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

August Update

This month has been SUPER busy!! So here it is!

Adam and Ashley: We mostly spent the month bouncing from one thing to the next. Earlier in the month, I took a spur of the moment trip to visit my friend Kayla in Las Vegas and Adam was a trooper at home taking care of Eli. After 6 days, I came back. We had a 4 day break and then my mom came in town! She was helping my grandpa drive back to Idaho so she decided to stay a bit longer to be here for Eli's birthday and the eclipse. Then, a few days later we had the eclipse, picked up Kayla from the airport (in insane post-eclipse traffic haha), and had a birthday part for Eli. My mom then left a few days later and then the day after that Kayla spent the weekend with us (her mom lives in the area but we were lucky to have her for a bit). Then Sunday night, a bathroom drawer fell and smashed my toe so I had to go to urgent care (not so fun but nothing broken). The rest of the week, we spent prepping for our trip to Wyoming for a baby blessing Labor Day weekend. It has been a whirlwind month but lots of fun :)

At the Bellagio with Kayla; party time for Eli's birthday; two very needy toddlers attached to Adam's hips haha

Eli: is officially 2 years old!!! He has become a little chatterbox and a mimic. He will repeat everything he hears haha. He has also discovered Thomas & Friends and Chuggington, so he's obsessed with trains. He has become super affectionate which has been fun and loves to give hugs and kisses. He is also very opinionated and throws tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants or if we can't understand him. He loves to go to the park and play outside. He loves food and we are attempting a third time to try to wean him from a bottle. We are trying to do it SUPER slowly, decreasing it ounce by ounce every week and so far it is working and we're down to only 5 oz at nap time and bed time. It is fun to see his little personality shine through and he learns more.

Eli loves to take silly selfies; I put his pants on his head and he thought it was hilarious haha; at our favorite Thai restaurant in Idaho Falls, Eli heavily flirts with the waitresses haha this one is particularly enamored and brought him ice cream for his birthday :) ;at his two year check up and growing like a weed!

July Update

New month, new update!

Adam and Ashley: I decided to combine ours because let's be honest, you really would rather hear about Eli ;) The biggest update we have is that we got a new car!!!! We've been looking for awhile knowing that we needed another one. Eli and I have been going stir crazy stuck at home haha. Adam had the day off on Pioneer Day because of him working for a church school so we decided to look. We happened to find a minivan online the day before that we really liked and was an awesome deal. So we took it for a test drive, prayed about it, and then signed the papers!! We all absolutely love our new (to us) 2015 Dodge Caravan :)

Eli: will be two in a couple weeks! He is getting so smart and maybe a bit too smart haha. He is learning words by the dozen and is getting better at copying what we say. He also figured out how to use door knobs and then figured out how to rip off the door knob covers we have (which were too small anyways but hey they lasted a month or so haha). He has also learned how to take off his pajamas and sometimes his diaper...so yah that's been fun to wake up to haha. He is getting a little too obsessed with the TV which has been hard to moderate since if we say no, he will attempt to climb up and turn it on himself. His obsessions are cars, trains, fish, and going outside. Seriously, he could talk about them all day haha. He also loves video chatting people especially Grandma and Grandpa (both sets), Lala (my best friend Kayla), and baby (Kayla's little boy). He will often point to my phone and ask for them by name. Such a social boy :)

My sister's wedding!!!
Read about it here!

My Sister's Wedding

Earlier in July, we got to take a trip to Washington!!
We decided to have Adam work a half day so we drove part of the way on Monday the 3rd, stayed overnight in La Grande.

Sleeping at the Fort

We drove the rest of the way on Tuesday the 4th. Eli did "relatively" well with the drive. We were able to get in early enough so that we went to lunch at Burgerville and then we went down to the Fort Vancouver fireworks show which has been something I grew up going to so I was excited to show Adam. Eli took a nap on daddy's back and enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa Tanner. We were a little worried about the fireworks because we had gone to a smaller thing with Adam's family and he didn't like it. But I think that was just because it was too close and too loud. He LOVED the big fireworks show and so did we :)
Then Wednesday, we got to see Jessica go through the temple for the first time! Its always so nice to go back to the Portland temple since that is where we were married and I went through the first time :)

Getting our nails did :D

Thursday, Adam sweetly took care of Eli for the majority of the day so that I could go with my sister, mom, and some of Brad's side of the family to go and get our nails done! They turned out really well and it was nice to pamper Jessica. Then, that evening we had a little bachelorette party at Beaches restaurant and then hanging out at her sister-in-law's parents' house. 

Hanging with Chelsea!

Friday, we had a family party with all of my mom's side to celebrate my grandpa's birthday and we had a little baby shower for my aunt. It was so fun to hang out with everyone and Eli enjoyed playing with his second cousin and his first cousins once removed (when your youngest aunt is only a few years older than your oldest sister, cousin lines get confusing haha).  

Cute ring bearer!

Beautiful day :)

Saturday of course was the big day!! We got to see my sister get married for time and all eternity to an amazing man in the same place that we got married as well as my sister Stephanie <3 I totally cried haha. It was a beautiful day and after pictures we went out to my favorite Thai place. Then that evening, we had the reception at Green Meadows club which was gorgeous! The catered appetizers and the cake were delicious and the decorations were super cute. I didn't get a ton of pictures because most of the time I was video chatting with Stephanie who is in Peru for her husband's internship. I am so grateful for modern technology which allowed her to see all of the big things at the reception like the ring ceremony, first dances, cake cutting, shoe game, speeches, etc. They exited in a decorated golf cart to get to their decorated car that was taking them to their honeymoon!

sleeping at the reception

Gorgeous cake!

Then Sunday, we made the long trek home! During the day while we were there was often spent visiting with old friends of mine and just driving around Vancouver (sometimes just so Eli could get a nap haha). So now all of Adam's siblings and all of mine are married!

Heading off!

June Update

Ahh life has been crazy but I've finally got around to a new blog post! There aren't as many personal updates but mostly stuff about what we've done this month. So here is how June went for us :)

Babywearing at Yellowstone

At the Idaho Falls zoo

Adam: is continuing to enjoy his job! Even with all that hard work, he still comes home ready to help out around the house and with Eli. I'm so lucky! He is mostly just redesigning already established courses but he is liking it. He has been able to get to know a few of his coworkers as well. He has been loving the extra free time in the evenings and weekends which have quickly filled up. But he's been able to read for enjoyment which he hasn't done for awhile!

Ashley: I have mostly been attempting to keep up with Eli (hello tantrums!) and keeping busy with all of our various activities. I have been working on getting a local babywearing group established here which has been fun. I've even been able to help a few people in person! I also got a bike which promptly broke after one ride to the park with Eli in our new trailer. We got the new part this week so hopefully we can get it back in working order again!

Post-nap temper tantrum over socks...

Sleeping at cub scout day camp (my new church calling)

Eli: is 22 months and LOVES to talk. And about 1/3 of it is understandable, but mostly the same few words haha. But he is learning more. His new favorite thing is counting which I've been trying to teach him #1-5. He enjoys counting goldfish crackers and his toes by going "1,2,1,2,5!!" or "1,2,5,2,5!!". "5" is always shouted out with glee haha. He also has gained an affinity to tantrums which hasn't been as fun. Full on rolling-on-the-floor-kicking-and-screaming tantrums. So if you have any advice on how help with tantrums for a mostly nonverbal nearly 2 year old, I am all ears. He LOVES to go outside to parks and this month we went to the local zoo here! He loved it and since it's small, it's the perfect size for him. We let him walk around using the leash we have (he's a runner) and he liked feeling independent. Adam is diligently trying to teach him how to say "I love you, mommy" which has also been adorable :)

We also went to Yellowstone (for the first time for me) with Adam's brother and his wife! Eli absolutely adored them and I thoroughly enjoyed all the cool sights! My favorite was West Thumb's paint pots. All the colors of the rainbow! It's amazing what natural processes can create. And Eli kept pointing at all the steaming, bubbling pools and saying "It's hot! It's hot!" over and over again haha. I can't wait to take family and friends that have never been!