Obsession

Holdyn has a new obsession... Grandpa's Jag....

And for my favorite picture ever...

My Favorite Things

Holdyn has been having a rough week. He hasn't been sleeping well and so I knew something was up. He started to get sniffely and ornery yesterday and by the afternoon, his nose had serious tissue burn! Yesterday happened to also be Guy's birthday. (Happy Birthday Grandpa!) So we went to dinner with the Monty's. Not only was Holdyn sick, it was also past his bedtime so he was extra ornery. He didn't want to sit in his chair and he was throwing things at Aunt Nicole and Cousin Ryn. I bet they were thrilled they got stuck next to the demon baby! Anyway, I decided this would be one of the nights that I get my dinner to go and I chase the baby while everyone eats. I was strangely okay with that (and everyone who knows me knows that it IS strange because I very rarely pass up eating!) and actually excited to play with my little boy and see his excitment while discovering this new environment. It was extra crazy, exhausting, and a lot of fun.

Today, a friend told me about a blog written by a women who lost her 14 month old baby girl in an accidental drowning this past June. She writes very beautifully and honestly. She has made me even more grateful that we have a healthy, happy 14 month old. And I am so appreciative fo every moment I get with Holdyn, even crazy nights like last night. This is her website http://adailyscoop.blogspot.com/. This website will make you cry, but hopefully it will also make you appreciate your loved ones more. In one of her posts, she asks her readers to take a minute and write down the little things your child does and your favorite things they do. Here are my favorite things about Holdyn:

His absolutely perfect face

His smile lights up his face and mine

His tired laugh

How he swings a bat

His dimples

How much having him has made me appreciate quality time with Cory

He says, "Kaboom!"

He puts his head against mine (very softly) and says, "Bonk!"

His grin and delight when he sees me or Cory in the morning

How he dances by shifting his weight back and forth on his legs

When I rock him before bed and he curls up as close as he can get to me and closes his eyes

When he reads to me while I change his diaper

His mischevious look when he looks at me after he touches something he knows he's not supposed to

Looking in the back seat and seeing his hands wave around to the music

The smile on his face when his dad pushes him around in his car

When he blows on his food

His smile when he swings

How much he LOVES to be outside

That he goes to bed at 7:30!

That he smiles at every stranger that looks at him. He has made so many people smile just by smiling at them

How having him made my relationship with my mom even better

How he watches his aunts in wonder as they play

How when I ask him for a bite, he puts his cheek next to my mouth so I can bite it

How cautious he is

How easily he laughs

When he "bonks" himself in the head with his bats

How perfectly straight he can throw a ball

How he makes every single day exciting and how much more fun holidays are with him

His kisses

I love you Holdyn. You have changed me forever and I am so thankful for everything you have taught me... Patience, Love, Self Control, Fun, and so much more.

d'Vinyl!!!!

Hi All!

Amber and I have started a vinyl lettering company! Please check out our website (d-Vinyl.blogspot.com) and let us know if there is anything we can create for you! We would appreciate any feed back or ideas you have! Thanks for your support!!

One Year Ago....

One of the great things about the fact that I took a million pictures a day for the first 6 months of Holdyn's life is that I can look back and see exactly what he was doing one year ago from any given day. On August 15th 2007, one year ago today, I was on my 3rd day back to work after having a 6 week maternity leave. The maternity leave started off rough, but by the end, I was devastated that I had to go back to work. I felt (and still feel!) that my job should be raising my little boy, not having a nanny take care of him all day. But since we are not at that point financially, we are so so so blessed to have my grandma take care of Holdyn every day. I get to see him all day long most days and I am appreciative to have a better situation than most. We definitely would have had to wait a lot longer for Holdyn if it were not for her. Grandma - We love you so much and we appreciate all the help you give us. Holdyn adores you!

So here we are 1 year ago...

(This was my very favorite outfit of his)

Provo River

We have been floating the Provo River the last couple weekends and we have been having a blast! Poor Kirby flipped twice yesterday, so she may never come again! But besides the minor bruises and scrapes, everyone has a great time. 20 of us went up yesterday and floated the river for a couple hours. My awesome husband got up bright and early to insure that we had tons of shish kabobs ready to BBQ after our float. So we cranked up Jack Johnson, drank some beer, and had some yummy food. It was almost perfect (It can't be totally perfect without Holdyn of course!) Jamie and Nicole - You guys better be there next weekend! I highly recommend doing this before it gets too cold. But it's probably a little too rough for kids. It doesn't look like the river is flowing very fast until you're being clothes lined by a tree!

Holdyn's Love Affair with the Camera

This morning when my grandma picked up Holdyn and I, (Cory's car is torn apart due to a noisy something or other, so he gets to take my car to work and I get to fend for myself) Holdyn did not want to get buckled into his car seat. He wanted to sit on Grandma's lap and drive. So, of course, he turns into a shrieking Velociraptor and throws a fit...



But the second I got my camera out...










He loves the camera and always has. If you bring out a camera, he'll start smiling! Funny, weird little boy!

3fers

• 3 Joys:
  1) Holdyn is the #1 Joy!
  2) Cory. I still get butterflies when I am on my way home from work, knowing I get to see him soon. I get butterflies everyday over him and I feel so lucky that after 9 years, I still get to feel that!
  3) TV. After I put Holdyn to bed, I love curling up on the couch and getting lost in one of my shows!
  
• 3 fears:
  1) Losing someone I love
  2) Not being here to see Holdyn grow up
  3) Holdyn hurting in any way!
  
• 3 obsessions:
  1) Biting Holdyn. I ask him for a bite and he puts his cheek next to my mouth so I can bite him. I love it!
  2) Pizza Benders and Salad from Italian Village. Ask my husband... I ask to go there every occasion I can! Anniversary, birthday, Christmas!
  3) TV. I have to watch at least one show a night to get my brain relaxed!
  
• 3 surprising facts:
  1) We don't have internet. I have it at work and that's all I need.
  2) My house is messy. But only because I would rather play with Holdyn than clean!
  3) I so want to go back to school and can't wait to get started again when we can afford it. It's not that I like school, but I really know I need to get my degree so that I can do something that I love to do, part time and when Holdyn starts school of course!
  

I am tagging Nicole, Sara, Kirby, Jessie!!

Firework Fun!

I saw everyone's cute 4th of July posts and realized I forgot to post our firework fun! I LOVE July... I love the swimming, the BBQs, and especially all of the fireworks! I have always loved fireworks and my sweet husband knows this. So when we weren't able to go see fireworks last year because Holdyn was so little, Cory surprised me by bringing home a pack one night. It was one of those small things that is so sweet. So we sat on the lawn with our zonked newborn and Holdyn didn't even stir. But this year was a totally different story! When Cory brought home fireworks this year (a sweet surprise again!) Holdyn was all over that! We kept him up late and watched Dad put on a firework extravaganza. Holdyn's eyes were, of course, glued to the fireworks the entire time and I just enjoyed having my little boy stay on my lap and snuggle for longer than 30 seconds! Thanks Daddy for a fun night!

Here are the many funny faces Holdyn pulled while watching fireworks!