Sleep

I had a completely uninterrupted night of sleep last night! I haven't had one of those in AT LEAST seven months. These are the things that have woken me up the last 7 months:

-being pregnant and uncomfortable (and needing to pee every 5 seconds)
-crying baby who needs to eat
-Vance needs to go to the bathroom
-crying baby who needs his pacifier
-Chad's alarm clock going off (again and again and again)
-Vance trying to come into my bed (not happening)
-crying baby who needs to be rolled back on to his back
-Chad getting ready for work
-Vance peeing the bed
-crying baby who doesn't want to sleep
-telling Chad it's his turn to help with the kids

Now of course the large majority of the interruptions are Keller, but the few nights he hasn't fussed have inevitablely been one of the few nights that Vance will need something (which rarely happens). Sometimes it's been something as a little as a whimper or a grunt that has made me stir. I must add that often times on the weekends Chad is on kid duty so I can sleep in until 9:00 or so but I still wake up even if it's just to tell him the kids are up (I always wonder how dads don't hear them!).

All of this is why I am beyond excited about my night of sleep last night. The kids went to bed at 8:00 (with no crying from either of them) and woke up at 6:47! Yes I know the exact minute I woke up because I could hardly believe it was 6:47 and it was the first time I had woken up. I went to bed a little after 10:00 and slept like a baby for the first time in 7 months!!! It was heavenly!

Hopefully we'll have more nights like last night coming our way! A girl can dream right?

Biking 101

We went to my sister's house and Vance wanted to ride a bike. She didn't have any with training wheels so he said he would just ride a big bike (which he has never done before). In like two tries he had the basics down. I couldn't believe it. He came home and asked Dad to take his training wheels off.
He still can't start by himself but he is getting pretty good at the rest of it.

He can go up and down the street and only falls sometimes when turning. He gets a little scared and tries to take huge turns and runs out of room to ride. He is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it. Sometimes I wish I could just press pause.

I took a little video at Amy's house when he was very first learning. I caught what I thought was a funny moment on video. Vance DID fall under the car. Vance DID NOT hurt his head or anything. He barely even cried...I promise.

Say Yes to the Dress

My best friend from high school, Amanda, recently got engaged and asked me to be her maid of honor. Amanda and I have been friends since we were 14 and I couldn't be more excited for her. She lives in Arizona so we don't get to see each other as much as I'd like, but I recently had an excuse to go visit. Amanda was going wedding dress shopping!!! She tried on lots of dresses and not surprisingly looked absolutely stunning in all of them! At the first dress shop it was just Amanda, her mom, and me. At the second shop the mother of the groom and 2 bridesmaids met us there. It was so fun!

Hopefully I don't get in trouble by Amanda for posting a picture of her in a dress but I couldn't resist. This dress wasn't the one she picked (that one has to be a surprise) but here is a little taste of the bride-to-be.

Love you Mandy and can't wait to continue the planning! Thanks for inviting me to Say Yes to the Dress!

Toy Story 3 on Ice

We took Vance to Toy Story 3 on Ice. We went with Amy and her family and my mom and dad. It was by far the best Disney on Ice show I have seen. It was all so cute and no weird tangents that those shows sometimes take.

My mom and dad are such good sports. They never want to miss out on fun with the grandkids (even if that means they have to sit through Toy Story on Ice).

Vance sat mesmerized the entire show. He never got overly excited or anything but if definitely kept him interested. About half way through he leaned over and said, "Mom - where's Barbie?!" I couldn't help but laugh. What 3 year old boy is already concerned about Barbie?! I am definitely afraid for the teenage years.You can imagine how relieved he was when she finally made her debut -

What's better than Barbie you ask? Barbie AND friends of course!

The whole Toy Story 3 crew. I am always so impressed with the costumes that Disney comes up with.

My Quirks

My good friend just did a post about her quirks that got me thinking about my quirks. Here's a few fun facts about me...please still be my friend when you get done reading!

-I love to pop pimples. I know I'm not alone on this one. If it squirts the mirror it is just that much more exciting. Unfortunately I have plenty of zits to pop :( Along the same lines as popping pimples, I love to peel skin after a bad sunburn. Chad thinks I am gross, but to me it's normal. I remember my mom paying me to let her peel my skin. I guess this quirk is genetic.

-I put mayonnaise on my corn on the cob. It sounds nasty, but it's not. You can't knock it until you try it. Something about the corn makes the mayonnaise taste sweet. I have to warn you though, you look like a mess while you eat your corn. Definitely not a good food for a first date.

-I have no shame when it comes to wearing my pajamas in public. I have never understood people who judge others for wearing their pajamas to Walmart. Walmart? Really? It's Walmart for goodness sake. I'm pretty sure you can wear whatever the heck you'd like and it should be acceptable. My pajama wearing doesn't always stop at Walmart though. You can catch me in my jammies at home (more often than you should), taking Vance to school, going out for dessert, stopping at the store, at my work, etc. My motto is comfort first!

-I take ridiculously long showers. I am talking start with a full tank of hot water and use it until it's gone kind of showers. Sometimes I think it's because lots of days that's my only alone time. I take my time washing my hair, soaping off, washing my face, brushing my teeth, shaving, scrubbing my feet, doing a deep conditioning treatment, and just enjoying the hot water. I feel all pretty (and relaxed) when I get out. The funny thing is I kind of hate to get in the shower. A little stink from the previous day doesn't normally bother me. I'm fine for 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) day hair and some fresh clothes. Yep - sometimes I'm the stinky kid!

-I am anal about making my bed. I pretty much NEVER miss a day of making my bed. I usually make it right went I get out of bed in the morning before leaving my room. There is something about my bed being unmade that makes my entire bedroom look messy and then makes my blood pressure rise. I seriously think I have a biological response to my unmade bed (Let me stress it's only MY bed that has to bed. Other people's unmade beds don't bother me at all). If I had a really crazy morning and didn't get a chance to make the bed, I will make it at night. I will make the bed 2 minutes before I get in it for the night. I just like to go to sleep in a bed with the covers just right. I guess I want a clean slate before I go to sleep again. Chad thinks I'm over the top...I guess I kind of am.

-I have a nerdy love for typing games. I am going to brag a little here - I am a DAMN FAST typer! I guess I like these games because they stroke my ego. They pretty much tell me what I already now - I type fast. I have always typed pretty fast (I could type 35 wpm when I was in 1st grade), but my job (typing real estate appraisals) has made me even faster. I think I can sustain over 100 wpm most days. I love typing mania (mania or maniac?) on facebook. The only problem is the game takes awhile to lose. I have spent hours playing that stupid think. I am a loser.

-I memorize the pattern of street lights at intersections that I frequent a lot. I will always know which turns green first: the arrow or the regular light. I always have a strategy for the fastest way home. I don't know if I actually know the fastest routes but I certainly think I do. I will have route a, b, and c planned and adjust depending on how I hit the lights. I think the theme of this post is I am a little neurotic.

I think that's probably enough for now. I don't want to scare you off. If you want to know more, I'm sure Chad would be more than willing to indulge you.

6 Months

My sweet Keller boy is already 6 months. Time is flying by! He weighs 14 lbs and is 24 inches tall. Both of those stats put him in the 10th percentile. He might be small but he is mighty. haha.

For the 2nd photo project of the month I took Keller's 6 months photos in my most FAVORITE beanie - a sock monkey. I know I'm biased but seriously...my baby is SO FREAKING ADORABLE! I absolutely love him!!!
Look at that bare bum. Don't you just want to eat him?!

I love his baby blues. One day those eyes are going to break some hearts. I didn't even enhance his eyes at all when I edited the photos - they are just that pretty!

I love you Keller boy!!!

Sleepy

One thing I love about infants is how they will sleep anywhere. Keller doesn't nap on the go as well as Vance did but he does okay. He definitely prefers his crib. The picture above was taken at lunch with my mom and sister. Perfection!

Tea Party

We had the annual Anderson Tea Party (Anderson is my mom's maiden name). This year we did breakfast and had juice instead of tea. The theme was "love." Everything my mom planned was super cute and it was great to get together with my cousins.
The Sutton and Galler girls (minus Jennie of course). Both my mom and Aunt Gayle have 4 daughters and no sons. Talk about a lot of hormones!

My cousin, Natalie, just had twins. Leslie and I are both infant lovers and couldn't wait to hold the little guys. We visited them in the hospital but you still couldn't hold them. They are 6 weeks old (I think) and are only 7 pounds. So tiny!

Thanks for a fun morning Mom!

Photo Project

My cousin recently had twins. She asked if I would try taking pictures of them and I very hesitantly said I would. Newborn photography is very hard (at least to me) and I had a friend take pictures of my own child because I was too nervous. If it wasn't for my New Year's resolution (2 photo projects a month) I probably would have said no. I'm glad I didn't because even though it was a challenge I got a few good pictures.

Meet Ben and Wes-
We couldn't get them on the same sleeping schedule. When one was awake the other was asleep. Definitely glad I'm not the mom of twins! Good luck Natalie :)

Ben was hungry so we tried to be quick. He was so sweet and only peed once :)

Wes liked a little alone time in the basket. I love him!

These boys are so dang cute and little. Congratulations Thomas and Natalie!!!

Squealer

I know I've mentioned how Keller gets mad at his toys but I feel like you might think I'm exaggerating. I PROMISE I'm not. His favorite toys lately are teething rings. I don't think he's actually teething but they are easy to hold on to and can be shoved in his mouth.

I took a video of him squealing and yelling at his toys but I can't ever get videos to upload anymore. I think the picture below captures Keller's attitude as good as any picture will.

Keller I sincerely wish you would decide you like your toys and start playing with them nicely. You know maybe try some soft, gentle coos? A few giggles perhaps?

Just please no more squealing and yelling!

Date Night

Aunt Jennie was in town working last weekend and spared an evening to take Vance out on a date. At first he didn't really know what she asking but we explained it to him and then he wouldn't stop talking about it all day long. "Me and Jennie are going on a date because we love each other!" "How much more minutes til 6?" "Is it time to get ready for my date yet?" I could hardly wait for 6:00 pm so his date would come already.

It was a great opportunity to teach Vance about dating and how to treat women. He took a shower, wore a shirt with buttons, did his hair, put on some cologne, picked her flowers, and gave her a compliment (he decided to go with "I love your shoes!"). The only thing he didn't do is pay - Aunt Jennie was his sugar mama for the night.

She took him to McDonalds for dinner and then offered to take him out for ice cream. He replied, "How about you get an ice cream and I'll just get a toy instead?" So Jennie got frozen yogurt and Vance got a new Cars toy. It's a good thing he's cute!

At times like this I'm especially sad the Ogdens live so far away. Aunt Jennie rocks!

New Years

We spent New Years at the sand dunes. My dad took Vance out Thursday morning and Chad and I went out on Friday. Vance loved having a day at the dunes with just his cousins and Grandpa. Thanks Dad!

Chad got so many new camping things for Christmas and he was excited to try some of them out. Here's our first time using our new cooker!
My mom bought some snow discs. We used some rope to tie them to a Razor and pulled the kids around. The rocks tore the discs up pretty fast but everyone got one turn.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! These two are just so cute together.

Vance helping Grandpa drive the Razor.

My dad's dune buggy always squeaks. We all tease him about it. Well this trip one of our friends attached this custom license plate he had made. It said "Squeaker." Way to go Taylor's! It was too funny.

The grandsons don't care if it squeaks or not :)

This is Keller's first buggy ride. It put him right to sleep! A trick I used 2 more times that weekend. I don't know what it is about dune buggies and boat but they put kids right to sleep.

I got some new nail polish for Christmas. It's over-the-top glittery which I love! I polished my nails at the sand dunes and told everyone "I got my party on!" It wasn't long before all the girls (and a few of the boys) painted their nails too. Vance keeps asking why we had to take his "party" off. lol

When the sun went down it was time to start celebrating New Years Eve!

We bought this flashy-mouth thing and Vance loved it even though it barely fit in his mouth.

At midnight (actually 8:17 with the kids) we counted down to the new year and popped our poppers. I also got everyone with silly string - you never got too old for some things.

We spent the last day hanging out and flying some kites. Camping is so relaxing. I love the break from technology and the craziness of life.

After a fun-filled weekend both of my boys were spent, not to mention absolute dirt balls. We came home and got some much needed rest and showers!

Happy New Year!

SSED

Chad says my family has a disorder. He calls it SSED - Sutton Social Eating Disorder.

He has a point.

Unfortunately.

This is how the disorder works -
We are hanging out and none of us are hungry. One person (most of the time it is my dad) decides to get out a snack. The rest of us swarm to the kitchen and begin eating too. Even though we aren't hungry.

This disorder is a definitely a part of why I gained weight. However we have SSED even when the snack is fruit or a veggie tray. I guess we just all love company! The funny thing is I never noticed we did it until Chad brought it up. Guess it's just a family quirk.

Get Your Reb On

We took the family to a Rebels game the other night. Free student tickets is one of the only perks of being in college these days. We had fun and Vance loved it. He joined in all the cheers and was constantly updating us on the score.
Amy and her family came too. Her boys are all sports fanatics so of course they ate it up!

The Rebels destroyed the other team. Way to go Rebs!

New Year's Resolutions

Chad

-train for a triathlon

-keep good grades

-read 2 books for pleasure

- go shooting once a month

- take Vance or Keller on dad dates every other month

-family home evenings

Alli

-reach my goal weight

-participate in a sprint triathlon

-2 photography projects a month (try new settings and edit in Photoshop)

-read my camera and photoshop books

-pray everyday

-bite my tongue

Vance (he came up with these himself)

-write letters better

-try not to say the same thing over and over

- learn to ride a bike without training wheels

- get better at games

Family

-read the Book of Mormon with the study guide

-cook a new dinner recipe together once a month

- family game night twice a month