One year ago...

One year ago today I was 9 months pregnant ready to burst. Ready to meet my baby boy. I went into labor one year ago today. And I held my beautiful Quinn one year ago on September 1st.

One year ago, I became a mother of two boys. Heaven only knew how much fun they would have together.

One year ago, Jude became a big brother. Ready or not.

One year ago, Nick became a wonderful father of two.

They make each other laugh so hard it hurts. No one can make Quinn laugh harder than Jude. They look out for each other. They Quinn already knows how to fend for himself and can throw quite a punch.

Quinn is our peacemaker. Our easy going, fun loving, social, happy, drooling and energetic one year old. Happy birthday my sweet boy. I can't wait to enjoy many more with you.

CHICAGO

So a lot has happened in the last little while. We had a beautiful baby boy named Quinn and Jude loves having him around! They play really well together. Jude likes to help when Quinn starts crying by trying to make him laugh. He jumps around and then freezes making a face. His new one is coming up to Quinn and saying "Don't worry, it's just a bear" with his hands in a claw shape and then tickles him. It usually gets Quinn to calm down.

Nick graduated from BYU! We also made a pretty big move to Chicago and we are soaking it all in. Nick is working for an advertising agency named Leo Burnett and is really excited. The boys and I are happy that we have a park in our front yard. We are also excited to explore all the many things Chicago has to offer. Zoo's, Children's Museum's, live music in the parks, and a beach at the lake front! We miss friends and family, but are excited for our adventure. Now friends and family have a new place to come and visit:)

We have found a few fun indoor play places to play at while the weather is still a little chilly. We do still go to the parks around here though. Jude always is wanting to go down the slides and talks about them all day.

We have been making new friends and finding lots of nice people. There are lots of boys around Jude's age here so they like to run and play together.

Also Quinn has taken a liking to put his binky in his mouth like this:)

So for those of you who still even bother to visit our blog, here is a little update:)

Nick, Jude and I have been traveling quite a bit this summer. We went to California while Nick was interning for a company called Aerial 7. We had such a blast with our friends and family. Jude had fun with his friends out there too. We went to Dan (Nick's brother) and Kanani's beautiful wedding in Hawaii. We were so grateful that we were able to go and had such a great time with the Corotan side of the family. We also all got tan for the beginning of the summer:). We also came back to Utah to go to Becky and Elias' gorgeous wedding. It was so fun to be apart of two very special weddings and are so excited about the additions to our families.

Now we are back in Utah and just awaiting the arrival of our new baby boy:). I am technically due 2 weeks from today but at the doctor appointment today, he gave me the option of inducing next week because I am progressing. It's exciting to think that I can plan on having my baby on a certain day, but I am a little nervous about the inducing part. I especially can't wait for Jude to meet his new brother. I am curious how he will react once all the attention isn't just focused on him anymore. Nick's sister Lynsey had a boy in July and Jude has been so sweet with him, so I hope he is the same way with his brother.

I will post pictures soon. We haven't really had a camera this summer because it died on us, but I am going to try to scrounge some up. Jude has grown up quite a bit this summer. He is talking so much more and has quite the personality. He loves to sing, dance, play basketball, blow bubbles, swim and clean:). He is doing pretty well in nursery and I am kinda sad that I don't get to enjoy church for a little bit longer, because I will be starting over with a newborn again. But the last couple months have been nice.

Also I know its a little early, but I am trying to think of some cute Halloween costumes. Let me know if you have any ideas. The best I can think of right now is Batman and Robin for the boys...

Baby number two is a......

BOY! Cant wait to meet him!

Jude is a toddler!

I am so happy that he is walking! It makes me feel like I can handle two now... Enjoy!

Jude is excited to announce....

that he will be a big brother around September 7!!

So Jude turned 1!...

on December 23... sorry to those of you who are still waiting for an update. I have been internetless for awhile because Nick takes the computer to school so when I have time to post I don't have a computer.

Anywho, Nick, Jude and I were able to go and celebrate Christmas with my family in Minnesota. It was freezing but so fun to be together! We were even able to go to Iowa for a couple days to see Steph and Adam. We had a great time and were so glad we could celebrate Jude's birthday with almost everyone. :)

Jude still isn't walking (which I am perfectly fine with) on his own. He likes to walk along walls and push toys, chairs, etc to keep himself standing up. He loves everyone he meets! I seriously cant believe how social he is. He pretends he's shy when he first gets someones attention and then is waving and blowing kisses by the time we leave. (Especially to the cute girls!) I think I am going to have a problem with him. He will probably be the kid in kindergarten chasing all the girls until he kisses them and makes them cry.. haha! He is also very interested in how things work. He loves buttons that turn anything off or on, wires and plugs, and wheels. He loves to turn anything over with wheels and just spin it forever. He loves music and a little drum we have for him. He always dances to the beat! He loves dogs and is never afraid of any size. It amazes me! He is such a great baby! We are so lucky to have him in our lives.

I love Jude!

9 Months Today!

I can't believe my little baby is 3/4 of a year old! He is growing up so fast and he learns something new every day. He keeps me so busy. Hence the reason why the last post was 2 months ago...
Right now Jude:
~Army crawls around the house and sweeps/vacuums the floor with body/mouth
~Laughs hysterically when I sneeze!
~Can say bye-bye and wave
~Has 2 of the cutest bottom teeth I have ever seen
~Claps his hands (especially at church after the hymns)
~Sings (la,la,la)
~Loves to dance or bounce (especially when drums are involved)
~Loves when his daddy is rough with him (such a boy!)
~Is extremely ticklish
~Loves bath time
~Gives the best kisses
~Is so very social (has lots of girlfriends at church)
~'s favorite toy is his daddy's acoustic guitar
~Loves to swim under the water & holds his breath so well
~Tries to snap his fingers with his right hand (shown in the pic below)


~Is asleep and I should be too....

6 Month Photo Shoot

So my cousin Cassidy took some pictures of Jude a little less than a month ago and I thought I should share some of these darling pics! Thanks again Cass!

Updates

So we have been very busy and I may have lost the pictures on my memory card! I am so sad. We are trying to retrieve them. Hopefully it works!

Well Nick had his 25th birthday on the first of July and we celebrated with friends and family. We had fun enjoying the day! He added to his collection of guitar pedals thanks to everyone. He loves playing with them!

Jude is now almost 7 months, growing strong and healthy. He has been eating rice cereal/sweet potatoes and he is finally getting the hang of it! It took a while for him to realize why we were shoving a spoon in his face. Once he realized there was food on it, he's loved it ever since! :)

We have been swimming lots with Jude and he loves to be outside. He loves the water and even lets us dunk him! We are hoping he will love the water as much as Nick does. It's looking good so far.

He is now sitting up by himself pretty good. We were at a restaurant the other day and set him in his car seat unbuckled. He wouldn't lay back and sat upright the whole time. We finally decided to get a high chair and he was so happy. I am now realizing that as much as we tried to get Jude to sit on his own, he did it when HE was ready. Oh and he also has his first tooth growing in!! I think he is working on his second because he has been pretty fussy today.

Today Nick, Jude and I went grocery shopping and spent a little more than I hoped. As we were walking out, there was a man who looked less fortunate that was walking in. His clothes were worn and his hair wasn't combed. He didn't really catch my eye until he stopped us. I thought he was going to ask us for money and I was preparing myself. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a quarter. He took my hand and put the quarter inside. He grinned and said "Put this in your baby's piggy bank". We were so humbled! What a generous act. I felt embarrassed that I had judged him. I learned my lesson and will be less quick to judge. I am also starting a piggy bank for Jude today!

It's Official!

So Jude has had this milk allergy where I can't eat ANY dairy, since I am his source of food. He is 6 months now and I figured I would try something I have really been craving.... ice cream! I have had it almost every day for a week and he has been such a happy baby! I think its over! FINALLY!

Hawaii

We're Back!

So we are back from Hawaii! We had the best vacation ever! We went with Nick's immediate family to Oahu for 6 days and then to the Big Island for 6 days. We visited with lots of family, had great food, lived on the beach, and had a FABULOUS time! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Corotan for a wonderful time!

Before we went to Hawaii, we were able to spend some time in California with Grandma Baker and the Corotan's. We miss living there and it was good to visit with friends and family! We were so glad Jude got to meet more of our friends.

While we were on Oahu we stayed at a beach house. We had a lot of fun in the sun! Cubworld played at BYU Hawaii while we were there and they had one of the best shows! It was so fun and the crowd loved them. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and spent a fun day there and also went to the night show. Since we had a cousin that got us in, he asked Dan and Kelsey if they wanted to be apart of the parade as Hawaiian royalty. It was fun to have them apart of the show! We also went to the swap meet near Honolulu and went to Waikiki Beach afterwards. We ate good food at Ted's Bakery and had shave ice from Matsumoto's. We also had family pictures taken the last day we were there. I will post them soon.

While we were on the Big Island we spent lots of time with family! We were very well fed and loved all them time we spent with family. We stayed with Uncle Stan and Auntie Linda and their family. It was so nice of them! We saw where Alton (Nick's Dad) grew up in Kohala. It was fun to put a place to all the stories we have heard. We had the best treats called Malasada's. If you haven't had one, you need too! Alton raved about these and then I tried one and I am trying to figure out how I can get more without having to fly back to Hawaii.

We also hiked down to Waipio Beach. It was a good hike down and when we got down there the beach had black sand. It was so awesome! I didn't have my camera though and I was so bummed! I wasn't looking forward to the hike back up, but thankfully I had Jude with me and so some locals picked us up and gave us a ride up the mountain. I can't tell you how happy I was.

The last couple days on the Big Island we lived at the beach. We went snorkeling, body boarding and I learned how to paddle board. It was a blast! We hated to leave. Hopefully we can go back sometime soon....

4 months old and learning new tricks!

Jude just had his 4 month check up. He is growing well! He is now 13lbs 11oz and 26 inches long. He also had a few shots. He didn't like these ones too much and screamed until we gave him a pacifier. Funny thing is that he really doesn't like his pacifier...so we were amazed when it calmed him down. Glad we had it with us!

Well Jude is now finally enjoying tummy time. We have to line up his toys and help him stay occupied, but it is a huge step forward!



He loves his cousins! Every time he sees them he smiles so big! I think he likes to have people his size around. Kaia and Jude like to hold hands...



He is finally using his hands a ton and grabbing everything in sight! He has a favorite toy that hangs from his carseat and has a ring that he pulls on and it makes a buzzing noise. The other day I was driving in the car and kept hearing that noise over and over again. He loves to let go of it, grab it, and pull. Over and over again. It's great that he can finally entertain himself! He can also hold onto his bottle.



Unfortunately he loves watching TV. But sometimes when he is fussy I can put on a Baby Einstien and he will be occupied while I jump in the shower. At least I feel like it is somewhat stimulating and doesn't fry his brain, right? When I came out I saw him doing this...





I've got a thumbsucker!

Daddy & Jude also have "the trick" mastered! He is growing up so fast. We are so grateful for how healthy and strong he is getting. We love him so much and cherish every moment!

Happy 2 Years & Stuff...

Nick and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on March 30. It has been an amazing 2 years with Nick and I can't wait to spend many, many more with him. He is my love, my life, my rock and nobody can make me laugh like he can! My Mom came to visit and so did my sister Stephanie and her husband Adam. We were able to get away to St. George and My Mom, Becky, Stephanie, & Adam took turns taking care of Jude. We were so grateful for them to come and watch Jude! It was so nice to get away and spend time together. We enjoyed the nice weather, went miniature golfing, swimming, saw a movie, and got some needed sleep! Oh and went to In n' Out, of course! It was a low-key but much needed vacation!

We went to my Grandparents in Salt Lake for General Conference. It was nice to spend time with them! My Grandma & Grandpa just love Jude! It's so fun to see how excited they both get.







Also my great Aunt Manie was there and just loved Jude! She was cracking us all up by how active she was and running around the room in circles to get Jude's attention. She told us that she went to the doctor for a check up and he told her she could live another 20 years! (Mind you she is 93 years old!) She even went outside with the boys and shot airsoft guns. She is so full of life. I hope I can be that active when I get old like her!





Also my cousin Josh and his wife Anays were there and Jude loves them!! They have a blast with him! We love all our family so much and know that Jude does too!

Vacation here we come!!

So Nick was entered into a contest at work and his name was randomly selected for a $1500 Expedia.com give away! The farthest east I have been is Minnesota. The farthest west I have been is California. The farthest south I have been is Tijuana. And the farthest north I have been is Canada...Needless to say I am very excited to get off of this continent!! Where would you reccommend to go?

Daddy or Mommy?

So I was going through some old pictures because I was curious who Jude looks like. Nick or Me? I put some pictures on here so you can be the judge.



Jude


Nick (love that finger in the mouth!)



Jude


Mandi



Jude (can you believe that drool? it only got worse!!)


Nick



Jude


Nick (Jude must get the drooling from Nick...:))


Mandi (awesome hair!)


Mandi


Nick (I just want to squeeze Nick's little face!)

What do you think???