A much needed update

Our Christmas tree-December 2010

We finally put up our Christmas tree. I loved it and although it's just a little dinky tree, it is fun to have up. Ty is going to be a trial to keep away from it this year but we will do our best.

Some things I want to remember about Ty at this age. He is now 10 months and coming close to 11 months. We love him so much and we are enjoying watching him learn new things. The more I am with him, the more sad I am that I miss so much during the day while I am at work. He does so many cute things and is learning new things every day.

He gives open mouth kisses
He can walk but chooses not to because he doesn't concentrate and gets to distracted
He loves frozen peas
He loves frozen raspberries
He loves drinking from a straw or regular cup
He has these crazy temper tantrumes
He can high five-not sure if my little brother Caleb taught him or if Kip did
He loves me to come play in his room with him and play toys
He crawls to me and says ma ma when I get home-Oh how I love this!
He is a pretty happy kid as long as he has what he wants
He gets into everything and is very busy
He has such a cute smile and laugh!
He sleeps through the night most nights in his bed but occasionally I have to let him cry until he goes back to sleep-I know I am such a mean mom!
He says Da Da
He is learning to waive bye bye

We love him so much and we are so grateful is a part of our family!

Frozen raspberries

As you can see his is our life right now and we are enjoying it. Can't wait to see him open Christmas presents this year!

Anybody got any good traditions they do in their family. I would like to hear about them.

He's home

My little brother that is. He went out on his mission back in February and while in the MTC hurt his knee pretty bad. He had surgery and soon went into the mission field. His knee is pretty messed up now even with surgery and had to come home to get the surgery completed. He will be down for about 6-8 weeks. It was so good to see him even though he has only been gone since then.

 Ty and I went down to the airport with my family to welcome him home. Then we all went to dinner after. It was so much fun to see him and we are glad he arrived home safe. We hope the surgery goes well and he can return to finish out his mission. We will enjoy him while he is here.

It has started to snow and although I know I am one against many, I love the snow! There is just something magical about snow and the world during and after a snow storm. I think it is so beautiful! I am a lover of Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are coming and time is just going by way to quickly. I started getting Ty's presents a while ago and I still have more to finish. The hard part is being creative with the budget we have and getting Kip something he will like. He is so hard to buy for. I can't wait for it to come! I am also so excited to visit temple square, make yummy treats and attend the Forgotten carols (my absolute FAVORITE).

Ty is getting so big. I cannot believe all that he is learning and doing. Cassie and Noah moved out and we miss them so but now Ty sleeps in his own bed and room. I  feel like he is so far away because he has been so close to me for so long. It has been an adjustment for both of us. He is doing better than I thought. He has pretty much weaned himself from his paci which is nice. I thought it would be a trial to get him off of it but it was so easy. The bottle will be the trial. Ty is a big crawler now and gets into a lot of things I don't want him to. It is so much fun to see him exploring new things and getting creative with how he does it. He wants to walk and isn't very afraid. He lets go of everything and can stand on his own for about 30 seconds. He is pretty fun to watch right now. He says da da really well and has started saying ma ma and more. He can also give fives which has been fun. I am happy to see him growing and developing but sometimes it all seems to go so fast. I miss all of his stages but have loved seeing him in each new one. He is our life right now and so much fun!

Kip started a new job as a runner for Backman Title. He is doing well at his job and thinking about new things to explore at the same time. He still does Send out Cards every chance he can. I have a new job within my company and it is keeping me very busy and very challenged. I appreciate the new challenge as I had excelled at my old position but it is very demanding. It has been hard learning how to balance everything but Kip has been good to help fill in my many gaps. What would I do without him? Ty is so little that he luckily won't remember any of the craziness right now in our lives. I just remind myself often why I work so hard and that is for my little family.

We haven't really been up to anything special lately so I just posted a few of our random pics. Enjoy!

Mikey's birthday

Girl's party while the boys were hunting

Halloween this year. Ty hated wearing his costume and only kept it on every visit we made for about 5 minutes tops. 

Kip's birthday

Kip on his birthday with his beloved red velvet cake

Kip is now 28 years old. He is kind of a pain when it comes to birthday's or christmas because he doesn't want anything. He is not a big money spender, he loves movies but doesn't like to buy them, he doesn't like clothes and the only things I could think about getting him were way to expensive for our budget these days. So I went with a movie that I got for a really good deal (Thanks to Cassie for pointing it out), an Ipod holder for when he runs (Thanks to Cassie for finding such a good deal on one) and treats that he loves (Mint Oreo's, Kit-Kat candybar and Sangria (a mexican soda). He seemed happy enough but I wish I could find some other stuff he would enjoy. I had to beg him to tell me what he wanted me to make him for his birthday dinner and I just made him a cake I know he loves. It worked out to be a pretty lame day for him though. I had to work until 7 and luckily I was able to make him his cake and lasagna the night before but he had to put his birthday dinner in the oven. We ate at 7:30 PM. I invited his Dad, Mom and Grandma over to have cake and we sang to him as well. He isn't big on attention so I didn't do anything to big for him. He seemed to have a pretty good birthday but I wish it could have been better. I am really thankful for him and all he does for us! He is such a good husband and dad and I am the luckiest to have him in my life!

Ty and Kip on his birthday. Ty is a spitting image of his dad. 

Ty thinking is he oh so big and can walk. If we would let him he would do a face plant because he will just let go.

Ty is getting so big. I can't believe how fast time is going and how fast he is growing up. Before we know it we will be celebrating his 1st birthday. He is so ready to just go, go, go. He wants everything and he is not afraid to fall. He will scream when we are holding him now because he just wants to stand up next to the couch and be big. He has started to scoot a little and is so close to crawling but hasn't figured it out just yet. We will have our hands full when he starts crawling.

We have really had a hard month with Ty as he has been getting his 2 top teeth. He got the one and was a happy boy for 2 days then started getting the other one and he is a grouch. I can't say I blame him as they look like they really hurt. Poor kid! I am excited for him to continue to grow and develop but it's sad at the same time because he is really getting out of the baby stage and growing into a little toddler.

Last Friday we went to the state fair. We had a lot of fun! Well I had fun. It was really hot and my hubby hates hot. He gets sunburned really easily. He was a really good sport though. We also went to Ikea. I really love that store! We picked up a little present for Ty for Christmas and we also got a pizza cutter for really cheap. I could spend a long time in that store and a lot of money.

Noah got to ride the ponies. So cute!

Ty hated his stroller and wanted to be out looking at everything

This bull was huge. That is a regular size bull next to it. Crazy huh?

He's officially done

We took Ty to his last appointment with the specialist at Primary Children's today. He was given a clean bill of health and declared fine. He will no longer have to visit Primary Children's for that issue again. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this. This wasn't anything that was a huge concern but it was something that scared me and made me think. Life is so precious and I am often reminded of this through little things that happen. My sister and NieNie recently turned my attention to a blog that I have come to love. This blog can be found here. Oh how fragile life is and this story has made me remember that!

Today as we were walking out of the hospital I saw a mother wheeling in her son or daughter that had cancer. My heart ached for this mother because I would have a hard time with that. They were awesome! They seemed so happy and at peace. It really made me think about how I would act if I were given the same life experiences as these mothers. It also makes me remember just how fragile life is and what is really important. Although these situations are sad and my heart goes out to these mothers, I can't help but be thankful for all that I am given. I feel so lucky!

I love this picture! We were just getting ready to go into the park. I just love my hubby because he is so handsome and my little guy looked so big in the stroller with his hat, hoodie and sunglasses. 

This picture cracks me up because this is his sad face. He makes me laugh when he does it and then he gets even more sad. 

On a different note we had a wonderful visit to Willow Park in Logan with my family yesterday. We met up there for lunch a visit to the park. It was almost perfect weather but a little cold for my taste. Ty absolutely loved being outdoors all day as that is his favorite thing. We saw some fun animals and it was so much fun to be with the family. I love spending time with my family! My grandma was so sweet to arrange it all and seemed to really enjoy herself all day. We missed a lot of our family but that happens when you get older I think. We also picked up some yummy snow cones for the drive home and they were delicious! I will miss eating those things come fall and winter.

Oh so cute!

My grams taking Ty for a swing. She is so cute! Ty wouldn't look at the camera. He gets distracted really easily.

We had a lot of fun at the park! This is the first time I've seen Kip swing on the swings and he really enjoyed himself. He would probably kill me if he knew this was on the blog. It will always be a memory I cherish though. 

So behind

We took Ty to his first demolition derby this year. Call me white trash but I absolutely love these things! This year freaked me out a little bit because there was some crazy stuff happening. 

We took Ty to his first drive in movie. Oh how I love these things! Cass and Noah came. Noah and Ty were awesome and it turned out perfect. We had so much fun! 

Ty looks bald but I cut his hair every 2-3 weeks when I cut his dad's. He just gets a little crew cut every time. He is such a good baby while he get's it done. 

We welcomed our long waited niece into the world on August 26th. She is so precious and we love her so much! She is all girl and her mommy dresses her up so cute! After 3 nephews and my little guy our family is so happy to finally have a girl in the family! We are so glad you are finally here AndiLyn Jade Jones! 

I am seriously always behind on my posts. Each time I post I vow that I will do it more often and keep everyone updated on everything that we've been up to. However every time I fall behind and I am always waiting a long time between posts. This is something that I would like to add to my journal one day and that is why I need to do better at posting.

On Sunday morning's I am generally awake early with Ty. If you know me you know I love my sleep so it is really hard when I don't get it. But I have come to love these early mornings, oh how I love these early mornings! I turn on soft Sunday sounds and let Ty play while I ponder my life. This is such a good thing for me because it allows me to ponder what's really important. I think about how blessed I am and I get a chance to thank my heavenly father for everything that I have. We don't have everything we want right now but we do have the important things like family, love and the gospel. I am so thankful for the way things are right now. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful husband who helps me so much and is such a blessing to me. I love you honey! Our little boy is such a bright spot in our lives and he really keeps me going. He is so much fun and is learning new things all of the time. I think back to life without him and I can't really remember it. He has really helped us become the family that we are today! I love you buddy!

We have had a fun summer and we are excited for the fall. I love the fall! I love the smells of fall, the food, the fun things we do as a family, the clothes and the holidays! I love the changing colors and the cool, crisp air! It is something I look forward to all year long. I am excited for Ty's first fall! I can't wait for him to enjoy his first Halloween and all of the other fun things that come with it.

With Fall coming Summer is going. This is kind of sad but it will come again and we have had a lot of fun times this Summer. Next year Ty will be old enough to enjoy Summer more and I am certain we will have a ton of fun!

Ty's surgery

Ty had surgery yesterday at Primary Children's hospital. I won't bore you with very many details except to say that I am so grateful for the staff at Primary Children's hospital! They were so great with Ty and although it was still hard I think it would have been a lot harder if the doctors and nurses weren't so great. The hardest part for me was leaving him with the anesthesiologist and walking the opposite way. I pretty much bawled all the way down the hall. He was a good little guy and didn't really even cry that much. There were screaming kids all around us in the recovery room and Ty was sleeping peacefully in my arms. We are so lucky to have our precious little boy! We love you Ty!

Lately...

So much has happened since my last post. I haven't updated forever but I was reading someone else's blog the other day and they posted about how blog's can be used as a journal. I vowed I would use mine as a family journal but still update my regular journal at home with more personal stuff.

Let's start out with Ty. He is so big and I love him oh so much! I miss him when I am away from him and I love spending as much time with his him as I possibly can when I am home. He can now roll over front and back, sit up, he has 2 bottom teeth (which are to die for cute) and he is just growing up so big. I cannot believe how fast time goes and I wish I could freeze it as to not miss anything. When I took him to his 6 month appointment he weighed almost 18 lbs (70%), he was pretty tall(95%) and his head even grew(95%). He doesn't sleep through the night yet but we are working on it.

Kip is still going strong with Send Out Cards and looking for other work while doing that. He is enjoying his work and loving not having to answer to a boss. He has done well with this company and it is amazing to see how much room he has to grow there. He has been visiting a dietitian monthly and exercising a lot. He has lost about 20 lbs and looks really good. He has really made a huge change in regards to his food choices. I am really proud of him!

I am still working at Focus. I have found myself wishing more and more that I could stay home with Ty. It has gotten extremely hard for me to leave my little guy. You would think after 3 months of working that I would finally be able to balance being a wife, a mommy and working but I will admit I am the worst. I can do 2 at a time but that is about it. I am so thankful for family and prayer to help me get through it all. Hopefully I will be able to get it all down soon!

We have been doing so many fun things this summer but the biggest thing has been enjoying Kip's parents return home from their mission. Before their mission they lived in Fresno, California where Kip grew up but now they have moved here. They are living with Kip's grandma who is just a couple of doors down. It has been so much fun having them home! I know people complain about their in law's but I am really lucky in that department. They are so awesome and so much fun to have around! Kip loves living so close to them and he is really good to help them with anything they need help with. We are looking forward to them staying for awhile.

Just stuff

I'm really behind on posting because I really don't make time to update. I am still struggling with everything being so busy and me not having enough time during the day to do it all. So here is a little tiny bit of what we've been up to...enjoy!

Memorial day...
It is such a big day in our family on my dad's side and for as long as I can remember we have done the same thing. That same thing consists of hiking above G&G Jones' house to pick wild flowers for our ancestors graves. When you are done with the hike you get to enjoy donuts (kinda funny considering the calories you just burned from the hike). We then have a big yummy breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon and the best hashbrowns in the world! It is all so yummy and I am missing it as we speak. We then have an award ceremony for the flowers we picked (everyone gets one). After that my grandma gives a story about our ancestors. We then go take our flowers to the graves and then head up to Avon. Avon is a small town south east of Logan and I LOVE it! It is paradise to me! This year we decided to change it up a little and we all slept over at G&G's house the night before. Let me just say that it was so fun!

Ty went swimming for the first time last Saturday at North Shore in North Ogden. It was my nephew Aidan's birthday party and I had to work. So I was a little bummed that I would miss out on his first swimming experience but Kip decided not to let him get in until I got there. I ended up not missing it at all which was nice and he ended up loving it! We didn't get any pictures but we did get a video of it all so we will have to post that sometime.




That Friday before we went up to my parents house to get something and ended up staying for dinner and just hanging out all night. It was so much fun! We recently sold our four wheeler to my dad and Kip has been missing it. So while we were up there he took it for a ride and even took Ty for his first ride. He loved it and it looked so cute! I'm sure we will be getting one once everything settles down.




My uncle and aunt live close by and they recently had a couple of new baby horses so we drove out to see them. They were both so cute but this little guy was oh so cute! I cannot even tell you how cute Noah and my cousin Amy's little boy McCoy were with him.

Yesterday...

Yesterday was a good day! I got up went yard selling, visited with family, played with Ty, cleaned house and did laundry. I loved yesterday because I got to wake up to Ty smiling and talking his baby talk, I got to see my family and spend time yard selling, I got to visit my grandparents whom I absolutely enjoy spending time with, I got to hold Ty, I got to read to Ty, I got to rock him to sleep, I got to feed him baby food and rice, I got to clean and do laundry and lastly I got to feel like I accomplished a lot to help my family. I think most of all yesterday allowed me to be a mom and do the things that mom's do which I love!

I am incredibly blessed to have a good family and I love them so much! Yesterday one of my favorite things was Noah and Cassie coming home with not one but two gold fish. Noah was oh so cute carrying in his little bag of fish and telling us what he got. I will cherish that memory forever! Another favorite thing about yesterday was Ty and him reading with me. I read him Dr. Seus', "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish". I loved the way he looked at the pages and the baby talk he made while reading.

Life lately...

Lately life seems to be so crazy! I just don't know where all of my time goes and I feel like it is all passing way to quick. I feel like I am at work way more than I am at home and I especially miss spending time with little Ty. I live for Saturday's and Sunday's and I am a much happier person when those days come(who isn't). I haven't gotten all my laundry done in who knows how long, Kip has taken over the dishes because I feel like all of my time once home should be spent with my little guy before he goes to sleep and all those dishes can wait right. :) I think all those dirty dishes were starting to get to him and he finally decided to do them. I'm very thankful for Kip and Cassie because they are really helping me so much so that I have more time with Ty when I get home.

Kip is loving his new life and job. We started a new diet with a dietitian about a month ago and Kip is still sticking to it(I dropped it after the first week). It is very limiting to what you can eat but helps you become a healthier person and he seems to feel so much better. He loves working with send out cards and is a very big card sender now. If you know anyone that likes sending cards or invitations then send them here .

Ty is now 4 months old and he is oh so cute! I love how big he is getting but at the same time it all seems to be going way to fast. Ty is now rolling over, eating rice, drinking 6 oz of milk every feeding and throwing fits. He still doesn't laugh but I hope he will soon. I feel like I am missing him grow up since I am away at work a lot but I know he is in good hands with my mom. He stopped sleeping through the night about a week ago and now wakes up every 3 hours to eat(I am hoping this doesn't last). He is so smiley and slobbery right now. He is constantly putting everything in his mouth and I constantly have people asking me if I feed him or if he is getting teeth. I kindly respond that he isn't teething and that he is not hungry, he just does that all the time. He is so much fun and I love having him in our family!

Ty is starting to really recognize Noah and they are starting to have fun together. We love watching them interact with each other.

I am really learning to enjoy the time I do have with Ty and hope all you stay at home mom's know just how lucky you are. I am thankful to Kip and Cassie for helping so much around the house because it really feels overwhelming sometimes. I am constantly inspired by the video called, "my new life" on Nie Nie's blog. I think you all should check it out because as bad as you feel your life is there are always good things. On a side note I uploaded all of these fun pictures and decided I won't bore you with writing about them. They are pictures of what we've been up to the past month or so.