halloween 2014

happy halloween! since rockwell did trunk or treating at the church party, we didn't go door to door trick or treating, but we still did fun things during the day. we had a low key day... we carved pumpkins, played with brylee and enjoyed the cool fall weather. we ended the night with dinner at in n out with the loars. it was wonderful. we even managed to sneak in a tyler and amy only outing while rockwell took a  big afternoon nap! funny how running errands feels like a little getaway when you can spend time alone. as much as we love him, it's fun to have some adult time.

since brylee came to visit this weekend, we had to get some cousin shots! brylee helped me by posing for me so i get the lighting just right...

brylee was so funny with this phone. she would pretend to talk on it all afternoon and wouldn't let it go! she also was NOT a fan of the pumpkin guts. it was quite dramatic when she got any on her hands!

rockwell was our little sidekick, helping us by being well behaved and super cute of course. he is such a fun baby and he LOVES being outside.

the finished products... i love our tradition of carving pumpkins on halloween!

happy halloween

happy halloween!!!!!!

love, 
rockwell 
(aka the cutest pumpkin i ever did see)

my life in instagram: motherhood

"These words have been weighing heavily on my mind lately. With all the demands of life, I often feel like I am coming up short, as if I can never accomplish everything I want to. Making dinner, buying groceries, my church calling, showering, friends, family, cleaning, laundry, poopy diapers, more laundry, 4 am feedings, exercising, time with Tyler, time with Rockwell and time for myself... Something always falls by the wayside. I am realizing that I HAVE to set a new standard for myself. I cannot compare myself to other women who seem to have it all together while they and their children are looking fabulous and rested. So here I am, with no make up on (probably smelling like spit up) while my son nestles into my cheek with his drooly hands around my neck. This is my new life. This is my "glamorous". And I remind myself every single day that there is nothing more important than my sweet baby boy. There is no other chore or vacation or fancy outfit that will be more rewarding and joyful or more important in the eyes of God. I might not have time to do anything but tend to my boy all.day.long. And that's more than okay, it's what God gave me time for. #rockwellbradyrex"

i posted these thoughts along with this photo yesterday on instagram. i wanted to post this here, on my blog, so that i could remember it. my hope is to someday print this blog into books so that i can have a record of our lives. i especially want to remember days like these. i hope that in some small way i can help other mothers out there who are struggling as well. although i post a lot of positive things here, i want people to know that this life isn't all sunshine and rainbows, but that doesn't mean it isn't amazing. it truly is a blessing to be a mother and care for my son. but life is hard sometimes and i don't want to lie about it or hide it. 

i think sometimes we walk a fine line between being positive, but also being real without complaining about things too much. at least that's how i feel...

i want people to know that being a mother is wonderful, but it's not easy. there are things about motherhood that i didn't expect. like i didn't expect to have a child that HATES his car seat. or i didn't expect to be so affected by the lack of sleep. i didn't expect to have a child that wants to be entertained constantly. obviously some days i cannot just hold him and play with him all day long, but i need to make that more of a priority when he needs me. instead of being irritated that i couldn't cross more off of my to do list, i need to remember that no matter what i didn't get done, i kept my son alive, fed and as happy as i could. 

on the other hand,  i couldn't have anticipated the feeling of overwhelming heart bursting joy i would feel when rockwell smiled at me, looked into my eyes and then proceeded to hold my cheeks in his chubby baby hands for the first time. yah, that happened today after i changed his diaper and tears of happiness filled my eyes. it is tender moments like that that remind me that this is a divine calling and i need to remember that when things get hard. what if i wasn't paying attention to rockwell after that diaper change? if i hadn't looked down at him and smiled i never would have had that experience. i could have just grabbed him, plopped him down on his play mat and continued to "get things done", but i would have missed out. i am SO glad i took the time to play with him today. i am so glad that he loves me  and that he brings me more happiness than i ever thought possible, more joy than any other way i spend my time. 

some new tricks

rockwell is growing up waaaay too fast. i try to document all his "firsts" and his awesome accomplishments. so here they are, rockwell's new tricks....

he sits in his bumbo all the time now and he loves it. it is so dang cute seeing him sit up like a little boy! he also loves his reflection. not too long after i took this picture he got fussy. i turned him around and he instantly started smiling at his reflection. it melts me!

he LOVES his little beetle walker! he sits in it all the time and it usually keeps him entertained for a while so i can eat lunch, start laundry or get dressed. he scoots backwards, but hasn't mastered the art of moving forward yet. he also likes to sit in his car while he watches disney junior, which only captures his attention for a short time. hey, i'll take what i can get!

since the summer continued to linger around here we occasionally got to enjoy a nice little dip in the pool. rockwell still loves his floatie, he just leans back and relaxes. i can't wait to see how he does in the water next summer!

now that the weather has cooled down a bit, i decided to start taking rockwell on walks more often during the day. i wasn't sure he was big enough for the stroller without his infant car seat, but we gave it a go and it is perfect. he fits so well and i just strap some toys onto his harness and off we go. he usually lasts in there for a 30 minute walk and sometimes he'll fall asleep!

basically, i feel like he changes everyday. he continues to grow and learn more and more each day. he is still a very smiley baby and laughs SO much. he cracks me up. sometimes his personality wears me out because it seems like he always wants to be entertained, nothing keeps his attention too long, but thats okay. i get to see his personality developing and its so amazing to watch!

trunk or treat

we had fun at our ward halloween party. the theme was so cute, it was mickey's not so scary halloween! rockwell was a mini t-rex and looked so dang cute. we did some trunk or treating and scored some candy "for rockwell"... it was awesome! i haven't gotten halloween candy in like 10 years. i can't wait for next year when rockwell can walk up to houses and trick or treat for reals. it will be so fun!

rockwell loved hanging out with our good friend denise! it was smiles all around.

i just love my mini t-rex!!!

just because he's cute...

this blog serves as a way for friends and family to keep up with us, but it is also like a journal for me. so here are some cute photos of my boy as of late. i seriously love him like crazy, even though sometimes he drives me crazy. but i am finding that the people i love the most also  challeng

a la minute

we got to spend some time with our friends jessica and patrick down at the orange circle tonight. it was an insanely delicious evening. we ate dinner at smoqued... which is quickly becoming my new favorite place for bbq and then headed to a la minute for liquid nitrogen ice cream! it was so so so good and unique too. my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. man, i need some more of that deliciousness! the weather was nice, rockwell was well behaved and we got to spend time with great friends. can't wait to do it again!