Happy 10 Month Bday, Miles!

That's right!  10 months old today!  December is going fast, probably even faster than November.  November we had our Utah trip to look forward to for Thanksgiving.  Which turned out to be pretty amazingly fun!  We had big family dinners (including The Dinner), went to the art exhibit at BYU's art museum, Andrew went to SLC with his dad for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, we got caramel apples from Kneader's...  It was doubly relaxing because we had lots of baby sitters!  Miles seemed to really enjoy romping around with his aunts and uncles, and second cousins...once removed?  We also had a chance to visit Miles' great great grandparents a few times - really really enjoyed visiting with them!  Overall, it was a good trip! 
 

Miles is also jumping new milestones almost every day!  He's starting cruising (wrecking his naps!), prefers finger foods to anything else, and can dance to music (video).

We also gave his hair its first trim!  Not even a real haircut, but we took some off the top and around his ears.  Before the haircut, we did try out some new styles!  We thought this one would be good for Church on Sunday (heh heh!)

Next time, we'll have some pictures of Christmas!  I will consciously make an effort to take better pictures than I usually do in order to put them on the blog  :)

Falling into November

Well, October ended with a gust and we're officially into November!  Our Utah trip is just around the corner and we can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with our northern relations.

Love Relief Society "Super Saturday" projects!  Pretty much all my decorations come from RS

We're happy to report that costumes and parties and decorations were as fun as ever this Halloween!  Miles looked stinkin' cute in his little Robin costume (pictures don't do it justice!) and I thought it was funny when we showed up at a party dressed the exact same as my friend, her husband, and their 3 month old babe Kaden.  So classic!

Miles didn't really get the concept of a "funny face"

Robin can fly!

Halloween night was great!  We got the last of our homemade decorations up earlier that day and had lots of fun doing the candy-passing thing.  There was a block party down our street and we ate dinner there.  I swear, chili is the food of the season!  We went to our ward party and the block party and another get together and ate chili at every single one!  Oh well, good thing there are so many different kinds!  Andrew had fun sitting behind our crypt keeper in our yard and scaring kids coming up for candy.  Miles and I were inside getting him some dinner and we kept hearing screaming coming from the porch.  Many kids were so afraid of the crypt keeper that they wouldn't come up for candy!  I guess it looks too scary... is that even possible on Halloween?  We watched "House at the End of the Street" later and it was a well done thriller!  Caution, though, some mild language.  But great twist at the end.  We also watched "Brigham City" to gear up for Halloween and I thought it was great!  (It took forever to find this movie online but it was recently put on YouTube)  

The yard...much creepier at night

We also did family pictures in October!  A girl was in town from Utah and is friends with my sister in law Rebecca so she did them for us.  She was fabulous!  If anyone is looking for a great photographer in Utah, I highly recommend her!  We haven't seen the professional ones yet but I know they will be great!  The location was so pretty and my mom did a great job picking the color scheme for the outfits.  Here are a couple Andrew and I snapped with Miles while the pro was working with Jacob and his family.

We will make sure to get copies to family up in Utah when we get the nice ones back.  Other than that, seems like October went too quickly!  Hope you enjoyed the update!

Playing with toys on the couch - getting good at pulling himself up!

Baby friend in the mirror

End of Summer!

We LOVE October here in the Robinson house!  The weather gets cooler (nice, temperate 80s) and as Halloween gets near there are party plans, decorations, and costumes!  We are going to go to a ward trunk or treat party a couple days before Halloween.  So far the plan is to go as Batman, Robin, and Cat Woman.  But in the mean time, there are baby food meals and chasing a crawling babe and continued nursing and teething... 

Miles is eating lots of finger foods these days, and is getting very proficient at it!  He eats green beans and peas and carrots and peaches and all sorts!  The newest addition to the party spread is meats (chicken, beef, turkey, ham...) and some yogurt occasionally.  He gets whole meals for dinner with meat, veggies, and the works!  Gourmet!  But I will say, I can't wait until he just eats what Andrew and I eat.  Baby food has pushed me to the limits of my creativity!

He also cut two teeth a week or so ago!  They are so cute!  I miss his gummy-smile but besides the little teeth marks he leaves all over everything now, they seem to be making life easier!  They really help with all the new foods.

Miles also watches Little Bear and it is his favorite show!  The episodes are short and sweet so that helps with his attention span.  He also likes to watch Baby Einstein, but doesn't get a lot of screen time as we still don't have a tv!  I will say, sometimes I wish we did, but the nights when we sit and talk for an hour after dinner as we play with Miles reaffirm to me that we have made the right decision in not getting one for so long.  Plus we have access to Netflix and the internet if we want to watch something.

Also, Miles is crawling all over and exploring his little world!  So fun but so much trouble chasing after that kid!  I thought our house was pretty kid friendly, but he finds mischief in every corner!  I love seeing him peek around the corner, coming after me when I leave the room, or crawling across the carpet to get one of his toys back from a neighbor baby.  He already has decided that sharing is not going to be in his vocabulary.  Hopefully he outgrows that.   

We have had time to go on a hike to Wind Caves recently with some of my siblings and their families.  It has been a lot of fun having Jacob and his fam in town, though we don't get to see a ton of them.  He is doing his rotation in Tucson and is there all week while Becca stays at her parents' house with the kids.  But we see them on the weekends  :)  We also went fishing for Labor Day at Red Mountain Park in Mesa.  It was really fun, even though we didn't catch anything! 

BTW, I went to lunch with a friend to Applebee's for lunch and I have a new favorite order!  Normally I get the Veggie Patch Pizza from the appetizer list cause it is super yummy with artichoke hearts and spinach and such, but I got the Wonton Tacos...  To die for!  If you are going any time soon or just entertaining the idea of going out to eat, go there and get those tacos!  Kinda small, so get a side too, but dang.

Alright...there is so much more I could say, especially with a kid like Miles in our lives!  Sorry this blog is practically all about every minute detail of his life but, oh well!  And pictures:

Two little teeth!

Fishing with dad!

Sooo excited!

6 Months and Counting!

My goodness, I can't believe I can say I have a 6 month old little boy tomorrow!  I don't feel like much has changed since the last time I posted but I felt like I needed to say a little something on this momentous occasion!  He is on the other side of his first year, closer to being a toddler than a newborn.  It makes me feel proud that I kept him alive for so long!  Yeah!

I do feel like he is outgrowing his crib!  He can hardly roll over anymore without hitting the sides.  All night we hear thumps coming from his monitor as he hits the side of his crib...again.  But, I know I'll be grateful for those bars keeping him in when he starts toddling!

Release me!  This is what I walked in on after a nap...

We got him a walker from Babies R Us this last week and he is surprisingly good at getting around in it so far!  I mean, until he hits a wall...  He hasn't quite figured out how to steer the darn thing.  He looks so big in it though!  We got the cheapest one since we had a gift card and didn't want to spend much over it.  It cost us $9 - what a deal!

Miles loves to hit, scratch, pull hair, and kiss (open mouth, I'm-gonna-eat-your-brain zombie kisses).  It is so...endearing.  My favorite is when he hits the loaded spoon I'm trying to get into his mouth when I feed him.  Think millennium falcon flying through the asteroid field... that's what meal time is like.  I have to try to dodge waving arms, feet, sippy cups, etc to get that spoon in his mouth.  Good times!

We also finally got some pictures of Miles in his sweet shoes from Thailand!  My friend Yok sent these to him.  In her note she said they were handmade by an indigenous tribe in Thailand that sells handicrafts.  They are a keepsake I will always treasure!

Other than that, all is well here!  Andrew and I had a great anniversary and he is settling well into school and the early morning routine.  We are so looking forward to my brother, his wife, and two kids visiting from Ohio soon!  He will be down for medical school...stuff, and I can't wait to see them!  Especially their little kids, one of which was born in May.  We are planning on doing Bradshaw family pictures while they are down, so we might get a decent family picture with our little Miles - finally!

Picture we took on our 3rd anniversary before going out to dinner - 

best hubby ever!

5.5 months!

I feel like we are on the verge of very exciting times!  Miles tried his first bowl of baby cereal not too long ago (with mixed results) and is almost old enough to eat fruits and veggies!  I get the vibe he is getting tired of his very very limited diet.  Almost every meal, he is crying for what we are eating and trying to grab things off my fork!  Don't tell Dr Mike, but more often that not we do slip baby appropriate foods in his little mouth for him to gum and taste.  Can't wait for more "approved" foods to feed him!

Obviously, he loves his cereal... Ha ha!  We started him on oatmeal, but after a few days he would just shut his mouth and turn his head and then cry if we were really persistent.  If we managed to get some in, he did all he could to spit it out!  Actually quite cute (which is probably why I tried so long).  We then switched to rice cereal, but it has been a couple of days and he doesn't seem so keen on it as he was at first.  I think the novelty has worn off!

The other day, I realized he was discriminating against some of his toys.  He was starting to play favorites and I tried my very hardest to figure out why he was rejecting some and not others.  Finally I figured out that he was only playing with the toys with tags on them, the other toys sentenced to the toy box.  He would pick up a toy, play with it until he found the tag, and then chew the poor thing to death!  So, during one of his naps last week, I pulled out some fabric and ribbon and made him a taggie blanket!  It turned out really cute, though pinning it was a nightmare!  I had to re-pin the thing three times to get it right!  If not for my retardedness, it would have been a very easy project.  He loves it and chews on it all day, giving his poor toys a break!

Miles is also getting more mobile everyday.  He rolls one way easily and the other way if we trick him to do it.  He goes after toys on his blankets and can usually scoot to them, eventually.  Sometimes I leave for a few minutes and come back to the room and he is on the other side (or off) his blanket, going after something.  He is quite often on his tummy with either his knees or his hands under him.  He hasn't quite coordinated them yet but he is quickly getting there!  He is still really young, but I have a feeling he is going to figure out scooting around better very soon!  He can also sit by himself for quite some time now, and you can tell he is getting stronger!  His signature move, however, is jumping!  If you hold him, get ready for an arm work out!  He will jump in your lap all day if you let him, and if you try laying him down, he will kick you in the stomach.  Recently, though, he has started "marching," rhythmically moving one foot and then the next.  He looks like he is walking.  When in the pool, he does this move and it looks like he is crawling across the water.  So exciting that he is getting so big!  But kinda sad...each milestone is a little sad cause it means he is growing up....  *sniff*

Andrew is on the verge of starting his next school year!  He goes back on Thursday (Aug 1) and he will have meetings and we will get his room all ready before the students start a week later (Aug 8).  Our anniversary is Aug 6, so hopefully we will make time to go on a date, though we will probably have a third wheel with us!  We love celebrating with Mr Miles! Can't believe we have been married three years!!

20 lbs and counting!

Or, Utah Trip part II

Miles is officially 20 lbs exactly!  I weighed him on my scale today (doing the old weigh myself and then myself with him).  After a couple tries the verdict is in:  20 ridiculously heavy pounds!

This next week he will hit 5 months old and I can't believe how much he is changing!  He no longer sleeps swaddled and cute in the middle of his bed sucking on his pacifier.  He sleeps like this:

 Adorable, until you see where his feet and legs are.  Baby legs + crib bars = worst screams ever!  But he is pretty cute.

As for the second half of the Utah trip, I realized after that I took absolutely no pictures of the reunion!  I don't know what I was thinking!  I will hopefully snag some from people who took pics there.  Miles really really enjoyed his first fireworks show.  He cried a little during the finale when it got really loud and bright, but did really well!  That made us happy because we LOVE fireworks!  The 4th of July is Andrew's favorite holiday :)

I did take pictures of our hiking trip though!  Miles hiked TIMP!  Well, to the first waterfall  :)  It was his first hike and I think he liked it.  He is absolutely fascinated by trees and greenery, so it was perfect.  He stared and stared and stared at the waterfall too.  We went in the evening so we had plenty of shade and it wasn't too hot either - perfect hiking conditions!  We even saw a snake out for a... slither.  That made Andrew panic, but not nearly as much as I panicked over all the bees! 

 Since we've been home, we have been getting back on decent nap schedules (Miles), working on lessons and school prep (Andrew), and finishing up misc projects (Erica).  We had a little bit of rain and it feels like August is coming with some humidity and extra heat!  The best part of the day is in the evening when we go for a walk or a swim, eat dinner together as a family, and do Mile's routine.  I just love spending time with Miles and Andrew, and bathing Miles and putting him in his jammies and seeing how happy he is makes me so glad I am a mommy.  I really do live a blessed life and couldn't be happier!

Utah Trip: Part 1

We are having a blast in Utah spending time with family and friends!  Miles is loving getting to know this side of his family and seems to be handling the trip fairly well.  We are a week and a half into the vacation and have a week to go, so I thought I would give an update and post some pictures.  We were happy to celebrate Kate and Ryan's wedding last week!  It was a beautiful thing to be in the Salt Lake City Temple with so many members of the family!  Here are some other adventures:

Playing at Bonneville Park on the grass!

Riding on Great-Grandpa's bike
(and chewing on the handlebars...)

Visiting Great-Great Grandpa and Grandma Bird in
Springville - happy to see them!

Photo booth picture from the reception
of a friend!  Miles didn't really
want to play dress up though -  ha ha!

Having fun at Hogle Zoo!
Checking out the animals;
Miles didn't seem all that interested though  :)

Not from Utah trip, but another swimming picture!
"Hey, hey, Miles the otter!"