Matt and Shannon

Jacob is 4!

2012-01-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

I did a Q&A with Jacob about turning 4, and took some videos of him opening his presents, enjoy-

What?!

2012-01-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

I know right a new post....nothing much just some videos...

2011-12-23T12:03:00.001-08:00

Lilly

2011-11-10T10:00:00.001-08:00

Jacobs "guys"

2011-10-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

Lilly is growing up...

2011-10-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

As you can see Lilly is no longer a baby....

{The weather was really nice a few weeks ago and we actually got to play in the backyard

{these were taken at Marley farms, Jacob had a field trip and we got to tag along}

{such a big girl!}

{sleeping children are the cutest}

{Lilly loves shoes, she loves to walk around in my shoes, Jacobs shoes, her shoes...but I think she likes my heels best because of the noise they make...}

Jacob

2011-09-13T08:27:00.001-07:00

Jacob started Preschool this week, and he loves it. On the first day all the moms were lined up waiting hand and hand with their child to enter the classroom. I was at the back of the line because surprisingly I wasn't in a hurry to be "Jacob free" for a couple of hours. Jacob had other ideas, he just walked past everyone and went into his classroom, no big deal. So I waited in line by myself to let the teacher know which kid was mine and that he was already making himself feel comfortable. I think being in nursery at church has really helped with things like this. When I came back to pick him I could see him sitting in his chair waiting for his turn to leave. He was so cute, I love him so much. And I don't understand why most of the time he drives me crazy, but the minute I leave him somewhere I instantly miss him. Is it sad that my 3 year old is one of my best friends? He was so excited to tell me all about his day when I picked him up.

Boys will be boys

2011-08-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

This week Jacob had his second visit to an urgent care for stitches. He was playing with his friends at the playground at the Chandler Mall and as he was running he "fell on the lady". The lady said he hit the padded seat, but we have a hard time believing it wasn't something else (like a laptop). Shannon asked for first aid and did not receive much help. She was directed to call the Fire Department, who got there just before I arrived. They wrapped his head up and did some tests to make sure he didn't have a concussion.

The Fire Department recommended we take him to the closest urgent care. Lucky for us, it wasn't too busy. When they took the wrap off to look at it, I couldn't believe how deep the cut was (again, from a padded seat?) The doctor wanted to glue it, but after examining the clean wound he recommended stitches. Jacob wasn't a big fan of the needle...

Three stitches and a band-aid later, and he was good to go. So far, no signs of a concussion or TBI.

I have a feeling this is not the last time he will be getting stitches...

we needed somthing to do....

2011-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Kids

2011-07-27T13:23:00.001-07:00

{i got the idea from here }

i can't wait to frame them...I'm curious would it be weird to have them in our room? or should i put them in the kids rooms?

Matt's in Mexico...

2011-07-22T22:33:00.001-07:00

...so I made a couple cards today while the kids were napping...

and then tonight after the kids and I ate dinner I debated weather or not I wanted Dairy Queen, but I settled for this {which is actually better then dairy queen, and I would love to drink one everyday} It was just what I needed to get me through one more night till Matt gets home :) {and then he can have a turn with the kids}

Jacob is the coolest kid ever! part 2

2011-06-30T13:20:00.001-07:00

Lilly's Bear

2011-06-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Lilly got this huge bear for her birthday from my parents...so this video is really more for them, it's long and not very exciting, other then the fact that Lilly is super cute...

Jacob is the coolest kid ever!

2011-06-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

My parents got this light saber at the San Diego fair. When we first gave it to him he took off running in excitement, I'm not even sure if he knew where he was going, he just took off swinging it around. Thankfully after months and months of running I used my skills and chased after him. Words can not explain his excitement!......p.s. sorry the video is so blurry...

San Diego: June 2011

2011-06-22T15:32:00.001-07:00

We went to San Diego for just over a week. Here are a ton of pictures from our trip. We always have so much fun, and are sad to leave. The sun was not shining too much and I must say I missed it a little. Going home to San Diego always makes me miss living there. It's beautiful, green, cool weather and of course my family's there. I'm not gonna lie, filling up my gas tank sucked, paying over six dollars for 2 gallons of milk sucked, paying ten dollars for parking at the fair sucked...in short whenever I go home I miss things about Arizona. And although I still call San Diego home, Arizona is becoming more and more my home. I'm grateful and feel blessed to live in a place that doesn't require so much sacrifice on our family just to afford to live. So here's a mish-mosh of pictures from our trip....

{yes Jacob wears "neon" green flip-flops and Lilly has pink jellies}

{building sand castles with dad}

{Lilly thought it was a sandcastle cake....see below}

{she was literally eating the sand}

{Jacobs new favorite park}

{My mom got Jacob a set of pirate toys, and Darth Vader case to keep them in}

{our 3rd child, monkey we love you}

{Me and my Dad}

{Lilly loves her daddy}

{best kite ever!}

{seaport village}

{I love my Lillian}

{Jacob and me going down the "really really really big slide"}

{I swear I went with Jacob, he was to cool for a pic}

{who needs a double stroller}

{words can not describe the joy that this toy has brought to him}

{this was taken at the fair, but we did get to go the movies while out there, just the two of us}

{games were only a dollar that night, and for some reason the workers were all so nice, they let him play over and over again, winning a toy every time}

{Jacobs a pretty tall 3 year old, so he was big enough to go on most of the rides by himself, not gonna lie it made me nervous, but I was also so proud of him}

{Lilly and my mom have a hard time getting to know each other, Lilly is finally warming up to her}

{my younger sister, everyone thinks we look so much alike but I don't see I all}

{Mr. Frosty...feeding our family ice cream for I don't know 20+ years...}

{he doesn't look scared right?}

Sorry the pictures are totally out of order...

Our next vacation is camping :)

Just a couple things I made...

2011-05-19T16:42:00.001-07:00

{brother in-laws birthday card...he turned 9...boys love monsters right? }

{mothers day card}

{cupcakes for my activity day girls at church...it was a pool party}

{i know the bear looks like he's at the beach but whatever, some people have sandboxes right?}

Lilly's 1

2011-05-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Spit bubbles....

2011-05-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Lilly sleeping

2011-05-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

{went in last night to check on Lilly...}

{...and here's how I found her}

Jacob is cute.

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

{ at least he paused the game}

{card for "show & tell"}

2011-05-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Lilly's Birthstory

2011-05-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, our sweet baby girl was born into our family. I've never sat down and put her birth story on paper or blogged it. It's crazy how long our hearts take to soften our feelings about some things. Lilly was supposed to be a home birth, a water birth. Unfortunately it didn't end up that way. Knowing that we didn't have the maternity coverage for a hospital birth we explored our options. With prayer and educating ourselves we felt home birth was right for us. I never once felt that it wouldn't go as planned. My labor started at home in the middle of the night, we called my midwife. And by the time she arrived everything pretty much stopped. She said it could start back up again, and maybe not even for a couple more days. So she left, and Matt went to the store to get some food and some things to have on hand just in case in did start back up. And of course it did just a few minutes after he left, it seemed like he was gone forever. By the time he got home, things were moving along pretty well and my midwife was on her way over. I sat and waited and refused to get up until she got there, as soon as she arrived I got up to get into the pool. My water broke, and there was meconium. And it was thick. After checking me she felt like I needed to head to the hospital, she felt it was too thick and didn't want to risk anything. The midwife called 911, and from there it all kind of blurs together. I was in a lot of pain, strapped down to the bed, a ton of people asking me all the same questions, even though my husband (not in labor) could have answered them {and my midwife had all the same info}. I wasn't happy, I was trying to calculate all the cost in my head, and take in everything going on. At one point they thought she was upside down and then no she wasn't. All I wanted at that point was the epidural. It was almost like an outer body experience, thinking back to it I still can't believe how everything went down. My heart was a little broken and my mind was stressed. Shortly after the epidural she came. And Lilly being the sweet baby she is wouldn't cry. She was breathing just fine, but it took forever for them to give her to me. My midwife was right there with the nurse asking for the baby, so when the nurse left for a minute, Mary got her to cry somehow. {Most of us know Lilly cries just fine now, she's a little sensitive}. We came out of the hospital with 14,000 dollars of medical debt, and after months of fighting with ahcccs and being told we were 2,000 dollars short of qualifying. {thankfully, after fighting with the hospital they cut our bill down a lot} I felt like maybe we were wrong in our decision, of having another kid, home birth or putting our trust in a stranger to deliver my baby? I thought Heavenly Father planned for me to have a home birth. Of course I was wrong. He had much more in store for us, for me. But I have been able to grow closer to him through this experience. Especially when I look back on it and try to make sense of it all. I know that we needed to be tested. I feel peace now, knowing that I did my part and it was enough. I wonder sometimes if Heavenly Father's heart aches along with us in time of trials? Even though he knows the big picture, I wonder if he wishes we could see it too? But I know that if we put our trust in him, and do the things he asks to, he will show us the way. Even if it's bumpy or sometimes a mountain, we will learn to be forever grateful for those times. One year has passed, and Lilly is everything we imagined her to be. We love her so much. And are so blessed to have a happy healthy baby.

Lilly is 1.

2011-05-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

camping 2 - Williow Springs

2011-05-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Our first morning thawing out...

Yes, we know the canoe is backwards....

very bad seating arrangement..haha...not sure what they were thinking, but they were brave enough to switch it around while out on the lake..

Grandma, Jacob and Lilly...Is it just me or does it look like Denine is trying to push Lilly off the bed???

Lilly is going for walk trying to warm up.

It was cold. The first night it was in the 20's {and yes all the people in their campers were laughing at us} because who goes tent camping in April? We do! We love camping and spending time together, getting dirty, not changing our clothes for 3 days, and eating lots of hot dogs. The first morning I went for a little jog around the campsite {only like 1.7 miles) thinking I would warm up, but no. My big toe was still frozen for at least a couple hours. The second night we had extra blankets and felt much better. We left Sunday afternoon and looked forward to the sunshine. I layout in back yard for maybe 25 mins and got sunburned. I might even say I missed the hot Arizona sun. What have I become?!?!? Anyways all in all we had fun, and Matt enjoyed spending his birthday with all his family.

2011-05-04T18:23:00.001-07:00

I forgot to put this up...

2011-05-04T18:21:00.001-07:00

{Jacob and Lilly}

2011-05-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

2011-04-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

2011-04-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

2011-04-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Lego Star Wars

2011-04-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

{who says kids that play video games don't get any exercise}

Tower

2011-04-18T13:59:00.001-07:00

{Easter}

2011-04-14T14:19:00.001-07:00

I like to make things and when they turn out cute I like to share them...Thank you Heather Sadleir for always giving me something else to do besides folding my laundry...{it's not like the clothes are gonna get any stinky-er right?}

I made these with some help from my friend/activity day partner...

And yes we had to taste test them, and they are so good!

So easy! Try it, and if you want the tag let me know and I'll email you the jpeg.

Walking : )

2011-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

My bed.

2011-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

{This is my bed.}

{This is my bed 5 minutes later.}

...................................................

How many times do you make your bed in one day?

2011-04-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

{This is Jacobs Easter "Peep" house}

{yes, those are bite marks, he took a couple bites}

{poor peep, didn't get to enjoy his home for long}

I got the idea from here.

Lillys room

2011-04-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

{Today I made this for Lilly's room.}

{Now I just need to find a cute 12x12 frame.}

Jacob

2011-04-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the mall with my mother in-law and sister in-law. I think it was the first time I've been to the mall in like a year. And yes we had both my kids. Lilly in the stroller, and the 3 year old walking on his own. Now when Jacob, Lilly and I go out shopping on our own, most of the time it's a pleasant experience. Lilly usually sits in the cart or stroller no problem, and Jacob just wanders, but always comes back....or if he doesn't I always know right where to find him (toys or looking at the x-box games) Last night though, oh my gosh...why is it your kids always have to act like crazy children when close family is around? Jacob was so intrigued by the dressing rooms, and wanted to watch everyone try on clothes. By the end of the evening I gave up and Jacob thought it would be fun to try on some clothes himself.

Some other highlights from the night-
forgot the diapers, so of course Lilly poops...so I had to interrupt some poor girl eating her dinner and ask if she had a diaper to spear....
Jacob playing with the vacuum in Dillard's, all was fine until he decided to wack the stroller with it, and making it rain nastiness all over Lilly....
Waiting in line for the family restroom, with Jacob letting all the strangers know that he didn't want soap in his mouth...
I got to try on some clothes (even though I had no money to shop) and found out I have gone down 2 sizes since October....But I'm sure I just went back up a size due to the fat piece of cheesecake I just ate....

but anyways, I'm not ashamed to say being a mother is hard (and we have to find comfort in food sometimes) If anyone tells you it's easy, well I'm sure they're lying (or they pay someone to take care of their kids) Many woman have told me "there's a time and season for everything" and I know one day I'll wake up and Jacob won't want to play x-box or play tag with me and Lilly will be to cool to let her mommy kiss her cheeks repeatably...so for now those are the things that need to bring me joy....its weird because every time I look at that picture of Jacob, I forget about the whole trip and all I can think about is how much I love that kid, and how much joy and laughter he brings to me.

shhhh.....

2011-04-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

I made the kids "quiet books" for church....I must give credit to this awesome lady. She has the free template's to download from her blog. I've been wanting to make one for awhile but didn't know where to start, but she made it very easy. I did change things quite a bit, but of course I needed to make it our own. If you have Photoshop you should make one, I bet your kids will love it! If you don't have Photoshop, and you want one I'd be happy to help you make one.

{just a warning, I think I spent easily almost 5 hours making ours}

Lillys room

2011-03-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

{so cute!}

i think she likes it....

i got it from here...

Bathroom

2011-03-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we or I decided it was time to paint the hall bathroom, so we did. Actually I did all the painting and Matt did all the easy stuff....

Off to Home depot we went- and look what i found....

{can you see the price?what?!}

so here's the bathroom now, i couldn't get a good picture of the light fixture, sorry....and now i can't decide if i should paint the frame darker? or paint the cabinets darker??? I still need to get some cute towels and shower curtain...maybe we'll go shopping for FHE?? sounds like a good idea to me...

I got the idea for the mirror here {yes her's is much prettier then mine, but i like ours too}

just because...

2011-03-24T23:52:00.001-07:00

please ignore jacobs obsession...

2011-03-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

my babies....

2011-03-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

{ at least he remembered his shoes}

{this hair and a full diaper, but still a smile on her face}

Lilly

2011-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping this works, and if so I'll be excited....I love how she gives him a big push at the end and pushes him off the patio...

50%

2011-02-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

When is doing 50% of anything ever enough? WELLL let me tell you...trying running only 50% of a marathon, that's enough. One of my new years goals is to run a full marathon, and so far i've made it halfway. The last weekend of January I ran 13.1 miles. After I finished, I told Matt it was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Also I told him I didn't want to run a full marathon...but I knew right away, I would run another half. {notice i won't tell you my time, it was not good...i wasn't last but I know I can do better} But now with some time I know I'll run a full one.

These 2 crazy girls ran also, and notice how cold we look? Not evening joking, I could not feel my toes for like the first mile.

This is the end of the run...the whole run was on dirt, and through cotton fields...it was such a nice run, but I could of done without the faint smell of manure...

See that orange I'm holding? I don't know if it was the run, but we all agreed those were the best tasting oranges ever...

And just a side note, the last mile I was holding back tears? So strange, I don't know if it was low blood sugar or the encouraging signs/pictures of the kids with cancer....but running for 2plus hours, is a lot of time to yourself. And so many emotions were going through my head. Mainly reflecting on why I was running in the first place, I was running for me. {don't get me wrong, I'm glad my money went to a good cause} but I proved to myself that I can set hard goals, and I can accomplish them. Maybe that's why I wanted to cry? I don't know I'm still not sure, it felt a little weird...

So now onto the Ragnar Relay at the end of this month. I'm so excited I can't wait!

3

2011-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that Jacob turned 3?!? What! Yes I know I have a 3 year old, it's a little hard to believe. Anyways.......We, as in I decided that we would not be doing a birthday party this year. No fun right? wrong! It was the best idea ever and I think I might not ever be throwing another "birthday party" haha...I decided we would just invite a ton kids (pretty much his nursery friends) to come and have a play date at the park. And Jacob brought snack and drinks to share. Jacob had so much fun, and it was so nice to just sit and talk and let the kids play. And I was so busy talking I only got one picture....

Jacob was so excited to pass out the snack/lunch bags to his friends, he talked about for days...The bags included (b/c i know your all gonna want to copy this idea), a kid friendly water bottle, pb&j sandwich, a twix, fruit roll up, pretzels, and a slinky...and I did 15 bags for under 15 dollars....

I'm a bad mom, I didn't even make him a cake...but we did put candles in his birthday breakfast...

Things off the top of my head that Jacob loves-
xbox-any game that's "Lego," we did get him Lego Star Wars for his birthday
the park
running, I swear this kid can run forever
chocolate milk, chicken nuggets, powdered donuts, hot dogs, pizza and spaghetti
nursery
Lilly
Mommy and Daddy
watching movies
The movie Cars
playing xbox with daddy
being silly

We love Jacob so much and are so blesses to have him in our family. I'm amazed at how fast he and his vocabulary is growing.I can't wait to see what his next year as in store for him.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

2011-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

I made this card yesterday, and thought it turned out so cute....so I thought I would share...

2011-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

hummmm....

2011-02-04T07:10:00.001-08:00

i left the room and when i came back {b/c Lilly was crying}, i found this....

i wonder how she got in there?...

Lilly's room part 2...

2011-01-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

Lilly is officially out of our room {not gonna lie, i missed seeing her silly face this morning when i woke up} It's probably a good thing, for me, I feel much more rested today. She has been waking me up throughout the night for the past year...yes year, even in the womb I would wake up with every toss and turn she would make....Anyways I think she loves it. I do. Her face did light up a little bit when she saw her toys, {finally not in my closet anymore}....so we did end up painting stripes on the closet wall {well matt did the painting, i did the touch up}, and Matt did such an awesome job, aaannndd he framed the window {so proud of him} .....

There's still lots to do in terms of decorations, I'm thinking a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order...but the hardest part is done.

Loves.

2011-01-21T18:11:00.001-08:00

When did my 2 babies get to be so big?

Lilly's room part 1

2011-01-20T13:48:00.001-08:00

The picture below is NOT Lilly's room, just my inspiration....

We started painting Lilly's room last week...And I knew I wanted the stripes...

Here's a couple before pictures. {see how happy she is, so glad her mommy gave up her craft space, but I'm not giving up the closet}

I picked out tons of pink's and narrowed it down to two. I'm not typically a "pink" kinda girl, so I knew I didn't want a soft sweet baby pink. So after much debate, and a skype conference with my mom, {although I'm not sure why I asked her, when I look back at pictures of my room from when I was a little girl I'm horrified, and my sister will agree} we went with the darker of the two..
and tada! one wall is all we did...I love it, but I know the whole room will just be to much, but one wall is not enough. Her room is tricky, it has five walls...soo do I stop at the window wall? or do i wrap around the closet side?
Below is the closet side as you can see it's not a huge room/wall and her dresser will most likely be on this wall.

So I'm asking- Do we paint more stripes? b/c they are cute? or do we stop and call it a day?? and we still need to frame her window, hopefully {fingers crossed} we will get to do that this weekend {Matt got an air compressor for Christmas and i know he's dying to use it...right babe..wink wink} and then maybe the kitchen window, since were gonna be getting the stuff anyways....muahaha

2011 goals

2011-01-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

I've been debating if I should share "my" goals for 2011. I've never really set goals and this year I really wanted too. All of them sound surprisingly simple (except run a marathon) but they are things I struggle with everyday. I'm hoping that by posting them for all to see I will do better with sticking with them.

I'm going to print them up and post them somewhere in my house. That way I can see them everyday. Hopefully by the end of this year I'll be a better person spiritually and physically...and a better mother and wife.

Hands Down, Best Christmas Ever part 2

2011-01-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

So after the Disneyland trip we headed Down to San Diego to stay with my family. Matt had to work the whole week, but he didn't mind. He knows how much it means to me to be able to spend time with my family. I'm not gonna lie though, during the summer it's hard for him to sit and work while we're all at the beach playing. The night we got there we opened presents, and we got my parents a web-cam, so now they can see the kids whenever they like. Most of my time was spent out shopping with my mom and sister and eating of course...Mexican food and sushi...When I still lived at home I'd always go to the movies with my dad. So of course we had to go see a movie. We saw Tron. It was good, kinda nerdy, but Matt loved it ;)...On New Years eve we watched movies, I went to bed at like 10:30, and Matt stayed up with my dad. And on New Years day we got up early and went to Miramar Lake, so Matt and I could run. My parents walked with the kids. Jacob fed the ducks, and I don't think "ducks" is even the right word...because there had to be at least 100 ducks, it was a little overwhelming. And we could hear the geese in background, and my mom was paranoid the whole time that we were going to get attacked...but we survived...We also did something we had never done before, we rented bikes and rode down by mission beach. It was so much fun, I can't wait to go back and do it again! If your planning on going to San Diego, it's a must do! (it was only like 12 dollars a bike for 4 hours)

My parents have a lot of animals, 1 bird (usually 2 but for some reason the #2 bird always dies), 1 dog, 3 cats, ton of fish, 2 kids still living at home, and a rabbit. Jacob loves it, I'm sure he'd love to have a pet, but no thank you...

"Beach Grandma"

"Beach Grandpa"
Jacob really calls them beach grandma and grandpa

Even though it was hard being away from our home for almost two weeks, it was a much needed break for me. And thank you Matt for being so awesome and willing to sit at my parents kitchen table for hours and work, so I could be out having fun with my fam!

Hands Down, Best Christmas Ever! Part 1

2010-12-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun on our three day trip to Disneyland and California Adventures! We spent a lot of time and energy, but I think it was well worth the tired feet and aching back. We spent Christmas Eve in Disneyland. We were able to get in an hour early and rode quite a few rides. Shannon and I packed PBJs for lunch to save some money, knowing that Jacob would actually eat that. We left the park early and headed to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, which was right across the street from our hotel. It was a great ending to the day.

The second day we spent at California Adventures. Jacob got some pictures with Mater and Lightning McQueen. We were able to use the combination of Fast Pass and Rider Swap to hit all of the main attractions. My favorite was California Screamin'. Shannon really liked the Soarin' over California ride. Jacob really liked the Golden Zephyr ride. I think Lilly just liked all the attention and people watching. We also got a Fast Pass for the World of Color for the evening, which is an amazing water and light display. Unfortunately, shortly after it started they had some technical issues. It was raining pretty good, but we decided to go back over to Disneyland. On our way into the park, we bought ponchos for Jacob and the stroller. Shannon took Jacob on Autotopia. Jacob really liked it, but at the end they weren't able to get out of the car since nobody was getting on the ride and they were completely soaked afterwards. I then took Jacob on the Matterhorn, which is a lot of fun in the rain. Afterwards, we decided that it was time to head back to the hotel. We were both soaked to the bone and worn out, ready for bed.

(the fist two paragraphs are by Matt, and I'm just finishing up)

On day three we all went and did our own thing. It was nice to be able to good do all the kiddy stuff again with Jacob and Lilly. That night we went to see the World of Color, and it was amazing! I've never seen anything like it. We had so much fun!

Nap time.. when he woke up, we lost that binky, the one and only one he will take...but no worries he's doing great without it. Evey now and then he'll ask if we can go to Disneyland and get his binky, I just say yes we'll go back someday....

Entrance of the Disneyland

Jacob loves his uncle, he's always talking about him, and want to be a big boy like Brigham...

so cute

Jacobs first ride, the "rocket ship ride" he loved it!

So cute! I love that hair flipping out the sides...

Lilly looked like this most of the time, we were nervous but the kids did so good!

All the grand kids.

Another favorite ride of Jacobs

Merry Christmas to us!

Thanks to James and Denine! We love you!

Christmas #2

2010-12-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house early {ha!}

Christmas morning

{how could Santa say no to a "cars" xbox game....}

I love her.

She's overwhelmed by all the pink....

Now that I have kids to share Christmas with, the excitement is totally different. I remember Christmas mornings growing up and my mom and dad would just sit there. They were never in a hurry to open their presents. It's just to much fun watching your kids and seeing their faces light up...

{MERRY CHRISTMAS!!}

Chritsmas #1

2010-12-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

{Christmas fun at grandma and grandpa Downs}

At first Jacob was a little unsure of Santa, but he warmed up {once he realized Santa had a gift for him}

Lilly loved Santa...{but really I think she was super excited about chewing on paper}

Jacob got a set of "Cars" cars from grandma and grandpa...{but I'm not sure if he liked them...so cute!}

Matt's grandma made hats for all the kids, and Lilly's by far was the cutest!

Jacob loves Frosty

2010-12-17T04:55:00.001-08:00

I think it all started when we went out to San Diego for Thanksgiving. When we stay with the Davis family, we usually sleep in Shannon's old room (a room carved out of the garage space). It is cozy and separated from the rest of the house. This made it easy for us to put Jacob somewhere without having to worry about him getting into things. We have found that if we put on a movie, he does pretty well.

This time he wanted to watch Frosty the Snowman. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, but we figured as long as he was quiet and out of trouble he could watch whatever he wanted. Jacob quickly fell in love with Frosty.

A few weeks later, Shannon was out with the kids during the day. Jacob loves to roam around the store, finding new and exciting things to play with. On one occasion he found one of those CD sampler boards. You know, the ones where you push the button and a demo of the CD comes on. Well this particular sampler board happened to have Frosty the Snowman. Jacob pushed the button and to our surprise started singing along with the words (he had apparently learned the song quite well). Now every time we are in the car listening to music, he asks for the Frosty song. So cute!

run run repeat....

2010-12-15T07:53:00.001-08:00

For journaling proposes... On Dec. 3rd I set out for my first 10 mile run, up until this point the most I'd had ever run was 8.7 miles. I thought "well I almost did 9 so I'll just jump to 10 no problem"... And it really was no problem, I did have to walk a little around mile 7...bad side ache = no fun...but once it was gone I felt good and felt like I finished it out strong. So the plan is every week increase my long run by 1 mile. On Dec. 11th I went for 11 miles! Annd yeah I finished, but it was hard! And I think it was more of a mental thing. My body was fine (and by fine I mean my legs were still working after almost two hours of running) but my mind was not right. I read somewhere, that your mind will give up before your body...and it's so true, my legs would keep running as long as I told them to...but around mile 9 my ipod died (never will I let this happen again) so I couldn't help but think about something...most of the time i'm running with a friend and we talk the whole time, but I was by myself after mile 6...So all I thought about was, how much longer, can I do this, just keep running, how can I run a marathon if I can't even run half....so when I finished instead of being excited I was really disappointed...and it didn't matter what I told myself...but I need to learn to celebrate the small victories, and not be so concerned with the ultimate goal. (i mean i just started running in October) but anyways now we're updated...and I think this Friday I'll only do 9 or 10 and be happy and think back to when I could barely do a mile :)

Frosty the Snowmans girlfriend...

2010-12-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

I made these for my Activity Day girls and they turned out so cute! I had to share, they were so easy! I think I might be making more...It's a full sized "crunch" candy bar, just in case your wondering...

for me...

2010-11-19T16:01:00.001-08:00

im doing this post from matts phone...so yeah im not gonna worry about typos and caps...so anyways this post is more for me then you...today i ran 8.68 miles... some highlights and lowlights...i stopped a couple times b/c the super cold air at 430 in the morning has given me a runny nose,so i had to blow my nose right onto the st...we saw a coyote and i was worried about it the whole...had to run my last 3 solo so my crepper radar was on big time...after mile 4 my stomache was cramping from who knows what...after 8 miles i was glad i accomplished my goal, but was sad when i saw how close iwas to 9...

this has nothing to do with my run, but trying to do a blog post from a phone kinda sucks...and i would go as far as saying more challenging then my run this morning....

Random

2010-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Matt put grass in a few weeks ago and it's growing!! And the kids love it!

I just liked this picture, I think Jacob is teaching her to crawl...

run run run....

2010-11-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

I could hardly believe it last week when I broke 4 miles for the first time, and went on to 5....and then this morning I just went for it. I ran 7 miles! And the weird thing is I never really felt like I couldn't keep running. Like my feet got used to it. And when I stopped to get in the car (not even joking) I felt every step I took. Suddenly it felt like my feet weighed a ton...So anyways I said I'd keep you updated (like anyone reads this thing)...

....now I am sitting down and eating a HUGE "Costa Vida" pork salad...and I will not feel bad if I eat the whole thing!

yummy mummy....

2010-10-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Matt had a campout last night, so I made these...

so cute!

Ragnar Relay

2010-10-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sure some of you have heard me talk about it, the Ragnar Relay. Well I'm in. It's official...I'm runner number 8! Runner? I know, I'm more like a jogger. But I think with 4.5 months of training I'll be a faster jogger. So anyways my 3 legs of the race are some of the easier ones. My first leg will be 5.8 miles | Moderate, second 4.4 miles | Moderate and third 3.5 miles | Easy. My first two legs look like they're up hill. And the third is all down hill. And yes I got the easier legs. (One runner on our team has to run close to 22 miles)

Here is a better explanation of the race- Saguaro cactus, red rock cliffs, live bands, and biker bars. Your team of 12 maniacs will run around the clock in this springtime relay through the Arizona desert. While this 202-miler runs from Wickenburg to Tempe...

Sounds fun right?!? My team is all girls, and I think I'm the youngest...and yes the older Ladies have the harder routes...but anyways just thought I'd share!

I'll keep you posted on how the running is going. This morning I went out and thought I only did a couple miles, but when I mapped it out it was just over 4 (not gonna lie I did walk a mile of it but I have plenty of time to get there)...

I love Lilly.

2010-10-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't really have anything to say, except we love her.

Halloween

2010-10-15T20:37:00.001-07:00

BOO!!!!!

This is my only Halloween decor.....

Caught up!

2010-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is the only mess I love to make :)

After a couple days of scrap booking I am completely caught up on Jacob and Lilly's. One of those days I was up till 1:30am, and decided that 6 1/2 hours straight was enough for one day. I know it's silly but it's my way of keeping a journal for the kids.

Anyways....My friend asked if I could help with "Super Saturday" and here's what I will be teaching....

It's a Christmas Advent calendar made on a mini muffin pan...I think it turned out pretty cute...Sorry for the crappy picture, my camera is dying :( ...but Christmas in coming right?! 78 days!

Why I love Target

2010-09-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

best find ever....original price 129.99, clearance price 65.98, rang up as 32.34! what! I know lucky day! I even had the lady double check the price for me.....

before-

after

The Mission and Randoms

2010-09-22T21:35:00.001-07:00

-Old Mission Santa Barbara-

Inside the Church at the Mission, Jacob always likes to point out that "Jesus has owies"...

yes Jacob's wearing a pajama shirt...

Happy camper!

Random factoid- Did you ever read "Island of the Blue Dolphins"? (one of the only books I remember reading in school) Anyways, the girl from the book is buried at this mission. It was neat learning about her life after they went back and got her.

Trying to get a picture of Lilly with the lily's, but she didn't wanna smile...

This is how Lilly really felt about the trip...She was pretty good for a 4 month old...

Thats our trip in a nutshell. We had a blast! We can't wait to go again. We camped 5 nights, and it still didn't seem like enough time! Jacob was so good the whole time. And Lilly, well she's a baby. Her schedule was a little out of wack, and got 5 shots the day before leaving.

Painted Caves

2010-09-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

Our drive up to the caves, so ugly right?

Please remember this is what we look like after five days of camping....

Our group minus a few

got this info from a website "The walls of this small cave carved from towering sandstone boulders contain some of the finest remaining rock art created by Chumash Native Americans. A steep path leads to the cave entrance, which is protected by heavy iron grillwork. Anthropologists estimate that the paintings date to the 1600s and earlier. The meaning of these enigmatic images has been lost."

Tide Pools

2010-09-22T21:07:00.001-07:00

It seemed to hit low tide everyday around 5:00 which was perfect for tide pooling. I could have spent hours walking along looking for shells, but to my surprise there wasn't that many. There was a ton of starfish though! Not even joking. I've never seen so many in my life! The first day we were there we were so excited because we found three. But then the next day I don't know even know how many we found! At one point it even became old news if you found a starfish.

{I was secretly wishing it was dead so I could take it home...}

-Matts little brother Brigham-

Not the best picture, but if you look closely there's like 5 maybe 6 starfish all in that one spot.

{yes those are ducks? who knew ducks vactioned on the beach}

Solvang

2010-09-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

My parents were able to come up and join us for a couple days. So we spent a day in Solvang. It was filled with cute little shops, yummy bakeries, and Danish food. They even had some Dutch food, Matt was very excited about it. And again the weather was perfect.

bahahaha, my childern's faces, classic.....

I think the only thing Lilly loves more then my dad is her reflection.

Jacob was such a good boy, I actually let him get a lollipop...He was in heaven! And could not have been more excited about it!

Grandpa Downs with Jacob and Wyatt (Jacobs cousin)

Grandma Davis and Grandma Downs

Camping Trip Beach Pictures Galore

2010-09-22T19:58:00.001-07:00

These pictures are all from the first day we spent at the beach. The weather was perfect! And the beach was like a minute walk from our campsite, even better!

Lilly was a good camper, for about 25% of the time....

sandy peanut butter and jelly is the best....

Best sandcastle/water hole ever!

{she ain't even poor}

2010-09-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

"she ain't even poor and she's takin stuff"...that's what I overheard someone say about me when digging through a pile of "free" stuff on the sidewalk..haha...yes I know.....my car came to a screeching stop when I saw the pile of free junk....but I got some good stuff! I kinda want to go back and see whats left....but anyways....I told my mom I would make her a chicken-wire frame for her birthday. I just couldn't find a frame that I thought would look good in the room she wants to put it. I went to Saver's and goodwill...I know I can be cheap sometimes, but I don't want to buy a nice new frame with the possibility of ruining it. Anyways there it was sitting on the sidewalk, as if it was calling my name! I grabbed it! And made it cute, not only my lucky day, but also the frames and my moms...

Poor thing has spent most of it's life gold...so we went with black...

ta-da..I love it...I just hope I can find one for myself...
I just decorated clothes pins so she can clip pictures onto the wire.

It's an easy way to put up pictures without having to buy new frames, which can be pricey....

I also recently did this in Jacobs room so I had some place to display his artwork. I also thought it would be nice for him to have some pictures of his family in his room..he loves it!

2010-08-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

some days I do take the time to pull myself together....

but I'd rather be spending my time with them...

I love my kids, I hope they know that.

And I hope they know how much their daddy loves them.
And how lucky we are to have him.

rock {star}

2010-08-10T14:18:00.001-07:00

{smile}

2010-08-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Lilly...I love them, and so should you!

Don't forget to Pray.

2010-07-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Jacob said night time prayers tonight and this is how it went...
Thank you for daddy...
Thank you for Lilly, Mommy...
Bless the food..
Amen...

He can be so cute sometimes...We love him.

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

This was Jacob's second year of swimming lessons. Last year Shannon was able to go with Jacob, but it was too difficult to do that this year with Lilly. So I registered Jacob for swimming lessons in the evening. It was a 2 week (8 session) course where Jacob learned all kinds of new things. He did really well!

Desert Oasis Aquatic Center

Jumping off the side

Monkey crawl

Kicks and big arms

Playing in the shallow end

Climbing out of the pool

Going under

Moral support :)

Swimming to the wall

Big slide

Whale slide

Splashing around!

Dad giving Jacob some space

The little things do make a difference {to me at least}...

2010-06-26T13:14:00.001-07:00

Last night we got new knobs.....YAY! When we moved in every fixture was gold, and we are slowly getting rid of it...with Jacobs help of course :)

So much better! no offense if you like gold.....
(and they did such a crappy job painting the house white before we moved in...
there was paint splatter on every single knob)

I do love them. I don't love the solid white doors, someday those will be pretty too.

And when I said slowly I meant it, if you look at the other side of the house they're still gold :(

Happy Summer!

2010-06-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

My babies

2010-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Jacob only sits still for a few shows, and "Caillou" is a lifesaver.

Took a shower, and came out this...

Jacob loves laying on the floor with Lilly, I think he loves her :)

I love this picture of Lilly, i think she's cute...

Swimming time!

2010-06-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

We signed Jacob up for swim lessons today...He loves swimming in his pool so hopefully he will have just as much fun in his lessons. And since I just had a baby I feel I have a pretty good reason not to be putting bathing suit on for the next few years.(I did the other day and it was pretty scary)...so anyways we signed him up for evening lessons, so Matt can get in the water with him. And I'm already a little nervous, I can picture Matt throwing him around and letting him jump off the side of the pool...so I might need to send someone to take pictures for me, because I'm sure I'd end up jumping in the pool or yelling at Matt, and I don't want to embarrass Jacob in front of his new swim friends...

Fathers and sons campout 2010

2010-06-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Matt was very brave and took Jacob camping. He said he was pretty good, just played and jumped around. He's in a jumping faze right now, he loves to jump of anything that's more then an inch off the ground...

Helping daddy set up camp.

He even took Jacob on a hike, and came across some cows on the trail. I guess Matt went in the wrong way? Glad I wasn't there because I'm sure I would of been scared of them.

Jacob had so much fun, and I'm sure it meant alot to him. He sure loves his daddy.

lilly pad....

2010-06-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

Lilly

2010-05-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

if you wanna see more pictures of Lilly click here!

what! more pictures!

2010-05-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

I made these this afternoon...it probably took me twice as long because Jacob was wide awake running a muck, but I was determined to get them done, and I like them.

My sister in-law cmae over and took some pictures of Lilly and I couldn't help but snap some with my camera....I can't wait to see how they turn out, but I think there's gonna be some cute ones :) ...

He's loves her, she was just hungry... But he does randomly ask to hold her, and he likes to make sure she has her blanket. Today I caught him trying to give her some milk from his sippy cup, and when told him "no no no Jacob" he told me "hying momma", I think he's figured out that when she cry's she get's to eat...he can't say his C's or his L's, so when he says "Lilly" it sounds more like "wooddy" it's cute.....

smile :)

2010-05-25T17:47:00.001-07:00

Jacob got a hair cut...so cute, I love him.

I loovvee this picture, she looks so peaceful, i wish i looked this cute while sleeping....

i have to admit, i'm a little jealous of her lips....

i get to spend all my time with them :)

2010-05-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

My babies...

She's awake, which is pretty much like never....

waiting for daddy to come home and save him....

doesn't the yogurt in his hair look like a bow?

she likes sleeping all wrapped up, as soon as she comes undone she get fussy, but all we have to do is wrap her back up and she goes back to sleep....

don't know what she's pointing at...

he's the cutest monster i've ever seen....

sister sister....

2010-05-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Lillian Claire Downs
May 7, 2010
8lbs 7ozs

40 weeks.....

2010-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share my last pregnant picture, since I should of been 40 weeks today. We took this picture early Friday morning around 4:00am. It's so weird now looking in the mirror and thinking just a few days ago that's what I looked like. There will be more pictures to come, and not of me but of our sweet baby girl Lilly. We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful healthy baby. And my birth story will be coming soon, I just need to sit down and decided how I want to write it. It did not go how we planned, or how I saw it in my head, but it was out of my control. It might be a few weeks, but I'll get to it. I feel like I've had to re-tell it so many times, and haven't been able to completely move on from it. But anyways......

My baby boy is getting so big...

2010-04-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are proud parents, Jacob has learned how to ride his bike (with training wheels of course). Tonight for FHE we went to the park and Jacob rode around the whole park, which is about a mile, he's now fast asleep in bed. And I soon will be too, he's pretty fast. Matt had to speed walk the mile to keep up and I waddled 10-15 yards behind.

These pics are actually from the other day, I forgot my camera tonight. And we do have some videos of him riding (I just don't know how to upload them). Jacob loves to sit and watch his mad skills on his bike. He likes to point and say "bike, fun and happy" mixed with laughter. He does fall down every now and then, but he doesn't seem to mind. He just gets back up and keeps on going. And the best part is when he gets going really fast, he just laughs and laughs, then we start laughing. It's times like that, that remind me what a blessing it is to be a parent. That something so simple could bring me so much joy.

Is it weird that I feel like I'm gonna miss him once the baby is born?

36 weeks!!

2010-04-16T17:29:00.001-07:00

36 weeks! What!?!? I can't believe it's almost time! I'm starting to get very excited, but nervous at the same time. Not nervous about the birth but about life with 2 kids...I was at Target today and was just thinking, okay when I have the baby who do I take out of the car first? baby or toddler? If the car seat is in the shopping cart, and Jacob is buckled up front, where do I put all my stuff???? But I'm sure I'll figure it out. And never leaving the house is not the solution. I've been feeling pretty good, just having a hard time sleeping. But I've had enough energy to still get all my chores done. I have a big fear of this baby being born and my house looking like you know what...By all means I want this baby to be as healthy as can be, but if mopping puts me into labor then so be it. I can even see myself starting to clean once I go into labor just to insure a clean house.

The crib is set up and ready to go...I made her blanket and for my first blanket ever, I think it turned out pretty darn cute.

And this kid already has more clothes than Jacob.

She's now hogging half my side of the closet.

Easter

2010-04-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed Easter this year. It was a day filled with fun, excitement and the Spirit.

On Saturday, we colored eggs. It didn't take long before Jacob tipped over one of the cups...

Easter morning, we woke up to our baskets.

Shannon

Lilly

Jacob

Matt

Jacob had fun looking for eggs. It took him a few minutes to get into it, but once he did it was a lot of fun! He started throwing the eggs in the basket so hard.

After the easter egg hunt, Shannon made a wonderful breakfast - pancakes, bacon, eggs and fruit.

After breakfast, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Jacob enjoyed another easter egg hunt there!

After hours of fun, Jacob was so tired that he fell asleep within 5 minutes on the way home.

All about Jacob....

2010-03-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Jacob has moved into a "big boy" bed, and he loves it.
He hasn't had any problems sleeping in it yet....
I had a problem sleeping the first night he was in it, I just kept picturing him joyfully jumping on his new bed and then falling through the window, but Matt has assured me that he doesn't weigh enough to break through the window and blinds.....
he'll be just fine....

Yes, I know...he still has a binky, but only for naps and bedtime...

No, not grass, weeds, and a nasty rotten orange that fell off our neighbors tree....

Jacob's favorite thing for lunch is a corn dog...
but when he says it, it sounds more like a "d-dog"??

He's getting better and better at eating what I give him....
although sometimes I have to tell him it's "McDonald's" to get him to eat it.....

"Painting!" He's obsessed, ever since the first time we painted, he loves it!
He's two right, so I thought he would enjoy finger painting, but no...
he can't stand to have stuff on his hands, I'm sure it's my fault. I've never really let him get get dirty. I spoon feed him forever, for fear of the mess he would make.
He also loves washing his hands, anytime he's in the bathroom he has to wash his hands.......
I'm sure he'll grow up having OCD but at least he'll be clean...or it will back fire and he will be the messy smelly kid in class and no one will want to be his friend.....
well if he does have issues he can blame them on me...

32 weeks, and more prego pics....

2010-03-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

32 weeks! Can you believe it? I can't...The past few weeks have gone by so fast. I've been feeling really good, I just wish I could get a good nights sleep. I just can't get comfy, but other then that I can't complain. So not alot to say this time, but here's some more pictures that my sister in-law took...and she has more on her blog (yes she took ALOT of pics, b/c I like to blink, so she really had no choice)

Pregnancy Photoshoot

2010-03-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law did my pregnant pictures. Here are just a few of my favorites! She hasn't edited them yet, so Matt did some quick editing...

Matt and Shannon

Jacob is 4!

More videos

What?!

Lilly

Jacobs "guys"

Lilly is growing up...

Jacob

Boys will be boys

we needed somthing to do....

Kids

Matt's in Mexico...

Jacob is the coolest kid ever! part 2

Lilly's Bear

Jacob is the coolest kid ever!

San Diego: June 2011

Just a couple things I made...

Lilly's 1

Spit bubbles....

Lilly sleeping

Jacob is cute.

{card for "show & tell"}

Lilly's Birthstory

Lilly is 1.

camping 2 - Williow Springs

I forgot to put this up...

{Jacob and Lilly}

Lego Star Wars

Tower

{Easter}

Walking : )

My bed.

Lillys room

Jacob

shhhh.....

Lillys room

Bathroom

just because...

please ignore jacobs obsession...

my babies....

Lilly

50%

3

hummmm....

Lilly's room part 2...

Loves.

Lilly's room part 1

2011 goals

Hands Down, Best Christmas Ever part 2

Hands Down, Best Christmas Ever! Part 1

Christmas #2

Chritsmas #1

Jacob loves Frosty

run run repeat....

Frosty the Snowmans girlfriend...

for me...

Random

run run run....

yummy mummy....

Ragnar Relay

I love Lilly.

Halloween

Caught up!

Why I love Target

The Mission and Randoms

Painted Caves

Tide Pools

Solvang

Camping Trip Beach Pictures Galore

{she ain't even poor}

rock {star}

{smile}

Don't forget to Pray.

Swimming Lessons

The little things do make a difference {to me at least}...

Happy Summer!

My babies

Swimming time!

Fathers and sons campout 2010

lilly pad....