Christmas

We just had our first Christmas with Andrew. We went up to Hollywood where my family is staying right on the beach. Andrew really liked opening the presents my family brought and getting toys out of his stocking that Mish brought when she came. He was so cute :) We tried to get a good family picture but Andrew was not cooperating very well this year, haha. It has been really nice to have my family here to watch Andrew. He has been really cranky since getting his shots so it has been nice to have some help. Except he is always so nice for other people and then gets cranky the minute he hears my voice. Brandon leaves for the Dominican Republic today and I am going to go stay up with my family in Hollywood. It will be the longest time Brandon and I will be apart for, so I am going to miss him like crazy! It will be a great opportunity for him though; he is excited. The weather has been so perfect this past week. It hardly feels like Christmas! But we had a great Christmas this year :)

Andrew 4 months old

 
     I can't believe Andrew is 4 months old now! He is getting so big. We went to the doctor yesterday and he weighs 15 lbs now and is 25inches long. He is in the 75th percentile for his height; so he is a pretty tall little guy. Andrew is also the funniest little guy around the girl doctors. He just smiles and laughs and acts all cute for them, haha. What a little ladies man already. He also had to get his second round of shots; so that wasn't very fun. He did really well though. He was a little bit cranky yesterday but not as bad as the first time he got his shots. Brandon is finally out for Christmas break and it is so nice to have him home! We went to our ward Christmas party last night with the little guy. It was actually really fun. Andrew was really good. He usually goes to bed at 7 but the music was so loud at the party that he stayed awake the whole time, but was really good. It was fun to get out and dress up a little and hang out with other families in the ward. It's the first night we have been out till 10, haha, we are usually in bed by 8.
        I am getting excited for Christmas. It doesn't really feel like Christmas here because it is still 80 degrees and sunny most days. I went out and got a tiny Christmas tree and some stockings becuase it just didn't feel like Christmas here. It feels a little better with a tree. But I do miss the cold a little and having family around and making cookies and treats together and things. But I am getting excited for my family to come visit next week for Christmas. It will be really nice to have them here :)

Andrew playing Indian game

Brandon taught Andrew how to play the Indian game the other day and he caught right on. He loves it! It is so cute. Here is the video.

Birthday, Tough Mudder, Siesta Key

          This weekend we went up to Tampa for Brandon to do his Tough Mudder event. It was about a 4 hour drive up there from our house. Andrew did really well in the car. He just slept most of the way and the other parts he liked having me back there with him playing with toys. I was really impressed he did so well. We got to the event around 11:30 in the morning. It was out on a ranch so it was all grassy. It was hard to push the stroller around but there were lots of moms there with strollers too so I didn't feel so weird dragging the stroller around. The race started at 1 and Brandon finished around 4 so it was a really long one. Brandon finished the whole thing though; I am proud of him! It was a really tough race. The race was 12 miles long and every half mile there was an obstacle he had to overcome. I only got to watch him do a couple obstacles because I couldn't push the stroller around for 12 miles, but it was fun to see him do them. There were obstacles such as climbing walls, going through multiple mud pits, climbing up hay bales, cargo nets, and the last one he had to run through electrical wires! It looked pretty fun though I would like to do it with him sometime. The race was a pretty long day for Andrew and I because there wasn't anywhere for us to really hang out and me to feed him so we just had to find little secluded spots out on the field. Andrew was pretty pleasant though and I got him to laugh out loud a couple times.
      After the Tough Mudder we spent the night up near Tampa and then in the morning we drove to the Siesta Key. It's beach is rated #1 in the country so we went to go see it. It was a really pretty beach. The sand was like powder and really white. It was super cool. It was hard to enjoy it much though because Brandon and I were both sick. Brandon got really sick after his event. It was just too tough of an event for his body. So now we are both still sick and trying to recover.
      It was also my Birthday last Friday. I can't believe I am 22 now! I still feel so little. We went and got a bike for my birthday present. I am really excited to start riding it around here. Florida is the perfect place for a bike. Brandon also got me flowers and made me birthday spaghetti which was super nice :) I also found a mouse in the house! Yikes! I woke up and turned the light on in the kitchen and a mouse ran squealing out. It was so gross! I hope we can catch it soon because it really is nasty to have a mouse running around the house.

New pics from Hendriksen visit :)

Thanksgiving, 3 months old

 We just had a wonderful week with Brandon's family. It was so nice they were able to come down and visit for Thanksgiving. Everyone was able to come. They stayed up at Hollywood beach so we went up there to hang out with them most days. It was really nice just to have someone else there to hold Andrew. My arms get so worn out from carrying him all day! He is quite an exhausting little guy; he has too much energy for such a little body, haha. We were able to give Andrew a baby blessing while Brandon's dad and brother was here which was really nice. Brandon gave a wonderful blessing and the spirit was so strong. It is incredible how much love the Lord has for His little children. You could definitely feel it in the room as Brandon was giving the blessing. I noticed today that Andrew is getting his two little front bottom teeth already! Yikes! I am not looking forward to those growing in.

Today Brandon and I are also both really sick. It is awful. We both have really bad colds. I have been sneezing and coughing all day. I couldn't go to church today I have been feeling so awful. Today has been really hard to keep up with Andrew. He is the only one feeling good which is a blessing that at least he isn't sick. It is almost impossible to keep going when you feel this sick :( but we just have to make it through. Brandon has a big test on Tuesday too so he has been trying to study all day and it has been so hard for both of us.