Happy Halloween!

 

It has been getting a little cold here in Rexburg. And Connor has had to stay bundled up. But Halloween weekend was a little warmer so we were able to enjoy it even more.  

Our Halloween activities began Friday night when Connor showed off his rolling talents while we carved pumpkins.

 Connor really enjoyed watching for awhile. And then he wanted a piece of the action.

 It was pretty slimy!

 Shea did lots of the dirty work, scooping out pumpkin guts in the beginning. But we both carved. And I was pretty impressed since it was our first attempts. It was lots of fun and making traditions like these now that we will probably do forever is so exciting. We feel like a real family with Connor now and it makes everything more special.

 Saturday Connor got all dressed up and we went to FatCats (movie theater/bowling place) that was hosting a trunk or treat. Well that is what we heard from our bishop, our ward doesn't have enough kids to do one so he recommended FatCats. It was pretty lame. It ended up being an advertisement thing, you get a flyer and a piece of candy, for each little booth. We bought lots of candy so we could hand it out and we didn't get a chance, we wanted to show off Connor and see kids costumes but the trunk or treat was not what we were expecting so we went in and out pretty fast.

 Connor was enjoying his fingers. While we were strolling around. He was fascinated by the wild costumes the kids were wearing. And we saw lots of parents dressed up too. Shea and I wished we had dressed up, and had some fun party to go to with Connor. But maybe next year that will happen.

 Connor and Daddy got to snuggle lots, because it was a little chilly.

 We went to a little party at Shea's parents, where we got to binge on all our candy. We played a zombie game Shea had bought and just enjoyed hanging out with the family. Connor's cousin Jonas was there, so they got to play. Connor was showing off his sitting up abilities while staring intently at Jonas's stripes. Jonas was such a cute tiger!

 We had so much fun. I love holidays. And I love that Shea enjoys my celebratory nature.

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 Connor was a scary skeleton. His costume glowed in the dark. It was fun. But by the end of the night Connor was cranky and tired.

 We were so happy to have such a nice Halloween with Connor, we tried to make it special since this is his first.

 We came home and our pumpkins were glowing so bright and they looked so good for us first timers. I was excited to see our glowing pumpkins. I felt so festive, Especially since last year we didn't do anything but watch scary movies and wait for trick or treaters that never came.

When we got back Connor was exhausted. It had been one long day. We put him in the swing to change and get ready for bed and he was out in a matter of seconds, just staring up at those bears that he's mesmerized by.

Happy Halloween!

Elder Martin

This past month my brother left for the Provo MTC, October 6th. Ryan was so excited and his bright smile was the most amazing thing ever. It was very hard to say goodbye, especially since I had to do it over the phone, but the fact that he is so ready to go serve makes it much easier. It is hard to find such eager missionaries, I am so proud of him. He will be missed SO much. We are lingering on his every word and email. Love that kid! Shea tells me going on a mission is like a transition into manhood. It is so weird to think he will come back a man. But I guess the independent, selflessness, and the spirit on the mission really does change you. Ryan will always be Ryan though, and we are so excited to have him back already, but we are so excited to have him serve as well.

Anyways I am working on a photo album for Ryan, of family! And of course Connor is helping...

At first Connor didn't know what to think of the paper...

But it quickly became his favorite new toy!

The paper got very crinkled... Connor loved the sound it would make.

He kept trying to eat the paper, but the last thing I wanted was my baby screaming because he got a paper cut in his mouth. SO I would yank it away everytime it got close, thats why his little smirk appears in the next picture...

Connor's Mischevious Smile

(He is fighting Mommy for control of the paper)

Good Luck Elder Martin!

I am making a blog for Ryan and all his missionary experiences. It will include his emails and updates and hopefully pictures. Let me know if your interested in viewing it!

Two Years of Lovin' ...

... Had Me A Blast!

Shea and I really enjoyed our 2nd Anniversary together, what a reminder how lucky we are to still be madly in love!

This is how we celebrated:

Shea got me beautiful red roses, chocolate, and an awesome card!

I gave Shea an ecard that sang music and was silly, and I bought him some movies.

Then we got all ready to go. And got Connor all ready for Grandma Stanger.

After dropping off Connor we headed to Idaho Falls for dinner at Outback. We were both starving!Then we got ice cream sundaes for dessert.

We played at an arcade for awhile. SO FUN! And I outlasted Shea on the game too. It was pretty awesome!

Then we went to a movie!
The movie was called "Hereafter", we wouldn't recommend it. (To warn you: It was way too long(2 1/2hrs) and slow and there was a bath scene where you see brief nudity, if your looking at the water.)

We missed our little Connor! And were glad to pick him up and come home. He was asleep and stayed that way all the way home.Wondering about Connor's scratch, he clawed himself in the middle of the night, poor guy. And it is bad.

When we got home we enjoyed a little sparkling apple grape cider together! So good!
We had a wonderful anniversary, even though the movie was a disappointment. The best part is we got to spend it with each other.

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Couple Survey

I thought it would be fun to do a little survey about

us as a couple, since it was our anniversary!

What is your spouse's full name: David Shea Stanger

How old are each of you? I am 22, Shea is 25

When is your "engagement" anniversary: July 5th

When is your "marriage" anniversary: October 22nd

How long have you known your spouse? A little over three years

Did you go to the same school? Yes, BYU-IDAHO

Are you from the same home town? Nope, Shea is from Nampa, ID and I am from Frederick, MD

Where did you meet your spouse for the first time? Family Home Evening Group (We were in the same LDS ward on campus)

What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? He was way nervous... So I was thinking "Wow he likes me ... sweet" (Yes I know that sounds arrogant...but he did!) He says he noticed me before our Family Home Evening Groups got assigned, and he was hoping that our apartments would get put together.

Do you remember what he was wearing? Nope, but it was probably something from Abercrombie since that is what his whole wardrobe consists of, mainly because he worked there.

Who asked who out? Shea asked me out, in the beginning it was just to watch movies and hang out, and I didn't really consider those dates because we didn't actually go out.

Where did you go for your first date? Shea asked me out to go on a double date to a Haunted House.

Where/when was the first time you kissed this person? Right before I left for Christmas break. We were sitting in the car talking after our date.

Did you ever break-up? Yes :( For about two weeks-ish. Shea was trying to plan ahead, and I get scared away. Talk of marriage too early can do that, and the word "marriage" was never mentioned but I read between the lines. But then I couldn't resist and we were back together in no time.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? We met beginning of September and our first date was October and we had our first "I like you, you like me, lets start officially dating" talk end of November. So a few months maybe.

Were you friends first? YES! BEST FRIENDS! We talked and texted all the time, I kept telling my Mom about him. Always saying we are just friends. Because nothing had come of it yet.

What's the most expensive thing this person has given you? My ring!

Where did you go on your honeymoon: Idaho Falls! Being students and all we were short on money. And we got married in the middle of the semester, in the middle of the week-yes we are crazy! So we had to go somewhere close, so we went to an amazing hotel in Idaho Falls. I know what your thinking, yeah right. But it was awesome, check it out: http://www.destinationsinn.com/

What town is your current address at: Rexburg

Do you work or stay at home: I work part time at Adams Elementary, and stay at home with little Connor the rest of the time. But Shea doesn't mind.

Do you have any children: Our new addition, Connor!

How many children do you want (boys/girls)? HAHA. As many as we can have. We want a big family. (Shea wants a huge family...) And in terms of genders, wouldn't it be nice if we could keep it even, three of each maybe :)

Where do you see each other in 15 years from now? Hopefully Colorado, where Shea will have a good stable job with great pay:) We hope to own a home and be settled down for a long time in the area.

Do you have any house pets, do you want any? A husband counts right. Shea would love a dog, but since I am not really an animal lover we will have to see.

Do you own a house or rent: We rent now and probably will for awhile, but I long for the day to have a house of our own!

What are your favorite activities together: We read together (out loud). It is so fun, sometimes we make voices and all sorts of stuff. I can't wait for our kids to enjoy it too. I love it!
We also love going to the park, when it is warm.

Do you have a favorite vacation spot: Mine is definitely the beach. Shea's is camping. But we both enjoy any vacation we can get!

Who is smarter? Shea, the stuff he talks to me about from school is crazy. I usually zone out and start dreaming about shopping... yup that's right clothes are my minds constant day dream. If we had the money our closet would need to be a lot bigger!

Who is more sensitive? Shea, he is so sensitive to my feelings. He knows when I am mad, sad, happy. Sometimes he knows how I am feeling before I know how I am feeling. One time when I was pregnant, I was crying in the bathroom (I was in one of those I can't wait any longer for this baby to come moods). And Shea knocked on the door and I hid my face, and he came in and held me, and whispered exactly what I needed to hear. I was amazed, how did he know. Anyway I loved it!

Where do you eat out most as a couple? The Thai Restaurant in Rexburg.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Maryland, my homeland!

Who has the worse temper? (me, dang it) Shea gets quiet, I get loud. I am trying to work on that one though, and it doesn't happen often. MY voice tends to rise with emotion, bad or good, it can be quite entertaining sometimes :)

Who does the cooking? Both

Who is more social? It depends. I love going out and doing stuff with people. But Shea gets along with everyone everywhere so he has more friends then I can count.

Who is the neat-freak? MEEEEEEEE! Shea is a mess, sorry hun!

Who is more stubborn? That is up for debate

Who hogs the bed? It depends on who you ask

Who wakes up earlier? We are both late sleepers, and enjoy our shut eye!

Do you get flowers often? YES, and I love it. I get "I love you" flowers, "I'm sorry" flowers, "I missed you" flowers, and "These reminded me of you" flowers. Not to mention flowers for holidays. I am one lucky girl!

How do you spend the holidays? Together, I am a holiday celebrations junky so we are trying to make every holiday special and make our traditions now!

Who is more jealous? We are equally jealous, we are constantly marking off people on our lists that give each other the wrong kind of look or who are a little too friendly. But we've never been worried about each other, we are very loyal and trust one another.

Who eats more? Shea

Who does the laundry? Me, but Shea helps fold...sometimes.

Who’s better with the computer? Definitely Shea

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? I think right now we are both getting restless here in Rexburg, and Shea still has school left so it can be tough sometimes.

Little Tiny is 4 Months!

Daddy calls Connor Little Tiny sometimes. Even though he is not all that tiny anymore.

And our LITTLE TINY turned 4 months on Sunday, October 9th!

We are waiting till around 6 months to feed him food on a regular basis. But I finally let Daddy give him a lick of some flavors. Daddy has been so anxious, and itching to see his reactions. A few of the things he has tried so far are pudding, applesauce, ice cream, lemons, and yogurt. He isn't all that interested in food, and his appetite in the last weeks has really slowed down, so it confirms our decision to wait till 6 months for food. But for now we enjoy all the funny faces he gives us when he has a taste of something new.

Connor is 19 weeks now and he went to the doctor this past Thursday for some shots and a check-up. All in all everything went good. Connor weighed in at 16 lbs 4oz (75th percentile) and his
length was 24 1/2 inches (31st percentile), his head circumference was 17inches (72nd percentile). So we have got us a plump little boy, and we like him that way. Wouldn't couldn't have asked for a cuter kid. The shots went relatively well, Daddy had to hold Connor down this time, and it was pretty hard to see all his smiles fade to screams. But he did well and went to sleep soon after. That night he had a fever and was sore but some infant Tylenol took care of that. He has been a little fussier than normal but I think a couple more days and our happy baby will be back.

 At the Doctor

So interested in all the new things to look at

Playing with Daddy at the Doctor

After the shots, feeling the pain :(

Both legs got shots, but Connor was a trooper

After the Doctor Mommy and Daddy had an early dinner at Sizzler's, and Connor did pretty good. He wanted to be held until he fell asleep and then he just sat in the car seat until we were ready to leave. You can tell he is a little out of it, poor guy. Shots are no fun.

CONNOR UPDATE!
He is still wearing size 2 diapers and is very good when he gets his diaper change. He enjoys playing alone while he is on his back, which we love because it gives us a chance to run and get some chores done. Connor is wearing 3-6 months clothing and occasionally a 6-9 month outfit. He is still not spitting up, so we are glad that he will probably never have problems with that. He likes the taste of lemons! But lemons make his belly ache and he gets super fussy afterward, so no more lemons. We have to wait on the citrus for awhile because it is to acidic, so Mommy has to too :( He is doing better in the car now, most times he falls asleep, and now his frog entertains him a lot. I love that he likes toys now, it is so FUN! He still loves the bumbo, the swing, and the bath. He has lost most of his curls, sad! And he has rubbed his hair off on the sides and back in the middle, so he has lots of hair on the top and bottom and around his ears, so basically he looks funny. BUT we love it. He can pinch now, when he nurses after he is upset it is the worst and I have to hold his hands so doesn't do it. Connor is a social butterfly, most times, he loves smiling at strangers and he adores when people play with him and hold him.

He loves those Feet. He loves swinging them all around when hes on his back!

Milestones at 4 Months:

• He can raise himself up on straightened arms while lying on his tummy and look all around.
• His smiles are more frequent
• He tries to fake a cough to get our attention.
• He enjoys to play now with rattles and soft toys
• "Ah goo" or similar vowel-consonant combinations make up his vocabulary, along with some carefully chosen "oohs" and "ahs." 
• He shows a clear preference for Mommy and Daddy. He recognizes and turns toward our voices.
• Connor is starting to learn cause and effect. He shakes a rattle and it makes noise, he gets laid in the swing and it begins to move, he gets put in the car seat and we are going for a car ride.
• When he is feeding, he stops and plays with my clothes, or he looks around at the room.
• At four months, our baby’s vision has improved. Now he shows interest in objects all the way across the room. If we move them slowly it helps him stay interested in them.
• Connor can sit up if you prop him up with pillows, or a hand, or the boppy. 
• He is also able to grab an object with both of his hands.
• He tries to roll over (when hes on his belly and gets mad). The more he tries, the better he does (he has even done it a few times, by accident).
• He plays with his hands, bats at mobiles and reaches for rattles. 
• Any object he holds goes directly into his mouth. 

Connor LIKES:

• MOMMY AND DADDY!
• In the bathtub, I like to splash and kick my legs. 
• I may get excited when I see people I know, I bounce and kick my legs and flail my arms and smile real big.
• When you talk to me, I smile and chat back sometimes.
• I like to imitate sounds. I like for you to talk to me and make sounds to me. I babble now. I make lots of different sounds.
• When I am happy, I coo, squeal, gurgle, giggle, grin
• I like to look at myself in the mirror. Sometimes I smile at myself.
• I like to be touched and held.
• I love noisy toys. Like my crinkly Lion. 
• I love my frog in the car seat, sometimes I grab it and pull it to my mouth, and it vibrates. It's awesome.
• Ice cream is yummy, whenever Mommy and Daddy get some they give me a taste and I always want more.
• Waking up early 
• The bear mobile on my swing is so fun it spins and sometimes I fall asleep with my head up because I love to stare at them.



He fell asleep while he was staring up at the bear mobile.

Connor DISLIKES:



• I may fuss if I am left alone. I get bored.
• I may cry when you take a toy away from me. 
• I may cry when you stop playing with me.
• I am not a fan of the camera, Mommy takes to many pictures.  
• When I am asleep I don't like to be woken up. I get grouchy when this happens.
• I don't like sleeping by myself, I much rather cuddle Mommy and Daddy all night long.
• I don't like it when I get hot, if I am sweating I get very uncomfortable and squirm and cry to let you know. 
• I don't like to be wrapped in a blanket. Or squeezed for too long, it makes me feel claustrophobic.

Mommy and Daddy LOVE so many things about CONNOR.

Our FAVORITES are:

• When Connor is in a chatty mood and wants to babble at you and you can talk back and he loves it.
• When Connor plays with your face and grabs your nose, mouth, or ear. Sometimes it gets a little rough though. Daddy like this more than Mommy, because Mommy is afraid to get scratched and pinched.
• When your holding Connor and talk to someone and he just looks up at you and stares and then gets a huge grin on his face. This happens sometimes when I am talking to my parents on skype.
• He plays this game with Daddy where he will look at Daddy and get a big smile and when Daddy looks at him he will look away. Then he will look back until Daddy looks. It's funny because sometimes he will get excited when Daddy looks and lunge himself at him, and sometimes he will squeal out in a mad squeal when Daddy takes too long to look back.
• Connor also plays a game with us where if Mommy and Daddy are sitting next to each other and one of us is holding Connor he leans himself over so that he is partially on the other and then we will hold him. And then he will do it again to the other. It is funny us passing him back and forth, but sometimes it gets old so we just tickle him (even though he isn't all that ticklish, if you rub his belly fast and kinda hard he laughs, so maybe he is).

Happy Boy

Telling Mama all about his day, in his babbles

Playing with Daddy

Magic Mirror

Connor was so good today, while I was getting ready to go Visiting Teaching Connor sat in the bumbo and played in the mirror. At first he was fascinated with his mirror toes, and then everytime he got excited he would bounce a little all of a sudden and scare himself because he saw this crazy boy flailing in the mirror. It was so dang adorable. I loved it. He has just recently become fond of the mirror and his own image. So it is quite the new adventure. I love how the mirror makes him so excited and playful all of sudden, it is magic!

Smiling at himself, "Who's That?"

Talking to himself/me through the mirror

This is Connor's "Okay Mom I'm done" face.