Summer Fun

Okay, I know it's been TOO long without a blog. We have been traveling and playing for a whole month and haven't had time to blog! Our vacation started out with a camping trip with my family to Capitol Reef National Park in Central/Eastern Utah. My family used to go there when I was younger with all of our extended fam, but this time my parents rented the whole camp site for just our fam since we now have a whopping 17 people in our family. (Garrett is on his mission so he was unfortunately not able to join us, so we had 16 total including kids.) My mom even made Jones Family Reunion t-shirts. :) If you can't tell what they say, they said All for jONEs for All. (You know, like all for ONE, ONE for all...clever eh? Hahaha.) And they have cute stick figures on the back representing everyone in the fam. It was a really fun weekend full of hikes, yummy food, lots of laughs, and even a really cool "devotional" with all the adults one of the nights. I love my family so much and am happy we all live close enough to be able to do things like this! My parents are in the process of buying a house in St. George, which will be awesome for us since it's only 1.5 hours from us! Sadly, Jared and Leesha (brother and sis-in-law) are moving from Las Vegas to Heber! I am super happy for them and the opportunities it will provide for their family but sad for us. :( It has been fun having them close and being able to hang out/switch babysitting/share food/etc. etc. with them. We will miss them a lot. And I know Luke will miss his cousins. I have LOTS of camping pics that will be posted next post :)

After camping we went to Heber for about 5 days and pretty much just relaxed. We visited lots of family and watched movies. Nothing TOO exciting but a trip to Heber is always fun. After a couple days in Heber, we started making our way to Moses Lake, WA to visit Drew's brother's family. We stopped in Twin Falls, ID on the way to visit one of my best friends, Jenna, and her cute fam. It was so fun catching up and playing games. Her new baby is the cutest girl ever. Love her. And Jace always has something entertaining to say or do. Cutie pants.

We got to WA late Monday night and talked about all of the activities we had planned for the week. We went to a water park with the kiddos, had the annual hot dog roast and s'mores at Gpa and Gma's, went to an amusement park on Kelsea's birthday without the kiddos, went to baby Zak's blessing, watched fireworks and had a BBQ on the 4th, and lots of other little activities in the middle of all the big ones. I have been wanting to record a c.d. of all my dad's favorite songs for him for father's day. Kelsea is an AMAZING singer so I decided I should include her so some of the songs would actually sound good. :) Brandon and Kels have a pretty awesome home-made recording studio in their spare room and Kels and I spent lots of time in there recording our stuff. I have only heard a couple of the songs we did so far but Brandon has made us sound pretty good! I can't wait for the finished project. Moses Lake needs to be a summer tradition for sure. Drew spent most his summers there growing up and we have been there 3 times since we've been married. We both love it and love the company when we go there as well.

On our way home from Moses we stayed in Boise one night just to break up the 13 hour trip. Then the next day we met my dad in SLC to see a movie and my mom took Luke home to get some much needed sleep. We didn't stay long in Heber on the way home, just 2 nights then we were on our way back to Vegas.

It was such a fun vacation and I am so happy Drew has summers off so we can do this kind of thing! I don't know if we will be able to drive the whole way next time because although Luke was pretty much an angel, I don't think it will be as easy if we had 2 kids or I was pregnant. We'll see.

I know this post is SUPER long but I needed to do a little Luke update since I don't write monthly letters anymore! I feel like ever since he turned 1 he is now officially a big boy. He is jabbering so much and though they aren't really words, I can tell he is close to having a bigger vocabulary. He weighed 25 lbs at his 1 year check-up! He is a solid kid. Haha. Along with talking more he has been eating like a champ. He eats anything and everything. And I mean that. There really isn't one thing he doesn't like. (So far...I hope he stays a good eater!) And on June 28th he started walking! I only remember the date because I took video on my phone. He walks all over now and has a few big "spills" with bruises and bumps to show for it. He is changing every day and I really love this stage although he is becoming more independent and throws tantrums. Whenever you do something he doesn't like or say "no" he "runs" as fast as he can head first into a couch. (or something he knows is soft because if he runs, he falls..haha) It's really cute...and dramatic. He literally buries his head in it and just cries. Hilarious. We love him so much and think he is just the cutest thing to ever walk the earth.

We are adjusting to being home with lots of house projects, but we will be going back to Heber at the end of the month for a wedding and to help my brother move. Also for one last quick get-away before Drew goes back to work. I will be substitute teaching in the fall as well so we have to live it up the rest of the summer! As if we haven't already.... ;)

Life Lately

It's been a while since I've blogged. I have been slacking because we have been super busy this past month! Luke turned ONE and we had a pirate-themed party for him. It was really fun and we maybe went a little overboard on the decor and food. But everyone really enjoyed it and Luke got soo spoiled. He loved his smash cake and we let him eat the whole thing almost. (I think he got more on his face and in his diaper than in his mouth...so it's okay.) Here are some pics of his party/decor.

After Luke's birthday and birthday party, Luke and I went to Heber for a week to watch my little brother Gavin graduate. He is the last of the Jones kids and now my parents will be empty nesters! How crazy, and awesome for them. They are in the process of buying a home in St. George. It will probably just serve as a condo/second home for a while and eventually they will most likely reside there most the year and go to Heber in the summer time. It will be nice to have them closer, but I hope they always have a home in Heber so we can visit! I love it and miss it every day. Drew finished up his first year as a teacher and we are so proud of him! It is really weird having him home all day but Luke and I are loving it. He was pretty bored and it was a big adjustment the first couple days but he is having more fun now that we swim, watch movies, play games, go to the park, go shopping, etc. I am afraid he will not want to go back in the fall! But knowing him, he will probably be more than ready to start working again. Until then, we have PLENTY of fun activities planned for the summer! We leave tomorrow to go camping for a couple days with my fam at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, then we will spend about a week in Heber before driving to Moses Lake, WA to visit Drew's brother and his wife. They will be blessing their baby (Zak Drew Burton) and we get to be there. We are excited to see them! They haven't seen Luke since last August so it will be fun to catch up. We will be back home for Drew's birthday July 12th and then will spend another week or so in Heber at the end of July, with a possible quick trip to Yellowstone somewhere in there. BUSY busy. That's what we will be. But we are excited to be together and visit family! I hope to update my blog but will probably not be the best at it through the summer, we'll see. :) Enjoy all these pics for now!

All ready for church! LOOK how handsome!

Drew ready for graduation! He was an usher...and had to wear a tux. Pretty spiffy!

Here is proof that Luke LOVES having his daddy home ALL day long!

He had possibly his biggest/saddest fall yet at church last week. He was just walking along the metal chairs and fell between two of them, banging his eye. It looks better here but was huge and blue and sad!

And I have a super cute video I was trying to upload but it wasn't working :( Maybe next time...

Month 12

Dear Luke-

I just looked at Daddy and told him I don't want to start writing, because as soon as I do, I know I'm going to lose it. Baby boy. I just put you to bed for the last time before you turn the big 1 tomorrow! A year ago right now, I was getting my epidural, full of excitement and crazy nerves and so ready to meet you. Now, after what seems like the blink of an eye, a whole year has gone by, and you are such a big boy. You are my best friend, and I am your number one fan. During your bath tonight I couldn't help but think about the first time we gave you a bath, and how much you have loved baths your whole life. I watched you splash and giggle and thought about the first time you smiled, and laughed. Now you are big enough to understand fake smiling and fake laughing to "be cute." But of course, it is cute. You make me smile everyday. I can't imagine not having you. My love for you has grown so much in the past year, and I know it will only continue to grow. The first time I held you one year ago, I knew my life would never be the same. And I was right. We've had some hard times, but they have been the best times. And I wouldn't trade them for the world! When I think about how fast this year has gone, I know this next year will go just as fast. And soon enough I will be reflecting on how little you are NOW. So I am still going to cherish every moment. Every smile, fake or not. I will especially cherish the times where you crawl/walk over to me just to climb up on my lap for a second and give me "loves". That's when I remember, you are still my baby and always will be. Just slow down, please!! Because this last month you have changed SO MUCH!


Firsts/Things you did:
-You now have 5 top teeth, and 2 bottom.
-You point at everything and make your baby noises like I understand what you're saying.
-You stand up by yourself, but whenever you think about taking a step, you sit down.
-You LOVE playing hide-n-seek. Daddy or I will run to a room upstairs and you will crawl as fast as you can to find us, then once you do we run to another room, and it goes on and on. You would play for hours.
-You still love Mickey Mouse and Baby Einstein but you have a new love for Blues Clues and Backyardigans. Anything that sings really.
-Your favorite show is Ellen, and you come crawling as fast as you can whenever you hear her show starting, then you sit and clap and laugh for atleast 10 minutes before getting bored. You even know part of her theme song! I will sing, "Let's have a little fun today," then you sing "YaYa." It's seriously the most adorable thing in the world, and I need to send Ellen a tape of you doing it.
-You eat almost everything we eat now and love your sippy cup with juice.
-Your favorite song is "Popcorn popping" and you say "Pop Pop Pop" alll day long waiting for me to sing it.
-You have been sitting forward in your carseat for a little bit now and you prefer it soo much over backwards. You are 25 pounds so I figure it's okay. (BIG boy.)
-You have been around your cousins, and some other baby friends more lately and are learning how to play. It's so cute to watch you get excited around "baby's" (I call them all baby's because you know what it means. Some of them aren't baby's..)
-You pretend to talk on the phone and say "Dada?" whenever I'm on the phone. You always wonder where he is!
-You know how to shake your head "no", and I think you know what it means. But sometimes you just do it to be funny.

There are so many things you learn and do everyday, I am sure I am missing some. But all I can think about right now is the big boy you are and the many many milestones you have reached since I first held you on May 26, 2010. Words cannot describe my love for you my little man. And I hope you know how much you are loved. Your daddy and I still come check on you every night before going to sleep and watch your cute little self all bundled up snoring, and it's my favorite time of day. We just stare at you and think "How did we get so lucky?". Daddy said last night that you are "the most adorable freaking thing in the whole freaking world." I think that sums it up pretty good. I love you so much Luke! And though I won't be writing monthly anymore, know that my love for you grows with every passing moment and you will always be my baby boy. PLEASE slow down honey. Because if every birthday is as hard as this one for me, I might die at a young age! Love you with all my heart. To the moon and back a thousand times!

Love,
Mom

Here are some of Luke's 1 year old pics/Family pics. There are TONS and I didn't even upload all. But I couldn't decide so enjoy the pic overload! We won a photo shoot from Amy Henderson (any Vegas friends who want a good/fun photographer, let me know!), shout out to Amy! Thanks!!:
LOVES bubbles

We love these two in the b-day hat!

We had a brilliant idea to get him in his swimsuit and let him play at the "splash pad" (It's just a big padded area that has "sprinklers" at the parks here in Vegas...well, he didn't like it so much :) The water was cold and surprised him I think. They are still cute though :)

Those stupid fly-aways! I need to edit them out :)

Influential people

This week I have had a couple different opportunities to think about different people who inspire me. Of course, all the mother figures in my life were on my mind all week. I am blessed to have grandmas, in-laws, and my own mother who have taught me millions of things (by example) when it comes to being a mom. Aside from them, my sisters-in-law and friends who are mothers and help me every day by giving advice or support when I have a hard day. One of my friends (thank you Lola!) posted an awesome quote on her facebook yesterday, Mother's Day. It said, "A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." I just love it! Isn't it so true? A mother would do anything for her children, and sometimes, for people outside of her own family. Motherhood is a selfless act, and takes a lot of strength sometimes to say, "Wow, I would really like a (blank) but my child really needs (blank) more." I can truly say that I enjoy being a mother above anything else I've ever "been" or ever will "be". It's THE BEST job in the world and it's hard work, but you see results of your hard work every day as your baby learns something new. I can't wait to watch my children grow and I can only hope to be as amazing as my own mother. She is my best friend and I can always count on her. She has the best advice because she knows ME and my desires so well. Love you mommy!




This week, I was also able to reflect on another influential person whom I didn't know too well, but I knew enough for her to have a lasting impact on my life. We don't get to see Drew's step-brother Cameron and his girlfriend Celina often enough. (We need to change that.) But everytime we had the opportunity to see them, Celina's little sister Valerie was with them. She was much a part of the Gatter(Burton) family as the rest of us. Valeria passed away a few days ago after battling cancer. Everytime I saw her she was such a positive person and she was so beautiful. I will truly miss her pretty smile, contagious laugh, and sweet spirit and personality at our family gatherings. And I know everyone else will too. I know we will see her again one day, and I am thankful for that knowledge. We all love you Val!



It is amazing to me the influence someone can be on your life whether you have known them literally your whole life, for a few years, or only for a few moments. It has inspired me to try my hardest to always be the kind of person that has influenced me. Someone I would want my children to be. Hopefully it's a goal I can accomplish sooner than later. :)

23rd Birthday, 3rd Anniversary

We have so much to celebrate during the months of April and May! My birthday, April 25th. Our anniversary, May 2nd. Mother's Day, (May 8th this year). Luke's birthday, May 26th. Poor Drew last night said that he doesn't like having 3 weeks in a row of "presents or cards" to buy me. I told him he doesn't need to worry about it! One thing will do. :) He surprised me with a trip to San Diego which I posted about last week, and also a gift card to H&M! Easter fell the day before my birthday (it was late this year! It's never been that close to my b-day before.) So we celebratedall weekend with my fam. On my actual birthday, my brother and sis-in-law Leesha offered to watch Luke. We went to dinner, shopped, got shaved ice, and Drew even took me to get a manicure. I have never had just a plain old manicure before. It was nice! He got one too :) Here are some pics from my b-day. I don't know why but 23 sounds so much older than 22!
23!

At the end of our date with our shaved ice. My fave!

He loves it...

Drew and I on our date, modeling my new hate from H&M :)

I have been playing piano since 1st grade, and my whole life I practiced and played on one piano until my Senior year of high school. My parents got a newer, nicer piano, and told me I could have the "old" (but awesome) piano. I didn't have a place to put it of course, going off to college, so I let my grandma keep it at her house until I had a place for it. Well, we FINALLY are established in a house in which we'll probably be in for a while. So...last weekend, my parents brought my piano down! Although it wasn't necessarily a birthday present, it was my favorite present!My parents also gave me clothes money and some shirts. Thanks mom and dad! Here it is..it looks great and makes our house even more "homey." I've already taken advantage of having it by playing it every day!
She's a beauty!

Another favorite gift was from my mom-in-law. She makes cute cute blankets, and made me this one for my b-day. It's SUPER long, like 10 feet, and just wide enough to fit Drew and I. I love it! It's also my wedding colors :) We tested it out and I can sit on one couch, Drew on the other, and we can still share it. It's awesome!She also got me a gift card to cheesecake factory. Thanks Lori!
Me having a "happy nap" with my new blanket!

Our 3rd anniversary was yesterday, May 2nd. Jerilyn, Drew's sis, offered to watch Luke so we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner with the gift card from Drew's mom. YUMMY. It wasn't really weight watcher approved, but hey, our anniversary only comes once a year! Plus, I've almost reached my 11 week goal, so I figured it was okay to treat myself. The food was great and so was the company. I love my hubby!
Drew set this up after our date was over and Luke was in bed. I LOVE cuddling in the hammock.

On our way to dinner.

My "card" for Drew.

At The District walking around after dinner.

These last 3 years have been so amazing. Since I've married Drew, we have had so many adventures and fun experiences. I know it wouldn't be near as exciting if I married anyone else. Drew has put up with so many mood swings and rocky days, I can't imagine anyone else understanding me the way he does. I love him so much and am so happy I have him for eternity. Love you, sweetie. Happy 3rd!