My Jolly Little Jumper

He's so proud of himself.

An Internal Struggle

I have principles.

I don't eat gloppy melted cheese.

I always put lotion on after a shower.

I always give Jake 4 kisses before we go to sleep.

I only drink diet when I have soda.

And the kitchen needs to be clean...and right now it's not.

We hosted a Bachelor party for one of Jake's friends tonight.

They ate and then ran. Including my husband.

I told him I wasn't going to clean the kitchen.

But I'm having a really hard time knowing it's messy and not cleaning it.

So which principle do I stand by?

The kitchen needs to be clean, or I said that I wouldn't clean up their mess?

And on top of it all our house smells like 30 lbs of beef brisket.

Jake may not get 4 kisses tonight.

An Obituary

Rhino "Sheer Awesomeness" Miller passed away on Monday December 6th.

He was 15 months old.

Rhino was an aggressive little beta fish.

An enthusiastic eater.

Sometimes he would jump out the water with enthusiasm at dinner time.

Loved hiding under his plants and rocks.

Always avoided getting his tanked cleaned.

Sometimes we called you Rhett and called Rhett Rhino.

Wasn't a great conversationalist, but was a good listener.

Rhino you were our first pet and you will be missed.

(More by Julia...she talked to him the most.)

Pillow Talk Continued

Jake had a lull in in sleep walking and sleep conversations.

But the past few nights he's been quite conversational.

For example:

I woke up the other night when Jake shook me and pulled me over to his side of the bed.

Jake: Did you hear that?

Me: Hear what?

Jake: The count down. What it's for?

Me: A rocket ship...?

Jake: (Starting to laugh) You sound evil. Go away.

I try to humor him.

And last night...

Jake sat up in bed and started rummaging through the sheets and blanket and was really agitated. He was talking, but I couldn 't understand him. All of a sudden he stopped. Sat up straight. Sat on the edge of the bed, turned on the light, said "Oopsie!" and then laid back down and fell asleep.

And he never remembers any of this.

Yummy

A little apprehensive about what's coming.

First bite of rice cereal!

Thinking about it...

Not a fan. :)

He's got a mustache :)

We're pretty sure he got more on his chin and bib than in his mouth.

I want

These

I can't find them anywhere.

But I'm not giving up.

Mary

I love this picture of Mary with her newborn son. Recently I have been thinking a lot about Mary and her beautiful baby boy. I love how closely Mary is holding baby Jesus in her arms. And I love the emotions that are portrayed on her face, "concern and peace...concern for what lies ahead for her child, yet peace in knowing that this Child's Father in Heaven is over all" as a friend put it.

For as long as I can remember I have stood in awe of Mary...her worthiness, beauty, care, obedience, tenderness, love, selflessness, and purity. She was blessed to have the privilege of carrying and giving birth to her little boy, and the Savior of man kind. She had the opportunity to love him, to teach him, and to be his Earthly mother. She was able to see her baby grow into manhood and watch him choose a beautiful path and live a perfect life. I imagine she was filled with pride as her son paved the way and made it possible for all of God's children to make it back to Heaven to dwell eternally with him.
However, this year Mary means much more to me than a beautiful mother that brought the Savior into the world. She is now an extraordinary example of a valiant daughter of God who not only did these beautiful things, but a valiant daughter that did some very hard things.
I'm not sure, but I can imagine that growing up Mary might have pictured the path of her life taking a different course than it did. I can't imagine the heartache Mary felt as she was looked down upon by society for carrying this heaven sent son of God while being espoused to Joseph. While Mary had the joy of feeling her sweet baby grow and come to life inside her womb, she was faced with ridicule and judgement by those that surrounded her. Although the timing may have been difficult, she willingly accepted the call to be the mother of Jesus.
As the baby grew and the date of Jesus' arrival grew near, I imagine that just like me, Mary was filled with great anticipation and excitement at the thought of meeting her first born son, and bringing the greatest gift the Earth has ever known into the world. As she planned and prepared, I am not sure that the thought ever crossed her mind that she would bring her baby into the world in such humble circumstance. I've been wondering what Mary thought as she learned there was no room for them in the inn...was she disappointed, worried, or concerned? Regardless of how she felt, she went forward in faith. She followed her loving husband to the stable where she would soon give birth and lie her newborn son in a manger of hay. She took the most modest of circumstances and made the best of what she had. I wish I could go back to that night and see the light...the love that surrounded them.
I can't even comprehend the pain Mary must have felt as she watched a ruthless crowd shout at her son, mock him, beat him, place a crown of thorns on his head, and nail him to a cross. I don't understand the anguish that must have consumed Mary as she learned that her son was to be crucified, and that he would be leaving her so soon. I am sure there was a wrenching of her heart that was intense and real. And although I think Mary knew this part of his life had a special purpose, and that her son would be okay....I don't think it took away any of that pain. I'm sure that she did a lot of crying, and I think she must have missed her son every day she was here without him.
Mary had to "let her son go". I am thankful for her valiant example. I am thankful that she accepted hard things that she may not have wanted or pictured for herself, and followed the plan God had for her. The beautiful, joyous moments Mary shared with her son, combined with the painful, heart-wrenching trials she faced turned out to be the most beautiful Christmas gift we celebrate. The birth of her son, his perfect example and teachings, his sacrifice in Gethsemane, his Crucifixion on the cross, and his resurrection from the tomb...all the things that make it possible for me to live with my husband and little Rhett forever!
I pray I can be more like Mary. I hope that like her, I too can accept every part of the plan God has for me, even the parts I had pictured differently. I'm grateful beyond description for my first born son. I am filled with pride because of the path he choose to come to Earth, and I pray I might be the kind of mother to him that Mary was to Jesus.

We're so talented

Miracle of miracles, I some how convinced Jake to have us do a talent in the ward talent show.

I must say we did a pretty good job.

We rewrote the lyrics to a Flight of the Concords song called "Bret, You've Got it Going On."

Our version was called "Rhett, You've Got it Going On."

I've tried almost a million times to put the video up here, but it's being difficult.

So here are the lyrics:

It went something like this:

Hey there Rhett, I see you looking down.

Don't want to see my little buddy there with a frown.

Just because you’re always sitting in poo, well that's only because you can’t hold it like we do

Sure, you're smelly and always cry

But some mother out there must be needy for a smelly, cry guy.

She wants to change you because your daddy says no way

Just hear me out when I say...

Rhett, you got it going on.

Your mamma will get to know your smelliality, when she gets to change your poopiality

I said, Rhett, you got it going on.

And in a great way, just in a “hey, man, I wanted to say that you’re looking okay man.”

Why can't a really cool guy,

Tell a really cool guy that he thinks his onesy is fly.

Not all the time, obviously, just when he's got a problem with his self esteem.

Don't let anybody tell you you're not huggable.

Because you're lovable.

Even though to smell your breath is quite uncomfortable.

If I say you've got a boom ow-ow.

Come on Rhett, help me out now.

Rhett, you got it going on.

(You got it going on! )

That's the conclusion that I've come to.

And you’ve gotta know that we really love you

Rhett, you got it going on.

(Got it going on...)

No doubt about it, we are going crazy

Cuz both of us were lucky enough to have you for a baby

Since we got you as a baby, yeah we’ve been big fans, really big fans

Well, sometimes it gets early, and we need some snoozin

And we hear you start your cooing

In fact, one time when you were cooing and I was really tired

You started to cry really loud at 6 am

I shut the door on you when you were sleeping , I shut the door on you

Oh, ohhhh, oooohh, oh, and I just laid there and snoozed.

Rhett, you got it going on.

Family Pictures

Marissa Noe took our little family's pictures over Thanksgiving break.

And I'm in love with them.

Check out a preview sample at Marrisanoephotography.com

or

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmarissanoephotography.com%2F%3Fp%3D3887&h=d32c6.

And post a comment on her website so we can get a free print!

Rhett and Roy

This is Roy.

He doesn't mind Rhett's drool.

They like to wrestle.

Tender.

They're buddies.

Sweet Rolls

Rhett you are chub-a-licious.

Move Over Martha

I've never been a super crafty person. I never seemed to be able to create my ideas the way I wanted to and I usually ended up putting some unfinished project on a shelf and never getting around to finishing it.

Until now.

Maybe it's because of the Christmas season, but I just completed 3 crafty Christmas projects...and I actually like them.

My wreath

My 12 Days of Christmas advent calendar

And my "artistic" Christmas trees.

And my favorite part of making them?

Making it with darling Camille. Love her.

So move over Martha Stewart. There's a new crafty woman on the block.

Bringing Sexy Back

A conversation from a week ago.

Julia: "If you can go on one freebie date with any famous person, who would it be?"

Jake: "What...we're married..."

Julia: "I know, I know, I just meant in the highly unlikely event that it could ever happen, who would you go on a date with? I promise I won't get mad."

Jake: "Umm OK. Angelina Jolie I guess."

Julia: "Good pick, I like her."

....Silence....

Julia: "Do you want to know who I would pick?"

Jake: "Yeah sure."

Julia: "Well it would be a tough choice. Either Ryan Reynolds...or Johnny Depp. Something about him is intriguing."

A couple days later I was at the grocery store getting ready to check out and what did I see? People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue with who on the front...Ryan Reynolds. And as I flipped through it I saw a picture of Johnny Depp and a side note that said he was voted the Sexiest Man Ever.

I have good taste.

And when I told Jake about what I had read I told him not to jealous. Since I had chosen two of the sexiest men ever and since I think Jake's extremely good looking he should be honored.

Who knows when he'll be on that cover. :)

Saggy Drawers

He's got a little bum bum.

It's a little too big for a size 1 diaper and a little to small for a size 2.

Month Four

Dear Rhett,

You are our four month old handsome, happy, giggly, almost sleeping through the night, little guy. Maybe little guy isn't the best description. You are bigger than most of the 6 month olds at church. We love all of your rolls and folds. We can't stop kissing your cheeks and your fuzzy head. Your hair is getting blonder and blonder each week. With your dark blue eyes you are quite the cutie. You smile all the time, especially when we say your name with excitement. You have the best giggle and you always seem to get the hiccups when you laugh too hard. You still scream bloody murder when we make you do tummy time, but you are finally lifting your head. You're mastering grabbing your toys and putting them in your mouth. And you are starting to discover your toes. I catch you staring at your feet and then getting startled when they move. You love the song King of Anything by Sara Barellis. We listen to it when we're making dinner and you kick your chubby legs so fast when it comes on. You coo so much now. One night you woke up after being asleep for about an hour and we went in to make sure you were OK.

When you saw us you started grinning and it is hard, so very hard, to be frustrated with you when you look at us like that. (And we think you know this) You started cooing and talking to us. I said, "Rhett did we forget to say family prayer?" You cooed. I asked you who should say it and you squealed with happiness. We took that to mean that you wanted to. So we started the prayer and you repeated every thing we said with your little noises. So adorable.

We love you little buck-a-roo,

Mom and Dad

Commercial Breaks

This commercial makes me happy.



But personally I think Rhett is a little cuter than the baby in it.

Personally.

Gratitude

I've been thinking a lot about what I wanted to express gratitude for this Thanksgiving. I feel that this year has filled with so many blessings, more than I could ever list. So I decided to write this post about one topic that I feel has been the catalyst for all of our blessings.

Jake and I are both LDS or Mormon. Growing up we both new that when we found someone who we wanted to marry, that we would chose to get married in one of our church's temples. We knew that we wanted our marriage to last longer than just "till death do us part." We didn't want the life we would build together, the trials we would share, the success, the joy, our relationships with our children, to end when our mortal lives did.

The prophet and apostles of our faith came out with a proclamation to families everywhere in 1995. One of the first paragraphs reads, "In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally."

All of the ordinances done in LDS temples are performed using the priesthood of God. It is this priesthood authority that Jesus referred to when he taught, " Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." (Mathew 16:19) Since priesthood power is eternal ordinances sealed with the priesthood are also eternal, which makes them so important to us.

So why am I so grateful for this? I'm grateful that our marriage will last forever which makes it all more special for us. I'm grateful that because we were married there that Rhett will always be ours. I'm grateful for the peace I feel when we go to the temple. I'm grateful for their stunning beauty. I'm grateful the God has given us a way to know, understand and be closer to Him. I'm grateful for the Plan of Salvation and that it teaches us who we are, where we came from, why we are here and where we are going.

So this Thanksgiving instead of making my usual list, I'm just expressing my gratitude for these buildings and the blessings which have stemmed from it.

Hey there good looking

Jake -

I just wanted to let you know you looked especially handsome when you left for school today. No one can pull off jeans and a t-shirt like you. I don't know how I got so lucky. :)

Love,

Your Wife

P.S. You're a wonderful father. :)

Love

Sweater Weather

So I really hate the winter. I go into hibernation mode. People try to show me the redeeming qualities of the season but I don't buy it. Snow is pretty, but so is green grass and flowers. Snow brings the holiday spirit, so does Christmas music and sugar cookies. There are lots of fun sports/activities to do in the snow. True, I do enjoy skiing, but after awhile my toes and fingers freeze and that's not fun.

But there is one thing I love about winter.

Sweater weather!!!

Cable knit, argyle, cotton, wool, cashmere, I love them all.

These are my favorite sweaters from J.Crew and Banana Republic.

Love the design.

Love the lines and the buttons.

So feminine.

Absolutely love the color.

Anything sparkley gets my attention,

Ditto.

Fabulous color.

Looks warm and fuzzy.

Total cost for my new winter wardrobe- $840.

Maybe I can convince Jake that his tuition for winter semester really isn't important. Maybe.