Jared, Aubrey, Addie & Dallin

Drama Queen

2012-02-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

We have a little drama queen in our house lately. She knows what she wants and most of the time knows how to get it. Addie likes to state her recent found independence by changing her outfits frequently throughout the day. I guess this is one of those things I deserve since I hear that's all I did at her age too. Sorry mom and dad....I already had enough laundry before, and I'm sure you did too. The thing that just kills me is that our generous neighbors just gave us a bunch of their daughters outgrown clothes. They are super cute, but the only item in there that she wants or will wear are these hot pink princess jammies. And no, we don't wear them to bed- just everywhere else. If you've seen us lately, I'll bet 10 bucks she was wearing them.

We are also extremely verbal about everything these days I suppose that's about the only advantage/disadvantage about a chatty 2 year old. She talks non stop! Some of the funny things she says or has said are:
"I not!"
"I not going!"
"I won't go!"
"I want to go to the mall"
"I won't wear these pants...their too busy!"
"Hey stinky boy" (Her usual greeting to Dallin)
"No Dallin! That's not for you!"
"Daddy gave toots!" (She likes to announce that whether or not it is indeed true :D)
"Addie can be Belle, Daddy, you be John? Mommy be Wendy? Okay, Dallin be Peter Pan"
"What is it?" (for EVERYTHING)
"uHHHHH.....Whats wrong Addie??"
"Which one do you like, mommy? Which one do you like, Addie?"
"Me try on these panties? Okay, you can wear them"
"It's not scary, just pretend"
"They're all clean now!" (usually referring to her dirty princess pants)
"Look what I found!"
"I want to watch something. Okay! Just a little second, you can watch it"
"Aw bummer"
"It's Addie's turn to pick a movie!" (can you tell she likes TV?)
"I don't like this song, it's not my favorite"

And we sing EVERYTHING! I wish I could record all the songs she sings all the time, but to name a few: Popcorn Popping, I am A Child of God, Little Einsteins theme song (below), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song, "How does She know that You Love her?" (song from Enchanted), Mary Poppins songs, Book Of Mormons Stories, "Like a Love Song" by Selena Gomez, and other songs haven't figured out the titles of yet. We love this new- found independent, funny, spunky two year old!

Birthdays

2012-01-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

Jared's birthday was yesterday- he turned 31! Wow! Thirty didn't seem weird to me- but 31 just seems a little crazy! He had a birthday when we were just friends and he was turning 27- I teased him then about being an old man- well, I guess we all get a older every year.....Since my brother is sort of a computer nerd and he is leaving on his mission in 2 weeks- we decided it was now or never to invest in a new computer (he built it for us). So Jared's birthday present was that new computer, along with a movie (the Adjustment Bureau) and a toy helicopter that he's had his eyes on since seeing them flying around at the mall. My parents actually got him that- and boy was he excited!

We had another birthday(or unbirthday- depending on how you look at it) in our house this month. Dallin turned 6 months! WOW, that flew! I am taking him in tomorrow for his doctors appointment so I don't know his stats yet, but here are some fun things to remember and stages he's in right now!

Loves: His Momma, being played with, stealing Addie's blanket (and hanging on tight when she tries to get it back), rolling all over the place, electronics, the "slippery fish" song, being carried
Hates: his nose being picked, shots, is starting to tolerate car rides
Eats: breast milk and baby food
Nicknames: Mister D, D Man, Slobber boy, Rolly Pollie, Tooter boy, Mister Man, The Human Steamroller
Personality Traits: Determined, laid back, always has to be where all the action is, always happy
Accomplishments: rolls non-stop, eats some baby foods, puts everything (and everyone's fingers in his mouth) sits up...sort of, is starting to grow some hair
Funny stories: I hear Addie hollering, "Let go Dallin! That's mine!" and I look over to see Dallin clinging on to her blanket with a huge grin on his face while Addie's trying to yank it away. It took both of us to get it away from him- the kid's got quite a grip!
Whenever Addie starts playing with something, Dallin will immediately start rolling his way right to where she is so that he can start "playing" too. Addie is always less than thrilled as he starts slobbering all over them!
Whenever I leave anywhere and leave the kids with Jared, I always get a phone call saying Dallin won't go to sleep no matter what. The second I come home, and try putting him to bed, it takes 5 minutes...what can I say? He likes his momma!

We just love having this bundle of joy in our house- what a fun guy to have around! P.S. notice the green grass Jared put in our back yard???

Flagstaff

2012-01-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we headed north 2 hours to Flagstaff so we could enjoy some vacation and snow. We stayed in an apartment with some friends that came up with us and went to play in the snow. For future remembering: taking your kids out to "have fun" during nap time is not a great idea. Dallin did alright, but Addie wouldn't stop crying, and when she finally did- she wanted nothing to do with the snow. She actually just layed on us like a limp fish the entire time. Even when we took her down the hill on the sled, she didn't even care. Jared and I had fun though! Wish it would have been more enjoyable for the kids- next time we'll plan better!

The next day we went to a neat little history museum that I actually really enjoyed. I usually don't particularly get excited about that kind of stuff- but the iron lung there was very intriguing to me. I'd heard the term, but not known that it was an actual machine that physically keeps someone alive. One lady in particular was paralyzed from the neck down thanks to polio, so this submarine looking contraption, would basically do compressions on her to keep her breathing. Her neck was the only thing sticking out, and she lived like that for 48 years!!! Geesh, that seems like the worst way to live. But

the man who worked at the museum said that they actually got to speak to her (she died in 2008) and she had a real optimistic way of looking at her situation. Apparently a lot of people lived that way due to polio and they had a hospital where they all were cared for. Once, the power went out (these things wereelectricaly powered) and so the staff had to hand crank to keep these poor patients living-which was an extremely difficult thing to turn. Eventually, the power returned and when it did, everyone just collapsed from being so exhausted. Can you imagine???

The following day Addie and I played in the snow in the backyard while Jared and Dallin rested. I'm glad I got a chance to expose Adelyn to the fun part of playing in snow since Jared got pretty sick that day and we ended up just leaving around 7- we had the apartment another day but he wanted to be at home. I was bummed, but it was still nice to get out and have a much needed vacation!

Christmas

2012-01-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year has been somewhat more special this year for several reasons. One big one being that Adelyn has really understood the actual Christmas story and constantly wants to be told about Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the star, shepherds and everyone else involved. It's been really neat for her to be able to recite the whole story and see her so excited whenever she sees anything having to do with the birth of Jesus. I think this year I've had a different perspective than I've ever had before because of her. It's made me realize that yeah, Santa is fun, but it really is so exciting that Jesus was born! I'm grateful for the chance I have to raise children who remind me how to be humble and excited

for the real important things in life.

It's also been neat since, like Mary, I now have a baby boy (who played the part of Jesus this year for our Nativity reenactment) and the neat feeling that is. I can't explain it, but love having a boy and a girl shows me how different and special each gender is. I love thinking of Heavenly Father's purpose for each of them!

We had a lot of fun with Christmas this year. Most of the pictures are self explanatory- and our camera battery died Christmas morning- so unfortunately there aren't a lot of pictures anyways. Addie was so funny with the Christmas Eve Nativity, since she couldn't make up her mind on who she wanted to be. She kept switching between an angel, Mary, and the shepherds. Dallin also enjoyed his part of the play- he loved watching everyone and just layed there with his arms extended- sucking it all in!

Breakfast

2011-12-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

So, Addie has been pretty terrible at eating breakfast lately. What's new- she's never been an eater. But this particular morning she didn't want to eat anything I wanted to feed her...including offers of making breakfast (which is not my forte).

Me: Do you want rice crispies?

Addie: no

Me: How about oatmeal?

Addie: no

Me: eggs?

Addie: no, no eggs!

Me: birthday cereal?

Addie: no, no birthday cereal!

You get the point, and as typical as this conversation has become lately, this particular morning I was pretty darn annoyed....to say the least. I hope that I'm not the only parent that gets so frustrated that I feel like telling her, "Fine! Just never eat and never gain weight- less work for me anyways!". So I decided to take her potty (we are all potty trained now!) and while she was sitting there I used that time to tell her how disgruntled I was.

Me: Addie, it's not nice to always say no. You need to eat your breakfast so that you can grow. You hurt mommy's feelings. No more saying, "no" you need to eat. Do you understand?

Addie: silence

Me: Adelyn, you need to eat. When we're done going potty you need to tell me something you will eat.

Addie: silence

Me: Adelyn, you are making mommy sad, I really want you to eat. You need to be nice to mommy

Addie:.......I'm sorry mommy

*Cue "awww" from a Full House episode*

It made me melt, maybe it doesn't mean anything else to anyone, but I want to remember that since it was so sweet. Yes, my two year old know how to give a thoughtful "sorry" and that means a lot to me since she knew I needed it. Thank you Addie.

And no, I wasn't very upset after that- kids have a way of calming you down when you stop to talk about it.

Thanksgiving/Oak Creek Canyon

2011-12-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

Like almost every year, we went to my aunt Jeanette's and uncle Erik's house for Thanksgiving. As usual, it was beautifully decorated, fun to see those family members whom we don't see quite so often, and wonderful dinner to boot! Some different things were: Addie decided she wanted to sit at the picnic table with Jalen (her second cousin), and Kara's(my sister) boyfriend joined us this year! We also decided to put up Christmas decorations when we got back, which ended up being a family event when my parents came over too! Addie was more than ecstatic!(To say that Addie is obsessed with Christmas this year, is an understatement)

Friday, my parents, Karrett, and us went on a hike in Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona (about a 1 1/2 hour drive north) which proved to be an example of how horrible I can be at not anticipating problems. I brought new pants for Addie- fortunately- since she somehow soaked through her pants and diaper...just on the drive up! Still not sure how or why she did that. But I didn't have any other change of clothes for anybody- including Dallin...what mess could he possibly do??? Well as you guessed it, that was my big mistake since we got to our stopping spot on the hike (where we usually turn around) to discover that Dallin was dripping from the diaper. Ahhh!! Yes, he also soaked through his diaper poor kid, and I had no extra clothes for him....and it was very cold without any sun. Yes,yes I felt like a terrible mom- shouldn't I just expect that EVERYTHING will go wrong in hopes to be prepared enough. Hopefully our kids can

survive into adulthood despite my stupidity!

It was really nice to be out in nature again, though and the kids did really well. Dallin stayed in the backpack content as a cucumber and Addie pretty much wanted to be carried the entire way. Things did get a little tricky when we headed on our way back (still hiking) since it was definitely nap time by that point. But considering the fatigue- she did really well.

Besides all that mess, we had a lot of fun (except when Dallin screamed the entire way back home) and it was nice spending that time with my family!

inGRATITUDE

2011-11-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

My friend recently wrote about a post she found where the person took things she was ungrateful for, and turned them into things she could be grateful. I decided to give it a try this year!

~I am grateful for so many diaper changes since it gives me a few seconds of individual quality time with my children

~I am grateful that Jared has to work late so that I am reminded that we are lucky he has a job.

~I am grateful for toys littering the house because it means Addie was enjoying being a kid and wasn't glued to the TV

~I am grateful to get up in the night with Dallin since it means he is alive and well

~I a grateful to make dinner every night because it teaches me to serve my family

~I am grateful for a snoring husband because I have my love to share a bed with

~I am grateful that sick Addie is giving Dallin kisses because she is learning to care for her brother (though I wish she could hold off until she didn't have the cold anymore)

~I am grateful for my talk this Sunday so I have an excuse to research a gospel topic

Happy Thanksgiving!

When They're Silent, You Go Searching

2011-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

I think that Adelyn has hit that mischievous stage, where she'll go off and do things really quietly. Which always seems so nice- until you discover what it was they were up to. Some are harmless- others not so much.

~On one occasion, I left her on the toilet to go tend to Dallin. I come back to find that she'd wrapped herself in toilet paper. How she managed to become a mummy in that margin of a time- I will never know!

~Lately, when she decides she wants to use the bathroom, or wants to take a bath, I find a scene similar to the one below:

~ Addie also likes to color on things she's not supposed to or get into things she knows she's not allowed to have- so when I come over, she very innocently says, "Look what I found, Mommy!" or "Here ya go Mommy!".....just like when she figured out how to open my mascara....

Adorable

2011-11-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

I just can't get over how bubbly Dallin is already! He loves to smile (even in the middle of the night) and laughs easily. With Adelyn, you basically had to hire a comedian, bring in a circus, and exert all the energy you had just to make her laugh (little bit of exaggeration, but you get the point). It shocks me daily how different they are! Dallin sure loves to listen and watch Addie wherever she goes- he can point out her voice to perfection, and pays more attention to her than an of the rest of us. Addie loves him too, she'll share her blankets and dolls with him, and continually tries to give him water from her sippie, but other than that he's still not as exciting as a playmate for her. In some ways I wish he'd hurry and grow up so they could play together, but then I don't want him to get any bigger- i love the stage he's in! I actually caught myself thinking up ways to prevent him from growing up....pathetic, right??

Adelyn is singing like crazy lately! Her favorite songs are usually Christmas ones but in addition to Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman she sings Mickey Mouse, I am a Pizza, and Barney song. It's pretty cute! I love to hear her cute little voice.

Dallin is three months and just rolled over for the first time this week! He also loves to sit in the bumbo now. We tried rice cereal yesterday, but he wasn't a fan. I'll have to mix it with breast milk and maybe he'll like that better. He also enjoys the daily walks we've been going on, as does Addie. She's usually jabbering the whole time about every little thing she sees or has ever seen. We've been talking about picnics whenever we see benches, so yesterday I decided to just take them there to have dinner. Addie could barely contain her excitement and she ate like a champ! Maybe we'll have to start eating there regularly so that she'll eat more! :)

And don't mind Adelyn appearing to pick her nose in this picture...at least she's not feeding that to Dallin!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T14:53:00.001-07:00

This year was a lot of fun since it was Adelyn's first year really getting excited about the holidays and also because we decided to do a family theme for our costumes. Adelyn was Tinkerbell, Dallin was Peter Pan, I was Wendy and Jared was John. I'm not too big on spending a ton of money for 1 or 2 uses, so I bought Addie's fairy costume at TJ Maxx for $10, Dallin's was a clearance shirt from Walmart, and I got Jared and my nightgowns at Goodwill. Top hats are hard to come by, so we created it from foam. Maybe I should have spent more money on the costumes- rarely anybody understood what we were (Does nobody watch Peter Pan 14 billion times like we have?!?!...it's one of Addie's favorites)- but as I mentioned above, I am cheap!

Adelyn was pretty freaked out with anything to do with spiders, skeletons, or flashing lights, but did okay as long as we held her. She just clung on for dear life, poor thing! The trunk or treat was really fun to see all our friends there dressed up, and it helped Addie get the gist of trick or treating. In fact, yesterday the door was closed to the bathroom so Addie tried to get it open first, then simply knocked and said, "trick or treat!". Haha she cracks me up sometimes!

We also went trick or treating around our neighborhood, but that turned out uneventful since there were hardly any trick or treaters besides us and our LDS neighbors. Plus, didn't seem like the neighbors really wanted to get into it either. There were a scarce amount of houses that even had their lights on! Next year we might just go somewhere else. It seems to me that the Halloween tradition of trick or treating is kinda dwindling- is that everyone else's experiences too?

Well we had fun, and it was good getting to know some of our neighbors. Plus, Addie had fun (Dallin just liked being held and getting to look around) and that's all that matters, right?

Two years ago

2011-10-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, a baby girl was born to two very anxious parents who had no idea how much change accompanies such a small bundle. I remember one of the nurses saying as she took our newborn, "Oh, this is a dramatic one!" and thinking why did she have to blurt out such a rude comment- especially when I'd just pushed her out and therefore wasn't in much of a humored mood. Though now, I wish i could hunt that nurse down to tell her that she couldn't have been more spot on.....at two years old, our little Adelyn is still a dramatic one!

I still can't fathom how quickly two years has passed and how many stages she's gone through that have turned her into a child so different from even her last birthday! I feel like i can't keep up with all the cute things she does and says- they come and go so quickly- so i just decided to write some of her favorites as of Saturday. I actually wrote down ahead of time what I thought her answers would be.....and you can see for yourself how well I actually know her :). First answer is mine, second is her response.
Addie's favorite:

Movies: Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, The Sword in the Stone
~watch Poppins (one point for the mama!)

TV Shows: Elmo's world, Mickey mouse Clubhouse

~Aladdin (not exactly a show.....but she's two after all)

Song: Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph

~"Listen to Poppins song?"

Color: Pink

~red (close enough, right??)

Food: Fruits and veggies

~"Eat pop pop?" (translation- otter pop)

Treat: Otter Pops and fruit snacks

~"Trick or treat coming!"

Toy: Prince and Princess figurines

~"Share with Charlie" and later "Princess"

Book: Polar Express Board Book

~Winnie the Pooh Book

Well apparently I don't know my daughter as well as I thought....we'll try again next year!

For her birthday we picked up balloons and decorated them all over the house and in her room while she was sleepig. We got the idea from Addie's friend's parents, Kiya and Chase, and we figured it would be fun for her since Adelyn loves balloons. I was a little disappointed that I jumped in the shower when she happened to wake up, so I missed it. But I made Jared promise to record it so I could see how excited she was supposed to be (she let me down on the excitement level, but I guess she'd just woken up, so I'll cut her some slack). She did however, enjoy playing with the balloons all day and carried them around everywhere.
That night we had Jared's french toast (her favorite meal) for dinner and invited my family to celebrate with us. She had cupcakes for her treat and then we went onto presents (which are always the most exciting thing anyways). Jared and I got her figurines to play with- she is really into playing with those lately. And my parents got her a fun pretend food set. Grandma Cindi sent a cute sparkle princess cat card with money inside so we can go pick out something fun! I think Adelyn really enjoyed her birthday and gifts.
Addie, we're so glad you were sent to our family and we love you so much! Happy birthday!
P.S. Adelyn kept saying "happy birthday dear Addie!".....from the birthday song, she is really picking up on lyrics lately and will often be caught singing lines from random tunes. Funny girl!

You Make Me Smile

2011-10-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

The kids are growing up too quickly, I have to put up new pictures as a record for me so I can remember how little they used to be. Each week I'm amazed as to how much they learn and grow- it's new faces, phrases, mannerisms, and personality traits every day. Love these kids and love being there for every moment they go through a new stage of their life. Isn't life as a parent wonderful?? Don't get me wrong, we have our fair share of frustrating days, but these special smiles and hugs make it all worth it! Purposely skipping out on all this is a mystery to me!
For some reason this picture didn't flip like it should have- bummer, I love this picture of Dallin

P.S. notice Addie's unique sense of style?? she always dresses up with a tutu and hat. The hat is a MUST with her :)

Elder Bywater

2011-10-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

My brother recently put in his papers to serve a mission and he got his letter about 3 weeks ago. Here is the video of where he got called to!

Jared is really excited that Spencer is going to Argentina since that's where he went too, and it's been fun hearing him tell Spencer all about the country. Spencer will be serving in the boundary next to the one Jared served at, so I'm sure they'll have lots to chat about once he gets out there!
Even though I am so proud that Spencer has made this decision to serve the Lord and church, I can't help feeling pretty sad at the same time. Spencer and I get along really well, and have a way of relating well to each other. Spencer can also make me laugh like no one else can- we both have a quirky sense of humor I guess. I'm trying not too think too much about him leaving, which wont be until February 1st- but in the meantime, I'm taking advantage of as much Spencer time as I can! I will really miss him.

Congrats Spencer! I love you!

Some sibbling lovin'

2011-09-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun

2011-09-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

I can't honestly say that I enjoy the summer months in Arizona, when it's 110+ for weeks on end... even the pool feels like a hot tub! Due to my lack of tolerance of the heat, on the weekdays we have turned into hermits. Although that has been hard, it has taught us how to find fun things to do inside the house! Such as coloring, piggyback rides, watercolors, nerf gun wars, hide and seek, and of course having friends come visit us! Here are some pictures and updates of what we've been up to this summer!
Addie loves to lay down next to Dallin when he's on the floor. Sometimes when they're down there together I can actually see a resemblance between them- they look like siblings after all!
Dallin has been very smiley the past couple of days, it's so fun to see his happy personality! We just love how easy going and wonderful of a a baby he is!

Addie loves one of her blankets dearly- she was pretty distraught when she realized I was washing it today. Her vocabulary is very extensive and she says sentences and phrases that are hilarious. Usually I think she says everything exactly right- but at the beginning of this video she says "smile" (since I whipped out the camera) and for some reason her "smile" never sounds like the word...still cute though!

Somehow she picked up on blaming other's when she gets scolded. So when I told her to quit yanking on my hanging shirts she told me, "Mickey mouse clubhouse do it!". When she was told to sit on her tushy, she replied, "Mary Poppins do that!". Hahah she never ceases to make me laugh! One day we were all extremely bored so I asked her if she wanted to go outside. Her way of saying she didn't want to (even she knows it's scorching out there) was, " It doesn't fit!" :) Addie is such a parrot, she repeats everything! But some of her favorite phrases include:

"I don't like this song"

"Austin/Sailor/Uncles/Daddy/Poppins/Peter Pan do that"

"He's(Dallin) looking at Addie!"

"Marching marching!"

"All done nap"

"No sleep, no sleep!"

"Watch _____? Tay, Tay (okay)"

Addie is also very much like Alice in the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland...she often gives herself good advice such as " No Standing" when she knows she's not supposed to be standing on a chair. It makes me laugh to hear her carry on conversations with herself! She is also so girly it's unbelievable! When her older friend McKenna came to visit, she loved her princess panties enough that she wend potty on the toilet! She's gone another time since then, so her incentive to go more regularly and consistently is to get princess panties like McKenna's!
Dallin is such a good baby, he hardly even cries. When he wakes up, he doesn't cry like normal babies do- he just hollers out and waits for us to get him! "wah!" wait wait wait wait...."wah" wait wait wait. He is so patient, unless it's feeding time! In which case he is having NO problems porking up! He is currently in size 0-3 months and 3 months clothes, but even those are getting small(He'll be 8 weeks on Tuesday)! When I weighed him and myself, he was somewhere near 15lbs! That's only about 5lbs more than his sister! :) Love this kid!

We took Dallin to church for all the meetings last Sunday, he has been doing great! Though afterwards he gets a little fussy- I think the over stimulation is sometimes overwhelming for babies. So we try and have relaxing time afterwards. Baths always help...he loves those! Never cried at all and is thoroughly relaxed the entire time!

So despite the horrible heat around here, we still have fun and the kids are definitely growing up! Can't believe we'll have a two year old next month....two?! Two is sort of weirding me out- better get over it, they're only getting bigger!

Pictures of the House

2011-08-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the advice on cooking- so far it's been very helpful! It's been more of a challenge trying to find time to look at all the yummy things to try out, rather than making them! As promised, here are some pictures of our house. For some reason, I forgot to take a picture of the spare bedroom- though since there's nothing in it, it's not that exciting anyways. Please excuse the messes, it is more clean and organized since I last took the pictures!

Living Room: right when you walk in the door

Kitchen:

Family Room:

Addie's bedroom:

Master bedroom:

Extra bathroom:

Front of House:

Backyard:

Goals

2011-08-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

I very much dislike the "New Year" hype about making new goals. For whatever reason I've never been one of those goal oriented people. If I want to start doing something better, I do it. If I realize I need to improve on something, I just do it. So, that's probably a good reason why Heavenly Father lead me to Jared....so he can make goals for me. The latest goal he "set" for me (more like a conversation saying, "you should make a goal to ________") is to try new recipes. More often than not, I fall into a rut of making the same meals every other week. Not on purpose- it just happens (having a baby and moving are only a few examples of what is occupying my time lately). Anyways, I need to find more EASY and FAST recipes to feed the family with. Please help me by giving me a website you like, or emailing me a few recipes. Even your "this is too simple, she'll already do this" are ones I want...I'm not a very good cook, so I always need room for improvement (and suggestions)! Much obliged!

One Perk

2011-08-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is just one perk to having a house:

As you can see, Addie has absolutely no objections to this benefit! We are really enjoying having our very own house and all the things that come with it! Space, backyard, garage, yard work, recycle bin, more space, etc! Eventually I'll take pictures of our house so all of you who don't live here can see it.
Accomplishment this week: I finally was able to put all of Addie's hair up! She looks so much older with it up!

Another accomplishment: Dallin is 4 weeks now! He seems to be growing up so fast! He is still so good but is getting more aware of the world now. He has actually been smiling quite a bit, though I haven't been able to figure out whether or not he's smiling at us. I'd like to think he is! :)

P.S. That first picture of Dallin (taken by Jessy Erickson) was at one week old...look how big he's gotten! 9.10lbs last Friday!

Pictures

2011-08-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our kids the past couple of weeks, and as a side note, Dallin was blessed this week since Cindi (Jared's mom) was in town. Jared gave him a beautiful blessing, I am so proud that my husband is worthy to give blessings, I only hope that our son will live his life worthily so that one day he can do the same as his father.

Also, we moved into our house this weekend! Yay! It's been a pretty hectic weekend, but we actually have a lot of boxes unpacked and are just trying to find a place for all the stuff. It's comforting knowing we are settling into a place we will be in for more than a year. We actually have a real home now! Addie wakes up and tells me, "yay, new house!". I couldn't put it better myself!

Details about Dallin

2011-07-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

While both the kids are sleeping I decided to take a second to give some more details. We ended up being induced and it couldn't have gone better! We were really hesitant to do it somewhat "unnaturally" but since Addie came early, and he was already overdue, we didn't want to risk him being huge. Fortunately our guesses of around 9lbs weren't accurate and he was only 6 oz bigger than Adelyn.

Before we knew the gender of Addie, Jared had mentioned Dallin as a name and we both really liked it. Had Adelyn been a boy- that would have been her name! It also occurred to me, not too long before he was born, that Dallin H. Oaks was always my favorite apostle growing up. So that kinda made the name more meaningful to me. Jared chose Joseph because it has special meaning to him as well, so this kid sort of has a lot to live up to :).

So far, Dallin has been the best baby ever! He wakes up about every 2-4 hours to eat at night and then goes right back to sleep! He is very patient and hardly cries during the day. We couldn't ask for a better baby and only hope he stays this good! He is truly a joy in our family!

Addie hasn't really had a whole lot to do with him, but for the most part is really good with him. She tries to play with him sometimes and likes to give him toys and blankets- so other than that we don't have to watch out too much. Adelyn is very concerned as to Dallin's whereabouts at all times. If he's not visible, she asks for him. When Jared took him to his doctor's appointment she freaked out. Not sure if she thought we were giving him away or just didn't want him to go to the doctor's (who is her least favorite person in this world) but it was pretty cute that she cared so much for her baby brother.

As a side note, we just signed the papers for our house! So we will be moving in whenever we get the keys on Friday! Yay!! We are official homeowners!! :) Well since the entire family is asleep, I'd better head that way myself while I still have a chance!

New Arrival!

2011-07-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

I want to post more later but just wanted to give a brief catch up for the time being. Dallin Joseph Bass joined our family on July 19 at 2:35 pm. He was 8.8 lbs. and 19 3/4 inches. He has been so good and hardly cries except when he needs something- a real relief since Addie wasn't so much like that. We really love having him apart of our family already! More pictures and details to come!

Just Playing

2011-07-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

I think this is such a cute video of Addie playing. Lately, she will take toys and just talk and talk. I love hearing her pretend!

Since this post isn't an announcement of the new baby, he's still content cooking inside of me for awhile. I have been dilated at a 1 for three weeks now with little progression elsewhere. He still hasn't even dropped all the way yet. If he's still doesn't come this week, we have a new induction date set for the 18th. I did have one set for today, but we decided that maybe giving him more time was a better idea than forcing me into labor. My due date is Saturday (the 16th) and I'm not too excited about going over. Anyways, hopefully we'll have a new addition to the family this week!

Adelyn, you are funny

2011-06-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

Recently, Adelyn's favorite thing is to dress up and pretend. It's pretty amusing some of the outfits she puts together. Usually, a hat is the most important part of her attire. We love to see her so proud of herself!

The other day we were getting ready to head to the pool and I couldn't find her hat. I told Addie to go find it and she ran off real purposefully. So I naturally thought, "Great! She actually knows where it is!". No, she came back with her favorite bowl on her head instead :)
The other day Adelyn was wearing her cute new outfit and I wanted to take a picture of her in it. Even though the picture turned out cute, I felt sort of sad since it reminded me of a "first day of school" picture. Seems like she's getting big so quickly that kindergarten doesn't seem too far in the future anymore. I can't believe how much she's grown!
We've been spending a lot of time together lately (partly because it's extremely hot) and because we feel like this is the last "Addie time" for awhile. Jared and I have enjoyed the extra "silly time" before she goes to bed. We will be 38 weeks on Saturday.

Exciting Stuff

2011-06-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Just a few things that have been going on that I wanted to post:

~My amazing husband passed his California Exam!! First try too! We are so proud of him (and all happy he doesn't have to spend another 3 months or more studying again). Way to go hun!!

~We are getting pretty close to getting into our first home! Still several loose ends to tie up, so we'll keep you posted on whether or not this actually happens or not.

~Only 3 weeks left until the baby is born! I am hoping it's less time than that, but probably shouldn't bank on that happening. Exciting nonetheless!

~Adelyn just turned 20 months which sort of freaks me out since she's closer to two years now! We'll have a two year old??!! Where does time fly??

Life Lately

2011-06-04T21:43:00.001-07:00

As you can probably tell, I have been lacking a lot of motivation for blogging lately. Hence, why I just now finished documenting the end of Florida(which was over a month ago) and why there have been no recent updates. Alas! The wait is over! :)
Adelyn is now over 19 months and is acting more like a two year old than being one. She recently started going to nursery at church and loves it! She tells me all week about "shurshry bubbies" (popping bubbles at nursery). Addie also talks a ton more lately. I have been writing down all the words she says, and I believe its to 60+ words now, which doesn't include signing. She has been getting really good at putting words together since she says two word sentences and lately more three word sentences. You usually know exactly what she wants!

She is now in that "entertaining" stage, where she knows everyone is watching her so she'll behave really goofy making weird faces, noises, and throws herself around all over. All I can do is roll my eyes because she thinks all this is absolutely hilarious....and sometimes I have to admit that it is. We reached a new accomplishment this week, Addie finally reached 20 pounds! We've been having to take her into the doctor's office monthly to check her height and weight. Although her height is soaring, unfortunately her weight hasn't been. So we are really happy that she finally got to at least 20 pounds...about time too!
Addie thinks "pretties" (jewelry) is the best thing in the world and loves to wear bracelets my sister gave her, hats, shoes, flowers, and "earrings" accompanied by my purses. She is definitely girly! Adelyn is really aware of a baby in my stomach and told me the other day "baby out"...I think she's ready for him to come just as much as I am!
Jared recently started a new exercise program called "insanity" that he's really pumped about. So far he's done it for a week, and really enjoys doing it and the way it makes him feel. He's also been eating healthier, which has been incentive for me to do the same, since I don't want our grocery bill to go up. I like that he can do it at home and it's only a little under an hour, so we can still spend time together. We've also been searching for a home to buy, so that's been sort of fun to do together after Adelyn is in bed. I think we'll both sorely miss having an opportunity for "us" time since a newborn knows no bedtime.

I'm 34 weeks today and almost down to a month left. My due date is July 16, though I'm hoping he'll come a little earlier like Adelyn did. I am very much done being pregnant. It's been so different this time around having to still bend over and entertain another child, even when I lack energy and desire to do so. That's been a very big challenge for me, I almost dread getting pregnant with our third since I'll have to do this all over again. I think because we have Adelyn to take care of this time, I've had a lot of anxiety about when the baby is coming, what time, day etc. I have been very stressed about the weight of this child too since Addie was no small package (8lbs. 2oz) and I doubt I can push out much bigger. I think I get too worked up about all the details since I worry about getting Addie taken care of too. Oh well, with the Lord's help I've been able to calm down somewhat.
Side note, my brother graduated high school last week (go Spencer!) and my sister got to visit from BYU for a week. It was fun having her around again, and we had fun hanging out. Spencer graduated with all A's, being the genius that he is :) Also, Jared's dad and his wife, Collette, will be coming to visit this month- we are really excited to see them! Too bad they are coming at the hottest time of the year...Arizona probably won't leave a good impression on them :)

Anyways, that's been our life and hopefully I can muster enough modivation to update again soon!

The End of our Florida Trip

2011-06-04T20:34:00.001-07:00

Here are the last pictures of our trip to Florida....finally. We went to visit Jared's grandma, whom we really enjoy spending time with. Jared has a lot of memories there, and it has such a special feel to it, I can easily see why.

Of course we spent some quality time in her pool, and Adelyn had a blast splashing around. Addie also thought "jumping" off a little step was beyond enjoyable. She still hasn't figured out how to jump, but she sure tries!

The Easter bunny came to visit while we were there and Adelyn had fun doing a mini easter egg hunt. She also enjoyed playing with her "choo choos" that the Easter bunny brought. We had a great time!

Gasparilla Island

2011-05-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Our third and fourth day were spent in a beach house with Jared's two brothers and their wives and kids. It was so much fun to be able to see and spend time with them again! Jared's mom and husband own a house on an island called Little Gasparilla so it is always fun to go visit and see all the neat things there. On the boat ride there, you can usually spot dolphins and there are all sorts of wildlife on the island. They have cute turtles and Jared and I got to see our first armadillos there too!! Man, are they noisy! They also have a wide variety of bugs- though I don't think anyone enjoys seeing those! :)

Adelyn wanted nothing to do with the beach the first day and screamed and cried and was terrified whenever we brought her close to the water. Only when we went back later to see the sunset, were we able to convince her we were not going to make her go in the water, so we actually got some cute pictures.

This was the cutest thing ever! I guess Kalin decided he would help Adelyn be more brave or something, but it was the sweetest thing for him to take her hand and lead her towards the water. What a good cousin!

Despite her terror of the beach the first day, we didn't push her as much the second day and she actually let us bring her into the ocean to splash and play. I would like to say she actually enjoyed it! It always helps to have family around to help make the situation less scary :)

Addie is the first gran baby on my side so unfortunately she doesn't have any cousins (and probably won't for awhile). But on Jared's side she has TONS! I think that was a definite plus to visiting family in Florida, she really had fun playing with her cousins!

Beginning of Florida Trip

2011-05-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Since we spent over a week in Florida, I thought I would break it all up into sections so it didn't end up being one massive post. The beginning of the trip started out really well- Adelyn was really excited to be on an airplane and was glued to looking out the window almost the entire time. Fortunately, we were sitting next to a really nice lady who let Addie sit on her lap so she could see better. We thought it was pretty funny that Adelyn just made herself right at home!
Jared's mom, Cindi, picked us up from the airport and was nice enough to drive us around and accompany us the whole trip. Thanks Cindi! We went to Magic Kingdom the first day and Animal Kingdom the second day. Here are some pictures from the Magic Kingdom. Jared and I were surprised that there were a lot of rides that are different than in the California Disneyland, so that made it fun for us to point out the differences we could find!

***By the way, if you have a child around Adelyn's age and plan on taking them to Disneyland any time soon, be smarter than us and don't take your child on a scary ride first. We went onto Pirates of the Caribbean ride first to escape the heat...and after that Addie didn't trust us to go on any other rides. Poor thing cried every time she realized we were in a line for a ride- even for Small World! :(
Kyle(Jared's brother) and Jessica(Kyle's wife) with their new baby Taegan, came and went with us to Animal Kingdom too which was really fun, except that Addie had diarrhea and wouldn't eat, so that was pretty stressful, but we still managed to go see shows and ride the rides and enjoy ourselves! An added bonus: there were a lot of trees to provide a lot of shade!

Before Addie started feeling good and miserable, she got nice and soaking wet at this little splash pad they had. I think we were all a little jealous that she could get that wet without looking funny- I know I sure wanted to jump in with her!

Playgroup Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Our ward has weekly playgroup for women in the ward with young children and last week they were nice enough to put on a fun Easter egg hunt. Addie got the idea pretty quickly and had fun picking up all the eggs and shaking them.

I guess she got pretty tuckered out from the event because her nap was marvelous that afternoon! Maybe I should throw her an Easter egg hunt every morning! :)

don't miss out!

2011-04-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Jeanni, is doing a give away on her blog this week. This is great since all her stuff is ADORABLE- she is so talented! Anyway, you can win something just by going to her blog and following the directions. Good luck!!

sewcrazycreating.blogspot.com

A colaboration of things

2011-04-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Even though it really hasn't been, life seems to be somewhat scattered lately. Jared's been doing a lot of this for the past 3 months:but we (I) are excited that he will finally be done and over with studying on Saturday!! Yay! We are praying that all his hard work will allow him to pass and not have to retake it again. Wish him luck and keep him in your prayers please! I think he's pretty done with studying...

I on the other hand have been feeling all of a sudden very motivated to get everything done, which is good since my motivation usually comes in spurts for me anyways! So I have been making lists, getting baby clothes, mending ice packs, sewing a baby blanket and bean bags, (or will do, as soon as Jared leaves, giving me nothing to do to occupy my time) organizing, and getting rid of stuff. I have also been doing a lot of growing...though I know that in 3 months time, I still have a lot of wonderful stretching to do! We are 25 weeks along (6 months) and almost at the less than 100 day countdown! Adelyn....well what hasn't she been doing/getting into? Not much. My mom and I washed my car last week and Addie was really hesitant about the whole experience until she discovered the bucket of "bubbies"(bubbles). Then she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It's a good thing I changed her into play clothes before we started since she got SOAKED! Some friends invited Adelyn and I to a children's gym last week so we decided to try it out for the first time....Addie still asks about her "jump a jump" place. She pretty much had the time of her life. I couldn't get very many good pictures since she was just climbing all over everything before I could get ones with her face looking towards me. She particularly liked the foam pit. There was a big pit/pool of foam cubes where you could throw your child into it, and Adelyn really liked to wallow around in there.

Even though I'm pretty against children watching too much TV, I've recently become aware that there are certainly benefits of it too. Adelyn is obsessed with these series called "Baby Signing Time" where they teach young children sign language. I like it because she actually picks up on the signs they teach, and I learn new ones to help Addie with too! Unfortunately, Addie could literally watch this show all day long...and even though it's tempting to get a lot done while she's watching, I'm not sure that's the best for her to do all day, everyday. Here is a picture of how into it she gets- she will sit like this EVERY TIME she watches it. She also likes Teletubbies and Barney, but not nearly as much.

Last week for General Conference we did a combined Saturday breakfast with our good friends, the Graffs then watched conference at their place while their son, Austin, and Addie played. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but Sunday morning we took some when Jared made his traditional conference breakfast! Jared makes french toast stuffed with muenster cheese, and this time I think was his best ever! To our surprise, Adelyn gulped it down...almost an entire piece(this is a breakfast not for the faint of heart)! Addie usually doesn't eat that much at one sitting (she's more of a snacker) so I guess she really loved it! Below is Addie sitting in her Elmo chair all ready for Baby Signing Time- we had to keep telling her we were watching the Prophet instead. It didn't keep her attention nearly as well, so at one point we ended up doing an Easter egg hunt in the middle of Conference. :) Jared and I enjoyed the chance to hear what little of Conference we got to soak in!

Addie's talking video

2011-03-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

I had to record some of the cute things she says now, before I forget. Adelyn just turned 17 months and I am 24 weeks on Saturday (barely 6 months). I am feeling good besides the fact that getting bigger gets less and and less pleasant. We have two names picked out that we like and are going to wait until he is born , to decide which one he gets. Like before, we are waiting until he comes out before we share the name(s).

We are trying to enjoy the nice weather before the heat wave arrives...which won't be long now. And yes, it's already warm enough to jump in the pool. Pathetic considering its still March!

Airplane Show

2011-03-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks past, Jared was going to an airplane show in Gilbert that his company was supporting, Adelyn and I decided to tag along. It was about an hour drive each way, but was well worth the trip, plus we got to meet up with Jared's friend from high school, Dave Kim and his kids (Alicia, I wish you could have come too.) Anyways, it was really neat seeing all the planes!

Although Addie has been really interested in planes lately, I was surprised that there was no way she was going to climb into one! For whatever reason she was petrified of going in and sitting on one of the little planes. Hope she gets over that before our flight to Florida!

They had this singing group for some local musical thing that came and sang from "The Sound of Music". Even though it was good, there was this lady and her young son who came and stood right in front of everyone else and directly in front of our line of vision. It sort of made me laugh since no one else cared to be right there in the middle of things, but I guess it was important to them! I made sure (she was literally in front of us) to take a picture of her to capture the memory :)

With all the neat aircraft, fire trucks, inflatable slides, and people everywhere, her favorite by far was this little beauty: it's her latest obsession.

It was a bummer Jared wasn't able to come looking at everything as much as we were, but it sure beat staying at home(plus I think Jared didn't mind skipping some studying!) I think we all had a good time!

For Kara

2011-03-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

I told my sister, Kara, about this video I took of Addie and how it's so short and shows almost nothing of Adelyn except the phase she's in right now of wanting to look at the camera before I'm done snapping a picture/video. But it makes me laugh because of the look on her face. So basically I just posted this so she could see it. Here you go!

wow

2011-03-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this website on someone else's blog. Blog stalking pays off sometimes.....Anyways, I have never seen anything like this and it is more than adorable! I only wish I had the creativity for something like this! Enjoy!

Look at it here:http://amorologyweddings.blogspot.com/2011/02/then-comes-baby.html

Cuteness Award

2011-03-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

While I've always thought Adelyn was cute, it seems that lately I have a new appreciation for how darn cute this kid is! I don't know what it is, but everything she does just strikes me as so adorable! Anyways, here are just some of the reasons I think she wins the cutest kid award lately:

1. She is getting really good at eating with a spoon, even though much of it still ends up on more places than in her mouth.

2. While most girls her age (or older) lack hair, like her parents, Adelyn has no shortage of it.

3. She loves girly things. Jewelry, shoes, flowers, headbands, cheerleaders, clothes, dolls, nail polish(on me), purses- you name it and she will grab it with glee!

4. Hugs and kisses are her latest specialty. To people, rocks, dolls, plants, books, babies (even the one inside my tummy) deserve her affection- and we just eat it up!

5. She can now climb, although this is also scary, it's fun to find her in unexpected places sometimes.

6. Addie talks and signs in the cutest way! We taught her to say "help me" and it is just so adorable- we have to get that one on video!

7. She mimics a lot of what we do. When I brush my teeth, so does she.

8. She can do all the actions for "The Wheels On The Bus" which is her favorite book, song and object currently. It is an exciting day when we see any type of bus on our car rides!

I don't want to give the impression that I don't think any other kids are cute, or that we never have a frustrating moment...but I did just remember that whenever she is getting on my last nerve or is really irritating, my famous quote is, "It's a good thing you're cute...." (which I started saying to my infants in preschool- who were also pretty cute :)

If you like to read...

2011-03-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

Seems to me that without a good recommendation, sometimes a book isn't worth reading. And although I've had a lot of luck with just plucking books from the shelves that had promising covers, I've had my share of stupid, dirty, and time wasting books. Here are some that I have read in the past year or so that I have enjoyed. They are all sorts of genres and topics and several are teen reads so if you're a picky reader, feel free to ask details about them. Also, I just finished a book and therefore am in need of a recommendation myself! If you have any suggestions- let me hear them!

"While We're Far Apart" by Lynn Austin
"The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins
"The Witch Doctor's Wife" by Tamar Myers
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Lost" by Jaqueline Davies
"Catch Me If You Can" by Frank Abagnale
"The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
"Drowning Ruth" by Christina Schwarz
"Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
"Mother Had a Secret" by Tiffany Fletcher (LDS author, so probably not at Library)

The dreaded word

2011-02-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

It pretty much drives me nuts when kids learn to say "no". Especially when children learn to say it at a young age and then spit it at you when they don't want to do something. So it was my personal goal not to use that word unless she was doing something dangerous in hopes that she wouldn't learn that word. I have to say that my efforts worked better than I thought, considering we got this far (16 months tomorrow) but she learned to shake her head "no" first and that was actually sort of cute. But all of a sudden she started saying my dreaded word. Jared pointed out that it didn't help that her favorite book is "NO David"- which if you haven't read it, it's about David who gets into trouble and his mom tells him no on every page. Anyway, now she says it. Recently, tantrums are her new favorite (not mine) which are more difficult for me than I thought they would be- but only because I miss my little baby-the one who didn't throw tantrums. Good thing we are having another one I guess :) At least Adelyn gives hugs voluntarily all the time, that makes most everything all better!

And by the way, that was NOT a tantrum.....

Hike-ateer

2011-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Jared's been having many opportunities to go hiking lately and has enjoyed getting outdoors and challenging himself. A couple weekends back, Jared went with some friends to the Lost Dutchman State Park to hike a path called the Siphon Draw which leads up to "Flat Iron" (from what I understand it's a steep hike to a mountain that looks literally like an iron). The hike total was 6.5 miles with a 3,000 foot elevation change and no easy task! Part of the hike was climbing over rocks and bushes, rock climbing, and going up steep mountains. He was pretty exhausted when he returned! Way to go Hunny!! Here are some neat pictures Jared took while on his hike:.

By the way, we are 18 weeks now! :) I think this picture was taken two weeks ago.

We Have A Gator In Our House!

2011-01-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure it's no secret that Jared is a die-hard Florida Gators fan (how could you not notice the bright orange and blue shorts). But I must say, I found it a little odd that out of all of Jared's shirts to pick, Addie insisted on wearing this one:

I also wanted to point out that I found our camera battery charger (yay!) and after one day of 50 minutes of crying it out, Adelyn is now taking naps again....not long ones yet, but a nap nonetheless. Thanks for all your input, it helped to have the support of knowing I'm not the only one who has had that problem. We have all been a lot more cheery this week due to nap time :)

Also, Here is a cute video I got of Addie this week:

At her 15 month check up this week, they asked if she spoke 3-6 words. Since signing and animal sounds count, I told them of course! But thinking about it later, she says tons more than I initially thought:

Mama, Dada, Jess, Jesse, hohoho (Santa), Jesus, uh-o, this, roar, truck, trash, quackquack, ruff ruff, sssss(snake), and eyes.

She can also sign: hat, ouchie, food, more, all done, sleep, book, and blanket and can point out every body part(except shoulder, elbow and knee) and nearly every clothing item. In fact, it has been very important lately to point out everything someone is wearing and eyes are very exciting too. I think she's coming along in language just fine! :)

If I end up in a phsyco ward....

2011-01-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

I know some traits get passed down from generation to generation much easier than others. Does being stubborn have to be one of them?? I almost think it's possible that Addie is more stubborn than Jared and I combined, plus generations of the women on my mothers side- which is not an easy task. I can't complain too much, Adelyn is really good most of the time, and she's hardly more difficult than an average 15 month old. But lately she decided she doesn't need to take naps- guess what....I still do. I don't think she's caught onto the fact that a happy mother means she sleeps when she sleeps. But no, Addie flat out refuses to sleep. She will fall asleep within minutes in the car, even sitting in her stroller(after a hysterical meltdown) - but won't do it in her crib, and definitely not laying next to me anymore. It's not fun nor delightful, and a 7 minute car ride is not considered a nap! Please, please write me any suggestions! I left her in her crib to "work it out herself" today and it's taken nearly an entire hour for her to stop screaming like her arm is being chopped off. Really?? Is it that bad to take a nap??? Well now that she has finally stopped screaming- it's now my nap time. Hopefully we don't have to go through this tomorrow too.

Oh and another reason to go insane: we can't find out camera battery charger ANYWHERE! which means no, I didn't get any pictures of Jared's 30th birthday, and no, I can't take any pictures of Addie when she is actually being really cute (which is sort of rare lately hence not napping). Grrrrr... so don't expect any fun pictures for awhile, I can't think of a place that I haven't looked for it yet.

Jared Turns 30!!!

2011-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Today is Jared's 30th birthday! Even though there are way more than thirty, here are 30 of my favorite things about Jared.....

1. He enjoys cooking breakfast

2. He loves milk too

3. He's a cool Californian and a smooth talkin' Southerner

4. Jared can still swing dance

5. He speaks Argentine (aka glorified Spanish)

6. He's a Harry Potter nerd

7. He knows everything about football

8. He has 7 more years of experience and knowledge on me

9. He dresses nicely

10. His singing voice

11. He is super athletic

12. Jared's not afraid to be LDS or to sport his BYU clothes

13. He still thinks he's 21 yrs old- and acts like it :)

14. His good taste in music

15. He thinks Arizona is the armpit of the United States- but still lives here

16. He works hard

17. Jared can skateboard and body board

18. Jared is artistic

19. He likes blaring Christmas music in July

20. Jared is the "fun" parent - it's a party when he comes home

21. He has a big heart

22. He fixes stuff I can't, reads details I don't notice, and figures out the directions I can't

23. He never lacks in concern

24. Jared takes callings seriously

25. He still opens my door when we go on dates

26. He likes playing video games, but isn't obsessed with them

27. If he can, he matches his tie to my outfit on Sunday (and this is his own idea)

28. He somehow keeps Addie quiet while I direct the music in sacrament meeting

29. He can clean better than I do

30. He's honorable, thoughtful, selfless, caring, handsome and all mine!

Happy birthday babe! I love you and I'm so lucky to have you as my husband!!

We are having a boy!!!

2011-01-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delayed post, but yes we were able to find out the gender during our ultrasound and it is certainly a BOY!! No doubt about it, we've got a squirmy little fella in there. It will be fun having one of each! :)

In Case You Didn't Know....

2011-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard the news already, we are pregnant with our second baby! We are 12 weeks along and due July 16 (which is Jared's brother's -TJ- birthday) which ought to make it fun! I am already starting to show, I guess you have to start early if you're going to end up looking like a whale. The picture of me below, was from about a month ago.I just went to the doctor's again today and it looks like everything is going well. I will go in again this Friday, because they want to look at the baby better and do all the measurements. They also might be able to see the gender already! This seems pretty early to me, but apparently the lady who is doing the ultrasound is really good....guess we'll see! This is the reason I have not been posting anything recent lately- Addie's nap time, is also my nap time! I have been a lot more exhausted with this baby and was much more nauseous too, which has been difficult finding anything to eat. I have also been really moody- lucky Jared. I am so fortunate to have a husband who puts up with my mood swings, he really does have a lot of patience with me, which I always am appreciative of. Fortunately, Jared and Adelyn have been very helpful lately.... Addie will be a good big sister!

Christmas Catch Up

2011-01-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am going to write another post right after this one, so you're going to have to deal with me being brief. This year we stayed in AZ for Christmas, spending Christmas Eve with my family, and Christmas with "our own" family this year. Christmas morning was actually really nice just being by ourselves. We enjoyed having the time together and seeing Addie so excited- it was a definite improvement from last year (she was only 2 months, and not very exciting haha). Here are some pictures from Christmas time.

Christmas Eve: Jared and I were Mary and Joseph, Addie was supposed to be Baby Jesus, which made it pretty funny considering she was in a pink robe (the only costume choice we had) and that she was walking around all over the place making everyone laugh. She had fun!

Christmas Day: Addie got an Elmo chair, princess car, monkey doll, and little toy cars from Santa this year.

Lots of stuff

2010-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

We have been anything short of busy around here, what with sickness getting passed around, Jared working late, baking, Christmas projects, and just plain living...I have been desperately needing to update this blog! So this may be a long post- just warning you now.
Addie being 13 months has seemed like she's been that age for several months, just because she is learning and changing so quickly. At around 12 months I started to really emphasize baby sign language more, and while she picked it up faster than I thought she would, 13 months has increased her capability to learn ten-fold. She can sign: more, all done, blanket (her favorite), book, brushing teeth, "I want" (she made that one up), and is catching on to food and water. I am trying to teach her "wait", but I think that concept is a little too advanced for a one year old. She's just not getting it- the world still revolves around her (understandably). Adelyn also talks a lot more than she used to. She can say light, mom, dad, Jess/Wes/yes, woof, juice, Jesus, Santa and duck. The only problem with signing is that I have already noticed she doesn't talk as much as she signs now. But I still like that she's able to communicate with us.

As of today we graduated from a rear facing baby car seat to the big girl front facing car seat. We took her around a nearby neighborhood to look at lights to celebrate. So far she's a fan!

My brother Jesse made the school JV basketball team this year (yay Jesse!) so we have been going to his home games to support him. Adelyn likes seeing her grandparents and uncles there, but also enjoys playing on the stairs. It's fun that we are able to go see Jesse play!

My mom was nice enough to accompany Addie and I on our adventure to the zoo. Out of all the animals, tiger and monkeys were probably her favorite to see. But the carousel was by far her favorite from going to the zoo- and we didn't even ride on it. The animal statues were also an added plus. I was surprised that she actually got more out of going to the zoo than I thought a person her age would. She was fairly interested in the animals and what they were doing. Particularly when the tiger was rawering(sp suggestions...) right next to us, it was pretty intimidating

Adelyn has also gotten pretty stubborn/silly/obnoxious/toddlerish. I have noticed she is starting to test her boundaries more and see what she can get away with. I don't really like seeing that mischievous look in her eye, though I better get used to it- I'm sure it's here to stay. For the most part she's really good, but she doesn't hide her frustration when she doesn't get what she wants. In the picture below, I put those chairs there several months ago to prevent her from taking out all my rip-able books.....as of yesterday I have to think of something else.

She thinks the shorts on her head is a hat.

I recently got called as ward music chorister- I lead the music on Sundays- which is a pretty humbling calling since I have done a lot more of singing and accompanying than leading. Actually besides FHE and an occasional young women's sub- that's been about it! Fortunately I have a very musically talented mom who also has the same calling in her ward! So that helps. Anyways, during the first Sunday I lead, I got up for the last song and Addie spotted me and started laughing her obnoxious laugh- like we were playing hide and go seek or something- and wouldn't stop laughing! Here she is right in the front pew giggling hysterically! Well of course I did what any nervous but humored mom does, I start cracking up too! It was the hardest thing to get myself under control during the song- fortunately Jared took her out shortly after her laughing fit, but I still had a hard time not thinking about her down there, and start giggling again!

Even though she throws fits sometimes, and is more stubborn than her parents, we still love all the fun and new things she does. We love having Adelyn around to entertain us :)

First Offical Hair Cut

2010-12-08T12:07:00.001-08:00

No, I did not completely shave off all of Adelyn's beautiful curls/waves. I only trimmed her bangs since they are always in her face (measured down to her nose) and she won't keep any type of cute hair accessories in. So here are some pictures from her first hair cut.

Before:

After: (If you look closely you might be able to see a glistening tear drop :()

Bummer is, that Addie was freaked out by the whole thing and crying hysterically and moving all over the place. So neither my mom (my coach through all this) nor I, am really sure where her hair that we cut, went! Maybe next time I cut her hair again I'll have to save that little bit.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2010-11-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

I know Addie doesn't really get who Santa Claus is yet, but everything going on lately is just so exciting!
....until she got sick.

Family Pictures

2010-11-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

I am a little outnumbered at the moment with all the "guy time" going on right now. Jared invited my three brothers to come over and play video games since he usually spends this time of year with his brothers playing hunting games. So I figured this was a good time to post something....

Last weekend we were fortunate to have our friend and neighbor, Sara, take some family pictures for us- in hopes that we might have a good enough picture for our Christmas cards this year. I couldn't believe how cute they turned out! Not that I had was underestimating Sara's photography skills, but that I figured (as always) there would be someone making a weird face in every picture. It was too much to ask for Addie to smile, but somehow, luck was on our side- for several of the pictures! Yay!! I'm not going to post all the good ones, since they will be on our Christmas cards this year- you have to have some kind of a surprise when you open the card up! :) But here is a sneak peak.

For some reason, Addie assumed folding her arms (as if we were praying) was an appropriate pose. We thought it was pretty cute!

Hope everyone enjoys their days off! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Bikes, Beanies, and Belated Halloween

2010-11-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's actually starting to cool down out here in Arizona....good thing is almost Thanksgiving. But I personally feel that there is nothing cuter on a baby's head than an adorable beanie. So thanks to the cooperating weather, we now have a reason and excuse for Addie to wear beanies. If only we could find a way for her not to yank them off....is glue a little extreme??

Speaking of the cool weather, a few weeks ago it just seemed a little too warm to carve pumpkins (plus we never got around to it) so last weekend we carved our little one, and the Frei's were nice enough to give us their decorative pumpkins to carve. After awhile, they came over to participate in the fun and carve their own. Jared carved the cat and ghost (he has got a lot of artistic talent in my opinion) and I carved a face. The Frei's carved the spooky graveyard on the left- you can't see it, but Rhett somehow managed to carve very detailed grass along the bottom.

Adelyn wasn't really into the carving thing, and especially didn't like putting her hands in to get the guts out. But after the lights were back on, and in the morning she thought they were really exciting to touch and play with.

I have this thing about getting things cheaper than the regular prices....so when I saw an $8 bike seat at a garage sale, that I've been dreaming about for months, I jumped on it! Now we have a wonderful park close by, without having to drive there! It's been great going on bike rides whenever we can! Addie loves it too- Jared took her on a test ride around for a few seconds, and she started screaming when we took her off. I guess it wasn't nice to tease! She never really smiles or anything, but just sits there and enjoys yelling out things she sees. It cracks me up how cute she is riding behind her dad!

Dance like there's no tomorrow!

2010-11-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Addie decided to surprise us by dancing last night. Jared joked that she learned from me (he's always teasing me for dancing silly). We started cracking up when she did it, because she was playing with her phone and just up and decided to bust some moves! What a funny girl Addie's turning out to be!

Toddler Times

2010-11-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

As if Addie didn't enjoy exploring enough before, she seems to do it ten-fold now that she is a one year old. I've been trying to teach her new words lately, so every time we go outside I point out every tree and bush. So now when we go exploring, she likes to point at every plant and say, "dog!" or "duck!". She also associates the pond with a duck too, so when the ducks aren't there I tell her they are gone and sleeping in their beds.....she doesn't buy it, it's still...."duck!!!!" "duck??" "duck?!" without fail.

She's also become very interested in objects Jared and I use, like the flowers I put in my hair, putting on our shoes, and drinking from our cups (partly because her's usually has milk in it and she still won't drink it).

She is also starting to figure out buttons and light switches. She likes to flip the lights on and off, and every time she wakes up from a nap, she has to show me that she can push all the buttons on her singing mobile.

Addie also has a thing for climbing into stuff lately...not really sure why.

Adelyn has gotten very demanding lately, and when she doesn't get what she wants....you'll certainly hear about it! Besides the whining and complaining if I don't give her candy or cookies, it's sometimes nice that she can tell us what she wants.

Birthday fun

2010-10-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Addie's doctor appointment went well (besides the shots)- she's doing pretty good. Here are her stats (and the weight is an improvement...yay!) and some pictures from the little party we did. Thanks to all who we able to come and support her! We enjoyed having you there!

Height: 28" (25%)

Weight: 17 lbs. (10%)

Head: 18" (75%)

Apparently her head has been doing leaps and bounds compared the the rest of her body- it's always been around 50th percentile...yay??

Adelyn had a fun time at her party. Her favorite part was running around in circles with her friends. She also loved going up to people and mooching their food.

Addie also got her first taste of cake/ sweets, it was an instant hit!

Bringing out some new toys was also pretty fun :)

Thanks everyone!

One Year Wonder

2010-10-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that it seems a bit surreal that it's been a year since Adelyn entered this world! I know this is so cliche to say, but time certainly flies by- and more so when it's your baby. Here is a little glimpse of Addie's first year in our family...

In the belly:

Newborn:

One month:

Two months:

Three months:

Four months:

Five months:

Six months:

Seven months:

Eight months:

Nine months:

Ten months:

Eleven months:

Twelve months today!

Her one year doctor appointment is today (I know, what a horrible mom to make all the shots on her birthday) so stay tuned for stats!

Return from Neverland!

2010-10-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our week long trip at Disneyland, and what a blast! We got to stay with our friends the Lee's and Jeppson's and were lucky enough to have friends come to Disneyland and see us! Also, my younger sister flew in from BYU to spend part of the week with us (***Addie***) so that was great to see her too. Here are some cute pictures from our trip.

On one of the first days there, Jared and I were talking in the hotel, when I realized Addie was being extremely quiet. We called her and couldn't see her anywhere in the room! I started panicking thinking that she'd some how escaped out the door (we were on the sixth floor overlooking a pool) only to notice that she'd somehow crawled into the basket of her stroller. Silly girl nearly gave me a heart attack!
While we were there, we got to see the new show "World of Color" which was amazing!! If you plan to go to Disneyland anytime soon, you should plan on seeing this show too.
Unfortunately, not everyday was filled with California sunshine. It actually poured Monday thru Wednesday which pretty much put a damper on our plans (no pun intended). But we tried to tough it out anyways.

Even though Disneyland provides you with plenty of things to do, sights to see, and shows to experience, Addie enjoyed walking around above it all. She was really entertained stepping on the drains, curbs, wandering away, and unloading our stroller. Guess we didn't need to take her to Disneyland for an "exciting vacation" after all, a walk outside of our apartment would've sufficed!

We also attended "Mickey Mouse's Halloween Party". It was fun to get Addie dressed up and to see the other costumes. But even more fun to get a bucket load (literally) of candy and have no lines to wait in for the rides. We just walked ourselves right onto the carts, took off, and were done! Able to go on round 2, 3, and 4 to our favorite rides!!

Above all, it was just fun spending time together as a family.

All fun and games

2010-09-17T15:33:00.001-07:00

I have decided that I like the stage Addie is in. Sure, chasing her around the store and cleaning up the kitchen stuff fourteen times daily isn't exactly exciting. But for the most part, giggles, chasing, hide and seek, ring around the rossies, squeals of delight, and kisses, all result in a pretty good day. Here are some fun videos and pictures of what we've been up to lately.

Her new funny thing is when I'm telling her to smile for the camera, she gives me this cheesy/fake smile with squinting eyes. Reminds me of a stage we all go through at around 3-6 years old ish, where we can't figure out an appropriate "smile" for picture taking. Remember that stage? Well that's what our nearly 11 month old does. She also gives a scrunched up look, which we're not sure what she's trying to tell us with that one. Please enlighten us.

We are also obsessed with phones around here. If you call, and hear "beep, beep" and heavy breathing- it's Addie who has stolen the phone and pushing buttons while running away so she can keep the phone. And if you are ever hung up on- you now know who to blame.

Adelyn's hair is getting really long- and has been for some time now. But now it's in her eyes, so we can finally wear a cute little pony tail. :)

When the weather permits (two days last week- at 95 degrees) we go exploring outside. I don't know why I even bothered to lay down a blanket since the entire time was spent with her running away with me chasing. We can't wait until we can go outside without breaking a sweat.

Hide and seek is becoming a bedtime routine (yeah, I know, it's not a good one) but she becomes so happy after Jared comes home, and Jared can't help but getting her goofy and laughing until she gets hick-ups. But we all love it.

And finally, our fun around here wouldn't be complete without cleaning up messy faces. Which we love making.

What would you do?

2010-09-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

While Jared goes and plays basketball every week, there is a show called, "What would you do" that I usually find myself watching. This show puts people in different controversial, ethical, or challenging situation to see how people will react. They're usually pretty interesting what people do when faced with an awkward dilemma. On one of these shows, they had one of their actors "pass out" on the side of a busy sidewalk and see how many people would stop, call, react - or anything. Surprisingly not many people did anything besides look and walk past. They even tried making the actor a woman, homeless man, and drunk. As I mentioned- only a few people tried to help. At the end of the show it mentioned how on a street in NY a few years back, a man fell to the floor due to a cardiac arrest. That man sat there for several hours and actually died, due to people not doing anything.

So this is what ran through my mind on my way to a Relief Society devotional, when there was a man sprawled out on the ground next to the freeway entrance. At first I brushed it off that surely someone else had called already....and it was probably nothing to worry about anyways. But thinking of this man dying because I didn't call didn't sit too well with me. So I flipped a U-turn and drove past him, this time closer. He was just laying there with his arm under his head, eyes closed. Maybe he was sleeping?? No. No one in their right mind sleeps when it's well over 104 degrees- with pavement being even hotter. So I flipped around again, this time rolling down my passenger window to ask him if he's okay. Several attempts at trying to get a response, and all he did was lay there and spit at me.....okay........maybe he got hit by a car and he can't talk, so that's his only way of communicating right now?? No idea- but I'm calling 911. So I did and the operator said she'd send someone over to check it out, and if I wanted, she would have someone call me back and tell me what was wrong (of course i wanted to know!).

After going to the activity, heading home, putting Adelyn in bed and watching some TV. A police officer called to tell me that he was indeed "okay" but in a heap of trouble. The officer was sort of vague, but apparently he will have to take that guy to Court for charging at him when he tried to approach. According to the officer, after 24 years as a officer, he was definitely "on something" and would be getting in trouble for his actions. When I told him the situation and how he'd spit when I'd tried to communicate, the officer asked if I'd like to press charges for "public mis conduct". Uh...no? I didn't really know what to say, plus it wasn't like I was really offended or anything. Before hanging up, the officer told me that two others had called too. But what if no one had? This young 20ish- year old who was "on something" might have stumbled onto the road and been hit by a car. I'm glad that I was one of the people who were concerned enough to call and make sure. So, when you are faced with a situation that might need help, what will you do?

10 months

2010-08-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Adelyn's 10 month birthday- can you believe it?? I just look at her and cannot even imagine her being small enough just to lay there! I can't believe she was ever an infant- she seems like a toddler to me now! Here are some fun pictures/videos of Addie! Oh, and if you notice a re-occurring theme of pant less or no clothes it's because of two reasons: 1.) It's too darn hot here, if we could all get away with no clothes- we would. and 2.) What baby doesn't enjoy running around naked?? Adelyn is no exception.

Addie is getting too smart for her own good. Just this morning I put her down for her morning nap in just her diaper and favorite blanket (explanation above). After she woke up, she did her usual playing and then was dead silent. Which only leaves you wondering until you find out why. I come into her room finding this scenario: A cute baby with a very pleased look on her face completely and undeniably NAKED. It doesn't take me very long to notice- not only her blanket on the floor, but her very wet diaper. Heaven only knows how long she'd been playing with it before tossing it over board! And this fun scene could only be complete with a few drops of pee on her crib sheets. Yes, this is Addie, this is what nearly every day is like around the Bass house. Anyone want to visit??

Wheee!!

2010-08-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

So, as weird as this sounds, I've been dying to put Adelyn in the laundry basket Grandma Cindi got for us when she came to visit last November. It's a big basket with wheels and a handle, and one day I just started thinking how funny it would be to plop Addie inside and take her for a ride. I thought she'd get freaked out, so i never did.....until this week. Does this make me a bad parent??? :)

Result: she didn't really care. After just waking up, she had an expression like, "sure, go ahead and laugh....whatever makes you happy". But I thought it was pretty cute :) Good thing I have a daughter who is a good sport about all my crazy ideas!

Personality Shining

2010-08-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Addie's personality is really starting to surface as she gets older and older. Jared and I decided she is the kind of baby who really concentrates on figuring things out. She's very dedicated to solving anything that she doesn't immediately understand. Here are some pictures and videos where you can see the different sides of Addie.

The slap-happy side:

The intelligent side: (picking a book)

The lazy side: (remote in hand)

The "Jared Bass" side:

The adventurous side:

The silly side:

Whichever side we get, we love having Adelyn in our family!

Finally!!!

2010-07-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Adelyn was feeling pretty confident today and did this numerous times all over the place wherever we went!

Pushing

2010-07-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

Addie has been really into pushing things lately. Buckets, boxes, you name it! At the end of this video you can also see how she can say hi ("H") and wave. We will be going into the doctors next Thursday for her baby well check up and, as always, are hoping she has gained weight (or at least doubled her birth weight). When we went in last time, the doctor told us how at 4 months they want the babies to double their birth weight......well Addie is now 9 months and we're pretty sure she's not at that 16 pounds yet- but we'll see!

All of a sudden Adelyn has a fear of baths/bath water. Don't be fooled by this picture taken a month ago! She love hitting the tub and watching it fill up with water. But is not so fond of getting in- especially when she slips around in the slightest or gets any water in her face. She's never been that fond of bath time but now it seems she has a phobia. Have any helpful suggestions?
By the way Addie finally got her first tooth!! Came in two days before her 9 month birthday and we think she's working onto the one next to it. The tooth has just barely surfaced so I'll post pictures when there is something to see :)

pass!!!!

2010-07-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Remember that huge engineering test that Jared had to take in April? The one that consumed any spare time Jared had each and everyday of the week? The test that made Adelyn look at Jared like, "oh yeah.... I remember you- haven't seen ya in awhile!" because he left for work early and didn't return home until at least 10 nightly. For three long months. Yes, that wonderful exam has been gnawing away at Jared (and myself in fear that we all might have to go through it all again) as we've awaited the results.

So on Monday when we got the mail and found the letter from "Board for Professional Engineers" we were pretty scared what might be said in that very important piece of mail. First thing we saw was a list of "Deficient, deficient, deficient" awwwwwww!!!!!! What does that mean?!?!?!? But fortunately the next page read:

Section 1: California Law & Board Rules: Pass

Section 2: Civil Seismic Principles: Fail

Section 3: Civil Engr Surveying: Pass

Section 4: Civil 8 Hour: Pass

JARED PASSED!!!!!!

The "deficient" part was describing Section 2, which he failed- but we don't care about since 1. he knew he wouldn't be able to pass that one having NO experience or knowledge for that subject and 2. Jared doesn't need to pass it since Arizona doesn't require it to be a professional engineer!

I am just soo proud of him! This test is the equivalent of a Doctor passing his Boards and most engineers don't pass it the first time taking it. We are so excited that this is done and over with fantastic results! What a relief!! Great job hun! I love you!!!!!

On a different note, my amazing husband also barbecued some pretty delicious shiskabobs last week that tasted amazing! Jared cooked mahi mahi, bacon wrapped chicken, and shrimp. Here are some pictures from that night:

Preparation:
Cooking:

Result:

What a delicous dinner! I really hit the jack pot by marrying such a good cook!

Jumpin' Addie

2010-07-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Jeanette let us borrow her Johnny Jumper, and it looks like Addie likes it better than the first time she tried it out at the Jeppson's house!

Though from the video, she looks like she's doing an Irish Jig.....at least she knows her heritage!

Fabulous Fourth

2010-07-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

This fourth of July weekend was great! Jared had both Friday and Monday off, making it a four-day fourth! It was so nice to have him around, especially since he worked long hours up until Friday, which meant we didn't get to see him much. Addie was so thrilled to have her dad around to play!

I unfortunately forgot to take to our camera during the 4th of July celebration at my Aunt Jeanette's, so we don't have any fun pictures. But Addie did great with the loud fireworks. She was so tired, that she started falling asleep during the middle of the show! Maybe next year will bring a different reaction besides a open-mouthed stare. :)

My family came over Monday for BBQ chicken and the most exciting thing happened while they were here! Addie took her first 2 1/2 steps!!! The only bad thing is- Jared and I missed it. It was such a disappointment especially since I was holding the camera up taking her picture literally a millisecond before she walked to me! I made the mistake of looking at the picture instead of her at the exact WRONG time! Oh well, it sure was exciting though! This is the picture I took RIGHT before she took her first steps.

In addition to nearly walking, Adelyn is also:

~waving on command

~knows it's herself in the mirror (as of about a month ago)

~obsessed with shaking things, she's realized everything makes different noises

~getting used to family/ strangers holding her

~very clingy with her blankie

~more than happy around babies and children, they are her favorite play-mate

~mimicking activities Jared and I do

~whining to eat all our food(but not her baby food)

~thinks having objects on people's head it a really fun game

~loving hide and seek

~feeding herself (also includes anything that's not food)

~saying, "da-da" but not at Jared

**As a side note: Addie walked 3 steps to me the day after, (Tuesday) so it wasn't such a disappointment for too long. She's been trying to walk ever since Monday.....are we ready for a walker already????

Jones 50th Anniversary!

2010-07-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

My grandparents (on my mom's side) just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! So, all they wanted were for their children (who live all over) to come out to celebrate with them. My aunt Jeanette did a wonderful job of planning the meeting point, activites, meals, you name it! We met up in Park City, Utah at a ski resort, where we stayed for 3 days. Unfortunately, Jared's switch of jobs left him without enough time off work to go. But Addie and I bummed a ride with my parents so that we could see family we hadn't seen in a long time (or in Addie's case- never seen). It was a week long trip since we cut the 12+ hour drive in half each day up and back. While we were there, we got to take a 5 generation picture! How often does that happen?? VERY neat! Here are just some of the 133 pictures I decided to post.

Dia de los Padres

2010-07-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little bit of a delay since Father's day was 2 weeks ago. But we've been pretty busy around here! Even though this is a a little belated, I didn't want my appreciation of my father, Jared, and all father's go unnoticed.
I love my father dearly and all he has taught me and done for me and continues to do for me. He is such an example with his calm and kind mannerisms, yet able to dish out some mad skills on the court playing basketball. Growing up, I had guys my age tell me how good my dad was at basketball, especially for his age(which isn't very old ;)). One of my fondest memories is from when I was about 8 yrs. old and my dad and I getting up really early (6 am) to go pick corn for the church. As sad as this is, I was pretty annoyed when my younger sister started coming along, only because she spoiled the precious time I had alone with my dad. In younger years, my dad used to have "Father's council" on Sundays, which were probably supposed to be some serious discussion, but basically my dad and I used that one-on-one time just to talk. I loved it. When I got older, my dad would help me maintenance my car by, checking the oil for me and pumping up the tires. Or, just offering "guy advice" during the years of dating.
My dad was always a guide when choosing someone to marry. Which is why I love seeing things that Jared does for Adelyn, that are similar for what my dad did for me. This year was Jared's first official father's day! I was particularly excited for this father's day, since I'd spent a lot of time making a project I'd seen on a friend's blog. Now, I'm really not crafty so this didn't turn out nearly as good as Hillary's did. However, I was satisfied with it and proud that it hadn't turned out a complete disaster. I did 10 things that "i notice" Jared does for Adelyn and me with pictures on the side. It's a good project because, depending how crafty you are, you can make it very simple or jazz it up. It also is good at letting your spouse know that kind deeds are noticed and appreciated.

Adelyn got Jared some socks (she put her personal touch but eating them- tags and all, before we'd even reached the check out line). And we also bought him wii Super Mario brothers (without Danielle and Brad to play with, I couldn't resist:)). With a good pot roast, presents and a good husband, I think all of us were glad to have a day to celebrate fathers. I love you dad and Jared! Happy father's day!

Trouble

2010-06-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have decided that once a baby is mobile- that is the end of a clean house and the beginning of constant worrying. Don't think that I didn't worry about Adelyn before- believe me, being a first time parent comes with many unnecessary worries. But now it's a different kind: BOOM! "oh great, where is she now? Was that her that fell or something else??" CRASH! "Is she into the computer/Wii/everything valuable again?!" and the dreaded: Absolute Silence which is room for anything you can possibly imagine: chewing on cords, eating hazardous garbage, standing up against the bathtub ready to tip into it head first.....you name it! Gone are the days of just leaving her somewhere since Addie won't even stay put for a second. They get into trouble so quickly! Yes, it's lots of fun that she can crawl to me when she wants me instead of screaming her lungs out for me to pick her up. Yes, it's cute that she'll suddenly pop her head up when I'm sitting on the couch to see what I'm up to. But eating DVD's and getting scratches and bumps that just turn up, puts me in a constant state of worry.

Anyways, as you've probably guessed, Addie's crawling, standing, and walking along furniture. I honestly don't think it will take that much longer until she's figuring out how to walk (especially considering that she stood by herself and took a step yesterday). She is such a quick learner- it only takes her about a week until she's perfected something and is onto another stage! However, all this movin' and groovin' leaves her with no desire to slow down and eat. She's just not much of an eater in the first place- but now it's worse. If you have any tricks to helping her want to eat more, please let us know! We go into her new doctor's on the 16th to see how she's doing. Hopefully she's gained weight!
We took Addie swimming a few days ago, and both days she just absolutely loved! We thought she wouldn't care for it too much since she's not really one of those kids who "loves" bath time (she just likes it okay). But she had a blast! Laughing whenever Jared would swing her in the water, kicking her little legs, splashing, you name it! These pictures are of the first time we started putting her in.She didn't like the idea of stopping and taking pictures

Adelyn is so much fun, we love her to death! She loves to explore everything and now likes us to read to her. She still loves her baby friends- she had so much fun with Britton earlier this week, they were holding hands :). I never realized how much joy and meaning a child brings into your life. Just playing with her gives me such a new perspective into God's eternal plan for us. There is not a thing we could complain about right now- life it too fun!

Giving kisses

2010-06-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

I guess we forgot to teach her that kisses usually are given to people:

Addie At Play

2010-05-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Adelyn turned 7 months on the 22nd and we can't believe it's flying by this fast! I look at baby pictures of her when she was just born and can't even remember her ever being that little anymore! And it's only been 7 months!! It's so amazing how quickly babies learn and grow so fast, all their accomplishments are so fascinating to watch. I am so thankful to be a mom and to have a husband that can support us so that I can stay home and raise Adelyn while she goes through all her monumental changes.

Adelyn's been having a blast crawling everywhere and standing up using walls, couches, and mirrors. Just yesterday she started playing peek-a-boo with me by taking her blanket and hiding her face until I said "Where's Addie?" then she would uncover her face and laugh/smile with the "Peek-a-boo!". It is so cute! I'll have to have Jared record it since whenever she sees the camera she wants to steel it and eat it. Addie has also recently decided she likes sand and water. When we took our family pictures on the beach, she was kinda freaked out by the sand. But our apartment has a beach entrance into the pool (sandy entrance) and she actually really enjoys splashing in the water and sand! Here are some pictures of our little squirt on the move.
Addie's just loving the extra attention from her Grandparents and uncles! You can see her youngest uncle, Wesley laying down in this picture- they are great pals! She gets the cutest grin on her face whenever she sees them, she just loves them to pieces!

Hasta Luego California!

2010-05-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

Just as we predicted, the week before we left was busy and hectic. Last Monday we packed and a man from our ward took some pictures of us at Little Corona Beach. Perfect location for pictures and that exact beach is the picture they painted in the Newport Beach temple! So that was neat!
Tuesday we spent with Ben and Sunshine Lee...last chance! We plan on going back for both Addie's and my birthdays in October- hopefully we can! While walking around, we found Kenigh(no idea how to spell) and Koda from "Brother Bear". Adelyn absolutely loved them! We thought she'd be afraid- but they were tickling her and she just ate it up!

Wednesday I took Adelyn for her doctor's appointment and got not-so-fun news. In addition to her 5 shots and double ear infection, she's not really gaining weight. She only gained 1.5 lbs. since her last appointment 2 months ago. At almost 7 months she should be around 17 pounds instead of 14.5. So the doctor instructed us to give her 3 jars of baby food a day, with snacks in between the food. If she doesn't pork up within a month they want to do blood work to see what the problem is. Thing is, she's never been really fussy at all in these past 2 months! So they made it seem like we've been starving her, when she hasn't made a peep besides nap time, nursing time etc.. So that's frustrating and sad because we never knew! Physically and mentally she's of course doing great! P.S. she's crawling.
Thursday we (Jared) packed, packed, packed to be ready for our ward members to come and help us load up the moving truck that evening. After they started loading the truck up, it was pretty obvious we hadn't gotten a big enough truck for all that we had. So Addie and I said a little prayer, and miraculously it all fit! The Lord is really willing to help us if all we do is ask, even on seemly small problems.

Friday, my parents flew in that morning and we headed out to Phoenix! We REALLY appreciated their help!! Even though Adelyn did really well with the car ride, it would have been really difficult to do without their help- not to mention they also found us our apartment! Thank you!

Saturday, members of our new ward, my family, and Jared, brought in all our boxes and started unpacking! While my mom and I were going through boxes, we discovered that Adelyn had the runs....on top of all the change, ear infections, more food, and new house- this poor baby had to be sick! So for two days she was under the weather. She's doing loads better now and we are nearly all the way unpacked! She's only in a diaper below, because she'd blown out yet another outfit....
Here are some things we like about our new apartment:

-It's extremely quiet....almost eerie in fact

-It's newer, nicer, and bigger

-Adelyn has her own bedroom AND bathroom!!

-There is a beach entrance into the pool (extra bonus for when we're missing Cali) complete with waterfalls

-Security to get into the complex

-Security system arming our apartment

-Apartment doesn't get hot even though its 95 outside...and we have AC just in case

-Lots of storage space

-Full size washer & dryer in our apartment!!!!!!!!

-Lake flowing all through the complex

-Stove with a timer on it, digital temperature gage, and beeps when it's pre-heated

-We get more, clear, and better channels with our bunny ears (TV)

-Mormon neighbors next door, and apparently all over this complex!

As you can probably tell, we like living here so far! We do miss all our friends in California though, and look forward to going back soon enough. The past two days at work have been good for Jared. He likes the work environment much better and is enjoying the challenge of different (yet similar) work.

I'd like to take a second to thank my wonderful, handsome husband for all he does for us/me. This move put a lot of pressure on him and I appreciate all he is and has done. Jared had to do most of the packing since Adelyn wanted to be entertained, and not a single thing got broken! He also took care of all the moving details and company politics of switching companies. Though this was an opportunity for a better work environment, Jared wanted to take this job because he knew it would make me happy to be close to my family. Thank you sweetheart, I love you so very much! You are still that sacrificing, caring man I married- and I love you for it.

Working hard or Hardly working?

2010-05-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

We've started packing up! And as you can see, Addie's enjoying all her fun new toys! Boxes!

Peek-a-Boo! We also discovered something while she was playing in her box- she can slightly pull herself up! This is good/bad news...until yesterday, we didn't know she could do that. Moving will be a great time to go through all the hassle of lowering her crib mattress.

While we were packing up some of the bathroom stuff, guess who scooted herself right into the bathroom to play! Why do babies always have an obsession with the bathroom??? Why do babies have to love everything dirty, stinky, noisy, or messy?! She was having too much fun in there, we just couldn't tear her away:

Scootin' and Scootin'

2010-05-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Adelyn pretty much has the scootin' thing down...

Now she's just trying to incorporate her knees in the "army crawl" mix.

Busted! The above picture is of her being caught red-handed because recently this is her favorite hideout. She loves to scoot under the end table and play with the extra keyboard. It cracks me up how much she is dedicated to finding this spot! No matter where I put her on the floor- she always ends up in there! I just love that she's exploring everything now! It's pretty fun :)

Disneyland Fun

2010-05-03T10:46:00.001-07:00

Well....you get two days at Disneyland, two good friends, and you get too much fun! As a last hoorah for leaving California (if you don't know by now- we're going back to AZ on the 15th) we wanted to go to the "happiest place on earth" and our friends Stephen and Chelsea coming into town was just the right excuse! They were also celebrating their last hoorah before their little bundle comes in October! We are so excited for them!

Thanks for driving down and going with us!

After the 2 days, we decided that for 20 bucks more we might as well get season passes...we have the hook-ups with friends close by to come visit again- plus we're still here for 2 weeks! So guess where we're going all week.....

Addie did really good considering she didn't get much napping in (only 30 minutes on the second day) but as always, she loved looking around at everyone and everything. I never thought it was very loud...but going on some of the rides, I realized it was sort of loud for little babies. She probably liked the Tiki Room the best....it was hard to tell.
For those of you who didn't know, The details of our move are: Jared was offered a job in Northern Phoenix, and he took it because he loves me and a happy wife is a happy life! :) No, my family lives there and we have been wanting to move closer to either of our families who don't live in an expensive state. So this was an answer to our prayers to have a chance at what is better for our future and current family! We're sad to leave some aspects of California like our ward, friends, weather, and beach. But it is exciting to have a way cheaper rent and bigger living space with my family 15 minutes away. So we are happy and looking forward to starting over somewhere else! :)

First Family Flight

2010-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we went on our very first flight as a family to go up to Utah for about the most eventful weekend ever. Jared's brother TJ was graduating BYU, Jared's dad and his wife, Collette were getting sealed in the Salt Lake temple, and TJ and Sunshine blessed the most recent addition to the family, Lyla Jean, that Sunday. This was also the first time of me meeting Kent and Collette. Furthermore, my sister, Kara, is currently living there and attending BYU so we got to see her while we were there too. Geesh! It was a fun and busy weekend! Here are some pictures (out of 100 or so) of our trip up to Utah. Congrats Kent and Collette, and TJ and Sunshine! Thanks for having us- we had a blast!

Addie did okay on the flight there. But the flight home....well lets just say we were being about as goofy as could be to keep her happy and content. The above picture shows just how much fun the plane ride was.

We had fun walking around BYU when the weather permitted. It was about as bi-polar (no pun intended) as my sister claims it was. Thursday was a gorgeous sunny day...Friday (TJ's graduation) was freezing and dumping rain. Not ideal for picture taking.

The graduation was very nice (from what I got to see) and we are so proud of TJ! In the middle of the ceremony, and elderly lady was walking down the steep stairs (just behind us) and fell backwards, hitting her head badly. Jared jumped to the rescue and reacted like a pro, telling people to call 911 while he put pressure on the wound and kept her awake. Way to go Jared! I have the best, heroic husband :)

It was so nice to be there for the sealing. It was so special, and the spirit was strong in that room. How wonderful that we have the church in our lives! Congrats Kent and Collette! We are so proud and happy for you!

Kara was nice enough to watch Addie while we were inside the temple. She did a great job! Thanks Kara! It was fun having you there!

Addie had a blast playing with her cousins- she just liked looking at them! Too bad she was a little overwhelmed with all that was going on, they wanted to hold her all the time, but she fussed a lot. :( Maybe when she's a little older she won't get overwhelmed so easily.

All in all, it was a great trip and it was so fun to see Jared's family again. It's not too often that we get to meet up, so it's always great when we see them. Wish the rest of the family could have been there- you were missed!

She's Scootin'!

2010-04-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days of leaving things around...... Addie is scooting!!! Yesterday Addie and I were on the floor playing, and all of a sudden she just started army crawling to get the toys she wanted! I was so excited! She just does it a little bit at a time, though this morning I put a hamper a good distance away from her thinking, "Nah, she won't go for that, it's too far" but the second I stood back she started booking it to investigate (she's still pretty slow so she got distracted by something else and gave up on the hamper). Here is a video of her going!

These feet were made for walking

2010-04-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

With Jared working and studying 12+ hours every day, Addie and I get pretty sick of looking at each other sometimes. Around 5, she gets pretty grouchy and I don't really like hearing it since nothing I do makes it better. So what do we do? We walk! While Adelyn gets to look at the beautiful scenery, I get to burn off all the fat still sticking around. Best for both of us!
When we get back from walking around, we are both in better moods and ready to greet daddy when he comes home 3 hours later!

Mischief

2010-04-09T10:21:00.001-07:00

Adelyn's new discovery is that she can roll to basically any destination- particularly into places she's not supposed to be in. Earlier this week she rolled under the lower part of the entertainment area and pulled the cord connected to our iPod player. BONK! Yup, poor thing was so shocked that pulling something would wack her in the head. She's got two little scratch marks in between her eyes. Fortunately it didn't get her in the eyes. You can see the cord and iPod player in this video.

I put down blankets for her to roll on, but those are basically useless now considering she doesn't stay on them. Or, she'll grab them and then roll so that she's made herself into a little spring roll. Then she gets mad because 1. she's stuck and 2. no more toys close by. But she can solve that problem sometimes by using her arms to turn her around in circles. Lately she's been rolling and scooting so much that she gets a little rat's nest on the little hair she's got in the back of her head. I hate cutting it out!

Addie spends a lot more time on her tummy now(voluntarily) so Jared takes advatage of that time and trys to teach her to crawl. I for one, am happy to prolonge this milestone since it means more work on my part (watching her constantly, baby proofing the house, vacuming daily, etc.). So I'm in no hurry to get her going faster- though I'm sure it will come sooner than I'm expecting.

Jared's engineering test is coming up next weekend and I think we are all ready for him to be done! I thnk that Jared feels like he still needs a lot more preparation- but I'm sure he will do fine with the time he has left and do great!