Sleeping is overrated

I think I know why parents don't sleep much those first few weeks/months of their baby's life, it's because if we blink, they grow up. If we slept we would miss it all.

My little girl will be 12 weeks on Monday. Seriously?!

I'm already a horrible wife and mother these days and my dear husband has to pay the price. I have a to do list a mile long and I cant seem to get the baby on a set schedule so I never know when I can get things done. I'm so behind on laundry because I would rather cuddle little one. Cooking is a thing of the past because she loves to walk around and be held and staying up late watching tv and cuddling my husband has been replaced with begging to go to sleep as soon as the baby is down and compromising by falling asleep in his arms. I have a great husband who never gets upset when his clothes are still dirty, who does not mind eating fast food often and who's favorite thing in the world is if I fall asleep in his arms. I'm lucky that he loves me in spite of my imperfections, one day I get the hang of it all.

But she is only little once and I should enjoy it. I know my next child will not get the same luxuries Madison gets. By the time baby #2 comes along I will be chasing a toddler and not be able to sit still and just hold him/her. What a sad reality.

Such is the life of a parent I guess.

blessing day

Today my sweet baby girl was blessed. My heart is so full of gratitude. I am thankful for the gospel.  I am thankful to have this beautiful family. I am thankful for a wonderful husband who holds the priesthood

 and I am thankful for the happiest baby in the world. 

Madison was blessed in the dress Grandma Vikki made several years ago.

All of the Lyman girls have been blessed in it and I am a huge fan of tradition and sentimental things. 

 It is a beautiful dress. It is actually made from a table runner and napkins for the sleeves. Creative, right?

Another family picture with our beautiful girl and her very sleep deprived mother. 

My parents.

4 Generations

Zach's parents

After the blessing we had a brunch with our family and close friends. These were the centerpieces on the tables. I am horrible at this sort of stuff so I am so glad my mother was there. She worked so hard putting this all together and running me all around town to get things done. I wish we lived closer. 

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was a fun one. Zach and Madison fell asleep watching football, while Grandma Webster and I cooked dinner. My poor mother in law was battling a stomach bug and was forced to spend most of the day in her bed. I learned to cook Thanksgiving dinner that night, and lucky for everyone else Grandma was there to supervise.

Lindsay did a great job of decorating our table. And after dinner we went to my grandparents house to spend time with my parents while they were in town. I forgot to take lots of pictures there.

After that we did the Lyman tradition of going to the movies after dinner. We saw Wreck it Ralph. Madi slept for most of it then woke up, had a bottle, and sat quietly and watched the rest of the movie. Her cousin Maizy, not so much. She left half way through because she would not sit still... oh the life of a three year old.

After the movie we all came home and made turkey sandwiches and played card games. I really like this tradition.

Count your many blessings

This year I have so much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my beautiful and healthy daughter. She has brought so much more love and joy into my life.

 I am thankful to be a mother because I know there are many that would do anything for that privilege.

Of course I am thankful for my hard working husband. He puts up with so much from me, he is a wonderful father and not only is he so driven, loving, amazing... He is also extremely good looking. I really hit the jackpot there.

I am thankful for my family. Zach and Madison mean so much to me. I can not imagine loving two people more then I do these two. I am excited to watch us grow and add to our family over the years

I am thankful to live in Utah.. there I said it. It's a beautiful place to be, though I do miss the beach.

I am thankful for the financial blessings we have received this year. Our Father in Heaven has truly been looking out for us and has always made sure we are taken care of. I would say this has been one of our biggest blessings by far.

I am thankful for my parents who have poured out so much love for me over the years. They are my biggest supporters in life and I don't know where I would be without them. They have shaped me into who I am today and for that I am truly thankful to call them Mom and Dad.

I am thankful for technology in all forms. It is so wonderful to be able to stay in touch with my family far away. The ablilty to video chat with them and get to not only hear their voices but see their faces as well. I can't imagine life without it.

I am thankful for my amazing friends. They are so supportive and so much fun to be around. I am thankful that I was able to make friends quickly after moving to Utah and I know that these friends I will cherish for a lifetime. They are always up for a good time and have been great ears to listen as well.

I am thankful for my nieces and nephew. They are the cutest things! I love spending time with them and watching them grow. They say the funniest things and they always make me laugh.  I appreciate being able to try out my parenting on them too,  before I became one of my own. Sorry kids. Aunt Sara still loves you.

I am thankful for my brother and my siblings in law as well. I am so lucky to have them all in my life. I am thankful that my "new" brothers and sister have accepted me into their lives and treat me like their sister. They are all such great uncles and aunt to Madi too, she is a lucky girl. I am especially grateful for being able to build such a great relationship this past year with my sister in law. She is a great person inside and out. I love her so much.

I am thankful for my In laws who I have loved dearly since I first met them. I am thankful for their generosity in letting Zach, Madi, Sophie & Me take over their home for a bit while we prepare for our future. I know that they may re- think their decision from time to time, because living with a dog and a newborn isn't always peaches and cream,  but they have been nothing but welcoming and loving to us and we appreciate it more then they will ever know.

I am thankful for the gospel in my life. I am thankful for the strength and guidance it gives me daily. It has comforted me in times of need and sorrow. I am grateful for the knowledge that families can be together forever. I am thankful for temples and the wonderful blessings they hold. I am thankful to have a place here on earth I can visit when life seems too hard. I am grateful for the comfort it gives me.

I am thankful for my health. Though I may get sick often from months October - March. I have never had a severe sickness which landed me in the hospital or anything and I consider that a blessing in itself.


I know there is so much more to be thankful for but if I wrote about it all you would be reading this thing for days. I want to try to find something to be thankful for every single day of the year, But I am glad we have one day to reflect on all that we have been blessed with.

10 weeks

Madison's second month of life was an eventful one. She had her first trip to the ER.

spent time hanging out with her Uncle Will.

and has learned to do all sorts of fun new things...

This kid cracks me up! She is  becoming so much more animated and fun to watch. She  never sits still. I know  I will be in BIG trouble when she starts really moving. She can almost copy my faces and every time I say "oh" she copies it and it makes my heart hurt. She  thinks I'm funny most of the time and laughs at almost everything I do. She loves being propped up against pillows and being able to check out the whole room. She is the most happy when she is being held facing out and people are paying attention to her. She is  starting to eat closer to 4oz now and I'm hoping that will make her sleep more. She hardly take naps during the day anymore. I think she is afraid she is missing stuff if she falls asleep. She is still sleeping pretty good through out the night but she loves our EARLY morning cuddles after the 5 or 6 am feeding. I know I should be putting her on a real scheduled but we are kind of all over the place sometimes and its hard.

Pretty baby

Since the day Madi was born, I have tried to figure out who she looks like.

 Everyone says she looks just like her dad. 

 

 I guess you could say shes a nice mix of the two of us. 

But there is no doubt she looks JUST like her Dad in the picture. 

Maybe one day she will look like me. 

Oh poop

 Today Miss Madison had her first "blow out". I know, I know. I'm the gross mom who stopped mid chaos to get a picture of the event but you can never have enough blackmail pictures for when they are older. 

Mid lunch today we were about to take her out of the carseat and give her some cuddles when the smell hit us. I knew she needed a diaper change and as I went to reach for the buckle, it was wet. I gagged and raced to the car. Needless to say, she got a bath this afternoon. 

Ah the joys of parenting. And while we are on the subject of poop. Yesterday she had a dirty diaper and Zach being a very helpful Dad, decided to change it for me. He laid Madi on the bed and opened the mess. He started gag and say how gross it was. I just laughed and ignored him. He kept saying "I'm going to throw up, I'm going to throw up." I didn't believe him because he has changed several dirty diapers before and we always say how gross it is. Well suddenly I look up and the poor kid is running to the bathroom to actually throw up. Meanwhile, Madi is sitting on the bed and has now used our bed as a bathroom and Daddy forgot to put anything under her.. so Mommy got to clean up a messy baby, comfort a sick husband, do a load of laundry, and try not to laugh too hard at a husband who "tried to help". 

This story only makes me laugh more because Zach works in the ER. He sees and smells all sorts of horrible things all day long and the thing that throws him over the edge? Baby poop. Ha. 

So its official, we have now been introduced into the wonderful world of parenting. 

The Holidays are Coming!

I know we are a little early this year, but with a newborn, there is no such thing as too prepared. 

So for your viewing pleasure... Pictures with Santa. 

I guess someone is on the naughty list this year. 

California trip