Spring Break

For Spring Break Russ was on his way to Kalispell, Montana, to look at practice opportunities. He had buddy passes to fly standby (thanks Clark and Jaime!) but couldn't get to Denver, let alone Kalispell. So he called me from the airport and asked if it was okay that we had a family vacation instead. Are you kidding - a family vacation instead of being a single mother for the week -- I was thrilled!

The boys both had a doctor's appointment (Cole's 3 yr and Garrett's 1 yr immunization), so after the were done with shots, having their blood drawn, and a few tears (Cole tried to stop the nurses when they gave Garrett his shots), we tossed the boys in the car and headed for Nebraska. It happened to be St. Patrick's Day, so we went to Old Market Place in downtown Omaha and celebrated with the other green wearing, fiddle playing, drinking (our drinks were Sprite and Dr. Pepper) people. Cole even got a clover hat at the restaurant.

The next day we went to the zoo in Omaha. The weather turned cold, so we bundled up the boys and went anyway. The zoo was fantastic and had great animals. We were even able to watch them feeding the sharks in the largest tunnel aquarium in the world. Cole loved the gorilla that swung from the trees and did somersaults, but his favorite animal was the armadillo that kept scurrying along the ground. It made three loops while we watched it and Cole giggled the entire time. Garrett loved the fish in the aquarium - he is fascinated by fish. We had a great day and saw a lot of fun, amazing animals.

It was a great get away, and it was extra special to have Russ with us!

8 Blissful Years!

Russ and I just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to such an amazing guy! It wasn't long after our first date that I knew I was falling for him -- his good looks, his charm, and the way he treated me like I was the only girl that existed. In eight years we have moved from Utah to Virginia to Iowa, completed dental school and began orthodontic residency, had two darling boys, and have had one adventure after another. I can't imagine life without Russ and thank Heavenly Father every day that he is my eternal companion.

Here are a few things I love about Russ: he is the world's biggest dreamer and he loves to day dream when he is driving - I love riding along side him as he dreams; he is a "Super Dad" and cherishes his little boys; he can make me smile, even when I am grouchy and don't want to; he loves watching Western movies (which I absolutely hate!) and reading Louis L'amour novels; he is a handy man and can fix or repair anything; his dream vehicle is a Chevy Silverado - he frequently drives through dealerships just dreaming of the day he can have a truck; we stay awake having "pillow talk", just like a couple of teenage girls, giggling too much to fall asleep; he loves horses and would be a full time cowboy if he could; he cannot sleep with his knees touching - he uses a body pillow that I have nicknamed "The Great Wall" because I can't even touch him when it's around; his weakness is Dr. Pepper (and he is usually drinking one while he is day dreaming in the car); he loves me despite all of my weaknesses and quirks.

Happy Anniversary, Russ! Here is to many, many more years together and many, many more adventures! I love you!

Through the years...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Cole!!

Cole had a fantastic birthday -- a "Thomas and Friends" birthday (imagine that!). The night before his birthday when Cole was supposed to be in bed sleeping, Russ and I started decorating with balloons, making a train track on the floor, etc. Cole kept peeking his head out of his door to see what was going on. He got so excited that he was up until almost 10:00 PM singing to himself in his room. Once he did fall asleep he was restless -- he was up four times because he was too excited to sleep. It was almost as exciting as Christmas Eve! One of Russ' classmates, Maura, also came the night before his birthday and brought him some Thomas tub toys, so he was revved up extra early for his birthday.

So, we weren't surprised when Cole was awake at just after 6:00 AM and ready to party. We opened presents at 6:40 AM -- not exactly prime party time, but he was thrilled and couldn't wait another minute. Cole was spoiled and is absolutely in love with all of his presents. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Guymon for all of the fun Thomas toys -- they are a huge hit and he absolutely loves them! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Jacobson for the aquarium light -- he sleeps with it on (for bedtime and naptime) and Garrett is fascinated by it when it is on. Thanks to Great-Grandpa Stockman for the money (that will be going right into his savings account). Thanks to Daxton for the special birthday card (and $3 that we are also putting in his savings account).

Cole had a little birthday party with his friends Will and Gib. He kept asking for Ryker and Daxton to come too -- birthdays aren't the same without them! We did fingerpaints, watched the new Thomas movie (The Great Discovery), made an Island of Sodor with track and train stickers, played in trains that I made out of diaper boxes, and had cake and ice cream, and opened presents from Will and Gib ("Cars" mini-cars and a Thomas book). It was a lot of fun and Cole was thrilled! I hope he had a special day and felt how special he is. I can't believe he is already three!!



Here are a few fun things about Cole: he loves Thomas (obviously), but seriously thinks he lives on the Island of Sodor - it is all he talks about; when singing "I am a Child of God" he says, "has given me a nursery home" instead of "...an earthly home" and we can't convince him otherwise because he sings the song in nursery (and is in love with his nursery leader); he sleeps with every stuffed animal he owns on his bed in a "tower" and knows if one of them are missing; he tells Russ and I that we are his best friends (can we save that for the teenage years?!), he loves to go to Russ' school and have his teeth "counted" and checked; he makes up songs about everything, especially at dinner time when he is supposed to be eating but is trying to get out of it; instead of cheering, "let's go Aggies" he cheers, "let's go grapes" when he wants some for lunch; he will run up to an ATM and push buttons exclaiming, "I am checking my email!"; he has a tender heart and when he gets in trouble during the day he has a hard time sleeping at night. He is such a great boy and we absolutely love having him in our home! We love you, Coley!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Garrett!!

Happy Birthday, Garrett!

For Garrett's birthday we had to celebrate the night before because Russ was out of town (Florida) for an orthodontic conference on his actual birthday (not that Garrett knew the difference or even understood what was going on!). We blew up balloons and let he craw after them, try to lay on them and watch in amazement as they floated around the room. We opened presents, which he didn't really get, but what he did understood were the cool new toys that he could play with after they were out of that silly wrapping. We had some friends, the Johnsons, over for cake and ice cream. Garrett wasn't really into his cake -- he put his fingers in it and them smashed his sippy cup of milk into it (which ended up on the floor and all over the carpet!). But, all in all it was a great birthday.

Here are some fun things about Garrett: He loves to suck on wash clothes in the tub; the only word he can say is, "Quack", and especially loves to say it when he is in his duck towel after his bath; he can take steps (giant steps where he picks his feet up quite high) while holding onto my fingers; he loves books and gets so excited when I open them; he loves fruit - especially pears, strawberries and grapes; he loves to do 'Patty Cake' and as soon as I start singing he starts rolling and throwing it in the oven (the shortened version, I guess!); he has five teeth (one on top, four on bottom) and one on top about to break through; he loves to chase balls around the room (especially tennis balls that have a little bounce); he is a tease and loves to do silly things to make Cole laugh (like banging his head against the high chair at lunch); he gives slobbery kisses that are wet, yet precious; he is so much fun and a delight to have in our home. We love you, Garrett!

New toys -- sweet!


Why don't those silly balloons stay in one place?


Presents -- what am I supposed to do with these silly things?


Unwrapping and looking for what is inside... Cole was a big helper!


Birthday cake -- don't touch it, it might be good! What a handsome little guy!!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Saturday morning the boys woke up to a bunch of hearts that lead from their bedroom to the kitchen table where their valentines were waiting for them. Each boy (Russ included) had a small valentine as a place mat for breakfast and little gift. Cole got a pair of sunglasses (that he has been asking for) and a pez (his favorite treat right now). Garrett got a Tonka garbage truck. Russ got a bunch of treats. Grandpa and Grandma Guymon sent a zebra and tiger cup full of animals, a small beach ball, and lady bugs that do tricks for the boys and a platter that says, "Home - where you are always loved" for Russell and I. Grandpa and Grandma Jacobson sent the traditional valentine with money for each of the boys and money for Russ and I, along with an "UnValentine" book. All of the valentines were on the table and the boys were thrilled to open them. Russ made pink waffles and even made a heart waffle for me!

After Garrett went down for his morning nap, Cole and Russ went to play in the snow and even made a small snowman (the snow here isn't great packing snow, so they did great with what they had to work with). Cole was decked out in all of his snowgear (thanks, Aunt Teresa!), complete with sunglasses. When Garrett woke from his nap he watched them play from the glass door, with his nose pressed against it. It was just a little too cold for him to go out. While the boys played outside and before Garrett woke from his nap, I was able to play with my new digital scrapbooking program (thanks again, Karen!!). I think I am addicted to digital -- there is no mess, I can do it while the boys are around (and don't have to worry about who has grabbed the scissors off of the table), and the pages turn out far better than I could have made them look. Plus, you can manipulate the pictures and get exactly what you want. It's fantastic! Too bad that I printed two years worth of pictures before we moved that I will have to do the "old way"! I love traditional scrapbooking, so it will be fun to do both!

All in all, it was a great day for Cupid at our house!

Friday Party Night

Last weekend Russell had a scout camp out, so I decided that if he was going to party, then the boys and I were going to party too. Not that Russ was really partying -- he was stuck with five twelve-year olds that were harder to get to obey than our two year old. The scouts were more interested in the laffy taffy jokes than the dutch oven dinner (BBQ ribs, potatoes, cobbler and ice cream) and weren't even able to start the fire (large logs and paper on top of the logs is not a good formula for a successful fire). They camped on a night when it was about -10 degrees and were just in an enclosed pavilion with a wood burning stove. But it was freezing -- a cup of water was left out and froze solid by morning. I was happy to be home in a warm house, enjoying a fun evening with the boys.

After dinner we popped popcorn, got a little bowl of treats (M&Ms, sour worms and Mike & Ikes, covered the floor with pillows and blankets and sat down to enjoy a movie. I'm sure you can guess what movie we watched -- Thomas the Train! Not exactly my idea of high quality entertainment, but Cole was thrilled. Garrett even sampled his first Mike & Ike and became a fan. I had to force it in his mouth the first time, but once he sampled the goodness, he kept coming back for more.

I decided that every Friday night we are going to try to have a "Friday Night Party Night", just to change things up a little bit. We have the same routine every night and it was fun to do something out of the ordinary. The boys were still bathed and in bed by their bed time, so I think it was a successful night for all of us! Here's to many more...

Cole couldn't even wait for the movie to begin before he started into the popcorn!


Treats -- my favorite part!


Self portrait -- we look like a rowdy group, huh!

Computer Craze

Cole recently learned to work the mouse on the computer. We would sit together and play "Thomas and Friends", where I would help him with the mouse part and he was thrilled. One day left the computer on and ran upstairs and when I got back Cole was maneuvering the mouse like a pro and could play the games I had previously been helping him with. I know this might not seem like a big event, but I was so impressed with Cole and that a 2 1/2 year old is capable of maneuvering around a website -- I didn't learn how to do that until high school!

thomasandfriend.com -- a favorite site at our house!!


I can't believe that his little hand can do so much!