Shawn and Courtney's Blogspot

New Year, New Resolutions - 2021

2021-03-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

Here are some highlights from this year thus far.

We used our stimulus money to buy a new fridge. Our old one was having problems.

We also got a new set of couches while were at it. The ones in the middle are the old ones we sold.

Jackson turned 9 at the end of January. I guess Court got all of the pictures. He invited some friends over and they had a movie night with popcorn and their choice of candy. He had a great time.

Xander also had a birthday at the end of February. He did the same thing for his party. He loved it as well. Below is a picture of a gift he got. He fell asleep holding it. I thought it was a fun picture.

Court had a conference for Optavia in Dallas. My parents came up to watch the kids so she and I could go together. It was a lot of fun. One day I found the headquarters for Meat Church. This guy sells BBQ seasonings and other BBQ stuff. He also makes YouTube videos for smoking meats and other things. I like to watch his videos to get ideas of things I can do on my Traeger.

We tried some Tex Mex.

We even had some close friends drive over from Houston to hang out with us. It was so good seeing them again.

Here is Court looking gorgeous and confident!

This is Livie all dressed up for church! She is such a cutie. She also has her sass. We love her.

This must be Sunday night game night. Playing some Jenga. We love to try do games every Sunday night as a family. We like games like, Jenga, Uno Attack, Exploding Kittens, Dominoes and Throw Burrito Throw.

Here is Xander and I twinning. This is his favorite shirt. He was so excited when he realized I had the same one. Just hadn't worn it in a while.

Xander had a field trip to the local pizza place. We were all lucky to go too. We all got to make our own pizzas. So delicious.

Sometimes, I wear clothes or do my hair in such a way to see if I can make Courtney squirm. Tucking in button-up shirts and parting my hair is one such way.

We got to attend the birthday of friend of ours at Nicklemania. The kids loved that.

It is funny, when I look at Courtney's photos I realize we have done lots of fun things this year. She does a lot better job of catching it all. Here is everyone when we went to clean the church one Saturday morning.

Here the kids are looking great all dressed up for church.

A big milestone this year, this little cutie potty trained! We officially do not have diapers in the house anymore. She was such a rock star and picked it up faster than her brothers. We are so proud of her.

As to resolutions, I am not big on making resolutions. For some reason, this year I made a ton. I started a journal. I want to blog regularly again. I'm trying to read scriptures every day. I want to read the whole Doctrine and Covenants this year along with the Come Follow Me curriculum. With temples being closed I made it a goal to index (take images of documents with important information and digitize them) 1000 records this year. So far it has been going well.

Part of me wonders if this was to prepare me for a new calling in church. I was called to serve as the ward executive secretary. This means I keep the bishoprics schedules for them. I set up all appointments and participate in bishopric meetings and ward council meetings. This calling will stretch me for sure.

Five Year Review - Part 3

2021-02-18T09:48:00.006-07:00

There are two more things I can think of that happened over the past 5 years that were big. The first was that we finished the basement! The second was Courtney and I decided to get healthy and we lost a lot of weight.

We have been trying to finish the basement for a while after moving into our new house. We were able to frame the whole basement in almost one day 2 or 3 years ago. I invited a ton of people over had everything ready and we went to work. I bought doughnuts and pizza etc to keep people motivated. The funny thing was I had no idea what I was doing. My buddy Brandon, would ask things like "how big are your doors?" or "how big is your tub ?" I had no idea that mattered. that was the only reason we didn't finish everything that day. I had to figure those things out. Plus we had to break out the concrete to move the drain for the tub anyways. It was nice having him and Orey, who knew what they were doing and had the tools., to help. They made it a success.

Every time after that we attempted to work on the basement more something big would come up and suck all of our money away. Cars would need repairing. Surgeries happened. Finally, at the end of 2019 we just decided to take out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to just suck it up and get it all done. Brandon helped me move the tub drain. Courtney and I finished the framing. My neighbor who is a retired plumber gave me some pointers and I was able to get that whipped out. I did learn, do not cut into the main water line when the hardware stores are closed. I miscalculated something and spent extra time reworking things so I could turn the water back on before morning. Luckily, I managed to work it out. My dad set aside 3 days to come help get the rough electrical done. Unfortunately, on day 2 he got really sick and spent the next 2 days in bed. Just before he left, he came to the basement and sat and explained to me what needed to happen. I was able to get the rough electrical done, with many calls to him to answer the things I forgot or that we didn't go over together. It was fun to learn about circuits and wiring.

Around this time the pandemic hit. While for many the pandemic was terrible and a huge burden. Some lost jobs, others lost lives or family or friends. For us it was a blessing. I got to work from home. I spent more time with my family. We saved money on gas. I took less vacation and sick leave, because I could keep an eye on kids when Courtney ran errands etc. It was a great blessing for us. On top of all of this, when it was slow at work I could sneak down to the basement and work on it. We paid for insulation to be installed. Had our 4-way inspection. Paid to have drywall installed, inspected, mudded, taped and textured. That may have been the most expensive part but it was worth having it all done in 10 days. Courtney and I painted everything, including trim and doors. That was fun but also required a lot of late nights. We paid to have the trim, closet shelving and doors installed. Then I went through and finished electrical. We paid to have carpets and flooring installed. At this point it felt done. It was usable! It was amazing. On the down side I had lost all motivation to keep working on it, so I paid someone to finish the bathroom.

It is done now! we love having the extra space. The front room on the main level became an office and all of the toys went downstairs, out of sight. I spent some money and got a home theater set up with surround sound downstairs and I love it. I sneak down there when I can just to enjoy it. It has been a blessing to have the extra space during this pandemic.

Around the same time as the basement all started, end of 2019, Courtney decided she wanted to get healthy and lose weight. We lost about 30 lbs each once before, after Xander was born, but had since gained it back. Courtney had some friends who were getting into this thing called Optavia. She asked about it and decided to give it a try. I, being supportive of her, decided to do it with her. Well, it worked! She, ultimately, lost about 70 lbs and I lost about 60 lbs! She enjoyed it so much she decided to coach others with Optavia and has been doing that since. She has helped many others lose lots of weight and she loves it. Our goal is to maintain the weight loss and stay healthy for us and the kids! Pretty exciting.

This is probably the past part for the 5 year in review. Posts going forward should present time. See you next time!

Five Year Review - Part 2

2021-02-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

Another big event that happened over the past 5 years was Jackson turning 8 years old. Anyone familiar with our church knows that 8 is a big age. Jackson made the decision to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It was such a neat experience for all of us. He is our oldest. That means he is the first of our kids that I was able to baptize. He was super excited leading up to it. He got to watch some of his other friends be baptized which only added to the excitement for his special day. He got to choose the program for his big day like who said the prayers, who spoke, which songs we sang and who would be the witnesses.

He asked that his Grandpa speak about baptism and his Papa to speak about the gift of the Holy Ghost. Lots of friends and family came. We were super lucky that this happened when it did. Shortly after his baptism, the pandemic broke out. For some getting baptized, no one could come to their baptism except those performing the ordinance and immediate family. After the ordinance was performed I, along with other family members who hold the priesthood, laid our hands on his head and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Jackson is and has always been a sweet kid. He is everyone's friend. He is kind. He is a great older brother. It makes me happy to see the young man he is becoming. His mom likes to point out that soon he will be taller than her.

Five Year Review - Part 1

2021-02-03T10:18:00.002-07:00

I decided to do a review of some of the major highlights from the past 5 years that I haven't blogged. The biggest thing that occurred was us welcoming this cute girl into our family!!

Olivia Marie born March 13th 2018

We had some struggles with her pregnancy. She was breach and the doctors had to perform an external cephalic version to turn her so she could be birthed naturally. It worked; however, Livie was born with one foot by her head. The nurses commented about her going to be a dancer. She always wanted her feet by her head after she was born. to this day we tell everyone she is our happy dancer and that she just dances through life!

Livie has been a wonderful blessing in our home! The boys love her. Sometimes they love on her a little too much or too hard but they love her a lot. She is definitely spoiled being the youngest and the only girl. It has changed the family dynamics a lot after having three boys. She loves to cuddle more. She is always giving hugs. She loves her unicorns, ponies, dolls, doing hair and all the other girl things. We are loving every bit of it. It will be interesting to see how things progress as the kids get older.

From the beginning she has had her dad wrapped around her finger. She is my Livie Lou. I was always the tough one for sleep training. I would be the one to help Court not go in all the time. With Livie, I always went in whenever she cried out or wouldn't go to sleep. Even with me not being strong we got lucky in that she has always been a great sleeper. She even puts herself to bed at times. Now she has a big girl bed and is loving that. At first, even with the freedom to get up whenever she wanted, she still would wait in bed for us to come get her. She was definitely the best of our kids when it comes to sleeping. We lucked out.

Right now almost three years later she is potty training. Livie is a rock star and has gone 3+ days without any accidents. She sleeps through the night dry. It has been awesome. No more kids in diapers. It is crazy to think that she starts preschool this Fall. She has grown up so fast.

Livie loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Frozen and Frozen 2 (she watches these everyday). She loves to smell everything. She can be found happy dancing all over the place. She likes to help cook. She loves to clobber you with hugs. We love our Livie!

Olivia Fall 2020 Picture

We're back!!

2021-01-21T14:44:00.001-07:00

Wow! Almost 5 years since our last post.

I stumbled upon this randomly today and I am making it a goal to post something once a month.

Today I have update our cover photo. In the future I may update the look and feel some more as I figure things out again.

Until next time. Here is a picture of me with a beard I grew out earlier this year. Enjoy!

Baseball fun!

2016-05-22T11:15:00.000-06:00

Now that we have three boys we are seeing more and more that our boys want and need more one on one time with Courtney and I. Having a new baby, the older boys get less attention. This is normal when you have a baby who depends on others wholly in order to survive. In an effort to help the older boys to not feel forgotten Court and I have talked about things we could do give them the individualized attention they crave. I thought it would be fun to take one or both older boys to a baseball game.

Saturday was the last game of the regular season for BYU baseball. We decided to take the whole family. It was a lot of fun. The boys didn't care too much about the game. They were more interested in the mascot, Cosmo Cougar. Here are some of the highlights.

Here is everyone with Cosmo. Parker was not too sure about Cosmo.

Xander lost it multiple times whenever the crowd cheered loudly.

Parker was really interested in the folding seats and cup holders for his sippy cup.

Jackson would repeat every cheer or shout I would shout. It was pretty cute.

Throughout the game I would try to explain different things to Jackson who would express interests occasionally.

I told him our team was in white and blue. The rest of the game he would yell out stuff about the "white guys". It was funny.

At one point Jackson cheered for the other team. I told him that we don't cheer for the other team. We want them to get out. He matter of factly told me, "but he wants to be in!" Court, the people in front of us and I couldn't keep from laughing out loud. I said stifling a laugh, "Yes, Jackson. That is true."

He also cheered multiple time while we were on defense. "Nice catch. Good serve!"

Overall, it was a lot of fun and the boys had a great time. Hopefully, we'll continue to find fun things to do with the boys and as a whole family in the future.

New blog cover photo

2016-05-20T16:04:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since either one of us has posted anything on this blog.

I logged in recently and noticed our cover photo was from long before Xander had joined us. I decided it needing updating.

Maybe I will post some other photos from this same family/newborn photo shoot in the near future. Enjoy!

Parker is 10 months!

2015-05-05T16:37:00.000-06:00

Parker turned 10 months on April 23! He had a big month for his gross motor skills, and is really starting to get around and explore. This month, Parker ...

- became an army crawling machine -- he is super fast, gets around everywhere, and loves to explore new places that he couldn't get to before (like the laundry room, the pantry, and the bathroom);

- started learning how to pull himself up onto furniture -- he is really proud of himself when he can stand up and he loves the view;

- learned how to get to a sitting position from laying on the floor;

- gets into a bridge position (hands and toes on the floor, bum in the air) -- I think he is trying to stand up.

Here are some other fun things about our little man. At 10 months, Parker, ...

- has 4 teeth;

- takes 2 naps per day that are still inconsistent, and drive me a little crazy at times ;)

- loves to eat -- if we keep giving him food, he will typically keep eating; rather than waiting for him to be done eating we usually just have to stop feeding him;

- he has liked almost all table food I have given him (even taco meat), with the exception of pasta, but he especially likes string cheese, strawberries, and chicken nuggets;

- is a little obsessed with opening and closing doors, as is Jackson, which has ended up with fingers closed in the door more than once;

- claps his hands, and gets a big smile on his face when you clap back;

- is starting to wave, usually at himself in the mirror, but sometimes at other people too :)

- loves cars, trucks, trains, balls and anything with wheels/that rolls that he can push around the floor;

- likes to make silly noises, his favorite of which right now is blowing raspberries;

- enjoys when we sing songs to him;

- LOVES baths and is now taking a bath in the big boy tub with Jackson -- the two of them have a blast splashing in the water, and he loves that he now gets toys; Parker gets so excited when we tell him that it is "tub tub" time;

- never keeps his socks on!! He loves to pull them off and chew on them, so I've pretty much stopped putting them on his feet so I don't have to keep track of them ;)

- is quite the little flirt, and actually enjoys sitting and playing with new people (for at least a few minutes);

- really enjoys watching the big boys run around, and can't wait until he can run around with them;

- is such a happy boy! He smiles all the time!

Here are some fun pictures of Parker from last month!

Parker still loves shoes, and crawling under things :)

Parker loves my computer, and one day I let him go to town typing in Microsoft Word.
He proceeded to save and print his document, without my knowledge.
We found it on the printer later that night and had a good laugh :)

Loves checking himself out in the mirror

Even though he eats a lot, he is still pretty skinny and tends to lose his pants
when he is crawling, unless they fit REALLY well :)

LOVE that smile!

And these two goofballs :)

Zooming around the basement

Saturday morning cuddles :)

Blowing raspberries

Jackson helping Parker learn how to clap

My monthly photo shoots haven't been going very well ever since Parker became mobile. This month, however, he seemed to love the camera and I got some super cute pictures!

Happy 10 months, Parker! We love you!!

Parker is 9 months!

2015-04-07T16:55:00.000-06:00

Parker turned 9 months on Monday, March 23! He just keeps getting more and more fun and learns more all the time. At 9 months, Parker ...

- has 3 teeth (two bottom and one top middle) and is cutting his other top middle tooth;

- typically sleeps between 10-11 hours at night, and takes two naps anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours (he's still kind of inconsistent);

- is great at getting around! He uses a combination of rolling and army crawling, and he can pretty much get anywhere that he wants to. He also gets up on his hands and knees into a crawling position and rocks back and forth, and several times has even taken a "crawl" step or two. He'll be crawling before we know it!

- he has recently discovered he can venture out onto the tile floor, and it makes cool noises when you bang toys on it;

- is getting really good at giving high-fives;

- is a little obsessed with chewing on our toes -- he actually makes his way over to our feet, grabs them, and starts chewing on our toes, and then gets really upset if we take them away. He also loves chewing on shoes;

- has tried and really enjoys eating cheese (shredded and string cheese), rice, apples, goldfish, and animal crackers. Daddy even snuck him a piece of cookie the other day and he was very excited!

- has become a very messy and distracted eater; he likes to be entertained while he's eating and Jackson does a great job of that :)

- is a very persistent little boy -- when he wants something, he keeps going until he gets to it;

- likes to get into -- and try to eat -- all things that he shouldn't play with; for example, the garbage bag, my computer, any power cords within reach;

Here are some fun pictures of Parker at 9 months!

Parker is really starting to like blocks ... but he mostly just bangs them together

Parker was having a hard time with naps for a couple of weeks,
and got to cuddle with mommy one afternoon

Now that he's more mobile, he gets stuck under things more often :)

Not quite sure about the hat ...

Discovering the tile!

Parker also refuses to keep bibs on, even the ones that button

This is the, "It wasn't me, mom!" face!

Jackson and Parker now take baths together, and LOVE it!

They are becoming really good buddies :)

The "gangsta" pose

I love when they cuddle :)

"What are you lookin' at?"

Happy 9 months Parker!! We love you!!

I can't put him on the floor anymore for pictures, because he just escapes.

Parker is 8 months!

2015-03-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Our little Parker turned 8 months last Monday, on the 23rd! He is getting so big and so fun! At 8 months, Parker ...

- still just has his 2 front bottom teeth, but is cutting his top two teeth;

- sits up on his own really well;

- is really good at getting around by rolling and scooting on the floor;

- loves to growl! Parker and Jackson growl back and forth to each other all the time, and then both start laughing. It is pretty hilarious! He also likes to growl as a way to say hello;

- is a really good eater! He loves all of the fruit baby food, oatmeal cereal, sweet potatoes, and has gotten a lot of better at eating other vegetables and chicken meals. He also loves Cheerios, puffs. This week, he tried banana yogurt, shredded cheese, and a graham cracker and loved them all!

- is getting better at defending himself against Jackson ;) Sometimes Jackson loves Parker a little too much and rolls on top of him, so Parker has started rolling back on top of Jackson;

- loves talking to daddy on the phone! When Shawn calls on his way home from work, Parker gets a big smile on his face and starts growling and laughing into the phone;

- likes to pat me on the back/shoulder when I am holding him;

- loves to chew on our toes ... he rolls/scoots over to our feet, grabs our toes, and starts chomping. It's pretty funny :)

- has a wonderful laugh that always makes us smile!

Parker loves the swings at the park!

Parker also loves to eat!

We recently trained Parker to sleep in his crib (he was napping in his swing)
without being swaddled. Turns out he is a tummy sleeper, just like Jackson!

Parker trying cheese for the first time, and LOVING IT!

This is Parker's new trick. He does it all the time, and we get a kick out of it :)

Happy 8 months, Parker!! We love you!

This is his growling face :)

Haircuts!

2015-02-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last night the boys (Shawn included) all got haircuts. It was Parker's FIRST haircut, Jackson's first haircut by mommy, and Shawn's first haircut by me in years! I decided that since I now have 2 boys, and boys need their hair cut often, I should probably learn how to do it. Also, Shawn was ready to even out Parker's hair, since he looked like a baby Einstein in the back and had a sweet comb-over in the front :)

Shawn cut Parker's hair while I held him. At first, he was just kind of curious and trying to see the clippers. Then he realized that he really didn't like this whole hair cutting thing, and cried the rest of the time :( But, the end result looked great!

Before

After - He was not a happy baby :(

Jackson hated haircuts with a passion up until about a year ago. Then, all of a sudden it was no big deal. When we told him we were going to cut his hair last night, he was actually really excited! He did about a well as you could expect for a 3 year old. At first, he was pretty good, but then he had a hard time sitting still. I cut the sides and top of his hair, but was having a hard time blending since he moves his head so much and I'm not very good at it yet. So Shawn and I traded, and I held Parker, who was still upset from his haircut, and Shawn finished off blending and Jackson's neckline and ears. It was a good team effort!

Before

After - poor Jackson was SUPER hairy when we finished!
Check out his shoulders!

After we got the boys bathed and asleep, I cut Shawn's hair. I didn't take any before and after pictures though. But I think I did an okay job! Here's to saving $40 a month on haircuts!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Jackson!!

2015-02-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

My sweet Jackson turned three years old last Saturday! He has turned into such a fun, silly, imaginative little boy. He amazes us more and more each day with the things that he does and says.

We did a lot of fun things to celebrate Jackson's birthday last week! On Wednesday we took advantage of the free day at the zoo with Rachel, Tommy, and Oliver. The boys had a blast!

The boys didn't want to look at the camera :)

Parker passed out before we left.

Friday we had his 3 year checkup. Jackson was great at the doctor, and is finally on the other end of the weight spectrum! It must be all of the goldfish and Pirate's Booty he eats :) We finished the morning off by going to have lunch at Daddy's office. Here are his stats from his checkup:

Height: 38.5 inches (74th percentile)
Weight: 32.8 lbs (54th percentile)

Saturday was Jackson's birthday! When he got up in the morning, we let him open his presents from us. Jackson got a Woody doll from Toy Story, and the Toy Story 2 movie! The first question he asked us after he opened Woody was, "Where's Buzz Lightyear?" Maybe next year, bud :) Jackson was excited to play with Woody; he carried him around all morning, and even fed him breakfast.

At 10 am, Jackson asked to have popcorn. Since it was his birthday, we popped a bag and had a snack! Later, right before lunch, we took Jackson to pick out a birthday balloon. He picked a Toy Story one! He still has it in his bedroom a week later :) After getting his balloon, we went to Burger King for his birthday lunch where he got his favorite meal: chicken nuggets, french fries, and chocolate milk. He even got a birthday crown to wear.

After lunch, we came home for nap time. Trisha's daughter, Isabel, had her baptism later that evening, so we all got dressed in our church clothes, headed out, and got to spend the rest of the evening with family. But before we left, Jackson opened his present from Grandma and Grandpa Brown and got to play with it a little. It is still one of his favorite things to play with!

Because of the baptism, we had a combination Super Bowl/Jackson's birthday party on Sunday evening. Shawn's parents, the Kaouks, the Stuarts, and Vilja came to celebrate. We had homemade pizza and other snacks, and then sang and ate dessert! Because Jackson doesn't like cake, I made him a giant cookie with M&Ms. He was so excited to blow out the candle! Every time I asked what he wanted for his birthday the week before, he told me he wanted to blow the candles. He even did it all by himself! He also loved his presents from everyone! We played with all of them the next morning.

Here are some fun things about Jackson at 3 years old!

- Jackson's favorite snack is Pirate's Booty. He is still an incredibly picky eater, and has even dropped some things from his repertoire. One of our goals for this year is to get him to try more foods!

- Jackson is a very chatty little boy. It's fun to watch him now as he plays with his toys and has conversations with them!

- Jackson can count to 15, knows his colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, white, and pink), and recognizes most of his letters.

- His favorite word right now is, "Probaly!" Sometimes he says it in silly contexts and it makes Shawn and I laugh, so now he says it just to make us laugh. He's also very polite and says, "please," "thank you," "you're welcome," and "bless you" on his own.

- Jackson loves animals! He especially loves going to the zoo and has been to the aquarium a couple of times. He has a blast every time he goes.

- He loves to sing. He knows a lot of songs by heart, and even makes up his own songs sometimes. He also loves to read and has most of his books memorized.

- Some of his favorite things to play with are his trains, blocks, and balls. He often brings some of them to bed with him.

- Jackson sleeps with a lot of stuffed animals. His regulars are Scout, little Mickey, Blue Bear, his "light puppy" (dream light), chocolate puppy, and blue puppy. He often brings another toy or book to bed with him too. I think we may be running out of room for him on his bed!

- Jackson is a great big brother! He loves to make Parker laugh, and has become a very good helper, when he wants to be. ;)

- Jackson has finally gotten into watching movies. Some of his favorites are Cars; Monsters, Inc; Toy Story (1 and 2); and Finding Nemo.

Jackson is a sweet, happy little boy and we love having him in our family!!

My three favorite boys! I love that Jackson is holding Parker's hand :)

Feeding the ducks is one of Jackson's favorite things to do!

Hmm ... juice and milk at the same time?

We love building towers together!

Cuddling with Parker :)

Sometimes he likes to pretend to fall asleep in the toy bucket.
One of these days I wonder he if actually will ;)

Swinging at the park!

Posing with his "friends"

I love this kid's smile!!

Happy Birthday Buddy!! We love you!!

Parker is 7 months!

2015-01-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 7 months last Friday! At 7 months, Parker ...

- has his 2 front teeth on the bottom;

- is getting pretty good at sitting up by himself, but still likes to turn and fall to the floor when he finds toys that are more interesting;

- is pretty mobile! He uses a combination of rolling and turning and get where he wants to go. He is also very squirmy and rolls out of his bouncer if I don't buckle him;

- is a pro at eating puffs and Cheerios! He especially likes the apple cinnamon puffs. He also likes eating banana chunks;

- is getting better at eating jar baby food. He really loves oatmeal and multi-grain cereal, pears, and applesauce, and is starting to at least tolerate carrots and sweet potatoes;

- is starting to interact more with Jackson and they are really cute together! They especially like to squeal and growl back and forth at each other;

- is very interested in all the things he isn't supposed to play with (computers, remotes, cell phones, etc.) and is a very persistent little boy;

- finally took a bottle again! He had a couple of bottles when he was a lot younger, but hasn't taken a bottle in months. We finally got him to drink a bottle again a couple of weeks ago now that he can hold it and feed himself;

- likes to "talk" and laugh with us, and is in general a pretty happy baby;

- is my little cuddle bug. He lets me know he's tired by putting his head on my shoulder or lap and cuddling for a few seconds at a time :)

And here's our handsome little Parker!

I let Parker gnaw on an apple slice and he LOVED it!
Although now that he has teeth, I have to watch him carefully
because he bites pieces off :)

Parker's first time in the high chair

Putting puffs in his mouth for the first time ...

checking out this new stuff ...

And he likes them!

He was pretty proud of himself!

He loves the TV remote!

I left the room for a second and came back to Parker rolling himself up into the blanket

He thought it was pretty silly!

Parker's first and second teeth poking through!

My silly boy :)

I love this kid's smile!

Playing peek-a-boo with Jackson

Brother jam session :)

Happy 7 months to my handsome little man!!

Love these boys!!

What a Crazy Year - Part Three!

2015-01-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here is the final installment of our yearly update from 2014!

SEPTEMBER

September 1 was Labor Day, and we spent it with the Stuarts! We all went to the splash pad (Jackson's favorite place all summer), and then back to our house for a BBQ.

On the 3rd, we moved Parker into his own room. Since we only have two bedrooms upstairs (ours and Jackson's) and we weren't quite ready for the boys to share a room, we converted the office into a makeshift nursery. Parker did okay sleeping in there the first few nights, but has been a champ ever since!

On the 10th my diploma came in the mail! I am officially a master now :)

OCTOBER

The first Friday in October, Shawn's parents received a call to serve a mission for our church. They were assigned to serve in the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City for 2 years, and were to report in the beginning of November! We were excited to be on the phone while they opened their call to find out the good news. We have loved having them nearby, and have more adventures with them to come!

On October 16th we took our annual trip with the Stuarts to the Red Barn in Santaquin to get pumpkins! We finally got to enjoy some apple cider donuts (they had been out the last two years we went), and the boys had a blast in the maze, on the giant slide, and perusing the pumpkin patch. Tommy is a master at mazes and Jackson loved chasing him through.

Tommy wanted to sit on the hay instead of on the bench
... and didn't want to look at the camera ;)

This was actually the best picture of the four of us on the hay ride :)

Jackson running after Tommy in the maze

Even though he doesn't look like it, he really loved going down the slide himself!

Parker had a diaper blowout, which explains the pants and one sock missing.
But his onesie was pretty cute!

On the 18th, the boys and I flew out to CT to visit my family and a couple of friends for 10 days. I was a little nervous about flying by myself with the two boys, but overall they did pretty good. We got to my parents' house really late on Saturday night, but Jackson was so excited to see the dog, cats, auntie Kara, and all of the new toys and books that we didn't end up getting him to bed until about 1 am!

Jackson loved having his own backpack at the airport!

We had a lot of fun while we were visiting! My sister Merrie and her kids Kaliah and Dante loved having Jackson and Parker around.

Checking out Nana's toys

Cuddling with Kaliah

Merrie loved Parker!

Playing with Papa!

On the Monday after we got to CT, we all went to the mall and got pictures taken of the kids with grandma and grandpa. My boys were a little cranky and tired for the pictures, but they had fun playing at the carousel and play area in the food court afterwards!

Cousins waiting for pictures!

In line for the carousel

It doesn't look like it in this picture, but Jackson actually had a blast!
He went on twice, once with Merrie and once with me.

Parker and Grandpa

The next day we checked out one of the local parks that was recently renovated in town with Merrie, Kara, my Dad and the kids. They did a really great job on the park!

This was probably Jackson's favorite thing in the park ... two really big xylophones!

Kaliah and Kara climbing

He also loved the really big wind chimes

Later in the week we visited Stew Leonard's and Jackson LOVED the animals on the little farm! He saw cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, goats, and sheep.

On Saturday the 25th, the shops in downtown Newtown hosted trick-or-treating for the neighborhood kids. So we got the kids dressed up in costumes and went downtown to get some candy! They also had the Newtown Fire and Rescue there, and let the kids climb into a Fire and Rescue truck. Jackson was very excited to drive the truck! And he had a blast getting candy!

Our little dinosaur!

Jackson driving the fire truck

Tigger getting some candy :)

The day before we flew home was my mom's birthday! We decided to grab some lunch and take it to the park for the afternoon. Then we all went out to dinner that night to celebrate. It was fun being in town for mom's birthday!

A couple of day after we got back to UT, Shawn's parents arrived to get ready to report to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, just in time for Halloween! On Halloween, I took the boys over to Shawn's office to show off their costumes and go trick-or-treating. One of his co-workers was dressed up as The Man in the Yellow Hat with his daughter dressed as Curious George. Jackson was really excited to meet The Man in the Yellow Hat and talked about it for days!

After dinner that evening, Shawn's parents and the Kaouks came down to our house to show off the kids' costumes, and then we took the boys trick-or-treating. Jackson was great at it this year!

NOVEMBER

We spent the first part of November recouping from all of our fun in October and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather!

The last week of November, the week of Thanksgiving, my sister Beth and her fiance Donovan came to visit! They went and saw a lot of the different sights in Utah. On Thanksgiving, we also had the Kaouks and Shawn's parents down at our house for dinner and dessert. We had a ton of good food!

Grandma and Grandpa loving all the time with grandkids!

The day after Thanksgiving, we went to the zoo with Beth and Donovan. Jackson LOVES the zoo!! We had a great time, but didn't take any pictures with Beth and Donovan :(

Stopping for lunch

This was the first time we've been back since the train was working again.
Jackson loved it!

DECEMBER

December was a busy month with lots of Christmas and family activities! Jackson and I made a Christmas countdown chain at the beginning of the month, and Jackson got to rip a link off each night before he went to bed.

On Friday, the 5th, Shawn and I got to go out for an evening to Shawn's work party. We got a sweet popcorn bowl and a build your own tardis (from Dr. Who) at the annual white elephant gift exchange.

Monday, the 8th, was Shawn's dad's birthday, so we went out to dinner at Olive Garden with his parents and the Kaouks.

Wednesday, the 10th, was our Christmas party with our church. We had a nice dinner, visited with friends, enjoyed a nativity program performed by the kids, and got to see Santa! It was the first year that Jackson didn't cry!

Jackson loves Christmas lights, so we took every opportunity we could to see Christmas lights. Often when we drove home at night, we took an extra loop through our neighborhood to check them out too. We saw the lights at Salem Pond, the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork, and we went up to Salt Lake City one night to have dinner with Shawn's parents and see the Christmas Lights at Temple Square.

Salem Pond lights

Temple Square

Grandpa and Grandma with the boys at Temple Square

Our family at Temple Square

Jackson loved having Grandma show him all of the different lights

He especially loved the luminaries

On Christmas Eve we had Shawn's parents come down for a lasagna dinner and stay overnight to be here when the boys opened presents the next morning. Jackson was a great big brother and "helped" Parker open most of his presents. After the boys' naps that afternoon, we went up to the Kaouks' house for dinner, dessert, and games! It was a great, relaxing, Christmas. I even made my very first homemade pie crust! I had some issues with it falling apart when I put the top crust on my pie, but after it baked you couldn't tell and it tasted great!

Our stockings on Christmas Eve

Our Christmas tree

Checking out his stocking

Parker enjoying his new teething ring

Helping Parker open presents

Jackson even helped Grandpa and Grandma open their present :)

Parker kind of getting the hang of it

The t-shirt quilt Shawn is making me

Grandma reading to Jackson, his favorite thing to do

My pie before I baked it ...

and the finished product!

I got Shawn a 2-man tent for Christmas to take camping with the scouts if they go backpacking. We set it up in the basement the day after Christmas and Jackson had a blast playing in it!

Shawn's birthday this year was on a Sunday, so the night before we went out to dinner at a Mongolian grill called Hu Hot in Spanish Fork that was delicious! Then we had Shawn's parents and the Kaouks over for dinner and cake on Sunday.

On New Year's Eve, we had our annual sleepover with the Stuarts at our house! We visited and ate homemade pizza and other delicious food. The Stuarts boys were impressive and made it all the way until midnight! The next morning we had breakfast burritos, and the Stuarts offered to watch our boys so Shawn and I could go on a date to the movies. We saw the newest Hobbit movie, and loved the chance to get out.

Overall, we had a pretty busy and crazy year! It has been fun to look back at all of the fun things we did this year. Hopefully this year I can be better at blogging so I don't have to write about the whole year at once ;)

What a Crazy Year - Part Two!

2015-01-05T22:14:00.001-07:00

Obviously blogging about a whole year takes longer than the amount of free time I had in one day, so here are the highlights from our summer!

JUNE

I spent the first part of June working on revisions for my master's project. After a few back and forth emails with my committee chair, I finally received approval for all of my changes on Thursday, June 19th.

Shawn's parents arrived in Utah the next day, and my mom flew into town on Saturday. Then we all geared up for the arrival of Parker! I was induced on Monday, June 23rd and 5 hours later we welcomed our sweet Parker into our family. I blogged about his birth story here.

We all came home from the hospital on Wednesday, and then Friday the 27th we did newborn pictures. We called Michelle, the woman who did our family pictures back in October, because she did such an awesome job. And she didn't disappoint this time either! She was so patient with our semi-cranky newborn and got some AWESOME pictures, and made us a super cute baby announcement (which we never got around to sending out ...)! Here are a few of our favorites.

JULY

My mom stayed with us to help out with the boys from the end of June until mid July, my dad flew in for a week to enjoy the boys, and then Shawn's parents stayed with us the rest of the month. We were so grateful to have all of their help! We also did some fun things while they were here.

We celebrated the 4th with my mom, Shawn's parents, and the Kaouks. We had everyone over to our house for a BBQ and fireworks after it got dark. Jackson LOVED the fireworks! We also had an ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday (which was the next day).

Parker was enjoying the sun :)

Shawn and Jackson checking out some of the fireworks in the neighborhood

Sparklers!

Watching daddy light off some fireworks!

My parents spent lots of time with Jackson at the park, the splash pad, and playing in our little inflatable pool in the backyard. They had a blast!

On the 13th, we had Parker's baby blessing at church. My parents, grandfather, Shawn's parents, the Kaouks, and the Stuarts were all able to attend. Afterwards, we had a BBQ in our backyard.

Getting ready!

Grandpa and Grandma Ward

The Kaouks

The Stuarts

Grandma, Grandpa, and Great-Grandpa Brown

My parents left shortly after the baby blessing and Shawn's parents came to stay with us. Shawn's brother Scott and his family came to our house from Arizona on 25th, and then we all headed to Oregon for the Ward family vacation on the 27th! It was a two day drive, and Shawn's parents were awesome and drove with Jackson out in their car so we just had to worry about Parker. Almost all of Shawn's siblings were able to make it to the trip, and we all had a blast staying in a couple of houses right on the ocean! It was very windy and kind of chilly, but that didn't stop everyone from spending time at the beach and building sand castles. We also had Shawn's grandma, and aunts and uncles over one evening for a special birthday dinner for Great Grandma Ward! We had a great time!

Jackson had so much fun playing in the sand!

This is how Parker and I spent most of our time on the beach

Jackson loved building sand castles, which really meant flicking sand around with his shovel :)

Jackson also loved the water, and playing with Grandpa and his cousins

Day 1 sand castle

The sunsets were beautiful!

Working on the day 2 sand castle

Scott and Jessica

Grandma playing with Carter and Jackson

There were lots of jellyfish along the beach.
Alix and Kayla showing off their finds!

Trisha even found a crab

Shawn helping the kids build

Waiting for the waves to overtake the castle

Shawn, Efram, and Jackson playing ball in the water

Day 3 sand castle

Parker getting a bath in the little sink

Parker met Great-Grandma Ward for the first time

Taking selfies with Grandma's phone :)

Parker loved cuddling with grandma :)

On our last day, we all went to the tide pools

We spent our last evening together all hanging out on the beach right outside our house!

Dustin and Lisa

The kids (and Uncle Scotty) had a blast playing in the sand

Kayla and Lexi

Trisha and Moroni

Kenzie, Andrea, and Kloe

Jessica, Jackson and Court

The kids got glow sticks. Jackson thought they were pretty awesome!

Grandpa and Grandma cuddling with Parker

AUGUST

We got back from Oregon on August 4th and got our first taste of life with two kids. I got a bit emotional when we drove away from Shawn's parents in Kiwanda Shores, but we made it home in one piece! We thoroughly enjoyed moments like this on the drive home when both boys were sleeping :)

Jackson fell into his role as big brother very well. Right from the start, he loved to read to Parker and "take care of him".

On August 15th, I graduated with my master's degree from BYU! Shawn was awesome and took care of both boys during the ceremony. Our friend Rachel came to help him out.

Looking pretty handsome in his outfit from Aunt Andrea :)

At the end of the month (Labor Day weekend), we took Jackson to his first carnival. We weren't sure how he would like the rides, but we were pleasantly surprised. He was easily the most excited kid on all of the rides he went on!

None of the other kids on this train ride looked very impressed, but Jackson was ecstatic!

Parker just enjoyed being outside

Jackson and I got to ride the Ferris wheel together.
He thought it was pretty awesome!

We had a pretty eventful summer and loved all of the time we got to spend with family!

Stay tuned for the rest of our update ...

What a Crazy Year! - Part One

2014-12-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

This year has been a little nuts for us with finishing my master's and having Parker, and because of all of that I have been HORRIBLE about blogging about the fun things we have done! Since it is the last day of the year, I figured it would be a good time to recap the highlights from this year!

JANUARY

In January I started teaching the instructional materials I was creating for my master's project at Centennial middle school in Provo. This began months of stress and craziness trying to balance school, master's project, teaching, being a mom, and being pregnant. However, we were able to have some fun too!

On January 31, Jackson turned 2! This is one thing I actually did blog about here. :) Here is a picture, just to reminisce! It's crazy how much he has grown this year!

FEBRUARY

Jackson got a Mickey toddler bed for his birthday, so on the 1st we set it up and started getting him used to sleeping in it. Jackson LOVED his bed, however teaching him that just because he could physically get out of bed now didn't mean that he should get out of bed at any point in the night took a while. We ended up putting a door knob cover on the inside of his door (which we are just starting to take off) and teaching him to use this green light to help him know when it was and was not okay to get up. We also put up some cool Mickey decals on his wall to celebrate moving to his new big boy bed :)

On February 3, we had our 20-week ultrasound and found out we were going to be welcoming Parker into our family! Like his brother, he was a little shy/stubborn during the ultrasound. The tech couldn't get a clear picture of his heart, so we had to go back at my next appointment for another ultrasound.

Shawn's parents visited Utah later that week. We celebrated Isabel and Arianna's birthdays at a fun center. Unfortunately, we didn't really take any pictures (except this one, which isn't very good). Jackson wasn't really interested in jumping on the toys, but had a blast sitting and bouncing!

Valentine's Day was on a Friday this year. We got Jackson a card and a little stuffed monkey with some Reese's peanut butter cups. Shawn was wonderful and made dinner for me, and then surprised me by getting a babysitter so he and I could go out for ice cream!

My mom came to visit at the end of the month. While she was here, we also got a visit from "flat Kaliah". My niece, Kaliah, was doing a project in school where each child sent a life-size paper version of him/herself to someone that lived in another part of the country. Kaliah picked us to send her flat version to! We got to take flat Kaliah to the zoo with us and my mom. The Stuarts came too. We also made chocolate cookies with white chocolate and peanut butter chips her, since Kaliah LOVES chocolate and peanut butter!

One of my favorite pictures :)

Taking flat Kaliah to the zoo

Checking out the elephants

Jackson and flat Kaliah in the eagle's nest

Showing flat Kaliah the mountains

This picture perfectly captures Jackson's personality :)

Cookie time!

Jackson also learned how to take selfies on my phone in February, and thus began endless numbers of very silly and very odd pictures for the rest of the year!

MARCH

I finished teaching in Provo during mid March and took a little break from my master's project to finish up my last class. I did a semester's worth of work in 3-4 weeks. It was crazy!

March was also filled with more selfies, block tower and fort building, the occasional trip to the duck pond, and silliness!

Jackson got Super Mickey jammies from Nana Brown and wore them as often as he could!

On our way back from dinner at the Kaouks, and Jackson entertained himself with the oven mitts

Our little cougar

Honing his tower building skills

Daddy built Jackson a fort one night and Jackson had a blast driving trucks through

APRIL

Jackson and I went to the Natural History Museum in Lehi (at Thanksgiving Point) with my old teaching buddy Alicia and her daughter, Stella, on April 2. He had a blast looking for dinosaurs with Stella!

He thought the spinning wheel was the coolest!

It was not easy getting a picture where they were both sitting and looking at the camera

The next week, Shawn had a couple of days off for spring break, so we decided to check out the newly remodeled aquarium. Jackson had so much fun looking at all of the fish, sharks, penguins, and more! He had just started watching Finding Nemo, so it was even more fun.

Easter was on the 20th, and we had the Stuarts and the Kaouks over for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Jackson had a blast looking for eggs this year, and asked us if it was Easter again for a couple of months after.

On the 29th we went to an Orem Owlz baseball game with the Stuarts. Jackson had a blast watching baseball and playing on the hill! We finally got him to wear a baseball hat by telling him that he was cool like Tommy. :)

MAY

Shawn and I celebrated our seventh anniversary on May 4. We decided since we had a baby coming in a month and a half that we would take advantage and get away for the weekend. Trisha was awesome and offered to watch Jackson overnight, and Shawn and I went to Park City on Friday evening. We ate at an awesome Mexican restaurant, stayed in a nice hotel, and did some outlet shopping. It was a relaxing, much needed weekend!

On the 19th, we had a 3D ultrasound of Parker to make sure everything was still looking good, and got a nice shot of his face!

Jackson also learned how to go down the slide by himself in May, and began to love going to the park!

At the end of May, I defended my master's project and passed with minor revisions!!!

To be continued ...

Half a year already?

2014-12-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

How has my baby already hit his half year mark?? Parker turned 6 months two days before Christmas! Here are Parker's 6-month stats ...

Height: 27.5 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 14 lbs 10 oz (5th percentile)

Yup, that's right. Parker is tall and skinny, just like his brother! At 6 months, Parker ...

- is finally rolling from his back to his tummy -- for days after he figured out he could roll both directions he would start rolling across the room the instant I put him on the floor; :)

- has become a very chatty baby -- he always wants to make sure we don't forget about him;

- sleeps 9-10 hours at night and takes at least 2 naps each day;

- has tried a few different foods, but prefers oatmeal cereal and pears;

- is very stubborn; if we try to feed him something he doesn't want he clamps his mouth shut as tight as he can;

- is still teething big time (he's constantly chomping), but has not had any teeth pop through;

- is learning how to sit on his own (his record is 29 seconds);

- loves baths and drenches mommy with his epic splashing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night;

- loves to play peekaboo, and especially loves when Jackson shares his toys with him and comes over to play with him (most of the time);

- has an awesome laugh and is a happy, smiley baby!

My little elf baby after his bath

Parker rolled himself under the rocking chair and decided to stay and play awhile

Finally figuring out the activity center

My smiley baby :)

Parker likes to roll onto his tummy so he can look around

Where's Parker??

Peek-a-boo!!

Parker makes some pretty silly faces these days :)

Happy 6 months, Parker! We love you!!

Parker is 5 months!

2014-12-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 5 months on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. He is getting so big! At 5 months, Parker ...

- is becoming more mobile. He is super close to rolling from his back to his belly, and he loves to spin in circles in his crib (and has started waking up in the middle of the night to practice his new moves);
- loves to feel different textures;
- taste tests everything he can gets his hands on;
- loves his solid food. He has tried rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, and squash and has liked them all (except the squash);
- enjoys sitting up in his bumbo so he can check everything out and can sit in a tripod position on his own for short amounts of time;
- loves to blow bubbles and squeal, especially when Jackson comes over to talk to him;
- was sleeping through the night until a couple of days ago (and hopefully will go back to sleeping), and takes 2-3 naps per day;
- loves being outside;
- loves bath time and is starting to be a pretty epic splasher!

Checking out the bumbo for the first time

This is AMAZING!

And he still managed to get his toes in his mouth :)

Just chilling with the boys

Jackson can't wait until Parker is old enough to play!

Brotherly Love :)

I tried to do a photo shoot with Parker on the day he turned 5 months. However, we were kind of unsuccessful.

The buckle in his bumbo was waaaaay too interesting, ...

... and he just gave looked at me funny when I laid him on the floor, ...

... but we finally got a couple cute ones when he sat on the couch, before he decided sitting up was too much effort and toppled over every time we propped him up!

We love you, Parker!

Parker is 4 months!

2014-11-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 4 months while we were visiting my family in CT last month (on the 23rd). We had his checkup last week and here are his stats!

Height: 25.5 inches (57th percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs 4 oz (5th percentile)
Head: 42 cm (55th percentile)

Parker is so fun right now! At 4 months, Parker ...

- rolls from his tummy to his back and from his back to his side;
- is seriously teething (it looks like his top two teeth are getting ready to come in);
- LOVES chewing on his toes;
- grabs his toys and prefers to hold his pacifiers on his own;
- eats rice cereal like a champ -- he wasn't a fan at first, but now he loves it and wants to feed himself);
- stopped sleeping through the night about a week after his 3 month blog post, and now typically wakes up once at night;
- takes a morning nap (30-90 min), an afternoon nap (2.5-3.5 hours), and an evening nap (30 min);
- talks, grunts, growls, and laughs all the time! He especially loves to laugh at Jackson!

Parker makes some silly faces

Parker wiggled his way out of his swing at the end of one of his naps last month
so now we make sure to strap him in!

Looking pretty handsome :)

Parker loves his toes! They are in his mouth every chance he gets!

My sweet boys!

Parker was mesmerized by the camera

First time eating cereal

Now he's eating like a champ ...

... and wants to feed himself!

Happy 4 months Parker! We love you!!

Family Pictures 2014

2014-11-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of October we had family pictures taken by the AMAZING Michelle Fiztwater! Here are some of our favorites!

Out of the Mouth of Jackson

2014-11-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

Jackson says some pretty funny things, especially since Parker has been born. Here are some of our favorites!

When Parker starts fussing, Jackson walks over to him, starts patting him, and says, "It's okay baby brother, I take care of you."

Often, Jackson comes over to me, pats my head, and says, "Are you okay mommy?"

Jackson is a master manipulator. When he wants something, he phrases it in a question as if he is asking us, and then waits for us to repeat the question so he can answer it. For example:
J: "Mommy, you want some chocolate?"
M: "Jackson, did you want some chocolate?"
J: "Sure, mommy! That's a really good idea!"

8/14/14
While checking out at Costco, Jackson was chatting with our cashier. When he started putting the groceries in our cart, Jackson said, "Thank you sooooooooooo much!" The cashier laughed and said, "Thanks buddy! You just made my day!"

While putting the groceries from Costco in our car, the women in the parking spot next to us started backing out. Her window was open. Jackson waved to her and said, "Bye! See you soon!" She stopped, laughed, and told him thank you.

9/8/14
In the middle of lunch, Jackson looked at me and said, "Mommy, you're my best friend."

Jackson, after passing gas, started laughing like crazy and said, "It was me, mommy!"

9/10/14
While on a walk this morning ...
J: "Mommy, will you help us find Daisy's lost sheep?" (from a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode).
M: "We need to find Daisy's lost sheep, huh?"
J: "Yes!"
M: "Okay."
J: "You will? Okay mommy, let's get some Mousekatools!"

Later on the same walk ...
J: "Mommy, can I hold your hand?"
M: "Sure, Jackson!"
J: "That's a really good idea, mommy!"

10/8/14
Today we had to go to pick up Parker's birth certificate in Provo. The Health Department building happens to be across the street from the new Provo City Center Temple that is under construction, so we walked across the street to check it out when we were done. Jackson loved looking at the Angel Moroni on the top of the temple, and at all of the construction workers around the temple. When it was time to go, Jackson got pretty upset.

M: "Jackson, it's time to go home. Say bye-bye to the temple"
J: "No, I don't wanna say bye-bye to the temple!" (in a very whiny voice)
The whole way across the street, this continued.
J: "Mommy, where we going?" (in the same whiny voice)
M: "We're going to the car so we can go home. Do you want to listen to Jackson's music in the car?"
J: (cheerfully) "Um, yeah mommy! That makes me happy!"

SO CUTE!

10/9/14
Shawn and I were in the middle of a conversation and Jackson was trying to get my attention. He pointed at my face and said, "Um, mommy, stop talking."

10/13/14
We were driving in the car and Mary had a little lamb came on radio
J: "This is my song!"

For Family Home Evening (FHE), our family night, we were driving to see the temple and Courtney was teaching Jackson about the temple. She mentioned that we go to the temple to feel the Spirit of the Lord.
J: "I want to feel it!"
He proceeded to say that constantly the rest of the way there.

10/28/14
As we were driving to the airport on our way back home from CT, Jackson was having a rough morning. We had gotten up really early. I asked Jackson a question, and he responded with this:
J: "No. No fank you, mom. I'n having a NO day!"

Where does he get this stuff???

Midweek camping is the best!

2014-10-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago while watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in which the characters go camping (all they do is set up tents and go fishing; they don't even camp. Don't get me started.), Jackson announced that he wanted to go camping. Ever since then I have been trying to wrestle a weekend away for us to go. No matter how much I tried, we had been unsuccessful. The longer we wait the colder it gets. I don't sleep well most nights and it doesn't help when sleeping is much worse for me when camping.

Looking forward it didn't seem as though camping this year would happen. I finally just decided, what the heck, let's do it during the week. We did! I slept horribly but it was memorable and I think Jackson had a good time. In the end that is all that matters.

Yesterday, I flew home from work so I could cut the grass. Jackson helped, by helped I mean he ran around. Sometimes, he disappeared and I would have to stop what I was doing to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble. Then we pulled out the tent. Jackson had no interest in what I was doing until the tent popped up and he realized that this loud thing I was playing with was actually a tent. Then he got really excited and wanted to go inside. We got a quick dinner. I ran and borrowed a friend's portable fire pit. I was very proud that I was able to get everything set up and going before it was dark.

Courtney, Jackson, Parker and I got to enjoy the fire together! We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores! Jackson was only interested in the chocolate and graham crackers. Interestingly, Jackson seemed to get nervous when it got dark. As long as mommy and daddy were near by he did great. Just before 8pm, Jackson's bedtime, he asked to go to bed!! He never asks that. He just wanted to go into the tent. We all got in the tent together, read scriptures, sang and prayed. Court and Parker went into the house and Jackson and I got into bed. My sister said it would drop to about 50 degrees, so we were prepared.

For the next hour I tried to get Jackson to relax and go to bed. He would ask what all the noises were. 'That's a car. Those are crickets. That's a truck. That's a motorcycle. That's a helicopter (we live next to a hospital with a helicopter). That's a dog,' and on and on. When I got tired of that I asked if he wanted to sing songs. He agreed. After the first song he immediately suggested another and then another. When he ran out of songs he asked me to sing more. When that got tiring. I thought maybe if I hold his hand he would calm down and relax enough to go to sleep. From then on until he fell asleep he held my hand as he tried to find a good position to sleep. It was really sweet! His head would pop up at a new noise or to see if I was sleeping. 'Go back to bed,' I would say or 'put your head down, please.' Finally just after 9pm we both fell asleep.

Due to me not sleeping well I would wake up every hour or so. Part of that was to check to see he was warm. Sometimes, I would wake up and he would have his head hanging off his pad. I would readjust him and go back to sleep. That happened three times. Once, he was completely off his pad. I had to pick him up and put him back on his pad and make sure he was warm. When it got cold I pulled a hood over his head. Somehow that came off a couple times during the night. He sure tossed and turned a lot. I don't know if that is normal or due to the fact that he was not used to being confined in a sleeping bag. Needless to say, it was an eventful night. It was interesting how loud it was in the evening and how quiet and peaceful it was early morning around 2:30am or so.

Finally, at 6:30am I had had enough and thought he was stirring. I asked if he wanted to go in and sleep in his bed. He said, 'Yes.' I brought him into bed. I was able to put everything away except the tent before everyone got up. I showered. After everyone got up I was able to get both boys bathed to get rid of the smoke smell. After all of that I was still able to get to work this morning at a reasonable time.

Talk about a crazy and awesome midweek camp out! I'm not very spontaneous at all. This was out of the norm for me. I'm glad I did it! Now poor Courtney gets to deal with tired boys all day while I'm away at work. She is such an amazing wife and mom. She felt it was more important to have the fun memory than worry about tired boys. Thanks! I love you!

Shawn

Staying home with my boys

2014-09-27T13:10:00.000-06:00

My life these days is vastly different than it was a few months ago. I used to spend most of my days reading articles, doing research, writing papers, creating instructional materials, and teaching.

Now, my days are filled with ...

trips to the park,

story time,

building castles,

chillaxing,

peanut butter play dough,

superheros,

road rallies,

car races on the treadmill,

cookie making and chocolate chip eating :),

and lots of smiles!

I sure love my boys!

Parker is 3 months!

2014-09-26T20:22:00.000-06:00

Parker turned 3 months old on Tuesday! At 3 months, Parker ...

- can roll from his tummy to his back,
- chomps on his hands or a blanket all the time,
- is starting to swat at toys in front of him,
- loves when we help him stand
- is sleeping through most nights (asleep between 9:30 and 10:30 and wakes up between 6 and 7),
- takes lots of 30-40 min naps and one 3.5 hour nap during the day,
- gets a kick out of his big brother Jackson,
- is constantly moving,
- and is a very happy little boy!

What's that?!?!

Mommy, I have something to say!

Parker is typically pretty smiley when we come get him after naps and in the morning

Parker moved into his own room at the beginning of the month!

We converted the office into a nursery since that is the only other room upstairs in the house.

Jackson loves holding Parker's hand :)

Two boys just chilling and watching Mickey

Gotta love milk drunk babies!

He's definitely plotting something ...

Loving life chewing on those hands!

Happy 3 months Parker! We love you!

Parker is rolling!

2014-09-20T17:14:00.002-06:00

Yesterday while Jackson, Parker, and I were playing in our living room, Parker decided he was ready to roll over! He really hates tummy time, so I guess this is his way of getting out of it :) Jackson is a very supportive big brother, and was probably more excited about Parker rolling than Parker was.