Pray

For those of you who know me well... know that I have a "second mom" Denise. Denise has had such an impact on my life and if it wasn't for her - I wouldn't be where I am today. She was in my ward all growing up and I came to not only love her... but her sweet family, especially her parents who were always so generous and kind.

Earlier this week, Denise's father passed away. It was a total shock!!! Her mother has been ill for quite some time now, but her father has been fine and the one taking care of her mother. His death was a tragic accident and left everyone who knew him and his family, asking how could this happen?

I have been having a really hard time with this, not only because I knew him and he was such a good man, but because I care so deeply for Denise and I know the pain she must be going through. I hate that I am not in Utah and can't be there for her. 

Please pray for the Dautel family. 

Wake Up Call

One of my friends posted this LINK on her blog. It's a story about a young LDS couple who lost their baby girl just a few months ago. I was reading the story and just sobbing. Their little girl was not much older than Jaxon and I can't even imagine the pain I would go through if he was not a part of my daily life anymore.

Tragic stories like that often leave the people involved questioning their religion or faith, but this amazing couple did just the opposite, and they relied on their religion and the people around them to get through the tough time.

I feel so blessed to have Jaxon when I know that there are couples that are not able to have children of their own, or when I hear about couples who's babies/children are "taken" away from them.

What would I do if that happened to me? I can't even imagine being able to go on! And then I feel so guilty about feeling frustrated when Jaxon is throwing a tantrum - or feeling like I just want to be alone for a few minutes after being with him all day. I can't believe I let myself feel like that.

None of us know when the precious people in our lives will no longer be here with us. That is a scary thought and not one I want to dwell on, but it has made me realize that every second counts. There are countless songs, poems, and stories about acting like every day is your last, but after reading the story of this young couple who remind me so much of my family and our situation, I really feel like I need to be doing that every day!

I will no longer care if the house is messy during the day - I can clean after Jax is asleep
I will not longer sneak into the office while he is playing to check my e-mail/facebook/blog
Every second he is awake will be about me and him learning, playing, and having fun because he is the most important thing in my life (along with my husband) and they should have ALL my attention.

I love you bubba!

Vote for Jaxon

Haha - I have seen so many moms do this - so I thought what the heck!

Vote for JAXON for the baby gap contest!

Thanks!

Oh how I love this boy

Dan is 25

Wow! I can't believe Dan is 25! This past weekend was Dan's birthday! Our sweet friend Audrey offered to babysit Jaxon so we could have an evening out, but Dan's birthday wish was for us to all be together. He doesn't get to spend much time with us, but mostly Jaxon since he goes to bed between 8-8:30 so we made plans together. And since we are poor law students haha, we decided to stay at home. So I made Dan's favorite meal in the world Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp from the Cheesecake Factory. Yes - I made it and it almost tasted exactly like it. Obviously there is no way I could make it as good as they do, but since there isn't a Cheesecake Factory here and we were trying to save money, this had to do - but it ROCKED! And for dessert... mint brownies. It was a delicious meal. Then at 7:30 we had a video phone call (much like skype but you don't have to be at your computer) with our families. Dan's family went over to my parents house since my parents are the one with the video phone and we all talked and we got to SEE them which was nice and then they all sang Happy Birthday to Dan while he blew out the candles on his brownies. It was a great night! I wanted to have a big party with lots of people over but Dan wanted something quiet and simple, so his wish was granted. I feel like 25 is such a big deal that I feel so bad that there wasn't more involved. But luckily it doesn't take a lot to make Dan happy and he loved his quiet birthday at home with Jaxon and I.

Happy Birthday honey! I am so lucky to have you as my husband and I am so grateful for all you do for me and our little family. I admire you for going after what you really want in life despite what others may say or think about it, and for doing so well in law school and for going above and beyond the requirements! You are amazing! You are a wonderful father to Jaxon and he loves you so much! We both do! Happy Birthday!

Summer might be ending - but not the fun!

We have had a great week. First of all, my new friend Audrey and her son Carter went with Jaxon and I to the mall to play at the little play area they had! The boys really liked it. Carter was climbing all over everything, and Jaxon just watched the kids for the first part, and then figured out what he was supposed to do and climbed up the truck!

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Then we went to a birthday party for our friend Justin Pratt. He turned the big 30! There were lots of little kids for Jaxon to play with and he was having a blast running around with the bigger kids. He wanted to do everything they did... including playing the Wii.

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On Labor Day, Dan and I took Jaxon to the Science Spectrum. It is the coolest place ever and after being there, we decided to invest in a year membership. They have a play area for kids 5 and under to just run around, explore and discover. They have books, blocks, water stuff, cars, just about everything a kid could want. Jaxon was having so much fun! They had a lot of cool things for all ages too! Dan and I really enjoyed ourselves as well. They also have a "class" every Wednesday and Friday that kids ages 1-4 get to go to to learn how to sit still for 10 minutes while they teach something. I am excited to start taking Jaxon to that! Then that night we had a couple of families over for dinner. Jaxon was so excited to have little kids over to HIS house, he was running from his room to the living room just screaming for the kids to follow him back to his room where they could play with his toys. I have NEVER seen him that excited and energetic. It was pretty funny to watch!

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On Tuesdays my ward has a play group and so I went yesterday. We went to a park and it was so much fun! Jaxon was not scared at all - he wanted to climb up and down everything, he wasn't afraid at all, which made me terrified!!! I only got one picture because I was with him the entire time ready to catch or help him so he didn't get hurt. We are going to go again to that park though because he loved it, so I will take more pictures next time!

Support

This will be a short post, but I just have to say how grateful I am for the church and the support it gives. Our new ward is wonderful and we have met some amazing people and I can't wait to get to know them better. What other organization is like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? We came here and were welcomed with open arms by all the members and instantly had friends. Because Texas Tech is here - our ward has a lot of students and it is nice to be in a ward where there are so many people that are in the same situation as you. There are several law students in the ward and most of them are either 2nd or 3rd year which is great for Dan because they are able to give him great advice on how to succeed during your first year, and it is great for me because I have friends who have had to go through the law school experience and they know what it is like and how hard it can be. My ward has a play date group that gets together every Tuesday and I am so excited to be a part of that. Without the church this move would have been so much harder! We are so lucky to have such an amazing support system no matter where we are in the WORLD!