Rome at 2 years old

Rome's 1 year Photos

home: before and after

I thought I had good after photos of each room. 

Turns out I don't but here are some photos anyways. 

When we get home and I'm able to decorate I'll post more pictures. 

I really have had a lot of fun redoing this house. 

It's what I've always wanted to do. 

living room BEFORE

living room AFTER
(That chair was my great great grandma's, pretty cool right?! I think so!)

entertainment wall BEFORE

entertainment wall ALMOST AFTER

Rome's room BEFORE

Rome's room AFTER

kitchen corner BEFORE

kitchen corner ALMOST AFTER (sorry for the mess)

kitchen BEFORE

kitchen AFTER

front door view BEFORE

front door view ALMOST AFTER (again sorry for the mess)

slow down

Seriously!
I wish we could slow time down.

I think I have some anxiety issues.
Lately I've been really stressing about losing Graden or Rome to death.

I was looking at pictures of Rome when he was brand new and I started to mourn. I was missing cradling and loving on my teeny tiny baby, then the thought came to me that the past is kind of like death. Those times I had with my brand new baby will never be back, they are gone. I can only remember the feelings I had. I can only look back at pictures and see what it was like. I will never be able to experience those times again. I will never have my Rome Bear as a new born, as my oh so tiny babe.

I was filled with peace. I now know I can still live with losing, because I'm living now and I've lost my teeny tiny babe.

He's a walking toddler now.

we're in june

My baby is one and is "walking and talking and swaking" -Graden. He is so much fun but also a lot of work. He is sick and I'm freaked out. I'm sure he will be fine, last year he slept longer than normal so I took him to the ER. I get really FREAKED out when it comes to my baby.

I've been sick too. This week was spent in bed, with my hair all tangled and my shirt up. This momma was opened 24/7 and Rome was in heaven. It kept us both from screaming at each other.

We are in DC for the summer. It's been nice to see Graden's brother and his wife and baby. They are fun and Rome loves his cousin. I told Graden the only reason I would do this stickin job again is because Trent and Amy are out here. We live in a high rise and have a beautiful view. If you wake up really early all you see out the window is white because of the fog.

We bought that house back in October, our first goal to have it completed was Thanksgiving then it was Christmas then Valentines Day, then April 1st. then before I left for the summer which was May 12th. All the big stuff is done, kinda. All we have now are the finishing touches. I was able to move everything from our Springville house over there. Now its just everything from my parents we need to move over. It's a lot harder to do anything when your husband is across the country and you have a baby.

Speaking of my parents, we lived there for almost 2  years and I'm not that excited to leave. I mean, I can't wait to have a whole house to ourselves instead of two bedrooms (and some of the family room). But I actually enjoyed living there. If you know my dad he can talk a lot for many hours and if you really know me you know I can too. We got to spend many nights having very long conversations about a whole lot of nothing, often repeating ourselves. Poor Graden was normally out cold by the time I came to bed. And my mom, I feel my relationship with her has grown and gotten deeper. I can not express how grateful I am for her. Still to this day she will drop everything for her kids and now grandkids as well. I think Rome thinks she is his mother too. As a new mother I couldn't have had more help and a better example of loving your child.  I am very blessed.

Today Rome had a green blowout and I got really worried so I called my sister and she immediately knew what it was, blueberries. She is so smart.

I'm going to continue about my family. My brother is a really cool person. I think he is a lot cooler than I ever will be. You should meet him.

And the best, my husband. He has been extra sweet lately. I feel so loved and spoiled and like I can never thank him enough for working so hard and putting up with me and my confused mind.

I think I'm going to post before and after photos of our work at our house because I'm pretty proud of my husbands handy work. But probaly tomorrow, or in a week, we'll see.

bye!

I could watch this video over and over for hours

cousin cal

rome 6month photo

could my boy be any cuter!?

19 things we should say to our children

found here

1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that.

2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one!

3. It’s all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried; when they are angry, afraid, or lonely. Big people cry too. I do.

4. You’ve made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix? What can we do? It’s all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you.

5. You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it wasn’t easy, you did it. I am proud of you; you should be too.

6. I’m sorry. Forgive me. I made a mistake.

7. You can change your mind. It’s good to decide, but it is also fine to change.

8. What a great idea! You were really thinking! How did you come up with that? Tell me more. Your mind is clever!

9. That was kind. You did something helpful and thoughtful for that person. That must make you feel good inside. Thank you!

10. I have a surprise for you. It’s not your birthday. It’s for no reason at all. Just a surprise, a little one, but a surprise.

11. I can wait. We have time. You don’t have to hurry this time.

12. What would you like to do? It’s your turn to pick. You have great ideas. It’s important to follow your special interests.

13. Tell me about it. I’d like to hear more. And then what happened? I’ll listen.

14. I’m right here. I won’t leave without saying good-bye. I am watching you. I am listening to you.

15. Please and Thank You. These are important words. If I forget to use them, will you remind me?

16. I missed you. I think about you when we are not together!

17. Just try. A little bit. One taste, one step. You might like it. Let’s see. I’ll help you if you need it. I think you can do it.

18. I’ll help you. I heard you call me, here I am. How can I help you? If we both work together, we can get this done. I know you can do it by yourself, but I’m glad to help since you asked.

19. What do you wish for? Even if it’s not yet time for birthday candles and we don’t have a wishbone, it’s still fun to hear about what you wish for, hope for, and dream about.

I really like #11. I have been trying to enjoy the moment since Rome was born. One day in the hospital, I think it was the first times Rome was actually nursing, I looked down at him and it hit me that that moment would never happen again. I would have many more times nursing Rome but not how he was then. Rome is changing and growing so fast and I don't want to loose one moment I have with him. I look back at the pictures of him when he was still brand new and I miss those but I'm happy I sat around all day and cherished those moments with him because I'll never get them back. 

Our world is so busy. Lets sit back and enjoy the time we have instead of rushing it away. 

this post is solely for my mom

my happy boy

house numero dos

We bought another house (I know, its pretty ugly)

 and have started to destroy it.

it is so fun, we are redoing everything. 

my big boy

Rome is so fun! 

He laughs so much.

Lately he thinks it's funny when I talk with a growl in my voice.

puj flyte

I bought a puj tub for Rome and have loved it! 

A couple months ago they came out with a new tub called the flyte.

They sent one out for me to try out and it is really great!

No more bending over the bathtub or bathing your baby with one hand in the sink. No more waiting to fill up the bathtub or plopping one of those big, hard plastic tubs on your counter or trying to figure out how to fit it in your sink.

With the puj flyte you just unfold and set this sleek tub in your sink then your ready for bath time with your babe.  It is so easy to use. 

The texture on the outside keeps the tub in place in your sink so you don't have to worry about it sliding around, it stays put.

The sides of the tub are curved down low enough so it will fit in any sink, under any faucet. 

The holes on the side make it so you can not over fill it. They also allow you to drain the soapy water without freezing your baby. 

The baby does not get fully emerged in water so you don't have to worry about getting water in your baby's ears. 

It is lightweight and pretty soft. My babe loves bath time in it. 

Its easy to put away after bath time. You do a quick rinse take it out the sink and hang on a hook to dry.  The tub does not absorb any water so you won't have a puddle of water on your floor when you hang it. 

Its awesome when traveling, it fits perfectly in the bottom of our suitcase, just under our clothes. 

I really love the puj flyte. I would recommend it to anyone with a baby.

puj is a great company that makes great products. 

I have loved every product of theirs that I have used.

fist

Rome can get his whole fist in his mouth

He is a fun baby!