The last couple weeks....

Steve has been working, working, reading, going to Football games as a Team Physician, and putting the kids to bed by himself a lot.

I have been doing hair, getting ready for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation, doing Zumba (love, love, love it!!) and kickboxing, and trying to entertain the kids while it's raining outside.

Jaxson has been loving preschool, asking about his Birthday constantly, playing well with Ehlana, dressing up in costumes, and watching his Favorite show Wow Wow Wubzy.

Ehlana has been talking up a storm! She now says Please, Thank-you, Yes, Wow wow wuzzy, truck, Meg (our dog), ohh Pretty, uh oh I Poop, and sshhh Prayer. She loves to pretend to be a dog, play with her baby doll, and climb on everything. I found her standing on the kitchen table the other day. Yikes! And last Sunday she went to Nursery at church!

She's growing up so fast.

We've been crazy busy the last couple weeks. I've been gone a lot in the evenings and so this week I'm saying no to things so I can be home more. I also made 40 hair bows to sell at a consignment sale.

Big mistake. I always think I need a crafty project or hobby like other "Mormon Moms" but anytime I commit myself to something I end up dreading it. I would come home from visiting a Primary child or doing hair and have to stay up until midnight trying to get my hair bows finished. Steve was a big help this last week. I love coming home to sleeping kids and a clean house!

We did have a wonderful little weekend getaway to Portland last week. A family from Steve's mission was visiting from Japan so we went down and stayed a night with my wonderful friend Diane. It was really fun. Steve especially had a great time visiting with them and they were excited to see our kids.

Next up.... Halloween! :)

Boys are Noise Covered in Dirt

When Jaxson was one year old he didn't get into things the way some little boys do. There was the occasional raid of my cupboards and unloading his drawers but he spent most of his time playing with toys or harassing the cat. Now that he's almost 4 he's getting into to stuff all the time! (And jumping on the couch. And throwing rocks.) I no longer wake up to him laying his crib with his Binky and his favorite blanket. Nope. This is what I wake up too.....
He likes to wake up and get himself cereal or crackers from the cupboard. I didn't care. But then he discovered the chocolate chips. I would wake up to chocolate on his bed, carpet, and all over his face. So I bought a child lock. Yes, the first child lock I have ever used! Well the next morning Jaxson climbs into my bed and we're having our morning chat when he says, "I spilled the milk. I spilled twice." Seriously. I don't want to get up. There's probably milk all over my kitchen. Then he says, "There's milk on my bed." I jumped out of bed to find milk all over his bed and the carpet. Not knowing how long it had been there I scrubbed it as best I could and washed all of his bedding. The next morning I put milk in a sippy cup for him and a banana on the table for him to eat. No problems. Yesterday I wake up and Jaxson hasn't come into my room yet.... hummm. Oh no. I forgot to lock the cupboard! Jaxson had found a box of instant pudding and had it all over himself. And his bed. (Which Ehlana found later.) And his room smelled like poo. Really bad. Some mom's would grab the camera. Maybe I will with my sixth child but not with my first. I sent him to the corner and he didn't get to watch his favorite show all day. I cleaned him up. Washed all his bedding. And searched for the smell. I couldn't find it. Steve comes home that evening and says, "Jaxson's room smells terrible." I said, " I know it smells like poo but I can't find anything." Steve says, "No, it smells like rotten milk. I remember that smell from college."
Boys are so GROSS!

That's What It's All About!

This is what Puyallup is all about... The greasy (extremely expensive) food, the animal poop stuck to your shoe, the rickety clank of the rides, the smell of a giant Krusty Pup or Scone(mmmmm), and yes the rather scary toothless carnies.... If you live in the State of WA you know Puyallup is all about The Fair! This year we went to "Do the Puyallup". Wednesday we went with the kids.
Jaxson had a great time on the rides. The car was his favorite!




Ehlana was too little to ride any of the rides. So sad. But, she loved the petting zoo and this cool instrument toy was a hit with both of the kids.




After we ate dinner it started to rain so we didn't stay long after that. The kids had fun and I'm glad we took them.

Thursday night Steve and I went without the kids. We went on a lot of the rides, watched a hilarious hypnotist show, and ate dessert. It was really fun. The best part was whenever we went on an up-side-down ride Steve said, " WhoOOAAahh, ooOOOoohhh, uuuhhh!" It was so funny. Afterward he'd complain of a queasy stomach and a headache. This is the boy that grew up a couple blocks from Disney Land. Haha! I guess he's not as young as he used to be.
It was a great date night!

First Day of Preschool

Jaxson started Preschool yesterday. It was a "meet the teacher" day and he went for a half an hour with a few other kids. Today was his first real day. He goes 3 days a week and has 16 kids in his class. My Mom is his teacher. She's been teaching preschool for almost 20 years and the best part is the preschool is right next door to our house. Jaxson was so excited to go to Grandma's preschool! But, I think I am more excited than he is.





Good Job, Jaxson! Only 23 more years of school left! :)

One Year Older and Wiser Too....

My Baby Cakes turned 29 today! Yep, he's getting up there! But he has accomplished so much this year. He's a great dad and a wonderful husband. Marrying him really was the best decision I've ever made. In honor of him turning 29 I decided to write 29 things you may or may not know about Steve.

1.He loves sleeping in but hates taking naps.
2.He goes to movies by himself. He has since he was in High School. He loves movies.
3.He used to work as an armed Security Guard when we lived in UT.
4.He hates the snow.
5.He loves cats. He used to find cats outside of our apartment complex and ask if we could keep them.
6.He laughs until he cries whenever he watches Funniest Home Videos or Wipeout.
7.He used to get mad when he got a B on anything in school. He works hard and has high expectations for himself.
8.He could eat pizza everyday and never get sick of it.
9.He likes to help strangers. He once helped a lady on the side of the road push her car, and a couple days ago he put gas in a total strangers car.
10.He broke his parents glass shower door with a small hammer when he was little. He gave his mom a run for her money a few times....
11.He gained 30 lbs when we got engaged.
12.He gained 15 more when I was pregnant with Jaxson.
13. He has lost it all and is the skinniest he's been since we've been married!
14.He named Ehlana after a Princess in a David Eddings book. He loves fantasy books that much.
15.He hates being late.
16.He cleans up after himself better than I do.
17.He used to play golf at least once a week with his Dad. He really misses that.
18.He loves sushi.
19.He never snores.
20.He is really passionate about his career and if you show any interest in medicine he'll talk your ear off.
21.He has ticklish feet but hates them being touched.
22.He gives Ehlana a bath and puts her to bed almost every night. He used to do that with Jaxson too when he was a baby.
23.He's nearly blind with out his contacts.
24.He just beat Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess on the Wii. What an accomplishment. :)
25.He pays all the bills. I just transfer the money I want every month into my account and he takes care of the rest. He's very financially minded.
26.He'll wear anything I say looks good on him.
27.He likes musicals. If they're good.
28.He really likes living next to my parents.
29. He always tries to be better than he is. He's grown so much as a Father, as a Husband, and in the Gospel.

I love you, Baby! Happy Birthday!

All Things Girl

Our cute little Ehlana April is 16 months old in two days. She's 16 lbs and is the size of the average 9 month old. She's a petite little girl with a big personality. And like me she loves all things girl! Shoes, clothes, jewelery, baby dolls, and most of all her Daddy. She's not much of a snuggler but she'll snuggle with her Daddy. Yesterday he came home from work and she pet his hair for a long time. She so funny.I love having a girl as much as she loves being a girl! She's so fun and loves to be silly!



Dispite her size she loves to eat!
She's at such a fun stage and she learns something new everyday.
If we say, "It's time to say prayers." She does this...
How cute is that?

One of her favorite games is Peek a Boo.

She loves to blow kisses and says, "Mmmmmmwaa!"

How big is Ehlana? So Big! Well she thinks she is. :)

And here's the classic pouting face. Too bad for her only Grandma falls for it.

But, most of the time she's a happy little bug and we love her to pieces!

26 Years Old

Saturday was my 26th Birthday. I of course milked it and we've celebrated it for a few weeks now. One Saturday we went to the Super Mall and Steve took the kids to the play place so I could shop. It was the perfect gift! I even got to pick my own budget. :) Last Friday we had a bunch of friends over for a party. I wanted to get together with our friends and hang out with out our kids. We had it at my parents house and my Mom made 4 different desserts. They were all fabulous! We had a great time visiting. I really am blessed with wonderful friends. My actual Birthday was a week later on Saturday. Friday night my Mom watched the kids so Steve and I could go to a movie. We saw the Time Travelers Wife. I thought it was really good. Steve had a golf tournament Saturday morning which I didn't mind him going to. He brought home lunch and flowers for me. We had a picnic outside and played with the kids. Then he cleaned the house and my friend stopped by to pick some beans. She offered to baby sit that night so we could go out the dinner. It was great to have two date nights in a row! Monday my mom helped Jaxson make a cake and we had another small family party. Jaxson was really into my Birthday this year. It was so cute. I feel very celebrated and loved!
It was a great Birthday!

Oh, What Do We Do In The Summer Time...

Go Camping!
Steve took Jaxson to his first Father's and Son's campout at the Church.They were both so excited and they had a great time.




Go Boating!
We went to the lake that my Brother, Carl, is working at with some friends and family. Jaxson loved the boat and Ehlana had a great time splashing in the water.




Parties and Picnics!
For Pioneer Day we went to a party at the church with the whole Stake. Jaxson's favorite part was riding the pony.



Steve had a work party at a lake. It was nice to meet some of the people he works with but it was on a Sunday so we just went for a little while. He's been working a lot and is completely licenced. He sees his own patients, writes perscriptions, and assists in Surgery. I don't mind the long hours because I like the pay checks!





It's been a busy and HOT summer. We've had record highs for Washington. It hadn't been that hot since the 1800's! Which means we spent most of our time in the pool. Steve would get home from work and join us in the pool almost every night. Jaxson is taking swimming and gymnastics classes this month and he starts preschool in a couple weeks.

Even though we've been busy, we've had plenty of time to be together as a family. It's been a great summer.