Australia Day

Saturday was Australia Day and our friends' daughter's one year birthday party.

Happy Birthday Lillian!!

You can't have Australia Day without pasties! Lara made them, and they were delish! She went all out for the day with pink everything: balloons, candies, cupcakes, pinata, bubbles and even a pin the bow on Lillian game! I love that! Of course our family had to dress for the Aussie occasion :) We were loving the great weather with the sun on our faces. Lillian and Miles played in her new wagon and Miles was especially pleased to play with the new ball she got even though it was pink. It's not often we let him indulge in cupcakes and candy, but I had to give in for the amazing treats Lara made. Oh Happy Day!

Oatmeal on a Tuesday

I'm your typical health conscious mother, so I have to report on some success . . . I've found the perfect combination of toppings to get Miles to eat oatmeal - yeah! Strawberries chopped very small so as not to be spit out, a handful of crushed pecans, and either a few raisins or blueberries is his special mixture. No laughing! - I'm really proud of this accomplishment. It's worth the gooey, sticky, too early in the morning mess to know he's getting his nutrients :)

A beautiful day + a hill to run down + Dad = PURE JOY!

Time for another haircut . . .

The thought of cutting Miles's beautiful blond locks is very sad to me, but after I've actually done it, I remember how great he looks with short hair. He's got the perfect round head and fantastic eyes :)

~I have to make note about the adoption fireside Luke and I attended last night. I struggle with patience in searching and finding our next birth mother and baby and I'm so glad for our connection with FSA to remind me of the bigger plan. My thoughts about the fireside are a little too personal and emotional to write on our blog, but email me if you'd like some incite into my world :) I took a week off jogging because of dealing with a migraine and feeling sick last week, so I was so energized this morning to be out in the fresh air and be alone with my thoughts. I was actually holding back tears at 6 in the morning thinking about our perfect baby Miles and how blessed we are to have him placed in our arms for safekeeping . . .

~I am so grateful for my wonderful husband. Seriously, he is perfect for me! I love what a fantastic father he is. Miles and I have our fun during the day, but as soon as Daddy is home, my playtime with him is over. I love that Miles is Daddy's boy and know how much Luke loves and needs that from his little man. Blah, blah, I'm an emotional wreck! Thanks for listening ;)

i love . . .

being a mom, mama, and mommy;
to hear my baby sing his abc's;
to hear him count "one, two, free, fur, fife, tin";
to watch him run back and forth down the hallway, on tiptoe;
to see his excitement when "daddy's home!";
that anytime i want something i have to catch him first;
that he needs a book read to him every 10 minutes;
that he changes the subject whenever he's been caught getting into mischief;
that he has to sit on my lap if i'm playing the piano;
that i can't talk on the phone without him talking louder;
to watch luke melt whenever his little boy gives him a smile;
that he loves bananas tho i can't hardly even stand the smell of them;
to agree with him that he really did see a backhoe or tractor or truck;
his big brown eyes and thick chubby feet;
that he says "bye-bye poopoo" as it gets flushed;
the look he gives me when he doesn't want me to know what he's been doing;
to smell him after his bath;
that most of his problems can be solved with a tickle, a hug, or a kiss;
that he doesn't want me to stop hugging him or singing to him and put him to bed;
that he will always be my baby and i will be his mom no matter how big he gets.

Richard's Wedding

My brother Richard married Jena on Saturday in the Idaho Falls temple. They are a beautiful couple! It was a very emotional wedding. And it was freezing! We stood in the snow in 25 degree weather for pictures. Jena looked fabulous and said she wasn't cold - ha! I loved being in the temple again with my family. Congratulations! I'm excited to get to know Jena better and love having another female addition to the family :)

Mexican Dance

Miles could not contain himself any longer at the dinner table one night in Puerto Vallarta. So I let him FREE! and then grabbed the camera ;)

Hint: Make sure your sound is on.

Cousin Taylor

Luke's sister Elise with her daughter Taylor came to visit us for a few days during their holiday stay in the States. Taylor didn't want much to do with Miles the first day because he was always in her face wanting kisses and hugs but by the 2nd day they were buddies. It had been a year since we'd seen them, so we were very happy they went out of their way to visit. We missed Don though! Elise's flight was delayed so they stayed an extra night, so of course Miles let Taylor borrow his truck pjs :)

Puerto Vallarta

We had an amazing 5 days in Mexico with Luke's parents. I went a little crazy, as usual, taking hundreds of pictures, and these are just a few of our favorites. We stayed at a fantastic all-inclusive resort set on the beach 10 miles from town. The weather was great, and we had fun in the pools but the ocean was a little too cold for us desert dwellers. We spent most of our time by the pool and enjoying the buffet with unlimited ice cream :) We took a day trip into Puerto Vallarta and haggled with the locals. Miles skipped and ran up and down the boardwalk. It was great to have Monica and David with us so Luke and I could enjoy our evenings out while they watched Miles - thank you Nana and Pop! One afternoon Luke and I painted our clay pots and were pleasantly suprised when we picked them up the next day after they had dried to find the the shop owner did his own touching up - the pots look great now! :) Luke, David, and I braved the Canopy Tours where we flew over a river racing across 15 different ziplines.