Classic Summer- Classic Swimming

It's that time again. Summer.....all be it the End of June, but I think the rain has finally stopped and some HOT weather is here to say. So.....we went to Classic. This is now the 3rd summer we have been there. We had a GREAT time. Jax was old enough to play in the kid pool the entire time and loved to just go down the little slides and play by himself. Jade had a fantastic time in the little pool diving for different things and then she also is big enough to go down the slides alone (of course we wait for her at the bottom, but she can even get out by herself now). Both kids had tons of fun and I didn't have to be with them in the water 100% of the time. We ended up being at the slides for 3 hours. It was so much fun and I'm sure we will be going back often this summer!

I love this picture. Ever since she started swimming lessons she has been obsessed with wearing her goggles and diving for things in the shallow water. I am amazed at how much she has grown in swimming since she started doing lessons!

Love this picture too. This pretty much sums up our day. I was taking it of Jaxon going down the slide (funny that he is mid air) and only later realized that Jade is in the background. Look at her under the water. She spent an hour doing this!

Cute Jax. I love this life jacket. It has made swimming so much more fun for all of us!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

A month ago our stake was able to go through the temple before the actual open house. Scott was sick that day, so I took Jade and Jax by myself. It was nice, but I knew we would need to go back with Scott. We invited Scott's brother, sister, and Lewis to come with us. It is a beautiful temple and I love being able to be inside with Scott and the kids. Jade liked seeing the animals on the murals and the stars in the window glass. Jax loved all the "pretty lights" (chandeliers)Hopefully Jade will remember it, but we'll see. I am so grateful to have a temple within walking distance and think it's pretty awesome to live in the ONLY city in the world that has 2 temples. In church last week someone said that she was mentioning to someone that she felt so lucky to have a temple built in her neighborhood and the person she was talking to said they look at it a different way: She was lucky to build a home in the temple/Lord's neighborhood. Either way, it's awesome and truly a blessing. Scott and I have now gone 2 months in a row. Seems like small potatoes to some, but I am hoping to keep going the last Saturday of every month. The temple is truly one of my greatest blessings as it has afforded me the opportunity to be with my family forever.

This pic was from when I took the kids myself. The most random thing is the sheer coincidence that my kids are wearing the same thing both days! :)

Jade playing in the fountain. She said "If I had my swimming suit on, I'd jump right in" and then she practically soaked her head with water! She's a little nuts, what can I say.

Dear Jaxon,

Wow....I look back to my thoughts a year ago and it is amazing how much you have changed this past year. A year ago today you were not mobile (besides a slow crawl) and you sat quietly 95% of the time. You rarely were upset about anything, always going with the flow. I laugh out loud about all of that now. Hard to believe you are the same child! :) You are now constantly moving. If you are awake, you are on the go. You learned to walk at 17 months, though it was never walking. You went from sitting to running. The constant moving has proved to make you a great sleeper. Always going to bed without being too upset about it because I'm sure your little body is ready to rest.
Some of your favorite things:
- Trains, planes, Helicopters, cars, trucks.
- Dinosaurs
- Balls: and you have quite the arm
- Being outside and playing in the dirt
- Going "Bye, Bye. " (Part of the way we survived this past year....always on the go as you are much happier when we are out)
- Fruit Snacks
- Cheese
- Peas -Dipping sauces (ketchup, Ranch, honey mustard)
- Brown Bear and "Truck" books
- Binkies
- Your trike
Things I love about you:
- Although you are constantly on the go, you randomly through out the day will walk up to me, hug my leg, and say "mama". Your sign of love for me
- That although you have your times of pushing, hitting, scratching, you are quick to say sorry and give a love to the victim
- You waking up every morning and nap screaming "MOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM" over and over again until I come get you.
- The excitement you show EVERY time I pick you up from daycare, get you up from bed, or come home from being out. I LOVE that!
- The fact that you stack all your food on your tray when you are done eating and then yell "DONE Mama". (I don't love that if I don't reach you with in seconds of you yelling done, the plate and food get dumped on the floor)
- Your Vocabulary that has exploded the last few weeks. The things you say are so cute and funny. We laugh about different things every day. Just today you walked up to dad and said "Don't say that" and hit him. It was so weird and random and totally cracked us up.
- You requesting "rocking chair". 1/2 the time it may just be your tactic for getting out of bed, but I love that the other 1/2 of the time you really want to sit-if only for a minute or two- and let me snuggle you
Things I don't always love:
-The fits you throw when you get told no. The scratches on both mine and dad's face are proof of your anger
- The biting you do to Jadyn when you are REALLY frustrated. I will say I am grateful that is has only been Jadyn. Not that I want her bit, but I would really hate you biting other kids.
- The wandering. You are definitely a wanderer. I have told many people that if I was to ever just open the door, you would be off and running....and wouldn't hesitate to look back. You could spend HOURS just wandering around and exploring. As long as you were safe, fed, and warm, you would probably go all day. I will admit that it has been a HUGE help that you enjoy your stroller because I can not let you out most places in fear you would get lost.
- Sacrament meeting with you. Let's admit....it's not your strong suite to sit for 70 min. It's rough for all of us as we try to keep you entertained and quiet. Most weeks, we do not succeed
I will admit that last year has been a bit of a struggle. I am grateful that your vocabulary is quickly expanding as I can see that it is already helping us communicate much more smoothly. Although your busyness keeps me on my toes and can wear me out, your energy and desire to explore all things is a quality that will get you far in life.
You are such a handsome little guy. I get told often how cute you are and that you are a spitting image of your father. It's true. You look just like him-it blows some people away. I love your smile and your laugh. You truly love life and I love having you in my life!
Thanks Jax for loving me, dad, and Jade. We all love you so much!

A ride of your life

Last year we bought Jade this jeep for $10 at a garage sale. The tires are really bad but it serves it's purpose. Last year she was the worst driver-no idea how to steer. This year is a little better, but still very scary. The only problem is that this year Jax wants in on the ride. He learned quickly that he better hold on tight!

Jaxon's birthday Weekend

Maybe one of my all time favorites pics of my Jax man

All the kids loving the popsicles

"One of these things is not like the others" She definitely holds her own with all these boys!
Loving the attention

Eating cake at 11:00 p.m.

I will admit I didn't plan much for Jax's bday this year. We were supposed to be camping but due to the rain, rain, rain, rain, rain that we got everyday in June, we decided to cancel. I don't love camping as it is, but camping in the rain sounds awful and REALLY messy. I had already planned to have cake and ice cream at my grandma's house so that we could watch fireworks afterwards. A week prior to his bday the weather forecast was 90 degrees for the day. As it got closer the percentage of rain started to increase. Sigh. Needless to say the outside party didn't happen. It POURED for most of the day! We had also intended on getting up on Saturday morning and going to breakfast and then going to the parade. Well, Friday I had taken Jax and Jade out to Alyssa's Softball tournament in Tooele. We had lots of fun. We were there from about noon until 10:00 pm. There was a really fun pool in the same complex of the Softball fields. The kids and I swam for about an hour. My kids both LOVED it. Jax has taken to the water now and his new life jacket and just loves to be in the water and float by himself (don't worry, I stay close) When we first got there I got Jax's life jacket on and before I could get my clothes off Jax wandered out to the pool. It start off at one inch and I thought he'd just play in the shallow end but he wandered out to deeper waters leaving me running into the water to bring him back to shallower water....in my clothes. Awesome. Good thing it was the first warm day we had had in forever and my clothes dried quickly. We went and watched Alyssa play 2 games afterward. Well, I watched and Jax and Jade played in the dirt, rode bikes, and caught grasshoppers with their cousins. Jade was in Heaven getting to play with them all day! (Gross side story: I was watching the game and when I turned around to look at Jax he was sitting on the picnic table drinking a drink that wasn't ours! He's just sippin the straw and who know whose it was, what was in it. SICK!!! I took that away quickly!) After the games we went back to the pool and swam for another 3 hours. We were able to take the kids down the big slide and the kids loved that! Jax crashed in his stroller for about an hour while Jade continued to swim. Around 7:00 we got back into our clothes and headed back over to the fields for another game and some more playing and grasshopper catching for the kids. It really was a fantastic day. Both kids were really good and really happy to be hanging outside and playing all day. Jade was asleep within 10 min in the car. Little Jax stayed awake the whole ride home but was quiet and content watching a show in the back. We got home around 11:00 and I was sooooo tired. Being in the sun all day completely wore me out. It must have worn the kids out as well because none of us woke up until 9:00 which meant we missed breakfast and the parade! Sigh. Oh well. Jax had a great time opening his gifts (while Jadyn pouted that she didn't have anything to open) He loved all his new trains, planes, helicopters, cars and trucks. We finally made it out the door at 11:00. We grabbed some lunch (as we hadn't eaten breakfast) and then headed over to the city town days. The kids both loved the rides and we timed it perfectly. No one was at the park because of the weather, but it wasn't cold and the rain held off until after we left. It was great! We all took an afternoon nap and when we woke up realized there was no possible way we could have an outside get together. The rain and hail were making it pretty obvious. So....we decided just to have everyone at our house. It turned out really fun. Jax had a great time playing with the kids and his new toys. He came up from the basement so that we could sing to him, but didn't end up eating any cake until 11:00 that night! He was too busy playing. It was fun to just relax and talk with everyone. Overall, the day wasn't anything like I had originally planned, but it was fun and I think Jax had a good day, which is all that matters!

Father's day!

We rounded out the Birthday weekend with Father's Day! We all slept in again until 9:00. I made a yummy egg crock pot breakfast and we all enjoyed church. We all wore our fantastic Batman shirts that Jade got Scott for Fathers Day (myself included. When she decided that batman shirts were the gift for Scott, she was insistent that the WHOLE family needed them) over to my sister's for a fantastic rib dinner. Scott's Dad ended up being sick so we weren't able to go and see him.

Scott: We all love you. Thanks for being a fantastic dad and husband.

Dad: I love you and I'm grateful for all you have done for me and the constant support in my life

Roy: We love you too and hope you had a great day!

Planes and Dinosaurs

A few weekends ago we went on a family outing up to Ogden. We had heard that Hill Air Force Base was doing an air show all day and because Jax is a fanatic about all airplanes, we knew we had to go. I was surprised at how crowded it was! Luckily there is also a lot of space for all those people to go, so it wasn't too bad. Jaxon LOVED seeing all the airplanes flying and Jade had a good time as well. We stayed for about 2.5 hours. After a short nap for the kids in the car, we headed over to the Dinosaur Museum. Jade was so excited to show Scott around since he wasn't with us when we went a few weeks ago. The kids were both very good all day and we had a fun time hanging out as a family!

Swimming Lessons

As I mentioned, Jade started swimming lessons this week. She lucked out and was the only one in class their first day because of the weather. She LOVED it (big surprise) and in the first class they had her picking up rings from the bottom of the pool! I was shocked. She has asked every day since when she goes again (it's only T-TH). The girl is part fish. This class is only three weeks. I think we will for sure do another session in July and maybe one in Aug.
As mentioned in my rain post, Jax figured if Jade was getting in the water, so should he. Forget that he was fully dressed for the day-shoes included (oh yeah, from the shower pics we already know he is ok with that) and had no life jacket. He walked straight over to the hot tub and walked down the steps. I walked over to him and asked what he was doing "Swim!" He was already wet so "swim" (walk around the hot tub steps) he did for a few minutes. And then he pitched a fit when I took him out so I could take him home and get him redressed before Jade was done. Sigh....I knew better than to take him in. From now on we will watch swimming lessons from outside the gate!

Rain...Rain....Rain....

It's June....almost the middle of June, and all it has done for the past 2 weeks is Rain. And rain. And rain. I can't say I mind that much. It hasn't stopped too many of my plans. It stopped long enough for my outside concert last weekend. It stopped long enough for me and the kids to hit Lagoon on Tues and most of the rain has come when I am working. I love watching the rain, the sounds, and the smell. So...I'm not to annoyed. I mean- I even like wearing hoodies, which I have been sporting around for the past few days. And the little secret is the rain.....getting a little wet....doesn't slow my kids down.

We have Jadyn who loves all things water. She loves playing in the rain, riding ALL the water rides at Lagoons and tries to get her clothes as wet as possible while on them, swimming (even in freezing cold water-she was the only kid at swimming lessons this week because it was sprinkling). If there is water, Jadyn will like it.

Jax likes water-if it's his idea. If I try to put him in the pool, he gets mad. If he makes his own way in, he's fine. He even is ok with getting in the hot tub-fully clothed, shoes and all while I try to get Jade ready to get in to the pool for swim lessons. If he is in a bad mood and is out in the rain, he is mad. If he wants to ride his tricycle at 9:00 at night.....in the rain.....with no pants on......all the way to the park.....with mom watching from a distance to see if he even looks back to see if anyone is coming....and when he finally does, and can see her, he pedals faster.....only to leave the trike on the corner of the grass at the park and make a mad dash to the slide and to climb.....all the while it's raining on him, he is totally fine with the rain.

So let the rain continue....it's got to stop someday, and when it does, it will quickly reach 100 degrees, and I know I will then want the rain back. There is only one small problem- my tomatoes will not like all this rain. Wed the bottom 1/2 of my plants were covered with water. I could not water them for a month and they'd still have enough water from the past week. Crossing my fingers they survive!

The Leash

Pre -Jax I was a parent who swore I would NEVER buy a leash for my child. As I have mentioned in several posts, quickly after I had Jadyn, I adopted a parenting motto: Never say Never. No child is the same and as a parent you do what you have to do keep your kids safe, healthy and happy. Jadyn wasn't a runner (although, after last weeks episode she my just be coming in to it later in life :) Kidding) She would hold my hand in public places and stay close by. Jaxon is not that way. He goes where he wants to go-with or without a parent. After taking him to Lagoon the first time, I realized I was going to fall prey to one of my pre parenting "Never's" and get a leash (don't love that word, but?) He is actually really good sitting in the stroller, but I knew he would have a better time if he could walk. But....letting him get out and walk in a busy place like Lagoon, would surely be disastrous and at the least, stressful. I mentioned this to my sister-n-law and she said she already had one I could borrow. I jumped on the offer. I am happy to report it is a success. Jax likes getting out of the stroller and getting to wander a little. Jade loves "pulling" Jax and I love that he can't run away. He doesn't have it on all day-only small periods. I get looks from others. I know what they are thinking because I used to think the same thing. But again, Never say Never.

Memorial Day....a little late!

Wow.....I'm only a month behind posting this! I can barely remember what we did! We had a great Memorial Day actually. I really wanted to go down on the parkway with the kids. We decided that since we were also going to the cemetery we would just start on the parkway and roller blade/bike there. It was so much fun! I loved it and the kids had fun as well and were so good in the stroller! We enjoyed spending some time remembering Carla.
After the fun ride we headed over to Roy and Belva's for a bar-b-que and then went home for a nap. It was a fantastic day!

Jadyn handing Jax a snail she picked up off the ground. GROSS!!!!!!!

Hanging out in the stroller

The kids at Grandma Carla's grave

Slow Sunday

Scott and I were talking to Jade this morning about how we weren't eating today because of fast sunday
Jade: Well, I'm eating
Mom: That's fine
Jade: And I get treats at church
Mom: Do you even get treats on Fast Sunday?
Jade: (Without missing a beat) Yep and on Slow Sunday's too

We bust up laughing. Guess we should have first explained what we meant by "Fast" Sunday.

Side note....Jade just HAD to get up and bear her testimony today. I usually try to send Scott up with her when that happens, but he was home sick with Jax. Thanks Jade, for encouraging mom to get up there as well.

My Child was missing?

So.....I am an awesome parent. I have my eyes on my children 24/7. Never let them get out of my sight...right? So this story must be about someone else's child....or maybe not.

Jadyn and I were having a girls night out. We were planning on going to the Ryan Shupe concert. Unfortunately, my Uncle Dee passed away this week, so we ended up planning on going to the viewing first and then the concert. My mom called shortly before we were leaving. I was talking to her while I was getting ready upstairs. Jadyn was downstairs and picked up the phone while we were talking. We both said hi to her and then she hung up. My mom told me she had to run to go get some money real quick and she would call me when she got home so we could leave. Perfect...gives me just enough time to finish getting ready. 10 minutes goes by and the doorbell rings. Wonder who it was.....wasn't expecting anyone and my mom hadn't even called to say she was home yet. Scott answers the door and I walk down the stairs to see who it is. You can imagine my surprise and confusion when I see my mom walk in with a crying Jadyn. Quickly in my mind I think "Hmmmm....I just got off the phone with my mom 10 min ago. She was at home, getting ready to leave and Jade was downstairs" I ask my mom what was going on. She says she was driving past our neighborhood on her way to get the money when she sees up ahead a little girl trying to cross the busy road. As she gets closer she realizes it was Jadyn. She too is confused as again....we had just discussed that Jadyn and I would be waiting for her at home. My mom wonders why in the WORLD Jadyn is on a busy street far away from our house. I don't even let her play out front alone, so obviously this was not ok. MY mom turns around just as Jade decides to turn back around. When my mom pulled up to Jadyn she said "Where is your mom?" Jade breaks out in tears "She left me and I was supposed to go with her so I ran to try to find her!" My mom tells her she will take her home and see if they can find me. Scott and I were both home. So after Jade calms down and we assure her that 1-We would never leave her and 2- She can NEVER go around the neighborhood by herself, she tells me that when we were on the phone she thought I had already left (Never mind my car still there, I hadn't said goodbye) so she ran out the door and ran as fast as she could down the street through the neighborhood to see if she could catch me. When she got to the busy road (where my mom saw her) she was going to cross to see if she could find me at my mom's, but realized she didn't know exactly which way my mom's was so that is when she turned around. My mom said she was running as fast as she could back home. And to boot....she left the house in this cute outfit with a 6-9 month cardigan over the top (she had been trying on her baby clothes), striped, colorful socks, and white shoes. She looked fantastic! ;)
Aren't I an awesome parent to not even know she had left? What a bad feeling to think your child is in your house only to find out that they weren't. I'm just glad she didn't cross the street. All types of bad things could have happened. I'm also glad that my mom found her and brought her home. I felt bad for Jade too, thinking that Scott and I had left her home alone. She has never left by herself so she must have been very panicked and probably so sad when she got to the busy road and realized she didn't know what to do.
It was just one of those crazy things that I have thought about over and over since it happened. One of those times you realize something really bad could have happened and you are glad someone was watching over your sweet little baby, keeping them safe.

Jax sits!

The past few weeks my little Jax has started to love being read to. It is something new. Usually we just read while he is in his crib-or he would run away. But, he has fallen in love with all of the "Brown Bear" books. He loves them. When he wakes up in the morning he starts yelling "MOOOOOMMMMM!!!" and as soon as I go in he starts saying "Rocking chair. Brown bear. Read" Then, here is the amazing part: he sits on my lap and we read at least 3 books. This happens in the morning, when he gets up from his nap, and when he goes to bed. If you know Jax, or read my blog much, you know my little Jax does not sit. Ever. The only time he will even watch a t.v. is when he is strapped in his car seat in the car. It is so nice to be able to sit and have some quiet one on one time with him.
When he woke up today from his nap he was a little grumpy. He realized I was on my way out to run and he had a melt down. He wanted to go "bye bye". I felt bad for him so I asked him if he wanted to come in the stroller with me and he did. I was a little worried because I knew I would be gone for an hour. Wouldn't you know.....he did not make a peep the ENTIRE hour and 5 min we were out. Well, he did say "Dog" when he saw a dog, but that was it. I was so amazed. He seriously just sat in the stroller and didn't move or talk at all! I think he just enjoyed being outside and getting to sit in the stroller alone. It was a little tiring pushing him up the hill, but totally worth it. We definitely enjoyed our little outing. I think I'll have to do it again sometime.