Planning a baby free vacation

Patrick and I are planning our first trip alone together since our honeymoon. I thought I would never be brave enough to leave our baby boy with someone while we go out of town, but things definitely change. Evan gets to spend 4 fun filled days with his loving Nana, and I am sure he won't miss us a bit. Although, I am sure I will miss our little darling every moment, I am definitely looking forward to the uninterrupted adult time. I honestly don't think I have been away from Evan for more than half a day since he was born, and that only happened once. I am shamefully looking forward to the break!

I am thrilled to spend some time exploring a new place and getting to know my husband again. We've been mommy and daddy for so long, it will nice to just be husband and wife for a few days. And thanks to Nana this trip is going to be as fun for Evan as it will be for us. I just hope that after Nana takes Evan to the Zoo, the aquatic center, the discovery zone, and the farm (or whatever fun places she has planned) he will still remember who his parents are and want to come home with us. :)

We're Having a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

“What Is A Little Girl!”

She's a bundle of sweetness,
brightness & fun

The beauty of springtime,
the warmth of the sun

She's Innocence covered with mud,
sand, & soot

She's Motherhood dragging
a doll by the foot...

She's a composite picture of
giggles & tears

Of tantrums, excitement,
amusement & fears

A bundle of mischief
and often a tease

A creature of moods
not easy to please...

Who'll capture your heart
with her pixie-like grin

Or chatter and beg till your
patience wears thin

But obedient, naughty,
mischievous or coy

She's Mom's little Darling &
Dad's Pride & Joy.

Enjoying the Spring weather!

Evan sat in front of the window all morning looking at the kids playing outside, while I packed for a trip to Salt Lake. I felt soooo bad!
I tried to make it up to him when we got to Salt Lake. We spent two whole days playing outside. He loved all the playgrounds around, especially the slides!

Sporting Uncle Holden's sunglasses.
And a chocolate milk mustache. What do you think, am I as cool as Holden??? :)
When we got back home the weather was still nice, so we took Evan down to the river and let him run around.
He had a blast chasing the ducks!

Easter!

Evan got spoiled from the Easter bunny this year!
He wasn't quite sure what to think at first.
He figured it out fast enough.

Alright, double fisting the candy!

General Conference

I am so grateful for the opportunity to watch General Conference this weekend. For the first time in my life, I wondered if I would be able to watch Conference in my home or if I would have to go to a Stake Center to see the broadcast. Thank goodness, it is available in Idaho as well as in Utah. I don't think I would be able to attend with a rambunctious one year old at toe. How blessed we are to have the opportunity to hear our church leaders in the comfort of our own home!

I had the opportunity to think about how blessed we are to live in a place where the Gospel is so easily accessible, to have church houses around every corner, and Temples within a ten minute drive. It's incredible how easily these things are taken for granted. Now that I don't live in Utah, I miss the knowledge of having our dear Profit living, almost literally, right down the street. I miss being able to walk the grounds of the Salt Lake Temple any day of the week. And I miss being able to see the glorious silhouette of a number of Temples as I drove up and down I15.

It's amazing how the words of our Church leaders are always exactly what you need to hear. Today the messages that stood out for me were all about Temples, and Temple work. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to go to the Temple. I am grateful for the blessings that are available to us by attending there. I am grateful for the knowledge that our families can be forever, and I am grateful for the knowledge and guidance we can receive to help us return to live with our Father in Heaven as eternal families.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and I know that The LDS Church is the True Church, HIS church, and I know that this Church has been established on the Earth to guide us back to Him. I am so grateful for the Gospel, and the Savior's light in my life.

Publish Post

Little Mann Walkin'

Evan's been walking for about a month now. I thought he was into everything before, now I can hardly keep up! It's so weird to turn around and find him standing right behind me. I love it though! One of my favorite things ever is to walk around with him holding onto my hand. We walked all over the mall that way. It was so cute, and so much fun!

Grandma and Grandpa Mann

We had the wonderful opportunity to go and visit Evan't great grandparent's. Grandma Mann cooked us a delicious lunch and we had a blast visiting and getting to know them better. Grandpa Mann showed us some of the great memorabilia he's collected, and told us a bit about his fascinating life and his travels. Grandma Mann showed us some of her amazing needle point art. Evan had so much fun playing with them and getting to know them better. We can't wait to go visit again!

Evan's 1st Birthday Party!!!!

Evan had his first Birthday party on March 5th at his great Grandparent's house. He had tons of family and friends come to help him celebrate. Almost all of his cousins, grandparents, great grandparents, and aunts and uncles were there. It was an awesome party, and Evan got spoiled with tons of great gifts. Thank you to everyone that helped make Evan's first birthday so great! I am pretty sure Evan had a good time. :)


Mmmm cake!!!
So many toys.....so little time........
I'm not sure who was more excited about the toys, Evan or Daddy.


This was my first attempt at cake decorating. Evan loves music so I made him a guitar cake. Thank goodness my mom was there to help! It was more difficult than it looks.
Ahh.....Evan's all time favorite toy, ribbon.


Yay! More ribbon!!

Mom's the Word

Okay, so I am not the best blogger. It has been ages since I've updated. Sorry. Obviously a lot has happened since my last post. Evan started crawling shortly after Cancun and has been getting into everything! He recently started standing up on his own. We're thinking that he will be walking before his first birthday. It's so much fun to have our little mover crawling all over.

He has also been talking up a storm! His first word was "Dadda," which he has been saying for months now. Since then, he has added "kitty" (which sounds more like "Key" pronounced in two syllables), "up," "apple," "uh oh," and my favorite "mamma." Those are the only words that come out perfectly clear, but I swear he is saying full blown sentences and we just don't understand them yet. This morning I heard him talking to the kitty through the baby gate. I swear he was saying "hiya kitty," over and over again. I've also heard him proclaim proudly as clear as day, "I did it!" Although he hasn't repeated that sentence, I think he deserves credit for that one. It's not often that baby babbling comes out sounding like pefect English.

His favorite toys are the kitty, the toilet, the garbage can, any reachable cupboard or drawer, the dishwasher, and the heating vents. I actually found him the other day with the vent cover on his lap and both legs down in the vent. Apparently he thought it was the perfect heated seat for him. Needless to say, I keep the vents taped down now. I have also removed all the doorstoppers from our house. He discovered they were fun to spring back and forth, and even more fun to unscrew from the wall and eat.

Speaking of eating, he loves to eat grown up food. He wants whatever we are eating, no matter what that may be. This is great, because we don't have to buy him baby food much anymore. It's bad, because his parents tend to eat a lot of junk that probably isn't the best for a growing baby. He sure loves his ice-cream though! Everytime he sees someone eating ice-cream his whole boddy tenses and shakes with excitement. That's his non-verbal way of saying, "Give me some now, and no one gets hurt!" If that doesn't work, he just starts yelling. Wow, we've trained him well. Yikes.

We love our little guy. He's quite the handfull, but personally I think he gets more fun everyday. Who knew having a kid could be this much fun? :)

Angel Baby