I am so beyond blessed for everything in my life.
This month has really helped me to realize all that I have and how much is taken for granted.
Brandon graduates from the academy Friday and officially becomes an officer for Gila River Police Dept., we are happy to have a "guaranteed" income so that we can budget our money a little better and not have the constant worry! Luckily we have been able to have everything that we need and then some evem when Brandon was working solely for comission. It will be nice to have more than 2 days a week to squeeze in family time!

Tate has grown up so much...i came across pictures.of his first birthday party and other things that have happened fairly recently and Im amazed at how much older he not only looks but seems!
He goes potty on the toilet everytime you ask if he needs to, he learned to blow his lil nose, he carries around a baby doll like the best of brothers out there, says bless you when he sneezes, flirts with EVERY girl in EVERY store no matter how old they are, he asks for most things that he needs, and knows so many different words! He cAn repeat aLmost anything you say...depending on his mood!!! He hasnt quite put any sentences together yet but he is ready to start talking our ears off with his new jibber jabber thing he's gotten into..he talks to anything and everything, I just have no idea what the conversations are about!!;) He is so polite he says thank you and please often! He even.says thank you when.im frustrated and give him a lil smack on the hand..its hard to be mad after that...

Thanksgiving

I am so grateful for so many things and feel as though I don't take enough time to think about and appreciate all that it is. This past year and a half has made me a mom, and taught me so,much about life and about myself..without a question I am most thankful for my family, most importantly my baby boy and his brother on the way. Before I had Tate I never really knew the meaning or feeling of unconditional love but I know now that there is nothing in the world that could make me love that kid any less! Even though sometimes being a mommy means life gets more challenging with each new day, I truly am grateful for every second I have with him..

Of course I am grateful for my savior, Jesus Christ, for helping me to have my family and making it possible to keep them by my side even into eternity..That is the greatest gift that could ever be given.
I often just think of things that I have been blessed with and I really am amazed I feel like I am so lucky to have all that I do..Church has been such a blessing in my life and has given me direction in all aspects of my life and been such a guide and inspiration in decisions, even small everyday ones.

I am thankful for this time of year and what it brings..it is a time of year to enjoy family and reflect on the past year of memories, as I have gotten older I have honestly realized that the best part of the entire
Holiday season is the.memories and time spent with family..although I do get extra excited to see Tate's reaction to lights hanging, decorated trees, Santa and gifts.I do hope to bring a lot of tradition into our home to help us to grow closer and to stay a close family!

I am grateful for a year of so much joy and not much to be sad about, this has been a good year so far with so many great things..many people can't say that!

I am thankful for friends and for the fact that you can go to them to talk to regardless of how far away they are.

I am grateful for this baby on the way, I must admit it wasnt the easiest idea to get used to but I already feel such a love for him and cant wait to meet my baby boy. I look forward to watching my boys be best friends and grow up together..

The list goes in and on...i hope to continue adding everyday:)

Baby Brother

{Who is still unnamed}
is due to arrive just 2 months from Tuesday..
Or about 9 weeks from now:)

I am hoping to have another ultrasound soon since we actually have insurance this time around because I'm curious to see how he is measuring and progressing!
As far as my measurements I am pretty much right where I'm supposed to be just measuring about a 1/2 a week small or so! I am getting anxious/excited but I am also pretty nervous, I love love love being a mom but I'm a little hesitant about the idea of raising 2 boys..I know it comes somewhat naturally but there are so many things I want and hope to give them and things that they need that I just hope I can do it all!! I also hope that Tate responds well to his little brother, there relationship matters more than anything to me! I really hope they are best friends.

{Beckham Kai/ Beckham Cruz or Gradyn Kai} What do you thinkk?!?!
I'll tell you one thing..He is one active little boy, he really likes to kick! Maybe it's only fitting that he somewhat be named after a soccer player? :)

Smartie Pants.

Okay so I have to say we have one funny kid on our hands.
Tate got a book for his birthday from his cousins Delilah & Jaylee called "Mickey's Roadtrip" and in the book Mickey and all of his friends go through all of these different places to get to the beach for a picnic..(none of that really matters) But anyway one of the places happens to be a farm. Tate's new thing is to make animal noises, he learned to bark back at dogs about a month ago but now you can ask him a few different animals and he totally knows what they say!

"Tate, what does a cow say?" ---"MOOOOOOOOOO"
"Tate, what does a pig say?" ---"Sniff, SNiff, Sniff"
"Tate, what does a dog say?" --- " Woooo, Wooo, Wooo"

He is so dang smart...and I think we might possibly have an early potty trainer?
I would love if he was potty trained before baby brother gets here but at the same time,I don't know if I'm ready for it yet. I know the holiday season would be a bad time to even try but I am working on just teaching him what the potty is for right now. I am definitely not in a rush. But when your 15 month old starts saying potty and then going into the bathroom, maybe he is ready?!!!

I put him on the potty one day just to see if he knew what to do, and just said "okay, go potty" and he really went!!!! I totally wasn't expecting it..but now he holds his potty until I take his diaper off and has started pottying while I change him, like he did when he was a newborn...except ON PURPOSE!!!!
I have put him on the toilet once or so everyday since and he goes everytime. So idk, he might just get a potty for Christmas..I guess we will see!

Pretty soon this kid is going to be teaching me things I don't even know. I definitely think he could teach us all some manners!lol...He says thank you after everything!!

I know I need to go back and add photos to about 2 months of posts but it just takes so long..I am planning to get videos of Tate saying all of these funny things he says but I just haven't gotten around to it yet!!! If I don't do it soon..someone please get on me about that!! I need a reminder every now and then:)

Our lil housewife

Tate is such a goof...we went out to run errands on Saturday and we got home that evening...the house was pretty clean but apparently Tate thought otherwise! He got into the broom closet and pulled out the mop and the bucket for water of course! He walked all around the house "mopping" the hallway and kitchen and even repeatedly dipped the mop in his imaginary water! I was laughing pretty hard.He always loves to clean up and helps me vacuum, sweep and mop each time I do, I'm not sure where he gets that from! He even puts his own toys away and cleans up messes if he spills or anything(with help of course..haha)..while he sings "clean up, clean up....". After he finished cleaning he pulled out every bowl and spoon in reach and decided to "bake" something..Im glad to know he has seen me do these things enough. It was just so funny to see that he already takes initiative to do that! I love watching him learn and I think he learns new things everyday! I don't know how he lesrns words so quickly but his brain must work much faster than mine! If he is in the right mood you can say the most random words and he will repeat them right back, I try to work withh him a lot on them.

He has learned to say Jesus, Meme, flower, kitty cat, Cow, Moo, pretty, brother, baby and a ton more things...a lot of which I've mentioned in previous posts! He teaches me everyday in so many different ways! You definitely lesrn to appreciate the little things when you have kids and I'm loving every minute of it.

I am so grateful for this time of year and looking forward to lots of time with family and friends.
My best friend will be here from cali in 4 days!
Thanksgiving is in 10 days..Brandon graduates in 1 month and 9 days after that is Christmas! Then exactly 4 weeks later (January 22 ) baby brother is due! Not to mention all the fun things in between!So much to be grateful for and to look forward to!

and Tate finally had his 1 yr check up! He is perfectly proportioned at the 90th percentile in height weight and his head! Yes he grew into it:) I am glad that the doctors agree that he is perfect:)
24lb 1 oz. ..32+ inches, 19 in head

I was doing really good and now I'm behind...again! It seems like There is always something to say.
Halloween was pretty successful, we were able to get out a few different days and do things as a family! We went to our ward trunk or treat where Tate had me running around like crazy as he held his bucket up to each person...whether they had candy or not:) Then we went to his Grandma and Grandpa Merkley's ward fall festival where they had games and got to get some candy! Halloween night we were able to go just one block, after one street Tate started restingg his head on my hand and I knew he was done for! Even as tired as he was he still managed to learn to say thank you when he got his candy! He is seriously so dang smart..idk what I would do without him! Hopefully he teaches lily brother well because I am not a good teacher! lol

Trunk or Treat :)

Tonight Tate and I went to the trunk or treat for our ward..he was all dressed up in his cute pirate costume and got lots of compliments..Despite being asleep when we pulled up to the church he was more than ready to run around and have some fun.! He went around to all the different trucks holding his bucket up for them to throw in the candy, each time he got something he was interested in he would set his bucket down and reach inside! If i wasn't holding one hand he would've plopped down and had the whole bucket gone before we could even got to all the cars! He never did eat any of it, that will probably happen tomorrow! I have a feeling he will just want the suckers! He loves lollipops and anytime he comes to Mene's he makes sure to check the candy drawer! Tate decided his night of trunk or treating was over when and of the ladies from our ward handed him a glowstick, Forget the candy...he was satisfied:)

Boys will be boys

I am excited as i look forward to the challenges that Will be brought by the changes coming my way. As Tate has gotten older I have realized how much harder being a parent can be..yet how extremely rewarding it is! I think being a mom has taught me to enjoy the little things in life!

I can't say that I don't have my worries...tonight I was very discouraged...it had been a ridiculously long day and Tate seemed to be testing my patience over and over. Usually my patience is good with him but he was continuously doing things that could end in him being seriously hurt so with that stressing me out I couldn't help but wonder what I'll do in days where Tate is like that along with.his Partner in crime lily brother.

Sure enough he did get hurt, luckily it ended up a lot better than it couldve been...he climbed onto the top of the piano today..the toilet...the desk in the office, the bar stools, on top of his lil tv, and from the couch onto the end tables. Seriously...that is no exaggeration, ALL IN ONE DAY. Yet he didn't get hurt doing those things it was the last place he climbed after he had gotten a little more daring! I saw him in the living room after he had climbed onto an ottoman that was near the coffee table, i wasn't surprised at all...I watched him start to bounce as I walked towards him and then all of the sudden he fell backwards hitting head first into the coffee table. I knew for sure from the sound it made that there would be blood and we would be in the ER just days before our insurance kicks in. Surprisingly his head was cut but not deep and it swelled but not enough to split his head. I still felt no relief...just more of a hopeless what the neck am I going to do kind of feeling! I have a lot of very paranoid years ahead of me..I guess that's life as a boy's mom! I love you Tate, my crazy lil boy..!

This past weekend we were able to take Tate to Schnepf farms for some fun! We had to take advantage because there's not a whole lot to do here! We went in the evening in hopes that we could stay for the fireworks, He loves everything like that! Unfortunately we left before they started but we were able to do a few things before we did. First we went to the pumpkin patch..He loved walking through saying "pumpkin,pumpkin, pumpkin" while trying to find the perfect one and getting soon dirty!! After finding one we liked Brandon mentioned how much of a pain it would be to carry one around...oh yea, good point! So we left hoping it would be there when we went to leave, it wasn't but oh well! After the pumpkin patch we went to the big tunnel slides, we sent Tate down on his own since that's what the other kids were doing. Within seconds you could hear screaming from inside, I looked up through the end of the slide and just saw Tate lying on his stomach with his hands pressed down firmly, he wasn't going anywhere! Brando was still at the top so he slid down to meet him and go the rest of the way together...poor kid thought that was torture! We wanted to go to the pig races so we decided we would for around eight...but of course we had found our way to the train depot and stood in line for probably 45 mins..I said it was like worse than Disneyland rides! The train was worth it though, because it was after dark it had become the spooky train taking us through an orchard that was "haunted", just like the haunted houses they have people running up to the train and getting in your face trying to scare you! Tate was just watching them like "what are these crazy people doing?!, but he never did get scared! It was worth the wait and im glad it didn't scare him, I was just crossing my fingers the entire time!
Next time I will definitely plan on us doing more but we did have a great time and i think Tate enjoyed it..It was something different for him. I can't believe how fast time is flying and that Halloween is in just one week! I am excited that Tate will understand a little better this year and I can't wait to dress him up and take him to a few fun things in our community..I think he will enjoy trick-or-treating..He is Mr.Personality and he can't help but try and talk to people EVERYWHERE we go..it's pretty cute!

Everything is going great as far as my pregnancy..I will be just Over 28 weeks at my next appt on the 1st of November which means I'll get to drink the yummy glucola for my diabetes testing! can't believe we are down to only 3 more months..I am excited and nervous for the changes we will experience but it is so much fun being a mom! I can't even imagine it being any better! I woke up with some heartburn last night which means i probably need to be more conscious of what I eat but I really have no complaints, i have been very lucky! This baby has been very active and lately i am being kicked in my ribs often..! The nurses said that usually that means they are more calm once they're born..I kinda hope so :) Tate is one busy kid...but i guess that is what makes it fun even if its not always easy.
He now knows has learned to say baby, Meme, spongebob,Spencer, two, three, popcorn, pumpkins, airplane..and he makes noises when he plays with cars......"VRooooom!". I love my boys!!:)

Fall..& Things to come...

I LOVE this time of year..& preparing for the holidays, seeing family and enjoying the weather!

This past weekend i was able to take Tate to the zoo for the first time, it was so fun and just a little bit exhausting for me. I don't think he made a sound the entire few hours we were there..he just loved seeing the animals! He has always been fascinated by birds and other animals but I would have to say that he loved the giraffes most, probably because we went to the giraffe encounter and he was able to feed one of them some lettuce! of course his favorite part of the whole zoo experience was the splash pad though..he was so mad when I made him get back in the stroller..!I definitely don't blame him the water looked very tempting...This October weather has not been treating us nicely..it was over 100 degrees..and we are now halfway through the month! I am looking forward to nice weather so we can enjoy more days at the zoo and just outside in general!

The next day (Saturday), our family went to lunch and then we took Tate to the splash pad at San Tan..He absolutely loved it. He chased all the kids around and sat there playing until the water would start to go back down, he would follow it until it completely quit splashing..trying to catch the last few drops!I was bummed to find out that it will be closed until next summer..I feel bad that i found something fun for him to do so late!

I am hoping that when Brandon is home this weekend we can take Tate to sChnepf farms for a day..he would love the petting zoo, the train and i want to pick out pumpkins to carve! He is so smart and at such a fun age because he is literally learning and teaching me everyday! Plus, i am wanting to soak up all this time we have before baby brother comes because i know Tate will lose a lot of the attention he is so used to. I hope I am overly aware of his needs even with the new addition because I know how hard it might be on him..I am really hoping it is a good thing from the beginning and that he realizes that baby will be his best friend for the rest of his life.

Im excited to see Tate with his lil bro and to add one more child for me to learn from and grow with. It is hard to believe that our lives will change again in just a little over 13 weeks. i am looking forward to it but of course i'm nervous, mostly for Tate. I know in the end everything will be perfect and I'm so grateful this pregnancy has gone so fast and been so pleasant! This lily guy is definitely more of a kicker than Tate was..I remember worrying all the time because most days Tate barely moved..Thankfully i never have much time to worry with this one. The second i do begin to worry i always feel a little squirm, I love feeling babies move it is such a comfort knowing they are okay and so fun to watch. There's is so much to look forward to. I love my boys.

There are days when I feel like life is too busy and then days that I feel like I'm never busy enough. I have felt so much more tired with this pregnancy yet I was so sick with Tate and working and going to school full-time. I think it's just more tiring when you are a mom...I feel so bad that I don't have the energy to do fun things with him everyday and I always think about how much I'll regret that someday..I keep making it a goal in my head but I haven't really been good about it. I am so grateful to know that kids will love you no matter how fun you are, or any of those things. Their love truly is unconditional!


I always say this but Tate has quite the little personality. He has grown so much in the short year that it has been. He has learned so many words I can't even begin to list them all and he is so dang smart.
Tate has been able to take a few short trips with me up North to do some pictures for my Cousin's Company and their many events they are involved in. Brandon was able to come along this time and we were so happy to get to walk 4 miles before our drive home!:) It's okay, we needed it. & Tate enjoyed himself while we were there.




He has learned to climb, and open doors and also to clean up his messes (sometimes:)). Though all of the good things have also come with some mood swings I have had so much fun watching him be his animated self! If he isn't blinking (he closes both eyes instead of one) at everyone in the stores he is blowing them kisses with a loud MUAHHHHH! Everyone loves him whether they know him or not and I just hope it is like that his entire life. THere is nothing better than the people who you can't be around without smiling and that is TATE for you.




I am looking forward to the cooler weather and the fun things that Fall brings. I hope to get Tate outside more and take him to a few of the fall events they have around town. We got a little bit of a tease with the cool weather we had for a few days and then I walked outside in jeans and a light sweater today to go right back in and change. The nice weather didnt stick around long, I hope it's back soon.

We are down to just over 14 weeks before Baby Brother is here! We still don't have a name for sure but I like Gradyn Kai, Brandon likes Teagan Cruz..Both are completely different from eachother..It has definitely been harder this time with Tate's name being chosen right on the spot when we found out he was a boy,but I am getting so excited about the idea of having two boys so close. I am looking forward to matching outfits and being kept overly busy by Baseball games. I always did want to have baseball players and I know I will always be their biggest fan!

Brandon is in the police academy until December 16th so I know that the rest of the year is going to fly by with everything we have going on these next few months..That is a good thing though. He has completely enjoyed the Academy and I'm sometimes irritated by the fact that he seems excited to leave us when he goes back each Sunday..I know I just need to be supportive and be glad that he is having fun. My Lil Cop :)& CAn you even believe this picture was taken a year ago?? He has grown so much in so many ways!



MY best friend Ashley will be here for a week next month and I am looking forward to having some things to do to keep me busy. I really miss having my best friend live here. Every now and then I'm upset by the fact that I can't just call her up to go to lunch or even just to talk face to face but we always try to make the best of when she does get to visit.





My sister, the person I have been closest to my whole life, Justyne, is getting married in February. They have the date set and have already made the arrangements for the temple..I have loved seeing her be excited about everything. I can't even begin to say how happy I am for both of them they are seriously two of the best people that I know and I am grateful my sister was able to find someone who deserves her. They seem so in love and I have really enjoyed seeing that and hearing her talk about how she can't wait to be married. They are starting out how they should and I can't wait to see what the future brings for them! I am so excited that my boys will be as close in age as my sister and I are. We are complete opposites in so many ways but we have always been there for eachother and have had a relationship that I hope my kids will have. Thinking about us both being married makes me realize just how fast time flew by! I am grateful for her for allowing me to share in the spotlight a lot of times..For letting me graduate with her and share in her prom nights, and for all those birthdays where we got gifts even though it wasn't our day..just because we were basically twins! Can't wait for the married/ family memories with you! You are the most beautiful person I know, and you deserve nothing more than to be so extremely happy forever!

I am glad that I have already been there and done that because I remember how stressful it was getting everything planned...Luckily I was too busy to have a whole lot of involvement and everyone else pretty much planned for me, mostly my mom, I think it turned out better with her making the plans. I can't believe that was 2 years ago




(We just celebrated two years with a delicious dinner and dessert atCheesecake Factory and Brandon was so sweet to take me out to buy a new outfit, he definitely knows me well and made me feel special. It was the best weekend we have had in a long time)..and I can't believe how much has changed since we were married. I never would have guessed that I would be ready to have a 2nd baby but I am so glad that Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves. He knew that I needed TAte and apparently this baby too and I have truly never felt so blessed as I do being a mom. There is nothing BETTER!

The Best Year Yet...

I started this post right after Tate turned one and of course it has taken me over a month to actually get to it!

I have officially had my best year yet, complete with a baby boy who I adore and who teaches me and makes me laugh {A LOT} everyday. Here's a few recent pictures:)

He got his haircut on his bday, before that it was a little out of control!







.TATE LORIN MERKLEY.

I watched you grab my finger the minute you were born as if you already trusted me, only something a newborn would do..

I watched you smile your first little smile and hold your head up like such a big boy!

I watched you get multiple heel pricks for jaundice, broke my heart everytime..and then you had to be put in a Bili Blanket! {I hated that thing} But it helped your levels improve.

I watched you go from being a pretty big baby to being a tiny lil guy who wore newborn clothes till you were 3 months old.

I watched you learn to sit up, and lovee anything elmo.

I watched you fall asleep in my arms almost every single night, you NEVER wanted to be put down..I miss that so much now.

I watched you learn to say mommy, daddy, hello, nana, bobba, bompa...etc. & pretend to talk on the phone

I watched you learn to crawl, and crawl up the stairs at just over 5 months.

I watched you learn to pull yourself up to the side of your pack n play at 6 months and 3 days.

I watched you take your first vacation to California, and go to Sea World, Disneyland and the Beach. You loved playing in the sand!

I watched you take your first steps at 9 months, but not learn to walk until a little after 10 months.

I watched you grow out of your first car seat and your size 5 shoes :(

I watched you be such a perfect and happy baby, everyone absolutely adores you but no one loves and adores you more than I do. I have just had the most amazing time watching you grow and watching you learn and become so smart already. You could not be more perfect. I remember finding out that I was having a boy, I was surprised by how excited I was..I really couldn't imagine being more excited for anything in my life. From the moment that I heard your heartbeat and saw you on the monitor..and the moment I felt you kick I just knew that I would love you more than anything, but never knew it would be this much. You are my Favorite lil boy ever and now you are going to be a big brother and I will have two favorite boys :) I can't wait to see you as a big brother, I know you will be the best big brother that there ever was or is. Thank you for the best year of my life and for letting me watch you grow and learn along with you. <3

We are so excited that there will be another lil boy bringing fun into our house in no time..I know Him and Tate will be Best Friends. January 22, 2012 <3

6 days....

I am going to have a one year old in 6 days, wow. . .

Tate is learning new habits and new words. He now says momma, dadda, bobba(bottle), hey, ball, uh-oh, and bompa(grandpa). It is seriously the cutest thing to hear him talk and he always has a look on his face like he knows he figured something out. He is so smart..almost too smart for his own good! He figures things out that I can't believe and some things, I'm not super excited about.

I pictured this week from the time he was born, figuring I would be crying and just sad that my baby really isn't a baby anymore..But actually, for the most part I am really happy and so much looking forward to what the next year brings. I'll be Watching my favorite boy in the ENTIRE WORLD grow and learn, and of course I'll be learning right along with him.

I have learned so much as a mom, and honestly feel that nothing compares to that joy. My life changed so much when I had Tate, and I realized that I took a lot of things for granted..Even just some of the things that were EASY before being a mom. A lot of things are harder, and nothing is really convenient but I never have questioned my choice of being a mom and I never will. It is better than anything I had ever imagined and is the highlight of my life. There is nothing greater.

I hope to post some of the pictures from this past year, and do a little catch up. It has been so fun looking back and seeing all that has changed. And...I think he gets cuter everyday;) For all of you that have been awaiting Tate's haircut, it is coming soon!!!

Tate loves to get into everything especially in the kitchen, he is busy busy..
He loves fruit, especially grapes..and Whenever dad has an apple Tate waits for him to throw it away so he can snatch it from the trash..(We have learned just to give it to him before its gone!) He loves being outside and especially going on walks, it always calms him down. He is so good at sharing and if you ask he will share anything, except his bottle! He loves birds, still..and always wants to play with a ball! He blows kisses and waves--most of the time. Tate pretends that just about anything is a phone and he always picks things up, holds them to his ear and YELLS "hey" (that is unless someone really is on the phone..then he just wants to listen:) ) His favorite movies are Curious Buddies and Elmo in Grouchland. He can watch either one for hours on end, dad hates it. He is also a very very good dancer:) he doesn't get that from his mom. AND SO MUCH MORE, he is so fun!!

What a Boy..

As for Tate's first Easter it was fun! We spent time with his Grandma's and Grandpa's and Meme & Bompa. We had an Easter Egg Hunt and a Great Dinner! We were able to get him to pick up a few Easter Eggs and he LOVED the toys and candy. He LOVES sour candies and Hershey's Chocolate pie..His favorite thing is toy cars. He is so adorable and has the natural boy instinct to push lil cars all over the house. So for Easter he got a couple tractors and a Shake-N-Go Batman Car. I need to take videos and post them, it is so funny to me that an 8 month old can catch onto that..And he's been doing it for about a month! He also loves Basketballs, Birds, and doing this funny blowing thing with his mouth everytime he sees something he likes. I love it.

MIA

As you can see I haven't been posting much..I am one of those that believes you have to have a picture with any post to make it interesting! I had been taking so many pictures that I took my camera everywhere and managed to lose the charger..Hopefully I find it soon. For now, I rely on not so great cell phone pics and good mom's who actually keep track of their camera's ;)

Lil Mr. Keep Me Busy

Life is going so good right now....
Tate has been crawling for almost 4 months now, and is already trying to walk..I give it about a month, we'll see! Not sure whether that is good or bad but I just love watching him grow! He is definitely going to keep me busy, He is already into everything..He finally got rid of his nasty cough and also has now celebrated his first Valentine's Day & his first Easter! It has gone so fast, it's really kind of sad!

Last week I was getting dinner ready and Tate was sitting in the front room watching Elmo, or so I thought..I look over and see that he's not in front of the TV but instead he had pushed the chest I have filled with movies down the hallway! Apparently he was trying to tell me his toy box isn't good enough for him...At least that's the impression I was getting!

Then just Yesterday I was watching him with this wrapped candy bar wondering why he was being so good and content. After a few minutes I realized why! I noticed the chocolate starting to smear around his mouth and I realized he had chewed it so much that it started to come out of the wrapper..Needless to say, he got his first taste of a Snickers!

Just a little while later Brandon and I were watching Dancing with the Stars and Tate proceeds to stand up by pulling himself up on the poles of his swing..Before we knew it he started giving us a Chippendale's show..I don't know where he got the pole dancing Idea from but it was hilarious..I got a video, sadly it's a little dark but I might just have to post it sometime;)

Then this morning I get him out of his crib and leave the room for a second to grab a diaper. I come back and I don't see him anywhere and then I hear him in the bathroom. I walk in and within about a minute he had rolled half of the toilet paper off the roll!

Wow....what are we in for..It is going to be a great next few years! I love being kept on my toes;)

What an Adventure!

Last Week

Last week was a crazy one. Let's just say work and school consumed too much of my life but there were a few highlights of moments I spent with Tate. Luckily those save me from going insane. Tate has kept a little cough so we are going to do breathing treatments again to get that all better! Poor kid absolutely hated the doctor yesterday and started to pass out from crying so hard when the doctor checked his ear..probably because he still has a bit of an ear infection.

Just over a month a go Tate had RSV and was so sick and miserable but it lasted about two weeks and he was back to feeling better after lots of medicine and breathing treatments. Some days he loved those and would even do them all by himself while he watched cartoons. Other days it was hard to get him to cooperate but we are so lucky to have such a good baby.

Tate started crawling up the stairs last Tuesday. I can't believe how fast he is growing. I think life is busy with a crawler and then he learns a new trick but he is getting so fun and even though he keeps me on my toes I love watching him explore and learn. He also waves when you say hi or bye to him, how adorable! That is not perfected but he's getting better everyday. As for pulling himself up, there is not a waking moment that he is not crawling around or standing up on the silk plants, piano benches, couches, chairs, laundry baskets or something! Who knew that would happen at six months. It is quite an adventure with that little boy..before I know it he'll be walking! Last night I was going through pictures on my phone and seeing how much he's grown..I literally remember almost every moment that those pictures were taken even if they were just simple and everyday things. He melts my heart , and those brought tears to my eyes! I miss having my little cuddlebug lay next to me and just put his head on my shoulder...he is way too big for that now, he thinks he's too cool for it I guess!

My birthday is in four days! My first birthday with my little guy! I am excited to hopefully spend a day with the boys & with family. I can't believe all of the blessings the last few years have brought to my life.

My BEAUTIFUL sister.

We had nothing to work with and some of these are completely unedited! I am looking forward to shooting with furniture & at better locations, starting Monday! She still made these pictures perfect!