The Good Shepherds!!

O Christmas tree!!

2011-12-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

We finally got around to putting up a tree this year. After my stressful week I wanted to relax and have a day full of Christmas fun. I like to wait to put our tree up until after Thanksgiving and after Scott's birthday. One event at a time people. This year I face the dilemma of how to keep a one year old out of my tree. Scott thought that getting a small tree and putting up on the card table might work. It has for the most part, but Rivers still wants to tough the tree all the time and some of the lower hanging ornaments have been removed by some sweet little curious hands...
We like it and it smells amazing!!
Merry Christmas!

Christmas lights

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Scott and I have gone to see the Christmas lights every year that we have been together.

We were really excited to take Rivers this year.

He loved it, well for the most part.

I may have bundled him too much because he couldn't move,

but he was warm.

How cute is this picture!!

I forgot my camera, so cell phone pictures will have to do for the memories this year.

December 2011

Rivers wanted to touch the light so bad, and run around, but couldn't because he was so bundled he couldn't walk. I loved it.

I love that face!

December 2009

December 2010

Awkward family photo? By far my favorite :)

Rivers didn't like the light last year....

Caffeine wishes and Loft House dreams

2011-12-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

So many people don't know this about me, but I'm very high stress

I hide it.

I don't think it's "cool" to be stressed.

I'm sure I don't hide it well, but I think I do.

Last week (12/12-12/17) was probably the busiest week I've had all year, or even since the baby was born.

There are two things that get me through these rough times.

Pepsi

Loft House cookies

Seriously, I have been living off these two items for the last 8 days.

(I start early)

Here's why I've been so stressed, it's not just your typical Christmas stress I was dealing with.

Tuesday December 6 I got a notice in the mail that my jury duty wasn't going to be postponed and starting Friday night I had to call in every evening after 5 to see if I needed to report the next morning.

Now I have no problem serving on a jury, in fact

I think it would be fun.

But I am still nursing, and Scott was super busy studying for finals.

Plus in a week (12/13) it was Scott's birthday.

So I made some calls, re-arranged a few things, and got some sitters lined up, on call, in case I had to go in the next morning for jury duty.

I talked to work, and felt certain work wouldn't be affected by my sudden call

to civic duty.

At first my boss flipped, but after realizing that I had no say in the matter and wasn't

doing this to destroy the company, understood that it was the law, (30 days in jail and $1000 fine if I didn't show) and worked with me to take care of things.

Oh, did I mention that on Wednesday (12/14) a big project my Young Women

have been working on for a few months for Shriner's Hospital was concluding with a tour and presentation up at Shriner's Hospital? Yeah been planning that for a while and now I might not be

able to go.

Plus we had a family dinner for Scott for his birthday (that was no stress though).

Scott had finals so I spent all day with a baby with no other adult conversation

until Scott came home.

Also, it was the weekend of the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert. Making this

the busiest weekend of the busiest month of the year.

I'm talking getting to work at 3:30 and getting home sometime around midnight.

Serving something like 600 people in a restaurant with only 35 tables. Then getting up the next morning between 6:30 and 7:00 to take care of baby.

Mormons behaving badly at it's peak!!

I pulled through.

Jury duty got cancelled and I can still get called at random, but it won't be this month.

Scott aced his finals and is getting a 4.0.

Rivers has been an angel.

I have amazing co-workers.

The Lord hears and answers prayers.

I also had some help from Pepsi and Loft house cookies, which I think helped me lose 5 lbs.

I don't know how but that's all I've been consuming for the last week and I've lost weight.

I'm sure all the stress and running around and not eating had nothing to do with it :).

Saturday the 17 I finally got everything finished for Christmas, and now just have a few gifts to buy for Scott.

I feel calm for the first time in weeks.

My child is also Hilarious!!

Yes, he's sitting in the fridge.

I guess he got a little hot and needed to cool down :)

Scott's Birthday

2011-12-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

I love my husband, he's just the best.
Since I've been married we haven't really been able to enjoy Scott's birthday.
My job is a pain that prevents it, well maybe it's Scott's fault for being born in December, or his parents for decided that it was a good time to have a second child, I'm not sure, but this year we finally got to have Scott a good ol' celebration.
I bought him a few small gifts with Rivers help, but just couldn't figure out what to get him, especially since all he wanted was a trip to the dentist. Big demands I know.
After some thought and prayer and some inspiration from Pinterest I finally came up with something grand. But first a few pictures

Rivers LOVED these! such a fun cheap way to decorate

My birthday boy opening his gifts

So, I found an idea on Pinterest for these playing cards used to tell a husband 52 ways the wife loved him. We had these old I <3 NY playing cards lying around (well 2 sets actually, but I only used one) and a gift was born!!

After writing Scott's name 52 times I began to wonder if I was spelling it right. You know how it is after to write something over and over again it begins to look strange? That's what I was dealing with. I had to take a break twice and check some mail to make sure I didn't spell it wrong, and his name is short and only 5 letters. I hate how our minds play tricks on us like that.

52 acts of service cards. I'm a genius, and only had to stay up until 3 AM to finish them (I had to go to work first, and Rivers was not helpful at all!)

Some are funny like picking the radio station in the car, and others are practical like cleaning out the car or sleeping in. They turned out much cuter that I ever thought

For his birthday breakfast Scott wanted Biscuits and gravy with Sausage. Not my favorite, but it's not my birthday either...

Rivers was such a fun guy on his daddy's birthday. He was very interested in what Scott was opening, and even helped him play with the toys that Rivers picked out for Scott. I took Rivers to the dollar store and let him pick out a few things for daddy. He picked a coloring book w crayons, some toy cars, and a disk shooting gun. He really wanted to give Scott a slotted spoon and a fuzzy zebra print Santa hat. after some discussion we reached an agreement.

I'm so happy to actually celebrate Scott on the actual day of his birth.

P.S. Becky I will post some pictures of our Christmas tree, per request, once I put it up. I'm a little slow this year and was trying to go through one event at a time... the rest of the decor is up I'm just not as on top of things as it would appear :)

Discovery Gateway

2011-12-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

My Friend Ashley has a family pass to the Discovery Gateway Childrens Muesum. She was kind enough to invite Rivers and I (along with Megan and Lucas, they are some friends) to go and play with her and her sweet baby girl Jane (who Rivers is totally crushing on).
Rivers had a great time!!
Few highlights:
Ball room
Water station
Toy cars
Elevators
Walking up and down the stairs

Lowlights:
Hand dryers

We had so much fun and we can't wait to hang out again

the water smocks were too big, poor guy kept tripping on them.

Novembeard: The Wrap Up

2011-12-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

So Scott wasn't as eager to show off Novembeard as I was. So getting him to be helpful with daily pictures was a struggle. Here's what I got. Such a stud :)

So there you have it, it has come full circle.

Once the beard started to get full, Rivers didn't really like it, and I think, didn't know who Scott was.

Once he shaved and got a hair cut Rivers has LOVED Scott, he is giving him hugs, and is excited to see him. It's been so funny.

I'm glad Scott is back!! I'm much more fond of my baby faced babe

Updates...

2011-12-13T22:09:00.001-07:00

They are coming, having a few techincal and personal glitches. Stay tuned

Motherhood: Not for Whimps

2011-11-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

So, over the last few days I was reflecting on to the last few years, as I was making Thanksgiving plans and shopping lists. I began to reflect on last year and how hard it was. Hard for a few reasons. One, I had a newborn. Two, I was still on maternity leave so we had very little income. Three, Rivers had Colic. Four, Still nursing every 2 hours. Five, Postpartum.
All these factors made Thanksgiving last year really hard on me. I spent the evening crying being mad at my husband and my baby. It wasn't really either of their faults, but at the time I blamed them both. It's amazing what a year can make!
Upon my reflection I began to think about all the insane things my child does. From that I began to wonder what his thought process was. These are a few of the highlights of my wondering...

He doesn't even like watching TV. Why would he want to pull out all the DVDs? He so happy about it too!!

I'm not sure what's going on here, or how he managed to turn his chair or climb up on it, but he spent most of the morning here throwing toys yelling "Boooom!!"

Why are there clean folded socks on the kitchen rug, and why would anyone leave them there? Further more why would you pull them out with no intention of wearing them?

So, this one was actually really fun. He climbed into my armour and would pop out and say "Boo". I decided to climb in and try it out too. Coolest mom ever!!!

I'm not even sure what's going on here....

Out of all of Rivers' cool toys he still finds my pots and pans and bowls more interesting.... He spends hours pulling them out and moving them around the house. I found a pot lid in the tub the other day along with my work shoes and a book. Really?

One drink is never enough....

Why go trick or treating when you can just crawl under your high chair and eat food off the floor?

I love my baby, who is now a toddler. A year ago I wouldn't have ever thought how cute and fun he would be. I may not understand the way his changing brain works, but it certainly is fun trying to figure it out.
I must go now, there is a number of huge messes in my house I need to clean
Until next time....

Novembeard: Ummmm... lots of pictures of Scott's face

2011-11-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

So I got super behind, and I maybe be missing a few days, but we are in full beard effect here at the Shepherd home.

It looks pretty awesome!
Oh what a crazy husband I have!!

One Year Photos

2011-11-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of beard photos to up load, but these were on a CD and so much cuter... Not that Scott's face isn't super cute, but Rivers face is just too cute!!
My sister-in-law got a new job at fotogenix in Sandy and needed a test child to take pictures of, it worked out great with me having a child I needed to photograph.
The photos turned out great! Poor Rivers was starting to get super sicky this day and was just in no mood to smile for the camera, but Allison did a great job and he still looks super cute!!
I still can't believe he's a year old. Where is the time going seriously?
Enjoy my baby :)

This one is my favorite! He loved being in that barrel!

He is just so handsome!!

Novembeard: Days 4-7

2011-11-07T09:46:00.001-07:00

So I was lazy this weekend and got way behind on my beard posts, well Scott's beard posts :)

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

I may not have posted, but I did take pictures :). He's so cute even though on Sunday he was being a poor sport about my close up photos.

Funny story: On Sunday, while in the chapel waiting for sacrament to start our sweet neighbors sat in front of us and we began chatting. The father was at work so it was just the mom and her 3 kids, I also serve in the Young Women's with her, so we see them quite a bit (plus they live next door). Well I guess it had been a while since they saw Scott, because their oldest daughter, Wynn, looked at Scott and says "Scott!! Why do you have hair all over your face??"

We chuckle and told her that for the month of November Scott has decided not so shave. Wynn looks at Scott and laughs, and her mom turns to her and says "Don't tell dad ok!"

We laughed as she explained that she liked daddy without hair on his face and that she didn't want him to get any ideas.

Scott seems to be getting a lot of attention form his beard :)

On a side note. On Saturday before I headed to the store Scott and I decided to let Rivers run around outside and play briefly in the snow. Poor guy was so excited that he fell flat on his face!! I was so sad, and so was Rivers. We cleaned him up and went out anyway. His nose looks fine now, and he has a nice bruise on his forehead. This adventurous little boy of mine....

Doctors Appointment

2011-11-03T18:58:00.000-06:00

Rivers had his 1 year Doctors appointment today.
Same old same old.
Here are his stats:
Weight: 19 lbs 4% tile (He's never going to be big enough for a front facing car seat!)
Height: 31 Inches 86% tile (long and lean)
Head: 47 cm 68% tile

He shot up in height, and not so much in weight, but since he's growning everything is okay.
The sad part of this visit was that he had to have SEVEN shots!!!
I still hate shots, and I think I cried as much as he did.
These shots were pretty tough on him, and it's been a rough day.

After a sucker at the doctors and saying hi to Grandpa the poor guy was pooped!! He didn't even wake up when I took him out of the car. He's never done that.

Look at all those band-aids :( So sad, he didn't even want to walk or play, just sit in his chair playing with some beads and drinking his sippy cup. He was so miserable.

He just laid on the floor while I made dinner, he did have a sucker so it wasn't all bad.

Look at those skinny little legs and cute little feet!! you can also see some spots from the needles and the band-aids.

He was ready for dinner and for a bath, bedtime followed shortly after. He was ready to call it a day!!

Now we are ready to ween and I can hopefully have that done by Thanksgiving. I'm struggling with this idea. He doesn't eat too much adult food and I'm nervous he won't get enough to eat with out nursing. He did have some formula to kinda ease his way away from me, and I'm so glad I was able to nurse! I found getting formula ready was harder than lifting my shirt, and it gave him a terrible tummy ache!!
But now we can move to cows milk, which I hate, but seems like the best option for now.

Novembeard: Day 3

2011-11-03T18:36:00.000-06:00

Looking good honey, looking good!!

Novembeard: Day Two

2011-11-02T08:07:00.000-06:00

Day two. Looking nice and scruffy. Looking good honey, keep up that 5 o'clock shadow!!

Novembeard: Day One

2011-11-02T08:03:00.000-06:00

We celebrate (ok that's a lie) a little thing around here called Novembeard. Some people call it No Shave November, but we think Novembeard is such a cooler name. Scott hasn't been able to celebrate because of his job (cooks with beards? Kinda creepy). So he was stoked to do so this year!
All month long we post a picture to show off this awesome time of year :)

Halloween!!

2011-11-01T11:06:00.000-06:00

We had a very busy weekend!!
Lots of being cute, and family stuff, and candy.
It's a hard life.
Our weekend started out with my Great-Grandma's 95 birthday party.

The birthday kids :)

We went to her home and had a Halloween themed party with all of my my mom's cousins and aunts and uncles, who just thought my little man was the cutest thing ever, and I'm not one to argue when people go crazy for my baby :)

After that we went to a dear friend of ours wedding reception, Congrats Holmsteads, we love you :)

Their reception was across the street from the Zoo, so after we decided to head over to the "Boo at the Zoo"
It was fun, we got some candy and got to see some animals, Rivers LOVED IT!!!

YUM YUM it's mom and her hamburger

He loved this turtle

all he wanted to do was bite this wire... gotta build up that immune system somehow

Rivers is taller than an infant gorilla, in case you were wondering...

After all this fun, we came home and slept and went to church (well most of church.. I'll tell you that story some other time)
Sunday night was my Grandma Hulses' annual Halloween party. Rivers is finally big enough to play with all the other great grand kids and loved running around and eating everyone elses food.
I didn't take any photos while we were there, but I know some others did so I'll call that good.
We went home and carved pumpkins and made Carmel apples, YUM

Finally, Monday was Halloween!!

We had a busy day, Scott had class, then we went and saw Grandma Hulse before she went to work for some trick or treating, then went and got a pizza from my old boss, then to Grandma Shepherds for some more trick or treating. After we cam home had dinner and got ready for our ward "trunk or treat" so I've never participated in a trunk or treat outside of NY. I had no idea what to expect. Well after we ran out of candy we decided to go real trick or treating in the neighborhood. Since most of our neighbors aren't LDS we got to go meet them and introduce ourselves. They were super excited to see my cute hamburger, and glad that "younger families" are moving into the neighborhood. Rivers got quite a haul and managed to grab a sucker from his bucket, he then ate it all night long. He yet again stayed up past his bedtime for the third night in a row.
We had a great weekend, and now I've got to put up the Thanksgiving decorations, and take some photos of Scott... it is Novembeard after all....

Rivers Birthday: Actual Birthday

2011-10-26T09:25:00.000-06:00

Rivers was sick his birthday... it was sad.

After calling the doctor and asking around and looking on the internet, I have come to the conclusion that Rivers has Roseola.

It's pretty common, but still no fun.

It's frustrating for me because he's never been sick, and now all at once he's got all sorts of sicks.

He's still in decent spirits despite feeling yucky.

Here is how Rivers spent his day of birth!!

He spent the morning playing with his new toys and his birthday balloons :)

For Lunch we took Rivers to McDonald's to try some chicken nuggets and fries.

He wasn't too keen on them... I blame his sickies.

He sure loved the ice cream though!!!

After dinner I thought I'd try the cupcake thing again... still not into it...

But the candle was pretty cool!

Rivers went to bed early, and slept a lot that day. He's on the mend now, but having him be sick sure has been scary for me. The high fever and rash just freaked me out!!

After talking with some other moms I realize I need to relax a bit, but this is my first child, and I'm a bit crazy.

I'm sure with my next child I won't be so panicked. (That's not an announcement!)

For those who care, Rivers looks super cute in his new jammies!!

Rivers Birthday: The Party!

2011-10-25T13:46:00.000-06:00

We had a little party for Rivers on Sunday October 23. It was just Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We kept it simple, and I think everyone had a good time.

Rivers got some really great gifts, mostly toys and clothes, which is just what he needed.

Scott and I got him this cute little chair, which he loves! He got some fun cars and lots of annoying toys, which aren't too bad, and were needed since all of his toys really where for much younger babies.

The menu was Hawaiian Haystacks, and banana cupcakes. I based the menu on what his favorite foods are. He loved dinner, and enjoyed going from guest to guest and eat off their plates.

But he wasn't too keen on the cupcakes. I even tried to give him a cupcake the next day to see if it was performance anxiety. Nope. Still not liking it. Oh well there is always next year.

He wasn't feeling well, and was up late that day (it's his party).

As much work and stress as I put into this party I'd say it was a hit, and I'm so thankful for all who came.

I'm glad that my baby is loved, and that he has such a wonderful family!!!

One year ago....

2011-10-25T13:30:00.000-06:00

One year ago, I went from Mystie to Mommy.
One year ago, I received the greatest gift from my Heavenly Father.
One year ago, we went from being a couple to a family.
One year ago my life was changed for the better.

One year ago Rivers was born!!
Happy Birthday Rivers!!! I sure love you
Love, Mommy :)

3 years

2011-10-19T09:07:00.000-06:00

3 years ago we did this...

A year later we did this...

Last year we did this... (look at me 9 months pregnant, bless my heart)

This year we didn't get a photo together, but we did this....

Being married is the greatest! I married my best friend, on my other best friends birthday. 2 years later we had a baby. My life is awesome, and I long for the day when I can stay home and play with my baby all day, and keep up our home for my husband... One day when student loans and other debts are paid off. My life is good, my husband is sweet, and my baby is amazing...
Here's to 97 more years together (yes I plan to live to 125 years old)...

Who needs sleep?

2011-10-19T08:56:00.000-06:00

Not Rivers, that's for sure.....

My child is cute, my child is sweet, my child is funny, what my child isn't is well rested. Here's the story.
Rivers room has a west facing window, which mean at bedtime the sun is right in his room. Solution? Dark curtains. Worked like a charm, plus the House behind our had this awesome tree that provided even more shade when the sun got low enough and Rivers room was nice and cozy for bed time.
Well, the house behind us went up for sale and got sold. and the new gay neighbors (I can say that because they really are gay) cut down the tree!!!! Making Rivers room yet again too bright to sleep. Like super bright, like noon time bright. Grrrr! So, I got out the duct tape and a couple cardboard boxes, and covered that blasted window! Now his room is a cave. Super dark, with weird shadows coming from the monitor light. Rivers started to wake up scared, screaming and crying late at night and early in the morning. Solution, a small night light.
No not a solution at all!! I went to check on Rivers before I went to bed when I got home from work, and he woke up, and didn't want to go back to sleep. Finally I nursed him and sang him back to sleep after he played in his crib for an hour. Then he woke up twice more, and took FOREVER to go back to sleep both times!! So the night light is out, and I think I will just deal with the half an hour of screaming rather than the hour of chattering and singing to himself.
needless to say he took his mid morning nap early this morning, without his night light.

Rivers did however find a suck, managed to get the wrapper off and ate it this morning. It was really cute, and with my lack of sleep I didn't care. then he threw a fit when the sucker was all gone and I wouldn't let him eat the stick. This is what happens when you don't sleep. after cleaning his hands and face (and the walls and the TV and the doors) his fit got worse and he went down for a nice nap. I'm a great parent.

Pumpkin patch!!

2011-10-15T15:30:00.000-06:00

So, I've always had this dream of taking my child(ren) to a pumpkin patch, letting them wonder around, play in the dirt, and finally pick out cute little pumpkins. Dream fulfilled. We found this cute little pumpkin patch in Riverton that was perfect!!! They even had a little corn maze and some fun tractors for kids to sit on and get pictures taken. Rivers loved it!! We had a great time, and this will be a yearly event for us :)

He was in pumpkin heaven!!!

Just helping out a bit!!

Mommy's pumpkin

Rivers pumpkin

The pumpkin Rivers really wanted... to throw around... we left this one at the patch...

He had so much fun! I have some pictures from the corn maze, but they're on my phone since the camera died, but they wouldn't upload... Grrr...
I think I might let Rivers paint his pumpkin, but I don't know maybe he's too young for that, any suggestions?

We are getting so excited for Halloween here at the Shepherd home, not to mention Rivers first Birthday which is quickly approaching. October is just he best month!!!

Rivers Baby in Pictures

2011-10-12T21:23:00.000-06:00

Rivers pretty much has the run of our house, and it's deserved, he's pretty awesome.

eating treats off the floor

while sitting on mommy's church bag

let's get to know Rivers better.....

hand, usually carrying a toy or treat

food usually very wiggly

Ear, one feature that is mine....

neck, good for kissing and tickling

eye, getting sick of having pictures taken

reading books

day dreaming

dancing, passes the time

cheeks, I love these!!!

Rivers classic "duck face" caught on film

To say that I'm obsessed with my son is an understatement, he's the greatest and I wanted to take a moment to capture some small things about him before he gets too big. I'm really lucky to be his mommy. He's been so good over the last few months, really happy and playful and super lovey. I can't believe a year has almost gone by since he entered my life. I love you Rivers

Pear Pie

2011-10-12T21:03:00.000-06:00

What do you do with extra pears after bottling? Make Pear Pie of course. I got this recipe from Scott's family and it is delish!!!!

Pears

2011-10-04T13:32:00.000-06:00

Don't be fooled, we had like a million pears to cut up

Bottles, bottles, bottles!

taste testers.

So some of you may know this, but Scott and I have a dream to own a farm and be as self-sufficient as possible.

So, among learning to sew, and garden, I am also learning to bottle fruits and veggies.

It's hard work,

I made some awesome Raspberry jam a few weeks ago, and last week my mom got an amazing deal on pears, so I took a day off work, broke out the apron, and got my bottling/canning on!!

Everyone warned me about how hard pears are to bottle, and they weren't fun, but everyone made it sound like I would die by the end of the day. It was a lot of work, but I was strong and pushed through.

The result was fabulous!!

It took all day, but I will love it later this winter I'm sure.

Plus, I saved some pears to make some pear pie this week.

HAPPY HARVEST!!

BYU vs Utah State

2011-10-03T08:08:00.000-06:00

We had the awesome opportunity to go to the BYU / Utah State game in Provo (bleh) on Friday night. Being an Aggie fan I was stoked! We were able to use Scott's dad's tickets which are pretty good seats. Scott LOVES football, and it was fun to watch Utah State win for most of the game, until BYU finally pulled Joke Heaps (his name is Jake, but really he's a Joke) and put in Riley Nelson (who used to go to USU so I like him well enough) and BYU won in the last 15 seconds!! Seriously! It was crazy, and fun, and a nice night out with my husband.

Scott yelling at something....

So I have my Aggies shirt on, and Scott's shirt says "I Hamburger Cows" that was his lame slam against USU.

One of the best parts of the game was sitting next to Scott's uncle Paul. He's so funny. He even swore in the Lavelle Edwards Stadium!! Paul's wife Loretta told me that was a small taste of what Grandpa Shepherd was like. This was funny to me because I went to get a Coke and the cashier looked at me like I was such a HUGE sinner, because they don't sell Coke there!! Swearing, Caffeine, isn't that what football is about? It was a fun game, and I'm still sad USU lost, largely because they were winning pretty much the whole game, but Riley Nelson (sp?) was very nice about the win, so I like him even if all the other BYU fans were jerks to me about the win (I think it's the big hair... makes them angry). I still love my Aggies!!!

Conference

2011-10-02T09:33:00.000-06:00

Rivers LOVES Conference :)

To say that I was excited for Conference this October was pretty much an understatement!! We have had such a great weekend and I love the Spirit we feel in our home. Also this was the first year since I've known Scott that he was able to go to the priesthood sessions of conference!! He was pretty stocked!!

October Conference last year.

October conference this year

We also put up our Halloween decorations in between sessions and made some yummy soup (and by we I mean me since Scott was studying).
Yay for conference!!!

Food

2011-09-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

Rivers is finally taking interest in eating "adult" foods. I'm really excited about this, largely because both Scott and I LOVE food. Scott as most of you know is a chef, and I've been working in restaurants pretty much since I was able to work at the age of 16. We love to watch cooking shows and cooking competitions. It's great!! Scott and I bonded over food, and when Rivers started eating solids we would get so excited to have him try new things we would both have to be there to see his reaction.
Last week Scott wanted to go to Cracker Barrel. He was craving chicken fried chicken. It's so fun to go out to eat with Rivers. All the waitresses have to stop and say how cute he is, and he of course flirts back. Then the food comes and he just gets so excited!! We break up small pieces and let him try everything. Some he likes some he spits out, but either way it's super cute and super fun for Scott and I. We don't eat out often, but he does the same thing when we eat at our parents houses. He's just getting so big and so smart!

Fall is in the Air

2011-09-26T09:20:00.000-06:00

This will be my last post where I can talk about my baby in the age of months... Next month my amazing little man (Who is teething right now and is not so fun to be around) will be a YEAR old!! I can't believe it!!

I love spending time with my family, and now that our lives at a bit less crazy we get to do more things together.

Sunday, after church and before we had a small dinner with Scott's parents (Scott's Mother's day gift was to make 2 Sunday meals for her whenever she wanted, and she redeemed one earlier, and one yesterday), we decided to go for a small drive up Emigration Canyon to see the changing leaves, and to take some pictures of Rivers in his super cute church clothes :)

It was magical, and bubs LOVED it!!

These colors excite me!!

Isn't this breath taking? the scenery is pretty too ;)

I bet he's thinking "How much trouble would I be in for crawling up there?"

I look very much like a Pioneer woman here, "Me and my child arrived in the valley on a lovely autumn day, the air was crisp and the valley lay ahead of us in all it's bountiful glory..."

It just looks so much like a painting, it was such a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Rivers is the best, most awesome, fun little baby ever (sorry everyone else, it's true).

At 11 Months, Rivers:

Has 2 1/2 teeth, 2 on bottom and half of one on top, and a fourth one making a debut any day now.

Loves to eat whatever Scott and I are eating, especially sweets.

Plays peek-a-boo with himself.

hates wearing shoes.

Loves to chew on remotes, cell phone, keys, and anything else you might be looking for.

Loves the colors green, yellow, and orange.

Likes to dance with mommy.

Tries to help with the cooking and cleaning, but really isn't much help :)

Thinks his feet are funny.

Likes to sit on mommy's lap.

Doesn't like to be alone.

Has a fever :(

Has out grown EVERYTHING!! seriously, the boy is running out of clothes, and is still too small for the next size up!!

Loves wheels

Wants a puppy.

Lights up my life, every moment of it. He's so amazing....

Scott was bugging me and I told him he'd pay for it... haha, here is his sleepy face!

Another day...

2011-09-23T09:31:00.000-06:00

One of the best parts of my busy life is when my little guy gets fussy and I'm worn out so we go for walks. We live across the street from Liberty Park, and it is glorious!

"Will you be here when I get back?"

CHEESE!

Come back baby!

Living in an apartment we don't have much of a yard, and living by a busy street I often get nervous about just letting Rivers play around the yard, even though I'm out there chasing him around.
But going to the Park is so fun. We have a big open field to run around in, and swings, and a splash pad, and pool, and tennis courts, and volleyball, and spot to BBQ, and Tracey Aviary. So much to do, and yet so close! Plus there is always sun things going on at the park. It's been such a huge blessing!

And this is how I get to end my night... every night :)

Personal Day!

2011-09-21T09:19:00.000-06:00

In my line of work (both as a mom and a waitress) I don't get a lot of personal time. For the most part I don't really mind, but as you can tell from my last post I needed a break.

Here's how my day went.
Take care of Bubs... That never changes and that's the part I like best. (after a full day off I really wish I could stay at home full time)
Do some Yoga, best part of my day next to snuggles and hugs from my bubs.
Made myself look pretty, this and Yoga, as well as breakfast and blogging happened while Bubs was taking his mid-morning nap.
Head to the Library, run in to co-worker Heather and talk about work and Scott's school.
Go to the bank.
Drop Husband off at school.
Head to the party store, Someone has a Birthday coming up.

Get some gas.
Head home for Lunch, and naps.
Do the dishes (finally).
Straighten up the house.
Get a birthday package together for my dear friend Max, who's in the MTC, and it's his birthday... Yes I have a really close friend who happens to be 8 years younger than me. We make it work.

While I put together all sorts of birthday fun, Rivers plays with my cell phone, and somehow gets it under his bed... I found this later :)
Head to the post office with no cell phone, and a 10 month old baby... worst place for kids ever.
Head to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner, and treats for my night :).
Come home and look for my cell phone.
Pick up Scott from his study group.
Feed Bubs and put him to bed.
Make dinner.
Watch GLEE!!!!

Think about going across the street to the Farmers Market, but it's getting dark and Scott can't go because he has to study and someone should stay home with the sleeping baby.
Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.
Vacuum.
get ready for bed.
call my mom.
sleep.

It was a pretty crazy day, but I needed it!! I know it sounds full, but a lot of it was stuff I put off because I have to work or go to mutual every night. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, but I loved having a chance to do all the things I've been wanting to get done. Whew I'm long winded. I need to keep these post shorts.

some rants

2011-09-20T08:50:00.000-06:00

So, I had something I wanted to blog about, but I forget what it was....

Here is an old picture of me, back when my name was Mystique Hulse. I wish I was that size again, I wish my bra was that size again....

Here is Scott with a snake, back when he was a newly wed.

Here are some things bugging me this morning that I feel a need to vent about... If you don't want to hear me vent (I don't blame you I don't want to hear me vent) please skip down to the bottom.
*I hate my hair. I wish it was a little curlier or straighter, and maybe a little longer.
*I hate people who think that their events are in some way more important than mine. "I'm sorry to tell you I can't attend your dogs anal surgery party I'm having a root canal... are you really asking me to re-schedule?"
*I'm mad that my baby only naps for 1 hour when others will nap for 2. That's just the kind of guy he is.
*I hate zits, and the fact that I still get them at 28
*I hate how much guilt I feel, telling people "no" and asking for help just weighs me down ~~sometimes~~ all the time. I just want to do and be everything to everyone.
*I miss my fast metabolism
* I hate always having to stretch every dollar. And on that note I hate that Payroll wasn't able to deposit my check and I had to call and complain and raise a ruckus in order to get MY money.

Here are some things I like.
*I like cereal, it's fast, easy, healthy or unhealthy whatever you want. It's my dream food.
*I like the way my little guys walks around the house clapping his hands
*I like people who give me helpful advice when I ask instead of telling me what I SHOULD be doing.
*I like people who come in to eat late, but leave me a huge tip. Thank you for acknowledging the fact that you have kept me away from my family longer. Working is hard, and I hate being away from my baby at bedtime. I'm grateful some nice guy last night appreciated that :)
*I love wearing skirts w boots, I think I'll do that today
*I'm stoked for the season premier of GLEE tonight and that I finally get a night off with out other pressing affairs.
*I love my Scott, He lights up my world.
*I just ADORE my son. I just think everything he does is wonderful and magical, he's another light in my life.
*I love all the people who read my blog... all 4 of you :)

Alright I'll stop now, thanks for allowing me an outlet....

State fair review

2011-09-19T13:34:00.000-06:00

butter "art"

Sea Lion show

YAY for Goats :)

studly men

Really BIG pumpkins

Turkey that Scott claimed bit Rivers

A few Saturdays back we went to the State Fair. It was loads of fun and wore little Rivers right out.
Rivers and I had never been to the Fair before, and I think we will go again. We ate good food, and tried new things, saw some super cool animals and produce.
I love spending time with my little family :)

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-15T13:47:00.000-06:00

swinging away!

Over Labor day weekend we got the opportunity to head up to Scott's family cabin. Scott wanted to go hunting, and we realized that Rivers had never been up there. It was rough for him, so I think we may wait until we head up again. It didn't help that the poor little guy cut a tooth and is such a light sleeper that he had a hard time sleeping. He sleeps great at home, going to bed around 5:30 and sleep until 7:00 the next morning. But He just doesn't adjust well to sleeping away from home.
We left on Saturday night after the BYU game (yay.. that's a sarcastic yay). We planned it so Rivers was all ready for bed and slept most of the way up there. We got his sleeping stuff all set up and brought him to bed. He slept for a few hours then was up ALL night crying. The first night was only a few Scott's cousins, and an aunt, and they claimed they didn't hear him, the next morning we saw that pesky little tooth that caused all the trouble.
That was also the first night we've ever "co-slept" with our baby, and Rivers is the craziest sleeper ever!!! We brought the portable crib, but he slept better in my arms, meaning I got no sleep. The next night the rest of the hunters and families showed up and it was just way to noisy for him the sleep. Plus it was cold. I think we may do day trips from now on, and Scott will have to go hunting without us. At least until Rivers is better at sleeping away from home.
We did have lots of fun, Rivers Loved the swing as always, and playing with all his cousins. He also showed off his sweet walking moves for everyone. We went on some fun 4-wheeler rides (us not the baby too loud and he's too small still, he's a little guy remember), roasted some marshmallows, bbq'ed, played with a dog, and we even managed to stay on schedule so Bubs took good naps and was cute most of the time (except at bedtime).
We were grateful for the get away, and now Rivers can eat his cookies by biting into them so win all around right :)

Sinful Sunday

2011-09-14T14:57:00.000-06:00

Sunday I made this!!

Last Sunday we had Stake conference (Sept 11), I really debated about going. I like Stake Conference, but with a baby it's just so hard. I know from now on it will always be crazy on Sunday's and I just need to go and see how little man does, but for now, a restful Sunday at home felt nice.

Not to be wasteful with my time I found this website with a recipe for Peanut butter Fudge Trifle!!!!!

This was amazing! I took it to my folks house, because I knew I would eat it all by myself if it was left here. it was so rich and yummy and amazing.... I may have to make another...

Along with my awesome dessert making skills you can see my awesome gardening skills. We planted 8 stalks of corn, 7 got blown over by the wind, 1 grew to full plant "adulthood" and produced one ear of corn... that never got any kernels... it was sad. Clearly I have missed my calling as a farmer.

The mess!! Totally worth it!!

Walking!!

2011-09-13T10:42:00.000-06:00

My studdly little man started walking on August 24!! That would be the day he turned 10 months old. I am a proud mama. Both Scott and I walked early, and Rivers has always wanted to stand and walk, even as a new born he loved to put weight on his legs.
On the morining of the above mentioned August 24, we had placed some Cherrio's on the coffee table, Rivers had been standing for a while and he took 3 cute little wabbly steps towards those cherrios and has never looked back!
He's so cute he looks like a little drunk sailor trotting around the house, and of course has to be in whatever room mom is in :). He won't hold my hand, but luckily he's still small enough that I just pick him up and carry him.
Look out world, here he comes!!

Case of the Mondays.....

2011-09-12T09:39:00.000-06:00

We're having a bad case of the Monday's here at the Shepherd home...
Todays' highlights include:
2 poopy diapers
Rivers sticking his hands in one of those poopy diapers
Fridge Shelf breaking while making Scott's lunch.
Homemade Balsamic Vinegar falling off broken shelf, spilling all over and fancy glass bottle holding the Vinegar shattering all over the floor.
Rivers falling off the couch.
Getting bit a few times.

My house is a disaster!
But Rivers woke up from his mid morning nap happy, I was able to get my hair and make-up done, and it's a beautiful day out side.

We're getting really excited for Autumn here at the Shepherd home, and I may have already gotten Rivers a Halloween costume :)

A few Posts I know you're eagerly awaiting.....
*Rivers learns to walk... includes video
*Labor day at the cabin
*State Fair!!
*Sinful Sunday (not as scandalous as it sounds)

Stay tuned.....

Young Womens

2011-08-28T22:11:00.000-06:00

I don't typically blog about my callings, but I just had such a great experience last week at Mutual I wanted to write a bit about it.

I'm in the Young Women's Presidency here in the McKay ward, and I love it!! On Tuesday we got to take a tour on the Relief Society Building on Temple Square. It was a really cool experience and I learned a lot. I hope the girls did too!

All the girls in Sister Daytons Office

Young Women's general Presidency

View from Sister Daytons desk :)

View from Sister Becks desk (Relief Society General President)

View from Sister Wixoms (Primary President) desk

Photo and signature of all the Relief Society Presidents.

The spirit was so strong while on our tour, and there is just so much that I learned that I don't want to bore you with a long post about the history of women in the church, but I took notes because I'm that big of a nerd :) It was such a great night and such a wonderful experience!

Back to School

2011-08-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

Leaving for his first day back to School!

And there he goes :)

"Back to School, Back to School, to prove to dad I'm not a fool"
Scott is loving being back at school. I am too because he cooks dinner for me at night while I'm at work. We got a pretty sweet deal with all the grants Scott got, and now that I'm back to serving I'm making more money, which is helpful at this time. So here's how the decision was made to go back to serving early, while still breastfeeding. In my job I don't get breaks, ever, unless you're greeting, which is the lowest paying job at the restaurant. So while Scott worked dinners (which was what his job was) I worked lunches as a greeter so I could take breaks to go pump (meaning I was making less money and doing less work, but still providing some sort of income). Since Rivers began sleeping through the nights at 6 weeks I haven't been getting a lot of milk during the night. When we decided it was the right decision for Scott to quit and return to School we both knew I would have to start working nights so Scott could be at school during the day, and keep Rivers out of Daycare (not that there's anything wrong with it, other than the cost). It works out really well. I pump before I go to work, and when I get home. Scott gets to do all the cute bedtime stuff like dinner, baths and putting him down, then has plenty of time to study and do homework after bubs goes to bed. Since I'm only missing one feeding I was able to serve again and I'm making at lot more money, not as much as when both Scott and I were working, but it pays the bills and I know it will be for our benefit later on.

Life is good, we're all healthy and happy, and I feel truly blessed

10 months

2011-08-28T21:34:00.000-06:00

I don't think I've ever noticed how quickly 10 months has passed before. Rivers is still just as perfect as ever, and certainly the light of mine and Scott's life :)
Here are just a few of his silly quirks.
Kicks his right leg while nursing and having his diaper changed.
Singing when sung to.
Likes to intentionally hit his head on things.
Licks walls.
Likes to "play ball"
Babbles to himself.
Likes to spit.
Loves dogs.
Enjoys grabbing faces.
Isn't very helpful with the laundry.
Super ticklish.
Enjoys being "chased"
Likes to Open and Close doors, drawers and cabinets.
Likes to go outside.
Likes to throw things out of his crib.
Thinks it's funny when people fall.
Likes to play with a turkey baster and Scott's alarm clock.
Bites :(
Loves to be around other babies.
Has nightmares.
Is easily entertained by fans.
LOVES to read books.
And is generally all around an awesome guy! I just can't believe how much I love this little guy!!

A Hunting He Will Go

2011-08-19T20:00:00.000-06:00

My guys in their matching "dirt shirts" from Moab

So... About 3 hours ago, my sweet kind loving husband went out into the woods with the other men with the last name Shepherd (minus Rivers since I don't think he'd be very helpful) to go hunt wild beasts. Well deer really.
I miss him, sleeping in our bed is no fun with him gone :(
Although, I'll sleep better with him not talking or walking in his sleep.
I hope his family watches out for that tonight.
I hope he doesn't get shot.
We have plenty of food, I'm not sure why he's hunting, I guess than hunter and gatherer in men folk just never dies. I think it's more about bonding. Bond away men, bond away...

August so far...

2011-08-16T21:56:00.000-06:00

Mid-way through August, and boy have we been busy!!
So to save time, and energy, here is a brief update...
Scott is unemployed!! This is surprisingly a good thing... I think... I have mixed emotions about this, but I do think that ultimately it will be for the better for our family. Living off student loans and taking this HUGE leap of faith and walking into the unknown by faith is a challenge. The photo below was taken as Scott left for his last night of work. I have to admit, he is so much happier, and I do enjoy the idea of him not being a slave to his job. He may want to find some part time work next semester, but for now we both feel he needs to just focus on school. And to be honest, when I go back to serving (which I do tomorrow) I make more part time than any other part time job Scott would get. So Scott gets a sugar mama while playing Mr. Mom in the evenings. That's another nice part of my job is the flexibility it gives me. I'm super sad about missing bedtime with my little guy, but for now we really do feel like it's the best for our little family :)

Sadly, on August 6, 2011 Scott's Grandma Brady passed away. I didn't take any pictures, but luckily Scott's sister Christy did and I stole this on off her blog. Scott was a pallbearer, and it was an amazing service. I spent most of it in the hall with a very sleepy, hungry, squirmy baby, but I was able to hear most of it, and I learn a lot about this wonderful woman. We spent, basically, two full days with Scott's family and it was really nice. All of his cousins came into town, and we spent the evening before her funeral talking about how great she was. It was a sad event, but it was also so lovely and spiritual. Bubs was mostly good for this day too, it's not his fault he doesn't know what's going on...

This is another stolen photo (hehehe). At our company picnic last month Scott and I won 2 free passes to Seven Peaks. On Monday we went down to Provo (Scott said it was the best one) and luckily Scott's sister Christy (yup, same one mentioned before) was able to go with us, she has a season pass, and is such a life saver!! Here is Rivers with his cousin Emily fighting over treats. They are so cute together, ok well not really, yet. They are both just really cute. Rivers gets so excited when he sees another baby that he wants to give lots of hugs and kisses and really wants to play, but other babies just don't seem to like this as much, and I can't blame them. Luckily Emily has learned to crawl away from him rather quickly, which is very smart of her. I'm sure as they grow up they will be good friends, but for now Rivers just wants to pull her hair and eat her food (Rivers doesn't have any hair, he's unaware of how much it hurts).
We had lots of fun though at Seven Peaks, and Scott got so sun burnt! Which is funny since he wore sunblock and I didn't, and I'm barely pink and the poor guy is starting blister. Bubs did get a little bit of a sunburn on his arm, and I'm fairly certain it's because he moved and I'm not sure he actually got sunblock applied to that arm, but don't worry, the other arm was super covered twice.
All in all it's been a great month with lots of time with family and lots of playing. Now it's back to work and getting Scott ready for School!
Enjoy August, and I'm going to try to blog more since I'm home more :)

Back to School

2011-08-08T21:31:00.000-06:00

So Scott got his "U" card today. We got it largely so Scott could ride the bus and trax for free, but they haven't been activated by UTA yet.
I'm so tempted to post the picture I took of his card, because it is seriously the funniest picture ever!! But I'm a good wife and will respect his wishes to not show anyone. But if you see him you should ask him to see it, He'll likely say no, but harass him enough he'll cave, and once enough people have seen it maybe then I can post the picture.... Just the thought of his picture makes me laugh hahahahaha.
It's a good thing I love him so :)

Today's thoughts

2011-08-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

It's almost 9:30 on a Saturday night, and I still have dishes to do, laundry to fold, a living room to clean, and a shower to take, a pie to make, and nine o'clock church in the morning. But I wanted to write for a bit
I really try to stay on top of the house work, and for the most part I succeed. I take great pride in being a good house wife. I enjoy the fact that Husband is never without clean clothes and food in the fridge. It's hard, but I feel fulfilled knowing I can do these things.
For those of you who knew me before I got married, you are probably shocked at my words! This isn't me at all. Who knew this little home maker was living inside of me. I get so bashful when people call me on it. Just the other day my neighbor commented that her house was clean "not by your standards, but it's good for my family" I was a little taken back by this comment, I'm not a neat freak or anything, and her house looked really clean and pleasant to me. I guess my lack of furniture makes my house look cleaner than it is, I'm a minimalist. I've never thought to judge anyone by how clean their house is. I understand that people have lives, and more than one child, and a husband who isn't at work until midnight four times a week (when Scott is home I don't clean, I spend time with him).
Another thought is how sad I am about the passing of Scott's grandmother. I'm grateful that Scott and Rivers were able to see her before she passed away this morning. She was a wonderful women, and I'm grateful that my sweet little boy comes from such a great family. I know that he will always be taken care of even if I'm not around.
Yes, I've been dealing with my own mortality lately. My greatest fear is that I won't get to see my little bald-headed boy grow up. He is my greatest joy and the reason I stay up late cleaning, and baking and taking care of myself personally. I need that little boy as much as he needs me. I am so proud of him everyday, and my blog is largely a tribute to him, in hopes that he can one day read it himself and see how much I love him.
I always felt I might die young, and because of this I try to make everyday count. I tell Scott and Rivers I love them about a million times a day. We never leave each other with out saying it. I also tell my parents I love them every time we talk or see each other. I never want to have any of them question how I feel about them.
Well my evening tasks ahead of me are piling up, so I must get back to work. But I hope Scott and Rivers, and my family, and the neighbors know how much I care and love them...

Nathan's wedding

2011-08-02T20:47:00.000-06:00

Scott's younger brother Nathan got married, to the sweetest girl named Jessica!!

It was such a good day, and Scott got to cater the event. Now I'm not a fan of him catering family weddings, mainly because he spends the whole time in the kitchen, and misses things like the first dance, and cutting the cake, and talking with his family, and dancing with me. I had to BEG him to leave the food to the super nice ladies helping and dance with me. He just loves food so much! I just love dancing with my husband so much!

We had such a great day, well all except the part where my super sleepy baby refused to take his afternoon nap at Grandmas house, and just cried the whole time. Not fun.

Jessica and Nathan were married in the Salt Lake temple, and had their reception in the Provo Library in the Grand Ballroom they have there. It was so pretty and such a nice day. Rivers loved all the music, and all the Aunts, Uncles and cousins that played with him so I could chase my husband and force him to dance with me. I really like dancing with my husband, who just steps on my feet the whole time anyway.

It wouldn't be a wedding without me getting a super close, super awkward picture of my cute husband :)

9 Months

2011-08-02T20:34:00.001-06:00

I've had a hard time writing this post, because I'm still coming to the realization that my little man has been alive longer outside of me than inside. Crazy I know, but for the last 18 months I have done nothing but care for him, and most of that time he was much easier to take care of. Babies in the belly may not be great, but I was much less worried and stressed with him inside rather than outside. Although, I hated being pregnant I do miss having him with me all the time. He is just so much fun now! It's been bittersweet watching my baby grow up.

So, Rivers likes to move. While at the doctors he was crawling and standing and pulling himself up all over the place. The Pediatrician even made a comment to the effect that he is burning more calories than he's in taking. He is just so excited about life! While I was washing the dishes the other day I left Rivers to play. He's pretty good about staying near me, but sometimes he just wants to explore. Well it was quite, and like the paranoid new mom I am I was afraid he was dead (I'm always afraid he's dead), so I went to go find him, but what I found was the funniest, cutest thing ever!! Rivers was in the bathroom, and had discovered the toilet paper!! He was having the best time! I was laughing so hard I had to run and get the camera, and he just kept on playing.

He's just so happy!!

How can you get mad at that face?

Rivers is also standing, here he is playing us a song on the guitar. Is it too soon to call him a Phenom? Since California he has been pulling himself up on to the furniture, and recently he has began to let go and just stand there. He has also been "cruising" along the couch and coffee table. Well yesterday while playing with his books in the middle of the room, with nothing around him, he pulled himself up into a standing position. I thought I was just seeing things, but then he did it again about 5 more times, including while in the bath tub. I shouldn't be surprised, Scott began walking at 11 months, and with as eager as Rivers is to move I really should have expected this sooner, but it was still such a shock.
He just amazes me everyday.
here are his stats from his 9 month check up:
Weight: 17.7 lbs 10 Percentile (he's a little guy)
Height: 27.5 inches 26 Percentile
he's healthy, and based on height if he weighed too much more he would be a fat baby and we would have to talk about his diet. He's thin, but as our doctor always puts it when I ask if he's ok "Don't we all want to be tall and thin?" and like I mentioned before, he's burning calories fast than he intakes them. I was never a chubby baby, and he's growing and eating and having regular bowel movements so I have nothing to worry about.
I'm so in love with my little guy and I wouldn't have him any other way :)

Pioneer Day!

2011-08-01T22:21:00.000-06:00

I love any weekend that involves bbq's and family time. So of course Pioneer day is right up my alley. We had a pretty low key holiday this year, but it was still tons of fun. On Sunday the 24th we went to church, then to my falks house for a bbq, after we headed over to my grandparents house for a potluck and fireworks. We were out way past baby's bedtime, so we left around 9 and missed the fireworks. but we had a good reason besides baby's bed time. Monday morning was the Parade!!
One of our very first, and favorite traditions has been to go to the Days of '47 Parade that runs through Salt Lake. Last year we actually spent the night on the parde route, but this year we lived so close we just woke up early and headed over. Scott left first while I got baby ready for the day then we joined dad and some of our friends as the parade was starting. The parade this year was better than last years, and I got to sleep in my own bed and that makes things better

So excited for the parade!! This was Rivers firts parade, and he loved it! He loved the police cars and all the clowns that stopped to tell him how cute he was.

Rivers even sat in his own chair for part of that parade, and didn't start getting grumpy until the end. Such a cutie!
Here are some highlights:
Stoned guy in orange shorts walking up and petting the hourses in the parade
Crazy pioneer lady sitting next to us that cheered loudly for everything pioneer related
Free creamies
Gang fight in the house behind us
Nice family who sat next to us that accidentally stole our chair, but don't worry, Scott has some amazing investigation skills, and we found them and got our chair back that afternoon.
Funnel cake.
Watching awesome fireworks from my front porch
It was a great weekend, and I look forward to next years Pioneer day when baby might be old enough to stay up and watch the fireworks :)

A Day in the Life of Rivers McKean Shepherd

2011-07-18T22:18:00.001-06:00

Rivers days pretty much the same, and I think he's a pretty lucky kid! Here is a glimpse in to the life of Rivers McKean Shepherd:

Wake up around 7:00. nurse on one side, diaper change, then play and watch TV while mommy gets ready for the day.

Nurse on the other side and naps around 8:00. After that... Real breakfast, which includes oatmeal, a fruit and usually some cheerio's or a graham cracker...

We usually have errands to do, this day I was helping dad fix something, I love to play with rolls of duct tape!

I'm one lucky kid, I get to go on walks and sometimes I get rained on, but I'm lucky because mommy usually makes it up to me by going on another walk later :)

I also get to explore outside, there is so much to see in our front yard.

When I'm really lucky mommy lets me try some of her slurpee, I love slurpees! I also love going on walks at the park!

I recently learned how to pull myself up onto the furniture. But mommy is always pulling me away from the TV it's not fair...

Have I told you how much I love the park!! Mommy says we're really lucky to live by Liberty Park, I get to play on swings and eat the grass, and all the old people stop to tell me how cute I am :)

I love books, this is my current favorite, it's call "Eight silly monkey's" Have you read it? It's a must!!

My mom and dad also put this awesome fan in my room. Now that I can crawl and stand, whenever mom isn't looking I go into my room and try to knock it over. If you can't find me I'll be in here trying to cut my fingers off...

I also love my sippy cup! Nothing like a refreshing drink to help you relax. I learned to do this after our road trip, that trip might have been more enjoyable if I would have learned sooner I think :)

Lately I've refused to take my afternoon nap, so sometimes I get super sleepy during dinner. On this night I get chicken and apples in my eyelashes and all over my arms. Mom hated to wake me up, but I was a mess!

So I had a bubble bath, but I found out you can't eat bubbles...

After baths we get ready for bed, and say good night to the house. Once I'm convinced that nothing exciting is happening with out me I go right to sleep. These are just the highlights of the day, there's lots more I don't like, like scripture study, family prays, naps. Those things just stop me from playing and exploring. I think they'll be more fun when I have discovered everything ever in the world. For now I'll just pull mommy's hair, climb over daddy and get on my way. I'm pretty lucky, I have a great mommy and daddy who love me and let me play, explore and learn.
Mommy is right, I live the life :)

Fourth of July!!

2011-07-18T21:33:00.001-06:00

So I know I'm a bit behind on this post, but Scott got sick, then I got sick at the same time Rivers got sick and cut a tooth. I spent many nights sleeping in a rocking chair comforting an unhappy little boy. Loosing sleep sucks, but I"ll gladly loose sleep to take care of my sick baby who needs his mommy. He isn't always sick, and he won't always want his mommy, so I'll take the extra snuggles and loves now while he's still so eager to give them. We're all on the mend now, and we had a great holiday that need to be remember :)
I love any holiday that involves a chance to dress up, eat junk food, and stay up late. Rivers sure know how to party!!

isn't his outfit just the cutest! My auntie Debi gave it to us, and it's a great summer outfit, plus he looked so festive :)

Here's how our Fourth of July we went down:

Was told by the Bishop in a meeting to spend time with family, have a BBQ, and blow something up with fire. So, I did.

Scott got a 2 day Holiday from work, which never happens, but magically happened twice this month. With Scott's calling in the Sunday School presidency, and my in the Young Women presidency our Sunday's are pretty busy, and this weekend we both had to teach, so sadly we were unable to attend the baby blessing of Scott's cousins baby (with me on that one?).

After church however, we went down to Scott's grandma's house for the luncheon after. It was so fun to hang out with all of Scotty's cousins, and show off my super cute little guy. He loves being around people, and made sure to show off for everyone :)

While we were down there we took the opportunity to see Scott's great Grandma Alta, Rivers other Great Great Grandma, lucky kid has 2!

Rivers LOVED her! He was all hugs and stares, which means he thinks that person is important :)

He was so cute! He played in Grandma's yarn, and crawled around her house. I don't think Grandma Alta was up for someone so excited, but she sure seemed happy to see the little guy

After we visited Grandma Alta we drove over to see Scott's Grandfathers grave. Rivers, Scott, Scott's dad Mark, and Grandpa Lee all have the middle name McKean after Jean McKean Shepherd. Jean is Scott's Great Great Grandma. We took a photo, but It wouldn't upload. I thought it was important for Rivers to visit his great grandpa's grave. I never met Scott's grandpa, but he seemed like a great man and I hope we will try to go out there every year. After we got home, we stayed up (including Rivers) and watched the neighbors fireworks. Rivers loved them! He only got scared once when one was really loud. This kid has no fear :)

We woke up Monday and had great fun! We went to breakfast, played with the neighbors, made cupcakes, and had a BBQ with Scott's other side of the family. After we came home and watched the fireworks at Liberty Park from the comfort of our front lawn. Rivers slept through all the chaos, which meant Scott and I got to enjoy the fireworks with our friends with out chasing a rug rat.

I'm grateful for Scott's family, and how wonderful they have been to us. I'm also grateful for the chance we have to celebrate with all of them. I want Rivers to know he's loved, and be proud of who he is.

I'm also grateful to live in a free country, and to be able to celebrate those freedoms :)

8 Months

2011-06-28T22:04:00.000-06:00

Well it's that time again, for me to wonder how my little guy is getting so big. After seeing some of the pictures of me with him on vacation I can't believe how big he really is getting.

Rivers is so much fun, I feel so blessed everyday I get to be his mom, even on nights like tonight when he throws a fit and won't go to sleep.

Rivers is becoming a trouble maker, ever since he learned to crawl he had found a way to get into everything.

This is the before picture, first thing in the morning after he wakes up before breakfast and family prayer and scripture study, notice how clean the living room is, but also note the mischievous little child already looking for a mess to make.

This is the after, taken the same day, after breakfast,t lunch and a nap. I'm still not sure how he managed to pull that shelf out. I have not altered anything in this room, in fact I would only poke my head and check on him while I was packing for our trip to California. He has been so great with all the chaos of packing and washing and cleaning. I love that he can crawl, because when he needs or wants me and I'm in another room he can find me. His freedom has been a huge blessing for both of us.

Here is my guy at 8 months old! Always with that little tongue out :)

At 8 months Rivers:

Still sleeps well, and wakes up at about 6:30 every morning no matter how early or late he goes to sleep

LOVES to eat

Still nurses, although lately he's been a bit... Distracted maybe, he only feeds for a short time, then wants to play, then wants to nurse then wants to play, so on and so on, not sure what to make of it.

Has a favorite blanket, and it's the ugliest out of all the ones he got, it's blue with angel kitties on it, and is a weird fleece material. He has so many cute soft, silky blankets, and he goes for the one I almost re-gifted, go figure.

Is so curious! I love it, he's always looking around or past me to see something, then wants to go over and investigate it. It's so cute.

Follows me around the house. Whatever room I'm in, whatever I'm doing, he just has to be there with me and know what I'm up to

Loves bath time.

Loves books

Loves to watch the weather forecast on the news, and any commercial with bright lights of fire.

Loves the swings and splash pad at the park. I get mad when we go to the splash pad because there are always older children there covering the water with their feet, and Rivers can't crawl through it, I may start looking for a more baby friendly splash pad.

Loves people. He will go to anyone who wants to hold him, but will only be held for a short time before he wants to explore, and once he warms up to people he babbles to them non-stop.

Still loves to go on walks

Demands the attention from everyone in the room.

Figured out how to pull himself into a standing position. He mastered this in California on the day he turned 8 months old. Now he's trying to walk along the furniture. I have a feeling he's going to be an earlier walker, much to my dismay.

He loves texture, he wants to touch and rub and knock on every surface, I live my life in complete fear of germs. He licks people, walls, windows, clothes, toys, everything.

Loves to open cabinets and drawers, then close them again.

Can say da da, ga ga, ba ba, mmmmm, ah ah ah ah, and bap bap bap, but still hasn't mastered ma ma ma, which is the one I want to hear the most.

He is still the biggest mama's boy, but again no complaints there.

I just adore my amazing little man, and I'm so very blessed to be his mama :)

Beach!!

2011-06-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

So our whole trip is within the next four posts, They start with the road trip and end with the beach. Please take a minute to read all of them, it was a great big trip!

We got to take Rivers to the beach while we were in San Diego, and to say he loved it was a bit of an understatement! He thought it was great! Right at the beginning he struggled, but only because he wanted to lick the sand, and ate I think more than he wanted to :) After we got him cleaned off, and let him run around for a bit, he was incredibly happy. Scott went boogie boarding with Uncle John (Rivers Uncle John, our brother-in-Law) and I played in the sand with my sweet boy.

Look at his cute swimming trunks :)

Trying to find away to eat the sand with out it tasting bad...

You can't tell in the picture, but his little face is covered with sand. I'm still finding sand in his ears.

Rivers didn't like the ocean too much, I think it was a bit too cold for him...

He really wanted to build a sand castle...

But we decided to bury Aunt Allison instead...

For the record, we didn't put him on top of her like that, he wanted to be in the middle of all the action and climbed his way there.

Doesn't Allison make a lovely mermaid? We loved the Beach and hope to go again soon :)

San Diego Zoo!!

2011-06-28T20:15:00.000-06:00

Also on our trip we went to the famous San Diego Zoo. We had a choice between the Zoo and Sea World, I thought the baby would like the zoo more, but I think I was wrong. I think he was just a little vacationed out! He whined and cried for the first half of the zoo, finally fell asleep for about half an hour, then was fussy the rest of the time. The Zoo was awesome, but not as baby friendly. It did have a cool bus tour where you could see a lot of the animals, and they had so many cute baby animals, I just didn't have a cute baby. If I were to go again I would wait until he was a bit older and potty trained.

Rivers is still super cute even at his worst! The above photo helped me realize I still have some weight loss work to do :( Look at he adorable child not his bloated mother ok...

On the bus tour before the tantrum began...

WE did see one interesting monkey on the way :)

Look at the cute baby Flamingos! That little gray puff ball, only a few days old, so cute :)

Baby Hippo snuggling with his mama, so cute! Well for a hippo anyway...

Daddy and Rivers by the mama Panda, she's sleeping in the back ground. Don't you love Rivers Gilligan hat?

We saw a lot of animals, but I only took a few photos, the Polar Bear was swimming around, I thought I should get a photo since they're endangered and all...
I was really glad to go to the zoo, it was huge, and had so many more animals that our dinky little Hogle Zoo has. I wish the baby would have been better, but you can't win them all...

DISNEYLAND!!!

2011-06-28T19:56:00.000-06:00

So, Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth... Rivers loved it! and was good while we were there. He'd only have little bouts of fussiness when he was hungry, and Disneyland is super baby friendly! They have a whole baby care center that provides everything you need. I was able to nurse him, and change him, and feed him solids all in a comfortable cool place. It made our time there so much easier!

Here are my sweet guys getting ready for our first day in Disneyland. We spend two days there, and we were able to do pretty much everything I wanted to do, it was both mine, and Rivers first visits to Disneyland. In the above picture Rivers has on the cute homemade mouse ears his cousin Emily wore the day before, too cute!

Classic picture in front of the garden, both Rivers and I have on our 1st visit pins :) Too bad that family behind us had to look at the photos they took right there...

Rivers and daddy, with a churro in front of the castle, I thought it would be bigger, and Rivers thought his pin was amazing :)

Needless to say on a trip like this naps and schedules go out the window. Rivers never got grumpy before naps, but he did fall asleep on my lap while in the Tiki room. He slept this way while we waited in line for Pirate of the Caribbean. He loved both rides :)

The next day around the same time he fell asleep in the Haunted Mansion.

Mommy and Daddy went on Splash Mountain with a fast pass, while Aunt Christy, Uncle Matt, and cousin Emily watched Rivers, them they went with a stroller pass. Genius! For some reason Scott and I got soaked on Splash mountain while others only got a bit wet. Rivers thought it was funny.We waited in very few lines, and had such a good time that way. Here is Mommy and Rivers on the train headed over to another part of the park.

I thought this picture was really funny, it was nright before lunch time, and Rivers was such a grumpy pants waiting in line for the Peter Pan ride with Grandma and Grandpa. He loved the ride, well all except the jerk at the end. But the girl in the car behind him didn't like the jerk either.

Just about the cutest mouseketeer I've ever seen :)

Before the fireworks at night, we tried to not stay our too late. Luckily for us Rivers is a pretty good sleeper, and our hotel had a great view of the fireworks from the roof. We were able to put him to bed then go out there with the monitor and watch the fireworks at night.
Rivers loved every minute of Disneyland, no naps, being either in his stroller or held all day, lots of people to see, and lots of people telling him how cute he is. Often Disney actors would stop and look at Rivers, I was tempted to start charging to take pictures with him!! By my count at least 6 actors stopped to look and talk to him.
It was truly magical, and we are already planning our next trip!

Road Trip!

2011-06-28T15:12:00.000-06:00

We were very blessed this year to get to take a family vacation with Scott's family to California!! I'll post about the actual vacation separately, this post is just about our travel to and from. Scott's family left I believe Sunday afternoon, and arrived in California Monday morning. Scott had to work Monday, so we planned on leaving Tuesday morning and driving all day with Scott's brother Nathan. That all day drive was the hardest part of our journey. We had plenty of stops, and stayed cool with the AC, but we left at 6:45 in the morning Utah time, and didn't arrive at our hotel until 9:30 California time. That is one long day!! Scott and Nathan were troopers, stopping so Rivers could eat and play. Here are some photos of our trek...

Our first stop was in Fillmore. Here we had some breakfast, and diaper change and got to play for a bit. Fillmore had a nice little rest stop/visitors center with a park. It was a nice place to rest, but only for a few minutes, then back on the road!

Our next stop was in Beaver, to stop in the Cheese factory. I'd never been there, and Nathan really wanted to stop, and it's a good thing we did! They were having customer appreciation day, and it was a real treat! We got entered into a raffle, got a free lunch (including a sandwich, chips, drink, cheese, and free ice cream) and bought some cheese curds. Took a bit more time out of our journey than we planned, but was so worth it!!

Here we are at the state line of Nevada and California. We stopped many more times before this, in St. George, Mesquite, Baker, Barstow, and finally Anaheim. We stayed there for a few days, then spent some time in San Diego. We left there Sunday afternoon, then headed to St. George were we spend the night with Scott's Aunt and Uncle who live there.

Also in St. George we stopped and visited Scott's Grandma and Grandpa who also live there. This was the first time Rivers got to meet his Great Grand parents. They're great friends now :)

If you know me at all I love Palm trees. The whole trip I wanted a picture by a palm tree, St. George was our last shot to get one, this tree is in front of Scott's Grandpa's house.

Here is Rivers doing his part to get us home safely from St. George. When he'd get really fussy and whiny, I really wished I could just put him on my lap drive with him. He was a real trooper!!

On our trip back we also stopped and visited Scott's other Grandma in Spanish fork.

If you decide to make this journey yourself with an 8 month old I recommend leaving early and spending the night in St. George. The trip back was so much better than the trip there, we weren't pressed for time and could pull over and let the baby play when ever he needed. Plus we got to see Scott's family which is always fun :)

Stay tuned for the rest of our journey.

Father's Day 2011!!

2011-06-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

Yay for Father's day!! We kept things pretty chill here for Father's day. We went to church, open gifts then went and saw my dad, and my Grandpa Hulse. It was a pretty rainy day, so we didn't get to go on any walks, and that is always sad for Rivers and Daddy.

Scott got a new shirt, and some new shorts, and some fun balloons that are still floating. Rivers was super excited to give daddy the balloons, I think it's because he knew he would share :)

Scott is such an amazing father. Rivers is very blessed to have him for his daddy. Scott loves to play with Rivers, and is always willing to do things for him (i.e. feed him, change diapers, get dressed, give baths). One of my favorite times of the day is in the mornings when we have family prayer and scripture study. I just love watching my guys snuggle and play in the early morning hours.

Daddy with his gift, Father's day after church, notice the attention Rivers is giving to those balloons.

We gave Rivers a balloon to play with, it was so cute! I tied it loosely around his wrist, and he refused roll over or crawl around. He just laid there and stared at the balloon. He's such a funny boy!

I'm grateful for the 3 dads I have in my life, I think we should have Father's day bi-yearly...

Freedom!!

2011-06-06T21:50:00.000-06:00

Well not Freedom for mommy, but freedom for Rivers to get to mommy whenever he wants now. He'd still rather be held, but on Friday June 6 my little trouble maker started crawling. H'es still new at it, but I think it's coming along well. I'm so proud! I love watching the excitement on his sweet little face when he gets where he wanted. What a smart little boy I have :)

Memorial Day!!

2011-06-06T21:36:00.001-06:00

So, despite working at the same place, Scott and I don't really see each other too much. We get Wednesday nights after 5, and Sunday's after Church, With his calling in the Sunday School, and my calling in the Young Women's Presidency, and with Church being right during baby's nap time, we don't get to spend a lot of time together :( it's mostly just switching off the diaper bag and Rivers. When we found out work was closed on Memorial day we were stoked!! Finally some time with our little family together!! So after blowing off both mine and Scott's sides of the family (it was equal, gotta give both sides of the family the same love right?), we decided to have a little adventure. This was great for us. Scott and I used to go on little day trips all the time before we had baby, and we really wanted to see how baby will do in the car after a road trip, since we're driving to California in 2 weeks!! He did great, and I think he loves adventures as much as mommy and daddy :)

Every road trip has to start with a picture of Scott driving, he hates to not be in control so he drives, a lot, which is fine since I hate driving anyway...

First Stop, Aunt Diane's Grave. Aunt Diane died of breast cancer when I was 18, just after I graduated High School, and when/if I have a daughter her middle name will be Diane. She was an amazing woman, who lost her husband 2 years after they wed, while she was pregnant with her only child. She was always so great to me, went to every birthday party, dance recital, school assembly, church thing I ever did. I have missed here every day since she passed. I've been eager to get Rivers and Diane together, and I hope to have a tradition of seeing her every memorial day. I also like to place flowers on the graves with out any. Everyone needs to feel loved...

First stop on our adventure...

the Spiral Jetty. So I had no idea what this was until a German couple who was traveling asked me about it, I looked it up, and the directions to get out here were crazy. I told them it was underwater, and to go to Bear Lake. turns out I wasn't lying. After showing it to Scott, he thought it would be cool to see it, so we took a detour from our original plans and stopped and saw it. We got there right before the rain, so baby was a bit cold...

While on our way to the Spiral Jetty, we found the Golden Spike national monument Museum. After the Spiral Jettey we stopped here, went to the bathroom, had a snack break, and looked around. Pretty cool, not worth the $7 Scott got conned into paying for the "driving tour" but it went to help our National parks, so we just chalked it up to experience...

After that, we decided to see the Logan Temple. We knew it would be closed, but we are trying to see all the temples in Utah, and this was a way to cross Logan off our list. Scott seems to dislike taking pictures, thus making me the photographer, I have very few pictures of me and my sweet baby together. and the ones I do have, were taken by Scott who takes terrible pictures. I promise I do love my child...

We made it to Bear Lake, which was our original destination. We looked for "Lakeshells" and had Raspberry shakes, and sat in the car and looked at the lake, since it was freezing!

My guys are so cute! Rivers was super excited to get out of the car and walk around for a bit, what a cute kid, just like his daddy.

And finally... a picture to be proud of... He is such a mama's boy, but I'm not complaining :)

After we got home, and put baby to bed we had some pizza and watched a movie. I think we we're also pooped after our little day trip. I'm glad we did what we wanted, instead of trying to please everyone. I often hate that I am such a people pleaser, because of all the guilt I always have. Especially when it comes to Scott's family. I often wish I lived out of state, so there wouldn't be as much pressure to accommodate family demands, both with my family and Scott's. I know everyone is understanding, and not as judgmental as I think they are, but I just have such a hard time letting people down. Blah! Enough explaining from me, Enjoy my cute family :)

Reviews

2011-05-26T20:49:00.000-06:00

Here are our most recent reviews of Academy Award winning movies, these won't be as fancy as the last movie review post because I have more to review than last time :)

Alright, first up "Casablanca"
Ranked number 2 in the top 100 American Movie Classics it won the best picture Oscar in 1943. It is a true love story set in a war torn, yet romantic time, of World Was II. Casablanca is the tragic love story of Ilsa and Rick. Such a beautiful movie. Turns out the studio that made this film didn't think much about it, and rushed it through production. It has the dreamy Humphrey Bogart playing the romantic male lead. Certainly an early "chick flick" in my opinion. 4 Stars all the way!
Scott Says: Probably the best old black and white we've watched. Because it's know as one of the greatest love stories of all time I was a bit unexcited but, like Rick, I guess I have a bit of a tender heart. Making this love story actually quite enjoyable. 3 and a half stars.

Next up "Slum dog Millionaire."
Quite a turn from Casablanca, but a love story none the less. Such a good movie, if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. Slum dog Millionaire won in 2008. A true story of an under dog, and I have a soft spot for the under dog. Set in India it tells the story of a lower class kid who wins a million dollars on the India version of "who wants to be a millionaire." The way he knows the answers is based on (often sad) life experiences. Nominated for 10 awards, it won 8 and is truly a must see! 3 stars from Mystie, only because I hate the scene where the boy falls in the poop.
Scott says: I never heard of "Bollywood" until the movie, but if all Indian films are this good then I guess I'll have to start getting used to dance routines at the end of all my movies. A classic feel good movie that makes you really cheer for the underdog. 3 and a half stars.

Up next, "The Sting"
Won in 1973, and stars Paul Newman, who went on to have a successful chain of Organic foods and products, and Robert Redford, who loves Utah and indie films. The film takes place in 1936 as two con men try to pull one over on a mob boss. I got really bored, and could never figure out what was going on, and fell asleep for part of it. I was over thinking it too much I guess. looked funny, but never really got into it, 1 star.
Scott says: This one was just OK. Nothing special, but nothing bad either. Had a fun ending but was dull throughout. 2 stars.

"Gone With the Wind"
I grew up watching this movie, and have always loved it. Ranked number 4 on the top 100 list mentioned above, it won 8 Academy Awards in 1939. This is a great story about the Civil War, and really depicts life in the "old south" before, during and after the Civil War. I always wanted to be as pretty as Scarlet O'Hara, but could never get over how selfish she and Rhett were. Another great love story. 3 Stars!
Scott says: I spent a large portion of my youth making fun of the movie even though I'd only seen about 15 minutes of it. Well at least now my mocking have credibility. Ok, so it wasn't that bad. I found myself attached to the characters and excited to see what happened next. The only problem was the ending. Terrible! I know the movie was about the old south being "gone with the wind" but still 2 and a half stars.

Finally, "Brave heart"
Won best picture in 1995, this film was my dad's favorite growing up, and he would spend hours watching it. I found it boring then and even more so as an adult. Total guy film. Yes it is a love story, but I feel William Wallace was a man whore, with an ugly butt. I understand it's a war movie about the Scot's battle against an evil king, and is an important part of history, but I just couldn't get into this film, and yet again fell asleep while watching it. Nominated for 10 Oscars and won 5. 2 stars, because the scenery was pretty.
Scott says:
William Wallace I <3 you (that should be a heart) Captivating from beginning to end. Fierce battle scenes, forbidden love and the cause of Scottish freedom make this epic war film one of the best. LOVE the ending scene that really captures the emotion of William Walace. 4 stars!!

Alright kids, that's all for this weeks reviews stay turned for more :)

7 months

2011-05-26T19:47:00.000-06:00

I feel like I have so much to blog about, and some how I've gotten behind. Since I use this largely as a journal I need to catch up!
On May 24 Rivers turned 7 months old!
We did nothing to celebrate, and mommy is slightly sad about this, but he doesn't really care so it's ok.
Here are some fun facts about Rivers at 7 months:
He wakes up every morning at 7:00 A.M.
He still loves to nurse, and does so about 6-7 times a day (can you say boob man :))
He thinks Laman and Lemuel are funny.
He also thinks prayers are boring, and pulling mom's hair is more fun.
Loves to watch "The Price is Right" and The Cat in the Hat".
Takes about 3 naps a day each about an hour long.
Like to eat Rice, and Oatmeal, and Pears, and Apples, and Beans, and Squash, and Sweet potatoes, and Peaches, and Prunes, but LOVES Bananas. He is such a pig! He Also like to eat graham crackers and puff cereals.
Can almost crawl. Rivers like to get on hands and knees and rock back and forth, Army crawl, and get on his hands and feet and try and "Walk" but still no crawling. I think he has a natural gift for Yoga.

Loves to go for walks, and play at the park.

Loves Slurpee's :)

Absolutely loves to go on the swings. He just squeals in delight and kicks his feet. I can't wait to take him on a Roller coaster He'll love it!!

Keeps anything ridiculous I put on him on, including hats, sunglasses, blankets, sombreros, bunny ears, washcloths, and most importantly socks and shoes :)

Loves bath time.

Likes to fake cough, and to be tickled.

Loves people.

Rubs his eyes when he's sleepy.

Only cries when He's tired or hungry.

Is such a mama's boy (which I love of course)

Sucks his thumb while he sleeps, and also sleeps on his side holding a waded up blanket, like his mommy.

Goes to bed at 6:00 P.M. and I don't hear a peep until 7:00 the next morning.

He's such a blessing and I love him so much.

Dentist

2011-05-23T19:38:00.000-06:00

So... Ever had to have an emergency root canal? I have, and trust me it's not fun.

It's my fault, but I still didn't like it.

Here is the story, way back in 2007 my back bottom molar cracked. I didn't have dental insurance, and since it didn't hurt I didn't worry too much about it. After I got engaged in 2008 part of the cavity filling fell out, and then that summer while eating popcorn a large chuck of tooth fell out as well. Leaving me with a large hole in my tooth. Well it didn't hurt, and when we got insurance (shortly after getting married Scott got benefit's Yay!) we didn't want to spend too much money, because we wanted to save for bigger things (baby). Well, baby came, and now we are poor. That's not tooth related. All our money now goes to pay bills and save for Scott's Schooling. I just put off getting my tooth fixed because I knew it would cost alot, and I'm a wimp. I knew my teeth were bad, and I was embarrassed to go confess my candy and soda sins to the dentist (come to find out that my OCD brushing and flossing really did work).

I've been feeling sick all of last week, with a terrible headache, body ache and being super sleepy. Thursday I noticed my tooth hurting. I cleaned it out and rinsed it, but the pain started getting worse. By Friday it was getting pretty bad. While eating my lunch Friday, and piece of chicken got into the hole in my tooth and I felt like I had been punched in the face. I quickly took care of the tooth, cleaning it and rinsing it, but the pain remained. By the time I got home from work I couldn't see straight because of the pain. Luckily my mom was here and watched Rivers while I found a dentist that took our insurance, and could get me in asap! So Saturday morning, and 9:45 I went to a really nice dentist, and the work became on my tooth.

Here is the x-ray, I'm not sure what it means, but the dentist did, and he knows how to fix it.

Starting the "relaxing gas" turns out I needed to relax a lot.
I was willing to just have the tooth pulled, but Scott and the dentist agreed that pulling it would be a problem later on with the tooth above.
2 hours later, they removed the rest of my previous filling on the tooth, removed the nerve that was causing the pain, and began "draining" the infection that had developed.
It's Tuesday, and I'm still in pain. Not as much by any means, and the swelling on my jaw has gone down, but my man it's been rough.
I have to take an antibiotic every 8 hours, and 800mg of Ibuprofen, and if that doesn't kill the pain an Oxycodon, or a Loratab5 (all approved by my doc since I'm still nursing). Today was a good day, but Saturday and Sunday were rough.
I'm so grateful for Scott. He found someone to work for him on Saturday (thank you Chad) and stayed home to take care of me and the baby. That's been the hardest part of this is that I feel like such a bad mom. I can't describe the feeling of not being able to care for your own child because you're either drugged up, sleeping or crying in pain. I can still nurse, the amount of meds he's getting is very small, and the warning was that it might make drowsy, don't worry it didn't.
Rivers has been a real trooper through out all of this. He was an angel in Church Sunday, and was quite while I needed to sleep. He's gone to bed with out any fighting, and hasn't complained about having to take a bottle when mommy wasn't able to feed him. He even snuggled with me when I was at my worst, crying on Saturday. I'm so blessed to have such a sweet boy!
I go back in June 6 and 7:00 in the morning to have them finish up my root canal and give me a crown on my tooth. Why I thought 7:00 AM was a good idea is beyond me since the baby isn't even up that early, but I'm hoping that I'll be better sooner so Scott can go to work and pay off my very costly mistake. I have such a great husband :)

Stolen Baby Reviews

2011-05-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

I really felt a need to blog today, but I don't really have anything to blog about. So after some "blog stalking" I decided to copy a post my sister-in-law Christy did a few months back when her sweet little baby was 6 months old. I wish I knew how to add links so everyone could read her blog, but alas I'm still figuring this blogging thing out... after almost 3 year... Lame I know...
Anyway, here are some things I have loved, liked and hated baby product wise. I'll probably find more to add that I forgot about right now, but this is a good starting point :)
Turtle sponge: I didn't get a baby bath tub for a shower gift, and when I went to price then, it just seemed like such a waste of money, so I opted for the blue turtle bath sponge for only $6. This has been a life saver. I just put him in the regular tub on the turtle with a little water, and as he's gotten bigger he sits on it so he can splash better. I did replace it after about 4 months, but the cost of a second sponge was still cheaper than the whole baby bath tub (made of cheap plastic none-the-less) stuff.
White noise box: Ours can with our playpen, which we also love. It was so helpful when Rivers was first born. It clips to the side of his crib or playpen, and makes "soothing ocean sounds" as well as heart beats, and a few lullaby's (which would actually wake the baby). Rivers still goes to sleep every night listening to the sounds of the ocean. It also shuts its self off after about 20 minutes very slowly getting quieter. It will also sooth him back to sleep if he randomly wakes up in the middle of the night.
Boppy nursing pillow: While I was pregnant I used the "Mommy Boppy" to sleep. I got the nursing boppy for Christmas, and it was so great! before I was just using a couch pillow, and it got messing fast (distracted ester, that's my boy!). I ended up having to throw the couch pillow out because it was too stained after we got the boppy. Get the cover too, it washed way easy.
Swaddling Blankets: My friend Cassie suggested these, and she was spot on! They have Velcro so little babies can't break out easily, and Rivers still uses his only the more advanced way of wrapping with the arms out to get used to more freedom. Rivers has been a sleeping champ since he was 6 Weeks old because of these blankets!
Bumbo + tray: Before he could sit up he loved his bumbo. and when he started Solids we used it as a highchair until we got a highchair. The tray helps him stay focused on feeding. We use this now whenever we need to feed him away from home.
Medla Pump in Style Breast pump: Knowing I was going back to work after baby was born, I researched breast pumps. This one is easy to use, and just looks like a tote bag. I started pumping in the morning after Rivers started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. I now have a year supply of frozen milk in our freezer. It has kept my milk supply up, and even though I've slowed on milk production since he started solids I know it's not because of work, or pumping, but because I just don't need as much anymore. It was a bit pricey, but I haven't had any problems with it, and it works amazing!
Rattle Socks: These were a gift, and Rivers loves them. He wears them when we go to the store and the entertain him the whole trip, and are so cute and fun for him all the time.
Dark curtains: When Scott and I got married we bought dark curtains for our bedroom because our neighbors had an annoying light that was on all night and we didn't have any blinds. We took them with us when we lived with Scott's parents to make our room feel more like "home", and now they are up in the baby's room to make it nice and dark. He has a West facing window so at bedtime his room is all sunlight. With the curtains up it's nice a dark for bedtime and naps :)
Baby swing: This was a miss for us... Rivers liked it when he was little, for a while it was the only way he would nap, but around 4 months he would rather play on the floor, and once he started rolling then sitting up the swing was more of punishment then entertainment. I've heard older babies like the swing, so we'll try it again once he gets a little bigger.
Cloth Diapers: I loved them, but the maintenance was just too much to keep up with. I used them from about 3 weeks until I went back to work when he was 3 months old. I didn't want my babysitters to have to worry or deal with cloth diapers, and when I got home from work I wanted spend time with my baby, not cleaning and folding diapers. Maybe when I have another and don't have a work I'll pull them out of storage again.
Diaper bag: So I hate carrying a diaper bag, I really only use it when I think we will be gone for an extended period of time. I got a larger purse for my birthday, and I pack a small bag with diapers, wipes and changing pad, with a burp cloth and some toys I'm set for our outings.
Stuffed Animals: I hate stuffed animals in general, but with a baby they are just worse. He'll spit up on a stuffed animal and it's impossible to clean, plus they collect dust and for some reason seem to gain some sort of emotional attachment making them also impossible to get rid of. I want something easy to wash, but doesn't carry guilt if I have to throw it out!
Moby Wrap vs Seven Sling: Yes I have both of these products, and each has it's pros and cons. The Moby wrap had a safer feel for wearing your baby, but was a bit of a pain to put on. I was great for walks when he was a newborn, but as he got bigger he would fight getting in it. The Seven Sling was easier to get on, but your holding options were limited. It's nice for church (I spend hours walking the halls at church my arms got sore), and it's lite enough to throw in my purse when I go to the store in case Rivers doesn't want to sit in the shopping cart.
"What to Expect the First Year" This book is by Heidi Murkoff, the same who wrote "What to Expect When Your Expecting" It goes through month by month of the baby's first year and, well, what you can expect. It covers everything from doctors visits, to post pardom, to any questions about development you might have. Some thing are silly, but I've found it useful.
"The Happiest Baby on the Block" Also a book, by Harvey Karp M.D. Rivers had Colic and reverse cycled (sleeping all day up all night) This book helped calm his crying and helped him learn to sleep. It taught me tons of techniques and made those first few months with Colic so much easier!
"Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" This book is by Marc Weissbluth. When you apply the techniques in this book you baby learns to sleep through the night. It's the largest sleep study done on children, and it really works, I've even used some of the things in the book on Scott. This book is written poorly though, making it a challenge to get through (seriously had to reread most of it) I think with better editing this book would solve all baby sleep problems. It goes month by month on how to sleep train you baby, and withing days of trying the things the book suggests Rivers was sleeping through the night and taking regular naps. It helped me see where early sleep early sleep troubles can lead to problems later (which Scott has). Most of Rivers crying and colic problems were fixed by falling the steps in this book.
Ok this post is too long now, so I hope this has been informative to someone :)

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T22:24:00.000-06:00

How wonderful are Mothers? I know mine is pretty great. And to top it off, my Mother-in-law is pretty awesome herself.

Just a few minutes old, and he already had this great lady wrapped around his little stretched out pinky.

And a beautiful friendship was formed...

But Grandma Hulse doesn't get all the love, Rivers loves his Grandma Shepherd just a much. See how peaceful he rests in their arms, he never did that for me...

But Rivers still loves his mommy the most, and his mommy loves him the most too! I'll never forget the day I became a mom.
I had a pretty low keep mothers day. It started with a great french toast breakfast (perks of being married to a Chef), a great nap with lots of snuggles with my baby boy, some fun gifts, and dinner with my mom.
We get to celebrate Scott's mom this weekend. Yay for Moms!!!

Favorite Outfit

2011-05-13T22:06:00.000-06:00

Rivers is a good kid, he doesn't play favorites. But that doesn't mean mommy doesn't. This is mommy's favorite outfit. I bought it for him, on a whim or course, at Target shortly after finding out he was a boy. I thought it was cute, but wasn't going to buy it until I saw the hood of the jacket and how it looks like a dinosaurs back. it was so cute I was sold. I was so excited when it finally fit him, and with him being born in October, it was a great outfit for the winter and our cold spring. Sadly it's getting to small, as I knew it would, so I took some photos before he out grew it completely. He's such a great model :)

See how small the pants are getting :(

The long sleeve onesie under the jacket has dinosaurs on it, and says "stomp". I think the whole get-up was only like 12 bucks, but for as much as he's worn it, it's been worth every penny :)
Finally, the video was taken the same day, he has tons of toys, but would rather play with dish clothes and candy wrappers, go figure. I just love that laugh :D

More Reviews! Are you in the egde of your seat yet?

2011-05-05T21:09:00.000-06:00

I swear in this post, I"m sorry.
Turns out I only blog once a week, which is plenty, but I haven't had much desire to blog lately. Mostly because I haven't gotten Rivers 6 month pictures taken yet and by the time I get them taken he will be almost 7 months, but oh well, we're poor. Also, Steve Carrell left the Office, and the time of summer reruns is quickly approaching and that means I'll be one bored mama hanging out at home. It's what you do when your baby goes to sleep between 6 and 7 at night and sleep until 6 or 7 in the morning. Anyway, on the the reviews

"All About Eve." staring Bette Davis.
This film was a total girl movie, or as I like to call it, a bitch-fest. Some cool facts about this movie, nominated for 14 academy awards (which was the most ever until Titanic tied that record) and won 6. It is the only film in Oscar history to receive 4 female acting nominations (I would think that would be an even bigger bitch-fest than the movie)
All about Eve is #16 on the list of top 100 American movies. It had a good story line, but dragged in a few places for me.
All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.
The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star. Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington, a willingly helpful young fan who insinuates herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening Channing's career and her personal relationships. George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, Barbara Bates, Gary Merrill and Thelma Ritter also appear, and the film provided one of Marilyn Monroe's earliest important roles.
This was a really good movie, but like I mentioned earlier it dragged in a few places for me. I give it 2 1/2 stars.
Scott Says: "Uber boring. I feel asleep 1 1/2 stars"

The next movie we watched was Dances with Wolves. Much more to Scott's liking.

Some facts about this film. It won 7 Academy Awards, and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Dances with Wolves was also directed and Stared Kevin Costner.
Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic western film based on the book of the same name which tells the story of a Civil War-era United States Army lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a group of Sioux Indians.

This is a really beautiful film, shot in South Dakota and Wyoming. It had a real Epic feel to it, and you found yourself cheering for the underdog. I liked it, 4 Stars from Me.
Scott Says: "For how long this movie was, I thought it was really good. Kevin Costner can be really boring but I found myself worried about his character who just spent most of his time in a one room cabin. Really enjoyed the depiction of Native American Indians and their culture as well. 3 1/2 stars."

The final film for this review was "Mutiny on the bounty"
Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Lloyd based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.
The film was one of the biggest hits of its time. Although its historical accuracy has been questioned (inevitable as it is based on a novel about the facts, not the facts themselves), film critics consider this adaptation to be the best cinematic work inspired by the mutiny.

This movie was really fun to watch. But it was a total guy movie. I really enjoyed the news reel at the end from the descendants of the crew members. Some of the men fall in love with the women of Tahiti, and move to a new island to escape form the Royal Navy. It shows how they still lived as of 1935, it was pretty cool. But like I said total guy movie, so I only give this 2 1/2 stars.
Scott Say: "This was a really fun old movie. Lots of old movies have been boring but this on was exciting, dramatic, theatrical and funny. 3 stars."

6 Months Already!?!

2011-04-25T20:44:00.000-06:00

I know I say this every month, but where is time going? My baby is just getting too big! He's also getting so strong and so smart. When I'm nursing him I think about the tiny little baby I brought home back in October, now I have this sweet little guy who is looking more like a little boy everyday. Sunday I had him in a cute sweater vest and shirt combo, and he was sitting on the floor in relief society, and he was playing with another little boy in the ward, and he just looked so big! He was making friends, and sharing his toys and I just felt at that moment he was a little boy and not a little baby. So bittersweet.

He wants to move around, really bad. He rolls and wiggles and scoots all over the living room. The above picture was taken the morning he figured out how to get his legs under himself. I just kinda wobbles there until his arm give out then he falls on his face. I'm so proud!

Here he is trying to catch the plastic Easter eggs. He can't quite grab them because they're too big for his little hands, but he sure loved chasing them around. Those are also Scott's legs in front of him, someone has to be there to pick him up when he falls on his face :)

I just love him so much, and he loves his toys so much! Those plastic rings and the monkey my grandma gave him for Christmas are his absolute favorite! Our decision to start a family was by far the best one I've made next to marrying Scott. It hasn't always been easy, but it certainly has been the best, and is by far the happiest decision one I could have ever made. I had no idea I could love another person as much as I love this sweet boy. My love for Scott grows deeper and stronger everyday, but the love I have for Rivers is just there, rooted somewhere deep inside of me. That love doesn't have to grow or get stronger because it's just there, part of me. As sappy as it sounds he truly is the love of my life, and I would do anything for him. It also makes me want to have more kids... Stay tuned :)

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T20:14:00.000-06:00

I love Easter. Kids in cute new clothes at church, good candy, ham, and of course wonderful and uplifting thoughts of our Savior and His Resurrection. I just love it. We had a great Easter! I've wanted to be selfish for a few months now and just have a nice quite holiday with just Scott, Rivers and I. I was blessed to have a perfect holiday.

So... Rivers wanted to be the Easter Bunny, well we sat down and told him the best he'd get would be these rabbit ears I found at Target for a dollar. Worth a dollar? Not likely, but this photo is priceless!!

Rivers looks like he got a lot for Easter, but in reality he got things he needed, like new church clothes, a new bath sponge and some baby food. My mom also got him a summer outfit, flip flops, and some diapers. When all displayed it looks like a lot, but not really. He also got some empty toy eggs to play with, yeah, big deal I know.

So, I hate the Easter Bunny. I know I'm un-American, but I also hate Santa and most Disney movies (mostly the princesses, I know I'm a terrible person, but don't get me on my soapbox about the horrific way Disney portrays women ugh!), but my wonderful husband agrees with me on my Easter bunny argument. We've decided to have a Spring Time bunny and he will come on the Saturday before Easter, and on Easter it's self we will focus on the Resurrection. My kid will be the one to tell others that there is no Easter bunny don't worry.

I do like the idea of wearing a new outfit to church on Easter Sunday, We got Rivers this awesome shirt and sweater vest at babies 'r' us on sale buy one get one free!! And we bought the pants a while ago and he's finally big enough to fit them. Whole outfit... $10. I love a good deal especially on clothes!!

We did dye eggs, because its fun. We don't hide these largely because I have fear of not finding all of them and one going rotten, we hide plastic ones filled with candy, them if you find one of those in July it's a great surprise!! Scott made some cool eggs including the "puke egg" that is tradition in his family.

I'm glad I was selfish, I had a nice relaxing day with my great love and sweet baby. I'm sure I won't always want to be this selfish, but I think I just needed some family time with just the three of us. I was able to play with my baby, cook for my husband, think of our Savior, and re-group for the next few weeks ahead. I love Easter :)

All Quiet on the Western Front

2011-04-21T22:19:00.001-06:00

This is the oldest movie we've watched, and is also on the list of top 100 movies coming in at 54. It won the Academy award in 1929 for best film and best director. The film is also based on a German novel by the same name.

All Quiet on the Western front is a story about high school aged boys get coerced to join the German army in the beginning of World War One. After minimal boot camp training these boys get put on the front lines of the battles. "All quiet on the western front" depicted many early film making war scenes, where these young soldiers have to grow up quickly protecting the "Fatherland". Many lives are lost, as well as some limbs.
I found this movie a bit hard to follow, largely because it is a black and white film, and never really distinguished who the star was. I imagine in 1930 this film would have been difficult to watch, but does show great early pyrotechnics's, and editing. I gave this film 2 stars.
Scott Says: I don't make it a habit to watch movies from the 1930's but for it's time it seemed highly sophisticated in it's portrayal of what war does to people. Until that point there was probably not another movie that depicted what it would really be like to be at war and I think I would have liked it if I would have been born in 1915. I give this 2 stars.

Annie Hall

2011-04-21T21:23:00.001-06:00

So we checked out these first three movies from the Library, so we started with the "A's".
Following Amadeus we watched Annie Hall.
This movie is a classic Woody Allen film, and won 4 Oscars in 1977. It's a great Romantic Comedy that is pretty witty and funny.

It's a story of a couple, attempting to make their relationship work, set in NYC. After many arguments and reconciliations the couple splits and Annie moves to California. Woody Allen's character Alvy tries to get Annie to move back to NYC, but Annie likes it in California. Alvy writes a play about their relationship with the two of them ending up together. The movie ends with them talking about how love and relationships are something we all require despite their often painful and complex nature.
I give this movie 3 stars, it's a classic and reminds me of my younger days of Sienfeld watching with all the witty banter.
Scott Says: "I liked this movie much funnier than thought and not sappy like other romantic comedies. I give this film 3 stars" as does Mystie

Acadamy Awards, take one

2011-04-21T21:03:00.001-06:00

So the first movie on our pursuit to watch all the Oscar winning movies was Amadeus. Amadeus was the 1984 winner. This film was nominated for 53 awards, and won 40.

It's based loosely on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is ranked 53 in the top 100 movies of all time.
Impressive right, hardly. Out of 4 stars I'm only giving this film 2. It dragged, and at times was hard to follow. We did watch the directors cut, adding half an hour on to viewing time, but I could have done with just the regular version. The costumes and make up, as well as scenery, was pretty awesome, but it reminded me of being back in High School English when we had to watch this for one reason or another. I do feel bad for Mozart, this film was told from the view point of a rival composer who feel responsible for Mozart's death. The rival set out to destroy Mozart and in many ways succeeded.
So for my review I say, just wasn't for me although I did enjoy Mozart's laugh.
Scott says: "Looking back I liked this movie much more after it was over than while actually watching it. It was long winded, but witty and I give this film 2 and a half stars mainly for the Classical music."

Look What I Can Do!

2011-04-11T20:06:00.000-06:00

So Rivers has been working on this next trick for a few weeks now. He's almost got it down, but still wobbles just a bit, and I'm still too afraid to leave him alone sitting up, but his balance is improving. He's such a strong little boy! Well so everyone says, all I know is he is super cute and I love him so much! For some reason these photos won't align, oh well

These last two photos I think he looks so much like Scott, only with my huge eyes, in Scott's pretty blue color.

He also got a new high chair (well new to him, it's a hand me down). It must be pretty tasty!

No-Good-Very-Bad-April

2011-04-11T19:20:00.000-06:00

I have had a rough week.
Well, it's been a rough week and a half to exact.
It started on April 1, when I got called into a work meeting only to find out I was in trouble for one thing and got written up for another thing. I thought it was an April Fool's joke. I was wrong. Luckily for me, it was the start of my week off work because both mine and Scott's parents were going out of town, so I didn't have anyone to watch the baby.
I sulked and moaned and whined, applied for new jobs and had a pity party. All I wanted was to snuggle and play with my little man. Having him is so great.
To make matters worse, I planned on having a celebration on April 1, because it was 3 years ago on that date that Scott and I got engaged. I did nothing, and Scott was fine with that. Scott is always fine, with whatever I want to do, that's what makes him so wonderful.
I was thrilled though because I got to watch ALL of conference, something that I haven't done since I was a missionary! That made things better. Also on Saturday night I got to spend time with my Mother-in-Law as well as my sisters-in-law, and almost sister-in-law Jessica, for Girls night out. That helped, a LOT!
Then On the Tuesday after conference, Rivers got fever. A super high, call the doctor, fever. I didn't want to freak out like new parents do, but it was over a 100 degrees. I've never felt so helpless in my life! He can't tell me where it hurts, or how bad he feels. The fever went away as we followed the triage nurses advice. But I knew something just wasn't right.
Turns there was something wrong, not serious luckily, but he has an ear infection. I don't know how this happened. He never leaves the house, he's rarely around other people, we wash our hands CONSTANTLY, But some how I let my little guy get sick. Plus Scott never hears him cry, even with the baby monitor next to his ear all night, so I had no sleep, dealing with a sick baby all day and all night. When we found out what was wrong I felt like such a failure. Scott has made me feel better, by telling me that this happens to most babies, and the Doc told me there was nothing I could have done to avoid it really. I hate how much guilt I feel about realizing my baby has the same stupid mortal body that we all have.
I do have some good news however. Scott passed his practical exam for his culinary degree!!! The final step is just to pass the written exam, and neither of us are worried about that. I'm so proud of him. I asked him what he wanted for dinner the night he passed, anything he wanted, and he picked Cafe Rio. I was happy to oblige. He worked so hard, with his crappy job over conference weekend, and still found time to study and pass this hard test! He's so great even if he can sleep through a earthquake, happening during a hurricane.
Here's the end of my complaining, and I hope the rest of April gets better.

Summer Activites

2011-04-04T19:42:00.000-06:00

Every summer Scott and I make a list of things we want to do before it gets cold. This year it has become a list of these to do before Scott returns to school in the fall. This year is also a bit more fun because we have an awesome little boy to take with us! Here is our list so far.
Visit the Hoogle Zoo
Hike Zions
Go to the Tracey Aviary
Take Bubs to the Pioneer day parade
Go to Disneyland
Go camping with Bubs
Get up to the Family cabin and see Grandma Alta. And last but not least
Watch all the Oscar winning movies from 1927 until 2010 in no particular order.
Every year Scott and I make a contest out of the Academy Awards, and we've talked about doing this for years. We have no real time line as when to finish, but will certainly be a feat. I plan to write a small review about every movie we watch, and this year we want to try and see all the movies nominated before the awards show. So over the next year you can expect me and Scott to gain a nice amount of weight :)
We do have one exception to our list of movies that we have decided not to watch and that's the 1969 winner "Midnight Cowboy" since the rating was an X rating and it just sounds like something we wouldn't want in our home.
I'm super excited about this little project, because a lot of the winners are musical and have many of my favorite actors in them. We went on to Netflix today and ordered them after Scott finishes watching Lost season 6. Scott I think is a little nervous, because some are romances, and like I mentioned, musicals. They didn't win awards for nothing right?
In other news, Rivers is doing great and growing like crazy, starting another growth spurt. I'm doing well, looking at finding another job, I just don't feel like they want me there any more and are trying to make me leave, and Scott will his Culinary degree in a few weeks. Things are good, and we are happy.

I Make Mommy Happy

2011-03-28T22:10:00.000-06:00

I never know what will make Rivers laugh, so I try to have the camera on hand when it does happen. We don't have a video camera, so my cell phone does the job for now. His laugh is just too cute.

And here is a photo of that sweet smile :)

He wiggles a lot so they're blurry,sorry...

March 25

2011-03-28T21:56:00.000-06:00

So after baby turned 5 months old, I had a birthday too!
So for my birthday I make extreme lists that I don't expect to get. This year I calmed it back a bit, but I didn't expect everything still (I want to think what I do get is a great surprise because I know I won't get it all so what I do get is the surprise, make sense?). Here's my list:
Picnic in the park with Scott and Rivers
Sunshine
New Toms
New clothes
Hair cut and color
Sleep in.
Knowing that we are poor, I didn't expect to get everything, But I am super spoiled and got my whole list!
Here's how the day went. Scott got up with Rivers and made me french toast for breakfast while I SLEPT IN. After breakfast I got to open my gifts from Rivers and Scott. Rivers found out we are going to California in June, and bought me some beach toys, like a Frisbee, and sand buckets, and a water football to throw at uncle Nathan. Scott got me the black canvas TOMS I've been eyeing for months now (Toms are the greatest shoes ever, and I love them!). After we exchanged the ones Scott got me for the right size :) we went to Jimmy John and got some sandwiches. When I got home Scott decorated the house with a big yellow sun over our living room light so I could have SUNSHINE for our PICNIC in the house (it was :( snowing). It was super fun! During our picnic, my mother-in-law called to tell me I had a hair appointment for a CUT AND COLOR on Saturday. After lunch my mom came and took me shopping for some NEW CLOTHES! After shopping we went to Tucano's for my free birthday meal, then I came home and slept in again because baby was up late and slept late, which never happens.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Rivers take picnics very seriously!

I feel very spoiled. Scott also cleaned the house and made me a red velvet cake.
Saturday I got my hair done, and on Sunday we went to the Shepherds where I got some more great gifts from in siblings-in-laws.
Every years since being with Scott my birthdays have gotten better and better. I love Scott so much and even with out all his great birthday planning I know he loves me!
Now if only we could get some real sunshine...

5 months

2011-03-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

I need a pause button for life for a minute. I can not believe how fast time is going, my sweet little boy is just growing so fast. I wish things would just slow down.
Thursday March 24 was 5 months since Rivers was born.

He's just getting so big, and so smart, and so much more fun. He just wants to play, all the time. Such a simple thing right, too bad some times you have to sleep, and eat, and take baths. He's pretty good for the most part, but he defiantly is a playful dude.
The picture above was taken while blowing raspberries in an argument with mommy as to why going to sleep just wasn't a good idea right now. It's hard when I see him so sleepy, but not wanting to sleep. This was one of many nights that we spent trying to adjust to daylight savings, which took almost 2 weeks to do. He sure is stubborn.

Oh toys, what a great joy! I have loved this stage of his life, everything is so new and exciting, and mommy is the most funniest thing ever! I love showing him a new toy and watch him grab for it and wiggle it and put it into his mouth, put it into the other hand, wiggle it, put it in his mouth, then throw it on the floor.
At 5 months Rivers:
Sleeps. A lot. Clearly all his previous problems were because he was sleep deprived. The problems we face now is interrupting his sleep, and convincing him he's sleepy when it's obvious to us. His naps aren't super long, but he's getting about 30-50 minutes of sleeping in during his naps, and only wake for about 2-2 1/2 hours at a time, this is all great to me.
Is obsessed with faces, of all kinds. He grabs for mine and Scott's faces a lot, and other family members as well. But he also loves the faces on stuffed animals, and my tiki cups I have on our shelf.
Has to be the center of attention! If it's quiet at all he screams or yells so everyone has to notice him, and if you leave him alone in a room He will "talk" louder and louder until you come back to get him.
Loves to be held. When he's lying down and he sees you coming to pick him up he flails excitedly while you pick him up.
Blows raspberries, all the time!
Hums when he's angry.
Loves "The Price is Right"
Hates squash, but loves carrots, pears, rice cereal, and anything coming from mommy. We gave him peaches this week, and I think they are too tart for him, he eats them, but I don't think he quite knows what to think of them.
Has never worn shoes.
Clams up when in front of a large group of people. Sunday I went up to bare my testimony (Scott was working on his Sunday School lesson so I took baby up with me) and while I was waiting to go up he was loud and silly, but once I got to the podium she clammed up and was so silent. Stage fright or feeling the spirit? Who knows?
Is still swaddled to sleep at night. I'm afraid he won't sleep as well with out being swaddled, and I'm a wimp to find out what will happen if he's un-swaddled.
Sits up, but is still a bit "top heavy" so if he gets distracted he'll fall over.
Is still the light of my life, all I think about, and my greatest joy in life. He's so fun, and happy, and loves me so much. I know it won't always be this way so I want to keep him in this stage as long as possible..
I just love my little boy so much!

Tag game

2011-03-19T22:50:00.001-06:00

So I don't usually answer these tag challenges, largely because I've never been tagged before, but my sweet cousins tagged me, and I want to give Morgan something to read while she takes care of her new sweet little baby, if he ever arrives :)

Here is my answer to a tag challenge!

1: Places I go

Church.
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
Smith's
Liberty park

2: Favorite smells

Scott and Rivers
Brownies
Anything with Garlic
Chanel no. 5

3: Favorite TV or movies
Glee!!!
Lost
Back to the Future (the whole trilogy)
Arrested Development and the Office (I had 5 answers)

4: Recommendations

"The Hunger Games" book Series
"Slum dog Millionaire"
Setobellos (best Pizza ever!!)
Nars Orgasm blush (this shade seriously looks great on everyone, totally worth every penny!)
so everyone one else had great recommendations, but I just interpreted this different, others I might include would be to pray as a family, read scriptures daily, always pay your tithing, don't tug on Superman's cape, don't spit into the wind, but these were seriously the first 4 recommendations that came to mind :)

So the four people I tag are.
Allison Meadows
Christy Lively
Laura Bradbury
Jamilla Rassmusen

I'm not bugged if you chose not to play this game, I was tagged weeks ago and only tonight decided to play because I wanted to blog about something. Love you all :)

Our little Leprechaun

2011-03-17T20:29:00.000-06:00

So, I have the cutest little leprechaun ever! I'm sorry, but my son is just the cutest thing ever. I just love him and those chubby cheeks and button nose, and big blue eyes, and perfect little lips. He's just too cute!

Saying family prayers before mommy leaves for work. I don't think he understands that we are praying, but it looks like he is trying to fold his little hands.

Ignore the fact that I still have Valentines decorations up, I work a lot.
I am actually Irish, so that makes my little Rivers part Irish too, and as it turns out I have some family from Ireland with the last name Rivers. I didn't know this when naming him, but it's cool how that worked out.

Twins!! My men are so cute together in their matching shirts. This was right before nap time, so poor bubs is so so sleepy, but it was the only time I was going to be able to get a photo of them together before I left for work this morning.

I'm a sucker for a theme. All this week I have worn green in anticipation of celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Don't worry back in February I wore pink and red for a week to celebrate Valentines day. I love going to the store and the bank on St. Patricks day, seeing everyone wearing green and celebrating. I think we need more holidays like this, where you just dress up and eat uncommon foods. No gifts or cards required.

To celebrate we had corn beef and red potatoes (because cabbage is yucky, and gives baby gas), peas and pistachio pudding. It was delicious! It was the first time I've made corn beef on my own and it turned out pretty tasty, and Scott is excited the have Reuben sandwiches this week.

I wanted to get Rivers a new outfit for St. Patricks day (remember I'm a sucker for a theme) but Scott thought that was too much and he could just wear something he already had. We compromised and got him a new green polo shirt he can wear to church also, and his cute "Kiss me I'm Irish" bib, that was on sale. Bright green is favorite color. It was one of the first colors he could see, and he is still attracted to things that are that color.

Rivers is also getting excited for my birthday. He keeps trying to tell me what my gifts are, but he gets so excited he just blows raspberries and squeals. He's a pretty awesome kid :)

Solids?

2011-03-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry and what do I chose to do with my time, blog, eat nutella out of the jar and watch this weeks episodes of General Hospital (don't judge, I've been watching since high school and it never gets boring, and it shows my commitment to things).
I've been meaning to post about Rivers getting his first taste of food first hand, but I've been slacking (lots on GH to watch and all) and now my photos and video of this monumentus event are not uploading correctly. I often wish I knew more about blogging, maybe then my blog would look all cool and not just be a tribute to my husband and son.
Speaking of my husband, he got into the University of Utah starting this Fall. We're pretty stoked here at the Shepherd house. I'm not sure what this means for me, but it's nice to see Scott pursuing his goals.
I speak very highly of my husband, I am the President of the Scott Shepherd fan club, and I'm pretty sure Rivers is campaigning to become Vice President. He is such an amazing man. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for giving me the blessing of even knowing him, and I am so grateful that he wanted to marry me. I wouldn't be lost with out him, but I feel complete, whole, with him.
He is so excited to watch our little man grow, when we decided to introduce Rivers to solids he told me I had to do it on a night when he was home, because he didn't want to miss it. If Rivers had a fan club I think Scott would be the president, and I'd be the janitor, because I clean up after him all the time.
Alright lets see if these pictures will load..

Well here is Rivers preparing for his Rice Cereal adventure. Yes he is in a diaper and socks, and he is very excited to see what we have in store for him.

And that is the only picture it is letting my upload right now, stupid thing.

and maybe this video will work, it's cute he goes "yummhmmm" if it doesn't load ask me and I will show you, I'm a very proud mama

Today he peed on his face twice! I was changing his bum, and while I was opening the clean diaper to put on him he just started going. Peeing on his shirt, pants and church clothes I had set out for tomorrow, as well as the wall, his belly, and the changing table pad. I strip him down and bring him into the bathroom to start his bath where he does it again on the bathroom rugs, then pee's twice while in the tub!!

I clean him up and change him into a new outfit, where later on he pee's on his face again, only this time I washed him with a washcloth instead of another bath. It was quite funny and I laughed the whole time. Oh the joys of having little boys, I'm sure it won't be too long before I'm reporting that he peed on the trees or bushes outside.

He really is a funny little boy.

He loves faces all the sudden, I've noticed him reaching for mine, and Scott's face as well as my mom's and I'm sure Scott's mom's face. He also loves to look at you, turn away, then look at you again and laugh. I think it's his simple way of playing "peek-a-boo" with himself. He's so funny.

We are also trying to sleep train him. He was an amazing sleeper until I had to return to work. Then waking him up to go pick up Scott has thrown a wrench into his routine. We hoped he would learn to adjust with us, but no such luck. Here is how we fixed it. We bought a baby monitor and while I'm gone for 15 minutes I run it upstairs to the people who live there and they listen for him. Yes I know maybe not the greatest parenting, but you try finding someone willing to sit at your house for 15 minutes, while you pick up your husband. At 11 o'clock none the less. I tried finding him rides, but no one was as reliable as the President of the Scott Shepherd fan club. I'm happy to report that it's working, within days he started sleeping though the nights again, and I've gotten to know my neighbors better. He still will only take a 45 minute nap, but you gotta start somewhere.

Well Fridays GH just loaded, I'll see you all later :)

Check up!

2011-03-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Rivers had his 4 month check up and shots today (Yikes!!)
He did great, as always. I however, not so much... I am terrified of needles. It's worse when it's your own child getting the shots none-the-less.
But this isn't a post about me, it's about my healthy growing little boy. Here are his stats, for the record.
Weight: 13.6 lbs (21 percentile)
Height: 26 inches (85 Percentile)
Head Circumference: 43.5 cm (81 Percentile)
Basically all this tells me is he's long and skinny with a huge head, which I knew by looking at him. The doctor was impressed with how strong he was and how alert he was. I'm a proud mama.
He did pretty well today, he only wanted to sleep on mommy, which is my favorite anyway. He spit out most of his baby Tylenol and I think stained a bib, but oh well.
So watching him get his shots is always so emotional for me, I have cried every time! I know most of this is my own fear, but I hate that moment after when he looks up at me with a look that says "How could you let them do this to me!?!" I always schedule his shot appointments when Scott can go with me, because my panic when the nurse pulls out those needles gets me every time. I have to sit away looking down so I don't get dizzy and the second I hear him cry the tears well up in my own eyes.

He got lots of loves and snuggles today, and went to bed with out any problems tonight, and I hope he sleeps well. We are going to try rice cereal tomorrow, in hopes of improving his sleep and helping him gain a bit more weight. I am also going to change my diet, again, to less sugar and more carbs in hopes of getting some meat on those scrawny bones of his.

Summer?

2011-02-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Just a little something to help fight the winter blues :)

4 Months... Full of adventures

2011-02-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Time is going by so so so fast. I can't believe that 4 months ago I was holding my little guy for the first time.
Rivers is growing so fast, and he has been on some fun new adventures recently. Sadly these photos are out of order, but he's still cute so it ok.

We adjusted his swing into the big boy postition, he can't quite sit up on his own so the lap tray helps hold him in place.

We went to the aquarium last week, for 2 reasons, one it's fun, two to try and get him used to his stroller, we held him the whole time... so far it's a fail.

We also went to the zoo!! Rivers loved it! Okay well I don't know how true that was, but yet again he was out of his stroller being held, next time we try the wrap. Anyway, we planned on meeting up with Scott's sisters and Rivers cousin Emily, but because I had to work and wasn't feeling to great we only got to spend a few minutes with them. We only stayed for an hour or so, but it was super fun, and free. Rivers loved watching the animals move around, and of course loved being held the whole time.

Isn't this a sweet picture of Rivers, Emily and their Grandma and Grandpa Shepherd, I love it!!

Rivers brings so much joy into our home. Here are some fun facts about my little man at 4 months:
He's trying so hard to laugh. It's so cute, he does it from time to time, but I don't think he can control it yet.
He can almost sit up, I know he's young for this, but he rolled over early, and smiled early so I'm not surprised he wants to sit up early.
He found his feet! He is always trying to take his socks off and play with them, he can't quite get them to his mouth yet, so what happens is he gets his sock half way off and sucks on his thumb holding his sock, too cute.
He squeals at ear peircing levels.
He drools a ton!! We are on the look out for teeth now.
He loves to play in blankets, when he gets fussy I throw a blanket over him and listen to him grunt and squirm until he gets his face out, then he squeals in delight, so proud.
He goes from bottle to breast with out batting an eye.
Sadly, he likes his binky at bed time. I hate binky's and he loves his... sad mommy, but this isn't a battle I wanna fight.
He goes to the doctors Tuesday, any bets on what he weights?

Scott and I sure do love our little man and we are so glad he is part of our family :)

Happy Valentines Day!!

2011-02-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

My serious Valentine...
For Valentines day this year, Scott and I had a $15 budget. I had to get creative this year working with a budget. So rather than one gift, Scott got 15 things from the dollar store, and he recieved one gift a day until Valentines day. He got a ballon, and lots of candy, and a bunch of other funny stuff. He also got some gifts from the baby as well. It was a lot of fun for me to come up with creative ways to give him his surprises everyday, and it was fun for Scott to have something to look forward to.
Scott cleaned the whole apartment for me, and got me cupcakes from my favorite bakery The Sweet Tooth Fairy!! Oh my goodness they are so yummy!! I'm so glad I'm breast feeding because I know they are like a million calories and that I have to eat a million calories to keep up with my growing baby.
Speaking of baby, he's getting so big! He's long and lean still, and has the cutest chubby cheeks. His eyes are huge and the prettiest blueish-gray color. He loves to look around and talk and squeal. He still hates tummy time, but now that he can roll over it's not as bad. I sure do love my men and I'm grateful I got such a wonderful Valentines day with them.
Scott and I are going out to dinner this Wednesday and hoping to avoid all the crazies who go out on Valentines day itself. I wish this hoilday wasn't such a hallmark holiday. Candy, cards, flowers, and food are nice, but not really nessasary when trying to tell someone you love them. I'm considering changing the day Valentines is celebrated in my home to sometime in the summer...

This to shall pass...

2011-02-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to take moment to vent, since I use my blog largely for my journal, I don't care that I'm writing out these feelings.
I'm one of those mom's that just adores her baby. I find myself talking about him at every chance, and thinking about him and missing him all the time, even after he goes down to sleep for the night.
Rivers is such a difficult baby. I don't have any other children to compare him too, just friends and family's kids, but I just feel like I have the cute little boy with a personality the size of the moon. I ask him all the time how such a little boy could have such a big personality. I just feel so tired and drained at the end of everyday. Rivers likes to be held constantly, which makes doing anything else a challenge. I've even learned how to go pee, and wash my hands while holding him. Sometimes, when I hear others talk or see other babies, I wish mine was more like them. My baby won't eat if there is any kind of noise of distraction. He'll take the bottle fine as long as he can watch tv at the same time. If I talk he wants to see who I'm talking to, and wants to talk himself. He won't play with his toys on the floor, he whines the whole time and only stops when you pick him up. We've tried every new baby gadget out there, and those only provide momentary relief. He's so loud, his new trick is to squeal very loudly, all the time. I know I was cursed with a child like myself, looks like I got it. I hate getting frusterated with him because he's in this little body he can't control, and I imagine that has to be more frusterting for him than for me.
I feel like I just keep waiting for the next milestone in his life in hopes of him being better. I've dealt with colic, and reverse cycling, and growth spurts, and nipple confusion, and spitting up.
By 3 months babies are supposed to mellow out, but I think my son had gotten worse. Now I'm waiting for 6 months when he can sit up on his own a trys to learn to crawl, and can play with his toys. But I wonder if my baby will just be worse, I wonder if I will spend my whole life with him waiting to be disappointed. I want a baby that smiles and laughs, a baby that's calm and only crys when he's in pain or hungry or uncomfortable. I want my baby, just turned down a notch. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I've spoiled him somehow, or I've missed something in all the parenting books or doctors visits. I mostly just hate feeling like a bad mother. I've checked for colds, and earaches, and teething. Maybe we will just stop here and have an awkward only child, because I don't know how I'm supposed to care for another child and take care of Rivers, or take care of another child like Rivers.
I'm sure I'll feel better in the morning, but for now I'm just going to keep praying for answers on how to handle my little Dennis the Menace...

3 months old!!

2011-01-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

3 months ago today my life was forever changed for the better when my amazing little boy was born. I can't believe how fast time is going by. Rivers is getting so big, and so smart every day. Scott and I just love him so much and can't imagine eternity without Rivers!!
Here are some photos of him at three months old.

Playing with toys wondering why mommy is taking yet another picture.

Very angry that he has to do tummy time, this is his look of pity for having to suffer through another session of tummy time.

Naps on the couch are the best! Well for Rivers, not mommy because I have to be so quite, and can't move or he knows, but I didn't want to risk moving him to his crib for fear of waking him.

The Stroller was in the car, and the car was with daddy, so we went for a walk today (in January!!) in our Moby wrap around Liberty Park. He loved it! He looked at the birds, and the fish and ducks in the duck pond, and he liked watching the big boys play basketball, and all the old people and homeless people loved him. He had a beanie on and was zipped up in my coat with a blanket around him. His hands got cold because he wouldn't keep them out of his mouth and they got covered in drool. I can't wait for spring when our walks can become more frequent.
Later tonight I'm going to eat some cake, so he can enjoy some cake as well for being alive for 3 whole months now!!
A few things about Rivers at 3 months:
He can roll from his stomach to back, but only if he's really angry.
He can wiggle himself in a full circle while lying on his back if there are no toys in the way.
His hands are his favorite toy.
He likes to be called handsome and look at himself in the mirror... He's a bit vain...
He takes the bottle well, and might actually prefer it, I think he's getting lazy.
He can almost roll from back to tummy, but knowing that he hates to be on his tummy he stops himself just in time.
Loves to have his clothes changed, and will ask me to do so by spitting up all over himself a number of times a day so I have to change his clothes... at least he's happy.
Has a HUGE head, still.
Is such a good eater, and currently going through a growth spurt!
Rivers is super long, he's in the 81st percentile for length, and only the 39th percentile for weight at about 12 lbs. Long and skinny.
Still sleeps through the night :)
He loves the Ladies.
and mostly is so amazing, I just adore my baby boy!!

Back to Work :(

2011-01-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I went back to work on January 18th, and I think Rivers was mad at me. He didn't say so, and he acted like nothing was wrong, but I still don't think he's too happy with me. I didn't want to go back to work, for a number of reasons, Rivers being at the top of that list. I never saw myself as a stay at home mom, but I never had kids before. It was rough on me, but I did enjoy talking to people not in my "Rivers voice", and it was like riding a bike, and I did miss my co-workers. A few day before I went back to work my superior was fired, and I am now in a postition to apply for her job with what I feel is a 50/50 chance of getting it. But I wonder if I really want it. It wouldn't be a full time postition, which I'm not working full time anyway, and I couldn't go back to serving. It would be a pay raise, but I would have to have more interaction with my boss, who is a nice guy and a great cook, but not the best "people person" and who I don't feel has the best managing skills. I'm going to apply, but I don't know if I want the job if it's offered. I also am aware that it has been offered to my co-worker Kathy, who I think would do a great job, but I'm not sure she wants the job either. If she wants it I'm fine keeping my postition as a lead server and manager. So for now I'm going to just hope that things work out for the best, and that if I get offered and take the job that my home won't fall apart, and that my baby will not miss me too much. I sure do miss him during the day :(

4 Ladies who look nothing alike, and 1 cute baby boy

2011-01-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a lucky girl for a number of reasons, I have an amazing loving husband, a super cute baby boy, a great family, and a decent job. One thing that I am most luck to have in a great grandmother. Ruth Gale was born on October 30,1916. She had 4 girls, one who died in 2001, 2 husbands, a butt load of grand kids, and a million great grand children. My "Grandma Great" is one of my very most favorite people. I have to say that I am her favorite great grand daughter, she tells me so. Nothing can stop this woman! She lived through the great depression, 2 world wars, the civil rights movement, the womens rights movement, the vietnam war, and so so much more. I have always had a special bond with her, I make her laugh and dress her up. When I was little we would have tea parties, and one of my most prized possecions is a tea set she made for me when I was a little girl. I feel very blessed to have such an amazing woman in my life, and to have been blessed to spend so much time with her. She's getting old, and one thing I always wanted was to have a child so she could meet my kids. Today I was lucky enough to fulfil that dream. These are photos that I will certainly treasure forever, and I hope Rivers will too. :)

Rivers also has a great-great grandma Alta on Scott's side, Scott's dad's mom's mom. This is one lucky kid with the life expectency of biblical portions, he may just live forever... :)
This was a very special day for me...

A Late, Small Post about Christmas :)

2011-01-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I found a few pics on my camera from Christmas I wanted to post, I don't want to ever miss a thing.

Bath time!!

2011-01-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

I do talk about breast feeding in this post, if any one is uncomfortable reading about my boobs, just ignore the end of this post and enjoy cute pictures of my son

So I could not justify spending the $35 for a baby bath tub, and Rivers has out grown the kitchen sink, so we bought him this super cute bath sponge for $6 and he has really enjoyed his baths since. Bath time is quite and experience for him, he loves being naked, but hates getting in the tub and getting out of the tub. Lowering him in he's scared to death. Once he's in he's happy and likes to splash, hates for me to clean him, loves the water being poured on him, tries to drink the water has a good old time. Taking him out he cries (I think because he's cold), and throws a fit when I try to put his pajamas on him. But for the most part he's happy, and as he get older I'm sure it will be a better experience for him.

Here we are on our turtle sponge lounging in the tub
wrapped up warm in our towel
starting our fit because we want to be back in the warm bathroom in the warm water.

Rivers is such a good baby, he loves to play and be held, and to sleep in his swing. He loves to eat and smile and is super ticklish! He now sleeps 10-12 hours a night, and when he goes to sleep I get to eat and I'm super bored without him. He makes the thought of me going back to work next week sound like torture, and I'm nervous about how he's going to be with the sitters.
On a side note I got a nasty infection called mastitis in my left breast, I know over share, but not many people read this and it's also my journal so I want to document it. Luckily I caught it early enough that it's not too bad, and I can still breast feed Rivers. I was having terrible pain after I would pump in the morning, it had lasted for a few days and I noticed a white spot on my nipple. I looked on line and read some books, and tried the tips they recommended, but the pain got worse. I called my OB and she wanted me to come in. I was given and breast exam, and there was a small lump found. My doctor was fairly curtain it was a badly clogged milk duct, and that I had the early stages of Mastitis. I was given a very strong antibiotic that I have to take every 6 hours on an empty stomach, meaning I can't eat 2 hours before, and an hour after I take it. If it doesn't clear up within a week I have to go back for tests and x-rays to make sure it isn't more serious (cancer). Talk about coming face to face with my own mortality. Now my doctor is pretty sure that it's nothing to worry about, and made me feel comfortable and calm.
I'm 27 and was just told there is a 1% chance I have cancer. My baby is 11 weeks old and I have a 1% chance of having cancer. I'm not worried, because all the pain seems to be breast feeding related, and it's a 1% chance, Rivers is fine so it's not hurting him, but I got this overwhelming fear of not getting to see my baby grow up.
But this whole mess really put things into perspective for me. I'm grateful for the gospel, and my loving husband and my amazing baby, and my supporting family. Those things are what is important, and I'm blessed that I can have those things for eternity.
So aside from taking pills, sleeping with the heating pad, and being hungry, life is continuing as normal. Only now I spend more time enjoying my baby, and hopefully building a strong bond with him. I am very blessed, and I think sometimes things like this, small as it is, help us to put the important things first.