And here we have Idaho...

It has been an exciting last month and a half (ish) since I last posted. We bought a house in Newport! Pictures and post to come at a later time.

Right after we got the keys, Oliver and I left to spend some time in Idaho with my family! It wasn't ideal timing because Chris got to pretty much move everything without us, but he was a trooper. It was so wonderful to see and spend time with my family. I love them and I realized how much I miss home when we were there. It was such a treat to be able to run to the store with my mom or have my dad entertain Oliver etc. They're so great!

After flying into Boise we trekked the rest of the way home. My parents had just gotten home from a fabulous trip to Hawaii. They were more tan than I have ever seen them in my life, and they had a blast! I'm so glad they got to have an amazing trip together. They deserved it!

One highlight of our trip was meeting my sweetest niece Cora. She is a beautiful little lady, and we love her so much. Brit and Addie are fabulous parents, and it was fun to see them in action. It brought back memories of Oliver being teeny and so new. These past 9 months really have gone so quickly. He has grown and changed so much. Anyways, we love our Cora!

grandma and grandpa brought the
cutest Hawaiian outfit for Oliver

Oliver loves Grandpa. I think Oliver looks
so much like him in this picture. 

our first experience with stairs since
we live on one level

We headed to St. George the next day to see Carrie and Kevin and their boys. It was so good to see them. Oliver loved being around those good boys. He followed them around. He especially loved Max, who was so sweet to him. If only Colorado and Oregon were right next to each other :( We love the Allen family!

Unfortunately, Oliver was having a hard time being in his car seat for the long periods of traveling. We endured quite a bit of screaming on the drives. Grandpa was the best at keeping him entertained in the car. Oliver loves him! He just had a really hard time deciding to fall asleep even though he was very tired. He did have a fever and a tooth made its appearance the next day or so. So not feeling very well probably was some of the reason behind all the fuss in the seat.

Also, I got sick the night before we left St. George. I'm not sure what it was, but my stomach was very upset with me. We made it home, without too many bathroom breaks. I was feeling better for a day and then it came back again. So the rest of the trip, we took it pretty easy. It was a bummer to have gotten sick while we were home, but it was still so good to be with everyone. We had a Downton Abbey marathon with Brit and Addie, which was delightful. Oliver and I soaked up being with our wonderful family. I love them all so much! We can't wait until we get to visit again.

grandkids

we love crazy uncle Brit

trying out a hat at Old Navy

tan tan grandpa

his hair

swimming time

Jack!

Oliver and Asher

the boys hanging together

the sweetest boy!

oh Max. we love him

they were having so much fun by the air

trying to get these babies pose for a
picture Sunday morning

love that grandma

with grandpa in the pool

we stopped and visited these two on our way.
Oliver loved them! Especially Josue
(maybe because he looks like his papa)

love my boy

Ollie had a good time exploring grandma's house.
This was one of his favorite spots where
he could pull all the cookbooks off the shelves. 

love Cora

picnic time

Little Carter who is not so little anymore.
Oliver had fun playing with him and Jorri

home again with our favorite man

the best family ever. can't wait to have Park in the picture again. 

Thanks to mom and dad for the trip to Pocatello! There's no place like home, especially with such an amazing set of people. Love you all!

8 Months

Our baby is 8 months old! At 8 months, Oliver:

• Is very active. He scoots everywhere, occasionally crawls, but prefers the army crawl. He's mastered his technique of right forearm and left hand along with his feet to pull himself across the floor. 
• He pulls himself up to stand on everything. He'll scoot over to me and pull himself up by pulling on my pants/legs. He's getting better at sitting/falling down gracefully onto his bum. 
• Acts shy around people sometimes. He nuzzles his head into my shoulder and grins. He's still a little flirt. 
• Doesn't hold still for a picture very well, as seen in some of the pictures below. He's always moving and shaking. 
• Has the sweetest grin with his 2 bottom teeth! Oliver has gotten his two teeth during this month. I love his cheesy smile and seeing those little teeth. 
• Is still as yummy as ever and so sweet. I love when we Eskimo and butterfly kiss. We put our heads together and he giggles. We occasionally get a good kiss from him, usually a very wet one. 
• He's ticklish on his thighs the most. He laughs and laughs. 
• Favorite things to play with- keys, boxes, socks, anything that's nice to chew on (which for him, is pretty much everything). 
• He still loves noise, he hits his hands on things, scoots things across the floor to make noise, etc. 
• Is sometimes a chatterbox, dadada or bababa or mamama. He usually starts by moving his mouth with no sound, then adds a little whisper, kind of like he's warming up, before actually talking.
• Is the best boy! We love him to pieces and savor our days spent with him as this delicious little baby.
  
  
  

San Francisco

A few weekends ago, for Chris' birthday, we took a little trip to San Francisco. It was fun to have a little getaway together as a family.

so excited to fly out!

We stopped at the Oakland temple on our first evening there. It was beautiful! 

left handed store for me!- strolling on the pier (Alcatraz in the background)- Lombard St.

our first day was very rainy (we were trying to leave the rain) so we didn't last too long, but it was still fun

Oliver was probably the happiest in the hotel room, just exploring. Love that boy.

Saturday, we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful day and walk. It was probably my favorite thing that we did in San Francisco. 

This boy. He wasn't too happy traveling (by plane or stroller or especially in that car seat). He did love being on his dad's back walking around. He is getting more mobile, so it was harder for him to just want to stay in one place (at restaurants, etc.) We love his curiosity and desire to explore the world, it just makes things a little more challenging. I had some moments of frustration as we couldn't just do what we wanted to easily, but I truly am grateful for this little boy of ours. I love my family. 

First time swimming. He was so handsome in his new suit from Grandma. He was a little unsure at the beginning, but I think he warmed up to the idea. His favorite part was holding himself up on the ledge. We think he liked that he felt lighter in the water. 

We stopped at Bi Rite Creamery as a last hurrah in the city. It was such scrumptious ice cream. It was also very windy (seen from my crazy hair). I think Oliver was wanting his own cone :)

Overall, San Francisco for a weekend was great. It is a beautiful city, and it was nice to have a little adventure.

Easter

We kicked off Easter time, with a fabulous Easter basket (really box) from my mom! She is so thoughtful and sweet, and it was delightful to get some goodies and prizes from her.

The Saturday before Easter, our branch had a breakfast and egg hunt. It was fun to participate in some Easter festivities. Oliver did scoot across the floor and got one yellow egg! Woo hoo. There is a little boy in our branch who is also named Oliver. He is so adorable, so we had to get a picture of the Olivers.

                        

After the hunt, we took glorious, long naps. Here are our post-nap faces:

Then, I wanted to dye some eggs. We use Kool-Aid in our house because Chris hates (really hates) vinegar. The dying was nice, and the eggs turned into deviled eggs for Easter dinner the next day.

Easter Sunday was pretty low-key. Oliver's first Easter basket consisted of a stuffed animal duck and some bubbles. He wore his adorable outfit from Grandma Jan. We enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner at the Reece's. We're grateful for good friends! Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of our delicious dinner, but it was lovely.

Most importantly, we reflected on Jesus Christ and his resurrection. We are indeed grateful for his life, example, atonement, and that he lives. We know that because of him, we will live again. It is a wonderful time to reflect on and express appreciation for our Savior and Redeemer.

It was a lovely first Easter with our sweet baby boy.