Keepin' Up with The Jones'

Hold the phones.. almost 9 MOS OLD??

2011-10-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Are you kidding me?!? Your joking right?!? Kaiden is almost 9 mos old?? WHAT?! Someone please tell me I'm dreaming! This can not be happening! My baby can not be nearing 1 year old! *sigh*... Why God? Why??? :) Its true, I Can. Not. Believe. how fast time flies as you get older. Its craziness! Anyways, please take a moment to dote on my lil kutie kaiden while he's still young....

Trip to Michigan!

2011-08-26T15:27:00.001-07:00

*Trip Highlights*:

Cousin Daxon teaching Xander how to catch frogs!
This is the fish pond I dug up as a child with my siblings because we were jealous that all our neighbors had ponds!

Swinging on the swing we had when I was growing up!

Playing in the sand at Houghton Lake.

Kaiden being a stinking CUTIE at Houghton Lake!

Admiring the animals at the Detroit Zoo with Cousin Emery!

(See more picture on my facebook page!)

We just got back from our trip to Michigan to visit my family! It was so crazy to be home again where I grew up most my life... everything seems so different since the last time I've been there- trees are 10x as big, yard is more lush, there are chickens running around now (that my mom hopes will lay eggs some day), and my siblings are of course growing up So fast!!

The first few days, we went up to Houghton Lake and stayed in cabins by the lake. Lake was gorgeous, and we floated down the Asable River. The kids LOVED playing in the sand and water!

When we got home, we visited the Detroit Zoo, and my Grandma Kortas (Great Gramma to Xander.) It was so great to see everyone, will miss them and hopefully its not too long till we see them next!!

It takes a while to post pics on here, so here are some highlights of our trip. I have ALL the rest posted on Facebook if you'd like to see!

Family Pic

2011-07-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here is an updated family picture- since we ARE a family of 4 now! I've been meaning to get professional pics done but it just hasnt happened yet! We're hoping to get them done soon...

Happy Forth!!

2011-07-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

We went to our friends, the Emery's house for swimming, BBQ, and fireworks this year. Here we are, Watching the Aliante Station firworks from the street- they were PERFECT seats! The fireworks looked like they were right at the end of the street!

Xander covered his nose when the smoke would blow his way.

Here's a video for you, Mom of Xander watching the fireworks!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Despite whats going on nowadays, We live in the greatest country in the world, that God has prepared for us to be able to spread and live the gospel!

Shake Shake Shake

2011-06-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Dont worry- I didnt let Travis shake the baby too hard- he was just trying to make his cheeks jiggle ;) He's such a fatty- about 16 lbs now.. and wearing 6mo old clothes! He's definately be bigger than Xander one day- and then he'll get his revenge! (Xander can get alittle rough with Kaiden.) Love him to death!!!!

Poconos?

2011-06-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Its fun to hear Xander trying to say words. Sometimes he's really good- like the other day he heard a siren and said, "Ambunence?" Holy crap, ya! Here he is trying to say "Popsicle". You'd think he'd have it down by now- he says it about 50 times a day!!

Oh the Joys....

2011-06-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

... of having 2 kids!! I know, all you mothers of more than 2 are rolling your eyes right now.. but you have to admit, going from 1 to 2 is a big adjustment! I mean, its slowly getting better- but some days it seems like if one kid isnt crying, the other one is!! But I guess, looking on the bright side- that means I always have a happy child to play with :) As it is in this video:

My Chunky Monkey

2011-06-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Four Months Old! *sigh* They grow too fast! Kaiden smiles all the time now. Still working on getting him to laugh. Just haven't found what'll crack him up yet. Here are some pics I've taken the last few days.

Kaiden LOVES to suck on his fingers! He's not a huge Binky fan, but is always trying to get his fists up to his mouth! Kinda worried about that cuz I know I'm gonna have to break him of that habit one day. He must be getting some sort of calories from it because he is one Chunky Monkey!! He's alot heavier than Xander.. Xander didnt grow this fast thats for sure.

Chillin out in his Bumbo chair!

This is the face he makes when he's trying to get his fist to his mouth.. he opens his mouth all wide and wiggles his arms. Poor thing.. hes starting to get it down though :)

You could tell he was trying so hard to reach this toy. Its sad to see them so helpless!

It was so funny- for the longest time, Kaiden just stared at Xanders butt! hahah

Time for bed

2011-06-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

Can you tell he likes to cuddle?

Thrush

2011-05-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

So, I believe that Kaiden and I haven been passing Thrush back and forth so I went and bought some Gentian Violet- which I read is supposed to work wonders at getting rid of it- Welp, they weren't kidding when they said its very messy! and it Stains!! I hope the stains go away by tomorrow for church!

I'm In Love

2011-05-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

*Love Them*

Tummy Time!

Bath Time!

"Mommy, Get this kid away from me!!"

Putting the kid to good use.

Midnight Bath after spitting up all over himself.

Total Money Makeover

2011-05-03T13:51:00.001-07:00

Travis and I just got done reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey because we were just sick of feeling like we were living paycheck to paycheck and not building up a savings very fast, etc. So, now we are dedicated to going through Dave's steps in order to acheive financial freedom!! :) We've cut back on some things and I've actually made a Budget! (for the first time ever!) And its so empowering knowing where our money is dissappearing to! One of the quotes in Dave's book is: (this is referring to the importance of a budget)

"A budget is people telling their money where to go, rather than wondering where it went!"

We were always wondering where our money went, and it was so frustrating. So, I made a budget and we are sticking to it (for the most part!)

I've also been on a huge couponing kick lately. My husband probably thinks I eat, drink, and breathe coupons, but its been so fun and amazing to see how cheap i can purchase things! Plus- and this is the best part- it gets my shopping kick out of the way without me spending tons of money!

Here is a picture of some things I've gotten for FREE, or less than $1. Most of them were free, only a few were less than $1:

Awesome huh?? Its exciting- if you haven't taken up couponing, I highly suggest it! I have some great blogs I follow that help newbies like me- they even put out weekly lists of what you can get for free or cheap with the sales that week paired with the coupons! If your interested, they are:

http://www.hip2save.com/

http://www.passionforsavings.com/

http://www.homemakingexpert.com/

And of course, if you want to start printing coupons of your own to save you some money, you can go to:

http://www.coupons.com/

http://www.redplum.com/

http://www.smartsource.com/

Or get your local Sunday paper.

I have tried couponing a couple times in the past but always ended up giving up because I never thought I was getting a very good deal ("I can get it cheaper if i just buy the generic brand at full price!") But after following these blogs and learning a few things, I think I finally got it down!

Bonding

2011-04-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

Travis doesnt spend a whole lot of time getting to know little Kaiden, because he is always so busy with Xander. Plus, its harder for him to play with a newborn than it is with a 2 year old! But last night, lil Kaiden was on his chest just smiling away and being super cute! I loved it!

Speaking of Travis being busy, he just got called as the new Ward Mission Leader. We were previously ward missionaries and our Mission Leader, (also a Brother Jones), was a firecracker- a go-getter, and very good Mission Leader. When he had to move, Travis told me, "Whoever has to replace him has some big shoes to fill!" and then the Bishop calls him into his office! Lol! You should have seen the look on his face when he was called! He is extremely nervous but only because he wants to do as good a job as the last Brother Jones! But I know he'll do a wonderful job. He is not afraid to talk to people and get things done, so I have total confidence in him!

8 Weeks Old!!

2011-04-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

So, holy cow- Kaiden is growing much faster than Xander did! he is already out of his newborn clothes and into his 3-6 mo size! He's a chunky monkey thats for sure.. and I love every inch of him! :) He gained 4 lbs in 6 weeks when the average is 2 lbs each month!

Xander is loving him very much- alittle too much- I now know the meaning of "loving someone to death"... sometimes I'm afraid Xander just might do that! We are learning to become more gentle!

Kaiden is very dependent still- when he is awake he wants to be held allll the time! He will be screaming bloody murder, but the second i pick him up- Silence! It is definately a hinder when I need to get things done and deal with Xander, but overall, I dont mind the constant cuddle time :) I am soaking it up!

Can you say, "awww"?

2011-02-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

There are no words.

My Favorite Feature

2011-02-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

So these are my absolute fav.. Kaiden's dimples! Well, only 1 on his cheek, and another on his chin... its sort of a cleft in his chin. Anyways- just like his Daddy! SO cute! I just about jumped up and down when I saw it! I had been saying all along, "I hope he has your dimple Trav!" I got my wish!

Kaiden Pateman Jones is here!

2011-02-08T11:01:00.001-08:00

So we got an unexpected surprise 3 weeks early! Kaiden Pateman Jones decided he couldnt wait to join our gorgeous family and was born February 7, 2011 at 11:42am...

I woke up with what I thought might be contractions, and sure enough, they got intense pretty quickly and within about 3-4 hours I had him at home with my wonderful midwife, Dixie!

It definatly felt like it went alot slower than last time, but still quick enough for me to bear through the pain :) (as much as you possibly can)

He was:

6 lb 14 oz

20" long

Light Hair- I have a feeling he will have pretty light hair- probably blonde/dark blonde

Has Daddy's dimples- one on his cheek and on his chin!

I had a feeling he would be early cuz Xander was 2 weeks early, but wasn't expecting this early! He was born 5 days before Xander's birthday- which is this Saturday, the 12th. So, they are just under 2 years apart.

SO glad he is finally here, SO glad he is perfectly healthy despite the early arrival, and SO glad I am done being pregnant!!

Thank you SO much to Dixie Story (midwife) and Jennifer Budge for helping out with this wonderful experience! We love you both!

Blog Invites?

2011-01-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

So, I've noticed that quite a few of you bloggers out there have changed their profiles to "invited readers only". So... if any of you haven't invited me yet, can you do so?? Just cuz I would love to see the updates on your families and see whats going on with you! If you have already invited me in the past, it might have expired so send it again! Thanks!

8 Months Preggo!

2011-01-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I only have 1 more month to go till I have this kid?? It finally hit me that I dont have much time left so i've been trying to gather everything I need: diapers, clean baby clothes, birth kit, labor prep stuff, etc etc. I am having my baby at home again and am *praying* that it goes as quickly and smoothly as last time (remember the coveted 2 hour labor?) but I have a hard time believing it'll go as fast this time so i've been doing some prepping on breathing and relaxation techniques, etc so I can be prepared in case its a long labor this time!

I am using a different midwife this time- her name is Dixie Story. She is super sweet. I loved my midwife last time, too but she is across town and is also more expensive so we decided that we needed to find someone I liked who was cheaper!

I sure cant wait to have this baby already! I think dealing with newborns is WAY more fun than being pregnant! I'd much rather deal with sore nipples than nausea; poopy diapers than heartburn; and sleepless nights than not being able to run after my kid! So here's to my baby coming healthy, and my baby coming early rather than late!

Grateful for Giggles!

2010-11-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

One of the things we are greatful for this Thanksgiving is for Xander's giggle! It is so easy to make him laugh... and he's such a joyful kid (although we are embarking on the terrible 2's a bit). We are so excited to have another one to fill the air with even more giggles next year... I hope everyone remembers the little things this year- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Decorating the Tree!

2010-11-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

We gave into the temptation last Monday and put up our Christmas tree for FHE... It was fun to decorate with Xander for the first time.. he has done well with leaving the ornaments on the tree! Tis the Season!

Yay! All done!

Ooo so pretty!

5 Months

2010-10-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

I am 5 months along now.. starting to show all of a sudden. Still been sick but atleast its off and on and now.. hopefully it'll be completely gone soon. I know some women LOVE being pregnant and having a belly but have never been a big fan of pregnancy.. I just want to have the baby already and have my old energy and body back! Maybe if I was one of these women that never got anything worse than just a "nauseas" feeling during the day and never threw up, never got heart burn and could sleep 10 hours striaght at night, it'd be a different story... but nope. To me, being pregnant just sucks the life out of me.. I dress like a frump all day long, I dont have energy to do hardly anything, and lets not comment on how the house cleaning is (not) coming along!

BUT- I am willing to bear through all this because I know God is going to send me a beautiful, happy little boy who I am going to fully enjoy raising and loving and bonding with! I now know that there is NOTHING more satisfying in life than raising a child and seeing him grow and learn. So, 40 weeks? Can you get here tomorrow?? :)

Baby Boy #2

2010-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

We went and got an ultrasound done yesterday to find out the sex of the baby.. its a Boy! Here are some pictures and a video of him moving around.

Side Profile

Waving Hello!

100% Boy: he kept grabbing himself! haha

Here is a clip of the 15 min video we have: In the beginning is a 3D pic of his little thingy and him trying to cover it up! Then you see a 2D video of him kicking off the side and arching his back.. and then turning to the side.. it was cute to see him moving around so much! He was a wiggler!

If you want to see more pics of the day.. go to my facebook page.

Body Parts

2010-08-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Xander is learning his body parts.. its really cute to see him soaking everything up.. Now if we could only get him to start speaking!

"Here's my teeth!"

Its hilarious how he sticks his finger up his nose when he finds his nose. he doesnt mess around!

Hoover Dam

2010-08-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

My little sister, Carly is staying with us during the summer to work until she goes to BYU-I this fall. Its been a HUGE help having her here and we hope she's enjoying herself and isnt too homesick! :) She had never seen the Hoover Dam and was interested to go, so we decided to take a trip down there last Saturday. It was so nice to get outside and enjoy some fresh (hot) air. Afterwards, we went to a not-so-great rocky beach at Lake Mead.. but the water felt great!

Holly's Wedding

2010-05-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Here is our latest "family" pic (where we are actually dressed up). It was at my friend, Holly Schaeffers' wedding. She was one of my bridesmaids. We were roommates when i first moved to Vegas.. I love her to death and am so excited that she's joined the "club" :) Her wedding was BEEutiful.. one of the nicest "cultural hall" weddings I've been to. And the cake.... oh... my... goodness.... sooo moist and yummy! Congratulations Holly! Can't wait for you to start a blog, too now! ;)

27 & Counting... unfortunately :(

2010-05-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

So, its happened.. I've crossed the line from early "20s" to almost 30! *SIGH*... but you know what? I am not gonna let it get the best of me! I am going to embrace life and enjoy every piece of it. A friend of mine, at 60, said she was having more fun than ever before in her life- so I am gonna use that as my ray of hope and start looking forward to those later years in my life!

To celebrate, Trav took the day off (which he highly deserves, working 6 days a week for the past several months, plus its a holiday so Come on!) and we went with our friends, Richard & his wife Patricia to a brazilian restaurant called Pampa's. It was soo yummy! They would serve you 7 different kinds of meat Rodizio style.. where they bring them around table to table and slice you off as much as you want. It was pretty yummy having a variety of meat.. MMmmm We love meat over here!

Here are some pics of us at lunch... afterwards we went to the Bellagio. Fun.

Too much energy

2010-05-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Xander was doing this really funny thing where he would get all intense and clench his fists and bite down on his teeth.. it was hilarious.. and once he saw that it made us laugh.. of course he kept doing it (comedian like his daddy.) It was cracking us up. The end of the video is the best :)

Photo booth

2010-04-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

So i tried to take a good picture of me and Xander with the timer setting on the camera.. i figured it'd take a few shots so I set it to take 3 shots at a time. These were the candid shots it caught.. thought they were great! Me and Xander- hangin out! We're pretty much best buds!

Karate chop!

"Mom, pay attention!"

"No- to the camera!"

Best buds!

Toothy smile

2010-04-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Haha I am loving Xander's big front teeth!

Kisses

2010-04-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Xander learned to give kisses- open-mouthed kisses! We're still working on the "puckering up" part :). Its cute cuz I will say, "Gimme a kiss" then after he kisses me I'll say, "that was a good kiss!" and he thinks I'm saying "gimme a kiss" again. He just hears the word "Kiss" and goes for it!

Crazy Kids

2010-04-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Xander loves to play with his cousins.. he had a blast at Lucus and Misty's house when I babysat for them today. Here he is cracking up at Daniel hitting himself in the head! hahah! Kids are so crazy!

Gettin Jiggy

2010-04-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

Xander loves to get jiggy-widdit... Me and Trav dance alot so he learns from the best.. (haha). Go Xander! Go Xander! Go! Go! Go Xander!

Picnic at the Park

2010-03-25T19:43:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, we went on a picnic at the park with our friends Aaron, Jen, and Noah Budge. It was a cool park with a duck pond, and a cool playground with a Dinosaur excavating sandbox. here are some pics...

Trav feeding the birds(which we found out we weren't supposed to do.)

Xander looks awesome in this picture..

My boy eats and eats and eats and eats! he downed this whole banana, along with everything else!

Weee! he was so excited being on the playground.

Static hair.

Jen, noah and Aaron budge.

1-2-3 Weee!

The JoKeR

2010-03-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Once again, Trav thought he'd have fun editing pictures.. he thought Xander's raised eyebrow looked like the Joker. So, here he is- as the joker.

Teeth

2010-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Xander has 5 teeth.. 3 on top (waiting for the 4th to come in) and 2 on bottom.. makes for a super cute grin :)

Can't get any hansomer than that.. :)

Blocks

2010-02-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Here is Xander having a good time playing with the blocks he got for his birthday. He thought it was hilarious to knock them over! So cute, love his laugh :)

~Xander's Birthday~

2010-02-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

Yea, What?? Xander is 1 already?? Holy cow! Ya, it pretty much flew by.. Here are some pictures from the big birthday party we threw for him. We had some friends over to our Apt. Clubhouse for Pizza and kiddie games.. it was alot of fun.. I just wish Xander would have known what was going on.. ;) Happy Birthday Son!

Waiting for cake...

After (he) blew out the candle...

YUM! I finally had to take the cake away from him before he ate the whole thing!

Presents!

Xander and his best friend, Noah!

Walk Like a Man

2010-01-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

Xander took his first steps yesterday! It was so exciting! We love seeing these little milestones in our baby's life.. so fun!

Some Christmas Videos

2010-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was so wonderful- it was sooo nice to be home again and have a white Christmas. Its always so relaxing just to chill at home and enjoy Mom's home-cooking! We had fun sledding, riding 4 wheelers on the frozen lake, watching movies, playing Mario on the Wii and playing other games. I think we played just about every game my mom has! That's one of the many benefits of having a big family- there are always enough people to play games with! I decided to post some videos we took during our Christmas vacation rather than pictures.. I posted a ton of pictures on my Facebook account, so if you want to see them you can go there or add me as a friend. ;)

Our Family had fun playing the Beatles Rock Band.. and Xander had fun dancing to it. :)

I got Travis a box of "Bean Boozle" Jelly beans for his stocking. There were several beans of the same color, but one would be a good tasting bean and the other would be a nasty tasting bean. For example, 1 yellow jelly bean would be Lemon and the other would be Moldy Cheese. Or one would be Skunk Spray and the other Black Licorice. Whoever got the nasty tasting one got, "BEAN BOOZLED!" I definately wasnt brave enough to try.. I took one bite of one and it was Black Pepper- GROSS... So that was the end of my Bean Boozle Adventure :) Watch this video to see who got Bean Boozled!!

XAnder had fun playing with Grandpa Kortas under the kitchen table.. I guess he found a new fort!

Tis the Season

2009-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Our friend, Jen came over to take our family picture for our Christmas cards(Thanks Jen!), and I thought I'd share some of the candid photos she took- Xander looked stinkin cute in every single one of them- pf! I wish I was so photogenic! Anyhoo- Merry Christmas!!

A Week of Giveaways!

2009-11-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

Travis' cousin, Heather is an author and just came out with a new LDS book entitled, "The Balls in Her Court", and to celebrate she is having a week of giveaways! So, to enter, simply go to this site and leave a comment on her blog. Great for any readers out there!

www.heatherjustesen.blogspot.com

Good luck!

The Big Oh Nine

2009-11-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

I can NOT believe Xander has been alive just as long as I have been pregnant... Definately didnt go by as tediously! (Something I think is completely unfair.) but he's been a joy nonetheless. He is still doing his army crawl, has 2 bottom teeth that are slowly coming in, and now uses furniture to pull himself up into a standing position. He has yet to master getting back down though. :) Overall, he is SUCH a happy boy- He is really really chill.. I couldnt have asked for an easier first child. I hope this doesnt ruin me for any additional children though! One thing that kind of concerns me is that everyone says Xander is "So tiny!" I went to the park the other day and there were 4 other baby boys there, all about 4 months old and Xander was smaller than them all!! UH OH! He's gonna be a shrimp!! Skinny as his mom and Short as his dad! Oh boy... Xander might curse us later on because of that! haha... Oh well, at this point I am enjoying not having to lug around a heavier baby. I'm sure he'll have a growth spurt somewhere along the line...

Chicken... Little

2009-11-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Xanders-pants was a little chicken- Trav made him a beak out of his binky.. Xander didnt seem to mind it. I dont think he realized it was there. It was fun to dress him up.. even though he had no idea what was going on!

Just an Update...

2009-10-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I'd give alittle update on our little life over here in Las Vegas...

Currently I am packing up all our stuff because we are moving to a different apartment. Its on the north side of town, about a half hour away. We wanted a newer and bigger place, cheaper rent, and to be closer to all our friends. We are actually going to be in our best friends, Aaron and Jens, ward. So we're excited about that! Packing is definately NOT fun- but I'm excited to move into our new place!

Travis has been working for a new Heating and A/C company- selling units for them. He's been in the industry for about 3 or 4 months now and hasnt made much money at it so far. Sales are really slow right now because its not scorching hot outside anymore. Trav's had to work 14 hour days, first half of the day at ARS (A/C Company) and the second half of the day at CRS (Alarm Company). I know, its funny how their names are so similar. We have alot of faith that working for ARS will be worth it in the long run- because sales sky-rocket during the summer when it gets hot. So, we are wading it out through the winter until then. We've prayed about it and felt good about it.. I just think we'll have to be patient until next summer.

Xander has been growing so fast.. although he's still not crawling yet, he is on his way. He gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. Personally, I prefer he not crawl until I am all moved into our new place because there is stuff everywhere! He has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom, and his hair is starting to get long. We love him and love watching him grow.

As for me, I am sad to be leaving my "position" as YW 2nd Counselor in our ward. I have always wanted to be in YW, and now we are leaving.. oh well. It was so fun to get to know my Beehives and be "kid" again :)

2009-10-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

So I brought home some balloons from the YW Halloween party we had, and Xander had a great time entertaining himself with them! I was in the other room and heard him laughing, and come to find out, he had made a new friend :)

Trav's twenti...I mean, 31st!!

2009-10-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yep, my husband is officially in his 30s... he's not too happy about that- but fortunately I dont think anybody is able to tell that he is that old ;) Trav says, "It's the Botox." Anyways- we had fun at Aaron and Jen's for cake. Then on his birthday we went to Outback Steakhouse and the movie, Surragotes. It was a good movie. I recommend it- makes you think.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVIS!

7 Months and counting...

2009-09-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Xander loves playing with Daddy.. or should I say, Daddy loves playing with Xander haha! Trav thinks he is his toy to toss around!

We had fun in the photo booth at the Circus Circus Hotel.. we weren't expecting the first picture!

I know, I am probably a bad mother, but Xander loves to watch cartoons in the morning.. He will sit on the couch and just chill while watching.. I think its cute.. and it gives me time to do stuff!

St. Louis, Missouri

2009-08-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

Travis is in St. Louis, MO this whole week for training for his new job at One-Hour Heating and Air-Conditioning. His hotel is literally a block from the famous arch, so he took some pictures of it. He is planning on going up into it.. I guess it only costs like $10 to go up.. he's pretty excited to do that.

6 Months Old?!?

2009-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast the time flies by when your a mother.. I swear my baby was just born a few weeks ago, but in reality he is half a year old!!! Now I personally know the meaning of the phrase, "They grow up so fast!". They change so much too.. here is a "Then" and "Now" picture of Xander.. I had forgotten how brown he was when he was first born.. not so much anymore! (We really need to get out in the sun more often.) But I'll trade the tan skin for his millions of smiles anyday! He is such a happy baby and is so full of grins.. we love it :) Happy Half-birthday Xanders-Pants!

Sunglasses

2009-08-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

I got these little sunglasses at church and they fit Xander perfectly.. it was so cute because most kids would rip the glasses right off their face, but not Xander. He must've felt pretty cool in these shades! :)

Emery Abigail Case

2009-08-04T12:01:00.001-07:00

My little sister, Lindsay had her first baby Aug. 3rd.. a girl! Emery Abigail Case is her name and she was 20" long and 8lb 3oz... she is soo chubby and cute- just like Linds was when she was a baby. She is so adorable and we are hoping to meet her soon! Congratulations, Lindsay and Joel! You will be awesome parents!

Lindsay and Emery
Emery getting her hearing test- sooo cute!

Xander's reaction when we told him the news.

(He obviously still gets alittle nervous around the "ladies")

Crazy Eyes

2009-08-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here is Xander w/his beautiful smile and Daddy messing w/his face... OH and the alfalfa Dad gave him.

Good for a Laugh..

2009-07-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hahahah! I just had to post these pictures.. they made me laugh so hard- especially the middle picture!! Oh, Xander you are too funny! Love you, my little love-bug!

He's Ticklish :)

2009-07-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

Xander loves playing with daddy.. He gets all hyper when Daddy comes around. It was funny cuz Travis was tickling Xander.. and it got to the point where Xander would laugh before Trav even touched him cuz he knew he was gonna get tickled haha :) Love my boys!

Flapping in the Wind

2009-06-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

Dont worry- i made sure Trav didnt shake the baby too much :) It was just funny to hear his cheeks flapping. :)

Xander Update

2009-06-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Xander is 4 months old now!! Craziness!! He is getting so big and learning new tricks on a daily basis. His newest trick- sucking his thumb!! (oh no!!) I need to somehow nip that in the butt right away before its a bad habit... Any suggestions?? Anyway- here are some pictures of his favorite things: sucking his thumb, sucking his bottom lip, hanging out with Cousins, and smiling of course!

sucking his thumb

sucking his bottom lip

With cousins, Daxon and Graham

With Cousin Sarah

smiling ;)

sucking that bottom lip again!

Laughing?!

2009-06-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

So, Trav and I have been trying forEVER to get Xander to laugh at us! and today I went to visit my cousin and her friends who are in town and he started laughing at her friend! A Total Stranger!! What the freak is that all about?? Well, atleast I got it on video and hopefully I can try her trick and he'll laugh at me, too. (She would just say, "Aaa... Choo!" and he'd laugh)

26 Years.... Young?

2009-06-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

So I turned the big 2-6 on sunday.. ***SIGH*** I can't believe I'm that old!! I just seriously can't believe I'm on my way to 30!! Eek! Time flies! its so insane! Anyways- we had fun though with a small group of friends and family- BBQing at our pool. Hopefully this will be a good year- It's gonna be a different year, atleast, learning to be a better mommy to little Xander and enjoying his growth. :)

Shirley Family Reunion 2009

2009-06-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Ahoy! Mateys! Me Aunt Janet be doin' it agin! She be the plannin' captain of the crew and dint let no one walk da plank. We had a jolly time at Baker Island with the Shirley Family Pirates. It was swashbucklin' fun sailin' the high seas with me fellow landlubbers. We be lookin' forward to next years voyage where we can hopefully find sum more treasure!

Xander loves himself

2009-05-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

So Xander loves to see himself in the mirror.. (Of course Trav says he gets that from me) and its really cute. Atleast he won't have self-confidence issues! ;)

Tummy Time!

2009-05-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Our Lil Skater

2009-05-04T23:45:00.000-07:00

I got this outfit at my baby shower and thought it was the cutest thing! So, we couldn't wait until it fit Xander...

Teaching Daddy

2009-04-22T10:53:00.001-07:00

So this morning i was teaching Daddy how to talk to Xander and make him smile back at you.. (Travis has been having a hard time knowing how to keep a baby happy- I think he has ages 3+ mastered but struggles with newborns.) Anyways- Xander is super happy the first half of the day, so it wasn't hard for Daddy to have success! Now, the second half of the day is another story.. baby isn't so smiley then.. I dont know why.. but if half a day's what i get, then half a day's what I'll take!!

Pix

2009-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Lots of Smiles

2009-04-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love it! Xander smiles back at us now! Especially in the morning.. definately a morning person.. when Daddy is still sleeping! Too bad for him.. he misses all the fun! (The smile at :17 seconds is my favorite!! Gets me everytime!)

Love My Sisters

2009-04-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I have a family where we all get along and are close.. I am the oldest of 8 and have 4 younger sisters.. I love them all! Here are my sisters: Kendra, Lindsay, Carly & Hannah

Airboat Ride & Hangin Out

2009-04-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Spring Break Family Vacation

2009-04-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

We just got back from West Palm Beach, FL where my sister lives and wish we were still there! We had so much fun and I've decided that 5 days is not long enough for a vacation- it needs to be atleast a good week! My whole family was there- we came from Michigan, Idaho, Utah, and Vegas, of course. It was so great to have everyone there. While there, we went on an airboat ride and saw lots of alligators and cool birds, went to Disneys Typhoon Lagoon waterpark, and of course hit up the beach! I couldnt' believe how blue and warm teh water was! it was perfect! We only got one beach day which I was super mad about.. I didn't even get any color!! I should have omitted the sunscreen! grr. Oh well.. i was still glad we could go. Thanks mom and dad and Lindsay and Joel for everything! Love you all and miss you already!

Okay- so there were 4 digital cameras snapping tons of pictures so I'm sure I'll post more as they filter in.. but here are some of the pictures I took of Typhoon Lagoon and the Beach:

2 Year Anniversary

2009-04-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, we survived 2 years of marriage! Phew! Tomorrow we leave for a trip to West Palm Beach, FL to visit my sister, Lindsay. My whole family will be there, so I am excited for every one to meet Xander! Speaking of which, what better anniversary gift could I ask for than this....

Xander at 7 weeks started to smile back at us! He smiles quite a bit now! Its so cute! In fact, as I am sitting here, he is laying on the bed and I am on the computer and every once and a while, i will look over at him and smile, and he will smile back! LUV it :) Here is a video of him smiling with a little laugh...

April Fools!

2009-04-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

So, my husband decided to play a super cruel April Fool's joke on me today! He had a doctor's appt earlier today and after his appt, he called me and said that the Doctor found a lump/mass in his throat and that there was a 50% chance of it being cancerous!! He told me the doctor scheduled him to have some tests done, but that there was definately some sort of tumor in there. The doctor asked him if there was any history of cancer in his family and Trav told him, "Ya my mom died of a brain tumor."(Which is true.) He told me the doctor said that it tends to run through the mother's side, and makes your chances of getting cancer much higher... ANYWAYS- reality slowly started to hit me and I was just about to start crying when he told me that it was an April Fools!! GRRRR.. I always forget about April Fools and he gets me every time!

What a relief huh?

PS- do you love my super crappy Photo-editing job? Haha! I did that because one thing Travis told me on the phone was, "I dont wanna lose my hair!" Pf! That was the least of MY worries!

Laugh Out Loud!!

2009-03-29T14:38:00.001-07:00

HAHAHAH! Okay- so I always warn Travis that he shouldn't shake Xander around too much because he is in this "Spit up everything I eat" stage. Well, of course, Trav was hanging Xander over his head yesterday and Xander spit up Right in his EYE! HAhahaha I immediately started laughing sooo hard! Tears were streaming down my face. It was freakin hilarious! And Travis was mad at me because instead of grabbing him a towel, I went and grabbed my camera- hahah.. Oh man.. it was great :)

The Latest

2009-03-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

My boys finally ready for church.. although my son looks scared out of his whits for some reason.. zoom in- its quite funny!

Xander's cute little church outfit

Trav says we have the same profile.. I think his is way cuter!

Xander likes to cry sometimes.. to get his way.... and it works..

Xander 1 Month Old

2009-03-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hop on Pop -Dr. Suess

2009-03-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

Move! That! Bus!!

2009-03-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

So Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Las Vegas and our friend Christie was on the volunteer crew helping with wallpaper and murals so she let us know when they were going to "Move the bus" so we thought it'd be fun to go help move it! EM came to Boise when we were there too, and we never took advantage of it, so we thought we would this time since the weather was nice and the house was right by Christie's house so we had a close parking spot! Here are some pictures and a video of Tye Pennington.

THE BUS:

THE HOUSE: (boy, it stuck out like a sore thumb in this neighborhood! All the other houses are beige and plain.)

Video of Ty (I love him! We actually named our child after him!)

Cutsie

2009-03-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

listening to music..

Hee hee- Xander is always ready for a kiss.. he loves to pucker his lips :) (Must be a ladies-man)

Some Randoms..

2009-03-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

Its so hard to catch baby's smile on camera.. but I finally caught a grin!

Xander at his best- his super pouty lips, his double chin, and his lovely bedhead.

Of course Travis has to have his random fun- trying to make Xander look like he is chillin on the couch, watching tv!

Xander's New Cousin, Serena Mae Jones

2009-03-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

Travis' brother Lucus and his wife Misty had a baby girl on March 5th.. Serena Mae Jones. She was 9lb 3oz.. and 22 inches long. So funny because she is 2 days old and is bigger than Xander at 3 weeks old! We tried to get a picture of them together but...

Before we got to this.....

It was this....

And this....(Ope, Serena's crying)

And this... (Ope, Xander's screaming)

Then, finally, a peaceful shot of the two...

I dont know HOW ppl with twins do it!!

Hangin out with Mommy

2009-03-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

So my mom bought me a baby sling when she was here- and the other day Xander wanted to be held, but Mommy needed to finish laundry- so she decided to carry Xander around in her new sling! Xander liked being close to Mommy... it was so cute w/his little head hanging out :)

Whats up with that??

2009-03-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

... Xander's Face when Mommy bathes him

....Xander's face when Daddy bathes him!

WHATS UP WITH THAT??

Baby Announcements

2009-02-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

So, my mom leaves tomorrow and of course I couldn't let her leave without helping me make some super cute baby announcements first :) ( I have to use my resources!) Anyhow, we had fun making these and they were easy. We just made a pocket with a pull-out that has Xander's stats on one side and his picture on the back. I just made a few to send to some extended family members who wont be able to meet Xander for a long time.

Like I said, my mom is leaving tomorrow and I am soo sad about that.. she has been a HUGE help around the house and I am especially going to miss her cooking me meals... :*( My mom is so wonderful- I am so glad we have such a great relationship. I am going to miss her sooo much. But, luckily we will be able to see her in April because Trav and I are flying out to Florida for spring break along with my family.

Of course I had to throw in some pictures of Xander with his eyes open, too.. so enjoy!

Fun with My Mom's Camera

2009-02-23T16:42:00.001-08:00

So my mom has a WAY better camera than I do (mine is so old and only 4 megapixels), so we were having fun with the different settings on her camera.. I need to get a new one bad. Maybe then I'd get better at taking pictures- haha.

Xander's First Adventures

2009-02-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

Xander's first car ride.. did extremely well.

First Day at Church!

haha! I love this picture- I think Xander looks like a little monkey! *My Little Chimpanzee!*

Xander's First Bath

His Dark Skin

A Four-Generation Picture- Xander, Me, My Mom, and My Grandma Shirley

Xander hangin with Grandma!

Xander's Trip to California to see relatives! Slept the whole way!

My Son has such pouty lips! :)

Welp, Xander is 11 days old today.. and has already done so much... including his first bath, smiles, road trip, and shopping with the ladies! Every day I feel like he is changing just a little bit.. its crazy to look at pictures and notice the differences. I still can't tell who he looks more like- me or Travis. My mom says he looks alot like I did when I was a baby.. she feels like she is holding me when she holds him... so we'll see!

The Sweetest Thing

2009-02-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

So, Xander certainly doesn't waste any time.. he has already shown us his super cute smile and of course melted our hearts in the process! Haha- today he kept trying to fake me out that he was sleeping.. but I'd get him to smile and it would let the cat out of the bag... there's no fooling Momma, Xander!

Pics of Xander

2009-02-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

So, we decided Xander looks like a Kortas baby more than a Jones baby..

Okay- so I obviously had NO time to get all cutsied up for this..

I dont know how you girls do it - even after just 2 hours, I was exhausted!

Xander had TONS of visitors the next day- here he is with cousin Alexis!

Aww.. I love him!

So, Travis LOVES holding Xander on his chest- he says, (and i quote) "This is better than sex!" I said, "It better be! Cuz you aint gettin any for 6 weeks!"

Daddies first time changing a diaper! It took a little walk-through, but he's getting the hang of it :)

Father and Son

My midwife April (right) and her assistant Kim (left)

7 lb, 4 oz - 20 inches long

MY BIRTH STORY

Okay, so like I said, not much to it- basically, at 1:30 I went to my midwife's for my weekly appt. She checked me and said, "Your dilated to a 4 already." I said, "What?! Wow! Sweet!" I immediately got really excited cuz it was totally unexpected! I asked, "So when do you think he'll be here??" She said, "Oh you'll definately have him within the next 2 days."

So, I didn't want to get myself too psyched up cuz I heard labors can take several hours.. so I went to the mall; walked the length of the mall 3 or 4 times looking for a V-day gift for Trav (with no luck). Then decided to leave. I went home.. cleaned the house a bit.. got on my computer. April called me a couple times to check up on me and see if I had been feeling any contractions yet. "Umm.. just alittle crampy- that's all. Are you sure I'm in labor?" She said Yes. I said, "okay- I'll call you when I feel something."

And like 15 min later, I all of a sudden felt them.. and they were pretty darn intense and pretty darn close together. So, I called April, called Travis, and called my cousin (who wants to be a midwife), and told them all to come over! Soon! So I had to bear with my contractions by myself at first.. which sucked.

Everyone showed up around the same time- around 8:15 and Xander came by 9:20pm! I seriously think I went straight from feeling nothing to being in Transition! It was very intense but not completely unbearable.. as long as I had Travis to use as my "stress ball" to squeeze the heck out of during my contractions and during pushing! :) Anyways, I ended up having Xander on all fours on my bathroom floor on my bath rugs (to pad my knees). Pushing was definately better than the contractions.. I was even talking and joking a bit in between pushes. I am soo glad that is over with! I love you Xander!!

Xander arrives! February 12th @ 9:20pm

2009-02-14T01:33:00.000-08:00

Okay so I know you are all wanting more details.. but I seriously feel like a truck just ran over my "downstairs" and am supposed to be on bedrest for the next few days.. so needless to say details of my birth story will have to wait for a later date.. let me tell you- its a good one!! Not much to it, but all I can say is: TWO HOUR LABOR!! (I know, you all hate me, but NO exhaggeration there!) I seriously am still boggled by how smooth and quick this labor was.. its insane. Anyhow- just want to let everyone know Xander is absolutely PRECIOUS and beautiful.. and I can't get enough of him.. he is truly our favorite blessing from Heavenly Father (and he has given us a TON of them). We love you Xander!

PS- i of course have lots more pics that you will get to see as soon as I am able.

Come Again?

2009-02-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

So, I went in for my weekly check-up today with my midwife... and she checks me and says I am 70% effaced and dilated to a 4!! "What??" Sweet! That was easy! I haven't even been having contractions! The only thing I can account for it is that 2 days ago, I was in pain for hours and hours.. the only thing is that it was a constant pain- not a "come and go" pain like regular contractions.. so whatever. I just wish that my mom was here.. her flight isn't for another week! So, I dont know if she'll be able to catch a standby flight or what.. Its kinda hard for her to come out here on a whim because she has young kids at home and the aiport is 2 hours away.. so we'll see.

Anyways.. so I am super excited! April (midwifey) says I should have this baby within the next couple days! Sa-WEET! So, I will of course keep you posted.. shoot.. I should really clean my apt.. :)

Xander's Baby Shower!!

2009-02-02T17:24:00.000-08:00

Well, here are a few pictures I have of my baby shower on Saturday. My friends Jen and Kendra hosted it and did an Incredible job! It was so fun- and there was such a great turn out, good food, and fun games. It was a blast. I have to say, for my first baby shower, I am definately impressed :) I went from not thinking I would have one, to having one this good! I loved seeing some friends and family that I literally hadn't seen in months and years. I'm glad they came.

Jen made a super cute scrapbook for me to put my baby shower pictures in.. and she had all the guests write little notes and words of advice to me in the back of the book. I thought that was a clever idea.

Kendra and Jen took most of the pictures with their cameras since I was gabbing with friends and relatives the whole time.. so once I get copies of those pictures, I will post them.

Jen- the Party Planner!- and Me

All the girls thought it looked like I just had a basketball under my shirt.. (your right girls- I just wanted a bunch of free gifts- so I have been faking it this whole time)

My sister-in-law Misty is due a week after me.. she is having a girl (its cool to see how differently we carry our babies- since she is having a girl, her baby is really high, and mine is really low) I cant tell you how many times I've been in a store, and a stranger will come up to me and say, "Oh your having a boy!" I'm always like... "How do you know that??" and they say they can tell by the way I'm carrying my baby.

Mmm.. all the yummy food.. the cake Kendra made was heavenly... *pardon my drooling*

All the gifts I got.. I couldn't believe how generous everyone was (JEN!!). I am hugely grateful for everyone's gifts.. It got me even more excited (if that's possible) to have this kid! Except for the fact that I got- count 'em- 416 newborn diapers... and the mommies said I would use every single one of them... OH BOY. Better warm up my diaper-changing hands! Thank you everybody! I love you all!

Our Weekend with Lee

2009-01-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

So my brother, Lee had a long weekend off school at BYU, so he took the op to come visit us here in Vegas. On Sat, we went to the Strip and watched the Bellagio show, and then went to Madam Taussau's Wax Museum and took tons of pics. It was fun.. needless to say the boys were silly the whole time and we got some funny pix out of it. :)

OOPS

2009-01-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Okay so I was fumbling around with my blog.. and somehow I accidently deleted all of my Friends and Family Blog links!!! GRRRRR I am soo ticked!! So, if you could all respond to this and leave your link, that'd be great! This is so frustrating!

8 Month Photos!

2009-01-11T15:28:00.001-08:00

Okay Mom, here are pictures of me at 8 months! (33rd week) Certain shirts show my belly better than others, and this one eccentuates it pretty well. I am super excited that it's getting so close! My ribs feel like they are about to break if this baby gets any bigger... so hopefully the time flies by. Its super hard to be sexy when your pregnant... but I tried ;)(second pic). Anyhoo! LOVE YOU ALL!

Morning Stretch

2009-01-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here, Xander is stretching.. kinda funny looking. This is his back.

2009-01-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Lil Xander Kicking!

2009-01-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos I took of little Xander going nuts this morning! He had the hiccups and they bother him so it was making him squirm quite a bit. Poor thing.. I hate the hiccups too! Anyways.. it was cool to watch!

Fun in the Snow...

2008-12-29T15:53:00.000-08:00

Since Richfield got quite a bit of snow this year.. we thought we'd take advantage of it and go up into the mountains to go sledding and snowboarding. Unfortunately because I am pregnant, I didn't get to do either, but I got to ride on the back of the 4-wheeler and take pictures. It was soo windy and cold! And now I have a cold because of it.. oh well :) I loved playing in the snow again.. reminded me of growing up in Michigan. It was a fun day.. until I accidently dropped my glove into the port-a-potty! OOPS! haha.. oh well!

Christmas Morning...

2008-12-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

Travis and I just got back from Richfield, Utah- where his family lives. We spent yet another Christmas with them (Mom and Dad- we are going to try our hardest to make it to Michigan next year!) We had a wonderful time.. Travis has a fun family. I can't believe Christmas is over with already! But only 2 more months and I will be able to have another gift- a new little baby!! :)

Graham at a few days old..

2008-12-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

Mom (Joy) holding Graham

Daxon with his little brother

Here is Graham at a few days old.. (sorry I'm posting him so much- its more for people who know Kendra and want to see her baby). He is super blonde.. hardly any eyebrows or eyelashes yet :) He looks alot like his daddy, Caleb.. my mom sent me a video and he definately looks like Caleb.

7 Month Photos

2008-12-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

So I'm starting to torpedo a bit.. definately feeling the effects! I went shopping yesterday and boy was my back and legs KILLING me afterwards!! Thank goodness for IcyHot... and a husband that is willing to massage you! :) (Thanks Trav) Geez, I remember when I used to be able to shop for hours and hours and never be effected... I never realized the difference it makes when your carrying around a luggage on the front of your body! Anyhoo- since I am 30 weeks now, I start seeing my midwife every 2 weeks.. getting close!

I have a new Nephew!

2008-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

So, my sister, Kendra, just gave birth today to another son- Graham Dean. She lives in Rexburg, ID so unfortunately I couldn't be there for the birth.. which stinks.. but my mom was there so I guess that's all that matters :) Here is Mommy with baby; Daxon meeting his little brother for the first time; and Daddy with baby. I can't wait to meet you, little Graham!