SMILES!!!

YEAH!!! I finally got one of him smiling! ain't he a cute one?

Jared just LOVES his baby brother. and spencer LOVES him. he gets so excited when jared gives him hugs and kisses.

So, the quality of this video is pretty poor. I'm trying to figure out how to make the videos smaller files so they are easier to upload. But i put this on anyway 'cause i wanted to show jason what jared was doing while i was talking to him on the phone this evening.

He is one silly boy. He loves to play "sword fight" It's one of those things that i have no idea where he learned it. His favorite "swords" are hangers and sticks.

Other things he has learned to say: "YES!" (when answering questions- he used to always say "Yeah") "Wait!" "What's that noise Mommy?" (yes, he says the whole sentence) "Down please" He is really good at saying please, thanks, and welcome.

Silly Boys!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how fast my boys are growing. It is just crazy!

Spencer is already trying to roll over. it is quite hilarious to watch. when he is laying on his back, he automatically rolls over on his side. then he rolls just a little bit farther so that he is still technically on his side but his face is smashed into the ground. and well, then he gets stuck and starts screaming his head off. i try to leave him so that he can use his own muscles to go one way or the other. but, most of the time i have to rescue him. it's kind of a funny game we play.

he also is trying really hard to do some big belly laughs- but hasn't quite figured that out yet either. sooo cute. he gets this big smile on his face and then kind of just grunts. kind of like a pig. so funny.

jared is talking like crazy! i really need to start writing more down. he is trying soooo hard to form sentences. Today he was trying to get my attention and finally laid down on the floor in front of me and said "Mommy, tickle Jared" guess i he needed me to play with him.

i was busy putting his new big boy room together. at first i was going to go all out painting and all kinds of crazy stuff. but, i decided to keep it a little simpler- just 'cause who knows what the future holds for us. i'll post pictures soon. probably not until after jason comes home at the end of the month- that way it can be a surprise for him. (he gets to come home for memorial day weekend!) also, i haven't finished spencer's room yet. so, i'll post them all at the same time.

he is sleeping in his little toddler bed tonight and LOVES it. i haven't been down to check on him yet, but i'm pretty sure he stayed in it, 'cause i haven't heard from him.

other funny things jared says: "Bummer!" "Deeelicious!" "Me- Jared!" "Spencer is CUTE!" (he says that probably 20 times a day) "Daddy is Cute! Mommy is Cute! Jared is Cute!" (that's all i can think of right now, but there are many many more!)

AND I KNOW---- I NEED SOME UPDATED PICS ---- COMING SOON........

So Fun- Something to make daddy smile!

i just noticed our little ticker on the side- LESS THAN 100 DAYS to go!!!!!!!

Whaa-Chew-Ka

Yep, this last weekend we made the 14+ hour trip DOWN (very. far. down.) to Fort Huachuca (yes, pronounced- Whaa-Chew-Ka) to spend a WONDERFUL weekend with jason. Oh, it was great! He actually got to stay with us in our room for 2 of the nights, so it felt like we were a real family or something...

The drive down wasn't too bad. We first drove to ST. George. spent 2 nights at gramma mcke's and then got up and left at 4 am. which, didn't do me any good. i left that early with the idea that jared would sleep a few of the hours in the morning. NOPE- he woke up when i put him in the car and stayed awake 'til about noon. It is a 9 1/2 hour drive from ST. George. he slept for maybe an hour of it. :) but he really is such a good boy. as long as i had a movie playing, he was set. we made it there in 9 hours and were so excited.

Now, coming home was a very different story. it took us 12 hours to get back to ST. George. we stopped sooo many times. spencer was hungry or had to burp or i had to pee or jared needed to get out of his seat or or or or- who knows how many times we stopped. i was soooo done driving that we stayed another day there and saw my grandparents before starting home. we also stopped at my cousins house that next day and saw her and her way cute kids, spent the night there and then, finally came home. total we were gone 9 days. yeah, i'm tired. vacations always make me tired- but they are very much worth it- especially this one!
I still haven't be able to catch his cute smile:(

Jared was in HIGH heaven- literally- to be able to play with his daddy. This was the first time since he left that jason was able to wear "civilian" clothing- so he actually got to feel like a real person. We went to the park, and played, played, played.

Who is bigger??


Daddy LOVES his boys!! and they both REALLY love him. Spencer even started to learn to recognize his voice. I put the phone up to his ear today to listen to jason and he just started smiling sooo big and cooing at his daddy. he did it again when we got home and i turned on the home video we had taken over the weekend. as soon as jason started talking spencer started turning his head back and forth, smiling, looking for his daddy.

Huachuca is only about 15 minutes away from the famous "Tombstone" so we thought we would go and check it out while we were down there. Just in case you ever had a desire to go there, don't. nothing special. we even paid ten bucks for a lousy gun fighting show that scared jared to death and we ended up leaving in the middle of it. I guess we were hoping it would be a little more exciting. there really were quite a lot of people there. tour buses full of people. but no, no live bands -one cowboy, one horse, one nasty, scanky OLD saloon lady. we could have taken a horse drawn carriage tour around the place for like 20 bucks a person. "the place" was two blocks. what you see in the pictures is it. so, at least we can say we've been there, but we probably won't ever go back! and luckily, since it was close, we didn't feel like it was a waste of time.

also, if you ever have a desire to drive straight down through the state of arizona, just know that all you will see are cactus. like real huge cactus in the movies. but that was it. (oh and the hoover dam, which was kind of fun) otherwise, i just felt like i was stuck on pearblossom highway FOREVER.

We really did have a great weekend though. just being able to be together, even if we were doing nothing, was heaven. When jason called this evening he asked if it felt good to be home. I had to be honest. That little hotel room felt more like home then this house does right now.

I was sitting on the couch shortly after coming home and thinking about that. yeah, it made me all emotional and stuff. but it is sooo true. it was such an overwhelming feeling. i just don't feel like we are complete with out him. which is cheesy and obviously not a new feeling or concept. but for some reason today, it felt so real. something was missing. and though he has been missing since january, and i have missed him terribly since then, today, i felt that longing accompanied by the literal feeling of the bonds of an eternal hope that keep us together. i'm grateful for the emptiness and aching that i feel, and for the knowledge of how such a short time this is in our lives that fills those feelings and keeps me motivated to become a better me while he is gone. i don't know if that makes any sense to you. it's kind of hard for me to describe.

I am just so grateful for such an incredible husband. he is working so hard. he is learning so much and IS a better man because of it. i really can't ask for more.

Oh, and i just have to add that I LOVED these swings. you could actually swing pretty high on them, and they are comfortable. definitely going on my wish list for my dream house. on sunday evening right before we had to take jason back to his room, all four of us were swinging together. it was perfect.

2 months and growing....

Spencer had his 2 month appointment today. He is HUGE! 13 pounds 10 ounces 22 1/2 in long! He is in the 95% for weight and head size, but only in the 25% for length. he's a little short:) He is such a cute boy. I've gotten a few little giggles out of him, here and there. He's trying really hard to find his voice (not the voice he uses for screaming- he knows how to use that REALLY well!) he does kind of cry a lot. not too much that it drives me toooo crazy, but more than jared ever did.

I've started him on the "babywise" book/schedule and i really quite like it. I've adapted it to meet our needs, and it's going pretty well. He sleeps from 8pm to 4 am, eats, and then sleeps 'till 7 am. not too bad for 9 1/2 weeks. during the day he does really well sleeping/eating/playing (in that order) it's nice to not have to nurse him to go to sleep. he does still cry himself to sleep a couple of time a day, but it usually only lasts about 5 minutes. for the most part, he just falls asleep on his own.

Yep, yep, yep!

sometimes i wish i was a little bit more like DUCKY.

jared has started watching this movie a lot. he loves dinosaurs. as we were watching it today, i started thinking a lot about Ducky's attitude throughout the movie. (i know, my world revolves around things a 2 year likes- that is just the way it is)

Particularly, i was thinking about when she meets Petrie. she loves him immediately. she doesn't judge him or criticize him for not knowing how to fly. she encourages him and is very honest with him- "i flew?" "no, you falled"

i know. it's a bit silly. i could go on and on about ducky. but i'll leave you with that example. while i don't want to be as naive as her, i wish i was a bit more sensitive like her. i hope i can be more open to other people that aren't like me. i hope that i am not quick to judge. that i can encourage and praise and also be truly honest with them.

if you haven't seen the movie in a while, get your kids and watch it. pay attention to the dynamics of how the friends work together. it's a bit inspiring.

Some people..

Have such an amazing way of putting things. I don't know how many of you have heard much about all the FLDS stuff happening in Texas. Here, it seems it's all they talk about on the news. and from what i've heard/read- the national press has been linking FLDS with LDS way too much. but this BLOG (click the link) says it like it is. it's great.

Weeee

Sunshine baby!

Spencer has started smiling the cutest smiles! his entire face just lights up. This picture above is my silly effort to try and catch one of those smiles. While he can do it, they are still very short smiles. i'll try to get a better one.
yes, he now has gone from fist to thumb. and, he doesn't really dig his paci anymore. he'll still take it, but he prefers his hand. i'm trying to prevent that. i don't think i have a choice.
and yeeeeeaaaahhhhhh! the sun has finally decided to show itself around here. We went for a walk to the park and it was BEAUTIFUL- i even got a little sun on my arms. This face that jared is making is totally intentional. it's his- i've got my hat and dollar store girlie glasses, and I AM COOL- face. i love it. he gives me that look quite often.
I call this shot "longing." he was staring at this little girl eating fishy crackers. he really wanted some (he can't have them, he's allergic to them)
when i told him to get ready to go - to get his hat, glasses, shoes- and get in the car (we drove to a little trail, then walked to the park) he looked at me and said "sweatshirt?" poor kid. he's been living in the cold for far too long.

I guess it's true.....

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Jared would wear a hoodie every day if I let him.

and so would I! (if i wasn't trying to "de-frump" my mommy style)

he's just recently discovered how fun the front pocket is. if he isn't doing something specific with is hands, they go straight into that pocket.

This is for Daddy

So this was at Bryce's baptism. It shows a little bit of Jared's personality. He was mighty frustrated that Shane kept somehow gaining control of the microphone. I've seen him do the same thing in nursery when someone takes a toy from him- he yells "hey, hey, hey!" and looks around for someone to rectify the situation. In this situation, it was his fun cousin, Ashlyn. Pretty cute.

Shane is pretty cute too. Right before I started filming, he had been singing "I Am a Child of God." it was precious.

singing- kind of!

So this song- The Bear Went Over the Mountain- i just started singing to jared this morning. Later, he started singing it on his own. That was his first attempt- that i have heard- of him actually trying to sing a song. Occasionally, he say things from other songs- like, Twinkle Twinnkle, I am a child of God, I love to see the temple- but this time he actually said most of the right words. Except when i try to get it on video.

So, you get the silly version. It's still cute- at least i think so. Even if you can't understand what he is saying. I promise, he really can sing it!

Oh, and yes he is "nakey" as he likes to call it. I watched conference all day, and he learned to take his pants and shirt off. he thought he was soooo funny!

big boy spencer!

He loves to suck on his hands. it is so cute. he still takes his paci really well, but as soon as he looses it, in go the hands!

Daddy!!

We left on tuesday to fly out to kentucky to attend jason's basic training graduation. jason's mom came with us- which, to say the least, was a life saver. sooooo much help. it would have been way too crazy if i had to have done it by myself.

oh, and just to let you know. if you happen to ever find yourself and another adult flying with two lap babies, you aren't allowed to sit next to each other because there aren't enough oxygen masks in one row. and if you happen to fly on US airways, they will be kind of rude about it and make you switch after you've already been in the air for over an hour. and a certain flight attendant will "graciously" offer the person that switched seats to sit by you as much alcohol as they want. that poor person having to sit by you- the one with a wiggly toddler on your lap. you might think to yourself more than once how you wished she was offering you the alcohol. (totally kidding, well, maybe....:) and she might tell you how much she thinks your son looks like a "little pill" even if you try to tell her that he really is a good boy.

other than that, and the fact that radcliff, kentucky doesn't have enough public parks that aren't under construction, the trip was GREAT.

we got there Wednesday morning around 2 AM. got up that morning and went to pick jason up at 11 AM. they had a little briefing meeting at the beginning, telling us what we can and can't do. then we went around the corner and the entire company was all lined up, ready to see their families.

i had to wait in line and sign him out. it felt like i was picking up a package or something.

but it was sooooooo good to see him. i'm very glad we made the trip, as quick as it was, it was worth it.

jason got to see our spencer boy. it was all very emotional for everyone.
jared was a little timid at first- for about a minute. once he realized that it really was his daddy, he was sooooo excited to play.

we got to be with him for the day until 7:45pm. we drove around for a while, trying to find a silly park to play on. didn't happen. but we were all together so it did't matter. we ended up just having a picnic on the grass at the patton museum. that is where the tanks and "copters" are.

we were very blessed to have cooperative weather all that day. pretty much we just hung out. we did a little shopping, got jason a few things. ate some rather weird mexican food for dinner, and dropped jason of just in time- literally- he was like the last one there and had to RUN.

the next morning was his graduation. jason was one of the first ones through the door as they all marched in. he carried the flag and stood out in front. i loved that 'cause i could watch him through the ceremony rather easily.

it was in invigorating patriotic ceremony. made me soo proud of my soldier.
they only gave us ten minutes after the ceremony to visit because they quickly bussed them off to the airport. his flight wasn't until 6:30ish and ours wasn't until 5 so we all headed to the airport and hung out some more for a few hours.

we definitely were blessed that the airport was smaller so that we could all be together for the day. it made it feel like we got two days together instead of just the one.

so, all in all it was wonderful. jared got to play with his daddy. i got a good amount on video for jared to watch over and over and over again. he now has somewhat of an understanding of where his daddy is, which is nice. he says "daddy- soldier!"

saying goodbye was terrible. tears rolled down my cheeks as our plane took off and i thought to myself- "wow, how did i get so lucky?" he is an incredible man. i can't even imagine how it must be to be all alone away from your family. at least i've got the boys to keep me company- and busy.
he says he has lost about twenty pounds. he looks GOOD- not that he didn't before :) but you know.

so, now he is in arizona and will be there until the beginning of august. the good news is that we can pretty much go and see him whenever we want. you know, whenever i'm in the mood to make a 14 hour drive :) but he has more of a student's schedule now- off at 5 pm, weekends off. he gets his cell phone also now, which makes things soooo nice. i love getting to talk to him everyday again. he also gets a couple 3 or 4 day weekends when he can fly home. i think that will help the time go by a little faster.
i'm going to try and make it so that we see him once a month. hopefully it will all work that way.

WOW- what a month!!

wow- is an understatement. i'm sure most of you figured- "hmmm, i guess she hasn't figured out how to handle TWO kids and keep her blog current, all at the SAME time!"

well, that is only partly true. really, it's because we've pretty much been gone since the beginning of the march AND Circuit City is really really annoying.

you see, the power cord to our lap top broke. good thing we bought that $200 protection plan. i take it into the store to get a new one. but no, of course it wasn't that simple. they had to send it off for a new one.

they said it would "only take a week." there were also a couple keys broken on the computer (that's what happens when you drop a book on it- just in case you didn't know) so i sent the computer in with the cord- 'cause, you know, it would only take a week.

that was march 7. i didn't get it back until monday-as in april 1. it's kind of hard to keep a blog current when you don't have your own computer.

so here we are now. and i don't even really know where to begin. lots of pictures. lots of family. lots of fun.

at the beginning of the month, we spent about a week in park city at shawna's house. wilsons came up from cc and we had some fun with lots of cousins.

jared was in HEAVEN. he followed those boys around the house every where they went. if he couldn't find them, he would start yelling "bryce, shane, brett, jake" in search of them. he was so sad to come home. don't worry, he didn't have to wait long to see them all again.

As you can see in the pictures, jared is still adjusting to spencer, and all that having a new baby intells. he will not, for the life of me, stop climbing into spencers stuff. the swing, the bathtub, the bouncer. he does it when i am not in the room. i'll walk in and find him just hanging out- thinking he is so tricky.

then, right before easter, we went down to gramma mcke's house. on saturday we took jared to a candy fest at albertsons. they had candy thrown all up and down the aisles for the kids to gather. jared was a bit shy and really just watched the other kids. i kept trying to get him to pick something up. i guess it didn't matter much since he couldn't eat any of the candy anyway. but hey, i wanted candy too!!

we went to church with her on easter morning then headed down to aunt dee-boo's for a yummy easter dinner. when we pulled up to dee's house, jared yelled "yeah, Bridgett!" (dee's adorable baby girl) he was soooo excited. he would follow deanna around the house saying "dee-boo, dee-boo" he really has started talking soooo much.

then..... we went and saw our daddy!!!!!! it was wonderful. but, i'll write a post on that later.

when we got back we had bryce's baptism- which brought lots of cousins together. wilsons, doughmans (obviously) and even heather and ashlyn flew out from folsom. it was a special and personal baptism. everyone got to say a few things to bryce. and, of course, when it was my turn, i bawled like a baby. it was hard not having jason there with all of his family. but i got through it and we will get through the next four months.

anyway, that was march. we just got home yesterday. jared is going through withdrawals. he has to learn to play by himself again.