First Day of School

Ammon had his first day of Preschool today. He is going to the Child Development Lab at Humboldt State. My siblings and I also attended this preschool and it is wonderful. I was all prepared to stay with Ammon for an hour or so because it was his first day but he was off playing within the first few minutes. Ten minutes later I hugged him and said goodbye and he could have cared less. I guess it's a good thing. He had a blast at school. We gave his friend Brayden a ride home and they were in the back of the car talking and I heard Ammon say, "We go to school now Brayden, because we are big and we listen to our teachers." It was so cute.

I got home last night from Utah and was so excited to see my kids. It was hard to leave them but once I was gone I was fine. I had a great time being back in Provo. We stayed one night with Alex in her apartment at King Henry. King Henry is where Jody and I met. Being there brought back a lot of memories and feelings. I loved it. I hope Alex has as wonderful of an experience as I did. I also stayed a few nights in Salt Lake with my old roommate and friend Celeste. We stayed up until 3:30 in the morning one night talking about all the funny things we did and people we met in Provo. It was a wonderful trip and I am so glad I got to go. But when it was time to go I couldn't wait to get home to see my kids. My single days in Provo were some of the funnest in my life but I realized that I am so happy to have my own family now. I love being a mom and feel so lucky to have my adorable little boys and loving husband. I realized that there is nothing else I would rather do in life than be a mother and wife.

College Bound

Yes me too! Well not really. Alex, my sister, is heading out to Provo Utah tomorrow to attend Utah Valley State College and live in King Henry Apartments. Wow, are we in the twilight zone? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was doing the same thing. So for the last few months Alex has been grilling me about all my experiences in P-town. Any of you who have been there feel free to comment about things she can do or go see. She has asked me things like: where to workout, what is the funnest thing to do, which mall is better, where to get a job, how to pay bills, and the list goes on and on. She is a pretty random girl who has just in the last few months found enough courage to make her own hair appointments. Scary I know. But I think she will do fine on her own. During these last few months of reminiscing about my old college days I have been feeling a little envious of her. So about a month ago when for the tenth time I said, "I am so jealous, you are going to have so much fun" Alex thought of the most wonderful idea when she said,"why don't you come back with us?" That night I went home and somehow managed to talk Jody into it. So we are leaving tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. to drive little Alex back to Utah. The good things about going are that I don't have to say goodbye to Alex yet, I get to eat yummy food, see old friends, and sleep as long as I want to. I will officially be away from my kids for 6 days. I have only been away from Ammon for 3 days and no more than a few hours from Cohen. Right now I am excited but so sad to leave them. I keep kissing them and looking at their little faces and telling them how much I love them. This may seem a little dramatic but I am sure you other moms know how I feel. I just can't believe she is going. Luckily I have some things to look forward to. Lindsey, Kasey and Chris will all be coming home with their families over the next few weeks and I can't wait to be with all of them.

Dad and Jody packing her car up.

Like Father Like Mother?

Okay so lately everyone has been saying that my two boys, Ammon and Cohen, look identical. When Cohen was first born we thought he was the spitting image of Ammon but he quickly changed. He is much thinner in the face and body then Ammon ever has been and he has blue eyes. To me Ammon looks a lot like my baby pictures but I can see Jody in him also. I thought Cohen looked exactly like Jody but after pulling out some of my own pictures tonight I am seeing some of myself in him. I don't have baby pictures of Jody but Cohen does look a lot like them. One of the funnest things about having kids is seeing who they will look like. We always wonder if/when we have a girl what and who she will look like. So what do you think? Does Ammon look like me or Jody? How about Cohen? Do they look alike? I will post another picture of both of them at the same age tomorrow. Happy judging!

p.s. Don't you love the picture in the tub? Doesn't everyone have these? I know I already have a dozen or so of my kids with their cousins in the tub. Kasey looks like Kaden in this picture. Poor kid. J/K!!!

p.p.s. Congrats Benji! He was the winner of SYTYCD last night!

Happy Birthday Cohen

Cohen had his first birthday last week! Ammon enjoyed it more than he did but at least we got some cute pictures from it! His favorite part was eating the cake. We just got back from another wonderful weekend at the lake. I just have to tell one funny thing Ammon did. On the way home he was eating some ritz crackers and fell asleep with them in his hands. Halfway home I heard him getting some crackers out and assumed he had woken up. I looked back and his eyes were still closed. With eyes close he got a cracker out, ate it, got a second one out and ate that one. After his second cracker he was fast asleep again or did he ever wake up? My mom and I got a good laugh over that one!

Cohen loves this push bike Kalie got him.

The Never Ending Triplex

I wish they would have consulted me before they painted it!

Okay so many of you have probably heard about "the triplex." This is an investment my husband made with three other guys obviously to make some money. They bought the triplex last June, so it has been about 14 months. This thing was the nastiest place I had ever been in before they started working on it. I can't even begin to describe how nasty it was. So the plan was to totally gut the inside of it, change the floor plan, and put all new everything into it and this was all suppose to take 3 or 4 months. Yah right! Since March I have heard, "It will done next month." Fourteen months later I can honestly say that there is an end in sight. It has not been the easiest year because of this junker. Jody was going to school all last year, we had a new baby, and he was working. Then he would go out to Eureka to work on it in the evenings when he didn't have a softball game, church meetings, or school work to do. Basically I spent a lot of time with my parents and Alex. I know that it doesn't look like much but they have made vast improvements to it. Jody has also learned a lot considering he had never worked in construction before. We should be refinancing and putting it on the market this month. It will be wonderful to finally see the fruits of our labors! $$$$$$$

Good Times

We are back from our trips to Trinity Lake, Vacaville, Portland and Seattle. Life is slowly getting back to normal. Luckily I did laundry before I left and before I came back and I left the apartment in pretty good shape. So the worst was unpacking the car and cleaning it out. We had a wonderful time on our trip and enjoyed seeing our family. We started out Thursday night and drove to the lake. We stayed there until Saturday morning. We drove to Vacaville Saturday to go to my cousin Jami's wedding reception, which by the way was beautiful. It was fun to spend time with my grandparents, Rona, and her girls.

On Monday morning we got up and drove from Vacaville to Portland. We wanted to stop in Portland so that we could take turns going through the temple. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Jody and I were married in the Portland Temple and it just holds a special place in my heart. When I was there I kept remembering our wedding and the feelings I felt that day. I love going to the temple. Jody and I have made it a goal to go every month and I am starting to get addicted to it. I just love the way I feel when I am there and the way it puts everything thing in life in perspective. I come away remembering why I am here and what this life is about. Most importantly it makes me grateful for my family and the blessings I have been given. I am grateful to have a testimony of the gospel and can't imagine ever feeling pure peace and joy in my life without it.
After the temple we drove three more hours to spend five days with my brother Chris and his family. Well maybe I should say just his family because he had to go to San Diego while we were there and we didn't get to spend a lot of time with him. But I loved spending time with Kalie and her kids. I love that she is married to my brother, he really lucked out with her. If we lived close I know she would be one of my best friends. Madison and Kyle are adorable kids and Ammon loved being able to play with Madison from sun up to sun down. Poor Jody got stuck going shopping with us, going to a play group, and listening to our conversations about girl things. But he was a trooper and even watched all four kids so that we could shop at a store by ourselves.

All in all it was a fun, relaxing trip. I love my family and am so grateful that I am close with all of them. I only wish I could see them more!

Moving on!

Happy Day! Jody officially passed both summer classes and if all goes well will graduate in December! This has been a long time coming. When we first got married we came to McKinleyville to finish up school and move after two years. Well four years later, two kids, and too many odd jobs to list we are finally going to move on! When we first moved here the plan was for Jody to get his degree in business. Because he didn't have California residency yet he had to start at College of the Redwoods where he took a couple of business classes. After talking to our brother in law Matt who had decided to quit the whole "working for someone else" type of job and go to dental school, Jody decided to give it a try also. So he switched his major to Biology and began going to Humboldt. After his first attempt at the DAT and applying to 10 or so schools and not getting in, he decided to drop the dental school thing and look for something else. Meanwhile he was approached by a guy in our ward to become a real estate agent and work for him. Jody jumped on the chance to quit working at my dad's mill and make some real money. So within a few months he was a licensed agent. It has been a great job for Jody except that it has slowed down his progression in finishing school. We love the paychecks we get when a home closes but the stress of not knowing how much you will make each month and having deals fall through days before you are going to get paid isn't worth it. So Jody has jumped back into school full time and will now finish. Our plan has changed many times. But for now he hopes to get a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep and move near relatives in Seattle, Georgia, or Denver. But we have to take what we can get and hope that we will be able to move up. I just want to live near someone. I can't imagine leaving my parents alone in Humboldt County but hopefully they won't be far behind!

Classic Ammon Moments

I am finally going to finish a post I started last week. We are in Seattle visiting my brother and his family. The posts have slowed because we have been on the road since last week.

Ammon keeps saying and doing the funniest things. Last week was his first time going to the dentist. Suprisingly he did pretty well and lucky for me he had no cavities. Later that day I told him how good he did at the dentist and how he is such a big boy. He just smiled and said, "yep." Then I said, "Do you want to go to the dentist again?" He looked at me with a scowl on his face and said, "Probably not." He went on to tell me that he didn't like the taste of the toothpaste and that he would rather go to the doctor.

Later that day we were at my parents house doing laundry and I looked at Ammon and noticed that he looked bigger. Then I saw 3 or 4 different collars sticking out of his shirt. He had brought his backpack over to their house and had packed it full of clothes. He had gotten them all out while I was doing laundry. So I asked Ammon to come over and I counted five shirts on him. I asked him why he had five shirts on and he just said, "because I want to." About twenty minutes later I convinced him to take off all but one shirt because his cheeks were getting pink from being hot. After I got the shirts off he turned and asked me," Mom can I take my underwear off too?" I told him that he had to wear his underwear and he said,"well can I take off two of them?" I just about died. I took his shorts off to find five pairs of underwear on! This kid cracks me up.

P.S. Does anyone ever have a problem with soap scum? Tasha introduced me to this stuff and it is awesome! All you do is spray it on the tub, let it sit for 5 minutes, barely scrub and your tub will be sparkling clean. I love it! Thanks Tash.

A steal!

Okay so when did it become so exciting to buy furniture or things to decorate my home with? About a month ago I bought this picture from Target. I had seen it for months and really liked it but never would pay $100 dollars for it. So I saw it a month ago and it was in a clearance aisle marked down to $50. Jody's dad had given us each $60 gift cards to Target and so I was contemplating buying it. I left that day with the idea of going back with my mom to get her opinion of it. Well Alex and I ended up going back to Target two days later and I walked down the aisle, found the picture I wanted and decided to buy it. I had already gotten it into the cart when Alex said something like,"It's only 25 dollars now." I freaked out!!! I mean literally Alex was dieing laughing at me. I couldn't believe it was only 25 dollars. After I calmed down Alex said,"you know I can't really imagine ever wanting to spend money on things for my home or get that excited about a picture." I looked at her and said,"I never thought I would either it's just something that happens when you get married and have your own place." I don't know if anyone else feels this way but I can't wait to have enough money to decorate and make a home the way I really want to. I can't imagine how much fun it would be to live in a place that truly feels like your own. Someday.

The picture looks much better in person!

Hooray for Sunshine!

Most of you know that Humboldt County is known for its gloomy fog filled days but this week has been beautiful. It's weeks like this that make me say to my husband, "I could live here forever if the weather was always this nice." But we all know it will pass and then we won't see the sun for another month or so.

My boys and I have been out enjoying this beautiful weather. My dad belongs to a men's club called the Ingomar Club. He takes his customers there and his work pays for all of it. It's suppose to be a really nice elite type of club that people obviously have to pay a fee to be in but my sisters and I joke about it because we don't think the food is that good. Sometimes we get to go with my mom to lunch there and I splurge and get whatever I want because heck I'm not paying for it. Oh and I always get a shirley temple. They have a pool at the mansion and we recently found out that we can use it all summer long. So Alex and I took the boys there on Tuesday. It was pretty fun. The temperature was a little over 70 degrees and the pool was heated. A waiter comes around the pool and takes food orders. We got to get lunch compliments of my dads work, of course. It's just nice to have something else to do in this one horse town. Poor Alex was stuck with Ammon in the pool the whole time. Cohen only wanted me and Ammon wanted to swim the whole time. When she finally got him out he kept telling me,"Mom I'm getting too hot, let's get back in the pool, you want to mom?" He is so smart but doesn't realize that in 70 degree weather I won't fall for being "too hot."


Last summer 11 girls in my ward were pregnant with babies all due within a few months of each other. So yesterday we had a little birthday lunch at the park for all the one year olds. Cohen loved the cupcakes. He had one and then ate off of everyone else's. Poor Tasha didn't get much of hers. Later he went in the swing with Summer. We joke that Summer and Cohen will be dating someday. If any of you are O.C. fans you know why we say that.

We were planning on going to the lake this weekend but have decided to stay home and enjoy this beautiful weather while we can!

FHE

Last night was Monday night and we had our regular family home evening with the kids. They don't get much out of it so we try to make it short and sweet with an activity at the end. We went to the temple last weekend to see a friend go through for his first time. Ammon loves going to the temple. So last night we talked about the temple and tried to explain what we do at the temple and why it is so special. I told Ammon that daddy and mommy were married in the temple and that someday he too can be married there. He smiled and said, "Mom can I marry Lexy at the temple?" So precious. I said,"Ammon if you still like Lexy in 20 years you can marry her." He is seriously such a sweetheart. Jody asked him who was the prettiest girl in the world the other day and he said, "mommy is." Sometimes he reminds me of Lindsey because he makes the goofiest faces and does things she use to do. Like, "I love you so much!" while pointing to his eye, then heart and then you.


After our short lesson we went outside and played basketball. Jody and I played PIG and in between our shots Jody would pick Ammon up and let him put the ball in the hoop like Michael Jordon. It's nights like these that make me so grateful to be married and to have my children. Today it is beautiful and sunny here so Alex and I are going to take the kids to the pool. I will blog pictures of it tomorrow!

Cohen played on the grass and ate rocks while we played basketball. He has the most beautiful blue eyes, this picture doesn't give them justice.

Our New Dog

Like I've said before Ammon has quite the imagination. He dug out this Halloween costume the other day and wanted to wear it everywhere. When he put it on he truly became a dog. I would ask him a question and he would just bark. He crawled on all fours up and down the stairs. It was so hilarious that I had to take him over to my parent's house for them to see. I was driving over and looked back at him and just died laughing. When we got to their house I let him out of his car seat and he crawled all the way to the front door. Alex opened the door and he started barking. Later that day he would bring a ball over to me in his mouth and tell me to throw it for him. Then he would bark, crawl on all fours and retrieve it. Alex and I have said over and over to each other, "What a weird kid." I also overheard him telling Cohen,"Cohen take Harley on a walk to the park." He of course was Harley which is the name of my parents black lab. He never ceases to amaze me with his imagination.

Cohen was playing on the kitchen floor while I was making dinner. He got some of Ammon's chocolate money and was smart enough to put it in his mouth. Before I knew it he was covered in chocolate and very, very happy!

My parents are almost all moved out of their house. :( It is still weird but it will be wonderful for them to have a beautiful new home. All the rooms are empty and all that is left is some cleaning, a garage sale, and my dad's junk in the garage. Last night me, my mom, and Alex were organizing things for the garage sale. It was hilarious. We found some pretty random things and I scored a gameboy. I love spending time with my sisters and my mom. No matter what we are doing we can manage to have a good time doing it as long as we are together.

Home Sweet Home

My parents put their house on the market last year and it obviously didn't sell. This summer they put it on again and after not showing it for a whole month someone finally put an offer on it. The realization that they had finally sold their home, for me, was bittersweet. Bitter because I grew up in this house and have almost every childhood memory in it. Sweet because my parents will get to build a brand new, beautiful home next to some of their best friends. What can I say I am a sentimental fool. I had a red Acura in high school that was a hand me down from my brother. Every time I would back down the driveway, after it had rained, cold water would pour down my back from the leak in the sunroof. My dad joked that when I would pull up it sounded like a helicopter was landing in the driveway. You would think that when I finally sold the car I would be ecstatic. But when I saw that little red car pull away from our house I almost cried! Same thing happened when I sold my Honda Accord, but that time I did cry! I was the same way in college. When I would move apartments I would get all sentimental and gooey. Thinking I would never sleep in my room again or eat in the kitchen or go pee on the toilet. Pathetic I know.

So last weekend and this week we have been moving my parents out of their home into a rental that they will live in until their new house is built. At least twice a day I say to my mom, "this is so weird aren't you sad that we'll never be in this house again?" At first she agreed with me but today she said,"actually I am just ready to be done with it." If only I could have that attitude. As the house has become more and more empty and as our voices have begun to echo off the walls I have realized that it isn't the house that makes it a home but the people in it. Luckily those people aren't going anywhere.

Our Latest Adventures

Last night we had a "9th of July" party at the Jones house. Ammon got to play with sparklers for the first time! Mickey Jones bought a bunch of illegal fireworks on his way home from riding fourwheelers in Utah. We were all at Trinity lake on the fourth so we let them off last night. They had some great fireworks and had a lot to go but a policeman came halfway through and made us stop. He was suprisingly nice and said he would have looked passed it on the 4th but had gotten 9 complaints on his way over. Do people seriously have nothing better to do with their time? It was fun while it lasted.

We were at the lake on the fourth and had a great time. We laid out in the sun, skied, wakeboarded and ate lots of food. Our friends camp right next to us and Ammon was always over with them sitting around their camp fire. We would get off the lake and he would head right over to the McCartney's, sit down on a chair and not say a word. It was hilarious. He also learned to swim (with life jacket on) alone on this trip. Before he would get really nervous in the water even if we were holding him. Now he loves to swim and is always saying, "I'm a big boy now, I swim by myself!" He loved going on the tube with me but didn't like it when we went over the wake and water splashed him in the face. One of the many good things about having boys is that they can pee anywhere. When we drive to the lake we usually have to stop a couple of times for Ammon to pee. It's not a big deal because he can pull down his pants and just pee on the side of the road. Unfortunately he has decided to do this in camp also. It's convenient for me but not too pleasant for other campers who may happen to be on a leisurely stroll, walk pass our campsite and see a three year old peeing naked.

This week Ammon will have his first dentist appointment, we will be moving my parents out of their house, go to the Medford Temple, and I hope to squeeze in a girls night out! I bought a Nintendo on Ebay and it should be here any day!

Take the Quiz

What European City Do You Belong In?

You Belong in Milan
Stylish and sophisticated, you want to enjoy a truly

European life - away from tourists!

Milan fits you perfectly. Great shopping, high quality food,

lots of culture... with very little hype.
What European City Do You Belong In?

Thanks Heidi!

I have never been to Milan but have always wanted to go. My husband took the quiz and he belongs in Amsterdam. If I could choose a European city to live in I would probably choose London. But then again I have only been to six European cities, so who knows.

First Sleepover

Ammon had his first sleepover last week. His friend (I should say girlfriend) Alexis had been asking if she could stay the night for a while so I told her she could when he got his tent from his Aunt Kasey. Kasey got him a tent and made him a Superman/Batman cape for his birthday and he loves both. I was a little worried that the kids wouldn't sleep or that she would get scared and want to go home. But she was great. About 9:00 she told me she was tired and ready to go to bed. So we brushed teeth, put on p.j.'s and got them settled in the tent. I was saying good night and giving hugs and kisses when Lex decided she would be scared if I didn't stay down stairs with them. So I brought the tent up to my room and the kids slept on our floor. It was so cute to hear the two of them talking to each other in the tent. They were singing and telling each other stories. Finally after they both went to the bathroom 3 times they went to sleep. Besides the 5 a.m. wakeup, to take Lex to the bathroom, it was a success! When Lex's mom came to pick her up she told Ammon, "Now you can stay with me tonight!" What have we gotten ourselves into!

Two Thumbs Up

Cohen has been SO fussy lately. Today I was about to lose my mind and told Jody I needed to get out by myself. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who understands my needs and he told me to go. I went to a movie all by my lonesome today for the first time. It was wonderful to just sit and watch a movie for two hours with no interruptions. So I obviously went to The Devil Wears Prada and I really enjoyed it. I did feel a little awkward when I laughed out loud because I was sitting by myself. As much as I love my kids I can get burnt out and going to a movie was the perfect way to step out of my life for a few hours and regain a little sanity.

The movie was very entertaining. I love Anne Hathaway and especially loved all the clothes she wore in the movie. She looked beautiful. This white outfit was one of my favorites. The girl who plays Emily in the movie was hilarious and had the cutest British accent. It is definitely a chick flick that every chick should enjoy.