Family Portraits

Thanks to Hansen Photography for taking our family pictures just a few days ago! I think they did a great job :)

Here are a couple sneak peeks! Stay tuned for more. Message me your address if you'd like a Christmas card from us :)

 

The Boy

Here is the latest and greatest!! This boy is growing up SO fast and I truly feel so blessed to be his mom!

 

 This little dude just learned to ARMY CRAWL! I could not be more proud of him! He has been so frustrated and trying to get places for so long. Now he doesn't have to roll everywhere. :)

 

This is his first time in the swing! Just this last weekend in St. George. He thought it was SO funny to try and kick his daddy in the face as he was swinging. Why do kids think violence is so funny?! He's only 6 months old for heavens sake!

 

This face should make me feel bad, but every time he does it I laugh SO hard. His sad face is just the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I can't help it! This was in response to his dad leaving the room. He loves is dad and gets so excited to see him after work. But if he leaves the room, look out...

 

6 month birthday!! Now he's almost 7 months. (Where does the time go?)

It was too cold to swim when we went to St. George at the end of October. So we swam in the big jetted tub instead. This baby is the happiest one there is. He finds the simplest joy in everything. He's so easy to please. We are sure grateful we got a happy, easy one like him!

And last, but not least, the GREAT PUMPKIN! Because of course, when you are 6 months old, what else should you be? Halloween was fun for us, but he could not handle more than 5 houses. We couldn't either ;)

Puppy Post

These two are expecting!! I couldn't be more proud, nor excited :) Cabela(black) is due to have 8-10 little ones on January 5th. They will be leaving us at Valentines :(

They are the most incredible, smart, loving dogs. I'm so glad that we got them this year. They are my pals during the day while Ike is gone at work, and they make Ash SO happy. He truly loves his dogs!

Even thought they have managed to cause some mischief spur of the moment crisis(es), ie digging out of our yard 4 times, shredding beautiful pet beds, climbing on the roof, etc...they are truly great.

Let us know if you want us to hold a cutie little pup for you or anyone you know :)

Nursing Isn't For Everyone

 

It's been a LONG time! My little boy is now 6 MONTHS OLD. How crazy. It's not as if I'm that busy either....I just have...reality tv to watch more important things to do? :)

I thought I'd do a post about nursing...because I have a few friends/family that now have babies, or will be.

Did I always plan on nursing my little guy, until he was at least 1? YES.

Do I know that it is definitely the best option, the healthiest, most cost-effective way to feed your child? YES.

Did I find out that sometimes, even situationally, it isn't for everyone? YES.

I quit nursing( it was half and half most of the time anyway) when Ash was 8 weeks old. Although I realized that many people would be aghast at how I could do such a thing...let me tell you why.

Ash absolutely hated it. I had one side that made milk, and one that didn't. The one that didn't would still hurt, and for a long time I thought it did make milk. It didn't. Poor little guy was sucking on a one-sided straw.

My living situation was not conducive to a "nursing" environment. We lived with our in-laws for 3 months, during which time I was 9 months preggo, to Ash being two months old. Although those times were the BEST, because we were able to save so much money and live in the home that we are in now, it made nursing nearly impossible. We had constant visitors, which I LOVED, but also didn't feel like whopping it all out there, in front of...my inlaws and friends. Call me weird?  I know some people do, and I completely RESPECT that, because I was a little too proud in that regard. Not to mention, that your girls do NOT look the same during pregnancy or after childbirth, and can frankly be a little frightening to the untrained eye ;)

After I stopped completely, Asher immediately slept throught the night. For the first time, the boy actually had a full stomach! He never spit up again either. He wasn't fussy anymore and finally seemed happy. For us, we found what worked best.

For a while I struggled, because there is SO much pressure to breastfeed, and you feel like a failure if you don't. I want others to know that, hey, if it doesn't work out....WHO CARES!! It is ok! Your child can and probably will be just as healthy, smart, athletic, or whatever you want them to be, as anyone else's kid. You can still bond with your baby and love them, without their mouth attached to you. Don't feel bad.

For those of you, probably most of you, that have nursed....I really look up to you and do feel that for YOU, you made the right decision. It is all about what makes us happy, our kiddo happy, and is best for our familial situation.

I hope next time, that I have a situation and kiddo that definitely make nursing easier. I'd love to be able to with my next child. But I also get now, that it is 100% ok if that is not the case. The only person I need to listen to when raising my little one is ME.