The McManus Family

Family Pictures

2011-10-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

My sweet little boys

Dax's funny face

I absolutely LOVE this picture of my boys

Smiles

One of my favorites of Little Drake

Dax's First Year of Soccer

2011-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Dax just finished his first year of soccer. He was put in Start Smart Soccer for Provo City. Basically they just teach the kids all this skills they will need to play real soccer when they are 4. He loved going to practice and learning what to do. At the end of his classes he was able to play in a soccer game with some of his teammates. It was super funny to watch. This is the first time they have ever played soccer on a team and had no idea what to do. Most of them cried when the ball was taken from them and they were a lot of hands being used instead of feet. It was mostly entertainment for the parents, not so much the kids. The kids did get a certificate of completion and a really nice medal. Overall it was totally worth the $27 it cost and Dax is looking forward to playing it again next year.

(sorry these are so small) Dax is the kid holding the soccer ball and NOT looking at the camera. :)

LOVE this picture! Way to go Dax!!

My sweet baby boy is 6 months old today!!

2011-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

The time sure does go by super fast!! I can't believe that it was 6 months ago that I had this beautiful little guy. Well, he is not so little now. I weighed him yesterday on the Wii and he came in at a whopping 20 lbs!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you sweet baby!

Family Pictures!

2011-04-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

Finally here are pictures of Drake and us! I know that it took entirely too long to get pictures of him posted especially since he is now 2 months old! I suck, i know. :)
So Leslie took a bunch of family pictures for us and I choose just a few from the TONS that she took. I had to pick the ones that I look thinnest in .....since I still have some baby weight to lose!

This one has to be my favorite!! This pictures totally captures what a typical day is like for us! The baby is upset for whatever reason and Dax is doing something silly and Rob and I just smile. LOVE IT!

Here is Drake! He is a jumbo as you can see from this picture. He is the sweetest little guy and such a good baby. He really only cries when he is hungry or wet. At his last weigh in, which was at 5 weeks, he was 11lbs 6oz. (his birth weight was 7lbs 13oz) So it will be interesting to see what he weighs when I take him in next week for his 2 month check up! He has recently started to smile and kinda tries to babble. It is so fun to see Dax interact with him. He loves to hold and kiss him and is super protective over him! So cute.

Here is my big boy! Dax turned 3 in January and is fully potty trained! He is super silly and loves to make us laugh. He says the craziest things which make Rob and I have to watch what we say because he loves to copy us. He is getting better at counting to 10 and is trying to learn his letters. Love this little boy!

Anyway here are some more pictures that I love!

CUTE!! Love this picture of Daddy and Dax!

I had to include this one here also. This is Rob's latest ink! It is a tattoo that he has been wanting for a really LONG time and he was finally able to get it. It took him two 4 hours sessions to get all of it done. OUCH. It is a Polynesian tattoo representing his Samoan heritage and all the shapes inside the lines mean different things, like strength and family, in Samoan.

BABY DRAKE IS HERE!!

2011-02-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Drake Owen McManus was born on February 19, 2011 at 4:57PM. He was 7lb 13 oz and 19.5 inches long! He is such a cute little guy and is doing well. I PROMISE to post pictures once I get Rob to put the on the computer for me... :)

Yay! Quick update

2011-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

So I had my OB appointment today and now that I am 36 weeks my Dr. said if I go into labor he won't stop it! GREAT NEWS!! So we'll see what happens. I'm not counting on anything and really won't be surprised if my due date come and goes, but it is nice to know that I could have this baby whenever!

Update.....since it's been a while.

2011-01-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

So things in our lives have finally seemed to slow down. So I better catch everyone up on what's been going on.
We recently moved to our new apartment in Provo on BYU campus, which we really love. It is so nice to be on our own again. We have already met some really nice people. Our new ward is super small compared to what we came from. When we moved here we were excited to be able to be in a ward with lots of kids for Dax to play with, not really the case. We were surprised to find that our ward is made up mostly of newlyweds and few kids. Dax makes child number 4 in the primary! It is nice that everyone around here are all in the same boat. We are all poor college students just waiting for the day that our husband graduates! (that's a long ways away for us)
Dax started potty training last week and has been doing really great!! He is super excited because he is working his way towards a special prize when he can go three days in a row without any accidents. Cross your fingers!
I am 34 weeks along and can't wait for the end! I think I am a OK pregnant person up until the end. With this pregnancy as soon as I hit 30 weeks the exhaustion set in. I am uncomfortable and just am looking forward to being exhausted because of taking care of the baby. :) But I can be patient a little longer, I have no choice. I have decided to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) with this baby. So that means that I have to go into labor on my own and can't be induced. (please don't come late baby!) I guess we will just see what happens! I hope that everything works out the way I want it to, but I know full well that rarely happens and won't be surprised if I end up with another c-section. As long as the baby is healthy that's all I really care about.
Rob recently got a job working with the BYU grounds crew! It is a really nice and easy job but he works from 3 to 7AM, so that has been a big adjustment for him. It is nice because he goes to school after his shift is over so his day is done by 11AM on Mondays and Wednesday and by 1PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is doing well in school and is working super hard to give us a better future! Love him so much for all his hard work and effort!!
Well that's it for us. I'm sorry that I don't post any pictures. I promise to post pictures when the baby comes though!!

Finally in the third trimester! And life update.

2010-12-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

So I shouldn't complain because this pregnancy has gone by really fast. I finally hit the third trimester and now see the Dr. every 2 weeks!! Before I know it, the baby will be here. Especially with Christmas right around the corner, then moving to our new tiny apartment and celebrating birthdays. I have plenty to keep me occupied for the next month.
Rob is finishing his first semester at BYU next week, then has a 2 week break for Christmas and then back to normal life full of homework! Yay! Only 4 more years of this! He is doing awesome and is working super hard! It will be nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel though.
We are moving on campus at BYU the beginning of January, which we are really looking forward to! It will be nice to be on our own and meet new friends that are in our same situation. Poor college students with kids! :D
Dax is doing well. He turns 3 in January and is super close to being potty trained!!!!! (I just need to put in a little more effort :D) I'm super excited about this. That means less diapers to buy! He still doesn't know what to think of me having a baby. Sometimes he acts excited and other times he tells me he is going to put the baby in time out. I guess we will see when he gets here.
Well that's all the updates from us lately. Kinda lame, I know. But that's life!

Funny story about pregnancy and trying to sleep....

2010-11-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

I have a Parenting app on my Iphone that gives me daily updates on pregnancy and children and sometimes has funny stories. I came across this story last night and It is exactly what I go through almost every night! So I thought I would share since most moms I know have probably gone through this when they were pregnant and it is a good laugh!

WARNING: This is written by the senior editor at eBabytalk and she just happens to be in a relationship with another women. If that offends you....don't read it. Regardless, the story is funny and I enjoyed it.

A night in the life of a sleepless mom

By Patty Onderko

"You better enjoy your sleep while you still can!" When you're expecting, you hear this bit of advice, always delivered with an evil little laugh, from moms and dads who have already lived through -- and apparently been scarred by -- the sleep deprivation that comes with baby's first year. I wish I could enjoy my nights! But at 27 weeks pregnant with twin boys, I dread them. Though I'm exhausted, have an aching back and a heavy belly, and want nothing more than to get some rest, I know that sleep is no longer what my nighttimes are about, even before my babies have entered the world. I now think of the hours between about 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. as a gauntlet of various pains and discomforts to be endured until I make it through to the sunrise salvation of morning. Here's a little look at last night:

10 p.m.
My wife, Emily (I'm married to a woman), says good night and turns off her nightstand light. I decide to keep reading my new book on twins just to postpone the frustration of trying in vain to fall asleep.

11:30 p.m.
Put on a Breathe Right strip (my nose has been constantly congested for weeks now) and turn off light.

11:45 p.m.
Wonder if Breathe Right strips are causing my nose to permanently change shape. After all, I've been using them every night for six months. Emily says I'm addicted.

Midnight
Gather all pillows from the floor and create an elaborate incline system for my head and neck, since lying flat is making me feel like the blood to my head is being cut off. Or that all the blood is rushing there...I can't tell the difference.

12:15 a.m.
Angrily toss all pillows off bed; incline system not comfortable. Get up to pee. Then create a mental checklist of all the things I need to buy before the babies come: a hands-free telephone headset (I've heard this is a must when you have twins), slippers for the hospital bag, a new coffee table (the one we have now is a metal-and-glass infant death trap), a rocker, thank-you cards, diapers!

After switching from my left to right side every two minutes for the past half hour ( I miss stomach sleeping!), I finally give up and flop onto my back.

12:50 a.m.
Worry about how much damage I'm doing to my babies by sleeping on my back. Turn to my left side. My back is killing me, so I pull pillows back onto the bed and wedge one underneath my belly and another behind my back. It doesn't help at all. I actually start to whimper a little.

1:05 a.m.
Get up to pee. Two whole drops!

1:20 a.m.
Feel like I have to pee again, but know my bladder's gotta be empty. The idea of an empty bladder makes me scared that I'm not drinking enough water and possibly dehydrating the twins, so I get up for a drink, and then pee again.

3 a.m.
"Holy *%@%#!!" Leg cramp, leg cramp, oh God, leg cramp. Angrily shake Emily awake as I grit my teeth and wait for the excruciating pain to pass. It's not fair she gets to sleep through all my torture.

3:01 a.m.
Ahhh, leg cramp has ended, but I moan for another five minutes as I flex my foot so that my wife understands the true cruelty that is a middle-of-the-night calf cramp. I swear, some pregnancy god devised this quirky little symptom for her own amusement: "Oh look, she was finally sleeping and now she's writhing like a hooked worm on speed. Mwhahaha!"

My Breathe Right strip is slipping off. I try for a while to reaffix it -- I don't want to waste one since they're surprisingly expensive -- before giving up and putting on a new one. Addicted, apparently.

3:40 a.m.
Pee.

3:45 a.m.
The babies begin their nightly acrobatics act. I giggle, then moan, then giggle, then moan for the next half hour as they flip, kick, and punch. I love these boys! I hate these boys! Will I ever get sleep? I pull Emily's hand to my belly to feel them, not caring that she was fast asleep. In the morning, I'll tell her I just wanted to "include" her in the "magical" experience.

6 a.m.
My wife gets up to go to the gym. I can't believe I've actually been sleeping! I'm simultaneously excited that the night is almost over and panicky that I have only another hour to sleep. For the next 60 minutes, I float in and out of a dream about breastfeeding (the twins try and try to nurse, but my breasts will produce only peanut butter) and fantasies about what I'll eat for breakfast (an oversize full-fat bran muffin...yum!).

7:03 a.m.
Rub my belly and tell the boys it's time to get up. I reprimand them for keeping me up all night, and they give me a few kicks in response as if to say, "Just you wait, lady!"

Patty Onderko is a senior editor atBabytalk. Her twin boys were born in July.

Surprise! We know what we are having!

2010-10-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

So I had my 20 week ultrasound today and that means that we got to find out the gender!!!

IT'S A BOY!!

So my hunch that I had was totally WRONG! Rob and I honestly though it was a girl. This pregnancy is completely different from the first. Just goes to show that you never know. But we are really happy having another little boy. Dax is super wild and it will be nice for him to have a brother he can be wild with. :)
So other then that everything else with the baby is good. All the vital parts are there and he weighs 13oz right now! I also have a new due date according to the ultrasound, February 23. I am so excited to meet this little guy (FYI- that is his new nickname that my 3 year old niece gave him already. Cute huh :D ) and hope this 4 remaining months go by quick and that he is born healthy and happy!

Happy Anniversary Love

2010-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Rob and I have been married for 6 years now! Just wanted to tell him that I love him tons and that I am looking forward to tons more years together! I really wanted to post a picture of us on our wedding day , since that's what people with blogs do when it's their anniversary, but for some reason it won't let me. So if you all could just imagine a super, SUPER handsome Rob and me looking so georgous in white standing in front of the Salt Lake Temple then that's us on our wedding day!! :) Love you Rob!!

Quick update

2010-09-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today I had another OB appointment for my 16 week check up and everything is just fine. The Dr. was able to find the heart beat right away this time which was very nice! So I only have 4 more weeks until I am able to find out what we are having. Cannot wait until then! Rob and I have our suspicions of what we think it is, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see if we are right.

It's official.....there's definately a baby in there!

2010-08-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

I finally had my first OB appointment yesterday and now I have proof that a baby is growing inside! This picture means a lot because my doctor had a hard time finding the baby's heart beat yesterday. He searched for what seemed like forever and couldn't hear anything. He set me up with an ultrasound right away so I wouldn't have to freak out for very long. Thank you! I went over the the hospital and luckily got back to the room quick because by this time I was having a hard time holding the tears back. She put the probe on my belly and immediately I heard the heart beat and cried like a baby! So everything checks out just fine!!

BIG NEWS!

2010-07-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I think most of you know by now our BIG news! For those of you that don't know....SURPRISE!! We are having another baby!

I'm due March 2nd, just in time for Rob's birthday! (His birthday is March 1st). Happy Birthday Rob!! We are super excited to have another member in our family and can't wait. This time around I am much more impatient! I just would rather get the pregnant phase over and have the baby already! So sad when I see that widget and it says 214 days to go!

FINALLY...i updated!

2010-05-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

So it has been a VERY long time since I posted something last. Sorry. I wish I could say it was because I have been so busy that I just didn't have any time to update my blog, but that's not the case. I'm just lazy at updating.....
Rob just finished another semester at UVU and smarty pants got a 4.0! He is amazing and doing such a great job!! OH and did I mention that he got accepted to BYU starting in the fall!! We are super excited for that!! Rob is even more excited to buy his first BYU shirt!! Go Cougars!! :)
Dax is still wild and happy! He keeps Rob and I fully entertained with the silly things that he does and says.
Some not so happy news....I recently got laid off from my job at the instacare. Our patient numbers were just not what they should be so they had to make some changes. Even though this was not a fun situation to be put in, Rob and I are making the best of it. This is just a trial put in our way to try to destract us. We are taking things one day at a time and will be fine.
So that is the main stuff that has been going on with us in the last couple months. I tried adding some recent pictures but for some reason it won't let me upload them.....I'll try again another time.

So proud of my super smart husband!!

2009-12-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

So grades from UVU were finally posted. Smarty pants Rob got 3 A's and 1 A-. Yay! I am so excited for him. Hopefully these great grades could lead to a great scholarship. So he has one semester down and only eight more to go until he can graduate with his bachelors degree! I am so grateful for all of his hard work and dedication. You are the best, I totally love you!!

Fun in the snow!!

2009-12-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

It snowed pretty good this morning so I got Dax all bundled up and sent him out to help papa shovel the snow. Ok, so he is not really shoveling, more like sweeping.

Papa thought it would be fun to get the 4-wheeler out and take Dax for a ride up and down the street. Dax loved it!

Here they are having so much fun. The looks on their faces don't really show how much fun they were actually having. but it was a lot! Love the snow!!

Handy Dax

2009-12-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Dax LOVES working with tools. He got ahold of some real tools and found the nearest screw and started working on it. Since he watches Handy Manny all the time he knows his tools well. He knows exactly which screwdriver to use, he was using "Turner" here. So cute to see!!

Halloween costume change

2009-11-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Originally Dax was going to be Spiderman for Halloween. He really did not like the costume at all. Rob and I went to the store on Halloween and found this new costume and decided to change him to a skeleton instead, thinking that if he hadn't seen the costume beforehand that he would like this more.....

It turns out that it didn't matter what costume it was, he didn't want to be dressed in any of them. Oh well, better luck next year!!

College Student Rob!

2009-10-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

So I know this posting is way late but better late then never right! Rob started school 2 months ago at UVU. Right now he is working on getting all of his general credits done, which he will have done at the end of this upcoming summer. Then his plans are to apply to the Accounting program at either BYU or just stay at UVU and get his Bachelors degree and then eventually get his Masters. I am so proud of him! He is doing so well in all of his classes! He even has 101% in his math class! So smart!! That's why he is going to be the best accountant ever!! I love you so much Rob and I am so glad for the choices you have made to better our family's future!

When kids are left alone......

2009-10-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when mama is at work and daddy leaves Dax alone for a couple minutes!

Dax's Halloween costume!

2009-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

So after a lot of searching we finally decided on this Spiderman costume for Dax to wear this Halloween. He looks so cute in it but wouldn't you know, he hates wearing it. He especially hates the mask. So this is the best picture we could get with him in his full outfit.

Mama being so funny!! Dax decided that I should wear his make instead of him.

Here he is pouting because we were able to get the mask on him for half a second. So funny!!

2009-08-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Tyler and Lauren's wedding. It was in this amazing backyard that had waterfalls, a small creek and a huge pond.

Dax being silly!!

Oh.....Me and my cute husband.

Jonny and me. He took most all of these pictures. What a good photographer!

He loved playing in the water.

My cute baby!!

July Update

2009-07-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast this summer has blown by! Before we know it Christmas will be here. :) We have spent our time swimming, having bbq's and spending time with family and friends. Rob has been getting all of his school stuff set in place so he can start school on August 26th. I have been working like crazy and spending all my extra time with Rob and Dax.

This is Dax pre-hair cut. We decided that spending $20 every 6 weeks to get Dax's hair cut was getting too expensive. Rob used to cut his mission companions hair while he was on his mission, so he knows what he is doing.

Well, the hair cut started out great. It was looking good, then Rob accidentally grabbed the wrong attachment and took one swipe of the top of Dax's head and it was too late. Dax was getting a buzz cut. Even though Rob was not happy, Dax really looked cute. Besides it's just hair, it always grows back!

Rob also thought that he would try a new hairstyle for about a week. He was rock'n the fo-hawk, until he got tired of me teasing him about it and then he cut it off. Love ya husband! :)

We spent time outside coloring with sidewalk chalk. Dax didn't care so much about coloring as he did breaking the chalk. Silly boy!

This is Rob's masterpiece he did for Dax. Dax LOVES Handy Manny, so Rob drew all of the tools for him.

Dax also started going to nursery at church this month. So far he really enjoys it. Who wouldn't though. You play with toys, eat snacks, sing songs and have a mini lesson if the kids can pay attention that long. I still can't believe that I have a child old enough to be starting his primary experience already!

I hope everyone enjoys what is left of this summer!

Silly Dax!

2009-07-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

I love my boys!

2009-06-18T10:43:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I was not having a great day. I had been sick for a couple days and yesterday was the day I felt the worst. I had to work also, so that didn't help my situation.

While I was at work I was talking with some of my co-workers and we got on the subject of husbands and why once you get married all the flowers, presents and romance stop. So as I left work yesterday I got to my car and noticed that there were these flowers, tons of treats that I love and cute card from Rob and Dax. They totally made me eat my words!! :)

I love you two so much!!

This is what we have been up to!

2009-05-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo a couple weekends ago with some friends of ours. Rex and Dax had so much fun. They especially loved the giraffes, or "affs" as Dax likes to call them.

We tried to get Dax to pose by himself with the huge gorilla statue, but it was way to scary so I got in the picture with him.

I think we were looking at the llamas. The boys were more concerned with how to climb up and over the fence to get a closer look I think.

This is Dax's latest toy. He is getting to big for his car so we got him a power wheels 4-wheeler. He loves it and can ride it all by himself. He has also been swimming and running through the sprinklers whenever the weather is nice. (P.S. this picture looks EXACTLY like Rob when he was about Dax's age!)

We decided that we better play it safe with dax and his 4-wheeler. We got him a helmet cuz we all know and have seen how good Dax is at hitting his head on things. :)

Daddy's lil hip-hop boy!

2009-05-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

So Dax LOVES music! Rob likes to think that Dax only loves hip-hop, but I know that Dax really loves it all....even some country! :) Rob put his headphones on Dax and played Kanye West's latest album, which is probably his most favorite albums to dance to.

So here is Dax getting into the music with his hand motions! He is so funny to watch.

Day 2....After the forehead trauma.

2009-04-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

So as you can see, Dax's injury is not all that better. And to make things worse he has TWO black eyes from it! The bridge of his nose is still swollen and he still has a rather large bump. I can't wait to post a picture when he is all back to normal. Despite all the trauma and tears lately, Dax is still super wild, which is what got him into this predicament in the first place....:) OH BOY! Wish me luck!

What are the odds!!

2009-04-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

So guess what happened to Dax last night??? He fell down AGAIN and managed to hit the same spot that he hit before! (He fell onto his toy bus this time, last time he fell into the wall.)

WHAT ARE THE ODDS!

So now, as you can see, he has a fresh, very purple bruise right next to the old yellow bruise. He also has a lot more swelling this time. His face is so sad looking. So now we are SERIOUSLY thinking of getting him a helmet, or some sort of padded headband.

Forehead trauma!

2009-04-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, while I was in the shower, I heard Dax let out a very LOUD scream. This was the result.....poor little guy! This was taken about 15 minutes after he hit his forehead.

So this is about 4 hours later! The goose egg is literally taking up half of his forehead and turning really black and purple.

So, as you can see, the bump is HUGE!

I took this picture this morning. The swelling finally went down and now he is just left with a big bruise. I think I should put Dax in a helmet from now on. :)

My baby is 14 months!!

2009-03-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Dax is 14 months old today! I can't believe it. He is learning lot of new things every day and keeping all of us plenty busy! He has a small vocabulary which consists of yes, no, mama, dad, boom (broom), din (spin....he loves to point at the fans or the windmill and tell it to spin), tis (toes), and ba (bath). He can also sign eat and bird. I have been trying to teach others to him but he is picky and only likes to sign those two.

This is is his new haircut. His hair grows so fast we had to get another cut already. Oh, and this is his new smile. When I get out the camera and tell Dax " say cheese!" He "says cheese" with his squinty eyes! Oh, so funny!

So we bought this play center for Dax a couple weekends ago. He loves playing on it and especially going down the slide.

It took him a while to learn to go down the slide without face-planting it which he did a couple of times. Rob actually caught one face-plant on video but it ended up getting deleted.....so sad because it was pretty funny... :)

And here is Dax in his fort with is broom, some of his most favorite things.

Dax's favortie things

2009-02-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

So Dax LOVES to talk on the phone! The other night be got out of the tub and decided to take a stroll in the buff. He came upon the phone cord and began talking away. It didn't even matter that the phone wasn't connected he wanted to talk anyway. Grandpa then connected it back together and Dax was even more excited to talk.

For some reason he always turns the phone outwards to talk.

Rob and I found these plastic golf clubs so we got them for him and he really has fun with them. He is actually really good at hitting the ball with the club too.

For Valentine's Day we bought Dax a broom. You wouldn't even believe how much he loves the broom and vacuum. So we got him one that is just his size and believe it or not he actually helps sweep the kitchen. He ends up making more of a mess but it's the thought that counts, right?! Oh and he had discovered that the cat is super scared of the broom. Maybe it's because he is always trying to sweep her with it. Naughty... :)

Rob trys something new!

2009-01-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

So Rob gets bored sometimes with his face so he decided to accessorize it with facial hair! He started out with an OK looking goatee but then he went and shaved it and it turned into this......

I came home from work that night to find that my sweet, handsome husband had tried turning himself into an 80's motorcycle cop! I laughed so hard that I hope I didn't hurt his feelings. But just look at this......it's silly.

So before he shaved it off we took some pictures to remind him why he doesn't grow facial hair. And if he does he should never have just a mustache.

Rob looks like a very famous video game character. Can you guess who?

"It'sa me....Mario!"

My sweet baby boy!

2009-01-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

I thought I would put some cute pictures of Dax on here and update everyone on what he is up to these days.

One of his FAVORITE things to do lately is make messes! And he particularly LOVES throwing his diapers around and making a mess for me to clean up later.

I admit it was cute at first, but cleaning it up everyday got old so I bought a shelf to put all his diapers on so he can't reach them anymore.

Dax is walking all the time now and is starting to run. He loves to be chased around the house and playing hide-n-go-seek.

He definitely keeps us busy! He loves to be read to and also enjoys sitting down and reading to himself. It is really cute to hear him "read" out loud. Dax has just recently learned where his belly button is and how to give "rocks". He also LOVES the cell phone. He will even walk around with his hand up to his ear talking. He also likes to call daddy every now and again and jabber to him. We love him and can't imagine our lives without him!

1 Year Pictures!

2009-01-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

So we finally had pictures taken since Dax just turned 1. So here they are!

So I'm not sure what happened with the top of this picture when I was scanning it in. But it took me way too long to scan them that I really just don't care....

Dax's Birthday Party!

2009-01-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the birthday boy! We had a party for him this past Saturday with all of his little friends and family. It was so much fun, even though Dax got a little overwhelmed with the whole situation. He didn't particularly enjoy having all those people looking at him. But it was great to see everyone there and thank you everybody for the gifts!!
I was talking too much to people so I only have a few pictures.....bad huh.

This is Dax's turtle cake that Grandma Peggy made him. Cute, huh!

Here is Daddy and Dax blowing out his candle.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY BABY!!

2009-01-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

So today is Dax's first birthday! The time has gone by really fast. It has been so exciting seeing him grow. So I thought I'd put some of my favorite pictures from the last year with him.

Here is Dax about 6 months. He loved swimming in the summer!

Oh! I love this one! He was 4 months here and this was the first outfit we bought to have pictures taken in.

Dax is 1-2 months old here. He was so tiny..... I miss that age.

Oh.... seeing this one makes me get tears in my eyes. This was the day he was born. He was born at 8:42 AM and was 6 lbs. 5 oz. We love you Dax!!! Happy Birthday!!

DAX, WHERE'S YOUR NOSE?

2009-01-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

So just recently Dax has discovered his nose. He loves to stick his finger up his nose when you ask him "where's your nose?". So the other day he was playing with his manga-doodle and decided he needed to see if the pen could fit up there! Well, it did. By the look on his face you would think he stuck it clear up to his brain, but only the very tip went in. Rob laughed so hard that he had tears coming out of his eyes! It was pretty funny to see how big his eye got every time he tried it. Oh ,there is never a dull moment in our lives with Dax around!

Christmas 08

2008-12-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Christmas this year. It was Dax's first one so it was extra special! Not that Dax even had a clue what was going on, but it was fun for the rest of us!

This is the truck Dax got from grandpa and grandma McManus. He loved it! He loves anything with wheels, so this the perfect gift for Dax.

Dax loves to scribble on things, so we got him a magna-doodle.

I'm so sad this picture is a little bit blurry! He got this John Deer lawn mower from grandpa and grandma Kelsey which he also loved, because of the wheels! Plus it makes noise which is a bonus.
It was a great first Christmas for all of us!

Dax gets his first hair cut!

2008-12-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we took Dax to get his first hair cut. He was so good the whole time. We took him to Cookie Cutters where he sat in a car and watch a movie the whole time. He loved it! He looked so cute when he was finished and I was so excited because the mini mullet was finally gone!

Rob also got his hair cut on Saturday. So now he and Dax match!

Dax's first picture with Santa

2008-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Daddy's mini-me!

2008-12-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

So on the 6th of December Dax will be 11 months old. Wow, the time goes by so fast. He is starting to walk holding on to things and is getting pretty fast at it. He has learned to say "dada", "mama", "no" and still makes the "nuun, naa" sound for cars. His latest thing is biting. Oh what fun that is. And the more you tell him "no" or scream, the more he wants to bite you! But, on a nicer side, Dax also gives open-mouth kisses. He will even kiss pictures of Rob, me and himself. He is a funny boy and if you couldn't tell by the picture above, he is also a mini-me of Rob. Pretty sure he learned to smile like that from his Daddy!

TAG....You're it!

2008-11-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

MOMMY TAG

1. What time do you wake up?
Well for the last couple days dax has been waking up around 5 Am

2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed?
Around 9 ish.

3. How long have you been a mommy?
10 Months

4. How old were you when you became a mom?
24, the next day I turned 25.

5. What is your favorite chore?
Probably vacuuming. It's the easiest.

6. What is your favorite meal to cook?
Ummm. I don't cook a whole lot....but I enjoy making pancakes even though Rob HATES them.

7. What meal do you cook most often?
Stouffers meal in a bag.... :)

8. What are 5 things about being a mom that make you smile?
1- Dax's crazy hair in the morning.
2- When Dax screams.....not because he is mad. When he does it to be funny.
3- Watching Dax push his bus. He just learned how to walk pushing things.
4- Watching Dax play with his cars and make the "nuun, nuun" sound.
5- Seeing how excited he gets when he sees his daddy.

9. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be?
Probably back to Hawaii. It's sunny and pretty there.

10. When was the last time you went out without your kids?
Ummm.... It's probably when we went to Hawaii in September. That was hard!

11. What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom?
Saying "bye" to Dax as we left to get on our plane. I cried A LOT.

12. When was the last time you told one of your kids I love you?
This morning.

13. When was the last time you were told I love you?
Dax cannot really talk so......But when he smiles at me that's the same in my book.

I tag Missy, Verlynne and Haylee.

2008-11-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Leaves are fun......yeah right!

2008-11-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

So there was a huge pile of leaves at grandpa and grandma house. Grandma thought that it would be fun to take Dax outside and take some pictures of him sitting in the leaves. So this is what happened when she sat him down......he immediately fell over backwards, began sinking in the leaves and crying. I know I am probably a mean mom, but I had to get a picture. He is so afraid of them now though. We even tried sticking him in his new car and pushing him up to the leaves, but that scared him also. So no more scary leaves for Dax.

Dax's new ride

2008-10-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

Since our boy LOVES cars so much, Rob and I decided that we would buy this car for him. We were going to get it for Dax for Christmas but I could not wait that long. Plus its too cold to go riding around in it if we waited until then. You should have seen his eyes light up when Rob took it out of the box. Rob could hardly get the seat belt hooked in because Dax was crawling all over it. Whatever makes Dax happy, right!!

I LOVE CARS!

2008-10-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is Dax at Preston's 2nd birthday party at Jumpin Jacks in Springville. We went there to jump around on all the blow up toys but when Dax found this car he was so excited and only wanted to play with it. When I tried to take him away to let the other kids play on it also, he had the death grip on the steering wheel. Grandpa has taught him to love cars. He has taught Dax that cars make a "vroom, vroom" noise, but Dax's version of "vroom, vroom" is "naaan, naaaa". It is so funny to see him play with all his cars.

Here he is again with his truck at Grandpa and Grandma's house. This is the one toy that he has to have near him at all times.

Balloon!

2008-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Rob found this balloon at the church for Dax to play with to keep him quiet. He loved it!

Silly Dax....

2008-10-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

9 months old

2008-10-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby just turned 9 months on the 6th. I can't believe how fast the time goes. Pretty soon he will be 1!! He just had his appointment at the doctor where he weighed in at 21 lbs. on that dot and is 28 inches tall. He has his 7th tooth coming in right now and still does the "worm" crawl but also pulls himself up on everything and even takes a few steps. He is such a good baby and we love him so much!!

Visiting historic Pearl Harbor

2008-10-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is where the USS Arizona's final resting place is located. This ship is under this monument.

These are some of the parts of the ship that are above water. I'm not really sure what parts or the function of these parts are.

Aloha Tower

2008-10-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is where the boats come in to dock.

Pali Lookout

2008-10-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is the view of the Northeast part of the island.

Here fishy, fishy....

2008-10-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Here we are giving the "thumbs up" now that we are comfortable breathing under water.

This was the biggest fish that we saw. It was probably 2 feet long and the most bright purple color.

Snorkeling

2008-10-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

This was definitely the most fun thing we did while in Hawaii. We went down to Hanauma Bay to do a little snorkeling. This place is so pretty. It is a wildlife preserve and they are so many different fish and sea turtles in the bay. Al tough we never made it out far enough to see a turtle.

Our visit to the Dole Plantation

2008-10-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

How cute are we as pineapples!!

They had some of the neatest colored pineapples we had ever seen.

Rob enjoying his pineapple flavored ice cream. It kinda sounds yucky, but it is really good.

PCC

2008-10-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is a traditional Hawaiian house.

Rob and his sweet tattoo he got while he was in Fiji! (It's just ink...)

More PCC

2008-10-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

This is a traditional Tongan house.

This is a boat the was used to travel from the islands.

The Polynesian Cultural Center

2008-10-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the PCC.

Rob posing proudly because he was about the visit his native land!!

Some statues of I don't know what....

more Hawaii

2008-10-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is the Hawaii Temple in Laie. It definitely has to be one of the most beautiful temples.

This is a slug that we found hanging out on the temple gate. It was HUGE!! I have never seen a slug that big. GROSS!

Rob and I decided to go check out the visitors center and some sweet sister missionary took our picture at the Christus for us.

Hawaii

2008-10-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken from our airplane as we landed. We arrived in Hawaii on Wednesday September 24 at 2:30PM. We were so happy to finally be off the plane. It was a 6 1/2 hour flight and with the time change difference of 4 hours behind Mountain time, we couldn't wait to get off.

This is the church that Rob and I worked at in Kapolei on Thursday. (Rob mostly did the work and I watched and handed him tools occasionally!)

This is the view at night from our hotel room. We stayed at the Maile Sky Court in downtown Honolulu. Pretty, huh!

This is a picture taken at Kualoa Point. Hawaii has the most beautiful mountains.

Here is Rob and I squinting taking our picture at Kualoa Point. We went to the beach there and hung out for a while.

Our Flower Child

2008-09-19T08:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary

2008-09-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday, September 18, was our 4 year anniversary. Rob was really sweet and surprised me with the same flowers that we had at out wedding which are my favorite. We ended up just spending the day together and later that night we bought some steak and salmon to eat for dinner. It was a really nice day. I love Rob so much and I am so thankful for him in my life!! I am looking forward to the rest of our lives together. I love you Rob!!!!!

Playing with Rex

2008-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here are Rex and Dax playing together last week. The playdate started off with everyone being happy....

Isn't Rex so cute! And so happy!

Then Rex tried to have some fun with Dax, but Dax was not wanting to play. The happy, fun playtime for Dax was over.
So here they are together and Dax is still in a crusty mood and Rex is just happy.

"Good Things Utah"....Dax's favorite.

2008-09-04T15:51:00.001-07:00

So I have gotten Dax addicted to the show on channel 4 , "Good Things Utah". For those of you who haven't seen it, it is similar to "The View". It is just a show with 4 women sitting around a table discussing things happening in Utah, like the latest fashion trends, recipes from local resturants and anything else Utah related.

I have been watching it since he was in my tummy and just lately whenever the theme songs comes on Dax with stop whatever he is doing and watch it with me. It is really funny to see. He won't take his eyes off the TV. I don't know if it is necessarily a good thing that he is addicted to a TV show, but it is cute to watch and a good story to tell him when he gets older. (I'm sure he will love me telling his future girlfriends that he loved a show meant for women :) )

And then the rains came...

2008-09-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day we went camping with Rob's family up in Idaho. The first two days there were really nice. It was sunny and we even ended up with slight sunburns.
Then on day three the rain came. It started out ok, then got worse. It was raining so hard that we ended up sitting in the car to get warm and be out of the rain. So we took the opportunity to take some pictures.

Bubble Overload....

2008-09-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Grandma Peggy decided to give Dax a bath with lots and lots of bubbles for him to play in.

He had the bubbles everywhere! We even had a hard time trying to keep him from eating the bubbles.

Then grandpa though it might be fun to give Dax a bubble mo-hawk!

I love sweet potatoes

2008-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Dax tried feeding himself and this is what he ended up looking like.

Learning to crawl

2008-08-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Dax is just starting the first stages of learning to crawl. He is getting there, so I thought I would take some pictures showing everyone his progress.

He is happy and ready to crawl to mama.

Even happier, also posing for the camera..

Oh no..an obstacle.

Too smart for the pillow, he'll just go around it. Very proud of himself also!

Getting a little tired....

Oh...he is sorta happy again, maybe.

OK not happy with mom at all. He is giving me "the business" face.

Now he is just fine. He finally made it to mama with only some whining.

Family Time

2008-08-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at a family BBQ that we had on August 14th. It was the day after Jon got home from his mission. Rob's cousin Jessica, her husband and son came also. We sure love our family!

Given 'em the business...

2008-08-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

This is Dax's latest face. We call it "given 'em the business".

First he lowers his head and raises his eyes at you.

Then occasionally he'll make a fake crying face or give you a look of "what the heck".

And then comes out the lip! It is the funniest face to see. If you make the face to him, he'll make it back to you, usually followed by a smile. It sure makes us all laugh.

A day at the park

2008-08-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Dax loves going to the park and swinging.

Love My Daddy

2008-08-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

This one is my favorite!

jump, jump, jump...

2008-08-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is Dax's new toy. We bought it for him so that he could jump in it, since bouncing seems to be his new thing lately. It's really funny to see him in it because it is so big for him. His head barely sticks up from it and he can't really get his arms out to play with the toys on it. He also doesn't bounce in it, he just swings in it. But it brings a smile to his face and to our faces to see him playing in it.

2008-08-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is Dax's most favorite time of the day, bath time!

Fun times at grandma and grandpa's

2008-08-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here is Dax swimming at the grandparents house. He loves to go
over there and splash around in his frog pool. He was origionaly in a swim diaper but he wanted out so grandma took him out and took the diaper off. Then he wanted back in....so we stuck him in to swim in the nude. He loved it even more with no thes on!! He also enjoys drinking the pool water. YUCKY.

He also loves to pick the grass in the backyard. I think he is trying to help grandpa mow down the lawn. And occassionally he likes to eat the grass too. Silly boy!

Mirror, mirror on the wall....

2008-08-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here is Dax adoring himself in the mirror. He loves looking in the mirror and smiling and kissing the baby he sees in there. I'm not sure if he knows yet that it is his own reflection.

Then this is what happens when he pulls the mirror on top of himself.

Here's a funny face...

2008-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ok so we didn't feed Dax anything gross. He just makes these kinds of faces all the time. He is so funny.

Newest member to the blogging family...

2008-08-06T11:11:00.001-07:00

Ok.. so everyone that I know has a blog so I thought I better jump on the band wagon and get one too. We'll see how it goes!