"Addicting"

So, many of you who know me will be very surprised about this post because it came as a surprise to me!! :)  But, I like running!  Seriously, I have tried this all before but never really found it enjoyable and always felt like it was punishment for not being naturally skinny! 

But, at the beginning of March I got an email for a girl in my ward that she she was getting a group together to go running in the mornings 3 times a week.  This seemed perfect, other than I didn't run!  So, I emailed back saying I was in if they could move the time from 6:30am to 6:15am and I let her know I was not a runner.  But, being one of the sweetest people I have come to know write back and told the group that the new time was at 6:15am and she wanted me there!  Well, now I had to go the time changed for me...and I did.

I got up stinkin early to meet the group on the corner...just grateful that first morning was a 2 1/5 mile walk/jog.  But, soon there was no walking.  Sometimes me and another girl were left walking while everyone went ahead because I couldn't keep up.  I remember that first day one of the girls said that "running is addicting" I laughed in my head and thought, "I hate running how could anyone think it is fun or addicting!"  As the weeks went on I began to find myself liking it a little more each time and it became a game to see how far I could go.  Now, understand to someone who is an avid runner this post is a joke but for me a was SO OUT OF SHAPE and couldn't stand running more than 5 minutes at a time.  But, I was determined to get better.  So, outside of the regular runs with the group I would go running by myself to see how far a could go.  The first time I went out was just to see if I could go 1 MILE!!!  Yes, I felt like I was back in 7th grade.  But, I did it.  1 mile running, 1 walking, and a 3rd running.  It felt good and I couldn't wait to go with the group again to try out my new found mile.  Then it was 1 1/2 miles, then 2.  I was so happy when I ran two miles without stopping I text the group to celebrate!  :)  Lame I know! :)  But, then one Saturday I just decided I was staying with the other girls and doing THREE miles.  I DID!!!  Oh, and I sprinted the last 30 yards and threw up when we were done! Since then I have ran 3 miles 3 times a week (well only for 2 weeks) and even though I still get excited I have to stop throwing up arms up in the air and yelling, "I just ran a 5K!"  It think after the 5th time it is no longer news to anyone.  But, for someone who has hated running this is huge for me! 

I may be experiencing a little bit of the ADDICTION that girl was talking about because I love the days we run and I think about running the days we don't.  I talked to the group and I think we are going to add another day a week.  I love it...It's sick I know! :)

So, I got me some good running shoes that I LOVE...

Ryan got me a new sports bra, socks, and running shirt for Mother's Day

All of which I am in love with and make going even better because I get to wear new stuff! :)

Oh, and I've lost 15 lbs since March 1st...so, that has been an added bonus! :)

CHANGES...

So many changes!  We worry about how he will cope with all the changes but...WHAT ABOUT ME!!! :)People always say "they grow up so fast" and "cherish this time" and "before you know it they are walking"...well, they are all RIGHT!!!  Wes is growing up way too fast, I make myself cherish this time because I want to remember every second I spend with him, and before I knew it he was WALKING!!!  This kid is killing me with how fast he's changing and growing.  It's like he's no longer a little baby, he's a little man with opinions, and wants, and ideas!  It's crazy! :)  He is now 13 months and here are a few of the crazy grown up things my little baby is doing...

• Well, 3 weeks ago he weened himself off the binki!  I went to pick him up one day from the sitter and she said she forgot to give it to him for his nap but he didn't fuss so she didn't go in and give it to him at all.  So, that night we put him to sleep without and he slept just fine...and he's never taken a binki since.  If fact, Ryan found one the other day and gave it to him just to see what he would do and he put it in his mouth and a minute later took it out, handed it to Ryan, and shook his head "no".  It was too funny. 
• The same day the binki happened the dr. told us to ween him off the bottle.  I told Ryan this and he looked like he might cry and in a sad voice said, "This is too many changes, he's too little for all these changes."  It was kind of funny, but since that day Wes has not used a bottle.  Sippy cups only!
• He eats anything and everything!  He loves apple jacks as a snack and loves spaghetti for dinner.
• We're pretty sure he says "Chase"--it is pretty much the only word/sound he uses every time to describe the same thing.  He's also learned to blame Chase!!!  The other day Chase chewed up some stuff in his room and when you asked, "Wes, who made this mess?"  He would point at Chase where ever he was!  It was hilarious!!!! He was right, but it was still too funny!!! :)
• He is hilarious!  He loves to clap and laugh.  If someone is laughing he will laugh really loud even though he has no idea what they are laughing about.
• He LOVES other kids!  He doesn't really know how to play yet but he wants to be near any kids he sees and just watch what they're doing.
• He has continued with his ear infection tradition!  One a month since December.  We go in again at the end of May to see how his ears are and then we may put tubes in depending on what they say...or sooner if we end up going in again with an unhappy baby.
• He growls like a monster...I'm starting to wonder if he is possibly half dragon! 
• He gives kisses and high fives.
• He is currently getting 8, yes that is EIGHT teeth at the same time!!!!  I'm surprised he's alive and functioning at all.  He's been a super trooper.  Besides the ear infections the only things we've been dealing with is 2 weeks of on and off diarrhea!  He hasn't been too fussy, mostly just needy.  Which I don't mind at all! :)
• He is a cuddle bug.  In the mornings he will lay in bed with us while he has his morning milk and afterwards he will cuddle up to my shoulder and lay there with us...it's the BEST!!! He will cuddle up to Ryan if I'm not in bed! :)  He will hate that I wrote that! :)
• He is sitting in a big boy car seat!  I know rear facing is safest but I took Wes to St. George for a work conference and I couldn't drive 4 hours without being able to see him or give him things so he went front facing and the sent hasn't been changed...oops!

  

• He got an Easter basket with eggs full of peeps, a chocolate bar, and lots of Apple Jacks!!! :)  Those were his favorite because they made noises when he shook them.

• He was the most HANDSOME little Easter boy I ever did see!  He looked so cute in his little outfit that he may never wear again.  It was too much work to try to keep it all together during church...shirt tucked it, pants pulled up, and tie straight!  Too much work...it is a pet peeve of mine to see little babies in church outfits that look so uncomfortable because there are 20 parts to them.  This was a special occasion only! :)

• Oh, yeah, HE'S WALKING!!!!  It is the cutest thing I've ever seen!  This is his "walker" he pushes it everywhere!  It's really cute but he is starting to get around without it.  He is still a little unsteady but can get up on his own and walk around like a wobbly pro.  The best part is that he acts so proud of himself when he walks to you or gets to his destination.  He is so happy and I'm pretty sure he is waiting for the applause that he has become accustomed to. :)  This picture was at the Easter egg hunt at my moms house.

• And what can I say?  The little kid is a giver!  He takes my stuff but replaces it with his! :)

 Over all, Wes is AWESOME!  He makes our lives so much better.  We love him so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Picture OVERLOAD!!!

 Wes is ONE!!! 

I can't believe my little baby has been in our lives for a year!  It has been quite the growing year...for all of us! :)  Rachel came from Oklahoma to spend the week of celebration with us.  You know how I said in my last post that I had 4 days off? Well, there is a worst case scenario at my work and that is when the state surveyors show up ONCE A YEAR!  Worst case scenario happened Monday at 7:30am!  They walked in the building at 7:30am and I was there an hour later.  Basically worked normal hours the rest of my vacation.  It was a total BUST!  But, we still had fun when I wasn't at work. 

Here is a full "picture" re-cap of the party...

The Birthday Cake!  This was the cake that I made for just Wes...you know, the dive in a eat like crazy make!

This is what the guests had...if you were lucky to have one!  I totally under estimated on food and we ran out!  So, I'm not the great host I always wanted to be. :(

THE BIRTHDAY BOY!!!  Rachel made him this cutest shirt. I just loved it.  Can't you just tell he is PUMPED for his birthday? :)

 The back of the shirt...

Then we watched his favorite music video...Stronger by Will i am and the Sesame Characters :)

Then he, well I, opened his presents...he had a blast!  One great toy after another...

We sang happy birthday while he wore his "Happy Birthday" hat for 20 seconds.  Then came the cake.  I wondered what it was going to be like because he is not an aggressive eater as it is so to be able to just dig in might be weird to him.  And it was!  We turned the video camera off after about 15 minutes of him picking individual sprinkles off and eating them.  It was too funny.  He was a very dainty eater! ;)

But as you can see he managed to make a mess! :)

Oh, and we did party hats but as I went through the pictures it seems like I'm the only one who really kept it on throughout the entire party!

On the day of his actual birthday we went to the Cheesecake Factory...why there? Well, as all parents do 4 hours after their baby is born they go out to lunch to the Cheesecake Factory while the birth mom gets some alone time with baby...isn't that what everyone does?  Oh well, we went a year ago on this day so we decided to bring him this time.

Wes got a few last minutes presents before bedtime... mom and dad got him a Build-a-bear at the mall and Rachel got him this piano which we plays 24/7!  Over all I think Wes had a great birthday--I know we had a great time Celebrating him!

This may have been my favorite thing about the party...

I took a picture each month with that darn monkey so I had to do something with them.  So, I made this and had Costco print it as a "Poster Size" and we hung it up at the party.  I was fun to see his growth, measurements, and mile stones all in one place.  I know I'm weird but this is a keep sake! :)

How time flies...

I know it's been forever since I last posted. Believe me it feels like forever! Work has been stressful and I usually get home and do nothing but unwind watching TV and play with Wes. Even dinners have reverted to Mac & Cheese and cheese sandwiches!!! I need a break...and there's one coming!

Rachel, Wes' birth mother, is coming to town on Thursday for a week. She's here for Wes' birthday and I took 4 day...FOUR DAYS off work. I know I will hate myself the day I go back but I'm going to take full advantage of my vacation by spending time with my family, throwing a birthday party, and getting back to making some yummy food! My stress relief is cooking and I have been doing so little of it lately and it's something I enjoy so much.
Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures of who might just be the cutest kid in America...just in case you've missed him! :)

I don't know if I will ever get over pictures of him sleeping. He looks so vulnerable and like a... baby.When I'm getting ready in the mornings he likes to open every cabinet and pull everything out on the floor and crawl over and throw it in the tub! After each item he looks over and smiles at me. It's pretty funny but other times I don't want him crawling around in the bathroom so I just stick him in the sink...he likes to be where the action is. :)My goodness...the boy LOVES powdered donuts just about as much as I love taking pictures of him eating them! Hilarious! Especially when a nice string of white, powdery spit rolls down his face as he's laughing!He's started doing this new thing when he smiles where he scrunches up his face and squints his eyes. The only reason I can think of why he does this is that when he sees his mom smile her eyes turn into little slits...I have very small eyes! :) He just wants to be like his mom, of course! :) But, it's stinkin cute, is what it is!Wes' birthday party is going to be this Saturday! You're all invited. If you'd like to come please let me know so we can make sure we have enough food. :)

Can you say AWKWARD!!!

So, I have decided that since I moved back to the same county in which I went to high school I need to review my year book. I have the worst memory of who people are from high school...the worst! This is what happened yesterday at Walmart...

The names have not been changed just so that anyone who reads this and knows the people I'm talking about will understand how BAD this situation really was!

The scene starts out with me waiting in line at check out. There was this beautiful, Asian woman in front of me turns around and says...

girl: "Nici Back!"

me: "Hey...(awkward pause)...Erica?"

girl: "Sarah"

me: "Namba?"

girl: "Trump."

Somethings that come out of my mouth I wish I could just UNDO, unfortunately this was one of those situations!

Needless to say the rest of the conversation was totally awkward as we pretended to catch up on each others lives!

AWKWARD!!! I guess if I'm going to live here I might want to brush up on the people who I went to high school with and might run into randomly at Walmart! Because it seems like every time I go I see someone who I once knew but usually I just turn around and go the other way...horrible I know!!!

But can you say AWKWARD!!! Just writing about it makes me feel awkward.

So, just in case, Sarah Trump, you one day find this blog and read this post I apologize for what might be the most awkward moment in my life! And you really don't look like Erica Namba...I just have a very bad memory! :)

The answer is YES...

If you asked me if I was up at 1:00am this morning to order myself the iphone from Verizon your answer would be yes! (1:00am is when you could start ordering)

2/10/11 can't come quick enough till it gets delivered. I have been obsessed with the iphone forever and soon I will have one! :)

Ryan wasn't due for an upgrade and will have to wait till June...this is a very sore spot for him and I don't recommend bringing it up.

In fact, I may be in the dog house till June just for getting one before him.

Wes's favorite song...

Ok, so Wes hasn't picked up on TV. But, HE LOVES MUSIC!!! He bobs his head and shakes his arms. It's the best. Although, Wes loves one thing on You Tube...He LOVES this video. He screams when we play it for him. He'll bob his head, swing his legs, hit the desk, and just laugh.

It is the cutest thing ever!!!

I wish I had a video of it.

Maybe he wants Will I Am's hair cut! :)

If Only...

If only bath time made everyone look this cute! :)

What a HAM!!! He loves to try to drink out of a cup. YUMMY...bath water! :)

SUPER FAN & more...

Wes is a Colts SUPER FAN!!! Being in his jammies didn't stop him from cheering on his team Two Saturday's ago...too bad it didn't help them win! Poor Colts...better luck next year! (At least the Patriots didn't make it either!!!! :))

SIDE NOTE: Look at that hair! This is what it looks like after the bath. We were at a New Year's Eve Party and a girl came up to Wes and said, "look how fine and straight his hair is, it's perfect." We had to laugh because in all reality it is no where close to being straight, fine yes, but STRAIGHT, NO! :)

Even the Superest of Fans gets tuckered out and needs his rest!

Lets be honest...he didn't make it through the 1st quarter!

Now that Wes is crawling EVERYWHERE we try to build forts to keep him in a certain area but they are not really working anymore. He's figured out how to army crawl his way through them.

Smarty pants!

And last but not least...Wes turned 9 months the end of December! I can't believe how fast he's growing and how big he's getting. He's learning new things it seems like daily and just gets happier and cuter by the day!

We count our blessing daily for having him in our lives!

New stats:

Weight: 20 lbs. 15 oz --60%

Height: 30 in --95%

Head: I can't remember but it is in the 40% range.

People keep asking if it's ok that he has a small head. The dr. said that as long as it is consistently growing that it's just fine. His head is perfectly normal for his body just in case you wondered! :)

Here are some things to know about Wes at 9 months old:

• He makes two "real" sounds: ba and eh (I keep trying for a ma ma. It's just one letter away from ba. :))
• He loves to play with little balls that he can carry in his hands. Not too small they're not choking hazards.
• His form of playing is making noise. He loves to bang two things together...it does not matter what they are.
• He eats 3 meals a day. Mostly baby food but we really give him just about anything we eat unless it's eggs, milk, or the other usual stuff you shouldn't feed a baby.
• He can pick up cereal or other small treats and put them in his mouth.
• He can crawl super fast!
• He can pull himself up on the couch and can walk along it--he's going to be walking before we know it! AAAHHHHH
• He hates to lay on his changing table. He tries to roll over or just cries. :(
• He loves to play with his cousins and the other kids at the sitters house. He gets so happy to see them.
• He will eat ANYTHING he is given. He has yet to refuse anything, lets hope this continues!
• He loves to watch cars and just anything outside. He loves walks in the stroller or backpack.
• He, for some odd reason, likes to lick the sliding glass door.
• He picks on Chase--he crawls on him, pulls his fur, and chases him. I'm pretty sure he tries to talk to him too, it's really cute.
• He still cuddles!
• He still takes 3 naps a day.
• He loves having his picture taken.
• He lights up when he sees his dad.

He's just the best little guy ever! He makes everyday better than the last.

Got 10 Minutes?

That's how long it might take to get through this post! :) I had a lot to cover, so I'll try to make very little to read and a lot to look at!

Part of my parents Christmas we took pictures of all the Grand kids

(These pics may look like it turned out but WOW!!! Being a photographer for children is HARD WORK!!!)

Wes found that the toys are just as much fun in the toy box as they are out of it!

We've a few sick weeks at our house this December and I saw this scene on more than 1 occasion. Two sickies taking a nap on the couch.

Wes has officially found and eaten his first piece of dog food! He is getting very quick and if we turn our back for a second we know where to find him...he b-lines it for Chaes's food every time! :)

Wes's Great Grammy & Grampy sent him this zebra for Christmas and he LOVES IT!!! Every time we put him down for a nap for to sleep he some how always seems to find the zebra and cuddle up with it! It is the cutest thing ever! But, honestly I would too...it's super soft.

This was at my sister house for a Christmas Eve dinner.

Then home to open Christmas P.J.'s and put the little one down to sleep.

Wes in his Christmas Jammies in front of the tree. He has truly emerged as a true cheeser!!! If there is a camera in front of him he will laugh and squeal and clap his hands over and over and over again. I probably have 10 pictures of him doing this...I couldn't stop laughing or taking pictures!

Wes and Uncle Nick being silly!

Wes and Ryan on Christmas morning. Wes really did not get Christmas AT ALL!!! Not that we thought he would be he wouldn't rip paper or anything so we basically passed around his gifts till they were all open.

Rachel, Wes' birth mom spoiled him rotten! :) Everything you see in this pic (expect the football--that was from his ever hopeful father) was from her, and more. That little dump truck came with these little balls that rattle and he LOVES THEM!!! He just holds them and shakes them, bangs them together, and holds them when he crawls. It is actually really funny--I will post a video of it soon. Over all Wes made out like a bandit in the toy department--oh, to be a kid again.

Another gift he got from "Santa" which actually turned out to be one of my FAVORITE things was the Chicco 360 Hook-on. Wes needed a new seat to sit in. Once upon a time he had a Bumbo which we loved but then a certain mom put it on the top of the car and drove off...she will remain unnamed. So, in the Hook-on/high chair battle I found this little number and have loved every second of it!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Wes and "St. Chase" lounging and playing.

I'm telling you point a camera at him and you'll get this reaction every time! Also, coming soon a video of what this moment actually sounds like. :)

Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year!!!

I'm not sure what 2011 could bring that could trump 2010 but I'm looking forward to finding out! :)