Monday, June 28, 2010

7 months

and another month has completely flown right on by and my baby boy has snuck up behind me and turned another month older. This trend isn't going to change is it...

Thus far, this has been my favorite age! Ollie is so fun, so interactive, so happy, so busy, but still can't get very far on his own, giving Mommy all sorts of freedom. :) He's just so cute I can hardly bare it sometimes. I love being his Mommy. Love it Love it Love it!

(Please note the ADORABLE pants he is wearing that Grandma Barb made)
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Now, as I said, he is still not able to crawl, but he is sure trying his hardest...

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and getting VERY frustrated with his lack of success...

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But seriously, he is so dang close it's scary. I fear I only have days or weeks left before this kid is on the move. I shall enjoy my freedom while I have it :)

He's also getting MUCH better at sitting up on his own. He was pretty wobbly for a while but he's quite steady these days.

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Also, I am noticing that as each month goes by, he seems to get more and more nicknames... here's what he has so far...

Ollie
O
Ollie Pop
Poppy
Poppers
Grover
Offifer
Liver
Opopolopimus
Nugget
Bear

I think there's more but he's screaming right now so I can't think. I better sign off.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

First Fathers Day


I love this picture.
Because...
This is the face Jon pulls when he is trying not to show emotion. When he is trying to hold back tears. Pretty hard to do when you're holding your son for the first time... it didn't last :)

He loved our little boy the very moment he laid eyes on him.
He would have laid down his life for him in that same instant.
I see such an amazing bond in this picture. An eternal one. A bond that was created a long, long time ago, and was just being seen for the first time on this earth.

I could never imagine a better Daddy for Oliver.
He's a lucky little boy.
He loves his Daddy.
So do I.

Happy first Father's Day Jon

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Summer Time!

I know Salt Lake City's weather has not decided if summer is here yet or if it's still winter, but I have decided it's time for summer!

Here's what we've been up to so far.

Ollie's first ride in Daddy's new canoe

I know he looks happy now, but half way through the ride he was DONE. Screaming and squirming with all his little boy might. It was still fun :)

Playin' with his KC. Ollie LOVES KC and does whatever KC does. If KC sits up, Ollie sits up, if KC eats, Ollie eats. It's so funny because normally Ollie doesn't do either one of those things very well. Thanks for being the good example KC!

And swimmin'
I know he looks mad but he really liked it.

And that's about it so far... July is gonna be a BUSY month so I'm sure I'll have something more interesting to post then.

Notice how I said "here's what WE have been up to so far" when really I should have said what Ollie is up to so far... One of these days I will do a non-Ollie post. Maybe.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Cupcake heaven

Try not to drool on your computer.

I have been on a bit of a baking kick lately... hence the 13 mile bike ride me and Ollie took yesterday. ( I was so proud, my farthest ride so far)

These were FABULOUS. And so pretty... don't ya think?

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Lime Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
get the recipe here

P.S. Do you like the facelift I gave the ol' blog? Yes I know the background says Merry Christmas... I just loved it so much I had to have it. Plus I don't think it looks Christmasy at all... more like springtime at Anthropologie or something.

So Christmas cheer will fill my blog all year round. Ho Ho Ho!

Friday, June 4, 2010

BIG ol' Ollie post

Hello bloggers!

I will warn you right here and now... this post will be long. So, as long as you have nothing better to do with your time, consider yourself warned and enjoy an all Oliver post. :)

The past few weeks have been amazing. So many things happened, Oliver changed so much, and Jon and I's lives changed forever.

First things first. Oliver turned 6 months!! Holy smokes, my little tiny, less than 6lb baby boy, is half a year old?? Who gave him permission to do that? And overnight no less! He is at such a fun age though... I won't lie I am really lovin' it. He is so playful, talkative and happy. I just eat him up all day. I mean look at this face, wouldn't you?

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And so, as we do each month, a little 6 month photo shoot

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Oooo I love him! He's napping right now and those pictures almost make me want to go wake him up... almost :)

Next event, promptly after he turned 6 months, was his date with the judge to finalize his adoption. It was so fast, like 5 minutes, but it was still great to have all the legalities behind us. Oliver was so happy that day (even though there was a blizzard outside). He was squealing through the whole thing which made it hard not to laugh in court. But we got through it.

Oliver's outfit totally clashes doesn't it... haha. Oh well.

Lastly, and most importantly, was Oliver's sealing and blessing.

This is gonna be hard to type without crying, but I guess you'll never know will you :)
That day, will be burned in my heart forever. It is so hard to describe a feeling like that but I will try my best.

We arrived at the temple on May 29, 2010 around 2:30. We were greeted by a whole following of temple peeps, who walked us through like it was our wedding day again. We took Oliver to the nursery while we got the paperwork and everything ready.

As we were waiting for family and friends to arrive, my heart was just racing. I was so anxious. Anxious to see all those people, anxious to see my baby, anxious to see my husbands reaction, anxious for eternity. It seemed like it took forever. But finally, as we waited in another room, we saw our family and friends walk down the hallway, every one of them looking at us and smiling as they passed. It made me so happy. And then, last, comes my sweet baby boy, all in white. He was taken down the hall and then we were called out to get this thing going.

As I walked into the hallway, there was my Oliver, looking like a little angel. Literally, he almost didn't look real. He was so beautiful, so perfect.

That's when it really started to hit me, and the tears started filling my eyes. I held them back with all my might as we entered the sealing room, filled with the people I love most. We smiled, Oliver waved to everyone, we sat down, and my grandpa began to speak. He sealed Jon and I in that same temple, 5 years prior. It was so amazing to see him there again, in much the same circumstances.

As he was speaking, Jon looked over at me and reached for his son, and I could see the emotion all over his face. He felt the exact same as me. So overwhelmed. And then I lost it. There was no holding in the tears. And I cried tears of pure joy. PURE JOY. Unlike anything I have ever felt. It was so right. I felt so strongly, the presence of my Father in Heaven, and his immense love for me and my little family. And I was overcome with gratitude for this perfect gift he had given me.

The ceremony was over in what seemed like an instant. I wish it would have been longer. But those feelings will stay with me forever. I'm feeling them all over again right now as I type this. It's wonderful. Awe-inspiring. Indescribable.
It's my gift.
It's the trade off, for not being able to give birth to him. To be able to watch him become sealed to Jon and I for all eternity. It's a good trade.

Fortunately for me, my uncle and cousin who are fabulous photographers were there for this whole event, and captured these priceless images.




Following the sealing, we headed to Jeremy and Sharla's house for Oliver's blessing.
Jon was so nervous. He just kept saying how nervous he was, which is so out of character for Jon. But as I knew he would, he did amazing. You could just feel the intense love he has for his little boy, and how much it meant to him to have so many people there supporting us.

It was a perfect blessing. A proud Daddy. A happy Momma. And I didn't get a picture of us all together... way to go Tracy. I did however get a pic of the Ollie Pop himself.

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Can you tell his outfit BARELY fit?! He had a serious growth spurt right after I bought this... I am just happy it buttoned up.

So there you have it. My big, long, all Oliver post. Congratulations for finishing :) It was, like I said, such a busy month, filled with so much. But it was the best month ever, and May 29th was probably the best day of my life. I'm so grateful. So so so grateful.

And a BIG, HUGE thank you to all the family and friends that came to all of Ollie's festivities. Some of you traveled a LONG way, and it meant the world to us. We love you. Thank you.