Saturday Soup - Jack Is 18 Months and Still Alive...

Jack turned 18 months this month here are some stats:

Weight - 23 lbs (11%)

Height - 33 inches (44%)

He finally made it to nursery at church and is doing really good there. It makes Shawn and I's meetings a lot more enjoyable, and came just in the knick of time with baby only four weeks away.

He loves to eat - but has a HUGE sweet tooth. He is the complete opposite of Sam loves fruit, fruity candy, all juices, etc. He loves gum and pop too - I'm afraid we'll be spending some "quality" time at the dentist with him.

He loves to be out and about and has learned how to open all the doors in the house, including the ones going outside. This is scary, and we've had to baby proof them all now. He has absolutely no fear, and will copy any trick that anyone does - including jumping off furniture, sommersaults, and climbing on things. Again we might be spending more "quality" time with him at the doctor/ER than most other kids.

He is soooooo SWEET! He loves to hug, to say hello and goodbye to everyone, and to smile at all he meets. He is such a fun loving boy.

He is too smart for his own good, and has the memory of an elephant, if there's something he wants, he'll find a way to get it.

His obsession with the toilet has begun to die!! Yay! He's been replacing this with a love for dirt, mud, and snow and we go through about 3 outfits/day.

He doesn't talk much - but grunts a lot. He does say "mom" (he pretty much calls everyone that; and "uh-oh", he also sometimes will say "hi and bye" in a really drawn out high pitched way that always makes me laugh. He is getting really good at nodding or shaking his head when asked questions, and this has been incredibly helpful - for awhile there I thought I was going to go crazy with this communication gap.

We love Jack so much, and are so grateful for all he adds to our life. Sam is lucky to have a little brother that adores him, and to have partner in crime for the rest of his life (though Jack will probably be the instigator of the "crimes").

In OTHER News:

Bragspot.com - Shawn came home early on Wednesday and brought me roses! Just out of the blue - I love him!

Sam has officially decided that when he grows up he wants to be a ........ DOG! Yes he loves being a dog, and if we could put him on a leash, feed him from a bowl, and have him live in a dog house his life would be complete.

Here's me at 37 weeks - 3 weeks to go... AHHHH! (Photo courtesy of Sam)

Pinch Me

Happy Belated St. Patty's Day to all! We love this holiday, and especially loved it in Iowa because we celebrated with a Green Party surrounded by good food and friends.... this year our celebration consisted of family and green breakfast, and that was all we really had time for but it was just as fun. Sam was so funny this year, because he was VERY concerned about getting pinched and not wearing enough green that people wouldn't be able to tell he had it on. His solution was to wear his Neon Green Buzz Light PJ's all day - no worries anymore. Jack was super excited about the shamrock straws that Grandma Julianne provided and the green rice krispie treats he chowed on. He is such a fun, happy, crazy boy.

That night Shawn and I helped out with the Relief Society Birthday Party celebration at church by being Joseph and Emma in a play depicting the organization of the R.S. We were both provided with costumes, but Shawn took the cake with a "killa" wig he sported as Joseph. YES, Pinch Me ladies this is my husband, I mean Uncle Rico, and he is ALL mine! Lovin' the (Glamour shots by Deb)

We hope you all had a gleefully green day - we missed all of our Iowa friends, but were happy to have such great family to replace them.

Scrambled to Kingston, New York

WOW! What a CRAZY, hectic, but incredibly wonderful week.... Shawn's match day was last Monday, and he found out that he didn't match, so this threw him into the scramble for unfilled residency programs. It is no wonder why they call it the scramble because that is literally what you have to do until you find a spot. It was constant phone calls, emails, faxing, interviews, etc. and a lot of wondering why things where going so bad! But we had a lot of love and support from family and friends, and many prayers said on our behalf which helped us get through. Shawn flew out to NY on Thursday and interviewed with Benedictine Hospital in Kingston, NY. It is located about 90 miles north of NYC. He and the director immediately hit it off, but the spot was still not gauranteed until they talked with the board of directors regarding surgery numbers. Shawn signed the contract this morning, and we couldn't be happier. We feel greatly blessed to have had this answer to prayers, and know how much Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. Though this was not a place we ever imagined that we would go, we are very excited to start our new adventure and invite one and all to come on out and visit us anytime they want.

A Spoonful of Sugar....

Life hasn't slowed down a bit in the past week. Jack's cut is healing really well, but he continues to return to the scene of the crime and I find him in the same slippery shower laughing occasionally. This boy seems to have no fear, and he also seems to like getting into trouble. He has now learned how to open ALL the doors in the house, and loves to be outside - bad combination. He is learning so fast, and Shawn found him downstairs, lounging on the pillow watching a show with Sam the other day - he did this all by himself.

Last week, I was able to go to Denver with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, Michelle, and her girls, and stay with my other sister-in-law, Brigit, for a few days and see the Broadway musical Mary Poppins! It was a wonderful show, the music was familiar and very entertaining, and the sets were amazing! We had such a fun girls weekend, and I think I'm a very lucky girl to have such Supercalifragelisticexpialidocious In-Laws!

While I was away Shawn stayed with boys, and they had a great time being with their dad. In fact, when I got home, Jack wanted nothing to do with me. On Sunday we are 5 weeks and counting for baby girl Summers to arrive, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous about having three (okay lets be honest having JACK with a new baby!) I did finish her quilt, bumpers, and crib skirt; and they turned out better than I hoped. My next task is to master the art of hair bows and bands.... I'm not sure I have the knack for this, but I'm willing to give it a whirl!

Sam has been playing non-stop with cousins, and they find all sorts of creative ways to play: Introducing the Dirt-Bike Brothers. Cooper made his own paper helmet, and they improvized with swimming goggles. We also hit up Bear World to see the new baby cubs they had.

Maui WOWI!!!

You read correctly! Maui, Hawaii - that is where I sunk my toes in the sand for 7 fabulous, relaxing, beautiful, warm days..... it was a much needed and wanted vacation for Shawn and I. We were able to watch humpback whales from the shore and swim in the ocean. I can't say enough about how much fun we had, and how beautiful this island was. I'm planning on getting back as soon as possible, and hopefully next time I won't be 7 months pregnant~ I got a lot of funny looks as I sauntered around, especially on the airplane (you know that look, as if I wasn't aware that I was this pregnant too!) We had incredible food, a lot of fresh fish, and some yummy desserts.

Thank you to our families who watched our boys for us while we were gone. They had just as much fun as we did, but we sure missed them.

STITCHES - a nice way to return to the blog

Yes it has happened.... it was bound to happen right? Especially with Jack and his uncanny ability to run into, fall into, bounce off of, nose dive into everything. Sam has really liked showering lately, and Jack decided that he wanted to give it a try last night. I thought why not, get both boys bathed and ready for bed in one shot. Jack was loving the shower, and I turned around to get him a towel, and I heard a blood-curdling scream. Even at that point, I thought "Man he bonked his head again" I opened the door and blood is gushing (and I mean gushing) from his forehead. I yelled for Shawn and lifting him up saw that this was really bad. It was to the bone. We quickly rushed him to the emergency room and after two hours of numbing gel, two dissolvable internal stitches, and about 7 exterior stitches we had a fully recovered Jack. He was such a trooper, which I'm so grateful for. I felt horrible, and seeing your baby sad just isn't good for any mother. I'm so grateful that it happened at this age, because he is soooo resiliant! He woke up this morning and acted like everything was completely normal, and was running around falling on everything just like normal.

Another thing that brought a smile out of a bad situation was Sam discovered that he really does love Jack! My mom was watching Sam while we were at the hospital, and he started to cry and say, "My poor little brother!" We also discovered this morning a nice get well soon note from Sam to Jack on the side of the crib.