Look Who's Walking, Too!

Garrett is walking!! One day after we had gotten home from Target, and after unloading a big box of diapers from the trunk, I put Garrett down to play with his toys but he decided to crawl over to the diaper box that was in the corner of the living room, stood up on his own, and walked the length of the living room!! I was in total shock!
It's really funny how he walks: He'll walk with both of his index fingers pointed out and then he'll stick his tongue out, too! :) He will still crawl around but prefers walking most of the time! What a cutie!!

Good job Little Man!! You're just growing up way too fast!

Gettin' Down and Derby!

Last week, the Elders Quorum wanted to do a Pine Wood Derby for just the Elders Quorum! Um, I always thought the Pine Wood Derby was just for the Scouts?? Anyway, John made his block of wood into an old farm truck (surprise, surprise) and sad to say, lost every race! :) He kinda knew that his truck was slow so he didn't feel too bad about losing! :)

John's 1st race down the track




John racing against his buddy, Mark

It was a fun night!

Garrett At 1 Year

I just want to write down what Garrett's stats are at 12 months. He won't have his 1 year checkup until April, so I don't know the exact measurements.

• Weight: 22 lbs.
• Has 4 teeth
  
• Has learned to stand up by himself and take a few steps on his own before falling. We are hoping within the next month, he will be walking!!
• He's figured out how to turn on the most annoying toy that he has! (He actually figured that out a couple of months ago...)
• Knows when he is in trouble ( I feel bad for even mentioning that I get mad at him sometimes!)
• Is in a forward facing car seat!
• He "helps" me do my hair in the bathroom and will turn on the cold water faucet and just let it run...
• Wears 12-18 month clothing
• Has been in size 4 diapers since he was 5 months old!
  
• Wore his first pair of shoes and is not a fan of them
• Plays "Where's Garrett??" with us

Gosh! It's hard to remember everything that he is doing at 1 year! I feel like that list could go on and on! He's the happiest little boy! :) Love him!

Dearest Garrett,

Today you are 1! I can't even believe how fast your first year went by! It seems like only yesterday that we brought you home. There are so many, many things that I want to tell you on your birthday, but I'll just tell you the story of "You".
I found out I was pregnant with you July 2009. I was so excited! I wanted to scream, cry, laugh. I also wanted to tell your daddy in a cute way but I was just too excited that I ended up calling him at work and telling him that he was going to be a Daddy! He was just as excited as I was! I went to the Dr. and he said that my due date would be March 12th, 2010! It seemed like such a long wait! We told the family when I was 8 weeks pregnant! Needless to say that they were excited, too!
October had finally come and we were anxious to find out whether you were a boy or a girl. Daddy was praying and hoping that you were a boy and I didn't care either way. But, I sort of had a feeling that you were a boy! Sure enough, I was right!! A Boy! We were more than thrilled and after the appointment, we went and bought you your first outfit to make it official!
Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went and before we knew it, March was here! However, you didn't come on the 12th as planned! I ended up going to the Dr. and he told me that we would schedule an inducement date for the 14th! I cried and was so upset. I wanted you here today! But, I figured we waited for 9 months, what's another 2 days? For the next two days I was feeling anxious and nervous about labor and delivery...I didn't get much sleep.
It was a Sunday morning. A very early Sunday morning. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30am! I had butterflies in my stomach the entire ride there. Hours and hours (16 hours to be exact) passed when my nurse came in and told me that we had to do an emergency C-section. More tears, more butterflies. I wasn't prepared for one and I was scared. They kept telling me that you were too big to fit through me!
March 14th, 2010 9:30p.m. I'll never forget the first time I saw you! So many emotions went through me and all I could do was cry. I was so happy to see you and so happy to know that you arrived here safely. Daddy got to watch you being born and he even shed a few tears, too! You had a lot of family come to visit you and 3 days later, we got to take you home. It was so good to be home.
And then, I blinked. It's been a year full of firsts for you and for us. The first time you smiled, our hearts melted and the first time you laughed will be a memory we'll always remember. You are such a good baby. You are always happy and you have so much energy! Your personality is starting to come through and we think that you are just hilarious! You do some of the funniest things. We've had our share of hard days and long sleepless nights, but we are so thankful and so blessed that you are in our lives and that you chose us to be your parents. You're so special and so sweet!
Garrett, we love you so much! Happy 1st Birthday, Little Man!
Lots of Hugs and Kisses,
Love Mommy and Daddy

Happy Birthday, Garrett!

Garrett's the Birthday Boy!! Ironically, we ended up celebrating on the day that Garrett was supposed to be born, Saturday March 12th! :) All through the month of February I was deciding what theme to do for his 1st birthday. I wanted to do a huge blow out! He only turns 1 once! I finally decided on a "Barnyard Animals" theme! That morning, I got up and made 50, yes I said 50, cupcakes that Ashley and I would be decorating. Then, John and I decorated the house with "1st Birthday" balloons and banners! It was so much fun! We could hardly wait til 6:00pm to roll around!

We started the afternoon by decorating cupcakes like barnyard animals.



We made chicks, cows, pigs, and sheep!






And, I even let John make/decorate Garrett's very own cake that he would dive into later! :)


The Barnyard Scene:





I must say that they turned out so, so adorable! Ashley and I had fun making them!

The Birthday Boy's Party:

After we sang "Happy Birthday", we let Garrett dive right into his cake! He got a fistful of just frosting for the first couple of bites and then...

...he used a spoon....


..then, his hands again...

..and then, finally...he was covered in cake literally from head to toe!




I probably should have taken off his shirt and pants before he started eating cake!

Present Time:



Wow! So excited! These are all for you, Garrett!

Not even half way through opening his presents, Garrett was getting a little restless and not wanting to sit on my lap anymore so....

...I ended up opening the rest of his gifts! :)

John Deere boots (of course)
He actually got 2 pairs of these!


Even Elder Hill sent Garrett a birthday present! :)


Bath toys

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARRETT!!

We love you so much and hope that your birthday was as special as you are!

"Spin Around!"

After Garrett's nap today he was being such a ham!! He crawled over to the tile floor and starting spinning himself!! It was so funny! I only caught the last part of him doing it! Of course! This video is about the 3rd or 4th time he did it but, the first time he did it, I died laughing! The spinning just came out of nowhere! I didn't teach him and John's not home to teach him so...he figured it out on his own, I guess!

We have such a character on our hands!! :)

Rigby: Temporary Home, 24/7 Mom

This last week was crazy busy!! My sister-in-law Tawnya went to Kansas to see her fiancee and she asked John and I if we would stay at her house in Rigby and watch her 3 kids and their 3 (yes I said 3) indoor cats for the week while she was gone. I was a little hesitant just because Garrett was coming down with a cold and plus, I think he's allergic to her cats! Perfect!!
We went over there Saturday night and John took Tawnya to the airport early Sunday morning. John stayed home with all 4 kids while I went to church and taught my Primary class. Later that night, we took them over to Bruce and Linda's for cake and ice cream then back home for baths and bedtime. First night was a success!
Monday the kids didn't have school, so we all just sat around in our pj's and did nothing all day! Tuesday morning we had to get the kids up and ready for school, have them catch the bus, take the 5 year old to preschool, come back home for a few hours, pick her up from preschool, wait for the other two to get home from school, do chores/homework., take Ethan to Scouts, take Bella to Idaho Falls for Gymnastics (all had to be at destinations within the hour)! By the time everybody's activities were done, it was 5:00 and I still didn't have dinner ready! John had Scouts this night as well, so I hurried home, made a quick meal and as soon as he walked through the door, he was walking right back out! I had to do bed and bath time by myself?? Help...
Got the kids to bed reasonably well...doing all of this with a one year old (Garrett) clinging to my legs!!
Wednesday was another laid back day. None of them had anywhere to go! Thursday was another crazy busy day! After picking up Bella from preschool, I took her to her Dance class. 45 min later, I picked her up and she went and played with her cousin for the rest of the afternoon! :) That saved me! After Ashlyn got home from school, I took her to her Dance class, came home and made dinner, picked her up, and came back home for the bedtime routine. This time, I had John's help with Garrett.
The rest of the next 3 days were pretty much the same. We watched a movie Friday night, did chores Saturday morning, and then Sunday we went to Bruce and Linda's again for dinner and around 6:00 Tawnya was home!! The kids were so excited to see her! Oh, wait-that was me! Jk!
It was such a crazy, busy, long week! We had fun with them and we were happy to watch them for Tawnya. It's so nice to be home sleeping in my own bed, though! :)