Eli is 7 Months!!!

My sweet baby boy turned 7 months on June 17th!! Where has the time gone?!?! I love him so very much and I feel blessed every day that Heavenly Father sent him to our family.

At 7 months, Eli is:
*Eating baby cereal 3-4 times a day.
*Not wanting to breastfeed nearly as much.
*Rolling all over the floor!
*starting to scoot, which, I believe is, the starts of crawling.
*cooing, screaming, & making all sorts of cute (and loud) noises!
*Sits all by himself!
*Loves looking at "the baby" in the mirror!
*Gives the best kisses
*Loves cruising in his walker
*Now sleeping in his crib!
*Wakes mommy up about 1-2 times a night.

Happy 7 months Eli! Mommy loves you!

Nathan's First Father's Day

We celebrated Nathan's first Father's Day on June 15th! Eli and I got him fishing supplies! How exciting huh? ;-) I also made him biscuits & gravy, eggs, and bacon for breakfast. He seemed to enjoy breakfast and liked his gift. We went over to my parent's house for dinner because Howard & Nancy were gone on a trip that day.

Nathan is such a wonderful father! He adores Eli and Eli, in return, just loves his daddy. He loves to tease Eli and scares him every chance he gets! (thankfully Eli thinks it's funny!) He is constantly showing him love by playing with him, changing his diaper (which also gives him brownie points with me!), worrying about him, and making sure he is provided for.

I couldn't ask for a better father for my children, and I am excited to see Nathan and Eli become the best of buds as the years go by. I am also excited as more kids come into the picture to see how each one is like Nathan and me, and to also see how their own personalities develop.

Being a parent is one of the most challenging things, but Nathan is a terrific one and makes it look so simple. I admire him for his patience and "go-with-the-flow" attitude. I hope to be more like him in my parenting skills.

Happy first Father's Day Nathan! I love you!

Grateful

I have so much to be grateful for in my life! I have a wonderful and loving husband, a sweet son, Nathan and I both belong to great families, we are financially stable, great friends, and, most importantly, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and much much more!

I have been thinking about a lot of things over the past few weeks. Thinking about life in general, and my purpose on this earth. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the "big picture" in the every day monotonous tasks. BUT every day holds new opportunities for us to grow in one way or another, and to become a little more like our Savior Jesus Christ. Every single one of us has a mission on this earth, we are all destined for great things, and it is up to us to discover why we are here.

How grateful I am for the Atonement of my Savior. Without it we would all be lost, and we would not really have a purpose on this earth, because we would all die spiritually. Every one of us sins each day, and we are unclean, but thankfully, through the Atonement, we can repent of those wrong doings so that we can be made clean again.

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Anyway, this month also gives me the opportunity to think a lot about my dad because his birthday is on June 5th, and also Father's Day is this Sunday!

My dad is one of my biggest heroes. He has gone through many difficult and trying things in his life, and has over come them. He is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and grew up in an abusive home. He went through unimaginable things, and he either could have let that break him or make him stronger. He chose to let it make him stronger and learn from it. The road wasn't always "smooth" as I was growing up, but I wouldn't trade my childhood for anyone elses. My dad has struggles, like everyone else, but I love him despite them, and look up to him so much. He is one of the most loving, kind, and giving people I know. He has always made me feel safe and protected, and has taught me many life-long lessons that I will never forget. Happy (late) birthday and Father's Day daddy! I love you!

"Papa" & Eli on my dad's birthday

One of his favorite hobbies- fishing! (2007)

Making dad's "famous" salsa! (2010)

At dad's graduation from ISU (2011)

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Lastly, I am grateful for my son! He brings me joy every single day that I never thought possible. He is growing up so fast! I am grateful that I get to spend every day with him, and make all of the precious moments count. Here are two videos we took of him yesterday!

This first one is him sitting, and making the noise that he just discovered this past week!

This second one is of him laughing at Nathan shaking a salad dressing bottle at him while he's eating. He was kind of grumpy so he would start complaining when he stopped. haha.