beach time.

We went to dinner Friday night for my sweet father-in-laws birthday and afterwards we took Knoxy to the beach for his first time.  He loved it and could hardly contain his excitement.  He loved the waves and really loved putting his feet in the water.  It was one of those sweet parenting moments where you wish you could freeze time and stay there for a little longer.  It was a perfect night.

After seeing how much Knox loved the beach we followed it up with a little family visit to the beach Sunday night to watch the sunset.  It was one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen and it was such a perfect night.  We can't wait to make it a family tradition.

We graduated!!!

This post is way overdue (like 2 months) and what I really want to write about is our family trip to St. George and Disney World, and Knox's surgery and 1st hair cut (bad idea) but this is a huge milestone so here goes:

Our time at BYU has finally come to a close.  I thought all along that it would just be sweet but I found that at the very end there, it became a little bittersweet as I reminisced at all that has happened in the four short years that I've had the privilege of attending BYU.

I started out as a barely 18 year old with no experience living away from home who was completely unprepared for college life.  I ended as a 21 (still pretty young) year old with a husband and baby.  Talk about changes.

I will always be grateful that I had the chance to go to BYU and that I earned my degree and that no one can take that away from me.  I will always be even more grateful that it was only 4 years and that it's over. Just kidding....kind of.  As I've looked back at all that happened a few things stand out.

My sister Nina moved to a house just 15 minutes away from BYU right before my Freshman year started.  Talk about a tender mercy.  I'm pretty sure I've spent as much time at her house as at any of the places I've lived over the past four years...of wait I did live at her house 2 different times.  She became my greatest example of what it means to be a young mother, friend, and wife.  I call her for advice about everything and I am so glad that I had the chance to be so close to her!

I got to spend my first two years at BYU rooming with this girl.

It was a huge blessing as I learned so much from her and she became one of my dearest and best friends.  She is insanely smart and driven, kind, funny, thoughtful, and so darn pretty.  She is planning on heading to medical school here in the near future (I told you she was smart), and she is single if anyone is interested.  :)

I also got to have my brother Brandt at BYU with me the first two years I was there.  It was such a gift and although we were already close, I grew even closer to him.  He treated me so good and always let me tag along in whatever he was doing.  I always knew Brandt was kind but I got to see just how good his heart was as he dealt with Freshman Mari.  He is one of my best friends and I knew that he was meant to be there with me to get me through, because heaven knows I struggled through those first two years.

(He's also single and the greatest guy ever!! :))

After my freshmen year I had the privilege of going on a study abroad with Brandt to England.  We lived in the BYU London Center and it was so magical and one of my best memories.  If I could move back, I would do it without even batting an eye.  I probably learned and grew more through my experience there than any other thing I've done.  It turned me into an independent person and it was a much needed learning experience.  I also made some of my best friends there and I will always treasure that.

After my sophomore year at BYU I met this handsome man.

And my life changed forever.  We had the most incredible summer together in which we met, dated for a few weeks, went on 2 family vacations together, flew to San Diego to visit his family, fought a bout of meningitis, and moved all his stuff up to Utah so he could begin his 2nd year of law school at BYU.

We were only a few weeks into my Junior year of college when Blake popped the question and I said yes. We had a busy semester as we Blake worked really hard in school and planned a wedding.  In February of that same school year we got married.  As soon as the school year ended we found out we were pregnant.

My last year at BYU consisted of pregnancy, bed rest, finals, having a baby, and then trying to figure out how to balance being a wife, mother, and full time student.  I didn't do it very well (and I have the grades to prove it) but I will always have the sweetest memories of this time of life as it was so simple.  We had little to worry about and both Blake and I got to soak up so much time with our little man.  He came a little earlier than we planned but if I could go back and do it again I would do it just the same.

In the short four years I was at BYU I learned so much, but I learned far more outside of class than in. I became a new person.  I am so proud that I did it, I'm so glad that it's over and I am so excited to move on to the next stage of life.  I know that I will learn and grow just as much, and I get to have my two favorite people by my side always.  What a lucky lady I am.

we have a thumb sucker and other random thoughts

Our little boy passed the 3 month mark a few days ago.   How is it possible that 3 months of pregnancy feels like 7 years and 3 months of a babies life feels like a mere blink of an eye? It is a little bitter but mostly sweet.  I feel like he is growing up before my eyes and I should just have my tiny little newborn still but instead I have a growing baby who gets more and more fun every day.  


Knox reached 12 pounds finally (a whopping 10th percentile) and it seems when he hit 12 pounds he become the funnest and happiest baby around.  His eyes are getting to be a piercing blue, his cheeks are  becoming more and more squishy and kissable, and his smile lights up a room.  Needless to say he has my heart.  

Knox has recently discovered his thumb and he likes to suck on it as much as possible.  As Blake pointed out, it's so cute now, but when we're paying for orthodontics to undue the damage done from his perfect little thumb, it won't be so cute. 


Knox has a love affair with jumping that is unmatched.  We can't wait until he is big enough for a Johnny Jump-up.  Until then we are the ones helping him jump.  My arms have never been stronger.


Blake and I are less than 2 weeks away from graduation.  We have been driven to counting down the hours until we are done. We can't wait to move on to our next stage. 


We bought a one way ticket to San Diego for Knox and me.  I had a moment of panic where I told Blake he couldn't by the ticket but once we had paid for it I was fine.  I can't believe we are actually moving.  I get more excited every day and I am so excited to spend my days at the pool, beach, Sea World, Disneyland, and the zoo with my little boy and handsome husband.  Life could be worse.

We've been spoiled to have Blake's mom Sharon in town to help us get through finals.  We always love having her here.

And lastly, Blake's mom bought Knox the cutest outfit for Easter.  We pulled it out and put it on Knox for the first time yesterday.  I may be bias because I am his mom but I have never seen a cuter kid.  Here is proof.

This is how Knox looks at me sometimes and I feel like he is judging me. I feel slightly self conscious but it's so cute that I get over it pretty easily.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what Knox would look like with pigtails, here's a little picture to clear that up.  

catch up

Well, I have so much to catch up on I don't know where to begin.  We have the best little life right now.  This has been a wild semester and we cannot wait for it to come to a close but I know we will always look back at this time in our life with sweet memories. Right now our life is so simple and we have little to worry about and I will always be grateful for that.

Now for some catch up...we'll start way back in February.  Knoxy bear went on his first plane flight to San Diego.  He was an angel and didn't make one peep the whole way.  He just snuggled on up to me and slept the whole time.  I was one proud mama.  We flew in on a Friday and came back on a Wednesday and packed in as much as we could with a little baby while we were there.

The first day we were there was our one year anniversary, and what a year it has been. In only one year we have gone from this:

To this:

And I have never, ever been happier.  I am so in love with my sweet, sweet husband and he has given me the greatest gift in the world: a perfect baby boy.  When we got married I never would have imagined what our first year of marriage would have in store for us but I wouldn't do it any different.  I married the greatest man on earth and I love being his wife. He is my better half and makes me a better person.  We have the best time being together and he truly is my very best friend.  Ok, enough lovey dovey.

We celebrated while we there.  We left our little man with grandma and grandpa and went and had a delicious lunch on the beach.  We came back and packed everyone up and headed to hang out with my brother Brandt in Disneyland.  He works at Disney so he can get us in free. Bonus.  It was super crowded, but some soup in a bread bowl followed up by a churro and a few rides made me one happy girl.

 The first of many family trips to Disneyland. 

And Knox slept through everything...fireworks and all.  Angel baby. 

Sunday we headed to church.  Half the ward was so confused, as the last time they had seen us was at our wedding reception a year prior.  No one could figure out whose baby we were holding.  Yes, it's ours.  Yes, it was fast.  

We got Knox ready for church with a bath in the sink.  Poor guy.

It was just slightly too small but he LOVES baths so he was happy anyways.  

How cute is my baby?

My brother drove down and spent the night on Sunday and hung out with us all day Monday. We love hanging out with Brandt and are so glad anytime that we get to spend time with him as it isn't as frequent as we would like.  Knoxy bear loved my sweet brother.  Whenever Brandt held him he was content and happy. 

Knox would stare intently at Brandt's face and coo and smile.  It melted my heart.

Knox upgraded from the sink to grandma and grandpa's BIG tub after our first go round and he loved it. Bath time is always one of our favorite times.

 I have the most handsome boys.

 

Blake's dog Harley liked to be wherever Knox was....

It was a love/hate relationship.

On Tuesday we got up, got ready, and headed to the temple. Blake's mom just sat outside the temple and held Knox so that we could enjoy it.  I love the temple and how peaceful it is and San Diego is definitely one of my favorites.

 Look at that sky...that is definitely my kind of February weather!

We got to hang out with Sharon all day and enjoy our last day in San Diego.  We headed out Wednesday afternoon.  We love San Diego!

Now moving on to Knox's blessing.  It was the sweetest day.  Blessing your first child is so surreal but so magical.  Blake did an incredible job and gave Knox the most perfect little blessing and Knox didn't make a peep the whole time.  We were so lucky to be surrounded by so many friends and family.  We are incredibly blessed. We love our little boy so much and are more grateful for him every day.  It is a privilege to be his mom.

Knox had the CUTEST blessing outfit....

But he didn't like wearing the hat...darn it.

We love our little family and we love that Knox is part of it. He is our whole world and we are so grateful for him.

And lastly, we have big news.  Blake got a GREAT job in San Diego so we are moving at the end of July.  We are so grateful for this amazing opportunity and we can't wait for this adventure and for the next chapter of our lives.  

thoughts on motherhood

I have so much to catch up on like Knox's perfectly sweet blessing and our trip to San Diego but that will have to wait because tonight all I want to write about is my sweet little Knox.  Tonight I held my sleeping baby in my arms and my heart almost burst because it was so full.  He looked so peaceful and so perfect and I was reminded how blessed I am to be a mom.  It is hard and it is tiring but every time I see little Knoxy smile, or hear him coo, or watch him sleep peacefully in his bed at the end of every day I melt a little bit and I realize that there is nothing else I would rather do.  I love everything about my little boy. 

I love his bald little head and his blonde eye brows and eye lashes.

I love how he rarely cries but rather lets out yells and loud grunts every now and again to let us know he is not happy with us.

I love how much he loves to snuggle with us and be close to us.

 

I love how he kicks his legs and swings his arms when he gets excited.

How cute is that Ragnar onesie? Courtesy of Peggy Jensen

I love his dimples.

I love how he not only smiles when he dreams but also belly laughs.  He has done it from birth and it is my favorite thing.  I think he is dreaming about heaven and laughing with all his friends.

I love how much he loves baths.

Whose child just falls asleep in the bathtub??

I love his round cheeks and his chin that looks so much like his dads.

I love how he loves to hold my finger in his hands whenever I hold him.

I love how much he loves his binky and that it can almost always calm him down when he cries.

I love his big blue eyes and how intently he focuses on things like he understands them and has wisdom beyond his years.

I love his perfectly soft skin and how good it smells after a bath.

I love that he has the sweetest spirit I've ever met. 

But mostly tonight I just love that he is ours. Forever.