so embarrassing...

okay...so every year jack wraps up presents for everyone. he just finds things around the house and puts them in a box. while i was making dinner i saw him put a present under the tree. he was so excited! i couldn't figure out what in the world was taped to it. i finally went over to check it out...ky. nice. i guess i need to start locking my bedroom door.

 



daddy/daughter day

sammy spent the day with her dad, alivia and will. judging by the look on her face it seems like it was a fun day. poor jack missed out...stinks to be in school all day.

 

sammy is obsessed with riding in the gator and feeding the cows. i'm sure she was in heaven doing both that day. she is so funny. she would stay outside all day if we'd let her. she doesn't care how cold it is. that girl wants to be outside.

 

 



he's so stinking cute!

i'm glad he is mine forever.

 



all about my farmer

i'm not one to advertise my love for my husband. however, farmer deserves some praise. plus, it's my blog and since i plan on making our blog in to a book...i'll do what i want.

 

i can't lie...the first two years of marriage were hard. real hard. neither one of us had any clue what we were doing. we didn't know what to expect with coming together as an instant family. he was set in his ways. i was set in mine. jack and i had our own routine and he had his. then, to make things more interesting, we were given our baby girl.

 

it's taken some time for us both to appreciate one another. i need to be better at letting him know how much i love him. he has spoiled me and the kids.

 

so, farmer, thank you

 

for...

 

1.  loving jack like he is your own

2.  being patient with me

3.  flying me out of town to go shopping for the day...i felt like a princess

4.  trimming your beard for our pictures

5.  agreeing to take family pictures

6.  wearing a sweater for pictures...still in shock over this one

7. being so adorable with sammy-she loves her daddy

8.  being home early on mondays to watch sammy so i can take jack to scouts

9.  supporting all of us in the things we want to do

10.  providing for our family...we've never had to go without

11.  giving jack opportunities that i would never have been able to give him on my own 

12.  letting me stay home with the littles

13.  working so hard so we can have the things we want and think we need

14.  putting up with my anxiety

15.  teaching me to love again

16.  helping me to realize that it's okay to live life

 

farmer, i could go on and on with the "thank yous" but, let's be honest, you're not even reading this and i don't want to bore everyone else.

 

i love you first.

 

 

 

 

peek a boo!

 

sammy was playing peek a boo with nana on skype.  it was so cute.

 

 

cool dad award goes to....

 

farmer.

 

farmer found some bunnies in the field and brought them home. jack thought it was the greatest thing. sammy wasn't so sure about them.

 

 

i love this picture...jack wanted to get down on one knee just like daddy nate.

 

 

daddy nate and jack made them a home. unfortunately, they escaped after a couple weeks.

 

 

sammy knows...

 

to go sit with her daddy after lunch. there's always a treat after lunch.

 

farmer taught her the correct way to eat an oreo...to dunk them first.

 

 

 

i must be doing something right...

i love jack...he is such a sweet boy. don't get me wrong, the kid can be a royal stink pot. but, he does have a big heart.

 

he's been wanting a certain lego set for quite awhile. we had already talked to him about not buying any toys for awhile because he has so much already and christmas would be here before he knew it. he decided right then that he was going to save up money and buy it himself. he has saved for months and months...the set is $130. he's only $25 away from his goal.

 

the other day we were all outside hanging out and jack tells us he has something very important to tell us. he told us that he was going to donate all his lego money to kadin. kadin is a 4th grader at his school who was diagnosed with leukemia. jack said the legos weren't as important as helping kadin pay for his doctors.

 

his school is trying to raise money to help kadin and his family. i thought it was so sweet of jack to not even give it a second thought. he was determined to donate all his money. and he did. he was so proud of himself. i was proud of him too. he came home from school yesterday and told us that he wants to do more chores to save money for kadin.

 

jack has been such an example to us...especially during the past couple days.

 

we love you, buddy!

 

 

happy halloween

 

jack FINALLY decided on being a teenage mutant ninja turtle. i say "finally" because if you know jack, you know he changes his mind on these kinds of things....a million times.

 

as soon as his costume arrived he was in full ninja turtle mode. he protected us all.

 

sammy was wonder woman! she was so stinkin cute. she had a little head band but of course that wasn't about to stay on. sigh.

 

 

 

grandma had a halloween party at her house. the kids had a lot of fun. they went on a hayrack ride, carved pumpkins, played games, had a weenie roast and ended the night with smores.  

i still can't believe sammy kept the vampire teeth in her mouth. funny girl.



this was hilarious...sammy was watching all the boys try to eat their donuts with no hands so she was going to do it too. she never even tried to grab it. they had sugar all over their little faces.

i don't want to forget...

the things he says.

 

it's no secret that i'm borderline obsessed with jack.  he drives me bonkers and cracks me up all at the same time.  he gets a way with too much...from me anyway.  doesn't work so much with his dad. 

 

 

anyway, i just wanted to record a couple of the things he has said the past week because hopefully one day i'll print this blog in to a book.  hopefully.

 

 

a few days ago i was trying to get jack to get movin so we could get him to school on time.  of course, he's taking his time.  not in any hurry.  i finally yell say, "jack, this is ridiculous! move faster, buddy!" without missing a beat jack says, "relax, babe, it'll be fine."  seriously?  i have no clue where he comes up with the things he does. 

 

 

today, jack was being a stink pot.  he doesn't understand why he can't watch certain shows.  every time he asks to watch these shows he gets the same answer...no.  yet he still asks.  over and over.  well, today, he got a little upset and wasn't very nice to me.  he apologized and things were fine.  then tonight as he was saying his prayers he says, "heavenly father, thank you for this day.  thank you for my mom.  she does so much for me.  i really hope she forgives me for being a terd to her today.  heavenly father, please help me to not be a terd to my mom. amen."

 

love you, jack.

 

goin to the chapel...

farmer was in a wedding this past weekend so we were able to have some grown up time.  the wedding was amazing and farmer looked so handsome.  i like it when he has to really clean up. 

 

we had so much fun.  my cheeks hurt from all the laughing we did.  my awesome parents were able to watch the kids for us.  we weren't planning on that so it was a nice surprise. 

 

jack decided to cut his hair while we were gone.  stink pot.  my mom went into the bathroom to check on him and she noticed a pair of scissors on the counter.  when she asked him what he was doing he said, i'm going for a new look, nana."  luckily, it wasn't that bad. 

 

thanks again, nana and papa, for watching the littles for us.  it was so good to be able to spend time with just the two of us.  we really appreciated it!!

 

 

 

sweet relief

my precious jack has been having some health issues.  he's been having constant nose bleeds.  constant.  it's been going on since june. in the beginning, we thought it was altitude sickness...as it all started while we were in idaho. then we thought maybe he was getting dehydrated.  farmer and i were making sure he was drinking water like crazy. at the same time, i thought, he's six...he's probably picking his nose.

 

the nose bleeds got worse.  he'd wake me up a couple times during the night scared because he couldn't get the bleeding to stop.  we put a humidifier in his room. put vaseline and neosporin in his nose.  nothing was working.

 

if you know me i tend to worry about everything. so, i was trying to be calm and not overreact. i wanted to be brave for my little boy.  but, i was a wreck inside.

 

i took him to the doctor a few weeks ago to find out what was going on.  the doctor was concerned but wanted to make sure it wasn't an infection inside the sinuses that we just couldn't see. he took an antibiotic for 2 weeks with no improvement.  last week the doctor called to have labs done. jack was so brave.  i was so proud of him.

 

(not looking forward to having his "blood taken out")

 

finally....we were back in the office today and the doctor ruled out leukemia.  this has been on my mind since the beginning.  i've been sick about it.  tomorrow we have an appointment with an ENT.  i can handle anything now that i know it's not the "L" word.  i love this little boy so much and seeing him go through this has broken my heart.  i hope we can get the answers we need tomorrow.  jack, of course, is hoping that there won't be any more needles involved.

thank you for all the prayers for our little boy.

 

 

armpit farts

 

last night while i was laying in bed with jack he wanted to know how come he can't make his armpit fart. well, like the coolest mom that i am, i taught him. this lesson lasted way too long. but, i couldn't help it. every time he would make his pits fart he'd start giggling. it was so contagious i didn't want to leave. so, yeah, he went to bed late.

 

however, it was all worth it when i was walking out he said, "you're the coolest, most bestest mom ever!"

 

i.love.this.boy.

 

 

 



first grade (updated)

first grade...

how in the world did that happen?

time has moved at an incredible speed. jack is growing so fast. he is as funny as ever. never fails to make us laugh. he talks like he's sixteen...but still so much a momma's boy.

he was excited to start school today. i was excited for him but felt sick at the thought of him being in first grade. i still can't get over the shock. i swear, i just brought him home from the hospital yesterday.

sammy was sad to see him go. she gave him two big hugs and just rested her little face on his shoulder. jack promised her he'd be back to play with her after school. those two will be best friends forever.

we are so proud of our little guy. he had way too much fun this summer and grew a ton. we are excited to watch him grow even more.


oh, and now that school is back in full swing, i'm hoping to get this blog updated. i downloaded all the pictures from the past 6 months onto my computer last night. so, hopefully there will be some postings soon.

 

jack loves first grade. you wanna know why? because they get to have lunch recess BEFORE lunch. this was the greatest thing to him. he's such a stud. farmer and i went to the schools open house last week and the teacher said she adores jack. she said he's so complimentary and she just loves talking to him...she said what we already knew: that he communicates much differently than any other six year old. he's on a different level. his vocabulary is off the charts.

 

i just love him to pieces. i can't believe how fast he is growing. however, even though he is a big first grader, he is still every bit of a momma's boy. he still has to have his snuggle time with me every night before bed. we take turns singing songs. i love every second of these moments we get together because i know one day he will be so over the snuggles.

my jackers...

is funny.

he really is. i'm trying to be better about recording

some of the things he says.

the other day sammy miraculously slept in so jack and i were able to get in some mommy/jack time. we were snuggling on the couch when all of a sudden we had the most random conversation.

jack: mom, i've been thinking a lot about college.

me: college? how come, buddy? which one do you want to go to?

jack: well, i just want to know how i'll know what room is mine and i want to go to the college you went to, mommy.

me: every room has a number on it so when they assign you a room they will give you the number. as far as going to the college mommy went to i think it would be a better idea to go to the school i want you to go to. i want you to go to byu and be a cougar!

jack: oh yeah, a byu cougar-that's what i was gonna say. but, i just really want to go to a college that's easy, you know?

me: well, no school is really going to be easy. you'll have to study and work hard at any college you go to. and if you want to be a doctor you have to work extra hard.

jack: well, i don't want to be a doctor, mom. i want to be a hunter. i just want to go to a hunting college where we learn how to hunt really good.

me: (gritting my teeth) you're my son and i'll support you in anything you want to be when you grow up. luckily, you have plenty of time to decide what you really really want to be.

jack: you don't have to miss me either, mom. because on school breaks i'll come see you. unless my roommate wants to go to a beach or something and have some fun.

(how is it that my six year old already knows about beaches and spring break? i'm nervous)

pray.for.me

funny story number 2

i took jack to the library the other day to sign him up for the summer reading program. he agreed to read 42. he started with 900 but he scaled it down.

anyway, you can check out 25 books at one time...why would you do that? well, once jack caught wind of this he went c.r.a.z.y. i had to run out to the car to change sammy's diaper so i left him in the kids section and when i came back his bag was full. so full i could hardly carry the bag. while we were checking them out i noticed he had an indian book in his pile. a book more suited for like a twelve year old. so, i asked him "jack, are you sure you want this book?" with the most serious look ever he says, "yeah, it's about my ancestors, mom. i want the book!"

sheesh.

funny story number 3

jackers and i went for a bike ride down to the end of the corn fields yesterday. it was nice to spend time with just him and an added bonus to be outside. jack started riding really fast trying to make skid marks (more like tracks) in the dirt. well, he got going good and skidded around and says "whoa, mom, check out that birth mark i made!!"

love me some jackers!!



jack turns six

oh.my.gosh.

first of all, how cute is jack? seriously. i melt every time i look into those delicious brown eyes. love this kid. puts a smile on my face every.single.day.

you can only imagine jacks excitement when he saw this cake. jack is addicted to chocolate. when i saw this i knew it would be perfect for him.

i took cupcakes to jacks class on the big day. he was super happy.

i have no clue what the obsession is with angry birds. but, when the kids in jacks class saw these rings they flipped out. they were hugging jack and high-fiving him and thanking him for getting those "super cool" rings.

we took jack to one of his favorite restaurants for his birthday dinner. the surprise you with putting a pie in your face. he loved it, of course.

sammy turns one!

i have no clue how it happened. but, it did. baby girl turned one. she is one sweet baby. she is very happy and easy going. we all just love her so much. for her birthday we had a milk and cookies party. it was fun to have family and good friends around. my parents were able to come so that was a total bonus.





i made sammy's cake and i have to say that i impressed myself. i've never done anything like this before. i was so nervous i had to do a test run before the big day.

thank goodness for big brothers! jack showed sammy how to open presents. sammy loves her "bubba." they'll be best friends for ever. 

we had such a fun day! sammy is a gem. we love her to pieces.

jackers,

it happened again. i begged for it not to happen. but, no one ever listens to me. so, here we go again, you're another year older. why oh why does time go by so quickly? you've done a lot this past year. the biggest thing being going to kindergarten! holy cow, mister. of course, you dominated. you are crazy smart. you use incredibly big words. you say the funniest things. honestly, i have no idea where you come up with half the stuff you say. but, i do know you crack us up every day. you are on a hunting kick right now and asked for "camo stuff" for your birthday so you can go hunting with your dad. not sure how i feel about that though.

jack, i love you so much. i feel like the luckiest mom in the world because i get to call you my son. i'm so proud of you. you're going to do such great things in your life. i'll always be your biggest fan.

i love you to the moon and back 97684561313848000006484064322100004889690 times all mushed up together and locked up and only you can open it.

love,
mommy

sammy jojo

my sweet little jojo,

i can't believe how fast this year has gone by. when we found out that we were having a little girl i was scared. but you have brought me so much happiness i couldn't imagine life without you. you've even managed to get me to buy pink clothes. never saw that coming. however, no amount of pink is going to make you girly. you love to wrestle with your brother and play with all his toys. but, most of all, you love going with your dad to work. you love the tractors. since the moment you were born the sparkle in your dads eyes has been brighter. he loves you more than he ever thought he could. you've brought more love into our home.

we are so happy that you chose us, jojo. we love you oh so much. i'm so excited to watch you grow and learn new things.

love,
mama

jack: mom, can i play my ds?

me: no, you need to take a break from that thing.

jack: but, i need it to surviiiiiiiiiive.

me: well, i hope you make it through the night.

also...

a few weeks ago

me: jack why are you so cute?

jack: because my nana's cute. (he loves to get a rise outta me)

me: oh well, that's okay. cause everyone says that i look exactly like nana when she was my age.

jack: (without missing a beat) was her face all scrambled then?

(gotta love the signs of aging)

the kid is hilarious.