Packing & Labeling

I love sharpies.  If something needs to be labeled I will volunteer to do it.  There is just something so incredibly exciting about them, ya know?  Since we've been packing I have had the opportunity to label lots of boxes and big items.  Well, Mara wanted in on the action so I labeled her.  Logan couldn't be left out so he got some too!

Yes, we have taken to calling her sass-a-frass every now and then.  If the name fits why not use it? ;)

The one year old's par-tay

 

We had a fun little party with close family and friends the day after his actual birthday.  I decided to make cakepops instead of a cake.   They turned out perfect.  I did red velvet and yellow, both with cream cheese frosting.  Mmm...I was proud of myself ;)  I even made the cake from scratch which was a new experience for me.  Can I just say how much I am in love with my kitchen aid!!  How did I ever live without it??!  Now back to Logan's party..

He loved opening up his presents.  He got so confused every time Sean would take it away to open another one.  It was too cute.  He Oo'd and Ah'd over everything--even the clothing.  Then he got to eat his cake.  I made the giant cupcake and since I had made it before I decided it would be ok to make the morning of the party because I already knew how it worked.  Wrong.  It totally fell apart.  I swallowed my pride and threw the frosting on.  What would Logan care anyways?  As long as it tasted good (which it did) who cares?  My camera died right before he dug in so my dad got his out.  I'll have to get those pictures from him soon to share with you.  

Oh, those pictures are of Logan and his cousin Dylan who is about 6 weeks older than him.  Isn't he adorable?  Those blue eyes take my breath away!!!

I got the idea for the tissue paper balls here.  I can't remember which blog I got the idea for his shirt though??...if I remember I'll post it later.  Same with his birthday banner...I saw it on a blog when he was 9 months old so I can't remember where it was.  Oh well...

There you have it!  We had a blast, and are so in love with Logan!  I cannot even believe that a year has come and gone so quickly. 

Guess what we did?

Oh yes we did.  And we LOVE it!  By we I mean I.  So much easier to do!  No more ripping through tangles, no more 15 minutes to rinse it out, it's faster to do when we're rushing.  Yes, it is. 

I've been talking about doing it since spring but I've been threatened with my life by several people.  One morning we just went for it.  Mara was actually super excited and sat as still as a 2 year old possibly could.  We all know that means lots of wiggling ;)  but she did try. 

Because of said wiggling I have fixed many spots since the big cut.  It has been about a week now and she still bops around the house wagging her head side-to-side because she likes the bounce. 

I just love her.  She is so smart, so kind, protective of Log (as in she is the only one who can mistreat him), and just a happy little girl.  Lately she has been a fan of snuggling.  We are definitely enjoying it!  She has never been big on cuddling so we are soaking it in!

We love you Roo!

Glenn Park

Sometime in August we went to Glenn Park in Highland.  The kids had a blast.  While we were hanging out on the grass Mara couldn't resist getting in the water, so we let her.  Next thing we knew she was neck deep!  She had a blast.  It was a super fun car ride home!  Logan and Mara both thought the ducks were tons of fun.  Mara got a little freaked out when they started swimming towards her in the water though ;)  I haven't seen her move that fast in a while. 

We had a nice little walk with some pretty scenery.  I would definitely recommend this park to everyone!  Can you believe that I've lived here my whole life and have never gone?  How sad is that?!  We are trying to take advantage of all the fun local free things that are available to us.

Enjoy some pictures!

We love to read!

Reading has always been a big thing in our home.  Both of us grew up with parents that read to us often.  We loved it, and have continued to do it with our kids.  You will often find Sean and I sitting in bed reading until the wee hours of the morning.  Ok, Sean's pretty good about going to sleep it's me who stays up WAY TOO LATE reading! 

With our upcoming move we have to opportunity to re-decorate the space we're moving into.  If you know me at all you know this is a dream come true!  I absolutely love design.  It makes me happy.   There is something so special about having a space you love and feel 100% like yourself. 

Combine design and reading and what do you get?  A fancy schmancy reading "nook". 

We have so many children's books it is insane.  So I have come up with a solution (books are one of the only things I am ok with collecting, and not tossing out during purges).

Here is a sneek peek:

(Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE photoshop??!!?)

Support Systems

Lately I have been reflecting an awful lot about how blessed we are.  We seriously have the most amazing support systems anyone could ever hope for.

My family puts up with me and my crazy kiddos almost every day while Sean is at work.  After naps I load the kids up and we go play at Grammie's house.  On the days we don't go there my kids seem lost, and Mara begs to go up there.  They absolutely adore their Grandparents and I know that feeling is mutual.  Mara & Logan are definitely spoiled rotten!

Sean's family let us live with them for 2 1/2 years while we figured out life as newlyweds and then as parents of one, and then as parents of 1.5.  Let me tell you--we were not the easiest people to live with.  We expected a lot and gave very little in return.  Every time we felt there was an issue about something they tried their hardest to accommodate us--even about the silliest/most trivial/ridiculous things.  They must have A. TON. OF. PATIENCE.

Again we are finding ourselves in a situation that we need a lot of support.  Have I ever mentioned how incredibly stressful it is having Sean working full-time and going to school full-time :) ??!!?  One of the biggest stresses is money.  It never seems to stretch far enough.  Don't ya just hate that?

Sean's parents have graciously agreed to let us move in with them again.  In a little over a year we will be debt free and ready to try living on our own again.  I am so grateful they are willing to sacrifice their basement so that we can follow the Prophet's council to stay out of debt.  We have made some silly rookie mistakes and now have the opportunity to fix them. 

I just wanted to thank our amazing families for opening up their homes, hearts, and lives so that we can become better people.

WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
(I'm pretty sure Sean's parents don't even look at our blog, but I felt like this needed to be said!)

Logan

So lets talk about this handsome little man.

I questioned our craziness MANY times when we decided to bring another bundle of joy into our lives so soon.  Especially with questionable pregnancies...but I KNEW we were suppose to have another child.  I am so glad we listened to the promptings from Heavenly Father. 

He is the happiest baby I've ever known.  So easy going right from the start.  He loves everyone.  He absolutely adores Mara.  Even when she is climbing all over him and driving him bonkers.  He has recently started the LOVE playing and wrestling with daddy.  He lights up when Sean walks in the room.  He is definitely a mama's boy--and I wouldn't want it any other way!  A couple of days ago Sean got the kids up in the morning while I took my sweet time getting out of bed.  I came downstairs and Sean told me that Logan wouldn't drink his bottle...right then I look down and he is crawling towards me with his bottle.  He gets to my feet, holds up the bottle so I take it.  Then he held up his hands and smiled.  I picked him up and he downed his bottle.  He just wanted mommy to snuggle him!!  How adorable is that?!?

He is a speedster at crawling.  We blame that on survival of the fittest.  If he wasn't he probably wouldn't be a happy camper!  :)  With a two year old sister who can blame the poor guy?  He knows when it's time to run for his life!

He walks along the furniture and is getting brave...he has started letting go of things while he is standing up...and stands there for a minute.  I am SO NOT READY for that.  He can take his sweet time learning to walk!  I refuse to play the "walking" games with him.  I'm not ready!!!!  I don't want to lose my baby!

The other day we watched him crawl from our couch to the back of the couch then up into the window sill!!!  He started climbing the moment he started crawling and continues to get more brave every day.

He loves "talking".  Ga, Mom, Da, and Maw are his favorite words. :)  It is actually pretty adorable because when I yell for Mara he starts yelling with me!  Maw Maw Maw!  He clearly says Mom all the time and I know he knows what it means.  Recently he's started with the Da noises.  It is super cute. 

Right now if you ask him for his game face he scrunches up his nose and breathes really hard through it.  All tough like.  (If you ever saw Mara do it--it's the same face).  Sean loves teaching our kids funny things.

He is a cuddle bug.  Seriously.  He loves a good snuggle.  Through out the day while he's playing he'll come find me and give me a hug and a kiss.  I love his open mouth kisses.  They are the best!!!

He is so tough.  No joke.  The kid is currently cutting NINE teeth at once.  He is a trooper.  He gets mildly cranky at times but nothing a little motrin won't fix.  I guess that's what he gets for only having one tooth by this age.

We love our Logan and are so glad he's a part of our family!