Last blog for 2007!

Hello and Happy Holidays to our family and friends! Sorry it has been sooo long since our last blog; a lot has happened with our family since the list time I wrote. We had the fires here in San Diego and we are so grateful that our family and friends are all safe. I’ve had a birthday and am now 23 years-old (woo-hoo) and Jack just celebrated his first birthday! What a year it has been, and a great one at that!

Because I haven’t written since September I’ll just brief you all on just a few things since then. Jack stood on his own for the first time and his third tooth came through in October. For Halloween he was a cute little skunk—we called him “our little stinker.” In November, Jack said his first real word (dog) although we’ve only heard it a couple of times since then. Jack celebrated his first Thanksgiving and he took his first step the day before my birthday (November 26^th).

Jack had his first birthday party on December 8^th and his favorite part was his cake. It was the first time he’d ever had real sugar and he absolutely loved it; Jack had his own birthday cake and ate about half of it (I think most of it made it into his mouth, too). Jack’s now walking a lot more although his preferred method of getting around is still crawling and, oh yeah, he love’s to dance. In addition to the three teeth he already had on the bottom . . . he now has an additional three on the top and I think the fourth tooth is coming through soon. Jack just had his one-year check up and now weighs a whole 20 lbs. 14 ½ oz. and is 28 in. tall and is still growing like crazy. His current favorite foods are: frozen peas, any kind of meat, goldfish, and bananas. Jack has quite the little personality and brings so much joy into our lives.

Justin finished his final exams and has been out of school for about two weeks now. He’s still working very hard at the Grand Tradition and, because wedding season had slowed down, he has even had a few Friday nights off for a night out with me! Justin still loves reading (usual

ly something political) and is actually able to enjoy his favorite pastime now because school’s out! Justin is still an amazing husband and father; he helps out around the house even when he doesn’t really have time and is just as tired as I am. I love him so much.

Both my aerobics and yoga classes have ended, but I’m still working out

with my mommy group most days of the week. We aim to work our five

mornings a week but don’t always make that goal because of sick/ tired babies and an occasional tired mommy. However, I’m really ready to get back into the groove

after the holidays, especially because (da da da daaaaa!) Justin got me a new jogging stroller for Christmas! I’m so excited to break it in! I can’t think of anything else to write about right now

, so I won’t go on any longer. Just know that our little family is happy, healthy, and we truly love each other!

2007 has been a great year; we love you all and we’ll see you in 2008!

A new one--at last!

I know it’s been over a month since the last family update.

Jack’s a whole nine months old as of this past Wednesday! He still has only two teeth and is still as cute as ever (at least we think so). Jack has also had a lot of firsts in this past month-and-a-half . . . he pulled himself up on his own for the first time on August 18^th and hasn’t stopped ever since; we even pulled the cute bumpers out of his crib because we caught him standing on top of them! Jack’s been crawling for about a month already—he started using his arms very slowly and cautiously at first and has since perfected the skill. Jack has already had his first “shiner” and is no longer a vegetarian. He loves feeding himself different foods and has mastered the sippy cup; I’m not going to list all of the foods he’s eaten because the list has grown immensely and some people will tease me about it ;o) Jack has attended his first high school football game, attended his friend Felix’s first birthday party (and had his first cupcake—no sugar added), sat in a shopping cart without a cover on it (BIG step for me . . . ewwww germs), and his brand new car seat just arrived in the mail this afternoon! He hasn’t started walking on his own yet, but I know that will be here before we all know it as he needs very little support now.

Justin has become busier since our last blog entry. School has been in session for him for almost a month now. He is going to school on Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 9 am to 7 pm, and doesn’t return until about 7:30 on those days. He then works the days he’s not attending school. Justin is still politically involved (though not as much as when he was working the campaigns) and is still the 11 year-old scout leader at church. he still finds time to spend with Jack and I in addition to all that he does; he is such a hard worker and never complains about supporting our family, being tired, helping around the house, or even parenting Jack in the evening when he returns home. I know I am truly blessed to have a husband as loving, hard-working, and dedicated as Justin is.

I have resumed my yoga and aerobics classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and love them both. Music & Movement class has just resumed this week and we’re looking forward to learning new songs and playing with our friends. Jack and I had a lot of fun this past month with “The Mommies” and their kids; we attended playgroup at least 4-5 times a week at each other’s homes while the music class was not in session and let the kids play together while we visited. I’m grateful to have found this group of mothers who are strong, beautiful, and intelligent women—without them motherhood would be a bit lonely (okay very lonely). I miss my school friends (hey girls!) and those I haven’t seen or talked to in a while, but my life is great. I have a great support system, my amazing husband, and out beautiful son—what more could a girl ask for? I am extremely blessed. Until next time . . .

I know it's late

Sorry this entry is a bit late :-(

I just have to say, “I have the most amazing husband ever!” Yesterday was our third wedding anniversary and Justin and I had a wonderful time. He arranged for my mom and Mackenzie to watch Jack for the evening while we went and had a massage and dinner together; it was so relaxing. But that’s not all . . . he made me a picture slideshow! He somehow found time to scan in pictures of me when I was younger and pictures of us together pre-Jack, the second half of the slideshow was all pictures of our little Jack, and it was all set to music. It was the sweetest thing and I cried, of course (you all know me—my bladder’s behind my eyes).

Jack is now 32 weeks old and still as cute as ever, if I do say so myself. He’s still around 18 lbs. and seems to be getting longer by the day. He’s not crawling quite yet, but we’re expecting it any day now. Jack has been scooting and rolling himself across the living room for a while now but is just now starting to rock back-and-forth on his hands and knees. Jack now has two whole teeth, although they’re not fully grown yet, and loves to gnaw on anything he can get in his mouth. His favorite toys are currently: Spike and Freddy (two stuffed toys—a dinosaur and firefly), his rubber snake, empty water bottles with and without beads inside, and paper (although it has lost some of its charm). He still loves to jump and we’ve just made it a bit taller because he’s a growin’ boy.

We are attending swim lessons three days a week, this is the start of his second three week session, and Jack absolutely loves the water. We also attend playgroup at friend’s houses during the week so the babies can play. Our friends Maria and Ellen have two very large dogs that Jack totally loves! He loves to hold the dogs’ faces and screams with delight—especially when the dogs lick his face (kinda’ gross, I know).

Jack’s eaten so many new foods that I don’t even know where to begin. Just the other day he had some mashed avocado and loved it, he also gnawed on a frozen wheat bagel and enjoyed that, as well. He’s had raspberries and strawberries mixed with apples or pears, a vegetable medley with zucchini and onions, sweet potatoes and corn, and plain oatmeal (I’m sure I’ve missed some). We’ll probably start introducing some finger foods as soon as he seems a little more interested. Oh, I gave him a little training sippy cup with some water, for the first time, but he just chewed on the little spout. I know he’ll get the concept sooner or later.

Justin’s just as busy as ever with work; he’s also worked for dad and done some work for his grandpa, as well. However, with the way things have been going lately at his regular job I’m grateful to have him home safely each weekend. I love him sooo much and I think he is the most amazing man; I am so blessed to have him in my life.

Justin starts school on the 27^th and is taking a full class load. We’ll keep you all posted.

As for me, my aerobics class ended Monday and my last yoga class is tomorrow night; I’m a little bummed but I think I’ll live. Tonight Justin, Jack, and I wend for a long walk at the preserve here in town. It was nice to just spend time as a family. I’ve been trying a lot of new recipes lately and all of them have been pretty delicious. I’ve also started making some “baby” food, too; I’ve made applesauce, peaches, mango, bananas, and potatoes, some mixtures with the fruits. It’s been a lot of fun, but I need to make more vegetables since Jack prefers them to fruit.

I don’t think there is anything else going on with our family. Life’s good and we are so grateful for our time together. Until next time . . .

Here's another one

Its twenty days later and I’m finally getting around to writing our second blog. Jack’s now 26 ½ weeks old, 26 ½ inches long, and he was 17 lbs. 11 oz. at his doctors appointment on the 22^nd. He’s now eaten peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, prune juice, applesauce, and peaches (just this morning). He loves his veggies and isn’t so sure about the fruits just yet; he actually preferred peas over peaches this morning.

Since our last update he’s perfected the art of jumping by himself in the Jumperoo; sometimes he’ll spend a half hour jumping if you’ll let him. Jack also loves lying on the floor with his toys and has learned to roll over several times in a row. He still pivots himself on the floor, but now he can also wriggle a bit and cover quite a bit of ground, literally ;-) Jack went into the swimming pool for the first time, on June 15^th, at Grandma Jody’s house and Jack and I are going swimming tomorrow, as well. We haven’t started official swim lessons yet but we plan to on the 9^th. As of last Friday, Jack sleeps in his own room for the majority of the night and it’s wonderful.

We went to the fair as a family on Tuesday and had a blast! Justin and I ate lots of bad fried food, my favorite was the fried Snickers bar, and Jack enjoyed riding around in his stroller. We tried showing Jack the sheep, but he was far more interested in a woman in a wheelchair. I think Jack’s favorite part of the whole fair was the bus ride to and from the off-site parking; he especially loved the ride back to the parking because we rode on top of the bus (it was a double-decker). We look forward to taking Jack next year when he’ll actually understand what’s going on around him.

Lastly, I took Jack to get pictures done yesterday. They’ll all be in black and white and they are sooooo cute. They’re all of his little body parts (hands, feet, belly, etc.), I’ll be sure to share them with all of you.

I’ve started by yoga and aerobics classes and love them! It feels so great to get active again. Justin’s still working hard to support our family and is a great father and husband. He’s started our retirement account and has started trading in the stock market; he’s very excited about this new interest, and I’m excited that he’s excited.

We’re doing well and loving our lives together. Until next time . . .

Here it is!

Here’s our first blog for our family! I figured it may be easier for me to keep all of our family and friends updated about our family. I promise to try and update this page every couple of weeks (or so).

Justin’s been off of school for a few weeks now and it has been wonderful to have him home with us. However, he’s taken up a couple of projects on his days off so we won’t see him quite as much as we’d like to until those tasks are completed. Weekends for Justin are CRAZY because wedding season has started. He is currently managing four to five weddings a weekend and doesn’t return home until very late, but we’re so grateful for his job and its wonderful living so close to his work (about 30 seconds on foot).

I’m just finishing up tutoring children for the school year and will continue tutoring one of my students over these upcoming summer months. I’ve signed up for a step aerobics class and a yoga class, as well. I’m looking forward to exercising again and taking some time for myself.

Our little Jack is now 24 weeks old, around 17 lbs, and just AMAZING! He’s changing so much and learning to do new things every day. Jack’s been rolling from his tummy to his back for a few weeks and on Thursday, June 7, Jack rolled over from his back to his front for the first time; needless to say, I was very excited for him and I even caught the whole event on tape :-) He’s sitting up without support and only falls over occasionally. Jack’s been eating a little bit of rice cereal with carrots for breakfast for a few weeks now but had green beans for the first time yesterday. He really seems to enjoy his solid foods now that he’s losing a little bit of his tongue-thrust.

Jack and I have been attending a “music and movement” class for about four weeks and we love singing songs and dancing together. Jack’s favorite song is The Grand ‘Ole Duke of York because he gets to bounce up and down on my legs . . . and bouncing is one of his favorite things to do! He’s just starting to learn how to jump in his jumper by himself and is a ton of fun to watch. He loves taking walks outside and sometimes daddy helps Jack pick a flower to bring home for mommy. Jack’s very smiley, ticklish, and loves to laugh!

We are so grateful to have each other and our precious little Jack! Our Heavenly Father has truly blessed our family and continues to do so each day.