I'm on again

It is raining here in Riverside, and I've heard it's the worst storm in 10 years. I don't know that because I don't follow the news. Apparently in the surrounding areas there are possibilities of mud slides where fires raged earlier. I realized this morning why it never seems to rain hard here . . . there is no thundering and lightning. If it's not a thunderstorm, it's not a really bad storm--right?

My purpose tonight is to post pictures, but this will be totally trial and error. We recently visited The Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens near Los Angeles. Here are some pictures:

I didn't know bamboo grew so tall.

These look like stones, but they are living plants.

The stone appearance is for camouflage and safety.

Among the prettiest was the Japanese Garden.

The Rose Garden was past it's peak, but roses in December???

Jackson is 1!!!

In case anyone was wondering, Jackson turns 1 today!!! Happy birthday little man!!
Go see my blog for more details:
candycoatedcrews.blogspot.com

That's all folks:)

2010 Christmas Book!

Hello, all!  The way we left the Christmas books plans is as follows:

~Julie volunteered to be in charge of it this year.
~Every family will "pay" for a copy of the book, based on what the printing costs are.  That way we'll share in it equally.  And that way, if we want extra copies for our kids or whatever, we just pay for the extra copies.
~I don't know how much or what size each book will be... any thoughts, Julie?
~We should have our family "write-ups" to her by around Thanksgiving to give her time to put it together.

ideas in my head

thanks to all for writing back and letting me know you are all still there. Yesterday it occurred to me that we haven't talked anymore about putting together a Christmas "yearbook" of sorts. so here is what i want to know: -are we all still planning on doing that? cuz i think it's a great idea.
-when do we need to have pictures and text and stuff together by?
-who do we send it all too?...and can we do it my email? or how should we get the info to whoever is doing it?
-do we need to all chip in something for the cost of putting the books together? and if so how much, and when would we need to send that in?
-also i am probably going to need an idea of how much space we would get...like 2 or 3 pages...or however much we want? so that i can get an idea of what pics to send and how much i should be writing...
-and finally did you know that we got snow today? yup! we woke up this morning to a few inches of snow on the ground! the mountains are absolutely covered, they have 12 inches or more! ski season here we come:) 
oh and if anyone reads this today i need some impromptu Halloween costume ideas...tonight is our ward Halloween party and we have nothing to dress up as...and ideas?? oh and i was thinking we could all go as ghosts...since that is easy and all we would need is a bunch of white sheets......now only if i could find a bunch of white sheets for cheep...... hummmmmmmmm

Don't Forget Me!

Well, since we're all playing "here I am!" I figured I should pitch in as well :-)

I love you guys!!!

~Anita

I am here too!

Hello family. Just thought I'd let everyone know that the fam down here in Louisiana are alive and kicking...or should I say alive and blogging? Ha!

I just launched my very own website, and after months of editing and reworking and editing some more, I am ready to share with everyone:

www.juliecrews.com

Thanks everyone for visiting.

I'm here!

Hey guys! I just thought I'd stop in and let you know you're not alone :) Love your posts; keep posting!

~Gwen

Mission Picture!

Our friends in South Carolina whose son (Tony) is serving in Mom's mission just sent us this picture that Tony sent home.  It was fun to have a picture of mom, and I thought I'd share! 

Tooting Gwen's Horn!

Since Gwen is being slack about getting on here and "tooting her own horn", so to speak, I'm going to do it for her!  She's published several EXCELLENT articles with Dateline Carolina at school, and I'm very impressed!  Here are the links to two of the stories - just click on the title you want to read!

Laugh Therapy Helps Beat the Recession Blues

Bedbug Treatment Too Expensive for Some S.C. Residents

It's Just You & Me, Babe...

Jessica, I think you and I are the only real bloggers in our entire family.  Wait, I take that back.  Julie blogs, too, though I don't know that she gets to READ blogs.  One of these days we'll get them trained!

I love that you are excited about baked potatoes for dinner.  I would be, too.  My kids don't like baked potatoes.  I think they have weird texture issues or something.  But I love a good, overcooked baked potato with a slightly tough skin... salted, buttered, and anything else!  Yum!

And before I get onto my list, let me tell you about one BIG thing that happened to me today that can't qualify as exciting because it HURTS.  I was pushing Connor's high chair in this morning at breakfast using the inside of my right foot and I pulled my groin muscle.  I can't believe it!  I finally looked up how I am supposed to care for it tonight, and I need to ice it.  Really.  Well that's going to be comfortable.  Not.  Anyhow, if I rest it as much as possible it will hopefully be okay in a couple of days, but in the meantime it hurts to walk and move.  Lovely.

So here's my list:

1.  One exciting thing that happened to me this past week.  Probably the most exciting thing happened today.  I have to preface it by saying that yesterday our AC went out again.  I say again, because it just happened 2 weeks ago.  We had a father-son company come out and work on it (our drain was clogged), and for some reason it was acting up again yesterday.  We turned it off, sweated out the night, and this afternoon Steve (the son) came to work on it for me.  He stayed about 30 minutes, took care of the problem, and didn't charge me a thing.  That's right, folks!  Nada!  And it wasn't the same problem as before, though it may have been slightly related.  It totally made my day.

2. Something delicious that I either ate or cooked this past week.  Mmm.. this one is easy.  Ben and I went out to one of our favorite places for lunch on Monday.  He was going to go with me to my doctor's appointment so he could actually MEET the midwife before I go into labor, and we had gotten a special coupon for his birthday from one of our favorite restaurants - Italiano's.  So I got a babysitter for the kids, and we were off to lunch!  They have a fabulous pizza bar at lunch, and they make some of the BEST pizza I have ever had.  They have a crust that is just perfect.  If we go there for dinner we get their pasta, but lunch is all about the pizza bar.

3.  A picture.  Okay, so I could have used this one for my "exciting thing" for the week, but I wanted to use this picture for #3!

Yesterday the kids and I went to the Oklahoma State Fair Academy, which is a free field trip the fair offers to all school kids - both home-educated and public school.  While we were there we saw the "Wild West Show" and as part of that this entertainer called "The One-Armed Bandit" did his show for us.  Apparently, this is so well-known in rodeo circles that he's been voted "Entertainer of the Year" ten times.  Even more impressive... the whole entire outfit/show (horses, bison, truck, etc.) was just sold to the ruling family of Dubai.  As soon as the fair is over, it's all going overseas to the Arabian Peninsula to be owned by the king.  Cool.  So what does the show entail?  Basically, the guy on the horse (left side of the picture, purple shirt if you can make it out) is in the ring with these two bison.  He herds them UP onto the top of the truck and trailer.  It was really cool to watch.  And funny, because the second buffalo didn't want to go up.  He kept getting on the low part and going to the other side without going up onto the trailer.  He made the One-Armed bandit work for it, and THEN he got up.  It was a pretty awesome show with stunt riders, gunslingers, bull-whipping and more!

what's up with that!

no one has posted anything on here in a long time...except me. sigh. i want to know how everyone is doing. so if you are reading this post you must immediately post back with three things:
1. one exciting thing that has happened this week
2. something delicious that you either ate, or cooked this past week
3. and finally a picture. i don't care what the picture is of....preferably a picture that you took, but it doesn't have to be, and then you must post a description of what the picture is of...in case we don't understand:)

since i am the first one to post in a long long time...here are my three things:)
1. I got to sketch in my new sketchbook for the first time over the weekend!!! its been a very long time since i made time to do that, so go me!!
2. I made baked potatoes last night for dinner:) i know it doesn't sound totally amazing but Danny and I haven't had baked potatoes in a long time, and we had all the fixings: cheese, sour cream, bacon, and Danny even got to have broccoli and cheese on his! it was delicious!!

3. this is a picture that someone i used to work with at APX made me. she and i used to love drawing together and making things in microsoft paint. for my birthday this year, she asked me what i wanted her to draw me. i told her that i loved pigs (which in case anyone is wondering i do indeed love pigs. i collect them even, and i have more pigs than you could possibly imagine. (most are at my mom's house in storage)). this was the result, and I love it!!!! the end

Our Missionary

Mom successfully got out of the house and to the MTC this morning. she was dressed to impress. she looked stylin! In case Anita is reading this, i convinced mom to go get her hair cut, and she did. Here is the new do'. She said it was a little shorter than she wanted, but i think it looks good, and you can really see her face. if nothing else it will keep her nice and cool out in the California heat! anyway, here are the pics we shot of her just before she left.

 And mom if you are reading this, we love you and miss you and wish you the best of luck!!!

our trip to the Hogle Zoo

so we had lots of fun at the Hogle Zoo on Saturday! we had never been before, and we had a pretty good time. We got to see the new baby elephant named Zuri---we got to see her playing with this big red ball:) it was so cute. we also got to see penguin's, llama's, rhino's, and a few giraffe's. we also came super close to a cute little monkey---he came all the way to the glass and looked at us:)  we didn't get to take that many pictures, because i forgot the camera at home again! sigh. i did get to take a few with my phone, so without further ado, here they are:

playing with his raspberry teether before we left

 here is this sweet green snake all coiled up on a stick!

all smiles!!!!!!!

the golden gorilla 

these last three are of Jax playing with the spray bottle we squirted him with throughout the day

Is This Better?

Oops!  Is it obvious I haven't been into blogging too much lately? :-)  I still have to figure out how to change the font colors.  Fortunately the ones in there go well, but they've changed how they do it on blogger.  Crazy!

fix me please:)

so i was just checking the blog, and i noticed the background on the blog has disappeared. the image is no longer there. Anita, Please fix me!

my new blog

just so everyone is up to speed i have created a blog of my own. mostly for my mom, and some friends/family far away. it mostly consists of stuff about Jackson at this point. feel free to check it out: candycoatedcrews.blogspot.com
that's pretty much all for now:)
toodles

High places

I am so proud of Jackson lately, he's doing amazing things. One of these things is being able to sit in high chairs on his own:) here's some pics:











- Yay for him!!

Gwen's Good News

Hello all! I just wanted to let you know that I will be starting an editing internship June 10th. I will be interning at the University Press (at USC), where I will be proof reading manuscripts before they go to print.

Basically, I will be doing the work they freelance out (the bonus for them is that I will be working for free). This is a great opportunity for me because if I do well, they could be a future client for me.

I don't know how much you know about my career plans, but I'm graduating in December and will be starting my freelance editing/writing business at that time. I'm already doing some side work: I'm doing some web-text for a few businesses, and I'm working with a doctor on editing his current manuscript.

ALSO, I'm finally getting serious about writing again. I've mapped out a novel, chapter by chapter, and can't wait to put some meat on its bones.

Life is good!

~Gwen

For Mother's Day

Well, yesterday, I mentioned that I had some pictures. Today, I feel, is a better day to add them. In celebration of Mom!

1st, the first picture of Jax with his Mom:



2nd, a gift from our Mom, that Jax is finally old enough to enjoy:



3rd, Jax wearing his pants like Grandma:







And... just as a bonus:
A lot of people ask who Jax looks more like: Jess or me. Today, I finally have the definitive answer:

Picture of the Day

So I have a couple sweet, sweet pictures on my phone that I really want / need to share with the family. However, as some of you know, Jax likes to listen to rain when he's falling asleep at the beginning of the night, so he's got my phone right now. In the mean time, here's a different picture I want to share:



P.S. As I was typing this (11:30pm), I was sitting in the Dining Room in my undies. Some dude tried to come in the house (fortunately, the door was locked). I was half-way to the door to protect my family by beating up some robber with a stroller, when I heard "Sorry, wrong door!", and the guy move on to his own apartment (next door).

Feeling sad

Me and Jackson are in Missouri currently, and i am missing my husband terribly. so Danny if you are reading this, i love you and miss you sooooo much and cant wait to come home.

that being said, my family has done me the favor of taking lots of pics the last few days here are just a few i wanted to share:)

Congratulations, Mom!

Just wanted to let you know how proud we all are of you, Mom, for getting your mission papers in!  I can't wait to hear the news when it comes.  I might even have to start biting my nails again in suspense...

Ride 'Em, Cowboy

Same elephant... different cowboy.

Smiling Baby

I know that no one cares quite as much as we do, but I wanted to share a video we took this morning. Jax is finally smiling, though he's not yet laughing. Introduction done, here you go:





Happy Baby!

2 years and 2 months

So as of yesterday, Jackson is 2 months old! We went to the pediatrician on Friday and he weighs 12 lbs 9 oz, and is 23.5 inches long. He is growing like a weed and has already outgrown his newborn clothes. He is currently wearing 3 month clothes, since it's all that fits him. Here are some recent pictures:
















Watchin tv:) ha

Anyway me and Danny also celebrated our 2 year anniversary last Tuesday! It was our first time leaving Jackson and going out by ourselves! We somehow managed to survive:) and we had a really yummy dinner. Anyway the baby is crying so I better go..

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my family!
Maybe some year I will live in a house again, and you all can visit me and sleep in my extra bedroom(s). Wouldn't that be nice! Until then, I am grateful for the opportunity to travel and visit each one of you & your families, and each one is a treasured visit. As you know, I went to Niel's for Thanksgiving, and was there when Simon was blessed. I also enjoyed raking leaves--it brought back memories of earlier years, both my growing up years, and your growing up years.
Then I went to Dorothy's for Christmas, where we enjoyed a white Christmas, and I shoveled snow, snuggled with Gwendolyn, and we played lots of games. I was able to visit with Aunt Thelma & Donald's family, Aunt Dottie & Glenn, Aunt Esther & Uncle Louis, and Uncle Peter & Aunt Diana. I also enjoyed dinner at Lynn & Larry's house, with Audrey & her family (including 2-year old daughter), Jacob and his girlfriend. I met Kathy's new husband, Sam Milano, and when I got home I bought some Milano cookies so I would remember their last name. Kathy is very happy. For now, they are living with Aunt Esther, and Kathy is still working at Hartwick College, my Alma Mater. Oh, yes, Dorothy, Tristian & Gwendolyn joined me for our traditional pizza at the Mahers'. Alyssa was there, and I also had opportunities to visit with Lydia and Angela & her little boy Xavier.
Now it's back home & back to school for my last semester. My New Year's resolution and key goal for this year is: Preparation . . . Preparation for retirement, a mission, and beyond.
I love you all! Mom

Baby Jackson

Hello family! It's time for some updates from us! We are so excited to finally have baby Jackson with us. He's a really good baby, and is growing like a weed:) the first picture here is from last sunday when he got blessed. My mom made his whole outfit complete with vest and bowtie!


This is a pic I took just yesterday when he was chillin out in his swing...


This next one is such a hilarious face. Not sure how I managed to capture it, but here it is:)


Next is a classic passed out picture. This is something that happens most afternoons:)


Jackson is almost 5 weeks old already, and is doing wonderful. He's sleeping better at night, it's still not perfect yet, but it's getting better. Anyway, that's the update from us:) hopefully now that I'm home all day I will find time to do more blogging:)