Beach Bums

I was able to have some fun with my new camera at the beach. Got a few decent pics. One of my favorite parts of visiting Santa Barbara is beach time! I LOVE the ocean! I wish it was a little warmer, but I'll take what I can get.
Mason was obsessed with the birds! There were a ton of birds on the beach and he was pointing and chasing and wanted to take them home with him!
Look at that cute lil' baby belly!
He is so adorable, my heart just feels like it's going to explode when I look at him.
We had some fun at Santa Monica pier after the temple. It was a great day!

Families Are Forever

August 6, 2010 My beautiful family was sealed in the Los Angeles Temple. It was a gorgeous day and an emotionally moving ceremony. I'm so grateful that families can be together forever. There is nothing more important in my life than family.
As you can see, I am a lucky lady to have such handsome men in my life! Mason and Micah wore matching black and white outfits, their sneakers were their favorite part! Mason is Micah's Mini Me...so it was just adorable.

This day was so special and I'm so glad both our families were together to celebrate!

Ahhh...Santa Barbara

By about this time tomorrow, we will be in sunny Santa Barbara. We are SO excited!!! It will be 108 today here in Texas, as it has been the last few weeks...agghhh. The forcast for SB is in the high 60's-70's. What a refreshing break! We are looking forward to spending time with family (that we have missed dearly!!!), spending time at the beach, eating In-n'-Out and of course GETTING SEALED!



This is a trip we will never forget :-)

Dear Moo,

Dear Mason,

I can't believe you are a year old!!! This year has flown by and has been filled with so much wonderful excitement...all because of you! You are now technically a toddler, even though you have been walking since 7 1/2 months. Your amazing personality is developing more and more each day. I love being your Mommy and getting to learn from YOU day in and day out! I wish we were all like children, instead of rushing kids into adulthood.

You are a big guy. And you are VERY advanced. Crawling at 6 months, walking a month and a half later, 3 words by 10 months, already understanding object permanence and on and on. You continue to make your Daddy and I so proud. We have high hopes for you. As you can see in the picture above, we expect Texas football will play a roll in your athletic future. On your first birthday, you had 8 teeth, were 23 pounds and 29 inches tall. We KNOW you will do great things in all aspects of your life!

You are a boy, through and through. You LOVE to play outside, if I let you, you would live in the backyard! You eat rocks. Chase dogs. Swim in the pool. Dig in the dirt. And your fair skin turns red within 10 minutes of too much sunshine. You are a bully with other kids, but not in a cruel way, rather a physically dominating way (it's pretty funny to watch you handle kids older than you). You love to show affection...with your gorilla grip. You LOVE to eat. He gets "drunk" off the booby milk (it's so adorable). Anything we eat, you eat. You have used "Momma" and "Food" interchangeably.

You are assertive. You love to cuddle. You always want to be up high. You love to read. You love textures. You pat me on the back when I pick you up (melts me, every time!). You are curious and love to solve problems. You LOVE chewing on toothbrushes, you're the Toothbrush Bandit! You make everyone smile with your infectious giggle. You are told constantly told by strangers, how beautiful you are. You love wheels and are always trying to take things apart. You have a nonstop motor and an excellent bubble. Your bare booty is too cute for words.You grunt like a caveman. You do the touchdown dance and bob your head to music. You are a YouTube sensation. You have shown Daddy and I what patience and unconditional love really means.

Thank you for being a wonderful lil' man! We love you bigger than the world!

Love,

Mommy (the boob lady)

Photography

I have decided that photography is the hobby of choice this year. I have been in bidding wars all week over different cameras, and I think the Nikon D3000 is the winner. I'm so excited to start taking pics and seeing if I have what it takes to get some good photos.



Once the camera arrives, I will be sure to post pics! I have always loved photography. Some of my favorite photographers are these :

Michael and Anna Costa www.michaelandannacosta.com
They are AMAZING!!! And Micah is friends with them. Their talent just blows me away.


My second favorite is Rayel Photography in Plano. www.rayelphotography.com
I am so photo envious.


Pictures are so fun! And there are so many beautiful things and people in my life that I hope to photograph soon!

Such a Wonderful Year....

A year ago this evening, my family and I were walk/hiking the Provo Canyon Trail when my water broke! It was such an exciting moment! My parents were ahead of Micah and I when it happened. I remember yelling to my Mom, "Either I just peed my pants, or my water broke!" We were all so excited and began calling and texting everyone. Mason's arrival was a week and a day "overdue" and everyone was antsy to meet this lil' guy. Especially since my Mom since she would be leaving town two days later.

After 26 hours of labor and an unexpected birthing experience, my wonderful Mason was born! It was the BEST day! I'm so grateful for his sweet spirit and the joy he has brought to my life. I can't believe it has been a year! It feels like I have known his forever and I don't remember life without him.

Happy (early) Birthday Mason!!! You are the best lil' boy in the whole wide world!!!

Party pics to come...

The Natural Child

My new favorite parenting book is The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart. I got this book on CD because I am able to get so much done AND listen to a book at the same time, it's fantastic. Anyways, this book is amazing. I am making copies of it for all my preggo friends. It talks about parenting in a way that truly resonates with my motherly instincts.

I am a self proclaimed "hippie" in the sense of being into organic, natural and non-mainstream ideas (not in the dope smoking way). This book is most certainly fitting into my hippie ways, which I love. What I don't love, is that many people immediately disregard it because its ideas are not preached by doctors.

This book took about 3 hours to listen to. It's well worth your time, just put it on in the background and see what ya think. Any Mommies who want a copy, please just let me know and I will buy you one or send you a copy. I honestly believe that the way we raise our child will change the world. I think it is so important for Moms out there to stay educated and continually learn. Some ideas you may not agree with, but there is something in this book for every parent. If you have any great books, PLEASE share! I am a sponge when it comes to new ideas and interesting books!

I love being a Mommy.