18 things about nolan at 18 months

 So, I meant to write this post over two months ago. You know, when Nolan was actually 18 months. But, I haven't really felt motivated to write here and somehow the time just got away from me. Although I didn't get to the actual writing of the post, I did scribble some ideas down a couple months ago and I'm glad I did! It is crazy how quickly toddlers grow and change. It's crazy to look back on this list even now and see how much he's changed already! 

Without further ado...

1. Do you know that song "Peanut Butter, Jelly Time"? If not, google it. But, somehow we started singing "Peanut Butter, Nolan Time" to that tune and every time we do, Nolan starts dancing like crazy! It is the most hilarious thing!

2. Nolan LOVES the show Little Einsteins and has even started learning to say the names of the characters on the show. He asks me daily if he can watch "wiw eitie". His favorite character is June ("ju") and he was asking me for Ju forever and I couldn't figure out what he wanted. He was getting so frustrated until he finally found the DVD and brought it to me!

3. Nolan loves to say "nooooooo..." and he will purposefully throw things off the bed, table, etc, just so he can say it.

4. Nolan has grown super attached to me and although he has been going to nursery for 2 months already and LOVES it, he started crying lately when we drop him off. He also tries to stick his hand down my shirt whenever I'm sitting with him. I've noticed this among other toddler boys and their moms as well. Is this a boy thing??

5. Although he is super attached to me, Nolan LOVES is grandpa. He calls him Papa and asks to facetime him every day. Luckily when Papa can't be reached, photos will usually suffice.

6. Nolan has been teething for months...he is just getting his first set of molars - all 4 at once!

7. As I mentioned before, Nolan started nursery at 16 months because I was called into the Primary Presidency and Scott teaches Sunday School. So, with both of us teaching at the same time most weeks, we opted to put him in a couple weeks early. Nolan is super social (although he does get shy at times) and loves people. He loves going to nursery and playing with all of his friends their. I think his favorite part is singing time.

8. Nolan loves to play outside. He especially loves to collect rocks and smell all the flowers he can see.

9. We went to San Diego in September and Nolan met the ocean for the first time. He loved the water and the sand, but wasn't super fond of when the sand would stick to his hands.

10. We went to Sea World while we were in SD and Nolan finally decided he likes water creatures (fish, dolphins, whales, etc.).

11. Oranges are Nolans new favorite fruit. He calls them "ohngees".

12. He LOVES to go swimming and we probably go about once a week. I bough a floaty for him called a Puddle Jumper and it is the best thing ever! With a little practice Nolan has learned to float and swim around in it without any help from me. Of course, I do stay right by him the whole time, but its nice to not have to always be holding him.

13. We finally turned Nolan's carseat around so that he is forward facing. His legs have been squashed up against the seat for a few months and he's always angrily kicking at it. He likes being turned around, but gets more angry when we aren't listening to him (now that he can see us!).

14. Nolan loves cars and, now that he's turned around, is constantly pointing at all the cars saying: "le cah!". We think he might be taking french lessons?

15. He has also started throwing things....everything. It is making meal time especially messy. This is probably our biggest behavioral issue. Although its a pain, I have to say Nolan is really very well behaved otherwise.

16. Nolan is saying many new words! (I wish I'd made a list, because I honestly can't remember what he was saying now!)

17. Nolan has also grown attached to his binky all of the sudden. I'm definitely regretting not taking it away at 14/15 months when he stopped using it all of the time. Well, now I know for next time!

18. Nolan gives the sweetest kisses! Whenever Dad gets up with him (6:30 wake up!), they come in when Scott needs to shower and Nolan gives me kisses to wake me up! It is so sweet! He makes this high pitched, really drawn out mmmwwaahh! sound and there is never any lip smack at the end. Some day he'll get that part down. :)


Nolan is the sweetest little guy and I love him to pieces! Some days I'm sad he's getting so big and I get baby crazy for the next one, but other days I love him so much I think he's all I'll ever need!

resolutions: july, august, september

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog. There are so many summer adventures I want to be sure to include, but I want to start by writing about the resolutions I've made this summer. 

July

Nolan has always been very attached to me when it comes to nursing. He was a frequent and slow nurser. After he turned one, I started trying to cut down on feelings do that I could eventually wean him. But we discovered his milk allergy right away which meant I had to hold off weaning until I could find an alternative milk source. We eventually started him on almond milk, but then Nolan got sick for a week....probably the worse illness he'd ever had. There was lots of diarrhea, some vomiting, refusals to eat or drink, and he had no energy. The only thing Nolan would do was nurse and sleep. So I gave up weaning for a little while. Then, we took a couple of trips to Utah in may and June. During each trip, we were much busier than we normally are at home and I noticed Nolan wouldn't ask to nurse nearly as much. So, by the time we came home from Utah at the end of June, I had cut down his nursing to twice a day and made it my resolution for July to really make the effort to finish the job. I started right away by cutting out the evening feeding and eventually the morning as well. The surprising thing is it only took about a week and Nolan never even asked to nurse again. I guess he was just ready! 

As a side note, I really don't think there is a problem with nursing to 18 months or even 2 years, but it was really important for me to wean once I found out about Nolan's milk allergy. Basically I wasn't willing to make the giant lifestyle change of cutting out all dairy when it wasn't really necessary for me to continue nursing him. Since weaning, Nolan's eczema is completely gone and only shows up once in awhile if he accidentally eats something with dairy in it. (He also gets little hives on his face and a diaper rash when it eventually passes through his system).

August

I actually started my August resolution in mid July when I finished weaning Nolan. I've really been struggling to lose the last 10-15 lbs of baby weight and I gain weight really easily right now. I actually gained another 5 when I was in Utah in June. So I decided it was time to start exercising regularly again. We have a gym in our apartment complex and its actually just across the street from us, so I really have no excuse not to! I started going 3 times a week and doing a mile on the treadmill or 15 minutes on the stair master and then 3 reps of 10 on all the arm and leg machines. I know it's not a ton, but its definitely a stat. I haven't really lost any weight, but I can definitely tell a difference in my overall fitness and my arms a lot more defined. I did really awesome with this goal until we took our trip to San Diego. I really need to get back at it!

September

Sorry, but this month i'm also working on weight loss. I've decided to follow a diet from a book I've been reading to hopefully change my eating habits for the better (and healthier). I've never really gone on a diet before so this is new to me! The diet starts out with a 2 day cleanse and then three weeks of cutting out all of your problem foods. After that you can basically start reintroducing all the foods you like, in moderation. Following these guidelines, you should be able to lose half the weight you want to in about 3 months. I'm hoping to lose about 10 lbs in that time. I just began my cleanse today, so I'll have to update you as I really get into it.

15 things nolan loves at 15 months

1. Eating fruit: he LOVES fruit. I don't think he's ever tried one he doesn't like. Some of his favorites include strawberries, bananas, and peaches.

2. Face timing with Grandma and Grandpa B who he calls "bapa" and "bama". 

3. Naps. Nolan will gladly go take a nap when he gets too tired to function. He MUST have his binky, blanket, and stuffed dog with him. He has become super attached to them lately. I think it might be a result of all the traveling we've been doing.

4. Playing games on the iPod touch.

5. Reading stories

6. Wrestling with dad

7. Animals and animal sounds. He loves looking at animals in real life, on tv, in books, or in apps. He loves hearing their sounds and he can imitate an impressive number of them. He does the dog, cat, elephant, lion/tiger/bear, snake, duck, cow, rhino, giraffe, and probably more that I can't think of right now.

8. Eating pasta. Pasta with a tomato based sauce is probably his favorite food. Serve it with broccoli and he is the happiest camper!

9. Playing in the kitchen. Nolan loves nothing more than to rummage through everything in the cupboards, play with the utensils, throw things in the trash, etc.

10. Water activities: this includes swimming, running around at the splash pad, taking baths, and even just washing his hands.

11. Talking: lately Nolan has started saying so many words...or at least things I recognize as words! He doesn't consistently use them, but when he's in the right mood he'll repeat a lot of them. He says ball, balloon, mama, dad, grandpa, grandma, water, cracker, strawberry, all done, thanks, please, car, and a few more on a regular basis. He also babbles nonstop.

12. People. Nolan loves to meet new people, play with them, and talk to them. Although he does get shy sometimes, he's very outgoing. He hates saying goodbye and will often start crying when it's time to go home or for someone else to leave. He is often found hugging strangers. 

This is seconds after hugging this little dude at the children's museum.

13. Music and dancing. Nolan loves all kinds of music. He loves to dance and has recently added a new dance move to his repertoire where he stomps one foot dramatically. I love to watch him dance! He also likes to sing a long at church, and waves his arm with the chorister.

14. Accessories. Nolan loves to wear accessories. He is always bringing me his winter hats or moccasins to put on him. He also tries to wear my jewelry whenever it's within his reach. 

 

15. And finally, Nolan loves his mama! He is in a very clingy stage where he only wants mama when he goes to bed, gets hurt, wakes up at night, etc. It can get a little tiring, but I'm loving all the hugs, kisses, and cuddles. Nolan is such a sweet, affectionate, little guy! I love him to pieces!

In other news, I finally weaned Nolan off the last feeding this week (at 15.5 months) and I'm surprisingly sad about it. I've definitely had a love hate relationship with breast feeding and I never thought I'd have such a hard time giving it up! Nolan is doing just fine without it though and hasn't asked to nurse once!

april, may, and june resolutions

I haven't been very good about updating my new years resolutions lately. But, I have been better about actually doing them!

April: MIND

For April, I wanted to do something that would allow me to exercise my mind more. I decided to work on reading more. I read a lot of books right after Nolan was born, but since he has gotten bigger and more demanding and I've started working again, I haven't really had the time or desire to read. I decided it was time to make reading more of a priority in my life. I checked out a bunch of books from our library. They were pretty much all fiction, youth novels that I knew I could read fairly quickly. I'm still not really in a place where I want to delve into a heavy book right now. I just don't have the time or patience to get through them. Anyway, I definitely accomplished my goal by reading seven books that month! I'll have to do another post on some of my favorites, but I am loving the I am Number Four series!

May: BODY

In May I decided it was time to work on my physical health again. I've really had a hard time getting back into exercising since having Nolan. I get so discouraged when I see some of my friends with babies 5 of 6 months old running marathons or even 5ks. My pregnancy and birth were really hard on my body. I was anemic for half my pregnancy, I was nauseous for the first 6 months which made it hard to do anything more than going to work every day (which ended in me gaining a little more than I wanted to), I broke my tail bone, and I've had hip and lower back pain from about half way through my pregnancy. I'm STILL suffering from pain in my tail bone and hip/back!

SO, I decided I needed to work on strengthening my lower back and hips to try to alleviate some of this pain so I can get back to where I want to be physically. I started doing some yoga at home. I'm doing a specific workout for back pain and it is really helping! The first time I did it, I was sore in spots on my back that I didn't even know existed! I don't get quite as sore anymore, but it is still a great work out and it has helped relieve some of my pain. My goal was to do some form of exercise three days a week. I did accomplish this for the most part, but not the week I spent in Utah for my aunt's funeral.

June: TIME MANAGEMENT

Life lately has been a little bit tough for me for a few different reasons. First, it has been hard for me to juggle my time between a toddler who doesn't like to play by himself; my job; and my responsibilities as wife, chef, and housekeeper. When I waste some of my time or don't have enough time to accomplish everything, the first thing to go is usually the tidiness of our house. And this leads to a downward spiral. I am less happy when everything is messy which makes Nolan less happy which means I accomplish less and become more stressed. So, no matter how many commitments I have and deadlines I have to reach, I've been working on keeping everything relatively neat. My goal for this month has been to make daily goals for myself and to organize my time well enough that I can accomplish everything I need to. Even if this means less time for things I want to do. So far things are going well and I've actually felt like I have more time! I mean look, here I am blogging for the first time in almost 3 months! :)

easter 2013

Easter this year landed about a week before Nolan's birthday (on my mom's birthday!). This was so awesome because it meant that Nolan got to celebrate two Easters before turning one!

The night before, Scott and I were up late and didn't have time to do all of the Easter bunny work, so our baskets didn't arrive until after church. Actually, Scott and I haven't ever done baskets for each other before, but we decided to do it this year. Having a toddler just makes celebrating every holiday seem necessary and much more fun! :)

Scott and I mostly got Easter candy, a DVD, and a new book each. I also got Scott an HDMI cable that he has been wanting for his Xbox and I picked out a pair of swim shorts for myself. :)

Nolan got a new book, a DVD with some kids cartoons, some rubber duckies, and some snacks! He loved his Easter basket and all of the colorful eggs and surprises!

My aunt and uncle who live about 40 minutes from us were kind enough to invite us over for Easter dinner. We had a great time and were glad to have some family to celebrate with!

After we came home from dinner, we skyped with my mom to wish her a happy birthday!

the twelfth month

Nolan turned one about two months ago! I can't believe how old he is getting! I've been so busy lately and haven't been able to update the blog as often as I'd like to.

Nolan had a great birthday! My brother Nathan was on spring break the week of Nolan's birthday, so my parents were able to come down with him and celebrate with us! We had a great time with them swimming and expolring some of Phoenix.

For Nolan's actual birthday, we decided to go to the Zoo. The Phoenix Zoo is huge and has tons of animals! It was so fun to show Nolan around. He either growled or barked at every animal. My parents even gifted us a zoo membership for Nolan's birthday. It only costs about $5 more than it would cost for 4 adult admissions -- and you get two free passes. Now we get to take Nolan to the zoo all year!

After the zoo, we came home for naps while I made dinner and Nolan's cake. We had baked ziti for dinner because I promised my mom a birthday dinner (she asked for lasagna) and Nolan loves pasta with any kind of red sauce.

Nolan's cake was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This was about a week before my suspicion that Nolan is allergic to milk was confirmed. So, unfortunately, this was probably his first and last experience with cream cheese ... at least for the next few years. (hopefully he grows out of his allergy!). Anyway, he LOVED the cake and ate every last bite!

We then opened presents. Grandma and Grandpa B. got Nolan some cute outfits and some books, uncle Nate got Nolan a mini soccer ball, and we got Nolan his own mini laptop, a giant animal book, and some magnets for the fridge. He loves all of his gifts! He even got a card with a puppy on it from his Nana and Pap pap. He loved the card and ran around giving the puppy kisses all day! The card came with a check which we opted to use to open a savings account for him. He doesn't really need any more gifts and we wanted to start a tradition of giving him money to save every birthday.

The best part of the whole evening was probably when we brought out the balloons. I had wanted to get them filled with helium, but we didn't end up having time to find a place to do it for us. But, I'm glad it turned out that way because Nolan was so funny when he saw them! He tried to grab one but it bounced away, so he started chasing after them and trying to tackle them. Of course, they'd always pop out of his grasp so he'd have to keep going after them. It was so hilarious to watch! He was so serious about the whole thing! It didn't even look like he was having fun! Luckily my parents got it on video. I'll have to see if I can get a copy to upload. 

After all of the festivities, we put Nolan down for the night and I ended up going to bed early as well with a migraine. Too much heat, sun, and stress for one day! But, I'm so glad Nolan had a great day!

the eleventh month

My baby is 11 months old! Crazy! Whats even crazier is that he is walking around like a full blown toddler. I'm definitely not ready to have a toddler! He is growing up too fast! I swear he is getting so long and lanky these days. I measured him today and he was about 29in long and 22lbs. He has thinned out quite a bit though. He is definitely losing his baby chub.

As I mentioned, Nolan is walking this month! He starts out walking wherever he plans to go. But when he falls, he just keeps crawling. I have yet to see him stand up without holding onto something, so maybe that is part of the problem. Oh, well. He'll get it soon enough! :)

Nolan loves his food, he will eat anything and everything. We always feed him part of what we're eating (with the exception of dairy because I think he is still pretty sensitive to it) and he LOVES it all! He loves flavorful food and will even eat things that are a little bit spicy. He has also somehow figured out which things are food and will hand me granola bars and things he's never eaten before and want me to open them. He also loves to get into the food pantry and will go pick out some baby food when I tell him to. :)

Nolan uses a sippy cup of water but can also drink from a straw and a cup with our help. He especially loves drinking out of water bottles and will beg for some water if he sees me drinking from one. :)

Nolan loves to communicate with his hands. He waves hi and bye, beckons when he wants something from us, and points at things he's looking at. It is actually really funny. He takes a little while to warm up to most people. I think he is trying to decide whether he likes them or not. But if they are smiling and waving and him, he just points at them. :) It is hilarious to Scott and me and luckily most people think its cute!

Nolan loves to take baths and play in the water.

He is tentative about grass (its been forever since we've seen any- we're definitely enjoying the weather here in Phoenix!).

He loves his mama and will only cuddle with me (sometimes, and for only about 30 seconds, but I'll take what I can get!). When he does, I'll usually say "aw, how sweet Nolan!" so now, he'll come over to me and lay his head on me and say awwww, awwww"). Its the cutest thing! :)

And, he is getting really great with his schedule. He always knows when its time to eat and he knows that after his second nap, Dad comes home! He usually goes and bangs on the front door calling for his dada!

One of the best things about this stage is that he can understand so much of what I tell him and he is starting to communicate back to me. The other day I ask him if he needed his diaper changed and he went right into his room and over to his changing table. He also imitates my "all done?" at meal time with an "ah-duh" if he's through! I'm so excited for when he really starts talking and letting me know whats going on inside his head!

 I love this little guy so much and I can't imagine my life without him!

march resolution: spriritual health

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now, but I've been pretty busy during Nolan's nap times right now and its hard to get anything done on the computer while he's awake. :)

Our new ward (congregation) here in Phoenix has set goals for each month of the year. I decided to take the challenge and devote this month to my spirituality. Of course, I hope to maintain these goals in the future as well.

This month, I'm specifically working on creating daily habits. I plan to read my scriptures and pray every single day (and I haven't missed one yet!). I also want to work on getting better at seeking inspiration and following the promptings I receive. It is also my goal to get to the temple this month. Hopefully we can find a baby sitter... or we might just have to take turns so that Scott and I can both have a chance! :)

I guess the ward really wanted to help me with my goal, because they have already given us an assignment to speak in Sacrament Meeting. I have devoted some of my study time this past week to preparing my talk. My topic is teaching the youth righteous habits. Let me know if you have any great ideas I can incorporate! :)

february celebrations

It seems like most people don't like February very much. I guess its because its dark and cold in many parts of the world. But I LOVE February. :) Not only is it the month of love, but it is also my birthday month. Sometimes I wish it wasn't such a short one!

Valentine's Day::

This year we didn't do much celebrating. Valentine's day was just a few days after we arrived in Phoenix and we had a lot of things to get done. We were lucky enough to have my mom with us that day though and she was kind enough to babysit so we could go see a movie. I decided I wanted to watch something a little bit romantic/chick flick-y so we went to see Safe Haven which is based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. It was pretty good, but as always a little but cheesy and fairly predictable. Also, Scott gave me a giant Reese's Peanut Butter heart. So I can't complain much on that front. :)

My Birthday::

My birthday was on a Friday this year so we ended up celebrating most of the weekend. Scott surprised me by coming home during his lunch hour on Friday. AND, he brought me a flour-less chocolate cake from a local bakery and then for dinner we went to Chili's.

Scott let me sleep in on Saturday morning and then after Nolan's morning nap we decided to do a little exploring around Phoenix. We were trying to decide between visiting the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Park. We choose to go to Papago and take a little hike/explore the area. When we got the there, we realize the Zoo is literally right next door to Papago! Ha! We didn't go to the Zoo, but we'll have to check it out soon. We spent a few hours there going on a small hike, eating a picnic lunch, and watching the ducks by the lakes. It was fun and free!

This is what we hiked.

I don't know if you can tell, but there are a couple of lakes in the background, surrounded by palm trees.

Not the best picture of me, but oh well. :)

Later that night, Scott made me a nice steak dinner with mashed potatoes, asparagus, and artisan bread. It was very tasty!

the tenth month

So, I have been awful at writing these posts lately! Moving while working part time and taking care of a baby/home is a lot of work! It doesn't leave me much time to blog or take pictures. Sadly, that means I don't have many pictures of this past month. I do have a few that I'll upload when I find the cord...but for now, I just want to get this post written before my baby is 11 months old!

At 10 months, Nolan is so much fun! This is seriously the best stage ever! I love how much he engages with us and loves to play.

Nolan loves to cruise around the room. He is SO fast! He has also started standing on his own. I noticed that he would let go of things while standing so that he could play with whatever toy was in his hands. I don't think he even realized he wasn't holding on! So I took him into the middle of the room and stood him up. When I let go, he started laughing. I think he thought it was so funny he was standing there on his own! Then he went ahead and took 3 or 4 steps before lunging for me. It was so fun to see his progress walking! He was doing GREAT before we starting packing up our whole house...

Nolan started doing this really cute thing where he would put both of his arms in the air when we said touchdown. He thought it was so funny!

Seriously the best part of this month has been the development of his sense of humor. He is a little ham and we love it so much!

Nolan loves to follow around and play with other kids. He has also decided he NEEDS to be eating whatever I'm eating.

He loves to play with any technology including my laptop, cell phones, iPods, digital clocks, the TV, you name it and he loves it!

Before we moved, Nolan had also gotten into a pretty great napping schedule. He would get up between 7:30 and 8, go down for a nap about 10 or 10:30 sleep for 1-2 hrs and then be up till his next nap that started between 2-3 depending on how long his first nap was. His afternoon nap was usually 1-2 hours as well. He goes to bed between 7-8 and was waking up about 2-3 times a night which is a great improvement!

He is also a champion eater! 3 meals of baby food a day along with snacks and nursing on demand.

We love this little guy so much! I can't believe how much fun he is these days!

february resolution & review: create a healthy home PART I

Since February is almost over, this post is both the description of my resolution AND the review. I promise I've been working on it all month though! :)

So...my new years resolution was to be more healthy in all aspects of my life. I found out at the end of January that we would be moving in February. So, I wanted to find a resolution that I felt like I would really be able to keep this month. I decided to focus on creating a healthier home. By this, I really meant I wanted to focus on de-junking. I know I have a tendency to hang on to things for sentimental reasons. I have a hard time getting rid of things from my childhood that I really don't need and I won't ever use again. BUT, they hold so many great memories that I just can't seem to part with them. So I've ended up with several boxes full of things like this and I have nothing to do with them and no where to put them.

In Provo, we lived in a three bedroom townhouse with plenty of extra storage space. But, we planned on getting a two bedroom in Phoenix to save on rent. So, I planned to force myself to part with some things so that we could have less storage. I spent a couple weeks before we moved going through all of our things and boxes of storage. We got rid of probably 6-7 boxes of things. Honestly it felt great!

Now, as I'm unpacking everything in Phoenix, I am getting rid of even more things! I've still ended up finding things I just can't bear to part with yet. But hopefully next time I go through things I'll be able to cut the ties! :) I really want to try to be more of a minimalist in my life, but I feel like I'm going to have to take baby steps to get there.

Hurray for less things to store! :)

january review: healthy eating

So....February is almost half way over and I haven't posted about my January resolution to eat more healthily OR what my February resolution is. Things have been super crazy lately! About a month ago Scott was offered a job with the Red Cross in Phoenix and since then it has been crazy trying to get everything ready for the move. So, although everything is still pretty crazy around here, I thought I'd take a minute to catch up on blogging before I get too far behind.

To kick start our healthy month off right, I wanted to try going meatless for a week. Scott wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but he agreed to do it with me. :) Probably because I do most of the cooking! Ha! Anyway, it was a great experience! I definitely don't plan to become a vegetarian anytime soon, but it was a great way to experience some new foods! I made six different vegetarian meals and we were in a rush one night and needed something quick. We went to Cubby's Chicago Beef (probably one of the restaurants we'll miss the most in Provo!) and grabbed a couple of their vegetarian "Portabella" mushroom burgers. They are awesome. Anyway, when I finally unpack my vegetarian recipes, I'll have to post a couple of our favorites. I think there was one we didn't really like as much. Oh well. Overall, I am SO glad that we decided to do this! I seriously felt great afterward - so much lighter and healthier! I even lost 5 lbs!

In addition to doing a meatless week, I also tried to curb some of my bad eating habits :) and just try to be more healthy overall. I complain about not being able to lose the last 5-10 pregnancy pounds, but the truth is, I know why. I love my comfort food. I love to eat potatoes, breads, pastas, pastries, and chocolate - and they are definitely not helping me lose any weight. So, I decided to cut back. I only let myself eat potatoes once or twice a week at the most. I've also switched out a lot of our pastas for wheat pasta. I've also made an effort to only buy whole grain breads (except on special occasions - like when I want a croissant :). I love to bake, so giving up pastries and baked goods would be really hard for me. I'm still working on this one, but in general I'm just trying not to eat as much.

Since our vegetarian week, I've also been much more motivated to include more vegetables in our meals. I word to the wise: Although it probably helped me to dive right in to a vegetarian lifestyle & eating only whole wheat and whole grains, it is probably best to make the changes more slowly. Your digestive system will thank you. Trust me. :)

the ninth month

**Note: I wrote this post a couple days before Nolan turned 9 months. All I needed to do was add the photos. BUT, we have been SO busy that I hadn't gotten around to it until now. And Nolan is almost 10 months now! Oh well, better late than never!

Nolan has officially been outside of the womb for as long as he was inside! Crazy! It honestly feels like he has been with us for so much longer than nine months!

Sometimes I feel like he's already a teenager! :)

This past month was so fun with him! He is getting around so quickly! He loves to stand while holding on to whatever is close by. He cruises around the room holding onto furniture.

He plays with this dresser handle every morning after he gets dressed! :)

Nolan standing in his crib after a nap. He didn't even notice me when I turned on the light.

I had to call his name before he would look at me. :)

Nolan LOVES to pull anything and everything out of drawers and baskets. Here he is unloading our dirty laundry....

Nolan has discovered stairs! He crawled away while we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After about 20 seconds I followed to see where he had gone. He was already 5 stairs up before I got there! He is a pro!

He'll do anything to get to the stairs. Here he is climbing over his car seat...

Nolan is so fun to play with and his little laugh is so infectious! He is super ticklish and loves to wrestle around (gently). He loves to come find us when we hide and he LOVES riding on dada's shoulder's.

Here he is on my shoulders...trying to keep him happy before bed.

He says dada all the time and has started calling me "nama" this month. When he gets upset he says nam or nama over and over while pleading me to pick him up with his little eyes!

He is eating more and more baby foods and finger foods. Anytime we are eating he thinks he should be eating too. We discovered that he loves oranges. He found one in our stocking stash and started peeling it with his little teeth! We've since peeled some and let him have a try. Whenever he sees the bowl of cuties on our table he lunges for them!

Eating snacks and watching TV!

Nolan is getting more and more coordinated. He started waving bye bye this month, but only does it when he feels like it. He's also learning to give high fives!

Nolan loves his grandpa!

Nolan had a lot of fun playing with his cousin Carter over the holidays. They loved to follow each other around, steal each others toys, torment Pookie together! They only ever got jealous when the other was being fed.

Talking to each other at Cafe Rio.

Unloading the dishwasher - such good helpers!

Playing with (or fighting over) toys. ...In matching outfits. Thanks Grandma!

One of my favorite developments so far is Nolan's love for music! He loves his toys that play music! When one of his toys (or any other form of music including commercials, radio, whistling, or singing) plays music, he bobs up and down dancing to the beat. It is the cutest thing ever! He gets this big grin on his face and sometimes dances with his hands too!

He loves to play the piano!

Nolan also celebrated his first Christmas! We spent Christmas morning with my family. Nolan had some fun ripping the paper and he loved the new toys he got. I am especially happy that he loves his rocking moose that Santa brought him.

Nolan and his car/walker from G & G B.

Nolan and the rocking moose!

Batman in training!

Nolan and Carter in their superhero jammies from Aunt Megan! :)

A few days before Christmas, Nolan started getting a cold. I'm pretty sure he developed a low grade fever by later that day. So, Christmas day at Nana and Pappap's wasn't quite as enjoyable. Nolan was pretty fussy and not willing to nap without a crib. So unfortunately, we had to cut the visit a little bit short. Even as sick and tired as he was, he still loved his gifts from his Nana!

The Sunday before Christmas, we went with my family to see the lights at Temple Square

On Christmas Eve, Nolan went to the mall to meet Santa. He did really well - even smiled for the picture! ...Until I walked out of site (behind the photo booth). Then he started crying.

Christmas Eve dinner with my family ... yes, we are all wearing sweats.

Nolan opening his Christmas Eve box. He got a Christmas board book and some jammies!

2013 resolution: be more healthy

I'm always excited to make new years resolutions every year. But the excitement tends to fade away as the year goes on and by December I hardly even remember that I made any goals for the year! So this year I decided to do something a little bit different. I picked a theme for my goals this year and I plan to make new goals at the beginning of each month that are based off of my theme. Hopefully I will develop new habits and carry each one on throughout the year as I add a new goal each month.

The theme I've chosen for this year is to be more healthy.

The past 18 months have been very draining on me - in all senses of the word. Being pregnant and then nursing has been stripping my body of nutrients and I can feel the effect they are having on me. This, along with a lack of sleep, has drained me of my energy.

A new baby can also do crazy things to your emotions. All of the sudden being 100% responsible for a helpless human being is hard! Especially when you're tired. :) There have also been so many great emotions this past year! Each new milestone is so fun to celebrate over. I really had no idea I could love someone so much!

Anyway - these are just a few of the things that have been hard for me the past year or so. Which is why I'd like to dedicate 2013 to becoming more healthy - physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, in my home, my work, and my self.

SO... for the month of January, my goal is to be more healthy in my eating habits. I want to:

- drink more water
- have a vegetable centered diet
- eat more fruit

- eat less meat
- eat less empty carbs (potatoes! white bread and pasta)
- eat less sweets

To start out the month, my family and I are going to go a week without eating meat. Eating less meat is not only great for our diets, but it is also great for the environment as well. I don't have any plans to become vegetarian, but I'd like to start my goal out strong and force myself to think outside the box and to try some new recipes. Scott isn't quite as enthusiastic, but hey, I'm the one doing the cooking! :)

2012

I've been thinking lately about how the year is kind of like each week. Every week I look forward to the "end". The weekend, when Scott is home with us and we get to take a break from the monotony of every day tasks. I look forward to the end of every year. The holidays are my favorite time! We get to spend extra time with family, eat great food, and have an excuse to bake up a storm! :) We get to celebrate being thankful and the birth of the Savior. I just can't get enough!

However, weeks and years are also different. I (almost) never look forward to the new week. (Mondays! Yuck!). But I always look forward to the new year. There is just something exciting about starting fresh and having an excuse to think about how you can make your life better. I have some goals for 2013 that I'm really excited about. But first I want to remember all the great (and the not so great) things that happened in 2012.

JANUARY:

Isn't Carter a cutie!?

January was a hard month for me. I was pregnant and still pretty sick. Work was CRAZY! We were given last minute notice about some trials the MTC and Missionary Department wanted to do. We have to make tons of changes to flights and schedules in addition to our regularly heavy workload at that time of the year. It was really frustrating at the time. But months later I can see just why it was so important for us to do that work! On the positive side of things, my little nephew Carter was born! He is such a cutie! :)


FEBRUARY:

The aftermath of my family shower

Work continued to be crazy in February but it was broken up by a lot of fun things! Scott and I celebrated our last Valentine's Day without any babies, I had a great 22nd birthday and I was thrown two baby showers--one by my awesome coworkers and friends and the other by my family.


MARCH

Nate turns 16 and can finally date!

In March I went to my last day of work (although I didn't officially quit until my maternity leave was over), and I spent a couple of weeks getting ready for Nolan as my due date came and went. We also celebrated some birthdays in my family and were lucky enough to have Katie and Carter here for my mom's!


APRIL

After about 12 hours of labor, Nolan is born just after midnight on April 5th! We were so excited to see him! We celebrated his first easter a few days later and opted to stay home from all of the festivities. :) We were also very excited when Scott was offered his job at the American Red Cross and began work about three weeks after Nolan was born.



MAY

After Nolan's baby blessing

In May, Scott took a trip with his siblings down to St. George to visit his Grandpa Keyes who wasn't doing very well. Unfortunately, Nolan was too small for us to attempt the trip. We were very glad Scott was able to make the trip since his Grandpa passed away soon after. On a more positive note, Nolan received a name and a blessing at his Nana and Pappap's house and I experienced my very first Mother's Day as a mother!


JUNE

My dad's first father's day as a grandpa!

In June, Scott and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary and Scott experienced his very first Father's day. We also celebrated the day by speaking in our new ward with less than 24 hours notice. I also officially quit my job and had a great going away party there. I definitely miss that job sometimes!


JULY

Nolan and Great Grandpa B!

In July, we celebrated the 4th with my family. Nolan was not a fan of the fire trucks and police cars. Hopefully the parade will be a better experience next year! :) We also took family pictures with my family and Nolan was able to meet his great Grandpa Butterfield for the first time. Scott had a crazy month at work with all of the wild fires happening in Utah.


AUGUST

Family pictures taken in July

August continued to be a crazy month for Scott with the aftermath of the fires which included mudslides in Saratoga Springs. Nolan and I continued to spend a lot of time together with Scott being gone so much for work.


SEPTEMBER

Touching leaves in Provo Canyon

 
 In September my Grandpa Butterfield passed away at the age of 91. We were sad to see him go, but since he had already lived a long life and outlived two wives, we know he was ready to move on.
 We also took Nolan on his first trip up the Provo Canyon to see the fall leaves and colors.  He LOVED looking at all the leaves!


OCTOBER

At the Cemetary in Logan, UT

At the beginning of October, we had a funeral for Grandpa Butterfield. Every one of his children and all but one of his grandchildren were able to be there! It was great to see all of my family again. We also had a great Conference weekend and enjoyed the new announcement regarding missionary changes. Megan was excited to here that she would be elegible to serve as soon as she turned 19! We also celebrated Nolan's first Halloween where he dressed up as a Gnome!


NOVEMBER

Megan reading her call

In November, Megan turned 19 and turned in her mission papers. She opened her call on 23 November and found out she'd be leaving on 23 Janurary to serve in the Hungary Budapest Mission! We also celebrated not one, not two, but three Thanksgivings this year! Scott's parents were having Thanksgiving on Friday and my parents were having it on Saturday. So, I cooked my first turkey (leg) and we celebrated on Thursday as a family of three! I also started my new job working as a contract writer for Orange Soda this month.


DECEMBER

December was a great month. Nolan and I spent a lot of time at my parents house. Megan got her wisdom teeth out and Nate had surgery on his vocal cords the next day. We stayed a my parent's house to help my mom with the patients! We celebrated Christmas eve and Christmas morning with my family and then headed south to celebrate Christmas day with Scott's family. After a couple days at home we went back up North to go through the Temple with Megan for her first time. It was a great experience!