So Far This Summer...

This is the Summer fun we've had so far :)

Our summer really began Memorial Day Weekend. We pretty much swam the whole weekend. It was very relaxing and Holdyn loved it! It didn't take Holdyn long to love to swim again :) He was jumping off the side and jumping off the diving board! I think we wore him out pretty good because he got his very first beating (butt swat) on Memorial Day. Don't worry... he absolutely deserved it! We had so much fun swimming with our favorite pregnant gals over the weekend. Jamie and Nicole were both weeks away from giving birth and they are both way more darling than I am in a swimsuit! Holdyn loves talking about the babies in his aunts' bellies and talks about all the things he's going to teach "Aunt Jamie's baby!"

I can't wait for those boys to be best friends :)

We've been super busy these past couple months getting our yard done and playing outside every second Holdyn is awake! These are my first flower beds that have actually lasted longer than a couple weeks! I have really enjoyed them and appreciate all the hard work Cory and Carter spent on them.

Grandpa got tired of hearing me call on every KSL ad out there for a little play gym for our monkey. So he gave us some money to buy this...

Holdyn LOVES it! Thanks Grandpa :)

We've also been playing in Holdyn's frog pool...

Daddy even filled it up with warm water and added bubbles so he could take a bath in it!

I love this picture of him with his gardening glove (Thanks Aunt Amber!) and his shovel!

One quick funny story because I never want to forget it... Holdyn loves the Peacocks in Aunt Amber's backyard. He calls them "Cock Cocks!" The other day, Amber asked him what his favorite bird was, thinking he was going to say cock cocks. Well, he pointed to his arm and said "Daddy's birds!" Daddy had just gotten 3 Tody birds tattooed on his arm and this response did not make Aunt Anti-Tattoo very happy! But I laughed super hard. He is for sure his dad's son!

I threw a baby shower for Jamie at the end of May and it was so fun! I love seeing all the cute baby gifts. Jamie looks so darling (you can tell I'm pretty tired!) Baby Brody will be here any day now!!

Holdyn did something the other day that made me cry and laugh all at the same time. Carter and Cory were wrestling around with me and Holdyn lost his mind on them! He ran right up to Carter and kept wailing on him until he left me alone! It was the sweetest thing to have my little boy immediately rescue me without any thought in his mind that he could get hurt in all of the ruckus. He is a daddy's boy for the most part, but I know that he loves his Mama and would do anything to protect me :) Having a little boy has been so special to me. I know I will always have him to watch over me.

Daddy got a new toy so Holdyn has been going to the park to watch daddy play! He loves being able to run around and play with the big boys. It's so funny to watch these kites fly those boys!

One of my favorite summer nights so far was when we had a picnic at the park and watched daddy fly the kite. I got to sit on my butt while Holdyn munched on his corn on the cob, played baseball, and ran up and down all the hills...

Uncle Carter brought him some bug juice, which he LOVES!
But not as much as he loves his uncle!

He is a cute little monster :)

We went to last week and Holdyn LOVED it! He ran around to every exhibit at least 10 times. He was a little scared of the Jelly Fish, but he loved looking at all the fishies. He wouldn't touch the sting rays or the star fish. He kept telling me, "Look Mama! Ewww, sick!" He needs a little friend though. He kept running up to all of the little kids and following them around. Poor kid needs some playmates! Of course we didn't get any pictures because Holdyn broke my damn camera right before we got to The Aquarium. Oh the joys of having a little boy!

We can't wait for all of the Summer fun to come!

Happy Mother's Day!!

First, I want to say

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
to all of you mamas out there! I think it is so important to pay tribute to the women who gave us life. Who have made huge sacrifices (physically, mentally, financially) to raise a child who poops, pees, and pukes on them. Who yells, slams doors, throws fits, and yells "I hate you!" But still, all of the mamas keep doing that they do because one hug and kiss from that child erases all of the bodily fluids and naughtiness ;) I love all of my moms! I sort of have 3. I grew up very close with my mom, my aunt, and my grandma. So I call them my 3 moms! I am still very close with all of them and appreciate all of the advice and laughs I get from them. Thank you ladies!!

To my mom... Thank you for your sacrifices and your unconditional love. Thank you for your humor and for being such a great grandma to Holdyn. From the moment Holdyn was born, my mom was at my house every single day. It was such huge support to know she was right around the corner every time I needed her. Even now, if she doesn't see Holdyn for a few days, guess who shows up at my front door! She loves seeing him and can't get enough of him. Thanks Mom! We love you so much!

I had an absolutely perfect Mother's Day!! Holdyn seemed to know it was a special day because he was extra lovey :)

When I woke up, Holdyn ran in with roses in hand and could not have been more excited to give them to me :) It was so cute! Then, he ran in with a huge picture frame filled with pictures that I'd never seen before...Cory and Holdyn had gone to the Lake Cory runs to and had our friend Darin take tons of pictures of my boys playing! It was the perfect gift! I also got some "moneys" to buy some new clothes! Then we went to Cory's grandma's house and all the guys made the girls the yummiest breakfast! The kids all played in the yet-to-be-filled swimming pool. They had so much fun! Holdyn loves playing with any kids he sees.

Then we went home and we all took a long nap :) We had to rest up because when we woke up, we were off to a delicious crab dinner at my grandma's house! It was soooo yummy! Then we played baseball, which Holdyn loves.

(I love Holdyn's face in this picture!)

I also got 2 flats of flowers and gardening tools from my 3 moms so I was able to start my garden last night!! It's so pretty! Thanks Carter and Cory for pretty much doing it!
Thank you everyone for a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

Play-Doh and Pop Rocks

A few weeks ago, Holdyn had his first experience with Play-Doh. He thought it was "ssssick."

He doesn't really like anything messy. If he gets anything on his hands while he's eating,

he immediately asks for a "nackin." But he has no problem getting covered in mud and dirt outside, go figure! Holdyn completed his rite of passage and took a bite of the Play-Doh.

He of course hated it, but then took another bite! Silly Boy!

After the Play-Doh (which didn't last very long), Holdyn found some Pop Rocks and asked to try them. It was hilarious!!

One Year Ago...

We were in DISNEYLAND!!!

And guess what?! We're going back in OCTOBER!! We are so excited that Daddy gets to come this year! We will also be going here...

And here!
And Holdyn is going to love going here in SeaWorld...And he's going to freak when we ride this!
Last year was soooo fun!! We got to go with this cute bunch...

(This is definately my favorite pic of Amber!)

Holdyn was only 9 months old but he was able to ride a ton of rides! He was such a good boy.

Amber invited me a week before we left and if anyone knows me, you know that I like to plan, plan, plan! I was a little scared taking him without Cory, but he did amazing. His mom on the other hand, not so great. I forgot to bring a blanket or even a warm coat for him so he used the airport blanket the entire trip and Jordan's sweater!

What kind of mother forgets a blanket for her baby?! I was a little bit worn out (as you can see from the pics) and looked a little bit like a mad woman! But I had so much fun and we are so grateful to the Banks family for taking us on such a fun trip!

One of the funnest things was when cousin Jordan got picked to train as a Jedi and fight Darth Vader! Jordan loves Star Wars and speaks Star Wars fluently. I was holding back tears the entire time because can you even imagine how magical that was for him?!! He beat Darth Vader!!!

Thanks Amber (and Tyler!) for a magical vacation!

2 Years Ago....

Wanna know what I was doing 2 years ago today?!!! I was opening TONS of presents from my very generous family for someone we now call

our little buddy!

It was a good day. I have such great family and friends :)

Easter!

This Easter was probably my favorite Easter ever... Holdyn was a blast, for the most part! We started the festivities by dying Easter eggs. It was a little stressful.

Boys and dye are not my favorite combo!

Aunt Kirby and Uncle Carter helped Holdyn with his very first egg dying!

Easter morning came and Holdyn found almost every single egg. Including the hard ones the Easter Bunny didn't think he would find!

Holdyn's favorite present was his mini skateboard and ramp.
Holdyn had his first Reeses Peanut Butter Egg and his face says it all.
"How dare you deprive me of this for almost 2 whole years!"

The bunny brought me the cutest gnomes I have ever seen! And a few of my favorite candies.

Holdyn was lucky enough to get to do 3 egg hunts! He had so much fun at all the grandparents' houses! Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas!

The Easter Bunny even showed up to the Monty house! Holdyn got to watch him hide Easter treats. Holdyn was so excited to see the Easter Bunny! He let out the biggest gasp and yelled at the top of his lungs! It was priceless :)

Holdyn does NOT like silly string in his face!

But he does love to dig with his new shovel...
...and walk on Grandma and Grandpa Monty's wall... ... and do somersaults with Grace!
How cute is this boy?!

At the end of the day, we were full of sugar and out of energy :)

It was a perfect day! Thank you family!!!