Bean Blankies

2fer

2 posts in 1 day!!!  This one is too cute to keep to ourselves...  Ellis' new favorite thing is screaming...

Untitled from tara demars on Vimeo.

$1000

Things I would literally pay $1000 for right this second.  Like, I'll drive right to the bank and pull out 10 hundos.

For Ellis to go back to taking real naps. no more of these 20-45 minute sissy naps.

For a desire (at all? any???) to work out and stop eating the cookie dough in the fridge.

For my towels and clothes and baby's clothes to not smell like smoke from the guy downstairs.

For the internet to just wooooorrrrkk when Damon and I are trying to watch a netflix movie.

Well, that's about it.  it can't all really be too bad with this life I have...

There is always, hope.
"To all who suffer, to all who feel discouraged, worried or lonely, I say with love, and deep concern for you: Never give in! Never surrender! Never allow despair to overcome your spirit." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This is my two bits to the blog.

I don't think there is need to say more.

-Damon-

We made it!

Well, Ellis and I survived Damon's first day back at school!  (Damon did fine too)... I was sad that Damon was leaving, especially since Ellis had grown so accustomed to having him around- waking up and starting at him/grabbing his face, being bounced around by him all day, his funny faces....  I was scared Ellis would feel a big "waaah wuuuuuhhhh" inside when he woke up and it was just me on one side and a pillow on his other. (When Ellis wakes up to nurse, usually between 6 and 7, I usually just bring him into our bed since our room is darker, and he sleeps another 4 hours or so in bed with us)

10 a.m... snug as a bug in a bed.

Well, I'm glad to say I must not have dissapointed him too much.  I made sure to be next to him when he woke up and he was all smiles as usual. We stayed busy going to playgroup, and the dollar store, before we retreated back to our cool dark apartment to escape the 110+ degree heat index outside. He napped well. We rolled around on the floor. He played with all his jungle friends on his jumperoo...

And when the blessed moment came that Damon walked through the door, he was happy as a little clam.

So was I.

(sorry i haven't been updating much... we don't have internet at this apartment, but i finally got an app to use my phone as a tether, so woohoo, it's slow but it works... so i definitely will try to be better at blogging more! also, blogger is having a rough time with pictures, sorry this one only had 1)

Spokompton

Here are lots of pictures from our trip to Washington to visit Damon's family.  We had a great time, going from the house to the cabin to Deer Lake, the shooting range to Tri-cities and back and all over again...

So here you gooooooo, lots of pictures! and all out of order!!  some of them even sideways!!!

like this one: Damon playing the piano with Ellis!

Ellis' first swim (the water was a perfect 80 degrees... about as warm as outside)

Our first fun in Washington was a stay up at Shelly's cabin on Deer Lake- we ate the hugest ice cream ever that had about 15 scoops of ice cream and sat outside eating french toast and rode 4-wheelers and went for a long walk around the lake, it was awesome! And not too shabby of a view to wake up to...

 4-wheeling around Deer Lake

 Ellis and yet another girlfriend, I don't know what he was trying to show her though...

 Ellis and one of his many naps on the boat, squeezed between the seat and I.

 Damon and little Damon up at the shooting range...

Mason flinging, Tyler launching, Damon and Ted skeet shooting...

Mason and Damon and the assault rifle (that thing is loud!)

At the family cabin on Hayden, Damon and Ellis out for a run...

 Uncle Tyler and Ellis

Just a dip in the pool... Ellis was fascinated.

Still in awe!

Jean and Fin on the boat

I love it when it looks like his whole face takes up only a third of his big ol' noggin.

Tyler at the barbie, cookin' up for a family dinner (the only thing you can really feed 60 people at once is bbq)

Those are hungry peeps!

What a ham, and with little fuzzies in his neck from the bib, how precious.

Linda and Ellis, sittin' in a tree...

Happy Birthday Ted!

Yeah, he's scared.

Joe and Taylor, about to go something... repelling I guess...

Damon took some good shots of the fireworks on the lake

This one was cool...

Till it turned to this.

Me and my baby boyfriend, watching my baby daddy wakeboard.

Damon

Now, back to Taylor and Joe repelling.

Ok, I guess that's the end! We had a great time and are still trying to get Ellis back on his lovely old sleep-aholic schedule...  He just had so much fun he's still waiting for the next big activity.  Hey, kid, hows about some grocery shopping tomorrow?

A Name and A Blessing

Sunday was Ellis' blessing day. I thought I'd write a little about it since my family in Texas and many of our friends weren't able to attend (here in Washington).

We blessed Ellis at the house, and most of the family was here for it, except the few that were out of town.  It was wonderful to be surrounded by such love for our little man. Ellis rocked the white tux given to us by Tara and Byron, and he just looked snazzy.

Some of our friends and family may not quite understand what this blessing business is all about.  In the LDS Church we do not baptize babies.  Baptism is a sacred and important responsibility, one which should only be given to those who are ready to carry it.  In the church, children are baptized, if they chose to be, at 8 years old- an age of accountability. To be baptized, one must have faith, and also repent of sins.    We don't believe that young children are sinners.  Look at this face:

I don't believe that if something were to happen to that little boy, and he were taken from this earth early, that Heavenly Father would turn him away, that he would be cast down, simply because he wasn't baptized. ["And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven" D&C 137:10]  My child and no other child is tainted by original sin- he is a child of God, even created after His own image.  Until Ellis is accountable for his actions, and can be tempted, he has no need to be baptized.  When he is of the age to be able to take on the responsibility of not only bearing Christ's name (being baptized a Christian), but avoiding temptation and sin, then he will be baptized, should he chose so. 

And so, Ellis was given a name (his name, Ellis Michael Demars, was 'announced' during the blessing - though everyone already knew it- and it was recorded onto the records of the church) and a blessing.  The blessing part of the ordinance is where Damon, surrounded by his male family members, those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, spoke a blessing onto Ellis.  I did not write it down, but it was beautiful.  I remember some specific parts, including

A blessing for Ellis to know of the love that his Savior has for him

For him to know of the support and love that his parents have for him

That he will be physically healthy and able to do all this which he desires to do

That he will serve a mission

That he will wisely chose a wife and be sealed to her in the temple

That he will care for his siblings and always be a good example to others.

The blessing was very spiritual, especially seeing my little boy surrounded by his older cousins, uncles, grandfather, family friends, and father, all worthy priesthood holders.  I can't wait for the day that he himself will be able to hold the priesthood and bless the lives of others with it. 

Here are a couple more pictures from the day 

With his uncle Tyler

With his Daddy

(babies are usually blessed in church within the first 2 months after they are born- since we were in Spokane and had so much family, we did it at Damon's parents' home- there were over 60 people there. also they had to keep Ellis entertained and happy during the blessing, usually babies are young enough to just sleep through it, but Ellis babbled during the beginning before he probably was fixated on all the men's faces around him.)

Right before the Blessing