Motherhood Event

A few weeks ago we participated in a Mini Motherhood Event put on by Megan Poulton Photography. It was right around Mothers Day and so it was a great reminder to reflect on what Motherhood has meant to me. I've only been a mother for 18 months now and in that time I've learned so much. I've struggled so much but I've also grown so much. There's always something new to learn about myself or my child. I am learning that you never really master being a mother, it's a role you're always growing in to in some area or another. I love the way my daughter sees me though, I wish I could see myself through her eyes. And I hope she always sees herself through my eyes. She's perfect in every way!

Desert Beauty

Kortney does it again. She (my cousin) asked to take our photos with a certain desert boho theme in mind. I just want to say that for the record, I completely trust her and her ideas. You'll see why below. And I'll let her take photos of us anytime! She's a natural behind the camera and my favorite things she tries to capture is honesty. I commented once how I wished grace would stop making an awkward face and Kortney reminded me that one day she would outgrow that and I would miss it. She's absolutely right and now I am so thankful she captured photos of our little family. Even if Grace is working on a nice little mullet and two front crooked teeth. I'll always cherish these!

Battalion Chief Spendlove

My talented cousin Kortney asked to borrow all the Spendlove grandkids to cross off one of her many Photoshoot Bucketlist Items. She took photos of my dad, a Battalion Chief, with all of his current grandkids. She's so great at what she does and somehow managed to get amazing shots of all the kids individually and in one shot! Even of Grace, who wouldn't take her nap that day! We will cherish these photos forever, Thanks Kort!

Jamaica, Ya Mon

Ya mon, we went to Jamaica!! We stayed at the Grand Palladium Resort & Spa by Montego Bay. I guess you could say it was an early 1st Birthday + early Christmas + early 5th Anniversary celebration in one!  The resort was breathtaking as our room overlooked the white sandy beach and Caribbean seas. We decided to take Grace (at 11 months) and did not regret it! She was such a great little traveler and slept 3/4 flights. She Oooh'd and Awww'd her way through Jamaica. Sure, taking her did add extra work to our vacation but it was so fun to watch her excitement as she experienced the beach for the first time and the warm ocean water. Everyone out there loved watching and talking with her, especially all of the staff at the resort. The little Jamaican mamas all wanted to hold her and Grace usually accepted and then smiled and rubbed their faces. It made me wish we could all be as accepting and loving to everyone we meet just like a little child is.

The first night at the Resort, Grace came down with a VERY high fever and was wheezing to breathe. I immediately wondered if we had made a very big mistake bringing our baby to a little island far away from home. We had passed the hospital on our way into the resort and I knew I wouldn't want to take her there so I was starting to panic. Ethan then offered to give her a priesthood blessing and within the hour her fever broke and she was able to breathe well enough to sleep the rest of the night. The next day she only continued to get better and I was reminded of just how blessed we are to have the priesthood to protect and bless our little family no matter where we are in the world. 

We loved our first real family vacation and are so lucky we were able to go. We spent most of our time in the water or tanning/napping by the pool. I attended one of the most amazing and relaxing morning yoga classes overlooking the beach, a super fun water aerobics class and mini golf. Below are pictures and a video I created of our time out there to share with family and friends. It's by no means professional, but I think you'll enjoy it since most of the video is Grace! :)

 "Jamaica, No problems"