I feel like I need to do a whole series on my baby boy and his Swaddle Me, he is always wearing it in such creative ways!

Just the other day I found him like this after his nap:

I laughed so hard my mom and sister came to see what was so funny.  They both began laughing as well, but I guess my little man didn't like that we were all laughing at him, because he began to cry. 

Oh my sweet baby, you make my life so interesting and fun!

He's just about ready to learn to drive...don't you think?  If only he could reach that steering wheel. ;)

I tried putting my little man in a swing at the park, just to see if he would enjoy it. 

As you can tell, he wasn't too sure about it.  My sister did get a smile out of him though!

It's been one of those weeks where the only way you can get through is by counting your blessings.  Some of my current blessings include:

*the opportunity to view the beauty in various parts of the U.S.

*cell phones and the internet, which make solving problems a lot easier and faster.

*hotel points that my hubby accrued while working away from home which make it possible for us to get free nights (this means less expenses as we move).

*a happy baby who has made moving a lot easier that I would have expected moving with a baby to be.

*family who do whatever they can to help when things get hard (and even when things aren't hard).

*being able to let my baby boy meet his cousin before they also move!

*my knowledge that my Father in heaven loves me and will help my family through all these challenges!

He's being such a trooper for this trip!  I feel so bad every time I stick my little man in the car seat after a break and he starts to cry.  But his auntie is keeping him company in the back seat and he's finding reasons to smile!

I know I said I wasn't going to post again until after my move...but I couldn't resist getting in a post about our trip to the beach.

The first time we introduced our baby boy to the beach, it looked like this:

This trip to the beach looked like this:

He may not have LOVED it but at least this time he didn't cry!

Two of my siblings are in town to help my little family make a cross country move.  We're going to spend a day or two enjoying the area once last time before the big move.  Because of all that, I probably won't be posting for a week or two.  Here are some cute pictures to tide you over.

I have discovered that the dollar store sells some pretty decent board books.  You know, the ones for young kids that can withstand slobber and are too strong to be torn.  I was so excited by this discovery that I have bought about 10 books so far.  We have bible stories, Sesame Street, and Disney!  I love having a bigger selection of books to read to my baby boy.

Daddy has been trying to teach our little man to hold his own bottle.  He might be a bit young to do that on any sort of a consistent basis, and perhaps it was accidental, but lookie what he did:

(And yes, he still works hard to escape his Swaddle Me each day...as you can see!)

I'm having so much fun listening to my baby babble.  Mostly he just does lots of "ooh" and "ahhh", but it's still so fun.  I tried to catch it on video but he always gets so shy, so I tried enticing him with a toy...you kind of get the idea...

Before he was even born, my baby was getting gifts.  Lots of clothes and blankets, but also some toys.  I tried to get him interested in the toys when he was first born but quickly realized newborns don't care much for anything besides food and nap time. 

Now that he's growing older, however, this little man is really starting to enjoy his toys! 

 (It turns out they are really delicious....)

My little man is starting to talk to me more and more.  I love listening to him, and I wonder what he is telling me!  While trying to take some photos the other day, I caught him right in the middle of a story and ended up with these:

Who knew my belt could be such a fun toy?!

A baby waking up from a nap in a Swaddle Me should look like this:

Image taken from Amazon.com

After taking a nap in a Swaddle Me yesterday, my little Houdini looked like this:

I laughed until tears streamed down my face.  And though he probably didn't understand what Mama found so funny, my little man grinned right along with me.

We had a lot of fun at a family reunion this weekend.  Good food, good company, good weather (and about thirty babysitters for the day).  What more could you ask for?!

I have been thinking a lot lately about prayer.  Over the years, I have heard many amazing stories about answered prayers.  In my own life I use it daily as a means to communicate with my Father in heaven, to thank Him for His many tender mercies, and to ask Him for extra help where I may need it.  Prayer is what I turn to when I don't know where else to turn.

Lately, however, I've been questioning certain aspects of prayer.  I know that when I pray for my needs, I am admitting to Heavenly Father that I need His help and as I show faith, I can expect guidance and strength from Him.  Why is it, though, that we pray for others?  When someone is sick, when a job needs to be found, when a marriage is in trouble...I assure people that I will pray for them.  Is it because they cannot receive the intended blessings unless more than one person shows faith?  I don't think so.  I can't imagine that Heavenly Father would deny blessings to someone who is fervently praying and asking in faith if their friends aren't also doing so. 

I can't grasp how my prayers on behalf of friends and family help.  I have a lot of searching and pondering ahead of me.  How can I expect to teach my son the concept of prayer if I don't fully understand it myself?

When he gets hungry, my little man starts chowing down on his fists.  In fact, I have to fight to get his fists away from his mouth so I can feed him!

My little man wants to be mobile and do all the things I can do.  He loves it when I let him sit next to me on the couch.

But what he really wants is to stand.  I will hold him for balance and he will stand and stand until his legs give out.  Then he'll be mad that he can't stand anymore!  I wonder if this means he'll be an early walker?

Although he sleeps better when he is swaddled, my little Houdini works hard every night to get access to his hands....

...some nights are more successful than others.

Best yawn picture ever.