5.16.12 Eight Months

Our little Ezra is 8 months old and what a big boy he is!  He is 29 inches tall, and over 20 pounds.  We went swimming to celebrate and then Ezra took a long nap and woke up with crazy hair--unfortunately he gets that from his mom.

Oh, what a funny little boy!

Spring in Midland

It has been a while since I have posted, for which I apologize.  I know people don't miss my writing and commentary as much as photos of Ezra, so I'll provide plenty of the latter.  Here's what Ezra was up to during the end of April and beginning of May...

We took Ezra swimming for his very first time...

Yes, it was hot enough to swim in April.  It actually got close to 100 degrees on several days.  The water in the pool, however, was freezing.  I guess they don't heat their pools here since it gets so hot.  Ezra didn't mind the cold at all.  He loved the water and despite his shivering, he was a bit upset when we took him out.

Our little boy is not so little...

This outfit that his Grandma Minster gave him is for 12 months!  He's only 7 1/2 months in this photo. He is bigger (and heavier) than every other child I know here between the ages of 11 and 8 months.    

...and thus, it is about time to retire the swing.  I remember when we put him in this that very first week he was home and even the lowest setting seemed to swing him way too high and fast.  Now, it barely moves at the highest setting.

We had a visit from Uncle Adam (Uncle Adam Young, not Uncle Adam Moore)...

It was a very short visit but so fun to see him.  I didn't get any photos with Adam, but Ezra had fun playing with his bedding after he left the next morning.

We finally got a real stroller...

It is possible that I am enjoying the stroller more than Ezra, but he does like going for runs and walks.

 We went to the Lubbock Temple...

Our stake sponsors a temple trip every month for mothers.  Several of the older sisters make the two hour drive just to provide babysitting at the stake center next door while the mothers go to a session.  How wonderful is that?  What wasn't so wonderful was the car accident we got into on the way home.  I must admit one of my first thoughts after the accident was, "We made this trip to go to the temple!  Why did we just get into an accident? Where is the protection and the blessings?"  But then I quickly took that thought back as I realized that we were blessed and protected.  It really could have been so much worse.

And finally, Ezra started becoming mobile...

He ended up in this split position quite often as he started figuring out how to maneuver around.

5.13.12 Mother's Day

I gained a new appreciation for my mom the first time I had the flu without her there to take care of me.  That appreciation was nothing compared to what I gained the first time I had the flu with a baby to take care of.  I think it definitely takes becoming a mom to fully appreciate what your own mother did for you.  Thank you, Mom, for giving so much of yourself to your daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.

It's been a wonderful first mother's day.  I haven't felt like I needed praise or presents for what I do as a mother--maybe that is because I don't do it all that well ;).  Instead, I've felt a profound gratitude for the blessing I've been given to be a mother.  I wanted to be a mother, but there were a few moments during my pregnancy and the first week that Ezra was home that I panicked about what I had committed myself to and what I was giving up.  I learned very quickly that it is all worth it.  What I've been given in return is worth far more than any lost independence or lost sleep.  I love being Ezra's mother.  I am so lucky to be able to watch him discover and figure out the world.  So, I don't need the flowers or the breakfast in bed (although I'm not going to complain when I get them).  I wouldn't want any other life or job than the one I have right now.  I am so grateful for the blessing it is to be a mother.

4.12.12 Visit to Utah

Last month, Ezra and I made a trip back home to Utah for my Mom's 60th birthday celebration.  We were only there 5 full days, but we jam packed those days with lots of fun stuff...

We played with cousins...

With Becca

Cute little Gemma

With Greta and Lily at the family party

Ezra loved Scout's arm bands

Playing with Jaxson and Tanner

We had TWO surprise birthday parties with LOTS of balloons...

We went to City Creek THREE times (its obviously THE new thing to do in Utah)...

We saw ALL THREE of Ezra's living Great Grandparents (all Grandmas)...

Grandma Moyes

Great Grandma Young who turns 97 this month!

Great Grandma Thomas

And we had fun on the farm in Mona...

Very first tractor ride with Grandpa.

Ezra was more entertained looking in the mirror than by the cows.

It was nice to come back after only being gone a couple of months, but it was also nice to have the feeling that we are living where we are supposed to right now.  I absolutely LOVED seeing the flowers on Temple Square.  

I kept commenting how green everything was because compared to Midland, IT IS!  But Codi, who is living in Pennsylvania, just laughed and said, "I keep thinking how brown everything looks!"  You know you live in barren wasteland when Utah seems green and the sight of a green lawn is a distant memory :)

4.8.12 Ezra's First Easter

Discovering his Easter basket...

No, I did not let him eat any candy.  That piece was still wrapped, and
Marc took it away from Ezra and promptly ate it.

The paper filler seemed to be his favorite part, but that was also taken away.

Still a happy little boy, despite his parents taking away most the stuff in his Easter basket!

All ready for church...

 

...and unfortunately, my blouse was ruined by the Easter corsage the Young Women made as a camp fundraiser.  But aside from that, it was a good Easter.

3.16.12 Pennsylvania

For Christamas, Jenny gave me an airplane ticket to visit Codi in Pennsylvania.  I hadn't seen her family since August and none of them had met Ezra yet, so I was very excited to get this gift.  The gift also came with my brother-in-law, Matt, acting as our personal travel agent.  He took care of everything when my first flight was delayed, which would have caused me to miss the second.  Thank you, Matt!

Flying with Ezra was not my favorite thing...I'm sure all other moms understand.  I realized how social he has become, however. He loved to smile and talk to everyone around us on the plane and in the airport.

THE BARNES GIRLS
Ezra loved all the attention he got from Iris and Willa.  They played with him and entertained him so much I'm afraid he is now super bored with just me back in Texas.

Olive didn't pay much attention to Ezra.  She was too busy in her own little world.  I couldn't believe how much she has grown and how much she talks.  Sometimes she would give Ezra toys and then just watch him, but I don't think she ever figured out how to play with him.

No, Ezra really can't sit up on a stool by himself.  I was close behind balancing him while Codi took this photo.

And I guess when your in a house of all girls, this is bound to happen even to little boys :)

LANCASTER COUNTY

We took a drive out to Amish Country on Saturday.  Apparently Saturday is laundry day because we could spot the Amish homes by the clothes lines full of clean laundry in their yards.  I always imagined the Amish living in their own isolated community so I was a bit surprised  to see they that they live along side the "non-amish".  I didn't really get any great photos except for a few of the kids playing on the playground near the Amish market.

PHILADELPHIA

On Monday we spent most of the day in Philadelphia touring Constitution Hall and the surrounding area.

The girls loved to take turns helping to feed Ezra...

....and helping to push his stroller. However, Oli couldn't get too far with Ezra.

Do you recognize this room?  After watching the BYU movie about the making of the constitution in high school, I felt like I had been here before.

I love these photos of the girls having their pictures taken by Codi because they show Willa's personality so well.  She obviously wants to do what her mom asks and smile for the camera, but she can't seem to help but be distracted by her surroundings.

THE PARK

On our last full day in Pennsylvania, we stopped by the Park after picking Willa up from preschool.  Ezra loves the swings, and he enjoyed his first time on the slide as well.

I think Ezra looks so much like Marc in this picture.  His hair is getting more like his moms, wavy than straight, especially in humid weather.

We had so much fun with Codi and her girls.  I miss all my nieces and nephews.  Hopefully one day we'll all live within driving distance of each other so the cousins can play together more often.