with my spare time instead of wasting time on facebook...or watching shows on hulu. instead i should be cultivating talents, or spending my time trying to help those around me, or make memories with my family. theres also many other things i could/should do that would be benefiting me so much more than sitting idly.
3rd.... i need to begin teaching my son good habits at an early age. for example...we usually never do FHE because Connor is so young that it doesn't seem to matter, but thats not the way we should be doing it. Our family is our priority, and we need to make sure that shows in every action, regardless of how silly it seems to read scriptures with a crying five month old, or how frustrating it might be to wake up early to say prayers together each day. i must do the right thing at the right time without delay.
4th...my scripture study really needs to be improved. studying is more than just quickly reading another chapter in the B of M. i need to remember to search, ponder, and pray and seek inspiration from them, and to each day have heartfelt prayers. i need to everyday find time for it no matter what.
5th... i need to remember to give myself i break when i fail in some small way and am left feeling inadequate. its easy to feel hopeless and stressed and depressed when you have a long list of things you need to be doing to better yourself, and it seems like you'll never accomplish it all. its human to feel like its impossible to reach goals when you see where you should be in life, and how very far away from it you are. but, thats where the Lord steps in and will help if we remember to let Him. and thats something i need to make sure i never ever forget!

Let me just end by saying, i LOVE the opportunity i have to listen to conference twice every year, and to hear the inspired words of the Prophet and Apostles! it always seems to me like new years whenever everyone is making a big goal for the year, and its my time to reevaluate where i am in life, and make goals to better myself. i love knowing that things that are said are truly from Heavenly Father, and that they are said specifically to us to help lead and guide us in our lives. i was able to take notes of each talk, and it has been wonderful to be able to review it all and keep it fresh in my mind. i hope that i will be able to make improvements in the areas of my life that are lacking... i'm looking forward to trying!