Year Three!! (and then some) May 2011-July 2012

My goal with this post is to document the highlights of our third year together as the Day family and continue until present day- so I will be all caught up!  Yay, I can't wait to be all caught up!!

Before Colton was born in July, summer 2011 was a pretty free and open time for Jon and I to relax and spend time with family.  Jon had a job offer that we had accepted from John Deere but we didn't know when we would start or where we would be going.  They told us they'd give us about a two month notice for our placement and that we'd start sometime before September.  While we waited to hear from them, we enjoyed the time free from school and work before the baby came.  We spent lots of time hanging out with family in the area, watching movies and jeopardy, sleeping in, eating out, going on dates, visiting my family in Idaho, catching up with friends, and so on.  It was a fun time!

American Fork Canyon, Summer 2011

On May 27, 2011 we had a fun day going to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake with Jon's family.  Jon's parents and his sister Amberly's family both came with us.  I had never been to Hogle Zoo before, and it had been a really long time since I had been to any zoo at all!  It was so fun to see all the cool animals and just to be there with family.  The only downside was being hugely pregnant and walking around everywhere.

June 4, 2011 my sister Becky was married to Isaac DuShane in the Logan, Utah temple.  It was such a fun day and great to see Becky so happy.  Me and Becky have always had kinda a special bond.  She is the sister just older than me and so we spent a lot of time together growing up.  We spent two years in the same high school and even took a couple classes together.  Lifetime sports was probably my favorite!  We learned how to fish, social dance, play tennis, bowl, play badminton, and all sorts of things together.  It was great!  We also both went to BYU-Idaho together and had the joy of sharing a car for a couple of years.  After Becky's mission we even roomed together for a year.  I'm pretty sure we were tons of fun to live with!  During Becky's student teaching, she lived with Jon and I for a few months, and then she and Catherine lived in our house over the summer that Jon and I interned in Iowa.  I gotta say, the hardest part about living in Iowa is missing out on family time.  I miss my family like crazy!  Anyway, Becky and Isaac's wedding was fun because the whole family was there and we were able to all hang out and have fun.  Becky wore my wedding dress and she looked so pretty in it!

Me and Babe (Catherine) at Becky's wedding.

Brynlee, Pam, Me

Jon posing weird, yet still pulling off attractive!

Me posing weird, and just looking goofy!

Showing off my pregnant belly!

Jon and I at Becky's wedding.

The three little girls: Catherine, Becky, Me

Sisters: Jenn, Me, Becky, Catherine, Kristi, Pam

The whole Rider family!

June 25, 2011, about two weeks before Colton was born, we went to the Lehi Days parade with Pam and Aaron and Becky and Isaac.  I love parades, so it was fun to enjoy one last one before Colton came, but it was probably also one of the hottest days ever!  (Especially being 9 months pregnant!)  I think probably the best memory from this day was when we were trying to find a spot to sit and there was some empty space in these people's driveway so we asked if we could put some chairs there.  The person was nice and said to 'go ahead'.  As we were setting up, Isaac comments out loud, "That was a nice guy."  Just so happens, at the same time, a friend of that person's was walking into the house and heard Isaac's comment and said, "She's actually a lady."  It was super awkward and hilarious at the same time!

Lehi Days Parade: Pam, Brynlee, Me, Becky, Issac

Me, Becky, and Isaac

Jon and Me waiting for the parade!

July 8, 2011 changed our lives forever!  Colton Jonathan Day was born and our family became three! He was such a beautiful baby and we loved him immediately.  6 lbs 14 oz and 19.5 inches long.  Red hair and blue eyes, he was definitely a Day baby.   (More details to come!)  We spent two days in the hospital and took advantage of all the help we could get.  Plus, the hospital food was seriously amazing!  I think I ate way more that I needed to because the food was just that delicious!

Our little miracle!

Brand new family!

Adjusting to parenthood was pretty difficult, but it definitely helped that Jon hadn't started work yet so he was home to help every day.  My mom also came and helped for a few days and that was wonderful.  The first couple of months are sadly, sort of a blur.  Colton had his days and nights mixed up in the beginning so he would sleep during the day and stay up all night.  If he had slept for long periods during the day, maybe I wouldn't have been such a zombie, but even during daytime he only slept a couple hours at a time.  I have always been a person who needs a lot of sleep so this period was very rough for me.  The first couple months breastfeeding was probably the worst thing I have ever gone through.  I am sorry if there are too many details for some of you but seriously, it was incredibly painful.  Lets just say I had to ask the pediatrician if it was ok if Colton was eating a decent amount of blood when he nursed.  I kept it up knowing that it was the best thing for Colton and with promises that it would get better.  Thankfully, after three or four months, it did get better or I would not have lasted as long as I have.  Still, I never grew to love it like some moms say they do.  My own personal recovery from childbirth was also pretty slow and painful.  I thought when my doctor cleared me to exercise again at 8 weeks I would be ready to jump in and get back in shape.  However, I still had a decent amount of pain and recovery to deal with at this point and getting back to my normal self took a lot longer than expected.

First bath.

Jon loved to play with Colton from the start.

My boys!

Like father, like son!

I just love how precious he is when he sleeps!

Krist and Aralyn and Me and Colton

Becky and Isaac with Colton.

Catherine and Colton.

Also around 7-8 weeks, (end of August), we moved to Iowa.  We finally got our job placement and Jon would be starting as an Internal Analyst at John Deere Headquarters in Moline, IL.  We found a nice, three-level town home we liked, with the help of Jon's cousin, in Davenport, IA and set off to start our new adventure.  Deere covered our travel expenses and to have a moving company move our stuff.  That was such a blessing.  We ended up taking five days to drive to Iowa since Colton needed to be fed and changed every couple of hours.  Despite the discomforts of long days of travel, it was fun to stay in hotels and have free food.  We stayed in one that was surprisingly really nice for the price.  It has two tv's, two bathtubs, kitchen, couches, and table and chairs and one of the bathtubs was huge and jetted in the corner of the bedroom.


We had to wait a couple weeks for our stuff to arrive with the moving company and that was pretty annoying and inconvenient.  However, I have to admit, it was pretty nice have someone else move us and do all the packing and heavy lifting!  To get us by during that two week period, we packed our car full of all essentials we could carry, as well as a cartop carrier we brought with us.  Then when we got here, Mark and Jenna met us with a few things from Jon's parents in MN and then helped us find a really cheap couch and chair on "as is" clearance.  (We ordered new couches but it took two weeks for them to arrive).  I mean, sure, they both have some stuffing falling out in some places and some loose seams, but they are still pretty comfy and better than sitting on the floor!

Our discount recliner and chair!

Jon's new TV.

Sleeping on air mattresses until our stuff arrived.

Me and Colton in our new townhouse.

At 13 weeks, Colton started sleeping through the night and that was an incredible milestone for us!  I was finally able to get some sleep, and that made everything better.  I felt better, had a more positive attitude, and was finally able to start losing the baby weight.  It really helped me enjoy being a mom and love my beautiful baby even more!

We moved into a good ward in Iowa, the same as before.  We really liked the relative young age of the ward because there are lots of young couple in our same phase of life.  We were able to quickly make lots of friends and feel comfortable here.  Jon got called as Scout Master and Elder's Quorum Secretary.  He was later released as Scout Master but is still Elder's Quorum Secretary today.  I was called as the Relief Society 1st Counselor and still am today.  It is an intimidating calling, and really busy!  I am in charge of all the activities as well as some other duties.  I love being involved in activities but it is very time consuming and stressful to be in charge of all of them!  I know the Lord is with me though, and stretching me to help me grow.

My "new" old van we got for me to drive around.

Me and Colton at JD Headquarters.

My friend Loni came to visit us and we went to see JD Headquarters.

Halloween 2011.

In the beginning of November, Becky Ruff- Jon's cousin's wife, took some family photos for us.  We took them at a park just a mile or so from our town home.

 
We spent Thanksgiving 2011 with Jon's family in MN.  It is so great to have family close enough to visit (about 4 hours from us).  We had a fun time!

Colton lovin a bath in MN. Thanksgiving 2011.

Colton and Grandma Day.  Thanksgiving 2011.

For Christmas 2011, we went home to Idaho/Utah.  It was fun, but also kind-of a frustrating vacation.  On the way there we flew United out of Moline and our flight was delayed so long we were stuck overnight in the Denver Airport.  It was my first time spending the night in the airport and I HOPE it's the last.  We got maybe 1/2- 1 hour of sleep each on the airport floor.  Colton was able to get maybe 3-4 hours after we built him a little dark cave with our luggage.  United wasn't going to be able to fly us out of Denver for almost 24 more hours so they promised us a full refund if we found an earlier flight with another airline.  So we booked a 6am flight with Southwest and got out of Denver as soon as we could.  Before that, when we first missed our plane, they told us that they would pay for us to go to a hotel for the night.  We considered this, but Denver was in the middle of a blizzard and getting to a hotel sounded kind of treacherous.  While we were deciding though, Jon thought it would be a good idea to walk towards the shuttle station so we would be there in case we decided to go.  (For the record, I was against this.)  Turns out, before we knew it, we had gone too far and had gone out past security and they wouldn't let us back in.  So, at midnight, we had to go back through security, waking up Colton who had just barely fallen asleep.  As we were frantically unpacking everything and getting it on the security belts, the officer brought back Jon's bag and told us we had a soda in there.  Well, we had gotten in on our last flight and didn't know we were going to have to go through security again so we had forgotten about it.  With a huge line, held up behind us, Colton crying, and everything just as awful as could be, I dug through Jon's bag to find the pop only to pull out an exploding diet coke spraying everywhere.  I didn't know what to do with it and was at my wit's end, so I just stood there with Diet Coke spraying all over the airport, my face, hair, Jon's bag, etc., until someone handed me a bag.  It was truly awful.    Afterwards, Jon spent a good 5-6 hours on the phone talking with United and U.S. Airways representatives trying to get our refund and they absolutely refused.  It took another bunch of phone calls and emails when we got home for them to finally give us our money back.  Colton at least did better than we expected considering he only liked (still does) to sleep in his bed and won't take a pacifier.  However, on our last of THREE flights home, at about midnight, he finally had had it and he just started screaming his head off and would not be consoled.  We felt so sad for him, and for the other people on the plane, but there was nothing we could do.   He also picked up a cold over our travels and was sick for a couple weeks following our vacation.

Fluffing our new tree!

Decorating requires commitment. 

Jon pretending to decorate the tree.

Our beautiful Christmas tree!

Colton's first Christmas!

He was thrilled to be posing for this picture.

Someday he'll thank us for the adorable pictures we made him take.

Opening presents in Iowa.

Christmas in Iowa.

Christmas Day 2011, my parents home in Clifton, Idaho.

We kept most of our holidays pretty simple this year.  For my birthday we got an ice-cream cake and that was delicious.  For Valentine's day we got Papa Johns pizza and a movie (our new favorite!).  For Jon's birthday I made him a homemade carrot cake- which was actually really good!

Me and Colton on my 24th birthday.  Feb. 3, 2012.

Happy Birthday to me!

Our wonderful friends, Alissa and Justin Thompson came to celebrate with us.

Valentines day pizza!

Cute little present from Jon.

Valentines day dance the Stake put on.

Jon's 27th birthday.  March 25, 2012.

Our cute little family!

Homemade carrot cake and cream cheese frosting- topped off with my beautiful decorating.

Springtime in Iowa is beautiful!  We had a wonderful time enjoying the rainshowers, green grass and trees, going for walks, going to the park, and lots of fun outdoor times.

Duck Creek Bike Trail, March 2012.

Walking with friends!  Kristen Browning and son Tate, Sarah Haslam and daughter Camryn.

Colton's first time at the park!

Colton's not sure how he feels about the slide...

He loves daddy's shoulders!

All geared up for a walk!

Sunday walk by the Mississippi River, March 2011.

In April we went out to Utah again for Mark and Jenna's wedding in the Salt Lake Temple.  The trip went better this time, although Colton managed to get sick again.  This time it became an ear infection and he was super miserable most of the time out there.  It was fun to see family again though.  Becky and I went shopping and I spent a day with Pam and Brynlee.  We got to see the whole Rider family for Easter and it was cute to see Aralyn, Colton, and Tanner together (all cousins within a couple months of each other.)  Mark and Jenna's wedding was really beautiful, and it was wonderful to spend time in the temple.  We got to see most of Jon's family for the wedding and that was also really great!

Salt Lake Temple grounds, April 14, 2012.

Reception Center for Mark's wedding.

Colton found his new best friend at the wedding!

We were bummed we couldn't go to St. George again for our anniversary this year, but Jon got me some beautiful roses and took me to dinner.  It is always great just to spend time together!

Over the last few months, we have both stayed pretty busy.  I stay busy with taking care of Colton and the home and my calling responsibilities.  Jon has been working full time, studying for the CPA exam, and also has calling responsibilities to keep him busy.

For Memorial Day, we went to MN.  It was a way fun trip, probably one of our best!  We were able to go to the temple and do a session for the first time since Colton was born.  The temple is such an amazing place!  We were so happy to be able to go!  Thanks Mark and Phil's family for babysitting!  We also spent some time hanging out at Phil's house, Mike's house, and the Day parent's home.  We went out to Applebees for latenight appetizers and were able to leave Colton home with the grandparents.  We had a couple of bbq's and on memorial day the MN ward had a 5k that Jon and I ran in.  Mark, Jenna, and Phil also participated.  It was fun and felt great to run.  I've been able to get in pretty good shape since having Colton and feel really happy about it!  Before Colton, the furthest had ever ran was a 5k and since having him my furthest is a 10k (6.2 miles I did on the treadmill!)  That's twice as far!! 

Memorial Day 5k, May 28, 2012.  Jenna, Me and Colton, Janice Day, Chantel and Phil Day

Janice and Colton, Chantel, Phil, Jon, Me, Jenna, Mark

On June 2nd, we had a Ward 5k and 1 mile run/walk that I was responsible for planning.  It had never been done in our ward before and it turned out to be very tough to coordinated and put it all together.  However, it all came together with some help from some wonderful people and it ended up going really well!  We had about 90 people (men, women, and children) participate.  I was only bummed I had to be in charge so I couldn't participate as well.  Oh well, it was nice to put something together where lots of other people could have fun!

June 27-29, Jon had a business trip to Des Moines and Colton and I were able to come along.  It ended up being a fun little mini-vacation!  (More details to come!)  Mark and Jenna came to Davenport to visit us that weekend.  It is always a blast to have them here, I wish they lived closer! 

Yesterday was Colton's first birthday!  (More details to come!)  We had our wonderful friends, Justin and Alissa Thompson over to celebrate.   We had dinner, opened presents, and had a fun day.  It's so hard to believe he's already a year old.  We love him so much!  He really is such a blessing in our lives, and make us laugh every day.

One year a family! July 8, 2012.