Kissing Nana

Cooper sure loves his Nana.

Visiting the Reindeer

We got to go see elk at the Hardware Ranch and Cooper loved it! It was super cold and we had to wait in line for a little while, but it all worked out. Cooper loved seeing the "reindeer."

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was even more fun with Cooper this year than last. He woke up saying "cookies, cookies?" I asked if he wanted to go see if Santa ate his cookies and he said yes. He ran right to the cookies and just smiled! He wanted to eat the leftovers! I actually had to point out that their were presents under the tree! We had our own little Christmas at home, then went to MeMaw and PawPaw's and then to Nana and Uncle Brandon's house. We enjoyed time with family and getting some things we needed. We were also able to speak with Rachel via Skype. She's in Hawaii serving a mission. It was so great to see her and talk to her. Cooper sang Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for her and we all cried! It was a wonderful day!

{Pictures to come!}

The NICU Babies

I had the wonderful opportunity of photographing the babies in the NICU a couple of days before Christmas. We did pictures with Santa. They were so tiny and sweet. I remember those days. I love volunteering in the NICU. I always come away smiling.

{I wish I could share pictures, but I can't. Just know they were super cute!}

A Letter from Santa

Dear Cooper,

Visiting you this year was so much fun! The cookie you left me was delicious and I love milk! Though the presents were few, I hope you enjoyed them. You have grown so much over the past year. It has been fun seeing you grow into a little man. Your mom and dad are so proud of you and the little man you're turning into. They love you. They love watching you learn and grow. You are their world. Keep up the good work and I'll be sure to stop by next year!

Merry Christmas,
Santa

My First Birth Story

Birth photography is getting to be a big thing where I live. I think the photographs are beautiful. I have always felt very strong about pregnancy and birth and wish I had the stomach to be a nurse. I think I have found my niche though. I got to photograph my first birth story for a sweet friend of mine. It was so neat for me to be there during such a sacred, personal experience. Words can't quite describe it. It's amazing what our Heavenly Father created in us. That we are able to carry and birth children.  It was a wonderful experience and it felt great to be a part of something that I won't get to experience that way. To see a mom and dad meet the little one they created for the first time, so neat! The love in their eyes. A sweet little baby who recognized mom right away. It was just amazing! I can't wait to do another. Here are some of the images:

I received a sweet text from the mom that made it even more apparent that this is what I want to do with my photography,

"I have watched my video everyday. I love it. And my boys love it. They want to watch it over and over. I love that through my video they get to experience their brother's big day, too. And I still cry every time I watch it. I showed it to my mom today. She loves it, too. It's so special to me. And the song-- couldn't be more perfect. My mom thought having someone take pictures was kinda strange. Your pictures and video changed her mind. She kept saying how special my pictures are and what a beautiful job you did capturing so much emotion."

Wow. It feels so good to find something I am passionate about that other people will fall in love with. It just makes me happy.

Terrible Twos

We have officially hit the terrible twos! Tantrums are a daily thing at our house. Many times we can't figure out what in the world he wants! We had a moment at Toys R Us where he was freaking out because I took him out of the kid size cars you can ride in. We ended up just having to leave the store. He cried for 30 minutes! We had a moment in the bathtub a couple of days ago when I had no idea what he wanted. He screamed and cried for what seemed like forever! And then there is this, this adorable face that I woke up to the other day. We laid down for a nap and he woke up and I just needed a few more minutes. Well, when I woke up this is the face I saw. How can I be mad at such a cute face? Here's to the start of another new adventure... the terrible twos. Love my little guy!

Just some updates:

• He is talking more and more lately now that his ear tubes are working properly.
• He will finish lines of songs when I stop.
• He tries to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on his own. It's adorable!
• He says Christmas Tree, Christmas Lights, and Santa. They sound so cute!
• He doesn't like pepperoni on pizza or the skin on apples and grapes.
• He loves to dance.

A Snow Day

Shoveling with Daddy

My First Hosting Thanksgiving

For some reason I felt very strongly that I wanted to be in charge of Thanksgiving this year. I enjoyed choosing the menu. I wanted it to be like we had when growing up in WV. We had grandma's homemade chicken and noodles, turkey, stuffing, corn, rolls, and  homemade mashed potatoes. It all turned out and was ready to eat and warm at the same time. I have to say for it being my first time it was a success. We are all stuffed. We had it at mom's house because she has more room in her kitchen. Mom was unable to be here because she is in WV. Uncle Van, Hyrum, Todd, Brandon, Chris, Cooper, and myself enjoyed a great Thanksgiving together!

So Much To Be Thankful For

Each year I think, "Hey, I'm going to do one of those things where you post something you're thankful for each day." Then, I realize it's a little unrealistic for me. Life is busy! And, I'm trying to enjoy those moments and things I'm thankful for. See it's THANKSgiving, I figured it's time I write a few things down.

• A hardworking, determined husband.
• A son that makes me smile each day.
• The sound of laughter in my home.
• The gospel of Jesus Christ.
• A warm home to live in.
• Great neighbors.
• Wonderful friends.
• Amazing family.
• A job to help support my family.
• The goal to be a stay-at-home mom.
• Food! Lots of yummy food!
• Modern medicine.
• My church-calling in the Young Women's.
• A sister-in-law on a mission.
• Missionary work.
• Temple marriage and the knowledge of eternal families.
• My Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Photography.
• A mom that is truly my best friend.
• A brother that I've drawn closer to as we've gotten old. A man that I love and look up to and who is an AMAZING uncle to Cooper.

There are so many more things to be thankful for. The list is endless. I am blessed.

He's TWO!

I can't believe MY BABY is TWO! Where have the past two years gone!? He makes me smile each day. I love the excitement and curiosity he has for life. He is a sweet, but bold child. He is adventurous and silly. He's full of energy. He loves anything to do with sports. He will watch it and play it. He has great hand-eye coordination. He has a great golf swing, an amazing football throw, and a point-on kick!  He loves people and makes friends easily. He is talking a lot! I wish I knew what he was saying. He isn't a picky eater, which is great! He loves muffins, oatmeal, corndogs, and yogurt with sprinkles. He loves Winnie the Pooh and Curious George. He wakes up each morning to watch Curious George and then he wants breakfast. He also loves foxes so we celebrated with a fox cake. It was a wonderful party with family. He truly is loved (and spoiled) by so many.

Sports, sports, sports!

To say Cooper loves sports is an understatement. We celebrated his birthday with Nana two days early because she was going out of town. She got him this bat with a ball. That night I went in to check on him and this is what I found. 

He plays sports all day long. He kicks it, throws it, swings at it. He plays with tennis balls, baseballs, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, and golf balls! He's just like his daddy was at that age.

My Wonderful Grandma

My mom gave me the news yesterday that my grandma is having liver failure. After thinking of this news all day, I knew I needed to call my grandma and tell her how much she means to me and how grateful I am that she was able to help raise me, even though I knew it would be a difficult call. I shared what I needed to say and she told me how proud she was of me and the life I've created--- having a home, education, kid, etc. She told me she hoped I felt she had helped raise me well, which of course I do. We laughed a little and I tried not to let her hear how badly I was crying on the other end. Though we hope and pray that doctors will be able to fix her heart and that her liver won't be so bad that they can't just remove part of it, she isn't doing well. I don't know if it will be the last time I speak with her or not. I am in tears. She is an incredible woman who I love and admire. She is strong and sassy. She speaks her mind. She has these soft kissable cheeks. She's a wonderful cook. I thought I would die when my mom moved us from WV to UT when I was young. At that time I truly believe I loved my grandma more than my mom. She just got me... spoiled me more like it. Though I missed her greatly, it was the greatest thing my mom could have done for us. My mom is now my best friend. I love her more than words can say. Though I hope it is not the last conversation with my grandma, I'm grateful I was able to speak with her and tell her how much she means to me. At the end, she told me to give Cooper kisses for her and bravely told me the doctors were going to fix her. I love her. Oh, how I love her.

Surgery a Success

Cooper's surgery was a success. The doctor said he can usually see nose when he goes in to take adenoids out, but it was so swollen he couldn't see past adenoids. His left ear was blocked off better than ear plugs could have blocked the sound. Doctor said he had a bad sinus infection. They cleaned out everything. He should do a lot better now. He is very cranky and sad, but doing well. He only wanted daddy after surgery.

His oxygen was low so he has to have some by him. He let George have some, too.

The job! The job!

I'm excited to say that Chris got the job he was been waiting to hear about for 3 weeks! He is the new manager of Weber State's Indoor Practice Facility. We are happy and relieved that he will have a full time job kind of in his career field. He's very excited! We are all happy he will still be close to home and working in what he loves, sports! He will have his own office and the new facility is BEAUTIFUL! Pictures to come! So proud of my hubby! He has worked so hard for this!

Happy Halloween!

We decided to dress Cooper up as Mr. Frederiksen from the Disney movie "Up" this year. His costume turned out even better than I expected! When Eileen and I spotted the coat, we knew it was more than perfect! I bought his little bottle cap pin on Etsy. We had a lot of fun visiting grandparents and aunts/uncles. Happy Halloween!

And we couldn't help but laugh when Pawpaw Todd was dressed as a scout for Halloween!