yOuR'e InVitEd...

Jaxson's Party is on Saturday, March 1st! Below is a picture of the one-year announcements I sent out a few weeks ago....and the "baseball ticket" or invitation to his baseball party!

We (and by we I me "I") can't wait!

The announcement was made to resemble a baseball card...listing all his current stats! If you can't read the writing it says, "Jaxson John Bishop ROUNDS FIRST".

I thought I was so clever. hee hee..... :)

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Ok-I originally wanted to write "Jaxson Dives into first"...but Jarom corrected me and I guess that CANNOT happen in baseball. Minor correction....and WAHLAH! Darling announcement!

Here's the ticket or "admission" to the event! It was fun to deck Jaxson out in Cubs Gear and give him his very first Cubs Hat purchased just for the occasion. It was fun to get creative with it and put his birth month, date and year as the section, row and seat. As you can see...we are even holding it at the Bishop Stadium!!

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You know those people that are content to ONLY have girls...or constantly whine about how much better girls are....WELL THEY HAVEN'T THROWN A BASEBALL PARTY....because oh my word!!!!.....now This is fun! ~Boys Rock!~

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Can you imagine Jarom's life???? Being married to someone as crazy as me? Poor guy:) I am so excited I could scream. I only wish all those friends in Utah could attend!

He can....

WALK

My Child can totally walk!!!! What am I going to do????

...a whole year...

This is where it all began! Where we met. Where my life totally changed for the better! Bergan Mercy Hospital...1:42 P.M. on March 7th, 2007....the best feeling I will ever have...the moment I wish I could replay over and over!!! ......How has it already been a year? Ok Ok...I am getting a bit ahead of myself...I still have almost 12 days until it's official and my baby is a TODDLER.

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BOY was it all worth it. The incredible swelling, retaining more water than I ever thought humanly possible, the heartburn, the stretch marks, the zits, the emotional break downs (I had several), the constant trips to the bathroom at all hours of the night....you get the picture. Let's just say I was one " big girl" by the end of this 10 month journey. Actually, Jaxson John decided to join us a little bit earlier than expected. Sorry for all of those who don't wish to hear every detail...these thoughts and feelings I'm having tonight definitely have to make the "blog book/my journal"....

...I remember going to the doctor on March 6th and hearing Dr. Jimmy tell me that I was dilated to a 3-4 but I was still over 3 weeks away from my due date! The time was nearing and I was so anxious and honestly quite scared that I would be the first woman since like 1902 to die giving birth because I wasn't tough enough! Anyhow, I was to come back in a week and had strict orders to remain on BED REST because of insanely high blood pressure. ( He failed to realize that the blood pressure was totally unrelated to my pregnancy...but rather a particular student who I wanted to strangle). After being put on Bed Rest...I did what else...Hit Wendy's drive through for some Chicken Nuggets (sick!) and went back to work.

I had Dental Materials to teach...and ain't nothing going to stop me from teaching how to manipulate impression materials:) I was so anul about my job (still am)....and was oddly afraid to let go. I worked until 11:00 p.m. that night! Yep...that's right. My entire pregnancy I worked the Split Shift. I would work from 7 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. then leave and come back EVERY NIGHT from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.!!!! Totally insane, huh???? But I loved it! I loved the girls...and I love what I do.....

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I was in a strange way RELIEVED from my earlier doctors appointment. Content with being Huge and Uncomfortable if it meant still having some time to prepare. Ya know...certain things needed to happen. For example, I hadn't dusted on top of the fridge or scrubbed the bathroom since Saturday and there was NO WAY ON EARTH I could bring my baby home to a cluttered, dusty disaster. Ha!

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I remember praying that night that I would somehow calm down and that I could enjoy these last few weeks with Jarom. I took a long bath and talked to my Mom for an hour. The entire conversation consisted of me panicking that I wasn't ready to quit my job...and crying that I wasn't ready to have it never be just "me and Jarom" again. I know...totally selfish and lame. I blame it on my totally irrational and unpredictable emotional state caused by some pretty intense contractions (which I thought was gas:) the entire day!

I got out of the tub and by this time Jarom was already asleep. It was just then that Jaxson gave ME a pretty good size kick to the ribs...and POP! I knew it was going to be a long night.....full of some pretty intense pain. My water had broke...and I ran into the bathroom and stood in the tub. When I called for Jarom (mostly feeling kind of sad at this point that I had just worked 12 hours that day....and would not even get one minute of sleep before I tried to give birth to a child!!!) and my sweet husband came running.... and, of course, FREAKED! I'm sure we all have husband's with similar reactions on the "first" child.

Jarom MUST have tuned me out those nights I forced him to listen to me read aloud Chapter 3 from the pregnant women's bible, "THE GIRLFRIENDS GUIDE TO PREGNANCY". He honestly thought that after your water breaks you have only minutes until the child was laying in your arms. I have never seen him so crazy. Luckily...I am an organization freak...and was packed a month early...although my doctor said I wouldn't have this baby boy until well into my 40th week! I guess I knew little jaxson better than he did. We headed for the hospital...and the rest is History!

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I just love looking back at the pictures and Yes...I am bawling like a 4 year old right now! I can't decide if it's because I'm sad that my baby is growing up...or if it's the fact that I have to probably do the entire thing again pretty soon:) or within the next few years....

I posted this picture for one reason...and one reason only. For you to look at the profile of my nose....that happened to take over my face because it was SOOOOO swollen and full of water. I looked like a balloon. I would show you more...but I'm not yet completley over the trauma of it all.

... me scoping him out...and us sharing our first few kisses....only a few hours old.....
The one and only week this child took a binky!

This picture is ugly...but made me laugh because of 1- How teeny tiny our baby is and 2- How nervous we were to hurt him, ruin him, or permanently damage him in any way! It took us both and sometimes my mom too.....to get him hooked up to his Jaundice lights!

ta dah...HE SURVIVED!

...so precious...

Even more precious! Jarom prayed and prayed that I would have Jaxson over Spring Break...so that he would have even one minute away from Law School to spend time with him! Well...Jaxson made that wish come true...and was born on Spring Break....Which meant LOTS of quality time with daddy.

...love this picture...don't really remember it at all though. Crazy what 2 percocet every few hourse will do to a person:) I saved a few:) :)

ARE YOU SERIOUS???? Look how small he is!

Approximately 1 minute old!

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Which brings me to my latest pictures! I quickly took a few pictures of Jaxson on Saturday evening to document his BIG ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY!!! He, of course, didn't want to smile too much....and really wanted to explore instead. My goal is to get really Great at photography this next year of his life....but I think they turned out really darling!

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I love his little giggle....

I love his little smirks....

I love his silly sense of humor....

I love his (and his dad's) obsession with baseballs....

I love when he learns new things...like how to clap....

I LOVE LOVE LOVE his eyes.....

I love his little sweet spirit....

Happy Birthday Baby....I Love you!

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We are so excited to throw him a baseball themed b-day bash on Saturday with all of our/his friends! I will surely have TONS of fun pictures to share! Then we got lucky...because we will be flying to Utah to celebrate again with a B-day party at my parent's house on the actual day....MARCH 7th!

"Meet ya there..."

So-This is my Brother ElderRyan Wade Forsyth. He is currently serving in the Antananarivo Madagascar Mission....holy crap...I still can't believe he lives there! and NO...I still haven't seen the movie. I have been thinking about him a lot this week and wanted him to know that I love him. I was VERY VERY VERY emotional after he left. I remember flying to Utah (after not seeing him in months already) attending his farewell then rushing out of the house the next morning at 7 A.M. for a flight back to Omaha. (The man sitting next to us on the airplane that morning thought that somebody had died or that Jarom should QUICKLY administer some kind of sedative to put me out of my misery....I was crying so loud it was humiliating!) but that is a whole different story...

... I rembemer quickly waking him up, hugging him, and saying " Meet you back here...right here...in 2 years, deal?" It was so sad....mainly because my family went from being all together...to being at every end of the earth. Not quite...but it sure felt like it:) I moved to Omaha, Ryan to Madagascar, Kayla to provo...and Stephen was left to pick up whatever pieces were left of my mom after all of her kids fled the nest so quickly! It was so hard for us at first to be so apart...we are a very close family and had never done it before! I am happy to report we survived...and have made the most of it. We actually have LOVED our experiences and grown tremendously.

It has been such a fun thing to experience this "mission" with Ryan. When he left we had exactly 2 years left here in Omaha...and that is when and precisely WHY we made the pact to meet eachother....be back together as a family... like we belong....in 2 years.

The time is so quickly approaching... I have been thinking about how great it will be to be reunited!!! There have been times in the last two years that we have become so submerged in our lives that months would fly by without a tear or a day of "homesickness".

....but I still have the dreams where Ryan walks into my Kitchen. Or even better...he gets to meet my little Jaxson. Those are the days and moments that are so CLOSE I can almost taste it:) I found out this week that Ryan will Fly Home on the morning of June 5th! Jarom, Me and Jaxson will "come home" on May 12th. Talk about some perfect timing!!! All I can says is...."We did it Ry! I can't believe it went so quickly and I am so excited to see you. We have gone through this "being away from home" together and shared many letters full of "hopes" and "plans" for when we both come home again. I know it will be everything we expect...and I can't wait to catch up!"

oh ya...and I can't wait for Lake Powell too...it is much better with you there:)

~I LOVE YOU~

MoRe pLaYinG ArOunD!

Eating Lunch!

Brushing Teeth!
Playing with Toys!

Going to Church!

Talking back...

Goofing off...(or singing)!

Every minute is something new with this little monkey....

but I couldn't love it more:)

Our Date Night =)

I LOVED our special Valentine's Date on Saturday evening. It was a much needed break...and although we hate to leave little jaxson, it is simply a must from time to time:)

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Jaxson had a blast playing catch and getting spoiled at Jill's house while we enjoyed a night out on the town! We ate a yummy dinner topped off with Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake...YUMMY! (Adams Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Cheesecake to be exact!) We then enjoyed walking around the little specialty shops at the Old Market. I'm not a fan of getting my picture taken alone...so these are the only two of the evening...UNTIL we picked up little jaxson that is!

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This picture is in front of a little modern home decor shop called "Niche".....it had SO SO SO much cute stuff. Jarom, of course, thought it was wierd....ridiculously ugly...and over-priced.....yet he still patiently followed as I walked around and pointed out the lamps, rugs and paintings I would totally buy if I had any money at all! Ha!

The BEST PART of the evening was when Jarom surprised me with my Gift. I have been talking about and begging for and researching like crazy these two different camera's! I wanted a nice camera with Photoshop worse than anything! The Cannon Rebel XTI or the Nikon D40x.....that was the question??? I wasn't sure which I wanted....and I figured that I had a few months to decide because the plan was to save up and get one for my B-day in May.

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WELL........He surprised me and wrote me the sweetest letter I have ever hear AND gave me a silver Rebel XTI for Valentine's.....HOLY CRAP WAS I EXCITED! I still am. Mainly because I don't have to stew over which one to get anymore....AND because this camera Rocks! I have taken 250 pictures today alone. Of course, I have no idea how to really run it yet....but I can't wait to learn. I also have no idea how to run any of the Photoshop CS3, In-design, Illustrator, or Adobe Pro software yet...(and I'm pretty sure it will take years for me to learn)....BUT I AM THRILLED to say the least. It was the best gift ever.

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I have spent a few hours this afternoon playing around with it....and thought I would share some cute photos of my boys wrestling and little jaxson playing around today! ENJOY~

I HAD NO IDEA PHOTOSHOP HAD SO MANY OPTIONS!

Jaxson giggles and squirms like crazy when Jarom tries to kiss his neck! I think it's ticklish for him!!! I loved these pictures....

I thought this was so cool. I was playing around with the texture options and it makes the photo look like a painting or poster. So fun!

Playing in his crib.....

I love those big eyes.....he has me wrapped around his finger. It's sickening, I promise!

Big boy.....When I see my baby wearing a tie and all ready for church....it sinks in that he is really almost 1. I hate it. But doesn't his little mini tie make your heart melt???

Grandma, will you come visit me????

Trying out the mohawk!

I'm sure I'll have a ridiculous amount of pictures to post in the weeks to come....as I try out my new present. Thanks again honey....you made my YEAR!

Happy V-day Surprise!

Everyone meet Vali. The new addition to our little family. She is a chiuaua pincher mix and is simply adorable. Jarom decided to surprise jaxson with him for Valentines Day! Isn't he precious? He is so tiny and just loves jaxson. He was following him around, giving him kisses and loves all morning long.

I think jaxson likes him too. Every little boy needs a puppy for a best bud!!! Jarom and I will be exchanging gifts Tomorrow....when we finally get to see each other for longer than 2 seconds:) Until then honey..."I love yer guts!"

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p.s. The puppy is not ours....just kidding mom..ha ha! It is our friend and neighbor Maranda's and we want to steal it. They got it yesterday for Valentines Day...and if we weren't in a small apartment, busy, and moving cross country in a few months...I would have totally purchased it's sibling! When we get settled in a house...I can totally see myself having a little puppy like this to take for walks....Who knows, maybe by that point I'll just have another baby. They are probably almost as much work! Congrats Maranda....we love little Vali.

~ VaLenTiNes dAy~

Yay! I love holidays....They always make an average day something much more exciting! Plus-with a baby, you can torture (and spoil) them by carrying on old family traditions.

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I probably grew to love holidays and celebrate each one to the FULLEST from my mother. I remember every year on Valentines Day making Huge Heart Shaped, Pink Frosted Sugar Cookies. Sometime during the process we would hear a knock on the door. When one of us went to answer it....SURE ENOUGH...Cupid had made a delivery!!! Our front porch was always Full of balloons...candy...and a cute gift for each of us kids. I always wondered how it worked...but it wasn't until I was about 12 years old that I saw my mom escape out of the garage door, strategically place it all on the front porch...ring the bell...run back around and through the door into the kitchen...and be standing ready with her camera by the time we realized what happened. It was so much fun!

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Although Jaxson isn't big enough to understand...I am having so much fun doing some of these things with him. I hope he grows to enjoy it and love it as much as we did.....Happy Valentine's Day little munchkin...We love you!

Cupid's delivery!!! (a.k.a. Grammy)

Jaxson was so funny. When I sat him on the couch next to his stash...he was so excited about this little bag of red M&M's. You can see by his reaction. He pointed to it (first picture), then reached for it and picked it up (second picture), and FREAKED OUT! (third picture).

Grammy also sent jaxson a puppy named "Buddy". It is so cute. When you push his paw....he starts wiggling his ears and saying, "give me hug...I want a hug...give me a hug right now". Jaxson doesn't quite understand hugs...but he DOES UNDERSTAND kisses...and he kissed him right on the nose. It was darling. I, of course, don't have a quick enough camera or skills to capture those moments.
Wearing my new #14 Jersey in celebration.....

~Dear jax~

We love you little guy! You are such a joy to have around and we love your spunky little personality. You make us so happy and we couldn't imagine life without you. Your constant smiles and crazy giggle make EVERYTHING (and by everything I mean your tantrums, destruction of anything valuable, and stubborn days with no naps) Totally worth it! We're so glad you are ours forever. Happy Valentine's Day sweetheart....and never grow up and love ANYBODY as much as me, deal?

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Jarom and I will be celebrating on Saturday. It seems that for as long as we've known eathother...all romantic holidays (anniversaries, etc.) fall on week days in which we have work/school/tests, or the like. My friend Jill is taking jaxson for the evening (luckily she just adores him and loves to tend for us) and we will be heading straight for The Cheesecake Factory. HALLELUJAH! Jarom knows that is the first place I always choose to celebrate ANYTHING. Adams Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Cheesecake HEAR I COME:) We have a fun date planned: Dinner and then spending some time walking around the Old Market (a cute little section of downtown Omaha) filled with little boutiques and fancy shabby chic shops! So fun.

I'll have lots of fun pics to share!!!

EleVen MoNtHs oLd...

My baby is officially Almost ONE! He turned 11 months today....and I hate it by the way. I have to admit...he is a darn fun and energetic little 11 month old. Jarom caught some "interesting" footage once again, of my little munchkin being a complete wierdo =) He is so goofy. He has recently adopted the habit of mimicking EVERYTHING that we do. I knew this was normal of toddlers....but he is still so little! If jarom moves his arms a certain way then jaxson will do it. He picks up the remote and points it at the TV and pushes buttons....if Jarom wears a hat to school.....WELL, that explains the following video clip. Jaxson will spend the rest of the day putting things on his head or trying to take Jarom's hat and put it on. Jaxson seems to want to do everything that Jarom does. I have to thank chelsea for the little "baby paper" or crinkle paper that jaxson was playing with in the video. He has never really understood the concept of it...but tonight it worked perfectly to accomplish whatever it was my little goofball was trying to do! Enjoy~

I am also sooooo excited because my mom is flying me and Jaxson home to celebrate his FIRST BIRTHDAY with my family:) I am honestly so excited. I am throwing him a big b-day party with friends here in Omaha on March 1st....then it's off to Utah on March 5th....back on March 10th and then my sister Kayla is coming to spend her Spring Break with us on March 12th! It will make for a fun-filled and REALLY busy few weeks in March....but I always love something to look forward too. After that we will only be a matter of WEEKS away from graduation, moving and starting a whole new life...PHEW! I hope to slow down a bit over the next 2-3 months and enjoy time with friends and take advantage of everything here in Omaha.....it's sad to think it may be years before I see any of it again OR before I see any of these people again!

Anyhow.....

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Things My Baby Boy is Doing at 11 Months:

1-Eating Lots of real people food. Yay for me and confronting my fear head-on. Ok, not LOTS of food, but more than I ever thought at this age.

2-Mimicks our EVERY action!

3-Laughs ALL THE TIME. For no apparent reason. You will constantly see him giggling.

4- Almost walking. Can crawl faster than I ever thought possible.

5-Has 6 teeth. He is the best teether....he has never really whined, had a fever, or been in pain. He'll get a little runny nose and wake up with a new One! It's cake.

6-Has attitude. He has unfortunatly learned to throw a tantrum and resist things he doesn't want to do. It's still amazing to me that he is old enough to know the difference. Oh but he does.

7-LOVES to throw any kind of balls. Still (I know I mentioned this 100 times).

8- Can almost wave bye-bye and is working on clapping! He usually just stares at us like we're ridiculous. It seems to be the only thing he WON'T mimick. Of course, he is stubborn like both of his parents.

9-Loves ice-cream. You thought the video of the rootbeer float was bad...you should see him when I eat an Oreo McFlurry. I could be rich if I submitted it!

10-Still loves to cuddle with me, but ONLY me. (Which I love...but it won't last long I can tell!)

11-Still the love of our lives!

97 Day Challenge...

Many of you "Utahans" are already aware of the 97 day challenge. If you have NOT heard about it log onto http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/ and create a personal account TONIGHT. The wonderful decision to honor our beloved Prophet by reading the Book of Mormon in 97 days was presented by several youth and it is gaining momentum. Thousands of people are starting their reading on Jan. 4th (tonight) and each day logging onto their personal account on the Hinckely website and recording how many pages they've read. The goal is at least 1 million pages recorded in the 97 days following his funeral!

... what a great way to celebrate his life and make him smile down upon us. My mom e-mailed this challenge to me...and asked me to join her....I'm starting tonight....so you should too:)

Tonight was also special because of a particular experience I had at work. I have had so many in my few short years here in Omaha....things that open my eyes and help me recognize how others view life. MUCH, MUCH different than I ever realized...until I witnessed it first hand by moving out of my little sheltered and wonderful Brigham City!

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I have learned things that disturb me beyond belief I have to admit...things that make me scared to let my baby grow up in this world.....but I have also met people who are stronger and been through more trials than I could ever imagine. I am so grateful for the chance I get, on occasion, to teach others around me about my church. I am an oddity at Vatterott College....to put it lightly!!! People know that I am "different". People know that I was married in a "beautiful church" (a.k.a... the temple) that only some people may enter. They know that I am honest...that I speak kindly of others...and that certain topics are not discussed in my presence. I am the youngest teacher BY FAR at my college....but I have so many colleagues twice my age stop by my classroom from time to time to ask questions and look at pictures of my "wedding" in that wonderful building in SLC! I get questions about ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU COULD IMAGINE...Trust me!

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Tonight I had yet another opportunity to teach. Doug...the librarian at the college (who is so sweet....but deaf and struggles with OCD)....stopped me in the hall and said with concern, "Kristin...I'm not sure if you know this, but the leader of your church has died!" I patted Doug on the shoulder and reassured him that I did know and continued to explain that it was both a Sad and Happy thing that he had passed. Doug then asked, "You loved him didn't you Kristin?" I then got to explain to him how I felt....and I could just tell that he understood. He didn't know exactly how I could love a man so much that I had never met before ....but I could see that he understood.

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He then went on to exclaim...."But DO NOT WORRY KRISTIN....the mormons have voted and chosen a "successor" today!" I then began to laugh...almost uncontrollably. I thanked him for keeping me so updated! I have met so many people with "ideas" or strong beliefs that they understand how "we" work....and it is always so much fun to teach them otherwise:)

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Needless to say....Me and Doug sat down in the library for a while and had a talk about how it works....and I felt a comfort as I explained that our Church will never be without a leader and that our prophets are called by god....and not chosen by man. It was a simple experience. But one of those you don't forget. I loved it....and although I know you can have missionary experiences ANYWHERE....I will truly miss moments like tonight...when I know that I have sparked an interest or a feeling inside of someone who didn't know that there was something "bigger" to this life. Something I know about...and am SO grateful for.

SuperBowl!

I had the funnest night! Jarom and I were the hosts of the "Annual" Superbowl party. We had a great time....ate WAY too much food....and will be so sad to miss it next year:( We have made some great friends the last few months with some of the new Law Students who just moved in. It stinks to say goodbye...Although, it will only be 2 years before they meet us back in Utah! YAY!

This is Jaxson, his girlfriend Kate...and our great friend/(sometimes babysitter) Maranda. She is so cute with these babies...and I love her to death for watching jaxson on occasion. It makes my life so much better to know he is in good hands. She was tickling them here...and they were all smiles! Jaxson is 11 months old....Kate is 6 months old....~
Did I mention that we ate Way too much food. Us girls just kept complaining about being "too-full" but we kept going back for more. That's what happens when you have such wonderful food. (Britt...it is midnight...I can barely walk and I am eating ANOTHER one of your freaking cookies. I hate you for leaving them here!)

I found tons of fun football decor at Target a few weeks ago. It added to the fun....at least us girls thought so. The boys just.....well, look at the picture below. They spent the evening screaming at the TV.
Watching the game.....
Man-You are soooooo good looking:)
Hee hee.
Some of us Girls. Krista, (Kate) Me, Maranda, Brittany.

Jaxson flirting (and sharing) his toys with Kate. He kept jumping along side her...it was funny.

The girls played cards...Wackee 6, one of our favorites. I can only take so much football before I want to die!

Jaxson and Brittany...another one of our WONDERFUL Babysitters....and bestest friends.

Jaxson watching the game...and playing with Chad. It was an enjoyable night....and I hate that the weekend has officially come to an end. Back to work for me....and another week of school for Jarom. We are SOOOO Close to being done....I cannot wait!