Bright Sunshiny Day

We have had such beautiful weather here in Sacramento! It has been in the low 70's for a few days now. This weekend we cleaned up our backyard and patio so that Jamison could go out to play. He absolutely loves being outside! He cries and throws a fit when it is time to go back in the house. While outside, he discovered our small water fountain. Being the fish that he is, we couldn't keep him out of it so I thought I would just capture a few pictures instead. Enjoy!!

Mom & Dad D Come For a Visit

Mom and Dad D were able to come visit us last weekend. We had such a good time with them, but as always the trip was much too short. We went to lunch at Mr. Pickles, a wonderful sandwich shop here. Afterwards, we attended a Baby Expo which was lots of fun. Jamison got lots of fun freebies! That evening we went out to eat at Olive Garden. Jamison sat on a booster chair and tried everything from our plates. On Sunday, Mike and I had the opportunity to speak in sacrament. I was worried that Jamison would scream the whole time I was on the stand, but he only fussed for a minute. Thanks to Mom and Dad for all of their help and for taking time to visit with us!

Challenges

I've recently been thinking of my challenges as a mother, which aren't many, and thought I would share in hopes of getting some words of encouragement.

Challenge #1- Dressing and diapering a 9-month old.

For the past couple of weeks Jamison has been throwing major fits everytime we go to change his diaper and get him dressed. Yesterday the task ended up taking me 10 minutes before I finally took him into the living room to watch the dogs outside while I finished. Last night Mike got him ready for bed and had the same problem. He brought him to me and said "You better check his diaper for stability because I had to put it on while he was standing up." I couldn't help but laugh that this little boy has such an attitude!

Challenge #2- Keeping a clean house.

Ever since Jamison started crawling I feel like my house has been hit by a tornado. I'm home all day and yet it seems impossible to keep things clean. I'm not just talking about the toys all over the floor, I'm talking everything! My office which used to be organized is now sky high with papers and junk. My bed has not been made since Jamison was born. The living room seems to always be dusty. And the laundry is a never-ending job.

Challenge #3- Dinner on the table.

I feel that as a stay-at-home mom I should have dinner on the table when Mike gets home from work, yet it rarely happens. It seems the second I start to think about dinner, Jamison starts to get fussy and needs to be held. It doesn't seem fair that after being at work all day, Mike has to come home and fix his own dinner.

Challenge #4- Letting Jamison cry.

It is so hard for me to listen to Jamison cry. Whenever he bangs his head or gets frustrated I come running. Mike continually tells me that I'm spoiling him and that he needs to cry some things out. I agree with that, it's just heart-breaking to me. I have yet to let Jamison cry himself to sleep at night. Now that he is so old I'm afraid it's going to be a lot harder than expected!

I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining becuase I'm not. I am very grateful for my challenges and I know that they will strengthen me as a mother and wife. I know I'm not SuperMom and probably never will be, but a girl can dream right? At the end of the day, if the dishes aren't clean and the house is a mess I'm okay with that because I get to spend quality time with my son which is far more important than a spotless home.

Did I mention the bathroom?

Monterey Trip

We recently spent a few days in Montery Bay for Mike's district meeting. We had such a great time! It was so nice to take a break and get away for a change. I did have to leave Jamison in the provided child care a couple of times which he hated. He cried the entire time. Lately he doesn't want ANYONE but Mom. We went on the famous 17-Mile Drive down the coast which was beautiful! We also went to the Montery Bay Aquarium. Jamison absolutely loved the massive fish tanks!!

Here we are after the company luau.

17-Mile DriveThe Lone Cypress- 17-Mile Drive

Cannery Row

Jamison wants to be a fish too!

There He Goes!

Jamison started crawling a week before Christmas and has been going non-stop since then. We had to find a new home for the dog's food and water because he kept getting into it. I've also moved everything off of my end tables and coffee table, for fear of them breaking with one swipe. With the toys constantly strewn all over the floor, my house is officially chaotic! Still, it is so much fun to watch Jamison grow and develop, this is such an exciting stage in his life! I am so grateful that I am able to be home with him each and every day to witness it.

Holiday Fun

We had such a great holiday season this year! Jamison's Grandma V and Aunt Danica came out to visit just before Christmas. It was tons of fun to just hang out. We spent one day at Denio's- the local Swap Meet.
It was pretty cold out (I know, I've turned into a Californian) so we bundled Jamison up before we headed out.



One of our traditions is that we get to open one present on Christmas Eve. This year, we opened it two days before Christmas because we had a full house the night before Christmas. Jamison was really excited to open his gift which was his own little manger set.


Another tradition that we have is that we fix a nice Christmas Eve dinner and have friends and family over to enjoy it with us. This year we invited Elder Rich and Elder Schenk, the missionaries from our ward, Barb and her grandchildren Ronnie & Bryce, and Mom, Dad, and Adam.



Jamison was such a good sport on Christmas day. He had tons of fun opening the first gift, then just wanted to play with the boxes and paper. Here he is totally wiped out, ready for a nap.



We took Mom, Dad, Seth, and Adam to the Railroad Museum. It is such a neat place to visit. Here is a picture of Jamison on the mail car!

Our Christmas Memories