being a mama

{Post Disclaimer: This is me just rambling about my latest thoughts and challenges on being a mama . . .}

My mom said it perfectly the other day when she said that being a grandma is so much easier than being a mom. She watches Nate for me on Tuesdays while I go in to the office and she's almost always able to drop everything she has to do for that one day a week to devote it to him. She plays with him and teaches him new things ALL day. I swear he's always smarter after he's spent a day with grandma. But she doesn't worry about cleaning her house. She doesn't worry about cooking dinner that day. She doesn't worry about errands. She focuses on NATE. She said she was rarely able to do that as a mom because there are so many other things to do . . .

That got me thinking. Do I do enough with Nate? This stay-at-home-working-mom thing is tricky sometimes. I'm finding it hard to have a good balance of a). being a mama. Spending quality time teaching, playing & loving Nate. While still being able to b). Maintain a home. Cook dinner (or at least have food ready for Wes to cook :). and c). work from home. Lately I feel like I'm always feeling guilty if I neglect a). b) or c).

That leads me to think . . . how much is enough? I am of the mindset that kiddos need a good balance of having mom to play with and teach them but also being able to play and imagine on their own. But where is the balance? I struggle with that sometimes. Like, did I pay enough attention to Nate today or did I let cleaning the kitchen take precendence? I don't really have a choice with work . . . sometimes he just has to play on his own now that he's decided he's a one short nap a day, child. But I still wonder daily if I'm doing enough as I try to fill roles of mom/wife/homemaker/employee.

I think this mindset has stemmed from Nate going from 2 great naps a day to one not so good nap. I have less time without him to get other things done and I'm struggling with finding a good balance. I'll take any tips or thoughts you want to share!

Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

I'm trying to win this one for the Daisers.

12 months old

I figured since I have 11 months worth of photos with his month cards, I better do one with his 12 month card even if I am a few weeks late.

Wes had a good idea to get some of his 12 month photos on his new radio flyer. He loves this thing. I can't wait for the fall when it's cool enough outside that he can ride and ride in our driveway.

A little bit about Nate at 12 months:

He's still a fabulous eater. The kid loves everything. Especially whatever Wes and I are eating. His latest favorites are Cafe Rio salads, grilled cheese, all fresh fruit. His latest idea is that he should spoon feed himself which proves to be a little messy but we're working on teaching him how.

He loves straws. His latest favorite drink is a Capri Sun. He drinks the entire thing without even taking a breath. If I have a fountain drink or a drink with a straw at a restaurant, I've learned that he needs to have his own kiddie cup with a straw or else he'll throw a tantrum for my diet coke, which he isn't allowed to have.

He's been on whole milk for about a month now. Hooray for no more formula! He loves it and recently decided that he likes it cold in his sippy cup. (He usually gets it warm in a bottle). Next transition: no more bottles! Wish me luck.

He's not walking but he's standing a lot on his own. We're just waiting for his first step.

Nate's first word (other than mama and dada) was "hot". He loves telling me when things are hot. He'll tell me his food is hot, the ground is hot, the air is hot, the car is hot. His favorite is to point at a lit candle and tell me it's hot. He then proceeds to blow on whatever it is he thinks is hot. It's hilarious.

He is my little sponge, wanting to learn and learn every day. He's so curious. He's mister adventure. There's a group of girls in my ward that meet at a rec center pool every Thursday with water falls and areas for Nate to crawl around in the water. He loves it. I take him over to the waterfalls and he sticks his head right in and loves every minute of it. He also dunks his head on purpose as he crawls around. He loves the water.

He's also ALL boy. He loves being dirty. Loves a mess. Loves dirt. And is in to EVERYTHING.

He has definitely mastered throwing a tantrum but we love the little dude through his kicking and screaming. Sometimes it's actually quite humorous as he throws himself to the floor. One thing he started doing out of the blue is wanting to be held again. I thought we were past that stage. He stands up with his arms up in the air and tugs at our pant legs to be held. He's been very needy since we got back from all of our vacations. I'm hoping it's still a phase and not the new Nate.

One of my favorite things that Nate does is cuddle. He hasn't always been a cuddler but he's getting more and more snuggly as he gets older. He loves stuffed animals for this reason. He gives them a big hug and lays down!

His latest thing is that he loves things on his head. Sunglasses are his favorite but recently he's loved his goofy ears he got at Disneyland.

Nate wanted to help Wes put together the radio flyer . . .

So he can practice riding it . . .

I love this kid!

A Smart & Happy Day

{The picture has nothing to do with this post. This is how he likes to ride in the car. With my sunglasses on. Not his.}

Nate decided he wanted to show me how smart he really is today. I feel like I teach him things over and over wondering if he has any clue as to what I'm talking about. And then all of a sudden he decides to let me in on a few things that he knows. This morning, I asked him these questions and he actually answered me . . .


Nate, what does a cow say? he said: oooooo

What does a bear say? he growled.

Where is your hair? he pulled on his hair.

Where is your nose? he honked his nose.

Where are your toes? he pulled on his toes.

I asked him to sign thank you when I gave him something, and he did that too.

These were all NEW things that he did today. It's nice to know your repetition of attempting to teach them actually pays off. And can I say hallelujah to a "happy day." It feels like for the last month or so we've had "crabby/clingy days" and today we finally had a "happy/I'm OK by myself for a few minutes day." But hey, a few minutes is better than zero minutes!

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Is this not the CUTEST green dress you've ever seen? I'm going to try to win it for my neice, Abbie for her birthday. Maybe her mom will let me borrow it if I ever have a girl.

5 years

On August 16th Wes and I celebrated our five year anniversary. Well, let me clarify. I spent the day with my mom and Sam at the cabin and Wes spent the day with my dad. Is that what happens when you've been married for five years? We certainly didn't plan it that way but it's kinda how it ended up. Although I think Wes lucked out that I was out of town. He got to play golf twice on Saturday and he shot his all time low of a 78.

Wes was very thoughtful while we were away. He checked off so many things on my list of things to do & even had flowers awaiting my arrival. The past five years have been full of good times. I'm so grateful for such a wonderful husband who is such a support to me and such a great dad to Nate. We've thouroughly enjoyed the last year as we were blessed to be parents to such a sweet little boy.

Happy Five Years, Weston R. Here are some photos of us over the years . . .

At the Tim & Faith Concert at Mandalay Bay . . .

In Sun Valley, Idaho. One of our all-time favorite places!

Albuquerque, New Mexico celebrating Wes' grandpa's 80th bday.

At the PBR at Mandalay Bay.

Lake Oconee, Georgia

Lake Hiawasee

RedFish Lake, Idaho

BYU Football Game. Go Cougars!

Nate & I took a little tour of Utah

Nate and I just got back on a little "tour of Utah" to visit friends and family.



ORIGINAL PURPOSE FOR TRIP TO UTAH: to get together with my 3 college roommates and dear friends before Laurel Bogner gets married.

When it was obvious that just wasn't going to work out, MY NEW PURPOSE FOR GOING TO UTAH WAS:
a). Visit Laurel Walker (one of the roommates) at her parent's home in Huntsville, Utah.
b). Spend some time with my Grandma who has been begging to see Nate.
c). IKEA
an added bonus: see Ryan, Leslie & Millie!

It was by far, the most spontaneous trip I've ever taken. Nate and I flew up to Utah on Wednesday morning ~ my mom picked us up from the airport. I got lucky on my flight . . . this cute Nana ASKED if she could sit by me to help with Nate on the plane! It was fabulous. We didn't always know where we were staying or where we were going, but it all worked out.

We spent Wednesday with my grandma and then we drove to Herriman to visit our friends, The Andrus'. It was fun to see them in their new home. Thanks guys for letting us crash with you!

Millie thought Nate was hilarious! She had a great belly laugh as she'd laugh at him.


Nate is ALL boy. He finds dirt and rocks everywhere we go!


Thursday morning Nate & I drove to Huntsville, Utah to see Laurel W. and her kiddos. Her parents recently built a beautiful home there & we had a great time! Laurel lives in New York so I don't get to see her very often so it was fun to let our kids play together and to catch up. We had a little adventure that night when the power went out in Huntsville for 6+ hours! We were able to sit in the dark and chat for hours after we put the kids to bed. Thanks Laurel (and your mom) for inviting us up to play. We had a great time.

Laurel's oldest . . Avery climbing up the water slide


Laurel's little guy, Ashton. He is a few months younger than Nate.


Nate and Ashton playing with Briscuit, the dog. I think this is the only time they were awake at the same time!


Nate having fun playing on the life size sorry board in the backyard!


On Friday morning we drove back to Salt Lake. While Nate slept at my grandma's house, my mom let Sam and I get a head start at Ikea. How does Vegas not have an Ikea? We were there for a LONG time. By the time you make your way through the store and load everything on to the carts, it can take many hours! Luckily my mom was there to keep Nate busy while Sam and I did the heavy lifting and loading. I was able to get lots of fun stuff for our office/playroom/craft room! That night we drove to the cabin. Lets just say that poor Nate had just about had it by that point. I thought he would fall asleep since it was his bedtime but that was not the case. It was a looong 3.5 hours but it was nice to break up the drive!

Saturday was a relaxing day at the cabin with my mom and Sam. We watched the Olympics and lounged around. Later in the afternoon we decided to go exploring at Navajo Lake & Cedar Breaks. It's gorgeous up there!

Cedar Breaks

Navajo Lake

With all of the driving & shopping at Ikea, I had to have new treats for Nate. His favorite? Chocolate covered gummy bears.



Although the rice krispie treat was a close second.

August 9: Sam & Allan's Day

The entire weekend was filled with family and I loved it. I had 7 aunts and uncles & 15 cousins here from out of town to go to my uncle’s baptism. It just so happened that most of them could also join us at the temple as my little sis’ went through for the first time.

Saturday was quite the day in the Marz family. It started at 9:30am at the Las Vegas Temple. I have to say it was pretty neat having my entire family sitting inside the temple. I’ll confess that I hadn’t been in a while so it was great to be there again! After the session, we went to Cheesecake Factory for a yummy lunch! We picked up Nate from the babysitter and we all headed to the chapel to set up for the dinner after my uncle’s baptism.

My Uncle Allan is the one that got baptized. He’s been married to my Aunt Kara for 40+ years and he finally made the decision to be baptized. It was amazing to see him there. He couldn’t stop smiling. His son, Devin, was able to baptize him. I’m glad I could be apart of such a great day for Sam and Uncle Allan.

The other best part about the weekend was having my extended family in town. My dad’s side of the family is quite large and regardless of how much time goes by before we see everyone, it’s always fun. I was able to spend Friday and Saturday night with everyone while Wes stayed home with Naters and I had a blast. Saturday night was especially hilarious as we were all exhausted, yet still chatting at my parent’s house. I saw a side of my Uncle Gary that was so incredibly hilarious . . . Sam and I almost peed our pants. And who knew that my Uncle Robert had a tendency to kill animals? His stories, with Gary’s commentary, made me laugh harder than I’ve laughed in a long time. To sum this weekend up: GOOD TIMES.

I was TERRIBLE at taking pictures. I didn't get a single one of Sam or Allan on their big day. But I did get a few of the little ones . . .

Abbie CRACKED me up on Saturday night. At the dinner following the baptism, she sat on the floor and during the musical number she was playing the "air piano" on the floor. She was so focused on playing the imaginary keys. I'm sure she wanted to be just like her brother, Kyle.



Then, after every speaker, she'd look at the microphone and say "my turn, my turn". So finally, I let her have her turn and while it mortified her mom, I thought it was great. She was quite the performer. I think she needs a karaoke machine for her birthday.




And of course, my little man.


Congrats Sam and Uncle Allan! It was great to be a part of your day.

Nate eating cake

My favorite part of any first birthday party is watching the little one eat their cake. I knew Nate would love making a mess so I got him a little cake of his own. A cupcake wouldn't do for this little man. And since Sam did such a great job of capturing his every move, I thought I'd post a little photo story of Nate eating his first birthday cake.