One big step.....

So much has happened since Ive been on my blog. My life has seen heartbreak, chaos, stress and many a tearful night. Andrew and I have decided to divorce and while it does break my heart, I know that it will be what is best for Landon and I. But I write this post today in hopes of change and comfort, hope that there is still sunshine on the horizon.

So with that, I wanted to announce that to celebrate our new adventure together, I will be creating a new blog soon for just Landon and I. Please feel free to stay tuned, as the new blog may actually end up being more fun as it follows the ups and downs of this single mama and her lil big 2 year old ;) I will keep this blog up as a page of memories, of things left behind as Landon and I look to the future. I love you all and thank you so much for the love and support you have always offered us. It means the world to me... :)

Bath Time!

Landon sure does love bath time...

He must get that from his mommy.....

 .....Course, he loves being "nakie" too.....

And THAT he must get from UNCLE JD, who ALSO loved being "nakie" when he was a baby....

LOL :)

I have one SMART kid!!

So last night it struck me just how 

this little guy is.... 

For it seems that this guy...

had taught this guy

how to click his tongue! And only in a matter of a few minutes!

HOW?

Well let me tell you something interesting....

My smart lil guy....

...Watches mouths!

Its crazy how OBSERVANT kids can be! 

They pick up MORE THAN YOU KNOW! 

After all, they're

ALOT SMARTER THAN YOU THINK! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is one of my FAVORITE holidays, so full of LOVE ever where you turn. Lucky for me that I have THESE two men to celebrate it with...

Yes I said TWO MEN....

I love my husband and my baby boy more than ANYTHING in the world. 

Yes, even more than:

Chocolate....

Or Roses.....

Or Teddy Bears....

Even more than Jewelry! 

In fact, I love ALL of my family!

This Valentine's day, REMEMBER that the Holiday isnt just about finding a sweetheart.

In fact, the meaning is really quite simple.....

It's about LOVE!!

That's it. Just LOVE. 

So take this opportunity to tell the ones you LOVE 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!  

Oh Thank Heaven for Grandma Kaye!

Recently, I have been thinking about one of life's GREATEST lessons......... RESPONSIBILITY

As I have been thinking about it, it amazes me how greatly RESPONSIBILITY can affect ones life and just how important it is to be taught, even as a young child.

Luckily, I had THIS man.......

To teach me RESPONSIBILITY....

Dont get me wrong, of course my mom is VERY RESPONSIBLE 

and she also had a great mom and like me, also a great DAD to teach her RESPONSIBILITY

 (And Krista is making a debut in this blog post as well, as she was the ONLY ONE to have a picture of Grandma and Grandpa to share with me over Facebook...Thanks Krista!)

But as I was thinking about this valuable necessity of life, my dad stuck out as the one person who always knew what was right and what his children needed to know. But does it stop there? I wondered. Then I thought about who he might have learned it from and THIS woman came to mind....

My Grandma Kaye is one of the most hardworking and RESPONSIBLE people I know. She knows that to love someone is to do anything you have to for them, to give them what they need and to hold RESPONSIBILITIES that are given to her. I know I dont say "Thank you" as often as I should for everything she does for me and my family, which is why this post is dedicated to her. Without her, I wouldnt have the AMAZING DAD that I grew up with. I want all my family, including (and especially in this post) my dad and my Grandma Kaye to know how much I love them and how GRATEFUL I am to have been blessed with them in my life. And I hope that I can teach my son to be just as RESPONSIBLE as they have taught me.

Time FLIES By!!

 Ok, so I have been really bad about this blog and have not posted since Landon was born, which seems like yesterday but guess what?.....ITS BEEN ALMOST 8 MONTHS!!!! After looking at a few family bloggers(who have so diligently posted that I feel guilty for NOT doing so), I decided it was time to hop back on the Blogging train and enjoy the ride. Maybe I'll start posting a link on Facebook like Krista does cause maybe if someone is actually reading it, I'll be more motivated to update it.

     Anyways, alot has happened in this 7 or 8 months since the birth of our little miracle and I'd like to share it all, for those who havent been able to know what's going on with us.
 First off, almost right after Landon was born, we were able to move into a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment that was pretty dang affordable. The space has been FANTASTIC!! But alas, (and I am DEEPLY ASHAMED to admit this,) due to all of our boxes and storage stuff, we've spent our whole lease without moving the baby into his own room (so yes, he's still sleeping with mommy...I know, we're totally terrible and we'll 'never break him of it.' Trust me, I will make sure we do LOL) Well our lease is up in February, and we are hoping to find a nice, affordable house in good ol' G-Ville, so hit us up if you have any info on any good deals!!

  How can we afford a house you ask? Well, Andrew is officially enrolled at RoadMasters, where he will get his CDL license and be able to truck drive for a few years and go to school. He already has jobs lined up and just needs to finish the class. It will be a trial for both of us, as he'll be gone ALOT(I was NOT happy about this, but it is our last resort as we HATE living paycheck to paycheck), so please, keep your fingers crossed and PRAY for us!!

       And now some news on our favorite baby boy.....

 Baby Landon has gone through so many tremendous changes and learned so many new things since he was born that it would be selfish not to share them with you.

    Since he was born, he has learned to blow raspberries with his tongue, hold his bottle up all by himself and his personal favorite, to clap(especially on  command LOL), as well as many other things. He has 2 bottom teeth now and is a very happy baby with a VERY SWEET spirit and he is an absolute JOY to be around. He got to try all new foods these last few months, and his favorites are Sweet Potatoes and Carrots.

  And oh my, has he grown!! Just take a look for yourself!

So as you can see, there has been ALOT of LIFE going on in this last long while, and I will take this moment to vow that I will come out of Blogging hybernation and share more of our life with you,

I PROMISE!!

After all.....

"Our lives are made in these small hours, these LITTLE WONDERS..."

Baby Landon, FINALLY here from Heaven!!

Well, despite my hopes that he was gonna come early and on his own, I was induced Wednesday June 2nd and gave birth to our beautiful baby boy. Landon Keith Hawker was born at 1:27 pm and came into the world weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces and measuring 18 inches long.

Im actually kinda grateful I was induced, it wasnt so bad as I thought it would be. I did enjoy the fact that I knew when the contractions would hit and when they did, I was allowed my epidural right away lol :)

The delivery was a bit hard, he was higher up in the birth canal than we thought and was having a hard time coming down, despite all my pushing. Finally I had pushed him down low enough that the Dr could safely use a vacuum extraction, as his heart rate was low due to the stress of labor and it would have been dangerous to wait any longer. Luckily I avoided a C-section this time, but will probably have to have one with future babies, the Dr said if he had been any bigger, I probably wouldnt have been able to deliver vaginally. I did have quite a bad episiotomy, the Dr said he'd never had to perform one so bad, which is making recovery tough, but I am just glad my lil guy is here.

Because of the vacuum and the stressful delivery, his blood volume was low and he had to be taken from me most of the day and put in NICU for a saline solution drop to replenish his blood levels. The nurses were consistently watching his temperature level, but by the time we left on Friday, he seemed healthy enough that there is no worries now.

 Andrew has been a blessing to me through all of this. He took the whole week and weekend off and spent our time in the hospital changing the baby, calling the nurses and seeing to my every need when I couldnt get out of bed because it hurt so bad. Now that we're at home, he still amazes me with the great job he does as a new daddy.

We have had so much fun with our little boy and have seen that he is truly a miracle and a blessing in our lives. I love my husband more than anything in the world and never thought I could love anyone as much as I do him, but I love our baby just as much. Its as if my heart has grown so big and so full of love for these 2 handsome boys and I never knew how happy they could make me or how much I would love them.

I feel so blessed to be trusted with the job of being a mommy to one of Heavenly Father's children and I know that we have been blessed in being given such a little miracle. I love our little boy so much!!

Welcome to our family Baby Landon!!