Today...

smiley boy








smiling back at THAT KID right up there. I mean, look at that grin? How can you not smile?!

shopping around online for ellipticals. Have any of you bought a Precor machine? I think we're leaning that way, but I was curious if any of you had any input.

nursing Hank back to heath after he gets his wisdom teeth out later today. I swear I'm more freaked out than he is. I have a strange phobia with teeth and mouth things, and the idea of them pulling four teeth out of his mouth makes me want to throw up. edit: using the term "nursing back to health" when referring to your husband is kind of weird when you're breastfeeding. haha! Thanks Jess for pointing that out! Totally made me laugh out loud. :)

but, on a happier note, today is also for wishing one of my dear friends Shirley a happy birthday! Every year on Shirley's birthday I recall her 21st and vividly remember that wild and crazy night up in Flagstaff at NAU, and it makes me smile. It's so funny to think back to that evening and think of how much (but also so little!) has changed. We've celebrated a million birthday since then, we've all grown up, and even though we're all very different, we continually make new memories and move forward. I feel so lucky to have had such amazing times with such great girls. Happiest day Shirl girl, I love you! I can't wait to celebrate the big 2-9!

shirley gets air

So, that's my day, how about yours?

a May Day picnic

Yesterday my little family went on a wonderful picnic downtown. We got salad and pizza from Bill's, some lemonade (it was National Lemonade Day, after all!) and enjoyed a slightly cool afternoon in the grass. This weekend was the Whiskey Off-Road bicycle race, so there were things going on each day, from the day-before activities/booths, to the pre and post events, to the actual race itself.  On Friday my friend Lisa and I walked downtown and checked out the vendors, sampled some new Clif bar products, and enjoyed seeing all the fancy bikes. Today we managed to catch the tail-end of the event, and there were still some cyclists pulling in as we walked around.

Have I mentioned how much I love our little town? It's one of my favorite places in the world, and I adore the fact that we have so many weekend events throughout the entire summer. It's perfect here in during the warmer months- it never gets too hot, and the crisp mountain air is always refreshing.

Today we definitely felt some of that "crisp" air, and it was almost borderline too cold for a picnic, but we managed to find a spot with tree-filtered sunlight and the afternoon worked out perfectly.  We enjoyed our salad and pesto/tomato pizza, talked and talked, and really soaked in a wonderful Sunday.

Here's a video from our day today, and some pictures below too! If you're curious, the song is "Step Outside" by The Finches.  Happy Monday!



May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

May Day picnic

Spring times, good times

Yesterday was the loveliest of days. One of my dearest friends Adie joined Henry and me for a downtown stroll that ended in an impromptu tea time on a picnic blanket under a large shade tree.  As we sat there, talking about this and talking about that, I was reminded yet again of how lucky I am to live where we live. As the sun shined down through the just-green branches, and the breeze lifted the edges of our blanket, I looked around and felt so grateful for this day, my friendship with Adie, and for the opportunity to be surrounded by such beauty. Henry lounged and laughed and stretched out, the sun warmed our faces, and our iced teas dwindled away. It was seriously such an amazing afternoon. I hope our spring is filled with a million more days like this in our little town, and I hope that wherever you are, spring is at least starting to show its face a little more.

Happy Friday!


picnic

picnic

picnic

picnic

picnic
 
picnic

picnic

picnic

picnic

picnic

picnic

picnic

Henry: 5 months

5months

5 months, almost half a year! I can't believe it. This month has been the biggest month for Henry so far, as far as growth and learning new things!  It seems like his mind grows and grows more and more everyday, and his personality is emerging at the same rate. If what he's like now is any indication of what he'll be like as he gets older, I foresee our little man being quite the ham. But also quiet at times, extremely sweet, and a total mama's boy. Henry is just starting to like to cuddle, and his favorite way to sleep is on his side, facing me, one thumb in his mouth and the other holding on to me. It melts my heart every single day. He's now sleeping in his crib every night and has recently gone back to sleeping through the night. Last month he started waking up 2-3 times, and we couldn't figure out what the problem was. Eventually we realized that he was just too big for the co-sleeper we had him in in our bed, and once we moved him into his crib (and got through the adjustment period), he was back to sleeping almost 12 solid hours. Henry loves to sleep completely stretched out, arms and legs wide open most of the time, and no wonder he kept waking up- every time he went to stretch he found himself confined. Now he is absolutely loving his crib, and although it's a little sad to not wake up and see his smiling face, Hank brings him in every morning for his first feeding and we cuddle for a long time to make up for it!

 DSC_0165 edit

So here's Henry's current schedule:

6:30am wake up, Hank brings him into our bed before he gets in the shower
7-7:30am feed Henry, cuddle in bed, etc.
8am eat breakfast while Henry plays
8:30am get us ready for the day- either the gym/bootcamp, errands, meet a friend for brunch, or hanging out at home
9:00am leave the house or stay at home, but either way H. takes a nap during this time. He'll sleep through my bootcamp class (falls asleep in the car on the way there), or he'll sleep in his crib
10:30/11am wake up, feed Henry, hang out and read, play, etc. for the next couple of hours
2pm nap #2- this nap lasts anywhere from one and a half hours to two hours or so
3:30/4pm wake up, feed Henry, sometimes we'll go on a walk during this time
5:30pm Hank gets home and they have father/son time while we cook dinner
6:30pm start winding H. down for bed, give him a bath
7:00pm (on the dot) bring Henry into his room, read a book, feed him again. He usually falls right asleep around 7:30 or so.


When he wasn't sleeping through the night he would wake up at the same times almost every night- 11pm and 4am! Now that he's back to being a great sleeper I'm counting my lucky stars and enjoying every second. I think they say though that the minute you mention what a "great sleeper" your baby is, you're destined for a sleepless night, so we'll see about that! 

In other Henry news, all he wants to do lately is pull himself up into sitting position, and once he's there he wants to stand. He's such a mover and is on the verge of being able to crawl, once he figures it all out. He loves to flip belly to back, back to belly, and push up with his legs so his butt's in the air.  I'll post a video later this week from the other day and you'll see what I mean! It's just beyond neat because we'll go to bed one night, having just started to attempt something, and then the next day he'll master it! He's so smart and it's amazing seeing all of the connections being made day to day.

Henry is also quite the babbler and lately has taken to screaming and squealing when he's happy. He loves to take walks in his Baby Bjorn, and we've found that he likes that a lot more than his Ergo or Moby wrap because he can comfortably face out and take in so much action. He's so observant so unless he's super tired he prefers to face out.

This month Henry:

went on his second hike- he loves the outdoors
started making more distinct vowel sounds
is teething- I can see a little white bit of a tooth on his lower front/left gum
can almost sit up on his own
can almost push/pull himself into a seated position on his own
loves to stand with assistance as much as possible
started using a jumperoo and loves to bounce
likes to lie on his back and clap his feet together over and over
is highly amused by clapping and likes to "clap" with us by holding our hands
has mastered picking things up/reaching for things
has gotten to the stage where we have to push things away from him when out to dinner- he will lunge and grab at everything
is still breastfeeding
is getting more and more light brown hair
loves to have his head rubbed while falling asleep
still doesn't really live him Bumbo chair- is too active to want to sit still in it
had his first Easter
started to enjoy playing with blocks- he especially likes light blue and yellow
smiles every time Madeline comes near him
laughs very easily/smiles very easily

It's funny because every new stage has been the "best one yet," and I can only imagine how much more fun this is going to get as he gets older and is able to communicate with us more and more. My heart just grows and grows every single day, and I cannot even begin to describe the job that I feel being this little guy's mama.

So here's to you Henry, and here's to 5 months! We love you so much.

happybaby

Happy Easter!

 Easter

Today was Henry's first Easter, and it must have been a good one, because is currently passed out in his crib, napping hard.  We started the morning with Hank's Dad, Step-Mom and brother, and enjoying a great breakfast at Coco's. Restaurants like that aren't normally my cup of tea, but it was pleasantly tasty. I got an egg white/tomato/basil scramble with a side of fruit from their Lit and Fit options, and I thought it was great! I was also happy to see that they had a "healthy" section of the menu, with meals less than 500 calories, high in fiber and low in fat and cholesterol. Awesome. Afterward we headed over to Hank's Mom's and had a super fabulous lunch. It was a great time, and because we don't celebrate actual "Easter," it's always a great excuse to get together with family. Next year will be even better because we'll be able to partake in an Easter egg hunt with Henry. We can't wait.

As for now, I'm recovering from the insane amount of lunch I ate, Hank's watching basketball, and Henry is napping away. I'm off to read more of Matched. I'm kind of obsessed!

Easter

Easter

Easter

Easter

didn't like his ears!
Easter

Easter

Easter

Easter

Easter

then I forgot all about my camera, but I did snap a photo pre-dinner. YUM!
Easter

Family photos

The amazing and talented Christina Heaston came through town from South Carolina last week and spent a Sunday afternoon taking photographs of my little family. It was the best experience; I just adore Christina, and her stunning photography. I feel so lucky to have been able to get photographed by her, and I know we will cherish these pictures forever. They are by far my most favorite.

Next month I'll be hosting a REALLY amazing giveaway from Christina (I'm talking amazing, folks), so if you love these you maaay just want to be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Be sure to check out Christina's website, Facebook, and follow her via Twitter!

Thank you again Christina, you are such a talented woman and I am so happy to call you a friend.

Here some of the many photos:

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston

photo by Christina Heaston