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

New Tricks

Jamison has now started getting into everything! Even though he can't crawl yet, he is very crafty. I put him on the kitchen floor one day and found that he has figured out how to get into the drawers! So lately my time has been spent rearranging our kitchen.

He also likes to pull his arm out of his shirt so I have to keep dressing him!















We got Roxy and Ozzie fixed yesterday (I know they look hilarious with the cones on their heads, but it really is pretty sad.) Jamison loves to try and pull and pound on the cones, let's just say the dogs don't feel the same way!

Now for one of Dad's tricks. Mike was suppose to be watching Jamison, but when I walked in, this is what I found!

Thanksgiving

This was our first year hosting our own Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Mom and Dad D came down from Oregon and we had tons of fun. Mike cooked most of the food which was amazing. When the turkey first came out of the deep fryer I was a little concerned because it was black. Turns out it was just the dry rub and marinade that he had put on it, I promise it was NOT burned. We are still enjoying the leftovers. We went to a couple of stores on Friday, but didn't purchase much. Mike went golfing with his dad that afternoon while mom and I lounged around the house. Jamison had his first experience opening a Christmas present and he LOVED it. Mom and dad brought down a present for him from the Coffman's, our dear family friends! It was so much fun to watch him rip open the paper with his mouth and try to eat the wrapping. I'm sure he will be happier with the wrapping paper than the toys he is getting for Christmas! We miss you all and wish that we could have shared this great holiday together, but we hear that everyone had a fun time as well.


















Jamison's gift from the Coffman's-Reindeer hat and slippers!