Lovers Loving Love!

A classic kind of love

2011-10-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

Jon sent me an email from work yesterday with a link to this video. I love that we share a love that reminds me of movies and fairy tales. In high school, I would hear a song like this (you know the kind, insanely romantic that makes you want to be in love). Now, I hear those songs and I think of the man I was so blessed to marry.

I didnt think love like that existed. I heard way too many people say, "real life isnt a fairy tale". Way, way too many people say that. But they were wrong. I lay my head next to Jon every night and wonder if Im living in a dream.

Im on pain killers right now so this may just be a drug-induced rant, but I love my husband and I am so very thankful that we have a love like the one in this song.

To my darling husband: I love you. Thank you for loving me and thank you for teaching me how to love myself. Growing old with you has already been a blast :)

Paxton's Update

2011-09-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Its been way too long since I posted about my growing baby. He is getting so big and changing every day and constantly making me do a double take at him because I just cant believe he said or did something so big!

This picture represents his goofy personality so well. We were at In-N-Out the other night and he decided he wanted to steal momma's milkshake. He kicked off one of his shoes and chilled out in his highchair while he sipped away. This kid is always taking it easy leaning back or resting a leg up, whether its in his car seat, highchair, shopping cart or in an armchair. Cracks me up!

Paxton is almost 22 months old. He sleeps all through the night (has for a long time now) and he takes 4-hour naps still which is AWESOME because I get quality "ME" time every day.

He loves, love, LOVES reading books. I could literally get rid of all his toys and he could survive on books and story time alone. He has had so much fun in Grandma and Grandpa's pool this summer. Oh and did I mention he is talking non-stop! He has always been a bit of a blabber-mouth and its so much fun now because he's actually saying things I can understand now. He pretty much never closes his cute little mouth. Driving places is a riot because I have a constant stream of dialogue coming from the back seat. He loves singing songs and has a CD that he loves to sing along to in the car.

He can say the ABC's pretty much by himself (he needs a prompt every now and then) and he can count to 10. For some reason though, the number 7 comes out sounding like "money". Not really sure why. Now he's working on actually knowing which letters and numbers are which and he's picking it up pretty well.

His favorite word to use is "again!" and he says it ALL THE TIME. Anytime anyone does anything with him or for him or to him that he likes, he says "again?" with the cutest smile on his face that its impossible to say no (until the 8th time!). He also is asking everyone if they are "ok". If I cough or say ow or anything, he looks at me all worried and says "ok?" and I have to say "yes, Im ok" or he will say it over and over. He also will ask me and Jon if he is ok, even with the slightest bump or cough of his own. Its really kinda sweet.

He's goofy and silly as ever and so, so affectionate. He loves to "scuggle" (snuggle) and give kisses. If you hold still for long enough, he'll come over and lay his head on you and say "awwwww".

He loves to lay in his crib once he wakes up in the morning or after his nap. I never hear him cry when he wakes, instead I hear him suddenly start talking on the monitor. He'll lay there, sometimes for an hour if I let him, singing songs, playing with his lion and seahorse or reciting the alphabet. Its such a joy to sit and listen to him playing all by himself in his bed.

Pax loves his daddy. When Jon is home from work, he has a constant shadow because Paxton will follow him everywhere. Whatever Dad is doing, Pax wants to do.

He loves animals, bugs, car rides, going to Home Beepo (Home Depot), playing with Aedan, and so many other things. Paxton is a very happy little boy. He has so much joy in his heart and everything is a big exciting deal to him. Jon and I are so thankful to have him and to be his parents. Love you Pax!

I forgot to mention

2011-09-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

We are having a boy!!!! I found out ages ago, but I have been so absent from this blog that I havent posted it yet. Yes, another precious little boy and we couldnt be more thrilled. Pax and he will be exactly 2 years apart and hopefully best buddies (most of the time). Im 30 weeks today and getting very excited. I cant wait to hold him in my arms and kiss his sweet face. Im hoping he looks just like his daddy. The next 2 months, I know, will fly by!

My Kidney Stones

2011-09-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time since my last post. A LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG time. August was kinda just busy and not a whole lot to actually blog about. September, well, this month has been totally different. On Sept 4th, I woke up with a significant pain in the left side of my back. It was pretty bad and had me in bed for about 5 hours until it suddenly just left. I thought I was in the clear until I woke up the next morning (the 5th) with the pain all over again, except this time it was WAY WAY worse. Nothing would help the pain and I was even throwing up from it. (I'm not a puker either. I have thrown up a small handful of times in my life and all were from pain) Jon put me in the car and rushed me to the ER and I was admitted immediately because I was 28 weeks along and clearly in baby-threatening pain. They gave me two doses of morphine (one in an iv, one was a shot in my butt) but that didn't even take the edge of. After a dose of Demerol (another pain killer) I was pretty doped up and finally getting relief from the pain. They took me for a CT scan and found a 7mm kidney stone in my left kidney and a small stone in my right kidney! If you have ever had a kidney stone before, you probably just cringed with sympathy pains. I had no idea kidney stones were so painful. It literally was a million times worse than childbirth, and I gave birth without any pain medication! Anyway, they gave me a room on the OB labor and delivery floor and basically gave me pain meds to hold me over until the morning of the 7th (my birthday) when I had surgery. My urologist placed a stent in my left ureter to help the massive stone pass easier. He wasnt able to actually remove the stone because it was so high up in my kidney. I was super nervous for the surgery because general anesthesia is potentially dangerous for the baby and Ive never been under before so I wasnt sure how I would react to it. Luckily, all went smoothly and I was able to go home later that night, just in time for birthday cake :)

I didnt have much back pain after that. I was put on bed rest for two weeks and given percocet to manage any post-opt pain. Then, on the 18th (just a few days shy of my two weeks being up) I had a very sudden onset of pain in the right side of my back. Just like before, it got way bad, way fast. My parents came and got Pax and Jon got me back in the ER. Turns out, my insignificant right kidney stone decided to grow and move around. I had another surgery last night (the 20th). The urologist placed another stent in my right ureter but was actually able to remove the stone which had grown to 5mm. This time, however, I woke up with a catheter (NOT fun!) and was in much more pain. They kept me over night for the catheter, pain management and baby observation. This morning I woke up and started having contractions. My OB here told me it was normal and ok and not too worry so now Im in my hospital room waiting for my urologist to make rounds and discharge me.

Having kidney stones has been LOADS OF FUN!!! Just about as fun as losing a leg. Honestly, it was way WAY more painful than childbirth and Ive had a lot of people in the past few weeks tell me the exact same thing. But, the hard part is over for now. The two stents should hold me over until my baby is due (just 10 weeks away). We are crossing our fingers that this baby will stay put for at least 8 more of those weeks and keep cooking.

Ive heard/read all over that I probably havent seen the last of my kidney stones. Apparently once you get one, you most likely will get another, and another, and another. Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who took better care of me than any nurse could (except for the pain meds. LOVE the nurses when they bring in pain meds) and I have a wonderful mom and dad who took care of Paxton and loved him up for us. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and helping out so much. Jon and I have felt an enormous amount of love from the people around us and we are so thankful to have that.

this is what a kidney stone looks like. I had a 7mm stone and a 5mm stone

Here is an xray of what a stent looks like. Its a long wire like thing that connects my bladder to my kidney.

2011-08-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Pinterest is my latest obsession. A beautiful ORGANIZED location for all the lovely things I find online, be it projects to try, home design to copy or recipes to catalog. Pinterest organizes and saves the picture as well as the website that you found it on. No more saving to my hard drive! Sign up, follow me and I will follow you :)

P.S. use my email to find me indielisa@gmail.com

Love to ALL!

Cousins Make the Best Pals

2011-07-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Aedan is Paxton's cousin and they are seriously the cutest thing to watch play together. They are about 11 months apart and are just getting to the stage where they are glued at the hip when they are together. If Pax does something, Aedan copies. If Aedan does something, Pax follows suit. Aedan has been on vacation for the past 2 weeks and Pax has been randomly asking where he is and even looking for him all through the house. I love that he thinks about his cousin out-of-the-blue. Its so fun and Im SO thankful that these two boys get to grow up together.

Mmmmmmmm.....

2011-07-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Made this the other night. Oh yeah, it tastes as amazing as it looks. Just wanted to share since it looks so pretty!

Paxton's Quilt, FINALLY!

2011-07-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

I started making this quilt when Pax was still in my belly, 2 YEARS AGO! Ugh, between moving a million times, sewing machine problems and well, complete laziness, I havent been able to finish it until now. Sorry Pax, I'm glad you still love it and can enjoy it for a little while.

Our 4th of July

2011-07-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

This 4th, Jon and I enjoyed a quiet night at home. I made flag jello, homemade potato salad and Jon grilled brawts. It was all very American :) My brother, Michael and his cute little family came over and after dinner we went outside and lit off sparklers and fire crackers. Which, by-the-way, was kinda weird. Selling and lighting fireworks is legal this year for the first time in AZ history. I NEVER thought I would see that. Anyway, enjoy these pics. Im not in any of them because Im in the fat/awkward/uncomfortable stage of pregnancy so I refuse to be photographed.

I just wanted to add how unbelievably thankful I am to have been born a citizen of this amazing country. Thousands of people have risked their lives and even died, trying to become citizens here because this is a land of incredible freedoms. Im saddened to see where this country has gone the last several years. We seem to have taken for granted what freedom means, and why Heavenly Father provided a country where we can live without fear. Settlers moved to this country all those years ago so that they could pray and worship their God in their own ways, without persecution. Sadly, religion is what is being attacked the most today by government and media. Groups want to take "God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance, Christ out of Christmas, and prayer out of the public eye. They say it offends them. This country was founded on the basis of religious freedoms, not suffocation. I am thankful that I have the right to pray when I want, and where I want. That I can acknowledge God in public and private. I am a Latter-Day Saint, a Mormon, a Christian. Heavenly Father and Christ are the center of my life, my marriage and my family. I am eternally grateful to the many who have died and who fight today to preserve that freedom for me. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Craziest Dust Storm Ever!

2011-07-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

We had one heck of a storm July 5th. Native Arizonians say this is the biggest one they have ever seen. It certainly comes close in my book. I happened to glance out the window after dinner and thought perhaps the San Tan Mountains were on fire. Jon and I went outside and quickly realized and insane wall of dust was headed towards us, and FAST! We were engulfed in the dust for quite a long time, not being able to see much past the patio from our back window. First, it was a dark sienna color, then an eery white color of dust. News reports said the dust cloud went a mile into the air and covered the entire city of Phoenix and many surrounding areas. It was a crazy, crazy storm.

Made this for Jon

2011-07-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

I made this for Jon. Im hoping this will look good on his desk, although we might have to save it for a wall in the house because it has to be kinda big to read the poem. We'll see. Click on it to see it enlarged, the poem makes me tear up.

Our Trip, Take 4!

2011-07-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

So we had to stop by the San Diego Temple since we were in the neighborhood. I hadn't been back since my family and I went to the dedication all those years ago. It was fun to walk around with Pax and let him see the flowers and scenery. Not much to talk about on this post, just some cute pictures :)

We put Pax in his pj's for the drive home. It was funny to see him running around in them with his shoes and everything.

Pax loves to pick petals off flowers and smell them. I think its adorable.

Our Trip, Take 3!

2011-06-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a slight detour on our way home after Big Bear and stopped in San Diego. We havent been back since our honeymoon and it was fun to see the hotel we stayed in, right on the beach.

Pax LOVED the ocean and the sand. I was surprised, since the water was cold and the waves were a bit startling. He usually wants nothing to do with that sort of thing, but he would have played all day there, had we let him.

Ugh, Paxton has this thing were he eats sand. I know, I know, all kids do it. But Pax seems to like the taste of sand better than the taste of chocolate. I keep thinking he'll take a bite or two and realize its yucky, but nope! Here is a picture of him, buried in sand and literally shoveling the soft sand into a wide-open mouth. Trust me, we try to stop him, but he's quick and he's sneaky. PS, changing his diapers the day after a sand buffet is NOT fun.

And again, close ups of our sand-aholic. Gross, yes, but oh so adorable!

I cant wait until Pax is old enough to take the pictures for us. Getting kinda tired of the "one-arm-up" pose

We stopped on our way through town, so after the beach we didnt have anywhere to take our baby to clean up. So we made do with a towel and the hood of our ever-faithful car.

I love going to San Diego. I would probably live there if I could. Hopefully its not too long before we venture back

Hall Family Reunion, Take 2

2011-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Our Big Bear trip was a crazy huge reunion, but it was in honor of Jon's parents 50th wedding anniversary. So, naturally, the theme and focus centered around them and this amazing accomplishment. Did you know only 5% of married couples share a 50th anniversary. Crazy, right? Lucky for Jon and I, they shared quite a bit of advice on how to reach the success that they did.

Look at this amazing family. Jon's father talked a lot about their ups and downs as a couple and as parents. He touched on the fact that he wasn't always financially successful and things did not always go as planned. But he said they received help from Heavenly Father all along the way and that He will bless us in our righteous desires to have a family. Perhaps he wasn't always successful, but if a man on his 50th wedding anniversary ever wanted something to represent what he had accomplished in his life, this amazing and beautiful family would more than speak for him.

One thing that has always amazed me with Jon's family is the close relationship all of his brothers and sisters have with each other and their parents. Every single sibling makes such an effort to be supportive of everyone and they all get along so well. They had an amazing example of love growing up. I cant say enough wonderful things about each of their spouses either. All of them married beautiful, kind and loving people who have done nothing but enriched this family even further. I am so thankful to have married into such an extraordinary family and I can only hope my own family turns out to be like the one my husband comes from.

Hall Family Reunion, Take 1

2011-06-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Jon and I spent last week in Big Bear, California with ALL of Jon's family. It was half reunion, half celebration of his parents 50th wedding anniversary. All 9 of the kids were there with their families and it was SO MUCH FUN to be all together and hanging out for a few days. The weather was awesome, the company was hilarious and just the fact that we were ON A VACATION made the whole experience one we will never forget.

Big Bear Lake

One of the days was spent at the lake with almost the whole gang. Pax played in the biggest sand box he has ever seen, I got a horrible sunburn and we all had a blast.

This is Pax saying "where is she?" while he was looking for me

Most of the gang, minus that kid right smack in the middle. No clue who he is.

Pax playing with his daddy

Pax and Lucy playing together. These two are going to be so fun to watch over the next few years!

And of course, us :)

On the last night we had a talent show. Jon has some amazingly talented sisters who sing and harmonize beautifully, as well as quite a few crafty members who came up with the cutest/funniest acts. We did commercials between skits, telling jokes and short little acts to entertain while in stage transition.

here's the group, all crammed into the family room of the cabin we stayed in.

Jon's dad spoke for a while at the end, and Pax walked up to say hi to his grandpa.

The house/cabin we stayed in was so cool! It had 9 bedrooms, all of which had an attached full bath which made it so comfortable. It also came equipped with a pool table, air hockey, foosball, and (everyone's favorite) a Ms Pac Man machine. The men hogged it from the kids most of the time, trying to claim the highest score. Who knew we had so many closet Pac Man pros in the family!

A rare moment that Pax was able to play. He loved watching people play and actually figured it out, kinda.

My 18-month Baby

2011-06-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

So this crazy and adorable little boy is 18 months old!

He is ever changing right before our eyes, and we are loving the little boy our baby is becoming. I love just how much he is like his daddy. He is always happy and cheerful, goofy and weird, and the most loving little thing I've ever met. He loves to give kisses and big hugs. As he hugs you, he'll say "ahhhhhh" which just adds to the adorable-ness. He is always making the most out-landish and silly facial expressions, always trying to get a smile out of someone. My favorite is when he does it to a complete stranger across the room.

He continues to add words to his vocab, although singing seems to be more his style. In Paxton's first few hours of life, he lay in our bed next to us and hummed little tunes. Now, as a toddler, he continues that tradition. I love to happen upon him while he's reading books because he sings while he does so. He runs around the house singing and he is as good as any radio in the car, although he LOVES to listen to his songs on cd so he can sing along. His favorite is still Old McDonald, but he has been singing Twinkle Twinkle quite a bit as well as others.

He is getting pretty tall, but still skinny at 23lbs. Thats puts him in the 17th percentile but I honestly could care less about that. He's happy, healthy and thriving and THATS how you determine if your baby is healthy. I cant wait to see him be a big brother. He has so much love and tenderness in him, I just know it will be an easy transition.

The second time around

2011-06-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

So Im 16 weeks along, as of today. Thankfully, my morning sickness did not last as long as last time (til about 20 weeks). Ugh. Ive been out of the nausea phase for a couple of weeks now but dang, I am so much more tired this time around. I have actual fatigue, meaning Im out of breath just from sitting up in bed. Not all the time, but when it hits me, it hits me hard. Hmmm, maybe chasing after an 18-month old has something to do with it.
Something else that is new this time are all the crazy dreams. Like, CRAZY dreams. And lots of them, too. Just about every night, since Ive been pregnant, I have dream after dream. Some normal, some super weird and some really scary dreams. The nights with the scary dreams are the worst because I wake up from them and then lay in bed awake the rest of the night. Jon is so sweet though and tells me to wake him up if I need to, though I never do. Its nice just to have him next to me.
I totally look pregnant, which sucks because Im not THAT far along. Everything is pushing up and out already, which happened last time too. Ive actually lost weight since I became preggs, so I know its not extra weight. All you mammas will sympathize with me on this awkward and uncomfortable in-between stage.
Oh, and I felt the baby kicking about a week ago. I think maybe Ive felt him/her earlier than that, but its hard to distinguish air bubbles and kicks that early on. Anyway, it was awesome and made this whole thing just that much more real! Cant wait until our next ultrasound!

Guess What!!!!!!!

2011-06-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, thats a picture of the little baby growing inside of me! Paxton is going to be a big brother. My due date is the first week of December. Im 15 weeks along, just getting over my morning sickness, and feeling SO MUCH MORE TIRED this time around. Jon and I are so over-the-moon about welcoming a 4th member of the fam. Just a few more weeks and we get to see if its blue or pink!

More Than I Do

2011-06-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

This song is dedicated to soul mates, especially to mine.

Baby Shower

2011-06-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

My Sister-in-law, Kim, is due to have a little boy in a few short weeks. They came down for a visit and I was able to help plan and give her a family shower. It was so much fun to make the decorations and plan the menu. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Here's the banner I made. All the printed paper had glitter on it and it turned out so cute.

Here's the refreshment table. I made a bunch of tissue paper pom poms. I didnt get any good pictures, but you can kinda see one above the table.

We had so many yummy things to eat. My sis, Shelly, made amazing chocolate-covered cheesecake filled strawberries. My SIL, Rachael, made awesome meatballs. We also had cucumber sandwiches, pasta-crab salad, chicken salad sandwiches, cookies, lemon cakes and tons of other goodies. Isn't food amazing?!!!

One of my favorite refreshments were these hummus shooters. 4 different kinds, in cute little cups. We had pita chips, naan bread and veggies to dip.


This is my brother and his cute family. Oh, and I made that pin on Kim's shirt. I know the big belly gave her away, but I thought it would be cute for her to wear something significant of being the mommy-to-be.

It was so much fun putting the shower together. Thanks everyone who helped and thanks to everyone who came!

ice cream social

2011-06-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here and thankfully, we've had quite a few beautiful, cooler-than-average days, We've taken advantage by spending as much time outside as possible. "Outside" is like a four letter word in this house. If you say it anywhere near Pax, he runs straight back into our room, grabs his shoes and brings them to you then runs to the back door and stretches for the door knob until someone lets him out. Lets just say, dont say the "O" word unless you intend to take the kid out and play with him.
Here are a few pictures of him eating an ice cream cone in the backyard.

I love this picture. Here is Pax, following his grandpa, helping him check his garden for pick-ables. He loves to help grandpa in the garden.

Happy Summer All! Enjoy the hot, sweaty fun while you can. Dont forget your sunscreen!

Thinking...

2011-05-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

Im thinking about chopping all my hair off. Ive been letting it grow and do what it wanted since I was pregnant with Pax, and I have to say, Im not a fan of long hair. On other people, yes. On me? No way. Its way too thick and heavy and Im thinking a cut like this one would be perfect for summer...

Happy Birthday to my Hunny!

2011-05-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

April 27th was Jon's birthday (this post is WAY late). It was kind of a regular day. Jon went to work and did all his normal stuff. When he got home my family had put up a banner for him and the little boys all got him cute little gifts. They even did my family's traditional walk down the hall singing happy birthday.

After that, I took Jon out for dinner. I had pulled up online a bunch of menus for different restaurants and he got to pick where he wanted to go. Much to my surprise, he chose Claim Jumper. I thought he would have chosen a steakhouse or sushi, but we had never been and he wanted to try it out. Long story short, we wont be going back. Gross! Ive always heard such great things about Claim Jumper, but both of our entrees and even our appetizer were hardly edible, much less enjoyable. Oh well, the company was great and no baby meant a quiet dinner for two :)
We got back home and had cake and ice cream with the fam. The candles spell out "JON" but it's kind of hard to make that out.

Anyway, Happy birthday to my amazing husband, a wonderful father and an incredibly kind and generous person. You've accomplished so much already, and you will achieve so much in the time to come. This world is a much brighter place because of you and the lives who are privileged enough to cross paths with you are far better off because of it. I am so thankful that I get to spend all your birthdays with you now, and especially that I get to grow old along with you. Happy Birthday sweetie!

Misssing This Place

2011-04-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Pinecrest, California is where I have spent nearly every summer of my life. Its just about the most perfect place in the whole world. Our cabin is located high up in the Sierra Mountains and the air smells completely amazing. Mornings are spent cooking breakfast on the grill outside, days consist of reading, nature walks and swimming in the lake and the nights are brought in with roasting marshmallows around the fire pit or playing card games around the kitchen table. Pinecrest is the kind of place you go to, but you leave all your troubles behind. Its the most peaceful place I have ever been.
Its about this time of year that I start to crave the trees and serene of the Pinecrest. Everything I smell reminds me of it. My entire life, I have looked forward to bringing my own family to my own special paradise. We weren't able to go last year because we were in Tennessee. Im crossing my fingers and hoping so much that we can make it this summer.
I miss it. I love it. Pinecrest, you are my Heaven in the Hills.

A quick trip to Winslow

2011-03-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Jon and I took a quick trip up to Winslow a couple weeks back to visit Nat and Roland and their fam. Its one of our favorite getaway places because we go, we hang out around the house, eat good food and laugh a lot. There's not much to do in Winslow except enjoy each other's company. A low-key couple of days was just what the Dr ordered!

Pax and Lucy were SO STINKIN CUTE together! They instantly clicked and followed each other around for 3 days. On our last morning there, I walked around the corner to find them alone in the kitchen, HUGGING! How adorable is that?! Ive never seen 15-month olds take to each other so much.

Wee! Wee! Wee! That was what came out of Paxton's mouth the entire time he was on the swings.

this is Paxton's first time down a slide by himself. He loved it!

My brother Michael and his family, along with my sister Janice, were in Flagstaff at the same time and passed thru Winslow on their way back into the Valley. We met them at the Root Beer Stand and had a taste of yummy-ness together.

Boys and Sand go Hand and Hand!

2011-03-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love the sand outline around his mouth. Why do they love to eat this nasty stuff?

Washing down all that rough sand. Blagh!

This is his classic face. When we say smile, he does this!

Shoes! Shoes!

2011-03-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

Paz will normally take off his shoes the second he can get away from us long enough to sit down and pull them off. The other day we bought a 4-dollar pair of sandals from Wal-Mart because we needed a cheap pair for him to wear in the backyard. Um, Pax is basically obsessed with them. He wants to wear them all the time, has never once tried to take them off, and brings them to me or Jon saying "shoes, shoes!" all the time to put on him. One of these times was the other morning when he was in just his diaper. He played for quite a while in his dipe and "shoes".

A Quote Worth Reading

2011-03-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

"Two people can accomplish anything in life,

so long as one of them is the Savior"

Paxton's Words

2011-03-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

At dinner last night, my mom and I were counting all the words Pax says. I had no idea just HOW MANY WORDS he's actually saying, and correctly too! This is the list that we came up with, although he's adding a new word every other day it seems!

Bye Bye
See ya
Bye bye, see ya
Hello
Hi
oh no!
uh-oh
cool
how cool!
oh wow!
momma
da-da
mommy
woof-woof (when he sees a dog)
eye
banana (although it sounds like nanana)
grandma
grandpa
nite-nite
shoes
good morning
baby
cheese
go

tickle-tickle

Im sure Ive missed a few, but this is the majority. I love my little babbler. Oh, and he recently started singing. This kids LOVES to hear his voice... and so do I!

Diego's Baptism

2011-03-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Last week was Diego's baptism. He's been looking forward to his baptism for a long time. He turned 8 last summer, but since the adoption wasnt finalized, he had to wait. He was so excited and had the biggest smile on his face the whole morning leading up to it and the rest of the day as well. So proud of you, little bro! Jon, Pax and I love you!

Business in front, Party in the back

2011-02-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

Somehow, our little Paxton has managed to grow and maintain an awesome mullet, pretty much since he was about a month old. Below is "The Hair" in its early development stages. I kept thinking it would fall out, like the rest of his hair did, but no. Those hairs had stayin' power!

Here's "The Hair" Sunday morning, just before I CUT IT!!!! (Im still having sad, remorseful feelings about parting with his baby hair).

I have been back and forth for 2 months now about cutting his nasty, adorable mullet off. It didn't help that every time my brother (who has a 2 year old mulletless boy of his own) saw him he would call him one of the many great mullet nicknames; achey-breaky-hair, hockey hair, ape drape, Kentucky waterfall, Canadian passport, mudflap, Camero cut, Tennessee top hat, neck warmer.... the list goes on and on... who knew he was so up on his mullcabulary!!!! The final straw was last week when Jon and I took Pax to the mall. He was playing in the toddler play area and two Hispanic ladies were waving at him and smiling. Then, in Spanish, and BLATANTLY loud, one of the women says to the other "Is that a boy or a girl?" and the other replied "its a girl, just look at that hair". Well, little did they know, my husband (who speaks fluent Spanish) overheard them. Ugh, any mother will sympathize with me on this one. We all know its an honest mistake. We all know its often hard to tell a boy baby from a girl baby. But DANG IT, it TICKS US OFF still when people get it wrong. Of course he's a BOY cant you SEE?????

SNIP SNIP

SNIP SNIP SNIP

And here it is now. I really miss his hair. He looks so much older now. Oh well, it'll grow back, right?
Anyway, am I really supposed to keep his hair that I cut off? And what the heck do I do with it? Mommas and Pappas, what did you do?

Pax and his Daddy

2011-02-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

I love how much Paxton is like his daddy. Jon has a very passive temperament. He'd much rather be happy and "let things go" rather than get worked up over silly things that dont really matter. He's loving and affectionate. Yesterday, I realized just how much my two boys are alike. Yes, Pax cries. But usually only when he's ready to go to sleep. He goes throughout his day with an adorable little smile and is genuinely happy all the time. I dont think I could keep track of the number of times in a day that Paxton will walk over to me and give me a little kiss, then go back to playing. If I look at him for too long without smiling, he makes the most hilarious face at me because he knows I always laugh at it. He still loves to snuggle in my arms for hours and he is just as sweet as ever. He's a patient little boy, calm and just such a joy to have. Both of my boys are :)

Workout Ideas, Anyone???

2011-02-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ive decided to try a workout video. The problem is, I havent worked out in ages so I cant jump into a super intense one quite yet. Im thinking maybe a dance workout, kickboxing or maybe just an ordinary aerobic. Has anyone had success with a particular technique?
Oh, and I read from my Fitness magazine that getting more calcium, vitamin C and B vitamins in every day will help a lot if you are trying to lose some weight. Just a tidbit of info in case anyone cares :)
Oh, and Im open to any advice anyone may have out there. BRING IT ON!!!!

Squeamish, beware!

2011-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Pax has had a runny nose for about a week now. His favorite thing to do is waddle over and wipe his nose all over me. Yesterday, he did just that but moved his head up and down instead of his usual side-to-side. Well, this is what the end result was...

Sick. But HILARIOUS!

Let's review, shall we?

2011-02-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

So we're coming to the end of February now and I thought I would take a look and see where the Halls are at with our goals for 2011. I laughed a little because already, its not looking so hot. We have a pretty good excuse for not keeping most of them, that being MOVING!!! But review is good, it reminds us where we are at and what we need to be doing better and also what we're doing good with (positive acknowledgement is so important).
We are definitely moving forward with paying off our debt, although I wish we could do more and more quickly. But until Jon gets settled in a job again, we will do the small amount that we can and thats good enough for today.
Ive been in a few more pictures than normal so I will give myself props for that. I havent done too well with my other goals though. Maybe once we settle in.
Jon, too, has been ailed by moving in his goals for 2011. He has a couple of books he'd like to start reading and his guitar is here with us at my parents instead of storage so hopefully he'll find some time to pick it up now and then.
Pax learned how to walk. He's cruising around everywhere now! He sleeps through the night every now and then. He keeps getting sick so that throws off his sleeping a lot. He gained almost 3 pounds and lost most of that again because he got sick about a week ago. But now he is eating again and will hopefully thicken up for us :)
Well, not too shabby. Not amazing either though. I think I'll revisit sometime over the summer and hopefully things will look better for us. Wish me luck!

Back to Black

2011-02-21T19:35:00.000-08:00

I went back to black. Black with some funky dark red highlights and stuff. I missed it, I really did. I just never felt like I ever had a good hair day when my hair was blonde. I guess in a few weeks it will be more brown than black, but either way, I'm lovin it! Thanks for my new hair, Uncle Sam!

A..G..A..I..N!!!!!!!

2011-02-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

We moved. AGAIN. Ugh. I gotta say, I think Ive had my taste of the whole moving experience. I think Im officially ready to "settle down".
Long story short: Jon was fed up with Pinnacle and they were making weird changes so we decided that Jon should look for another job. Since Pinnacle was the ONLY reason we moved all our stuff from AZ, we decided "heck, lets just move it all back!" So now we are in the beautiful sunshine with family and friends, Jon is looking for a job and we are happy as we have ever been :) Although, I must say, we are missing our family in Utah terribly. We were able to become much closer with Jon's brother Jeff and his family (miss you all!) as well as grandparents and other family members. Thank goodness for family reunions!
Anyway, we are crashing at my parents house until Jon settles in with a job and we find a house to rent that we are in love with. And I mean IN LOVE because I AM NOT MOVING EVER AGAIN!
Arizona, I love you and your warmth and your sunshine. I have missed your amazing mexican food, gorgeous sunsets and your cool breezy mornings. Utah, I will miss the fry sauce... and thats about it :)

We Have a New Brother!

2011-02-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

This is Diego. I havent written too much about him and I havent posted too many pictures of him because for the past 3 1/2-ish years, he's been a foster placement in my parents home. Since he was in protective custody, we werent allowed to put pictures of him on the internet.
I will never forget the first time I met Diego. My parents got a call that the state had a placement for them. They went together to pick him up. When he first walked in the door, I was a little shocked. Diego was the smallest little 4yr-old that I have ever seen. He had a scared look in his eyes, nothing but skin and bone and was clutching a blanket. He hardly spoke, partly because he was shy and partly because he came from a home that had English and Spanish spoken and he didnt really know how to speak.
He struggled a lot. He pushed my parents away as they tried desperately to love him. Lucky for Diego, he was placed with my parents, who pulled him back in every time he pushed away. He would build up a wall and my mom and dad would knock it right down. It took time, but Diego finally was able to feel safe with my parents. He knew they would feed him, keep him warm and he knew that they would protect him.
My parents were not necessarily planning on adopting when they became a foster home, but Diego was special. I wont splurge too much detail, but Diego was always meant to be a part of the Carlson family. We are all so thankful that he is now officially adopted, after such a long road with many bumps in it. Diego, we all love you. I would say,"welcome to the family" but I feel in my heart that you have always been a part of us. So instead I will say "welcome home".

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

2011-02-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Anyone listen to U2? Well, their song was the inspiration for the title to my post. That, and of course, Pax.
On Sunday, while we were at church, Pax was walking around getting his wiggles out. He's been doing really good with walking lately and being more adventurous. Anyway, he kept walking up to the window and kissing his reflection (he learned how to kiss and is kissing EVERYTHING lately). On his way up to the window, he slipped on the rug and hit his eye on the corner of the big entry door. Jon was out there with him and by the time he got pax in to the bathroom, blood was rushing from the wound and the poor baby was screaming!
The Relief Society prez came in to the chapel and told me my husband needed me out in the foyer. So, I walked out there and found Jon holding a crying and very bloody Paxton. Jon was a little worried that I was going to freak out and was a little surprised when I said "gee, Im glad this happened on your watch and not mine!"
Anyway, thank goodness for good insurance and an after-hours urgent care just down the street. We took him in and left a couple hours later with 6 stitches and a Spider Man band aid. Ugh, I never want to go through this again. In order for them to stitch him up, they had to strap him to a table and cover his head (for sanitary reasons). The only thing I could do was sing to him and tell him that I was still there. Poor Jon gets a little queasy with blood and the doctor made him sit in the corner but every time Pax heard his daddy's voice, he seemed to calm down a little for just a second.
Im glad the worst is over and I hope Ive filled my quota with this baby on injuries. I still cant believe that I have a 14month old with stitches. especially since he's so passive and generally speaking, not very crazy. Just goes to show that these things can happen to anyone.

This is Pax on the way to the urgent care. I just happened to have my camera in the back seat from the night before!

This is Pax later that day with his cool new band aid. He did really well with leaving it alone actually.

Here's Paxton earlier today. We took him back in to the doctor for a suture check. On Friday we will take him back in the get the stitches taken out. That poor eye looks awful!

And this is how Paxton has been feeling since Sunday. Cranky, tired and sore. Oh, and did I mention he's teething? Yep, also has two molars wanting to push through.

Poor guy. Poor parents too. I wish I could take all his hurts away.

Best worst day ever!

2011-01-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

So the other day I was having a bad morning. Pax had been up all night, the dishes were piling up and I just wasnt feeling like being awake yet. Jon left for work, kissing me and "i love you-ing" me. He knew I was having a bad day, because lets face it, husbands usually know when the wives are having a bad morning. Anyway, about 30 minutes later, Jon walked through the door (scared the heck out of me, btw) with a brown box and my caffeinated drink of choice. Inside that brown box was the most amazing thing I have ever seen: donuts. And not just any regular old donut. GIANT donuts. Hmmm, so delicious and fresh. My husband sure knows the way to my heart :)

My 2011 Theme

2011-01-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

EMBRACE

Ive decided to have a theme this year. After much thought and consideration, Ive decided that my word for 2011 is EMBRACE.

When I have a trial, Im going to embrace it. Take the good that I can from it and let the Lord strengthen me.

When I have a rough day with Pax, Im going to embrace the precious moments I have with him. He will be grown up before I know it.

When I have an opportunity to serve, and likewise someone to serve me, I will embrace it.

When Im not dealt the life Ive necessarily asked for, I will embrace every tiny ounce out of that beautiful life that I can because MILLIONS of people have it impossibly harder, or "not-so-perfect" as I do.

I will embrace the many talents and gifts the Lord has given me, and use those talents to strengthen and beautify my home and family.

I will embrace the gospel, my church callings and my faith so that my testimony will increase.

I will embrace the many wonderful blessings the Lord has given me, and I will embrace the blessings to come.

2011, lets make it a good one!

Carlson Family Photo Shoot

2011-01-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

For the first time in A LONG TIME, all the kids were home at my parents for Christmas. You know what that means... we finally updated the family portrait in the hall at my folks house in good 'ole Queen Creek, AZ! Here are a few (a lot) of the pictures:

mom and dad with the 3 grand babies

Im not sure who gets along better, me and Rach or Jon and Michael??? So grateful to have such amazing siblings!

I was raised by parents who love each other. Im glad for the example of affection they have set.

All the ladies. Love my sisters!

Me and my mom, aka, my best friend!

Pax fell asleep half way thru the photo session. Jon pulled the car seat out and buckled him in off to the side.

tough men (HA!)

Ok, these pictures crack me up! So glad we have a house full of colorful personalities and sense of humors

Me and my Hunny

I just think this pic is cool. Thanks Brady, they turned out great!

Our Anniversary

2011-01-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well, its been 3 whole, amazing years. On Tuesday (January 25), Jon and I celebrated the anniversary of our marriage. We went to the Museum of Art at BYU and looked at the Carl Bloch exhibit which was amazing, as well as a once in a life time thing. His original pieces, including his alter paintings, were on display. Its the first time the pieces have been in the United States and will probably be the last time. If you live nearby, I definitely recommend going to see it. Its free to get in, so you have no excuse :)

Anyway, we went to the MOA then to dinner and finally finished with a movie. Shelly watched Pax at her apartment and it was SO NICE to have an evening without the babe.

I love this man. I love him more every day. In fact, I like him more every day too. I can honestly say there hasnt ever been a day that I didnt like him. He gives me a reason to be grateful every single day. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have a marriage with so much joy and fulfillment. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me so abundantly in sending Jon to be my eternal companion.

Jon, I love you. You make me feel like I can conquer the world. I honestly know that together, we can do anything and overcome any obstacle or challenge. We have had an unbelievably hard year but we made it through, and all the while, supported and strengthened each other. Thank you for loving me the way you do. You are my other half. You are my soul mate. You are my best friend.

I dont need expensive cars or a big house. I dont need designer jeans, high-end furniture or extravagant trips around the world. I dont need ANYTHING as long as I have you by my side.

Im excited for our future. I cant wait to have more babies with you, to raise a family with you, to become grandparents with you... I used to want adventure. I used to dream of traveling and doing extraordinary things. But you are my adventure. Everyday with you extraordinary. I am so madly, insanely and indescribably in love with you. Happy anniversary babe. Thank you for making me the luckiest girl in the whole world!

Bubbles

2011-01-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Jon bought Pax a bubble machine FOREVER ago. We've been waiting for him to be old enough and for the weather to be warm enough but the other day, Jon got tired of waiting (he tends to do that). So, he busted out the purple, octopus shaped bubble machine and let Pax play with it in the kitchen. At first, Paxton did what he usually does and just kinda watched without cracking any sort of facial expression. Then, Pax fell in love. The pictures speak for themselves.

this kid is so goofy. He makes the funniest faces some times!

2011-01-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

love, love LOVE this cute little boy.

Lotta's Christmas Present

2011-01-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

The kids in my family have always done a gift exchange at Christmas. Rather than get a gift for every other brother and sister, we each had one that we gifted to. We developed a system so every year its a different sibling and this year, Jon and I had my brother Jayson and his family. He has a little girl, named Lotta, who is almost two and talking up a storm. So, I decided to make her some flash cards to help her learn the alphabet, associate pictures with their names and also to learn spelling once she is old enough. Here is how they turned out:

I was quite pleased with the finished result and I cant wait to get started on a set for Pax!

Paxton

2011-01-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

The other day, Jon went into our FAVORITE Thai Food place to pick up some dinner and the owner came out, as she always does, to say hi. With a beaming smile on her face she says to my darling husband "hows sex?". Jon, a little taken back and nervous, says "excuse me?" She replied, "Sex! Youre son, Sexton!" Jon almost died and politely corrected her with "you mean Pax? He is doing great". Haha, gotta love friendly ESL people.

Speaking of Pax, that poor little baby has been so sick since Christmas. Colds were flying around in AZ (and just about everywhere else) and Pax caught it with a vengeance. He got a really bad cough, a runny and congested nose and a DOUBLE EAR INFECTION! Ugh, we literally had to hold him in our arms all day and all night for about 3 days just so he would relax enough to sleep. It made me want to cry every time I looked at his sad little face as he lay miserably in my arms. Thank goodness for an amazing husband. We took turns doing 2-hour shifts at night with him. The worst part about it all is that he lost weight. Again. He weighs 19.5 lbs which puts him below the 5th percentile for weight for a 13month old. He has such a hard time eating food. We have started him on Zantac to see if its an acid reflux problem. We are also trying Singulair with him, which treats asthma. He doesnt sleep well and it might be due to either asthma or acid reflux. Jon and I were hesitant to start him on too many medications but at this point, its time to start trying new things. Cross your fingers that we'll get this all figured out!

The good news is, Pax is still the happy baby he has always been. In fact, he has developed a sense of humor and is now constantly trying to make us laugh with silly faces and goofy games. His big beautiful blue eyes are show-stopping and he is the snuggliest, cuddliest baby you have ever met. We love him so much!

2011: The Year of Improvements

2011-01-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

Improvement: taking something good and making it better

Jon and I have made quite a few goals and resolutions for 2011. After I actually wrote them all down, I realized most of them were more for the purpose of improving things that were already good. With that realization in mind, I am looking forward to 2011 and our resolutions for it much more than any previous year.

One of our biggest goals, and definitely our big focus for the time being, is getting out of debt. The prophet and general authorities have said again and again, GET OUT OF DEBT and they are so wise to do so. We have been listening to Dave Ramsey a lot lately and we are so pumped to be debt free. Jon and I have been thinking of things we both can do to bring in a supplemental income so that we can be debt free as soon as possible. It will be rough, and the budget will be tight, but it will be so worth it!

Our Spiritual Goals: Read the Book of Mormon together, regular temple attendance and full be full tithe payers.

Lifestyle Goals: Eat (cook) healthier, eat out WAY LESS, plant a vegetable and herb garden and, of course, exercise more

Lisa's Personal Goals: finish Paxton's 1yr book, write letters to people, improve sewing skills, be in more pictures (I am always the one behind the camera)

Jon's Personal Goals: read more (he's open to any suggestions), learn to play guitar, work on being ambidextrous

Paxton's Personal Goals: learn to walk, sleep through the nigh consistently, EAT MORE so he can GAIN WEIGHT, and keep being adorable!

Look out, 2011! The Halls have plans this year and we intend to make the best of them. We are so excited to see what this new year has in store for us!

A Sunny Christmas

2010-12-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so much more about family this year than anything else. For the first time in about 10 years, ALL of my brothers and sisters were together for Christmas. It was so much fun seeing everyone and seeing the babies and just being together. Oh yeah, and we ate. A lot. We had a very Carlson-traditional Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas breakfast. So, so tasty. yummmmmmmmm! If there is one thing we Carlson's know how to do right, its food. Jon and I spent the weekend eating ham, cheeses, orange rolls, homemade candies and cookies and just about anything else we could want. Its a good thing Christmas comes just once a year, because DANG!
It was so much fun waking up at my parents house on Christmas morning. Mostly because the entire house slept in until 8am, but also because everyone was excited and happy. My sister, Shelly, got Jon and I an awesome gift: a gift card to go out to dinner and a promise to babysit Paxton for the day while Jon and I go to Manti to do a session at the temple there. I think that was the first Christmas ever that I cried!

We had a great Christmas, and hope you all did too! Merry Christmas!

An Early Christmas

2010-12-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

Since we were going to be at my parents house on Christmas, we had our little present opening party a few days early. A little less than a year ago, we bought a bunch of toys at Toys-R-Us because they were having a buy-one-get-one free sale. We FINALLY were able to wrap them up and give them to him.
His grandma and grandpa also sent him a few gifts that he had fun ripping open, although he more so tenderly tore one little piece at a time. He's such a funny little boy. So careful with everything and so gentle. I love 'em to pieces!

It was so much fun to do Christmas things with Pax. Its his 2nd, but this year he was actually old enough to open gifts. Hmmm, I still dont think he had any clue what was going on though. Oh well, its more for the parents anyway, right?

...a white Christmas

2010-12-29T13:59:00.000-08:00

Just a few days before Christmas, Jon and I woke up to about 2 feet of snow outside our door! It snowed for about 2 days straight and left a gorgeous white blanket everywhere we looked! I gotta say though, being in AZ with 70 degree weather is much more my style. We packed up our little family and flew home to stay with my parents a for Christmas. Anyhow, getting used to the snow has been interesting to say the least. Lots of fun and lots of cold!!!!!

2010 Picture Review

2010-12-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

So some of you may know this, but Jon and I have a Christmas tradition of making ornaments for our tree. 12 ornaments, one for every month of the year and each gets a picture on it of whatever cool or substantial thing we were up to then. Here are the pictures we used for 2010!

January

Our 2-year anniversary! Jon took me to our "spot" at the top of an unused parking garage and we watched a slideshow and movie under the stars.

February

Standin' on the corner in Winslow, AZ! A super fun visit to Nat and Roland's.

March
Paxton's blessing day!

April
Jon's birthday party in Winslow, AZ with his sister Nat and her family

May

We were in Ohio for a few weeks. This is the COOLEST store ever, Jungle Jims. A grocery/amusement park/you-want-it-they-got-it store.

June
Pax gets his first tooth!

July
Fireworks for the 4th in German Town, Tennessee. Best display ever!

August
A little sightseeing in Memphis before heading home. Gus's Fried Chicken changed my life. Literally.

September
Our first month in Utah. This pic was taken at Temple Square in Salt Lake on a gorgeous fall day!

October
Our Mt Timpanogos hike. Much more of a hike than we thought, but still lots of fun and beautiful views.

November
This is our trip to Queen Creek and Yuma for Thanksgiving. Jon's beard filled in so much more than he thought it would!

December
Paxton's first birthday! He's SO BIG!!!

All-in-all, it was a good year. It was so different taking a baby along for the ride, but Paxton made all of our adventures so much more fun. We went all over the place, starting in AZ and ending up in Utah now. We did a lot of growing up, had a lot of fun and we are so excited about 2011!

Loves

2010-12-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

How could I not love this picture.

My Spare Time

2010-12-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Whats spare time? Ive never heard of that! Haha, I have no idea when I found time for crafting with all the moving and sick babies and traveling... but I did and this is what I made in that extra time. I should say though, it took me a few minutes every day for like a month.
This project started out as paper, mod podge, mood blocks and unfinished wooden letters. Now it sits on my counter making me happy :)

Yuma is good people!

2010-12-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Jon and I spent Thanksgiving Day with the Carlson's, then the next day went to Yuma for the Hall's Thanksgiving/Christmas celebration. Just about everyone was able to make it this year and it was so fun to see everyone after so many months in Memphis and Utah. Friday was Thanksgiving and Birthdays (Pax and Lucy are only a few days apart) and Saturday was Christmas.
It was so much fun to hang out with everyone and to see Pax with Lucy. They werent too interested in each other but still had fun. I learned that its pretty much impossible to get two 1-yr olds to smile at the same time. Oh well, better luck next time :)

(learning to walk with Daddy)

(How big is Paxton? SO BIG!)

Friday we had the birthday party for the two babies. Pax picked at his cupcake with his dainty little fingers and Lucy smashed it into her mouth as fast as he could. It was a really funny dynamic to watch.

(How big is Paxton?)

(SOOOOO Big!)

After cake, it was time for a bath. The water had frosting and cake floating in it but the babies looked so cute, all naked and covered in goo.
We didnt get any other pictures of Yuma. Not really sure why, but we had fun eating Thanksgiving twice, participating in the cousin gift exchange for the first time and doing the adult white-elephant gift exchange. We ate Mr G's rolled tacos and bean and cheese burritos and Stan's breakfast burritos and had a lot of fun hanging out with family. We cant wait to visit again!

Paxton Turns 1!

2010-12-06T10:59:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAXTON!

A year ago, yesterday, our sweet little baby came into this world and changed our lives in the most amazing way. Since that December day, it has been one diaper change, one cry, one sleepless night, one spit-up, one date-less weekend, one laugh, one giggle, one snuggle, one smile, one peek-a-boo game after another. Its been the hardest and best year of both of our lives. We adore and love our little Paxton so much.
Paxton is the sweetest little boy. His favorite thing to do is snuggle into his mommy. I swear, that kid would sit on my lap, laying his head on my chest for hours if I let him. He gives open-mouth kisses whenever I ask, he recently learned how to wave and cant stop telling hi and bye to people. He also recently learned "So Big" and cant stop doing that either. (You'll notice him doing it alot in these pictures) He currently has 7 teeth and weighs 20 1/2 pounds, which still puts him in the 20th percentile for weight. Our poor little guy just cant seem to chunk up! He's healthy though, and happy all day long so we couldn't be more thrilled.
A couple of his favorite games right now are imitating us when we stick out our tongues and make silly noises. He recently has starting initiating the games, and always at the funniest times-like during the prayer or as he's falling asleep. He's a total blabber-mouth, always talking and trying to imitate us when we say things.
He crawls like a champ and is starting the walking process. he hasnt taken any solo steps yet, but he can get around the room pretty good these days by holding on to his surroundings.
He's so careful with everything he does. He uses his index finger and thumb, aka his pinchers, to do just about anything, like pick up food, unwrap presents, touch mommy's hair.

Since we were in AZ for Thanksgiving and just a few days shy of his birthday, we decided to have his birthday party then with our family. Thanks everyone for being there to celebrate with us!
Where on Earth would we be without this little boy in our lives. He has made every day, even the HARD HARD days, a little more joyful and happy. His cheesy smile makes my world spin. We love you Pax, you wont always be our little baby, but you will always always be the world to us. Happy Birthday!

Mt Timpanogos Hike

2010-11-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we (us and Shelly) decided to hike up to the caves at the top of Mt Timpanogos.

It was a beautiful day, gorgeous hike and a the caves were really cool. Of course, to get to the cave, we had to hike uphill nearly a mile and a half. I dont know why I was expecting it to be a little more leisurely, because it was anything but. Still, being outside was a nice change and the exercise felt great!

this is us just about to go into the caves

these weird looking things "growing" off the cave ceilings are apparently extremely rare to find, and almost never in this large quantity

Pax slept most of the hike and even afterwards, was hard to keep awake

So our goal is to do this hike again in 6 months and *hopefully* not be so winded. We'll see how that goes :) It was a really fun way to spend a Saturday. We are loving our new life here in Utah and trying to take full advantage of the beautiful landscape/environment.

First sNoW day!

2010-11-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

So we had our first snow day! It was a while back, just a few days before Halloween. It had rained for a few day beforehand and gotten pretty cold, then one morning we woke up to a blistery snowy landscape. I have to admit, it was fun. But dang, was it cold! Lucky for me, it mostly melted by the end of the day but the mountains just behind our place were beautifully dressed in white for quite some time after. Its supposed to snow again on Wednesday. Not sure if its gonna stick but either way, winter is coming so I guess I better get used to it!

isnt Pax SO cute in his winter jacket!!!!

this is the view from our place, right at the base of Mt Timpanogos

Paxton actually had fun touching the snow, which totally surprised me

Im pretty sure we were the only people crazy enough to be outside that early in the AM!

Thanksgiving Point

2010-11-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Point is a farm/petting zoo/lots of other fun stuff venue in American Fork near where we live. We had a Saturday with no plans so we ended up there at the petting zoo. Pax LOVED it. He gets so excited whenever he sees any type of animal. It was such a fun way to spend our day together. No work, outside in the beautiful weather and together. We are loving Jon's new work schedule with Saturdays off.
We had him ride a pony. He really didnt care, it was mostly for the enjoyment of his parents... like so many things we make him do :)

So Pax was crazy about all the horses, goats, pigs, chickens... everything except one crazy goose that kept honking all loud when Pax and Jon got close to it. Paxton hated it, and yelled back through tear-filled eyes. We couldnt help but laugh.

Happy Halloween/Fall everyone! We love and miss you wherever you are!

3 years ago...

2010-11-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Jon and I met/fell in love/got engaged conference weekend 3 years ago. October always reminds us of that wonderful time when we found each other and instantly fell in love. Not many couples can say that they have their first kiss photographed, but we can!!!! I love you babe. I always have, and I always will!

Temple Square, Crackers and Monkeys!

2010-11-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

I havent been able to blog much since we did our big move to Utah. But, we finally moved into our new place, unpacked our stuff (well, most of it anyway) and Pax is napping in his crib so I FINALLY have my blogging time :)
We've done a lot since we've been here. The late summer weather was so beautiful compared to the yucky Tennessee air and we spent every second of it that we could outside. We went to Temple Square and walked around and toured the Conference Center. It was so cool to see all of that at a time when we werent there for conference.

On Labor Day, we picked up Shelly and the 4 of us went to Touccanos, which is an amazing Brazilian BBQ place. I had a gift certificate for my birthday so we decided to celebrate a day early. Seriously, so tasty. I was full for about a week after that. We also bought a Frisbee and a basketball and played at a park nearby. We gave Pax a Saltine cracker for the first time to help keep him busy and he was so stinkin cute eating it!

It was my birthday on Sept 7th. I turned 24. It was a weird birthday, being away from my family in AZ but my amazing husband made it a wonderful day. I woke up to a bouquet of beautiful flowers and yummy crepes! Oh, and my cake was a chocolate eclair cake. Mmmmmm.......

And lastly, my mom sent Paxton this adorable little monkey costume. He wasnt too phased by it, but he looked so cute; his parents definitely enjoyed the dress-up time!

Stay tuned for hiking, fall fun and SNOW!

Um, Utah? Really?

2010-10-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, we moved. This time, for good(ish). At least, we will be here longer than just a few months. Jon and I are so OVER the summer sales life. Lucky for us, Jon was offered an amazing job working for Pinnacle's corporate office. He gets full benefits, gets weekends and evenings off, pretty much can work the hours he wants and best of all, WE DONT HAVE TO MOVE AWAY IN A FEW MONTHS!!!!
The crazy part is, we now live in Utah. So weird. Jon and I always, always said we would never live in Utah but we seriously and honestly have loved every day we've been here. Its been about 6 weeks now and a day hasn't gone by that we haven't said out loud to each other how happy we are here.
We have been staying in South Jordan at my grandparents house. They were away for the first 4 1/2 weeks and we happily filled the position of "house sitter" and "plant water-er". On Friday, we are moving into our own place in Pleasant Grove, just 7 minutes away from Jon's office. I am SO excited to be so close and to spend Jon's 1-hour lunch with him AT HOME every day!
The weather has been absolutely beautiful. We've done a lot of fun things outdoors and I will post about all that soon. Oh, I hear it gets cold here some times in the winter months and that it even snows a time or two? Does anyone know if that's true? Haha, Jon keeps saying he worries when I tell him I'm "freezing" and its 65 degrees out. WISH ME LUCK!!!

10 Months Old!

2010-10-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Its me, Paxton! (I know, Im cheesy and dumb). Anyway, I just wanted to bring everyone up to speed on what Im up to these days. Well, Im 10 months old! I started crawling about a week shy of 9 months. I started out wobbly and slow but now I can make it all the way to the stairs by the time mom turns around. She's still faster than me so I havent been able to make it downstairs yet- Im working on that :)

I have a crazy appetite for baby food now. Im only breastfeeding about 3 times a day now and Im eating lots and lots of jars of fruits, veggies and meat. Mom and Dad keep saying something about "going broke" over me, but I dont know what they mean.

I was waking up a LOT during the night up until this last week. Now I let m&d sleep through most of the night. Mom gets up about 4 to feed me, then Im back asleep until 7am.
I have 6 teeth now. 4 on bottom, and 2 on top. I think I might be getting more though because Ive been a bit cranky. I LOVE Tylenol though and that makes the hurts go away.

I stood up by myself today! Ive been super scared to try, but I did it and now I cant stop!
I love, love, LOVE my daddy. My favorite time of the day is any time that he wrestles around with me. I get so excited when I see him that I squeal with delight.

I discovered animals this month. I usually dont laugh much but I am rolling with giggles when ever I am near a dog or horse or goat.

Well, thats all for now. I'll turn the blogging back over to mommy!

A Vist to AZ

2010-10-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

In August, I flew home from Memphis with Shelly to visit for a few days. Poor Jon had to stay in the sticky heat and keep working by himself.....
I didnt get too many pictures but I thought I should post the few that I got. Pax had so much fun being oogled and held by everyone. Lets just say I had fun readjusting him to not being held all the time :)

He got to play with his jeep that had been in storage for the past few months and had fun playing with Grandma's toys.

The best part though, was watching Aedan interact with Paxton. He was a bit, uh, fast moving, for Pax but after a few times playing together, Aedan was sitting and playing and even sharing the toys with Paxton. SO cute. It was so fun to finally get to see them playing together.
Man, I miss being around all the family in Arizona. We canNOT wait to go visit for Thanksgiving. Mmmmmm, turkey....... I think my mouth will has a steady stream of drool for the next two months. BTW, I LOVE fall and Im so excited thats its upon us!

More about Memphis

2010-09-15T07:31:00.001-07:00

So in addition to all the amazing, fatty, fried and delicious food, we did a little bit of sightseeing with Shelly. We took her to the Peabody Hotel, which is a super old, elegant hotel with a very interesting and unique tradition. Every morning at the same time, ducks descend from the roof of the hotel, walk through the front door of the hotel lobby and make their way to the fountain in the middle of the elaborate front room. There, they swim round and round the fountain until evening time (same time every day as well) when they climb out of the fountain, walk back out the front door and make their way back up to the roof. Did I mention the hotel lays out a red carpet and have a large gathering of people come from all over to watch this? Its all very unusual but fun to witness. Look it up on YouTube if ya want!
We all went up to the roof and saw where the ducks live when they arent busy swimming in circles. The hotel made a "bath house" for them and everything!
This is the master of ceremonies for the daily Peabody Ducks ceremony. And below is a pic of Shelly and I in the phone booths on the main floor. I wish I had taken more pictures of the actual hotel because it was SO ornate and old fashioned. Beautiful!
We also took a stroll down historic Beale Street. This "Blues and Jazz" hot spot is lined with restaurants, clubs, souvenir shops and cool stores adorned with all things pertaining to the famous musicians who got their start right there.

Instead of Hollywood Stars, the sidewalks on Beale Street paid homage to the famous musicians who played there.
One of the stores had drum heads lining the ceiling, all signed by bands and musicians who had come through Memphis. This was one of Jon's favorite parts. We had fun walking around with our heads up, trying to find bands we recognized while also trying to not run into anything!
Another Store we went into had so many bizarre things. The most random assortment from crazy hats, samurai swords, jams and jellys, wooden toys, underwear... you name it, they had it.
Poor Pax. He's such a good sport. Jon and I have put countless weird objects on his head and posed him for pictures. He seems to be a good sport about it!
You dont see many signs like this one in your everyday, run of the mill store. I like how it says I.D. may be required.
I tried to get Shelly to buy this hat. I think every Thanksgiving Dinner needs someone dressed as the food they are about to eat!

Shelly, we're so glad you came to visit! It was fun sharing that with you!
Memphis: You were fun in a lot of ways, but dang was it hot there! I decided I never want to live anywhere like that because the humidity was just so yuck! I would say Im glad to be back home in Arizona but..... we moved. AGAIN. More on that to come. The adventures of JLplus are never ending!

Our last little bit in Memphis, and a visit!

2010-09-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Jon and I are long gone from the Southern Heat, but I havent been able to blog for awhile so here's my catch up....
Shelly came for the past few days and we had so much fun showing her around Memphis. Unfortunately, it was SOOOO hot, so we didnt do much more than eat, but who can complain about that :)
First stop was Marlowes for some seriously good ribs.

This place is not only tasty, but smeared in Elvis memorabilia. Its just down the street from Graceland and was Elvis's favorite place to eat. We ate here on the weekend of the anniversary of Elvis's death and fanatics from all over the country had flocked to the area to mourn the death of their "King". The ribs were amazing, the home made salad dressings were to die for, and there was no shortage of fried foods!

Next stop was Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. Um, I dont really even have words except "KFC who?". This chicken was AMAZING! It was the most humble of places, served on styrofoam plates, sided with slices of Wonder Bread and delivered to our table on nothing else but a cafeteria tray!
We tried fried pickles for the first time. They changed my life. I need to get me some more of this, fast!

(I have the hottest husband, and the cutest little baby)

My Baby Boy is 8 Months Old!

2010-08-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

Pax is now 8 months old (as of yesterday) and I still cant believe I am a mommy, much less a mommy to such a big boy! He is growing like crazy these days and developing such an adorable/weird personality. He makes me and Jon laugh ALL the time with the silly little things he does.
We bought him a rock-a-stack the other day! Jon has been wanting to get one since Paxton was in the womb and since Kohls was having a sale, we decided now would be as good a time as ever to introduce him to a toy that both Jon and I played with when we were babies! At first he didnt really get it, but a few minutes in, we realized that he had pulled them all off and stuck one on each foot! So cute :)
Like I said, this baby is developing a weird and silly personality. I found him in the corner the other day like this: a blanket on his head and rocking on his knees. I had to look at what caused him to scream with delight.
Oh, and Pax still is having issues with food. He's at the age when we are supposed to introduce "meats" into his diet but the stuff seriously looked and smelled like dog food! Yuck, he hated it and we didnt push it on him.
One of Paxton's favorite things to do lately is look out the window. He can be hungry, tired, you name it, but the second we open those blinds, he smiling, screaming and awe struck.

Some of Pax's 8 month quirks/happenings:
-he finally broke a 3rd tooth. This one took a LONG time.
-his hair is getting so thick and long and RED now that he's sitting up most of the time
-he's learning how to self-soothe when he wakes up in the middles of the night. (that might be my most favorite accomplishment!)
-his poor little eyelid is still itchy and red. Anyone know how to keep a baby from rubbing his eye?
-he loves real food and isnt too fond of baby food. Im starting to steam and mash veggies rather than buy the store bought baby stuff.
-he loves wrestling around with his daddy. He loves playing games with daddy. He loves looking at daddy. Did I mention his daddy is his favorite person?
-Pax is a spastic baby. He hyperventilates when he gets excited, he clenches up and shakes.
-He twirls his feet pretty much all the time, but crazy fast when he's excited about something.
-If Pax is in our bed in the morning and Jon is sleeping, Pax will lean in towards him and grunt until Jon opens his eyes and plays back
-He loves to click his tongue and twist his tongue while yelling happily!

Mud Island

2010-08-03T15:28:00.001-07:00

I post a lot of pictures. I also write some long entries. But I know most of you just look at the pictures. Thats what I do 2/3's of the time with your blog! So feel free to skim over the words and just oogle at my adorable baby and sexy husband :)
Last week Jon and I went to Mud Island. We always seem to find ourselves doing the most unknown and random things. Neither of us knew really what Mud Island was but we were in downtown Memphis, saw the sign, and said "why not?" Because of that way of thinking, we have done some awesome and cool things and also some not-so-interesting things.
Mud Island begins on the edge of the Mississippi River. You buy a ticket, go up am escalator and ride a suspended car across half the river to a small island island in the middle. On Mud Island, there are a couple of gifts shops, a MI River Museum, a scale model of the MI River and a lot of cool artwork and views of the river and Memphis.

Most of the experience is outside and it gets VERY hot here right now. Its safe to say all three of us sweated a pound or two while we were there but honestly, it was just nice to be doing something all together.

Like I said, sweaty. Even Paxton! Behind him is the "Pyramid" which used to be something but now sits vacant. Any bidders? Rumor is that the sporting goods store Cabela's is in talks to buy it and turn it into a crazy store/entertainment venue.
Here I am by one of the murals. The King is everywhere in this city and this city is definitely proud of him!

The scale model of the Mississippi River was really cool. People were free to walk in it which was very nice considering the crazy heat we were all enduring!
Here is a section of it from above. This thing was so HUGE! I wish I could have gotten a pic of the whole thing!

A view from the suspended car. I gotta hand it to Memphis: its a pretty cool city!

My name is Paxton and Im a milk-aholic!

2010-07-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that Paxton has officially begun eating "solids"!
We started, oh say, about 3 months ago with rice cereal. He ate some, and wasnt too impressed. So little by little we gave him small amounts to get him used to different tastes. At around 6 months, we let him try actual baby food (I think it was sweet potatoes). He ate a few bites, then pinched his lips together and refused any more of it. Again, with that we kept giving him small amounts, trying all different fruits and vegetables. The main problem we were having was that Pax would like a food and eat a good amount of it, but would absolutely HATE it the next time we tried feeding it to him. But.......
The other day Paxton found true love with bananas. He ate the whole container (a first for him by far) and was literally shaking with excitement every time I lifted the spoon with another bite on it. I tried not to get too excited but then the next day, guess what? He ate an entire container of bananas AGAIN!
We have continues to introduce new foods to him and, for the most part, he is liking it pretty well! Although I will wait quite a while before giving him green beans again- he HATED them!
I cant wait until we are done with this summer so I can be home again with my beautiful food processor and feed him fresh fruits and veggies. He still isnt too excited sometimes about the baby food, but honestly, I dont blame him because that stuff is nasty!

Anyway, here is my adorable little baby, eating on the floor because mommy and daddy were lazy one Sunday afternoon! Can you believe that red hair?! I still think it will turn more blonde as he gets out in the sun more, but for now, Im loving it!

2010-07-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

there are no words.

Crystal Shrine Grotto

2010-07-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

WARNING! You are about to experience picture overload. Continue at will!!!!!!!

A few Sundays back, Jon and I visited the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis. Why are Earth would we visit a cemetery you wonder? We had discovered online the Crystal Shrine Grotto, located in the cemetery, as a place worthy of a visit. Back in the 1930's, Dionicio Rodriguez built this amazing place. He used various materials, both for the actual art as well as the grotto itself, including rock quartz crystal, semiprecious stones, marble, beautiful wood and cement. Inside are various artistic displays illustrating "Christ's Journey on the Earth from Birth to Resurrection".

At the grotto's entrance was a sign in book and a beautiful painting.
As you can see, the craftsmanship is very intricate and beautiful, from the ground up!

Pax is VERY impressed!
Some of the art was made from stone, others fine wood, and some of it was even painted onto the walls with paint mixed in with beautiful crushed stones. It was really cool!

Outside was just as beautiful. This is what the top of the Crystal Shrine Grotto looks like from the outside.
We kept coming across such interesting and amazing things. As you can tell from the guy's expressions, some were more on the, uh, weird, side.

This is what they found when they looked inside the locked gate!

We came across "God's Garden" and it was beautiful! Very green and lush with a few ponds.

Pax is getting sleepy. I love when he yawns and I especially love when I happen to catch one on camera!

Surrounding the Grotto, and all throughout the cemetery, are cool structures like this one: a giant stone bench. Pax was happy to take a little rest :)
The pond had TONS of cool fish that kept Paxton entertained for quite some time.
This is an old tree stump turned on its side and made into a cool bridge piece.

Most of the places to sit in the cemetery were carved from old trees or constructed from stone.
It was such a cool experience and place to visit. We were a bit leery and not sure what to expect going to a cemetery to hang out, but we are very glad we went. The art was amazing and the whole experience was well worth our Sunday afternoon!

I'll give it a go

2010-07-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

So one of my favorite blogs to follow is "Fun to Craft" and on that blog I found a link to "Cute as a Fox" and now I love that too! My list of amazing blogs to follow just keeps growing... Anyway!
Cute as a Fox is having a giveaway so I thought I give it a shot, even though I NEVER win these things. We will see!
cuteasafox.blogspot.com

At the 'Ole Ball Game!

2010-07-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Jon's office went to a baseball game the other night and the wives/families got to tag along. It was kind of fun to do something out of the ordinary and the weather had just started to cool down so it was actually pretty pleasant to be outside.
Pax was pretty amused, not with the game, but with all the people. He's a people watcher and definitely a star-er but he gets away with it because he's a baby. So jealous.

Paxton absolutely adores Jon. Jon can get him to smile WAY more than I can and he even got Pax to laugh yesterday! He still only wants me when he's tired or fussy, but when this baby is happy, his daddy is his favorite thing in the world!

Pax is 7 months now, weighs 18.5 pounds and continues the grow some, lose some hair cycle. His eyes are a gorgeous deep slate blue and his two little teeth are sticking out like sore thumbs now.

Dear family: we miss you! Hope to see you soon! Love, the Halls :)

Happy Birthday America & My 100th Post!

2010-07-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, 100 posts! I feel like I should bake my blog a birthday cake! Alas, I must not though because Southern comfort food is starting to show up on my mid-section so its time to cut back.

Moving right along.....

We had an amazing birthday celebration with America! As sad as it may seem, this was my VERY first year celebrating the 4th of July and watching fireworks. I am usually with my family in Pinecrest, CA which is in a "no fireworks" lush forest. As sad as I am that Im not there with them now, I was SO excited to finally experience July 4th celebrations.

Let me tell you this; Memphis knows how to celebrate this amazing country. The event we went to was so much fun, full of nasty delicious "American" foods, parades, live bands and tons of rides for kids. And of course, the fireworks were amazing! I have never seen anything like it. We thought for sure that Pax would be scared and crying the whole time but he just laid in my arms and loved it!

The band played music in sync with the fireworks display and I have to say I got emotional and even teared up a few times. Being in Memphis, they couldnt leave out The King and Elvis's rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" really got the water works going. As I watched the sky light up, I realized that this beautiful country that we all live in truly is a country founded and created for God's purposes. I have so many freedoms thanks to the men our Father in Heaven blessed and inspired. I love this country and I am so thankful for the privileges I enjoy on a daily basis. Happy Birthday America!

Love this kid

2010-06-30T06:34:00.001-07:00

This picture perfectly describes Paxton right now. His favorite thing to do is YELL! He loves to hear his little LOUD voice. My mom laughs when I talk to her on the phone because she can always hear little Pax in the background making some kind of noise.

This kid cracks me up every day. I love that he gives mostly everyone a blank stare and then doesnt stop smiling for me and Jon.
He got his 2nd tooth in a while back and his little toothy grin is so precious.

So he still isnt a fan of food, but he does love the get messy! He's definitely a boy!
No matter how tired or fussy this kid is, the moment he is in his car seat, he is happy and playful again. Most people take their babies for car rides to get them to take a nap. We take Pax on car rides to keep him awake
This is how Pax fell asleep the other day. I know it may seem a bit immature of me, but come on, its funny right?

Oh, and did I mention...

2010-06-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

We moved to Memphis. Well, technically we live in Mississippi but the town is right on the border and everything we do is in Memphis. I can honestly say I loved living in Ohio and I miss it but Memphis is starting to grow on me. The bbq here is dee-licious and the down-town area is pretty fun. Its super hot and humid here so I really dont get out much because I like to keep Pax inside, but when we do, we always find something new and cool.
Has anyone ever been here or know any good places to eat or things to do? Im on a mission to discover as much of this city as possible!

A Happy Fathers Day!

2010-06-21T12:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Jon's very first Father's Day. I woke up early, well, actually I woke up kinda late. I was supposed to wake up at 6, shower and get ready for our 9am church and then get breakfast and everything ready and then wake up Jon, but I woke up at 7 and we were a tad bit late to church. Oh well, I will try again next year. Anyway, Jon's special day started out with sleeping in (that is one of the best things him and I do for each other these days). I made him an amazingly tasty sausage gravy and biscuit breakfast, put a few gifts on the table, dressed Pax in a I Love Dad outfit, put up the banner I made(its not the best looking so don't judge me. Drawing letters freehand is NOT one of my strong points) and woke him up with a kiss from both of us.
I wanted to make this day as special as possible since Jon will only have his "1st" Fathers Day once. So, I got him a #1 Dad shirt and stamped it with Paxton's footprints.
Um, mixing paint and a 6month old spells disaster, by-the-way. I was amazed at how fast paint got from the bottom of his feet to his mouth. It was a stressful couple of minutes making sure he didn't eat any of the paint, but it was well worth it. It will be fun to look at the shirt some day and remember how tiny Pax's feet were :)

Jon requested ham and funeral potatoes, one of his favorite dinners, but sadly I just wasn't feeling up to cooking. I have been dealing with the stomach flu all weekend and Jon even started getting symptoms. I was glad I had made his dessert earlier in the day though because it was to DIE FOR! Pretty easy to make, extremely hard not to eat and eat! I bought a box of ice cream sandwiches, crushed up some oreas, drizzled some fudge and put it all together. It was the tastiest ice cream cake we have ever had, and it cost under $10 dollars!
Anyway, all the food and crafty gifts in the world cant really come close to expressing my gratitude and love for my husband. He does so much for me and Paxton. He is up in the middle of the night with the baby just as much as I am, he changes the diapers whenever it needs to be done, he takes the trash out in a rain storm, he does the dishes after working all day... and all with a smile on his face. I have never met such a self-less person and I definitely never thought I would be so lucky as to marry someone so amazing. I love you Jon! I am the luckiest wife in the whole world and Paxton is the luckiest baby. You take such good care of both of us. Happy Fathers Day!

My Current Obsessions

2010-06-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Special K Chocolatey Delight
I seriously could eat this instead of ice cream. Try it, you'll love it!
Caffeine Free Dr Pepper
I have found this gem in two places: Payson, AZ Walmart and the Walmart down the street from me now. Thank goodness too, because I was really starting to envy Jon whenever he got a Dr Pepper.
Paxton's Baby Einstein Jumperoo
Pax LOVES this thing. He bounces in it for the longest time and it plays music. He just found out that if he yells while he's bouncing, his voice sounds funny so he does that now too :)
My ERGO baby carrier
This carrier blows the Bjorn out of the water! (for me at least) Pax seriously thinks Im holding him in this thing and the thicker waste strap means that my back and shoulders never hurt. Its a big help when Im doing things around the house and my baby wants to be held.
Mod Podge
Can a glue-type product win a Nobel Prize? Because this thing has changed my life. Soon I will post pictures of my latest projects Ive completed but for now, I give a round of applause for this wonder in a bottle.
I Heart Naptime with Chocolate Sundaes (best blog ever)
Need I say more? Im working on a project to add to one of the craft parties but for now I am really enjoying all the ideas and links to other amazing blogs.
My rice cooker
Did you know you can cook salmon in this thing? Thanks to the convenient little steamer basket it came with, I not only can cook rice but also steam veggies and fish. I recently used it to melt chocolate and maintain a perfect temp for dipping AND I cook my steel cut oats in it as well. I got this as a wedding gift, tried it once and couldnt figure it out, put it in my cupboard and havent used it until just recently. Oh my, am I glad I have this now!
Thats all for now :)

My and-a-half year old!

2010-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

I cant wait until Pax can say he's 3 and-a-half years old (or whatever). Kids make such a big deal over that half year mark and seriously, they have reason to because they change SO much in such a short time. Of course where Im going with this is that my little Paxton has changed SO much :)
Paxton is 6 months old, a whole and-a-half. Can you believe that? I cant! I have a baby who sits by himself and, drum roll please...... has a tooth!

I included a close up and the original picture because I happen to think that both are cute and worth sharing :)
Lets see, what is the update on Paxton...
Well, we've continued to try various foods to see how he likes them, and he does NOT! Pax absolutely wants nothing to do with any substance in his mouth that is not breast milk. He is a milk baby through and through. We even bought one of the mesh food rings and he just wasnt having it. Dear Pax: please start liking real food soon. I promise to continue breastfeeding you, but honestly, I wouldnt mind the help :)
He still puts everything and anything he can in his mouth. Yesterday at church he somehow manage to fit his entire binkie in his mouth. He gagged so hard that half of the Relief Society turned to look at him. He was already trying to do it again.
He's doing pretty good with sitting these days. I leave the boppy by him because he tends to give out completely and fall on his head when he gets bored of sitting.

Oh and to name a few other things (for the sake of not forgetting them later on)
-he is absolutely loving being naked lately. He gets especially excited during diaper changes
-he has the WORST gas ever! Im not kidding, this kid stinks. He always has, but I dont think Ive ever noted it :)
-he giggles after he sneezes. Every time. He loves it!
-he learned how to press his lips together and vibrate/spit through them. He does it all the time.
-he learned that if he sticks his tongue out when Im giving him medicine that I cant get it in his mouth
-he loves to yell in church. Not in a sad way; its an adorable, happy LOUD yell and it makes a lot of heads turn
-he's not sleeping through the night anymore. I miss that. Teething kinda threw him off a little and Im hoping that it will get back to normal again soon.
-he has a little friend named Hudson who he absolutely adores. Hudson is a baby a little bit younger than Pax and he loves to just watch him
-he has started grabbing his feet ALL the time and even manages to get them in his mouth once in a while

Its been so much fun having this little guy around. He's been such a wonderful addition to our family. To most people, he is a chubby serious baby who loves to stare. To Jon and I, he is a heavy, happy baby who squeals and babbles at 6am rather than cry and who loves nothing more than to snuggle up with one of us. While we do get a very serious-faced baby, we very often get smiles and giggles that melt our hearts. He has such a sweet little boy!

My sister, the graduate

2010-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. Seriously? My little sister just graduated from college? Um, what???????????
Yep, my little sister Shelly just finished up at Chandler Gilbert community college and will be transferring to BYU in the fall well ahead of most kids her age. Shelly, you have worked so hard and you have sacrificed so much. You have grown and matured into a beautiful woman. You brighten up any room you are in (except when youre grouchy, then stay back!). All joking aside though Shell, you are so much fun to be around. You are always the life of the party and you are probably the most caring person I know. Jon and I are so proud of what youve accomplished and who you've become. I love you to death and I am so thankful that I can honestly call you my best friend. I will miss your smile-its so contagious. I will miss you randomly falling down and laughing at your own jokes. BYU wont know what to do with you :) and I mean that in a good way. Love ya sis!

5 Months!

2010-05-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Pax is 5 months now. Well, May 5th he was. But Im busy dang it so Im blogging about it now!
Here is what Pax is up to these days:
*He can sit all by himself now, although he's a little top heavy and doesnt hold it for too long yet.
*He's just started laughing but he's just so serious all the time that its definitely a chore to get him to do so.
*He had baby food for the first time! He actually tasted food for the first time too. Jon and I have tried really hard to not give him tastes of anything and we finally cracked! He sampled some sweet potatoes that I cooked up and LOVED it. Then the next day we gave him rice cereal. He ate it, but I dont think he was too impressed.

*He has a favorite song. Every time I sing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" he gets all smiley and excited.
*He's obsessed with mirrors now. He could look at himself in one for hours!
*He discovered that his feet are objects that can go in his mouth! I got a picture of him discovering it for the first time. The picture is him SCREAMING with excitement.
This kid is just so stinkin cute! He loves to cuddle and be held all tight. He still is just happy as can be and only is fussy when its time to eat and that can be quickly fixed :) I had a wonderful Mothers Day. Jon made me crepes in bed and did all the housework and cooking. He got me a few fun little things but honestly, the only thing I needed in the whole world to make me feel special are my two boys. I love them more than anything!

Winslow and Denver

2010-05-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

On our way to Ohio, we stopped in Winslow and Denver to visit family. We figured it would be such a long drive that we might as well take a few extra days, drive less hours during the day, and hang out with peeps. So the first day we went thru Winslow and stayed with Jons sister and her family. We always have such a blast with them and its so much fun putting Pax with Lucy. One day they'll notice each other and actually play, for now, each is just another toy to the other. Lucy kept grabbing Paxton's arm and Pax kept trying to get Lucy in his mouth. He does that. His goal in life right now is to get everything in his mouth.

After Winslow, we drove into Denver, which was slightly out of our way, but we are SO glad we did. My brother and his wife and their adorable little girl live there. We mostly just hung out because Jon got ATTACKED by a horrible cold the day we got there. It was so nice just to be there. I miss Jayson and Kim so much. You guys have to come back to AZ when youre done with school!
Lotta was so cute with Paxton. She's been learning parts of the face lately and she kept poking Pax in the eye and saying "Eye". Pax wasnt the biggest fan, Im sure, but it was so cute.

We wanted to get some pictures of them together so we said "Lotta, wanna hold Paxton?" Lotta got SO excited and was smiling all big. He was her little baby. Again, Pax wasnt the biggest fan but it was so adorable. She kept wanting to hold him after that.

She also kept giving Pax hugs and kisses. I love little babies and kids. Theyre so sweet and fun.
We went to a park near J&K's apartment and it was freezing! I forget, living in sunny Arizona, that it gets cold places.

We had so much fun. Miss you guys, cant wait to see you on the way back!

Happy Birthday Jon!

2010-04-28T18:12:00.001-07:00

So Tuesday was Jon's birthday. The big 26! We had just gotten to Ohio and everything was in crazy mode with getting settled and what not but we managed to have some fun. We went to this CRAZY super-market type place called Jungle Jims. This store was like the amusement park of the grocery world. I will be going back and taking pictures and dedicating an entire post to it, dont you worry. For now, trust me. Huge and Crazy.

I made Jon his favorite: home-made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It was SO good! Jon thought it was so fun to watch me actually grating carrots for it. Oh, and for dinner he requested shrimp cocktail and chicken ceasar salad. We're on a new kick lately to eat healthier and it is amazing how refreshing, yet incredibly satisfying it is to eat fresh salads and such for dinner.

We had our friends, EJ and Shelby, over for dinner and dessert. Jon and EJ served together on their missions and have been close ever since. It was fun to share Jon's day with them.

While we were in Winslow a couple of weeks back, Jon's sister Nat(and fam) did a surprise birthday party for him. They cooked dee-licious fried shrimp and other good stuff and Nat made an amazing lemon-pineapple cake. Oh wow, seriously, so good. It was so much fun to celebrate with family and to hang out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

***Oh and a side note, it was my mom's birthday last week as well. We had just left for Ohio and weren't there to celebrate with her so we took this picture of Pax and sent it to her. Love you Momma, Happy Birthday to you also!

This is a picture post

2010-04-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have a bunch of baby pics that I need to post. More so for my own journaling purposes, but also for your enjoyment :)

I never posted any pictures from Paxtons blessing. We had a wonderful Sabbath Day with family and friends from all over. The blessing was beautiful and we had everyone over afterwards for dinner. We got Paxton a super cute suit but the poor guy has such a fat neck that the tie wouldnt fit. So instead, he kinda looked like a disco-man stud baby. Haha, it was still SO cute.

Pax LOVES bath time. He's learning that he is fully capable of splashing and kicks his legs all crazy. Im trying to teach him that the bath is not the place to pee, though :)

Everytime Paxton is sitting in a chair or on someones lap, he props his arm up to the side. Its so funny. This boy knows how to relax in style!
Next up: Pictures from our visits in Winslow and Denver.

Now we're stuck in Ohio

2010-04-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

...for the next 4-ish months

Summertime is here and for the Halls, that means cross-country pick up and move. This year Jon's team (he works for Pinnacle Security) is working in Ohio. We will be living in Fairborn, which is a suburb of Dayton which is right smack in the middle of Cincinnati and Columbus.
We left on Saturday and its been a great journey so far. The trip started off with Jon finding caffeine-free Dr Pepper. SWEET! I havent had a Dr P since Pax was born and I am enjoying a change from my ever-present caffeine-free Pepsi. Anyway, Saturday night we stayed in Winslow, AZ with Jon's sister Nat and her family and had so much fun(pictures coming soon). Then last night we drove to Albuquerque. We are currently about 60 miles outside of Denver where we will stay and visit my brother Jayson and his family for a couple of days. Our whole lives are packed in this faithful car of ours and Im looking forward to arriving in Ohio and discovering what life is like for us there. Love to all!

4 Months!!!!!

2010-04-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

I cant believe how much this kid has grown and changed. And in only 4 months! When did this tiny little newborn turn into an actual baby who rolls over, laughs and holds himself up?
We had his 4 month check up this week and he weighed in at 16lbs flat and 24.5 inches long. Apparently he's way short for his age and chunky too and Im loving the combination. My short fat little guy will be taller than me before I know it!
Paxton had his baby blessing last month (still need to post a pic of him in his ADORABLE suit). He rolled over from tummy to back a couple of weeks ago then rolled from back to tummy a couple of days later and Jon missed both! He was pretty bummed out considering he was just int he other room but Pax showed him his new trick eventually. He's discovered the power of his hands and realized that he can actually grab hold of things. I think he kinda just flung his hands around before and grabbed what he could and now he actually reaches for objects with both hands. He LOVES a Baby Einstein movie that we have for him (thanks again Lori and Matt). Every other day or so, we turn it on for about 20 minutes and he goes nuts! He must get really relaxed watching it though, because he literally poops every time he watches it. Love this kid. He babbles and talks non-stop and he's going through a major "only want mommy" phase. Poor Jon tries so hard but Pax literally will cry for 20 minutes with Jon and then be asleep 2 seconds after he's in my arms. I love breastfeeding and the special bond it creates. It is seriously so amazing. Love to all!

Dinosaurs, flowers and the Zoo

2010-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

So the other day I went to Ikea and lunch with my mom and my sister Shelly. Had a wonderful time and even Pax did awesome!
Came home to a spotless house- dishes were clean, laundry was done and my floors were vacuumed.
Oh yeah, and these were waiting for me

I love Jon. I love him for all he does for me and all he puts up with from me. But mostly, I love that he constantly reminds me not to take life too seriously.
We took Paxton to the Zoo the other day. We met up with Lori and David (Jon's sister and brother) who each brought their daughters, Shayla and Lexi. He definitely had no idea where we were and couldnt care less about the animals but we had fun :)

Pictures of Paxton

2010-03-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, nearly 4 months have gone by since my little baby was born. I always heard people say "time flies" but I honestly didnt think it flew by so quickly. I feel like it was just last week that this adorable little person made his debut. He's so big now, and so happy. I love his smile. It can turn the worst day into a good one.

HE'S SO CHUNKY!!!

My beef with Mcdonalds

2010-03-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last night neither Jon or myself felt much up to cooking dinner. Since neither wanted to go inside anywhere and sit down to eat, and neither of us wanted the typical drive-thru burger and fries, we figured a salad would be a good way to go. Um, has anyone out there ordered a salad from Mcdonalds lately? Just a salad costs more than an entire meal! Seriously people, $6 bucks for lettuce and a few pieces of chicken?! What a rip off. The sad thing is, so many people will pay it because 1- tons of people want a healthier option and 2- EVERYONE wants a convenient option. Remember back in the day when Mcdonalds had THE BEST french fries? After Super Size Me exposed the unhealthy side of the Golden Arches, they did so many things to make their menu more health-conscious, including changing the way they prepared their fries, thus forever ridding Americans of the crunchy delight. I shall make a suggestion: make your dang salads more affordable and give me back my fried potatoes! I hereby pledge to partake in moderation and accept responsibility for the food choices I make.

Paxton's Video Debut

2010-03-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

So Pax has a buddy. We put a little hanging toy thing from the top of his car seat. At first, he hardly even noticed it. But after some time, and perhaps optical development, Paxton became obsessed with this thing. We call him Max, mostly because it rhythms with Pax I guess. Anyway, the first couple of days he just stared at it. Would not take his eyes off of this thing. Maybe Max seemed a bit suspicious to him. I think he passed the test though because then Paxton started talking to him. First a little, then for entire car rides. SO so cute.

And then there were 3...

2010-03-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

So Ive been putting off writing this post. Its a sad post. I wasnt ready to re-live the day or stir up the memories but I think Im as good as I'll ever be to write about this so here it goes...

We found our dogs a new home.

With everything going on- moving all over, new baby, hardly ever being home and of course, summer traveling for Jon's work, we just felt the best thing for our puppies would be to find them a more stable home. It was the hardest thing ever for us to decide to do it but we knew we had to. Those two sweet dogs need a home and a family with more time for them.

Thank goodness we found an amazing family for them. A home with several people so they'll never be alone, not to mention a 14 yr old little girl that simply adored them. It was really important to us that we knew they would be loved and taken care of and we couldnt be happier with any other family for Franklin and Pennie.

Jon surprised me with Franklin for my birthday in 2008. He took me to a pet store to look at dogs "just for fun" because Id been saying that I wanted one and he said we couldnt with our busy lives and all. Frank was so cute. The store let me sit with him in a private room and play with him and I fell absolutely in love with him. Still, Jon said it just wouldnt work out and I had to leave him behind. A couple of days later, I got a knock at my door. Franklin was waiting on my doorstep with a blue bow around his neck. He was simply the most adorable little puppy. He was so cuddly and his favorite thing in the world was to play fetch with his little tennis ball.

We got Pennie a few months after. Franklin loved playing with other dogs so much and HATED being left alone when we went to work. We searched online and found a local breeder nearby. We fell in love with Penn instantly and took her home in perfect time for Christmas. She was so tiny and cute. She couldn't walk very well, instead she did a cute kind of hop to get herself around. She was much more independent than Franklin. She would wander around the apartment and fall asleep under furniture, whereas Frank wouldn't walk around unless he was right by my ankles. We called her farm dog because she hated being in a crate. Our poor neighbors once told us they could tell when we left the house and get home every day because she would bark and bark until she was let out. Luckily they didnt mind. She was always happier outside where she could run and chew on plants. She was also Pampered Pup because she would look all over the house for a pillow to curl up on for naps.

We had so much fun with these two dogs. They were quite the traveling two, going all over the country with us and on vacations everywhere. They did pretty good on road trips, although Franklin did get car sick occasionally.

They loved each other so much and were seriously meant to be little doggie companions. Pennie, the motherly type, would pin Franklin down and lick his face clean at least twice a day. Frank would pace around if Pennie wasnt in the room and refused to do anything unless she went with him. There were times that Jon and I would get so busy with things and I would feel so bad that the dogs werent getting as much attention but we knew they were just fine because they kept each other company so well.

We will miss these little puppies. They were so much fun and brought so much joy into our home. We were looking forward to having these two in our family for years but we just knew they needed something more stable and consistent than us. We love you, Franklin and Pennie. Thank you for making us laugh with all the crazy quirky things you did. We already miss you.

Catching Up

2010-02-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

So I just did a ga-zillion posts. Right now, in this moment, I hate blogging. I never want to do another post as long as I live........
Moments over and I like it again. Read on and enjoy. Lots of pictures and stories and catching up on what the Hall's have been up to these past few weeks.

Valentines Day (Sorta)

2010-02-16T20:42:00.001-08:00

Jon and I have a tradition that, instead of going out and waiting 2 hours for dinner, we make sushi at home together. I love this tradition. I love, love, LOVE sushi and its fun to have it at home.

We made it the day before so that we didnt have to break the Sabbath and it was kinda fun having our own special day.

Yum, I want to eat this all over again. We bought ahi, salmon, yellow tail and shrimp. OH MY GOODNESS. Seriously, Im salivating just writing about it.
We also made these cute little cakes in some glass cups that we have but, um, something went wrong because they were NAS-TY! Too bad because they looked so cute and even smelled good.

Poor Paxton got his first cold that day. This picture perfectly shows the way he felt. Poor baby just wanted to sleep in mommy and daddy's arms all day.

Happy Valentines Day Sweetie. Its kinda belated but I figured since we celebrated early that I could say it late. Thanks for treating every day like its Valentines. You are the love of my life and Im so glad to be married to someone who opens my doors, holds my hand everywhere we go, surprises me with breakfast in bed, makes me laugh, holds me when I cry, makes me weak in the knees and gives me butterflies still, knows me better than I know myself... I could go on and on but mostly Im so thankful that you are my very best friend in the whole world. LOVE YOU!

Just some pictures

2010-02-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

I love looking at pictures of my baby. Just thought I'd share some of my favorites...

So I guess We're Those People

2010-02-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

On our honeymoon, Jon and I decided it would be fun to collect something from our trips together to show where we've been and remember all the fun we had. We figured magnets were the way to go since you can pretty much find them everywhere.
Most of the places we go, its not to hard to find one. Sometimes it can be a challenge though but that in itself is kinda fun too. Our fridge is ridiculous-ly full (btw, it normally isnt organized this way) but its fun to look at and remember what we've been able to do. We get one from every state we visit, one from anywhere especially fun or different and some just because we can (like the one from Gila Bend).

From left to right, starting at the top with the Blue Hippos
Phx Zoo, Yuma AZ, Gila Bend AZ, John Ball Zoo MI, Random Gas Station, The cruise for our honeymoon, Chicago IL, Michigan, Six Flags trip for Jons birthday, Rt 66 in New Mexico, Nebraska, Las Vegas, Tonto National Bridge AZ, Rocky Point Mexico, Aquarium of the Pacific CA, Disneyland Trip for Jons birthday, Knotts Berry Farms on our honeymoon, Disneyland for Lisa's birthday, Magic Mountain trip for Lisa's birthday, California Adventures, Holland MI, AZ Science Center, Missouri, Utah, Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago IL, Worlds Largest Truck Stop in Iowa, Hoover Dam, Winslow AZ, Pinecrest CA, Another Phx Zoo (this one showing that I got brave and touched a stingray!), Texas, Payson AZ and finally, Colorado.

whew! Thats a lot of magnets. Cant wait to add more to our collection.

Two Month Mark

2010-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

So its been a couple weeks since Pax hit his two-month mark but I wanted to post about it anyway since the whole reason I do this blog is 1- to share with the fam and friends but also 2- to have a journal of sorts for my own purposes. So without further delay...
Here are some pictures of Paxton at two months. I love this picture below because it really demonstrates his level of chunk with that double (sometimes triple) chin of his. He is in the 90% for weight which means only 10% of babies his age weigh more than he does. His eyes are still blue and Im so curious about whether they will change color or stay this way. His hair, which is a cute strawberry/auburn color, has a sort of mullet appearance because his hair on top fell out after birth but the long hair in the back did not. Poor baby!

This is another picture that I love because it shows all his rolls. Do you see those legs?! Chunk. Oh, and you can kind see the business-in-front-party-in-back 'do that he's got going on.