My Lil' Helper

Jessica LOVES helping in the kitchen. The problem is, what is the definition of "helping"? I have to remind myself to be patient because her definition and my definition are very very different...

Mommy's definition:

Helping = putting things away, playing with pots and pans while mommy cleans/cooks/etc.

Jessica's definition:
Helping = looking at everything mommy is doing, holding or touching everything that mommy is holding or touching, taking every possible item (food or otherwise) out of it's rightful place in each and every cabinet / cupboard and setting them on the floor for all to see. Then, crawling away to find something else to touch/hold and display while mommy cleans up after me.

These are the days I'll always remember right? Actually, it's very cute to watch her because she is just so curious about the world around her. And, it is very hard not to be flattered by a sweet little girl who wants to do everything I do. :) I tried to document a moment in the kitchen that shows how most of our moments actually go. (These are from Jessica's "thoughts")...

I will summon the dishes with my Jedi powers...

That didn't work... I must move closer to where the dishes actually are.

What? The Jedi thing could have worked you know...

I think I have it figured out now!!!

Hmmm... which dish? Which dish?

I don't get it. Why can't I find the dish I'm looking for?!?

Oh - the door... do you think it will hold me?

It's not working!!!

Mommy!!! Why won't the door hold me?!?

Fine. Stupid door. I'm playing with my fridge magnets instead!

I love my little kitchen helper!!!

Gilmore Girls

I LOVE this show! Everything in the world can be traced back to Gilmore Girls.

(left to right: Luke, Lorelai, Rory, Logan)

Have I mentioned how much I love this show?!?

Comic Strip Day

Tip: do not try to register your vehicle, get the oil changed, do safety / emissions test, buy hubbies golf pass, AND do a choir rehearsal all on the same day. DUMB!

6:30am = Jess woke up wanting her bottle. She was very cute and playing with her blanket in her crib. I think she was playing peek-a-boo with the crib bars? It was pretty funny.

7:40am = Jess is done with her bottle and begins sitting on daddy's face (she was in our bed with us). Nothing says "Good Morning!" like a diaper in the face...

7:42am = After daddy rolls over Jess begins poking his hair. Maybe that will wake him up?

7:45am = Daddy rolls back over and Jess, smiling because her work is done, sits in mommy's face.

7:48am = Jessica realizes that Daddy was faking his awakeness so she begins poking his nose and eyes.

7:50am = Daddy is awake.

9:45am = Mommy & Daddy are showered, fed, and ready for the day. Jessica is fed and ready for the day. We head out.

10:00am = Mommy drops Daddy off at the MTC and heads over to Brent Brown Auto to get the oil changed.

10:10am = Jess and Mommy are sitting in the waiting room.

10:30am = Still sitting.

10:32am = Jess has crawled into some guys office while he is trying to close a car deal. She obviously has some feelings on the matter because she begins expressing those feelings very loudly to the customers.

10:33am = Mommy picks up Jessica and carries her out of the office.

10:35am = Jessica is back in sales office hoping to reiterate her previous opinions.

10:36am = Mommy again carries Jess out.

10:40am = Jessica has crawled from service area, around the corner, up the stairs and is heading over to what she is hoping will be her first car. Yeah right!

10:41am = Mommy is carrying Jess back to service area.

10:45am = Service manager comes out to say that we will have to wait another 45 minutes for the right filter to arrive. Oh, and the safety test cannot be done because their computer is broken. Great.

11:01am = Jessica is throwing the service area magazines for customers to enjoy all over the service floor.

11:02am = Mommy is picking up service area magazines.

11:03am = Where did Jessica go?!?

11:04am = Mommy is carrying Jessica out of sales office from previous encounters where the guy is, again, trying to sell a car. I think Jess has found her vocational career...

11:05am = Mommy is feeding Jess snacks

11:22am = Jessica, again, trying to read the magazines by tossing them around the room. Maybe she was sharing? Not quite sure.

11:58am = Service manager comes in to say we are finished. Yea!!!

12:11pm = At Ray's Auto Place we went to drop off the car for the safety test.

12:14pm = Retrieved stroller in back of car

12:15pm = Jessica's blanket falls and gets tangled up in the stroller wheels

12:17pm = Jessica's blanket is still tangled - keys go flying

12:18pm = Car almost runs over keys

12:19pm = Blanket untangled

12:25pm = Entering Wendy's for food - line is long, baby is hungry!

12:34pm = Food ordered and paid for

12:40pm = Food received

12:42pm = Great burning question: how to navigate crowded Wendy's while holding a tray full of food and pushing a stubborn stroller?

12:44pm = Jessica is shoving pieces of chicken nuggets in her mouth so that I won't eat them first

1:03pm = Returning to pick up car (interesting how their emission's stuff is down but not their safety...)

1:15pm = Arrive at DMV - Jessica has fallen asleep

1:20pm = Done at DMV!!! AMAZING!

1:30pm = Arrive at MTC to pick up Jer. Wake up Jess from nap.

2:00pm = Arrive at East Bay Golf course to buy his golf pass - Jer waits in car with Jess

2:04pm = Waiting for cute old men in front of me to set up their tee time

2:06pm = Tell guys at desk that I am buying a golf pass for my husband

2:07pm = Cute old guy tells me, "I wish you were my wife!"

2:21pm = Arrive at home

2:35pm = Pick up Jess and realize that she has poohed / peed through her clothes...

2:36pm = Start Jess's impromptu bath

2:55pm = Finish Jess's impromptu bath

3:07pm = Everything is packed (or re-packed) and we are off!

3:20pm = Arrive to drop Jer off at golf course

The rest of the day was spent in South Jordan at a music rehearsal. Jess slept the whole way up. Because we dropped Jer off at the golf course when we did, I ended up being in S. Jordan 45 minutes earlier than planned. Which actually was good because Jess was taking her afternoon nap in the car. The driving tour I took of South Jordan led me to find several craft stores that I would frequently, ...um frequent. Anyways. Jess was great during practice and we came home where she went to bed. Sweet sweet girl who was such a trooper!

Jessica Wants To Do Her Own Update....

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Our Little Golfer

Jer is so proud! His daughter is destined to be a golfer! Jess LOVES sitting on daddy's lap and helping him "practice" his famous soon-to-be patented sitting down swing!

Jess is very focused as she concentrates on lining up the ball with the club...

She's got the beginnings of a good grip...

Yes! It worked! The ball actually rolled 3 or so feet! Tiger Woods watch out!

Again with the concentration...

Hmmm.... a little off from where I was hoping it would go...

Maybe standing a little bit is the way to go...

Jessica & Brinkley: Twin-ers!

Jessica has a twin. A twin cousin. Brinkley Jo was born about 6 weeks earlier than Jess. Brinkley lives with her parents in Eagle River, Alaska. Her mom, Brittany, and I are cousins so technically Jessica and Brinkley are 2nd cousins. Brittany and Brett are getting sealed in the Rexburg Temple next Saturday (congratulations!!!) so Brittany and Brinkley are down visiting from Alaska before the sealing. I was so excited when Brittany called and said they wanted to come over. Brittany and I were roommates before we both got married and it was fun to see her. Brittany had time on Thursday so that's when they came over to play.

My mom is a perfect grandmother. Loving, funny, kind, encouraging, and LOVES buying her grandkid clothes and toys! Since her only granddaughter is 3,000 miles away, she has a hard time spoiling her granddaughter. (Shipping is expensive and I'm still working on getting my mom to use online shopping more...) Poor Mom is left with the grandma urge with no granddaughter close by. She has to "vent" her grandmotherly urges somewhere and usually that urge descends on Brinkley. (Lucky Brinkley!)

My mom also has a weakness for adorable baby clothes. Bad for her wallet - good for mine! (My dad called once and told me he had once thought they would be getting out of debt faster after all the kids were out of the house. He now realizes that they have a grandkid so that is not going to become a reality anytime soon... :) Anyways, mom was out shopping one day and found these cute outfits at Nordstrom (50% off). As my mom explained later, these outfits were meant to be because there were only 2 left and they were in Brinkley and Jessica's size! So, when Brittany called me up to come over she said, "I'm putting Brinkley in your mom's outfit." I said, "Ok. Jessica will be in her's!"

Here are the twin-ers during their play date in their twin outfits. They were absolutely adorable together! Both girls have tons of personality and are headstrong. It made for some very funny pictures, videos, and lots of laughs! Interesting side note: Brinkley is 6 weeks older than Jess. Jess is about 2 inches and 4.5 lbs heavier than Brinkley... It was funny to see them together.

Here are some pictures (and videos - I finally figured it out!) with their thoughts of the day included... no really. This is what I am sure they were thinking.

Jessica: Do I like bread? I can't remember! Heeeellllpppppp!

Jessica: I'm a happy little clam! Happy, happy, happy!

Brinkley: If I can't see you, you can't see me!

Brinkley: Oh! Are you still there?

Jessica: I give you kisses mommy!

Jessica: I just want your food! What's the big deal?!?
Brinkley: I don't think so!

Brinkley: I LOVE fruit loops!
Jessica: Mom... another picture?!? I'm so embarrassed!

Jessica: I love your hair! Who is your stylist?
Brinkley: Should we paint our toenails? Yours look ready for some pink to match our outfits...

Jessica: A priest, a rabbi, and a duck enter a bar...
Brinkley: I love jokes!

Jessica: Whoopsie! Am I not supposed to know that joke yet?
Brinkley: Jessica, you're funny!

Jessica: Look! Our blankets match!
Brinkley: Maybe, but I had mine first.

Jessica: Are the pictures over yet?
Brinkley: Ditto. Our moms are ridiculous with their cameras!

Brinkley & Jessica: Just playing here. Nothing to see. Move along...

These videos are hilarious! The first one is the girls learning how to share. The second one shows their "fight"! Brittany & I just laughed and laughed! We figured later that we should probably have split them up but it was just so funny! They are so cute together! I'm so excited that Jessica and Brinkley got to play together. I hope Brett and Brittany move closer one day so we can hang out more! Congrats again guys on getting sealed. We love you!

Singing Valentines

Anyone in the Wasatch Valley - Salt Lake City area interested?
We are raising money for our regional competition that will be held in Colorado at the end of April / beginning of May. :)

The poster is hard to read but it basically says that for $30 (two songs and a card) or $35 (two songs, rose and a card) my quartet, Lucky Penny, will come and sing to your sweetheart on the Friday or Saturday before Valentine's Day. The cards are homemade and will be unique and beautiful. The songs are fun and romantic. It's a great way to send your love in an unusual and romantic way. :) My contact info is on the poster. Or, just send me a message and I'll call you to schedule it. We are singing Friday (2/12) from 12pm-4pm and Saturday (2/13) from 6pm-10pm. Happy Valentine's Day whatever you decide to do...

Lucky Penny

I am in a womens barbershop quartet called Lucky Penny. I sing the baritone part (commonly called bari). We are brand spankin' new (started our group in November) and we are gearing up to compete at a regional competition in Colorado this April/May. If we place in the top 2 we get to go on to International. That will probably not happen this year as the quartet groups who compete are AMAZING and have been around for years working & perfecting their sound. There is, however, an award that I know we can win called "The Novice Award". This award is given to a quartet that has at least 2 of the 4 who have never competed before and who did an amazing job with a newer group. Since our entire group is novice (none of us have competed in a quartet) we are aiming to take that award. How? LOTS OF HARD WORK!

The other 3 members of our group are from left to right:
Brooke (tenor), Kate (bass), Penny (lead), and me (baritone)

We learned 3 Christmas songs and went caroling around our neighborhoods. We also sang for Kate's elementary school at their Christmas program that they do every December. The kids LOVED us! :)

I just listened to the winners of 2009's international quartet competition and I am melting just listening to them! It's that tingly feeling I get in my gut, my heart, and the back of my neck when I hear music with amazing harmonies so absolutely beautiful that it makes me want to cry. I know this sounds really bizarre but when music is that beautiful my chest almost hurts and the music just fills my heart. I could sit for hours listening to it. It's the kind of music that I know must have been inspired because it sounds so pure. I don't know how else to explain that feeling I get. Crazy and weird I know. :)

I want to be able to sing like that. Sing in a group like that. The coolest part...I know my quartet, Lucky Penny, can do that with some hard work. I am SO EXCITED! (Have I mentioned how much I love to sing?) Right now we practice 2 times a week (Tuesdays and Saturdays) and we will be doing coaching sessions at least once a month from now until competition. It is a lot of hard work but I feel that it is well worth the effort.

Last Saturday I took Jess with me to practice and she was SO good for us! She sat and played with her toys for about half of the time. The other half of the time she wanted one of us to hold her and she just listened and watched completely fascinated by it all. Several times I almost stopped singing because I wanted to laugh: she was trying to sing with us! It was so adorable! I am hoping that she loves to sing as much as I do when she gets older. It would be awesome to sing duets with my daughter! (only she has to be a soprano because I am most definitely an alto!)

1 YEAR OLD!!!!

We had a blast at Jessica's 1 year party. She is practically not even a baby anymore! Crazy! Here are a few pictures (again... not really in order...) so enjoy!

I made...drum roll please...a caterpillar cake!

At the end of the feeding... she looks tired!

Poor honey - she needed some milk after all the cake...

I'm not quite sure what this face is about... she really did love her cake up until this point. Maybe this is the "I've had enough of the sugar" face? Hopefully?

See... she is LOVING her first chocolate!

I think she is gagging... no wait... she's coughing...

Eating with gusto - actually it was pretty funny. She still broke pieces off in her hand and ate a little bit at a time. Very precise. Well, for a 1 year old...

Loving the frosting...

I had to give her a little on my finger. She wasn't sure what to do with her cupcake covered in frosting at first. (You saw the previous pics though... she ended up LOVING it!) I think she was a little thrown off at first though that we would just let her dive in like that...

Jessica: What the HECK is on my fingers!

Jessica: I want my cupcake and I want it now!

Ooohh!!! My very own caterpillar cake!

I'm cute and I know it!

Excuse me. I'm enjoying my present here...

My first car... well my first school bus

I am a princess and I now have my throne

2 Christmas's ago we bought each set of parentals their own webcams so we could do...this. Share moments through webcam when they couldn't be here in person. Here are the parentals attending Jess's birthday party. :) It was QUITE the experience getting my parents hooked up though. Let me tell you... (Derrall, my super genious computer savvy brother kept saying it was an ID10 error - translation: a user error...)

Party attendees (from not so visible left to right):
Derrall, Becky, Jessica, Ethan, Rissy, Angie, Jer

It was a fun party. I love my angel and still can't believe an entire year has gone by. It feels like she has only been here since yesterday and yet I can't believe there was life before her. I love being her mom. Motherhood is the BEST job in the world! Heavenly Father has certainly blessed our lives this past year. I am so grateful that with her rough start in life she is healthy and happy and perfect. I love you Jessica!