the Bullocks'

Highlights of 2011

2012-01-12T23:29:00.000-08:00

I am not the greatest at blogging, but I always have a camera in hand (even if it's my crappy one). This last year seemed pretty low key with Matt in school and having a newborn, but we had some pretty great times in 2011. A lot of firsts for the squishies and awesome memories!! Aside from the fantastic news of Matt graduating and getting a job, here are some highlights from last year.

The first part of the year was spent being prego and hanging out with my little bud. All I remember is having a lot of back problems and watching Finding Nemo 100 times, but Sam and I also spent a lot of time at the aquarium and IKEA. (fun times walking through IKEA with hot dogs and icecream)

Then our little princess was born!!!

It was for sure a hard adjustment for my little guy, but these two LOVE each other like it's nobody's business! These two cannot get enough of each other. And I always say, "No one can make Jadeyn laugh like Sam does."

Jadey had her first smile at 1 month, first time rolling over (in below picture) at 3 months and first laugh at about 3.5 months.

Sammy learned to ride his bike and scooter and lived outside the whole summer.

This year we spent 10 days at G&G Parsons house in CA. It was fun to spend time with family even though Matt wasn't there.

And I have to say it.. Jadey is the BEST baby EVER!! I took both kids on a plane alone and they did really well. Jadey was so easy the whole trip. We all slept in the same room for 10 days. I keep saying that she must have a real treat in store for me later because she has been a complete angel!

Sammy made his first friend (by himself I might add).

Fireworks are the best!

Feeding the ducks.

Visit to fire station.

Saw the "big tiny dinosaur at the zoo" (Sam's words).

Kissed a girl... good thing it's just his cousin.

Swimming and finally feeling comfortable with it. (was really scared at beginning of summer)

Watching Grandpa Bullock's storytelling at Timpanogos.

Trying ever so hard to blow (he says fffffffffffffff)

Mischief maker.

Playing with water balloons.

LOVES to open presents.

Turned 3.

Visit to St. Lucia.

Octoberfest.

Riding ski-lift.

Making my girly laugh.

Halloween activities.

Pumpkin walk.

Hanging out with Jade in the baby Bjorn.

Bounce houses.

Driving at home depot.

Sledding (kind of).

Aquarium.

Visiting Santa.

Learning to share.

Loving the jumper.

Christmas time.

Building gingerbread house.

B-day parties.

Not scared of rides anymore.

Sitting up.

Eating baby foods and eating cookies by herself!

life after school

2011-12-09T20:50:00.001-08:00

Although Matt was officially graduated the beginning of August, he attended commencement today. It was an awesome day and I think it finally kicked in that he really is done.

Life has been good. I mean really good. Matt loves his job and we have 4 days a week together and things have really settled down. The kids are growing so fast and I swear I'm going to blink and I'll be going to their graduation ceremonies.

Who am I kidding. This depicts what really went down this afternoon. Easy-going Jadeyn and you get the picture with Sam. haha

And just in case you are missing pics of my squishies...

Oh yeah... and this is worth sharing! Happy Holidays!

Who says you can't travel with kids..

2011-09-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

The most common advice we received when we got married was "travel as much as you can before the kids come". And so we did. But to be honest.. I think it made it harder for us because now that the kids are here.. we realize what we're missing out on.

This year was not an option to travel without the kids because of how young Jadey is.

So here we are in St. Lucia. I have to admit Matt and I joked a lot about how much chaos we dealt with on this trip, but we also agreed that this was the best trip we have ever been on. We have so many wonderful memories with these two little munchkins that will last a lifetime:

The kids did extremely well on the 12-hour flight and when we finally got to our room, both kids were so slap-happy... Sam was throwing pillows around the whole room and Jadeyn was laughing her head off at him. No body can make her laugh like her big brother!

I will always remember this picture in particular because we rushed to get ready and it was taken 10 minutes before the sun went down (it gets dark at 6p there).

Afterward, we walked the beach to find crab holes in the sand and dig the crabs out. Sam loved holding the flashlight and hogged it from all the older kids.. they were kind of getting upset that he wasn't shining the light at the crab holes.

With pictures and the crab hunt, our dinner reservation was a 1.5 hours later than normal. Lately, my sweet little Jadey needs a silent room and her swing to go to bed. (And yes, we did bring her swing with us on this trip.) So at the beginning of dinner, she completely lost it and fell asleep with her cheek on my shoulder.

The hotel was all-inclusive which included all food, water sports, a kids club (and babysitting) and pina colada's galore! Sam had so much fun swimming and building sand castles. We even took him out on the ocean with a pedal boat.

2 months ago, Sam wouldn't even step foot in a swimming pool and here he is letting Matt spin him around by his feet. I was so proud of my little guy because he didn't want us to hold him in the water.. "he wanted to do it by himself."

Jadey really is such a good baby. She just chills out for the most part unless she needs a nap or a bottle. It is so funny because she HAS to have her blanket to go to sleep.. sweat and all.. she needs that blanket.

One day I picked her up from the nursery and she was asleep in their crib.. stomach down, no blanket, no binky. I panicked because that is the exact opposite of what pediatricians tell you(stomach down) but most of all, I could not figure out how they got her to sleep without being swaddled and binky.

Although we didn't get to take advantage of the babysitting as much as we wanted.. we did sneak a few hours alone and were able to water ski, wake board, get a sailing lesson, windsurfing lesson. We had no idea how much fun sailing was and Matt has been looking on ksl for a sailboat ever since we got home. He says he likes it more than 4-wheeling which says a lot for my Matty. haha

Back to the kids club.. there was one day Sam was literally kicking and screaming when we dropped him off so the leader took him to the pool and he was screaming at the pool too. So we gave in and stayed with him. After the leader left, Sam told us that he wanted to go on the water slide. (totally reminds me of how he was terrified of Santa, but then 2 minutes later wanted to go on the harness trampoline). Anyways - he went on the slide and flew down it so fast that Matt wasn't able to catch him before he hit the water and he dunked all the way.

PS - is it just me?? or is the thought of water skiing in the ocean terrifying? JAWS has ruined me forever. Luckily I didn't fall, but the whole time I was thinking, "please don't let me fall, please don't let me fall."

We were there on Sam's actual birthday, 9/23 and the waitress saw him opening up presents at breakfast. So she went and got him a cupcake with a candle and they came out and sang to him.

It was so funny because at dinner we asked the staff to bring out a cake with candles. Sam was outside looking for a stray cat when a huge crew came out and started to sing. Sam saw them and ran as fast as he could to his chair. There was no way he was missing out on that!

So all in all bringing the kids was completely worth it!! It is so nice to not miss the kids while being on vacation. I absolutely love the Caribbean and would highly recommend it and the resort we stayed at for families with kids. I even started to get teary-eyed when we left the island. Maybe one of these days we can have an island adventure and live in the Caribbean for a couple years like my sister & brother-in-law, Stef and Jerod!!

My Sammy

2011-09-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

With a chill in the air.. Sam and I finally said goodbye to summer tonight.

This post is all about my Sammy. I expected so many changes from Jadey this year and I honestly had no idea how many changes my little buddy would go through. In the past 3 months he has built quite the vocabulary (with full on sentences), he has a creative imagination and hilarious comebacks, has learned to ride his bike, scooter and ride a four-wheeler, has made several friends, started preschool, and is seriously grown up to be a little boy.

Maybe I'm a little weird, but sometimes I'll walk by our house and envision we've upgraded to a new house and our house is just a memory. In that memory I feel incredibly sad because I think of all the amazing memories we built in this house and watching my little guy grow up here and play in the yard. I guess I'm feeling a little sad because time has flown by me so fast and I don't know how my Sammy went from being a baby to a toddler to a little boy.

Sam just celebrated his 3rd birthday and he wanted a lightning mcqueen birthday party. My sister did an amazing job and made him this cake! He was so protective over his cake and did NOT like my grandpa teasing him that it was grandpa's cake. :)

He found this buzz lightyear at the store 6 months ago and has been telling us he wanted it for his birthday.

This year Sam had a party with all his friends and cousins. They painted at Color Me Mine and then finished the cars party at our house. He had the best day!!

And of course, the 1st day of preschool

I told Sam to stop growing up and he yelled at me, "Nooooo Mom!" So acted like I was sad and he said, "Okay mom, I'll stop growing." I seriously love this little guy and I'm so glad I get to stay home with him and Jadeyn during these precious years! Happy Birthday little buddy! I'm so glad I get to be your mom!

A new beginning

2011-08-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

August 2011 is the month we've been dreaming about for almost 3 years now!!!

What does it mean?

Matt is DONE with his Bachelor's in Respiratory Therapy!!! I am excited to report that he passed his SAE (which determines if he can sit for the state board and that he can receive his degree). Now some of you may think.. big deal... so he got a B.S. Let me just tell you how BIG of a deal this was for us.

In 2008, we had our little Sammy and my dream was for Matt to work and for me to stay home. But life turned us into another direction and we took a HUMONGOUS leap of faith for Matt to go this direction with his career. I was working full-time to support Matt through school and we seriously had no idea if he'd even enjoy this field, let alone if he would pass all the pre-reqs (where a lot of people are weeded out). We were on pins-and-needles to see if he'd be accepted into the program. And as of recently, we've been praying he'd pass his final exams and get a job upon graduation. All of these steps could have resulted in failure if one thing went wrong.

Our life has been on hold from having fun, spending time together and just being a normal family. Instead of spending nights together playing in the yard, going out or even watching TV, Matt would study study study. He has been gone probably on average of 60 hours per week + any extra hours not sleeping-- spent studying. Being a "single mom" has been the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. I have ended so many days in tears from being overwhelmed and I don't think I could have done the past 3 years without my little Sam.

I am so proud of my Matty and all that he has accomplished! He is such a hard worker and has dedicated so much so we could have this new beginning to look forward to! I am such a big believer that if you follow your dreams and work really hard to get there.. you will be blessed to make it through.

It does my heart good to see my kids playing with their dad!!

Lil' munchkin is already 3.5 months

2011-07-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

When you have your 2nd, time just flies!!! Jadey is on a roll and is definitely trying to catch up to her brother!
She has already laughed out loud and rolled over from her stomach to back. (way sooner than Sam did) Her head and legs are SO strong and she always wants to stand up! She's getting some seriously cute chub and we just LOVE this lil' munchkin to death! Here's some pics I took of her today. She's so stinkin' cute if I do say so myself :)

2 month stats

2011-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Our little Jadey went from 7 lb 5 oz to 12 lb 5 oz at her 2 month check up. She's in the 80th percentile and I'm thinking she's trying to keep up with her brother. :) She is smiling up a storm and has bright blue eyes just like her brother. She's already sleeping 7-8 hours at night (thank you babywise) and is such a little sweethart! Here's the most recent pic of her:

So the other day I was trying to figure out who she looks like because I didn't really think she looked like me. But after pulling out my baby book, I can see a pretty strong resemblance. (minus my crazy hair)

Here's me and my momma!!

If time keeps going by as fast as it is.. I'm going to be looking at this pic with Jadeyn and her child thinking.. man that seemed like just yesterday.

and here's me and my little Sammy when he was 2 months. There are definently some similarities there too!

right before bed...

2011-05-20T22:20:00.001-07:00

The other day I laid Jadeyn down by Sam for his nap and told him that baby sis was gonna take a nap with him. He looked pretty confused... especially when I shut the door and pretended to leave him there alone with his sister.

But he warmed up to the idea and even got mad when I took her away.

BTW - I just realized his reeses are in these pics. I know it's bad to give him a reeses for his nap, but he's so much more willing to go to bed. Matt's afraid he's gonna turn into a chubby 13 year old that won't go to bed without his chocolate.

At 11:30p I went to give Sam a kiss goodnite --thinking he was sound asleep. Well, I walked in to find him wide awake with this on the floor... (side note: I put him to bed at 8:30p so that means he was in his room, quiet for 3 hours. He really does not like messes and is kinda compulsive about it.. so this must have kept him up for a while.)

Here he is explaining to dad that "we hafta go to the store to get a new book." He talked all about the chicken and the eggs and who knows what else. I can't figure out if he despised this little farm book or if he was just really bored.

bragging moment

2011-05-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

I have to take a minute to brag about my Matty. He is seriously freaking amazing! Being in this program is pretty rigorous and requires a ton of dedication. He has been going to school 18 credit hours each semester and working 24 hours a week + some of his clinicals are 24 hours a week. On top of that, he is in the top 10% of his class. I am so dang proud of him! Take a look at these grades.

P.S. -- He was offered a Respiratory Therapist position at Intermountain Medical Center and starts on Monday!!! YEAH!!! He will officially be graduated with his Bachelors in August. We are so excited to have our life back!!!

Hold on time...

2011-05-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hold on time... you're going by way too fast! I can't believe it's already been a month! It's been a busy one! I really wasn't looking forward to the first month because I knew that Jadeyn was going to be born right during Matt's finals and a 2-day Respiratory conference. So I was a single mom with a brand new baby and a jealous toddler. The first two days home was really really hard, but once Sammy got used to his new sister he really stepped into the big brother role and it's crazy how much he has grown up! This month we survived nasty colds (poor Jadey got it at only 1 week old) and then I got mastitis (wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy). I started training for my new job and it worked out that I will start teaching in late July instead of this month. So now that we are all feeling back to ourselves, I'm soooo looking forward to enjoying the warm weather and maybe sleeping longer than 3 hours at a time ;)

Announcing...

1 week old

2 weeks

Big brother Sam--- I really didn't know how Sam would react to his sis, but you can see everyday that he just loves her. He always wants to be near her and he is so soft with her. He probably gives her about 40 kisses a day ;)

playin with the cousins

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter bunny brought Sammy a basketball hoop!

3 weeks -- I always look at this sweet little face and can't believe that she's my daughter.

My little sweetie-pies

Blessing Day = Beautiful Day

the dress

Matt gave the most amazing blessing to his little girl.

Welcome to the World Jadey Bug!

2011-04-09T23:27:00.000-07:00

2 days before delivery: I was nervous out of my mind. Because of the delivery? No… I wish! It was because I had an interview for my perfect job, which included a teaching demonstration. The job: a Paralegal Adjunct Instructor. The morning of I practiced my last demo and was getting ready to head out the door. Matt was snuggling with Sam on the couch and showed me how Sam’s hand had become completely infected from a splinter. Not to mention he developed a horrible cough. Then he told me that he felt like he had strep throat again (he just got over strep 10 days prior!!!). So while I went to my interview, Matt and Sam when to the doctor. Doing an interview at 39 weeks pregnant is one thing, but getting up in front of a small mock class to do a teaching demonstration was totally nerve racking! They must have ignored all my imperfections (including the heavy breathing from the baby sitting on my lungs) because they hired me on the spot! I felt like I was in one of those dreams that you wake up from and wish it was real. haha. I am so excited for this new opportunity and I will start teaching 1 class beginning May. Meanwhile, I met up with Matt and Sam at the clinic and poor Sammy had to have his blister removed and was so brave as the doctor poked around in his hand for 10 minutes to find the splinter. Oh yeah, and Matt … oh my poor Matty had a positive strep throat again!!! So both of them got on anti-biotics and were on their way to recovery! The next day Sam’s cough got worse.. so bad that it was making him throw up. And then Matt started to get a cough. Ugh! How can this be happening the day before??? Now to the delivery: We arrived at the hospital for an induction at 9a and I was dilated on my own at almost a 3. I was treated with anti-biotics for group B strep and I was told they were not going to get aggressive until the anti-biotic was in my system for 4 hours. I was given a small dose of pitocin at 11a and the doctor came in and broke my water at about 11:30a-12p. The nurse asked if I wanted an epidural and I decided I better request one since there’s only one anesthesiologist and there could be a long wait. I got the epidural pretty soon and it was seriously amazing!! It wiped away ALL the pain. At this point I was dilated at a 4+. 30 minutes later I started feeling some serious pressure and I worried the epidural was wearing off already. So I mentioned it to the nurse and she said, “Oh, I better check you.” And sure enough.. I was complete!! I could not believe how fast it went. Of course, I started balling.. (this is the most emotional part for me).. I get to meet my baby that has been inside me for 9 months. I was totally expecting to push out this 10 lb baby for 2 hours because of my experience with Sam. But she literally came out in 1-2 pushes and was born at 3:10p. Our little princess!! I can’t believe how much I love her! I love how much she looks like her brother. I love her tiny little button nose because it makes her… her. I love how feminine she is. I love how she is already daddy’s little princess. and when she opens her eyes.. I seriously wonder how I could get such a perfect child. She is the most beautiful little girl and I feel so blessed that she has joined our family. These pics were taken at the hospital and I really wish I could afford $135 for 7 shots. But I’m going to do my own little session this week.

the bump

2011-04-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally took pics of the big bump -- 6 days left!!! Man are my organs feeling smashed!!!

the nursery

2011-03-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's simple, but I love it! The bedding & butterfly mobile are from pottery barn. The curtains & black frames are from ikea and I made the wood letters.

World turned upside down...

2011-03-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Blogging is just like keeping a journal and I totally suck at it. But for my sister's sake, I'm going to try super hard to throw in a couple updates.

APRIL 6th!!!

That's the date we have scheduled for our little girl to come into this world. I am MORE than ready, but I can't help but feel so bad for my little man. I just know his little world is going to be turned upside down.

It's a girl!

2010-11-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

I couldn't be more excited to change to dresses and bows!

We're pregnant!

2010-09-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

We are super excited to announce that Sammy is going to be a big brother! We can't wait to have another little one! Due on April 13th...

Taking a deep breath..

2010-08-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! 18 credit hours, work 24 hrs + 2 days a week of clinicals.. and my Matty has officially graduated (with honors I might mention) with his Associates Degree in Respiratory Therapy. He can now start working in the field. He still has 1 more year to earn his bachelors, but I'm hopeful we're through the worst. Looking at this past year, I seriously cannot believe we made it! There were many of times we felt like we were drowning. But now we can take a deep breath.

You would not believe how much our little guy has changed! He has grown up sooo much! But I have to say.. being 1 has been a tough job. Things you should know about our little stud...

-He is obsessed with balls and balloons!! Everytime we go to the grocery store, I get him a helium-filled balloon and he's satified the entire day or week even.
-He's talking up a storm. His new thing is to say, "I won bite." which happens every single time I eat something.. including vegetables.
-The first sentence Sam learned was from Enrique Iglesias new song, "I like it". He loves to say "I likt it." all the time.
-He'll say, "yeah" to pretty much anything you ask him, except when you ask him if he wants to go nigh-night, then he'll say "no". He even says "yeah" when Matt asks him if he wants a spankin.
-He's a major momma's boy (which I absolutely love)
-He'll lure you in with a kiss, "mmmmmmm" and then shove his baby sock in your mouth. (I have no idea where he learned this, but I do agree he has our sense of humor)
-His baby talk is so stinkin' adorable, "I wuftoo" (translation: I love you)
-He loves jumping on the bed, doing airplane circles, eating popsicles and playing outside.
-He pics all of mom's flowers
-and when you ask him to give you a pretty smile.. this is what he'll do..

I love this little kid to death and I can't imagine a world without him!

Sam's absolute favorite thing this summer has been to ride the "bikt" to the "wee" (park). At the beginning of summer we went to the park every day, until he started throwing the biggest tantrums when it was time to get out of the swing.

Even though Matt has been super busy, we have got to enjoy a couple hours with him here and there and Sam loves every minute with his dadda!

He LOVES his cousin Boston and learns something new everytime he's around him. He watched Boston go down the stairs without holding on and the next day.. Sam was attempting the Sam thing. Recently he learned to lick things. haha

And little Emma! Sam and I were supposed to go visit my sister in Grenada (in June), but American Airlines caused us to miss our connecting flight, which meant another 2 days of travel.. so we went back home. I was going to attempt this 12 hour flight with my little munchkin again, but then they suprised us and came to SLC for the rest of the summer. Sam and Emma got along so well and we had so much fun while they were here.

Riding trax to gateway..

Playing with Maya in the gateway fountains. At first he was not having it.. but soon after we had 4 adults on all 4 corners because he was running around like crazy. Poor Maya wanted to keep up, but didn't want to get wet.

Sammy just loves "Betta". (Becca)

Visiting Aunt Patty..

Well, now that Sammy is almost 2, I figured it was time to take away the binky. Even though I LOVE it sooooo much! Taking away the binky means he's no longer a baby. Suprisingly, it went super well. He cried for 20 minutes the first night and then he was over it. It's so sad because I'm tempted to give him the binky just so I can see how adorable it is. Is anyone else like that?

So we're still alive and doing well. September is going to bring some fun updates. Now that we have some free time, Matt and I are taking a trip to Cancun, then Sept. 23 Sammy is having a "BALL" party for his 2 year b-day (which should include a bounce house), then we're headed off to Disneyland!! I know it's been forever since I updated our blog, but I still keep up with everyone elses and I hope I haven't caused you to lose track of mine!

My little Valentine...

2010-02-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

.. made me this

Okay, well maybe his pre-school teacher made it, but I can imagine he was more than willing to help... for about 10 seconds : )

It's the first thing Sammy has made for me and I couldn't be more proud! I'm keeping it forever!

Our long month..

2010-02-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

Well, we are adjusting to this busy life. Matt is doing very well in his classes, but is seriously worked to the max. I've been working for the same lawfirm coming up on 3 years and they have been awesome to work with my schedule. Sammy is starting to adjust to his 2-day a week daycare/babysitter, even though mommy isn't adjusting so well. Sammy is so full of energy and always keeps us going and going. Until last week the poor guy had a temperature of 103 and all he wanted to do was lay on me or Matt for 4 days straight. It was so nice to get all the snuggles, but I was getting freaked out when I couldn't control his temp. So I took him to the doctor to find out that he had Roseola. So the day I finally get a break from all the toys and kitchen utensils being scattered around the house, things being thrown at me, and/or screamed at... I totally missed the little mischief makin' side of him and his personality.

He's doing much better now, but look how sick :(

Sammy had his 15 mo check up and as usual, was in the 100th percentile for height and 75th for weight. I wonder if he's gonna be taller than Matt (6'2)? The Dr. told us that we should start letting him feed himself with a spoon.

Hey - I think he's doing really good! I see 2 spaghetti-o's on that spoon!

Here are some random pics from the last month... We had to use a different dvd player to get this movie to work and I guess Sam thought it was his stepping stool.

I took him to the park and he was terrified of the slide. Look at him holding on for dear life!

This pic cracks me up. He just walked and walked and walked around the park. Looking at this picture just gave me a visual of him going to kindergarten. Ahhh.. they grow up to fast!

The future Dr. McSteamy and Ms. Longoria?

I know Natalie doesn't update her blog so I can't help but throw in a couple pics of Maya. She made me laugh so hard because she was carrying this firetruck around the house (up and down the hall). The funny part was when she was huffing and puffing trying to get it on the couch.

Anyways - I am so excited for Valentine's Day. It's my once-a-year chance to see a chick flick with Matt. And guess what I'm making him go see?..... DEAR JOHN. I am a major sucker for Nicholas Sparks stories! So until then.. HAPPY VALENTINES!

Why do things have to work out that way?

2010-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

For one full year I've had Matt to myself.. he's been here for EVERYTHING. On January 5th, Matt started his classes, which is also the same day I said goodbye to my sweet Aunt Patty. I waited until 10PM until I could get a hug and have his shoulder to cry on. I kept him up way too late since he had a 12-hr shift to work the next day. Then at 2AM I noticed our heater wasn't working and the temp in our house dropped to 60°. I didn't dare wake him since I knew he needed his sleep. Luckily we worked out the heater problem the next day. Then yesterday I got the stomach flu. It was my worst nightmare.. taking care of a 1 year old while hugging the toilet for a 24-hours. Not to mention getting smacked in the head with a wood train set a couple times while resting on the couch. The point is.. I really wish Matt was here to get me sprite, entertain Sammy, and tell me I was going to be okay. But he had class and half way through, he called and told me that he had the flu too! Why does everything happen all at once? This January has really sucked and I miss my Matty!

By the way - thank you all for your kind words and sweet comments on my last post. They mean so much!

My beautiful Aunt Patty

2010-01-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

The heavens are certainly rejoicing today as my sweet Aunt Patty returned home. After a long battle of breast cancer, my aunt passed away this morning in her sleep. Normally I don't like sharing my feelings for the whole world to read, but I feel inclined to write about my aunt. She is truly the most amazing person I have ever met. Throughout my life, she has always been there as a second mom, a shoulder to lean on, cry on and always gave unconditional love. Her example on this earth has impacted me in more ways than I can describe. From the time I was a child, she showed me how to have fun and enjoy the small things in life. And when I became a rebellious teenager, she sent me messages and notes as she felt prompted, to help me along the way. Anytime I was struggling, she was always there to help. She has always been close to our heavenly father and her faith undeniable. She was a wonderful wife and mother and I hope to one day follow in her footsteps. She is my hero and I miss her deeply.

While doing treatments at Huntsman, she found a quote to share, "To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die." I know she will always be close to my heart. To my sweet angel and hero... 'til we meet again. I love you.

the last couple months...

2009-12-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

Changes.. wow, after one year, I cannot even believe all the changes that our little boy has gone through. Sammy has become extremely busy and is constantly making us laugh. I am having the funnest time being a mom!

He LOVES and I mean, LOVES his blankey!

and his Dat (Dad). Here he is loving Matt's knee.

Sam also LOVES bathtime! Every night I look forward to telling him, "Sam. Tubtub?" and his big blue eyes light up and look at me like, "Really.....? YEAH!" He has a ritual to grab this huge coconut bottle and hold it during the whole tub.

Sam loves getting chased. Here I'm telling him, "Sammy, I'm gonna getchu! You better start runnin"

He also has been throwing tantrums when he doesn't get his way. For example, when there's no tubtub or if I'm eating an apple and don't give him the apple core when I'm done. I have to hide to eat my apples by the way.

Trip to Santa's workshop...

Here's our little fam...

From the day that Sam started walking.. he was running.

Christmas Day was a blast! Although, I hope next year I don't have to unwrap the presents I wrapped again. Look what Santa brought...

Sammy got his 1st 4-wheeler. It was so funny because Matt and I set him on it and were picking out something to wear, when all the sudden Sam started riding down the hall. What a natural.. like his Daddy!

Wow.. he's really getting into it. I think I might have a pic of me like this.

Yeah, but I ended up biffing it.

Anyways - I hope you all had a great Christmas. I am so excited to start the new year. And only 4-5 more months until warm weather!

Halloween nerds

2009-11-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday and here's why...

I get to dress my little stinker up in a costume.
Isn't this the cutest little teddy bear you've ever seen?

Throw parties, carve pumpkins, eat candy, make homemade applesauce, chili and cornbread, dress up, play silly games and hang out with the fam.

I could not stop laughing at Matt all night. He is one of the ugliest girls I've ever seen!

Napolean...

Mom is supposed to be uncle Ricco.

Now this is just scary.

All the cousins get to play together.

**I love how Sam's diaper's hanging all the way out.

Whoah, Jerod...

Love is tough

2009-10-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sammy learned at a very young age that girls are drama and love is tough.

Our little guy is 1

2009-10-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Where the heck did this year go? Our little Sammy is already one! I cannot believe all the changes that have happened in one year. He has brought us so much love, laughter and joy and we are excited for another great year.

Sammy weighed 25.12 at his 1 year check-up and is 31 inches long. Apparently he is only in the 75% for weight and 90% for height. He is crawling like a little monkey and took 4 steps last week. We'll see how motivated he is to start walking on his own. I don't know about any other mothers, but I have the hardest time letting go of the baby stage. I cannot give up the infant car carrier and bottle. Pretty bad when Sam is showing me that he's ready before I actually start making changes. His feet are hanging 6 inches out of the car seat and he takes squigs of his bottle now.

Anyways - to give you an update, we have a lot of changes coming our way. Matt was accepted into the Respiratory Therapy Program through Weber and IHC in January. He is going to be extremely busy for 8 months. So if we fall off the earth for that time, you will understand why.

Here's our Sammy!

Birthday Party...

LOVIN' the cake!

A major update

2009-07-21T20:09:00.001-07:00

So... I decided to stop blogging for a month so I could catch up on my scrapbooks. I spent so many hours working on a digital scrapbook of Sam's 1st year and then our laptop crashed!! We almost lost ALL of our pictures, but luckily they were saved and I seriously feel like I won the lottery. haha Anyways - here is an update.

Sam's first time boating!!! Fun, right? WRONG! As you can tell from his face... he was not happy.

Really not happy... (by the way, only in Utah can you see snow in the mountains while boating in the summer.)

Check out this face. I seriously thought he would never forgive us.

Trip to Yuba over Memorial Day Weekend.
We spent hours preparing and packing for a great boating trip. We ended up driving down there, pitching our tent, eating lunch in it and then going home. As you can tell from this pic, the whether was not so great!

Trip to Grandpa's cabin in the Uintas.

YARD WORK! It seems like the bulk of our spring was spent in our yard. Matt planted 13 trees and 25 shrubs in our backyard. He also is in the process of putting in a deck. It looks so fabulous!

One of my favorite things about Stansbury Park.. the summer skies.

Trip to Grandparents house in Arnold, CA.

Sammy's first airplane ride. He was sooooo good on the plane!

Playing at the lake.

Sammy and his cousin, Boston.

Hanging out with dad on grandparents awesome deck.

Bear Lake

This boating trip was a little better. Sammy went to sleep.

and first camping trip!

Our little guy! He is so much fun! I just love him to death and can't get enough of him. He has hit so many milestones during his 9 month and it has been so much fun! He LOVES and I mean LOVES to jump! He says momma, daddy, bobba and speaks his own little language (most of the words being "dudda.. or starting with dddd... " He got his first 2 teeth last week! He drinks from a sipping cup, eats a lot of different foods, is moving around, but not quite crawling "forward". I haven't weighed him in a month, but I'm sure he's reaching the 25 lb mark and he's well over 30 inches long.

100% Baby Boy

2009-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Not that I’m impartial in any way, but I think I might have the cutest son in the whole world! : ) I was so excited because we took Sam and his two girlie cousins to get their pictures taken when he was 2 months old. The photographer called me back and said that I could bring Sam back when he a little older because he didn’t get as many shots as the girls.
I am such a proud momma. I had a huge smile looking at every single pic. They turned out so good! If you’re looking for a great studio photographer, check out: www.sweetpeapix.com

Here are a few of my favorite shots...

A few of my favorite things

2009-05-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

SPRING!!!!!

Which brings tulips..

and smiles & suntans...

and sitting on the porch...

and playing sports...

and touchin' the grass...

and shorts & barefeet...

and playtime when I should be in bed...

and loves from Dadda...

and loves from Momma...

Awww... cousins

2009-04-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hey cuz, we're gonna be best buds!

Sam: Wow, I like your hair Boss. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Boss: Are you kidding me?

Boss: Hey, I can scream too! "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Sam: (startled)

Sam: I want my mommy!!!

Boss: What's this kids deal? What a cry baby!

6 months old... What?

2009-04-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Being parents has had it's rewards and hardships. One of the hardships being... bedtime... dah dah dahhhhh. I have come to realize as a mom that things I think are good for Sam are not always in the best interests for him. I thought I was doing him a favor by rocking him to sleep for every nap and bedtime, but when we were rocking a 20-pound baby to sleep for 1-2 hours at a time (sometimes more), I started to think differently. So I was brave and took the plunge of just setting him down in his crib for bedtime and let him cry. My approach was to put bluebear in his bed and show him that bluebear was there to confort him. It really worked! I was expecting a 2 hour horrifying cry, but he only cried for 15 minutes and was out. It's now been 3 weeks and this technique has worked great. Although I do miss rocking my sweet little boy to sleep, it's nice to just set him down and he knows it's bedtime. Matt is extremely happy because he is saving about 1 hour a day of rocking. LOL

Sam just had his 6 month check up and weighs in at 20.5 pounds and 29 inches long. He is in the 90th percentile for weight and 95th for height. He is now sitting up and dad is thinking he needs a walker so he can get around where he wants. I am always amazed by this little boy as he learns new things. He is very grabby and loves to mimic people. I don't think I have ever had my face touched as much in my life as I have had with a 6 month old baby. Big hoop earings are now out of the question.

I never realized as a parent I would actually go into a "shocked" state. I can usually handle anything. But the other day was a different story. I came home from work and was really excited to see Sam and play with him. Matt failed to tell me that he had just eaten and so I was holding him in the air and went in for a kiss. The next thing I know, I have puke in my mouth and all down my shirt and in my hair. All Matty could do is laugh and take a pic of me while I was standing there in complete shock.

Sam is such a laughy baby. He thinks it's so hilarious when I say "Whoah!" Check out this video.

I thought this video was pretty hilarious because he was having a good old time and then it ended very quickly. By the way if you're wondering what noise is in the background, it's the episode of friends where Monica is singing karaoke.

Little studmuffin!

2009-03-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Having fun with our Sammy!

2009-03-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast our little boy is growing up. It has been so much fun to watch him learn new things. Here's an update.

His favorite thing in the whole world is playing in the exersaucer. I'm not kidding, he could play in this thing all day. He'll rub his eyes and then move to the next toy. Lately he has really taken an interest in Abby. As you can see, she's not enthused about this.

Our boy has always loved to eat! As you can tell... he's 20 lbs! He used to eat every 3 hours on the dot, but now we are lucky because he is going ever 4 hours. I love how he looks at his dad. He loves him so much!

K bud. We're ready for our walk. If Sam could talk, I know he would say, "Are you kidding me mom?"

My two favorite boys!

He's getting so strong. Before we know it, he'll be crawling. YIKES!

He loves his pooh bear and I can't get enough of his chubby little cheeks and legs : )

Oh man... the baby food! It is the highlight of my night. He cracks me up so much with his faces and "mmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm"

He cracks me up with the faces!

Sam thinks his farts are funny..

2009-03-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Silly dad

2009-01-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

So most of you know that Matt is going to school and so he stays at home with Sam during the day. I went back to work 4 days a week and Matt is so cute to send me videos and pics of Sam throughout the day on our cell phones. Well, I got this video today and I could not stop laughing. Sam just got a new toy (an exersaucer) and I think Matt has way too much fun with these toys. I just love Sam's reaction to the puppet. It's kind of like he is annoyed and doesn't have the time to listen to his "new friend". haha

Sammy's firsts

2009-01-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe in 5 days our little buddy is going to be 4 months old. Where has the time gone?
It seems like Sam is advancing at a very fast pace! I keep asking him why he thinks he needs to grow up so fast! So on Saturday, I took him in and my good friend Amber gave him his first haircut. I was so mad because I forgot my camera, but here is a pic from my phone.

Before and ...

After! What a little stud!! I could not believe how light his hair looked after it was cut. Matt is really sad because he was hoping for brown hair and brown eyes because he wants a little clone of himself. haha But I think we have a little blondie.

Sammy continues to "goo". But now he is talking up a storm. He nows says, "Eew, Gee, Oooo, Eew, Gooo" It is so hilarious to watch him talk/coo. Here is a pic of him in the middle of his talking session. I think he was saying goo here. We have some video, but I cannot figure out how to download video yet.

He's also starting to grab things, he likes to pull his bink out of his mouth and grab his toys and eat them. The most recent blog showed him with his whole fist in his mouth. Well, at that time we found a white thing on his gum, and he has been drooling up a storm. I thought it was a tooth, but nobody believed me. Since the white did not go away, us worried parents took him into the doctor only to find out that.... IT IS A TOOTH! See what I mean.. he is trying to grow up too fast!

When he gets tired, he rubs his eyes! I pretty much wore him out here with all the dancing and talking. I know a lot of people say this, but Matt and I truly love being parents. We cannot imagine our life without Sam. Everyday has been so much fun with this little guy and we have so much to look forward to!

December 2008

2008-12-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a great Christmas! We had a lot of fun this year with our little boy!

December has been extremely busy with me starting back to work and Matt in a training class. We had the chance to go to Temple square with my fam, and Sammy was just mesmerized with all the lights. But he fell asleep after 10 minutes.

When we came home from Temple square, there was a package from Grandpa Bullock & Granni Cathy... As you can see, Sam was so excited to get it so that mommy could eat all the chocolates. :)

Sam just keeps getting funner and funner. He is such a smily baby and is happy most of the time ;) He loves to be talked to and his favorite thing is to say, "GOO!" He is now 3 months old and weighs 16.8 and is 26 inches long. (I know he is a big boy like his dadda!) I saw a picture of Matt when he was around the Sam age and they look almost exactly the same. Sam loves watching TV, taking tubs, and getting his diap changed. He could be in the grumpiest mood, but once we set him on his changing table, he gives us a huge smile!

He is now starting to grab a hold of things and put them in his mouth. He especially likes to put his whole fist in his mouth.

Christmas was so much fun with our little bubba goo even though he didn't really know what was going on. He sure acted excited when we opened his presents!

Look at what Santa brought Sam this year. I don't think he liked the clothes as much as the toys.

After our 6th Christmas, Sammy was wiped out. Here he is napping with his cousin, Daesen.

After I pulled this pic up on the computer, I thought it was cool because we each have different eye colors.

We love everyone so much and hope your holiday season was a great one!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hard time letting go...

2008-11-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

So last night I had to go through all of Sam's "newborn" clothes and box them away. I am so sad that he is growing up so fast. He is no longer in that "newborn" stage and it made me cry. Everyone has told me to enjoy him at each stage because they grow up so fast, but I was not thinking it would be this fast. Not only is Sam 7 weeks old tomorrow, he is also 14 pounds now. Although, I am having a hard time with him leaving the newborn stage, I am so excited to watch him grow and learn new things. He is so much fun! He is responding so much to me and his dad. He now smiles, moves his head to watch us as we walk past him, and makes the cutest cooing noises.

Check out how much he has changed:

Newborn

Today

and yep, he is now smiling!!!

A beautiful day

2008-11-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a perfect day! Sam was given a beautiful baby blessing by his dad. We had so many family members and friends there to support us. Thank you everyone!! We love you all so much!

Look how handsome he looks in his blessing outfit!

My whole fam damily!

Thanks dad for coming out for Sam's special day!

Grandma Bullock & Grandma Parsons

Grandma and Ganpi VanGend (or Gompy as Jeremy would spell it)

Matt's fam

Greggers

Annie & Boss. I can tell Sammy and Bossy are gonna be best friends! Look at that.. they both have their binkies in and are looking at something.. hmmmmm.. I smell future trouble! haha

3 Generations

I love this pic because Sam is looking at his dad! So cute!

A Busy October

2008-11-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

First of all.. Matt turned the big 3-0 on October 28th! I surprised him and took him to the Inn on the Creek in Midway and we played golf at the Homestead over the weekend. Well, I should say that it was my first time and I "tried". The people behind us were not so patient as I took 20 swings to get to the green. So we teamed up with another couple and I watched them play. But I got to drive the golf cart... that's the funnest part anyways, right?

We also threw a party for Matt on the 28th. I hope you had a great 30th birthday sweethart!!!

While we were away for the night, Grandma and Aunt Annie watched Sam and took him trunk-or-treating. It was so sad leaving our little boy for the night. Matt and I pretty much talked about Sam the whole time : ) Anyways - How come our little pumpkin didn't come home with any candy guys? haha

We also had a pumpkin carving party. Matt, Jeremy, and Jerod performed an operation on their pumpkins.

Stef won the sugar cookie contest. Here they are in action!!

HALLOWEEN

Where does the time go?

2008-10-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

It seems like the 9 months of pregnancy could not go by any slower, but then when the baby comes.. the time flies by super fast! Our little boy is now 1 month old! It has been so great spending time with him and getting to know him. He has a little personality of his own and we just love him so much!! Sammy is so close to smiling, he is now responding to us when we talk to him and play with him. It is so great to watch him grow and reach certain milestones!

Here is a pic of Matt burping Sam. So far, Sam hates being naked. We were doing a "naked" photo shoot and he was not liking it, so Matt fed him and now he looks as happy as can be!

We got this little outfit from David and Heather. I think it is the cutest thing ever! Thanks guys!

Sam is like his cousin Maya.. he loves getting baths. By the way - we hung out with Nats and Maya (almost 3 months old) last week and it was pretty hilarious because Sam and Maya were on the same exact schedule. They slept the same time, ate at the same time, were awake at the same time.. and yes.. they even pooped at the same time. : )

Here is a pic of Matt giving Sam a bath. He looks so small next to his dad.

And finally, here is a pic after his bath and ready for bed.

Our little angel

2008-10-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

I never thought I could fall in love with someone so quick! Our little Sammy was born on September 23, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and was 19 inches long. Watching the birth of our son was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life. And then watching Matt interact with his son for the first time was pretty emotional.

I am surprised how being a parent becomes so natural. Matt is an expert diaper changer and I am getting the hang of nursing. We have had quite a few laughs while changing Sam's diaper. Sam just loves to pee all over daddy and his new outfit. Today, while changing his poopy diaper, he peed twice all over his outfit. Then once daddy got everything cleaned up and a new diaper put on, we heard a "Squirt."

Sam is now a week old and he is the most perfect baby in the whole world! We just love when he opens his eyes and stares, and all the cute little noises he makes. My favorite part is when I burp him, he turns his head up and looks at me with an "O" mouth. He is such a good sleeper that dad can even vacuum, and he'll still stay asleep. He absolutely loves his Papason swing. It has been a life saver when he cannot go back to sleep at night. Sam is just like his dad in that he loves to eat, and he sleep with his hands by his head. We think Sam looks like a little of both of us. He has daddy's nose, cheeks, lips, chin, hands, and feet and he has mommy's eyes, ears, and hair. We will post a slide show with more pics soon.

Nearing the end..

2008-09-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally full term and we are ready for our son to come any day now. The nursery is finally done and our bags are packed for the hospital. We even have the car seat put in the car.

This pregnancy has been quite a journey. For me, it’s been a dream and I can vaguely remember what has happened this year. For Matt, it’s been a year FULL of projects. I read an article that some men feel overwhelmed with the thought of a new baby coming so they take on extra projects. Well that would be my husband. He took on so many projects this year that I wondered if they were going to be done. Yesterday he finished his last project of moving the shed to the other side of our house and putting on double-doors. Even though this “taking on projects” has added some serious stress, I have to say that I am so proud of him for all that he has accomplished with our house this year! Another interesting fact I read in an article is that the husband will gain weight with you in your pregnancy. Oh no.. not my Matty. In fact, he has lost 10 pounds since I got pregnant. That’s just not fair!