Silver Lake

Picture from http://www.jerrynorth.com/promotion/silver-lake-brighton-utah/

Every Sunday, my parent's have us over to their house for dinner.  I love to see my family every week, and Callum loves to see his Grammie and Papa.  Usually, we just hang out and chat after dinner, and we did so today, however, Brigham really wanted to go somewhere.  So he, Callum and I decided to take a drive up to Silver Lake. 

It was so beautiful up there, and Callum was so excited to go.  Brigham told him we might see Moose, Frogs and Beavers, so that is all Callum spoke about on the way up there.  Once we got there, he told us what we would see, what we did see and he ran almost all the way around the lake.  He was so funny.

We saw fish jumping, beavers swimming, a little duck and he got to throw rocks into the water. 

Brigham and I are really trying to set a good example for Callum, to be active an healthy, and I think going on these little adventures with him will be really good.  Next time, we want to hike up to Secret Lake.  I think Callum will really love it.  He is so much fun, and I am so lucky to have such an amazing boy!  I love him so much!

Thanks for the fun idea Brigham!  We should definitely do this kind of stuff more.

Reflections

September 2012

I am the kind of girl who does not seek after or relish change.  In fact, change is really hard for me to deal with at all.  I have a comfort box, and if we are being honest, it is not very big.  I know that change is good and that it is the only way to grow.  I still don't like it.  The last couple of weeks have consisted of almost nothing but change and I have been reflecting on my life, my choices, thoughts and feelings to see where they have led me.

I left a job and people that I really liked for a job and people I don't know at all.  I believe it will be a good opportunity, but it is hard for me not to look back and wonder if I made the right choice...

 ...A Few Months Later...

January 2012

I began the post above many months ago and (shockingly!) I never finished it.  Let me do so now.  I was in a really dark place when I began writing this, and it had everything to do with how lost I was feeling at work.  If I feel lost in any portion of my life, it will bleed to the other parts.  I knew the job I left and had really wondered if I should leave that knowledge.  The answer to that question is YES!  It has taken me quite a long time to get the hang of what I am doing now, and there are still a lot of things I do not know.  What I do know, however, is that I have never been happier in a job.  I get busy and stressed just like anyone else, but I am happy.  This is a huge change.

Let me explain... When I worked at my previous job I started at the bottom and worked my way up through three different departments.  Each time I moved I was worried and skeptical (my fear of change), and each time I realized how unhappy I was in the previous position.  When I moved from the first department to the second, I realized how angry and bitterly unhappy I was all the time because I no longer felt the same way!  In fact I had so many people tell me that they were no longer afraid of me that I was a little ashamed of my behavior and wished I would have taken the opportunity to move sooner.  Then when I moved from the second department to the third, I was again worried and skeptical, but saw AGAIN how unhappy I had been!  I loved my new position so much!  I actually felt happy and motivated on a daily basis, instead of okay mixed with fury.

I loved that job, but now that I am gone, I can see what an emotion roller coaster it was for me and how much better off I am now.  I also loved the people I worked with, but I am very influenced by my environment, and I was surrounded by angry and bitter, though good, people.  I am now in a much healthier environment for my temperament and can honestly say I have not once cried, lashed out, fumed in silence or otherwise lost control of myself or my emotions.  This alone tells me I have made the right choice.

I am happy.  I love my life, my husband and my son and I could not ask for a better lot, though maybe more children....

Short Update

Okay, I am sure we are all already aware of how HORRIBLE of a blogger I am... I mean really, I have not updated this poor lonely little blog since October.  Sigh.  I would make a promise to do better, however, I know that will be a lie as the summer swim season is starting soon and that means I will barely have time to breath let alone blog.  So I am going post some updates starting with Halloween in the next little while before swimming starts and hopefully things will still go in order of actual life... it will just be published after that life already happened :)

In random news, I have to share the best email I have ever been a part of at Tandem Labs.  First some background on the sender; Spencer is a very calm, quiet, steady man who does not show a lot of emotion.  He doesn't often make jokes or participate in any gossip/drama/office politics.  So when we receive something like this from him....

... I literally almost peed my pants laughing!  It made my day.  I had to print it and put it up on the wall of my cubicle so that I can see it everyday and smile :)

Thanks for the laugh Spencer!

Confessions of a Terrible Blogger

I want to be a good blogger... I just don't know how.  I get so caught up in the craziness of my life that I forget to take the time to write it all down.  I know that that is essentially not a bad thing, but I want a record of all the fun things that go on in my life, like a journal but with pictures :)

So, here I am again, updating a couple months at a time, and I hope that I can do them all justice...

Also, we don't really do much in the winter months, so this update will be mostly just pictures.

January 2012

Callum LOVES books!  He loves to look at them and pretend he is reading them, and he steals my books all the time.  He is so funny! And I hope he keeps his love for books as he gets older.

He is so cute in his little Eskimo coat, but he won't wear the gloves because he wants to have access to his fingers...

He is not a big snuggler, so when I can get some, I will take them!

 

This boy sure does love his daddy!  I loves to sit and hang out with Brigham, and he, of course, has his own remote :)

He was not so sure about the Luv Sac

He loves his remote!

His hair is getting so long!  I love it so much, and it is such a pretty color

It is long enough on top that I can do little braids... Brigham doesn't like it much when I do that.  I can't imagine why!

He is really starting to like his toys.  He sat himself in this little corner with his toys and played all by himself

Hanging out with daddy, and more importantly, daddy's phone

He crosses his legs when he sits down all the time; it is so funny

He loves the computer, and his dearest wish is to be able to someday reach that mouse...

 February 2012

Daddy got this grenade from the family white elephant gift exchange, and Callum loves to play with it.  Even though it is not "loaded" I am not sure how I feel about that.... Brigham on the other hand, thinks it is awesome

Eating the chocolate off a strawberry... he is very independent and wants to do everything himself

He will be your best friend forever if you let him play with you mobile electronic device

Sweet sleepy angel

  

March 2012

This is one of the greatest pictures!  See the little morning hair sticking out, plus that amazing pout?  This kid kills me he is so cute

His hair gets longer everyday, and everyday at least one person asks me when we are going to cut it... NEVER!  Haha, well eventually, but not anytime soon.  I am too attached to it :)

This boy is so sweet!  He gives some of the sweetest smiles sometimes and it just melts my heart!  Along with those big blue eyes

Daddy is teaching him how to listen to music with earphones.  He thinks it is the coolest thing ever.  Daddy has also been teaching him to bob his head and fist pump to the music

Callum does not really like to watch TV, but he loves to watch music videos on the computer

He sleeps in the funniest positions sometimes

So Callum has not yet learned the art of self preservation, sooooo daddy was changing him one day and looked away for only a second and Callum rolled right off the changing table on got the BIGGEST goose egg on his forehead.  I felt so bad for him, but mostly for Brigham, because he felt so aweful about it.  Oh well, he was fine, and this is something we will probably have to get used to with a boy whose father is Brigham :)

NOT, however, because Brigham would let him fall off the changing table, but because Brigham was a wild child and I am sure Callum will be very similar

Now that Callum has really gotten the hang of walking, he wants to walk EVERYWHERE!

And of course, Callum loves his Grandpa

And to play with his daddy

Auntie Heather had this cute Jazz hat made for Callum... hopefully I can get him to wear it

Grammie's sink is just the right size for a bath

I would consider myself the luckiest Mom on the planet right now.  Callum is such a good and sweet boy, and he is mostly a pleasure to be around (he is also a tiny terror sometimes).

Everything that we have gone through with this boy is and always will be worth every bit.  He is the love of my life, and I don't know what I ever did without him.   I am so glad that Heavenly Father blessed me so much by sending him down to me, and I strive every day to be the best mommy I can possibly be.  I love you little guy!

Fun December

December was really fun this year with Callum's first birthday and then Christmas.  This was not technically Callum's first Christmas, but he was only 18 days old for his first one, so we will say that this was his first FUN Christmas!

Side Note:  Callum had his one year doctor's appointment a few days after his birthday and it is truly official that this kid is just tall and skinny.  He has consistently been in the 95th percentile for height, 75th percentile for head size and 25th percentile for weight.  Well his height and weight are in the same range, but he is now in the 15th percentile for weight; too skinny.  So now we get to start feeding him whole milk and our doctor wants us to add Carnations Instant Breakfast into his milk.  All about the Calories!  He will be able to eat whatever he wants for the rest of his life.  What a lucky kid.  We have a weight check in 6 weeks to see if we can get him back up to a higher weight percentile.  So we will see what happens.

This kid seriously loves books!  I put him in his crib to play (we are backwards; he sleeps in his pack and play and plays in his crib) and I came back to find him just kicking back with a book.  It was so cute!  He was holding it up and reading it out loud to himself.  I love him so much!

He is getting really good at feeding himself.  He is very precise and will work really hard to pick up the little tiny pieces of food. 

Callum is becoming a little ham for the camera.  I get this look a lot when he catches me taking pictures of him.  It is my favorite; the crinkled little nose just kills me it is so cute.

For Christmas eve Brigham and I go to the Stapley family Christmas Eve party which is always a ton of fun.  There are always a lot of people there and the kids all play together and there is yummy food, presents for the kids and then John reads the Christmas story from the Bible and the kids all act it out.  This year, all the little girls wanted to be Mary because the youngest child/baby gets to be baby Jesus and that was Callum this year, so they all wanted to be able to hold him.  It was so cute.  They did a really good job.

 All the cousins in their Nativity best

 Ireland was the lucky one and got to be Mary

 Callum is unsure of what is going on

 Presenting baby Jesus with gifts

Seesters!

My family has a tradition every year to open one present on Christmas Eve and it is always a new pair of PJ's.  I love this tradition!  It is so fun to be able to open one gift early, and who doesn't like new jamies!

 Grammie holding up her halo with her horns :)

Christmas morning.... SANTA CAME!  Our tiny little Charlie Brown tree looks a little forlorn, but this little kid sure did make a haul.  Santa knows him really well, he brought him a whole bunch of books!

 Again, he is unsure of what is going on

Family Christmas Photo

After we had a brief little Christmas morning at home, we packed up the rest of our presents and headed over to my parents house, where we were just in time to watch April and Danny and family open their presents via Skype.  It was so much fun!  Mason and Lily are getting to that super fun age where Christmas is really fun and exciting for them.  It was so fun to watch them open their gifts.  When they were all done we opened all our presents before breakfast.  Callum didn't really know what to do at first, but he catches on pretty quick and when he finally realized that the presents had fun things in them for him, he got excited to help open them.

 He loves the dogs!

 Chillin with some Cheerios

 Callum loves to play with his daddy

 Books with Buttons are the best!

 He liked to play with the ornaments on the Christmas tree

 He just starting sticking his tongue out when his is busy... so funny

I have wanted these shoes for a VERY long time!  Every girl needs a good pair of red heels and these are the best!  Thanks Santa :)

Christmas was on Sunday this year, which is always fun because there is usually a beautiful Christmas program done.  We were going to go with my parents to their ward, but their church starts at 9am with Sacrament at 11am (they only had Sacrament) and Callum still takes two naps during the day.  So after we opened presents we put Callum down for his morning nap and Brigham decided that he would like to go to church.  So he went with my family and I stayed home with the sleeping boy.  

Christmas day is always crazy in my family and I love it!  We open presents in the morning and then have yummy egg "Mac" muffins for breakfast, then we go and see my Nannie and Grandpa and then go see John and then we go see my Grandma.  I love being able to see all my family in one day.  I love them so much!  I seriously am so lucky.

 There are so many fun things at Nannie and Grandpa's house

 One of my new tricks... High Five!

 Auntie Heather's favorite part of babies is watching the adults to funny things.... Touchdown!

 I am getting  better at walking

 Callum found a remote and Grandpa John's so he is just kicking back with it

 Callum and Max got matching jamies this year... Max is not sure he wants to share his toys

 Tried to get a picture with the cute boys, but this is the best we got

 Auntie Heather sure does love Callum, and he loves his Auntie :)

 Fitt family tradition, puzzles!

My beautiful Momma!

The best part of having Christmas on Sunday is that the day after becomes my paid holiday off of work!  Yay!  To celebrate we went to breakfast with the Forrests at the Black Bear.  It was really good.  However, it was not all fun.  My sweet little child has a problem with putting far too much food in his mouth; in fact, he will stuff his mouth so full that it gets to the point where he tries to swallow, chokes, and then throws everything up.  It is glorious.  So yes, this happened.  It was epically disgusting and please note that trying to "catch" vomit does not work.  Luckily, John had brought us some clothes that he had just cleaned that he had had at his house so Brigham and him took Callum to the bathroom and got him all hosed off and changed... well as hosed off as is possible in a restaurant bathroom, but it was good enough.  After that, Brigham volunteered to take him back to John's house and put him in bed while the rest of us finished our breakfast.  "You know you are a mom when..." your child throws up all over the place and then you go back to eating your breakfast :)

 He got this book for Christmas, it sings and lights up.  He loves it

 The Forrest Clan

Later that day my Aunt Kathie had a party at her house for the MacArthur side of the family so we got to go to that as well.  I am so happy that she did this because we used to get to see all the MacArthur's on Christmas when we went to my Nannie and Grandpa's but a few years ago they decided that it was just too much for them to handle now, so they haven't had everyone over.  As a result, it had been a long time since we were able to see that side of the family, and I love them!  They are so fun to talk to; Celeste and Lisa (Kathie's two girls) are some of my very favorite people to talk to, and they both live out of state, so it was so fun to be able to see them.  Thanks for the fun gathering Kathie!  You are the best.

 Tired tired boy....

 Callum kept flailing around and he actually threw himself off of Brigham's lab and Brigham ended up grabbing him by the ankle at the last minute, so he was hanging upside down by the ankle.  Nice catch Brigham!

 These are my attempts at getting a cute picture of Callum and Me... he was really tired so he was not about it

Finally, New Year's Eve... Not super fun with a one year old.  We didn't really have plans for this year because Callum can barely make it past 7pm let alone midnight somewhere else, but poor Brigham is really really sick so we could not have done anything anyway.  The little guy is in bed, Brigham is miserable on the couch and I am updating my blog.  Happy New Year!