4 months...

i cannot believe my baby boy is now 4 months! where does time go? he really is the light of our lives. i love how he lights up when paul comes home, i love how he looks at me like i am the best thing, i love how he plays with his hands, i love how he tries to get what is in my hands into his hands and mouth (he is super fast). we love him more than we thought possible and still find ourselves staring at him realizing he is ours.

-he has found his voice. he squeaks and squawks all.the.time. (makes sitting through anything impossible)
-loves to chew on everything
-he laughs all the time
-his face lights up when he smiles
-will not take a pacifier or a bottle...no, not even with breast milk in the bottle
-he has tough little legs and loves to stand
-looks at everything intensely
-sleeps now from 10-3ish and then from 3:30ish to 6ish
-he loves the water
-rolls onto his side
-skootches himself 90 degrees
-loves rice cereal with carrots and pears
-grip of steel
-enjoys LOVES being outside
-still has a great appetite
-loves to touch our faces

-ash

johnny jump up

i was talking to someone in our neighborhood about a little bouncing chair for the doorway. i didn't think a thing of it, and when i got home from running errands, it was there! i was so excited. there wasn't a note or anything, so i said a prayer of gratitude. i put it together, hung it in the doorway, and put jack into it. like anything else, he loved it for a while and then he was ready to get out.
he loved being able to put his feet on the ground. he just lowered his head and watched his feet move. we would put on music on and jam out! he really does have the sweetest little face!
-ash

lost and found

when we moved from mapleton to orem in 2006, i knew we brought my wedding dress. i remember seeing it, i remember putting it in my closet. later that year, i was looking for it and couldn't find it anywhere. my mind was completely blank. i prayed and prayed for any inspiration on where it could be. i was devistated. my mom did the bead work on the waist, and it was my wedding dress. for 5 years i prayed and prayed and nothing. doing all of these things... (some of them 3-4 times)
-calling my aunt to get the phone number to the home we used to live in mapleton
-calling the home owner in mapleton begging her to find it
-calling every dry cleaner in orem, knowing full well i would never have left it there
-calling a bunch of neighbors to see if they borrowed it years ago for a relief society thing
-drilling paul over and over
-scowering dad & mom's house
-turning my own home upside-down
finally at the end of last year, i prayed to heavenly father and told him i left it in his hands, and that i hoped someone was enjoying it.
paul's sister is going on a mission. she came down to take a couple of our suitcases. i was in the kitchen talking to her as he pulled them from the basement. as he walked past, i told him i hoped he would find a million dollars and giggled. as we were talking, paul said my name. i looked at heidi and said "looks like he found a million dollars!" i headed down the hall. paul was standing in the middle of the hallway holding my wedding dress!!! i burst into tears. as i snotty bawled in the hallway clutching my dress, i rattled off to heidi all those things i did mentioned above in a very incoherent way. thinking about it now, i feel bad that she had to witness that. i took a picture right away and then knelt in prayer in my room. my heart is so full at the love my heavenly father has for me. i know it is just a wedding dress, but i love it. i called my mom right away and sent a text to all my sisters. katie sent this..."Look the blessings of a missionary are already paying off!". i thanked heidi over and over for going on a mission. paul and i talked about last night and can't remember for the life of us why it was in that bag, and why we never looked there, even though i swear i looked under every "rock".
this experience is such a testimony builder to me on the love of my heavenly father, faith and prayer. i know i had to get to the point of leaving it in his hands, and trusting him and knowing that it would all work out.
-ash

adventures in a carseat

jack hates his carseat. i mean HATES it. sometimes he does okay, but other times like today...screamed all the way home from pebbles. i so wish he could understand me when i tell him we are almost home. usually when i say that, he screams more. he will usually cry and cry until he tires himself right out. as soon as i pulled up our street he stopped crying. i thought "finally, he cried himself to sleep". as i went to get his car seat, he was there waiting for me. wide-eyed and happy. i giggled and had to snap a photo. he had better get better in his seat because we want to take a little road trip, and right now, any trip over 45 minutes is out!
-ash

his first hike

jack and i went on our first hike with all my sisters, ransom, conrad and phoebe. it was so nice to be outdoors looking at all the beautiful trees with new life on them. boy are we so lucky with this beautiful world? no longer do i pack me a snack and water, but i also now grab diapers, wipes, a burb cloth, extra blanket, binky, his jacket, extra pair of clothes (for his blow-outs), and his baby carrier. i was the only one there with a pack-pack (abby used to say that instead of back pack and it has stuck with us) for a little hike. i know that if i didn't bring those items, i would have needed them. better to be safe than sorry i know.
the trail was beautiful and there were so many places with water that conrad, phoebe and ransom could play in them. conrad ended up catching me a fish (an invisible one) that i had to eat right then and there so i could continue on. i so wanted to know what jack was thinking as his eyes looked all over. watching him helped me appreciate the leaves on the trees, the sound of the stream and the wind much more than before. i am so grateful that i will teach him to enjoy nature and to be out in it as much as possible. some of my favorite moments were...
.watching phoebe jump
.being invited to bigelow island by ransom, even though i didn't have my passport on me
.watching jack's eyes
.ransom tried to bring this huge log over to us so he could cross the river. when he sat it down, it broke. he looked truly sad
.phoebe would stop in the middle of the trail and ask to hold jack right there
.watching conrad and kelsie running in the park
.being with my best friends
.ransom taking the bark off a huge tree and throwing it in the river
 -ash

31

i am now 31 years old. i never thought in a million years that i would be 31. i remember being little and looking at my uncles and aunts and thinking "wow...old", but now i am there. i am not one who panics about getting older, i just panic that time is passing so fast and i can't press the slow button. so i just try my hardest to enjoy each moment. doesn't matter if it is happy or sad...just enjoy! i made a list of 31 things about me. some are good and some are bad, but it's me and by darn, i am working on the bad.
-ash

1-i love being active
2-i am a wife
3-i sleep like a rock
4-i love ice cream, milk and cereal
5-i don't travel well (i don't like be confined to a car, plane, train etc)
6-i love grocery shopping
7-i don't have fashion sense
8-my love language is time
9-i pick my lip when i am nervous
10-dandelions give me anxiety
11-i love watching sports
12-i have a nasty sweet tooth
13-i love yard work
14-i am a mother
15-i hate my eyebrows
16-i have red hair
17-i am a picky eater
18-i have different laughs
19-i fall asleep with my toes locked together
20-i am a morning and night person
21-i withdraw quickly
22-i am a sister
23-i have a fear of sharks and piranha's
24-i love jeans and t-shirts
25-i love cars/trucks
26-i am a daughter
27-i have cooking shows with accents at home
28-i have a strong testimony of the gospel because of life
29-i love the outdoors
30-i am extremely hard on myself
31-favorite movie is the long pride and prejudice

3 months

 i can't believe my sweet baby boy is 3 months...he gets more adorable and hilarious each day. paul and i are amazed at his growth and his beautiful eyes. he is such a good baby. he smiles with his whole face and his eyes light up. he brings such joy to us and our home. we say a prayer of thankfulness for him each and every day.
-still hates his car seat
-loves being naked
-found his fist and sucks with gusto
-smiles all the time
-loves being outside
-rolls onto his side
-farts a lot
-loves having his diaper changed
-grabs my hair and pulls
-very alert and attentive
-helps me bake
-loves bath time
-very good eater
-his legs run marathons
-loves going on walks
-prefers to face outward
-he looks in the mirror and smiles at what he sees

he is just perfect!
-ash