Mother's Day

It's hard to believe that last mother's day.. Jude was in my belly & just a few weeks away from being born! The thrill and excitement of knowing that our baby boy would be with us soon made that day super special. 

But, nothing is quite like actually having your baby here for mother's day!

We woke up bright and early and headed to Ruth's Diner.. apparently it's a very famous diner here in SLC. We didn't think hardly anyone would be there since we got there so early.. but we were wrong! It was packed. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long to be seated. We had a really yummy breakfast.. and Jude enjoyed himself.. (he is finally eating.. err making huge messes!) ;) I'm new with this babies and food thing.. so I forgot to pack a bib.. his church clothes were a mess. Oh well! 

After breakfast, we went to church. When we picked Jude up from the nursery after church I could tell that he had been upset. The nursery worker said that he got sad after he saw a mom pick up her baby. Once I picked him up he was perfectly content. That made me feel awesome!!! He loves me! Haha

While Jude was napping at home, Lee and I made homemade gnocchi together for the first time! We used my friend Becky's recipe .. and it turned out really good! It's a super fun thing to make together. 

After Jude woke up, we went to the park and had lunch on a blanket and played. It was beautiful out (it seems like everyday has been gorgeous lately). Welcome, summer!

Thanks to my man for a special day AND for the delicious chocolate covered strawberries! 

Also, thanks to MY mom for everything. Seriously... I think that when I became a mama I learned on a whole new level the love my mom has for me. So, to the most sacrificial, loving, young, problem-solving, beautiful momma in the world- I love you!

And, to the boy who made me a mama. Goodness. I love you more than anything. You are my sunshine sweet boy. 

Forever, mama.

11 months

Jude, 

Yesterday you turned 11 months! Goodness! 

This month has been a doozy.. you went from teething to a runny nose then to a nasty stomach virus then back to a cold and teething! Throw in a bunch of sleepless nights and we're all feeling exhausted. That silly stomach virus scared your mama. It was the first time you've actually been sick sick, and I hated feeling so helpless when my little boy was so sad and miserable. 

But, thank goodness.. it seems like we are finally coming out of the sick tunnel!

Here's a few things about you: 

-You still are not a fan of food. Basically you've only actually eaten a few things.. and you really don't like any of it. But, last week we went to a friends house and I gave you some chocolate frosting off of my cake... and you loved it! You silly boy! I've been trying to get you to eat all kinds of things.. and what do you know.. chocolate frosting takes the win.

Also, just today I gave you some yo-gurt and you didn't hate it.. so that's a step up ;) 

-You think your daddy is hilarious. He has you giggling all the time.. it's just so adorable.

-Whenever you're feeling especially sad and pitiful (which has been a lot lately) you crawl over to me and grab onto my legs until I pick you up. It's the sweetest. 

-You love playing with anything that is not a toy.

-Everyone says that you are the happiest and smiliest baby in the world. And, you really are! That's why it's been especially sad to see you so miserable. 

-You really like men! You seem to gravitate toward them whenever we are somewhere. And you always have tons of fun with them!

(Ha.. I realize this sounds funny.. but you all know what I mean :) 

-You loove to nurse. And I love it too.

-You started this new little smiling thing this month.. it's the biggest smile I've ever seen and it makes your eyes really squinty. You haven't done it for a little while though. But it is so so adorable. Your dad and I both love when you do it.

-You can pull yourself up into a standing position on any furniture (you've been able to do this for a while now).. but you are not walking or standing unassisted yet.

-You are a verrrry fast crawler.

-You hate getting your diaper changed or your clothes put on so much. It's a fight every time, you strong boy! ;)

I can't believe that you are going to be ONE year old next month. My sweet boy, where has the time gone!? I swear it feels like I just gave birth to you yesterday! 

 I love you like crazy my baby Jude,

Mama

Easter 2013

A bit late, but Jude's first Easter was so fun! 

Even though he probably didn't really know what was going on.. we got him a basket with some plastic eggs and bath toys. 

We had a big breakfast, went to church, and went to the park to enjoy the gorgeous weather.

I did the She Reads Truth 'Holy Week' study the week of Easter, and I felt like it really reminded me of why we celebrate. Sometimes I feel like I forget and get caught up in the festivities.

 But truly, what a gift we have been given!  

Utah

We've been here in Utah for close to 3 months and so far we really love it. I've never been to a city quite like SLC... it's so clean, beautiful, and feels very safe. It's not too huge and yet it has a lot to offer.

We live downtown and we really like it. Lee works a lot.. so that leaves Jude and I car-less a lot of the time. I still need to get used to using the buses/trax.. but there are still places that we can walk to that are close by. There's a super cute coffee shop a few houses down from us (which is seriously dangerous!) and then we have a organic grocery store down the road from us. There's also a plaza a little further away with several stores and restaurants that we can walk to if we're feeling especially ambitious.

Probably in the summer we will take advantage of the buses more. 

Anyway.. there are lots of organic grocery options (which is a big deal for us!) and there are lots and lots of young families with babies. 

People are super friendly around here. When we first moved in .. our neighbors brought us potato soup and came over to meet us. And then for Valentines day our landlords (who are also our neighbors) brought us cookies! It was so sweet of them both! 

Another awesome thing, is that we found our church through one of my blog friends, Meredith! We are really loving it there.. and are so grateful that we found such a great home church so quickly! (Thanks, meredith! :) 

It's so beautiful here.. the mountains are seriously breathtaking. I can't wait to do some camping in the mountains with my little family in the summer!

Utah, we really love you!

Oh, and we're ready for some more Spring-y like weather whenever you are...