March Update

This month has been more nuts than usual but here’s the recap! Better late than never haha

Adam: spent most of March doing all the physical work of packing and unpacking. We closed on our new house the 14th and officially moved in the 24th. He was a total super husband especially because he did move in day with Eli and without me (not that I would’ve been able to help much). His wonderful parents were great enough to come and help for move in day then stayed for about a week after. I seriously don’t know how we would’ve done it without them.

Ashley: I tried to help in other ways since I couldn’t do a lot of the physical parts of moving. So I was in charge of keeping track of all paperwork and utilities transfers. Unexpectedly early in the month, my dear great aunt Susie passed away from a sudden heart attack. My sisters and I were especially close to her and although she wasn’t exactly young, she didn’t have prior medical issues to make her death less of a shock. The funeral happened to be set on the same day as our move day so we made plans for me to go without Adam and Eli to Washington for the weekend. I drove with my aunt who lives near us and then stayed with my sister Jessica and her new husband. I missed Adam and Eli and definitely felt weird about not being apart of the big move but it was so nice to be with family. The memorial itself was not as sad as I thought as everyone shared their favorite memories of Susie. She was definitely an amazing lady. We didn’t stay long so I was back in Idaho by Monday. The rest of the week was spent unpacking and setting up cleaning of our old place. We were so blessed with the service of ladies in our old ward (church congregation) who basically did all the cleaning with minimal help from me. So by the close of March, we were no longer renters!

Eli: He actually did pretty good with all of the transition of this month. He got a little confused as pictures disappeared off of our walls and things started looking sparser. He loved the new house and enjoyed trying to test boundaries of what he could get into as we tried to settle in. He only had one instance the first night where he woke up in the middle of the night asking for his old room. He has loved having more room to roam and spreading his toys across every square foot we have haha. As for development, he is still super chatty and loves to learn new things. He now knows how to count to ten and can identify some of the numbers on sight. He finally understands bargaining which has been super nice for us as parents haha. He also is obsessed with friends. He constantly asks to have friends over or to go out and see friends. He’s definitely a little social butterfly 😊

at the aquarium with cousins; for some reason, he kept wanting me to do this to his face haha; leading me around the house with his little cart; playing with toys I brought home from WA

February Update

So this month has had some definite ups and downs haha.

Adam and Ashley: We spent the first half of the month with all three of us catching yucky colds but the biggest thing that we have been working on this month was...home ownership!!! We are positive that we were pushed by the Spirit to start the process and every step of the way. In January we started seriously thinking and talking about our future plans to buy a house. Adam had the new hobby of checking Zillow to see what was out there. After awhile, we decided to meet with a lender which we did at the beginning of February. At first we went to just see what we needed to do to prepare financially to buy but after our meeting, we found out and felt that now might be the perfect time. Our lease was up at the end of March for our rental house so we decided to look seriously right now but if we couldn't find what we wanted in time, that we'd wait until next year. So we met with a realtor and started looking at houses! We looked at a couple houses before our realtor but then we spent a Saturday looking at a bunch of houses. Upon entering one house, I felt immediately really good about it. Logically it was great but this was some serious spiritual prompting. The more we looked around and saw that it had everything we needed and was a great price, I knew we found our house. The market in Idaho Falls was a bit crazy and so many houses we saw online for a day, would call, and was told they already had 1-2 offers. So we knew if we wanted this, we had to jump fast. Adam and I prayed in the car as we drove to the next house to confirm and by the end we were both nearly in tears. The Spirit was forcing us to jump. So we told our realtor (who had a feeling and called the seller on her way to the next house) and we put in an offer that afternoon. Our amazing negotiator of a realtor got it accepted that weekend for the exact offer we wanted!! So we got our offer accepted and the process started just a week after talking to the lender. It's been crazy ever since! The rest of the month we spent setting up the inspection and signing lots of papers. Now we are only two weeks from closing! We have both been amazed at how everything has fallen into place so perfectly within such a short amount of time. We will have a couple weeks to move in before we have to be out of here plus the price we got on the house will be having us pay less than what we've been paying for rent (taxes, insurance, etc included)! We are so excited to settle in our dream home in March!

20 week ultrasound! Baby is healthy, growing, and kicking up a storm. He especially enjoys kicking my bladder and pressing into my lungs haha.

Eli: has had an interesting month looking at houses, dealing with parents talking about stuff way over his head, and being sick xP. The first half of the month, he had a cold which he gave to the rest of us. Then in the last couple weeks he's had the weirdest stomach bug of life. It literally lasted a week and a half (as opposed to the normal 1-2 days) and only threw up at night. During the day, he was happy as can be and completely normal except some diaper located issues. But every night/morning, we had to clean up vomit and wash his sheets. Luckily after the first couple times, Adam did all he could to be available to clean it up so I wouldn't have to (pregnancy smelling ability was the devil here). After taking him to a doctor last week (and taking some probiotics), he suddenly decided to stop! So it's been a blessed vomit-free week and I think we are out of the woods now! Besides that craziness, Eli has enjoyed being thoroughly spoiled with loads of TV watching (for his tired parents' benefit) which we are now trying to wean him from. His favorite things are all of his trucks which he knows the name of every kind, stacking his blocks, video chatting literally everyone possible, and generally running around like crazy haha. He is constantly surprising us with things he says, knows, and does. He definitely enjoys making us laugh and we love it :)

Eli enjoys taking off his pjs every night and occasionally will try to put them back on. This time he put them on inside out and backwards haha; waiting at the OB with a sucker; CONSTANTLY talking about airplanes; Having fun trying on Mommy's hat haha

January Update

Here's how the last month has gone!

Adam and Ashley: Adam's leg is doing a ton better. He doesn't have any more pain but just some swelling if he is on it too long. He's still on blood thinners so we're hoping the clot is at least dissipating and then the swelling will stop once it's gone. Adam also got to do something new for his big boy job. Hiring student employees! It was a weird experience for him but he has been able to get so much more done with the extra assistance. I'm doing well although all three of us got colds at the end of the month which was not fun (especially when you're pregnant). At the beginning of January, we found out that baby #2 is a boy!!! We're very excited and think it'll be so fun for Eli to have a little brother. It is also very convenient that we don't have to get much of anything to prepare for his arrival since we have everything. We do have a name picked out but we won't be announcing it until the birth like we did with Eli just in case we change our mind last minute (like we did with Eli haha). I'm feeling pretty good physically except for some pelvic pain but I was able to see a chiropractor which helped.

Baby boy #2 at 16 weeks

Eli: is growing up so fast! Which is pretty much the case every month update haha. He is constantly chatting and asking so many questions. He's a very curious boy and always wants to learn. This month I've noticed his creativity is growing which is fun to watch. Sometimes it's playing with his toys and other times it's when he's trying to tell me a "story" haha. He definitely can be a bit impish and tries to push our boundaries. He has also has gained a newfound love for airplanes! He loves watching them, playing with them, talking about them, and looking at the airplane book my dad gave him. He has also gotten a lot better with learning colors, shapes, and numbers. He is excited about baby brother but he is still learning how to be gentle with mommy's belly. He often likes to perch on top of it or climb and put his weight on it. Baby brother sometimes will kick back but I don't think Eli feels it haha.

Playtime!; Eating breakfast in a big boy booster seat; Insisting on going to the store with his play grocery basket filled with cars haha; Sad, sick boy trying to work through ear infection fever :(

Special moments:
My bff Kayla visiting around New Years!
Adam's sister Sharon and her family visiting for a quick weekend trip! Eli LOVED having so many cousins here and still talks about them haha.

Cousin time!!

2017: Year in Review

Here is how our year went!

- Adam started his last semester of graduate school!
- February was spent mostly with me helping Adam job search and him finishing his thesis project.
- Adam had four job interviews in one week.
- In March, he got offered the job as an Online Curriculum Designer for BYU-Idaho and we accepted the offer!
- We took a quick day trip up to Idaho to look at some rental houses and then signed a lease for one we liked.

- At the end of April, Adam graduated! Both sides of our family came into town to celebrate and then we packed up and moved to Idaho Falls!

- Adam's brother and his wife came into town and we all went to Yellowstone! It was the first time me going and I went to two new states that day (Wyoming and Montana).

- Adam turned 28!
- We traveled to Washington for my sister's wedding and celebrated Adam's birthday and the Fourth of July in Vancouver.
- We got to see my sister get married in the same place that me and my other sister got married! :)

- We adulted super hard and bought a minivan!
- In August, I went on a trip down to Las Vegas (first time in Nevada!) and spent some time with my friend Kayla.
- My mom came to visit and spent Eli's birthday with us!
- Eli turned two!! His language definitely was the biggest development of 2017. He talks all the time and loves learning new things.
- On Eli's birthday, we witnessed the total solar eclipse!
- Labor Day weekend, we traveled to Wyoming for our new niece's baby blessing (Adam's brother's daughter).

 - I turned 26!
- In October, we found out that I'm pregnant!!!!! Then I felt sick for the next three months xP haha

 - I took a weekend to have some fun girl time with Kayla without our babies!

- My parents and oldest sister's family came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us!

- In December, Adam got diagnosed with blood clots in his leg :(
- We celebrated Christmas and our 6th wedding anniversary!

And that's our crazy year!! Hopefully 2018 won't be as filled with turmoil, but just the exciting entrance of our new baby boy!

December Update

Gosh this last month has been crazy!

Adam: started having pain in his left leg off and on earlier in the month. Then after having severe pain so bad he could barely walk, he went to the doctor. They suspected a blood clot so they ordered an ultrasound for his leg. Eli was very confused watching the screen while Daddy got his leg checked because it looked like when Mommy goes to the OB haha. He kept talking about the baby and pointing to the screen. We tried to explain to him that Daddy did not have a baby in his calf. However, it was discovered that he had a blood clot in his left calf (also known as a deep vein thrombosis). We are so grateful that we were able to catch it when we did because DVT can lead to a pulmonary emobolism (when the blood clot travels to the lungs and heart) which can be fatal. So the doctor started him on blood thinners and the waiting game began. Slowly he has improved with lots of rest, occasional walking, and tylenol. It was very hard for awhile because I wasn't fully out of the early pregnancy symptoms when this happened. Luckily, he's doing much better now. He can almost walk normally and just has occasional swelling. We have been so grateful for all of the support of our ward (local LDS church congregation) as well as his employers. He used some time off and then was able to work from home for a bit. Also, friends have willingly watched Eli so I could get a break, brought us dinner, and the scouts shoveled our driveway. Thank you!

Ashley: began the 2nd trimester this month! I am firmly in maternity jeans and I'm looking more pregnant than just fat (thank goodness). Nausea got rarer towards the end of the month but energy is still low. I know I was definitely strengthened by the Spirit during Adam's time of being incapacitated. Our marriage has worked so well because we try to be equal partners in the home when it comes to chores and taking care of Eli. So, when one of us is down, it really throws us. This time was extra hard because neither of us were at full capacity. But things are on the up and up for both of us now :)

Eli: is growing up so fast! This month has been a lot of excitement for Christmas for our little guy. From seeing Santa to singing Christmas songs (his attempt of singing Jingle Bells is the cutest), this season has been magical. He got so excited whenever we got mail so that we had to be careful to hide packages when we brought them inside or he'd beg to open them haha. He is such a goofy little guy and is very curious about everything. This month he has also started speaking more sentences and most of them consist of questions. "What are you doing?" and "where you going?" are often heard whenever we leave the room or do anything other than sit and watch him play haha.

Christmas: We spent a nice quiet Christmas at home this year. We were planning on doing a weekend in Utah to see the lights at Temple Square but the blood clot kinda derailed that plan. So we just enjoyed watching Christmas movies and making cookies on Christmas Eve. Eli LOVED making the cookies. We don't usually let him help us cook but we cleared a spot on the counter for him to sit and watch/help. He was so proud of himself every cup of flour and sugar he poured into the bowl. The morning was very exciting and he really got the idea of opening gifts. And he's been playing with his new toys ever since. Then that evening we spent with my family that live in the area which is always fun.

Anniversary: We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this year! In the morning, we went to do sealings at the Idaho Falls temple while my cousin sweetly watched Eli. The afternoon we went out to lunch with a bunch of family to celebrate my uncle retiring. Then in the evening, we went all out, got a babysitter, ate some yummy Indian food, and watched the new Star Wars movie :)

November Update

Here is how the last month has gone!

Adam: has continued to enjoy his job. He has also taken part in planning their department Christmas party. We’ve been especially grateful for the sick leave as well because all three of us got a super nasty stomach bug.

Ashley: My biggest news is that I’m pregnant!! It's been a longer journey than trying for Eli but we got there in the end. We found out at the beginning of October and since then I’ve been super nauseous every day. Luckily I haven’t thrown up, which I didn’t with Eli either, but I definitely feel like I’m more nauseous than I was with him and the things that helped with him aren’t helping now. Adam has been SO helpful and most days will come straight home from work and directly start making dinner since that’s usually my worst sick time which is very inconvenient. Gosh I miss cooking! Eli has also been pretty good and is very familiar with the phrases “mommy sick” or “mommy sleepy” haha. We’ve been watching a lot of Netflix and DVDs. I had to switch to maternity jeans a lot earlier than with Eli, partially because I’m already a bit overweight, so I am showing but there is a layer of fat and skin before the hard tummy part (thank you Eli for that haha). I’ve had a couple appointments with my OB as well. I was really worried that I wouldn’t find someone who would support my desire for an intervention-free hypnobirth but I did! She has been fantastic and super excited for me to use hypnobirthing again. So I am currently at 12 weeks and hopefully that means that the nausea will be gone soon.

Eli: is growing up so much!! He talks a ton and about 75% of it is understandable to people other than us haha. He is a very active little boy and has recently found a love of jumping and dancing. His memory is very good so I feel like he constantly surprises me with things that he knows. He seems to be excited about the baby as far as he can understand. He loves looking at the ultrasound pictures of baby. Although ever since putting out our little nativity, I am slightly worried he is confused. We told him which piece was "baby Jesus" but we've also talked a lot about the baby in mommy's tummy and recently he said baby Jesus was in "tummy" soooo...he might think I'm pregnant with Jesus hahaha. He is such a sweet boy and loves the gospel. He loves looking at pictures of Christ and he talks about how he loves Jesus. He also really likes pointing out temples either in pictures or in person when we've visited the visitor center at the Idaho Falls temple. Some of his favorite things to do is to video chat with people, play with daddy, and play with our little electronic keyboard (he usually will command us to dance to whatever he plays on it haha).

top left: Eli loving on Daddy whenever he's home, top right: Adam's oldest sister and some of her family came for a quick visit, bottom left: enjoying a ride on Daddy, bottom right: just being a cutey :)

Girls Weekend: Right before Thanksgiving, I got to take a quick trip down to Las Vegas to party mommy style with my best friend Kayla! And it was baby-free! We walked until our feet wanted to explode but it was so much fun. We got to see a lot of the strip and then in the evening we went to a show. You might have seen IMomSoHard on Facebook or YouTube but if you haven't, it's basically two moms that do hilarious videos about being moms. When we heard they were doing live shows, we knew we wanted to go together if one happened to be near one of us. So, we got tickets to their Vegas show! It was SOOO funny (if a bit less censored than their videos). It was a mixture of improv and standup and it was perfect. The next day we basically laid in bed all day watching netflix because we both (but mostly me) could barely walk haha. Then Monday was some quick shopping and then my flight home. I'm so glad we could get together and I am so grateful for Adam happily willing to hold the fort at home.

Thanksgiving: This year was a bit crazier than usual as my parents and Stephanie's family came to stay with us! But it was so wonderful having them here. Sadly my other sister wasn't able to make it but maybe another year. Eli was over the moon to have Grandma and Grandpa Tanner as well as his cousin Anders here. He still asks for them almost daily haha. My parents did a night drive and got here around midday so when Eli woke up from his nap, he got a surprise seeing my dad walk upstairs from the basement. I really should have videoed his reaction because it was priceless haha. For the holiday itself, my dad did his usual bbq turkey and we made all the fixings. Other than a mishap with the turkey timer malfunctioning, all went relatively smoothly! The kids didn't mind the wait a bit as they were quite content playing with each other and the grandparents. The next day we just quietly spent at home putting up Christmas decorations and then Stephanie and her family went back to Provo. My parents stayed until Sunday morning which Eli would have chosen them to stay forever. I am so grateful that we have the living space and means to host people for such a fun holiday and hope to do it again.

September and October Update

So I meant to do a blog post last month but it kept getting later and later until it seemed like this made more sense haha.

Adam and Ashley: We’ve been doing pretty good these last couple months. We have been trying to get back into a normal routine at home and with finances es but something always seems to come up like a car needing to be fixed or we get sick. But at least we’re trying! We are enjoying our ward (local LDS church congregation) and our callings in it. I have been doing cub scouts which is fun but can be stressful trying to contain a bunch of 8 year old boys haha. Adam got called as a Sunday school teacher for gospel doctrine and he’s been rocking at it! Not surprising as he’s a born teacher. Adam has continued loving his job and I’ve been finding things to keep me busy at home with the babywearing group I started, meeting new friends, and helping to babysit a friend’s little boy.

Eli: has exploded with language! He is so smart and constantly learns new words. He has also started combining words to form simple sentences. It has helped so much to have him better at communication. He’s also got a lot more obedient which I think has stemmed from better communication. Some of his favorite things to do are play with toys, run around the house with daddy, and clean up. He loves to try to help with chores and he’ll often pick up things that need to be thrown away and say “closet?” (The garbage can is in the pantry). He loves playing with other kids and is still obsessed with going outside. Also, he is officially bottle weaned!!!! This has been a long time coming. He would need a bottle of milk before nap and nighttime but now he will go to bed without it which is such a relief! Now the next big transition will be to a toddler bed which I’m not looking forward to.

Special things that happened!
- We visited Adam’s brother and his wife in Wyoming on Labor Day weekend to see their newborn daughter be blessed! It was nice seeing his side of the family and hold a sweet snuggly baby :)

snuggling that sweet niece

We went to a park in Cheyenne and Eli loved the giant train!

Cousins!

- I turned 26!

-Halloween! We just went trick or treating at the building adam works at on BYU-Idaho campus. Eli loved it once he realized he got candy. He started off by opening and eating the candy immediately after collection but eventually he realized he was going to get lots more. He thoroughly enjoyed it and now we are at the “hide all the candy and give it out one piece at a time” stage haha