5 year of marital bliss

We made it 5 whole years already! I know it is very small in the large spectrum of time but I feel very accomplished about it. It's crazy how much more deeply we love each other now than when we first married. I'm very much in love with my smokin Hott hubby!

(My forever road trip buddy)

He surprised me with a weekend getaway in St.George!

On the way down H was being so cute! So goofy and fun!

You can see here how happy he was. Some time after lunch he threw up in the car all over his car seat and outfit. (The first time in over 2 weeks and of course it's on a road trip) I was so thankful that right after he did there was an exit for a rest stop where we cleaned him up on the bathroom and changed his outfit. We did our best to clean the car seat with wet wipes.

We made it safely to St.George and soon after checking in to the hotel we hit the pool! 

He has no fear and wanted to play on the steps. We didn't swim long since it was hot and baby D did not enjoy the cold water in the pool. 

We ended up kickin it at the ol' Red Lobster for our fancy anniversary feast. It's not as good as I recalled last time going there. I was so thankful that we had no other vomiting issues though. 

Our first night was rough with H. We had to have him cry it out in the hotel and he woke up 3-4 times. He does not do well in new environments. 

Thankfully Greg was smart enough to bring Frozen and the laptop so we got to enjoy some cuddles while the TV babysat H for a short time :) 

H liked our bed quite a bit! He feels pretty big getting to play on it.

We did some more swimming.

Baby D looked really cute in his swim gear!

We also did a little shopping while I'm St.George. Found a mirror for our home and bought some summer shirts and shorts for H. 

We called it good after H having another awful night in the hotel. Baby D only woke up once each night to eat. Crazy how a 3 month old can do better than an 18month old huh? It wasn't worth another miserable night so we headed home after breakfast the 2nd day. 

H would not put this book down at TJ.max so we bought it! It was a great addition to the ride home. 

G and I are horrible at taking pictures together as a couple so I took a quick selfie of us driving :) love him! 

A few poppy diaper changes later and we made it home safe! 

Anniversary trips with kids are definitely different but exactly what I want. I'm so thankful to have 2 incredibly adorable boys with the most incredible husband and father. I wouldn't change what we have together for the world. Happy Anniversary handsome hubby! 5 down and infinity and forever to go :)

3 month old

3 months hve flown by since D arrived into our family. He is such a sweet lil boy! He always has a smile on his face. 

I can't get over how stinking cute he is! He looks so much like his daddy and brother but I think he looks like me in this picture 

His giggles are the cutest thing ever!!! And take a look at those arms. They are getting bigger! I love the chub!! 

He is such a good sleeper I want to brag about him to everyone because his older brother was not! He only gets up once a night usually too. So yay for me :)

H loves baby D too! Isn't this picture so cute? He is smiling and I don't think I even tried. He's just that cute!

I love how much he loves to talk in his baby qoo and quas. (Spelling?)

Happy 3 Months my sweet prince! We love having you in the family! 

Baby D is 2months

Has it really been 2 months??... Yep,it sure has!

D is such a sweet boy. The first two months in this world have been great. He's got rolling over from tummy to back. He doesn't hate tummy time because he soothes himself by sucking on his arm. He's got some of the biggest smiles too!

He is a happy easy going sweetie pie! I love this boy! He is currently smiling all the time and cooing in response to my voice. 

After feeding him before bed he looked up at me and kept giving the biggest smiles!

Blessing day for my lil man D!

I like to think of a baby blessing day as the first of many special steps to this life in the gospel. While I know blessing a child is not a saving ordinance, it is however a gift to be able to bless a new baby with the preisthood at the start of their life. We as a family had a special day for our special little guy. 

Greg blessed D on April 13th. (My sisters birthday) I wanted it on a fast Sunday since it's the normal Sunday to do a blessing and because I love an opportunity to hear testimonies and especially to bare my testimony amongst my family. 

The day could have not gone any smoother. D was super happy and chill like his usual self. He was smiling throughout sacrament to me and "nana." He was so tired but he kept his eyes open to look around at everyone. I don't think he even made a peep other than a sweet coo at me accompanied with a big grin. G gave him a very wonderful blessing and the sprit was very strong. D has a great life in store for him.

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of his smiling 

He did look like a stud in his outfit though!!

We had some food and mingling at our house after the meeting and I must stay it was a lot less stressful this go around in a more open and larger home. Our families are very very very large! I made sure to get a family picture snapped since we failed as parents at H's blessing. 

I love my growing family and adding baby D to our family has definitely enriched out lives. So thankful for my Savior who made our eternal family possible and also for my Heavenly Father for all the blessing he bestows upon my children, spouse and I. 

Loving life with our 2 boys!!

H and D are going to be best buds! They have already been so cute. Especially H. 

He loves giving kisses to D!

And D doesn't seem to mind the kisses either. 

I can't believe how easy the transition from one child to two has been. The first few weeks were very difficult trying to recover from the C-section and having H come down with a nasty fever while we were in the hospital and then develop a double ear infection after we got home. Luckily baby D has stayed healthy and avoided sickness and has been such a good baby. He is so mellow. He only fusses if he is gassy, hungry, poopy, or tired. Compared to H as a baby he's super easy. I know a lot has to do with he fact that I'm a little more experienced at this mom thing, and also that he doesn't cry non stop like H did as a baby. 

The best thing that has helped with avoiding post partum depression is getting out of the house. We walked around Walmart one time just so I could.

When the weather permits we go to the park. 

Home Depot is one if daddy's favorite things so we go together as a family to get home improvement stuff with "dada" H loved the car cart!

We also ride the 4-wheeler with "mam-ma" and the cousins. H had so much fun he fell asleep! 

Free day at discovery gateway was a blast! H loved the balls in this exhibit!

The water was also a hit with H! 

Having 2 youngins requires a baby backpack. (I need a double stroller)

H loves the weekends when we spend more time with dada. He loved the motorcycle arcade at boondocks with dad.

I'm really enjoying having a little babe again! He's growing up way too quickly though.

H is getting too big too! On rainy days we just look out the window! 

We are so happy and blessed with these two darling boys! There are more adventures to come!! 

Baby D has arrived!

We are excited to announce the new arrival and addition to the Ballard clan

@5:45pm on 02/06/14 weighing 8lbs5oz and being 21-1/2 inches long. He couldn't be more perfect! 

Has a lot less hair than his brother did but very big hands and feet. This boy won't be in newborn clothes very long.

Thanks for the warm wishes!

1 week before his world is changed forever

There is exactly one week before H is no longer an only child. While he's such a social butterfly we know it's definitely going to rock his world. He's still a baby himself at just 14-1/2 months! 

He loves running around at my doctors appointment and this is the last one!

He is getting great at learning his words and when we point to baby pictures he can say baby it just comes out "babu." He even has kissed my tummy. 

It's been stressful knowing that I'm get if another C-section because it also limits my ability to give H the attention he needs and wants once baby gets here too. I even realized I won't be able to pick him up from his crib.. So we sped up the transition process and completed painting his toddler bed and got some seers too. Now I'll he needs is a quilt for the bed.

I think it's the most darling bed in white. It was super ugly in the light wood color it used to be. I'm praying H will still nap and sleep ok. 

So far he likes the bed, but that's probably because he hasn't had to sleep in it yet. But it's a start!!

We have also had to prepare him for his first nights away from us and getting babysat by grandma and then nana. They both have super crazy stairs we had to make sure H could climb stairs and go down safely. He loves throwing things down the stairs and he could go up and down them all day now too! 

This was H just today. At the bottom of the stairs going for the ball he threw at the bottom.

Look at all those toys and stuff on the stairs!

I love my silly boy! He's so funny and fun to be around. I'm so blessed and can't believe he's almost a big brother!!