Austin Turns One!

Well I guess Austin is officially not a baby anymore, which is so sad!! He will always be my baby though. His birthday was a month ago today, so now he is even getting closer to 15months! We had a great, laid back birthday party with our families; I couldn't have asked for a better get together for our little one :)

I am no cake decorator but was determined to make his cake myself. I am not on pinterest and now am thinking I should be! But seriously, I had so much fun making his first birthday cake. I cannot take credit for the cupcakes...My sis-in-law Alex did them! I just told her what I wanted and she delivered :) thanks for your labors Alex haha! I should also say Jake cut the legs for the spiders, and we all decided he needed to quit when we did the math and found out we needed 96 legs for a dozen cupcakes. Five was enough at that point!
And a big thanks to my other sis-in-law Loraca for taking all the pictures. I am horrible and taking pics and was so happy to have like a hundred (haha!) pics of this night!

Not sure yet about the cake...

This picture cracks me up. Paparazzi!! The looks on our faces are priceless lol.

He mostly got frosting..which is the best part anyway, right?

The flashing cameras, swooning loved ones, and sugar overdose got to him, and he was done hahaha poor guy!

Uncle Ryan! Austin loves his uncles.

Grandma Tammy and aunt Kristina!

Present time! He was so sick of being cleaned off I didn't dare wipe the last bit of frosting off his face.

My sister put together a video montage of Austin from birth to now, it was so so awesome, I loved it. A tear-jerker for sure!

With aunt Alex and uncle Ryan, in his brand new GLOW IN THE DARK pj's! Pretty sure I want a pair of those myself :)

Papa and Grandma Jaime

The Peterson side

aunt Loraca and uncle Jordan!

With daddy, feeling his beard haha

By the end of the night he was pretty sleepy. He loved it when my mom rubbed his face with this blanket.

My little helper

Our family on Halloween (forgot my whiskers oops)

He fell completely asleep eating lunch the other day...

Austin John at 12 Months:

- 20lbs (20%) 29 1/2"..that is a guess (60%) and head still 100+% The doctor hinted towards fattening him a up a bit since he dropped too much percentage wise. Like putting butter on his toast, things like that. Which made sense to me because it seemed like he was ALWAYS hungry. Now things have evened out. He is getting his 2nd flu shot tomorrow so we'll see how his weight is.

- he jibber jabbers a ton, to me it sounds like "warbling" and also tries words like kitty, toast, banana, night night, to name a few

- He has some toys he can push/walk around the house. He seriously goes crazy with them. He runs, turns, backs-up, crashes into people and things on purpose. I am tempted to hide them for a week and see if he will just try walking without them. He can stand on his own for a short while. But still no attempt at walking alone.

-Working on his 8th tooth

- Loves to rough-house with daddy

-tries to do somersaults on his own

-he was officially off the bottle 4 days after he turned 1. I didn't really expect him to care, and he didn't. It was as if he never even had a bottle. He absolutely loves cow's milk, he gulps it down! He probably drinks about 10-15 ounces a day, plus the other dairy I give him he should be ok in that department. He also loves water. Not a fan of juice, which is fine with me. I have been wanting to try smoothies.. I think he would love them. Plus I can sneak some veggies (his worst enemy unfortunately) into them.

- Favorite foods: oatmeal, pancakes, oranges, goldfish, chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven (that's my boy!), grilled cheese, spaghetti, bananas, pears, blueberries, bread, frozen yogurt... to name a few.

-Takes one nap a day, going down between 12:30 and 1. He usually sleeps 2-3 1/2 hrs. He goes to bed around 9 and wakes up between 6:30-7:30. Yes, 6:30!!!

-He loves to dance, whenever he hears music he will just break out his moves. He dances to anything! Church hymns, rap, kid tunes, rock, daddy singing, you name it! It's hilarious. He bounces his knees, shakes his head, throws his hands around; it is so dang cute.

- Tries to put his own socks and shoes on, also hats.

-Hates getting his teeth brushed!

- Loves to be a part of whatever we are doing. He will "help" and get right in the middle, which actually means he gets in the way, but it's fine! We will miss that one day when he wants nothing to do with us!

- Can unroll an entire roll of TP in 10 seconds. Likes to lift the lid on the toilet (which is a big no no!)

-Has roaring/yelling matches with daddy at any given time

- when he is done eating he either tries to say "all done" or swipes his food on the floor

-loves the radio and asks for it to be turned on whenever he is eating

- for some reason is obsessed with my headbands and puts them on haha

- is perfectly content riding in the stroller for the 50 minutes it takes me to go for a run

- doesnt have the patience at this point for reading an entire book..he will turn the pages until it's over then grabs a new one

- Likes to look at cars driving by and makes a roaring noise

- will dip his face in the water during a bath and is so proud of himself after he does it!

-Has had a balloon pop while biting it, and also while laying on one..and it didn't scare him thank goodness.

-Likes to cuddle in the morning in his rocker when he wakes up

I know I am missing some, but at least I got a good list of the things I don't want to forget! Austin is our world, and we cannot imagine not ever having him. We just can't imagine not having children at all. This past year has seriusly taught me some lessons on unconditional love, patience, and the biggest one of all..selflessness. How incredibly HAPPY I am to focus all my time and energy on someone other than myself. I get a TINY glimpse of how God feels towards us. Jake and I are in awe of how amazing it is to be parents, and to see both of us in our little guy! We would do anything for Austin, and only want him to be happy. We are sad to see him grow up, but excited to see what this next year will bring :)

Sudafed-Head

I am awake. It is 2:30am. For some reason I woke up with stuffy sinuses. So I popped some Sudafed and now am waiting for it to work. And thought I would give a go to a post.

My good friend Ashley a while back did "Thing That Must Go" which is fun to read. x96 Does their/your list of things that must go every week. Here is my list of Things That Must Go:

1. Jello. The pudding can stay.
2. The Kardashians. Wait, not yet. I am still addicted to watching all of you live like you are the center of the universe. If you want to here the latest, talk to me. How embarassing.
3. the wind
4. germs
5. Indian food
6. dead car batteries..mostly when you happen when someone is trying to be efficient and they have two screaming babies. (that one's for you Ashley!)
7. Austin's straw cup that decided to erupt a continuous flow of MILK straight down my shirt on a 30 min car ride. We (me and the cup) are still on non-speaking terms.
8. scary shows or movies
9. the fact that organic food is more expensive
10. Two weeks of no new Modern Family
11. Justin Bieber
12. the thought of being pregnant again

To leave on a positive note, Things That Can Stay:
1. My clear sinuses :)
2. Chapstick
3. sweet potato fries
4. living close to loved ones
5. christmas decorations at the stores
6. mittens with fingers and then the cover that can go off and on
7. the thought of being pregnant again
8. cheese..haha really i am serious. cheddar tobe exact
9. Costco...cuz it's awesome
10. austin being a dancing fool. he even dances to church hymns. his favorites are rock classics, party favorites, and hard core rap.

Catching Up- Sundance

I am playing catch-up starting with our trip to Sundance the first weekend in October. One of Jake's good friends (since highschool) Jake Lucas got married in the most beautiful place, at the most beautiful time of year! His cute wife Jenny is awesome, and let's just say they know how to put on a gorgeous wedding, with every detail being picture perfect. This is only the second time I have been to Sundance, and really it is so pretty up there. The leaves were changing, and it was sunny with blue skies all weekend.

Our husbands went up early Friday for a day of mountain biking with the groom. We ladies drove up that afternoon, leaving the kiddos behind for the entire weekend! Baby Dane ofcourse came and put up with the adult happenings. He was a champ! It was so strange not taking care of Austin for 2 days. I felt out of place, but at the same time it was super nice to enjoy the weekend with our friends, doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

One of the nights before hot tubbing we had a mini-dance party. Well, Nick did haha!

Mom and Dad without the babe:
Nick and Jake being, being...um "alluring"? :-)

This picture makes me laugh. I love that they are altogether but what's with the hands on the shoulders??

Group Pic!

I don't think Jandie and I have a picture since before the boys were born! (we avoided them while pregnant)

The newest baby of the group. Dane was a good sport the whole weekend, from sitting through the wedding; to being bounced around in his mama's arms sans carseat in the van-shuttle ride up the mountain; to sleeping through a game of pool, another dance party (Nick and Jandie), and spooooky ghost stories told by Mr. Nick King himself..all happening literally right outside his door.

This was where the ceremony took place. So pretty!!So on the shuttle ride up to the wedding, they couldn't fit our whole group so Matt had to squeeze into the back!!

Bill, the oh-so-responsible groomsman, eating his pizza before the wedding

A snap of the kitchen and tv area of the cabin. The cabin was giant. We could have fit way more people. It was great to be in a nice, beautiful cabin instead of a hotel room. And for 2 nights less expensive than one night! Thank you to Ashley, who always seems to cut a great deal and scores the best finds for us all to stay! We decided this needs to be an annual tradition.

Congrats again to Lucas and Jenny!!

Yikes

Yikes I have some major catching up to do!! A slight dilemma..Our (old) computer has officially run out of space for me to upload any pictures. I have about 250+ pics I need to get off my camera! So it's just a matter getting them onto a CD so I can at least store them and then finally update the old blog! For now these are "stolen" pics from our friend album on photobucket, and my mom's iPhone.

But here is what we've missed...Mostly so I can remember what to post haha!

He turned 1!! Yay for Austin :) As of 3 days after his birthday he is off the bottle completely, and L-O-V-E-S milk. He gulps it right down. That's probably the biggest news. He can walk around pushing a toy, practicing for walking alone someday.
Our friend Jake Lucas married his perfect match, Jenny, on October 1st. We had so much fun staying in Sundance, in a cabin, with our friends (child-less) for 2 nights. I am pretty sure our husbands are in their own world when they all get together :)

And well Jake is in his own world at times...(this is him at our Sundance digs)

We went to Discover Gateway..

Halloween came and went! Turns out all 3 little boys (Kings', Clarkes', and Austin) were doggies. So cute. Devin was an ADORABLE peacock, which you will see when I post.

On to November! Burrr....

Eleven!

Holy smokes! My little boy will be ONE in about 20 days. I am so excited. I have always said I love watching him grow up but every time someone looks at me after watching him cruise and says "he is going to be walking soon, you know" I cry or hold back the tears. Walking is just a big milestone and I am not ready for him to do that. I keep seeing this image in my head of him standing by himself in his room, looking at me. I am standing across from him, looking at him thinking "now what. You can do what I can do." This image breaks my heart. Oh babies, why must you grow up so fast...

Well my computer is currently not reading my camera, so I cannot upload the newest pics so you have to put up with my blah blah blahs.

Currently, Austin:

-is thinning out. Or so people say. When I hold him, he feels more solid, probably because he is building muscle with all his activity!

- loves being chased, especially as he climbs up the stairs

-has 6 teeth (2 of which are half way out)

-you can ask him "what does a lion say?" and he will GROWL like a lion... grrrr!!! (video below)

-attempts pat-a-cake

-"dances" to music

-cruises around the room, along every piece of furniture, even his diaper pail. And if there is no furniture he will somehow cling to a wall and walk along it. I have a spiderman on my hands!

- likes to put things on his head. Bowls, cups, lids, toys..

-is growing out of his seperation anxiety

-had his first nasty bad yucky cold. we're talking a nose that runs like a faucet, a cough that makes him throw up some of his bottle in the morning, and he has turned into one of "those kids" with the yucky snot nose (you all know what I am talking about) But I am enjoying the extra cuddle time!

-takes one nap a day, and sometimes needs a cat nap around 4:30. His main nap is anywhere from 1 1/2 hrs to 3 1/2 hrs. Bedtime a little after 9, sleeps until 7 or 7:30.

-Loves kitties and doggies. Not afraid of them (yet?)

-Has a love/hate relationship with the vaccuum

-Has started mini-(and very minor) temper tantrums. yay.

-Used to bite (not maliciously) but thanks to some good advice from Ashley (just ignore it), has promptly stopped.

-Knows his bedtime routine by heart, and therefore will take his binky out on his own, and place it on the ottoman after we're done reading our bedtime books. I use to pull it out and put it there myself. Then eventually he would spit it out into my hands...and now he just does it all haha. Bottom line is he knows it doesnt go to bed with him.

Austin is so fun and Jake and I really cannot stand the thought of him turning into a big boy. I cannot describe what it's like to love someone else the way we love Austin. We would sacrifice anything for him in an instant. We are so proud of our little boy and couldn't ask for a more wonderful son. I can see why people keep having babies, they are too addicting! Don't get any ideas, the other day I was looking at pictures of me the day Austin was born and boy, I don't think I am ready to be pregnant again yet :) Only time will tell....

**Somehow the "quality" of this video got lost in translation from my phone to my mom's phone to my email to my computer to blogger (!) so don't worry it's not your computer. And sorry you can't even see his face haha (I was thinking maybe it's pointless to post this) but you get the idea of his lion growl.

Thank You, KMB

Look what my sister gave me:

I have always wanted a polar bear. I always ask Jake if we can get a polar bear cub. He always says no. boo. They been my favorite animal since I can remember. My sister Kristina posted this on her blog for me. I love her. We have the same initials. KMB: Kristina Marie and Kimberlie Michelle. I guess now that I am married that cute little idea from my parents got screwed up. Sorry about that mom and dad. Anyway I love polar bears. I think they are so cute and cuddly and the mama bears are such good little mommies. Jake and his brother Jordan..well actually ALL the boys in Jake's family (Papa included) tell me polar bears are one of the most vicious animals on the planet and are blood thirsty seal killers. Now I know why they never had a sister. Boys are mean.

Here are some facts about Polar Bears I have known since like 1st grade:

- their paws can get up to a foot wide and weigh 50lbs

-their fur is hollow, making it easier to swim and float

- they have a 4 inch layer of fat...that's awesome

- They usually have 2 cubs when they have babies

-The males can get up to 11 feet tall (standing on hind legs obviously)

- Males can weigh up to 1200lbs and females about 650lbs

Aren't you glad you're a little smarter now?

I can't NOT post a couple pics of Austin:

Our good friend Ashley took these on a little park outing we had the other day. I learned it isn't a good idea to put sunscreen on your child's hand because it inevitably gets in their eyes! Poor guy.

Run Like the Wind Blows

I guess I would call myself a "recreational" runner since I have been running for almost 9 years (with the exception of when I was prego) and have done only 2 races. But they have been a blast so maybe I should do more! A couple weekends ago..you know, during that HEAT WAVE... I ran a relay race with an awesome group of ladies. I am so so glad Mindy invited me to run with them..it was her and 2 sisters-in-law and a couple more ladies. I believe this is the first year Rivalry Relay has come to Utah and I think it's a pretty genious idea. I bet it will get more and more popular each year.

Basically, the Rivalry Relay for Utah is titled the "Holy War" because it is the U against BYU. It was a nice little kick-off to the football season for sure! Six team members run from the Legacy Bridge at the U and finish at a park near Lavell Edwards stadium. A total of 18 legs, the longest being about 6 or 7 miles (I think), and a total of about 66 miles. It was seriously so FUN and I hope to do it again next year!

The Rivalry Relay people took a team pic at the end but I have not seen it so this will have to do. This is my team, Mindy included!..taken at about 5:50am. I woke up at 3:50am to get dressed and meet everyone at our "spot" so we could carpool up to the U in our support vehicle. Just my luck, I came down with a little cold the Thursday before the race so I didn't fall asleep until midnight the night before due to not being able to breath and also just being super excited lol.
Good thing I am a morning person and woke up with tons of energy and ready to RUN!!

I look cooky in this picture and was a total mess haha (sweaty and wet from pouring cold water on myself). This was actually taken at about 4:15pm right after I finished my final leg. It really was about 98 degrees and absolutely miserable to be outside let alone RUNNING outside! Mindy devised this "cooling" device..simply a bandana soaked in cold water...tied around your head. It worked pretty well! But I was pouring water all over myself multiple times during this leg to keep my core temp down. I loved (almost) every second of my legs that I ran...it was hot but still soooooo fun. Running just feels so good!

It would be an understatement to say my mom is freaking amazing! Even though we had a support vehicle my mom was my personal support-water-lady the ENTIRE DAY! haha Seriously who does that?! Moms I guess. Before the race she mapped out each of my legs, so she was at each of my exchanges, and also followed me during each leg, standing on the side of the road handing me cups of water..that I poured on myself to keep from overheating. I COULD NOT have done this race without her. She is so dedicated and such an amazing example of what a mom should be. I felt so spoiled and so incredibly grateful she followed us for 9 hours just to watch me run and hand me water. Thank you mom!!

This was my first leg. Feelin great enough to smile and wave haha! My mom had her iPhone out along the way, which I am glad because the last thing I wanted to do was pull out my camera. This leg was along Wasatch Blvd. It began at the Quarry Temple Trailhead in the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon and stretched 4.2 miles along Wasatch, ending at Hidden Valley Park. This leg was beautiful and had lots of up and downhill so the downhill gave me momentum for the ups. I handed the slap-bracelet (our "baton") off to our good friend Mindy and she ran 6 miles into Draper. The best surprise ever was as I was running down the canyon, Jake and Austin drove by and yelled out to me! Then as I turned onto Wasatch, Jake got out with Austin and they ran with me for a minute and I got to give Austin a kiss. I love my little family!! I was so happy to see them :) At one point during the day, Jake sent me a text saying "run like the wind blows honey" which is funny if you know your movie quotes (Forest Gump).

My second leg was also 4.2 miles, beginning at the top of Suncrest Mountain and going down down down the mountain for about 3 miles then the last mile was a little uphill to an elementary school where I got to hand the baton off to Mindy once again. Again, absolutely beautiful, a little windy (thank goodness to cool me off) and so fun to get some speed from the downhill. The girl that ran the leg before me was one of Mindy's sisters-in-law and she ran UP Suncrest Mountain. Seriously that mountain is a beast! Even cyclists HATE it. She did AWESOME and I don't know how she kept herself going! It was so funny, all of us in the support vehicle just kept saying "oh crap" every time we turned a corner as we followed our runner up the mountain. It definitely has some daunting uphills.

My 3rd and final leg was 3.3 miles somewhere in Provo or somewhere down south haha. I had no idea what town I was in. But dang it was so hot. It didn't help that I started with a side-ache for some reason (probably not enough food...for some reason I didn't have an appetite all day). The good thing was it was flat most of the way. But seriously running on those roads, on the black asphault in that heat was hard. I was so glad I had to stop towards the end to wait for a traffic light. The 10 seconds of rest was a-m-a-z-i-n-g lol.

My little family at the finish line!! Yay! It was so fun to run across the finish line with our whole team. I had been done for a couple hrs (it just worked out that I was the first to finish my legs) so by the time we ran across the finish line I was ready to be done. I wasn't tired or hungry or anything, just ready to be done if that makes sense. It was so crazy to be away from Austin all day! That's the longest I have been away from him and the longest Jake has ever taken care of him. They had so much fun and I am so thankful to my awesome hubby for being a good daddy to our little guy :)

This was a very neat experience! I had so much fun getting to know my team, running, enjoying a day out, and then seeing my mom, Jake and Austin at the end. I'm so happy Mindy asked me to run with them!! Jake suggested we do it next year as couples. How fun would that be? I really hope we do it.

Ten

Yikes, closing in on one year...wow. Most of Austin's little friends have turned

1 in the last month, and it has been so fun watching them at their birthday parties. It makes me excited for his! I can honestly say I am loving watching him become more like a little boy, but I will definitely be sad though when these days are gone completely. Austin is the highlight of our life, and makes us laugh all day. We are so lucky to have such a funny, sweet, smart little boy with so MUCH personality. I can see he takes after his favorite person..his daddy.

This month it seems Austin has accomplished more milestones than any month prior. It's so fun to watch him learn something new almost every day! As far as size goes, he's still pretty tall and has probably hit the 20lb mark. Strangers are shocked he's not well over a year old. And now when I go running with him, I'm pushing about 40lbs of baby+stroller haha. A great work out for sure. The hills are only where I notice it though so it's not as bad as you'd think.

10 month picture in his PJ's and with a sleepy face! And a couple bruises..battle wounds..from falling while crawling on those slippery on kitchen floors.

Boys wear leggins right!!? His poor skin on his legs and tops of his feet was getting pretty irritated from all the crawling on our scratchy carpet, it almost looked like it was about to bleed at some points. So daddy suggested the protection! Don't worry, he doesn't wear them in public!

Austin loves to stand against anything..he'll play like that forever. He's only taken a few steps side to side along the table a couple times. I don't even want to imagine him walking because that means he really isn't a baby anymore.

This is "choppies" as explained in his 9mo post I believe. What a silly boy!

Now that he can get around by himself, he explores all day long. He especially loves exploring at his grandma Tammy's house. He actually freaked out under his crib though, because he couldn't figure out how to get out..his head was getting stuck (and scraped) on the drop-down foot rest.

He is so funny when he's eating. He makes silly faces and gives mama "bites" from a spoon I sometimes give him while he's eating.

The first time I put the leggins on him..he thought they were weird and lifted up one leg.

1st Haircut! It was totally my idea..his straggly hair was bugging me and I think it will grow in quited nicely now that it's all one length. He did great! We sat him in his Bumbo and turned on the Baby Channel, and he watched those weird shows while Jake cut his hair, using the trimmers! I was impressed with Jake's skill, he didn't miss any hairs. Jake is quite sad Austin's hair is gone, he thinks it makes him look too old.

These last few pictures crack me and Jake up. Once Austin wakes up, he sits up and peeks over the rails at us. I love it because all you can see are his brown eyes. We've recently lowered the mattress though since he's *almost* pulling himself up on his own.

A little double fist action during lunch!

Also:

- Austin's "vocabulary" is growing quickly. He doesn't say any words besides mama and dada but he will point to, look at, or touch certain things on command..such as diaper, light, fan, his "peepee" haha, bottle, books, jumper, daddy, walk/outside, hungry, up, and a few others.

- his 2 top teeth are coming through, and has had his 2 bottoms for about 4 months
-He "shares" things. Like he will hug a stuffed animal then hand it to you to hug. Or he will give you bites from his spoon.

- He loves feeding himself, and is officially pretty sick of any pureed food. So, mealtime is a tad bit longer since I have to wait for him to feed himself. But he will still let me put bites in his mouth. His favorites are: diced fruit, quesadillas, spaghetti, any type of bread/tortilla/cracker, mac n cheese, yogurt. He still hates veggies so I have to be creative and sneak them in daily.

- He started crawling on his 9 1/2 month birthday.

- Loves to read his books! He still likes to turn the pages.

- Gives kisses

- Can wave "hi" or "bye" in return...but rarely does it!

- Likes to play on his own at certain points each day

- Climbs over mom and dad

- He's pretty vocal, and will make it known if he wants something

- Laughs at himself

- Will sit on the floor and throw a ball back and forth with you

-He has grown out of his infant seat (actually at 9months), as far as height goes. So..on to researching convertable seats

On to month 11!