Messy Mistake

Today, when I got home from the grocery store I quickly set Jackson down and began loading groceries in. One my first load back in I was welcomed into the kitchen by this scene.

(Is it just me or does he look so proud of himself?)

Lovely isn't it?! Everything from my diaper bag had be taken and tossed out in literally 30 seconds. I wasn't gone long enough for this to happen...or maybe I was, he has lightening speed these days and I am afraid I am not going to be able to keep up. I think we may have to start calling him Dash, from the Incredibles, instead of Jack Jack.

*Note to self, never leave Diaper bag within Jackson's reach and then leave the room, unless I want the entire contents dumped on the floor within seconds. :)

Tag...you're IT!

Okay, so Alisa tagged me and I guess the rules are a little different than normal tag and apparently I now get to inform you about myself. I am suppose to list 7 facts about myself; funny, random, silly, whatever. Then I will choose 7 new people to tag. This list may be boring, but you had better read to the bottom...you never know if you'll be tagged next!

1. One thing I am especially appreciative of is 7:30 pm. It had a whole new meaning after Jackson was born. I remember as a kid being sent to bed at 7:30 and feeling like all the other kids were still out playing and I wanted to be out there too. I never understood why, we didn't get to stay up as late as our neighbor friends. All, I have to say now...their parents were crazy! While I love my time with Jackson during the day, I do look forward to eventually having some time to myself in the evening. (funny how becoming a parent brings perspective)


2. I love, love, love the sound of crunching leaves under my feet in the fall! It might just be an obsession. I loved BYU campus in the fall, because of this. I felt like the walkways were always covered with leaves. I may have looked silly at times as I tried to discreetly quicken or widen my step to crunch a leaf in my path, but the sound was always worth it. Plus, with fall leaves always comes BYU football season!


3. Okay, so Marc tells me that this should be a deep dark secret, but I am not here to hide this...I LOVE DISNEY CHANNEL! I know, I'm 23 and these shows are made for teenie-boppers, but I still love them. I am completely looking forward to High School Musical 2 coming out on August 17th. And, I made Rachael copy Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus's new CD the day it came out. I'll admit they can be completely cheesy, but they're fun shows, what can I say?!

(one of my cards)

4. Two of my dreams are to eventually become a photographer and design awesome cards. I love doodling and have been asked by several family members to make thank you cards or other blank cards(check out my NEW BLOG, for my cards...GrassStains). I love drawing...not real life, cartoon type things. As for the photography dream..well, I need my Cannon 30D before that one can ever come true...but hey, maybe one day right?!


5. I love to travel. I was lucky enough to attend a study abroad in Spain one summer and have gone to London with my family. I've seen the Eiffel Tower and loved our Aruba honeymoon. All of my growing up years my family has gone on fun trips, whether it was camping at Lake Tahoe, visiting Temple Square (when we didn't live in Utah) or taking a three week drive across the country to see all the Church History and many of the US history sites. I love seeing new things and especially learning new things.


6. I love all the fun gadgets they have out for kids these days! They have some of the most fun looking convince foods, some of the coolest toys, and high chairs, car seats, you name it...its fun! We have loved getting Jackson a few of the items.


7. Okay, so this one is a little involved I LOVE FAMILY! I'll start with our great cousins! We have had so much fun over the years and spent a ton of time together. I have always loved family reunions, seeing a cousin "on campus" or living with a cousin. How awesome is it that we always have such a huge group of cousins at BYU to play with...dinners, intramural sports, BYU sports events, group dating, etc.
I am also so grateful for my brothers and sister and parents. I am excited to see everyone in less than a week! We have so much fun together and I love the conversations and love that is felt. They are such a great support group! Amy has called me several times, just because she knows that everyone is out of town and Marc is working and I am probably lonely...it's those things that really count.
I am also excited about the family that Marc and I have started. We love Jackson and have grown closer together throughout of two years of marriage. I am thankful for the support and love that he offers me. WE HAVE THE COOLEST FAMILY!



So now comes the time that I tag someone else...here are the seven people I choose, if I don't choose you (PLEASE don't be sad, nothing personal...just a lot of friends and family)....
Amy M., Sarah C., Melissa W., Cortney, Erin, Lindsay G., Marci, and Jessica.

So Many Questions...

Okay, so the cake makes me look more amazing than I am. It really wasn't all that hard. I'll fill you in on the secrets... that curly-q's are made out of fondant. It is the consistency of taffy and comes in a big square brick of white. Then I took it and divided it up into equal parts and dyed the fondant with food coloring. I cut the colors into strips and wrapped it around straws until it hardened and then slid them off. Thats all there was to it. I actually thought the hardest part was frosting the cake, since the frosting was pulling crumbs of the cake...what a pain! The cake only took me a long time because I could only work on it while Jackson was napping.

PS...I've had a few people ask where I actually bought the fondent...check in your yellow pages for cake or candy decorating stores. I also know that our Walmart sells some fondant, so check there too. I used Wilton brand fondant, not sure if there is a difference between brands, but I just thought you might like to know.

July 9th, 2007

Today actually being Jackson's birthday I thought I would sit down and write a little bit about him. It has been so fun to have this little addition to our family the last year! He is such a joy and such a pill at the same time. Sometimes I wish he would stay little and other times I find myself wishing he would grow faster so that some of the terrible behaviors will disappear. :) But all in all, we sure do love him!

15 things to know about Jackson right now...

1. He is good at letting us know what he wants! :) He has the most high pitch scream I've ever heard. And he lets it out at the most inopportune moments.

2. He loves Stuffed Animals...it is so cute to watch him squeeze them tight and bury his face in them. He gets some of his biggest smiles when he is playing with a stuffed animal.

3. He loves any of my jewelry...but to keep him away from some of it, I bought a cheap necklace for him that I keep in my diaper bag...(don't tell Marc I bought Jackson a necklace). :)

4. Cell Phones...but somehow he knows if they really work or not, and he won't play with old phones that don't actually turn on.

5. He loves to walk...but not by himself and if we try to let go he sits down immediately!

6. Riding in the stroller...we go on walks all the time to pass away some of the "awake time"

7. He is already throwing tantrums and we aren't even close to the terrible two's! If we take something dangerous or otherwise "not allowed" out of his hands he screams and throws himself backwards. Which usually leads to bonked heads and more screaming (beautiful isn't is?).

8. He loves to Dance. I am going to have to get a clip of this, because he doesn't just rock forward and backward...it is all in his hips and stomach. It cracks everyone up! As soon as he hears music he is dancing.

9. He is really good at coming when I call him and following me from room to room...with his lightening speed crawl. He especially loves to crawl up the stairs!

10. He loves to drop his food "overboard", when he thinks he's has enough or one thing. He just picks it up off his tray and drops it to the floor.

11. He loves to swim! He is a fish...great at blowing bubbles, kicking his feet and of course great at splashing! :)

12. He thinks he is hilarious and loves to get us to laugh. He will make the same cheesy smile or funny noise to get us to laugh.

13. He loves to control doors...he will open and close them forever. He likes to watch them move or something.

14. If he hears a noise that sounds like heavy breathing through the nose...he starts breathing really heavy through his nose.

15. He blows his nose (not to be too graphic)...into his hands. Clean nose...gross hands, we have to be quick and catch his hands before they catch something else in their dirty path.

Happy Birthday...Craig, Ryan, and Jackson

Uncle Craig, Uncle Ryan, and Jackson all share the same birthday...July 9th. This is a special happy birthday message from all of us to Ryan and Craig on their birthdays! Happy Birthday!

And a special shout out to Megan (my good friend J.T.'s, mom) it's
her Birthday today too!

THE BIG ONE!

Jackson's early Birthday Party!

Since Marc works until late tomorrow night and my parents are getting ready to leave on their trip it seemed easiest to celebrate Jackson's birthday tonight. So we invited some friends and family over for a little celebration. We had fun opening gifts and eating cake. Jackson wasn't as interested in opening the gifts as we were in giving them, but nonetheless, we still had fun. We let him dig his hand into the birthday cake and get the first taste, he seemed very interested in the curly-q's on the cake. We all enjoyed watching Jackson and his little friends play. We had Chad and Sarah's little girl, Audrey; Jen and Nic's son, Spencer; and Sarah and Bryce's son, Blake. They we very cute together. We only wish is uncles' Ryan and Craig could have been here to celebrate their twiner birthday's with him! I was glad that I was able to tie the decorations in with the cake, with a bit of last minute creativity. We gave all the little kido's party favor bags, filled with Gerber Graduates snacks (what more could a little Toddler want?). The party was a success, it is only hard to believe that Jackson is really ONE! Crazy how time has flown by. It has been a fun year and we are definitely glad to have Jackson in our small family. :) Here are some fun pictures for the party. Jackson getting ready to open gifts!

I decided to start the tradition of making cakes for birthday's. This was my first cake ever! I've never even attempted making a cake and I was quite pleased with how this one turned out. I had to form all the little curly-q's by hand and then make the cake etc. It was fun and not nearly as hard as I though it was going to be.
Cute kids in their party hats!

Jackson opening his gifts.

The PArTy!
Launching Balloons!

Let Freedom Ring

On the 4th of July we went to our ward's annual Breakfast and program. It was a lot of fun with great food and a good turn out. Marc spent most of the 4th of July working. But later in the afternoon all the cousins and Ralph and Teresa (my uncle and aunt) came over for swimming and BBQing. We had the Allen Brother's famous Hot Dog's mail ordered straight from Chicago...very tasty! Then when Marc got home from work and all the company here had left, we went up to his parents house. We played games and let off fireworks. It was a fun day!