Sledding For the 1st Time

December 16th, 2010

Alaska was freezing!!! So, we decided to bundle up our baby and take her sledding. Silly us, we did it at night. Or is that afternoon? Or morning? It's all the same in Alaska during the winter! haha...

My mom had bought a toddler sled that fit her perfectly. At -10 degree's she wasn't ready to come in but Mommy and Daddy were after a little bit! Bbbrrrrrr!!!!

Jer is pulling Jessica down my parents driveway. Luckily they live in a cul-de-sac so we don't have to worry as much about traffic. (Did you know that plural of cul-de-sac is culs-de-sac?!? Thank you Gilmore Girls. Who says you can't learn nothing from watching T.V.?)

Like I said, Jessica absolutely LOVED being pulled around in a sled!

How cute is that?!? Perfect size for her!

And back again... On Dasher on Dancer on Prancer on Vixen! On Comet on Cupid on Donner on Blitzen! Oh, and on Daddy!!! Or, as we say in Alaska... Mush! Mush!

My camera lens didn't seem to want to open. Jessica is being shy...

I love this smile! She is being shy on purpose! Silly girl!

My favorite sensation is when you step back in from the cold to the inside. That tingly sensation when feeling returns to your limbs... Call me crazy but that is one of my favorite moments! I'm glad Jessica got to experience it Alaska style.

Flying to the Frozen Tundra

December 15th, 2010

For Christmas, my mom bought Jer and I plane tickets to Alaska. This is Jessica's last time flying free. :( Plus, my brother is entering the MTC in January so it is the last time our family will be together for a few years. Always looking for a family photo opportunity...

Jessica has flown about 4 or 5 times in her young life and has always been a fantastic little traveler. But, we have always flown during the day. I think it was cheaper for my mom to get tickets at a weird time so she did. (Actually, I usually fly to Alaska on a red eye... rarely have I flown during the day before having Jessica). Our flight left at 10:50pm and we landed in Anchorage at 1:50am. With the time difference it is a 5 hour flight. (Give or take some time).

To help her sleep on the flight (since she usually stays awake when there is tons of activity around her) we kept her up until the flight took off. She loved the wide open spaces at the airport. It wasn't very busy which meant that she had tons of room to run around.

Oooo! Look at all this room!

We just made it through the security checkpoint. Even here you can see how tired she is (it's in the eyes...)

Whoops! Done sitting... she's off exploring again!

We're all so tired...

Alaska, here we come!

Peek-A-Boo!

December 14th, 2010

In our kitchen, next to the refrigerator, is this little space where the counter extends beyond the dishwasher. I'm not quit sure what that space was intended for in the building of the house. It's not big enough for a trashcan, the counter prevents a broom being stored there. Right now it's just an empty space. Jessica fixed that "problem" for us though. She found a way to put it to cute use! :-)

I love how she is barely too tall to stand up straight in this space. This has become one of her favorite spaces in our house though. She likes putting toys and random items in this space. I've found canned goods, clothes, toys, hair ties, plates, utensils, shoes, anything and everything you can think of winds up here! She's like a pack rat that finds something shiny and has to put it in their "secret" and "special" place! :-)

French Braid

December 13th, 2010

She let me french braid her hair AND her hair is "almost" long enough! :-)

The problem is, her hair is still so fine that it doesn't stay in the braid very long... she's too wild and crazy for that! :-) But, it was definitely cute while it lasted. (Thank you Mary Poppins for providing enough quiet time to actually braid her hair!)

Santa Baby

December 12th, 2010

Santa Baby, just slip a sable under the tree, for me. Been an awful good girl Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight. Santa Baby, a '54 convertible too, light blue. I'll wait up for you dear, Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Think of all, the fun I've missed. Think of all the fella's that I haven't kissed. Next year I could be just as good if you check off my Christmas list. Santa Baby, I want a yacht and really that's not a lot. Been an angel all year Santa Baby. So, hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa honey, one little thing I really do need. The deed. To a platinum mine Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight. Santa cutie, fill my stocking with a duplex. And checks. Sign your 'X' on the line, Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight.

Come and trim my Christmas tree with some decorations bought at Tiffany's. I really do believe in you. Let's see if you believe in me. Santa Baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring. I don't mean on the phone. Santa Baby, So hurry down the chimney tonight... Santa! Shimmy down the chimney tonight.

Getting Dressed

December 8th, 2010

I have heard "horror" stories about two, three and four year old's who want to dress themselves. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Jessica at this stage. The other day, she gave me a teensy weensy preview into the future...

Not sure if you can see what this actually is, but AFTER dressing Jess in a darling floral print top and gray pants, she decided to try and accessorize with a onesie that no longer fits. It too, is floral. Just a different pattern and color scheme! Plus, she struggled with getting it all the way up. Apparently she didn't care because this was the look she is going for...

This is a better angle of her artistic expression in clothing...

And, of course, after she was done getting dressed, she got right down to the business of reading.

I can see that life with my darling girl will never be dull. And, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Ding Dong Merrily on High...

...the Christmas Bells are ringing!

December 7th, 2010

Jer and I were invited to our neighbors home the Sunday after Thanksgiving for a musical celebration of the birth of Christ. It was wonderful. They had a family in California (where they moved from) that did it every year and they wanted to continue the tradition in their own home here. The Spirit was so strong and it was absolutely the perfect way to start the Christmas season. I hope they invite us again next year (Lisa, if you're reading this... hint, hint! haha...) Anyways, as part of the evening they gave everyone a bell on a ribbon. It was the first Christmas bell. Jessica LOVES our bells! They are perfect for her because they are easy to put on over her head, but not so long that she will get tangled in it while walking or running around the house. Plus, anything that jingles is a bonus!

Jessica: Hey! There's two of them!

Hey! Mom! Check out this bell!

Yea, so I have a jingle bell. So, what?

Mom, you know I'm just humoring you with your picture taking, right?

Oh patient darling! We also had a bunch of other instruments lying around the house during Christmas time. A set of cluster jingle bells on the door knob (which didn't last very long), wooden mallets, wooden instruments, etc. She loved them all!

Going for the bells (don't you love her pink boots too!)

Almost there...

They just don't seem to want to come off!

Forget those bells! I'll just go for the box instead.

The box was a superb find! This weird red and green thing and this wooden instrument thingy! I have no idea what either one is for but they sure look cool! And, they were easier than those bells on the door!

Now if I could just figure out what to do with all this stuff...

Soon after, she had a poopy diaper and I had to change her. Poor baby had a rashy bum so I cleaned her up and let her air dry for a minute. She went right over to the T.V. to finish watching Mary Poppins...

You can just barely see it, but she has no diaper and no pants... so funny! She was happy as a clam watching Mary Poppins in the buff! haha...

If this is how Jessica is as an almost 2 year old, I can't wait to see how she is next year when she is almost 3 years old!!!

We love the Wii

December 4th, 2010

We have some gaming systems in our house that we really like. The Wii, old school Nintendo, etc... But, our rules are (a) we don't play them all the time, (b) we get games that the whole family can play, and (c) we use it as a fun family activity. It works out pretty well. Jessica especially LOVES playing the Wii with us. She will go grab the controllers, hand us one, and then point to the system with her own remote. She loves playing with us. :)

Here she is, half naked, holding her remote. :) She's got the cutest smile here...

She's likes to chew on the rubber protecting the Wii controllers. She does it when she's anxious or involved with what's happening on the screen in the game. So funny! (Except we're trying to break her of that habit so our protective rubber stuff lasts longer! haha)

So involved with the game! Her favorite is Mario Brothers for the Wii (thanks Uncle Jeremy! He gave it to us because he though Jessica would enjoy it! He was right!!!)

Family Game Nights takes on a whole new meaning for us now...

I'm (NOT) a Trekkie!

December 3rd, 2010

I work with at-risk youth. I LOVE my job! I am in charge of the programs they put on for their parents when they visit as well as their academic field trips (which they take on Fridays). I LOVE working with these kids. I love it so much that it has influenced my academic future (when that time comes). I plan on getting my Masters in Children's Literature & English (yes, a double Masters... I should have done a double Bachelors with a double Minor when I was in school...) and then a PhD in Educational Psychology. Anyways, for now I work with at-risk youth and love it. 

One of my favorite academic activities to date was taking them on a field trip to a space simulator in Pleasant Grove. It. Was. Awesome!!! Basically you show up, learn about your mission (the space world is all patterned after Star Trek) and you take on a role. Some one is the Admiral, First Officer, Ambassador, Security, etc... I wanted to do this with the kids and I was the Intelligence Officer. Basically I plotted the courses for where ever we went and I scanned the area for signs of life. It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I seriously (as a 30 year old woman I am saying this) I seriously want to have my next birthday party there! Anyways, the students had a fantastic time! It was definitely one of the best academic activities (or, as we call them there, Experientials) that we have ever had!

Here is our crew standing at the back of the bridge on the Starship Magellan. Although you can't see it, behind us is where the Caption and First Officer sit. (Also, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I made the students faces look glassy so you won't see who they actually are... the only faces that are clear are mine and the staff with me...)

Here we are again wearing our Star Trek "uniforms" that I made for us all. We are in the briefing room after the mission was completed.

This is the back of my head. I am currently in training to learn how to be the Intelligence Officer. The student sitting to my right was the CounterIntelligence Officer. Seriously fun stuff guys!

I like this picture because you can see us holding our "weapons" that we had to steal off of the enemies who boarded our vessel. Seriously. There was a person who monitored the "battle" and would tell us if we were hit or if the boarder was hit. (The place supplied this person). If you got hit you had to play dead for a few minutes before they would tell you that you could come back to life. If a boarder was hit, it was a good idea to steal their gun so that they couldn't use it again when the came back to life. At one point, there was one other student and I who ended up being the only ones alive except for our Admiral (who we were trying to protect). This student and I ended up each killing about 5 or 6 boarders before we died. It was hilarious. Thankfully, by the time we died, others had come back to life and we ended up rounding up all the boarders and taking them to the brig (well, our security officers did that of course). It was pretty sweet!

These are our uniforms and some of the weapons... The weapons just flashed lights and made sounds when we pulled the trigger. :-)

This is the other side of the room (opposite of where I was sitting). It's identical. Just different jobs...

If anyone is interested in doing their own group party at the Space Simulator in Pleasant Grove, go to www.spacecamputah.org and check it out! Pretty awesome that there is something like this for kids (and adults) to go do! :-)

Red Bra

December 1st, 2010

I have a confession. I like bra's with color. I do. Don't get me wrong, I have a white bra (every woman should own a white bra) but I like a little color to my unmentionables. I think they're cute! One day though, I was doing dishes and Jessica came running out of my room wearing my red bra. She was so excited that she had found it and was more than proud to show me that she had put it on correctly! I just laughed and laughed and (of course) ran for the camera. Can she get any cuter? I always doubt it because she is adorable already, but then she proves me wrong and gets cuter every day!

Ok, so I just noticed the shirt she is wearing... "Daddy's Hero" - now that is just funny!

'Tis the Season...

Jessica was soooooo helpful in putting up Christmas decorations! :-) Actually, she loved every minute of it! It was so much fun to see how excited she was about everything we got out. She kept pointing and laughing and saying, "oooooooo!" Not that I'm biased or anything, but I have a pretty adorable kid!

As you can see, Jessica was in charge of the all-important task of 'steadying' the tree as Daddy put it together. I really wonder how we managed without her! And (one of my favorite touches) is her Halloween purse on her arm that her Grammy made her. Jessica LOVES that purse and carried it throughout all of the Christmas decorating festivities.

Some of our Christmas decorations... The basket of flowers in the corner is actually not Christmas decorations. When we got married, my aunt made all of our flower arrangements. I had decided to go with silk flowers because I really wanted to (a) save money and (b) save my bouquet. So, in that basket in the corner, is my wedding bouquet from our wedding day and Jer's boutonniere. How cool is that? PLUS, the go great with all of the Christmas decorations!

Some good friends of ours gave this cute little train set to us one year. It is simple ceramics that have been painted but I absolutely love it! And, it fits perfect on top of one of our movie shelves.

By far, one of my most favorite features of our cute rental house, is the fireplace that we never use as a fireplace. We put our couch right up against it with no fear of said couch catching on fire because we never plan to use the fireplace. What I absolutely adore though, is having the fireplace because we can utilize the mantel with my Lemax Christmas decorations as well as hang our stockings up! It is truly a Christmas looking fireplace & mantle now! (Before it was looking so not-Christmasy!)

Our first year of marriage we decided to splurge and by our 6 foot (really 5 ft 10 inch) Christmas tree! We have never had a place with tall ceilings and wondered how the tree would look since it's dwarfed by such a large-looking room. But, I have to admit I really like the smaller tree in this room! It makes Christmas look and feel so much cozier!

I LOVE my piano! And, I decided to break out my Christmas music books to assist in the decorating of our living room. I like the effect so much that I am going to find music for other holidays too. 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving... I'm even going to do my best to find Groundhogs Day music! Not a CLUE what type of music that means but I am going to try!

Doesn't this picture make you feel as if Santa Claus were right around the corner?!? One of my favorite memories is sitting by the Christmas tree after everyone in our family went to bed. The lights would be out except for the Christmas tree lights. I love to sit and contemplate the Savior and His birth. Often I find myself reading the Christmas story by the Christmas tree. I always feel so much love and gratitude for my Savior and that God loved me enough to send His Son...

"There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ." - President Thomas S. Monson

"This little child, born in a stable and cradled in a manger, was a gift from our loving Heavenly Father." - President Henry B. Eyring

"If we look for the good, we can see this time of year with new eyes - perhaps even with the eyes of a child." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Deacon, Avery, and Amelia Fullmer

On Thanksgiving Day, my Aunt Tirzah gave birth to Deacon, Avery and Amelia. Deacon had already returned home to his Heavenly Father and was stillborn. Avery and Amelia are doing well. This is a picture of one of the girls (not sure which girl) holding her Daddy's hand (my Uncle Troy). They were born at 25 weeks and 5 days. Their original due date was not until March of 2011. These sweet little cousins of mine are a miracle in so many ways. In addition to Deacon, the girls have another older brother, CJ who has been spending lots of time with his aunts and uncles while Tirzah has been in the hospital. I'm sure that CJ is the best big brother in the world already. I know Jessica absolutely adores him when she sees him! 

We love you Troy, Tirzah, CJ, Deacon, Avery, and Amelia! Our hearts and prayers are with you! We pray that those precious girls continue to grow, develop, and get healthier with each passing minute. I can't wait to see you all at Christmas!

Merry Christmas

And what better way to kick off the Christmas season than with a new blog design?!? Honest Abe is standing over my shoulder though so I need to give the credit where credit is due. This means that I need to give a shout out to my cousin Brittany because she re-did hers and I LOVE it!!! In fact, when I went looking for blog backgrounds that were Christmasy her's was the only one I liked. (Something about great minds comes to... uh, mind...) lol! Anyways. Then, I decided to actually CREATE my own banner at the top! For my birthday last year, my mother-in-law gave me Photoshop Elements. I love it, I'm just not very good at it yet. I spent about 3 hours figuring out how to place the pictures, edit them, add text, add shadows behind the text (so very cool and my new favorite computery thing to do!) and then saving it, changing the blog... blah blah blah. Long story short (trust me, it's a much longer story than this) here is my new blog design with my banner design! Love it! I'll post again later with pictures of our house all decorated for Christmas!!! (Have I mentioned that I like Christmas a lot?)