Dixon, Shaylee, and Sawyer Leavitt

On your mark get set...

2012-01-30T18:49:00.001-06:00

Walk!

Love my little walker!!

Wrap up

2012-01-04T17:33:00.001-06:00

just between you and me... I might have a crush on Las Vegas winters. Here's why:

(that would be my sliding glass door open... In January)!

I think you'll be happy to know that Santa did find us in Utah this Christmas. We were spoiled. We got to see so many family and friends to the point that my heart may have grown two sizes at least.
This boy

yes this boy... He enjoyed the wrapping paper and bows and all the attention. He was convinced that all those smiling faces everywhere were there to celebrate him and not Christmas.

And then with a blink of an eye we are onto a new year. Its funny how when you have a kid you really have to try hard not to blink... Cuz you literally blink and it's onto a new year! We had a splendid year, I think the word splendid sums it up perfectly!

Here is our 2011 in review:

-6 trips to the Andersons in Utah complete with one awesome Pineview Dam party
-2 trips to Oceanside, CA
-2 trips to Mexico
-2 trips to St George
-1 trip to Disneyland
-1 trip to San Diego
-1 trip to Logan
-1 house moved into and 1 apartment packed up and bid adieu
-went from being a mom of a newborn to a mom of a toddler!!
-A big first birthday for the man of the house
-Celebrated our 3rd anniversary

Splendid, right?

We are truly blessed, and as we close up the chapter of 2011 with an extra dose of gratitude, we look forward to 2012 and the adventures and challenges we will meet!

Cheers.

Happiest first birthday!

2011-12-13T23:12:00.001-06:00

Welp he did it. I tried to stop the hands of time or at least slow them... But to no avail. My boy turned ONE. And while I may have shed a few tears of gratitude and the tears of heartache because your heart heart hurts that he's growing so fast... You better believe I showed up on his birthday with my biggest Pom poms and smile and cheered on my growing boy. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning baking cupcakes and wrapping his gifts, all the while reminiscing about that wonderful day when we welcomed him into the world. Oh my sweet boy, what did we ever do without you?

Presents were waiting for him when he woke up (is that a ball I see?)
Pancakes were made topped with his favorite: peanut butter. (like mother like son).
He was dressed in his birthday outfit...

Seriously, do they come any cuter?

He decided to show off with his first three steps (cue Pom poms and mega phones)!

And you can bet we had cake:

He didn't like it that much... Hint of sarcasm there.

And that's it. All the sudden he's ONE! Oh my boy, how I love being your mama!

2011-11-27T23:40:00.001-06:00

Something BIG happened at the Leavitt household yesterday. Our UNLV rebels beat North Carolina(the number one team in the country)! You better believe we were there cheering them on!

It was a big game for the little guy, so big he just couldn't handle it and dozed off for the whole second half. And his momma soaked up his sleepy little self. These moments of sleepiness are far and few between!

My two boys. My big boy was wishin he could storm the court with everyone else!

And for proof that I was there, a family photo.

And we celebrated with a slurpy for him and pumpkin hot chocolate for me!

The husband may or may not have come home and watched the game again on tv. Just for kicks and giggles.

2011-11-15T17:08:00.001-06:00

It's a good thing he's so cute

Because he's been trying my patience today. He's in a screaming phase the past two days and mommy doesn't know what to do!
On that note, he's found a friend:

Good thing that friend likes to scream too:)

2011-11-08T22:07:00.001-06:00

you know you have a true friend when you receive a letter in the mail and you open it up to find this beautiful surprise

Tears were shed. A bad day was made a great day. And this November as we are extra thankful, I am thankful for dear friends!

2011-11-06T18:41:00.001-06:00

This puppy is almost 11 months. Wait, what?! 11 months?!! It's crazy how fast time has flown! We've been busy with Halloween festivities (trunk or treat, chili, caramel apples, pumpkin bread, and chasing the puppy around the house).
We saw the Anderson family this weekend. What a treat to see them, the fall leaves, and experience the first snowfall! Mmmm seasons, how I miss them!

Here's the powdered sugar mountains

Aunt Siddle

Aunt dee the college student

Kinny the cheerleader and Dee

Great grandma Kathy

Grandma beck!

And we celebrated an almost one year old. He was spoiled!

And judging by the sleepyhead, we had a wonderful trip!

Going to Utah always recharges me! My cup runneth over.

Bring on thanksgiving, birthday celebrations, and Christmas. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-10-26T16:46:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it's rough being a kid.

Especially when mom turns on her hair dryer!

2011-10-23T21:33:00.001-05:00

Sundays scream strolls. Not walks, per say, because walks sound like work, but strolls, strolls are leisurely.. A time for self reflection, for teaching, for singing primary songs, for visiting the playground. Yes, Sunday strolls are my kind of magic.

My baby boy with his jack o lantern smile... Hello fall!

Strolls wouldn't be complete without a game of peek-a-boo. He won by the way!

I found a street that had trees that were semi autumn looking. So you better believe we walked up and down it at least four times!

And last but not least, I have a saying in my house that goes like this... "if your dirty by the end of the day, it's been a good day." Cue dirty socks.
It was a good day!

Decor

2011-10-20T22:12:00.001-05:00

With a new home, I have been stressed, excited, stressed about getting the decor just right! We've got some paint on the walls, and some pictures hung... But the cutest decor of all is underneath our kitchen table.

Yep. My decorations don't even come close to the cuteness of this boy. Our table is his little fort, and I have visions of this boy hiding under it in the future to stay away from "the bad guys" or putting blankets over it to make a cave...

I love having a boy.

Also, remember how he is up up and away on my stairs? Ya, he fell down them yesterday. All of them. Bad mom award? I think so!

2011-10-19T17:30:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to find a pumpkin patch! So on
family night on Monday we went as a family to check it out!
I love fall. Love it. And I'll be the first to admit that the time that I really dislike Las Vegas is the fall time. There aren't any pretty leaves changing, (although on our walk the other day there were some little dried leaves from bushes that were crunching under my feet and I got all kinds of excited) and the weather is still hot, and the air doesn't smell like crisp autumn air.
So to keep from going into a semi depression, I have to do little things to keep me excited about fall. Like make hot chocolate when the air conditioning is on a little too high, bake pumpkin bread, go to the craft store and get fall leaves and flowers to bring fall into my home, and go to the pumpkin patch.

Here is my little punkin wit his pumpkin.

He was as happy as me. Like mother like son?!

Our little family. Yes my husband and son are both representing UNLV. And incase you were wondering, basketball season begins in less than two weeks.

Here's my autumn porch, don't you want to come visit?

And I wasnt joking about going to the craft store for my autumn leaves. Pictures to tide over my mom...

Ps anyone willing to ship us a box of fall leaves?! I'm dying to take a pile and jump in them... And smell them, and crunch them. Yes, I'm still 5 years old.

O ya, brother is ready for Halloween. Here's a hint on what he's gonna be: he makes a sound that goes Ruff ruff ruff.

2011-09-30T18:12:00.001-05:00

He found the stairs...

Up, up, and away!

2011-09-27T11:56:00.001-05:00

When your a sleepy Sawyer, sometimes you have to hold on to your crib and smash your face against the side of your crib also to get a good nights rest...

Yummo

2011-09-25T18:18:00.001-05:00

And he actually liked it.

I may have slightly gagged when I smelled it. Good thing I don't have to eat it!

Nine months

2011-09-21T12:18:00.001-05:00

The stats are in:
20 1/2 lbs (50%)
29 1/4 in. (75-90%)
Head circumference: (75%)

So we have a tall little guy on our hands! And oh how we love this not so little guy!

Go Rebs

2011-09-18T09:49:00.001-05:00

It's our favorite time of year... College football... Which leads to college basketball! We went to a Rebels game last night and Sawyer just didn't know what to think! But he did clap his hands when the fans around him clapped their hands... Kind of like his mommy!

(and yes, those would be little air jordans on his feet. Our first purchase when we found out we were having a boy!)

Long time no post

2011-09-13T15:47:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posts... We've been hangin w this pretty lady

(Sawyer was sad to say goodbye yesterday at the airport)!

2011-09-01T23:51:00.001-05:00

It's hot in Las Vegas.

And because we don't have a pool, we go over to play in the fountains! It's a fun way to cool off!!

Rumor has it...

2011-08-27T15:02:00.001-05:00

Sawyer has a girlfriend. I watch her on Fridays now. She's 6 months, he likes the younger ladies.

Here they are playing together... And my house has awesome lighting issues so it's hard to get a good picture! It was so fun having two little munchkins, they entertain each other all day. They laugh at each other, suck on each others toes, have screeching contests, give each other kisses, have contests on who can get a toy the fastest....

And sometimes pat each others bums :)

Oh I love being a mom to this Monkey. He sure does make me laugh!

Teefers

2011-08-24T10:43:00.001-05:00

When you have two teefers (teeth) you gotta brush em so you don't get cavities... At least that's what we're trying to teach Sawyer! Every morning Dixon holds him when he is brushing his teeth and Sawyer stares at Dixon wondering what on earth he's doing...

(sorry for the weird angle and bad lighting)
And then it's soy boy's turn to try it out...

He doesn't know what to think!

Oh I love my little and his two teefers!!

Play ball!

2011-08-23T09:56:00.001-05:00

We survived the 107 degree heat last night at the 51s game. And it was dollar night so we got our hotdogs and peanuts for under $5 total!

We lasted till the bottom of the fifth! Then our little guy started looking like this:

We sure love our family nights!

And because he looked so handsome on Sunday I have to throw in the following picture

My grown up little in his suit. Oh he is so stinkin cute! Can't get enough of him!

Randomness

2011-08-22T10:32:00.001-05:00

Tonight we are going to a baseball game. And it's going to be 107 today, wish us luck!

(put me in coach!!)

And lately, my Sawyer loves the tub, the pool, anything with water! He tubs for a half hour some days!!

Also, Ky starts her student teaching today, i have to brag, because those kids are so lucky to have her as their student teacher!

And that is the end of my randomness:)

Gram's Beach Party 2011

2011-08-14T19:17:00.006-05:00

Every year, Dixon's family spends a week at the beach!

This year's destination: Mexico!!

(he seriously looked this happy the whole drive, he knew we were off to somewhere fun!)
We spent our days there doing the following:

Surfin. Check.
Playin with Grandpa, Hannah, and Chase. Check.
Play with toys outside by the ocean. Check.
Look handsome in our hat and sunglasses. Check.

Hit the beach. CHECK!

Mind you, the water was freezing cold. He would do the cry laugh cry laugh every time a wave greeted his little piggies.

Float in the pool. Check.

Splash in the fountain with Mommy. Check.
Splash with Daddy. Check.

Run around in el walker. Check.

Sleep with daddy. Big Check!

Sawyer also LOVED the pool table. He would sit on one end, and we would roll the balls to the other end and wait for them to bounce back. He would get so excited!
It's funny how time flies when your having fun! We're already looking forward to next year! Arriba Arriba

Me gusta Mexico!!

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-08-14T18:56:00.002-05:00

I have this vivid memory of Ky and I watching the old Parent Trap and pausing the movie when Hallie says, "want a newton," and we would run to the cupboard and grab a newton (that we cried for at the store because they had them in Parent Trap and we wanted them. Mom told us we wouldn't like them, but we just had to have them... she was right, they weren't that good), and sit back down on the couch and eat our newtons with the twins on the screen. Why did we not wait till the new Parent Trap to do that... they have peanut butter and oreos in that one.. now we're talkin.

Also. In First Grade, we both peed our pants. On the same day. What? If that doesn't mean we're twins, then what does :)

Here's to my pant wetter, fig newton lover twin sister of mine! Twenty-Two years of fun memories and so many more to come!

Happy Birthday sweet sister of mine!

Big boy

2011-08-02T11:29:00.001-05:00

My baby can sit...

All by himself.

Making our house a home

2011-07-25T22:35:00.001-05:00

Our little family decided to build a home this past April. You haven't heard about it because I didn't want to get crazy excited like I did last year for the home that never happened... So I waited till we closed on our house to introduce you! It took all of 45 days to build, and we love it!

Here are our pictures each week on Sunday... Look how much progress was made each week:

For those of you who are wondering where we built our home... It is in Northwest Las Vegas. And the best part is, we have plenty of room for visitors... so come see us!
I will give you a tour just as soon as I have some pictures hung on the wall. For now you get to drive yourselves crazy dreamin up what's on the inside.
Hint to you. The master bath is my favorite room in the whole house!!

Can you find them

2011-07-23T15:44:00.001-05:00

I spy with my little eye, two baby teethies!

Super Sawyer has been feverish and sad the past few days waiting for these buggers to come in! Yay for teeth!

Hidden talents

2011-07-10T23:09:00.001-05:00

My husband is a chef. He makes meat rolls, and they are pretty darn awesome.
This weekend we put the little guy in his carseat:

(sorry phone pic)
And drove up to Utah to party it up with the Anderson fam!

And because my husband is so darn awesome, he made the family meat rolls. I was his helper. I got pictures to prove it:

And remember in a previous post I said my favorite thing about havin a boy is you get to dress them up as super heros?

I repeat. The best thing about having boys is dressing them up like superheros.

Superman turned a quarter on Thursday... He's getting old, makes me feel young! I made him his favorite peaches dessert with nine random candles on top. I didn't want him feeling too old with 25 candles on top of his peach dessert!

More to come on our trip, including dam party details tomorrow. Yes I said dam party. More on that later.

And if you want to be a superhero in the kitchen, here's the meatroll recipe:
1/2 lb sausage
1 lb ground beef
1/4-1/2 onion diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
Hard rolls (we like the Francisco brand found by the hamburger buns)
Brown sausage and hamburger together with onion. Drain fat. Add cream of chicken soup. Hollow out rolls. Stuff meat mixture in roll. Bake at 350 for 5-7 min.
For the rolls that go uneaten, wrap in tinfoil and freeze them... Making the best go to lunch and dinner! We like them. Dixon loves them. And the family, let's just say they passed the picky eater test!

Red white and blue

2011-07-05T00:07:00.001-05:00

Bubbers had his first fourth of July today!

He was proud to be an American!

As for our little family, we spent the evening eating BBQ and watermelon, topped off with thin mint cookie frozen yogurt and fireworks!
And although I was homesick for family, I am grateful for new traditions.
Hope you had a happy and safe fourth!

Love this

2011-07-01T23:45:00.001-05:00

When my baby boy cuddles into me and falls asleep I am in a little bit of heaven. Our hearts beat rhythmically together, and I am at peace. I could hold him like this all day long.

Pretzels

2011-07-01T18:00:00.001-05:00

I LOVE pretzels. I especially love them with peanut butter, but if you know me at all, you know that everything is better with peanut butter on it! I thought I would let Soy Boy try some (without the peanut butter)...

He didn't quite know what to think..

Notice that he has one in each hand. Didn't want the other hand getting jealous!

2011-06-29T11:42:00.001-05:00

You know your a mom when you find it hard to take a shower. This once simple and enjoyable task is now a rushed scrub scrub and get out kind of procedure! This is where I set the little guy down while I jump in the shower...

I give him his favorite toys, he brings his favorite toes, and it looks like he'll have an enjoyable time for the whole three minutes that I scrub my hair.
I leave the door open and talk to him so he doesn't feel lonely. He's been doing the whole freak-out-a-lot-when-I-can't-see-mommy- thing. And apparently he hears my voice and comes runnin. Or crawling. No scratch that, he comes rollin.
Exhibit 2 the little guy three minutes later waiting for mommy:

How did he get turned around so much? and yes he's crying because I am taking a picture of him instead of picking him up!
He's officially my rolly polly.
Silly boy!

2011-06-24T19:59:00.001-05:00

The best thing about having a boy... You get to dress him up in superhero outfits!

Batman is eating cheerios now! Lyla sneaks them when he's not looking!

Love my lil superhero!

Love

2011-06-20T20:15:00.001-05:00

Sawyer LOVES his bottle (ba ba)

He can hold it all by himself now, and he loves it even more!

Growing Growing

2011-06-14T21:06:00.001-05:00

The half year old:

The stats are in:
Weight- 16 lbs 13 oz {25%}
Height- 27 inches tall {75%}
Head {50%}

Favorite things this 6 month old loves:
His toes

Belly laughing
His walker
His puppy lyla
Blue blank (his blanket)
Rolling over to his tummy

And as of today... Carrots

We got the green light from the doc! Bring on the yummy food (and stinky diapers too)!!

One Half (reminiscing)

2011-06-10T11:12:00.005-05:00

Today I find myself standing in Sawyer's room as he is napping, quietly peering over the edge of the crib to watch his chest rise and fall with the sweet purring that only a baby makes. And my heart aches just a little. My boy turns one half tomorrow. I have watched him as he has found his tongue, then his hands, then learn to kick his feet, then find his voice, and gain strength, all the while cheering my boy on hard like a cheerleader in an overtime game! And while I am so proud of his growing self, I take a moment to reflect on the day that we welcomed him into the world.

Dixon and I had such a hard time with his name. We had two names that we agreed on. JD (Dixon being the middle name) and Sawyer Anderson. Late at night I would make Dixon say the names out loud, just so I could hear them. We never shared our names with anyone. Mostly because it drives me nuts when people ask you the names you like and after telling them the names that are very dear to your heart, they get a disgusted look on their face and say "if that's what you like then i guess it's ok, but I would never name my child that!" Or the classic, "I knew a kid in highschool with that name and he was bad news." So we kept it under wraps. And in the morning when Dixon and I were getting ready I would make him say the names out loud again, just so i could envision my little guy!

I had an easy pregnancy physically. A little nausea and tiredness in the first trimester, but nothing to complain about. I loved my belly, loved feeling his movements... in the morning as I would wake up I would rub my belly and say "Hello Little Guy, time to get up," and he would greet me with a little kick to let me know he was ready for the day. I find these memories hitting me hard some days. Emotionally, I had a very difficult pregnancy, and because of that, I feel like I have blocked out a lot of my pregnancy from my memory. But every now and then I am hit hard by some of those sweet moments that have molded me into the mother I am today.

Even though my pregnancy is a blur, I remember his birthday like it was yesterday. I was so stressed because I wanted my mom to be here when he arrived, but he was keeping us guessing on what day he was coming. My due date was December 10, 2010. So we booked a flight for mom on December 1o and she was going to stay for a week (hoping that little guy would make an appearance). Ky was coming to Vegas with her ambassador team on December 7-10, so if he came early, Ky would be here to represent my family. On December 9, Ky invited me to go with her and her team to Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. So off to the strip I went. It was slightly awkward being this big pregnant lady on the strip for some weird reason, but I got over it pretty fast. We shopped at the Fashion Show mall and realized that we were running late to dinner. So we did what anyone would do. We ran down the strip to catch our dinner reservations. Now if it was awkward being a pregnant lady walking the strip, imagine a pregnant lady running down the strip (I swear this put me in labor). Dinner was good and when we went to Phantom I sat down and the lady next to me asked me when I was due and when I replied "Tomorrow," she got wide eyes and said "wow, please don't go into labor during the show!" Ha!

Mom got here the 10 and after a night of contraction and walking with mom that morning to see if we could get the contractions to come closer, it was off to the hospital. I remember feeling so calm on the drive there. It was strange. I looked at Dixon and said "I can't possibly be in labor, I'm not screaming or in severe pain, they are going to send me home!" When I walked up to the front desk at the maternity ward the nurse looked at me and asked if she could help me. "Yes, I'm here to have my baby!!" "Are you getting induced?" "Nope, I'm in labor" She definately gave me the look that said "I'll check her and she's going back home. No way is this cheerful girl in labor." She handed me my gown, and I had the hardest time trying to figure out how on earth to get that thing on.. I blame it on being pregnant. I swear I lost brain cells. She checked me and I was a 4 1/2 with a bulging bag and announced that we were having our baby that day!" Everything moved really fast after that. Before I knew it I was a 6 and requested my epidural. Wasn't bad at all.

Then we started to push. I remember telling the nurse "thank you" over and over during this whole process and she thought it was so strange "you don't need to say thank you honey," she would say. But I was truly grateful. My nurse was better than I could have hoped for. She kept me so comfortable, and was so sweet through the whole thing. She made me feel like my baby was special, not just one more baby being born.

There is this moment right before Sawyer was born that time seemed to stop and I got this overwhelming feeling of love from my Savior, like he was telling me, 'this child is yours to raise on this earth. If you will always look to me, I will help you know how to raise him. You are his earthly mother. Love him.'

And then I saw him. He was so different than I thought he was going to look. (granted, when they are covered in all that slimey stuff they do look a little different). But he was more beautiful than I ever imagined. The tears came in streams. I sobbed and sobbed. I always told Dixon in our checkups that a baby's heartbeat is probably my favorite sound in the world. In that moment, his first cries became my most favorite sound in the world. It was like he was saying hi mom, hi mom, I'm so happy to finally meet you face to face. And I took him in my arms and kissed every part of his face. His eyes. His baby nose. His baby eyes. His baby cheeks. His baby lips. "He's perfect," I kept saying over and over. And he was.

Now he's six months. One half. And I am looking down at him and tears fall down my cheeks as I whisper "he's perfect, he's perfect." And he is.

Look Out

2011-06-09T16:30:00.001-05:00

Little guy is in the move!

Davis Grad 2011

2011-06-07T13:39:00.003-05:00

She Graduated. With high honors. I can't believe time has gone by this fast... seems like yesterday I was wearing that cap and gown (albeit in a more yellow hue than the awesome gold she has on!) To say I am proud of her is cliche, but as her big sister, I am so proud of her!

We were extremely grateful we could be there to share in her big day!
Don't know why we didn't get a picture with mom and dad and the kids, but here are all of us chilluns.
Grandma Kathy was there to help us celebrate and Sawyer was her best friend because she had his ba ba. He loves his bottle. LOVES it!
He was also best friends with grandma Silcox because she had on an awesome necklace, and those beads were just irresistable!
And we partied on the next day at the pool. Nothin in the world like sittin by the pool with family and doing absolutely nothing else but reminiscing!
Sawyer and Grandma Beck!
And we got to see my good friend Lezlie-Anne and her sweet son James (10 mo.)

Thanks for the Great Trip Everyone!! We sure loved seeing you!

Happy memorial day

2011-05-30T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hope you have a relaxing day...

We sure are relaxed!

Lions and tigers

2011-05-29T14:59:00.001-05:00

Lions and tigers and....Sawyers?

O my!!

One of these things is not like the others

2011-05-27T10:30:00.001-05:00

Can you find lyla's toy?
She sometimes wants to share her toys w Sawyer!

Brother bear

2011-05-26T12:48:00.001-05:00

With this t shirt on he really truly is my brother bear!

Thank you grandma Kathy for the cute outfit!

If you a girl some fabric...

2011-05-25T19:24:00.001-05:00

If you give a girl some fabric she might make an amazing quilt...

If you give a shaylee some fabric she makes a cute onesie for a handsome fella...

If you give a handsome fella a cute onesie, he's a mighty happy handsome fella...

(the rice cereal may have had something to do w the happiness!)

Look alike

2011-05-21T19:10:00.001-05:00

So Dixon, Sawyer and I are in Mexico for our third anniversary and I took the following picture...

Geez... Do you think they look alike or is it just me?
In contrast here's me w the little guy..

Im thinking he looks like his dad! Love it!!

Fun fun fun

2011-05-19T13:52:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we have too much fun playing with nurf bullets...

Roo

2011-05-15T17:20:00.001-05:00

Meet Roo:

I'm Kanga, he's Roo! Enough said.

Tylenol

2011-05-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

Sawyer discovered a new toy...

No worries, the lid is screwed on tight. Brother Bear sucks on this thing for hours at a time! It's the perfect size for his little fist and so fun to chew on. And momma loves a happy boy!

Spoiled Rotten

2011-05-09T22:58:00.001-05:00

Its no news to me that I am spoiled... I mean have you seen the baby I get to call mine?
But yesterday I was spoiled rotten!! For starters, when I got out of the shower I had chocolates and a card on my pillow from my Soy Boy! (with a little help from daddy of course).

(what do you think... Does he look like me?)

Dixon made me a most amazing dinner complete with corn on the cob... Yummy!

And to top it off... Double chocolate fudge cake from my favorite place: the red velvet cafe! It's ok to be jealous!!

I am so spoiled! Sure do love being a momma!

mom

2011-05-06T15:44:00.004-05:00

In lieu of Mother's Day this Sunday I have been in a reflective kind of mood. To say that I love being a mom is an understatement. I looked at Dixon the other night and said "I always knew I would love being a mom, I just didn't realize I would love it this much." There is something about waking up to the sweet cry of a little guy that needs your love as much as a flower needs the sun that makes my heart swell with gratitude. I have always thrived on change and on challenge and like to be busy, but I have become a huge fan of the ordinary. I find myself soaking up the moments of doing dishes and laundry and cleaning house, and I can stare at the sweet baby boy that is Sawyer and get lost in that moment, hoping that for once I can stop the hands of time and enjoy that moment a little longer.

We dance everyday. Sometimes we dance to me singing songs (mind you I know very few lyrics, so most of my songs are made up as we go), sometimes we dance to Justin Bieber, but most of the time we dance to giggles coming from the little five month old. Oh how we love to dance. My son has taught me that life is for dancing. As Jessie from my old favorite movie "The Babysitter's Club" said: Why walk when you can dance. And so we do... we find moments everyday to dance our worries and cares away.

I have never looked at my reflection as many times as I have the past few months. The little bear loves to see himself in that mirror and cracks himself up as he smiles and wiggles and chats with himself. It's been a while since I have looked in the mirror and have been at peace with what I see... there is always something to criticize about myself or something that I would like to change, that i often would find excuses not to look in the mirror. Now, however, I look in the mirror and I am at peace. I am doing what I have always dreamed of doing; and despite my imperfections, I smile, because I am truly happy.

Sometimes, I feel inadequate that I have been blessed with such a sweet spirit. I think I learn more from him each day than he will ever learn from me. We make each other better... and that is the love of a mother and child.

Although I am proud of his growing little self, I reminisce about when I first welcomed him into this world and we said our first hellos. The moment when our eyes first met and I knew that he knew that I was his momma. I looked down at him and whispered the words over and over "he's perfect. he's perfect. he's perfect." I kissed those swollen cheeks as tears spilled down over my cheeks and I knew that I would never be the same. I was a mom. My dream had come true.

Many people dream of the careers that they will have when they grow up, and while I had goals and dreams of becoming something extraordinary in the workfield, nothing compared to the desire i had to be a mom. I suppose it stemmed from watching my mom. As a child I watched as my joys were my mom's joys and my pain was her pain. There is a moment etched in my mind of my mom bringing home my littlest sister, Sydnee, and how excited she was to share her joy with us in welcoming this new member. I didn't understand it then, but she was so excited to become a mom. Again. after five, she was still excited to become a mom. Again. I watched as she would spend time making all of us girls look like and feel like princesses and read books to the littles as we were off doing our own thing. She loved being a mom. She still does. She always will.

I get it.

I love being a mom. How I am so blessed with this bundle of joy is a mystery to me, but I treasure up every moment.

And so this mother's day I am grateful to be associated with the word mom.

Happy mother's day to the many mothers that I know. But most importantly Happy mother's day to my mom and to my mother in law.... because without them, i would not have the opportunity to be a mother myself.

Yummy to my tummy

2011-05-02T19:54:00.001-05:00

Baby boy had rice cereal today!

He wasn't quite sure what to think! Between trying to sit up in that hi-chair and eating that goop, he just didn't know if he liked it! Maybe I need to throw some bananas in it... He might like it then!

I was more excited than he was about the cereal! Im a proud mama!

I tasted the rice cereal, I don't blame him for spitting it out!

Yum!!

Surfs up

2011-04-29T14:38:00.001-05:00

Surfs up dudes!

This little guy is ready for summer! He just needs some sun glasses and he's set!

And a kiss to celebrate our warm weather...

So Handsome

2011-04-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

We had a problem:

His hair was out of control... So after much thought we cut it.

He didn't like it very much (the bulging vein on the side of his head says a lot)... Also the screaming.

But after the torture we have a handsome boy.

So Handsome!!

Hoppy Easter!!

2011-04-24T23:49:00.001-05:00

How the Leavitts do Easter...

Let's start with the Easter boy

And the other Easter boy too...

(his Easter gift I homeade... Inside joke from our fav TV show)

There were Easter baskets:

And bunnies and eggs too:

And a Giants game:

And mommy and Lyla joined in too:

Easter was so much fun, we were pooped at the end of the day!

(I love watching my boy sleep! Call me creepy... But I sneak into his room at least 5 times a night to watch him sleep!

I'm so grateful for our Savior and the gift he gave us! I feel so blessed to remember him on this special day!!

Utah adventures

2011-04-17T16:24:00.001-05:00

We journeyed on up to Utah this weekend to see my family! We realized that in Sawyer's first four months he has been to Oceanside twice, Kaysville three times, Disneyland, St. George, and Logan! He is a Leavitt: a good traveler. He hates getting in his seat and makes us feel guilty for putting him in it, but once we get going he calms himself down and sleeps!
On Saturday we went to the aquarium to celebrate my cousin's birthday! Nothin like petting sting rays with family!

(yes I am aware that those are fake fish in the background... I promise there were real fish there to!)
We got to see Aunt Dee (lyndee) get all dressed up for her senior prom...

We got to hang w Grammy Beck and enjoy the simple things in life.... Like butter boxes

And we got to smile and laugh and smile with all the chillins... And show them our new tricks like rolling over! Syd could get him laughing every time! We got to hear Aunt Kinny (Kenadee) give a great talk in church, and we finally got to see uncle Landon pass the sacrament! We sure do love our Anderson family!!

Hoppy Easter!

Doctors n stuff

2011-04-13T17:29:00.001-05:00

My little guy is 4 months. FOUR months. I think this is my favorite stage so far (I say that with every stage)! What does Sawyer Leavitt do at 4 months??

He rolls from his stomach to his back, he rolls from his back to his sides. He found his grip and loves to play with his toys and learning mat. We talk to the baby in the mirror and laugh at him, and smile at him too! He pulls mommy's hair out and has it in his hands wherever we go. He sleeps from 7 pm to 7 am!!!! He takes baby cat naps throughout the day. He knows what his baba (bottle) is and whines when he sees it because he is so excited and he helps mommy hold it up while he eats. And he gives the best kisses... He opens that mouth wide when mommy goes to kiss him so she gets a slobbery kiss (the best kind!!) and he has BLUE eyes. Yes my friends, he has stolen my heart! And here he is on his 4 month birthday:

I took him in to the doc today to see just how perfect he is! And his stats are:
13 lbs 12oz (25-50 percentile)
24 1/2 inches(25-50)

Funny story, when the nurse went to pick him up to weigh him he FReAkEd out... We're talkin blood curling screams, so I take him from her and he's just fine! Smart baby knew those shots were coming!!
Here he is at the doctors:

(Here he is at 2 months so you can see how big he has gotten):

He is a growing boy!!
And as always cuz I'm an awesome mom and take before and after pictures when he gets his shots here you are
Before:

After:

(notice he's lobster red because he's so upset)!

On that note...
I went to the podiatrist again this week... Turns out I had an ingrown toenail on both big toes! Thank you to the people who gave me my last pedicure... My toes truly will never be the same!

I don't think ouch really cuts it...

Ouch!!!

Just to see you smile

2011-04-12T22:39:00.001-05:00

...melts my heart every time!

My boys

2011-04-11T10:53:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I wonder what I did right to be blessed with these two boys.

They are the best of friends.

And for that I am truly grateful.

Silly boy!

2011-04-10T20:09:00.001-05:00

Sawyer likes to suck on daddy's hands.

We think it's hilarious! He thinks it's funny too..

(the boy loves to move... Hence the blur.)
My cup runneth over.

Mischief

2011-04-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday I thought my boy was lookin nice and springy so I had to take a picture... Little did i know he was secretly coming up w a mischievous plan. Here he is, the little con artist lookin cute and innocent. (sorry it's a phone pic)

Fast forward one hour later.

We are sitting in the waiting room at the podiatrist's office (I am having issues w my 2 big toes), and Sawyer starts fussing. So I pick him up and sit him on my lap so I can finish filling out my paper work. Well then Sawyer starts pooping and he's grunting and so I say "excuse you bud," as everyone in the waiting room looks over at me. Mind you this is a very small waiting room. So I let him finish his thing and then i smell it.. "we got to go change your diaper bud," I say. Then I look down at him and the boy has pooped all over my pants, all over the chair, poop up to his neck... Poop. Poop. Poop. So I'm quietly having a freak out session trying to get him out the door to the restroom without getting anymore poop on anything else (like the floor)! Needless to say, we had to reschedule. And because I forgot a change of clothes for Sawyer, I stuck a very happy naked baby in his car seat.

He didn't go with me to my rescheduled appointment.

Good thing he's cute! Love you bud!!

MOM

2011-03-27T18:49:00.003-05:00

Before I was a mom, my bedtime was 10:00

Now that i'm a mom my bedtime is 8:30 at the latest.

Before I was a mom I slept through the night

Now that I'm a mom I wake up to check on my little guy if he's slept too long.

Before I was a mom I took 20 minute showers and enjoyed every second,

Now I'm lucky to take a 5 minute shower without hearing a baby crying.

Before I was a mom I smelled of perfume or maybe sweat from a good workout,

Now that i'm a mom, I smell of milk and spit up.

Before I was a mom i worked out in my freetime,

Now that i'm a mom I nap during my freetime.

Before I was a mom, my house was always clean,

Now that i'm a mom i'm not so concerned about the little messes.
Before I was a mom Dixon and I ate dinner together almost every night,

Now that i'm a mom, I eat while Dixon watches Sawyer and then Dixon eats.

Before I was a mom I dreamed of being a mom,

Now that i'm a mom I feel that i am living a dream.

Before I was a mom my arms ached to hold a little one,

Now that I am a mom I have a hard time putting him down.

Before I was a mom I thought I knew what true love was

Now that I'm a mom I KNOW what true love is.
Before I was a mom I thought family was important

Now that I'm a mom, I know that family is everything.

Before I was a mom I was hard on myself and my body image

Now that i'm a mom I say "Look what my body can do!!"

Before I was a mom I knew my mom loved me

Now that I'm a mom I know how much my mom loves me.

Before I was a mom I loved my mom

Now that I'm a mom, I REALLY LOVE my mom!

Before I was a mom, I was happy

Now that I am a mom I am floating on cloud nine!

I sure do love being a mom. I sure do love my little guy. I sure am grateful to get to be his momma. I sure do feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything!

2011-03-20T15:32:00.001-05:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!

Morning Routine

2011-03-20T14:57:00.001-05:00

Every morning Dixon takes Sawyer and Lyla on a walk. Because we live in an apartment, we have to take lyla out many times a day... And Sawyer LOVES to be outside! Here they are ready to go

Notice Lyla wouldn't even look at the camera because she is ready to go! Oh I love these boys (and Lyla too... But mostly my boys)!!! While they are out I get a few minutes to gear up for the day. It's a great way to start the day!

Did someone say nap?

2011-03-18T13:49:00.001-05:00

See this boy...

He's napping in his pack n play....

Guess where his pack n play is...

Gotta love the beach!

Graduated

2011-03-14T15:22:00.001-05:00

He did it.

He graduated from the boppy! For the first three months he slept in the boppy.. I think it made him feel like he was being held! Look how he sleeps now:

All by himself. in his bed. on a flat surface! Did I mention his eyes were wide awake wen I put him down... Yep, he put himself to sleep!! Good job my "brudder bears!" (like brother bear... It's what I call him. You can't choose nicknames, they just kind of stick!)

I blinked

2011-03-13T14:17:00.001-05:00

I blinked and look what happened!

Where did my newborn go?? This chunky monkey can laugh, look at his hands, hit himself, kick, smile smile smile, roll from his stomach to his back, stand up on my lap, FaceTime, and melt his momma's heart!! Sure do love you little man, so proud of you and your growing little self!

And just because he's so cute...

It's getting hard to get good pictures because he is such a wiggle worm!7

My little frog

2011-03-06T16:39:00.001-06:00

This is our frog

We call Sawyer our little frog because he moves his legs like a little frog! So we just couldn't resist this outfit when we saw it!

We love our little frog!
Ribbit.

Sawyer and Larry

2011-03-02T07:27:00.000-06:00

At the UNLV game on Saturday, Sawyer met his first celebrity: Larry Johnson.

And for those of you who are like me and have NO IDEA who Larry Johnson is, you can check out this youtube clip.

One of many first loves

2011-03-01T19:36:00.000-06:00

The kid loves his stroller.

You wouldn't guess it looking at these pictures, but he LOVES it. I love it too, it makes shopping easier, and it's fun to take him on walks!

See those cheeks... I love to kiss them all the day long!

Milk drunk

2011-03-01T14:20:00.001-06:00

Burp.

Utah

2011-02-28T12:34:00.004-06:00

Sawyer and I ventured on up to Utah a week and a half ago to see my family while Dixon was at a work conference in San Diego. He was quite the traveler! He put up with my bad singing, never ending Taylor Swift tunes, and the full 6 hours in his carseat like a champ! While we were up North we drove to Logan to see Aunt Ky and my good friend Lezlie-Anne and her baby James. 7 month old James was fascinated with Sawyer! Ky even made homeade chicken noodle soup... so worth the drive up to Logan!!
And our little Syd competed in her first soccer tournament... where they took second place!! We cheered loud from the hotel room because it was rainy and cold outside, and me thinks Sawyer wouldn't have wanted to be wet and cold! Good Job Syd!

(I can't get enough of this picture! Two of my favorite people, with those bright blue eyes... Love them!)

2011-02-27T14:38:00.001-06:00

I used to think my mom and dad's bed had magic powers because I could always fall asleep on it so easily. This was only slightly annoying to my parents. I'm beginning to think I was onto something... Maybe parents' beds do have special powers....

...Sawyer seems to fall asleep in my bed so easily.

I'm in trouble

2011-02-26T15:33:00.001-06:00

Dixon and I put Sawyer in his bouncer so we could sort through my clothes ( yes it's been over 5 months since we moved in, but I couldn't fit into anything when we moved so I waited to go through my boxes of stuff). We had the SDSU bs BYU game on of course so that I could have my husbands help in this endeavor. When I realized Sawyer hadn't made a peep in about 15 minutes I looked over at him and this is what I found:

Cute boy...

Watching the game...

I'm in big trouble... He already likes sports!

And to top it off, when we turned the game off he cried. Great!

Who, me?

2011-02-25T14:03:00.001-06:00

The look of innocence:

Of course it wasn't him that peed and pooped in the tub and made mommy scramble trying to get him out asap!

Hands

2011-02-22T12:11:00.001-06:00

Sawyer found his hands the other day and he just loves to look at them... Loves it so much, he sometimes goes cross-eyed doing it!

Hands have always been special to me. I mean, think of all we do with our hands... We work, we play, we serve, lighten other's loads, hug, discover, and so much more! It's been so much fun watching my little guy discover his body and his world!

Big Boy

2011-02-22T12:04:00.001-06:00

Look who is fitting into 3 month clothes!

He's pretty excited about it too!

I can't believe how fast he is growing! It seems like he learns something new every day! He teaches me something new everyday too! I sure do love being his mom, he makes me smile:).

Ps. Doesn't he just melt your heart? He sure does melt mine!

Grampy Rob

2011-02-21T18:46:00.001-06:00

We got a visit from grampy on Tuesday! Sawyer and I picked him up at the airport and then headed to PF Chang's... Yummy! My dad hasn't ever got Sawyer for more than 5 minutes at a time because he has all those girls to compete with! I think he enjoyed himself... I know Sawyer loved seeing his grandpa! He showed off his smiles and talked throughout dinner! Such a fun visit! We sure do love you grampy!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What's in a name...

2011-02-18T08:22:00.002-06:00

Sawyer Anderson Leavitt

Otherwise called at our house:

-Little Guy
-Handsome
-Sweet Pea (said Shweet Pea)
-Punkin
-Soy Boy
-Buddy, Bud
-Starvin Marvin

...Just to name a few.

Like Mommy Like Son

2011-02-17T08:17:00.000-06:00

He has my weird baby toe(aka piggin). I noticed it the other day and I SMILED... he's definately mine.

I am so lucky!

Spring is in the Air...

2011-02-16T08:12:00.000-06:00

...Or at least it is in our house.

My favorite spring flowers on my table=happiness.
My favorite spring flowers on my table that are ORANGE=true bliss.

2011-02-15T08:24:00.001-06:00

Thank you neighbors for blaring your rap music at 2:00 in the morning! It's always so fun trying to sleep to the bass vibrating your wall. It's especially fun when a sleep deprived mom is trying to get a little sleep... Your music made that nearly impossible! So thanks again dear neighbors of mine for blasting your rap music so early this morning... Sure do love sharing my bedroom wall with ya!

Blessing Day

2011-02-15T07:41:00.002-06:00

Let me preface this post by saying that I am super bugged with this Mac computer... I rotate all the pictures and save them, and they show up all rotated in my album, but then I post them and they aren't rotated!?!! Not only that, but once they are posted, I can't see the pictures I posted until I hit the post button down at the bottom... so much for trying to write captions under the pictures if you can't even see them. Great computer.... just great! On that note... Sawyer had such a neat day on Sunday, February 6, 2011. My family was able to make it down, complete with Grandma Kathy, and Dixon's sister Jessica was also able to make it! We are so blessed to have family that is willing to travel long distances to support us in our endeavors.

I woke up and showered, only to find out that my blowdryer decided to only blow cold air (yes, I made sure to check that I didn't have the "cold air" button on). Panicked, I blew my hair for just under an hour and it was STILL wet. I decided that Heavenly Father was trying to test me... and went to church regardless (so excuse the hair in these pictures). Oh well, memory maker right?? Heavenly Father also tried Dixon and had him wake up deathly ill with some kind sinus infection... poor guy had a fever most of the day! Sawyer on the other hand, was just perfect. He handled being passed around all weekend like a champ! Dixon gave a beautiful blessing, and then it was on to Wade and Carolyns for strawberries and pancakes..YUM!!

And yes... Dixon kept Sawyer's name the same: Sawyer Anderson Leavitt. I was slightly worried he would change it to some random Brazilian name during the blessing, but he spared me! We sure do love our little guy!!
Thanks to all our family and friends for making the effort and taking the time to share in this special day with us!

PS. I ended up losing the super bowl bet that day (I was betting on Steelers, Dixon was going for the Packers... So I owe him dinner for a whole week...this week didn't count because we all were deathly ill... more on that later!)

Be Mine

2011-02-14T19:57:00.002-06:00

I'm not the biggest Valentine's fan, but when you have two cute boys in your house... what's NOT to love about Valentine's?? Dixon and I have a tradition on V Day: Steak dinner. I make potatoes and gravy and jello (it's an Anderson tradition), and Dixon makes our steaks... Sawyer wants to join in this year, but I think he'll be stickin to his new diet! Speaking of new diet... notice how much his face has filled out from his 2 months pic taken on Friday to today (Monday). I think it's workin, and I just love me a chubby baby! Bring on those chubby cheeks! And from my Hubby, Dove chocolates with peanut butter... he knows me oh so well. I may or may not have one of these every night to celebrate a job well done (getting through the day!) Hope your Valentine is about as cute as mine!

Happiest Valentines Wishes!!

Love,
Dixon, Shaylee, and Sawyer

2 months

2011-02-12T11:22:00.001-06:00

I can't believe my little guy is two months already! We had his Dr. Appointment yesterday and these are his stats:

- height: 22 inches (10-25 percentile)

- weight: 9 lbs 8 oz (5-10)

- head circumference: 39.5 (25-50)

Because he hasn't been gaining weight like he should be, the dr is now having me supplement with formula after every feeding! I was disappointed about this, because I feel like a bad mom that my body isn't providing for him like it should be... But I'll keep nursing him, and then offer him a bottle after! The doc wants him to be about 5 lbs heavier next time we see him, which us in two months.

On that note, Sawyer had to get his little shots yesterday. Poor guy already has a cold... So let's add shots on top of that!

We'll call this his before face:

And we'll call this his after face:

He did so good I was proud of him... And he didn't stay mad at me too long cuz he has been getting a treat ( his bottle) after every meal! Love my little guy!!

Keep growing bud!

Little rebel

2011-02-03T10:03:00.001-06:00

Meet the newest UNLV rebels fan...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Random thought

2011-02-02T09:49:00.001-06:00

Every now and then I have days like yesterday where 5 o clock rolls around and I wonder... "what on earth have I been doing today?" And although I didn't get much done around the house because Sawyer was mr. Grumpy, I realized that I sustained a life all day... If that isn't doing something major, I don't know what is!

... And this is my little guy finally asleep at 5pm so I could get in the shower! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sometimes...

2011-02-01T12:29:00.004-06:00

Dixon finds Sawyer and I like this:

Sawyer hasn't decided on a sleeping schedule yet. Sometimes he'll sleep from 8:00pm-4:00am...other nights he'll sleep from 9:30pm-12:00 am and 1:30am-3:00am, and up for good at 6:00 am. Because he's such a sporadic sleeper, Dixon sometimes comes home and finds me and Sawyer like this!

(I know that your not supposed to put babies on pillows, but Sawyer will only sleep if he is in his boppy pillow, or laying on a pillow like this... because it feels like he is being held. I am in the process of getting him to sleep on his back now that he is moving around more in his sleep!)

Sawyer's favorite place

2011-01-29T18:41:00.001-06:00

This is sawyer's favorite spot in the whole house... He loves to lay on that changing table, look out that window, and kick his little legs! He would lay there all day if I would let him!

... Hence the reason for so many pictures taken on the changing table....

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-01-27T21:38:00.004-06:00

We had the opportunity to go to Oceanside, California with the Anderson family a few weeks ago. We had perfect weather: 75-80 every day! It was so fun to get to spend time with the family in such a beautiful place! I've always thought that seeing the ocean is such a spiritual experience... everytime I see the ocean, or put my feet in it, I'm reminded at how much our Heavenly Father loves us!
Some highlights of the trip include Oscars pizza (my new favorite breadsticks), Kenadee provided us with great tunes, Disneyland with the chillins, Sawyer's first trip to the ocean and Disneyland... he rode his first ride: The Jungle Cruise, a trip to the pier for a shake at Ruby's, Nate and Ky finding a starfish... a live one, Sydnee collecting sea shells, helping mom figure out her new iPad, and just hanging out as a family. I love vacations where we all just hang out together and enjoy each other's company!! So fun... we were just missing Lyndee... everywhere we went I felt like someone was missing! Oh well, next vacation we will all be together!
Thanks mom and dad for such a fun vacation!!

(PS if anyone knows how to make it so the pictures all face the right way when I post them, please let me know, for some reason I can't figure it out! I try to be smarter than the computer, but I struggle! Please and Thank you for your help!)

Photo Shoot

2011-01-26T22:19:00.005-06:00

Our fabulous Aunt Janae captured these great pictures of our little guy!! I can't thank her enough for these pictures... they are precious! Thank you Janae!!

The Nursery

2011-01-09T14:56:00.002-06:00

This little guy has the cutest room ever! My mom helped tie together the room. I love my bedding on the crib... it's from Pottery Barn. Boy's bedding was hard for me.... There are a lot of zoo animals and more animals. As cute as animals are, i'm more of a simplistic person, and I liked the sports theme a little better. So after looking all over the place, I finally found this bedding and I like it a lot. The only thing missing is a rocking chair, but we have a recliner in the family room, so we just use that... which I am so grateful we have, cuz there is just nothing else on this earth quite like rocking a baby. That has been my biggest challenge: putting him down when he is asleep and resisting the temptation to rock him all day long!

Funny Fact about my little guy: He won't sleep lying flat... so when we lie him in is crib, we put the boppy pillow in the crib and he sleeps in the boppy! The things we do for our kids :0)

Thanks Grandma Beck for helping decorate and Grandma Carolyn for helping me organize this cute room!

Call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me!

2011-01-09T14:47:00.002-06:00

It's official....

This week, i joined the iPhone club! I got the new iPhone 4 for Christmas, and got to activate it this week! I am kind of surprised at how much I like it, I didn't think I would like it just as much as I do! My old phone plan only allowed me to have 300 texts and 600 minutes per month... so now I have unlimited minutes, texts, and internet... for about 20 bucks cheaper than I was paying for my other plan! My apologies to those of you who thought you were being ignored because I couldn't text you back or call you back because I didn't have anymore texts or minutes for the month... I was frustrated right along with ya! So I now have no excuses for not answering my phone or not texting back!! I feel like I have friends again:) So if your bored or need a friend..."call me beeo me if you wanna reach me..." (Ky, can you name where that saying is from?)

"...Remember that we love you"

2011-01-05T11:32:00.004-06:00

Syd 9, Landon 11 3/4, Lyndee 17 5/6, Ky 21, Sawyer 1 week, Me, Kenadee 14, Mom 26 :), Dad
A week after Sawyer was born, my family came down to meet the little guy! It was a tender meeting to say the least! Dixon and I were so grateful for their effort to get down here, especially with Christmas just around the corner! I was very emotional that weekend, it was bitter sweet to have my family there, knowing that they would only be there a day or so, and that the next time they got to see my son he would be more than a month old and all filled out.

My mom knew that I was having a bit of a hard time... so being her thoughtful self, she came up with a plan! She wrote all these cute notes (see picture above) and hid them all throughout my house, so that as i was doing things in my daily routine, I would know that they were thinking of me. I still am coming across these cute notes and it's been over two weeks since they have been here. This is where I found them and what they have said:

1. We <3 U. Found in the Cracker jar

2. "Every Kiss Begins With Shay"(inside joke). Found in my makeup bag

3. "Vroom Vroom, lets go for a car ride." Found in Sawyer's carseat

4. Smile. Found in my laundry basket

5. "Merry Christmas, we love you." Found in my tree when I was taking it down

6. "S is for smiley, H is for happy, A is for amazing, Y is for yawns! Happy Sleeping!" Found in my bed. (I think this one might be my favorite one!)

7. "Flying saucers to the rescue" (inside joke). Found in all my nursing stuff

8. "Stash the cash and buy a treat, we love you!" Found in my wallett

9. "Yay yay yay for shay! My shay sister is amazing!" (Lyndee calls me her Shay Sister). Found in my underwear drawer!

10. "Here's a mint the snowman is smiling!! Hugs... Found in my snowman m&m jar

11. "What a cute little monkey!" Found in Sawyer's crib

12. "We love the little guy!" Found in my Q-tip jar

13. "Sunshine Shay" Found in the box with the replaceable water filters

14. "A chocolate a day keeps the orneries away." Found in the freezer by my dove chocolates

15. "We are just a phone call away!" Found in between my phone and it's case

... And I'm still finding them! I've loved finding all these notes, a lot of the time, I keep them hidden in their spot, so I come accross them again and again!

I'm so grateful to have such a thoughtful mom, who knows me so well, and knows exactly what I need in order to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing mom, but I must have done something right! I hope that i can be half as amazing as my mom is!

The Greats!

2011-01-05T11:26:00.003-06:00

Sawyer is so lucky to have such Great Grandparents! He was so excited to meet them!Great Grandma and Grandpa Silcox (my mom's parents)
Great Grandma Kathy (My Dad's mom)
Great Grandpa Glen (my dad's dad, and the person we get our blue eyes from)
Great Grandma Dixon (she made Sawyer a stocking for Christmas)
Great Grandpa Dixon

We sure are grateful for all the love and support! My grandma Kathy put it perfectly, "I wondered if I would love my great grandkids the same as my grandkids. The answer is YES, definately yes, I love them the exact same... I just have to wait in a longer line to hold them!"

Dixon, Sawyer, and I are so grateful for such a loving and supportive family!!

Friends

2011-01-05T11:16:00.003-06:00

Sawyer got to meet one of his buddies from Heaven last week. This is one of my good friends, Lauren. We met in first grade waiting patiently in line for an assembly and hit it off. We've been through some of life's biggest adventures: grade school, college roomates at SUU, and now we are sharing the adventure of parenthood. Her little guy, Andrew Aksel Grady was born just five days before Sawyer. I'm sure they'll be best buds, just like their moms! Isn't life funny the different people we meet along the way and how they share our greatest joys! So fun!!This little guy is Logan Downs, he is my Aunt Jill's son, and he is exactly 2 months older than Sawyer. He is such a happy, chill spirit! I can't believe how big he is, my little guy will be that big in just over a month and a half... I'm not ready, I love this newborn stage, it's so fun! I'm sure these two will have lots of fun and get into lots of mischief together!! I love it!
My other friend, Jasmine, had her baby boy a week after Sawyer was born, but she lives in Missouri, so we won't get to meet him for a while!

Dixon's cousin, Alec and Tiff had their baby girl Reese in September, and Saywer and her are already friends... I can't wait till they can start playing with each other! So Fun!

We love our friends!!

Do You See What I See?

2011-01-05T11:11:00.004-06:00

I see... SNOW!! This is the view from my kitchen window (Not much of a view considering all the homes here are built 2 inches apart, but a view nonetheless). I was so excited to see snow, I finally felt like it might be Christmastime.. but wait, Christmas was a week or so ago... Better late than never!

The Fifth Generation

2010-12-30T16:23:00.002-06:00

Sawyer is the fifth generation on both my Dad's and my Mom's side! I thought that was pretty neat, and was dying to get pictures with everyone!! I thought it was interesting that I was the only girl in the picture with my Dad's side, and Sawyer is the only boy in the picture on my mom's side... just a random note!

Bathtime...

2010-12-26T22:38:00.002-06:00

Sawyer puts up with bathtime, because he knows that if he's good he gets to cuddle up with Lyla and Daddy and fall asleep!He doesn't particularly enjoy his baths... sometimes he looks like this, but isn't he so cute with that bathtowel??
After he calms down a little, we get our diaper on... and then we both are a little bit happier
Then we put our undershirt on (In this case it looks like a wifebeater... mom hasn't washed all the onesies yet, so wifebeater undershirt it is!)
And last but not least, we lost our umbilical cord!!! Actually he lost it last monday, but this is the first pic I have taken of his cute button!!
And the best part of bathtime.... the yummy pink baby lotion lathered all over his little body... yum!!

Christmas

2010-12-26T22:30:00.002-06:00

This year was a special one because we were blessed with the best Christmas gift... our little guy! He has been the biggest blessing in our lives. He has recently discovered his thumb(I have yet to get a picture of it) and he keeps us on our toes. Despite the late nights and early mornings, we could not be more thankful for this bundle of joy in our lives! He is two weeks old exactly as of yesterday... my how they grow! Merry Christmas! Sawyer loves to put his hands by his face.. making it very difficult to get a good picture of him, but I was sneaky and got a pic where he made a cute face!
This is Sawyer's second outfit of the day... he likes to pee through his clothes... we ended up going through 4 outfits. I thought this one was cute because it's green and christmasy!

Dixon got new Dr. Dre headphones that he was pretty excited about (I was pretty proud of myself for thinking up this idea, Dixon is very hard to shop for!) and the Jack's Mannequin album, that was autographed by Andrew himself!
Dixon and Sawyer got a carseat cover with the UNLV logo all over it. And I mean it when I say that this was Dixon's gift too.. I've never seen a man get so excited over a carseat cover!

Naps and more naps

2010-12-26T22:21:00.002-06:00

We like to take lots of naps. Lyla is always on guard making sure I am taken care of. Sometimes we fall asleep with our arms in funny positions that make mommy laugh. I love to take naps with my blue blanket from Pottery Barn!
I like to take naps when I am in the sling. Its the best of both worlds, mommy likes to go on walks, and I love to nap!

I love to take lots of naps with my daddy. Daddy watches sports, and I sleep!
And sometimes my mom dresses me in little man clothes because she thinks i look cute... but it really interferes with my nap time, so I don't like to smile when she's taking pictures of me all dressed up!

Our New Addition

2010-12-14T18:37:00.005-06:00

Introducing our Precious Baby Boy:

Sawyer Anderson Leavitt

Born 12/11/10 at 3:48 pm

7 lbs 12 oz

20 1/2 inches long

long dark hair

long fingers

big feet

just perfect!

Right after his first bath... look at all that hair, it reminds me of a little chick:)
Lovin on his Grandma Beck! We are so glad she is here to help us out!!

Hello World!! He has ten fingers and ten toes... and is perfect!

On our way home from the hospital, his first car ride!
Our Christmas present for 2010, we couldn't be more happy!
His first outfit!
Sawyer loves being in his dad's arms!
Our first family photo... fifteen minutes after delivery... it was a breeze:)
This was taken at 8:15 am, I was having contractions 5 minutes apart!!

I started feeling my first contractions at 2:30 am Friday morning and they started to become 8 minutes apart at 3:30 am. After showering, I woke my mom up at 7:00 and we went walking to see if the contractions would become closer together. After walking an hour they were 5 minutes apart and off Dixon and I went to the hospital. When we got there the nurse checked me and i was 4 1/3 cm dilated with a bulging bag, and that's when she told us "your having this baby today!" Those words were music to our ears. By the time they got me into the labor and delivery room and hooked up to my IV, the nurse checked me and I was at a 6. She hurried off to get the anesthesiologist! At this point I was pretty excited, the pain wasn't too bad, and I knew he was on his way. I loved the anesthesiologist, and after the epidural, I was in lala land, I was very comfortable... so comfortable, I couldn't feel my right leg at all... I didn't feel that leg again until 10:00 that night! After the epidural our moms came into the room and things moved fast from there. Before I knew it I was at a 10 and the nurse was breaking my water. I started pushing at about 3:00 pm and he was here at 3:48. I am still amazed at how fun it is to be a mom, and how fun it is to watch Dixon be a dad! We feel so blessed to have had such a great experience at the hospital, and are so happy to finally have our baby boy in our arms!

Thanks to all our family and friends for all your love and support, we are so excited to get to share with you this fun time in our lives, and will try to keep you updated with all our fun pictures and experiences!

With love,

Dixon, Shay, and Sawyer