oh. it is love...

My New Activity

MALL WALKING!

(Ok, I definitely do NOT wear heels while I walk. I am usually looking pretty trashy in my work out clothes with no makeup on!)

I must admit that when I heard about mall walking before I could only picture really old people arm pumping while wearing sweat bands. However, ever since I had Paxton I have had a secret desire to mall walk. Conveniently, I was talking to a new friend at church one day and she informed me that she really enjoyed mall walking. I naturally invited myself so I could see what it was like, and we started going daily last week. And here is why I have decided I love it:

1. It's an inside form of exercise. We aren't in the blazing heat when we go.

2. Paxton can go with me! I take Paxton with me in his stroller, and he just plays with toys and looks around the whole time.

3. We go earlier than Paxton and I were used to waking up so it creates a really fantastic schedule for the rest of the day. Instead of sleeping in, we get up, walk, and then he comes home ready for an afternoon nap. He also goes to bed at night earlier. It just makes our day run very smoothly.

4. My friend and I just talk the entire time so it goes by so fast.

5. We walk for a whole hour which is more cardio than I used to do at the gym.

6. And my friend expects me to go. This is really great for the days I just have no desire to get out of bed. I know she is depending on me, so I get up and go anyway.

I think we are just going to go Mon-Thur every week so that we don't burn ourselves out. I must admit I am really liking it. Exercise has always been very important to me, and so this gives me a new, enjoyable way to workout. Yay for mall walking!

PS- I promise I don't arm pump. haha.

Jet Jammies!

I bought these Old Navy PJs for Paxton while I was pregnant,

and they are his size now. Man, do they look cute on him!

JET JAMMIES!!

BOWS!

When I was in Arizona with my cousins, I got the itch to make bows. I am not sure why I feel the need to make them considering I have a little boy...however, I always need a project in my life. AND It just so happens that I have an adorable niece, Cosette, who can wear bows! Therefore, I have been experimenting with different things, and here are the pictures of what I have come up with so far!

Lesla (my sister-in-law) and I decided that Cosette needed a Texas Tech bow for football season. We have very similar taste so I figured that she would appreciate the materials I picked out, and she ended up loving the end result!

Here is a bow I made for a specific outfit. Lesla told me she is going to put her order in everyday now for a bow. haha.

Cosette was wearing this new outfit today, and I discovered I had all the stuff to make a matching bow. Here is what I came up with...

Isn't she just so cute??

I had a lot of fun making bows. I keep getting new ideas for them. It's a fun little project for me!

Beautiful Baby Boy (4 month pics)

Happy, Fun, Playful, Smart, Funny, Curious

And all this at only 4 months :)

Pax Man update

Well my little boy is growing up :(

At his 4 month appointment he was 95th % for height and 90th % for weight, and in 5 days he will be 5 months. Wow. Time flies when you are having fun! haha.

Here are some random pictures I have taken of him lately.

Here's my happy boy looking good before church.

Here he is about to smile...haha.

He fell asleep in the boppy the other night which hasn't happened since he was a little baby. Can you see his little belly button?

This was the look on his face when he woke up, lol. Notice he still has milk on his mouth.

"What the heck mom?"

I finally caught a picture of him sucking his thumb! This is a pretty new occurrence, and I wasn't able to catch a picture of it until recently. Now he has his thumb in his mouth in every picture. haha.

You've been caught Paxton! :)

This picture was right after bath time. He was being so funny.

And these last two pictures I took after I let my parents watch Paxton a while back. I came to get him, he was sitting on their bed, and my Dad was making different hats out of his blanket. I can't remember which one my Dad said this was, but it had me laughing pretty hard. My Dad used to do this to us when we were little.

"Pa, you're a nerd."

Paxton is so much fun. What a great addition he has been to our family. He is growing up too fast though. I can't even believe that next month he will be 6 months!!! Crazy.

Yep, I am a stay at home mom!

“The ability and willingness properly to rear children, the gift to love, and eagerness … to express it in soul development, make motherhood the noblest office or calling in the world. She who can paint a masterpiece or write a book that will influence millions deserves the admiration and the plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, … deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God”
-David O. McKay

Lately I have received many comments/questions about me being a "stay at home" mom. Now, most of these people don't read my blog, but I really just want to let my feelings be known on the subject. While talking with one person they asked, "So you went to nursing school and worked so hard to get that education, and now you aren't working?...That seems like a waste of knowledge..... What do you do all day??" I also frequently get the question,"When are you going back to work?" Some brave soul even dared to say "Well if you actually had a job..." So let me clear it up.

1. Yep, I am a stay at home mom.

2. What could possibly be more important than raising one of God's children??

3. I feel like the most important role we can possibly have as women is to be a mom.

4. What do I do all day? Take care of my precious baby, our home, and my husband.

5. As far as me having a job, I do. My job right now is to raise another human being to live a full and happy life. You try it. It's not easy.

6. I am not going back to work. If I happen to work once a month I will do that when my husband is not at work. I will do that to keep my nursing license because ,yes, I worked my tush off to get it.

7. I have given up my full time nursing career to stay at home, and so that is what I will do. Take care of my baby, and that is honestly a FULL time job. I don't get weekends off.

8. I went to school so that I could have knowledge. Something that is very important for everyone to have. That knowledge will stay with me, and make my life more full. It doesn't disappear because I had a kid.

9. There is nothing in this world I would rather be doing than being there for my little Paxton.

10. A mother is potentially the biggest influence on the lives of her children. Why would I not want to work my butt off to be a great influence??

11. Paxton is my number one priority, and I make no apologies for that.

12. Ben is a wonderful father who has made it possible (by working so very hard) for me to stay at home with Paxton. For that I am so thankful to him.

A family is the most important thing in this world. Ben and I have just started ours, but I guarantee you that I will continue to work on making ours stronger and better. Some people just don't seem to realize how important that is. Now, for any working moms out there, I am definitely not saying you have made the wrong choice. That is up to you and your family. I am simply saying that I have chosen to stay at home with my children in order to be a full time mom, and there is nothing more important to me than that. So there you have it. Stop trying to make me feel bad about that or guilty that I don't get payed for my job, because I won't.

"Cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones....Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever....The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you."
-Jeffrey R. Holland

“Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother’s image is the first that stamps itself on the … young child’s mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world”
-David O. McKay

Women

We recently had a church meeting where this talk by Renata Forste was shown. It was so entertaining I just HAD to share it with everyone! There are some very great points in this video about how women can be too hard on themselve. She talks about how we as women, should build eachother up, not tear eachother down. This life can get pretty hard, and so we need to be there for one another instead of judging and picking at others' flaws. It is such a wonderful talk. I set it to start 12 minutes in (when it starts getting funny), but if you have time I seriously suggest you watch it all. ENJOY!

“Sisters, we have got to lock arms and change the conversation. We need to come together and counter the negative and defeating messages that the world bombards us with daily. We need to strengthen, lift, praise, encourage, and sustain one another in all of our righteous endeavors. We need to envelope our young women with messages of strength, hope, and courage – empowering them against social expectations that corrupt their divine nature and devalue their individual worth.”

-Renata Forste

Paxton and Cosette

I watched Cosette (my niece) for a couple of hours the other day.

Paxton was so happy as soon as I put her next to him.

They had so much fun together.

He really did try to eat her hand the whole time though.....and eventually her face.

I guess that's what happens when your kid is teething.

But that's ok because she was fine with it.
They are going to be the best of friends!

he gets more fun every day

Paxton and I found a new game that sure is fun.

I can get him giggling pretty hard.

It is also not a bad workout considering there are 17 pounds of this little boy.

He loves flying with Mom.

I love finding new things that make him laugh.

We are starting to have so much fun playing together.

Face Cereal

This little boy tried rice cereal for the first time yesterday.

Most of it didn't make it in his tummy. Just on his face and bib.

He was very confused by it. He didn't hate it though.

In fact, I even got a little smirk out of him.

Arizona Trip

Well our wonderful vacation is already over :( I had such a nice time relaxing it up at our family cabin in Alpine, Arizona. I love being up there. It was Paxton's first trip, and let me just say that I have the best baby ever. (But you already knew that.)

Here's our little family picture!

I love this next picture because I think it shows a little bit of how much I love Paxton. Plus the background is beautiful! It rained a lot while we were there, but there is nothing better than the smell of rain up there in the mountains. It made the temperature up there wonderful!

I also love this picture of Ben and Paxton. Ben usually has a crazy work schedule so it was really nice for Ben to just be with Paxton every day, all day. Paxton loves his Dad so much.

Paxton really loves being outside.

It takes 8 hours to get to the cabin from Lubbock, and I was pretty nervous about how Paxton would do, but he did wonderfully! He slept most of the time, and played the rest. One day we even drove an hour to the closest "bigger" town to catch a movie (Eclipse), and Paxton was great the whole way there and even sat through a lot of the movie, ate, and then fell asleep for the rest!

I took this picture right after we arrived at the cabin after the 8 hour drive! He was ready to get out of the car! I was pretty excited that he was able to wear his cute Old Navy sweat pants. It is way to hot in Lubbock to wear those! But, it can get pretty cool up there in the evenings, and I was glad I brought warm clothes for him. Going for walks with Nicole in the evenings was the best time to exercise!

Paxton and Ben after the long ride- just hanging out on the porch.

Reading on the porch while it rained, and laying in the hammock were two activities we enjoyed.

Paxton loves his Uncle J.

One of his favorite sleeping spots is on Daddy.

This picture is pretty typical for Spencer, Paxton, and I. haha.

We have a joke in our family about who the favorite is, and so I found this outfit for Paxton and just had to buy it. Obviously he is the current favorite!

One day while we were there we drove up further into the mountains to ride four wheelers and allow the guys to do some shooting. We layed out some blankets and let the little ones play. Here is Paxton and Spencer. They love each other.

I love the look on Paxton's face in this picture! He went for his first four wheeler ride and honestly didn't seem to care. haha. Of course Ben and I went super slow so I'm sure he was bored. :)

Riding with Dad.

Family photo! We had so much fun.

Paxton loves flying.

Paxton and Pa. My Dad and I went hiking almost every morning. He was such a good workout buddy. It kicked my butt. Also, I know it looks like we are all wearing jackets and pants, and I have my kid in shorts, but honestly, it wasn't cold at all. Paxton is also a little hot box. He is always warm and gets hot when I try and bundle him up. It only got cool when you were riding fast on the four wheelers. The weather was perfect.

Me and my baby boy. I had him strapped to me in the wrap, and I put his jacket on him. He got sweaty so I had to take it off.

The cabin was wonderful with regular visits to "The Lollipop Shop" and "The Market," reading, hanging out with family, exercising, and just relaxing. After Alpine, Ben, Roxanne, and I (and Paxton, duh) drove down to Phoenix to hang out with my Mom's family and do some shopping. We stayed with my cousin Katie and her family. She has two kids, Parker and Paige. Paige was born one week before Paxton. Here is a picture of the two of them. Aren't they so cute??

Phoenix was a lot of fun. We did a TON of shopping, and got to see our cousins and our Aunt and Uncle. I am so glad we took that little detour!

I am sad our trip is over. It was hard coming back to reality after having such a great time! I am glad Paxton got to experience the cabin for the first time as well. It will be fun as he get's older to make more memories up there.

Paxton's New Favorite Toy

He is getting so big so fast :(

I am really behind on blogging. One day I will just sit down and do it all....but today is not that day!

Jello

So I have seen "My Best Friend's Wedding" probably a million times, but today I was watching it at the gym, and I had a "Ah Hah!" moment. This revelation probably started the other day when Ben and I were at the mall. We were walking past a really stylish clothes store and here was our conversation...

---------------------------------
Me: They have some really cute clothes in that store. Raquel (my sister) always wears the cutest stuff from there. I can just never find anything to buy there.
Ben: Well that is because Raquel dresses really nice. It's her style.
Me: What?? Are you saying that I don't dress nice??
Ben: Ummm...NO. That's not what I meant. I meant that you two just have different taste....
Me: Uhhh...I can dress nice too.
Ben: Yah, of course you can. You are just more casual.....dang. I'm gonna stop talking now.
---------------------------------

So after this conversation of ours my feelings were kinda hurt. I like to think I can dress cute. Now, I'll be the first to admit I am way happier in jeans and a T-shirt, but why is it that I can't walk around in heels every now and then? I'm honestly not a girly girl, and I have often felt like maybe I should work harder at it. I can often be found out of the house with no makeup and crazy hair. I really don't worry about pedicures and tanning and such. And I have never carried "lip gloss around in a clutch." So back to the movie. This is the quote that got me thinking:

---------------------------------
Julianne: ....I'm better with food. Okay, you're Michael, you're in a fancy french restaurant, you order... creme brulee for dessert, it's beautiful, it's sweet, it's irritatingly perfect. Suddenly, Michael realises he doesn't want creme brulee, he wants something else.
Kimmy: What does he want?
Julianne: Jello.
Kimmy: Jello?! Why does he want jello?
Julianne: Because he's comfortable with jello, jello makes him... comfortable. I realize, compared to creme brulee it's... jello, but maybe that's what he needs.
Kimmy: I could be jello.
Julianne: No! Creme brulee can never be jello, you could never be jello.
Kimmy: I have to be jello.
Julianne: You're never gonna be jello.
---------------------------------

Here is my conclusion: I am Jello! Just like Kimmy I wanted to be the opposite of what I was. But I'm not, and I will never be creme brulee because I AM JELLO! And that is ok. I am comfortable. I can kick back and just be happy being jello. There are other people who can be creme brulee (and nothing against those creme brulee people. I think you're awesome.) The other great thing is that Ben loves jello! Ben wants to be with jello, and I'm pretty sure Ben is also jello if we are continuing the analogy!

Jello also shakes better :):)

So there you have it. Yay for jello!


PS- Raquel, you will never be jello. Haha. I am honestly just kidding. You are totally not irritating. However, you are beautiful and sweet. Also, I love you! (and Ben likes your style.)

DaDa Time :)

Here are some pictures of Ben and Paxton just hanging out together....

It's so cute when Ben sings to Paxton. Paxton just gets so happy and even tries to sing along. I love it.

Here they are watching sports together.

We were all laughing at how seriously Paxton was sitting there so we let his belly hang out to get some pictures. haha. He looks like he just ate too much and is relaxing.

Paxton loves spending time with his Dad :)