this kid...

be still my heart. i seriously LOVE this boy. rockwell is my little buddy. we hang out all day, errday and i wouldn't have it any other way. lately he has been so much more interactive and life with him around is getting more and more fun. he smiles at me and laughs and uses his cute little voice to coo at me. i think he's going to be a talker like his mama.

i am so blessed to have this little boy. some moments are tough, but then he falls asleep in my arms and i melt. even when he will only take a 30 minute nap, when i go get him out of his crib, he greets me with a humongous grin. how can i be mad at him??? sometimes i just cry when i hold him and thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me with a healthy, happy son and ask for forgiveness for getting frustrated when things don't go as smoothly as i'd like. i feel overwhelmed with gratitude at this new role of motherhood and try not to be negative about it, because it really is a privilege. a great privilege.

life is beautiful and wonderful and i am a lucky lady.

my little super hero

our good friend, gaylnn, gave us this super cute outfit and i just had to take a few pictures of him in the whole get up. i never really get to dress him up, but this was so much fun! i'm realizing now that it's probably good that i didn't have a girl first. i would waste so much time and post waaaaayyy too many pictures on social media of our dress up schenanigans.

but really, he looks so adorable! :)

i can just picture this photo showing up during conversations with his future girlfriends...

bath time with rockwell

so this boy graduated from his newborn sling, to sitting in the bath all on his own! he looks like such a big kid. this makes my heart hurt, but also makes me so happy all at the same time.

i think this is just how my life is going to be from now on... so happy about him hitting milestones, but sad about his growing up and getting further and further from being a precious little baby. my little boy is growing up and we are enjoying every new stage.

now that he is out of the sling he can kick the water and splash. it's a little messy, but totally worth it. watching him concentrate on kicking his feet and seeing his reaction is priceless. he is such a cute kid.

cousins

trying to get a 3 year old and a 3 month old to smile at the camera. not an easy task. but really entertaining and really cute.

i really love watching these two together. brylee loves rockwell and he loves her too. they smile at each other and my heart just melts. every time brylee she sees me or comes to the house, she immediately says, "where's the baby?" or "where's rockwell?".... i not so secretly love it!

now that the clausen's have left to go back to buy idaho, i will miss seeing these two cute cousins together. but i cannot wait to watch them grow up together, the oldest boy and the oldest girl. this is going to be fun, and they're just getting started.

rockwell's first beach day

on august 7th, 2014 we took our little rockwell to newport beach for the first time. we hung out with great friends and enjoyed the beautiful weather. i am so excited to continue to take him to the beach to play as he grows up. i cannot wait to watch him build his first sand castle or splash around in the water for the first time. we are so lucky to live in such a fun place where there is so much to do all year round!

3 months!

my baby is 3 months old!

i can hardly believe it! life is seriously flying by and it is always changing. he is now in size 3 diapers, gnaws on his fists and has started to drool... so i think that teething has started. he is still usually sleeping 8-10 hours a night. he usually starts to get sleepy around 7 and goes to bed around 8. it's really great because tyler and i get to spend some time together before bed. he is smiling and laughing now. it is so much fun tickling him and being silly with him. he loves his swaddle, sleeps super well in it, usually.

mostly i feel like the overall vibe i get from rockwell is that he is happy. he loves to smile and play. and that makes me super duper happy!

i love him more and more everyday!

hanging with grams & gramps

here's rockwell's first photo with grandma and grandpa stout. we sure do love them and since grandpa had a heart attack we've been treasuring the time we get to spend with them. it's hard to believe that someday they won't be here with me and this whole experience has opened my eyes to just how precious their time on earth is. they've been such an important part of my life and i want rockwell to be able to spend as much time with them as he can. they are such a wonderful example to me and i love them so much. i am so thankful that they always made such a great effort to be there for me and all of their grandkids over the years.

i will never forget seeing my grandpa in the sealing room at the temple after tyler and i were married. i didn't cry at all the whole time, not until afterwards when grandpa came to give me a hug. he's so special to me and i will always cherish his shining example of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.