Halloween 2018

Two cute skeletons, a cool older skeleton, the cutest mummy ever, and Cinderella (affectionately referred to as Ellie-rella). 

Photo shoot with Grandma Utah

Fun photo shoot with Grandma Utah during her visit this month. I took this picture of you guys at a park here in Maricopa. I love how it turned out. (Left to right: Skye, Adalei, Eleanor, Josh, Grayson, Grandma, Zach, Oliver and Nathan.)

*Toddler Status*

Dear Zach,

Where did my baby go? You and Nathan are suddenly looking so much like toddlers! It makes me a little bit sad, knowing you're our last babies. I have tried to savor each milestone with both of you but life is so busy lately, I feel that lately it has sped by without me being able to appreciate a lot of the little things.

• You take 1-2 steps and then go down to crawling. 
• You love pushing your toy on wheels that helps you walk. You seem so proud of yourself when you do this. 
• You and Nathan love playing in the toilet when someone leaves the bathroom door open and the lid up, much to my dismay. I make sure to wash your hands really well when that happens.
• You and Nathan LOVE balls. You love to push them and chase them. 
• You love watermelon. 
• You have six teeth now. Teething has been rough.
• You usually wake up once a night still but last night you slept through the night. I'm hoping that's a new trend. 
• You have lots of smiles to share.
• You love to babble - "dadadada..mama...nana..."
• You still wear your helmet but it shouldn't be much longer. 
• You have a content disposition, which we are grateful for. 
• We are noticing a little bit of red / auburn / copper in your hair and Nathan's as well. My great grandmother (Genevieve Campbell) was a red head so maybe you got her genes.
• You are loved and adored. 

You and Nathan love the splash pad.

Fun at our neighborhood pool. 

Fun family day at Copper Sky, our local recreation center. We love swimming there. 

June 2018 - 10 months old. Taken in Uncle Levi's backyard when we met cousin Grayson for the first time. 

June 2018 - 10 months old

11.5 months old

I couldn't love you more. Love, Mom

Dear Zach,

You are a sweet, amazing baby. We just adore you. I am grateful every day for the promptings we felt that our family was not complete before you and Nathan joined us. I am exhausted a lot and very stretched in many ways but I am incredibly grateful you're here. There are still many days your dad and I just can't believe we have twins.

A few things of note these past few months:

January 

• January 20, 2018: You and Nathan both slept through the night for the first time. AMAZING! It has since been on and off, depending on sickness, teething (which lasts forever), etc. Lately you wake up once a night and Nathan usually sleeps through the night. Eventually we will all sleep at night. 

Five months old. 

February

• You and Nathan rock back and forth on your hands and knees.
• I often sing to you guys, "This little love of mine, I'm gonna watch you shine." 
• You kick your legs a lot. 

April

• Whenever you and Nathan cry, Norah sings "I am a Child of God" to you. It's so sweet.
• You and Nathan started crawling at the beginning of this month.
• You started saying "Da Da," which is so cute. 

May

• You wave sometimes. 
• You stand on your tippy toes.
• You like avocado and watermelon. 

*Six Months*

Dear Zach,

These past six months have been a joy and a blur all at once. We made it through the newborn stage, yay! That is always a tough time for us (especially me, as I have alway struggled with postpartum depression, anxiety and nursing issues in the past). This time around was so much better though. It has been so much fun to watch you and your brother grow and hit your milestones. I'm really enjoying this stage this time around and find a lot of joy in having babies in our home again. We have seen many tender mercies since you and Nathan have joined us. I want to record those here for you.

• Two of my friends (Lillie Buhler and Halley Whitney) also have babies and they pumped and donated some of their milk for you and Nathan. It lasted for a few months and I am so incredibly grateful for this gift. It took a lot of the anxiety away from me, as that is tied to me not being able to nurse. 
• Grandpa Chell and Nana Dot are paying for a part time nanny to help us out. There's a story behind this one. When I was in high school, Grandpa Chell made a bet with me that if I wasn't married by the time I was 24, he would buy me a car. He didn't want me to get married too young and also encouraged me to kiss ten guys before getting married. I don't think he realized at the time just how determined I am. I got married at age 24 (one month away from turning 25) and your dad was the 9th guy I kissed (I dated someone else for a while, who was #10), before marrying your dad. I never did see that car but they offered a part time nanny instead, which we gladly accepted. Her name is Taylor Ireland and she returned home from her mission about a week or so before you were born. She has been such a blessing to our family. I'm not sure how I could make it without her help. 
• A friend gave me TONS of her boys' baby clothes, shoes, bibs, blankets, etc. Like ten huge bags  and boxes full. I was very grateful, as we had gotten rid of most of our baby boy stuff.
• You don't usually wake each other up when the other is crying at night. It amazes me. 

I love your expression.