Birth Announcement

Jenna over at q.aDESIGN designed Kate's birth announcement and I love it. I was nervous because I can be pretty picky and more often than not I am only sure of what I don't like, not what I do like. Jenna is talented and has great taste though, so she was able to turn my vague ideas into reality in a jiffy.


I am so happy with how it turned out and in the future will be going to her for anything I need designed.

Click HERE to see more of her work and/or contact her.

Thanks Jenna! :-)

1 month old

Our little baby is already a month old! Crazy. Time has flown by. It is slowing down a little though and it's nice. Those first 3 weeks were a little rough for me. The hormones, lack of sleep, change in lifestyle, my love/hate relationship with nursing and not knowing exactly what Kate needed when she needed it made for one roller coaster of a month! This past week has been the best so far and it gets better everyday. Baby Kate is the light of our lives. We are your typical first time parents that think all of her faces and noises, no matter how similar, are the best and most entertaining thing to ever happen.

At 1 month she:
- Is officially out of newborn diapers
- Grown out of many of her newborn clothes but doesn't quite fit into 0-3 months yet
- Loves to be curled up on my chest
- Has fluffy bird hair after her baths and it is so cute
- Is becoming such a good baby. She only gets fussy if she is hungry, wet or tired. She hates dirty diapers but being tired is definitely the worst of the 3.
- Smiled yesterday and this morning so I am starting to think it may not be gas! Probably is though. haha. She studies my face so hard as I talk to her and I know she will be smiling soon!
- Always has her right hand up on her cheek when she is all cuddled up
- Still has tons of hair. It's getting lighter though and she is getting a slight bald spot on the back of her head
- Doesn't mind tummy time one bit. In fact she frequently falls asleep during it.
- Loooooves soft blankets
- Hates being swaddled. Until she understands that she controls her arms though it is a must
- Is doing pretty good on a 3 hour schedule and is doing great at night now. Typically she wakes up 2-3 times a night to nurse but falls right back asleep. It's awesome!
- Loves baths as long as the water is really warm

What a difference 1 month makes!

just a few days old same pjs at 1 month

Happy 1 month Katebug! We love you so completely.

first time....

lots of firsts this week...

....first smile: To wake Kate up from her naps I always say her name gently. On Monday when I said her name she opened her eyes and smiled at me. She was only a little over 3 weeks at the time so it was more than likely a coincidental gas smile but I'll take it! It was the sweetest thing and made me look forward to when she starts smiling for real in a few weeks.


....first poop related accident: This week I realized there is a very, very good reason people put blankets under babies when they change their diaper. Hopefully this will be the last time I make this mistake.

Yep that really happened. And yep I took a picture and posted it for for memories sake. You're welcome.

...first time to be publicly embarrassed as a mom: A few days ago we ventured to hobby lobby to get some frames. It was during Kates nap time so I figured she would sleep the whole time. Wrrrooonnggg-o. Right when we were next in line to check out she poops her diaper (this girl does NOT tolerate dirty diapers). She starts fussing so I try to sooth her while she is IN her car seat. So not working. She starts crying. People stare. Especially old the old ladies (still hate those dang old people) She starts crying hard. Then harder. I take her out and try to sooth her. Not working. She is not wearing socks because I hadn't planned on taking her out of her car seat. The old ladies and others get judge-y looks on their faces because I have such a new baby in a public place and she isn't wearing socks. Do they offer to help? no. Do I want their help? Not at all. But the gesture would have been appreciated. The slowest teller EVER to be employed by Hobby Lobby finally starts to ring me up. Kate is screaming by now. I tell the slow teller I have to change her diaper and will be right back. I leave my cart at the front and carry a sock less and screaming Kate to the bathroom to change her diaper. After the diaper change she is happy as a clam. When I get back up there are like 10 people behind me in line and they were about to throw me out of line. She finishes ringing me up (very slowly I might add). I pay and leave. Then call BJ and tell him I am never going anywhere. Ever, ever again.


....first time to actually accomplish all of the errands I set out to do: This one is HUGE. I am slowly realizing that the productivity of my days are at the mercy of a unpredictable new born. Today I had 4 errands to run and really, really wanted to get them all accomplished in one trip because they were all next to each other. I checked her diaper before each stop and was able to avoid any public cry-fests. Thus, my multiple errand mission was accomplished. Victory.

....first time to stay up till midnight since Kate was born. I have a feeling that in a few hours I am going to think staying up to address envelopes and write this blog post was a very bad idea. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

bradley the builder

A few months ago I read about this website on a friends blog. I thought it was so cool and wanted to try it sometime. A few weeks later I saw the same friend was building this and decided to copy her. Bj and I started on this little project one Saturday and worked on it all day.....and that was basically the last time I touched it. I was pregnant and didn't want to paint it and inhale the fumes so I left my project up to BJ to finish. Him and Beau worked on it randomly over the last couple of months and last night they finished it. Don't look too close because it has flaws but I love that BJ built it and really for our first shot at building furniture, I don't think it turned out bad. It has quirks but I like that about it. It is a little taller than I would have liked and the paint job is not perfect but it's way better than the cheap-o $50 walmart console we had before. Oh yea, that was the original point of this whole thing: to build it because it would be cheaper than buying. ha ha. wellll.....yes the materials are cheaper. But conveniently Bj needed quite a few tools to build this.....so it added up quickly. Lucky for us if something ever happens"we can use the tools to make money"....what? anyone elses husband use that excuse? Well don't worry hubs, I have a back up plan too. If something ever happens I will use this nifty little thing called ebay to sell the clothes and decor that I plan on buying in the coming months. Sound good?

BJ pretty much hates since he is the one who built it so he looks at it with such a critical eye. I don't notice all of that technical crap though so I happy with how it turned out. I'm glad we (he) did this little project and even more glad that it's sitting pretty in my living room right now. Not sure what I am going to put on top of it yet. I need a decorator. Stat.

Before:

After:

Much better, don't ya think??

Belly Button

Lance, Ashley's husband, came to down a week after Kate was born to do some work stuff with BJ. It was great to see him and I was happy he got to meet Kate while she was still so new. He was so gentle and sweet with her and really held her like she was made of glass. There is just something about men holding babies that melts my heart.

While he was over I changed Kates diaper. As I was changing it I was kinda talking to myself and said "oh, her belly button is about to fall off". Lance quickly sat forward and in an alarmed voice replied "excuse me!? did you say her BELLY BUTTON is going to fall OFF?!!?." haha. In his defense, saying her belly button was falling off probably isn't the technical way to put it. Either way, it gave me a good laugh.
Now look how stinkin cute Lancey-pants looks with a baby :-)....--if you know what i'm sayin....ashley ;-)--

4 years

June 1st marked 4 years of being married for us! My mom was still in town on our anniversary and was sweet enough to have baby duty for the evening. Going out was a very last minute decision so we just decided to head over to the San Tan area and figure out a place to eat from there. Once we were there we were both too tired to decide on a place to eat, so we just ate at Red Robin because it was right in front of us. It wasn't our most romantic anniversary date but it was definitely the cheapest so that was nice. haha. After our romantic meal we walked around the outdoor mall and then we just went home. It was nice to get out and chat about our last 4 years and what they have brought us. They really have flown by and there is no one else I would rather be spending eternity with. Love you Beejers!!!!!!!

First bath

Last week my mom and I gave Kate her first bath. She didn't love it but didn't cry as much as I thought she would.





I love me some of that yummy clean baby smell. Mmmhhhmmmm.

first 2 weeks

I can't believe its been almost 2 weeks since we had our little baby! It seems as if time is standing still for us. I want to remember every second of life right now, I don't want any of these little moments or memories to be forgotten. I want to document all of her faces, the feelings I feel, her coos, her everything. It seems overwhelming and then I realize 2 weeks has already passed! So I better get to documenting.


We just love our little Kate. She is adorable and makes the funniest, funniest faces all the time. Such serious faces that crack me up. Like these...


She has the hiccups a few times a day and they are so adorable but sometimes they are so loud I think they must hurt her. She had them all the time in my belly so it's funny to see her have them out here too. She makes these cute little grunts sometimes that I love.


I am tiiiiired. So very tired. She may have her days and nights confused but I am learning to deal with it for now. I plan on doing babywise with her and started a few days ago even though the book says to wait until 2 weeks. The day before my mom left she said that with each kid you realize how "baby" each baby really is. It really stuck with me and made me want to just enjoy this short baby baby phase with Kate. So for now I am doing as the book says and just focusing on getting full feedings every 3 hours but not worrying about the clock until a little later.


I look at her and wonder what life will be like for her and what her little personality will develop into. I love that she has her dads eyes. Since I look at her all day, when BJ comes home its weird to see the same eyes looking back at me.


I am not sure if its mommyhood or these pregnancy emotions but sheesh. I cried the other night when I read her that book "I'll love you forever". Every time in the book when the mom would sing the little song to the son I choked up and I most definitely couldn't finish at the end when he sang it to her. Who knew? Reading Virginias letters gets me choked up. When I am feeding her I can't help but realize how small and fragile she is. I think back to some of the things I learned this past semester about child abuse and I cry for little babies around the world who are not treated as they should be. It makes me sad to think into the future when Kates perfect innocence will fade and it breaks my heart to think of those children who have had theirs taken away before their time. It makes me so grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the daily principals it teaches us and the way it molds our lives. I love that BJ and I will be able to teach Kate the gospel as she grows.

At Kates drs appt at 3 days old she was 20 inches instead of 21 inches long...a full inch shorter than at birth because her cone head went away. Pretty funny.

I didn't realize how busy and productive I was able to be before now. Having a baby ((and being majorly sleep deprived)) has forced me to slow down and its been more of an adjustment for me than I realized it would be. I am getting used to it though and its nice. I am so happy I get to stay home with little Kate and I know I will get more adjusted as time goes by. Today was our first solo outing. To be honest I have been slightly terrified to leave the house, especially alone. I could have to nurse, change a diaper, she could cry ...all of this at any given moment. I am a rookie so it was really very intimidating. I am happy to report it was not nearly as scary as I was anticipating. We only went to get some blood work done and BJ met us there, but still. Maybe next time Ill venture to the grocery store. haha. For now though, unless its a must, I am perfectly content not going anywhere until she not quite so new and little.


This morning BJ and I were so tired. Bj came into Kates room as I was nursing her and offered me a bite of his breakfast sandwich. I took a bite and the sandwich was still somewhat cold in the middle! It was one of those frozen microwave ones with egg, sausage and cheese on it. I told him that was disgusting and asked him why he was eating a not fully cooked sandwich. As he was going to lay on the floor he told me that the meat was precooked and that he was too tired to wait another minute until it was done cooking to eat it. haha. Too funny. Bj is a great dad. He is quiet about it but I know he is obsessed with her and it's pretty dang cute.


For now we are loving life as a family of 3 and are interested to see what the next few weeks bring us. Some sleep would be nice :-).

Kates newborns

My lifelong friend Heather (Coslett) Ferguson came down from Utah 5 days after Kate was born to take her pictures. Heather is pregnant with her first and was not feeling good at all; I was still recovering and having a hard time moving around too much. We were quite the team :-). Luckily my wonderful mom was in town to help run around, get props, make bows and give us her input. We had a lucky afternoon and miss Kate slept the entire time. Her pictures turned out amazing and I am so in love with them. If you are in the Utah area- look Heather up! She is so talented. Check out her website HERE.

Heather- thank you so much for capturing these precious moments, love you!