November update

Here is how our November went :)

Adam: He has spent the month working and going to school as well as applying to jobs. We've had no luck so we prayed for guidance of where we should look or what we should do. In this, I kept getting the feeling that we were pushing moving too much and that we needed to stay in Utah a bit longer. The only problem was that Adam's jobs at BYU had already hired new people. So we waited, kept applying to jobs elsewhere, and tried thinking of backup plans. Then last week Adan was talking to the program coordinator for the class he teaches and found out that the person they wanted to hire had to be approved by the First Presidency (all full-time faculty at BYU have to go through this process). However they will not be meeting until January. So they asked him to teach again next semester! And there's a chance BYU online may need his help as well because there are a few other TAs that won't be able to work full hours. So we are staying until April!

Ashley: I'm still at home with Eli and just helping him grow. This month I taught a couple cloth diapering classes for my ward which was fun. It is so much easier than people think and I love sharing that :) My days are usually filled with doing things with Eli and keeping up the house. We like to go for walks, chase each other around the house, and all the babywearing haha. My free time usually consists of reading, watching Netflix, and doing my nails. Life is good :)

Eli: is 15 months old! He has eight teeth now and is a very active, independent little boy. He had his check up with the pediatrician and he is nearly 21 pounds. Still a very skinny boy. He loves running around, giggling, and he recently disovered twirling. Now he knows when we sing ring around the rosie that he spins, but still doesn't understand the falling down part. Instead, he waits for us to push him down which he then laughs really hard. He learned how to tickle people and he is learning to use silverware. Now he prefers to try to feed himself which makes dinner time quite entertaining. He is actually getting more affectionate by cuddling more and sitting on our laps. He is having a bit of a sleep regression which isn't fun but for the most part he sleeps well :) he is getting so big and is definitely more toddler than baby :)

walking around the Provo City Center temple; playing with his little friend Elliot; 15 month check up; amazed by our little Christmas tree :)

Thanksgiving

We stayed here again and did thanksgiving with my sister. We split up the dishes and gathered at her house. The meal was delicious and even Eli ate a bit of everything! We ended the evening with watching Finding Dory and pie :)

Playing with his cousin Anders while watching the movie :)

October Update

Time for another update!

Adam: He has been hard at work with his Evaluation class, the class he teaches, his prospectus, and applying to lots of jobs. He got his first rejection but we are still very hopeful :) There are lots of options out there for him and there continues to be new jobs added. In his spare time, he has been playing Orem city league Ultimate and intramural kickball. He has playing on some intramural team pretty much every semester he's been at BYU and in his last one, they finally won!! If you win an intramural tournament, you get bragging rights and a snazzy t-shirt. He was so happy coming home wearing it :)

Ashley: I have been very much enjoying the fall weather and I try to take Eli out at least once every day which he loves. Earlier in the month, I helped organize activities for International Babywearing Week for our local babywearing group. It has been so much fun helping teach people how to properly wear their baby and all the benefits of it. I've also been trying to get out of our rut of usual meals we plan. Adam and I came up with a fun idea for menu planning that has really helped. He comes up with the protein, starch, and cooking method while I come up with a recipe to fit it. It has worked really well so far and it is fun to experiment with cooking :)

Eli: is 14 months old now! He loves being chased and tickled, playing fetch, walking outside, going on the slide at the park, and watching mommy and daddy cook. He has 7 teeth now and can both climb up and back down from the couch. We are trying to teach him the signs for "more" and "all done" which sometimes he does but I don't know if he knows what it means. He doesn't sign it but he definitely knows the sign for milk. If I do that, he walks over to the kitchen and waits for me to get a bottle of milk. Then he promptly walks to the rocking chair in his bedroom knowing that it's nap time. It's so cute :) He doesn't talk much other than "mama", "dada", and "yah".

Halloween and my sister visiting!

This last week my sister Jessica came to visit!! We had lots of fun going to Cornbelly's on Saturday. I was expecting just the usual corn maze and pumpkin patch but it was like a carnival! So much to see and do :) The corn maze was shaped like the Peanuts characters and they had a bingo game throughout it. On Monday, we hiked the Y which Adam and I haven't done since freshman year. It was cool to say that we did it especially since it'll probably be the last time before we move. Then that evening Eli went trick or treating for the first time! He eventually got the concept of walking to people's doors but he kept wanting to take the candy out of his bucket and hold it in his hands haha. He didn't last very long but it was fun :) On Tuesday, we also went to the outlets in Park City and then lastly to Temple Square before dropping Jess off at the airport. I'm so glad she could come even for a short time and I hope some day we will all live close together again :)

September Update

Another month gone!

Adam: He finally got to start of the semester on the right foot (last semester my grandma's funeral was during the first week and the semester before that I had a baby). He only has one class, Intro to Program Evaluation and so far it is going great. He is working on revising his prospectus and gathering data so he can evaluate the course he created for his project. He has also started applying to jobs. Since I have more extra time than he does, I have taken on the task of searching for jobs. I am so happy that there are quite a few that fit his qualifications and are in areas that we are hoping to live. We are aiming for him to start a full-time job at the end of the year and then he will complete and defend his project by February.

Ashley: This month hasn't been too exciting for me. Mostly I just take care of Eli and find hobbies to do. I got the supplies to make a bag but I have yet to find time to sew it. I have been exploring more about nail art. Also, one of my best friends Kayla and I are doing a autumn bucket list since both of us are stay-at-home moms (and they live right upstairs). We've planned all the things we want to do this season and started our own little book club which has been fun so far. And of course, I've been enjoying volunteering as a babywearing educator. I also turned 25 which I guess is exciting haha. We had breakfast babyless with our friends on Saturday and then watched the BYU game that evening. On Sunday (my actual birthday), Adam made dinner, we played games with friends and had ice cream cake :)

Eli: He is 13 months old now! He is officially off formula and has 4 (nearly 5) teeth. He has learned quite a few things this month as well. He now knows how to clap, wave bye-bye, climb onto the couch (oh dear...), reach the TV, and open his dresser drawers. We've been trying to teach him how to give high fives but he often gets it confused with clapping haha. He LOVES going outside. Any time we start putting our shoes on or I grab my purse, he immediately runs to the door. He has gotten a ton better at walking and he enjoys being a big boy and walking to the car with mommy and daddy. He is definitely getting more independent and opinionated. He does not enjoy when mommy and daddy stop him from pulling books off the shelf, close any door, or take anything out of his hands that he wants (phones, daddy's glasses, a random piece of garbage he might find, etc). With every stage, there are good and bad things. Yes, sometimes he screams when he doesn't get what he wants but other times we play and laugh until our face hurts.

Sleepy boy is a tummy sleeper like his mommy; trying on a hat from cousin Anders; not thrilled to go visiting teaching with mommy

August Update

Here's how our last month went:

Adam: He defended his prospectus and it passed with just a few revisions!! This means that he can keep going with the project he's been working on. After making the recommended corrections, all that's left is finishing his project and then defending it in April. He also started a new semester! He is taking his last class required for his program and project credit so hopefully that'll be easier. He is no longer the TA for IHum 202 but instead he'll be working with IHum 240 (the BYU Online class he helped create for his project). He also started teaching DigHT 215 again. Amidst all of that he also plans to look for full-time jobs that he can start at the end of December :)

Happy baby being worn :)

Ashley: I passed my skills assessment to become a certified Volunteer Babywearing Educator with Babywearing International (BWI)! This means that I have the authority as an educator in my local chapter and if we move somewhere without a BWI chapter, I can start one myself :) I also got an accidental early birthday present from Adam. Accidental because he didn't realize Amazon would deliver it in its own box rather than an Amazon box haha. But I got a sewing machine!! I'm looking forward to all the projects I'll be able to do with it :)

New sewing machine!

Eli: is now one year old!! He has three teeth now and learned to walk this month! He took his first steps a couple weeks before his first birthday and now walks all over the apartment. There have been quite a few rough days this month due to him cutting his two front teeth (one of which he is still working on xP). Other than that he is a pretty happy boy in general. He always wants me to play  with him which does make it difficult to get things done around the house. But I'm trying to enjoy it since he will only be this little right now

(from left to right) happy baby climbing on the futon, playing at the splash pad, concentrating on some serious play time, grumpy teething boy

Special events this month

We had a little party for his birthday at a nearby park :) we were able to have a good amount of friends and family join us including a few of Eli's little friends :) he very much enjoyed eating one of the cupcakes I made and he LOVED all of the new toys he was given. He still plays with them over his older toys haha. We are so blessed to be surrounded by a few family members, some great friends, and an awesome ward (LDS church congregation).

Yummy chocolate cupcake!

Homemade Baby Puffs

So Eli tried puffs a couple months ago and he LOVED them. He would often prefer them over purees sometimes, especially fruit ones. I wasn't a huge fan of the added sugar in them so I wondered if I could make a homemade version. Then started the Pinterest research. There were less recipes out there than I thought and most of them were super complicated with a bunch of ingredients and requiring things like separating egg whites or two different baking temperatures. Ain't no mom got time for that!! I found one pin that was just a picture, not a link, that had a simple 4 ingredient recipe. With some tweaking, I think I perfected it! Best of all, it uses up baby cereal and baby purees (because I'm sure like me you guys have some extras of those laying around). These don't melt like the store bought kind but they kind of fall apart in there mouth and Eli (and his friends at church) have enjoyed them. So here is a cheaper and healthier version of those baby puffs!

1/2 cup baby cereal

1 tsp baking powder

4 oz baby purée (I used apple)

2-3 tsp coconut oil (I preferred somewhere in the middle)

Mix and put in a ziplock bag. Snip the tip and pipe little puffs on some parchment paper. Make sure to give them height while piping so they turn out puff shaped. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes :)

July Update

So here is what happened this month!

Adam: He started off the month with his 27th birthday (which you can read about below)! He also finished his prospectus!!! For those who may not know what that means, it is a 35 page researched project proposal for his Master's thesis project. His next step is to defend it in front of his project committee and hopefully they will accept it. If they don't, he has to find something else to do which would be very tough since he's already had to do a lot for the project. With the nature of how his prospectus turned out, it looks like he may not graduate until April. The reason for this is that the online class he designed for the project will have its first semester this coming fall so he may just need time to actually assess how it did. However, graduating in April won't necessarily mean that we will be sticking around until then. He will finish his last course this fall and will only need to take thesis credit during winter semester. So we are planning for him to look for a full-time job no matter what starting the end of December. If the job happens to be out of state, he will just fly back for a few days to defend his thesis. Sooo...the end is in sight!!

Ashley: I am still at home taking care of Eli and finding ways to fill my time. I have decided to read through all the fiction books we own alphabetically (by author). We have 100+ books so it will take me awhile to get through them haha. I also finished my skills assessment to become a babywearing educator. I had to record videos of me teaching how to use all the different style of carriers (wraps, slings, mei tai, buckle soft-structured carriers, etc). I think I did well so all that is left is to wait to see if I passed. Some people may wonder why I would want to become an educator. Well, I want to be able to share my love of babywearing to others and teach them how they can do it safely and comfortably. I am involved at my local chapter of Babywearing International and once I get certified as a Volunteer Babywearing Educator, I can be more involved with leadership-type roles :)

Eli: is now 11 months old!! It is crazy that he is nearly one year old. He is still not walking but he is getting better and better at walking while holding one of our hands. He mostly just gets super excited about it which makes him lose his balance. He got his third haircut earlier this month and one of his top teeth has just barely broken through! He's been working on that for over a month which has not been fun for baby or parents. He loves to play with other babies/toddlers at church, he knows how to play peek-a-boo, and his favorite thing to say is "yah". Adam and I entertain ourselves by asking him crazy yes or no questions which he always answers with a confident "Yah!" hahaha. We are starting to introduce to him more table food and he is getting better at learning how to chew. He also learned how to use a straw! Its fun to see how he learns these simple skills that we take for granted :)

Adam's Birthday/Fourth of July Weekend
We were lucky to have some of Adam's family here! First, Seth and his wife came through for a short visit on their way up to see Sabrina's family. This was exciting because he was the last sibling to meet Eli! Then Adam's parents came to visit. They very much enjoyed their time with Eli and we were able to play lots of games (key part of any Lloyd gathering). We also were able to go through the Provo City Center temple with them (thanks to my sister for babysitting)! It was very busy being a holiday weekend and a Saturday but a very cool experience. It was especially special for them because they knew it so well as a tabernacle. We had a low key birthday for Adam with cheesecake and dinner with some of Adam's family and mine. I got him a new soccer ball and the two latest Star Trek movies. We didn't end up going to see any fireworks due to a crabby teething baby but hopefully next year we will :)

June Update

Here is what our June looked like!

Adam: He is SOOOO close to finishing his prospectus. He only has to add a couple more things and then it is done! The next step after that is for him to defend it. Hopefully, they will approve this project he has already been working on for the last year. If they don't approve it, he has to find something else quickly. But if they do, he will finish the project and do his last defense in December and then graduate!!

Ashley: The biggest thing I've been working on this month was the Climb Out of the Darkness event which you can read about below. Other than that my days have consisted mostly of taking care of the house and Eli, which is a handful haha. I have also been experimenting with making homemade puffs which has been fun but unsuccessful so far. I also finished my application to become a Volunteer Babywearing Educator for Babywearing International. Hopefully, I'll be able to do my practical skills assessment some time in July.

Eli: He is 10 months old!! This last month he got his second tooth in and we're pretty sure he started working on his next one (and still is working on it xP). He is still very social but occasionally gets a little shy around new people. The shyness usually consists of shyly smiling and cuddling mommy. He has enjoyed lots of summer water activities such as friends' swimming pools, the local rec center, and the local splash pad. He is very adventurous with water and always wants to just dive in head first haha. He is still not a huge fan of solids but he does enjoy puffs and cheerios. His favorite activities are climbing on anything (especially mommy and daddy), holding onto our hands and walking around the house, and playing with things he shouldn't.

(from left to right) playing with toys at the library, biting a sling ring (used in babywearing), baby selfie!, and playing with cousin Anders

Climb Out of the Darkness is an annual event put on by the non-profit organization Postpartum Progress some time around the summer solstice. The purpose is to raise awareness for maternal mental health and to symbolize the journey those who suffer take. They hold individual climbs all around the world and I ended up leading the one in Provo this year! So I worked on spreading the word about the event and (attempting to) raise money. Then on June 18th, moms and their families and friends met at a park up Provo Canyon for a short hike to Bridal Veil Falls. I was really happy with the turn out! I was really nervous it wouldn't seem put together enough but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves :) I don't know if I will lead again next year if we are still in Provo, but it was a fun experience :)