9 months

It took me 9 months to grow out my bangs to finally fit behind my ear...

And about 30 seconds for all my hard work to go down the drain. For some reason when I get in the chair at the salon I lose all self control and just want to chop away! Luckily it was just the bangs this go around. In 8 weeks all of it might be coming off! You never know... :-)

Surprising Mom

This past weekend Andy and I decided to surprise my mom by going to California. My brothers were in town and we couldn't miss the opportunity to have the whole family together for the weekend. With my parents leaving in July we need to take every opportunity to be together. Here we are arriving in San Juan:I think she was pleasantly surprised :-)

Impromptu Photo Session

Today was so nice outside we decided to have a little impromptu photo shoot. I love these short rompers, especially this one courtesy of Janie and Jack. Lucas loved being outside in the sun and I'm hoping Spring is right around the corner! Enjoy!

I love his gums! So stinkin cute.

Half Smile

Gotta love the toe-sies.

Our Trip to Nauvoo

We have been planning our trip to Nauvoo for what seems like forever! We were so excited it finally came time to take Lucas to meet his Minna and Bompa. I think people in the airport thought we were crazy. We had 6 pieces of luggage, Lucas in the Bjorn, four carry-ons, and three winter coats. By the time we got to our gate Andy and I were both sweating from head to toe. Lucas did awesome on his first flight, not one single peep. When we arrived in St Louis Andy had to run to get the rental car before it closed at 11. So that left me with the task of getting all the luggage in tact. Let me say the people of St Louis were wonderful. We had a three ring circus in baggage claim E. One person helped me with a cart, one was putting the stroller together, another was gathering luggage. I am forever grateful for all the help. Once we got on the road it only took about 2 1/2 hours to get to Nauvoo. We arrived at 2:30 AM to a very anxious Minna and Bompa!! Here are the first few pictures of Minna, Bompa, and Lucas meeting for the first time.

This is my favorite picture of Lucas and his Bompa

When we walked in the door we had some of these waiting for us... :-)

Let me just say they were by far the best batch I have ever tasted!! I ate so many I think I can now be patient until Thanksgiving!

Andy and I were able to leave Lucas with Minna while John, Andy and I were able to go to the Nauvoo temple and do a session (followed by a tour of the temple). When I was a Sophomore in high school my family went to the open house in Nauvoo, but it was even more special doing a session. Here we are before entering the temple.

Here we are after the temple outside John and Jane's home. I LOVED their home! It was so cute and quaint, just perfect!

When we woke up on Sunday morning it was a blizzard outside (in my standards at least). I love this picture of the temple through the trees.

We went to church and let me say Lucas was a huge hit! You would have thought a celebrity had walked through the door. Jane held him the whole time and everywhere she went she had about 10 other Sisters following her. Everyone wanted to hold Lucas and get their grandma fix, but Minna held strong. Sister Chipman said we could make a a dollar to two charging people to hold Lucas! We laughed, but she said she was serious! After church we took some family pictures in the snow. Lucas was NOT happy, but we tried anyway.

Here are just a few pictures from our trip that I love and wanted to post:

Minna, Bompa, and Lucas working at the Information Center. Lucas did a great job greeting all the visitors.

Minna and a sleeping Lucas-- Lucas feel asleep with Minna for every nap and bedtime.

This is Lucas' cute Valentine's Day outfit. Unfortunately, he only wore it for about 20 minutes. His 4 days worth of constipation decided to end..you get the picture. He did look cute in it though!

We had such a wonderful time in Nauvoo and can't wait to go back! Perhaps when it is a little warmer :-)  It was very hard saying good-bye to our Minna and Bompa, but they are doing such a wonderful job serving the Lord and being faithful missionaries. We love you so much and can't wait to see you soon!!

2 Months Old

Today Lucas turned 2 months old. I know everyone says this with each passing month, but he seriously just keeps getting more fun! He is now "cooing" and smiling. I LOVE getting him each morning because as soon as he sees me he gets the biggest smile. It melts my heart each day! So far he loves his play-mat, swing, bouncer, and just being held. His favorite way to fall asleep is holding him upright on his tummy so that he is lying on your chest. He will now sleep for 8 hours for his first interval!! I'm hoping in just a few more weeks he will be sleeping completely through the night.

Blessing Weekend

Today we blessed our Lucas Henry. Andy did such a great job and we LOVED having our family in town for this special day. We missed John and Jane, but we are so excited to see them this weekend. I loved Lucas is in his little outfit. He looked at me like, "Mom seriously? Why am I wearing this?" But he was adorable!

On Saturday the boys went to the UNLV vs. BYU basketball game. Andy insisted that Lucas was a Rebel fan. I was conflicted because I am such a BYU fan....so Lucas wore his UNLV shirt with his BYU socks (thanks Aunt Kelly!). Uncle Trevor and Uncle Dallas weren't loving the fact that Lucas was a Rebel. On the top left is Lucas and Great Grandma Linda. She gets the cutest smiles out of Lucas.

Here are some funny memories from Baby Shea and Ava. Ava and Shea were hiding from me and I went running up the stairs to find them. I totally passed them and they started giggling. I looked down and they were beneath the window seat. Too cute! Dallas was holding Baby Shea and he kept taking out his retainer and showing it to her. She was very concerned about what was in his mouth and she just held his face and stared at his mouth wondering what the heck it was! Lastly, Baby Shea used Lucas' towel and looked adorable!

A HUGE thank you to everyone that made this weekend and day so special. We are so grateful for all our friends and family! 

Lucas is ready for Nauvoo!

We leave for Nauvoo to see John and Jane this Thursday and we had to outfit Lucas with the proper attire. Here is Lucas modeling his new hat!

He's not too sure if he likes it, but I think he looks adorable!!

My new FAVORITE thing!

Lucas LOVES his pacifier. If we ever need him to fall asleep or calm down we give him his "paci" and it does the trick every time. I personally am a "Nuk" paci type person and I just discovered their new Genius Nuk.

It is AMAZING! It is shaped slightly different than the regular Nuk and has less plastic. The less plastic allows is to shape baby's face and almost suctions right on. This is especially nice in the middle of the night when he wakes up or when putting him to bed. It does NOT fall out! It is amazing!!!! So for all moms who have babies that can't quite put their "paci" back in their mouths look no further--The Genius Nuk is here!

**It is slightly more expensive (you usually get two for the price of the one genius) so we only use it at night to make sure we don't lose it. He still likes his other Nuks, but the genius is by far his favorite.