2012 Wrap-Up

I feel really guilty as 2012 is coming to a close. I am so excited about the start of 2013 and I am not taking the time to properly say goodbye to 2012. Sigh...

2012 has been a crazy year for our family - probably the most intense.

The Highs:

• Blake being born - he has serious been the best blessing in our lives.
• Moving back to NC (even if it is a process)

The Lows:

• Our family being apart for 6 months. This has seriously been the most challenging thing.

"There are some years in our lives that we would not want to live again. But even these years will pass away, and the lessons learned will be a future blessing"

A Few Of My Favorite Things

 

Christmas for Ryan, Blake, and I will take place in January when Ryan officially moves to NC...but Blake has already received a few of his favorite things from other family members. I am pretty sure that he will have every toy made for his age group by the time it's all over. Where are we supposed to put all of these things?!?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course with all of these toys, it is only natural to be totally exhausted from playing...

 

 



 

 

We will see what else he gets in January! :) 

All I want For Christmas Is You

Of course Christmas Eve is known for it's family tradition, celebration of Christ's brith, and much more... but for our family, it is also known for another special occasion!

Two years ago, on a cold Chistmas Eve, Ryan proposed to me at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have had lots of changes in the past 2 years, and it all started with this moment. Such a magical moment that we are so thankful for!

Christmas Stroll

Blake has had his first round of extended family Christmas and he shocked us all!

He started to walk with his little walkers!!! He still can't walk on his own, but man you should have seen him take off with the help of these toys. We all busted out laughing because it was like he had prepared for that one moment. He just jumped behind the walker and plowed past everyone and down the hall. He surprises us ever second. Luckily we were able to catch him on video so that Ryan could see him.

Home for Christmas or Not

I am going to try very hard to not let my frustration show too much. This year has been a very wonderful year, but also a very difficult year for our family. We have been a long distance family for the past 5-6 months as Ryan is finishing up his job in Louisiana. We have thrived off of our short visits that we have gotten in these months.

Today we learned that Ryan will not be able to come home for Christmas. He is not allowed to take vacation because he is in the "clearing process" of leaving Ft. Polk. We knew that. However, we were told that he would probably be able to come up for a few days anyway. Well, now his officers (trust me, I have other names for them right now, too) have decided that they need him to work on several extra duties while the other guys are on leave. Yep, that means he will be working IN Louisiana over the Holidays.

In a nutshell - we are not in our home yet and we will not be together as a family over Christmas. Joy to the world!?

Ok, so because of recent events, I am starting my New Year's Resolution a few weeks early - I am trying to work on being positive. So here it goes... my ever-so-silver lining.

• There is a reason for everything...perhaps there is some blessing in Ryan not being able to come home yet that we just can't see.
• Ryan moves to NC in 3 weeks and we will have the best first Christmas for our little family then.
• Our family will for sure come out stronger because of our challenges. We are tough!
• Blake is young enough that this Christmas will not be too difficult for him without Ryan.
• Ryan only has 25ish days left and then the Army can't do this to us anymore! Yes..Amen...and everything else! 
• We realize that there are far more families that don't even get this, so we are extra thankful that we simply just have each other.

Well...glad that is over. More than ever we are counting down the days until Ryan starts driving to NC for good. And this just makes me want to work on our house even more so that it will be ready for our January Christmas. Like I always say... we've got this!

Christmas Magic

Since having Blake, we are learning how magical Christmas really is. Even at 10 months old, I can see it in his little eyes. There is something about watching him sit so still and look up at the tree. Or when he knows the present that is his under the tree...and he points to it every day. I love it!

I am so excited about starting these Christmas traditions with out little family. Being a parent during times like this are seriously the best thing ever. Just wonderful!

Unpacking Phase

 

 

Well, we are in the unpacking phase of moving. This is all of our stuff from the kitchen. It's so hard finding time to unpack - especially since I can't take Blake over there just yet. So, I basically just try to go over there every now and then when the grandparents can watch Blake for me. I also try to drag any extra hands over there with me to help. Luckily, tonight I had Taylor! We unpacked some boxes and then got rid of all the paper and stuff. Ok...and we may have had a little fun doing it. HAHA!

 



I'm sure it will all get unpacked eventually...right?!!?  :)

Blake: 10 Months

Blake is 10 months old!!! And I am in denial! I can't believe that my little boy is growing up so fast. This is the age where he starts to be a little more independent, but that also means that he gets into EVERYTHING. Catch 22!

Here is what he has been up to...

• We learned that he is scared of the vacuum cleaner...like really scared of it. He peeps into the closet every now and then just to make sure that it's still there. Haha.
• He has started to self feed
• He is really sassy (like his mom). He will let us know if he does not approve of something.
• Notice picture. He can crawl up stairs now! Ah!
• He still loves to read. We get board books from the library now!
• He has been officially sick for the first time - baby bronchitis.
• He loves to scoot toy cars and trucks around.
• Stacking cups are his favorite. Oh the simple things in life.
• He will take little walking steps if we are holding him, but still no official steps on his own. Soon!
• He is not a fan of the way the Christmas tree feels. He is so funny about textures! Haha!
• He loves cabinets. The pic below is of him in a cabinet when my mom (Granny) had her counter tops replaced. Blake The Builder! :)
• He can wave "bye-bye"

 

 

He is growing and learning so much at this point. I can't wait to see what all he will discover this month! 

Family Play Day

I am a big believer in the motto that "A family that plays together, stays together!" So that's what we do!

 

 

We also went and explored the Kid's Marble Museum in Raleigh. Don't be confused... this is not your typical museum. Instead this is like a GIANT play place for kids of all ages. The best part was they had a baby section that was away from the rambunctious older kids. We got to take off our shoes and play on the mats with Blake. He loved exploring the mirrors, fish, toys, and tumbling mats. So much fun! I have a feeling we will visit this place many times in the future.

 

 

By the way, Blake's T-shirt said "My mom is cooler than your mom." We thought it was pretty appropriate to wear it to the playground and kids museum. Haha!!



Family Compliment

A fellow co-worker stopped me in the hall today and told me how much she enjoyed seeing our family pictures that are shared on Facebook. She smiled and said, "I can just feel the love that your family has".

WOW! What a huge compliment to my little family. Love is something that we know that we have, but it means so much to us that other people can see it so clearly too. It makes me feel so great to know that of all things for us to portray, people see love and happiness when they see us.

Of course Ryan and I joked about it and said that we hope we can live up to that statement. :) Family is most important and we LOVE our little family!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!! Our little family has so much to be grateful for! This weekend we were grateful for the simple fact that we were able to be together. Ryan only has about a month and a half left in Louisiana and we are STILL counting down the days. Luckily he was able to fly to NC to spend Thanksgiving with us.

Just like last time, we packed as much as we possibly could into 3 days. Haha. We will share some more of our fun over the next couple of posts. But for right now, we are just grateful.

Ryan has the tradition of playing football on Thanksgiving. Talk about pressure...I went out and purchased a football just for the occasion. I even ran possible plays in mind just in case I had to participate in this tradition. Thank goodness that some guys here in the WF Ward also have the same tradition. Ryan meet up with them on Thanksgiving morning and played a full on game with the other guys. Whew... the tradition continues!!! He had a great time!

We also had the traditional Thanksgiving meals with my family. It is always great to see family members that we don't normally get to see. And of course we ate a ton. Blake also got to eat some Thanksgiving treats. He loved the sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Yum! I am pretty sure that the grandparents slipped him some more goodies too... :)

I know we live in a very crazy world. There can be lots of awful things that we see, but there can also be a lot of good. And we have so much good to be thankful for! Counting our blessings!

Blake's 9 Month Check-Up

We finally had Blake's 9 month check -up! And it was a great appointment because he didn't have to have any shots this time! YAYYYYYY!!!

Warning: There will be lots of bragging below...don't read if you are sensitive to super proud parents. :)

He is now 20 pounds and 29 inches long. He is somewhere in the 60th Percentiles for his growth. Good news! Dr. Jenna says that he will for sure be a big boy. Haha.

He also has hit all of his age developmental skills and more! Dr. Jenna also said that he was well advanced and smart for his age. Why thank you very much!!! What parent doesn't love to hear that?! Should I start getting college applications ready?! Too soon?! Haha. Just kidding.

During this month of thanks, I just can't help but think how lucky our family has been with health, especially Blake. Babies can get sick very often, and so far (knock on wood) Blake has had only one little cold. We are VERY grateful for his health! We are also thankful everyday for what a wonderful little boy he is. He has brought so much joy and happiness to our lives. We can't wait to see him grow into such a great kid. But not grow too fast....I still have a little bit of baby left in him to enjoy. :)

Painting and Patience

You know that theory (I think its a theory. If it's not then it really should be) - that the closer in time that you get to something, the longer it takes. It's true!

Our family has been apart for 4 months now (with 1 visit) and we still have about 2 months left until Ryan officially joins us in NC. To put it nicely, I'm over it!!! Yes, I am sounding like a mad Army wife at the moment. I guess I am just tired of waiting. Ryan has always done a great job with long distance. He knows how to keep himself busy and make things right mentally in order to get through it. Me on the other hand tends to get 'homesick' easily and miss my other half every second of the day.

Luckily we get a visit in about 2 weeks for Thanksgiving, another visit for Christmas, and then 2 weeks after that we can say goodbye to long distance!!! Until then, I am working about every weekend on our house - getting it painted and decorated. Ryan is currently re-painting the decorating I did in the Louisiana house as he is getting ready to move out. Did I mention how much Ryan hates to paint?! Haha!

I know that being a long distance family has probably had more downs than ups for us, but the important part is knowing that we are going to make it! We are almost done AND we are for sure stronger for it. I think at this point we are all just excited about that time in January in which we are simply together. 

Blake - 9 Months

It is a month of gratitude - and we are grateful for this little 9 month old guy...

 

Here is what Blake has been up to recently!

 

• He chews on EVERYTHING. We are talking cell phones, bottles, toys, and keys.
• He has tried to eat dog food. That's normal right?
• He is pulling up on everything and standing. He even bounces while standing. Kind of dancing?
• The dogs are his favorite. He will chase them around the whole house.
• He has 5 teeth! 2 bottom and 3 top.
• He got sick for the first time this month. Glad that is over with!
• We now have to get new car seats to fit his growing little self. The new one has cup holders!
• Sleep...let's just say we have some good nights and some bad nights. Work in progress. Still.
• He LOVES eating Puffs. Every flavor.
• He is obsessed with doors, particularly the refrigerator door and the dishwasher door.
• He has started to notice when people leave...and he doesn't like that very much.
• He is one tough cookie! If he falls while trying to stand he will just get up and try again. Like a champ!
• The one thing that always calms him down if he gets upset is listening to the Army bear that Ryan gave him. It has Ryan's voice recorded on it. So cute!

 

That's about it this month. We have a doctors appointment on the 12th, so we will have the growth stats then! :)

 

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!! This year was very special for our family because it was Blake's first Halloween. He was a little monkey!!!! Isn't he cute?!?!?!

 

 

 

Since he is only 8 (9 months in 2 days), we just went Trick-or-Treating to some family houses. To be honest, I just thought that we would all just get a few good laughs out of his costume and that would be it. However, we were surprised with treats!! They had baby puffs ready for his "treat". What an awesome surprise. He sure is one REALLY loved little boy monkey.

 

For a little while I think he was confused at why he was in weird clothing. He was so awesome though, because he didnt mess with his hat at all!! Made my job easy!

 

He really loved his little treats. I'm pretty sure we had record breaking Puff intake! HAHA!

 

And of course he charmed everyone with his sweet little self. He is seriously the best little boy. We have been told many times that we are blessed, and I couldn't agree more!

 

His little costume even had a little tail. We learned quickly that it was a great way to keep him from getting into things that he wasn't supposed to. HAHA! Thanks GDaddy!! :)

 

 

As parents, this was a neat day for Ryan and I. It was the first time that we got to really celebrate a holiday for Blake! It's a whole new perspective when you see the magic through your child's eyes. Just makes us really happy. We can't wait until Christmas now!!!! Happy Halloween!!!! 

A Blogging World

We all have our own hobbies. Ryan and I are big believers in keeping up with individual and couple's hobbies, even when our lives get super busy. For the past several months I have dedicated some VERY hard work to my crafting hobby. Inspired by my high school best friend, I started my craft blog - Blissful Bucket List (www.blissfulbucketlist.com).

Now, this is where I get extremely frustrated, so let me explain... Blogging is not being addicted to the computer. It is not being a computer nerd. It does not mean that I neglect my husband, child, or job. It is simply what I have said - a hobby. I fit this stuff in after everything else has been taken care of, which is usually late at night when I am totally exhausted. With that being said, it makes my work seem 10 times harder.

With some help, again from Ashton, I was able to get an awesome design. Then I busted my butt creating posts and networking. The goal is to get as many followers and pageviews as possible. My personal goal is that I will have 250+ GFC followers and enough pageviews to start having advertisers on my blog by summer 2013. Hopefully my blog will then bring in some money...ok, maybe some change. Haha.

So, the real reason I am writing this post is to brag a little. I finally reached 100 GFC followers! I have also earned over 400 followers on my Facebook Blissful Bucket List page and many Twitter followers. Not that I really know how or what twitter is...but anyway... I am finally starting to feel like all of my hard work is paying off. It is nice to see that about 100 people read my craft blog daily. Yes, MY blog. Wow! Not too shabby! It is so awesome to be able to share this talent with others...and to learn from others!

Ryan has been my biggest fan on this. He has always encouraged me to do more and not give up. He still pushes me to put forth my best foot with it. Gosh, I am one lucky girl!! :) Now, I am pretty sure that some of my family and friends don't really get the whole blogging thing. It is also super annoying when they say they like it but they don't even do something as simple as like the Facebook page. Sigh. But that's ok, luckily I have many other supporters that keep me going! Thanks to those of you... you know who you are! :)

Ok...I'm done. Back to cute pictures of Blake for the next post. I know that's what all of you read our blog for anyway. HAHA!

Like Father, Like Son

 

Many people say that Blake looks like me, probably because we both have red hair. We don't have many pictures of Ryan when he was a baby, but check out one of the pictures that we do have. I think it clearly explains who Blake looks like. :)

What do you think?!!


 

Like father, like son. And just in case you haven't gotten enough...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love my boys!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

This year has been our first year to go to the pumpkin patch at Hillridge Farms!!! Yes, I realize that Blake is too young to remember this, but as Ryan says, I am just that "corky" mom who loves to do this stuff! :)

Blake loves the swings!!

 

 

He wasn't so sure about seeing his first pony. Haha.

 

 

 

We got to go on a family hay ride to the actual pumpkin part of the farm!

 

 

Then Blake got to pick his pumpkin!!!

 

 

 

And of course Mommy and Daddy got a few laughs out of a great photo opportunity. :)

 

 

Have I said before that I love the Fall?!?!!? And we love our family!!

Tarzan and Jane :)

This past weekend, Ryan and I got to go zip lining!!! Just call us Tarzan and Jane! Haha! It was seriously one of the most fun things we have done. We had to drive about 1 1/2 hours (Fayetteville, NC) to get to the place, but it was well worth it! This course has been ranked in the top 10 zip line courses! Normally there are 8 people and 2 tour guides in a group. However, we were the only ones who signed up for the 3:30 time, so we got a private tour!!!! So cool!!! Our tour guides were also possible the funniest people I have ever met. They really made the adventure fun. When I booked the trip for us, I had no idea how interesting it would be. See for yourself!

 

The Gorgeous Views...

 

 

 

 

The Silly Pictures...

 

 

 

 

Getting Down To Business...

 

 

 

And The Cute Stuff...It was a date day! :)