Jack Love and New Things

First of all, I just have to show these pictures!

         I was looking through old pics of Jack and found this old pic. He's so tiny!!                          

Then compared it to this pic from a few days ago w/ Jack in his jammies, not ready to go "night night", and looking soo much like his daddy (and also needs a haircut...badly)! So crazy how fast life goes when you have a kid. Ugh, too fast.

So Jack and I had a bad week a few weeks ago.

He got really sick with a high fever out of nowhere, which I hated =-(. (It brings me back to when I was 12 and had to call 911 when my 2 year old brother, Nathan, had a feveral seizure. I just can't have that happen again.)

I was able to get the temp down after many cuddle sessions (The only positive when a child is sick, any mom would agree: the cuddling), tylenol, and a few luke warm baths. His main words that we communicate right now with are "Baba"-Sippy Cup, "Bebe"-Binky, "No", "Oh No" when he drops something, and "All Done". So we were able to communicate that way, which was hilarious when we had to take his temp with the little butt thermometer...I would stick it in real quick and he immediately said "All done, all done, all done, all done, all done" Over and over until we really were all done. Poor boy!

But then he turned into a super monster baby after his fever went down. He was still in pain somewhere but couldn't tell us where! He can't have been teething, because I swear he has more than enough teeth in there! Something was definitely wrong though, which is the worst feeling ever as a mommy - not being able to do anything =-(. We ended up taking him in to the doc and finding out he had an infection in his mouth and throat. So after 10 days of antibiotics he was FINALLY back to his sweet self, but during that 10 days...that was rough. Just a crabby 10 days for all of us.

So the point of the story is how amazingly in love I am with my little guy! I don't know if it's because we had a bad week which made me sad, and I feel bad about it now that he's back to normal (which is true), but he's just been a super amazing, laid back, sweet and funny little boy! I'm just seriously enjoying every minute, and I can speak for DJ too when I say that!



New thing: We're trying to venture out of Yo Gabba Gabba Land, and those with kids who watch it will understand why =-P. So we recorded some Pixar movies "Tangled" and "Toy Story 3" and he loves them!! Finally, something I don't mind listening to while I'm running around doing my cleaning! I just get Jack some snacks (He has a new word "cackoh" for cracker!), and fix him in his favorite chair ($3 chair Jack found at the grocery store...I knew we had to buy it when he sat in it and didn't want to leave! But he didn't understand that us carrying it the checkout meant that we were taking it home, so he was upset until we got home!), SO I put him in the chair with his "cackohs" so I could quick get some things done without worrying about him ransacking the house! I love hearing him laugh at certain parts, so it doesn't help me with my housework -- it just makes me want to come watch him watch the movie, and laugh with him! Can't get over it.





 
On another note: I got new things, yay!

I got my hair done! I needed a change sooo bad. Got my side bangs back (from high school) and did a little highlighting to my bottoms! Ps sorry for the toilet paper in the background...we gotta keep that stuff up high unless we want Jack to t.p. our whole house. Still getting used to it, but my hair was so blahh, it needed some umph.

Aaand I got a few new vases (the ones on top of the cabinet). This bathroom is super boring, I know. Our whole house is still painted with the original paint from when we moved in last year, and I'm sick of it. I feel like I'm stuck in a horrifying beige box sometimes...give me color! But no one tells you how stressful it is to figure out what color you want to paint in certain rooms, bah! But here's my start for our bathroom...adding a few decorations. The green bottle on the window sill is actually just a wine bottle that I painted and filled with dollar store sticks! Super easy, cheap, and cute.

~~K that's all for now!!

Things coming up: Wendover Trip with my Grandma Toni, DJ meeting deadlines and passing classes for his degree to graduate in January (yayyy!), and DJ and I's little getaway to Zions for some hiking! 

Bikram Yoga

I won some money a couple months ago from a radio station (woot woot!) and decided to invest it in something I love: Me! I wanted to try a new fitness class that I have never tried. My choices were: A monthly pass to our city's rec center (they have some fun classes!), a month of Pilates Barre classes, or Bikram Yoga...From the post title you can probably guess which one I chose. =-P So I just wanted to post my review of my free 1 month pass I got at this cute Bikram Yoga studio near my house.

Those who aren't familiar with what Bikram Yoga is: It's a series of yoga postures that seem easy when you look at the pictures, but instead of a nice dark yoga studio, you are flowing through these postures in a brighter, mirrored room that is knocked up to 112 degrees, and bonus: It is a 90 minute class! The heat is meant to kick up your heart rate, increasing your cardio workout and to help your body ease into the stretches, back bends, and forward bends of each posture. Super intense!

First I would like to say how excited I was to try this form of Yoga! I have only been super into Yoga for the last 3 years, but still like to call myself a Yogi since I've come so far since that first yoga class I had at Golds Gym. I heard this was tough from a lot people, so it motivated me even more to try it!

First Class: I was pumped and so ready to take this class on! Got to the studio which is very comfortable and yoga-ish (Laid back, hippy-ish even...everyone is smiling and hardly wearing any clothes.) I was wearing my capri workout pants and a tanktop (What was I thinking??). I walked into the studio and realized everyone was 1/2 naked. The old guy in the front was wearing only a speedo...why are those guys always the best in every yoga class I've been to?? Within the first 5 minutes I took off my shirt (calm down, I was wearing a sports bra). I was sweating out of every pore! Literally as wet as I am when I get out of the shower. But I loved it! Even though I was scolded for stopping when I wasn't supposed to yet to drink some water =-S. It was an incredible challenge, with all the stretching and balancing--I felt amazing after! (After I got out of my soaking wet clothes to soak them in the washing machine with loads of baking soda, febreezed the *ish* out of my car, and drank 5 gallons of water.)

Second Class: Still loving it! Decided to buy some yoga shorts to wear with my sports bra! Side Note: I've never been comfortable wearing this close to nothing in public, but everyone has such different body types (Plus there is only ever one super good looking girl there, so I just take the spot furthest away from her so I don't cry as I'm trying to keep up with her with my sucked in belly.)

Third Class: Meh. "Maybe I'm just having a bad day" I told my husband after. Kind of a lot tougher than I was expecting after my first 2 classes went so well.

Fourth Class: Ummm, kill me. I was late, so I had to take the only spot left: right next to the huge open window that was pouring sun all over my spot =-(. I thought: Oh it'll be fine...it'll be like free tanning for 90 minutes along with a great workout! No. I could see the clock from this spot (Never a good thing for me to be gazing at) and was "done" after the first hour. Looked at the clock and saw that were "only" 30 min left-yay! Then it all hit me. The sun's heat along with being in a 112 degree room was beating me down. Reached for my water bottle...which was empty! This was the closest I have ever been to experiencing a panic attack. I stopped doing the postures with everyone and lay down on my back. Breathing in and out slowly trying to catch myself from running out of the room.. I could NOT let this beat me, I had to prove to myself that I could get through this! The last 30 minutes felt like another full 90 minutes to me. I made it though, I did!

Embarrassing Moment to add the top of my Embarrassing List: I was so excited to get out of the class room and breathe cold air, that I didn't even bother puting my shirt back on. Just ran to my car, set my water bottle on top of my car so I could put my yoga mat, beach towel and shirt that were in a messy pile in my arms, into a messy pile in my car. Got in my car and started to pull out onto the busy street (2 cars waiting behind me) when I see my water bottle roll down my windshield and almost into the road I was trying to turn on (the busy one). After I dismissed the thought of just leaving it there, I quickly got out of the car (still 1/2 naked mind you) only to realize there were 2 cars waiting for me, and tons of people on the busy road probably wondering what the 1/2 naked girl was doing on the boarder line of the road...=-/ Super embarrassing!

I will probably go one more time next week before my monthly pass is up, so I will update if that class goes any better, which I really hope it does! I'm all for 2nd chances, so I really want to end this monthly pass of Bikram on a good note!

Tips if you're thinking about Bikram:
 - Stay super hydrated the day you're going, and don't forget your water bottle for class
 - Show up 15 min early every time to avoid getting the crappiest spot in the studio
 - Maybe don't bring a friend with you. I found out that most people in class consider this their meditation, and along with the teacher, everyone is really serious about it. I was glad after seeing this that I didn't bring my husband or best friend Amy...we would have busted out laughing and probably offended everyone!

Bottom line: It was a fantastic challenge: exactly what I needed to kick my butt, and get past my plateau! And I love the place I went, so this is nothing against them or anyone who loves Bikram, because I did love it. BUT, I now understand that is not for everyone. They tell you to be really patient with yourself, which I am actually really good at, but I think I will stick with my reagular Power/Vinyasa Yoga please. I guess I just personally can not take the heat!

"If you can't take the heat, get out the Kitchen...or Bikram Studio", right?

New Update!

Well, I've done another makeover of the family blog, and hope to post more like I've promised in the past, but we will see!

Since my last post, we have gone on a few fun trips:

March: We went to Vegas for DJ's B-day. It was fun...from what I can remember, and not for the reason you're thinking! I strained my whole left lat of my back muscle a few weeks prior to our little trip, and due to me not being able to NOT exercise and NOT walk around all day at work and NOT do daily chores, it had only gotten worse when we woke up from our first night in Vegas. (Apparently there is such a thing as a bed that is TOO soft!) So I had to take a muscle relaxer, and having never taken one before really, I took two thinking it would just relax my muscles to be able to walk around--I thought WRONG. We took a drive down the strip and I was sloshed and ready for a 4 hour nap by the time we got to the other end of Vegas Blvd. Poor DJ had to miss out on going to the Pawn Stars pawn shop! After that 4 hour nap I was great though! So glad we stayed in a hotel with in home food and entertainment. I allowed myself to go on rides (I know, probably not great for my back). Got to do a little gambling--and no I am not cool like the people on movies who win enormous amounts of money by putting in a quarter to the machine =-(.

Our view from the Stratosphere Suite...Not really, just the view from the top balcony which was the only place we could go without me crying in pain!

Just us two =-)

 

Gotta stop at the sign!

 Trying to have some fun with my sad, sad back!

April: Jack and I went to Seattle with my Mom, Dad, and 4 younger siblings to visit my Aunt Patty and Uncle Jimmy and their 2 kids for Easter. DJ had to miss out since he had to work, and it was too bad--my Aunt Patty and Uncle Jimmy are GREAT hosts! My Grandma and Grandpa from Cali got to come visit too, so it was really fun being around so much family for Easter!

Jack and his bunny ears...he loved them! (Look at those baby blues!)

Cousin Maddy and Jack on The Duck (Bus/Boat...super fun!)

My little sis and I on The Duck, freaking out.

The real Space Needle! 

Jack, bustin up with his fake laugh.

LOVE this little guy!

May was pretty relaxed...we decided to get some yard work done. By "we" I mean DJ for the most part. I like to do yard work...for about 30 minutes at a time. (Before and After pictures will be posted hopefully before Fall!)

I will get to our June and July adventures in my next post, so you aren't overwhelmed with information...assuming you're not already =-).

The Posts of All Posts

Wow...

If blogs could have dust, you would not be able to see your computer screen when coming to our blog! Well, I've come to do my yearly dusting of the blog (Hopefully I won't wait a year to put up another post.). I decided to re-do a bit of it (including the name-it just seems to match the content better) Jack was only 7 months old the last time I posted? I definitely need to do some updating...Like the title says: This will be the post of all posts, I promise you. So I will break it into months for those who want to be updated, and you can just read a month at a time. Don't feel overwhelmed!

Looks like we left off in July.
It's going to be hard to remember what went on between now and then, but July stands out pretty well when I think about it! We bought our first house in July...it was such a frustrating process, but once we found "the one" it just all seemed to work out. We moved the weekend of the 4th (Thanks to DJ's strong friends who helped with the move, and to my dad for getting us a crazy deal on an awesome new fridge!) And although I was hoping to use Jack as an excuse to get out of it, I did help move a lot of boxes, along with the washer, dryer, and other heavy things. (Ok, DJ may have helped a bit too) It's been FABULOUS living here. going from 800 sq feet to 1200 has been amazing (Not to mention our detached 2 car garage, and 1100 sq ft attic--storage space, woot woot!) and I have had a lot of fun decorating. We still have some painting to do, but overall it is a cozy space and the perfect size for us. Our dogs are loving the fenced back yard. Probably not as much as we love it though-it get's really old having to take your dogs out on leashes every day and night at an apartment. So there you go...house=amazing!

August-Sept
I decided to start my own business: Mamas in Motion (Pre and Post Natal Fitness). I am so passionate about fitness and nutrition and being a personal trainer, and after being pregnant, and having our sweet little boy, I realized how passionate I had another passion. I want to help pregnant women (and their babies!) have a healthy and safe pregnancy, and when that baby is born I want to give them a fitness program that gets them back in to shape and allows them to bring their babies with them! I'm still training at the Next Level Personal Training gym in SLC and I am loving it. The owners are so great, and are very supportive of Mamas in Motion! It's small now (I'm teaching some prenatal women.), but I just sold almost 50 deals on livingsocial.com for 30 days of classes. I have BIG dreams for it. (www.mamasinmotion.net) What else happened? Jack started growing!

October-November
Jack got his first hair cut! We took him to Cookie Cutters and got him the $12 haircut. I thought it was going to be a one time occasion, figuring I could just cut his hair next time. How hard could it be, right? Apparently I was not born with the gene. I knew I didn't have it, honestly. But, I'm the girl who keeps cooking and trying new recipes even though I constantly ruin recipes by using tablespoons instead of teaspoons. The girl who, 2 times out of 3, slices a finger or burns a body part while trying to pretend to be a great cook. BUT, I keep doing it. I keep cooking. Nothing will stop me. Just like nothing stopped me from deciding it would be a good idea to cut Jack's hair. I used a buzz on the bottom (too short) and tried cutting the top. Jack hated it, so he wouldn't stop yelling and moving his head, so it got to the point where I just grabbed a piece and chopped. Honestly, it didn't turn out as bad as it sounds (I fixed it through out a week, one piece at a time), but poor Jack was traumatized. So, I decided it's totally worth the $12 to have someone ELSE traumatize him.


Jack also had his first Halloween. Super fun. We dressed him as a dragon--love! He loved the pumpkins. Mostly DJ's pumpkin:
He cried every time we took it away, poor guy cried when we had to throw it away!


November
Jack turned 1 year old! I can NOT believe a year has gone by. We wanted to have a party at our house, so we invited Jack's grandparents/great grandparents (There are 13, and 12 came...yeah.) along with DJ and I's siblings (DJ's sister and my 4 sibs). I had so much fun with it. We had a pasta bar with garlic bread for lunch, and DJ and I made-from scratch I must add-raspberry cheesecake cupcakes. Sure they fell apart a little, but they were delish, I must say!I'm actually pretty health conscious (despite the raspberry cheesecake cupcakes) and I really monitor what Jack eats. I make all of his food. (His favorites are homemade: sweet potatoes, carrots/potatoes, cinnamon/apple/raisin/oatmeal, peaches/apricots, blueberry applesauce) So, when we put the cake in front of him he really didn't know what to do. We put his hand on it- he loved the squishy feeling, but still wasn't sure. Then we put his hand to his mouth and it was like a switch went off. What is this stuff?? He got chocolate cake everywhere, and was very entertaining for us =-).

December

Jack's 2nd Christmas was so much fun! He still doesn't understand it, but we were able to see his reactions to new toys, and help him open presents. Maybe we had more fun than he did, but he got a lot of fun toys from all his grandparents! He is so lucky to have so many people who love him!
Well, I am going to get into New Years stuff in another post. I'll let you breathe, I guess. But I do want to add a few things: DJ is still at his same job and really working so hard! He will have his bachelors degree by July (We're hoping at least!) and has been working so hard at that also. Jack is walking! He has his little wobbly walk that I just love (I will put up some videos of when he first started--it happened over night I swear!) He says "Hi" but still laughs at us when we want him to say anything on command. Jeez. But really, we lucked out. He is such a laid back little boy who is always happy and bubbly and never fails to make us smile. We love our little family and our fun life together - we are very very lucky to have everything we do and to have each other!