Mele Kalikimaka

No, we definitely weren't in Hawaii for Christmas, but I found that song stuck in my head a lot over our Christmas break... probably because we spent lots of time at the beach in short sleeves and sunshine. It was a fabulous trip to LA and we loved being with family in the warm weather. The only downside? We all passed around the flu (why does that ALWAYS happen on Christmas?) and that was no fun. Luckily Michael and Matthew seem to have avoided it, but most people (including me) spent a good portion of Christmas and the couple days following sicker than a dog. Still- the trip was awesome and I'm thrilled that we went and had such a good time.

Matthew's first time to the beach.....


He loved his feet in the sand......


......but HATED his feet in the water. Can't really blame him I guess- the Pacific Ocean in December doesn't exactly feel like a warm bath.... ;-)


Christmas Eve at the temple.... I did this every year growing up and I'm glad I got to show Michael and Matthew a bit of our old traditions- especially since Matthew loves lights.


And Christmas morning was a blast. I didn't expect Matthew to be very interested in anything that was going on, but he seemed mesmerized by his presents and it was so fun to watch.



With all the grandparents, cousins, aunt, and uncles around, Matthew wasn't bored for a second.


The drive home wasn't as fun.... when Matthew wasn't asleep, he looked like this-

Poor kid hates road trips, like his mom. Hopefully we can brave another one sooner rather than later so we can see family again soon!

Future Suns Fan?

I think that one of Michael's proudest moments was when we took Matthew downtown to the Phoenix Suns arena tonight. Even I, an LA fan, thought it was cute how excited Michael was to show Matthew one of his favorite places in the whole world. Matthew thoroughly enjoyed it too. Maybe it was just the lights, but hey, maybe he's already a Suns fan too. :-) (And thank goodness there will be an NBA season so that Michael can root for his home team).

Motherhood

Being a mom is the hardest and most amazing and wonderful adventure I've taken in life. I'm lucky to have learned a ton about being a mom from all the amazing women in my family and life, but I owe it to Matthew for teaching me the most. He has taught me more than I can say about love, laughing, and appreciating all the little moments in life. I have no idea how I ever lived without this little man, and I'm so thankful that I'm sealed to him and Michael forever. Earlier today I was thinking about all my favorite things about being a mom, and I thought I'd share some.... (in no particular order)....

- I love that Matthew inspires me to be my best self. He is such a motivation to keep learning and build my patience, compassion, and relationship with the Lord.

-I love his smiles and giggles. They literally make my day, every day.

- I love how much he learns every day. It's amazing to see such major progress so fast!

- I love that he looks just like his dad, and I love watching those two together.

- I love that he has helped me and Michael grow even closer.

- I love those little baby hands and baby feet. Everything is just so dang cute.

- I love the little life lessons he teaches me.

- I love being able to comfort him when he is sad.

- I love knowing that I am fulfilling my most important calling in life.

- I love kissing those cheeks!

- I love teaching him things.

- I love his pouty face. Even though it usually means a tantrum is about 2 seconds away, it's just so dang cute.

- I love watching him get excited about new tricks or toys.

- I love how much I still have to learn! Matthew is only 3 1/2 months old for goodness sakes- I'm not exactly the most experienced mother out there. :-)

I am so lucky I get to spend my days hanging out with him!