He's TWO!

My little baby is two!

I can hardly believe how much Landon has grown in just the last few months.  He is talking up a storm and surprising me with new words and sentences every day.  

He is a super-athlete and is obsessed with "backet" ball- and any other ball for that matter.  We threw him a sports party with some family and friends, and he was thrilled.  He'll take shot after shot in his new basketball hoop and if he misses he yells "ah-most!" or "cu-lose!" and tries again.

He idolizes his big brother and calls him "Cubby" for short.  It's so adorable.  He wants to be wherever he is.  He wants the same toys Jacob is playing with, the same color of sippy cup, the same blanket during story time, you name it.  And although Jacob needs his personal space, they are growing to be best friends... for the most part.  

Landon is also his dad's biggest fan on earth.  His smile and run can't be beat when Stephen gets home each day.  

He is sweet and sensitive. He is so good at saying "Sorry" if he does something that hurts someone else and is quick to offer a hug and a kiss.  He knows when someone needs help and quickly offers "Help you?" whether it's me sweeping the floor, Stephen putting dishes away, or Jacob making his bed.

He has been climbing out of his crib for months now and at the crack of dawn wedges himself between Stephen and me to sleep for a few extra minutes.  I may grumble about it sometimes, but I know some day I'll miss those mornings.

His independence (which can drive me up the wall on some days!) has also really impressed me. For example, potty training.  Although I'm not ready to give up on diapers for him just yet, he is totally potty training himself.  I wasn't even interested in trying so early, but he's making that one super easy on me.

He loves making people laugh and has quite a "class clown" personality already (doing funny things just to see peoples reactions).

And finally... he's actually getting some hair!

I know the 2's can be super crazy, but I feel myself beaming with pride daily. I am just so happy with who this little guy is and all that he's learning.  Our lives wouldn't be complete without him.  He is a treasure.

We love you, Landon!  Happy birthday!

Weekend in the Mountains

There are so many things I love about Colorado already, but being able to escape to the mountains occasionally is one of my very favorites.  This weekend, Stephen was totally spontaneous and got us a hotel room up in Crested Butte, CO.  This is the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado" and I was totally blown away by it's beauty.

The boys were so great on the trip.  

They loved the home made ice cream... 

making music at the Children's Museum...

And learning how to "skip" rocks with Dad...

While waiting for our dinner we played a game to see who could make the best faces for the camera.  We are so photogenic right?  Nerds.

 Love this family of mine!  And love our new Colorado home.

Insta-blog

Social media continues to evolve, and while I love my blog, I have totally let instagram take over posting my memorable moments.  It is so much quicker and easier... which in turn gives me more time to do what I love, while still keeping my friends up to date on random events.  I'm not so great with words anyway, so I like the simplicity.  Join me, my friends. It's fun.

Lately I've been combining these quick posts with another app I've grown to appreciate: Day 1.  Have you heard of it?  You can do quick journaling on the fly and attach pictures to your entries.  It even reminds me- if it's been a while- that it's "time to write in your journal".  And also- another app I just uploaded is the Camera Timer App so I can hopefully hop in more pics when its just me and the kids.  Such clever and helpful apps these days.  Yes, I know I take too many pictures, but it brings me a lot of happiness looking back on such great memories.  

Some completely random April Instagrams

Snow vs. Sun

Spring is in the air.  I just FEEL it..... (and I see on my iphone the weather is heading up to the 70s this week!)

This will mean we have survived our first Colorado Winter.  Who knew it would be so lovely?  Seriously, when I used to think of Colorado I pictured several feet of snow the whole season long.  I wondered if we'd have to hibernate for four months.  But it's actually been more of a SNOW vs. SUN battle.  And the SUN was the champion.  A perfect mixture if you ask me.  We got the snow for the beauty and enjoyment of the winter season...  but it all melted off within a couple days because of the warm sunshine.

Here are a few of my favorite outdoor kid pics from the last couple months.  Needless to say we spent plenty of time outdoors: the backyard, parks, the zoo, the mountains.

No hibernation needed!

The Big 30

Happy New Year, by the way!  Haha.  Sheesh, it's March!

Felt like a little blog post today.  But, truthfully I don't even know where to start.

Do I write about how much I am LOVING life in Colorado?  My mom and sister's visit?  Playing in Denver with cousins?  My favorite little things about our crazy daily life?  Our recent trip to visit the fam in St. George?  Or perhaps my 30th Birthday?

I guess that's where I'll start.  Yep, this week I turned 30.  Hard to believe.  I feel weird just posting a random pic of myself, since I usually prefer to be behind the lens, but here I show off my birthday donuts my boys picked out for me.   (It's always been donuts since I was little... no cake for me.  Donuts are where it's at!)

The day was pretty perfect.  Started with a mini-party at our house with the kiddos. (Jacob even made some great decorations with balloons and cut-out strips of paper for streamers).  We played fun music and I let the boys jump on my bed for a few minutes.... I may have even joined them for a bit.  We ate donuts for breakfast and played a couple games.  Later, my sister in Law graciously took the boys while Stephen and I went to the Denver Temple and then out for a fancy dinner at Elways.  It was so great!

I think about how much has changed the last 10 years and am just so thankful to be where I am, to have the family I do, and to have learned some of life's greatest lessons.  I'm thankful for the places we've been and for the amazing people I've gotten to know along the way.  With that said, there is still so much to look forward to.  Hooray for the 30s!

"It's a Jolly Holiday with you..."

I love everything about this season.  December is just magical and even more so when you get to experience it through your kids' eyes.  I smiled every time Jacob asked me to play "Christmas" with him as he put on his santa hat and filled our stockings with his own toys as I "slept".  I'll never forget sneaky Landon unwrapping all our christmas countdown books one afternoon and his enormous grin when I caught him.  I'm thankful for all the new memories we made together as a family this month- including tasting our first Colorado snow, camping out for the Festival of Lights parade, seeing my boys be so skeptical of Santa Claus, and making the trek back to Utah for a super fun family Christmas.

I'm grateful for a season where we ponder on the birth of our Savior and remember all the beautiful gifts and blessings we've been given in this life.  What an amazing year it's been!

Stressed and Blessed

It's about time I get a new post up here.  As one can tell- my consistent blogging days are over.  Unfortunately most of my blogger friends have dropped off the face of the virtual planet so there is much less motivation to post anything at all.  However, I really rely on these posts as a sort of journaling for the most part and for a shout out to my families in Utah.  I'm not calling it quits just yet.

I've been stressed out lately. I know it's normal to feel this way with a new job, new house, new town, new ward calling, new sicknesses, the holiday season, inlaws visiting, and two very rambunctious boys on top of it all.  I was thinking about it though, and each of these things that have "stressed me out" recently are actually such great blessings in my life.  How fortunate we are that Stephen has this amazing new job.  How lucky we are to be closer to family. It's a blessing I've been given a big calling in church because I am already meeting so many new people and making friends faster.  The holiday season brings family together which means it's my very favorite time of the year.  See?  Stressed... but blessed.

I wanted to write quickly because my heart is feeling very full today.  Jacob turned 4 years old.  He's handsome, smart, and so funny.  I am trying to figure out why it feels time has flown by so crazy quick.  I don't have babies anymore.  I have a toddler and a KID- a full grown KID.  He's been getting more acquainted with the big bad world out there and there's so much I still need to teach him.... so much I'm still trying desperately to protect him from. I hope he's ready. I hope I'm ready.

Today was fun.  I wanted a few photos of Jacob for his birthday, but after our first location didn't work out, I decided, "what the hay, let's go play in the dirt!"  And so we did.  I felt such a joy watching my boys play out there together.  They are my greatest treasures.

Here are a few of my faves of the day...