Merry Christmas!!

I just wanted to send out a Merry Christmas to everyone!! It's been a nice and quiet Christmas here! We woke up to no power for about 3 hours. I was very thankful that we decided not to cook a turkey today!! :) We opened a few presents, ate cold cereal for breakfast and have been lounging around all day! It's been lovely!! French dip is on the menu for dinner and luckily the power has stayed on during the hour it took to cook the cheesecake!! Travis is being a good neighbor and shoveling our neighbor's driveway! What a thoughtful husband I have! Well, I hope that everyone is enjoying a great Christmas! I am so thankful for my Savior! God Bless!!

Does it ever get easier?

Hey Mothers out there!! I'd say that 75% of Jack's meals end up like this!! Is there ever going to be a day that I don't have to vacuum and mop after every meal? I am so glad that he is such a good eater...but I'm tired of cleaning!! Isn't he cute though!?!!

Some stories- WARNING...contains poop!!

It's been a while since I have updated this blog and I am sorry for that! Life has been busy watching 2 little boys and this first trimester is really making me think that 2 kids is plenty!! But, there is hope...I am in week 11, so only 3 more weeks to go and it should magically disappear!! Right!?!

Well, I don't have any pictures. I seem to have misplaced the cord that transfers the pictures from my camera to the computer. I know that it is in the "scrapbook room"...but since we are planning on moving my stuff downstairs so that Baby Moesser #2 does not constantly wake up Baby Moesser #1, I have not been too diligent at putting things away! Anyway, there are two stories that I want to share....the first is not gross...but the second is...so those with weak stomachs may want to stay away from story #2.

Story #1- I have been a little worried with Jack's inability to figure out the purpose and function of the "straw" and be able to use it effectively. The doc said that we should start introducing him to it at 9 months. Although we have not been completely diligent, we have given him plenty of opportunities...to no avail!! I was beginning to wonder if he had some sort of straw disability and was trying to think of there was any way that not knowing how to drink from a straw might be detrimental to his survival. We grabbed dinner last night and in his meal there was an apple juice jucie box for the drink. I was going to dump it into another cup thinking that the straw was tiny and there was no way that he could do it, but I let him try...and he drank the whole thing!!! Boy, was he fooling us!!

Story #2- I'm hoping that I am not the only mom that has made this mistake!! Jack woke up the other morning at 4:30 AM and he had pooped in the middle of the night (which he NEVER does) and when we changed him, he had horrible bum rash! I was almost in tears! He woke up again at 6:30am and had gone again!! So, for 3 days, he suffered from these almost diarrhea diapers all day long...like every 2 hours, which did not help his rash!! We were using ointments and vaseline and everything. Well, things started to slow a little, so after to reading some books, it was advised to let his little bum free from a diaper for a while. He has just done his business, so I thought that it was safe. He seemed very happy and was running around happy! His new thing is to stand over the heater vent when the air is blowing...and this was especially funny to him with no diaper on! Well, I looked away for second and when I looked back...There he was peeing across the kitchen, with poop running down his legs right into the heater vent!!! I had to decide whether to puke of laugh...I went for laughing! Luckily, the heater vent cleaned up easily and we mopped twice with our new steam mop! But, no more heater vents when diapers are not involved!!!

On our way to the "average family"

They say that the average family has 2.5 children. I'm not exactly sure how that is possible, but we are heading on our way to that goal! Baby Moesser #2 is in the oven and should be ready around July 6th!! We are very excited and things are going well! I am 10x as sick as I was with Jack...so maybe a girl? Who knows? The only question is...where am I going to put my scrapbook stuff?

Our Big Boy!

Our big boy is now 1! I can't believe that I have a 1 year old! He had a great birthday surrounded by family, friends and lots of cake!! He loved his cake and dove right in...he's definitely not afraid of getting his hands dirty! Jack loves all of his new things and I think that he knows that he has passed a milestone...he all of a sudden is a little louder in his efforts to communicate his wants...and he has started throwing little fits!! Only 17 years to go!! :)

Halloween was also fun for Jack! We went to a Halloween carnival that the ward put on and he loved it. He just walked back and forth through the cultural hall and out to the water fountain! And after 7 months of trying to teach him the sign for "more", he found the motivation in the form of a donut!! I can't blame him! We didn't do much Halloween night. He didn't need the candy...and neither do we...so we stayed home and handed out candy. I don't think that he minded. He had fun coming to the door when there were visitors!

I've been watching a 6 week old baby during the week and Jack just adores him! I will try to get a picture of little Judd this week! He's almost as cute as our little monkey! :)

Almost 1!!

My little boy is going to turn 1 tomorrow...and I am wondering where the time has gone! It seemed that he was just born yesterday...yet here he is...walking and babbling like he has done it for years! I can't even remember my life before him! I never knew how one little boy could change my life! My family is my everything and I am so grateful for these 2 wonderful guys in my life!

Starting next week, I am going to get to learn how it is to have more than one little munchkin ruling my day! I am going to start tending a 6 week old little boy named Judd and Jack and I are so excited!! Jack loves little Judd and it takes all of my strength...(and patience) to keep him from clobbering the little guy from excitement! It's going to be nice for Jack to have a little buddy!

Jack has a new favorite toy!! It's mine too! It all started back when I entered a drawing to win a washer and dryer...well, of course in entering, my number was given to a company! I was expecting to have to go to a timeshare presentation to claim my "FREE" prize, but instead it was a vacuum salesman who came to our door. Now, I'm not usually impressed with vacuums or knives or things such as that, but this was the coolest vacuum ever!! It has a turbine engine and was designed by an aerospace engineer. This vacuum was made in the USA...and with a name like "The Patriot", of course I wanted it!! Well, Travis was impressed as well, and even though we did not have the $2500, we had actually planned on saving the money for one! This vacuum had a 35 year warranty and they take it back ever two years and refurbish it!

I decided to look on Ebay one day and I found the earlier model (Air Storm) for $200. Travis and I discussed it and after looking at our sad excuse for a vacuum, we decided that it was worth it...so we bought it and the package arrived. I opened the package and there was no Air Storm in the box...it was "THE PATRIOT"!! Being a good girl and trying to be honest with my fellow man, I contacted the seller and he told me to keep it!! Yea!! Jack is so excited to have it as well, because ot makes the COOLEST truck to roll around! Finally some luck!

We're Walking!!

Hey Everyone!!

Jack's not giving me much time to blog, but I just wanted to let everyone know that he is walking now!! He can still crawl faster, so he doesn't always have the motivation to do it, but he is getting pretty good!! He can take about 8-10 steps without falling and can stop and stand!!

Here is a great picture to show how happy ravioli makes him!! Love to all!

Vancouver Island, B.C

My mom and I went to Vancouver Island at the beginning of this month and we had a great time! We flew into Seattle and then took a Clipper Ship over to Victoria. It was a long, yet relaxing 3-hour boat ride! Victoria is absolutely beautiful! There are gardens and flowers everywhere and many things to do! We toured a castle, went to Butchart Gardens, went through the wax museum, went to the British Columbia Museum, rode on top of an open-top double decker bus and ate very well! Here are a few pictures of our adventures:

I don't think that my mom and I have ever had more fun together! It was great!

New Toy!

Jack got a new toy that he is loving! It is a walking toy that he pushes and it also converts into a little riding toy! I think that he is going to be walking very soon...and I'm not sure whether to be excited or not! But, he certainly is cute when he is doing it!

Safari Pictures!

These are Jack's newest pictures! I think that they turned out great! JC Penney had a themed day and the theme fit Jack's wardrobe perfectly! It is also going to go well with his jungle bedroom!

We brought the huge elephant that sits in Jack's room! Travis was not sure whether the elephant was a good purchase...but I think the pictures make it worth it!

A Kid That LOVES Vegetables?!?!

So...Jack has decided that baby food in a jar is no longer worthy as sustenance! He must eat whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating...and he must feed it to himself...of course! It didn't come as a huge shock to me considering that he decided to wean himself from nursing at 8 months old. He seems determined to become independent! He is also walking around furniture and climbing up ours stairs with no help needed! But I was shocked by all of the things that he will eat and I had to share some of these pictures! First of all...this is the kind of food that he is eating now! This is the pizza that I made last night...and he ate about 2/3 of a piece by himself! And this was not a "kid-friendly" pizza! We are talking onions, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, olives, garlic, basil, pepperoni and ham! He loved it...and ate every single thing that was on there! And tonight he ate half of a Boca Burger with grilled vegetables from our garden! I am so grateful to have such a good eater!

Jack and I have been taking swimming lessons this summer in North Ogden! We signed up with my cousin Ashley and her beautiful daughter Reagan! It's been a lot of fun and I am sad that this Saturday will be our last weekend! It's been so much fun, that even the daddies have joined us! Jack is like a fish now! The first day he wasn't sure what was going on, but now he splashes and has this hilarious "mer-man" kick where his bum pops up in and out of the water!


Not much else is going on, except that I am going to be doing a new catalog launch party for my Close To My Heart business...which means I better quit blogging and actually get some stuff done!

9 months old!

I can't believe that my baby is 9 months old! He is crawling and pulling himself up and walking around furniture!! Where did my little baby go? His first birthday is coming up so quickly! I wanted to share some pictures of the boys and their truck! My mom bought Travis and Jack a big Tonka dump truck for Father's Day and Jack loves it! He loves to spin the wheels and is just starting to figure out how to "dump" things out of it!




Now, I know that Jack is definitely more interesting than me, but since it is my blog, I want to tell you about my new toy! I just got a Cricut Expression and I love it! And on top of that, my wonderful friend, Amanda told me about a software that lets you connect the Cricut to your computer and cut out any true type font and SVG files that you have on your computer!! No more buying font cartridges!! It is so cool and I love it!! I am wasting paper left and right just cutting out anything that I can think of! "Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious" takes up a lot of room!! Oh, the program is called "Sure Cuts A Lot" and you can find it here: Sure Cuts A Lot

All-American Boy!

I just wanted to share that Jack received Perry's "All-American Boy" award! (Every baby won and award...but isn't he cute!?!

Father's Day and First Haircut!!

Yes, we're a little behind!

First of all, Jack is clapping now...and close enough to crawling to get him into mischief!

We had a fun Father's day! We actually went up to my parent's house and had a fun barbecue! You can tell that my parents enjoy their grandkids by the amount of toys such as sandboxes, the blow-up things that have balls and basketball hoops inside them, and Jack's favorite toy...grass that were pulled out for the special occasion! (The grass was already out! :)) Jack loved playing with his cousin Lexi...well maybe she enjoyed it a little more! She just wanted to hold him the whole time! This was Jack's first experience with sand...and he is very much like his mommy! We like texture and things between our toes!









After my parent's house, we visited Jack's Aunt Crystal and then Travis' family in West Valley! We even ate again! Jack had fun playing with his Grandpa Pete and climbing all over him! We bought (well told Travis that he could get) a barbecue...but he still has not picked one out. Hopefully he loves it when he does! :)





And now for the haircut! I debated on whether to get Jack's hair cut or not, but I was glad that I did as I have noticed that he doesn't sweat as much now with our hot weather! Before and after pictures are a must because this little boy has so much hair!!

So, here is before:













And after:

Isn't he just so cute! (FYI- He only had a mo hawk once...I would never do that to my child on a regular basis!) There were pieces of hair that she cut that were 4 inches long!! If I could share with all these poor little bald baby girls here, I would! But I think that he is so handsome now! What do you think?

10 things that I have learned as a mother!

I am sitting here during one of Jack's hopefully longer naps thinking of all the things that I have learned since I have become a mother. This is not typical as I am usually still trying to clean the house at this time...or have given up and retired to the couch to watch what Travis calls a "bonnet movie". I am really into Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, etc. lately. Anyway, I thought I would share a few of the millions of things that I have learned in the last 7 months!!

1. I have learned that when you are pregnant and people tell you to get your sleep, they really mean it! After the little angels (no sarcasm there) are born, sleep goes out the window! Even though Jack sleeps through the night now and has for a while...there are a million things to do and by the time we are in bed, it is close to midnight and Jack is up and ready to play at 6 am!

2. It is definitely more fun to play with a baby than to clean the house!! My poor husband comes home to a messy house at least twice a week...at least! I do keep up an the dishes (thank goodness for a dishwasher) and keep the place vacuumed, but there are usually many things (mainly toys) strung out everywhere!!

3. The minute that you start a project that is time consuming or messy, your child will wake up from a nap or need you immediately!

4. Meal time is no longer relaxing and joyful! You are juggling a spoon, a wipe, a jar of baby food, and are trying to get everyone everything that they need, while breaking off pieces of bread for the baby and watching to make sure that he does not choke or gag (gagging too long can mean vomit), while getting the sippy cup ready to help him wash down whatever is in his mouth! (Run-on sentences no longer bother you as a mother...you don't have time!)

5. Vomit...when the doctor tells you that you will know that it is vomit instead of spitting up because vomiting is "projectile", he means stand back, hold a shield and go and rent a carpet cleaner as quickly as you can...heck, you better just buy one!

6. Almost EVERYBODY knows how to take care of a kid better than you! Even if you read studies and books about the best thing to do for your baby, there will always be people telling you that you are doing it wrong! You can tell people that the doc says to avoid dairy and people will laugh at you and tell you that they fed their kids ice cream at 2 weeks and they lived...even worse, they won't listen to you and feed it to your kid anyway...but you just have to brush it off because they love your little one too!

7. Sometimes it is just easier to go from the highchair straight to the tub!! Wipes are great...but they cannot perform miracles!

8. There is NOTHING cuter than a baby giggle! Nothing!

9. Being a mother is the hardest job that exists! You worry about your child every minute of every day and would give your life without a second thought to save that of your child's!

10. I have learned that I am the happiest person in the world to have my wonderful husband and my sweet, little boy in my life! I am so blessed and am so very happy and content with the life that I have! Travis and Jack, I love you more than you can ever imagine!

We have consonants!

I just wanted to drop a quick line to let everyone know that Jack is saying some consonants now! We have a "ga-ga", and a "da-da" and even a "na-na"! We are so excited and he is so darn cute when he does it!!

Also, Travis' aunt (wonderful lady, btw) just told me about Google Reader...where you can go to see if any of the blogs or newsfeeds that you subscribe to are updated. LOVE IT!! If you are a major blog checker, look into it! TTFN!

Teeth!!

First of all, I had a great Mothers' Day! Travis and Jack made me feel very special! Travis bought me diamond earrings (which I LOVE) and we had a pretty fun day! We didn't do anything too exciting, but it was a nice day! We went to church, where I received some nice flowers to plant in our garden. Then we spent the afternoon in our yard playing and Travis did some weeding...those darn weeds!




Anyway, our little Jack has 2 teeth now!! They are sharp little things too! I cannot believe how fast he is growing...he seems to do a new thing every day! He is so close to crawling, it is crazy! I am excited, but a little nervous knowing that I will really need to keep an eye on him!

He is also wearing some of his 12 month clothes now!! He is so tall...but skinny! His pants are either too short or too loose around the waist! I wish I had that problem!

Oh, and I also have to share pictures of his hair. Travis styled his hair like Billy Idol's after his bath the other night! Needless to say, it stood up until his next bath, no matter what I tried! The kid has so much hair!! It is long and thick...my little boy may be getting a hair cut soon!

Fun in the Sun!

Ok, so we are really not out hitting the beach yet...especially since the closest sand is at Bear Lake and I can guarantee that it is not warm enough yet! I did want to share these pictures that we had taken a couple weeks back because I thought that they turned out very cute!
This is Jack's new swimming suit ensemble that we bought especially for the pictures and future use of course! I figured that we probably won't be going to any public pools yet and if we do anything it will be outside, so having a swimming shirt and a hat could not hurt. If Jack has my skin, he will sunburn very easily and that would break my heart!

Jack had is picture taken with 3 of his 4 cousins. (CJ is living in Colorado.) It was not the most pleasant experience, as we met a little early for the pictures and had an extra little one that my sister-in-law was tending...to make a long story short, an hour early is WAY too early to show up to a portrait studio with 5 kids!

So, in the picture you'll see Lexi (6), Damien (2 months), Solon (18 months) and Jack (6 months). It was a true adventure! I have to admit that I have a very cute kid! :)

Take me out to the ball game!

No, we didn't really go to a ball game, but I had to share this new outfit of Jack's with everyone. I found it a Family Dollar for like $4.99...not sure I should brag about how cheap I am, but you can find some cute baby clothes there!
He looks like such a big boy in it and he doesn't even mind the hat, which is amazing because I never put anything in his head. Even when he was a newborn, the kid would get so hot and sweaty with anything on his head. I think that we run on the same thermostat or something...we both run about 97 degrees as our typical temp.
We started finger foods as well...I don't think that Jack is too interested yet as he can't really pick them up and get them into his mouth. But they make for some cute pics!

I'm at a loss as to knowing what to feed him for finger foods...he is allergic to bananas and is still supposed to stick with cereals, fruits and veggies. I think that I will stick with the little Gerber Puffs for a while until he stops gagging on them and them move onto other things! The poor kid is going to have a rough life! I don't want him to eat junk food at all!! No candy, no fries, no eggs cooked in bacon grease! Heart disease and cancer run in both sides of the family and I want to do my best to teach him to eat healthy! Am I a mean parent? Ok, maybe all things in moderation...he can have some, but not until we have some healthy habits going! Oh, well....at least he'll have something to tell his therapist! :)

6 months old!!

Big apologies to those faithful blog checkers on the HUGE time gap between this post and the last. It seems that the month has gone by so fast!! The family has been sick...of course not all at the same time...and I have been busy trying to get my scrapbooking business up and going!

Our Little Jack has grown so much! He is such a good eater and I am happy that yesterday at his well check-up the doc said that we can move to step 2 foods and finger foods! He is going to love it! And as of Friday the 18th, he has been sitting up by himself. He is still pretty wobbly, but doing well! It is amazing how well he can control his hands too!! It seem that they are helpless and then overnight they can do anything! He is rolling everywhere! He can get across the room in no time flat! It is very cool, yet I miss my little dependent guy!

Oh, I wanted to share something that I made out of of one of the kits that Close To My Heart sells. It is a magnetic board and the little magnets are make out of textured cardstock flowers. I thought that it turned out pretty cute!