Will's First Trip to the Zoo!

  Almost 11 months ago, Grant and I went to the Phoenix Zoo where we purchased a one year membership, until today we had not been back.  So we decided with the weather being so nice, we should take advantage of the Phoenix sun and get our money's worth on that membership.  This was Will's first trip to the zoo and we both think that he found the plants and trees a lot more interesting then the actual animals.  Neither one of us really expected too much of a reaction from him for the animals but no matter how close we got to a bird, tortoise, zebra, elephant, or lion he would only stare at the tree.  In fact, the harder we tried to get him to notice the animals the more determined I think he was to look in the opposite direction (I hope this little rebellion isn't an indicator of how he will be at two).  Grant and I both had a lot of fun, even if Will didn't notice the animals.  It was just nice to get out and do something together as a family.  

Go Cardinals!!

  This year for the Superbowl, we went over to our friends house to watch the big game!  Even though we hadn't ever watched a cardinals game, and only knew a few players names, we thought we would help try and cheer them on to a victory.  We even had a little cardinals outfit for Will to show our team spirit!   

Yummy Food!!

      We have discovered one more thing that Will has inherited from his parents, his love for food!  The last two weeks we have been starting Will in on some solid food.  Rice cereal wasn't much of a favorite, but he does love oatmeal!  I can't shovel it in fast enough!  If I stop to wipe his mouth, he will start "ooh ooh ooh"ing and reaching his chubby little hands out for the bowl.  It is pretty adorable!  The first time he had green beans he gave Grant and me a questioning look like "did you really mean to give me that?  I'll take more oatmeal please!" 

Eating oatmeal for the first time

First taste of green beans...obviously not a fan!

Switched back to oatmeal after he finished the green beans! 

He was much happier!

Realizing just how full he was!

I love food!  

  I forgot that I was also going to post some pictures of Will in his little Exersaucer!  He absolutely loves it!  During the last week, Grant and I have noticed how much better his hand-eye coordination is getting.  He is now starting to use his toys with his hands instead of just leaning towards them with his mouth open to chew on him!  It always amazes him how much he is learning everyday!  

Will's First Christmas!

    For Christmas this year, we went up to Utah for the month of December since Grant and I both had the time off from work.  It was so much fun to be able to spend all that time with family!  Will was spoiled with so much attention that once we got home I think he missed grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles and cousins more than Grant and I did!  I thought I would post a few pictures of our little vacation.  Sorry I know they are way past due!  Life has gotten pretty busy since we have been home.  

   For a little update, Grant is now the stay at home parent and doing great!  He loves all the time we gets to spend with Will.  I am pretty impressed at how well he has transitioned into Mr. Mom.  I have know gone back to work and am doing great as well.  I was a little nervous about going back but it has actually gone a lot smoother than I thought it would.  Grant and I are constantly amazed at how great of a baby Will is.  He is now 4 months old and off the chart weight and height for his size.  He is such a happy baby and with very little coxing he is willing to smile and even giggle now for anyone who will give him some attention!  He has discovered his little hands and loves to chew on them or try and grab at things.  He also loves spending time in his exersaucer (pictures of that are coming later.)  We are now starting him on rice cereal and having a hard time trying to get him to use a spoon.  He definitely loves a bottle of nursing much more!  Everything with our little family though is great!  Grant and I could never have imagined parenting to be this much fun already! 

So much to be thankful for!

  So with Thanksgiving last week, I have thought a lot about all of the many blessings I have received in the last year and throughout my life!  I realize more and more how much I have been blessed with!  To name all of my blessings would take too much time, but I definitely wanted to name a few:

1) Obviously Grant's and my biggest blessing this year was getting pregnant, having a great pregnancy and having a healthy, happy little boy.  Will has been such a little angel!  Grant and I can't imagine our little family without him.  We feel like through our love for Will, we have gained a greater understanding of our Heavenly Father's love for each of us!

2)  I am so grateful for Grant!  He has been such a wonderful husband and father!  Especially this year with my pregnancy, I can't think of a time he ever lost his patience with me, or let me carry anything over five pounds!  He was constantly looking for things he could do for me (i.e. let me sleep or take naps whenever I was tired, give me foot and leg massages when my feet and legs were tired or swollen, making dinner so I could relax when I got home from work, etc. etc. I could go on for quite awhile about all the sacrifices he made for me!)  There are so many times I have looked at Grant and just felt such an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort from knowing that we are sealed together and we can always be together!

3)  I can't imagine how different my life would have been had I not had such a wonderful family!  I look at my parents and brother and sisters and am amazed at what strong people they are.   Everyone has always been so supportive of me and been such great examples.  I am so grateful for my parents strong testimony and for the choice they made to always raise our family in the gospel.  Although I feel like I have been blessed with even material things, I have been even greater blessed to always have been taught the teachings of our church and have the priesthood in my home!  As for my siblings, I don't know what else to say but I love spending time with them and only wish I could see them more often.  But even with not seeing them as often, I will always consider them some of my best friends!  

4) Even though I am not looking forward to going back to work in a month, I do have to admit that I am so grateful for my job.  I love what I do and I love the people I work with.  Because I have such a great job, Grant and I are in a position where Grant can stay home with Will until we go to law school, while I work and we don't have to put Will in a day care.  All throughout this year, there has been so much talk about the unemployment rate and I can't help but feel blessed in having such a good, secure job with great benefits.  

5)  I am grateful for my testimony of the gospel and how it has given me strength throughout my life.  The gospel has always been such a guiding influence on the decisions I make.  I look at myself and see plenty of areas where I need to improve and be a better person, and I know that I have not only this life but the next life as well to continue to learn and grow and better myself.  I am grateful that this last weekend Grant was able to bless Will at my parent's home.  He promised Will with many beautiful blessings that would come to him throughout his life by following the gospel.  I am grateful to Grant and that he is a worthy priesthood holder and that he was able to do that for Will.  Without the gospel, I know I couldn't be the person I am right now.

   I have to admit that this year has been such a wonderful year filled with so many blessings!  I know I have been blessed in many more ways then I can even imagine or recognize!  I have so much to be grateful for!

Little Buddies

   The other night Grant and I babysat for our friends Rick & Collette while they went to a Cardinals game.  Their little boy, Logan, is just a few weeks older than Will, so we keep telling them about what good friends they are going to be.  Well, while they were gone we got both of them down for bed and ended up sticking them in the crib together.  We were a little worried that if one woke up, he would wake up the other one, however, they did great and slept like that for almost three hours before Rick & Collette got back from the game.  We thought they looked pretty cute together!

Our Little Pea in a Pod

  

 So this year for Halloween, Will dressed up as a little pea in the pod!  Again, I am the bias mother but I thought he looked pretty darn cute!  We took him to our ward's Trunk-n-Treat where he quickly ate his dinner and then was a sleepy pea in a pod!  Surprisingly, he actually enjoyed his costume quite a bit and would flap his arms around and smile for anyone who was willing to give him a little attention!  Grant and I thought the arms on this costume were pretty funny because in order for his arms to fill in the costume he would have had to have ape arms.  His little arms only went half way so he just kept flapping the sleeves all over the place.  The next day we ended up getting family pictures and so we thought we might as well take the costume and get a few pictures of him in his costume also.   By the time we were done taking all the pictures Will was so tired we couldn't get him to stay awake no matter what we did.  However, this one of our sleepy little pea is turned out to be one of my favorites!