El Destructo

Jackson has earned a new nickname...El Destructo! He is now into EVERYTHING! He's opening cabinets, drawers, closets, everything. So, the other day, he opened our "school" drawer in the buffet in the kitchen. It has paper, pens, pencils, etc. in it. He got his little fingers around a pencil, and well, this is what we found later. So, I was lame and didn't learn my lesson, and he got another pencil from somewhere that he could reach, and did this EXACT same thing, on the SAME wall a few days later! So, now pencils find their home taped to the ceiling so he can't reach them, darn it!

We have a 5 cubic foot chest freezer in the laundry room. It lifts from the top to open. Well, a few weeks ago, I found Jackson in there with frozen orange juice cans all over the place. He had pushed a little stool up to the freezer and opened it and pulled out all the frozen OJ. So, I always keep that door shut and make sure he's out of there after I leave. So, yesterday I was in and out of the laundry room, doing laundry, and everytime I went in there, I thought I could smell bread baking or some kind of yeast smell. I just thought my neighbor was cooking or something. Later, the smell was so strong, so I started looking around to find whatever it was. As I went over to the freezer to look behind, I could see orange splatters on the wall. What I found really made my day...:( One of those frozen OJ cans that El Destructo was playing with had rolled behind the freezer and was sitting on top of the freezer coils, opened, or rather exploded, and ooey gooey orange juice was ALLLLLLLLLL over the freezer coils, the wall, the outlet, and the floor. Fun for me! What a mess! It was starting to ferment, that's the yeast odor I smelled. Anyway, thank goodness for sponges, but cleaning sticky orange juice off of freezer coils? VETO.

El Destructo will strike again I'm sure, let's just hope I can keep some good humor about it!

His First Tooth

Jacob got his first tooth when he was about 5 months old. I remember it like it was yesterday. David was gone on a tour and Jacob and I were at home. He cried, moaned, grunted and screamed for about 2 straight days. I thought I was going to lose it. It was my first baby with his first tooth. I had no idea what was going on and then it finally cut the gums, and there we were, no longer a toothless grin. Today, almost exactly to the day, he lost that first baby tooth. I know it probably sounds corny, but I kind of got a little weird feeling in my gut. This is my baby, who I admit is a late bloomer on losing teeth, most of his school mates are already halfway there on adult teeth. But, here's my baby, I just didn't see this milestone coming and now it's hit me. He'll be 8 in September and it's just not real. Anyway, we were at Chili's having lunch with David and a bunch of guys from the band, and he came over to show me how loose his tooth was and then all of a sudden it was out. It just made me feel like, well, there we go, I know it's just a tooth, but before I know it, he's going to have a mouthful of adult teeth and start saying his leaving home goodbye's. Sniff. Okay, now back to reality, I've got to go up and figure out how the toothfairy does business!

Ooh La La!

A little Valentine's Day fun!

Don't send a lame Valentine's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

He's been caught!

Jackson is a smart little guy. This is where I found him this morning after finishing the breakfast dishes. He watches us on the computer all the time and wants to play so bad. He knows the mouse moves things around. It's pretty cute. His first word after mama...tiger. He says it soooo cute, with a deep throat "geger". I love it! It got me to thinking what the other kids first words were. Jacob's favorite words were "noonles" (noodles). Abby's was "cockolit" (chocolate). Now Jackson's is tiger. Everyday is a new adventure with these awesome kids!

Heather & James

Heather & James Sheffer have just been added to my list of family and friends. They are family! Some of you may know that my dad remarried in May of 2006. Judy Gillespie is just about the coolest woman you'll ever meet. I love her and have from moment one. We were in Japan when Dad called and said he had been dating a little bit. He hadn't mentioned anyone before this, so we were all surprised when he said it was pretty serious. Well, imagine my surprise when they decided to get married and then...come to visit us for their honeymoon! Actually, I have to put a note on that for Judy's sake. She was totally surprised by the honeymoon to Japan. She had no idea of the destination until a few weeks before. So, this is really the first time I came to love her, yes even before meeting her. I couldn't believe that she would agree, and be so excited about, meeting one of her step-daughters for the first time while on her honeymoon. But, about 2 or 3 days after they were married, they flew to Japan to stay with us for almost two weeks! I was very pregnant with Jackson at the time, too. What an adventure for all of us! Judy has been my friend ever since, and she has made my dad so very happy! So, with that introduction, I have gained a new family since that May, of which, I've only met one! Now, between the two of them, Dad and Judy have 11 children and 19 grandchildren, with another grandbaby on the way! (Not from me!) So, today, I got a nice addition to my blog family. Heather is Judy's daughter, one I've not met in person. I've met Jennifer, the oldest. Then there is Heather, then Keri, then Tommy, then Tina. (Hopefully I spelled them all right!) A nice big family reunion, or first meet in our case, should be on the agenda! But, even though I haven't met them all, I'm proud to say, counting them all from both my parents...I have two brothers and ELEVEN sisters! And David's wonderful family? That would take me a whole other post! Maybe the next one! :)

Basketball

Thanks for all the great comments on my last post about politics. It's just all so interesting and sometimes mind numbing isn't it? It's really interesting to me, too, how people who are very similar in many ways, can be very different in their views of people and life issues. And the good part of all that is, we can still be different and love love love each other! :)

Today was our last basketball game. David and I have been coaching Jacob's team. It's a YMCA/Navy MWR League. In the 6-7 division there were 10 teams this year!!! We felt bad that there weren't going to be enough coaches, so I volunteered us...David...for coaching job. He did a fantastic job and we really did have a lot of fun. I am glad it's done, but we won't rule out doing it again next year. Attached is a picture of the "Orange Crushers". Today, after the game, we gave the kids their tropies, team pictures, and little treats and gifts from us. One of the parents came up to David and shook his hand and told him how great he was and how they really enjoyed our team this year. They gave him a card made and signed by all the kids on the team and a gift card for $30 to a local restaraunt! How nice was that! So, now we will of course have to go out on a date and use our gift card!

Speaking of dates...on Thursday, Valentines' Day, David will be at home with the boppers, while I go to represent the both of us at a training meeting for our new "team" calling of Den Leaders for Cub Scouts. My first question about the training was, yeah, that's Valentines' Day, but apparently no one really cares about that, and since I have no clue whatsoever about Cub Scouts, I'm off for my big V-Day date with the Cub Masters...ugh...they better have chocolate for dessert!

Apology

While I stand by my "expert"..ha..analysis of the liberal media, I admit I wasn't as educated as I should have been before I ranted about some of this year's candidate. I did however go and educate myself a bit on those candidates I don't know well. I won't go into what I learned, hopefully from reliable sources, but I will say I still continue to wish the rest of the country could see beyond that media and vote for Mitt Romney...however, I don't think it's going to go that way, but it's not over yet. I never thought I'd say I would like to not vote for anyone in my party, but if it's not Mitt, I won't be voting in my party and most likely not in the other party either. I don't trust Hillary for one second, she proved herself, to me at least, during her husband's tenure in the Oval Office. As for Obama, I'm not sure yet, I do agree with some of the things he stands for, but I'm having a hard time understanding his voting history on the late-term abortion issue. I'll do some more learning about that, too.

So, an apology if I offended anyone. I deleted the previous blog of a ranting republican.

Just as a side note, I have been studying in the book of 1 Nephi and today I read chapter 22. It helped me put into perspective this whole political election thing. Nephi is talking about the second coming. Verse 22 says, "And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded...". I hope and pray that I can be counted among the righteous, or really striving to be, and not the confounded. Then verse 25: "And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." I also pray that I will KNOW the shepherd and be numbered in the fold and then I won't care one hoot or holler about which "party" I belong to now!