I have to say it's just been so hard to blog lately. I feel like with teaching preschool, trying to make time for my friends and trying to keep up with digital scrapbooking my kids, the blogging is on the back burner. There is just too much to write about to even try. But here a few pictures of the kids, they have grown up so much, and my baby girl turns ONE on Thursday. I feel like I could cry a little.
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Here is just a quick update of some things we have been up to this summer...

Jackson had so much fun at Emmy's Carnival Party


Just look how cute these two are!Discovering Pocatello's beauty while hiking with friends.
4th of July fireworks! Took Jackson a little bit to warm up to them, but once he did, he loved it!

Watched the excellent fireworks show in Kaysville!
We have been doing a lot of swimming! Mostly Ross water park, and the country club swimming pool with are friend's Karin, Evan and Charlie. Also, Cherry Hill and Seven Peaks in SLC is next. Lila loves to be outside and in the water.
Jackson loves to go to water parks and swimming pools, but he is still very cautious about water!
Jackson took swimming lessons with his buddies. He mostly liked sitting on the step while he watched everyone else. It was like pulling teeth to let his teacher work with him in the water.
Staying cool in the backyard with his pool. It's shallow, which Jackson loves! :-)
Family Reunion at Bryce Canyon.
Lots and Lots of Swinging and lunches at the park.

Lila crawling and just being SO darn CUTE!
Nathan and his dad and cousins ran the Spudman Triathlon in Idaho. It was Nathan's first triathlon, and he did great! He did get in a big biking accident with about 15 to 20 other people and hurt his butt and wrist pretty good, but he still finished the race. What a stud!
The Zoo
Mini Golfand a few more fun things ahead, before summer is over :-(

I am having issues with my pictures??? Lila at 8 months old. (Almost 9 months)

Trying to crawl.
Holding her Lovey bunny.
Her favorite thing...Bath time!!

I am falling behind! I have been so busy getting my preschool ready that I have been slacking! But I do not want to forget a few things about Lila during these baby months that are just flying by!

-She got one front tooth at 7 months and the other one didn't starting coming in until 8 months, so she had the funniest smile for a while, but it was so cute!

-She has been trying to crawl for the past couple of months, and now she is starting to get a little bit frustrated that she hasn't figured it out yet. She has started to get up on all fours but can't stay like that for very long.

-Even though she is not crawling yet she still gets around and gets to things! She rolls her little body across the room to get what she wants or else she does this funny little bum scoot thing.

-She LOVES to be in water! She absolutely loves to take baths, when I have her on my lap as I fill up the tub she tries to wiggle her little body out of my arms and into the water, she just can't wait to get in. We have been going swimming a lot this summer and she loves to get in the pool, and doesn't even care if she gets splashed in the face.

-She has a lovey that she is already totally attached too! I gave her a little pink and white bunny/blanket thing a while back to sleep with because she didn't take a binkie and she rubs the bunny ears across her mouth to help her fall asleep and has her little fist wrapped around one of the ears all night, it's the sweetest thing!

-She still has really blue eyes, blonde hair and she tans really easy and very pretty.

-She is eating some finger foods, and does really well with it. She LOVES fruit, but just tolerates veggies. She doesn't use a sippy cup very well and actually does better if I just give her juice from a normal cup.

-She is a momma's girl, but she is not nearly as bad as Jackson was. She is usually okay to go to others, but she keeps her eye on me the entire time!

We just LOVE her to pieces!!!

Our Easter Sunday was a really great day! We went to spend the weekend in Kaysville with my family. Nathan and I got to go on a nice date Saturday night and celebrate him passing the BAR. Sunday morning we had church early, which I thought was nice because we got to focus on the savior and the real reason for the day first thing. The talks and music were so amazing!

When we got back, there was a jelly bean trail for Jackson. I told him the Easter bunny left him a trail to find his basket. As he was picking up the jelly beans he said, "This is really cute mom, good job!" Ha, Ha! So much for the Easter bunny, but that's okay, to be honest I like getting all the credit anyway. :-)
We had a delicious spring feast with all the fam. Then the little kids had their easter egg hunt from my parents. It was so cute to watch how excited they were. My dad put dollar coins in some of the eggs, and Jackson got $6 worth. He was pretty pumped!

Then it was time for the big kids easter egg hunt (well, I guess we are technically adults). My parents hid $200 worth of money in easter eggs. We are all pretty competitive, so it was pretty hilarious watching us go crazy! It's so fun to get that giddy, excited feeling and feel like a little kid again.

Then my sis in law gave a really cute lesson about the savior, where the kids got to open eggs to find items that symbolized the savior's atonement.

Here are lots of pics, like usual.




My failed attempt to get a cute pictures of the kids together.


Loved her pretty, new dress!






I love this excited face!




I look SO horrible in the picture! I didn't do my hair that day, and I still have 15 lbs. of baby weight on me. Blah! And Jackson, I don't even know what is going on there :-) Owell, here it is anyway.

At 5 months:

Lila got her two bottom teeth (I didn't even know she was teething. My mom felt in her mouth one day, and said "Oh, she has a tooth.")
started rolling from back to tummy
started rice cereal (I wasn't very good about it, just every few days) She loved it at first, and now she just seems to tolerate it.
2 naps a day

Lila at 6 months:

Her Stats:
weight: 15 lbs. 4 oz. 30%
Length: 25 in 19%
Head Circum: 16 in 6%

Doctor wants her weight up a bit, so I'm supposed to really push the solids now. I've been kind of lazy with solids because she just hasn't been very interested. But now it's GO time!

she is sitting up by herself
reaching for EVERYTHING, even if it's far away
rolling all over. I will lay her down on the floor and within seconds she has rolled herself across the room.
making lots of squealing noises
2 naps a day (her length of naps are all over the place. Sometimes they are as short as 45 min. and other times they are 2 or 2 1/2 hours, and anything in between). But she always wakes up happy.
She sleeps 12 straight hours, and has dropped her late night feeding.
She loves her jump jump swing, and is always kicking her legs like she is bouncing
She makes a really funny face when she eats squash. She eats it, but she scrunches up her face like it takes awful.
She spit out every bite of peas I tried giving her.

One of my favorite things is when I go get her in the morning, she kicks her arms and legs with excitement to see me, with a big smile of course. A great start to my day!

Her nicknames-
Pretty girl, sweetie, Lila girl, sis (from mom)
bubbies, bubby bub, bubby bubby, chubs (from daddy)
Shubs (that's how he says chubs), pretty princess, baby girl, sis, sister, baby sister (from Jackson)

I love how sweet Jackson is to his sister, it is the cutest thing! Before she goes to bed he makes sure to give her a kiss and this is what he says to her, "Good night sis, I love you in the morning. Have sweet dreams and don't be scared." Melts my heart!

We are way past being ready for spring, now I'd say we are desperate for it! We have exhausted our indoor winter activities. Keeping Jackson busy during these long winter months as been a challenge. He is not one of those kids that will just go play quietly by himself in his room for hours. Do those kids really exist?
So to keep busy, we have done LOTS of crafts, played a ton of board games, play-doh and painting. Jackson has helped do a lot cooking and baking. We have gone to library story time every week. Gone to lunch with friends at Mcdonalds or Artic Circle play places like a bajillion times (yep, really that many :-) Started a neighborhood preschool group that gets together once a week, had lots of friends over, spent as much time as possible at the kids club at Gold's Gym (for mom's sanity)! and of course filled in a lot of down time with probably way too much t.v and iPad time. But hey, I can only do so much with 10 hour days and a 3 yr old that doesn't nap!

Dear sunshine and warm weather, I am begging you to come and rescue us!! :-)

Jackson LOVES to do hands on projects! He gets really focused and has a really good attention span. (That comes from his dad)


Jack Jack's wall of art. He is very proud of it. I'm wondering if he will ever let me take it down.






We have had plenty of these days, just stuck in with rain and blizzards outside so we would just curl up and watch a movie. (He was actually sick when I took this picture). So cute!


Needless to say, we are really ready for a change of activities!

I'm getting behind on things. She is almost 5 months, but I need to write about her at 4 months so I don't forget! And I'm realizing that I'm not taking enough pictures of her!!

Her Stats at 4 months:
Weight: 13 pounds 12 ounces (50%)
Height: 24 1/4 Inches (41%)
Head Circum: 15 1/2 (9%) Still a cute tiny head

Lila has been such a joy!! While I was pregnant I was trying to mentally prepare myself to get through the first few months with a new baby. Reminding myself that the first months are the hardest, the lack of sleep is temporary, the constant nursing gets easier with time, and on and on. But I just can't believe how easy things have been with her, she is such an easy going and relaxed baby! She transitioned into a routine really easy, she is great at nursing, she was easy in the night, and started sleeping through the night at three months (with a little push from mom :-), she is rarely fussy, she learned to self sooth to sleep at just a few weeks old, I could lay her in her crib and she would just quietly drift off to sleep....I didn't think babies came this way! Maybe it's because Jackson was more of a challenge, and still is, the lord new I couldn't handle anything else :0). I have loved the newborn and 3 and 4 month stage so, so much!!!

Things to remember from 4 months:
-Rolled over for the first time
-had a couple of colds, and got her first ear infection...sad :-(
-grabbing and sucking on everything, especially her hands and fingers
-always wakes up happy and smiley
-sleeping through the night from 7 until 7 or 8 (with an 11:00 snooze feed)
-loves to sit up and see what's going on
-likes the excersaucer
-is tickelish and very giggly
-takes 3 naps a day
-nursing every 3 to 4 hours, and she loves it! (no bottles or formula...she won't have it! But I haven't really tried very hard either)
-Loves to watch Jackson play and gets a big smile when he gives her attention
-Very easy going and calm
-She is a great traveler!
-had LOTS of people tell me she looks like a cabbage patch doll!

So I just have to post this cute picture of Lila. I have been crocheting these cute little hats lately and this one is my favorite so far. I love how it turned out. It helps to have such an adorable baby to put it on too!! ;-) Love her to pieces!!!

It seems like it's been quite a few times recently that I have sat at my computer with tears rolling down my face as I'm reading someone's blog, and hearing about their loss of a child, or a friend's loss of a child, or their struggle to have a child. It has really made me stop and think about what I have, and helped put things into perspective.
This next month, when I'm feeling overwhelmed with doing everything on my own, while Nathan studies for the BAR...again :-) I will just be grateful for the two little reasons why I'm worn out. LOVE, LOVE them!!!!