September was good to us! It's hard to believe it's already over but we sure did have fun while it lasted!
The first week of September felt like one of the longest weeks of my life--not because it was all bad but it just felt crazy! Austin was still getting over the flu, Logan started a busy semester at school, my brother was visiting from Seattle, and I had several deadlines I had to make for various things. Needless to say, I was glad when that week was over! When my brother's family is in town, we fill every day with as much time spent with them as possible since it doesn't happen often enough. Here's an example of what one day looks like when Paul and Cheryl are in town. It's go, go, go to say the least! Friday morning my sister-in-law went to get a pedicure with my mom and I was picking her up afterwards but she wasn't quite done so Austin and I went in for a quick visit. He loved sitting with Mimi so he could push all the buttons on the massage chair remote!
After the pedicure we went over to visit daddy at work real quick. Austin loves running around the office and spreading chess pieces everywhere he possibly can. I didn't get a picture but while at the office, Austin had one of the worst blowouts he has ever had. I could smell him so I grabbed the diaper bag and when Logan picked him up it was coming down both legs and had soaked his clothes. Of course I didn't have an extra outfit. Thank goodness for cousins!
After grabbing some new (but very large) clothes from my parents', we ran over to a salon so my five nephews could have their haircuts before school started. I thought Austin would be a nightmare there but he actually loved watching them!
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| He looks just like Spanky from Little Rascals in this picture! (Insert Crying Laughing emoji here) |
As soon as the boys were all trimmed up, we grabbed lunch and then drove up to Park City so Paul and Cheryl could do some school shopping for the boys and I wanted to check out the sales for some things for Austin. Side note: I can't believe how much it costs to buy shoes and clothes for five kids! Despite getting only a twenty minute nap, Austin was a really good shopper and I was able to find a few cute things for him for a great deal. I wish I had as much fun shopping for myself as I do for him!
After Park City we drove down to Salt Lake and met most of my other siblings at a park so we could all eat dinner together before Paul and Cheryl left the next day.
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| How cute is my nephew, James? :) |
After a couple hours at the park, Austin and I were both exhausted! He could barely stay awake and I could have slept on the playground. Spending so much time with my family is worth the exhaustion and something we look forward to every chance we get!
One of the many reasons I love the fall is because it's the best time of year for sports! College football is such a fun way to kick it off and BYU's first game didn't disappoint! I stayed up for the whole thing and would have been so bummed if they lost but it was all worth it by the end!
My grandpa was back in rehab at the beginning of the month so we visited him as much as possible. Austin wasn't so sure about this selfie business!
Sundays are hard these days because we have church from 11-2 and Austin naps from 11:30-2:30 so he usually has a really tough time but he's starting to get better about staying entertained the entire block and napping when we get home. He certainly keeps class interesting!
Labor Day was pretty quiet in our house but we still had a fun day! We went to breakfast that morning with some of our good friends, Mike and Lauren. We love going to breakfast and make an excuse to go as often as possible!
After breakfast we paid a quick visit to my grandpa and Austin wanted to join in his therapy so much!
Later that evening we went over to Logan's aunt and uncle's for a BBQ and had a really nice time enjoying the cooler weather outside. Austin loved playing in the vegetable garden!
Just another shopping trip to Target with this sweet boy :)
I had to go through some of our old paperwork and shred a bunch of it and Austin thought it was the greatest game ever. He was such a help!
This next picture is blurry but it's too cute not to share. Austin isn't super into shows but sometimes before bed he watches a Baby Einstein and every time his favorite part comes on in one of the episodes he gets so excited and looks for me and Logan. I knew it was coming one time so I had my camera out and caught the cutest cheesy face :)
I met my visiting teachers at the park one morning this month and they brought powdered donuts with them. Austin was in heaven!
Austin is into books more than ever lately and I love it! At first he would never sit through a whole book but he's getting better at actually letting us read most of it. He would go through every book in his room if we let him! One evening we were hanging out and he disappeared for a minute and came back out with a book and was so happy! These are the moments I live for :)
My nephew, Keldin, came home from the hospital after two weeks in the NICU and is tiny but doing really well! Austin weighted 4 14 when he came home and Keldin weighed 4 12 so it has given me major flashbacks and I still can't believe he was ever that tiny!
I've been trying to help Blake and Staci with their older kids as much as possible while they adjust to life with Keldin home and one morning Austin had so much fun when they were over. Austin loves being chased and Liam was happy to do just that!
We missed having papa at home but we sure loved visiting him in rehab!
I love football, especially BYU football, but one day I truly don't like a whole lot is when they play Utah. I used to love watching those two teams play but I really don't like the animosity between the fans and let's be real, I'm sick of BYU losing. On the morning of the Holy War this year we went on a bike ride to breakfast with some friends and it was clear we were divided as we rode through the neighborhoods in our blue and red! Even everyone at the restaurant was in Utah or BYU apparel. Football aside, we had a lot of fun at breakfast and the park after! We sure are grateful for our wonderful friends, the Stobbes!
We had regional conference this month and sat next to a couple friends during the broadcast. These three boys definitely kept each other (and everyone around them!) entertained!
We love Sunday dinner with our families and always have a great time relaxing before we start a new week. We especially love taking turns holding our tiniest Keldin right now!
Liam and Austin were also entertaining us one Sunday by getting in and out of this trunk together. I know they will be great buds in a year or two!
I have the best group of young moms in my ward and they put on such fun activities a few times a month so we can all get together with our kids. We went to the zoo one time this month and had a really good time! Austin is finally old enough to enjoy it now and actually pays attention to the animals. The zoo by our house has had some extensive upgrades and is really nice in a lot of areas now! Austin especially loves the new playground and splash pad. One thing he absolutely hates, however, is the carousel! I don't think it's the speed as much as it is the height. Austin is terrified of heights and gets really nervous if he's up high and not being held super tight. Next time I'll sit in the little bench thing with him and I bet he'll really like that.
One thing we love doing every September is going to the state fair! We've gone the last few years and were really looking forward to going this year. Unfortunately we were rained out after not too long but we still had a good time while we were there! Austin LOVED the big slide and wanted to touch every animal. When we found the clown that was making balloon animals Austin wanted nothing to do with his balloon and was completely mesmerized with the clown. I don't blame him! I'm excited for next year already!
Playing at the park with cousins is always a favorite of ours! My mom took Lily and Liam one day so Staci could have a break and we had a lot of fun playing at the Cinderella park! Austin can climb up the little ladder and get down one of the slides on his own and he thinks it's the greatest thing ever.
Logan was gone one Saturday morning with his dad and uncles so I thought it would be fun to mow the back lawn for him as a surprise. I hadn't mowed since high school but figured I couldn't mess up too much and even if I did at least it would be in the back where no one would see it. I strapped Austin in the Baby Bjorn and we both had fun! Logan said I did a great job but the best news is I didn't hurt either of us ;)
Austin and Beck are starting to get to an age where they'll actually play with each other and they were so adorable a couple weeks ago at church! They were playing in the curtains and giggling like crazy and then started looking at each other through the crack in the door and thought it was hilarious! After peeking at each other they would run out and laugh and go back and do it over and over. They sure are cute!
Austin makes the most hilarious face lately when he's laughing and I finally caught it on camera! He was playing with these glass milk containers that he wasn't supposed to be playing with and he kept laughing every time he made it over there.
Austin is really into airplanes and helicopters right now. He doesn't necessarily love toy ones but if he hears or sees one he gets super excited. We were outside playing one day and he happened to hear one and was so happy.
We play with Austin's cousins, Lily and Liam, whenever we can and they are starting to get along really well. I have caught Austin and Liam (who's just over 2) playing really well together several times now.
These two boys make me so happy!
Beck came over to play recently and him and Austin had a lot of fun together. Just a few months ago they didn't play very well but now they're starting to and it's so much fun. I have some of the cutest videos of them just giggling at each other as they ran in circles around the kitchen.
Not too long ago we ran to Fresh Market with my mom for just a couple things and you would have thought all grocery stores in the state were closing down. The lines were SO long! I typically make Austin sit in the cart the whole time but I couldn't help but let him get out and stretch his legs for a minute.
Last weekend some of the young moms in our ward went to a cabin in Midway and had a really fun girls' night. We had a delicious dinner, great conversation, a super cute craft, and hilarious game! Several people slept over but I went home with a smaller group. We had so much fun and I loved the time away! These ladies sure are wonderful!
The Primary Program is always one of the best weeks of church during the year and it was so fun to have my niece, Lily, in our ward and participating. She was SUPER nervous and didn't even want to sit on the stand so I was sure she wouldn't say her part but when it was her turn she timidly said: "Follow the prophet" and then immidately covered her face because she was so embarrassed! It was hilarious and everyone got a kick out of it. Also, Austin only has 5 Sundays left before we get to take him to Nursery and I can't wait! He's a nightmare at church right now because he gets so tired so it will be nice to go to sacrament and then hand him off to someone else ;)
Liam, who is about 10 months older than Austin, was so cute with Austin last Sunday! They played in my parents' sun room for quite awhile without any fighting. Liam would tell Austin what to do and he would usually obey :) It was too cute!
Austin is really into shoes lately and came into the kitchen the other day with my grandpa's shoes and kept saying: "Shoes...papa...shoes...papa" It was adorable!"
Austin loves watching for Mimi to drive up when she's coming to visit and then has to sit in her car with her. I caught them taking a selfie a few days ago :)
Austin almost always has to feed himself but I had never gotten the guts to give him a bowl of cereal with milk until just a couple days ago. He thought it was great but couldn't really get anything on the spoon so of course he just decided to dump it.
We had some perfect weather for sitting outside this month!
I don't ever share memes or eCards or whatever but this one made me laugh and it feels so true sometimes!
There's a drawer next to Austin's high chair filled with some super random stuff of my grandparents' and he loves playing in it. If I ever need to get something done and I want him contained I stick him in his chair and let him go crazy and sometimes I regret it! Haha
Another bad idea I had recently was letting Austin eat a peanut butter chocolate bar thing after he kept begging for one. I was smart enough to take his clothes off but he made a disaster of his high chair and he didn't even eat the thing!
Cafe Rio is a beast to clean up too with all of the rice and beans but it sure is worth it!
I had Young Womens in Excellence this past week and it was raining really hard when I left. A few minutes later I got a text from Logan with several pictures of him and Austin playing outside in the rain. I know he would have loved every second of it!
I'm not on SnapChat but I've always heard how much fun the filters are. My brother had them up the other day so we were playing around with Austin and it was actually pretty fun. He was really confused so he had a stern look the whole time but we still got some pretty good ones!
Mimi and Grandpa's is still one of Austin's favorite places to play!
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| Because who wouldn't want to sit on that thing and read a book?? |
As we were getting out of the car at Costco today, Life Flight was taking off and Austin was loving it!
Austin brought a blanket to me tonight so I threw it on his head and thought he'd hate it but he actually thought it was hilarious and walked around banging into things forever and just giggled! It was too funny.
Well, that does it for this month! It's hard to believe we're already to October! I'm so excited for all of the holidays and traditions we have to look forward to the next several months!
"Austinisms"
Here are some of my favorite things about Austin as of late:
1. He is starting to say more words! Some of the things he says includes: Mama, Dada, Baba (bottle), Jesus, Yes, Caaaa (Car), Ha (Hi), and my very favorite is shoes.
2. He understands a ton! He'll put something in the garbage if you ask him to. He goes to the door when we tell him it's time to go outside or bye bye. If you tell him to get a book he'll go to his room and find one. Those are just a few examples but he understands a lot more too!
3. He's REALLY into the above-mentioned books right now. He'll bring one to us, sit in our lap, look at a few pages, close it, and go get another one. It's adorable :)
4. He loves helping with the dishes still. If the dishwasher is open, he's right by our side!
5. He's 16 1/2 months old now and he'll start nursery 6 weeks from Sunday! That's crazy to me!
6. He has six teeth (four on top and two on bottom)
7. He still loves playing with other kids. If he's too small to do what they're doing, he'll stand and watch them for ages.
8. Wants nothing to do with babies! I was holding my newest little nephew and was curious how he would react but he acted like he didn't even exist. I'm glad he knows he still gets my full attention whenever he wants it :)
9. Austin is still an amazing sleeper! He sleeps from 8-8 or 9 and then takes a 3 hour nap every day too. I know it likely won't last forever so I'll just enjoy it while it lasts!
10. He weighs roughly 24 pounds and wears 18-24 month clothes. They're long since he's short so we have to cuff most pants and sleeves but his large girth requires that size for the width :)
