House Updates

I changed my mind about a couple things in our house. :) Of course, after it took us a whole day to paint our kitchen red (when we moved in in January), I changed my mind a couple weeks ago and wanted to paint it purple. What inspired this thought was I wanted to antique our cabinets with gray and I thought purple would go better with gray than red would. It would also look better with our living room color since the red kitchen and blue living room made it look like 4th of July in our house. (Which is one of our favorite holidays, don't get me wrong.) Drew didn't mind at all and we started researching how to antique cabinets and what look we were really going for. So, we practiced "antiquing" a cabinet in Luke's bathroom upstairs because it's the same exact color/wood as the kitchen cabinets. It didn't go over so well. I really should post a pic of our first attempt because it's tragic. Like, really bad. So we decided maybe it would look better to just antique the cracks in the cabinets rather than the whole thing. Below is how they turned out. I think Drew did a really good job but haven't decided how I really feel yet. But everyone that has seen them, loves them. I think they will look really good once we get silver handles on the cabinets. But the purple is pretty. It looks BLUE in these pics and it looked blue no matter what I tried. So I tried to get a close up of the purple next to a white sign, and thats the real color.

Before:

After:

And here is a pic of our new guest bedroom. That bed is my old day bed I had growing up!


We also painted our bathroom brown.

Before:



After:

And Drew did some construction in our closet to make it fit our needs better.

Before:


After:

And heres my favorite update! We got a bed! It's from Ikea and the nightstands attach to the side of the bed so it's really convenient and cute. The lamps were from Ikea, and the lamp shades from Big Lots! $10 bucks each! Now all we have to do is finish our curtain/canopy idea. It will be really cool, and I'll post a pic when it's finished.

Before:


After:

I also made this wall art with scrapbook paper, modpodge, and canvas'. I like how it turned out! It matches our bedspread really well.

Sorry this one is blurry...

We still have the vinyl lettering that says "Goodnight my love, goodnight my everything" on the wall opposite the window. It's above our new dresser we got for $20 bucks that matches our bed. I LOVE yard sales!

I have to add some cute pics of Luke. He is growing and changing so much. I feel like this last week he has evolved to a toddler. He has an attitude! He is so fun right now, though. It's hard leaving him when I go to work but luckily we have a great baby sitter and her one year old and Luke have become best friends!

And last but not least...we are in the process of re-doing Luke's bedroom. He never really got a cute bedroom because we moved so much in the 1st year of his life. So now we have cute ideas we want to do. Here is what we have of the alphabet for the "ABC" wall we are doing in his room. (Mom...here is what we have, be on the look out for cheap letters!) Haha..I can't wait until we can finish his room finally!

The "B" Language

Luke is the biggest "talker". He seriously wants to talk so bad but just doesn't know the words! He is constantly jabbering, and gets louder and louder until he gets his "point across." He does know certain words, and he has learned to point to things or stand by something he wants, etc. It's the cutest. But, we have noticed more and more how much of his vocabulary are "words" that start with B. Here is a list of words he uses and their meanings. :) (Since you aren't hearing them say it I have to spell them so you will understand how they come out...it's kinda hard..haha)

Bah = Bath

Bah Bah = Yo Gabba Gabba

Baw = Ball

Baw Baw = Drink

Bop Bop = Beep Beep (Thats what he calls cars and his little tractor he rides.)

Bu Bu = Bubbles

It doesn't look like that many words but these B words are mainly the words he uses all day long! (He loves Yo Gabba Gabba, his sippy cup and his favorite toys are his "beep beep", bubbles, and balls...so yeah that's our day.)

His other "words" are:

La La = Elmo

Mmmm = Food (haha)

Ni Ni = Night Night

Ma Ma = Mama (duh)

Da Da = Dada (duh)

Uh-oh = Whenever he falls/something falls/his show ends/he does something bad.

I'm sure there are other little ones but nothing else I can think of right now. He is at such a fun stage! I miss him so much when I am gone at work but it is so fun coming home to his smiles and giggles. He does the funniest stuff. The other day at the grocery store he stood up in the cart (in the big basket part, not the kid seat part) and I told him to sit down while pointing down with my finger. He just smiled and pointed down to me with his finger. Drew and I couldn't help but laugh. He also has learned how to hit. Where do they learn that? SERIOUSLY? He knows its bad though. He starts crying immediately after he does it. But we have started giving him mini time-outs to try and teach him to stop. He is still the cutest thing ever. He goes down for bed without a "baw baw" now and doesn't even cry. We have a pretty set routine down and I think it has helped him adjust. He still cries at nap time but I think it's because he knows we are awake. I dunno. Hopefully that doesn't go on much longer. We do give him sippy cups with milk at nap time, so that helps. Anyway-he is changing so much every day and I love his little words. I just had to blog about them so I remember them in the future. He will probably start learning more and more words and then I will miss his baby talk! He understands a lot though. OH! And he also knows what a cow says (mmmm) a kitty cat (maaa) a doggy (ra ra) a snake (ssss) and a monkey (ah ah ah).

Drew read our blog a few days ago and said I never updated about my new job. I started last week at a company called Desert Perinatal Associates. There are 3 offices in the Las Vegas/Henderson areas and they are pretty well-known cause the perinatologists are awesome and they really work with you. (A Perinatology office is pretty much a "high risk" pregnancy doctor.) We see pregnant women who either have at-risk babies with some type of problem, or who have problems themselves. It ranges from IVF and twins/triplets to birth defects in the babies. And in the mothers it ranges from diabetes and hypertension to blood disorders or late prenatal care, etc. We seriously see SO many different cases. It is REALLY fun. I am a Part-Time Medical Assistant at one of the offices which happens to be 10 minutes from my house! Super lucky..I don't even have to take the freeway. :) But I pretty much just do patient vitals and intake (asking all the questions) and then set up the ultrasound rooms. There are lots more little things I do but thats the main job description. I love it and the days go by super fast. I want to go back to school to be an Ultrasound Tech eventually, so this job is right up my alley. Anyway, that was a LONG description. It's just a GREAT job! That's all!

My parents FINALLY closed on their house in Coral Canyon (outside of St. George) and we are so happy! We spent the weekend there getting them settled. Well, they got it settled and Drew and I just lounged around. But we can't wait to have a place to meet and spend mini-vacations there.

I seriously am slacking at taking pics of Luke and I need to be better! We always just snap quick pics with our phones and we've gotten out of the habit of taking real pics! I will try and be better because he changes every day. Sorry for the boring post with no pics! Maybe I will do an all pic post next week! :)

Serious Slacker

We are back from vacation, for good. This makes me sad but in a way, equally, happy. It's so fun traveling with my two boys and I seriously love road trips. Even with a baby. He has his days, but as long as we have cartoons and snacks, he is pretty good. (He seriously is an angel baby until it comes to cars...then his evil twin emerges.) We were able to do lots of fun things this summer, and it will probably be our last summer that both of us are "completely off work" for the whole summer. Now that I have a job, it won't be AS easy to make quick trips places. But I am sure we will still find a way. Drew is excited to get back to work in 2 weeks, and I start training this Wednesday. I am nervous, and excited...(so I will sing a song about being nervous but excited...has anyone seen that Zac Efron High School Musical skit on SNL? Go watch it. Now. I love it. HILARIOUS...then you will understand the nervous but excited thing..haha..) and I know it will be the best thing for our family, all of us. I just hope I don't miss TOO many cute things that Luke does. Hopefully he is just boring all day for everyone else because he is so funny and I seriously am dying thinking about the funny faces/noises/anythings he makes that I will be missing while at work. But like I said, it's the best thing for us. I am really hoping grown-up conversations and feeling accomplished and responsible for something will help me get more acclimated to life in Vegas. It's been a hard *VERY HARD* adjustment for me. Different than I expected. This time when we left Heber it was even harder because I was leaving behind my brother and his family (who just moved there from Henderson. They lived 10 minutes from us.) Although we didn't hang out TONS when they were here, we saw them enough and switched baby sitting enough that I've already seen the difference without them here. (And it's only been a couple days.) But they are in a place thats better for their family too. So I am happy for them. Anyway-this is turning into a rant that I wasn't planning on. I will hopefully get more organized/back on track with blogging once we get back into our normal daily grind. Until then, we are painting our whole house and I am making lots of home decor crafts that will keep me pretty busy. But the plus side is, then I will have something to blog about! :) I have been horrible about taking pics this summer. Here is a cute one of Luke at Drew's family reunion Luau party.

-Luke now has two molars. They were a party coming in, let me tell you. (ARRGGHH NIGHTMARE!)

-He walks/runs everywhere and hates holding our hands. He has his own agenda.

-He loves Elmo and Blue's Clues and Yo Gabba Gabba. The characters are his bff's!

-He is such a good eater and will eat almost anything.

-He is *for the most part* weaned off his bottle, and goes to sleep on his own after just a little crying. (I hate that part but he is getting better and better.)

-He loves to dance and sing the Elmo song, "La la la...la la la la..."

-He got his first (and it was NASTY) black eye last week.

-He still only says basic words, but his jabber talk gets more and more crazy, which I am hoping means he is closer to saying bigger words. We'll see. ;)

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 :)