Some New Developments

1. We bought tickets for Jackson, Emmett, and I to fly to Florida in September. We're flying right from Boise so the trip will be a little shorter. I may very well be crazy to attempt six hours of flying by myself with a 4-month-old and a 2-year-old, but it will be worth it to hang with my family for three weeks. Say a prayer that we make it there in one piece (or three pieces, I guess)!

2. Jackson is using more and more words every day. His favorite word right now is "carrot". It sounds more like "cay-yet", though. He also loves to say "towel" and my favorite word of his is "Cheerios". It's so neat to hear him imitate words and phrases, and it's so wonderful to have him tell me exactly what he wants instead of dealing with the frustration that came from the constant guessing-game we were always playing. Today, I was walking from the bedroom to the kitchen and I passed J, who was at the table eating lunch. As I walked by he said, "Mama, Mama... poooop" and pointed to his diaper area. That was the first time he had ever alerted me to the fact that he needed to be changed, which I think is a small step in the potty-training direction. As I was changing him he kept saying "poop, potty" over and over again. I thought it was very cute. Was that TMI? And just tonight, as I was about to leave his room after saying prayers, he said, "Mommy, Mommy? Kiss." I had already given him a bunch of kisses, but I guess those weren't enough. He is the sweetest boy!

3. Emmett is also becoming more vocal. Sometimes he'll be babbling away in his car seat and I have to stop and listen because it sounds like Jackson babbling. E has a very loud voice. He has also started to enjoy sitting in his little Bumbo chair and watching while I cook or do things in the kitchen. I don't want to jinx anything, but he's becoming an easier baby as he gets older. He's a sweety, too, and his big, chubby smile just melts my heart.


4. We've been keeping busy lately hanging out with friends and enjoying all that there is to do around town. The boys are dealing pretty well with missing naps, late bedtimes, and disrupted routines every now and then. I think it's harder on me, truthfully, since I'm so freaky about their schedules. Here are a gazillion pictures of what we've been up to...

1. Jumping on the air mattress. (Emmett got jumped on a few seconds after this picture was taken. He was okay, though.)...

2. Playing mini-golf with friends. Both boys stayed up way past their bedtimes for this, but handled it surprisingly well. Jackson had such a great time. He especially loved running up and down the ramps and putting the ball in the hole by himself....

He dropped the ball in the bushes here and we're both trying to fish it out...
3. Hanging out by the pool...Earlier in the day Jackson saw some big kids blowing in the end of this noodle and making water come out of the other end. Here he's trying to do the same thing... Jumping to Dad in the water...Thoroughly enjoying a yummy Batman ice cream bar that Lana bought him...

...and sharing it with others!
4. Reading with Daddy before bed...
5. And sleeping. Some people just can't handle that much fun... :)

Boise is Fun

"Why Boise is Fun" by Jackson...

1. My dad is here!

2. There's a pool right by our house! And the water is warm! And Dad swims with me!

3. All of the beds are on the floor! And you can bounce on them! And sit on them and watch George!

4. There are pretty girls that play with you and show you new things (Alyssa M.)!

5. There's the coolest playground right by our house! And a big field there for Hank to run around in!

6. I still have all of my favorite toys to play with! And the house is small so I don't lose them when I throw them all over the place!

Did I mention that there's a pool? And that Dad swims with me?

And did I mention that the beds are on the floor? And that you can bounce on them?

"Why Boise is Fun" by Mom:

1. My husband is here!
2. It takes 5 minutes to clean the small apartment we're in. (If you're wondering why all of the beds are on the floor - Jackson sleeps on an air mattress on the floor in one bedroom, Emmett is in a pack n' play in another bedroom, and Phil and I are sleeping on the master bed mattress on the floor in the "dining room" so the kids could have the bedrooms.)
3. There are lots of Targets, and a mall, and PF Chang's, and civilization!!!!
4. They have the nicest, newest Walmart here. There were actually some classy, stylish women in there wearing accessories and heels! I couldn't believe it! I felt under-dressed.
5. Fun friends are here, and we all live in the same apartment complex.
6. There are great parks for the kids and there's lots of things for kids to do.
7. My husband is here!!!!!

Seriously, Boise is a great town! I've only been here a few days and I would move here in a heartbeat. Although, it is crazy Africa-hot here right now. Highs in the 100's and 80 degrees at 10:00 P.M. last night. Yikes!

Three Months

Can't believe my baby is three months old already! He is such a joy. Just for the record, here's
"A Day in My Life" by Emmett G.:

3:00 A.M.: Wake up. I'm not sure what wakes me up. Sometimes I feel hungry, sometimes I want Mom to snuggle with me, sometimes I'm mysteriously flipped over onto my back. Anyway, Mom always comes to see me so that's great. I eat and fall right back to sleep.

5:30/6:00: Wake up again. See above.

8:30: This is when I usually like to start my day. Mom thinks the time I picked is great. I'm really smiley when she comes to get me and I love to talk (read: coo) to her about my dreams last night and how I slept. I talk a lot. I'm not really hungry at this time in the morning, probably because I've eaten all night. Maybe I should stop eating at night... naahh. At this time of the day I pretty much just like to sit in my bouncy seat or on my play mat and talk and pull at the toys hanging above me. Sometimes Mom makes me go out in the stroller with her and Jackson. I'll tolerate that for about 15-20 minutes, and then I get pretty ticked off.

10:00: I'm ready to sleep again. I'd like a cool, dark room and a crib, please. Otherwise, you're going to hear about it.

11:00: Done sleeping. One hour is enough for me. After eating, I like to sit on someone's lap and pull myself up to sitting. I love to sit up. I also like to stand up. I can hold my own weight for a decent amount of time. Of course, I have to hold on to someone's hands while doing this right now, but just wait... I'll be doing it on my own before you know it.

12:30 P.M.: See 10:00 A.M. Sometimes I only sleep for an hour again, and sometimes I like to trick Mom and sleep longer. It depends on my mood. I have learned to fall asleep without much fussing, though. Mom is really happy about that.

2:00: I usually like to wake up either at the beginning or right in the middle of my brother's nap. This way I get Mom all to myself. Sometimes she needs to do stuff so I'll play by myself for a little while, but other times she holds me and we play together. I reward her for playing with me by smiling and cooing a lot. I love her face. I love all faces, really.

4:00: From this point on, each day is different. Sometimes I get to go back to sleep in my cool, dark room and other times I have to be strapped into this terrible seat in the car. As if the seat wasn't bad enough, they make me sit backwards. Can you believe that? Don't worry, though, after about 20 minutes I make my complaints known. Luckily, by that time we're usually at a store or the park and I can ride in Mom's front carrier. I love that. If I haven't napped yet, I usually fall asleep in the car on the ride home.

7:00: My day is done. Being a baby is tough. I get a bath at this time, which is so fun. I like to arch my back and launch myself off of the bottom of the tub, thereby making a huge splash and soaking Mom and the floor. It's great. Mom feeds me after the bath and I go right to sleep. Sometimes I like to wake up an hour later just to see people again for a minute, but I don't do that all the time. It depends on my mood.

10:30: Either I wake up, or Mom wakes me up to eat. I love to eat. Have you seen my thunder thighs?

** Note: All times are approximate and subject to change. It depends on my mood.

Other fun facts about me:

* I pass gas like a grown man. It makes my mom crack up. She can hear it in the other room.
* I had a blocked tear duct when I was born that made my left eye all goopy all the time. It's cleared up now.
* I started giggling the other day. It makes me laugh when people look at me all serious-like and then break into a big smile all of a sudden. I love it.
* I can be mad as a wet hen about something, but as soon as my need is met and someone smiles at me, I will give them the biggest smile right back.
* I have the best trick for getting people to do what I want when I'm upset. I just stick my lower lip waaaayy out, make this great pouty face, and let out a squeaky little cry. It's so sad-looking that it has them running to me in no time.

Here are some pictures of me at three months:


By the way, the shirt I'm wearing is the same one that my brother wore on his first birthday. It's a little loose on me, but not much. Here's a picture of him: