Already Sixteen Months!

Looking at these recent photos in comparison to some of Weston's younger ones, I just can't believe how big he is getting. Weston just isn't a baby anymore--he's turning into a little boy. It's kind of bittersweet for me. They change so quickly.
My parents usually pay for photos when the grandkids turn one. We finally just got Weston's pictures done, as life is now a little less hectic. My friend Michelle McKeen took these pictures of Weston. She and I worked at Fremont Junior High together just last year and were both pregnant at the same time--she had her little boy just three days before me. She did pictures for us last summer as well when Weston was six months old. How he's changed since then!

This is our little family, with another one on the way!

My Saga

Okay, so I feel like we completely disappeared for awhile. I can't believe it's been almost six months since I've posted anything or even looked at other blogs, including my own! First of all, I'm not the best on my journaling or blogging in the first place, and when things got crazy-busy-insane this second semester, our blog was just something that fell by the wayside--this was just one of the many things I decided to let go for the time being.
I'll give the quick run down on this past semester. I taught only part time this year (7th grade English) and it was pretty easy first semester. However, time slowly began to crunch during second semester. First, I was doing much more writing assignments with my students getting them ready for their AIMS writing test. My students took to this pretty well. When I told them I really wasn't trying to torture them, that every writing assignment I gave to them resulted in six hours of homework/grading time for me, they seemed to really be okay with it. 88% of my students passed their AIMS test, which I was very happy about!
I also watched one-year-olds, Parker and Carter, three mornings a week in return for babysitting for Weston. So my mornings were spent grading, planning, and watching kids and then I'd go straight to teaching. The great thing about having kids over is that Weston made some great buddies that he loves to play with!
Not to mention, taking care of Weston has gradually become more time consuming in a number of ways. Breakfast time is messy! Ever since Weston started eating solids on his own, I feel like all I do sometimes is wash his highchair and sweep/scrub the floor. Weston also started demanding more of my time in the mornings. He's become my little shadow. Gone are the days when I could use the bathroom and get ready in peace. He seems to follow me wherever I go and I often spend my time trying to entertain him. He likes to sit with me in the morning, wants me to read him books or go on walks. Also, as Weston moved to solids, I could no longer just pack him formula or milk before taking him to the sitter(easy). I had to start actually packing a lunch for him everyday, which is hard because I never know what that guy is going to eat! One day he'll absolutely love something and eat it all up, and the next day he'll be spitting it out or throwing it all on the floor. So, I always packed a variety of odds and ends, never knowing what he would feel like eating that day.
Okay, finally, Gordon and I are expecting again--we're having a baby girl in the fall and we're very excited! Our due date is October 29th. This pregnancy has definitely been a different experience than my pregnancy with Weston. First, I think I've been more fatigued this time. The nausea has been about the same, but it has been longer lasting. I'm in my six month now and I still feel nauseous. I started to take Unisom because I just couldn't function feeling sick all the time and working. The down side to this is that Unisom is a sleeping pill (originally created for women to ease morning sickness). So there's a trade-off. I don't feel as nauseous, but I feel even more tired after taking it.
Gordon has been a great help this past semester. He works early in the morning and would get home before me. He picked up Weston everyday after work and had dinner ready and did the grocery shopping before I got home. He was also taking a few classes at ASU on top of that.
Things are finally settling down and I feel like I have a moment to breathe now! I put in my resignation at the beginning of April, which I'm very excited about! I know I'll miss teaching, but I won't miss the grading or planning and I'm so looking forward to staying at home with Weston and being a full time mom. After this past semester, we've decided that my being at home will be best for all of us, even if things are tight. I've learned so much from my experiences this past year, and I really feel like I've grown in many ways, for which I'm thankful. I know I needed to learn some lessons, and I plan to remember them and be a better person for it.
With all of that said, my goal is to start my journaling/blogging again as well as doing some catch-up blogging! I feel like there are so many things I've missed that I need to record before I forget. I'm excited to start back in again!

Happy Birthday Weston!

Weston is 1 year old today! Time is just going so fast. He is starting to stand up on his own and soon will be walking. He is also getting a very STRONG, individual personality. The terrible two's might really be terrible. We still love him and can't imagine our lives without him!

Our next door neighbor, Rita, made Weston some brownies for his birthday. I didn't have time to make him a treat since I worked all day, so it was nice to have some sweets for him! My mom, dad and aunt had come down to Mesa for the day, and we all went to Red Robin for dinner.

Weston loved the brownies! This was only about his second or third time he's ever had sweets, not to mention chocolate, so he was loving it!

My Second Party!

We went down to Tucson on Saturday, February 14th, for Weston's birthday with my family. The park we went to was beautiful and it was a chilly, crisp day which I love. Once again, Weston devoured his chocolate cupcake--he also ate a big chunk of his one-year-old birthday candle. I was sick today with the flu, so we ended up cutting things a little short.

And a Third?

Yes, Weston had a third celebration the following Saturday with Gordon's family--what a lucky guy! He had a great time opening gifts and playing with all of his cousins.

I Love Cake!

Everything goes in the mouth...

I was sitting at the table eating dinner and watching Weston crawl around on the kitchen floor, when suddenly he noticed something under the toekick of the cupboards and began reaching for it. This is nothing new--Weston chews up anything he can possibly get his hands on (especially toilet paper and office documents, his absolute favorites). In my mind I was thinking, "Great, he's going to put this in his mouth. Why can't he just leave stuff on the floor where it belongs?" I was actually going to let him pick it up, thinking it was a crumb or something (this might sound bad, but yes, occasionally I let Weston eat his old cheerios and crackers off the floor and he's been none the worse for it), but I noticed this "thing" was long and tan, almost like a stick. Scorpion ran through my mind, and I had a feeling I better check and be on the safe side. I grabbed his little hand and dragged him away and out rolled this scorpion along with a huge scream from me. My heart was pounding a mile a minute. It was half-dead, so Weston didn't get stung, but I can't imagine what would have happened if he'd put it in his mouth. Gordon was doing the dishes at that moment, and killed it.
This picture of it just makes me cringe! Such a horrible-looking creature. It almost looks like we had a photo shoot with the white backdrop, but this is the paper towel Gordon smashed it with. This particular scorpion was about as long as my index finger. I get the chills just looking at it! Scorpions are the most grotesque-looking things ever. Unfortunately we get lots of these, inside and outside our house. Most of them move really slowly because Gordon sprays about once a month--and now he'll be spraying a little more often!

Major Bedhead

Today Weston greeted me with a big, excited smile and quite the fro when I came to get him from his morning nap. I love getting him up because I always get this huge smile from him when he first sees me. Usually he's standing up just like this, waiting to be rescued from his crib, but sometimes I'll find him sitting, peeking between the bars and patiently waiting for me.

Here's the side view of this wild, crazy hair. No gel--this is the real thing!

I love this boy.
His dad is an awesome photographer!

Our little pumpkin!

Or should I say Jack-O-Lantern?

It's crazy, but Weston is getting his two eye-teeth before his two front ones. When he smiles really big, you can see two little fangs! I thought the pumpkin outfit would be just the thing.

Weston didn't seem too sure about his costume. He stayed in it long enough to have his pictures taken. Poor guy was wet with sweat only after being in it for 10 minutes. It was 92 degrees at the high today, so I'm sure lots of kids were roasting in their costumes. That's Arizona for you.

Since Gordon and I have been married, our Halloween tradition is to have soup and bread bowls over at Grandma and Grandpa Devers. I look forward to this soup all year! We had pumpkin soup, vegetable soup, and Southwest chicken soup. The only thing that would make it more perfect was if it was actually cold oustide. All the grandkids stop in for dinner and other tasty treats, and then everyone goes their separate ways to go trick-or-treating etc.

No trick-or-treating for Weston this year. He was so tired. We stayed to see a few trick-or-treaters and then went home to put him to bed. How our lives have changed!

Happy Halloween!