Our Year in Review 2016!

2016 was a pretty crazy year with deciding to sell our home and pursue building our own home and that crazy pursuit is still an ongoing thing going into 2017. I have not even blogged about our life this past year at all and hope to get catching up one day soon. We are hoping we can finally get things to fall into place and work out, but for now, here are some of our highlights and favorite moments from 2016. Enjoy!

It was a FABULOUS year, and although it was crazy, I believe it will bring about some of our greatest blessings and adventures in the coming year. Cheers to 2017!!!

Cute Little Jaydenisms: Year Four!

9/28/15-Jayden just strutted over to grab the sucker he has been working on eating for days (he likes to save things for as long as possible), proceeded to put it in his mouth and then pulled it out again creating a loud "pop" sound, then turned to me and in a very grown up voice asked, "So, what's the plan?" He cracks me up!

10/1/15-Lately Jayden has been gushing over how cute everything is. It is not rare to hear: "Oh my goodness Mom! Tristan is soooo cute!", "Mom! Look at this cute Halloween costume!", "Oh! Look at how cute this is Mom!" "Awe! Isn't that so cute, Mom?" "Your clothes are so cute Mom!"...pretty sure he is spending way too much time with me and is in desperate need of some boy time with some friends. Ha ha!

11/13/15-Jayden has been constantly asking about when the snow will be here. Not so he can build a snowman however, but so that he can shovel the driveway.

11/21/15-Jayden got talking about Santa this morning and he has come to the conclusion that Santa's hair fell off of his head and landed on his chin. Gotta love kiddos and their philosophies on life.
12/28/15-Jayden asks a MILLION questions a day! He is so smart and energetic and fun and definitely gives me a run for my money on a daily basis.

2/7/16-Jayden just informed me that he just likes my hair long like "Tangled's" (a.k.a. Rapunzel's) and not short like when it gets cut at the end of the movie, but its okay because he still loves me. (This was the day after I cut 10 inches off of my hair and he saw me for the first time with short hair).

2/14/16-Today at church, Jayden was scared and came and found us in tear's because he did not know his teachers (the Stake Primary Presidency took over so the adults could attend Ward Conference), so I offered to go in and sit with him for a bit. As we were walking out he turned to Ben and said, "but I just want her to come and not you Dad, because she is my favorite!"

4/28/16-I was talking to Jayden about how I was getting rid of Tristan's car seat because it is too old and will not still be good to save for a new baby. Then I asked him if he would like a new baby. He paused to think about it for a moment before responding with, "No, I just want to keep this baby (pointing to Tristan) because I love him very much!" I had to go on to explain that we would always have Tristan in our family, but we could have more babies too. He looked relieved and said that sounded good. He then asked if we were going to have a lot of boys if I have a lot of babies. I told him that we would just have to see who Heavenly Father wants to send to our family. PRECIOUS!!!

5/13/16-Jayden is marching around the house saying “Ladies and Benjamin!” over and over again. Ha ha ha!

6/22/16-Jayden ADORES his "baby"! He came down in tears this morning and said to me through broken up sobs, "I had a bad dream that my baby was gone and we could not find him anywhere." It took a good 15 minutes to calm him down and convince him that Tristan was here and that he was okay. So sad, but so precious at the same time! Tristan has been rubbing his back for the last while trying to love Jayden better like he always does when Jayden is sad. They love each other SO much!!! It melts my heart!

8/18/16-Jayden is SO smart and SO sweet, but he LOVES to push buttons and tease-especially his little brother and he can sure wear me out and give me a run for my money.

9/14/16-Caleb was not eating and was acting super sick the past week ever since we picked the boys up from Ben's parent's after our getaway for Labor Day. He is staying with Ben's parents while we build so I left as soon as I found out to go and see him with the boys. I had Ben on the Bluetooth in our car and had him say a prayer for our Caleb. I was so touched as he prayed for our dog and as I watched Jayden immediately fold his arms, close his eyes, and bow his head. Tristan watche...d his older brother for a moment before folding his arms, closing his eyes, and bowing his head. It was such a tender and precious moment. I told Jayden what happened and the importance of always doing what is right because you never know who is watching and will follow what you do. When we got to Ben's parents, they said Caleb's entire demeanor flipped a 180 as soon as we arrived, but we still took him to the vet the next day.

Heavenly Father was mindful of our family and our Caleb is doing much better. The vet loved Caleb almost as much as Caleb LOVED him. He was so impressed with Caleb and said he had such a great personality for a dog. He had a bad ear infection, but is on the mend and passed his exam with flying colors other than that! We are SO grateful!!!

Adorable, Sweet Tristanisms: Year One!

8/26/15-Jayden laid his head on Tristan’s tummy as I held him on my lap and Tristan proceeded to stroke his hair (with no pulling miraculously) while saying “Ahhh” over and over again. It was the sweetest thing! Just wish I had found my phone in time to capture it on video. Love little moments like this one!

8/26/15-Tristan is SO social and has a big smile and squeal for anyone and everyone who takes the time to say hi to him and play with him. :)

8/26/15-Tristan will sneeze and sneeze and sneeze and then let out an adorable exasperated sigh when he is finally finished.

8/26/15-Tristan loves to play with his tongue and has some pretty impressive vocalizations.

8/26/15-He will be mobile before we know it! He is already army crawling, rolling over, and trying to sit up. He can also stand and hold his own with a little bit of help balancing.

826/15-Tristan LOVES the outdoors and has since the day he was born. He loved looking at the tree’s outside the hospital window and is always happy when someone takes him outside even when he is hungry and upset. It calms him right down.

8/26/15-Tristan slept through the night for the first time at 2 months and has pretty much slept from 10-6ish ever since.

8/26/15-He is such a good and easy baby even if he does like to be held a lot and does not like being left without someone right by him.

8/25/15-Tristan’s hungry cry comes complete with his crying “Mom!” over and over again. It literally sounds like that is what he is saying. It is so funny! He has great communication skills already! Ha ha!

9/2/15-Tristan is a master of the bottom lip pout. That coupled with his cute beady eyes gets him just about anything and everything around here.

9/13/15-Every time Tristan gets done nursing (if he does not nurse to sleep), he looks up at me, smiles, and then begins to pure these cute and content little grunts. It is one of my favorite things!

9/28/15-Tristan is obsessed with his tongue. It is always out and pointing up around his upper lip. It is pretty much the cutest thing EVER!

10/15/15-Tristan is SO loud! I am talking high pitched (happy) squeals non-stop all day long! If this is any preview to what we are in for with this little guy I am going to need to invest in some good ear plugs. For now, it is just super cute though. We may survive though because with the strain that it sounds like it is putting on his throat, I don’t think he will last long…maybe…:)

11/13/15-Nothing can console Tristan quite like the song “Patty Cake”. Whether he is hurt, sad, hungry and I can’t feed him just yet, or struggling to fall asleep, nothing can calm him down like that song can. It is so cute!

12/2/15-Tristan LOVES family pictures! He will stare at them for hours just beaming and squealing and jumping up and down. It melts my heart that he already gets so passionate about our family.

12/6/15-Tristan is officially sitting up all on his own!

12/23/15-Tristan immediately calms down no matter how upset he is when I sing the lullaby I made up for him and Jayden. It melts my heart to know that I can comfort him with my voice and song, and really comes in handy when I can’t snuggle him when he gets upset when we are driving in the car.

12/28/15-Tristan adores his doggie! He gets the biggest grins, squeals, and giggles whenever Caleb is around and does not mind the many MANY kisses his doggie gives him. Needless to say, his doggie loves him too.

12/29/15-Tristan loves to love on people whether it is leaning into someone, hugging them, or rubbing their backs, he always does so with a smile and a sweet little “awe” to go with it.
12/29/15-Tristan is in the beginning stages of crawling (army crawling and moving back and forth on his hands and knees) and he could not be more proud of or happy with himself.
1/23/15-Tristan is officially crawling!!!

2/8/16-Tristan is now pulling himself to standing with support next to something. He is growing so fast!

2/13/16-Tristan LOVES giving Caleb treats! He likes to tease him though and will wave it in front of him giggling for a while before letting him have it. Stinker! Good thing his doggie loves him and is so patient and good about it.

2/22/16- Jayden and Tristan are the best of friends! Tonight during scripture study, Jayden came up and to Tristan and said "Hi Tristan!" Tristan immediately looked at him and exclaimed "Jayden!" clear as day and proceeded to giggle. Jayden and Tristan went on to squeal and laugh together for the next several minutes before we resumed our study. They could play happily all day together. They are my happiness! I just love them!!!

3/18/16-Tristan is starting to say all of our names and it is the cutest thing ever! We can officially understand Dada (first word), Mama, Jayden, and Caleb (dog dog). All of our names have two syllables and a certain rhythm to the way he says them. SO cute!

4/10/16-Tristan came up to me last night, pulled himself up by grabbing onto my pants, looked up and me and clear as day said "I love you!" Me and Ben could not get over how sweet and precious it was!

4/10/16-At almost 11 months, Tristan is FINALLY showing a genuine interest in food other than nursing! So far he has started loving pancakes, broccoli, and boiled eggs. He has jut in the last day started coming up to me and wanting to share whatever I am eating and will try just about anything now-YAY!!! For months he has just shook his head, pinched his mouth closed, and pushed the spoon or our hands away, so this is a nice and welcome change!

4/20/16-Tristan has started clapping his hands! He especially likes to do this after musical performances.

Davis & Bott Party: Fun on the GIANT Slip N’ Slide!

Every Summer my Dad’s company hosts a family party that is water themed. Growing up it was always at the Brigham City Pool. A few years back they started boating at Willard Bay which took the fun to a whole new level! Well, they did it again. They switched it up once again and it definitely did not disappoint! This past year we all partied it up at a giant slip n’ slide in Cache Valley. Ben had to work unfortunately, but I took the boys and boy did we ever have an absolute blast!

I (finally) talked my Mom into going down the slide and she LOVED it! I knew she would! I was so proud! :)

My brave little boy! He went down all by himself successfully quite a few time but biffed it the last time I let him go by himself. He was still so brave and did not even cry! He is quite the little tough guy!

Jayden scored these glasses from the drawing! My family cleaned house! (except for me, of course…I have the worst luck ever when it comes to drawings).

My Mom, Jayden, and I biffed it our last ride down. In an effort to keep Jayden on the mat and me from running over him, I ended up skidding off the mat over the mud and rocks. OUCH! No dirt, no blood, no victory, right?

Such a FUN night!!! :)

Oregon Coast Trip 2015: Family Fun at the Durfee’s House, the Hotel on the Coast, and the LONG Drive Home!

The family fun was great during all of our many adventures this trip, but we had just as much fun together chilling at my Aunt and Uncle’s house and at the hotel. From the yummy meals where we shared memorable conversations, to building forts to sleep in, to playing with fluffy and cute pets, to water balloon fights, to Nerf Gun wars, to game nights, to fun on the trampoline, to building trains and enjoying the toys, to laughing at all hours of the night, and the memories and good times went on and on!

Our boys were such amazing and happy little vacationers, but the traveling came with a bit of a struggle and ended up being double the time with all the potty breaks with a newly potty trained Jayden, and the nursing and diaper change stops that come with a three month old. It was all SO worth the 40 hours of driving. :)

Such an AMAZING trip!!!