Christmas 2008... Caleb's First Christmas... Christmas in Utah...

Caleb and cousin Connor in Uncle Erik's lap first thing Christmas morning!

Caleb's First Christmas. It was so special! We had so much fun.Uncle Terry helping Caleb open his Christmas presents on Christmas morning.

Our family of 3 finding out what Santa brought us in our stockings! Blake and I got a bunch of junk food and oranges. Caleb got a banana and goldfish! Santa knows him well.

This is Caleb playing with cousin Preston's christmas present. :)
Caleb wearing the Christmas present cousin Elise got him! Baby Gap! Adorable!
On Christmas night, us girls and Bryson painted fingernails. I got pink nails with black zebra stripes and sparkles. Chelsey rocks at painting nails.

I absolutely loved spending time with my little boy in Utah. We spent every day together and had a blast.

It was a WHITE CHRISTMAS for us!

Caleb and cousin Skyler had a great time together. They took baths and pushed each other around in a stroller.

When all was said and done, we had one little tired bear.

Merry first Christmas, Caleb. You bring so much joy to our lives.

Stomach Flu on Vacation

Oh what a day yesterday. Blake, Caleb, and I are in Utah for Christmas family time this month. Yesterday, Blake and his dad left to go skiing early. I woke up nauseous. I thought, "Maybe it's because I went running after dinner last night." NO... I was very wrong. I threw up all day. I had to take care of myself and Caleb, and I was bent in half like all day. It was so hard. Everyone here was busy trying to not get sick or getting things done. I wanted my mommy. Blake finally came home at 4:30 and I went to sleep. I woke up and got a blessing. I washed all our clothes, sheets, took a shower, and threw away my toothbrush. I hope no one else gets sick.

Caleb is freakin hilarious lately. OH man. He has been cruisin around his Grandma and Grandpa Haines' house. He picks up an item of choice, walks from one end of the house, around the couch, through the kitchen, through the dining room, around the dining room table, through Lori's area, and then back again. I cant believe how fast he is growing up. I am so going to miss the little baby Caleb, but I'm dang excited about this new stage!

In this video, Blake and I are trying to teach Caleb that my name is "mama." So, I point to myself and say, "Mama!" and then he points to himself and says, "Dada!"

And can I just say I have the funniest 11-month-old baby EVER???? Okay, so Caleb discovered his love for playing the piano. Lori brought out this awesome toy for him to play with and man did he LOVE it!!! Make sure you watch all the way to the end!

NO, Alexis. I'm not pregnant. Not ready for that again, yet! :)

I apologize if my last blog was misleading. No, there will not be a second Caleb YET. :) The other day, I asked a youth in our ward, "What should Blake and I get Caleb for Christmas." He said, "A brother." No... I am not ready for that yet!!!!

Do we look alike here???

Late afternoon is when Caleb snoozes the best for naptime. Sometimes, lately, we have to go wake him up so he'll go to sleep at night! That's new for us.
He plays hide-and- go-seek with da-da!

He still likes his little walker, even though he walks all over the place without it. I am sad because I'm gonna miss his little wiggly bum while he crawls. But it's good for him to walk!

Check out his outfit. Harley Davidson shirt from his Grandpa. Etnies from his mommy.

He gives Cozmo "loves."

Oh so sweet.

He looooooves Cozmo. What a sweet puppy!

Gorgeous trees across the street from us. The fall this year was breathtaking.

The Hard Way?

I will not make an entire batch of Fudge to keep at my house when I am the only one here who eats chocolate!



I will not let any of my close friends go without researching and hand picking their wedding photographer, and make sure that he or she is at least NICE to the bride.


I will not put dirty dishes directly into the sink rather than the dishwasher.



I will NOT have a place for everything without putting everything in its place.



I will eat like my mom.



I will not stay up until 12:30 am every single night, even after being exhausted already, and knowing well that Caleb would probably be awake by 5:55 am.



I will not talk when I am in a terrible mood for no reason.



I will not hold my newborn every second of the day baby is asleep, so that baby can learn how to soothe baby's self without 10 months of sleep-training and sleep deprivation.



I will hold my newborn every second of the day he or she is awake, though.

I will love unconditionally like my pug Cozmo.

I will not bring my 10 month old shopping the morning after Thanksgiving sales... bless his heart.

I will exercise daily!

Life rocks. :) Live it. Love it. What have you learned (the hard way) lately?

November Rocks My Socks

November was an amazing month. Caleb started walking! Cozmo has been getting more attention than ever, not necessarily good attention... but attention!

Caleb can maneuver his walker all over the place. It is no longer an aid to his walking. It is now a tool of destruction. In a funny way. We love watching him with it!
Sweet face.

And another sweet face... well sometimes they share toys... :)

Caleb has been making major progress with his walking. He's been so excited about it and enjoying all his new options! The first video below is of about a week ago, and the second video is from today. He is hilarious! Enjoy his huge laughter.

Caleb has also been learning sign language. It is so cute and so much fun to communicate with him!

Guess what happened the day before Caleb turned 10 months old?...

Okay, one rule. If you want to comment, you cannot say anything negative like, "You're life is over now!" or, "Now you're gonna have trouble!" or, "That sucks Danielle. Motherhood sucks." :) Ok? Ok.

Enjoy!!! This was one of my proudest moments of my life.

Happiness!

I have gratefully realized through all the new experiences I have had these past 10 months with Caleb, plus the 9 months I was pregnant with Caleb, that happiness is not something that God just GIVES you. He does give you all the opportunities he sees that you need, all the blessings, all the trials. Then he gives you free agency, and the rest is up to you.

That's my main point. Your happiness is up to you. It's all in a good attitude. Since I have figured this out, I have felt a HUGE relief. I can control this! I can have a good attitude, I just need to choose to do so. In the words of Maren Ord:

"Open your eyes, take my hand, Take a look at where you stand, It's not that hard, just take a step back my friend, And see this world We're living in, it's beautiful...life is beautiful."

Caleb's First Autumn

Blake took this on his bikeride one day in the middle of nowhere... gorgeous huh?

C-man in the laundry basket!!!

He loved playing with the bags of leaves. Love this boy.

Cutest Picture Ever? Probly...

Caleb and Cozmo

They Love Each Other

Prank calls

This is FREAKIN hilarious. Watch all the way to the end. The second half is the best. Oh my. Enjoy.

Old Baby Pictures

Here is a picture of our nephew, Preston. As a baby, they called him "Sumo." He was a big baby. Man is he freakin hilarious and cute!!!!?
Here is a baby picture of Blake. What an adorable little guy.
This baby picture of Blake reminds me SO much of Caleb!!! I can just hear the sound that's coming out of his mouth here!!!
And this is another one of our nephews, Kaden. Oh man that's a sweeeet face! And look, he has his weapon of choice, too!
And I cannot resist adding this one of Kaden as well!!!!! Oh man he is funny. Love it love it love it.

House Tour!!!

Here is a tour of our new home, now that I have finished decorating. We were so crammed in our little condo that we nearly filled the house with furniture immediately! Everything we added to it was hand-me-downs, except for our new bed.

We are so extremely grateful for our many blessings, especially to be in a house already at this point in our lives. We thank our Heavenly Father for the support we have on both sides of our family and the love we feel from them. We are also so grateful to Blake's storage unit company that it continues to prosper. This home has been so great for our family, especially for Caleb! He has no chances of falling down stairs in this house, now that he is crawling and wanting to walk. We feel that we could live here for many years and someday have many kids to fill it with. (Not yet though, for heaven's sakes.) :)

Please enjoy this tour as if you are one of the closest people to our family, and know that we are just wanting to share a piece of our life with you.

WOO!!!!!!!!!!

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That Poor Little Squirrel...

I am an animal murderer.

Today, Caleb and I were going to his 9-month checkup and a squirrel ran out in front of my car and my tire went right over his little body. I almost cried. I felt the bump. Squish. Sad. I murdered the squirrel and it is still laying there in the street.

So Caleb has grown a lot!

29.5 inches tall - 80th percentile

19 lbs. 11 oz. - less than 50th percentile

And he's got one BIG noggin! the nurse remeasured his head TWICE to make sure her measurements were accurate. She said his head is off the charts! He's still a CUTIE though!

Caleb playing with his 2nd Cousins Clair and Annie! Val and her family came to visit and it was freakin awesome! We went running and hung out. Love her.

Colton likes me.

Cozmo is adorable. Check my running blog to read about COZMO DOGGY BOOT CAMP! Woo! He needs support, guys.

New Family Pictures!

For the first time in AGES, my side of the family all got together and went to Sears for a family portrait. It was fun, atleast for me it was! All the boys, including Caleb, wore black suits and blue ties, with white button-up shirts. My mom and I wore black dresses. It turned out well!

My Momita

I have decided that God has blessed me in so many ways that I cannot count. One of those ways is the mom He blessed me with. I can think of a bagillion reasons that she is the best mom I could ask for, but here are 10 that come to mind first:

1- She gave birth to me. That was nice of her.

2- She made my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for nearly all my meals for the first 18 years of my life.

3- She was home every single day I got home from school, except like 2. I remember those 2 days distinctly, because she warned me she would not be there and let me know what to do.

4- If I ever need help with anything or getting something done, she's all over it before I can even think to ask for help. One time, I told her I wanted to find a pillow topper for my bed. Two days later, she was putting a brand new pillow topper that had come in the mail on my bed.

5- She is literally the perfect example of a healthy lifestyle. If you want to eat healthy at a restaurant, just order exactly like my mom. Ever since I can remember she has exercised multiple times a week. More recently, she exercises every single week day.

6- My mom has a direct line of communication with God. I always know when she is praying for something because this amazing thing will happen to me, and I'll tell her... then I look at her and I say, "Mom, have you been praying for me?" She always has a smile on her face when I ask!

7- She has a solid testimony of the Gospel that I have never doubted my whole life. She puts 110% into every calling she has had, even when she was in Scouts!

8- She was always there at major events in my life. I mean always. Every high school dance, holiday activity, award ceremony, cheerleading tryouts, even girl's camp, and let me tell you, I don't know anyone who hates camping more than my mom!

9- My mom and dad both are the best examples of service that I can think of in my life. They give give give give give. They are always thinking about others and how they can help. It has been such a blessing to watch this my whole life.

10- At the hardest times in my life, my mom has been right there to help me through in the ways I needed her. She has shown so much support and love, making my burdens lighter. I have always needed my mom in my life, but have never worried that she wouldnt be there to support me.

I love you mom, thank you for everything. I hope to be as incredible of a mom as you are someday!!!!!