The Aise's

Cute Calvin Montage

2012-01-24T00:36:00.001-08:00

Here's Calvin at 5 weeks. I love this stage because babies start to lose the newborn funk. The face of recognition appears, "Hey, I know you". And little bebes begin to smile as if to say, "Thank you for putting up with me these last few weeks. I know I've been kind of a drag and kept you up at night. I'll still keep you awake at 2 but now you know I appreciate you."

"Great, she's taking MORE pictures."

"I'll humor her a little..."

"Ta-da!"

"Bored..."

"Huh, what's that?"

"It's getting closer..."

"Oh, Mom, that tickles"

Caveat: it's 1:28 am and I can haz cheeseburger should make a site for babies if it hasn't already. It could be really, really funny.
icanhazcheeseburger

- Posted by The Mama

Ezra and his hats

2012-01-24T00:22:00.001-08:00

I only post this because it's amazing that Ezra, being the busiest 15 month old ever, held still for photos and allowed hats to be on his head for more than 2.5 seconds.
Here's "The Bear"

The "Lobsterman"

The "Skullcrusher"

- Posted by The Mama

Little one

2012-01-22T03:16:00.001-08:00

We spend a lot of time together, this little one and I. Usually he's attached to my chest, but we have our quality time too. I listen to his soft squeaks and grunts while breathing in his sweet baby smell. I think Heaven must smell like brand-new babies because that's the best scent on earth. I stare into his liquid newborn eyes and wonder what color they will turn out to be; blue like Jack's until he turned two, or dark chocolate like Ezra's. I also hope that Calvin's adjustment to life outside the womb is going alright. It's got to be a shock, right? That's probably why we don't remember being infants. Who knows? Anyway, textbooks call this bonding. I kinda like it, even the third time around.

- Posted by The Mama

Tis the Season

2012-01-22T03:02:00.001-08:00

I changed up the Christmas tree design this year with shades of teal, green and gold with a few birds thrown in. I liked the effect. Jack chose the blue LED lights that are hung/wrapped around the balcony slats.

Jack with his "Chrimast tree" and blue lights in the background.

Calvin in a Santa suit on the big day.

Calvin in more Christmas attire gifted by our friends, the Benezras.

We had a really nice, simple Christmas this year made even better by the presence of my mom and brother Nate. That's the most family for Christmas than I've had in 8 years! Seriously, when you and your spouse are nurses, your holiday plans are shot until you retire. This year I was happily on maternity leave and Mom was here to help. It just happened to fall on Christmas!

- Posted by The Mama

Introducing...

2012-01-21T00:57:00.001-08:00

Calvin Rafael Acosta!
Born 1:10 pm December 12, 2011
7 lbs 15 oz 18.5 inches

I planned the induction on Calvin's due date and went in at 7:00 am. Pitocin drip, monitors and paperwork ready to go at 8:00. I had the epidural done around 10:30/11 and Dr. Jones broke my water at 11:45. Calvin arrived about and hour and a half later! This quick delivery makes me wonder how fast I would have gone if labor had happened spontaneously.

The Dada and his third boy!

Calvin and Hobbes
Mama Fala hand made this Hobbes and surprised us with it when she arrived from Texas. He's bigger than the baby!

Home at last!

- Posted by The Mama

He's up to no good

2012-01-21T00:35:00.001-08:00

Like the title suggests, Ezra is Trouble! (said in the most endearing way possible). He pushes the envelope in ways Jack never did and thus keeps his parents on their tippy toes. Here are some examples:
"Give me all your binky's/chocolate/toys/Cheetos and nobody gets hurt!"
Name this movie: "He's holding it sideways! That's a kill shot!"

Step 1: get in bottom drawer

Step 2: climb into higher drawer and surf a little in it while you're there. Nuts! Mama caught me! I'm surprised she could move that fast. She's huge!

Toy in my mouth? Check. Jammies? Check. Outta the bin? Workin' on it.

This is where I store my babies when not in use.

Heck, this is where I store both the children.

Why do I even put this stuff away?

Ezra, I love you and it's in your best interest that you are so cute.

Family pic

2012-01-20T21:40:00.001-08:00

Star Mill in American Fork, UT. Friday July 29, 2011 courtesy of Melanie Rice www.melaniericephotography.com

Why yes, I am playing catch-up! Thanks for understanding.

- Posted by The Mama

Pumpkin pickin' time!

2012-01-20T21:39:00.001-08:00

Jack and I went to HeeHaw farm for pumpkins and farm fun. A hayride, giant slide, and petting zoo preceded the hunt for this beauty.

This is how tall Jack is in pumpkins, I suppose.

Oh, and of course we're preparing for Halloween by making sure the costume Jack picked out at the beginning of October fits...every day.

- Posted by The Mama

Ezra is ONE!!

2011-11-18T16:05:00.001-08:00

October 4, 2010 brought this little guy into our home and lives. To celebrate his advent, we had an informal little shindig with cake and of course, the cake massacre. A few friends came over to witness the carnage and much laughter ensued. Here's the Before:
"Mama, get this thing offa me!"

And After:
It all happened so fast we didn't get a good shot of Ezra with a fully intact piece of cake.

"Ooh, dis is good"

We also had a photo session with Melanie Rice to help document Ezra's first birthday. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

I had a crop a couple of them since I'm working with photos stored on my iPhone and not on the computer. The computer happens to reside in Ezra's room where he is currently sleeping. But, you get the idea. Melanie Rice is AMAZING. You may have heard that somewhere before. Perhaps on this blog.

And, Ezra? We love you more than ever. You bring smiles, giggles, and much love to your family. Jack thinks you're the greatest thing since Cheetos and he goes out of his way to make you laugh every day. After learning to walk last month, you are unstoppable. You like to wave and say "Hi" and are learning signs for 'All done' and 'milk'. Your favorite book is "Whose Nose?" and your favorite toy is anything with buttons i.e. the remote or Momma's phone. Your mom can't get enough kisses because you still have that delicious baby smell and because she knows that someday those kisses will be harder to come by. Thank you for being part of Team Acosta.

-Posted by The Mama

Big News!

2011-08-12T11:15:00.001-07:00

Surprise of the century for our family...the upcoming arrival of Boy #3 in December! The ultrasound on July 26th showed a healthy (obviously boy) baby.

Jack, although initially disappointed it wasn't going to be a sister, is excited to be a big brother again. Now to find a name...
- Posted by The Mama

Gobbles!

2011-08-12T11:04:00.001-07:00

Bath-time with Jack is always a party-- giggles, splashing, bubbles and "gobbles"

I sent this as a "Good night, Dadda" message to Jason at work. Jack, what a sweet kid. I'm so thankful to be this handsome boy's momma.

Posted by The Mama

Ezra 9 months

2011-08-12T10:55:00.001-07:00

Nine months has got to be one of my favorite stages! Ezra can pull himself up to standing, crawls everywhere, and is just so fun to play with. This is the expression I see most often on my sweet little boy.

Pulling himself up to standing

Yum, shoes!

- Posted by The Mama

Ezra 8 months

2011-07-10T20:35:00.001-07:00

Ezra keeps growing by leaps and bounds! Now he scoots to wherever he wants to be (usually to see what Jack's up to or to make sure the shoes are in order). Here's a short video of Ezra attempting to crawl and ending with his fish flop.

YouTube Video

Face time with Brother.

That new backpack? Oh yes, still awesome and provides easy access...for the baby!

Ezra fell asleep in my mom's arms at church. He never does that for me anymore!

- Posted by The Mama

Ezra 7 months

2011-07-08T22:25:00.001-07:00

Ezra learned how to sit on his own and can play with his toys in an upright position, which he likes. He's such a happy baby, still full of smiles and sweet baby sounds. He loves his yogurt and oatmeal in the morning and tolerates most of the other pureed stuff we give him, except sweet potatoes. This pic below reminds me somewhat of Jack at this age.

Yum! Ezra likes food now.

Jason's new baby backpack. It fits up to 50 pounds! Well, Jack's 45 and I'm sure he's capable of walking himself up that mountain... Anyway, it was a great find and a well-made pack by Kelty.

This onesie was a gift from Auntie Fredica. Hook 'em horns!

- Posted by The Mama

My Hero

2011-06-26T21:11:00.001-07:00

The kid loves Super Heroes. Phrases frequently heard at our place: "I am Iron Man! Pee-yoo, Pi-ya!", "Mama, call me Tony Stark/Peter Parker", "I saved the day!" Jack loves his costumes and wears them so often that they're looking a little ragged, but who am I to stifle his invincibility? How could I? Because someday he will save the day.

- Posted by The Mama

Jack

2011-04-19T17:36:00.001-07:00

Jack's favorite request is "Mom, can you take a bee-vo (video) of me?" Then he poses funky and I take pictures or bee-vos.

Once in a while I catch a good one.

Scenes like this warm my heart for two reasons. One, because he is developing a love for reading. Two, he's entertaining himself.

"I Love to see the Temple" Jack style

YouTube Video

Ezra 6 months

2011-04-17T22:02:00.001-07:00

Stats:
16.11lbs (50th percentile)
27 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

Trying new food (he's not sure he likes this part)

Baby blessing 04/10/11

Hey, look at me! I fit into an outfit Jack wore when he was 3 weeks old!
It did hit Ezra at the knees, though.

Playing matchy-matchy with big brother. I can't help myself...having two boys is really fun!

Bathtime is awesome!

YouTube Video

- Posted by The Mama

Ezra 4 months

2011-02-08T20:02:00.001-08:00

He giggles, babbles, and just learned how to squawk. He grabs and holds small toys and can play independently for longer periods of time. The kid is just happy to be alive. Ezra weighs 14.8 lbs and is 26 1/4 inches long which puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and 95th for height. That sounds about right for our children.

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

The Expressionist

2011-02-08T17:25:00.001-08:00

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

Ezra 3 months

2011-02-08T17:23:00.001-08:00

This blue outfit was brought up by Jason's mom and was once worn by Jason when he was a baby.

Mama loves her delicious baby.

Ezra can play with his hangy toys now

Ezra is such a happy baby, full of smiles and contagious baby giggles.

Post-bath & lotioning (my favorite part of having babies)

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

Early Christmas with the Beneezees

2011-02-08T17:20:00.001-08:00

Part of our visit to Washington included a few days with our friends, Amy and Anthony Benezra. We invaded their home with noise, spills, kitty chasing and kid clutter. They took it all with grace and revealed that they, too, were soon adding a noisy spill-making kitty chaser to their family.

Mute likes to be in on the action...but not really. She plays it cool like that.

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

Family Dinner

2011-02-08T17:13:00.001-08:00

No trip home would be complete without family dinner with the Criddle cousins.

Jason and Jack with Aunt Jayne

Keire and Jason

Jason, Jack, Kristel, and tiny Ezra

Laurel with Cade, Kevin with Ryan, Jason with Jack, and Kelsie

Jason and I went out to dinner at an awesome Tepanyaki place in Federal Way with Laurel and Kevin.

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

Location:Family Dinner

Santa comes when it rains, too

2011-02-08T13:56:00.001-08:00

While we were staying with my parents, Santa came to town accompanied by lights and sirens. Jack made sure to tell Santa he wanted Ice Screamer from Mater Tall Tales. To which Santa replied, "What kind of ice cream do you like?". That's okay, Santa, we understand him and trust that you'll get him an Ice Screamer for Christmas.

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

Sweet Home Washington

2011-02-08T13:45:00.001-08:00

Mid-December found us in my home state for a brief visit with family and friends. Our visits are never long enough and we cram as much as we can into those few days.
My mom, Jason, and I took Jack to the Museum of Flight. Ezra tagged along, too.

Jack and I in the flight simulator where Jack discovered that his mama is no Maverick.

Jack became "Buzz Wightyear"

- Posted by the Mama on her new toy

Ezra 2 months

2011-02-08T13:21:00.001-08:00

December 13, 2010

"He's not so bad, I think I'll keep him"

December 23, 2010

"I shock you!"

New-ness

2011-02-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

You forget how much your life changes when you have a new baby. I think it's a mechanism innately built in our brains so we humans will want to have more children. Aside from the feedings every 2 hours or so and the frequent diaper changes in those early days there are some nice side effects to having a new little person in your home. For one, family and visitors speak in easier, hushed tones. The older brother peeks over the side of the crib and whispers, "Baby Ezra, I love you." The most basic of daily needs, like getting a shower or eating, takes on a whole new meaning. Life gets simpler in some ways because of the focus on those few important tasks...feed the baby, feed the momma, change the baby, wash the baby, wash the momma, rinse and repeat. Small comforts like a warm meal and a swept floor have a whole new meaning when your hierarchy of needs suddenly changes because you are in charge of providing for this little one's shelter, safety, food, warmth, and overall well-being. But here we are again, doing the newborn thing for a second time...because it's worth it just to have this in your home.

Uncle Nate with his newest nephew

Jason's mom "Mama Fala" came to visit her little guys, too.

Attention Benezra's: this video might be helpful in the coming months

Newborn Portraits by Melanie Rice

2011-02-07T19:22:00.001-08:00

We had these done when Ezra was one week old so we could capture his sweet newborn-ness. Melanie came to our home and helped us create memories by taking these amazing photos.

Jack liked watching Melanie work and wanted to take some pictures, too.

like these? for more info see www.melaniericephotography.com

Home

2011-02-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Grandma resting with Baby Ezra

Hey, Baby Ezra, wanna play?

You're just gonna sleep?

I couldn't help myself...had to get the boys "Big Brother" and "Little Brother" shirts. You know, so you can tell who's who now that there's two. It might get confusing.

New Baby Brother!

2011-02-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

Monday, October 4, 2010 0730: The Acosta trio arrive at American Fork Hospital to become a family of four. Jack's last known photo as an Only Child.

Heather donning the robes of fulfilled maternity.

The view outside the window...wouldn't have it any other way.

Hooked up to the monitor with the Pitocin flowin'. Since Jack was such a large baby we (meaning me) decided to induce a week early. Dr. Jones estimated the baby would arrive sometime around 4 pm. He was so right.

Baby Boy Acosta born 3:55pm. Labor took about 7 hours total with minimal damage to the mama. Nice.

The cord was wrapped a couple of times around Ezra's neck which made his face look somewhat paler than the rest of his body. A few minutes and a little oxygen brought him back to normal. Weight: 7 lbs 14.8 oz; 19 inches long.

Jack meeting Ezra for the first time. Hey, little brother!

The Acosta Family: Jason, Heather, Jack, and Ezra

Ezra Federico

2011-02-05T23:28:00.001-08:00

Our second beautiful boy was born October 4, 2010 at 3:55pm weighing 7 lbs, 14.8 oz and measuring 19 inches long. This portrait courtesy of Melanie Rice Photography when Ezra was one week old. More pictures to come...

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Damage

2011-01-15T12:56:00.000-08:00

Pitty picture. Because I can.
The other touristy thing that must be done on a true vacay is shopping.
Anthony and I chose to do most of our damage at Dooney & Burke.
Because that's how we roll.

Amy and Heather may have picked up a purse or two there as well.

So there's like, a big fort there.......

2011-01-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

We did a couple of touristy things on our PR vacay. Like get robbed by some parking bandit, almost get a $100 ticket from the parking police, all while visiting this fort.
It was old and cool.
Someday, I too will be old and cool.
Serious faces.
Just kidding! You can't be sirious on vacayshuns, it's ginst the rules!

Beach Ad Lib

2011-01-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Heather and I have been on two cruises. The first was a 5 day trip out of LA to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada Mexico. The second one Heather got to choose, and we went to Alaska, Inside passage, out from and back to Seattle. I'm picking the next cruise, and all I can say is, there WILL be beaches.
We had some good beach time in PR. The condo that we rented was in the Condado area, and our place was about 1 block from the beach. So we went to the beach.............a lot.
A little beautiful native scenery.
This was my screen saver on my laptop for a long time. I'll bet those PR kids you see pictured on the right ended up in a lot of people's screen savers, and not just mine.
Sandy toes.
Pretty non-native scenery.
Oh, beautiful beach, how I love you and miss you so.

More Boricua, Gettin' our Foodie on...

2011-01-15T05:43:00.001-08:00

So, when the Beneezee's and the Aises get together, we do food right. Like, RIGHT. So pretty much every night that we spent in PR, we ate dinner somewheres fabulous. The first night was awesome. (yeah, I've been on the street were the pina colada was invented.)
We went to this place called The Parrot Club. I remember traffic was horrific, and we had to park quite a ways away (more on that later), bu the food was terrific. And there was much fruity drink enjoyment had by most.
Cool Vacshuners.
Delicious Beverage.
Jason's meal. Best mofongo I had the entire time I was there, plus, some pretty amazing BBQ chicken.
Heather's dish. (much more on this later)
Amy's dish. For some reason, I have no photographic record of Anthony's dish. So he must not have had anything. Oh well.
But they sure looked cute!
We didn't look so bad either.
The food was excellent. I loved my chicken, and Amy and Anthony loved their meal, and Heather RAVED about her pumpkin gnocchi. So, by this point, we had already informed our friends that we were expecting. Heather was in the early stages of the pregnancy, you know, the kind were any little smell can set you off. Also, I mentioned that we had parked kinda far away. Up hill. So the restaurant was at the bottom of a hill, and that means we had to walk back to the car, like, half a mile. Up hill. Not fun. The street that we were on was kinda grody in some places, with garbage and a couple drunks and shady characters, and some of the smells were not so kind to the Heatheraise. The only person that had any leftovers in a doggie bag was Heather. So, we're walking back and Heather starts to get queasy, what with the walking up hill, post-meal, the drunks, the exhaust, etcetera. By the time we made it to our car, Heather was NOT feeling well, and insisted that we toss her leftovers. In the garbage. Sadness. Well, whaddya do-pregnant lady rules all that the eye can see. Delicious Parrot Club pumpkin Gnocchi-gone, into the garbage. We get into the car, rolling homewards, and Heather starts to feel better AND really really really regret tossing her gnocchi. Ha, she still regrets it to this day. So, if you're ever in the vicinity of The Parrot Club, try the gnocchi, and BRING SOME BACK FOR HEATHER!!

Boricua Time

2011-01-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

Rental Car numero 1. Since we got to the island first. we were in charge of picking up the rental. the island is a lot smaller than we thought, I'm usually pretty good at reading a map, but we did a loop thru Old San Juan like, 10 times because I kept insisting that we just had to go a little bit farther, when in reality, I just kept overshooting our destination because the island was a lot smaller to navigate than I was used to. Also, this was rental car numero uno because it had been in a wreck, so whenever I made a left turn, there was a horrible scraping noise. Too bad, that was a spunky little car.
Beach!
The Benezra's!
And the Aises! On a tropical Caribbean beach vacay-shun! Sans Jack child or any other responsibilities. More on that later.
One of the first days there we hooked up with an old high school friend of mine and her husband for Lunch at this place.
Solimar and her husband were great, and gave us a lot of great tips on what to do and see on the island, plus the food was really good. I think this was my first ceviche.
Oh, look out! Vacay toes!

Speaking of Long Cold Utah Winters.........

2011-01-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

Around abouts Febrooary, we went on a little trip to a place I like to call......Puerto Rico. it was awesome, to say the least. On our way down, we stopped in Los Alamos, and stayed with an old college roomie, Evan G and his family. Funny story, the day I found out Heather was pregnant, I called Evan to let him know, and turns out, his Emily was pregnant too! In fact, we had the same due date. He and Ems got married the same year as us, and we went down for the wedding. we kicked it in Albuquerque at the temple, hung out in Santa Fe, and attended a reception for them in Los Alamos, then enjoyed a carefree drive home thru Colorado on our way back to Utah. Good times. The above picture is our first born batch. Ty ended up being born almost a month ahead of Jack, what with being born a little early, and Jack being born almost a week late, but not only did these kids have the same due date, they were probably conceived on the same day. Ha!
Since that time, Em and Ev have had another (we did let them know that our own #2 was in the oven), and he looks just as cute as the first.
We arrived in El Paso where we dropped Jack off with his Cousin Kia, and they took up right were they left off. It's nice having cousins.
Finally.............Puerto RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIICO!!! Note the pre-vacay paleness.
So pretty. And much smaller than we expected. We arrived a little bit before our friends, the Beneezee's, and could't resist stopping at the first beach we saw and walking around.

Ketchup

2011-01-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

You might say it's been a while since I've posted on a re-goo-lar type basis. You might say. So.....in an effort to mend broken (blogosphere) relations...........let's play 'catch-up!'
In 2009, we bought our first membership to Thanksgiving Point. Since, you know, it's like, hardcore winter here for 9 months outta the year, we desperately craved some sort of indoor activities that we could take the munch kinder to for blowing off steam purposes.
We've spent a lot of time there since, not only at the Dino museum, but also at the gardens and Farm Country.
Also in 2009 I got my first job as a male nurse. YAY! Finally a career and not just a job.
So there you go, blogosphere. You are a demanding mistress, and I hope my initial return offering is acceptable. Here's to never abandoning you again. Cheers!

bubba update

2010-08-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ad to think, his eyes used to be blue.
Still a cutie pie.

So, there are some things Jack has been saying lately that deserve an update. Mostly because I need to remember them, partly cuz they're so dang cute.

We finally showed Jack the Toy Story franchise, and subsequently got him hooked. The last picture you see there is him 'shocking,' (translation-shooting) Buzz Wightyear style. Jack still can't pronounce the 'L' sound yet. But, Buzz Wightyear is a vast improvement over 'Buzz Weiser.' Um, no, I don't drink beer, why do you ask? Oh, my kid, right-no, he's trying to say Buzz Lightyear, you know from that movie, oh, okay, fine. Nevermind.

I went to Wally World and bought Jack a coupla Nerf and cap guns, so now Jack likes to 'shock,' me. We have lots of fun shooting stuff around the house, haven't broken anything yet. I should have gotten more of the sucker thing rounds........

Jack still has only 'she' and 'hers' as far as pronouns go, but we're working on it.

His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. Thanks in part probably to Toy Story, stories about outer space and planets are becoming favorites of his.

Jack loves to swim, and has really gotten into it this summer. Still with the floaties, but maybe swim lessons next year.

We went to Vegas for a quick three day trip. Stayed at a posh hotel, ate fancy food, relaxed, watched a show. Day three we get a call from the bubba, who sounds sad and informs Heather that "I wost my momma and my dadda....."

I drove 100 miles per hour the whole way back.

Day Out with Thomas!

2010-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

May 28th we went to Heber, UT for Day Out With Thomas. For all of you with toddler/preschool age boys, you know how HUGE this is for your little guys. For those who don't, it is HUGE. We took Jack because he loves Thomas the Tank Engine and has some dearly beloved Thomas trains; James, Henry, Toby, Salty, Emily, Percy, etc.
Jack was so excited to meet "Sir Topper-Hat." "You have caused confusion and delay."
The conductor of the train ride we took sat with Jack and let him try on his hat and see his conductor watch. Of course Jack was thrilled and we were excited to see our little boy so enthralled with the Thomas experience. I was amazed that I could be so excited for something that I didn't care about just because someone I loved was. This must be parenthood.

Jack with Thomas
First train ride

There were several train sets set up in a tent. Jack would have never left if we hadn't enticed him with the real train ride. All in all, a fun day for the whole family.

where my parents at?

2010-07-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

today we had this exchange:

me: jack, we have to go run some errands.

jack: we have to find my parents?

me: no, we have to run-some-errands.

jack: find my parents? for meeeeee?

me: yes. we have to go find your parents. *sigh* now get your sandals on.

Product Placement

2010-06-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

28 June, 2010

Dear Manufacturer,

I am writing in reference to the instruction manual to accompany your product, model number 4-27-07. The manual was not included in the packaging and I would like to request one at this time. More specifically, I would like to request sections 37.1 "Three Year Old Diplomacy" and 42.5 "Viral Invasion." I dearly love model 4-27-07 and am on the waiting list for one of the 10-10 models due this fall. However, to better care for and make the unit last as long as possible, I feel that the instruction booklet is fairly necessary. Please send one to my postal address as soon as possible. Thank you for your time.

Your loyal customer,

Heather

Whee for Three!

2010-06-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

The man with his creation. This was a first attempt at anything made from fondant and Jack couldn't have been happier with his Thomas cake. I think Jason was happy, too.

The Birthday Boy. Born April 27, 2007 3:03 am

A few friends catching some air in the jumpy castle we rented...someday we might buy one of these things because we had one last year, too, and it was so much fun.

Impromptu dance party that ensued in the theater room. Hannah Montana really has a way with kids...I wonder if she babysits. Probably not for my pay scale, anyway.

Pinata time! Notice the wary looks of our party friends as Jack wields the bat... The thing was so sturdy our friend Adam had to beat it down with his man muscles.

"Happy Birthday to You!" It's been a great 3 years with you, Jack. You're fun, sweet, and too cute for words. We love you and love being your parents.

It's a BROTHER!

2010-06-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound and this image is what made Jason excited-- as in "Whoohoo!" was heard throughout the office. I bet they get that a lot. Our next little man-child whose name is still up for some discussion/debate. Jack understands there is a baby in my belly but doesn't truly understand the implications. Babies and siblings are things other kids have to deal with. Oh, he will see in October...he will see...

Update

2010-05-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

We have our ultrasound to discover the sex of our next child on Thurday.

I am so nervous/excited/anxious. Seriously, I can't wait. Everyone thinks that we are having a girl because I want a boy so bad, and this pregnancy has been soooooo different than Jack.......plus we have, like, no good boy names that we can agree on...........sigh. Well, if it is a girl or three, we have plenty o'names.

************************

In other news, Jack has nightmares/bad dreams. He's been having them for a while. He probably has a great imagination like his old man, I used to have a lot of bad dreams, too. Usually Heather or I will just go into his room and hug him and pat him and calm him down, although recently he changed it up a bit.

I walked in there to calm him down and he said something about monsters. So I told him that I would check for monsters, and made a show about looking under the bed and in his toy bin and declaring, ' No monsters.' Then I told him that there were no monsters in the room, and that I had punched them in the stomach (Jack has recently started doing this to me. He'll give me a hug, tell me he loves me, then get a mischievious look on his face and punch me. Then he'll say, "I punch you!").

So Jack gets back in bed, thinks about this for a while, then says, "Sorry monsters."

I don't know if he was apologizing to them or what, but it sure was funny.

**************************

Come'on XY!!!!

Vinter Vunderland: More December '09

2010-04-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

This was probably December. A friend of ours invited us to this sweet hill where the sledding was wicked awesome. What am I, from Boston or something?
Jackers had a great time.
Even the Heatherette had a good time. Looking good in her snow bunny outfit, too.

The Utah Acosta Family.
After a while, Jack was at the end of his rope. He was really having none of this picture.
He didn't want any of this either.
Put me down! This instant I say!
NOW!
Okay, fine.

This was Jack, deciding that he had had enough. Going.............
.......going...................
...............Gone.
It was a great limp fish. He pulled it off all the way to the car. I'll tell you what, though, he sure slept well that nap.

More December

2010-04-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

So.....we made a gingerbread house. Or, Heather and Jack made one, I took pictures and helped demolish the thing afterwards.
Doesn't quite look like the picture on the box but, close enough.

The Craftsmen.
The tools.
Uh-oh......trouble in candy-land.
Time to eat!
I don't know why we I let him eat it after wards. So much sugar, so much pain afterwards, so not worth it.
Death by Mexican.
Sugar coma. Blah. The Acosta family......doing the Holi-daze right.

The Great Joy School Experiment of '09

2010-04-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

So, on one day a week, usually a Tuesday? A couple of the moms would get together and take turns teaching their kids letter and conducting Joy School. Its pre-preschool for the 2 year-old set.
Usually there was one other pupil, Emma, but on this day she wasn't around, I forget why.
Pizza and juice.....nice.
Besides letters and numbers, there was also play time.
For this particular activity, Heather helped the boys paint. I wanna say that the letter was 'A' because she cut up apples and used those to dip in paint and make apple shapes on the boys papers. Thing of beauty really. Piccaso's every one.
Ah-hah, here is the aforementioned apple art.

More Fall

2010-04-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

I guess I wasn't done with our fall of last year.
There is a neighborhood family-owned farm called Hee-Haws that we visit at least once a year. Last fall, Heather took Jack-a-doodles and they saw the sights.
Jack loves tractors.
Anything to do with trucks, semi-trucks, fire trucks, construction vehicles, police cars, or tractors-that boy is ga-ga for. I don't know what that says about his future, but...it is fun to watch now.
Wagon ride.
Jack absolutely loved this thing. Rode it over and over and over and over and over......
He also rode the pony a coupla times. Last year i asked the girl what the ponys name was and she said she didn't think it had a name. Fail! Make something up, fake it, anything, at least make sure the dang pony has a name.

This is my favorite picture.

December; Santa

2010-04-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

We found this great suit for Jack at Crazy8's, and just had to buy it. We had seen it earlier, but by the time we decided to get it, it had been just long enough that there wasn't a great size selection left. Fortunately, that meant that we got a great deal on it at least. Anyways, the size is little big, but Jack is only going to grow right?
Yeah, Jack was a little unsure of the whole Santa thing. He was fine with the whole thing, right up until it was his turn.
This is probably from right after we promised him some toy from the Disney store or something.
Okay, can I get down now? How 'bout now? Now?
Ah, too funny. Maybe next year will be better.

Happyness

2010-03-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

So, today when I got home from work, Jack-a-doodle was already awake.

Jack, his arms full of trucks; "Dada, I'm so happy."

Me; "You are?"

Jack; "Yeah. I have so many trucks."

Jackers

2010-03-05T23:48:00.000-08:00

Some other things Jack is saying now..........

"Home sweep home."

"Goodnight sweetheart." (to his mother at bedtime)

When something is super good, he'll say, 'Dee-wicious, Dada, dee-wicious, right?'

That is another thing that Jack has been doing lately, saying 'huh' or 'right?' right after saying something.

We were walking out to the car the other day and Jack piped up with 'It's a nice day, right Dada?'

I was kinda being grumpy so I replied that the day was ok.

Jackers thought about it for a minute, then said, 'You're not sure, right Dada, you're not sure, right?'

We sure wuv our wittle guy.

November

2010-02-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

This is my grandfather, Felipe Acosta.

This was his birthday in 2008. He would have been 86 this past Friday.

I spent a lot of time with him growing up. If you were to think of the stereotypical grandfather, you know the type-the one who always had candy, bought you tons of toys guns, took you to Western Playland all the time, took you to Ascarate Park to feed the ducks and play in the park, took you to movies, always had fried chicken on hand and a special refrigerator out back full of soda pop and beer, had a basketball hoop in the back, and who didn't care what time you went to sleep when you spent the night and who was a chef before he had retired to be the perfect grandpa, so he could whip up magical meals like magic-that was my Granpa. The kind of Grandpa that loved you not matter what.

Okay, so maybe that was just my Grandpa.
My grandmother had passed a while ago, so he was ready. He left this life this last November, and Heather and I were able to go down for the funeral. We got to see most of the cousins, some of whom I hadn't seen in years. This is Marcos.
This is Brittany (Nicholas's wife), Camille (Marcos's wife), and my Heather.

With Trisha, Uncle Albert's wife.
Silas, Trisha's youngest.
My sister Fred, cousin Katya, and her momma, my Aunt Becky.
My cousin Clarissa and my sister Davi.
My cousin Edica.

Cousins Chris, Santina and Camille.
Dave, Nik and Santina.
Tia Lori, Tia Cheeta, Tia Becky.

Nik and Geno.
More Claire.
Uncle Albert
Cousin Bianca (Bonkers), Uncle Eddie, cousin Katya.
Bonkers.
Tia Irma.

October Memories

2010-02-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about watching a kid growing up is watching as he discovers things that you have in your memory from when you were a kid. I remember celebrating the centuries old heathen tradition of All Hallow's Eve myself with the sacredness of dismembering a pumpkin, and now I get to pass that on to Jack. Or Heather gets to-all I did was take the pictures.

Trunk'or'Treat was pretty good, albeit a little drizzly. We never decorate our car, just hang out with our friends and hand out candy from someone else's car. I had to get a picture of this family-Jack LOVES Curious George.
Our friend's kid, Dennis, had a great home-made costume. Oh no, Doc Oc is gonna get me!!! RUN!!
Jack was a firefighter, or, as he says, "fider fider." His friend Little Man was a horse, his favorite animal. If that kid could be a horse he would do it.
Heather went as a hippie-gypsy lady. I went dressed in black with a glow in the dark plastic hockey mask. Cuz, you know, my name's 'Jason.' Get it? Cuz of that movie-Friday the 13th-Jason-get it?

Anyways, we had good month.

Wook wook, Dada, FIVE cars!!!!

2010-01-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

Jack has not yet mastered the capacity to make the 'L' sound. So everything you would say with an l at the front of it or pretty much anywhere in the word is missing in action when Jack tries to say it.
'I wuv you, Dada.'

'No wike it, Mama, no wike it.'

'Wet's watch.............Monster-A-wee-ans?' (Monsters vs. Aliens)

Want some.......choco-wit mee-ook, Dada, want some choco-wit mee-ook?'

'One, two, free.'

'Wook wook Dada, A found a am-bwoo-wance.' (Look look father, I located my ambulance.)

Prayer time is also a lot of fun;

'Pwease bwess fam-bweeee, pwease bwess cars'a'running, pwease bwess Dada job an' Mama job...'

'Pwease bwess Bishop Smiff, pwease bwess Pwesident Mooooooon-soooooon..........'

'Pwease bwess Ameeeee and An-fon-eeeeee.........'

'Pwease bwess chips, and nugg-gets and sawsa ketchup......'

'A tank you a nursery, A tank you a fwendsssssssss......'

Jack can also count to 5. Meaning that if you hand him 3 cars and ask him to count them, he says, 'One, two, free. Wook, wook, Mama, FIVE cars.'

Or if there are 10 toes, he says, 'One, two, free, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Wook, wook, Dada, FIVE toes!'

It's either way cute, or I'm a crappy teacher.

Also, the only pronoun Jack possesses is 'she.' So that means that anytime anything happens to anybody, 'she's' coming, or 'she's' here.

As in, 'Wook wook, Dada, amboowance. She's taking na merrrrrrrr-gency. See a'doctor.'

Yes, Jack.

'Goes whee-ooo, whee-oooo.'
'Wook WOOK Dada, FIRETRUCK!!!!! Goes wheeee-oooooo, wheee-oooooo!!!'

BRASIL!!!! Warning; Delicious Ahead.

2010-01-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite places to get our grub on is a Provo establishment called Tucano's. It is a Brazilian style churrascaria; basically you sit and get your drinks delivered to you, you get your salad

from the salad bar, and then you get several different wait staff that bring you meat, piping

hot, fresh off the grill.
Each table has a short little dowel, painted red on one end and green on the other, with yellow in the middle. If you have your little dowel with the red side facing up, it means you don't need any more meat, green means go go go delicious.
They have all kinds of goodness, from bacon wrapped turkey to filet mignon to teriyaki beef to brisket to breaded cod in a mango salsa to chicken wings to, well, you get the picture.

There's also Brazilian lemonade and great desserts, and their salad bar is excellent. I like the Waldorf salad the best, but let's face it, you don't go there for the salad bar. Also, I would be remiss if i spoke about Tucano's and didn't mention the grilled pineapple-it's Heatheraise's favorite.
Kia Monster.
Jack Monster.

Going Back

2010-01-30T00:50:00.000-08:00

When you move away from home, there always remains some nostalgia for the places where your favorite food memories reside. The same goes for your favorite places to grub in college, or your favorite cheap eats in grad school, etcetera.

The above picture is me, my college roommate Dan (back in Provo from med school, and a friend of his) eating at Cafe Rio. I like to call it Cafe River, but that's just me. Dan was able to make a quiet quick trip back to the place where we both went to college, and looked me up, and where did we eat? Cafe River.
If you peruse the facebook group 'You know you're from El Paso if.....' you'll soon come to a line about "You know you're from El Paso if the first place you eat at when you get back is Chico's Taco's."

This fine culinary masterpiece you see Heather enjoying is the real deal-Chico's Taco's. To learn more about this place, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zosJA_FGDAY, or or just Google the term. I can't believe this place actually made the Food Networks 'Best Thing I Ever Ate With my Hands," but there you go. Would'ya believe after five years of marriage and numerous trips to El Paso, I realized I had never taken Heather to eat there. That situation has been remedied, and let me tell you, they were as good as I remembered.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....deep fried crunchy tacos swimming in sauce and topped with the cheapest yellow cheap cheese very little money can buy-there's nothing else like it.
Come'on, you know you want some.

The Binky Wars; Jack 1, Parental units 0

2010-01-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

First of all, lets introduce the combatants. On one side, you have the binky(s). Made of colorful plastic, weighing in at a few ounces.

On the other side, you have Heather, tall blue-eyed-brunette, weighing in at, hey honey, how much do you weigh? Never mind, I found your driver's license. Let's see, hear we go-looks like-130. Yeah, that sounds about right.

The Conflict; Heather hates the binky. What it ever did to her I may never understand. I kinda don't care one way or the other, or I thought I didn't, until she put Operation Kill The Binkies into effect.

You see, Jack did not take well to no binky. Heather heard from a friend about how she did it. I guess this friend kept talking to her munchkin about how he was a big boy, and he didn't need it, etc. Finally, one day, on a drive in her mommy wagon, she asked the kid if he was ready for the Big Step. The kid said, "Well yes, Mother, yes I am (or something like that)." So she rolled down the window and the kid chucked his binky right out and never asked for it again. AMAZING. So Heather was heck bent on doing the same thing for Jack. She talked up what a big boy he was and yada yada yada. Garbage day, the binkies went into a bag and Jack chucked them into a garbage bin, and they watched as a garbage truck hauled them away. Except he started crying right after and saying "My binky, MY BINKY!"

Hmmm........experiment fail.

We lasted about a good week, wherein the Jack-Attack learned new tricks like stalling (go potty, change-a diaper, more milk, rinse, repeat), and crying in his pillow. Result, heartbreak. Really, it was me that finally caved. I went and bought my almost-3 yo boy a new set of binkies. (PS, they don't come in that age group, they stop at 18 months-I guess that's when commercially its the acceptable age for breaking the vicious binky cycle).

We'll see how round two goes. Heather just hopes she doesn't have a teenager binky problem.

Bang Bang

2010-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

While my brother-in-law was in town, we got to go out in the desert and shoot. It was great. My buddy Jason took us and we totally owned those soda cans, man, they didn't stand a chance.
We had a little shooting contest with Jason's 22-250. From about 100 yards, we took 5 shots at a target hanging in a tree. I whiffed on all of mine, and so did Jesse. Jason? Of course he nailed it on the first shot. It was his gun after all. Turkey. Jason, we need to go again-oh wait, you don't read my blog. Amanda, please tell Jason we need to go again.

The Great Length of '09

2010-01-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

Ever since I stopped attending BYU on campus (still have those darn 5 credits left-dang you physical science!) I have had longer hair and the facial fuzz. What I have been doing is shaving my hair in the summer months, and then not really doing anything with it starting around October. When it gets hot, the buzzers come out again.
This year, however, it was not a really warm spring. It was actually really cool and rainy, so I never got the huge itch to cut the mop. Plus, it became kind of a challenge to see how long I could go without cutting my hair.
All good things must come to an end, and so it was with the 70's doo. On the day that we took the fall pics, while everyone was preparing dinner, I buzzed.
It felt liberating, like it always does.
Ahhh, freedom.

Cousins!

2010-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Better pics, thanks to Tricia. Only now I can't figure out how to delete the crappy pics. Welcome to the blinking 12:00 VCR lights for my generation. Stupid blogger.

Anyways, thanks Tricia!!

Hey, Jason ever heard of 'red-eye reduction?'

Yeah, actually I have, um but, somehow the picture still looked this way.

Also, you can fix this by editing the picture.

Yeah, thanks, I tried that too, and it still didn't work. Short of opening the picture with paintbrush and coloring her eyes, I don't know what else to do.

Awwww, cuteness.
And still more cuteness.
This one is my fave, however.

Fam-Blee Pictures 2009

2010-01-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of Utah's beautiful fall foliage and the fact that most of my family was in town to get some great fam-blee (Jack's word) pictures. Not only did we snag some great pics of each other, the wildlife was pretty, too.
Good gracious, man-is that your real hair? Get a haircut you hippie! What do you think this is, a shampoo commercial? The 70's called, they want their hairstyle back...........Heather, at least you look good, but girl, you gotta so something 'bout your man-he's getting kinda nappy.
More deer and pretty trees. It was actually pretty cold, everybody was a trooper for sticking it out. We were all shivering in jackets, then we'd take them off and hurry and snap some pictures then get back in the jackets.
I think this is the one that made our Christmas card.
Ah, Jackers. Thanks for holding still long enough for this.
I don't know what he's doing here......
.............or here.............
..............but I think this one is my favorite.
Dad, just missing you in this one. You need to come visit, we've got tons to show you.

Peeps in Town

2010-01-19T08:52:00.001-08:00

In honor of my graduation from nursing school, mi familia (minus my pops) came to visit us. All the way from The Pass of the North. This is a picture of my twin sisters, Fredica with the long hair and Davina with the hair pulled up. Gorgeous, huh? (How am I related to them? Seriously....)
Fun and funny girls. Also, some of my best friends.
This is the Carrera familia, plus my moms. Jesse (Davi's husband), is my FAVORITE brother in law. Ever. Also pictured, Julian and Kia, Davi and Jesse's beautiful progeny.
This is me and the Mama Bird, wandering around at the Riverwoods mall, after feasting at Tuscano's.
Jack and Kia get along so well, it's really cute. Which helps, because they're gonna spending a week with each other here soon.........
Kia is about 5 months older that Jack. She sure is cute, huh?
So, we bring out some of Jack's old toys from when he was a wittle bubba, and guess who hogs it all? As you can see pictured here, Jack and Kia are front and center in the middle of the baby bobber, and Julian is pushed out to the side. Great.

Future Construction Worker? Or Fider-Fighter?

2010-01-18T14:36:00.001-08:00

Our 12 building condo unit is expanding to lucky number 13, and during the construction, there have been a myriad of construction type vehicles just hanging around waiting for Jack to play his little heart out.
Jack loves him some excavator-or, as he used to call them, eh-kiss-vator. He actually is better now, but we miss the way he used to say it.

"Wook, wook, Mama, EH-KISS-VAY-DOR!!-Wow, das HUGE!!"

"Yes, Jack, it is huge.
He screamed like a banshee when it was time to drag him off this thing.
These pictures were taken sometime in October or some such, but recently we had a fire alarm go off at our place, also due to previously mentioned construction. I guess when they test the alarm, it causes a water pressure fluctuation blah blah blah, bottom line-our alarm goes off. And if you have ever heard our alarm, you know that there is no ignoring it. Heather was at home with Jackers, on her way to a mommy lunch when the alarm went off, so she was okay and on her way out anyway. Then, magical moment, she realized that if she waited, the fire truck would come.............

It you trigger the alarms, the firetrucks will come.

And Jack-Attack nearly lost his little mind. The firefighters, or 'fider-fiders,' as Jack refers to them, came over and talked to him, gave him stickers, and generally made the kids' day. Driving away, they had their lights on for him and waved at him and really made him happy.
Here's to the future, and endless possibilities.

Blue Eyes

2010-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes our good friends Ashley and Mike ask us to bubba-sit their cute little ones. Their littlest one is kinds hard to refuse.
Don't believe me? Try it yourself....
.............You can't look into those little eyes and say no, can you? Told ya so.

Oh yeah, um watch out-that's her papa keepin' an eye on you.

The Boy

2010-01-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

Jack talks a mile a minute. Sometimes, if he doesn't need his diaper changed right away--"Change-a die-purr, dada, change-a die-purr" in the morning, we'll awaken to his sweet tones as he play-acts with his toys in the morning. His favorite thing is to crash some of his cars, then say, "Oh no, what a gonna do? What a gonna DOOOOOOO? Then he 'rescues' the crashed cars with other cars.
Jack's other new favorite things include, "You save a day, mama, you save a day!" and "It's a nice day, huh, its a nice day."
Jack still loves him some Cars, as in Pixar's little blessing to parental insanity. If I were to guess at how many times I've viewed that little gem........let's just say that I pretty much have that movie memorized. However, between peace offering type purchases during shopping trip and Christmas, we have most of the cars from Cars. So, now I have the honor of helping Jack re-enact many of the scenes from my favorite nightmare-uh, Jack's favorite movie.

"Hey, DJ, we got ourselves a nah-duuuur."

"Pretty muuuuuusic...."

"Hey, Wingo, lane change."

"Don't let Frank getcha."

'Who's Frank!?!"

Etcetera, etcetera.
Jack also has some not-so-cute new little moves. He can scream on command, say, if we tell him to it's time to leave the toy section at Tear-get. It's really, really charming. It's also cute when he tells us "Don't-touch-ANY-FING!"
But, all that notwithstanding, we still love our little stinker.

Ameritech Shout-Out

2010-01-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

Nursing school is oh-vah! And I will N-E-V-E-R sit for the nursing boards again. Let's look back on this wonderful, stressful-for-marriages time and be thankful most of us made it through mostly unhurt.

1st tribute; the wives. This is Jenny with Heather, partner in crime of my carpool buddy and friend Tim.
That's Tim with Charlotte, me, and Jessica. The world has never known a better-looking group of rookie nurses.
Sometimes Tim drove............
And sometimes I did.
Ryan. Another buddy.
Better shot of Jess. She's only, like, 20 and already a nurse. She's going to go far.
My partner in crime. Yeah, if you're planning on going to nursing school, it helps to be married to a nurse. A really awesome nurse.
Paul. "The prudent registered nurse......yada yada yada." How many times did we hear that one?
Duane. Great teacher.
Most of the crew. Hannah, Jessica K, Brook, Ryan, Cameron, Char, Nick, Jess-top row.

Lisa? Brent, ?, Brent's mother-in-law.

Knowing Just enough to be Dangerous......

2009-11-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

So, I have this thing about tests, speeches, class presentations, etcetera. I know that I will do really well on those things if I get nervous beforehand. It's kinda weird, I know. If I totally skimp on the preparation or whatever, no nerves it is a pretty good indication that I will bomb said speech, test or presentation. Once I was giving a speech in church and while I was speaking, I kept hearing a fast flapping sound. I finally figured out where the noise was coming from-me. My legs were shaking so bad that my pant legs were flapping like I was a flag in a tornado. That turned out to be a really great talk.

So Friday, I show up for the test-stone cold.

No nerves.
No butterflies.
No nuthin'.
Shoot, I'm gonna bomb for sure.
Then, I got ALL-that's right-ALL 265 questions possible.

See, the NCLEX is a test of minimum competancy. That means that there is a minimum of 75 questions and a maximum of 265 in a 6 hour time limit in which to make sure new nurses don't kill anybody. So I test, and the test doesn't turn off after 75. Which means the test still isn't sure that I meet the minimum competancy expected of new nurses.

Ok, I'm thinking, no sweat. The test can shut off anytime between now and 265, just a soon as I prove I'm minimally capable. Nope. Question after question after question.......you get the picture.
So, this weekend was the weekend from hell. Specially because I had already told everybody that I was taking the test, so there was no hiding the fact. And my friends even got me presents to 'celebrate,'

Then, the results. I passed. I have successfully graduated from nursing skool and passed the NCLEX, the state boards of nursing, the gateway to honest emplyment wiping people's butts and taking care of many other bodily fluids.........wait a minute, is this really what I want to do?

I AM still only 5 credits away from graduating from BYU with my Russian degree.......

Hey, at least Heather isn't gonna make me sleep on the couch tonight.

Mohawk Redux

2009-10-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

More Camping

2009-10-20T09:16:00.001-07:00

What else does one do when camping?
Look beautiful in the morning right after waking up of course.

I think Heather had just sneezed in this one.....

Our campsite. Where we enjoyed a blazing fire and adult conversation without chill-uns' every night. It was wonderous to behold.

He actually looked the best in the morning, actually.

Notice our diaper bag, strategically placed downwind of our camp. Yeah. Camping with three chilluns in diapers. Not a feat for the weak at heart. Or nose.

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Especially f I have anything to do with it. I. Love. Breakfast.

Brenin.

Work it, baby, Yeah, do your thing. Oouuuuu-wee! (this was taken either right before or after I lit the Pam No-Stick spray on fire like a flame-thrower and flambeyeed the pancakes)

Slides
Built just for little people

Impervious to your hard plastic

And your rocky dirt landing

Over and over and over and over again

Up and down we go.

Um, Jack.

Yeah Dad.

Brenin doesn't need any help.

Ok. -Pushes Brenin-

Nice.

You're welcome Bre-Nin!
(Brenin) Auugghhhh!

Learning to throw rocks. Such a boy thing.

Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed.............

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth.........

Camping World With the Turners

2009-10-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

(warning; long post ahead)
We went camping this summer with our good friends from Wa, the Turners.

They have actually relocated to Boise, so we met them halfway at a Camping World near Tremonton.

Here is one of many pictures to come of the girls. Both beautiful, both tall, and friends since 1894. Or something like that.

In addition to a river, the place had a hot springs pool that was a lot of fun. The water tasted funny, but it was soooooo warm, it was delicious anyway.

Jack is such a good swimmer now, we love our little fish.

Heather liked the water, too.

This is Jack, before he ventures out to the sandpit. He had a lot of fun there with the boys,
Brenin and Logan.

Mmmmmmm, ribeye. Need I say more?

Also, grilled pineapple and roasted corn-on-the-cob.

Mmmmmmmm-corn.

We also found some wildlife besides the three monkey-boys we brought with us.

This snake was soooooo small. Do garden snakes even get big?

I mean, this guy was little.

Worst moment of this snakes' life.

AHHHHH!!! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!!!

This shot is funny. I have some footage that I took of the girls right before this shot was taken. I walked up to them with the camera, and they thought that I was going to take a picture, so they started preening and tucking and getting ready, then I informed them that I was actually filming and not about to take a picture. Ha ha!!

Then I got this look. Oh boy, I'm gonna get it.

Brenin.

Logan, or Lo-lo. And yes, his parents are very exhausted.

Jack.

Dave found a bat. He was our friend. He ate a lot of bugs.

Here is his close up. What a great friend.

Dave was so good. He spent a lot of time with the boys.

Because camping is hard work. I don't remember it being so much work when I was a kid going with my parents, but that of course is because my parents were doing all the work. Now it's me and my Heather working it. Sheesh.

Awe, family camping picture with pretty sunset in the background. Thanks for the assist Mother Nature-you rock!

Classic.

This is my hair. This is my hair on camping. And Heather, still lookin' good.

Faces of Jack II

2009-10-12T22:17:00.001-07:00

After breakfast one day, when Jack in his diaper and I in my cap-
Okay, just kidding, I don't wear a cap-I have no idea why I just wrote that, it's WAY too early for Christmas-when Jack and I were just hanging out after breakfast, I snagged some great shots of the boy.
Enjoy!

We're actually framed all of these in 8x11 and put them up in our place. Sure love this little guy.

Then & Now, A Flashback VI

2009-10-11T04:20:00.001-07:00

My best friends growing up, right up until I met and married my wife. Love these girls.

And this is my absolute favorite picture of all time. I really really really love it.

Thank you for flying Way-Way-Back-Machine Air. This concludes tonights flight, and we hope to see you again real soon. Take care now.

Then & Now, A Flashback V

2009-10-11T01:16:00.000-07:00

The first anniversary of the arrival of Jack to this existence.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, cake.

Step two, remove the flame.

Hold it, wait for it........

Let the carnage begin!

Yeah, I know, we left his shoes on. And yeah, they did get cake on them.

Can you believe we did it?

I know-first that plant, then the rabbit, now a kid?!?!

I know-I still can't believe we made it a whole year-

Wait, smile-here comes the picture-

Oh, okay....

So, does it get easier from here?

They gave me a whole cake for myself?

This thing is the size of my head!

Must eat faster-

They might change thier minds-

Hmmmmmmmmm, pastel.

(Thats 'Mmmmmmmmm, cake,' in Spanish)

And just for good measure, my sisters.

Love these pics.

The Papa makes a rare appearance.

I'll tell you in a minute who's who-there is cake in the way at present...

Uh, oh....

Does she have more cake than I do?

Only one way to find out....

Still can't tell who's who.

Ok, thats Fred that is crying, and Dave that is watching. With my Aunt Juliana in the background. Bonus!

I think I actually remember that being very tasty cake.

I love this picture.

Then & Now, A Flashback IV

2009-10-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

Warning, nekked bebbes ahead.

Baby Jack. Day one.

Baby Jason. Also Day one.

Baby Jackers.

Baby Jasoncito.

Check out that robe! Man, I was born smooth.

Jack, what can I say? I love you man.

I know.

(In case you were wondering what the conversation was-you kinda had to be there.)

Ok, I love this picture. It captures so well the love you get for your child. This emotion is not one that I can describe, I can only say that I didn't know what it was until I had Jack, and now I recognize it in the expression on my moms' face. Still can't put it into words.

That is one tired momma.

Granma and Jack.

Jason's Granma and Jason.

Then & Now, A Flashback III

2009-10-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Both sisters came for a visit, and we had a blast.
Davina is on the left with the blue clips, and Fredica is on the right with white clips.

In this picture, Fred has her hair down, and Davi's is up out of her face (an indication of which sister has a 2 1/2 year old and a 6-month old and which sister has no kids-yet).

Seriously, aren't they BEEEEEEEEE-YOOT-TEEE-FUL? I know what you've gots to be thinking-How are we even related? Trust me, I though that thought first.....

Then & Now, A Flashback II

2009-10-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the Way-Way-Back-Machine, please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times and once again, please enjoy the ride................................
Bubba Jack

Bubba Jason

Come fly with us again soon!

Then & Now, A Flashback I

2009-10-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

Most of my familia (except my dad) came to visit us recently, and one of the things that my sister gave me as a gift was a memory card with some pictures she scanned of me when I was a little bubba........
The picture above is me at 2 1/2 years old with my mother.

And 27ish years later, me and my moms again. As you can see, I've grown quite a bit.

Mark & Jerry: A Warning

2009-10-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Jack has this DVD of firefighters (fider-fiderz) and he LOVES IT. One of the opening scenes has the firemen going down that fireman's pole you always see, and it says the guys' names as they go down the pole. Well, Jack tries to do this all the time to everything-the couch, the table, my leg. He just tries to climb up as high as he can and then says "Mark and Jerry!" and slides down whatever it is that he is straddling. It is really quite funny.
So if Jack straddles you and yells out for Mark and Jerry as he slides off, you'll know why; consider yourselves warned.

Fider-Fider

2009-10-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it is all little boys or just my Jack, but man, he loves him some fire trucks.

Our fair city of the Grove that is Pleasant had a safety fair, and I took Jackers, along with his bud Gavin and Gavin's older Brudder Collin to see what we could see.

They had this insanely long and brand-spanking new fire truck that was soooooo long it had two drivers. One driver in the front like normal, and one in the way way back to turn the back wheels the opposite way when they turned. Is that crazy or what?

Jack could have lived there all day, he just would have had his meals fowarded there to him and somebody there to change his diaper, and he would've been fine for-eh-vah.

Collin LOVED that I made him take pictures along with the little'uns.

Um, Jack? You know that loud sound you hear? Yeah, that's a siren. Also, notice what Collin and Gavin are doing? That's right-protecting themselves. Maybe you.......

..........as well. Oh, there it is-thanks man.

Seriously, the kids loved this thing.

Gavin figured out that there was a postition available for 'driver,' so he quickly remedied that vacancy. Uh-oh, is that Jack with a jealous eye?

Yuppers, here he comes........

Horning in on the action.................

Ha ha, and take-over complete. "Now I am the master."

Hey Jack, what happened to Gavin?

Don't worry 'bout it.

The safety fair had some stuff going on inside as well, and the most we got outta that was the inflatable slide.

Gavin and Collin were pro's but Jack Attack was a little slower. Plus, he kept wandering off, and I realized I needed more than just eyes on the back of my skull, what I needed was eyes all the way around my head. Sheesh, keeping track of three boys is a tall order.

And then the battery in my camera died. Which was a bummer, because we went up the canyon with the Belle Monet Mama's & Papa's and had ourselves a little weenie roast/picnic over open flames. It was a great time. I had blood on my shirt from picking up and holding kids with skinned knees, and just got dirty all over. In fact, when I dropped Gavin off to his momma, she took one look at him (sleeping in his car seat covered in lunch, dirt and skinned knees) "Boy, looks like you had a lot of fun."

Yes, yes they did.

Faces of Jack

2009-10-09T01:38:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned that we got a new camera, right? Well, I am having way too much fun playing with it, and since I haven't learned how to use Photoshop (anybody care to teach me?) I go crazy with the settings on my camera.

Dinner time is a great time for photos. Is it the lighting.......or the magical power of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets? No, wait, I remember-it's that he's tied down. Right.

We do this thing with Jack where we say 'sad,' and make a sad face, then say 'happy,' and make a happy face. Jack can't stay serious enough to stay sad for very long, but in the shot above and the next shot, it looks like he was.....

This is also the look that accompanies his "Sooo-PRISE!!!" expression, as well as his "What's going on?" thing he has recently become fond of saying.

I sure do love this little goober.

Love this shot.

Blog Slacking

2009-10-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

September 18th marked the last day of my associates degree program in nursing. Hence the much lamented lapse in blogging. Here's the proof......
Classic black & white of Nick during our SCE, or 'simulated clinical experience.' Once a week we would get together and play out a scenario. This weeks was a kid with severe resiratory distress. We also had adult med-surg rotations, ob rotations, and this was the peds rotations. My group was one of the first to actually kill the dummy. (PS, when performing CPR, before beginning compressions, check for a pulse.) Listening to Donna voice our 'patient' giving birth is something I'll never forget.

This is Hannah, looking mighty fine in our Ameritech colors, checking out his poor little bubba who can't breath.

This is Tim's good side. We met on the first day when I figured out that we lived, like, two minutes away from each other, and then aproached him and asked him if he would be interested in carpooling. This was during the summer of super-duper-crazy-high gas prices, so this friendship actually does have a price-I bet we saved hundreds of dollars commuting, not to mention all the last minute studying we were able to do on the way to classes and tests.

It was actually my turn to drive when Tim's wife went into early labor, and I have never driven faster in my life. As we shot over Point of the Mountain, of course there was a cop down there waiting for us. And by some miracle of miracles, he didn't pull us over!! And the baby didn't come early after all.

Ryan. What a stud.

Dean, the elder statesman of our group.

Double trouble. Charlotte up close and Jessica in the back.

Cameron. The Voice of Reason.

Jessica K. One of my favorites.

Lona. One of the funniest teachers ever. I still laugh when I think of her using he word 'tallywacker.' If you don't know what she is referring to.....Google it or something.

Julie. Also done with school and probably celebrating in Mexico right now.

Nick, bartender extrodinaire. He's gonna be a great nurse.

Byrnn. Jess. So cute.

Anyways, that is why I have been so lax in posting. Once I finished my capstone, I started working again since I was back down to jsut two days of class. So I went from having two days a week of class and Heather working three days a week, to working three nights a week and having class two days a week and working at night and then coming home and having to take care of Jack on no sleep........but that is a story for another day.

Summer Swimming

2009-10-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

We spent some time this summer swimming.

Jacks reaction to the water this year stands in sharp contrast to his enjoyment last year.

Last year, it was torture to get him in the water, and once he was in, all he wanted to do was get out and run around. It seems like I spent the majority of the time swimming around the edge of the pool keeping an eye on him. 'No Jack, don't put the rocks in your mouth, ' and 'No Jack, thats not our stuff."

This year, he was totally into it. He got brave enough to jump in, and could actually swim his way from end to end. He also still loves him some hot tub.

Next year should be a real blast.

He is the cutest kid I have ever made.

Twinners Birthday Par-tay

2009-10-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Meet Owen.

He's a cutie. He had a birthday party.

He and his brother Wesley are good friends of Jack, and they invited him to their third Birthday party. There was a Dinosaur/Cars themed cake, a thirty-foot long sandwich, and a pony to ride. It was Great!

Heres Wesley.

Ok, one more of Owen too.

Jack LOVES horses, but the last time he had a chance to saddle up, he chickened out, so I was a little worried that this time he would do the same thing, but he bucked up and rode the pony.

Cowboy Jack.

I like little ponys and little things. They make me feel HUGE.

The twins dad also let me ride his bike, and I took Jack along, too. Also, Steve makes the BEST WINGS I've EVER had. Hands down, the best.

Jack though it was great, except that he honked the horn at Heather when she was taking the pics, and she got mad. Whoopsie....

Fun party.

It's Been 5 Years!?!?!?

2009-10-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

While Heather's moms was here, we took advantage of the gratis baby-sitting, and went on an early anniversary date. We found an old tractor-bull-dozer thingy, and took some pictures. It is a cool-looking dozer, getting older, rusty around the edges, short, stocky-just like me.

We also went up to the temple to take some more pictures, and got some of Heather by the flowers.

And here's a shot of us together. Together still, 5 years later. We decided to go for double or nothing, so.....see you in another 5 years!

We also went to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. I was a little dissapointed. I ordered the ribs and chicken, so I expected a lot of food. I'm from Texas, so I actually had some high expectations. When you are really in Texas, and you order chicken and ribs, you get three or four big ribs, plus the option of either half or a quarter of a roasted chicken. What I actually got was a chicken breast and the smallest little ribs I've ever seen. I didn't know rabbits had so much meat on them, they certianly couldn't have come off of a cow.......

We topped off the night watching "The Proposal."

Happy Anniversary Honey!!

Staycation Part II

2009-10-02T10:39:00.001-07:00

This shot is out of order, and belongs at the end, but it is Uncle Marlin and his partner, our Uncle David.

Not only did the Benezras come to visit us this summer, Heathers moms, Lynette came for a visit as well. It was kinda lame though, cuz she was hard to keep outta the water.

Just kidding.

While she was here, she got to visit with her brother Marlin as well.

How to Know You're REALLY Fat, Part 1

2009-09-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

If you are killing time by walking around Old Navy, and Jack points at a female mannequin and says 'Mamma,' then points at a pregnant female mannequin and says "Dadda." Yeah, about that.........

The New Brat Pack of Belle Monet

2009-08-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

So, we used to think that nothing could be as much trouble as Dennis, Kayden, Brooks and Jonathan. Boy were we wrong. Boys, you have been officially displaced. Make room for Emma, Jack, Little Man, Rhaegan, anf Gavin. As Kendall would say, "For the love....."

Little Man, Jack, Gavin, and Rhae-Rhae.

Come'on, you know you can't get enough.

Crazy.

Nah-Night!

2009-08-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today, Jack prayed to God for the first time in his life. It was AWESOME!!

Our routine at night goes like this. First, we eat dinner. Jack usually finishes first, and then insists on getting down and running around in only his diaper, while we try to ignore him and finish our own dinner/conversation. Then, we take Jack in for his bath, lately, kicking and screaming. This we don't like so much.

Then there's the bath, teethbrushing, and jammies.

Then, there is story time, as you can plainly see, which occurred on our bed in these pics for some reason I don't currently remember why. Usually this takes place in his room.

( I love how Jack always crosses his little legs-it's cute-Heather does the exact same thing, she can't be anywhere without crossing her legs or her feet!)

Then there are the stories. Goodnight Moon, Too Little to Love (after which he MUST kiss the giraffe), Runnaway Bunny, A Pocket for Corduroy (after which he MUST snuggle noses with the reader), and assorted others.

Then, we kneel on the floor of his room and pray. Jack usually remembers who prayed last, and is really good about saying, "Mamma turn!" or "Dadda turn!" ...............

...............Today, how ev ah, he decided it was "Jack turn." I did that whole thing where I say the words and he repeats after me, and he did pretty good. He's a great little mimic, and we can get him to say some really funny things, like 'prostate gland' or 'volcano,' but it's usually a one-time deal. This time, he volunteered and said some of the words all by himself and I could't be happier. It was so cute!

Utah Holiday-Pioneer Day, or Things Go BOOM!!

2009-07-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

The girls.

The guys.

This is the kids attempting to protect their ears during the fireworks.

Kids. So cute.

Jack! Quick-cover your ears! No, your EARS, not your hair!! Oh well......

Watching the ceremonial, patriotic lighting of the firework.

The beautiful people, meaning the wives and the kids.

More beautiful people. Ok, its the same ones, but another shot.

Hmmmmmm! Me zombie! Me hungry! Me eat your brains!

Just kidding! I not zombie, I husband!

Hey, lets get a close up.

Blurry and out of focus?

Of course!

Patriotic magic in action! I can feel my love for my country growing by leaps and bounds!

Waiting for the action.

So, it Utah, the 24th of July is a state holiday, celebrating the state's pioneer heritage. Or if you are a Native American, it is a commemeration of the take-over of the state by the white man. Anyway, July seems to be the month of holidaze in Utah. It starts off with the local "________ days" and then there's the 4th of July, which is big. And by days, I mean Strawberry days for Pleasant Grove, Steel Days for American fork, etc. It seems like every little town or city has their own summer festival/fair, and they all seem to happen around this time. It all seems to culminate on the 24th of July, celebrated as Pioneer Day, complete with a Days of '47 parade.

Great thing about having a 'twin,' he can double for you in pictures. So, is this Mike or Jason? Maybe it's Mike, maybe it's me-I'll never tell! Ha ha ha!

Burn baby, burn!

Jack has a healthy fear of fireworks, as Heather said, or is a wuss, like I said. This is the sparkler Jackers refused to hold.

Pioneer Day in Utah, '09. We were at the pool, but Heather (secret fact about Heather and her dad-both closet pyro's!! Who woulda thunk? now you know...) insisted on getting out. Guess she like to see things go boom.

Twinner? You decide.....

2009-07-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall my telling you about a 'twin' that I have for a neighbor. I told a story about his daughter confusing me for him and jumping into my arms at the pool....anyway, this is him.

The girl on the right is his daughter, Riley, the one that got confused at the pool. I feel bad for the kid, and wonder what she thinks of me. I swear everytime she looks at me she's either still a little bit confused/hurt/or angry with me-no matter what, it feels like it's a dirty look. I don't realy blame her.

I asked her to smile for the camera-no dice. Like I said, she's still mad at me.

Mike, (my twin's name) told me that he thought the people at our church were SOOOO friendly, but then he decided that people must have just been confusing him for me. Ha!! We have a lot of good laughs witht his whole thing; I guess I gave a really great talk in church a little while ago. I get tired of correcting people that I don't anymore, I just say thanks and smile. Evil, I know. I also really freaked out one of the kids in my Subday school class when Mike popped his head in to say hi during my lesson.

So, what do you think? Are we brothers from different mothers or what?

Bless his little heart, at least he's trying.

2009-07-18T15:43:00.001-07:00

Sometimes Bubba gets so anxious to go outside, he tries to put his own clothes on.

As you can see, he's not quite ready to strike out into the world on his own yet.

Hey, one-for-two on pant legs isn't really that bad.

New Paint!! & Big Boy Bed

2009-07-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

As promised, pics of the new paint in Bubba's room.

I think it looks lovely.

And, our little boy is in a big boy bed now, and sorta doing alright.

Yes, about the water. A few months back, our water got shut off. For our ENTIRE 12 building condo complex. Something about construction, blah blah blah. So I decided water storage was in order, make a trip to wally world, and now, yes, I keep it under Bubba's bed.

Seattle Shout-out

2009-07-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is an attempt to say Howzit?? to our peeps in Seattle. Enjoy!

You're killin' me Smalls.

2009-07-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, you want a s'more?

Some more of what?

No, do you want a s'more?

I haven't had anything yet... so how can I have some more of nothing?

You're killing me, Smalls! These are s'mores stuff. Okay, pay attention.

First you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham.

Then, you roast the mallow.

When the mallow's flaming, you stick it on the chocolate.

Then you cover it with the other end. Then, you stuff.

Summertime

2009-07-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tastes like

ice cold water from a hose
salt on your upper lip from sweating all the time
warm fruit, picked off of the tree-nothing like it in the world
hot dogs with ketchup and mustard hamburgers
ice cream you have to eat fast because inElPasointhesummerstuffmeltsfast
June bugs (like dry shrimp, but crunchier) fajitas paletas
raspas watermelon

Please-please-please-please can I have some Kool-Aid ? ? ?
Well…es mucha azucar, mijo (it‘s a lot of sugar)…ok.

Kool-aid
Popcorn, pickle, Raisinets, and Dr Pepper at the movies…..ah,…. air conditioning
fair foods
turkey legs grilled corn-on-the-cob more paletas and raspas
popcorn tamarindo sal de limon
camping food
MRE’s pork’n’beans rotisserie chicken

What will summer taste like for Jack?

Dairy Queen at Gramma McEuen's house in Sant George.

Lunch at Zions.

Animal crackers.

Apples.

Bar-B-Que.

Chocolate cake at Tuscano's.

Fresh fruit.

Yogurt hair.

Flashback 2007

2009-07-18T13:48:00.001-07:00

On a much happier note, they eventually forgave us (I hope) and came back to visit us the next year, after Bubba had been born.

Check out that cute young thing with that hair. The baby looks good, too.

Little Bubba.

As you can plainly see, the burn marks have COMPLETELY faded away. Took about a year, but they're finally gone.

And Amy.

An Jack's first faux hawk! His momma sure does love that doo.

Flashback 2006

2009-07-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

Soooo......these are some flash back pics provided by Anthony to supplement the other hiking-Stewart-Falls-without-sunscreen-whose-idea-was-that-? post. And yes, I know what you are wondering, yes, there ARE some more incriminating pictures I could have posted, but come'on guys-my mother-in-law reads this blog...

Anthony, in much pain. As we like to say in the medical profession, this is no bueno.

Yeah, it left a mark. No, not that thing on this shoulder, that's a tattoo, it's a buffalo, I'm referring to the sunburn.

The. Best. Salmon. Tacos. EVER.

2009-07-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

So....Amy and Anthony are ovo-lacto-vegetarians (which means they don't eat meat, but cheese and eggs are ok) which means that, for the most part, when they come to visit us, we are too.

Before arriving this time how-ev-ah, they informed us that they had recently added fish to their diets. YAY!! Don't get me wrong, we still had our vegetarian bacon and sausage, our veggie burgers, but...................

Heather's beer battered salmon was sooooooo good-it was MAY-ZING. Plus we had a couple of incredible salsas (a Caribbean salsa with mango, pineapple and papaya, plus regular pico de gallo), guacamole, and this smoking hot chipotle sour cream suace/dip that was to die for.

We were some very happy eaters. Very happy tan eaters, as we spent part of every day swimming. I'm telling you, it was a great staycation for us, lots of pool time, great company, and at least one good movie every day.

The spread. I forgot to mention Heather's sweet rice. Yeah, this meal was brought to you by Heather, mostly. Delish!