So Grown Up!

I bought a play mat for Rusty the other day, not knowing if it was "age appropriate" yet, but I was amazed to see that at 2 1/2 months that he was completely mesmerized by it!

At first he wasn't able to do anything but smile and giggle at the toys on the top (especially the one that made music when you pulled on)...

 

...And then he discovered that he could hit the toys and pull on the rings...

He really just loves this and can be entertained by it for HOURS! It's so funny listening to him laugh at it, even if he's not touching anything... I've caught him a couple of times just looking at the main big toy and laughing! ha ha! Silly guy. :)

Watching him develop and grow is one of the most fascinating and satisfying things in my life. The nine months it took to get him here were MORE than worth it. Being his mom is so rewarding and I look forward to his next milestones!! What a brilliant baby!! :)

St. George Weekend

This last weekend we took a much needed mini-vacation to St. George and we had a blast! It was fun AND relaxing! I just wish we could do more of these mini-trips, but the fact that they're few and far between makes me appreciate and enjoy them even more.

We were there for two main reasons: 1) To get away and spend time together, and 2) look at condos to potentially buy one for a vacation spot/ investment property. Saturday morning we woke up and laid around our hotel for a while, and then we went SWIMMING! The weather was SO nice down there (unlike up here in Springville/Provo) and it was Rusty's first time to get in a pool. It was so fun! And he looked darn cute in his swim suit!

These pictures were taken with my phone, which is why they're really fuzzy. Oh well.

In between swimming, shopping, resting, and home-viewing, we also went to downtown St. George to visit some of the historic houses and the temple.

The St. George temple is GORGEOUS and it's one of our favorites. It has so much history and it's beautiful on the outside AND the inside. We love visiting this temple.

We also visited the tabernacle, which was also beautiful.

And last, but not least, we visited Brigham Young's Winter Home. It was such a cute house and it was amazing how much of his original furniture they were able to preserve. You'll notice that his house has green trim... apparently when they were building the temple they ordered white paint. Well, when they got the paint, it was green! Brigham Young obviously didn't want green paint in the temple, so he let anyone that wanted some green paint that it was free for the taking! Needless to say, there's quite a few houses with green trim to this day. :)

Rusty did AWESOME on this trip! He never cried on the long tip there or back, which was amazing, and he was such a good sport about driving around town looking at real estate. At the beginning of the trip he was mostly awake and alert and fun to dress up:

... But towards the end of the trip, he was more like this:

He continues to be such a joy to have in our family and it's hard to remember what it was like without him! Even though our trips with him aren't romantic and intimate, they're just so fun and entertaining! He makes us laugh constantly and he amazes us every day with how much he's growing and learning. We just love him! Here are a few random pictures that I thought I'd sneak in:

I HAD to include this picture!! We died laughing when we saw the outcome... what a silly, little man!

He couldn't see me, so he got sad. :(

*sigh* I just love him!!!

Rusty's Blessing Day

Our sweet, baby Rusty was blessed by Russ on Sunday, May 2. Russ gave the sweetest blessing and Rusty was a trooper! I was worried because earlier that morning he was a little fussy, but he had a short nap and woke up right before I handed him to Russ, so he was a happy baby through it all. It was a different story after he was passed around to everyone during sacrament meeting, but he was fine after I brought him home for a little mommy time. :) He's kind of fond of me. ha ha!

My cousin, Kelli, gave me the great idea of taking pictures of getting Rusty ready, which I'm so thankful for! I never would have thought of that! I just wish he was a little bit happier through the pictures...

After church we had a small luncheon with all of the family and friends that came. We counted just over 50 people that came to the blessing... we took up the first six rows of the chapel! ha ha! Thanks, to everyone who came!!

This is my side of the family that came: my cousin, Kristi, and her family, Russ and I, my mom and Rusty, my cousin, Marci (in the back), my cousin, Kelli, and her son, Gavin, my brother, Zach, my sister, Caitlin, my step-dad, John, and my Aunt Gaile. My Grandpa and Uncle Steven aren't in this one... it's hard for my Grandpa to get around these days.

All of the girls!

The Mills family- Brandon, Tyler, Gary, Russ, Rusty, me, McKenzie, Becky, and Haley. I absolutely LOVE this family! I used to nanny for this family for a few years and we're still extremely close. :)

Russ, Rusty, and I.

Me and my sweet baby.

The Russell clan! Grandpa Rusty (who Rusty is named after, obviously), Rusty, and Russ. That's a mouthful! ha ha!

Rusty loves his Grandpa Rusty! Isn't it obvious with those big eyes? ha ha!

Grandma Robin, Russ' mom. He really does love her, too, he's just choosing to be funny with those crazy eyebrows. :)

That's more like it. :)

He looks like an old man in this picture. He's still so cute, though!!

 Russ' Aunty Tammy made his outfit... I THINK it's supposed to be a short-sleeved outfit with pants, not shorts, but they're definitely shorts on him! What a big kid!

Starting to get cranky... Uh, oh!

All right.. I'm done. Sheesh! ;)

Well, okay, ALMOST done! What a sleepy baby after a really long day.

How can you not love these chubby cheeks?? I can't even begin to tell you how many kisses he got on each cheek! They're just so kissable!!

All in all, it was a successful, fun, and very memorable day. :)

Happy Birthday, Russ!!

Russ turned 26 yesterday, April 15 -- Great day to have your birthday, huh? Nothing like having it on the same day as the day that taxes are due. He was pretty sad about getting a year older, but he came out of that funk after I ballooned/decorated his car while he was at work, then he came home to a decorated house, then he won his softball game, and then we came home and had Pier 49 pizza (yummy!) and his favorite cake-- Spice Cake! Our good friend, Hailey, was nice enough to make him cheesecake cupcakes with diced strawberries!! They were SO good! Thanks, Hailey!!! We had a lot of fun. His sister, Brittany, came down from Draper, and my brothers, Jeremy and Colten, and my sister-in-law, Cassie, were there to celebrate with us, as well.

Russ and my brother, Jeremy, won their game: 21 to 8. It was a great game and we even dressed Rusty up in his baseball outfit that sports our last name and Russ' number on the back. It was really cute and we got some cute pictures of Russ and Rusty together.

Happy birthday, babe! We love you!!

Love,

Rusty and Brie