This Life of Ours

Baby #2

2012-01-05T19:59:00.001-08:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and decided to find out this time what we were having. It was soooo much fun to see our little one and we found out that Landon will have a little brother in May!!!

I really thought we were having a girl, so my womanly intuition isn't the strongest!

We are thrilled with another boy and can't wait to hold the little guy!

He was so fun to watch, super squirmy and moved a ton. He was laying like a little pretzel with hands and feet up over his head, moving and playing with his toes!

It is such a miracle how the Lord forms little babes inside their mama's!

Here are some fun pictures we got from the ultrasound:

Profile #1: Already such a cute little nose and mouth :)

Toes over his head

Little stinker is in the EXACT same position that Landon was in...breech position, bottom down, with feet right by his face!

Proof that it's in fact a BOY!

Reaching up over his face stretching

Profile #2: Those are either fingers or toes up over his forehead

Profile #3: Another cutie picture

Cute little baby feet!

Sometimes it was hard to tell what were fingers and what were toes because he was so squirmy and was intertwining everything!

Little guy stretching and wiggling!

Big Yawn!

(Good strong heartbeat too!!!)

Playing with his little feet and toes!

What a miracle this little one is!

"For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

Psalm 139:13-14

Amen!!!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

What a FUN morning we had at the pumpkin patch with our good friends the Searcy's!

We didn't get to take Landon last year and I had major guilt about this (feeling like I had already ruined his childhood :)

...so I was really excited to take him this year!

We went to a really small, local farm. It was fun to support such a small farm and Landon had a lot of fun.

He was a little unsure of all the festivities and wouldn't leave our side at the beginning, but he warmed up to the place and we had to drag him out when we left.

The farm had some animals you could feed, tractors to sit on, a hayride (which mesmerized Landon), yummy honey straws and of course a pick your own pumpkin patch!

Posing with Annie and Trey

(we are bound and determined to make sure Landon and Trey are BF's and they are cooperating nicely with our plan!)

Hanging with daddy

(they were looking into the sun which accounts for the stink faces!)

My favorite picture of the day...he is getting so big!

Playing with pumpkins for the first time!

Exploring the farm

The best part of it all...SLIDES!

It was a really nice morning full of great weather, a great atmosphere and great friends!

Update, Cousins and Vegas!!!

2011-09-21T19:44:00.001-07:00

Blogging has been foreign to me lately but I've decided it's time to get back into the swing of things. As a quick update, we finally found a house after 4 1/2 months of living with Jared's grandma. We were very excited to move into our own home again and have been happily settled for almost 2 months now! Landon is 18 months old, busy, stubborn, joyful, funny, and a ball of energy! H seems to love his new home as much as we do. I'm planning on putting up pictures eventually (I just have to get around to actually taking some)!!!

At the end of August we went to Southern Oregon to visit my family and I got to see my nephew for the first time!

He is just a ball of cuteness! Landon and I couldn't get enough of him!

Landon wanted to kiss him and kiss him and kiss him every chance he got!

He also tried to constantly "sneak" his pacifier!

I just can't imagine how much fun these two boys are going to have as they get older!

(not to mention all the trouble they will get into)

At the beginning of the year Jared entered an employee transformation contest at work to get more fit and healthy. He committed to 12 weeks of intense workouts and strict diets and it completely paid off! He took 2nd place out of 75 employees who entered the contest. His second place finish won us a trip to VEGAS!!!

We went this last weekend, it was my first time and it completely wore me out! Unfortunately our hotel wasn't on the strip and so we walked and walked and walked until I thought my feet were going to either fall off or start bleeding.

It was really fun though to see all the sights.

We went to a Cirque De Soleil show "O", ate at some great restaurants, went through the different casinos, saw the attractions and walked a lot!

We also went to the Mr. Olympia competition and an after party at 'XS' a club in Encore (Jared's company is a big sponsor). It was crazy to see how muscular those guys are...a completely different lifestyle for sure!

Overall, we both had a lot of fun but to be honest I'm not dying to go back anytime soon...I think our next vacation needs to be somewhere on a beach where we can just relax and walk as little as possible!!!

We're Alive

2011-04-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

Seems unreal that it has been almost 2 months since my last post. There is so much I have to catch up on! The reason for my absence is that our last month and a half has been a little hectic, crazy and full of change. To make it brief I will just give the "Reader's Digest" version...in September of last year we decided to try and sell our house to take advantage of getting into something bigger while prices are low and interest rates are good. We accepted an offer in the middle of March (after 2 offers that fell through) and the buyer asked if we could close quickly. We agreed and so we had 2 weeks to pack and move out of our house. I packed one weekend, we put all of our stuff in storage the next weekend and moved in with Jared's grandma. The plan was to not be at his grandma's house long...but here we are a month later still as house guests. We put an offer on a house at the beginning of April and during the home inspection water started leaking from the upstairs bathroom into the living room/kitchen downstairs. It was a bank owned property and the bank didn't fix it to the standard we had hoped for so we backed out of the house (we had both felt a lack of peace about the house off and on, so I feel as if the Lord gave a way to get out of it). The next day we were going to make an offer on another house we loved in a neighborhood we loved and Jared's Aunt (our realtor) called us that morning to let us know the house had just accepted a different offer. Needless to say we were VERY bummed and are now back to square one. This has been an overwhelming experience and one that has definitely not been as smooth as we had hoped for. Jared's grandma has been very gracious and we are so thankful for her hospitality. We are praying that the Lord will lead us to the right house quickly so that we can settle into our own home again!

Landon has been a real trooper throughout this entire experience and hasn't seemed to mind on bit all the change and new surroundings. I wanted to update on him (both for my family as well as myself as this blog has become his "baby book"):

* You are a fabulous sleeper and about a month ago you stopped wanting to be rocked to sleep and now we just lay you in your crib for naps or bedtime and you put yourself to sleep.

* You are still taking two naps a day, although this weekend you only did one each day and I think you might be ready to make that transition (right now you nap at 10:00 and 3:00)

* You are a great eater and will try anything I give you (I recently learned it takes our brains 10 times to try something new before we can really determine whether or not we like it...so I've decided I'm going to introduce you to all sorts of food to hopefully give you a broad spectrum of likes!)

* You still drink 4 bottles a day, this is how you like to wake up

* You started walking the weekend before your first birthday (February 27th was the day you took your first real steps). You are now toddling, cruisin' and practically running everywhere...you only crawl about 5-10% of the time

* You love to say "da" and so far that is what you label everything. You are very vocal but have very few real words (I can't get you to say 'mama' for the life of me!)

* You know a lot of what people are saying and can get items that are names (spoon, cup, bottle, ball, shoe, duck, car, etc.)

* You love music and rock, clap and sway to all sorts of beats. You also like learning the hand motions to songs and will start songs on your own by doing the motions.

* You still have the happiest, most joyful personality and make us laugh daily. You also think your mom and dad are pretty funny right now and I take full advantage of all the laughs I can get!

* You are obsessed with Addie and she graciously puts up with your climbing, tackling, attempts to ride her, kisses and face smooshes

* You have learned how to go up and downstairs since we have been at Jared's grandma's house and think you are hot stuff

* You like being outside BUT hate the grass on your bare feet!

* You really like to put toys in things and take toys out of things. You like balls and anything else small you can throw. You also love playing in water both at bath time and in your water cup when eating.

* You can drink straight from a cup but need help to help with the water flow. You are also becoming more independent with a spoon and fork (along with self feeding all sorts of table food)

* You rough house, try to climb on things, love playing hide-n-seek, chase, wrestling and tickling. To me you are all boy and the rougher the better! You are also quite the daredevil and rarely get scared of anything.

* You are in size 4 diapers and 18 month clothes (although there are still some 12 month that fit you)

* At your 12 month appointment you weighed 21lb 14 oz and were 31 inches long (I think)

I know I am missing some details about all you can do and all that you enjoy but those are the highlights I can think of right now. You are definitely a toddler and no longer a little baby :( It has been such a fun adventure though watching you change and grow more and more into your own self and identity!

You also had your first Easter egg hunt and did really well "finding" the eggs and putting them in your basket (and then taking them out again!)

A Year Ago

2011-03-03T06:51:00.001-08:00

A year ago we were counting down the hours to when we would welcome our little one into our lives

A year ago we only imagined what it would be like to be a "mom" and a "dad"

A year ago we were anxious, nervous, excited, and overwhelmed at the thought of it all

A year ago we could sleep in as late as we wanted

A year ago we could leave the house within minutes of getting ready or on a whim's notice

A year ago we didn't have nap times or bed times to schedule around

A year ago we stayed out as late as we wanted without evening noticing what time it was

A year ago there was no need to get a babysitter if we wanted a "date night"

BUT...

A year ago we had no idea what it truly meant to love someone unconditionally

A year ago we didn't realize how empty our lives were

A year ago we didn't understand that our little family wasn't quite complete

A year ago we had no idea the joy that could come from our son

A year ago we didn't realize how fulfilling it would be to care for a child of our own

A year ago we didn't know all that we were missing or how quiet our house was

A year ago we had no idea how amazing it would be to watch a baby grow and develop from a helpless being into a walking toddler

A year ago we couldn't have imagined that the Lord would bless us so abundantly with a healthy, sweet, loving, funny, joyful, smart, cute, charming, perfect fit for our family kind of baby

Happy Birthday sweet Landon

We love you more than you know and are so thankful you came into our lives a year ago

Cousins

2011-02-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of Sundays ago Jared's family got together to celebrate some family birthdays. His cousin and wife from Texas were in town with their little one so it was the perfect opportunity for pictures.

There were 3 boys added to the family in 2010: March, November and December.

The next generation...only one girl so far

(I can't believe Landon is already this big compared to the other babies)

I think it is so fun that Landon will have such great cousins to grow up with!

He already adores our niece and is just mesmerized by everything she does!

Good Friends

2011-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

Last night we had the Searcy's over for dinner. We always have a ton of fun when we get together with them and it is even more fun now that we both have little boys! It was cute watching Trey and Landon "play" together. I know we will have many memories with those two boys. At Annie's baby shower I noticed that Trey got a sweater that we had for Landon so we planned then and there to take pictures with them in the sweaters when they were both old enough to wear them...

Some of the out takes:

The photo shoot end in an impromptu wrestling match!

So thankful for little boys and good friends!

11 Months Old

2011-02-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

Days and weeks seem to fly by and I realize that my little guy is yet another month older. It is crazy to think that last year at this time we were counting down the days until he was born making sure that all the details were in place and now we are counting down the days until he turns 1 year old. There are so many days that I think, "I should post that" and then the day is gone and all I want to do is relax with Jared once Landon is down. He is quite the mover these days, full of energy, joy and a personality all his own:

* I'm almost afraid to post about your sleeping habits because I feel like I jinx myself every time I do. You are sleeping really well and really consistently. About 11 hours at night and then two 1-2 hour naps during the day.

* You prefer to wake up between 7 and 7:30...which I love on days I work because I get to see you before I leave, on my days off and weekends it feels a little early to be up!

* You still let me rock you to sleep and it is one of my favorite things to do with you.

* You are a picky eater at times and a good eater at times. You went through a really picky stage for a couple of weeks when you realized you could spit out anything that went into your mouth! You definitely have preferences when it comes to food, but overall I think you do pretty good.

* You still nurse or take a bottle 4 times a day

* You are almost walking and can cruise along furniture, walk behind a dinosaur walker or walk when holding one of our hands

* You can stand anywhere from 10-30 seconds without holding onto anything (it is so cute because all your little muscles are working so hard), you feel very proud of yourself when this happens!

* You love to throw things and so far your hand of choice to throw with is lefty. You do a lot with your right hand but throwing is always done with your left. Your favorite toy seems to be balls of any kind.

* You absolutely LOVE Addie right now. You love to kiss her, hug her, crawl over her and pat her...she is soooo patient with you (much more so than I thought she would be). You also like to feed Addie your food from your highchair, you think it is pretty funny and she doesn't seem to mind either!

* You continue to be a dare devil and love to rough house. We are trying to teach you that you shouldn't dive off couches and beds head first but to slide down feet first!

* You enjoy helping in the kitchen or bathroom. You empty cupboards amazingly fast, enjoy playing on the dishwasher and recently have figured out how fun it is to pull things out of the kitchen trash :(

* You seem to figure something new out almost everyday...whether it be discovering something new to play with or figuring out how to work one of you toys on your own (you have recently started putting the circle and square in the shape sorter all by yourself).

* You are getting so tall and can reach things fairly high which has opened a whole new world to you!

* You love to do "patty cake", other fun songs or rhymes and read books.

* You are becoming quite independent at times and can throw amazing tantrums when something doesn't go your way or if your feelings get hurt when someone tells you "no"

* You love bath time and basically water of any sort (including Addie's water bowl...which you get in trouble for). I'm excited for you to go swimming this summer!

* You are still babbling up a storm, screaming and giggling. I love when something really tickles you...your laugh is very contagious!

* You respond to your name, no and some other simple words.

* You like to shake your head "no" and will sometimes wave "bye-bye"

* You got your first haircut by your Auntie when we were visiting in Portland.

* You have 8 teeth, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom

* You are in size 12 month clothes (some 18 month for pants because of you long legs) and size 3 diapers.

* You weigh 21 lbs. 6 oz. and have transitioned to a bigger car seat

It's pretty incredible to watch you grow and develop, thinking back to how little you were almost a year ago! We continue to pray for you daily that you will grow up loving the Lord!

Movin' and Cruisin'

2011-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here is proof just how mobile Landon is these days...he is always on the move and finding new and exciting things to explore (and get into!)

Crawling to mom...take #1 (exerting his own will)

Crawling to mom...take #2

He has started cruisin' and thinks he is pretty hot stuff

In other news...Landon had one of his first "major" injuries :(

He put his hand on Grandma's fireplace and got a little burn on the side of his palm

(This picture shows me just how many germs and dirt they get on their hands from crawling on the floor...every bandage is black by the end of the day when we have to change it!)

Most of it was first degree with one area being second degree

This was a picture the second night (can't really see the burn very well)

He has taken in like a trooper though and despite the initial reaction it hasn't slowed him down a bit...he is still crawling, grabbing and as active as ever.

We have to clean, apply cream and bandage it for about a week

I know this won't be the last of his injuries as he is:

1. a boy

2. way too curious and into everything

3. a bit of a daredevil!

I will feel extremely lucky if this is the worst we face in the injury department!

Christmas in Oregon/Year End Wrap-Up

2011-01-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

We got to spend a week in Oregon for Christmas this year with my side of the family. My brother and sister-in-law were there the entire week also. It was so much fun to have a break from normal life and get to spend such great time with my family! Unfortunately Landon caught a little bug on the plane ride over, so nights were not so fun, but Grandpa and Nana were prepared to take him at 6:45 in the morning, so mom and dad could get a couple more hours of sleep! The other truly special part was that all of my grandparents were at my parents house for Christmas this year! It was really nice to get to spend some quality time with them and for them to get to spend so much time around Landon.

Landon definitely didn't grasp the concept of Christmas, gifts and opening presents. Somehow that didn't stop him from getting completely spoiled!

Checking out the stocking goodies

Opening up presents with a little help

This one definitely passed the test as it made it to the mouth!

We actually had to borrow a suitcase from my parents to get all of our goodies back to Idaho

My sis-in-law is pregnant and expecting our niece or nephew in June!!!

We can't wait until next Christmas when there will be another baby around!

Great Grandpa and Grandma Lamson

Great Grandpa Davies

Great Grandpa and Grandma Shaffer

The best part of Christmas this year was that we all decided to start a new family tradition and wear matching Christmas pajamas on Christmas morning!

We went with the plaid theme this year!

Grandpa and Nana

We always have a great time in Oregon and feel lucky that we have gotten to go back 3 times since Landon was born. Hopefully he will grow up feeling like he knows all the family there, even if he isn't around them all the time (thank goodness for Skype!)

On our trip back we had quite the exciting time at the airport (a very small airport), where Landon's milk was checked along with Landon's hands and Jared's hands. Landon's hands set off a security risk so they had to pat down Jared. Some of Jared's clothes set off a security risk so they had to pat down Jared in a back room behind closed doors and have me hold Landon in a standing position (arms and legs spread) so they could pat down him! It was comical to me that they were patting down a 9 month old...but all in the name of safety!

When we got back to Idaho we celebrated Christmas with Jared's side of the family. Once again, Landon got completely spoiled! Apparently we weren't in a picture taking mood that day because we don't have any pictures :(

We still had a great time with round 2 of Christmas!

May as well wrap up our year by blogging about our New Year's Eve. We were in in bed asleep by 11:00! Party pooper's for sure, but Landon couldn't be convinced to sleep in later the next day and we weren't in the mood to be tired all day!

What an eventful, life changing year it has been for us!

We feel so blessed by all the Lord has done in our lives and look forward to 2011!

10 Months Old

2011-01-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

I have come to realize that it is extremely difficult to get anything done with a 10 month old! Landon is soooo mobile now that to even sit down to check my email seems to be slightly impossible. When he is napping I have to take advantage and get things done around the house. All this to say that I have been majorly slacking in the blog department! I have been meaning to put up pictures about Christmas...but that will have to come another day! These pictures are actually closer to 9 months old, but I hadn't had a chance to post them yet.

* You are still sleeping well at night. Over Christmas you got a cold and ear infection so that set us back a little, but for the last week you have been sleeping about 11 hours a night.

* Your nap schedule has been great, usually up about 3-4 hours in between naps

* You still love eating but have gotten a bit particular with what you want and don't want. You will battle us if we try to feed you something you aren't in the mood for.

* You are eating 3 meals a day but still love your milk

* You are so busy, it is hard to keep up with you. You can really move quickly and keep us on our toes. You love to explore and are constantly finding new things to get into (drawers, closets, cupboards). Our house seems to get more and more barren as we move things away from you.

* You are getting stronger and stronger. You can easily pull yourself to a standing position and are beginning to squat back down instead of just falling. If we help you balance you can stand on your own for a couple of seconds.

* This week you have begun to try a sort of bear crawl, which makes you look like quite funny

* You respond to your name and are beginning to understand some other words (especially if we change our tone of voice).

* You are still babbling all the time and play around with different sound combinations. We still pretend that when you say "mama" and "dada" you are actually talking about us!

* You are beginning to play simple games with us like hide and seek...you will come crawling after us when we leave the room and then crawl away from us when you find us and we chase you. You also love to join in and play patty-cake.

* We are trying to teach you to wave hi and bye as well as be more consistent with high fives

* You have the cutest laugh and will sometimes crack yourself up even if no one else is around!

* You have learned how to throw a tantrum and are quite good at throwing your body back, screaming and swatting at us if you are mad or if we take something away from you that you wanted.

* You still love to rough house and your new favorite trick is when we flip you around

* You are in size 9 month clothes (beginning to wear some 12 month) and size 3 diapers

* You still have 6 teeth (4 upper and 2 bottom) although number 7 and 8 might be making their appearance soon

* You weigh 19 lbs 14 1/2 oz (25th-50th percentile)

* You are 30 1/4 inches tall (97th percentile)

* Head circumference is 18 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

It seems like you are changing and learning new things all the time...it is hard to believe that in just 2 months we will have a 1 year old!

We love you Landon James!

Smith Family Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-13T20:05:00.001-08:00

The first official Smith Family Christmas Card!

(hopefully I can be disciplined enough to send them out every year!)

Christmas Baking Extravaganza

2010-12-10T19:07:00.001-08:00

Today my friend Annie and I got domestic

We figured since it was the first Christmas as a mom for both of us then we should do some Christmas baking. We spent almost 5 hours making all sorts of delicious Christmas goodies to share with our friends and neighbors!

We made:

Chocolate covered pretzels (my holiday favorite)

Oreo cookie balls

and Christmas sugar cookies

(please don't judge the frosting decorations...we had two babies to take care of during all of this and just wanted to get done :)!

The boys did great...for the most part!

Trey relaxed and watched us bake

Landon crawled around and got into trouble

Overall the day was a success but we were all pooped by the time we were done!

7 Years Together

2010-12-10T18:38:00.001-08:00

This past Monday Jared and I celebrated 7 years of marriage! It was one of the first anniversaries where we both thought..."that sounds like a long time"!

We have had quite the adventure over these past 7 years.

This year was that much sweeter since we became a family of 3 instead of 2.

Although it was a work night, we did live it up...a little!

We had calamari for an appetizer...yum!

A little margarita...yum!

Some fish tacos for me...yum!

And some steak medallions for Jared...yum!

All of the food was really yummy and it was fun to get away just the two of us for a little while. I feel so thankful to have Jared as my partner through life and father to Landon. The Lord blessed me abundantly when he chose him as my mate!

9 Months

2010-12-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

This post is coming a couple days late, but little Landon is already 9 months old! Time has truly been on warp speed. It is so crazy to look back at the months and see how much he has changed, developed and grown! We are excited for his first Christmas...we will be in Oregon with my side of the family!

* We finally have figured out the sleeping situation and you are consistently sleeping about 11 hours a night...yay! It took a couple nights of tough love, but we made it and all feel better because of it.

* Naps continue to go good and still vary in length, but you get 2 in a day.

* For some reason you have decided to like your pacifier. You don't suck on it all the time, but like it most if you are tired or fussy. Not sure what I think about it but it sure comforts you!

* You are a fabulous eater. You pretty much try anything now and don't like what you try. It is fun now to give you some of our food as you have the chewing and swallowing thing down.

* You like drinking water out of a cup...you seem to think you are pretty hot stuff when you do this!

* You now have 5 or 6 teeth...can't quite tell. You look sooo cute with all these chompers!

* You have begun to give kisses (which is more like sucking on our cheeks)! I still LOVE it though despite the massive amounts of slobber!

* You are officially crawling (happened right after Thanksgiving). Now that you are crawling you feel the need to pull yourself up on EVERYTHING. This is only a problem because you are a little unsteady still on your feet and you get bumps and tears daily :(

* You can independently pull yourself up and have started to figure out how to sit back down (which usually just consists of falling)!

* Being mobile has opened up a whole new world of exploring, you love wires, technology, remote controls and anything else that looks like you probably can't play with it (you found Addie's water bowl the other day and had a great time splashing)!

* You are eating 3 solid meals a day...but still love your milk!

* You are now clapping, which has resulted in also slapping us in the face (trying to put a stop to that one!)

* You continue to still be a happy baby with a great sense of humor (you seem to try to make us laugh and in the mean time really crack yourself up)

* You are more deliberate in all of your acts and will reach for us to be picked up (which really melts my heart)

* You are "talking" a lot more with all sorts of different vowels and consonants. You can even say "mama" and "dada"...if only it were deliberate with meaning! You also like to click your tongue making all sorts of sounds.

* You are in 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers

* You weigh just over 20 lbs

What a delight and blessing you are!

Bronco Love

2010-12-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Sadly it is almost time to say farewell to college football until next Fall. We had quite the season this year cheering on our Boise State Broncos! It was not the ending we had hoped for after a DEVASTATING loss to Nevada on Black Friday...but we still showed up yesterday to root on our team for their last home game of the season! They will still play in a bowl game this season but not a BCS bowl game and not the Rose Bowl as Bronco Nation had hoped for :(

It was really fun to have season tickets again. It gave Jared and I something to do together and it was fun to be in a section with so many of our friends!

College Game Day even came to BSU this year for the first time ever!

Landon and I stayed home and snoozed, while Jared got up at 4 am to head down to the show with his friends!

Over 13,000 people showed up to show their support...Jared said it was pretty incredible and a really fun experience!

Although Landon didn't get to go to the games he still showed his Boise State pride

And sported his Boise State gear on game days!

The first game of the season was SOOO hot!

We were in the sun almost the entire game and were sweating the whole time!

The last game of the season was SOOO cold!

We were bundled up in our ski gear with hand and foot warmers dreaming about the first game of the season when the sun was beating down on us!

We are definitely a BSU family and can't wait for Landon to get old enough to go to games!

We hope this is something we can do together every year

(I think it is so cute to see families cheering together at the games)!

We are putting forth our best efforts to start him off right!

We have big dreams for our Broncos next year...

FREE Shutterfly Holiday Cards

2010-11-30T18:37:00.001-08:00

I recently found out about a promotion that Shutterfly is doing...all you have to do is blog about Shutterfly and you get 50 FREE holiday cards! Jared and I have been trying to decide whether or not we want to send out Christmas cards this year. I figured since we now have Landon, maybe we should start that holiday tradition. I love getting other people's Christmas cards in the mail. Shutterfly is the company that we used for Landon's announcements and I thought they turned out great.

Shutterfly seems to have some great options for Christmas cards this year...from single photos to photo collages:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

You can also do calendars:

http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

or Christmas mugs:

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs

I have been trying to think of creative gifts this year...so these might be some great options!

This is way too good of a deal to pass up since Christmas is right around the corner.

For all you blogger friends out there just go to this website and sign up...then write your own blog about Shutterfly and get your 50 FREE holiday cards!

http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

We are hoping to take some cute holiday pictures with Landon soon...we just got a ton of snow yesterday, so I think now might be a good time to get some cute shots. We are also going to a Christmas party that my work puts on for all of our patients tonight. Santa will be there so we will see if Landon cooperates for a cute photo! Hopefully pics to come soon of some holiday fun!

Happy Blogging and Happy Holidays!

On the Go

2010-11-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

Landon is becoming more and more mobile. He has been able to kind of roll and scoot around the house but the other night was some of his best scoot/crawls. This was definitely the longest distance that he has covered without going to his belly or sitting back up. I think I am still in denial that he will be full fledged crawling soon because I seem to be very unmotivated to "baby proof" my house!

Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Landon seemed to enjoy his first Thanksgiving

He even got a special Thanksgiving sweater for the occasion!

He thought the mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, pumpkin pie and whip cream were all YUMMY!

My parents got to come out again this year and we had a great time with them

We went up to Jared's parents' house for a low key Thanksgiving celebration

Jared's grandpa was there and it is always fun for him to get to hold Landon

We feel extremely blessed and have much to be thankful for!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

8 Months Old

2010-11-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I need to stop saying how I can't believe Landon is as old as he is...but I can't help myself! I can't believe he is already 8 months old!!!

* I should probably stop posting on your sleep habits because they are ever changing depending on the night, your growth spurts, your teething spurts, etc. At this point all I know is that you will sleep 11-12 hours every night. How many times you wake up is entirely up to you (somewhere between 1-3 times). There are times now thought that I can get you back to sleep with your pacifier instead of feeding you.

* Naps are still more consistent...one in the morning and one in the afternoon

* You have tried a variety of solids (cereals, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, peas, applesauce, bananas, peaches, pears, corn and puff cereals)

* You love sweet potatoes, corn, carrots, squash and puff cereal

* You HATE peas and don't much care for the other solids although will tolerate them from time to time (I really wish you liked fruit more!)

* You are sooooo close to crawling, you get on all fours and attempt to go forward but just can't quite figure out how

* Although you aren't crawling you are mobile and can somehow get from place to place very well by flipping, rolling, etc.

* You can get from your back all the way to a sitting position

* You can roll from your back to belly, belly to back, go from sitting to lying down and vice versa...basically you are able to get to all different positions now on your own

* You are trying to pull yourself up on furniture but aren't quite strong enough yet

* You are babbling many more sounds...I have heard /m, n, h, y, d, g/ and an occasional /b/ (that makes this mommy speech therapist very excited!). You actually said your first /d/ sound 5 days ago.

* You like to play with your tongue and move it all around in your mouth or stick it in and out like a lizard

* You STILL like to scream in anger or delight

* You love to smile, laugh and make other people smile and laugh with you

* Your top right tooth just poked through your gums today

* Your fine motor skills are developing more and more as you can pick up smaller things and switch things back and forth between your hands

* You try to feed yourself the puff cereals and occasionally have success

* You love listening to your daddy play his guitar...it mesmerizes you

(maybe this means you will be musical)

* You are wearing size 6-9 month clothing. You are so tall that you have to wear 9 month pants but 6 month shirts still fit you

* You are wearing size 3 diapers

* You weigh 20 lbs

It is so fun to watch you grow and develop, learn new things and become more and more of your own person with your own unique personality.

Yo Ho Ho

2010-10-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's Landon's first Halloween! I remember last year at this time thinking that we would have a 7 month old...crazy how fast time goes! The first costume we had for Landon was a monkey, which Jared thought was cute but thought we could do better. When I saw this costume at the store I knew that he would instantly approve!

Yar!!!

We went to a Halloween party yesterday that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law hosted

Grandma with her little pirate

My cute niece as a pumpkin queen

The big horse they had was fun to play on

Happy Halloween!

Splish Splash

2010-10-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Landon loves his bath and his new favorite thing to do is SPLASH!!!

I feel like he gets a bit obsessive in his splashing and just can't seem to stop!

A rare moment when we could get his attention!

All nice and clean

7 Months Old

2010-10-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

7 months old! How is it possible?! You have grown so much this last month. You are bigger, stronger, and developing new skills every day. You also have such a happy, sweet personality. You smile at everyone and just light up the room with your bright eyes and happy grin. I feel like you have overflowing joy in your heart that you just want to share with others! I pray that this joy and attitude continues with you as you grow.

* Night sleep has gotten better. You will go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 and usually sleep until 5 or 6 am, then go back to sleep until 8:00 or so

(we still have some nights where you wake up around 2 or 3 am)

* You are napping really well during the day (as long as we are home). One good nap in the morning and one good nap in the afternoon.

* You eat at least one solid meal a day. You have tried carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, cereals, bananas, peaches and apple sauce. As of now you prefer veggies over fruit (I think the fruit is a bit tart).

* You easily sit up unattended and can reach out a grab things from a sitting position

* You are beginning to balance on all fours (I'm still hoping crawling is a ways away...I'm not ready for you to be mobile!)

* You still don't roll over much from your back to your belly, but can get to your belly from a sitting position

* You are so curious and LOVE new things (people, places, toys, etc.)

* You now sit in a high chair when we go to restaurants and flash your grin at everyone we see (you tipped over your first water glass the other day...all over my lap!)

* You still like to scream, both in delight and when you are pissed

* I have heard a couple consonants (mostly m's and g's)

* Everything goes in your mouth and your grasp is getting really strong

* You are wearing size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothing

* I don't know how much you weigh...our scale is broken (but I'm guessing around 18 pounds, you have the rolls to prove it!)

As I said before "joyful" is the word I would use to describe you right now. You just bring so much joy to me and Jared and our household. We are blessed to have you as our son!!

You Are Special

2010-09-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Long, long ago God made a decision - a very important decision. One that I'm really glad He made. He made the decision to make you.

The same hands that made the stars made you. The same hands that made the canyons made you. The same hands that made the trees and the moon and the sun made you.

That's why you are so special.

God made you. He made you in a very special way.

He made your eyes so they would twinkle. He made your mouth so you could smile. He made your laugh so you could giggle.

God made you like no one else. If you looked all over the world - in every city in every house - there would be no one else like you.

No one with your eyes, no one with your mouth, no one with your laugh.

You are very, very special.

And since you are so special, God wanted to put you in just the right home.

Where you would be warm when it's cold, where you'd be safe when you're afraid, where you'd have fun and learn about heaven.

So, after lots of looking for just the right family, God sent you to me. And I'm so glad he did.

I'll never forget the first time I saw you. Your eyes were closed, your fingers were curled in two little fists, your cheeks were puffy and round.

I knew in my heart God had sent someone very wonderful for me to take care of.

An Excerpt from Max Lucado's

"Just In Case You Ever Wonder"

6 Month Photo Shoot

2010-09-17T12:21:00.001-07:00

Just a little preview!

More to come hopefully this weekend...

6 Months Old

2010-09-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

A half a year has already gone by...hard to believe!!! Landon is doing really well and continues to grow and develop and become more and more his own little person.

Here's what you are up to these days:

* You have regressed big time in the sleep department, so we are trying to figure out if you are developing bad habits, growing, teething, etc. You are still sleeping 12 hours a night, but wake up every 4 hours or so.

* Your naps have gotten more consistent. You always go down after you are up for 2 hours in the morning. The afternoon isn't quite as predictable, but you are sleeping good during the day.

* You pretty much always sleep in your crib. You still prefer to sleep on your belly or side.

* Your pediatrician said today that your top teeth are definitely coming in and should be through in the next couple of weeks. So you are still drooling, chewing and biting whatever you can!

* You have tried rice cereal, oatmeal and squash. You are not sure what you think of these solids yet and still prefer milk!

* You are consistently rolling over from your belly to your back, but not quite the other way around. You will roll to your side, but seem to prefer being on your back.

* You can sit up by yourself for quite awhile but still need supervision as you topple over frequently.

* You can grab things in all directions and if they aren't in your mouth you love to shake them...often hitting yourself in the head which doesn't make you very happy!

* You have developed your own sense of humor and will sometimes laugh at the oddest things (it is so cute)! You like to laugh at us, Addie and then will get tickled at something that you see.

* You love to smile and are easy to please when we are playing with you or giving you attention.

* You get the biggest kick out of peek-a-boo and can anticipate when we are playing this with you.

* You are babbling a variety of vowels...haven't heard a ton of consonants yet.

* You continue to be the most vocal by screaming...which can be SO loud sometimes!

* We got a high chair for you and you seem to love it...being up with us at the table and playing with your toys.

* You sometimes have the funniest facial expressions and are adding many new ones.

* You got your first "haircut", as we trimmed the front of your hair (it was an inch longer than any other part and was looking a bit dorky!)

* You are in size 3 diapers and 6 month clothes (some 6-9 month)

* You weigh 17lb 13 oz (75th percentile)

* You are 28 1/4 inches (97th percentile) and head circumference is 17 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

Overall, you are a pretty easy baby (although there are times you can be quite demanding)!

I can't believe in another 6 months you will be a year old...how is that possible!?!?

We just love you soooo much!

Rolling Over

2010-09-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

This video is a bit long, but I know my family would want to see it!

Landon is very motivated to roll over from his tummy to his back, not so much vice versa.

Although he is getting stronger and tolerates his belly, he definitely prefers to be on his back!

You can also hear a bit of his death screams (they do get much louder than that)!

Also, sorry for the camera angle changing part way through...for some reason I decided to change the camera position, so he is sideways or upside down for part of it. At least he's still cute regardless of the angle!

It's That Time of Year

2010-09-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks yet another start to college football season!!!

Both Jared and I are excited to watch College Game Day on Saturday mornings and follow all the drama that comes with BCS standings!

It's something we really like doing together as football is our favorite sport to watch!

This year Boise State's opening game is a tough one in Washington DC against Virginia Tech!

Unfortunately we won't be going, but we will be rooting them on from home!

The first two years that we lived in Boise we had season tickets to the football games. We have thought about getting tickets again but the timing was never quite right. This year we decided to pull the trigger! We bought season tickets with 10 other people all in the same section, right next to each other! There are 4 other wives, so it should be a lot of fun! We will definitely get a good workout because the seats are 4 rows from the top!

Jared's hope is that we keep the season tickets and as Landon gets older, it will be something we can do as a family! Hopefully for now we will be able to find enough babysitters for at least the 6 home games this year!

Western Idaho Fair

2010-08-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last night we did something that we never do...

We went to the Western Idaho Fair

Neither one of us are really fair people. We both went growing up but haven't been for years and years. Our good friends Justin and Annie invited us and in order to get out of the house and hang out with them we decided to go for it. I was a little nervous about how Landon would do because it would be past his bedtime when we finally got home, but he did GREAT. I think he is a natural born people watcher because he was enthralled with all the new sights (I must admit I was a bit enthralled with the various people as well)!

Basically all we did was go and eat...

We had a cheese steak sandwich

Both regular and loaded fries

Some corn dogs, strawberry lemonade, chicken gyros and ice cream cones

I'm actually embarrassed to say how much it cost between the 4 of us...we could have gone out to a really nice dinner! But then again we wouldn't have gotten the ambiance that comes with the fair!

After we ate, we went and looked at the rabbits and chickens (pretty random)!

Landon had a great time

Trey just slept!

(Isn't he sooo cute...he was 3 weeks old yesterday)!

Landon was pretty tuckered out when we got home and fell asleep right away for 8 1/2 hours...he then went back to sleep and slept in until after 8:00. Woo hoo!

I'm sure this won't be our last trip to the Fair now that Landon is around. Thankfully this one was a success!

Thanks Searcy's for the invite!!!

5 Months Old!

2010-08-11T17:50:00.001-07:00

* We regressed a little in sleeping, you sleep around 6-8 hours at first and about 10-12 hours a night

* You have been getting more consistent with naps and take at least one longer nap a day with a couple other cat naps

* You are a terrible transfer sleeper and will wake up and be up if we try to move you mid-sleep (even if it has only been 15 minutes)

* Your two bottom teeth are officially in and hurt like heck when you bite our fingers

* You have tried and seem to like rice cereal (although I am lazy and don't give it to you enough)

* You can now sit up tripod style with your hands on the floor (Dad says you are just resting on your fat roll!)

* You have rolled over from back to belly and belly to back a couple of times, but aren't super consistent with this yet

* You still love you feet and put ANYTHING you can in your mouth

* You love to play "rough", being tossed around and thrown in the air...it's how you laugh the hardest

* You continue to have the loudest, highest pitch scream

* You will track us and our voices across the room

* You can play slightly more independently now on the floor with your toys

* You are reaching for toys and have a strong grasp

* You wear size 3-6 months and are in size 2/3 diapers

* You weigh 17 lbs 1 oz

It is crazy how fast time seems to fly, but we really do love you more and more each day!

Cute, Cute and Cute

2010-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

The other night we went to a park to play with Addie and take some pictures of Landon. The sun was starting to go down and the lighting was perfect to get some great shots.

I know I'm biased, but I sure do think my son is cute!!!

Luckily he seems to think we are pretty darn funny

Tummy Time

He has a new obsession with sticking his tongue out

Dad with his son

He has a way of making every picture look cuter

We could never forget our first child...we still love her!

There are a couple more pics and even more cuteness to come...

Total Eclipse of the Heart

2010-07-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

About 2 years ago when I started working, all the girls that I was working with could not stop talking about a certain vampire book series. The "Twilight" series was all the craze and I gave into peer pressure and read the books! I will admit that I don't have the obsession over the books like some girls I know...but I did think they were easy reads.

That summer the first Twilight movie came out and I agreed to go see it with a bunch of co-workers (for which Jared was thankful!) I had noooooo idea what I was getting myself into. Since that time I have gone to a Twilight party at my friend Jami's house on opening night for every Twilight movie that has come out. This past weekend we went and saw Eclipse (it wasn't on opening night, but that didn't stop the party from happening).

I'm not sure I can fully explain the obsession Jami has with Twilight. For the parties she completely decorates her house to look like Forks, WA (where the book series takes place). She has posters, life size cut outs of the characters, she replaces all of her picture frames with pics from the movie, buys us all the movie soundtrack, has a quiz about the book with prizes for the winners, puts up trees and other greenery to make it look like the woods, has a themed menu of Italian food since that is where Bella and Edward had their first date, has goodie bags full of Twilight themed memorabilia and for the second movie had Twilight shirts made for all of us! Her and her husband actually went to Forks, WA last summer for vacation!

A homemade sign made by Jami and her husband

Jami's backyard with Victoria looming

Edward in the tent from a scene in the book/movie

She actually made us all take a picture with Jacob in the tent

Although I feel a little silly going to the movie theater with matching Twilight shirts with a group of grown women, we always have a good time!

4 Months Old

2010-07-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Time continues to fly by as Landon hit another month milestone. He has changed so much in just 1 month and it is fun to see how much more aware, alert and interactive he is.

This has also been a big month of firsts...first plane ride, first wedding, first time he laughed at Addie, first teeth cutting through, and first time he grabbed a toy on his own.

(This definitely isn't the best picture, but the only recent one I had)

* You are sleeping around 8-9 hours at night (sometimes you will hit 10 hours)

* You usually go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 (sometimes you will wake up within an hour to eat one more time before being out for the night)

* Naps are much more variable during the day and we are still working on a daytime routine

* You are much stronger on your tummy and can do mini push-ups as you look around at the world

* You can lock your legs to a standing position if we are supporting you

* You can keep your head at midline and look around in every direction (you still need some support when sitting up)

* You are trying to roll over but haven't quite figured out how, although you can get from your side to your back and vice versa and sometimes from your side to your tummy

* You continue to be a big eater and still like to eat every couple of hours during the day

* You are cutting your first two bottom teeth and drooling like a maniac

* Your laugh is becoming more "normal" and the cutest things seem to crack you up

* You love to scream in delight and have the highest pitch squeal

* You are babbling much more and like to talk back and forth even more now

* You can track us across the room and like to watch every move we make

* You are able to reach out and grasp things with both hands (you usually attempt to put whatever you have in your mouth)

* You love laying on your back in your play gym, listening to music, looking in the mirror and grabbing the hanging toys

* You wear size 3-6 months and size 2 diapers

* You weigh 15 lbs 8 1/2 oz. (75th percentile) and are 27 inches long (97th percentile)

* You continue to have a great personality and enjoy all the attention you can get, although you can be quite demanding and have figured out how to work the system by crying :)

What a sweet baby boy and an incredible blessing you continue to be!

Summer Time

2010-06-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Looking good and ready for summer!

Happy Baby Dance

2010-06-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

For some reason this totally cracked Landon up the other day...you can even hear his attempt to laugh at the end when he sucks air in!

(I do apologize for the crazy mom voice)

Special Delivery

2010-06-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day Weekend we headed out to Southern Oregon to surprise my family! It was Landon's first big trip...8 hours in the car. He did great but I couldn't believe everything we had to pack for just 5 days (stroller, bouncy chair, diapers, wipes, clothes, couple of toys, blankets, bottles, pump, extra milk, burp rags, baby monitor, etc.) I think Landon had 4 times the amount of things that we did!

It was such a fun trip and so worth the long drive in the car. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother and sister-in-law have never seen Landon in person. We also had good friends (who are like family) visiting from Ireland, so they got to meet him too!

When we got there we put Landon on the porch with a special delivery sign while we hid around the corner!

My parents were so happy to see him

And he loved Grandpa and Grandma's house

Landon got plenty of attention

Grandma with her new "toy"

Lots of attention from Grandpa too

Landon with his Auntie

Great Grandma Lamson

Great Grandpa Lamson

It was love at first sight for my grandparents

Great Grandpa and Grandma Shaffer loved him too

Landon definitely loved his Uncle Trever and Auntie Anna

We feel extremely loved, spoiled and blessed to have the amazing family that we do. Leaving was quite difficult and tears were shed as we all wish there was someway to be closer.

Landon is just so precious and did such a great job in the car and being held by all sorts of "strangers". He always makes us look good and we are very thankful for his personality and temperament! I know there will be many more trips out west!

3 Months Old

2010-06-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm already posting about Landon turning 3 months old! The last 3 months have been so rewarding and more fulfilling then we could have imagined. Here's is what our little man is up to these days:

* You are sleeping between 7-9 hours at night when I first put you down

* You still eat every 2-2 1/2 hours during the day

* You love to eat and it seems to be what you love most!

* You can sit up now with body support, you are holding your head up all by yourself

* You are awake for longer periods of time during the day and love to be talked to and played with

* You can tell now when you are by yourself or if someone is around, you don't like to be left alone when you are awake

* You are all smiles and coos when you are being talked to (you try to laugh but haven't quite figured out how, so you mostly just suck air in)

* You don't really like tummy time, but will try to "crawl" if you have something to push off of

* You always make us look good when you are with others...such a good and content baby

* You continue to be quite expressive with smiles and other facial expressions

* You are tracking items and trying to grab them, but can't quite figure out how

* You can lift your legs up and sometimes roll onto your side

* I think you are going to be a thumb sucker because you are constantly trying to figure out how to get your thumb in your mouth, but your other fingers always get in the way

* You are wearing size 3-6 month clothes...although some 3 month still fit and size 2 diaper

* You took your first 8 hour car trip to see grandpa and grandma and did great

* Your eyes are still blue and your hair is still brown

* According to our home weighing system you now weigh 14 lbs 6 oz.

We just love you so much and are excited to continue to watch you grow!

Birthday Fun

2010-05-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

On Monday Jared celebrated his 29th birthday!!! I also started back to work on Monday (Boo!) so we celebrated over the weekend with some friends.

Here's to the birthday boys

(Brett's birthday is one day after Jared's)

We saw Iron Man 2 in the IMAX theatre with the Butler's and Searcy's

Isn't Annie cute?!

She is due with a little boy at the end of July...can't wait to meet him!

Yummy steak dinner for the birthday boy

Happy Birthday to You!

The two best things to ever happen to me!

I love you babe!

Happy Birthday!

Cousins

2010-05-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

At this point Landon only has one first cousin...but she sure is a cutie! She is so great with him and gives him plenty of lovin'. Now when we see her it is no longer "Uncle Jared, Aunt Rhonda!" it is "Landon!"...we've been replaced! She loves to read to him, sing to him, talk to him, hug him, kiss him...

A couple weeks ago I let her hold him and she was super excited.

I think he looks like a little doll in these pictures!

I have such good memories with my cousins and am excited for Landon to have the same adventures with his!

2 Months Old

2010-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

It seems like we just hit the 1 month mark and now I am already posting about 2 months! Hopefully I can keep up on monthly posts, mostly because I think it is fun to reflect on the new things that Landon can do and have those memories. We also had his 2 month appointment yesterday when he got his vaccinations :(

The doctor said he is doing really well and right on target developmentally, woo hoo!

This isn't the best of pictures but it is the only recent one I had!

Plus it shows how much he LOVES his changing table!

He is always happy when his diaper is getting changed!

* You have started to sleep longer at night and usually give me a 4-5 hour stretch at first, followed by a 3 hours stretch and then a 2 hour stretch

(One night last week you slept for 6 hours from 9-3!)

* You have fallen into somewhat of a routine taking a longer nap during the morning and in the afternoon, with little cat naps here and there. By about 8:45 you are always ready for bed

* Your favorite sleep position is now your tummy, which I let you nap on at least once a day. You also love sleeping on your side with your hands up in your face.

* You eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day and take about 3-4 oz.

* You are wearing size 2 diapers and wear 3 month clothes

* You are definitely smiling purposefully and seem like you are attempting to laugh when something really tickles you

* You respond to voices and love being talked to (especially on your changing table)

* You are cooing much more, I love talking back and forth with you carrying on our own conversation!

* You are still a little cuddle bug and love to be held tight on our chest, especially when falling asleep

* You get VERY grumpy right before you go down for a nap or bed

* Although you are still a bit of a bobble head, your neck is much stronger and you can support your head when we support your body. You can also move your head back and forth whether on your back or belly.

* You like being read to and looking at the bright pictures in books

* You also like listening to music, kicking your legs or waving your arms when lying on your back

* You weigh 12 lbs 9 1/2 oz (90th percentile) and are 24 1/2 inches long (75th percentile)

What a blessing you continue to be day by day!

Handsome Man

2010-04-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been a whole lot going on lately...hence the lack of new posts.

I know that my family loves seeing new pics of Landon so here are some of my favorite outfits he has.

I'm sad though because he is getting so big that some aren't going to fit him much longer :(

These are some of my favorite jammies on him...they even have little monkey feet!

I bought this from Baby Gap before we knew if we were having a boy or girl.

I loved the guitars since Jared plays the guitar.

This picture is a little dark, but he looked so darn cute sleeping in his collared shirt

One of the first warm days of the year, we busted out the shorts

(Thanks Shannon for the hand-me-down)

Easter outfit...he also had on the cutest brown cords

Baby dedication day

Also, one of the best family photos to date!

Rocking the BSU gear with dad.

I know this won't be the last time, especially once Fall rolls around (the fan was right above him and was much more interesting than the camera!)

This is probably my all time favorite outfit so far!

I know that little girls have dresses, tights and other cute clothes, but so far Landon has been fun to dress!

He just needs to stop growing so fast so that I can get more use out of his clothes!!!

Abortion Website

2010-04-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has started a website that looks at abortion in a Christ centered manner, attempting to expose facts and encourage pro-life. The site is still in its early stages but is very informative. Please visit this site and encourage others to do so as well in order to bring more attention to abortion and help give a voice to these unborn lives.

exposingabortion.blogspot.com

Nap Time

2010-04-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

This has become Landon's new favorite way to nap.

He L.O.V.E's sleeping on his stomach.

Don't worry....

I only let him nap like that during the day when I can check on him often enough to know that he is still breathing :)

Leave me alone...I'm trying to sleep!!!

Expressions

2010-04-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't been around a lot of babies for long periods of time, but to me Landon is very expressive. He has a ton of different facial expressions from smiling to kissing to raising his brow. When we were taking pictures of him at 1 month old he had some really cute looks. These are some of my favorites:

"Oh"

"Oooh"

Half Grin

Smiley

Happy Boy

He's very expressive with his fingers and hands too...always has them by his face

Beginnings of a kissy face

Kissy Face

Content

He is just so cute and is changing everyday, adding new expressions and mannerisms.

1 Month Old

2010-04-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

* This is a little late, as he was a month old on Saturday*

It's hard to believe that you are actually 1 month old. It has been so fun watching you grow. Here's what you are up to these days:

* You have transitioned to your crib at 3 weeks old and sleep about 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a time

* You are a hearty eater and definitely let us know when you are hungry (you typically eat about 2 1/2 oz. at each feeding)

* After you eat during the day you are usually awake for about 45 minutes to an hour before you go to sleep again

* You like to sleep in your swing during the day

* You are wearing size 1 in diapers and are pretty much out of most of your newborn clothes (hard to believe since you were sooo little when we brought you home)

* You are focusing more on things and I love it when you look up at me

* You are beginning to track things, especially lights or really bright pictures/toys

* Your favorite faces to make are smiling (not quite intentional yet) and a little "oh" face where you pucker your lips

* You have some of your daddy's facial expressions, especially when you raise and wrinkle your brow

* You love to be cuddled and wrapped up warm in a blanket (this is your favorite way to fall asleep on our chest)

* You are beginning to grasp things and your favorite things to hold onto are blankets, clothing, hair and fingers

* You have a strong neck and try to lift your head up when you are on your tummy

* You can move your head from side to side when you are angled on your back

* You have decided that you hate being swaddled and become VERY angry when we try

* You have found your "voice" and are very loud when you are going to sleep, waking up or after eating (grunting, groaning, moaning, screaming, squealing, etc.)

* So far you haven't lost any of your brown hair and your eyes are still blue

* You now weigh 9lbs 4 oz and are 22 inches long

What a joy you are to your dad and me. We are so thankful that the Lord brought you into our lives and blessed us with you as a son!

*More pictures to come from his 1 month "photo shoot"*

Keep a Quiet Heart

2010-04-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

I was reading from my daily devotional and these two things really stood out to me today. Such great reminders even for the day to day trials or difficulties we face.

Both excerpts are from Elisabeth Elliot from "Keep a Quiet Heart":

"Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.

'Running aground,' then, is not the end of the world. But it helps to make the world a bit less appealing. It may even be God's answer to 'Lead us not into temptation' - the temptation complacently to settle for visible things."

"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup. My portion. My cup. My lot is secure. My heart can be at peace. My Father is in charge."

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

I know this post comes a day late...but I feel lucky it isn't a week late! Yesterday I dressed Landon up in a cute little St. Patrick's day outfit. Some might consider it cheesy, but I thought he was stinkin' cute in it. Plus we had a doctor's appointment, so other people besides me, my mom and Jared were able to see how adorable he was!

March 3 - March 5, 2010

2010-03-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

I feel somewhat human today, so I figured I'd better take advantage and post while I can! It is sooo hard to believe that we were getting ready to meet our little one 1 week ago. We are adjusting well to being home and my parents are here right now which has been a big help. We went to the doctor today and got good reports all around. I thought a picture montage would be the easiest way to sum up our time in the hospital!

Waiting for it all to begin

In pre-op

Jared in his sweet scrubs

Me in my sweet scrubs

Jared outside the operating room while I was being prepped for surgery

The first time I saw my son and heard the doctor say, "Congratulations you have a baby boy!"

Jared cutting the umbilical cord

6lbs 14 oz

First family photo with two happy parents and one pissed off baby!

Hanging out with dad while the doctors finish working on me

One of the first times Landon finally fell asleep...we were both completely wiped out

All comfy cozy in the hospital room

A tired mama and a little boy who doesn't want his picture taken

Hiding from the camera

Zonked out after a long day in the real world

Chillin' with his amazing dad

Already has dad wrapped around his finger

Getting ready to go...this is a newborn outfit and really big on him!

First ride in the car seat...I am embarrassed to say that we had him in there wrong! That's why he looks completely hunched over and uncomfortable. The nurse checked though and said it looked right to her! Later on Jared's friend helped us figure out how to actually put him in the right way.

Things are going really well now that we are home.

I'll post more when I can...

It's a...

2010-03-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

BOY!!!

Landon James Smith was born on March 3, 2010 at 9:51 am.

Weighing 6lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 3/4 inches long.

Everything went really well at the hospital and we were released yesterday afternoon to come home. He is adjusting well to his new life and we are so thankful for all of the support we have gotten thus far. Once again our friends and family really know how to make us feel loved! I will try to post more later on this week but wanted to put up a quick picture.

Jared and I are already completely in love with our little one!

Baby Flip Update

2010-02-19T18:39:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday afternoon, Jared and I got to the hospital pumped up and ready to attempt to flip the baby...only to be sent home. There wasn't enough room in triage because apparently everyone decided to go into labor around 4:00! We scheduled to try the flip the next day at 4:00. I was little bummed because I was ready to have it done and I had already gone all day Wednesday without eating and had to do the same thing on Thursday! We went to the hospital yesterday and were able to get in for the procedure. The doctors tried about 4 or 5 times (about 10 minutes total) to flip the baby but the little stinker wouldn't cooperate. The head and body would move but the bottom wouldn't come out of my pelvis area. The procedure was definitely bearable but was uncomfortable (probably about a 6 maybe 7 out of 10 pain wise). I am a little sore this morning and the areas they pushed and pulled are definitely tender to touch.

I had a dr. appointment this morning and everything still looks good. Since the baby is breech and will probably stay that way we scheduled our C-Section. We are scheduled for March 3rd at 9:30. So in 12 days (or less) we are for sure going to meet our little one and find out if it is a boy or girl! We are both really excited, but the reality of it all does hit from time to time!

I feel okay about the C-Section and am glad that we at least tried to flip the baby. We both know that God has the ultimate plan throughout all of this. If this is how He wants our baby to enter the world, who are we to second guess that plan!

Full Term

2010-02-14T14:46:00.000-08:00

Here are the most recent pictures in my baby belly journey:

35 weeks

The size of a crenshaw melon (once again ???)

About 6 lbs and 18 1/2 inches long

37 weeks

As long as a stalk of swiss chard

6 1/3 lbs and about 19 inches long

Jared has been wanting to put his photo skills to work and take an artsy photo of me pregnant in order to frame and put in the baby room. I think he did a great job! We couldn't decide if we liked it better in color or black and white.

I am officially considered full term at this point!!!

Although I would still like to make it to 39 weeks, if the baby was born now it would no longer be considered pre-term. Yay!

Grace and Mercy

2010-02-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

There are certain times in my life that God has abundantly shown Himself to a point where I feel undeserving and ashamed at my doubt. Now is one of those times.

Since finding out that we were expecting a little one in March Jared has been looking for a new job to provide more income and better benefits. I have wanted to cut down to at least 30 hours/week to stay home more once the baby comes. Jobs have been sparse and there haven't been many possibilities over the last 9 months. We have been through our fair share of dr. appointments, hospital visits and ultrasounds which have added up financially. My hours were reduced in December, which was an unexpected decrease to our monthly income. Through it all we have both been trying to rely on God as He has always been faithful to provide. As much as I try, my first instinct is to always become anxious and worry. The final straw was when we did our taxes and realized that we owe the government this year. Needless to say we were both discouraged.

The same night we did our taxes (1 1/2 weeks ago) Jared got a phone call from a friend saying he had just been hired at bodybuilding.com as their Director of Web Development. His friend told Jared that he wanted him to work in the department he was overseeing as a Web Designer. We were both a little hesitant to believe that the job would actually happen. This last Friday Jared interviewed for the job and was extended an offer a couple hours later. That same night his friend called and said that he felt Jared was worth more than the initial offer and that he would be sending him a new offer on Monday with an increase in salary. Both Jared and I sat there that night completely humbled and overwhelmed by God's grace and mercy.

I am still amazed at God's timing and his overflowing grace. Being a Christian my entire life I think it is easy to overlook the concept of grace and mercy at times. This was such an intense reminder of how undeserving I am, yet how good and gracious the Lord is.

We have also decided to try and flip the baby. Our appointment is scheduled for Wednesday at 4:00. I was slightly anxious all week wanting to make the right decision. After being able to talk to the doctor on Friday I feel good about the decision and know that the outcome is in the Lord's hands. If the baby turns we will wait for labor to progress naturally, if the baby doesn't turn we will schedule our C-Section.

There is so much change happening right now that sometimes it is hard to absorb. We are both excited to meet our little one and begin this next chapter of our life together.

To Flip or Not to Flip

2010-02-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Since baby is still breech we began a discussion with our Dr. at our last appointment as to our options.

We basically have two:

1. Try to flip the baby manually (called external cephalic version)

2. Schedule a c-section (or if I went into labor naturally it would be an automatic c-section, assuming baby hadn't flipped naturally).

An ECV works about 50% of the time and has the most success if:

- you have had a baby before (no)

- there is a normal amount of water around the baby (low side of normal)

- your baby has his knees bent (no)

- his or her bottom isn't engaged in your pelvis (no)

- the baby's head is not right up against the placenta (yes)

Basically, we are 1 out of 5.

My fluid levels were checked on Friday and they are remaining stable around 7 cm (normal range is 5-20 cm). My Dr. said an ECV is very uncomfortable and at times painful; however, is harmless to both the baby and mother.

An ECV would be scheduled a week from Tuesday on February 16th.

A c-section would be scheduled between March 2-5.

I found this video on You Tube of an ECV:

Right now we are praying and thinking about what to do. We have to make our decision by Tuesday in order to schedule the procedure if that's what we decide. We are still praying that the Lord will turn the baby and that we can avoid both and ECV and a c-section!

Baby Shower

2010-02-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had our couples baby shower! It was a lot of fun and Jared and I felt very spoiled and loved by all our friends. Throughout our entire pregnancy there has been so much love and support poured out on us. We are very thankful to all of our family and friends! We have had baby showers with both sides of our family, a surprise work shower and a couples/friends shower (unfortunately I don't have pictures of the other showers). Below is a recap of the fun times:

Pre-Party Prom Pose

My sweet friends Jennifer and Annie who organized the shower

35 weeks pregnant

Size of a honeydew, over 18 inches long and 5 1/4 lbs

Yummy cupcakes, made by Jennifer

She sent home all of the leftovers with us, which was a HORRIBLE idea with my sweet tooth. I did let Jared have a couple!

Game Time

Do you know the gestation period of an elephant, horse, whale, mouse, etc.?

Presents!

As you can see we were very spoiled and got very cute things. A couple people gave us both a boy and a girl outfit, which was so fun. Everything I have is so neutral that it made me excited to go shopping. Also, instead of a card, everyone had to bring a book and sign their name in that...it was such a cute idea and a great keepsake!

Thanks everyone for making our shower so special!!!

Belly Shots

2010-01-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

It's been a really long time since I've posted pregnancy pics. With the drama of bed rest, reduced hours and busyness of the holidays time has really gotten away from me. There seems to be a large gap in pregnancy pictures from week 24 to week 28...apparently I wasn't in the mood to get my picture taken during that period!

I had a doctor appointment today and everything is looking good. I have an ultrasound on Tuesday just to make sure of the exact size of the baby and what position it is in. As of now, we think baby is still breech and the doctor said we will start to discuss options at my next appointment if it decides to be stubborn and not turn on its own. I will be at 33 weeks Sunday (to me that is crazy)! I haven't experienced the "get this baby out of me" feeling yet. I am perfectly content having the little one safe and sound inside! Time is just flying by!

Week 28/29 (I can't remember):

Size of a Chinese Cabbage, 2 1/4 lbs and 15 inches long

Week 30:

Size of a large cabbage, 3 lbs and 15 3/4 inches long

Week 32:

Size of a jicama (hmmm...), 3 3/4 lbs and 16 3/4 inches long

Hopefully, I can be a little more consistent in remembering to both take and post pictures. It was fun to go back through and look at all of them tonight! Doesn't seem like that long ago that I posted we were expecting!

If you think about it pray that the baby will decide to turn on its own...I feel like that has got to be the easiest option!! When I asked the doctor if there was anything I could do to encourage flipping a home she said that sometimes it works to get on your elbows and knees with your butt in the air...a little bizarre but at times effective!

Don't worry, I won't be posting any pictures of that!!!

Fiesta Time

2010-01-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

I kicked off college football with a post about Boise State's first football game against University of Oregon. That game went well for BSU, so I thought just in case I had anything to do with the win I had better post about Boise State's BIG final game tonight.

It's just a little BCS bowl game called the Fiesta Bowl!

Only it is not so little...

3 years ago Boise State shocked the nation with a huge win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The game had everything you could hope for including a come from behind tie in regulation, overtime, "trick" plays, a two-point conversion to win the game 43-42 and a proposal. It was a super exciting game to watch and Bronco nation is hoping for another win over Texas Christian University tonight.

I will be cheering from my comfy, cozy spot on the couch, while my hubby will be cheering 8 rows up from the field on the 50 yard line! He is enjoying the warm weather of Arizona, while playing golf, going to a Cardinals game and finally going to the Fiesta Bowl. He refers to it as the best weekend ever, in which I have to remind him that's not possible because I'm not there! Don't worry, I'm not bitter though...I love being home by myself, restricted in activities and experiencing freezing cold weather :) Plus, Jared did download the 4th season of Grey's Anatomy for me before he left!

So...throw on your blue and orange tonight and cheer on the Broncos to a repeat victory at the Fiesta Bowl!

Woo Hoo!!!

Year End Wrap Up

2009-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

I saw on a couple of my friends blogs that they wrote a sort of Christmas letter and I thought that was a great idea! I obviously didn't have it done in time for Christmas, but figured it would still work! This year has definitely been full and has gone by sooo fast. Jared and I feel extremely blessed for the family and friends in our life and look forward to 2010!

January: January was a bit of a whirlwind and it is hard to remember all the ends and outs of what we did. I switched to 4 10 hour days and got permanent long weekends, yay! We started contemplating the idea of selling our house and browsed the housing market to see what was out there. We did a lot of home improvements including new carpet, painting, organizing, etc. Which is a blessing to have done since we decided to stay! We also had several vet appointments to figure out what was wrong with our black lab, Lucy.

February: This is a month we would have rather skipped over. Although the highlight was Jared's surprise of an amazing Valentine weekend, filled with a scavenger hunt of sorts (to buy a dress, get a back massage, get my hair cut and colored) where we spent the night at Hotel 43 downtown and ate a yummy dinner at Chandlers. After Valentine's weekend our month went downhill and we had to put our 4 year old puppy to sleep after a battle with Lymphoma...no fun and something that was extremely difficult for us.

March: My birthday month! I don't remember a whole lot from March other than my brother and sister-in-law coming to visit. We had a great time with them and apparently that was the highlight of our month!

April: Since we decided to stay in our current home we refinanced in April to get a lower interest rate and house payment. We also bought a new refrigerator and put our old one in the garage...which I love! April also brought out the adventurous side of me, as I went on my first snow shoeing trip. We stayed the night at a yurt and had a great weekend with close friends. I am still embarrassed to post pictures of the weekend as I wasn't feeling good and think I look absolutely horrible :)

May: Jared turned 28 this month! We also continued the home improvements by redoing some of our landscaping out front, thanks to much help from my parents. My parents were able to come out for a week and it was wonderful to have them here.

June: Starting at the beginning of summer Jared's job cut back due to the economy and closed the office on Fridays. Although the pay cut hasn't been ideal, having 3 day weekends together has been fabulous! Nothing else significant is really standing out from June

July: This was a big month for us! On July 3rd I woke Jared up at 5:45 am to tell him that I was pregnant...I just couldn't keep the excitement to myself! It was such a surreal, special moment. We also got to visit our fabulous friends in Colorado and go on a mini vacation to Glenwood Springs with them. At the end of the month my parents came to visit again so that we could surprise them with the good news in person. Our first ultrasound was at the end of the month, where we got to hear our precious baby's heart beat for the first time and see them all bundled up. July seems like so long ago, but time as literally flown by!

August: Both Jared and I had our 10 year high school reunions in August. Jared didn't go to his but I flew out to Oregon for mine and had a blast. It was so good to see old friends and catch up with the people I spent almost my entire childhood with. Pregnancy was going well and we finally spilled the news and no longer had to keep secrets.

September: Football season started, which basically consumed our weekends. I feel like Jared is lucky that I like college football! We got to go to Boise State's opening game against Oregon, which was a blast (although I thought I was going to die walking up to the top of the stadium!) Jared's job was supposed to go back to 40 hours/week, however, that ended up not happening...so we have gotten to continue the long weekends together.

October: October seemed like a busy month. I spent most of the first half trying to get over a head cold which turned into a sinus infection. We went to Bear Lake, Utah with Jared's parents for a long weekend and had a great time away with them. We also welcomed a new addition to our family...a 6-month old black lab named Addie. We got ready for Halloween by going to the pumpkin patch with my niece and carving pumpkins with our good friends Justin and Annie. Jared and I hung out with friends on Halloween, but we were the lame ones who didn't dress up! We had our 20 week ultrasound in October and decided to wait to find out if our little one is a boy or a girl!

November: Most of November was spent at Dr. appointments to check my cervical length, preparing for baby and celebrating Thanksgiving. My parents came out for Thanksgiving and we went up to my in-laws for a yummy turkey dinner. It was so nice to have both sides of our family together. We also completed the baby room with the help of my parents which was a HUGE blessing (especially given my restrictions now). Starting in November I feel like my life (and blog) has pretty much centered around my pregnancy!

December: December has been an interesting month. Jared and I celebrated our 6th anniversary by laying on the couch! We had planned on going up to McCall for the weekend for one last get away without a baby; however, due to an unexpected 5 days of complete bed rest spent the time at home instead! I have cut back to 20 hours at work and modified bed rest for the times when I am at home. Jared and I just got back from Oregon where we got to spend a week with my family to celebrate Christmas. Due to all the appointments, monitoring, traveling and celebrating, December has truly flown by!

I think it is fun to reflect on the year and all that the Lord has done in our life. 2009 has been full of many changes and blessings. We are excited and nervous to embrace all that 2010 has in store, which includes a new chapter in our life together...parenthood. Through all that we face I find in encouraging to be reminded:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

Happy 2010!!!

Round 2 of Good News

2009-12-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

I feel like all I have been posting about lately is my pregnancy woes...but when I have reduced hours at work and modified bed rest for the remainder of my day, nothing exciting really happens! We saw the doctor today and had another good ultrasound. Cervical measurements were above 2.5 cm again and some measured into the 3 cm mark. The doctor was really happy with the results and gave us clearance to travel to Oregon for Christmas!! I have another fetal fibronectin test tomorrow just to reconfirm that everything looks good before I leave. Jared and I were both really excited with how things looked and I felt a huge sigh of relief!

You may wonder what I do during my days on the couch or in bed. Here's a clue:

My friend Annie has been trying to convince me to watch Grey's Anatomy for a very long time now. I never started watching it from the beginning and for some reason never had a desire too. I decided now was as good as time as any, I am almost done with season 1. It is actually really good and I'm excited to start season 2 because I heard it is one of the best seasons. Other than Grey's, I usually read, throw the ball for Addie, listen to online sermons or take advantage of our netflix account.

If there are any suggestions for movies, tv shows or books that I should know about, send them my way. As of now, it seems I will be resting a lot until 34-37 weeks!!

Dr. Update

2009-12-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

Good news today at my appointment! Amazingly enough my cervix measured longer today by a significant margin! The shortest length was 2.97 and the longest measurement was 3.88 (which is 2 cm longer than on Friday)! Apparently bed rest and taking it easy works, which shocked both Jared and I. We both had to look again when we saw the new measurements because we thought we were reading something wrong. The longest length at my 20 week ultrasound was 2.4 cm, so we had never seen the 3 cm mark before. The Dr. said that I still need to take it easy and not overdo it, so I am on a reduced work schedule of 20 hours a week. When not working I have to be on modified best rest, I can do simple things, but no running, walking, shopping, heavy lifting, vacuuming, etc. I don't think that will be an issue though since Jared has already warned me about 100 times of how careful I need to be! We are both very thankful and think the Lord is amazing to work in such miraculous ways! I have another appointment next Wednesday to check my cervical length again. We are praying that I measure the same. We are supposed to go to Oregon for Christmas and the Dr. will let us know next week if that is okay.
Thanks to all for your prayers and concerns...it is so nice to be surrounded by such loving family and friends!

Happy Anniversary

2009-12-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Six years ago, I got to marry my best friend. On our wedding day we were full of love, hope and excitement as to what the future would bring. I can't believe how fast 6 years can go! Life has definitely given us both ups and downs. We had no idea that in 6 years we would experience life in both Medford and Boise, multiple moves, vacations, deaths of family members, weddings, births, stress of graduate school, new jobs, lost jobs, months of double unemployment, buying a home, home improvements, getting two puppies, dealing with cancer and the ultimate loss of our dog, reduced incomes at work, pregnancy and now possible bed rest (see post below). Through it all I thank God that He has allowed me to have Jared as my partner. I think it is amazing that God chooses mates for us that He knows will complete us and be the perfect fit. Jared is definitely that for me. He makes me laugh, keeps me grounded, reasons me through my insanity, has a huge heart and ultimately always points us back to God during the good times and bad. He has always led our family in the way of the Lord and I know that decisions he makes always come after prayerful consideration. When we started our journey together 6 years ago I'm glad I didn't know all the highs and lows we would experience, as it has brought us closer together and cemented our marriage. I am confident in my marriage and my husband. I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know that whatever it brings I will have the Lord as my direction and Jared by my side. What a reassurance!!

Here's to many more years!

Dr. Appointments, Ultrasounds, Hospital Visits, and...Bed Rest

2009-12-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

Since week 20, I have been checked every two weeks (I am now 27 weeks) to determine the length of my cervix since it measured thin at my 20 week ultrasound. So far everything had stayed nice and steady at 2.4 cm. Yesterday was my fourth checkup and unfortunately we didn't get the same good news. My cervix has thinned and is now measuring 1.87 cm. This puts me at an increased risk for premature labor. So...yesterday Jared and I got to spend the afternoon at the hospital hooked up to a machine that would monitor whether or not I was having contractions.

The machine picked up on slight contractions, so the nurse gave me a shot that is a smooth muscle relaxant to stop the contractions. I am now on a blood pressure medication that ultimately has the same effect. Initially the doctor said that I would have to take it easy and only be up for about 5-6 hours a day. After results from the hospital she put me on full bed rest, meaning I get to take a 5 minute shower everyday and use the bathroom but otherwise I am on the couch or in bed.

Jared and I went back today so that I could get monitored again for contractions and have a fetal fibronectin test to determine if I was at risk to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. Thankfully the test came back negative and there was no signs of contractions today. We got to go home and I am on bed rest until Tuesday when I have another Dr. appointment to check my cervical length and determine a plan of action. The Dr. said with almost 100% certainty that I would have to cut my hours back at work and there is a chance that I will have to continue on full bed rest until baby is born.

Needless to say this isn't the information that we were hoping for as I was prepared to work up until I delivered. The financial situation is a concern but we have been through periods of unemployment and low income before and we know that the Lord has been faithful and will be faithful now. Overall, our spirits are good. I feel like God has given us both a real peace and sense of calmness. We are relying on him to take care of my body and the baby. Thankfully the baby looks GREAT and continues to grow and move and be healthy. Jared has it much worse than I do as he is now responsible (hopefully only until Tuesday) to cook, clean, do laundry, do the grocery shopping, take care of Addie, work, and help me with the things I need. Bed rest sounds wonderful but surprisingly it is difficult to literally do absolute nothing! It is an adjustment for our family but has been smooth so far. Jared is definitely stepping up to the plate and I am soooo thankful that he is my partner during this.

We know the Lord has a plan through all of this and will be faithful to see us through whatever is in store for us. We are thankful for the support and prayers of our friends and family. I will do my best to update!

Baby Room

2009-11-28T19:04:00.001-08:00

This past week my parents were out to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We were definitely thankful for them!!! The baby room was previously storage where we kept boxes and random "treasures". I was feeling really overwhelmed to go through and organize everything, so my parents helped us while they were out. It is amazing what four people can accomplish as compared to two! We were able to clear everything out and get things organized to where we feel like we actually have more room than before.

Jared has been hard at work being Mr. Handyman, putting together the crib, dresser, glider and shelf organizer. We feel really blessed because we have been able to find some really good deals. We even got up at 4:30 am to get a glider/ottoman combo half off at Babies R Us black Friday sale (I realized I'm not a happy camper at 5 in the morning!)

There are some finishing touches we want to add but overall the room is almost done! We are hoping that it looks neutral enough...

We thought this shelving organizer was really cute and we can get more girly box colors if we need to!

View of the valance

View when you walk into the room...we were really excited to find the Chinese lanterns at Zurchers!

Dresser and Glider...we are planning on getting a memory board to put above the dresser.

It feels good to have most of it done and no longer hanging over our heads...kind of crazy that a little one will be the final touch in 3 months!

Belly Pics and New Moon

2009-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

I feel like all I have done lately is post about baby and pregnancy...unfortunately that seems to be all that is really going on in our life! Time is seriously flying by, it seems crazy to me that my parents are coming into town this Friday for Thanksgiving and then we will be going to Oregon for Christmas!

It has been awhile since new belly pics have been posted, so enjoy:

Week 20: Size of a banana; 10 1/2 oz. and about 10 inches long (head to heel)

Week 22: Size of a spaghetti squash; almost a pound and about 11 inches long

Week 24: Size of an ear of corn; about 1.25 pounds and just over a foot long

In other news, I don't know how many Twilight fans are out there, but I am going to the new movie in the Twilight saga this Friday night..."New Moon".

A girl that used to work at my work is obsessed with the books and movies and threw a party last year for the "Twilight" movie. It was pretty fun to see it on opening night with a bunch of girlfriends. Well, this year she is completely going crazy (I will go into more detail after the party) and we are doing dinner again and then seeing the 10:30 showing on Friday. It should be pretty fun...unfortunately I'm not quite the die hard fan that others are! I will post pics from the night afterwards...as long as I don't get made fun of (I get enough ridicule from Jared about it!)

Baby Bargains

2009-11-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I registered for baby gear. I went with a friend who just had a baby, so I could use her knowledge, and had a lot of fun (thanks Shannon)!! Then Jared and I found a killer deal on a crib and dresser online. I have been obsessed since last weekend to find the right bedding. Everything I see either looks too boy or too girl, which has caused me to look at hundreds of bedding sets and a ton of websites. Colors were really important since we wanted it to be neutral but not overly boring. We FINALLY found a bed set that we both really liked, but unfortunately it was out of our price range (I can't believe how much bedding costs!!!!)

We went to go to a couple of stores tonight to see what we could find and here's where the exciting part of the story comes in...

We went into Baby's R Us (where I registered last weekend and found nothing for bedding) and to my surprise and excitement they had the bedding set we loved on CLEARANCE!!! It was so crazy because they don't even show that they carry that particular set online! We were able to get the bedding set, extra sheet, window valance and a matching blanket for significantly less than what the bedding set (only) was selling for online!

I finally feel excited to begin the baby room (something I must admit I have been dreading)

I will post pictures once the room gets done, in the meantime here is what we decided on:

Crib

Dresser

Bedding Set

Comforter

Bumper

Skirt

Sheet Pattern

Blanket

Window Valance

Woo Hoo for clearance!

Baby Video

2009-10-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is the only video that I could get to upload.

Baby is busy stretching and moving around!

The picture is a profile with the top of it's head on the left side of the video. He/she is completely folded in half with it's feet up over it's head.

Keep watching...did you see him/her yawn!?!?!

Isn't it amazing...I love watching the videos and know that was actually happening inside of me!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had some friends over to carve pumpkins. Unfortunately the pumpkins didn't make it all week and now they are completely shriveled.

Poised and ready to dig in

Jared in action

Addie was a bit of a party pooper.

We took her over to play with some dogs at Jared's grandma's house earlier in the day and she was completely passed out for the entire night...of course when we were ready for bed, she was ready to play!

The finished product

Impressions of our pumpkins

Smiley, Ghost, Monkey and Deadman

Last year I bought a Halloween costume for Lucy when they were on sale at Target. I was excited that Addie would get to wear it. Isn't she a cute ladybug?!

Unfortunately she didn't share my enthusiasm!

Hopefully, you enjoy your Halloween more than she did!!

It's A....

2009-10-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound (I am actually 21 weeks). It was really fun to get to see our little one again and to see how much they have grown. This was also the time in which we could find out if we are having a boy or girl. Well, the verdict is that we are having a...healthy baby! We decided to wait and not find out the sex of the baby until he/she makes his/her world debut. This is the way we were leaning; however, we got lots of pressure from different family members and friends who really wanted us to find out now. The only person on earth who knows is our ultrasound technician and we were reassured that she couldn't be bribed by family members! As Jared says, delivery day will be truly epic!

All is well with baby at this point. Growth is right on target and measurements were really even. I do have to go back in 2 weeks because my cervix is measuring thin (2.4-2.9 cm and they like it to be 3.5 cm). Nothing to be concerned about at this point, but they want to check and make sure that I am staying steady.

During the appointment baby was in a breach position with it's spine out and completed folded in half! It moved a ton during the ultrasound and kept grabbing the umbilical cord, opening and closing it's hand and stretching. The technician said that it is going to be very tactile! We were given a CD with some pictures and videos. I am posting all the pics because there are some anxious family members afar who want to see and hear about anything and everything baby (the videos won't work right now, so I will try to post those later):

The baby's feet are really long at this point. Measured longer then it's femur! As you can see, their second toe is bigger than their big toe!

Profile view: Baby has it's hand up against it's forehead.

Profile View...what a cute little nose and mouth!

Profile View: Baby was basically folded in half, as you can see it had their foot up parallel to it's head.

Another profile view showing it's foot above it's head. The 3 dots coming down below it's foot is the umbilical cord.

Last profile picture!

I can't believe that I am already half way through with the pregnancy! The Lord has been good and we feel truly blessed!

New Addition

2009-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last February, Jared and I dealt with an extremely difficult loss when we had to put our 4 year old lab, Lucy, to sleep. For the last 8 months we have been dealing with the void and emptiness created by not having a dog. Neither of us felt ready to get another dog because we didn't want another dog...we wanted Lucy!

In April Jared started doing some research just to see what breeders of labs were in the Boise area. He contacted a breeder, told her our story, and found out that she just had a litter of puppies at the beginning of April. At that time we were in no place to adopt a puppy. Toward the end of August the breeder contacted us again to inform us that she was expecting another litter. We talked about it and decided it still wasn't the right time for a puppy. We work long hours and with a baby on the way, we thought it wouldn't be fair to a puppy. We let the breeder know and she contacted us AGAIN a couple of weeks later. She wanted to let us know that they had kept a puppy from the April litter and thought she thought she would be a great fit for our family. At first we were hesitant but then we decided to meet her. Due to sicknesses and other circumstances it took us about a month before we finally came face-to-face with this cute puppy. She stole Jared's heart immediately and after a lot of thought and prayer she stole mine too.

Addie is 6 months old, fully vaccinated, potty trained, crate trained, has been to puppy school and is full of playfulness and sweetness.

We might be crazy to be giving up our last 5 months of blissful peace and quiet, but it really seemed liked a right fit. We spent a lot of time in prayer and making sure that this was the right thing to do.

It is fun to have a sweet puppy in the house again and we are both excited that our children will grow up loving dogs and understanding the bond that can be formed through these sweet creatures.

I promise more pictures are to come with maybe some videos too...she was a little nervous tonight which made it hard to snap shots.

A Day at the Farm

2009-10-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Fall was definitely in the air today...we went to the pumpkin patch with Jared's family! It was a little chilly but we had a good time. Next time at this year we will have a 7 month old of our own to take to the pumpkin patch...CRAZY!!!!

The day was full of excitement:

We went for an old fashioned hayride,

made a scarecrow,

found a pumpkin,

found an even better pumpkin,

ran back to the farm with our wagon full of pumpkins,

and rode some rides...

All in all the day was a success!

Happy Fall Days!!!

Baby Update

2009-10-05T20:18:00.001-07:00

Woo Hoo...a new post! I have been fighting a bad head cold over the last 2 1/2 weeks. Last weekend it decided to turn into a nasty sinus infection. I have never had a sinus infection and would like to never experience one again. It was SO painful. I had to eventually call the on-call doctor last Sunday and get some antibiotics, which are working, and I feel much better.

Needless to say, posting was the least of my worries, as I felt horrible for so long.

However, things are moving along fantastically well. Baby is doing great and last week was the first week that I felt like I was sporting a pregnant belly and not just extra weight. It is a bit strange though the attention you get when pregnant. I'm by no means offended, but it is a bit weird to get so many comments and "observations" about my body. One co-worker wanted to rub my belly, but I'm not quite ready for that one!

Last weekend (when the torturous sinus infection hit), Jared and I went to Bear Lake in Utah with his parents. My mother-in-law convinced me to go into a maternity store and needless to say I am a big fan of maternity pants, at least my work maternity pants. I have been using rubber bands, paper clips and other office equipment to make my pants fit. It was a nice change to feel comfortable again!

Here are some updated pictures...I feel as if I look really tired in both pictures, but I have been getting pressure to post new belly pics.

Week 17

(Baby is the size of a turnip, 5 inches head to rump and weighs 5 oz.)

Week 18

(Baby is the size of a bell pepper, about 5 1/2 inches head to rump and weighs 7 oz.)

I haven't felt movement yet, but it could be any day now. The doctor said anytime between 18-22 weeks. Next ultrasound is October 23rd, so I'll keep you posted!!!

P.S. Thanks to everyone for your comments and advice about my last post. Jared and I really appreciated it!

Decisions

2009-09-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I've posted anything! I feel like time has completely gotten away from me and weeks seem to be zipping by. Jared and I spent the weekend sick with a really bad cold and I am still trying to recover.

Over the last couple of days I have really been struggling with my first big decision as a "parent". We had a doctor's appointment last Friday and the recommendation was for pregnant women to get vaccinated with both the regular flu vaccine and the swine flu vaccine. I didn't think much of it at the time, but yesterday I started getting really anxious at the thought of getting vaccinated. Everyday I am faced with children who have various disorders, delays or disabilities. Some have been due to various situations or medications during birth or delivery...some aren't. I feel like this does make me a bit more paranoid than the average person, but I can't help but question whether or not I should subject myself to these vaccinations, even if my doctor says it is okay. Yesterday, one of my patients, who had been gone for 2 weeks, came to see me and after the session his mom told me that his baby sister had the swine flu and that's why they weren't at therapy. I called my doctor and she prescribed me a medicine that is recommended for people who have been in contact with someone who has had the swine flu. Again...I don't know what to do. In my mind I don't know how there could be enough studies and evidence that shows these new medicines and vaccines are safe for pregnant women...yet I don't want to put myself at an increased risk. Given my profession I am exposed to almost anything and everything that is out there. I truly believe that the Lord is sovereign over all medications, vaccinations and sicknesses...but I do want to make the right decision. I have really been praying that the Lord would give me a peace about what decision to make and that He would calm my anxiousness. Jared and I would both appreciate all prayers and any advice people have.
What to do?!

Double Post Monday

2009-09-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

I thought I would get crazy today and post twice. It is hard for me to post during the week because of my work schedule and I really needed to do a baby update! I have officially entered my second trimester (week 14) and I feel great! I have had no sickness and the biggest complaint I have is that of tiredness when the weekend roles around. I'm not showing much but I feel like I am in an in between stage. My regular clothes are getting slightly tight and uncomfortable but maternity isn't a good match yet. Jared went shopping with me yesterday and despite my poopy mood, because nothing fit quite right, he made me persevere and find some clothes that work for my changing body! It has been a bit difficult for me to watch my waist disappear and my mid-section expand!

Here are the pictures we've taken so far week-to-week:

Week 9

Week 10

Week 12

Week 14

And in case there was any question whether or not my mom was excited about becoming a grandma here are the gifts we have received so far:

Besides two of the books, a blanket and the cute little bear outfit up front (we got these from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law...it was really sweet!), my mom bought everything you see here the weekend they were out here in July! Since then she has added burp cloths and another pair of pajamas to the loot! My dad keeps telling her that she needs to slow down because she has until March, but she can't help her enthusiasm! I was informed that she wanders through the baby section everytime she goes to Target "just in case" there is something on sale she can't resist!

My next doctors appointment is in a couple of weeks. We both feel like the time has gone fast so far and once the holidays hit we know the time will zip by. We have started looking at baby furniture and trying to figure out what we want to do in the room. Hopefully things continue to go along smoothly and without complication!

Post Game Wrap Up

2009-09-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

First game of the season and it was crazy! The crowd was loud. The tailgating was full swing. There were touchdowns, two-point conversions, safeties, field goals and...in your face punches!

The field was sectioned off into orange, blue and white color themes. Usually people have a difficult time knowing which color they should wear and it never looks quite right. Fortunately most people seemed to get the memo and I thought the crowd looked great!

We were in an orange section and Jared bought us matching shirts...I loved it!!!

I'm glad we got tickets but unfortunately we were waaaay up high in row BB. Around row Q I definitely felt the burn (I climbed it twice because I had to go to the bathroom and get some water)!!!

This is the view looking toward the North end zone, with the sun setting downtown looked really pretty.

Overall, it was a slightly sloppy game but we will take the "W". Unfortunately an Oregon player couldn't control his frustration and decided to punch a BSU player in the face and then go after the crowd on his way out...bad move on his part and I think the controversy has slightly overshadowed BSU's win. Hopefully we are looking at another undefeated season with a bid to a BCS Bowl Game!!!

Duck Hunt

2009-09-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks the opening of football season...woo hoo! I grew up in California watching the San Francisco 49ers during the Joe Montana/Jerry Rice hay-day. Then in high school Friday nights in the fall were all about football. I love watching football and especially college football. Tomorrow is the opening game for Boise State against the University of Oregon Ducks.

My wonderful husband was able to get us tickets to the game, so we have our orange shirts ready to go. The game is on ESPN and doesn't start until 8:00, meaning it won't get over until after midnight or later. Luckily we both have Friday's off! Here's hoping that the Broncos can repeat their performance last year and pull off another victory over the Ducks. Look for us on TV in the upper deck...we'll be the ones in the orange shirts :) !!!