September!

September is over ... really? Crazy! Autumn swooped in so fast. I am so excited for scarves and boots and pumpkin-flavored everything! Here are the photos from this past month that weren't blogged :)

Aaron and Eli doing puzzles. My favorite part ... Aaron put the blue 6/9 in the 6 spot. Eli looked at it and said, "No..." he then moved it, flipped it over, putting in the 9 spot and said, "There. That better."

Apparently, Aaron can fall asleep anywhere...

 Adorable

This is my sweatshirt from when I was little. JAW = Jessica Alora Wilkinson.

I hope we can find a picture of me wearing it to compare to my Ramen loving Aaron!

 During "quiet time" (aka, Aaron refuses to nap time which leads to eventually falling asleep somewhere else - hence the strange sleeping position montage at the beginning of the post...) a lot of strange things happen. Cars get trapped in tulle, laces are strung, and when Mama say no to the pull-up because Aaron is a "big-boy," Aaron will put it on his head and then race around in circles... 

 Today, while I was decorating for fall, I gave Aaron all my hats - most of which I have courtesy of my Grandpa (GP).  He found this cowboy hat and said,
 "Look Mama! I Woody!" He then proceeded to say, "I like Buzz ... I like Jessie..." 

We are very into Toy Story 3 right now  - he loves to, "watch Buzz catch the train!"

As you can see in the picture on the left, Aaron gets very excited when we watch the movie.

Watching Eric and Aaron play cars after Family Home Evening tonight, these lyrics popped in my head

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive

These are the moments I'll remember all my life

I've got all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

....

Every prayer has been answered

Every dream I have's come true

And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be

Here with you, here with me

As I put Aaron to bed tonight, I reminded him how special and amazing he is. He responded by saying, "I a big brother." I let him know he is a great big brother and then asked who his big brother is. He replied, "Jesus is my big brother." He then said, "I want see Jesus," so I grabbed the picture of Jesus and some children that we keep beside the rocking chair and we talked about Jesus and how he loves the children... Aaron so obviously loves Jesus and loves the temple - he saw the Disney Castle today and said, "Look Mama, I see temple!" He loves to point to the temple pictures we have around the house and ask "I go temple today please?"

I am so grateful for all the little moments we experience. I am so grateful to be where I am with the family that I have - I know we are where we are supposed to be and we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. I look forward to many more moments as our family grows!

The Importance of a History

Today, while I was doing laundry, I was thinking about my blog (remember, artist ... not crazy person). I was curious how I blogged about Aaron when he was born... and how it compared to Audrey. So, taking a break from laundry (let's be honest, a Lady can only do so much laundry in one sitting) I sat down to read my blog. Very narcissistic, I know. But man, was it fun! I loved seeing all the things we did (meeting Mater and putting my child in the fridge as a few examples...)!

What a blessing it is to have this blog! I have kept record of so many events and have posted so many pictures. It is fun to see how the blog has evolved. I started it because 1. Some of my sisters-in-law kept blogs and 2. I had downtime at work where I still needed to be there and the girl beside me blogged during that time. Now, I create many more posts and am always surprised by just how many people read my blog! When I first started, I struggled to come up with things to blog about - and now I can't seem to tear myself away from the blog! I love that through this technological medium I can stay current with the lives of people who have moved away and they can stay current with mine! In 2011, we lost all of our pictures from that year off the computer. I sobbed and cried for a long time until I realized that I had documented the best of them and could download them again!

I am so excited to print my blog and continue printing it so we have a record on our shelf that we can pull off and show our children. I love that we will be able to show them how much we loved them when they were small and how much we still love them as they grow! While they won't have memory of the things we do now, they will be able to see all the fun activities we helped them participate in and how much they enjoyed (or perhaps didn't enjoy) them.

This is my journal/scrapbook combined and I love having a place to put my thoughts and experiences - even if no one read them right now ... simply so I and my children can go back and read them later. I have a written journal for more deep and personal spiritual experiences, but I love having this public one as well - I see it as a tool to share the gospel as well as keep a record of my history!

"Keeping records is essential to building spirituality in our homes. Records of spiritual experiences provide a way to keep track of the Lord's blessings and allow our posterity to know those blessings. In short, records provide a rich pool of spiritual experiences on which family members will draw for generations to come." ~President Kimball

I guess I don't really have a point to this post ... haha ... except to encourage all who do not have a form of writing their history to find what works for them! It doesn't have to be public... it can be private. However you do it, make sure you go back through it! See all the ways you have been blessed. Look back at your trials and see how the Lord has blessed you through them!

Right now, I feel like my life is amazing. I feel like I don't have any ridiculously hard trials (I know, tempting fate, right?) and so this is the time to build up my faith so that when I do get slammed again as life always does, I will be ready. I need to have record of my testimony, of the things I have learned in General Conference, of the amazing times I have shared with my family ... and I need to be able to access them. Our memories are faulty - I can't seem to make it to the doctor's office without forgetting something (like a diaper for Audrey *facepalm*) let alone remember an experience I had last year or even 10 years ago!

Some people scrapbook, others write in journals ... and as for me - I blog!

General Relief Society Broadcast

Last night, I was blessed to attend the General Relief Society Broadcast with Eric's parents. Knowing it is more enjoyable to attend these things with family, and knowing that if I were to stay home to watch the broadcast it wouldn't happen due to children, I eagerly accepted Ane's invitation to go with them. Here are some of the key things that I got out of the meeting:

• The Lord knows what you need. He also knows when you need it. Be patient and look for His hand in all things - He may be answering your prayer through another person. Make sure you are paying close enough attention to notice!
• Baptismal Covenants. They hit this point hard. And I realized ... what are my Baptismal Covenants? 
• Come into the fold of God (become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ)
• Be called His son or daughter (take upon me the name of Christ)
• Beat others' burdens that they may be light; mourn with those that mourn; and comfort those in need of comfort (help others)
• Stand as a witness of Got at all times and in all things and in all places (testify of Christ and set a good example at all times)
• Serve God and keep His commandments
• I had to look these up... It has been so long since my baptism and I have focused so much on my Temple Covenants that I had almost forgotten that I have made other covenants too! They talked a lot about how we keep our Baptismal Covenants every day without realizing it - that we are doing better than we actually think we are. This was important for me to hear.
• I definitely cried when President Monson talked about his wife who passed back in May. It is so evident how much he loves and misses her and how much he will always love her - a deep and profound love.

Now to apply these things...

Out For Lunch!

Sometimes, you just need to get out of the house when it's rainy and what better activity than eating?
























I think that ice cream is bigger than his head!

This Special Moment Brought to You By ... A Bad Immune System

As I'm sure you have noticed, my immune system is terrible - I really only feel like I'm "well" 2/3 of the month. Every bug Aaron brings home, I get ... 8x worse! He throws up once and is fine while I'm bedridden for 3 days. *sigh* We picked up something while in Utah. Aaron threw up 1 hour before we got home; poor kid, and I'm only truly emerging from my room and unpacking all of our things...
This is where I am so grateful we have the projector in our room and so grateful that Aaron can be calm when he knows Mama is sick. He will willingly sit and watch movies with me all day :) This makes for some pretty incredible moments as I am able to snuggle with my boy and just hold Audrey. They won't be at this stage in life for very long and I'm grateful that I get sick so I can take the time to slow down and enjoy what I've been given.

5 Worst Things About Being A Lady

Sometimes, since I have a blog, I think of my life in terms of blog posts. Things like, oh, that would make an awesome blog post or man, my thoughts are hysterical, I should blog about them or that drives me nuts ... must ... blog! (Now, for those who are thinking, "she is a crazy person," let's clear this up right now ... the correct term is Artist. Thank you)

Well, you lucky duck, you! I have finally sat down and penned one of my perfect blog posts :) This one is a thought rant and has been bouncing around in my head for a while now. Some of what I say may be crude or seem strange, but trust me, I stand behind every word I have written.

5 Worst Things About Being A Lady

1. Toilets
   This one is currently at the top of my list. Seriously - why hasn't a self-sanitizing, heated, toilet seat been patented yet? As a lady, I have to sit down every time I need to relieve myself. What is this crap? First of all, the seat is nasty - every person and their dog has sat on it before me. They have those toilet seat covers, but ... let's be honest, they take too long to place perfectly on the seat and half the time they fall in the toilet and almost take you with them! Second, it is freezing every time you sit down! Every . single . time, unless someone just used it before you which brings us back to point number one. Third, we need toilets... we can't just "go" wherever we feel like it! This makes camping, road trips, grocery store outings, long walks on the beach, and just about every other life activity that much harder. Simply inconvenient! Come on, brilliant lazy people, (inventors) who create things to help other lazy people (and themselves) be even more lazy (things like remotes, computers, self-driving cars, microwaves...) - come up with a solution and make millions...
2. Periods
   
   I don't need to say much more than this video does - for men, watch to learn about what a period is truly like. For ladies, watch for the biggest belly laugh fit of your life! Periods seriously are awful and if anyone tells you that it gets better after you have a baby ... spit in their face, yell, LIAR, then turn tail and run before they can retaliate. Just because you've experienced labor does not mean that cramps don't hurt, the blood doesn't phase you, and you are more comfortable with having one... It does not make it any easier to walk through the store, pick up a pack of pads, and then go through a checkout line with a male cashier. The worst part about a period? Sisters ... and I happen to have 5... and a mother. If one is on a period, we are all on a period... If one is unhappy, we are all unhappy... and do we deal well with it when we are unhappy with our sisters? Of course not... Why? Because of ...
3. Hormones
   They feed off each other ... bounce from lady to lady... And do we understand them? No! Seriously, 7/10 times Eric asks me what's wrong when I'm crying, the response is, I *gasp* don...don...don't *gasp* know *sob*. I think the only reason why he still asks me what's wrong is because he loves me ... and he has more patience than I do. I would have stopped asking by now. And the face he gives me when I give that response is one that, if I wasn't so upset, would make me giggle hysterically. A look of utter helplessness. Just because I am upset due to hormones does not make my feelings any less valid. It could be something that, while upsetting any other time, suddenly makes the hormone-monster leap out of my throat and strangle somebody. But knowing hormones have affected my response doesn't help fix it ... oh no, it simply makes me even more upset. Gee, thanks body...
4. Boobs
   Let's say you are a man. You are eating watermelon and it starts to drip down your chin. Realizing what has happened, you quickly thrust your neck out and behold! The watermelon drips on the floor. Let's experience the same scenario as a lady. As the drip works its way down your chin, you thrust your chin out and frantically search for a napkin, hoping that you'll find one in the nick of time. But, alas, that is never the case, and the watermelon drips ... not onto the floor, but on the large balls sticking off your chest. Does anything ever make it past them? No! Never... of course not ... boobs are a built in bib ... the kind you don't want to drip on! The kind of bib that absorbs stains, ruining your favorite shirt and making you embarrassed as you walk around in public with large splotches on your rack that everyone looks at anyway, but now for the wrong reasons *sigh*
5. Hair Loss
   I don't know if God thought he was being nice or what, but let's face it - God gave ladies the same amount of hair loss as men - only, men actually go bald! He gave ladies so much hair that the problem simply continues. Our hair liters our clothes, showers, food, sinks, pillows, furniture, children, everything we touch, really. It is long, wraps around fingers and spoons. We find it in the most unsuspecting places ... the worst being our mouths. Do we ever have hair loss on our legs or underarms ... our bikini line or upper-lip? Of course not; that hair could withstand a nuclear bomb! And if we try to regrow our hair faster using vitamins, where does it start growing first? Certainly not atop our heads or eyelashes...

Well, now you have been gifted the wonderful opportunity of swimming through my thoughts. Next up, why my kids are cuter than yours ;)

2 Month Audrey!

Holy Cow! I turned around and suddenly Audrey is 2 months old, summer is over, fall is upon us, Aaron is talking more than ever, and Halloween is 37 days away! CRAZY!

Here are Audrey's Stats at 2 months, 1 week:

                                  Height:                           22.75"               50th Percentile
                                  Weight:                         9lbs 14.7oz         15th Percentile
                                  Head Circumference:          14.49"               14th Percentile
                                  Weight for Height:                                  3rd Percentile
                                  Eye Color:                       Big, Gorgeous & Blue
                                  Hair Color:                      Strawberry Blond
                                  Clothing Size:                  Newborn

She is so little! The doctor isn't worried though. She's settled into routines that are generally beyond her age; such as no night-time feedings, but he said to trust her and let her eat when hungry. She eats around 10:30pm and sleeps till at least 6am consistently. Score! Thank you Audrey! Half the time, she wakes up and I have no idea till I look at her - she just lies there quietly taking in the world. She even sleeps while Eric plays the drums!


Things she loves:

• Audrey still loves being swaddled and I still feel mean doing it. Claustrophobic! 
• Tummy Time! Audrey loves to be on her tummy, scooting and rolling and chatting up a storm!
• Smiling and Giggling. Cutest ever!
• Daddy and Big Brother, Aaron!
• Holding Mama's hand
• Rattles
• Sitting up and standing - she generally prefers it to lying down
• Grabbing - Mama's hair, Aaron's shirt, Daddy's fingers...
• Baths (Aaron loves helping give her baths - he keeps her warm by dribbling water on her)

Things she hates:

• Lotion being rubbed on her tummy or back
• Messy diapers
• Hiccups
• When you take the bottle away or pull her off to burp
• The car when stuck at a stop light

For your enjoyment: Audrey's giggle

Welcome Back to Oregon!

We had such a fun trip in Utah, but it is good to be back in our own beds. Here is how the trip home went:

We started by stopping for breakfast at I-Hop. We stopped there on our way to Utah back in November and had so much fun we had to do it again! This may become a road-trip tradition!

We then drove half-way till we needed to stop for a break. As you can see, everyone in the backseat was ready for a break :) We grabbed lunch and went to a baseball field to eat.

It was super bright out so we got Audrey her sunglasses ... but really, she just wanted to stretch out and go to sleep. :) 

We watched a pretty awesome train go by! It was super long!

A few quotes from the trip:
-- Aaron from the back seat hollered, "Hey Mama! I need go temple!"
-- After changing drivers... Aaron, "Hey, Wait!" Eric, "What?" Aaron, "I drive ..." Eric, "No, It's Mama's turn." Aaron, "aw..."
-- Immediately after passing the "Welcome to Idaho" sign we saw another sign that said, "Transportation of invasive species prohibited..." Me, "Are children an invasive species?"

And... that is all the photos we took. The rest of the trip was uneventful... Besides Aaron throwing up 1 hour before we got home - poor kid :( Considering we were in the car for so long, the kids did great with just the one break. Wahoo! I am so pleased with them!

UTAH!!!

Oh man! I am so glad we had the opportunity to go to Utah and see my family!!! 

This will be a mostly pictures post (looooooooots of pictures) so I hope you enjoy it!

As always, I will start out the post with a montage of places Aaron fell asleep:

This first set - this was Thursday night when he refused to stay in the room but knew he couldn't come out where we were... so he fell asleep on the floor outside the room.

Then, Friday night, we crawled in bed and watched a movie. Aaron fell asleep in bed with us and then in the morning (we laid him in his own bed), we found him like this...

This one, from Saturday is cute - he opened his eyes briefly when my camera flashed, reached out and took my hand, only to fall right back to sleep. My heart still melts when he holds my hand, even after over 2 years of holding!

Sunday, he fell asleep after church watching Tangled. Mikayla scooped him up and carried him to my mom's bed which is apparently full of very colorful sheets and blankets :)

It was a super crazy weekend. We got there really early and just spent the day at home. We tried to sleep in the morning, but it was rough because Aaron was wide awake for so long... At one point, I woke to Audrey crying. Not sure what was wrong, I tried to comfort her and Aaron came over and said, "I color Audrey!" ... she had pen all over her forehead. Poor kid. Eventually, Aaron fell asleep and we were able to nap until about noon. In the evening, Alaina and Krist came over and after they left, then we did a "girl's night" where we did nails!

Now for normal pictures: Aaron had fun feeding Matthew! :) 

I just need to take a minute... This girl, Rebecca, is so absolutely adorable.

Even if things don't work out between her and my brother, I am so glad to have gotten to know her - I know that I have a life long friend in her! But, that aside, I would be more than happy if they did :) We have so many similar interests and similar mannerisms... Definitely a great friend!

Here are our nails! So many fun different nails!

Audrey and I even did our toes!

Friday was another day at home and we did family portraits in the evening (which will be put in a separate post).

Saturday morning found us at the temple where we were privileged to go with Thomas as he received his Endowments. I was blessed to stand with him in the prayer circle and to sit beside my mother and Melissa for the Endowment session. After the session, I ran into my friend, Jamie, and was able to meet her fiance!

Everyone who could not attend inside attended outside ... 

I said I wanted a photo and Eric was a little busy with his phone...

And then the wind decided to pick up right as we did a family picture. It was fun going back to "our" temple ... where we were married, my parents were married, my sister was married, my mom received her Endowments, I received my Endowments, my sister received her Endowments, and now Thomas. :)

 Aaron kept saying, "Aaron go temple!" And then walking over to touch the temple.

After the temple was Pizza Pie Cafe and then some cleaning and a football game :)

 Audrey napped for part of the game with Mikayla ... and then watched intently!

Sunday brought Thomas' farewell talk which was spectacular. He started the talk by saying that when he was visiting us in Oregon he thought of things he would do different than the missionaries here - then basically God said, "Oh, you think you could do better, huh? Here you go!"

After his talk we had an open house.

I got to meet my cousin, Drew's son, Alden. He is so adorable!

As a birthday/Christmas gift for my parents, we did the family pictures and then put us each in frames in the living room. We presented it at the open house.

Aaron fell asleep after church and I rudely woke him to get pictures with Aldren and

Brendon. He was soooooo tired and he just wanted to sit with Thomas from there on out.

Aaron loves the trampoline and we each took our turn playing with him during the weekend. Here is Tom and Bekah playing with him.

We had fun playing Dominion!

Aaron loved playing with (un-building and re-building in his own way) the legos downstairs.

Monday morning, we said our good-byes and took a few more photos.

Tom is obviously sad to see me go ... first he is crying and then he tries to strangle me with my scarf...

I am going to miss this kid! I hope we get to have him in our ward so we can feed him and hold discussions in our home. I definitely feel more of a responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach now that my brother is on his way here! 

Hey Kid - I love ya tons. If you don't serve in our ward ... 

I shop at Winco every few weeks ... usually on Tuesdays, in the afternoon. :) 

Hope to see ya there! I'll carry cash in my wallet for your groceries as incentive :)

Don't you worry, we won't forget about you, and there is no way your nephew or niece will grow up in the next 2 years not knowing you or your face. We have lots of pictures and lots of videos, and hopefully we get to see you from time to time. 

You have immeasurable courage and I am beyond proud of you.

God be with you till we meet again!