St. George :)

I LOVE VACATIONS:)

(Even quick weekend ones...if they are to beautiful and sunny St. George!)

We had a wonderful weekend of swimming, shopping, EATING, going to Tuachan...helping Ryan buy a car, visiting the Temple and much more. I didn't want to leave....SO Jarom and I decided we needed a few more days there "baby-free" in a few weeks! We will be heading back in August just the two of us. I LOVE IT DOWN THERE.

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Jaxson was such an Angel...and endured being drug around in the 109 DEGREE heat like a champ. He can get quite the Tan we've discovered.

(Yep...you heard me right...109 DEGREES!!! One day it was only 107....so that was nice. HA :)

We spent A LOT of time in the pool, needless to say....and of course hit the other must-sees in good old St. George. Namely the OUTLETS.

~SHOPPING~

PICTURE Below: Jaxson with the stash. Sadly he was the only one who got spoiled. Why do parents always do that? I got one tiny pair of flip-flops and a dress....he got anything he screamed for. I STINK! He picked out the little baseball hat he is wearing and WOULD NOT take it off....so it's his new favorite thing for the week. Unfortunately his "favorite things" change quicker than I can keep up...OR AFFORD:)

~ICE-CREAM~

We ate A LOT of yummy food...which always make vacations so much more special for me:) Neilsen's frozen custard is probably everyone's favorite...as it is MINE! Jaxson shared an ice-cream cone with his aunt Kayla! I am so lucky that my family LOVES this little guy as much as I do. She spoils him and takes such good care of him!

~HUGS~
I have been super bad at blogging lately...and have yet to record all his NEW THINGS. At this age they are changing so quickly. It is the best part of being a mom...witnessing their little personality come out more and more each day. Recently I have noticed that: HE IS SUPER AFFECTIONATE...which I am totally loving. He has also become quite the mama's boy. I worked part-time since the day he was born.... so he was pretty versatile and loved anybody. He spent time with me, Jarom and several of my friends who would often tend him to help me out. Now that we're in UTAH....I stay home with him all day long! The kid has become my little "cling-on" and never lets me leave his side:) He gives me the best hugs....and kisses...and I am not complaining one little bit!
~FAMILY~
Jaxson has become quite the little fish and will even kick his legs when we tell him to! He floated around in his Crab for 3 days straight just splashing and laughing!
Jaxson, Me, Aunt Kayla, Uncle Nate!
He LOVES splashing people with his sand shovel. He also likes to fill it up and use it as a cup....drinking all the pool water...SICK! He will gulp and gulp as fast as he can until Jarom or I notice and take it away! aaagghhh. He is getting so smart.

~TUACHAN: LES MISERABLES~

I didn't take any pictures of TUACHAN....but It was beatiful! It is one of my favorite places to go. My family went and saw Les Miserables.....and it was amazing!!! I might go see it again when Jarom and I go back in August. I have seen Les Miserables a few times before...but NOTHING like this. The TUACHAN Theatre is an outdorr ampetheatre which is surrounded by huge red rock cliffs. The music echoes off of them....and there were real horses and animals, fireworks...everything, which made it just perfect! I bawled from the second it started til the second it ended!!! My dad summed it up by saying: "That play changes your life!" Holy Crap....was he right! EVERYONE SHOULD GO. Jaxson came with us...and was an angel. There were TONS of kids. He was mesmerized by it and watched the first 45 minutes without even flinching. The rest of the time he ate a snow cone and fell to sleep. I was so glad I went:)

~ST. GEORGE TEMPLE~

My parents were married in the St. George Temple...so it's always fun to stop by and see it. It is so pretty....and surrounded by palm trees. My dorky husband kept saying "I want to have palm trees in our back yard." I did see a law firm by cafe Rio and said to him "well then you better be dropping off a resume to them" :) I could totally see myself living there forever. And I'm pretty sure I won't leave Utah EVER AGAIN.

JAXSON

June 2008

What a full of life, little stinker you are!

At 15 months you are: 1- Obsessed with hats! You picked out this red baseball hat and keep placing it on your head sideways. If we try and remove it...or straighten it...you scream:)

2- You love sports and any kind of ball. Basketballs, baseball, footballs, etc. You can spot one ANYWHERE and will throw a tantrum until you get to hold it or we buy it:)

3-You are extrememly affectionate (especially to me) and we love your kisses!

4-You love being outdoors and will stand by the front door and beg to go out and run!

5-Grandma and Grandpa are convinced that your energy level is ABNORMAL...you never stop!

6-You know TONS of words....and love to say MOM, Da-Da, Cookie, Cracker, No, Tank-you, Hat, Light, HELLO...and many more. You completely understand what is going on and what we are saying to you. The Doctor listened to you talk and told us to "WATCH OUT"! When you start you're not going to stop! He can tell you understand us and are a smarty pants by the inflection in your voice and your expressions!

7- You love to show us where your nose, ears, teeth and belly button are!

8-You love soda...and had NEVER even tried it until we moved here. Now, being surrounded by grandpa's and uncles....you are often full of Mt. Dew and Dr. Pepper and screaming for more!

Oh-and you scream if you're picked up.....especially when you are busy running or destroying the plants and flowers at the temple:)

~Mom and Jax...St. George Temple~

We love your grin...and your little laugh!

~THE DRIVE HOME~

Our trip was wonderful...and we were sad to come back! Jaxson hated the drive home...and kept doing crazy things to try and keep himself entertained. First: He kept sucking on his toes and then laughing his head off about it! HE is such a goofball. But we sure love having him around!

We are loving our summer and are so glad Jarom decided to play baseball! I was a bad influence and told him to play and enjoy himself instead of use the time to study for the bar! Keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't backfire....but in the meantime, we are enjoying watching him play every Tuesday and Thursday night with Uncle Zenock and a group of friends:)

Off to a baseball game!

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer:)

Holy Crap I'm behind!!!

A picture is worth 1000 words!!!

If that statement is true...the picture below pretty much sums it up! Jaxson is having a wonderful summer...well, we all are. We have been super busy, which is why I NEVER have time to blog or return calls OR even know where my cell phone is most of the time. Please forgive me... all those who have tried to make contact:)

Every day is jam packed lately.

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Right this moment I am even making Jarom and Jaxson wait for me to finish this post before we hit the road. (my family left us hours ago) We are on our way to St. George for a wonderful weekend of swimming and shopping and to see Les Miserables at the outdoor theatre TUACHAN! We are very excited to spend time together now that Ryan is home and our family is complete.

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I love this kid.
He is fun to watch....and usually has an audience of 100 people while at the pool. He is SO animated and is such a goofball. He of course freaks out if he sees anybody with a ball or come to find out a "beach ball" that is the color and pattern of a basketball. He TOTALLY knows what one is....and will proceed to scream until the other child hands THIER toy over to him.
Quite fun!

Lunchtime at the pool! We pretty much spend a few hours of every day at the pool. He is getting better about being in the water and loves to splash and play. He MUST learn to love water because Jarom and I are fish. WE love boating and swimming!

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ALSO---RYAN CAME HOME FROM MADAGASCAR...YAY!

We had quite the crowd at the airport waiting for Ryan's arrival. It was great to see him. He came in around 10:00 p.m., after over 40 hours on a plane. We headed for dessert after and some much needed catching up!

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This is the cutest. Jaxson had a yellow balloon (which is the color that symbolizes welcome home according to my mother:) tied to his belt loop. HE was about to meet his Uncle Ryan for the first time!

Waiting for Elder Ryan at the airport!

My dad was pretty relieved and emotiona to see that Ryan had made it home safely. I'm sure I understand now that I have a son and can just picture what a mess I'll be. Jarom keeps reminding me I have 18 more years to prepare for it:)
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MEETING UNCLE RYAN. They have spent lots of quality time together since we returned! Motorcycle and four-wheeler rides...playing on the lawn, basketball, etc.

Ryan's Official Homecoming was on Father's Day....so it was a BUSY BUSY Day. We had over 100 people at our house to celebrate with a big meal....and then I let Jarom open his gifts.

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One of the gifts I gave him was frames and decor for his new office. Decked out with pics of his darling little boy:)

This is random...but I thought it was a fitting picture. Ryan can be found most days riding his motorcycle around town...(taking me for rides) or playing one of the few guitars he had HAND-CARVED in Mada. He plays and sings songs in Malagasy All day EVERY day. It is fun to hear....and fun to have him back. He is very much the same....going on dates EVERY DAY....singing....talking cars and HE WASHES MY CAR ALMOST EVERY OTHER DAY.

We love having him around again.

WE also went bowling a few weekends ago. This is my sister Kayla and her husband Nate!

Such a goofball:)

At the bowling alley:)

Some of my cousings at Ryan's Homecoming! Let's just say that Jaxson was WELL TAKEN CARE OF. Every cousing I have was picking him up and carting him everywhere. They would feed him cookies and soda til he threw up....play catch with him....teach him things....,etc.

AGAIN: A PICTURE SAYS A 1000 WORDS!

He was ready for a nap...as we all were:) The past few weeks have been crazy!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST!!!!

I made Jarom play baseball with the B.C. Peaches last night....and it was SO MUCH FUN to watch him play again! He used to play every summer while were dating....and this summer has a full-time job and studying to pass the Bar Exam...(which is like another full-time job). He didn't think he had time....but I couldn't resist resorting to begging!

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I LOVE TO WATCH HIM PLAY....and he makes baseball pants look really good which is a plus..hee hee:) I think Jaxson had a blast watching him too. I'm sure we'll be attending many more this summer! One very Tuesday and Thursday to be exact!!!

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Well...OFF TO ST. GEORGE!!!

I will post pics of the trip on MONDAY:)

But don't count on it....I stink at keeping up lately (SORRY BRITTANY)

Playing Catch Up :)

I have been so super busy lately...which means I have been completely neglecting my blog:) I keep telling myself to publish it...and it WILL HAPPEN in the next week, I promised myself:)

Therefore, I need to play catch-up with my "online journal" I guess you could call it. The one bad thing about blogging is my complete loss of any desire to physically scrapbook. I was a scrapbook freak before...documenting every minute of Jaxson's life with pictures and little pop-up die cuts! Now....because of blogging... I have completely stopped! I really should get going again...but this is such a quick and easy way to document. Plus-I LOVE being instantly caught up.....I am always about 6 months behind in scrapbooking and I HATE THAT FEELING!

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Moving on: because of the craziness which was my life throughout the beginning part of May...I failed to post about Mother's Day and the big 24th B-day...not to mention I am behind on the day to day happenings of our life as Official Utahans.

HERE GOES:

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We spent 12 hours driving on Mother's Day 2008....so needless to say it was Hardly my idea of the "perfect" day. I DID, however, get to spend some much needed one-on-one time with Jarom and we had a LONG LONG chat about our goals, future, Omaha, what we were leaving behind, and what lay ahead. It was special for me...and I remembered instantly why I fell in love with him during that drive. The hours that I was actually awake and not hung-over from Tylenol PM...were filled with some wonderful conversation and laughs! (HEE HEE...I love you honey). He also got me this beautiful jewelry box...which I had been wanting since my stroll through pottery barn at Christmas time. He is NOT even close to the mushy, romantic type...which is good because I am wierd and the sappy, lovey-mushy stuff makes me completely naseous! He knows just how to surprise me and make me feel loved. I'm one lucky girl.

A few days later was my 24th B-day. I had a wonderful day!!! Jarom postponed starting his new job until Thursday...so he could take me out and spend the day with me. How sweet:) We took advantage of our MANY willing babysitters for the first time EVER...and left him with grandma for the afternoon. We had lunch with my mom...then headed shopping for a few hours, just me and Jarom:) Jarom then took me to dinner at Maddox...and to the movie "What happens in Vegas". When I got home my mom surprised me with a party! We opened presents and ate cake and ice-cream. She gave me a sewing machine... which I have been wanting desparately! Clothes, Jewelry, books (the "Sock and Glove" book so I can attempt sewing jaxson stuffed animals) AND they pre-ordered me "Breaking Dawn"...CANNOT WAIT by the way, a one-hour massage, etc...they spoiled me! I have such a great family.

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Below is my "small" cake!!! My mom selected a "small" one because me and her LOVE sweets and she knew that we'd end up eating EVERY LAST BITE and completley ruin our diets:) THANKS MOM!

Jaxson helped us eat it. Yum...frosting:)
Other than that....we have kept busy playing with grandparents and catching up with some old friends. It has been such a relief for us to be home...and I sometimes feel like Omaha didn't even happen. It's crazy how only a few weeks can change things so much. I had an entire life there...and I'm already forgetting. Oddly enough I haven't missed my apartment or the city at all! BUT...I miss the people like crazy. I have so many good friends there who I think about EVERY DAY! I will call soon...promise: Suzanne, Jill, Wendy, Stacie, Tegan.....etc. :)
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Jaxson is devouring all the Love and Attention. He is exhausted most the time...and is much more of a mamma's boy because of all the changes that have been thrown his way. He clings onto my legs and begs me to pick him up ALL DAY LONG. After 13.5 months of a perfect sleeping baby...he has become a "right between mom and dad sleeper" and I have decided to just go with it! I feel so guilty for putting him through stress! Plus...waking up to him smothering my cheeks and forehead with kisses ain't that bad either. The past few weeks has has learned to say: mama...cracker...uh-oh...and the newest word "NO".
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Jarom continues to LOVE the fact that the kid is obsessed with balls and sports.
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We bought him this basketball hoop a few weeks ago and HE LOVES IT. He would shoot baskets for hours if I had the patience to watch for that long. I try to let him use it a little every day...but, why does it never get old? Please, someone tell me! Although it's darling...I WILL need a girl someday I keep reminding Jarom.

Oh-and as you can tell from the picture below....he GRUNTS or SCREAMS each and every time he throws the ball. I have no clue why...or where he learned it....but BOY DOES HE GET INTO IT.

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This week has been HECTIC while making preparations for my brother Ryan to come home tomorrow evening. We are so excited...and I am SO ready to see him again and catch up. My mom has made banners and posters...balloons...the WORKS! Mostly...I am thrilled that tomorrow he will meet my little Jaxson, who has the sweetest little spirit. My mom has been "nesting" similarly to a 9 month pregnant woman who is about to bring home a newborn. We have cleaned out EVERY drawer in the house and developed and framed SEVERAL mission pictures that are filling the house. We have re-decorated Ryans room with all sorts of Madagscar stuff (to make him feel at home I guess:) and even grocery shopped for a specific MENU that will be followed for the next week. WISH ME LUCK...

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I will most likely gain about 10 pounds...and Ryan, who is accustomed to eating grasshoppers and cock roaches will be in complete shock I'm sure.

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We are so lucky that our mom is "crazy"....because she always goes to the millionth degree to make sure we feel special. I'm sure I'll have Several pics of the Homecoming...but until then, UPDATE YOUR BLOGS PEOPLE. I just flipped through a few and most of you are slacking as bad as I have been:)