Warning there are so many pictures, but there were TOO MANY CUTE ONES to choose from.
Well actually it was a fall with happiness, grief, tears, flash floods of sadness, anxiousness & lots of emotions sprinkled all over. As the season began to change I also realized that in a month my baby would be one and everything just seemed to be changing. On top of that fall always know how to punch my in the gut with it's beauty. I'm so in awe with in beauty trying to take it all in, but then I remember the crunching of leaves beneath my feet when I ran. Fall has always been my favorite season for many reasons, but my favorite way to enjoy & soak in it's beauty was long runs through the tree filled streets & canyons. But I love this reminder:
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
But in order for life to start over we have to let those leaves die & fall to the ground & leave room for new growth. I keep thinking each year I've process it all & it will be bigger, but fall is just one of my biggest trigger & probably always will be, I've just got to learn how to prepare for it.
Late September we sat down and really tried to get into our family routine scripture study. We found we are most consistent when we make it a part of bed time routine.
Will's FAVORITE Halloween flap book.
During the summer and into the warm fall days we'd go out on the front yard to read & play until Daddy got home. It helped to have dinner prepped & just outside & enjoy being with Will while waiting for Daddy.
I still remember that walk, even though I'm writing this a few months behind. Trevor came home one Friday & I just couldn't cope with all the feelings of loss and the waves of grief that were crashing around behind me. So we went on a mindful fall walk. Trevor was so kind and understanding and we got to the point in the trail where we normally turned around, but we choo choo trained up the big hill & were able to continue our beautiful fall walk. Trevor knows exactly how to help me cope; the moments he comes home to me crying and frustrated are probably a lot a overwhelming for him to come home to after a long day of work. But he learned to hug me and let me cry and then get outside.
I can see the sadness in my eyes, but this walk definitely helped.
We took Will back to the A where we became True Aggies together over 5 years ago. If you don't know what a True Aggie is then you can google it - haha.
Who wore it best? Ben could actually fit in his old baby costume and was adamant that Will was only BORROWING his costume & that he wanted it back.
We headed up to Logan for Conference weekend & filled our time with Frank Family photos
and a couple hikes.
Will loves holding things in those little fingers of his and right now with fall leaves all over he loves picking up and holding them by their stem.
These three look the same, but the slightest changes in our smiles just makes my heart burst.
My little busy body. His favorite place to be is the grocery store, there are so many people to smile at and watch. It's just the cutest, but of course his always give away his best smiles to strangers & I'm never able to capture them on camera.
I just can't get enough of his smiles & love for life.
Fall runs in Memory Grove are my favorite, also when William leans forward to see where I am or where I went just makes me squeal it's so cute. The cutest Irish woman took out picture and she may have cut off most of the trees, but she got Will's smile - you can't win them all.
The emotions change so quickly.
It's become routine for Daddy to rock Will to bed & it's the sweetest & funniest things you've ever seen or heard. He's always changing the rhymes or the words that if I listen closely by the door, I can't help but laugh. Also yes, I haven't finished decorating his nursery. I just keep questioning how long we will be in these duplexes and so I've been wishy wash and half committed.
Post work walks before daylight savings and darkness set in early!
My wish would be that every loves themselves as much as will does & that they love their nakey bodies like William does - haha.
Grandma & Grandpa are building a home in St. George so they'll be taking lots of trips out to Utah & fitting in some William time.
Weekend with Grandma & Grandma filled with canyon walks. Also when I had to choose who's eyes would be open, I chose Will's because look at that smiles. Hopefully Grandpa understands.
This kids and his fall leaves. He must had been watching me the day before I was basically picking up every leave in sight
That fall foliage though, it gets me every time.
This kids has been so jumpy lately, just one of his cute little quirks as of lately.
Trevor & I snuck away in the AM while my parents were in town to get our gym seshhhh in. We'd been juggling cars switching back & forth and we got to the gym and I had no wheelchair and no crutches so Trevor piggy backed me in & helped me "dance walk" around the gym to help me get where I needed to go. Haha he is such a good sport piggy backing me with a smile.
We got in a lot of outdoor adventures, but I couldn't have done it without Trevor or my parents with me so I'm so glad they put up with daily agenda to get outside.
Cutest pumpkin in the patch, but he wasn't to happy about it.
We made multiple trips to Memory Grove, I just love that Cooper can run free & off leash and the leaves are hard to beat.
This kid has learned to push/pull up onto his tippy toes so he can see what he dropped into his crib.
I have not regretted one picture opportunity in fall foliage yet & probably never will.
Girls night cookies decorating with some of my best friends/ sisters/ college roomies.
This kid is obsessed with books. He pulls them off the shelf and read endlessly. It's just the cutest!
THE FALL FESTIVITES CONTINUE. But I don't think Boo Boo liked this one.
My days are filled with books, snuggles, naps, baths & of course Will getting into my walker EVERY DAY and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE - including nap time when I can catch up on pictures, emails, cleaning & just life.
I love fall, but I don't really like Halloween, I know sue me. But now that we have a baby boy we'll always dress him up because that's the real fun of Halloween.
To be honest, we got dressed up played with our cousins & visited family while up in Logan & went back home to have soup. We'll get on out trick-or-treating game next year.
Finally captured his claps on camera.
Grammy comes down & has a boys day - Cooper included.
Then family started arriving in town in time for Williams birthday & for winter to start setting in.
Some sister/Coopies time was good for my soul because the sadness & anxiousness set back in realizing fall was dying off & that my baby was turning ONE.
The days and week leading up to Will's birthday I was a hot mess just feeling like I was loosing my baby boy just because he had been on planet earth blessing out lives for 365 days. But oh how I've loved the last 365 days with my Baby Boo. Our lives are better in every way possible because of him.
