Pause Button

You know those moments where you just sit and reflect on life, love, memories, family, and feel so blessed and content that you just want to hit the pause button and stop time? That's how I'm feeling right now.

We've been looking for an internship for Jared this summer, and since internships often lead to job opportunities, we've been thinking hard about where we would want to end up. As exciting as it is to think about finally leaving the world of college students and entering "the real world", I will be sad to leave this part of our life behind. The time where we still have the world at our feet.  I know we will always look back at our college years with fond memories, and I try to make the most of them.

Since getting married, I have come to appreciate and love my family even more. Apart from the realization you get of how each person in your family shaped you and made you who you are, you just flat out miss (and need) them. When I was a single college student, my role in life was school (and let's be honest - fun), and in the back of my mind I always knew I'd go be going home for Christmas, or summer, or whatever the next break was, and I kind of took it for granted. When we first got married, it was kind of a struggle for me. Since Jared happened to be from the town I just finished college in, I graduated but never left - and although my family was far away, his was just a few blocks over. It was a great blessing for us to be so near his family, but sometimes it was hard to feel like I had started a new, married life; I just felt like I had joined his. And I missed mine. I missed my home, I missed my family, I missed our traditions and holidays, I missed the warm weather, I missed the city. Somedays I just felt so out of place.

Now that we're down at BYU (and my family ended up moving about a half hour away), I can really appreciate having the people I love so close. I know we're at a stage of life that won't last forever, and I am just cherishing it while it lasts. Jared is getting close to graduating, and we don't know where his first job offer will be. My sisters in college are not married yet, but it will be interesting to see where their futures take them. Kendall only has one year of high school left and then will go to college. It's nights like tonight where we can get together with my sisters and go bowling on a whim that make me want to just hit pause. In a few years we could all be spread out going about our seperate lives, but for the moment I love being connected to each other.

So here's to cherishing the ones we love most, and appreciating each moment and stage of life we're in. Every stage of our life is so unique, and I don't ever want to feel like I let any of it pass by.

I've had diarrheas since Easters

Okay just joking, didn't mean to gross you out. lol. Couldn't help quoting Nacho Libre when thinking about "Easters" (and yes, thats a link in case you forgot and want to watch that clip again :-).

We had a blast celebrating this year, and the Easter bunny did not disappoint. We spent the holiday up in Rexburg with the Ericksons and were blessed with a couple days of beautiful weather!

Warning: This post is mostly going to be a picture overload. 

Here's Emmett and I before Church on Easter Sunday


Love that litte mans smile

 Family shot

The Goods

The Prince

The Cousins

We are so grateful for the resurrection of our Savior and what it means to our lives. Hope you all had a great one as well!

The Case of the Missing Remote

One day our TV remote mysteriously disappeared from the living room. Of course [for Jared] this was a travesty. We turned the living room upside down, looked in every nook and cranny, and still no sign of it. We both swore we saw it sitting right on the ottoman 10 minutes before. Confused, we finally gave up and brought out the remote from our bedroom. They're both Comcast remotes so they work interchangeably.

A couple days went by...still no remote.

Finally one afternoon, Jared was out in the living room watching TV. Emmett was buzzing around, getting into the DVD cabinets as usual. Then it happened.

Jared saw Emmett come over and take the remote (the 2nd one), and head back toward to the TV stand with it. Determined not to lose our last and only remote, Jared kept his eyes on him. He saw Emmett lean his arm as far as he could into the TV stand.... and strategically slide the remote behind the xbox.


Note: I attempted to recreate this for a picture, so it's a toy instead of the remote


A couple minutes later, Jared needed the remote so he got up and pulled the xbox forward, where he found not one, but TWO remotes!

Apparently we found the little mans secret hiding place.

Now I know where to look when my keys go missing again...

Graduated

There is a program provided for preemies called "Welcome Baby" put on by the health department. A nurse would come to our house monthly and answer any questions, check if Emmett's development was on track, and give informational pamphets on things to do/expect for that month.
She just came for her last time on Tuesday and it was actually kind of sad! She's become a friend over the past year. She has been a constant since the very beginning of Emmett coming home, and whenever I'd think of a random question (which is often) I'd be like "Oh, Ill ask Margaret about it." It was fun having someone that saw him once a month, and would ooh and ahh over how much he'd changed/learned from the month before. It's hard to notice all the gradual changes when I see him day to day.
Since Emmett has completed his 12 months and is perfectly caught up for his age, she doesn't have to come visit anymore. I feel like it is my christening to toddler-dom. "Good luck, you're on your own now!"haha. For "graduating" the program, they gave Emmett a board book with a sticker on the back that is a little certificate of completion. Although we will miss our monthly visits, we are so happy and blessed that Emmett passed with flying colors.
Here's a picture of him and Margaret on her last visit

Out of 3 tries, this was the best picture I could get of Emmett. I also could not get him to relinquish the curling iron. haha

12 Months

Woohoo!! We made it!

Here's the monthly stats:

• 23.7 pounds, 29.5 in long
• On the verge of walking! Will walk while only holding one hand (though you can tell it freaks him out a little) Still mostly cruising along stuff to get where he wants to go
• Will stand on his own often, especially if he's distracted/looking at something
• TEMPER TANTRUMS. These have hit in full force. We're talking throwing his whole body face down into the carpet and balling his fists. It's kind of sad, but mostly hilarious.
• Starting to be become an independent thinker - aka opinionated
• Loves the swings at the park

• Wearing 18-24 month clothes
• Starting to transition from formula to cows milk, as well as off the bottle entirely (slowly)
• Constantly twisting his tongue on it's side. Really it's quite a talent, he's been doing it for a couple months

I guess you cant really see this small, but he has his tongue twisted in this picture

• Loves Touch and Feel books, books with flaps, and finger puppet books
• Is beginning to kind of have stranger/seperation anxiety, and wants his mommy most of the time

Happy Birthday Emmett!

Oldie but Goodie

These pictures are a couple months old, but still deserve a post!

One day while I was housesitting for my parents, Emmett was exhausted but would not go to sleep. And they don't have a rocking chair in the house, which is how he's used to winding down. It was snowing outside so it was too cold to take him for a walk. Sooo desperate times called for desperate measures. I got out the stroller, strapped him in, and started walking a continuous loop of the main floor of the house.

He started out like this...

And 15 minutes later he looked like this



The position he's in just says it all. He was spent! 

When the Cat's Away...

The mice will play!

Emmett and I tried to pack as much fun as we could into these past few weeks since Jared has been gone/busy. Had to do something to pass the time!

On St. Patricks Day we went on a double date with Kaity and her boyfriend Rusty. We're sporting our green outfits and even ordered green ice cream for the occasion.

Rusty plays for the BYU Volleyball team, so we decided to check out a game.

Emmett even got to personally meet Cosmo! He wasnt too sure how he felt about it though.

Emmett wasn't the only one that got to meet a BYU celebrity... I ran into Bronco Mendenhall at Winger's (for those that arent as BYU football obsessed as our family, Bronco is the coach). Jared was extremely jealous. Please disregard the fact that I look not-so-great, I wasn't planning on taking a picture. And I don't think he was either. haha.

We stayed at my parents for a few days, where Emmett decided that Caysen was the coolest person ever and was constantly following him and invading his personal bubble. lol.

He also decided his favorite place to hang out was under the table...

and loved that his head touched the top

We had a lot of fun, but we're glad Jared is back! After looking at all these pictures I have decided that I am in desperate need of a tan. Please come out and stay Mr. Sun!!

Life of Late

Life with an (almost) one year old is crazy! It's so much fun, and Emmett has really become so much more interactive, and funny and MOBILE. Which means it has also become so much work. haha. He is into EVERYTHING. And I still feel like that's an understatement. Kitchen cupboards, drawers, laundry closet, bathroom cabinets, bookshelves, air vents, trash cans (don't worry I keep him away from that one, but he still tries). He will pull out every DVD in the media center and by the time I've got them put back in, he's got out all the books. He's constantly pinching and slamming his fingers in drawers and cabinets if I turn my back for ONE second. I don't know how he does it so fast! He is a little ball of energy, always going at full speed. Don't leave your phone unattended around him either...his favorite thing to do is randomly dial or text message people in your phone book. lol.

Jared went to Mexico on a Study Abroad Service trip for Engineering at the end of of March. He was gone for 9 days, the longest we've been apart since we've been married! Luckily I had lots of family around to help, and I went to my parents about midway through. It is hard being a single mom! I don't know how they do it. There's NEVER a break, never someone to relieve you. It's exhausting. And now that Jared is finally home, he's behind in school from missing so many days. So he goes to school early in the morning and stays til 8pm. He even went on Saturday. So pretty much I'm ready for school to be over. And ready to have my spouse back!

Today was a much needed break, and the two of us were able to just relax and watch conference. It was the most time we've spent together since he's been home I think! There were so many good messages, I loved all the talks on families, spouses, and children. It just felt like they were speaking straight to us sometimes.

It's down to crunch time for Emmett's birthday party next weekend! So I will occupy myself this week deciding what exactly to do for the cake (a few different ideas are being considered), and finishing decor projects. Don't worry, pictures will come!

Goodnight Everyone!