Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

This year was pretty hectic with all the families we visited, but it was a lot of fun. On Christmas eve we went to Sean's parents house and then to my Grandma Reed's. Luckily we planned on staying in Bountiful at my dad's house because by the time we left my grandma's house it was dumping snow. It was a lot of fun to spend some time with my dad, and in the morning my mom and brother and sister came over to open presents. Taylor got a friggin' HAUL and I'm still trying to figure out where to put all his new toys. He was really good at opening his gifts, but was more interested in eating the wrapping paper than in the toys he got. After we left my dad's house we went to my Grandma Jacobs' house and saw all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was an absolute madhouse, but it was nice to visit with everyone. By the time we got home last night we were all exhausted and VERY happy to be home.

Having a baby brings back the magic of Christmas for me in a way that I don't think anything else could. I have loved seeing his face light up at the sight of snow and Christmas trees. I feel so blessed every day I get to watch him learn and grow. I'm so thankful for him and for all the joy he brings to our lives.

Monday, December 17, 2007

I am blessed

Last week a large fruit basket was delivered to our house from Sean's work with a card wishing him well. Friday my mom took the whole day off work to help me with Taylor after I had my wisdom teeth pulled. Saturday my sister came over to let us know that she's thinking about us. Yesterday afternoon Sean got a text message from our home teacher saying that everyone is praying for us and hopes he feels better soon. That night Sean's home teaching companion came over to see how we were and bring us some cookies his wife had baked. Our ward wants to bring us meals and have a fast for Sean while he's going through his cancer treatments at the beginning of the year. And on top of all of that, our families are going to absolutely spoil Taylor for Christmas this year because we have too many medical expenses to pay for presents.

A couple nights ago I was feeling really down about everything that Sean and I are going through right now, and then I thought of all the people that give us so much love and support and my heart just overflowed with gratitude. We are absolutely surrounded by people who care about us and for that I am so thankful. This has been a difficult holiday season for Sean and I, and at times I feel like I just want it all to be over. I get so depressed thinking about everything I want to buy my family for Christmas, and I get so busy throwing myself a pity party, that I forget what this time of year is about. And when I think about how much people love and care for us and how much they've helped us this year, I think this is probably the best Christmas I've ever had.

I know it's not much and I know I can never make it up to all of you who've sacrificed so much to help us, but THANK YOU. I don't know what we'd do without babysitters, warm meals, and shoulders to cry on. We love you all and hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

A Mother's Heart

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I loved you from the very start,
You stole my breath, embraced my heart.
Our life together has just begun,
You're part of me my little one.
As mother with child, each day I grew,
My mind was filled with thoughts of you.
I'd daydream of the things we'd share,
Like late-night bottles and teddy bears.
Like first steps and skinned knees,
Like bedtime stories and ABC's.
I thought of things you'd want to know,
Like how birds fly and flowers grow.
I thought of lessons I'd need to share,
Like standing tall and playing fair.
When I first saw your precious face,
I prayed your life be touched with grace.
I thanked the angels from above,
And promised you unending love.
Each night I lay you down to sleep,
I gently kiss your head and cheek.
I count your little fingers and toes,
I memorize your eyes and nose.
I linger at your nursery door,
Awed each day I love you more.
Through misty eyes, I dim the light,
I whisper "I love you" every night.
I loved you from the very start,
You stole my breath, embraced my heart.
As mother and child our journey's begun,
My heart's yours forever my little one.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Flashback Friday

Okay, I'm trying to get better at doing this, and since I'm recovering from having my wisdom teeth pulled (not fun) I thought I'd do a flashback post.

In January of 2006 I flew with my parents to San Antonio, Texas to see my brother graduate from Air Force basic training at Lackland Airforce Base. I had never been to Texas before and I absolutely LOVE that city and I really want to take Sean there some day.

Here are some pictures from our trip -

My handsome brother and my mom and dad:
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In the gardens at the Alamo:
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My mom found her favorite store:
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The Riverwalk mall:
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"There's no basement in the Alamo!"
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A pretty shot of the riverwalk:
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Thursday, December 13, 2007

The peas and carrots of babyhood

We started Taylor on solids Thanksgiving day and so far he's had squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, and green beans. I love watching his funny facial expressions when he tries new foods. He also makes lots of "yummy" sounds while he eats and it cracks me up.

I know a lot of people aren't big fans of the messy baby pictures, but I LOVE them. Here are some of my favorites - Tay eating carrots and peas. Yummy yummy!!

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Also, I just want to thank our friends and family members who have been so supportive and so loving through all of the stress we're dealing with right now. Sean is doing well and we found out today that he'll meet with the Oncologist and start treatment at the beginning of January. We'll keep everyone updated on what's happening and we hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Picture overload!

Sean and I went up to Salt Lake today to visit my grandparents and his grandparents. My grandpa just got a new freakin' NICE camera and I had to take it for a test drive. If only I had money for a camera like this.. I'd be taking pictures non-stop!

Tay sitting up on Grandma's new sofa:
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My two favorite people in the whole wide world:
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Laughing with daddy:
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My sweet baby boy:
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The grin I fall in love with every single day:
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And last but not least, Taylor with mommy:
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Saturday, December 1, 2007

My little jumper

Last night Sean and I put Taylor in his jumperoo so he could get some wiggles out before bed. Well Sean got him really excited and he started jumping like CRAZY. It was so funny and Sean and I couldn't stop laughing.

Here's a video of part of his jumping. Sorry it's so dark - our camera isn't the best.



Man I love this kid...

Friday, November 30, 2007

Flashback Friday

Okay, so I saw this done on another blog and thought I'd try it out. Every Friday I'm going to post older pics of us and talk about what we were doing at the time, just to shake things up a bit and give me more to blog about.

This week - our engagement pictures. My grandpa took these pictures for us and we were goofing off WAY too much during the shoot. In fact I think only 2 pictures were actually good enough to be used in our announcements. It's so crazy to think that these pictures were taken over 5 years ago...

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Here's my very favorite one - pretty much describes us perfectly:

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And the one we ended up using in our announcements:

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We are so crazy sometimes...

Okay, all the time...

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

My funny kid

Taylor was laughing hysterically the other day while I played with him and Sean got some of it on video. He cracks me up with his funny little laugh...

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thanksgiving pics

The Jacobs' family got together for Thanksgiving at my grandparent's ward (because our family is too big to meet anywhere else) and we had lots of fun! It was really nice to see my cousins that live down in Cedar City and everyone was so excited to see Taylor. He was really tired and desperately needed a nap, but he was patient and smiley with everyone. He also had his first baby food - squash! He really loved it and I think he was happy to be eating with all of us, although he kept ogling everyone else's plates piled with REAL food. Sorry little guy - maybe next year!

So here are a few of my favorite pics from that day -

Tay and his favorite auntie (okay, his ONLY auntie):
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Taylor giggling with cousin Lu:
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Taylor and Mommy:
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Our happy family:
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We had so much fun and I'm looking forward to many more Thanksgivings with my little one.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know that Taylor did really well at his 6-month checkup. He's growing and developing really well and the doctor was really surprised that he's already sitting up on his own. He had to get 4 more shots, which just KILLS me, but he did well and went right to sleep as soon as we got home, as opposed to his 4-month shots when he just cried and cried for hours afterward. Poor baby...

Anyhoo, here are his current stats:
- Weight: 17lb 8oz (58th percentile)
- Length: 27.75in (90th percentile)
- Head: 17.5in (73rd percentile)

Is anyone surprised that I have a long skinny dude? I mean just look at his daddy! hehe...

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Monday, November 19, 2007

So thankful...

I'm still in complete disbelief that Taylor will be 6 months old the day after tomorrow. The time has gone by so fast, and yet there's a part of me that feels like he's been with us forever. I find myself watching married couples who don't have kids and wonder what it was like back when it was just Sean and I. Being a parent is such an amazing experience. I've never been more happy, tired, frustrated, emotional, and full of love as I have been the past 6 months. That little boy means so much to Sean and I, and it's a completely different love than you'd have for anyone else, even your spouse. I think the quote really is true that says, "Deciding to be a parent is to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body." My little boy is growing more and more every day, and the more he grows the more I look forward to having more children and watching them all grow.

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Taylor and his kitty:
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"See mom, I TOLD you I could sit up by myself!"
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So since Thanksgiving is this week, I thought I'd make a list of some of the things I'm most thankful for. Here goes...

I'm thankful for...
- My husband - for forgiving me every time I mess up and never saying "I told you so"
- My son - who teaches me so much more than I could ever teach him
- Old friends I get to go through new adventures with (Christine)
- My mom - the most caring, compassionate person I've ever known
- My Aunt Holly and Uncle Buba - they've given us more than we could possibly repay and their prayers have wrought amazing miracles in my life. I truly believe that Heavenly Father has worked through them to bless our lives in so many ways.
- My health - something I'm sure I'll continue to take advantage of as long as I have it.
- My sense of humor - sometimes the only thing that keeps me from completely losing it.
- A warm home, food in my cupboards, and a reliable car to drive
- My knowledge of the gospel and the Book of Mormon - the sure compass I need daily to help keep me focused, faithful, and humble.
- My big, loud, obnoxious extended family - can't live without them, DEFINITELY can't live with them. LOL...
- Provo - The city that grows on me daily.

So there you have it - just a few of the many blessings I'm thankful for. I hope everyone reading this has a great week and a fantastic Thanksgiving. Be safe and count your blessings!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Missing my mommy...

My mom had her gallbladder removed yesterday up at the U of U hospital. My aunt and I took our little ones up to see her and then stayed with her at my grandma's house for a while during her first hours of recovery. She was in a lot of pain and had troubles with some of the medication they gave her. I felt so bad that there wasn't more I could do and she was in pretty bad shape when we left last night. It sounds like she's doing a bit better this morning, but I wish that we lived closer to her so that I could play a more active role in her recovery. My mommy has always been there to take care of me when I'm not feeling well and was especially great while I was recovering from my c-section with Taylor. I love her so much and it kills me to see her so uncomfortable and in so much pain. I hope she starts feeling better soon...

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I love Grandpa's shoes!

For some reason Taylor is absolutely amazed by my dad's shoes. Every time Grandpa holds him he immediately looks down at his shoes. It's so funny what babies do sometimes...

Here's a video of him keeping a close eye on my dad's feet. Sorry it's so dark; our camera isn't the greatest, especially at night.



Funny kid...

Monday, November 12, 2007

Cute hair and a cute outfit

Things have been pretty busy around here lately so I haven't had much time to post. Taylor just keeps growing and I can't believe he's almost 6 months old already. Time sure flies when you're changing diapers and watching cartoons all day. hehe! He's just so much fun and I love him more and more every day.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd post some new pictures for everyone. These aren't really related but I couldn't decide which ones I liked more. :)

This is what Taylor's hair looks like right after I dry it when he gets out of the tub. He's so dang cute!!
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And here's Taylor's new cute puppy outfit from Aunt Holly:
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I love my sweet little boy!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Me and Grandma

I love my mom so much and she's such a fun grandma. She comes out to our house every Wednesday to help me around the house and Taylor just loves her. He cuddles with her and LOVES to chew on her pretty fingernails. I'm really lucky that she cares so much for us and is so good with Tay. My mom is one of the most giving people I know and I'm so thankful for her.

I took this picture last week and it's one of my favorites:
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I love my mommy!!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Better late than never...

Due to crazy sickness circulating through our family resulting in a very sad baby and a very sleep-deprived mommy, it's taken me this long to post pictures from Halloween.

Halloween night was pretty uneventful, but fun. My mom and sister came over and we all hung out and watched movies. We dressed Taylor up for pictures but he was kinda cranky and didn't want to be in his costume for long. Here are my favorite pics from that night -

I'm a friendly dinosaur!
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And I'm also scared of the camera flash!
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Taylor with Grandma:
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Auntie Kristi and Tay:
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Our happy family:
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Sorry some of the eyes look weird in these pictures. I tried to correct the red-eye and they kinda went screwy. So no, I don't have two different colored eyes. :)

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

My punk rocker baby!

I gave Taylor a bath yesterday and as I was drying his hair it went into a little mohawk, so I helped it along a little and took some pictures. My son freakin' rules.

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Monday, October 29, 2007

Hungry hungry hippo

Taylor has been a lot better lately with eating his rice cereal. I think he was just too young to start solids before and most of it ended up on his face and bib instead of in his tummy. Now he eats like a ravenous little monkey and it's HILARIOUS. He'll take a bite, swallow, and immediately opens his mouth and sticks out his little tongue to tell me he wants another bite. He especially likes it now that I add diluted apple juice to it instead of just water.

He typically eats in the afternoon after I've had lunch, so Sean only gets to see him eat on the weekends. He was amazed at how good he's eating now and took this video on Saturday:



I can't wait until he hits 6 months and we can start giving him other baby foods. I'm going to attempt to take a picture of his first bite of each of the different foods we give him and post them on here. That won't be until around Thanksgiving though, which actually isn't too far away. Crazy...

Sunday, October 28, 2007

A day at the farm

Yesterday Sean and I took Taylor to Hee Haw Farms in Pleasant Grove to pick out some pumpkins. I was under the impression that they only had a pumpkin patch and corn maze, but there was actually a lot more. It's a really family-friendly place and there are a lot of activities for kids. There were lots of animals - including goats, pigs, turkeys, chickens, cows, horses, and bunnies - all of which Taylor was absolutely mesmerized by. They also have mini corn and hay mazes for smaller kids, a "spook alley" that Taylor thought was hilarious, games to play, a huge tube slide, and pedal carts. I can't wait to take Taylor there again when he's a little older and can enjoy it more, but we still had lots of fun there.

Here's the entrance - it just screams autumn, doesn't it?

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Here are some of the animals we saw. I loved the baby pigs - they were so cute and SO noisy. One of them was digging a hole under the fence and almost got out!

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Our little piggy (he refused to look up at me):

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So big!

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Tay and Daddy picking out a pumpkin:

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Our little happy family:

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I hope everyone is enjoying this fall season as much as we are!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Me and my bears

When Sean was little he had a Union Pacific teddy bear that he carried around with him everywhere. When we got married he still had it, and we decided to keep it for our first baby. After Taylor was born, my mother-in-law found a brand new bear just like the one Sean had when he was little! I wanted to get a picture of him with both bears and found a pair of overalls that match the ones the bears are wearing.

So here you have it - cuteness overload:

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