Dallin and Cindy Wilcox Blog

The Three Things of the Week

2012-01-22T14:42:00.002-06:00

1. THE DIET

I must say this no dairy, no soy thing is no small thing. I had a great attitude going into it on Monday and by Monday night I was in tears ready to give up. Woman (breastfeeding-ish woman at that) can not live on spinach salads alone. I was starving. I love fruits and veggies as much as the next person but they just don't really stick to your ribs and I'm finding that I used to get a lot of my protein throughout the day from dairy products: milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. Dallin was so great and made me a dairy/soy free bread. While it's not a glass of milk, it was something different than rice cakes to put peanut butter on... Dallin also made a chocolate cake too. Vegan chocolate cake. Interesting but very yummy to the girl craving chocolate. It's a good thing Dallin likes to bake.

Chocolate cake. Now we just need to find frosting...

The thing I'm struggling the most with though is not eating out. Silly I know, but I love to eat out. That's usually one of my favorite things about the weekend: new restaurants, old restaurants, pizza, etc. Do you know that of the restaurant chains that actually post their allergens I only found some blackened catfish at Red Lobster that fit into my diet? I guess there was salad dressing-less salad at Chili's too... So if I wasn't feeling enough stress already, I actually always have to have something to feed my family at home?! Man oh man...

SO...This week's goal is to have all my dinners planned with something that we all will like and that will keep me/us full. Beans anyone?

2.THE DRAMA

Remember how I said Jayden was doing well with Asher? Well don't worry he still is. BUT...it's his parents he's not doing so well with. In all actuality, he's not getting any less attention, it's just not right when he wants it. There ensues a tantrum and I must say he's getting very good at them. Kicking, yelling, screaming, throwing himself to the ground, etc. The other night it had to have gone on for a good hour. It doesn't help that he won't sleep. I mean seriously, I thought it was the newborn that was supposed to cause sleep deprivation. Not the 2 year old. Somehow at 4:30am the other morning he figured "the sun is up" so therefore the SON was up... (thank you to wonderful Dallin for telling him that morning occurred when the sun was up so many months ago...) So he's emotional, I'm hormonal, and we're all exhausted... fabulous.

I think the tantrums are getting better though. Yesterday I think we only had three and he got his emotions in check in about 10 min. (Look for the positive...)

The kicker is the conversation we had this week over lunch. Jayden knows I can't pick him up because of my "ouchie" (the surgical incision). He's so cute and asks me every couple of days if my ouchie is feeling better. So sweet. So we were talking and he asked if my ouchie was feeling better. I said it was a little. He paused pensively and then said something to the effect that " Baby Asher go back inside Momma's tummy and then ouchie all better." Not sure to what he was alluding to but I must say it was good problem solving.

3. The Brothers

The best part though, and the part that makes all pale in comparison, are having the two boys. Although I feel like I am just treading water most days (and my house is showing it) I love watching and interacting with both of the them, either together or individually. I love Jayden's excitement when he notices Asher is awake. "Let's talk to him!" Asher likes to stare at Jayden and watches him intently when he's close enough to focus on. I'm so excited to have two brothers!

And the moment you've all been waiting for: pictures!

We bought a double stroller this week. I'm so excited to be able use it. Jayden was so excited to try it out. He was very adamant that Asher had to come too!

Jayden needed something to eat right then and Dallin was feeding Asher so Dallin instructed Jayden to help feed Asher. Haha!

Cuddling my boy

Newborns are cute but can be kinda funny looking at times. Love this boy!

RIP Milk

2012-01-15T21:26:00.002-06:00

For my entire pregnancy with Asher I craved milk. I mean craved--must have, going to die, best-drink-to-go-with-anything, craved. My favorite? Popcorn and chocolate milk. (I know not pickles and ice cream, but still an odd pairing.) Even after not being pregnant the desire for a good cold glass of milk is still there, just not as strong. As fate would have it, our doctor diagnosed Asher this week with a milk and soy allergy. Now I am not the breastfeeding type (sorry if this is TMI). Call it vanity; call it pride; whatever it is I just have an aversion to it. Dallin was nice enough to let me buy a nice Medela pump this time around and I love it! (If one can love such a thing...) We were doing great too the first week... So the doctor kindly looked to me after this awesome news and said, "So Mom you get to go on a diet..." Joy. Now I really would just throw in the towel now, because really, I wasn't that vested in all this anyway from the start and now I have to stop eating dairy and soy. Then we started the formula (the free sample Enfamil formula). I don't think Jayden's poop smells that bad. (again TMI, sorry). Makes your eyes water, your throat burn...Awful. Then to top it all off he has very sensitive skin. Like the Neosporin for his circumcision was causing irritation. He developed diaper rash, then more irritation from the Desitin... Poor kid. Then we went to the store.

This can, this one pound can, costs almost much as the two and a half pound regular formula container at Costco...

$27

And that's the cheaper brand. Enfamil was more...

So now what? "Mom goes on a diet..." I gave myself this week off when my mom was here. We ate everything I won't be able to eat: pizza, Mexican food with cheese, peanut butter, bread, cookies, brownies, Muddy Buddies, Club sandwiches, Big Macs, Triple chocolate pie, etc.

Yeah not exactly the best diet, but desperate times...

We went shopping yesterday for my special diet. I can't find a bread with no dairy and no soy. (Clarification: no dairy does not mean lactose free... It means NO DAIRY.) Found some special peanut butter, rice cakes, lots of fruit and veggies, and some special salad dressing that has canola oil instead of soy bean oil. (Do you know how hard that is?!) The doctor said we can add back soy bean oil in a couple of weeks and see if it affects him. I never knew I would be so happy for soy bean oil.

Anyway, enough whining on my part. Mostly I just wanted to point out that it's amazing what a mother will do for her child. Amazing... (That and those nasty poops have got to go!)

All the beautiful stored milk that went down the drain...

On a lighter note, we are loving Asher. It's amazing to me how it's easier to love a second child. It's like I had to learn how to love my own first child with Jayden but with Asher it's been love at first sight. Jayden is so good with him. Of course, he's forgotten a couple of times where he is and we had a body slamming issue the other day. Happily Asher was unscathed. Jayden was the traumatized one, due to the fact that I screamed as he made a beeline for the chair Asher was in... Jayden's a good brother and I'm happy to report that he has not asked that Asher go back to the hospital or back into my belly. Ha!

The grandparents are gone and tomorrow is my first day on my own... Hopefully we all live through it. I've got two cute boys so it shouldn't be too bad right?

Pictures with my parents:

My boys:

Walking the Riverwalk

Jayden "sleeping" in the sandbox

Asher's unbilical cord fell off this week too and we got to give him a real bath!

And a few more of Asher for good measure!

Fun in the Sun

2012-01-06T13:06:00.001-06:00

I kinda feel like we are under house arrest like back in October when Hand, Foot, Mouth plagued us. Of course this time is a different, happier cause but house arrest all the same. Thank heavens for GG and her "adventure walks" and surprises from the Dollar Tree. And it really helps that Jayden loves to be outside.

Blowing bubbles

Off-roading in the wagon!

Asher, of course, is doing what babies do best: eat, sleep, and poop. I'm especially loving those moments he decides he can be awake with his "eyes is open" (As Jayden puts it). He's definitely a sleepier baby than Jayden was.

Love this picture. There's a similar one of Jayden looking at Dallin the same way. Love their dad!

GG has been taking Jayden on her walks in the mornings and Jayden loves it. He tells us all about the bridges they go over, the balloons they see ( or don't see), and the stop at the playground. GG, Dallin, and Jayden ran over there in the evening yesterday to capture a few pictures of all the fun before GG's departure. Asher and I stayed home and slept. Yeah, we are that exciting...

Thanks so much for coming GG! One boy in particular will be missing you...

Adjusting

2012-01-03T23:35:00.001-06:00

We are enjoying a laid back week with Dallin home. Asher is a really good baby and, with the exception of a nice awake time from 1-4am the first night, has slept relatively well the rest of them with only 1-2 wake ups. (Dallin was super dad that first night and was up the whole time changing diapers, feeding, burping, changing diapers, feeding, and on and on). Dallin and I are still struggling with waking up as it is though. Man, we are out of practice.

Jayden is doing so well with Asher. He gets really excited when "his eyes are open" and gives great kisses and hugs every night. It probably helps that GG is still here for that extra attention but I will take it. We are SO glad she is here!

Trying out the new "activity gym." Of course Jayden was more entertained than Asher, but, hey, whatever works.

Random pictures:

I think the rooting reflex in a baby is so neat and hilarious. Asher especially loves to eat his clothes and his arm.

Love this outfit. The hat completes the attire. I totally bought it for the hat and those cute pants!

It was two in the morning and he was so cute!

Today we took our first adventure out to take GG to Chik-fil-a and to have Jayden get some energy out on the toys. Don't worry we sanitized major after.

Busy boy!

Asher did so good and slept almost the entire time. He had to have a little snack before we left. :)

Home

2011-12-31T22:16:00.003-06:00

So nice to be home. I don't know who was more excited, Jayden or me. Asher has celebrated the day with one nap after another. Such a good baby.

These are still at the hospital. A little impromptu photo shoot with the camera-happy parents. :)

Trial run for the the next morning.

I love how happy Jayden is. Spoiled with PopPop and GG

This was his coming home outfit. We laid him out, took pictures, picked him up and he'd peed all the way up his back. Oh well.

Coming home:

Deer in the head lights maybe?

All I can do is laugh at this picture. What a crew! (Sadly this is the only one I got that we are all looking at the camera.)

Asher Ozzie Wilcox

2011-12-29T11:21:00.000-06:00

He's here!

Asher Ozzie Wilcox

December 28, 2011 8:07am

8lbs 11oz; 21" long

Heading out bright and early!

Ready or not, here he comes!

He had some problems keeping his O2 sats up so we didn't get to hold him right off. They took him to a transitional nursery for 6 hours to monitor and to decide if he could come to the regular nursery or had to be admitted to the NICU. Thankfully he bounced right back and we got to hold and see him later that afternoon.

First time holding him

Checking out the peach fuzz

First time with Dad

My in-laws are wonderful and were here for support and to take care of Jayden. They came by later in the evening to meet Asher.

Meeting "Baby Asher"

Family of four. Holy Moses!

Love my boys and couldn't be happier!

Chirstmas 2011

2011-12-27T11:12:00.000-06:00

I have to get this posted before the baby or I know it will never get done...

We had a great Christmas. I forget how fun it is to stay home for Christmas and how much better it is to have family for Christmas. Best of both worlds! We "postponed" Chirstmas morning until after church. It was nice. I felt that I really was able to forcus and think about Christ's birth to start off the Christmas Day. Loved it. And it was pretty much just a lot of Christmas hymn singing. Awesome!

After church Santa magically dropped off all the gifts while Jayden was changing back into his pajamas. Haha! First thing he saw was the wagon and that was the end of it. He spent a good amount of time in the wagon and of course put it to good use by towing around all his new presents. I finally had to clean out the wagon because he would move and say "Ow, Ow!" That's what happens when you sit on Hot Wheels and puzzle pieces and pretend food etc.

I mongrammed some bath towels for the Wilcox's with my new Silhouette. I was so pleased with how they turned out.

I love Collette's expression. Priceless.

PopPop's

Finally got him out of the wagon. Opening presents.

My mom won the prize, though, for best present. She got Jayden a garbage truck. I still think he plays with it 90% if the time.

"No Mom! I can't take a break to take a pictures"

Still playing with the garbage truck the next day

It was so fun to have everyone here and have girls to do hair. This sister thing isn't too bad.

Curly hair

We went down to the craziness of the Riverwalk on the 26th to get the last view of the lights. Tons of people but it was a good time and Jayden always loves a good walk.

Tomorrow is the big day for us. Can't believe it's already here and that it took so long all at the same time. Ready or not here we go!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T22:23:00.002-06:00

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

(thanks to the kitty!)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads,

(Well, not yet but we have our Christmas pajamas on!)

Aren't they awesome?! They are made of cotton-pajama material but look like jeans. All of us kept getting psyched out. Lol!

And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap —

...

Ok, ok I won't attempt to apply it all to us. ( I mean c'mon, I hope there's not a clatter that gets me out of bed to see what's the matter).

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve. Jayden was so excited to see everyone and has been having a blast ever since.

Burritos!

Now PopPop is a burrito

Jump over the burrito

We did a hide-and-seek thing with our pajamas that GG and PopPop had brought. Jayden did the hiding and we had to find them. He actually did a pretty good job. GG had to enlist his help to find hers.

Looking for GG's present

We read Luke 2 while Jayden followed along in his Nativity book with GG and PopPop.

And then lounged about. I mean what else do ya do?! :)

Jayden said good night to Baby Asher and off to bed he went.

And now the men-folk are playing Santa and assembling the wagon. Ha!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Let the party begin!

2011-12-22T10:17:00.001-06:00

So it's begun. The great exodus of the Wilcox family to Texas. Ha! That's right. Dallin's parents and sisters are coming for the Christmas/baby and we are excited. (Also 6 days til baby but that's in case you didn't already know!) Lacey and Collette arrived Tuesday from BYU-Hawaii and BYU-Provo, respectively, and Jayden is so excited to have someone here at his beckon call. So funny. This kid is going to be so spoiled when all this is through. We went to dinner at 5 Guys last night and all I have to say is YUM. Love it. (And I have to get in all this caloric food while I still have a good excuse.)

Lacey and Collette

Dallin loves his hamburgers!

My blue-eyed cutie!

We finished the night off with the usual run to Costco for last minute Christmas dinner supplies and a great game of cards. Ahhh love it!

Lounging at Costco.

It's been one of those days...

2011-12-13T16:46:00.001-06:00

I seriously think all the crazies are out to get me... It's just been one of those days.

I don't know if it was...

The awesome fog that made everybody drive 10 miles under the speed limit with their foot on the brake...
OR
The meltdown Jayden had a Target because he wanted to push more buttons (we ran through the toys to push the "buttons" and evidently he was not finished all the way) It was a full blown tantrums too with screaming toddler obscenities of "No!" "Let go of me!" "Stop touching me"... I don't know what was worse the screaming child or the pity looks I got because the 9 month pregnant lady was dragging out the 2 yr old...
OR
The stupidly slow "express" lane at Walmart. Seriously dude. I ended up changing lines when the lady in front of me was checking out and he was just giving her her total when I walked out. I HATE Walmart lines
OR
The elderly gentlemen on the bean aisle that politely said excuse me before squeezing between me and the shelf I had been standing by getting my beans so he could get his. (There was like 2 inches). I then had to wait for him to finish so I could continue getting my beans. I feel bad; I actually rolled my eyes at him
OR
The fact that the cashier felt the need to save the environment and pack all 10+ food cans into one bag. That was fun to carry inside.
OR
That my maternity shirt is not longer long enough to stay covering my entire belly. Now that's a self esteem booster...
OR
Maybe, just maybe, the hormones are raging and I need a long hot bath...

Nah, I didn't thing so either. The world is definitely out to get me.

Well I thought I'd throw in a few pictures for good measure and attempt to convince myself all is not terrible.

37 weeks

Jayden's first time on Santa's lap (ever...I know bad parents) at our ward party

My amazing Christmas present that is just waiting to be used. (I have the best husband ever!)

Saw this at Costco. The ENTIRE collection of Nancy Drew. Anybody have an extra $200? Awesome!

What a week!

2011-12-02T23:20:00.001-06:00

This week has been weird. I don't know if it's because I was ready for December 1st on Monday and had to wait clear until Thursday or if I just I'm that hormonal (Dallin would probably agree most with the latter). Just a few odds and ends pictures of this strange week.

Black Friday.

I know this was last week but I had to add this. Jayden was so great to get up early and he thought it was fabulous we were going to all his favorite stores: "Depot Home", Target, "Green-wall" (Walgreens). But alas he didn't even make it home before crashing. Believe me, we weren't far behind.

Also I just had to add this. Saw this at Eddie Baur and just had to take a picture.

Who knew that Sun Valley was that alluring to those in Texas (and had that much snow right now for that matter. Ha!)

We said goodbye to some good friends this week. I think this was Jayden's first friend. It's been the most sad when Jayden asks about him. How do you explain to a two year old that some one moved cross country?

Stupid lens cap...

And finally a picture of me... 35 weeks. Four more. Can I get any more large and in charge?!

Crafting...again.

2011-12-02T22:58:00.000-06:00

These are just some photos of my last adventures in projects. Mostly pictures for my mom. :)

My advent calendar. It's a work in progress as I finished all the stockings and realized I had no idea what I was going to hang them on. Oh well. I like how this turned out--at least for this year. Sad part is I still have yet to fill them with anything... Maybe we'll start on Sunday and make it a count down til baby! (Just kidding)

Excuse the mess above. It's kinda our "catch-all" spot

Then is my stocking for my missionary brother. When my other brother was on his mission I sent him a stocking similar to this that I found at at a local LDS bookstore. Well I wasn't near that bookstore now. In come those pregnant crafting hormones at this is what you get. I'm not very good with lining stockings but shhh don't tell anyone.

I'm still debating on whether to add an "Elder" tag to it. I think it looks good without and you get the idea. We'll see.

Getting Festive

2011-11-28T22:56:00.001-06:00

So we decided to get in the Christmas spirit and start some "festivities." Sunday night we started with putting up the Christmas tree. Jayden was so excited! He put all the ornaments pretty much all in the same spot but he was so happy to help. The first thing he had to do this morning was "turn on the tree"!

Like I said.... All in one spot.

The cat warmed right up to the idea...

I think every little kid lays under the tree. Jayden is mesmerized.

Tonight Dallin suggested going down to the Riverwalk for FHE and seeing the lights there. They re-did all the lights this year to LEDs and we were interested to see the difference. Granted, it was different than last time we were there for the lights, but we were actually pleasantly surprised with the change. Jayden had a great time walking and walking and walking. All in all a great night.

Goofy smiles!

And just think...One month from today we're having a baby! I couldn't be more excited!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T19:41:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We just finished the infamous turkey dinner and I thought I would share some things I am thankful for and pictures.

24 Things I'm thankful for (as it is the 24th of November)

Dallin. Really, how did I fool this guy into marrying me?
Jayden. He's getting more and more fun and more aware of the world. I love it. My favorite is when he just looks at me and says "I love you, Mom." The best
Our extended family. I really like that I can say we have a good relationship with both sides of our families. And what would I do without my hour long talks to my mom?!
The gospel. With new callings and trials that have come our way this year it makes me think about the decisions I've made and to place more faith in what Heavenly Father has planned for us.
Baby Asher. That's what Jayden refers to him as. I love feeling a little baby's kick and movement. Just knowing that we're going to have a brand new baby makes me extremely happy and grateful.
Friends. We have such great friends here that they should be considered under family. We love to do fun things with them and are sad when some leave to pursue bigger and better things.
Our house. I love our house. I love the things we've done to it, I like the way it looks. I just love it.
Dallin's job. I'm very grateful Dallin has a really good job and that he loves it so much. I may not understand 90% of what he talks about but I love when he gets that gleam in his eye talking about web and native stuff and how this app does this and that...(see I'm learning :)
My job. I'm grateful I have a job that is so flexible that I only work one-ish day a week to give us just a little play money and me a little break and adult conversation.
The temple. I love going there and all that I learn and gain from my attendance. I'm grateful that it means that my family can be together forever. I thinks its so awesome that Jayden loves to go there so much. We had to take a walk around there this week and he was so excited.
My calling. I love playing the piano in Primary. I love it. End of story.
Our cat, Reba. She's so patient with Jayden, never hisses or howls, and is so easy going.
The weather. I hate Texas summers but I love Texas winters. This is why I live in Texas. It was so nice today; Dallin and I joked that we should have eaten Thanksgiving dinner on the patio. Ahhh.
Our truck. I'm grateful for our car too and that it works well and gets me from point A to point B but there's just something about the new car smell and both my boys' excitement when it's time to ride in the truck!
That morning sickness happens in the 1st trimester and not the 3rd. I was horribly sick yesterday. Stomach cramps, puking (I know TMI), the works and that started the contractions and the baby moving like crazy. Today I'm feeling it in my muscles up and down my back and feeling stupidly weak. I'm glad when you're that sick at the beginning you don't have to deal with the big belly and contractions.
Our windows. You just have to see them to believe me. They are awesome!
My washer and dryer. Seriously. Best purchase ever.
The prophet and conference talks. I have really loved rereading the talks from conference this time and reading the words of the prophet and apostles just fills you up some how.
Insurance. With truck getting rear-ended recently I was really glad that the other guy had insurance and that things were fixed without any cost to us. (And that sweet ride sure was cool too.)
My phone. Silly I know, but I don't know what I would do without it to text and talk to Dallin, family, and friends and of course waste all the time I do on it playing games and checking Facebook. Guilty, I know.
Garbage trucks. This is probably more of something Jayden is thankful for because he loves garbage trucks. Practically every Tuesday and Friday we are out watching the Recycling/Garbage truck go down the street. I think it's so cute. Definitely a parent thing.
Blogs. I love "blog stalking" and keeping up with what my family and friends are up to. What did we ever to without technology?!
My Boppy-pregnancy pillow. I dont' know how I would ever sleep without it.
That pregnancy is only 9 months. I am so ready to be done and I'm only at 34 weeks. What if I was an elephant and it was going to last for 89 weeks?! No way!

And now promised pictures :)

Dallin is so good and always makes the turkey. Usually I'm working so he does the whole meal. Amazing!

Mouth full and everything!

Snacking before dinner

Let's eat!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. Now bring on the shopping!!

Looking on the bright side

2011-11-22T17:14:00.000-06:00

So a couple of weeks ago (on 11-11-11, who says it's lucky?!) Dallin was rear-ended on his way to work. Go figure. The brand new vehicle. He was fine and you could barely tell on the truck but it did need to be fixed of course. Thankfully the guy that hit him also had really good insurance (ahem...USAA...) and it is now being fixed as we speak. The cool part? The rental car. I was totally expecting a little tiny Focus or something but Dallin texts me this morning:

Dodge Charger, cool.

Then I get the phone call:

Do you want to go for a joy ride before I go into work?

Heck, yes I do!

So he drove up in this

Sa-weet!

I admit I've never had a thing for a Dodge Charger but the mere fact that we got a cool rental car at no cost to us is something dreams are made of!

The worst part was filling up with gas. We could not find the button for the gas door anywhere... We even Googled it. (What did we ever do without smart phones, I will never know...) Finally after we'd probably sat at the gas station for a good 5-10 min (which of course felt like forever with everybody's eyes on us), we found a nice little button in the door. Really?! Never seen it there before.

Us enjoying the ride

*Disclaimer: Jayden would only let us take a picture of him if we took pictures of everybody. Dallin and Jayden looked so good so I added everyone. Yes, we're in our pajamas...

That's my hotty with the hot ride!

The best part?

"Wait til I drive up to Bishopric meeting in this!.."

Too funny...

Perfecting our Picture Taking and "Cheese"

2011-11-12T14:14:00.001-06:00

Jayden has been loving the camera lately, whether it be to actually smile for the camera of to take of a picture of his own. I love his little cheesy smile!

Some "Cheese"

Our Thankful Tree (It's a work in progress)

Pizza and movie. What more is there?!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

Photos by Jayden that aren't just fingers! :)

Why is he growing up so fast?!

We're surviving

2011-11-04T16:12:00.001-05:00

So with Grandma and Grandpa gone we had to get back to real life. I think I had the song "Back to Reality" stuck in my head all Monday as I was at work. Yuck! (Problem is, I only know like the one phrase...Try that for a 12 hr shift.) So Jayden and I have been trying to cope with just us again. He was quite the little monster on Tuesday and Wednesday but we seem to have found our groove again. So excited for Christmas with more family and our Baby! (Only 8 more weeks, but who's counting?!)

Killing some time at Target :

"Take picture me!"

31 weeks! Did I mention only 8 more?! (Yes that's only 39 weeks and that's when my C-section is scheduled!)

And I'm totally stoked for Christmas. I think Dallin is already tired of me bouncing endless ideas off of him about Christmas gifts, decorations, festivities, etc. Oh well. I just want to be really prepared so that when it comes all I have to do is sit back and be blissfully pregnant (what an oxymoron. Ha!)

So I started with this guy for my brother that's on a mission. As Dallin already pointed out what is a missionary supposed to do with an ornament? He can get a good laugh out of it and throw it away for all I care, just as long he gets a laugh. :) The best part? It smells like bacon. Well liquid smoke, but cool all the same! From here

Bacon!

Where have we been?

2011-10-30T16:20:00.004-05:00

Partying of course! My parents came for an entire week and we had a blast! Below are the pictures I just happened to remember to take!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T16:15:00.002-05:00

Ward trunk-or-treat. Jayden was a way too cute monster (quite fitting, I know). Dallin and I were eyeballs and my parents were "Monster Jayden's Grandma/Grandpa." Too fun!

Odd and Ends

2011-10-30T16:14:00.000-05:00

So we sat down Sunday and made a list of all the things we wanted to do. Much of it was eat at certain places (and I won't tell you how much weight I gained...ahem), but of course we had other items on the list as well. I think we accomplished everything but going to Sea World and a pumpkin patch. Unfortunately the days that were planned for these were a little cooler than we all wanted to be out in. Call us pansies, but the Idahoans were the ones that were the most cold. Mom wanted me to turn on the heater! Haha!

Unfortunately it takes practically a slap upside of the head for me to remember to take a picture of anything so this is what we got.

Grandma treated Jayden to the train at Walmart and he loved. What else are Grandmas for?

Jayden has been in need of some new tennis shoes since the cooler weather is now upon us and we can't live in sandals. Haha! We made quite the little shoe shopper out of his. Now don't tell Dallin, but I think his favorites were the sparkling red Dorothy shoes. We also tried on some boy cowboy boots and he had the swagger to go with them. Hilarious!

One to the food that was a must-try for my dad on this trip was Lulu's Cinnamon Rolls. He wanted to get at least two but thankfully the waitress convinced him we only needed one. It took us days to finish it.

What's left after attempt number one!

What a blast!

(For my record keeping sake) We ate at Olive Garden, Cici's Pizza, Chick-fil-a (the lemonade, sigh...), Logan's, Lulu's, and Chuy's. Yum! And we went to the Zoo (see below), Dallin and Dad went shooting and to the air show (Dallin will have to post and tell about that adventure), walked the Riverwalk at night, took Jayden to the doctor for croup (again! No ER this time at least...), fixed the hole it our siding the possum-squirrel-raccoon-vermin made last Christmas time (pictures coming), and accomplished tons and tons of shopping!

Party Animals

2011-10-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

We haven't taken Jayden to the zoo since last time my mom was here. Jayden is the age where he can appreciate it a little more--still, most of the time, he would take one glance, say what it was, and keep on walking. Did make for a quicker trip though. :)

Oh and why is it during those "special" occasions where you really want to remember the camera, you never do?! Thank heavens for phones that take semi-decent pictures.

To prove they were there. Haha!

The large and in charge butterfly!

I wanted a nice smiling one with the elephant. Neither guy got the memo.

Good hug.

Camping

2011-10-18T09:30:00.003-05:00

Jayden and Dallin went on their first campout this weekend with the Stake Father/Son campout. I wanted Dallin to make this post as to explain the pictures but poor guy is just too busy as of late so here's the pictures and my sad attempt to add some narration.

This is the sign with Jayden's dark form standing in front. Paradise Canyon.

Camp site:

My cute sleeping boy. Dallin said they tried to go to bed around 10pm and Jayden was doing laps around the little tent. He didn't know how to unzip the tent so after an hour Dallin said he fell asleep and sometime after Jayden collapsed into bed. Dallin said he had to wake Jayden up that morning so they didn't miss breakfast.

Tired boy

And what's camping without a shot of the "man-truck" and gear?

There's a river/stream than runs through the canyon so the guys decided to take a dip on their way home. Dallin said Jayden loved it. Dallin had to rein him in as Jayden was ready to keep walking up the river with bare feet I might add. Definitely a Texas boy with tough feet!

Dallin said it was a great time and was really happy they went. We were all exhausted when they got home but that's a good sign of some great fun right?!

While The Boys Are Away The Girl...

2011-10-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

...Plays!

I was, of course, sad to be left all alone for a night but also very excited to have time all to myself to do what I wanted. (because let's face it, when you have a two year old this seldom happens). Selfish, I know, but so awesome. I brought my sewing machine and crafting supplies to the living room and watched a major marathon of Law and Order on the TV. (Jayden's shows usually go on the TV). At 3am I could not craft any longer and fell into bed to listen to all the "spooky" sounds my house makes at such a ridiculous hour of the night/morning.

Disclaimer: I think it's pregnancy nesting that is causing this need to be creative. As exhilarating as it is, this is so not like me and this post is to document for my family and posterity what hormones can do to a crazy woman! Haha!

My Halloween wreath.

Who knew that toothpicks, spray paint, and glue-gun-strings could be so fun?!

From here

My mummy army:

These guys were too much fun to make. Obviously these took a little longer than the night of freedom, but they were a great project to do while watching Elmo.

From here

The Ghost:

This guy was a little more difficult than I thought. But after a lot of trial and error with store-bought starch and my own corn starch mixture finally got him to work.

From here

Too much fun!

The baby blanket:

This was an awesome project and turned out better than I thought. So excited to try this out with the real baby! Special thanks to Pooh Bear for being a great model! :)

From here

Random Photos of the Week

2011-10-16T15:32:00.001-05:00

Random pics from this week that I thought were fun!

We had a little party with friends last Sunday for Dallin's birthday. Jayden, of course, was ready for that cake!

Blowing the cake

Watching TV:

These two are so alike some times. Love laying on the floor

He "sits" like this quite often. Funny thing is my brother "sits" like this a lot too.

And why is it when your are trying to be productive, one of your "children" have to be right in the middle of it?!

Definitely not timid anymore...

The Busting Out of House Arrest

2011-10-08T22:43:00.002-05:00

That's right! We gave ourselves some freedom this week and it was fabulous!

We did stay in Monday-Wednesday, which was not as fabulous, and then off we went. On Tuesday we tried our hand at potty training. Now, it must be understood this was not just a half-hearted attempt. I was fully invested on making this work, trying to keep my cool, and cleaning up as many messes as it took for Jayden to get the gist. Evidently Jayden didn't get the memo. I cleaned up accident after accident, which was ok. I washed many loads of laundry, which was ok. I sang a lot of songs in the bathroom trying to get him to relax and be on the toilet, which was ok. What was not ok was every time it was time to go (every hour-ish), he would have a tantrum. We're not just saying a polite no or ignoring of me, but an all out throw-yourself-to-the-floor, grab-on-to-door-frames tantrum. By Wednesday afternoon of doing this and then proceeding to drag him to the bathroom most of the day, we were both crying and and screaming at each other in our small little half bath. At this moment I realized potty training should not be like this. So we threw in the towel. And we all have been much happier and less emotional. Oh well. We'll given it another shot in a month or so. It's not like this was our first try and obviously wasn't the last...

(Sorry all the pics are from my phone...)


But he sure looks darn cute in the underwear

I've been sewing too. This project finally got finished. And even though it needs a little tweaking, I'm very pleased.

And here I am at 27 weeks!

Today we ran some errands (anything to be out of the house lately)

Got a fire hat at the sub shop at lunch


And it should be noted, that he would only let me take a picture if I sent one to GG!

Then, per Jayden's request, we drove to the temple and walked around. I love that he loves to go to the temple, even though to his disappointment, he never gets to "go in doors"

(Side note: He never wants to look at the camera or pose, so that's why it's a bunch of views of the back of his head. Also we are/were getting some rain!)

House Arrest

2011-10-03T16:49:00.003-05:00

Let me just preface this post with "If your child is sick, don't take them to Nursery."

There. I got it off my chest.

We got the plague... That's right Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. I must admit, I was in denial from the onset of symptoms (even though I had received an email about possible exposure on Sunday in Nursery) but when he broke out in tiny red bumps Tuesday night, I know I could be in denial no longer. I cancelled all our plans for the week and placed us under house arrest. Have you ever tried to keep a very active two year old home intentionally? It's like he just knew. We did some crazy fun things (new puzzles, backyard playing-sandbox, ball throwing, etc) but by Friday morning I was ready to go crazy!(Oh and the backyard thing was a great idea except for the throngs of mosquitoes that have appeared since getting some rain, which I think added more red bites than the actual "disease" did) Thankfully Dallin was able to come home early on Friday and we escaped to a park for a secluded dinner and walk. No contact with people.

Conference weekend also worked out well as we were staying home anyway. And now it's Monday. There's differing articles on how long this stuff is contagiuos so I am home from work for continued house arrest. Thursday... just have to make it to then for it to be one week since symptoms stopped. Thankfully through this whole thing all he got were the few spots of an itchy red rash. No mouth, hand, or foot ulcers. Looking for the postive? Man I'm trying...

More "fun and crazy" things we did

Building an awesome track for Thomas

Playing in Boxes

Eating corn on the cob (I really just had to add this picture because that empty cob is all him. He loves it and will eat the enitre thing!)

Dialogue for the picture went:

Me: "Smile!"

Jayden: "I no smile. I eat corn"

I've got a few more games up my sleeve and we're already confined to the house so why not try our hand at potty training?! Haha! We'll see how that goes...

**Disclaimer: I'm hoping the original infectious child's parents had no idea that the child had this "disease" and was kind enough to report it so I knew what was going on, because let's face it, even as parents we are a little clueless at times.

A Day Out with Thomas

2011-09-25T15:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we spent a Day Out with Thomas. We stumbled upon this looking up possible train rides we could take in the area and knew that Jayden would love it.

There were many activities set up in this little area by the chamber of commerce in Burnett, TX. Temporary tattoos, coloring, playing with Thomas toys, food, balloon animals, the works. The main attraction (the paid part) was a ride on the train that Thomas was "pulling." It was about 20 min and Thomas was "teaching" a Diesel engine how to pull a train. So this Diesel pulled us a certain amount and Thomas "pulled" us back (In reality, Thomas I think was just another car that was hooked up and the one engine pulled us back and forth, but ya know :) Jayden was very entertained by riding in the train and the rest of the day he told us that he got to talk to Thomas.

Our temporary tatoo

Watching Thomas pull the train in

Getting on the train

Inside with the conductor

Ready to go! (Sorry, I realized after this was taken I hadn't put any make up on that day... Scary, I know)

Too bad it's dark, but that smile is priceless

Loved the ride!

Maybe this is when he "talked" with Thomas

The saddest part was Jayden got a ballon dog made and he was so excited simply to just have a balloon. Well if you know Jayden at all, especially at this current stage, everything is "MINE." That of course meant the balloon and he is not the most careful with things and it got popped while he was climbing up some steps to take these pictures. He just sat there and cried. I admit it, I laughed but it was really sad.

With the exception of the balloon incident, it was a perfect (although hot...) day with Thomas.

And my husband, being the kind man that he is, let me take a nap after we got home and took pictures of it. He made me swear if I posted about Thomas that I would include these. Just remember, I am not a beautiful sleeper...

Last day of swimming

2011-09-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

We have swam in our neighborhood pool all summer. It has been F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. Jayden is not afraid of anything so we found this amazing life jacket/water wings that makes him buoyant enough to float without any help. This helped solve the problem of the "I swim" need. I thought since the pool closes after this weekend that I better get a few pictures. The sad part was the water has been so warm all summer, but I guess with the cooler nights (high 60s instead of high 70s...I know laughable) the pool has been cooling down too. I was freezing! But Jayden and Dallin had a good time.

Threw him so high I missed it...

There we go!

And a video for your viewing enjoyment

I guess this means summer is officially over. Does someone want to let Mother Nature know? She seems to have forgotten us (loving 100 degrees today...)

Say cheese!

2011-09-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Jayden's in this phase lately that he wants to have his picture taken. Most of the time he'll actaully give me a smile and/or a pose to go with it, albeit so quick that I usually miss it with the camera. Oh well. He sure is cute!

Playing with the kitty. Don't worry. No cats were harmed in the making of this film. :)

The upgrade

2011-09-09T16:16:00.000-05:00

Remember this upgrade from a few months ago?

Well we decided to go all the way this week to this:

Pretending to sleep...

That's right the grown-up twin bed. We knew that we were going to anyway once the baby is big enough for the crib but it was such a hassle with the toddler bed while he was sick and this pregnant lady was not loving sleeping on the floor next to his bed or having him sleep horizontally in our bed. Besides we already had the bed (it was mine as a kid).

He did really good the first night once we got him unstuck from the crack between the mattress and the bed frame. I was really glad I decided to look in on him (via the camera)! He never even yelled out or anything and was pretty much sleeping standing up wedged in there. I walked in the room and he mumbled "I stuck." Sometimes I wonder about him.

My sad depiction of what he was like

Since then he has done fabulous (that and we shoved a good amount of blankets down the space) and I think he might even be sleeping better but I'm also coming off a week of him not sleeping well at all...

His favorite part? The Mario sheets. Who know a two year old would be so in love with that Nintendo man?

Wouldn't look at the camera to save my life, but you see the sheets :)

Could it be Fall?

2011-09-09T16:15:00.000-05:00

The temps have been below one hundred and I've actually opened the windows a couple of times in the morning so I decided that it's trying to be Fall and I wanted to decorate! Haha!

Me and wreaths...

I even got out a Fall Scentsy smell. (I know I'm a dork) Now it smells like Fall too!

Me and my 23 week glory

And one of Jayden for good measure!

Here's to continued cooler weather, no more fires, and some rain!

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-05T22:48:00.000-05:00

After such an eventful week we decided to lay low for our three day weekend. ,and the fact that after having taken care of Jayden for so many days, stressing about his well being, and not sleeping at night, Dallin and I got the nasty little cold too. Fabulous.

After spending as much time sleeping and sleeping Saturday and Sunday, today we got down to some business and labored. Haha. Well I slept and the guys went to Home Depot. We were wanting to try a fall garden since the summer ones are just not working out for us. (Third year in a row it's been eaten up by the bugs and burnt to a crisp...) We spent a fabulous cool morning planting in the garden. Let's see if we actually get anything. Jayden had a great time getting sprayed by the water but he got (Are you ready for this?) cold so he had to dry off. (It was a fabulous 80-something degrees, temps we've only been seeing after we go to bed).

Making room for the new stuff! (The large plants already there are the peppers. Can't seem to kill those! Haha!)

Watering our very dead lawn

Watering our very active child!

We ran some errands after nap time and ended our evening with dinner on the back porch. It was that nice!

Love it! Could fall actually be here?! Yeah right, I know, but one can dream.

Rough week

2011-09-01T14:57:00.002-05:00

We've had a rough couple of days. Jayden decided to come down with a pretty awful cold, that ended becoming croup. So at 3am one morning he got to fashion a gown.

That's right! His first (and hopefully last) ER visit. He thought it was a great adventure. Dallin and I discovered that recliners and stretchers were not meant for restful sleep, but what do ya do when you child stops breathing and turns blue? (Don't worry, he was instantly healed as soon as we got there.)

Then I don't know if it was the stress of it all or just Jayden's bowels being Jayden's bowels, but we started into the diarrhea. On top of the cold (which was only one day of croup, what is with kids?!) we all have had some pretty rough nights. The cold I can handle. And I can handle diarrhea. C'mon he's much smaller than a lot of bums I wipe. But what I can't stand is the diaper rash that inevitably comes with such a great case of the runs. And even that is manageable. It's the screaming as I try and wash away all tracing of the poop from one red swollen bottom...again and again and again... that's getting to me. I feel like his changing table has become a torture device. Poor kid. Hopefully we're on the mend though. Dallin said we are going to the store tonight and buying any and everything no matter the cost so we can fix this. Our poor sanity and sleep depend on it. In the meantime the raw bottom man is watching a lot of TV and playing a lot of Xoom. I hope I'm not digging myself into a worse problem to deal with when all this is over.

Hanging out in our "chonies" (pronounced cho-nees; I don't know, ask Dallin) trying to air out the "goods"

On a happier note these are some pictures from my phone of a happier week last week.

We bought this at IKEA a couple of weekends ago and Jayden loves it. He keeps telling me "I need more cars."

This is his new acrobatic trick. He loves to shimmy across the ledge and unlock all the windows. Haha!

Here's to a better Labor Day weekend. Just praying for some rain!

Our little Annie

2011-08-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

You may have to turn it all the way up to hear it but so funny!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-08-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

So it all started with a DIY wreath I've been wanting to try. (Well technically it start 25yrs or so ago when I was actually born but that's besides the point). It's a balloon wreath meant kinda to hang out for birthdays. I thought that my birthday was coming up so why not? I was pretty pleased with the results.

Yes there are a very random hot pink ones at the top. I ran out of balloons so I went back to the same store (different location though) bought the same balloons with the same brand and same package and lo and behold some of the colors were slightly different. Go figure.

We got a babysitter for the evening and went out on a real date! Dinner and a movie. Loved it and got to see Harry Potter in the theaters!

Me getting ready for said hot date and trying to take 19 week pictures.

Have you ever tried to take a picture of yourself in the mirror? Not as easy as it looks. Most turned out like this

Friday after Dallin got off work we headed to the beach! Dallin said it was all part of my fun-filled birthday weekend! :)

Don't talk to me Mom I'm reading

Jayden loving Dallin's hat.

Jayden loved the hotel room just like last time. (Especially the extra big shower that echoed. The acoustics for itsy-bitsy spider were great at 10:00 at night. I'm sure those around us thought the same...) This hotel didn't have the two bed thing so we had get a roll away bed. I think Dallin slept in it just as much as Jayden. Jayden just was not feeling like sleeping that night...

He did love the window which conveniently had the A/C below making it the perfect "ladder" to climb into the window sill... And he loved that he could see our truck.

We made it to the beach! I tend to forget everything in Texas is different than I'm used to and that includes the beach in the summer. It was HOT. Fun. Jayden has no fear of anything so we kept a close eye on him for sure. That kid know how to hold his breath for sure. Never a sputter!

Pure joy!

The biggest bummer of it all was since it's been SO dry the sand was extremely soft. Last March when we went to beach we drove right on to it. Dallin was so excited to do it again. Well after getting stuck twice we decided this was not the trip for that. Next time. Pray for rain!

Today, continuing with the fun filled weekend, we had stake conference which meant NO MEETINGS for Dallin. I don't know who was more excited, me or Jayden. Jayden was so excited when he figured out Dallin was coming home with us.

I had to throw this in. I was hoping we would have success on the toilet as a great birthday present to me. No such luck...Lots of good reading time though.

Tonight we did the cake and ice cream thing. Just us and it was perfect. I've been craving strawberry cake ever since some friends had a pink colored cake to announce the gender of their baby. Yum!

Cake decorating is just not one of my talents...

Jayden was SO excited to "blow the cake". So cute!

Digging in!

And the Gorgeous flowers my wonderful husband got me.

Needless to day it was a great fun-filled birthday weekend!

It's a....

2011-08-11T15:06:00.001-05:00

So are you all dying in suspense? Well everything looks good. Kidneys, brain, cute nose, nice huge eye sockets (have you ever thought that an ultrasound of a baby looks something like out of an Alien movie? Maybe it's just me...), and it's a boy. Did you get that? A boy. Need it again?

A boy! A boy! A boy! (I'm a little excited, that and I just figured out this sizing font thing...cool!)

The ultrasound pictures that we got turned out a little less than perfect. I think he is related to his father and decided enough was enough with the pictures when it finally came down to taking ones for us and not the doctor. That and he was a little reluctant to show us what was needed to see in terms of genders so he (and I) got the work over. Just know that he's there though. We are very excited for him and things to come. Here's to our New Year's baby!

And of course a post is a post without a picture of Jayden so enjoy!

He's actually very pleased with himself in the picture.

Boy or Girl?

2011-08-08T09:01:00.002-05:00

Wednesday is the big day we find out the gender of this baby and I'm SO SO SO excited!! Dallin said we needed to post a poll, so I'm setting one up on the side. Feel free to leave a comment too/instead about what you think it is! Yay!

Adventures of Shopping with a Two Year Old

2011-08-04T16:08:00.000-05:00

So my intention of this post was to make it one of those "in the day of the life of us" sort of things but I realized last night as I was going to bed, I'm really bad at remembering to take pictures all day. So instead you get just our shopping adventure pictures. Haha.

Before it all got started I noticed a "friend" in the shower with me that morning. Fabulous. As long as it eats bugs and stays out of my way, whatever. Dallin says he's seen it a few time in our bathroom and I saw it later that night in a different bathroom. Maybe it needs a name or I should introduce it to our lizard eating cat...

Us at the temple.

I've decided everyone in San Antonio must be pregnant because on Saturday the distribution center was wiped out of almost all maternity tops and yesterday when we went (they said they were getting a shipment in on Tuesday) they were out of my size and one other. Oh alas. Jayden had a fabulous time though. He loves pointing out temples lately and forcefully informed me that we were going to "walk inside temple" during this visit. Sorry kiddo. Give it a decade or so. I loved sitting outside and taking pictures even though he was too busy to look at me...

Date to Chik-fil-a.

I still had a few more stores to go to and it was lunch time so why not play on the toys and drink AMAZING lemonade? Jayden likes their chicken nuggets too but once he sees those toys there's no stopping him. He ate in the car after we finished. I didn't want to seem like some crazy stalker woman taking pictures of a bunch of kids in the play area so instead you get the pregnancy-craving version of our trip. Lemonade (Did you know that you can order it in gallons?! Never have but always tempted. Especially when going through the drive-thru) and ketchup. Yes I crave ketchup. And these ketchups at Chik-fil-a are awesome! And huge!

Shopping

This is where the pictures are few. This one is actually as we are finishing at our last store and I said "smile" and Jayden said "I don't wanna. Too hot."

Naptime.

It seems like many a shopping trip ends this way. Fine by me except for this time I drank a few too many gallons of lemonade and had a really hard time carrying him upstairs first...

Our adventures. Don't worry the rest of the day after naptime was filled with cleaning, dinner making, dish doing, and meetings for our dad. Had a fabulous day!

Monday

2011-07-25T22:17:00.001-05:00

Today was one of those weird days. It was supposed to be a work day. My first day back to work for over a month...(that's what happens when you go on vacation for two weeks and then a few days after you come back your babysitter leaves for a month). If you know me well you know I was stressing. A WHOLE month had gone by. I had started dreaming about IVs, medications, schizophrenic patients, and my co-workers for days prior (throw in the pregnancy dreaming part of it and you get some very off-the-wall dreams.) I got my bag ready, the scrubs were clean,...I was ready. And truly I really was ready mentally too. Jayden and I have had a few troubled days I was hoping for a day to get away so I could come back to appreciate my little monster more.

The night before I work I always sleep poorly. You would think that after 4 years of doing this I would be over it. No such luck. Usually my dreams are riddled with some combination of missing my alarm or counting down to some fantasy event. Again throw in the growing pregnancy discomfort (I'm a stomach sleeper...) and by 4:20am I was awake. I had an hour and half more to sleep. So I tossed and I turned. FINALLY drifted off probably about 4:50am. Ahh. Then at 4:58am (I just happen to notice the time) my phone rings. This is not uncommon either. It was work saying I was on-call. This means at any time during day they can call and say they need me to come in but until that comes just stay close to the phone. Great news and bummer news. Problem with this is do I send Jayden to the babysitter wondering if I'll get call and yet still pay the money or not and risk a babysitter unable to wait around or inconveniencing said person with this on-edge day? (remember the usual lady is gone so someone is already doing me a favor) I asked the nurse that called what she thought. She said all that was needed was one more admission and I would be called in. Practically a given to be called at some point. So we opted to take Jayden to the sitter. By now it's 5:00am. The best part? I've had them call at 5:45am before, just as I've drifted back to a somewhat normal sleep, only to say they need me...My alarm usually goes off at 6am. Fabulous.

So my heart raced and I checked the clock/phone every 5min for about an hour waiting for the phone call which didn't come. Dallin left with Jayden and I stumbled out of bed at 8am because I was not sleeping, just waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

It was a strange morning. No Elmo, no pleads for Dora, no little boy interrupting my shower, no tantrums, just quiet. By 10am I was texting Dallin that I was going crazy. Now remember the entire time I was checking my phone, dragging it around with me to every room just waiting for the inevitable call.(I'm one that usually leaves it somewhere it the house and checks it every so often. So if I've ever missed your call, that's why)

I will spare you the additional details of boredom. I went and picked Jayden up as soon as he got up from his nap because I seriously could not take any more "me" time. Back were the tantrums, the pleads for Dora, the banging on the piano keys...All just as frustrating as usual but I had missed them. I was so happy to see him it wasn't even funny.

So guess the whole reason of writing this down is to point out to myself how boring my life is without my little boy. I could never go back to "before." I've had many days lately that all I want is one day just to be at home doing the things I want to do without having the bother of my child. I had that day. It was not at all what it was cracked up to be. So tomorrow when the morning comes a little earlier than I want, the"No, I want to" begins, and I can't seem to even go to the bathroom in peace, I want to remember how much I enjoy my little crazy two year old...

Enjoying "watch Mario" with Mario

Oh the mighty traveler

2011-07-08T14:40:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to share what we've been up to the last few weeks in Idaho. Just in case you don't get it from the pictures below, it...was...fabulous! Did you know that tempatures below 75 actually exist in the summer time?! It seems like I had totally forgotten. I even wore (wait for it....) LONG PANTS! Besides the fabulous weather we also were able to lounge in the beautiful grass, eat at Wingers(and Garibaldi's and Sizzlers and...what can I say? Pregnancy cravings!), tour BYU-I campus and all the changes (insane!) and of course shopping with my mom! And that's just some of the stuff I didn't take pictures of. Here a little of what I did take pictures of. It was fabulous but we both were so happy to come home to our husband/dada and beds.

Shoshone Falls.
They had a great snow fall this year and the water was awesome!

Only picture I took there with people. At least we know Jayden was there!

Playing "wetters" with "Gam-pa"
Jayden loves letters!

Playing in the pool.
We actually went to a real swimming pool and Jayden had a blast sliding over and over on the kiddy slide. We had to leave when he decided he needed to upgrade to the diving board. (And that was after he got kicked of the slide for being too reckless. No fear...)

Saying goodbye to Uncle Lance.
Lance is serving the Acardia California Mission.

Shooting fireworks with Gampa

Sitting with Uncle Matthew at the Idaho Falls 4th of July parade, waiting for Aunt Shelby.

THERE SHE IS! "I COMING SHELBY!"
Jayden was very disgusted we wouldn't let him follow Shelby's float down the road. I was very glad her float was near the end because he lost interest after that...

Picking snow peas.
I can't get him to eat a green veggie to save my life but if Gampa picked him one he would eat it and ask for more.

New Look and Feel

2011-07-05T23:34:00.005-05:00

Recently our blog has been sporting a new look and feel. Over the next few months our family will be too! See if you can spot the difference. (if you give up, some have already posted comments noticing the change on a previous post). The transformation will be complete Jan 4th.

Family

2011-07-05T12:46:00.006-05:00

Jayden and I are in Twin Falls right now visiting my family. We go home tomorrow and while it's bittersweet, we have had a fabulous time. The reason we came in the first place is my youngest brother left on a mission. (Can I really be that old?!) With the family together one last time my mom of course insisted on having the mandatory family pictures. I think they turned out fabulous and wanted to share. Dallin was able to be here before Lance left but had to leave in order to make the "bread and butter." Thanks dear!

The family

The parents with a grumpy looking Jayden (he really was happy)

Me and my bros (yes they really are that much taller than me...)

Our family with Jayden and his infamous folding arms pose

Say Chocolate!

2011-06-16T15:20:00.004-05:00

Jayden lovin' a cupcake.

Talents

2011-06-07T22:47:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago in Sunday School we had a lesson on talents that got me thinking... What underdeveloped (or non-existent) talent do I have that I can work on?

After some thought I finally stumbled upon the talent that I can improve: Cooking!

Cindy is enjoying a welcome break on some nights and I am enjoying expanding my culinary creativity with a few exciting twists. Since I'm a daring dude with a penchant for penny-squeezing, I determined to do a lot of grilling (it doesn't heat up the house and it gives me an excuse to brave the heat and be outside in the back yard with Jayden). Be warned, you're about to witness things you wouldn't normally see on a South Texas BBQ (or probably anywhere else for that matter).

BBQ Pigs in a Blanket

Papa Murphy's Pizza on the BBQ

For the pizza, I loosely followed the grilling instructions from Papa Murphy's. The Pigs I tried first and I just made it up as I went. Both turned out great!

What's next? Well you'll have to wait and see. I'll give you a fair warning though... Baking on the grill reminds me a lot of baking with the gas ovens during my mission to Brazil. It took some practice and guesswork (I didn't have a temperature gage then) but I was able to turn out several exquisite edibles from back in those days, some of which I hope to recreate on the grill just for the challenge of doing it. (former companions no giving away any hints either).

My helper doing his best to help (notice his apron?)
Wish we had gotten a better shot of it, it has a bug on it.

On another note (pun intended), Cindy was called to be the Primary pianist this week and has filled our house with the magical music of the Children's Hymns.

Wilcox Spontaneity

2011-05-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

We decided to take a quick trip to Houston to see the Johnson Space Center. Did you know that Houston is only 3 1/2 hours away?! Great fun!

We got a hotel for Friday night and drove up as soon as Dallin got off work. The hotel we stayed at had two beds so Jayden slept in one of them. We brought the pack-n-play just in case but he did great. Just talked to us/himself in the dark for a little while and then fell asleep. Even slept until 9:30a! (Could be that it was midnight when we finally shut off the lights...)

We headed off the the Johnson Space Center after breakfast. I was really fun actually and for the price I felt it really couldn't be better (of course I had coupons! :)

Astronaut training area:

Shuttle Replica:

I didn't know that the middle and majority of the shuttle is actually cargo space.

The little weird guy helps the crew on their space walks. It can be out while the crew is getting their space suits on. All remotely controlled by a guy the acts out the work and the machine mimics it. Cool! (I hope that made sense)

Rocket Engines

Saturn V building

The Saturn V

In the hole where the Apollos went. It's my understanding that the Saturn would break away (Dallin correct me if I'm wrong...)

Astronaut Wilcox's!

Jayden dubbed this a tractor

Blast Off!

Dallin landing the shuttle with Jayden as his co-pilot


Landing on the International Space Center

Moon rock

Touching a piece of the Moon

Breakfast

2011-05-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

We got Jayden's breakfast all ready on Sunday and he comes walking out of the kitchen eating an "apple." Guess I left the tomatoes too close to the edge of the counter. That's my boy!

What was left that morning. He finished it at lunch.

Hot Date

2011-05-19T14:38:00.001-05:00

This is what Dallin said this counted as :)

Many moons ago... when I graduated from nursing school. Josh Groban was coming to Salt Lake City. My nursing friends/roommates and I were major fans and kept talking about going and how many hours(when we eventually got the amazing nursing job) we would have to work to buy a ticket. I remember being so excited about the prospect of going to this concert. Well as life usually happens we got busy and never made it to the concert.

Fast forward four years. Josh Groban is coming to San Antonio! And I'm here! Dallin was so good in humoring me and letting me buy tickets that were of course way over priced but c'mon it's Josh Groban! And he did not disappoint. Granted, I did not get the same thrilling feeling as I did with Michael Buble but I keep having to remind myself they are two completely different artists. He sang every song that I wanted him to. Even Broken Vow (which I know the whole idea of the song is really sad but have you heard it?! Ahhh). It was a fabulous night with my hubby and another thing/concert to check off the list. Yay!

Jayden does his chores

2011-05-16T22:02:00.001-05:00

Life with a two year old is simply a daily learning experience. He is learning, we are learning (hopefully patience as well as other practical parenting skills). Lately Jayden has been insistent on helping around the house. Of course, desiring to be good parents we were thrilled to encourage him in that endeavor. The problem comes when he insists on "no help".

It's fascinating to watch how concerned he is with certain things, for example, he always closely monitors the cat's food and makes sure to keep it filled if it even threatens to get below a quarter full. Of course you can see the results of the "no help" injunction:

Anyone know how to teach a two year old how to pour cat food?

Other chores he has participated in: doing the dishes and (on those rare occasions despite much reluctance) cleaning up his toys. Any other ideas on chores that might be within his capabilities?

Spelling

2011-05-16T20:47:00.002-05:00

Jayden loves to point out letters and say their name. We are trying to work on words like S-T-O-P "stop." This is what we got last night.

Jayden: "J...A...Y...D...E...N"

Dallin: "What does that spell?"

Jayden: "Costco!"

Guess we know where Jayden likes to shop! :)

Here's a re-enactment with him saying "Jayden" at the end:

The other day when we were actually at Costco, he wouldn't let us leave until he had led (or more accurately dragged) us over to the "beirberries" (strawberries) and put some in our cart, this guy could rival his uncle Brady in strawberry fanaticism.

Happy Mother's(and Father's) Day

2011-05-08T12:39:00.001-05:00

We are having a great Mother's Day! Just want to show off what my amazing husband got for me for Mother's Day.

He says it will be perfect for all those days Jayden wants to be outside and I don't. I can just sit in my beautiful rocking chair!

On another note, Dallin wanted this too and figured since Father's Day is close this is what he is getting. We've had some dang good smoothies and milkshakes...I'm never going to lose that vacation weight!

Happy Mother's to all the wonderful mothers I know especially my own!

The Hawaii photos...Be warned

2011-05-07T00:06:00.000-05:00

Our arrival

View to the ocean from our hotel balcony. 15th floor!

View away from the ocean from our balcony

Looking out from Waikiki

Diamond Head

So below lies only some of the pictures that we took on our vacation to Hawaii. I really wondered how to arrange them all without having picture overload, but then I realized "Hey this is my blog. I can have picture overload if I want." This may sound a little self centered and it probably is but I just couldn't resist all these pictures.

I did try to arrange them with a "Good, Bad, and The Ugly" theme. Although everything seemed to fit in the good catagory so instead we have the "Awesome, Good, and The Not So Much" catagories. Now in order to be awesome it had to be really awesome so that's why most are in the "Good." Truth be told we had a fabulous time. Now if I could only figure out what time zone I'm in...

Awesome

2011-05-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

Dallin's sister is going to BYU-Hawaii so we were able to spend a day with her. She showed us the sights (and eats) on her side of the island.

Eating Acai bowls. I think this was Dallin and I's favorite meal/snack of the entire trips

The temple

Waimea beach

My hotty

Sunset at Sunset beach

Eating amazing Ted's Bakery chocolate haupia pie

Awesome day!

2011-05-07T00:05:00.001-05:00

Our last day in Hawaii we went para-sailing. This was Dallin's one requested activity and we all agreed it is something we have to do again!

Us before

My parents on their way up

Us on our way up

Skimming the water...

In the water...

Good

2011-05-07T00:05:00.000-05:00

On the island of Oahu is the Polynesian Cultural Center. There the different islands of Polynesia are represented and they have little presentations about their cultures, dancing, singing, food, etc. It really neat and the "actors" are students from BYU-Hawaii from the respective countries.

Samoan making fire

Dallin making fire. (He actually got it too)

Cindy doing a Tahitian dance

Dallin doing the Tahitian dance

2011-05-07T00:04:00.003-05:00

We were able to tour the USS Missouri, the battleship where the paper to end WWII was signed by Japan. It was really interesting, though both Dallin and I agree the USS Lexington had more to explore. It seemed like there was a lot more to the ship than was allowed to be seen. Many places did seem to be under restoration so maybe another time?

If you look right in front you can see the Pearl Harbor Memorial

This is like the only picture I took of the actual Memorial. Good going there Cindy...

Oil in the water from the leaking USS Arizona

View of the Missouri from the Memorial

For full story of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona go here

2011-05-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

Shopping and snorkeling!

The SWAP meet is a big flea market around the Aloha Stadium (where the Pro Bowl is held). We made around whole way too. It was fabulous.

This shows how much my dad enjoyed the shopping :)

We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It was really neat. Unfortunately I was blonde and left my cell phone in my pocket while I was in the water. And Dallin lost a Ziploc bag with some cash. This was an expensive adventure that was for sure. Oh a happy note my phone is back to life...at least for now.

Not pictures we took but it looked just like this.

Not so much

2011-05-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

Sunset Dinner Cruise

Sounds like it has great potential right? So did we. We booked it the night of our actual anniversary. I think we imagined something like this:

Not quite...

This was the boat.

Should have been a hint right there.

Dallin's not quite sure about this...

This was our view of the sunset...

And if you wanted to sit near the window? $12 more a person.

Now this is romantic:

At least we were together right?

We had an ok time once we escaped the crowd to one of the upper decks. Here's to many more years to come...minus more dinner cruises.

Speed Demon

2011-05-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Remember how we discovered that Jayden is a speed demon a few weeks ago?

Once we got to California, we had to dust off the old go kart and give it a go. Jayden loved it.

Joy and Dad and I each took it for a spin.

Of course this was the updated model that Cameron and his buddies tricked out when they were in high school, not exactly the same one that I used to ride on when I was younger (that was two different frames and engines back, maybe my dad can dig up a photo somewhere). Using two different GPS devices Cameron's buddy Shawn and I both clocked it at just over 40mph (don't worry, Jayden was definitely not along for the ride when we were going that fast).

Thanks Shawn for getting it running again!

Phew!

2011-05-05T22:26:00.000-05:00

We just got back yesterday from a 12 day vacation! Holy Moses! We spent a few days in California with Dallin's family then Dallin and I went to Hawaii for a week with my parents while Jayden stayed behind to party with GG, Pop-pop, Co-lette, and Joy-Joy (Dallin's parents and sisters) I really don't know who had more fun! I am feeling very overwhelmed with pictures but here are the adventures in California with and without us :)

First stop:

2011-05-05T22:19:00.004-05:00

We stopped at the Sacramento Temple on our way to Dallin's parents house for an endowment session. Fabulous! It reminded me so much of the San Antonio Temple on the inside. Dallin's sisters watched Jayden and he, of course, had a blast!

Followed by a great dinner at Chili's

Mmm! Lemon

Easter

2011-05-05T22:16:00.000-05:00

We were so excited to spend Easter with family. We all dressed up in our Easter outfits and took pictures.

Us with Grandma and Grandpa Follett

The Saturday before we set up an Easter egg hunt. Jayden and Pop-pop had a great time!

The Easter basket. Jayden was so excited with the truck on top that he didn't even care about the rest for the entire day.

Jayden: The Center of the Universe

2011-05-05T22:15:00.000-05:00

While we were in Hawaii Jayden was having the time of his life in California with GG, Pop-pop, Co-lette, and Joy-Joy. I don't know many of the stories behind these pictures but I know they had a great time playing outside, participating in Helping Hands, going to the zoo, and eating hotdogs.

Lets Fly Away

2011-05-05T22:14:00.000-05:00

Jayden schmoozed the lady at the gate and she arranged for Jayden and Dallin to visit the cockpit. I think Dallin was more excited than Jayden. It was cute.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter.

Today is a day of reflection for me. A lot has been going through my mind in the last 24 hours. Yesterday the body of my cousin's little girl was found after having been missing all night. She had wandered away the night before and had fallen in the river. She was 16 months old. I am in shock. I don't see my cousins very often. A lot has to do with living far away. We keep up through blogs, facebook, and information through parents. I only met this little girl once at Christmas. Once. And I have been profoundly influenced by her death. My heart aches for this family. I have cried, sobbed, and cried some more. I cry for my cousin and his wife. I cry for my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I cry for memories never to be made and milestones never to be reached. I cry when I look at my precious son and think about how life is so fragile.

But my testimony has grown. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the knowlegde it gives me has brought me comfort. I have pleaded with my Father in Heaven on their behalf and it has brought peace. I know where she is. I know that my cousin and his wife will hold her once more. I know this. I know that families are forever through the power of the priesthood. I do not just believe this, I know it. So on this sacred Easter Sunday I wanted to share my testimony. I am not one to do this often but I want it to be known that I have a testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He suffered for my sins, my grief, my sorrow as well as for all man kind. I cannot comprehend this. I know I will never comprehend this in this life but I know it to be real. I feel it my life, especially at this time and times when I am most in need. I know He died and I know that He rose again. He broke the bounds of death so that we can live again. I know that this precious little girl will be resurrected and reunited with her parents and family because of the very reason we celebrate Easter. I am very grateful for Easter this year as I never have been before.

"What praises can we offer To thank thee, Lord most high?
In our place thou didst suffer;In our place thou didst die,
By heaven's plan appointed,To ransom us, our King.
O Jesus, the anointed,To thee our love we bring!" (Hymn #197)