Happy 1st Atley!

Just after Halloween last year came Atley. We remember that day well and so we celebrated! The day got off to a rough start though. Ian and I forgot to change our clocks, so we didn't realize we were running an hour ahead of schedule until we arrived at church for Ian's morning meetings. Almost nobody was there! We hurried home and since we had an extra hour, we let Atley open one of his presents.

He and Ian played with it until it was time to go to church while I laid in bed contemplating how mean daylight savings time is to small children and their Moms.
Church was rough because nap time was thrown off, but we survived.
When we got home we hopped on the video chat to talk with Grandma Almeda and so she could watch Atley open the presents she sent.

We also got to video chat with Grandma and Grandpa Baron and Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen. It took up a good portion of the day, but it was nice to have them be able to see Atley and sing to him even though they live far away.

Later in the evening some of our friends came over to share Atley's birthday cake with us.

We got a free birthday cake from Albertson's, and I made cupcakes too! Atley was the center of attention since we gave him his very own cupcake and let him go to town.

I'm not sure he realized that there was cake under the frosting. He eventually got there, but left about half the cupcake scattered on his plate.
On Monday Atley had his 12 month check-up, too! He now weighs 19lbs 7oz (7th percentile) and is 29.5 inches tall (41st percentile). As we looked back at pictures of the day his was born (6lbs 3 oz), it was hard to believe he was ever that small. He now has 8 teeth, he walks, and we're still working on the talking thing. I think he knows what he's saying, we just have to learn his language.
It's such a blessing to have Atley in our lives. He brings us a lot of joy and laughter. We're excited to see his reaction to the new baby and to call him "big brother." We hope you guys had a great Atley day too!

Halloween

We had such a fun Halloween this year. Ian and I agreed it was the best we've had in a number of years. Atley dressed up as a California surfer dude.

We really enjoyed seeing him all dressed up and he was a pretty good sport about it too. Then, on Friday I was able to take him over to Ian's work where they did a "Trick or Treat" for the kids.
They had so many decorations from different movies and other things! Ian's team did "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Ian was the best looking dwarf I'd ever seen.

The best part about thier decorations was the diamond mine they made for the kids to crawl through. Atley probably would've stayed in there all day if we let him.

That same night we went to our ward party where Atley was able to run around the gym and play with the other kids in his costume. Oddly enough, Atley was more interested in looking in the cabinets than getting candy.

Saturday, we went to a party that our friend put together. Atley made a Frankenstein mask, played with ghost balloons, and enjoyed a Halloween cupcake and popsicle. On the evening of Halloween, we stayed home to hand out candy to the Trick or Treaters. We were all suprised how many children came by, but we were glad to hand out candy!

First Haircut & Baby Update

Atley's hair was getting a bit shaggy around the ears, so I got brave and gave it a snip!

It's pretty good for my first baby haircut and he looks less like a girl, too!

As for Sorensen baby #2 (yes, she still remains nameless) we probably ought to give an update. I've been seeing the specialist for a little over a month to track her growth. It's been determined that she has IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction). The cause is unknown to us and the doctors. In the meantime, they're going to continue to track her progress in case things change. When I spoke to the doctor this morning, he said the #1 cause is that these babies are just small. There is a risk of prematurity, but since everything still looks good, Ian and I fully expect her to be born at term. The doctor also said this morning that the only reason they would bring her early is if her growth drops of significantly from where it is now so then they could help her grow from the outside. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for the baby and for our family. We feel very blessed and are confident that the Lord is watching over us no matter the outcome.

So, we're now making all the preparations as if nothing has changed because so far, nothing has! Our due date is still December 25, so we've still got well over two months. Though I must say, all these ultrasounds are really helping me get to know her before she's born. That's a privilege I didn't have with Atley. Needless to say, we're very excited to welcome her home, but we'll be happy to wait the two months until it's the right time!

First Snow!

The other day we had our first really good snow! Ian and I wanted to pull out all the Christmas decorations, but we held back since we haven't even passed October!

Instead, we decided to do our Fall tradition of Carmel Apples. The first batch was really hard to eat because, well so was the caramel, but we finally figured it out. The trick is to add just a tiny bit of milk. On our first try last year, we added to much milk. On our first try this year, we didn't add any. Here are the pictures of our adventure.

Mmm, Mmm, good!

11 Months and Update

Our little Atley is 11 months! He's becoming such a handsome little boy! Walking all over the house and talking to everyone and everything that will listen. Check out these pictures of our little boy!

It's getting cold outside so Atley knows it's time to bundle up. Doesn't he just look cute?
The swing. Popular as always.

He also has some new skills. He says "MAMA!"
Atley also got to enjoy General Conference with us.

We decided a tradition of Conference cinnamon rolls was a good start.

I think Ian liked getting to have church in his Pj's

And Atley liked being able to fall asleep where ever he wanted.

He also found a new talent and love for directing. The Mormon Tabernacle choir was the perfect to practice with!
He's growing like a weed. Soon he'll be 1! We'll be sure to take a lot of good pictures of our celebration to share with everyone!