NOW

i can't show you my whole face since i have a zit on my nose and look like a bum. notice my hair has grown though!

Between moving, unpacking, and taking care of Ezra, I have been feeling so frazzled lately. I hardly do my hair ever (and Midwest humidity has not been kind), I put on makeup for church, I get overwhelmed by the mess of unpacking, and I'm just so easily frustrated! So starting today (and I tried to start tomorrow, but decided change is needed now, not later), I will:

1. Put make-up on and do my hair so I don't look like I'm wearing a wig
2. Dress for success and not for lounging (which doesn't mean I have to be uncomfortable
3. Eat three meals- and no, a diet of cheese and coco puffs do not count (you wouldn't believe how few calories I consume)
4. Continue unpacking, but only a little at a time so I don't get whelmed
5. Read the scriptures (what a difference this makes on my daily outlook)
6. Make a list of crafts and do it! Crafting is such an outlet.
7. Decorate our home slowly
8. Be happy. I have a great life and a great family. Yet- it's easy to forget.

I may not accomplish everything on this list every single day, but I will try! We just bought a second car, so I don't have cabin fever nearly as bad now that I have the freedom to venture out of our apartment if I feel like it. We also did proper grocery shopping today! So our cupboards and fridge are full of good food. Being students, we qualified for FoodShare (food stamps) which I was initially a little embarrassed to admit, but now I don't really care because a) we are tax-paying citizens going to school and contributing to our society, b) it is such a blessing to have our groceries paid for, and c) why in the world do I need to be embarrassed to not rack up even more student loans? Carl, Ezra, and I are also on the government health insurance (if you are a student, chances are your state offers health care for the whole family if income is limited or zero- check it out!), receive WIC, and have applied to subsidized housing, where rent will be $0/month (hopefully we get in this spring!). I know some people look down on government assistance, and perhaps I once did a long while ago, but if it's properly used (and I know it isn't always), it is such a burden reliever. I filled my kitchen up with good, healthy food today. Our fridge has never been this full- it's great!

Getting off my soapbox and moving on- Ezra is cute as ever and loves, loves, loves to run around and get into things he's not supposed to (thank goodness for child safety locks that are even hard for me to open).

• He is obsessed with the tv show Backyardigans ("we're yoooouuuur backyard friends, the Backyaaaardigans!").
• He sleeps for about 10-11 hours per night, which is fantastic- he does cry sometimes, but falls back to sleep, so that's nice.
• He is a short little guy still (and probably always) but everyone always seems to think he is big. I'm not sure why, he just looks sturdy I suppose.
• He is so determined and loves to climb anything he can get a leg up on. That little leg stretches far!
• What a smarty. I can't get over his brilliance and cuteness :)

just for memory's sake

newborn ezra. so dang cute, right?

wiss-conn-sunn

We are here, we have been here for almost three weeks, and are halfway settled in. Carl started school last week, and we've been watching a lot of 24 when Ezra goes to bed at night.

Aside from school and watching 24, I feel so busy everyday. We go out almost every morning to take care of our mega to-do list we made prior to moving and today, we finally tackled all of the crucial things. We've been going to bed by 10 pm frequently too. I feel so old.

The move out here went fairly smoothly. I'm so glad we took a break halfway through the 2200 mile journey to see our friends, the Robersons, in their new home in the middle of nowhere (haha, wouldn't you agree guys?). It was a lovely break and they took care of us for a whole day and then some. So kind :) (PS- Shea and Katy, I keep trying to comment on your blog, but I keep getting denied because it says my account doesn't have access... what does that even mean??)

Our new ward out here is absolutely fantastic. So inviting, so sweet. Moving a ton can be difficult, especially when we don't have family nearby, but I think having our church everywhere we've been has made it so much easier over the past three years. It really helps to have something firm and consistent wherever you go, and the Church is just that. It's the same everywhere we are whether in Utah or Maryland :)

I wish I wasn't feeling so lazy right now because then I'd search for a cute picture of Ezra to post. But, that will need to be another day... for today, it will be words only.



have a lovely day!

More

We went to a nearby flower field at the end of July and had a mini photoshoot. Ezra is so dang handsome :)

such a dreamer

I would love to give you stats for Ezra's growth, but I've been slacking and haven't measured or weighed him since he was 11 months...

However, he can:
- WALK! In the past 3 weeks, he's gone from crawling 90% of the time to walking everywhere. Prior to that, he did not have the confidence to walk, but now he is pro. I put him in some shoes today so that he could get used to having them on his feet now.
- wave hello. He's been doing that for a few months, but I never really announced it.
- clap. he enjoys a good round of applause every so often.
- he says mama and dada, but that's about it. I don't speak baby very well, but he's semi fluent in adult, so it works out.

I swear, this kid has some big brains. I'm blown away by his intelligence everyday. If he can't open something, he'll grab my hand and place it on the object/thing he knows can open. He has this toy that plays music and he'll press the button until it goes to his favorite song!

Ezra is a very patient baby. I love how observant he is and how quick he learns. He makes me smile everyday! He and his dad are best friends and they love to wrestle and chase each other around. Anyway, this past year has been a big year of learning and growth for more than Ezra- becoming a parent is such milestone in a person's life. Learning to parent is another story, but the experience has been good and one that I wouldn't trade for a thing.


This will likely be my last post until we are in WI. In about a week, we will be on our way to Shorewood, WI, our new home for the next 18-20 months. This will be the longest place we've lived at since getting married in 2008! I'm nervous, but mostly excited. Can't wait to start our journey!

Mr. E-Z-R-A among other things

This was Ezra's first full day of church at 4 weeks old. Photo quality isn't so hot do to it being taken with my phone :) And yes, he was passed out with his tongue sticking out. Or that could be a poopy face too.

So where did the name Ezra pop out of? Many of you asked Carl and I what we would be naming our baby when he arrived and of course our answer was, "No idea, we really like the names Damien or Jayden, but we'll need to see him when he arrives."

And he arrived.

And we had no clue.

Because he was neither the Damien (which I wanted so badly) or the Jayden we thought he may be.

So about 4 or 5 hours after he was born (and probably 4 or 5 nurses later who asked us what his name was too), I was sitting in the L&D room looking at my brand new baby with Carl crashing on the not-so comfy recliner next to me, and I stared long and hard into my little boy's eyes and said,

"Are you a Damien or Jayden?"

Ezra, *wrinkle nose, furrowing of the brows, etc*

"Ok, I'm not sure what to call you, boy"

...

*inspiration hits me*

"Ezra? Could you be an Ezra?"

Ezra, *squeaky sound*

Then Carl wakes up and I ask him, "Hon, what do you think of the name Ezra?"

Carl, "You are an inspired woman!"

So we decided that Ezra Wallace Leder sounded and felt perfect for our first son. I love that we felt inspired to name him that. Back in the day, I had made a list of baby boy names that I liked and Ezra was on there, but when we found out we were having a son, Ezra Wallace didn't sound good to me at the time. I LOVE the name Damien and hope to have little Damien running around with his older brother Ezra someday, but I'm so glad we named this boy Ezra.

More icky phone-quality photos. Notice that this is a pet peeve for me? At least the photo subject is a cutie even through the fuzzy quality!

Sorry if I scared anyone in my last post about the labor. It was not my intention, just me speaking my true feelings about giving birth... which was pain. haha! Sometimes I get this idea from other women that giving birth with an epidural is for pansies and au natural is the high way because it proves how strong you are. I'd just like share more opinion (this is my blog, isn't it?!) that if you are a woman and ever feel this way, please, just know that carrying a child for 40 weeks is more natural than anything! And also, please know that if you do give birth without medication, awesome! Either way, the end product is what matters most - we are not defined by what kind of labor we had, whether medicated, unmedicated, or c-section :)

Well, I'm sitting on my bum with a jug of Welch's Strawberry Breeze juice that I'm drinking out of (no cup, just the jug. Mama, you'd shake your finger at me because you did teach me better than this :). The end of the summer is coming about and Carl and I are packing and selling things like mad! We're leaving KS on Sep 1 and heading to Dallas, TX for 2 months, then back to UT for awhile... lot's of moving! However, I must say though, I am SO excited to see all of our family next week! We'll be in CA August 25-27 and then OR Aug 27-30. The granddaddies finally get to meet this boy and so do several aunts! Yes, I am very excited indeed :) Also, on Sunday, Aug 29, we will have his baby blessing (1000 Country Club Rd, Woodburn, OR - Sacrament begins at 1:00 PM), so please, come if you can!

Ezra had his 1-month birthday last week and we celebrated by packing up all the newborn clothes. He is growing so fast. We started cloth diapering last week too. So far, it's been great though there is a bit of a learning curve to overcome because I can't tell when his diaper is wet now and neither can he, so we've gone 6 hours without a change before and then we get a leak. Lot's of onesies in the wash :) Other than that, cloth diapering isn't so bad! Just about as easy as a disposable!

Well, enough of this brain dump. Here's a glimpse of our last-minute, less-than-24-hour trip to St. Louis on 8/8-9!

Isn't it HUGE?! 630 feet!!!

Tiny door... and tiny elevator thing...

We were pretty cramped going up!

We're at the top!!!

The awesome view

I guess gooey butter cake is unique to St. Louis. It was DElicious!

The trip was so fun! Hope you have fun reading this!