Henry - 9 months

Henry, my bubba boo boo (yes, I am an overboard pet-name-user, get used to it) you have developed so much over this past month! You spent your first couple of weeks as an 8 month old sleeping in different beds, in different states, constantly moving and getting "slightly" settled, only to move again, but you didn't miss a beat. Your pincher fingers were so much fun for you once you figured out how useful they were. You love to pinch anything you can, particularly the light switches and get excited every time you make a room dark, and then light again. I can point at something up in the sky, and you will follow my finger directly to the target and watch until it is out of sight! You LOVE to watch airplanes fly by, and saw your first shooting star...and we saw a blimp the other night, you thought that was pretty neat. You went through a short phase (about a week) where you were determined to grab the sky. You would look up and open and close that cute little scratchy hand, with your arm stretched out as high as you could reach! You still like to touch, and hold things with your feet, but you have gotten better at holding things with only your feet! 

Your favorite activity is to wrestle, and I'm being 100% serious. What a boy, am I right? You are one strong little boy and like to pin me down and climb all over (you try with your dad but he is much tougher to take down). I literally have bruises from you, my little feisty one. Speaking of being feisty, you have FOUR TEETH! Bubs, it is crazy how much two little teeth can change your appearance. Your two top teeth have started to join your two bottom teeth, and they make a great team for chomping. I have a couple marks, and a scab to prove it. But hopefully you grow out of that soon!

You learned how to clap early this month and it is the CUTEST! You clap about everything, and it isn't a dainty golf clap at all...we are talking full body, crazy eyed clapping, and I love it.

You haven't turned down anything that we have tried to feed you (except for avocados if given at the wrong time). You seem to prefer savory over sweet, but will take it all. You love your little crunchy puffs, and say NOM NOM NOM the entire time you are eating anything.

You have three sleeping posititions. 1) You like to sprawl out and take up as much room as your little body possibly can, which is actually an impressive amount, when you sleep. 2) On your stomach (true to your new born self). 3) On your side with your ankle crossed. You end up in each of these positions during each night for a period of time. Without a doubt when you wake up, there is a wet spot the size of your head on the sheets. We can't quite determine if it is sweat or drool, because each of those is very likely. And as far as sweat goes, you do sweat, quite a bit actually, mostly when you sleep or nurse. I kinda love it. Especially because your hair curls and sticks out all crazy, and the teeniest, perfect round beads of sweat sit on your nose.

In the past week you have learned how to pull yourself up into a standing position (super wobbly and scary but so cute) and you are starting to wave! It is really just your scratchy hand, yet again, but you will turn it toward someone, especially if I say "hi" and wave first!

Oh, I almost forgot! You are basically a fish. We always knew you loved the bath, but when we stuck you in the pool for the first time, and those legs started kicking, you were in heaven, and we were in heaven watching you! And you at the beach? Cutest thing EVER! We went on a windy day, it was pretty dang cold, but you didn't ever want to stop kicking and stomping in each wave as it crashed onto the shore. And boy did you love squishing your toes into the wet sand they left behind.

It is amazing to me how big of a personality such a tiny person can have, and what a life changing impact you have on those around you. We love you with all our hearts. Happy 9 month sweet boy!

PS: You are obsessed with books, particularly one you have about baby animals, and you still love your stuffed animals (Snowby, Bunny, and Foxy Duda)

 First night in big boy jammies!

 Moving into our place in OC...passed out on the floor.

 The video that this picture comes from will forever be a favorite in our family...you goofy boy.

 First time swimming!

 Star Wars fan in the making.

 You are happiest when you can FEEL mama and daddy at the same time.

 Those TEETH!

 Do you see the beads of sweat I was talking about?

 First trip to the beach!

 The sweaty hair!

Mother's Day

I remember in elementary school, our teachers would always ask us to draw a picture of, or write a paragraph about, what we wanted to be when we grew up. I always said that I wanted to be a mom. "Mama" is and forever will be my favorite name.

When I had Henry, I became someone new, it's as if I shed my old self as I dawned my new title. While it was, and still is, a huge adjustment, I know that I am fulfilling everything I was meant to do and become in this life.

Being Henry's mom is everything to me. He makes it so easy. He has taught me more than I could ever put into words, and forced me to find strength and bravery beyond anything I ever expected to find within myself. He is my world. Being his mama is my life. And that is everything to me.

Becoming a mother has also made me appreciate my mom and all that she does and continues to do. She is such a caring and thoughtful lady, I am honored to be her daughter and watch her serve those around her. I only hope that I can end up raising my kids are faithful and courageously as she did with my sisters and me.

This Mother's Day, I got to sleep in a little, as Kirby got Henry fed and ready for church without any prodding from me AND made me a delicious breakfast in bed. After church the boys took their nap, and I got some coveted, and much appreciated "me" time. I was able to watch a girly show, paint my nails and enjoy my favorite snacks that Kirby had hidden throughout the kitchen, followed by breakfast in bed (again, because hello! breakfast is the best).

As we got in bed that night I asked Kirby to give me a verbal card (he felt so bad that he hadn't gotten me a physical card, but this was much better, I loved hearing his raw thoughts). I took notes in my phone...and he might kill me, but it went something like this:

Happy Mother's Day Madison,

Thanks for birthing my son... he is perfect.

You're the most devoted and driven mom anyone could ask for, and I'm sure Henry would agree.

I love you so much!

Love,

Kirby

Kirby gets embarrassed when it comes to lovey dovey talk, so this was a big deal to him and a big deal for me to hear. It was so sweet to have him whisper those to me, as we snuggled in bed after a beautiful day.

I love my boys and all that they do for me.

Happy Mother's day!

Arizona

This summer we are headed to California! Yay, no more Texas!

We found out about a week before we were planning on driving to Orange County that our apartment wouldn't be available for another week after we had planned on getting there...so we were rerouted to stay in Phoenix, Arizona so that Kirby could sell with an office down there until we could move in.

So we shared a tiny apartment with a guy waiting for his wife and baby to get into town, and my sister and her husband. It was my first time in Arizona (where my dad served his mission). I learned something very important...Arizona is SO hot!

We didn't get out much...other than to Target every single day...but we did make time, on Sunday, to visit the Mesa and Gilbert temples. Talk about beautiful! The Gilbert temple gates were locked, but we walked around the perimeter in awe at the beauty within the gates. The temple itself is basically a fairy tale castle, and the grounds were a mini version of the garden of Eden.

The Mesa temple had (probably) the most incredible temple grounds I have ever walked on (and I have been to 15 temples). Not only was it GORGEOUS, but it smelled like heaven must smell of nothing but flowers and fresh greens, was completely silent other than the songs of the sweetest birds, and simply took my breath away.

The temples were honestly the highlight of the week. But let me just say how PROUD I am of Kirby. Each summer he has gotten a sale within his first day of selling, and this year it was the very first door he knocked! Go Kirby!

Each night Henry and I went on a walk around the apartments to help pass the time while we wait for Kirby to get dropped off. The apartments were near an airforce base, so while we were walking we would literally see at least 20 airplanes fly over out heads. Henry was mesmerized. I would point at the blinking lights in the sky, and he would follow my finger directly to the plane, and then watch it go out of sight...such a smart boy. On one of the nights, while we were watching a plane above our heads, we caught sight of the brightest shooting star, and Henry clapped...it was such a magical moment that I will treasure forever.

 
first night in big boy jammies

 Gilbert Temple

Mesa Temple

The night we saw the shooting star