evening walk & new shoes

,

On Sunday we went for our usual long family walk in the evening and I could not believe how early the sun set! I felt like we were chasing the sun home as it quickly dipped in the sky. On one hand, it is awesome having it dark outside when we put Liam to bed but on the other, it is a little bit of a bummer knowing that we are saying goodbye to those long summer evenings that seemed to stretch on forever. It made for one heck of a view as we finished the last stretch of our walk with the most beautiful orangey pink sunset you ever did see. It was gorgeous!!

We spent this last weekend in Boise and got Liam an early birthday present, his first pair of tennis shoes! He LOVES them and looks down at his feet and smiles every few steps he takes. He has had much better balance when he wears them too. I couldn't even believe they make Nike's this small. I also got a new pair of Nike running shoes because I have worn my old ones into the ground and let's just say that I did NOT have as good of luck wearing them on the walk for the first time as Liam did. haha They are so comfortable but the back of the heal extends higher then my last shoes did and caused a lot of rubbing. Rookey mistake not wearing taller socks. I'm sporting some lovely blisters today! Halfway through our walk, Nic traded socks with me, that sweet guy. haha I looked a little ridiculous walking around with the heals of the socks sitting around my ankles. 

In the middle of the sock switching fiasco, this lady and her daughter on bikes stopped and talked to us. They said they couldn't believe how big our son had gotten and that they have been watching us go on this walk almost every night since I was pregnant with Liam until now. They said they call us the "cute walking couple" and love to see us out together. Their comments not only made us smile but totally made our day! We ARE the couple who enjoys walking together with our little family and I'd die a happy woman to be the "cute walking couple" for the rest of our lives. :)

Next to the beautiful sunset, I was excited to see the blood moon eclipse on Sunday night, especially since I have never seen one in my lifetime until now as they only happen every 30 years. I'm bummed to say that we missed it because there were just too many clouds in the sky here to see it. Maybe we'll have better luck when I am 55. But let's hope that doesn't come ANY TIME soon!

Well I better go... I have a cute little walker who just woke up from his nap who I'm sure is ready for me to follow him around in his new shoes! ;) 

eleven months

e l e v e n   m o n t h s   o l d

stats

..................

 23 pounds, 5 ounces 

29  inches long

loves

...............

walking

clapping

waving

peek-a-boo & hide n' seek
sticking out his tongue
cheese & fruit
snuggling
leaning his head on his own shoulder (it's the funniest thing!)
carrying around shoes

dislikes

...................

getting face and hands wiped

My little Liam,

Eleven months with you and we can't imagine our lives without you in them. You can officially walk now and we all love it! It is so surreal having you walk beside us everywhere we go. You are beginning to transition to one nap and have showed signs of being ready to wean from nursing. Both changes have been hard on you and I but I know that with you being a year next month, this change is inevitable. You have made your first friend! His name is Alex and you guys have a great time together fighting over the same toy in a room full of toys. haha You love to play hide n' seek and burst into fits of giggles whenever we say "come and get me" or "I'm gonna get you!" You have been regressing with foods lately, liking fewer and fewer things, and turning away things you used to love. We have gone back to more pureed food unless it is cheese and fruit. You started snuggling against our chest/shoulder again, something you haven't done since a tiny baby and we love it! You are a ball full of energy. Once we set you down, there is no stopping you. You get into everything so we have had to up our baby proofing game!  Your favorite thing to do is swipe a shoe from the shoe rack or our closet and carry it around with you. Same with a row of wooden pumpkins I have on the window sill. Your dad taught you to carry my shoes and dump them in the bathtub (thankyouverymuch Nic) but I don't really care because I love the sounds you make whenever you get excited! You smile and giggle at yourself in the mirror whenever I gel your hair in the mornings. You learned to wave and I think having you wave goodbye to daddy in the morning makes his day every time. You love to peek out of the blinds whenever they are closed. You are starting to get three new teeth and I wish I could take the pain away from you. We love you so so much!

Love, Momma

we got a beach!!!

Well, close enough for this small town of ours. The Portneuf Wellness Complex was just finished and it feels like an exciting addition to our town and has some of our favorite things... a big walking path lined with wild sunflowers, a beautiful view of a pond filled with fish you can catch and release, a swimming area, a playground, an ampitheatre for events to take place, and sand volleyball courts! When we went to check it out on Saturday I hadn't heard anything about a swimming area and was most excited for that part! There is a creak that runs through the whole complex so the pond doesn't have stagnant water. It will be such a fun place to take Liam to play whenever there is warm weather. 

Before I share some pictures, I have to preface with a comment that Nic leaned over and said to me as I pulled out my camera while we were there, "I bet this is going to make an EPIC blog post!" haha He knows me too well. With that said, here are a million and one pictures of Liam playing in the water because, well, I can't help it ... 

team emilee

When I moved away to college I didn't know a soul and I quickly fell into a routine of constant studying rather than a budding social life. haha But let's be real, there is only so much studying one can handle before you lose your mind and it was then that I realized it would be a good idea for me to look for a job. At the time I didn't know about work study on campus and I expected to struggle to find one with flexible hours that could work around my class schedule. It was then that I met the Williamson family (not related, just a coincidence we share the same last name)! We were introduced through a mutual friend. They were looking for a nanny for their kids and it became the perfect job for me. I quickly came to love their whole family! Fast forward 7 years later, wow that seems crazy to say, and we still keep in touch. 

On Saturday we did a buddy walk for Down Syndrome with Team Emilee! The event kicked off with a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Liam tried a bite of pancake for the first time and I was not in the least bit surprised when he spit it right back out. This kid, you guys. haha Anything in the grain-based family he is not a fan of. I wish I didn't like bread, pasta, etc. too. ;)

The event was held at Brooklyn's Playground, a local park that was built for children with disabilities. We played on the toys most of the morning. Leah, the youngest daughter in the family, was such a good helper with Liam and showing him all around. Emilee would occasionally shout "Meagan" from across the playground and wave with a big grin on her face! Liam went down the slide all by himself for the first time! Keep in mind this slide was very short in length, with me at the bottom to catch him, and he was laying on his back not sitting up. He loved it!  

There was a group of Disney princesses, Star Wars characters, and superheros there for the kids to get their pictures taken with! It was so much fun watching the little boys with Down Syndrome in awe over these super heroes. It made me smile so big!

After breakfast and the playground, the walk began. There is a big path that loops the park that we walked with Emilee and her family. There were people everywhere cheering everyone on with pom poms, bubbles, and whistles! 

So proud to be a part of Team Emilee! She is such a rock star. I love both of these girls so much and can't believe how big they have gotten! Go Team Emilee! 

Happy Monday

After spending the better part of a week cooped up at home and feeling awful, it makes me happy to say that today things are finally looking up. The slightly runny noses and residual coughs are hanging on for dear life but we have more energy and I have plans to venture out of the house today, even if it is just for a short walk around the block and a quick trip to the store.

Daddy is back to work today and we already miss him. Liam's nap boycotting this weekend was evidence that he loves when daddy is home to play! I don't blame him one bit. Speaking of Nic, can I also say that he is one amazing care taker. On top of working, he did all the grocery shopping last week and not only nursed us back to health with yummy meals but watched not one, not two, but three chick flicks with me. Next time you are at your local Redbox, you can go ahead and just skip right over 'Aloha', no matter how many popular actors and actresses that you love in it (and believe me, I LOVE me some Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams). We both didn't have a clue what was really going on until about 3/4 of the way through the movie. Two thumbs down. The second movie, Age of Adaline, was okay. Not great but not terrible either. If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan like me (give me all the cheesy loves stories), The Longest Ride was the best! Loved every second of it.

Something cute ... Saturday was exactly 6 years since Nic and I's first date and Sunday, exactly 6 years since we started officially dating the very next day. I still remember that date like it was yesterday and found myself reliving it all day as I sifted through some of my favorite memories. So happy he chose me!

And because everyone is talking about it, Fall that is, we're excited over here for cooler temperatures this week. While I don't love the rain, I do love rain boots and baby jeans so I'll take it if it brings 65 degrees. You guys, I am SO excited for Halloween this year!! I have family themed costumes planned and I.CAN'T.WAIT. I bought Liam's little costume from an Instagram resale shop and plan to make Nic and I's with what we have at home. :) Homemade costumes are the best! Spending $30 - $40 a costume on something we will wear for only a couple hours on one night seems silly to me. Speaking of Halloween, the festiveness has already started over here with Liam wearing these bat jammies on repeat. His first pair of two-piece jammies.

Happy Monday and Happy Fall Ya'll!

Liam's First Birthday Wish List

It looks like a terrible combination of Sunday church germs and the cesspool that is the fair landed Liam and I with our first colds of the season. There is nothing worse than seeing your baby sick. I feel terrible and wish that I could take away all of his discomfort. Naturally he isn't letting it hold him back though! That boy has one speed and one speed only, 100 miles per hour ALWAYS. 

While it has been a barrel of fun over here for the last two days being stuck at home and buried in snivels and mountains of tissues, I've been planning Liam's first birthday to put a bright spot in my day. I CAN NOT believe that it is only a little over a month away!! How how how?!?! I'll never know. It feels like he has been hitting new milestones every day lately and I love it! Walking being the number one but also take this morning for example, he waved " bye bye" to dad as he drove off to work and we were both grinning from ear to ear! His first birthday feels like another big milestone and definitely one that deserves to be celebrated.

And would you look at that! Liam totally made his very own first birthday wish list. ;) 

Boon Snack Ball | Cable Pom Beanie | Phone | Alphabet Puzzle | Radio Flyer Walker Wagon | Tiny Converse | October Octopus Book | Corduroy Trousers | Striped Joggers

Okay so maybe I made it for him but between a combination of thinking about what he has been loving lately and what he will need for winter, this list kind of made itself. The only thing I have actually gotten so far is the snack ball. If there are two things that Liam loves right now it is food and toy balls. Whoever created this definitely had a little boy in mind. I never leave the house these days without taking some kind of snack for him and this reusable snack ball is great for just that.

 The teacher in me is all about having educational toys in our house. Liam loves anything that is wooden right now and this wooden alphabet puzzle is perfect for the stage he is currently in (chewing on everything) and will grow with him as he begins to learn his letters. The October Octopus Book teaches all the months of the year in a fun interactive way. Liam has an animal book that he LOVES right now with all sorts of textures and things you can touch so this book would be perfect. Like every other kid, Liam is obsessed with Nic and I's iphones. Not the best thing to be making a "toy" out of. This wooden phone though just might be the best replacement while simultaneously being perfect for teaching numbers too. It even makes sound! 

I have been torn between a radio flyer walker wagon and this actual wagon that he can be pulled in. If anyone has both and could recommend one more than the other I'd love to hear from you in an email or the comments below! I can't decide which one will get more use and he will love more. He loves to walk, push things, and carry things with him wherever he goes. The walker version would be perfect for that. He doesn't have any kind of a walker or anything to tote around with his toys inside right now. We go for a ton of evening walks though which makes me think he might love to be pulled in a wagon where he can bring his toys along with him but we also have a great stroller he loves to ride in too so it might not be necessary. Right now, I'm leaning toward the walker wagon! 

I am continually amazed at how fast Liam grows out of his clothes. He needs a new hat before the first winter snow which, if were talking about Idaho, could be as soon as October, his birthday month. He also needs some new khaki church pants and I loved putting him in jogger sweats last winter for days where we just hung around the house. Liam is also ready for his first pair of walking shoes!! All his baby shoes are becoming too small and tattered. They also don't have the support he needs for learning to walk on hard surfaces. 

I'm excited to share more birthday plans in the coming weeks. So glad this week is half way over. I'm looking forward to having Nic back at home with us and for Liam and I to be on the mend from this yucky bug so we can have a fun weekend. Happy Hump Day!  

labor day at the fair

Besides having daddy home with us for a 3 day weekend, gosh, there is nothing I love more about labor day than a giant pronto pup, a petting zoo full of baby animals, and the best people watching you ever did see! Oh Eastern Idaho State Fair, you never cease to disappoint! Last year I was pregnant and had to miss out on my favorite pronto pup so that was a must this year and pretty much the first thing we did. Since Liam can't speak for himself yet, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that it was his second favorite part of his first trip to the fair! 

I was so excited to take him to the petting zoo to see all of the baby animals! He looked at the rows of bunnies like, "nothing I haven't seen before, carry on" but the cows and goats on the other hand!!! He was smiling and giggling as they greedily approached his chubby little hands reaching out for them. Next year, we will definitely try feeding them. 

Liam is cruising away now and wanted to walk everywhere we went! Besides the petting zoo, we tried to avoid the crowds by finding any patch of open grass we could so he could walk to his little heart's content. 

When you go to the fair without kids in tow like we did the last couple of years, you don't really realize how many fun things they have specifically for kids. In the past we would just skip past them and move on but this year when we were actually looking, we noticed so many fun activities! We found this tent full of cut out farm pictures, meet Liam the dairy cow... 

They also had a little toy rocking horse that he LOVED. Remember how I said the pronto pup was his second favorite part of the fair?? I think it's safe to say this was his first favorite! He has a rocking caterpillar at home that we had stored away until he was big enough to use it. I think it it is time to get it out to play!

Our sweet boy was tuckered out and ready to go home for a nap after a few hours of fun. I can't think of a better way to have spent our Labor Day! Speaking of Labor Day ... I'm so grateful for a husband who works so hard to support our family and am grateful for the wonderful job he has doing what he loves. Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day too! XO