Family Pictures 2014...

Are you ready for a full post of photos?!  Last year we went to Vegas for Thanksgiving and I was determined to get "Fall" family pictures with my men.  Phoenix doesn't get much of a Fall and it makes me sad because it is by far my favorite!  After countless messages exchanged between Ashley Flowers and I, we were able to set a date for us to come to St. George for a little family photo session.  B and I did our best to have a happy baby for pictures; fed him, let him nap, let him run...ect. But Ashley really had her work cutout for her with our little stinker... She did wonderfully though and I am so happy with the way they turned out... and now, the photos!!

Love Day With My Valentines...

Oh how I LOVE love month.  Not only did I get spoiled with flowers and gifts... But I was able to celebrate with the two most handsome boys around!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Being away from family and having a little one is not the easiest. 

There are so many times I wish we lived near grandparents so they could experience each milestone with us as H learns and grows every day. 

Seeing as that is not the case, Kristina and I decided to make a little Valentine for our kiddos grandparents so they could feel of his love as well. 

Thanks to Pinterest we recreated these two mementos. 

A Long Distance Hug: Hand-prints connected by a string measured to be the length of their arms.

Thumbprint Fridge Magnets: Used their sweet little thumbs to press a heart into baking clay, painted and glued to a magnet. (I might have made an extra for myself)

Love in Vegas...

B and I were married February 4th, 2012 in the St. George Temple.  This anniversary marks 3 years with my guy, and even though the road has been bumpy at times, I wouldn't change him for the world. 

We decided to celebrate in Vegas which was the best idea we've had in awhile. Dropped H off with my parents and spent my first night away from him (EVER). I obviously cried when we left him but having some quality alone time was for sure worth it. We stayed at the SLS on the strip. The hotel is newly renovated and quite interesting. The room was amazing and the price was even better... the decor was a bit strange... lots of pink, French, very boutique like... but it definitely served its purpose. We spent the evening gambling (shhh), eating, talking, and simply relaxing. It was good to reconnect with B... I fell in love with him all over again!

Our trip to Vegas was an absolute blast. The Harveys joined us the next day and we all enjoyed a weekend away. (Thanks Mom and Dad) We went to Cirque du Soleil Zarkana at the Aria which was AMAZING! Seriously, I don't know why we haven't been to a show sooner... Cant wait to go back to see another one. B only has one request when we go to Vegas.. Prime Rib. So we had it twice. Not to mention we went to a Brazilian restaurant as well in Planet Hollywood. I'd say we ate pretty good this trip!

On the way home we decided to stop and see the Hoover Dam. We have taken countless trips to Vegas and have never managed to stop and see it. B has never actually seen the dam in person so what better time then now. 

Hunter [15 months]...

This little man is something else! (the pic is a little blurry but I love it all the same) He is such a good boy for the most part and definitely brings a lot of joy into our lives. Here is life with our Hunter Boy in a nutshell.  ...........................................................................................................................
He usually wakes up around 8:15 and has breakfast with Dahh while MaMahh works. He has been taking two naps a day; one around 11 and the other about 5 (2 hrs each), but recently those two are becoming one three hour nap around 1. Bedtime in our house is 10 and he sleeps so well through the night. Which makes for much nicer parents.  Hunter LOVES his food. He will pretty much eat anything and everything. He always has and I hope he always will. Breakfast usually consists of oatmeal and chicken with some side of fruit. Normally a banana but he recently has found love for blueberries. This kid loves his milk and "oose" (juice), despite our best intentions of not giving him juice he insists. We have diluted his sippies immensely, but if it doesn't have even a hint of apple he will throw his sippy down so hard you'd think its going to break. Lunch and dinner are usually whatever Dahh and MaMahh are eating. He is getting pretty good at using his fork for the bigger pieces of food, but spoons are not as successful. Whenever he feeds himself he says "Ahhh" before every bite.. I love it! This little man is  quite the monkey. His upper body strength is so impressive. He climbs onto everything, hangs on doors, and forget about taking anything away from him. He blows kisses, waives bye-bye, can show you his tongue, and points to his nose. He TALKS NOT STOP! Most of his jibber-jabber ends in a question and of course only he understands his language. The inflection at the end it is by far the cutest thing ever. His current English words however include: Dahh, MaMahh, Papa, Nene, uh-huh, oose (juice), dont, No, ease (please), whats that?,  He also knows a lot of animal sounds such as: cow, dog, pig, elephant, horse. duck, lion Hunter still loves his trucks and cars. Basically anything that goes "vroom" catches his eye. He also loves books. I just hope his love of books continues. My favorite thing is walking in the room and seeing him on the floor just looking though his books. He can be such a content child... totally fine with entertaining himself. Then there are the other times I find toys thrown all around and him yelling running in circles... Hes pretty good at "putting the ball in the hoop" (basketball) He's pretty proud of himself too. Claps after every basket. He is a healthy big boy. We've been fortunate enough to have not caught any serious bugs this winter. (knock on wood) He's growing like a weed and just keeps popping out teeth... 12 total.  Hunter is a well behaved boy and a good sport with all of the running around we do. Ever since we changed his car-seat to forward facing the hatred of getting strapped in has lessened. He loves to explore but hates to have his hand held. (makes me sad but I do love his independent spirit) His latest naughty thing is opening the kitchen drawers. He cant quite see inside yet, but will reach in and take all the utensils out. He is an angel child other than becoming a biter. It is very embarrassing and frustrating for the both of us. As parents we have tried everything; scolding, holding him in time out, ignoring him and soothing the victim, and even popping his mouth. I know he bites out of frustration and not being able to speak his mind, and even sometimes when he is really tired. We are currently at a loss. If any one has input it would be much appreciated. He really is the sweetest boy though and loves to give kisses. I think my absolute favorite is when he hugs, he pats your back. Melts me every time.

I take Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with such a sweet little boy. Hunter has such a fun and exciting spirit about him. He really loves people and has the ability to make you feel so loved and good inside. These are some qualities I hope stay with him as he continues to grow into a handsome young man.