Matt, Emily, Eliza, Jackson

Stitches - take 2

2011-12-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

At least it wasn't Jackson again! The Wednesday before Christmas, I was in the kitchen making dinner when I heard a crash followed by a scream come from the living room. Being the great mom I am, I shouted towards the living to stop jumping off things and calm down. A minute later I turned around to see Eliza walking in the kitchen, screaming, leaning forward with blood POURING from her forehead. Seriously, dripping puddles on the floor. I rushed her to the bathroom to clean it up and see how bad it was. Thankfully it looked much worse than it really was but no question she needed stitches. I told her we needed to go to the doctor and she started crying, "No! I don't want stitches!!" I guess she still remembers the trauma of holding Jackson down for 30 minutes while they stitched him up in the summer. I got the kids in the car and took off for Instacare while trying to call Matt. Of course that's the day his phone dies. Ugh. I think I called probably 40 times. I don't know what he thought when he got home and saw dinner on the stove, blood trailing from the living room to the kitchen and us missing. I FINALLY reached him and he met us there. Eliza was scared of what was going to happen but when it came down to doing the actual stitches, she was very brave. She didn't cry at all. She got two stitches in almost the same spot where Jackson got his 8 a few months ago.

So what happened was she was in the living room trying to feel what was in her stocking. She must have tugged on it too hard because the heavy stocking holder came crashing down as she looked up. OUCH. We're going to forgo those next Christmas because I can already see Jackson doing it next year when he's taller.

I took her back the day after Christmas to get the stitches out. It looks a lot better. Hopefully it doesn't scar too much. I've accepted the fact that Jackson will have a few scars by the time he's her age but I don't want her to have a bad one.

Santa may have gotten her an extra present for being so brave!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

GREAT Christmas this year! Full of family, way too much food, and good times. We went to Temple Square with the kids which was wonderful. My brother and his family are in town from Arizona. The kids had a great time opening and giving gifts. It was especially nice that it was on a Sunday. We went to church with my mom and dad. It was special to be there in the ward I grew up in with all my brothers and their families. My dad spoke for a few minutes in the meeting and it was wonderful.

New pajamas on Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

Play tent

The only thing Eliza asked Santa for for Christmas was an umbrella. Seriously, it was so cute. That's the only thing she would say when anyone asked her what she wanted. Luckily, Santa was able to find the exact one she wanted but we forgot to take a picture of it! Our family had a great Christmas!

We hope everyone else did too!

Preschool Christmas program

2011-12-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Eliza had her preschool Christmas program last week. She looks SO big compared to the other kids! In her class there are three girls that are 5 years old. All the other kids are still 3! She did a great job singing, I am always proud of her when she does things like this because she can be so bashful sometimes. I told her on the way home how proud I was of her and she said, "At first I was kind of nervous but then I just believed in myself!" She got that off TV I think but still...it was adorable. Jackson was exactly how I thought he would be during the performance. He cried that he couldn't be up there with her and screamed when I tried to make him sit quietly. Sorry to the people that were filming...

Goober

2011-12-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Jackson really is the biggest goober. I made brownies the other day and let him lick the beater. He walked around for quite a while with a nice handlebar mustache. Haha!

Birthday party

2011-12-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have felt like there hasn't been much to blog about lately. Then I realized I never posted any pictures from Eliza's birthday party. This was her first "friend" party. Eleven 5 year olds made for a fun time... They were actually really good. We ate pizza, popped popcorn, and watched Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension. Not sure we're going to do a friend party every year but she was SO excited for it and we had a really fun time!

Happy Birthday!

2011-11-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Eliza turned FIVE today! Every day this girl makes me laugh and makes me so incredibly grateful that she is my daughter. One of the things she wanted for her birthday was breakfast in bed. I'm not sure where she even heard of that but she came and woke me up in the morning, and asked me for scrambled eggs and a waffle. Then she went back to bed and waited for me to bring it in. Matt and I cracked up about it.

Her presents this year were so much fun for me to find. When I was about 8 or 9 I had these dolls called Hot Looks. They were only around for a couple of years in the 80s and then they stopped making them. My parents had hung on to a bunch of my stuff and have been bringing me boxes to store here since we have a basement now to keep things like that. In one of these boxes were my old Hot Looks dolls and Eliza loved them. She played with them all the time. I had a couple of outfits but not much else left from so many years ago. So I went on ebay and found another doll along with a bunch of clothes and accessories. After I got that I decided that she was going to need a place to keep everything. Barbie closets are too small for these dolls so I got on ebay again and found an old doll closet from the 50s that was the perfect size. So after a paint job, some details, and some hangers, here are Eliza's birthday presents from me!

Before

Amazing what a little paint can do!

All done!

Her new doll! All the clothes and hair and accessories are so 80s. It's awesome. But all that stuff is coming back in fashion!

Matt had the day off and dropped her off at preschool which she thought was pretty cool. He picked her up and surprised her with flowers. So sweet! Eliza was so funny in the morning. She said, "Mom, I'm so lucky on my birthday because I get to go to preschool!"

Her preschool birthday crown

We met for dinner with both sets of grandparents. Also David, Michael, and Jared came which made her extra happy!

Presents from Grandma Carrolyn

So cute! Cousin Michael got her a present!

Veggietales DVDs from my mom. She LOVES these movies.

Then our camera batteries died. Grandma Carrolyn also got her a Barbie which she was just in heaven over. I almost forgot to say the best part for Eliza was meeting her new baby cousin before dinner. Jenna was born yesterday and Eliza was beyond excited to meet her. She is such a sweet little baby. Congrats Dave and Amanda!

Eliza is such a joy and makes our family so happy. She is a sweet, smart girl. She loves school and reading. She loves her brother (deep down :)) and tries to make him happy. She loves primary and learning new songs. She is a very curious girl and is constantly asking me questions about anything and everything. She loves Angry Birds and is way better than Matt or I at it. She can be very dramatic and sassy but thankfully she is still sweet most of the time. We are thankful every day that she is in our family and for the wonderful little girl she is. Love you Zi!

Halloween!

2011-11-01T21:31:00.000-06:00

Halloween is so fun with kids but it's exhausting! It's like a week (or more) of parties.

Here are some cute pictures of the kiddos in their costumes...

We got a couple more uses out of our decorated basement with some family parties.

We also went to the Crazy Corn Maze and let the kids ride the ponies afterwards.

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

Halloween Party!

2011-10-24T20:22:00.007-06:00

We serioulsy LOVE our neighborhood. When we moved in we were surprised at how many fun traditions there are. Among other things, every year a different couple hosts a Halloween party. No kids invited. I am not the entertaining type at all. Really. It stresses me out and I get all weird about things. BUT we also have very persuasive neighbors. :) We got talking about how our home is one of the only ones in the neighborhood that still has an unfinished basement. I would have never thought of having a party down there but I was told it would be great. So after a little coaxing and a promise that I would have help decorating, we agreed to host this year.

Our own decorations consist of a few pumpkins and I think a couple of other crafty looking items. Nothing that would work for a party. Our wonderful neighbors Mike and Janai let us borrow their AWESOME decorations for the party. And Jocelyn the amazing decorator helped us put it all together. I actually feel like I hardly did anything. I just followed her around and handed her tape when she needed it.

We had the party on Saturday and it was so much fun!! Everyone brought a treat to share and we played games, visited and just had a great time. Not only was Jocelyn the decorator, she was also the photographer. I stole these pictures from her, hope she doesn't mind!

Considering we're not going to be finishing our basement any time soon, we may as well just leave it all up for next year! It was the least stressful party ever! Thank you everyone for coming, it was a blast!

One more of us so you can see my awesome leggins, leg warmers, and jelly shoes! I miss the 80s.

October 14th

2011-10-18T20:47:00.003-06:00

Are we the most boring couple or what? First of all, I didn't even realize we had been married 7 years. I thought it was 8. And second, Matt was in a different state for our anniversary. Oh well, we've never been the type of couple that has to do something big and exciting for our anniversary. We had a really fun get away to Park City last year. This year, I hung out and had some much needed "me time" once the kids were in bed. Well, that's what I did at night. During the day I had to take Jackson back to the hospital for more x-rays on his foot. After he got his cast off he was perfectly fine. Then out of nowhere he started limping again. I still don't know what was wrong, the x-rays were clear and now he's walking normal again. Fun times, let me tell you. Matt spent the night in a motel somewhere in Colorado.

But we did finally at least acknowledge it yesterday. My mom and dad watched the kids and we used a gift certificate that we have had for 2 years! No expiration on it, thank goodness. We ate at Christopher's downtown. The food was good but the peace and quite was WONDERFUL!

I brought our camera because usually couples take pictures of each other celebrating their anniversary, right? I forgot all about it. So we have no anniversary pictures but we had a nice, quiet dinner and that's all we really wanted. :)

We've had a great 7 years! I feel lucky to have Matt. He's a wonderful husband and dad. We'll have to see how exciting we can make our 8th anniversary....shouldn't be hard to top!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-09-10T20:28:00.012-06:00

We have not had family pictures since Jackson was a couple of months old. I was so happy to hear about Fotofly from some neighbors! It is a fantastic place! Jackson was a PILL (he would have been even without the broken foot) but they did their best and I'm really excited about the way they turned out. Here are some of my favorites!

Jackson

2011-09-09T21:08:00.004-06:00

Jackson has had quite the summer. Since July I think we have spent over $200 just in copays and seen at least 4 different doctors. That's not counting Matt and his appointments and surgery. The pediatrician, the Kids Care doctors, the ENT, and a podiatrist. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, there's probably more.

On Labor Day we had a get together at my parent's house. They have a big, fun trampoline which is great. They also have 7 grandkids who all like to be on it at the same time. They have always said only two at a time and the big kids can't be jumping the same time as the little ones. Well, you know how it goes... They were all having such a good time and Jackson was laughing hysterically at being bounced around. Then he started screaming out of nowhere. Now, this isn't unusual for Jackson so we decided it was time to go anyway and carried him to the car. When we got home he wouldn't walk on his right foot. I actually thought he had gotten a sliver because he was barefoot. I looked all around and didn't really see anything. So we put him to bed and thought maybe we'd see something new in the morning. He slept great but still wouldn't walk normal in the morning. As the day went on we decided we better take him in. The doctor told us there was definitely something wrong but it wasn't obvious what or where. Jackson didn't cry when the doctor pushed on his ankle or foot or up his shin. He told us to go to the hospital to get x-rays in the morning.

The next morning we had family pictures scheduled. I had already had to cancel them once and I wasn't about to do it again. So we did the pictures and then took him in for x-rays while they got the photos edited. When we got back to the photography studio our pediatrician's office called saying Jackson foot was BROKEN. How did we not know he'd been limping around on broken foot for two days?! He didn't really cry very much. I felt SOOO bad. At least now I can blame the lack of smiling in the family pictures on that. Even though he probably wouldn't have cooperated anyway.

We drove back to the pediatrician's office and got his foot casted. It's not too bad. The cast goes up to mid-calf and he only has to wear it for 4 weeks. He refused to walk on it for the first day or two but now he's getting better at it.

THE VERY NEXT DAY was his tube and adenoid surgery. I was completely overwhelmed with everything he had been through and was just dreading the morning. He was such a champ. He screamed his head off when the nurse took him away for the surgery but they let him bring his Clifford dog with him so that helped a little. The surgery was quick and he seemed to recover from the anesthesia faster than he did last year. Our ENT told us that it was such a good thing we did. His tubes were completely useless and had to be cut out. He said the crusting and scarring around them had made it nearly impossible for his ear drum to vibrate. The new ones will hopefully heal correctly. He also told us that Jackson's adenoids were extremely enlarged. So taking them out will solve a lot of his ear pain and hopefully help him not have many infections in the future.

Jackson has been wonderful since the surgery. I was planning on days of crying and pain meds but he's done great. He has only needed Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Not the Lortab they prescribed. Once we finish up the antibiotic and the ear drops, I'm hoping to see a new boy! My hope is that he will hear better and finally start talking. We'll see....

I love this boy so much. He is sweet and snuggly and adorable. I hope we haven't traumatized him too much. I think we would be wise to invest in football pads and a helmet though...

Again!

2011-09-03T12:01:00.004-06:00

In July we decided we needed to have Jackson start speech therapy. When I took him into the school for his health and hearing screening, he did not pass the hearing test. He couldn't hear the lower frequencies. When the audiologist looked in his ears she said that his tubes were all blocked with wax. I thought, great...how do you get ear wax out of a two year old's ears? When I took him to our ENT his nurse said to put drops in for a week and then bring him back. I did and after a week there was still no change. So she said to keep it up for two more weeks and then bring him back on a day when the doctor would be in the office so if it was soft enough, he could suction it out. I took him in on Monday and it turns out the ear wax is not ear wax after all. Hmm...that would have been helpful to know about two co-payments and two prescriptions ago.

The doctor said that sometimes it can look like ear wax. I'm not sure what's going on but either his tubes have shifted or just healed all wrong and they are not functioning anymore. I'm a little confused if it's skin or scar tissue but something has grown over the tube opening. No wonder he can't hear and is constantly rubbing his ears! So Thursday we are headed in for round 2 of tube surgery. UGH! The first time was a nightmare and I'm sure it will only be worse this time. They are going to remove the old tubes and if there is any fluid in there, they will place a new set. And if his adenoids are enlarged at all they will remove those also! So I took him in thinking we were going to suction out some ear wax and left with a surgery date. I can not believe we have to do this again. They told me with the adenoidectomy he has to sleep with his head elevated. How in the world am I supposed to do that? He's not going to sleep in a chair. I can prop his crib mattress up on one end but knowing how he sleeps, he'll end up with his feel elevated. I think these doctors tell you things without really thinking through HOW exactly you're supposed to do it.

My only hope is that this FINALLY solves his ear problems and that he will start hearing better and speaking. Poor little guy....I hate that we have to put him through it again. Oh, and because it's never just one thing with this kid, he also has two ingrown toenails that will probably need cut out soon.

We actually got a letter from our insurance questioning all the claims on Jackson lately! Let's hope this is the end! For his sake and mine.

Duck pond

2011-08-31T21:47:00.006-06:00

Last week we were looking for somewhere to go to feed ducks. A few weeks ago after a rain storm, our backyard would have been perfect but we missed our chance. We decided to go back to our condo in Murray. We loved living there. It was the first place we lived after we got married and we lived there until Eliza was almost 2. We had great neighbors and a wonderful ward. But we also had three flights of stairs to walk up and only 800 square feet of space. Still, there were a lot of good memories. It was fun to go back and show Eliza her old house. Our place was the top right.

This picture totally looks like Jackson is peeing on the ground. Haha!

We love where we live now but it was nice to go back and visit some of our old neighbors and see the swimming pool that we miss SO much. Wonder if the HOA would consider putting one in around here... :)

Tonsils

2011-08-27T20:41:00.002-06:00

It has been a long time coming but Matt finally got his tonsils out on Thursday. He gets chronic sore throats, cankers on his throat, and strep. I FINALLY convinced him to see an ENT rather than a regular family doctor. Dr. Shah took one look in his throat and said, and I quote, "Look at those pus sacks! Let's get 'em out!" I like a doctor who is decisive. :) So we got it scheduled and he had a tonsillectomy and his adenoids out. He completely freaked himself out over it. Everyone we knew told us horror stories and then he found even more on the internet. It's an easy recovery for a child but as an adult it's much tougher. But we knew it would be worth it in the long run.

The surgery itself was very fast. He has had one other surgery and did not do well with the after effects of the anesthesia. So they gave him something to help with the nausea but it was still a rough few hours waiting for it to be all out of his system. And then I inadvertently made thing worse. I was so worried that he would be in horrible pain I set my alarm and every 4 hours I was giving him a Percocet. All day and all night. I didn't know that that was making him even MORE nauseated. Oops! I was just concerned with controlling the pain. He decided to stop the Percocet and try just taking Tylenol. That has made a huge difference! He looks better and feels much better. I guess given the choice of less pain control but not throwing up every time he was vertical he chose to stick with Tylenol.

The kids have been so good for me which has been great. Eliza has been a big help and even brought home a bottle of water tonight for Matt from our neighborhood party because, "It's ice cold and dad can have things that are ice cold."

All in all, it's hasn't been too bad. I don't think the pain is too much worse than the sore throats he is used to. Let's cross our fingers our luck holds out! We'll see how the next few days go.

Big thank you to my dad for coming out at the crack of dawn and tending the kids Thursday morning. I don't know what we would have done!

The virus

2011-08-05T21:31:00.008-06:00

Birthdays are okay these days, nothing to get too worked up over though. I love having a family dinner and Eliza giving me a home made card. I truly don't understand what people who hit a certain age (cough*their30s*cough) get all excited about. But, that being said, I don't wish for my birthdays to be a nightmare either.

Two weeks ago....Wednesday-ish Jackson was whinier than normal and was running a fever. Plus he was drooling like CRAZY. I thought he must be getting his last molars. But part of me was thinking it was strange since he had never been like that before when teething. He cried and cried that night even with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Thursday morning when he was screaming I happened to look in his mouth and all I saw was cankers covering his mouth. I was able to get him into the doctor that afternoon. While we were waiting Eliza said that Jackson had never held still for that long. Haha! He was running a temperature around 102. He was so tired and worn out from crying and not sleeping that he just laid on my chest. And the child who can't go anywhere without his binky didn't even want that because it hurt his mouth. The doctor told us he had hand, foot, and mouth disease. It was only in his mouth but that was bad enough. The good news was that it wasn't serious, the bad BAD news was that because it's a virus, there was nothing we could do for it. Just wait it out. He said the sores should only last about 3 or 4 days. So we left the doctor thinking that we were probably already on about day 2 or even 3 of it. I thought we were near the end. Well.....

Jackson cried for 4 days. Seriously. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat, he didn't drink. All he did was cry. I got really worried on Saturday, which was also my birthday. He had only had one wet diaper in more than 24 hours. That is one thing our pediatrician asked us to watch out for. He said dehydration is the main concern with that virus because since it hurts to drink anything, some kids just don't. We took him to Kids Care and the doctor there basically told us what we already knew. He said we could take him to the hospital for some IV fluids or try to give it one more day and see if we can get some more fluids in him. Also he made a mixture of Maalox and Benadryl to swab in Jackson's mouth. That did not go over well at all. It made him scream more.

By this point Matt and I were spent. We were running on no sleep and just didn't know what to do for him. THANKFULLY he slept a little better that night and then Monday he did even better. By Tuesday he was nearly back to his old self. I never thought I'd be so happy to have our grumpy, gets-into-everything, can't-hold-still child back. I know it was only a week but it felt like it was never going to end. Now his little tantrums and whining seem like nothing.

Despite the awfulness of it all, there were some good things to come out of it. Most importantly is that Eliza didn't catch it. Also Jackson no longer wants a binky all the time, only when he sleeps. And we finally stopped giving him bottles at night since he didn't want anything to do with one for a week. Now we just have to get him to drink more than 2 tablespoons of milk during the day.

So, not the best birthday I've ever had but I'm just glad it's over. We're SO happy to have the old Jackson back!

Cabin

2011-07-18T13:58:00.007-06:00

Last week we got to spend a few days at a friend's cabin. It was so nice to get out of the heat and just take a few days to relax. Well, relax as much as we can while keeping Jackson from destroying the cabin or escaping.

My family LOVES fishing. As long as I can remember we have always gone fishing but we are cursed. Somewhere in our family, someone must have done something to upset the fishing fates because we rarely catch anything. Between all my siblings and my dad, I bet they went fishing 15 times and spent HOURS there. By the end of the trip, Eliza's four year old cousin had caught one. My older brother caught two and my younger brother caught one. And they cheated so those don't really count. :) Oh well, it's still one of our favorite things to do as a family. Here is Eliza trying her luck.

My dad taking some of the grandkids.

We also brought up some cupcakes to celebrate Jackson's birthday with my side of the family.

The weather was perfect! We had an awesome thunderstorm Wednesday night but most of the time it was in the low 70s.

Snow in the mountains

Eliza and Michael. She is borrowing his jacket...

2 years old!

2011-07-11T11:58:00.004-06:00

Jackson turned two on Friday! We had some family over on Sunday to celebrate. Thank you to everyone for coming and for the fun presents!

We all went bowling on his birthday which turned out to be not such a good idea. He only wanted to to chase the ball down the lane and was not happy with us when we wouldn't let him. We also has has 2 year check up on his birthday. I felt really mean doing that but it turned out that he didn't need any shots this time so it worked out.

Here are his stats -

Weight: 29 1/2 lbs (70%)

Height: 34 1/4 in (50%)

Head: 50 1/2 cm (85%)

He is doing great and is right on track with everything except his speech. He still doesn't say anything except mama and that's only if he's in a good mood and we prompt him to do it. So the pediatrician thinks he needs have some therapy. I'm all for that because this poor kid gets SO frustrated when we don't know what he wants so the sooner he starts talking, the better. We need to talk to the school district and see how young of children they will work with.

Jackson can be such a sweetheart and he gives the best snuggles. He loves to play with his sister and he loves to climb on anything and everything. I think once he starts to communicate better he will be a happier child. I had no idea my two children would be so different. Eliza started talking early and has always been very mellow, content, adaptable...all those things. Jackson is the opposite. But I love him. There are just some days I need to go in his room after he finally falls asleep and watch him sleeping so peacefully to remind myself that I really do. :) Our family would not be complete if he weren't in it. Eliza loves her little brother and he's daddy's little buddy. Love you Buster!

NKOTBSB

2011-07-07T11:38:00.014-06:00

After 21 years of loving them, my dream of seeing New Kids on the Block live came true! I only had to drive 425 miles to do it. First of all, the weekend could not have been possible if it weren't for Matt willing to take me and my parents willing to tend. Thank you so much!

We left Sunday morning and drove all the way to Las Vegas, only stopping for gas and lunch. We arrived with a couple of hours to kill and if it hadn't been 112 degrees, we might have ventured out more but we opted to stay indoors. The concert was at Mandalay Bay so we parked and spent our time walking around and people watching. We had a yummy dinner at Shanghai Lilly and then I got in line. There were SO many people! I had to laugh because The Backstreet Boys were performing with the New Kids and as I looked around, it was easy to tell who was a fan of which band. I was at least a good 10 years older than the BSB fans. :)

Once the doors opened I got in line for the merchandise stand. I was on a mission! I got a program, a t-shirt, a big ole 80's button, a key chain, and an autographed CD. Jordan Knight not only signs some CDs to sell before each show but he kisses them!

This is Danny Wood's custom Harley that he's raffling off. All the money raised from it goes to the Komen foundation to find a cure for breast cancer. His mom passed away a few years ago from breast cancer. Awesome cause! Last I saw it was up to about $45,000.

I bought my concert ticket from KSL. It was upper bowl but row K. I thought, row K, that's probably about the middle of the section...not too bad. Apparently the section is only rows A through K. I was the VERY top row! Once the opening act started there were empty seats at the front of my section so I moved down along with three other women. It made dancing and singing along to all the songs much less embarrassing when I was next to other people!

What can I say about the concert? It was unbelievable. I did not stop smiling the whole time. There was a perfect mix of new songs and the classics. And let me tell you, those guys have not slowed down one bit. The show was over two hours with very little down time. Soo.....get ready for a picture storm! Here we go!

The stage was SO cool!

They went out into the crowd during "Tonight."

Joe is holding his oldest son. He helped sing "Tonight." SOOO cute.

Nick Carter and the Knight brothers

Encore - Hangin' Tough

I took five videos but after two hours last night, I still hadn't been able to load ONE. I guess they're a little big for the blog. If I can make them smaller I will post them later.

The whole trip was spontaneous and crazy and not at all like me. BUT I'm so glad that I did it! I would have regretted it otherwise. Thanks again to Matt for being a good sport about it. And no, I am not mad at all that he didn't go to the actual concert with me. I made some friends and had a blast! And also thanks again to my mom and dad for taking the kids. They loved it.

My seats weren't the greatest and my camera's zoom could have been better but I have nothing but beautiful memories now! I loved it!

Slip slidin'

2011-06-30T21:21:00.009-06:00

It may not look like it in all the pictures but Jackson really was having fun! SO nice on hot days!

Dance recital

2011-06-16T21:00:00.005-06:00

Eliza took her first dance class in May. She loved it! She was so excited for her recital to show off her dance. They danced to "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. SO cute! She took it very seriously, too. She was such a good student.

Here are some pictures from her practice before they went on stage.

Her recital was this past Tuesday which was also Matt's birthday! She was so excited that he got to see her dance on his birthday.

A month of stickers

2011-06-08T21:09:00.006-06:00

We have been wanting to get something for our backyard to make the summer more fun for the kids when we're outside. We have a fun park in our neighborhood but I'm not always in the mood to chase the wild animal (Jackson) around and keep him from diving off the side of the playground. When we asked Eliza what she wanted back there she said a trampoline. So we started another chart for her but since this was a bigger "prize" than a pair of binoculars (that's what she asked for last time) we changed the rules a little bit. She worked to earn five stickers every day. She earned a sticker for -

Being nice to Jackson

Obeying mom and dad

Doing one chore

Eating her food

Letting me comb and do something with her hair (a constant battle...)

She did AWESOME! If she was fighting with Jackson usually all she needed was a reminder about the trampoline and she stopped. I'm glad that we have found this method of incentive that works for her. Okay, it's bribery.

The day the trampoline was delivered we hid it and then set it up after the kids were in bed. In the morning we told Eliza we had a surprise for her but didn't tell her what it was. I'm surprised she didn't guess but she had no idea what it was. I guess she didn't realize she was done with her chart. We blindfolded her and took her outside first thing in the morning. She was SO happy!!!

It has be a lot fun so far and it's great for me too because it wears the kids out for bedtime! Oh, and speaking of sleep, thank the nap gods! Jackson has started napping again! Not as long as he used to but I'll take it!

Here is Eliza's chart!

Preschool program

2011-06-04T14:24:00.006-06:00

I can't believe Eliza is done with preschool! Well, for this year. Because her birthday is in November she'll actually get two years of preschool. All her friends from primary will go into kindergarten this fall but her. She's a little sad about it but I'm not sure I'm ready for her be old enough to go to kindergarten yet! I'm sure she'll love being the oldest in the class next year.

Preschool has been the best experience for her. She has a wonderful teacher and has learned and grown up so much. Reading has been the biggest thing for her. She can now read about 20 sight words and is able to sound out many more. I am always finding her with a book somewhere picking out the words she knows.

Last Thursday she had her end of year program. Singing songs was one of her favorite things to do in preschool so she was VERY excited to show off all the songs she has learned. The weather was not ideal because of the wind but it was still a great program! I was so proud of her. I talked to her beforehand and told her to make sure and sing nice and loud so everyone can hear. She really took my words to heart! She sang her heart out up there and knew all her parts so well.

She was looking forward to her program SO much. For the last 6 weeks that is all she has talked about. Everyday she would ask me, "Mom, are you so excited for my program? Do you wish it was today?" After her official program, she came home and had me record her singing about 5 more songs that they didn't perform. I love that girl so much and I am so proud of how well she has done in school this year.

You Are My Sunshine

Mr. Golden Sun

Green Grass

Triceratops

My Mommy is a Baker

This is my Garden

Please, no...

2011-05-30T21:05:00.004-06:00

This can't be happening! Jackson has not napped in 5 days. Unless you count 10 minute periods of silence in between crying for two hours, which I don't. He has never been the best napper or sleeper from the beginning but the last little while he has been doing great. I could put him down around 11:30 or 12:00 and he'd maybe cry for a minute or two but then he'd sleep for two hours. What is going on? One day he just stopped napping but it's not because he doesn't need one. The poor kid has dark circles under his eyes all afternoon. I REFUSE to believe that he is really outgrowing his nap. He's not even 2!

I love him. I love him so much but I don't think I can handle not having a break from him during the day. And he's too young to understand "quiet time." Basically, giving him a quiet time would be putting him in his crib anyway. So I'm going to keep trying for a nap until I win. :) I really, really, really hope that this is just a phase.

If you would all pray to the nap gods that my little monster will start napping again, I would appreciate it. :)

BBQ/Kickball game

2011-05-19T21:19:00.007-06:00

Last weekend we had the 3rd annual McCann family BBQ/Kickball game. Matt outdid himself this year on the BBQ. He cooked 20 POUNDS of pork shoulder in our smoker. It turned out so good! Here is the prep the night before.

Those babies went in the smoker at 6:00 am and cooked all day. Between the yummy rub on the outside and the injections of Cherry Dr. Pepper, they were delicious! I forgot to take an after picture and by the time I remembered, this is all that was left.

After we ate, it was time for the game!

Eliza helped herself to the Dabo's trampoline. Sorry about that...

Don't ask who won, I have no idea. All I know is someone was supposed to either shave their head or dye their hair pink but a last minute race decided that it was a tie.

Then Matt held a trivia game to win fabulous prizes. If you know Matt, you know that he LOVES random trivia.

By this time, it had dropped about 20 degrees so everyone packed up and headed home.

Thank you to everyone who came and helped out! Kim, the snicker-doodle bundt cake was TO DIE FOR. My fault there were no leftovers of that. :)

Maybe next year it will actually feel like spring!

Makes me laugh

2011-05-17T21:36:00.007-06:00

I used to keep a notebook with all the funny things that Eliza would say during the day. I need to start doing that again because she has had some gems lately.

Eliza: Mom, guess who I'm going to get married with when I'm older?

Me: Who?

Eliza: Jackson!

Me: Oh. Well, we don't really marry people who are in our family.

Eliza: Well, you married dad!

Me (at a restaurant battling with Jackson, as usual): Jackson! Why can't you just be content to sit there?

Eliza: Ugh...Jackson! Why can't you just be a tent?

Eliza also likes to play "pet" with Jackson. She has him hold onto a blanket or something and takes him for walks around our house. His name is Bingo and sometimes he's a boy and other times he's a girl dog. She asks if I want to pet him and tells me that he's a very nice dog and won't bite. Haha! I'm just glad when they play nice together, so I just let them be.

Most people don't get to see how funny Eliza really is because she tends to be a little shy around people. I love spending all day with her because she is always saying something that makes me laugh. I will try to remember to write all these things down...I don't ever want to forget her sense of humor!

Mother's day

2011-05-09T12:06:00.006-06:00

I had a very happy Mother's day this year! I ate too much but what are you supposed to do when you get sugar cookies and donuts from church just for being a mom?

On Thursday Eliza had a gift for me that she made in preschool. I love things she does with her handprints on them because I always want to remember how she was at this age.

We went out to dinner with my parents and brother Saturday night to my favorite restaurant - The Cowboy Grub. YUM! And the kids weren't a complete nightmare so that was even better!

Sunday, Eliza surprised me with a homemade card and a candle that she picked out herself.

She must have liked my reaction to her first card so much because she ended up making about five more. She is the sweetest girl. Every time she surprised me with a new card she would say, "I just want you to know how much I love you!" Aww...

Matt and the kids also gave me a cute collage picture frame. I love it!

I am so thankful be a mom and for my own mother. I talk to her almost every day and there is no way I would have made it through pregnancy and raising my children to this point without her. I love being a mom despite the hard times. And days where the kids are extra sweet just remind me how much I love them.

I hope you all had a good mother's day also!

She's still 4

2011-04-16T20:12:00.007-06:00

Yes, she turned 4 in November. Last weekend we FINALLY got Eliza's 4 year old pictures taken. But it worked out okay because I wanted her picture taken in the Easter dress I made for her anyway. So here are her 4 year old/Easter portraits.

How sweet is this girl? She is getting too big! Love her so much.

Who was yours?

2011-04-07T11:50:00.009-06:00

I saw a post like this on another blog and I thought it was so funny because I had just been thinking about this exact same thing!

Is it just me or is Justin Bieber everywhere? Really, I can do a 360 degree turn in a store and see something with his face on it in every direction. Girls love him. I couldn't even tell you the name of one of his songs....BUT, that being said, I can COMPLETELY understand and relate to the girls who love him. What young girl didn't love and obsess over a celebrity when they were young?

Mine was Jordan Knight. I loved all five New Kids on the Block but I was always a Jordan girl. I was in 5th and 6th grade when they were at the height of their popularity. I remember my New Kids backpack that I got made fun of for wearing. Boys were so jealous of them... I had posters and t-shirts and puzzles and magazines and trading cards. I had the cassettes and tried to learn the dance moves. I was in the fan club but never got a letter back. But, still I loved them. I used to pretend that Jordan was singing "I'll be Loving You Forever" to me. I can't believe I just admitted that. Good times and very good memories.

Pretty sure I had this poster

You cannot look at these pictures and tell me that fashion and hair in the 80s and 90s were NOT awesome.

And do you know what the best part of my childhood obsession is? THEY'RE BACK!

Okay, that's not new news. They reunited three years ago but still... Can I tell you how fun reliving my childhood memories have been? They have new music and new moves but they are still the same and hearing the classics bring back the exact feelings I had in 1989. Jordan was the first boy I ever had a crush on. I remember I had a friend who loved Jon and we used to play and pretend that they were our boyfriends. Haha! And honestly, they all look better NOW than they did 20 years ago! Don't worry, Matt is well aware of all this...

One of my biggest regrets is not seeing them in concert when they came to SLC during their reunion tour. I can't believe I didn't go. I have no idea why I didn't!

Okay, that's the end of my fangirl moment. So, who was yours?

This child...

2011-03-28T21:22:00.008-06:00

This child REFUSES to drink milk unless it comes out of a bottle. He will drink anything out of a sippy except milk. A few months ago I bought him his own special milk sippy cups thinking that that would help. I've even warmed it up for him so it would be just like his bottle. Nothing. He takes one sip and throws it across the room. It makes no sense. Jackson, it's the same stuff! It tastes exactly the same! He'll eat dryer lint and a whole clove of raw garlic, but don't even try giving him milk. Someone please explain this to me.

He's getting too old to have a bottle but if I don't give him one, he doesn't get any milk during the day. Plus, he will only drink one bottle at night. It's not like I can give it to him throughout the day. We've tried adding chocolate and strawberry to it as well. We've given him fun curly straws to drink from. We've tried soy milk and cow's milk. Still nothing. And I don't think it's a lactose issue...he'll eat mac and cheese with no problems. I think it's a stubborn child issue.

I'm afraid we may be to the point where we simply don't give him anything but milk and assume that if he gets thirsty enough, he'll drink it. That should be fun.... Any suggestions?

The big day!

2011-03-20T13:10:00.006-06:00

Friday was one of the best days ever! I never thought I'd be able to say goodbye to contacts and glasses. My whole LASIK experience was fantastic from beginning to end. I went to Hoopes Vision which was a great decision.

I want to write about my day. Sorry if it's not too exciting but I want to remember it. First of all, a big thank you to my dad for tending the kids so Matt could stay with me the whole time. We checked in at Hoopes and I was given a quick check up. They took my vitals and gave me a Valium. I've never had one before and I'm not sure if it did anything but I didn't freak out under the laser so I guess that was the plan. Then I was given some antiseptic drops in my eyes. The procedure was explained to me several times so I would know what to expect. I met Dr. Hoopes and he made me feel great about the whole thing.

The procedure is done in three phases. I was awake for the whole thing but my eyes were numbed. The first phase is to make a corneal flap on each eye. The IntraLase method is really cool. It is done without a blade. The laser creates millions of tiny bubbles just under the surface of the eye. Phase two is the really good part. You get to sit in a massage chair for 20 minutes and wait for them to dissolve.

After the bubbles dissolve, the layer separates and there you have your flap. Phase three is where the actual reshaping of the cornea takes place. I was taken to a different laser and told the only thing I had to do was focus on the blinking green light. Easy enough. I don't know if I should describe the next part because it might gross some people out. So that's your warning. The doctor then peels back the thin flap and the laser does it's thing. Then they replace the flap, smooth it out, and it begins to heal right away. It was so fast. Both eyes probably took 3 minutes total to correct. That's it! 20 years of being dependent on glasses or contacts and that's all it took to change that.

After I was done under the laser I was taken down the hall to relax in a chair. I could already see clearer but it was foggy. Another doctor checked out my eyes to see how it was healing. He said it looked great. I was given all my drops and some very stylish sunglasses to wear. I just rested and took it easy that evening. At my one day check up, he said my eyes were showing some dry patches so I need to use my artificial tears more often but that's it. I am healing just fine and he said I was already seeing about 20/25. That is the same if not a little better than I saw with contacts. And the most exciting part is that he said over the next couple of weeks my vision will stabilize and get even better. YAY!!! I can't wait. I also can't wait to be able to wear eye makeup again. That's vain, I know. But really, the blonde eyelashes and dark circles don't do anything for me. :)

I feel so blessed to have had this done. It was completely painless. Honestly, the most unpleasant part of it is taking off my eye shields that are taped to my face each morning.

So there you have it! It has been wonderful and I know it will be life changing.

I have the whole thing on DVD. That's probably strange to some people but I think it's fascinating. If I can figure out how, I'll post it on here if anyone else wants to see it!

St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-19T21:46:00.004-06:00

I know it was three days ago but happy St. Patrick's Day!

On a side note...we found out I was pregnant with Eliza on St. Patrick's day, 2006. Now look at her!

Lesson learned

2011-03-16T21:02:00.005-06:00

You know those little warning signs that are on shopping carts telling you how to NOT let your child ride in them? I will never ignore one again.

Jackson is a nightmare in shopping carts. He screams like he is being tortured if he gets strapped into one. So on my quick trip to Target this evening, I decided I did not want to fight with him so I put him in the basket portion with Eliza. He sat, he stood, he sat, he stood. I enticed him with fruit snacks and toys and sippy cups just to make it through the 10 minute trip without a meltdown. As my head was turned he started reaching for a something hanging on a rack. As I looked back at him what I saw was him tumbling out of the shopping cart. Head over feet. It all happened so fast. He landed flat on his back. I didn't even think, I scooped him up and decided that him crying and flailing around was a good sign. I left my cart where it was and left the store. I didn't need all the judgmental eyes around me telling me what I already knew - that was not a safe place for children to be. I felt horrible.

But I am very grateful. I have been going over and over how much worse this little learning experience could have been. He could have landed on his arm or even worse, his head. We could have been on the hard tile floor instead of the carpeted part of the store. He could have gotten his finger stuck in the holes of the cart as he fell out. It could have been bad. Instead, I think I was more shaken up than him. He was absolutely fine by the time we got home.

So if you happen to see me at a store with a screaming toddler strapped into the seatbelt of a shopping cart, you'll know why. He's being restrained against his will for his own good.

This picture has nothing to do with the shopping cart incident. It is just cute.

20 months

2011-03-09T22:31:00.005-07:00

I can't believe that Jackson is really that old. I was thinking I needed to do a Jackson post and I counted three or four times to make sure that was right. 20 months! Some days it feels like longer and some days I don't know where the time has gone.

Jackson is doing great. He is such a sweet, funny boy and it has been fun to see his personality develop more.

We are especially thankful that his ears have not had any more trouble since his last infection in January. It has made such a difference in his mood and sleeping. We'll keep our fingers crossed!

Jackson loves his big sister. He follows her around and tries to do whatever she is doing.

Still no talking from him. I can tell that he is trying. He definitely understands a lot of what we say to him. I hope that within the next couple of months he'll get the hang of it.

He has all of his teeth besides his two year molars and when he smiles with those dimples, it is the cutest thing. I wish he would do it more often! It's hard to catch it on camera. We did however get a picture of his cross dressing tendencies. He LOVES to wear my heels. I don't know how this started but it is so funny. He puts one shoe on and clomps around the house for the next hour. His favorite accessory is Eliza's yellow headband. Should we be worried? :)

Some of his other favorite things:

- Throwing ANYTHING down the stairs. Some popular choices are rolls of toilet paper, balls, toys, shoes, sippy cups, couch pillows, books, paper towel rolls, anything he can reach in the pantry, TV remotes, and shampoo bottles.

- Going outside. If anyone even utters the word "go" he gets his jacket and brings it to me then stands at the door.

- Hiding when he needs a diaper change.

- Carrying cereal boxes around the house snacking from them.

- Banana bread

- His binky and little square burp cloth. He is so attached to those but it's kind of sweet.

Here are some pictures of my favorite boy.

LASIK Consultation

2011-02-22T21:37:00.003-07:00

It was good news! After two hours of scans, exams, eye drops, dilated eyes, and bright lights I was told that I was a great candidate for the procedure. I am very excited for this to happen. The only concern they had was that I have dry eyes. That wasn't news to me but I suppose I'm just used to it. They said that sometimes after LASIK the eyes can become a little dry. So if I have dry eyes to begin with it may become worse. Personally, I'd rather deal with dry eyes and have good vision than red, irritated contact eyes. I have a month before my surgery to try and get my eyes a little better. So I'll probably be wearing my glasses most of the time. I have an OTC drop I use 4 times a day. Another OTC gel drop 1 time a day. And a prescription drop two times a day. It's a lot to remember! Plus after the surgery I'll have another two prescription drops to keep track of.

Right now my surgery is scheduled for March 18. I have an appointment the week prior so they can check the dryness in my eyes and see if there is any improvement. If there is not, they will push the surgery back. So here's hoping for these drops to do the trick!

And a huge thank you to Shelly for telling me to watch Good Things Utah last Friday! They were offering an awesome coupon to Hoopes Vision. $500 off per eye! I feel so good about going there. I have heard nothing but good things about them.

Tai, if you are reading this....they didn't ask me at all about having more children. I was thinking they would tell me to wait to have LASIK until I was 100% sure I was done having kids. It didn't come up at all!

I can't wait to post about my experience and how wonderful it is to be contact/glasses free!

The best surprise ever

2011-02-09T12:34:00.004-07:00

Matt came home from work yesterday with a HUGE surprise for me.

I have wanted Lasik surgery for a loooooooooooooong time. Matt must have gotten sick of hearing me talk about it. He set up a consultation for me and has already done all the research as to the cost and recovery. It means so much to me that he would sacrifice to give me something I want so much.

I got my first pair of glasses in 5th grade. I got hard contacts in 10th grade. About 7 years ago I started wearing soft lenses but I have never been able to wear contacts comfortably. My eyes are always red. I wear glasses a lot also but that's not my first choice. Also I have something called a pinguecula on my right eye. It is a small lump that happens to be located right on the edge of where my contact sits so it rubs all day long. I can't even explain how happy I am to have the option to never have to deal with these things again. It's not a for sure thing yet, it will depend on how my consultation goes on the 21st but I am beyond excited about this. A little freaked out (have you watched a Lasik procedure on youtube?) but mostly excited.

Thank you Matt. I love you.

Bubbles

2011-01-31T14:43:00.006-07:00

I was blowing bubbles with Eliza and Jackson the other day and it reminded me of some pictures we took around Christmastime that I meant to post, but never did. Bubbles have provided LOTS of entertainment during the cold, hazy days when I don't want to take them outside.

Eliza likes to chase the bubbles around and try to eat them. Jackson will never give up on trying to catch one in his hands or pick one up off the ground. It can be very frustrating for him.

18 months

2011-01-19T21:47:00.004-07:00

We had two big appointments for Jackson this week - his 18 month check-up and then a tube check with the ENT. After two bad colds, two ear infections, and an outbreak of hives, we were hoping for some good news.

Jackson is doing fantastic. Here are his stats -

Weight: 27.5 lbs (70%)

Height: 32.4 in (50%)

Head: 50 cm (90%)

The doctor is not too concerned that Jackson is not talking. He said that 12-18 months is when their motor skills really take off and 18-24 months is when the verbal skills develop more. We're hoping he'll start to communicate a little better. Poor child gets so frustrated! And yes, we try to do signs with him. Eliza loved signs; Jackson, not so much.

The bad news is that his ear was infected AGAIN. That makes three infections in a month. Our pediatrician prescribed a different antibiotic ear drop that seems to be working much better than the other one. At our visit with the ENT I asked if it was normal for a child with tubes to still be getting so many infections. We were told that yes, some children continue to have trouble even with tubes. The plus side is that at least with the tubes in, it's easier to know when he has an infection and it's easier to treat. They said that if he continues to have so many infections one right after another that we may need to have his adenoids removed. We would love to avoid that so we're crossing our fingers for the end of cold/runny nose season to come quickly and that this poor boy can have a break.

Jackson can be such a sweet boy but his has been such a challenge. He is grumpy and a bad sleeper. He spends the majority of the time he is awake crying or whining about something. He screams like he is being tortured if you put him in a shopping cart or a stroller. But I love him. I couldn't love him more. He gives such nice snuggles and loves when he wants to. He lights up when he sees a cat or a dog. He has the sweetest smile, long eyelashes, and the prettiest blue eyes. And he is most definitely a daddy's boy.

My Dad

2010-12-30T12:48:00.005-07:00

Today is a big day for my dad. After 35 years working for the Salt Lake City Police Department, he is retiring and today is his last day! Wow! 35 years! That is something to celebrate. Too bad most everyone he works with is off for the holidays. He's leaving without much fanfare which is probably the way he wants it.

The next step for him? Forget taking some time off to relax and enjoy the freedom. Nope. In addition to already being the Stake President, he's going back to school and starts next week! He is planning on getting a certificate to teach Special Ed. Anyone who knows my dad knows that he will be wonderful.

I am so proud of my dad. I love him. He is one of the best people I know. I have never once felt like I didn't get to spend enough time with him. Even with his busy schedule he always makes time for my mom, us kids, and the grandkids.

One of my best memories is when I went away to Snow College. I didn't have my own car so anytime I needed to come home, my dad would make the two hour drive to come pick me up and bring me home. Sometimes I felt bad that he had to drive so much but we have talked about it in the years since and we both say how special those drives were.

I could say so many things about my dad. His family loves him. The only thing better than having him as my dad is that my children get to have him as their grandpa.

I couldn't find a recent picture of Eliza and Jackson with grandpa so here's one with cousin Jared!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T22:11:00.010-07:00

There were lots of parties to help get us in the Christmas spirit.

Very fun grandchild party with grandma and grandpa!

Eliza the angel

Matt showing off

The spoils of the pinata

Jackson is scared of Santa, to say the least.

Christmas Eve - Our annual dinner/chime playing evening at my aunt and uncle's home.

One of Eliza's favorite people in the whole world - Great-grandpa.

Christmas morning!!!

Eliza may be fighting Jackson for time in her fairy chair.

Eliza and cousin Michael - so cute!

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was a long day but an awesome one. Lots of family which was the best part, by far. We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Back to class

2010-12-13T21:35:00.004-07:00

In October I signed up to take a beginning guitar class through Granite Peaks Lifelong Learning program. I have wanted to learn to play for a long time. I've tried teaching myself but that didn't go very well. I didn't have my own guitar so I borrowed my brother's and headed off to class! It was SO worth it! I looked forward to it every week. I had a great teacher. The hard part was finding time to practice when I wasn't being mauled by my children wanting to play it also.

My recently acquired calluses and I will be back in class in January for the next part of the class!

Catching up

2010-12-13T20:55:00.005-07:00

Seeing as how it's been over a month since I've posted anything, I better get my act together before I get even further behind!

I think *crossing fingers* we are all healthy again. It was rough for a couple of weeks. Matt came down with strep throat, followed by Jackson. Eliza and I had seriously bad colds. Mine turned into a sinus infection. If mom ever needed a sick day (or week) that would have been it. But things are looking up finally.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We had a dinner on Thursday with the McCann's and then a dinner on Friday with the Burton's. Yum! After dinner on Friday we went over to the church and let the kids (and the adults) run around for a while.

Now we're in Christmas mode. It's been so fun to see how much more interested and excited Eliza is this year. Jackson is mostly just interested in undecorating the Christmas tree. It looks ridiculous right now. All the unbreakable decorations are on the bottom half but most of those are on the floor. Oh well. It keeps him entertained for a while. Now we just need some snow again and we'll be all set!

4 years old

2010-11-10T12:58:00.004-07:00

I can't believe it's been four years since this sweet, chubby baby came into our lives.

Being Eliza's mom has made me happier than I can say. There is not a day that goes by that she does not do something that makes me laugh and reminds me how blessed I am.

She has always been such a happy girl who loves to learn. She gets smarter by the day.

Love her so much!

Happy birthday sweetheart!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T12:29:00.004-06:00

I may be biased but Eliza is about the cutest little Tinkerbell I've ever seen. She looked so sweet. Halloween was great this year. We had a church party, a preschool party, a work party with dad and a VERY wet time trick or treating but we enjoyed all of it. And I guess this shows what a good mom I am - we don't have ONE picture of Jackson in his costume. I can't believe it! But if you want to picture a very cute little army boy, that was him.

6 years & 15 months

2010-10-16T19:12:00.004-06:00

Last Thursday, Matt and I celebrated 6 years of marriage! I can hardly believe it's been that long. We didn't do much that day (although Matt had most of the week off work which was wonderful) but we headed up to Park City for the weekend. I had never left Jackson overnight before and I was a little anxious about it but he and Eliza were left in the best hands imaginable - grandma and grandpa. Eliza talked all week about how excited she was for them to come to her house for a sleep over. Matt and I had such a wonderful time. I forgot how nice it is to sit at a restaurant and not have to battle with children. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria which was super nice! The pool was an outdoor pool but was heated to 85 degrees. Although, with the slight breeze, that actually wasn't warm enough for us so we hung out in the hot tub. As Matt said, why settle for 85 when you can have 115? We hit up the outlets in the morning and then headed home. It was a short but much needed get away. Thank you so much to my mom and dad for tending.

Also, Jackson had his 15 month check up this past week.

He's still the same weight he has been since about 6 months old - 27 lbs. He's just gotten taller. He's about 30 inches now. So he's still big. Just 95th percentile big instead of 120th percentile big. He's doing really well. He's not saying as many words as they would like so we're going to try and work on that. The doctor was shocked at how many teeth this kid has! So, I'm holding out hope that that has been the main reason for his grumpiness. I'm hoping for some happier times in the coming months when these teeth decide to give him a break.

Love this boy! (Eliza took this last picture - her aim is getting better!)

First steps

2010-10-06T22:06:00.004-06:00

The sideways walk cracks us up! He is too used to shimmying his way across furniture and the wall. He needs to get that straightened out.

Here is another one where he nearly cracked his head on the piano bench. Yikes! Good catch, buddy! Don't mind Eliza freaking out at the end of the video....

The little man is growing up. Love him so much!

3 months

2010-09-23T20:56:00.005-06:00

It's been three months and I've reached my goal of losing 20 pounds! I am so happy about it! I had to go buy new jeans which, while not the cheapest outing, feels great. I'd love to lose another 5-10 but those seem to be the toughest. Any suggestions?

Matt has also been doing awesome. He's at about the 22 pound mark. He is so dedicated to his new workout routine. He does his P90X workout 6 days a week. I could never do that. I'm so proud of him!

Preschool

2010-09-01T11:41:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was the first day! I was excited for Eliza because SHE was so excited. When she woke up in the morning she said, "Mom! Is it Tuesday today? Because I get to go to preschool when it's Tuesday!" She had a great time and can't wait to go back.

My baby girl is growing up. *sniff*

Oh, and in case you can't tell.....NO CAST!

Mystery injury

2010-08-24T20:41:00.004-06:00

Last week Eliza was complaining that her knee was hurting. I wasn't sure how badly it was hurting and how much of it was her being dramatic. But as the week went on, she kept limping and complaining. The strange thing is, not only did it seem to come and go, we have NO idea how it happened. She would run around inside and out in the yard but then by the end of the day, she would say that her leg was hurting. So after a few days of her limp not improving I decided to take her into the pediatrician. It was a Saturday so we didn't see our regular doctor but the one we saw was great. He examined her knees, hips, and ankles and watched her walk. He didn't think it was too serious, whatever it was, but said he'd feel better if we went to the hospital for some x-rays, just to be sure. So off we went. Eliza was an angel at the hospital. She did just what they told her and didn't freak out at the x-ray machine. Later that night, we heard back from the doctor and he said that the x-rays showed a possible fracture in her ankle. ??? She hadn't complained about her ankle at all, only her knee. They did say it was not conclusive but that we needed to take her somewhere to get her ankle splinted. The only place open on a Saturday evening is the Kids Care. The nurse was great and this is what we came home with.

We took her back to the pediatrician's office on Monday and they put a different, and bigger, splint on. So now she has her entire left leg, up past her knee splinted. I'm glad they're being cautious but I can't help feeling like it's a little extreme. The doctor explained that injuries like that in children can be tricky. He said that sometimes they don't even know what's been fractured until it starts to heal and they can see the calcification of the bone in an x-ray. So we might be headed back for more x-rays in a few days to see if they have any more answers for us. In the meantime, Eliza is being a good sport about the whole thing. She puts up with it and it doesn't slow her down much at all.

Weekend get-away

2010-08-16T18:18:00.005-06:00

I hesitate to even call this a "cabin" since it's about a million times nicer than our house but since it was in the mountains and we had to drive on dirt roads to get there, I guess technically it is one. We had such a fun weekend being with two of my brothers and their families. Good food, campfire, s'mores, games until late and a gorgeous sunrise. Thanks to Brian and his VERY generous friend, Eric, for letting us stay in his cabin. It was gorgeous!

Summer rain

2010-08-08T21:00:00.003-06:00

LOVE IT!

Bike ride!

2010-08-08T20:46:00.004-06:00

After a month of earning stickers for good behavior, Eliza finally earned her prize! Trust me, a month is like forever to a three year old! We've been wanting to get her a bike this summer but we felt like it was a fairly big thing and we didn't want to just go out and buy one for her. So we thought we'd introduce Eliza to the concept of incentives. Or you can call it bribery. :) Now she not only got such a fun reward but she is starting to learn that being good makes everyone happy.

We're still working on the whole coordination thing but she's doing pretty well. She's only ridden into a bush one time.

Birthday present to me

2010-07-24T09:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I turned 30. That sounds strange. It doesn't really seem THAT old but it seems much older than saying you're 29. I've had a very blessed and happy 30 years, that's for sure.

About a month ago I decided to get serious about losing some weight. It was always in the back of my mind but I finally set a goal to lose 10 pounds by my birthday and I'm happy to say I did it! Plus one! Now, I wish I could say I was done but I've still got several more pounds to go but it's a great start! Thanks to Matt and the rest of my family for their encouragement!

Party #1 and #2

2010-07-17T20:18:00.007-06:00

Last Sunday, while my brother who lives in Arizona was in town, we had a small get together with my side of the family for Jackson's birthday. He was grumpy (see the picture in the post below) but it was still fun to celebrate with all of my family.

Today we had a party at our house with the McCann side. Thankfully, Jackson took a good nap and was a happy birthday boy. He was not very interested in his first birthday cupcake so I wasn't sure about this time but yeah, see for yourself. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. Thanks to everyone who came and made his birthday so fun!

How many pictures of a sweet frosting covered boy are too many? It looked like war paint by the time he was done with it.

12 month stats

2010-07-14T21:23:00.006-06:00

Jackson's 1 year check up was this week. Good to get that out of the way. Shots are not fun for anybody.

Here are his stats:

Weight - 26.7 lbs. (90%)

Height - 29.8 in. (60%)

Head - 49.5 cm. (95%)

I've been worried about Jackson's behavior lately. He is grumpy. Like, really, really grumpy. When he's not asleep he's usually whining or crying about something. I was concerned that maybe he had developed a food allergy that was giving him a tummy ache. Or that somehow his ear tubes weren't working and were causing him pain. But when I brought it up with the pediatrician, he said his ears look great and that it's more than likely just an age thing. A phase. He suggested to just ride it out for a few more weeks and see if it improves. Lovely. I love Jackson. So much. But the whining gets a little old around, oh, 9:00 a.m. I think part of the problem is that he is transitioning from two naps a day to just one. Also, all the ear issues kind of wreaked havoc on his sleeping habits.

As far as development, Jackson is plugging right along. He finally learned to crawl the "right" way. No more army crawling. He pulls himself up on every vertical surface he come across and can walk along the furniture. Time to get serious about baby proofing! No walking yet, thank goodness, but I think it's not too far off.

I love this little boy so much. Grumpy pants and all.

Eclipse

2010-07-07T21:37:00.009-06:00

Public Service Announcement - If you don't like the Twilight series or are sick of hearing about the movies, I suggest you stop reading now. Snarky comments will not be tolerated. :)

A couple of Saturdays ago, Moviefone put on a Twilight Night event in Fairmont Park. It was actually pretty cool. Only 12 cities in the country were selected to host one. Too bad they did such a poor job of advertising it.

My sister-in-law, Amanda, had her sister's family in town. Her 14 year old niece, Alicia, and I went together. Her mom and Amanda keep thanking me for taking her but if I'm being honest, I am SO glad she wanted to go! It was awesome. There were tons of free Twilight goodies. We got posters, a key chain, nail polish, a button, a bracelet, and a t-shirt. We got to walk the "red carpet" and have our pictures taken with Cardboard Edward and Cardboard Jacob. It had been a long time since I willingly made a fool of myself like that. :)

Later on in the evening, two of the stars of Eclipse (real ones, not the cardboard kind) came. Unfortunately we didn't have a VIP wristband but it was still really neat to see Charlie Bewley (Demetri) and Julia Jones (Leah Clearwater). Believe me when I say, both of them are beautiful in person! They didn't stay for very long but were kind enough to stay long enough to sign some autographs. I brought my copy of Eclipse (okay, I know I'm a nerd) and I was so excited that I got it signed by both of them. Alicia was even brave enough to ask Julia for a picture. Both actors were very gracious and nice to the fans that had come to see them. Here are a few pictures from our Twilight Night. It was great to relax and act like a total fangirl with Alicia!

And yes, I absolutely wore the t-shirt when I went to see the movie.

Happy Birthday

2010-07-07T21:30:00.004-06:00

One year ago this sweet boy joined our little family. I will never be able to imagine our lives without him.

Love you Buster.

Just me and my Dad

2010-07-03T19:50:00.006-06:00

Matt had the very fun idea of having a backyard camp out with Eliza Friday night. She has been SO excited the entire week. Finally the big day arrived! She helped dad set up the tent then they were off to the store to get "supplies." Those supplies included a Tinker Bell sleeping bag, graham crackers, marshmallows, and a Hershey's bar. Then we packed her backpack with everything she would need and took it out to the tent.

Keep in mind that we usually put Eliza to bed between 7:00-7:30 at night. I knew there was NO way she would fall asleep that early. It doesn't start to get dark until 9:30. So they had their s'mores and she played outside for a while. 8:30 rolled around and I thought she may be tired enough to fall asleep even with it still being light outside. No luck. It was noisy and just way too many distractions going on on top of her excitement of being on her first camp out.

I went outside around 10:00 to check on the campers and Eliza was still wide awake. So we decided that it would be just as fun to camp in the family room! We got her all set up on the floor and I sang her one more song and she fell asleep almost instantly. This is how we found her this morning.

So the camp out didn't go exactly as planned but she loved it anyway. Thanks Matt for being such a cute dad who loves to do fun things with your little buddy.

Jackson's big day

2010-06-17T21:16:00.004-06:00

It started at 6:00 this morning with mom rudely waking him from a peaceful night's sleep. We were the first case of the day which was wonderful. If we have to withhold food from Jackson, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. But eventually he did remember that he hadn't been fed and was still a little sleepy. Overall, he was great. We got him dressed in his little gown, had our visits with the doctor, nurse, and anesthesiologist and off he went! By the way, the anesthesiologist was so cute with Jackson. The nurse told us that he is great with kids and loves to hold them until they are asleep. That made me feel so much better. He was in very good hands. I know ear tubes aren't that big of a deal and I am very grateful that that's all we were there for but I was still anxious. 15 minutes later, Dr. Meads was back to tell us it was all done and Jackson did great.

The little boy that they brought back to us was NOT a happy one, however. I'm glad we had been warned of this. It's understandable that the anesthesia would make him feel all out of sorts. He was so sad! Inconsolable for quite a while but eventually he settled down at home and was able to have a nice nap and then some food!

We've got another antibiotic to give him for 10 days and some ear drops but I'm hopeful that once that is all done, our sweet happy boy will be back to normal! I'd love him either way but he is made to smile. It makes my heart happy to see him happy. Love this boy!

A HUGE thank you to Grandma McCann for getting up at crack of dawn to be at our house when Eliza woke up, which also happened to be at the crack of dawn. Sorry about that...

Here's some pictures of our adventure.

This is after the surgery. Look at that sad face! Poor little guy.

This is a few hours later. Happy boy again!

Dad's work

2010-06-14T21:22:00.005-06:00

On Saturday, Eliza got to see where exactly dad goes every morning. It was ALL she could talk about on Friday and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. Hey, anytime Matt wants to take her to work, it's fine by me! Some of the highlights were - riding up in the "alligator" (elevator), finding the balloons with candy bowls attached, sitting in dad's chair, spinning the wheel to win a prize, the echo in the underground parking lot, lunch afterwards with dad at the food court. She's pretty easy to please.

I can't figure out how to make the picture not look like that. It's off of Matt's phone. We were doing pretty good to get it uploaded to the computer at all. :)

The big 3-1

2010-06-14T21:07:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday to Matt!

Thank you to grandma for watching the kiddos for a couple of hours. I've forgotten how nice it is to go out to eat without children.

Matt is such a wonderful dad. Eliza and Jackson miss him when he's at work during the day and Matt never disappoints when he gets home. There's always lots of hugging, kissing, tickling, squealing, and giggling. Those are the best sounds in the world!

Love you!

Swimming

2010-06-03T11:17:00.003-06:00

Good news for the kids, bad news for the grown-ups...it's swimsuit season. We took the kids to the Kearns rec center on Saturday for a swim. They loved it and Matt and I actually had a pretty good time, too. I don't think Jackson's legs stopped kicking the whole time! Eliza was such a big girl and went down the slide all by herself. But only once. :) Oh, and she decided she wanted to wear last year's swimming suit right before we left so that's why it's different in the pictures.

Jackson update

2010-05-28T21:31:00.003-06:00

A week ago I took Jackson back into the doctor and guess what? His ears were both infected again. Or still infected...I'm not sure which. I know, it's a shocker. So our doctor said to go ahead and make an appointment with an ENT to look at getting tubes. He also prescribed another antibiotic (that's five, if you're keeping track) in a last ditch effort to get the infection cleared up before the procedure. The pharmacy didn't even have Erythromycin in stock (is that a bad sign?) so we didn't get him started on it until Monday. It's not so fun. Tuesday we were able to get Jackson in with an ENT who looked at his ears and said neither was infected but there was some fluid in both. They tested his hearing and since that was not being affected at all, he recommended holding off on ear tubes since it seemed like this antibiotic was working. I'm glad that he wasn't all gung-ho about doing the surgery but I have a feeling that as soon as this antibiotic is done, we'll be right back where we started in March. Dr. Hunter (the ENT) wants to see us back in two months for a follow-up but I can pretty much guarantee that we'll never make it that long without another infection. I'm hoping for the best but as our pediatrician said, "the writing may be on the wall." We're hoping that if Jackson's ears get bad again. we will be able to get the procedure scheduled as soon as possible. Dr. Hunter told us he'll be gone for two weeks in June at Scout Camp (ick) so knowing our luck, it will happen then and we'll have to wait.

The part that makes me feel the worst is that I think Jackson has just gotten used to his ears hurting. He actually sleeps pretty well at night and isn't as grumpy as I would expect. Poor thing. I'm sorry buster, hang in there and we'll get those sweet ears figured out soon, I promise!

First fish

2010-05-23T21:29:00.006-06:00

This is what Eliza caught on Saturday. Well, it had a head and a tail at the time. Matt said when she reeled the line in and saw a fish there, she had never been more excited! I was worried that when they, uh, prepared the fish to take home, she would be upset or grossed out but I'm not sure she even thought twice about it. Must be a little more McCann in her than Burton because a Burton would have left empty handed. :)

She was so excited to eat it! I cannot stand anything about fish - the smell, the look, the feel, and most especially the taste. But, I didn't want to taint her so Matt cooked it (outside) and the two of them ate Mr. Fish for lunch on Sunday. She actually liked it!

2nd Annual McCann BBQ/Kickball game

2010-05-11T20:29:00.009-06:00

Last Saturday we had both families over at our house for a barbeque and kickball game. A little bit of a poor showing from the Burton side...but we still had a blast. That morning as Matt and I were getting the yard ready, we noticed not one, not two, but THREE bounce houses out in our park. Turns out it was our next door neighbor's daughter's 6th birthday and they definitely throw a better party than us! They had the bounce houses, tons of food, a pony, a magician, and very cute party favors. And the best part is, Eliza got an invite. She had such a good time and still hasn't stopped talking about it. The only downside to this (besides the total upstaging of our party) was that even though their party ended by the time ours began, the bounce houses were still up so it was torture for the kids in our family to stay out of them. Our neighbors were very generous though and let the kids jump for a little while before they took them down.

Anyway, back to the McCann's shindig. Matt manned the grill to cook everyone's steak and it was delicious! We had fruit, rolls, chips, cookies...you know, the usual cookout spread. Matt had some games like "Guess the number of Skittles"and "How many people has Jack Bauer Killed?" to try and win amazing prizes. It was great.

I sat out from kickball but it looked like fun. Couldn't tell you who won but everyone was good sports and I hope all the children were very tired afterwards.

Thanks to everyone who came and helped make our party so much fun! Not "bounce house and pony fun", but still a good time! In case you're wondering, Jackson was being put to bed by grandpa during picture time so we don't have any of him. He had great time too!

Ugh...

2010-05-06T11:27:00.005-06:00

Ear infections...aren't they just awful?! I feel like we've been battling this for weeks and weeks. Back in March, we took Jackson to the doctor and found out that both his ears were infected. Round 1 - Amoxicillin for 10 days. A week later, he was still grumpy and pulling on his ears so I took him back. Round 2 - Omnicef for 10 days. A week later he was STILL grumpy and not sleeping, so I took him back. Not all the way cleared up but not totally infected. Just fluid around both eardrums still and that was probably causing the discomfort. A week later...well, you know. I took him in again. Totally infected. Round 3 - Azithromycin for 5 days. That ended on Sunday. He has STILL been rubbing and pulling on his ears. But he was a little happier. A good sign but today I took him back, yet again, just to make sure. The doctor said they didn't look good. Not awful anymore but they just don't look "normal." So he wrote a prescription for Augmentin which I think is the last resort. Next step will be tubes in his ears if this doesn't work. I'm supposed to wait a few days and see if he is any better, if not, we'll start the Augmentin. Our doctor is great and I know he's doing his best to get Jackson's ears better. I told him that Jackson had actually been doing pretty well with all these antibiotics and he hadn't even had any diarrhea. The doctor said, "Well, don't worry. The Augmentin will take care of that!" Great.

Incidentally, Eliza has an ear infection now, also. Thank goodness it's almost the weekend. Let's all hope things get cleared up soon. I want my happy boy and girl back. I'm trying to have a positive attitude because truly, things could be MUCH worse. Here's hoping for better days!

Easter dress

2010-04-12T13:27:00.004-06:00

Since General Conference was on Easter Sunday, Eliza didn't wear her new dress to church until yesterday. Not bad for $7 at Walmart if I do say so myself. I think she looked adorable.

I love this girl.

Beautiful Eliza

2010-04-12T13:06:00.010-06:00

Let me start this by saying with Eliza's long hair, it can look pretty. It's just that most days, unless we are going somewhere where we might run into someone we know, it's not worth the struggle of combing her hair and doing something cute with it. For me, a clip or a messy ponytail is pretty good. But I was looking at it the other day and it just looked so uneven and scraggly. So Saturday we got it cut. Chopped, really. I love the way it turned out. She looks so pretty, and so grown up. There's still a little of her natural curl but it's SO much easier to comb and it's not always getting in her face and food.

Before:

After:

9 months

2010-04-08T12:47:00.005-06:00

Here are Jackson's 9 month stats.

Weight: 25 lbs. 13 oz. (still off the charts)

Height: 29 1/2 in. (90%)

Head: 48 cm. (95%)

I absolutely can not believe how fast the time has gone by. Seriously, there is no way he is 9 months old already.

His double ear infection had not cleared up all the way so we're starting another round of antibiotics. I hope that knocks it out. Poor little guy. Nothing like letting your child go weeks with an ear infection you didn't know about to make you feel like a great mom.

Other than that, he's doing really great. He has 5, almost 6, teeth and is busy learning new things and trying to figure out how to become more mobile. Some days I wish he could get around on his own so I didn't have to carry him everywhere. Most days, though, I'm happy that he's not all over the place yet.

Jackson is such a blessing in our family. He brings a happiness and spirit that is very special. We love you buster!

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T20:22:00.007-06:00

Easter was great this year. I think Eliza had four egg hunts that she went to. We definitely got our dollar's worth out of her Walmart bucket. We were hoping she'd be a little more aggressive by the last hunt but she is always so timid. She's pretty happy with 1 or 2 eggs and doesn't like to fight the other kids for any more.

Even better was that the stock market is closed on Good Friday and Matt only had to work for a couple hours in the morning so we got to have dad home for an almost 3 day weekend.

We got Eliza and Jackson each a present for their baskets but we made sure and talked about why we celebrate Easter. Eliza loves talking and learning about Jesus.

I love this picture. I bet you can't guess which present was from me and which was from Matt.

Jackson got in on the action too.

This was our first year dyeing Easter eggs. It was really fun and now we get to eat slightly colored egg salad sandwiches all week.

There's not a lot of Jackson here because we tried to plan the potential spilling/choking hazards around his naps. But here is Eliza showing what a good sister she is. When I was getting Jackson dressed for the day she said she wanted to rock-a-bye with him and read him a story.

I love them so much. And I love this time of year. If it could just decide to be spring, that would be even better. Happy Easter!

Just stuff

2010-03-15T13:27:00.010-06:00

I wish I had something great and exciting to write about. I really do. But there's just not much going on. Maybe that's a good thing. Here are some little things, if you're bored.

- Jackson can finally roll in both directions and he likes to practice in his crib in the middle of the night. He has four teeth now and is just getting over a double ear infection. That's been tons of fun.

- I had to get an eye exam last week for new contacts and my eyes have changed, again. At this rate, I will be blind in ten years. Oh LASIK, why aren't you covered by our insurance?

- Eliza is doing so much better with learning to not get up to go to the bathroom all night long. Most nights now she doesn't get up at all and she has only had about 3 accidents in the past 3 months. She is such a good girl. She helps me with Jackson so much and is just a happy, sweet girl with a giant personality.

- Matt and I are complete '24' addicts and this season is GOOD! We are loving it!

- I am usually a big American Idol fan but I think I've only watched a total of two performances and they were both terrible. I don't know....just not feeling it this season.

- Matt picked my New Moon DVD up for me on Saturday and he even caved and watched it with me once. I'm happy to say he was on his best behavior, more or less.

- I just finished Dan Brown's "Lost Symbol" and loved it! I don't know why some people didn't like it very much. I love his writing and I always feel so much smarter after I'm finished.

- The Cougars had a great season. But no Matt, we still can't change Jackson's name to Jimmer. That's not even a name.

- I saw "Remember Me" last weekend. It was seriously so good. Would I have seen it if Rob Pattinson wasn't in it? I don't know....I hope so. It was a wonderful story. If you're thinking about seeing it, do! But bring tissues. You have been warned. Here's the trailer for anyone interested - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWQV6-QgGjI

- My brother Spencer and his family were in town this weekend. He is a dentist in Arizona so we don't get to see them too often. I love when they come up! But I forgot to take pictures.

Umm.....I guess that's about it. I'm looking forward for spring to finally get here. I'm not ready for the hot summer days yet but 60-70 degrees outside would be nice.

Projects

2010-03-09T13:08:00.009-07:00

Last week was the one year anniversary of buying our house! I actually can't believe how fast the time has gone. We have loved it here. We have a great ward and really wonderful neighbors and no major complaints about our house so I guess that's pretty good!

So after a whole year, we are FINALLY starting to decorate everything the way we (I) want it. Our walls have been bare for too long! I'm not much of a decorator, I mostly just copy things I see but it's been really fun. My friend Shelly introduced me to the wonderful world of vinyl decorations which I love! They are so easy to put on and look really nice, I think.

We're not done yet but already, everything is looking much better.

The biggest project was our kitchen. We had a huge plain wall behind our table that I never could figure out what to do with. So a couple of weeks ago, we painted it red! It took some getting used to but I really like the way it turned out. Just don't examine it too closely if you come over.

But the best home improvement by far is that we now have a piano! It's an electric piano so it's just a little bit smaller than a traditional one. We love it. It's actually really fun because it can sound like different instruments. I'm so happy Eliza discovered the drums. Although I feel like I'm learning how to play all over I am very happy to have a piano again! I've missed it. It's just a little crowded in our living room with it but I don't mind. Matt however feels like now is the perfect time to buy a new flatscreen to mount on the wall to free up some space. Ha! Nice try.

We love it! Thank you grandma!!

The rolls

2010-02-10T13:49:00.007-07:00

My arms, my back, and my neck hurt by the end of the day but I couldn't love him more.

Fairy tales

2010-02-01T10:25:00.010-07:00

Eliza got a set of princess books for Christmas and here she is "reading" a few of them. This shows what an impressive memory she has because I'm pretty sure she doesn't actually know how to read any words except her name. I know the sound isn't great so I translated what she said below the video. Nearly everything is word for word from the books.

"Cinderella worked hard day and night. But she was cheerful just the same. She had fun with her mouse friends. Singing raised her spirits, too. But believing in her dreams made her happiest of all."

"Mulan wanted to bring honor to her family. Sometimes it was hard. Mulan's father learned he would have to go to war. Mulan pretended to be a boy. She joined the army so her father would not have to. Mulan helped the Chinese army win. Mulan made her family proud."

"The undersea world is a magical place. Concerts to hear. Shipwrecks to explore. Trinkets to collect. And daydreams to dream."

"There was a sweet and kind princess named Snow White. The wicked queen was jealous of Snow White's beauty. Snow White had to run away. She stayed in a cottage with the seven dwarfs (sounds like doors). The wicked queen tricked Snow White with a poisoned apple. The prince lived happily ever after with Snow White with a kiss."

"The gentle Snow White had many friends. The animals in the forest were her friends. A little bluebird was her friend. Prince Charming was her friend. The seven dwarfs were Snow White's best friends of all."

"Ariel was a mermaid who lived under the sea. Ariel was fascinated by humans, especially Prince Eric. Ariel asked the sea witch for human places (she meant legs) so she could be with Prince Eric. If Prince Eric did not kiss Ariel she would be a mermaid once again. The sea witch's magical could not keep Ariel and Eric apart."

Eliza is such a smart little girl. I know, I know...every mom thinks that. She really is so fun to spend the day with. It makes me happy that she loves books already and wants to learn to read.

Six month stats

2010-01-15T20:29:00.004-07:00

Jackson had his six month check up today. Can I just say how nice it is to go to a pediatrician that we don't hate? Dr. Buchanan is wonderful. Jackson is doing great except for his eczema. It's not too bad but living in such a dry climate with hard water doesn't help. He has a prescription cream that helps but he gets really bad red patches on his stomach and back. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, it just looks yucky. Eliza had the same issues and outgrew it so hopefully he does too.

Weight: 25 lbs. 5 oz. (completely off the chart)

Height: 28 in. (90 %)

Head size: 47.1 cm. (also off the chart...he does have sort of a big noggin)

When I told the doctor that Jackson doesn't really roll over yet (he will with a little encouragement) but sits up pretty well, he said, "Well, that's a lot of Jackson to get moving!" That made me laugh!

I love my little butterball. He makes our home so happy.

Jackson's 6 month pictures

2010-01-11T21:09:00.007-07:00

I could just eat him up...

Eliza's 3 year pictures

2010-01-11T20:58:00.002-07:00

When did my baby grow up?

Our Sunbeam

2010-01-04T19:33:00.004-07:00

This Sunday was Eliza's first day in Sunbeams. They just called brand new teachers and I feel for them. There are about 14 fresh out of nursery three year olds. Luckily, only about 7 were there this week. She was so excited about her new class. We've spent a couple of weeks talking about the "rules." If you ask her what the rules are in church she says, "We stay in our chairs and be reverent and don't kick our legs." Now we need to teach her to not scowl at the boy sitting next to her. Maybe they didn't get along in nursery either. :) Matt and I teach the 5 year olds this year so we get to witness her in primary first hand. It's wonderful.

All I want for Christmas...

2009-12-30T20:11:00.003-07:00

Well, this explains Jackson's recent fussiness and sleeplessness.

I was not expecting this to happen so soon. Eliza didn't get teeth until she was 8 months old. Jackson is only 5 1/2 months! Although, he has the body of a 12 month old so maybe that explains it. Baby Tylenol...I don't know what we'd do without it.