Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

Because our new apartment in Ephraim, UT wasn't going to be ready until the end of August and Jake needed to start work in the middle of August, we were in a bind, since we had no where to live for a few weeks. Luckily, Jake's parents live only 12 miles from Ephraim and they were nice enough to let us stay with them.

Of course Connor was in heaven! He instantly had a HUGE yard to play in where the weather wasn't unbearable. His first request every morning when he woke up was "OUTSIDE?!!!" He especially loved riding with Grandpa on the lawn mower or the four wheeler (which he calls a "car truck").

He also seemed to enjoy the fact that none of Grandma's kitchen cabinets had child-proof locks on them. One morning I set him in front of the TV in Jake's parents bedroom and hoped that he'd be entertained for a few minutes while I made the bed in the other room. Somehow he managed to sneak past me and into the kitchen. After a few minutes, I heard a crunching sound and could only imagine what he had gotten into. When I turned the corner I found this...

He managed to find a relatively full box of Kix cereal in the kitchen and brought it back into their room so he could enjoy a snack while watching TV. Ahhh, kids...

Connor also loved playing in this little red car given to us by our friends in Mesquite. Connor could literally play with this for hours. Here he is driving with his cousin Tanner.

Farewell Mesquite, NV

While we are very excited to begin this next journey for our family, as Jake begins preparing for pharmacy school, we are EXTREMELY sad to be leaving behind our friends in Mesquite. While we were only in Nevada for a short time, we were able to grow close to many families. Connor especially grew close to my friend Nikki's little girl, Jessa. There were a few weeks that he would stand at the door and shout "Jessa, Jessa!" so that we could go and see her. I think he has the hots for her :)

Nikki, Jessa, and Hayden

Jessa and Connor
And of course, I am sad to be leaving my friends Rachel and Mindi whom I served with in Young Women's. They are such amazing women!

Our kids playing at the local fast food playground. What else do you do with your kids in a small town when it's 115 degrees outside? A special thanks to the Young Women who helped us pack and clean our apartment before we moved. You helped out SO much! I will miss you all!!!

And the verdict is in...

We're having another boy and we couldn't be more EXCITED!!! So, for those of you who predicted correctly, congratulations. I actually thought this one might be a girl. There goes my maternal instinct. I would have included a picture of the ultrasound, but they all turned out a bit fuzzy. Everything looked great though; he looked healthy and happy. Now all we have to do is figure out a name. Any ideas? We sure could use some help!

15-Month Checkup

Connor turned 15 months old on the 16th. We went to his scheduled check-up with the pediatrician and I was anxious to find out how much he weighed. Since he has been walking/running, he has slimmed down drastically. For example, take a look at a picture from this time last year compared to a few days ago...

When we went to the doctor's, we found out that he's lost a pound since his last check-up at 12 months and now only weighs 24lbs! He's grown a few inches though, and is now 32 inches tall. That puts him in the 44th percentile for weight and 77th for his height. Looks like he's going to be tall and thin like his dad.

While I enjoyed having a newborn, I'm now convinced that this is my favorite age thus far. Connor has such a funny personality. He's starting to talk a lot more and immitate us. So far, I think I've counted 20-25 different words he can say, but I feel like I can't keep up b/c he's learning every day!

Some of his favorites are "car", "truck", "tickle", "cracker", "grandpa", "grandma", "juice", "shoes", "eyes", "elmo", "duck", "book", "bubble", "baby", and of course, "mom" and "dad". He calls the toaster "pop" and the microwave "beep beep" - I guess b/c that's what they do. He loves to have an audience and will do anything from standing on his head to playing peekaboo to get a laugh. And then when you laugh, he laughs, which makes you laugh more and so on and so on. Jake and I feel so lucky to be his parents. I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the world - somedays I'd like a vacation, but all in all, it's the best!

Surprise, Surprise...The Blackham's Are Moving Again!

Yes, the rumors are true, our family is moving once again. For those of you who have lost count, this will be move number FOUR in under THREE years of marriage! Through much thought and consideration, Jake has decided to leave his current job in the field of property management to study to become a pharmacist. Although it will be difficult to go back to school, I couldn't be more happy for him. For those of you who know Jake, he's somewhat struggled to find a long-term career path that best suits his many talents and abilities. Through talking with friends and family and doing a considerable amount of research, we both feel that this is the best decision for our family's future.

Unfortunately, since Jake received a degree in business, he doesn't have all of the science classes he needs to be accepted to pharmacy school right away. So, we'll be moving to Ephraim, Utah next month for Jake to start at Snow College so that he can obtain the credits he needs. We decided on Snow, partly because it's relatively inexpensive and much closer to his side of the family. As far as pharmacy school goes, we'll see where he gets accepted and go from there. Since Jake's brother was also studying at Snow to enter into pharm school and is leaving to do so next month, Jake will be able to take over his brother's job as a pharmacy technician. Isn't great how things work out?!

I would just like to thank our family and friends for their support and help as we've made this difficult decision. We couldn't have done it without you! Wish us luck!!!

Happy 4th of July!

Our family spent the morning of the 4th of July with Jake's side of the family in Moroni, UT. I was somewhat disappointed Connor wasn't more excited for the parade. Lately, all he can talk about are cars and trucks. I think the heat made him too tired. He mostly just wanted to be held. Later that day we drove up to the Uinta Mountains where my mom's side of the family was having their family reunion at my great-grandfather's ranch. Here are a few pictures from the parade. I'll post pictures from the rest of our trip soon.

Four Months Along...Already?!

It amazes me how fast my second pregnancy has gone by. I'm grateful to be in my 2nd trimester and no longer feel that extreme fatigue and annoying nauseousness that I did in the 1st trimester. I am, however, shocked at how quickly I've aquired this baby bump and how quickly I've felt the baby move. It's as if my body said, "You've been through this before, we'll just speed the process up for you." Hopefully, that means this baby will come a bit early. We have an appointment scheduled at the end of July to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. Jake and I think we're having a girl, but we wouldn't mind having another boy since we already have everything we'd need. I'm sure either way, we'll need suggestions for baby names, so we'll keep you all updated.

We Love the Pool!

Anyone who lives in Nevada in the summertime knows the only thing you can do with children in this extreme heat is go swimming. Luckily, Connor loves the water. We found this great pool that is very toddler friendly. It reminds me of the beach since it gradually gets deeper, rather than just having a few steps for kids to play on. Connor enjoys running around in the 1 ft deep water, splashing and blowing bubbles. He even has a little swim diaper tan line!

Say "Cheese!" - What is up with this face?

We're not too sure why Connor always pulls this face when we take a picture of him. Our digital camera has a tiny red flashing light that comes on right before you take the picture to help reduce red eye, so maybe he's squinting from that light? Here are a few pictures I've found over the last few months of this famous face. Jake and I can't help but laugh every time we look at them.

My Beautiful Wife

I wanted to surprise my wife by writing a special note to her for her birthday, and since she is by far one of the most intelligent people I know, I knew she would catch me and wouldn't be surprised if I tried to do this on her birthday. So I decided the best way to surprise her would be to put this on here a week after her birthday (at least thats what I am telling myself). I wanted to let Emily know how much I Love Her! I couldn't have asked for a better wife. She loves me for who I am (many of you understand that isn't the easiest thing in the world to do) and I am a better person because of her. Just so you understand how supportive and loving she is, we have been married for 2 1/2 years. In that time we have moved 3 times, she has birthed 1 son, we have 1 more on the way, and she passed the CPA exam in her spare time. The best part is that she still loves me. I Love Her with all my heart and couldn't ask for a better friend, wife, mother, to raise a family and go through life with!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today I turned 25! Wow, does time fly. I found this picture of me when I was about 3 months old and thought I'd post it. I think we now know where Connor gets his fat cheeks from :) Overall I had a really great birthday. Thanks to my wonderful husband, family and friends for making it so special!

First Doctor's Visit

Last Friday we were able to go to the doctor's for the first time, hear the baby's heartbeat, and see him/her on the ultrasound machine. You probably can't tell from the grainy picture above, but we were able to see arms and legs and fingers and toes! The doctor confirmed that the due date is December the 20th. We're very excited and will keep you all updated once we find out in July whether we're having a boy or a girl.

Weekend Trip

For Memorial Day weekend, we were able to drive up to central Utah to visit family. Although we were shocked that gas cost us over $100, we had a great time and it was really nice to see everyone. Connor enjoyed the extra attention and a big yard to run around in. My brother Erik and his wife Natalie were in able to drive down from Logan to see us too! I didn't see much of my husband though over the weekend. He was up on the mountain fishing most of the time. He had a great time and even caught 30-40 fish in one afternoon! Yum!

Connor is Walking!

Connor has been walking for a few weeks now and we finally were able to get a decent video of him. We promise his head doesn't wobble this much all of the time. Jake asked Connor if he wanted the camera, and he was just nodding "yes" :) When I sent this video to my parents my mom said, "His head is too big! He can't balance it when he's walking!" She was relieved when I told her what he was doing. Enjoy!

Snow Canyon Hike

Last Saturday, we decided to drive up to St. George and go on a short hike at Snow Canyon. What a beautiful time of year! The colors of the desert flowers were amazing! Growing up in the east, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say, that I didn't even know cacti had blossoms. Unfortunately, during our hike, Connor wasn't happy for too long in our little backpack carrier. We had to stop and let him crawl around a bit, and most of the time he rode on our shoulders. He seemed to really enjoy climbing up this small hill; he may even have a future hobby in rock climbing!

Connor enjoying his shadow...

Oh, Did I Tell You?

For those of you who don't already know, yes we are pregnant with Baby Blackham #2! I'm about 7 weeks along with a scheduled due date of December 20th. Jake and I are both very excited, even though this wasn't planned; we're starting to wonder if ANY of our pregnancies will be planned...Oh well! It looks like Connor and the new baby will be about 21 months apart, which I hear isn't horrible. For all of you mom's out there with children close in age, any advice?

Thanks for all of your love and support! Now, I think I'm going to take a nap before Connor wakes up.

Mother's Day Album

This year for Mother's day for Connor's grandma's, I decided to make an album of the first year of Connor's life. Thought I share the finished, electronic version with you all!