Memorial Day Weekend 2016

Henry first took a dip in his pools Friday night.   He loved the hose and gave it more attention than the pools for the first time.  He drank out of the hose too! 

We've been praying and hoping for a long time for Hunter to have a better shift at work.  (11am-7:30pm yuck!)  And this week we were so blessed! Hunter now has a "normal" 9am-5pm shift.  It is so great. 

Saturday we hung low in the morning, then went house looking for fun with some friends.

After a nap and quiet time we went to a wedding reception at a darling local farm. 

Sunday was our 7 year anniversary! 

That evening Kaci and her baby Afton were in town! We missed Aaron a ton! But were so glad to meet Afton and have a nice visit with friends. 

On Monday's holiday we swam twice as a family, I tried to find a new swimsuit, had some very good food at a family barbecue and ended the night at a backyard big screen movie with friends.  Henry was a trooper all day and still got in two naps.  But by movie time I was worried he'd had it.  On the contrary! He was so excited to be lounging on blankets with little friends and eating SO MUCH POPCORN. It was truly adorable.  What a great weekend! 

Late Night Henry

It was 11pm and Henry was still not sleepy before bed! His pajamas are my favorite and he was being so cute right after his bath.  So I snapped some photos. 

Climbing

Hunter got out the step ladder to change a light bulb and Henry couldn't wait to be the next one on it! 

Last Swimming Lesson

Aren't they the cutest?  I love in the last half of the photos- Hunter and Henry's faces are touching each time. 

Natalie Lately

So- my life since having Henry has not changed too much- I mean obviously there's a baby here now.  But I like to think of it as my life has been ADDED upon.   Not my life has changed.  I'm still me.

My days right now:

Hunter still goes into work at 11am.  It is pretty nice having him here in the mornings.  He gets up earlier than me naturally so he will grab a bottle for Henry and hang out with him for a little longer so I can doze and wake up nice and slow.

We are all up together around 8:30 or 9:00 (Henry doesn't get up till about 8am).  We have a green smoothie and I am usually cranky.  Just because it's morning.  Especially Mondays, I feel overwhelmed sometimes when I think about all the things I want/ have to do.  But honestly, I have to relax because I DO have time for it all.

I am working so hard on getting my scriptures and prayers done as early as possible.  They usually happen when Hunter leaves at 10:30 and Henry goes down for a nap.  This first nap is my busiest time.  I do dishes, laundry, read scriptures, pray, blog, shop online, pick up the house, make any calls I need to plan my day or week, then I shower and get all ready.

Henry wakes up and we have lunch.  And snuggle and read books and play.

Then we go do stuff outside of our house.  Some days we stay in and I love those days.  But if I have too many, then I feel lazy.

We do all the errands, hang out with family and friends, and play!  I like taking Henry out to do stuff.  He is an easy travel companion.  The hardest is when he mangels his way out of the shopping cart and I look over and he's standing on the seat!

About 4pm Henry is ready for another nap.   We head home.

He sleeps, I have a little down time.  Then I make dinner while he's sleeping if I'm smart that day.

Dinner is the worst part of my day.  I love cooking.  And I can't figure out why I'm having this aversion to dinner lately.  But it is so much easier to do when Henry is sleeping.

When he wakes up again there is a good two hours till Hunter gets home at 8pm.  The days that I don't have appointments this is a LONG TWO HOURS.  The whole day is fine for me, but really, dads should be home by 6pm.  We're working on that.

But at least once a week we have something in the evening.  This week we went to a missionary opening his call, the choir concert and to visit Carli's new house.  I have lots of meetings in the evening for my calling too.  Henry just comes along.

After Hunter gets home and eats we put Henry to bed.  I either hang with Hunter and we talk and watch TV or I go walking with some friends in my ward.

Then around 11:30pm I start my routine before bed.  And we are usually turning of the lights at 12:20 every night.  Really 12:20 is the usual.

I love my life and our little schedule.   I dream about moving and having a bigger garage, kitchen and a pool.  I love our house so much.  And really I DON'T want to move because keeping up with our house is a big job anyways.  But houses are on my mind probably since Hunter has his real estate license and is seeing houses all the time.

I want to travel all the time.  Right now I want to go to Virginia, DC and always NYC again.
And Utah.  I really really want to go to Utah.

And Hawaii.

Henry Lately

I just have to write about a few things Henry has been up to!

Henry loves watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and has learned that the TV remote is what turns it on.  When the remote is lying around, Henry will grab it and push on it (buttons or not) with all his might.  ALL HIS MIGHT.  His face gets hard and intense and his mouth clenches and his forehead gets red.  He just wants to put that TV on and he thinks if he pushes harder it will happen!  Hunter and I just giggle at him.

Henry has started to protest being put in his carseat.  He squeals and turns and flares his body.  Sometimes I just have to take him out for a second and then re-start.

Henry is dancing!  Any music or even a book that rhymes with a beat- Henry will be bouncing.  If I sing him a song, he dances.  If I put on music anywhere, he looks at me with this like- "oh no you didn't!" smile and starts moving his body.  He bounces on his knees or leads with his belly and jives.  The best is when his shoulders get in the action and he has the perfect shimmy.

Just now as I typed this- the intermission came on for Chitty chitty Bang bang and Henry was bouncing so hard that he fell over backwards! haha!


Henry has also been kind of cranky.  After his first birthday he just was difficult!  It's got better.  I still think he's having teeth or maybe his growth spurts are right on.  He also had three naps yesterday!  That hasn't happened for months and months!  He's at a solid two naps right now.

He learned how to clap yesterday.  Literally yesterday.  Hunter and I were singing and clapping a ton with him.  Then last night I took him to the GHS choir concert where he- of course danced to all the music in my lap- but also realized the audience was clapping in between songs and I think his face said "Oh I know what their doing!" And he joined along with their clapping.

He also loves to observe children and other babies.  At the choir concert he couldn't keep his eyes off the children around us.

Henry definitely wants to talk.  I can tell he's frustrated that he cannot tell me what he needs or wants.

He is eating so much better.   He loves spelt bread, cheese, cottage cheese, spiral noodles, his fruit pouches, and drinking out of my QT cup.

Just today he started holding up his arm and hand and opening and closing his hand towards me to say "come here, mom".

Oh and Henry is sucking his thumb almost non-stop now.  It's never ever been this bad and I am reminding him all the time to take it out.  And I honestly have been praying about how to teach him to obey me and keep that thumb out!  I think the thumb is related to his crankyness and possible teething.

Henry's 1st Birthday Party

King Henry had a royal party for his 1st birthday!

Hunter and I had so much fun planning and decorating and creating this party.  We could imagine Henry's face when he saw it all (especially the castle) and we loved putting time into an event to celebrate our precious child. 

We built a cardboard castle.  My mom made tons of sandwiches for everyone.  Hunter's mom made a fruit salad. We bought the cakes.  I made/ borrowed the decorations. 

Guests were arriving and King Henry was sleeping. 

We woke him a little suddenly and a little quickly- so we changed his dirty diaper, gave him a bottle and dressed him in his King gear. 

His face when he saw the party (and all the cameras welcoming him)!

Being adorable. 

The young guests were invited to decorate a crown. 

After lunch, everyone came inside to watch Henry's "one second everyday" video that I had been compiling all year. 

Then it was on to cake smashing! 

And then presents. He was so excited to open presents!