Thanks Cousins!

Amulek would like to publicly thank Aubrey & Tyler for getting him this musical seahorse for Christmas. He loves to sleep with it!

Johnny Jump Up

Jumping is hard work.

Surprise!

I went in to check on Amulek and was surprised to see that he had pulled himself up to a standing position. I'm in for it now...

"Good" Reading Material

Amulek was playing by himself in his room. When I went to check on him I found him flipping through the pages of a breastfeeding book. Hopefully, that will help out with the no-biting campaign...

Amulek and the Dinosaurs

This may make me a nerd but one of my favorite places on campus is the dinosaur museum. So, when Maddie came to visit, we took advantage! Surprisingly, Amulek was fascinated by them, especially the teeth!

Biting

*Warning! This post may contain TMI regarding breastfeeding.*

Yes, this is my cute little baby boy. He is so happy these days, even though he is teething. Sure, he used to sleep through the night and now he has trouble getting to sleep, but he's usually happy about it! He loves playing with his toys and being around people. However, for the last few weeks we have been going through the rough stage of getting teeth.

With the teething stage also came the biting.

Amulek bites me every time he nurses now, once so hard that I bled. I really don't want to start giving him a bottle and I personally feel that he is too young to ween. Any suggestions? What do I do?

Like Father, Like Son

What happens when you don't behave...

Some cuteness...

No special reason for posting these other than Nana wanted to see "one picture a day in December!" Here you are:)

Standing in the crib by himself. Ok, maybe with a little bit of help.

Want I Want for Christams...

Please excuse my annoying voice, but I couldn't help posting this.

Handbell Concert

Last night we went to enjoy the only handbell choir in Utah Valley. Note that Amulek could not take his eyes off them.

Christmas Decorations

Amulek is enjoying our Christmas decorations. The other day I found lay him down to play, then came back a few minutes later to find him sacked out among his toys. Thanks Nana for the lovely nativity scene!

I'm Thankful for...

...my baby's health. I recently read an eyeopening post on a bog I follow. The woman's child has a neurological disorder and his development has been a struggle. As I read it, I kept thinking how grateful I am that my baby is healthy and developing well.

Enjoy some pics from long ago....

What we affectionately call "gorilla arms."

Deep in prayer.

One cute kid.

Enjoying In 'n Out in Vegas!

Work again!

Weekend Fun - The Mall

The mall is often our hangout spot. When in doubt for something to do, head to the mall. This weekend we enjoyed a family event at the Woodbury Art Museum in the mall. We enjoyed the exhibits and the activities: focused on Latin American traditions, there was writing "dichos" on truck bumpers, iSpy games through the museum, make a carnival mask, decorate retablos, and making paper flowers and skeletons for Day of the Dead.

Making carnival masks. Amulek preferred to rip his apart and didn't want to wear the one I made.

Making pipe cleaner skeletons.

After the exhibit, we walked around the mall but soon left because it was so crowded. Must be Christmas shopping season.

(may need this in a few years for the cold weather...)

Date Night!

Oh, the days when it was just Mommy and Daddy on dates....No, we really like having Amulek with us on Friday nights. This time we went to campus to watch a trombone recital but found out that it had been moved to the end of the month. So, we decided to go visit the campus aquariums in the biology building. I didn't even know these things existed but Amulek loved it. He made fast friends with that turtle in the background, and we have a super cute video of the turtle following Amulek around but for some reason it won't upload. I'll try again later.

Well, he didn't love the part when we took him away from the fish. As soon as we turned him around, this is what happened.

Bean Museum

Lamoni had a test in the Bean Musuem of all places so we all enjoyed some time looking at the wildlife in the Bean Museum. It's always been one of my favorite places on campus, but also always struck me as a bit creepy. Have you ever been down to the basement where they have all the specimens in jars? Creepy. But I love the Bean. Amulek did too.

This is how Amulek enjoys the vista.

We had to get a shot with the jaguar of course!

Surprise!

We had a big surprise waiting for daddy when he got home!

(his first time laughing!)

Walking

First of all, thanks to those that gave your words of support and encouragement about me going back to school. It really means a lot to me that I have such wonderful examples!

We like to take walks in our family. I like the exercise and Amulek gets cabin fever so sometimes we just have to get out of the house for his sake. As it was evening yesterday, Amulek was tired and peacefully enjoyed his walk.

And here is a little video! Lamoni keeps telling me that Amulek is going to be walking early.

Back to School

I finally submitted my application to go back to BYU. I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, there could be a chance that I won't get in...hopefully a small chance since I'm a former student. But if I am accepted, I'll be starting classes in January. Since my husband will also be studying and working, and neither one of us wants to opt for day care, we will most likely end up taking our baby with us to some classes. I think the main reason it took me so long to apply to school was for this reason. I find the idea of taking my baby to class extremely intimidating. I remember as a young student watching with horror the occasional young mother with her baby in class, wondering why on earth she had the baby with her, why she was even taking classes, and why was she disturbing everyone around her? And let's be honest, my baby is not easily entertained and requires a lot of hands on time and care. Regardless, I am determined to get my degree while I'm still young and before it becomes even more difficult for me when I have more children.

What are your thoughts about mothers who bring their children to class? Any advice? Words of council?