The Rogers Family

Jaxon and the babysitter. And more Kinder drop-off...

2011-08-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

I will start with- Babysitters love babysitting for us. (So they say anyway...) We only have one child, who doesn't need a diaper changed, who is happy to play wii or watch a video with his babysitter the whole night. He pretty much puts himself to bed. He doesn't cry or whine, and he LOVES BEING BABYSAT! I feel like a cheapskate paying the actual price for just one child, and even less after he is asleepwhile they get to chill at our house and watch a video, so I pay too much. Other moms go ahead and send the hatemail, it's okay, I deserve it.
Anyway, Jaxon LOVES LOVES LOVES all of our babysitters. As in, is IN LOVE with them! Every time we have a new one, he falls in love with her. Some more than others, but there is always love there. We just had a new babysitter last week, and Jaxon is SO SMITTEN.
Here is the conversation she relayed to me when we got home.

Jaxon: (With a sly smile) "...you're a girl..."

S: "yes!"

Jaxon: "That's GOOD!"
S: "Thanks!"

Jaxon: "I really like you! What's your name again?" (that one is particularly funny to me!)

S: (says her name...)

Jaxon: "Well S___ , I really like you. You should come hang out with me again sometime!"

HAHAHAHA! As if she wasn't there as his babysitter, just a cute 12 year old girl chilling with a kindergartener!

The next morning Dave and I asked him if he like the new babysitter and he said,

"YES! Can she come again? Like, TONIGHT?"

"No buddy, tonight is Sunday. And we have a family party...with cousins!"

"Well, why don't you and Dad go without me and I'll just stay here with S___"

On to Kindergarten drop off. Jaxon is STILL insistent that I walk him to his classroom, watch him play on the kindergarten playground, and then watch him as he walks up the ramp into his classroom when his teacher opens the door after the bell rings.
I.
Love.
This.
There have been a few days where I have to leave him early so that I can go teach a class at the gym, and he does NOT like that. Even on those days, he will not let me drop him off in the drop off line. I have to get out, and walk him over.
The part that is still tugging at my tender heart strings is that when I am walking away, he yells, "BYE MOM! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU MOM!" And then I have to yell it back...until I am out of sight or until he is all the way into the classroom. This morning when I had to drop him off at the playground to make it to a class at the gym, he followed me back out to where I was walking away and started shouting "I LOVE YOU MOM! YOUR THE BEST! I LOVE YOU A GOOGLE MOM!" Seriously, it makes me grin from ear-to-ear. It also makes me wonder how a little boy who doesn't care who hears him yelling I LOVE YOU to his mom at the top of his lungs can possibly be ready for kindergarten.

On another note- his brain is fine, and there have been no more incidents of anyone standing on it. :o)

"MOM!!! HE WAS STANDING ON MY BRAIN!!!"

2011-08-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today Jaxon got an S (Satisfactory) instead of an O (Outstanding) on his behavior Chart. When I asked him why, this is the first thing out of his mouth---

"WELL...MOM!!! HE WAS STANDING ON MY BRAIN!!!!" Obviously I thought this was kind of funny, but I did my best not to smile as I tried to get the rest of the story out of him. We were sitting on the benches where I walked to pick him up, and while he was struggling to remember the order of events that things happened, his teacher walked over and say by us....between She and Jaxon, this is the story-

There is a naughty little guy in Jaxon's class that wouldn't leave him alone today. In Library he pushed Jaxon down and then stood on him- one foot on his chest, one foot on his head!! Jaxon pushed/punched him to get him off. The naughty boy got sent to the principal, and Jaxon got an "S" for hitting.

Right before leaving school when Jaxon's teacher wrote the S on his chart, Jaxon raised his hand and said, "Ummm...I think I know what happened... When he was standing on my BRAIN, he was standing on the part that reminds me not to hit...so it made me forget!"

SERIOUSLY! When his teacher told me that, she had to put the folder up between she and Jaxon and whisper it to me so he wouldn't hear, and wouldn't see her laugh. She told me she thought it was so hilarious and clever, that she wished she could have just given him the O.

We talked with Jaxon about how you don't put your hands on people, and just to call for help, but for PETE SAKE! The kid was standing on him, so I can hardly be mad. My question is, especially to mom's of boys, what is your stand on fighting, fighting back, standing up to bullys, etc? I don't want Jaxon to be a fighter, but I also don't want him to lay down in the library with some jerk standing on his head until a teacher notices. What do you do???

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it came. The world did not end...but for me, it has certainly changed. Jaxon has been looking forward to/been worrying about the first day of Kinder all summer. We could tell he was pretty nervous, so we talked about it all the time. What he was looking forward to, what he was nervous about, and how to handle it all. We had several Family Home Evenings about being a good friend, being a good example, and making good friends. Making friends was what he was mostly worried about, being liked, etc. And it makes sense, isn't that a major concern of all of us? How do we be true to ourselves if people don't like the real us? We just drove home the fact that kids will want to be friends with someone who is kind, fun, and MAKES GOOD CHOICES. We also talked a lot about how kids who don't make good choices often want their "friends" to get in trouble too..and that's not a real friend. (Jaxon is not a naughty kid, but he loves a good laugh, and often finds the naughtier kids funny...this is NOT Something we want to encourage...so we talked about that too!!)
Anyway, On Tuesday night we laid out Jaxon's clothes, and Dave gave him a beautiful back-to-school blessing. Jaxon was pretty happy about everything and went to bed without a hitch. Wednesday morning, Dave and Jaxon went down for breakfast while I got ready for the day. Before Dave left for work he started a video for J so I could finish getting ready, and this is always how our mornings go. I finished up and went to get Jax to put on shoes, do hair, get folder, water bottle, etc.
I.
could.
not.
find.
him.
ANYWHERE!!!!

I was seriously freaking out. His video was running, and he was no where to be found. I was running through the house screaming his name, and nothing.
I was seriously in heart attack mode.
I ran to the garage and opened the door, and I heard a muffled yell, "MOM!!!"
Jaxon was locked in the car.
I opened the door and my poor little guy was sobbing his eyes out. His shirt was soaked with tears, and his face was beet red from the heat. He clung to my neck for dear life. He explained that he had come to get a craft out of the car that he had made for his teacher, so he could put some finishing touches on it. Somehow the door closed and locked, and he didn't know how to unlock it. As far as I can tell, he was locked in there sobbing and sweating to death for 10-15 minutes. SERIOUSLY!!?!?! This day was already going to be emotional for the both of us...and this was the last thing we needed.
After a lot of consoling, and hugging, (And a few hidden tears on my part) we got everything together, and took some pictures out front. Please note the red eyes and nose, and the lack of true smile. That is what back-to-school pictures look like when you've been accidentally locked in your mom's car on the first day of Kindergarten...

Smiles are not too bad on these first three...

At this point....this is the best he could muster...

Not even attempting a smile in this one... (but OH SO PROUD of his Mario Bros folder!!!)

We got to school, found his room and took a few pics by the door. It's hard to see the sign, but Jaxon's room is a "Peanut and Treenut Free classroom." This is in part thanks to Jaxon who is allergic to peanuts, but there are 3 other nut allergies, a seliacs disease, and one girl who is allergic to bleach! It was interesteing to note that at least 2/3 of the classroom doors at school had the peanut/treenut sign. I think nuts and nut products are going to have to be banned at schools very shortly... anyway...I digress...

After drooping off his folder at the ramp, Jax went to the kindergarten playground to play. He hopped right in, and did his thing. He had been warned by his cousin that Kindergarteners are NOT allowed to do the monkey bars until after Christmas, which made him sad, becuase he is a Monkey-Bar-MAN! So, he did them as many times as he could before he was officially told the rule!

He was a little shy...as you can see in this picture...

Look at this serious face....playing is SERIOUS BUSINESS!

(I know I'm biased, but man he is GORGEOUS!!!)

When the whistles blew all around it about scared the pants of Jaxon! He ran to me and grabbed my hand, and I of course, loved it! We walked to the ramp, he picked up his folder and water bottle, gave me a kiss, and ran to line up on the ramp.

Mrs. Bornowski came out and told all the kids to turn and wave and blow a kiss to their parents. We of course were all clicking pictures and trying not to cry....yet! Then she had them say, "Bye Mom and Dad! I'll be okay! See you in 3 hours!!"

Then she had them all look at her for their first set of directions. Not one kid was crying.... but there was one kid who was still looking at his Mama instead of Mrs. Bornowski....can you spot him???

Checking to make sure I was still there....

Be. Still. My. Heart. There he goes....my baby. No more looking back...

As I walked away in my hat and sunglasses...the tears started to roll. I didn't want anyone to see me crying, but as I quickly looked left and right, there were lots of others with silent tears rolling down as well. (please note, there was NOT ONE kindergartener crying, or even remotely concerned.... I thought that was pretty awesome!)

Anyway, I had a fun and LOOOOONG breakfast with some other moms, and by the time it was over, it was time to pick J back up! The time with friends helped me not think too much about Jax, and I was surprised how quickly the time went. When I picked him up he said his day was awesome, but that he didn't remember much. This is totally Jaxon's M.O. I dragged a little out of him including that they visited the library, and there are "Over 25,000 books in there! Or....13,000....or maybe 1,000" He couldn't quite remember, but he was impressed by the number anyways!

The first thing he told me when we got in the car was, "I GOT AN "O"!!!" We had talked a lot over the summer about the behavior chart he would get and what an O- outstanding, S-satisfactory, and N-needs improvement means. It was very important to Jaxon to get an O, and several times in the previous week he would help me with something and say, "Mom! If you were Mrs. Bornowski, would you give me an O right now???"

That was the first thing he told anyone who asked how kindergarten was, "GOOD! I GOT AN O!!!"

At the bank our favorite bank guy was asking J about his teacher and JAxon said, "She's very nice, AND she's VERY beautiful!!" I was cracking up, becuase she IS very beautiful! She looks like a greek goddess! And a 5 year old having a little crush on his teacher and wanting to impress her daily is NEVER a bad thing!

Now we are 2.5 days into the school year, and he is loving it. He LOVED PE and thought the teacher was hysterical, which he is! On the way to school yesterday (Second day) out of the blue he said, "Mom, did you know that Kindergarten is TOTALLY AWESOME???"

It made my heart so happy to hear him say that! We've talked a lot about how being successful in school means really liking it, and finding the good in everything you do, even if it is hard or takes a long time, so we are hoping it sticks!

Anyway, now here I am, sitting at the computer while my only child is being taught by someone else. I'm still having a lot of mixed emotions about it, but since he is loving it, it is all getting a little easier...

Get ready for it....

2011-08-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

There are 21 pictures attached to this post.

yes, seriously.

These pictures are from our 4th of July trip to Wyoming, which means I am only one month and 2 days late doing a blog post about it...THAT'S PRACTICALLY CONSIDERED EARLY FOR ME!

Okay, off we go!
Here is Jaxon, seriously SERIOUSLY excited to be getting on a plane with his cousins and grammie and Grampie!

Did I mention they were excited?

We all flew into Billings where we met Tyler and AnnaMarie. You may or may not know that I was born in Billings, and lived there until I was 8 years old. The first night we just ate dinner, put the kids down, and hung out a little at the hotel. Also, some people in the family may or may not have gone to Baskin Robbins and NOT brought me my favorite ice cream in the whole world, while getting themselves double scoops of said favorite ice cream... Just sayin.... ;o)

Here are the kids with AM in Billings at a park. Mom and Dad, me, Tyler, and Amber drove around to our old homes, schools, ward buildings etc. We couldn't all fit, and let's be serious, our spouses and kids didn't care, so AM, Brandt, Dave and the kids stayed at this park to play!

(Please note how gorgeous my little guy is in this picture.... I don't know what it is, but it melts my heart!)

We drove to the Billings Temple which is new since we left. A few weeks before we left for this vacation we had a family night on temples. We watched a slide show of all 126(ish) temples, and then let Jaxon pick his favorite to display in his room. He just happened to pick the Billings Temple, and was seriously excited when we told him he would actually get to see it in person! It did not disappoint. It's absolutely stunning.

Grammie and Grampy with all the kiddos at the temple
Friday afternoon we left Billings and headed to Cody Wyoming. My mom did a lot of her growin' up years here, and it holds a special place in all of our hearts. We often traveled here for the 4th of July, and I swear it is the most down home, country, patriotic place you could possibly be Independence Day! IT WAS AWESOME!!!

Here we are in front of Cody's claim to fame- Buffalo Bill Cody!!!

Grammie was so excited to show Jaxon the statue, and he was appropriately impressed!

Saturday (these pics are a little out of order...) We went to the kids parade down mainstreet in the morning, and to the RODEO in the evening!

Let me tell you a little secret... RODEO'S ROCK! SERIOUSLY!

This was a PRCA (Professional Rodeo circuit) rodeo, and the biggest Rodeo in the US held over the 4th, so these guys were GOOD!!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, yelling, cheering, cringing, gasping, and YEE-HAW-ING with the best of them!!! Even Jaxon loved it!

Here is Jaxon and his best buddy Hailey, looking quite angelic...

Though to be honest...they usually look a lot more like this....

Jaxon continued to wear his cowboy hat everywhere (to my GREAT pleasure) and continued to have his picture taken. (Much to his DISPLEASURE!)

At first he tolerated it....

Then he got pretty tired of it...

Then he decided to let me know how he really felt about it...

The kids got to sit on a REAL BULL!!! They are much more docile when they aren't being Ridden by a cowboy and don't have their....well....we all know how they get those bulls to buck... YIKES!! But seriously....look how HUGE this guy is!!!

Sittin' pretty!

4 cousins on, NO PROB! Brennen refused to actually get on the bull's back, but was content to stand next to it!

Here begins Saturday morning at the kid's parade along Mainstreet. A fantastic time was had by all I tell you, BY ALL! The weather was great, and the kids were excited! Candy was thrown, what more can you ask for?

My Patriotic little buddy, ready to go!

Sporting our fashionable cowboy attire....

Just the girls...minus mom. She was sitting on the curb with all the kids, and wouldn't have moved for the world!

I.

Love.

This.

Picture!!!

All the boys just hanging out! My brothers love to wear their BYU attire just to annoy Dave, and bless Dave's heart, he sported some Cougar Blue just for the occasion!! (HA.HA.) He did keep his Devil spirit alive with the hat though...

Grammie in all her glory with the Grandkids!

Sunday we went to church and then went to Heart Mountain, one of the largest internment camps during WWII. There really wasn't much there to see but a few plaques... I guess the US doesn't want people to go see proof of some of their darkest days.

...Moving right along...

Sunday afternoon we made the 1.5 hour drive to Burlington, the town where my mom lived on a ranch during the summer! We visited the old ranch every summer growing up in Billings, and were so saddened to hear when it burned down a few years ago. The familiy sold most of the land, but still owns a few acres, and "the tank" is still there. It is just that, a metal storage tank, that holds all sorts of antique treasures, junk, dust, and spiders! AnnaMarie and I had a great time going through some old boxes, but we would need much better light, tools, and time without kids to really explore all of it's wonders!

Is this sign not awesome??? A town with 250 people? I LOVE IT!!!

Here are the boys lighting off COPIOUS amounts of fireworks....all legal on private property in Wyoming. This takes me straight back to when we were kids and lit major fireworks in Wyoming...the only difference is this trip, we DIDN'T start a major fire!

On Monday morning we went to the BIG parade down Mainstreet on the 4th of July! Again, it was awesome. Slightly sunnier, but no big deal. I think it was about 30 degrees cooler than it was in Mesa. And that, is a little slice of heaven!

Here is Jax with his best buddy hailey again...

And I had to save the best for last! Jax and Grammie waiting for the parade. Don't you love that little hand on Grammie's cheek? LOVE.

I left out a lot, like daily dips in the freezing outdoor hotel pool (Tyler and AM from Minnesota thought it was downright delicious, but the rest of us froze our buns off!) Hysterical and frustrating dinners where restaurants in this tiny little town tried unsuccessfully to accomodate a party of 19, and playing games in the hotel hallway until late. It was one of the most fun vacations we have ever been on. We seriously loved it. I wish we could make it a tradition...but I don't see that happening any time soon... I don't think Cody can handle the Ferrell Clan every year!

Swim Lessons 2011

2011-08-06T16:35:00.001-07:00

Jaxon took 3 out of 4 summer swim lessons (and is signed up for the Saturday lessons in August and September) with the City of Mesa, and THEY. WERE. AWESOME!!!!

He started the summer, quite leary of the water, and now seriously swims like a fish. He loves to jump off the diving board and go down the water slides--- ALL BY HIMSELF!

This picture is Jaxon and his first swim teacher (and FIRST LOVE) of the summer! Miss Norelle and Jaxon had a LOVE-LOVE relationship. I could not have been more thankful, because Jaxon loved swim lessons from the get go! At the end of our two weeks with Miss Norelle, Jaxon insisted on getting her a present, which we did, which made her love Jaxon even more, which Jaxon LOVED!!!
(Luckily on the day I brought my camera, we also forgot Jaxon's goggles, so I think these pictures are even more hilarious and cute!

Saved the best for last!!!

Dave and Jaxon and the Batmobile

2011-08-06T16:20:00.001-07:00

A few months back, my nephew in Scottsdale won a visit from the ORIGINAL BATMOBILE! It was pretty sweet. All the kids in the neighborhood, ward, and cousins were invited, and we jumped at the chance! Each dad got to drive their kids around the block, honk the hork, beam the bat-light, etc! Of course, the kids thought it was fun, and the dad's thought it was even cooler!

Dave, Jaxon, and random neighbor ready for their spin around the block!

Inside with all the bells and whistles...literally!

Ready for his ride!

My 3 favorite guys!

The whole crowd that gathered!

The "Point and Shoot SUPER CATCH UP!"

2011-07-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

I just uploaded all the picture from my point-and-shoot, and here is the super catch up, otherwise, I will never get to it!

1. Jaxon's SURPRISE PRESCHOOL GRADUATION PARTY! Yup, you read correctly, we DID have a preschool graduation party. Set with balloons, signs, and all of Jaxon's favorite foods! (Pizza, strawberries, carrots with aunt Amber's Ranch sauce, and Brownies for dessert!) I made signs all with words that Jaxon could read, and he loved it. I had my mom and dad keep him for an hour while I set up so it would be a surprise, and when he walked in, he was just like Dave- EMBARRASSED! Ok...he's a little like me, becuase secretly he liked it, but it was great! Grandma and Grandpa came over, Jaxon read all his signs, and we ate his favorite foods. We all went around the table and talked about things we love and admire about Jaxon, and it was wonderful!Some might think that a "preschool graduation party" is a little over the top or excessive, and they are probably right, BUT I DON'T MIND! With just one, we take every opportunity to celebrate, and make a big deal out of little things!

I'm so proud of my little preschool graduate.... but I'm not quite ready for him to start kindergarten yet...let's not talk about it...seriously... I'm changing the subject now!
The secret set up...

Jaxon and his best buddy...

Here are the few pictures that I took in Wyoming that were NOT taken on my big camera. This first one is Jaxon and his two cousins Peyton and Hailey. They would come to our room every afternoon to play while their little sis took a nap in their room. Here they were playing "Vampires" and they are sleeping in their coffins. Morbid, yes. But cute none the less!

Here is when we walked down Main Street to go to the local ice cream shop! Everyone thought it was delicious, except Jaxon, who just thought it was fun. He has the BEST Relationship with food, and no matter what it is, or how good it tastes, if he's not hungry, HE'S NOT INTERESTED! Wouldn't that be nice???

HURRAY!! On to my quick trip to Utah! I went up for a dear friends wedding, and in the process got to get together with several other dear friends, and do some tie business to boot!

The first day there Jaxon and I got together with sweet sweet Lindsay and her awesome band of boys! We took the boys to McDonalds where they organized a large and detailed game of "Star wars fight guy teams" with all the kids there. Lindsay and I happily chatted for AN HOUR AND A HALF while the guys played! LOVE IT!

Then they treated us to Krispy Kreme's where the boys showed their commraderie while watching the donut conveyer belt!

I LOVE AND MISS YOU LINDSAY!!!

Next up, One of the most beautiful and love-filled weddings in history! My dear friend Laurie who goes all the way back to Freshman year in Taylor Hall got married to a wonderful man named Nate! Everything about it was beautiful, and special, and personal, and it just filled me with love the whole day! I didn't whip out my camera for a picture with the bride (Though there were some taken so I will get them as soon as I can) but I DID get it out for a picture with My dear friend Amy, also from Freshman year! I swear these girls get more beautiful with every passing year (and I hate to admit HOW MANY have passed since Freshman year at BYU...)

It was fun to stick to Amy like glue the whole day, since I didn't know anyone else, and she endured it like a champ!!!

Saturday before we left for home, I got to get together with dear friends MICHELLE and BETH, who if you can believe it, go all the way back to 4th GRADE!!! They were my first friends when I moved to California. After I moved to AZ, we lost contact for a while, but thanks to Facebook we are back in touch, and also thanks to FB, we had breakfast together! We had to get a picture together in front of this hilarious (But OH. SO. DELICIOUS.!!!) crepe restuarant in Orem. It has a giant owl out front, and a tree growing right in the middle of the restuarant. Can you say "Crepes with Nutella, strawberries, and bananas????)

Finally before we left we walked around campus one more time...

Here are grandpa and Jaxon in the underground library, which I believe is the second biggest library in the United States, after the library of Congress!

Not always scholars though.... they are best friends!

On the way out of town, we had to get the compulsory pictures with the cougar!

"Look Mom! He's eating my arm!"

This summer has been so fun, and such a whirlwind, and this last Utah trip was the perfect way to wrap it up before school starts, but we AREN'T talking about THAT....remember????

"The Talk"

2011-07-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yup- the talk. You know that one... THAT one... about "YOU-KNOW-WHAT."

In all of my child development classes at BYU, I was taught to be open and honest about
ess-ee-ex with kids. Tell them the truth when asked questions. You don't have to tell them EVERYTHING when they are just asking about something small, but never lie, and most of all, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER act embarrassed or uncomfortable. Also, they said that you should have talked to your kids about sex before they ever hear it from anyone else. Make sure that they know the truth, and hold it sacred, before they hear jokes and lewd comments and don't know what to believe, and are too embarrassed to ask about it.
So, Along the way Jaxon has asked questions about this or that, and the jist of what he has asked about and knows is that our bodies are sacred, expecially our private parts, and that babies are made when the dad's seed and the mom's egg come together in the mom's tummy. He has never asked how it gets there, so we have not shared that information yet.
So....where is all this leading? Dave and I wanted him to hear the actual word.

THE WORD.

THE "S" WORD.

S

E

X

...from us, before he heard it from anyone else. So tonight at family night, we decided it was the time. We have been leading up to this by talking a lot about the word "sacred" and what it means. So tonight, we talked about being a good friend in order to make good friends when he goes to school, and then we geared up, we took a deep breath, and we did it.
I reminded Jaxon about the seed and the egg, told, reminded, re-reminded and then RE-REMINDED him about how sacred this word was, and then we said it- SEX.
He was completely unimpressed, and UNINTERESTED! So anticlimatic!
We talked about how he might hear other kids talk about it, who don't know how sacred and special it is, and they might laugh or make fun, but it's becuase they don't understand. And we told him that if that ever happens, he just doesn't need to be involoved because he actually knows what it is and how special it is.
Then we finished with the fact that this....this WORD....is not something we talk about with other people. Just our family.

And then, the kicker- the statement that really outlines how the whole conversation went...

Jaxon says...

"How could I talk about it with anyone??? I FORGOT WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT!"

So glad we could have this serious talk buddy. thanks.

The Money Shot

2011-07-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Wyoming was FAB-U-LOUS! Yes, you read that right.

We went to Wyoming,
and it was fabulous.

Quite possibly one of the best vacations of my life. I guess when you become a parent, it's the little things, and the little ones, that make a big difference. Jaxon had the time of his life, of course, because of his plethera of cousins! And I mostly loved it for the same reason! The people I love more than anything in the world were there. Even when they are cranky, or stubborn (or...gasp....I am cranky or stubborn...) There is no one I would rather be with than my sweet boys, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and my brother and sisters in law!

Darn it- it's just the truth!

There were so many fun things for Jaxon (and us) to do, and to be honest, to be in a slow livin', down home town...where we could mozey down main street to see EVERYTHING in town, and where my cell phone rarely worked...it totally took me away from the stress and hustle and bustle of crazy town USA that is my life in Mesa!

I have a ton of pictures, and lots to tell, but let me just leave you with this little story-

As soon as we decided to go to Wyoming, "where Cowboys and horses live" Jaxon wanted a cowboy hat in the worst way. So, being the over indulgent parent of a single child, I quickly conceded. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life when he wears that hat.
THE.
CUTEST.
THING.
PERIOD.

Then, he started saying, "Howdy Pardner" several times a day...and the little part of my heart that was not already mush...melted on the spot! I kept my "big" camera with me almost everywhere we went in Wyoming(and broke my favorite purses' strap because of it) I took several pictures that I love, but these my friends...these that I am about to show you, were what I was waiting for.

THE MONEY SHOT.

And I am going to print one of them for a 12x12 in my house. But which one?

Get ready for it...

no really....

are you sitting down....??

Once you catch your breath and wipe that last tear from your eye, tell me....which one do I print?

(Also tell me, where did he get that innocent little half smile from? seriously.)

More China...

2011-05-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

I was just re-reading some emails I sent back home whilst in China, and I had forgotten about some funny things that happened! I am just going to copy and paste the emails here---

Email #1-

"My AC in the room wasn't working, and I called the front desk. They said it is against the law to turn on the air before May, and to just OPEN A WINDOW! I told them I didn't believe it because my dad's AC was working great. I demanded that they send someone up to fix it immediately. They sent someone up who didn't speak any English, who smiled at me, opened my window, and then left. I just slept in the heat because my dad was already asleep and I couldn't get him to fight my battle. This morning I called and asked someone 3 different times to come fix it. Each time they said someone was on their way, and each time, no one ever came!
I also decided to get a facial here in the hotel today, just to pamper myself. There is a huge sign in the lobby about the Facials and massages that are offered. I asked 3 different people about it, who all thought I was nuts (and it's very difficult to convey "Facial" to someone who speaks no English) Until finally someone told me that service had been discontinued for months. I guess when they can' t read the signs that are in English, they don't know that they should take down the facial and massage sign!"

Email #2-

"You might be wondering why I am emailing you at 11:41 am your time. Well, you would actually only be wondering that if you knew that with the time conversion it is now 2:41am China time! But there is a good reason, and I blame my dad!!
We got back from my foot massage (I will tell you about it in a second) and my dad and I were both fairly delirious with tiredness. It was 5pm, so we decided we would go to our rooms, take a two hour nap, then go out to find some dinner and walk for a while before going back to bed. Well, I don't have a watch, or anytime time telling devise in my room (housekeeping really loves me calling them at all times of the day and night asking what time it is...) so it was up to my dad to wake up and call me. Well he did call...at 9:30, and we groggily both said forget it, let's just keep sleeping. So, now it is 2:43am, and I got a wonderful 9 hours of sleep, and I am perfectly wide awake!
I guess it really doesn't matter because in 7 hours I leave for the airport and start my 24 hours of traveling, which will mess me all up anyways!
So my foot massage was very similar to a reflexology massage in the states. Except, remember how I told you the Chinese have no problem with being touchy feely? Well about ten minutes into my massage (which was making me more delirious with exhaustion by the second...) I felt something very strange...she was picking through my eyelashes. I opened my eyes, to which she then conveyed for me to close them by whacking me on the shoulder and making rapid movements with her hands and eyes, and then she kept going. She was keeping up a running dialog (all in Chinese) and clearly had never seen anything like it, and was trying to decide if they were real or not) Then later when my feet were done soaking and she was done with my shoulders and arms, she pulled my pant legs up even higher and started carressing my leg to assess the length of my leg hair. ( I had shaved the morning before, so they were only slightly prickly!) I just thought the whole thing was pretty hilarious."

Girls Weekend

2011-05-27T16:03:00.001-07:00

WAHOOO!!!! A couple weekends ago I got to go on a much needed girls weekend with some dear friends. Lindsay, Jackie, Jenni and I started out Friday morning with breakfast at TC Eggingtons. (SO DELICIOUS)!!

We then stopped at the first nail salon we saw (which in hindsite was a bad idea) and got some sub par, but very funny pedicures that we were able to laugh over the rest of the weekend!

We went to our resort and chatted by the pool, then chatted in our room, then chatted over a delicious dinner, then chatted as we walked around Scottsdale, then chatted over frozen yogurt, and then chatted in our room until we all fell asleep exhausted!

Saturday morning we went to bagels, ate them by the pool and relaxed until we had to get ready for Jackie's graduation from ASU! It was so fun to be there for her and cheer her on! Also, the ceremony was crazy long, so we had a hysterical photoshoot in the very top row of Wells Fargo Arena, and were actually escorted out at the end of the ceremony...oops!

After that we hit up In N Out, had a great graduation party for Jackie, and then went to Native New Yorker at a ridiculously late hour for half price appetizers! Sunday we all got together one more time for a little hangout time before we drove Lindsay back to the airport.

It was seriously so fun and so needed! Thanks Gals! LOVE YA!

Hurray for Easter!!

2011-05-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend was wonderful! We went to a ward breakfast where Jaxon got to do the easter egg hunt, then swim lessons (not awesome...more later...) and then home to find that the Easter Bunny had visited and left Jaxon a lovely basket! I am loving our tradition of doing Candy/Easter Basket/ Easter Bunny on Saturday, and keeping the Sabbath for the real purpose of Easter- the resurrection!

Dave and I decided that we pretty much LOVE getting Jax candy for anything!
Why?
Because we are awful parents and love to rot his teeth?
NO!
Because Jaxon THINKS he loves candy!
He loves being the proud owner of candy.
He loves looking at his candy.
Occassionally he loves sharing his candy (especially if it's with dad!)
BUT HE DOES NOT LOVE EATING CANDY!!!
If you ask Jaxon, he says, "I love Candy! Uhhh.... I'm just full. Plus, I'm saving it to share with dad later!"
You can ask anyone who has been over lately, Jaxon's Easter basket is on a corner of the counter for him to pick from whenever he wants...and it still looks exactly like it did on Easter! (Minus the 2 Andy's mints!)

Here is Jaxon modeling his lovely Easter glasses made a preschool-

The Haul the E.B. left.

Jaxon's basket-o-candy

Happy little man...

And lastly, the cruddiest egg hunt pictures there could possibly be- in fact... don't even look at them...they are only for posterities sake!! :o)

The proudest Mommy Moment came on Sunday though. I picked Jax up from his primary class and asked him what he had learned. He told me they learned about the resurrection. His very chill, male, never has much to say, teacher then told me, "Uh, Jaxon taught the whole lesson. Everytime I started telling about something, he finished it. That kid knows his stuff!"

Yes, I was beaming...I'm that mom! I can't take all of the credit though. We did take him to the Easter pageant (see previous post) and we talked about what was going on during the whole thing, but also they learned about it all week in preschool- love love LOVE his preschool!

Love Easter. Love my boys. Really...just loving life!

CHAAAAAARGE!

2011-05-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Last night Dave was out of town, and I try not to think about it too much so I don't freak myself out too much, but right before I go to bed, I always try to find some sort of "weapon" to sleep with, just in case. I couldn't find the maglight, so I unscrewed one of the heavy but wield-able bedposts and layed it on Dave's pillow.
In the morning (incident free night by the way) Jaxon came in and said, "What's that for?"
I told him it was in case I had to fight anybody who tried to break in. (I believe in being as honest as possible...)
And Jax did the most hysterical thing I've ever seen...
As if he already had this scenario planned out, he said, "MOM! Don't use THAT! Use this- watch...."
He then picked up a metal, 4 legged stool that I sit on to do my make-up, held the seat to his belly with the 4 legs sticking out and yelled, "CHAAAARRRRRGGGE!!!!" At the top of his lungs, and ran for the door like nobodies business. He ran out the door, then back in and said, "See mom? Instead of just whacking them once, you can 'ching' them 4 times with this thing! Awesome, right?"

Yes Jaxon.
THAT.
WAS.
AWESOME!!!!

When Dave got home, Jaxon told Dave I slept with the bedpost incase I needed to "knock the heads" off any "bad families" that try to break in.

....close enough.

Also, today on the way to preschool Jaxon told his buddy Brailyn,
"If you ever go to China, you HAVE to eat either duck tongue, tiger heads, or bird eyeballs. I'M SERIOUS!"

I'M NOT AN ATHIEST!!!

2011-05-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

I still have Easter and Disneyland to blog about, along with lots of funny things Jaxon is saying and doing lately, but again, this was too funny not to share-

I'm in the choir at church. Our choir director sent out an email (the first email to the whole choir that has been sent) to let everyone know that we would be having a rare before-church practice to go over our song one last time before we sang. Well, she accidentally sent that email to ashleyrogers@gmail.com, instead of nzashleyrogers@gmail.com Whoever and where ever this other Ashley Rogers is, this is the email that she sent back... TO THE ENTIRE CHOIR!!!!

"Well, seeing as though I'm now athiest, you can COUNT ME OUT! I'm going to enjoy a good sleep in in the morning!"

Since I obviously didn't get the email, I didn't know about early morning choir practice and thus....didn't show up! The choir director doesn't know me too well, and asked everyone about this email that I sent. And guess what??? The entire ward choir assured her that it is "totally my sense of humor" and not to take it personally!

WHAT?

SERIOUSLY?

okay....maybe I would do that.
...maybe.

Anyway, we all got up to sing without a hitch, but later in church she stopped me with a nervous laugh and said, "ha...ha.. you kinda scared me with that email you sent..." I had no idea what she was talking about! When she told me and we checked the email address and I assured her it was NOT in fact me who sent the email, then she AND I, had a great laugh. Several other ward choir members stopped me throughout the day and told me they thought it was pretty funny, and a couple of the older ladies gave me very disapproving looks. Needless to say, I spent most of the day stopping to chat with anyone from choir to explain the real situation.

Later that day Dave had a meeting back at church, and an older gentleman from the choir said to him, "That's some sense of humor your wife has...." I don't know about you...but I'm pretty sure it was NOT a compliment.

To tell you the truth, I think the whole thing is hysterical!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

There are lots of things to blog about, but this one I just had to do first. My Mother's day was wonderful, partly because it was the first day I was able to nap and start feeling like a human again, instead of a world traveling zombie. But the bigger part was my sweet boys and how much they spoiled me. I got lots of thoughtful things, including a Sonic Gift card from Jaxon. We always let him decide what he wants to get the other parent for Holidays, and for me it's always either a Sonic Gift Card, or a Fry's (food and drug, not electronics) gift card. What can I say? He knows me well...as those are the two places we go most often!

But the most special gift came from Dave. I've been dying for a massage from my friend Marlo, so I asked Dave to give me a gift certificate for a massage. He asked exactly what I meant, and I told him, a HOMEMADE gift card, NOT made on the computer. You have to really know Dave to know HOW FAR out of his comfort zone this is. But sure enough, when I woke up from my delicious nap on Sunday afternoon, I was presented with this-

He was slightly embarrassed but also so secretly pleased with himself, and seriously, it might be one of the best, most precious gifts he's ever given me. He said,

"I bought letter stickers at Staples, because my handwriting is not so good, but I know, I know... I didn't do a very good job of putting them on straight. And did you see? I used your paper-cutter-thing to cut the pink paper smaller than the blue paper so it would be double like you do! And also, I used really nice handwriting to write your name on it!" (And seriously, did he ever!!! His usual handwriting is nothing short of illegible chicken scratch!)

Can I just tell you how much this certificate means to me? It means that my Dave did something he hates, and doesn't think he's very good at, just to show me he loves me!

Let me just say, I love my boys. I was so blessed to get these two!

First- China!

2011-05-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

I'm Baaaaaaaack!
First, China-
It is always an adventure to travel to China. But this time was a little harder for me. Our trip got suddenly moved up almost two weeks, and I wasn't really prepared to go. Had lots to do back home, including prepping for my pump video. A week of no exercise, flipping my days and nights, and spending over 50 hours (in a 5.5 days) traveling either on a plane, in a taxi, or in an airport...that's not the best preparation!
When I got back I had a really REALLY hard time switching my days and nights back (that always happens to me) and as a result, ended up doing my video on 1.5 hours sleep! (It's okay, adrenaline took over!)
Anyway- we completed all of our business with no hiccups, and as a result got treated to a very very nice Chinese lunch by the owners of our tie factory.

ENTER: DUCK TONGUE
Tha'ts right, this little gem was one of the appetizers at our very fancy lunch. I was served by our business partner who stood grinning at me, clearly not going to look away until I devored it and said how delicious it was. I had no choice. Again- adrenaline took over. I took a very large, chewy, spongy, tongue-y bite from the "non-long thin neck connector" end, and sent it down the hatch with a big swig of coke. I can't remember how it tasted, becuase that spongy texture almost got me. As soon as I swallowed she moved onto serving the next dish, and I quickly hid the tongue under my plate. Our next appetizer was bamboo shoot soup with bamboo greens. It was VERY VERY crunchy, but tasted like chicken noodle soup. Since this is not my first business lunch in China, I knew that I would continue to be served copious amounts of food, so I better make good and clear what I liked (Translation: what I would be able to eat the most of without getting sick and offending our business partner) Boy did I make lots of happy faces and "delicious tummy rubs" about that soup. Half the meal I spent chomping away at that crunchy bamboo becuase she just kept filling my bowl, but I'm a smart women, because NO MORE TONGUE! :o)

Our trip really did go quite well, and with the little amount of time I had to shop, I stocked up and did all of Jaxon's school shopping! I Got him a lot darling knock-offs that will last him through the whole year, including two pairs of Nike's, Adidas, and some Converse. I won't even tell you how much they cost, becuase we would all spend out nights crying ourselves to sleep over the ridiculous prices of things here in the states!

Lastly, I have to leave you with this awesome picture. This was the weather report on Tuesday. Please note- there is only a 30% chance of Wednesday! I was cracking up everytime I walked through the lobby and saw that.

A new post...BUT I STILL MISS SODA!

2011-04-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened between me giving up soda (which I miss a little more every day...) and us going to the Easter Pageant, but this was such a special night, I have to blog about it before I forget.

I still remember the first "Easter Pageant" I went to here in AZ. I was 16 and had never heard a thing about it. Some friends invited me, and I thought I was going to see some sort of "Pageant" as in girls, swim suits, talent section, etc. Imagine my surprise! Anyway...I digress...

So the day before the Easter Pageant officially starts is "Dress rehearsal" night. They run the whole thing through with costumes, but start it earlier (7 instead of 8) so of course, we had to go. It would still put Jaxon to bed well past his bedtime but he is old enough to understand the play and he already had learned so much of what he would be seeing, and I felt really strongly that it would be an amazing experience for him.

I had a photoshoot that I Couldn't change, and was very worried that I wouldn't get there in time to enjoy it with my boys, but I rushed and made it before the performance even started. Jaxon immediately crawled into my lap, snuggled his way in, and stayed there THE ENTIRE TIME!!!

I LOVED IT! This does not happen very often...1. he's a 5 year old boy now, and 2. He is RARELY EVER STILL!!!

We spent the next hour in the most beautiful weather, setting, production, and conversation there ever could be between a mom and her 5 year old boy. (Yes, Dave was also there, but he saw the tears in my eyes and the tenderness between me and J, and he let me have the whole moment,...thank you Dave...) Jaxon never stopped asking questions (Albeit, possibly a tad too loudly, but who could be mad at the sweetness of a little guy asking questions about Jesus, the desciples, the ten virgins, John the Baptist, etc..) And for one precious hour, I got to whisper my testimony of the Savior's life, mission, and ministry into Jaxon's eager ears. If this sounds cheesy, it's because it is, but I just can't write casually about this night I spent with my boys. It's moments like this that I will treasure forever.

Goodbye sweet Soda- Parting is such sweet sorrow

2011-03-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

This year I am celebrating/hating/observing/suffering through LENT. I'm not Catholic, but giving up something for 40 days to try to better yourself, well that sounded like a good idea... a few days ago.

Clearly I thought that before the withdrawls set in. Oh and the caffeine shakes, those are awesome too. No seriously, It is really hard, and I want a Diet Dr. Pepper with easy ice and a squirt of cherry (from Sonic) like nobody's business, but I'm surviving. I'm adding it to the list of hard, slightly to extremely, painful things I've done that are for my own good, and that I feel good about once they are done.
My master plan is that in 40 days I will be clear of the strangle hold that said bubbly deliciousness has held over me...and that a new, ridiculously skinny/buff body will prove that it was actually Diet Dr. Pepper holding me back all these years!!!

And then I will quite that amazing/awful stuff for good.

But if by some very small chance only one of the two above scenarious happens, I'm hoping to still kick the habit.

Wish me and this headache luck!

Ridiculously out of order...CHRISTMAS! #1

2011-02-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

I just found and uploaded the pictures from my point and shoot, and boy is there some great stuff on here.

And since I lost ALL.

Yes, ALL.

Yes, A-L-L of the pictures on every blog on every post I've ever written in the last 4 years before January 2011 (it was my fault, and please, don't rub it in, or laugh. I will cry. Then I will punch you in the face. Then I will punch you again. Then we can cry together.) I decided, what the heck?
So here it is...Christmas 2010

First up, Ferrell Family Christmas Eve (actually held on December 22nd)
We have a ton of Ferrell Family Christmas Eve traditions. Some have been in place since I was born, and some have cropped up or changed since kids got older, and grandkids keep coming. One thing about Christmas eve never changes- IT'S THE BEST! It's so great to be with so many people who love and appreciate their family, and the special time of year that we celebrate the Savior.
We start with a delicious dinner, and then move to a kids game that involves lots of fun presents.

Jaxon and Oakley, (and mostly Brennen too!) Are best buds...and they sure love their grandma!

Jaxon and Oakley proudly displaying their matching presents during the kids game!

Let the games- BEGIN!

Here is Jaxon as "Joseph" for the live nativity. While, there is a chance that we may have missed the mark a little as far as "joseph" goes...at least he looks like a foreigner!!! :o)

Our crew as Mary, Joseph, star, angels, wise men, and shepherds!

Next Grandpa did his annual "Coin Grab." Each child gets a chance to grab as many quarters (With a few chinese coins mixed in) as they can and put in their bag. Every year by dad makes a number of rules, and has soon as the first kid has his hands in the bucket, he throws all the rules out the window, because the truth is, there is nothing my dad likes better than to be generous!

(Jaxon ended up with $111.62)

After that we have an adult game which is always full of great presents. Also usually full of very motivated people to get certain presents, and a generous amount of discussing what exactly constitutes cheating! (All in good fun of course!) Dave and I ended up with gift cards to Pei Wei, Tropical Smoothie, Red Lobster, Outback, McDonalds, and 2 massages! Now that's what I call a good haul !!
The night also usually includes a family candle ceremony led by mom, a parade with instruments while we sing Christmas Carols at the top of our lungs, and another round of carols while we do our best (which is not so good...) to read music while playing hand bells! It's awfully fun, and well...fairly awful!

PINATA!!!

2011-02-25T16:09:00.000-08:00

Come on- Whacking something as hard as you can with a stick- That's ALWAYS FUN! So of course, the pinata was no exception. After all the kids got through twice and it still was not broken, we let the adults take a crack at it. Again, fun was had by all, but no more than me, as I was taking these hilarious pictures-

I'll start out with a couple cute ones of my little man,

and then move into Face close-ups as people hit the pinata. In a lot of the really great ones, the bat was covering too much of the face (ie- all my brothers...) but rest assured....THEY WERE GREAT!!!

I saved the best 4 for last....

...See what I mean?

PS- don't I have the best family for being there for this whole shindig???

BIRTHDAY GAMES!

2011-02-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

The First game we played was "Don't Eat Pete" Seriously, this game is a KID PLEASER! It's very simple.

1. Get a game board/bingo board with different spaces. They can have letters, numbers, pictures, words, etc inside.

2. The child who is "it" has to go away, while everyone decides which space on the board is "pete"

3. Put a small candy (mini M&Ms for us) on each space.

4. The child comes back and eats one space at a time. When the child picks up "PETE" everyone shouts at the top of their little lungs, "DON'T EAT PETE!!!!!" and then the turn is over. So the point is to eat as many M&Ms as you can before you eat Pete!

Next was this funny one- Everyone puts a chocolate covered pretzel on their forehead. The first person to get it into their mouth, chew and swallow without using their hands, wins. The older kids took it pretty seriously. The younger kids took their pretzel off their forehead and ate it, and then wondered why the older kids were acting so weird!

This next one was a big hit- and I'm glad because I wasn't so sure how well it would work.

Everyone got a plate full of cotton balls and an empty cup. I went around and put a huge dollop of vasoline on the tips of their noses, and then they had to transport all the cotton balls from the plate to the cup only using their sticky nose! Everyone had a great time, and no one cared who won, but everyone really wanted to finish. Some went super fast and crazy, and some meticulously did one cotton ball at a time. Good times were had by all!

We had one more game before the Pinata (Which I thought would be the big "hit" (get it?) of the party) and I almost skipped this last game. Good thing I didn't, because it was the star of the show, for kids and parents alike!!! (Let me add in here that I come from a ridiculously competative family. I mean- seriously. seriously!)

I had my brother use masking tape and make a big "target" on the sidewalk. Everyone got a piece of computer paper and got to make a paper airplane. The only rules were it had to be a plane (not a wadded up piece of paper) and you couldn't add anything else to it. You have never seen such serious airplane builders!
First we had the kids division and everyone got three throws. We kept track of the closest to the target and deduced a winner! The kids had a great time, and then went off to the sand and continued to throw their airplanes!

Next came the adult division, and I'm serious- IT. WAS. SERIOUS.

People were testing the wind, changing their throw stance, cheating was accused several times, and after MUCH MUCH MUCH Debate, we finally got a winner! (It was all good natured fun by the way~)

Then, everyone was so heated up (and the losers wanted a chance at redemption...) so we had an impromptu "WITH ONE THROW WHO CAN THROW THEIR PAPER AIRPLANE THE FURTHEST" competition. After everyone threw, the two furthest away were paced off (more than once) by several impartial judges, and another winner was declared. It was so much fun to have something the adults enjoyed!

I only got pictures of the construction of the planes and not the competition because I was the line judge, and in this game there was no room for error!

The next post will be Pinata Pictures...because they are so funny they deserve their own post!

Jaxons 5th Birthday- Post 1

2011-02-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

I'm only a few weeks late with these posts, so all in all, I think I'm doing pretty well. So the morning of Jaxon's birthday he woke up in his amazing new bed. We played in there for a while, Then we hurried to Fry's for a birthday donut and a few brownie mixes! We made brownies, (Jaxon only wanted brownies, no cake or cupcakes..FINE BY ME!!!!) and gathered all our Spiderman decor, food, drinks, and games and headed to the park. I didn't get any pictures of set up, but it was great!

Jaxon had been asking for over 6 months to have a "cousins" birthday party. With no siblings, he really, truly, honest too goodness, loves his cousins as if they were his brothers and sisters. (And occasionally fights with them as such as well!) He was particularly concerned that is dear cousin from California might not be able to make it, but guess what? My brother and SIL and Aurora all came out for the whole weekend! Just one of the many many special touches that made the weekend perfect!

I will insert here, that I am very VERY grateful to ALL my brothers and sisters and spouses that gave up a whole Saturday to come celebrate with us. Everyone is privy to the fact that we sure wish we had more "immediate" family for Jaxon, and every single person does their best to show him immense amounts of love. It is not lost on this tenderhearted momma, and if it is possible, makes me even more grateful for my amazing family!

When everyone arrived we had pizza, breadsticks, chips, water, soda, veggies- the works! Here is cousin Jonathon in his sweet new wheels! And boy can he drive!

For about an hour the kids just played like happy little maniacs. Somehow, for this day, everyone got along! I'm serious. Every parent there got to sit and chat with every other parent. No tears, complaints, tattles (that I can remember, but I was feeling a bit euphoric...) One thing I just loved?! All the kids played in their party hats, it was SO FESTIVE!

After pizza and playing, Jaxon was ready to dive into his brownies and PRESENTS! Everyone was so thoughtful, and really couldn't have gotten Jaxon better gifts. We were truly so grateful at every one's kindness.

All the kids gobbled down their brownies, but none faster than Jaxon! Why? because he knew what was next...GAMES! He had hand picked all the games we were going to play, and he was so excited, but that my friends who again made it through this long post, is for another day!

SO instead I will leave you with a few of my favorite shots-

Jaxon and his best buddy Hailey-

Here is Jaxon showing off his two newly acquired and much acclaimed new tricks- the fireman's pole, and the monkey bars!

Come one- even with that missing tooth of his, and that cheesy pose and grin - he is a HANDSOME LITTLE DEVIL!!!

And lest we forget...Dad's like the swings too!!!

Now or NEVER!!!

2011-02-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting to start blogging about Jaxon's (RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME) birthday weekend until I had pictures of his bed, but I realized, I just gotta get going. So, for months now I have been checking religiously on Craigslist for a particular bed. It is a twin that is sort-of a loft bed, (about 3.5 feet high) with nice space underneath for playing, a ladder on one side, and a SLIDE DOWN THE OTHER! Ever since I saw one on Craigslist, I have seen them pop up every now and then. After seeing a few come and go I realized a great price would be $150. A good price would be $200, and anything over $250 was priced too high. I was hoping to have one for Christmas, but everytime one came up that was priced well, it was already gone when I called. And everytime I tried to talk someone down that was priced too high-- they thought I was nuts! (And were probably waiting for crazed mothers who needed it for Christmas!)
So, about a month before J's birthday I found one for $150 on Craigslist, and it was only about a mile away! We got it immediately and stored the parts and pieces at the warehouse. My master plan that I was SO SO SO SO SO SO SO excited about (seriously, GIDDY!) was to put J to bed the night before his birthday, and move him into our bed after he fell asleep. Then we would take out his toddler bed, put together his new bed, and put him back in bed to wake up in the morning.
Dave- not such a lover of this plan. He didn't love the idea of starting this kind of project so late, but I couldn't NOT do it! Seriously- how cool would that be to wake up on your fifth birthday in a new big boy bed WITH A SLIDE!?!?!?!?!
We didn't get J to bed until super late (Almost 9) on his birthday eve because of other family activities which means we didnt start until about 9:30. The bed was fairly simple to put together, but I forgot to take into account that fact that it would be SO MUCH BIGGER than his other bed, plus with a slide jutting out...woops! Long story short, Dave had to rearrange the bedroom furniture 3 times before we came to an arrangement I liked. He- NOT SO MUCH!
For underneath the bed I got a clip-on lamp, a rug with roads all over it, and several trucks, cars, ambulance etc.
We put J back to bed and I was so excited I could hardly sleep! I woke at the first sound of his rustling in the morning, and woke Dave as well. Next thing we knew we heard,
"uhhhhh..... uhhhhhhhh...... WOW!" Then lots of noises as he explored the room. When his clock turned to 6 and he was able to come out, he came shyly into our room and DIDN'T SAY ONE WORD ABOUT THE BED!!!! He was acting very secretive and sheepish, as if he didn't want to mention it in case we didn't know about it, and might take it away.
We said, "How does it feel to be 5? Anything new? Anything different?"
nothing. not a word about his bed.
WHAT THE HECK?
Finally after about 5 minutes we asked, "Well, do you like your new big boy bed?????"
Once he could see that it was actually his, his face lit up and he started talking a mile a minute!
"YES! MOM! DAD! It has blue covers, and A SLIDE!!! It has a REAL SLIDE! You HAVE to come see this! And there are toys underneath! COME ON, COME SEE!"

So of course, we did! We watched him race up and down the slide several times, and try out his bed. We played cars under his bed for quite a while, and it was JUST PERFECT!!!

There are some things that you really build up in your head. This was one of those moments, and one of those weekends for me. My little guy is really not so little anymore. I just wanted it to be perfect. And it was. The bed was just the tip of the iceburg to the birthday weekend I hoped and dreamed it would be for him. Does that sound cheesy? That's ok. With no siblings, he adores ADORES his cousins like nothing I have ever seen. They were all (except for Katie and Jane- boo!) going to be at his party, and I just wanted it to be the time of his life. AND IT WAS. But that story, my readers who made it through this very long post, is for the next one!

FREE!!!

2011-02-10T21:00:00.001-08:00

The Chair is in a wonderful new home, but if you want the bed for free- SPEAK UP! Otherwise it's going to D.I. next weekend!

Come on, you know your little guy would love it!

Yes, I'm talking to you!

Yes you!

Any Takers?

2011-02-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

For Sale-

1. Fisher Price Fire Engine Bed. (with toddler mattress!)

This bed has brought Jaxon two years of fun, but he is just getting to big for it now. It's in great shape, with a few dings and scuffs. It sells new for $228 at Toys R Us, and here it's a steal for only $75!!! First come first serve, and please feel free to make me an offer I can't refuse!

2. Cute Chair. (Cute children sold seperately...)I used this in my Christmas Mini sessions and loved it. The front of the seat cushion is a little scuffed up, and slightly sun-lightened. I got it for $50 on Craigslist, and it can be yours for $40! (Or go ahead and make me an offer!)

Good Answer!

2011-02-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

"Jaxon, why did Nephi build a ship?"
"....so sharks wouldn't eat their feet off!!!"

That seems like a feasible answer to me...

A visit to the dentist and a whole lotta LIES!

2011-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today Jaxon and I visited the dentist.

I know dentists are hard up right now, so we capitalized on their specials and saw a fantastic dentist at a beautiful office. We had a cleaning, x-rays, and a consult...all for $19 a piece! SA-WEET!!!

(PS- I have several cards worth $50 to both me and YOU! If I refer you to this office, you get $50 off any treatment, and so do I! If you're family needs cleanings/xrays right now, they are $19 bucks! With this card you could get 2.5 cleanings FREE! CALL ME!!!)

Jaxon wanted me to go first so he could see what it was all about. And all-in-all my time in the chair was about 30 minutes. My buddy Jaxon kept up a running conversation for the ENTIRE 30 minutes with our spunky hygienist. She was definately egging him on, but I tell you, in the entire 30 minutes, I don't think the kid said one thing that was true. The thought it was---

1. Funny- but only becuase he's 4,

and

2. Scary- becuase he will be a teenager soon enough, ....and the lies just rolled right off his tongue. The hygienist couldn't tell what was true or not, and often had to ask me.

For instance, apparently Jaxon has an older brother named Cooper who is 7. He couldn't come to the dentist becuase he was in trouble and had to much homework and had to stay home with Dad, and that is also why Dave couldn't come.

She also asked about preschool. Jaxon told her about a lesson they had today on Strawberries. He told her all about strawberries from their look, taste, size, etc. It was an excellent recap of an excellent lesson, except, it also never happened. I was at preschool today since he had to leave after an hour for the dentist, so I just stayed and watched. There was no lesson on strawberries..and there never has been.

Then I told her that Jaxon had said he poem of the month in preschool today, and she asked to hear it. He recited EVERY Monthly poem he has said since August...except for the one he said today.

All of this time the hygienist was working in my mouth, so I couldn't continue to to scold him for being dishonest.

After all was said and done, we had a little chat. Jaxon said, "Mom! It was all a joke! Can't she take a JOKE??"

Oh, And he also told her she was "Rediclee-ous" becuase she asked if he was a vampire, and everyone knows there are no such things as vampires!

heaven help us.

I DID IT!!!!!

2011-01-30T18:53:00.001-08:00

The Race!

The Half Marathon!

THAT'S RIGHT--- HALF MARATHON!!!!

I DID IT!

IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO HARD!!

IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT!

Okay, I will take the Caps lock off now! I can't believe it's done and over with, and I can't believe I did it! I am very good at setting goals...and not so good at following them through.

After my freakout/hit the wall/ anxiety attack, my nervousness about this race skyrocketed to a whole new level. It went from being nervous about running for so long, to being VERY VERY PETRIFIED about my mental health during the race. If I knew for sure that I was going to have another breakdown like that, I absolutely wouldn't have run. I NEVER want to go to THAT place again. So I was super nervous.

Last Tuesday, before Jax and I left for Vegas (whole different story...) Sherry and I were supposed to run 7 miles. I was very nervous because it was my first "long-ish" run after "the episode" (That is how I will refer to my freak out from now on...) I was really nervous, and when I woke up at 5:30 to go meet Sherry to Run, I felt awful. I had no idea if it was stress, flu, anxiety, mental, physical, real, perceived, but I knew I couldn't run. At this point I knew Sherry was pretty concerned that I was not even going to run the race with her at all. She never said anything, but I could tell. I drove to Sherry's house thinking I will just power through, I can do it. When I walked to the door I knew I actually couldn't do it. I was so mortified. I knocked on Sherry's door at 5:30 am....to tell her I couldn't run, and that I didn't even know if it was because I was sick in the body, or sick in the head. Sherry was getting pretty sketical about my current commitment to racing!

In Vegas Dave, Jaxon and I all got very sick, so at least I knew that it wasn't a mental thing that kept me from running Tuesday morning, but now I had a hacking bronchial cough to get over in a week!

The week of the race we had two very short 3 mile runs and that's all. On Monday I coughed so hard that I gagged/threw up/dry heaved pretty much the whole three miles. I know at this point Sherry was pretty certain I was not going to run.

THEN!

Then I broke the news to her that I forgot to register online and missed the deadline! I would have to register the morning of the race. She knew it. That was the last straw. I was bailing and just hadn't had the guts to tell her yet.

Friday I was ALL NERVES! Jaxon and I left the house and spent the day at my parents house. He was entertained, and I could watch mindless television all day and not think about it. Sherry and I made our final plans for the next morning and I could hear the skepticism in her voice...why was I making plans I was going to bail on???
Friday night Dave gave me the most amazing blessing. That's what I love about my church! I can ask Dave for a blessing, and he can give it to me! It was amazing, and addressed all my fears that I hadn't even talked to him about, and I knew that Dave, Heavenly Father, Sherry, and everyone else that knew how much this meant to me....they were ALL wanting me to succeed!

Saturday morning Sherry picked me up and I was ready. The morning went by in a blur (and we were really glad to see Rachel and Donnie in the potty line, or we wouldn't have made the start time!) The race started, and off we went.
We had been running for quite a while (I thought) and I thought to myself, they must not have all the miles marked, because we have got to be almost at the two mile mark! About 3 minutes later we passed the 1 MILE MARK, and I thought, "Holy crap. I'm in trouble!" Same thing happened at the 2 mile, and the 3 mile mark, and then somehow I got into the groove. Sherry and I talked our heads off the entire time, and for the first time in ALL of our runs, we never ran out of stuff to say! We had even made a list which I carried in my pocket of any and all possible topics should we have a dry spell, and we never even pulled it out! from mile 3-10 I didn't really care about the mile markers, and I got teary every time I saw one of the posters with the beautiful children with their bald heads telling me "Cancer is hard, running is EASY! KEEP GOING FOR ME!" It was hard to feel to bad for myself as we read these!

At mile 10 I realized- I am actually going to make it! I'm not going to have a mental breakdown...but what about physically? Can I do this? It got very hard for me physically. I didn't tell Sherry because I didn't even want to speak one negative word, I did want to trigger an "episode" Sherry kept running, and I kept running. I just put one foot in front of the other and kept talking!

At about mile 12 there started to be A LOT of people, kids, families etc cheering the runners on, and I got teary, and it never let up. I was about to achieve my goal.

It was so hard. SO HARD. And I was going to accomplish it. About about mile 12.7 the entire Queen Creek football team was on the sideline and cheered for everyone personally. I started fully crying. I cannot explain my emotions, but I was so incredibly happy. (and tired...but mostly happy.) The last stretch, probably the last .3 miles, the sidelines were packed with cheering family and friends. I didn't know a one of them, and it didn't matter. They were cheering me on, and I fully sobbed.

This didn't really go well with my ragged breathing after running 13 miles, and I had a very hard time breathing! About 50 yards from the finish line we saw Sherry's family, and a few feet later I saw Dave and Jaxon at the finish line! IT WAS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE!

(crying, weezing, and smiling!)

We finished!

I DID IT!
And my two boys were there to see it!

Sherry Gave me a huge hug (which is a big deal for her!) and then our friends Rachel and Donnie found us and they all made me feel so good. They all 3 knew how much this meant to me, and talked me and my accomplishment up, and I will forever be grateful for what it added to the moment!

We checked our time, and it was almost a minute per mile faster than I had expected! (Don't worry, it was still PRETTY SLOW,) but I didn't care one bit! I'm afraid to say though-- it made me think, "Man, how do these other people run SO FAST? I could never keep it up!" But then I thought, "Hey, their fast running let them run this race in an hour less time than me...there is definately something to be said for THAT!" Translation- there is a chance that one day I will run another half marathon!

I have to say, as I was running that last .5 and everyone was cheering me on, acknowledging my accomplishment and keeping me going, I waxed a little thoughtful. I just thought, what if we were always this happy and supportive of each other ALL THE TIME?? What if we could really relish in our successes, and not be embarrassed to be proud of ourselves and the great things we do? What if people told us ALL THE TIME, how great they thought we were, how much they thought of us? I'm telling you, I think we would be unstoppable. It's not that we don't think it. I am surrounded my the most amazing, talented, beautiful, thoughtful, kind, funny women, but I just don't tell them often enough! I am going to try to do this more. And I am also going to start acknowledging my own accomplishments, big and small. We don't need to boast or brag, but we can feel really good about the things we do!

I have to say a big thank you to Sherry, who in all honesty could have easily been training for a full marathon with any number of our friends who were training. She kept me going and never once made me feel like I was holding her back. There is no way I could have or would have done this race without her encouragement and help every step! Seriously Sherry, thank you to the best GSC PRESIDENT a girl could ever know!

Help! Can you answer my question? And, random thoughts

2011-01-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

1. Question- How do I change the email address that is linked to my blog? It is my old, old, old one, and I can't be signed into my blog and have my email open at the same time because they are both google accounts...help? (Specific help would be great....I'm a little challenged....)

2. Since I've been preparing for the race (this Saturday) I have been slacking on the gym. Mostly the long runs take it out of me, and I'm "saving my legs" I miss the gym and plan to go back next week.
I've noticed that my day feels like it has no direction when I don't go to the gym. When I go to the gym I'm up and at 'em early, I work out, then I'm out and about to do some errands. I feel like I accomplish something!
Yesterday I didn't go the gym, and Jaxon and I did a little of this and a little of that. I got tons done at home, played a lot with J, did lots of school stuff with him, and got lots of help from him around that house. We had so much fun together, and were productive to boot! I made homemade dinner, AND did the dishes before Dave got home. All in all a really successful day.

BUT!

But...darn Satan. All day I had some anxiety like, "I really need to DO something! Like, a REAL something!" What the heck? I did so much. It was a fantastic day with Jaxon and the house looks great (comparatively speaking...) I can really feel the worldly side of me telling me to get out and do something, go some where, get out of the house. It's so counter intuitive. I DID do something. I DID accomplish a lot yesterday. This is something I really want to work on this year. Especially as it's my last year without J in school everyday. Does anyone else feel this way...or is it just me?

I want to remember

2011-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

When I see Jaxon all dressed in his preppy clothes and his short hair spiked neatly up in front, cracking jokes and talking like a ten year old...I just can't believe how big he is. It hurts my heart to think that he will never be as little as he was yesterday, or last year. I want to hold on to every last cute, baby-ish thing he does, because, there might not ever be another baby to do these things in our house.

Then there are mornings like today- when he sleepily ambles in with his Buzz Lightyear pajamas that are too short at the ankles and wrists, with his hair sticking out at all angles, and climbs into my lap for a morning snuggle. I remember. He's not so big, and he'll always be my baby.

I want to remember this morning.

Running

2011-01-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with running.

I love that I am doing it. It is something I always envied of other people and never thought I would be able to do. I love that I am achieving goals I never thought possible. I love how I feel when I get home and can tell Dave, " I just ran ___ Miles!" That feeling never gets old!

The things I hate...well...I really don't like running long distances. I found this out in the last few weekends as the training schedule for the half marathon I'm running dictated a 8 mile, then 10 mile, then 11 mile, then 12 mile, then 9 mile run. Next week is a 7 miler...we are tapering down to prepare for the race.

Let me tell you a little secret...I RUN REALLY SLOW AND I DON'T CARE!
It's not about how fast I run, to me its about how far I ran.

But....as the distances get longer, my pace get's significantly slower. So...running 12 miles takes me about 138 minutes, or 2 hours and 18 minutes. (that's an 11.5 minute mile in case you were wondering...and that's not even the slowest pace I've ever run...) So...while it's awesome to say I ran 12 miles...it's just not that awesome to run for 2 hours and 18 minutes...without stopping.

Anyway, I have done it. They are done. Completed. It's a moral and physical victory.

Yesterday we had a 9 mile run. 9 miles is nothing to sneeze at, but it is 3 miles and 33 minutes shorter than 12 miles, so thats a bonus.

BUT....

Yesterday I hit a wall. I'm serious. Only now do I understand that expression...because although it sounds kinda corny...there are no actual words to describe what happened to me. It was a mental wall, not physical. Physically I could have just finished running the last 2 of my 9 miles. Mentally- serious problems.
I don't know why it happened, or what was different but I do know that I'm really glad my running partner was there, or I would still be sobbing by the banks of the canal, and Jaxon would still be at music class!

At mile 7 my mind started racing with crazy negative thoughts. About me, about running, about my incapabilities, and mostly about how I was done, and I absolutely COULDN'T GO ON! I fought it for mile 7.

During mile 8 I told Sherry we needed to start talking again (talking generally becomes much more sporadic after about mile 7) becuase I was in a really bad place in my head. So we tried to chat, but I wasn't there mentally, and then...the tears started.

At The beginning of Mile 9 when we crossed the road and we knew we only had a mile left, that should have really lifted me up. Instead I stopped running and started crying. I was going to sit down by the canal and make Sherry finish running and come pick me up so I could just sit and cry.

CRY!

CRY?

Why on earth was I crying? Why was I telling myself what a stupid, idiotic, non-running slob I was and that I had no business ever trying to run in the first place? I DON'T KNOW! Sherry pulled me (literally pulled my arm and wouldn't let go to make me start moving) So for that last mile I cried, and listened as Sherry talked non stop (which she normally does NOT do) to keep my mind occupied. Several times I just stopped running and she pulled me and made me start again. Once we got to the car...things started looking normal again. The negative talk in my head stopped, and my body was okay.

I seriously have no idea what happened out there, but I didn't like it. I am excited to run my half and check it off my Bucket List, but then I think I'm going to stick with 6 and under for a while.

Just sayin'

Just a Monday...

2011-01-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, nothing too interesting happens around here, and Jaxon just says normally funny and quirky things, and not extremely funny and quirky things. Those (these) are the days that I think, no blog today. But then I get out of the habit, so here are some "Just a Monday" thoughts from me...please feel free to stop reading, or just let your mind wander...

Jaxon and I RARELY stay home much....and we ALMOST NEVER stay home ALL day. I always thought it had to do with my nervous/anxiety prone personality which gives me the constant need to be BUSY, and interacting with other people. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure this is a large part of it, but I discovered today, that there is more.
I had SO MUCH to do around the house. For example- I had 4 presents from Christmas still sitting on the living room floor that hadn't been taken our of the boxes and used/put away. We are in the process of moving all of Jaxon's toys, videos, etc.etc. upstairs to the loft, and converting the downstairs into a bit more of an "adult space" (not "Adult" space...come on now!) so there is TONS to be moved, sorted, throw out etc.
So, after a quick jaunt to the gym, pick something up at my sister's house (The most delicious homemade granola EVER!), a 45 minute music class, and a stop at the Ranch Market, we were home by about 11:15 and ready to work.
Here's the "more" to my dislike of staying at home. I had LIGIT stuff to do ALL DAY. Thus, for most of the day I couldn't sit down and play go-fish, Shoots and ladders, Operation, Wii, Angry Birds, Legos, Blocks, Swords, trampoline etc. Well Jaxon doesn't mind that much, as long as HE can be doing something "electronic" (Wii, computer games, Ipod touch, or watching a video) and seriously, I don't blame the kid. It's not so fun to play swords with yourself, build legos that you not yet able to follow the directions, jump on the trampoline alone, challenge yourself to a rousing game of Go-Fish...etc. etc. etc.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO???? I don't want him glued to the electronics all day, but in truth it's just not fun to play alone. This then plays on my saddness and guilt that he doesn't have a sibling, and I feel doubley bad.
I had him help me A LOT, but there are some things he can't do. I stopped to play/read/build/jump A LOT, but I had to get some work done. I made him "play" toys A LITTLE, but it's boring.

What's a mom to do?

This is not old school Jaxon. This is new school Jaxon at our family pictures in November- Fake smile and all!

Dad will probably win.

2011-01-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Jaxon is the worlds #1 best staller. I gave him the tiniest portion of black bean soup for dinner tonight (becuase he had already eaten an apple, two pieces of toast, a string cheese, and a fruit snacks, which I was totally okay with) and he had to eat it. He stalled for I don't even know how long, and I had HAD IT! After dinner we would still have had about an hour of family time before bed time, and I got so mad that I told Jaxon that if he didn't finish his soup in 3 minutes, Dave and I were going to play Shoots and Ladders without him.

Without missing a beat, I mean, seriously the very next second, and without even looking up from the spoonful of soup he was glaring at, Jaxon says,

"Dad will probably win."

Here's another old school Jax for your viewing pleasure!

Jaxon Tells Jokes

2011-01-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Jaxon is really into telling jokes that he makes up himself. The jokes make no sense, but since Dave and I are adoring parents, and he has no older siblings to squash his budding talent, we laugh like maniacs at all the nonsensical jokes he tells.
Tonight Jaxon told a joke that I thought was hysterical!

"Dad, if you were a chicken, your name would be Chicken-Stein, you know...like FRANKENSTEIN, but CHICKENSTEIN, cause you're a CHICKEN! GET IT? CHICKEN? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Come on, you laughed!

PS- Here's an oldie but goodie....just because I think he's so darn cute!

Check one off the BUCKET LIST!

2011-01-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but a few weeks ago Dave I and were talking about our Bucket lists. I'm happy to say that I lead a fairly happy and fulfilling life, therefore, there aren't too many life shattering things I feel I HAVE To do before I die. I've had a lot of really cool, unique, lucky, and blessed opportunities....so most of my bucket list items weren't that big...in fact my number 1. and number 2...Dave totally laughed at!
So later that week I told my dear friend (and running partner) about my bucket list items to see if they were as absurd as Dave thought! Well...she laughed too...but not so much at me, as at the items!
Fast forward...today (Wed. the 5th) Sherry took me out for a my birthday lunch. We had the most delicious and healthy meal at Pomegranates, a whole and raw foods restaurant.....for anyone who thinks it's impossible to eat healthy, and eat deliciously...go to POMEGRANATES and be prepared to be proven WRONG!!!! Anywho, after lunch we went to our big SECRET activity---

MY BUCKET LIST NUMBER ONE!!!

I GOT TO DRIVE A SMART CAR!!!!!
(Are you, like Dave and Sherry, laughing at my bucket list???? It's okay, I don't mind a bit!!!)

Unfortunately, you have to take one of their employees with you, and since there is no backseat, Sherry had to wait at the dealership for us to finish. Mr Smart Car Man drove first, and showed me how the "Automatic Manual" transmission works...(Don't worry, no shifting necessary!) then we pulled over in a deserted, partially hidden, darkish parking lot behind a Fry's to switch places. If he hadn't seemed like an upstanding young chap, the whole thing would have been a little creepy...
So, I got behind the wheel, and VIOLA!!! Bucket list #1- DONE! It was very roomy, and sits quite high up! You can't actually tell your driving a puney little car at all!

Well, Sherry had directions to bucket list #2....but unfortunately I had to be back to be home when Jaxon got home from Preschool, and we ran out of time to make it to the Segway Store, to test drive a SEGWAY!

Now come on, isn't that the coolest birthday present ever?

PS- when we were getting ready to take our test drive, we were headed for a sensible little blue Smart Car, and Sherry said to Mr. Smart Car, "REALLY? She can't Drive the HELLO KITTY one parked out front?"
Mr. Young Chap said, "Sure!" and went and got those keys!

What a memorable birthday, and guess what? I still have a delicious, delicious, DELICIOUS raw chocolate macaroon to eat later!

THANKS SHERRY!

Although no words are really necessary....

2011-01-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

I will say a few....

Jaxon saw me working on some clients pictures in Photoshop, and got the jist...that it could be a lot of fun!!! We spend almost an hour making monsters out of everyone we know and love, but these were his very favorites!

Overheard in Preschool Carpool

2011-01-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

(THE SCENE: Jaxon showing Brailyn his missing tooth....)

Jaxon: "I lost my tooth!"

Brailyn: (sadly) "WOW! I never even lost one tooth!"

J: "Has anyone ever knocked one out? That's what happened to me. My cousin knocked it out."

B: (sadly) "No...no one has ever knocked one of my teeth out."

J: " Well...maybe my cousin would knock one of your teeth out for you!"

B: "Maybe....that would be so so great!"

Seriously, I love these kids!

The Day after my Birthday

2011-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

I promised myself, and any of you stragglers who are still dutifully (thank you!) checking to see if I will ever post, to blog more. So here it is-

Noteworthy-
1. Yesterday was my birthday and Facebook makes me feel special! I got so many great birthday wishes from people who, lets be honest...would never have known without the helping hand of Facebook! I got a Kindle case and a Kindle store card, and a Take Five bar (YUMMY....but Dave guilted me into sharing...BOOO!!) Delicious dinner at my parents with my favorite people in the world, my family! Otherwise, celebrating your birthday on Fast Sunday (which I do every 7 years or so...) kinda stinks...just saying.

2. One of Jaxon's New Year's resolutions was to "Jump on the Trampoline to get bigger muscles" (Can you tell we let him make his own resolutions?...I won't tell you the others... )
Anyway, when asked tonight in Family Night about how he is doing...he gave himself a "thumbs sideways." He didn't get a "thumbs down" because he IS jumping more. But he didn't get a thumbs up, because there is no visible change in his muscles! HAHA!

3. Today is the first day of rededication to healthy eating and healthy body. The difference this year is that "healthy" does not mean "Low calorie and completely or almost totally made up of chemicals" I am trying to go natural, unprocessed, and raw as much as possible. I am not a crazed lunatic, I don't judge anyone who enjoys a delicious steak (as I do...) and I do eat a little meat, but I have to be honest, I am reading THE CHINA STUDY, and I promise, it will change your life. I won't preach (BUT PLEASE READ IT!!!)

4. On New Year's Eve, Jaxon got his tooth knocked out rough-housing with his best friend, partner in crime, and Cousin- Oakley. Totally accidental, not a big deal ...but Jaxon talks about it, his tooth, his cousin, etc... A LOT right now. Tonight he said, "Mom- you know the two best things about losing my tooth?"
"1. That Oakley said sorry, and 2. He shared some papers with me!" Ahhhh to have the heart of a child!

5. Humm...what else? Tonight in Jaxon's prayers he thanked Heavenly Father that we don't have "Ugly Blankets" on our beds...and I will leave you with that parting thought, maybe you ought to be more grateful for those gorgeous bedspreads huh?

New Year, New Blog, New Goals!

2011-01-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years to you! (and as a side note, Happy birthday to me!)
I am loving my new Blog Layout- Thank you Lauryn!!!
But I lost all my contacts, so please leave me a comment with your blog address...PLEASE!

Also, I know I have been pretty cruddy about updating, but one of my 2011 goals is to start my posting again...just short and sweet..like...the funny things that Jaxon says that I am currently putting on Facebook instead!

So in review- I need you to...
1. Have a happy New Year
2. Leave me your blog address!

THANKS!!!

"Hard to Kill", a truly beautiful hymn...

2010-12-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

(Picture Family Home Evening- Dave, me and Jaxon sitting on the couch)

"Jaxon, you get to pick our opening song...and it has to be a church song!"

"Okay...umm....'Hard To Kill."

"Jaxon, that's not even a song. It has to be a CHURCH SONG. Please be serious, or we will ask Daddy to chose instead."

"IT IS A CHURCH SONG! AND IT'S A CHRISTMAS SONG!"

"Jaxon, you are being silly. There is no song called "Hard To Kill"

"YES THERE IS!!! "....Hard To Kill, the angels sing, glory to the newborn king. Peace on earth and 'Mary Miles'...."

(Uncontrollable giggles from me for about the next 3 minutes)

Christmas!

2010-12-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I accidentally left my point at shoot at my parents house, so this post will be much sweeter and shorter than it normally would have been!
CHRISTMAS ROCKS!!! We have had a great holiday season, dispite the fact that our Christmas decorations this year were -
1 Christmas tree with lights.
2 Snow men decorations given to us by my mom who knows we collect snowmen
3 ornaments on the tree (2 from disneyland and one was a gift left on our doorstep)

Yup....that's it. We normally go ALL OUT (and love to do it I might add) but this year with all the trips and the mini sessions, we were too busy! We decided that instead of being sad when we saw our meager decorations, we would think about how much fun we had had doing other things instead, and IT WORKED! Plus, guess what? Clean up tomorrow is going to be A BREEZE!!! :o)

Since I don't have the other camera, I will only comment on those pictures that I do have-

1. Jaxon's Preschool Nativity. Jaxon was a wiseman, and took his job very seriously. He loves to ham it up, but like his mom, only on his own terms..."Acting" is not so much his cup of tea (also like his Mom) and he was a little nervous being up there. We were also a little (A LOT!) nervous...becuase anyone who knows Jaxon, knows that putting him standing on a stool for any extended period of time is just asking for a fall...or several. Dave and I saw him get up there and both leaned in at the same time to ask the other "how long till he falls off the first time?" We laughed together...but you know what...he never fell!!

Just got up, very serious---

Been up for a while..."NO MORE PICTURES MOM!" (believe me... I know this look well!)

Done being a wiseman....feelin' a little bored!

Jaxon's best buddy and Cousin Oakley came for his big performance!

Next- Christmas Morning! Christmas was absolutely fabulous...but since I don't have all my pictures, I will only comment on this one part... THE TRAMPOLINE!!!!

WE LOVE IT!!!

We waited as long as possible to give Jaxon that last surprise (Actually, we only waited until the sun was up so I could video tape him seeing it) and went out about 6:45! I'm sure Our neighbors loved all the noise, and all the dogs we woke up who started barking at us! We played on the tramp for a good 45 minutes...and by the end, Dave and I were sitting in the middle and JAxon was literally running circles around us....It was such a metaphor of our lives... :o)

Merry Christmas everyone, Merry Christmas!

Still Alive- still Kicking!

2010-12-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why blogging has become such a chore??? Oh wait, yes I do! I started blogging because it was easier than scrapbooking, and I started facebooking because it was easier than blogging...what's next?

Okay, so the last month has been AWESOME!

1. Nov 15th Dave finished his busy season and we went on a "weekend away" just the 2 of us to Phx. It was great! I ate at my first raw restuarant and was HOOKED, saw HP7 and LOVED IT, and spent time with my main (and only!) squeeze!

2. I started running (jogging) This may not be a big deal to most people, but I have been a self proclaimed non-runner my whole life. I'm short and stocky and not built to do it...that's what I've said. I've also had a severe mistrust of anyone who gets up ridiculously early to go jogging before their kids get up! WHO DOES THAT? Well folks, I'm at a great place in my life where I am deciding what I can and can't, and will and won't do. No more excuses and no more saying "I can't...." or "I don't..." I decided to prove to myself that I CAN BE A RUNNER. And guess what? I don't even really like it, but I LOVE that I'm doing it. I do feel good about my accomplishments when I'm done, and I feel great that I've proven to myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to!

3. The week of Thanksgiving we left town on Wednesday and went to Cali to celebrate Thanksgiving with my brother and his wife, and my parents. We got a real treat with Jaxon flying with Grandma and Grandpa, so I slept pretty much the whole drive! (Dave says I stink as a travel companion...but I say, A LEAST I WASN'T THROWING UP!!!... I sleep to avoid carsickness)We ate out at Ruth Chris, which to be honest, I didn't think was so great! But I don't love Thanksgiving food, so the thought of having steak was just fine with me. While the food was not fantastic, they had a great chocolate lava cake..in which I indulged, and demolished all on my own! It was wonderful and relaxing staying at the beach house, and I won an insane amount of money in a bet with my brother in which he erroneously thought that I would not swim in the ocean for a half an hour when it was 56 degrees and windy out! WRONG! We also spent 2 glorious hours playing on the beach (After a loooooong and HOT shower!) with pretty much not a soul in sight! Dave, Jaxon, and I also found an evening to sneak and away and eat at our FAVORITE RESTAURANT, Pat and Oscars-well...it's only the favorite of Dave and I, and Jaxon fell asleep while there!

There's a chance that Jaxon has a small (huge) crush on an older woman..his cousin!

The view from the beachhouse...

Don't let the sunny facade fool you...it was F-F-F-FREEZING!!!

(can you tell by my beach attire that I hadn't previously planned on swimming?)

Does it look like it was worth it? CAUSE IT WAS!!!

At the beach- in the cove

3. We came home for a week and I prepared for and shot my Christmas Mini sessions. I shot 22 separate sessions, and I LOVED IT! I loved getting to shoot so many people, and I loved that 15 minutes is not quite enough time to drive a mom out of her mind, or make a 2 year old actually wish he were taking a nap instead of getting his pictures taken! I'm definately going to be doing more mini sessions. Plus, we left the next day for another week, and I didn't have to edit ANYTHING for 7 whole days! (I will post lots of these on my photography website in the next few days if you care to see them...)

4. We left for another week in California. We drove to San Diego on Sunday (ate at Pat and Oscars-jaxon fell asleep there again!) and went to Sea World on Monday. While we had truly fantastic time, and it was TOTALLY EMPTY, I don't think we would do it again. Jaxon is a mover and a shaker...sitting to watch a show, or see animals, no matter how amazing...just not his thing. We spent most of the time on their few rides! That night we again ate at Pat and Oscars...2nd of 4 times this week...yes...we like it that much!!

Asleep at Pat and Oscars...one of many...

before the 4D Christmas Show...

I think this is one of my all time favorite pictures...so classic Jaxon!

I found a mirror at Sea World that I kinda like...

Tuesday was Dave's birthday which we started at IHop. Dave got a great birthday breakfast Sundae and it just started the day out right. We drove up to Newport and had a fun birthday lunch with Scott and Erin where Dave got another birthday treat- Strawberry Shortcake!. Then we all rested a little bit- and headed over to Boomers for some serious SERIOUS go-cart racing. Some people think that the posted "NO bumping" is a hard and fast rule, but we thought it was more of a "Moot suggestion" and got pretty physical. SO. MUCH. FUN!!! We were so full from our delicious late lunch that we just snacked in the evening.

Breakfast Sundae...YUMMY!!!

Wednesday we went to Disneyland/ California Adventure with just the 3 of us and had a marvelous time! We did everything we wanted several times, and enjoyed every minute. Jaxon hates the "kiddie" rides, so Dave and I enjoyed the day just as much as Jaxon did! ....Can you guess where we ate for Dinner? YUM YUM- Can you guess who fell asleep on the bench again??!!!

Thursday we went to Disneyland with 19 people! My Dad, three of my brothers, one sister, one brother in law, one sister in law, Jaxon, 3 nephews and 6 nieces! Disneyland with 19 people is a lot LOT different than Disneyland with 3 people, but equally fun! We traded kids around and helped each other so everyone could do the things that they, and their kids wanted! I tore it up on the new Toy Story ride at California Adventure (THE BEST RIDE EVER!!!!) and am the reigning family champion! Unfortunately, we did not eat at Pat and Oscars on Thursday.

Even the tram ride To Disneyland is exciting if you're with your cousins!

I'm too cheap to buy the actual picture, but take a picture of the picture...now that I can do!

Tower Of Terror- Me, Dave, and J have our hands up. Emily has her eyes squeezed shut, and Hailey looks petrified!

This is our last day at Disneyland, 6 days after our adventure started...can you tell we are a little more tired than we started out???

Jaxon and his best buddy/friend/cousin Oakley, getting ready for the AWESOME Toy Story ride!

Friday we went to Disneyland again, this time minus 2 brothers and 2 neices. Still so fun, still so crazy! We went to Pat and Oscars and were so sad to be leaving our dear love for who-knows-how-long. We ate many too many breadsticks in fairwell, and even ordered dessert which we don't normally do! And true to form, Jaxon fell asleep, this time with a breadstick in his hand!

Sleeping at Pat and Oscars with a breadstick in his hand-

Saturday we drove home, and can you believe after a week of going to bed late, waking up insanely early, and GOING GOING GOING all day, Jaxon was an angel!? Seriously! He did so well...he's just growing up. It's sad, but true.

On Sunday I was welcomed back at church by several people who thought I had died/moved/contracted a horrible disease to explain being gone the last 4 Sundays. It was good to be back.

Now it is Wednesday night. We have a Christmas tree up with lights on it, and that's it. And you know what, I don't mind a bit. We have played and loved and had some much fun, everytime I see the bare entertainment center top with no snowman village, I just think of all the things we've done together, and I'm okay with it!

hows that for a catch up???

This is why...

2010-12-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

I laugh all day...
or sometimes want to yell loudly...
but mostly laugh!

Coming up for air...

2010-12-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

That's all I'm doing.
I can't stay long... lots to do.
Just leaving you with a few pieces of goodness that keeps me so happily busy!

These are quick test shots for my Christmas Mini Sessions this weekend.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this kid?

Super lame blogger...That's me!

2010-11-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

I used to be a good blogger...funny even. When something noteworthy happened I used to think, "how will I word this on my blog?" Ahhhhhhh!!!! Life just gets in the way sometimes, huh!?

Anyway, a noteworth occurance in my life- The Elton John Concert.

Now, I'm not really a huge Elton John Fan, and I learned that evening...I'm not a Leon Russell Fan AT ALL!...but it was a fun night none-the-less.
my sister randomly won tickets to the show on a radio contest, and wasn't able to sell them online. She asked her husband if he wanted to go- he said no. She asked my sister in law if they wanted to go- they said no. She asked me if I wanted to go, and I said I would ask Dave, who said a RESOUNDING-NOOOO!!! He said, "Go if you want! Take Sherry! Just please don't make me go!" Well I thought...I hadn't been out for a "night on the town" in a loooooooooooong time, so why not!? I texted My gal pal Sherry and although she too thought it was a bit of a strange invite- she accepted!

The tickets said, "Leon Russell" on them as well...so we figured it was the opening act. We looked him up on Google, and decided he wouldn't be our thing...

The show started at 8, so we figured if we got there about 9, it would be just in time to catch Elton. We walked in about 8:50, and Elton was going strong! What the heck?

So we got to our seats, which were really quite good- row 16! And sat next to, around, surrounded by, lots of drunk Elton John Fans, all singing along and frequently dancing along to the songs. It was fun to people watch, and I do like some of his songs.

After a few songs Sherry (who, let me add right here, is quite the opposite of me. She would rather die than ever call any undue (or due) attention to herself) leaned over and whispered (read: yelled) ...it was really loud in there...

"Would you stand up and dance like that?"

Well, in the loudness of the concert, I misunderstood her question- I thought it was something like a dare- daring me to stand up and dance like a drunk fool by myself to a very non-dancy Elton John song...uhhh...she must not know me very well...but..NO PROBLEM!!!

In actuality it was her being shocked and mortified for the drunk dancers and actually meaning, "Who could ever get up and do that? PERPOSTEROUS!"

Due to my misunderstanding, at the beginning of the next song, which happened to be "I'm Still Standing" (Coincidence???) I jumped out of my seat, Yelled "WAHOOO!"" and started Dancing myself silly!

Sherry was mortified. to put it mildly. She tugged on my shirt with a look of absolute horror on her face and said repeatedly, "NO! Please no! NO! NO!"

I sat back down, and we sorted out the whole misunderstood question. Woops. My mistake!

Anyway, after that song, Mr. Leon Russell came out on stage, and he and Elton proceeded to sing together for almost an hour! ARGGGG!!! It was awful!

We kept saying "If he's not finished after this song, we're leaving"

"Okay this song."

"No really! This song!"

Finally he finished ,and by that time it was almost 11. We stayed for a few more of Elton and then decided to beat the crowd.

Some creepy Cabbies outside followed us halfway to our cars trying to get us to take a cab home, then have someone bring us back to our cars the next day (I think this is a practice of drunk people...but I'm not sure...) anyways...we ditched them and locked the car doors fast!

We laughed all the way home about ...well...everything and counted it as a night well spent!

YAY FOR GIRLS NIGHT!!!

PS- we weren't very creative in our posing were we???

Christmas Mini Sessions!

2010-11-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hello! I am shamelessly advertising my photography on here for a second- I am going to be doing Christmas Mini Sessions on Friday Dec. 3rd and Friday Dec. 4th.
Sessions are $40 for 15 minutes, with a disk of 5-10 high res pictures that belong to YOU!
email me at nzashleyrogers at gmail dot com to book your slot!

But....
I NEED YOUR HELP!!!
Once again I find myself in need of the perfect chair or bench. I can't tell you exactly what it looks like...only that I will know it when I see it! So, if you are willing to let me borrow a cute, shabby chic, a little funky or vintage, or just plain cool green/black/red chair for a week or so, I would gladly do a free mini session for you, or pay you the $40 dollars that a mini session would cost!
Just email me a picture of your fantastic chair, and I will get back to you. Please don't be offended if it's not the right one for me...like I said, I know it's out there...I just need to see it!

Tender Hearted

2010-11-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

Let me start with the story of Leslie Quan-
Once upon a time when I was in the fourth grade, There was a group of five best friends- Me, Presley, Jenny, Rachel, and Leslie. I was the new comer, having just moved to California that year, but I slid into the group pretty seamlessly, and it was just perfect. Until.
Leslie Had a birthday party. Her parents got tickets to a cute princess play. Everyone got to dress up in their fancy dress, and go to the princess play, and eat out at a fancy restuarant in their fancy princess dress, and order whatever they wanted, and then sleep over and giggle all night. Everyone but me that is. See, Leslie's parents only got 6 tickets...one for Presley and Jenny and Rachel and Leslie and Mom and Dad. No Ashley. Of course I knew about it. Of course I heard all about it. In detail. I cried and cried. I cried the day the invitations went out, and every day until the party. I cried the night of the party even though my mom took me out and did something fun. I cried after the party when I heard how much fun they had. In detail. I was heart broken...but nothing compared to my mom.
To this day I don't think I've ever seen her so angry. I was never allowed to Call Leslie again. Leslie was never allowed at our house again. Leslie's name was poison to my mother's ears. The mention of Leslie raised my mom's temperature by at least 20 degrees, causing flames to shoot out of her eyes and steam to pour from her ears. seriously. And you know what? I'm pretty sure my mom shed more than few tears about that darn Leslie Quan and her darn birthday party.
To this day you CANNOT mention Leslie Quan to my mom if you want her to have an enjoyable afternoon.
(consider yourself warned...)

I never did understand this seemingly unreasonable hatred of poor Leslie Quan.

Until now.

My poor little boy is old enough to have his tender little feelings hurt, but it is nothing compared to the hurt this mama bear is feeling. 3 things have happened recently that have left him sobbing and asking me why someone would do those things, and I don't have a good answer because they just shouldn't have been done. We talk about Jesus and how he loved the people who put him on the cross, we talk about asking Heavenly Father to take our hurt feelings away, we talk about showing extra love to the people that hurt our feelings so we can always make good choices and never hurt others...all the while I want to shoot flames out of my ears and let steam poor from my ears, and give a few people a piece of my mind...and a knuckle sandwich to boot!

I will tell you about one of those things here, because I did it, totally accidentally. I explained the best I could, but tender 4 year old feelings are just that- tender 4 year old feelings.
Sunday night we were at my parents house to have dinner with my parents, and two siblings and their families. Jaxon had done something naughty (no idea what it was...) so I took him inside for a 4 minute time out. I set him on the front door rug and went back to the kitchen. Just then Jaxon's best little buddy Oakley let out a blood curdling scream in the backyard. I turned to Dave and Said, "I'm sure glad Jaxon isn't out there!" Why? Because I knew he wasn't the one responsible for causing the scream, and I knew the scream didn't come from him!
4 minutes later I went to get Jaxon out of time out, only to find him sobbing silently into his hands. (This is unlike Jaxon, because he's not really phased by timeout...) I picked him up and he wouldn't look at me. I sat on the stairs with him on my lap and asked him what was wrong. He could barely get it out.

He said, "Mommy, you said something so mean about me, and I heard you, and it's making me so so sad!!"

I said, "Jaxon! What did I say!?"

He said, "You told Daddy you were so glad I wasn't out there with you guys, and then you laughed. That makes me so sad when you don't want me with you!"

(seriously, stop a second here...wouldn't your heart just break? Mine did. In about a million little pieces.)

I did my very best to explain what I had actually said, and what I had meant, but I could tell he didn't quite know whether or not to believe me.

a couple other things have happened, (which I'm not going to repeat so don't bother asking) and I'm so sad for my little tender heart. Ahhhh...it never gets any easier being a mother does it?

The BEST of the BEST!

2010-11-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

I think as long as I live, this will stay in my top five pictures of Dave and Jaxon-

My handsome guys were Mario and Luigi for Halloween. It was not a very original costume...I think I saw about 15 Marios and at least 8 or 9 Luigis at our ward party...but to a 4 year old...that just verifies that he is wearing ONE COOL COSTUME! He stuck close by his dad all night, becuase you've never seen a boy more proud to be matching with his dad! It seriously brought a tear to my eye more than once! All night he would say something, then look at Dave, and say, "Right Brudder?" (Still doesn't say his "th")

Jaxon told us that for the rest of his life, he just wants to be Mario for Halloween, we will just need to get him a bigger costume every year. That's just fine with me, because then Dave can keep wearing his costume... which by the way, I totally put together! The adult Luigi costume was $50, and I said NO WAY! I bought a hat and a mustache for 10 bucks total, found a shirt at Savers, and borrowed the sweet overalls!

Jaxon thought his belly was the funniest thing ever! He would say, "Hey Brudder! Look at my fat belly! How did we get so fat???" I love that the seam and the blow up tube in the front look like a belly button and underwear line. I wish I would have gotten a picture of his buns in this get-up...he had the biggest wedgie all night because the belly was taking up so much room in the front!

Yes, MORE Halloween!

2010-10-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

And this isn't even all of it!!

With Dave's busy season and Jaxon's early bedtime, we never got around to carving pumpkins. Instead we got this awesome Mr. Potato Head decorating kit and made the cutest vampire you ever saw! Only problem? They game us two mouths and no eyes! Here is Jaxon trying to figure out what to do about it-

Poking homes for the parts-

Coloring in the Makeshift eyes-

Being a goofball...as usual!

Is that a real smile I see? STOP THE PRESSES!!!

I have seen several people post on their blogs about Vertuccio farm here in Mesa. It's a half as expensive and twice as close as Schnepf Farms so we decided to give it a go! IT WAS WONDERFUL! We went before school got out and were pretty much the only people there. We got to do everything Jaxon wanted, as much as he wanted, and the whole thing cost me a whopping $7!!
We spent the majority of our time here-

Took a barrel train ride-

Conked a few crows-

Look at that air he's catching!

Did our very best to ring the bell....

Without a whole lot of luck...

Dispite the fact that we aren't seeing much of Dave, we are really enjoying Halloween, and the beginning of a wonderful Holiday season!

Halloween begins..

2010-10-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Jaxon had his Halloween day and party at preschool today. This is only half the girls in his class...but ALL The boys! That's right! 2 boys and 9 girls! Jaxon doesn't seem to mind, but his teacher keeps moving him around becuase he gets too "mothered"...all the girls want to help him do everything, make sure he follows directions etc! I think it's just supply and demand...boys are in low demand in that class so they are going to supply lots of help! Don't worry, even though they are NOT boyfriend/girlfriend, (we don't even joke about that at this age) Brailyn (Ariel in the picture) is still his NUMBER ONE BEST FRIEND (he told me today) and yesterday on the way home they decided that they will get married. Today they decided that they will both be Lady Gaga for Halloween next year! YIKES!

Jaxon's teacher, Who is great, dressed up as a witch with a green face and big wart on her nose. Jaxon didn't want to go ANYWHERE NEAR HER for a picture...I think the picture says it all!

Today was the second to last day teaching AD at hte gym, so a bunch of us got together for a big Halloween blowout! It was great fun- so here are a few pics. I actually had a really cool witches hat, and green lips...but I had to take the hat off to wear the pic in the tracks that I taught, and you can't really see my awesome lipstick!

COME JOIN ME!!!

2010-10-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, for anyone who has followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I teach an aqua class at the local gym. I love it, it has been so great for me all around, and I love it! (did I mention that?) Well, for a lot of reasons that are hard to explain (but we will chalk it up here to one word- MONEY) the gym is not going to offer this class anymore! I had the choice to turn my time slots into a different class (That I don't totally love) or give them up. After a lot of long and hard deliberating...I chose to give them up. *sob*
I'm seriously SERIOUSLY going to miss teaching. I love the interaction, the people, the workout, the fun, and let's be honest... I LOVE BEING ON STAGE WITH A MIC!!!!! :o)
I think that later in my life....or next year...I will learn a different class and start teaching again, but now is a good time for a break. Who knows what fertility will bring, and it will be nice to have one less responsiblity weighing on my mind and schedule...

HERE IS WHERE THE "COME JOIN ME" COMES IN-
THIS TUESDAY (THE 26TH) AT 8AM
AND FRIDAY (THE 29TH) AT 9AM
ARE MY LAST TIMES EVER EVER EVER TEACHING THIS CLASS!!!
EVER!!!

So, I want it to be a major party. I am inviting everyone and anyone from near AND FAR to come join in the fun. If youre not a member of Fitness Works it doesn't matter, I will get you a guest pass. I want to go out with a bang, so please PLEASE come join me! Let me know here, or in a email if you are going to come, and I will make sure to you get the pass! I promise it will be fun! I'm bringing treats and prizes!
YAHOO!!!

Rawhide 2010

2010-10-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

We made the trek out to Rawhide again this year, and while not as spooky and creepy and Halloweenish as last year, it was still fun! Jaxon is actually more scared this year than last year (growing up and understanding what there is to be afraid of can do that to you I guess...) so it's probably a good thing it was more tame!

First we rode on the Stagecoach-

Then we headed over to see the Wild West Show...

Then to the jail...Jaxon refuses to smile for most pictures. Then when we tell him to make a sad/mad face...

With the stagecoach horses...

My own Handsome Cowboys...

Dave is in the midst of a very busy "busy season" and we were thrilled to get a little time with him! We are loving these family outtings, and don't plan on stopping anytime soon!

The Zoo

2010-10-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Jax and I have zoo passes, but hardly used them this summer for obvious reasons! Today we had not a thing on the agenda, and that is a rarity! So we got home from the gym, changed out clothes, and just the two of us headed out. I sure love my little guy, have I mentioned that lately? I love when we get to do things just the two of us!

So we started the day with an ice pop-

Then on to the tram ride...we didn't last too long on there...

We hopped off to see the lions and tigers, who because of the cool weather were out and about. Jaxon LOVED IT!!!

I caved and finally gave into a camel ride. It was a tremendous waste of $8... butsometimes you just have to waste $8 and ride a camel with your 4 year old...which is priceless.

Lastly we stopped by the monkeys... Insert any number of Monkey jokes here- :o)

I am hoping to get out and about to a lot more fun places with Just me and J. The days are passing too quickly, and sooner than I want to admit, I will be sending him off to school...forever. boo. The thought makes me cry!

More Minnesota!

2010-10-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning we got up and went to AM's gym- the YMCA! It is seriously awesome! They had classes running every 15 minutes and several pools that you could swim in with your kids! We took a seriously HARD CORE boot camp class, and by the end, we were drained. We grabbed the kids and got everyone changed and went for a nice swim...except for the anal lifegaurds who found every single thing Jaxon did to be breaking one rule or another...he's 4 FOR PETE SAKE!
We got home and had lunch and quiet time, and then walked with the kiddos to a great neighborhood park. Jaxon loved it (it had sand, sand= Jaxon loves!) And let the kids just run wild!

They had a great pulley/sand system that Jaxon adored!

Pushing Jaxon- and look Marie- I do have a shirt on after all!! :o)

Do you think the "flared nostrils while fake smiling for a picture" phase will pass soon?
(good thing he has those gorgeous green eyes to save the picture!)

That's a little better...

We came home and played more in their awesome backyard and cooked hotdogs and marshallows over the fire pit. The weather was perfect...did I mention that already?

Turns out...Jaxon doesn't like Marshmallows...but don't tell him that...he finds it very offensive!

Happy Marshallow face

Again with the nostrils....

This was later that night. Jaxon was winding down after a long day and just about ready for bed. Enjoying a short Backyardigans video before turning in!

Wednesday morning the kids had a great time playing outside...and it REALLY was cold enough to need their hats and gloves! They play together great....usually!
Little Miss "Vocabulary of an 8 year old but reasoning skills of the 2 year old that she is" Katie was cracking me up. She kept kept kicking over Jaxons sand bucket. He came to tell (with her at his heels) and I told him, "Just say, 'no thanks Katie, I don't like that!' and I know she won't do it anymore!" to which Katie said,
"OH YES I WILL DO IT AGAIN! I WILL DO IT!"
(At least she's honest...)

See- they can play nicely, and boy are they cute!

Hello Nostrils...

Gorgeous green eyes!

We went to the gym again, and did a pretty lame class with AM's wonderful SIL and had lunch at her house. She made homemade chicken noodle soup and homemade bread- what a lady!!!
The kids also played at another park, and had a great time pretending this and that-

AnnaMarie tried valiently to have them use their sticks as magic wands instead of guns...

Rolling down the big hill was fun!

When we came home we raked up all the leaves in the front yard, because seriously...could we go to a place with such great leaves, and not get some leaf-pictures? NO!

He's dirty, his face is chapped, but my goodness he had a great time!

Later that night we ate at restuarant called "The Good Earth" everything is all natural and locally grown, and good for you and all that Jazz. I had a delicious grilled veggie sandwhich! YUM YUM!!!

Thursday we just let the kids play out back again, and it was really chilly. They kept their jackets, hats and gloves on the whole time. It's a shame we had to leave that day, because they really started to enjoy each other! They played outside for a solid 1.5 hours! (these pictures were taken from AnnaMarie's blog, and she took much more time to edit the pictures than I did...so enjoy!)

Thursday afternoon we went downtown to a cute little candystore and walked around a tiny farmers market! We were sad to see our time there end, but I find that it's better to leave wishing you had stayed longer, than to leave wishing you had left a few days earlier! In the airport when we flew in Jaxon saw this play area and couldn't wait to try it out! It kept us busy as we waited for our slightly delayed flight out of Minnesota!

We had an absolutely perfect time. It was fun, it was relaxing, it was fall, and it was with family! We already want to go back! I sure my little traveling companion, he makes my life wonderful!

Minnesota!

2010-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Jax and I just returned from a heavenly week in Minnesota. The weather was Gorgeous (though not as cold as I was hoping/was told/packed for...) and the company was perfect! Also, since I have Cricket as my cell provider, and they don't have service in Minnesota, did not make or receive one call the WHOLE TIME, and it was AWESOME!!
Jaxon is so easy and fun to travel with, it makes these trips so wonderful.

It would be better if Dave could come on any of them, but I'll take what I can get...plus, Jaxon thinks I'm pretty swell when Dave isn't around...otherwise...I'm chopped liver!
Every trip to Southwest Terminal 4 has to start with Pizza hut...right?

Tyler (my Bro) and AnnaMarie (my SIL) are always so quick to invite us out and open their home. It was so great to get to see them. I sure wish they lived closer...but then...who would we visit???
On Saturday we arrived midafternoon in jeans and long sleeve shirts, with Suitcases full of winter clothes...to 81 degrees and not a cloud in the sky! If it were 81 here in Phoenix that's actually how we would all be dressed, but there, everyone was wearing shorts and t-shirts basking in the exteme heat!
We drove straight to the Mall of America, and boy is it big! We walked around, ate dinner (I think I got food poisoning from Qdoba) and went to the Aquarium!
Jaxon and Katie at the Aquarium

Looking at the awesome Jellyfish!

The next day was Sunday, so it was super low-key. We got up and lounged around while the kids played with each other, read books, and played in Tyler and AnnaMarie's A-MAZ-ING backyard! During Sacrament meeting Katie went to sit with her Nursery teacher, and wonderful older Korean lady. Jaxon followed suit and went back as well. Katie came back after about 3 minutes, but Jaxon was thoroughly enjoying himself, and stayed with them the whole time!
We came home, had some quiet time, madee homemade pizzas. We quickly learned that Jaxon and katie are VERY MUCH ALIKE..and that can make for the best of friends...or some serious shouting matches! They love each other, and push each other's buttons!

Monday we went to Ammodt's Apple Orchard. Tyler was less than impressed, but Jaxon still talks about it and says it was his favorite thing. We walked in the orchard, (not picking season though, boo...) we played on the swings,
Did a hay maze-

Looked at the single goat in the petting zoo..( and by petting, I assume they mean through the fence...)

Rode in the tractor ring-

and watched some bees making honey (I assume...)

And then...the very best! We went into their apple Bakery! Jaxon got two free apple donuts because he told them he came all the way from Arizona to come to their apple "portrait". And boy does that kid love Donuts (Just like his grandpa!)

Then we ate our packed lunch in a converted Apple barn which the kids thought was pretty snazzy, and tyler thought was pretty sneezy! After that we went to pick out an apple treat- of all the treats- candy apple, caramel apple, Apple pie, Apple Crisp, Apple ice cream, Apple/honey taffy.... Jaxon chose...another donut! (Did I mention he loves donuts?) I had a delicious piece of apple pie!

We took a few pictures outside and off we went-

Monday night we roasted hotdogs and marshmellows around their firepit, and kicked the soccer ball around in the gorgeous fall weather! It was the PERFECT FALL DAY!!!

Blogger is being absolutely ridiculous and won't let me upload any pictures straight into the blog, because it says they aren't Jpegs...WHICH THEY ARE! Im having to upload them all through photobucket and it is taking FOREVER!!! So this post, is TO BE CONTINUED!!!

All the things I love About Jaxon...

2010-10-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

...and don't want to forget.

~When we get somewhere, he jumps out of the backdoor so he can hurry and open mine. Then, trying to be a gentleman, he takes my hard to help me out of the car, but mostly just ends up pulling and saying, "COME ON MOM!"
~The way he pretends to like candy...but doesn't
~The way he sings at the top of his lungs when he thinks no one is listening...thank Heaven for baby monitors
~How he loves to make new friends...and never learns their names.
~That he is seriously hilarious. He knows it, and he likes it, but it comes naturally...he's just really funny!
~He has an "audiographic" memory. (I think I just made that word up...) he remembers EVERYTHING he hears, and even if he doesn't understand the meaning, will use it again later, in the correct context.
~He actually hangs his head when he is in trouble...it's endearing...and I think he knows it usually gets him out of trouble too!
~I adore the way he moves! He NEVER walks anywhere! It's always a half run with a few hops and skips for good measure.
~Whenever Dave and I are sitting next to each other, Jaxon wedges himself in the middle. The other day he said, "Move over! You're squishing me Family!"
~He LOVES To record his voice on our voice recorder, and giggles hysterically when he listens to it back. He always ALWAYS sings a ridiculous made up song.
~He makes up words to tunes he already knows and sings them to us.
~The way he thinks that age, height, and size should all corrolate correctly.
~ That every night he prays for a "healthy baby" for our family.
~The way he wants to be just like Dave in EVERY way.(they are going to be Mario and Luigi for Halloween)
~He adores his "baby girl" cousins...and just can't leave them alone. He really just doesn't get it that his tackles, hugs, etc. are just too much for them.
Mostly I love that he is mine. That we get to spend our days together. I've been thinking about this so much lately...how once your kids go to school...you are really no longer their primary influence. They learn from their teachers, they take social cues from thier peers. It is rocking me to my core. I have a new determination to make this next year the best yet. To take advantage of every second we have together. I need constant reminders, but living life with Jaxon at the center is seriously heaven on earth. I absolutely adore him.

Cause that's "How We ROLL" ...literally.

2010-10-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 years I have had the pleasure of being part of one of the coolest, craziest, most hilarious, most honest, and dearest group of ladies for "Bunco" (even though we don't play) "Girls night In" or "Friday Night Dinner Therapy." They took me in as a stray, (they had already been actually playing bunco together for several years), and I am so grateful they did!

Friday Night Dinner Therapy goes like this-

1. Husband (or sitter) gets the kids from 6:30 -the wee hours of the morning.

2. laugh!

3. Crazy good food without any need to do any crazy set up, clean up, or decorating (unless you are Molly or Cami, cause that's just how they roll)

4. laugh!
5. Activity...or not...
6. Ask what time it is. Act shocked when it's after 10.
7. Laugh or cry... depending on the evening, topics, and who is ovulating.
8. Dessert and/or several other goodies and/or leftovers (4th meal) come out..
9. Ask what time it is. Act shocked when it's after midnight.
10. Laugh (or cry) loudly
11. Ask what time it is. Act shocked when it's after 2.
12. Be yourself, be real, and have a fantastic time.
13. Drag yourself out between 2 and 4..only because you know your kids will be up at 6, and not becuase you actually want to leave.

Just to show you how varied our activies are (But not our hair color...ALL BRUNETTES...just sayin...)

... a few months ago when we went shooting (I shot a 9mm and an AK47 ) and had dinner and dessert around a campfire in the wilderness. Some may say that sounds a little dangerous for 10 women to be out in the wilderness alone...but you would have forgotten that between there there were probably 20 guns!

This Past weekend was a little different...

This is Marlo... and this is Marlo's Bus...

This is all of the gorgeous brunettes in front of Marlo's bus...

It's really quite a long story, but one of our group had to make a music video for the company that she works for. The song was "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, and the theme was "Traveling"
So...

This is just a few of us that took a joy ride, to warm up the bus for the big dance party!

Yes we are all over 30, and yes, we did hoot and holler out the window at a few very confused pedestrians as we cruised by in the bus.

It was hotter than heck, and it was AWESOME! Because like I said...That's how we roll!!!

So, I'm trying to do better to update my blog with general life stuff to look back and chuckle at when I'm older. And this is one of those times you just don't want to forget!

Wedding Weekend 2010!!!

2010-09-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hurray! We just (and by "just" I mean On Sunday...) got back from the wedding of Scott (my brother) and Erin, (my new SIL) in Newport!!
SO GORGEOUS!
SO FUN!
SO WISH THE PARTY WEEKEND WOULD HAVE LASTED A LITTLE LONGER!!!

Friday Dave and I flew out (Dave's parents graciously came in from Vegas to watch J while we went to the "Adults only" wedding of the century!) to Cali with Ryan and Emily (another bro and SIL) and it was great. The flight wasn't too crowded, and I had something funny/sad/embarrassing happen...

I carry a very cute, but very fake LV purse that I got in China. Well, the stewardess who was being very snooty to everyone else, suddenly became my best friend because of my "Louis" I AM NOT THAT PERSON! Anyway...she taught me a sure fire way of NEVER having anyone sit by you on an airplane (perfect for a little more arm room, not smelling anyone else's air for a few hours, and being able to quietly read your own book) she told me to hold a barf bag under my chin and breath deeply through my nose. Everyone getting on took one look at me and kept walking in a hurry!! At the end of the flight I was getting off the plane and said, "thanks for the tip!" she said, "Don't thank me, thank Louis!" EMBARRASSING! That is enough to make me want to STOP carrying this very cute but VERY FAKE purse!

Anyway, once in Cali we got checked into our hotel and promptly went to Mine and Dave's favorite ever restaurant- Pat and Oscars. Number one best Salad AND number one best bread sticks ...EVER!!! I have been following a really strict eating plan to get off all these "fertility treatment pounds" I put on, plus a few more, so this was the first real indulgence I have had a in a couple months. I savored my two bread sticks, and Dave at the other 11...yes, 11!!!!

Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, so Dave and I relaxed and napped until we headed down PCH to Salt Creek Grill for a delicious dinner. Something I learned about myself this weekend, is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE to get dressed up for a fun event! I wouldn't want to do it every day, but it sure was fun to have time to do my hair and make up, and put on cute clothes that I'm not worried about what Jax is going to do to them! Dinner was delicious, the company was so fun, and ALL ADULTS, so of course, we took lots of pictures!!

All the sisters except AnnaMarie... we missed you AM!!!

Me and my new sister Erin, who I absolutely ADORE!!!

We don't clean up half bad....

Mom, Amber and I...I think there is a slight family resemblance...don't you think?

All the sisters, plus MOM!!!

Saturday morning we slept in until 8:45 (WOOT WOOT!!!) and got up at our leisure. I showered and got my hair process started. At 12 Dave took me to the beautiful Montage resort, where I joined Erin and the bridesmaids for a getting ready and a pre-wedding party! It was a blast! I didn't know anyone else there but Erin, but her bridesmaids were great and so friendly, and I got my hair and make-up done by a professional! Yay! I loved the way they both turned out!!!

I searched and searched for the perfect "Cocktail Chic" (that was the dress code) dress. Something fun, and cute, and modest...and it was NO SIMPLE TASK!!!
I love the dress I found. I spent waaaaaaay more than I planned, but now I have a fancy dress for fancy occassions. I felt like a million bucks, and I will be happy to wear it again and again!

Trying to figure out which Earrings to wear...I grabbed this pic from her photogs site...

The absolutely stunning, gorgeous bride!!! Seriously! I. MEAN. SERIOUSLY!!!

The ceremony was short and sweet, and I even got to take part. I felt pretty honored, because I had the only "speaking part" (yes, I am a giant NERD) besides the officiator and Scott and Erin. I read one of their favorite poems! During the ceremony everyone was quiet and listening, and at the most random and darling parts, Scott's daughter, Aurora, who was also a flower girl, would burst out in applause! Everyone else would laugh and applaud too, and it just added to the fun!

Afterward the PARTY STARTED!! Cocktail hour outside looking over the beach. The hors d'oeuvres (yes I just googled that to make sure it was spelled correctly!!!) were delicious, and the Virgin Strawberry Coladas were flowing!! It did get quite chilly out there on the beach in a cocktail dress...but the view was worth it! Everyone else brought a cute wrap...but coming from AZ...it's just impossible to imagine a place that would need a jacket at 6 at night!

At cocktail hour with Michelle, the woman who officated the wedding, and a very sweet gal!

Then we headed into the most beautifully decorated ballroom for dinner and some AWESOME DANCING!!!

Dave and I had an agreement...He would be happy for me to DANCE ALL NIGHT, and I would be happy for him to sit and NOT DANCE!!!! We both loved the arrangement! He did dance two slow songs with me, and at the very very end of the night (midnight) he finally joined me for a few fast dances because at that point...nobody cared what anyone else was doing anyways! It was a blast!!! And did I mention, I LOVE TO DANCE!!?!?!?

At 12:15 when the party was ending...Erin still looks gorgeous...I think I look a little worse for the wear after 2 hours of dancing...oh well!!!

At dinner- Love my sis!

Also at Dinner, love my non-dancing Hubby!!

Dinner was fabulous, and they had a photobooth! It takes 4 pictures, and then gives you two copies, one to keep and one to scrapbook for the bride and groom. I took several sets of pictures in there with various people, and I will send a couple sets to work with Dave to scan! HILARIOUS!!!

Sunday morning I slept in past nine (HEAVEN!) and then we got up and went to one last hurrah..breakfast! I had pumpkin Chocolate chip pancakes, and they were DIVINE!!! Oh. so. GOOD!! At the airport our flight was delayed a few hours, but the boys were happy to watch the games, and I had a good book to snuggle up with!

Ahhhhh...what a fun weekend! I wish I could go somewhere fancy, and dress up with no kids, and dance like a fool with several other people also dancing like fools, and enjoying themselves immensely! I love love love my new sister, and it was just perfect! I had been looking forward with great anticipation to everything about this weekend, and it met every expectation...I love it when that happens!!!

Family Vacation...again!?

2010-09-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

For Pete Sake! I just need to finish blogging about this before I forget everything...like I already have!

The highlights of the rest of the trip were-
1. Most of the siblings/SIL/BIL played a round of paint ball...and all who had never played before scoffed at my bowing out because it just hurts too dang much. I promise, I had the last laugh after everyone had huge ginormous bruises, welts and bleeding sores!

Jaxon did the climbing wall. He didn't like it, but he did it, sort of! Maybe in two years it will be more up his alley!

(The look on his face in this first picture pretty much sums it all up...)

Jaxon FINALLY got to go fishing, and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be! He (grandpa) finally caught a fish, and wouldn't even touch it...let alone kiss it!!

My VERY ALL TIME FAVORITE PART OF THE VACATION, and a moment that ranks in the top 5 (Quite possibly #1!!!) of all time favorite mother/memories is the family dance. I have no pictures, but the most wonderful memories! Jaxon didn't want to go...but all his cousins/aunts/uncles/grandma/grandpa...and of course me... were going. Finally he conceded to go, not because he wanted to, but becuase the alternative was bedtime. So he said, "I WILL GO...BUT I WON'T DANCE!" So like his father...
We got there and he and his other cousin held grandpa's hands while he danced and they mostly got swung around. Oakley started getting into it, and Jaxon...well...Jaxon started shrugging his shoulders, but it was a start!
He didn't want me to look at him...let alone dance with him. After a few songs the "line dances" started "Electric slide, Makarena, Charlie Brown" and Jax could see that I knew them and Grandpa didn't, so over he came. For the next 40 minutes, we had more fun together than I can ever remember having with him. We laughed hysterically, DANCED HYSTERICALLY, and loved every second. When he couldn't get the steps I would pick him up and dance around crazily with him on my shoulders or in my arms. Finally, an hour and a half past his bedtime he said, "Pick me up mom" and immediately put his head on my shoulder. I asked him if he was ready to go home and he said "NO! PLEASE KEEP DANCING!" so I did. For about 10 more minutes until he was OUT! There were times during the dance that I had tears of sheer joy in my eyes. I don't even know how to explain why it was so wonderful, except that we just adored the heck out of each other for that whole time! Nobody else cared that I was dancing like a moron, and my little 4 year old thought I was the best ever! I can promise you, there is no better feeling than the complete adoration of your little boy!

Final Verdict- I LOVE FAMILY VACATIONS! I had such a blast, and was especially excited that Dave got to be there for a full 28 hours! (which is 28 hours more than he got to spend with us at the Rogers' family reunion last year!) I loved that for that week, Jaxon and I got to be very best friends. Not that I didn't miss Dave, but J is getting to that point, were Dad is his idol, and Mom is...well...A GIRL! I loved seeing my brothers, sister and In laws...especially girl time with the sis and SILs!
Ahhhh...I hope the next one comes quickly!

NO SERIOUSLY!!

2010-09-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

Who is this kid?

And what did he do with my ~~baby,~~ ~~toddler~~ ~~little boy~~?
We had to get some pictures today for his "Student of the week" poster for preschool.
I know I'm biased..but I think Jaxon is the most gorgeous and hilarious child I have ever met in my life.

I love this boy.

A. lot.

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!!

2010-09-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if this is the smartest thing for me to put out for the world to see (because I know a vast majority of the world lives and dies by my blog posts) but it is the easiest way to let you know, I have a new email address. Please start using it! nzashleyrogers@gmail.com
Thanks!

I guess it will wait...

2010-08-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to do a blog post for a few days now called
"all the things I love about Jaxon right now, and don't want to forget."
Lots of cute 4-yr old things that he will grow out of soon enough. At the moment though, he is locked in his room, screaming his head off, while I am sitting at the computer getting myself together. He just had the mother of all tantrums, and yup...he hit me. That is absolutely not allowed (duh...) and when he does it he gets vinegar sprayed in his mouth with a spray bottle (maximizes the area that get's vinegared). He was so mad at this (I have to hold him down, hold his hands down, and plug his nose until he opens his mouth to breath in order to do it) that he kicked me...which means...MORE VINEGAR. After that he screamed in my ear as loud as he could while I was trying to tell him how much I love him but that hitting or kicking mom, or women in general, is never allowed. So I marched him up to his room so we could both have some cool down time. I didn't yell at him, and I didn't raise my voice...but boy am I mad.
Let's chalk this one up to "I love you Jaxon, but I really WANT TO FORGET about this..."

Yep- Another vacation post!

2010-08-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Next few days went by in a blur of fun adult, and family activities. It's great to have your kids go do something they love, while you get some time do to some things you want to. But it's also great to have structured family activities where we can really bond. I don't know if I already mentioned this, but Jaxon has been very anti-girl, thus, anti-mom for a few months. Without Dave there and with all these activities, we found a new friendship that hasnt worn off. He still reminds me dad is his favorite and that he "really really really really really really loves dad, and just loves mom" but we are better!

Monday- Jaxon happily skipped off to group (But was very happy to have his best friend/bitter enemy (depends on the day...) Hailey with him!

He got his face painted several days in his group, everytime the same- SPIDERMAN!!

I and a few other family members, did the 40 foot high ropes course. Let me just say, I am scared of heights. But I am more scared to look like a wuss or back down from a physical challenge. It was one of the hardest physical things I have ever done in my life, and I am dang proud!
Before you look at the pictures, please read this disclaimer-
I have ghetto booty.
It's true.
I know it.
Sometimes I even embrace it!
Wearing exercise pants and then wearing repelling gear is never advisable when one has ghetto booty, but that my friends, is an observation made in HINDSITE. (get it, HINDsite...) nothing to do about it now...but enjoy the G.B.!!

Boy is this outfit attractive~

Climbing the notched log...this was SO MUCH HARDER than it looked...and it looked really hard!

Climbing the rock wall. Definately the most difficult part of the whole thing, they had very FEW hand and feet holds!

My bro-in-law was taking pictures for me, and I guess he didn't think I would want pictures of the 3 minutes after I got up on the platform. I just stayed on my hands and knees. I was shaking like a leaf between being scared of heights, and the adrenaline setting in....

Testing the waters on the ropes (wires) it was actually the least hard part...still quite scary!

Monday Afternoon/Evening was "Aspen Follies" Fun and silly games for the whole family! We were the "Funky Fresh Ferrells" and had a blast with all the kids.

"Everyone holds hands and gets through the hulahoop. (also a gratutious shot of the G.B.!)

Spell BYU on the hill with our bodies... we were the U in case you couldn't tell

Catch sponges in a bucket...

Catch crazy spraying water in little tiny cups then fill a big bucket!

This garbage can was full of holes. We had to plug them all while other team members filled it with water. It was hilarious and disasterous!

Earth ball relays...

Gunny Sack races...Jaxon prefered running to hopping...

Now Hailey, she's a hopper!

and lastly, Human tire!

Needless to say we had the time of our lives, and we were exhausted. We all slept well that night!

Vacation part 3

2010-08-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Being the competitive sort of family we are, we signed up for all the sports/tournaments we wanted...basketball, volleyball, racquetball, tennis, ping pong, walleyball, paintball, and tennis... We only skipped shuffleboard and badminton.
(please note the serious look on my face, and my brother reading over my shoulder so that we didn't double book any of our tournament games...no really...we ARE THAT COMPETITIVE!!!!)

Also being the competitive family that we are...we won ALL of those competitions except basketball! It was pretty funny...at the closing show where they announce all the winners, we had quite a list. Imagine my surprise when the announcement read that my mom and I had won Doubles Women's Tennis. I'm not much of a tennis player, and neither is my mom..to say the least. Neither of us picked up a racket the whole time there. They also announced my mom to be the winner of the women's singles tournament. I guess right before the sign ups were taken down, no one had signed up for any women's tennis. My brothers signed my mom and I up in the bracket and then moved us all the way to tourney champions by default....hey.. I LOVE TO WIN, so I'll TAKE IT!!!

Sunday was a full schedule of church. We had church in the outside amphitheater, which was nice to be amongst the tall pine trees with the magnificent view of the mountains! But the sun was really hot, so by the end of Sacrament Meeting, we were all mostly sitting off to the side in the shade. Dave decided that "Jaxon needed a nap" (Kid hasn't napped in over a year...) which meant he had to sit in the common area with all my brothers ( who also had "napping" kids) and play the wii. He only got to come for 2 days, I didn't mind. Did I mention I missed him? I did.

Sunday afternoon a fabulous Utah photographer came up to Aspen Groves and took some amazing pictures or the ENTIRE FAMILY (28) in the amazing scenery. Per Grandma's request, all the granddaughters had matching dresses, and all the grandsons had matching shorts and shirts.
Uhhh...well...the only problem is that I got an email this morning that said her memory card got corrupted...
every.
single.
picture.
lost.
I don't know who to feel worse for, my family, or the photog. Seriously...this is every photographers nightmare...but also every grandma's nightmare who only gets her whole family together once every two years for a nice picture over the mantel! DOUBLE DRAT!!!

So, while I went to meet the photog at the entrance of Aspen Groves, this picture was taken by my SIL. Only picture to document the occasion now... here you go mom...here's your mantel picture for the next two years!!!

Family Vacation day 2- Saturday

2010-08-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

I am bound and determined to blog this darn vacation!

Saturday we got up, and went swimming with Peyton and Hailey (and uncle Ryan) at the motel swimming pool...quite chilly so it didn't last long. Jaxon kept Uncle Ryan entertained with all his "dives" which are actually the most amazing belly flops you've ever seen in your life. His feet and legs come way back over his head, but it doesn't seem to hurt J, and he loves the splash.

Then we went with the ENTIRE clan, 28, up to BYU to eat at BYU at the Cougar Eat. Unfortunately we forgot that only Subway, Scoreboard Grill, and Taco Bell are open on Saturdays...but who doesn't love Taco Bell...right??
We then went bowling (with Bumpers) and everyone had a great time. The highlight was when all the adults had a basketball shooting contest in the arcade style basketball shoot out. I am proud to say that out of 9 contestants, 5 of which were men, I TOOK THIRD!!! WOOT WOOT! Still got it.... HA!

(This is the ONLY picture I got of bowling before my Point and Shoot died!) BOO!

Afterwards we drove up the canyon and got to Aspen Groves! This place is AMAZING!!!! We stayed in the nice new dorm style housing "Beckham Lodge" Each room had one or two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a sitting room with a pullout couch. The best part was that each floor had a huge common area with tons of couches, and tables for playing games. The kids joined here whenever they weren't busy doing kids group stuff, and the adults met here everynight for Rook, Blockus, Wii, and general good times!

We got settled in, unpacked (So nice to have dressers so we weren't living out of a suitcase for a week) and headed to dinner. Not to bad for mass produced food. Always fairly healthy, with a big salad bar, and dessert with dinner.
That night the adults had orientation while the kids went to their kids group. Jaxon really lucked out and got THE BEST counselors of the whole place, Sarah, and Jason, Jaxon was TOTALLY SOLD on Jason, whom Jaxon thought was the bees knees since their names were only one letter apart...and because he is so anti-girl at the moment!

We were ready to get the party started!

Just wanted to let you know...

2010-08-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm happy....Happier than I can remember being....maybe...ever?
I'm content....I have so many blessings, how could I feel short changed?
Life is good...and I am working everyday to find more good.

We haven't gotten everything we wanted this year, but everything we have is worth living for. I made a decision to stop waiting to live my life. I'm not putting my life, dreams, love, pursuits on hold anymore "until ________." ...Until we get pregnant, until our fertility treatments are over, until I lose more weight, until the first of the year, until we have more money... etc. etc. etc. etc.

Along with that, I've decided to be more proactive about the things that are important to me. Planning family outtings, going to the temple, cooking more, cleaning more, spending time with old friends, making new friends, researching fertility, Eastern medicine, and getting to the bottom of what is absolutely the best things to put in our bodies.

I also decided that I'm just letting "things" go. I have my own saddness, let downs, short comings, disappointments, etc to deal with, and I'm just not taking on anyone else's. I'm not judging, and it feels good. I realized this year, you just never know what someone is going through or has been through. When someone else makes bad choices, or choices I don't agree with my, only job is to decide for me, "will I, or won't I make a similar decision?" that's it. I'm trying not to pass judgement, and as a result, I'm not so harsh with myself either.

Over here at The Rogers, we are smiling. We are grateful for all that we have, and focused on it.
I read this quote yesterday that sums up how we are trying to live, and is our new mantra (It is going to go up in the house somewhere...)
" The happiest people on earth don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have."

Ferrell Family Vacation Part 1

2010-08-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am still anti-blogging, and still haven't figured out the reason! But none the less, I will want to remember all this, so HERE WE GO!

Pre-story: For the second year in a row, Dave was unable to attend the big family reunion. Last year, Rogers in Yellowstone, this year Ferrell's at Aspen Groves. I'm praying this never happens again. I miss my man, the help, the company, and making family memories that include HIM!

Thursday- The Drive to Provo
Jaxon and I decided to caravan up with my brother and his girls. We also invited our two other nieces to switch back and forth between cars for fun and help.
Side notes- driving makes me bored, which makes me hungry. Usually Dave drives and I sleep, I'm EXCELLENT at falling asleep for lengthy car rides. So trying to eat healthy, I had a lot of diet caffinated soda, and sun flower seeds to keep me alert. (sounds healthy, right?)

1st leg- Jaxon (4) and Makenna (7) worked out pretty well. Makenna was a big help, and things only got dicey when they disagreed on the DVD selection
2nd- Jaxon (4) and Alyssa (11 going on 19) HEAVEN! She helped Jaxon, didn't care about watching the DVD, and chatted with me like a girlfriend would! I LOVE THAT GIRL!!!
3rd- Jaxon and Makenna again...going downhill...they were both tired of being in the car, and tired of each other.
4th- Peyton (8) and Makenna (7) This really wouldn't have been too bad if It hadn't been the last leg of the trip. They were good girls acting exactly their age, but I was a little frazzled having driven the whole thing myself, and their laughter and sillyness was a little loud. I should probably apologize for being cranky...but they should probably apologize for hitting the DVD player repeatedly! (oh wait, they did!)

We got Checked into the Super 8 right across from BYU and hit the sack. Not the nicest hotel, but for 28 of us for the nights before Aspen Groves, it was fine. If it were anywhere else in the nation I may have feared for my safety...but good old Provo...NAH!

FRIDAY
I got together with a bestie from yonderyear, Lindsay, and couldn't have enjoyed more, our time sitting outside the creamery while our sons got sticky eating ice cream, and dirty launching dirt clods!
All the fam started rolling in, and it was wonderful, loud, overwhelming, and wonderful to have all 28 there!
I had a mini- melt down that I think scared everyone as to my mental status for the rest of the trip, but luckily it was the only one.

Family drama ensued...enough said.

Friday afternoon we all went to 7 peaks. It was a great time. Everyone watched out for everyone elses little ones, Dad kept the snacks, drinks, and burgers flowing, and even got talked into going down 2 of the scariest slides there. In his defense, my brothers didn't actually tell him which slide he would be going down. I saw him on the walk back, holding his chest. He said he renamed the slides. One was called "Nearer My God to Thee" and the other was "Lord I'm Coming Home" ...at least he had a sense of humor about it! This was the first activity where everyone got to start getting to know my brother's fiance Erin, and WE LOVE HER! She is wonderful, beautiful, kind and thoughtful, and I can't wait until she is really my sister!

Friday night more family drama...enough said! :o)

I think that's the end of days without pictures, so I'll end there for today

Like I said...

2010-07-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

That last post was just a teaser. I am uploading quite a few more karate pictures.....so if you're not related to Jaxon...you just might not care that much. I'm cool with that.
But before you sign out, a couple questions-

1 Does anyone else get A TON of comments on their blog in Chinese/Japanese? It is starting to weird me out a little! If you check back on my post comments, you will see what I'm talking about!

2. What are the fall sports for kids? We want to start Jaxon in something else, but don't know what is available. We know soccer, does anything else run in the fall? Help please!

Finally, Karate pictures! Disclaimer- it's really dark in the gym where he does Karate. I had my ISO turned ALL THE WAY UP... (as in 6400) to get these shots without too much blur from all his movement...so that is why they are so grainy!)

First- Jaxon LOVES to yell his Ki-ais. He's the smallest kid in class, but also the loudest!

Next...when he's actually paying attention...his form isn't half bad!

Sometimes though, his "Creative Karate" side kicks in. One thing he likes to do is "Eyes closed karate" Don't ask me why....

Here they were kicking their hands. Jaxon is shockingly flexible...but I think I may have mentioned that a time or two....

Here is Jaxon doing "horse Stance" with his best mean guy face... frightening, isn't it?

And Finally, the Jaxon we all know and love.... MR CHEESE!!!

Just a Teaser...

2010-07-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I waited until Jaxon's last day of Karate to take some pictures, but I definately got some good ones. I don't have much time this morning to get them all up, but had to share two of my favorites.

We were very glad to get Jaxon into karate this year, and he loved it, but he didn't seem to pay one lick of attention. He loved doing his own interpretation and just being a wild man. He made a best little friend named Connor who actually really got it, and it highlighted Jaxon's lack of...well...getting it! Anyway, he did his belt testing last night, and I thought for sure it was going to be a real disaster. I was pleasantly surprised! He knew A LOT more than I gave him credit for, and he did really well. He wasn't scared at all standing by himself in front of Sensai and doing all of his moves. He needed reminding on a few, but he did a great job and was so proud of himself.

Here is Jaxon doing his best "You Wanna Piece of Me Sucka???" moves and face-

Next I just love this picture of Jaxon looking so small at the testing table and compared to Sensai, but being so strong in his moves. He is FEARLESS!!!

And the best part of all....Jaxon earned his YELLOW BELT! We will be gone for the next two weeks of Karate, but will be back in time for the awards and belt ceremony. My little karate master is growing up!

I miss...

2010-07-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Waking up to this-

Seeing this throughout the day-

Going to bed to this-

That it wasn't to hot for this-

But what I missed the most was this-

so we're back.

Blindsided. Twice.

2010-07-12T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here we go again...

For the last 6 weeks we have been prepping (shots, meds, drs apts) for a frozen embryo transfer. We had one average quality embryo frozen, and wanted to use it before we made any other decisions.

Wednesday June 30th, was our transfer, and it didn't go very well. Most of the embryo's cells had died while thawing. The dr. said that there was only a slim chance that it would work, but since we had done all the prep and drugs, and since there were still a few living cells, we would go ahead with the transfer.

We did all the necessary things, bedrest for 3 days, rest for following 9 days. Friday July 9th I went in for a blood test to see if we were pregnant. We did not in any way think that we were, so it was just a formality to be sure. We had planned some other things for the coming months and the rest of the year so that I would have some other things to focus on when the news came in.

Imagine our surprise when our dr. called Friday afternoon to congratulate us on our pregnancy. We were exstatic, but very much is shock.

Blindsided #1.

We went out to dinner to celebrate, and didn't talk much about the baby, because we were still so surprised. We both said that it would be much more real when we heard a heartbeat.

Today I went in for the first of several more blood tests to track the progress of the baby by tracking the increase of HcG in my blood. The Dr. called less than 2 hours later to tell us that instead of doubling like it should have, the HcG had gone down. Prognosis- not pregnant anymore.

Blindsided #2.

Obviously we are very sad. I wish that the news the first time would just have been negative, because we were ready for it with no expectations. It hurts a lot more now that I had 3 whole days to think that I was going to have a baby.

We are okay. Jaxon and I already had a trip planned to visit family in California this weekend, so we aren't skipping town just because of this, but it is nice to get away. Again- comments, emails and texts are welcome, but I probably won't answer the phone much until we get back from Cali next Monday.

Contrary to Popular Belief...

2010-07-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

WE ARE NOT DEAD!!! :o)

I don't know why I've felt so anti-blogging lately, but I have a lot of pictures to catch up on, so this will be a catch-all post for the last 2 months!
(please note, while still Fake, Jaxon's fake smile is really getting better! Now if only those dead teeth would fall out!)

Father's Day- Dave got his dearest wish (of several years...) A Wii!!! Can you tell that he and Jax were a little excited? Wii have 3 controllers and it is great leverage to get Jaxon to do all his chores and not whine. It has provided us with A LOT of fun family time!

Next- we surprised Jaxon and took him to the Circus. It was really fun, and a lot more expensive than I remember. Dave put Jax in the car while I was getting the tickets...and guess what he forgot...JAXON'S SHOES! Ah well...Jaxon didn't seem to mind too much! Jaxon's favorite part was all the motorcycles driving inside the sphere!

This past weekend Dave's parents came to visit and we had Lots of fun! We all went to the Phoenix Children's Museum, and it was awesome! We are definately going back during the school year when it is less crowded! Here is Jaxon smiling by his floating ping-pong ball.

Serving up some excellent Ice cream!

Riding a Motorcycle with Grandma!

Building Forts with Dad-

Making Pizza-

And Lastly- here is Dave and I at Organ Stop Pizza. We went with Mom and Dad Rogers and Jaxon. J was in a "no pictures" mood, but we all had a great time!

Jaxon Says...

2010-06-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

1.
"Mom, you're being irritating."
"Did you just call me irritating?"
"yeah...what does irritating mean?"

2.
(Dave was grilling our dinner and J was helping...)
"Dad! We should leave the grill on all the time! That way if a bad guy came we could HOT HIS HEAD OFF!"

(Hot his head off? What exactly is that???)

We are happy, healthy and busy! We just got about 15,000 ties delivered to the warehouse...so look for some awesome new fabrics up on the website in a few weeks!

Goings On...

2010-06-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

Jaxon is really starting to take after Dave! Case in point. In our living room we have a large comfortable couch, a large comfortable oversized chair, SEVERAL pillows, and 3 Jaxon sized stools at a Jaxon sized table. YET- whenever I come downstairs after quiet time...this is ALWAYS how I find him. He lays on the tile, with nothing under him. Sometimes he will put his arm behind his head, and sometimes not. I always offer him a pillow, and he always says no thanks. THIS IS SO DAVE! He always lays on the floor to watch TV or movies. He will either prop his head with his hands, or against the couch (SO uncomfortable looking...)

Love my boys!

Here J is laying on the floor in my bedroom (Naked, or I would have included the whole picture) playing my ipod and waiting for me to get out of the shower!...Oh yes...he just had had several otter pops...his new summer favorite! Also---sporting his new buzz...down to a 1 baby!

This is Jaxon with his cousin Hailey. If you saw them out and about you would think they were siblings. 1. Because they look A LOT alike. And 2. Because they fight almost as well as they play- and that's a lot! Here's a good day-

Hailey was trying to teach Jaxon how to "shake his booty" Sorry bud, you got your dad's Hips and Dancing genes...as in NONE OF EITHER!!! :o)

Here's Jaxon with another good buddy Brailyn! They could play all day, and Brailyn is shockingly patient with playing "Boy" games, being wrestled, and apparently squeezed to death!

Letter a Day

2010-06-07T14:04:00.001-07:00

I'm such a slacker. Seriously. Several people have asked about our "Letter of the Day" that Jaxon and I have been doing. It's harder than I thought to get a VERY SIMPLE craft ready everyday, so it has turned into more like "A Few Letters a Week" but I'm okay with it.

(Including getting the craft ready, letter of the day usually takes about 20-30 minutes....TOTALLY DO-ABLE!!!)

So here is what we do everyday-
1. We have flashcards that have a separate card for upper and lower case. On the backs of each card is a picture of something that starts with that letter. (Got them at Walmart- they're great!)

So...say we were doing the letter A- we would use the flash cards and say this little rhyme/song-

Big A, Little a, What begins with 'ahh' (say the sound not the name this time)
(then I turn the card over so he can see the pictures on the back)
Ant and Alligator , Ahh. Ahh. Ahh.

Everyday we say that rhyme for all previous letters, then do the letter of the day.

2. I got this Crayola book also at Walmart. Since Jaxon is 4, he practices 4 letters per line. (You will see a finished page in a second...)

3. We use our window crayons and draw a little and big letter in each of the 5 colors.

4. I didn't take a picure for this, but #4 is that Jaxon can pick any of his books from his shelf, and we have to find the letter 5 times. At least one has to be a capital letter. Occasionally I have to help him, but usually he does a great job!

5. CRAFT! I just got online one day and spent about an hour searching for crafts that start with each letter. They are seriously simple. If you have markers/crayons, glue, and paper, you can do most of them.

In the picture below is fingerprint ANTS, BEAR mask, CARROT, DINOSAUR, ELEPHANT, and FISH. Jaxon loves the craft and he will do all the other things with no complaints to get to it! It also shows the printing work he has done for each craft. He loves looking at his work, and I highly recommend displaying it!

We then have a paper pinned to the wall (not pictured, sorry) that has all 26 letters on it, in order. And we got some letter stickers at the dollar store. When we finish our letter each day, he gets to find it in the stickers, and cover that letter on the wall. When we are done with all 26 we are going to go to Sunsplash...or something like that. This way he can see how close we are to finishing, and doesn't pester me about it. It also helps with counting and subtracting, because everytime we put a new letter sticker up, he figures out how many we have done, and how many we have left!

well crap

2010-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Blogger says I've reached my upload quota...now what?
Suggestions please!

Oh Jaxon.

2010-05-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty normal around here. Normal meaning, nothing too exciting happens, but Jaxon continues to wow us with the things he says-
1. Tonight during dinner we told Jaxon that Dave won't be able to come to the Ferrell Family Vacation this year (Just like he couldn't come to the Rogers family vacation last year...don't get me started...) Anyway.. Jaxon broke down. I had NO IDEA he would be so sad and emotional, or we wouldn't have chosen 15 minutes before bedtime to break the news. He couldn't even stop crying long enough to tell us something that he was clearly trying to get out. After a few minutes of him covering his face and sobbing, he finally said, "I'm so sad. All my cousins get to have their daddys there, but I don't get to have my Daddy. I JUST WANT MY DADDY!" (More crying...)
Me: "Jaxon, you'll have Mommy!"
(more crying...harder...)
Jaxon: "You don't even count Mommy!"
Thanks buddy...that's awesome...

He was so distraught that it brought both Dave and I to tears...although in trying to calm him down, we didn't let him see.
Guess what? I'm sad too. Including this one in August, Dave will have missed 3 of the last 4 family vacations. That sucks.

2. A little funnier.
Tonight in his prayers, Jaxon said,
"Thank you for our prophet, Joseph Smith!"
I whispered, "He was our first prophet. Our prophet now is President Monson."
He whispered, "I know. You didn't let me finish!"
"Thank you for our FIRST prophet, Joseph Smith. And thank you for President Monson. And please bless him to be healthy and strong. And feel the Holy Ghost. And try to be a little more like Superman."
Of course at this point Dave and I both opened our eyes and looked at each other and smiled...but clearly Jaxon wasn't trying to be funny because he didn't stop for a reaction, just kept going. I will have to ask him what he meant tomorrow...

Two funny stories, totally unrelated-

2010-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

1. People ask me all the time, "Do you dye your hair, or is that your natural color?" The answer to both is- YES!

Very, VERY dark, DARK brown is my natural hair color, but I DO dye my roots cause I am CRAZY GRAY! (that is not the funny part...it practically brings me to tears every three weeks when I have to dye it!)

So yesterday I bought a box of hair color. I never buy the same kind, I always, ALWAYS just get whatever is cheapest. Well, as I was reading the box today, I noticed I got "non-permanent!" DOUBLE CRAP! So I kept reading to figure out what I was going to have to do, or it if would even work, and this is what it said-
"Colors hair for approximately 6 weeks, or about 24 washes."

HA!!! HA!!! HA!!!

24 WASHES!?!?!

If this stuff lasts for 24 washes, I'm good for like the next 4 months!
AT LEAST!
HA!
Yup- that's how I roll!

#2. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the people I teach at the gym. My morning classes are mostly older (much older) people. Like, in their 70's and 80's, but still spry and fiesty- LOVE IT!

Well, I have a couple men that come, that I adore. They are old and lonely, and love to chat. They tell me that all they do is come to the gym, and then go home and watch TV all day. It makes me sad, so I try to chat with them as much as possible- to be their friend and make it a good part of their day.

So my dear buddy "Fritz," A German guy with a fantastic white handlebar mustache, and an awesome array of tattoos said to me,

" You know, I've been taking this class for a long time. And I finally know you well enough (imagine "vell enoof") to tell you, You look exactly like a young Bo Derek. I think, maybe you are her daughter or something?"

I had no idea who she was, but I figured if he was telling me, he must think it was a compliment, so I said, "thank you so much."

I came home and googled "young Bo Derek" and YOWZA! When this Bo Derek lady was young...she didn't wear much clothing...and SERIOUSLY!?!?!

Mean.

SERIOUSLY?

I love you Fritz. That is absolutely the most absurd comparison I have ever heard. But it made my day...possibly my year!

(I know this picture isn't very clear, but it was seriously the only one of her young that she was sort-of dressed....count yourself warned if you choose to look her up yourself!)

The Saddest Night time Story EVER!

2010-05-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

Every night we have the same bedtime routine with Jaxon-

1. Bathroom
2. Jammies
3. Brush teeth
4. Say prayers
5. Read scriptures
6. Tell a story

#6 "tell a story" started out being a "Jaxon story." Jaxon LOVED hearing funny/interesting stories about himself as a baby/toddler etc. Then it moved to "Daddy or Mommy stories." Whoever's turn it was to tell the story would tell a funny or interesting story from our childhood. Tonight was my turn.
I told Jaxon the story about how I left my favorite "friend" in the whole world, my "My buddy" doll in the rain all night and it got ruined. I thought it would be a good teaching opportunity and said, "That's why you always need to listen to mom and dad when we ask you to take care of your things. We would never want anything to get ruined, like Bumble."

BIG MISTAKE!!!!!

We tucked J in and left. The next thing we know, we hear him sobbing hysterically through the monitor, talking to Bumble about how he better never stay out in the rain, or I would throw him away. I went back in, and it seriously took 5 minutes to get ANY SEMBLANCE of order back. Jaxon was just absolutely distraught. We had to go over several scenarios...all of which I had to assure Jaxon would NEVER happen to bumble.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

That kid is attached.

I left, and he started up again, talking and sobbing with Bumble. This time Dave went in- and it was a whole different ballgame. Now Bumble was mad at Jaxon and Pablo because they were taller than him. So he wasn't speaking to them anymore, and that made Jaxon so sad.

(I think this is a reflection of his own life, because it disturbs Jaxon immensely when he is not "big enough" to do something, or when someone he perceives as his equal is bigger than him. Oh man...)

Addendum- Jaxon just called me into his room one last time and told me I am NEVER allowed to tell that story again...it just makes him and Bumble too sad...

The Sweetest Prayer and K-LOV

2010-05-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

Background information-
On our way to/from the freeway, there is a new church being built and it is not a church of our faith. When they started building it and we started to see their progress, we talked to Jaxon about how even though it's not our religion, we are so glad that they have the money to build a church so lots more people can learn about Jesus. So, as we watched the projects, they got to the stage with the metal framing. Jaxon was convinced that it was actually a jail. Only recently when they are almost done with the outside has he decided that it may be a church after all.

Okay, to the prayer...

"...And thank you for that church, even though it's not our church, that all those people can learn about Jesus. And please bless that it's not actually a jail...and if it is a jail, please keep the policemen safe from the bad guys."

Also today-

J- "Mom, what other language does Sensai speak?" (he started karate, but that will be a different post)
M - "Japanese"
J- "Does that make him well rounded?"
M- "Where on earth did you hear 'Well-Rounded ??"
J- On Lilo and Stitch. Lilo is well-rounded, and she takes long naps!"

I'm telling you, that kid remembers everything he hears!

Thus...I have mostly stopped listening to regular radio music in the car, because although I love me some good hip hop or pop music, he is constantly asking about the words. So...we switched to K-LOVE! I love it! It is a Contemporary Christian Station, and now instead of Jaxon saying, "Why does he want to smack that booty?" he is saying, "Is he talking about Jesus? Did he say he felt the spirit? Does he know about saying a prayer?"

That may sound so dorky, but I don't even care. We love our Christian Rock!

Just so you know...

2010-05-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

I am not going to keep talking about this- our in-vitro, etc. We are moving forward, happily and hopefully. But this has come up a few times, so I just want everyone to know- you don't have to be scared, embarrassed, worried, concerned, etc. etc. etc. to tell me that you are pregnant, when your baby is born, that you found out the sex, etc. etc. etc.

I promise.

I'm not that person and I'm not bitter.

You having a baby does not lessen my chances to have a baby. I want for you what I want for me. I know how happy it makes a woman to get that news, and I promise it doesn't make me sad.

Maybe it would be different if I didn't already have a child. But I know the emotions already. The joy, and the excitement. Please, feel that guilt-free.

if it makes you uncomfortable, then please, tell me in whatever way is easiest for you. You can call me before you put it on your blog, or email me, or act weird when you tell me, as if you need to apologize for something. But the truth is, you don't. And the honest to goodness truth is, I will be just as happy for you now, as I would have been a month ago, a year ago, and 5 years ago.
True story.

Really.

The end.

Just me being proud!

2010-05-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

Jaxon and I started working on writing his name before Disneyland. This is what he wrote the first day we practiced...it was his 3rd attempt!

I'm just so proud!

We are going to start "Letter a Day" next week. Each day will take about 30 minutes to an hour, which is fine with me and will help cut the boredom of summer. I even found easy, simple, fun crafts to go along with each day, that we will display in alphabetical order on the kitchen walls! I'm really excited about it!

Our Big trip Part 2- DisneyLand!!

2010-05-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Disney was awesome! Jaxon is big enough for all the "big" rides now, and he never looked back! Dave and I were in heaven, because everywhere Jax wanted to go, we wanted to go too! (except Star Tours...that made me SO SICK!...my stomach is NOT what it used to be...)
Jaxone woke up at 4:55 the first morning at Disneyland. I staggered out, got him some pretzels and turned on the Disney channel. We don't get it at home, so it kept him occupied without coming back in until about 6:45- HURRAY!

Jaxon waiting (impatiently!) for the tram!

Jaxon's permanent marker tattoo that we reapplied every night. Best idea EVER if I do say so myself! Several moms stopped us and told us what a great idea it was, one even asked if she could borrow our marker! (still on, even today at church...)

Waiting for Haunted Mansion- J couldn't get enough, he loves a "thrill" and we went on it at least 12 times!

Buzz Lightyear! Another one of Jaxon's favorites which was just fine with Dave and I! We are slightly (read: shockingly!) competitive, and loved to see who got the higher score. We found that whoever had the front car (in front of the other person) usually won...except Dave beat me a couple times from the back- good times!

Finding Nemo. Interesting, but also made me a little nauseated. We were in line next to a big Malaysian group of adults, who thought Jaxon was the cutest and most hilarious thing ever. Of course he ate it up!

Here is Jaxon waiting for Jedi Training. He was very excited to go up and do training...BEFORE we actually got to Disneyland. When we actually got to the training area, he was back and forth as to whether or not he even wanted to try and go up. Dave and I convinced (mildly forced...) him to hold up his sign, and of course he was the 2nd one picked. (doesn't he look excited?)

He was excited to have his light sabor and cape...but when Darth Vader and Darth Maul came out, he hit the road on the double! He didn't even stay to use his fight sequence against darth. He said, "I liked it. I was just a little too tired!" What a funny boy...

Playing in the "O" of California Adventure-

Waiting in line for Tower of Terror. Jaxon LOVED this ride! At first it was just because it made him feel so brave, but by our fifth ride (yes 5) he had his hands up in the air the whole time, and he loved Screaming along with the other pansies...except he wasn't scared, he just thought it was funny!

Jaxon got a little lonely in the early (EARLY) mornings, so he decided to redress himself. He tied his pajama pants on the his head and put his legs in his shirt. Extra Points for creatively...and awesome orange pj pants!

The second day at Disneyland Jaxon slept in until 5:25- A MIRACLE! Again he watched TV until about 6:30, so we felt pretty well rested.

The last morning there he came into our room at 4AM!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? He seemed wide awake, and I squated down to talk to him.

He said, "MOM!!! Did you know there are all types of crabs in the ocean, even some that don't bite???"

...the kid was so excited I didn't even know what to make of it.

I said, "That's great buddy...but it is WAAAAAYYY to early to be awake."

I had him use the potty and go back to bed. I just knew he wasn't going to go back to sleep, but can you believe it- he didn't wake up again until 6:25!!! WHAT THE...??? What a great rest! Later that day he told me, "Mom! Did you know Oakley (his cousin) told me that story about crabs in my dream, and I JUST HAD TO WAKE UP AND TELL YOU Isn't that Awesome?!?!?" Funny boy!

We were quite proud of ourselves at Disneyland as well. We packed in LOTS of snacks, drinks and sandwiches everyday. So Day one At Disneyland we bought - one churro for Jaxon. Day two we bought 2 frozen lemonades. Day three we went crazy and bought one frozen lemonade, one pretzel with Cheese, and Jaxon's one toy that he got to pick out...which only cost $16 bucks!!! What a steal!

The ride home was like the ride home always is...too long, with everyone too tired...and tempers a little shorter than they were on the way there. It really wasn't too bad, and we made it home with no problems.

That week worked miracles. I feel so much better and I'm ready for real life.

Our Trip Part 1- Legoland

2010-05-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

We made it! The drive was nice and easy- and we made it to Carlsbad in good time. We had just booked the cheapest 3 star hotel we could find on Hotwire, and ended up at a really nice Hilton right at the warf! It was perfect. We chucked our stuff in the room, and walked to the warf... Which took all of about 4 minutes. We saw all the boats and shops and then walked to the beach. It was the first time Jaxon remembers being at the beach, and he was in heaven. The weather was perfect for walking, not swimming...he didn't quite understand and was SO SAD. He and I will be going back to the beach this summer when we visit my brother, so I promised him he would get a chance to really enjoy it!

Really! This. Is. The. Life. I love those boys. Man, I LOVE THEM!

J So Excited...

I mean...REALLY EXCITED!!

A little too excited! HOLD ON THERE LITTLE BUDDY!!!

On the walk back we got dinner at a little shop on the warf. Hamburger for J, Clam Chowder in bread bowls for Dave and I... YUM!!! Of course Jaxon had to enjoy some Ice cream too...

The next morning Jaxon woke up at 4:45...yes...thats A.M.!!!! Unfortunately this hotel didn't have two separate rooms like the one we booked at Disneyland..so we were up too! Ahhhh well....Jaxon was what this trip was all about, so we were bound and determined to not be crabby. So up we were!
We packed up and headed to Legoland. Its was pretty empty and lots of fun!

I think this is MY FAVORITE PICTURE of the whole trip! I mean seriously! Isn't that the cutest thing ever?????

Like a kid again... (yes, Jaxon is in the boat with Dave, but you can clearly see who is enjoying it more...)

In the Lego shark...I think everyone who has ever been to Legoland has this picture..right?

After Legoland we headed out to Anaheim. We made great time, and headed straight to our FAVORITE RESTAURANT EVER! Pat and Oscars! It probably wouldn't be our favorite EVER if we could eat there when ever we wanted, but it's only a Cali joint...so we took advantage...we ate there every night for our 4 nights in Anaheim...eating the same thing EVERY NIGHT! Their breadsticks are the best I've ever tasted, and their lemon chicken Salad is...uhhh...THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!! Even Dave, who is not really a salad guy, LOVES IT!

PS- We were really proud of ourselves! We didn't spend a RED CENT at Legoland! We bought our tickets ahead of time at Costco, and brought all our own food! HURRAY!