Pizza Night

He just grabbed it from Daddy and started going to town!



Quite proud of himself!

 Tonight, since Momma wasn't feeling well, Mimi (grandma) offered to bring pizza in for dinner.  We're not a household that says no to pizza!  We usually feed Jayden pizza since he's not very good at keeping the cheese on.  But he wasn't having it.  He snatched it right out of Daddy's hands and started going at it.  He doesn't seem to have a method yet, but I'm sure he'll come up with one soon.

His newest things:  he's starting to say Hi and Bye.  He squeals and flails his arm when he sees someone he's excited about.  He gives snuggles, not hugs. 

This has been a busy week and unfortunately we all have something.  Jayden's got an ear infection, Momma has an upper respiratory infection & bronchitis, and Daddy's fighting a cold.  At least we seem to be doing it all together so hopefully we won't keep passing it around.  My counter looks like a pharmacy right now.  Between Jayden's Motrin, his antibiotic, and Momma's 5 prescriptions we're well stocked.  Thank you Western medicine.  Just seems to be the season and right on track for my annual New Year's Eve sickness.

But I'm still on a roll with my blog!  So all is well and we're all on the mend!

Just a hobby

Cute Family Photo Shoot



 Above is a photo from a photo shoot I did with the Griffin Family.  They were a lot of fun and braved the cold morning in October to get it done.  I wish I had a grown up camera and more time to explore this hobby, but alas, I do what I can with what I have.

Another hobby, scrapbooking.  But more for a family history thing.  Who says you can't make someone's personal history cute?  Someday when our ship comes in, I'll have my very own craft room and have lots and lots of space to do that.

Hobby I want to take up, sewing.  I have a brand new sewing machine that I've never learned how to use.  Not even sure I could thread it.  And threading a bobbin...I haven't done that since the 8th grade Home Ec class (I use the term Home Ec loosley as I think the teacher drew the short stick and didn't know what she was doing.  I got a B on a sewing project that I mostly used glue on!  I ended up giving it to the lady that was my surrogate grandmother and when she passed away, her son let me have it back.  It's pretty pathetic, but she doted on me like I had created a masterpiece.  If this doesn't date me I don't know what will:  the pillow was a computer that had the OLD SCHOOL Atari Space Invader screen mock-up!)

Another hobby I want to get back into is woodworking and tole painting.  But who's got the time?  Plus, my scroll saw bit the dust when I had it in storage before moving here.  The inner workings rusted beyond safe to use.

I'd love to learn how to knit, learn how to crochet better and read the patterns, decorate cakes, mush (yes, with a sled and sled dogs), bake bread without ruining it, and a whole host of other cool things, just for the sake of learning how to do it.

Someday I'll figure something out to have the time!  Maybe now that Jeremy's in school online now I might get to pick up some of my old hobbies and discover some new ones!

There's nothing like fun moments such as these to warm the heart!

I just love my boy!  Can you blame me?  He's just too cute for words!

This picture really captures his personality at home!

I'm still on a roll!  And no, it's not one of my fat rolls, LOL!  Today was a good day.  Jayden's fever is controlable and the antibiotics seem to be kicking in.  He's such a trooper! 

I got to go shopping alone today with some Christmas giftcards.  I had one to Pier 1 Imports and one of my items I chose is a huge picture frame that holds 5 photos and has the phrase "may all your dreams come true" painted on it.  You know, no matter what struggles we have, all my dreams have come true.  I have a wonderful husband who loves, appreciates and supports me.  I have an adorable son who is so cute and so observant and such a good boy.  I have a roof over my head and food in the fridge.  And two onry, but cute dogs.  What more could I ask for? 

I could think of a few monetary things, but other than that, life is good!

I feel like a gush a lot, about Jayden especially, but you know what, I worked darn hard to get him here so I'm basking in the joy! :)  It keeps me sane in my otherwise somewhat crazy life! :)

The Sabbath after Christmas

Last week's trip to Holiday Festival of Lights.  Jayden had a great time once we got out of the car.  He loved walking around and seeing the lights in the pavillion.  There was a set up of lights put to music.  Jayden was trying to conduct the music.  It was so adorable.  I guess he's been watching Momma on Sundays when she leads the music in church.

The decent on Christmas morning at 6:30 am! 

Very curious about what's cookin' in Mimi's oven.

Loving his new present.  Pop-up ball pit and lots of plastic balls.

Christmas was very low-key this year.  Jayden still wasn't too sure about the whole ripping thing.  He knew how to do it, but once he opened a toy he was interested in, he lost interest in opening any others. 

Today it snowed.  Jeremy was thrilled.  I loved it but was concerned about getting Jayden to the doctor first.  He has his first ear infection.  Poor little guy woke up with a fever this morning higher than he's ever had.  He was miserable until the fever reducer kicked in.  He did really well at the doctor right up until the doctor tried to look in his mouth.  He locked his lips together so tight that the doctor had to practically pry them apart.  But we got him some antibiotics so he'll be on the mend in no time.  Then we spent the rest of the day indoors watching the snow fall and snuggling our little bug.  So all's well that ends well! 

We hated missing church, but getting the fevers taken care of was priority one this morning.  Looking forward to next year's schedule at 1pm.  Never thought I'd say that but with a toddler, it will be nice being able to sleep in past 6am before having to try to get a shower in before Jayden wakes up in the morning.  And it will be a lot easier to not have to wrestle him right out of bed into church clothes.  This way we can wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, then wrestle.   Much easier on a full stomach! :)  For both Mom and Jayden.  Where's Dad during all this you might be asking?  Already at church for meetings.  It will be nice for Jeremy to have later meetings.

So far so good on keeping up with the blog.  Hope it continues!  Maybe it will inspire me to take more photos to share as well!  Happy Sabbath to all!

Day Two of My Commitment to Blog More Often

Looking cool in his Addidas soccer outfit and
 his sweatshirt from Uncle Christian

Tonight is Christmas Eve.  Jayden is tucked all snugly in bed.  I doubt sugar plums are dancing through his head, but clementines might be as that's his new favorite fruit.  Usually he's more of a banana man, but we haven't had any in the house this week.  But hey, he loves fruit.  Can't go wrong with that.

For bedtime, we rocked in my old rocking chair that my mom rocked me in.  I told him the story of Jesus' birth.  For a lullaby, tonight was "Silent Night".  Of all the Christmas Hymns, this one far and away is still my favorite.  So simple, so eloquent and such a great lullaby.  I couldn't help but think of how Mary felt that night that she held her newborn in her arms.  The phrase from another Christmas hymn kept repeating in my mind, "but tonight you are mine."  I cherish every minute I spend with Jayden.  I love rocking him to sleep every night, even on the less than successful nights.  I savour every second because I know that someday, he will belong to a lot more people than just his dad and me.  I know that before I know it, he'll be too big to rock, too old to need his mommy to tuck him in and too cool to get kisses from his mom.  I would love to believe that it'll never happen to me, but I know all to well that children grow up.

Today he had a ball at Grandpa and Mimi's house.  We ate dinner and as always, the bread was a huge hit.  He danced to all the many music-playing Christmas decorations.  He's so fun to watch as he discovers new things.  We're looking forward to presents tomorrow morning.  He should have fun with all the paper.  Not so sure about the Santa thing yet (see photo from previous post) but by next year he should get it a little more.

I'd like to say that tonight is a special night where I'm counting my blessings, but for me, that's every night.  Life is not always easy, but I am blessed well beyond what I deserve or have earned.  For that, I'm truly grateful.  Every day!

To anyone reading this, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and most of all I wish you gratitude.  Gratitude is what makes a life truly blessed!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and to all, a good night!

Santa Visit

Everyone has to have at least one of these.  Last year's he was all smiles and giggles.  This year, was instant meltdown.  But smiles or not, this is just a darn cute picture.  And we are so impressed at how perfect this Santa is.  He's so "pretty" for lack of better word.  He looks like a greating card!

I have decided that I'm going to post more on the blog.  I don't think there's many that actually check it other than the followers, but I've decided this is one of the great ways to document Jayden's life without losing the piece of paper I write it down on.  Then when I go to scrapbook, I just have to remember where I put it.  Sounds easy enough.  But not sure how I'll do.  Maybe that will be my New Year's Resolution.  And since it's out there in cyberspace for others to read, it might make me more accountable in my brain.  Logical, right?

Today Jayden has been lots of fun.  We're wrapping last minute holiday loose ends up, making treats and watching Christmas movies to get us more in the spirit since it's not looking like we'll have another fluke snow storm.  At least it's chilly outside.  Not as cold as it can be, but at least it's not 80 degrees like it always seemed to be at Christmas in California when I was growing up.

We're still trying to institute holiday traditions.  If anyone is reading this, what are some of your family traditions?

Christmas is Coming

As Christmas approaches, I am eerily calm.  Makes me wonder what's about to hit the fan! 

But as Christmas approaches, I find myself counting my blessings.  I've always been one to be pretty grateful for what I've got but this year, I'm beyond grateful.  Life is trying sometimes, but all in all, I've got a great life.  Every time I look at Jayden I realize how blessed I am.  The other night he discovered fish smacks.  What's a fish smack?  It's when you suck your cheeks in to look like a fish then make a smacking noise.  And to me, it was the cutest thing ever.  He is such a cute kid and melts my heart on a daily basis.  He's so much fun!

And Jeremy.  He works hard, plays hard and always makes sure I feel loved and appreciated.

So whatever else the trials may be that come, it doesn't really matter.  The most important parts of my life are amazing!

Merry Christmas!  And wishes for an AMAZING new year!

New Discoveries

As any toddler, Jayden's newfound ability to walk has opened up a whole new world to him.  This week he rediscovered a few things and discovered some new things.  On Thursday, Daddy learned that Jayden can climb the whole set of stairs by himself with a swift, stealthy bound.  Tigger took a dip in the toilet (fortunately a clean bowl verses a pre-flush bowl).  Mom was interrupted in her dishwasher unloading duty by the phone (automated soliciter, thank you very much) to return to a Bug on dishwasher door.

He loves to point out facial features.  His first one was pointing out his nose.

Here he is as I found him, sitting on the door.

He's discovered a love of popsicles.  Also a big fan of ice cream.  But who could blame him?

How cute is he in his Tigger towel?  But this is not the Tigger that took a dip in the toilet.

Sitting in the same chair that his mom sat in at his age.

Showing us the sign for more since he wanted more food.

Every day is a new adventure and we're having a ball watching him discover new things...even when it means more clean up for us!

Little Drummer Boy

You Know They're Getting It When...

Tonight was one of those memorable moments in parenthood.  You think your kids are too young to get it, but they're really not.  We sat down tonight to do our family scripture study.  Jayden was sitting on the floor and we said, "Get ready for prayer," and the result was this picture.  Jeremy's crossed his arms for him each time before but as you can see, Jayden gets it.  We both just melted and I had to run and get the camera.  The original arm folding was cuter, but you get the idea! 

Jayden's Turning One!

It's so hard to believe that we're already here!  We will celebrate Jayden's first birthday on Saturday!  Since he loves the Imagination Movers, that's the theme we've gone with.  Everytime they come on TV he stops what he's doing and is glued to the show.  His face lights up whenever they sing.  So we got a couple of their cd's and I record their shows on the Disney channel to play when Jayden seems bored.

It's amazing how fast this year has gone!  Nothing like a child to show you how fast time is passing!

Losing an art form

I doubt I'm the only person to ever feel this way.  But lately I've been thinking about it a lot.  The other day I received a card with a letter enclosed.  Yes, a real, handwritten on paper, spelled out words with no abbreviations, bonafide letter. 

Don't get me wrong, I love things like email, Facebook and people's blogs.  I frequent them.  But I have been sad for the lost art of letter writing.   I do have a few friends who are great at making cards and sending them with a handwritten note.  I even have friends that still go to the store and buy greeting cards and send them out.  And at Christmas time I'm always touched when I receive the updated newsletter and Christmas card.

With our business I've had to kick up my game when it comes to that special touch.  There are a lot of companies out there struggling.  We've definitely noticed a slow down in momentum in our business, but even with that slow down, we have had growth.  What I attribute that to is the follow up and the extra touch.  We produce our own newsletter and I send out follow up cards to new clients. 

But there's still nothing as touching as receiving something in the mail that has no payment required. 

I have started a side-venture business.  Mostly for just a tool for our carpet cleaning business, but eventually it may bring in some extra income.  Let me tell you though, it's been incredible for being able to follow up on the thoughts.  When I was younger, single and not a mom, I had plenty of time to do cute things for people when the thought popped into my head.  But more and more, I find that I have the thought, may even write it down, but follow through has been a huge problem! 

But now, I'm in hog heaven!  I signed up with SendOutCards, an online company based out of Salt Lake City where you go online, choose a card from their vast selection, even attach a gift if it's a special occasion or a special friend, upload your contacts and they stuff, address and send it for you.  They even have an option with some of the packages where you can upload your own handwriting sample and create your own personal font.  Now I'm turning my thoughts into actions, and loving it!  I was so tired of thinking of things and not following through!  It's also been great for sending photos of Jayden to Great Grandparents who aren't really computer people.  I can't wait until Christmas this year.  I've made my cards the past couple of years and each time I swore I wouldn't do it again.  This year I can design it, and send it and save on time, money and still give it a personal touch.  Can't tell you how grateful I am for that one!!! 

I still like to hand make cards.  But now, when I don't have the time or space to sit down and get it done, I'm still following through.  And that has been a blessing.  That alone has made it worth it!  So fun!

He's Growing Up!

As you know, they don't stay little for long!  Here's some video showing some of his cute moments!  We're having so much fun with him.  These videos should show you a little bit of why.  He's funny!

Baby Giggles and Buggy Hugs

Today I had a plan of things to tackle...so you can guess what happened.  The day was completely changed by other plans that had to come first.  But it was so cute.  When Jayden woke up from his nap, he was wiggling around.  I had him propped up on the couch to play with his toys.  He twisted and got himself stuck to where he couldn't get turned over and he started cracking up at himself.  I picked him up and imitated his laugh and he started laughing back at me.  Then he got the hiccups as per usual when he laughs so I stopped.  But in that moment, the rest of the day's stress didn't matter. 

Motherhood is the best job I've ever had!  And boys are awesome!

Life

There's nothing monumentally huge happening in our life, but everyday milestones are so much fun!  Jayden is discovering new stuff every day and is learning motor skills which is so much fun to watch.  He's a very serious, thinking child so you can see the wheels turning and the light bulb go off when he learns something new.  He's still partially-bald but I guess his brain is taking all the proteins right now.  We figure he's going to be smart because of sheer noggin size!

I'm afraid he's more like his mom.  We recently went to a kid's birthday party and he did not like being in the throng, but was fine once we sat in a corner and he could watch.  He's more of a wallflower than a life of the party person.  Maybe he'll swing more to his dad's side and be more social as he gets older.  Who knows.  It'd be a shame to keep those dimples in the corner.

But as you can see, he is just as adorable as ever and we are having such fun being parents.  Everyday moments are extraordinary when you have a little one!

TEETHING!

We are currently in the trenches of teething. Jayden's been a little out of sorts since we got home from California. But the drooling started over a month ago. Sunday morning his little tooth bud was visible. This morning, you can feel it. Any day now it will break gums and emerge. Hard to believe he's already there! Talk about time flying! I feel like I want to hit the rewind button. I'm enjoying all these new stages, don't get me wrong, but wish there was even more time to savor each one.

Let's just hope he doesn't become a biter of people or dogs. Things...fine. People or dogs, not so fine!

Return from Cali

Be sure to check out the antlers coming from Paw Paw's head! Couldn't have planned that if we tried!

Jayden travels like a pro!

So the holidays are over. Hard to believe they came and went so fast. I'm not sure that we really had them. It all seems to be a blur. This year we went to California to stay at my parentals' house for the holidays. Nothing says Christmas like surf and sand. Although the comment may sound sarcastic, that's the Christmas I grew up with. So it seems like Christmas to me. Jeremy, on the other hand, was missing a white Christmas since that's what he grew up with. We did come home to a night of freezing temps (it was only 27 degrees this morning when I made my first Wal-Mart run of the new year).

It was a great couple of weeks. We sat around and watched movies, ate, went to In-N-Out, Del Taco and other favorites. With the holidays and a baby, we didn't get around near as much as we would have liked to, but we did make it to Ruby's on the Huntington Beach pier. It was cold and windy, but it was great. We even had an appearance by the local pelican and the seagull with only 1 1/2 legs. We had a party and got to see long-time friends and family. It's always fun to have a reunion! We just wish we could have made the rounds to visit with more people! It's hard to scratch the surface in two weeks when you've grown up in an area!

Jayden is a great little traveller. He was a hit with all the women on the planes and we got several comments on the fact that they couldn't even tell there was a baby on the plane because he was so good. Pretty impressive, even as his mother I must say, considering he was in the throws of teething on our return flight. I'm so proud!

We had a great time and made some great memories. But we wish we could have seen more people and spent some more time with others.

We hope that we get back out there sometime sooner than later, but with Jeremy's schedule, we have no idea when the next time will be. (But Grandma's coming out in April to get her baby-fix!)