Happy B-day to MEEE!! And Happy Mother's Day, too!

On Mother's Day I turned 25... yep, the big 2-5. Being in the Quarter Century Club feels a little weird, actually, part of me feels like I should still stay I'm 21, but another part of me feels like I should be older than 25. Having a kid does that to a person! But anyways, I had a SPLENDID b-day, filled with everything I could ask for! Friends, San Diego, shopping, new MUCH needed capris and other awesome presents, the beach, yummy food, cake and ice-cream, a lazy Mother's Day for me (sorry Steve, you weren't allowed to be lazy) and Village Pizzeria in San Diego (my favorite pizza place EVER... if you're ever in San Diego, hop skip and jump over to Coronado and go there!!)..... what could be better?!

And, as far as the Mother's Day part of the day goes, Steve made it very special, with flowers, breakfast in bed, taking Jake through most of church (until Jake got cranky half way through Steve teaching the lesson in Teacher's Quorum), watching Pride and Prejudice with me and not complaining once!, and making me some yummy dinner. But I'm SOOO lucky, because I realize that even though he treated me so special this weekend, he treats me special EVERY day. I could NOT ask for a better husband to spend eternity with. And, I'm also so lucky to have such a fun, smart, spirited, hilarious son. Of course being a mom is challenging, and tiring, but I know it's the most important job I will ever have, and I just LOVE my little boy and he makes my heart smile. I love being his mom!!

When I got a b-day package, Jake was my mail carrier :)

We started the weekend off right when Steve met us at Chik-fil-A for lunch!
Some of Jake's best buds: Kaleb and Candice. This was at the little party we had Friday night.

Lunch break at the Horton Plaza in San Diego. Cheese-ball ;)

Our FAVE beach in Coronado!!! LOVE this place!!!

Waiting to eat some awesome Village Pizzeria pizza. YUMMO!!

Cupcakes and presents!! I got some MUCH NEEDED things, and I don't want to bore anyone with the list, so I'm just gonna say thanks everyone!!!!

Haha, this book was a present from my lovely mother, who knows Jake well ;) This made me laugh, and even from reading the back of the book and the first few pages, I KNOW that this is describing Jake, and it will help us BOTH!! Thanks Mom!!!!!

Tribute

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

This is dedicated to my own mom, and my mother-in-law :)

The one word I could use to describe my mom is: BEAUTIFUL, inside and out. I love my mom so much, and she is not only my mother, but she is my best friend (after Steve, of course). My mom is seriously the most patient, understanding, loving, even-tempered, saintly person I know, and she would do (and does) anything for anyone. She is the kind of mom who LOVES being a mom, and her children know it. She is my ultimate example for the kind of person I could only hope to be. We have had our ups and downs (what mother/daughter relationship hasn't?) but definitely WAY more ups than downs. And if it was a down it was most likely my fault anyway ;) But I'm so SO grateful to have my mom in my life, and I'm grateful to have her as an example. I try to be like her every day, and there are a lot of times when I could very easily lose my patience with Jake when I stop and think about what my mom would do in the situation, and the answer is always, "She would be patient and stop what she is doing and just give him a hug and show him she cares." Which is then what I try to do, and then things really do get better. So each day my goal is to be more like my mom, and give Jake the same feeling that I got from my mom every day: that I am LOVED.

Steve's mom, Kris, is also an amazing example to me. She works so hard to be dedicated to her family, and that she is!! She knows how to do pretty much anything, which comes in handy to someone like me who needs to LEARN how to do a lot of things! She is an excellent mother and grandmother, and Jake is actually her 17th grandchild. She raised 7 children, Steve being the baby in the family, so there are many people who need her love and attention and guidance, and she does SUCH a great job of providing that to everyone! I'm so grateful that she raised Steve to be the person that he is, she did an amazing job because he is an amazing person! I love going to Idaho to visit them because she has provided such a fun environment for all of her children and grandchildren to come home to. Thanks, Kris, for ALL that you do, we love you!!

Lately

Here are just some random pics of what we have been up to lately! Life is great, just super busy! Hmm, can anyone else relate?? ;)

We went on a pretty hike not too far from us with our good friends Nate and Autumn Zarlengo. They have a little boy, Kaleb, just a few months older than Jake, and they play SO WELL together, it's really really cute. Steve works with Nate, and they just moved to Murrieta from Palmdale (where we used to be, too), and we are SOOO glad!! We've been having TONS of fun together.

If that's not a guilty face, I don't know what is.... hehe

HA, so Jake still has his shoe obsession, and he decided to try on Steve's work boots one night and they were so heavy for him, he could barely lift his legs!

Playdate at the park with Jake's first girlfriend, Candice!

Twinners ;)

Two of his FAVORITE things: his blanket and kitty, aka "Mow" haha.

I just wanna pinch those cheeks!!!

Last Trip to Seattle....

Whoa, this is a VERY late post, Jake and I took this trip more than a month ago! So, since my family is moving to California this summer, this was my very last trip there. It's sad because I LOVE Seattle, it's so pretty there, but I'm SUPER EXCITED that they are moving to Cali!!!! They won't be more than an hour 1/2 away, I can't even imagine how that's going to be!!! We haven't lived near family for about 2 years, and it's been hard at times, so needless to say, I can't wait for the summer! We had a fun trip, though, and we will miss Seattle. What I won't miss, however, is trying to keep Jake quiet and entertained on the plane! Whew ;)

We ate at this really fun Japanese (or Chinese??) restaurant, it's one that cooks the food right in front of you. Amazing!!

The zoo!!

Jake loved the chickens at the petting zoo part, tee hee.

Making messes is what he does best ;)

Aww how pretty.

We also ate at the Rainforest Cafe, and if you've never been there you HAVE to go! It's kinda expensive for the amount of food you get, but eating there is SO COOL with how it's decorated. Jake was very entertained, and he made a new friend......

Aww, hugs!

Jake and Aunt Sawah's favowite game! You just hit your head over and over again... sounds like fun, huh?? haha

Hoppy Easter :)

Yay, I'm finally updating this blog!! I'm waaaay behind, so bear with me! We had a fun Easter weekend this year, complete with egg coloring, lots of candy, good food, and General Conference! It was good to spend Saturday and Sunday at home watching Conference together as a family. Jake was very well-behaved during all the sessions on Saturday, but Sunday was a different story :/ I think he was tired of having Mom and Dad sit on the couch watching the TV....

But it was so good to have the Spirit so strongly in our home that weekend. I LOVE Conference, I look forward to it every time, because I know that I will receive answers to prayers, and I get to hear a prophet and apostles of the Lord speak to ME, and to the world, and bear witness that Christ is the Redeemer and that He lives! I love my Savior, I'm grateful for the Atonement, that He suffered and died for me. He knows what I am going through, and even at times where I may feel like no one understands me, I know that He does. I receive my strength through Him. "Two people can do anything, as long as one of them is the Lord."

But anyway :) I hope everyone had a FANTABULOUS Easter weekend!!! Does anyone still have candy left?? I know ours was gone about 5 days after Easter.... kinda scary!! But soooo good.

Dying Easter eggs!

All Jake was interested in after a while was putting the crayons in the holes.

Our b-e-a-utiful eggs! (not really) My favorite is the one that Jake scribbled so hard on that it cracked a big hole in it, and we couldn't dye it, hehe.

Oooo, basket grass...

And PEEPS!! And yes, sadly these are the only pics I got of the Easter basket madness. We were too busy eating the candy, I guess!

15 Months Already???

Our little Jake is 15 months old!! Well, as of a couple weeks ago. He just had his dr. appt. a couple days ago so I was able to get his stats! Steve and I LOVE being his parents, he is such a funny little boy. He keeps us laughing, that's for sure. He can be challenging at times, but we love him anyway ;) He is still a strong-willed, spirited child, and very independent. We're just crossing our fingers that these qualities will serve him well later on in life.... because right now they keep us on our toes! Jake's a great kid though, he's obedient most of the time, he loves to play and have fun, he's curious and a little chatterbox, he makes me laugh, and he's my little buddy all day long. We just love him, and we are having so much fun watching him grow up!!!

Don't you just love free entertainment??

HA! One night Jake kept walking around bent over with his hands on his knees, it looked so funny! I tried to get a video of him doing it, but of course he would stop as soon as I pushed record!

This is how much he l.o.v.e.s. yogurt..... Forget the spoon, man!

So I had opened the fridge to get Jake some more milk, and I left the fridge open while I was pouring it, and when I turned around to put the milk back in and this is what I found! Doesn't waste one second!

These are the shoes he picked out for us to wear one morning. And yes, that is a flip flop on my right foot, and yes, I am wearing socks. Jake just wanted to make sure I looked my best ;)

Height: 32 1/4 inches, 80th perc.
Weight: 23.11 oz, 40th perc.

He has 14 teeth, and only has his top 2 canines left! Well, until his 2 year old molars come in... yikes. At least we have some time until then :)

J Man's Favorite Things:

CARS and TRUCKS!! He is obsessed with anything that has wheels. He's been making car sounds for a while now, cracks me up!

Shoes. Big shoes, little shoes. He loves putting shoes on, taking them off, and then putting them back on again. And since he isn't very good at putting them on himself, it makes for a very "fun" game for Mom ;) But a few weeks ago, I was organizing Jake's clothes and came across some tiny, adorable newborn booties, and of course J had to put them on, and he got frustrated when his big toddler feet wouldn't fit. Made me a little teary eyed... he is just growing up too fast.

His Little People Garage.

Stuffed animals and real animals.

Phones.

Sunglasses.

Giving kisses :)

Throwing his diaper away. He knows that the diaper trash can is out on the deck, and he eagerly reaches for his wadded up diaper after we change it and holds it high above his head like it's a trophy or something and bee-lines it for the trash. Love it!

Being outside.

Slides.

Books. His #1 fave right now is called Millie Moo, about a cow who loses her barnyard friends. Don't worry, she finds them ;) When he brings me the book for me to read it to him he says, "Moo, moo." But it sounds more like, "Mo, mo." hehe

Words he knows:

Well, not a whole lot yet! But he DOES say, "Wha sat??" and "Wha sis??" to anything and everything, for reals. He's totally gonna be that annoying kid that says, "WHY??" all the time. BAH!! Well, at least he's curious, right? :/

He loves to say "No," yep that's a fun one.

Hey

Drink= din

Shoe= see-oo

Cheese= cheh

Sign language: more, thirsty, hungry, all done, thank you.

Animal noises: elephant, dog, mouse, cow, bird, monkey

Things he can do:

Go up and down the stairs with one hand holding on to the rail, standing up. This is one of my FAVORITE things he can do, since we live in a 2nd floor apartment!

Run

Kick a ball

Stack blocks

Feed himself with a spoon, but only if the food is kinda sticky, like applesauce, yogurt or oatmeal, things like that.

Blow kisses

Point to body parts

Fold his arms when we're saying a prayer

Throw fits. Yep. also a fun one ;)

WE LOVE YOU JAKE!!!!!

Life

I figured I'd take advantage of Jake sleeping in this morning and update the blog! It's way overdue, but HEY, life happens :) There's really nothing overly exciting to post about, except for life is good!!

Even though for the past month Jake has been cutting molars, which has NOT been pleasant for him, or his parents. I wish they would all just come through at once, but instead they have to make their grand appearances one....at....a....time.... and speaking of which, he still has one to go. "Teething Jake" is hard on me because he is clingy and cranky and irritable, which is the opposite of "Normal Jake." I'm so excited for him to be talking and be able to tell me what is wrong with him instead of me trying to guess, or get impatient with him because he won't stop tugging on my leg and wanting to be held all day. When he does this I should just be more sensitive to him and recognize that he must not feel good. I've just been spoiled with a kid who usually is content to just do whatever, and who doesn't need my attention all the time. So my new goal is to be more patient with him the next time he gets clingy, and remember that for him to be like that, he probably is not feeling his best. But for the time being, I get to enjoy "Normal Jake," until those darn teeth start making their way through again!

But life is good, and I feel very blessed to have Steve and Jake with me. The weather is perfect here, and with it getting darker later, we've been able to enjoy more time outside together and it's been so much fun. I'm SOO excited for summer, to be able to take Jake swimming every day and have lots of BBQ's with friends and go camping and get a tan, and for a family reunion with Steve's side, and for my family to move only about an hour away from us!!!! That's the thing I'm looking forward to the most this summer, I'm SO EXCITED!!! It was a totally random thing, my dad is just relocating for his job, and it just so happens to be an hour away. :) It's just so funny because Steve and I NEVER saw ourselves living in California, but now that we're here we don't want to go anywhere else, we love it!! And my parents never saw themselves living in Cali either, but here we all are! And I know they are going to love it. I'm looking forward to free babysitting..... hehe ;)

Anyways, that's really all I have to say! OH, except that Jake is turning 15 months tomorrow, and he is just such a funny kid, I love him!!! I'll update on that after he has his Dr. appt. in a week or so, but he's growing like crazy, as all kids are. When did he turn into a little boy?? **Sigh...** Well, speaking of Jake, he's awake and ready to go, talking to himself in his crib ;)

Bring on the day!!!!