A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas Baking

All of my sisters came over for our annual Christmas Cookie Day. Here are some pictures of the goodies we made.


My sister Roxanna made a manger scene out of her cookies. I thought it was cute.

And my sister Reanna made these morbid, scary cookies. As usual. My favorite would have to be the prune eye cookie though.

I got brave this year and made bon bons. I always thought they would be difficult to make, but these were so easy and fun! I love how they turned out.

Christmas Festivities

What a great Christmas we had this year! Thanks to some amazing family and friends James made out like a very spoiled little boy. We didn't know how great it was going to turn out because we woke up on Christmas Eve to a very cranky James. One of his eyes was swollen shut and oozing and he was totally miserable. We had plans to go to the annual Christmas movie with my family but ended up in Urgent Care instead. As it turned out the poor kid had a double ear infection that had spread to his eyes and throat. I felt so horrible because the only indication he had given that anything was remotely wrong was tugging at his ear a few days before. After that it was off to the pharmacy for antibiotics and ear drops. Add a dose of tylenol and he was peacefully sleeping in no time flat. We spent the rest of our day catering to the baby and later on we went for a drive and looked at Christmas lights. When we came home we watched Christmas movies before heading to bed.

His eyes were so sensitive to light on Christmas Eve that we had to put his sunglasses on inside the house! He was happier when they were on because he could still play.

James doesn't get how to open presents on his own. He loves to crinkle the paper, but when it came to actually opening them he needed a little help. We would help him unwrap a present, show it to him and then put it aside so he could open another one. This method really made him mad because we kept giving him toys and taking them away. About half way through he had had it with opening and just wanted to play, so Paul and I opened the rest and Paul put all the toys together.

After the medicine kicked in on Christmas Eve. You can still see that his left eye is red and puffy. Poor baby.

Great Grandma Cohoon sent him this sled. SO cute.


Christmas Morning

James got so many presents I don't think I could list them all, so here's a picture of his presents:

For Christmas this year we set a budget that PAUL didn't stick to. Stinker. He sold his books and added it to his budget without me knowing. He bought me a Franklin planner. And not just any planner, but a Jean Chatzky Financial planner! I am SO stoked about this gift. It may seem silly to some, but I currently have been organizing my life out of several binders and folders. Being able to have everything organized is such a relief. I LOVE my gift :) He also got me a box of chocolates. All caramels because they are the only ones I really like. I also got a couponizer (a coupon organizer) from my awesome almost-brother-in-law. Oh, and a sewing machine from my dad. I'm SO excited to finally have a sewing machine. I can not wait to try it out.

I got Paul the Joseph Smith Papers. He's been wanting this book forever, so I broke down and bought it for him. I also got him some cologne by Versace. Mmmm. He also got a watch from my parents and a charging station from my sister.

After our Christmas at home we went over to my parents for Christmas dinner and gift exchange with my brothers and sisters. It was a nice relaxing holiday but I can't believe that Christmas is over and it's time to take down all the decorations. I'm always sad to take down my tree. I love all the lights. I'm also going to have to come up with new things to entertain James. We have been truly blessed this year and I am so grateful to so many people. I hope you all had a happy Christmas!

Cuteness!

I finally uploaded a bunch of videos of our baby joy. Enjoy!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This time of year I always try to remember why we are really celebrating. This year I've reached this new found understanding of just how big of a deal it was that God gave up his Son to redeem us all. I always knew it, but I've had a major A-HA! moment. I just can't imagine being strong enough to do that. I've also been thinking of Mary, the mother of Christ. What a strong woman she must have been. To be able to raise the Son of God and then to have watched as he was tortured and crucified. I can't imagine being that strong. This has all been in the back of my mind as we've set up our tree and prepared for Christmas festivities. I am grateful for my Savior and for His sacrifice.

That being said, we are completely ready for the holiday! My Christmas shopping is done and the presents are wrapped and under the tree! James loves Christmas, although he isn't fond of the cold weather. I'm sure next year will be different when he can play in the snow. I've always loved Christmas, but now that we have James it's just so much more meaningful and FUN!

This year's Hallmark on the left (Baby's First Christmas) and James' footprint ornament on the right.

Our pretty tree!

I made our stockings. Except for James'. I had this one since I was a kid and just put a poinsettia on it to match the others.

I sit him in front of the tree so he can see the lights and reach for things. He loves pulling the bows off the presents. Such a cutie!

Little stinker tried to pull Santa's beard. Santa didn't seem to be very amused...or jolly for that matter. But James didn't cry and wasn't scared of him at all.

Happy Christmas!

First Thanksgiving

We hosted our very first Thanksgiving this year and it was so great! I didn't grow up liking Thanksgiving. It wasn't a very big thing at our house. We used to decorate for Christmas and eat at a buffet, so this gave me a real appreciation for the holiday. Paul made the turkey (he stuffed it full of onions, celery, carrots, apples, oranges and lemons and seasonings and chicken stock. It was sooooooo moist and delicious. I've been living off of it for days.
I made Lion House pumpkin pie, apple crumb pie, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, Grandma Willardson's frozen dessert, and a delicious sweet potato bake. We did the whole thing from scratch and it turned out fabulous.
This year we have so much to be thankful for. We have a beautiful, healthy little boy, a job, a place to live, the gospel, friends and family who love us and so much more. Life can be hard sometimes, but through it all we have been so blessed. We don't forget this or the Lord's the hand in our lives.

I should have taken a picture of the apple pie also, but...I was busy.


We set our table to send a picture to Paul's grandma. She gave us this beautiful table as a wedding gift. We ended up using paper plates to cut down on dishes, but it sure is pretty :)

Paul's fantastic turkey.

Sampler plate of everything.

My little man is growing up so fast. He was a very patient while we cooked and baked.

All Good

We have been truly blessed this week. We had been very stressed out about the job situation, school standing, and James' health. We have truly felt the prayers of our family and friends. On Sunday our home teacher came over and gave Paul a blessing. It really eased our minds and helped to prepare us for the week.

James had his ultrasound on Monday. The Radiologist knew right away that everything was ok. That right there was stress relieving. I don't know what I would have done had something been really wrong. Poor little kid didn't enjoy the ultrasound AT ALL. He screamed and carried on. Holding a 20 pound squirmy baby in place for 10 minutes is harder than you might think! At that point I tried not to be stressed about the other things (although this was difficult also).

The test that Paul had been studying for was hard, but he got a 92! After his test he went to his second interview. He came out feeling confident. The interviewer told him that out of the 120 applicants for the job it came down to him and one other guy and that we would know within 24 hours if he got the job.

This afternoon we were just about to take a nap to take our minds off of the job situation when his phone rang. He got the job!! We have been so blessed this week it's unbelievable. This job comes with full state benefits and will pay for tuition for us both (at UVU so I'll be doing some classes there and transferring them to BYU...hey, it's FREE). I'm so happy and relieved tonight. I feel like we've been so stressed out lately and now that things have calmed down we're emotionally exhausted. Nothing like a great Thanksgiving weekend to get some much needed rest and relaxation!

Five Months!

Where does the time go? James is 5 months old! He's growing so fast and is such a big boy! He is 26 inches and 19 pounds. I feel blessed every day to be his mom.

This is his favorite toy. It's an octopus with rattles and other baby things hanging off of it.

He despises tummy time. I keep telling him that he has to go through this if he wants to learn to crawl, but he just screams louder.

He "helps" me do the laundry. Mostly he'll just grab at whatever I'm trying to fold, but he stays quiet and amused.

Jumperoo!

His newest habit: finger chewing.

Now that he can actually reach his feet he rarely lets go of them.

He likes cups.

He loves to hide under blankets. If he gets anywhere near a blanket he'll pull it over his head and growl and squeal and giggle until we "find" him.

I love his chunky hands! He grabs for absolutely everything and puts it straight into his mouth. He is just so adorable and we love him so much.

Halloween

I've never been a huge Halloween fan...until I saw James in his costume. We handed out candy for Halloween this year! It's the first time we've been able to and while it probably sounds dumb, it was a lot of fun. Paul carved a pumpkin and James guarded the candy. He's such a cute Pooh!

He was growling in this one. He cracks me up. Every morning when he wakes up he gives us his biggest grin and growls away.

Paul was so proud of his pumpkin! `

And this is not Halloween, but it's cute:

Despite the mess he's a really good eater. He LOVES sweet potatoes. :)

Weekend Adventures

We had a fantastic weekend! First, Paul let me sleep until noon. That alone made my whole day so much better. It was such a gorgeous day that we decided to take a drive. We drove to South Ridge Farms and got some cider and doughnuts. I'd never had this combination before if you can believe that. The hot cider doughnuts were pretty much to die for. We also picked out a pumpkin. I've never seen it so packed! The line was out the door, but it was well worth it. James fell asleep as soon as we got back in the car and so we decided to go for a scenic drive and took on the whole Nebo Loop! I had no idea how long it was, and at 9,000 feet the views were breathtaking. I wish I had taken more pictures of the maple trees. It's so beautiful right now. If you live in Utah and have never driven it before, I would highly suggest taking the trip. James also had the pleasure of meeting his great grandmother, and my only living grandparent. Grammamom came out last week and we've enjoyed spending some time with her. It was her first time seeing James so it was really fun :)

James in the pumpkin patch.

That's Timp in the distance. We were up HIGH!

A hawk on a rock.

4 Generations!

3 Months and Counting

Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that we brought little James home, and now he's a strapping 3-month old! He has been sleeping through the night this past week, and when I say this I mean 8-10 hours! I usually wake up at 4 am still. Three months of waking up at 4 am will do that to you I suppose. I go back to sleep pretty quickly though! Paul and I will usually be up and getting ready for the day and the little angel will still be sleeping! I am NOT expecting this to last. I have no delusions of sleep anymore. Any day now he'll go back to a 3 hour sleeping schedule. That's what I tell myself anyways.
He's super ticklish and laughs hysterically when we tickle him (sometimes, other times he just grins and fights it:). When he wakes up in the morning he's the happiest baby in the world and his colic is getting better, although he still struggles a little bit now and then. Thank goodness he is able to entertain himself for a few minutes now! It's amazing what you can get done in 10 minutes. Anyways, here are some pictures of our growing baby:

Isn't he such a cutie?

3 Month Photo Shoot

His newest fascination: his feet! He wants to grab them so bad, but hasn't been able to yet. Any day now he's going to get them!

James loves to play peek a boo with his blanket. I can't let him sleep with his blanket because he loves pulling it over his head, but during the day I let him play with it. He giggles when he's under it. Silly kid.

We finally broke down and got a bumbo seat. He pretty much hates laying down. If you put him on his back he struggles and tries to sit up so he can see what's going on around him, so he loves the chair and can be entertained for quite a while! Oh, and thank goodness for Baby Einstein!

Labor Day Weekend

I love long weekends that I get to spend with Paul. His weekend started Friday night when he got off of work. I picked him up and he said that he wanted to go for a drive. So, kind of like Forrest Gump --only driving and not running-- we drove, and drove and drove. To Duchesne! The drive was nice all the way up to Strawberry Reservoir. We would really love to do some camping there in the future. BUT, after that it really reminded me of where I grew up in rural California. I've had a serious touch of homesickness (my parents followed me out to Utah so I can never really go "home") and driving to Duchesne was good for me because I realized how far I've come and that if I had a choice I wouldn't go back to Aguanga. I loved growing up in the middle of nowhere. My opportunities were endless as a little child for exploration and creativity. BUT, I love where I am now...ok, tangent over.
Because we got home so late from this excursion we ended up grabbing tacos and heading to bed. Saturday we got to go on a date. It was our first time leaving James with anyone. All I can say is that I totally love Leah for taking care of him for us.
The original plan was to go to the temple, but after discovering that my temple dress no longer fit thanks to some added baby weight (and the new found hips that won't quit), Paul decided to take me to get a new one. I told him that I could just rent one, but he wanted to buy me one. So we went to Mimi's for breakfast and did a little shopping. It was SO nice to get away for a while and not worry about a baby screaming in public and having to leave suddenly. Hopefully next time we really can go to the temple! It's been far to long. We picked up some goodies at Distribution that we were able to enjoy Sunday morning. There is this fantastic video about Thomas S. Monson's life. After Gordon B. Hinkley died it was kind of a struggle to see anyone else as prophet. This is not saying that I did not sustain President Monson in anyway, but it was just so weird for me because Gordon B. was really the prophet of my childhood and entire adulthood. It's been easier as time has gone and I've grown used to our prophet now, but after seeing this video I can't imagine anyone else filling that role right now. What an amazing man. What an amazing life. We also got a MoTab CD which we listened to all Sunday morning as I did a bunch of ironing and Paul cleaned up my messy kitchen :)
Church was fantastic and I finally met the Humanitarian Committee Chairperson in Relief Society. We were both called a few weeks ago and I'm really excited to start working together. We are putting together some kits for a big humanitarian enrichment night next month. It is usually pretty difficult for me to get to know people at church because, until now, I've not been able to go to any activities during the week and I'm horrible at remembering names. Yesterday, however, I sat next to a delightful old lady. She just moved into the ward and is quite shy. Her grandchildren don't live close by and she was just tickled pink by James. I could see that my taking interest in her life really made her happy and it totally made my day!
After church we came home to the smell of amazing pot roast made by Paul. He really helps me out on weekends and I'm so grateful to have such a thoughtful husband. Here are some pictures from our weekend:

James' First BYU football game. BYU was #20 playing #3, the Oklahoma Sooners. We managed to pull off a 14-13 win and shot all the way up to #9! Go Cougars!!

In Duchesne, last names are unimportant on campaign banners. "Vote for Jill" and "Vote for Rodney" seem to do the trick just fine!

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! I love his sunglasses. He hates them if I put them on before he gets in the sun, but if he sees that they really do help him out after experiencing the glare, he likes them. Silly boy.

Yet Another Baby Post

I realize that my blog has become overwhelmed with baby posts, but I can't help myself! James was blessed last weekend and a few of our dear friends were able to make it to the event. He behaved the entire time and even went to sleep! I was counting on him being loud and obnoxious the whole time, but other than a loud diaper-filling during the blessing, he was great :)

He had his first round of vaccinations yesterday. I've never seen him turn that color red before. It was sad. He was so mad! But the nurse gave them to him so fast and as soon as I picked him up he calmed down. They also checked out his eyes. They were reflecting light kind of funny so three different pediatricians took a look at them to make sure there wasn't a tumor or anything blocking the light. It made me pretty nervous, but it turns out that his eyes just aren't perfectly aligned, which was a relief! But he has little bruises around his eyes now from the doctors prying. Poor kid was NOT a happy camper yesterday. He has a slight fever today due to the immunizations but is in good spirits so I can't complain.

I love his dimples

In his blessing outfit. He really wasn't a fan of this outfit at all. In fact, when we came home and I took it off he was SOOOOO happy. I think blessing outfits are designed to humiliate kids when they get older.

Goofy smile

His feet.

I told you he fell asleep!