Getting older all the time

Our Sterling boy turned 9 months old yesterday, & it's crazy to think that he's 3/4 of a year old!  He is such a good baby and just as sweet as he can be! He is, however, VERY opinionated! He does NOT like having his nose wiped, his diaper changed, getting dressed, sleeping at night, or getting into his car seat, high chair, or anything else that restrains him! Some of the things he enjoys doing are crawling (everywhere!), playing with his daddy, listening to us sing, eating, playing with Roman, & bouncing. He only has 2 teeth (on the bottom), but has several trying to come in right now.

 Sterling had his 9 month well-baby check up today & his stats were 17.3 lbs., 28 in. tall... basically long & LITTLE! She said that it's normal for babies to thin out around this age because their mobility increases, so she's not concerned about it. I kinda love having a little baby though... feels like it keeps them baby a little longer :)

The kid eats like it's going out of style, anyway! The Dr. thinks he might have acid reflux & that may be why he's been having such a hard time at night, so we're trying some medication to see if it will help.

Here are some of my favorite shots of Sterling doing some of his favorite things:

Well, this is a love/hate shot. He hates sitting in his high chair, but loves to eat! He's easy to please, if it's food, he'll eat it!!  & if even if it's not food, he'll still try to eat it!

He's also trying to poop in this shot, just in case you couldn't tell. I think his pooping expression is hilarious!



Here he is, loving the tub!

& here's me loving on my freshly clean baby!



He has SO much fun with Daddy!!

 He has been a daddy's boy since day 1!! Anthon has the magic touch with him- he can get him to be happy, to calm down, or to sleep in a matter of seconds! He has chosen me over Anthon a couple of times in the past few weeks, & it makes me so happy to know that not only does he tolerate me because I provide him with food, but he does, in fact, like me!

Sterling is scheduled to have surgery to correct his hypospadias at the end of this month, on the 29th. I'm kinda nervous about it, but totally trust his urologist & know it'll be better to get it taken care of before he realizes what's going on!

Anyway, we sure are thankful for this darling little boy & the light he brings into our home!!

These are a few of my favorite things...

This post is a little late, but better late than never, right? I took some pictures of Roman with his favorite things at 3 years old (IF you want to see what they were when he was 2, click HERE). He was a lot more cooperative at 3 than he was at 2, but still isn't the easiest subject to capture! 

Still, I LOVE taking pictures of this sweet face!! I may be biased, but man, that is one CUTE kid!!! Anyway, onto Roman's favorite things!

1- It's the simple things, popsicles in particular, that make Roman happy these days!

2- Bob the Builder & tools

He LOVES to fix things around the house & sings the theme song to Bob the Builder while he's doing it

3- Lego's & Mega Blocks

Building "towers" & "castles" are a favorite play time activity!

 4- Last, but definitely not least, monster trucks!!

I LOVE how this picture turned out!!



 My oh my, when this little boy was born I was certain I could never love him more than I did in that moment. Well, I've proved myself wrong! Everyday I get to spend with him, I am amazed at how much my love & appreciation for him grows (even on the days he's naughty)!! Roman brings so much joy, happiness, & fun to my life! I am SO thankful I have the chance to get to know him & learn from him!!

Seriously, Roman?!?!

 We have had several "SERIOUSLY?!?!" moments with Roman this past month. It's like, as soon as he turned 3 a switch flicked & things have just been crazy! For starters, I'll tell you about the incidents that caused him bodily harm...

1st, somehow he managed to fall out of bed and cut open the back of his head, & his lip. Seriously, how does that happen?? Nothing quite like waking up to a screaming, bleeding toddler :( Poor kid!

This was taken a couple days after it happened

2nd, he hung himself from the blinds... Seriously. This experience literally almost gave me a heart attack, & has forever scarred me! I was in the room with him & it happened in a split second! One second he's opening the blinds, I look away for that split second, & then I hear him slip & start to choke!! Sooo traumatic, for us both!!

Thankfully, I got him untangled FAST & he wasn't seriously injured, but boy did it scare the crap out of me!!

Onto some happier, silly things...

No explanation needed...
 but seriously?!

He is turning into a couch potato! I swear, the boy would watch TV all day if we would allow it. He does get to watch a show in the morning while I'm exercising, & the funny thing is, he lines up all his monster trucks so they can watch the show too.

Seriously, it's pretty cute.

Last, but not least, heart warming things..

Roman is seriously soo cute with Sterling!! They really do LOVE each other & it just melts my heart to see them interact together!

This was taken after I gave them both hair cuts :)

Roman is my buddy, & I love him!! We have a lot of good times together ... when he's not trying to kill himself or throwing a fit because I turned off the TV ;)

It's true what they say... There's never a dull moment when raising a little boy!!

But seriously, who would want it any other way?!?!

Sterling's on the move!!

This is when he is not really motivated...

This is when he is REALLY motivated...

It's so cute to watch him scoot around :)

8 Month Mark

 The 6th was a milestone day for Sterling, as well. He turned 8 months! It's crazy how fast he is growing up! Sterling is such a darling little boy- so easy going & sweet to have around! He's so content all the time, it's so easy to take care of him! He still has no interest in crawling (which I'm totally ok with ;)... stay stationary as long as you'd like to!), but he loves to pull himself up & stand. He's even taken a few steps along our ottoman. He's still pretty small- can wear most 6 month clothes still- but he eats really well. He's started to become picky about his food, & he only wants to eat what we're eating.

 Since the weather has been SO perfect, we've been going to the park quite a bit. As you can see from the 1st picture, he really loves to swing! I thought this picture of him on the sea horse was too cute- very GQ, wouldn't you say? ;)

 This was the night we were decorating Roman's room for his birthday. We turned around & this little stink was spying on us! This was the1st time we saw him pull himself up& stand in bed.

Sterling's little personality is hilarious! He is so lovable, but at the same time looks at people like he's so judgemental... how is that possible?! He laughs a lot & it's the best when he starts to laugh because one of us is laughing, especially Roman. They get in these laughing fits where they just egg each other on! I love the noises he makes too! He's started doing this popping with his mouth & he gets this super proud look on his face whenever he does it.  He seems wiser than his ripe old age of 8 months, too. That sounds retarded, but I'm being totally sincere. I've know from the day he was born that there was something extra special about him, & he just seems like he has a very mature spirit. I love this little man more than I can express & am so thankful I get to learn from him :)

3 years went by in the blink of an eye!!

Roman turned 3 years old on the 6th, & we spent the entire day celebrating him! The night before his birthday, Anthon & I decorated his room while he was sleeping so that when he woke up, he'd know it was a special day.

It worked... He loved the decorations & they helped him understand that it was his birthday.

  We had his party that afternoon at the park & the weather was a perfect 72º!! We kept the party pretty simple... Let the kids play, decorated trucker party hats, hit a piñata, ate cake, & opened presents. It was perfect-  He had a blast playing with his cousins & friends! 
 

Roman wanted a Monster Truck birthday party, so I did my best to make him a monster truck cake. He was satisfied with my efforts, so I guess that's all that matters :)



The Piñata was a huge hit!! It was pretty darn hard to crack open, but the kids had a lot of fun beating it!



Here's everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to him

After the party was over, we went out to dinner at Amazing Jake's- just the 4 of us. It was a blast playing all the games & riding all the rides together! Some of Roman's favorite things were:


Basket ball with Daddy

The spider squishing game. He's totally Anthon's boy!!



Anthon was excited to play laser tag with him, even though the pack was as big as he was!



Riding on the Go Carts

The roller coaster. This was hilarious! I thought he was going to be scared, but he was giggling & squealing the entire ride! 



There are so many things that we love about our Roman Boy!! He's darling, sweet, willing to help us with anything, forgiving, kind, patient, full of life, imaginative, mischievous & funny! The other night, I jokingly called him a little monster & he responded back to me, "No Mom! I not a monster, I a boy! I a boy, Mommy."

Somethings I want to remember about him right now are: he's starting to dress himself & is very opinionated about what he wears. He LOVES monster trucks... plays with them all day! He's sensitive & gets his feelings hurt easily. At the same time, he has my temper :( & can rage at the drop of a hat. He loves Sterling- still will kiss & hug on him all the time & gets SO excited when he wakes up in the morning/ from a nap (I've caught him in the crib snuggling/ chatting with the baby on several occasions). Would be totally content as a couch potato if we'd allow him to be one! He's a social butterfly- always wants to go to the store/work/school with us.

I'm eternally thankful for this little man- he made me a mother. He makes my days brighter & teaches me the true love of Christ on a daily basis! Happy birthday, Romey!! We love you more than you can comprehend or words can express!!

~A New Year~

I can't believe 2011 is already over! I guess it's true, time goes faster the older you get! I must be getting really old cause that year FLEW by! 2011 wasn't filled with any major events, but a TON of little heart warming, testimony building, relationship strengthening moments. Ok wait, there was one MAJOR event... the birth of our sweet Sterling- which I do consider a miracle! The whole experience of the pregnancy & his birth strengthened our family- From thinking he wouldn't live for the first several months, to the relief in finding out he was ok, to his amazing arrival united Anthon & I in a way that I didn't know was possible... & it made us appreciate our children SOOOO much more (& our merciful Heavenly Father)!! I know that the birth of a new baby changes every family, but the addition of Sterling completely changed our family dynamic, absolutely for the better! Every time I look at him I realize there is something extra special about that little boy, and he was given as an extra special gift to our family. Basically, the one major event made us notice/appreciate all the other little things that happened throughout the year a lot more,  and shifted our priorities a great deal. Some of the more significant "little things" that stand out when I think back over 2011 are Anthon getting his insulin pump, Roman getting potty trained, & our family trip to Mexico- all of which were such wonderful blessings for our family! I'd like to keep our focus on the same priorities throughout 2012! They are simple: Family, salvation, & education... who can ask for anything more??

To ring in the new year, we had my brother Peter & his wife Kelly over to play games & hang out- it was a simple evening at home, but that's about all we require these days, & it was a BLAST! Then today, we all took our kids on a picnic, then went for a hike, and then got foot massages (the last 2 were in hopes of inducing Kelly's labor ;)... she's due in 2 weeks & is sufficiently miserable)! 

Here is everyone feeding the ducks at the park after our picnic



Here we are on the trail. Hiking has kind of become a New Year family tradition for us & we really enjoy doing it!
PS- Roman spilled water all over himself... that's why he's shirtless, not because we're totally white trash ;)

Even though I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a challenging year- with school (if last semester was any indication of how school will be this year, it's going to be extremely challenging!), transitioning from working to both of us being full time students, mandatory changes in insurance coverage that now offer high deductibles and less coverage (thanks Chase), Sterling's hypospadius correction surgery (under the new insurance plan, mind you), & all the other normal bumps on the road of life- I know it will be extremely rewarding!! We're committed/ united to the Lord & each other, so...

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

-Romans 8:31

May each of your 2012's be just as promising!

The most wonderful time of the year!!

We spent Christmas in Show Low with Anthon's family & even though it was a fast trip, we still had a lot of fun! It always seems like we never have enough time to spend with the family up there, but it's still nice to spend some time with them!

I had to work Christmas eve ( I know, LAME right?!?), but thankfully Anthon & I are a great team & were super organized so that we could leave town the minute I was off the clock!! We got to Show Low in time for dinner & all the Christmas eve traditions.



Here we all are in our jamies, ready for bed

Our kids were ROTTEN that night! Roman would not stay asleep for anything & ended up waking Sterling up. Finally, around 1AM I got them both to sleep & they stayed asleep... til 4AM. Roman got up to pee & for some reason stripped completely naked, then came into our room & turned on the lights. That woke Sterling up & he was bright eyed & bushy tailed, ready to play until about 5:30AM. I could have beat them both!!! Everyone had planned to get up at 6:30AM to open presents & do breakfast before Mom & Dad had to leave for Cibecu, but thankfully they woke us up last & we got to sleep in til 7AM.

Even though the night before Christmas was awful, Christmas morning was wonderful! It was so fun watching the boys get excited about their gifts!



Sterling loves his squishy book!

& Roman finally got his bike!

 We got this beauty on Craigslist for $20... it has a little wear on it, but Roman doesn't care



He was SO excited, & he just LOVES it!



Church didn't start til 1PM, so it was nice to take it slow & enjoy the morning together. Anthon's niece, Lilly, spoke in church so it was fun to get to listen to her talk & hear the pretty music. I continued the tradition this year & got all the boys matching ties... I LOVE them in their Sunday best!!



Please ignore Sterling's shoes... I forgot his dress shoes :(, but was still very thankful I had a pair of BLACK shoes for him to wear with his suit!

Monday was a fun day!! It was also, our last day there. But before we left, we played in the snow!! Roman had been asking to go play in the snow for weeks, so he was STOKED to finally get to do it!



Nothing makes me fall in love with Anthon more than seeing him play with our sons!



Sterling was SO happy the entire time we were out in the snow, too. Made it so fun!

There wasn't a lot of fresh snow, or very deep snow, so Anthon drove us around on the 4 wheeler & made a trail that we could pull the kids on.

 Sterling LOVED sledding!!

JK! He was only on the sled for a photo op... please don't call CPS on me ;) Don't you love howfat his face looks in this picture?!?! I do :)

 Roman, on the other hand, did get pulled on the sled... lets just say, he most certainly didn't love it, but he tolerated it long enough to satisfy his parents- such a good sport!

Even though the trip was too short (as they always seem to be), it was SO wonderful!! I don't know if it's because we're fresh out of finals & an insane semester, but the time we spent together & with our boys was so precious! And the fact that the focal point of the entire weekend was on our Savior, & the blessings we receive because of His birth, just made it all the more sweet! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well!!

ahhh, I can breathe again

The weight & stress from my hellacious 8 week classes is over, & it feels so nice to relax & breathe again! Of course,, the week of finals had to be especially stressful, so Sterling had the stomach flu for 3 days (& I mean bad!! The poor baby could not keep anything down!) and as soon as he stopped throwing up, Roman started. Roman had it for only 2 days, and then the day he stopped throwing up, Anthon started. You add that all up & that's an entire week of vomiting at the Perkins house... Remember what my desk looked like??? You ain't seen nothin'!! Yeah, my house was completely thrashed & reeked of vomit. Thankfully, somehow the house got cleaned, & I was able to pass my classes- I got an A in Pathophysiology & received a total miracle in math!! I had spent less than an adequate amount of time learning the material that would be covered on the final, and an even less amount of time studying said material, because I was so concerned about my patho class, and had children constantly throwing up on me. So when I took my practice final to see how I would fair on the real deal, I scored a 56% the first time & a 58% the 2nd. I was heart broken, SO angry with myself, & just knew I was going to fail- wasting the 8 weeks of complete hell!! Thankfully, Anthon is the man that he is! He wrapped me in his enormous arms for a much needed bear hug & then suggested we pray before I left to take the actual final. I must say, I felt completely unworthy to ask the Lord for help remembering the things I hadn't spent enough time to learn on my own, but Anthon said a pleading a prayer on my behalf anyway, & sent me on my way to take the final. I stopped crying in enough time to have only slightly red eyes when I got to the testing center, & felt complete peace the entire time I tested. You can imagine my gratitude after submitting the final, to see that I scored a 77% and got an overall B in the class!! God does hear our prayers... and is merciful!!
So, that was my Friday. Saturday, I worked and then after, we had every Christmas party in the world to attend! I was gone from the house from 8AM til about 10:30PM, & was completely exhausted. Sunday, blessed Sunday, we went to church, came home, & rested!! It was SOOO nice to simply relax & enjoy my family... I swear, it felt like I hadn't held/ really interacted with Sterling for weeks :(. I'm so glad life is getting back to "normal" now!
Last night, after our full day of rest, we decided to go see the temple lights. Anthon's brother, sister, & brother-in-law met us there and even though it had been a rainy, drizzly day, it was a pleasant evening.

Roman had a blast running around outside & looking at all the lights

I simply enjoyed snuggling with my baby.. he's super sweet & makes a great little heater :)

 Something else I failed to mention, Saturday marked 10 years that Anthon & I have been together! I'm so grateful for our relationship! I'm pretty sure I'm the only girl on the planet who is willing to put up with him, & he's the only guy on the planet able to put up with me. I love him so much that the word "love" itself just doesn't seem to describe how I feel adequately. All I know is that with him, the easy parts of life are made funner, the hard parts in life are made easier, and the joyous parts of life are sweeter! Not many people can say the best decision they ever made was made in high school, but I can... it was Him!

PS- If you wanna read the story that started our romance, click HERE :)