My Little Helper

Allen is our little mover! He's not quite up to walking yet, but he is a champ at crawling. And man is he fast! The first few weeks in our new house I've spent so much time chasing after him--in a useless attempt to keep him from getting into things. HAH!

I'd like you to know I finally came to my senses. I figured, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em"! Now, for the most part, I let him do all the exploring and investigating he'd like to do. And now I have the greatest little helper! His specialties are loading/unloading the dishwasher, loading/unloading the laundry baskets, and loading/unloading the kitchen drawers. Are you seeing a theme here?

Unloading

Unloading

Loading

(He's definitely more interested in the unloading than he is in the loading. Can ya blame him?)

He certainly keeps me busy playing catch-up but I love watching him learn and figure things out!

We've Moved...Again!

A few months ago we said a bittersweet goodbye to our first home in Orem: (Our condo was the bottom one on the left)

In August, we officially relocated to our new home in Spanish Fork! We had a pretty crazy summer filled with lots of family time, home improvement projects, packing, cleaning, and moving. I think we are finally feeling settled and are absolutely loving our new home. We are so thankful for our WONDERFUL families that helped us in SO MANY ways this summer! Your constant willing service has been such a blessing--we are so humbled and so grateful. We couldn't have done it without you!

Fun In The Sun

Last Christmas we got passes to Seven Peaks and we have been putting them to good use this summer. I'm not much of a waterpark fan, but taking Allen to play in the water has been an absolute blast! We pretty much stick to the kiddie pool & the lazy river. Allen couldn't be happier. He splashes and splashes and I'm getting some much needed sun :)

Baby's First Haircut

We've had quite a few "firsts" around here lately. It has been so fun and exciting watching Allen learn and develop in so many new ways. This "first", however, made me just a little bit sad. I procrastinated as long as I could, but he was long overdue for his very first haircut. Allen wasn't especially pleased with having to sit still for this so we had to get pretty creative trying to entertain him so Grammy could cut his hair. Now my little baby looks more like a little boy (which makes me SO sad), but we love his new haircut! Thanks Grammy!

Part Monkey

Allen has been working his way into the world of solid foods. And man does he love it! Bananas are definitely one of his favorites. I'm starting to wonder if Allen is part monkey...

A New Pair of Specs

Allen LOVES wearing glasses and hats. He just thinks its so funny. We usually just let him wear our sunglasses, but I found these foam glasses and he had such a great time playing with his Aunt.

Opening Day

Opening Day! After a long season of basketball (my least favorite of sports), baseball is finally here! I'm not sure what to expect from our Dodgers this summer, but I'm so glad the season is finally here!

Dodgers will be on @6pm tonight.

We've Moved

Here are my boys helping me pack. Best little helpers ever! Well, let's be honest, they didn't help much but they kept me in good spirits with all the stress of moving and getting our condo rented :)

Over the last year, Parker and I had been discussing what would be best for our little family's future and what steps we'd need to take to get a house. After much discussion and praying we decided to rent our condo and move in with his parents so we could finish saving up for a down payment. We have such wonderful parents and families. We're so thankful for ALL the incredible work and help my family put forth in helping us pack, move, clean, make repairs, and keeping us from going crazy during this process. And we're so thankful for the Ainge's who are welcoming us into their home. Thank you so very much.

We have LOVED our time in our condo. It has been a perfect haven for our family and we will truly miss our first home. It was hard to let go of, but we have some wonderful memories that will always be with us.

7 Months

My little bug is 7 months old!

Allen wasn't quite able to sit up on his own when he was 6 months so we waited a few weeks and got some photos taken when he was 7 months. My most wonderful friend Valerie gave me a photo session gift certificate as a baby gift when I had Allen. Such a great gift! I was so excited to get some new photos (I just can't seem to get enough of them) and her sister-in-law Brooke did the most FANTASTIC job! I'm going to have the hardest time choosing which ones to get printed. She's posted a few on her blog: http://www.rootedinlovephotography.blogspot.com

I know I'm a little biased but you should seriously stop whatever you're doing and go look at these photos. :)

A few things about Allen @ 7 Months:

He's an ace at sitting up on his own now.
He's rolling over. Mostly back to tummy but he's working on tummy to back as well.
He loves to be tickled and is pretty much ticklish everywhere.
Had his first really tramatic experience at the doctor's office: he had to have his blood drawn and he's so chubby that they couldn't find a vein so they had to keep poking him over and over. (I'm not sure who was more tramatized--me or Allen.)
Loves Krug. He gets so excited whenever he sees him.
He's started on baby food. Peas and squash are his favorite. Hates rice cereal.
Likes all electronic things--specifically tv, remotes, phones and calculators. (I really didn't think I'd have to worry about monitoring tv time for a baby!)
He's really started recognizing people and gets so excited when he sees family members he loves.

Tubby Time

More tubby photos! Allen continues to LOVE bath time. He's got a few bath toys, but he mostly just likes to splash and talk while he's in there.Each night when we start running the bath water Krug comes running in--he always thinks it's his turn for a tub. Poor guy gets a little neglected. The other night he came running in as usual so I just plopped him in there with Allen. I don't think it's quite what he had in mind but he seemed to enjoy the attention, and Allen always loves having Krug around :)

Check Out This Tushy

Isn't this the best little tushy you've ever seen?!

Happy 3-Day Weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

First Sleepover

Parker and I are constantly talking about how much our families do for us. We have incredible parents and siblings that support us in so many ways. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL. After having Allen, even more blessings began to pour into our lives by way of our families. What would we do without all of you?

Well, the other day my sister was over at our house and she graciously offered to sleep in Allen's room so I could get a full night of rest. I'd completely forgotten what that felt like. I woke up feeling like a new person and I'm pretty sure Allen had a fantastic time having his first "sleepover". :)

For those of you wondering, NO, Allen did not sleep on the floor. He slept in his crib with his auntie on the floor next to him (She claims she likes sleeping on the floor. I'm pretty sure she is lying so I don't have to feel so guilty.) This is how I found the 2 of them the next morning--playing and reading stories together :)

6 Months

As you can tell, I've gotten a little behind on my postings. There is a perfectly good explanation for this: I am having way too much fun with this little guy!

He is now 6 months old! (Has anyone figured out how I can stop time?!)

Here are a few updates about Allen:

He is ALMOST sleeping through the night. (He gets up at 5am to eat & then goes back to bed for a few hours.)

He loves playing with Krug and Chinghis--he gets so excited when he sees dogs.

Weighs 17 lbs. and 9 oz.

He can pretty much sit up on his own now, but still needs us to sit behind him, "just in case".

Still loves bath time and being outside.

Thinks his dad is HILARIOUS.

He really likes it when you sing to him.

Got his first cold :(

Has started using his highchair.

Peek-a-boo is his favorite game.

He is getting his first 2 teeth! (More on this later.)

And, I've come to the conclusion that he has the MOST adorable smile and laugh.

I am absolutely loving every single moment with my bug!

Disneyland: Part 2

Ready for more Disneyland? We spent 3 days in Disneyland/California Adventureland. We spent 1 day hanging out at Downtown Disney and 1 day at Universal Studios. It was SO cold the whole week we were there and one of the days it rained. Luckily, that was the same day we opted to relax and just hang out at Downtown Disney. We did some shopping and saw TRON at the theater there. Then we had a super yummy dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. The food was fantastic, but Allen kept getting scared by all the fake storms and animals--poor little guy.
The boys got their picture taken with the crew from Apollo 13.


Me and my wonderful hubby.

We ate at the wharf at California Adventureland a few times. The food was great and it was a little less crowded than Disneyland. Allen got to help Grandpa feed the ducks :)

We spent New Year's Eve at Disneyland and then went over to California Adventure to finish up the day. They had an incredible water/light show that we got to see. (The pictures just don't do it justice!)

Tarzan's Treehouse

Riding the carousel. We thought Allen would really like this, but he didn't pay attention to the ride at all! He was completely mesmermized by the gold bar and looking at his reflection :)

Do these shoes make me look fat?

We saw a bunch of shows at Universal Studios. The Animal Show was one of my favorites. Afterwards, Allen got to pet Boomer the Saint Bernard. I love that he isn't afraid of dogs! He had so much fun petting him.

My two most favorite action figures :)

We decided to be really brave and ride Jurassic Park. It was SO SO SO cold and we were worried about getting wet. Luckily, we stayed pretty dry.

Meeting the Grinch and Max!

We had a fantastic time together. Dad & Mom, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for taking us on such a wonderful vacation. We loved every minute of it!