The Caywoods

3 Months!

2012-01-30T10:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Carter turned 3 months old! What a big boy :)

He is becoming more alert and active every day

He is starting to bat at toys

He rolls over every time I put him on his tummy!

We love him more and more every day.

2 Months

2011-12-29T20:48:00.002-06:00

Carter is 2 months old today!

We went to the doctor yesterday and he is doing great! He weighs 9 lbs 10 oz (a little on the small side), he is 23 inches long (about average), and his head is 15 inches.

Carter is still such a good little baby! He is so easy going and still hardly ever cries (only when he's gassy or hungry).
At 2 months Carter is:
-smiling so much! I love, love, love it! he has the cutest little personality :)
-starting to make cute little cooing noises
-sleeping for a six hour stretch then another 4 hours
-starting to roll over! He has done it from his tummy to his back 1.5 times (I had to help him when he got stuck on his side one time)
-recovering from his first cold. It was so sad, but he was such a trooper!

I can't believe how fast the time is flying. I love this little boy so much, and I love seeing his little personality come out.

Christmas Vacation Part II

2011-12-29T20:14:00.002-06:00

Weston's birthday was on the 27th, so we were able to celebrate it in Vegas. My cousin's wife has hook ups at the Stratosphere so we got to go up and ride all the rides for free! Even my mom (who is deathly afraid of heights) went.

Later that night, Weston and I got to leave the kids with Nana and Papa and go on a date! My parents got us tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera at the Venitian. It was SO GOOD and it was super nice to have a night out just the two of us. We also got some greasy pizza and deliciously overpriced gelato. Yum!

Weston snuck a picture of the theater at Phantom. It was incredible!

Sadly, we had to come home yesterday :( and Jackson has been super whiney ever since. Every now and then he will say, "Go back Nana Papa's house!" He always misses the attention he gets when we leave grandma and grandpa's.

I apologize for the crappy phone pictures. It's just so much more conveniant to use the phones now instead of carrying a camera!

Christmas Vacation

2011-12-25T16:16:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas! We are in Vegas celebrating with my parents, and we have been having a blast. The first night we were here, we went to a live nativity that a super hard-core stake here in Vegas puts on. They did a fantastic job! The costumes and set were amazing!

Jackson loved petting the sheep, goats, and donkey before and seeing Baby Jesus afterwards.
My brother drives a huge semi truck, and Jackson got to sit in it and honk the horn. I'm pretty sure that was the best moment of his life.

We took Jackson to the mall to see Santa because he has been wanting to "ask Santa Francesco" for weeks now. After waiting in line for about 40 minutes, he refused to sit on Santa's lap, but he struck a deal with him from the comfort of Mama's arms :)

Jackson is a lover of water so I thought he would think the Bellagio fountains were the coolest thing ever. Boy was I wrong! He was scared to death of the loud boom they make. This is pretty much how he felt about the whole experience...

There is a free carousel at one of the outdoor shopping malls here which he liked a little more :)

This was such a fun Christmas because Jackson was SO excited about everything. When he woke up this morning Weston asked what day it was and the first thing Jackson said was, "open presents!" haha what a funny kid :)

He was so excited when he opened one of his presents this morning and found that Santa had kept his end of the bargain and brought him a Francesco!
This is how Carter spent most of the morning...

More fun to come so stay tuned!!

Jackson-isms

2011-12-09T18:03:00.005-06:00

Jackson is a talkin' machine lately. He pretty much never stops from the time he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to bed at night. As you can imagine, there are some pretty funny things that come out of that kid's mouth!

- Whenever Weston goes into the bathroom, Jackson runs back to the door shouting, "WESTON!" Apparently, I have yelled at Weston to get out of the shower one too many times :)

-Whenever Carter starts crying Jackson runs over to him and says, "Ohhh baby brother! Baby needs plug!" and he tries to put his binkie in his mouth

- When Jackson feels like he needs some attention and I'm holding the baby he says, "Put baby swing!" One day I think he got a little frustrated and he said "Put baby trash!" If he didn't love his brother so much this would have worried me a little bit

-Yesterday we went to get Weston from school and the whole way there he kept saying this like, "I see the moon baby!" "We're going to get Daddy baby brother!" "Look its a truck baby!" These two boys are going to be such good friends :)

- When Weston is watching tv Jackson will sit next to him and say, "I want to watch football daddy!" Atta boy!

- A phrase I hear frequently throughout my day is, "What happened?!"

- When Jackson doesn't want to go to bed, he lays by his door and yells, "Snuggle mama!" or "Snuggle dada!" Little manipulator :)

-If you ask Jackson "What does mama say?" he will answer, "Mama says no whining!" haha yes I do say that quite often.

He is at such a fun age! I love hearing the things that come out of his little mouth :)

1 Month!

2011-11-28T21:20:00.004-06:00

How on earth did this happen? Carter is already 1 month old! I can't believe how fast this month has gone. I swear we just brought him home from the hospital.

Carter is seriously the best baby on this planet. The only time he all-out cries is when he has a bubble in his tummy and needs a burp. Other than that, we hardly hear a peep. Even at night, he doesn't cry when he wakes up. He just wimpers and grunts to let me know he's hungry. He is only waking up twice a night and he goes right back down after I feed and change him. How in the world did I get so lucky?? At his two week appointment he weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 19.5 inches long. He is now weighing in at 8.4 lbs on our scale so he's definitely a growing boy.

We love our little Carter Bug and we already can't imagine life with out him. He is the perfect little addition to our family.

P.S. I "unprivatized" my blog in hopes that it will help me be more motivated to post more often.

Carter Weston Caywood

2011-11-03T15:54:00.002-05:00

I want to write down Carter's birth story before I forget all the details :)
It kind of all started in the few days before he was born. I was SO crampy and while I was at my appointment on Thursday I almost passed out (story of my pregnancy) and then just felt yucky for the rest of the day. On Friday I actually did pass out at home (seriously don't know what's wrong with me) so when I started having contractions that night around 8:30 and they lasted a couple hours I called my doctor and he told me to come to the hospital so they could monitor the baby. I really didn't want them to send me home so I asked if I could wait until the contractions got more intense, but he told me he wanted me to come in right away.
I left by myself so we wouldn't have to call a babysitter for Jackson until we knew for sure that I was staying. I got to the hospital around 11:00 and the nurse checked my cervix at 11:30 and I was dilated to a 3. I was a 2 at my appointment the day before so my doctor told me I was staying and having the baby! The nurse said I could have my epidural whenever I wanted and I told her the sooner the better (I don't have a very high threshhold for pain). I called Weston while I was waiting for the epidural and he called our aweseom friends over to watch Jackson and came to the hospital.
I think my doctor was super tired and didn't want to come in until the morning because he told the nurse not to give me Pitocin or break my water. Which was fine because my epidural did it's job and I slept for about 3 hours until the nurse checked me again at 3 am. I was dilated to a 6 at this point, which was great!
My doctor came in around 5:30 and when he checked me I was at a 9.5. He said he had a couple other patients to check in on but he would be back in 15 minutes. Well, 15 minutes turned into an hour and let me tell you if I hadn't had my epidural I would have been cursing his name! I could feel a lot of pressure down there and I knew if I wasn't all numbed up it would have been really hard not to push.
When he came back I was at a 10 but my water still hadn't broke. He broke my water and we did a practice push. I guess when I pushed the baby started crowning because he said, "ok stop stop!" and told the nurse to call all the other "helpers" in. I ended up pushing through three contractions and baby Carter was here!
They layed him on my stomach to clean him up and Weston cut the cord. They took him to weigh him and do his Apgar test then brought him back and we got to keep him for about a half hour until they took him to the nursery.
It was, seriously, such a great experience. I have the best doctor and I had great labor and delivery nurses. The hospital I delivered (both kids) at is the only one in the state where the nurses only have one patient so they are there with you the entire time giving you 100% of their attention. It's fantastic! I almost want to stay in Houston so I can have all my kids there!
Anyway, my recovery this time around has been super speedy. I was pretty much feeling back to normal before I even left the hospital. Being home has been fantastic. Carter is such an easy baby. He hardly ever cries and he is sleeping great. Jackson has been adjusting very well. He loves his "baby bwudow." Last night he came and sat by me on the couch while I was holding Carter and was giving him kisses and holding his hand. When the baby sneezed, Jackson thought it was the funniest thing ever. It was the cutest thing ever to see Jackson loving his brother so much!

Dear Jackson,

2011-10-10T08:23:00.002-05:00

Today, you are two years old! We really can't believe that you are no longer our little baby. You are growing up so fast!

You are learning new things every day, and we are always amazed at how much how understand. You are such a vivacious and fun little boy with such a happy disposition. There is never a dull moment with you, and you find a new way to make us laugh everyday. Your smile is contagious. At times, you can be pretty stubborn, and you have so much energy that it's hard to keep up with you, but we really are loving this stage of your life.

Some things about you at 2 years old:
You love cars and trucks. Oh man, do you LOVE toy cars and trucks! It's bordering on obsession, really :)
You are really good at playing by yourself and keeping yourself entertained. Mommy really appreciates this
You do not like riding in carts at the stores. You would rather be walking by the cart (or running around the store). Mommy does not appreciate this so much.
"Cars" is your favorite movie (also bordering on obsession) and you would watch it 10 times a day if we would let you!
Sharing isn't your strong suit, but you are very social and love being around other kids
You love being outside and we really wish we had a backyard for you to run around in
You are so smart and catch onto things so fast. Right now we are working on counting (so far you can count to three...sometimes five), shapes, letters, and colors. Your memory is amazing! I will sometimes find you in your room "reading" books to yourself and you know the stories!

We are so grateful to be your parents. You have brought such joy into our lives and we really can't imagine our family with out you in it. We hope that you will always be so happy and fun!

We love you so much little man! Happy 2nd birthday :)

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

San Antonio: 2011

2011-08-07T16:55:00.006-05:00

Yeah yeah, four months later and I'm finally posting on this blog. I have been a lot better at posting on my other blog, so if you need to know I'm alive just check there :o)

Anyway, we just went on a fun family weekend getaway to San Antonio and I wanted to put some pictures up here.

We got to San Antonio around 3:00 on Friday afternoon. Jackson was SO good for the 3.5 hour drive there (and back today). We headed to the Riverwalk for some dinner about an hour later. We ate at Rita's on the River, a delicious Tex Mex place. It was so pretty and had such a fun atmosphere. We got to sit right by the river--and I mean RIGHT BY THE RIVER! We even made some new friends!

Jackson had a blast watching the boats and feeding the fish and ducks

Happy camper eating his chips, salsa, and rice.

Ater dinner we walked around for a bit. I just love the Riverwalk. It's so pretty! I just wish it wasn't so hot and I wasn't so pregnant on this day so we could have stayed longer.

Typical Texas

We remembered the Alamo.

Jackson loved to help push the stroller.

On Saturday, we spent a marathon 12-hour day at SeaWorld! On the way in, Jackson thew a fit because he couldn't wait to get to the water I had been telling him about. There was a fountain just inside the entrance that he thought he was going to get to play in , and when we walked by it he freaked out. He finally calmed down when he saw what we were really going to play in. We didn't really get any pictures, but they had this Sesame Street themed play area with water shooting everywhere. It was super fun and Jackson thoroughly enjoyed himself.
We spent the rest of the day watching shows, looking at animals, and eating yummy food!

Jackson didn't quite know what to think of this guy. He did give him a high-five though.

He did so well waiting for the shows to start. He was so enthralled with all the animals!

If this isn't a look of pure joy, I don't know what is.

What a great weekend! Now, we get to look forward to going to Utah in about 6 more weeks :o) Yay for vacations!

Easter

2011-04-26T19:46:00.005-05:00

We had a great Easter this year. Jackson woke up and we gave him his basket full of goodies, and a Buzz Lightyear t-shirt. He got so excited about it that I almost thought he understood what was going on, but I think he was just excited because I was excited. Well, he was pretty excited about the shirt. I had to put it on over his pj's. It was cute :o)

We had a yummy Easter dinner with friends. Then, we dyed eggs and played a game of "egg wars." Basically, you kneel across the room from another person and you each roll your egg at each other. After the eggs hit, whoever's is cracked the least wins. Pretty fun. Jackson's favorite part was the sheet that we laid down to roll the eggs on.

I love Easter because it means springtime (unless you're in Houston, then it means hot, summer-like weather) and I love celebrating Christ's resurrection. What a wonderful holiday!

18 Months

2011-04-10T18:05:00.005-05:00

Wow, I am just a tad bit behind on my blogging. I don't think I've ever gone two whole months with out writing anything! I guess being pregnant and feeling yucky is an ok excuse though, right?

Anyway, Jackson is the big 1-8 months now! He is officially a nursery kid and church is, once again, a place of spiritual learning instead of completely frustrating.
Well, Jackson has changed quite a bit in the last couple months.

- he can say a few words now: thank you (da doo), mama, dada, more (mah), truck (tuck-ahhh), juice (jzz), keys (kzz), cheese (chzz), go (doe), down (dow), bath (tha), hi, yes (sezz), hot (hah), brush (ushh), Addie (aa-ee)

- he is half deathly afraid half weirdly intrigued with bugs. Whenever we find a cockroach in our house (which happens way more often than I would like) he stands about 5 feet away from it, points at it, and giggles nervously. It's pretty entertaining.

- he RUNS everywhere. I swear this kid is either in high gear or sleeping--there is no in between

- he still LOVES his daddy. Weston can't study at home because Jackson will stand at the bedroom door knocking and saying "dada! dada!" Weston just can't resist.

- he can point out the letters "a," "o," "i," "j," and "z"

-he is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. I honestly don't know why, but we went over to a friend's house who had a Buzz toy and he got really attached to it. Now, we have to watch Toy Story every single day. He wakes up and first thing in the morning he says, "bzzz" and points to the tv. My mom just sent him a Buzz stuffed toy for Easter and he is completely in love with it. I took it away to have him eat dinner and he had a complete melt down. He played with Buzz all night and is snuggling with him as he sleeps right now

- he has been really into giving loves and kisses lately

-he knows quite a few animal sounds: monkey, lion, cat, dog, horse, cow, sheep, dinosaur (pretty much anything that says "raar"), bee, elephant

I am loving this age. He is learning so much and he is pretty stinkin' hilarious.

16 months

2011-02-12T09:37:00.002-06:00

My little boogie turned 16 months a couple days ago, and I don't want to forget to write down some of the amazingly cute things he's doing.

-his new favorite thing to do is to tell people hi. When we pick Weston up from school he usually sits in the back seat with Jackson. The entire ride home Jackson will look at his dad and say, "hiiiiiieeeee." And when Weston doesn't respond to him, he'll say, "DADA! DADA! HIEEEEEE!" It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.
- whenever he's about to do something naughty, he'll say "No no." It's nice that he gives me a warning because whenever I hear, "Uh oh" I know I'm too late.
- the thing that grates on my nerves the most is when he throws his food on the floor, but lately when he's done eating he'll just sit in his highchair and say, "dow!dow!" and hand me the food he doesn't want to eat
- we've started doing time outs because he is learning how to get into so many things that he shouldn't. I'll let ya know how that goes.
-he is climbing on EVERYTHING! We have to store our dining room chairs in our bedroom or he would be climbing up on the dining room table all day long. I just hope he doesn't figure out how to climb out of his crib any time soon. I'm just not ready for that yet.
- he's starting to learn colors...ok just one color. He can point out a blue block from a stack of multi-colored blocks
-speaking of blocks, he LOVES to stack them

I know I say this every time, but if you've ever met him you'll know how true it is....he makes me laugh EVERYDAY. He's pretty much the funniest person I know and I just love him so dang much!

For your viewing pleasure

2011-02-05T16:14:00.001-06:00

Oh Yeah...

2011-01-26T11:58:00.001-06:00

I also chopped 5 inches off my hair while we were in Vegas

Las Vegas

2011-01-25T10:14:00.003-06:00

Jackson and I went to Vegas last week to visit my family. We had a ton of fun! My dad was able to get the entire week off, and Jackson had so much fun playing with him. I think grandpa kinda liked playing with Jackson too! ;o) One day, while my dad was folding laundry (I know, what a great husband, huh?) Jackson came and jumped right in the middle of the pile. My dad buried him in laundry, and Jackson came out of it with this shirt on:

By far, the best game they played was with the huge exercise ball. My dad would roll it at Jackson and knock him over. Jackson thought it was the best thing ever. I don't know why I didn't get a video of that.
We also got to meet my brothers little girl, Riley for the first time. She is only 2 months younger than Jackson, and boy did they have fun together!

Thanks for the fun time mom and dad! We can't wait to come out and see you again!

We live in a BIG city!

2011-01-14T19:37:00.006-06:00

I don't know if you knew this, but Houston is the 4th largest city in America. We sometimes forget that because we tend to stick to our little area of the city. Well, Weston found out about this cool photography showcase, so we ventured downtown tonight to check it out. It has been really cold here for the past week so we had to bundle up a little bit, but it was really fun! The showcase was put on by RedBull, and it was all about action sports (you can read more about it and look at some more pictures here). I have never seen such amazing photography in my life! These pictures won't do it justice, but look...

If you look closely at the bottom one, you will see a teeny tiny surfer. Cool huh?
What made it cooler was that it was at a park right in the middle of the city. See

Pretty cool huh? We need to start going to more things like this and take advantage of living in such a big city!

Going Private

2011-01-12T17:14:00.003-06:00

I have decided to make our family blog private. It has become more of a "what's Jackson up to lately" blog, and I only want people we know reading it. I started a new blog where I just write things that I'm thinking about from day to day. You can read that here. There might be people out there that read this who we know, but we don't realize you are reading--we would love to still have you! I blog stalk too so don't feel like you're a creeper :o) Just leave your email address as a comment. I'll probably be going private by the end of the week.

Videos

2011-01-12T15:14:00.001-06:00

I don't have any pictures to post, but I have something better! VIDEOS! Jackson loves watching himself when I record videos of him so he is a pretty good little performer :)

15 Months

2011-01-10T15:43:00.002-06:00

Jackson is 15 months today! It's amazing how much he is learning these days. He picks up on things so fast, and Weston and I are always amazed at how smart he is becoming (except, as I'm writing this he's walking around with a blanket over his head....not so smart). He's starting to try to repeat the things that we say, which means I probably need to stop calling other drivers on the road morons, stupid, etc.
Some things Jackson has learned lately:

- blowing kisses--he loves the reaction he gets form doing this so he does it a lot
- folds his arms (he can make it through about half of a short prayer--we're working on it)
- signs more, eat, milk, help, please, light and all done I realize light is a random one, but he loved the Christmas lights so he picked up on that sign really fast
- can say no, go, down (dow), doctor (dot-toe), hi (i-yee), store (toe), vacuum (da-cu) he loves when I vacuum so he'll stand by the closet where I keep it and say "da-cu da-cu." It's really cute, and I have really clean floors because I vacuum like twice a day!
- he can climb up on the couch by himself
- he got really good and going up and down stairs over Christmas break
- knows where his nose, eyes, mouth, ears, head, tummy, and hands are. He loves to touch other people's noses.
- he loves to sing songs with hand actions. His favorites are itsy bitsy spider, popcorn popping, and patty cake.
I can't believe he's getting so close to being a year and a half! Three more months and church will actually be tolerable again :)

To the grandmas: I know I don't have a picture. I'll try to take one and put it up in the next few days.

A Walk in the Park

2011-01-02T16:31:00.003-06:00

We got home from Utah on Friday, and, after a lazy Saturday morning, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather here in Houston and take a little walk in the park. We struggled to find a parking spot since the whole population of Houston had the same idea, but it was well worth it. We strolled along and tested out our new lens that we got for Christmas.

Weston took this and wanted me to try an effect on it to make the people and train look miniature. Do you think it worked? We'll keep trying.

Jackson was ready to jump in the water with the ducks!

We still have fall colors here in Houston.

That building in the middle is the hospital attached to Weston's school.

Last three are my attempt at being artsy.

Weston's attempt at being artsy.

NEW WEBSITE!

2010-12-16T08:36:00.005-06:00

I have really been slacking in the blogging department lately, and this is why: I just launched a real live website for my photography! Woo hoo!! I'm pretty darn excited about it, so go check it out! nicolecaywoodphotography.com

oh yeah, Walmart lost my Christmas card order so I won't be sending those out this year, but you can view it here

14 Months

2010-12-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

I didn't do a 13 month post for Jackson, but I feel like he's learning so much lately that I need to give him some credit :)

So, these days Jackson:
- is walking like a mad man. He's getting so fast and he doesn't hold his arms above his head like a monkey anymore
- can make 2 animal noises--elephant (blows a raspberry) and dinosaur (raaaar) the other day he was playing with his toy dinosaurs and saying "raaar"
- knows where his head, ear, and tummy are and knows where most of his stuffed animals' noses are
- is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He gets a huge smile on his face whenever he sees that it's on
- gives "loves"-- he rests his head on anything we ask him to give loves to---so cute
- gets so excited when he sees dogs! his favorite stuffed animal is a giant dog, and he has a couple books with dogs in them that he gives loves to all the time. I really want to get him a puppy, but that would probably be more work than I want to deal with
- knows the signs for "all done" (puts arms in the air) and "more" (for this one he pounds his fist into his palm like he's gonna punch me until I give him more of what he wants--close enough)
- will finally wave to people!
- gives high fives
-has 3 teeth and one on it's way out

I'm sure there are some other things that he's learned how to do recently, but I can't think of anymore right now! He seriously cracks me up everyday, and I love that I get to stay home with him. I wouldn't want to miss a second of watching him learn and grow. I can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Giving Thanks

2010-11-27T10:38:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was packed full of fun activities. We had a ton of fun, and started some new traditions!

To start off the day, Amelia and I ran the Turkey Trot 10K. It was a huge race! There were 10,000 people who ran the 10K and 5K. It was so much fun, and I think we'll try to do a race every Thanksgiving (maybe just the 5K).

For some reason, this is the best picture Weston got of us starting the race.

And here I am finishing. Not real sure what I'm doing here...

I wish our timing chips had worked so I had official results, but when I crossed the finish line, the clock said 56:06. I wanted to finish in under an hour so woo hoo!
We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year so I decided to make some cute decorations and place settings.

I filled these boxes full of candied nuts that Weston made.

Dinner was fantastic! Everyone did a great job, and we were all stuffed by the end.
After dinner, we headed over to the Galleria where they lit a whole street of trees and had a great fireworks show. It got really cold and started raining right when we got there, but it was worth it. Jackson was completely in awe of the fireworks. This will be another yearly activity for us (well at least until we leave Houston).
And here is our cute little boogie drinking his beverage of choice Thanksgiving morning.

Grandma's Visit

2010-11-16T11:38:00.002-06:00

My mom came to see us this past weekend, and we had a great time with her! We went out to eat, gave her a tour of the amazing homes in River Oaks, and just had fun playing. Jackson loves it when Grandma comes because he always gets so much attention--and a new toy or two :) Jackson sure does love his grandma. Thanks for coming mom!!

And, just for good measure, this is what Jackson has been up to lately:

I don't think Weston has been more proud.

He's quite the little dance machine. Every time he hears music he bobs back and forth. So cute!

Its that time again!

2010-11-08T19:52:00.003-06:00

Time to start thinking about Christmas cards, so I need addresses! You can comment or email me your address if you would like to get a card from us. I moderate the comments so your address won't show up for the whole internet world to see :)

Also, remember, I'm coming to Utah from December 19-31 and Las Vegas from January 15-22 so if you would like to book a photo session let me know!

This is Halloween

2010-10-31T21:05:00.003-05:00

Halloween was one of my favorite holidays when I was younger. There's just something about the crisp fall weather, fun Halloween decorations, and spooky shows on t.v. that got me so excited! Last year, Jackson was teeny and not aware of much, but this year we had so much fun with all the Halloween festivities (even though he has had a fever all weekend, poor baby). We went to our ward's trunk or treat on Saturday. There was a great turn out and a lot of creative costumes!

The Ellsworths were crayons

The Brames were Salt and Pepper

Since Jackson was a dinosaur, Weston and I wanted to do something that went with his costume (ok I wanted to do something that went with his costume). We decided Jurassic Park would be the easiest, so we went to Goodwill and got our costumes. Well, everyone ended up thinking Jackson was a dragon, so Weston and I just looked like we had really really bad fashion sense (high socks with tennis shoes, really frumpy cargo shorts, etc). Next year I will have to get more creative so we don't look stupid.

Nice, huh? The worst part is, I'm sure the people we didn't know thought I really dressed like this.

Oh well, at least Jackson looked cute.

Tonight we went to a fun Halloween party and ate lots of yummy food.

In the spirit of trick or treating, here is Jackson with a few of his new tricks...

Jackosaurus

2010-10-20T19:57:00.002-05:00

The Houston Children's Museum had a cute little Halloween night for the kids so we took Jackson. It was definitely more for the bigger kids, but Jackson always loves going to the museum so he loved it! Plus, it was an excuse for him to wear his adorable Halloween costume.

Jackson's Birthday Party!!

2010-10-10T21:29:00.007-05:00

Since 1 year is a big milestone, I think it warrants several posts. Sorry if this is going to get old :) We had a few friends over for Jackson's big day today, and it was so much fun! We had dinner, cake, and ice cream. The babies had a blast chasing each other all over. Nathan even motivated Jackson to walk a little more. They were moving around so much it was hard to get any good pictures of them playing, but trust me they had fun!
Jackson's party was alligator themed. We were going to go to a state park yesterday that has tons of wild alligators, but the boys had stinky tests last week and some more this coming week so yesterday was deemed a study day. Kim, Amelia, and I took the kids down to Galveston to the beach instead--no alligators but still tons of fun! Anyway, to stick with the theme I made an alligator out of cupcakes and put up some green decorations.

It turned out pretty cute, and Jackson had a great time eating it!

He sure does love food. Thanks everyone for coming to celebrate Jackson's big day!

Dear Jackson,

2010-10-10T08:40:00.003-05:00

Today you are one year old. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by, and yet I can't imagine our life with out you. You have brought so much joy to our little family and find new ways to make me smile everyday. You are such a curious, fun-loving little boy. Your smile makes everyone that sees it happy, and I hope that quality sticks with you throughout your life. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father sent you to me. I love being your mom, and I love seeing you grow and learn new things. I hope you know how much your dad and I love you. We hope we can teach you to be a good person and provide you with everything you need to become successful in life.

Happy birthday little man!

We love you so much

Mom and Dad

Oh yes I did!

2010-10-04T23:39:00.003-05:00

I entered Jackson in the Gap Casting Call, where we have a chance to win a $1000 gap gift card if he gets the most votes! Just imagine what I could do with that!!! Anyway, just go here and type in #158694 and vote for our little guy! You can vote every day. Come on, you know you all get on the computer at least once a day, you can venture over to the gap website and vote for Jackson while you're browsing the web :)

Sneak Peek

2010-10-01T16:09:00.004-05:00

Just a little tid bit of what's to come of Jackson's 1 year pictures!

Shameless Self Promotion and a Little of What I've Been up to

2010-09-29T20:59:00.007-05:00

First of all, I just wanted to remind you all that it is the season to get your family pictures for Christmas cards taken! Also, it isn't as scorching hot outside anymore so you don't have to worry about looking sweaty in your pictures :) Anyway, check out my photo blog, and email me to set up a session. Also, ask me about my custom Christmas cards!

Now, what I've been up to lately. My craftiness comes in spurts and I've had one of those spurts recently. My living room was driving me absolutely crazy so, little by little, I have been changing the decor. First, I did my mantel.
Remember, it used to look like this:

Well, I got these new curtains:

so I changed my mantel to look like this:

Well then I decided I needed some new matching throw pillows so I'm working on a few. This is the first one I've finished:

I got a little side tracked from the pillows when I found a great coffee table at Goodwill. After a little drama we got the table and went to work refinishing it.
It started out looking like this:

But now it looks like this!

P.S. isn't that rug to die for? $20 from IKEA. Gotta love it.
After I found the table, I got the Goodwill bug and went back and found a fantastic shelf that I refinished and hung up to put my holiday decorations on

I'm pretty excited about getting my living room to look presentable. Now I just need to score a cheap end table and entertainment center and hang up some wall art!

A Day in the LIfe

2010-09-23T13:00:00.003-05:00

Well, some days in the life I guess. Here's what the little booger has been up to lately!

Loving bath time. (I know we need a new tub, it's gross, don't judge)

Helping with dishes.

Learning to walk. (sorry it's so dark)

Just being silly.

Man, I can't believe he's getting so big! I need more energy to keep up with him once those legs really start moving.

Confessions

2010-09-22T12:35:00.002-05:00

* I really really miss Utah
* Part of what I miss about Utah is being in school. I really loved school and hope to be able to go back one day
* Sometimes I feel like all I do all day is keep Jackson from getting into things he shouldn't--not very fulfilling
* I cry when I watch The Biggest Loser
* I get really excited for the Fall because my favorite tv shows come back!
* I only ran 1.5 miles today instead of my usual 3
* My house is not as organized as I would like it to be
* Part of the enjoyment I get out of going to church is being around other adults
* I HATE folding laundry
* I love my little boy and want him to be the smartest, happiest kid in the world

Good Company

2010-09-11T19:05:00.003-05:00

Who says BYU football is only big in Provo?? Our ward is full of BYU grads so we have fun getting together and cheering on our Cougs (or in today's case, commiserating over how horrible they played). We decided to get really spirited and go all blue and white for the game today.
I made "Y" cupcakes and got blue and white Jones soda.

Jackson got charged up for the game by chewing on some batteries

But he decided that Addie was way more fun than watching BYU get spanked

So he pushed her around on his rocket ship

Even though we lost, it was fun to spend time with friends! Jackson was so wore out he fell asleep right after everyone left. Having fun is a lot of work!

***Post edit: I did not let Jackson "chew" on the battery for any longer than it took to snap a picture. Please don't think I'm a bad mom! :)

11 Months

2010-09-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

This past month has been a month of firsts for Jackson. We were away from home all month and we had some pretty good adventures!
Jackson experienced:
- his first time with the flu
- his first boat rides on grandpa's boat! Jackson LOVED the boat and the motion put him to sleep every time
- his first time meeting his cousins. Little Alyssa was so cute with him and would always pull funny faces at him to get him to smile and come up and pat him on the head. SO cute!
- his first grilled cheese sandwich. We went to Red Robin with my mom and ordered him one. He ate the entire thing and grilled cheese is now his favorite meal.
- his first time in grandma and grandpa Fullmer's pool. This kid is such a little water baby. He gets so excited every time he's around a body of water (or the bath) so he absolutely loved the pool.
- meeting a lot of mommy's friends for the first time. I usually don't see a ton of my high school friends when I go home, but I saw a bunch of people this time around. It was really fun to catch up and see what everyone is doing.
- his first time feeding dogs. My parents' dogs are such beggars and they would sit right under Jackson while he was eating. He learned that if he dropped food to them, the liked him a little better.
- sprouting his first two teeth! I already mentioned that one popped up. A second one followed the next day so now he has his two little bottom teeth and it is so dang cute!
Other things Jackson can do:
- he is getting so stable on his feet! He can stand alone for a few seconds and only falls over because he thinks it's so fun for us to catch him. I'm afraid this little guy will be walking soon.
- His first official "word" is nana. It used to just be banana, but now it is generalized to all food.
-he HATES being held down to have his diaper changed
-lately when I get him out of his crib he gives me the best hug. Oh man, I love it!

Here are some more pictures of my crazy little man for your viewing pleasure :)

We're Baaaaack!

2010-09-08T09:37:00.007-05:00

After a month of fun-filled adventures in Utah and Vegas we're back in Houston. Being gone for so long actually made me appreciate being back in Houston. I definitely miss being with family though, and I'm pretty sure Jackson misses all the attention. We had so much fun while we were gone, but sadly I was really good at taking pictures for other people and really bad at taking pictures for myself. I really need to work on that.

The first week of our fantastic vacation was spent with Weston's family up at Bear Lake. It was a blast! We stayed in a cabin with a gorgeous view of the lake, spent our days boating, wakeboarding, and swimming, and spent our nights playing games. Jackson loved the water so much. We would put him down in the sand and he would just start crawling out to sea. I can't wait until we can get him into some swim lessons. Watch out Michael Phelps! He also loved riding in Grandpa's boat. It always put him right to sleep.

After Bear Lake we drove down to Vegas to spend some time with my family. It was so relaxing! We hung by the pool, ate some good food, and read a ton! Weston had to leave after a few days, but I stayed another week. It was great to see my family and some high school/college friends that I haven't seen in a long time. Jackson's favorite part of being in Vegas was chasing my parents' dogs around.

After that it was back to Utah for Weston's brother's wedding. I was there for about a week before Weston got back so I got to see even more old friends. I went up to BYU campus to meet a friend and realized that I really want to go back to school! Now I just need to figure out where to get the money...oh well, maybe some day! Brett's wedding was BEAUTIFUL! They had the reception at Sundance, and it was so much fun.

Now we're home, and it's back to reality. Next on the agenda is planning Jackson's 1st birthday! Can you believe it?? Next month my baby will be 1. He's just growing up way too fast!

It Finally Happened!

2010-08-28T17:25:00.002-05:00

Jackson sprouted his first tooth! He woke up this morning around 6:00 just crying and crying, and I couldn't get him to stop. After a while he calmed down and went back to sleep. Then, this afternoon he woke up from his nap the same way. I felt in his mouth after I fed him and there was a sharp little corner of a tooth!! You can't see it yet, but it's definitely there. Yay for teeth!

Good Times with Old Friends

2010-08-25T00:13:00.002-05:00

When I lived in Colorado I met two sisters that became my best friends. We did EVERYTHING together! Some of my best memories involve Katie and Shera. I stayed with their family for a couple months to finish up my sophomore year after my parents moved to Vegas and they really became my family. Well, I haven't seen either of them in such a long time so we decided it was about time we got together. It was so great to catch up with them and meet their cute kids! We only got one picture as we were leaving

Katie had Sophie ten days after Jackson was born so we figure they should probably get married :)

It was really great seeing you Shera and Katie! Let's not wait so long to get together next time.

2 Years!

2010-08-21T09:05:00.002-05:00

Two years ago I married the greatest guy in the world! These past two years have brought so many adventures and surprises. We bought a condo, moved to a new city, had a baby, and Weston finished his first year of med school! Sadly, I'm still in Vegas and Weston is in Houston so we aren't together to celebrate :( Jackson and I miss you so much, Weston, and we can't wait to see you! Happy anniversary. I love you!!!!

10 Months

2010-08-10T13:45:00.002-05:00

This little boy is 10 months old today

We've been with family for the past week or so and it has been SO much fun! Jackson gets tons of attention and mommy gets a break :) We went to Bear Lake with Weston's family last week, and Jackson had a blast. He loved playing in the sand and cold water and, of course, riding in grandpa's boat. This week we're in Vegas with my family. I'm sure Jackson is going to get very spoiled while we're with family, and I'm going to have a hard time giving him enough attention when we get home.

At 10 months Jackson:
-is finally crawling like a normal baby! He started while we were up in Bear Lake, and he's getting pretty fast.
-is starting to be a little more stable while standing. He can stand for a few seconds on his own, but thinks it's so fun to fall over and have mom catch him.
-LOVES the water. He is not afraid at all, and while we were at the lake he kept trying to crawl out into the deep water. He didn't care that the water was freezing cold and he had about a pound of sand in his diaper.
-had his first experience with the flu. The night before we left for Utah he woke up in the middle of the night covered in throw up. He threw up a few more times that night and had the runs all day the next day (awesome while flying). We thought it was something he ate, but the next day I had it, then Weston, then pretty much the whole family had it while we were at Bear Lake. Sorry guys!
-thinks dogs are the funniest things in the world! My mom's dogs don't really like him because he pulls their fur, but he chases them around the house and laughs and laughs when they bark at him.
-is so curious. I'm sure he will destroy both grandma's houses while we're here because he is into EVERYTHING. Mostly he likes to grab things, bang them on the ground a couple times, then throw them.
-still has no teeth.

I really can't say enough how fun this little guy is. He makes everyone around him smile and instantly fall in love with him. I can't believe that in two months he will be a year old!

A Little Light Reading

2010-08-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

Dinner Time

2010-07-22T20:32:00.001-05:00

Since Jackson hasn't really gained weight in the last 2 months the Dr. suggested that we start feeding him less pureed baby foods and more big people foods. He seems to really really like this new idea. This is what dinner looked like tonight:

And then it was bath time.

Sunday Afternoon at the Park

2010-07-18T19:27:00.003-05:00

A Day At The Museum

2010-07-16T10:01:00.002-05:00

Jackson has decided that he doesn't want to take an afternoon nap anymore so the afternoons have been a little long for me this past week! Yesterday, Kim and I decided to take the kiddos to the Children's Museum so we could get out and have some fun! It's so hot outside and the museum is a perfect place to have fun while not dying from the heat. They have this great little area for kids 3 and under and the babies had a blast!

The ball pits were a huge hit.

Shortly after this was taken, Jackson puked all over the balls. Good thing they are meticulous about cleaning all the toys!

Jackson was pretty excited about having free reign to get into anything and everything.

Addie reenacting a scene from The Little Mermaid

Jackson was pretty upset when we had to leave, so we will definitely be going back soon and often!

Beach Bums

2010-07-11T19:13:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day so we decided to head down to Galveston and let Jackson play in the ocean. It was a blast! Jackson was loving life and I think he would have sat out in the sun all day if I would have let him.

We rented an umbrella and a couple chairs so we could have a nice shady place to sit.

Jackson had fun hanging out on the chair until he realized how much more fun the water was.

He loved splashing in the waves and playing with the sand.

I thought going to the beach with a baby would be a lot more stressful than it was. Jackson was so easy going and had so much fun that we can't wait to go back!

(Weston gets credit for all the pictures)

P.S. My friend Jamie designed me a way cuter button than I had before. Make sure to grab it!!

9 Months

2010-07-09T17:11:00.004-05:00

Wouldn't you just love to wake up to this every morning?? Man, I love this little boy! He really does make me laugh every day. He has the cutest little personality, and everyone that sees him automatically falls in love with him. That will be a good trait to have later in life :)

At 9 months:

- he has learned how to pull himself up on things, but he can't seem to figure out how to get down. He either falls on his bum then falls backwards flat on his back (ouch) or face plants (double ouch). None of this seems to bother him much, though, because he just gets right back up to doing what he was doing.
- he is still toothless. His full head of hair makes him look like a toddler, then he opens his mouth and has no teeth!
- he still LOVES to eat....anything. We can't eat in front of him and not give him some or he gets so mad at us! When we went to the doctor he only weighed 17 pounds, though. I think he's working all those calories off crawling around....oh, and he poops like 5 times a day. And they reek.
- he's kind of naughty. I swear he knows exactly what he's not supposed to do and where he's not supposed to go and does it anyway. When I say, "Jackson no!" He just looks at me, smiles, and keeps on going. What is he going to be like as a two-year-old??
- he's beginning to get stranger anxiety. So, all you family members and friends out there who we will see in August, don't be offended when he cries if you hold him. Sorry!
- he really isn't too much of a cuddler anymore :( Sad day.
- he has this cheesy grin (see above picture). It's like he's smiling like he has teeth but it's all gums, and it's awesome.
- his favorite toy is this little table that he stands at with things that make noise. If I put him on the ground out in the living room, he will crawl back to our room to play with it. It's the first thing he wants to do in the morning.

Welp, that's Jackson at 9 months. Just a busy busy little boy who keeps me on my toes all day, and we couldn't love him more!

To My Dad

2010-07-08T15:50:00.003-05:00

Happy 50th Birthday!!

We really wish we could be there to celebrate with you. You are the greatest dad in the whole wide world and we can't wait to see you in August!

(Jackson looks like he has angry eyes in this picture, but he was really smiling and it was the best I could do with my crazy, active child)

To Live Would Be An Awfully Big Adventure

2010-07-05T09:16:00.003-05:00

Last night, during one of our pillow talk sessions, the hubs and I got talking about the future--where we'll live, what we want our kids to be like, how we plan to parent, etc. There are few certainties in life, and I don't know what our family's future holds, but what I do know is I love my man and my little boy. Like the day is long, I love them, and thinking about the future I have with them makes me the happiest girl in the world. I mean really, what more do I need? I'm married to my best friend, we live in a cute little condo, we have great friends and family, and our little boy is just a joy. Sure, we have our problems, trials, and rough days, but, as far as I'm concerned, my life is perfect, and I am so grateful for everything that I've been blessed with. At the beginning of college, if you would have asked me what my life would be like right now, I never would have thought I'd be married to Weston (who I knew freshman year, but never really thought about dating) and living in Houston (Texas? Really?), but lucky for me God knows what he's doing and led me down the right path. It's funny how life happens that way. The future is a mystery--a big, exciting adventure that I can't wait to go on!

Visitors

2010-07-02T13:41:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday my mom and brother came to visit. Unfortunately, we were really bad at taking pictures while they were here, but we had so much fun with them! We went out to eat (which is a special treat for us) at a few places that we were wanting to try, I showed my mom the amazing mall we have here, we went to the park and the zoo. We also had fun just sitting around and hanging out, and Jackson loved all the attention he got! They left just in time because it has been raining nonstop ever since they flew out on Wednesday. Thanks for coming to see us! We loved having you guys :)

Weston and I have been wanting to go check out Rice campus for a while so on Wednesday after I dropped my mom and brother off at the airport we went for a little walk. It is so pretty and it was fun to be on a college campus again. Weston took a few pictures of me and Jackson while we were there.

Last night we had to lower Jackson's crib so he wouldn't fall out because he's pulling himself up on things now! It's amazing how fast he learns things and how big he's getting. I can't believe he's almost 9 months!

Things I Wish I Would Have Known

2010-06-24T23:07:00.003-05:00

For some reason I know about 20 girls who are pregnant right now. I guess we're just in that time of life. Anyway, I don't know how many of them actually read this blog, but I'm sure some of them do, and I would like to impart my wisdom on them :) This isn't meant to frighten anyone, but there are a few things I really wish I would have known before Jackson blessed us with his presence:

1) Be excited for baby to come, but for heaven sakes SLEEP as much as you can until your bundle of joy arrives!
I realize that sleeping isn't that easy whilst you are 9 months pregnant, but just do it while you can because when that baby gets here you will forget what it's like to sleep through the night--at least for a few months. I was so exited for Jackson to be born that I coerced him out a few days early with some castor oil. About a week after he was born I was wondering why I didn't use those few days to sleep.
2) Motherhood is so wonderful.......eventually.
Everyone always says, "Motherhood is the most amazing thing ever," and, while this is true, most women I have talked to who have had babies agree that those first weeks are not so amazing. Yes, you will love your child the minute you meet him/her, but then they start crying and you don't know why. They need to eat every three hours no matter what you're doing or where you are--this includes nighttime hours (see point #1). They don't smile at you for about 6 weeks, so you have no idea if they even like you. On top of all this your post-pregnancy hormones are making you crazy, literally. I used to be a little confused as to why women got Postpartum Depression. I mean, come on, you have this wonderful, cute little baby to cuddle all day, what's there to be sad about right? Wrong-o! Not everyone experiences Postpartum Depression, but I can totally understand why some women do. My parents came the week that Jackson was born so I had help, but as soon as they left, and Weston was at school all day, and I was all alone with this newborn that I had no idea how to take care of (see point #3), I thought I was going to lose it. So, I ended up hopping on a plane with my two-week-old child and going to my parent's house. You gotta do what you gotta do.
3) Babies don't come with instruction manuals.
You can read all the baby how-to books in the world (I felt like I did), but sometimes you just won't know why your baby is crying, or not sleeping, or spitting up so much, or not eating enough, etc. I feel like motherhood is a learning process, and every baby is different so the "rules" don't necessarily apply to every baby.
4) Everyone has an opinion
From what you're naming your child to why your bundle of joy is screaming in the grocery store, everyone has an opinion and is more than willing to voice it. I think you have to just realize that the sweet old lady in back of you in line really does mean well when she says, "He must be starving! That's why he's crying." No lady, I just fed him. Thanks. You just have to take these unwelcome suggestions in stride, smile, and say, "Yeah, maybe."
5) Nursing your baby is an amazing bonding experience---not always true.
Now, I didn't have a horrible nursing experience and some people may disagree with me on this point, but I had mixed feelings about it. Yes, it is awesome that you have your babies food supply inside your boobs, and yes, it's nice to not always have to heat up a bottle when baby is hungry, but when your newborn needs to eat every three hours and there isn't always a nice mother's room to nurse in, or when the baby in front of you at church starts crying and you start to leak it's kind of a pain in the you-know-what. The best advice I can give is, make sure your baby will take a bottle. I started Jackson day one with a bottle and gave him one once a day to make sure he wouldn't forget how to drink from it. Best idea I've ever had.

Well, that's it ladies. Again, I don't mean for this to scare anyone, but these are the facts (at least for me and a few other women I know who have recently had babies) that no one really tells you. Everyone has different experiences, and some people love newborns, but I guess I'm not one of those people, and I don't think that makes me a bad person. I love my wild, crazy, busy-as-can-be, smiley 8-month-old who finds a new way to make me laugh everyday. Motherhood really is the best thing ever......eventually :)

Videos For Grandma

2010-06-18T17:16:00.003-05:00

My mom requested some more video of Jackson, so these are mostly for her. :)
Love you mom!

In case you were wondering, that is a chip in our bathtub. It's not poop or a bug like I think it is every night when I get up to go to the bathroom.

8 Months

2010-06-10T18:56:00.002-05:00

Today is Jackson's 8 month birthday! I remember when he was a newborn I thought about how much easier it would be when he was this age...haha. Now I'm realizing that every age comes with new difficulties :) I can say that we are getting a lot more sleep now than when he was new.

Jackson at 8 months:

- has a CRAZY appetite! I swear if I didn't stop feeding him, he would eat all day. I have no idea how his weight is below average for his age.
- is so easy to get to sleep 98% of the time, but the other 2% he's a little stinker
- still scoots around on his tummy. I don't know if he'll ever crawl the normal way
- is so curious! He is seriously into EVERYTHING. He just wants to explore his little world and figure everything out.
- says "mamamamama" :)
- started growling...no idea where this came from, but it is so cute!
- his favorite thing to do is go to the park and feed the ducks. Weston thinks I'm a freaky bird lady because we do this several times a week.
- gives "kisses"-- really he opens his mouth and licks your face when you ask him to give kisses
- he is so social! He loves when people give him attention when we're out and will smile at pretty much anyone.

Happy 8 month birthday little boy! We love you!

Little Shark

2010-06-03T11:52:00.002-05:00

Watch out!!

This little guy is a wild animal :) He loves, loves, loves the water. I swear he would stay in the pool all day if I let him.

Also, he has started doing this:

I realize sharks don't growl, but he was eating goldfish and growling at them so...

Parents Magazine Photo Contest

2010-05-31T13:32:00.003-05:00

I entered Jackson's picture into a photo contest to win a chance to go to New York and be on the cover of Parents magazine. His picture was chosen to be a weekly reader's choice finalist! Go here to vote for him :) We wanna go to NYC!

"Mama"

2010-05-25T22:44:00.003-05:00

Oh yes, it happened. Jackson says "mama." I am fully convinced that he has no idea that this word is attached to me in any way, but that doesn't stop my heart from melting every time I hear his precious little voice say those syllables. I never knew such a simple thing could be so exciting. He is such a little angel and a joy in my life. I am so glad that Heavenly Father blessed me with such a sweet little boy.
He was startled awake tonight by a loud noise, so I went in and got him. I brought him into our room, and he was so happy. Weston was making him laugh this fantastic belly laugh, he kept saying "mama" "mama," and it truly made my night. Even though he's still awake (and normally I would be super annoyed) I am so happy to have just a little more time to spend with my little buddy. I really am so lucky to be his mama. :)

More of our Trip

2010-05-23T18:33:00.003-05:00

In case you need more convincing of San Antonio's awesomeness, here are some more pictures:

I'm not gonna lie, I got a little bored at the mission we went to. It was really old and cool-looking, but there just wasn't much to get excited about. At least Weston had fun taking pictures.

San Antonio

2010-05-22T18:12:00.003-05:00

Weston finished his first year of medical school yesterday! YAY! So...to celebrate, we decided to spend the weekend in San Antonio. We knew the River Walk was pretty cool, but we didn't expect it to be as beautiful and amazing as it is. I am IN LOVE with this place! Jackson has been such a good little boy. Today was a marathon day, and he just hung out in his stroller barely making a peep. I love that kid!

Of course we had to see the Alamo

And the flora and fauna

We ate at this really good Mexican restaurant called Casa Rio. It was right on the river and Jackson had a blast watching all the ducks and pigeons.

It has been really fun so far and we have WAY more pictures that I'll post later, but if you ever get the opportunity I highly recommend visiting San Antonio.

Photo Blog

2010-05-19T17:02:00.002-05:00

I've decided to start a photo blog since I'm going to be taking pictures for other people and I'm sure not everyone that looks at this blog would be too interested in other people's pictures. BUT if you are interested in looking at my photography you should take a look! The link is at the top right of my blog, and you can grab my button for your blog if you would like :) There's not much on it now, but I have a couple shoots coming up in the next couple weeks so keep checking back.

Pictures at the Perk

2010-05-14T18:17:00.003-05:00

**Sidenote: if you haven't watched the YouTube video "Peter at the Perk" you should. Weston didn't think it was funny, but I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Anyway, for Mothers Day Weston got me (or agreed to let me get) a new lens for the camera. I was so excited to go take some pictures because it was supposed to come today, but, alas, our mailman never showed. I was set on getting some pictures on this beautifully cloudy day, though, so Jackson and I went to our favorite park.
Jackson was way more interested in everything around him to look at the camera.

Tis the season for baby ducklings and these guys were definitely not shy! Good thing their mama was never far away keeping a watchful eye.

Jackson was definitely intrigued

Hopefully the next pictures I post will be taken with my new lens! SO EXCITED!

7 Months

2010-05-11T12:27:00.002-05:00

Jackson turned 7 months old yesterday

He just gets more fun every day! (Well except right now he's screaming instead of napping) He's such a curious little guy, and it is so fun to watch him discover his world.
At 7 months Jackson:
-starting to learn how to feed himself--messy but he loves it!
-gets into EVERYTHING! Seriously, it's like he has radar for stuff he shouldn't touch and beelines for it the second I put him down
-he got his first cold this past week and it's so sad!
-getting so good at sitting up and hardly ever topples over anymore
-would rather play with his books than his toys (mama is so proud!)
-becoming more vocal and is starting to learn how to say different sounds. He likes "ba" and "ga" I really wish he would say "ma"
-still doesn't have a tooth, which isn't too surprising since I didn't get my first tooth until I was one
-can get up on his hands and knees and rock but still crawls on his tummy
-does things that make me laugh everyday!! I love him so much!

Afternoon at the Park

2010-05-04T18:40:00.003-05:00

It has been really nice outside lately, so Jackson and I went to the park this afternoon. Hermann Park is my favorite place to go. It is so pretty and has a really fun playground (which Jackson will enjoy when he's older). Anyway, we had a nice little walk and took some pictures. Jackson was more interested in playing with the grass so he wouldn't smile very well, but he's still pretty cute!

Heaven help me

2010-05-01T12:29:00.004-05:00

Enough said.

**please excuse the junk corner. Our room is huge, but doesn't have a ton of storage**

Adventures in Houston

2010-04-25T13:20:00.003-05:00

Since we live in a big city and we've been here for about 9 months now, we figured we should probably explore a little and figure out some fun things to do. Yesterday we went to the Houston Arboretum. It is a nature reserve right by downtown, and it's pretty cool. There are lots of trees and trails to walk on. It was fun to feel like we were out in nature even though we could hear the cars on the freeway the entire time :)

Locked Out!

2010-04-24T08:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I did something stupid. I decided that I wanted to try to take some pictures in front of our door just to see what they would turn out like. So, I gathered Jackson, a blanket, and the camera and stepped outside. I didn't think I needed my keys because I would be just right outside the door, right? Well, apparently my habit of locking the door is just something I do with out thinking about it because when I was done and went to go back inside the door was definitely locked. I panicked a little bit because I didn't bring my phone out with me, Jackson was going to get hungry soon, and Weston was at school. I went upstairs and knocked on our neighbor's door, and she let me use her phone to call Weston. He was just about to go to a required class so he said he would be home as soon as he could after the class was over. I went to a little gazebo that is right by our apartment, bounced Jackson until he fell asleep, and sat and watched the potato bugs crawl around for two hours until Weston finally got home. Needless to say, I will be putting a spare key outside somewhere in the near future. The pictures that I took weren't even that great! I did get a couple cute ones though

Craw Fish Boil

2010-04-18T17:13:00.009-05:00

Apparently, in Texas, springtime is craw fish season, and craw fish boils are the cool thing to do. Weston's school had a craw fish boil and he convinced me to go. I've never had craw fish, but I'm willing to try pretty much anything. Jackson conked out on the way there.

When we got there, there were rows and rows of tables filled with people tearing apart craw fish. We couldn't find a place to sit down so we took ours home (now my house smells like fish). When we opened the boxes this is what we found.

Here is a close up of one of the little guys.

Jackson didn't quite know what to think

I ate a few, but after a while I got really grossed out. I'm not real into having to dismember my food before I eat it. Plus, it's a lot of work for not a lot of food.

And just for good measure, here is our cute little man during one of the only times he was being pleasant today.

who knew that when the light catches his eyes just right they are a pretty green-blue!

Pictures

2010-04-17T12:42:00.004-05:00

Yesterday my friend Kim asked me to take some pictures of her cute little girl. We went to the park and I took some pictures of Jackson too. I really wanted to edit the ones I was going to give to Kim, but I didn't think we had anything to edit them with...well I'm a retard because we have Photoshop! In my defense it was given to us from a friend and we haven't used it at all. Anyway, I took some cute pictures of Jackson while we were at the park and some at home also. I hope to get better at editing and learn everything there is to know so I can have super cute pictures.

6 Months

2010-04-11T18:52:00.004-05:00

Jackson turned 6 months old yesterday! I can't believe he is halfway to being a year old already!

He wouldn't lay down on his boppy pillow for me to take a picture. He thinks he is such a big boy and needs to sit up!
Jackson at 6 months:
-stats are: height- 27 1/4 weight- 15 lbs 12 oz head- 16 3/4
-no longer needs to be swaddled to sleep...yay!
-can finally go all night with out eating...double yay!
-he is developing such a funny little personality. He is such a happy baby and loves to talk/yell/screech at people
-still insists on crying for a while before going to sleep
-LOVES food! Seriously, anything I put in his mouth he likes--pickles, lemons, you name it and he likes it
-he can roll easily from his back to his tummy now and will roll across the room to get to something he wants
-loved my parents' dogs when we went to Vegas--they didn't love him so much though because he kept grabbing their fur!
-we went on the park swings for the first time a couple weeks ago and he seems to like it

-his favorite toy is still his exersaucer

-he isn't afraid of water and tries to stick his face in it all of the time in the tub! I need to teach him how to hold his breath!

We're going to the doctor on Tuesday to get his shots and I will have his measurements then. We just love our little man and the funny little boy he is becoming! We are so exciting for swimming, more zoo trips, and playing at the park this summer.

How I Spent my Vegas Vacation

2010-04-11T18:48:00.003-05:00

For the last two weeks Jackson and I have been in Las Vegas visiting my family. It was my mom's spring break so she bought me a ticket out there. While I was there my grandpa passed away and we ended up spending most of the time planning his funeral. It actually worked out perfectly because I got to help my mom and I got to go to the funeral, which I hadn't planned on. It was a nice ceremony, and I got to see a lot of family that I haven't seen in a long time.
I can't believe this, but I didn't take any pictures while I was there! We did have a lot of fun hanging out with family, going on walks, going out to eat, shopping, and spending a couple days up in Cedar City. Jackson was such a good boy with all of the craziness going on. My dad got really attached to him. It was so fun to watch them interact. He could get Jackson to smile and laugh so easily! I hope that we can continue to see them regularly so Jackson will develop a strong relationship with his grandparents. We miss them already!!!

Jack Winters (1923-2010)

2010-04-04T13:09:00.005-05:00

On Thursday morning one of the best men I have ever known passed away. I am so lucky that I got to be here to say goodbye. He was so generous, humble, and selfless. That's why I wanted to name Jackson after him. I hope that he will live up to his name and make his great-grandpa proud! I have some great memories with my grandpa and have been so blessed to have had him live with our family on multiple occasions. He suffered a lot at the end, but I know that he is so happy now to be reunited with his wife, brother and parents. He will definitely be missed, but I know that we will see him again. What a great time of year to be able to remember that our loved ones who have passed still live on because of the great sacrifice of Christ, our Savior. "Death is conquered. Men are free. Christ has won the victory!"

I love you grandpa!

5 Months

2010-03-21T16:10:00.004-05:00

Jackson turned 5 months while we were in Utah and I still haven't posted his 5 month pictures! so...

Here is the little munchkin at about 5 months and a week.
Jackson at 5 months:
-if he tries really hard he can roll from back to tummy
-is starting to be able to scoot...SCARY!
-we can get him to giggle a little more now, but things get old really fast because we still haven't found one thing that gets him to laugh every time
-he LOVES playing with toys that a) make noise or b) he can put in his mouth
-ever since we got back from Utah he has not been sleeping well. I dunno if this is from traveling or what, but it's driving me CRAZY!
-he really likes to play in his excersaucer
-he is such a little charmer. He flirts with ladies at the craft store, the grocery store, church, on the plane...pretty much he loves attention and knows how to get it!
-he has started taking hour and a half long naps instead of 45 minute naps

He just keeps getting more fun as the days go by! I love watching him learn new things and try to figure out the world around him.

Rosalyn also took some pictures of Jackson and made this cute photo montage:

I love it! Thanks Rosalyn. You do a great job!

Everything's Bigger in Texas

2010-03-17T19:37:00.010-05:00

But seriously...I have never seen such huge rodeo festivities EVER! Picture this--three weeks of carnivals, mutton bustin', livestock show, camel rides, rodeo, concerts, and fried anything you could ever imagine. That, my friends, is the Houston rodeo. Weston and I bought tickets to the rodeo and Rascal Flatts, but we went to Utah instead, so today we moseyed on over to the Reliant Center to see what all the fuss was about. We weren't disappointed!

We saw cows

Hungry baby piggies (poor mama!)

Hatching chicks

Honey Bees

AAAAAND! a LONGHORN! it was so big and it's horns were massive!

I'm pretty sure my favorite part of the whole experience was the fried snickers I ate. It was so fattening and greasy, but oh so delicious!

If you want to experience Texas culture at it's finest, come visit us next March! We will definitely be going back to the Houston rodeo next year.

Curling

2010-03-15T16:24:00.006-05:00

We went curling our last night in Utah. It was really fun other than my minor wardrobe malfunction. You see, when you throw the stone (or slide it I guess?) you have to get down on one knee and straighten your back leg out. I was wearing some old, pretty worn out jeans and the second time I tried---riiip! The crotch of my pants tore. Weston said he couldn't tell so I tried again and---riiiiip! A little bigger. And that was the end of my Olympic career. Sad, I know. I spent the rest of the night being a sweeper, which is a lot of work! I never realized that curling was such an intense sport.

Kyley

Traer

Weston

Braden

I gave it a third try and my form struggled a bit. I was afraid the leg of my pants would tear off!

Brett

Rosalyn

We had a great time in Utah! We came back to great weather in Houston, though. It is seriously SO nice here! This weekend it's rodeo time, ye haw!!

Oh Utah, how I miss thee

2010-03-11T21:01:00.005-06:00

This week we are in Utah. It makes me very happy. I really miss it here, and Weston makes fun of me. Before we moved I was really itching to leave, but after a month of being gone I was ready to come back. There's just something about being in the midst of people with my own beliefs and values that makes me feel so comfortable. We will move back here some day. Did you hear that Weston? We WILL move back here some day!
Anyway, we decided to come to Utah for Weston's spring break and spend some time with his family. We have been having so much fun! We went up to BYU and reminisced, spent time with family and friends, went skiing, went to the temple, ate at J Dawgs two times, and we are going curling tomorrow! Yes, curling. I am pretty excited about that. Who knows, maybe I'll discover a hidden talent and join the U.S. Olympic team.
Today, Rosalyn took some family pictures for us. She is a great photographer and got some great pictures!

How cute is Jackson's face?? Thanks Grandma for getting him to smile!
We go back to Houston on Saturday. A week just isn't long enough. It has been great to spend time with family and let Jackson get to know his grandparents, uncles, and aunt. We'll be back in August!!

Lots of Pictures

2010-03-04T19:28:00.006-06:00

Here's a little bit of what we've been up to...
I started this project a while ago, and I finally got around to finishing it. I decided that Jackson's car seat just wasn't cute enough and I wanted to customize it. This was a pretty intense sewing project seeing as I had to take the entire car seat cover apart then reassemble it. It's definitely very flawed, but I'm pretty proud of myself.

Jackson loves carrots. I was afraid we would have another banana experience when I first tried giving him carrots, but he liked them!

Jackson just being his cute little self:

Jackson loves when I read to him before bedtime. He gets so excited!

Jackson will be 5 months soon and it's getting warm outside. I'm itching to go buy some cute summertime clothes (if Weston will let me) and go to the zoo, go swimming, and play at the park!

Like nails on a chalkboard...

2010-02-18T19:51:00.002-06:00

Apparently the sound of crinkly paper makes Jackson crazy! When we were at the doctor's office I think he cried more about having to lay on the tissue paper than about the shots. Tonight when I was making dinner he did NOT like the sound of this crinkly bag...

This was the third time he did that! Weston wouldn't let me do it anymore because he thought it was mean. I think it's hilarious :)

Jackson Laughing

2010-02-16T15:11:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day Weekend

2010-02-15T09:15:00.007-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Since it fell on a Sunday this year, Weston and I decided to celebrate on Friday night. I surprised him with a candle-lit dinner of steak, potatoes, and asparagus.

On Saturday our ward had a Valentine's dance. We were going to go, but decided not to so Jackson could stay on his sleeping schedule. We had some friends over for dinner instead.
On Sunday the Brames hosted a Murder Mystery. They had chocolate fondue with all sorts of good things to dip. I made cupcakes for the occasion.

I had never been to a Murder Mystery Dinner before, and it was a blast! Everyone got really into it. We dressed up and really got into character. I ended up being the murderer!!!

Last night Weston made me dinner and we hung out and played games together. It was a great weekend!!

4 Months

2010-02-10T19:18:00.003-06:00

Today my little boy is four months old! He just gets cuter and cuter every day.

Jackson at 4 months:
-Lucky for me he is back to sleeping 6 to 7 hours a night
-He is getting so grabby! He pulls my hair, Weston's glasses, and pretty much wants to grab on to anything he gets close to.
-We can get him to giggle every now and then. There isn't one thing that we've found makes him laugh all the time, but it is SO cute when he does!
-He rolls from tummy to back and can get halfway around from back to tummy.
-Tonight I started him on stage 1 baby foods. He has been eating rice cereal from a spoon for a few weeks now so I mixed some bananas in. This is how it went...

A few minutes later he was sucking on my finger so I put some bananas on it and it didn't seem to bother him so I tried feeding him again...

Bananas aren't so bad! I can't believe he's already eating solids! These past four months really went by so fast. I remember when he was a newborn thinking that I would never get any sleep again, but that stage has passed and he is at such a fun age right now!

My Baby Hates Obama

2010-02-04T17:55:00.004-06:00

A little while ago we were sitting here and the tv was on CNN. Obama was saying some more crap about change...blah blah blah. Anyway, Jackson looked at the tv and started crying! We changed the channel and he stopped. We changed it back and Jackson looked at Obama and started crying again! Smart kid.

Also, Jackson has been able to roll over from tummy to back for a while now, but he hasn't done it very consistently. Finally, he has started to roll over pretty much every time I put him on his tummy. Here is proof...

Sorry it's so blurry half the time. I'm still getting the hang of this camera.

Notice that the entire front of his shirt is drenched in drool. Could this be a sign of teething?? He drools CONSTANTLY!

He really loves to gurgle his spit and Weston was trying to make him do it, but Jackson was way more interested in his toys.

I can't believe he will be 4 months next week! He's growing up so fast!

Things We Do

2010-01-23T11:42:00.011-06:00

Warning: Picture overload! This post is mostly for the grandparents and others who are completely in love with our baby.

Here are a few pictures of thing's we've done lately:
On MLK day we had a picnic (yes I said picnic...it was 70 degrees) and went to the Holocaust museum with a few of our friends. The museum was filled with interesting facts and mostly it was very very sad.

Jackson is fantastic at being happy when we go out to do things. He saves his cranky times for the privacy of our own home :)

This is how Jackson and I spend most of our mornings:
He sits in his Bumbo and watches me get ready.
(excuse the bib, he drools like CRAZY when he sits in his Bumbo)

He spends most of his day sucking his fingers

He has gotten WAY better at tummy time!

Nice drool dude

But all good things must come to an end, and eventually tummy time ends like this

In other news, I took Jackson to the doctor yesterday so I could whine and complain about my sleeping woes. He told me that if Jackson is fed and changed then I should just let him cry it out. He said to time it and go in every 10 minutes and put his pacifier back in then leave the room. Apparently he has gotten used to me running in there every time he squawks so I need to train him to soothe himself back to sleep. I tried it last night, and the night went A LOT better. I have a great pediatrician. In fact, I'm pretty sure he is the baby whisperer because Jackson was getting tired and fussy in the waiting room, but as soon as Dr. Connelly walked in to see him he got SO happy. He even giggled for the first time. Full on belly laugh. He won't do it again though. Apparently those special moments are reserved for the doctor.
Thank you to those of you who commented on my post for help! I tried everything and I reserved Healthy Sleep Habits Happy child at the library :)

Nicole Doesn't Share Food!

2010-01-22T08:35:00.004-06:00

Recently, some of our friends have found out that I am not a very good sharer. Weston told them all about how I get really mad at him if he eats my food. It just drives me nuts! It's mine! He can have some when I'm done with it because usually I don't eat it all.
This pretty much sums me up...

Don't you love how there is a Friends episode to correlate with every aspect of life??

Help Please!

2010-01-19T18:58:00.002-06:00

So, in my last post I talked about how well Jackson sleeps. Well, not too long after I posted that he started to only sleep for 3 hours then one hour increments after that! The only thing that calms him down is if I feed him. But he can't be getting hungry that often can he?? I started him on rice cereal hoping that would help. One night he slept for 9 hours, but the norm recently has been me getting up every hour. It does not make for a happy mama. Anyway, do any of you with kids have any suggestions as to what the problem might be? I am willing to try anything (short of drugging him) to get him to sleep more!

3 Months

2010-01-08T13:22:00.008-06:00

I can't believe my baby is three months old! Jackson is becoming so much fun and his little personality is really starting to come out.

Jackson at 3 months:
-I'm pretty sure he has his mama's temperament...he is usually in a good mood, but when he doesn't get what he wants he either gets whiny or throws a tantrum. He is also pretty darn stubborn which he gets from both parents :) This is the face he gives me when he doesn't get his way

-He has become quite talky. He loves talking to his dad. Weston can get him to talk better than anyone. Most of the time it's happy noises, but sometimes when I'm not giving him enough attention he yells at me!
-He still hates tummy time, but when I first put him on his tummy he will usually push himself up for a few minutes. As soon as he gets sick of it he stops trying and just screams
- He is still mama's little cuddle bug. He loves it when I let him take naps in my arms.
-He still sleeps like a little champ! The other night he went for 7.5 hours. I really hope he can start making that a regular pattern.
-He is a very curious little guy. He looks around and studies things very hard. He loves watching moving objects and has recently become OBSESSED with Baby Einstein videos. The other day when I turned it off he threw a fit because he wanted to keep watching.

-He loves when I read to him (if he's in the mood). He intently looks at the pictures and listens to me read.
-He has effectively rubbed off the hair from the sides of his head and now has the weirdest hairdo I have ever seen

We love love love our little man and are enjoying him at this age so much!

Baby Talk

2010-01-04T10:32:00.005-06:00

Jackson has become quite the chatterbox. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever!

Sorry that you couldn't see this the first time I posted it.

Christmas Break

2009-12-29T20:41:00.009-06:00

Weston, Jackson, and I have been in Vegas since the 19th and it has been heavenly! I love being around family, eating good food, doing fun things, and having help with the baby. Weston and I ordered this before we left and had it shipped to my parents' house...
Weston LOVES it and I'm pretty sure he is more gentle with the camera than he is with the baby :) It takes great pictures and we are both really excited to learn more about photography!

We had a great Christmas with my family. We went bowling, explored City Center down on the strip, had a great Christmas Eve dinner, and a fun Christmas day.

Jackson got spoiled of course!

All of the Christmas excitement wore him out.

The day after Christmas we drove up to Springville to see Weston's family and bless Jackson. I was so scared that he was going to scream through the whole thing, but he was a little angel and just slept.

Tomorrow is our last day here and we are very sad to have to leave :(
Thanks mom and dad and Weston's parents for a great Christmas!!

2 Month Check Up

2009-12-15T11:11:00.002-06:00

Jackson had his 2 month doctor appointment yesterday. He is 23.5 inches tall, 11 pounds 1 ounce, and his head is 15 inches around. He is a little above average for height, 50 percentile for weight and his head is a little under average. He also had to get two shots :( The first one wasn't so bad and he didn't cry a ton, but the second one must have hurt because he screamed like crazy! Poor little dude. He was a trooper though and calmed down pretty quickly. Now he's back to his smiley self!

Here are more pictures and some family pictures that our good friend Katie took. They turned out great! Thanks Katie!

Jackson's First Photo Shoot

2009-12-11T11:39:00.001-06:00

more to come

I love this baby!

2 months!

2009-12-10T17:27:00.004-06:00

Jackson is 2 months old today! I can't believe how fast he is growing up!

please disregard the unmade bed...it was a long day

Jackson at 2 months:
- smiles and laughs a lot! (as long as he is fed, burped, and changed)
- LOVES looking at mobiles and lights
- goes to sleep like a little champ! I don't have to rock him to sleep at all. I just put him in his crib pretty much wide awake and turn on his fishy light toy. The other night the toy turned off before he was asleep and he just talked to himself until he fell asleep. So cute!
- has an official bedtime at 8:00, he sleeps for 6 hours then goes back down for 3. It's great!
- HATES tummy time and getting burped (I don't know why he hates getting burped so much)
- is still mama's little cuddle bug. After the trauma of tummy time, he clings to me like a little koala...I love it!
- the head control could use a little work. His head isn't even that big, what the heck?
- Weston swears he is just moments away from saying "hello." I think Weston is crazy.
- gets lonely in the back seat of the car and starts crying if he isn't asleep

Weston and I get a kick out of making him laugh, talk, and smile. He is so much fun! We can't wait to go show him off to everyone at Christmas :)

In other news, Weston is smack in the middle of finals. It pretty much sucks. We can't really get too excited for Christmas until that school nonsense is over. I am so proud of him, though, for finishing his first semester of school! Only seven more to go...

Recent Happenings

2009-11-29T14:02:00.006-06:00

I would have posted about Thanksgiving and such earlier, but our cord that connects the camera to the computer (nice alliteration) went missing for a bit. Not to worry, it was found and I can now upload pictures.
Anyway, we spent a wonderful, fun-filled Thanksgiving with some friends from the ward. The Ellsworths made a fantastic turkey, and it was nice to have people to spend the holiday with since we were away from family. Sadly, I don't have any pictures from that day. I know, lame.
Last weekend, while talking to my friends Kim and Amelia, they mentioned that they were going to go get Christmas trees. I told them that Weston didn't want to get one this year since Jackson is too small to appreciate it, and we aren't going to be here for Christmas. Apparently they thought this was unacceptable because later that night I was scared to death by a loud knock on the door. When Weston opened it (after I almost convinced him not to because I thought it was someone waiting to kill us) we found this note:
Our wonderful friends bought me a Christmas tree!! I put it up this week and I love it!

On Black Friday, Weston and I decided to head on down to Hobby Lobby to see what kind of deals they were having. Much to our delight we found that most things in the store were 50% off! woo hoo! We have been wanting to put some wall decor in our living room, but didn't want to spend the money to do it, so this was the perfect time to do it. We found some great stuff. I also have been wanting to finally finish Jackson's nursery since my craftiness comes and goes and I haven't made it very cute yet. I got some letters to spell his name and some scrap book paper and this was the result:

The room isn't quite done, but it's definitely close!
And now for some super cute pictures of our super cute baby!

Jackson's New Favorite Pastime

2009-11-23T21:27:00.004-06:00

Jackson loves playing on his toy mat. He has recently begun to smile and giggle which brightens my day. His favorite time of day is in the morning when we all first wake up. He is such a joy!

Best Thing I Have Ever Bought

2009-11-16T11:11:00.002-06:00

I've only read half and it has already changed my life!! Jackson has recently decided to become a little more fussy (I think he is having a reflux or cow's milk allergy problem) and it has been exhausting! He would only sleep about 1.5 to 2 hours at a time and he would want to be held 24/7 so I couldn't get anything done (or shower...sick). So, I heard about this book and I decided, what the heck, it couldn't hurt right? Best $11 I have ever spent! I can stop him from crying in just minutes AND last night I had to wake him up for a feeding! Seriously, this little gem was sent straight from heaven. I highly recommend it to anyone with a new baby.

1 Month

2009-11-10T18:41:00.003-06:00

My baby is one month old today! I can't believe how fast this month has gone. He is such a good little boy, and Weston and I love him SO much! He is such a blessing in our lives, and we can't imagine what life would be like with out him. Happy one month birthday baby boy!

Baby in the Bath

2009-11-09T21:45:00.002-06:00

When we first brought Jackson home from the hospital he absolutely HATED his baths. Recently, though, he has decided that they aren't so bad, and he loves his bath time now!

First Sunday at Church

2009-11-08T15:14:00.004-06:00

Well, first full day of church. He did so well--no crying, mostly sleeping. What a good little guy.

Please excuse the nasty picture of the family. I just woke up from a nap, Weston's hair is ridiculous, and Jackson hates natural light because our house is a little like a cave and he's not used to it. He's our little vampire ;)

Cute pictures

2009-11-01T17:23:00.002-06:00

Just some cute pictures we took of the little guy today!

Trip to Vegas and Halloween

2009-10-31T22:04:00.008-05:00

After my mom left, I missed her a ton and I needed company because Weston had tests coming up and was studying a lot. I mentioned this to my mom and she graciously offered to buy me a ticket to come home for a week while Weston was taking tests. I was very excited about it, but Weston wasn't thrilled to be alone all week. He is a fantastic husband, though, and he put his needs aside and let me go. It was a much needed trip I must say. Jackson was a little angel on the plane. He just slept the entire time. No crying at all! Sunday, the whole extended fam came over and got to meet our little guy. Needless to say, he is not lacking for love. Everyone loved him so much. Especially my grandpa (who Jackson is named after). He would just look at Jackson and I could tell he was so proud. It was so cute!
Four generations: My grandpa Jack, dad, me, and little Jackson.
We got back today, and Weston came to pick us up from the airport. Before going home, we went on a little tour of an area Weston served in while he was here on his mission. It's a town right outside of Houston called Kingwood, and I must say it is very nice. I wouldn't mind living there!
This is a lake in one of the nicer neighborhoods. Some of the houses had private boat slips. The water was pretty gross, but it would be a nice place to live!
We also stopped at our ward's Trunk or Treat before we went home. It was fun to see all the little kids dressed up, and to see our friends again!
They don't really make Halloween costumes for newborn babies, but I found this cute pumpkin hat at Target for only $1 so Jackson was a pumpkin head!

We have some very creative friends. TC and Emily dressed up as characters from "Where the Wild Things Are" and the Ellsworths brought an amazing pumpkin carved as a werewolf. Very impressive.
My wonderfully caring, thoughtful husband showed up at the airport with these beautiful flowers. He is so sweet!
Jackson was sooo good with all of the running around and being busy, and we're glad to be back home where we can unwind for a little bit. Weston's mom is coming on Wednesday and we are so excited!!

Little Squirt

2009-10-16T22:14:00.002-05:00

So, this is what happens when I change Jackson's diaper. Last night it was on my hand. Tonight it was all over my shirt....
oh, by the way, that's poop not pee just in case you were wondering. And he usually cries like crazy when I change him, but this time he was happy as can be. Thanks little man.

Baby Jackson is here!!

2009-10-16T18:47:00.011-05:00

Saturday October 10, 2009 little Jackson Trent Caywood finally arrived! Sorry it took me so long to get this post up. We haven't had internet. At around 1:50 am on Saturday I started getting contractions that were about 5 minutes apart so I called the doctor and he told me to come to the hospital. I was dilated about 3 cm when I got to the hospital. Shortly after arriving the contractions were coming a little closer together. They didn't hurt too badly, but they were there. Luckily, I was at an awesome hospital and I got my epidural before the pain got really bad so I didn't feel a thing! at about 12:45 in the afternoon I was dilated 10 cm and they said I could start pushing. 45 minutes later our little baby was born at 1:13 in the afternoon.
Here are some pictures we've taken over the past few days. More to come soon!!!!

Still No Baby :(

2009-10-01T13:51:00.003-05:00

Just a little update on the fact that the baby has not arrived yet. I don't know why I had such high hopes that he would come early--wishful thinking I guess. Anyway, no baby yet. Hopefully soon because I am R-E-A-D-Y!
P.S. Sorry Shannon, we didn't get around to taking a belly picture and the internet (that we have been mooching) in our apartment is no longer working so I'm at the library and would rather not take a picture of myself because that would just be weird! I'll take one tomorrow and try to post it on Saturday.