Happy Nine Month Birthday!

We have been having so much fun with our little monkey! He's having a ball learning how to walk. He takes more steps by himself everyday, I'm afraid he'll be running before too long! He loves to wave "hi" and "goodbye," and of course we think it's so dang cute! He is a little talking man, mostly jibber jabber, but he does say "Mom" and "Dad," which we love! This guy is keeping us busy, making sure we are paying attention- crazy crazy monkey!

O Christmas Tree

Every year I get so excited for Christmas, and first things first, I get the most excited about getting our Christmas trees up. We got them up a bit later than usual this year and I could list all my excuses as to why, but that's not the point. The point is, they are up!

Snow Angel or Jail Bird???

Really hard to say, but I'm going with 99% angel, 1% trouble maker... at least when he's sleeping! ;)

Big 8 Monther

We can't believe it's been 8 months already! Justus is getting so big, so fast. He loves to "run" around chasing his cousins (he's with them nearly every day). He officially holds his own bottle. He has since he was born (not exaggerating), but he wouldn't always do it, and not for the whole time, but he decided he's a tough guy and wants to do it all by himself now. He goes crazy if someone is in the shower and he's not. Makes it a little difficult to get your hair washed! He got haircut #3. The kid's hair grows so fast and it's really thick, so the spikes won't stand-up they just flop over because they get too long. Tooth #1 has proven to be a detriment to his crib. As we were rearranging his room yesterday we had him chilling in there and hear this scraping noise... turns out the crib is super fun to chew on. The whole inside of the rail is down to bare wood. Nice, bud! We have a little Aggie fan on our hands. We took him to his first (and second, and third, and...) basketball game. He has lots of fun, but it goes way past his bedtime so by the end, it is definitely time to go home. My favorite thing this month, he has become a dancin' man. It is hilarious to watch him get his groove on.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Hope you have a great Halloween from the cutest monster and monkey around!

Monkey Man Turns 7 Months Old

Isn't he the cutest monkey you've ever seen?! Well, I think he is, but then, I am his mother. Justus was quite the adventurous 6 month old. He is now a speed crawler- especially when it's time to change a diaper, he loves to "run" away. He just giggles the whole time because he knows he's not suppose to be doing it (yep, we're in trouble). He climbs right up the stairs like they're nothing... going down is another story. He only wants to go up when you try to teach him how to go down and down when of course you don't want him to. Crawling isn't quite cutting it, though. He wants to walk! We're wandering around holding his hands as he is attempting it because he gets mad that he has to be on his hands and knees. He still has a long ways to go, but he's starting to get there. Doc specs: height 80%, weight 18%, head 52% We're not starving the kid, he is just a mover. Little skinny bum! I've got to make the kid a belt so that we can get his pants to stay up as he's crawling away. He is such a jabber box, he always has been, but it's starting to sound like it will become words someday. He's discovered he can click his tongue and make a funny noise, so that's how he likes to communicate with Dad. They will click back and forth to each other... their own kind of Morris code. It's really pretty funny! His first tooth is starting to pop out! We're hitting the big time now! :)

A Day At the Zoo

Dustin took Tuesday off work so that we could go to Hogle Zoo with his family for Mayson's birthday. We had so much fun- they have so many new baby animals there. They were adorable! My favorite was the baby elephant; so darn cute! :) Justus seemed to be having a great time (even if he did take a nap in the middle!). Happy 6th birthday Mayson!

A Little Fun, A Little Funk

So I got this mirror on a killer clearance sale because frame was broken. Looked like an easy fix and it was. However, I ended-up not actually having a place to put it. I really wanted to use it, so I decided that the hallway would do. I wanted to have a little fun with it though so I went with a color that is a little funky and on my list of favorites. It wasn't until I actually took the picture of it hanging up that I realize I had made myself a giant wreath... hummm, oh well, still love the color! There should always be room for a little funky fun somewhere in our decorating, right? Oh well if not! I've got it!

Brace Yourself!

Lots of new posts ahead!

5 Months

Man, is that boy cute, or what?! He has had so much fun this month getting mobile and getting into everything! He loves his new found freedom. He is quite the little tease; he is such a play baby. It's so fun to see his personality coming out more everyday. He is so funny and is constantly the source of our entertainment!

This deserves it's own Post

Monkey has been inch worming along for quite awhile now, but about two weeks ago he really got the hang of it and now he's just a going! He is having a ball and is starting to climb upto things and get himself standing. Woo, Woo, what a big boy!

Inspiration Point

We took a ride with my parents, and Brian, Cassie, and Coplin to Inspiration Point. It's an amazing view from the top, looking out over Willard Bay and the Odgen Valley. It was Coplin's first ride. It was a great one to take him on because it was nice and smooth. They had gone through and grated it sometime since our last time there, which was last fall. My parents really enjoyed the ride this time (we were with the same group last fall, minus the babies- well, Justus was technically there, but he was easier to hold on to! ;) ) because we did have the babies and that really slowed us down. As my mom said she could "enjoy the scenery and not have to hold on for dear life." :) Funny, funny! I didn't think we were that crazy before, either way, I'm just glad we can still get out and enjoy the beautiful mountains!

Red Spur

We took Justus, Sherryil, Ty, and Kolter for a fun ride to Red Spur (on your way from Hardware Ranch to Randolph). We thought it was going to be a pretty quick ride, but it was 47 miles! Justus did great and I think everyone else had fun, too. When we got to Red Spur, the wind was blowing like crazy and it was pretty cold- as you can tell from the sweatshirts. I had to laugh at Justus, he looked so funny, but hey, he was still having a great time!

Month Four

Justus had such a fun 4th month! He grew so much and had such a great time doing it. We took him camping. It was the annual camping trip with Dustin's family. It was fun, but super cold! I think it hovered around a balmy 45 degrees most of the weekend. We had just got our new four wheeler so we got to test that out. Good fun! Justus seemed to enjoy the rides we took him on... other than the frozen eyeballs. He tried his first tastes of food and man is that good stuff! He loves to help me feed him and for whatever reason, he thinks cereal time is social time because he just jabbers away as I'm trying to spoon it in. He loves to eat, though! His favorite trick he learned is to blow spit bubbles; talk about fun! He really enjoys doing that while eating, too. It's really not surprising that he and I both end-up with cereal splattered all over us! It makes for a lovely mess!

Welcome Home Copelin!

Copelin Brian Anderson was born August 16th and we are so excited that he's here! Congrats Brian and Cassie! He is such a handsome boy!

I've Been Tagged!

ABC's of Me



A- Age: 28 big ones!
B- Bed size: queen, because that's what I am :)
C- Chore I hate: scrubbing the shower. Chore I love: dusting (I just love the way it makes everything look... so pretty!)
D- Dogs name: I don't have a dog myself, Dustin has a dog that lives at his mom's house. She tells Justus that it's his puppy. Her name is Maisy (um, I'm horrible, I don't have a clue how he even spells it).
E- Essential start to my day: Justus's smiles. He is definitely a morning person, he is just so happy; it's contagious! It really makes it hard to leave him to go to work and really greatful that I get to stay home with him when I don't!
F- Favorite color: Green, but I'm really pretty open when it comes to colors.
G- Gold or Silver: Silver
H- How many times have you been outside the USA: 3 times. Canada once and Mexico twice. The last time was a trip to Mazatlan in Oct. '07. We had such a great time; my favorite part of the trip was boogie boarding every evening at sunset in the ocean. The water was warm, the views were awesome, and the boards were cheap (bought on the Mexican market)!
I- Instruments I play: That would be a big fat none! Unless of course you could blowing on Justus's belly! It makes noise :)
J- Job Title- Dental Hygienist
K- Kid (s)- One handsome little monkey
L- Living arrangements- Myself and my two good-looking boys (am I a lucky girl or what?!).
M- Most popular dessert at my house: skookie! Oatmeal chocolate chip with vanilla ice cream (um, I'm salivating at this very moment!)
N- Number of times I have stayed overnight at the hospital, not counting my own birth: 3 nights total, when I had Justus.
O- Outdoor activity I have never tried, but would like to: Kite surfing. It looks so cool when the professionals are doing all these wild tricks... they have some pretty big biceps, though. Do you think it will be a problem that I don't??
P- Pet peeve: litter! It drives me crazy! It's called a garbage can people!
Q- Quote from a movie: "Beauty, eh?" From Strange Brew. I use this quote often.
R- Restaurant I could eat at everyday: Toss-up between Costa Vida and Bluebird. Costa Vida is an essential staple in my life and Bluebird has so many good things to eat (even though I always order the same thing, Bluebird Chicken- yum!)
S- Siblings: Natalie, Nicole, Brent, Brian, and Jessica
T- Time I wake-up: This depends very much on Justus. 6:40 on the good days.
U- Unknown fact about me: I am a closet Jonas Brothers fan.
V- Vegetable I dislike: Asparagus, tried it, opt not to eat it.
W- What is my dream vacation: Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii!!! Been there, love it, dying to go back!
X- X-rays I've had: Dental, and if you count ultrasounds, there were quite a few with monkey.
Y- Yummy food I make: Salsa (mine and Dustin's favorite) and brownies. That about covers it. Anyone who knows me, knows I really don't cook!
Z- Zoo favorite- Monkey's of course! :)





Tag, You're It: Nic, Jess, and Cassie- just tag 3 more people when you're done!

Just Us

Back to the early days of our marriage... Dustin and I went riding- just the two of us, on the 24th. It was so fun. We went on an old favorite, Mount Logan. It always brings back memories... that is where Dustin proposed; it's always fun to be reminded of great times.

3 Months

Yes, I know my baby is 4 months old, but I never posted his 3 monther- so here goes... He has had quite the eventful 3rd month. He is now an accomplished roller- loves to do it, but doesn't love to be on his tummy, so he just rolls right back. His favorite game is peek-a-boo. He is learning to put his binky back in when it comes out- an art he is still perfecting. However, if the binky just won't go, toes are always a good substitute... hungry anyone?? We took him on his first camping trip- which lead to his first four wheeler ride (he slept through the whole thing- all 2 minutes of it!). He has been testing out our new swing set and playing on Grandma Liechty's. His favorite book is Five Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed; he always listens so intently. He has started laughing- how dang sweet is it to hear your baby laughing? I can't get enough of it. What an adorable little monkey!

Crazy Good Time

We had so much fun over the week of the 4th. Dustin and I both had Thursday and Friday off so decided that we had better take advantage of the time. We went to Bear Lake on Thursday. Justus was so cute in his little swim outfit and the lake was beautiful. We went to the Hyrum City fireworks that night. We always have great seats at Dustin's Aunt Brenda's house. Justus managed to sleep through the whole show.

Friday was the car show, and that is a "never miss" event at our house. It's so fun to see all the classy cars. We hit the Logan City fireworks that night with Dustin's family. Justus slept through that show, too.






Saturday, the 4th, was my mom's birthday... Happy Birthday Mom! We went to the Hyrum City Parade, which Justus loved. He just hung-out, watching all the crazy people. We had a stop for lunch at Sherryil's before we headed down to Provo. Nicole and Jess were up with their families; so fun! We had a barbecue at Brent and Kathy's house and headed to the Stadium of Fire... can you guess, Justus slept through that whole show, too! Funny boy, he was such a good sleeper those days!

Sunday, they blessed our two new nieces. Ever Ray was blessed by her dad, Brent, and Bella Rae was blessed by her dad, Bartley. They are such sweet babies! Ever was born 12 days after Justus and Bella was born 4 weeks later. How fun when they get together!

It was so great to see the family! We had such a good time! You have to love summer- there is always something fun going on.

Six Fun Filled Years

Happy Anniversary Dustin! In honor of 6 great years, I wrote a list of 6 random things I love about Dustin.

1- He loves pizza as much a I do, and we both agree no one does it better than Papa John's.

2- He gave our son his good looks (what handsome boys I have!). I know, this isn't really random, it's just stating a fact I can't deny.

3- If I'm feeling stressed or frustrated he squeezes me tight and won't let go until I give him a kiss (or two).

4- We can't go see a movie without getting popcorn- this was always considered and overpriced indulgence when I was growing-up so at first I was taken back by this perpetual need, but I've come to realize a $10 overpriced indulgence is one of those little things in life that add to the experience as a whole; definitely worth the $10 (plus, he always shares :) ).

5- He refers to spiders as "bugs" to not cause me to panic- which I would. ie. Me: "Dustin what are you doing over there?" Dustin: "Oh, there's just a bug over here I'm taking care of." Me: "Oh, great." Had I realized it was actually a spider, the conversation would go much differently and would include some irrational screaming and running on my part.

6- He thinks he's a cowboy. This thought is only exacerbated when he goes with the Mangums to round-up cows. He always comes home with a swagger and a need for a horse and saddle. Why is this on my list? I think it's funny. I can laugh because he doesn't actually dress like a cowboy (it would cease to be funny at that point and crossover onto another kind of list), although he would love to get himself a nice pair of boots. I know as he is reading this, he's thinking that I am the one that is country. After all, I use phrases like "ya'll" and "fixin' to." I blame that on my backwoods college education. One thing about it all, we both love country music (even if we have different opinions as to what is classified as "good" country).

We haven't stopped having fun yet and I can't wait to see what the next six years bring!

Road Trip

To celebrate our 6 year anniversary, Dustin and I took Justus on a little road trip to Southern Utah. We spent one day at Bryce Canyon. It was so beautiful and the rain held off until we were done hiking and sheltered in the visitors center, eating dinner. We invested in a backpack to haul Justus around in- and he did so great in it; he either would sleep or just sit there and take in the sites. That night we drove to St. George and spent the night at Jessica's house. It was so fun to see her family- her kids are so cute! We spent the next two days at Zion's. We had a really great time hiking around and seeing the park. It was so nice to get away for a few days and just enjoy being a family. I have the best husband and son!

Finally a Recipe

Sorry that it has taken so long to get this recipe posted but here it is!

Black Bean Salsa

3-4 Roma tomatoes; diced (or if you cook like me- the canned diced tomatoes work great too. I just put in 2 cans)
1 can drained black beans
2 cans drained white corn
1 can olives, diced
1 bottle Italian dressing

ENJOY! :)

In Daddy's Shoes

My handsome boys! Dustin's mom gave us the shoes that Justus is wearing- they were Dustin's. Cute, huh?! I think so! What a fun keepsake.