Just A Funny

Just had to hurry and post this before I forget about it... Matt: (while going to put his arm on the couch's armrest) Jackson, how did this booger end up on the couch? Jackson: silence Matt: Jackson, why is there a huge booger on the couch? Jackson: I sneezed,and it flew out. It stuck... Seriously hard to keep a straight face!

Lately...

Here are some quick pics about everything going on with us lately.  We have had so many fun and exciting changes :)  First of all...Matt graduated!!!!!!  HE DID IT!!!!!!!!  Finally, finally, FINALLY done with Business School at BYU!  YAY!  Congrats babe!  

Of course...gotta include some pics of our little chunker McCall.  She is soooo fun and darling!  

LOOOOVE her chubby kissable cheeks :)

For our 5 year anniversary (YAY!) we went on a little vacation to Park City.  Jackson LOVED the pool!  

Jackson in his "hotel bed"...ha ha ha.  He thought it was pretty neat.

My BIG boy who has (finally) decided to go 3 days without diapers!  Way to go buddy!!!!!

McCall Brooklyn

We are so so thrilled to have sweet baby McCall finally join our family!  She made her debut March 20th at 4:47 AM weighing 6 lbs 12 oz and measuring 19" long.  Everything has been so wonderful!  We have been so lucky to have so much help from family and neighbors.  :)  Darling McCall is so mild tempered--it has been a fabulous transition.  However, I have really lucked out having so much help from Matt.  He has been absolutely amazing!  Jackson is having the time of his life getting so much one-on-one time with daddy.  :)

Here are some fun pics of McCall...pre-edit.  We were experimenting...and just having fun.  But here are some of my favorites.  Once I fix 'em up and edit them I will repost them.  I'm thinking it probably won't happen for a while, so that's why you're getting the "rough" ones lol.  Enjoy :)

Wishin' for Spring...

We decided to pretend it was SPRING and go to the park to feed the ducks and have a picnic--ha ha ha!  It was FREEZING...but still a lot of fun!  Just thought I would post a few pictures.  It was so cute to watch Jackson cracking up at the ducks "skiing" on the water.  He loves being outdoors, we can't wait until it warms up even more!  (Though we really can't complain, with how mild this winter has been so far...)

Made Me LAUGH

 Oh my goodness...Jackson said the funniest thing to me yesterday.  I just HAD to post it.  I was eating a no-bake cookie and he looked up at me puzzled.  

He scowled and said, "Mommy, you eating a POOPY!  I show Daddy..." 

Glad my 2 year old is keeping me in check, ha ha ha!

Many Many Many Ramblings

Well...Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year....what else have I missed!?  Ha ha ha!  We have had so much excitement going on, blogging has REALLY taken a back seat--can't you tell!?  I figure it's time to update somewhat and get some of my thoughts/stresses out of my head for a while and onto some good ol' "paper".

2012 is a VERY exciting year for us...Matt is in his LAST semester of school!  GRADUATION here we come!!!!!  It is almost unbelievable to think that we have made it!  I keep saying "we"...but really Matt has been the one dealing with all the stress of trying to attend school full time (BUSINESS school, too....) while working his butt off full time.  We can't wait to see where the road will take us...especially in a few months.  Jackson and I sure can't wait until our daddy can come home from a normal day of work without having to rush to a group project, or crack open the books.  The end is in sight!!!  :)

Our other very exciting thing coming up is our baby is due in March!  And...it's a GIRL!!!!!!  We are so so so excited!  But oh my goodness....this pregnancy has been 100% opposite of the first.  We most definitely have a DRAMA QUEEN on our hands.  Oh where to start!?  I guess here are some updates as of late.

December... In December, I went in for a normal OB check and the baby's fetal heart rate had dropped into the 90s.  It stayed in the 90s consistently enough that they sent me over to the hospital for some stress testing.  The heartbeat went back up around 160, and they determined that everything looked fine and sent me on my way.     I was terrified.  And a wreck.  I don't think anyone can understand the worry and responsibility you feel carrying a baby, and how you just want everything to be ok, until you have actually had a baby yourself.  It is so hard to describe.

January...  So, I went in for my normal OB check again in January and this time, heartbeat was great!  YAY! But...I was measuring 24 weeks when I should have measured 28 weeks.  :S  I also mentioned to my dr that I had been noticing a lot of contractions (but, I thought it was just because I knew what to look for the 2nd time around, with Jackson I didn't notice hardly any).  So, my doctor had me schedule an ultrasound with Maternal Fetal Medicine at the hospital.  I also found out my glucose levels were elevated.  So, I was also scheduled for a 3 hour/12 hour fasting Glucose test.  I have to take it Friday and am SO dreading it--just because drinking all that sugar after fasting so long makes me so sick.  The first glucose test I took you had to be fasting 3-4 hours, go drink some nasty sugar drink, and then they take your blood an hour later.  This test I have to be fasting 12 hours, go have my fasting blood level checked, drink the nasty sugar drink, and then have my blood checked each hour for the next 3 hours.  It's going to be a long day at the lab.  I am just praying that I can keep the sugar drink down long enough for the test...

More January...  So, on Monday I had my ultrasound with the hospital.  They confirmed that indeed it IS a girl :) and checked a GAZILLION measurements.  I couldn't believe all the things they looked at...and they did it all twice!  Once with the technician, and again with the Neonatologist.  It was very reassuring.  No cord around the neck, phew, and most measurements look fabulous.  The baby's measurements are actually a week ahead!  But...the baby's belly is measuring a week behind schedule.  So, given the rest of the drama history, they decided to be conservative and scheduled me for a stress test to monitor the placenta function.  They also wanted to check my cervix since I had been having a lot of contractions.  But, for the first time the baby was actually NOT BREECH!  MIRACLE :)  They could NOT see the cervix at all in the ultrasound.  So...they did a transvaginal ultrasound.   A new experience.  To say the least.  HA HA HA.  But really, it was not that bad.  Measurements for that ended up showing that my cervix was shortened.  At this point, apparently it should be around 3 cm.  As of Monday, I was measuring around 2.2-2.4 cm.  At 28 weeks, that's a little too short for comfort.  So, they talked to me about starting some Progesterone as well as resting resting resting.

Another long story later...I found out my insurance won't cover the prescription at all, since it is considered a fertility medication.  So, the pharmacy quoted me at a nice total of $300 when I went to pick it up.  SERIOUSLY!?  No thank you!!!  So, my OBs office submitted me a letter of medical necessity and now I am just waiting to hear if insurance will maybe make an exception and cover it.  I know that compared to the life of this little baby girl, $300 is nothing.  Honestly, we just want her here safe.  So, we're just waiting to see how critical taking the medication at this point is...and if insurance might offer some assistance.

Until I hear back from my OB and the insurance company...it's rest rest rest.  How do you rest with a toddler?  How do you rest, in general!?  I feel so unproductive.  Anyway, I'm not officially on bed rest...so PHEW!  Good thing I have a constant comedy in front of me with all the funny things Jackson does and says each day. :)

OH BOY.  So that is life right now.  Sorry for the VERY lengthy ramblings.  Overall, we are having a blast in this "springtime" of a January, playing at the park and going for walks...and getting very excited for a new chapter in our lives to begin!  

Fun on the Farm

We had such a fun morning today visiting Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point.  We met Grandma, Grandpa & Dylan there for a fun outing--and the boys even got their first pony ride!  Just wanted to share some cute pics :)  They sure had fun feeding all the goats and sheep, and doing the cute kid activities at the Barnyard Boo!

On the Wagon Ride around the farm. 

LOVED LOVED LOVED the pony ride! 

Cute Grandpa even let Jackson feed one of the HUGE goats that kept jumping up on the fence to see us.

"A BUNCH" of FUN!

Well...I'm not quite sure where to really begin.  It's been SO SO long since our last post, and SO much has happened in the meantime!  We had an incredible summer filled with a wonderful wedding of Jason & Hillary and...a few days after Matt finished Spring term...a super fun trip to California with Kirie, Brian & Dylan!  We went to Disneyland, California Adventures, Universal Studios, the beach, San Diego Zoo, and Sea World.     SERIOUSLY, could we have had more fun?!  I doubt it!  On top of that, we got some GREAT news about 4 hours after we landed in Cali about Matt's job--he was promoted to Manager!  The past months have truly been "A BUNCH" of fun!  I have to use "a bunch" because lately if Jackson really likes something, he tells me he wants "a bunch". 

After our Disneyland trip, we came home to celebrate Jackson turning 2 with a big Mickey Mouse party :)  Other than that we have kind of just been pluggin' along.  We just celebrated Matt's birthday and another wonderful wedding.  We are so excited for darling Allie & Chris, and it was a blast to see so much family at the wedding, too!  Yes, we are still trying to sell our house, Matt is still crazy with school and work, I am preparing my students for our Halloween recital in a week, and Jackson is very busy helping me with anything he possibly can.  He is definitely our wonderful little singer, singing all day long :)  Such a sweetheart!  What shocked me the most was when he could sing the whole alphabet AND count to 20 before he even turned 2! 

 We are most excited right now for the "bunch" of fun ahead of us as we get ready for a little baby to join us in March!  In just a few weeks we find out whether this little baby is a boy or a girl...and we can hardly wait!  Jackson changes his mind daily on whether he wants a brother or sister...but lately he has been singing (to the Primary Children's song "Fun to Do" tune) "playing with brother is fun to do".   :)  So...we shall see! 

Skinny boy in a "HUT"

Lately if you ask Jackson to show you how skinny he is--- (and he is SKINNNNNNNY!!!!! finally 21 pounds...but 4th percentile for his weight, lol)--- this is what he does! He makes us laugh!

Jackson learned that it's fun to have a "HUT" made out of blankets to play in. He is so silly! Here are some fun shots of his play day in his hut. :)

Ok...this face is kind of scary, I know...but it's Jackson's FORCED smile. HA HA.

Discovering the train next to the hut...

WAY too close for comfort!

As many of you have probably already heard...we had quite an eventful evening Monday night. A little after 9:00 pm I was doing puzzles with Jackson before bed when we heard a bunch of sirens getting closer and closer. Living next to the Boulders...it's not uncommon to hear sirens daily. Between the drugs and fights and such, there is usually an incident or two a day over there... BUT, this time was different. Fire trucks and ambulances just kept on coming. TONS of them. When I looked out the window, they were right on the other side of the fence in our backyard. I rushed outside and was met with a wall of flames coming from the Boulder's complex next to us.

NO JOKE..these flames were 20 feet off the roof into the trees. All of my neighbors were outside. We stood there watching as the firefighters ran around the building yelling to get people out and shattering windows. I have never been that close to a house fire before. You could feel the heat. Watching all the flames and ash fly up into the trees, I kind of started to wonder if I needed to get ready to evacuate. If those huge trees caught on fire and came crashing down, our place would be next. I called Matt, who was on campus working on a group project, and he came rushing home. Thankfully the firefighters got the fire under control fairly quickly. Our backyard is still taped up with caution tape, and we can still hear the big trucks outside. Their huge light is shining right into our windows. I won't lie...I'm a little nervous to sleep tonight. There is some footage on the news about the fire...but not a lot of video of what it looked like at first. I was able to video a little...but was mostly just in shock with the huge flames. This video link is a pretty good depiction of what I was met with when I walked out of my front door. Our house is right on the other side, behind this burning building. I'm definitely "counting my many blessings" tonight! It was just TOO close...

Slight warning, I haven't listened to any audio on this clip...so not sure what it contains since it's a youtube video...

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciMCn0s3eg8

The Journey

I feel like most of the time in life I'm either on top of the mountain with everything going wonderful and all "fine and dandy"...or stuck in a nasty muddy valley. Everything is going really good, or everything is extremely difficult. Lately, in our house (despite the gazillion blessings we have been given, seriously) we've kind of been stuck in a big mud puddle in "the valley".

Being part of the Jenny Phillip's choir I get the amazing opportunity to sing at firesides all over. Although I have only performed locally so far, these firesides are INCREDIBLE. They are all about remembering the journey of life and your purpose here, and likening it to the pioneers. This last Sunday I was able to sing at another one of these firesides. Some lyrics really stood out to me. Even though we aren't pulling handcarts across the plains, the words have such an inspiring and hopeful message...especially when we're "stuck in mud puddles".

"Don't give up heart, don't give up hope. He will sustain those who walk His road. Just put one step in front of the other and it will be enough. He will hold you up."
Here is a clip of a video presentation with this song in the background. It's the same clip that is shown at the firesides: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UUuaZPXcp4

Here is another clip of part of the fireside (I know, somehow these ended up on youtube...? lol). But anyway, it is an absolutely remarkable story about a little girl named Bodil Mortensen who had incredible faith through tremendous trials. It's short, yet powerful...Hope you enjoy it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG1SxFL8xc4

FINALLY

Wow...every few months I am reminded of the fact that I am quite the terrible blogger. HA HA HA. Months and months later I am finally posting again! So many fun things have happened since our last post--Thanksgiving, Christmas, Steph's wedding...and so much more. I honestly don't know where to begin! But...here are some fun pics of "lately".

Jackson is almost 17 months!!!! (1 month 'til Nursery--and I'm going to be honest...I am NERVOUS! I'm going to try not to be one of those paranoid parents that hangs outside the door just in case, ha ha ha. I have a feeling it's gonna be more rough on ME than on HIM.)

Anyway...more quick Jackson updates--he SAYS everything, GETS INTO everything, loves to dance & play basketball with Daddy. He has a mouthful of teeth (actually, only 10), but hates to eat. He would rather drink milk all day long. This skinny little guy needs some bulk ha ha! He is so dang cute though--every day I think "I am SO lucky to have such a wonderful family and life!!!"

Ok...check these fun pics out...

My parents decided to start a tradition of making gingerbread houses...here are our creations. It was a really fun evening with the whole fam--minus Jason & Hillary who had to work dang it :(

Finally enjoying his 1 year old birthday cake--months later. Poor guy and his allergic reaction to cow's milk made it so we couldn't give him any birthday cake on his actual birthday.

Confession: we may have celebrated Christmas a bit early at our house. Jackson found his present. He could NOT wait...ha ha ha!

WEDDING!!!!! Yay! Here's a funny sibling pic, and then just one of the sisters. Steph was GORGEOUS!

At the reception...can I take this off yet, Mom!?!? He looked so dang cute! What a handsome guy.

A day with Aunt Kirie, Uncle Brian, baby D, Aunt Amy, and the grandparents at the Living Planet Aquarium--we love that place!

Sometimes I think Jackson is going to be a chef. He LOVES cooking with me--but only if he can sit on our puny counter! (I swear one of these times we are going to end up having an ER visit.)

Told ya, he LOVES milk!

Another one of his favorites: sitting on top of the piano with his teddy bear watching for birds. He flaps his hands and says "tweet" when they finally show up at the bird feeder.

Lately....some fun pics :)

SO MUCH TO UPDATE!!! Let's start with Halloween... Here is Jackson's "deep sea angler" fish pumpkin--isn't it so fun????! We never got the chance to carve the others. Maybe they will be Thanksgiving pumpkins :)

Gutting the pumpkin (Jackson thought it was DISGUSTING. Note the guts all over the floor...)



Our little lion headed into his toy "den" at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

LOVE this shot from the back...awesome mane, huh? SO cute. Our sensitive lion liked smelling the fake flowers before Trick-or-Treating.

He had such a cute black nose with whiskers...yeah, didn't last too long. Sweet little guy.

A walk around Provo Temple this week. This is the face he pulls when he tries to smell plants and flowers. Silly guy!


Lovin' the dirt! Of course...



Cool view of the back of the temple.


Ok...lately EVERYTHING is a phone for Jackson. He holds anything he can up to his ear and jabbers "ya ya ya ya ya". Here is a toy remote as a phone...as well as my cell phone.


"Hello, anybody there?" Another phone call down the hall.

Just a cute cheese with all those teeth!

My jewelry also doubles as a phone...he is holding one of my necklaces to his ear.

Well clearly I have spent too much time on the computer because Jackson knows how much I hate when he picks his nose, and he keeps coming up to me laughing with both pointer fingers up his nose. I think someone needs some attention. The things he does for attention though! LOL.