Austin Scott: 15-16 Months

This toothy grin gets me every single time. 15 months has been such a great month. Christmas, holiday fun, New Years, then the blessed slowness of January. I love this boy, who isn't a baby any longer.

Stats: 12 month clothes. Size three diapers. Four teeth, although two more on the top (one on either side of the middle two) are starting to come in. Beautiful grey-hazel eyes. Some days they look a little more hazel than others, but they always look grey. Lighter in the middle with a ring of dark grey around the edges. 

**Update: on February 1st (so just about a week and a half after he officially turned 16 months) we had Austin's 15 month well check. (I'm a little behind, okay?) His stats were as follows: 

Weight: 20 lbs (8%)

Length: 29.5" (1%)

Head circ.: 47.3 cm (57%)

The doctor was a little worried about the length dropping to 1% so he remeasured Austin to make sure that it wasn't an error, but then got distracted talking about something else and left without telling me if the measurement was the same. When they brought in the card it was still at 1%, but I don't know if that's accurate or not. I'm hoping not. Or maybe it is accurate but he's just coming up on a growth spurt and will jump back to the 10% range. Or maybe he's just smaller, and that's okay, too. 

Oh, this little boy, holding my hand. I love it, and him, so much. 

Things to remember: 

--Christmas time with a 15 month old was so much fun. He didn't get a whole lot of what was going on, but he didn't mind - he made the most of it and loved all the fun and excitement! Plus- look at those Christmas Jammies. Oh. My. Goodness. 

-He's started wanting to go down the stairs forward instead of safely going down backwards. Luckily, he only seems to do this when I am right there and can hold his hand. 

--He likes to spin around in circles and he's pretty good at it. Funny baby. The best is that he's also figured out how to put on a little beanie hat, but he pulls it all the way down over his eyes and then spins around in circles even though he can't see. He giggles the whole time. We're able to catch him most of the time before he falls over, but even if we can't - it doesn't seem to phase him. He just pulls the hat off, giggles, then does it again. 

--He looks SO big to me lately. I keep him in a onsie and sweatpants much of the time (because: comfort), but whenever I dress him up in one of his real-clothes outfits, he just looks like such a handsome little man! 

-He's such a goof. I don't know if he's more ticklish lately, more goofy, or just laughs more - but whenever I tickle him he gives the best laughs! He'll spin to try to get away and go dead-weight, dropping to the floor. I can't resist his giggles. Sometimes, he just wiggles away pushing his body in weird positions just to be funny.

--He's started to be so funny right before bed. We have a changing table, but a lot of time I change him into his pajamas just laying him on the ottoman by my chair. He's started trying to roll off, laughing the whole time. Sometimes he'll escape and crawl under his bed to hide.

-Austin and Lydia love to play together. I love that he's old enough now to "get" a lot of the things that she wants him to do. They'll chase each other, climb into things together, take turns going down our little slide, and with a little help - Lydia can hide and Austin will come find her.

--He loves bringing you books. He'll grab one (or two) and bring them to you, saying "book". Then he'll turn around and back up until he hits your legs and he'll sit down in your lap. He only stays put for one or two pages until he's off to get another book - but it melts you to have him back up and sit down in your lap with a book. We love books. 

--David was gone for almost two weeks this month. Austin missed him very much. He started waking up in the night and would say "Da-da... Dad.dad.dad... daaaaaa." It broke my heart. This little boy loves his daddy. When he came home, Austin ran right up and gave the best snuggles in the world for a really long time.

--I think he's been teething and his mouth hurts. I mean, he has two more teeth that broke through just recently, so I know he's been teething. But he's been more whiny and clingy lately. (I think the teeth in addition to Daddy being gone.) Poor little boy.

--Climbs on chairs and tables SO fast. Especially if there is something he wants that is on the table, but often just because he likes climbing on the table. I'm constantly picking him up off the table, setting him on the ground, pushing in the chairs, turning around and doing it all over again. I found him in his high chair one day (it was close to the table, but I'm not actually sure how he managed to get in the chair). He was just looking at me like, oh hey mom, I'm just hanging out in my high chair. Luckily I can still sit him on the counter when I need to contain him, without him trying to stand up or climb off.

--He feeds himself well. Some of his favorite foods are: soup, refried beans, yogurt with cheerios, and meat of any kind. Oh, and cannnnnddddddyyyyyy. This boy has a sweet tooth and a serious candy-sensor built in. He can sense if there is candy nearby and he doesn't give up until he gets some. He likes fruit, like peaches, oranges, and even apples. But he doesn't love strawberries. (He'll eat them, but I thought he'd love them and was surprised when he wasn't all over them.) 

--He's started sleeping better, but still usually wakes up once or twice in the night time. There were a couple of nights that he slept all the way through the night and I thought that he'd finally figured it out on his own and that life was going to be awesome. But then he started waking up again. It's my own fault for not sleep training, but I always am afraid that he's sick or not feeling well and can't bring myself to do it. We have a heater in his room, which seems to help, and his little sleeper blanket helps, too. (One morning we found him with both legs in one jammie leg, silly boy.) He sometimes takes two naps a day, but usually just one. It's not on any schedule either. I usually just put him down when he acts tired. Sometimes that's early, so he'll get a second nap in the afternoon. Sometimes it's later - so it's the only nap he gets.

--He says Thank You when you hand him something. It sounds like "dah-dehhh" or maybe (deh-dohhh), but it's obviously thank you. When you give him food, or his water, or a toy that he wanted. It. is. so. cute. 

--Some of the words that he says: thank you (dah-dehhh), water (wa-wa), bath (bah), ball (bahl), Lydia (ee-ah), downstairs (dah-der), more (moh), Dad (da-da or da), Mom (mom, mamaaaaaaaaa), again (gih), bubbles (buh-buh) and a myriad of other words that I'm sure you wouldn't know what he was saying unless you were with him all day every day. 

--We went to the museum and I let him climb around with Lydia for probably the first time. (We haven't been to the museum much lately, and he's always been too little so we've either stayed in the baby area or I've carried him in my ergo.) He loved it! 

--My dad is the best "ding-bump" giver, and Austin loves them. He will request them by name when he sees my dad and laughs and laughs the whole time. 

--He found a glass door and thought it was the funniest thing ever. 

-He likes to put lids back onto bottles and he's actually pretty good at it. When he sees a bottle he points and whines "that-that-that" until I give it to him, then he'll spend the next long while putting the lid on and taking it back off.

--Also, his favorite method of drinking water is out of powerade bottles (with help). He likes that more than his sippy cup, water bottle, or even a plain cup.

-He's started wanting to go down the stairs forward instead of safely going down backwards. Luckily, he only seems to do this when I am right there and can hold his hand. He'll try to put one foot over the edge, get intimidated, then scoot both his little feet right to the edge of the stair, bend his knees, and try to jump- giving just enough force to slide him over the edge and down onto the next stair.

--One of my favorite things to do when coming down the stairs is to leave him standing at the top, and walk down 2-3 steps, then turn around and kneel - putting my arms out for him. He used to reach his arms out - but wasn't willing to lean his body over the edge. Now he'll reach his arms out and lean over to jump/fall into my arms. I looooove it. 

--He loves the bath. Loves it. He fervently demands a bath almost every day. Which means Lydia wants in the bath, too. It works great - because they will stay in the bath for at least a half-hour. They play together pretty well, but mostly just play separately enjoying the warm water. Last night they were in the big tub, but Lydia was splashing him so Austin wanted out - so I wrapped him up in a towel until he saw the sink. Then pointed and grunted until I realized he wanted to sit in the sink. So we let him. He loves to turn the water on and off in general, but enjoyed being able to do it while he was sitting in the sink. 

--He also loves to brush his teeth at night, or during the day, or anytime he can find anyone's toothbrush. 

--Putting the lid on some empty bubbles. 

--He's fast. I'm always surprised at how quickly he can run. 

This little boy. So handsome and sweet. Such a perfect part of our family. Happy 16 months, darling boy! 

Wednesday

I've been trying to go visit my Grandma and Grandpa Walker about twice a month (every other Wednesday), but haven't been up since the week before Christmas. We wanted to go last Wednesday, but Austin and Lydia still weren't feeling awesome and I didn't want to expose my Grandma to our sick-germs. So this week when we were feeling decent, I texted my Aunt Kim to see if it would work if we came to visit. It was going to work out great and I was looking forward to seeing my grandparents again.

I woke up this morning at 5:00 am to finish getting our things packed up and in the car. Pack and play, outfits to change into, snacks, toys, lunch, coats, shoes, blankets, waterbottles, etc... Then I put both sleeping kids into the car, too. Lydia was so sweet; in her sleepy voice she said, "Are we going to Grandma-Great's now? I'm so excited to see the dark outside!" I had checked the weather and it said that there was going to be light snow in Evanston but I thought "light snow - that should be fine". There was no snow when I left but it started slushing a little bit when I hit Parley's Canyon. By the time I was close to Park City it was snowing hard enough for me to start getting a little nervous. It wasn't SO bad, but I was nervous. I pulled off at Park City and checked the weather again. It still said "light snow" for Evanston, but "snow showers" for Park City. So I thought - okay, I'm in the middle of the worst of it and it's not so bad, I'll just push thought this and the snow will let up a bit.

I got back on the road and it was significantly worse than it had been. I was driving about 35-40 miles an hour and was starting to get really scared of sliding off the road. There were big trucks that were cruising by me, which made me panic every time, and I could feel my tires slipping a little on the road. It definitely wasn't the worst snow storm that I've ever driven in. In all honesty, I've driven in much worse. But having my kids in the back seat, having it be dark outside, and knowing that my tires aren't the greatest was giving me serious worries. I started praying out loud "Please, Heavenly Father, keep us safe." Over and over and over again. I told myself that I'd pull off at the next exit. I just needed to make it to the next exit and then I would evaluate what I needed to do, but first I just needed to get us safe.

I'm writing all of this down because of what happened next. As I prayed, there were several times that I could feel my tires slipping beneath me. I was sure that we were going to go off the road. It was dark, but I could just make out some very steep drop-offs right off the road. I was nervous, and preparing for the worst, but I just kept praying for safety. Out loud: "Please keep us safe." And in my heart: "Please lead us to a safe place." Each time I felt my tires slipping, somehow we stayed right on the road. (It felt like we were slipping off the road, but we stayed right in our lane.) An exit came up, but it was for a lookout and the exit looked snowed over and it was up a hill. I wasn't sure we'd make it. So I made the decision to try for the next exit. It was a hard choice because I was so worried on the road and so scared of sliding off. But a few more miles down the road and there was an exit for Wanship/Kamas. We made it to the exit and saw a little gas station right off the exit. We pulled into a snowy parking space and I prayed my gratitude for our safety and for my Heavenly Father's guiding hand. Again, it wasn't the worst snow I've ever driven in - but I was so nervous and so grateful to have gotten to a place of safety.

I sent this text to David at 6:58 am, "It's snowing. Not so bad, but I'm nervous. I'm in Kamas. Going to wait for it to get light before I decide whether to keep going or not." I thought that after it got light, with a little more warmth and a few more cars/snowplows on the road it would be okay. Lydia was asleep but Austin wanted to get out, so I let him come and pretend to drive the car until Lydia woke up. Then we headed into the gas station to get some breakfast.

This gas station. Not your average gas station. "The Rafter-B Gas"n"Grub." A little log cabin-esque building. The bathrooms were tiiiiiiiiny. Like, tiny sink, tiny toilet, tiny tiny room. Lydia loved them. And the people were so kind. When we first got there we walked around for a little bit. I let Lydia pick a couple of candies, grabbed some donuts and skittles, then picked out a breakfast sandwich. All the while there were 3-4 older gentlemen hanging out by the register. I wasn't sure which ones were working and which were just chatting, but it was so funny to see these gruff-but-kind grandpa type men (for my family, they reminded me of Frankie Little) hanging out at the gas station at 7:30 on such a snowy morning. They were all so kind to me and asked me where we were headed and if we needed any help. I told them that we were headed to Lyman, just past Evanston, but that we didn't want to drive anywhere until the snow let up a bit. You could tell that they were worried, and said that I was welcome to stay in the gas station (even though Lydia had just picked up the entire display box of fruity lemon-heads off the shelf and Austin was trying to run away through the store). They rang up all of my stuff, but after I paid, I realized I had forgotten to put the sucker that Austin was holding on the counter. They had a sign posted saying there was a $5 minimum purchase for credit cards. So I told them that I would just take Lydia's sucker away and keep that one (he'd been sucking on the wrapper). The owner, named Dave, told me to just keep it - that it was on the house - at the same time that one of the other gentlemen there threw a couple of quarters on the counter to take care of it. We thanked them and then headed back out into the snow to sit in our car and eat our breakfast.

We sat there for the next 3.5-4 hours. At about 8:00, we found out that I-80 over the Sisters in Wyoming were closed. About every hour I decided that I was going to brave it, but then I'd call David to tell him and we'd talk and I'd decide to just stay put for a while longer. For a while I was worried that we were going to be stuck there all day - the forecast looked pretty gloomy. I was scared to get back on the road, because right where we were - we were safe. But I couldn't guarantee how things would go if we got back on the road. I was really just so grateful to be off the roads, and doubly grateful that my cell phone still worked so I could call David. That area is only about 5-10 miles until my phones loses service for good. It's such a blessing that I hadn't lost service completely.

During this time of checking and rechecking the weather, playing games on the ipad and playing with Lydia's sticker book, and letting the kids climb around in the backseat, the good people of Rafter-B kept checking up on me. The owner Dave, called his wife, Kim,  to come over to check up on me. I think he sees a lot of bad situations and was worried about a young woman and two kids being all alone. She showed up and made sure that we were doing okay. A little later, one of the men from inside came and knocked on my window. His name was Bill (and after he left - Kim told me that he used to be the Mayor of Henefer).  He told me that he was really concerned about me trying to get to Evanston and seemed relieved when I told him that my plans had changed and I was just waiting until I felt comfortable enough to head home. Lydia and Austin were both on my lap at the time and he asked Lydia if she wanted a treat. I said that she didn't need one, but she piped up and said she wanted a sucker. He asked what color and she said orange. After getting my approval, he went back inside and came back a while later with two bottles of chocolate milk, and a whole bunch of suckers. He had two bags, one filled with orange suckers and the other filled with red suckers. It was so kind, I had a hard time keeping my emotions in check as I was saying thank you. Several more times they came out to check on us and make sure that we were doing okay.

About 10:00, I saw that Parley's canyon had been closed both ways unless you had chains. Seriously?! The weather did NOT say that it was going to be so bad. I felt like such an idiot for getting caught in such a bad snow storm. I also feel so bad that I wasn't able to make it to my Grandma and Grandpa's. I know that they would have loved to see Lydia and Austin. I know it would have been a help to them. And, now that we didn't go this week - I don't know when we'll get back up, because I tentatively made plans for next Wednesday because I thought that it would be our off week. I just feel bad all around. But, I also feel so grateful. 

I prayed for a place of safety for my children and I. In my head, I pictured a space where my car could sit and where we wouldn't have to worry about the traffic on the snowy road. But Heavenly Father provided a place where we were watched over by kind people who were concerned and willing to take care of us. They didn't even know my name. (I didn't know their names either until right before I was leaving.) I have no doubt that if I had been in real need, they would have offered even more to me. We were kept warm and safe. We had good food and more suckers than my kids could even handle. I posted these pictures (in a collage) to Instagram with this caption:

Although it was not snowing when I left at 5:30 this morning, headed to visit my grandparents in Wyoming -nor did the weather forecast appear too bad - we are now going on 3.5 hours stuck in Wanship, UT. The roads are closed both East and West of us. However, my prayers were answered as I prayed for safety from the snowy roads and for a safe place to stay until the storm passed. Who knew the Rafter B Gas and Grub would be such a blessing (in direct answer to heartfelt prayer). They've let us sit in their parking lot, come out to check on us several times, and even brought out some chocolate milk and treats. (The owner asked Lydia what treat she wanted and she requested an orange sucker. He came back with two bags full of suckers. One bag of orange and one bag of red.) Counting my blessings: We are safe. We are warm. We have people looking out for us. I have phone service. I have internet. My kids are doing great. It's an adventure to be sure. #sogratefultobesafeandwarm

We left about 11:25. So almost 4 and a half hours of just waiting in the car, but I'm so glad we waited so long. As we drove down the canyon there were a few times that I thought "We probably could have left sooner, there isn't even any snow on the roads." But then a giant truck would drive past right as I encountered a slushy patch of road and I'd think "Oh no! We're still going to slide off." I'm just so glad we didn't try to leave sooner. I'm so sad that we didn't make it to Wyoming, but I am so grateful that we were blessed and protected. It's easy to look back at this and think that we were just really lucky, but at the time I absolutely knew that we were being protected by the Lord's hand. How good and kind He is. Today I am grateful to feel His love and have his protection. 

Now we are home and so glad to be here. 

So, so, so glad to be home.#safeandsound

Snow

A David Post: 

One of the things that brings Shantel and I the greatest joy is watching Lydia when she is truly happy. She has been so excited for snow and sledding and snowmen. She wanted a sled for Christmas and could not wait to build a snowman. She waited patiently and was rewarded with numerous great snow storms and so we have been able to have so much fun in the snow. Here are some of our winter adventures.

Getting gloves on so that Lydia can come outside and help me shovel the first big snow of the year.

With no sled yet, Lydia gives the slide a try in the snow. 

I work on accumulating the snow for our sled hill. I wanted to make sure our sled hill was perfect once Lydia actually had a sled to slide down it on. 

Yahoo! Santa brought a sled for Christmas!

Austin has some awesome cousins who give him rides, this is the extent of the sledding he'll be doing this year. #itisreallycoldoutside

Lydia's first run on her brand new sled. She loved it. We ran from the front yard to the back and back and forth. She made quite a sled trail. She loved riding forward, but also figured out if she rode in the sled facing backwards she got a lot less snow in her face. I don't have a picture, but we also got to try out our sled hill at our house and it was fantastic. We did take a really great video, so maybe if I am lucky Shantel will use her awesome IT skills and post the video as well. 

Building our first snowman! We tried to do this earlier and the snow was not wet enough, but we had a lot of fun rolling each layer and then making sure it was just right. Once we had it built, Lydia told me that we needed, something for eyes, a nose, a mouth and that the snowman needed a hat too! We hurried to the back door and gave our request list to Shantel who quickly found everything we needed. I love how much Lydia loved tromping and sledding in the snow and building our snowman together. Can't wait for next year so that Austin can have more than just a "dry" run on the sled. Also, hoping for some more snow so Lydia and I can improve our sled hill. 

Lydia wanted to make sure our snowman had a hat to stay warm. She also said she is worried our snowman might melt and does not want him to melt when it is summer. 

Admiring our hard work. 

Lydia with her snowman.

Snowman building team, special thanks to Shantel and Austin who provided, the hat, jewels for eyes, carrot for the nose and magnets which turned out great for the mouth.