Memorial Day

We spent a fabulous Memorial Day weekend in Poky. (where else do we ever go?!) I have so much fun when I go to my in-laws. I love my in-laws. They are the best. And there is nothing better than the fun competition that comes from playing a good ol' mexican train game. We usually spend every Memorial Day weekend in Poky. Our second child is buried there. It just doesn't feel right if we aren't there on Monday to take our little family there, decorate his grave, and remind our little ones about their brother. I often wonder what he would look like and what he would be like if he were still here. I often feel overwhelmed that Heavenly Father let such a special little guy be a part of our family. I am grateful for the knowledge that families are forever, and comforted by the fact that we will get a chance to raise him. I like to think of him as a little missionary. None of my Dad's side of the family are LDS, and I just know he's up there teaching them the gospel. I miss him. But I know he is where he is supposed to be, doing what he is supposed to do. Probably shaking his head at my attempt a motherhood, and thanking Heavenly Father he didn't have to be subjected to it here on earth. (lol)

You'll have to excuse the camera strap. This was the only picture that

had us all smiling. We left Jaxson in the car. It was COLD and RAINY.

Also, grateful to live in a free country. And so grateful for those who have given their lives to keep it that way. We truly are blessed, aren't we.

Wii are not so fit....

Let me just start off with this little thought......
I really wish I was made of 100% cotton, so I could wash myself in hot water, throw myself in the dryer, and shrink a few sizes. That would be fabulous.
We bought the new Wii Fit today. It is so fun. There are lots of fun little exercise type things to do, but it doesn't feel like exercising. I love the hula hoop. I'm sure that it looks pretty comical from behind. Nothing better than execising and entertaining the family at the same time. There is just one thing. It's also a scale, and figures out your BMI. I stepped onto the balance board to start to creat my profile. A little voice said "oh!" Seriously. Not so good for my already depleted post partum self esteem. Apparently, I am obese. I'm not so happy about that little tidbit of info. And what's worse, after it figured out my BMI, my poor littl Mii (that is the character I made to represent me when I play the Wii) plumped right up. It even made a little plumping up type sound when that happened. So, I have got to lose some weight, because when the gaming system tells you you're a fatty fat pants, you start to listen. I did a little DDR today, and did some training on the Wii fit, and worked up a sweat both times. Hopefully, someday in the near future, instead of hearing "oh!" when I step on the balance board, I'll hear a "whoowhoo" whistle.

The Husband Song....

My sister sent me this hilarious video in an e-mail. I don't know who made it, so I can't give credit, but it is so funny, I just had to share. Make sure your husbands see it, too!

Blessing...

Whoa! It's been awhile, huh? Time just goes too fast these days.

We had Jaxson's baby blessing this past Sunday. We had about 50 people here for it. 50 people. All in my little house. It was great! I love having people come to my house. And thank goodness it was fabulous weather, so most of them ate outside under canopy shades. The worst thing-I am not a good hostess. I'm not good at feeding/entertaining large groups of people. It seems like it took forever to get everything ready. And poor Cory was sick all weekend. But, the day still turned out to be wonderful. It was great to have so much family there. We took up 4 1/2 rows in Sacrament Meeting. We are lucky to have such supportive family. Thanks, everyone, for being there. It was so fun! Hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

Jaxson and Grandpa Manion

Jaxson with Grandpa and Grandma Manion

Jaxson with Grandpa and Grandma Blad

Happy belated Mother's Day!

I hope all my bloggin' buddies out there had a fabulous Mother's Day. I had a great day. Cory got me Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii. So fun! Even though I do look like an idiot while doing it. I have proof. You will not see it. In my mind, I look cool and hip. In my mind I look like someone with rhythm. On the camera I look like an old fat lady with no rhythm, who is longing for the old days. Fabulous. I prefer to stick to the view in my mind. Hopefully the "workout mode" will help look like an old skinny lady eventually. That would be great!

We went to Poky Saturday evening, and stayed over until Sunday. My Poky family (makes them sound slow) usually all get together once a month for a FHE. Yesterday was the day. Melanie (sil) talked about reading the scriptures, and challenged us all to read the BOM in 3-ish months. Then, we played a rousing game of Scriptionary. Even the very young got in on this. It was so fun. We are a very talented group of Blads. Later that evening, we played Mexican train. It's a dominoes game for those of you who don't know. If the Blads were in charge of the Olympics, Mexican train would be an event. There's always a scandal or two. You know, cheating. But it is always fun. And, I won! I'm usually in last place, but yesterday I was in true Mexican Train form. Woohoo! We played until late, so we didn't get home until way late. But it was a great Mother's Day!

I will leave you with some pictures of some of my favorite Moms. If you are not there, it just means I don't have a picture of you. But I still think you are all fabulous Moms, and I'm sending love your way!

Happy belated Cinco De Mayo

Hola. (is that spelled right?) We had some good fun last night. I totally forgot it was Cinco De Mayo yesterday, until the evening. And since our house was soooooo toasty (more on that, later), and I didn't want to cook, we went out to eat at La Fiesta. So did everyone else. It was PACKED! But we had so much fun. It was a total party atmosphere. This particular restaurant has a bar area that is separated from the restaurant. They had bouncers at the entrance to the "cantina' checking ID's. They looked like the Pedro's two cousins off o Napoleon Dynomite. So funny. They had employees handing out sombreros and glow sticks. The kids thought it was great fun. All except Jaxson. He was not so fond of the atmosphere. A bit too loud, I think. After dinner was a trip to Target for fabric softener and bike locks. Cory and Gabby and Jake all decided to wear their sombreros in the store. We got some looks. But memories were made, and that's what matters, right?
So, how are you spending your stimulus paycheck? We have affectionatly renamed ours to "The AC Stimulus" paycheck. Why? Because our air conditioner is broken. We have had it recharged every summer for the past 2 years. Come to find out, there are two leaks in the coil. Don't know what that is, but apperantly it's very important, because the part alone will cost around $600. We paid $79 yesterday for them to come tell us there is a leak somewhere, and they can't find it. Then we spent another $246 today for them to come tell us where the leak was, and that the coil can't be repaired. The coil is not a common one, I guess, because they have to hunt one down. Now we are just waiting for them to call us and tell us they found one, and how much. What makes it worse is, we are moving soon (hopefully), so we feel like we are spending money for something we won't use too much. Obviously, we had to fix it. Who wants to buy a house with a broken AC? Thanks, Uncle Sam. We needed the money to stimulate the heating and air conditioning market here in Twin. So much for getting a Cricut. :(
At least the weather has warmed up. And today there is a 20 mph "breeze" to help keep our house cool. And things are starting to bloom. I just love seeing the leaves start to grow, and blossom on the trees. Makes me happy. And, Jaxson is sleeping for longer periods of time at night, so even though I'm not getting many hours of sleep, at least the hours I get aren't constantly interrupted by feedings. So, I guess life is pretty good. Now, if I could just get organized enough (and motivated) to clean my house.....

Mighty Sunny with a chance of Poo....

Yesterday, I asked Gabby to look on the internet for todays forcast. It said M. Sunny. She informed me that means mighty sunny. This morning, she checked again and she told me it would be very snowy. What? It's the first of May, for goodness sake! I'm soooooooooo ready for Spring!!!!!
On a brighter note, I may have discovered why Jaxson isn't sleeping well at night. I dont think he likes the bassinette. Jake was the same way at first. Jaxson will sleep great in the swing. So, last night, I took the swing into our room, and he slept so much better. So, it was mighty sunny for me this morning. Then I changed Jaxson's diaper. He pooped on me. There was some serious power behind it. He sprayed my shirt, arm, sweats, the sheet. I couldn't move, I was so shocked. Who needs coffee in the morning when you have a newborn that poops on you. That wakes you up quick!