Tulips

We went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point with Grandma Tanner. By the time I got both boys fed, bathed, dressed and out the door (it takes forever these days), and after going to the wrong location at first (having already unloaded both boys out of their carseats and into their strollers, just to have to put them back into the car and drive a little further), we finally made it to the gardens. We didn't stay for long because by the time we got there we were pushing into lunch and nap time, but what we did see was beautiful and I got a few nice pictures out of the whole fiasco.

This is Blake's "yawning" face, which he will perform for you on demand.

Do you see that hand full of dirt? He was much more interested in the rocks and dirt than the pretty flowers. Such a boy.

Nash was there too but he slept in his stroller the whole time so I only captured this little one.

There were 250,000 tulips spread out over the 55-acre gardens. Such a beautiful sight to see!

Zzzzzzzz

Hallelujah, Nash is officially sleeping through the night! The first few nights when a baby sleeps for such an extended period of time is exciting but also nerve wracking. I don't benefit from uninterrupted sleep because I wake up every hour wondering why he hasn't woken up to eat and if he is still breathing. It has been a long road to get to the point of lengthened night time sleep. I think the most burning question on every mom's mind when she has a newborn is when she is going to resume normal sleeping patterns. It was the most pressing issue to me with both of my babies because I do not function well on minimal sleep. In fact, in lieu of reading novels, I have become well-read in infant sleeping literature. I have become familiar with many theories and read books cover to cover including Good Night, Sleep Tight, Baby Wise, The Happiest Baby on the Block, and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I have implemented ideas from all of these books, customizing what is best for Nashy.

We now have a good little routine down that contributed to Nash's sleeping through the night without many tears, but it took a lot of consistency. I say "we," but Troy actually skipped out on the hardships of sleep training this time around because he was in New York. I think that sleep is the greatest gift you can give your child and I firmly believe that I have happy and calm children because of the stickler I am at following a routine. Maybe I shouldn't take all the credit though, because I caught Nash doing this several times over the last few days:

What a glorious day it is when they find their thumbs and can soothe themselves to sleep! I also think that Nash might be left handed because Blake sucks his right thumb and is right handed, and Nash sucks his left thumb. He has a left-handed grandparent on both sides, so we will see. Regardless, I am a fan of thumb sucking, and I am definitely a fan of the nine hours of sleep that Nash is now giving me each night!

Activity in AZ

It feels like we have been at Grandma and Grandpa's house a lot due to naps and bedtimes between the boys, but when I looked back through our pictures I realized that we have done a lot! Here are some of the things that we have been up to.

We went to the Fountain Hills splash park. It is already hot here, so the splashing water was a nice way to cool down.

Blake baked many treats with his Grandma, complete with Grandpa's apron and chef hat.

 

We pulled out the sidewalk chalk on a few occasions, however, my little boy was more interested in throwing rocks and sticks around the yard than scribbling on the sidewalk.

We ate gelato by the fountain.

Once a year, the park in Fountain Hills shows a movie projected on a huge screen. We sat on the grass and watched "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." I was surprised at how attentive Blake was considering his attention span of about 20 minutes when it comes to movies.

My dad and I went on a few bike rides through a beautiful winding bike path in Scottsdale. What stuck out to Blake was the peanut butter sandwich he ate in the cart and the ducks he chased when he got out.

Another highlight was a train ride through the park at McCormick Ranch. We rode on the same train when we were here over Christmas and at the time there was a huge light display and large characters walking around to greet the children. When we told Blake in the car that we were on our way to ride the train, he thought about it for awhile, and then exclaimed, "Big Elmo, Cat, Mouse!" Elmo, The Cat in the Hat, and Mickey Mouse were all roaming characters during the holiday train display four months ago. Blake has such a good memory! I guess we are making more lasting impressions on him than we thought. Big Elmo and the others weren't at the park this time, but Blake still had a blast riding the train over the bridges and through the tunnels.

Last, but not certainly not least, we have been enjoying this smiley little baby!

Nashy Nashy

It's really easy to create nicknames with a name like Nash. Nashy Nashy is the most commonly used in our house. Blake even lists "Nashy Nashy" in his list of people he is grateful for in his prayers. Among other nicknames are Nasherdoodle, Nash Kash B'Gash, Nashigator, Nashers, Lightning Mc-Nash, Nashilicious, Nashing Pumpkins, Nash Money, Nash Pie, Nashville, Nashbox 20, Nashasaurus, Nashurally, Nash Potatoes, Nashmallow, N*A*S*H; you get the picture. Baby Nash has enjoyed going in pool with me, which I have discovered is easiest when Blake is napping and I'm not juggling two little ones at the same time. I am so excited that I finally captured a smile as well - they are so hard to catch on camera when babies are this young!

The Blakester

I wasn't planning on having pictures of Blake taken too, but we had to be very patient to wait for Nash to fall asleep for his newborn pictures. While we were waiting, we played around with Mr. Blake and got some fun shots.

Nash's Birth Announcement

We finally got Nash's birth announcements out two months after his birth date. Stephanie from Giovanna Lou took these pictures of baby Nash and I loooooove how they turned out!

Two Became Four

I'm not referring to our growing family. Two was the number of weeks that Troy was supposed to be in New York for work and now his trip has been extended to four weeks. One whole month without a husband/dad. I shouldn't complain because a month is really insignificant compared to those who are without family members for months at a time. We just miss him! I haven't mentioned Troy's work much due to confidentiality within his company. I can finally say that he was recently promoted to be the team lead for credit derivative settlements, which is a high honor considering the short length of time he has been with Goldman Sachs. That is what brought him to New York, so that he could receive additional training.

He would never toot his own horn about his work ethic, but I will for him. Troy has done really well with his company in the last two years; becoming a go-to man for many team members seeking direction and expertise. He has enjoyed being on the panel of interviewers on several occasions. He never ever complains about his alarm clock going off at 5am each morning so that he can be to work by 6am. He puts in long hours and still somehow has energy for us at the end of the day. We are so grateful for his hard work and the stability he provides for us, even if it means extended trips away from time to time.

Easter

The boys wore their duds for an Easter egg hunt on Saturday since we had General Conference on Sunday  instead of regular church meetings.

You have to love trying to get both boys to cooperate for a family picture. I thought this capture was pretty classic.

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Little Nasher Cottontail.

The greatest discovery for a two year old.

 

Ultimate Day

Have you ever had one of those days where everyone was happy and healthy and getting along and you just wanted to stop time and stay that way forever? Though every detail was not exactly perfect, I felt that today was a day I could relive over and over and be completely content. Filled with General Conference (aka church on TV), swimming in between sessions, watching my Alma Mater play in the Final Four, delicious meals (not cooked by moi), great naps taken by both boys, an Easter Egg hunt, and even a few loads of laundry, yes, today was close to perfection. It was a wonderful balance of productivity, recreation, spirituality, and family time. One of the best parts of the day was the pure joy that Blake experienced in the pool.

We've taken him swimming since he was little but he has never been as fearless as he was today. He squealed with excitement every time he jumped into our arms. He could care less how much water he swallowed or how many times he went underwater.

Every time Blake jumped off the ledge or was thrown up in the air, he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, " 'Nother Time?"

My Spartans did not play so well in the NCAA Final Four game, but it was still fun to cheer them on to this point.

As usual, the brainwashing of intercollegiate sports teams began at a young age.

I'll share pictures of Easter later. I'm going to end this great day with the reward of an earlier-than-normal bedtime while both boys are asleep.

Two Months and Looking Alike

Who's who?

Here are both boys at two months, and the hair color is the only differentiator between the two! I am going to have to be careful to label my pictures or I will not be able to tell them apart in the future.

I can't believe that Nash is two months old already! He is such a sweet baby, weighing in at 10 lbs 3 oz, 21.5 inches. When he is alert he is really alert and he constantly turns his head to look around the room, taking it all in. He loves to hold onto my hair and immediately reaches for it whenever I pick him up. If my hair is up, he searches for the grasp but eventually settles for holding onto my shirt. He has been holding out on us for those big first smiles, but I think he would rather look around than focus on a face and smile. I'm working hard to get him into a routine and sleep longer stretches, but so far he has never slept more than a four-hour stretch. Such is the sleepless life with a newborn, and I'm sure I will miss these cuddly days in a few more months.