Summer Regional

So every summer Edward Jones does a Summer Regional trip for it's Financial Advisors and their families. Adam's region which consists of Financial Advisors from Southern Utah, Las Vegas area, and some of Arizona go somewhere usually the third weekend of June. Last year we missed it, cause we had Milo. So Milo's birthday will most likely fall on it often. It goes from Thursday and ends on a Sunday. They go somewhere different every year. They are limited where they can hold it. It can't be more than 400 miles, and it has to have places that can provide things that they need. Like professional babysitters for kid camps, places that can provide the rooms and everything else they need. This year the had it at Lake Las Vegas. It was at a Hilton hotel that's on this lake area. It was nice. It had a nice pool and a makeshift white sand beach area that we could take the kids too. We also had a double room so the kids enjoyed their own beds. We enjoyed them having their own beds so they weren't all crammed in one room all over our floor. 

The morning start out with a breakfast buffet. Most of the mornings consist of meetings. Meetings for Adam, meetings for the both of us together, and then a spouse meeting for just me. The spouse meeting was a lot of fun. They talked to us about being a support system for your spouse. They also had this fun section on photography, which we all enjoyed. They feed us a breakfast buffet, then we have meetings until about 11 or 12 and then we have free time. Thursday pretty much consists of all welcome stuff, and schedule stuff. Lunch time is free time, except your first time there, which on one day you get invited to lunch by the region leader or the general partner. So friday after some meetings we went to lunch with the region leader, his wife, and some other new Financial Advisors. We spent our afternoons swimming and playing with friends. During meetings that we both had to go to, we would take the kids to the kid's camp. Gabe loved it, cause her group had some fun stuff for all of the kids to do. They had crafts and games and snacks, etc. Ollie was in with the younger group with Milo. So essentially it was kinda like dropping him off at nursery. He liked it the first time, but the next day he was kinda over it. :/ It was a good thing that he had a friend in there with him that he could play with. Milo didn't love it at all really. Luckily it was only for short periods of time. By the last day he recognized the place, and started crying as soon as he got there. Not fun. Luckily he did chill out after a few minutes. We left him in his stroller and they usually would just push him around to keep him happy. Or he'd play with a toy in his stroller. His stroller was like his comfortable zone, so we went with it. It wasn't his favorite, and we didn't love dropping him off. 

Loving hanging out in the hotel watching the Disney channel and hanging out on the big cushy beds.

Each night they had a buffet style dinner. After dinner one night, I took Milo up to bed, and Adam took the kids with some friends to walk along the beach area. 

These are the kids in their room in their own beds, which they loved. We packed all the extra pillows around them, and they slept like champs. 

Friday was Milo's birthday. We tried to still make it a fun day even though we celebrated before we went to Vegas. He got spoiled and most people knew it was his birthday so he heard birthday wishes most of the day, and got sung to at the Luau themed dinner that they had that night. 

Our window overlooked the pool, so the kids loved watching people out the window. 

The kids loved playing hide and go seek in the hotel rooms. It was Ollie's idea one day while we waited for Daddy. There actually were a lot of places to hide. 

At lunch on Friday with the region leader, some friends sat close by. Normally I might be annoyed at their kids screaming to my kids across the restaurant, but it kept my kids entertained at an adultish lunch, so I didn't care. Maybe I should have. Ah well. 

Hanging out at the pool and the beach Friday afternoon.

Who doesn't love chilling on a beach eating cheetos on their birthday?

After our Luau dinner Friday night they had "beach" games for the kids. It was super fun for all of them. At dinner the whole group sang Happy Birthday to Milo. 

The hotel was by some shops and restaurants. So after the dinner we took the kids to get ice cream for Milo's birthday. 

Saturday the guys had meetings until noon. So some of the other moms and myself drove over to a Chuck e Cheese to let the kids play. My kids and the buddies they play with occasionally loved playing there and with each other. The other two moms who have one kid at like a year and half each kinda got over it fast, but still had a fun time I hope. We had the Dads meet up at In n Out after for lunch. 

Milo loved whatever rides that I could find for him to do. 

I think I spent atleast 8 tokens for Ollie to ride this police car over and over. 

It was kinda fun to see my kids be able to enjoy older kid games. 

The kids were so beat after playing and lunch. After a stop at Hobby Lobby to browse and a nap for Milo we spent the rest of the day playing in the pool. Saturday night is the official fancy night. Fancy dinner cocktail style, with a very nice official award ceremony for all the Financial Advisors. I was super under dressed. (Even though they told me I could be casual) Oh well lesson learned. Next year I'll get fancy- kinda nice to have an excuse to get dolled up. They do this recognition for the new FA's. So Adam got to go up for the "hazing", even though he should have done it last year. They pretty much just make them put on silly stuff for a picture.

 After that it's all very award night style. There are certain milestones and goals that they can achieve and earn in the first five years of the job. Then others they can earn later in life as they progress in their careers. It's super cool to see new people earn awards and people who have been in the business long earn milestones. So my awesome husband won some awesome things for things that he has accomplished. I was so proud of him. 

Milo had this thing with not sleeping well and waking up at five in the morning. It wasn't fun. Also not fun he's continued that since coming home. We would kind of rotate taking him. One morning Adam went for a long walk with him. I guess the nice thing is the early mornings make for good sunrise pictures. 

It's kinda nice thing to look forward to each year. We really enjoyed it. They usually announce the location of next year after the award ceremony, but they haven't chosen one yet. So the last couple years have been in Sedona Arizona, and Palm Springs California so some fun places they travel to. We're hoping next year we get to join in somewhere cool. 

Milo at 12 Months

It still amazes me that this baby of ours is now a toddler. With talk of him being our last baby, it was amazing how fast his first year still went by so fast. We planned on relishing in every moment. I feel like we enjoyed so much with him, but I still wonder where the year went. With each kid it just goes faster and faster. With Milo it's no exception. He goes and gets what he wants, with or without us there.   We find ourselves running to catch up with him. We feel like we are just now getting to really view who this son of ours is. He has had such a sick hard life so far, that it has been tricky. We feel like we are now just being able to see his full personality. We've seen him be calm and happy at hard times, so we know he's a trooper. It's fun to see him at normal happy, and how independent he loves being when he feels good. He watches us do anything once, and he thinks he's ready to do it himself. He tries to use remotes, and phones, and pretend tools, and anything he sees any of us do once. He'll watch the kids play and do something, and immediately want to join it. He follows them all over the house trying to do what they do. He tries to color, help clean, do Gabe's hair, etc, and it so adorable to watch. He loves to put things in and out of containers and bang things around. My favorite is how much he just cracks himself up. He really finds everything he does very entertaining and can be heard giggling all over the house.

Um yes, he is that stinkin cute. 

You can always find a smile on his face. If he wants something he whines like a puppy. As soon as he's gotten what he's trying to communicate, he's usually content. He can be really needy at times, and we either love it or it makes life hard. He's kinda spoiled and gets his binky way more than he should, but that's what happens when you have siblings and a busy mom I guess. 

He randomly put this bucket on his own head, just for the record. He thought it was hilarious until he biffed it. 

He loves to assume this pose and puts his head on the ground, and puts his butt in the air. He puts his head on everything. When he's tired he's like a cat and rubs his face and head on everyone and everything. He is officially sleeping through the night!!! Wahoo! This is a HUGE accomplishment for us. It only took us a year to get here. I always said he had the potential to be a great sleeper, he just never was given the chance. When putting him to sleep if he goes down closer to seven he wakes up earlier, if he goes to sleep later, he'll wake up later. So he try to put him to bed with the other kiddos around 8, so he'll sleep to between 7-8. Our other kids still wake early no matter what time they go to bed, so it's very refreshing to usually know what to expect. He takes two naps. One nap around nine or ten, and the other around one or two, with no predicable length in time. His naps are still unpredictable every day. Some days I think he might start transitioning to one nap, and other days he is so sleepy, and almost still needs three. Not that I could ever get him to take a third if I wanted to.

He loves to give cuddles. He is super easy going, until a sibling cuddles a parent, then he gets jealous. He fights with Ollie over cuddling mom or dad. Both boys are super cuddly. He now "cuddles on command". We like to ask him for cuddles and kisses, cause they are the best. 

He loves to throw balls and play catch. He loves throwing anything right now. If you stop playing for some reason, he will grab your hand and put the ball in it. He loves it, and could do it for a while. I can't get him to stop chucking stuff off his high chair. When I take him shopping he tries to throw everything from the cart, or into the cart. 

He does like to play with cars a lot too. He even is starting to make the VRRRMM sound. Well it's more like blowing raspberries, but it's cute. He loves blowing raspberries a lot anyway. He finds it hilarious.

He balances on his feet really well. He will take a few steps walking back and forth between us, but kinda has no desire to walk. Some times he doesn't want our help at all. He'll go to the couch and take a few steps away from it and realize that he's walking, then he'll stop and sit. Or he'll just head dive so he can start crawling. He has to patience for walking right now, he wants to crawl fast to places. He wants to learn on his own. He makes more progression when he attempts things on his own, than when we try to make him practice walking between us. 

He is a HUGE Daddy's boy right now. I love it, it's so stinkin cute. He just want Adam to hold him, play with him, and cuddle him. 

He still is kinda a picky eater. One day he'll love something, and the next day he won't go near it, and will throw it. We don't know some days. He has five teeth right now, they are sure taking their time coming in. 

 He is still wearing 12-18 month clothes. 

He has nicknames of Mi, Mo, Momo, Bilo or Pilo from Ollie, Grumpy Bear, and Baby boy.

He is starting to realize he can communicate by pointing. Well his point was a fist and is slowly evolving into a finger. He signs milk and sometimes "All done". He loves to wave bye, clap, and give high five.

He loves to be outside. He whines by the door is someone goes outside without him. He loves to wander and explore. He isn't the hugest water fan right now. He doesn't love playing in it, but he's starting to get used to it.

He says uh-oh, and Mama, and Dada. He gets in these moods were he babbles on and on. It's super fun. Then when the kids are being loud, it's like an invitation for him to join it. He thinks it's funny to add his two cents. Loudly. If he sees them being silly he tries to be too. If we laugh, he joins in. 

Trying to paint like the other kids were.

He's obsessed with sticking his tongue out. 

We started this with Gabe on her first year post, and did one for Ollie too. So here is a little note from Mom and Dad for Milo at age one. :)

Milo-

We love you Momo. You have been faced with so many challenges already in your first year of life, and have overcome so much. You are a goer, and have proven that you are up for anything. You are so happy and fun to be around. Your smile is contagious, and your laughs are so forthcoming and it makes us super happy. You never cease to amaze me with how quick you learn and catch onto things. I love nothing more than cuddling you. I sometimes hold you while you sleep longer than I need to, just so I can cuddle you. I love that you show your love in this way. We are so happy you are part of our family. Love you. Happy 1 year little man!

Love,  Mama

Milo

Love this kid he just cracks me up all day. He is always looking for ways to humor us. I have to say my favorite thing is your cuddles!! Its the best when you voluntarily come over and lay down on me. A close second is seeing your love for balls. Every Dad wants to play sports with their boys and being able to start playing catch with you already is the best. I love the huge smile you get when we pull one out. It doesn't matter the size or shape, you love them. I love getting to spend time with you even if some times it is at 6am when you get to go for a jog with me, if you can push that back to 7am that would be great. Milo, I love how you dart full speed at me when I walk in the door and won't leave my side for a while when I get home. Its so fun seeing you sad when I have to leave and how you love being with me. I look forward to doing fun things together as the years go, you are the best its so amazing having you apart of our family. We know you are one of the choice sons sent to strengthen our lives and others through out your life. Love you buddy!!

Dad