JonesfaminAZ

Our Summer!

2011-10-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Our summer just flew by. Steve was in school and Ella kept me busy with gymnastics and swim lessons. Plus, Jimmy started walking and had his birthday so we are in the "get into everything and never stop moving" stage! But he is so darn cute that I really don't mind. I also was working really hard at getting the remaining baby weight off. Just as I was reaching my goal, we found out we are pregnant! I am now 14 weeks along and due in April. We find out right before Thanksgiving what we are having. I think it has taken me the entire 3 1/2 mo. to realize that my babies are going to be 21 mo. apart but we are really starting to get excited. Ella thinks it is a girl and would like to name her CInderella or Suzie. She comes up with the funniest names.

At the end of the summer Steve had a nice break from school so we packed up the car and took off for 2 1/2 weeks and took quite the trip. Disneyland was fantastic! It was pretty empty. The workers would let us stay on the rides as long as we wanted because there was no one in line.

Here we are waiting for our shuttle at our Hotel to take us to Disneyland

When we first got to the park

When we first arrived Ella kept asking about seeing the Princess' and then they walked right in front of us. Ella went over to them and they took her hand and just started walking and talking with her for the longest time all by herself. Everyone started following us and eventually they stopped and we took some pictures. That made her day!

We all had such a fun time!

After Disneyland it was off to Arizona! We were able to spend some much needed time with Steve's family and meet 3 new additions to the family.

I got to spend some time with my new niece Afton. She was born 3 months early and was only 1 1/2 lbs. She is finally home and so tiny but it was great to hold her.

We also saw so many great friends! We had dinner with our close friends in Goodyear. Ella was born with these girls and is always so excited to see them when we go down there.

Our friends drove up from Tucson to see us which we loved! It was so nice to see them and we are so blessed to have such good friends. So many of them went out of their way to come and see us. It is the hardest thing to live far away from all of them. Steve has known these two guys for 25 years and it is so fun to see them together with their kids.

I suck at blogging!

2011-06-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I am so bad about posting! I can definitely say the writing part is not my favorite ...plus, finding 10 minutes where I can concentrate and be on the computer alone is near impossible. Anyways, here is the last few months of our lives in a nut shell!

Ella finished up her first year of pre-school. She loved it, I loved it, and apparently she was quite entertaining for her teachers, whom we love!

Then it was off to Cali! I took the kids down to my sisters house in Sacramento while Steve finished up finals. We had a great time. We took the kids to Six Flags. Ella loved it. She rode one of the big rollercoasters and is a dare devil! We sit down and she says, "This is going to be so cool!" and then as soon as it was over she asked if she could ride it again.

Ella and her cousin Johnny. They got a long so good this trip. They ran around everywhere together.

Here is my big chiller! He did really good hanging out in his stroller. I can't believe he will be 1 year next month. It has flown by. He is awesome! So happy and giggly and he loves his mama!

Jimmy loved the pool. It was his first time in one which is weird. Living in AZ, Ella was in the pool from 2 mo. old and on. Jimmy is almost a year and I don't know when he will get another chance. Definitely miss that.

Steve has been on break all week so he took Ella rock climbing at an indoor rock climbing gym. Steve has been going pretty frequently with a buddy of his and thought Ella would like it. She loved it! She was climbing all over everything and even over the big boulder. I love that she loves to do that kind of stuff. What a cool kid.....if I do say so myself!

And that is just the start of our summer. I feel like we didn't get to do much last summer and it is all a blur with Jimmy's birth so we are excited for this one. Plus Ella is getting older and it makes it so much fun to do things together.

Ella's Birthday!

2011-04-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

Here is Ella in her birthday outfit she picked out for school!

Ella turned 4 on March 17th. She is my St. Patricks baby! All year she has been asking to go to this hotel down the street that has an 80 ft. indoor waterslide. So that is what we did for her birthday party. We had so much fun.

I normally only do birthday parties every other year so she had been waiting for this one. I think it was such a perfect day. She picked out cupcakes and had so much fun with all her friends.

I also chopped my hair the other day. Jimmy was continually pulling on it and it was taking so much time to do. I like my new haircut. I would keep it long if I had the time to do it. So for convenience the short is great!

Jimmy is crawling and we went to AZ!

2011-03-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

Jimmy is 7 1/2 months now and huge! He is in 12 mo. clothes already. He finally started to crawl and now he is all over the place. We are so in love with our little boy. He is so good and happy. He is always just looking around waiting for someone to entertain him so he can laugh.

Ella is almost four! Her birthday is next week and she is all excited and planning her party. Her hair was getting so long that finally neither one of us could handle it. My friend came over and chopped six inches off. We both love it! It makes things so much easier and makes her look so grown up. Although the other day she did get some scissors and cut her own hair. She only took a little bit off and I can't even notice but when I asked her why she did she said, "I want to be like Melody." (who is my friend that cut her hair)

Me and the kids took a much needed vacation down to Arizona to see family. Ella played with her cousins from the moment she woke up in the morning until she went to bed at night. For 2 weeks she had so much. She also had tons of sleepovers with her cousins and friends. She loved spending time with her Nana and Papa and all her Aunts and Uncles too. We even got to celebrate her Aunt Yaya's birthday while we were there!

One day we met some friends that Ella has known since she was born. She was in heaven! The girls love playing with each other.
I also got to hang out with my most favorite girls in the whole wide world!

While we were down in Arizona I also got a girls weekend with my sisters! We all went up to Sedona and stayed in the most amazing house. My sister had an Art show while we were there so that was fun too! We don't get together without husbands or kids often so it is always a fun time!

We had such a great trip and we can't wait for our next one!

Halloween Pics

2010-11-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

A little late but Ella's costume is too cute not to share! She was Alice in Wonderland and it was perfect for her. Jimmy was a little monkey and mostly hung out in his carseat and slept. Since Halloween was on Sunday we went to the trunk or treat on Saturday and had a good time.

Steve and I also went to a halloween party! The theme was 80's so we chose to be Beetlejuice and Lydia since that movie came out it the 80's. It was tons of fun putting the costume together. For Steve I got a suit at goodwill for $10 and then got white duct tape to make the stripes. My dress turned into a pretty extensive project. I got the dress at goodwill for $8 and it was a white old wedding dress. I tried dying it but it only turned out pink. So I bought like 10 cans of red fabric spray paint and sprayed it red. Turned out pretty well but it was not comfortable. We had such a fun time at the party. I had to threaten Steve's life to get him away from the karaoke machine! He was definitely thee entertainment!

November already??!!

2010-11-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so when you have a baby I swear everything is a blur and then you wake up one day and they aren't so little anymore and all of the sudden your little newborn is 4 mo. old! What the heck? On one hand I love that he is sleeping a little better and interacting more but on the other I want my little newborn to just snuggle on my chest forever....*Sigh*!
Jimmy is doing really well. He can roll over every once in a while and coos and laughs like crazy. He especially gets happy when you change his diaper. You would think you are telling jokes with how he just starts to giggle and all you are doing is putting his pants on. He is different than Ella was in some ways so it is interesting.

Ella is growing up as well. She started preschool in September and loves it! She goes tues, wed and thurs from 9-12. She has wonderful teachers and loves to tell me about all of her "best friends." It gives her day structure and hopefully gives me a moment to take a nap or go work out depending on my tiredness level.

Although, lately she has been complaining of stomach aches a lot and she is up in the middle of the night crying about it so I took her to the doctor. We have eliminated all dairy and soy from her diet and she is doing a lot better. When she was born she had some major sensitivities to dairy and soy but as she got older seemed to be over them....or so we thought. We are going to have her be off of the dairy and soy for a week and then slowly introduce the soy back in and see if she can handle that. She hasn't complained once of a tummy ache since we started so I think that is a good sign.
Steve is working hard at school this term. This is the first term where he isn't working full time and going to school full time. He is able to take a lot more credits and hopefully will get done with school quicker. We always knew he was smart but he comes home from physics, calculus and chemistry acing everything. He practically sets the curve in all his classes so he is definitely meant to be doing what he is doing. But I am thankful for when he gets little breaks in between terms and is home a little more.
I stay pretty busy with the kiddos and everything a family of 4 involves. I am still trying to lose baby weight so I try and work out a few times a week. So far I have lost 28lbs and have 19 more to go! I am thinking about training for a race here called Pear Blossom. I am trying to figure if I can work it in or not but it would be a good goal for me. I don't know a thing about training for a 10 mile race so I might be calling some of my seasoned racers!

August is a blur!

2010-09-09T17:45:00.001-07:00

In August my whole family was in town for a family reunion! Which equals about 50 people. So we took advantage of that and blessed Jimmy while they were all there. Some of Steve's family even came up from Arizona for the event.

I was so cool to look at the circle and see 11 big guys holding this little guy. I wish I could of gotten a picture. Steve gave such a neat blessing.

Steve's mom Brenda came to help for 3 weeks! I was so grateful for the help. Ella loved every minute of it. We were sad to see her go but at least I felt that I could handle it a little better by then.

Jimmy had a bit of a rough go for a couple of weeks. If he was awake he was screaming so we went to the Dr. After everything we went through with Ella we are a little more paranoid. But we found out that he has reflux and a protein sensitivity to diary and soy, just like Ella! So we have him on zantac and nutramigen formula. He is now getting better. But he doesn't have a full button so he is fattening up. Even when I was breastfeeding he would just eat all the time. So he is getting cute and chubby!

James Hyder Jones

2010-07-28T09:31:00.001-07:00

Little Jimmy was born on July 15th at 1:46pm. a couple of weeks before he was born my blood pressure started getting elevated. I also started getting really bad headaches and swelling so my doctor was concerned about preeclampsia. They kept monitoring me and nothing worsened but they were still concerned. I was spending like 3 hours a day at the doctors office getting checkups. So I was induced at 38 weeks.

Here we are when we checked in to the hospital. My belly is huge!

On wednesday night my husband, sister Val and myself went to the hospital and got checked in. They started with putting a pill on my cervix that softened it. They gave me a sleeping pill and we all slept and let the medicine do its thing. But apparently the sleeping pill made me really loopy and I was quite entertaining. Steve videotaped it! I have yet to watch it but I think it is pretty embarrassing.
My contractions started at 4am and I just labored through them until 8am when I requested my epidural. Shortly after that they broke my water and we just relaxed until noon when they started a low dosage of pitocin.
My parents had left for Indiana the week before and had tried to change their flights to come back for the birth but there were no available seats. They flew into Medford at noon on Thursday the 15th. They arrived at the hospital at 1pm and as soon as they arrived my doctor came in and said it was Go Time!

Here is my sister Val with Jimmy. Val was a great coach and filled in since my mom wasn't there. She spent the whole time at the hospital with us.

James Hyder Jones was born at 1:46 pm was 6lbs. 14oz. and 19 1/2 in. long. Everything went so smoothly and he is so adorable. He is definitely a lot more chill than his big sister ever was which is nice.
Ella has been doing great. At first she was a little confused but she is so soft with him and very protective. She likes to comfort him when he cries.

Jimmy has his days and nights a little mixed up so I am not getting much sleep but that should get to normal soon. He got circumcised yesterday and is doing a lot better today. He is already 7lbs. 5oz and 20 1/2 in. long.
There are definitely some things I have forgotten about having a newborn but as I am healing and he is adjusting things will get a little easier. So far he doesn't have any signs that he has the same allergies as Ella so that is a big difference.

We are so excited he has joined our family and can't wait to watch him grow. Ella keeps asking if he is big yet so she can play with him. She is going to be a great big sister!

Portland and Yard Projects

2010-06-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Portland for my sister Mary's graduation from Portland State. We had such a nice, although quick, trip. Mary took us to this really cute amusement park in Selwood where she lives. Ella got to ride some rides. One of them took her up really high and she was all by herself but she just laughed through the whole thing! We loved seeing where Mary lives and hanging out in Portland. Her graduation ceremony was 3 hours long and with a 3 year old and me being 8 mo. pregnant we decided to forego the ceremony and just meet up with everyone after. While everyone else was at the ceremony I showed Steve some sights as this was his first trip to Portland.

Our first stop was Multnomah Falls. The weather was sunny and 75 degrees so it was beautiful. You can hike all the way up to the very top of the falls but we only went up as far as the little bridge you can see in the picture. While standing on the bridge the overspray from the falls gets you all wet! Hiking up the mile to the bridge I got some really funny looks. I think everyone was scared of me going into labor from the hike. It really wasn't a big deal though and I was somewhat tempted to go all the way up just so Steve could see the view. Maybe next time!

Our next stop was the Rose Gardens. Ella would go up to every rose and smell it. It was so beautiful and they have so many different kinds. I always try to pick out my favorite but have decided it is impossible to choose. But they do have some cool hybrids there that just turn out so interesting.

There was so much more to do that we just didn't have time for. We can't wait to go again and go to the zoo and the Children's museum!

On our way home we stopped at an event my dad needed to go to at Roloff Farms! Home to the show Little People, Big World. We saw the mom and dad on the show and looked around the farm for a little bit. It was so pretty out there. My mom and I were being silly tourists and made my dad stop the car so we could take a picture!

Steve had last week off of school so we decided it was the perfect time to do a little landscaping project. We have been wanting to do this since we moved in. On each side of our front door was just some dirt and a couple of plants but nothing special. So we (by we, I mean Steve and the Elders that live next to us) cleaned out the area and then layed the stone and planted some really pretty plants. We put in some day lilies, lavendar, dahlia's, daisies and some other stuff. My mom and I were in charge of picking up supplies and designing where everything needed to go! It makes such a difference and is so nice out there now.

Here is the complete finished project! Now we need some chairs on our front porch so we can sit and relax out there! We have decided our house looks like an idealic country cottage. It has such character. We are just grateful for some nice weather. It was such a wet spring and finally we have some sun.

P.S. ONLY 5 MORE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL BABY JIMMY IS BORN!

Counting Down!!!

2010-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

So I only have 8 more weeks to go! I have a doctor's appt. in just a little bit which is always fun. Little Jimmy and Ella's rooms are all done! My crib that I used for Ella just got recalled so I had to take it all apart and take it back then order a new one online. Definitely liking my new one! I feel so much better having their rooms all done. I feel so much more organized. I promised pictures so here they are:

Here is the little outfit we picked out to bring Jimmy home in. I remember when we had Ella all of the newborn stuff just swam on her. Even though she was pretty good sized we had to go to the store and get a couple of premie things! So I bought one premie outfit for Jimmy. I think it is so cute and can't believe he will be that small.

Here is Ella's room! She loves her big girl bed and does really well in it. She also has a trundle bed underneath but we still need to get the mattress for that. But we figure it will come in handy for guests and sleepovers!

With Jimmy taking Ella's toy room we put her tv in her room. It is so nice to have her in her room during quiet time or early in the morning. She is still upstairs and close to me so I can lay down or be taking care of Jimmy without her being too far away.

Everything is going pretty well. Jimmy dropped last weekend which has helped my heartburn but not my bladder. It feels so weird now everytime he moves! Still having a lot of contractions so we will see what the doctor says today. Can't believe it is June. Next month James will be here! So excited!

2010-05-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some prego pics! I am almost 30 weeks. So excited that we only have two more months. Ella's room is all done and I am working on the babies room. As soon as it is done I will post pictures of both!

I really like this picture with Ella trying to kiss my belly. She is very fascinated with Jimmy and I can't wait to see how she reacts to him.

This is the bedding I picked out. This is the picture online not of our room. Steve wanted to make sure that the bedding wasn't sissy! I really like the bright colors.

Ella turns 3!!!

2010-03-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

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My little Ella is 3! On her birthday I let her choose whatever she wanted to wear out to the store and she chose the above outfit! Her cinderella costume with her brown jacket and her pink rain boots! She loved it!
The night before her birthday I went to pick up some balloons for her and in the store it really hit me how big she is. I almost just sat down in a corner and cried. I love the new things she learns and the age she is but it is hard to see them grow up. If little Jimmy wasn't coming soon I would have had an even harder time with it.
We had such a fun day. She had cupcakes with her cousins and they turned out so good. I made these coconut ones that were to die for and I don't even like cupcakes and then I made the little crushed oreo ones with worms on top. It was so fun to experiment and decorate them. I think I was more impressed with them then Ella!

I am 23 weeks along in my pregnancy and things are going well. We found out last month that we are having a boy! We weren't really surprised as we thought we were having a boy. Ella is interacting more with my belly now that it is getting bigger and talks to Jimmy and gives him kisses on my belly. I finally stopped throwing up about a month ago but that is right about when my contractions started. They didn't start with Ella until 32 weeks and my water broke a week early so that worked out great but these contractions started at 19 weeks and are definitely progressing. At this point my Dr. says we just have to watch them and maybe do some tests as I get farther along. But sometimes they are quite painful and I just have to take it easy. Hoping it will just make for an easy labor! We are all getting excited and I am getting antsy to get the baby room organized. So much to do!

Steve just started another term today. He did so well last semester and received another 4.0! He keeps pushing through it in a way I never could. I just keep telling myself we get closer all the time.
We are just waiting for spring to officially start here in Oregon. Last week it was 70 and beautiful so we started getting out spring clothes but then today we have had rain, snow, sunshine and now back to rain and clouds, all within a couple of hours. So crazy! Never know what to expect. Hopefully we will have nice weather for Easter!

That is the goings on of the Jones Household! Hopefully I will post again a little quicker but I wouldn't count on it:)

It's a New Year Miracle...I am posting!

2010-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years! I know I haven't posted in awhile. Really haven't felt like it but it will make this post really interesting with all of the stuff that has been happening!

October! Ella was Cinderella for Halloween and was a very good one at that! When we would call her "Ella" she would say "No, I am Cinderella!" She still asks almost daily if she can go trick or treating again. It definitely went much better then last year.

November!
Unfortunately, Ella and I got rear ended pretty bad in November. We were at a stop light and a big truck just ran into the back of us. Our poor little camry got smooshed but after a month and a half we have it back! Ella was pretty much okay with a few minor strains but I have had to go to the chiropractor 3x a week since then. But I am starting to feel better. Glad we are all okay and realize it could have been so much worse.
We had a very nice Thanksgiving here in Oregon with my family. Lots of yummy food!
Ella and I were also scheduled to come out to Arizona right after Thanksgiving but after 2 days of waiting in the airport they cancelled our flight permanently due to cold weather! We were so bummed and are hoping to be able to redo the trip in January or February.

December! It definitely started getting pretty cold in December. For about a week it was 14 degrees during the day. We were packing our bags but thankfully it warmed back up a little for the rest of the month. Steve finished his first semester up here and did such a good job. He finished with a 4.0 and we are that much closer to getting his undergrad done. I am so proud of him. He isn't home much with work and school which is hard on him but he is doing very well. Steve's parents came up for a week for Christmas and it was such a nice visit. It had been so long since we saw them and Ella was just thrilled to have them here. She didn't want them out of her sight. I also had lots of help with her and enjoyed my naps and taking it easy! We got the best of both worlds for christmas and had members of both families here which was a first for us. It was such a nice holiday. We were so sad to see Dave and Brenda go but are making plans to see them soon!
I also turned 26 after Christmas! I am starting to cross over to the later half of my 20's! Kind of weird. I had such a nice day. My mom and sisters took me to breakfast and shopping and then Steve and I had a date night and went to Indian food and saw The Blindside. Such a perfect birthday!

We are excited for 2010 to see what it will bring. But it is already looking busy. Steve starts another semester on the 4th and we will be having a new addition to our family in the end of July. We are so excited but grateful there are only 2 more weeks in my 1st trimester. Hopefully I can start feeling more normal after that. Ella will be starting pre-school in the fall and she already talks about going to school. There will be lots of changes but lots of opportunity for us to grow! Hope everyone had nice holidays! Hopefully it won't take 4 mo. for me to write again.

Lake Shasta

2009-09-06T18:27:00.001-07:00

Last wednesday we headed to Lake Shasta which is about 2 1/2 hours away and boarded our houseboat!

Here is Ella with her cousins Ellie and Seth. Ella wore this neat suit most of the week. My sister found these at Sam's Club and they were perfect. It has the life preserver in the suit so we didn't have to keep messing with a life jacket.

It has been years since we have done one. It was a blast! We all had so much fun. It was the perfect vacation in that we got to do fun stuff together but it was still relaxing. Ella loves hanging out with her cousins! Especially my sister Nikki's daughter Alexis. For some reason the 2 have started calling each other Jello so that is there nickname for one another. Kind of cute!

I also was able to get up on one ski which I haven't done since Ella was born. That was awesome and felt so nice! I tried wakeboarding and did pretty good until I caught the edge and smacked the left side of my body against the water really hard! I have bruises all down my body from my shoulder and back on down. It hurt so bad. I think I will stick with skis. I just like it so much better. Sure it has something to do with not being much of a snowboarder either.

Ella loved this water trampoline! It was a lot of fun for her.

Here is me and Steve after we had been jumping and diving off the very top. I jumped, he dived and did all sorts of tricks with my dad. Me and my 2 sisters also jumped off the very top altogether. That was fun!

Such a great trip and can't wait to do it again!

Family Reunion 2009

2009-08-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Every year my family has a reunion in Oregon. The church owns this camp that has cabins and is on a lake. We haven't gone in a couple of years since we were in AZ. But this year we went. We had a really nice time. We did some boating, Ella loves the tube and some canoeing. They had craft time for the kids and we even had talent night where Ella sang Itsy Bitsy Spider for everyone. It was super cute!

We have arrived in Oregon!

2009-08-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here is Ella with her Aunt Katie on moving day. She liked the truck!

We packed up on Wednesday morning and here we are after it was all done. It was a nice 112 that day I think. So Hot!!!

Ater we were done packing, we hit the road. We made it all the way to Bakersfield that night. Got 5 hours of sleep in a hotel and continued to Sacramento to stay with my sister Nikki. Ella was such a trooper! I was pretty happy with how well she did. It was also nice to drive through LA at night as this thing is a beast. With our car and everything it is 45 feet long! In California the roads were so bumpy we started singing oprah....it was so funny! Then, one morning after breakfast I got in the truck to drive and there were these workers on the side of the road and they all were laughing at me. They didn't think I could drive it! Ha!

It was a pretty good trip but we were happy to make it to Central Point! We pulled in on friday afternoon with missionaries and the Elder's Quorum there to help us unpack. Here is our house! It was built in the 1800's and has some character.

Here is the entry way. Please note the beautiful tile that Steve put in. It turned out awesome!

Living Room

Dining Room

Kitchen...I painted the cupboards blue. I really like how they turned out. Before they were white with just a little yellow. They were hideous. You can't see it but there is also a huge pantry to the left. So much room....gonna have to start my food storage.

Study. It is a work in progress. We are trying to find a desk and some other things. But the shelves are so nice. If only we had enough books to fill them.

After we were here for a few days we were at Lowe's and when we came out there was a huge hail storm! Ella loved it. It was crazy!

There is our moving story! More to come....

The going ons of the Jones Household!

2009-06-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick update of our lives with some new pictures! Most importantly I just got my hair done and love it. I am growing it back out but needed a trim and some major blonde!

Here is Ella climbing into our dryer! She was cracking me up. What a cutie. She just continues to amaze me as she picks up more words and is putting sentences together. She is so awesome!

Mother's Day was really nice. I made my Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Laws a little treat. The strawberries turned out so cool. One kind was a strawberry dipped in chocolate with crushed walnuts on it and then there were some combos of white and milk chocolate. It was kind of a selfish gift to my family as I enjoyed making them so much!

My friend is starting up Survivor Swimming Lessons at her home. Her 3 year old and 18mo. old swim like champions and living in AZ it is a must. So Ella has been going over there a few times a week with some of her friends. At first she didn't like it and wouldn't kick but now she is a little fish. She does so well! It gives me such peace of mind. If Ella were to fall in a pool she could swim to the edge and use her hands to go along the edge until she got to the stairs. I am so proud of her! Her teacher is so good and patient with the little ones. Even though on the first lesson I don't think the 3 girls stopped crying the whole hour.

Next week is Girls Camp! Since I am in the YW Presidency I get to go. I am so excited. It is definitely going to bring back some memories. Will post some of that when I get back!

Easter....finally!

2009-04-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

I know i look a little tired. It was a long weekend and by sunday afternoon I was worn out. But we had a very nice day. We went to Steve's parents ward as his mom was speaking. She gave a very good talk. Then we went back to their house and had lunch.

After lunch, Uncle Cody brought bubble stuff to play with. It was a big hit!

Then, Ella and her cousin Sidney went on an Easter egg hunt! Ella kind of figured it out but after she picked up an egg she just wanted to eat the candy inside. She didn't care about getting more.

She looked so pretty and grown up in her Easter dress. I love it!

Sweater has been found!

2009-04-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

So the other day I go to walk in my bedroom and my sweater is laying on the floor! I squeaked it up majorly. Apparently when Ella was sick and we went through every towel and blanket we own last week, out came my sweater that had been rolled up in a blanket from the park. Thanks a ton to Steve who found it for me. Hooray! It kind of smelled but I wore it right away anyways.

So much has been going on in our lives this last week. Some sad and some just busy. My pictures from Easter will come soon....when I can breathe.

Missing Grey Sweater...as seen below!

2009-04-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hear is a shout out to all of my friends and family! Especially those I have visited in the last couple of months. I have lost my grey sweater. It is a zip up with 3/4 sleeves and a hood. I believe it is gap. I am wearing it in the picture above. I have had this sweater forever and I love it! I have never seen another one like it and will be heartbroken if it cannnot be found. I must have left it somewhere so if you have a random sweater at your house...please let me know! Thanks!

Cooking Blogs!

2009-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Random post.....
So my thing this week is looking at recipes. Maybe because I am doing some freezer strawberry jam tomorrow (which is why my husband fell in love with me btw...so I should get some points) or just have the spring bug and nice weather makes me want to have parties and cook. But I have found a couple of really cool cooking blogs. These girls have some yummy looking recipes that I am excited about. My most favorite one is this:

http://carolinesbakeshop.blogspot.com/

This chic works at shade which is how I found her. I love yummy things that aren't too extensive and use pretty normal ingredients. If you enjoy cooking and yummy food check it out. I will let you know if I find any specific recipes that I love!

Scottsdale Art Show again!

2009-03-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night the Art Show my sister has been in held a little dinner for the artists and their families....Me! So steve and I went. We had such a fun time. I love having some of my family in AZ that I get to see every once in a while. Plus, when Steve and my brother-in-law Matt get together, we are guaranteed entertainment! We also walked around and looked at the other artists. There is some really cool stuff there. The show ends on the 29th so if you want to go you have 1 more week. Here are my favorites this time that she had hanging up! These paintings are like 4ft by 4ft. So they are huge!

I do have to say that dinner was okay... but definitely not as good as a certain caterer I know.....The Irresistible Dish! Will have to get them to use Alisa next year! She would have blown them out of the water. Here are some pictures from our night. I even got some pictures of me and Steve together!

Having lived in Oregon and Utah I would definitely say Arizona has the best sunsets. The weather was perfect and the sunset was so pretty!

Ella turned 2!

2009-03-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

My beautiful baby girl is 2! Where did my little baby go? It really has flown. Ella was born on St. Patrick's Day, just barely. After 21 hours of labor she finally arrived on March 17th, 2007 at 12:31am. She weighed 7lbs and 7ozs. and was 21.5 in long.
Here is a picture of Ella last year on her birthday. She has changed so much!

This year we had a huge party. In the morning her little friends came over and then in the afternoon all of our family came over. She had a very fun filled day. We got her a big castle bouncer which she still asks for.

She loved all of her presents. They have kept her really entertained all week. It has been really nice.

I could never have dreamed up such a cool little girl. She was nothing what I expected but so much more. I love you Ella!

Disneyland!

2009-02-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

My lovely husband has turned into a Scout fanatic! Who knew?! He went to Woodbadge a couple of weekends ago and has University of Scouting today as well as another weekend of Woodbadge soon and Little Philmont camping trip. So between work and scouts I haven't seen him much. A few weeks ago I saw this good deal for Disneyland and we decided it was a good time to get away for a little bit. Ella had never been and she is finally old enough to enjoy it.

Here is Ella in the car on our way to SoCal. She did pretty well in the car. This was the longest road trip we have ever done with her.

We invited Steve's family to come along. Here is Ella with her cousins, Blake and Brock, and Porter!

Ella loved all the characters. She even got a kiss from Mickey but I didn't have time to pull out my camera! She followed the characters whenever she saw one. I was surprised she wasn't more scared.

She even loved the tea cups! I can't even ride those. They make me so sick!

She was chowing on those chips! I guess it is okay at Disneyland. She loved the Tiki Room show with the talking birds!

We had a wonderful time. A bit short but all we could fit in right now with our schedules. We did 2 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Ella's favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean! She keeps talking about the rides and the boat. I was surprised how many rides she can go on. We didn't even have time to do them all. Can't wait to go back!

Anniversary, Art Show, RSV, Sista!

2009-01-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Okay...where to begin....Ella had RSV all last week. It was the sickest she has ever been. She couldn't sleep or eat and she was always coughing! It was rough. Now we are trying to break that tantrums and fits since she doesn't get whatever she wants anymore. Super fun time at the Jones'!

Last thursday was our 4 year anniversary. Can't believe it! Unfortunately we hadn't had any sleep the whole week from Ella being sick so we went to bed early! Super Exciting. But I did surprise Steve at work and took him out to lunch at this fun asian restaurant called Zang's. It was a much needed break. My friend watched Ella even though she was sick. Super nice!

Every year Scottsdale hosts a 3 month Art show off Scottsdale Rd. and the 101 in the White Tents. My sister is at this show as she is a fabulous artist! Check her out at www.jensart.com. The picture up top is of one of her new paintings! The show started last weekend so her husband was in town to help her get set up and organized so we all went to Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse for dinner on Friday. We go every year when they are in town but apparently they recently changed ownership and you can tell! The food and service are not nearly as good as it has been in the past. Super disappointing. Oh well, with such great company we had a fabulous time! They also attended church with us and watched the Cardinals spank the Philly's! Not that I follow much football.

It was a super busy week, but aren't they all!

2009-01-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Got this from my SIL...Kind of fun to think of stuff you have done over the years and stuff I still want to do! I tag everyone.

Copy and paste the list. Bold the things you have done...then add one on to the end that is not already there, & tag your friends!

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14.Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a 1/2 Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run 32.been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone. 78.Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100.Made amends with someone who offended you 101. Flew in a small Cessna plane with just you and the pilot 102. Ran out of gas 103. Eaten fried okra 104. Swam in the Caribbean Sea 105. Peed in a swimming pool 106. Stayed in a beach house 107. Hosted an exchange student 108. Been a Secret Santa to a family in need 109. Worked on a political campaign 110. Coached a sports team 111. Baked bread from scratch 112. Driven from coast to coast 113. Paid off all of your debt 114. Roast marshmallows over a campfire 115. Cut up a credit card 116. Drove a car through a flood 117. Been on t.v 118. Had braces 119. Been to the top of the twin towers in NY. 120. Have played in both the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans 121. Been to ground zero 122. Bitten your fingernails 123. Scrapbooked 124. Visited Mexico 125. Seen a Tornado in person 126. Been lost at sea 127. Kissed a frog. 128. Given birth to twins. 129. Received 2 moving violation tickets in 1 day. 130. Taught English in a foreign country 131. Gone rappelling 132. Been to the top of the Empire State Building 133. Had a serious surgery 134. Donated your hair 135. Gave someone scriptures 136. Witnessed someone else's baby being born 137. Ran from the police

My Birth Week!

2009-01-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

This kind of rambles...feel free to skip or skim read!
Yes, I have a whole week dedicated to my birth. I highly suggest it...it is much more fun. Last monday on the 29th I officially turned 25! As my dad put it, I am a quarter of a century old. Everyone always asks me if I liked having a birthday right after Christmas. Well, I have never known any different so I don't know if another way is better but I have never minded. My mom was always very good about keeping them separate. She never gave me an extra present at Christmas and counted that. I always got my presents on my birthday in birthday wrapping paper, not Christmas! I always kind of liked it because I got just as much as everyone else for Christmas and then more. So I thought I was pretty cool. Plus, after Christmas there is always so many sales I could go shopping and get a lot. And lastly I was brought home from the hospital in a christmas stocking! I have a picture and it is super cute. The only thing I can think of that I hated was not going to school on my birthday so my friends could decorate my locker and have parties in class and stuff. I am over that now!
I believe I had a total of 5 events last week for my birthday. I have some awesome family and friends who kept wanting to take me out...and I was happy to oblige them. I was definitely surprised by how many people cared enough to call or make plans with me or something for my birthday. I received calls from people I have known all my life but live far away and from newer friends who wanted to take me to lunch or dinner. I also received an IPod from my familia which I played with all day on New Years and put on a total of 825 songs. I don't leave home without it.
I think birthdays are very special and I want my children to feel the same way. That for one day out of the year the world revolves around them and they are important and can do anything.
I have never minded growing older and this year was no different. Can't wait to party again next year!

Christmas has arrived!

2008-12-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of the best days of the year! When Steve got home he said that there were packages on the doorstep. I brought them in and they were our presents from my Mom and Dad! So excited. I opened the boxes because me mom wraps all the presents individually in the boxes. It always makes me so happy to open their presents on Christmas when we don't get to see much of my family! So I get very giddy! My mom also sent me my birthday present since it is on the 29th (big 25!). So it was a happy night. It has made me excited for Christmas and actually makes me want to do my Christmas shopping since I haven't started yet and have not been wanting to with a crazy 2 year old. But now I am getting all organized!
I am also sending out Christmas cards this week. If I don't have your address, send it to me on here or at blondelola1331@hotmail.com and I will send you one. Now the presents are sitting under the tree and have managed to stay wrapped this far! I am not one to cheat and Ella so far hasn't realized what they are. As you can see in the picture she was more excited about the box and packing stuff then the presents.
The other pictures are of Ella with her cousins Blake and Brock from a couple of weeks ago. Merry Christmas!

Family Pictures

2008-12-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Last month we got some family pictures done. We really hadn't had any done since Ella was born so it was about time. They turned out so nice. Steve's sister-in-law did them and it is so exciting. I haven't decided which ones to use for our family picture and our Christmas cards but I definitely need to get on that!
So here are a couple that we really like. The one with me and Steve cracks me up because if you know my husband.....he will not take a cute normal picture. He will make fun of the situation somehow so this is what he was doing. I absolutely love the one where Ella is giving me a kiss. I can rarely get her to give me one but she is so cute.
We had a very nice thanksgiving at Steve's parents house. Some family couldn't be there so it was pretty small but we all had a good time. I made rolls for the first time and they were pretty good. We ate a ton!

The day has come....

2008-11-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't updated in a while. I don't have any pictures to post. Oh well I can still give an update. I feel like October flew by and I don't know where it went. I think my head still thinks it is the middle of October. Where to begin...First off...Halloween. It didn't quite go as I expected. Ella decided not to wear her costume. When I tried to put it on for our Trunk or Treat she threw a massive fit! I bought her a pirate costume complete with a badana and hat and belt and boots. The only thing that made it on her was the dress. I settled for that and went. I didn't feel like a battle on Halloween so I didn't even try. So, no pictures of her in her cute costume. Maybe next year!
Besides that Ella continues to be very busy and very funny. Although she has started this new thing that drives me insane. She says "no" to everything! Not only does she say "no," she accompanies that with a shake of her head and then runs away. My little diva!
As my post is titled "The day has come" here is my story. This morning I checked on Ella at 8am and she was still sleeping. So I went back to bed to lay down as I have not been sleeping the best lately. At 8:15 I hear a loud thump followed by a top of the lungs scream! I run in her bedroom and she is laying on the floor in front of her crib. She climbed/fell out! I am not ready for this at all. So we removed her bumper pad so hopefully if she doesn't have that to help boost her she won't be able to get out. We shall see! She has a very nice bruise on her forehead though.

Lastly...a little shout out to my dad who won his 3rd election 70% to 30%. He may be the last remaining republican in Oregon! Congrats Dad!

Another Week...with a wannabe 2 yr. old!

2008-10-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

So first off I have to tell a (funny now, but not then) story! Ella has progressed farther into this stage of throwing fits, not listening and all around being a stinker! This last week it definitely hit a new level. On friday I spent all morning with her giving her lots of attention and then she had her nap. After her nap we went and got the mail. The minute I started doing something and wasn't giving her attention she starts whining and complaining. So I ignore her and when I look up the trash is all over the kitchen floor...then I start looking for her and find her in my bathroom standing in the toilet fully clothed! She is soaking wet and when I look at her she tells me she is "going potty!" I just about died. If I wouldn't have been so mad I would have gotten a picture. Dang it!
Steve was really busy this week and was working a lot so Ella and I went to a pumpkin patch (Thanks Kimber!) with some friends and there was a petting zoo and stuff. Lots of fun but it was soooo hot that day. You can see in the pictures that Ella is a little glazed over and has pink cheeks and is attached to her paci. But we got a pretty cool pumpkin!
We also had family pictures on Saturday and I can't wait to see them and post some! I was really excited about our outfits and stressed for like 2 weeks on what to wear. But I think they will be great! It was quite the process with it being so hot and getting Ella to sit still. There was our week. I think this week will be a little calmer.

P.S. There have been some comments about the lack of pictures of my husband! 1. He hates having his picture taken 2. I am always taking pictures so we never get any of us together! 3. My husband is so supremely hot! (just ask the girls in our ward) I really don't want anyone to feel bad 4. I am majorly anti-cheese and a very personal person. Anything public makes me very uncomfortable. Just know I love him very much and I will try and incorporate him more.

Funny Girls!

2008-10-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last friday I was watching my neice Sidney and then my friend Alisa had Physical Therapy so she dropped off Morgan. The 3 girls together were really fun! Ella is getting to the age where she wants to play. If we go to a park she always is going up to the other kids and trying to play. I feel bad sometimes. So they all had lots of fun with each other!

Bubba the Kitten!

2008-10-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all....you know I am not a big animal person. I think they are cute and fun but way too much for me to take care of. So on monday I kept hearing this little meow all day coming from my back yard. After about 8 hours of it meowing I finally go outside to see where it is coming from. Behind one of our plants is this little tiny kitten. He is crouched down in the only piece of shade he could find and just panting. I felt so bad for him but I didn't want a kitten. I called Steve and my MIL (who is a big animal lover) and they told me to go to the pet store and get it some formula. I am definately not an animal person but I didn't want it to die. I would have felt really bad! So I put it in a box and loaded Ella up and we went to the pet store. We got some formula and a little bottle that it eats from. It was pretty clean for a stray and about 14 days old. On Tuesday, I have to go to work so my MIL normally watches Ella and offered to watch Bubba (that is what I named it). Having this kitten is like having another baby. He has to be fed every couple of hours and I have Ella who is saying she is hungry and this kitten meowing at me that he is hungry. I started losing my mind. So when I get to my MIL's I tell her I have to take it to a shelter. I am stressing out and don't know how to take care of this little thing. Ella is trying to step on it or suffocate it most of the time. My MIL wants it! but my FIL has told her no more pets. But that is up to them. I have offered to find a place for the kitty but she is having way too much fun with the little guy and doesn't want him to go. So that is our random adventure this week!

A Fun Saturday!

2008-09-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Once again I don't think there was one night this week that Steve and I were home together. Between work and callings there is always something and we just seem to take turns. So by today (Saturday) we were in desperate need of some family fun time. We went to an earlish dinner and then over to the Goodyear Park that has a bunch of playgrounds and a splash pad. Weren't really planning on the splash pad as you can see but it was still a fun time. Steve still is having Kidney issues so he was trying to take it easy but he was bearing it so we could get Ella out. We put her in the swing and she started shaking. She didn't like it one bit! Maybe next time.

Randoms!

2008-09-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

The other day Steve came home and made this tent for Ella. She loved it. They sat in it and watched 'Enchanted' (which is her favorite movie. She loves it!) on his PSP. I thought this picture was cute of them.

The other picture is from the other day too when I met some friends for lunch with their little girls. One of Ella's friends, Morgan showed up with the same shirt on as Ella and I thought it was funny so I took a picture. Totally accidental. Didn't buy the shirts together or anything.

Hanging out with my cute kid!

2008-09-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have updated...thanks Nat for the bust at church! Anyways, I was super sick one week and last week was just a crazy blur of life. But I think things are finally back to normal. So last night Steve was having a kidney attack so he was in bed and Ella and I were just hanging out and I painted her toes for the first time. She loved it. She kept saying "Pretty toes" and walking around just staring at her feet. Also, our camera hasn't been working but I found out it was recalled for the specific problem and we just got it back and it now works! So I took some fun pictures of us hanging out and painting our toes! I love this new stage she is in. It is sooo fun! She went to nursery on sunday and she has these little conversations with me each morning when she wakes up and it makes me smile and super proud of her. She has the coolest personality (my husband thinks I should thank him for that!).

The Woes of Children's Sleep

2008-08-27T22:04:00.001-07:00

As I am writing this I can hear my daughter talking in her room. It is 10 o'clock! What is going on? I can tell this will be a fun one. Has anyone ever heard of 18 mo. sleep regression? Apparently around 18 mo. your child will start sleeping opposite of how they normally do. So my normally good sleeper has decided she wants to stay up until 10! At least that means that she takes more naps. I think as soon as I start thinking that I have this down and her sleep is figured out she changes it on me! Ugh! Oh well. I guess these little challenges are good birth control!

I GIVE IN!

2008-08-27T22:00:00.001-07:00

So after much pressure from everyone who has a blog, I am giving in and starting one. I am now part of the cool people who all have blogs. My friend Meaghan finally got me to do it by saying that my family would like to read it. So since all of my dear sisters and mom live far away, I am doing this as a way for them to stay involved in my life. Enjoy!