josh, tiffanie & jaxon

Temple Square/Thanksgiving Weekend

2012-01-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year with Josh's family and were able to go down to Layton for a couple days to stay at his parents house and enjoy the holiday... lots of family, lots of food and some fun black Friday shopping :) Sadly, I did not take ANY pictures worth posting, and hardly took any pictures at all. I don't know how it happens, but sometimes I'm picture crazy, and other times I'm just okay with leaving my camera put away and not worrying about it so much... but just enjoying my time with the people I'm with, and relaxing. I know I put it on myself, but I'm always, no matter what the "picture taker" of the family... and then everyone wants copies of all the pictures and so on... I DO love it, but sometimes its nice to take a break :)

Anyway, on the night of Black Friday we decided to all gather together and take the train down to Temple Square in Salt Lake City... it was FREEZING cold that night, and windy... but there were about 20 of us, and we had a blast, even with how cold it was. Afterwards, three of the families, about 15 of us, gathered at Red Robin for dinner and more visiting. Here are just a few pictures I DID get while at Temple Square :)

Denton, Brexton, Jaxon, and Deakon

two of the older boy cousins, walking with the youngest boy cousins...

They all are so great together, its so cute!!

Until next year....

First Snow of the winter...

2012-01-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

Our first snow of the winter came back in November, stayed for a couple days and the last couple months have been pretty bare, especially for Northern Utah... although I was mostly happy about that, it has its pros and cons for sure!

So this particular night, Jaxon was so excited to help daddy shovel the sidewalk and walkway in our front yard... he even seemed to think the snow was pretty awesome and couldn't stop staring at it, and trying to grab the big snowflakes coming down. It was super cute! Here are the boys enjoying it while mama stayed mostly inside :)

Here is our beautiful front yard... I just LOVE our view, every single day, whether it's snowy or bright sunny skies and I can see the beautiful mountains in the distance... The boys were all bundled up and ready for it, so cute :)

Being Mr. Independent, like always and wanting to do the work...

hey, if he thinks its fun, then go at it little man!!!

Time to put the bike and scooter away in the garage until springtime :(

Beautiful & Busy Fall

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

As I was looking through my photos from the fall months, I realized I'm grateful I have them, because otherwise I would have forgotten everything we actually spent our free time doing. It's those times when life seriously has you all wrapped up, so busy, and thank goodness for pictures to remind us of those memories- to look back and remember we still had fun in all the madness of our busy lives :)

So here is a recap of our September-November months... so I can check this "to-do" off my list and then catch up on our winter months which have also been fun, fun, fun and crazy busy {story of our lives, seriously!}

Here we are at the annual Fall Festival in Cache Valley at the American West Heritage Center...

Everything is gorgeous about this place and we had a good time with our little man!! He LOVED exploring the Corn Maze, riding a pony, playing hide and seek with daddy, and sliding down the big hill on a piece of carpet {I will not include those pictures since I had to turn away, not believing my little man was big enough to slide down such a BIG hill all by himself... needless to say, he LOVED it}.

Okay, seriously... do you see this?

We have been so lucky to live in some beautiful places...

We will always love Cache Valley, no matter where we end up!!

Halloween 2011

2012-01-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Halloween was pretty low key this year... Sadly, it is our busy time at work so I had been working between 50-60 hours per week, six days a week, and even supposed to work on Halloween :( We get many other holidays off, and paid, but not Halloween... and when you have a two year old, that is just not cool... Anyway, I went to work, feeling like a bad mom, which I'm sure we all have our moments... but I knew Josh would have a good time with Jaxon and all would be fine. Well, I got to work and about a half hour later my boss let most of us go home... it was AWESOME, I literally almost cried out of excitement.

So I hurried home and threw together a "cowgirl" costume for myself out of my closet, and Jaxon was a firefighter... we handed out candy in our front yard and ordered pizza for dinner... a little after it got dark we met up with my best friend and her family for trick-or-treating in their neighborhood and Jaxon was able to run around with his buddy Carter and had a blast!! He totally started understanding the concept of saying "trick or treat" and getting candy in his pumpkin bucket... it is SUCH A COMPLETE JOY as a mother to watch your children enjoy the holidays, it really doesn't get much better! Here are a few pictures from our night...

We even had time to do trick-or-treating at the mall where Jaxon was able to meet the real firefighters and get to sit in the fire truck!

Carter and Jaxon

Oh and yes, little mister firefighter insisted on wearing his camo rain boots...

and that is when you just let it be...

Hannah comes to Utah... Again :)

2011-12-20T00:59:00.000-08:00

Hannah drove to Salt Lake City with her young women's group all the way from Portland, Oregon!! She we were super excited to be able to get together, even though it was only a few short hours. It happened to be the weekend Josh was in Seattle for the weekend, so me and Jaxon drove down on a Saturday afternoon and met her at the Conference Center... I got like THE best parking spot you could ever hope for when parking at temple square. It was SO awesome!!

Once we met up, we walked around Temple Square and then went to the Gateway mall for some window shopping and dinner. Hannah chose Applebee's for dinner, I was not surprised. We had a great dinner and a great visit. Jaxon sure loves his "nana", as he calls her :)

I just LOVE my little sister, she is growing to be a beautiful, independent, smart and fun young women! I look up to her for many things, and she is 14 years younger than me. I will always believe that she was sent to our family for so many awesome reasons, and she has A LOT in store in her future. With everything that she has been through, losing our dad when she was just five years old [so sad], pretty much being an "only child" at home for the last few years [i just can't imagine, coming from being the 2nd oldest of six kids- I'm sure my growing up was much different], and moving many times in the past few years, she still finds her place, makes new friends, and always makes the most of everything. She is in high level classes at school and already is thinking about college! She is awesome, and I really am lucky to call her my sister. Okay, tears are streaming, I need to stop the mush now! We had a blast and can't wait to see her again!!!!

Seriously, you wouldn't think we're sisters, would you?

Jaxon very intrigued talking to daddy on the phone, we always miss daddy while he's in Seattle... and saying goodbyes to his "nana"... can you see that love between them, melts my heart!!

I took some photos of the temple... it was a beautiful night!

Salt Lake City Utah

LDS Temple

"I'm goin' to Jackson"

2011-12-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

You know that country song... "I'm go-in' to Jackson"... my little brother sang that, with the deep voice and all about a million times between getting his call and arriving to the MTC. I think he was pretty thrilled to go on his mission, and to teach the Gospel that he loves. EVERY TIME I hear that song now, I imagine him singing it. Love it!

At the end of September we were able to have my little brother Zachary come to stay with us for the last few days before he reported to the MTC. It was nice to have him here and spend time together since we wont see him for two whole years!! This is my first sibling to go on a mission, so this is all new to me, but we've been loving his letters home each Monday and look forward to talking to him on Christmas! It was also weird to drop him off at the MTC and imagine what it'd be like when we take Jaxon in less than 17 years. I know that seems forever away, but I'm sure it'll happen so fast!!

Visiting the Logan Temple... little j sure loves his uncle Zachy!!

... and he's OFF...

you will make a GREAT missionary, Elder Criswell!

See you in two years!

Jackson, Mississippi is lucky to have him...

I KNOW he'll make an impact on many lives! So proud of him!

Pretty Utah

2011-12-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

After we dropped Elder Criswell off at the MTC we decided to take the REALLY long way home... it was a BEAUTIFUL drive through the Provo Canyon, all the way around to Park City... the fall colors were gorgeous... we stopped by a pretty lake and went on a little hike. Jaxon absolutely LOVED it. We also couldn't just drive through Park City, so we stopped for some shopping at the Tanger Outlets- although I LOVE shopping there, and we always seem to find some awesome deals, ie; Nike, Columbia, Childrens Place, etc... It is NOT all that it's cracked up to be. There are better outlets in California... but I guess when you live in Logan, Utah, shopping in Park City can be pretty exciting :)

This kind of reminded me of Washington State...

but I still think Washington beats Utah on it's beauty!! Utah is more of a "pretty desert", Washington is just always GREEN and always pretty! I miss seeing Mt. Rainier too- the most beautiful mountain I've ever seen, and I got to look at it every day for a year!

But Utah's fall is gorgeous!

Photos of little j.

2011-12-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we grab the camera, get in the car, go for a drive, find a pretty place, and take some pictures... they are almost always of Jaxon or the beauty around us, like mountains and rainbows, sunsets and snow, trees and flowers in all their beauty. But my favorites always seem to have this cute little face plastered right in the middle. Oh, how we absolutely adore this little mister.

I've had these saved away in a folder for way too long waiting to be edited and, well ya know how life goes... so here they are in all their glory... most of them directly off the camera and not touched one bit... and that's okay with me because that big smile, those bright blonde curls and this awesome little boy make these pictures perfect in my eyes.

I just love my little j. so much!

{photos taken in August/September}

ps: a special sucker from Disneyland makes pictures with a two year old so much more fun... and messy :)

But we love them!

OH. hi December!!

2011-12-09T01:02:00.001-08:00

                          How did you get here so quickly? Can it really be the last month of 2011 and Christmas in just a couple weeks!? Okay, I believe it. But seriously?

Today now marks three months of absolutely no blogging, story telling or picture sharing from our little family... and lets be honest, it makes me sad. I have never gone this long without posting and it bugs me almost every time I think about it. There was never an intention to take a break, just that we, or should I say, I, have been super busy {and, let's be honest... distracted by a few other things}.

So, why have we been busy? Here's a little of what we've been up to::
          I had about a two month period during September/October that I was working 55-60 hours a week {and I am not one bit exaggerating- ask my husband- pretty sure he didn't see much of me, except in all my nappy hair, mascara smeared eyes in the morning to say our prayers and kiss me goodbye on his way to school. The husband is in school full time and we are on opposite schedules. This takes a lot of sacrifice [which I'm sure some of you may know what I'm talking about], but we know this is the best for us right now- and are very grateful Jaxon does not have to go to daycare. This has been a long few months but thankfully that semester comes to an end next week and I get him all to myself for almost a whole month- and even better- I get two whole weeks off work for Christmas/New Years and I just can't wait. We have A LOT of time to catch up on and it will be awesome!! Oh and in case anyone forgot, I am also the mother to a two year old little boy and that is all I need to say about that :)

Okay, so I'll stop whining about it and pick up from where we left off... YES, I'm going to somehow, someway try to catch up... wish me luck :)

a letter to my little boy...

2011-12-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

[a letter I wrote Jaxon for his second birthday for his journal and to keepsake it. I share it here so that it ends up in our family blogbook]

Dear Jaxon,

It’s your mommy, writing you a letter than one day you’ll be able to read. Somehow those long sleepless nights, turned into days of you crawling and talking and running around… the months quickly turned to years and suddenly you are two! Two years ago that we became us, a little family of three. I can hardly believe how 24 months have flown by! I always dreamed about having a baby, I always wanted a little boy, I never imagined him to be as perfect as you are to me. I never really thought that he’d have those curls like you do, or that he could possibly be as handsome as you, or could turn a bad day, perfect, with that big bright smile, your happy-go-lucky personality and "I wuv you mama" moments we share. I never really understood how unconditional and perfect love could be, until I had you.

You are such a big boy now, learning more each day and surprising your daddy and me with everything you say and do. I want to remember the funny things you do, the silly things you say, and the times I wish I could just pause life and bottle that moment up with you, that it will never go away. I want to remember when I come into your room each morning that you patiently wait for me to get you out of bed, and as soon as I open the door you have the biggest smile on your face and you giggle, while jumping up and down in your crib so happy to see me. I want to remember the way you put your hand up in the air to say “I love you” trying to sign I love you like daddy and I always do, as you say “I wuv woo”. I want to remember how concerned you are when something is dirty, and you want to clean it up, you’ve been putting dishes in the sink and taking trash to the trash can for months now and you think it’s the greatest thing- I KNOW this won’t last forever as you will soon discover it is a “chore”. I want to remember the sweet kisses you give, how daddy and I can just point to our cheeks and say “right here” and you will give us a great big kiss. I want to remember how incredibly good you are every time we go to a restaurant, always staying in your high chair or booster and being such a good boy. I don't ever want to forget the way you light up when daddy comes home, the way you cuddle with him, the trust you have in him and having such an amazing bond with him. I look forward to watching that grow throughout the years, for I know what a great daddy he is and how much fun you two will always have together. I want to remember how one day when I sat you in your high chair for breakfast you sat there with your arms folded, just staring at me until I said a prayer with you… and every day since how YOU are the first at each meal to fold your arms, waiting patiently until the prayer is said, before we start eating. I want to remember those weekends daddy is in Washington and it’s just you and me for the weekend, the good times we have, memories we make, going to the park and having you by my side as we get all the errands done, and the skype dates with daddy… how when I put you to bed those nights, you cannot go to bed before we say prayers, kiss daddy’s picture frame, and say “nighty, nights” to the picture of Jesus, and the temple, and how you cuddle up in bed... YOU are an amazing sleeper, perfectly, quietly and never making a peep until 9, sometimes 10 in the morning, and getting a 3-5 hour nap at the same time every single day! I want to remember how much you LOVE being outside, riding your radio flyer, playing t-ball with daddy, throwing the football back and forth with mama, going on walks, and drives and hikes and visiting friends, and parks… if we go “bye-bye”, you are always happy about whatever adventure we’re on, sometimes even clapping as soon as we pull into a parking lot, because you are so excited to go “in” wherever we are. I want to remember how independent you are becoming, how you want to wash your own hair in the bathtub, how you want to help get dressed, and put your own shoes on, how you want to help buckle your car seat, and carry the keys anywhere we go, how you climb up in the high chair all by yourself, and when it’s time to vacuum you want to do it, how you don’t need our help with so many things anymore that you used to. Just recently you starting “shushing” daddy and me when we’re talking, I can’t help but laugh! We’ll be having a conversation, and out of the blue you’ll put your finger over your mouth going “shhh, shhh, shhh” and then you laugh and continue on. I LOVE you for that, because you have such an awesome personality and know how to make things fun already. You LOVE your stuffed animals, there is “max the monkey” that you’ve had since day one, he is your little buddy, while watching movies, on road trips, and always your lovey at night when you go to bed. You also have Scout the bear and Doug the doggie, and you Mickey Mouse’s, you love them so much… sometimes you want ALL of them in bed with you, or you set them all on the couch if you’re going to watch a cartoon. You’ve really started to cling to monkey and your Cars “banky” that you’ve always had. Speaking of Cars, you are obsessed with anything to do with Cars, the movie, all of your matchbox cars and you love your new racetracks. If we are in a store and you see something to do with Cars you get so excited exclaiming “car, cars, cars”. Sometimes you insist when I get you out of bed in the morning that Monkey and blanky need to come along… as you drag them down the hallway and downstairs to sit on the couch while you have breakfast in your high chair. You are also obsessed with anything football, and I really shouldn’t be surprised, but it amazes me how much you see it. You love wearing your football shirts, you love playing football, you get excited when daddy has football on tv and you literally get upset if he changes the channel. If we are out and about and you see anything “buball” you have to shout out and tell us all about it one hundred times. We can’t go anywhere without getting compliments on your curly hair and your bright blue eyes. You seem to be shy the closer strangers are to you, but if they keep their distance you will wave and smile and say hi.

From the moment you were born everyone told us that it only gets better, and I thought there was no way. Life seemed perfect. You seemed perfect, but as these two years have passed in the blink of an eye, I now see how life with you is more perfect every day. You are so special to us. You are a child of God and He sent you to us at the most perfect time and we are the luckiest parents in the world to call you ours forever! My heart is growing with you each day. I still can’t imagine how I can love you anymore than I do now, but I know it will happen and that makes me happy.

Thank you, Jaxon for being such a light in my life, for loving the way you do and reminding me daily what is most important. I love you so much.

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as forever, my baby you'll be"

Love, your mama

Jaxon turns TWO!!

2011-12-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

Time to make it blog official... we have a TWO YEAR OLD!!! Yeah, he turned two over 3 months ago. Crazy. At least he is still closer to two than three by the time I'm posting this :) Gotta find some ways to not make myself feel bad for being so far behind ;)
We spent ten wonderful days in California at the end of August and took Jaxon to Disneyland for his first time... that got the celebrations of having a two year old started and then we came back to real life. After our awesome time in California we made our twelve hour drive home in the middle of the night, arrived in Logan around 5am and Josh started his new semester at 8am and I also started my new job that day. OH- what a crazy week that was getting used to new schedules for all of us! Thankfully, I threw together a super last minute birthday party for Jaxon for our friends and family that are close and let me tell you, it was nothing fancy-smancy, but we celebrated and that is what counts :) We had a BBQ, cake, ice cream, presents and fun in our ginormous front yard :)
Here are a few pictures from that gorgeous day!

Jaxon with his cousin Brexton, and buddies Carter and Campbell. Jaxon just loves his little friends :)

The morning after the party, and after bath time, Jaxon was thrilled to play with all of his new toys.

sweet & simple & two

we love our little boy!

California... part 2

2011-09-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we enjoyed the morning at Hilarie's house and once Jaxon was down for his nap we snuck off to Disneyland- just me and the hubs!

Thanks to my sister for watching little j. we were able to enjoy another great day at the happiest place on earth... doing the big kid stuff :) Since we hadn't made it to California Adventure with Jaxon, we decided to do that first and then spend the nightime at Disneyland! Josh even talked me into going on Grizzly River Run, after I threw a fit about it because I didn't want to get soaking wet as soon as we got there, so we hurried back over at 10pm and rode it right before the park closed- then we ran back over to disneyland {soaking wet} and waited in a long [but worth it] line for the new Star Tours... IF you haven't been you have to go!

California Screamin'... Hollywood Tower of Terror... and Soarin over California :)

so fun with my love

Friday we were exhausted, but were able to sleep in a little while Jaxon played with his cousins... and it was yet, another beach day!! We planned on the whole family being there this time, and we had a great time. All the grown men/boys went all the way out in the waves and were having a blast together :) The kids played in the sand, built sand castles, and Jaxon just absolutely LOVED the beach- everything about it!!!

Saturday was a nice laid back day... spending the morning at my brother Troy and sister in law BreAnne's house and enjoying the family tradition of "big breakfast" which is a mighty breakfast feast in this family that only happens on special occasions :) I don't think we ate the rest of the day. yuck!

Josh and I snuck away for some shopping and got Jaxon some birthday presents and Josh a couple new shirts and hats {I joked with him that we were "school shopping" for him}. The boys got matching Fox hats and they look so darn cute in them :) [I didn't really take pictures this day]

Sunday was my little brother Zachary's mission farewell at church and party afterwards with tons of friends and family! Church that day was AWESOME. All the speakers were just so great, and I will never forget it. Zachary is going to be such an awesome missionary and I can't wait to hear his experiences while he is serving in the Jackson, Mississippi Mission.

OH- funny side note: my niece Lacy runs around calling Jaxon, Jaxon-Mississippi. It's so cute :)

It was so much fun to get together with everyone at once and be the fun, big, crazy family that we are. I can't believe that is the last time we'll all be together for two years :(

Here are a few pictures we attempted to get- being that it was record breaking heat that day, we did our best!!

I just love seeing all the Criswell cousins together-

ALL five of them bright blue eyes. LOVE it!

I gave my uncle Jimmy a two minute photography lesson since we had forgotten our tripod at home [which by the way, I was sick to my stomach about the entire first day of our trip :( ] He did a pretty good job though, snapping away a bunch and making everyone laugh! I'll take what he got! Thanks Uncle Jimmy :)

It was sad to say goodbye, but we were ready to come home...

especially Josh, seeing that it'd been more than three weeks since he'd even been here!

Our drive home was PERFECT!! Jaxon was a saint! Sleeping most of the way, but even waking up at like 3am and he was all giggles and playing peek a boo with me! I was impressed how good he was, we have a road-trip lovin' toddler :) Thank goodness!

We stopped for dinner and gas in Las Vegas, drove down the strip just for fun, stopped one more time for gas in South Salt Lake and made it all the way to Logan [including all the stops] in just 11 hours!!

But... we didn't get home til 5am and Josh started his new semester that day at 8:30am, and I started my new job that day too! It's been a busy, crazy, getting used to new schedules, etc.. kind of 10 days, but I think we are almost caught up with ourselves :)

California Lovin'

2011-09-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

we'd been looking forward to this trip for a long time

it was everything and more...

we saw tons of family and friends

went to a Padres game, Sea World, two days at Disneyland, two days at the beach, lots of shopping, sightseeing and visiting, scrumptious restaurants, family time and my little brothers mission farewell and party...

all squished into nine days of go, go, go!!

Of course I took a million pictures to capture all the memories we made,

so I could come back home and put them in our little corner of blog land where we can look back at them forever!!

My grandparents surprised us with a Saturday night at the San Diego Padres game and Dierks Bentley Concert... It was AMAZING. The Padres won 14-1 and the game was one of the most exciting I've ever been to! Jaxon had the time of his life, he literally paid attention the entire three hour game, clapping and awwing, and ooing... I think my favorite part of the game was watching how much he absolutely loved it :)

My grandparents also couldn't get over how exciting Jaxon was to have there :)

On Monday we enjoyed a beautiful day at Sea World.

They have a fabulous program for Military members and their families to enjoy one day a year on them!!

We are very grateful for this, and will keep up the tradition as long as Josh is in the military :)

Since my grandparents have annual passes, they joined us for half the day...

we had so much fun with them and I was VERY impressed that my grandpa {who is 81} rode Atlantis, which is the roller coaster. He LOVED it and I love him more for being so cool :)

Jaxon got to meet Elmo, Zoe and Cookie Monster, I was so worried he'd freak out but he LOVED it!!! Made me so happy :)

Tuesday we enjoyed a day at Del Mar Beach on Camp Pendleton...

For all my California friends- this IS the beach to go to!! It's on Camp Pendleton,

but the Marine base is pretty lax about letting people on base, they just scan your license and let you on your way!! Tons of FREE parking, clean bathrooms, lifeguards and WARM shower stalls, are the perk for me!! It's right there in Oceanside and so I HIGHLY recommend it :)

It's our new favorite beach spot!!

Wednesday we took Jaxon on his first ever trip to Disneyland

He was turning two exactly a week later so it was a great way to jump start his birthday celebrations and make him feel special... when you wear a birthday pin at Disneyland all of the workers will tell you "Happy Birthday"... He also got to listen to the special voicemail in the City Hall office, so all day when people would tell him Happy Birthday he would point to his pin.

It was super cute!!

His very favorite rides were It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungle Cruise...

He loved being in a boat and was just wide eyed the entire time!

One of the highlights to his day was the surprise of meeting Mickey Mouse

He hugged him, played with him and gave him high-fives.

It was so awesome and Jaxon just lit up with excitement!!

...more to come :)

Hannah comes to Utah

2011-09-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

My baby sister, who is not so much a baby anymore {she will be 15 in two months} came to Utah for two whole weeks!!
Since Josh had his two week reserve tour in Washington, I needed company and a babysitter while he was away so I didn't have to take work off from my then two jobs, and to save the time off for our trip to California!!

So I called on Hannah and she graciously came to help and have fun with us while Josh was away :)

Here are some pictures we took during the two weeks. Never enough ;)

We went on a Sunday evening drive... it was so gorgeous out that we just kept driving...

Since Hannah has never been to Idaho and we live 20 minutes away we drove up there just for fun...

I LOVE the picture I got of Jaxon looking like he's "hopping the border" between Utah and Idaho.

So cute :)

We spent a day/evening at the Cache County Fair...

went on some rides, jaxon rode a pony for the first time, watched a concert, and shared a yummy corn dog and funnel cake... it was a great time!!

I took Hannah up the Logan Canyon and we went for a little hike up Second Dam,

Jaxon just LOVES the outoors, he was not very happy when we left there!

We went to the BlueBird for lunch and walked down Main Street...

what else is there to do in a small town than walk Main Street and eat at the local restaurant ;)

{not pictured}... we went: shopping, to the zoo, swimming at the aquatic center, visited friends, and Texas Roadhouse {a request from Hannah since they don't have them where she lives}

Jaxon just adores her and we can't wait til she comes again!!
We miss her already!

memories

2011-08-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

{trying to play a little catch up before our trip}

i wonder if i'm the only person that will sit and read back on my blog

how i can spend hours looking over the almost three years that we've shared together as a family

it makes my heart happy, and my eyes twinkle

i love that we have these memories captured forever...

we've had some pretty good times-

for me, this is so much more than just another .blogspot

it is our family journal, it is remembering how tiny jaxon was,

the neat places we've been, the pretty sights we've seen, the people we've been around...

and i want to keep them all captured so when i'm old and i don't have tiny babies, or "first time's" anymore, I want to be able to look back at our blog books and remember all of them!

sometimes i forget my camera and have to revert to my cell phone...

here are some moments i've captured while out and about :)

jaxon running around at the Cruise In and having his first slushy and loving it!

always wants to be just like daddy :)

jaxon & mommy visiting the temple...

when i put him up here to take a picture, some random lady comes over, stands behind me and was trying to get him to smile. people are funny!

jaxon enjoying a baby cone, jaxon falling asleep on the floor in his room, and finding his Gorilla costume my aunt gave us last year... it was funny showing him the mirror dressed up like that :)

big J and little j coming to visit momma at the Logan Golf and Country Club {where I work part time}...

it's such a beautiful place to get paid to hang out :)

awe, the views!

We visited Grandma White's {Johs's mom} grave on her 4 year death anniversary, August 4th...

Glad we are close to pay a visit and take flowers

Jaxon all ready for church and posing for a picture...

i've never known an almost two year old to be so happy and willing to always fold their arms in church for every prayer... even at home jaxon actually reminds us to say prayers before meals and bedtime, by folding his arms like he is telling us "we need to say a prayer first"... it is truly amazing how these little spirits can be so in tune.

truly amazing!

at the zoo seeing all the animals and at the aquatic center enjoying some sunshine and a snack :)

Jaxon's first pony/horse ride ever :) He was IN LOVE!!

Cache County Fair, Logan Utah

the best of Utah...

2011-08-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

After the family reunion was over we spent a day together in Salt Lake and just enjoyed a nice Monday together... which was actually pioneer day, and since it's a state holiday, Josh was off school and I was off work :)

We had a few things to do and then decided to walk around Temple Square. It was nice to not have any time constraints and just enjoy the buildings and all the beauty. We then went to The Gateway and enjoyed lunch at Tucanos Brazillian Grill which I was able to use my free birthday meal :)

On our way home, we drove through Brigham City to see the progress on the LDS Temple and then made the gorgeous drive through Sardine Canyon and into Cache Valley as the sun was setting...

I KNOW one day when we're not living here anymore I will miss the beauty and charm of Logan and its surroundings... I want to remember how nice it was to live in such a beautiful place, and all the memories we made here together!

Here are some pictures I took from our day...

LDS Conference Center

What an amazing place, and what an amazing church we belong to...

Jaxon was looking up at the temple saying

"tempo, wow"

Brigham City Temple

under construction

Sardine Canyon

the beautiful drive we make home from the city :)

...and into beautiful Cache Valley...

there really aren't many places that are more beautiful than here!!

the sky was gorgeous that night!!

...and just to stick with our unplanned theme of the day, we decided to drive by the Logan temple on our way home, which is only two blocks out of our way and we see it everyday...

it's still as beautiful as ever!!

my baby...

2011-08-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

In the past couple weeks I've caught myself up late at night sifting through the thousands of photos we have on our hard drive from Jaxon's earlier days... and I'll admit it, I've teared up a few times,

almost to the point of knowing if I let one teardrop out I might just start hysterically crying.

My baby, well, is not so much my baby anymore...

but I like to think, like one of our favorite books says

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be".

I think it has a little to do with having 31 days this month to think,

Jaxon's going to be TWO this month...

and before I know it, his birthday will come and go and it will all be reality!

It might also have to do with the fact that I missed the memo to have a baby in 2011...

I'm pretty sure this was a baby boom year, at least with everyone I know!!

So, I just had to do a little reminiscing to cure my baby hunger...

although, I'm not so sure it helped!

he was so so so tiny, for so so long!!

Congrats to all of my friends who've had babies this year,

expecting babies, and working on it ;)

I am sure most of you agree,

there is no greater joy in the world than being a mom!!

::White Family Reunion:: 2011

2011-07-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

bear lake, north beach, two camping trailers, six tents, forty people, camping,
six 4-wheelers, one boat, sandy beaches, canyons, mountains, pioneer day,
brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, grandpas, grandmas,
campfires, smores, dutch-oven cook-offs, roasted hot dogs,
dancing, laughing, camp songs, telling stories, bathing suits, gorgeous sunsets, sunscreen, tubing, skiing, pictures, getting dirty,
playing games, roasted starburst, delicious meals,
relaxing, staying up late, family,

making memories that will last forever!!

We really did have a blast...

Can't wait til the next reunion!!

We really are so blessed to be part of such a great family!

Barry & Mona

2011-07-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

My father in law met a wonderful lady that is just perfect...

They were married in The Draper, Utah Temple on July 20th, 2011.

These two lovebirds met at a Sunday dinner they both "just so happened to be invited to" after church one day... they were in the same ward but did not know each other...

started dating, fell in love and got married!

It's so great to see my father in law so happy. Sadly, I never knew Josh's mom as she passed away four years ago, and before Josh and I met... I can't imagine having to go through that after having a happy marriage for 40 years!!

So... of course the entire family is ecstatic to have Mona join our family. She is such a sweet person, so loving, kind and fun to have around. After spending plenty of time with her before the wedding, and then a long weekend at our family reunion I cannot imagine someone better for Jaxon to know as Grandma [including my mom of course]!! Jaxon just loves her and she is so great with all the grandkids!

Between both families if you combine all the children there are 8 children and all their spouses, and 27 grandchildren and more to come!! What a great posterity to have!! The temple sealing was so wonderful and reminded me of how blessed we are to know that Families can be Forever!

mostly everyone gathered outside the temple

did you know the Draper Temple has the largest sealing room in the Church!?

It was such a great feeling to be in there with so many family members!!

[and on a sidenote: it's the first temple Josh and I went in together during the open house :]

It was special to be there!

papa with his boys

and with his only daughter

Josh's brother Rex and wife Jamie

Welcome to the family, Mona :)

first & last

2011-07-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our family reunion was just fabulous!

I was happy to unofficially be called as the photographer for the week...

My sd card started out empty and filled up with 952 pictures of memories that will last forever...

it was so fun!!

this was the first picture i took...

and the last...

pretty much sums up our good time!!

EXHAUSTED

more to come after I finish the 7 loads of laundry,

and get things at home back into order :)

I imagined days like this...

2011-07-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

While I was cooking dinner tonight I ran upstairs to get Jaxon out of bed...

he was oversleeping his nap [no surprise there] so I let him go outside and play since that will always put a smile on his face... well, I looked outside and had one of those "proud mommy moments", I used to imagine days like this [where I'd be cooking dinner and watching my kid{s} playing outside]... it made me happy enough to grab my camera and join him in the fun.

He was being so goofy, from toy to toy, running around me in circles giggling, doing somersault's all over the yard and just being his happy self.

I LOVE this boy and I am beyond grateful for the absolute JOY he is to have around

Showing off his new $3 tricycle I found him at DI {and practically stalked the people that were thinking about buying it ;)

The things we do for our children!!

the amazement a BOY can find with some rocks and a metal bowl!!

Seriously!?

ahem, hello, beautiful front yard!!!

Daddy taught him this new trick... he is loving it... I keep catching him bending over on his head all around the place. He gets a kick out of it :)

He is SO AWESOME!!

"Where's your eye's?" "Where's Jaxon's nose?"

......... OH, by the way. I burned half of dinner. I NEVER do that. I was so sad that I pouted about it for a while... since I work 5-6 nights a week I can't cook dinner anymore [but I sacrifice that so Josh and I can have schedules that work together- him in school and me in work, and so we don't have to put Jaxon in daycare/or pay for it, for that matter] So I was happy to be able to cook tonight, and then I go messing it up. Thankfully, it was still edible, I just kinda messed up the pan. OOooops! I think it was worth the fun time I had with little j. though :)

Sunday Best & not

2011-07-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Visiting at Great-Grandma White's house in Smithfield...

I love that Jaxon will just climb up for a picture,

even if he makes a goofy face :)

LOVE this handsome man!!

a typical morning between breakfast and bathtime...

Jaxon LOVES running around nakies :)

Diamond Rio & Fireworks

2011-07-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 1st we spent the evening at the Diamond Rio Concert,
followed by an AMAZING firework show.
We had half of Josh's family join us for the night of fun and had a blast...
What a beautiful night at the USU football stadium... It was gorgeous!!

Brexton & Jaxon

I love their coordinating shirts... perfect for the holiday!

These boys are so cute together,

especially when I ask them if I can take a picture... haha

Logan sure is a beautiful place... we live about two and a half miles away from Utah State

Diamond Rio... they were great!

Jaxon needed a break from the stands so we went on a walk and the sunset was beautiful that night!

The stadium looked so neat all lit up with everyone's glowsticks!!

One of THE BEST fourth of July's ever...

Watching Jaxon in amazement of the fireworks was pure joy for this mama :)

just me and my little boy

2011-07-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE his big smile

Fishing with the BOYS :)

2011-07-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

Josh's brother and sister law own some land at Sourdough Ranch up in Huntsville, Utah so the morning of Fourth of July we left Logan super early and met up with Josh's brother Rex and rode up there together. It was Jaxon's first fishing trip and he just LOVES being outside... doesn't matter what we're doing, he loves it!!

He enjoyed seeing the fish we caught and playing with his cousin, Brexton.

They are starting to be little buddies and love seeing each other :)

Out of Control...

2011-07-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jaxon's hair that is...

This was today after his five hour nap,

his hair was outta control, but oh so cute!!

He has only had one haircut and that was back in January!!

I just LOVE his curls too much!
Maybe one day I'll give in and cut it!?

Cache Valley Cruise-In

2011-07-11T23:51:00.000-07:00

Looking at this picture is so bittersweet...

my jaxon little is not so little anymore :(

He looks like such a big boy,

and almost too big for his stroller and he's not even two, this can not be happening!!!!!

we saw the batmobile- pretty sweet.

we spontaneously snuck into the Beach Boys Concert... well, not exaclty but they didn't exactly keep us out either :) OH. I LOVE the Beach Boys, pretty much grew up in California rockin' out to them ;)

Jaxon got to pose next to a wanna-be "Mater" from the movie Cars...

looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

I just love Jaxon's pose.

Can't believe he is big enough for me to ask him to pose for a picture :/

daddy and jaxon enjoying all the beautiful, classic cars... and the beautiful 80° day!!

ahem, yup. No mistakin' here... pretty sure jaxon is my child :)

lil buddies

2011-06-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

most of you know my family moved from California to Logan, Utah back in 1999 which was my junior year of High School and lasted just a short nine months before moving to Gilbert, AZ the beginning of my senior year; hence the reason I went to three high schools in three different states. I know, crazy, right!?

thankfully I was always able to make great friends and to this day I really do have the absolute best friendships I could ever ask for. I literally have best friends in each state, California, Arizona, Washington and Utah... I have been so extremely blessed when it comes to good friends...

so one of my best friends is Candi, whom I met in Child Developement class at Logan High School back in October of 1999. We remained friends all these years and stayed in touch even before the cell phone and facebook days!! She even came to live with me when I bought my house in Arizona back in 2006, we worked together at University of Phoenix, shared a bedroom, carpooled together, etc... I seriously LOVE this girl like a sister.

Now that Josh and I moved to Logan, Candi only lives three miles away so we see each other often. We get together for double dates, tv nights of our favorite shows, show up on each others doorsteps, meet up to go shopping and go out to lunch, swap babysitting, take the boys to the park together, and even run into each other at Wal-mart more than we should ;)

Her little boy Carter and Jaxon are 11 months apart but they are starting to be the best of buds and love playing together... It's the cutest thing to watch Jaxon make friends- especially when it's my best friends kids :)

The BEST Daddy in the World!!!

2011-06-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

There are little eyes upon you,
And they're watching day by day;
There are little ears that surely
Take in every word you say;
There are little hands all eager
To do everything you do.
There's a little boy who's dreaming
of the day he'll be like you!
You're that little fellow's idol,
You're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind, about you
No suspicions e'er arise.
There's a wide-eyed little fellow
Who believes you're always right;
His keen ears are always open
To catch your words, day or night.
You are setting an example,
Every day, in all you do,
For the little boy who's wanting
to grow up to be like you.

I could literally say a million wonderful things about J and little j.

But the most important is simply that they absolutely LOVE one another.

I look at these pictures, I see them everyday, and I see nothing but
absolute, overwhelming and unconditional love for one another.
I see how much Jaxon looks up to Josh, how much he wants to be like him already, and how completely obsessed these two are for each other.

It puts tears in my eyes, to even think of the joy it brings me everyday.

With these two for Eternity, I really couldn't ask for more!

I am truly blessed.

JACKSON!!!!

2011-06-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

There will now be two meanings to Jackson/Jaxon in our family...
My little brother Zachary has been called to serve as a missionary for

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

in the Jackson, Mississippi mission!!!!!

Reporting to the Provo MTC on September 28, 2011.

We are ALL beyond excited and thrilled for him...

Long story short, he was originally called to the Tucson, Arizona mission

and as all of you know my family lived just an hour away from those mission boundaries for the past ten years...

and on top of that he has many friends going to school at the colleges in the boundaries as well...
{seriously, how crazy/ironic is that!!!!}

It doesn't happen very often, but his Bishop and Stake President spoke with the missionary board in SLC and advised him that he'd be receiving another call!!

Thankfully, he only had to wait 6 days and he received his new call...

He will make a GREAT missionary because he loves the Gospel,

and LOVES people. He will learn so much and I know the people of
Mississippi, Lousiana, Arkansas and Texas

[and all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico] will be very lucky to borrow

my lil brother for two full years!! Yes, that's right- this mission covers parts of ALL four of those states, how neat is that!!!!!

Congrats Zachy!!

funny picture I found on his facebook
If he can teach a sunflower the Gospel, I'm pretty sure he'll do okay ;)

I can't believe Jaxon will be FOUR when he comes home!!
Looking forward to our trip to Cali in August so we can spend time with him before he leaves!

this & that

2011-06-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. Seriously where does time go!!
We are almost to July 2011, how in the world???
I've been feeling guilty for a while now,
having not posted for almost a month...
It's hard to play catch up, and at the same time I've been so bad at taking pictures lately :(
I swear, we take our camera here and we take it there,
and when we DO think of using it we've forgotten the sd card at home or the battery is dead.
It really has been a battle!

Thank goodness for my phone that has been able to capture some of the beauty & things we've been up to... Here are a few pictures I've taken recently :)
Posting these for now will take a little of my guilty feelings away!

Jax playing in the grass-

on our typical evening drives we were literally driving under a double rainbow-

it was so beyond beautiful, we were too close to get a pic of the entire thing :(

I came home from work one night and the boys were matching-

I thought it was so cute!!

Sporting their new Adidas shoes I had just bought them :)

One Sunday evening a couple weeks ago we drove out to Porcupine Reservoir,

we took a little hike and found a really pretty waterfall

Jaxon LOVES being outside!!

Anyone that has a 2ish year old knows how incredibly hard it is to get a good picture because they are such busy bodies,

so I was happy these turned out :)

Utah sure is a BEAUTIFUL land

Last week Josh and his best friend took their little boys to a Movie in a Park night

in their hometown, Smithfield [which we live 10 min away].

Jaxon LOVES going on dates with just daddy & him

He was beyond excited- backpack and all :)

We FINALLY got Jaxon a little scooter...

all the other boys in the neighborhood have razors so Jaxon can go

ride around with them now :)

I'm in a stage of refusing to cut the little misters hair...

the pic below obviously is in the morning after he slept on it all night,

but he's got these little curls that I am just in love with!

are you surpised they're all of Jaxon?

I'm not :)

We are so in love with this little [almost] two year old!!

"tempo, tempo"

2011-05-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend daddy was back in Seattle

so little j. and mama had a fun weekend together

It was beautiful outside, so we took advantage of the perfect weather and blue skies!

we enjoyed lunch, the awesome new playground we found,

and a visit to the temple

we LOVE being so close to this beautiful place!

little j. now knows how to say temple and really likes

repeating it over and over again.

We've driven by a few times and he goes "tempo", "tempo"

and then goes "wooooooow".

Melts my heart!!

I LOVE spending quality one-on-one time with the little mister,

he makes my days happy and my heart full,

day, after day, after day.

I absolutely love being Jaxon's mommy!

Can't believe my baby boy will be 21 months in just a few days!!

when sister comes to town...

2011-05-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

When your sister comes to town:
it is an excuse to pause real life and enjoy some well deserved time together...
blogging is traded for days and nights of fun, laughter and memories...
...and now that they've been gone for eleven days I think we are finally back to the daily grind in the White house...
My grandparents were driving from San Diego to Utah for like their 10th time this year [literally] and so my sis Hilarie and her two kiddies snuck into the back of their mini-van [yes, my grandpa drives a minivan and LOVES it, haha] for the 12 hour trek north... I did not belive it til I saw them, but oh man, was I HAPPY!!
Only 14 months apart, Hil and I have always been the best of friends, of course with the expected sister rivalry in our younger years but now we are super close and saddened that we have to live so far apart, but we know some way, some how, one day we will be able to live closer and our kiddies will grow up being friends too :)
Here is a little bit of the adventures we had with Hil, Ryan & Lacy...

We sent Josh away to WA for the first weekend :(
It snowed for the Californians :)
Jason's Deli for lunch- YUM
a visit to Hill Aerospace Museum
Layton Hills Mall shopping & kiddie fun
Church
Josh playing baseball with the kids
visits to playgrounds & pic-nics at parks
Countless hours of playing time for Jaxon, Ryan & Lacy
The Logan Zoo & lunch with the Grandparents
a drive through Logan Canyon and Bear Lake
Hilarie seeing a Moose for the first time in her life
Cooking dinners and making treats [banana bread, muddy-buddies, brownies, etc..]
A bonfire on our porch-roasting marshmellows and making smores
Hil watched the kids so Josh and I could go on a DATE!!!
Went for a hike- which the kids LOVED throwing rocks in the river!
Shopping... Lots of it :)
My Aunt Diane's USUGraduation party at my house with a bunch of Utah family here!!

Saddest part of all is the next morning when Jaxon woke up he literally checked in every single room looking for his "friends"... It broke my heart! Hopefully more visits soon :)

little facebooker

2011-05-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

Here is Jaxon checking up on all of you!!

I love this picture because it captures his sneaky-ness... this time I was specifically in the kitchen cooking dinner and I walk around the corner and see this!!

...No wonder why they're using laptops and ipads in kindergarten classrooms!!
I'm a guilty mama ;)
Maybe he'll create something amazing one day-
we're just starting him young!

This little man sure wants to learn about stuff though, 20 months old and always wanting to figure out how everything works, how to put something back together and take it apart... He knows how to turn on the computer, tv, lights and my cell phone... He's a smart kid, that is for sure!

father & son bonding :)

2011-05-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

Last week Josh was invited by his best friend from high school

to a father son outing for their ward,

So, off the boys went for a night of miniature golfing and go-kart racing.

The next morning I was upstairs getting ready and I captured this cuteness

from the upstairs family room,

I couldn't help but grab my cell phone and snap a couple photos.

I LOVE seeing moments like this, where I see Josh at his VERY BEST-

being a daddy- he is such a GREAT one and Jaxon is just so lucky!!

I LOVE my boys so much... Couldn't imagine my life without them.

They make me smile and happy every.single.day!!

Our very FIRST dining room table...

2011-05-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

Remember THIS post...

Well, my pretty amazing husband worked long, hard and endless hours...

and we now have a beautiful dining room table!!

Believe it or not, this is our first dining room table we've ever had together!!

I would have loved to go out and spend $1000 on the perfect table,

but that was not very realistic at this time of going back to college/student life!!

So we found this charmer on KSL [Utah's Craigslist] for only $100!!

Table, two leaves that fold inside, and six chairs!! What a steal!!

When it was sitting in the ladies house, I was very, very hesitant about buying it.

I told Josh if we bought it, it HAD to be re-done and he agreed.

I also thought it was too big for our little family of three,

but I am now extremely happy we can call it ours for a LONG time!!

I LOVE the view...
These mountains are beautiful and so very close... I love it!!

On a sidenote: I am not a lover of oak wood anything.

Pretty much I don't like light colored wood at all...

My husband loves it though. If he had his way our dream house would have light oak cabinets and furniture all over it. [YUCK!!!] I would have super dark espresso or BLACK... and I've even dreamed of having a beautiful kitchen full of white- so clean and fresh looking.

So- we seem to find a middle ground, and I'm okay with that.

It's just funny, cause if it would have been completely up to me,

I probably would have sanded this table down and painted it black or an antique cream color!?

But...

It was a very long and HARD project...

So I'm grateful my hubs tackled it-he did such a great job!!

Thanks babe- next honey-do project coming soon :)

I LOVE it!!

{obsessed}

2011-04-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

... to say that Jaxon is obsessed with his daddy is very much an understatement.

This weekend was Josh's weekend to be in Washington fulfilling his Reserve Duty Assignment, which we'll be getting used to since he signed into at least 2 years.... as much as we don't like being apart for an entire weekend every month, it has also been a huge blessing considering that we have 100% family insurance through the military still AND a little extra pay each month!!

Friday morning as Josh was packing his bags, it seemed like Jaxon just knew exactly what was going on... It's so crazy what these little ones can sense- but he started being extra clingy to Josh- even as soon as Josh put his duffel bag over his shoulder and walked down the stairs, Jaxon hopped of our bed, started sobbing and saying "da-da, da-da" and running quickly to the stairs to follow daddy!! We always spend these Friday's that Josh leaves together and then we drop Josh off at 4:30 on Friday night at Hill AFB in Ogden [where he catches the jet that flies to McChord [Tacoma, WA] with a bunch of reserve guys all doing their weekend duty] and pick him up late Sunday night...

Since I used to work nights, Josh has [for a very long time] done Jaxon's nighttime routine- it is their bonding time and I love it. I do nap time- Josh does bedtime... and Jaxon is a great kid to put to bed, he does it so willingly and is always happy [without one fuss] to go to sleep for long, long hours... [yes, he still has some mornings he sleeps til 10-11am, and still takes his 3 hour nap during the day... and still sleeps 12+ hours the next night]

So, tonight after I put his jammy's on, he just kept saying "da-da, da-da, da-da" and he hopped up, and within a minute of me putting his dirty clothes in the hamper and getting his bed ready he was halfway down the staircase crying for "daddy"... It BROKE my HEART but at the same time, it makes me so happy to see how much he absolutely loves and adores his daddy... I am in love with the bond those two have and I hope it can stay like that forever!!!

caught this cute moment a couple weeks ago

i.love.them.

the beginning...

2011-04-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

So we started introducing the little guy to the potty back in January when he was 16 months...

Obviously knowing he wasn't completely ready to be potty trained,

but taking the first steps is crucial in my mind!!

At first he thought it was fun, he'd sit there, giggle...

then hop off, flush and wave bye-bye to the water swirling down the toilet...

So for the past four months we periodically put him on the toilet and tell him to go potty...

It's never happened- until Tuesday {April 26th]...
He finally did it!!!

I am not a huge fan of posting daily updates of potty training, so don't worry-

you won't be seeing constant updates of this lovely parenting stage that we all [unfortunately] have to go through- but it's a BIG DEAL in the White house right now!!

Da-da and ma-ma are very proud and so is the little mister...

[this was the quick picture I snapped on my phone in the moment :]

SO- to you mama's who have been successful in the potty training department-

I will take any advice, pointers, tips, books to check out, etc...

I'd LOVE to have him fully potty trained within a few months of his 2nd birthday-

Tell me- am I being unrealistic?

I've heard "boys are harder", he'll do it when he's ready, etc...
and although I DO agree with "they do it when they're ready"...
I also BELIEVE it has a lot to do with the dedication of the parents!?

I have never been a potty training mama so I'll take any advice out there :)

we got a little mud on the tires...

2011-04-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday we packed a picnic lunch and headed up the mountain with the four wheeler in tow...

i find things to love about Logan every day-

today I realized how much I love that "up the mountain" literally means 5-10 miles up the road... I LOVE it!!

Jaxon absolutely LOVES the four wheeler and we had a blast.

Can't wait for it to be a little warmer so we can go camping, fishing, hiking, and four wheeling all summer long!!

Summer is going to be AWESOME!!

Isn't our town so beautiful... we could see the whole valley from where we were!!

LOVE it!!

He LOVES pretending he is driving...

Yes, I'm aware Jaxon's nose is slightly runny here :/

Welcome to toddler-hood, teething, and being out in the cold...

snot happens!

everyday beauty...

2011-04-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

One thing I have always loved about Logan is the beauty of the Logan temple that you can see from everywhere in the valley... For anyone who has ever come to Cache Valley- you know exactly what I'm talking about!!

It is one of very few temples that you can see from everywhere in town.

I love the temple.

Josh took these pictures a couple weeks ago on our spontaneous

night drive out in the snow...

Such beauty!!

Who goes to Wyoming?

2011-04-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

WE DO...

and we're off to spend the weekend in the beautiful little town of

Afton, Wyoming...

Its been a while since we've been and last time we were practically buried under five feet of snow at the end of January a couple years ago...

This time its supposed to be a little more spring-like!

Hopefully we can capture some pretties on our short weekend trip...

we'll share upon our return :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend... you know where we'll be!!

makin dinner with daddy...

2011-04-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

I looked at the weather for the next 10 days and well maybe it wont be warm quickly enough... high of 58 and low of 29!!! Oh my goodness!!
After living in Arizona for ten years this is just crazy to me...
I am just thankful we were able to live in Washington for a year to adjust to the cooler weather and that we moved here at the beginning of Spring, rather than winter...

Never thought I'd say that 60 degrees is a warm day!!

[utah has forever changed me]

Our usual Sunday dinner is something delicious that's been slow cooking in the crock pot all day, but this Sunday we mixed it up a little... Josh grilled a couple of AMAZING steaks, and I made roasted vegetables that were simply amazing...

Here is Jaxon "helping" daddy grill the steaks on the front porch... He LOVES being outside!!

ahhh, those bright blue eyes and big adorable smile melts my heart everytime
we are so lucky HE IS OURS!!!

ps: you shouldn't let your child play with lighters.... oops!

MOMMA-IN-UTAH

2011-04-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Mom was able to be here for the first two weeks of March.

She helped us move, get settled, unpack, organize,

She cooked, cleaned, babysat and did ALL of my laundry the entire time!
We have a pretty amazing mom, and we are lucky!
I didn't blog much at all while she was here because we were obviously just BUSY
and spending time together...
So here are a few pictures from when she was in town...
[makes me sad, cause I NEVER take enough pictures of her with Jaxon
-and Jaxon adores her, but I'll have to remember to do that next time].

One day we took a drive up to Hardware Ranch to see all the hundreds of Elk
we stopped a few times and took pictures of all the pretty around us!!
Another reason I cannot wait til Summer & Fall-
It will be absolutely beautiful here!!!

we took Jaxon to a couple different parks around town-
something I LOVE about Logan is you can practically see the
LDS Logan Temple & beautiful mountains
from everywhere in town-
we can even see the temple from our second floor family room window. LOVE!
If you look closely below in the far right of the picture, you'll see it too :)

One day Josh stayed home with Jaxon so mom and I could have a girls day out...
we went to Great Harvest Bread Co for sandwiches and a yummy treat,
we walked around the downtown shops,
we drove around the cute little town I now call home,
took pictures by the temple, the tabernacle and downtown...
we visted some old neighbors from when we lived here
[the short lived year of 1999-2000-my junior year of HS]
we went shopping, we shared old memories and new stories.

it was fun to spend time with my mom- she has been such a big part of my life, she loves uncondtionally, she listens, gives advice, and has ALWAYS been there for me.
I know not all are blessed with such a great mom,
and that makes me more thankful for mine!!
I KNOW I am lucky!

Mom had to leave on a Wednesday night so we decided to spend the day in

Salt Lake City...

we went to Temple Square, out to lunch and drove around some of SLC...

we got some great photos {mostly of Jaxon- no surprise there}

Jaxon was trying to get in the temple...

he REALLY wanted to get those doors open!!

No surpise that daddy wanted to throw Jaxon up in the air,

and mommy captured it on camera!

I LOVE that Jaxon is looking right at the camera with a BIG smile on his face!!

Salt Lake City,

LDS Temple

.absolutely breathtaking.

love that I captured the little mister being mischevious...

he is NOT caught on camera enough :)

see why we LOVE this little man-

he is just so cute!

Then we said goodbye to momma...

we had a FABULOUS time... it was crazy and busy and hectic too

but we are so grateful for her, and for ALL the help she was!

I HAD to get a picture of her and her two HUGE luggage, carry on, backpack AND camera bag AND huge purse full to the brim!!! And she got away with it!!! hahahahaha

we LOVE you MOM!!

SLC & Park City, Utah!!

2011-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

We got invited to spend spring break with Josh's brother and sister in law and their five kiddos...
{they live in a small Wyoming town, so this was a pretty exciting trip for them}

It was nice to get away for a bit & we had such a great time!!

We stayed at the Worldmark Resort- it was so beautiful...

This is what it looked like the first day,

the next couple days were sunny and beautiful {and cold} outside!!

Jaxon took a bath in the sink...

What happens when there are 10 people sharing two bathrooms ;)

He loved it!! Last time he did that was probably 3ish months!

My cheerleader niece and sister in law worked together on this masterpiece below...

I felt like a teenager again!

It was fun, at the Jazz game later that night I had tons of compliments...

I felt a little silly. Oh well.

It looked 100x better in person!

This is the lovely family we spent a few days with...

They are pretty much awesome... Reminds me SO MUCH of my family growing up!!

And you'd think it'd be crazy with their five kiddos and little j,

but it was a perfect mix, and Jaxon LOVED playing with the younger cousins and bonding with the older ones... The first day he just gave them dirty looks, by the last he was cuddling with them :)

The Gateway mall

Salt Lake City Utah

Chantelle & me

If you are EVER in Salt Lake City this is a MUST...

Tucanos Brazillian Grill

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

The last time we'd been to a Brazillian Steakhouse was in South Korea {and it was pretty amazing too} but considering that's a little too far to go just for dinner, we are SO HAPPY we found this one in SLC... Since we decided to spend the day at the Gateway and just walk over to the Jazz game before it started we decided to find somewhere for an early dinner... I used my YELP app on my phone and found this place that had five star reviews so we went and were so happy we did!! Amazing food and service!! We will go back soon :)

Daddy picked out Jaxon's first Jazz hat and Jaxon doesn't want to stop wearing it,

he loves it that much and will leave it on all day!!

We had a great time at the Jazz game...

Jaxon all of a sudden had a fever and wasn't feeling good :(

so he slept in Josh's arm for a good half hour during the middle of the loud screaming crazy game... We're pretty sure it was caused from teething, along with the snotty nose and drooling EVERYWHERE. Thankfully it was gone the next day!

We went to the sledding hills in Park City on Tuesday and it was lots of fun but also TOO EXPENSIVE {what else do ya expect in Park City, I guess}

We also went to Tanger outlets and didn't do ENOUGH shopping

This is what I did get at the Columbia Outlet: snowboarding pants, shoes, a beanie, gloves, and for Jaxon: a beanie, gloves and snowsuit...

Total Retail: $400/// Spent: $120 after taxes.

YUP- pretty freakin amazing deals!!

Can't wait to go back for more shopping!!

We let the kids babysit for a few hour one night and

the adults went for a drive to look at all the big houses up on the mountains and into all the little bitty towns...

there is something about unknown small towns that just makes me happy...

I LOVE to imagine what it'd be like to live somewhere like that.

The last day we spent with them we drove into Lehi

went to JCW's for lunch and it was amazing as always {the two times we've been :)

then spent a few hours at an indoor water park and had a blast!!

from my front porch lookin in...

2011-04-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Little j has figured out how to open the front door so every so often we'll let him open it and go out to play... he always stays right on the front porch but he loves being outside... we've even walked the few extra feet [when its warm enough] to the playground which he loves!!

I can't wait til its warm enough to play outside all summer/fall long...

PLEASE come quickly!!

"mama look at the birdy"

while the husband was gone...

2011-04-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

I stayed very busy to keep my mind off the fact that he was in Seattle without me {I kinda wanna go back already, at least to visit}...

But since I had to stay home I cleaned house, scrubbed floors, washed and folded six loads of laundry, cleaned sheets and all blankets and made the beds back up, scrubbed bathrooms, organized bookshelves, baked 2 loaves of banana bread and banana muffins... met up with an old friend in SLC for dinner and catching up on Friday night and finally got home at midnight with a sleeping baby... then dinner on Saturday night with my bestie and her little fam, watched all eight hours of General Conference and then 2 1/2 days later we picked Josh up at 11pm on Sunday night. This will be a monthly routine for at least the next two years {Josh signed a 2 year Reserve Contract- which also means 100% family insurance covered!!!!!}

I am SO GLAD its only a couple days a month- I can handle that... but thinking about it, I wonder how I EVER spent an entire year apart from him- so 2-3 days is nothin'!!!

You see, Josh and I dated long distantly, were engaged for a short six weeks and then he spent practically the entire first year of our marriage in South Korea with the Air Force...

Then we moved to Washington where he worked days, and I worked nights.

On the average day he'd come home from work by 4

I'd have dinner ready, we'd eat together and by 5pm I was off to work for the rest of the night...

Although we worked opposite schedules our time together was still good- full of fun and errands, car rides, dinners, chores, playgrounds with Jaxon, vacations, movie watching and cooking together... we always made sure that time was special!!

Josh's last day {actually working} in the Military was February 20... so for the past six weeks we've been together LITERALLY 24/7... and guess what- we still like each other :)

After him being gone for just a weekend I realize even more how much I love him, and especially how much help he is- with Jaxon, around the house and just everything. He loves me and Jaxon so much and we are just so lucky to call him ours, my husband & Jaxon's daddy... forever and ever!!

I shed a few tears while watching General Conference this weekend... and laughed a little too-

How blessed we are to have a modern day Prophet and Apostles to lead and guide us, to give us council- straight from the Lord.

I feel refreshed, I feel like I know what I need to do to be a better person, to do more good, to love unconditionally, and to always remember how greatly blessed I am to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life- My heart is just so full of graditude!!

to watch or read all the amazing talks given click HERE.

You know about Jaxon going through his "i want daddy phase"...

Both mornings after I got Jaxon out of his crib,

he went straight to our bedroom, pointed to the bed and said "da-da, da-da"

and so I'd have to pick him up and tell him that daddy is still bye-bye...

it was cute, but it also broke my heart...

He kept pointing to the garage and front door and saying "da-da"

like he understands that daddy is "bye bye"

We're happy he's home now and just 23 days and he'll be flying back once again :/
Soon enough, we'll get used to it!!

the new girl... again!

2011-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

We moved a lot in my younger years...
So much that I went to a different elementary school every single year, the same middle school all three years {surprisingly} and then three high schools in three different states!!
Yes, that was my life- I was always "the new girl"...

And so when we moved to Gilbert Arizona the beginning of my senior year and I graduated high school there in 2001, I started creating my life in every aspect- in Gilbert- school, my jobs, friends, being a regular at the nail salon and the local yogurt shop... by the time I was 22 I bought my own house and was determined to stay put for a good while- I knew all the roads, I had my friends, I loved my ward, it was HOME!!

Three years after I settled down in my own home and kinda out of the blue-
I very quickly fell in love with and married a military boy, and we'd be up-rooting once again, and again...

And so I look at my life and I am grateful for these experiences...
For all the moving I have done has been such a huge part of my life!

I am grateful that I have best friends in every single west coast state and beyond...

that I've lived in so many neat places and I've been able to leave footprints in all of them

and take with me so much more about life, about people and cultures and especially change and newness...

Change is SO good for the soul!!

Oh that dreaded question- "so where are you from"... my response is usually "uh, southern California & Arizona" but I don't exactly love that I have to put a label on it... and as I'm asked that question over and over again when I'm "the new girl" I have different thoughts running through my mind-

I am from the many houses I grew up in, the three story ones up in the mountains and the small ones where it was tight, the beaches and the desert in our backyard, where we'd have daily chores and mom's chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, six kids running up and down staircases, pillow fights in the living rooms, where dad worked in the yard and momma did her crafts, clean laundry piled high, pancakes on Saturday mornings, family bike rides in the neighborhood, blanket forts in the dining room, bonfires in the backyards, slip-n-slides in the front yards, pizza and slumber parties on Friday nights, big birthday parties... where our friends called our mom, "mom", dad did sports and boy scouts with the boys, and taught us to ride bikes in the middle of the street, singing songs in the mornings, kids always off to football, gymnastics, cheerleading, swimming, karate, and other activities, where there was always a picture of Christ, the Prophet and the temple, Christmas always felt like we lived in the North Pole because its momma's favorite time of year, and "taco feast" was at least a weekly meal... music was blasting, Nintendo games were always on, mom in her nightgown reading a book in the same place every night, Church on Sunday's, friends and neighbors coming and going, family often visiting,

memories being made- day after day, year after year, home after home...

And now when I look back at all those wonderful years I truly understand the overused American Proverb "home is where your heart is"...

And how sweet it is to feel at home after just one month, right here in Logan Utah-

just the three of us.

Although it may not be a permanent home, it is where Josh, me and little j will build lasting memories, where we will learn together and grow together, where Jaxon will pass many important milestones, where we will probably welcome our next baby, and where we call home, for now.

We are blessed to be where we are right now.

We know prayers were answered and we've taken quite the leap of faith,

but we know this is where we're supposed to be

I hope I can teach my children, as my mother did,

that home is right here, right now, with the ones you love-

no matter big or small, permanent or temporary, old or new...

it is with the ones you love the most!

I am so glad I understand this-

afterall, we are together and we have somewhere to call HOME!

we ARE blessed!

19m

2011-04-02T01:13:00.000-07:00

This handsome little mister is already 19 MONTHS!!

He makes us smile and laugh more than ever...

Since I haven't done a milestone update in a while I need to catch up a little...

Jaxon is 26 pounds & 33 inches

He is wearing 18-24 month clothing, but creeping out of those quickly!!!

We are now buying 24m/2T!!!

We can shop in the "big boy" section in most stores...

After daddy insisted, we bought Jaxon his first belt a couple weeks ago;

he seems to be so tall with a TINY waist- lucky him :)

Size 7 shoe!! BIG FEET!!

Favorite foods: yogurt, cereal, bread, steamed veggies, and anything sweet!

Favorite toys at the moment are ANY type of ball, bike, cars and trucks.

Any time music comes on he shakes his little toosh, it NEEDS to be captured on video, because it is the cutest baby dance ever!!!!!

WORDS Jaxon says:: da-da, ma-ma, mom, car, "dat" {for what's that?}, hot, ball, dog, "ga" {for grandma}, more, "gees"
{for Jesus}.

He knows a couple "signs", but the funniest one that he made up himself is waving "bye bye" to say thank you... I am pretty sure it has to do with me telling him to say thank you, usually when we're leaving somewhere and so he associates it with "bye"... so if someone gives him something he wants, he waves to them even though they're not going anywhere.

It cracks me up every.single.time.

He is going through a "i love daddy more" phase, and prefers Josh more than mama... its a ~~little~~ lot heartbreaking, but really it makes me so so happy how much this little man LOVES & looks up to his daddy... I literally can see it in his eyes and the way he lays on Josh's chest just because. I absolutely ADORE the bond they have.

and so I know he'll go through these phases, and that's okay with me :)

{on that note, Josh also puts Jaxon to bed 7 nights a week... its his special time with jaxon, since I used to work nights they have their little routine down, and even though I'm not workin anymore I let Josh {josh just does it anyway} do the bedtime routine, and it makes me so happy I have such a helpful, willing husband who is SUCH a GREAT father!}

He is a big flirt, LOVES the camera more than anything, could live off of go-gurts every day if we let him, loves drinking water out of his little Camelbak, loves to hold our hands, is a professional stair climber, has been introduced to the potty and sat on it plenty of times {we keep trying} but has yet to do anything about it besides laugh and think its a great time- hops off, flushes {nothing} down the toilet and waves bye-bye... He can open all the doors in the house, has climbed out of his crib two different times {unless we took him out in our sleep and don't remember?}, loves the playground, his stroller, rides in the car and anywhere to go "bye-bye", helps push clothes into the dryer and shuts it and then claps for himself, LOVES taking "trash" to the trashcan {and maybe a few missing toys too :( Is obsessed with the vacuum, remotes, cell phones, his blanky & max the monkey, and a certain football he plays with every day.

Just a couple weeks ago we were in the upstairs family room which is just next to Jaxon's bedroom and he did something naughty so I firmly said "go to your room and shut your door"... he looked at me, gave me not the nicest looking face, turned around, walked to his room and shut the door. I was SHOCKED!! I had NO idea he'd know what I was talking about, but I was like "WOW"... he knows what that means... So I've had to use it a few other times... After, Josh and I usually just look at each other and laugh and realize it won't always be that easy!!

And that is ~~all~~ A LOT for now... so we'll leave you with a cute crazy hair bath-time picture of little j

Jalapeno Chips, Cheese Bread & Peanut Butter

2011-03-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

So my child likes some crazy things when it comes to food... I guess not too crazy, but he LOVES spicy things... now this answers my wonder when I was pregnant with little Jaxon that I craved spicy things all the time- I started using "hot" instead of "mild" and I craved going to Panda Express so I could have one of their spicy chicken dishes!! So, I guess this all started long before he entered the world!
The funny thing is that I usually don't offer these spicy things to him, he finds them himself and goes to town... Like the day back in Washington that he was playing by the pantry {one of his more liked places in the house} and he had to have climbed at least one shelf to reach Josh's Jalapeno Chips, walks into the living room with them, plops himself down and eats chip after chip after chip... The funny thing is that he had just had breakfast about an hour before so I guess he was just hungry for a snack... and I let him be, and of course snapped a couple pictures ;)

Fast forward to about a week ago and he gets into the pantry here in our new house... my mom and I were literally 15ft away in the living room so he's always wandering around doing his own little thing {and being mischevious} and he walks into the living room with this HUGE LOAF of JALAPENO CHEESE BREAD!!! Oh man, my mom and I were laughing SO HARD!! It was literally bigger than his head and he kept taking bites and then making the "mmmmmm" sound... So of course, I took pictures :)

One day recently for his afternoon snack I put him in his booster seat for celery with peanut butter, believe it or not, its the first time he'd had them together {he usually likes both on their own} and boy oh boy did he get all messy with it... The funny thing is that he kept sticking his finger into it to lick the peanut butter off.... And... I took pictures....

I love how he looks so innocent, and then cracks up laughing...

That's my boy!!

Seriously, I LOVE being this little boys mama... there are not a lot of things that can set me off with him, and even when I try to be upset at something naughty he's done it is SO hard... SO we're trying to find that balance with teaching him right from wrong, but also making sure he knows we love him all the same- and most importantly, letting him be the one and a half year old that he is, learning and discovering new things each day!! I love this stage!

my BOYS are for hire :)

2011-03-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

They are good with tools, re-do's, sanding, painting...

you name it!!

I'll hire them out, so let me know if you need some "man-work" done ;)

Ever since we moved to Logan we'd been searching for a nice dining room table, we knew we wanted a used one because they are extremely expensive brand new unless you get a piece of junk that will fall apart within a couple years... so we decided to take someone elses old table and re-do it. Probably the biggest "honey-do" thing I've ever requested of Josh, but he's been AMAZING and its been keeping him VERY BUSY!!

We found this charmer for $100...

Its a BEAUTIFUL piece of furniture.

The women's daugther had put it online for only $150 but after me standing in her dining room for a half hour contemplating if the table was just too big for our little family of three and making Josh promise me we could re-do it {a huge project} she finally said "you guys can have it all for $100"... By then we'd made friends with her, and you always want to give your friends a better deal right!? Worked perfectly :)

It has six chairs and two leaves that fold up under the table...You can comfortably fit 10 people around the table!!
I think its time we start thinking about ~~having more kids~~...

No scratch that, maybe we'll just host Thanksgiving this year ;)

So here is the Mister... hard at work... The table was completed in about a day and now the chairs are another story...

Its taking much longer but it'll be beautiful in the end!

Jaxon LOVES tools and after watching daddy work so hard these past few weeks on so many things he wants nothing more than to be out in the garage "helping"... it is pretty darn cute I have to say!!

I LOVE the way he watches everything Josh does, I can just see it in his eyes already that he wants to be just like his hard workin' daddy! It melts my heart!!

Here's a sneak peak of the table... {taken on my phone so not the greatest picture}

And I will post more when it is all completed...

I CAN'T wait :) :)

Thank you husband for working so hard...

I promise to cook years and years of amazing meals to be served

on this very table :)

home SWEET home

2011-03-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new WHITE HOUSE-

We are in LOVE with it!!

Big & Spacious.

Style and character, inside & out...

Of course I still have moments that I miss the house I owned in Gilbert {AZ}, but after living in a 2 bedroom, 2nd floor apartment in Washington for the past 12 months,

I am MORE than HAPPY to have a HOUSE again... and a big one for that matter!!

ALL to ourselves- just the three of us!!

This picture taken from my front yard...

Really, how could I complain?

BEAUTIFUL VIEW that I LOVE!!

the kitchen... we moved our own side by side Refridgerator in after this picture was taken, so now we have this extra fridge/freezer in the garage!! LOVE it!

Half of the downstairs living room

Dining Room. Wood floors- someone tell my how to clean them-never had wood floors before!

Upstairs there is three bedrooms, a really long wide hallway, FAMILY room {YES for upstairs family/TV room!!}, Laundry Room {which I LOVE having upstairs as well-thank you to the smart person that started that}, master bath and Jaxon's/Guest Bathroom, and a linen closet! Its so spacious!!

The view from the upstairs family room- and yes, that IS our church building- walking distance {what else do you expect in Utah, right!?}

Jaxon's Playground- yes, I am sure he will think its all his as soon as its warm enough to play outside- I am sure we will be making daily trips down the sidewalk to the playground!

Come Visit!!!!!!!!!!

We have a comfy guest bedroom for YOU & there is even guest parking!!!

Like seriously, make your plans NOW!! DO IT- we promise to show you a good time in Cache Valley {wink}

Snow is melting away and we're ready for some warm SUNNY days!!!!!!!!!!!

Other things I LOVE about our house-

hello, 2 1/2 car garage! After parking in apartment parking for a year, I am SO ready to have a garage back! The F150 and Camry fit perfectly, with plenty of space for storage and the extra fridge!
We have Central Vacuum!! I never knew how amazing they could be!! I especially love using the piece for my wood floors in the kitchen/dining area.
I finally have a kitchen that has LOTS of counter space, a little bar to eat at, and lots of cupboard and pantry space!
Josh and I can fit our bedroom furniture perfectly in the master, with room to spare... in the apartment we had to turn our nightstands to the side to get them to fit. lol.

We have all our furniture set up and pretty much everything is un-packed... We have yet to hang anything on the walls yet because we were saving that for last... in the meantime we've been just enjoying our time together, re-doing a few pieces of {new to us} furniture we purchased, and spending time with friends and family that live close!

I think this week shall be decorating week!!

So I'll post pictures of the house again once that's all done :)

MOVING to UTAH

2011-03-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

The last Saturday in Puyallup we had 9-10 men from our ward show up to help load the truck and two of my friends, plus my mom were there to help clean the apartment... We are so lucky, we seriously had so much GOOD help, just good friends coming to do service- it was SO NICE!!!

Josh and I had worked extremely hard the five weeks prior to make moving day much easier and I am so glad we did... We started around 10am and the truck was 100% loaded by 2pm, including a lunch break where we supplied some pretty delicious pizza and gatorades for all the hard workers :) By 3pm the apartment was 100% done and ready to be locked up, completely empty and spotless as when we moved in!! We are SO grateful for all our friends that helped that day, everything got done extremely fast and it was so nice to have help, because we all know moving is not the most fun thing ;) I didn't really take pictures of that day, because really, who wants me to be taking pictures while they are packing my boxes into a truck and scrubbing my baseboards...

We spent our last two nights at a condo on base and we just waited for Monday to roll around for Josh to have his final-out with his commander and me to do the final walkthrough at our apartment. We were then on the road by 11am on Monday, February 28th- UTAH BOUND!!!!!!!

The drive was CRAZY... we caught some pretty crazy, scary snowstorms but made it through with our hearts beating pretty hard after each one... Josh was driving the U-haul, with our Toyota Camry on a tow-dolly behind it, and my mom and I switched off driving our F-150 and we had to go up some pretty steep mountains while the snow was coming down hard and the roads were full of SNOW & ICE- NOT the idea road conditions for driving with your ENTIRE LIFE in tow!!!!! We made it safely to Ontario, Oregon where we stayed at a beautiful Holiday Inn Express, we had one of the Suites and it was super nice and the beds were so so comfy!! The next day we finally made it into Idaho and to our new home of LOGAN, UTAH!!!

Jaxon was extremely good on the trip... he enjoyed sleeping, eating snacks, drinking out of his cool Camelbak, and watching Happy Feet, Baby Einstein and some classic cartoons on his own personal DVD players... as you can see he also kept himself entertained by wrapping his blanky around his head- its a comfort thing with him ;)

He also was SUPER HAPPY {like the rest of us} to have breaks from the truck and driving... I caught these adorable pictures of him when he couldn't stop laughing/smiling after I got him out and set him in the bed of the truck- he was the happiest babe at that moment, it was so darn cute!!

""THANK YOU MAMA for giving me a break from my carseat--- I LOVE YOU""

Our whole life and everything we own, right there in the hands of the Mister...

he's a pretty darn good truck driver I do have to say!!

We decided on our second day, since it was nice clear weather that we'd let Jaxon ride in the truck with daddy... he sure thought it was pretty cool, and was a little confused too :)

STUPID {TOO HIGH} gas prices. UGHHHHhhh...

{I guess I shouldn't complain since the military pays every penny, but still, its annoying!!

Land that I LOVE...

it was such a beautiful drive [the second day]

*Sweet Home UTAH*

As soon as we got to Logan we went to pick up our keys to our new house... I was so nervous, since we found it online and signed the contract without even seeing it first but I couldn't wait to get here... I was SO happy driving up and knowing that we had somewhere right away to call our own HOME!!! It is just a weird feeling driving up to somewhere that you've never seen and knowing its going to be your new HOME!!

It is beautiful {and COLD} here and we are happy and getting settled...
pictures will come soon of our house...
I PROMISE :)

SEATTLE LOVIN'

2011-03-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows, we are no longer living in Washington...

It is bittersweet. We had a GREAT year there.

Its the first full year that we were constantly together as a family {remember Josh pretty much spent the first year of our marriage in South Korea}... So this was a BIG YEAR for us, growing and learning together... making a home and memories that will last forever...

Considering that Josh and I were both practically working full time, and complete opposite schedules from each other, we made plenty time to be together and every last minute was fabulous!!

We travelled the entire state of Washington, lots of Oregon and a few parts of Idaho.

We played in the mountains and drove on the beaches and camped in the rainforest.

We sporatically stopped in small towns for ice cream and pictures of old buildings, and walked through the downtown streets of Seattle.

We went to Mt St Helens and took countless trips to and around the breathtaking Mt Rainier.

We went to the Tulip Festival, Taste of Tacoma, Puyallup State Fair

and a few country concerts that were pretty amazing.

We bought fruit and veggies in Pikes Market and enjoyed watching the famous fish throwing...

It really was SUCH A GREAT YEAR... we did so many fun things, and got to see a new part of the world.

We LOVED it in Washington...

We took so many good memories with us and will cherish the year we were able to live there, the memories we made and growing together as family in such a great way- just the three of us!!

Before we moved we took a few trips to our favorite places- The City, Pikes Market, Alki Beach and Mt Rainier... we did so much those last few weeks!! Here are just a few pictures we took :)

Shoeless Jaxon

2011-02-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Jaxon is very good about letting us put his socks and shoes on each time we get ready for the day... well, I don't know what it is, but every single time we get in the car he wants to pull his shoes and socks off... and the funny thing is that he usually only pulls one shoe and one sock off, and/or both shoes. Please tell me I am not the only mama that deals with this... it really is such a little thing, so it doesn't bother me too much but I also don't know if there is a way to stop it anytime soon- my friend said her 6 & 7 year old daughters STILL do it, and she has to specifically tell them to not take them off. hahaha.

Anyway, this is usually how little j looks in the car... exactly like this, shoeless and playing with his little toesies... so cute!

for ALL Eternity!!

2011-02-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

February 13th we woke up and it was just like any other day, last Sunday to be exact... we had breakfast together, worked on packing a few boxes and got ready for church. Our ward starts at 1pm {which has been quite the test with a 17 month old wanting his daily nap which he usually takes from 1-4ish pm} but we've done our best, although we have plenty of walks in the hallway and early nursery visits :)

Anyway, so after the Sacrament was passed the little deacon boy walked up and gave us a note from the bishopric that said "sister and brother white, we'd like you to bear your testimonies after the rest hymn"!! I had NO idea that was coming but was grateful for the opportunity, especially seeing that it'd be our last Sunday in our ward {since this past week was Stake Conference}.

I realized about three minutes before I went up that it was February 13th, I felt the spirit very strong- and I was reminded what a special day this is for our family!! Our Anniversary of our San Diego Temple sealing just one year before! And I realized that the next day, February 14th marked the day Jaxon was blessed. What a special weekend to remember the LOVE WE SHARE- and that we are together FOR ALL ETERNITY!!! We are beyond blessed with the experiences we've had together, both spiritually and physically. The love we share has grown tremendously and it is a true blessing to be a happy family with a bright future ahead!

We KNOW we are so blessed!

So the crazy part of this day a week ago... I was getting Jaxon dressed in his room- and in walks Josh- Jaxon was mostly dressed and Josh walks in in his suit and I realized him and Jaxon MATCHED- completely un-planned and sadly enough I didn't even know they had matching suits!!!!!!!!! hahaha, well, go figure that just called for the camera to come out and capture our special day so we made a quick stop at a park for some spontaneous pictures after church :)

I LOVE these boys more than words could ever describe!!

ONE YEAR in Seattle!!

2011-02-21T02:17:00.000-08:00

{I obviously wrote this a few days ago... just didn't get to finishing it... seriously takes a lot of patience with myself to sit down and blog right now :( even though I LOVE to keep things updated, there have just been MANY other things taking up my time lately!!}

This day exactly one year ago, February 17th we arrived to our new home in Washington State- not knowing where we'd live, what it'd be like, or how long we'd stay. Now exactly a year later, the countdown is ON!! Life is a crazy ride, but I love the ride we're on... Our short few years of being married sure have been busy and full of life, full of memories and full of lots and lots of changes... I don't really see that stopping anytime soon. I think it is something Josh and I are already used to and weirdly enough, enjoy!! Change is SO GOOD {I really am a believer of that}!!!! And of course, its always great to have a fresh new start and new beginnings together!! Josh's last day of work was Friday, although he will not officially be considered "no longer active duty" until March 19th!! This, I am extremely grateful for- he's still getting his full pay and housing allowance til the end of March but does not have to work. I am REALLY going to miss the benefits to being an Active Duty Military Family!! It is going to be a huge adjustment!!

On that note- Josh has been approved and accepted to the Air Force Reserves and guess where he will be stationed!?!? Right here at good ol' McChord Air Force Base in Washington, with his same co-workers!! He has a great opportunity to come back here, he'll be flying up from Hill AFB out of Ogden once a month, spend a Saturday and Sunday here and then come back home. THIS will cover our family insurance and give us a little extra income as well!!! I am SO glad this worked out- we were hoping he could get on at Hill AFB but there are absolutely NO openings, so it just means he'll be taking a couple hour flight to Washington once a month but I wont really know the difference, either way, he'll be gone one weekend a month- but for what we get out of it, will be completely worth it!!

Everything is coming together like a puzzle with 1000 pieces and is just fitting perfectly!!! As each new thing works out I feel that much more confident that we've made the right decision and we are being blessed. We are EXTREMELY grateful that everything is coming together so easily {and then I have those moments that I think- okay something BAD has got to go wrong, it can't be this perfect... but I hope that is just my crazy worrisome mind working and I just shouldn't listen to it, ugh!}

Sunday afternoon- Alki Beach

Great photo-op with little j...

He is always such a good sport & the camera loves his cuteness!!

Since we are 90% done with everything and as much move-ready as we can be at this point, we will be enjoying our last six days playing in this beautiful state- crossing off those last few things on our Seattle Bucket List and hitting up a few of our favorite local restaurants we've come to love!!

the JAXON adventures...

2011-02-17T02:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to "Toddler-hood" in the White House!!! Oh my, have things been exciting and entertaining, day after day, after day... or should I say minute!! I imagine it is a little different having your child start walking at 12 months and I am not sure, but Jaxon just barely started walking last week at 17+ months and he is EVERYWHERE!! I love watching him waddle around though, he is already a pro and even though he crawled professionally for SEVEN whole months, he has gone to the professional side of walking... and let me tell you, it is like a whole new world here! He is extremely fun to have around and seriously is THE happiest babe- especially when he's being loved on or causing trouble and thinks its funny. Oh man, I love this kid. Heavenly Father really knew to send me a kid with a sense of humor like Jaxon, a cuddly kid that wants to, out of the blue cuddle and give loves, and an active one to keep me on my very tippy toes every second of the day!!
Here are some moments I've captured of the little mister being cute, mischeveous, and entertaining in every sense of those words... and let me just tell you- these pictures do no justice for the story that goes along with them, but they will do for now!! As crazy as it is, I am LOVING Jaxons age right now :)

He LOVES keys and wants to open every door with them!

Trying to help mama pack the kitchen, stacking the blender...

and LOVES drinking out of daddys cup with a straw!!

He always wants the broom and mop lately... he's been obsessed with them, maybe he's seen mommy doing so much cleaning he just thinks it looks fun!! Keep it up Jaxon :)

One night I walked around the couch to see what he was up to... just visiting with the Jesus picture in the magazine... he knows that it is Jesus and has even said "jesus" when pointing to pictures we had around the house... although it comes out more like "jees". SUPER cute!!

This past Tuesday while Josh was at mutual with the young men, Jaxon was especially mischeveous... He's obsessed with these infant sunglasses that he's had forever... although he finally figured out how to put them on the right place of his head- just not always right side up :) He also LOVES throwing balls ALL THE TIME!! One of his favorite things, he can literally throw across our living room- maybe we're raising a little quarterback or baseball player right before our eyes!! GO Jaxon!!

SAME NIGHT- I took my eyes off him for ten minutes, I was in the living room, he was all over the living room, kitchen and being good- He loves to play in the bottom of the pantry and since I've packed 90 percent of it, I let him play in there- he usually ends up with a canned food item... well this time he found the magic erasers I just purchased in an emptry drawer all by themselves and thought he'd try them... its so hard when they're doing something like this to get mad. My first reaction is usally: GET THE CAMERA!!! Capture the moment so I can show Josh later and have for memory sake.... Then I try not to smile and/or laugh too much and I clean up the mess and its over with... I am glad he decided they didn't taste good, so he went on to spit out the pieces he bit off- I am pretty sure he got a few bites out of each one!!

OH child of mine, I LOVE you!

and again, SAME night- He LOVES throwing his own diaper away and anything for that matter- he understands "trash" or "take it to the trashcan"... he is very happy to do so. hahahaha. Silly boy!

sneaky peaky

2011-02-06T21:59:00.000-08:00

We signed the contract on our new house this week and I am overly joyed about it... I REALLY was sure there was some reason we wouldn't get it, just because it seemed too good to be true, and sure enough, I was wrong. SO happy I was wrong :)

We started our online house hunting back in December but it was a little too soon, so I stalked KSL.com and Craigslist every single day looking for the perfect place...

the requirements were:: at least two bedrooms but would like three, a big enough master bedroom and living room for the over-sized furniture we own. Would settle on an apartment but preferred a townhouse or single home. Minimum of 1200 square feet. Within a few miles of Utah State. Washer/Dryer hookups okay because we own a new washer/dryer {along with a refrigerator}. At least one car garage and/or storage space. Maximum payment of $850.

What we found:: A GORGEOUS, 1600 square feet, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, town-home. 2 car over-sized garage {enough for our car, truck & storage}, 2.5 miles from USU, 1 mile from mall and pretty much ALL shopping & restaurants. Washer/Dryer hookups and comes with a fridge {which means we might use ours in the garage for extra freezer/fridge space! All walls are painted neutral- NOT just white, thank goodness!! Built in 2008 in a new developed community with walking trails and playgrounds and cabanas, and from the current residents word, Jessica, an AWESOME ward and neighbors!! Also, there is a living room downstairs AND a family room upstairs- a HUGE plus!! Now we will have extra space for an office and a baby room sometime in the future :) And very much under our max price! YAY!!

HERE is a sneaky peak at our new place, ours is the Cache model.

Can you tell I'm super duper excited about this. If you talk to me often you know I was seriously stressing over this, wondering IF we'd even find a home. Its scary to know that coming soon we'll be leaving both our jobs, our home and moving to Utah on a leap of faith {really} but a few months ago Josh and I really had options lingering and so we prayed about this and went to the temple and were just confirmed that it WAS the right thing to do and its so great that when you do the RIGHT thing even when it seems so beyond scary that you are taken care of, and sometimes things even work out better than you could have hoped.

Only 22 days and we're outta here. I can't believe it!!!!!

Deja Vu

2011-02-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

Didn't we just do this 365 days ago??? I swear I'm having deja vu... been there done this kinda days!!

Life has been overwhelmingly busy... and I've really been taking care of priorities first and putting off blog updates and I really don't feel bad about it!! Priorities FIRST!! But we are here and we've just been busy!! How did I post 16 posts in the first 17 days of January and have hardly even opened our blog in the last two weeks... I guess I was blogged out after all those ambitious posts in the beginning of the year!!

So here I am, in my home sweet home, feeling some bittersweetness knowing that our time here in Puyallup {Seattle} is soon coming to an end. It looks like the city of New York here in our dining room; boxes and boxes, packed, taped and marked with belongings from around our home stacked high and ready to go to Utah. The other night while Josh was flying his helicopter around he referred to them as high rises, and they were in his way :) Every picture, mirror, shelf, clocks, and all decoration off the walls, nail holes are spackled up and already painted over. Josh & I have each packed half of our clothing/shoes out of our closets {yes, we have our own closets}, DVDs, games and books are packed, glasses and plates out of the kitchen, blankets and towels and most bathroom items...

Next items to check off the list and being worked on this week: most of Jaxon's toys, books and stuffed animals, most of the items in the kitchen {I'll be keeping one box worth of kitchen items to cook with up until the last couple days}, the storage closet and the biggest job of getting everything in our garage completely organized and in order to go directly in the moving truck in 28 days...

Yes, As of today we have 28 days til we move!! We are SO ahead of the game, and it feels {really, really, really} good. We would like to be done by February 12th completely and be living out of suitcases those last two weeks so we can spend that time playing around Seattle doing those last few things to check off our "Seattle must-do List"... and NOT be stressed out at the end {is that EVER possible when moving???}. I am proud of us for starting so soon and having a SPECIFIC LIST of "to-do's" that we are crossing things off daily!! It feels great!

Last year we chose to have the military move us and it worked so perfectly. I didn't have to lift a finger, our house was packed up in ONE day, and the next day loaded into a truck and THEY drove it from Phoenix to Seattle, it was such a breeze for us. A few weeks later once we got our place here, they brought everything to us, unloaded every single box, set our furniture back up, etc... This time we've opted to do it ourselves and make the money from it- the Military PAYS us to go back to Josh's home of record- just so happens to be Logan, Utah- exactly where we're going :) So we'll make 7k-8k just for doing it ourselves. Who else gets PAID to move. I LOVE this!!
I HAVE TO give a HUGE shout out to JOSH- I've been working 4-5 nights a week and I come home to a clean house, dishes done, floors vacuumed, dinner {I cooked before work} cleaned up, Jaxon happily asleep AND on top of all of that he has done the MAJORITY of the packing, HE has patched up all the nail holes and painted over them, HE insisted on taking the deco down even though I wanted to leave it up a little longer, HE has wrapped all the nic-nacs in paper and packed them safely into boxes, HE has brought boxes home from co-workers {that had recently moved}... He seriously has been an AMAZING HELP, and I have not asked him to do ONE single thing. He amazes me daily with HOW MUCH HELP he is to me and it makes me realize just how lucky I am to call him my husband! Thanks babe ;)

Also- the BEST NEWS OF 2011 TO DATE:::: We got some FABULOUS news on our house hunting endeavors and lets just say when I got the phone call I felt like someone just called to tell me we won the lottery. This is HOW perfect our {possible} new home is for us. Its like too good to be true type of home- so I though for sure something was going to have to go wrong- but as long as we still want it, its all OURS! Already approved and filling out the contract TODAY!!! Like SERIOUSLY, we're saying YES to a house before we even see it... WHO does that!? I don't even care, its exactly what I had in mind- actually, BETTER!!! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO incredibly worried, stressed and nervous as to where we would live in one month and it looks like we have a HOME... I am so excited I wish it were March 1st today, not February 1st and that I was moving in, getting settled and decorating already... I can't wait to make a new home for us in Logan- I KNOW we will LOVE it there!!! {and a plus: only 2.5 miles from Utah State where Josh will be attending and 3.5 miles to my BEST friends house... WOOOHHHhoooOOOOOooo}

PEACE out for now... gotta get back to the responsible stuff. boo!

another reason to call him

2011-01-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

a TODDLER :(
I have been trying to keep Jaxon my baby for as long as possible and it just seems I can't stop this time that is flying by... At 16 1/2 months he finally had his first hair cut... I really wanted to just keep letting it grow, mostly because it was his baby hair, it'd never been cut and I didn't want just another reason to consider him a "big boy"... but Josh talked me into it saying that it "was time". We took him to Kids Kutz in Puyallup and had an AMAZING experience. The girl that cut his hair was perfect with him and Jaxon just loved her, he also loved everything about the kid friendly shop. He was fasinated by the "police chair" he was able to sit in, the clippers she was using and even got to watch Barney while she cut away {which by the way, his very first time seeing Barney- EVER}.

So here's our big boy... I DO love it & I know it will grow back but it looks healthier and we'll probably keep it short, I don't see myself as a mom that could let her boys have long hair or even semi-long so I guess that means lots of haircuts in my future... and since I cut Josh's hair, I think I'll start doing Jaxon's as well... and if I mess up I'll just have to buzz it off, haha. At least by the time he's school age I'll probably have it down and then I wont have to pay $16 a hair cut for the rest of his life!!

Before

She was so great with Jax... She let him feel the clippers so he knew they were safe and talked to him and just overall did a great job!!

being so good and watching the purple dinosaur :)

our little STUD

Getting his hair styled and liking it, haha

Final product- Such a handsome little devil

We even got a little "First Haircut" certificate along with a miniature Ziploc of his first hair cut, which were his little spiral curls... I never thought I'd be that weird mom, but I'm pretty sure they'll be going in his keepsake box. I ALWAYS thought my mom was crazy for keeping our baby hair, why oh why do people do this. WHY am I one of them now!?!?! Something about keeping a piece of your baby with you I guess. WEIRD. yes, I'm saying I'm one of those weirdos!!

Happy "I have a dream" day... I'm so happy Josh gets the day off work and we get to hang out ALL day!! YAY!!

Stats & Stuff

2011-01-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Jaxon had his 15 month check up a few days before we went to California and I am logging his stats for record sake :)

{NO surprises here, although for the first few months of his life we were lucky if they got him into the 3rd percentile for his height & weight, we are proud to say he has caught up and even passed a lot of his peers!!! YAY}

Weight: 24lbs 2oz 50%

Height: 32.3 inches75-90%

Head:48cm 75%

here he is getting super excited about the RC Helicopter I got Josh for Christmas! If you look closely you can see his little spiral curls...
He has NEVER had a haircut but I'm thinking it might be time soon :(

He is now 16 months. {ONLY SIX weeks til Nursery, wooohooo- and I'm not counting!! Actually, I just really look forward to being able to listen to the lessons and not worry about who's purse Jaxon is going through or who's dress he is under in RS. SERIOUSLY!!!}

Lets just say Jaxon is on the slow track for a few things, and the fast track for others, only Jaxon is doing things a little backwards... like coming a month early- this boy sure has ALWAYS done things on HIS TIME, so I guess we need to get used to it!!!

He says da-da, ball, uh-oh and mama or MOM (it took him FOREVER to say mama) and I am loving it!

still NOT {independently} walking but {finally} OH so very close!!!!!! We've been working with Jaxon since he was 10 months {yes, six full months}. He has been walking along furniture and walls pretty much since 10 months, he's been climbing on top of the couch, end tables and onto shelves since then too... He has climbed staircases up and down like a professional since about the same time; so WHY not walking!? I wish I had the answer, although I personally haven't been worried about it, only because I KNOW he understands the concept and takes the steps but just has NO desire to do it completely on his own. Just these past two weeks he's been walking up to 10 steps at a time and then stopping to clap for himself. It is quite the sight to see. He sure is proud of himself for his little milestones. I LOVE how happy he gets about the most simple things. It makes my heart happy! I really need to video tape how cute it is. Also, just these past couple days he is FINALLY going from the floor to standing position without holding onto anything-he will actually push himself up to standing and then of course CLAP and giggle at himself, then fall and do it all over again- I actually have found him doing it "secretly" when he thinks I'm not watching. For all I know he DOES walk, only he is hiding it from us! haha

Man, this kid is SO MUCH FUN right now. He has so many fun toys but sometimes would rather just sit on the couch right next to me or Josh, or right on our laps. The other day I had some shoe boxes sitting next to the front door and he thought they were the best thing he'd ever seen. He just kept sitting on top of the boxes and made himself his own little special corner. He even came into the living room, grabbed his blanky and crawled back to the shoebox corner just to sit there. He is a funny kid. He loves the most simple things. ALL these cool electronic toys, cars, trucks, etc that he got for Christmas and birthday and he would rather play with a box or my utensil drawer in the kitchen. Go figure!! These stages just keep getting more fun and Jaxon just keeps being more fun to be around. I LOVE being his mommy, he really does make life so complete!!

remember...

2011-01-14T01:24:00.000-08:00

this picture that my lovely friend Heather set up during Jaxon's newborn photo-shoot...
Well, Jaxon must have remembered being on that shelf...

about a month ago I caught him playing in his room {YES, in a diaper only- mama's know all about this} he was doing everything he could to get onto that part of the shelf, it was so funny although he was pretty discouraged that he couldn't fit anymore! I grabbed Canon as fast as I could to capture the moment!! He has a fascination with shelves and climbing onto or into them... MUST be a BOY thing!!

Such a funny little mister :)

It made me smile.

SNOWY drive :)

2011-01-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be a normal week in the White House if we didn't take some random road-trip somewhere... so this past weekend we drove into Mt Rainier National Park and enjoyed the beauty of all the snow... I couldn't believe how much there was, especially on the sides of the roads where the snowplow had pushed it... Most of the speed limit signs could only be seen by the very top couple inches. It was beautiful and COLD and just a nice time to spend together. We love road trips because it gives us time to be together, to talk and laugh and tell stories and make memories that will last!

Here are some pretties we took...

ahem, this is the road we were driving on- the only open highway through the mountain... as you can see there is not much road to be seen, only snow. SO GLAD Josh grew up driving in snow and that we have our nice big truck!!

I was taking some photos while Josh was spinning the wheels out on the truck... he's a crazy boy that loves his truck!! Oh and check out his new wheels, they are pretty good lookin if I do say so myself ;)

me and my lover :)

this is the normal height of a regular speed limit sign,

almost completely covered!!

This is a resort up at Paradise... obviously closed for the winter because there is just too much snow... I couldn't believe how much of the building was covered. It looked so awesome though!!

LOVE this boy :)