I am...

Thankful

For MANY things tonight:

1- My Brother Ryan just got engaged......

and I couldn't be more excited:)

Sorry ladies, he is officially off the market.

----

Kelsey is adorable and one of my favorite people to be around!

We are so excited for her to be part of our family.

My child is obsessed with her to put it lightly.

He adores her and has for over a year!

I am so glad he will get to be around her forever:)

She is constantly serving those around her...I've never heard her complain even once...and she likes the dramatic, over-exaggerating and sassy ME. So I'll keep her.

This is such a wonderful time of year and I am thankful that my family is so close and that we have all married wonderful people who all get along perfectly.

I know some families aren't so lucky!

---

2- I just spent the entire afternoon cooking in my new kitchen and listening to Christmas music....I was in complete heaven!

I finished making some of my favorite dishes to take to the BISHOPS tomorrow.

I am THANKFUL that I can spend the holidays with my family...because I spent several of them over 1000 miles away in Nebraska. Poor me.

I am VERY family oriented and in love with traditions.
They make me such a happier person!

3-I ran through the snow with my baby this evening:)

At approx. 5:00 p.m. I took a break from cooking and me and Jaxson put on our snow boots! We drove to the Layton park and ran around in the snow for an hour:) He is now asleep on the couch and has been for 3 hours. Why have I not tried this technique before now???

He is #1 on my Thankful list.

He is downright the sweetest and most hilarious child ever.

He is my best friend and my angel.

----

I am

Currently putting together my BLACK FRIDAY list!

I love Black Friday!

I love to shop!

I love a good deal!

...and I love a good reason to have a sleep over with my sister, get really excited about something and see how much crap (that we didn't need and maybe didn't even want) we could buy in a few short hours! I wish there were 6 of me...because my list is bigger and the items further apart than I am capable of! What to do...what to do???

You will find me at Khol's, Target, and OfficeMax at 4:00 a.m.

Let the fun begin.

-------

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Santa's Lap

Today we ventured to the mall (for the second day in a row) to sit on

Santa's lap

Jaxson loves it more than life.

I LOVE that I am available to take him:)

I could definitely get used to all this T-I-M-E

---

Other children cry and whimper, clinging to their mothers shirt.

Not my son.

Jaxson pushes past them and climbs up on his knee...blinking 100 miles an hour and batting his eyelashes. Little squirt.

I swear I don't know where all this personality came from?!?

---

TONIGHT the visit went a little something like this:

---

Santa: What do you want for Christmas?

Jaxson: I have no idea

Santa: What do you like?

Jaxson: Oh...I remember. I want a HUGE four wheeler and trucks that can PULL motorcycles on trailers!

Santa: That sound fun! Have you been eating all your dinner?

Jaxson: I just barely ate a whole pizza

(total lie)

Santa: Good! Have you been being good for your mom and dad?

Jaxson: Well...Lasterday (Jaxson's combo of "last night" and "yesterday") my dad put me in time-out and spanked my butt.

Santa: Well I'm glad you are being better today.

Jaxson: Yep

Santa: Well I have a coloring book for you to take home.

Jaxson: You already gave me one Lasterday, remember.

Santa: You can have another one, deal?

Jaxson: Thanks.

(he jumps off his lap...and into the stroller)

We are on our way towards the exit...and Jaxson turns and yells..

"Bye Santa...I'll call you Later."

---

The entire line was laughing.

So was I.

---

He sure is a lot of fun right now.

I can't wait to see him on Christmas.

Me, My mom, Mother-in-law and Sister are SOOOO excited to watch him.

---

I guess it's time for another grandbaby...on either side!

***

Hope you're enoying your Holiday Season.

it's over...and we made it...

I am alive.

(I say this more out of amazement myself...then to assure you that I am)

We survived the experience of building a house...and life is starting to feel normal again.

Thank heavens.

Every few hours I venture into the garage and get a box which I then unpack.

Eventually I will finish...but I am in no hurry.

-----

As promised I am laying on my couch right now doing absolutely nothing. I mentioned MANY times that I planned on doing that and now I plan on following through 100%:):)

***

Jaxson has a routine...he has is own bedroom (my favorite room in the house:) complete with his very own "SPORTS SHRINE" and basketball hoop that keeps score of his shots mounted by his big boy bed. I get to spend my days with him...I get to cook him mac-n-cheese for lunch and read him books while we cuddle on the couch. I guess he's memorized 3-4 books while I've been away these few months. He can practically read them to me! All of these things that sound "normal" for most...and possibly even boring....are things I didn't realize I loved until 5 months ago when I started running errands and never stopped until last Tuesday.

----

Thankfully Jaxson is slowly forgetting the hell that was his life for the past 5 months.

I'm telling you...it gave me a whole new persective to how lucky I am. I am more grateful for my friends (Gaylyn and Marcie who tended my child, fed him, gave him naps DAILY for months just because they're kind and generous people) I am more grateful for my husband (who works everyday so I can stay home and really just play with Jaxson all day and browse the isles of hobby lobby:) I am grateful for my parents...my mom who also tended Jaxson every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the past 3 months and my dad who just dedicated his time and expertise in building this house with me and FOR my family (for free:):):)

---

WOW...it was quite the ride. The past 5 months.

Emotional, Stressful, Mentally and Physically exhausting, Stressful, Stressful and Stressful.

---

I am glad it's over...and all at the perfect time.

I love this season.

----

I am sitting here on the couch, christmas music playing, our 3 stockings hung from the fireplace in a row and Jaxson finishing up a bowl of Lucky Charms and toast.

---

I just found my camera...but I refuse to do anything, remember. That included take pictures and put any kind of effort into getting them from the card onto this computer.

I will momentarily be turning on a movie...and I may or may not be moving for the next few hours.

See---Jaxson keeps hugging me and saying "Mom...you're my very best friend".

I almost forgot how much I love spending time with him...

p.s. I would love visitors.

C-A-R-P-E-T

We got carpet.

This is how we felt about it.

We did snow angels for hours.

Jaxson ran around and practiced "sliding" into home.

It smelled wonderful.

Me and MY MOTHER vacuumed it just for fun:)

(Jarom laughed and kept asking...why?...then realized we are one in the same.

My mother and me.

We've almost made it!

(I get internet tomorrow in Layton...Jarom's one request was that we have Cable, Internet, and Phone before every stepping foot in the house permanently:) They are coming tomorrow to get us all hooked up....and we will finally be ready to go!

***

I will be busy for a bit...but hopefully will be back to leading

a normal life (and blogging way too often) in no time!

***

I started unpacking boxes yesterday that I haven't seen in over a year and a half!

It was like Christmas....so many memories of Law School...and my old life:)

So many things I cherish...so many things I can't wait to sale on KSL!!!!

ha ha ha

WE ARE MOVING!!!!!

YYYYYEEEEESSSSSS

HALLOWEEN NIGHT!

...Jaxson the Tiger...

Halloween 2009

Jaxson LOVED his Tiger costume

He had the best little growl, professional clawing actions and the works! For some reason he was awfully concerned that he didn't have scary "eyes". He kept saying..."Mom...I can't be a Tiger. I don't have scary eyes!!!" I don't know where he get's this stuff...truly I don't.

-----

He spent the entire day getting spoiled at Grandma Bishop's...and when I picked him up about 5:00 p.m. he was FULL of sugar and exausted! We got him dressed up and only made it down the block before he announced that he was TIRED...which was perfectly fine with me:) So was I.

----

We came home and enjoyed pumpkin bread bowls with homemade corn chowder, apples and carmel dip, sausage cheese dip, sugar cookies and EYEBALL donut holes that Jaxson helped grandma Natalie make. Oh my goodness. I love when my mom cooks for holidays:)

---

That pretty much sums it up!!!

We played a few games with my family...and seriously went to bed at 10:00 p.m.

HANDS DOWN THE EARLIEST WE HAVE GONE TO BED IN OVER A YEAR!!!!

(I plan to do it more often)

Only downside: I woke up at 2:00 a.m. ready to go for the day.

I'm simply not used to that much sleep!

I about had an anxiety attack having to stay in bed that long.

I have problems.

That is proof:)

----

This should be a big week for us!

We plan to "start" moving this weekend...because I'm sure it will take at least a week alone to move our crap. I'm renting a U-haul tomorrow. So wierd:) Unpacking will take months I swear...but I'm taking it one day at a time:) I am very excited...which is truly a refreshing change from "STRESSED LIKE CRAZY".

---

HAPPY HALLOWEEN