{January Fun}

Every January all month long Mike get's to hear the dreaded words "It's my birth month" attached to any request I make... I firmly believe in celebrations that last all month long!  Needless to say it's been a pretty good month for me. 😉

This year I reached the illustrious age of 28.  Only a few years left of my youth.. oh dear. Mike surprised me with an Amazon echo that I have been enjoying talking to all day.  I like asking Alexa to tell me jokes or give me news or a weather forecast for the day.  It's almost like having another adult in the house!  (I suppose this is a benefit I appreciate more since I'm at home with a toddler and infant all day)

January also brought my turn to host for the Bunco group I am part of.  That was pretty fun - it was a unique challenge to fit 12 people in our small living space for the set up of the game but it worked!  It's fun to get together with some girls every month and play Bunco... When I joined the group Mike said, "Bunco group huh?  That sounds like an event for 85 year olds at assisted living centers."  BUT he has come around since my Bunco nights mean unlimited gaming time for him so it's a double win :)

Cal & Wes bring so much happiness to each day.  Here are a few glimpses or our day to day life together - 

Calvin's favorite time is water time - standing at the sink and playing with different types of cups and bowls will entertain him for hours!

Wesley LOVES food and will ball his fists and grunt if he sees me eating something and not sharing.  It's a capital offense in his book.  He's got lots of teeth and is eating almost everything now!

He is also pretty mobile (and FAST) which means he scoots himself into precarious situations often.  Underneath the piano seems to be the most common.

Calvin likes his independence and he chooses what shows he wants to watch, books to read, or clothes to wear.  It's pretty adorable.

They LOVE bath time together.  Which reminds me of a funny joke I saw 

Everyday.  

Calvin also likes to run around our room and grab everything that's not his to see if he'll get in trouble.  He found Daddy's bama hat and thought he was so funny wearing it!

A little cuddle time with Wes!

Calvin went to a friend's first birthday party! (Rowan - pictured in the background) He liked the rock climbing wall they had to play on!

Wes found the Hawaiian lei in the box of toys and donned it himself.  What a little sweetie. 

Oh yes, another fun event of January was Dad coming to stay with us for a few days last week for the furniture market!  It was cool to go see it down at the World Market Center in Vegas and check out the latest in the furniture world.  Cal and Wes liked seeing him in the evenings too!

Lest I forget - Mike's doppleganger was spotted as Melania Trump's bodyguard at the Inaugural Parade - 

Spitting image - seriously, it's almost uncanny.

It's been a good 2017 so far :)

{2016: A year in review}

Highlighting some of the best moments of 2016 ... each day was a pretty wild adventure! 

Started off the year with Mom's horrible hair cutting mistake (just prior to our trip to the south to meet some cousins on the Reynolds side)... Free advice - watch those razor guards, guys!

Our trip to Alabama (Mike's old mission) and Georgia (where some of our family lives) was an incredible adventure!  I LOVED the food and the hospitality of the people in the areas we visited.  Traveling with my little band of boys is probably my favorite thing to do! :) 

Calvin enjoyed February / March.. perhaps sensing it would be his last few months as an only child!  We tried to enjoy every moment with our little guy before his brother joined the party.

The Reynolds were staying in San Diego so we went to see them in February too.  Mike proposed to me at the San Diego temple on February 18, 2011.  This picture was taken February 18, 2016 - when we were able to go through a session!  Cool way to celebrate and reminisce on that special time in our relationship. :)

Sweet little Calvin in his Easter best.

My cute "Music for Little Mozarts" class surprised me at our last lesson with a baby shower!  Whhaaattt!?!  Still one of my favorite memories of the year.  These little girls mean the world to me.

Wesley James ... 04 April 2016.  The sacred moment that he entered our family is one that is so tender to me - I love this little boy with all my heart! 

First picture as a family of four!  

An awesome support network of aunts & grandparents helped make the time prior to Wesley's birth and his transition home go smoothly.

Calvin and Wesley getting acquainted in this newborn photoshoot.  

First bath for the Wes man

Calvin got evicted from his crib to make way for the baby.  He did so well switching over to his big boy bed! 

One of our first outings as a family of four was to a rock monument in the desert called "Seven Magic Mountains"

Calvin adjusted to having a baby brother pretty quickly

Dad also found ways to adjust to having a new baby :) 

The blessing day of Wesley was extra special - Marianne and Jim gave talks as they were about to head to their mission on Oahu, Hawaii! 

Calvin and Dad went on their first father/son campout with the Acacia Ward! 

This was a pretty cool date night because it was the first time we went out after the babe!  woo hoo! 

CHEERIO CHALLENGE!  Let it be known we both tied with a record of 5 cheerios.

Celebrating Wesley turning 3 months old! 

Family outing at Bonnie Springs Ranch.. Calvin cried and was fairly successful at making sure we all had a miserable time.  It was quite memorable tantrum throwing from him that day :S Yikes.

Cousins three weeks apart - Wes and Lola Belle!  

We enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July in Utah this year. 

Ah, the beginning of college football season!  Loved watching games with my mini fans! 

Calvin went through a phase of putting all his toys in his bed with him.  It was pretty adorable.

ROADTRIP!  Boise, Idaho for our friends the Thills wedding.  It was beautiful! 

This year I have really enjoyed serving in the Relief Society.  I feel like I'm surrounded by some pretty special people.

This is what my piano crew looked like as of September!  Wonderful little musicians in the making.

Our family photos, taken by Linda Carter.  

Calvin was spoiled for his second birthday!  His love of tools was starting so he received his first tool set and this cute card from his cousin Saffron in Arizona!

Wesley loves this bouncer so much.  He used to fall asleep in it all the time & I'd never hear him cry!  He just wanted to bounce til all his energy was used up :)

In October we got a piano!  It's been a dream.  I absolutely love playing it and teaching with it has become so much easier :) 

Emilie came out to visit in October & we went to go see a Cirque show at MGM.  It was sooo fun to have her here and catch up.  

Daddy was gone for a six week training but happened to be able to fly to Utah for Halloween weekend!  We sure loved seeing him and doing all the holiday rituals as a family! 

Elder & Sister Reynolds sent us our FAVORITE Hawaiian treat - sugarloaf (white) pineapple.  We loved and savored every single bite of that tropical fruit!  

Celebrating a year of hard work recruiting at the Annual!  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the people who Mike is blessed to work with.  Being away from family is made a lot easier when the work family is as amazing as F flight!

While in Utah I was able to catch "Little Mermaid" at Box Elder with the family.  None other than my sweet cousin Laura Dean played Ariel!  We don't mind having a princess in the family :)

Thanksgiving we spent in Gilbert, Arizona this year with Dan & Krystal ... we were able to meet sweet new cousin Golda Loy and attend the baby blessing.  So fun to re-connect and see the new baby! 

Our Acacia Ward Christmas party was one for the books this year!  I loved seeing all the kids and families getting into the Christmas Spirit.

We ended the year in Utah for the holidays.  We spent a week there just relaxing with family.  Say what you will about 2016, but I think it was a pretty great year :)