Boy or girl?

I can't even believe the time has come for us to find out the gender of baby #2! It seems like yesterday we found out Colten was a boy.. Oh wait, that practically was yesterday ;) Unlike when we went to find out what baby #1 was, I do not care either way this time. A boy would be SO fun since they'll only be a year apart. They would be buddies for life. But a girl... the dresses & bows are just adorable. Andrew is 100% sure it's a girl, so I'm saying boy just to annoy him.

(18 weeks on our dirty spare bathroom mirror:))

We find out Wednesday, the 13th. So, SO, SO excited! I think the pregnancy might sink in a little more once we know the gender... as of now, I eat a ton & that's what reminds me I'm pregnant each day. I'm not terribly moody or tired, and I don't feel sick at all. Can you say BLESSED?!

Colten, Colten, Colten.. I just don't know how I can possibly love another baby as much as I love him. He's so easy.. so happy.. so smiley & content. I could just gobble him up. Usually. Right now it's 2:15 & he's taken one 15 minute nap today. Not the greatest day, but he's happy, so whatever. He is sleeping through the night wonderfully. That makes for one happy Mama. We have had a lot of fun playing in the snow, but we wouldn't mind one bit if it warmed up. We miss going for long walks & to the park.

The snow was so fun to watch.

These are the townhouses we live in, btw.. we love them.

 He is in LOVE with the vacuum..

Just chillin on the floor in between my legs. Sweetheart.

Stay at home mom

Let's face it, being a stay at home mom is NOT easy. It's so wonderful to have so much time with Colten.. it really, really is, but with rainy, dreary weather and sicknesses being passed around like crazy, it's hard to not go insane! We still go for walks if it has rained & often get stuck running home in the rain, lol, but it's worth it to get us out of the house. Going to walmart is actually something I look forward to.. just to see other adults :P Colten is an angel at the grocery store, so it kind of is fun. When we're home, we play on the floor, read books, and he plays in in his walker or jumper while I cook & clean. Then we play on the floor some more.. he takes a 30 minute nap.. and the whole process is started over. We do still babysit & that breaks up the long days nicely, but we're not babysitting as much as we used to.

I remind myself everyday to enjoy being "bored", because in 6 months I won't have time to feel that way. I honestly can't imagine having 2 babies at home alone all day everyday, but I know I will make it work & I will love it (for the most part). We're thinking of moving closer to Andrew's work so he can be home a bit more. As of now, we see him 10 minutes 3 days a week, a few hours 2 days a week, about 5 hours on saturday, and all day sunday. It's crazy how excited we get to have him home! :) If we move to Greenwood, we'd get to see Andrew 4 hours more a week! That's a lot.. so I'm praying we can find a place there.

Colten really is the best baby ever! Everywhere we go people comment about how happy he is. He loves restaurants, stores, car rides, and walks. He really only gets grumpy when he's tired, and even then he can go 8 hours without a nap and still be pleasant. It's SO easy to make him laugh & you can tell how much he loves me and Andrew. He's starting to scoot backwards, roll across the room to get a toy, and will hold himself up in the crawling position. His second tooth is cutting through, but they haven't seemed to bother him much at all. He's a spoiled little boy, but I couldn't ask for a better baby. Praying daily we're this lucky with baby #2!!!

Colten's first big boy bath! He LOVED it!

I'm so lucky I get to see this sweet face all day everyday <3

This was me last week at 14 weeks.. can't believe how quickly I'm showing! Also, I can't believe we'll find out the gender in less than a month!!! Aaaahh! We're sure it's a girl, but a boy would be aaamazing too!

7 months & Baby #2

Can't believe our little boy is 7 months already!! He is such a little love bug. He weighs a little over 20 pounds and still has a big ole pumpkin head! He sits very well, but he still doesn't have ANY desire to roll consecutively/crawl. Mommy and daddy are just fine with that :) He stays in one place and we don't have to baby proof our home yet. He still takes the shortest naps ever, but this week we have been on a mission to get him to sleep through the night. Tonight is day 3 of no night time feedings. Andrew has been a saint & has slept in Colten's room for the last 2 nights to "shh" him back to sleep the 2 times he wakes up during the night. I can't stand to leave him alone screaming and screaming, so this has been a great solution. It has also meant that I have gotten TWO full nights of sleep.. the first ever in 7 months! Glorious!!

We had a great Christmas this year :) Everyone talks like Colten's first Christmas is a big deal, but we didn't really think it was. He got some cool books & toys from his grandparents and was as happy as can be. Adam and David & Liz were both in town for the holidays, so we had a homemade pizza, banana split, kinect competition Christmas Eve at my parents' house. It was loads of fun!! Having all of us together is such a rare, special treat.

(Colten's new sled. Awesome gift!!!)

Christmas day we made homemade sticky buns for breakfast, and then went to my grandparents for a delicious dinner & fun with the family. We had a hilarious white elephant exchange there, where we left with some pretty awesome gifts ;P Andrew has this week off from work, so it has been AMAZING. It's so strange to have help with Colten, to be able to take a nap, and to be able to go out without taking Colten with me. Colten is SO happy when Andrew is home... he can't take his eyes off of daddy <3

This pregnancy was a total shock to us. I was "baby hungry" for a couple months, but then I did realize I was insane and was content with waiting until the spring to get pregnant. Well, this baby had other plans :) One day I just had this feeling to take a pregnancy test... I laughed out loud when I saw the results & sent Andrew a picture of the pregnancy test because I was sooo sure it was wrong. Like really. Come to find out, there really aren't false positives & we really were expecting a little one. I was beyond excited, then overwhelmed, and now I'm back to excited! He/she is due July 10th/12th.. not sure which date they'll keep. This pregnancy has been the complete opposite from the last (thank goodness). I have not been sick once.. and was only nauseous for about a week. I have been eating everything in sight.. and have already gained 5 pounds! Ha! I only craved healthy foods with Colten, with this baby I want pizza, fried chicken, fast food, chinese.. and chips. I've been super healthy as you can tell ;) We can't believe that we are going to have a newborn and a 13 1/2 month old, but we know this baby was meant to be in our family. We are so lucky.

We worked realllllly hard on these over the last month. They really weren't "hard", but they were very time consuming. I'm proud of Andrew for finishing his own, and I'm so glad I won't have to make another one next year since it's already done. Baby #2's will not say "Baby 2" forever, haha.. I wrote it on wax paper, peeled it off, then stuck it on his/her stocking just for the picture. We're excited to have these hanging next year... and to have a family of four next Christmas!!

Snot Sucker

If you have young children and do not have one of these, buy one. They are amazing. Andrew thinks it is absolutely disgusting that you use your mouth to suck out your baby's snot, but what other way is there to get it all out (the filter catches it all anyway.. if you suck that hard & it goes up that far)? I use it for boogies that are too far in to reach, and now that Colten has his first little cold and can't breathe, I use it to clear him out. Of course, he hates when I use it on him, but I always tell him it will definitely be worth it afterward :) $15 on amazon. Worth every penny.

Love, love, love! Such a wonderful baby.

Gratitude

I'm not one to post something I'm grateful for each day in November on Facebook, but there truly is a ton I'm thankful for. Just by being a citizen of the USA we have soo many more privileges and opportunities than the rest of the world. We are a blessed people. I am so grateful for:
-My incredible husband.
-The knowledge that I have of Jesus Christ.
-Our little chicken nugget, Colten.
-This country.
-My brothers safely returning from the middle east each time.
-Heat.
-Running water.
-A home.
-Being able to eat milk again!
-Friendship.
-Beautiful fall days.
-Refrigerators.
-Parks.
-Grandparents.
-The beach.
-Being a stay at home mom.
-Toilet paper, ha.
-My amazing mom and dad, sister, and brothers.
... and so much more. I seriously could list a thousand things. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, although now that it's over it's time to get in the Christmas spirit!

 Love this little Gavin..

 If you know her, you adore her!!

 My TURKEY lovin man! I "help" him carve the turkey every year!

 

 Trying applesauce for the first time I think.. :)

My little cuddle bugs before church one morning <3

A Strong Nation

Today all I can think about is one thing: the strength of a nation comes from the strength of its families within. Strong families make a strong country, just as weak families make a weak country. Let us stand up for what we know is right.. always. Let us keep our families strong by teaching our kids to love everyone. Let us teach them to stand for the right- to love God more than anyone/anything. Let us teach our children to pray. Pray for those who are suffering. Pray for the wicked that their hearts may be changed. Pray for the sick and needy. Pray for our great country and for its leaders. Pray that those who are lost might find hope. Let us teach our children to have faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the one who will never lead us astray. Let us teach our children that there is always HOPE. If we all strive to strengthen our homes each and every day, our nation will only become a better place. No matter what goes on in the world, our homes can always be a sanctuary from the storm. Strong families make a strong country.

Chica Chica Boom

Around here we love Sundays. Sunday is the only day that we get to spend all day with Andrew. He and Colten get special bonding time during church while I'm in Primary :) & we get to relax, sing, dance, and go for walks! This is what we did last Sunday.