Happy 12th!

Today Heath and I celebrate our 12th Anniversary.
Heath surprised me with trip to Island Park last night. We were suppose to have a small cabin but we were upgraded and ended up with a huge cabin with windows that looked out at all these beautiful trees with snow on them. It had a hot tub outside and it was a beatiful cabin. It was a great way to celebrate 12 years together. We have had so many great memories. It is so nice to be so peaceful and happy in life.
Happy Anniversary!

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a great Christmas and that we can feel the true spirit of this holiday.

Sledding in Utah

We went to see my sister in Saratoga Springs this weekend. The kids loved playing there. We had a great time shopping on Friday, sledding and making caramel/chocolate apples with my brother-in-law.

Here are pictures of the kids sledding and making a snow fort. They have a great little snow hill right in their neighborhood. I was amazed at the kids energy of going up and down the hill. They didn't seem to wear out from it. Hannah absolutely loved it until she got taken out by a guy and flew in the air about ten feet. It even knocked her boots off. Luckily, her head just hurt a little and she was more scared about the guy helping then about getting hurt. She was a little more cautious after that.

Thanks Huls for a great weekend!

Jackson Family Favorites

For my families Christmas exchange this year, we had to make a list of favorites in our family. Here is our list:

1. Hershy’s Cookies and Cream Candy Bars or Kisses – We all can’t get enough of these, especially Hayden
2. My new favorite cooking utensil – the Can opener. I don’t know how many times I couldn’t open a jar or spaghetti sauce thinking I would have to change my dinner plans.
3. Fleece blankets – not an original idea but we love these kind of blankets. You throw two pieces together and tie the edges. It’s quick and easy and the best to keep you warm.
4. Mr.Yoshida’s Sauce – a Sam’s Club special. We use it in a lot of different kind of marinades for meat. It adds a great taste.
5. Steaks – Heath usually buys the whole beef tenderloin from Winco and we cut it up into different steaks and freeze them. They are great steaks and it is a lot more economical to do it this way.
6. Walmart brand Cetaphil lotion – It is the best at keeping Nancy’s eczema under control on her skin. We haven’t noticed a difference with the knock-off brand and it is half the price.
7. Haagen-Dazs Dulce de leche caramel ice cream – so yummy!
8. Cocoa-Motion – this quickly mixes our hot cocoa to just the right temperature and there is enough for all of us.
9. A Sandwich cutter shaped like a dinosaur that I got at Walmart on their bread isle. It is Hayden’s favorite because it cuts off the crusts and he gets two dinosaur sandwiches out of it. We use it everyday.
10. Local Favorites – Chiz’s ranch dressing, Me-n-Stans honey butter, and Geraldine’s Orange rolls.

Humbled

Today I had one of those experiences that make you think. I was coming home from Fred Meyer's and on one corner there was a man asking for money with a sign that said "Please Help". I had my normal thoughts race through my head, "Why does he need help?" "If I gave him money, would he just go buy alcohol?" "If I was homeless, I wouldn't choose cold Idaho to not have a home in?" "I should help, maybe this time I will." Do you ever have these thoughts? Well, usually it leads to me being very indecisive and then I never end up helping them. Usually I am just too scared to do anything about it. Well as I was watching him, a ladies car stalled on the other side of the street. This man dropped his sign, ran through traffic, and was the first and only one to help her push her car to the side of the road. If he was so quick to help, what does this say about my actions? Here was this man I was somewhat looking down on, yet he was so willing to help someone in need when I wasn't. Why is it so hard to break out of our shells and do something that is good for others? This man I will probably never see again, but he taught me a lesson today. Hopefully I can make a difference the next time someone is in need.

My Gratitude List 2009

1. A warm shower - I would struggle so much in those countries where there is no hot water. I do not like cold water at all.
2. Our new dog - We have had so much fun with him, with a few moments of craziness. He graduated from Puppy school yesterday. Now I just need to apply everthing we learned. It is amazing how attached you get to the little guys even when you try not to.
3. Good Food - Don't you just get so excited thinking about all the good food we get to eat this week? I love all of it from the meat to the salads to dessert!
4. Wonderful Presidency - I'm just sitting here with my normal after-church headache and thinking how lucky I am to work with the ladies I do. They make it all so much easier. It would be a migrane if it wasn't for them.
5. Extended family - I love having a lot of our family close. It is nice to have their support and friendship.
6. Technology - Doesn't it make our life easier. I love being able to make a phone call, get info from the internet, or have a machine wash my laundry. I really don't think I would have survived 100 years ago.
7. Christmas - We started a little bit of shopping yesterday and I love this holiday. I love the anticipation of it, the feeling of it, watching the kids excitement, and of course what we are celebrating. The only downfall is trying to figure out those few gifts that are the hard ones to think of.
8. Being a member of the church. When I think about how much my life is geared around the church, I think I would be so lost without it. It gives me answers to my every question and comfort in all my trials. Having a testimony truly is a blessing.
9. Having no schedule this week. Don't you just love those weeks when you can stop from all the things you usually have to be to in your normal routine and get to do what you want. I am looking forward to this week.
10. My warm home, especially on a cold day. I love being home. I love those days when I don't have to go anywhere and I just get to spend the whole day in my home. We are so blessed to have such nice homes.
11. Last but most important - My husband and Kids. I love how comfortable we are with one another. They are the people I love to be with each day. Each day is a new adventure and I'm glad to be sharing life with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Will they recognize me?

Hannah has been wanting her hair cut for a couple of months now. I finally decided it would be a good time to do it. Heath and I were a little attached to her long beautiful hair so it was hard to let it go. Aunt Jen graciously gave Hannah a haircut this weekend. It was a big moment but it turned out so cute. We love it on her. Hannah is now worried that where ever she goes people will not recognize her. She has been very nervous about the whole situation. It has been fun to watch her receive lots of attention.

Another great quote from Hayden - Ms. Joy called from pre-school the other day laughing. Hayden had very seriously told the boy next to him, "Hey that scribbling will not get you to college". Oh my know it all son, if he looked down at his own paper he was probably scribbling himself.

October

Hannah the Kitty and Hayden as Batman

This week went by with lots of Halloween fun. It isn't my favorite holiday but the kids get really excited about everything so it draws you in a little. I do love seeing the kids dressed up. They are so cute in their costumes and it is fun to spend extra time with family.

Between school parties, carving pumpkins at Grandma's, church party, decorating cookies at the Beck's, cousin party, visiting Grandma and Grandpa's and trick or treating I think we celebrated it plenty. Now we can look forward to our favorite holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Are we adjusting to the dog? I have to admit we have had days when I have thought What have we done! For the most part, it has been fun. We are getting him so he is mostly trained, but he is still a puppy who is excited a lot. The kids are having a great time with him though. Thank goodness for puppy school to help us know how to deal with everything.

A New face at our house

Meet Harley, the newest member at our house. Cody decided it would be better if we took the dog to live here permanently. We had fallen in love with him so we thought it would be a good time to take the plunge into pet ownership. We are now the owners of a Shih Tzu/poodle mix named Harley. He really is a cute little thing and has been fun to have around. The kids are having a great time playing and snuggling with him. I do understand now what people say about how much time they take to train. We are making it through the training process and overall it has been really fun. All you dog owners, any tips of things I should do right from the start?

Oh, Boy!

So I walked in from outside to find the brownies I made for a party tonight had been nicely decorated by my children with kabobs. Do you love their artwork? The way the day is going I am to tired to even get upset about it. I guess the chocolate sauce I am going to put on it will just seep into all those holes. Oh, you got to love your children.

Viva Las Vegas

We had a great trip to Las Vegas. It was so nice to get away and just be a couple for a few days, sleep in, eat a great places and just relax. Some of our adventures were visiting Hoover Dam (amazing how tall it is and a great drive), shopping, viewing Phantom of the Opera (this was so awesome - we all loved it, well except Heath's brother Cody who had never been to a musical - it was a bit much for him), going to the bodies exhibit (way cool) and eating on the 50th floor of the Rio overlooking the city. It really was a great time. It was nice to laugh so much with good friends. Thanks Heath for planning and to all the people who watched our kids - we love ya.

Best of Both Worlds

Heath's brother got a new puppy a couple of weeks ago. My kids are in love with it. Cody isn't home much in the day so I decided to go get it today so my kids could have some dog time. They are constantly driving me crazy about getting a dog so I thought we could go get this dog once a week and they could have their time to play and then we wouldn't have to get one ourselves. We had such a fun day. Hannah would hardly share the dog. She held it all day. It really is the cutest little thing. I didn't hear it bark all day and it was a pretty docile dog. I actually enjoyed the day a lot. So now I think - maybe we should get one. I really fell in love with the little thing today which is very surprising because I am not a dog person. Am I crazy to think that way? Should we break down and get one or should I just enjoy this best of both worlds situation?

Nocturnal

Hannah must have learned the word "nocturnal" at school because she has been using it a lot lately. I thought her application of it was great the other night. She woke up in the night and I went in to check on her. She said she was scared so she said a prayer. I said that was a great thing to do. Then she asked, "Mom, is Heavenly Father nocturnal? Will he hear my prayers in the night?" It is hard not to let a little chuckle out in those situations.

My Rock Man

Have you ever been tired and looked around and thought I will lay down on a pile of rocks. That will be really comfy. Well, this is how I found Hayden yesterday afternoon - sound asleep.At least he used the tube for his head. This kid always keeps me laughing one way or another.

She made it!

Hannah made it through her first day of Kindergarten! I didn't even cry today. I was very proud of myself. She was so excited to get on the bus. Luckily, she has good neighbor friends to take care of her. She did give that one scared look as she got on the bus, but she was brave enough to do it. I met her over at the school basically so I knew she made it to class. She says she will be okay tomorrow without me. She loved every minute of it. It was fun to hear all her stories when she got home. It was a hard day on Hayden though. He was pretty sure he wanted to stay there with her and not go home with boring mom, but then Zach came over and all was well. I love the feeling of back to school time. There is almost something magical about it.

Surprising Tears

I'm not really an emotional person. I don't cry often. That is why I am surprised today at the tears that keep coming to my eyes. I didn't think I would be like this about sending my little girl to school. I am also really excited for her. She can't wait. I'm not sure if she is more excited about going to school or about finally wearing her school clothes. She needs the routine in her life. She needs the stimulation for her little brain and I'm ready for that. It's just one of those markers in life. It seems she just looked liked this . . .and I blinked and she is going to school. I remember chuckling quietly at the moms who teared up when they dropped off their kindergartners when I taught . . . that was before I had children of myself. I read in a book this week where it said, "You can't start a new journey without the old one dying first." I guess that is kind of how I feel today. Tomorrow will come and it will be new and exciting. Am I being extra emotional or is this normal? Did you feel this way too?

My August List

The month is flying by so I thought I better write down a few of my favorite things we have done and been a part of.

1. We sent Heath back to work at the beginning of the month. It was hard to adjust to having him gone after 8 weeks being home all the time. We love having him home and are very thankful for the time we got to spend with him.

2. Getting a Kindergartner ready for school. She has had the best time shopping for clothes and supplies. She is counting down the days until the first day. We were so glad she got the teacher and time we wanted. This is a big moment in all of our lives. I'm so excited for her but it is also hard to see her grow up so fast.

3. Another session of swimming lessons. I didn't think I would ever do an August session but it actually has been really good. I chose a 9:00 session so it would get us going in the morning. I'm excited with how much they are learning this time. We are also excited that tomorrow is our last day!

4. This picture of one of my nephews on his mission is so great. He is serving in Kenya and they were able to baptize 12 people one Saturday. It isn't that difficult to pick him out. It is always so fun to hear from all the missionaries in our family through e-mail. I love being able to stay in contact with them so easily.

5. I got to see two families this last week get sealed in the temple. They were both so neat to be a part of. It was amazing the feeling in both of them when their children were brought into the sealing room. It truly was a testimony strengthener on what an important thing it is to have our children sealed to us. Congrats to the Thompson's and the Weimers!

6. Having Heath's Grandma (Granny Great) come stay in Idaho for a week. My kids were so excited to see her. Hayden couldn't wait to have Bell, her dog, come to our house and take her for walks. Hannah finally got over her deathly fear of dogs. She even held Bell. We were very proud of her.

7. Picking Huckleberries. I have never done this before but it was fun to go up to the mountains and spend a few hours picking, playing with the kids, and talking. I was glad I learned a new skill.

8. Learning how to make Tamales. I went to a cooking lesson and learned this great skill. It was great fun and I am now addicted to them. I'm for sure going to have to make more when I run out.

9. Becoming mud monsters at Grandmas. We had a few fun filled days of sleepovers and water parties with the Thornton side cousins.

It has been a great summer! I can't believe it is coming to an end. Hopefully we will have enough time to fit in a few more adventures.

A week of Firsts

My kids got to try some new water activities this week. The first was at Blacktail. They both loved the boat ride. Hayden loved going in the tube (as long as Heath wasn't driving) - Hannah not so much, but at least she tried it.
Next was a river rafting trip down the Snake River. We only let them go half way because the bigger waves are a little much for kids their age. Hayden loved it and was sad to get out. Hannah once again tolerated it and wouldn't get off my lap but at least she did it.
We also finished the first round of swimming lessons. They had a great time and I actually felt like they were learning this time. We are going to take a few weeks off and then do another round. We were excited they both passed their class. Polliwogs here we come!

And here we have Yellowstone

We made a quick trip to Yellowstone this weekend. We actually stayed the night in the park which I had never done before. It was a beautiful campground. We went to Footloose at the playmill, saw lots of animals, counted license plates (we got 39) and saw a lot of the spots in the park. I really enjoyed the two days we were there. It was fun to spend time with my parents and my sister and her family. Summer is going by to fast.

My Two Cuties

My sister took my kids pictures a few weekends ago. I think they turned out great. It was so fun to just go in her backyard. It relieved a lot of the stress of getting pictures. I'm so excited to have it done for this year and to hang them up in my house. Thanks Jenn!

Telling a Fish Story

We went camping for a couple of days this week. Hayden's best moment was when he caught this fish. He worked so hard at it and was so excited when he finally hooked it (with Heath's help). It was funny after he put it back in and everyone asked how big it was - he was like a true fisherman. The fish was already three times as big as it truly was. I didn't realize how young the fish stories begin.

Mt. Timpanogos

We went to Utah this weekend to visit family. We had a great time seeing Heath's grandma. She is fun to stay with. She loves to visit. At one point Hayden leaned over to me and whispered - Mom she sure likes to talk a lot. I suppose I would have a lot to say if I lived by myself too. We also saw my sister Jenn and stayed with her family. Our kids love playing together. She was nice and took my kids pictures. They turned out great. We also went on a hike to the Mt. Timpanogos cave. It was a fun hike. It was a mile and half up the mountain. I was amazed at how high we went. I was worried, about Hannah especially, that she wouldn't be able to do it. Both kids did great. We only gave them a few piggy back rides but they did the rest. It was a great hike for them. It was so fun to have the cave at the top of the hill to go through. They loved it. We had a lot of fun and were glad we didn't get to soaked by the rain. We also went to the copper mines. It was amazing to see how far they have dug down in the mountain. The dump trucks were also amazing. They are so huge! They made a semi look like a little toy. It was great to get away and see family. Thanks Huls for a fun weekend.

He loves me!

We went four-wheeling on Saturday. It was so beautiful in the mountains. Everything is so green. It is hard to believe we live in a desert. It really was a fun ride and a beautiful view. We didn't even get rained on until the end which is great with the way the days have been lately. I really didn't want to get stuck on the top of the mountain with my children in a rain storm. We only had one mishap. I was riding down some switchbacks. Hayden was with me. I really don't like going downhill because lets face it I am not that good of a driver. I overcorrected on a corner and the four-wheeler rolled over. It felt really slow motion but quite scary when you have a four-year old to worry about getting squished and the fact that you are on a steep mountain. Hayden was okay. I was okay but a yucky bruise on my leg and the next day having a lot of sore muscles. You know like when you go waterskiing after you haven't done it for awhile. You feel muscles you didn't know you have. Heath was at the bottom on the mountain and didn't know it had happened. When we got down I told him what happened. Of course I wouldn't think he would be any different but he wasn't concered about the dent in his four-wheeler or the smooshed break. He just was worried about me. It is so nice to be so loved and once again this year a good reminder of what's important. I'm sure he took a good look at his four-wheeler when I wasn't looking.

Picture Perfect?

So we went down to the river again the other day. It was the side with the bridges. It was really fun to play around down there. I thought I would grab my camera and get some cute pictures. The pictures didn't quite turn out. Does this ever happen to you? You finally get them in a cute pose and then they look away, or look down, or start fighting. Or then I finally get a somewhat good one and the lighting is all wrong. Either I ran out of patience for it or my kids did because I don't think we came out with one good one. I guess I wasn't planning on doing anything with the pictures anyway. I think I will have to go again with someone who knows what they are doing. We did have a fun picnic and exploring so I guess that is what matters.

Go Rhino's!

We have entered the world of organized sports this week. Hannah and Hayden had their first two T-ball games. It was an interesting but surprisingly fun experience for me. We joined an Iona team with all of their cousins. It is a family affair! It is really nice for Grandma Jackson to only have to go to one game.

Hannah was a little nervous at first. I had to walk her up to the T the first time , but now she loves it. We are glad she is so brave to participate. If only she could remember which way 1st base was, we will be doing good. Her claim to fame was making a catch. Her mitt was on the ground and the ball landed right in it. She was surprised and I don't think it could have happened twice in a row.

Hayden just loves being able to run around and socialize. This guy could talk to anybody. He was on 2nd and I saw him talking to every kid of the other team as they stopped on the base. I asked him what he was telling them and he said, "Oh, I was telling them they were going to lose". Oh man, we need to work on a little bit of sportsmanship, but I love seeing that he is a little competitive. Then when he ran around the bases he got a number of the other team to give him high 5's as he went by. Then he got to bat last and was excited that he hit a home run. He loves it! It has been fun so far. I'm sure we will be glad it is just for the month of June.