Aaron Turning 30!

I can't believe that Aaron is 30!  It seems like it was just the other day that I was making fun of him for turning 25!!  I also remember how totally old and creepy I thought 30 year old guys were when they were hitting on me...and to think that I'm married to a 30 year old is kind of a huge paradigm shift.  Mostly because I forget that I'm almost 25.

Aaron decided that he didn't want to have a huge party (or even a manageable small party) to celebrate his birthday.  But he did agree to have a little BBQ with a family that we absolutely adore in our ward.

I spent the day getting ready.  Mostly marinating chicken and steak to get them ready to get BBQed.

I also had a wonderful little friend (one of my activity day girls and daughter of the family hosting our get together) come over and help me make a cake.

Aaron got to sit back, relax (while watching Zach, of course) and watch me BBQ him some chicken!

Because what is sexier on your birthday than watching your wife grill you up some chicken!

While the chicken and steak was on the Barbie, I went inside and started getting the candles on the cake.  I had a little 7 year old help me.  I had been putting the candles in rows...and I look over and see this at the bottom of the cake.

Candles clump!

I almost said something stupid like, "No, they need to be in a row."  And then I realized....it really doesn't matter.

See my rows at the top and the lower you get on the cake, the more nonsense it is?  Perfection.

These kids are such hams!!  We love them!

Concentration is required.

This is Aaron's "I'm so happy!  This is such a wonderful day!" face.  I'm not joking.  Look at our pictures from Disneyland.

Getting ready to blow them out!

Trick candles!!  WHAT?!  Yeah...Aaron totally heard the girls planning this and was super nice to play along and be like, "What's going on?!"

And just like that, Aaron is 30.  We are going to have many more birthday celebrations with each other and I can't believe that I've already celebrated 5 birthdays for Aaron.  Maybe one day he will let me throw him a really big party but I'm glad that he got to enjoy this one the way that he wanted.

Three Months Old

Zach is already 3 months old!  That means that I only have 9 more months to plan his birthday party!

 Hahaha,....but seriously...9 months.

Anyway, when EVERYONE in the WORLD tells you that the time flies...they are apparently not joking.  I have no idea how time is speeding up like this...but I have a feeling that sleep deprivation has something to do with it.

This little boy is growing like he wants to grow up to be his Uncle Markus! According to our scale, he is 14.6 pounds.  He has officially doubled in weight since he was born!  I don't know how that is possible since he still seems to be the same tiny little guy that came out of me.  But other people tell me that he is growing.

His favorite things in this world are, watching anyone fold laundry (as long as they tell him what it is and what color it is), kicking and punching his toys on his play mat, feeling his soft taggie, BATH TIME, doing sit ups with dad, swinging on the swing with us in the backyard, snuggling to sleep, and....oh yeah...EATING!

He has also started to get SUPER CHATTY.  I have no idea where he would have gotten that since his father and I are such shy quiet people.  I've spent a good hour of my life sitting next to him, repeating every noise that he makes back to him.  He LOVES that.  He likes it so much that yesterday, he started to giggle!  WHAT!?  Hahaha, oh yeah!  So, I started playing peekaboo with him and he LAUGHED OUT LOUD!  That has got to be my favorite sound in the whole wide world.  I pulled out the camera to record him doing it, for Aaron, and he immediately started crying...so...no dice.

For about a week, he was trying to roll onto his stomach.  Most of the time, he would do his practicing while we were trying to change his diaper...which wasn't optimal.  Seriously...it wasn't a great idea.  Poop...poop everywhere people.

Well, 10 minutes after Aaron got home from work on the 22nd, Zach finally achieved his goal and flipped over onto his tummy.  SUCCESS! His reward was 5 minutes of tummy time...till he spat up and rubbed his face in it and started crying.

He has done it a couple times since then.  My type of parenting for babies is pretty laid back so I'm not pushing him too much.  He is reaching developmental milestones at a normal pace so I'm enjoying watching him learning things and helping him when he wants.

Some people have asked me how I like being a mom...let me think about it....ummmm.....
BEST JOB EVER!!!

Okay, so it is hard.  FOR REAL, it is hard.  But I'm having an awesome time with it.  It definitely helps that the guy I've picked to do this job with is THE BEST!  Aaron is a great dad (not a huge surprise) and so it really makes the hard parts of this gig easier.

In conclusion, this little guy is getting big so quickly and I'm trying to get all of the snuggles and cuddles that I can.

Almond Milk

I've still got about 8 pounds to lose  before I'm back at my pre-pregnancy weight, which means that it is time to kick it into gear and start exercise and eating right.  I know that I can lose weight on the Paleo Diet and that it helps my skin clear up.  Plus, I love feeling domestic and it never fails to make me feel like a good home maker when I find new things that I can make.

Like ALMOND MILK!  Turns out...it is the easiest thing in the world to make.  It just requires some time...and cheese cloth.

You soak the almonds for at least 8 hours, rinse them off really well.  Then you throw them in the blender with up to 8 cups of water and blend it.  When the almonds are in small pieces, you strain it through cheese cloth and....TA DAAAAAAA!!!!  Almond milk!!

The left over pulp can be made into almond meal with can be used in baking other paleo things.  Magic!!

The next day, I also decided to turn some almonds into almond butter.  It is the healthier alternative to peanut butter and with honey and cinnamon in it....IT IS AMAZING.  Also, a jar this big usually cost about $8...and I made it $3.  So...yeah...saving money all over the place!

Heart Melting-ly Sweet

I love it when I'm busy cleaning and I come in and find this going on.

My two favorite boys in the entire world snuggled up having the world's most adorable nap time.

 

Activity Day Hike!

A week after I was asked to be in the Activity Days, I was released from my duties with the cub scouts.  I'm pretty bummed about that too because I've LOVED working with the scouting program.  I missed out on day camp and hikes this summer because I had just had a baby.  So I decided with my new calling with Activity Days, that I would still go on hikes!

Our regularly scheduled activity was cancelled and so I asked if any girls wanted to go on a hike and this little lady stepped up to go.

We defaced a bench!!!  I don't feel too bad about it.  When we got to this little shaded area with a bench, we decided to sit and work on some of the Faith in God book.  She got two things signed off while we were out there in the woods!

New Calling! New Fun!

The Mormon church is run by volunteers.  Every member is asked to volunteer to the best of their abilities to help and further the work of the church.

Aaron and I served together for 3 years as Primary teachers. While we did that, I used to be a Cub Master for a year.  Then we served together as Webelos scout leaders.  Last November I was released from being a Primary teacher and asked to be in the Primary presidency.  It was a great calling and I learned a lot.

Last Sunday, I was released from being in the Primary presidency and asked, or as we say "called", to be an Activity Days leader.  That means that I will be working with the 8-11 year old girls helping them build their talents and grow closer to their Father in Heaven.  I'm so excited for this new volunteer position!!

My first job was for a Stake wide Activity Day!  I had a bunch of fun meeting up with the girls in the morning and heading over for some games.

Can I just say that I feel so much like a mom/grown-up when I have a SUV full of kids, driving them around to activities?  And you know what?  I love it.

The theme was Friendship and so they had some team games for the girls and some crafts.  They got to decorate cookies as "Sunshines" because we are suppose to let our light shine and brighten other people's lives.
How do you like our cookies?

Some of my girls and me!

Family Trip to Antelope Island

I felt bad that Aaron missed out on our trip to Antelope Island with his family since he had work.  So we decided to take a trip of our own.

It also gave me a chance to take pictures of the beauty all around.  The last time I went, my battery ran out on my point and shoot and I only had a little bit of battery on my phone for pictures.  This time, I came prepared with my Digital SLR, my film SLR, my point and shoot AND my phone's camera.  Just for good measure.

Our first stop was a scenic pull over.  One way to the Great Salt Lake, the other way at the beautiful landscape of the island.

Film Camera

Film Camera

Zach appreciated being able to get out of his car seat and take a look around.  I pulled Aaron's hat off his head and put it on Zach's so that his little bald head didn't burn.

Film Camera

Next we headed out to the Ranch that is on the island.  I took a ton of pictures with my Digital SLR but I haven't had any time AT ALL to edit them (or the photos that I'm suppose to edit for money) since I'm with the baby all the time so this is what you get.

Aaron and Zach stood over here while I took pictures of different wild life.

Phone Camera

Mostly failed pictures of Bison, but a couple awesome shots of other living things.

Digital SLR

Digital SLR

Digital SLR

After being in the sun for awhile, we thought that it would be a good idea to head inside at the visitors center and get educated further on the area.

First, a diaper change in the back of the car.

Phone Camera

Point and shoot

Point and shoot

Point and shoot

Point and shoot

Baby's first ride on a bison!!  Hahaha

After we cold down inside, we headed to the "beach".  Aaron had wanted to get his feet in the Great Salt Lake....till he saw how far the walk was.  So we just sat down under a pavilion and ate our picnic lunch.

Film SLR

 It was a really wonderful "stay-cation" and I like to think that it was the first adventure that Zach will get to go on.  We can't wait for more family trips and fun times!

Film SLR

Baby's Fourth Wedding

As always, summer seems to be a really big wedding season and this year did not disappoint.  I can't believe that in all of that baby having and surgery, I didn't miss a single reception.  And neither did Zach.  This was the last one of the wedding season.

Rachel Gibbons, a friend and fellow Young Women in Thailand, got married in the Salt Lake Temple to her sweetheart.  It was another Bangkok Reunion!

As was my tradition this summer...no pictures of the person who got married.  I was really slacking on the picture taking.  But here I am with my baby and some of the girls I went to Church with in Thailand!

I wanted to get a picture with Taber because every once in awhile, someone from high school will ask me if I've seen Taber since we both live in Utah and are Mormon.  I don't ever see him and some people started to wonder if he was still alive.

Found him!

(It was his sister's wedding...so...he should be there!  Hahaha)

Bangkok group picture!!  It is crazy how much these people have become family. I can't wait to see these girls and some of these boys get married in the coming years!

All Smiles

I absolutely adore seeing my son smile.  LOVE IT.  He's been smiling for awhile now but for some reason, he didn't want to give too many away to his grandparents when they were here.  I told them that he would smile but some of them didn't seem to believe me.

So the day after they left, I took pictures of this little boy in the morning when he woke up and was all smiles. Here is proof that he likes to smile.

Zach's Baby Blessing

I LOVED Zach's blessing day!  I remember so many Sunday's when people got up to bless their babies and I would wonder when it was going to be my turn.  And on August 4th, it was finally our day.   We had a lot of family in town to entertain and, of course, a baby.

Zachary Aaron Reinert

Sweet Symmetry. 4 generations of men!
The group of men who blessed him.  My grandpa Anderson, my dad, Aaron, Aaron's dad, and Grandpa Prince.

Our families did so much to make the day special!  We had five rows of just our family and friends in the church building.  It is a good thing that it is summer, or else we might not have all fit in the church building.

Aaron gave Zach a beautiful blessing and it made my mom cry, which is quite the extraordinary feat.  I probably would have cried too but I was too busy writing down the things that Aaron was saying.

He blessed him that he would have a desire to serve a mission and to serve the Lord.  He also blessed him that he would have a desire to be married in the temple.  My favorite part though, was when Aaron talked about Zach's outgoing spirit.  It has made me so much more excited to get to know this kid and help him develop that outgoing spirit.

I got up and gave my testimony of prayer.  It worked out really well because the monthly theme for Primary is, "Heavenly Father Hears and Answers Our Prayers."  I've told all of you guys before about how getting pregnant was a huge miracle and I'm so grateful the children that I taught at church who were praying for Aaron and I to have a baby.  I have a HUGE testimony in the power of prayer (and that like any good dad, Heavenly Father has a hard time saying "No" to children).

Afterwards, we went to the Ogden Botanical Gardens for a reception luncheon.  I really have to give a shout out to Aaron's family for helping to get all the food we brought ready the night before.  And Dee for waking up early to help me stuff all of the croissants.   LOVE!  

It was warm outside but I think that everyone had fun.  The kids enjoyed going on the trails and exploring around the gardens and playing in the grass.  And the adults, like always, enjoyed visiting with each other.

Marlene's on one side and Barbara's on the other with a Katrina and Zach filling.

It was a pretty amazing day and now I have 10 months to plan Zach's next party...his birthday!  JOKE! 

(But not really...this kid is going to get SPOILED.)