Snow

We had our first real snow storm last weekend and of course Jordan couldn't wait to take Jack out to play in it.

The BIG Ultrasound!

Last week before we headed down to Vegas for Thanksgiving, we went to our doctor's and had the ultrasound. For the last month or so we have been calling this baby a little girl, partly because I would love a little girl, but the ultrasound proved different! Yep- we are having another little BOY! I must admit that at first I thought it was a girl because the tech had a great shot right between the legs and you couldn't see anything, but then she kept moving the head around and sure enough his manhood popped onto the screen.

After we had the ultrasound we went to Costco and all Jordan could say (with a big grin of course) was how excited he was to have two little hunters! It will be nice to have two boys together because they will be so close in age. I just can't help but wonder if there is a little girl up there for me. All the same we are really excited!

Halloween

I figure I better get these pictures up or they may never make it up. We spent Halloween up in North Salt Lake with my sisters and parents. Jack was a mouse (thanks to my sister's hand-me-down costume). Unfortunately, the head piece was too small for Jack's big head, so it didn't make it in many of the pictures.

Jack didn't really enjoy the trick-or-treating part because he thought all of the commotion at the doorway was a little unsettling for him. His favorite part of the six houses that we made it to were the two houses that had little house dogs. He thinks getting licked is the best next thing to his mom sharing M&M's with him.

We trick-or-treated with my sister Heather's three boys. This year they all decided that they wanted to be Darth Vader, even though they have never seen Star Wars.

New Favorite Thing

Jack has taken to reading lately and really finds enjoyment in reading nude. Can't say that I blame him. Nothing better than curling up with with a good book in your warm bed- he probably gets this from his mom.

Jack's 1st Birthday

This is a little late but we celebrated Jack's birthday last Tuesday. It was a small affair with just Jordan and I plus Resa and Macy (Jack's little playmate) came to help us celebrate.



This is post-cupcake mess. He didn't know what to do with the presents and wrapping paper. He didn't know what to do with the singing and the candle. But he did know what to do with his birthday cupcake.
His favorite gal pal Macy!

Where Have We Really Been?

I can honestly say that I have been parked on my couch for the last month or so because our little family is happily expecting a new baby. I really don't know how far along I am because I am trying to delay my doctor appointment so that when I go in he will tell me the wonderful news that I am 15 weeks along or something close to when the sickness goes away. Our baby is due at the very end of April so it will put about 19 months in between it and Jack. Crazy- yes!I keep thinking to myself how could I let this happen but we are excited all the same.

So our family life hasn't consisted of anything too exciting lately because I really just try to find the energy to get off the couch. But I have been meaning to post some pictures of Jack


One of Jack's favorite things to do is go on bike rides with Jordan. It really is the cutest thing. Jordan bought Jack a little helmet and so everyday when Jordan comes home from school, Jack will crawl over to his helmet and start hitting it and then go to the door, letting Jordan know that he wants to go on a bike ride.
The helmet is for the size of a 3-year old head but luckily our son has such a big head that he fits into it!
This picture just makes me laugh- he really has quite the funny facial expressions.
Jordan was getting Jack's bath water in and was at the front of the tub while Jack was playing at the end. Jordan somehow missed Jack climbing over the side and into the tub. Apparently Jack couldn't wait to get in the water.

Delicious

I told Jordan yesterday that I think my favorite season is Fall. The weather is beautiful and the changing trees are nice, but I really think that I love Fall best because my favorite little candy becomes available in fun little Halloween displays. I love candy corn. It is the most yummy delicious buttery honey treat. Every time that I go to the store I always pick up a bag during the fall months. This morning after Jack and I had our breakfast I couldn't help but pull him up on the couch with me and we had a few candy corns together. It was fun to pass on this little obsession to Jack!

Where have we been?

It would be so wonderful if I could say that we just came back from a trip to Europe for a month or that I spent the last month lounging by the beach in Mexico...but really it hasn't been that glamorous. We decided to move to a new apartment in the middle of August which happened to be right around the time of finals. Thankfully, my mom came to the rescue and helped us pack up and watched Jack for me. Then two days later we headed down to Vegas, where super Dr. Carl Bert operated on Jordan's bunion. Jordan enjoyed a week of relaxation at the Smith residence while he kept up to date on the Olympics. Jack and I enjoyed being with Grandma and Grandpa and their warm pool. Then we headed down to Arizona to visit my brother Chris and his family with my parents. We were able to celebrate birthdays and be there when my oldest nephew Brayden was ordained a deacon. Jordan now wants to look for an internship close to Prescott, AZ because we enjoyed our time down there so much!

We came home from Arizona and made the switch from the Smith house to the Ohlson house where Jack enjoyed some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Ohlson, Uncle Nick, and Uncle Ryan. We left midway through the week and went down to Vista, California to visit Jordan's Grandma. Then we spent a few more days in Vegas before we headed back home to lovely Provo. Where I have been ever since.

I still have boxes to unpack and a lot of organizing to do, but things are coming along nicely. Today is the first day of our new Internet service so I figured I would celebrate and do a post. I needed to document how crazy the last month was to remind myself never to do it again!! All in all we had a wonderful time with family, I could have skipped the crazy move, but we love our new place!

Family Reunion

This past week was filled with a family reunion, Courtney and Drew's birthday party, and a trip to the farm at Thanksgiving Point. I love when family comes in town even though it throws a loop in Jack's schedule, but it is a loop well worth it. Once again, I will just let pictures tell the story.

We celebrated Courtney and Drew's birthday up at Heather and Trent's on Saturday evening. Everyone loved the cake, and Drew's favorite present was his new set of golf clubs. He is excited because they are real golf clubs not some plastic crap that aren't good enough for this little three year old. He has to have the real deal!

The Wright boys get to play the Wii every night for an hour before bed and so Carl B and I went head-to-head in an intense challenge of Dance Dance Revolution- which we both failed miserably.
Jordy and Ivy were reunited this past week! Jordan was so excited to see Heidi and her kids. He and Ivy are special little buddies. They will call each other every so often and talk for at least 10 minutes about who knows what. Ivy usually inquires after Baby Jack and then Jordan will ask about swim lessons and then Ivy will ask about Jordan's job and they go on and on forever. It is really actually cute, and you would never guess that there was an age gap of 19 years.

I love getting together with my sisters! This was our trip to the farm. Luckily for us the child-to-adult ratio was even!

Jack Jordan really thought the farm was fun too. Although his favorite part was crawling around in the grass. He did go on a pony ride but I think he still preferred the freedom of crawling to even that.
Courtney and Spencer were locked up in the farm county jail for misbehavior on several counts.
Jack and his cousin Jake at the Poulton family Reunion. We went to my Dad's family reunion up in Vivien Park on Saturday. It was fun to see all of our extended family and it didn't seem like we had enough time to visit with everyone. Jordan did enter the golf tournament this year with my Dad and they took third place! Yaa hoo for Jordy! (It was a scramble and they always took the best ball--- so they used Jordy's a few times)
Jordan brought his fishing gear to Vivien so that the little kids could fish and Spencer caught a fish! It was the only catch of the day, but the kids seemed to enjoy fishing despite the lack of bites.

I love this Kid

Since Jack has learned to crawl it has been a little crazy around the house. I love this little boy and couldn't help but post some of his latest pictures. He has become a daddy's boy lately and anytime Jordan is around I don't even try to separate them.

This was my sweet laundry surprise that Jordy brought home for me!

This was Jack's first and last sink bath. He is way too wiggly and slippery to have a sink bath. Plus he was trying to crawl out every time we let go of him for just a second. Also that is my new haircut that I got while we were in Vegas for the 4th of July!

I am obsessed with this little boy!

Freedom

I missed the opportunity to do a patriotic 4th of July post but let me take a moment to relish in one of my new found freedoms. Yes it is official! After 9 months I have officially weaned myself off of my pump. I have said goodbye to the "D"s and said hello to my barely "B"s again. It is wonderful! I feel like a liberated woman.

It Begins

Jack crawls! Today I was folding laundry and Jack was just playing on the floor rolling around and sitting up and then rolling around some more. Well all of the sudden he is in the kitchen and then he is in the bathroom, and then he is in the spare bedroom. I wasn't prepared for this. But we are excited all the same. He kind of mixes the traditional crawling with army crawling and likes to switch it up. Such versatility... I am sure it means he is a genius...hmm.

My Cool Job

For those of you who don't know, I have a sweet job working outdoors. Pay attention to the following picture because it shows clearly just how great my job is.

In case the picture didn't make things clear, I will list what you should have taken from it.

1. I get to wear a cowboy hat! I've always wanted a good excuse to wear one and someone at work said I look like Kevin Bacon from the movie Tremors. I'm pretty sure he is a good looking guy. What do you think?

2. I can catch lizards on my lunch break whenever I want. The lizard in the picture is a long-nosed leopard lizard. He caught me at the same time I caught him.

3. No one cares how you dress at work. Check out my shirt. Lindsey thinks it's hideous but it really doesn't matter because when you are in the middle of no where looks don't matter.

There are really a million reasons why my job is cool and these are just a few of the highlights.

The Financial Fascist

So this post is going to reveal something about me that most people don't know...so who needs a tag to spill their quirks...I do it willingly. Tingling Touches Forever!

Anyways, so I don't think that I have ever mentioned that my husband is a member of a very private club called "The Financial Fascists". It consists of he and my sister Heidi's husband and was formed in response to social pressures.

What are the Financial Fascists? Click here to find out (my amazingly talented sister has already blogged about this so I will just borrow her explanation):

Financial Fascist Explanation 1

Financial Fascist Explanation 2

Anyways, it reared its head today and I think pictures can only do justice to how this club membership is helping our family.

A few weeks ago, I told Jordan that I thought it would be fun to get an inflatable small kiddie pool for Jack. Well, he nixed that idea because who needs one of those fun toys when you can use this:

Yes, if you are wondering, that is an inflatable raft that Jordan uses when he goes fishing to get him out in the middle of the reservoir. Jack actually loved the one-on-one time with his dad. And since the raft is sooo small it is easy to fill with warmer water!

Happy Father's Day Carl B and Earl the Pearl!

Jordan and I are lucky to have two of the greatest dads in the whole world. I can't think of two people that are more relaxed and easy going than Super C and Big E! This weekend we went down to Vegas and were able to spend time with both. In true blog fashion- I must write a tribute to Carl B and Jordy is going to hop on and write an ode to Earl.



Why we love Carl Bert:

1. With a middle name like Bert, what isn't there to love.

2. He is always easy to talk in to a Luv-its Custard run.

3. He has dancing skills like no one has seen and Dance off parties wouldn't be the same without his Cabbage Patch.

4. I have never heard him raise his voice in anger once... and I know that I probably deserved worse many times.

5. Carl B has passed on to me his love for shopping and he frequently coordinates Marilyn's latest looks.

6. I have never met anyone who makes silence as comfortable as him... and I should know after 3+ years of riding to work with him everyday.

7. I never feel guilty taking naps around my Dad because he usually is right there beside me.

8. He makes a mean pie and delicious cinnamon rolls (which he made for my birthday every year that I was home).

9. Carl B is funny and quirky!

10. I have never seen my Dad pass a bum on the street and not roll down the window and give him a buck or two.

We love Carl B and can't think of a better Dad and Father-in-Law!

Why we love Earl:

1. He knows how to make people feel comfortable and is great company.

2. My friends love him for his shark attack shirt that he always wears to the lake with the ripped-open sides for extra affect.

3. He is the most patient person I know.

4. He knows how to show people a good time. A lot of people that wouldn't have had the opportunity otherwise, learned how to ski behind his boat or snowboard while staying the night at his condo.

5. He was always quick to forgive and forget the stupid things I did growing up.

6. I love my dad because he takes advantage of every fun opportunity. Only he would enter a sail boat competition while on a cruise and actually win it!

7. He shows excitement in the things I'm interested in and its because of his taking an interest in me that I've been able to do great things. Most of my favorite hobbies that I participate in I've excelled at because my dad has been there encouraging me to take part in them and enjoy life.

8. My dad is even nice to people that solicit things over the phone.

9. I think my dad is the last living person to still ride a disk at the lake. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a round piece of wood that allows you to spin on the water--he is a master diskman.

10. I love my dad because he drinks his milk with ice and without fail always follows it with Oreo cookies.

When Living in Pairs gets tricky

It gets really tricky when your husband leaves for 4 days on a business/camping trip and takes the toothpaste and floss.

One of those "I never will do this" moments

Do you ever have those things that you say you will never do when you are a mom? Like I will never take naked diaper baby pictures of my children. Well here is a naked diaper picture because well, I do that. Over Memorial Day weekend we went to Lake Powell with Jordan's family and had a wonderful time except for some rainy weather and a visit from the park rangers. But we did snap a few pictures and here is Jack's latest physique.

Happy Birthday Jordy!

It is Jordan's 24th birthday today! I couldn't resist the opportunity to post about my wonderful husband. Jack and I love this MAN so much. I don't think anyone that knows Jordan really thinks ill of him because he is just that kind of person. I am amazed at his patience with me and with Jack. Jordan is hardly ever judgmental or critical and he makes me want to be a better person.
Jordan loves the outdoors. He is a lover of wakeboarding, snowboarding, lizard catching, hiking, fishing, hunting, plant identifying, snake catching, and a lover of his shit-zu (sp?) Daisy. Jordan always knows how to make life exciting. He always likes to be doing something and is constantly thinking of activities for Jack and I to do with him. Jordan always wants to give everyone the chance to come along. He is always inviting friends on our fishing trips, or on camp-outs, or on lake trips. He loves to be with people and has a knack for making friends wherever he goes.

Jordan is an amazing father! From the moment he walks in the door, he is playing with Jack. I really think that Jack gets bored sometimes when it is just he and I home because I don't entertain him like Jordan. There is no doubt in my mind that Jordan's number one priority is his family.

I love Jordan for his high-top converse shoes with shorts days, for his camo hat, for his shaking laugh, for his Financial Fascist ways, for his massive smile, for his sense of humor, for his determination and ambition, for his spontaneous fishing outings, for his jerky pistol, and for his testimony!

Jack Testing the Waters

What do you do on a Sunday when you are bored?

We recently bought Jack a lifejacket because we are planning on going to Lake Powell with Jordan's family over Memorial Day weekend. Jordan decided that tonight would be the perfect time to test out the product and see how Jack likes the water. He filled our bathtub up to almost overflowing and the pictures tell the rest (the last one is a video).

Gumption

A few days ago, I was walking out to my car on my way to work and I overheard this conversation between two of the neighbor kids. A little girl that is 7 years old and Jordan calls her Trouble, and then another 7 year old boy who I am afraid I don't know his name, so for the story's purpose we will call him Soccer Boy, were outside playing together. And I happened upon this conversation:

"Soccer boy, (she used his name but I can't remember it) I know who you have a crush on", Trouble teases.

Soccer boy looks up startled, "Whaaat? No you don't!"

Trouble continues, "Yes I do."

"No you don't!" Soccer Boy is now getting a little uncomfortable at this point.

And then Trouble slams him with it, "Yes I do! You have a crush on ME."

That is gumption if I have ever seen it.

Graduation, Teeth, and Dinosaurs

The problem with not blogging frequently is that I fall behind and then I feel like I have so much to catch up on. Last weekend we had Courtney and John's graduation. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to see her walk but we heard L. Tom Perry say a few words. It really turned into a fun weekend spent with family. My sister Ginnie flew in from Sacramento with her daughter Ciera and baby Parker for the weekend. My parents were up here as well so that meant that the grand kids were spoiled rotten. After the graduation, everyone played a round of bowling, followed up by lunch and ice cream. Then we proceeded to play a fast paced round of miniature golf and ended the day off with a party of cake and ice cream celebrating the graduates. If that wasn't enough the next day my parents treated all of the grand kids to a day at the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point. We had planned on going to the Tulip Festival and the Barnyard Animals Celebration, but the weather was too cold to be outside so we enjoyed dinos instead. We had Sunday dinner up at Heather's and stopped by to visit Leah and Eryn in Farmington for a bit on Monday morning. And through it all Jack did amazingly well! The mind reels with how exciting the weekend was, but to top it off Jack has teeth. Not just a tooth but teeth. I had previously posted that he was teething, but when I took him to the Pediatrician a week later and mentioned that I thought he was teething, she looked in his mouth and said that she couldn't see any signs of teething so I just stopped paying attention. In the middle of all of our travels too and fro... somehow he had managed to get my finger into his mouth as a toy and started chewing down on it. I thought he had something in his mouth because it felt a little hard and to my surprise he had two teeth that had broken the surface. I don't know how long they had been there--maybe that is one of the blessings of not breastfeeding. Needless to say he is happily working on a third!
If you didn't want to read the large synopsis... here is the picture version!

Courtney and John

Parker and Jack with their cousin Ben. Ben is the sweetest little cousin. Often times when we are visiting Heather and Trent I will find Ben playing with Jack, giving him new toys, baby talking with him, and being so soft! It is the cutest thing.
Jack dipped his toes into the water sandbox
Just a picture for fun!

One of Jordan and Jack's favorite activities is window watching. I often will come home and find Jack starring at me from the window because he and Jordan are window watching!

The Real Girls Retreat

Here are the real Girls Retreat photos...not more of Jordan's fishing trips. I am already looking forward to the next one.

My two sandwich sisters (I am in the middle of these two) Heidi and Courtney.
This was our night out on the town, where we ate dinner at Maggiano's and then headed to the Treasure Island for our show (My sister-in-law Elice, Baby Jackson, and Heather)
This night I was fortunate enough to be baby-less- but some how Ginnie wasn't so fortunate and baby Parker enjoyed the sultry sounds of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and even a little Ella at Maggiano's.
The gracious hosts! Carl B and Marilyn looking stellar.

The little stowaways! These are the three babies that managed to make it to girls retreat. They are all within 2 months of each other, but somehow Jack (the youngest) is the heavy weight of the group. (Jack, Jackson, and Parker)