What not to wear

There's nothing like packing for a vacation to make you realize you have no clothes. This happens everytime I go somewhere. I'm sure you know what I am talking about. You fly through the vast sea of shirts pausing to consider some and completely ignoring others. You almost speak to the shirts as you push them to the side, "no, no, mmm....maybe" etc. As you near the end of the row you realize that you've only chosen 2 shirts when you need at least 7. So reluctantly you start over again and are forced to pack some that aren't quite right, but will just have to do. I honestly have a closet full of clothes so why is it that I have such a dislike for most of them? I'm considering starting a neighborhood shirt program. I picture a giant closet full of shirts that you can "check out" and then return when you are done and of course it is eligible for some kind of government grant that allows us to purchase new shirts twice a month. I suppose while I'm at it we might as well add shoes too. Yeah...I think I'll get right on that.

When at Grandmas

This past week my parents ventured to Baja California/Mexico for the 41st Baja 1000. Last year my Dad actually rode in it. How cool is that? They came in 15th place which is awesome considering that the average age of the riders was....well, we'll just say over 40. This year the old guys decided that they had done it once and met a goal of theirs so they decided to just sponsor a team of younger guys. While they're away Den'ja and I have been staying at their house to keep an eye on My youngest brother and my lil sis. Den'ja loves it here and stays so busy which is different for me. He is usually at my feet all day long, but here there is so much room and so many things to play with and get into that he is in Heaven. Of course his favorite thing is the basketball hoop. Apparently it rocks to be able to play basketball indoors. One day Uncle Tyler stopped by and played some b-ball and wrestled with Den'ja. As you can see he had absolutely no fun.

So I'm mad at the Gateway......

***Warning! I'm totally complaining here

Just for your information DO NOT go the the Old Navy there. I went there two seperate times today (long story) and the first time I stood in line for 15 minutes waiting to pay. There was ONE person in front of me trying to make an exchange and only ONE person working the registers. The second time I went in they had two people working the registers and I stood in line for 20 minutes while the person in front of me applied for an Old Navy card. I pride myself on my patience. It's one of my best quailities and even I was getting upset! Not to mention that it's really difficult for a 3 year old and an 18 month old to stand still in line for that long. I'm also mad at the GapKids there. I could barely fit the stroller through the store. I was bumping into displays, racks, and tables of clothes the whole time. It was ridiculous! A children's store should be aware that people with children will probably be coming in. Whew! I feel much better getting that off my chest. I think that I'll try shopping online from now on. :)

I can make that!

One of the blogs I like to check out often is Just a Girl. Right now she is hosting and "I can make that!" party. The idea of the party is to share an idea of something that anyone would be able to make themselves and would make a great gift. What a great idea with Christmas coming soon and everyone trying to save money. You should really go check out all the great things people have submitted. Better yet...if you have one to submit I'm sure everyone would love to see!

See her blog by clicking here:

My Honey!

Yesterday was my honey's Birthday! He is officially 28 years old now. He started the day with some amazing gifts!! His football boys came over for films and brought him a fabulous cake. A PANcake that is!! Haha. Not to be outdone (those competitive boys) another player brought him a bottle of water. What sweethearts! They are seriously good boys and they crack me up! My gift was a bag of his favorite treat: Nibs licorice. Now I know you're thinking, Geez Joe you really got ripped off! So I have to tell you that he recieved his "real" present from me about a week ago when we went to the Jason Mraz concert!! Yay! We love Mraz, but Joe especially! It was a fantastic concert (despite the weirdos we sat by...wait..were SURROUNDED by) He puts on a great show and his voice is absolutely flawless. I swear when he does his recordings he must be able to have it all done in one take!

Here is where I would insert a picture, but I can't find the cord for our camera...maybe I will add it later.

Then we spent the rest of the day with Joe's Mom and Step-Dad. We had lunch at Olive Garden and then Joe got to pick out his next gift, a new coat. I hope that he had a good day! How could you not when you start it off with pancakes and bottled water!? In honor of the big 2-8 I am posting some random yet wonderful things you may/or may not have know about Joe. I love you millions hon!!

1. Joe has a great singing voice. I love being serenaded on car rides!
2. Joe is supersittious when it comes to sports. He wears his khaki shorts to every football game despite the fact that it is freezing cold outside! Which brings me to number 3.
3. Having Joe around is like having your own portable heater. He is always warm! Having him next to you in bed on cold winter nights is heavenly!
4. Joe promised me when we got married that he would make me laugh everyday. He has been true to his word. He's hillarious.
5. Joe is almost always the one that does the laundry. Love it! (this may be because I'm terrible at getting it done)
6. Joe likes to make up words in the kids' storybooks. I'm sure they are better that way. Den'ja and Maeson love it! Sometimes I will be reading a story and Maeson will say, "That's not how Joe reads it!" Ooops
7. Joe has perfect (or beyond perfect) vision. I truly hope that all our children inherit this from him.
8. Sometimes on his way home from work Joe will stop and get me a nice big Diet Coke! Somehow this always seems to happen on days that I am especially stressed out and it really hits the spot.
9. Joe didn't mind one bit when I wanted to have my cousins little girl come to our home and he loves her and treats her just like he would his own little girl
10. Joe was able to finally get me in the habit of saying my nightly prayers. Before we met I was horrible at it, but since we've been married we haven't missed a night!
11. Joe is a big kid. He skips in the parking lot with Maeson, jumps over puddles with Den'ja, and you can totally find them in any store because they are so loud! :)
12. Even though we are busy and don't have a lot of time, Joe always finds a way for us to spend some time with each other.
13. He is a fantastic Dad! You will never see Den'ja more excited as when his daddy comes home from work. It's my favorite part of the day too!
14. Joe rocks at making up silly songs. We do this in our house daily, and we're both pretty good, but Joe is the best!

Aren't I a lucky girl?

Sweet!

I don't know about you, but between Maeson and I we are always needing ponytail holders. I found this awesome coupon for two bucks off any Goody brand ouchless product. If you print it out and take it to Wal-Mart you can get them for 12 cents! Here is the link to the coupon if you're interested.

http://www.goodycomfort.com/res/pdf/ouchless_coupon.pdf

Babies Everywhere!

This weekend we babysat my cousin Cassie's adorable twin boys. I was worried about how Den'ja would react to mom taking care of someone other than him, but found out that I had absolutely nothing to worry about. He was the best little helper. He constantly wanted to hold one of them and as you can see when he had them in his arms he was thrilled!

Den'ja and Cannon

Den'ja and Parker

Sorry it's blurry, I was making a dive to catch Parker before he tipped over.

I think it's hillarious that they look nothng like each other. Cannon looks more Asian and Parker looks more Hispanic. (My cousin is neither one, haha) It was amazing to me how extremely different their personalities were. Cannon is so layed back and easy, and Parker is demanding and a little whiny. We had so much fun with them!!

No Way!

So who can resist those cute little baby/toddler jammies? When last winter ended I went on a pajama binge to stock Den'ja up for this Winter. Not only were they on sale, but they were cute to boot! Since it's been getting colder I decided it was time to break out the warmer pjs. Out of the six pairs of pajamas I bought only one pair fits!! Blah! I shouldn't have assmed that because he was going to be 18 months, that he would actually fit into 18 months. So in trying to save money I think I will end up spending more instead. Boo Hoo. So here is Den'ja snoozing in the one pair that actually fits. He hasn't been feeling very well so I layed him on my bed while I went to clean the toys out of the tub. This is what I found when I came back. Poor little guy!

Oh, how I love the magic eraser....

I am always unsure of what to do when I return from Sam's Club/the grocery store and have to bring all of our purchases into the house with Den'ja. Especially since he is a little clingy lately and doesn't like me to leave his sight. Usually I just hope and pray that he will fall asleep on the way home and I will be able to unload the car as he snoozes away. I have even been known to drive around town for a few minutes if I can tell he is close to falling asleep. When we pulled into the driveway today after our shopping trip he was still bright eyed and fully awake. Shoot! So I brought him into the house and distracted him with some toys. I then snuck out to at least bring in the frozen and cold items. I am completely unsure of how he was able to do this so fast. I am just sure that he was formulating his plan the whole way home. When I came back into the house I found Den'ja on the kitchen floor with three different crayons just scribbling away. The worst part is that I have to take the blame for this one. I am the one that left the box of crayons within reach and I am the one that has been encouraging him to be artistic lately. (I just love his little scribbles) After confiscating the crayons I attempted to clean the floor with a wet rag. It wasn't working. I then tried scraping the wax with my fingernails. Still wasn't working. So then I whipped out the good old Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Tah Dah! Good as new. So today I must give my thanks for it's cleaning abilities and make a mental note to ALWAYS put the crayons away.

We love grandma!

On Saturday Den'ja got a package in the mail. Here is what was inside.


We see grandma in person at least once a week, but since getting mail is so fun she decided to send it this way. Den'ja loves his "pumpins" and we hear "vroom, vroom, vroom" wherever he goes! Thanks Mom!

I'm it!

7 Things

7 Things I plan to do before I die:
1. Have at least 3 more children
2. Learn to play the piano
3. Write a children's book
4. Visit every continent (Except for Antarctica...that just doesn't really interest me)
5. Convince myself that I actually enjoying running
6. Take Joe to every Major League ballpark in America
7. Enjoy every moment with my children

7 things I do now
1. Blog
2. Drink Diet Coke
3. Laugh (Living with these two guys is sure entertaining)
4. Read the Princess and the Pea or more like recite it, since I have it memorized. It is Maesons current favorite.
5. Change diapers.
6. Think about how blessed I am
7. Love my Husband

7 things I can't do
1. Paint my own fingernails. My right hand always ends up looking awful.
2. Hold a snake. Ewww!
3. Sleep through the night
4. Go an entire 24 hours without sweeping my kitchen floor.
5. Watch TV on Saturdays. For some reason our television won't show anything, but college football. Strange huh?
6. Win a game of Clue against Joe. He is very sneaky!
7. Sleep without my favorite blankie

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex
1. Makes me laugh
2. Honest
3. Tall
4. Smells Good
5. Good with children
6. Hard Worker
7. Is Sweet (I am a hopeless romantic)

7 celebrities that I like
I chose to omit this one. I don't know any celebrities well enough to know if I would like them or not, but Matthew McConaughey is sure nice to look at.

7 favorite foods
1. Anything with peanut butter
2. Costa Vida chicken tacos
3. Crab Legs
4. Joe's famous "Salmon Spectacular"
5. Oreo Milkshakes
6. Tuna Fish sandwhiches
7. Grapes

I don't know who has done this tag already and who hasn't. So if it's a slow blog day and you're looking for something to do feel free to do it!

A Time Saver

Den'ja LOVES to play out back on the swingset. The other day I was trying to finish cleaning up the kitchen when Den'ja started whining at the back door like a dog that really had to go pee. Haha. I decided that the dishes could wait and out we went. While we were playing he discovered that it is much quicker to climb up the slide then it is to take the ladder. I believe that this will be his default method of scaling the swingset from now on.
The people that lived in our house before we bought it really loved yard ornaments. They left a ton of them and since I'm not a big yard ornament person I let Maeson use them to decorate the swingset (aka her house). When Den'ja saw poor Mr. Terra Cotta Turtle and Miss Plastic Ladybug he thought that they would enjoy a little fun on the slide. I think he had more fun pushing them down then he did pushing himself down!

It's really too bad that I practically die when I am outside for more than oh, 2 minutes! This awful allergy season had better be over soon! It was worth the runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezes though buddy!!

Photo Shoot

I love taking pictures of my little guy. Especially since he seems to grow and change everyday! I just think he is adorable and he make the silliest faces!

Cupcakes and Shoes

I found a cupcake kit on clearance at TJ Maxx and knew that Maeson would just love it. It had everything that you need to make a dozen cupcakes complete with sprinkles. Maeson's has already decided that in life everything is better with sprinkles. She wants to put them on everything we make. Den'ja LOVED eating the sprinkles

Don't mind my squinty eye. We're lucky if we get one eye open with me. Two is simply too much to ask.

This sunday before I took Maeson back to her grandma's I walked into her room to find her frantically shoving her shoes onto a shelf. This picture is where her shoes go when they are put away.

And here is her handywork

When I asked her why she was putting her shoes on that shelf she said that she didn't want Den'ja to get them. I had to laugh. Den'ja loves shoes. He is especially concerned with the poor shoes that aren't being worn. We seriously can't leave our shoes out or else he follows us around with them until we put them on. I found it hillarious that she was worried that while she was gone Den'ja would be hauling her shoes around. After she was gone I put them back where they belong. And yes Den'ja has already drug them out of her room. Shhhh! Don't tell.

Busy, busy.....

I'm sure that you have all stopped even looking at my blog, as it has been so long since I have updated! :) We are still here, but have been completely enjoying our summer. We have had a lot of fun so this well be a LONG post! We went to Vegas to visit Joe's dad and see him get married. We took Maeson with us and I seriously couldn't have asked for better behaved children. They were troopers through the airport and angels on the plane. Every once and a while the plane would dip and make your stomach drop. It wasn't bad, but scared Maeson a little. She asked if we could ride a bus on our way home. So funny! She mostly just watched Dora on the Ipod, while Joe and I entertained Den'ja. He, of course, fell asleep about 5 minutes before we landed. Oh well! There was a aquarium at the hotel that was full of huge fish and stingrays. Every night they would have a mermaid go down into the water with the fish. Maeson was in awe. She said to me, "Look JJ a mermaid! They are REAL not pretend!" I think she could have sat and watched for hours. Den'ja was afraid of the fish. We must need to get out more. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures. I loaded them onto my mom's computer to print some and it deleted them off of my memory card. The wedding was in a itsy bitsy little chapel and it was soooo hot! But it was very nice. They wrote their own vows and it was probably the fastest wedding I have ever attended! Congratulations Bryan and Jill!!

A week after getting home, Den'ja and I went back to Vegas with my mom, grandma, and sister for our annual shopping trip. It has always been a school clothes shopping trip, but since my sister is a senior this year we decided to continue in the future and just call it our girls shopping trip. We drove this time and Den'ja did great in the car. He became obsessed with the movie "Harry and the Hendersons" because it was one of the only dvd's to watch in my moms car. He would pick up the dvd case and hold it up to the screen and when it was on he was glued to it! Can you believe it! I have so much fun with my mom, grandma, and sister. They are totally a blast and we laugh the whole time!

Den'ja playing in my makeup bag in the hotel room.

My sister practicing her "Kim Kardashian Pose" (Yep she has a tissue up her nose, I'm so dead)

We've also had a couple of fun trips up the the Bear Lake condo, and visited Hogle Zoo.

Den'ja helping Kyle get the cooler ready for the trip to the lake.

Joe began his first year of teaching. He has three different classes so it is a lot of work preparing three different lesson plans each night. The football team is hangin in there and they are 1-1 so far. Joe is really liking working with the boys and I think he is teaching them a lot. He is such a great coach and teacher for them.

Den'ja couldn't be more thrilled that football has started. He loves to watch them throw that ball around. Anytime we are near a football game we have to make sure we take Den'ja his own football, otherwise he is trying to steal someone elses. He just watches, grins, and yells "football, football, yaaaayyyyyy! "

Friday, I was up in Cache Valley to help with the Charity Golf Tournament. Every August my Dad's company does a golf tourney benefiting Special Olympics. It's a lot of fun for everyone and Friday was such a beautiful day! We were able to raise a record $11,000 this year which is fabulous. USU has one of the largest special olympic teams with around 80 athletes and we are so excited that we are able to help. As I drove home through Sardine Canyon I noticed that the trees are already starting to change colors. Fall is my favorite time of year so I am excited! I hope that you all have had a great summer as well!

Forgive me, but I feel the need to brag

Last Saturday Joe calls me on the phone and asks what my plans are for the night. I tell him that I don't really have any and he asks if I want to go to a Bees game. I say okay and then he hits me with the big news. He couldn't contain it any longer and blurts out, "I'm working the Bees game!" Now this is big news. Joe has been dreaming of umpiring a triple A game for such a long time. He began umpiring to make extra money and fell in love with it. He is so good at it and has moved up the ranks at an incredible pace. Many umpires will NEVER get the chance to umpire at this level. We of course had to get tickets that night and we watched him much more then we watched the game. He was awesome and says that the experience was "Incredible". He is still on cloud nine about the whole thing. Here are some pictures!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. In honor of her special day I thought I would share some thoughts about my mother. I am quite certain that if you were able to pick your mom, sister, daughter, aunt, or grandma that my mom would have quite a line up of people for her. So many that we'd probably have to do a lottery to make it fair. For example, my mom bought eight tickets, front row, for the stadium of fire this year so that my little cousins could see Miley Cyrus. She didn't do this for any specific reason, only because she knew it would bring smiles to their faces. My mom routinely takes Den'ja for sleepovers. He loves his grandma so much and I am able to relax knowing that he is in very capable hands. The best part is that I don't have to pack a single thing for him because she has everything he needs at her house. Recently she has been spending evenings up at the hospital with my cousin who is on bedrest expecting twins. She takes her up movies, magazines, and games to help pass the time and stays with her so she's not lonely. Also, my mom is a great example to me. Recently she was called to be the primary chorister. This is funny for three reasons. One, my mom cannot read music. Two, she cannot carry a tune. And three, she has no idea how to lead music. Despite these facts she readily accepted this calling and has decided to give it her absolute best shot. She is learning a lot and although I'm sure it is a little stressful for her she has shown me that a positive outlook and willingness to serve are what's most important. I could go on and on for days about my mom and her amazingness, but I will quit now. Happy Birthday, I love you and you're the best mom!

Finally.....some fun!

We have been so busy lately working on our house. It seems like we get up early, stay up late, and that their aren't enough hours in the day. I feel so bad for Den'ja and Maeson. They've been couped up inside watching us work. We decided that we needed to have a little fun this week. It's finally feeling like summer so I let the kids play in the sprinkler. Den'ja LOVES water, so we broke out the Elmo Sprinkler that Uncle Keenan got him for his birthday. They had such a blast. We will definitely doing it again.

Den'ja Splashing

He got brave and decided to crawl into the middle

Maeson "tasting" the water

If you know our family at all, you know that we love our bees games. Our favorite day to take in a game, other than opening day, is when the Famous San Diego Chicken comes to town. This guy is hillarious and he happened to be here this weekend. He performs various pranks on the field and is quite entertaining. Maeson calls him "my chicken" and loves him from far away, but is scared to pieces when he gets close. If you've ever thought about attending a game, but thought you might be bored. You should really give it try. I thought the same thing, but the people watching is fabulous, the hot dogs are great, and I've always thought that guys looked good in baseball uniforms. Seriously though, Joe has turned me into a baseball fan.

The Famous Chicken

Den'ja and Daddy

All of us

And just to make your day I'm including a future blackmail picture. Den'ja thought that he would try on one of Maeson tiaras. I couldn't resist.

Home Improvements

For those of you who didn't know, Joe has accepted a job teaching and coaching football in the thriving metropolis known as Morgan, Utah. Although it is a small town we are excited that we get to raise our son in such a good community. We managed to find a great house with tons of space and enough property for us to be happy with. There was a large additon done to the house in 2004 that provides me with my wish list (a huge jetted tub and walk in closet, yay!), but the downside is that the rest of the house was built in the early 70's and you can so tell! I kid you not, when you walk in the front door there is carpet on the walls. I have never seen this before and would be okay if I never did again. The bathroom tub and sink are a lovely shade of yellow, the kitchen sink is avacodo green, and one of the bedrooms is half carpet, half linoleum with paneled walls. As terrible as this sounds I am actually quite excited! I am such an HGTV DesignStar wannabe and I have a vision. We spent all day Friday up there painting and I am always amazed at how big of a change a $25.00 can of paint can make. There is still a lot to be done before we move in, but by the time we are finished you won't even recognize it. I am including some pictures so that you can see I'm serious. Just remember that these are the "befores" and that there will be "afters".

Den'ja is huge and meet Maeson...

This last week we took Den'ja in for his 1 year check up. When we arrived the nurse informed us that he would be needing SIX shots. I said, "What!?" and she explained that since he didn't have any at 9 months he would need six now. This is when I got a little concerned. See, I know for a fact that we took Den'ja to the doctor at 9 months and that he had two shots at the time. I explained this and it turns out that the nurse who gave him his shots never recorded it in the computer. How does this happen? Needless to say I was a little upset. My big guy ended up with four shots instead and screamed like a girl until the nurse gave him a sucker. He's no dummy. He is well aware that tears are rewarded with treats at the Docs office. He weighed in at 26.4 lbs. and was 33 inches long. Both of which are in the above 95th percentile. He's a big guy!

Then it occured to me that some of you who read my blog may wonder who this Maeson is that I sometimes speak of. It's true that we do only have one child, but every weekend the fun, the laughter, and the love is expanded. She is my cousins daughter and we love having her. She has been coming to our house since she was six weeks old and we would consider her our own any day. So here is a little about Maeson. Maeson is 3 years old. She loves music. She memorizes songs so quickly and loves to "perform" for whoever will listen. Her favorite song to sing is "Take me out to the Ball Game" and if that wasn't enough for Joe to be proud of, she also LOVES baseball. Her favorite thing to do is go to Salt Lake Bees games with us. She is especially fond of the nights that we can run around the bases after the game. She loves to play catch and hit balls and already has her own baseball card collection. She also loves helping make cookies (She's the best peanut butter cookie smasher), Dora the Explorer, chicken nuggets, anything princess, reading books, and riding her bike. She loves her Den'ja, or Dayna-Boo as she calls him. They play really well together most of the time and make each other giggle often. She is a sweetie pie and a real joy to have around. We truly love her.

And lastly, this weekend we went up to Evanston for High School Graduation. Joe completed his student teaching there this spring and he was excited to see some of his students again. I could tell that they all really missed him after he left. He is going to be such a wonderful teacher! Congrats class of 2008. We also got to spend time with Joe's mom and stepdad. I got some great bargains at the yard sales and Den'ja was happy to see Grandma and Grandpa. We appreciate them letting us stay.