hawaii: sneak peek

one day, while i was packing up our lives for the move to california, my mom called and told me her and my dad were going to hawaii. in jest, i told her she should really take me and daron with them. i was miserable packing and going to hawaii sounded like a dream come true.

the next day, my dad called and said our plane tickets and room were set and we were coming with them. we would be leaving in 2 weeks. 

so, we left our home in utah. arrived in ca. left all of our bags unpacked in the house and 2 days later left for hawaii. 

                                                                                  and it was very relaxing^^^

okay, so moments were. i mean, the above picture really did happen. but it was also crazy taking our 6 month old, especially the first few days. if daron was completely honest with you, he would have to admit the first 2 days he was thinking, "what were we thinking bringing Carter."

but then our little tyke adjusted to the 4 hour time difference and we loved our lives again. and i'm just going to say it, if you want to be the celebrities of a vacation and meet lots of friends and have everyone ooo and aww over your family bring your 6 month old.

seriously, everyone will love you.

more pictures to come!

i adore...

how carter is looking at me

in this picture.

i'm confident i have looked at it 6849

times

***a day***

 since it was taken.

caught him in the act

-of checkin' out his mom-

get used to me, carter.

because i'll be here with you

for this entire earthly existence.

and yes,

even after that.

and we're back.

i took a little 3 month hiatus from blogging.

life has been so busy.

i could go into all the details,
but i'm kind of over them.

suffice it to say,
we live in california now
while daron attends the MRED program at USC.

we are living with my parents during the 12 month program.
i am adjusting to him being a trojan and many other things.
                            *like his really weird, awkward school schedule*

but other than that, 
we are happy as clams
healthy

and trying to soak in every moment
of this very unique time in our lives.

there are so many details that go with each and every one of these pictures.
i want to remember them all,
but i'm too tired to write them down
and i figure,
in 3 years,
my brain won't have enough space anyway.

but let it be known, 
that i have missed, so dearly missed california's 
perfect.
weather.

i am tickled to be living by my whole entire family.
it makes me so incredibly happy.
                                    *except for the fact, that i have to be away from my other family*
                                                          *a.k.a daron's family* 

i have missed the beach.
the ocean breeze.
and the wetness in the air.

i am experiencing what it is like to live by cousins
(carter's cousins)
and
i'm.
sold.

it's good to be back, california.
how i've missed you so.

in 3 years

we have :

: been hot air balloon riding :

: bought our first home :

: had our first child :

: gone to lake powell :

: explored bryce canyon :

: vacationed to puerto rico :

: become college graduates :

: camped in the mountains :

: watched 3 seasons of 24 :

        -oh how we miss you jack bauer

: road tripped to palm springs :

: made life long friends :

: been to 7 different temples :

: and 4 different states :

in the next 3 years 

let's :

: go skydiving :

: snowboarding :

: make it to hawaii :

: teach carter to swim :

: take carter to disneyland :

: maybe, just maybe, make that europe trip we have dreamed about a reality (!) :

: and have baby #2 (and 3!?) just kidding ;)

happy 3 years sweetheart. how i have enjoyed the big events with you. but i have to say, the day to day is even better. 

i love you!

Carter at 5 months

i am so in love with this age. carter is interactive smiling and giggling but still doesn't move. it's awesome! he sleeps great (no teething over here yet) so it's a restful time that is also very low stress. we really like that combo ;) we have recently discovered that our little penguin thinks the wind is hilarious. the other day, i took him in the stroller on a walk and while we were out the lovely utah weather (read with sarcasm) completely switched on us. it started drizzling and a very intense wind came out of no where. it was blowing so hard it took everything in me to keep the stroller from flying into the street! i couldn't see carter because i had faced him out "so he could enjoy the world." i kept thinking to myself, how is this kid not screaming his head off yet!? we turned a corner and it felt like the wind's force doubled. i started screaming, "this is insane!" over and over. (i don't want to think about how this looked to the cars driving by). i jumped to other side of the stroller to cover carter who i thought was hating me by now. but to my surprise, there was no -how did i get stuck with you- look at all. just a huge grin.

the cover on the stroller was useless at this point. the wind was hitting his face so hard and his tiny hands were freezing, but there he was, looking like he was having the time of his life. since then, he has had more experiences with the wind and his reaction has been the same. he has also added a new sound to the mix. it's this squeal of delight that i've decided either sounds like a chain smoker or a happy monkey. not really sure which one yet but i am sure 
that i love the noise. i need to catch it on video one of these days. 

his dad and i laugh at his eyes trying to adjust to light after he has been in the dark. it's kind of sad but also so funny. i call carter my little giggle monster because of how much he laughs. he is a sucker for the classics like "peek-a-boo" and airplane but then sometimes doing absolutely nothing at all does the trick too! we are working on his rolling and sitting up. he still is very wobbly when trying to sit up all by himself. and to be honest, he still looks like he will never roll over. he's just my happy little lump of joy that stays put. and i love him more than i ever thought possible. 

another california easter

we spent this easter holiday as a family of 3 in sunny california. 

last easter was also spent in CA with my family. it was a very memorable one as well, as that was the  weekend we announced for the first time that we were expecting our little peanut and also found out that my sister shalice and her husband were expecting a little peanut too.

it's incredible to think that carter spent the easter of 2012 in my tummy being the size of an almond(!) and now here he is, 16 pounds of yummy goodness right before our eyes that we hug, kiss, and smother with love.

life truly is a miracle. 
babies are miracles.

during our stay, carter had lots of time with sweetheart, the spa, and his uncles, aunts and cousins. basically, he was really really loved.

{so close, yet so far. belly flop anyone?}

the night before easter, we had an easter egg hunt with the little ones. the adults hid all the eggs in the front yard and then we let the kids run wild. seeing their reactions to the candy and dolla' dolla' bills in the eggs was priceless. oh, to be 6 years old and gasp at a 5 dollar bill again! but of course, my mom being the smart woman she is, threw in "acts of service" strips in the eggs too. 

 {the excitement on that face!}

on sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful church meeting that reminded us of the beautiful truths that our Savior lives and that we will one day see Him again. isn't that wonderful to think about? we will all see our Savior again. He lives. He knows each of us by name and loves each and every one of us deeply, more than any of us can even comprehend. this simple truth has brought my family and i so much happiness. how grateful i am for the easter holiday that helps me focus on what our Savior has done for us all.

goodbye easter of 2013. bring on spring!

general conference weekend

{daron clapping carter's feet. our newest game we like to play} 

well i can't believe general conference is already over. we literally lived in our basement over the past two days listening to the most uplifting messages. i'm sad the weekend is over but also anxious to get some fresh air and apply the things we learned.

we had the most wonderful company over all throughout conference. friday night, my friend mary stayed with us and we watched the saturday morning session together. then some of daron's family joined us in the afternoon for the second session. that night, we had a small girls night while the boys were at the priesthood session and my friend linsdsay and -her new fiance- T joined us for another slumber party. some of our sunday activities included straightening T's wildly curly hair ;), taking a walk through the neighborhood, making chocolate covered strawberries, and watching the movies Lincoln and Clue. and of course, cooked a lot, ate a lot, and laughed a lot. 

what friends do best. 

oh, and i almost forgot the best part. our baby discovered his toes over the weekend and (like everything else these days) tried to put them in his mouth. it was the best. i have been waiting oh, so very long for this kid to discover those feet!