Life is Beautiful

July 9-21

Lived

- I know a lot has been going on the past couple of weeks but i have a hard time remembering exactly what happened when i sit down to write my posts. I swear i should post on here like i do on instagram. Everyday i think at least a dozen times "oh i am so writing about this" then by the time i actually write i have lost it. So here is what i do remember right now.

- My Mom came up last weekend to go cabin hunting. We took her to the little cabin we all fell in love with when my dad came up and after a quick look around she walked outside and told Sarah, "i am not going to say too much. Your dad told me not to look too excited because if i like it we want to get a really good deal." Well they both loved it, and we loved it and they put in a offer. The offer has been accepted and my parents are soon to be the proud owners of a cute cabin in Mammoth Creek. The cabin shopping is fully underway and we have big plans for lounging around and spending the holidays there.

- Kaden has been working hard on the backyard on his days off. It is looking beautiful! He has the shed finished except for a door, rocks lining our planters, plants in our planters, the porch concreted, stamped and stained and he is now getting ready to cover it. We hope to have sprinklers and grass in by the end of the summer.

cant really tell but here is out backyard while it is raining

- Leighton has been so full of life! Yelling at the top of her lungs, fighting nap times, spitting bubbles, laughing, rolling over, sitting up, and now starting to crawl. I have had Leighton on a sleep schedule for quite awhile now but after it getting messed up we started a new one this past week and we started letting her cry it out too. This has actually worked out really well for the most part. Leighton sleeps longer, and wakes up happier. She may cry going to sleep but she also falls asleep quicker. Sarah and Kaden are not doing well with it though. Both of them have attempted to go in and "save" her from my evil amazing sleep plan (Kaden succeeded once and at that point he needed his own saving, lets just say i was not too happy with him). Besides her new sleep routine we have also started some set daily routines as well. After her first nap she gets bathed and dressed and we play with her toys, then after second nap we read and she loves it. I seriously can keep her entertained with 3 books and thanks to Pierce i have a huge collection of Dr. Seuss and that's what we have been working through. I realize Leighton is only 4 months old and doesn't understand what i am reading, but this is one of the biggest things i have been taught in all of my early childhood classes that i actually believe in. Beginning reading at birth helps children in so many ways.

She loves pulling my hair!

speaking of hair... I decided i loved my hair and to start parting it in the middle (right picture) then a few days later i went and ombred it and the girl styled my bangs to the front again. I do love it now too except for looking at my before picture makes me want to cry a little. I just need to remember the majority of my hair days were not that good. 

- Kaden and I went on a date without Leighton yesterday. We went and saw the Dark Knight Rises. Even though these movies are very violent, we absolutely love them. We love most super hero movies but these ones are so well made it is just amazing to me. It was a weird feeling though sitting in the theater and imagining some crazy man coming in with a gas bomb and a gun. My heart aches for all of those people in Colorado. I just do not understand how there are people like that in this world. Obviously there are horrible people out there but of all places for something like that to happen. It is just bizarre to me. It is so sad to realize that you really are not safe anywhere. And even though i went and saw the movie and loved it, i know that the violence in the movie contributed to this mans actions. Where will the line be drawn for violence in the media? I wish that the people who make video games and movies would realize the impact that they are making on the world.

Learned

- I hate math! Okay, i have always known this, but my dislike has totally grown into a hatred. I am going to hopefully be a kindergarten teacher. When someone can show me a kindergartner who knows how to work with logarithms, parabolas, and imaginary numbers then i will do my homework without being angry at it. Until then i will be sitting on the computer 4+ hours a day finishing one assignment at a time.

- When offering to throw a shower, think it through. I am so excited to host this shower with Teisha and Jessica R. But i know the day of i will be a little stressed. I hope a ton of ladies show up though and support the beautiful mother to be Hannah Melling. She deserves a wonderful baby shower! 

Loved

- I have loved everything about the past couple of weeks, minus the homework. I feel like i have spent so much time with Kaden, that i have been experiencing more with Leighton, and enjoying Cedar. The weather has been nice, we have been going for walks and we have been hanging out with friends. (That is right, i have friends here.) I get to visit with Teisha a little bit almost everyday. I went to the car show with Courtney and her and Eric came over just to hang out the other night. It is so nice to feel like things are good and that life is beautiful. I won't say it is perfect, it never is but it is definitely beautiful right now.

Loving our walks

Loving the rain

Loving my husband!

The Blessing and 4th of July

June 30-July 9

Lived

-Its been two weeks already? Some weeks my days seem to blur together and i blame that completely on my school work. Last week i played major catch up after being out a week with the ear infection and Leighton's cold. Proud to say i am officially caught up though and hopefully i can keep it that way.

- Alright, starting two weeks ago. Leighton and I ended up staying the rest of the week in Logandale getting better from our sickness. Then Kaden met us down there Friday. I was so happy to finally see him. A week is too long to go with out him.

Katie's watermelon are growing like weeds.

 

-Saturday was Teisha's birthday and Kaden and I wanted to go to Vegas so we made a quick but fun little trip out of it. We ate breakfast at Hash House a Go Go. If you haven't been there i highly recommend it! Then we went to Tiffany's & Co. and bought Leighton a little heart necklace for her blessing. This is something Kaden and I had been planning on doing since before she was even born. We thought it would be something sweet for her to have forever. Then we ran some errands and went back to Logandale to meet Camille and Alex. I could not be blessed with a better best friend! It has been so amazing to see her so often this year. I am so sad that she is moving so far away but i have a feeling Kaden and I will be visiting quite a bit.

- Sunday July 1st was Leighton's blessing. Grandma Handy made her dress and it was so special of her to do and the dress is absolutely beautiful! She is a very talented woman and i am so grateful for her offering to make it. Leighton looked absolutely gorgeous. The blessing was very sweet, we held it at Penn and Nancy's home rather than at church. It was nice to have such an intimate spiritual experience with our closest friends and family. I tried to remember everything i could from her blessing. The one thing that really stuck out to me was that Kaden said "bless her that she may continue to be an example to her family as she already has been." or very close to that. I thought how interesting, she total has been and i feel like that all of the time. We were so grateful for all of the men who stood in on the blessing and for their priesthood and that they hold those sacred keys. What an example they are to Kaden and I. Being able to bless a child is such a special experience. I was happy to have both of our fathers, Vance, Kyle, Trent, Grandpa Leavitt, and John their to stand in and place their hands on Leighton as Kaden gave her a name and a blessing.

 

All the little Leavitt girls after Leightons blessing.

- Wednesday was the 4th of July. Kaden got home from work just in time to get ready and head down to the parade. Leighton slept through most of it and well being 3 months old, she is a little too young to enjoy it.We had fun watching Grace, and the twins get excited though and look cute all dressed up in red, white, and blue. After the parade we walked to the park. It was nice to relax under a huge tree and watch the excitement around us. Leighton played on a blanket next to us along with Aria. Donna brought her down celebrated the day with all of us as well. What an amazing holiday 4th of July is. Really it is a shame that our nation is truly only celebrated one day out of the entire year. It is nice to have a reminder of how blessed we are to live in this great nation where we are free.

- Thursday July 5th was the 1 year anniversary of my accident. I didn't dwell too much on it, other than it reminded me of how blessed i am. I was just barely pregnant with Leighton then, and i am so grateful that nothing happened to her and that my injuries were minor. I met with my attorney on Thursday. What a weird thing to have to have an attorney to settle a car accident. I guess we will see how everything works out in the next couple of weeks and if i can close my case anytime soon. I am still seeing a chiropractor and haven't been cleared yet.

- Saturday my dad came up and stayed with us. My mom and Hannah are in Florida and my dad was wanting to look at lots on the mountain. We drove out to panguitch lake and up to mammoth creek. It actually seemed really nice on the mountain even with the shingle fire going on. The very last stop we made was at a cabin. All of the lots that we saw seemed nice and had a lot of potential but they were just lots. The cabin seemed perfect the moment we walked in. Every cabin we have looked at before has had a dirty, old feeling to it. This one is 30 years old and seemed spotless, and dustless, and just right for our family.Hopefully next weekend my mom will have the chance to look at it.

 

Learned

- I need to get Leighton going on a legit sleep schedule. I want to know exactly what time to put her down at night, when she should wake up, and when to put her down for naps. I have read healthy sleep habits, happy child and i have really liked it. It makes sense, but it doesn't spell things out how i would like it to. I know that nothing really can. Leighton should be sleeping on her own personalized schedule. Right? If anyone has advice on this i would love to hear. How many naps does your baby take a day? How long do they sleep for at night? When do they go to sleep and When do they wake up? Leighton right now goes to sleep at 8 pm and wakes up at 630 am taking 4-5 short naps a day. She had been going to sleep at 9 and waking up at 9 and taking 3-4 naps a day until i messed her schedule up last week in Logandale.

Loved

- I loved all of the time that we had to spend with our family the past couple of weeks. As busy as life is getting, it is so nice to see them so often. Spending time in Logandale, having Leighton's blessing, and celebrating Independence Day were all amazing. It is not very often that we get to do such big things so close together. I loved that we had the opportunity to give our daughter a name in the church. That when i filled out her blessing certificate form i was able to check off that she was born under the covenant. She will be raised in the gospel and have the opportunity of growing up going to nursery, primary, and young womens. I loved that we were able to celebrate our great nation, be patriotic, wear our national colors, and place our right hand over hearts as the flag was walked down main street. Seeing respect for our flag is one thing that still gives me hope in not only our country but its people as well.

2 Firsts

June 19-29

- The past week has been busy and tiring. I worked last week for a few days and took Leighton with me. Then I tried to catch up from our little vacation. I had a lot of homework to do and a very messy house to clean and i couldn't figure out why but i was unbelievably.

- Friday Leighton turned 3 months old! I can't believe how much she has grown in so little time. In honor of her being three months i finally pulled out the camera and took some pictures, and i actually got a birth announcement finished.

- Friday night we went out to dinner at Centro (the new pizza place) with Teisha and Vance. It was so yummy and i even ate a pizza with goats cheese on it. It didn't seem to affect Leighton too much thank goodness. After we ate we played an epic game of risk. Teisha and i thought it was a good idea since we had been losing at settlers so badly lately. 5 hours later we decided we would just stick to settlers.

- Saturday my parents came up and we all (parents, sarah, kaden, leighton, and me) went for a drive up the mountain. We stopped in Mammoth Creek to look at cabins and lots and my parents fell in love with a lot right on the creek. Chances are they will own it pretty soon. Mom started buying stuff for her future cabin the moment we got back to Cedar. The drive was really nice but i was pretty drugged up. I woke up feeling very sick. Stuffy nose, head, and itchy throat, as well as the chills and a fever. Then Sunday after going to Logandale i decided Leighton had it too. Monday we both seemed to feel a little better like it was finally going away. Just Kidding it wasn't, Tuesday i woke up wanting to scream my ear hurt so bad and i knew i had an ear infection. Too scared to drive home to the doctor i went to the urgent care in Logandale. The PA looked in my ear and said "wow that a big white bulge alright, you have an ear infection and its going to burst." Uh and it did. Two lortab and a motrin and i could still feel it. The weirdest part was thinking that since i cant hear out of my ear that i shouldn't feel it either, but it doesn't work that way. Now i am just glad that Leighton has been getting better this week. I felt so sad that she had to experience her first cold.

Learned

- I have actually been thinking about this for the past couple of weeks but have been forgetting to write about it. This month it has been 5 years since i graduated high school. It is so weird how fast time goes by. I know that 5 years really isn't that long, but looking back 5 years ago i thought it would take forever to get to this point.

5 years ago i believed i would be best friends with the same people as i was in high school, i thought i would be one of the last in our grade to get married, but i knew i would marry someone from the valley, i didn't know what i wanted to do with my life but i knew i didn't want to go to college unless it was to brooks (photography school in santa barbara), i wanted to travel, i wanted to move to boston with Sarah when she graduated, and i mostly wanted to be far away from Logandale.

Here i am 5 years later. I was one of the first in my grade to get married. I did marry someone from the valley. I didn't go to photography school, and i am going to college so i can teach kindergarten, i do have a small photography business though. I have traveled to San Francisco and Alaska with my husband. We didn't go to Boston but Sarah and I both moved to Cedar and she lives with me. I never made it very far from Logandale. I learned very quickly that i could never be too far away from my family.

I think that with everything i wanted to experience within 5 years of graduating high school i have experienced more. Sometimes i get frustrated thinking i haven't accomplished enough. Especially when i see friends graduating and pursuing careers and going on fun adventures. But when i remind myself of everything that i have done in the past 5 years i feel like i have achieved something amazing. I have found my eternal companion and we have already started our lives together. Hopefully we have already lived through some of our hardest times. We survived our first year of marriage where we both learned to be less selfish and more giving, we quit both our jobs to go to school because we felt like the Lord wanted us too, we bought a house when we were only making minimum wage, and we had a baby purposely when we didn't have insurance. Most of our time together we have been relying on the Lord to bless us, but every time we have everything has worked out how it was supposed to. I found a passion in teaching and have already had my own classroom. My first year graduated I was given the opportunity to realize how important it is to get an education and I can not wait to help children start growing their love for learning. I have not traveled as much as i would have liked to, but i know i will and there is still plenty of time to see the world. In the past 5 years i have really come to know how important family is. Both Kaden and I are so grateful for our families. They have both supported us and loved us. They teach us so much and have taught us how we want to have our family. I feel like the most important thing in this life is family. Where would i be if i didn't have my husband and daughter? Or my parents and sisters? I am not quite sure how people can survive with out being close  to their family. I know i couldn't, hence I have never gone too far from Logandale.

Loved

- Leighton had two firsts this week. She rolled over and she had a cold. I hope that when she crawls for the first time or takes her first steps that it will happen exactly how her rolling over did. We were all sitting in the living room together and Leighton was asleep on the floor. Sarah all the sudden yelled to look at Leighton and when we did we saw her starting to roll over. Picture a snail trying to roll over. In slow motion she made her way from her stomach to her back while i took pictures the entire time. Once she was on her back we clapped, and laughed, and smiled, and baby talked we were so excited! Now there is no more laying her on the couch or bed, she is officially a floor baby and of course she is already practicing her army crawl. Her cold was not exciting, it was actually very sad. But all she wanted to do was be held and loved and cuddled. I could not pass that up. I held, and loved, and cuddled. I would even hold her through her naps. My math teacher extended my due dates for me because of us being sick and i took advantage of this time with Leighton. It is so sweet to be loved so much by a baby. I feel like she honestly glows with Love. She could't be anymore perfect and she loves me. It is so humbling to be loved by someone who is so close to perfection. Everyday i question whether or not i am worthy enough to raise such a beautiful little spirit. When i hold her she holds me back, and plays with my hair or rubs her precious hands on my arm or clings to my shirt, i just stare at her in amazement and hope that she knows how much she means to me.

Camille's Graduation Trip

(Picture Overload)

June 13-18

Lived

-Tuesday I Found out I had pink eye. Really? How do I get pink eye? Well i got on antibiotics ASAP and became overly obsessed with washing my hands. I'm literally thanking the Lord Leighton didn't get it.

- we packed up Wednesday and headed to Logandale for the night sp our drive to Lake Elsinore wouldn't seem so long. While we were there Sarah discovered Katie's watermelon patch. Holy goodness we were in shock. This planter has been in our backyard since our family moved to logandale 12 years ago. Every once and awhile one of us would attempt planting seething in but nothing ever grew. Katherine is one determined little girl though and grew these all from seeds. When she first planted them I kind of laughed and told her goodluck and not to let Sarah near them. (she raked my watermelon plant up when I was little. Obviously I'm still upset about that.) I am so Proud of Katie for getting these to grow, it couldn't have been easy.

- Thursday we set off to Lake Elsinore making a pit stop in Hemet on our way to pick up Bronco parts. Kaden was pretty excited about getting them. So excited that he convinced me to leave the stroller at home so they would fit into the car. Guess what we bought Thursday night... thats right, a stroller. It's alright though we needed a smaller one that we could take places. Thursday night we did some shopping with Susan and went to dinner with her too.

- Friday we headed to San Diego and explored Coronado Island. It was nice to just walk around and relax. Then Friday night we met up with Susan, Cami, and Alex for dinner. We ate quick so Cami could try to get some sleep before the very early morning graduation the next day.

- Saturday morning bright and early we headed to UCSD for Camille's graduation. It was so neat and almost surreal to see her graduate. How are we old enough for this already? (funny how I have a baby and think that.) I feel like every time I'm with cami I should be 12 years old again writing out our life plan on a chalk board for our Sunday school class. Instead those plans have drastically changed for us and we are both leading different but successful lives. The student speaker at her ceremony spoke about how everyone needed to remember they were still kids and just starting their lives. I had to laugh because at a SUI graduation that would never be said the majority of graduates are probably married there and already onto the adult stage of life.

- After the graduation we went to an amazing lunch at the cutest place called urban solace. Then we headed to La Jolla to spend the day with Cami and Alex. Before meeting back up with them we made a stop at the Temple. It always feels very special to go to the San Diego temple since that is where my family was sealed and where I took out my endowments. When we were done taking lots of pictures and talking to the missionaries we met up with Cami and Alex for a little window shopping. We walked around checking out stores for awhile and had dinner at a little taco shop.

- Sunday was Amazing! We got to sleep in, eat an amazing breakfast, and go to Cami's bridal shower. Susan, Shana and I had been planning the shower for the past couple of weeks and had so much fun working on it and putting it together. And honestly it turned out to be a beautiful and perfect afternoon.

Learned

- this week I feel like I have really learned to appreciate my friendships more. I think I learn this whenever I get to spend some time with any of my close friends. They really lift me up so much and remind me of so many things that I tend to forget. Like how to enjoy being around people, how to laugh, and relax. Close girl friends are the best! And how special is it to know that i have friendships that have been growing through every part of life.

- I am so excites to graduate someday. Not just to be done with school bit to have that piece of paper that proves I have accomplished something great,

Loved

- I love, love, loved spending so much time with Kaden, Leighton, and Sarah. We had such a fun time on our trip and only wish it could have lasted longer. Kaden and I got a long so well and really needed this break away from Cedar to focus on us and our daughter with out all the extra stresses. It was so nice to have such a laid back adventure together for the weekend.

- I absolutely loved watching Kaden with Leighton. It truly was so sweet for him to have endless time to spend with her. Kaden loved carrying her, playing with her, and bundling her up all weekend. He is always so concerned for her and makes sure she is happy all the time. I can't wait to watch those two together as Leighton gets older. There is such a special bond between fathers and daughters. Laden admitted to me today that he Loves waking Leighton up so he can cuddle her and see her sleepy smiles. How sweet is that? He truly is an amazing dad!