ps - can anyone tell me how to make pictures display bigger or side by side? all you professional bloggers do it - what's the trick?
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Monday, April 18, 2011
1 Year Old Portraits
OK I realize this is a little bit much, but it's so hard to choose my favorites that I had to include 20ish pictures from Jackson's photo shoot. I've promised these to my family for a week now, so here they are!
ps - can anyone tell me how to make pictures display bigger or side by side? all you professional bloggers do it - what's the trick?
ps - can anyone tell me how to make pictures display bigger or side by side? all you professional bloggers do it - what's the trick?
Monday, April 11, 2011
He pulled it off again!
"He" in this case is Tyler, and by "it" I mean managed to get into the Masters Golf Tournament! 2 years ago Tyler went with Tom Swapp, this year Tyler's dad came out for the big event. Maybe a little background - Tyler's boss has a pass that gets 2 people into the Masters' Tournament each day for the rest of his life. It is the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, so obviously these are verrrry hard to come by. They are passed on from generation to generation. You can not buy a ticket from the tournament, you have to either know the right people, pay hundreds of dollars on Craigslist or eBay. Tyler always seems to know the right people, doesn't he?
Two years ago was his first time going and I blogged about the experience (well bascially the part how I stayed home alone on Easter).
Last year Tyler didn't get to go (don't feel too bad for him, we did have a 10 day old baby at the time)
This year he was offered tickets for Saturday and he gladly accepted, I think within the hour he had called his dad to invite him and his flight was booked to fly out here to join Tyler on a fun father/son bonding weekend! And luckily for me, this year I wasn't left home alone - I had a buddy to hang out with -- and luckily it didn't fall on easter weekend this year!
Terry flew in late Thursday night, and then Jackson and I said goodbye to them Friday morning as they drove up to Augusta, Georgia. They went to the tournament for a couple hours on Friday, all day on Saturday, and then drove home Saturday night so Terry could catch his 9 am flight out of Orlando on Sunday. It was a lot of driving for one weekend, but I don't think they minded at all! They had a lot of fun and even managed to get seen on tv again.
(Quick little screen shot of Tyler on TV cheering on Tiger and Choi)
I tried to get Jackson to show some interest in the tournament, but he wasn't to into it. He was more interested in his toys, books, and balls - he also learned a new word this weekend - "Uh Oh"!
We did have a fun weekend going swimming, shopping and we even went out on a date together on Saturday night (Panera Bread & Target -- fancy stuff) Also got him this cute new hat and some little Jackson sized chairs for our patio. Love this baby!!
Two years ago was his first time going and I blogged about the experience (well bascially the part how I stayed home alone on Easter).
Last year Tyler didn't get to go (don't feel too bad for him, we did have a 10 day old baby at the time)
This year he was offered tickets for Saturday and he gladly accepted, I think within the hour he had called his dad to invite him and his flight was booked to fly out here to join Tyler on a fun father/son bonding weekend! And luckily for me, this year I wasn't left home alone - I had a buddy to hang out with -- and luckily it didn't fall on easter weekend this year!
Terry flew in late Thursday night, and then Jackson and I said goodbye to them Friday morning as they drove up to Augusta, Georgia. They went to the tournament for a couple hours on Friday, all day on Saturday, and then drove home Saturday night so Terry could catch his 9 am flight out of Orlando on Sunday. It was a lot of driving for one weekend, but I don't think they minded at all! They had a lot of fun and even managed to get seen on tv again.
(Quick little screen shot of Tyler on TV cheering on Tiger and Choi)
I tried to get Jackson to show some interest in the tournament, but he wasn't to into it. He was more interested in his toys, books, and balls - he also learned a new word this weekend - "Uh Oh"!
We did have a fun weekend going swimming, shopping and we even went out on a date together on Saturday night (Panera Bread & Target -- fancy stuff) Also got him this cute new hat and some little Jackson sized chairs for our patio. Love this baby!!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
3 things
I need to share 3 things before I go to bed.
First- pia was robbed. ok sure, her personality wasn't great - but should that really matter? no! she sounded amazing, she looked amazing she was amazing. robbed! i guess i'm especially upset about this because i must admit i predicted she would win the whole thing. losing....
Second - i just have to share this picture.
it's my family, or at least an artist's interpretation of my family gone cartoon. i love it - and my favorite part is tyler's turtlneck ha. Tyler, Jackson and my images were roughly based off of the picture in this blog post. My grandma had it commissioned, and I'm not sure if turned out as she hoped, but it's still awesome.
Third - We had Jackson's one year old check up this week. Jackson is now in 50th percentile in weight and 60th in height. the kid totally slowed down on his chunk factor! With his fruit-only diet and his never sit still/ always moving and walking exercise routine, i guess i should have known. but he still is rockin the 95th percentile in head circumference...
Fourth - (I Lied, one more thing) -- We had 1 year-old pictures taken of Jackson last week. We don't have them all back yet, but from this sneak peek on her blog, I'm really excited to see all of them! http://photographybyblaire.blogspot.com/ my baby is pretty dang cute
And Last - (OK I really lied) Proof that he does occasionally eat more foods than just fruit - a marshmallow that he devoured!
First- pia was robbed. ok sure, her personality wasn't great - but should that really matter? no! she sounded amazing, she looked amazing she was amazing. robbed! i guess i'm especially upset about this because i must admit i predicted she would win the whole thing. losing....
Second - i just have to share this picture.
it's my family, or at least an artist's interpretation of my family gone cartoon. i love it - and my favorite part is tyler's turtlneck ha. Tyler, Jackson and my images were roughly based off of the picture in this blog post. My grandma had it commissioned, and I'm not sure if turned out as she hoped, but it's still awesome.
Third - We had Jackson's one year old check up this week. Jackson is now in 50th percentile in weight and 60th in height. the kid totally slowed down on his chunk factor! With his fruit-only diet and his never sit still/ always moving and walking exercise routine, i guess i should have known. but he still is rockin the 95th percentile in head circumference...
Fourth - (I Lied, one more thing) -- We had 1 year-old pictures taken of Jackson last week. We don't have them all back yet, but from this sneak peek on her blog, I'm really excited to see all of them! http://photographybyblaire.blogspot.com/ my baby is pretty dang cute
And Last - (OK I really lied) Proof that he does occasionally eat more foods than just fruit - a marshmallow that he devoured!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Girls Camp
I've had this "new post" window open for a few days now - wanting to blog about my experience as the girls camp director of our ward this year. I was just not sure how to start, what to say - this post will include no pictures of Jackson (sorry), but will include something I dedicated hours and hours to over the past three months.
I was very surprised when I received the calling in December, especially since camp was only 3 months away - during spring break. I was honestly super overwhelmed at first, and wasn't sure if I could handle it all. With Jackson still nursing, Tyler having to be out of town so often, and my lack of experience planning events, I wasn't sure I was the right girl for the job. I had never really been given a difficult calling or assignment from church - but this was one that would challenge me, and take me out of my comfort zone. But it turned out all right - but it wasn't anything like I thought.
Before I was called, the Ward had decided on the location (a ranch aka in tents), the dates (starting on Jackson's birthday), and a general outline of what they wanted to happen. While I was expecting Camp to be the large production I experienced, I quickly learned it was on a much smaller scale here. This year, camp was just with our ward (so only 15 girls, not the 200 I was used to in Arizona) and only 2 nights (I'm pretty sure ours was 4 nights). So the "smaller scale" part was good, but they hadn't done a ward only camp for years and had never done one at this ranch so I was kinda making things up as I went, rather than following the tradition from years past. Also, since it was just with the ward - there was no one else doing any of the planning, just me! This scared me at first, but in the end it was good because I could do things my way for the most part!
The first thing I decided on was the theme, I went with "Happily Ever After - Your Once Upon A Time is Now!" This came from President Uchtdorf's talk from last year's Young Women General Broadcast. It's an amazing talk that you can read here
"“Happily ever after” is not something found only in fairy tales. You can have it! It is available for you! But you must follow your Heavenly Father’s map...You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your “once upon a time” is now."
So we took that theme and ran with it! There was lots of planning involved, but it ended up being worth it in the end ... I'm realizing this post could be really long if I go into all the details so I'll just share a few highlights... (sadly I was so busy I took hardly any pictures!)
One of our leaders designed a logo and I got shirts made for the girls in this cool blue color. Turned out to be perfect and all the girls really loved the design, and color!
I scheduled a morning at a high ropes course which was really fun for the girls - they had to work together to climb a giant ladder and had fun doing a zip line 65 feet up in the air!
We had a few classes and devotionals all based around fairy tales and writing your own story, and what steps they need to make in order to have it end with "happily ever after"
We had a skit night where the girls had to act out fairy tales, which turned into a surprise dance they had all worked on which was hilarious...
We did some service which involved shoveling cow poo, and cleaning up that swing set area shown above.
Had some great food which luckily I didn't have to prepare thanks to some other leaders who decided to come up and help at the last minute :-)
But most importantly I think the girls all had a good time, spending a weekend together away from the world! I think they had good experiences that brought them closer together and closer to Christ.
It was a lot of work, especially the few weeks leading up to camp, but I'm really glad about 2 things.
Number 1 -- it's over!
and Number 2 -- it went well, and the girls made memories they will always remember!
Oh and PS - Jackson and Tyler spent the first night up at the Ranch House so I was able to be with them on his birthday, and then they headed back home the next morning. Jackson was amazing for Tyler and slept through the night both nights which was amazing since he normally needs to be nursed early in the morning. This was the first time he had ever done that. Prayers are answered! It was sad to be away for him for the FIRST NIGHT EVER! But I was so busy, I didn't get the chance to miss him too much :-)
I was very surprised when I received the calling in December, especially since camp was only 3 months away - during spring break. I was honestly super overwhelmed at first, and wasn't sure if I could handle it all. With Jackson still nursing, Tyler having to be out of town so often, and my lack of experience planning events, I wasn't sure I was the right girl for the job. I had never really been given a difficult calling or assignment from church - but this was one that would challenge me, and take me out of my comfort zone. But it turned out all right - but it wasn't anything like I thought.
Before I was called, the Ward had decided on the location (a ranch aka in tents), the dates (starting on Jackson's birthday), and a general outline of what they wanted to happen. While I was expecting Camp to be the large production I experienced, I quickly learned it was on a much smaller scale here. This year, camp was just with our ward (so only 15 girls, not the 200 I was used to in Arizona) and only 2 nights (I'm pretty sure ours was 4 nights). So the "smaller scale" part was good, but they hadn't done a ward only camp for years and had never done one at this ranch so I was kinda making things up as I went, rather than following the tradition from years past. Also, since it was just with the ward - there was no one else doing any of the planning, just me! This scared me at first, but in the end it was good because I could do things my way for the most part!
The first thing I decided on was the theme, I went with "Happily Ever After - Your Once Upon A Time is Now!" This came from President Uchtdorf's talk from last year's Young Women General Broadcast. It's an amazing talk that you can read here
"“Happily ever after” is not something found only in fairy tales. You can have it! It is available for you! But you must follow your Heavenly Father’s map...You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your “once upon a time” is now."
So we took that theme and ran with it! There was lots of planning involved, but it ended up being worth it in the end ... I'm realizing this post could be really long if I go into all the details so I'll just share a few highlights... (sadly I was so busy I took hardly any pictures!)
One of our leaders designed a logo and I got shirts made for the girls in this cool blue color. Turned out to be perfect and all the girls really loved the design, and color!
I scheduled a morning at a high ropes course which was really fun for the girls - they had to work together to climb a giant ladder and had fun doing a zip line 65 feet up in the air!
We had a few classes and devotionals all based around fairy tales and writing your own story, and what steps they need to make in order to have it end with "happily ever after"
We had a skit night where the girls had to act out fairy tales, which turned into a surprise dance they had all worked on which was hilarious...
We did some service which involved shoveling cow poo, and cleaning up that swing set area shown above.
Had some great food which luckily I didn't have to prepare thanks to some other leaders who decided to come up and help at the last minute :-)
But most importantly I think the girls all had a good time, spending a weekend together away from the world! I think they had good experiences that brought them closer together and closer to Christ.
It was a lot of work, especially the few weeks leading up to camp, but I'm really glad about 2 things.
Number 1 -- it's over!
and Number 2 -- it went well, and the girls made memories they will always remember!
Oh and PS - Jackson and Tyler spent the first night up at the Ranch House so I was able to be with them on his birthday, and then they headed back home the next morning. Jackson was amazing for Tyler and slept through the night both nights which was amazing since he normally needs to be nursed early in the morning. This was the first time he had ever done that. Prayers are answered! It was sad to be away for him for the FIRST NIGHT EVER! But I was so busy, I didn't get the chance to miss him too much :-)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
One year older and wiser too!
Jackson really is one year old! I'm not even sure if he's technically called a baby anymore - I think now that he's one I'm supposed to call him a toddler and I think he's growing up way too fast. Tyler and I are so in love with our little boy, never could we have guessed that he would bring SO much happiness to our lives. This year on his first birthday I was really thinking about his "birth day" one year ago. I loved him instantly when he was placed in my arms, and I am continuing to love him more each day.
Here are some things we love about our 1-year-old little toddler...
He wakes up happy! When I go into his room after naps or in the morning, he is happy and excited to see me. He normally is standing and smiling up at me and will start reaching out for me as soon as I start walking toward him.
He is such an explorer! Every day he looks around the house for new things to get into. If there is a new box or toy in the area, he will find it and investigate. He also enjoys opening all our kitchen and bathroom cupboards that aren't properly locked.
His favorite play things are water bottles, phones, remote controls, and shoes -- so why do we buy him toys? tyler asks this a lot. But seriously, he's starting to get better at playing with actual toys. Especially if he can stack them, read them, or put them in or out of other containers.
He loves music! And he also loves playing with toys that make music. Whenever a song with a good beat comes on, he starts bouncing his body up and down and if he's really feeling it he waves his arms around... it's pretty adorable. He also loves drumming on any surface possible.
He claps when something good happens. Whether it be his eating of one of his favorite foods, or daddy coming home, he claps when he's excited. He also claps when other people are clapping around him or on the tv.
He knows how to climb down the stairs. It started with his figuring out how to crawl off the bed or couch - he knows to go backwards. And now he knows how to go down all the stairs with no problem. He really is a cautious little guy.
He's starting to sleep through the night. He's been really close for a while now, sleeping 9 or 10 hours, but now he is sleeping from 8 pm to 7 am... heaven for his parents.
He is getting better at drinking out of sippy cups. He never liked bottles much, so we've moved right to cups and he's finally getting the hang of it. He loves water/juice and we still need to get him to drink milk.
He still loves nursing, but is only down to one or two times a day now. (this is a Rachel love, not necessarily from Tyler...) But now that he's one, we'll see how long he lasts.
He is so stinkin cute. We still get comments wherever we go about having such a cute little boy. He smiles and says hi to everyone he meets, so it doesn't hurt that he's super friendly too. He's getting cuter every day, but he really has lost most of his baby fat. He's definitely not in the 95th percentile any more and is making his way back down to slightly above average height and weight.
He loves playing games. With mommy it's chase & peek-a-boo, with daddy it's tickle wars, and with his uncle Steven it's throw-the-binky, with baby girls it's all about flirting. I really feel that he has different interactions with the familiar people in his life and he's got such a cute personality.
He is an eater -- he loves food but only the food he likes. Which is basically anything fresh. He loves fruits, veggies, grilled chicken, yogurt, and bread. When I pack my diaper bag with snacks for Jackson, blueberries and grapes are our standards. He likes raisins and honey nut cheerios all right, but I'm telling you - this kid is healthy! He was more interested in dissecting the cake, rather than eating it.
He is starting to make lots of babble noises, but the only words he says for now are hi / hey /hello and of course ... daddy which sounds like dadddeee.
He only has 3 teeth, which helps me think that he's not growing up quite as fast! He got his bottom two at 8 months, and finally got one on the top last week. I think he's working on his other top tooth.
Jackson loves reading books, but what I think is hilarious is that when he sees a picture of food in one of his books, he tries to take a bite of that page. I didn't teach this to him so I'm not sure where it came from. Also there's one book with a picture of a little girl that he kisses every time we turn to that page!
When I'm holding Jackson on my shoulder and I'm patting him either before or after a nap, he sometimes pats me back... It's pretty dang cute and he's been doing it for the past week.
He loves going on walks, to the park, on the swings, to the store, or anywhere that he can see what's going on in the world. He loves observing and being out and about.
He behaves pretty dang good at church, especially since we go at 1 pm, for 3 hours. There are people in our ward that ask me if he ever cries - they don't believe he ever does.
He has brought so much joy into our lives and I can't imagine life without my little buddy :-) My life revolves around making this little guy happy and with him being my first and oldest, I know we'll always have a special bond. Love being this little guy's mommy!
Here are some things we love about our 1-year-old little toddler...
He wakes up happy! When I go into his room after naps or in the morning, he is happy and excited to see me. He normally is standing and smiling up at me and will start reaching out for me as soon as I start walking toward him.
He is such an explorer! Every day he looks around the house for new things to get into. If there is a new box or toy in the area, he will find it and investigate. He also enjoys opening all our kitchen and bathroom cupboards that aren't properly locked.
His favorite play things are water bottles, phones, remote controls, and shoes -- so why do we buy him toys? tyler asks this a lot. But seriously, he's starting to get better at playing with actual toys. Especially if he can stack them, read them, or put them in or out of other containers.
He loves music! And he also loves playing with toys that make music. Whenever a song with a good beat comes on, he starts bouncing his body up and down and if he's really feeling it he waves his arms around... it's pretty adorable. He also loves drumming on any surface possible.
He claps when something good happens. Whether it be his eating of one of his favorite foods, or daddy coming home, he claps when he's excited. He also claps when other people are clapping around him or on the tv.
He knows how to climb down the stairs. It started with his figuring out how to crawl off the bed or couch - he knows to go backwards. And now he knows how to go down all the stairs with no problem. He really is a cautious little guy.
He's starting to sleep through the night. He's been really close for a while now, sleeping 9 or 10 hours, but now he is sleeping from 8 pm to 7 am... heaven for his parents.
He is getting better at drinking out of sippy cups. He never liked bottles much, so we've moved right to cups and he's finally getting the hang of it. He loves water/juice and we still need to get him to drink milk.
He still loves nursing, but is only down to one or two times a day now. (this is a Rachel love, not necessarily from Tyler...) But now that he's one, we'll see how long he lasts.
He is so stinkin cute. We still get comments wherever we go about having such a cute little boy. He smiles and says hi to everyone he meets, so it doesn't hurt that he's super friendly too. He's getting cuter every day, but he really has lost most of his baby fat. He's definitely not in the 95th percentile any more and is making his way back down to slightly above average height and weight.
He loves playing games. With mommy it's chase & peek-a-boo, with daddy it's tickle wars, and with his uncle Steven it's throw-the-binky, with baby girls it's all about flirting. I really feel that he has different interactions with the familiar people in his life and he's got such a cute personality.
He is an eater -- he loves food but only the food he likes. Which is basically anything fresh. He loves fruits, veggies, grilled chicken, yogurt, and bread. When I pack my diaper bag with snacks for Jackson, blueberries and grapes are our standards. He likes raisins and honey nut cheerios all right, but I'm telling you - this kid is healthy! He was more interested in dissecting the cake, rather than eating it.
He is starting to make lots of babble noises, but the only words he says for now are hi / hey /hello and of course ... daddy which sounds like dadddeee.
He only has 3 teeth, which helps me think that he's not growing up quite as fast! He got his bottom two at 8 months, and finally got one on the top last week. I think he's working on his other top tooth.
Jackson loves reading books, but what I think is hilarious is that when he sees a picture of food in one of his books, he tries to take a bite of that page. I didn't teach this to him so I'm not sure where it came from. Also there's one book with a picture of a little girl that he kisses every time we turn to that page!
When I'm holding Jackson on my shoulder and I'm patting him either before or after a nap, he sometimes pats me back... It's pretty dang cute and he's been doing it for the past week.
He loves going on walks, to the park, on the swings, to the store, or anywhere that he can see what's going on in the world. He loves observing and being out and about.
He behaves pretty dang good at church, especially since we go at 1 pm, for 3 hours. There are people in our ward that ask me if he ever cries - they don't believe he ever does.
He has brought so much joy into our lives and I can't imagine life without my little buddy :-) My life revolves around making this little guy happy and with him being my first and oldest, I know we'll always have a special bond. Love being this little guy's mommy!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Spring Break
-- Love this pic, but more on that later--
Spring Break! Although it's not something I've been able to experience personally, since high school -- I feel like I've benefited from others' breaks every year since then. This year we had my parents and Steven fly out from Arizona during his spring break. Paige also joined the party and flew down from NY for a much needed escape from the cold winter up there. During the week we had two jam-packed Disney Days, a trip to the Lake, shopping, lounging, and lots of March Madness watching.
Jackson was happy to have more people to play with, but he's starting to become a little more shy. He still smiles and says "hi" and will interact, but isn't quite as willing to be held by other people ... especially when Tyler and I are in the room. (just a warning to our other family members who are coming to see Jackson soon) But by the end of the week we was very used to everyone and has little games he played with everyone individually. Such a happy baby, love that kid!
It was the perfect weather all week long - 80 degrees and no rain!
Paige and Ste on Lake Butler
After riding Rock'N'Roller Roaster! One of my new favorites after not riding it for 9 months of pregnancy and 9 months of scardy-pantsish! I'm glad I finally rode it with Jill Fill last month!
Outside Tyler's favorite ride -- Toy Story Mania. And thanks to our new-found knowledge of the "rider swap" option Disney offers if you have a baby, we did not have to wait in hardly any lines - no way we'd wait 125 minutes for any ride!
The main event of the week happened last Saturday when we had Jackson's First Birthday Party!!
Since my family was in town and I had girls camp last week, we decided to have his party the weekend before his birthday and it worked out great! We invited some of our friends from our ward (most of whom have little guys and gals that Jackson likes to play with) and had a little afternoon party. Paige had recently taken a cake decorating class so she frosted an amazing sailboat cake and plenty of cupcakes to serve at the party.
We presented him with his cake -- and this healthy little eater didn't get as into it as we thought he would! He enjoyed it a bit more when we put strawberries mixed around in the chocolate!
When I thought about throwing the party it hadn't even crossed my mind that people would bring presents until my mom mentioned it to me a few days before. I just wanted to have a good time celebrating Jackson, but he ended up getting quite a few really neat toys and books! He is starting to really play with toys and reading books so it was great to get some new ones for our little guy.
It was the perfect event for Jackson! This social little guy has a lot of friends and admirers so with 30 plus people at the party we're glad to be able to fit them all in our new place.
The family all left after one week of fun in the sun, and then I had just 3 days to get ready for girls' camp!
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