All in the matter of a minute . . . if that!

The many faces of Troy!

9 MONTHS!

Little squirt!
Squinting my nose!
LOVE to stand by one of my "fav" spots . . . the trash can!
Helping mom unpack!
Who couldn't love this mug?

Troy is now a big 9 month old boy!  He crawls like a pro, pulls himself to stand on everything of course, likes to stand steady without touching anything/one, & loves to walk with his car/walker toy.  Still going strong with 2 teeth, mom has been trying to give him new things to taste since usually when he's done eating he also likes to share part of mom or dads meal with them.  You'd think he be bigger for all the food he actually eats, but he seems to be going strong as an average sized boy (which mom is so thankful of now that we live upstairs).  He's found many new toys to play with around the house, whether they are toys that were normally in the garage or other fun things around the "less organized than before we moved" house.  He has recently started "dancing/rocking" to music, which we love of course!  He makes all kinds of interesting sounds as he talks to us, from higher pitch noises to grunting low babbles.  While we do try to leave him to be watched by others a little bit now, we can't wait to see him again, even if it's just been a short while away.  We love our little man, he brings so much joy to our home!

We've moved!

We finally gave Mark's parents their house back officially.  We didn't move far, those in the ward we are in the "Lakes" #19.  Just wanted to give everyone the update.  If you want our new address just send me an email & we'll have a new home phone # tomorrow.  Things are mostly settled, thankfully & we're enjoying our new place!

8 MONTHS (a little late)

I love this picture of my guys before church this past Sunday!
The family.Starting to smile for the camera when asked to!
Another precious smile!
Looking like a chunky cheek's boy, although also "smiling" for the camera.
Getting so big, he loves to stand now!

Well the 22nd came & went, my little boy is 8 months old now.  His most significant accomplishment this past month is crawling . . . all over the place . . . the floors aren't as clean as they should be . . . oops.  Ironically his first official crawling steps were taken when both mom & dad weren't around, it was one of the few times he's been babysat (I know- 1st child what can I say) & he showed off for his Auntie's Jessica & Julianne.  Luckily they caught it on video on a camera, so I did get to see it after.  This is the thanks I get for trying to be a good mom, "firsts" being done the minute I leave, no respect :)  Well along with crawling he now pulls himself up to stand on everything he can get to as well.  If he has mom help him stand, once he's a little balanced he lets go, not that he can go anywhere, but apparently already trying to stake his independence.  He's so cute!  He makes lots of noises of all variety, tries to carry on conversations, & sometimes when he remembers he has a voice & people are talking around him- tries to be louder than them.  He notices when people leave & often crawls after them, occasionally whining or sad to see them go.  He much prefers having mom, dad, grandma & grandpa Trask ALL around instead of just mom, more attention = more content.  He's going to be adjusting a bit after we move in a few days.  We still can't get enough of his smiles & laughter, he is still a very happy boy.  He has his two bottom teeth growing away & gets uncomfortable occasionally with his teeth growing pains.  He has been very blessed to be sooo healthy.  Every once in awhile I think about how he really hasn't been sick, sure a few minor colds that just consist of a runny nose, but those were barely anything.  I hope that continues!!  He also is a tough little guy, along with moving more comes falling & bumping his head.  He is tough & hardly ever cries about it thankfully, even when it's those times where it's quite a loud thump, no tears!  We are still so grateful to be blessed with this amazing boy in our lives, what a wonderful privilege to be his parents!

The Latest

Enjoying toes at the beach!
Finally some food . . . my first pretzel!
Hanging with my dad.
Entertained by a wind up little chick with my cousins Logan & Carter.
Now entertained by Carter!  Troy & Logan are only 2 months apart, but seeming to close the gap as days go by.  This was the closest I've experienced to having twins . . . crazy!
Me & my grandma "G"!
Swimming in Vegas!
Exhausted by swimming so long, he literally fell asleep in my arms & napped for an hour or so in the room afterwards!  Mark took us on our first family vacation, a mini-trip to Vegas for my birthday.  It was laid back & a lot of fun!
Out to dinner in Vegas!
Troy's tourist grandparents!  They kindly joined us in Vegas so Mark & I could go to the temple Saturday morning.  We were so excited, checked the session times & everything . . . unfortunately we didn't check to closed for cleaning dates & were only able to drive by it . . . what a bummer!!

7 MONTH PICS!

Went to JC Penny again to take pictures since I didn't make it at 6 months.  He's getting so big, but boy do we love his smiles.  He has so many different expressions, you know exactly what he's thinking.  The funny part about this photo session was that, above he RARELY if ever puts his hands together, they are often flailing about sporting the nickname "octopus" from his dad, but ironically he put his hands together for a split second & smiled . . too funny.  Then on the bottom, with the baseball equipment, he kept trying to put the ball in his mouth (no surprise), but succeeded a few times, which to Marks horror was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen, considering that ball looks about 50 years old & has probably been used in the baby photo department since then.  Oh well, some germs are good aren't they?  We love our little man!

6 month photo

I got this picture done for free at Kiddie Kandids when he was 6 months.  I wasn't sure I'd get in to do regular pics since it was right around the time the Trask's came home, (which I didn't), but this was fun too & he did really good that day!

SUMMER FUN!

Summer swimming with mom.

Don't worry mom's right next to me.

Hanging out in the pedicab with Grandma G, made especially for the grandkids in the Philippines!

It is customized with the family name, yet hasn't quite made its maiden voyage as I'm still a bit too little, but pics will follow when it does.  (Never mind the fly on my forehead, it's from the Philippines what do you expect??  ;> )

Summer napping before church . . . even though we start at 9:00 am, you think I woke up too early this morning?!?

Summer laundry, I'm always a big helper!  Yes I'm in USC gear, the Ulrich side what can I say.  BYU gear to follow :)

I got this on my head all by myself, now what!

Mom thinks she's real cute, leaving me in here!

7 MONTHS

All smiles!
Waiting at the airport.
All the Trask cousins, together again!
Happy 4th of July!
Meeting Grandma "G" for the 1st time!

At the welcome home party for the Trask's!

This month has passed in a blur!  We prepared for the Trask's homecoming so much that summer didn't really begin until they returned home on the 4th of July.  Troy has loved being spoiled by more grandparents around & often wonders where everyone is if mom is the only one home with him.  He is such a big boy now!  He sits up totally on his own & moves & rolls around all over the place.  He lunges for things & tries to crawl over your legs if you're playing with him, he is a mover no doubt about it!!  He doesn't really stay up on his knees & hands at the same time prepping for crawling, but he gets where he's going any other way he can.  When he can crawl . . . watch out!!  Luckily the little boy has a tough head & as he's exploring his range of motion & falling forward & backward, he doesn't cry as he bangs his head on whatever is nearby, he's whined maybe twice.  He eats his baby food & just seems to want more & more as he eats it faster everyday.  His major breakthrough as of Monday 7-21 is his first tooth breaking through, one of the bottom front of course, so the joys & pains of teething have officially begun.  He is a lovable, fun boy who loves attention, walks, singing & smiles.  I still can't believe we were so blessed to have little Troy join our family, what a miracle! 

6 MONTHS OLD!

My little boy keeps growing up!  Little could I have imagined how much this little man would change my life for the better in 1/2 a year.  Not that I should be surprised as his daddy had the same effect on me! :)  What a blessing motherhood has been & continues to be.  It's amazing how much his smiles & laughter brighten my day.  He is a very happy little guy!  He's currently rolling all over the place & scooting a bit to get to his toys.  I've tried to prop him up on his knees, but when I do he immediately lays his head down & laughs, his little legs are very ticklish, an unfortunate trait inherited from both his parents.  So, no signs of crawling any time soon.  Teeth haven't made their appearance yet either, though I sometimes try to blame a cranky mood on teething.  He loves making & discovering new sounds, the louder the better, which is cute until it breaks into a scream occasionally.  He is also very fascinated by fingers, especially his own.  Sometimes when he is eating he will stop & start staring at his hand, then he starts moving his fingers around & is totally focused on them.  It's a crack up!  He also can have a very serious face when he is working at getting toys & more importantly getting them in his mouth.  We sure love Troy, he's amazing, we feel so blessed to be his parents.  We're looking forward to a fun summer in the sun & his grandma & grandpa Trask returning from the Philippines next week!

Troy's LOVES

He LOVES his cereal!

He LOVES his toes!

He LOVES his daddy!

He LOVES his books!

He LOVES to snuggle with his soft blanket!

He LOVES his toys!