Just how I like 'em

It is seirously ridiculous how much I love this boy. When he wakes up from his naps I set him on my lap in the recliner and read him his two favorite books, "I Love You Through and Through" and Mary Engelbreit's "Happy Mother Goose" nursery rhymes. Its my favorite time of day because one, it means I just got a nice 1-2 hour break by myself, but two my little boy is still a little groggy and super cuddly. I read him through these books about 10 times, sometimes we sit there for almost an hour just reading them over and over again. You can tell he's starting to wake up because he'll start wanting to turn the pages and pausing to point at a picture that captures his attention.

....and of course anything that my two boys do together is just the cutest tihng ever!

 

Diaper changes are a constant battle. Seriously. That boy cannot sit still for more than a minute so it often turns into a two man job. One person changing, the other taking pictures.

This is just how I like my babies, messy. This is what Jackson usually looks after I feed him baby food. He gets it on his hands then rubs his hands all over his face, meaning Jackson is usually getting baths 1-2 times a day. Luckily Jackson LOVES bathtime so we have a lot of fun. (These pictures are super grainy, the ISO was somehow much MUCH higher than I thought)

Oh, Jackson and that finger. He points at EVERYTHING, so cute!



Just for family history purposes, Jackson is talking a ton, says mama, dada, and everything in between. He's walking around more and more, usually taking 2-3 steps at a time but has been known to take 5 or 6. He now has 3 teeth, his 3rd one just sprouting out this morning (when it rains is pours), and he is the most amazing thing in our world!

The Croop Part 2

I just remembered the other part that I wanted to blog about with the whole mess of us moving and Jackson getting sick and everything. On Friday night when Jackson came down with a fever we were sleeping on Chris and Darci's living room floor on an air mattress and Jackson was in his pack and play. Brian was up with him from 2:30-3:30 am, then I was up with him from 3:30-4:30 am. Finally at 4:30 I decided to take that naked baby into bed with me (he was so hot we had to strip off his clothes) and let him sleep with us, something we hadn't done in a long time.

I'll never forget the love I had for Jackson that night. He had a horrible, barking cough and was so stinkin hot and miserable and really just wanted to go back to sleep but couldn't. As soon as I laid down with him he cuddled up into me with one hand on his cheek, and one arm he threw around me. I snuggled up with my baby all that night, and despite the fact that we had been up for hours and it was almost 5 in the morning, I couldn't go back to sleep because I couldn't take my eyes off his sweet, sleeping face. He would periodically wake up coughing and crying, and I would just hold him till he went back to sleep. I wish so bad he didn't have to go through this pain, but that experience of holding my helpless child all night is something I'll never forget.

The Croop

We are moving! Ahhh we're sooooo sad! We absolutely LOVE Paso 2nd ward! Brian was the Young Men's president (pretty important right??) and I was the primary music leader (okay, so not as important but still SO fun!) We loved living so near to family and we have such a great group of friends. So where are we moving to? Santa Maria. Bit random? I think so.

Okay, so it all started with a pipe bursting outside our window on Tuesday. The ONLY window that was getting completely drenched was Jackson's, and there was so much water pouring on it that it was leaking through our window and soaking the carpet. The water went about 3 feet out and it was just completely drenched. Ugh. So that was at about 11:00 Tuesday morning, and the idiots that manage our apartments didn't send out anyone till about 10:00 on Wednesday morning! So there was water sinking into the drywall and carpet for about 24 hours. So smart on their part, right? Anyways I had to drag everything out of Jackson's room and scatter it about the kitchen and living room so our house was a complete and total mess, smelling like must so being that our house was completely unlivable and disgusting we tried to keep Jackson away as much as possible and have been staying the night at the Welty's since (thank goodness for family).

So we figured it would be as good a time as any to pack up, move out, and quit Brian's job (not to mention getting away from the black mold that was undeniably forming from the 24 hours water spent seeping into the walls and floors. And what better way to make money than in Santa Maria selling Dish and Directv with Chris and Darci? They pay for your apartment and Brian would be making a lot more money, so much in fact that he would actually be able to just go to school for the next year without having to worry about working. So that's what we've been doing.

Some of you might be wondering why my blog title is "The Croop" and what that even means. I will tell you. Because of our fiasco with the property management company and the lack of action on their part, Jackson got a ridiculously high fever on Friday night at 2:30 am and a really horrible, barking-like cough. Unfortunately because we were staying at Chris and Darci's while we trained we didn't have a thermometer or baby tylenol. But he was burning up so bad that we literally had to take off all his clothes and just hold our hot baby. It was so sad and so scary, so we took him in on Saturday morning and found out that he had croup. (Its spelled croup but I titled it croop because thats how you pronounce it and its way more fun to say "croop") Its an infection in his throat that causes his airway to swell, which causes a fever. He has to take liquid Prednisone (which I'm sure Michelle and my dad were quick to realize its the the same stuff we gave our mom the weeks before she died, just a much smaller dosage). We just can't wait to get out of that disgusting apartment, but we are sooo sad to leave our amazing ward and all our friends and family : (

Jackson Time

Ahh I just realized how long its been since I blogged about Jackson! I've been so into doing little photoshoots with my family and editing them I've completely forgotten to talk about whats going on in the world of Jackson! And because these posts are mostly for family history (I make a blog book with all the pictures and posts I put on here) and there's really not anybody that reads it besides close family, I should probably document whats going on with my cute boy : )

Well, I should probably start off by saying that Jackson FINALLY popped out a tooth! Two, to be exact. Since he was about 4 months old we've been saying,

"He's definitely teething!"

 "Okay now he's for SURE teething!"

"Oh yeah, this time its the real thing, he's absolutely teething now!"

And guess what? No teeth.

I guess he is just a naturally drooly, sometimes cranky boy. So finally two weeks ago one popped out and boy was that a tough week. (Thank goodness for Baby Tylenol) I first noticed it because he was chewing on my hand (as usual) and lo and behold, there was a tooth! Two days later while Mima was watching him she said another tooth had wiggled its way out! And what does he get for all his effort? Two top teeth are now budding out, so no break for Jackson, which means no break for mom and dad. Oh well.

So how did I reward him for letting me poke around his mouth with a popsicle stick to find that darn tooth?

By tickling that cute boy!

On a different note, Jackson says "Mom" and "Dada" ALL the time it is so cute! When he cries he yells out to me saying "Mom!" I think its cute how he says "mom" instead of "mama" because it seems more intentional. But he babbles constantly, and people that he passes in the grocery store almost always take notice : ) We have sweet conversations when he wakes up from his naps. We sit in the rocker and he tells me stories of "Rarara" and "gagaga" and combinations of the two.

He's also still walking along furniture, and getting more and more comfortable with standing on his own. He's taken a couple steps a few times now, but its usually by accident so I don't really think we totally count it.

Jackson's gotten really good at drinking a bottle : )

Cranky face but SUPER cute outfit (he basically only wears surfer t-shirts and shorts now so of course we got him adorable sandals from Target)

The new way to hang out in his bouncer

Real men only wear light grey tapered sweats with no shirt on

Totally candid moment while Jackson and Brian watched some TV! (Too early for tv? I think not.)

Jackson loves helping me pick out a movie... And he found a winner! (Notice the "Pretty in Pink" selection)

Basically what I'm trying to say is that he's the cutest, smartest, funniest, chattiest, drooliest, most amazing baby to have ever been born (in my world anyways)

Mother's Day Part 2

My amazing Mother's Day started out with this.....

It looks like it came straight out of a magazine right?? When I told some of the girls at church that Brian made me eggs benedict for my breakfast in bed they were shocked that he even knew how to make them! Yes ladies, he makes eggs benedict and he's all mine : ) Well first off I should point out that I got to sleep in till 9:30, and then had my favorite breakfast of all time.

Brian also wrote me this sweet, amazing poem that I seriously thought he had got off the internet or something. It reads:

"Batton down the hatches, see fury in the sky, but all I'll ever need, is my first mate and I. Now all sails are lowered, the great storms strength is full, forever you will be, the anchor to my soul. Waves surround at port and bow, sea and vessel in fight, I'm steady at the wheel, if you are by my side. Storm weathered, morning breaks, a burning sky is seen, my heart is full of thanks, you make a better me."

(This is where I swooned)

At church the bishopric put on a great mother's day brunch so it was like second breakfast! (The Office quote? Anyone? Anyone?) Then for Sacrament meeting I lead the children in a medley of Mother's Day songs (I'm the ward primary music leader, best calling ever!) We sang Love Is Spoken Here, I Often Go Walking, and Mother I Love You. They were all so cute, I love watching all those silly goofy kids and just wondering what they will do next. I had to hold back tears during Mother I Love You because its a really special song to my family since my mother passed away because we sang it to her the night she died. Thankfully I held myself together and didn't burst out in tears while leading about 40 small children during the sacrament meeting : ) After church we went to the Welty's house to exchange gifts and then to my dad's house for dinner with Chris and Darci, who just moved to town. These were taken outside the Welty's house using a tripod and all its glory : )

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I personally believe that pictures are better in color 90% of the time. ...But here's a black and white just for fun.

He is just so cuddly I LOVE it!!!

I love his smile in the above photo! He always makes this face when he's really happy and makes this snorting noise while he does it, isn't he just the cutest thing!?



Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! Hope it was as amazing as mine!

Mother's Day Weekend Part 1

One of the many MANY things that I love about Brian is how big he goes on holidays. Birthday, anniversaries, you name it, he goes big on it. One super cute thing about him is how much he loves to surprise me! As for me, I can take them or leave them, and I'm about as bad as it gets when it comes to actually surprising people. Anyways, this Mother's Day Brian went ALL out! We started the festivities on Friday because Brian didn't have work. We started out by going to Costco for lunch, which is our new favorite cheap meal. Two big, cheesy, greesy, give-you-a-heart-attack pizzas plus a polish sausage and a drink=Less than $6. Yum. Then we drove around Shell Beach looking at houses, our favorite pasttime because we can't WAIT till we can have a home of our own and we love deciding what we do or don't want in a home. Next stop, Pismo Beach Factory Outlets for some bargain shopping. Brian and I both got some things we loved for ourselves, then met Marty and Robert at Carter's for a major shopping spree for Jackson. (is it weird that sometimes I prefer shopping for Jackson than I do for myself?)

Afterwards we headed to Avila Beach for clam chowders with Brian's aunt and cousin at Custom House. The Farmer's Market they have there every Friday night is so fun! Its right on the beach and with the warm weather, it made for a perfect setting for a nice evening stroll.

There's fresh vegetables...

There's usually live music...

And  the pier always makes for a fun walk.

What a fun grandma

This picture kills me, I love my 2 boys more than anything in the world. Brian just looks SO handsome and Jackson is such a cute boy!

My big present for Mother's Day was the lens Brian bought for me! It was the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens that I had been dreaming about for so long! Unfortunately, we didn't realize that with my camera it didn't autofocus so we had to return it with the promise of finding me one that was perfect and that I love, but Brian made it such a special weekend it didn't even matter!

On Saturday morning Jackson was being so cuddly! He kept reaching out to us and giving us these huge, tights hugs! Love these boys!



I don't have any other pictures from Saturday, but Brian made me his world famous biscuits and gravy (yum!) for breakfast and we spent the day cruising and walking around downtown SLO. That night he took me to Shin's Sushi in SLO and holy cow was it good! We went all out this time and got miso soups, edamame, drinks, and 2 yummy rolls. I couldn't believe that despite the fact that we have no money he still spoiled me and made me feel so loved. Thanks Brian, you're the best!

(More pics to come of Mother's Day DAY!!)