Turning One and being a Jax O'Lantern

This is Jax at one year old. He looks so big and so little at the same time.

For Halloween this year, Jaxon was a Jax O'Lantern. He recieved the costume

from his Grandma O, and was the cutest Jax O'Lantern in town!

Happy Birthday Jaxon Chad

Jax in the toddler part of Chucky Cheese
We had a great time crawling around in the kiddie tubes

This was the token Chucky Cheese character

Jax had fun destroying his cake

I purposefully didn't put frosting on...but he still managed to get pretty dirty

Braydon with his Christmas inspired cake

Jax with his favorite birthday toy and with his favorite cousins Tyler, Quincy, Caden, and Branson

We celebrated Jaxon's 1st birthday last Saturday on the 24th and it was definitely a celebration to remember. Jax's cousin Braydon also had a birthday and he decided that he really wanted to go to Chucky Cheese to celebrate. Since the entire family was going to be there anyway, we decided to combine the parties together. Jax couldn't play the games his cousins were playing, but he LOVED the toddler section. Every time we moved him to a different play area he would cry and scream until he became enamored with the next attraction. One thing I was disappointed in though is that they had completely changed the format of Chucky Cheese. When I was a kiddo they had the big stage with the animatronic characters that put on quite the concert. Now, at least at the Chucky Cheese we visited, have completely done away with the stage show. There was a animatronic Chucky (the mouse... not the horror doll) in some dark corner of the place, but he just didn't capture the spirit of Chucky Cheese to me. Some things about the place never change though. For instance, it still takes about 100 tickets to earn something stupid like a piece of taffy. My nephews played hard for hours (and their parents spent loads of money) and all they had to show for it at the end of the day was a sucker or an airhead candy. No wonder that place is still in business.

After totally exhausting ourselves at Chucky Cheese, we went back to my house for birthday cake. Jaxon's favorite thing in the world is a wheel. Whenever he finds a wheel to spin he will literally sit for 20 minutes at a time and watch it spin. So, I made him a birthday cupcake shaped like a wheel. (Actually, a it was a very easy design) :) Braydon's cake required a bit more work. He really likes Christmas (when I say "really likes" I mean it. That boy has been planning a Christmas pageant since last January. He has been doing chores all summer to earn money to buy decorations for his big show) so we decided to make him a cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. The creation of the Christmas tree was a combined effort. I baked the cake, Chad carved it, and our nephew Branson did most of the frosting and decorating. All and all, I think it was a huge success.

We sang to Jax first and he was totally enthralled by the fire on his birthday candle. (Do I have a future pyro on my hands?) Once the singing was done, we took out the candle and scooted the cupcake over to him. At first all he did was look at it. Then, slowly, he gingerly poked it with his little finger. He looked at his finger, then looked towards us. We all cheered our approval. He broke into a smile, and then launched himself at the cupcake. I'm not sure how much of the cake actually ended up in his mouth, but he did succeed in completely smashing it to pieces. He loved the few pieces that did end up in his mouth, and it was apparent that the sugar had a fast effect on him. His little feet were kicking out of control as he sat in his high chair. Chad and I decided that it was a good thing we hadn't given him sugar up to that point before.

Opening presents was also pretty entertaining. Jaxon's favorite toy was a little turquoise ball. He screeched with joy as he played with it (and he has continued to do so throughout the week.) He didn't pay any attention to his other gifts (except for the wrapping paper they came in), but I think he will like them more and more as the weeks go by. All and all, it was a lovely first birthday for our little boy.

Jaxon's first haircut

This was my initial view of the haircut from the shower.
Jax really loves to sit in the sink. Both Chad and Jax had a good time with this new adventure.

Well, we will get this part right next time...

Baby Mullet be gone!

The end product was pretty cute...or maybe Jax is just cute...

A few weeks ago I was in the shower and I heard some snip snipping coming from outside the curtain. When I peeked out, I saw Jax sitting in the sink while Chad expertly trimmed his "baby mullet" as we affectionately called his pre-cut look. Jax did great during the haircut. He mainly focused on putting all three of our toothbrushes in his mouth and scattering the baby fine hair all over the counter. But at least he wasn't too wiggly. The end product was very cute. As his hair dried though, we saw that the hair around his right ear had been cut WAY too high. So he is a little uneven... but hair grows and we think he is too young to have any self-esteem issues about his first cut.

Paint By Numbers...Or Not...

At first Jax needed a little help to get into painting...
Then he didn't need any help at all!

He progressively got dirtier and dirtier as the painting was created.

Our finished product was a beautiful painting and a beautiful painted boy

A close-up of the painting

Last Monday we painted a picture for Family Home Evening. We have been meaning to paint this picture for my parent's new guest bedroom for nearly a year now, but we've never known what to paint. Chad had the brilliant idea to just put some paint on a plate and let Jax go wild... and so we did. It ended up being a very fun and messy night. I like Jaxon's picture so much though that I hate to give it away. I think we are just going to have to do this activity again so I can get a Jaxon original in my house.

Family Photos

Jax with his GG and Pops
I really love this picture of my two boys

I think Jax sort of looks like a cupie doll in this picture

The Daybell kids photo

Our little family... notice Jaxon's small horn in this picture....

We love to take pictures of Jax, but we've begun to realize that we are appearing in fewer and fewer shots. In an attempt to regain our identity without compromising our new found love of taking pictures of our boy, we decided to get family photos! Last time we were in Utah, dad took us to some pretty spots to get our pictures taken. My brother Paul and his wife also joined us in some of the pictures. All and all, I think they turned out really nice. Thanks Pops!!

My Boy, the Puppy...

Ever since Jax has learned to crawl, he has acted more and more like a puppy dog. We hear him growling often, he puts balls in his mouth, and his favorite thing to do is dig through the trash... (We only allow him to handle the paper trash...what kind of mother do you think I am?) We've always wanted a dog, and his impersonation is very cute. I wonder what kind of animal he will be next week?

"Q" is for NesQuick...

"A" is for Avocado
"B" is for Banana

"C" is for Carrot

"Q" is for Nesquick...

Jax and Dad posing at the store

One of our latest projects has been to create an "ABC" book for Jax using pictures of various grocery items. Last week we went to the grocery store to take the pictures. It started out great, "A" is for Avocado, "B" is for Banana, "C" is for Carrot...but we were stumped by the time we got to "Q." Chad had the bright idea that we should take a picture of 'Quick', you know, the chocolate milk mix. But when we got over there, we saw that it is actually called Nesquick. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that product called 'Quick' when we I was a kid? When did it change to 'Nesquick,' and if it has changed, why would they do that to such a beloved American product? We just decided to take a picture of the Nesquick because we couldn't think of another grocery product that started with a "Q." Does anyone out there have any great ideas? I have this fear that Jax is always going to go around writing his "Q's" as "N's."

Harry Potter Party...Say THAT 5 Times Fast

Most of the crew at the Harry Potter Party
Dallin, Kathy and Jacqueline represented the Huffelpuff House. They did well in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Braydon, Tyler, Justin, and Lane were Slytherines for a day. Here they are in Herbology.

Ty with a live worm that he later ate for $5...

Damon, Dirk, Bryant, and Branson were in the Gryffindor House. Branson said he loved the Potions class the best.

Caden, Kara, Janelle, Quincy, and Alec were in the Ravenclaw house. Here they are making fortune cubes in Divination.

Last Saturday Chad and I threw a Harry Potter Party for our niece and nephews. Originally we were going to have it on the week that the new Harry Potter movie opened up, but because of busy schedules we ended up pushing it back a few weeks. Chad and I spent almost a month planning this party, and it actually turned out really cool.

We had our own sorting hat (a costume wizard hat with a baby monitor underneath so it could talk... Chad wrote sorting poems for everyone and read them in a fantastic British accent), that divided everyone up into the four Hogwarts Houses. Then we had four different classes, Divination where everyone made fortune cubes, Herbology where they had to rummage through a tub of live worms before planting a seed, Defense Against the Dark Arts where they read some scriptures, and Potions where they made a cornstarch and water potion that is a solid when you squeeze it in your hand and a liquid when you stop putting friction on it.

We also played a really fun game of Quidditch. It was kind of like soccer except everyone hit the ball with a broom instead of with their foot. We also hid a snitch in the park and the little kids acted as a seeker to find the snitch. The broomsticks I bought for the game were pretty cheap, and almost all of the ended up breaking within fifteen minutes, but the game turned out really fun.

We ended the night by going as family to see the Harry Potter Movie. We had to go to a late night showing because the party ran so long. Someone suggested that we should all wear our pajamas to the movie... and so we did. The movie did not disappoint. I think it is my favorite Harry Potter movie to date! All and all it was a really fun Harry Potter Party.

Sister's Weekend 09

I've been to Vegas more times than I can count, but I've never seen the famous Vegas sign before
All the girls at the Bellagio on our night on the Vegas Strip

Preparing for our limo ride to Donny and Marie. We all had roses on our seats.

Jax, Jhair (Kareen's foster son) and me in the limo

Jax was in a constant state of nakedness... Do any babies wear close in Vegas?

Jax and Jhair on their way to play in the pool

Getting pedicures. We filled up the entire salon

Here we are at the Bingo Hall. We had such a good time there trying to keep up with the Bingo caller. Bingo can be hard work!

So, it has been about a month since we last published anything on the ol' blog. My only excuse is as old as it is lame... we've just been so busy! It seems like every two weeks or so we are either traveling, or someone is coming to visit. All this coming and going has made for a very short, but very fun summer. One of my favorite trips this summer was our first annual Sister's Weekend 09. My six sister-in-laws and mother-in-law all went to Vegas for the weekend. (My marriage to Chad is wonderful so for many reasons, but one of the most unintentional happy reasons is that I inherited 6 awesome sister-in-laws when I married him...for a girl who does not have any sisters, that is a big ol happy addition.)

Our weekend was jam-packed with fun activities. From swimming in the killer Vegas heat (really the only way to be outside in Vegas in July) to playing Bingo with a bunch of senior citizens who kept giving us dirty looks for being disruptive with our laughter. (Maybe the bingo god's were unhappy with our behavior, and that is why nobody one anything...) To riding in a limo to and from the Donny and Marie show (which was surprisingly 'rockin'). To having fun walking the Vegas strip (was that fun or just hot...) To eating a ton of great food at home (thanks to Kareen, the family's best cook) to eating at several fabulous establishments in Vegas (I never knew German food could taste so good! Plus, we got to see two drunk people's rear-ends... wait, that wasn't the positive part of the meal...) All and all it was a fabulous weekend full of laughs, new experiences, and fun memories.

Plus, Jax got a chance to meet his aunt Sheri for the first time and to spend time with his aunt Sue who he met when he was only a few weeks old. I can't wait for Sister's Weekend 10!

Anniversary Get Away

Jax playing on the floor at our Bed and Breakfast
Jax with his Pops on an old railroad car at the Newport Museum

A picture overlooking the dam, right outside of Newport

Every year we try to go on a little vacation for our anniversary. So far we haven't done anything too fancy, but it is fun to just get away. This year Chad was in charge and he opted to invite my parents to come along too. It was a secret get away and we were all surprised that we ended up in a little bed and bath in Newport, Washington. The town is tiny but beautiful. The bed and bath was nice too. We found out that the owner's son and daughter-in-law actually served their missions with Chad. Small world... no really.

Newport is about 1 1/2 hours away from Coeur d'Alene. We had never been up in that area before and it was fun to see some of the scenic sights of North Idaho and Washington. We stopped by several lakes and saw a big dam as well. It could have been boring, but the company was great and I think everyone involved had a fun time.

The best part of the trip happened in Spirit Lake, Idaho. We had just been down to see Spirit Lake and were getting back onto the main road out of town when we heard a siren behind us. Chad pulled over and an officer got out. He asked Chad if he knew why he had been pulled over, Chad honestly could not answer. The officer said, "You blew past me going 26 miles per hour." (Note the verb in that sentence...) Apparently, the road coming up from the lake has a speed limit of 15 miles per hour. (I've never seen a speed limit that low anywhere). Chad got a $75 dollar ticket for going 26 miles per hour... You got to love small towns!

Learning to Sleep

This shot was taken on a night when we got home late. Jax couldn't even make it through his bottle before falling fast asleep.

Jax had fallen asleep in his car seat and fell asleep again against my cheek as I took him up to bed.

Throughout Jaxon's life he has struggled with taking naps. He has been a good nighttime sleeper since about 3 months, but he could never quite get the hang of naps. When he was a newborn I would spend sometimes an hour trying to get him to sleep. When I finally got him down, he would sleep for twenty minutes tops before waking up again. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot done. From age 4 to 6 months, he started going down in his crib after only ten or fifteen minutes of pre-nap prep and would sleep for over thirty minutes. (I thought I was in heaven!) Then last week out of nowhere, he suddenly started to fall asleep on his own. I now can lay him in his crib when he is completely awake and he falls asleep on his own. No tears, no fuss, and he sleeps over an hour!!! I have no idea what has happened to my son, but I'll take it!