Wrapping Up July

July was a month of firsts...

We bought this toy car for Stryder when we was a baby and managed to hang on to it throughout all these years, even when we were getting rid of all things baby. Well we finally pulled it out for Sam to tryout. He kind of liked it but I think the big kids got a bigger kick out of him in it.

 And then naturally Dixie thinks it's the perfect dog bed.

Then this month was my first time leaving Sam with a babysitter for more than a half hour. For months, Ben and I had been known this night was happening. Steve and Jess got tickets for all of us to see The Little Mermaid at the Hale Centre Theater and we were really excited but the night almost didn't happen. I has really worried about leaving Sam for that long but just like everything with Samuel, he totally surprised us all. He did awesome! He got a little fussy but never started a crying fit that never stopped. The play was amazing and I'm so glad we went. The Hale Theater is in a round and the stage lifts and drops, basically it was unlike anything I've ever seen. I even waited after the show to meet Ariel. But my favorite part of the night was walking back into the house and seeing Sam's face absolutely light up with pure joy and excitement upon seeing me. I am so loved by him!

My parents came into town this week to bring Trevor to volleyball camp at BYU. Then it worked out that my dad had meetings so I got to spend the day with my mom doing some back to school shopping with the kids and other adventures. We hit up Scheel's and my mom is such a good sport and rode the Ferris Wheel with Shelby and Soren while Sam, Stryder, and I watched the fish. Sam loved sitting up in the carts for the first time that day and was such a good baby throughout the day. My mom is so awesome for being so generous and spoiling her grand kids. We sure do love her and grandpa.

And finally Sam had his first taste of a fudge ice cream bar this month. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

So much so that the next time I gave him some he was all smiles waiting for his next bite. He is such a sweet baby and we sure so love experiencing all these firsts with him.

Samuel Teddy Bear ~ 6 months

Samuel is 6 months old! It has been a pretty amazing half of a year and we are so happy that Sam is a part of our family. Over the past month he has figured out how to roll all over like crazy. He's even started to scoot and occassionally gets his knees up under him but can't get his arms figured out yet. He babbles a lot and it sounds like he's saying momma when he gets really upset. He loves sweet potatoes and ice cream but is just happy to be sitting in his bumbo at the dinner table with us. Sam and I are pretty much attached and together all the time. He's starting to notice the difference between someone else holding him and me holding him and really prefers just me. The sound of Ben's voice or even his snores will put a smile on Sam's face though, and when we are laying in bed it's super cute watching Sam try to get at Ben to wake him up. Some days I feel incredibly overwhelmed and wish things weren't so hard or going a certain way but when that sweet miracle baby is snuggled up in my arms, all is right in the world. He makes me grateful everyday and gives me hope. Oh Samuel Teddy thank you for these first 6 months, I can't wait to see what the next 6 months old for us.

Sam was born with that little red birthmark on his back. It's shaped like a perfect little sideways heart. I don't know if it will fade away one day but I hope not. I like to think it's his stamp of love from all those he was with before he joined our family. I know so many special people where loving on this precious boy before they finally let him come to earth. And again I will always say...he was worth the wait.

The Fourth of July, Family, and Fun

So far the month of July has been a fun one. We headed south to Henderson for the 4th of July weekend. We spent all of our time soaking up the sun and lots of time with family. The Robbins family lovingly welcomed us, along with Cari's family, to their pool for hours of swimming. I'm so grateful for such good friends who I miss terribly. 
 

I started out taking pictures of Shelby and how she's almost as tall as her almost 15 year old cousin Meghan but I'm so glad RaeLeigh jumped in and I was able to get a picture of these bathing beauties. They are growing up so quickly.

This was Sam's first time swimming and I think it's safe to say, I may have another fish on my hands. And that makes me super happy. Now I just need to find some more places and time to swim here in Utah.
 

We loved having Uncle Trevor with us and getting to spend so much time with him and even meeting his "girl". I sure love how helpful and patient he is with my kiddos. And I can't wait for him to come spend another weekend up here with us.

On the 4th, we hung out at my mom's and had a barbeque. Then we headed to Boulder City for their fireworks show. We found an awesome spot and parked alongside Cari's car. Her Olivia handed out little bags of popcorn and soda and it was the perfect celebration of our independence. The first big boom of the fireworks scared Sam but he soon relaxed and watched the show. 
It was a nice little getaway from life for a few days. The drive home was a bit annoying since Sam hates being in his carseat and isn't sleeping all the time. He cried from Cedar City to Nephi. It was a long drive to say the least.

On the 13th, Ben turned 32! We were just planning a quiet night at home with the kids when we got a text from Randall asking about a double birthday date. Ben's sister Candice, that we live with, shared her birthday with Ben when she was 2 years old and they have been sharing ever since. So we hurried and fed the big kids and then Ben and I with Sam headed to Texas Roadhouse with Candice and Randall. Then we went bowling. It had been a really long time since any of us had been bowling and it was hilarious fun. 
I'm so grateful for Ben and all he does for his family. We sure do love him.

And finally, this past weekend Shelby and I had a very merry unbirthday Mad Hatter tea party. It was an activity days mother daughter brunch and it was awesome. The decorations were amazing and it was so nice to spend some special time with Shelbs.

June Wrap-Up

Here is a picture overload of what we've been doing so far this summer. June is always busy with birthdays and Father's Day but this year we seemed to add even more to it.

On the first official day of no school for summer, we went to Neptune Park. Ok this monkey bar pyramid is like 25ft tall and yes that is Stryder up at the very top. And of course they loved it.

Then I decided to send my phone up to the top with Stryder. He put it in his pocket and then was super scared to take it out and was so afraid he was going to drop it but I love the pictures he got. Looking down from the top you can see Meleah, Soren, Carter, and Shelby, the crazy kids that climbed really high.

 Poor Sam, he's got one sister and she's already dressing him up. At least it was cat ears.

Right before Stryder turned 12 he got to go on one last adventure with the 11 year old scouts. He has had so much fun with those boys and had the best leaders. Brother Alba in particular, has made a lasting impact on Stryder and was even in the circle when Stryder was ordained. For this last adventure they went on an overnight camp out. Ben was able to get off early and go at the last minute and I know both of them were so excited about that fact. While at the campout they did a little ceremony for Stryder turning 12 and Brother Alba gave him a necklace with a tomahawk (the name of their troop is the flaming tomahawks) and with it came a commitment to get his Eagle award. He's so determined to continue on with his scouting career.

When my parents came up they brought Trevor and our nephew Mason. We had a blast taking them to the zoo. Neither of them had ever been to a real zoo before and it was made even better by the fun fact that Hogle Zoo is doing a big Zoorassic Park theme this summer. I thought it would just be dinosaur statues around but they were animatronic and moved, roared, and spit. It was such a blast.

Trevor took my camera for the trip and captured so many great shots. I loved this moment with Sam watching the seals and sea lions swim by.

This is the T-Rex that moved and roared. He was pretty rad.

This little furry guy totally caught Sam's attention for a few minutes as he jumped around his tree. It was so cute watching Sam follow him around.

I loved all the Jurassic Park things they had around the park. It made me smile.

We sure loved having Mason come visit us for the weekend. It was so fun having these cousins all together.

Stryder was eating a cookie and Sam thought it looked so yummy. He tried to grab it and eat it himself. It was pretty cute.

This pretty much summed up Ben's Father's Day. He got a yummy breakfast and dinner and watched his boy pass the sacrament for the first time. Plus a lot of love from his family.

We took this whole crew to see Inside Out. It was seriously so so good! We are still talking about it. I cried, like a lot. Made me really think about my kids growing up and making sure their is a lot of Joy.

The last weekend in June was Cub Scout Day Camp. Up here they only go for two days instead of a week but it was pretty much all day. The first day was dinosaur themed and the second day was Lego themed. How could it not be super fun?! Soren did come home really dirty both days though, another sure sign of a good time. Stryder got to participate in a team building and ropes course activity with his young men's group at Camp Williams. He came home and would not stop talking about all the cool stuff he did. The Saturday before he was able to go perform baptisms for the dead at the Timpanogos Temple. He'd only been 12 for ten days and got the chance to have that experience. Such a blessing for him.

And finally we spent some time out on the trampoline trying to take pictures of the kids flying through the air. It was pretty funny but laughing and making memories is what I was going for anyways right?! HA!

I sure do love this crew of mine and I can't wait to create more memories and have tons more fun this summer.

Nine Sure is Fine

On June 20th, Soren turned 9. We celebrated at Bear Park for Ben's family reunion, an evening showing of Jurassic World (which was awesome by the way), and a shopping trip to Target. This kid is super hilarious and makes me laugh everyday. He loves his momma and especially loves being a big brother. He's always so eager to help with Sam and I love that. Our family sure is lucky that he picked us.

Oh I love this picture. Sam loves his big brother and Soren can make him smile and laugh so easily.

With Connie and Rob moving from Henderson, we uncovered all sorts of treasures, like this "All about me" poster from Soren's kindergarten year. There are some of my most very favorite pictures of Soren on this poster. I love that sweet boy.

Samuel Teddy Bear ~ 5 months

 

Sam is 5 months old! This last month seems to have flown by. He become a lot better at rolling over and can scoot a little bit in a circle. He even rolled off Shelby's bed and boy was that traumatic for me haha! But his bump went away and now we all know not to leave him unattended on the edge of the bed. This kid is super ticklish and will laugh at the most random things, mostly the weird noises his brothers make. He's such a good baby and this miracle blessing we just can't get enough of.

I finally got a picture with his legs down. He loves to play and now eat his toes. Oh I love this baby!

Another Priesthood Holder in the House

With turning twelve, Stryder was ordained a deacon and given the Aaronic Priesthood. My parents and brother came in town for the occasion and Stryder loved the attention. He's now passing the sacrament and I tear up every time. He's jumped wholeheartedly into his duties and we are so proud of him.

He's Twelve

On June 10th, Stryder J turned 12! I know I say this all the time but I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. Time is a jerk!! Stryder is turning into one outstanding young man. He still has an incredibly vivid imagination and still likes to dress up. But he's also developed quite a sense of style and will only wear certain shirts and shorts, especially in public. Stryder is so helpful around the house and has taken on so much responsibility without too much complaint. He also loves Samuel so much and can't stand to hear him cry and will come running from the other room to see if he can help. His heart is so tender and he really tries to be a good boy. I can't even express how much I love this kid and how I'm actually a little bit excited to watch him continue on his way to becoming a teenager.

Oh how miss those chubby cheeks and that little boy.

Ben and I nailed the birthday present this year. He'd been asking for a long board for a while and we decided that 12 was a pretty big deal so he deserved a pretty big present. He was very surprised and so excited.

Oh gosh Stryder J, stop growing up! But if you must please always remember who and whose you are and that we will always love you for forever!