My day at the office

Even though working and being a mom can be very overwhelming at times ~ a day like today makes all the craziness worth it. I had a great day at the office! I was able to go a casual meeting with a client & then spent the rest of the time at the office with my dad. There aren't many people in our office but every once in a while when everyone gets together it's pretty fun. My dad has two great friends who work in our building and they were around all day today. The three of them together just crack me up. Dana, my co-worker, & I were laughing all afternoon at these three old guys cracking jokes at each other. I even convinced everyone to go to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. YUM. Much better than the lunches I make myself at home.

I've always loved working in the advertising & marketing field. When I was 10 years old, I started working at my dad's advertising agency making copies and filing, loving every minute of it. I've worked in the advertising field ever since. I was thrilled to get pregnant with Nate since I've always wanted to be a mom but part of me was sad to have to leave the business world. I like what I do so I was thrilled when my dad offered to let me work from home. I love being a mom but still having my foot in the door of the business world. It gives me some sanity. My one full day a week in the office is a much appreciated break from being at home all day. If I have any extra time in the day, I can even go to the grocery store without a baby. Plus, I love that Nate gets to spend one day a week with his grandma that loves him to pieces.

I'm grateful that I am able to do what I do. Be a mom & work at the same time!


*I'm sure I'll come back to read this post on the days that I say...."I can't do all of this anymore!" :)

A first for this mama

Today was a first for me since I became a mama. I left Nate with a babysitter.

I consider myself pretty lucky. I have a great dad, who is also my boss & he lets me work from home. Some weeks are super busy and some are pretty slow....so most of the time, it's manageable. I spend one full day a week in the office while my mom watches him. (I don't count her as a babysitter). But now, I have to go to a weekly Monday afternoon meeting at 3pm. Hence, the babysitter.

I wouldn't say I am a mom who panics when I leave my baby but it was defnitely strange leaving him for the first time with someone other than my mom or my sister. BUT, everything went very well and I'm excited that I found her. She used to be one of my young women. She's 19 & very responsible. And, she drives which is HUGE in my book. I have to say it was SOOOO nice to have someone come to my house to watch him. Much easier than taking him somewhere....going to work....picking him up....and then coming home. And I love that I got a huge smile from him when I walked in the door.

As much as I love my little man, it sure is nice finding people to watch him when you either have to go somewhere without him or you just need a break! Hooray to a good babysitter!

Greatly Missed.

{I have this picture in our home. I think it will always be there to remind us of this great man.}

I hold a special place in my heart for President Hinckley who passed away tonight. He has been our beloved Prophet for half of my life...13 years.

I love his cute personality and great sense of humor. He was always able to make everyone laugh while getting his point across. He did wonders with the media & improved the public image of the church. He directed an intense temple building program all over the world. I love his charisma & his love for everyone. What a great example he was to all of us.

He will be greatly missed. I can only imagine how happy he is to be reunited with his cute wife.

I feel forever indebted to him for everything he did for our church & for the great example he was to us all.

My first pair of pajama pants

19 years old: So excited that capris were in style again. It meant another alternative to pants.

20 years old: Was made fun of in college by my dear roommates because of my "floods."

21 years old: Bought my first pair of black pants, ever. This was the first pair of pants I EVER owned that wasn’t a pair of jeans. I happened to find them when I was living in London. I think I bought 3 of the same pant in fear that I’d never be able to find them again.

22 years old: Jeans became slightly easier to find in longer lengths.

24 years old: Bought my first pair of women’s sweat pants. The kind that look a little nicer than a big baggy pair of sweats you borrowed from your hubby. I found these in Italy. I think I need a yearly trip to Europe just to shop.

26 years old: I officially own my first pair of Pajama Pants.

For those of who can walk in to a store and try on a pair of pants without knowing they aren’t going to be long enough, consider yourselves lucky. You have no idea how easy you have it. While I like being tall, finding pants has always been a challenge. The problem isnt necessarily that I’m 6’2. It’s that I have a 37" inseam.

It has taken a while for clothing stores to realize that tall women need clothes, too. I’ve been able to find a few stores….Gap & Buckle….that carry long pants but that’s about it. Half the time I still have to let the hem out. Even the designer jeans that everyone says will be long enough look like capris on me.

There is one thing I don't understand. For those retailers who finally caught on that extra-long lengths (not just long) of jeans and pants will sell….I’m not sure why they haven't thought of the fact that we would like a pair of sweats and pajamas, too. I keep hoping one day that I'll look at GapBody.com and there will be a little icon under a cute pair of pajama pants that says "comes in tall". I'm not holding my breath.

However, I did find a pair of PJ pants from The Tall Girl Shop. They are plenty long and real comfy so I was pretty excited when I found them.

Nate's new friend, Millie

Our good friends, Ryan & Leslie, had their baby girl on Sunday. Nate got to meet his new friend Millie last night at the hospital. Congrats Ryan & Leslie ~ we are so happy for you guys! Welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood!



Baby Millie & the boys

a weekend with Grandma & Grandpa G

I really lucked out with my in-laws. They are so great! Wes’ parents were here this weekend from Georgia to see us. Well, who are we kidding….they mostly wanted to see Nate! :) They are such wonderful grandparents to our little guy.

On Saturday we basically spent the day around our house. I had a few things I had to go to that morning but we let Nate take his naps while we played games during the day. We met my parents for an early dinner at Café Rio, a Griffeth favorite & then we all came back to our house for more games and ice cream.

Sunday was church, yummy dinner & more games. And Monday was a relaxing morning, lunch at Pei Wei & then they were on their way back to Georgia. Unfortunately, since they are both so busy we never get them for longer than a few days but we’ll take any visit we can get!

They always help us with a “house project” and this time we tried to keep it minor with just a few ceiling fans that needed to be installed downstairs.

You can tell that Nate LOVES his grandparents. They had him laughing and smiling all weekend. He was definitely spoiled with someone playing with him at all hours of the day. He’s going to be disappointed tomorrow when he’s stuck with just mom who isn’t nearly as fun as grandma & grandpa.

Thanks Robert & Doreen for coming to visit. Hopefully we’ll make it out to see you this spring! Love you!


Grandma G giving Nate lots of kisses.



On Sunday night, Nate was a zombie sitting in his seat. He totally zoned out and just lounged in his seat for an hour while we played a game!

Grandma loved feeding Nate!

Cries & Cuddles

My day started out great. Nate slept from 2:30am to 7:00am, which these days, is quite rare. He usually wakes up at 4:30am, too. Wes got up with him at 7:00 which means I got to sleep until 7:45am. Nate was super happy all morning & he took a great morning nap. We had a great time eating peaches, playing & going on a long walk in the perfect weather. I thought today was going to be a great day.

Then, in a matter of a few minutes, everything changed. From 1:0opm until bedtime, Nate was a wreck. He wouldn't take his afternoon nap for some reason (he's never done that before) and was literally fussy and/or crying all afternoon & evening. It was one of those afternoons when you just wish you could read your baby's mind to know how to help them. Poor little guy.

The only positive thing of the afternoon happened between 4:00-4:30pm. Nate cuddled with me. This is a rare occurance these days since he would much rather play with his toys and roll around. I picked him up from attempt #3 at an afternoon nap and we just rocked in our chair for 30 minutes. He didn't sleep...he just stared at me & I loved it. I miss my Nate cuddles.

My Happy Nate is Back

At least for today.

He's normally such a wonderful baby but the last week or so he's been so fussy. Maybe it's because he has decided that long naps are for the birds so he's tired or maybe his teeth are moving around. Whatever the reason, I got my happy boy back today. I roped my little sis' in to running errands with me (errands are much more fun with someone!) and he was just laughing the entire time. He was laughing this morning and he was laughing all afternoon.

Even if it's just for today, I am glad he's back.

5 months old

My little man turned five months old last weekend.

This was a fun month with new and exciting things for him to try. The first big thing is he now eats rice cereal and vegetables! He LOVES his food & is a pretty hungry dude. He’s a messy eater, as you can see in some pictures, but it makes it fun. He loves squash, carrots & green beans…and hates peas. The face he makes when peas are coming his way is pretty funny. His lips are sealed shut!

We put together his “ring-of-joy” (the exersaucer) and I was shocked at how quickly he caught on to what everything does. He’s playing the music, jamming things in his mouth, turning the book pages, etc. I try not to let him sit in there for too long but it’s nice to have him in the kitchen while I’m cleaning up or maybe cooking dinner.

We’re trying to help him sit up. He gets a little stronger every day! I’m hoping that in the next few weeks he’ll be able to sit for longer periods on his own.

He found his feet a few weeks ago. It was really funny. He was in the bathtub & he lifted up his legs and the look on his face when he saw his feet was priceless. Since then, he can’t stop putting them in his mouth.

He must be teething because he rubs his gums all day long with the same finger…his left hand pointer finger. He sucks on that thing all day long. I’m predicting now that he’s going to be a lefty. He does everything left handed. We’ll see.

He still loves going on walks & being outside. He loves it when you clap for him. Sometimes he just laughs and laughs for no apparent reason. Still isn't a fan of the car but is starting to like being on his tummy a little more.

He’s still not sleeping through the night and has recently decided not to nap as long, but he’s such a fun baby and I love being his mom.

This is picture OVERLOAD but it's for Grandma G. in Georgia! I didn't post many random pictures of him this month so here they all are....

Nate in the stroller on one of our walks.

Nate sitting up.

Nate "walking"....looking at his dad.

I absolutely love a sleeping baby.

Having fun in his new toy....the "ring of joy."

lounging in the bathtub with his furrowed brow.

my grandma was in town for christmas so we got a picture of the 4 generations.

Nate and his dad just hanging out.

All Smiles.

This is his new favorite thing. Pulling hair and pinching. It's brought tears to my eyes a few times....he's got quite a grip!

He looks so old to me in this picture.

And here are a bunch of pictures of Nate eating. We always seem to have the camera out!

This particular time he spit his food all over his face....and mine.

So now, we eat naked.

Mom's phone tastes pretty good, too.

I want my foot for dessert....

Here is a video of Wes playing with Nate. Yes, it's his "goofy dad" voice but Nate absolutely loves it. Wes is such a fun dad!

My New Years Resolutions

I always try to make a list of goals at the beginning of the year of things I want to accomplish. So, here is my list for 2008:

Get my entire house organized & keep it organized. With all of the baby gear we have and future toys we will have soon, I need to clear out more space to store everything. I’m back in “nesting mode” so I’m ready to clear out stuff I don’t use anymore. My goal is to keep our house SUPER organized this year!

Cook & Bake. Most of you know that Wes is the cook in our house. It’s not necessarily that I don’t like to cook, but I’m not very good at planning meals in advance so we rarely have everything to make a meal. I’m hoping to sit down once a week and actually plan out some meals so I can go to the grocery store once a week and have what I need to make dinner.

Photography. I’ve been saying that I want to take a digital photography class for years but I haven’t done it yet. Wes bought me a few photography books for Christmas and looked in to various classes at the community college for me. Now that I have Nate, I’d love to be able to take better pictures of him.

Photo Shop. I want to learn at least the basics of PhotoShop to enhance my scrapbooking, card making, etc.!

Lose Weight. This makes it on my list every year! I am super motivated right now to lose my “Nate Weight”. I’m sick of staring at the clothes in my closet knowing that they don’t fit.

Go Green. I want to be more aware of the environment. I figure if I slowly make little changes in our lives, it will start to become a habit to save the environment. I can always call my big sis’ with any questions! She’s the “greenest” person I know.

Spend more time with my sisters. I live within 15 minutes of both of my sisters and while I see them at family Sunday dinners & family events, I feel like I don’t hang out with them as much as I’d like to. So, another goal for this year is to call them more often. Whether it’s to meet for lunch, go shopping, the movies, play dates for our kids, or just spending an afternoon at their house, I’d like to see them more often.

Read & Study my Scriptures during the day. I’m just too tired if I do it while I’m lying in bed. I want to start doing it during the day so I can actually study, and not just read.

Go to the temple more often.

Do more for myself. I think as a wife and a mom, you rarely have time to do anything for you. (Wes may totally disagree with this statement!) I’m going to try to do more for me this year.

Spend more time with just Wes. Actually get a babysitter and go out without a baby!

Be the best mom and wife I can be!

It's time for WW

I'm not sure why I thought my baby weight would come off easily. Maybe it's because so many people told me that "nursing makes you lose weight right away!" For those of you who lose the weight and are back in normal clothes in a few weeks (or days if you're my sister), you are lucky. I still don't fit in my pre-Nate clothes.

So, I finally decided to do something about it as one of my New Years Resolutions. I LOVE Weight Watchers. The first time I joined was in college. My skinny friend Liz wanted to learn how to eat better and lose what little fat she had on her so a few of us joined WW with her. I loved the program and lost 15-20 pounds!

The second time I joined was in 2006 when my mom & dad basically told Wes, Sam & I that we needed to lose a few pounds so they would "sponsor" us if we joined WW with them. We all did great and made it to be lifetime members (a lifetime member is when you make it to your goal weight and then stay there). Then.....I got pregnant & it all went downhill from there. Wes is still a lifetime member.

SO, I've joined for the 3rd time! Luckily, because I was lifetime before I got pregnant, I get 10 weeks free to try to get back down to my "pre-Nate weight". The nice thing is that I get so many more points because I'm nursing! It's really not that hard to follow right now.

I love going to weigh in. For some reason it's not enough if I just account to my scale. I have to have the weekly weigh in to motivate me. It's almost like I'm in a competition with myself. So, I weighed in this morning and I lost 3 pounds this week! Yeah! I feel like I'm on The Biggest Loser at home.

I'm one step closer to losing my "Nate Weight". Hooray to WW!

SOLD!

I'm not a Craigs List or Ebay kind of gal. I never think to get on there to buy anything. I usually just head down to my nearest Target or mall.

However, Wes & I bought two chairs and a matching ottoman when we first got married. They've been great chairs for us but the pattern limited my decorating and we really didn't have room for them anymore so we decided to sell them.

The first two times I posted them on CraigsList....we got no response. The third time turns out to be a charm. I sold them today! Yeah! I'm so glad they are outta here!

Happy Birthday & Happy New Year!

My mom and dad are only 10 days apart. My mom's birthday is December 22 & my dad is a New Years Day baby. So, we have lots to celebrate in a 10 day span with Christmas right in the middle!

Tonight we had our whole family together to celebrate both of their birthdays. We ordered in food from our favorite pizza joint, Metro Pizza. My dad requested a plain white cake with white frosting (a "boring" cake in my mom's eyes) which turned out to be very yummy.

My parents are two of the most amazing people I know. They both are so generous and charitable and it has always been something I admire in them. They truly love their kids & their grandkids even more. They love having people around and are constantly helping anyone in need.

It is fun working with my dad because I get to see two sides of him. The serious & intimidating man in the office and the absolute goofball at home. I need to get him on video with his grandkids! I love that he's so goofy.

Happy Birthday, Mom & Dad! And....Happy New Year everyone!

Here are a few pictures of the grandbabies from tonight....