Friday Five: Ode to my Two Year Old

Tomorrow, 1 December 2007, my sweet Andrew turns two. So in honor of this important little guy, I'm dedicating this Friday Five to him.


1. Andrew David was born on 1 December 2005 at 8:23pm in the Heber Valley Medical Center. After being in labor for a day and not making any progress, our wonderful doctor asked us to consider doing a c-section. Since my contractions had stopped when they turned off my Pitocin, but Andrew was still doing ok, we decided to go ahead with it at that time instead of waiting until the little guy was in distress. The surgery went well, Andrew was perfect, and we were so happy to meet him finally.


2. 'Andrew' came from the Bible and 'David' is Kraig's middle name.

3. Andrew was a strong and smart little boy from the word 'go.' He rolled over at 3 months, crawled at 6, walked at 10, and finished his Thesis last Tuesday. A mother couldn't be prouder.

4. Andrew loves to laugh. He loves to wrestle with his Daddy, help cook in the kitchen, pull the pages that come out of the printer, watch Disney movies, count to 10, ride his bike, throw balls, tickle his brother, sit on the potty, play in his bed with Snuggle bear and Bob (the penguin), find school buses while we drive, eat cookies at the grocery store, go to Nursery, read books, say prayers, sing songs

5. Andrew brings a wonderful spirit to our home. He has the sweetness and humility that reminds both Kraig and I to love more and to be more kind and patient. I can't imagine a day without him. Happy bithday, Bubba. I love my boy.

TG Day 2007

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone enjoys the day and travels safely!

Gobble gobble,

Jacqui, Kraig, Andy and Joshy

In A Shocking Turn of Events...

Brad didn't choose Jenni! I was stunned!

A trip into town

Some friends had tickets to the University of Denver basketball game tonight. They couldn't make it, so they offered the tickets to us. What a fun surprise when we got the tickets to see that they were playing Wyoming.

Since neither of us are familiar with DU's campus, we decided to bypass the parking problem and take Light Rail in. What a way to travel! Andy had a great time and loved saying 'hi' to everyone that walked by.

Come to find out, our gift seats were COURT SIDE box seats. We were one row off the sideline. It was SO fun. Kraig decided that he'd root for DU and since my sister Brenda is a huge Cowboys fan, I rooted for them.

The game wasn't that spectacular--Pokes were down most of the game and ended up losing anyway, but what a fun surprise to look cross court and see these two guys. Can you tell who it is?

Take a closer (albeit blurrier) look. Can you tell who it is?

We tried getting their attention, but I guess they never noticed us waving our arms and jumping around frantically :)

Happy Birthday, Mom! The revised post

Today is my wonderful mother-in-law's birthday. I wrote a nice post on Wednesday and saved it to post TODAY, her actual birthday, and when I published it today, it inserted itself down the list on Wednesday. Sometime computers are so frustrating!

So scroll on down to see my tribute to Mother Webb :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Our Song, Friday Five Style

I've had Taylor Swift's 'Our Song' running through my head since I saw the ACM awards on Wednseday night, so I decided to dedicate this Friday Five to what 'Our Song' will be when they make a soundtrack to our lives:

1. Lonestar--My Front Porch Looking In "Nothin' takes my breath away like my front porch looking in..."
2. Rascal Flatts--Bless the Broken Road "I set out on a narrow way, many years ago / Hoping I would find true love, along the broken road / But I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow and kept pushing through / I couldn't see how every sign, pointed straight to you"
3. Deana Carter--How Do I Get There From Here? "...dreaming every night with these arms around you"
4. --The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock
5. John Denver (and the Muppets)--Durango Mountain Caballero "To the place were earth and heaven meet the mountains and the sky / In the heart of Colorado

What songs would be on your soundtrack?

Hurricane Andrew

If Kraig has to work early and isn't there to watch the boys in the morning, I usually don't get a shower until Andy is watching a DVD during rest time or until later during nap time. That means most mornings I stay in my gym clothes or jammies until at least 11am.


This morning was a little different. Andy was playing quietly in his room so I thought I'd take a few minutes for a quick shower (this was around 9am--could I be so lucky?) I jumped in and jumped out, and after towelling off, I poked my head down the stairs to see if Andy was still being as quiet as when I started.

I'm not joking--in the 2.5 minutes I was in the shower this is the destruction that he caused in his room. All the toy bins were off the shelf, upturned and emptied on the floor. He was having a great time and, in fact, cheered and threw a bin when he saw me!

The great thing about all of his destruction was that he was totally content to put it all back together. No whining that he didn't want to do it, no running out of the room, he just sat down and started putting everything back in its place. What a funny boy!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Sunday is my wonderful Mother-in-law's birthday.

Here are a few things I've learned about my sweet Mother-in-law, Kolene, in the 3+ years I've known her:

She loves her children and grandkids.

(Mom with Joshy and the snuggle blanket she made for him, Mom with Andy right after he was born, and Mom with all of her wonderful children)

She is a wonderful mother and taught my husband how to be kind, work hard, love the Lord, and clean bathrooms better than anyone I know.

She is extremely talented and creative. There is always some craft or activity for the family when we get together. She has an amazing food storage that all of her children and their spouses covet. She is extremely generous of her time, talents, and love.

I'm most grateful that she and Dad Webb prepared Kraig well for marriage by their example of a happy marriage. That's the best gift she's given me!

Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!

** In preparation for Mom Webb's birthday on Sunday, I uploaded the photos I wanted to use for this post on Wednesday. Well, when I finished writing the post today, Sunday (Mom's actual birthday), the post wouldn't post as a SUNDAY post, but inserted itself back down on Wednesday (even though I've done other posts since then). Computers are SOOOO frustrating sometimes!

The Dollars and Pennys Count

I always feel so great when I look at my grocery store receipt and I've saved $6 or $10.55 on my purchases. I think, 'Man, I'm really saving our family money!' But then Kraig, with his wonderful mechanical ability, will go and change the oil, flush the transmission, and tune up our car, saving us hundreds.

I guess we all contribute in our own way--his $100 isn't any more important than my $6. It's more the idea of scrimping and saving that gets us ahead in the end, right?

Andy was helping his Daddy flush the transmission and thought Daddy might need a little more light under the car, so he brought out his lantern :) What a big helper!

** I'd like to give credit where credit is due. This topic isn't my original idea. Before Kraig and I were married I remember having a conversation with my wonderful mother-in-law about the same thing--her saving dollars at the grocery store and Dad saving hundreds fixing the sink or the car. I'm glad that Kraig inherited those genes from his parents.

Not a mother

Whoever decided that we as a nation should participate in Daylight Savings time was obviously not a mother. My children didn't know that we got an extra hour of sleep this morning! They were up at their usual 6:30 which translates to 5:30 when daylight savings is 'off' (or 'on', I always get confused).

I want my extra hour of sleep! I want to speak with the man responsible for this usually delicious, but oh-so-missed hour!

No, these aren't Halloween costumes

Kraig had another day off this week (oh wait, I didn't ever do a post about his first day off this week) so we went to the Dry Pack Cannery. We were the only ones there and we had a great time.

To keep things foodsafe, everyone has to wear gloves and hairnets.

We had to tape Andy's gloves on.

Josh had fun too. Oh wait, it gets better.

That's my happy boy!

PS--I've received complaints (aka chastisements from the East Coast) that the title of my blog was too blah. Apparently the Dr. Laura reference is lost on the unlearned, Reed Farnsworth. (did I say that out loud?) I'm testing out new ones and will let my faithful lurkers vote in an upcoming survey. Stay tuned...

The things that make me happiest

1. When Andy says 'please' and 'thank you' without being prompted
2. That Josh is always happy to see me when I walk in a room
3. When Kraig comes home from a long day and says he didn't work at all--he just had fun and got paid for it
4. A clean kitchen
5. Vacuumed floors
6. My new van
7. Dinner out (or in) with my honey
8. The kids' 7:30 bedtime
9. When Andy makes Joshy laugh
10. Knowing what I'm going to make for dinner
11. Making new friends
12. Getting to exercise in the mornings
13. When Andy comes into the family room and does aerobics or yoga with me (he's nailed downdog)
14. A hot shower (without kids in the background)
15. Emails from my sisters and mom
16. KitKats--unfortunately, they make Josh unhappy
17. When Josh snuggles into my neck when he's not quite awake yet
18. That perfect spot between Kraig's shoulder and neck that fits me perfectly when we hug
19. That Andy learned how to tell a dog to 'sit' this weekend and has continued to practice on me
20. Putting things away in my food storage
21. A clean bedroom
22. That I'm not always the one doing all the cleaning
23. Andy singing his 'clean up' song to himself when he's in his room--I've taught him well
24. Reading scriptures as a family before bedtime
25. When Kraig's work schedule lets him come to church with us
26. Speaking Spanish and understanding what other Latins say to/around me
27. Going to Target and spending $2.00 on toothpaste just to get out of the house
28. When Andy stops what he's doing, yells 'Daddy!' and runs to greet Kraig when he comes home from work--I tear up every time
29. That Kraig plays with our kids
30. Making dinner for a neighbor who just had a baby
31. Advancing from the diaper bag to a real purse--at least on date night
32. Mom and Dad living close so they can see the kids whenever they want
33. That the Webbs miss us now that we're away
34. My little boy becoming so independent--he can put his shoes on by himself now!
35. Spending Kraig's day off together as a family doing something fun
36. October--it's been a great month, I'm sad to see it end
37. Pumpkin cookies
38. Spending time with my best friend, which is great because he lives in the same house as me
39. Blogging
40. Getting comments on my blog
41. My beautiful Grandmother (who just celebrated her 88th? birthday on Sunday) who gave me her beautiful china
42. My new kitchen table that seats 10
43. Having more people at our table since it can seat so many
44. Watching movies with Kraig
45. Snuggling with Andy when he's tired (but not cranky)
46. Laughing with Kraig
47. A crisp apple
48. Beautiful leaves that have turned red for the season
49. When Joshy sleeps through the night
50. When I sleep through the night

Hot Dog, Kids! It's a SMASH!

I can't get the formatting to cooperate, so the text appears to be all one paragraph, I apologize. If any blogger has a suggestion (it does this often) please let me know. I've tried everything I can think of. It appears 'normal' when I'm writing and editing it, but when I publish it it's all messed up. Suggestions, please!

So here's our BRAND NEW (to us) Car!

I'm really working on domesticating Kraig, as he puts it, by owning a minivan. In fact, I never thought that I would want to own a minivan until this one crossed our path. But it's a really great story how this minivan came into our lives. Let me share...

Monday morning on Kraig's day off we decided to go run some errands. It was cold out and as usual (we'd actually forgotten that it did this, since we've had such nice warm weather for so long) the driver's side back door (Andy's door) wouldn't open. We don't know why, but if it's below 60 degrees, the door acts like the catch is broken and won't open. When we had one kid and Andy's car seat was in the middle, it wasn't that big of a deal, but now with two children and car seats to navigate into the back seat, working out of only one door is a pain.


So when we got home from errands that morning (slightly frustrated, I must admit) I logged onto Craigslist.com to see what was out there. We've been dreaming about getting a new car for ages, but the car has always been in the 'want' category, not the 'need' category. So any looking we did was just dreaming. I suppose in the back on my mind I wasn't just looking, but secretly hoping there was something out there that was made in this century and was decent and affordable (the Rodeo is a 95).


Well, not to sound dramatic, but this van called to me. The price listed on the website was right, it was a 96 (ok, not in this century), but it only had 35,000 miles on it. What? Was that a typo? I called the owner and asked how it had so few miles and he explained that he and his wife were both doctors (ding, ding) and they had bought it for their kids when they were little and now they were grown (ding, ding) and it was a 5th car so they didn't hardly ever use it (ding, ding, ding). So I set an appointment for us to go and take a test drive that afternoon. Kraig was a little skeptical, since it seemed like we were rushing into this big purchase...


The car was everything this kind doctor (who lived in a 1.5 million dollar home) said it was. Upholstery was clean, tire and breaks were new, body was in great condition and there was really only 35, 950 miles on the odometer. It drove like a dream and I wanted it from the moment I sat behind the wheel. Before we went to the doctor's home we checked the price of the car on Kelley Blue Book. For the features it had, the doctor was asking a little too much. We asked how firm he was on the price and he said he was pretty set, since according to the mileage, it was only a 3 year old car. So we told him we would think about it and get back to him.


Driving home we called and offered him a much lower price, but still what the car was 'worth' (according to Kelley). He said, he'd meet us in the middle of the $1000 price cut we had suggested. Not bad. Kraig and I discussed it again, but decided that if we were going to spend the money we should look around a bit longer and not rush into it. But something kept us talking and thinking about the car. We prayed about it, talked to family members for their advice and decided to pass for the time being. I called the doctor back and told him the price was too much, but thanks for his time. He said, 'How about we meet in the middle, $750 off the asking price?' Um, that's still a little too high, but thank you. His last offer, 'Ok, I'll sell it to you for what you can pay. My wife says we should since you're a young family with two kids.' Yahoo! I did feel good about the car and I felt even better about the price we could pay!


So, I'm a minivan mom now! I love it! I love it! I love it!


PS--here's a Halloween preview. We had our ward's Trunk-or-Treat on Friday. Joshy was a hot dog, Andy was a piece of cheese in a ham sandwich and Kraig and I were the ketchup and mustard on the side :)

Haven't I already been tagged?

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Let's see--senior in high school--probably writing my own notes to get out of AP Calc or AP Bio
2. Driving my Plymouth Horizon I lovingly called 'Sam'
3. Just received my acceptance to BYU Housing--waiting on the school's acceptance (Chipman has more fun than anyone!)
4. Doing a shift at Old Navy, or at least there buying clothes with my discount
5. Going to the grocery store with my mom. We did that a lot.

Five things on my "to do" list today:

1. Go and pick up my NEW CAR! WooHoo!
2. Find the last pieces of our Halloween costumes
3. Eat lunch when Andy wakes up from his nap
4. Buy a Marie Callender's Corn Bread mix for the Trunk-or-Treat tomorrow
5. Take a birthday gift to my VT companion

Five things I'd do if I were a millionaire:

1. Buy my husband a boat--a good one for water skiing. And maybe a lake to go with it.
2. Buy a home
3. Buy some new clothes--especially a skirt or two--I'm getting desperate
4. Get my hair done--also getting desperate
5. Hire a personal dietitian. Wait a minute...

Five things I'll never wear again:

1. Pretty much anything from high school or college, although I think I have a pair or two of jeans floating around that are my 'work' jeans
2. Some well worn clothes from my mission--did I even bring them home with me?
3. My orange gingham jumper I had sewn in Venezuela. It didn't really fit when I had it made, and especially not now that I've nursed two kids. But I'll never get rid of it.
4. Scrunchies. Plus, Brenny just threw all of the ones from mom's bathroom cupboard away.
5. My second earring

My five favorite toys:

1. My 2 year old is always good for a laugh--he's so crazy!
2. My infant never fails to make me smile, even when he's crying during mommy's nap time
3. My computer
4. Our digital camera, for blogging of course
5. My new purse. I'm such a grown-up now!

Five people I tag:

1. Brenny
2. Janell
3. Kelli
4. Lindsey
5. Ashley--both of them!

It's beginning to look...

We woke up this morning to this

and this,

so we spent a good chunk of the new day doing this.

And how cute are my boys? Andy was holding Joshy's hand so I snapped a fuzzy picture. They're so darling.

The snow's still going--any bets on how much we get for our first snow of the season? I'm guessing 8 inches (that's because I'm looking out the window right now and can tell it's more than 6 already)