March 6, 2016

They were worth it!

I recently got a email from an old college friend asking for some advice on infertility.
It completely caught me off guard and for once in my life I didn't have anything to say.   
Yes, infertility was a part of my life but that isnt something I ever think about anymore.
I didn't email her back for a couple of days because I didn't have advice anymore.
I tried to think about how I felt at that time when I was sad and frustrated, but I really couldn't.
That just feels like so long ago. 
But what I do remember is the yearning for a family.
I remember begging Heavenly Father in prayer for a baby.
Literally begging.

And look 5 years later....

I have a family.
I have two babies.
I have love.
I have laughter.
I have joy.
I have dog piles.

 I have exactly what I asked for.
And
all of the infertility was worth it! 
It led me to my babies.
They were the plan all along!
Watching these two form a relationship right in front of my eyes is worth it!

February 28, 2016

A six month old Andie

In a blink of an eye she is half a year.
I cannot believe how fast time is going.
Andie is such a fun baby who doesn't stop moving!!
She kicks those legs as if she is in the marching band all.the.time.
They seriously don't stop.
My personal favorite is the marching in the bathtub. 
It's adorable.
 


She is sitting up for longer periods of time.
Once she realizes that I am not supporting her, she falls over. 
 

 She is rolling over in both directions constantly and has discovered Magnus.


She screams for her pacifier and then immediately takes it out of her mouth to chew on the sides.
Always.

 

She has started eating rice cereal, oatmeal, and zucchini.  
She loves drinking out of our cups.
A drop or two actually make it into her mouth, the rest usually drools out of her mouth or spills onto her lap.

She is on all fours rocking back and forth.
 


She loves stroller rides.
She is a very serious rider.
She doesnt say much while we stroll, but she is so happy to be outside.
 


This cutie has been fighting going to sleep lately and giving us all quite the work out. 
But she likes her white blanket by her face to go to sleep.
This month we put her in HER room in HER crib and that's also been a transition for all of us.
She yells AH, EH and GA throughout the day.
She belly gut laughs.
She loves looking in the mirror and smiling at herself.
She grabs my face and hair when she feeds.
Her eyes are still a solid blue.
She mastered raspberries.
She grabs everything in and out of reach and shoves everything in her mouth.
She still spits up all day everyday.
She LOVES Miles.
She is finally in size 2 diapers.
and a whopping 15 lbs.
ANDIE WE LOVE YOU!
Happy half birthday!


February 7, 2016

5 Months of Andie

Oh my goodness!
This little cutie is 5 months!
Andie is such a happy happy baby.
She is so quick to smile back at anyone!!
She is such a fun girl.


She still has a love affair with cloth.
She shoves everything into her mouth.
You can't even dry her face off with her towel without her grabbing it and eating it!


She is great on her tummy and reaches for everything in and out of reach.
 

She loves looking at herself in the mirror.
She lights up and thinks she's pretty cute.
Do you blame her though?


He love for Miles melts my heart.
She watches everything he does.
She gets so excited to see him every morning and now that she's getting more fun Miles is interacting with her so much more.
They make each other pretty happy.

Her funniest thing at the moment are her mini crunches.
They are hilarious. 
She'll lift that head up and look at her toes mid playing, mid diaper change, mid...whatever.
It is so cute!!!


She's chatty and a busy body!

She is still rolling from belly to back but ONLY if she is in the mood.
She kicks to legs and squeals with delight.
She has started scooting and spins around all over the floor.
She sucks in all the smog from LA when she is extra happy.
She grabs my glasses and hair and it hurts.
She is so ready for food-she stares at us when we eat, she follows the spoon to our mouths and she licks those lips.
She is a small one, she's still in size one diapers and barely in 3-6 month clothes.
But don't let the size fool you...she's got a big set of lungs and a strong body!
Andie girl, we love you!

January 31, 2016

We have a 4 year old


Happiest of birthdays to my four year old!

 I can't handle that he is growing! 

I want him to stay little! I want him to love Mickey Mouse and Monster Inc forever. I never want him to be embarrassed that he sings "small world" out loud in public. Though the asking "why" phase is sometimes draining I don't want him to loose that curiosity! I don't want his love of trampolines to stop anytime soon. I want to keep hearing him ask to watch his favorite show PJ Masks. I don't want to him to figure out that the word "stupid" isn't really a bad word. I don't want to stop hearing him randomly tell me I'm beautiful. I will miss him repeatedly telling me he and his dad fixed the kitchen sink just so I'll thank him loudly and give him a big hug. I will miss chasing him with the vacuum while I do my cleaning. I just hate that he is growing! I want this phase in my life to slow down! I love my boy! He is sweet as he is sour! 

He makes for a perfect 4 year old! 

(with all that being said I am so glad we had a birthday party for him before his actual birthday and the broken arm)


Miles wanted a Lizard Party this year.
Oui, this kid and his love of reptiles is killing me.
But a lizard party it will be!
While I was getting Lizard lunch ready, all the kids played so well together in his room!

He and his buddies ate lunch

  
They played Pin the Tail on the Lizard.


They played Toss the Lizard in the bucket
 

He opened presents

They all gasped and huddled over presents
 

and ate the individual lizard cakes that we decorated earlier.
 

 And that is the birthday wrap!

Miles we love you and are so grateful you are in our family!

A Fracture

A first happened at our house.
A fractured arm. 

And I'm not totally sure how this all happened either.
But I do know what led up to to it.

Miles and I were cooing over Andie on my bed.
Miles asked to hold her so I let him.
 She drooled on him and he gave her back to me and was acting silly.
Then I started changing her diaper and he was acting super silly and ran behind me towards the chair in my room.
After that I don't know how it all went down.
But out of the corner of my eyes I did see feet in the air and a big thud against the wall.
I winced thinking "well that had to of hurt"
Then Miles started crying.
But not his normal cry.
My very first thought was "he broke his arm."
So I looked behind my chair where he somehow air flighted behind and his arm looked fine.
I fished him out from behind the chair and he was screaming and could not bend his arm.
I tried the boo boo bag but it didnt work.
I tried putting an M&M in that hand seeing if he'd bend it to eat it, but nope.
Then I tried Monsters Inc. but he still was crying.
 He fell asleep on the couch so I tried to see if I could inspect it better but as soon as I touched it he woke up crying again.

I facetimed Romney at work to get his opinion and after Miles not being able to squeeze my finger Romney said to take him in.  
I took Andie to my sister in laws and a crying Miles to the ER.

I couldn't get him out of his jammie shirt without bending his arm so he rocked the snowman pajama shirt.

 He was so sad and very scared to see the doctor.
He didn't believe me that the dr would not be giving him shots that day.
 

Once we got to our room he was happy and distracted.
They had cartoons to watch.

The dr. was awesome.
He played all kinds of games to get Miles to do what they needed.
Going to a children hospital is a night and day experience I tell ya.


They sent us to x rays.
He was in so much pain as they twisted his arm, bent his arm and straighten his arm.
I told him they were taking pictures of his bones.
While crying he asked "Do I need to smile?"
I told him "no, it's just pictures of your bones"
Sweet boy.

After x rays he was able to bend his elbow again.
They even brought him toys to play with.
We were all convinced he dislocated his elbow and the x ray tech wiggled it back into place.


False!!
There was a fracture.
So they splinted him with a hard cast like thing on the bottom half of his arm to allow the swelling to happen.


Now we have an appointment with orthopedics for a real cast next week.

Poor buddy had to leave the hospital the day before his birthday shirtless with a sling.

January 14, 2016

Christmas Morning

I love the excitement of Christmas morning!
It was so fun to wake up with our friends and make the kids wait down the hall in anticipation for what Santa brought.


Santa did indeed come to our house!
He brought frogs, lizards, crocodiles and snakes galore
for this reptile kid


He brought a marble track and EVERY kid loved that thing.


Miles "needed" a new gun so when his little buddies come over there is enough for all to have one.

 

 A couple of weeks ago I told Miles we were going to the store.
He ran to get his piggy bank and said I want to buy something. 
(he has like 4 bucks in change)
I couldn't deny his excitment.
So, I took a detour to the 99 cent store where he bought himself a candy bar.
BUT the back ground for the story is while we were at the store he said he wanted to buy Romney a present.
So he picked out a snicker and a hot wheel with his own money.
We came home and wrapped it up and he signed his name.


Here is Miles giving his present to daddy and showing him that he wrote his own name.


And here is Daddys reaction.
Probably the sweetest Christmas gift ever!

I have been giving the Stubbs sugar cereal for christmas for a while. 
I'm not sure how it started or why, but it has become tradition.
 Miles helped me pick out each kids box and he picked out lucky charms for Lance.
 



It was pure joy to watch the boys open their presents!


And I felt pure joy when I opened my Adele CD.


Then finally little miss woke up from her morning nap and joined the chaos.


She was super interested in her new toys.


Miles took his time opening his presents and played with each one!


 He was so excited to add to his train tracks!
(though Miles is adorable, look in the background at cowboy Kade)

and I was excited to add to my jewelry collection 


After all the presents were opened everyone was spread out playing and admiring their new things!

 

I just sat there admiring these two! 

It was a Merry Christmas!