It's Been Forever!

Wow it has been a while! Recent happenings......last weekend Hysen, Liam and I went up to New York to visit some of my family. We had a great time, but I always miss my family so much after a visit! It was a lot of firsts for Liam:  first plane ride, first time seeing the ocean, first overnight stay, first time in a different state. I also had the opportunity to go to the Manhattan Temple with my sister Jessica and her husband Brian. It was such a wonderful experience. It was my second time in the Manhattan Temple and I just love the immediate silence and peace you feel as soon as you walk in the doors. What a wonderful feeling compared to the busy streets of New York!

Other events...Liam is now eating solids! He takes a while to warm up to a new food, but he likes bananas, sweet potatoes, and of course he loves rice cereal! He is starting carrots this week. He is now tipping the scales at almost 19 lbs and 25 inches! My big boy is wearing size 9 month and 12 month clothes. It makes me so happy to see him big and healthy.

My beautiful healthy boy!

Hysen is doing fine after suffering with the flu for a week earlier this month. I had a flu shot so I didn't catch it and thank goodness Liam didn't. (But he did catch my cold, poor baby.) He is continuing to photograph various sporting events at the colleges in the area and we're gearing up for wedding season. Our first wedding of the season is later this month. We'll be busy with weddings and photo shoots from now until late fall.

Liam helps Daddy get ready

Invasion of the Time Waster!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I spend my time. I am a world class time waster. I like to look a photos on facebook, look up funny clips on youtube, watch movies, and worst of all, I read all the time! Now these aren't horrible things to do on their own, but when they start to replace things like folding laundry, writing in my journal, doing my VT, and other things, as they have in my life, it becomes a very bad habit.

I can spend hours playing with Liam and I consider that time extremely well spent, but after he goes to bed, I get really selfish about my time. I SHOULD be cleaning up the house a little, reading my scriptures, preparing FHE...but I usually don't.

I think that part of living righteously is striving to live to our full potential. Heavenly Father gives us gifts and it is wrong not to use them for the benefit of others. When I have spent hours on the internet or reading a novel and I realize it's 11pm and I want to go to bed...the things I should have been doing to better myself and my family often get swept under the rug. I want to be a good mother and to me, that means not only caring and loving and teaching Liam, but it also means I have to be healthy and happy as well.

My little family brings me such great joy and I want to be the best mother and wife I can be for Liam and Hysen. This post has been a little erratic, but I guess I'm writing this as a wake up call for myself. If I put this on the internet, it's out there, and everyone knows. (Yikes!) I can't be a time waster anymore. Of course, there will always be days that I don't get a lot done, but I can't spend my free time on mindless tasks and selfish 'Me Time'. Here's to self improvement.

So it's a new year. 2011. I wonder what people will say in 70 or 80 years about the past decade. Will they laugh at the clothes we wore, marvel at our 'stone age' technology, or will they wonder what everyday life was like 'way back in the old days'?
I've been thinking about the last ten years and what they've held for me. I graduated high school (wow that makes me sound so young!), went to college (have yet to graduate), got married (coming up on 3 years in a couple of weeks), bought a house, and had the most beautiful baby boy in the world! It's hard to believe that 10 years ago today, I was 13 years old! Now that's a scary thought. It seems like time has been kicked up a notch into high gear. Liam is already almost 5 months old and it feels like he should still be a newborn. Next week I'll wake up and he'll be ready to graduate high school!
So tomorrow is my 24th birthday. I guess that's still young enough to not be embarrassed when I share my age with the world (or at least those of you bored enough to read my blog). Nothing special planned...I told Hysen I would absolutely love to just have a night in with him and Liam. Really that's just like every other night, but I just love my Justo boys to pieces! I haven't had a real birthday 'party' in a long time. I get nervous and shy sometimes for no reason at parties, even if I know everyone there. But I did tell Hysen that I want a party next year for the big 25! :) We will see.
Liam rolled over last week for the first time! Now every time we put him on his tummy, he immediately rolls over. It's like he's always been able to do it, but he's just been holding out on us! I'm so happy to see him grow and learn new skills. I love to watch him smile when he realizes he just rolled over on his own. Or when he started playing with his feet for the first time yesterday. (His belly is so big that it has taken him a while to discover he has feet down there!)
We are starting to put Liam in his crib at night (we've been co-sleeping up until now). It's kind of rough at first (for us and him), but he is starting to learn how to self-soothe. Last night he stayed in the crib until 5:30am! I am so proud of my little man. He is growing and changing so quickly!

Liam with his gifts on Christmas

Liam disguised as a present on Christmas

Well anyway, a lot has happened during the past year. So many major life changes...I'm so grateful for the happiness they have brought into my life. I look forward to this new year with it's joys and challenges (as I'm sure there will be many of both). I am eager to see what 2011 holds in store for my family.


Liam and Hysen head to church
(Liam's first time in shoes!)