Thursday, May 15, 2014

The big boy bed!


Okay as most of you know, back in April we switched this little mister to a big boy bed!! 

Well - I would be totally lying if I said it went perfectly! But to say the least, it has been an adventure! 
Going to bed at night was new and exciting and there was no fuss whatsoever! but then came 2AM... and with 2am came a half asleep little man taping my arm with his hands raised up to be lifted into mommy and daddy's bed! cute right?? I thought so too until I realized this little angel of mine is half ninja and took up more of the bed then Kurt and I combined! Which is saying a lot considering I have a big growing belly!
Well after the 2nd... 3rd.. and 4th nights of this happening we began to be desperate! One of us would sleep in his bed once he would wake up so that he knew that's where he belonged.. This kind of worked... but still how on earth were we going to get back into our normal schedule?!? Well... that my friends is when it happened.. a few tears were shed but now our nights are peaceful and we are all sleeping much better!!
After I had, had a long day of work Kurt and I were desperate for a full nights rest- so we had to be tough.. we closed Keller's door so he couldn't open it.. and then came 2AM.. and with that 2AM came the saddest sweetest little knock you ever did hear! Keller was knocking on his own door calling for his mommy and daddy.. I wanted so badly to go snuggle him but Kurt and I lay there listening and waiting to see what would happen and sure enough, within a few minutes the noise stopped... I waited a few minutes longer and snuck in to see what was going on.. this is what I found!


my little buddy had climbed back into bed... almost all the way... and he fell right back to sleep!! yay yay yay little buddy! and that my friends was all it took!! One rough night for mommy, daddy, and the little man and now Keller LOVES to sleep all night in his own bed.. so much so that we actually end up having to sometimes wake him up in the morning because he is out like a light! I am crossing my fingers that his love of sleep continues once his baby sister arrives…

I can't believe how fast he is growing and I know this is just about the goofiest post ever BUT what can I say, I am just so proud of my little buddy! Now every night his bed time is soo exciting for him! Mommy and Daddy take turns tucking little man in, reading a book, and singing a song …and then it is lights out!! These little moments as goofy as it may seem, are my everything! I love being a mommy to my bestest little buddy!! 

and for your entertainment...
showing his new bed to his cousins.. he thinks he is pretty cool! haha

snuggled in bed with dad!

waking up and watching daddy work in the backyard at 0800! 

this kid steals my pillow FAR TOO OFTEN!!!
bed shopping.... 

trying out which mattress he likes the most... haha 

he also will lay himself down for naps when he is tired.. hahaha!! My little buddy is getting way too big too fast!



I am a mother...


Well it's no secret that the majority of my posts revolve around this little mister...



And yes you guessed it- I am a mother.
I carried this little angel for 9 months and after a quick delivery this little angel was placed in my arms as Kurt and I welcomed him into this world, meeting him for the very first time.
At that moment, I became a mother. I was so full of emotion- full of excitement and even full of fear. How is it that this moment was really happening to me? How is it that my father in heaven trusted me enough to bless me with this sweet innocent little baby? How could I protect him from all of the sickness in this world- both physically and spiritually?

Reality set in; at that moment I was a mother. At that moment I became a mommy. Keller's mommy. Now over 18 months later we were able to celebrate another mother’s Day- and to say I was a bit emotional is an understatement.
I woke up to an incredible hubby who hurried to make his 7+month pregnant wife breakfast in bed. Waffles… yummo!!!
I was quickly joined by Keller as he climbed up next to me wanting a bite of a waffle! As he snuggled in we sat there together eating waffles and watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates- laugh If you want- but this moment was perfection!
This holiday that I had celebrated every year for the past 25 years had a whole new meaning. Yes you are probably thinking that I was a mom last year too and you are right and yes I may have been a bit more emotional than in years past but between my tired body and crazy baby hormones- this Mother's Day was extra special.
Knowing what being a mom truly means and thinking of my own incredible mom and mother in law and all that they have done and continue to do for me and my little family was and is mind boggling to say the least. Thinking of all the late nights my mom spent caring for me, thinking of all the dance costumes she would help make, and all the recitals she sat through. Thinking of my birthday party in first grade when she found out I invited EVERYONE so that no one would feel left out- instead of being mad- she made it work... (We are talking 40+ first graders. ahh!! Can you imagine?!?) All of this and more sent me straight into a puddle of tears!
Moms are amazing. Period.
I am not saying this in want of praise or glory of any sort because let’s face it- I am just not there yet- but I can hope and dream right?!? But I am saying it because of the simple fact that my mom is amazing. She loved so much and sacrificed more than I even know so that I could live the life I did. I am saying it because of the little things! And I am saying it- because being a mom goes both ways… moms aren't only amazing because of the things that they do.. but because of the things that we get on a daily basis….
We get snuggles and hugs. We get to sing and dance. We get to be the best buddy and the hero but are also forced into the role of the ‘bad guy’ sometimes.. we have to learn to say no- we have to learn to give more than we thought we ever could. We get to learn so so sooo very much from our little sweethearts that we wouldn't have learned without them.
For all of these reasons and more, moms are amazing.
Thank you to all of the incredible mammas and woman who have helped to shape my life and influenced me daily! I love you all!!!

Happy Mother’s Day!!! 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

DRUMROLL PLEASE..... he is DONE!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay this is just a super short post to say that this handsome fella... 
ohhh and if you are wondering why on earth I chose this picture... well this is because if I included any picture that didn't involve a boat.. Kurt simply wouldn't approve! haha

GRADUATED!!!!!!
 that's right ladies and gents... that handsome hubby of mine whom has studied and worked non stop for the past few years has officially graduated from USU with a bachelor's in Business Management! 
We are absolutely thrilled and couldn't be more proud! He has worked so hard taking 18 credit hours each semester, working over 40 hours a week, and studied and passed all his classes with little to no help from me as it has been through moving and remodeling a home and two pregnancies!! Way to go you handsome fella! I hope this short little post doesn't embarrass you too much! hahaha!! I LOVE YOU AND AM SO SO SOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!! 

and lets not forget... Keller is really proud too!! proof?????
the night daddy graduated we celebrated by hanging out in the new boat... in the driveway! haha dad's choice not mine. but as you can tell Keller was in Heaven!!
Keller's new "cheese" face... he is pretty excited that daddy is done with school... and even more excited that they get to play together on the boat every night! 


Keller was so excited to celebrate daddy's graduation!!

I cant wait for all the fun new adventures and memories to come that dont include homework! yay!! TO THE LAKE WE SHALL GO! 

Let it be Magical!

Let it be magical!
To be totally honest, I have been debating on whether to post this or not, because I don’t want to embarrass my amazing parents… or say that what you do to celebrate holidays in your family is wrong in any way shape or form- BUT… because this is something that is so important to me and has impacted my life unknowingly until know.. I am going to share with you my own little personal “magical” holidays with you!
For those of you who know my family and I know that for the majority of my childhood (up until I was 11 years old) we lived in a two bedroom duplex- in this cozy little place we loved to call home- lived my two incredible parents and 5 children (including myself). We were snug as a bug- without much room for privacy or secrecy when it came to the holidays because lets be real… where on earth would Santa or the Easter bunny be able to hide their plentiful stash for us little ones… not to mention- how on earth could they be ever so sneaky as to set up and lay out all of the gifts and goodies each holiday without waking any of us anxious and excited children up when we were just a few feet away? Well my friends that, is where the magic all happens!
Growing up, I, in all innocence, had no idea of the hard work that and sleepless nights that were behind the scenes of it all. This magic that surrounds the holidays- was just that, magical! There was no way of explaining how things happened, they just did! I lived for these magical moments- lets be real, I still do! These were those perfect little moments in childhood that you believed everything- and it was all truly remarkable! Well as I got older obviously things changed- this is not to say that there was any less work being done behind the scenes- because if you know the Santa and Easter bunny like I do- these were some busy bees 24/7- no matter the age, belief, or holiday for that matter- they were bound and determined to make every holiday just as magical as ever.
It wasn’t until this past Easter however, that I came to fully understand and realize what this magic truly was. This magic isn’t something you can merely believe in, its not something that you gain by watching holiday movies, or even the little traditions (however- all these things do contain their own magic and wonder). The magic that I now realize made every single holiday so incredible- is one simple little thing.
It is the magic of love.
This was Keller’s second Easter. And he was so excited to take part in every activity you could think of from making cookies and decorating eggs to Easter egg hunts and story time. We.. (okay I talked and he jibber jabbered …) but we talked of the reason we celebrate Easter and of how because of the incredible sacrifice our savior made, we get to be together for all eternity. Of course he didn’t understand everything I was saying- or why all of these activities were being done- but he loved every minute! His excitement and eagerness to participate made me as a mom even more excited for all of our holiday festivities! Even in his innocent young age, you could see that excitement and wonder in his eyes- as well as every child’s eyes as they talk of the Easter bunny and the traditions that they get to have with their own families. It is truly an incredible thing to listen of their love of their savior and their excitement in all of this magic!
Well as Easter quickly approached us this year with Kurt wrapping up school (one more week!!! Ahhhhh) and me still working full time training a replacement for while I am on maternity- life has been a bit hectic to say the least! So as the night before Easter snuck up.. I was far from ready… this Easter bunny didn’t quite know it yet- but she was in for a duzy of a night.
After tucking little Keller  bug in for the night and finding my hard working hubby sound asleep on the couch while studying for all his test I sent him up to bed as well. The poor guy with little resistance was also soon sound asleep. So there it was me and my sleeping boys… this Easter bunny was now on a mission to get stuff ready before collapsing herself from the exhaustion of the day.
The eggs were stuffed, baskets prepared, outfits layed out … including the bowtie that was made last minute! But it turned out pretty cute if I might say so myself! Well everything was ready- this little bunny was quite proud of her work and at after ONE in the morning headed up to bed only to hear little Keller calling for mommy… he was still new to the whole big boy bed deal so nights had been pretty rough as of late. So There it was almost 2 am and even though my body ached and I wanted nothing more than to feel the comfort of my lovely pillow I instead crawled into bed with my little Keller bug as his little arms wrapped tightly around my neck  he almost instantly fell back to sleep, holding tightly to his mommy- I laid there, snuggling Keller, feeling my baby girl kicking like crazy, and couldn’t help but to think of how many nights my own parents- totally exhausted spent holding and snuggling me when they wanted nothing more than to sleep. I laid there and cried- not sad tears, but happy tears. Grateful tears. All these years I knew nothing of the true magic behind each of these holidays- all these years I knew nothing of the sacrifice- the hard work- the sleepless nights. All these years I never knew that it all boiled down to own thing- LOVE!
Words simply cannot express how grateful I am for my parents and their incredible example to me. All those years are now flooding my mind with the true magic of each holiday! Because of all they did and sacrificed I was able to soak in the innocent magic of each and every season- because of all they taught me- I am now able to celebrate each holiday with my own children- I am able to help create that beautiful magic I so often looked forward to with eagerness and bright eyes!
Holidays are truly a magical time for any age- any belief- and any person. Holidays are what we make them out to be, so I say- MAKE THEM MAGICAL!! I am not saying that you have to spend tons of money or go all out in ways you otherwise couldn’t. BUT- spend time on the little things- take time to snuggle, to love- take time to make believe- and most importantly take the time to celebrate the true meaning of each holiday! This my friends is where that true magic lies. Let it be magical!!!

XOXO

dying eggs.... painting blocks... and heck why not paint your belly too?!?

way too much can change in one year.... This little buddy needs to quit growing up so fast!... Keller's first and second Easters! 



 checking out his new Easter goodies with daddy at grandma and grandpas house! 


these two disappeared for a bit.. they were just chatting away playing with the duckies in grandma's playroom! 

counting out the eggs with grandma

sugar crash after church! hahahahaha

my little Easter buddy! just stopping to smell the roses...err ummm dandy lions!! 

"ooooo mama 'sniff' sniff' " haha he loves to smell his special flowers! hahaha I love this little man and his incredible imagination!!

The best Easter picture I could get... this little man just didn't want to smile for the camera! Good thing he's still cute right?!?