5 months!

James is already 5 months old and with that comes some fun moments and milestones!

He is learning to sit up on his own- he does great when he is on the couch or when he can hold on to something to help stabilize his body.

 

 

He loves to read books. He is really good at holding the book, touching the pictures, and trying to put the book in his mouth.

 

He has learned to roll over on his tummy now by going left (he first learned to roll over by going right) but he still prefers the right side. He hasn’t learned to roll back just yet.

 

He puts everything he can in his mouth!

 

He has started eating solids!! The first food he ate was bananas, followed by carrots and recently applesauce. Carrots were his least favorite but he still ate them :)

 

He really enjoys his baby einstein toy!

James absolutely loves wearing his birthday suit but we rarely let him because he always seems to pee within the first two minutes! Such a silly boy!

 

Since Matt is at school and work for most of the day everyday, James loves playing with him when he gets home!

 

 

One of James’ favorite things to eat are his feet! He loves bending in positions that would kill me if I tried to copy him.

This daily ritual of bundling up is now a habit for James and he always looks forward to going outside. Matt comes home the same time that I head to class, so James gets to go outside in the cold for a little bit in order to do the switch-er-roo!

MLK Weekend

Since we had a three day weekend, we decided to go down and visit Great grandma and grandpa Evans down in the little town of Summit, UT.

James did really well with grandpa Evans. James is teaching grandpa how to drool :)

James loved being held by grandma Evans! In this picture he is trying to fit all of his fingers in his mouth.

Don’t Matt and James look identical?!

He definitely doesn’t look like his mommy!

I love when he snuggles like this!

He has learned to roll onto his tummy but luckily he still doesn’t know how to roll back :) Babies are so precious when they sleep!

James loves to be picked up in a blanket!

Such pretty blue eyes… I hope they stay like that!

San Antonio visit

During the Christmas break we were able to go down south and visit my family. It was the first time that James was able to meet his cousin, Micaela. We were horrible parents and didn’t take as many pictures as we should have since it was his first Christmas, but here are a few that we have :)

James with his uncle David

Cousin Micaela, Aunt Andrea and James posing right before riding the train near the zoo.

Look at that pouty face that James has- I think it is so adorable!

James with Aunt Ashley in Provo right before we left for San Antonio

James and daddy opening up presents in Provo before leaving for San Antonio

Christmas morning with Daddy

2010 Goals

With it being a new year, the young women’s organization has been asked to create goals for 2010. Some of the goals that we have for the girls as well as us leaders include going to the temple monthly, reading the Book of Mormon, completely Personal Progress experiences and projects, etc.
While coming up with the goals, I have felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for the girls that I am over. This responsibility has had me wonder, “Am I doing enough and am I spiritually prepared to have Heavenly Father be able to guide me to know what to do for the girls?” Lately I have been feeling stressed and overwhelmed with things that I know I should be doing. I need to get into the homes of our inactive girls and sit and visit with their families. I need to clean the 3rd bedroom (our ‘collect-all’ bedroom that contains my countless crafts, books, and seasonal decorations). I need to read to James more. I need to stay up on my school reading. I need to go to the temple more often. I need to spend more quality time with Matt rather than watching TV with him. I need to take down the Christmas stockings (yes they are still up). I need to find new recipes for dinner. I need to set aside more time for in depth scripture study. I need to remember to take my vitamins everyday. I need to take more pictures of James. I need, I need, I need. The list goes on and on.
In this overwhelmed state, I decided to talk to Matt about it. I have found that by just voicing what I am feeling, I am able to work out problems and find a solutions better than when I just think about it. In talking to him he reassured me that I am doing a good job, but we came up with an action plan… I guess you could say my own personal 2010 goals. For me, I need a clean house to feel motivated to do other things- if the house is dirty, I tend to get lazy and not want to do anything. So the first thing that I do everyday is make sure that the living room, dining room and kitchen are clean. My goal everyday is to then do something ‘extra’ (aside from the normal things I do) in each of the following categories: spiritual, temporal, and relationship.
The relationship category has reaped the most blessings. For the relationship category I find one new way every day to show my love for either Matt or James. Yesterday it was spending 45 minutes reading to James. The day before that was getting Matt an tiny accessory for his Ipod. The day before that was making him brownies (his favorite) in the shape of a heart. I have noticed that it is so easy to put Matt on the back burner when there is lots of homework to do, James to take care of, and young women stuff to complete. By doing this goal Matt and I are able to serve each other and really become closer rather than just staying the same.
For the temporal goal, I do one chore that I wasn’t planning on doing or one assignment that isn’t due until later. This goal helps me feel accomplished. There are so many times when I finish the day and I feel like, “What have I done today? I don’t have anything to show for myself.”. This goal helps me feel like I have accomplished something.
For the spiritual goal, everyday I try to really take time out of my day to grow spiritually whether that is through reading the Ensign or New Era, watching a church history dvd, or share my testimony with a less active young woman.
Overall this has really helped me feel better about myself because I know that slowly but surely I am improving :)

James talking away