Whitley: 8 months!

I have an 8 month old! She is getting more beautiful by the second, I can hardly stop kissing her cheeks! 

She is getting a lot stronger & is so close to crawling. She has started to scoot by pulling herself forward with her arms. She still gets up on all fours and rocks but hasn't figured out how to move yet. 

She loves to drink Mom's green smoothies in the morning for breakfast & has even started to veto her own usual of oatmeal & fruit. She just loves to drink out of a "big girl cup". She also loves to drink from a straw. She is getting really good at it, too!

She eats not only pureed foods now but little pieces of food: puffs, rice, bread, etc.

She has started to have a little attitude of her own & will arch her back when she doesn't want to be put down or put in her carseat/high chair.

She continues to sleep through the night & it is usually 10-12 hours straight. Thank you, Whitley!

We have a routine down that she loves, but if you try to make her nap without putting her in her crib or riding in the car - she puts up a fight!

She finally has two teeth coming in! You can barely see them, but you can definitely feel them!

She recently learned how to make her Elefun toy turn on - she loves it!

She started saying "Ma Ma" & every now and then a "Mom"

New Adventure

2013 has started off with a bang as Tyler & I made a big decision that we have faith will be best for our family in the long run. Tyler started a new job working for Arnold Machinery!

It is quite the unique situation because this company actually sought out Tyler, interviewed him, told him they would let him know in a couple weeks but that evening Tyler got a call from them telling him that Tyler was "their guy". We never had any doubts along the way, which made it super easy to commit & make the change. Tyler gets a brand new company car to drive & gets his gas paid for, the health benefits are great & we don't have to pay anything out of our paycheck to have it.

Tyler has been working there for about one month now, and he is really enjoying it so far. He gets to learn about all kinds of construction equipment & he is getting the hang of it really well already!

We are excited about this tremendous blessing we have been given & we know that our Heavenly Father is always watching out for us!

Whitley: 7 Months!

Whitley has learned to
-SPIT
-Drink from a straw
-Say "Da Da" & we have only heard "Ma Ma" when she has been hysterically crying
-Say "Mmmm" after almost every bite of food
-Pick up small pieces of food off her tray, but doesn't know what to do after that... :)
-Toss things. Her favorites are tossing her sippy off her high chair & while Mom is getting ready she sits in her bumbo on the bathroom counter & tosses her toys onto the floor then looks down at them like "WOW!"
Get up on her hands & knees & rocks - no crawling yet though.
She loves to drink ice cold water - especially from Mommy or Daddy's cup.
She loves to "eat" big people food.
She can sit in a highchair & in the shopping cart at the store.

Whitley: 6 months!

6 month stats

Weight - 17 lbs 3 oz {69%}

Height - 27 in {86%}

Head - 44 cm {85%}

-sits up without assistance

-loves her new exersaucer

-loves solid foods

-has started to wave "hi" & waves at even in adamant objects
-has started to "clap" even though she can't make the noise she loves it when others clap

-loves to jump in her exersaucer

-loves to hear mommy or daddy sing to songs

-loves the car & falls asleep almost every time

-loves her doggies, especially grabbing Toby's fur

-recognizes familiar faces & gets excited when she sees them


Whitley Jane,

I can't believe you are six months old already!  It is so fun for me to watch you grow up right before my eyes.  My only complaint is that your are growing up way to fast!  I love watching you discover new things and seeing your eyes light up as you try to figure them out.  The world is such a big exciting place, there are so many new things for you to learn and experience.  I can't wait to be by your side as you continue to discover all of the things this world has to offer you.

My favorite part of the day is when I get to come home from work and see you, excited to see me, as I walk through the door.   I am always excited to be greeted by your big beautiful smile, it makes all of the stresses of the day melt away!  I love you more than I could ever express in words and am so proud to be your dad.

Love always,

Your Daddy

Merry Christmas!!

San Francisco & San Luis Obispo

At the end of September, Whitley and I went on a very fun trip with my Mom & sister, Karli to California. Specifically, San Francisco (East Bay Area) & San Luis Obispo!

I forgot my camera {boo!} so I took photos using my iPhone. As some of you may know.. that iPhone got STOLEN. Thank goodness for instagram & posting them to FB or else some of these pics I would not have any longer. And thanks to Karli for giving me a copy of her photos from the trip.

Here is Whitley and I on her first plane ride ever! She did so well, no tears at all.

We stayed in San Fran in the city at my Uncle's apartment which was so nice - and he even had a car there for us to cruise around in. (He lives in Vegas so this is just one of his many houses)

Our goal for this trip was to meet our new niece, Maisy. My brother Tim's family moved here to the Bay area back in July after he got a promotion at work & got transferred. We miss them so much!

We spent a whole day in the city exploring Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge, Pink Ladies, etc.

{Whitley was so good, she took the longest nap in the stroller. It was pretty cold that day so she is bundled up nice and warm}

{Emerie, Tim & Ava with Alcatraz in the background - Meg  & Maisy were at home}

 {We ate a yummy lunch on the Fisherman's Wharf - sourdough grilled cheese and tomato soup}

 {This is made of sourdough bread!}

{Ava & Em}

{We didn't want to wait in line to ride the trolley so we walked up an insanely steep hill to get up here to Lombard Street!}

{The Bay Bridge that we traveled on a lot to get to Tim's house from San Fran}

{The Golden Gate Bridge}

{Whitley & I}

{We walked to this cafe one morning in the city & ate these delicious pastries}

{Tim & Megan were sure to take us to some delicious places to eat}

{Our last day with Tim's family we took a drive to Santa Cruz to the Boardwalk. We went bowling & hung out before continuing our drive south to San Luis Obispo}

{Whitley was such a good girl in the car - we spent a lot of time in it & I couldn't resist snapping this pic of her sleeping like an angel cuddling her minky}

My mom's brother Randy lives in San Luis Obispo, along with 2 of his children's families. One of them, Ryan, has a ranch with a ton of land. Randy built this chicken coop on his land. That's right folks, that is a CHICKEN COOP.

{I'd live in there.. just sayin'}

{Adorable farmers market}

{We wanted to leave our mark in SLO - so we put some gum on the wall at "Bubble Gum Alley"}

After leaving SLO, we were headed back up to San Fran for one night to catch our flight home out of Oakland the next day. We decided to take the scenic drive up Highway 1 & I'm glad we did!

{We stopped to see the Elephant seals}

{...and of course to see Big Sur}

We were sad to leave CA & especially Tim's family but had a fun time & we are excited to see them at Christmas!

We flew into Vegas, then drove to St.George to meet Tyler, Chase, my Dad (we'll call him Grandpa Randy from now on), Devanee, and Aaron's family at my Grandma's.

That weekend, Aaron ran the St.George marathon & then immediately after we drove back to Vegas for the Harris family reunion!

It was great to see relatives that we hadn't been able to see in a long time. I am also very grateful that we were able to take this picture with my grandparents.