trips

we've been lucky enough to go on some fabulous trips lately.

we went to Boise to visit after my sister got knee surgery. graham was devastated when we left. he needs siblings and a dog.

coronado is my idea of a dream vacation. breakfast buffet, pool, amazing restaurants, and the del=heaven

pat, graham, and I also went to michigan and watched my brother's kids while him and his wife went on a cruise. we had a blast! I don't have one picture of the week because I forgot my phone in Utah. I was extremely sad. again, graham did not want to leave! he certainly loves his cousins and cool new toys to play with. tate was the best sharer of her shopping cart. seriously, his obsession with those is amazing.

thanks to my siblings who let us stay at their houses (erin + nate, wy + chels)! talk about the best hosts around with the neatest houses ever. I came home feeling inspired to make my house cuter. I needed the push. :)

life as of late..

I questioned even posting this...do you think I'm abusive? graham took quite the spill outside right after he started walking.
I cried for longer then he did.

having a toddler is the greatest. this pretty much captures all of his favorite things. garbage cans, straws, shopping carts, oreo eating, shopping (he really doesn't mind shopping), etc. the only thing we're missing is his obsession for being outside. he stands by windows and doors all day hoping we'll let him run wild. matt and I need to get our acts together and get our yard done. dirt just isn't as fun or as pretty as grass and flowers.

some day. some day.

he is a walking machine

graham started walking about a month and a half ago. boy, has my life changed.
he. is. crazy.
it is very fun though. he seems like such an adult now!



in other graham news: his favorite words to say are hi/hello/hey, thank you, mmmm, uh oh, ewww, daddy, ouch, moo, boo, bye bye...and I think that's about it. no mommy yet unless he's really upset. :(
he hates pretty much all food unless it's unhealthy. his favorites are fry sauce, oreos, soda, and ranch. we're bad parents.
he also loves cheesy smiles, squinting his eyes until they are basically closed. it's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.
he's still extremely social and walking really helps.
he started climbing up on things yesterday. so annoying.
he finally sleeps through the night. phew.
he has entered the phase of not wanting to sit in his stroller, a shopping cart, or his car seat. pretty much my life is over.
he is more fun now than ever. love him!

michigan + visitors + a hair cut + valentines day love

playing catch up....again.

why am I so lazy about blogging??

in January, Graham and I took a last minute trip to Michigan to visit my brother and his family.
spending extra time with them was definitely something I was looking forward to. I was also anxious to see where my mom and dad lived while he went to school there some years ago. Graham's obsession with his cousins Tate, Finn, and Tuck was definitely an added perk.

not my best moment

all I can say is that Michigan is the most charming place in the world. it helped to have wonderful hosts (why don't I have one picture of Wyatt from the trip?). thanks for letting us come! we'll definitely be back..

these lovely people came into town right after our trip. our lives get SO boring when they leave. it's like heaven on earth when they visit.

we went to a movie during sundance. pat, thanks for being so cool and getting us tickets AND not killing us driving to Ogden in the snow. I had a minor heart attack on the way there.

shortly after his birthday, Graham got his first hair cut. I was immediately sad about it after. he's such a grown up now. but, quite handsome.

before

during

after
he loves anything that results in a sucker, so he was a happy man.

my mom throws the best valentines dinner. it even has heart shaped ice cubes and professionally made decorations (by her of course). we got some of the beauties in the corner of this pic. I'm sad I didn't get a picture of the table. it was perfect.

also, just wanted to give a little shout out to Matt. how did I score a husband that is constantly (literally 24/7) thinking of ways to provide a perfect life for me and Graham (and future babies), forces me out of the house at least once a week to have "me" time, stays up extremely late to play mario party with me and then wakes up with Graham in the morning so I can sleep in (I think he has slept past 7:30 twice since Graham was born), and cleans up after every meal I ever make...not to mention keeping me and Graham laughing in the process with his accents and other things. these are just a couple of things I appreciate about this all around perfect man.

we promised not to do gifts this valentines. of course I was greeted with this when he walked in the door from work. he knows me well. I've wanted one for ages.

now we're recovering from a little case of croup. this winter has been rough on us.

we sure did celebrate.

we loved celebrating this little ones birthday.
I still can't believe he's one.
he was a little on the crabby side during his big day, but we still made it a hoot by opening presents, eating pizza, having a little party with family/friends, and going to the children's museum with the three of us.
he definitely loved it.

he loved his cake...

and his presents.

no, he really did love his presents. he has some seriously awesome family and friends.

love this little man.

happy birthday, little man

graham-
you have made this year more memorable than any we have ever had before.
we now have a special place in our hearts for elevators, pickles, bread, remotes, balls, books, toilets, flashlights, holes, cords, stairs, stairs, and did I mention stairs? these are your favorite things.
thank you for bringing such a sweet spirit into our lives.
you have given us meaning, driven us to be better, and helped us to have the happiest days we have ever known.
we can't wait to watch you continue to grow.
we love you and hope you have a very happy birthday!!
love, mom and dad