All the Other Stuff

Usually I like to make separate posts for each thought, event, or idea. Consider yourself warned that this post will not follow my usual trend. You might even want to read it in batches because it's like a melting pot of random things. The pictures will guide the commentary.


Let's start here. I love Jon. He is a sweetie. It's SO unromantic to be married to a sick & tired pregnant lady, but he has been FOUR times. And he's been nice to me and shown his kindness in his actions everyday. It's also not very romantic to be married to a sleep deprived new mother who doesn't look lovely on most days. And yet, after my Jon dropped the kids off at school he stopped by the store to bring home a dozen VERY long stemmed pink roses and delicious chocolate covered strawberries. It's a beautiful display of his love that I feel every day. Lucky me.


The recliner is where I spend most of my current life. I doze off during the night in this chair. Jayson loves to sleep on my chest and I can't think of anything sweeter. This is what I look like most days.




None of my other kids have been big fans of pacifiers. I've tried to force them upon them with little success. Jayson is the first to truly enjoy the small comfort it provides.


Jacob lost TWO teeth in one day. They're the two on top - one on each side.


I think baby toes are completely kissable. You can't really see from this picture, but Jayson's baby toe is the longest baby toe I've ever seen. He didn't get that from me. Mine's a midget.


I need to focus more on how sweet it is that Jessica wants to be close to the baby. I often feel so claustrophobic because the kids want to get up close and personal with the baby, but the baby is usually on my lap. Jessica says things like, "I want to pet her." and "She wants her paci." Jessica doesn't understand pronouns and now I'm getting them all mixed up too. When the baby cries, Jessica gets in front of me and says, "it's all right - mommy's got you"


Our family likes to watch America's Funniest Videos. I looked over at all the kids cuddling with dad and laughing and wanted to remember it. So I tossed Jayson on top and grabbed the camera.


Jayson doesn't like being put down in his bed to sleep. He is getting better at night, but he prefers being held.


I don't wear fancy anything - make-up included. But I did enjoy picking out some new compacts and brushes and lipgloss since Jessica was using mine to paint on the counter tops. I rarely wear make-up these days. If I get some on, it's usually concealer to hide the under-eye bags, mascara, and sometimes gloss or blistex.


Jon often holds our babies at the dinner table so I can hurry and eat before nursing again. Seeing Jon this night reminded me of our days in the apartment with baby James. Seems like it could be yesterday.


Finally, I'm posting our front room leather furniture - just the three pieces. The footrest/ottoman holds my piano sheet music, our hymnbooks, and scriptures. We used to read the Book of Mormon as a family before school in this room, but it seems that we've had more success lately reading in the family room (wear my recliner is) in the evening. Sometimes Jon reads with the kids without me. He's been inspired from a priesthood meeting to help our family get through the scriptures hopefully before Jacob's baptism - it's a good goal whether we finish before August or not.



Jessica hasn't taken formal naps for a LONG time. Lately she has fallen asleep after she goes to My Gym (it's a fitness center for kids that plays games, teaches gymnastic exercises, and promotes movement). Jessica loves jumping on the trampoline and bounces super high.


A peek into our Valentines Day:




It's hard to top roses & strawberries. I just ran to Albertson's to get balloons to make the kitchen more festive. I had already gotten heart paper goods for our family Valentine's dinner that was so not fancy I can't remember what it was. I baked chocolate chip cookies (a favorite of Jon's when he's not being so health conscious) . Then I decided to try one big heart. No- I didn't have a special pan and so yes it turned into a cookie blob. I cut the heart shape and wrapped it in red wrap. Also, NEVER believe cookie or brownie recipes when they tell you the cooking time. Not if you want them soft and chewy. I didn't follow my own rule and this turned out TOO crispy. Gross. Nice Valentines gift from me. I HOPE it's the thought that counts.

Although I suck at finding a sweet gift for my sweetheart, I do rock at finding things for the kids. James is a total video game addict - Luigi being his favorite character. Jon & I found a stuffed Luigi when we were on a recent ice cream date. James was thrilled. For Jacob we got a little Lego racer. He loves putting those projects together. For Jessica - new playdoh which has been outside in the playhouse and was rained on yesterday and today. Our backyard looks like a dump. I haven't taken pictures of it.


Here's my littlest Valentine. I Heart U 2!!!


Look at all the love from my boys. I'm officially 35 years old. Cheesecake is my favorite kind of cake, but the kids hate it. Jessica was throwing a tantrum about who knows what so she isn't part of the party pictures.

I nearly have to twist Jacob's arm to get him to talk to me let alone kiss my goodnight. James on the other arm comes to my recliner two or three times to say goodnight and give me a kiss. (once before he goes upstairs, once after he has finished his reading, and sometimes one more trip downstairs for good measure).

Look at my gifts - one was a package of Oreos to top off my cheesecake, two of them are boxes of graham crackers that I had been craving, and the big on is a food processor that Jon & I talked about getting for the kitchen so we can better puree food and make Jessica Seinfeld's recipes. I haven't used it once yet. Perhaps when Jayson starts eating solids. I bought new tees from Old Navy and a nice top to wear to church (I taught my first Relief Society lesson and wanted to look nice) with my birthday money.


I like to have a picture when the babies start using the car seat. I know it is only a matter of months before the legs are dangling over the edges and the head reaches the top.


I haven't taken a nice photo of Jayson's new bed set. That made it to my had-to-haves list. But I did find one that I liked on clearance, so I felt justified. I finally opted to skip the baby mobile. Forty dollars (actually $30 was the clearance price) just seemed super steep for an item that is mostly for show. (Remember how I said that my babies don't like being in the crib much). But, when I found a blue one (with stuffed hippo, giraffe, bear, etc.) on Target's clearance rack for $6, I decided we needed one for sure.



These roses have been SO gorgeous in my kitchen. I felt bad that I hadn't gotten a nice photo of them. I grabbed a handful of them and caught a couple pictures nearly a week after V-day.


Yes. We still have a candy machine in our kitchen. It really does require quarters. You can see that we still have the Christmas M&M mix in it.


The boys got SO excited about having a camp out in our backyard. I had my doubts from the beginning that they'd even last an hour outside after dark. Jacob sometimes walks in his sleep and who knows where he'd end up in the neighborhood. Then it got REALLY cold, so it was for sure out of the question. Jon brought the little tent inside so they could have an indoor camp out. Jacob & Jessica fell asleep in front of the TV. James asked if Dad would put Jacob in the tent so he didn't have to sleep alone. The next morning they rolled out of the tent to play video games (at around 5:30 a.m.)



Finally, pictures of Jessica's Princess bed. I got the cute white toddler bed at BabiesRUs and the bedding from Target. I'd like to get a picture with my princess and her princess pjs sleeping in it.


Messes like this regularly occur wherever Jessica has been. She likes to take gobs of toilet paper to use for wrapping paper and dollie blankets. I find scraps EVERYWHERE.


I always have loads of laundry to do, but I don't mind. This is my favorite household job. I usually call each load a batch as in, "I need to toss in a batch of laundry." My friends say it sounds like I'm making cookies.


Jessica has her flip flops on the wrong feet more often than on the right. I don't know how it can be comfortable. It doesn't bother her a bit.


Oh My Jessica! She changes her clothes 3-4 times daily. Her princess pajamas are like dress-up gowns. She leaves them all over. She's been stealing my wipes now too. I'm not sure what she does with those.


More Jessica. There was not a picture colored in the making of this mess. Just scattered brand new crayons that got stepped on.


Jessica leaves her shoes all over the house. The same pair can be moved to 4 or 5 locations in the same day. She is also very fond of her new Barbie Band-aids. I can't seem to keep them in the first aid cupboard.

Finally, I must confess my GUILT.

These are the thank-you cards that I bought over a month ago to send out after my baby shower. I have written the thoughts in my mind a hundred times, but not one card. I feel so grateful in my heart for all the nice baby gifts we received. So many people were so helpful with the baby shower, with watching my kids, with helping with carpools, etc. What - I can't thank them enough so I don't thank them at all???

So, to those who deserve one of these cards, please know that I thank you.

Also in this photo is my copy of the Book of Mormon. I've taken the Hinckley Challenge and doing my best to read the entire book in 97 days (Pres. Hinckley's age when he died). I'm already behind on the pages, so I need to get going. My eyes don't focus when I'm tired. And by the way, when was the last time you saw me wearing my glasses??


This is the tower of unreturned dishes from the scrumptious meals that friends brought over. Thank you so much for feeding me and my family. I was so exhausted and achy and mentally drained. Your meals really brought me a lot of comfort and help. THanks!