July Happenings

July has definitely been the most relaxed month of the summer.  Still, we've kept busy with some fun activities.  I've been teaching a couple swim lessons a week to Ethan and Joshua.  They're making tons of progress, mostly because they've been swimming almost every other day this summer.  Grandma and Grandpa's pool has gotten tons of use!

Last week, Derek went on his first business trip to Oklahoma City.  He was gone for three days, and we missed him lots!  Anna and I did have some fun play dates while he was gone...we went to Seven Peaks with Mary and her little girl, Lizzie.  Anna is, of course, to little to enjoy the big water slides, but she had fun splashing in the water.  Anna and I also went shopping one afternoon...Anna needed some new summer outfits and I wanted a new pair of black flats.  But we were definitely happy to have Daddy come home again!

Derek next to a rig outside of Oklahoma City

Last Sunday, we were able to go to my cousin, Braden's mission farewell.  He left on Tuesday for the Mexico City MTC, and will then serve in Honduras.  He did a great job on his Sacrament meeting talk.  Afterward, we went to a little brunch at Kent and Janeal's house.  Braden will be a great missionary!

Pioneer Day was on Wednesday.  We went to the Spanish Fork parade in the morning.  Hands down, the coolest part of the parade was the "Army of Helaman" march.  Over 2,000 young men and leaders dressed in robes and carried staffs, marching to the song "Army of Helaman."  It was so neat to see one of my favorite Book of Mormon stories coming to life.

The "army" probably spanned a quarter mile

Wednesday evening, we had our good friends, Austin and Lacey over.  We swam and then roasted hotdogs, corn on the cob, and s'mores in the firepit.  When it got dark, we had a great view of Mapleton's fireworks from my grandparents' backyard.  Beth and Todd and the kids came over for the fireworks.  Each of the kids had 50 glowsticks apiece.  They decked themselves out in glowing necklaces and bracelets, then threw hundreds in the pool to use as glow-in-the dark diving sticks.  It was pretty cool to see all the colors glowing in the water.

The picture doesn't really capture how cool it looked...or how much fun the kids had.

Rachel's Wedding and Visit from Great-Grandma Helen!

My cousin Rachel got married last week!  She looked absolutely beautiful in her gorgeous dress!

My grandma flew out from Chicago for the wedding.  It was her first time getting to meet Anna!  Unfortunately, Anna was a grouch at the wedding reception and cried pretty much the whole time.

Trevor and Anna

Luckily, we went up to see Grandma at Billy and Josette's on Friday, and at Kent and Janeal's on Sunday, and Anna was happier then.

Anna with cousin Charlotte 

Anna with her Great-Grandma

Kisses!

Love this one :)

Motherhood Surprises: What I Didn't Expect

I've known I wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember.  After seeing my own mother raise five kids, as well as watching aunts with their young children, plus observing random young mothers at church or the grocery store...I thought I had a pretty good idea of what motherhood was all about.  And some of my expectations were pretty accurate...I anticipated some long, sleepless nights. I knew I would be giving up some of the precious, uninterrupted hours I used to enjoy with my husband. And I looked forward to the moments of cradling my baby girl in my arms, feeling overwhelmed by unconditional love for her.  All of those were things I had heard described by other mothers and I expected to experience myself.  But some things I was not prepared for.  Either because they are unique to me and my little girl.  Or because I had never heard about it before.  Or because I had heard it, but frankly, didn't believe it would happen to me. :)

Here are some of the things that surprised me...

1.) Motherhood is a full-time job.  I had all these big ideas about how much stuff I would be able to get done when I was staying home with a baby.  But taking care of a baby is a lot of work!  Even when I do have a spare moment, all I often want to do is take a nap.  I thought this somee card was pretty accurate...

2.) Anna's poopy diapers are not that gross.  I mean, they don't smell pretty, and it's not fun changing them, but it's really not that bad.  Neither are her runny noses or sticky fingers.  In fact, Derek tells me to leave her alone because I'm always picking/wiping her nose.  Other kids' runny noses and sticky fingers are gross to me, but not hers.  Somehow being her mom makes me immune to the grossness. (Apparently that immunity is exclusive to moms.  Derek thinks her messy diapers are disgusting.  Don't worry...he still changes them anyway!)

3.) I sometimes lose my patience with my baby girl.  People had warned me about this.  I'd heard about shaken baby syndrome and all that.  But I couldn't understand it.  Sure, listening to a baby cry is no fun, but it's the only way she can communicate and she's just so sweet and innocent, how could I ever possibly be upset with her?  But boy, when it's 1:00 in the morning and I've been trying for an hour and a half to get her to sleep and she's screaming her head off, suddenly she's not so cute anymore.  I've never been close to wanting to shake or hurt her, but I have definitely screamed...and cried...and chucked her pacifier at the wall in frustration. Thankfully, these moments have only come at night, when Derek is home and can take a turn with Anna while I regroup.  I don't know how I would manage on my own.

4.) Watching my husband be a daddy makes me fall in love with him all over again.  I LOVE how he loves our little girl.

5.) In the same breath, I felt an unexpected little twinge of sadness the first time he held Anna and I realized I would no longer be his only girl. :)

6.) I didn't expect to worry about her so much.  The first few nights after we brought her home, I hardly slept...not just because she woke up a lot, but also because when she did sleep, I kept getting up to check on her to make sure she was OK.  Even now, if she actually sleeps through the night, I still wake up and worry something is wrong because she didn't wake up when she normally does.  I worry about her when I leave her with other people, even if they're people I trust completely to take care of her. When I'm out and about, I have to keep within arms reach of her at all times.  When I go shopping now, I always park right next to the shopping cart holder so I only have to move a couple feet away from the car when I'm putting away the shopping cart.

7.) I'm already realizing how much Anna watches my every move...and it both thrills and terrifies me. I truly want to be a better person for my little girl because I know she's watching everything I do...or don't do.

8.) I knew motherhood would be rewarding...but I didn't expect Anna to really appreciate me until she grew up. Or at least until she could talk.  But she already finds ways to tell me.  Every morning when I go to get her, she greets me with her big, bright smile.  And sometimes, when I'm nursing her, she'll just stop all of a sudden, look up at me, and smile as if to say, "Hi, Mom!  I love you!" And then she'll go back to eating. It melts my heart. It is absolutely the truth when people tell you that motherhood is the most rewarding job in the world.

Six Months Old!

I can't believe half a year has already gone by since our Anna-girl was born!  I'm starting to forget what life was like without her.  She brings so much joy and laughter into our lives!  (And sleepless nights and dirty diapers...but we won't talk about that!)  She is such a happy, fun baby and we love her so much!

Here are some of Anna's changes this past month...

Anna weighed 16 pounds 2 ounces and was 26 1/2 inches long at her 6-month appointment.  (In case you're wondering, that's 52nd percentile for weight and 76th for height.)  She is wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes now, still fitting a few 3-6 month things.  Still in size 3 diapers.  I think now is good time to show how much she's grown...

Two days old

2 months old

5 1/2 months old

Anna's most recent development is learning to sit up without support.  She can only go a few seconds by herself, so you have to be right there to catch her!

Anna is still really into grabbing things...we have to be careful because at dinner time, she'll reach out and grab our plates.  Luckily, the only things she's been able to pull onto the floor are napkins and silverware!  She still palms things with her hands...hasn't quite got the pincer grip down yet, but she's learned how to transfer objects from one hand to the other.  She is showing much more interest in toys and rattles now that she can hold them herself.

She's doing pretty well with solid foods.  She usually gets one serving of rice cereal a day, plus a few pieces of fruit or vegetables that Mom and Dad share with her.  Her favorite food is definitely watermelon!  She is starting to display a little independent streak during mealtimes...she always wants to hold the spoon herself!

She really likes her baths now and has graduated to the big tub.  She'll splash and play during bath time,  and doesn't cry at all anymore.

Anna has her two bottom teeth now!  Teething has been pretty rough, especially the past week.  We had two nights in a row where she screamed for over an hour before she fell asleep because her mouth hurt so much.  Baby Tylenol and teething gel have been lifesavers!

Even when her teeth aren't bothering her, Anna still really fights sleep.  We have to walk up and down the hall/bounce her while standing for over an hour sometimes before she'll fall asleep at night.  And usually she's crying for most of it. Then she'll still often wake up 2-3 times a night.  I used to enjoy nursing/rocking her to sleep every night.  But it's seemed to have stopped working, and bedtime is pretty miserable for both her and us.  So I think we're going to try to teach her to fall asleep in her crib.  She used to do that sometimes without a fuss, but not for over a month.  I don't want to do cry-it-out, but I was given the "Sleep Lady's" book that uses a method I think I can handle.  Basically, it's where you start the first few nights sitting by their crib, patting, and shhing, and singing softly.  Then you move to the other side of the room the next few nights.  Then the next few nights you're out in the hall.  Then (supposedly) the baby is supposed be able to fall asleep without you even there.  Honestly, I don't care right now about being able to leave her alone.  I'm fine sitting in the room with her, I just want her to go to sleep without a fight!  Anyway, we're going to give it a try, and see how it goes!

One funny thing Anna's been doing lately is putting her arms behind her head when she sleeps.  She looks so chill!

Anna LOVES to blow bubbles and buzz her lips.  It's so funny! Here's a video of it...

She is doing really well on her tummy and her arms are getting stronger.  She can hold her upper body up for a long time now.  She still doesn't really roll over!  She will go from back to front every once in awhile when she's really trying.  But she never even tries to do front to back.  I try to show her how at least a couple times a day...all I have to do is pull her hand out from under her and she just rolls right over.  But she never tries to do it on her own.  Oh well.  She seems to be right where she should be with everything else, so I'm not too worried about it!

Anna's follow-up eye appointment is at the end of this month.  I really think it's a lazy eye.  Her right eye is fine, it's just the left one that doesn't stay focused.  I'm really hoping wearing an eye patch will fix the problem.

Anna loves when Mommy and Daddy play games with her!  Here is her newest favorite game...

That's about all I can think of to report!  Here's a few more pictures.  Sorry they're kind-of off center.  I have to look at her, not the camera, to get her to smile!

Ireland Family Reunion

As soon as we got back to Utah from the wedding, it was family reunion time!  Derek and I missed the last Ireland reunion in Arkansas, so it was especially exciting to see everyone!  This family just keeps growing and growing.  I think we're up to something like 55 people now?  We were sad to be missing Tani (who had back surgery the previous week), Trent, Seth, and Sam, but everyone else was able to be there for at least part of the time.  Even with my grandparents' eight bedrooms, we still didn't have enough rooms for everyone!  Some stayed with Beth and Todd and a few in Ryan's tent trailer.  Other than being a couple rooms short, this house is the perfect place for a reunion.  The pool was a big hit (especially with the 90 degree weather the last two days), as was the sport court.  I think everyone had a great time!

The Irelands are definitely a work hard/play hard kind-of family, and our reunions are always packed full of fun activities.  Here were some of the highlights...

The trampoline park.

A rather extreme game of dodgeball

 Trevor making a slam dunk

Waiting in line for the foam pits

A hike to the hot springs.

Anna has had her diaper changed in some pretty crazy places!

Haley and I getting her dressed again

Anna fell asleep on the way back down...no idea how she could sleep in that position!

The traditional obstacle course.

 Haley

Trevor

And traditional talent show.

 The cup game

Carson on the trampoline

 Derek reading "The Monster at the End of This Book" in his Grover voice

And LOTS of swimming!

Chicken fight! Matt and Jamon vs Derek and Ethan

The giant ball broke after being used in the obstacle course

But the leftover pieces made great sunbathing rafts!

Some of us needed naps in between to keep up!

My parents and sisters enjoyed spending lots of time with Anna.  She's at a pretty fun stage right now where she'll go to anyone and give lots of smiles and a few giggles. I felt pretty spoiled having so many willing babysitters!

My dad holding Anna at the trampoline park while Derek and I jumped

Maggie and Anna

My dad making Anna laugh

Even 4-year-old Kate liked to help with Anna :)

All in all, it was a great reunion with lots of fun memories.  On Monday night of the reunion, my mom gave the lesson for FHE.  She shared an article about the importance of families.  It talked about a study that found that kids who know a lot about their families, including stories about their parents and grandparents, are more resilient and well-adjusted than kids who don't know much about their families.  I think reunions like this are great opportunities to share those stories and to build closer relationships.  I'm so grateful to be a member of a family with such an amazing legacy of faith, education, hard work, and love!

Kyle and Amanda's Wedding

It's been another busy couple of weeks...starting with another trip to Denver for Kyle and Amanda's wedding!  We drove down Thursday morning and made it to Denver around 4:00.

Right after arriving. Anna with Quinn.

We were able to go to the Denver temple Thursday evening when Amanda received her endowment.  I haven't been inside a temple since before Anna was born, and I was so happy to be there!  I'm pretty sure I was smiling the entire time.  I never feel so close to the Lord as I do when I am in one of His holy temples.  I love how everything in the temple endowment is focused on family and centered around Jesus Christ.  Going there really helps me to refocus on what is really important in my life and recommit to being a better wife and mother, a kinder friend, and a more faithful disciple of Christ.

Denver LDS temple

On Friday, we spent the afternoon helping set up for the reception and getting things ready for the wedding.  There were lots of volunteers to help watch Anna.  I had to get a picture of this...Jordan, Brooks, and Tanner putting in a team effort to get Anna's pacifier in her mouth!

Friday evening we celebrated Amanda's 22nd birthday.  I don't have any pictures from that except this one of Anna chowing down on a slice of watermelon.

Pretty sure that shirt is forever stained!

Saturday was the big day!  The wedding was at 2:00, which was really nice because we could sleep in and relax a little bit in the morning.  The wedding ceremony in the temple was really beautiful.  I love all weddings, but the ones in the temple are extra special because the couple is promised to be together not only in this life, but for all eternity.  What an awesome promise!

Ready to greet the happy couple

Mr. and Mrs. Lontine!

They are seriously the cutest couple!  And so perfect for each other! 

Trying to get the whole group together for a picture.

That evening, we attended the ring ceremony and following reception.  It was a really fun reception...cotton candy, s'mores, corn hole, a photo booth, and of course, lots of dancing!

Ring ceremony

 First dance

 Daddy-Daughter

Mother-Son

Lots of family members wanted to hold Anna.  She did a great job going to everyone and taking her naps in the arms of different people.

Nap #1 

#2 with Grandma 

And #3 with Kelsey!

Anna with Great-Grandpa Lontine

 With Great-Grandpa and Ginger

Anna, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma Lontine

 Anna with Great-Grandma Lontine

Really love this picture! Anna with Uncle Ted

The Lontine family is growing!