I love to see the temple

I'm going there someday 

 

to feel the holy spirit

 

to listen and to pray

cause the temple is the house of God

a place of love and beauty

I'll prepare myself while I am young

this is my sacred duty.

 

This is the song I sing to Amelia every night before I put her to sleep,

a sweet little reminder of where she just came from.

 

When I was in the most critical moments of labor,

weaving in and out of consciousness between the agony of contractions,

Jeremy made me a promise,

that we would take our baby girl on walks around the temples.

 

and so we begin.

 

bragging about a little 4 month checkup

Amelia's appointment was just a tad late due to our St. George trip:

 

 

She is

12 lbs 8 oz (22%)

25.0 in (76%)

 head cir- 15.9 in (35%)

 

so still following that tall-and-skinny trend.

it's so so so crazy to me to compare her with pictures of when she was 2 weeks old.

you really just don't notice how fast time flies.

4 months, really!?

 

heart and lungs and bowels still great.

 

and stranger anxiety has kicked in full gear.

at 2 months, this little lady was flirting shamelessly with Dr. Blackburn.

now she's glaring, screaming, stammering...

 

her dad isn't complaining though...

 

Her doc also said she is pretty much a 6 month old, developmentally:

rolling over, both ways

sitting up without support

grabbing at things (and throwing them away)

turns towards voices

jabbering like crazy

lunging forward

 

she is also starting to display some 9 month milestones as well:

scooting/shuffling on tummy

combining back and front mouth syllables

(we've got a talker, and she didn't get it from her dad)

 

Doc suggests:

continuing with breastfeeding until 6 months (hallelujah!)

finding a week and letting her cry it out in her crib aka not letting her cuddle between us whenever she cries at night (oops, my bad)

babyproofing our house (good thing that was mostly done for us)

stimulating her more (haha just a joke)

 

 

and with a "good luck raising your child prodigy," he was on his way out!

 

she also got her booster shots.

that high pitched screaming I've only heard once before (2 month shots)

was heartwrenching.

 

good thing she is easily distracted by the cute cute girl in the mirror.

and falls asleep easily:

 

 

love you Amelia Ray

whereever you are in life, your dad and I will always be your biggest fans;

we adore that toothless grin of yours.

saint george '12

I love southern Utah.

our family goes down twice a year.

 

though, planning this trip was a little trickier than usual.

good thing we timed it just right,

Amelia slept the whole 4 hours I sped down.

(yes, I drove!)

 

 

Sand Hallow

Dad has been lifting Amelia in the air since she was 2 weeks old,

hoping to get her to smile.

Now, she's always smiling-

 Miss A found her feet this week,

and here's dad copying her!

We also went for a little stroll around the  st. george temple.

it's so crazy to think how much has changed in the last 3 years.

 

Jeremy kept pointing out how clear the water was and how many fish there were.

 

hiking at sugar loaf.

obviously, amelia loves anything outdoors.

 

oh brother, he's kissing me to death again!

 

this was inside the st. george tabernacle.

her face is priceless!!!!!!!!

 

on the middle emerald's pool trail in Zion's.

 

somebody got worn out!

hiking is hard work!

 

at the top of watchman's trail.

we made it!

 

 

these next few pictures are priceless...

 

on the road to Zion's,

there is a little store we always stop at,

mainly to feed the animals.

I was so excited to bring Amelia here.

 

here is Dad helping Amelia...

unfortunately the carrot didn't snap,

and our poor girl's hand got a little tug.

 

 

heartbreaking, really.

 

she is super anxious about this. :(

 

I always love trips to St. George

I love hiking, I love the pool, I love warm weather, I love being with my family.

thank goodness for fall break!

2 years

year 2 was a little more special than year 1.

because we had our little baby with us.

everything is so much more important, so much more sacred, so much more exciting.

 

everything is harder, too.

 

we were in saint george on October 8th, 2012

 

 

 

as a family we went to denny's for breakfast.

and then we were off to Sand Hallow

 

 

cheesy, I know.

I will probably make Jeremy take kissing pictures with me for the rest of eternity.

 

the water was so clear,

Jeremy kept talking about coming back next year to swim.

and to fish (you know, his obsession).

 

we came back and did a little swimming with our cute babe...

 

Jeremy took me shopping,

we gave Amelia a bath

we dressed up,

and went to Iggy's for dinner.

 

our waiter was darling and gave us free drinks and anniversary advice.

and our babe was so good to sleep through our dinner.

I am only a little sad we didn't get a picture.

 

when we got back to the hotel room,

Jeremy had a little surprise waiting...

 

the pillowcases were really cheesy...

but the fitted sheet was really cute.

I found the idea, here.

 

it took an extraordinary amount of effort to keep it a secret from Jeremy

and also to make with an attention-demanding baby.

 

here is Amelia, helping me out like a champ...

 

 

so we completed the night with the "game of love,"

complete with "champagne," gifts, and chocolate.

I'm not ashamed to admit it!

 

 

I adore my husband.

we have our ups and downs,

and a baby makes the rollar coaster a little rockier.

I think it's so important to go out of your way to do something special for your special man,

even if it's super cheesy.

We've both been slacking a little lately, with a baby and all.

but we're trying!

 

I'm willing to bet our anniversaries will get better every year.

there's no way Í'm wrong, with this stud by my side.

thanks for sticking with me, Jeremy Ray!!

xo

 

 

1 year

 

fall break for the last time

hallejulah, it's fall break!
it's so interesting to see how far I've come.

Fall Break, 2009: I packed in 40 hours of work that week and still managed to party every night. I remember this boy buying me two monsters at 5 in the morning, so I could make it at work. That afternoon, I drove to BYU provo during rush hour weaving in and out of consiousness to have a sleepover with my friend, AmberLee. I was at the lowest point of my life, masking behind the best college experience. Getting drunk every week and going out dancing, sleeping over at frat houses with my "girlfriends," or without, driving and driving and making myself get lost so I didn't feel so lonely anymore. It was all pretty ridiculous.

Two years ago in 2010, I married this cute guy that turned everything around for me. It only took us 10 months to say "I do," and everyone thought I was crazy for getting married at 18. I remember that stress stress stressful day that turned out perfectly beautiful, like it was meant to be. I remember that gorgeous honeymoon, that I lost all my pictures to. I remember feeling as beautiful as Anne Hathaway looked at the end of "the other side of Heaven," the morning after we slept in our bed at home. My mom had insisted on buying us new, expensive white sheets to start off our marriage. We lived in the basement of Jeremy's grandparents'. We were broke as a joke, both going to school, madly-in-love newlyweds. it was a dream come true.

Last year in 2011, Jeremy and I were celebrating our first year anniversary in Moab, in attempts to recreate our photos from our honeymoon. I remember going on my fanatic, I-have-to-buy-some-pregnancy-tests mode after our anniversary dinner. We went to the store, and I got mad at Jeremy for not holding the pregnancy test for me. and I refused to take the tests that night, because how could I raise a child with someone who is still so embarrassed/immature about pregnancy tests and tampons!? We made up at 3 in the morning, and I had to pee. I remember thinking how funny I was for being so dramatic probably all for a negative test. That was when God told me I was in for the long haul, and I saw a little ( + ) on the test window. Good thing we just bought a house that was already baby-proofed, right? I remember Jeremy's sweet reaction when I told him, I remember buying a cute little onesie together, I remember Collette pranking-calling Planned Parenthood, in attempts to get me a more accurrate blood test. When they told her they don't offer those services, she asked in her thick southern accent, "so you mean I prolly shouldn't go out drinkin' with the girls tonight?" yeah, we were really mature back then. 

Now it's Fall Break again, and I have an almost-four-month old who delights in playing peek-a-boo. I can't find the words to express how happy I am. It's a pretty exhausting adventure, this whole raising a baby thing. But I'm grateful I get to do it with a man who would sacrifice everything to make sure we are taken care of. Monday marks our two year anniversary, and it marks Amelia's 1/3rd birthday. I am struggling to find a happier time and place in my life.


four years have flown by, and I have to admit... college has been the best 4 years of my life. not because I was independant and partied like crazy, but because I learned to be dependant for the first time in my life. I found myself and I found what makes me happy. I have made some incredible life-long friends, and I've made the most amazing memories. aren't I lucky to be able to say I truly have no regrets.