the mess.

i have previously mentioned that prior to the nuggets arrival i thought that i wanted to be one of those mothers that maintained a household where not a trace of baby could be found. obviously, those plans have not worked out as well as i planned. i would not have it any other way. i love that our babe permeates our very existence & that there is not a doubt that we have a baby due to the toys, diapers, crumbs, socks & mayhem that is the state of our abode.

this last picture, KILLS. ME. he is turning into mr. personality, let me tell you.

looking up.

roe & i have been soaking up this fantastic weather & spend our afternoons taking adventures crunching the leaves beneath our feet & looking up into the rapidly changing fall colors above us. we strolled to a park the other day & although each attempt to capture God's grandeur around us failed miserably i was able to catch my darling kiddo on camera. of course.

my life in a nutshell.

those lips.

well my little roe buddy - you have reached your seven month mark & both you & i are still alive, phew. i would be lying if i didn't say we have our rough days, but each & every day gets better & better. each day you learn a new trick, get into something different or agree to eat a new food & my life could not feel more complete.

you are talking more & more & every little happy sound you make makes daddy & i smile from ear to ear. you still babble out 'dadadada' however your current favorite phrase of choice is 'bababababa'. you prefer to speak unprovoked & have come to simply respond better when we talk to you like an adult. there are so many instances when i talk to you & i really think you understand what i am saying. in fact we ran into some friends at the mall the other day & when i asked you to say bye, you waved & said what sounded freakishly like 'bye-bye'. since then you have waved goodbye to many a stranger & shown off your new talent to daddy in the mirror just today.

your wide toothless grin may not be toothless for much longer. no pearly whites have physically appeared, but you did have a recent tantrum spell where you would wake up in the night screaming & refused to nurse. lucky for mommy & daddy, we got to stand with the freezer door open while we finger fed you ice chips, since that was the only means of soothing you at four in the morning. we have recovered since then, but i am nervous for those teeth to rear their ugly heads.

you are an ambitious little fella & determined as all get up. you have perfected the scoot & can easily make your way to anything on the living room floor. of course the cords under the TV & daddy's shoes by the front door are your toys of choice, but for the most part i am just elated that you are moving. mothers talk about how they miss the days when their child couldn't get into anything, but i could not be more excited that you are into everything. i watch as you learn that if you pull something down from too far above that it will inadvertently crash onto your face. i cheer as you reach with determination for the books on the shelf & beam with pride when you finally pull one down & hit its pages with joy. & although frustrating, your daddy & i laugh when you squirm & roll out of a diaper change & charge for the nearest interesting object.

i was nervous that we were never going to get you to eat anything since you defiantly rejected everything at first, but the recent days have proven otherwise. you favor applesauce & peas, but have been a great little eater, downing green beans, yams, bananas, avocado & rice crackers. you still just bang your own spoon of your highchair tray, but open your mouth wide when we feed you, bite after bite.

your personality is growing each day & your intensity for life makes us crazy happy. you giggle more & scream more. you cry more intensely & laugh more fervently. you love the outdoors & stare in awe at other babies & kids. you climb out of our arms easier, but also spend many sweet moments snuggled in our arms. you listen very intently while daddy plays radiohead for you & calm down as soon as i start singing itsy-bitsy spider. recently, when you get really excited or really frustrated, you clench your fists along with every muscle in your face & body. obviously your daddy & i find this more than amusing & laugh & laugh. when we laugh you laugh & your smile permeates my very soul.

you, my handsome boy, are the joy that i never knew i was missing. even after spending just a minute with you everyone comments on what a happy & beautiful baby you are. imagine what my life is like, being in your presence always? bliss, i tell you, absolute bliss.

my whole heart is yours - mommy

insta update.

last night aaron & i spent most of the night catering to a seemingly helpless teething babe, but this morning i am counting our ever so small victories & basking in their glory! first, we found another food that our sweet babe will enjoy - enter, yams.

my second, third, fourth & fifth victories? the bed is made, my car is clean of clutter, make-up is on my face, a brush has been through my hair & i am ready for the day. furthermore & most importantly roe is sleeping sweetly {hopefully making up for last night - poor guy}.

these victories allow me to update our blog with photos of our recent happenings. before all this crazy cold weather hit we took a family bike ride to station22 on provo center street - roe loved it & snuggled with us in the crisp fall evening air.

we spent a majority of our summer sitting on our front lawn & since those days are certainly numbered now, i have been soaking up each day of sunshine with our little outdoors boy.

thanks to instagram for keeping track of our life photo-style! here is to the small {yet enormous} victories!

follow me on instagram @kaytioldham

fallin'.

of course aaron & i have fallen head over heals in love with our little nugget. i joke about this with friends, but even though i giggle about it, i am being deadly straight serious when i say that even when roe is not giggling on the floor or snuggling in my arms i am thinking, talking or editing images of roe giggling on the floor or snuggling in my arms. he really is my entire world.

this sunday we handed the camera over to my fabulously talented SIL joanna oldham & shot a few {hundred} photos in the beautiful fall leaves. thanks again jo, it was so refreshing to not be the one behind the camera!

yeehaw.

monroe went on his first 4-wheeler ride yesterday in the cautious arms of his father. he spent most of the ride nestled into aaron shoulder & all in all loved the wind in his hair.

& so my needs are great.

this weekend was LDS General Conference weekend & in turn was a peaceful, uplifting weekend spent with incredible friends & a fantastic family. all i could think of the entire 8 hours of listening to our beloved prophet & apostles was how to apply their teachings in my life so as to become a better mother & wife. i knew my life would change dramatically when i had Monroe, but i had no idea how persistently he would be at the very forefront of my mind. i sing him 'i am a child of God' each time i lay him down to sleep, but i had no idea that even the simple words to that little primary song would take on a whole new meaning to me. i understand that i am quite literally raising a child of our Father in Heaven & that mantle upon my shoulders is one that i carry with pride, admiration, honor & love. in turn i could not be more grateful for the loving examples of mothers all around me. i look up to my girl friends for support & council & i turn to my sister-in-laws for advice & love. it really does take a village to raise a child & my village is full of absolutely incredible people.

we started our sunday with a few of the afore mentioned amazing friends & shared waffles & great conversation about the temple, going up just a few short blocks from our house, among children's laughter & babies coos {or, as in roe's case, cries}.

we finished up the afternoon up at my, also previously mentioned, fantastic in-laws home. where, despite his lack of naps, the onset of teething & obsessive attachment to mommy, roe spent a while in the arms of my sweet father-in-law.

i am so very grateful for the guidance we received this weekend from our church leaders & for the ongoing acute advice & loving support from our dear friends & family.

weekend.

we had a beautiful weekend, together, as a family. until i get the rest of these images edited the way i want them {just you wait for picture overload} here is a teaser shot from this afternoon up in covered bridge canyon.

did i mention fall is here? did i also mention the perfect weather & the days spent with friends picnicking & evenings spent with aaron & bebe strolling? let me repeat, i love my life.