Instagram style update!

So many things have been going on in our life lately. I have been terrible at blogging. There's just so many other things to keep myself busy that I find myself putting the blog on the back burner. Not like many people read it anyway, but for history sake I need to be better. 

First thing- my baby sister got married. Her and Chad Lanham got married in the Provo, UT Temple on May 7th. The weather was perfect the morning of the wedding- and quickly turned to total rain storm that night. Thank goodness the reception was inside! She slept at my house the night before so we could paint her toes and relax. She got up early the next day and I did her hair and makeup, then Chad came to pick her up for the temple. Her dress is my favorite dress I've ever seen I think.. it fit her perfectly. Loved it. 

Since it was in the middle of the week, most of my siblings couldnt get work off to come travel to Utah to be here. BUT- Lindsey surprised us all and came with Cecily! Mia loves Cecily but Ceci isn't too sure about Mia... I think its because their first time meeting eachother they had a bath together and Mia pooped in it. Whoops haha. 

 Here is a picture of all the nieces and nephews that were there. Austin had run away from the camera shortly before this was taken but he was there :) Its so weird to see only a handful of the kids since there are so many more. We missed you all! 

Chad's family is so fun and outgoing. We had a good time visiting with them. 

My sisters, mom, and I put everything together. (Besides the lights hanging, which were chad and his dads doing). I made the pendant banner and centerpieces. Chelsey did all the flowers and got the cookie jars and cut the vinyl out for them to be labled. The cookies were made by a lady in my parents ward. All the frames were painted by my mom and I the day before. 

The doors behind us were bought at the RE store and Chels, my mom, Kaitlin and I painted them and distressed them. The frames were then hung by Chelsey. People held up a chalk board with their names on it in front of the door. (And theres my belly, the glory of it! Yes its big, but only I am allowed to say that. haha)

Tender moment after she came out of the temple.. 

And, we caught the girls loving eachother!

Next up- Mothers Day! I got spoiled. I got to sleep in. When I woke up, Mia was holding this envelope for me from her and Kevin. A 1 hour prenatal massage and sugar foot scrub! Holy Macarole! I have never had a massage so I cant wait to go get it. Kevin had made some Trader Joe's Chocolate filled Croissants for breakfast too- it was delicious! I didnt change one diaper that day, and I got a nap! 

Him and Mia also took me on a picnic up Provo Canyon for a picnic. We BBQ'd hot dogs and had chips and fruit and gatorade. It was a really warm nice day. Mia was happy as can be for me! 

This is a little out of order, but she got her first pony ride this past weekend! Kevin's work does a huge carnival every year- and we had so much fun. They do a crawdad boil- along with hamburgers and hot dogs and chips, any soda or water you can imagine, HUGE rice krispy treats, Kettle Corn by the bag (you could take as many as you wanted) a sno cone hut, a cotton candy hut, (all FREE and as much as you wanted). They also had pony rides, a little train ride, tons of bouncy houses, and a DJ. Its all free and so much fun. His work knows how to throw a party. Mia loved her pony ride! Thanks USSynthetic! 

Speaking of this cute baby, she is so funny and animated. She loves to wear her daddy's sunglasses. 

She could sit and play in the sand box all day. She loves it! I'm so glad she does because when its finally cooled down enough outside to go out, (around 6 or 7) is when she has her roughest time of day. (before bed time) so going outside helps keep her happy! 

this stupid drink is the devil. I failed my one hour diabetes test so I ended up having to do the 3 hour test. Well, after I drank the drink for the 3 hour, I threw it all up. Resulting in me then having to eat 3 large candy bars all 30 g of sugar or more in each. You would think that would be easy, but I assure you, it's not! I had sugar shakes all day and a terrible migraine. I barely passed though so the doc wants me to stay off sweets the rest of the pregnancy. boo

On Saturday my friend Adrienne and I threw a baby shower for my friend Lexy! She's having a boy June 18th. So excited for her! Here are some pics of the shower: 

Kevin gets free passes to thanksgiving point through work so we were able to go to the Tulip Festival! It was so beautiful. We had a great time walking around. 

Also, Mia started walking officially about 2 weeks ago! She's pretty much a pro at it now. Just look at her smile- shes so proud of herself! 

On a sad note, Ally's cute grandpa Hawkins passed away this weekend. :( He was such a sweet and tender man. We will all miss him lots- but are glad he gets to be with his sweet wife in heaven now!  Prayers for Ally's family- love you guys all so much! 

Lastly, Kevin decided to take a break from school this summer semester. Its the first semester he has taken a break since we got married I think! Its wonderful!! We love having him home in the morning/afternoon to spend time with us. 

2 more months till this baby comes.. can't wait!! 

feeling blessed

Mia was such a delight to be around today. She was funny and smiley and happy all day long. 

I have come to so much enjoy my time with her! I've realized that she is only cranky (usually) when she is bored or hungry or tired. If I just take ten minutes to get on my hands and knees and chase her around... or to pick her up and let her play with my hair or my face... or get a book out to read... or take her outside for some fresh air... she is happy. She needs so much attention much like any other child, and I realized that I love giving attention to her. She just LOVES to play with her mommy and daddy. 

Often times I get caught up doing my daily things or am so tired that I plop on the couch and turn on the TV and let her play that she starts to get cranky/fussy. Its in those moments I get annoyed and just wish she could entertain her self, until I realize that it's more relaxing to just play and talk with her than fight with her cranky attitude! Its in those moments that I turn off the TV or stop what I am doing, and become so incredibly grateful for her. So grateful to be a mother. My attitude instantly goes from being annoyed to being grateful and happy. And at peace. 

Everyone loves attention, including adults. Babies should be no different. I realize Mia needs her mommy- and I love to be needed. I love when she makes a kissy noise and leans in for a kiss randomly. I love when she wants me to pick her up and then she puts her head on my shoulder for a quick hug. I love when she giggles when I chase her around the house. Or how she loves to 'get ready' with me in the mornings. (I give her a makeup brush and she pretends to put makeup on). 

I just am feeling so grateful for the opportunity I have to give my sweet Mia attention each day. That I can stay home full time with her and play with and teach her. I can never cry or be sad or mad when she is smiling at me or when she is near me. She just lights up my day and really makes life worth living in every single way. 

I love that girl more than life itself. Just feeling so blessed tonight. 

And, feeling blessed that even though I make mistakes, and am not a perfect mother, somehow, she still wants my attention and loves me. That makes it all worth it. 

14 Month Old Mia

I'm sitting here watching Mia dance to "Next to Me" by Emeli Sande. She comes alive when music is turned on! She dances her heart out. She is going to be our little dancer and singer. Always keepin a beat or stretching. 

I love how she squeals when she tries on my necklaces and looks at herself in the mirror. She thinks shes the cutest thing in the world- and I agree :) 

She loves to copy other people. If you clap, she claps. She will try to scrub the floor with a sock if she sees me cleaning. If I tell her no, she tells me no. If I talk on my phone, she gets her play phone and pretends to be talking to someone. She has learned to shut doors.. So she will go in her room, shut the door, and knock on the door till I come get it. She thinks its so funny! 

When she sees a kitty (whether it be tv, a picture, or in real life) she gets really excited and says "Kitty!!!" She points to it and puts all her attention to it. Grandpa Clark is apparently wanting to get a kitten, so if he does, Mia will be their new best friend. :) 

We just packed up all the 3-6 month carters pajamas. She has been wearing them forever. Shes just a tiny little thing- still weighing in at just 17 pounds. She was 30 inches, but she seems like shes grown a lot in length lately, so we will find out next month how tall she is. She is in size 3 diapers, sixe 9-12 clothes, and just received her 5th haircut. (I added some layers.. it was just so wild all over the place.) 

She has officially had her first big owie- the burn. We met up with the burn clinic again yesterday, and LUCKILY- no surgery is needed! We will need to work with her hand/fingers every day doing stretches to make sure she can still use it properly. We go back in 3 weeks to make sure it wont scar too bad. So So grateful that surgery wasn't needed. 

She has 10 teeth, 2 of them being top molars. 

She eats anything. We recently introduced raisins  and she seems to like those! She LOVES spaghetti and LOVES eggs. She still takes two naps (occasionally.) Each nap is about an hour and a half long, or if she just takes one, sometimes its 2 or 3 hours. 

She loves strangers (uh-oh) and will say hi to anyone and everyone.. especially if they are other little babies or kids. She loves to be passed around and be held by anyone.. including strangers. We were at the doc this last week and she would NOT come to me. She only wanted the nurse! The nurse was happy but I was like.. shoot! This girl has to learn some stranger danger hahaha. At least she's easy to leave with a babysitter. 

She loves to play peek-a-boo. Shes so good at it and will just giggle. She also loves swinging. We have a swing here at our place and we go on it almost every day. It makes her so happy. She is terrible at church. She wont sit on my lap. Wont sit on Kevin's lap. Just wants to get down and crawl around and talk to people. This last week a friend here in my new ward took her half way through R.S. to Nursery. I guess her daughter was in there so she went to check on her and decided to take Mia. They stayed in there the rest of the time and Mia had a great time. Played well with the other kids, loves the bubbles, and colored a picture! 4 more months till shes in there.. I wish it could be sooner. Haha. 

She is by far the most busy child I have ever met in my life. I have never heard another child her age jabber as much as her, or move or want to talk to strangers like her. She is certainly a fun child with so much personality. She is a spunky beautiful ball of energy! I hope this next baby is calm. Otherwise I might loose my mind! 

She started saying "MiMi" for grandma this last week. She sure loves it when her grandmas come to visit. 

She is starting into the independent stage. She wants to help me with the dishes and feed herself and do everything on her own.... except for walk. 

Walk child, walk!! She is so close. She takes about 5 steps at a time, a million times a day. She walks like a hung over/drunken sailor. Its so funny. She stands up in the middle of the room without help and will stand for a long time.. So we are hoping she will start walking within the next month. People keep telling me its worse when they walk, but I dont think they know how fast my child is at crawling. I honestly dont think it will be any different. Shes already so busy. A little bit more busy wont make a difference. Maybe it will be easier for me.. I wont have to carry her everywhere. 

She loves to eat breakfast with daddy and sit on his lap to watch a show. She refuses to sit on my lap for a show, but will do so with Kevin. She gets so excited when he gets home and the minute she hears the door open, she crawls over to it because she knows daddy is home. So grateful to have him home in the mornings/for lunch! 

I just can't believe shes 14 months. It seems like yesterday I was just taking her for her 2 week check up at the doctor. We sure do love her and can't wait to see what stage she starts in next. So far each stage has been fun (besides the colic one...) and I know she will just be a fun toddler! 

Love you Mia Girl! 

xoxo, mommy

The Burn details

All About Mia's Burn:

A week ago, I was making roasted red potatoes in the oven. The oven was set at 450 degrees, and I was washing dishes while Mia was playing with the pots in the drawer under the oven. All the sudden, I hear her cry, and I thought she maybe just smashed her finger. But oh no- it was a burn. A bad burn. I picked her up and felt down where she was playing and it was HOT. SUPER hot. I had no idea it could get hot down there, because at our old place it never got hot underneath. I ran her fingers under cold water immediately and she just cried and cried. Instantly it was blistered huge, and I cried too. I kept it un-bandaged to let the heat escape- but the next day I got worried it would get an infection. So I called my pediatric office and they said they wanted to see it. 

Luckily, there is a doctor there, Ruth, who worked in the ER for 30 years and specializes in burns. She saw Mia and she was such an amazing doctor! So gentle and knowledgeable. She said they were 2nd degree burns but one of them was almost a 3rd degree. She peeled off the blisters  and saw that the one that was almost a 3rd degree had burned a capillary. So, it was bleeding a bit. Because of that, she wanted to see Mia again the next day to change the dressing herself and check on the progress of it. 

The next day we went back and Ruth changed the dressing again, but her finger was still bleeding. So she wanted us to come back again the next day, but she was going to be out of town so we would have to see our normal doctor- Dr. Davis. We went back the next day and Dr. Davis changed the dressing and said it looked good enough that I could change the dressing myself from then on. I would have to change it once a day for about 2 weeks. No getting it wet. 

So, home we went, and I changed it myself on Sat, Sunday, and Monday. 

Saturday, Mia got sick and did not sleep more than 15 minutes at a time that night. Same thing Sunday. Monday comes and I just could not do another night like that, so I listened to my mommy instincts and took her to the after hours clinic. She had a double ear infection! Poor girl. What a rough few weeks she was having...

Then, yesterday comes along. My mother in law came and took Mia for the day so I could get some rest and 'regroup'. When they brought her back, I decided to take off her dressing and change it while Reva and Carl were there. (her grandparents). I took off the dressing and could not believe my eyes. The burns looked terrible. one of the fingers was purple, and cold to the touch, and really tight and firm. I figured I just bandaged it too tight. I decided to let it air out for a few hours and see if the color returned. I went to my ward R.S. activity and there is a nurse in my ward that I asked her what I should do. She said to take Mia in. 

So, I called Kevin home from work to take us in. We had an appointment at 9pm last night at our pediatric office and luckily Ruth was there to do it! When Ruth saw it she said it looked a lot worse. It had a secondary infection in the tissues- a Staph infection. Dang it! She also had a reaction to the tape we were using and the Bacitracin onintment, so she got some more little blisters on her hand. She cleaned it really good, put some silver shield on it, and decided to give Mia a shot of Rocephin in her leg. That is an antibiodic that will help with her ear infection as well as the infection. She wanted us to stay for a half an hour after the shot to make sure Mia didn't have a reaction to it. She said in her 30 years of giving that medicine, shes only seen 2 kids have a reaction to it, but the reaction was bad.  They gave her a sucker, and we stayed till about 10 and watched Wreck it Ralph while we were waiting. She fell asleep in Kevin's arms, and luckily didn't have a reaction. The nurse was concered that Mia might have croup too- because her pesky cough she had for 3 months came back! UGH. So we will have the doc determine that today as well. The doctor said I didnt do anything wrong as far as dressing it- and that probably the reason she got a staph infection was because it was still oozing pus and blood a week later, which isn't always normal after that much time. 

Now we are headed back to her office this morning around 10:45 to get the dressing changed again and check to see if it improved at all. We will get further instructions from there. 

I am so grateful for mommy instincts and great doctors and modern medicine! The poor girl slept through the night last night, and each time I got up to use the bathroom she hadn't moved an inch. She was out cold. We woke up much happier today, and we are hoping she makes a quick recovery!! Please remember to keep our sweetie in your prayers. 

Here is what her burn looked like on the 3rd day. 

And here is what it looked like yesterday (the 7th day.)

Sicky baby

Mia girl is sick... again. Double ear infection. And cold. Along with her poor burns on her fingers. At least she wants to snuggle....

The Move and other updates

Kevin and I finally moved to Orem on April 3rd. We are LOVING our new place! Not only do we have more space, but our neighbors are great, the neighborhood is super quiet, and we aren't living in the ghetto anymore.. :) 

Our new place is over 1000 sq feet, has 2 bed, 1 bath, a huge living room, (seriously double the size of our last one), HUGE closets, a seperate laundry room, a nice kitchen with a dishwasher, plenty of space to cook and store things in cupboards, a front and back entrance, and a fenced in area with a swing set/playground and picnic table. We only pay $650 which is 75 more than what we paid before. I have made quick friends with my upstairs neighbor Emily, and her kids who are just the cutest things in the world. 

We weren't going to be able to go to our new ward until next week because we had a baby blessing to go to this weekend, but Mia got sick so we had to stay home. Kevin stayed home with her while I went across the street to church. Mia had literally been up ALL night long crying and I needed a break out of the house haha. I was so impressed with our ward. SO many people came and introduced themselves. The Relief Society Presidency (ALL OF THEM) came up to me after sacrament to introduce themselves. There are lots and lots of older people in the ward, but all the old ladies are super spunky from what I can tell and I am in love with the family feel of this ward. I already feel so welcome and the bishop even already read our records in during sacrament. He's on the ball! We met our bishop the day we moved in- he saw us moving in and came over to ask if we needed help. What a nice man. There is an activity tomorrow that I can't wait to go to, and apparently once a month they do 'lunch bunch' where anyone who can come comes to the church and brings a lunch item to share. They just have fun and visit and share lunch. I am excited to go to that. 

All the moving and stress of it has finally caught up to me and I am seriously just exhausted. I could nap all day and still be tired. Luckily Mia is still taking two naps a day so I usually get at least one nap. Or try to. She is ALMOST walking!!! She took 4 steps yesterday, and 4 steps today too. She stands without holding on to anything all the time, we are just patiently waiting for her to walk. I honestly thought she would be walking by her first birthday. I think she has kinda gotten off sleep schedule since we moved because shes been waking up at night a few times in the last two weeks. Its been rough on Kevin and I both, and we can't wait till she gets back into habit of sleeping through the night. She burned her hand pretty bad here on our oven. I cried and cried. I have never been so sad for her! She has had to go to the doctor all last week every day to get the extra skin taken off, and the bandage changed. She burned a capillary on her finger so it kept bleeding. Its finally healing well though so I can change the dressing myself.. which is a pain when you have a child that doesn't sit still! ;) 

Little Mister in my belly is fast growing. My belly is getting big, although I am still 10 pounds under what I started at! He is definitely lower than Mia was, and thats causing lots of discomfort. But I am more than half way there, and the throwing up is down to about once a week now, so I will be just fine! He looks great in ultrasounds and his heart sounds great. I am 24 weeks now and just so anxious to meet this little boy. I am so excited that we will have a girl and boy as part of our little family. 

Kevin is working so hard in school and getting good grades as always. He makes me so proud. I feel so lucky to have him as my eternal companion and the father of our children. He is amazing in every way. 

Well, thats a lil update on us. What's up in your neck of the woods? 

Easter Egg Hunt/Picnic

My friend Lexy and I put together a little Easter Egg hunt/Picnic for a bunch of kids and their moms yesterday! It was a lot of fun, and we had a great turn out. I am pretty sure there were about 20 kids. Lexy and I knew eachother in high school and then reconnected through blogs/facebook and have been good friends for a while. She has a daughter Hannah that is 17 months, and she is also pregnant with a boy, due in June! 

We both stay home so we figured it would be fun to make a moms play group. We all try to meet once a month. Yesterday, we did an Easter egg Hunt and a picnic! We had sandwiches and drinks, salads, chips, fruit, and veggies. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures from the fun day: 

bedtime blues

bedtime was not a good time tonight. 

usually Mia goes right down, no problem. Shes always been easy to put to bed. We do the same thing every night. wind down taking a warm bath around 7:20, singing songs, sometimes reading a book, drinking her milk while i get her a fresh diaper and pjs on.. then i sing her our special lullaby as i rock her in her rocking chair. around 8ish she then gets put in her crib (while still awake) and i tell her good night and kiss her forehead. she usually turns right over to her left side and falls right to sleep snuggling her fleece blanket from her grammy. 

well, tonight, i was tricked. she was great while getting ready for bed. she was even rubbing her eyes. she drank all her milk and showed all the signs of settling down for the night. i put her down in her crib, and she slept peacefully for 30 minutes. 

8:30 hits and she screamed. and screamed. and screamed. 

i usually let her cry for a while before i go in and put a binky in or check on her since she usually just cries for a minute. ... well its more of a whine not cry. 

but tonight, it was a full on scream cry. so i went in to see what she was doing. she had the binky in her mouth, and her eyes were shut. i think she was having a night terror. 

lately, shes been getting those alot. it makes me sad. 

so i rubbed her back, then she opened her eyes and stood up in her crib. 

i normally dont ever give in and hold her, but tonight for some reason i did. i held her and let her come in the front room with me while i was crafting. she sat quietly in my lap for about ten minutes, and then got fussy. so, off to bed we took her. 

then again, she went right to sleep. 

and 5 minutes later, the screaming started again. it only lasted a few minutes, so i didnt go in. but, throughout that whole half hour, it kept happening. i was about to loose my patience. 

the next time, i let her cry for about 10 minutes. but the crying kept escalating so i finally went in, picked her up, got her blanket, and brought her into my bed with me. the cry was just such a sad and depressing cry like she was scared or hurt. i had to give in. 

i sang probably 20 primary songs to her, and she even hummed a few notes too. she likes to mimic people singing. she layed on my tummy and occasionally looked up at me. we probably layed on my bed for 20 minutes... and she wasn't falling asleep. any time she would relax enough to close her eyes, it was like she started having a night terror again, and would freak out and sit up. 

finally i just decided to put her back in her crib and try again. as nice as it was snuggling her- she needs to stay within her good habit of putting her self back to sleep and sleeping in her crib. 

she fell right to sleep. 

and ten minutes later, she cried. 

but, i never went in. and now its been 25 minutes without any crying. lets hope its not a super long night. 

i do know she is getting two molars on the top right now. so i am sure she is hurting from that. but, i gave her some ibprophen, teething tablets, and orajel so hopefully those were helping. 

i worry about night terrors though. any of you experienced that with your kids? what do you do? a lot of times if shes crying in the middle of the night and i go in to check on her, she will be sucking on her binky while crying, with her eyes closed, rocking back and forth. its so odd... 

however- i feel like i cant complain about tonight too much. normally shes a great little sleeper, and even sleeps in till 8 most mornings. and, still takes 2 naps most days. so i am grateful for that. 

i spoke too soon.. she just made a peep. 

little mister is kicking me letting me know its time to empty my bladder. what a good little child he already is.. reminding me to do things.. hahaha. 

sleep little one.. please. mommy needs all her energy to take care of you tomorrow...

and pack. oh packing. i dont like you.

tired

I am so unbelieveably tired today. Wow. And I even got a nap earlier! 

I will blame that on the growing baby in my belly. 

And maybe moving. 

Yesterday my sister in law Wendy and her daughter Aubrey came over to help get a head start on moving! I am not one of those people that likes to wait till the last minute. Especially since Kevin wont be a lot of help since he has school and work. So they came over and we packed all the wall decorations in the bathroom, living room, and kitchen. We also packed up the coat closet and the towels we don't use. It all seems so bare. We also filled in a few nail holes. 

I felt accomplished- thanks to them! My mother in law also came over and sprayed tilex everywhere in our bathroom to get rid of that pesky mold. It worked- and about made me pass out too! Wow, that stuff is strong! I had to go outside before I passed out. 

Today however, Kevin had to work, so Mia and I have been lazy. I did manage to dress her and do her hair super cute. And feed her of course. :) I even took her on a small walk. We are loving this warmer weather. Mia practically begs to be outside these days. Any time the front door opens, she crawls to it as fast as she can to try and sneak outside. She will sit and let me do bubbles forever outside with her on the grass. She loves walks. A girl after my own heart. :) 

baby mister update: I am 20 weeks now. measuring 2 weeks ahead because of where my placenta is lying, which is right in front on top. still 15 pounds under what I started the pregnancy at. today was the first time in months that I havent thrown up. Pure bliss right there. I have some round ligament pain but nothing I can't handle. no new stretch marks yet. baby was sittin right on my bladder last night because I kid you not, I got up 5 times to tinkle. I cant believe I am half way. I am so so so excited to meet this little mister. 

This week has been really fun. Kevin had spring break so we were able to spend every morning/afternoon until 2:30 with him this week!! Normally he is gone at school. He took us girls on a lunch date to Guru's on Thursday. Too bad he hated the dish he got. I got a salad and it was pretty good. He got the terriyaki bowl but it was more like orange zest and no terriyaki. We played outside all week, we ran errands together, and most of all, he let me sleep in. EVERY SINGLE DAY. And, brought me breakfast in bed! I am talking like eggs, french toast, and pancakes kind of breakfasts!! It was amazing. I struck gold marrying him. He takes such good care of us girls. 

Kevin will be home in about an hour and a half, and then we plan to start working on the kitchen. We have so many pans/dishes we don't use. I also am going to pack up all my hair stuff so hopefully no one needs their hair done in the next two weeks! :) 

Now Mia is taking her second nap of the day, and I think its time for me to nap too. 

Real quick- I found this on pinterest from little miss mommas blog. This is EXACTLY what I want to do to Mia and little mister's room!! Same colors, and same ideas. Its seriously so cute, and would be ok for a girls room too in my opinion.