Rudd Family Reunion

Our first stop after leaving Brentwood was Las Vegas where the Rudd Clan was getting together for a family reunion. What a blast! We had an awesome house that fit us all and even had a pool which was a blessing to keep us cool from the heat. We lived in it several hours a day. Even Leila got a little taste of the pool.

She loved it which I wasn't surprised about since she loves her baths. I really think all that time I spent in the bath when I was pregnant with her had an effect on that. Gram took her in a little deeper and the kids loved playing with baby Leila for her first pool experience. 

Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed the pool and Grandpa even got in to swim for a bit. The water shooters were a real hit!

Cal and Jer really hit it off and were best buddies the whole trip. 

When we weren't in the pool we went to the water park instead. :) Ok we only did that one day but we really did anything to cool off from the heat!

Leila was in her swim suit quite a bit but really would rather just be naked in her tubby!

We also did a lot of fun things around the house. Each day we had schedule with different activities allotted to different times of the day. Honestly with this many kids running around it makes life so much easier! It was awesome! 

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A movie each day during dinner prep to keep them distracted. 

Story time

Craft Time

Our neighbors had a horse! 

4 Birthday Celebrations

Lots and lots of cousin/aunt/uncle time

Even a girls and boys night out! However us girls got a bum deal. On our night out there was a huge flash flood. Seriously the streets were filled with water! We ended up coming home and even brought ice cream home to share with the guys. 

I really loved having Grandma and Grandpa Rudd come to the reunion. It was so fun to have them there! Of course I couldn't resist taking lots of cute pictures of them!!!

Thanks to my amazing photographer sister Anie, the whole trip was documented way better than I could have ever done. She even took some pictures of Leila in her blessing dress. Love this three generation picture.

Before the trip was finished we made sure to take a few family pictures. Such a bummer that we are missing Jen and her family in these pictures! Not quite complete without her. I think we need to do some photoshop!

Classic sibling picture

We actually got a good one!

Add in the parents...

And the spouses

Whole Group

Just Gram, Papa, and the grandkids

We even got a little family picture too!

 

Leila got a little extra loving from Gram and Papa since we were the last to leave. It was hard to say goodbye for real this time. After many months of seeing them everyday, seeing them once in who knows how long with be a hard adjustment. We cherish the time we got to have with them and can't wait until they come to visit!

At the end of the week we were so sad to see everyone go. With everyone living so far away, these reunions are so special to make sure we stay close. I wish we could have them more often but for now I'm already looking forward to 2015!

Two Months

 I can't believe that two months has already passed since Leila was born. Time is really flying! And Leila is really growing! She now weighs 10 pounds 2.3 ounces and is 21.5 inches long; our little string bean!

She is starting to laugh and smile and talk. She tries so hard and gets frustrated if she can't express herself. It really is so adorable. I especially love the smile that she has just for her Daddy. It's reserved just for him. She gets so excited to see him!

She does have a serious side and really knows how to stare people down. For the most part she is a very calm baby and makes everyone feel at peace.

However, she also knows how to do a good pouty face and has started to get a little more fussy. This is usually related to sleep. She needs a lot of sleep and if she doesn't get it, the pout starts. But at night it's the complete opposite. She just wants to play! We are working on it but for now I just enjoy these cute faces.



While we are on the topic of sleep, she is adorable when she sleeps. She is getting strong enough to get out of my swaddles so a lot of times I find her like this. Because of her reflux, I have always put her on her side to sleep and now that's how she likes it. Maybe she'll grow out of it and want to sleep on her back, but for now she is still sleeping in a bouncer and I just hope this doesn't ruin her forever!

One of my favorite things about Leila is her hair. She's got this rocking fo-hawk growing in and the more she is in the sun, the more the tips light so it's got this ombre effect. She's two months old and already following the trends!

Like most babies at this age she is attracted to lights and sealing fans. As soon as one is turned on, she is in a trance. But she also loves her swing. It is a ocean theme and has a fish, a whale, and a turtle mobile attached and she LOVES it! She watches them so intently and smiles and laughs. So adorable!!!

Leila LOVES her baths and has since her first one. She is absolutely content when she is in her tubby. I really think this has to have a connection to all the baths I took when I was pregnant with her.

Along time ago I saw this pattern for a "blankie" for a baby that has a stuffed animal attached to it. I really wanted to make it because I wanted each of my kids to have a little "lovey" to sleep with and each baby would have a different animal. So before Leila was born we were trying to figure out what animal to do for her. Then when we found this vintage ladybug fabric in the attic we knew that was it. And it progressed from them. Mom ended up making her this quilt and a friend made her these little booties. When I found this red tutu in the clothes I was borrowing from Anie, I knew a little photo shoot had to happen.

We love our little Leila ladybug!



Thoughts on being a new mom...

I am writing this blog for the history of my family. I want to be able to remember what was going on in our lives at different points. It's important for me to document the comings and goings and life changing events of our life. However, I also want to write my feelings and thoughts that accompany these events. I want my children to be able to look at this blog and get a glimpse of what was going on in my mind during certain times in their lives. I have been thinking about this a lot since having Leila. I especially want her to be able to read what I went through as a new mom so that she can have that for a support. I don't want to forget these feelings 20 years from now when she really might need them.  

Being a new mom is hard. One thing that has been especially hard is older moms who look at new moms and laugh at their "new mom ideas".  Hearing all the "Good luck with that" or "See how that works for ya..." has surprised me. I'm not saying that I'm perfect or that I know the right answer for everything. But I do know that the moment Leila was born, I was overwhelmed with an understanding of her. Who she is, what she needs. What no one else has. Leila is a daddy's girl. She has a special smile and a special laugh reserved only for her dad. But our relationship too is unique. And having her, I finally understand why my mom and I have such a good relationship . There is no relationship like the one you have with your mother.

So when people laugh at my new mom ideas, I just say, "Hey, I'm figuring it out!" And I pray every day that I don't screw something up. That I don't mess something up for the rest of her life. But I know what's best for her, and I know that Heavenly Father has given me the ability to know what's right for Leila and for our family. I want to write these things down because I never want to make a new mom feel even more like they are second guessing their own ideas. I want Leila, when she becomes a mom, to have the courage to be the kind of mom she wants to be not the kind I was. Sure, maybe she'll pick up things that I did, and that's part of being a new mom...sorting through the piles of advice that you've been given from so many different sources. But here's me, a new mom of two months, saying to myself and Leila and any other new mom or any mom (not just new), "You're doing fine!" Trust yourself, pray a lot, give lots of hugs and kisses, and just cherish every moment you have of this stage. It all goes by way too quick. Don't worry about criticism or judging, because YOU are the mom, and that means something.

Saying Goodbye to Brentwood

A week and a half before moving day, we picked up our two moving "boxes" to load up all our stuff. We would be shipping these across the country to avoid driving a moving van. We are just praying they are actually there waiting for us when we arrive. 

It's surprising how much stuff we have accumulated over the past two years of marriage. It was a tight fit, but thanks to our expert packers we got almost everything in.

Our moving crew consisted of Grandma and Grandpa Passey, Mom and Dad Evans, Mom and Dad Rudd, Roxy, and us.

The Girls

Contrary to how this picture appears, they were not sitting in the shade the whole time...

The Boys

As I went to take this picture of the guys in front of their tightly packed containers, I laughed because it looked like a band picture. Leave it to Dad Rudd to jump on that idea and grab props to add to the effect. Jeremy didn't participate...or was just the water boy. :)

My favorite picture of the day

I was so sad as the boxes started filling up and it looked like the love sac wasn't going to fit. Especially since we had spent time taking out most of the filling and using it as padding throughout the containers. My sweet husband was adamant however and made it happen! It took some man power but there was just enough space and I don't think a single item will be moving inside these suckers.

With our last few days we said goodbyes. First we said bye to Grandma and Grandpa Passey who were leaving early on a trip. Next we said a little goodbye to Mom and Dad Rudd for just a week since we would meet them at the family reunion. We did a farewell dinner at Dickey's since Jer and I had never been. We were pretty stoked about the free cups and ice cream for dessert. 

Leila and I took a trip to said goodbye to Papa Tom and Grandma Vicki. Sure love those two!

The Calhouns stopped in Brentwood for a few days during their cross country road trip. It was fun getting to play with them for a bit. We had the Hansens over too while they were here. 

Love this picture of Leila and cousin Jack...just two days apart!

So glad we got a cousin picture in too! 

Before we left I really wanted to get a family picture out front. We had to have all the 'kids" in a picture together; Kody, Alfed, and Baby Leila. Before we said goodbye to Mom and Dad Evans our last day, they snapped a quick one for us. Cheesy as it may be, I totally love it!

Leaving home was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Obviously I have lived away from home for quite awhile now but there was always the option to visit for holidays and summers. Now, living across the country, that's not so easy. I'm so sentimental too and it was extra hard leaving Leila's first home. I cried...a lot.

But once I was in the car I was ready for the next adventure!

Leila's Blessing

We couldn't have been more excited to have Leila's baby blessing. I have always loved watching babies receiving a name and a blessing surrounded by men who love them so much. This wasn't Leila's first blessing, however. Jeremy gave her a special father's blessing when she was just one week old. That was a very special moment between the three of us that I will always cherish.

Leila's baby blessing took place on July 9th in our ward. I loved that she was able to wear the dress that I was blessed in and the shoes that my Grandma Butler was blessed in. Even though she was two months old, everything fit (with a little extra room) since she is a lot more petite than I was. She looks absolutely beautiful.

The priesthood that stood in the circle included Jeremy, both of our dads, Grandpa Passey, and cousin Jake. It was a beautiful blessing and such a wonderful day. (Except that Leila was super fussy as church...of course! She just gets exhausted from all the attention!)

After church we had the family over for a little dinner and just enjoyed all the family there to support our little girl!

Fourth of July

The fourth of July was spent at the Evans' house. We barbecued, made our traditional double layered flag jello, and enjoyed a day without work.

Leila wore an ADORABLE read and white striped dress today and next to my blue and white polka-dot shirt we looked like and American flag. Too bad the pictures got lost. I sure love my little accessory! :)