Happy December

Hiked Wolverine Pass..part of it anyway. What a gorgeous hike. It meanders through mini canyons and across creek beds with a watering hole along the way. Now we have to go back and finish the hike one day.

Travis relishing his beard. How many zip ties can he fit?

Hunt loves the Christmas present we got for Grandma..haha

Donated some vaccinations, pacifiers and food to families in need at the giving machine!

My goofy boys.

                    Teaching Hunt young.

 We played Mary and Joseph (and baby Jesus) for our ward's Christmas program. Sweet experience.

 Christmas Sunday. Hunt was not cooperating for a picture. But the ward gave all the choir members cute little boutonnieres to wear for our program so I had to get a picture.

Christmas! Spent it with Travis' family this year up in Taylor and it snowed Christmas day! 

Poor Hunt also has his first run-in with throw up over the holiday break. It was the saddest thing ever. Especially the couple days after. He was so weak and lethargic and wouldn't eat anything. It scared me that he wasn't getting enough fluids so we had Evan come over and help Travis give him a blessing. So thankful for them and for the priesthood and for a loving and caring Heavenly Father. Hunt slowly regained strength and started to act more like himself over the next few days and what a relief that was. Being a mother to a sick child is heart wrenching. I ached for him and wished with all my heart I could take the sickness for him (and then I got the sickness myself anyway and almost changed my mind..haha). But it truly is one of the hardest things about being a mother. I am grateful for faith and for blessings and for loving family members who help us get through tough times. Even when I overreact. 

Cousin Love

Hunt loves his baby cousin Brooklyn. Well, really he just likes to eat her. It's a constant battle to keep him from slobbering and smothering her but she doesn't seem to mind.

Travis turned 29!!! Whaaat. I know, it doesn't seem right to me either. That's probably why I wrote 23 on his birthday card instead of 29...haha. Though to be fair, it was super late when I wrote it and my brain wasn't %100 awake. 

Never Grow Up

   Today was one of those good days. Cloudy skies, cooler temps and lots of rain. It was full of playing, cleaning, dancing, napping, hiking, running, cooking.. and the list goes on.

I was giving Hunt a bath after a stroll through the muddy pond that is our backyard and the song Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift came on. It's a sweet song about motherhood and growing up. I'm so thankful for every little moment that I have with him. The tears and the giggles, the tantrums and the snuggles. He makes everything worth it. I'm so grateful to be his mother and to see him grow up. The song ends with Taylor saying "I wish I'd never grown up". And as sad as it is to see my baby grow up, it's also the most rewarding thing to see him learn and progress. I'm thankful for a knowledge of the plan of salvation and the blessing it is in my life. I know that we have the ability to eventually grow up and be Kings and Queens and to live with our Heavenly and earthly families for eternity. And what a joy and comfort that is.

Catwalk Recreation Area, NM

Last minute vacation anyone? I think this roadtrip was thrown together in about 2 days, I chalk it up to our indecisiveness but we can say spontaneity to make it sound better.

Travis had been trying to plan a trip to Catwalk Recreation Area for a while and now I see why. Talk about unique! The catwalk itself was a walkway suspended above the river that meandered through the canyon for about a mile. Super cool. At the end of the walkway the canyon continues for miles. We, with some encouragement/bribing, led the family up the riverbed to explore the narrow canyon for several hours. We crawled over boulders, across logs, and down narrow slots which became quite the adventure with a baby in tow. Occasionally we saw sections of the old catwalk which were destroyed by flash floods years ago. I'd say the best find was a waterfall hidden behind a rockface that Travis, my dad and I found at our turnaround point in the canyon. 

We stayed the night about an hour from the Catwalk in a little house. To give you an idea of the place, it was labeled "Class A dump" by one of the previous vacationers. I don't know that I would be that harsh. Quirky or funky sure, but dump probably not. We had dinner at the only restaurant open in town and went to bed early. 

We had planned to spend the next day or two in Show Low with Grandma but after sacrament meeting, Jessica received word that her mission call had arrived at the house. So they drove home, sent out an invite, and opened it that night. Can you tell she was excited? Before driving home to the party, Travis and I stopped at his parents house for dinner but we left a little later than planned. As we left Payson, we realized that we probably didn't have enough gas to get home. But Travis, being the ever optimistic, "we can make it" kind of guy, decided that we were going to try anyway. Plus we were on the clock, if we turned back for gas now we would miss her mission call opening. So nervously, praying all the way, we made our way to usery pass road..where our gas tank read 0 miles to empty.. Then we kept driving for several more miles...still reading 0 miles to empty..until we finally made it to the gas station on Brown and Ellsworth. We again prayed and thanked our Heavenly Father and made it to the mission call opening only 5 minutes late. Not too shabby. I'm so thankful Heavenly Father answers prayers even when they come from such imperfect children.

By the way Jessica is going to be serving in the Washington Tacoma Mission and I couldn't be more excited for her!)

Birthdays and Adventures

Melissa and I celebrated our 23rd birthday last week! It was a little different from normal..Melissa spent the majority of it in the hospital with Brooklyn who had a fever. So I had breakfast with mom at Joes Farm Grill and lunch and shopping with Stephanie at Someburros and H&M, then dinner with the rest of the family at Texas Roadhouse when Melissa and Brooklyn finally got out. Also, Travis got me a fitbit! And some suspension straps to workout with! Super fun. 

We also might have gotten a dog... Her name is Kaba and I am very allergic to her. But she's so friendly and sweet. I'm sad to part with her but it probably needs to happen for my sanity/health. Kristen doesn't know it, but she may be getting a new dog soon...Kailey looooves Kaba. We took them to the river and explored the other day where Kaba ran, rock climbed and chased lizards to her heart's content. And Hunt got eaten alive by mosquitoes; poor baby is allergic pretty bad.

Happy

Its crazy how fast personalities show up in babies. They exhibit mannerisms and attitudes so early. 

Hunt is the happiest, smiley-est baby ever. Everyone is always asking if he is that happy all the time..and the answer is generally yes. Bishop told me last week was the first time he's ever seen Hunt cry. He does have a dislike of car seats and car rides but he is getting much better. He also dislikes putting on and taking off clothes..but that's nothing.

He loves sleeping on his side and his stomach. And he is turning into such a rolly-polly! I'm starting to find him all the way across the room .. time to start baby proofing.

We took a walk down by the river last night for FHE and found some cool places. One section of the walk was burned in a fire last year so exploring it was cool but also creepy feeling. Travis carried Hunt in a backpack carrier and he Loved it. I'm so glad he likes being outside and exploring with us. 

Conference

I know that Heavenly Father knows my weaknesses, but sometimes I forget that Satan knows them too. And he uses them.
At church today, we had Ward Conference and Hunt was being fussy so I stood in the hallway straining to hear most of the time.
But one of the things that President Robinson talked about was Faith. He reminded us that faith is a choice and that if we aren't choosing to have faith, our testimony diminishes and we are left unprotected by the spirit making it really easy for Satan to drag us down quickly with our weaknesses.
Self-doubt is a weakness for me. I wish it wasn't but it is, so I'm striving to turn it into a strength. I'm not the most outgoing person and it can be hard for me to make friends. I often let Satan put thoughts into my head about what others think of me and thus what I begin to think about myself.
I have to remember that my Savior loves me and that these things I'm thinking really are not true. We can be comforted by reading the scriptures, pondering the words of our prophet, and feeling the deep love and devotion of our spouse, family and friends.

President Robinson also spoke on apathy..which is a really sad word. By definition, it means lack of passion or joy in things that normally bring joy.
It is something I know I am guilty of on many occasions. I find myself remembering the "Good Better Best" talk often, thinking that I could be doing things that are so much better, but not always choosing to do them. It's usually just a small choice, but over and over we hear of the small choices that can add up and lead to big changes, both good and bad. Lets get back to the best choices. They start out small. Pick one thing you can be the best at and keep that standard high. Then slowly move all your choices to good to better to best. It won't happen overnight but it will eventually happen. 

Growing like a Weed

I love how inquisitive this cute boy is getting. He loves being read to and I'm always surprised how long books keep his attention.
He also LOVES looking at himself in mirrors. It's probably his favorite thing right now. He'll sit there and talk to himself and smile from ear to ear for over 5 minutes. It's adorable.
We also got our first laugh out of Hunt! I was blowing raspberries on his stomach and tickling him and he totally laughed! So much fun! 
I think he might be teething also because he is super drooly and always chewing on soemething..usually his hands. He's been gagging himself lately by shoving his fingers or entire hand down his throat. He can sit up in his bumbo pretty well and prefers that to laying down.
He is growing so fast but there's much to look forward to. Being his mom is the best.

First Timer

A lot of firsts for Hunt the past couple weeks! First Easter. First Easter Pageant. First trip to Taylor. First time at the movies (it was tear free). First wedding. First time swimming in the pool, which was a success! First retirement party (at Leisure World of course). First trip to the cabin. (Grandpa bought the Strawberry cabin from Darlene and Nolan!) First graduation (Melissa graduated from nursing school). And more! It's been quite the adventure with such a little baby but I love it. Being a mom is the best.

Travis finishes school tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! It will be so nice to have him home before bedtime every night. Plus he needs a break. He works so hard for our family. I love him.

Party Party

You know it's a good day when your husband comes home with the sword he found in the parking lot at work.
Haha Travis was so excited. I love his childlike wonder and energy.

We got to party at Melissa's baby shower this past weekend which was adorable as expected. It will be so fun to have cousins so close to each other in age.
Travis took me to a concert at tempe market place Thursday night. They had Sir Sly playing for free which was pretty cool considering how big they've gotten recently. They were an interesting band. Good, just had a strange sound for sure. We left Hunt with Kristin during the concert and though it was nice to just be with Travis, we both missed him so much. It's a weird thing that i didn't truly understand until I had my own baby. No matter how tiresome your child is during the day, you can't stand being apart from them for very long.
We just love him to pieces and would do anything for him.

Snephanie's golden scholar ceremony. Afterwards, we convinced all her friends to ditch lunch and come eat with us at cafe rio. Funny how parents change as they grow older. My mom wouldn't have encouraged that when I was in school haha.

Sirsly

Vaccinations and Hard Days

Some days being a mom is just plain hard.
Hunt had his 2 month check up on Tuesday and got 3 shots in his cute, chubby little thighs. Poor baby screamed his head off and I don't blame him.  Needles are no fun.

But Wednesday was the tough day. As hard as it was to watch him be poked, watching him cry all day was worse. The one thing that held his attention was walks. Unfortunately, it was 100° that day so we only got one walk in the morning and after that it was too hot. By the end of the day I was getting frustrated. Hunt just cried and cried and I was ready for Travis to come home. I was probably a little hangry too due to the lack of food in my stomach.

I was pretty done by the time Travis got there and a little snappy. Thankfully I have a sweet husband who loves me and understands me and took Hunt for a little bit. It's literally impossible to stay away from your baby though, especially one this cute. So I snuggled him to sleep and cherished the sweet moments that I have with him while he is still this small. I love being his mama. Even if some days are hard.