November Nothings

As you can see from our header, we did do something this month... we got family pictures! A lady in our ward took them for us & did an amazing job!! It's a miracle she got any of Roman because he was WILD, but some how she managed! I LOVED the location- it's a historical building in down town Mesa & it was better than I could have dreamed! I really love how they turned out! Here's just a few: 

Is it just me, or does he look really grown up??



No matter how old he gets, he'll still be my little boy!



Can't get enough of that smile!

 

Handsome boys!

 Besides that, we haven't had anything exciting going on. But I figured I'd go ahead & post about the "nothings" of November (my blog is pretty much my journal now, & I hate to leave gaps in time just because we haven't done anything special. Every day life with our family is special, right?!?). Anthon & I do school & go to work. That's it. You're caught up on us. Onto the cute ones, Roman & Sterling!

Sterling is growing up too fast!! He's learned how to hold his own bottle, which is nice if he's hungry when I'm in the middle of something, but I still LOVE snuggling with him while he nurses! It's so great- I may breast feed this kid til he's 5, just sayin'.

See anything new on this little man?? He got his 1st tooth!!   



I honestly don't think he could be any more adorable- inside & out!! He is SUCH a gift!

Even when he does this... 

This has been happening a lot lately...



so he's been getting a lot of baths 

All clean!

I love his little nakey bum!!

Pardon my lack of makeup & overall exhausted appearance, but I ADORE this boy!

Roman is so SWEET! Granted, he has his terrible (rotten, awful, hideous) 2 moments, but inside he really is a kind, sweet, loving boy! I've really been enjoying my time with him! He's been playing outside a lot since we got rid of the dog, & LOVES it!

 Baseball is a must for this kid... & he's pretty good at throwing/hitting a ball, if I do say so, myself!

Rocks. The boy is obsessed with rocks. 



He'll line them up, thrown them, take them with him where ever he goes, & stash them away in safe places...

Like here, in my bed. Along with his quarters & skull whistle.

We just started bathing the boys together & they both seem to really enjoy it... well, most of the time.

Awesome picture, right?

He did say sorry to Sterling once he realized he didn't like having water spit in his face.

He really does love his little brother!

So fresh & so clean- Ready for bed. Bed time is awesome for so many reasons- Our life right now is insane- like barely keeping our heads above water, insane. I love having a few minutes every night, where our family can gather together to pray (& thank the Lord that we survived another day!)! Then, I get to lay with my boys & sing to them while Roman plays with my hair & Sterling nurses, until they both fall asleep. I usually get a much needed cat nap too!! Ahh, bed time is awesome!

Ok, this may have been the longest post in my history of blogging, but then again, it did cover almost an entire month. Anyway, thanks for catching up with us! 2 & 1/2 more weeks of school, then hopefully life will be back to normal... & so will my posts.

Kelly's Baby Shower

We threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law Kelly at the beginning of this month & it was a BLAST to prepare & attend! I was in charge of the decorations & wanted to do something that would be easy & cheap, but would still look good- so I decided to make pom-poms. As I was heading up to the register at Hobby Lobby with all the tissue paper for said pom-poms, I saw the silver garland & knew it was destined to be included. The tissue paper had such a soft texture & the pearls of the garland were an awesome contrast! I LOVE how everything came together!



The entry way: Both sides were lined like this



The "head" of the entry way

Kitchen: may have been my favorite area!



The yummy spread: tri-tip, potato casserole, home made rolls, broccoli salad, & fresh fruit with dip!



The cupcakes: Our dear friend Kim made them & they tasted just as good as they look



Aren't they beautiful?!?

Front of the diaper cake



Back of the diaper cake

Kelly got a lot of SUPER cute gifts!!

 I made her the car seat cover in this picture... I'm SO glad she liked it :)!! We love you, Kelly!! & we can't wait to meet little miss Olivia Paige!

5x7 Folded Card

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6 months

I am enjoying every second I have with this boy! He is SO incredibly sweet, patient, & cute!! I love his face- I know he's not chubby at all, but I love his plump cheeks- we call him "Fat-fatty" all the time because of them :). I guess I should write about some of his milestones, huh??
At his Dr. appointment today he was 27in. tall and weighed 15lbs. He's on the same growth curve for height, but dropped a little in weight (I don't understand how that can happen! The kid eats like there's no tomorrow). Speaking of food, he loves rice cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, and ANY kind of fruit. So far he doesn't like peas or corn, but we're working on it. His 1st tooth broke through this weekend & he's trying his hardest to scoot around on the floor. He started saying "Mama", but only says it when he's whining or sad- it's still pretty cute to hear him say it, though! He loves to hear his daddy sing- seriously, the kids face lights up & he can't stop smiling when Anthon sings to him. It's adorable to watch!
I seriously can't believe Sterling is half a year old already! He wasn't an infant for long was he?? & I'm betting his baby phase will go by just as quickly... he'll be a toddler before I know it! SO sad :(. I was thinking the other day about eternal families & how lucky I am to know that I will have mine forever. I love knowing that my children will always be mine! But then, I realized that my boys are going to be adults in the eternities, and it made me SO thankful for the chance I have to know them as children- the sweet, Innocent, adorable little boys that they are! That realization makes me want to cherish every little milestone, even more! This time with them is so precious, and I'm so thankful I have it to spend it with them!

More hair cuts

After Being successful with my first hair cut ever (on Sterling), I decided to try a more difficult subject... a toddler- Roman specifically! It took me longer than Sterling's did, but I guess that's to be expected; Roman has a bigger head & more hair. He was very patient with me, though & did a great job of sitting still. So, what 'cha think?? 

I think he looks super handsome (but I may be slightly biased)!!

 I know it may seem silly, but being able to cut my boys' hair makes me feel very accomplished, independent, & happy. I'm so thankful for this new "life skill" I've been taught!

Watch out, Anthon... you're next ;)!

Pre-Halloween weekend... picture overload!!

Friday:

Our ward had a Halloween party Friday night, so we all got dressed up & enjoyed the nice weather, yummy food, & good company! Roman wanted to dress up as Woody this year, so we decided to go with a Toy Story theme.



Naturally, Sterling had to be Woody's counterpart!

He LOVES the costumes- which makes it all the more fun!

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head

I'm sad I didn't get a good picture of the 2 of us together, but I'll try again tomorrow! This costume is probably the hottest, most ridiculous, & unflattering costume I could have chosen for myself, but I love a good theme... & it was a hit, none-the-less!

I look really tired, don't I?
If you don't know why I'm so tired, you obviously didn't read my last post.

Anthon looked great in his costume... Hot, even!
Am I sick or what?!



Saturday:

I finished all my assignments Saturday afternoon once I got off work (& got A's on both my quizzes, I thank you!) so we decided to use a Groupon I bought for DeWitt Stables. It was SO much fun!! The weather was perfect, we went in the evening so most of the people were leaving, & they had so many fun things! They had a bouncy house, barrel train rides, petting zoo, hay maze, hay rides to the pumpkin patch, tons of little kid games, photo ops, &  Roman's favorite, by far... pony rides!

 & this is what pure joy looks like! This was his 1st time on a horse & I'm so glad Anthon captured it!!



He loved every minute of it!



His little guide was so sweet & let Roman use his hat for a "Wee-Haw!" 



The sunset was so pretty! ...even though Anthon's got the creeper vibe going on in this picture



The petting zoo was another big hit! They had all kinds of farm animals: rabbits, chickens, ducks, turkeys, a puppy, goats, sheep, & a pig.



Roman loved this chicken! Probably because it was the only one he could pick up & hols on his own :)



Here we are on the hay ride to the pumpkin patch



I LOVE how this picture turned out! The scarecrow, Roman's face with his pumpkin, Sterling's expression, the dust in the air... it's all great!!



After the stables, we hit up Bahama Bucks- another 1st for Roman. It was a success, as well!



Sunday:

It was a regular Sunday: church, naps, lots of family time, & a nice dinner... but with the 1st week of my new INSANE schedule down, I'm finding a new, greater appreciation for our sabbath- a day of rest! We had our Relief Society Extravaganza (use to be super Saturday) last weekend, & a lady taught a class on cutting boys hair... I LOVED it  and was anxious to put my new skills to use! What cha think??

Not that big of a difference, but it still makes him look older to me!
I love me a freshly, clean cut little boy!



I must have been in a fall colored kind of mood today cause we all ended up wearing some form of brown/orange



& this was the cherry on top of my fantastic weekend... watching my darling boys play with their adorable daddy!



my life for the next 8 weeks...

MCC is offering a concurrent enrollment (with ASU) nursing program starting next fall and in order to apply I needed 2 more classes that ASU requires. If I do the concurrent enrollment program, I can earn my bachelors degree instead of just an associates that I'd get from just doing MCC's nursing program. So, I'm taking 2 regular courses-Pathophysiology & college algebra- & cramming them into 8 weeks in order to reach the application deadline. It's day 4 of my 8 weeks & I feel exactly how my desk looks...

I'm at this desk ALL THE TIME! It's the 1st place I go when I wake up- I eat here, feed Sterling here,  usually fall asleep here, & everything in between!

 Overwhelmed & disorganized only begin to describe how I'm feeling! If you think my desk is bad, you should see the rest of my house! It's driving me CRAZY, but I barely have the time to keep up with my courses much less pick up after my messy boys.

Speaking of which, I was worried if I'd be able to get anything done being at home with Roman & Sterling, but thankfully keeping them entertained has been the least of my worries! Sterling makes a great study buddy & is content as long as he's hanging out near me.

His cuddles help keep me sane!

 Roman loves that I'm not hovering over him all the time & has found some wonderfully fun things to do while I'm distracted with school.

That's waterproof mascera, ladies & gentlemen!

December 17th is the end date for both my classes, so that will be the mark I'm focused on for the next 8 weeks! I know it will be worth it in the end, but I just hope I can see the mark through the disaster that is my life right now & focus on it!

Sunday Best

 I love dressing my boys normally, but there's something about getting them dressed on Sunday that I especially enjoy! Maybe it's the crisp clean shirts, the ties (the only accessory I can use!), or just the fancier style, but I love them in their church clothes!



"CHEESE!!"



Isn't he handsome?!



Gotta show off my cute new dress too ;)

 

What a little stud, huh?!

PS-  Remember THIS post about Roman's song? Well, I still sing it to Roman & wanted a song I could personalize for Sterling. I sang the "Mother Dear" song with Sterling's name once, but Roman looked at me like I was betraying him, so I decided I should find Sterling his own song! It just so happened that one of my favorite baby songs, "Baby Mine" by Allison Krouse (or the old school version on Dumbo) fits perfectly! Anytime I sing it to him & the lyrics are suppose to say "Baby mine" I replace it with "Sterling boy" (which is a nickname we call him a lot). Anyway, maybe I'm weird but I like having special lullaby's for my boys!