autumn in oak glen

we had a great time welcoming the fall season up in oak glen eating apple cider donuts, tasting apples & drinking apple cider. oh and eating super yummy bbq! the weather was great, the food was delish and the company was excellent.

we started this tradition of going with the caldwell's last year and i love it. i'll admit, going this year was a little more stressful with a baby, but it was still fun. i just need to relax a little more and not sweat it if everything isn't perfect. yet another thing i need to be better at. i'm a work in progress. :)

i can't wait for next year when rockwell is walking around in the apple orchards with little claire!!!

first time eating rice cereal

i cannot believe that rockwell is old enough to eat rice cereal. it seems like just yesterday he was placed in my arms for the first time! at his 4 month check up our pediatrician recommended that we try rice cereal once a day for the next couple months to get him used to eating with a spoon & the texture. it's exciting to see him experience things for the first time, but i am missing my little baby baby already! but really, this whole parenthood thing, i feel like i'm always excited about what's next, yet sad about the fact that he is growing up so fast. i guess i should just get used to it.

and alas, the photos of his first rice cereal experience... he really was happy most of the time, it was only at the end that he was hungry and frustrated with the fact that he couldn't just suck the food off the spoon. :)

sorry son, i had to post this photo, it's still so cute!

4 months!

my rockwell is 4 months old!!! how is this happening so dang fast? sometimes i wish i could somehow remember everything so vividly, so i never forget how life is at this very moment. he is always learning something new and changing so quickly. here are a few things i want to remember about rockwell at 4 months...

• this boy loves to wiggle
• he giggles and smiles when we tickle him
• he likes to play... i think he's going to be a little jokester
• when i lift him up above my head he loves it
• he gnaws on his fists like crazy
• super drooly & the past week has had a runny nose, he's definitely teething
• he is super smiley in the morning when we go get him out of his crib
• he still sleeps in his swaddle & usually sleeps 8-10 hours a night
• some nights he still wakes up to eat, but usually goes right back to bed
• he sits in his bumbo & his beetle walker without looking like a bobble head 
• he's started to do this moan/whine thing instead of just crying when he's cranky, which i actually prefer
• he doesn't like his carseat all that much so he often cries while we drive
• loves his baths and peed on me this week while i was bathing him, it was kind of funny
• has gone in the pool a few times and loves being in his floatie
• he's getting better at holding onto toys & getting them into his mouth. he's also really good at using his feet to grab his toys when he plays on his mat
• bed time is my favorite time, he gets changed, swaddled and nursed and falls asleep in my arms. it's the best. i love having those quiet moments to hold my baby before i lay him down. i think i'll remember this the most when he's all grown up. 
• even though some days are frustrating, there are so many wonderful things to be happy about and grateful for

most of all, we love him & we are so glad that he's here with us!!!

4 month stats:

weight: 16 lbs 4 oz (66%)

height: 27 inches (99%)

head circumference: 16 1/2 inches

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!