Something About Mama's Bed

The other day my mom mentioned to me that she got a new bed and my first thoughts were: 

Why?! Your old bed was so comfy!

As a kid I always loved to crawl into my parents bed and pass out on the spot. It cured every nightmare and made an empty house suddenly feel safe. To her it was just an old bed, but to me it was like sleeping on a cloud. There was just something so comforting about it.

And I get the feeling that's how my kids feel about my bed too. Especially this Henry boy.

Every morning at around 10am I swaddle him, and lay him on my bed. Within seconds his binki pops out and he starts to purr like a baby lion. 

Today I couldn't help but snap 50 billion photos of him while taking his morning nap. He seemed to be having such peaceful dreams. And that face is everything perfect to me.

After a couple clicks his eyes popped open and he was instantly wide awake. 

It's almost like he was faking it...

Those dark blue eyes make my heart swell.

And I hope he'll always love crawling into mama's bed.

Two Months

He's almost as big as Annabelle.

He has his Grandpa Tracy's hands.

He smiles a lot!

His coos make my heart stop.

He likes to kick.

He loves his big sister.

He likes to follow me around the room with his dreamy Van Wagoner eyes.

(And I love it!)

His cheeks are the most kissable things ever.

I adore his pointy chin.

He startles easily and his "scared cry" is just so cute.

I kiss those lips between every other word I say to him. I just can't help myself.

He raises his eyebrows when he smiles, and I die every time.

And he still sneezes. A lot.

:) 

Grandma Lisa

It's crazy how quickly 8 days can fly by. I feel like I just picked her up yesterday, and I already have to give her back tomorrow.

Every day I try to be a little bit more like her, and every day I'm calmed by the fact that regardless of my efforts, she's my babies' grandma. So they will at least have one perfect example in their lives. 

We did so much in those 8 days, like bless my sweet Henry boy and drop Elder Allred off at the MTC. We didn't let 24 hours go by between each Target visit, and we ate lots of yummy food. She made us the best banana bread and gourmet pancakes. But what I love most of all is the time she got to spend with my babies.

From singing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes to reading Annabelle the same books she used to read to me, this past week has been so wonderful.

We love our Grandma Lisa.

And can't wait for our next visit.

Happy Heart

One of my goals this year is to master my camera better. I'm not very interested in the business side of photography, but I would like to be able to take my kids' pictures. Especially to beautify my home.

While I know I have so much to learn, these shots of my baby make me so happy. I love those subtle dimples when she bites her lip. And her long straight Asian eye lashes that remind me so much of my moms.

And I just can't imagine what I'd do without that pretty little face. 

This Annabelle girl makes my heart pretty happy :)

We love you, Elder Allred!

My heart was overcome with so much emotion as we waited our turn to enter MTC grounds. The place was swarming with sharp-looking young men and women, and a sudden feeling of love and appreciation started to fill me up. My little brother was about to dedicate two whole years of his life to the Lord, and that sacrifice suddenly started to make so much more sense as we drove in. I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of him.

We dropped him off at 12:30.

He was so excited.
Everywhere I looked there was a smile and I felt like we were in heaven. You could just feel everyone's love for the gospel.

And having that feeling made it a little easier to let him go.

Elder Allred, you are going to do great things. We love you so much!

The First Month

I'm obsessed.

He's awakened a whole new section of my heart that I didn't even know was there. I get butterflies every time I look at him. Smell him. Kiss him. Snuggle him.

He is so sweet.

And such a little Henry.

How has he already been with us for a month? 

I want to cry. 

He's my little boy and I want him to stay that way forever. 

He still sleeps a lot.

But Annabelle will play with him like he's wide awake.

Yesterday morning I walked in to find her setting up a tea party with him. Lucky boy even got two cups.

He's getting really chubby. And those dimples on his hands make me crazy about him. I love those little man-hands.

He's so very sweet, and a little bit stinky. 

I guess that's the boy in him ;) 

His chubby arms and little grunts remind me of a hibernating bear. If he's gonna get the hiccups it will happen around 7pm. He never sneezes just once, it always happens in twos and threes. He's a happy little boy and has loved to eat since the moment he was born. Sometimes he just needs his daddy to hold him, and all his squirming goes away. He's strong and can lift his head up to look around. 

He smiles a lot and every time he does my heart grows another size. 

He's my perfect little Henry.

And I love him.

Every little bit of him.

Christmas 2012

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the excitement of getting a new ornament. I remember my mom buying us kids new ornaments each year, and I've loved continuing the tradition with my own little family.  

And here's a list of more traditions I hope to hold on to:

* Get a real tree

* Watch Catherine Hardwicke's 

The Nativity Story on Christmas Eve 

* Make Jesus a birthday cake

* Do some sort of service for another family on either Christmas Eve or Christmas day. 

While I really enjoyed this Christmas, I felt it could have been a little more spiritual. So my goal for next year and the years to follow is to give Christ a gift: the gift of serving others. I'm not sure how we'll do it yet, but I think it'll be a good lesson to teach my babies. And so fitting at such a special time of year. 

This year Santa got Annabelle a one-of-a-kind wooden kitchen. He slaved away on it, and I'm quite impressed with how it turned out. Him and I have very similar taste. :)

And it was so fun to see her face Christmas morning. 

And this year Henry got a little toy. And that cute candy bar. I had never seen one of those before, and I have no idea if they're even good. But I'm pretty sure he's gonna get one in his stocking. For the rest of his life :)

I think Santa knew his kiddos really well this year, cause Annabelle hasn't stopped playing with her kitchen since Christmas morning . She loves bringing us a cup of hot chocolate and a fork to stir it. 

And just this morning I asked for a quesadilla and an apple, and she came back saying: "No more apple. Taco?"

Close enough :)

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas as well.

Now onto 2013. 

I have a feeling it's gonna be great :)