Monday, September 19, 2011

Xander is 5!!



I know every mom says it every year their child has another birthday, but seriously, how is my little 6 lbs 12 oz baby that I brought home from the hospital what seems like just the other day already five years old?! Time really has flown by, and so much has changed in those 5 years, but watching Xander grow has been so fun. He's at a really fun age for me. I keep saying that as he gets older, I just enjoy him more and more. He has definitely grown from my little toddler to a big BOY! He makes all those weird boy noises that only boys seem to do and thinks that gross things are funny just cause he's a boy and that's what boys do. He loves music and has really impressed me with how quickly he picks up the lyrics to a song. He probably knows more songs on the radio right now than I do!
This year, we decided to throw Xander a little birthday party at the park. This was the first year that we invited some friends from school, and although it was really crazy and quite stressful for me, I think all the kids had fun and I would say it was a success. Unfortunately, about halfway through the party, a huge storm came through, and we had to more everything to a covered pavilion area. Luckily the group that had come and reserved that pavilion was nice enough to let us snag a table there as well. Not sure what we would have done otherwise, but I'm glad it all turned out! I wish I hadn't been so stressed and scatterbrained and had gotten some better pictures, but I'm glad I got what I did at least.

The next day was his actual birthday, and we went to his school to take some treats to help celebrate. It was really fun because they do a little program where the parent writes up something about each year of their life, and the birthday kid walks around the center of the classroom while the kids sing a song. I was glad to have gone and participated in his birthday celebration at school. And a surprise when I got to the school was that after a week or so of playing with his first loose tooth, it had finally fallen out!! I love that it happened right on his 5th birthday, but I can't believe my little guy has already lost his first tooth. He's just getting so big.




That night, we ordered pizza and went to our apartment's movie night to watch Rio! it was a great way to relax and spend some time with Xander doing something fun on his special day. I'm excited to see what the next year of Xander's life will bring. He already brings so much joy and laughter to our lives as it is! I love my big five year old!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Shower Time!




With our wedding quickly approaching, things are really starting to come into place. I've had my Bridal pictures taken, we've bought fabrics and papers and candles and picture frames, and our little apartment basically just looks like a wedding warehouse full of paper pompoms and other half-finished projects. One of the other things we have been treated to has been two bridal showers! We have been so fortunate to have some supportive friends, family members, and co-workers that have been so generous during this special time in our lives.






Our first shower was thrown a couple weeks ago by Tiffani's sister, Brandi at her home in Ogden. It was so nice to have Tiffani's family there and really be able to share in our excitement and happiness. Throughout our engagement, we have struggled with the "who supports us/who doesn't support us" issue. So it was really nice to have those there who do. It was really strange for both of us to have a get together that was for us exclusively. Being able to openly celebrate our love with our family was really an awesome (and new) experience for us.


Our second shower was also so much fun. My co-workers threw a joint wedding shower for Tiffani & me and my co-worker fellow bride Lacy. She is getting married to Jake just 5 days before our ceremony. Through this crazy time in our lives, it has been SO great to be able to share this all with Lace. We share our ideas. We share our stresses. We share our happiness and excitement. Through it all, I'm almost just as excited for Lacy to get married as I am to get married myself! Her and Jake share a love that is up there with what Tiff and I have - which is something rare. They are such a great couple and I'm so lucky to be able to share this experience with her.


The girls at my work have been so incredibly supportive. In the professional world, you kind of have to be careful not to step on any toes and to make sure you don't offend anyone. Of course, this is something Tiffani and I worry about a lot. But I'm so lucky. Everyone at my work is so supportive and just genuinely happy for us at this time in our lives.


Thank you EVERYONE!