Am I Really??

Yep. I guess I am. I'm going to blog about hunting. But, that's not all, so try not to just leave now haha.

 

So, Spencer's big elk hunt started in September. He had from mid August through end of September off from school. So, as a family, we pretty much lived at the cabin, so he could scout during the day. He lived on the mountain (except slept) for over a month. Me and the boys lived at the cabin, with ocassional trips back to Nephi.

 

I'll tell you what. It was not easy! I knew he had waited a long time (15 years to be exact), for this opportunity, so I really wanted to be a good sport about it. But gosh. He left early in the morning, and didn't come home until after dark. By then, the kids were ready for bed, and so was I. And not only that, there just isn't much to do at a cabin with two little ones. We definitely got bored, and on each other's nerves.

Finally, it was time for the hunt to actually start (which just means that the date came where he could now shoot at something, and it lasts about a week). Good golly, I wanted all of his time and mine to be worth it, and I wanted him to get something he'd be happy with.

It's a hard hunt, no doubt. They had hardly any action during the first 6 days of the hunt. I literally was praying/pleading all day, every day that all of our time and effort towards this darn hunt would be worth it. Not only that, but I really think Spencer would have slipped into a mini (ish) depression if he hadn't come out successful. I'm serious. His heart, soul, and passion depended on this. Finally, on day 7 they found what he was looking for!

 

He got himself this monster of a bull. He's very happy with it, and I'm just glad it was a success!! His brother helped him hunt for the first half of the week, and then his friend Brad, and Brad's friend helped for the latter part of the week. Brad and Daryl were the ones who were with Spence when he got his elk. We're very grateful to all those who helped Spence on his hunt.

 

Here are some pics of me and the kids while Spence was out hunting. I love this picture of Gavin, but it makes me sad, too. He just looks so grown up! He's definitely my little buddy, and such a good boy. We get on each other's nerves, yes, but he's such a joy to have around.

Oh, this kid. He's a hoot. He can be so stinkin' serious, then super silly, then SUPER ORNERY! It frustrates me. He gives me such a hard time just about every day, but if I ever leave him with anyone else, apparently he's an absolute angel. What the heck! It's so not fair. I literally can't go pee, or even stand up from the couch without him flippin' a freakin' cookie. Nonetheless, he is my sweet baby, and I'm so glad. He's a cutie I couldn't live without.

Hahaha!! He found a chocolate (wrapped), and got into it. I didn't realize until he had practically eaten the whole thing. But, I had to take it away, because  it still had the wrapper. He was a little upset.

Out taking a walk. Don't mind Gavin's messy face.... But they sure are cute, and make my days so fun.

Fish Lake is a beautiful place.

So, this year was my first deer tag. I had drawn out last year, but had to turn it back in, because I was like 37 weeks pregnant with Tanner, and I wasn't about to wander the mountain! This year, although I was pregnant again, I wasn't as far along. I really wasn't looking forward to it. Haha! I just wanted to get it over with. I don't mind being involved with my husband's hobbies, but sometimes, I just don't want to be haha. Anyway, it actually was pretty enjoyable for me. Opening day (first day of the hunt. Sorry, I am just not sure how much of this makes sense to all of you), we went to the place where Spencer got his deer last year, and were seeing a lot of bucks. My bro in-law ended up killing his that day. ANYWAY, this is not a hunting blog, I don't want to get into that mumbo jumbo....

It wore me out hiking all over that stinkin' mountain. It's way rocky, way steep, and just not my cup of tea to wander all over. But, it was alright. The next day, it was just me and Spence. We took our time since the day before had really worn me out.

We decided to go to a place in the same general area as the day before, and pulled up to this cliff to look over it, and see if we could see anything. Nothing... So we chatted. And I literally said, "I just want to get a buck" (I wanted to make all of the hiking, and babysitter's time worth it, and for my hubby to be proud of me), and right after I said that, Spencer says, "Go get the gun".

We talked about the pros and cons of going for him, as this was the last day I had planned on hunting. We decided the opportunity was too perfect to pass up. So, from 360 yards away, I made the shot and got him. Haha. I was pretty nervous about killing an animal! After I had shot, Spencer says, "I was going to tell you this, but decided against it, but I've never shot an animal from that far." He was pretty proud I made it in one shot from that distance.

 He's not impressive, but he's my first, and at least I got one, and that it was a good shot. Sorry 'bout the blood btw.... I was nervous to walk up to him, I thought I would feel bad about killing something haha. But, actually as I walked up to him, I had this huge sense of respect for this animal come over me. Weird, huh?!? Haha! That sounds weird, but it's true. The circle of life is a magical thing.. ;)

I shot him from atop these cliffs... And yes, we had to hike down that sucker, and then back up, with deer in tow.

I'm glad we had this experience together. I actually enjoyed it, and Spencer ended up being very proud of me, which is the only thing I cared about anyway. So it worked out.

In case you haven't heard, we're having a GIRL! I'm so happy about that. I thought it was a girl, and at the ultrasound, my nerves were going crazy! Finally, we looked for the gender, and yep! Girl. Yay. So, it makes things a little more exciting. I get to shop for a girl! I haven't bought anything yet, but have looked online, and it is just too much fun.

What's New?

 

This chubba-wubba is now 9 months (on the 6th)! He is seriously huge. He weighs over 20 lbs (not sure of his exact weight, haven't been to the Dr. yet), and has for a few months! Haha. So if you haven't guessed, he loves to eat!! He loves his bottles, but most of all, he loves table food! I really don't give him that much "food", because I still want most of his nutrients to come from his formula. But, he has no problem eating whatever we put in front of him. My hopes are high that he won't be a picky eater like his big brother.

He is EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING as most babies are at this age. He has also started standing on his own, and even taking a few steps!! It's crazy to me that he is already trying to walk. Gavin took a long time to muster up the courage to do so. He tries a lot to walk, but won't let us hold his hands while he tries. Silly boy.

He has become quite a chatter box. He loves  to watch and play with his brother. He HATES getting his diaper changed (the only time he is trying to get away from me), and puts up a fight everytime. He is a bashful little guy. When someone starts talking and smiling at him, he will smile, and then hide his face in my shoulder. It's so cute! He wears size 18 month clothes, and can even fit into some of Gavin's 2T sizes. He loves to climb the stairs. He has also become more cuddly as of late, and it is so nice! I'm glad I'm getting some cuddles from him while he's still a baby. He loves to grab at faces. He is such a joy to us. We are so grateful he's in our family! Love you baby Tanner!

This crazy cute boy turned 2 (on the 10th)! I remember when he turned 1, I was dreading it. I just didn't want him to grow up (still don't). But, this birthday I was looking forward to, because I knew he was going to love his presents, and what is more fun than seeing your child happy and excited??
We kept his birthday celebrations simple. After his afternoon nap, we opened presents. As expected, he LOVED all of his presents. He got a toy tool set, a Lightning McQueen car, another car from "Cars 2", the "Cars 2" movie, and a Jobn Deere toy tractor. Explanation of his presents: He LOVES the movie "Cars". He would watch it everyday, if I let him (I try to limit it to once a week). It is the one movie he will sit and watch for the entire thing. He has also recently had a fascination with "Tack-ters" (tractors). He can spot one anywhere, and he also calls trucks, tractors. Well, he didn't have any toy tractors, so it seemed fitting. He has carried his lightning McQueen car everywhere with him since he got it for his birthday. It's so sweet! After presents, we went to dinner at JC Mickelson's, which has these cool little trains that drive around the restaraunt above our heads. Gavin also loves trains. He pretty much loves anything that has to do with transportation. After dinner, we came back and ate his "Basketball" cake, and watched "Cars 2". He seemed pretty happy with how the day went, so that's the important thing!
He is soaking up everything right now. It is so fun to see him catch on to things. A lot of them, I haven't even sat down with him and taught him them. He knows lots of animal noises, lots of different words, he finally calls me and Spencer "Mommy" and "Daddy", he calls Tanner, "Taa-ter". He sometimes gets letters mixed up like for boat, he says "Bope", and for apple, he says "Papple". I love how much he is learning. It's so fun!

 I don't have many pictures of Tanner sleeping, because I'm terrified of ever waking him up! Haha. But, this was a perfect opportunity. I love that fat baby. He is so sweet, and so kissable.

 We moved Gavin to his big boy bed! He has done pretty well! (Notice he has his cars, he takes them everywhere!) There has been times, when he wasn't winding down very well, so he would get up, and wake up Tanner to play. One night, I just let them play since I did put them down a little earlier for bed. Well, when I decided it was time for them to calm down and go to sleep, I walked in (which, I had the monitor on, listening to them playing. Giggling up a storm, they both were. So fun), and found that Gavin had taken all of the clothes out of the dresser, and put them in Tanner's crib! Haha! That's what was so funny to them! All in all, he does well to stay in his bed, and go to sleep on his own.

 I'm sure you've heard, but we're pregnant, and this is how we announced it. We posted this on facebook. In the past, I have first texted my close friends and family before we make it "Facebook Official" or whatever, but this was just easier, and with the way we announced it, I wanted everyone to see this as our announcement (I don't have a cool phone to be able to send this in a text).

 See? Cuddles. It honestly never happened for the longest time. He's finally starting to more, and I had to document it. Ignore my bum look alright? I've had no energy since I got pregnant this time.

Taking an "arranged" picture of my kids has got to be the most frustrating thing ever. I wanted him closer to the hoop, so we could see how much he's grown. He would not stay put, and decided it was a game to creep forward as I was trying to take his picture. Still cute though.

 My boys are already best friends, I LOVE IT! They play together a lot now, and it is so fun. They've recently started rough-housing, and wrestling together. They're both pretty rough on each other, it's kinda fun to watch. Sometimes, Gavin doesn't know when he is hurting Tanner though, even if Tanner is screaming bloody murder. Eh, it's good for them right? They're boys, I want them to be as boyish as they can. And wrestling is a great start ;)

 Just some more pics of them going crazy on Gavin's bed. That blanket hanging by the window usually covers the window, but I took it down so I could let some light in as I took pics of Gavin by the hoop. (Just felt like I needed to explain myself on that one. And if you're wondering why I don't buy some drapes or something, it's because I haven't found anything that matches, and I don't like to spend much on decorating, when I have so little to spend in the first place. Haha!!)

 

Other than all of that, not much else is new. Spencer has a 6 week break from his rotations. It's his off-block, which worked out wonderfully for him since his big elk hunt is during it. So, we'll be spending a lot of our time up at the cabin for the next month or so.

As far as pregnancy goes, nothing new. I'm starting to feel like I'm getting some of my energy back, and feeling sick is less often as well. Here's to hoping it's a girl! ;)

SUP!

 

Gavin turned 18 months (he's now closer to 19 months).

He is learning so darn much! I could go on and on about all he knows, but I won't, because it's probably only fun and exciting to me haha. Just know we are so proud of him, and all that he is learning. It is so much fun! One of my favorite things right now is that our communication has improved! He can communicate to me (whether it's by sign language or talking) what he wants or needs, plus some. Love it! He is always cracking us up, and is such a ham! He loves to hang out with everyone, play with kids, he is just a social little guy, and always has been. He can go to nursery now (hallelujah!!!!!), and he loves it! He has not cried once when we have taken him, and the teachers always say how good of a boy he is. I'm so glad!

Tanner is 3 months (now closer to 4 months). He is still our sweet little chunky baby. He is sooo serious compare to how Gavin was/is. Not a bad thing by any means, just something we're noticing about his personality. He will smile, but has only laughed for me once! I try to get him to laugh so hard, but it's usually just a one "ha" with a mini smile, and then he's done. Haha! Funny boy. He is still a momma's boy, and I'm okay with that. He's starting to get eczema on his face like his big brother did. Luckily, he doesn't get it all over his body. But, still not fun! He sleeps SOO great! I get a full night's sleep already! He did that all on his own. I'm so happy about that. We'll see how long it lasts.

We recently moved back to Nephi, in with Spencer's parent's. It was a long thought-out decision, and in the end it was what we felt like we needed to do. A big thanks to them! SO. With the snow, it has been fun to take Gavin outside to play in it. He loves it! Cute boy.

Nothing melts a mommy's heart more than seeing her kids with their daddy.

Haha!! His arms were straight out. Definitely needed a picture.

We walked to the park as a family. Gavin was a little tired, but still had fun on the swings.

Milk mustache

Other than moving to Nephi, not much else is new with us. Oh! We did get called to be primary teachers to 6 year olds. Oh boy! Last time I was in primary was when I was..... 11 years old. I'm a little nervous! It will be good though. We really love this ward in Nephi. They are great.

Squeezing It All In

 

Time for blogging is just not as easy to come by. I'm going to squeeze in a lot in this post.

 

 

Life is crazy busy with these crazy cute kids of mine.

 

 

Some things I've learned since becoming a mother of two:

1. It doesn't matter how closely I stick to the plan or schedule of the day, something is going to happen that is going to throw it off a little. And I need to just accept that, and then relax. It's no easy task for me.

2. I need my sleep or I am a mad witch woman. My patience goes out the door if I don't get my sleep. Which is frustrating. All of my needs are so inconvenient to me. If I didn't have to take care of myself along with the two kids, life would be a heck of a lot easier!

3. Time management is seriously SO important, and also SO burdensome. Anyone else feel like time has literally sped up? Like God has made time go faster on purpose, ya know? Anyway, I'll never get everything done, no matter how much time I have

 

 

CHRISTMAS

We had a great Christmas, as always. It's always such an exciting time. This year, I was especially excited to see how Gavin would react to things. It was fun to see his enthusiasm when opening and playing with presents.

 

Christmas Eve at my parent's. Santa came. Tanner slept just fine while Santa held him.

 

Gavin, on the other hand... Wasn't a fan of Santa. I wasn't too surprised, because he was tired, and doesn't understand. But, he is such a people person, so it was kind of disappointing that he cried haha.

 

Jack and Tanner. Cousins. 7 weeks apart. Two super cute babies, that look nothing alike. Also, Tanner is a hunk of chunk next to Jack. Haha. Love these two cuties! They will be such good friends.

 

 

At our own home that night, we opened jammies. We tried to get a cute picture in front of our ornament-less tree.

 

I have a lot of pictures from Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day that I'm not going to post. Just know, we were really blessed, and had a great Christmas. Christmas morning, we had to just our little family. Then we spent Christmas day/night with Spencer's family. Thanks to all our family for helping make our Christmas so special.

 

 

Just after getting a bath in the kitchen sink:

 

Look at my little boy! He is so not a baby anymore! Not sure how I feel about that.

 

This one day, we found this super cute bear on our front porch. He was the cutest little bear we ever did see. Especially when he would smile and say, "Cheese!".

 

Learning how to hold that heavy head up. Chubby cheekers.

 

This is my, scum-ball-stay-at-home-mom-look. I like to make sure the kids always look cute though (Which isn't hard) so that makes up for it, right? Truth is, most days I do look like this. But, I've started waking up waaay earlier than the kids do so I can exercise and shower before they wake up. It has helped me not to look so scumy. Anyway, I really love this cute smile of his.

 

A few days ago, Gavin was sicker than sick. I have never seen such a miserable little boy. He had goop coming out of his eyes and nose almost constantly. We finally got him to the doc and he is back to normal. This pic is when I gave him his bear. He hugged that bear so sweetly.

 

 

 

I can't believe it, either. He is such a chunk! Gavin had chunky cheeks, but Tanner is just chunky all over. I pick him up, and my fingers sink into his back fat. Haha! Oh I love his chunky-ness. So kissable. He is a good baby. He only gets fussy when he's tired or hungry. Usually, they are both an easy and quick fix. But sometimes it takes longer to get him to settle down to go to sleep. He is becoming a very smiley little baby. He smiles a lot everytime he is awake. He doesn't need to be held as much as Gavin did as a baby, which could just be because I can't hold him as much as I did Gavin. We are so grateful for our Tanner!

 

He was blessed the day he turned 2 months. He wore the same blessing outfit as Gavin, and looked just as cute. He didn't cry at all during the blessing, and was such a good boy all day!

 

The rest of what is going on:

Gavin will say words, but he doesn't "use" them if that makes sense. The only one he uses is mama.

He also LOVES to mimic anything we do. It is so much fun to see him try to do what we're doing. I mean, he does it with everything!

He is also such a chatter box! He will just talk baby chatter to me for as long as I will listen, which is long, because I love to listen to him tell me stories. He is growing up so fast.

 

We are supposed to be moving by the end of next month. Our lease ends, and we have a few options to choose from. It's kind of stressful. Hopefully we'll know for sure in the next little bit what we are going to do.

 

Spencer found out his third year rotations will all be in the Provo area, except for 2 of them will be in Nephi. We were really happy to hear that he got what he wanted-it's not common.

 

I starting training for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. I paid for it (it ain't cheap), so I am committed. I. Am. Terrified. But, it's going to happen so, wish me luck!