Dumont Sand Dunes

We just got back from a nice friends/family trip to Death Valley, CA. It was fun but boy is traveling with a babe hard! Nolan did so good but he is so much work. Wish he were big enough to just play out in the sand with Griff. It would have been a different story but it's all good. It was nice to get away though and escape the monotony of every day life. Went romping around in the Rhino without the kids and felt young and crazy again just for a moment :) Went screaming up a hill or two with Kason on his 4-wheeler and will probably never do it again. Too scary. Too fast. Too bumpy.

Was feeling a tad burnt out on motherhood in the days leading up to the trip so I read this book while I was there.


Best book ever. EVERY Mom needs to read this one. Seriously. Changed my whole perspective and revamped the meaning of motherhood for me. Thanks Mindi ;)

Griff, of course, was a great traveler and had soooo much fun. He rode around with his Daddy in the Rhino and played like crazy in the sand. He brought his favorite $8 bike and rode all over. Love the kid. He finds pleasure in the simplest things.



Nolan boy just hung out and spent a lot of time nursing and cuddling his Momma. I wanted to take him for his first ride but it was a tad cold so we decided not to. Probably would have freaked the little guy out. He is quite the wuss. Gets stiff when I walk down a dark hallway.


Kim and Nolan


I can't say traveling with a baby is loads of fun but we really did have a good time. It really was nice to get away.

LoVE

I love the days when all is quiet and I can sit on my couch and nurse the babe while staring out our front window.


I love this window and I love staring out at the big vintage house across the street. I think it's gorgeous and the inside is even yummier than the outside.
This house is so beautiful to me that I don't even notice the Ronald McDonald standing on the porch wearing a sport coat.


I love old homes. I love our old school neighborhood that is filled with them. Some are wretchedly ugly but some are just so gorgeous and quaint. I love my "vintage" 1950's home. It's not the cutest there ever was but I still adore it. My favorite part?

This hallway.


I love that it's wide and I love the old wood floor. Griff and I have had many good times in this hallway. Learning to crawl, using the walker, learning to walk, racing cars, bouncing balls, rolling balls...you name it. So fun.

Love This Funny Boy

He likes to get in here and jump and bounce Nolan all over the place. Eeeek.

This is where he prefers to eat his snack. Heck no kid.

Little mustache.

Oh to be 2.

Love these fat lips.

OBSESSED with trains.

He told me that these were letters. Cutie.

4 Months

Big boy will be 4 months on the 15th and he had his four month appointment today, all is well. He is a bit tongue tied so the doc tried to talk me into clipping his frenulum but I just didn't have the heart! He has actually been trying to talk me into it since he was born but I don't like inflicting unnecessary pain on my kids. Griff was tongue tied as well and the doc said he might end up having speech problems. Nope. Nolan is a bit more tongue tied than Griff was but he said if he is feeding good then there is no reason to do it. He feeds great and I guess down the road if he is speech impaired I will clip it then!

4 month stats:

Weight: 15.5 pounds (60%)
Height: 25.5 inches (65%)

He is still such a fun boy and we are enjoying seeing his personality come out. He laughs, squeals and jibber jabbers a lot. He LOVES his Momma and loves nursing. Griff liked it but Nolan can't get enough of it. So much so that he no longer sleeps through the night. Kid wakes up at 3:30 or 4 every night. Thank goodness it doesn't really phase me and I get back to sleep quickly with a babe cuddled up to me. I actually enjoy it because he is SO sweet in the middle of the night. He just wants to cuddle and nurse.

He is a lazy boy and doesn't stand for long when you hold him up and no rolling yet. He isn't as determined as Griff but that's okay with me! Maybe he will save walking for a year old or later instead of ten months like Griff.

Oh and the poor kid has some weird hair! Oh well, good thing he's not a girl. His hair looks like a baby toupee!


We love you Nolan boy, you are a sweetie!

Healthy Resolutions

I have always been a healthy eater thanks to my Mom and Dad for drilling it into us and always making good homemade meals with all of the food groups. I have an interesting relationship with food. I know what is good and what is bad. I know how to eat but I don't always eat the way I am supposed to. I can't pass up a good burger and fries. I have given up on soda and I have zero desire for it. Plus, I can't drink it while nursing anyway! If I have a bad eating day it always ends with intense remorse for what I have eaten. I hate having food guilt, it drives me crazy! I wish I could just eat something naughty without feeling bad about it.

Most of my resolutions have to do with myself being healthy but also my family. I try to make balanced meals and use healthy ingredients but not always. I know that a lot of calories come from condiments and drinks. I try really hard not to use a ton of mayo on my sandwich or use a lot of dips, etc. I also can't stand the thought of drinking my calories. I try to stick with water or skim milk. Occasionally I will have a little glass of juice if I am really craving it. So I feel like I KNOW how to eat right, it's just a matter of doing it!

Kason and I just recently went through our honeymoon pictures and we ended up just feeling depressed! Yes we have both aged since then, had a couple of kids, etc. We do not look as good as we used to and we both know it. My body has transformed from having kids and Kason has put on a few pounds over the years. Nothing major but we both want to be our "fit" selves that we used to be! I used to run several days per week as well as weight training on top of it. I know that my life has gotten busier and it is MUCH harder to do the things I used to.

I found a great book that gives me little daily health tips and I love it. It gets me on track and keeps me on track! Does anyone else have a crazy relationship with food? What little tips do you use to keep on track? What are the healthy eating tips do you live by and swear by? Please share! I love hearing ways that other people stay healthy!

PS I cannot believe I used to wear bikinis! I wouldn't dream of it now!

So Surreal

It feels so strange to watch Nolan get bigger and grow out of his little outfits. Can't help but feel funny about it. Depressed I guess. As I tuck his little outfits into boxes I can't help but think that I may never pull them out to be used again. Makes me sad. I would love another little boy. A little girl would be amazing and would round out our family perfectly. I could use the little girl name that I have cherished since I was thirteen years old. Or I could have another sweet little Momma's boy who has no name as of yet. All out of boy names at the moment. There is always the possibility of never having another. With the early complications I had with Nolan it makes me wonder. Have a teeny tiny feeling another one may be hard for me. Hope that I am wrong. Have always liked to "prepare" myself for things, if you know what I mean. If I think the worst and the worst happens it won't be as shocking. Anyone else do that too? Hope I am not the only crazy one.

Right now I can just sit back and enjoy the sweet little one's that I have and daydream about the one's to {hopefully} come. Is it ridiculous that I am daydreaming about another...already?

Bye Bye 2009!

I can't believe this year is already over! I need to make some resolutions but I have a love/hate relationship with those. I always make them and never accomplish them, agh! I have a few things on my mind that I need to work on....actually a few hundred things. Way too overwhelming for me! My resolutions are all related to self improvement. The list is never-ending for me so I feel totally buried. One thing at a time I guess. I want to be a better wife, mom, daughter and sibling. I read my patriarchal blessing today and it confirmed to me the things I need to focus on and work harder at. Of course I want to lose my last few pregnancy pounds, start running again, etc. But those things will come in time if I can ever FIND the time.

This year has been a tough one economically but somehow we managed to slide through it with no problem. We feel blessed by steady work and having a house to call our own. I have seen so many people get stuck in a bind and lose their homes this year so we are thankful to have our little casa. Now that we are pretty sure we are staying here, time to fix it up and make it cute!

I will be turning thirty this year as well! Where has the time gone?? I still feel so young! When I look at Griffin and Nolan I can't believe they are both mine. When Griff calls me "Mom" I sometimes do a double take! I am so excited to see what this year has in store for our little family. Happy New Year everyone! So excited to see what things unfold in family and friends lives as well. Cheers!