Jameson Dale Handy

I can't believe that Jameson is a month old today! He is such a precious little boy. The love that I have for each of my boys the minute they are placed in my arms amazes me. It feels perfect. I know that each of them were meant to be mine.

 

 

 

Jameson took his time coming to us (I was induced 11 days after my due date). He even tested my patience that day when nothing was happening for hours after having my water broken but when he decided to come it was fast. I couldn't have asked for a better birthing experience.

 

 

 

He was our tiniest guy at only 6 pounds 1 ounce.

First bath with dad. This is the first time I went and watched. It was fun to get some pictures of this special time. The nurse was impressed with how great Brett was with Jameson. He really is the best dad.

The boys absolutely love their baby brother.

First family picture with our family of 5!

 

 

Keeping Busy

I guess I will never know what it feels like not to count the days past my due date but while we patiently await the arrival of our little baby boy, we have been trying to keep busy (and not go insane). Although, I don't know if Brett got the memo or not because each time I talk to him on the phone or as we go to bed at night or as he leaves in the morning he asks me "Are you feeling any different?" "Is this the day?" I assuring let him know each time that he will be the first one I tell if "this is the day".
Yesterday we headed to the zoo (like I think every other mother in Utah did).



watching the elephants and pretending to have a trunk

enjoying some candy and relaxing in the wagon

Today we rode Frontrunner and TRAX to meet Brett for lunch and a little shopping. The boys absolutely love doing this and since Brett is moving offices soon this was our last chance to do it. I am glad we were able to fit it in.



enjoying the sites

running around at City Creek

After getting on TRAX and then being informed that it wasn't actually going where it said it was and then having to run a few blocks in order to get to the Frontrunner station in time (or wait an hour for the next one) Beckett was ready for a nap on the way home :)

The boys have been talking a lot about whether they think this baby will have red hair like Beckett and Griffin, whether he will be a calm and quiet baby like Griffin or a screamer from the beginning like Beckett, whether he will be a thumb sucker like Griffs or a binky boy like Becks. One thing for sure, this baby is like the other two in that he wants to test my patience before he even arrives :)

Come on baby boy, I really don't want to have to wait any longer to meet you.  We are just too excited to have you join our family! 

This time around

As I am getting closer to having this baby boy (I can't believe I am due in 17 days!!)  I have been thinking about all of my pregnancies. They have each been so different.. 

With Beckett I was nauseous the first trimester but it was manageable. We didn't tell most people until I was 4 months along so it seemed to go by so quick. We had so much to do to get ready. Even after being put on bed rest the months still went by pretty fast. I loved being pregnant during the winter because it gave me something to look forward to during the months that I normally dread. The holidays came and went and then we were ready to welcome our baby boy into our family. He was born and it changed my life forever. He taught me about a love I never knew existed.

With Griffin I threw up almost every night during the first trimester. I stopped working out completely in order to try to prevent the bed rest again- and it worked. Becks and I went on a ton of walks around the neighborhood and to the park. We moved into a new house, went swimming all summer, took naps on the hammock, played in the backyard and savored every minute. When summer was over we got ready to have Griffin and he was hear before I knew it. He was a dream baby and still is.

With this pregnancy I was sick to my stomach the entire first trimester and so incredibly tired. Brett came home to me laying down on my stomach each night. Even the thought of food made me sick to my stomach. Around week 18 I had a few good weeks but since then I have thrown up at least a couple times each week. It has been rough. I feel so guilty that the boys are watching TV and playing with the phones more than I normally let them but I just don't have the energy to entertain them all day. Since I loved being pregnant during the winter with Becks I thought I would like it again but I have realized this week, with the weather being better and the boys playing outside, that I think that is what has made a big difference this time around. We have been stuck inside too long. I have finally gotten some energy back. I am so excited to be outside again and the boys are too!

With all of that being said...... and all of my complaining about the last few months.....I love being pregnant. I love feeling my little boy move inside of me all day, reminding me with each kick how lucky I am to be a mom. I love laying on the couch each night, staring at my tummy, watching him move all around. I love going to the doctor and hearing his heartbeat. I love looking at his ultrasound pictures on the fridge. I love thinking about him.

I can't wait to meet this little guy in a couple weeks. I can't wait to see what he looks like and what is personality will be like. I can't wait to hold him in my arms and cuddle with him. I can't wait for him to join our family.

 

The only good thing that has come out of Becks watching more TV is the PBS kids commercials that talk about nutrition. He has even been requesting apples and carrots for breakfast. In his normal inventive ways though he somehow makes the "unhealthy" items that he loves "healthy" by telling me things like, I know the chocolate milk from school turns chocolate by adding in brown carrots. Griffy found the chocolate powder one day while I was showering. He didn't even need milk.   

Weekend at the Cabin (a month or so late)

We headed to the cabin back in February. When I tried to post this back then the pictures weren't uploading- I got frustrated and haven't been back to blog since. So here it goes....

Perfect weekend at the cabin. Reminded me that the sleepless nights are definitely worth it when Beckett says "Mom can we come up to the cabin even when I am a teenager because it is totally awesome? I love coming here."

 

 

Griffin even went down by himself. He only wanted to go head first. He makes me nervous! 

He LOVES sledding.

Getting pulled behind the snowmobile.

 

Cuddling by the fire and eating Doritos. 

 

Griffin does headstands whereever he can. This boy loves being on his head.

Put our heads together

Beckett had so much fun celebrating the holidays this year. He even told me that it was going to make him cry when I took down the Christmas decorations (a little dramatic). So... after New Year's was over Beckett wanted to know what holiday was next. I told him that Brett's birthday is in a few weeks so we needed to think of a gift idea for him. He came over to me, put his head next to mine and said "Let's put our heads together and think about it."

 

 

Acting silly and putting his head together with Griffy.

I don't know where he comes up with these sayings but he sure makes me laugh.

Top 12 of 2012

I thought it would be fun to look back at my pictures over the last year and pick my favorite from each month.

January

 

 

Love this pic of two of my favorite boys. It reminds me of what a wonderful dad Brett is. I went outside for about 5 minutes while Brett was shoveling the driveway and built a lame snowman with Becks and called it good. Brett came out, built a "big boy" and "daddy" snowman with Becks, made a corncob pipe out of PVC (because Becks really wanted one) and definitely took the snowmen to a new level. Becks smiled the entire day and loved looking at the snowmen each morning as they slowly melted.

February 

My big boy turned 4.  I can't believe in less than 2 months he will be 5!! I love him so much. I love how much he loves things and this year was definitely Spider-man and the color red all the way. We had to incorporate his two loves into his cake.

March

This picture of my boys melts my heart. I love seeing these two together and seeing how much they love one another. There is nothing better. We didn't tell them to kiss each other, they just did it and I am so glad to have this precious moment captured.

 

 

April

My work competes in the 4th Street Clinic mini-triathlon each year and ever since we have been married (and I haven't been pregnant) Brett and I have competed on a team. I love that even though this is the one time a year that Brett actually has time to swim laps he is still willing to do this with me. This year, with the help of Garrett, we even took 1st place in the teams competition.

May

For my 30th birthday Brett and I went on a week long cruise. Although we missed the boys like crazy it was so much fun to be able to have uninterrupted time together. We stayed up late, ate all of the desserts we wanted (well I did), slept in later than 7:00 and for one week pretended that we didn't have any responsibilities. It was wonderful.

June

 

This was Beckett's first time playing t-ball. He struggled at times and loved to act silly but he loved every minute and has been asking me ever since it ended when he is going to get to play again. He had the most patient, wonderful coach who was so great with the boys. It was such a great experience.

July

 

Brock and I heard about the 24th of July Handcart Half Marathon on the 4th of July and thought it sounded fun. We did a couple of longer runs and decided to go for it. Brock ended up taking 1st place in his age group and I look 2nd. It was our own personal best times. At about mile 9 I almost threw up but I wasn't even too fazed by that because I was pretty sure that meant I was pregnant. Sure enough, I found out a couple days later that I was! It was fun to get one last run in before being pregnant again.

August

 

This was one of those perfect mornings where things actually work out how I think they are going to and the boys have as much fun as I envisioned. This was the first big hike we had taken Becks on. Since I was feeling the pregnancy tiredness and Brett had Griffin on his back we knew we wouldn't be able to carry him and were a little worried but he was such a trooper. He loved climbing the rocks and stopping to play in the sand every few minutes. It was so much fun and makes me excited for more summer hikes.

September

Beckett started pre-school with Mrs. Melanie. He has been going to school with my mom since he was a baby and started pre-school last year there but this was the first time that he went somewhere that he wasn't being taken care of by a family member. I knew it would be good for him (and me) to do something new but it didn't stop me from crying the first few times I dropped him off. He loves going and it has been fun seeing him become more independent but it also breaks my heart a little bit to see him growing up so fast. He reminds me all of the time that even though he is getting big he will always be my best buddy and love me!

October

Griffin turned 2 and we went up Mueller Park Canyon to celebrate with our families. It was such a great fall night with beautiful leaves and wonderful weather. We were reminded again how lucky we are to have such supportive and loving families close to us. I can't believe my baby is already 2. He still makes me feel like the luckiest mom in the world each and every single day. He is such a loving little boy who loves his snuggles and kisses as much as I do.

November

Love this picture of me and my big boy. We love making funny faces and taking pictures. It happens almost daily.

December

This picture of Becks sums up how a lot of our time in December was spent. He wrote about 100 letters to Santa. He saw the commercial of Macy's about dropping off the letters in the mailbox there and begged to go. We rode Frontrunner and Trax to meet Brett at work, dropped off the letters, saw the Temple Square lights and went to dinner. It was a perfect evening and fulfilled the magic for my little boy. It doesn't get much better than that.

I loved looking back at all of our pictures over the last year and it was so hard to pick just one from each month. I didn't include some of the big events but looking through the pictures made me realize how much I love the little moments with my family and I want to be better at capturing those. This year was filled with so much fun and excitement. It gets me excited for 2013 and all of the things this year will bring. I can't believe that in 3 months we will have another little boy. I am so excited for all of the adventures we have waiting for us this upcoming year.