California girl at heart

Our trip to California this summer was a much needed for this California grown sunflower.

We started in the bay area, drove down to clovis, on to San Luis Obispo, then Santa Monica, and last but not least New Port for my darling Kari's wedding.  We traveled through the entire state with a new born! All for family and friends of course. We might be a little bit crazy, but he was such an angel. So I am sure we will do it again :) Seriously, I don't know how I got so lucky with this babe of mine. He is a great little travel buddy.

 I was SO nervous about a 13 hour car drive, but he surprised us all.  There were a few extra stops for diaper changes and just to get out and have a change of scenery. I really love my boys. I am such a blessed, blessed girl. 

Any ways, here are some photos to document our state long trip. We will take all the time we can get with grandparents, uncle chris, and friends :)

AND weddings.

I LOVE weddings!!

grandpa jim

dessert at the fairmont in Santa Monica! YUM!! 

first ocean experience 

kissy cheeks from aunt mel

 da beach with aunt nicole

 beautiful bride

 college bestie showing me her fun santa monica life

 my boys

 through thick and thin..

until next time california!!! You were so good to us :) 

3 MONTHS OLD

My how you have grown. I can't believe you are a quarter of a year old, 12 weeks, 3 months!!! Where has the time gone? I feel like every time I turn around it's saturday again. Maybe now that we are officially and completely moved in time will slow down a little. Because honestly... if it doesn't... I don't know what I am going to do!!! I am slowly realizing how quickly this stage of life is going to pass.  I am already missing his infant infant stage, guess I'll have to have another one ;) kidding... kinda! (babies are addicting)



You weigh 16 pounds and 4 ounces!!!! You are a little tank :) Strangers do not believe me when I tell them you are 3 months old

Rolling over does not interest you much, but you HATE being your tummy sa bad that you try with all your might to get on your back. It's really cute.

Sy you are a HUGE smiler, you smile at just about anyone or anything, and sometimes you let out a little chuckle at the same time. My hearts melts multiple times a day.

You loves his aunty Melynne and aunt Chandler :) smiley eyes with them all day long!

Your legs are extremely strong. You can stand up and bare your own weight with my fingers under your armpits or just holding your hands. Your balance isn't quite there yet so some support is definitely needed. I am in trouble when you start walking, I can tell your fast moving legs are just going to take off and never stop.

My favorite part of this stage is watching little bits of your personality shine through. Normally this happens when you are well rested and fed, all your needs are met and you are just YOU. Your eyes have an excited look all the time, and you are curious about everything.

Your love of ceiling fans has not decreased in the slightest.

You have been sleeping SO much this week. I'm talking like 3 hour naps mid day after your morning 1 hour nap and one more in the evening before bath time. I am loving it :)

Speaking of bath time- oh how you love the water, you are my baby after all. During our bath you love to curl your knees up to your chest and push my hand back with your head so you can float on your back and kick, kick, kick. Those legs NEVER STOP. You have gotten water up your nose a time or two and you actually laughed.... maybe it tickled? Hopefully that reaction doesn't let up.

Just the other day Kim was holding you face to face and you leaned away from her, turned your torso around so that you were facing me, you leaned towards me with your arms stretched in my direction and you whimpered a little. It was the most intentional, grown up toddler thing you have ever done.  As soon as you were back in my arms you buried your face in my chest and sucked your hand (you haven't discovered your thumb yet, you try to eat your hand). Everyone in the room awwwwed and called you a mama's boy!

You also know your daddy now, you smile and laugh at him all the time. you love to touch his whiskery face and suck/gnaw on his fingers.

You have started talking yourself to sleep while you nurse. It is really loud and monotone, so funny.

oh honey bear :) we love you SO much I can't stand it!!!! 

You are my baby boy and I get to wake up to you every day. 

Dad and I are beyond stoked. We fight over who gets to hold you during third hour of church and every evening before bedtime.  

You are very much loved. 

2 MONTHS OLD!

My baby boy is 2 months! We have been in Utah for a month now and we are loving it. Sy (what we have been calling him) and I walk into town nearly everyday. Well, except for when it rains which has been most of this week, but I'll gladly  take it. I prayed like crazy for rain and a little wintery weathery before summer hits. We have met the owners of the little local cake and bakery, the antique store, the upcycled vintage finds, and the sewing/fabric shop. This small town living is real nice right. Sweet slow pace for me and a newborn. Everyone has of course loved Sy. He is not selective with his smiles so he gums just about anyone that flashes their pearly whites at him.
He also...

- Loves to unlatch mid feed and have a staring contest with me, he always wins, and it always end in big smiles before he goes right back to sucking.

-He has gained lots of good weight. His chunkiness is staring to show in his thighs, feet, double chin, and fatty hand dimples. Oh those dimples :) He is currently 13.8 lbs. and steadily gaining.

- Mornings are our favorite. He is usually up at 6 for 2 hours and then promptly goes down for his morning nap.  I am still letting him just sleep as long as he wants for that nap. That np is my safe haven, my sanity keeper, my busiest hours of the day. He needs it too, he is growing, and it doesn't seem to mess with our night routine. However, those afternoon naps have to be interrupted or else I will regret it at 2, 3, and 4 in the morning.

- I have never seen those wee hours more in my life... He normally sleeps really well, but man this boy can eat! He is always hungry. His fast metabolism definitely comes from Bentley.

- I love having a partner in calorie consumption!!!!!

- Sy enjoys reading with me in the morning right when we get up before a little yoga - never to young to start!

- His most talkative time of the day is also morning. Our conversations are the highlight of my day. I cant wait for his first words and phrases to start rolling. I constantly daydream about where it will happen, what he will say, and to whom.

- Bentley and I LOVE when he does this big long, sumo squat stretch while reaching for the sky in the middle of sleeping. Its hard to catch on camera, but I assure it is just about the cutest thing to whitness and hear.

- He loves attention, he craves eye contact, and always wants to be entertained.... it takes a lot if energy on our part at times. But this parenting stuff is the most rewarding 'job' ever ever ever!

- I found a little birth mark on his right inner thigh. Most likely  to be hidden by rolls soon ;)

1 Month Old

Wow time has just flown by! 

I can't believe my boy is a month old already. It's funny how the days can be so long, but the weeks are so fast. Having a baby has changed the way Bentley and I perceive time. When we lay in bed with him all bundled up, happily staring at the ceiling fan, hours could go by and we could hardly notice. 

Azure you are so mesmerizing, papa and I are so so so in love.  There are no words to describe the depth of our love for you.

You have such a cute little attitude. If there is something off that you don't like, say a hand on your cheek, or bum, or feet you definitely let us know. When you're irritated for those reasons you give the stink eye and grunt, and occasionally buck.  Its pretty hilarious... most of the time.

When you go to sleep you LOVE to be rocked hard. I mean super forcefully, to the point where I wonder if all the milk I just gave you is going to come back at me just as forcefully.  But you are a movement junkie to the core, just like pa.

You burp like a grown man, seriously. Must be from the clark side of the family ;)

There are days when you look like a little old man to me. And then others when I see my newborn babe.

The water is your happy place, just like mama. I can tell I'll be teaching you how to swim extremely early. Your body calms so much that your arms and legs hang down behind you. And you normally pee a couple times in the warmth of the shower or bath. It is darling, but maybe only to your mom :)

Sometimes you giggle in your sleep. Your breathing quickens and I always think you are about to cry or get fussy and then a sweet smile spreads across your face and laughter fills the room.
These are the moments I live for.

You have finally taken to the binky. Finding your own fingers has not been an easy thing... I still have hope. Because man, when you lose that binky from yawning or just drifting to sleep enough to relax your jaw the whole world knows it! And until you can put it back in your mouth. . .

You are holding you're head up on your own SO well. Seriously for the last 2 weeks dad and I are blown away. When you hold your head up you arch back and look for our eyes and stare. You stare so deep, so inquisitively.

I love how you latch to our shirts and thumbs with your hands. When we sleep face to face you always do this.

Bentley says he has never seen or felt a newborn push so hard with his legs to stand. (and he had 28 nieces and nephews when I married him, WAY more experience with babies than me) When he holds you in a sitting up position you full on stand with his support under your arms. Lets start with crawling though, mama is a little worried about the toddler antics ahead. 

My boy, you are one month old today, and this is a smidgen of who you are.

I love you a bushel and a peck.