It's closing time!

I wanted to wait until everything was official to announce the big news! Now that it's official I can say it....WE OWN A HOME! We could not be more thrilled.
We love it! It's perfect for our little family! It's got 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with a fully finished basement...that was a must on Benji's list. It has a big backyard, that was a must on Cohen's list. And yes, he did have a say :). My favorite part, well two favorite parts is that we don't have to do anything to it..no fixing up needed Aaaannnnd I can use one of the rooms as a sewing room! Needless to say we are excited to go from 640 sq ft to almost quadruple that! Yahoo!

 

We get keys Tuesday!

 

 

The only down side is leaving our ward (or congregation) and our callings (positions held for the purpose of serving others and personal/spiritual growth). I've learned so much as young women's president. Mostly that the Lord called me at a time when I would be challenged the most. I had to remind myself often of a statement my mission president taught me, 'WITH CHRIST AS YOUR COMPANION ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, WITH CHRIST AS YOUR COMPANION YOU CANNOT FAIL.' Although I struggled, I don't feel like I failed because I did my best and had the Lord on my side. I also had a wonderful support system. I am grateful for my family, friends and presidency. Aaaanyyyyway, we are thrilled for the future!

To back up a little..I am so sad summer is almost over! Where did it go? Cohen is getting so big, I cannot believe it. He is already showing such personality. We found a few things he enjoys doing during the summer. (We'll recap with pictures...that is way easier and more entertaining!)

He enjoyed the fourth of July! We had family in from Chicago and Idaho and Cohen loved being held by anyone who would cuddle him and get him out of the sun!

 

He loved watching the parade.

and

Sleeping through the fireworks!

Also in July we went to Girls Camp (church camp for young women ages 12-18)! Our theme was 'Live It!' Like, live your testimony to strengthen your testimony. It was powerful. Those young girls were such an example.
 Benji got to come with us too! Cohen had a great time but we both came back with a cold. I felt so sad for him. But he was still a trooper!

The end of July was house hunting time...we were running around like crazy and Cohen was so patient with us. To treat him for being such a good baby we took him on vacation! We took a road trip to South Carolina! We would have flown but Benji is afraid of flying...so we took the car. Cohen did really well until we hit Tennessee (my new LEAST favorite state). We had a terrible experience in Tennessee but I won't get into that. We are so glad that we went and got to see Benji's family and friends. Everyone was so kind and the food was delicious! Yum. We brought some good recipes back with us. The only downfall was the heat...I thought I could handle humidity but daaang it was hot! But Cohen's hair went curly because of the humidity..it was pretty cute. We were sad to say goodbye, we had an amazing time.
I think these will sum up our little road-trip adventure.

A Litte unsure.

Sleepy.

Kinda on the mad side.

 A littel confused why we are still in the car.

He was kind of of it so the bag of doritos kept him entertained. for atleast 5 minutes. :)

We got to have BBQ as soon as we got there! It was so delicous! Ask Benjamin the difference between BBQ in Utah and BBQ in South Carolina. He will tell you!

We had lots of fun with family, on golf carts, and sitting on the porch.

We had Chinese food and went to the beach!

What a beautiful day!

 Thanks to Benji's grandparent's we had a wonderful time!

We had a great time but after 2 1/2 more days driving home all three of us could not have been any more excited to see this sign:

 

 

 

Since we have been back we have been busy bees. Packing in work, church callings, finishing up things for our house, and spending time with family here.

 

We've found that Cohen loves:

 

Baseball!GO RAPTORS!

This game made me miss the Ironbirds.

Sticking out his tongue!

He woke up like this...no joke.

Swimming!

We spent the day at Surf-n-Swim with my family and had a blast! Cohen loved the water and his floaty. I was surprised.

 

 

Since he is growing so fast we decided to help him along by starting him on some rice cereal. He loves it! He ate it so well too. The only reason there was a mess was because he would stick his fingers in his mouth. His other favorite thing to do.

 

Well that just about catches us up to the present. We just have lots of packing to do this weekend! So lots of laboring on labor day weekend. :) But good labor.

 





 

Food for thought

Love thy neighbor as thyself.

I never knew how profound that statement was until Benjamin's World Literature class. This class blows my mind and I'm not even in it. When he comes home from class he has to detox his mind so he can actually sleep so I get to learn ALL that he learned that night. He is so diligent in both of his classes but be careful if you need to talk to him right when he gets home or after he studies, a two minute conversation could turn into two hours. It's pretty comical sometimes. Yesterday we talked about the above statement for a long time and I learned a lot. How do you love your neighbor as yourself if you don't love yourself? How do you love someone as much as you love yourself? Above all, how do you perfect that? Well, that is some food for thought. Have fun.

While I'm on the topic of love, I have to say I was completely blown away by a patient's generosity at work on Tuesday. The same patient I cried to while she was there the week before came in for her surgery and brought me a gift.

Yep, two handmade burp clothes! She was so cute! I wasn't here until she was already in surgery and everyone told me she kept asking for me. When she woke up from surgery she asked if I was there yet. As she sat in recovery I went back and thanked her for being so kind! She was glowing with charity. She taught me a lot! Sometimes when we think of doing something nice for someone else we need to simply do it! All to often I talk myself out of it because I don't want to be too invasive or whatever but that lady made my day! She is a lot closer to perfection than I. She seems to have learned how to love her neighbor as herself. Thank you kind lady!!

I also learned that our neighbors love us because they didn't steal our car.

 

Benjamin decided that he would leave the keys in the car door overnight. I laughed so hard when I found them after a good while of searching the house for them. I looked and looked then called Benji to see where he had put them. He did what we all do when asked where something is, he replied 'did you look....' then stated all the places I already looked. Then he said I hope I didn't lock them in the car. Yeah, me too because for some strange reason we still don't have a spare key. I walked down the stairs to find the keys dangling from the car door. I was still on the phone and just started laughing. Immediately he knew where they were. Just something else I can tease him about.

This is too! I keep telling him that he can't nurse Cohen the way I do but he is bound and determined to do so! I'm totally joking! He is so good and calming Cohen down. He is a great dad. I can't wait for their first Friday together when I have to work and they get the whole day together. That will be next Friday, one week from today! I am sure there will be some hilarious stories so stay tuned!! When I told Cohen that his dad was going to watch him all day he wasn't quite sure what to think:

    In the end he was EXTREMELY excited!!

Last weekend was my birthday...I'm 25 now! It was such a great birthday! Benji and Cohen were so good to me!! We started the celebrating on Friday afternoon, we went to Tuscano's which was delicious, then did some shopping at Forever21. That didn't last long because Cohen had gotten his shots earlier that day and was starting to do exactly what the doctor said he might do...CRY! Poor kid! I was so sad for him so we went home and I just held him the rest of the day while he slept. Saturday morning we did a yard sale/bake sale/breakfast fundraiser with the young men and young women in the ward! I had to be to the church by 6:30 AM so Benji got up super early and got all my presents ready and stuff. I've never woken up at 5:30 in the morning to get my birthday presents! It was like Christmas! I loved it! I got some good things...Benji even was brave enough to buy me some clothes. That is a first! I was impressed. The yard sale went great! Thanks to my wonderful presidency! They were a LIFESAVER!

I'm moving in to a new position at work! I am so excited about it! I have WAY better hours then what I was working before...unknown hours. It is a major blessing! This way I know I can be off work in time for Benji to go to class so Cohen doesn't have to be away from the both of us for any longer than is necessary. I am very grateful for that!

Cohen is doing great being away from us while we are at work though. He takes the bottle great and likes his babysitter. She does a wonderful job and adores Cohen almost as much as we do. We are grateful that we found someone so kind to help us out! On some days he goes to my parents house and my dad watches him. He is such a proud grandpa! My mom helps us out too when either of us gets off work late. We have some great support!

 

And when I work here in Layton I get to go home and see Cohen during my lunch.  



 

I know I say this about every time I write but I couldn't be happier to be a mother! It is so fulfilling! I've learned more than I ever thought possible in the last 2 months. It's like serving a mission all over again! Life is good in the Frye household and it looks like it is nap time.

Until next time my friends! 



 



Back to work..

Well I did it. I survived a week back at work. By week I mean 3 days. Honestly it was not half as bad as I imagined it to be. In my mind I'm thinking sheer TORTURE for myself and a screaming baby because he doesn't like me anymore. Yeah, you could say that is a little dramatic but Cohen still loves his mommy!

Sunday night was probably one of the roughest nights we've had since Cohen was born, he did not want to sleep at all. That made my first day back at work a bit of a blur and I was too tired to cry at all. Day two was definitely a lot more challenging. I called Benjamin right after I dropped him off and cried all the way to work. Day three my car wouldn't start (we need a new battery) and I cried while talking to a patient. How embarrassing. That is the life of a working mom I guess. I am extremely proud to be a mom and would stay home if I could but that is not what I need to be doing right now. As strange as this may sound I am confident that Benjamin and I are doing what is best for our family at this time, I have recieved confirmation of that. That confirmation also helps me get through each day!

Cohen has entered the smiling and cooing stage and is non-stop doing both. It brings me so much joy! His smile will melt your heart!

I am pretty sure he laughed at me this morning too! He is such a happy baby, we are so blessed! I've discovered he loves kissy noises, Disney songs, and Faith Hill's 'Wild One'. Maybe because mom and dad look like big dorks as we make faces and sing songs to him. He is a special boy. The Lord has truly blessed our family and I am extremely grateful!

Sunday was such a special day! Cohen received his baby blessing and Benjamin was able to give his first ever baby blessing! The day started out as kind of a disaster...Cohen was extremely fussy for some reason, our house was a mess, Benji had to go to a meeting that morning and I was all out of sorts. On the upside Cohen looked adorable in his white outfit and we made it to church about 20 minutes early. Just in time to realize that I had given everyone the wrong address. Go me! It all worked out though because everyone made it there in time and we could not be any more grateful for ALL of the support! My grandparents, a couple of my wonderful aunt's and uncles from my mom's side, cousins from both sides of the family, plenty of close family friends, our former bishop and his family, my mission president and his wife and of course my parents and siblings and their families (minus those that were thinking of us in Maryland and South Carolina...we missed y'all).  Thank you family and close friends! It means the world to us that we know we have your support!

The blessing itself was wonderful from what I was told. I couldn't hear a single word the microphone was broken. : ( Kind of funny though because they tried to fix it after Benjamin started the blessing and it started picking up a radio station. It wasn't super loud but you could definitely hear some background noise. Benjamin didn't even notice that no one could hear him. I asked him about it later and he said that he never even noticed. He didn't even realize that anyone else was standing in the cirlce with him; he said it felt like it was just him, Cohen, and the Spirit. He is such an inspiring person. I am so thankful for him and they way he honors the Priesthood that he holds. It is moments like those that you realize how wonderful our Father in Heaven is to us and how beautiful the plan of salvation is.  I'm thankful for the knowledge I have of the gospel and my forever family!

**Blessing pics to come!!**

We didn't do a lunch after because I needed to prep myself for going back to work. My prepping consisted mostly of holding Cohen every second that I could. My wonderful mom and sister got dinner for us so we could just come home and relax. It helped a ton! On a funny note, Benjamin said the FUNNIEST thing that day. I nearly peed my paints, which isn't too rare around him; he is funny! We were sitting on the floor eating and I was holding Cohen. We got finished eating, Benji got up to put the dishes in the sink and I started to get up off the floor. If anyone has ever tried getting off the floor while holding a baby it isn't the easiest thing in the world. I was using the couch to help me and was midway between sitting and standing when Benji came back in the room. He looked at me and instead of rushing to my aide, he said, 'Be careful, don't give yourself a hemmoroid!' Um, WHAT? A Hemmoroid? HAHAHAHA. I couldn't get up for a few minutes after that I was laughing so hard. He always knows when he says something he doesn't mean to because I laugh so hard I can  hardly speak. All I could say amidst my laughing was 'You mean hernia??' It was pretty funny.

He loves being outside and we love sitting with him by the pool! Especially his dad!

Today was Cohen's two month check-up! He is in the 75th percentile for height and weight! He is now 12 lbs. 5oz and 23 1/4 inches long! He is a growing boy! I am so proud of him!

Weekends are the best!

I love long weekends! Especially when Benji has Friday and Monday off. We can actually do things as a family! It's difficult during the week because we are spread pretty thin between work, Benjamin's classes (which are extremely taxing this semester) and homework, both of our callings at church and time with extended family and friends. I'm definitely not complaining we just get the opportunity to make the best of our quality time!

Friday we got to sleep in, thanks to Cohen. In the afternoon we got a littler stir crazy so we set out for a walk around the mall. Unfortunately, Cohen wasn't feeling the mall that day so we left after about ten minutes. Being the genius parents that we are we decided that instead of going home we would go to the drive in movie...with a 7 week old. Smart? Probably not. But we did it anyway, we've been wanting to see the Avengers movie but didn't and still don't feel ready to leave Cohen. So we took him with us. All I have to say about that is, please don't ask me what happened in the movie or if I liked it because I'm not even sure either of us watched very much of it. Cohen was pretty fussy because how well can you sleep in a truck with the sound of superheroes either arguing or saving the day? That is a once in a lifetime experience. We will probably never do that again. : )

Saturday we got up early, had a delicious breakfast and tried to get the house in order. Benjamin did have to work Saturday afternoon so Cohen and I spent the rainy day inside and had a little photoshoot! Before the fun could begin, Cohen needed a bath. Apparently he was ready for a nap instead!

He didn't even move when I put his diaper on or his clothes!

and he woke up with some killer bedhead!

Later that night we went to Applebee's with the family to celebrate my brother's birthday! Cohen still isn't a huge restaurant fan....probably because of the crowds. I'm telling you this kid is too much like his dad. We ended the night with a home-made bed on the floor, a camera, then a good movie! We watched The Vow, I loved it so much that we now own it.

Cohen on our pallet, as Benjamin would call it,  showing dad he loves USC !

his favorite thing is to play with momma!

Sunday was the best he has ever been at church! I was so proud of him! Benjamin kept him the whole time because I was teaching. I got to teach about Temple Marriage! What a great topic! And we got some new young women in our ward, finally! We've had 1 active girl for the longest time and now it is growing! Miracles are happening! The Lord always provides! Sunday night we had a cook-out at my parents house for memorial day! We had a blast! We ate of course, jumped on the trampoline with my adorable nephews and played Just Dance. There were videos taken but those will be kept as deep dark family secret videos. :)

The last day of the weekend was fun as well! I got to cash in my pedicure that I got for Mother's day! My feet feel great! Later that day we had another cook-out with some friends from our old singles ward. It is always good to catch up and have a good time! And Cohen was dressed like a stud!

Yes, he had two outfits that day. All you mother's know how that goes.

Now my last week as a stay-at-home mom has begun. I've been dreading this and will probably be a mess come Monday. Right now I'm looking forward to Sunday when Benjamin can bless Cohen! 

Our Beginning

Last night after Benjamin got home from a long day at work and I finished my visit to my new young woman. We set out to Target to get some more milk (we bought 3 gallons...seriously who even drinks that much milk?) Anyway, after we left we decided to go for a drive in the mountains. Mainly because our new truck hasn't been in the mountains yet and we needed to break it in. So we drove to one of our favorite look-out spots where you can see a huge chunk of the valley. It is beautiful at night, especially as the sun is setting. The spot we were at was where Benjamin tried to kiss me for the first time. I chickened out. Needless to say that place has some funny memories. Af ter that drive I got to thinking how blessed I am to be married to him for eternity. That is what prompted me to share how we met!

I tried typing this into the 'Introduction' section but apparently it's too many words. If that doesn't tell you something out us I'm not sure what will. Anyway, I wanted to share are beginning so here goes nothing.

Benjamin and I met about 5 years ago after I moved back here from Maryland/Virginia. He had moved here a couple years prior from South Carolina (yes he has an accent and I LOVE it). We met at a church activity. I noticed he was new and decided to strike up a conversation with him. So I said what any girl would say, "Hi, I like your jacket." The response was not exactly what I expected, "Thanks." he said then walked away. He is lucky I didn't throw in the towel right then. :)
As time passed I continued to make conversation or try to make conversation with him. He says he was intimidated by me then. What a fib! Anyway, at a much later church activity our Bishop officially introduced us, gave us tickets to attend General Conference together, and signed us up for mission prep class. Boy, did he have that planned out.
After that we were inseperable. We would spend hours after mission prep talking, have dinner dates and walks at his favorite parks. I even helped him move into his new place, folded his laundry, and went grocery shopping with him.
I know all that doesn't seem like a big deal but he wouldn't even hold my hand or sit remotely close to me during any movie. He had good reasoning though, I was preparing to go serve the Lord in Texas.
As time passed we got closer and closer but I never really knew how he felt about me. I just knew that I wanted him in my life. Ironicially he was the last person I saw and hugged (besides my family) before being set apart as a missionary. For a year and a half we exchanged letters. He was my most faithful writer besides my family and best friend Ashley.
As time approached for me to come home I didn't know what would happen. Afterall, he never really expressed his true feelings. Except during my last 6 weeks his letters were way more consistent and signed 'Love, Benji'. I'll admit I kind of freaked out at the first mention of love. During phone calls home I had an idea of how he felt because my sister would tell me to date him when I got home. It didn't take long for that after I got home. He swept me off my feet in a matter of minutes. Come to find out he and my sister had been planning this the entire time I was gone. So I guess in a sense I have an arranged marriage. :) He did everything for me when I got home except give me the space I asked for. He didn't want to lose me he says.  And he didn't, we were married 4 months later! I coudln't be happier. It is obvious that the Lord had a plan. The day we were sealed in the Bountiful Temple was one of the most amazing days of my life. I will never forget how right it felt to kneel across that alter and say yes to forever to the man on my dreams. I am a lucky girl! Now we have a beautiful son and our family is just beginning!

Our new now broken in truck!

Cohen loving the drive!

Where to begin...

I'm not very good at this. I don't even know where to start. I have to think quickly though, my little one is napping and I never really know how long that will last.

I know, I'll start with the happiest part of my life. My sweet little family.

That's us: The Frye's!
I couldn't be happier with them. I have truly been blessed. We have a lot of fun together and we laugh A LOT! Cohen is our newest addition and definitely keeps us on our toes. He is such a great baby though. I got a BIG smile from him this morning right as he woke up. It is those small moments that make being a new mom the greatest thing in the entire world. Sadly, I'll be returing to work in a few short weeks...hopefully only temporarily. We will see what the future holds.

I suppose that is plenty for one day (mainly because I hear tiny baby whimpers from the next room). I hope to keep up-to-date with this for myself and all my family and friends that are scattered across various states. That way I will be able to look back and see how crazy/fun my life really is.