RELOCATED

My family typically gets together every other year for a big family vacation. In 2010 we went to Florida; in 2011 & 2012 everyone came to Utah for weddings; in 2013 we went to Branson, Missouri; and in 2015 the adults went on a Mediterranean cruise (best. trip. ever!). It's important to us to stay close, so we all make it a priority to be there. This year, four out of the six families live in Utah, so we decided to try a stay-cation. After all, our numbers are getting pretty big (12 adults, 11 children + 4 babies), so a lot of travel or big activities can be overwhelming! The week before the reunion, all the moms and kids got to town, so we did a few things together, like swimming and the circus. About a week before the reunion, all the girls who were here (which ended up being everyone except Anya) went to dinner and an event together. The event was a talk thing put on by one of my favorite podcasters --  Jody Moore . It was fun to do that with so many of the women...

Miss Ada, 9 months old! You've been out longer than you were in! It's pretty mind blowing :) I feel like your personality really exploded this month. I've always felt like you have a personality, but I guess it just gets bigger and bigger as you do 😊  You have become quite the busy-body this month, too. You're still not crawling, but every time I turn around, you've managed to move a good distance to get to something you shouldn't be playing with. You never hold still -- you're always looking all around, most of all if someone is holding you. Idk if it's just because you're a baby or if it's because you are your daddy's daughter, but you are one curious girl :) I sure love you! Stats You weigh 17.2 pounds (33%) and you are 27.75 inches long (54%). I think I've officially put away most of your 0-3 month clothing (but just most of it). You wear pretty much all 3-6 month or 6 month clothing now, with a few 6-9 month items that a...

I've previously gone on ad nauseam about Ada's sleep. Long story short, starting at about two months old, she started waking up after only napping for 30 minutes, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why. I worked on and off with a sleep expert for three or four months before deciding I couldn't do it anymore, at which point I tried to accept Ada's 30-minute naps. That lasted about a week before, yet again, I knew that 30 minute naps just weren't going to cut it for Miss Ada. She needed consolidated sleep! So when Ada was about 6.5 months old, I  hired  a sleep expert. The expert I had previously been using (Jackie) was self-proclaimed and was not certified by any sort of program. Don't get me wrong -- I totally think she knows a lot about baby sleep and I'm even sure she could have been more help to me if she could have come into my home and seen Ada to determine sleepiness cues and such -- but the fact remains that she didn't have tons...

Over the weekend, Russ and I celebrated five years of marriage. It is just absolutely crazy to me! In five years we have lived in three different places (though all within a 10- or 20-minute radius), had a combined total of seven different jobs, traveled to fourteen+ different places, and made the most adorable baby on the planet. In five years we have also learned a lot more about ourselves and about each other, and we have grown closer as we've depended on each other during difficult times. We really love being married to each other, and tell each other that nearly every day. We like hanging out, we like finishing home projects (I like it more than him because he's usually the one doing most of the work!), we like obsessing about how cute Ada is, and we like talking about deep and important things. We don't have a lot of common interests, but we're committed to each other, so that doesn't really matter. Maybe someday we'll find some hobbies to do that we...

I saw this quote on Pinterest the other day: And it made me so mad. Mad someone said it, and even more mad that someone made it into a pinnable quote. Why? Because it's a TERRIBLE message that no one should be spreading. It's basically saying that you have zero say in the happiness of your marriage. It's all up to your spouse -- so they better be doing everything in their power to make you feel important!  When in fact, the exact opposite is true. Your happiness in marriage is 100% dependent upon YOU. How do you think about your spouse? Are you constantly thinking about their weaknesses or their strengths? Are you noticing all the things they  don't  do for you, or all the things that they  do ? Are you thinking about everything you wish they were, or are you admiring them for what they actually are? Your thoughts determine how you feel. Since love is a feeling, your thoughts determine whether you'll feel love or resentment. So what are your thou...