My Best Bud, Mini-me, and Inspiration

William aka "Liam" turns 2 on May 16th and I can't believe how fast the clock has turned forward. It feels like just yesterday when we first embraced and I immediately felt a connection of knowing him much longer than I can currently comprehend. First and foremost, I absolutely love being a Daddy! My life has been bettered and seamlessly changed in countless ways since welcoming him into this world. Children are such a unique and angelic gift to the world. They open a window to our hearts that opens up your eyes and perspective on life to a completely different level and fashion. Amidst the blessings I could continue to list, also comes a responsibility and calling to provide, love, cherish, and help develop these heavenly gifts to that which is pleasing not only to us as a family unit, but to our loving Heavenly Father.

I am continually amazed at how fast children learn and develop. I can safely say we underestimate our children's knowledge and perception on life. They are so much more educated than I think we give them credit for. Liam amazes me every day through both little instances, or in other areas and much bigger actions. He is very aware of my moods, tone of voice, attitude, if he believes I am focused on him and what he feels is important, emotions, the spirit, and how my countenance and actions reflect to him as my son. Each day I try to tell myself that today is the day I need to become a better Dad than I was the day before. In a large part, I measure my daily success on how I performed as a parent. Obviously this also connects to your spouse etc. but my point is they are all aligned. If you are happy in your home, in your family relationships, etc. your day and life will be filled with such an abundance of joy. I will and want to always make sure what I am doing can or will positively bless or influence my family in the best way possible. Because of this mindset I believe my relationship with Liam is forged into a very tight and inseparable bond between each of us. He helps me understand the right perspective in life and how you must strive to keep the eternal journey and purpose of life at your forefront.

The point I am getting to is; Children are an eternal and sacred gift entrusted to us in more ways than we can comprehend. It is important to treat them as such both directly and indirectly - the most valuable and priceless thing in the world that we would do anything for.

The attributes and qualities that Liam possess are mind-blowing. He is everything I could have dreamed for in a son and I wanted to share with him not only for today but to look back on in the future some of my 12 favorite tender and enjoyable moments with him from his Daddy's perspective up to this point in his life:

-Smiles and laugh - I could sit and listen to him laugh, be tickled, and giggle all day long
-Vocabulary - his words are coming along great and he is doing his best to say all he can. His voice is the sweetest thing ever, especially when he says "I love you!"
-Eating habits - he is a stubborn and fun eater. Throw fruit in front of him and it is gonzo, everything else is a work in progress, unless of course it is turkey bacon or a PB sandwich :)
-Outdoors - He loves being outside, playing sports, chasing things, going fast, hiking, and exploring.
-Sports - yes I covet this attribute. He has a love of everything ball related - basketball, soccer, football, etc. and I am indeed happy for this.
-Tenderness - he doesn't like having anyone upset at him and appreciates hugs, kisses, cuddles, and sleeping next to me for naps or when he wakes up at night. He understands affection and loves being a part of it.
-Dependent - he wants to do things on his own, in his own way, and done in an appropriate fashion. Don't mess with his vision of what is at hand - keep the vision alive and facilitate it.
-Helper - he loves tasks, from cleaning, picking up, carrying things, etc. he likes tasks/assignments and helping as a contributor.
-Traveler - we have taken Liam on quite the journeys since he joined our family. San Diego, Orlando, New York, West Coast from San Fran - Seattle, Mexico, Vegas and a few others. He has done awesome and loves seeing and being around new and exciting things.
-Animals - he loves animals and their sounds. From visiting zoos to reading engaging books, he is happy when the animals come to play.
-Reading - loves books and learning new things and then finding ways to express what he has learned.
-Music - this kid loves and appreciates music. He loves to sing songs, dance, and ask for "more" once any video or clip ends. This makes me super happy as music is essential in all our lives.

And much much more......I love you Liam! Thanks for the incredible 2 years, can't wait to see what we have in store next!

Had to post some pictures of some fun and enjoyable memories together.

                                                           It is what life is all about!

-Love Daddy

Easter Fun with the Hurtado Family

We Bought a House! (and a few other random happenings)

Around the end of March we purchased a home in Eagle Mountain.  Our home in Logan sold and officially closed the end of January and we started house hunting in February.  It was not very fun.  We saw a ton of homes and nothing felt right.  On a whim our agent booked us to see this house last minute and it was the first one we really liked.  We thought about it for a few days and saw it one more time and put in an offer.  We were so excited when they accepted.  A few weeks later we were signing the paper work and got in.  I was a little nervous about living in Eagle Mountain because of the distance, but we have really loved it.  I don't mind the drive at all and love our neighborhood.  Leaving Logan and all our wonderful friends and neighbors up there was so difficult but the warm reception here has helped so much.  

We love the house but the basement was unfinished.  The first weekend we got in we had peopled working on finishing it! It's been really fun to see the progress so far.  

What we started with.

Framing done!

Were doing a fun little play area under the stairs with a little window.

Insulation

Dry Wall and Lights.
We are getting really excited to see it all come together.  Everyone we have worked with has been awesome!

Our yard is the next project.  It needs a lot of TLC but we are excited to work on it.

Over all we think it's beautiful in the area and have loved exploring it more.

We also recently celebrated Jason's 27th Birthday!  I surprised him and booked a night at the Zermatt in Midway.  We went swimming in The Crater at the Homestead and had an amazing dinner and Snake Creek Grill.  Such a perfect weekend!  

 I have also had the opportunity to volunteer at the Mt. Timpanogos temple on the grounds with my mom regularly and am loving it.  What a great way to serve while doing something I love!

I also got a new part time job at Thanksgiving Point.  I am so excited to have something very part time but still fun and a way to feel fulfilled in another way.  I get to work with youth education and am very excited about it! 

  Overall we are feeling very blessed.  Jason's job continues to go well and he is really enjoying it.  I am so proud of him and how much he has already accomplished in a few short months.  We have been immensely blessed and are very grateful.  Thanks to all our family and friends for their loving support.