The Christiansen Family

new blog address ::

2011-11-05T08:36:00.000-06:00

it's not quite all put together yet, but the new blog is up and running!

http://christiansens-chaos.blogspot.com/

:: new blog ::

2011-11-03T21:57:00.000-06:00

thankful day #2 :: I'm thankful for my blog. However, I'm not thankful that it doesn't work. :)
apparently I've reached my blog picture limit so need to start a new one (or delete old pictures, which I'm not ready to do ...) so I'm opting for a new blog. What's a blog without pictures, right?? so stay tuned for my new blog address ::

:: grandma's and grammies ::

2011-11-02T21:26:00.003-06:00

Rolling into November :: I'm starting my thankful list, hopefully I'll be able to post once a day (afterall, it IS National Blog Posting Month, who knew??
Apparently, the object of NaBloPoMo is to have you post EVERY single day ... we'll see, but I'll give it a try. :))

First up:

Wonderful mom's who make amazing grammies & grandma's :: we love them so, so much! I feel so blessed not only to have them in MY life, but to be there as such wonderful examples and nurturers to my children. I love to listen and learn from them. I love to watch both my kids soak in every moment they have with them. I love to watch them love. and teach me and my kids how to love.

Tonight was Jackobi's {FIRST} dance performance. It was just a practice run, but she was beaming. (more to come) She was more than thrilled to have both of her grammies in the audience. Love the support and encouragement I know Jackobi and Kashton will (and already do) have from these wonderful women. We are indeed blessed.

boo ::

2011-11-01T22:20:00.000-06:00

there were so many halloween festivities this year! we had so much celebrating for several days and are officially stock piled with candy and goodies that will surely last us until Christmas (maybe even longer!!)

here's a sneak peak of the week's events:

dance::

Jackobi got to wear her costume to dance, it was super cute to see the girls all dressed up!!

the party::
we had a halloween party at Cortney's and had quite the turnout! the kids all had so much fun & Cortney was such a trooper to let us invade her house! here's almost all the kids (yes, there were MORE!)

we had a fun little treasure hunt for the older kids ::

I think they all liked the "treasure" pretty good ...

I'm pretty sure BOTH my kiddos would

go home with Jess & Hads in a heartbeat.

love them.

love our little group of friends.

we all have a pretty sweet relationship.

Jackobi and Peyton are pretty inseperable.

they have such a sweet bond.

it's not too bad being the "girl next door!!"

the kids all went "fishing" for treats

and decorated cookies.

it was a grand little party.

the grand finale ::

this is what kashton really thought of his halloween cost:ume ):)
most of the time he really didn't mind it :)

my little monsters ::

we had a pretty great halloween! We decided to let Jackobi try and really trick.or.treat through Nate's parent's neighborhood and let's just say maybe we'll have better luck next year. She wanted absolutly no part of it. I made her try it at two houses & then she threw in the towel. Oh well ... grandma made sure that bucket was plum full of candy anyways :) She did, however, LOVE handing out candy to the kids who stopped by. I like that traditon a little better, in the nice, warm house. I'm pulling for that next year :) We'll see if I'm that lucky. After she seemed to hate going door to door, when I put her to bed tonight & asked her what her favorite part of the day was she said "trick or treating at the neighbor's with papa" ... guess it was a hit afterall. So be ready to bundle up next year Ramon, it's all you :)

pumpkins galore!!

2011-10-24T12:25:00.001-06:00

October is never complete without a trip or two to the pumpkin patch! We've had a blast soaking up all fall has to offer. Jackobi is a huge fan of pumpkins, so we've made a few trips to play in the patches. Kashton thinks they're pretty neat too, Nate's convinced it's because they look like big basketballs :) we'll see I guess!

love them::

it's so fun to watch them love eachother.

it's a pretty sweet little bond they have.

we had fun painting and decorating pumpkins

(thanks Jared & Ashley for a fun night!)

and had the perfect afternoon with our playgroup.

it's so fun to watch these kids learn and grow together.

we're fully embracing halloween this week!

I can't wait to get J & K all dressed up

stay tuned ...

the great {big} pumpkin

2011-10-16T20:39:00.002-06:00

it's the great pumpkin!! literally as big as kashton. he thinks it's pretty neat, but might sing a different tune when he sees what I have in mind for this bad boy. stay tuned ::

love Jackobi's little animated face!

her pumpkin was too heavy!!

{birthday} fun

2011-10-16T20:35:00.001-06:00

Jackobi's sweet friend Jessalie had a birthday party. We had so much fun! The kids played outside, jumped on the trampolines & had fun dressing up in different costumes. SUCH a fun morning and the perfect way to celebrate a third birthday.

:: happy birthday Jessalie!

******

*******

happy birthday to my beautiful mama! it was such a beautiful day, we had a great time together with the entire fam.

they love snuggling on their grammy!

F.A.L.L. is in full swing and we're loving it.

I have some catching up to do in the blog.sphere.

Hopefully it will be a week full of posts. ♥

a good read ::

2011-09-26T15:04:00.000-06:00

Love this story. It's worth reading.

sweet kashton

2011-09-19T20:26:00.000-06:00

i couldn't resist posting this last one ... christiansen ears, anyone??

after Jackobi's little photoshoot I decided to try our luck with Kashton ... he was such a trooper, even though the grass was tickling his little feet! My favorite part about these pictuers?? {besides my darling boy of course} the trunk in the background was my great grandfathers luggage when he was in the military, how awesome is that? I'm such a sucker for anything to do with heritage or family tradition. I'm so glad my mom hung onto it for all these years.

we love, love, love this sweet boy!! Kashton's smile could literally light up a room and he's grinning ear to ear most of the time! He is such a happy baby and I can't imagine our lives without him. He loves his sissy, they "play" together so much ... she entertains him all the time and he just loves to watch her. I can't get enough of our darling children. They make life so much fuller! {and more entertaining} We can't help but feel so incredibly to be their parents, what a amazing blessings they are to us!

just jackobi ::

2011-09-15T15:13:00.000-06:00

Jackobi is our little sweetheart. I can't even believe how fast she's growing up (and I'm sure it doesn't slow down any from here on out!) Everyone told us it would go quick and get better each and every day .... and it has! This girl loves to love. She's a snuggler and great at giving hugs. She's always the first to love on Kashton in the morning and greets us each with a beaming grin when she wakes up. Her giggle is infectious. I love it. I love her.

She loves all things girl. Ribbons, purses, jewelry, bows, tutu's, nail polish and curled hair. Yep, that probably tops her list of the best things ever. I can't even believe she'll sit still for me to curl her hair! She loves to sing and dance, especially if she can convince Nate to be her "prince" :) Her favorite color is pink, but she really likes purple too. She loves kitties and hates (and I mean hates) bugs.

She's very into imaginative play these days and will have her little toys have conversations with eachother. It's pretty cute to sit and overhear. She still loves to have tea parties and is into "grocery shopping". Its pretty funny when she rattles off what's on her grocery list for that trip. She loves to be outside and help pick whatever she can from the garden. The trampoline is her new favorite thing to do ... I'm sure we'll log many more hours on it this fall!

She loves to read. Her favorite books are the Pinkilicious books and the Little Critter books. She loves any princess movie and lately is really into Mary Poppins. We spend most afternoons painting or drawing while Kashton naps. She loves to learn and wants so badly to go to school ... we'll try out pre.school next year. She talks all the time about how she'll get to ride the bus when she's older (we'll just see about this one!) Her favorite food is rice, if she could eat it every day I think she would!! Her favorite snack is popcorn (her daddy's daughter!) or chocolate chips!

we love this girl to pieces.

she just makes life fuller.

:: life is sweet ::

2011-09-14T10:24:00.000-06:00

this little girl is a constant reminder of just how sweet life really is.
everyday is an adventure, and a good one at that.

love her. for every wonderful thing she is

and for making me better each and every day.

dancing queen

2011-09-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

Jackobi started dance last week and to say she l.o.v.e.d it would be an understatement!! That's all she can talk about. She's taking a tap/ballet combo class and says she likes ballet better so far. We can't wait for little dance recitals in our future! sure love our little ballerina! ♥

summer wrap-up!

2011-09-13T22:05:00.000-06:00

disclaimer: photo OVERLOAD ahead! :)

I've finally come to the realization that summer has come to an end. The mornings are brisk and you can smell of fall in the air ... I love summer, but am oh so ready for fall! It's my favorite time of year, so we're ready to fully embrace it's goodness (as long as that goodness, doesn't include another freak October snow storm :))

here's a quick wrap-up of the rest of our summer festivities!

took the kidlets to the fair.
we were greatly outnumbered, but survived! :)

love this bench of girls! so fun!

the cows, as always, were a hit. they loved touching the slimy nose (I couldn't convince Jackobi to try touching it, she was grossed out that he licked his boogers ... good girl :))

as always, Kashton was all smiles. this boy {loves} the outdoors!

there's something so quaint and small town about our fair, I love it!

it was the perfect day to walk hand in hand with friends & discuss adventures.

we had a blast.

I finally took the plunge and chopped my hair for Locks of Love. Nearly a foot of hair and three years of growing ... the summer days sure feel lots cooler!

had fun hanging out with girlfriends ::

:: welcomed home a missionary

****
We celebrated Alivia's FOURTH birthday. Her mama threw her a grand hello kitty party. Jackobi is still taking about the stickers {and} pinata! Happy birthday livy!

:: the crew (minus little brothers :))

the pinata was a hit! literally! it was fun to watch each kid take a turn swinging their bat at it. pretty cute and comical!

Jackobi swings like her dad.

doesn't that stance scream baseball??

let's home Kashton doesn't swing a bat that way :)

always fun to get the treat from inside!

and just enjoyed sunshine and family ::

and did our best to enjoy the ride ::

half a year

2011-08-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

summer :: take one.

2011-07-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

Wow, where has the summer gone?? I'm so behind on blogging our summer fun ... I thought I'd try and squeeze the first half into one blog entry .... beware, there's LOTS of pictures. We hope everyone's summertime adventures have been grand! We're loving every ounce of sunshine and soaking in as much of it as we can!

we've watched some baseball.
casey's team won the RBI tournament this year.

Nate, Casey and Camille

went to the Rockies v. Braves game.

Go Braves!!

beach party ::

ready to dig in the sand!

Grant & Kashton.
5 weeks apart & bound to be buds!

a little time on the tramp.

I love to watch her catch air!

silly friends! This was such a fun day! We went out to Paul & Kathy's awesome back yard, played at the beach for a bit, had popsicles and a picnic under the tramp, swam and jumped on the tramp with the sprinkler underneath. Love these little girls! They're so fun right now!

went on pony rides ::

Cortney and Whitney are always so generous and willing to round up a few of their horses to let the kids have rides. I know it's a lot of work for them, but the kids have so so much fun! We're so lucky to have such great friends! Jackobi loves to ride Roy ... he's her favorite by far! What a fun day, Jackobi's becoming quite the cowgirl.

playing inside Maybree's play house between rides. These girls seriously know how to ham it up!

we've got a little cowgirl on our hands!

from what I hear, her daddy was quite

the little cowboy when he was little too :)

(crazy drivers!! I have a feeling we're in for it when Maybree gets her license!)

fed ducks at Bruce & Kari's ::

spent a day at the zoo ::

Lainey & Sara feeding the pelicans and ducks

Jackobi and Lainey

kashton was all smiles ♥

Jackobi was a fan of the lion water fountain

the zoo was a hit. we headed up to Idaho Falls for the weekend to see Chris & Sara and had such a fun few days away! The guys golfed and we took the kiddo's to the zoo. It was so much fun! The girls were really into the animals this year, so that was nice. We can't wait to go again!

headed to deer creek for a little family fun::

played in bounce houses & water slides ::
{happy birthday luke!!}

For Luke's birthday Mary rented a bounce house and huge water slide. She was nice enough to have all the kids out to play. SUCH a fun party and we had perfect weather for it! Jackobi was a little scared of the slide at first, but once she tried it out, I could hardly get her off of it!!

a few of the kiddo's on the slide

love these crazy kids!

and swam, swam & swam!

Kashton's first time in the pool was a success!

We've also had our fair share of playing in the water ::

we're loving every ounce of summer

and hope you are too! we can't wait

for more adventures in the sunshine!

☆ celebrating independence ☆

2011-07-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

I'm convinced that no one does the 4th of July quite like Rupert. It's one thing that this small, quaint community does right. A week long celebration, it was one of my favorite things growing up and still is. I'm pretty sure it's a big reason why the 4th of July is my absolute favorite!

our little firecrackers

they're so so fun!

especially {together}

daily trips to the square are a must.
we loved the food .. friends .. family
and did we mention fireworks??

Jackobi, as always, loved the fireworks. Pink and purple are her favorites. Kashton's eyes were glued to the sky. Nate had to work the night of the fireworks so we had a little fireworks show of our own. We had fun with sparklers and learned that among Jason's many talents, he can sommersault with sparkler in hand. [picture below] We roasted marshmellows and had a fun little celebration.

☆☆☆☆☆

[july 4th]

we started the morning off right
red, white and blue pancakes
yes, please!

then headed to the parade with mom, Sara and Emaiya. It was so much fun and perfect weather. The girls loved the parade and the half.dozen popsicles they shared between the two of them. After the parade we headed to Ike & Roberta's for a picnic.

me & my girl ::

the crew! headed down to get our final firework fix before stands closed.

we love grandpa!

Jackobi & Syd trying out their "firework" cupcakes ... yum!

later we headed to Joann & Brad's for some family fun.

at the end of the day, it was home sweet home. we're lucky enough to have an awesome view to our neighbor's firework show. it was the perfect end to our day. snuggled up with my two little kidlets (hopefully next year nate won't have to work!) doesn't get much better. happy independence day. we're so thankful for the wonderful nation we live in and all those who have seved to keep us safe and free.

{first foods}

2011-06-16T15:22:00.000-06:00

love this little face!

We've been attempting rice cereal the past week or so. Crazy to think our little man is old enough to start solids. Boy does time fly.

the first bite ...

the first reaction.

I don't blame ya buddy,

it tastes yucky.

our little helper girl ::

[4 month stats]

18 pounds

26 inches

the nurse laughed when I asked what "percentile" he was in.

she said the 100th ... he's "thriving" to say the least.

I'm on a heath kick & can't wait to get this bad boy to start making my own baby food. Yes ... I'm feeling domestic. ♥

:: little adventures::

2011-06-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

{Shoshone Falls = gorgeous}

Having kids has exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable. It's the best job in the entire world. I love the joy & excitement they bring to just about every aspect of our day. There is never a dull moment and everyday is a new adventure, with fun, "new" things to discover and do.

I have loved this summer so far and am trying to greet each day as a new adventure. Jackobi is learning and growing so fast! It's fun to watch her branch out and try new things.

Kashton is our happy, smily boy! He's always up for a new "adventure"

these pictures are from a little earlier in the Spring, but I couldn't resist posting them anyways. The week of Easter Taylor caught a baby bunny. It was so fun and cute to watch Peyton and Jackobi. They were thrilled at their new bunny friend (much more thrilled than the baby bunny might I add)

look close below... he's hiding in the grass. (yes, we washed and washed our hands afterwards :))What a fun little Easter adventure::

part of the joy is sharing those adventures with old friends ::

Sara was the first new friend I made out of high school

&& has been there ever since.

I'm so glad our girls love eachother.

Anna and Jackobi:: these two crazy girls have so much fun together. I have a feeling they'll keep us all on our toes as they grow older and more michevious!

Jackobi looks like she's reeling in a big fish in this one :: really she found digging in the dirt with her pole more entertaining. maybe one day we'll actually let her fish with a hook :)

it didn't take long for the girls to toss their poles aside & literally "dig in"

everything Jackobi mixes and makes these days is "potato soup"

too bad when I actually make it, she never eats it ... maybe this is why!

Kashton wasn't a very big fan of our "fishing" adventure. (excuse the Princess chair ... I'm sure Nate will be thrilled with this picture :) )

No matter what it is, there is a new twist of excitment put on everything we do.

They make every day full of life and love.

We're working on our Summer "bucket list" ... what's on yours?

Here's to many more summer adventures!

:: big dreams ::

2011-06-05T02:22:00.000-06:00

:: celebration ::

I love graduation time. There is so much hope and excitement in the future. Dreams are big and hopes are high. It is a little reminder to dream a little bigger and that the sky really is the limit.

Casey graduated this year which is really crazy. Life will sure change when he moves away for college. We're excited for him. Excited for his future. Excited for the possibilities.

Jackobi is proud of her graduate too. She liked his silly "dress" and hat.

{{camille & kashton}} [[jason & jackobi]]

****

It was big graduation year for our families. Congrats to all of our graduates.

braxton.

love this kid.

we'll miss him next year.

Congrats to our cousins Chase, Dusty & Abbey.

We wish we could have been there to celebrate with you!

our girl is so fun & full of life.

she's growing up so fast.

I hope she dreams big.

I want to remember to dream big.

:: take me out to the ballgame ::

2011-05-26T14:55:00.000-06:00

{district champs}

When I started dating Nate, I pretty much knew nothing about baseball. The boys were cute and I had a little Yankee baseball cap. {which I had to trash, since we're Braves fans in this house} that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge. Now, it's something that I absolutly love. It's a part of our family and I can't imagine our Spring/Summer without ballgames.

This year as baseball season came to an end it's been a little bittersweet. Casey is a Senior and come next season, it will take an airplane ride to watch him play. But you better believe we're going to watch him play. It's one of our favorite things.

I couldn't resist! Jackobi gets a kick of seeing Casey on TV. We DVR'd a couple of his interviews so she can watch them whenever she wants. She likes her Uncle Case just a little bit :)

Nate has helped coach the past couple of years and really loves it. Jackobi has loved going to the baseball field and running around with him. It's a little bonding moment for them. I don't think J is going to give up her seat next to her Daddy in the Gator anytime soon!

With a Minico baseball season, a trip to Boise for State comes each Spring. We had lots of fun this year and were so happy to have some sunny skies! (last year it snowed!)

Kashton did his best to rock a mini mo.hawk to support his Spartans & Jackobi loved every ounce of sunshine we were able to soak in.

and although victory wasn't in our future, it was sure fun to watch these boys grow as a team.

love these two.

the hotel was a hit

{at least with Jackobi}

she keeps asking to go back.

Kashton wasn't a fan.

We've loved this baseball season and are sad to see it end! Luckily, we'll have some summer ball to keep us busy ... if {summer} ever decides to come that is!

rain, shine ::and:: the idaho wind

2011-05-15T17:29:00.000-06:00

The weeks have been flying by and we've been keeping busy in our little world over here. Everyday when Nate gets home from baseball, the sun setting in the background, he asks Jackobi what we've done all day ... and she always responds, played with (insert friend's name here, whether it be Peyton or Anna ... whether we did or not.) and then an I don't know Dad. Our weeks have felt insanley busy, but if you were to ask me what we've done, I'm really not sure! I guess the simple pleasures of life have been keeping us busy.

Our poor little would be flower bed has become a digging haven for Jackobi. It's her daily ritual (as long as the sun is out & the wind isn't blowing 20 miles per hour.) She builds castles with slides running down them and stacks mounds of dirt as high as she can stand it before knocking it over. Lots of giggles and imagination happen in this little corner of our yard.

We've started to try and embrace the Idaho wind (as if we really have a choice). The sprinkle of sunny days we've had over the past weeks have made us even more antsy for the weeks of warm sunshine and sunkist cheeks that I know must be coming soon. In the mean time, we bought a kite to celebrate the wind.

I decided that kites are a glorious thing. Jackobi adores it. It's fun to watch daddy and daughter hand in hand, running underneath that kite. It makes me not cringe quite so hard when the breeze is a little too much for Kashton and me.

and then there's bubbles. We love bubbles in our house. Spring would not be complete if there weren't days upon days spent blowing, chasing and catching bubbles.

sheer excitement and bliss. love it.

Kashton is being quickly initiated into our Spring festivities.
I'm sure he'll be joining in the fun before I can blink.

Summer is so close I can almost taste it.

Hopefully it's filled with more of our

favorite simple pleasures.

{three} months

2011-04-29T17:20:00.000-06:00

Can't believe our little man is already three months old! It's amazing how quickly this sweet boy changed our lives and none of us could imagine a day without him. He is such a good and happy baby. He loves to SMILE and be talked to. He's at such an interactive stage, it's so fun! He is seriously so happy and smiley all the time. I love the big slobbery grin! This boy loves to eat and it shows! He's weighing in at a whopping 16 1/4 pounds, but has it pretty evenly distributed (he's pretty long! 24" last we checked, but it's been a few weeks.). He's our little chunky monkey! He is absolutly mesmerized by books and will lay and read with Jackobi and I forever. He loves his baths and tummy time, but really is such a content baby most of the time. He's been such a great addition to our family, it's amazing how the dynamics have already changed so much. It's pretty great.

It might be too early to tell, but we're thinking he's going to have some baby blue eyes ... what do you think?

easter "egg"stravaganza!

2011-04-25T14:43:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love Spring, Easter and the symbols of new life you find everywhere. Easter is one of my favorites for sure. There is just something hopeful about the coming of Spring.

We had a busy Easter week filled with lots of fun things. If you know me, I'm a "to do" list kind of girl. I usually have sticky notes everywhere reminding me of what I need to accomplish or do. This week, we threw the sticky notes & lists aside (most of the time :)) and just tried to soak up every ounce of this Easter season.

We had a few friends over to dye Easter Eggs. This was a HUGE hit for Jackobi! She loved picking her color and waiting to see what magically appeared when she pulled her egg out of the color filled cup. Green was her favorite.

I was plesantly surprised how careful she was and how patiently she waited for each egg to come out. She wanted the colors to be brilliant & beautiful. And they were.

They loved the end result and were more than proud to take their creations home. And for some reason, they were all really excited to EAT their creations.

funny faces!!

these silly girls make me smile.

they embrace life and new adventure.

Later in the week we had a little Easter party. It was grand.

The Easter Egg Hunt was a hit.

Here's our little group of kiddos ... pretty sure they weren't too happy we made them sit here for a picture before the free frawl began! Pretty cute just the same!

I'm a sucker for tradition, and an Easter Egg hunt is one that can't be missed! It was so much fun to watch these little bodies scatter thru the yard searching for colorful eggs. Even more fun to watch them as they discovered they were CANDY filled!

Jackobi's basket full of sweet goodness!

She learned how to pop these suckers open pretty quick!

Checking out their goodies!

life is good. then enters ... the Easter Bunny!

Why is it that mama's like to torture their kid's with bunny pictures?? Oh it's so funny!
I have gotten a good many laughs looking at these "screaming baby" pictures so thought I'd share them ...

Jackobi had such a fun morning hanging out with her little friends!

and ended it with even a little more sugar ... who wouldn't want to eat a bunny cupcake??

***

Saturday we had ANOTHER Easter Egg Hunt at Nate's Grandpa & Grandma Christiansen's house. It was fun to get together with his cousin's little kids and search for eggs.

Jackobi and Sydney did pretty good for themselves, they found most of the money eggs! Lucky girls! Before too long they'll be old enough to go and spend it together!

The egg hunters!
Jase, Kyler, Jackobi, Sydney, Hannah and baby Payden

I bumped the settings on my camera so the lighting is a bit weird on these, but I had to get a group shot!

Easter Morning was so much fun! Jackobi tip toed towards her basket and after the trauma of meeting the bunny earlier in the week had to peak around the corner to make sure he wasn't still there. It was pretty cute. If you know Jackobi at all, you know that she loves dresses. In fact, she insists on wearing a dress or skirt of some sort every single day. The fluffier the better. So she was more than thrilled to get a new Easter dress and model it for us often.

She was even more excited that Kashton matched her pretty new dress.
I know he's a little young & small for a tie ... but I just couldn't resist!

our easter sweets.

love them.

hope your easter was happy

filled with what you love most

{birthday, bowling and bounce houses}

2011-04-21T21:31:00.000-06:00

My sweet neice Anna Leigh turned three last weekend! She has such a wild & spunky personality. I love it! She definately keeps us on our toes. We had a little party at the bowling alley and it was an absolute blast! Jackobi hasn't ever really been bowling, so it was a fun new adventure for us. She loved it.

The cake was a hit. You can't go wrong with Dora the Explorer.

Clearly, there was a very excited three year old prior to the party.

The picture below depicts just how much she enjoyed the frosting on her cake.

Bowling prooved to be a hit with our bunch. Jackobi loved to roll the ball down the ramp and we ALL loved having bumpers on our lane!

The next day we ventured to Party Hardy for some bounce house fun! A good majority of the time we had the place to ourselves ... it was fantastic!! Love that place and the ENERGY it takes out of my little girl ... she sure did get a good nap later in the day!

Anna is much more daring than Jackobi and LOVED this blasted slide. It's HUGE and I had to go with her since she's so little. I'll admit, the first time I went it freaked me out a little, but by the 20th time, we were pro's! Love this wild child!

Jackobi preferred the miniature slide ... now that's more my style!

it was a grand weekend.

birthday, bowling and bounce houses

life doesn't get much better.

unless you're anna ... double dipping

in the pre.birthday frosting.

life sure is good.

{blessed}

2011-04-20T14:30:00.000-06:00

We blessed Kashton a couple of weeks ago, what a great day for our family!

It's no secret that Kashton gets pretty fired up if he wakes up mid nap and Nate picks him up, so when he woke up at the beginning of his blessing I think Nate was a little nervous. But Kashton just gazed up at him the entire time and was so peaceful and quiet. Almost as though he was feeling the strong spirit in the circle, I know I could feel it and I was half way back in the chapel. We are so incrediblily blessed to have such a wonderful baby with such a sweet little spirit. We are continually reminded what a wonderful blessing it is to be parents and are so grateful for this amazing gift.

Jackobi is one proud big sister!

She adores Kashton and radiates love & happiness (especially in this picture!)

Our sweet boy.

We blessed Kashton in the same outfit and blanket that Nate was blessed in so that was pretty special! We're so grateful to have been blessed with this precious boy. He has already brought so much joy and happiness to our family!

Thank you so much to our wonderfully supportive family & friends who made the effort to be there for us on our special day. It was indeed a great moment for our family.

horseys & birthdays

2011-04-18T17:19:00.000-06:00

We've had a pretty busy and fun Spring despite the weather. Now we're here ... almost May and hoping one day soon we can venture to the park. I'm so thankful for fun friends to help occupy us during these cold weeks when we're ready to come out of hibernation! Here's a peak at what we've been up to!

Peyton turned TWO recently and we had a great time at her little party. Jackobi was obsessed with the little noise maker and has fished it out of the garbage a few times. (aparently I need to be more sneaky!) What a fun little group of friends!

Casey also turned the big 1-8- crazy to think this boy was only 9 years old when Nate & I started dating.

Jackobi sure loves him a lot! It will be so different when he graduates and goes to college!

We've had some pretty fun activities at our weekly play dates. Cortney organized a day for us all to head to her arena and ride horses. It was so much fun! Jackobi was really timid at first, but once she hopped on it was hard to get her off! She's been asking since when we get to ride horses again, such a fun day!

Jackobi and Peyton

Jackobi & Evie

Jackobi & Jessalie waiting for their turn!

It was so nice to have such a fun activity to do. The arena was the perfect place especially with the darn Idaho wind. Hopefully soon it will warm up and we can ride again outdoors!

it's not April fools ...

2011-04-13T14:50:00.000-06:00

I wish I was as thrilled as Jackobi was when big, fluffy flakes started to fall on Friday. She was beyond excited for some snow. That night before Nate got home, we couldn't help but take advantage of the windless (doesn't happen often here!) peaceful night and play in some of the fluffy white stuff! Hopefully this is our last opportunity to dive in the snow for quite some time!

Kashton was pretty content inside while his sister played.

Hopefully next time is snows he can play with her!

Luckily, this week we were able to seize a sunny opportunity and play outside for a few hours. Those 50 degree days when the Idaho wind isn't screaming are a precious commodity these days! Jackobi and Peyton thought it'd be fun to ride bikes. Great idea in theory ... we'll have to spend a few more sunny days this summer working on the petaling aspect of riding bikes!

Love these two girls. They're so much fun to watch play and learn together. I'm so thankful that on days when we have literally a 2 hour window of sunny play time we can walk across the street for a little adventure. I'm excited for many more summer days of playing & teaching our girls to ride their bikes. I see lots of sidewalk chalk and popsicles in our future!

it's pure madness

2011-04-08T15:25:00.000-06:00

We sure enjoyed some March Madness in our house this year!

I know they lost ... but we're still pretty big tarheel fans in our house!

Our little tarheels!

Jackobi filled out her very own bracket this year. She picked lots of upsets, unfortunately, none of those upsets actually happened! Better luck to ALL of us in our brackets next year. Everyone in our house failed miserably.

for now, we'll pack away the cheer outfit.

until next season ...

{smiles}

2011-03-24T15:37:00.000-06:00

this little guy melts my heart...

sunshine and rainbows

2011-03-19T16:24:00.000-06:00

Isn't it funny how some things are relative? Like a warm, sunshine day. In March, we're thrilled for a 50* day (without the Idaho wind), but come September we'll be fleeing indoors when the temperature drops. We got a taste of Spring last weekend with our 50* day and loved every moment of it. I dropped Kashton off with my mom (50* as relatively warm as it is... is still too chilly for my 6 week old!) while Jackobi and I headed to soak up some of those glorious rays & play outdoors.

We became re-acquainted with some of our favorite toys very quickly. We swung high, crawled through tunnels and searched for treasures. Pinecones & silly shaped rocks topped this list of favorites.

It was a grand Saturday outing. We smelled Spring and the fresh air gave us both a shot of energy and life. (we've been getting the Winter blues in our house and were in much NEED of some sunshine!!)

Since then, we have had nasty, rainy days. It seems like Mother Nature played a cruel little joke on us as now, even more than before, we're longing for SPRING to come (and STAY!) Being back in hibernation I've had to get some creative juices flowing to keep both of us entertained and happy since the wind is howling outside!

To celebrate St. Patrick's day we made some rainbow cupcakes. They were SO FUN and tasted pretty yummy too. Best part ... they were SUPER easy and Jackobi loved picking and layering the colors.

Frosting and decorating her rainbow goodness was an even bigger hit than baking the cupcakes.

I guess this is what you get when your sous chef is a three year old.

a massive mound of colored sugar & sprinkles.

I must admit ... it DID taste pretty good.

She was pretty pleased with the final product. The rainbow was pretty delightful when you broke the cupcake open.

it felt like a pretty lucky st. patricks day.
here's hoping for more spring to come ...
indoor or out.

:: support ::

2011-03-16T17:04:00.000-06:00

This post is well overdue, but still much needed! During my entire pregnancy and since Kashton has been born Nate and I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of love, support and encouragement from our wonderful family and friends. I know they're always "there" for us, but when these happy moments happen in our lives I can't help but notice a little more and once again remember how incredibily blessed we are.

{{I have learned about myself that I'm TERRIBLE at remembering to take pictures when I have a new baby ... so thank you everyone who let me bet, borrow & steal these pictures!!}}

Sara & Heather threw a little open house to welcome Kashton to the world. It was perfect. I have the best sister & friend in the world. Thank you guys for making it a special day!

Thank you everyone who has come to show your support. So many of you have traveled hours, brought meals and just surrounded us with your love. Thank you all so much, we appreaciate you more than you'll ever know!

Here's a few pictures of Kashton's many visitors over the past weeks ... he is one loved little boy!

we enjoyed the ride ...

2011-03-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we traveled to Boise to watch Casey play his final games as a Spartan. And although the State basketball adventure didn't quite turn out like we all had hoped, that doesn't mean that we didn't enjoy this season of basketball greatness any less! Jackobi LOVED each and every game. Most of the time you could catch her waving her pom pom yelling "GO CASEY" or "GO MINICO" ... this week in fact, she put on her little cheerleading outfit and ran through the house doing exactly that.

cheering on her favorite Spartan! After every game, Jackobi had to greet Casey with a huge hug. No matter how long we had to wait, we had to stay until he left the locker room so she could see him. She's one pretty proud neice!!

Kashton was an absolute gem the entire weekend. We drug him to crowded, loud gyms and he was perfect. It was the perfect weekend to debut his new Minico attire ... hopefully little shirt this will last us through baseball season as well, but as fast as this little guy is growing I won't hold my breath!

:: future cheerleader ::

sweet kiddos! I love them!

we had such a great weekend away.

we loved basketball this year, but are

super excited for baseball to start!!

{one month}

2011-02-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe what a whirlwind the last month has been! It's hard to believe that Kashton has already been a part of our family for an entire month. But at the same time, it's hard to imagine he's ONLY been part of our family for a month. I can't imagine our lives without him!

He's already been such a good baby. Seriously the only time he cries is when he's hungry. (and this boy likes to EAT! he's a little tank!!)) He weighs 11 1/2 pounds & is 23 inches long already! He has outgrown most of his newborn clothes & is in his 3 month outfits ((some a little baggy, but for the most part fit!))

Kashton has been awake a lot more the past couple of weeks & loves to look around & "talk" to us. He's thrown us little grins from pretty early on, but now smiles at us LOTS and loves interaction when he's awake. He absolutly loves Jackobi. Her voice, her snuggles & especially when she sings to him. It's been so fun to watch the two together. The instant bond. She loves him & I love seeing Jackobi embrace her sister role. I'm sure it will be even more fun as they grow together!

He loves his baths and is instantly relaxed, but isn't a fan of getting out (the picture says it all!). He has such good control over his head & is gaining more & more strength each day. He's a pretty good sleeper, but we're still working on getting him to sleep for longer periods at night. ((please soon!!)) Juggling two has been challanging at times, but mostly fun. It's amazing how much the dynamics of things have changed in our house, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

s.i.c.k.

2011-02-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

we've had a rough week. I think there should really be some rule that a new mom can NOT get sick alongside her 3 year old for an entire week. luckily kashton is a trooper and hasn't caught any of our illness.

we've spent the week having some highs and lows. surrounded by vicks, kleenex & chicken noodle soup, but are thankfully on the mend ((please ...))

Jackobi is the most plesant sicky of us all. she's cheerful even when she feels awful. I wish I could have her attitude. I guess endless ♫ disney pandora ♪ and popsicles to numb a sore throat would be fun for any three year old. Yep, I'm that cool of a mom. ((they were real berry popsicles ... healthy, right??))

my house is a disaster. and I mean a "stop by at your own risk" kind of disaster. mounds of laundry, dishes and 1/2 finished crafty projects by Jackobi. I guess at least with any energy we were able to muster up,at least we didn't waste it on housework. :) we still made attempts & having a little fun.

here's hoping for a healthy week next week. hopefully the fluffy white stuff stays for a few days so we can play in it one last time before Spring {hopefully} makes it's debut.

champs

2011-02-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

they're the best in the district

no doubt about it

... and did I mention they [throttled]
Twin Falls in the district championship?
53-28 they made it obvious who deserved it.

Congrats Spartans.

:: wins ::

2011-02-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

the wait is over ... Minico is going to State!

we've had so much fun watching Casey play basketball this year. last night was the icing on the cake for the season so far. after 22 years of waiting, he & his teammates are [finally] taking the Spartans back to the State tourney.

doesn't get much better than this.

keep it up Spartans.

[four] more wins.

happy [love] day ...

2011-02-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

or if you live in the Christiansen household...

I really should say week!!!

We have had so much fun celebrating love day this year! We're a little bombarded by 3 of our families 4 birthdays happening the 2 weeks prior to Valentines day, but I still wanted to make an effort to enjoy spreading some love day cheer.

we enjoyed painting fingers & toes...

well ... maybe kashton didn't "enjoy" it ...

and made some sweet valentines...

and some yummy treats ...

luckily, cake pops & cake balls were a hit for j's birthday && love day
thank goodness! they sure took more effort than I anticipated!!

and made some more treats...

then frosted them with yummy goodness ...
this holiday is literally "sweet" in our house!

here's my [two] favorite valentine treats ...
add my amazing husband && life is good.

best valentines to date.
hope your day [or week] was full of love

three years young ♥

2011-02-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Jackobi adores the book Pinkalicious. So when we talked about what "kind" of party she wanted for her birthday she eagerly squealed: "PINK, pink, pink!" So Pinkilicious it was.

My sweet Jackobi, I can hardly believe she's already three years old!! She absolutly radiates happiness & sweetness. Her laugh is contagious and her silly personality has us continually smiling. What a joyful girl she is!! I couldn't have asked for a better big sister for Kashton. In the short two weeks he's been part of our family she has absolutly embraced and loved him. Some days she'll look at me and say "Mom ... I just lobe him" Such a sweet little soul! She gives the best hugs & kisses and is still a little snuggler ((which I LOVE)).

Jackobi loves to sing and dance. It's one of her favorite things to do. One of the first things that calms Kashton down is her singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" to him. She sang it almost daily when I was pregnant, so he must recognize it!! Some of her other favorite things to do are draw, color, read books and puzzles. She is such a good helper and loves to help with anything we're doing. She's a fan of cooking, loading laundry into the washer/dryer and mopping. Hopefully one day soon I can put these good habits to some use!! We're eagerly awaiting Spring, being outside is probably her most favorite thing of all!

Jackobi is about as girly as they come. She loves twirly dresses and it's hard to convince her to wear anything BUT a dress! The fluffier the better! She loves to paint her nails and dress up like Princesses on a daily basis. She also really LOVES going to watch Casey play basketball. She'll yell GO MINICO or GO CASEY and twirl her little pom pom. Secretly, I think she goes mostly for the popcorn, but the game is a nice perk. :)

Jackobi is so silly and sweet.
I can't imagine life without her.
What an amazing gift we were blessed with.

We love you so much Jackobi!!
Happy, happy birthday, we hope your day was wonderful!!

PaRtY TiMe!!

2011-02-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've come to the realization that blogging has become MUCH harder with two kiddos! So in my best attempt to keep somewhat caught up, I'm breaking Jackobi's birthday into a couple different posts. So here goes! Hopefully there's more to come soon!!

Our sweet girl turned THREE last Thursday. She has been so amazing with Kashton & loves him so much. But I decided that she needed to feel EXTRA special on her day so we left him with Grandma for a couple of hours and had a little party with her friends at Party Hardy.

What a fun morning we had!!! Aparently Thursday's aren't very busy, so we had the whole place to ourselves! It was so much fun!! The kids bounced, climbed, crawled & slid to the hearts content. They had an absolute ball!

Evie & Jackobi

These two are quite comical together! They can pull some pretty silly faces for the camera too!

Maybree, Evie, Jackobi & Alli
I'm still not sure how we got them to sit there STILL long enough for a picture!

Thanks everyone for coming & making Jackobi's day so fun and special!!
What a great little group of friends we've got!

Baby [K]

2011-02-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here's our little man ... we're pretty smitten with him!

Kashton's Story

2011-02-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Kashton Tate Christiansen

Born January 26that 2:02 PM

8 pounds 4 ounces

21 inches long

I'll spare you all some of the details, but wanted to write down a little about Kashton's birth so I don't forget!

We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 AM on the 26th all nerves and excited jitters. I had been progressing for weeks and been scheduled to be induced. 8:15 they started my pitocin & 9:00 AM broke my water. Once my water broke my contractions started coming more regurlary. About every 3 minutes (and they felt hard!!) It felt like a long morning and my progression was slow. About 12:30 to my sweet relief, the anestheologist was finally out of surgery & I got my epidural. At this point I was at a 7 & VERY thankful for modern pain meds! Once I received my epidural, my contractions came fast. With both of my deliveries, once my body relaxes from the epidural I "go fast" as the nurses would say. And it's a good thing. Shortly after, with each contraction Kashton's heartrate would drop. Low enough that the nurses were worried. It would pick right back up after the contraction was over, but drop instantly when the next would come. They put me on oxgyn & had me alternate laying on my sides to try and help this, but it didn't much. It was still dropping. My Dr. came in and decided it was time to push. Mid pushing, we found the problem. Kashton had his umbilical cord wrapped not once, but twice around his little neck. Dr. J quickly unwrapped the cord and a few pushes later (with the help of some suction, we were trying to get him out & the sooner the better!) ... he came. He came and didn't cry. It was silent long enough for Nate to ask why he wasn't crying. Those were the scariest moments of my life. I remember looking at a worried Nate and then it happened, the sound of a perfect screaming infant. Sweet relief. Sweet, sweet relief. A respitory specialist & our nurses checked him out & about 10 minutes later he was placed snugly in our arms. Perfect. Those first moments are always so precious. We're so thrilled to have our sweet little boy here. He has dark hair (which has already lightened up a lot) and is a great baby. We're loving this little adventure & our family of four.

Nate & Kashton when he was BRAND new!

Jackobi meets Kashton for the first time. She wasn't too sure what to think, but is totally in love with him now. She's a great helper!

proud big sister? I think so!!

Heading home from the hospital!!

She's decided she likes to hold Kashton ... a lot. Thankfully she figured out the whole head support thing a little better than in this picture!

.. 2 days old ..

Keeping things interesting & making sure we don't forget her.

Let the adventure begin!!

:: {K} and {J} ::

2011-02-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to blog lately.

These two little sweeties are occupying all of my time. ♥

I promise there will be more pictures to come!

:: new year ::

2011-01-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

..spent the new year with my two favorites..

resolution #1: soak up as much of them as I can in 2011! ♥

happy new years everyone!

top {ten} of twenty {ten}

2011-01-01T17:12:00.001-07:00

I love the feeling of freshness a new year brings!

It's a great time for {reflection} and new goals.

Looking back through the past year, here's a few of our favorite memories!

[[ gonzaga bulldogs game @ the kennell ]]
...any zags fan knows what a big deal this is ...

{birthday in las vegas}
l.o.v.e.d my surprise trip to The Lion King

{our sweet girl turned TWO}

:: state baseball ::
[and the infamous mowhawk it comes with]

:: finding out #2 is on the WAY && it's a BOY ::

{{sister visits}}

[[ 4th of July ... yes, the entire week ]]

{{girls trips to vegas}}
♥♥♥

:: baseball games ::

☼ summertime outings ☼

spontaneous trips to the mountains

*****

What a great & memorable year 2010 was!

What was your favorite moment??

We're so excited for all that's in store for 2011 ... it's gonna be a {{b.i.g.}} one!

yes ... i realize that technically that's eleven, but who's really counting??

cHriStMas

2010-12-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas!! Jackboi was so excited this year and had a really hard time falling asleep this year. ((I'm sure it only gets better!)) We had to wake her up so we could make Bubba's phone call, but the instant we told her that Santa had come, she was ready! She stumbled out of bed & drowsily marched to see her goodies.

I'm pretty sure it took her a few minutes to figure out what was going on, but once she got the hang of things was delighted with each package.

Such a wonderful morning! We were all spoiled!

((we DID learn this year, that clothes aren't as exciting as toys. Note to self: make her open clothes FIRST next year, then toys :))

Jackobi got this little pony from Santa.
He's now affectionately known as "Prince"
EVERY day since, she's thrown on her new sleeping beauty dress & rode her pony.

We had fun celebrating with both of our familes, it's always a bit chaotic, but a fun day!

Anna didn't waste much time before ripping into this bad boy! She knew JUST what to do!

Sara & Jackobi

::The many faces of Jackobi ::

We had such a {magical} Christmas! I can hardly believe it has already come and gone so quickly! Our little family is creating our own traditions & loving every minute.

Soon our little trio will be {plus} one ...

I can't wait to see what the New Year holds for us!

Christiansen Party

2010-12-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

This year we switched things up a bit & had the Christiansen Christmas party a few days BEFORE Christmas rather than on Christmas Day.

Santa was able to come and visit & it was PRETTY exciting!! Jackobi still isn't too sure about him, but decided she'd sit on his lap for her little gift.

Camille & Jackobi

[the boys]

::exhausted::
opening presents is HARD WORK!!

I was kinda lame taking pictures, but it was a great night! The perfect way to kick off our Christmas celebration!

cookies & jammies

2010-12-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

We had fun making Santa cookies this year!!

Jackobi had a blast "painting" the cookies with frosting. Santa is sure going to get a SWEET surprise when he takes a taste of these babies!

♥ feel the love ♥
these two sweeties are best buds & make Christmas SO FUN!!

We hope everyone is ready for a visit from Jolly Ol' St. Nick tonight!
Casey & Jason made it back on the "good list" just in time
[[this is according to Jackobi]]

I sure know everyone in our house is pretty excited!

... and the BEST is yet to come!!

:: Tis the Season ::

2010-12-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

I love soaking in the Spirit of Christmas! There's something so magical about this time of year. Between the lights, excitement & chaotic days filled with shopping, decorating & planning and the nights booked with parties, games & other events. We've had a VERY eventful, but WONDERFUL December so far! ((and the BEST is yet to come!!))

Jackobi has embraced & loved every moment of this Christmas season. Whether it's been running from place to place shopping (she's been a champ!!), taking her turn wrapping Christmas gifts or snuggling up all day watching Christmas movies & baking she has seemed to l.o.v.e. spending time preparing for this joyous holiday! Here's a peak at what we've been up to!

Making gingerbread houses ... She had SO MUCH FUN!! We've honestly made a few since this night because it was such a hit! (you were right Heather!!) She loved stickng the candy on, eating frosting and most of all SPRINKLES!!!

:: Nate & Ryan ::

:: Me, Jackobi & Heather ::

love, love, love these guys!! We had such a fun night!!

had an ugly sweater with some awesome friends
what a fun night with LOTS of laughs!!

(I ♥ little Evie & Jett in their ugly sweaters!!)

watched some great Minico basketball
[never a bad thing when you beat Burley by 30+ points!]

♪♫ learned some Christmas songs ♪♫

:: made some Christmas treats ::

yes, my friends ... she's wearing her Belle dress

because aparently, these days, that's how we roll...

♥ clean-up is always our favorite part ♥

{{wrote letters to Santa}}

and eagerly went to deliver them.

Santa wasn't home, but we put them in his little mail box.

I'm quite certain he would love Jackobi's rendition of a Christmas letter.

it's been a magical month in our house.
we hope yours has been too!!

2010-12-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm always in shock at how fast this time of year seems to fly by & this year is no exception! We've celebrated Thanksgiving, eagerly decorated & are getting ready for Christmas AND are preparing for this little boy to join our family a few weeks after Christmas. Amidst everything, I CAN'T believe Christmas is only a couple of weeks away! Here's a little peak at what we've been up to!

This is Jackobi's friend "Gobble" ... we had fun preparing and talking about Thanksgiving and all we are thankful for!! We were stranded inside for a few days (a little by choice ... it was COLD outside!!) so had our hand at a few little crafty things to occupy Jackobi's attention and energy. Gobble was by far her favorite friend we created during the cold snow storm.

When it wasn't subzero temperatures we DID manage to enjoy some of the fluffy white stuff!! Jackobi absolutly loves eating snow!

Officially worn out! We played HARD in the snow!!
Snow angels & tackling dad in the snow were her favorite.

We had a great Thanksgiving & were really excited to trek down to the square to watch Santa turn on the lights & sit on his lap. It was REALLY COLD this year, so we made it a quick trip knowing that after the anticipation that had built up in Jackobi's little mind, there was no way we could skip it due to the weather!

And boy was she excited!!

Braving the cold weather! We quickly retreated inside & opted to "meet" Santa the next morning!

Nate and I took Jackobi to the Teddy Bear breakfast the next morning to meet Santa. She was SO EXCITED and was literally jumping up and down as we waited in line to sit on his lap. Once it was her turn, it was a different story. I don't think she could have pried his hands off and jumped down much quicker! No tears this year, so we're making progress!

She did stick around long enough to get a treat out of his basket. Santa is still pretty great in Jackobi's book, just as long as he keeps his distance!!

She was pretty thrilled for her candy cane. They've been a HUGE hit in our house this year! Especially the pink & purple ones!

Camille & I took Jackobi to see Tangled. It was her FIRST movie theatre experience & 3D at that! She decided she LOVED the little glasses they give you! We've been anxiously preparing for this little guy to get here! Jackobi is thrilled to be a big sister and talks about her baby brother all the time. She's decided we should name him Dash, which is a cute name other than it's the neighbor's dog. :) I'm 33 weeks and feeling probably the best I have yet which is a good thing. I can't decide if I really feel better or if I'm just in panic mode since I still have plenty to get done before he gets here! Either way, I'll take the extra energy however I can get it! Just a few weeks after Christmas & he should make his arrival. I'm excited and anxious to see what a family of four will feel like & the changes that are soon to come!

In the meantime ... I'm going to soak up as much of these two as I can!!
Christmas music, lights & happy new traditions. I sure do love this time of year!

:: oh deer ::

2010-12-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Over the Thanksgiving break Nate had the chance to do quite a bit of hunting. He was excited to land his first deer with his bow. Not too shabby, eh? He was pretty proud. Best part ... he gave the meat away, so I don't have to worry about a dead animal hanging in my garage. ((now THAT could go on my Thankful List!!))

{my thankful list}

2010-11-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

I read a challange somewhere to think of one thing each day you're thankful for in the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving.

Oh what we have to be thankful for!! Here's our list ...

1. A WONDERFUL husband who works so hard for us and wants nothing more than for our family to be taken care of and HAPPY!!

2. My sweet Jackobi, so spunky and full of life. She melts our hearts continually & is our constant JOY!

3. Baby kicks & flips in my tummy ♥

4. {{Prayer}} How does anyone survive without it??

5. A job that allows me to stay home with Jackobi. I love having everyday moments with her!

6. An amazing family.

7. Thursday morning play dates. (For me AND Jackobi ♥)

8. 75 minute flights from Twin Falls to Las Vegas

9. {{laughter}}

10. Fantastic friends. Who even when we're stubborn, always help us when we need it. ♥

11. A wonderful church & friends we are blessed to surround ourselves with!

12. Fresh baked cookies & a cup[s] of hot cocoa

13. Modern medicine, it's pretty amazing!

14. Close cousins. Anna & Jackobi will always be best buds!

15. A warm & cozy house! (especially when it's a blizzard outside!!)

16. Technology :: cell phones & online shopping ::

17. Service & the gratitude that comes along with it. We've been at the receiving end of this a lot lately and it's so humbling & wonderful. ((yes the small things often make the biggest difference!))

18. Freedom!! What a wonderful country we live in!!

19. L.O.V.E. ... the unconditional kind that makes your heart want to explode ...

20. Great neighbors. I just love them!!

21. The simple things that make me smile each day.

22. Summertime. Green grass. Bare feet. Campfires & stary skies.

23. SNOW!!! ((and snow plows!!))

24. Sippy cups. Yes, sippy cups. We have [mostly] white carpet. :)

25. Thanksgiving & Christmas ... the traditions they hold & memories we make!!

********

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Baby ... It's COLD Outside!!

2010-11-14T18:39:00.001-07:00

As the fall weather has quickly turned from crisp autumn mornings to quite chilly & Winter-esk. I can't help, but begin to crave Christmas. And although I've vowed to myself NOT to deck the halls for another week & a half, we couldn't help but travel to the nearby mountains and enjoy some of the fluffy white stuff that I'm hoping is on it's way before too long!

And oh did we enjoy it!! Jackobi was absolutly thrilled to be able to crunch some fresh new snow underneath her boots ...

And try to catch the chilly goodness of falling snow flakes on her tounge.

we made a few snow balls and played catch ...
(no, Nate can't WAIT to have a son to play catch with for hours)

and of course, tasted some of the snowy goodness.

Sheer Delight!

And although, I think I can wait until after Thanksgiving for the flakes to start falling here, it was just the Christmasy "fix" I needed to quench my thirst!

What a perfect day!

::trick.or.treat::

2010-10-30T11:28:00.000-06:00

We have had a fun week getting ready for and celebrating Halloween!! Earlier in the week we had a little Halloween Party for Jackobi & her friends. It was such a fun morning! Hectic & mad chaos, but fun!! We decorated pumpkins & played "Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin" and of course had our fair share of treats & goodies! I love that Jackobi has such a cute group of little friends, with such fun moms! It really does make life that much sweeter!

Jackobi has really gotten into "crafty" things lately. She loved decorating these little pumpkins & would take her time making sure things were "just perfect" and "oh so cute!" *her words, not mine :)*

And finally HALLOWEEN!!! Here's our little Tinkerbell ... I think she looked quite darling!! She loved spinning in her little outfit and flying anywhere she could run!

Jackobi was really fun & understood a lot more this year, especially the candy part!! She even chimed in an energetic little "trick or treat" when we were greeted at doors.

She's at such a fun age right now!! I can hardly wait to see what she thinks of Santa this year. I couldn't get her very close to him last year, but let's hope it's better than this experience!

Only 8 more weeks! But really, who's counting?

Pumpkin Fun

2010-10-28T14:56:00.000-06:00

Oh I love the fall! Pretty much everything about it in fact. Last week we took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch and they had a blast. We picked a good morning and lucked into a nice, sunny day!

They all had fun checking out the funny shaped bin of ghords and mini pumpkins. Surprisingly, these were Jackobi's favorite!

There were some really fun & cute activities. They loved digging through the bins of pumpkins, playing in the wagon, crawling through the pumpkins mouth & the corn maze. What a fun morning!

I think Jackobi has already inherited my love for Fall, but who could blame her? It was a perfect pumpkin patch day!

::Vegas Jackobi Style::

2010-10-21T20:09:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to make one last trip to see Sara before I hit my 3rd trimester & can't fly anymore. So my mom, Jackobi and I packed up and off we went! It couldn't have come at a more perfect time! It was a much more low key weekend than we usually have, but we had a blast! It was still pretty warm there, so we spent a lot of time outside. Jackobi loved the fountains at the park, she had fun dancing around the streams of water.

Carosuel rides & movies in the park. What a magical night! Jackobi had her FIRST experience on carosuel and was an instant fan. She already loves horses and this was just the icing on the cake! We had to make several trips back & find the EXACT same horse. She named it Rainbow Shine (funny!) and still talks about the pony to this day!!

The same night they were showing Beauty & the Beast at a nearby park. This has been one of Jackobi's favorite movies for a long time & she was in awh of it. As we lay on the grass & peered up at the huge screen, it was fun to hear her spout off lines & sing in unison with Belle. Such a fun night! I'm sure every little girl's dream!

The next day we went to Mickey's Magic Show. I wasn't sure if she would be old enough to like a show like this, but she LOVED IT!! We could hardly keep her in her chair, she was up standing, singing and shouting "abrah kadabra" and waving her imaginary magicians wand.

They featured a few of the Disney princesses which I think was her favorite part!

We had such a great trip & definately enjoyed the ☼ sunshine ☼ and all the fun festivities!! Thanks again mom & Sara for such a great weekend!

I was wrong ....

2010-10-11T09:29:00.000-06:00

I envisioned my Dr. appointment last week to go perfectly. I would go in, get checked out, schedule an ultrasound and find that my previously torn placenta was healed perfectly and life could return to normal (as normal as it can when you're 25 weeks pregnant I guess!) My 'To Do' list has grown and I was ready (really ready) to get started on it. Especially the nursery! Which I'm quite certain was done at this point of my pregnancy with Jackobi. But that wasn't the case.

Things with the baby did check out perfectly, his heartrate is strong, although it was a little challanging to get a good reading because we have a fiesty little boy in there who really likes to kick (and I mean a HARD kick) the heartrate doppler. The nurse even had to laugh because it took us so many tries. He'd kick, roll to the other side and kick again. But it was strong, (his kick's AND the heartbeat.) and he's growing, my giant tummy can attest to that!

However, no ultrasound was scheduled and my "modified" bedrest ... well, it wasn't modified much. I thought that 5 weeks of "taking it easy" would be plenty, but it's not. My Dr. told me that even if my placenta had started to heal, it would still be weak and there's no sense in risking it. (which I totoally agree with) So ... I was told, that I better get used to "not doing much" until this baby is born. NOT, what I expected! But I AM thankful for good Dr's and a very healthy baby. I just have to be really selective on what I spend my energy on & limit what I do. So I guess we'll see how the next 15 weeks of this pregnancy go!

One more week until I hit my 3rd trimester, and I'm happy that my Dr. at least allowed me to travel to see my sister. (I had to promise not to break any of the rules though ...) So it was low key, but much needed weekend away! {More to come later ....}

Making life a little more interesting, last week Nate got his foot smashed by a forklift at work. THANKFULLY it's not broken, but his foot is pretty swollen & he's in a walking boot for a few weeks at least. (Jackobi thinks it's pretty fantastic that her Daddy's foot is purple :) ) So we're two peas in a pod hobbling along and not doing much ... I guess we'll be netflixing a lot in weeks to come!!

twenty.eight

2010-10-05T14:44:00.000-06:00

Nate turned 28 in September and it was fun to celebrate!! Jackobi really understands birthday's (or "happy days" as she would say :) ) and LOVES to sing {loudly} and blow out candles. It's honestly is one of her favorite things to do right now!! I wasn't feeling very well, so am thankful to my mom & Nate's mom for having little family parties for him. Happy birthday Nate! We love you!

{gone fishing}

2010-10-05T13:59:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, when the sun was hot & bright, we took Jackobi and Anna fishing. Although we weren't really hoping to catch any fish (hence the sinker on Jackobi's pole :) ) the girls sure had a fun morning casting their lines into the water. They sat at the end of the dock for a bit, chattering away with matching princess fishing poles dipped in the water. Each seeming to understand the other even when jibberish overpowered the actual words. I love these two girls and their sweet relationship. They're so fun to watch grow together!! ♥

peas & carrots

2010-10-05T12:27:00.000-06:00

After a few crazy rain & wind storms we thought our garden was done for, but we did manage to have some success in our first garden this summer!! Our corn & cucumbers left MUCH to be desired, but a few of my favorite things managed to survive! Jackobi loved to pull carrots straight from the ground, wash them off and snack on them. (I promise they weren't all as small as the one's in the picture above!! We actually ended up with some pretty decent sized carrots.)

Our other favorite treat has been peas. Oh how we love fresh peas!! This became our daily ritual. We'd pick a little bag full of peas & sit on the deck to shell them. I always had good intentions of using them for dinner or freezing some, but this girl LOVES fresh peas!! She could eat them just about as fast as we could shell them!!

After a couple of days she had a pretty good little system down for herself to shell her treat. :)

All in all, the garden was worth it!! Just for the shear excitement Jackobi got each day from cheking, watering, weeding and picking. She was sure a good little helper!

cAmPinG

2010-09-28T19:26:00.000-06:00

The fresh mountain air, chilly nights & glowing embers of the campfire are something I dream of every Summer. Ever since I was a little girl, my family went camping, to the same exact spot, every year. It was tradition. My mom's parents took her & her siblings camping to the same spot, so it has some sentimental meaning & has become a place that I love!! Nate thinks I'm crazy because I still know the bends in the long bumpy road up the mountain & count the "bridges" crossing over the creek until we arrive at the long awaited "Bull Dog Rock" campground. I wish I had a picture, but the mountain by our camping spot looks like a bull dog. (Jason said more like a boxer, but bulldog has a nice ring :) ) This year, before Jason left for Grad School we all packed up for a trip to my beloved spot (we weren't really planning on going here, but somehow just ended up here. Funny how that happens sometimes.)

We had a quick, but really fun trip! We went on a hike one day and found out that Jackobi is a pretty good little hiker! She enjoyed her share of shoulder rides, but actually hiked most of the time! Other than the baby fox living in our campground (totally freaked us out the first night) we even managed to see some wildlife on our hike.

It was pretty amazing how close we were able to get! Pretty close considering this is my regular lens (no zoom)! Jackobi thought it was so neat to peak at the "frozen" deer. They really DO stand pretty still!!

Yes ... we did pear at the deer longer than I'd like to admit. I think Nate was drooling a little bit, wishing he'd come that close in his hunting encounters!

We headed to the Little Wood River to try our hand and some fishing ...

and Jackobi decided she MUCH preferred digging in the rocks & dirt with her pole as opposed to actually "fishing." She thought it was pretty entertaining!

We also enjoyed Jason's version of smores ... with peanut butter cups instead of straight chocolate. YUM!! I didn't have one, but heard they were delish!!

and watched Jackobi enjoy playing in the icy creek & black dirt.

She loved every second of it!!

I love family traditions. Old & new.

We're having fun creating our own little traditions.

I can't wait for the next one!

{tea for two}

2010-09-23T16:01:00.000-06:00

Jackobi has a great love for princesses. I'm not sure if it's engrained in every little girl, but it is in her. The dresses, dancing, singing and oh yes, we musn't forget her Prince. (Luckily for us, we have her convinced that Daddy is her Prince... for now at least!)

She also has a love for tea parties. So we decided to combine the two one afternoon and have a Princess Tea Party for her and Anna. It was divine. She was convinced we were in Sleeping Beauty's meadow and life was grand. It was so fun to watch their little imaginations soar as they sipped their "tea" and delicately ate their treats.

Then we played and ran. And oh did they run! ... and hid behind trees ... chased butterflies and completely exhausted themselves.

What a simply delightful day!

☼ ::Our Summer of FUN!!! :: ☼

2010-09-10T20:15:00.000-06:00

As much as it pains me to admit it ... the brisk mornings & crisp air have let me know with much certainty that Summer is winding down.

Oh what a glorious summer we have had!!

I decided to re-visit my summer "wish list" to see how we measure up! I think we did pretty good [and even managed to add some additional greatness to our list!!]

☼ We made & ate yummy homemade ice cream

☼ had picnics & playdates galore!!

became VERY acquainted with these parks ...

☼ cloud watched on a sunny days

☼ went camping & enjoyed YUMMY smores!

☼ swam!

☼ spent a day at the zoo

☼ took Jackobi fishing!

☼ sidewalk chalk & hop scotch

☼ chased bubbles & butterflies

☼ enjoyed county fairs

And MUCH, MUCH more!!

So what was on our list that we didn't complete??

☼ master making Summer smoothies! (HELP!! Any ideas??)
☼ fly kites (not sure how we missed this one with the Idaho wind!! Maybe in the Spring!)

As sad as I am to see Summer go ... I'm pretty excited for Fall and all it entails! I'm ready for some of this:

A visit (or two) to the Pumpkin Patch

and my favorite day for dress-up

An Update ...

2010-09-09T18:21:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I'm 1/2 way done with this pregnancy!! It has gone SO FAST and has been SO DIFFERENT than when I was pregnant with Jackobi. I haven't journaled much, so thought I'd write a quick blog entry before I forget some things that have happened!

8/18 heartrate was 155

9/7 heartrate bounced between 130-136, but was VERY STRONG. The Dr. felt my tummy to see where I was measuring and Baby Boy wasn't appreciative of it & KICKED him :)

I've had 2 ultrasounds & little boy is healthy as can be! My "official" due date is January 29th, but the ultrasound tech said he thought & things were measuring a week sooner ... so January 22nd-ish. My doctor hasn't changed my due date ... so I'm just saying it's somewhere around the 25th of January ... I'll shoot for right in the middle!! Guess end of January sometime will have to do!

I'm feeling more and more movement each day which is one of my favorite things about being pregnant. It's a nice reassurance that he's doing okay in there. :) I've been amazed at how tired I have been this pregnancy. Even in the 2nd trimester (which I'm told is the "easy" trimester, ha!) Jackobi has noticed my tummy getting bigger and likes to talk to the baby and sing him "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" ... it's pretty sweet to watch/listen to her. I can already tell she'll be a great big sister!

I've had a lot of different symptoms with this pregnancy that I didn't with Jackobi & after a day filled with doctor appointments and an ultrasound, found out that I have a small tear in my placenta. Apparently it happens and I'm told that it will "take care of itself" {isn't the human body amazing that it can just 'heal' itself??!!} ... but for now I'm pretty limited on what I'm allowed to do, at least for a few weeks. Then I can gradually add more activity to my day(s) and hopefully be back to normal by October! {{that's my hope at least!!}} We are blessed to have a HEALTHY boy growing and couldn't be happier that everything else checks out perfectly. He's very active (even the U/S tech couldn't believe how much he wiggles around!) and likes potatoes & salty treats, not sweet. Which for me, is really weird since I have a GIANT sweet tooth that has pretty much gone dormant!

"Taking it easy" is going well, although I feel lazy more than anything! I really feel pretty good so it's hard to convince myself not to be more productive, but I'm doing pretty good! Jackobi has been a trooper and entertains herself pretty well. The first night it was apparent she knew something was different. I could tell she wondered why she went to the grocery store with Daddy, watched Daddy mow the lawn and helped Daddy cook dinner. (pretty great guy, right??) She threw a couple of fits which included her dinner making it clear across the room, but luckily it only lasted a day!!!!!! She's such a good helper now and I'm lucky she likes to just sit with me and do puzzles, build blocks, read & color!! I don't think I ever realized how I took for granted being able to run, jump, dance, play and PICK UP my little girl!!

I realize how extremely blessed we are!!! Not only for Jackobi, but to have another healthy boy on the way. It's all worth it!! We are blessed to live so close to family & have so many wonderful friends who have all been great. What a support system we have!

On the plus side ... in this "don't do anything" time, I can get caught up on some things I haven't seemed to have time for, LIKE, my blogging (since I've totally been slacking!) we've been having so much fun, oh what a glorious summer it has been!!

[::horsing around::]

2010-09-04T08:48:00.000-06:00

Whitney brought a few of her horses for the kiddo's to ride last week and it was such a treat!! Jackobi is fasinated with ponies, so when I told her she was going to get to ride one she was thrilled. It was her first time riding on a horse & she absolutly loved it! At first she was a little nervous so I rode with her but after a few minutes on she became more comfortable and kept squealing "Look mom, I'm a cowboy!!

And what a cute little "cowboy" she makes!

Thanks Laura for bringing some darling little hats!

She LOVED petting this chocolate horse. His soft velvety nose was her favorite!

We each took turns riding & leading kids around. There were a few brave riders who flew solo, Kellee, Maybree, Tyson & Evie all took the reins and rode by themselves! Hopefully after a few more times on a horse Jackobi won't be as nervous.

{Laura, Peyton, Tyson & Becky}

What a fun, fun day! Thanks Whitney for putting this together! Looks like we have some cute little cowboys & cowgirls on our hands!!

Survey Says ....

2010-08-27T21:36:00.000-06:00

Thanks everyone for voting in our poll! I added in the 8 votes who told me that they couldn't vote and here's the results:

65% [20 votes] Boy
35% [11 votes] Girl

Looks like most of you were right!!! It's A BOY ... and I know there were no doubts out there, but yes, Nate has already picked out and is ready to order his little boy's first pair of Jordan's ... I have a feeling I'm not going to have much say in dressing this kiddo!! We're so excited and Jackobi has decided that a baby brother will be fun [we had to convince her a little, but once we told her she'd get to watch lots of baseball games she was all for a boy!] Our ultrasound went perfectly & the tech was great. He even showed us things in 3D and 4D which was pretty neat. It's so amazing to me how much detail you can see!!! We feel so blessed to have a healthy little one on the way!

:: baseballs or ballerinas ::

2010-08-20T13:54:00.000-06:00

{☼ giRLs TriP ☼}

2010-08-13T08:43:00.000-06:00

I'm quite certain that girl time is good for the soul!!

Heather, Becky and I decided to take advantage of a free weekend & headed to Las Vegas to see Sara and Lindsey! It was such an fun trip!

The first night we decided to be tourists & walked the strip. I don't think I could ever get sick of watching the Bellagio water show! {unless they played Viva Las Vegas again ...}

The Botanical Gardens are always so gorgeous!!

The next night we decided to go see KÀ to celebrate Heather's birthday, it was my first Cirque du Soleil show and boy was it AMAZING!!! We had 7th row seats so were right up in the action. I'm still in awe over the amazing performance.

Followed by dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe.

Yummy food & great friends ... what more could a girl ask for??

We wandered a few casinos ...

Where Becky came out ahead!! She loved her "Wheel of Fortune!!"

[::we were very silly::]

[:: shopped to our hearts content ::]

[ .. & made some AWESOME memories .. ]

love.love.my.sister.

{LOTS} of laughs
:: late nights::
& such a fun weekend!!

so lucky to have such s.w.e.e.t. friends
♥ love these girls ♥

::a day at the fair::

2010-08-04T13:56:00.001-06:00

We had such a fun day at the fair!! Us girls packed up our kiddo's one morning and decided to venture out & see all of the animals. It was quite a hit!! It was fun to watch them get excited and happy over farm animals. After we walked through the pens, we headed to the arena where they were showing 4-H horses. For Jackobi, I think this was the highlight of her day! She had fun with her little friends clapping & cheering on the horses!

Oh the excitement!

Maybree, Jackobi, Kellee, Evie & Peyton

We missed little Tyson in these shots ... he's a smart boy & has learned some days he's not quite sure what to think of all these girls! Give him a few years & I'm quite certain he'll thank his mom for surrounding him with cute girls :)

That evening we headed back with my family to taste some yummy fair food!

What's a fair without corn-on-the-cob?? Jackobi didn't know quite what to think of it being on a stick, but made do & ate the ENTIRE thing!

That morning, the pigs were blocked off so we decided to check out Timber & Blaze's pigs later that night. Jackobi really liked the pigs, but was pretty timid around them. She thought the "oink-ing" was pretty funny. :)

What a great day filled with sunshine, scones & lots of laughter. I love times like these! We left the fair feeling sun kissed and exhausted. There's something about the small town things that I love here. It's so kid & family friendly -- I can't imagine being anywhere else!

{airplanes & animals}

2010-07-28T11:09:00.000-06:00

We headed up to Chris & Sara's last weekend and had the BEST time!! They live a few miles away from the airport and we lucked out that the Blue Angles were in town -- so it was fun surprise to be able to watch the airplanes soar by from their backyard! Sure beats fighting the crowd [which by the way, there were a TON of people camped outside their neighborhood in a little park ... who knew this was such a big event!] I must admit, they were pretty amazing though. Jackobi was fully entertained by the smaller airplanes that flew overhead before the show and actually slept through the Blue Angels portion. She thought the airplanes were so fun though!! She would dash outside each time she would hear them coming!

Jackobi loves animals, she practices her animal sounds almost everyday as she puts together her puzzles. We thought it would be a fun treat to take her and Lainey to the Tautphaus Park Zoo. It's a good little zoo! Perfect for little ones! It's big enough & has some fun animals, but small enough that you can make the entire loop before boredom sets in.

The swimming otters were a hit! She gazed at these guys for quite awhile!

Jackobi really liked the lions too. She was really intrigued that the "daddy" lion was sleeping while the "mommy" lion was working ... I think she's on to something!

Lainey's FIRST trip to the zoo!!

Lainey wasn't quite as interested as Jackobi. She gazed at a few animals, but quickly decided that the shaded paths were the perfect spot for a mid-afternoon snooze!

Although you can't tell it, Jackobi was rather excited for some Reed's Ice Cream once we left the zoo. It was the first time I had been there and it's amazing!! So good!!

We had such a great weekend! Most of the time we just sat around, visited & played with the kids. {of course the guys had to squeeze in a round of golf as well} but those are some of the best times!! I can't wait for our next trip up! Thanks Chris & Sara for such a fun weekend!

Plum :: Peach :: Lemon

2010-07-26T15:18:00.000-06:00

Well, our Vegetable garden may not be thriving quite as we had hoped, but I'm happy to announce that we're growing something else! Jackobi has had fun telling her Grandpa's & Grandma's that there's a baby in Mommy's tummy. It's been pretty cute!! We're so excited for our new little addition coming in January!

I haven't journaled as much this go around, so am going to lay it all out there now. SO feel free to skip the details! [Yes, this is my disclaimer}

I've been pretty sick, so am surprised we managed to keep this under wraps for so long! Let's just say if you've stopped by my house before noon the past few months - you found me makeup-less, in sweats & looking like I just ran a marathon (or got hit by a 2x4) ... but I didn't :) So I apologize to the few of you who got to witness that (thanks Laura for not dis-owning me yet!!! :) You've definitely seen me on many of my bad days!) Since I've been so sick & wasn't with Jackobi -- Nate and I are both convinced that it is a boy -- well that and the fact that the heartrate was 162, which, Nate informed me is the exact number of baseball games in a regular season. Must be a sign. :) Jackobi was able to come with me to hear the hearbeat & I know she didn't really understand what was going on, but was rather excited to hear the little 'thump, thump, thump' sound. The sweetest sound in the world when you're pregnant!!

We're so happy to finally be welcoming another precious baby soon! Jackobi has been so sweet and very concerned every time I get sick. She's such a sweetheart & I know will be a great big sister. ♥ We've asked her a few times what she thinks we should call the baby, and she very consistently says "Peaches" ... so here's to baby Peaches! We're excited to meet you in a few months!

So bring on the stretchy pants and cheeseburgers! We're growing a baby!

She's BA-ACK!!!

2010-07-25T21:42:00.000-06:00

My mom made it back from her trip to Portugal & Jackobi couldn't be more thrilled to have her Grama back home!! She picked her up from the airport with me and it was so cute to watch her eagerly await the plane's arrival. She officially loves airplanes now & excitedly squeals each time she hears a little crop duster zooming around outside our house.

It was a fun little reunion. Ear to ear smiles all the way around the board. I sure do love that Jackobi is so close with her grandparents. They all have a sweet little relationship that can't be duplicated.

Welcome Home Grama!! We sure missed you while you were gone!!

{Watching the River Cats}

2010-07-22T14:21:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we were able to skip town & head down to SLC for a day full of fun!!
Jared plays for the Sacramento RiverCats now & they were playing the Salt Lake Bees - so we decided to go and watch. We are so excited that he plays so close to home now! It's hard to pass up a chance to watch him play!! Nate has been to a few of his games, but I hadn't -- so we were way excited to watch some baseball!! He got us some awesome seats & we loved every second of the 103* baseball game {well ... every second in the shade!! We quickly had to relocate a few rows back so we didn't melt!}Since it was so hot, we left Jackobi with Nate's parents for the day, she thought it was pretty great and it was honestly good to have a 'kidless' day out!

{Jared catching -- it was fun to watch him back pick a runner at 3rd! Good job JP!!}

{Jared Hitting}

We picked up Becky & Brody on the way down to Salt Lake & had so much fun! Snow cones, baseball nacho's and the boys rattling of baseball statistics -- doesn't get much better!

What a great day out! I can't wait until the RiverCats visit Salt Lake again next month so we can enjoy another game! Great job Jared! We loved watching you play!

FORE!!

2010-07-20T08:25:00.000-06:00

Nate has been golfing a lot this summer already. He ventures out several times a week to try and master those greens. Jackobi and I decided to tag along and had so much fun! Nate is determined that Jackobi will be his golfing buddy, she has a little set of plastic clubs (which we left at home) so it was fun to watch her try with the real deal.

Daddy/Daughter first golf "lesson"
She can actually swing and hit the ball (not with much form) but has already decided she's an independent golfer and does NOT need help. :)

I'm sure we slowed down Nate's golf game QUITE a bit, but the warm summer evening was perfect for us all to get out together!

It didn't take Jackobi very long to decide that playing in the rocks & admiring the golf fountains was much more entertaining than this "golf business"

The perfect night out!
Maybe next time we'll even make it through an entire 9 holes!

Fast Forwarding thru July!

2010-07-18T21:53:00.000-06:00

I'm so far behind in blogging! Where to begin! July is over half over and we've been loving our summer and all the festivities that go right along with it! It seems like our days {and nights for that matter} are jam packed with so many fun things, I just love this time of year!

Sara was home over the 4th of July for several days & we had so much fun celebrating & relaxing. Over the actual 4th of July weekend, Jackobi and I passed the flu back and forth to each other, so relaxing was a major part of this weekend! Luckily Jackobi didn't come down with it until after most of the festivities, so I was happy she was able to enjoy the things I love the most!

The morning of the 3rd - we headed out bright and early to the 5K Fun Run with Nate's mom and sister. It was early, cold & we were makeup-less -- so no pictures came from this event! It was a such fun morning, even though it was really cold! Who would think that it'd be in the 40's in July? Hopefully we'll get some warmer weather next year! Then it was off to the parade!

The parade was really great this year! There were more floats & it was fun to watch Jackobi chase after candy! She did manage to get hit right in the face with a flying tootsie roll thrown by a little girl [I mean, we're talking - a few feet away & thrown HARD!], but once she found the sweet treat inside the wrapper - life was good again! Sara & Emaiya drove down from Twin to enjoy the festivities with us! What a fun morning!

Over the next few days we enjoyed the sunshine.
This included seeing how many kids we could fit into Jackobi's small [which needs to be upgraded] pool ... running through sprinklers and homemade ice cream!

We loved spending our nights with sparklers, s'mores & bonfires! Jackobi was officially sugared up way to late at night & loved all of the attention. Let's just say we're on a s'more boycott at our house for the rest of the summer!

Just a few days later, my mom was whisked away to this beautiful place for 10 days ...

Her camera went ka-poot just days before the big trip, so she borrowed mine. :) So our adventures since then have been picture-less, but divine! Park & pool play dates have become a weekly necessity. If we don't see Jackobi's little friends for a few days, she calls them multiple times [on her pretend phone of course] and chatters away. It's so cute the stories she will tell! I love that she has become so fond of her sweet little buddies!

Oh the simplicity of Summertime ... I love these days! ♥