September & October

First off, I am so proud that I am posting after only 2 months rather than after 4 months. Maybe next time I'll cut it in half again and post after only 1 month... :-) In any case, we have had a busy few months.

My mother will be soooo glad that I chose to start my post with her picture! :) I do want to give her a shout out and say that I really do have the best mother in the world. I love her tons. Thanks mom for all that you do for me, Jer and Jessica. You are the best!

This is a great Super Mom pose! :)

We decided to put Jessica into swim lessons. This is her in the car on her way to the local pool. She LOVES the water! You can see how excited she is to be on her way.

This is taken after her swim lessons. Since we only live .5 mile away from the pool, I just wrapped her up and popped her into the carseat. Then, we take a bath when we get home.

This is a random place to put this picture, but that is fitting because this is a random picture! No, Jessica is not potty trained. Nor, is she anywhere close to being potty trained. But, we decided to buy a potty chair in hopes that by the time she is ready to be potty trained it will seem more natural. She does, now, pat her diaper when it needs to be changed. Anyhow, she was getting ready to take a bath after swimming lessons. I had taken her clothes off, just taken her diaper off, and decided to sit her on her potty chair to see what she would do. It was a total fluke that she actually went potty in her chair! I had to take a picture to show Daddy (boy was he grateful! hee hee) and it just made me laugh.

Getting ready for her bath after swimming lessons.

Jessica tried to put in her own contacts in her eye after watching Mommy do it. She learned really quick that poking her own eye does not feel good! Poor girl!

Jessica learned to close her eye when pretending to put in her own contacts...

Cute little girl! She LOVES anything to do with water!

This picture may be sideways, but you can still see how excited she is to play a game of cards with Mommy!

Turns out, Jessica is pretty darn good!

We are a huge card game playing family (on my hubby's side and on my side). Basically, any game equals a good time! I'm glad Jessica is getting in on the family tradition early. I think that her Daddy played his first card game (on his own) when he was only 4 or 5. We'll see how soon it takes Jessica to play her first real game on her own.

She won that hand!

She is so cute I can't stand it!!! Here she is getting ready for lessons. She has her swim gear all ready to go!

Jessica: Oh! What is that?

(Don't you LOVE her swim towel in that little kid packback?!?)

Jessica: Nothing to see here. Just picking up Mommy's cell phone so I can place a quick call.

Here we are at the beginning of swim lessons. Her face doesn't show it, but she really does love her lessons and being in the water!

Jessica is practicing her kicking as she floats on her tummy with Mommy's help.

Kick! Kick! Kick!

Here's Jessica floating on her back. She is always so proud of her self after she floats on her back!

I'm trying to get her to blow bubbles. She's not having any of it!

Jessica's aunt, Aunt Angie, had her birthday on September 16th. We decided to have birthday week! It started with decorations and balloons on the ground. Jessica LOVED the balloons!

She's not quite sure which balloon to go after.

Jessica: Take that latex ball filled with air!

Jessica: Angie is going to share!

Jessica: Mmmmmm!

Angie opening a few of her presents...

Lots of decorations... and a name (just in case everyone was unsure of who's birthday it was that we were celebrating!)

I babysit a few little girls every so often. One girl regularly a couple of times a week and the other girl comes over every so often. This one day all three of the girls wanted to play on the piano. Jessica wasn't sure (at first) that she wanted to share.

Finally, she decided to join in on the fun. What a precious Anne Geddes moment!

Angie and I agree that we are 8 year old girls at heart! Especially when it comes to tween movies! :) So, we made sure that her cake reflected her age-at-heart! :)

Traditional blowing out of the candles... This cake was HUGE and YUMMY and lasted forever! We LOVED eating it! :)

One day Jessica became obsessed with one of her blankets as some sort of cape. She walked around for most of the morning trying to wear it. :)

Walking the house with her blanket.

Snug as a bug in a rug! Or in a blanket...

Toddler turned nun?

I think the picture speaks for itself. In case it doesn't, let's just say that Jessica discovered stickers.

I gave a book of about 1,000 stickers to my nephew Ethan when he was younger. He LOVED them. Apparently those stickers ended up all over people, the house items, Houston. I just laughed when Rissy (Ethan's mom) told me about it. I feel regret now because I just know that she is going to send Jessica stickers and I will feel her 'pain' at having stickers strewn all over Utah. :) (Be kind Rissy... be very, very kind!)

Jessica LOVES her stickers though! haha...

Saltines poster child

Jer has started some new golf stretching exercises. This is my favorite one because it cracks me up every time he stretches!

The Ryder Cup happens every other year. It took place in Europe this year. Jessica really enjoyed watching it with Jer on his laptop.

Apparently there was a good shot...

What did the announcer just say?!?

During Conference Weekend, Jessica and I had Girl's Night while Daddy was at the Priesthood Session. We painted each other's toenails, had fruit snacks, played games, and watched a movie. It was a fun tradition that I plan to do every Conference.

Jessica is beginning to throw a temper tantrum. Why? Who knows?

Jessica: MOMMY!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?

Jessica: IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!!!!

Jessica: WAAAAAAAA!!!!

What a CUTE Halloween outfit!!!!

Jessica is being clingy with her Aunt Becky.

Jessica: Do I even know you?!?

Jessica: Ooooooo!

My Aunt Katherine passed away during the beginning of October. She is my dad's sister and lived in Wyoming. Dad flew down to Utah and then we drove up (Dad, Becky, and I) to Burlington, WY for the funeral. This is Aunt Kate's casket at the cemetery.

This is a main wall in my Grandma and Grandpa Heath's home. Aunt Kate painted the picture in the middle and my Grandma has posted the hundreds of pictures of family members all around it. This is just one wall of several that has family pictures.

This is my Dad's sister and her family. Scott and Nancy Bennett with their two children...

Dad, Becky and I...

My dad's brother Clyde and his wife Kaye.

My dad's sister, Sarah and her husband Dick. They live in Louisianna and Aunt Sarah has the coolest accent! :)

One of my second cousins. Aunt Kate is her grandma.

Me and Grandma Heath.

Me and Grandpa Heath. He is in his 90's and still as spry as ever! I am blessed with longevity on both sides of my family. I hope I can be as active as Grandpa when I'm his age!

Grandpa and Grandma Heath. They have been married for over 60 years and still act as crazy as newlyweds! They are constantly holding hands, hugging, teasing each other. It is so cute!

On the way home we decided to drive through Yellowstone National Park. On the way, there were these really cool shots of single yellow tree's in the middle of brown and grey. It was super beautiful!

Becky and I climbed up the back of the Yellowstone National Park sign for a photo op. It was really fun!

I really loved the yellow!

We saw some buffalo right as we came into the park.

Becky and I in front of Old Faithful.

Old Faithful.

Old Faithful in the middle of her eruption...

So pretty!

I don't know why, but I always want to take pictures of the signs around National Monuments. Old Faithful was no exception.

I'm not exactly sure why, but this picture completely cracked me up! Maybe it's the mother's reaction, or the absurdity of it all. The sad part is that there have probably been people and kids who have done exactly this! Here's your sign!

The sun streaming through the clouds makes this a beautiful picture!

More beautiful country. We went from Yellowstone National Park to the Teton National Forest.

Again with the sun. It was a beautiful drive back.

My dad using Jessica's seat as a pillow.

Jessica is such a monkey! She loves being upside down...

My dad took Jessica to the Hogle Zoo while he was here. She LOVES the ball covered in water.

Becky went with them. Here they are in front of the train.

Jessica really really loves animals. She gets so excited when she sees them!

This is one of the best pictures ever! Jessica got very excited at some animal. I'm so glad that Becky was able to capture this shot. :)

Again with the animal...

She also loved most of the bronze animals...

The Carousel is one of her favorite things at the Hogle Zoo.

Grandpa bought her a water bottle that is a monkey. It is one of her favorite bottles now!

Trying to figure out the cap...

Oooooo!

Another bronze statue.

This picture cracks me up! I love that she is sitting on the spider with absolutely no fear!

Grandpa and Jessica at the Hogle Zoo.

In her stroller at the entrance.

My 30th birthday. Hip hip hooray! Jer sent me on a scavenger hunt all over the house...

A clue! In the base of the drum!

Another clue!

How many clues? 50. Yes, 50 clues.

Jer is super creative and he hid these clues ALL over the house!

How long did it take me? Almost 3 hours...

His clues were pretty good. I was stumped on quite a few of them. Here I am thinking... thinking... thinking...

Ah hah! In the Eskimo Yo-Yo Mukluks!

You can still see the tears from a temper tantrum!

So cute!

Yet, another clue! You can't really tell, but there is a piece of this book that is carved out. This is where my engagement ring was hidden when Jer proposed to me. :) It's this HUGE book called "A History of the British Nation" and commemorates our first date where we tried to see who could go the longest talking in a British accent. It was pretty fun! I saved the book. :)

Gangsta' Baby meets Rockstar Baby!

Word up!

What?

She's testing out her pipes in her new outfit!

Piggyback ride with Grandpa.

I can't tell if she's excited or scared in this picture!

Our cousin Mary graduated as a Massage Therapist. We went to her graduation to support her. She is awesome! Congrats Mary!!!

I was blinking...

Now my eyes are to wide open...

Much better picture!

Again with the Halloween Witch hat... she really liked wearing this too!

We went to Thanksgiving Point and walked through the Barn Yard to see the animals.

This guy looks a little silly.

Grandpa and Jessica

The backside of the horses in the wagon ride...

Grandpa helping Jessica get down from the wagon ride.

Huge horses that were slow and steading... slow and steady...

Cute little graveyard.

Waiting to see more animals.

Jessica liked the roosters.

Not so much a fan of the llamas.

Cute goat!

There was a cow bench. Jessica REALLY did not like this bench at first.

Looking at more animals.

And looking...

Reading grandpa's scriptures...

We went to pick out our pumpkins for Halloween.

Jessica and Daddy picking pumpinks!

Whish pumpkin do I chose?!?

No! Wait! I want that one!

Pretty picture

This is the prize-winning pumpkin Jessica picked!

Learning to shave a little early, aren't we? (Don't worry... the cap is on and said shavers haven bee put up out of her reach.

Missed a spot...

She is so proud of herself!

Ahhh! She wants to share her skill with others! Good job! (Maybe not shaving though, honey...)

What an ardorable face! Such a princess!

She also loves actually playing in her crib now! You can see her friend in there with her too!

Jessica is a sweet girl who loves tucking her baby in for her nap.

For Halloween I made pumpkin cupcakes for all of my piano students. :) They turned out rather cute I think!

Daddy and I (and Jessica) were a punk rock band for Halloween. I'll do a Halloween post later with more pictures. Jer even let me put on eye liner! Whoo Hoo! :)

Autumn was a pretty good season for us! Another thing that I am excited about, is finding deals online at www.winkflash.com and www.snapfish.com where I was able to start printing out our mountains of pictures. My plan is to catch up on my scrapbooking (through 2010) by next summer. Now that I am actually able to print off a lot of pictures at cheap rates, that is a very realistic goal! Love it!