Christmas 2009

If you remember my previous post, from a few months ago, you know that my kitchen chairs have been laying on their sides to keep Jacob from climbing up and getting on the table. Well, he has found a way around that. Needless to say, the chairs are back up and we just continue to get him down.

For Christmas we headed down to Arizona to visit Kristina and family. We had a fun time playing with cousins and Santa even came to visit.

Christmas morning we sat by the stairs, with Dad, and on the stairs, with the cousins, in anticipation of going down to see what Santa had brought.
We opened stockings and presents... Jacob got a clock (he loves them), some books, an alphabet refridgerator magnet set and a farm barn with animals.




We had a fun time!



While we were there we also went on a little hike in the San Tan mountains. Erin was our backpack girl (she offered) and at one point Jacob wanted her to carry him. Couldn't resist taking a picture of her carrying everything. It was so funny!

It was a fun trip. Can't believe 2010 is upon us!

Things I am Thankful For

Amoung lots of things I am thankful for...this week it is:
1. A garage door opener. Our's quit working last weekend. It took a couple of days before Jason had time to fix it. Several days of lifting the door up and down manually makes you appreciate not having to back out, get out of the car, and into the snow to pull the door shut!

2. The weather high here yesterday was 18 degrees. Makes me SO thankful for this. If you think about people populating the earth for approximately 5000 years and having to deal with cold weather (in some parts) for that long...how lucky are we to live right now. Heat at the touch of a button has really only been available (commonly) for about 60 years. 60 years out of 5000!! How lucky are we!!!!!

Snow!

Yesterday we got our first real snow of the season. It has been cold the past week, but finally snow.
We bundled him up in a snowsuit, boots, hat and gloves......and then took him out to experience it.
Once outside, he walked around and followed Jason as he shoveled snow. We tried making a snow angel with him, but he was unimpressed. :) It was so funny to watch him try to walk in it. I think he'll like it more as he gets older, but after 10 minutes he was done. So fun to see him experiencing stuff like this!! Thanks for the snowsuit Kristina. Works perfectly!

Signs of independence and Festival of Trees

This summer and fall going out with Jacob has been fun. I took him places; the grocery store, the park, zoo, aquarium and all the while we could go in the stroller or grocery store cart without any problems. He was content, I was content...running errands with a toddler was good.

He now is showing more signs of independence. We went to Festival of Trees this morning. Lots to see and great tress! But Jacob was not really happy about being in the stroller. He'd sit for a while and then tell me, "Out, out, out." But there is no way I could chase him with the stroller all over the Festival. When the trees did not distract him he was not happy being strapped in.

Which means I think I'll need to move to a backpack rather than a purse. If I can't keep him in the stroller or cart I need hands free to chase him around...all the while trying to look like the Mother In Control of Her Toddler Who is Running Around (who is in charge here anyway?). :) Learing that you should never say "never." :)

They Can Only Sag at this Age

Jacob is between sizes in pants right now. 12 mos. are too small and 18 mos. are just a tad too big. We roll the pants at the waist band to keep them up. There are times when we forget to roll them and he walks in like this. He doesn't seem to notice or to be bothered by it. He just keeps on walking.

Ouch!

As an adult I haven't burned myself too often. Last Sunday I was browing a roast to put in the oven. I had it in this pan and was turning it with a fork.
My left hand was holding the pan like this.
The roast slipped off the fork when I tried to turn it and hot oil splashed out of the pan and onto my left hand. Left a lovely little mark and HURT all afternoon. Kept an ice pack on it until bed.

I hate it when I do that! Hopefully Neosporin and (later) some liquid vitamin E will keep it from scaring too much. Makes me thankful for the unburned skin I have and gives me more empathy for those so badly burned in accidents.

Halloween

Jacob was a Ninja this year. We had considered a cowboy...

After going to a few houses in our neighborhood, we went to Jason's family's house for dinner, passed out candy and Grandma took Jacob and the cousins to the neighbor's houses. It was fun to see the kids dressed up.Abby and Emma with Grandpa wearing a tu-tu on his head.
This year was fun because Jacob was a little more aware of the whole occasion. I'm not a huge fan of the candy (glad he only got a little), but it was fun to see him say "Trick or Treat!"

Vacation

We were supposed to go to Chicago last week to visit my sister and family, but she called and was sick so we didn't go. That was a bummer, but Jason still had time off so we drove down to St. George where it was nice and warm.

We left on Thursday and saw the Johnson Farm in the afternoon. It is a small dinosaur museum where bones were found just 10 years ago. There are some specimins there that are the only ones in the world.

Friday we went into Zions and hiked the river trail. It is the last stop on the tram ride through Zions and we picked it because you could take a stroller. It was beautiful. The leaves were turning and at the end of the trail Jacob played in the river.
This is where my camera battery died. :)

After this hike we rested in front of the lodge and then went to the lower pool of the Emeral Pools hike before leaving for the day. It was perfect weather!

The next day, on our way home, we stopped at Kolob and did a short hike. Jacob was a trooper through it all and we had a great time. Just so sad to come home after just 3 days! Oh well. Off to plan the next trip. :)

Costco Gets It

Sometime between lunch and dinner, Jacob needs to eat a little something...he just can't go that long between the two meals.

Sometimes I need to run errands in the afternoon, but if I wait to feed Jacob the errand never gets done. Enter Costco.

I need items from Costco and they get it...that kids need a mid afternoon snack so moms can shop. I LOVE that they have taster tables. I can shop and feed Jacob at the same time. It is a good thing.

Jacob, You are Brilliant

I know every mother thinks this of her child, but today he said something that really surprised me.
We were on our way to the gym this morning (around 9 a.m.) and as we pulled onto the street Jacob said, "Moo." Or at least this is what I thought I heard since I know he can say "Moo" when he sees a cow. But I also know that there are NO cows on my street.
I glanced back at him in the rear view mirror to try and see what he was looking at. He was looking up. I looked up and this is what he was looking at.

It is hard to see in the picture, but it is the moon.
About a week and a half ago, Jason and I took Jacob on a walk around the block before he went to bed. We looked up at the sky and saw the moon. We pointed to it and told him what it was. That was about it. We really haven't mentioned the moon since or been outside to see it. So for him to look up and say "moon" really surprised me. A budding genius on our hands--I'm sure of it!!

Amazing How a Year Changes Things

September 2008.
September 2009.

June 2008.







Sept. 2009.



The Zoo, September 2008.







The Zoo, September 2009.



Jacob and I went to see the debut of the new baby elephant. So cute! (Jacob actually found more fascination with the ceiling fans over our heads in the elephant observation deck.)



Mobility in September 2008.




Mobility in September 2009.


I actually enjoy having him more mobile.

Amazing how much they grow up!

Grandma Bastian

Grandma with Jacob, April 2008.

A week ago my Grandma Bastian passed away at the age of 94. It was sad, but also happy for her. She was in good physical health, had all of her faculties, and took no medication for anything.

I think it was actually easier to see her pass since she lived so close to us. For the past 3 1/2 years she has lived with my mom down in Springville and I saw her quite often. The past month is when her health started to fail and each time we visited she was weaker. You could see it was not a fun existence...so when I receieved the call I was more relieved for her than I was sad for me.

I consider Grandma B. my "adult life grandparent." When I was growing up we always went to my dad's parent's to visit in the summer--so I think of them as my "childhood grandparents". They both were gone by the time I was 26 and since I've lived in Utah for 20+ years I got to know Gr. & Gr. B. much better.

Grandma in July at her 94th b-day party.

Grandma had 7 children, 43 grandchildren, 98 great grandchildren (with 3 more coming), 1 great, great grandchild (with one on the way). That is a lot of posterity! 27 of the 43 grandkids were at the funeral in Springville so it was fun to visit with everyone. Some were able to go over to Vernal for her burial (she had lived there for 25 years.) 27 of the grandkids from oldes to youngest.

Grandma was a great person and always had a good sense of humor. I'm glad she is finally with my grandpa!

Cleaning

I used to come home from work on a Friday and dig right into cleaning my house. It took me about 2 hours, but when it was done...ahhhh...it felt so good. That hasn't happened in at least 18 months.

Now I long for clean Mine are so dusty.
Clean Mine are beginning to look "marked and nicked."
Clean
So much changes when you have a child. You give to them all day and by night I am tired. I know that cleaness will once again be restored and children will be grown up, but for today, I need one of these to come by and do it for me. ;)
Did anyone ever look this good cleaning? I'd fall and break my neck if I wore heels like that while washing my kitchen floor!

Gone 8 Months and I Still Miss It

You know how you get in habits of where you buy food, gas etc? For me it was always Albertsons on the corner. I always bought gas there--when I was working I filled up 2x a week and it was simple to just pull in on the way home.

Well, Albertson's was not doing well and it closed on Feb. 23rd, 2009. When I am planning my errands, I still have that gas station come to my mind...going other places seem to be out of the way. Funny how you form patterns that are hard to break!

Going from a Compact to a Minivan

Jacob has discovered the joys of riding in his very own car at the grocery store. When I stop to pick something off the shelves he lets me know that we should not be stopping, but rather moving along, as he is driving.

I have never pushed one of those grocery carts with the car in front....it is not that it is that much bigger, but I felt like I was going from a compact to a minivan "driving" the thing through the store. He loved it.

Thanksgiving Point and Silver Lake

Last week some friends and I took our kids to $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point. We saw cows, horses, baby goats, etc.
What is he looking at with such eager fascination? Soaking in all of the educational opportunity his mother is trying to provide him...broadening his viewpoint and expanding his universe? The ducks near by in their pond?
Nope...he is looking at the drain pipe. Or as Jason pointed out, he is "studying the gradient field and optimzation of the hydrodynamic flow paths." Funny what you put before them and what actually interests them. :)

Last Saturday we went as a family up to Silver Lake. It was a perfect day for it and had a nice time strolling along with Jacob,picking up dead pine branches and pine cones. He loved it.






So did we.