reese 5 months

*Disclaimer: I realize the majority of you probably don't give a darn to see a billion pictures of my child. Every. Single. Month.  Chances are you probably aren't as enamored with her as we are. And that's totally ok. I get it. These monthly posts are for the few family members (and cousins ;) ) that love to get their Reese's Pieces fill. Enjoy!

It's been a big month! The biggest achievment has probably been the start of solid foods.

We have since stopped putting sugar in her cereal and have now replaced it with apple juice. It's the only way she'll gum it down. But sometimes we just skip it all together and go straight for the good stuff - Veggies! She loves them! So far we've tried sweet potatoes, squash, and peas. All have received raving reviews.

This month Reese also received her first pedicure from our very own in-house Master Pedicurist - the very talented big D-Erek. He'll be taking reservations for this next month. Please ask him for his man card on the way out. Kidding, kidding...

Some of Reese's loves this month?

Hanging with mommy in the kitchen...

Taking baths...

Being absolutely cheery, every single moment, of every single day...

Being nook-ed...

Pulling the funniest faces...

And still just being the prettiest little gal there ever was.

I love her stinkin' guts.

state of the union

Did any of you watch the State of the Union address last night? I did.

I thought his speech was powerful and persuasive and full of beautiful rhetoric.

Forgive me for my bluntness, but I feel like that's all this presidency is good for - beautiful words and promises but nothing to back it up.

I am concerned with the direction Mr. President is taking us. I'm disheartened in the choices he's already made. Financial sector bailouts? Ugh. Auto business bailouts? Double-ugh. 1000 page health reform bills that no one has been able to read all the way through? Don't get me started.

Gov. Bob McDonnel, in the Republican's Response, quoted Thomas Jefferson as to what a government is for. He called for "a wise and frugal government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned."

I feel like our current leaders have been neither wise or frugal. Oh, how they have not been frugal.

I feel like our country is slowing evolving into everything the original founders wanted us not to be.

I feel relieved that Senator Scott Brown was elected to fill Ted Kennedy's place in Massachusetts.

I feel hopeful that a brighter future is gleaming before us - I just don't think the road to get there is the one Pres. Obama seems so willing to lead us down.

I bet ya'll didn't know I cared so much about politics did you? Well really, I don't. :)  And I won't even begin to profess that I know a dime's worth about anything political - I just try to use a little common sense. I just feel it's my responsibility as an American citizen to know and understand the workings and whereabouts of my government.

Thank you American Heritage 100.

Who says college generals classes aren't good for anything?

snot bubbles

Poor kiddo. She's had a nasty case of a runny nose and cough.  But tell me this picture of her is not awesome.

Yes. She's blowing a Bubblicious size bubble from her nose.

Beautiful.

I have since caught this awful bug, and let me tell you, it's not fun. I called my wonderful madre yesterday to see if she had a particular medicine, and she did. Hooray! She even offered to bring it to me so I could have it asap. Along with it, she also brought me these beauties:

I think they've helped just as much as the drugs! Aren't moms the greatest?

paul

I love that on Eliza's blog she writes a post in honor of her siblings' birthdays. So this year, I thought I'd do the same for mine and write each one a public tribute on their special day. Just count it as a little birthday treat from yours truly. Or a humiliating rant that you'd like to burn in the furnace of fury. You choose.

First up on the docket this year is my brother Paul.

-Do any of you know someone who is honestly perfect? Like really, really perfect? Well, in all honesty, Paul is one of the most perfect, Christ-like, loving, pure in heart people I know. Seriously. I'm not really sure how he hasn't been "twinkled" yet. I really can't think of a single flaw that mars his character. Have you ever heard the quote that says something like "Live so that every morning when you wake up the Devil says to himself, 'Oh crap! He's awake!'"?  I'm positive Satan just shakes in his boots the second Paul's eyes flutter open each day.

-Paul is fun. Growing up, he was always the one pulling the funny faces during a serious family night lesson, or always just trying to make the rest of us laugh. I'm pretty sure he taught me the meaning of the word "mischevious".

-He is adventurous. Paul should probably be dead many, many times over. I'm sure there are still quite a few things we don't know about him in this regard. Whether it be his flips and jumps off of cliffs while skiing or the various dares he's agreed to do on scouting adventures you can always count on Paul to push the limits of what any sane person would consider doing. I love this. I think all of the Young Men leaders in my home ward have taken a secret oath to not tell my mom about all of the things he's done to spare her from having multiple nervous breakdowns.

-He has some killer artistic skills. Please never ask him to draw you a Nebber person. You'll have nightmares every night for the rest of your life. Just ask Greg.

-I love that I had the privelage of attending school with him for a little while at BYU. Because of the spacing between siblings, I never was in junior high or high school with any brothers or sisters, so it was such a treat when I moved to Provo to not only have 1, but 2 brothers there too! Paul and I bonded over our equal detest for Biology 101, countless meals sponsored by my Dining Plus (I think Matt Smoot benefited from this a bit too), and the great *Parking Ticket Fiasco of 03-04.

-He's a fighter. Whatever it is that Paul puts his mind to, he gets it done. He's been this way since literally the day he was born. Everything from running a marathon, getting into his school of choice, to singing in the BYU Mens' Choir.

- Paul is the only sibling I have that I have no recollection of ever getting into any spat with. Cross my heart. Isn't that something? After knowing him for 24 years I can't remember any single event that involves a quarrel. That's just the kind of person he is though.

-I owe my marriage to Paul. Yup. He's the one that, on a spur of the moment whim, thought to line me up with Deek. Oh yes. We were a blind date thanks to my brother.

Paul is such a rare gem of a person - the kind of person that most only have the opportunity to meet a few times in their life. He is the perfect older brother in every possible way.

Paul, I hope this birthday is one of the best yet, and that the upcoming year is even better!

I love you,
Jen



*the great Parking Ticket Fiasco of 03-04 is quite the story. In short, there was a little mix up with the BYU traffic office regarding which vehicle belonged to which sibling. I was parking illegally a lot every once in a while and somehow a bunch of my tickets went onto Paul's account. Being the awesome older brother that he is, he just kept paying them, never questioning whether they were his or not. (Which just goes to show that he was parking illegally just as much as me, but he ended up just being better at getting away with it.)  It seriously almost took us the entire year to figure out what was going on.  I thought I had been so clever in avoiding those sneaky bike riding BYU policemen, but alas. Not so much.

i'm loving this picture of reese today

And on another note, I seriously love my crockpot.

That is all.

Word.

my grandpa

He passed away a week and half ago. If ever there was a giant of a man, he was certainly it.

I was lucky enough to speak to him one last time before he died. Our conversation went like this:

Me: "Grandpa! It's me, Jenny..."

...his eyes fluttered open and he looked right at me..

Him: "Hello M'dear!"

Me: "I just wanted to tell you how much I love you.."

And in true Grandpa form, he answered back "Not as much as I love you..."

...and then he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

It was such a sweet, sacred moment for me - one I'll forever treasure.

He wasn't supposed to live through that night I spoke with him, or at the very latest the next day, but defying odds as he always did, he lived almost 3 more weeks.

I love my grandpa. Almost more than anyone else in the whole world. He was quite the colorful person - full of strong, vibrant, beautiful colors. His infinite love of family and the gospel of Jesus Christ were two of the hues that gleamed brightest. 

I could write a million and one things that I love about my grandpa... like the way he always made me feel like I was the most beautiful girl in the whole world, or the smell of his aftershave and cologne, or his waterslides made of visquine and haybells, or his never ending acts of mischief, or his beautiful cedar chests, but I'll save that for another day.

Mostly, I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that I know I'll see him again.

I love you, Grandpa.

Obituary below...

Jerry Keith L******

 A Life of Love & Service 1928 ~ 2010 Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, and friend, Jerry Keith L********, 81, returned to his loving Heavenly Father on January 2, 2010 from causes due to a Cerebral Hemorrhage at his home in Farmington, Utah. He was blessed with a strong and courageous ability to press forward to the end. Jerry was born November 5, 1928 to George and Irene L******, third of five children and considered many other dear friends as family. He always set an amazing example of love and service. Jerry graduated from West High and served a two year mission to London, England. He met Ivy Beth Burnett while serving in the Air Force Reserves in Sacramento, California at Travis Air Force Base. They married November 21, 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple. They had six children: Lindy (Jim) Robbins, Rodney (Cyndi), Becky (Dave) Nelson, Paul (Crissy), Mary, (Jim) Hill, and Kerry, (Alan) Tingey. They have shared a wonderful life together. Jerry has served in numerous church callings including Home Teacher, Gospel Doctrine Teacher, Counselor, and Bishop of Bountiful 9th, 31st and Young Adult Mueller Park 52nd Wards. He served as Mission President of the Philippines Cabanatuan Mission (93-96). He was a man of honesty and integrity. A successful General Contractor, owner of Rocky Mountain Contractors, Inc. and Beck Street Construction Co.; building and remodeling many buildings in the Salt Lake valley. Jerry served as President of the Associated General Contractors, member of the National Board of Directors of A.G.C., Bountiful City Councilman, and a Century Club Member of the Boy Scouts of America. He enjoyed the out doors, hunting and vacationing at Lake Powell with his family and friends and was a master craftsman, leaving a legacy of cedar chests made with love by his own hands. Survived by wife, children, 28 grandchildren and 16 great-grand children. Preceded in death by his parents, sister Gloria Poulton, brother-in-laws Daryl Poulton and Larry Blundell, and grandson Travis. Funeral services will be held Thurs., January 7th, at 1:00 p.m. at the Farmington Oakridge Ward, 2230 S. 350 E., Kaysville, UT. A viewing will be held Wed., January 6th from 6-8 p.m. at Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 N. Main and prior to the services at the church from 11- 12:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Perpetual Education Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

some loves of 4 month old Reese

her bumbo...

hangin' with her daddy while watching football..

tummy time (well, we'll just say she hates it less)...

her binky and taggy..

chewing on things...

sleeping...

and just looking pretty.

oh how we love our little roo.