Jake & Maria

D & H

2011-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Grandma Boyle was very nice when she accepted my invitation for us to come out to her house for dinner and to play yesterday. The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins. They got really loud and crazy at one point and we turned on the mini-TV to entertain them for a while (lasted maybe 5 minutes max).

It was fun too to visit with Kelly and swap diet ideas - I felt like a hypocrite as I munched on potato chips. We had a grand mystery adventure searching for the ever illusive D and H peices of an alphabet puzzle. It really was a fun afternoon and evening.

We got home well after their bedtime and they were so tired they both asked to go to bed. This morning they slept in so late we had to rush to get them and Sweetie out the door to water aerobics.

Whew!

2011-06-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday I completed my first century - 100 miles by bike. It took me over 7 hours and left me exhuasted and sore. I am felling better today and am sure I will be 100% before I know it. You can read more by clicking GOZO above.

Little Man

2011-06-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Davis is getting so big! Grandma Boyle bought him a whole new wardrobe (dang-near) and he is looking so good these days! He now has a handful of polos, some shorts, and a t-whirt or two. He looks so big to me in this picture.

Davis is speaking so much these days too. It is fun to be able to call and have an actually conversation with him on the phone. He is so helpful too and willing to throw things away or put dishes in the sink. Lately he has been so giving too and willing to share with Daphne. He is going to be a huge help with the little one in a couple of months.

Off with his head

2011-06-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Nothing in our house is safe anymore. Daphne has learned to open the baby locks (Davis still has a hard time with them). She just opens the door slightly and sticks her little finger in there and pops the lock open. Today she got into the cabinet under our TV grabbed Mr. Smith and threw him - his head rolled across the room.

100 Miles of Nowhere

2011-05-31T15:04:00.001-07:00

Most of you should know by now but if not, I have recently began to spend a lot of time on my bike. I have started a project blog to track my progress and journey. I signed up for a charity ride, 100 Miles of Nowhere, and will be completing it this weekend. It consists of me riding alone for 100 miles over a short distance loop (ten 10 mile loops for example). We are going to have a finish line gathering if you'd like to come and see what a 270lbs man riding 100 miles looks like - come on out. I will have more information shortly on when and where exactly - as soon as I have those details I will let you know (you can pencil it in between 10:30 and 11:30am at either a park near our home or the bike shop down the road from us). It would be fun to see you there.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

We came home from St. Johns on Saturday because Maria was unable to find a substitute for her Primary class and we liked the idea of beating all the traffic back into the Valley. We did not do much on Saturday after getting home only because we were so tired and it was so stinkin hot outside. Sunday was, well, Sunday and today the kids and I are sick. We were going to go out to Quentin and Felicia's house for a BBQ but decided against it because we did not want to share what we had with the other babies or my Dad. We did however have a little fun of our own after nap time.

Davis doing hop-scotch. He runs from beginning to end counting 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2...

Daphne horded the chalk in her arms and piles in the grass. Davis would come, scatter them all Daphne would work to collect them all up again.

I think she snuck a bite or two too.

Davis has an eye for little details and is captivated my the simplest of tasks - like putting gravel in a crack in the wall.

Good times in good 'ole St. Johns

2011-05-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

Maria's little brother is graduating high school tonight so Maria and I came up from the valley. We got in yesterday and almost immediately the fun began. Maria's dad was working on planting some tomato plants while Daphne had fun helping him.

This morning the kids woke up about five, and I got out of bed to take them downstairs to Maria who had slept on the couch. When I got up I noticed out the window that the sun was just starting to show its face from behind the trailer park in front of our parents' houses. The sun shines on all kinds.

Just before lunch, while many were still at the honors and recognition ceremony at the high school we decided to let the kids play in the water. TJei and Mia came over and joined in the fun but it was Davis who got the last laugh. He kept filling his bucket with water and then would chase down everyone and anyone in an attempt to splash them. Most the time it ended in him spilling most if not all of the water on himself and he would return for another go around. Most everyone else by this time was cold and had had enough.

I am now here updating the blog as everyone else is enjoying lunch at El Caminos. I am trying my best to stay true to my diet and decided to pass - I am not sure I would have had the strength to pass on my 'usual' - chicken chimi, green, enchilada style topped with guacamole and sour cream and a side of beans with a sopapilla chased by a frosty mug of root beer. MMMmmmmM!

Daphalpha

2011-05-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Before going to the zoo a while back I worked diligently to get the kids well lathered in sun block. I used the spray kind to make sure the parts in Daphne's hair did not allow her scalp to burn. The sun block though made is though that her usually feathery, light, curly hair was greasy, thick, and malleable. I had a bit of fun with her before getting her dressed and out the door.

Easter 2011

2011-05-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

We all had a blast up in St. Johns for Easter...

Aubrey & Grandma coloring eggs

Karen & Davis

Davis doesn't even like eating real eggs, but loves to dye them.

One of the few photos of Daphne looking at the camera.

Dad & Spencer checking out the Easter bunny loot.

Yep, that is Graham with a "princess" shirt and Daphne in Davis' old Christmas Pjs.

During the hunt Davis would shake the eggs to see if they had candy, if they were real eggs he would throw them back like an unwanted carp.

I get it, Jake!

2011-05-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you Jake, for the previous posts about my lack of blogging. I do feel badly that we have so much documented on Davis and hardly anything for our little Daphne. I'm on it! Love, Maria

Time with Daphie

2011-05-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Davis has been out of town - visiting Papa and Grandma Wilhelm in St. Johns - and Maria and I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of extra time with Daphne. She is such a cute and adorable little girl. She is so sweet and very playful. I feel bad when I think about the blog that it is not as well documented all the funny things that she does. We are going to get back on this wagon though and try to go through old photos and get some more memories recorded - stay tuned.

Find Your Gozo

2011-05-17T14:31:00.003-07:00

Many of you have already seen on Facebook that I have bought a bike and am now a wanna be Lance. I am trying to get fit, loose weight, and have fun by pedaling my butt all over town. I have created a separate blog to track all my goals and progress. You will though from time to time see some information posted here. Click on the image to check it out.

Davis Cole

2011-05-17T13:35:00.001-07:00

Davis is such a fun little boy. He goes and goes and goes and rarely seems to tire. He loves to be tickled and has a contagious laugh. His imagination is one of his best qualities. The detail with which he plays with imaginary objects is amazing and fun to watch. He loves to be outdoors - at the park, in the yard, checking mail, you name it he loves it if it is outside. Maria and I are going to begin writing many more posts in the near future. We want to document all that has happened since we abandoned out blog.

My Buddy

2010-11-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am not thrilled to admit this, and I am sure Quentin does not appreciate this either, but when we were just little boys we had a pair of My Buddy dolls, mine was red and Quentin's was blue. Well just a couple days ago Daphie got to open her birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa Wilhelm and she got a little doll, her first. From the time she opened it though Davis has taken over ownership and refuses to let her play with it! He likes to feed the baby, play with the baby, put the baby to bed, and once even put the baby in timeout for playing with a piece of string. Last night he woke up in the middle of the night crying for his baby. Tonight he went to bed with the baby and when Maria went to check on him, like she does every night, she found him like this. Maria discovered a solution to Daphie's baby doll dilemma.... a second baby doll. Now they each have their very own.

Happy Holidays!

2010-11-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

I know it is a bit early but Karen took pictures of D&D. This took 2 hours, over 300 shots, and Karen's sweet patience to get these. Thank you Karen!

Thursday Ladies Night

2010-09-03T09:09:00.001-07:00

Me and my girls decided we needed to get away from the house, kids, dogs, husbands ect. and go for a night on the town. We ~~hopped~~ smooshed in Jennifer's HHR a.k.a the party bus!

I planned a night watching Showstoppers at Casino Arizona. Elvis, Garth, Reba...They were all there and we haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

Carrie won $15

]

Then it was on to...

The music was so loud we had to yell over each other. Katy asked the waiter if they could turn down the music and he told us that it was a live band. We didn't even see them when we walked in because we were talking and laughing so much.

Carrie even got our waiter's phone number for Jen.

That is brownie in her mouth I made her take a picture with it her teeth!

What an amazing night! I think Katy summed it up when she said that it felt like she was in college again. I think it is good to get away from the grind, even if it is only for a few hours. We have decided to do this once a month on the 2nd Thursday. I love you girls!

The Piper who Opposes Change

2010-08-30T15:23:00.004-07:00

One date night long ago, before the kids, I took Maria to Peter Piper Pizza. We were flooded with good memories after reading Da Teller Bears recent blog about robbing the piggy bank we decided to do the same. I grabbed Davis' bank and my change jar and pulled out all the quarters - it totaled $28.25. I did not have coin wrappers so I made some using regular construction paper and tape. I loaded up the family and we went. I approached the ordering counter and presented a coupon and made my order. While the order was being entered into the register I asked if they accepted "children's piggy bank change" and was told yes. I then handed him the two home-rolled bundles of change. He looked at them and then walked away. Just a moment later he returned with his manager. The manager then began to chastise me for bringing in so many quarters and told me that he would not be able to accept more than just the $20. I told him that was fine because I had no intention of spending more money here. He then told me that he would have to count all the quarters, I told him that would be fine that we had time (Maria and the kids already went and sat down). He looked at the rolls a couple more times, tapped them on the counter, then finished ringing me up and stopped harassing me.

I have seen in windows and counters where place won't accept large bills but to try and not accept my change, pre-counted and neatly rolled - what's the deal with that? I have worked a lot of cash handling retail jobs in my life and I have never turned away rolled quarters. At the bank for instance we were given a $10 margin of error (above or below balanced) - one missing quarter in the roll was not going to break the bank. I even initialed the rolls and provided my phone number as a courtesy.

I can't wait to go back next year after we have enough copper in our banks.

Surprise

2010-08-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Friday Morning Jake went off to work like normal. About 30 minutes later he came hollering into the house and my first reaction was noooooo the car broke down. However, when I saw him he was wearing swim trunks, a wife beater, and sunglasses. "We are going to tube the Salt River," he said! For months now I have said how much I want to go down the Salt River. Jake managed to use a vacation day, get a sitter, and pack us a cooler full of Fresca and Pringles.

There was hardly anyone there except a British couple who asked if there were snakes in the river. My reply was, "probably". :) It was a beautiful morning and amazing to spend a few hours with Jake. I can't believe that he was able to keep it a surprise as in my family we are notorious for ruining surprises. So thank you Q, Lara, and Jake...Memory I will have forever!

Marty's Roll-A-Round Rink

2010-08-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

This morning the kids were being whiny and cross so I loaded them up in the car and started driving. We ended up in Coolidge and I found this:

I know it is not the best picture because in my haste I didn't take the camera, so the camera phone will have to do. I have only good and nostalgic feelings for this old place, now not even open. An old guy, presumably "Marty", played "Brown Eyed girl", by Van Morrison, which at the time made me wish I had brown eyes. This roller rink had the most blue, crooked, and uneven floors that I have ever seen at a skating rink, where at a mutual activity my cousin, Mike, broke his leg. Honestly, I can't even skate well or at all for that matter. I don't remember windows just a dimly lit floor which helped to mask my awful skate skills. The best part about going there was my QC 1st ward family. If you remember this place let me know what your memories are. Maybe the floors weren't even blue?!!! It has been a long time since I have been there.

A New Dad's Must Haves:

2010-08-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

For fun I have compiled a list of what I believe to be the must haves for any new parent. Keep in mind that this comes from the perspective of a dad and I am sure a mother would have another perspective. I welcome any thoughts or discussion on the items I have listed or items you believe have been left off. I will try and add pictures later but at the time I am unable to so I have provided links for most everything.

Boppy - The boppy is a must have (although doing a google search I have discovered what we call a Boppy and what the world calls a Boppy are two different things - click here to see what I am talking about). I would recomend the boppy over a bassinet any day. It is small and easy to move from room to room or city to city if traveling. Our kids slept in the boppy for the first couple of months of their lives until we transitioned to the crib. They are soft, vibrate, and have toys which make them versatile for day time use also.

I give the "Boppy" five out of six dirty diapers.

Formula Dispenser - We did not discover this early enough (click here to see the dispenser). It is great for making bottles on the road, pew, or in the middle of the night - at 2am I am not wanting to measure water and counts scoops! Before going to bed leave the bottle filled to the right level with water and the dispenser on your bed stand or bathroom sink, combine the contents when needed, prop the bottle up* and go back to bed. Done.

I give the "Formula Dispenser" four and a half dirty diapers out of six.

Baby Gates - Some might argue that we have taken gating our house to a new level. I would rather have one gate up that keeps kids out of our kitchen then have baby latches on all our cabinets. My favorite gate so far is this one because it is sturdy, foot operated, and swings both ways. Buying new can be costly but we have bought both of ours at yardsales or craigslist so keep your eyes open for them.

I give "Baby Gates" four out of six dirty diapers.

Diaper Dekor - We owe thanks to Lara for giving us this little peace of heaven. The Dekor is great and I have seen it hold up to 16lbs of dirty diapers. A couple of things to remember though with the Dekor that has led to its lower rating: 1) Toss, not pitch or throw, the diapers into the Dekor, the flap can break 2) Tie a figure eight in the bag to avoid having the knot slip under the pressure of 16lbs of baby byproduct. It is a great product though.

I give the "Dekor" only three out of six dirty diapers (although it can hold at least ten times that!).

Bottle Brush - I think just about any model will work. It is really nice to have when you find that bottle under the couch and can't identify what it had in it.

I give "Bottle Brushes" three out of six dirty diapers.

A Recliner - Eternally grateful I will be for my parents for providing us a recliner. We some amount of time almost every night for the first several months of both of our children's lives in that chair. If you don't have one - get one!

I give "recliners" six out of six dirty diapers.

What are some of your must haves? Anything I left off the list? What are some things that can be returned if received as a gift (ie Baby Hand Pillows)?

What did you do today?

2010-08-17T17:33:00.002-07:00

This is what you ask me everyday. My usual answer consists of diapers, naps, and cleaning. Because you were at work here is just a little preview of today...

Organized a cupboard

Finished baking the bread

Hung out with this pretty little girl, Ashlee

Here's another one because she is so cute

Made the best Granola

Grandma Davis' Granola

8 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 TB cinnamon

1 cup nuts

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Stir everything together and put on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Make sure to stir every 5 minutes or so.

Play-Doh with the kiddos

Can't wait till you come home!

Like A Weed

2010-08-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

The kids are growing so fast so here are a few gems over the past months

Beautiful Daffy

I'm going to pull out this little beauty when he brings his first girlfriend home

I have one for her too

From the beginning of the summer

Blue eyes

I put Karen's headband on her...

Bubba was ticked because he loves headbands and even mustered up some real tears...

So I let him try it on...

All smiles

Voluntary Suffering aka Goals

2010-08-11T18:15:00.001-07:00

Maria and I have set some goals and I thought I would share them with the world because that is the thing to do these days. There are several so buckle down and hold on tight.

1) Sugar Free – Maria and I were sugar free for a year after a challenge that was extended to us from Maria’s Parents about two years ago. We were each paid our $500 and have gone back on sugar and have also found all the weight that we had lost. We have decided to once again adopt the sugar free life-style for a year.

2) 100 Pounds – In staying off sugar for a year I lost about 36 pounds with out changing any other habits in my life. Maria and I have pledged to each other that we will loose 100 pounds each in addition to staying sugar free for the year

3) Zen – We want to find ours. I have been reading some things online and found a blog that I really enjoy reading and have made a resolution to simplify our lives. We are not sure what this goal will entail just yet – stay tuned for more to come on this one.

4) Roku – Arguably the best and worst thing to enter out lives in a long time. Maria’s dad bought if for us and it has opened our eyes (we love the documentaries – check out Food Inc., School Inc., King Corn, on Netflix just to get a glimpse). It, however, has also consumed all of our extra time. Almost everyday for two weeks I have watched two full length programs a day! We are moving the TV into the basement.

5) Eating Out – We are greatly cutting back on eating out. I eat out about seven times a week. I am not going to eat out at work any more and limit the eating out as a family.

I think I have shared enough for one day. Feel free to follow our progress here and please if you have any advice for us in the above five areas please share.

Happy Birthday Jake!

2010-08-03T09:07:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to spend the day with you and our kids! You are wonderful and amazing!

Love,

Maria

Eating Out

2010-07-14T08:02:00.002-07:00

These pictures have already been posted to Facebook but they are just too darned cute to not include on our blog. We went to El Rico's with Jennifer a while back and the kids enjoyed eating outdoors on their patio in the nice weather. Davis chugged the salsa and is now eating some ice to cool things off a bit.

Missionaries

2010-06-30T09:33:00.001-07:00

We have had 6 different missionaries living in our basement since January. We like to call it the "Missionary Dungeon". Pictured are two of our favorites, Elder Marino (from Hawaii) and Elder Bridges (from Massachusetts). It has been 6 months and sadly we found them a new home in the ward. My Dad has been traveling almost every week down for work. We wanted to give him a space where if he needed to work from our house, he could do so without screaming kids. Although, I'm sure the missionaries could hear everything up here as we could hear everything from down there. We could always tell when they were served chili beans for dinner.

Elder Bridges, especially, treated our kids with such kindness and love. A few days after he was transferred, Davis, stopped by the basement, looked up and me and said, "Bridges!". He is the only member of his family and doesn't get any letters. So if any of you cute girls want to write him, just let me know.

P.S. Don't hate me because I look so beautiful in the morning. Yucka-rama!

Day at the zoo

2010-06-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Jennifer's 30th Birthday Dinner

2010-06-29T13:34:00.001-07:00

In order to properly celebrate this momentous occasion we went all out. Full place settings and a 7 course meal.

Dinner Included: Tomato & Avocado Bruschetta, Caprese Salad, Lemon Sorbet, Italian Sausage Soup, Berry Sorbet, Grilled Lemon Chicken with Fettuccini Alfredo, and Ice Cream Cake

Jennifer has been my best friend since forever! She is so kind, giving, and fun to be with. It was an honor being able to host her birthday party! Love you Girl!

Daphne's Baby Blessing

2010-06-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

March 7, 2010

The day before her blessing I thought she might have pink-eye as her eyes were all goopy and it was going around our ward. I was able to get her into the Dr. last minute and he gave me some eye drops. Luckily, for the many who came to visit there was no more goopy the next day. It was such a neat day because Graham was blessed as well. I feel so blessed to have such a sweet girl.

Weekend at the Lake

2010-02-23T09:17:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went to Rosevelt Lake with my family. SRP has houses up there that employees can rent. We used to go almost every summer growing up and it was always a ton of fun. They have done many improvements to the houses and the facilities over the years and have made it really nice (not that it wasn't before but it is much better now!).

We stopped at the ghetto Wal-Mart in Claypool on the way up to buy some groceries and other essentials and found a fishing pole for Davis. He loved it although he never got to use it near the lake. He played with it all the way to the lake in the car and then loved swinging it around the house and yard.

Daphne was an angel the whole way up. She is such a good traveler and even put up with Davis' occassional whine and scream. She was ready to play though by the time we got there.

Davis would have spent all day and night in the backyard playing with his cousins. The yards are fenced in which is really nice but they have a fire pit that Davis could not resist. He loved chasing the fresbee and playing with all the other toys. Any time we tried leaving the back yard, whether it was for food, bed-time, or to leave, it was a struggle with Davis. He slept really well up there from the sheer exhaustion.

Maria had a really good time too. Her and I walked up and down to the lake several times and went for a Saturday afternoon cruise in the rain. It was nice having Davis entertained most the day and people to help with Daphne. We had a really nice weekend together.

Mia adores little Daphne and affectionatly calls her "My Daph-i-ne" (with the extra syllable). She enjoyed playing with her and was so excitted to hold her. She did not want to let her go.

The weekend ended too soon and befre we knew it was time to come home. Maria left with Daphne in our truck and I stayed just a bit longer and came home with Davis in our car.

With his bottle in hand and all strapped in Davis was ready to get home from a weekend of hard play. He did well most the way down but about a half hour before getting home he had had enough of his carseat and wanted to play again.

Best picture and story for last for those who stuck in there til the end. My mom says that she has a picture of Quentin and I in one of these tubs from when we were little. I decided then to get a picture of Davis bathing in the tub too. He had so much fun in there with the bubbles and his fishing pole. When we finally had enough and pulled him from the tub screaming I threw him in the shower because the tub smelled fishy so we essentially had to bathe him again. He wanted nothing to do with the shower though so I got in too to scrub him down. When we were done Maria took him into the room wrapped in a blanket and left him while she went to get me a towel. While she was gone Davis removed hist towel and peed on our bed! We stripped the blanket off (we had an extra) and tried to soak up as much as we could out of the sheets. We then got Davis dressed and ready to go. Through this whole fiasco Daphne sat there quietly in her boppy ontop of the bed too. When we were all set to go I grabbed Davis and Maria grabbed Daphne and discovered she was all wet. She lifted the baby to her nose and smelled... urin! Davis had not only releived himself on our bed but also all over his little sister!

It was a really nice weekend and I hope we can make this a family tradition once again!

Night out with the guys.

2010-02-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

I had a really good time tonight and learned many good things. Here is a small list of the things that I learned:

1) Some times you just need to get away from the things that are weighing you down.

2) Not everyone is struggling because of the economy, not the owner of the limo I was in tonight anyway.

3) You can classicaly condition an Arby's employee to howl at the sound of a bell like one of Pavlo's dogs.

4) Chalo's in Globe is better than the one in Chandler.

5) Even the best of people double dip every now and again.

Young Diva

2010-01-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Per many persistent requests here is a picture of our little Daphne. She is growing so fast and is so adorable.

Baby Shower

2010-01-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me today why they didn’t get an invitation to Daphne’s baby shower. Just wanted everyone to know that I didn’t have a shower and for sure was not trying to exclude anyone. With Daphne being born right before the holidays there just was not the time or energy available. So, I love you all and did not forget about you. That being said if anyone wants to come and see her, mi casa es su casa!

Long Awaited Post

2009-12-14T09:27:00.003-07:00

It has been almost three weeks since we welcomed our little girl into the world and have yet to blog about it. I feel like a bad blogger - better late than never I guess. This blog should be broken into several blogs but it wont. Instead I will use subheads and you can all just deal with it being so long.

Feeling the Flush

Tuesday, November 24th was an ordinary night for the most part. Maria had returned from her OB appointment and I from work. Davis was sound asleep and I was crawling into bed after a long day. Maria decided to take advantage of the quiet time to go grocery shopping and clean the kitchen. I had warned her just a day or so earlier that she need not push her self to exhaustion during the day because she would regret it later that night should she go into labor. At her OB appointment though she was assured that she had time to wait seeing she was less than a centimeter dilated and only about 60% effaced.

Maria finally retired from her chores about 10:30pm exhausted and needing a good nights rest.

"My water just broke!" were the words yelled at about 1:20am and were followed by "are you sure?" from a sceptical half asleep husband. "I am sure" responded Maria "I felt the flush." I jumped out of bed very excited and began to get dressed. I grabbed our hospital bags - packed just days earlier - and began to make some calls. The first was to John and Kelly - John answered and agreed to come get Davis. It was not til John arrived that we realized we had not packed a bag for him! We grabbed what we could quickly and sent him on his way. We were so embarrassed because we had not done Davis' laundry in a while and he was sleeping in his cousin Aubrey's purple polka-dotted pajamas! He wore them most the day because we had not packed anything else for him when John took him in the night.

With Davis in good care I called Maria's parents and spoke with Kirsten and then called Jennifer. Jennifer had mentioned weeks earlier that she had never seen a child birth and I invited her to come with us. Weeks earlier she was excited at the idea but at 1:30 in the morning she hesitated but said she would be there. With Christine in route, Jenn on her way, Davis in good hands, we made our way to the door. While in the car I called my mom who was still up waiting on my dad who was making a late trip home form the valley.

Time to Push

On the way to the hospital I called to give them heads up. As we arrived they were ready for us and got us through registration pretty quickly and into triage. Before one can be admitted to labor and delivery they need proof of labor or of water breakage. They hooked Maria up to the monitors and watched her contractions as they collected amniotic fluid for testing. She had in fact "felt the flush" and was whisked away to a delivery room. Jenn arrived shortly after getting a room and the wait began.

Maria was given some Pitocin as well as antibiotics and an IV. She suffered through a couple hours of contractions before asking for a epidural. The anesthesiologist arrived and did her thing and Maria soon found her self sleeping through the contractions. By this time Christine had arrived and was too sleeping while I watched TV and Jenn worked on a yarn project.

Nurses came in on occasion to check on Maria's well being but did not regularly check on the baby's progress (I think after a long night the night nurse did not want to glove up and just waited for the next nurse to take care of it). Finally, sometime after 7:00am the nurse checked on Maria's progress and found that she had dilated to a seven! This started a scramble. Several nurses now came and went as they flipped on the baby warmer, got out receiving blankets, and prepared for our baby's arrival. It was just moments later that the stirrups were in place and Dr. McNeil entered the room and announced it was time to push.

In all Maria pushed through four or five contractions in the period of twenty minutes or so and our baby was here. There were some complications though - the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and her face was blue, swollen and bruised. Dr. McNeil quickly cut the cord and handed the baby off to the nurses. The baby's mouth was not suctioned immediately because of this and she swallowed and inhaled some of the fluid. They had to pump her stomach a couple of times and it was a long period of time before Maria was able to see or hold her baby. The color quickly returned to the baby's face and all seemed to be well.

Thanksgiving

With Davis we were required to stay 48 hours because Maria is Group Strep B positive. We were told and understood that with this baby we would have to stay longer as well. We were surprised though when the on site pediatrician came and told us that a lot of mothers were asking if they could go home early enough to enjoy dinner with family. She said she could not promise us anything but if our little girl was doing well she would consider it. We learned from nurses that the Thanksgiving weekend is a busy weekend for them. Many expecting mothers eat or work themselves into problems or early delivery. We began to get anxious that we would in fact get out early because they needed the beds. The next day, Thanksgiving Day, the pediatrician returned and informed us that we could go.

Daphne Mckay

To this point we still had not decided on a name for our little girl. We had several names in mind but could not settle on just one. All through labor and delivery we had been asked what her name was and the fact that we were still so uncertain sparked laughter and conversation. At one point during the delivery it created so much conversation in fact that Dr. McNeil found herself in a side conversation as opposed to helping Maria through one of her contractions!

The baby's first full day here she still remained without a name. It was not until we were filling out the discharge and birth certificate paperwork that we decided on a name. I filled out all the paperwork and left the name line blank. After everything was filled out, with the exception of the name, I handed the papers to Maria and said she had to fill out the rest. She looked through the papers and discovered what sections were left blank and laughed. She filled in the blank: Daphne Mckay Boyle

Post Partum

Preparing to leave we discovered that we had forgotten to pack a vital item - the car seat! Maria's mom swung by our house, grabbed it, and brought it to us. We were released and on our way home! Maria was very excited to see Davis so we ran over to Lara's to retrieve him. He darted towards his mom until he saw me and changed directions. I swooped him up and hugged him and handed him to his mother who was tickled to see him.

We opted not to take Daphne out for dinner and had Maria's family bring home food the Davis get together. I went to John and Kelly's and enjoyed dinner with them (only thing missing was a pecan pie but Sue promised me one for Christmas - at least that is how I remember the conversation).

Now at home and with the help of Christine we were able to get our lives into order with our new little addition. It has been a joy to have Daphne in our home and has been a much more pleasant change than with Davis. Let me explain: With Davis we were so worried about SIDS having a family history of it and my personal experiences with seizures. We had an apnea monitor that Davis had to be hooked up to every moment. Any little noise or lack of noise during the night was cause for needless concern and stress. We even experienced several false ear piercing alarms during the night. In addition to this Maria was stressing over nursing. Her milk never came in well enough fully fill Davis' appetite. Her lactation specialist said we would be doing Davis no favors by supplementing him and told us to hang in there that her milk would come. For a long while we in sense starved Davis while waiting for Maria's milk that never fully came. As you could imagine this made Davis a bit cranky and further stressed Maria. It was not long before Maria found herself in a dark place in her life.

This time around we are wiser and better able to cope with the stresses of a new baby. Davis seems almost completely oblivious to the addition. He likes her boppy chair and loves to take her bottle and pacifier from her. He is learning her name and will give her kisses. Maria seems much happier, although it is not perfect sailing. Daphne is a really good girl and we are very happy to have her as part of our family. We will have more pictures to come, as soon as we get them (that's right we forgot a camera too - my Aunt Ogie is going to kill me!).

Thank you for Stalking

2009-11-24T14:22:00.005-07:00

Just a bit of an update for all of you blog stalkers (you know who you are – leave a comment so we can know who you are as well!).

I am back at Vanguard as Maria mentioned in her blog a while ago. I am in the third of four weeks of training now. I hope that this year the job last longer and that it ends more positively – we will just have to wait and see.

Maria is now on short term leave at her doctor’s recommendation so that she can be well rested and relaxed for when our little girl comes. She is enjoying her “nesting time” and loves being home with Davis. She is so ready for this baby to come but is still about two weeks out from her due date. We were going to have a baby shower but planning fell through and it never came to fruition. We are now too close to the birth day and notice would be too short to throw one together now. Maybe we can have people over again for dinner like we did for Davis last year and you can all bring us gifts then!

Davis is teething and still as crazy as ever. I am so glad I had the opportunity to be home with him for as long as I was but at the same time I am so glad to be out of the house and in the work force again. Our little girl is almost here and we still have not decided on a name!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it makes me think back to last year's feast (at Panda Express) and all the work that went into our basement this time last year. This year our house is in much better shape and able to accommodate a lot of family which will be fun.

Some of you might not know that I am a lover of all things Christmas. Our lights and tree are up and Christmas music is streaming via Pandora and the radio. Maria has a pinch of Grinch in her but I am winning her over. She was not excited about the lights going up the first week on November and the tree the second week but last night she admitted that the tree has a calming effect and that she enjoys having it up.

As a kid we would get an enormous live tree and I remember the many hours it would take to decorate it all. I had fun going with my dad to the plant to get a ladder tall enough to place the angel at the top. We would string lights, garland, and put a big wreath on the door. I loved it all. I remember one year as a child our family did not do much in preparation for Christmas and I took matters into my own hands. I found myself outside in the snow on Christmas Eve stringing lights by my self and decorating a house plant as a tree.

Now as an adult homeowner I want to go overboard. I would like a tree for our front room, family room, media room, and master bedroom. I want to animate our house lights and blow our circuits each time I plug them all in. I want bells, wreaths, garland, nut crackers, bells, sleighs, candles, snow – the whole works! The only things holding me back now are finances, time, and energy. I will collect a little here a little there and will build up my Christmas Empire one year at a time.

This started out as an update but morphed into a message from Christmas past, present and future. We are doing well and will try to blog a bit more regularly.

Birthday Party

2009-11-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Davis' 1st birthday and Mia's 2nd birthday a few weeks ago. We all headed over to turtle park in our neighborhood and ate beans/fritos and hotdogs. Lots of friends and family were there to join in the fun of the park and food. Davis made out like a bandit with all of the wonderful gifts. Most every toy either sings or talks! I can't wait till the batteries go dead. :) Davis loves them! Thank you Karen for the yummy chile beans, to Karen Esther for the charcoal, and to John and Kelly for the drinks. Thoughtless me forgot the camera so Karen sent over a few of Davis eating his little cake. As you can see Davis is not to sure in the beginning till Jake was able to get some frosting in his mouth and then the cake didn't stand a chance.

My College Graduate!

2009-11-09T11:55:00.001-07:00

As of October 18, 2009 Jake finished his last class for the Bachelors of Science in Business Administration at Walden University. We won't be attending commencement in Dallas, TX in January but this does not negate the fact of how excited we are that Jake has finished. Jake has accomplished a heavy and crazy load of classes since starting in January. He took about 24 semester credit hours every two months. He was able to get through over 2 years of curriculum in a little less than 10 months by taking more than double the recommended classes per quarter. I can witness this took many hours of study and devotion on his part. There were many days that I would come home from work, Jake would hand off Davis, and then go straight to the office and study till late into the night. I am amazed that he was able to do this while being a wonderful full time Dad, husband, cook, and house keeper. Eventually when I am a stay at home Mom I will have big shoes to fill. Talking about the role reversal Jake mentioned that we have had the unique opportunity to understand one another's frustrations, struggles, and accomplishments when it does come time to switch it up. What a blessing this will be to us as a couple.

Today Jake actually started back at Vanguard for a temporary position during tax season. It will be nice because the position will allow him resources to actively look for a job while he is there. It is our hope that he will be able to find something that will allow him to gain experience and eventually the opportunity for me to stay home with the kiddies. I am so grateful for the sacrifices that Jake has made to earn his degree. It has been a hectic and very expensive venture and he will more than likely start the Masters degree shortly to defer loans. :) I know this investment in his future will pay off in the long run especially when there upturn in the economy.

There have been so many people that have been an integral part of Jake's success. Thank you Karen and Mike for always supporting Jake's decision to do the bachelors degree and for the financial support with tuition. Thank you Karen, Mom, Kelly, Lara, Katie, Karen, and Kirsten for all of the help and especially with watching Davis during these past few months as well... we could not have gotten through this without you.

Jake, I am so proud of you and all your efforts! Thank you for being the man of my dreams!

Getting My Green On

2009-10-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

We did not get enough grass to cover our entire back yard and Maria has wanted a garden for some time now (even when we were in the condo she was wishing for one). We figured the area that would not be grassed could be used for a garden. Maria and I were very honest with ourselves and admitted that gardening on our hands and knees would not be enjoyable and that it would be unlikely that we kept up the garden if it was uncompfortable.

We began to make plans to make a raised garden and I watched several videos and read blogs on how to best do this. Maria suggested that I call her dad who just put in a raised garden to pick his brain for ideas. Maria and I lucked out and discovrered that he had 60 blocks left-over from his project and said we would have them! My parents brought them down with them on Friday and I put it all together today with the help of my dad, Quentin, and Davis.

The last elemement to the garden before I can plant is dirt. Maria and I lucked out here because we even have a friend who is willing to donate some perfect crap filled dirt to the cause. So far we have grass and a raised garden yet we are only about 60 bucks into this backyard renovation project! We feel very lucky to have such great friends and family and are happy to have a yard where Davis and "baby girl" will be able to play. Those who saw our yard a year ago know exactly how far it has come and it has been the help of many to make it what it is (or will become!).

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-10-21T20:50:00.003-07:00

Dear Sweet Davis,

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It was a year ago today that Daddy and I were at the hospital at 2am, nervous and excited for your arrival. Even before coming to the hospital I was actually having contractions before being induced. You were going to arrive on Oct. 21st induction or not, which is also the birthday of your Great Grandpa Davis and your official due date. My water broke around 6am and that is when the contractions started. Only a short time of labor you were born around 10:30am. The doctor put you on my chest and I stared in amazement at my chubby little boy. You had lots of brown hair on your head and weighed in at 8lbs. You had a hearty appetite from the get go and your Daddy and I felt so blessed to have our little boy.

It seems that you are advanced in everything you do. It is crazy to think that you were crawling by 5 months and walking by 9 months. It scares me when you crawl up the kitchen chairs and onto the kitchen table and climb up and down the couches. Also, scares me when you try to stand up in your high chair and climb out. I am already afraid that there will many trips to the emergency room as you are such a dare devil. You are so smart because you know when I tell you to “sit down” in your high chair and repeat it back to me mockingly. You make me laugh when I tell you “Shhh” and you “Shhh” me right back. Your smile melts my heart and the best part of my day is when I come home from work and you come running to me with your hands in the air. You won’t kiss me or Daddy back very often but when you do it is accompanied by a head butt. I love to hear you laughing and talking in the background when I call home during the day. You are such a happy and delightful boy.

The only regret and guilt I hold over the past year is that I wasn’t able to be with you as much as I wanted. The first day I had to go back to work after your were 8 weeks old I held you and cried and cried before leaving. I cried all the way to work and during work. I felt such remorse leaving you. Even now when I work my 8pm late night and you have been fast asleep for two hours before I get home, I pick you up in your crib and hug and kiss you. The one to two hours that I see you each day during the week is not enough and I look forward to the day when I can play all day everyday with you. It was only until Daddy was able to stay home with you that some of that remorse has subsided. He loves you so much and you two have such a special bond. Daddy jokingly says that you are his and that I can have the rest of your future brothers and sisters.

Bishop met with our little family not long ago and said that those feelings and desires to be a Mother are not a coincidence and I have felt since your birth that it is my purpose here on this earth. Because of this I know I will never feel right about being away from you as I have been over the past year. I know it will not be this way forever and I love you my sweet Davis with all my heart and look forward to celebrating all of your Birthdays with you.

Love,

Mommy

Food Challenge!!

2009-10-17T18:38:00.001-07:00

This should give you all an idea of what Davis' diet consist of - all this came off his high chair and the floor. How many things can you identify?

A Day in the Life of... (3rd ed.)

2009-10-13T12:24:00.013-07:00

"Day in the life of..." first and second editions seemed to be pretty popular and was a great way to free up some memory on my cell phone so I am doing it again. These are just random pics from the adventures of Davis and Dad.

Davis, Aubrey, Lara and I spent the day out and about and stopped for a treat. I asked Aubrey if I could have some of here ice cream and this was the look I got. She later shared the wet soggy paper wrapper with Davis I threw it back at her and it stuck to her forehead - I wish I had captured the look she gave me then! It was shock, confusion and anger all at once. Priceless.

Davis enjoyed playing outside of Mommy's work the other day. He even tried chasing a roadrunner when he could not catch it he set up a trap with lots of bird seed and ACME TNT. That did not work either - tricky little bird.

Davis prefers his hair to be "business up front and party on the top". He even has a little rats tail sprouting in the back.

I tell ya, this boy likes his pizza!

Got an email from the EQ president saying that a family needed help hauling stuff to the dump and that it had to be done that same day by three. At noon I got another email saying it still had not been done. Davis and I went over and loaded up all the stuff and took it to the dump. I am not even sure it was legal for me to drive like this but we managed to get all the junk to the dump.

Davis loves his cousin Yerbua. She can be ruff and tuff at times but he always has a good time with her. The two of them love banging on the piano - it is fun for Davis to have so many cousins so close in age and proximity.

After Davis fell in the water at the hospital Katy and I tried everything to keep him distracted and dry including some saltine crackers that Katy just happened to have in her purse (another sign that she was prego that I did not pick up on I am sure! - Maria used saltines to get through morning sickness spells)

The whole gang (except for the traveling love birds and Josh who is in the Army) got together for General Conference weekend. We made and ate a ton of Navajo Tacos at our house on Saturday then had spaghetti and pasta at Lara's house on Sunday. It was a nice weekend.

That's our goofy boy!

Davis and I have been going to the park a lot more lately (another blog in the making - just waiting on pics). It cooled off a ton last week and this week has started to warm up again so we have not gone yet. He really likes the park except when I threw him down the tunnel slide. He managed to flip oven on his stomach and was clawing at the slide; I was afraid he would not make it to the bottom and I would have to fetch him from someplace in the middle.

Davis, Yerbua, Lara, and I on our adventures together mentioned under an earlier picture found ourselves at the mall. Yerbua and Davis had a ton of fun until Yerbua spotted all the other kid's shoes that had been removed and placed in a bin for safe keeping. Those who know Yerbua know she loves shoes! Once she spotted the shoe Mecca she wanted nothing more to do with the slides and toys and sat on the bench and pouted when I told her she could not play with the shoes.

Davis had so much fun at the mall. He was one of the smaller kids but held his own. He liked climbing up to the top of the slide. I think it was here that he mastered climbing up stairs.

Davis had too much fun with Katy and had to go down for a nap. I like this pic because he looks so long!

Don't tell CPS, DPS, or any other [blank]PS but we have had Davis in his forward facing carseat for a week or two now. This picture was his first time and he was trying to take it all in. I think he really likes it and enjoys being able to see everything as we go by.

Davis really likes his cousin Baylee too. She has been over a couple of times over the last few weeks. Kelly said that Baylee drives her nuts (pun intended) talking about "Davis, Jacob, and Maria" and always wants to come over to visit - she is welcome any time! Davis is attempting to crack the nut by using his laser vision.

While babysitting Baylee I cracked some nuts for her. The first was an Acorn and she asked for a second. After the two acorns she asked for the large black kind (don't know the real name... and I am not about to google "large black nuts"), she didn't like that one as much. We moved on to an Almond and she liked that one but did not want a second. Next she handed me a Walnut, she lost patience with me as I tried removing all the nut from the shell and the Pecan was a repeat situation. She went back to the Acorn and ate two more before I told her "that's it."

Wanting to get out of the house and do something I found myself on a used car lot. We have no money or any intention of buying a car but the salesman did not need to know that. We drove a Toyota Sienna and a Toyota Tundra four door. I really like the truck (duh) and Davis seemed to as well. (PS - sorry for wasting an hour and a half of your time Mr. Salesman)

Yerbua came over to play and after making a mess of her clothes at dinner we found some PJs for her - a tie dye shirt and gray sweat pants. She really like the outfit, so much so that the next day she was still wearing it when we went to visit her!

Don't Step on the Grass!

2009-10-11T18:03:00.004-07:00

Yesterday Maria and I were trying to figure out how we wanted to spend our evening when I got a call from John who said a co-worker had grossly miscalculated his square footage when doing his yard and had about 700 sqft of sod left over! Quentin and I drove over and loaded the sod in his and my trucks and brought it home. Todd came and helped me clear the weeds, rocks, and debris. We started to lay sod about 8:30 pm and worked until I threw the extension cord in a puddle of water shorting out the outlet that powered our flood lights.

The puddle was from our neighbors yard that went crazy. Before going to bed I went to the house next door and turned off their water (take that!) The house is actually vacant so I don't think it is too big of a deal. The next day we went out to finish and found even more water - so much that we could no longer get out the gate into the front yard! I talked to my neighbor on the other side and told him the situation. He agreed to let us take the sod into his backyard and throw it over the wall into our backyard! It was a ton of extra work but kept us from loosing a ton of free sod!

With a little help today we finished and now have a grassy backyard! We just can't step on it for a month or so.

I have more pictures to come of Davis playing in the mud and on the grass. Have to wait til I get a mouse for the other computer though.

58 Days To Go

2009-10-06T09:58:00.001-07:00

That's right! Only two more months to go and Baby number 2 will be here. Time has flown by and I can hardly believe that we will have another baby around the house. I am just starting to really "show" and most people here at work are surprised to find out I am pregnant and at how far along I am. I assure you I feel like I am 8 months pregnant. I feel good most of the time, just the regular aches and tiredness of the third trimester. My anticipation has started to escalate since Felicia and Quentin's baby girl, Jayden, was born this past week. She is so cute and sweet from the pictures and I can't wait to hold her.

We still haven't decided on a name yet. We like the names Laurel Ellen and Daphne Mckay. We will keep you posted...if you have any suggestions please let us know.

My greatest concern is the possibility of having to deal with Postpartum Depression Depression again. I was grateful it went away when I got pregnant the 2nd time. And just so you know Jake, getting pregnant again so soon will not be an option! :)

Going Nuts in Primary!

2009-09-29T09:18:00.005-07:00

Maria and I bought a bag of M&M's for our primary class Saturday - we used them as bribery during the Primary Program (it worked!). We did this a while ago and just keep the large one pound bag in the backpack and every Sunday we would give the kids 5-10 each depending on their behavior. It worked really well for several weeks. Yesterday Davis got into the backpack and started pulling things out including the bag of M&M's. Rather than putting them back in the bag and zipping it up I put the M&M's on the counter. By the end of the night they were almost entirely gone! The last few remaining morsels of chocolate goodness continue to sit on the counter taunting me (I even tasted them on Maria's breath when I kissed her good-bye this morning - she has fallen to temptation too!).

While at the store today they had the large fall bins of mixed nuts. I grabbed a bag and started to shovel the nuts in. Before I knew it I had four pounds costing me ten bucks. I thought I had gone overboard but then I remembered that the one pound bag of M&M's cost me $5.25. So now a healthier choice sits on the counter taunting me - just hope our primary class likes nuts.

First Birthday Celebration!

2009-09-28T09:31:00.004-07:00

It is hard to believe that Davis is almost a year old already! Maria and I are planning his party now and want to give a heads up to everyone so you can all plan on coming. We are planning on having the party October 24, 2009 from 4-6pm. Mark your calendars and plan to be there, it will be fun. More details to come.

To save a stamp and envelop, send me your email address (jake@jaboyle.c-m - make sure to include the "o" in com) and I can send a digital invite rather than a hard copy. Anyone and everyone is invited, we have a ton of food already so don't be shy. If you are reading this you are invited. Anyone who would like an actual invite can send me their street address as well and we will get one out to you ASAP.

The Hair Cut

2009-09-26T12:10:00.005-07:00

Jake's hair has come to resemble an overgrown chia pet over the past few weeks. However, with trying to cut back we decided to invest in a pair of clippers and I would try my hand at cutting his hair. I have never done a male hair cut in my life and when Jake came home with the clippers I felt an instant regret to agreeing to this. I wanted to at least read instructions or watch a youtube video on giving a hair cut. However, Jake was already sitting in the chair waiting and telling me, "Come on lets do this! How hard can it be!" After about 15 minutes I went into all out panic mode and started yelling, "What am I doing! Why didn't you let me research how to do this first! You are going to be bald!" To keep Davis out of the hair we put him on the outside of the baby gate. I'm sure Davis felt the discontent in the house and started whining and constantly kept getting his foot stuck in the baby gate so that I had to stop everything and get him out. After about an hour of chaos there was a pile of hair on the floor and a handsome Jake. I guess I just lucked out or maybe Kirsten tele-communicated her hair cutting skills to me.

From the above picture I'm not even sure if Davis approves...

Home Wrecker!!

2009-09-22T14:53:00.003-07:00

I moved some of our furniture around the other day. While we had family here visiting we noticed that people tended to congregate in the room without furniture so I moved the couches from the front room to the back room. I did not want a couch against the wall with stairs because of Davis' love for climbing (he has fallen of a couch before - I would hate to have him fall of the couch and down the basement stairwell!)

Well with the furniture in the new room it was the perfect layout for a fort! I grabbed some blankets and a sheet and proceeded to make a fort (for Davis of course :) ) Davis had a ton of fun crashing my his fort.

Here are some pictures of Davis on top of his fort:

Raaarrrr!!

2009-09-15T18:26:00.003-07:00

Davis likes to growl! He has a cute raspy little voice and loves to use it. Davis, Katy, and I went to visit Carrie, Tim, and new born Gregory at the hospital (congrats by-the-way you two!) and they would not let Davis past the receptionist desk because of his increased chance of carrying the flu. After of a game of "Can we take him here?" "no." we understood we could sit in the waiting area, go to the cafeteria, go to an out door eating area by the cafeteria, and the chapel. We went to the chapel first, it always so nice and quite - that did not work for Davis - so we took him outside. Less than two seconds after putting him down he fell face first into the fountain!! I grabbed him out of the 'pool' and put him on his feet and he went roaring back to the water. He had a so much fun and by the time we left he was soaked and Katy and I both were wet too.

Fifty-Five Years Ago

2009-09-11T05:56:00.005-07:00

It seems like just the other day that forty was a cuss word at our house in St. Johns and now 15 years later my mom is celebrating her "double nickel" anniversary in this world. I hope she has a great day and that she forgives me for posting her age here for all to read!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Head Shots

2009-09-10T11:14:00.007-07:00

This may seem a bit vain and unnecessary to many of you but I am trying everything to find a job. I am thinking about going into modeling. Totally kidding. I am updating my linkedin profile and wanted to get a nice head shot (mug shot). The picture I am using right now is from our wedding and I have Maria cropped out and the picture is not that great. Maria took some pictures of me this morning and we could not decide on which one we liked the best and Maria said it might be fun to ask you all for help in deciding (if you don't like any of them that is cool too). Also do you think it is a good idea to include this picture with my online resume?

Which picture do you like best?

The Boy Likes His Pizza!

2009-09-08T16:19:00.002-07:00

It's meals like this that make me wish shower drains had garbage disposals.

Oranges and the ER

2009-08-31T09:15:00.004-07:00

Last night while I was in the kitchen peeling me an orange I heard an ear piercing scream come from the bathroom where Maria was bathing Davis. I threw the orange aside and ran towards the bathroom where the screams and cries kept coming. I had no idea what to think had happened, I just knew it was something horrible.

As I rounded the corner I could see Maria on the floor and Davis under her. Maria had slipped and fallen and dropped Davis. I grabbed Davis and sat on the ground next to Maria. Davis appeared to be fine and only cried a little bit. Maria was hysterical and kept saying "sorry boy, I am so sorry boy." She sat up and I handed Davis to her and she just hugged and kissed him. She moved her hand and I saw a huge bruise on Davis' leg. I pointed it out to Maria and she began to bawl. It was so sad the see her and Davis hurt and upset.

I had Maria lay down in bed and I gave Davis his bath. Maria came out and we sat in the front room for a while. Maria said her stomach was really sore and she was worried she had fallen on her stomach, it happened so fast she was not sure. We decided to play it safe and take her to the hospital and figured since we were there we would get Davis checked out too.

I took Davis to the ER and the doctors there said he looked great and did not think we needed to do any x-rays or other exams on him. They told us to keep a close eye on him. I went to see Maria on the other side of the hospital and they had her hooked up to a monitor and said the baby seemed to be doing fine.

We got home about 11pm and all seemed to be well, we stood in the kitchen after putting Davis to bed and finished my orange.

Here are some of Davis' battle wounds:

That is not a tear drop tat coming from his eye, it is a little bruise from where he hit the door on his way to the ground.

The bruise from his leg is either from the fall or from where Maria tried to hold on to him on their way down. It looks worse than it is, Davis does not even realize it is there.

Declaration of War

2009-08-27T09:38:00.003-07:00

I think the previous owner may have had some cats that they left behind because there are two strays that hang around all the time. They can be found by the front or back doors or under our vehicles. One time while working on my car I found one of them up in the engine - starting the car and honking the horn got it out of there quick! I think they have now declared war and I am ready to go to battle. This morning Maria, Davis and I headed to the store and found this 'fuzzy churro' on the roof of our car. You want war - you've got it!!

No Brain - No Pain

2009-08-21T13:50:00.003-07:00

Those words were spoken to me many times by my dad as I grew up. I find myself saying/thinking the same thing as I am a father myself. Davis has learned to pull himself up on the couches and has not learned how to get back down very gracefully. I will leave the room for a second and hear the thump... cry. Every time Davis has not hurt himself badly and I have pillows on the ground so his falls are usually pretty soft, I think it scares him more than anything and makes him mad that he is back on the floor instead of on the couch.

Yesterday he went over the arm of the couch for the first time into a pile of toys. That one scared me but he cried for a moment and climbed back up. I am now not allowing him on the couches at all and that does not make him very happy.

2009-08-20T13:13:00.005-07:00

Dear Jake,

Thank you for making me so happy I cried this morning. You are always trying to make my life better and I love you so much!

Yours,

Maria

P.S. The lunch and note inside is awesome!

Get off our back HOA!

2009-08-14T13:22:00.007-07:00

Maria and I have not had much luck with HOAs in the last couple of days but I won't get into a lot of those details. I will though let you know that they have gotten on us about our tree and a dead bush in our front yard (sorry Jen, your plant just did not make it!). I trimmed the tree and hauled the clippings to the dump but we don't have another plant to plant in place of the dead one so I came up with a great idea... Spray Paint. We had a ton left over from Davis' room so I thought I would put it to good use.

Check out the before and afters:

Brought new life into this plant and hopefully will get the HOA off our backs for a little while.

Jayd n

2009-08-09T09:37:00.004-07:00

Maria and I went to looking for yard sale deals yesterday and came a pair of cribs. We bought both of them, one for our little girl and one that we were not sure what to do with. We had our car and so I went and asked Quentin, who lived just around the corner from the yard sale, if we could use his truck. He came along for the ride and he asked what we needed two cribs for. I said that we could give one away when it hit me - Quentin and Felicia need a crib!

It would be nice if it just ended there but it didn't. Quentin said he was going to clean out his room to make room for the crib. I said since you are cleaning out the room we should go a head and throw some paint up. He said he did not have any money to buy paint and I told him I had some left over gray from our front room. My parents had all the painting supplies and we went to Home Depot to buy an accent color and above is the result.

Additional Commentary:

They were all out of E's at Hobby Lobby.

My mom just about had a heart attack when I sent her the above picture of Quentin painting the pink stripe and asked her "What do you think of your new living room?" (Quentin is living at her house her in STV)

The lady at Home Depot's face was priceless when she opened the paint can and saw the color that us two guys were buying. She was lying when she said - "that's a nice color."

Quentin started to have an anxiety attack when we first started putting the pink on the walls. The pictures do not do the pink justice.

The lady who sold us the cribs lost the hardware and we did not realize til we got home with the now useless pieces of wood. Hope we can find something at the hardware store.

In the end it turned out really well and I think Felicia and Jayden are all going to love it.

On the Move

2009-08-07T08:01:00.007-07:00

This video is about as poor of quality as you can get. It was taken on my little bro's cell phone in a poorly lit room. I think though that it is good enough for posting for the time being until I get a better video of the boy walking. It was weird to see him crawling at five months, he just seemed too small to do it and now it is even stranger to see him walking at nine months!

Here is a video I just took, again with a cell phone so it is not great. Davis walks to me and then gets distracted with the phone charger. I recomend keeping your PC on mute so you don't have to hear me...

Cast Iron Skillets Part II

2009-08-05T15:36:00.006-07:00

In one of my rants I spoke of my cast iron skillet envy of a good friend of mine. I hoped that before leaving for Indiana said friend would read my blog, discover my envy, and leave his cast iron skillet (and any other camp gear) with me here in AZ. This did not work and even worse I helped this friend drive his cast iron cookware to his new home in Indiana.

Jennifer, Maria's cousin, without having ever read the above mentioned blog post went to Wal-Mart in search of the perfect gift for a perfect cousin-in-law. She made her way to the camping section knowing that I liked to camp and debated between cookware and a cook stove (both would have been great!). She grabbed the skillet/dutch oven, wrapped it up, and gave it to me and said it was a flat of black olives (I hate black olives!). I almost did not even want to open the gift and when I did I could not have been happier (except had she bought the stove too!).

Thanks JenJen!

Best Birthday Ever!

2009-08-05T07:58:00.004-07:00

"Best Birthday Ever" were the words spoken by my five year old neice at her birthday party just a few weeks ago and I think I know what she meant. I had such a great birthweekend. Saturday Maria and I got to spend the day together at home and shopping and Sunday Jen came with one of the best gifts ever (will blog about that later - I promised her her own post!).

Monday almost didn't happen when Maria got sick at work but after a couple hours in bed she mustered up the energy to go to a 5 o'clock showing of UP (great movie!). She kept the rest of the evening a surprise. After the movie she pulled into Organ Stop Pizza and dropped me off while she went to get a cake. I walked in and found some of my best friends and family. Katy & Lyle, Carrie Winn, Daniel & Christi Martinez, Matt and Kristen Wilde, Quentin, Lara and Todd, Karen, Maria, Davis, and I. It was a ton of fun! Thanks to everyone who came and for those who didn't, I will have another birthday in a year or so.

-Jake

Happy 25th Birthday Jake!

2009-08-03T07:48:00.005-07:00

Dear Jake,

I know this picture that is a blast from the past but this is during that time I fell in love with you, Brigham Young Beard and all. You are my everything. You are the best Husband, Father, and Friend. You are so creative. You are the most thoughtful person. You make me laugh. You are always happy. You are sarcastic and witty. You love you Davis and you love me. I can't wait to spend 75 more Birthdays with you!

Love,
Maria

A day in the life of... (2nd ed.)

2009-08-03T07:44:00.006-07:00

I know it has only been a few weeks since I last posted pics from my cellphone but I already have taken many more and here they are:

This picture makes me laugh. It was actually taken just yesterday before church. Davis is wrapped up in a blanket that was given to him by his Great Grandma Davis and looks like an angel - so peaceful and calm - when in reality he is a wild, crazy, little monster most of the time :) !

Davis playing in his first cardboard box! It is amazing the simple things that keep kids amused. Davis liked crawling through the box, standing and hitting the top and ultimately collapsing it and sitting on it (hence the past tense used "liked crawling through..."). Yerbua came over last night and liked playing with the box too although one time she attempted to crawl through and Davis starting banging on the top of it and she rocketed out of it with a look of panic and fear that made us all laugh.

Our boy is growing so fast!

Maria hates this picture. Davis fell asleep on the floor after drinking a bottle so I grabbed the closest thing to him to use as a blanket which turned out to be Maria's pajama pants. I chuckled to myself and then took a pic to send to Maria - she says it looks "creepy."

The pioneer days in SJ was such an adventure for us all. This picture was taken at the campfire circle. During the short drive from the Wilhelm's to the airport Davis fell asleep. I left him in his car seat and put him in Grandpa Wilhelm's old pick-up where he was close to the action but far enough away to get some Z's.

Many would argue that I am lazy but I like to think of myself as resourceful. My seventh grade teacher, R.K. Udall, on many occasions stressed the need to "work smarter - not harder" (said in the iconic deep, powerful voice that is R.K.). I am glad to see that this quality has been passed down to my son. It is hard to make drinking a bottle any easier but he found a way.

I sleep in that same position.

While on our way into town to meet mommy Davis fell asleep and I forgot the sun visor for his car seat so a dirty plate from the floor boards of the truck had to work. (Stop criticizing me - you would have hated me for letting his head get burned too - I think the saying goes "danged if you do, danged if you don't")

This is one of my favorite pics of Davis! I think it captures who he is and why he makes Maria and I so happy. He is wonderful little boy and the best son any parents could ask for (although my parents might argue otherwise).

Early B-Day Present

2009-07-31T10:02:00.006-07:00

As you all know and have prepared for, my birthday is on Monday. I will be the big quarter of a century! As many of you know, as well, I like to toot my own horn on rare occasions and this is one of those moments. Maria and I have been wanting to get a couch for some time (more me than Maria). Our upstairs is so empty. We have two really nice couches but they are down stairs and upstairs we have an empty family room and a living room with an old nasty couch (I am sure it had its glory days with Beth and Ian but after Rodney it is worn and tattered). We have been looking for a great deal for a while but til recent had not found it.

Tuesday I decided to take another look on Craig's List (I had many times before and everyone seems to think their crap, cigarette burns, pet stains and all, is still worth what they paid for it. I started down the list of search results and found a couch, love seat, and ottoman just like John and Kelly's for $200! Maria and I went after she got off work and we liked them and brought them home. I told Maria that this can count as my birthday present.

Here are some pictures for you all to see them.

Funny note about the couches, there is a worn spot in the ottoman because the previous owner's mother-in-law decided to use the hose attachment to clean some dust of their apartment ceiling and put the vacuum up on the ottoman so she could reach the ceiling - the brush wore a spot in the ottoman. Gotta love mother-in-laws -- I do!

24th of July Celebration in SJ

2009-07-26T17:07:00.004-07:00

This is the first time that Maria and I have gone to the Pioneer Day Celebration in St. Johns. We both have gone many times as kids and it was fun to go as a family this year with Davis. I saw a lot of friends and many from Maria's family went up. It was a good time. Davis had many "firsts" this weekend - some were exciting and some nearly got me killed. Here are some of the high (and low) lights of the weekend.

Davis and I went up on Thursday. Maria had to work on Friday and could not go up. I went up to help my dad set up the camp trailer at Lyman Lake for Maria, Davis and I to use. My dad took the trailer out several days earlier but I went up earlier than Maria any way.

Davis and I got to SJ in time to go to the Ice Cream Social. Davis had fun meeting many new people and playing in the grass. It was fun for me to catch up with old friends and neighbors.

Davis playing in the grass at the Ice Cream Social

I took Davis over to Maria's parents house and he was crawling around with something in his hand. He started to put it into his mouth and when I told him not to he quickly popped it in and started to run from me. I caught him and pulled a centipede from his mouth.

Davis was chewing on this!

The fact that they just pulled a body from the lake that had been there for more than seven years did not stop us from having a great time. Maria was not very happy with me and my decision to take Davis on the inner tube with me - but he had a blast! We swam, played in the mud, and had a great time.

Davis' first trip to Lyman Lake.

We had a great time and can't wait for next year's 24th of July Celebration.

9 Months

2009-07-21T16:07:00.004-07:00

I have a friend that wrote a few thoughts about her twins on her blog and it inspired me to write down some of Davis' quirkiness at 9 months.

Giggles in his sleep since he was a newborn.
Superb coordination. He will push two objects with each hand while crawling across the room.
Loves blue berries, bananas, and spaghetti.
Spits and sprays food he does not like.
Crawls away as fast as he can when he knows he is into something he
shouldn't be into.
8 teeth that all came in at the same time.
Has a front tooth gap just like his Daddy did when he was little.
Strawberry blond hair.
When he wakes up in a good mood he calls for his "Da-Da" from his crib.
Discovered his voice very young and loves to hear himself screech
highly and chatter.
Gives Eskimo kisses and will push his face with great force on my
cheek with kisses.
Ticklish armpits and feet.
Zerbits on my collar bone and arms.
Eyes are big and blue.
Raspy and throaty laugh.
Likes to click his tongue
He loves the broom. He comes crawling over like a gazelle whenever I get it out. He can even wedge himself between the fridge and the wall to get to the broom. Because of this Jake had to put up a small fence to keep him out.
Cries, "mum" and cheerfully says, "da-da".
Used to laugh hysterically when we would rub his chest with a cold wipe.

I love my sweet Davis Boy!

A day in the life of...

2009-07-19T08:26:00.008-07:00

Here are some random pictures of Davis that I had on my cell phone. Enjoy.

Maybe not the best teething toy but Davis sure does like it and it would make Aunt Donna so proud!

Davis chill'n outside with me as I do some yard work.

For the life of me I could not get Davis to smile for this picture so I thought I would try my best to do a blank stare along with him.

All this fun just takes a toll on both of us sometimes.

A scene straight from The Jungle Book - just the bear necessities.

Davis looks SO fat in this picture. He loves to wrestle around on our bed. I came in the other day and found Maria pushing his face into a pillow. I asked what are you doing!?! She said he likes it and let him go and he was all giggles.

I know it is bad but sometimes the electronic babysitter is the only way to get anything done. I parked Davis in front of PBS in his 'recliner' while I showered and got ready to go. He does not seem to mind the poor parenting.

I swear we could drive cattle through our house with all the baby gates - I feel like we live in a stock yard. I am sure it wont be long before this little guy is climbing over them or plowing through them.

We can always assess the cleanliness of our house by the tops of Davis' feet.

I don't know how he manages to do it but Davis always falls asleep during sharing time at church. Those kids are so loud and rowdy and yet he is able to snooze -- He is a monster all through sacrament!

Davis likes to play with me (and the keyboard, router, mouse, cables, books, papers, pens, you name it) in the office. I always have to take a break from what I am doing and play with him.

Davis has learned that there are so many fun toys behind all the doors.

Davis has almost learned how to climb up onto our bed, he loves to try and falls a lot in the process but it has not caused him to give up.

2009-07-10T07:26:00.001-07:00

Blessed are the Children

2009-07-05T16:31:00.002-07:00

Davis likes to play with my keys and yesterday we discovered a hole in the consecrated oil vile and all the olive oil had been sucked out.

Raising the Roof Part II (What Maria Says)

2009-07-04T14:06:00.005-07:00

One part that Jake failed to mention in the previous post is that the only CD that will play in the CD player is that of "Baby Face". I don't know which is worse...the fact that Jake just hooked up the stereo and it only plays one CD or that Jake owns a Baby Face CD. We have been laughing about it all day, but it is not so funny that Jake knows every song on that CD.

Raising the Roof

2009-07-04T13:51:00.002-07:00

Four weeks ago while I was on break between classes Maria made the mistake of buying me a Home Depot giftcard to thank me for all that I do. She came home later that same day and found that Quentin and I had painted our kitchen black (charcoal actually). I also painted our front room (not pictured) gray and our dining room table black (not pictured either). To my surprise she liked it and so has most everyone who has come by. I think it is much better than the Easter egg walls we used to have.

Today I decided to hook up a stereo system in the kitchen so we could listen to music while cooking, cleaning, or eating. A co-worker back in the day gave me a dvd/cd/am/fm player and it fit perfectly above the fridge and the speakers were small enough to fit above the cabinets (see bottom pic w/ arrows).

I love Maria and her willingness to put up with all my crazy antics.

Just our Luck!

2009-07-02T21:39:00.005-07:00

Maria and I have been keeping our eyes out for a new crib and it looks like we might be getting a new one sooner than we thought. Lara called me just a little while ago and said that Davis' crib has been recalled. As you can see in the picture it has some major defects and one baby in TX just died.

Unfortunately the company that makes the crib is out of business (I saw online they have had several recalls in the past - that probably put them under). One article says that retailers may or may not offer refunds or store credit because there is no company to go after for recourse. I think we are going to take our crib to Wal-Mart and see if they will allow us to buy a new one.

(For more info and to see if you have the same crib just google search "crib recall.")

Bye Bye Binky

2009-07-02T10:29:00.005-07:00

Davis' pacifier has been MIA for about a week now and Jake and I thought it would be a good idea to wean the little guy off it. Getting him asleep has been no problem. However, between 4am-5am he wakes up and cries for the binky. This morning when he woke up bright and early at 4am there were a couple of thoughts that came into my head. Number one, why the heck did we decide to wean him off the pacifier? Number two, where is that dang pacifier? From what I understand we have had it easy compared to some. Secretly I think Jake might have gotten rid of the pacifier, but I doubt he will ever admit to it. It doesn't matter at this point as our little Davis is now pacifier free.

Pool Hopping!

2009-07-01T14:23:00.007-07:00

This kind of pool hopping wont get the police called on you or worse put you on Terry Haws' hit list...

On Monday Davis, Aubrey, Baylee, Karen, Kelly, Lara and I decided to go swimming at a local public pool. Kelly has been telling me about this place for a while now and has wanted Davis and I to go with her and Baylee but it has never happened, until Monday - well we thought.

We all decided to meet at Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center at 12:30. I had to run into town to get my swim trunks from Karen's house so I met Lara, Karen and Aubrey there and we all headed to the pool together. When we arrived there was a long line out front. I saw Kelly's car and figured she was already inside. As we stood in line we noticed we were not moving. An employee came out and said that they were at capacity and that it would be 40 minutes before we could get in. It was too hot and there was not shade and we had a two year old and an 8 month old ready to swim NOW!

I texted Kelly letting her know that we could not get in and we headed to another pool up the road. The pool we went to was much smaller and had fewer people. It was fun to play with Davis and Aubrey in the pool. Davis at one point even laid on his back in the water and drifted asleep while his Aunt Lara held him afloat.

Later, Maria returned home and found Davis and I napping. We were both so tired from swimming, running around and the 114 degree weather! We had been asleep for about two hours and I told Maria we best wake up Davis or he would have a hard time sleeping during the night. We tried for a while to get the boy to wake up but he could not hold his head up or keep his eyes open. He was so funny and even began to laugh in his sleep as we laughed at him.

It was a fun day. I hope to have a repeat sometime and hopefully we can all get into the same pool.

Family Home Evening

2009-06-30T13:29:00.001-07:00

Last night brought back a lot of good memories of my childhood. Before bed time we sang "Soy un hijo de Dios" I gave the opening prayer. Jake gave a short lesson out of the Ensign. This included steps that we could take as a family to be more frugal and to help him find a job. Then we knelt as a family and went to bed. It sounds simple but those good feelings that I had growing up during FHE flooded back. There were times I fought having to be at FHE and fought with my sisters and brother at FHE. Looking back not every Monday night went perfect, but overall I remember feeling the spirit as my family would share their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you Mom and Dad for having FHE because it has had a lasting affect on me.

Ruts Re-explored.

2009-06-30T08:51:00.004-07:00

My next-door-neighbor growing up had a huge garden and a complex system of water channels to water it all. He would always get mad at my little brother, his sons, and I for running through his garden and disrupting the flow of water by breaking down the walls that directed the water's flow. At the very back of the garden we had a hole that we would play in and would create our own "aqua ducts" using water siphoned from the garden.

What does this have to do with anything?

I will explain.

My last post mentioned that Maria and I are tired of the rut that we have gotten ourselves into. While this is true, we are exhausted, we too must realize that we created this rut. That may sound like a negative thing but it isn't. In the garden and our hole the ruts served a purpose to save time, improve efficiency, and complete a goal. The rut Maria and I are in is tough but it leads to a better place.

Some people's ruts take them no where. They find themselves stuck in life with no where to go or worse going backwards. School seems like a huge rut right now but I have to remember my goals and where I want to go in life and realize that this rut is necessary to accomplishing these things.

So it is not a bad thing that we find ourselves in a rut - it is necessary for the effective flow of life.

Stuck

2009-06-24T22:24:00.006-07:00

I think the monotony of life is starting to catch up with Maria and me both.

We are both just so tired of where we are right now in life.

Maria is the bread winner, having to leave her son at home as she does her 9 to 5 in a 4ft by 4ft cubical. She wants nothing more than to stay home and take care of Davis, the house, and me.

I start four new classes every six weeks but there are times that I forget what classes I am even in because they have all become one long class. I am tired of being a kept man. I want to go out and work.

We both want out of this rut.

Dear Journal-

2009-06-15T14:20:00.006-07:00

This last week was one to remember.

I went to Indiana for my little sister's wedding (sister from another mother) and had the opportunity to spend some time with a good friend of mine that I hope to NOT see again for a long while.

This friend, although a good friend, has been nothing but trouble for me and my family and has caused a ton of unhappiness in my youth and adult years. I spent the entire week with this friend and have come to the realization avoiding this friend as much as possible will do me a lot of good.

This, I am sure, comes as a shock to many of you who knew how much I was looking forward to this week and how much I love this friend - but sacrifices must be made for future happiness.

With that said I pledge, to my health and happiness this time (rather than money), another year of no sugar.

I will miss you but it is for the best.

Good bye old friend.

-Jake

Cast Iron Skillets

2009-06-02T16:02:00.004-07:00

Over the weekend we went camping. While the situation and conditions were not ideal with rain, lack of tents, hail, wind, and fire restrictions we still had a good time for the most part. Davis had a blast but his mom got worn out and had a hard time staying warm and they went home a bit early.

I have always been a big fan of the outdoors and camping. I remember when me and a friend would have one of our parents drive us out east of SJ and drop us off for a night or two by our selves. We were doing this as early as 12 if I recall. In the past I have always had access and use of my dads arsenal of camp gear, and still do, but I am feeling the need and desire to begin getting my own gear.

We have not had the best of luck with camp gear recently. Our tent took a hard one after a big storm following this camping experience. We now find ourselves tent-less. Our sleeping bag and cowboy pack went MIA during Karen's hunting trip. The dutch oven is about all that we have left.

Rodney, my best friend, is up and moving to Indiana and I am trying to convince him that his camp gear belongs here in AZ and that I would be the perfect person to inherit it all. He seems to think otherwise. Two items in particular of his I would like to have, his cast iron skillets.

Everything seems to taste better cooked in cast iron and that was the case this weekend. For breakfast we cooked eggs (to go along with our pancakes, bacon, and hashbrowns) in one of the skillets and they were amazing and even more impressive was the sausage gravy we made for our biscuits in the other skillet.

Lastly, just a friendly reminder to all - my birthday is August 3rd I am sure you all can think of some great gift ideas now.

Split Personality

2009-05-18T21:00:00.003-07:00

It's the eye of the tiger-
it's the cream of the fight.
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger.

Karen, Lara, and Aubrey came over for dinner tonight and we decided to dress Aurbrey up in some boy clothes. I cut up a sock and made sweat bands for her. She literally took on the personality of a little boy. She would dance and run in place while her mom and Aunts sang "Eye of the Tiger."

Baby Proofing

2009-05-13T12:26:00.004-07:00

I am learning that baby proofing is as much a life-style as it is a preparation. Make sense? No? I'll explain what I mean:

Maria and I have had to implement some protective elements already because of our nieces. We have a baby gate that we put up in-front of the stairs anytime we have little kids over and we have covered most our unused outlets. I am learning, though, that there is so much more we need to do and I find myself looking at everything in the house differently.

For example: We have a lamp that is on the half wall between our front room and dining room. I found Davis playing with it's cord one day. The cord is long enough for him to get wrapped up in and the lamp is heavy enough that it could really hurt him if he were to pull it over.

Another example: Yesterday while I was in the office Davis was in the living room playing. When he got too quite I went to check on him. He was in the dining room trying to eat something. I thought it was a Cheerio because they seem to liter our floor all the time now that he eats them. I bent over to take a closer look and as I did I could smell the menthol in the cough-drop Davis was attempting to devour.

Going back to the lifestyle vs. preparation thing mentioned at the top I am realizing that Maria and I need to make changes in how we do things not only cover outlets or put up a gate.

Maria and I are both pretty lazy about picking up after ourselves. Don’t get me wrong we keep a pretty clean house but if we drop cereal in the morning it is likely to stay there on the floor until the next time we sweep. While cereal may not do much damage to the little boy things like bobby-pins, paper clips, or plastic from packaging could pose a real hazard and we need to be better about picking our crap up.

Best Week Ever

2009-05-11T10:35:00.005-07:00

With my Birthday and Mother's Day so close together it has been an amazing few days. My Birthday included a yummy dinner at Carrabbas with my Mom, Jake, and Davis. Later we all went over to Lara's house to eat my Mom's famous poppy seed cake. I was very spoiled in the present department as Jake surprised me by getting a memory foam for our mattress and my Mom made me a beautiful and colorful blanket. Mom Boyle sent me a funny card with $. Karen brought over flowers and the promise of 3 babysitting sessions with Davis. G-ma Davis sent me a sweet card and Lara gave me an old navy gift. Jennifer gave me a singing rat and plants for my front yard. Katy and Lyle treated us all to dinner at TGIF Fridays. It was a great birthday!

Mother's Day was just as great as Jake made me omelets with cheese, bacon, and avocado. He also made my favorite dinner--Tortellini! The best part of the my Birthday and Mother's Day was two letters that Jake wrote for me. I wish I had pictures because this really was the BEST WEEK EVER!

Birthday Letter (He actually had this ready in the car for me to open on my way into work, however, I took the truck instead of the car. It was even better since he read it to me over the phone.

May 7, 2009
Babe -
I have found another reason to put off homework...I wanted to let you know how much I love you. I know it is lame that I did not get you a card and that I let you have your gift early so I just wanted to do a little something special (and get you to cry on the way to work!).

You are such an amazing person and I am a very lucky man to have you as a wife. You are so caring, compassionate, sensitive, and selfless. You are an inspiration to me and to many others. I appreciate you very much and am grateful for everything you do for me and our family.

Davis and Timmy the Tadpole could not ask for a better mother. You love them both so much and you are willing to do anything for either one of them. They will surely grow up to be great people as they learn from you and follow your example.

I know that I give you crap about being older but you have to stop thinking of yourself in number of years but in experiences. While you have been many places and had the chance to do many things you are still very young in the fact that you still have so much more to experience in life. I hope to give you the best life possible and that we have the opportunity to see the world together and as a family. The only way that we'll be able to do this is if you continue to love and support me as you have so far in our very young marriage.

It is impossible to put exactly in words just how deep my love for you is. If you had asked me three yeas ago what love is I would have given a completely different answer. I am only now beginning to realize what love is and what a special role it plays in life. I would have a very hard time imagining my life without you. You make me happy - you make me want to be better. I can't wait to grow old with you.

Happy birthday babe - I love you!!

Jake

Mother's Day Letter (This was waiting for me in the kitchen when I woke up)

May 10, 2009
Maria my Love,

I am sure that this will not be remembered as the best Mother's Day ever and will probably be forgotten in the many to follow but I wanted to make sure you knew how much I love you. There are few mothers out there who are willing to do as much as you do for your children and for your family. The selfless act of going to work everyday is a sacrifice that you will receive many blessings for. When the day comes that you are able to stay home with our children you will be able to better cherish and appreciate that time. I am so grateful for the time I have now to play "Mommy" and to be with Davis. Don't at any time feel that you are doing the wrong thing by working. Davis is so lucky to have such a great mom and I know he loves you very much. You are an amazing mother to him and are filled with so much love, compassion, and understanding. I love watching the two of you interact and see Davis smile and laugh as he plays with you. I have you to thank for bringing such a beautiful and healthy baby boy into this world. The decisions that you made long ago and the sacrifices you made during pregnancy insured his health and strength. The blessings of your efforts will be enjoyed throughout all of Davis' life. Long before Davis was ever born you were looking out for his well-being and had such a bond of love with him. I am eternally grateful for the things your mother taught you and hope that you will teach the same things to our children so they can grow up to be as wonderful as you. Babe I love you with all of my heart and am looking forward to spending eternity with you and our children.
Happy Mother's Day!

Love,
Jake xoxo

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T08:33:00.002-07:00

The Davis Report

2009-05-09T18:51:00.003-07:00

Last night Maria and I went to dinner with some friends. We had a young girl from the ward who is trying to earn money for girls camp come over and watch Davis. We told her that this would be the easiest babysitting gig because Davis is usually in bed by 7:30. We left Davis with the 12 year old babysitter and left. We returned three hours later and found the girls mom at your front door. As we got out of the car she assured us that everything was ok and that her daughter just was not as experienced with babies as she thought she was. We went in and Davis was still wide awake and you could tell he had been crying. Davis was so tired and cranky we felt so bad for the girl she will probably never want to babysit again.

Also in the world of Davis - he is now pulling himself up into a upright standing position. He started today when I left him on the rug in the basement and came back to find him clinging to the side of the ottoman. I have seen him do it two other times since and Maria just yelled that he did it again. I am afraid that he will be walking in no time!!

Dear Maria-

2009-05-07T06:00:00.002-07:00

Looking back it is hard to believe that that such a hot mama fell in love with someone as ugly as me. I guess it is true - opposites do attract!

I am such a lucky guy to have a wife and friend as great as you. I hope that your birthday is wonderful and that we get to celebrate many more!

Love,

Jake

Davis is on the Move

2009-05-03T16:51:00.002-07:00

Moving to our Summer Home.

2009-04-22T12:31:00.004-07:00

I don't know how many of you recall our video of the basement and the room entitled "Don't Know What to do with Room" but Maria and I finally found a use for it. We are calling it our Summer House!

The basement has stayed at about 71-74 degrees with out the AC since we have moved in so we decided to move our master bedroom down there. Yesterday I moved our king size bed, our dressers, an entertainment center, Davis' crib and a bathroom cabinet down there. We took over one room and moved Davis into the other room (I am still trying to convince Maria to make the whole basement into a Master Suite and nursery but she is not going for it... yet!). Now Davis' Tree House room is a play room for him and his cousins.

The actual master bedroom can fluctuate in temperature so much due to the windows and door to the patio so we have made it into a guest room and will keep the door and all AC vents shut except for when we have guest to cut back on electricity. Now we keep the upstairs at about 80 and the basement stays at a cool 75 or so.

Word Cloud

2009-04-19T21:40:00.002-07:00

My father-in-law showed Maria and I this great site where you can make these really cool word clouds like the one above. You just cut and copy a body of text or type in a bunch of words and click create and it generates a word cloud. Words that are repeated multiple times (except words like "a, and, the" etc) appear the largest. Spence did one of his personal mission statement and his patriarchal blessing and they both turned out really cool. You can pick colors, fonts, layout and more.

Maria and I tried making one of "The Family: A Proclomation to the World" to frame and hang in our basement. It was not working out just the way we wanted it to so I made our own in Microsoft Publisher today (above). We are going to print it and will hang it in the basement.

Check out the site here.

Rex Kwon Do

2009-04-18T21:51:00.003-07:00

A couple weekends ago when Jake went up to St. Johns he brought home a trunk of junk from high school days. At least I thought it was junk till he pulled out these little beauties! Bow to your Sensei! I am one lucky woman!

Saturday Morning Photo Shoot

2009-04-18T11:35:00.001-07:00

Sugar & Old Spice & Everything Nice

2009-04-18T08:41:00.002-07:00

While babysitting Aubrey the other night I taught her how to apply deodorant. Now she sees deodorant and wants to put it on. When Lara got back she was not terribly excited about the scents being sported by her little girl. Last night while she was here she even asked for the deodorant so of course I let her have it.

They Grow Up So Fast

2009-04-15T19:45:00.006-07:00

It is amazing to see how quickly Davis is growing and learning new things like the other day he was using a fork and knife to cut his biter biscuit. He also is able to sit up on his own and play with things - he still falls over but when he does he just rolls over and gets right back up. The other day I sat him in his car seat and went into the other room to grab his diaper bag when I got back he had buckled himself into the car seat! He has been saying "da-da" for a while but now he says "ma-ma" (only when he is mad) and "bathroom" when he goes potty. Maria came home the other day and found him crawling up the stairs. It is so much fun to see him grow!

(O.K.... so I may have made some of that stuff up but he is growing and learning very quickly!)

2009-04-15T19:41:00.002-07:00

Maria and I both love this picture of Davis.

The Tooting Continues

2009-04-15T19:34:00.002-07:00

This domestic life is starting to catch hold finally. Today I went grocery shopping and came across some cheap skillet steaks (that was thier name on the label - they were just tenderized steaks) two of them cost $2.39. I bought them and fried them in crumbled saltine crackers and cajun seasoning. I think they were really good and Maria would have liked them better if she was a bigger fan of chicken fried steak. (the picture does not give them justice)

School Update

2009-04-14T20:57:00.006-07:00

Well I just finished up my first of four rounds of four classes every six weeks. Classes ended on Sunday (I was done by Saturday) and the next four started yesterday. I am not looking forward to the next six weeks (or the 12 to follow those) of school. I am so glad to be getting it done and as of right now I will be done with my last class on August 23!!

I want to toot my own horn for a bit (seeing as how no one else will) and let you all know that I basically kicked butt during the last six weeks and got 3 A's and one B. Believe it or not if I can keep up like this I may actually graduate with honors (like you Katy!).

The real reason for tooting my own horn is to thank everyone who has made it possible for me to do as well as I have.

First and foremost: Maria - Maria is such a strength. This girl is so dedicated to family and to me especially. She would do anything for me and I am so lucky to have such a loving and supporting wife.

Secondly: My Parents - If ever a tie for first should exist this would be the case. My parents pushed me to go to the University and the best part they have footed almost all of the bill! Walden U. is so much more expensive than ASU that recently we have taken out student loans but the majority of my education has been an investment by my parents.

Thirdly: Babysitters - Kelly, Lara, Karen, Quentin, Mom, Mom-in-law, Katy, and I am sure many others who I am now forgetting, you have no idea how much it helps to have you guys take Davis for a couple of hours here and there and let me focus on school.

I think that is enough for now if I have mistakenly left you out add your name in a comment!

It's all in your head...

2009-04-03T21:51:00.003-07:00

I went to the doctors office to get some antibiotics for my double ear infection and sinus infection earlier this week. As they always do they bum me out by making me step on the scale first thing but to my surprise I had lost some more weight. When Maria got home that night I told her about my weight loss and she assured me it was all in my head (not meaning I was making it up but rather that my head looks less fat!). I laughed my "I hate you" laugh but she insisted and said "seriously I noticed it in the picture of you at the yard sale(above), your face is looking skinnier."

So as from June 10, 2008 when I went of sugar I have lost a total of 25 pounds from my head.

My Boy the Genius

2009-04-01T05:22:00.008-07:00

Yesterday while I was in line waiting to get my lunch, I caught myself swaying back and forth like I was holding Davis in my arms.

On another note it seems we have a little genius on our hands. Davis at 5 months will repeat the word "Da Da"! He also is ready to crawl. He is able to get up on all fours and lurch himself forward or backward. I love my Davis!

I tried to get this picture of him while he was sleeping in his crib. I can never get a good picture of him while sleeping. I guess it has something to do with the obnoxious flash in his face.
He loves this pink elephant that was Aubrey's. We try not to let him have it in public or everyone thinks he is a girl.

Speaking of girls. Karen put this bow on his head one night before bedtime. I'm not sure what the deal is with the Halloween PJs in February.

My blue eyed boy!

Ahhh... Peace and Quiet.

2009-03-20T10:18:00.003-07:00

It has been a rough couple of days around here. This whole Mr. Mom crap is not all that it is made out to be. I am so grateful for Maria and the wonderful mother that she is, I wish it were her here with the boy all day long to take care of him and to love him. I keep telling her, and myself, that it wont be long and the tables will turn, I will be working my 40 and she will be home. Don't get me wrong I am happy to have this time with Davis but I know she could be doing a better job.

Davis is starting to teeth, we believe. He is not sleeping his 8-10 hours during the night like he used to. For the last week and a half he would would wake up in the middle of the night and whine - not cry just whine! I would stick his pacifier back in his mouth (although one time I tried forcing it into his eye on accident) and he would go back to sleep for about a half hour and the fun would start over again.

Yesterday I accidentally gave him a double dose of Tylenol (the baby stuff at least) and the afternoon he was much more pleasant and that night Maria gave him more and he slept the whole night accept for one little episode of whining.

Today Maria's mom has taken him shopping and out of the house for a while. This could not have come at a better time. I have three mid-terms, four one page papers, two quizzes, and some discussion questions to answer.

People that make me laugh part 2

2009-03-18T15:41:00.003-07:00

Michael Bolton

I have been jealous of his long flowing locks over the years and even have to admit that I stole Josh's Michael Bolton tour t-shirt a few years back. The phrase on the back of the shirt epitomizes the wonderfulness that is Michael Bolton, "Time, Love, & Tenderness". I would wear the shirt in the safeness of my house and an occasional Halloween. I know Mike B. "aka Cusan" has always been jealous of the t-shirt and Michael Bolton's beautiful mane. I have included a few of pictures of the Bolton below. ENJOY my friends!

Why am I irritated? How do I overcome this?

2009-03-12T19:31:00.003-07:00

One very simple trick I have learned from my psychologist is to sit down and write what ever is bothering me. For example it could be that I am irritated at work because I have a lot I need to accomplish and there are unnecessary meetings that are taking me away from work. Without censoring or thinking I write down what is bothering me. When I am finished I take out my scissors and cut up the paper and throw it away. Visually this is helpful, but more importantly mentally I am throwing away the worry. If the though comes into my mind I remind myself that I threw it away. Why worry about something that I cannot control? This is where a lot of my stress occurs. I hold on to these annoyances and let them build up. There comes a point when I break because I am carrying too many. Once I have cut the paper up, I remember that these are beyond me and why take on the extra worry I cannot control. I am going to try and post different tools that I am learning like the one above. I can't express how much this particular one has helped me to deal with everyday trials. Try it... you'll like it!