Christmas 2015

♥ Jones family Christmas card 2015. From us to you. ♥

Happy New Year!

Mommy's Mummy

As usual, I was overly excited for Halloween. I didn't have any costume inspirations for Jett and was getting a little worried, unlike last year where he was the cutest Charlie Brown. Side note: This year would've been a good year for that costume since The Peanuts Movie would've helped people recognize what his costume was, not mention you can easily finally find a stuffed Snoopy in stores now! That was a fiasco. Anyway, I settled on the idea of a mummy since I figured that would be easy to throw together and wouldn't be a common costume. Uhh, I was wrong!...about the easy part. There was a LOT more work involved than I had anticipated and pretty much made the costume 3 times in a few days. By hand. Like hand-sewn via needle and thread ridiculousness. I originally had leggings for the bottom clothing but after discovering material sewed on to leggings doesn't make them stretch anymore (read as "not allowing my child to even get into his costume") meant I had to bag that idea and start all over on the pants by covering up a pair of Jett's gray sweatpants. And the sewing! Oh the sewing! It seemed endless and became a lot more extensive than my plan of just tacking down a few places here and there. Let's just say I'm glad it turned out so cute in the end! That made my 2 A.M. stay-ups watching horror flicks well worth it. At the end of Halloween night when Jett had enough trick-or-treating, we ended up cutting Jett out of his costume rather than fight to preserve it while forcing it off. I don't think either of us minded. So long mummy!

Pumpkin Patching

Jett's pumpkin patch pictures turned out so cute that I had to create a Halloween greeting card for the fam.

Dude Status

We couldn't wait until Jett's birthday in September to buy him a balance bike, so July it was! We also figured with it being summer, that he'd have more time to use it before the weather gets colder. Jett was SO excited about his bike because he sees big brother Gage on his. After seeing how adorable he looks on it, I was happy we didn't wait longer. Here's hoping Jett can get the hang of things and actually do some gliding instead of just mom and dad pushing him by the seat. Pro BMXer in the making!

Independence Day

This year, Independence Day had a whole new meaning. Jett must have gotten word about what day it was because he decided that was the day for escaping from his crib. There were no warm-ups or trial sessions going on over the course of a few weeks or days; nope, my little turkey figured out to climb over the front of his crib railing and down the other side without falling. Freeeedom!

This discovery came about when I was woken from my Saturday slumber in the wee hours of the morning by my bedroom doorknob being fidgeted with. I was home alone since Jake had not gotten home yet from his shift at the hospital and was a bit frightened by who was trying to get in my room! I cautiously opened my door, and there was the little stinker butt in all his glory, acting casual as if it was just like any other morning. I didn't think much of it and chalked it up to luck, but then came his nap time that afternoon...which also became my nap time, as those glorious hours frequently do. Once again, I was woken from my slumber, but this time, it was from a crashing sound in the kitchen. Jake, who was home sleeping by then, got to be the one to investigate the paranormal activity this time, and there he found Jett in kitchen, climbing up on our counters and had knocked off a glass left out from the night before. I knew from that day on that Jett wasn't going to stay put in his crib again. We gave in to the inevitable and took the front panel off his crib to convert it into a toddler day bed, and in the end, I'm not sure who ended up being more excited about Jett's new big boy bed...me or him? He loved being able to climb into bed from his waist level while I discovered I'd finally get to smother him at night while he's sleeping without having to half-way dive into his crib, desperately trying to reach his forehead for kisses. Win-win! Big boy bed success! 
...Oh, and for the record, we ingeniously wedged a baby gate in his bedroom doorway to still keep him contained to avoid future kitchen mishaps. Works great...except for having to hurdle over it multiple times a day.

Baby to Boy

 Jett's first haircut where he transformed from a baby into a toddler boy! So adorable but tugs at my heart strings a bit to see him look so grown up.

Easter Buddies

Since Jake and I would be gone over Easter weekend (post to come!), we took the kiddos to Lehi's Easter Egg Hunt the weekend before so I wouldn't feel too guilty about Jett missing such a fun Easter tradition. The weather was so nice that Jett even got to wear one of his new summer outfits, even though the matching shorts were a bit too big for his buns. I was a little worried lil' gipper wouldn't know what to do during the egg hunt, but he was a champ and picked up the concept pretty well and ended up with a nice basket of eggs to show off. No pushing or shoving other kids needed, which I was fully prepared to do to make sure my boy got some eggs! I also thought for sure that Jett would have some Dug moments (dog in Disney/Pixar's Up) where he'd be heading for an egg but then get sidetracked by a leaf or twig on the ground instead...squirrel! But surprisingly, he did great collecting eggs with some help from dad. I recorded the adventure, and it is precious! (Note: I'm fully aware I overuse the words "precious" and "cute" when talking about my Jetty Roo!)

 

 After the egg hunt, we went back to our house with my parents, who tagged along, for grilled hot dogs and brats and my scrumptious Chinese chicken salad that I devour. So delicious! I love that summer feels like it's on its way. We also gave the boys their Easter baskets, which had quite the variety of goodies. They both got summer flip-flops (Nike vs. Carter's), two T-shirts (Tony Hawk & Puma vs. firetruck & pirate ship), and a DVD (Dennis the Menace vs. The Aristocats). In place of lots of Reese's or Butterfinger eggs for Jett, he got a musical circus book, a dinosaur, and a fun frog toy that stands up that you put ball toys in his mouth that then spiral down a ramp and back out. For Jett's basket, Jake also found a package of jelly beans with Mickey Mouse on it, so Jett did get to have those for a treat, which of course he loved. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the leftover Reese's and Butterfinger eggs.

Jett's Easter Egg Hunt Video: 

Reality Check

Came across this on Twitter and had to share. 

I'm laughing and crying.

311 in Wendover

My band came in town!! Well, sorta. They came to Wendover, so Jake and I trekked out there to spend the night concerting and gambling away. 311 had just finished up their 4th fan cruise in Jamaica, so this was their first show since the cruise before preparing for their annual summer tour kicking off soon. Wendover makes for a great, smaller show! They played several rare songs, including my song request I had Tweeted to Pnut when he asked what we fans wanted them to play that night. Yay! 

We had hoped to meet the band (or a band member) after the show like we got to last year with Nick, but no luck this time. The next time 311 will play in Salt Lake is for X-96's Big Ass Show 20th anniversary, along with some other bands. Finding that piece of information out a couple days after Wendover made me happy we went since headlining a festival-type show is definitely a different concert than their usual summer tour. Next on my concert wish list might be seeing them in Vegas over 4th of July. We shall see!

18 Months!

Today is so exciting! My handsome Jett turns 18 months old today!! I think it's particularly special since today is a Friday the 13th and Jett was born on a Friday the 13th. I can't believe he's been on this planet for a whole year and a half already! The changes he's been through in that time have just been amazing to see. First off, can he be any cuter?! Look at that cute cockatoo hair we tested out! Here's some updates on Jett (I could go on and on)...

• He's just an average healthy baby in size and weight - little under 25 lbs. (average being 26 lbs.). He's has yet to have an ear infection or anything serious needing medical attention...just some colds and coughs that we've been able to treat.
• He still hasn't really had an official haircut, just a couple of trims. It's been growing slow! It's very layered, and I find myself not really knowing how to style it...the pic above was just for fun. Usually it's just a messy, gelled (lotion) look. 
• He says so many words now! Our favorites we like having him say are: pizza, breakfast, cookie, Pooh (Winnie the Pooh), Mickey, Batman, nana (banana), nack (snack), pees (please), thank you, night-night. We've been working on "I love you" or even just "love" and that has yet to happen.
• He's been able to say all of his animal sounds for awhile now when we ask questions like "What does a cow say?", but he's getting quicker now. The Tiger is his most favorite because he gets to say "Rawr!" My favorite is hearing his kitty sound because his high-pitched "mowh" is so flippin' cute!
• He knows his body parts and points to them when we ask "Where's Jett's nose? Where's Jett's cheeks?" etc.
• He gives the most adorable hugs! Apparently I always say "Oooh" when he hugs me because it's so precious, so now Jett thinks that's part of hugging and says it too. It took me a couple weeks to figure out why he was doing that everytime until I caught myself saying "Oooh." So funny!
• He is able to use a spoon pretty well at this point, so it's nice having him eat just about anything by himself. It's taken several weeks to figure out how not to turn the spoon the wrong way so the food doesn't fall out, but now we're to the point where it's somewhat minimal mess. It's so cute watching him eat with his spoon! He likes being Mr. Independent.
• Also with eating, when it's time to eat, Jett will go pull his highchair tray out from under the couch where we store it. Seeing things he picks up on without us teaching him is so neat!
• He is now practicing walking up and down the stairs like a big boy while holding my hands to keep him up on his legs. He's so proud of himself afterwards and usually says an excited "Yay!"
• His new activity he enjoys is picking out his toe jam. Yup. It's disgusting.
• He's been practicing getting undressed by himself, though he's really only able to get his socks off on his own and then starts tugging at everything else. This is our new task to practice for bath time and also prepares for potty training.
• He LOVES going to the park! He very much enjoys the swings, but I think his favorite are the slides because he's such a little climber. He loves being able to climb up the playset himself and work his way over to the slides. He's especially cute going down the spiral slide or popping out the tunnel slide. So many giggles, especially if big brother Gage is hiding at the other end. As soon as he's landed he runs right back up the playset. Hours of entertainment!
• He's been so good at putting himself to bed for quite some time now. When we say it's night-night time, he gets a big grin and runs to the stairs to climb up while saying "bye" and blowing kisses. He knows we chase him up, so that's a favorite night-time activity. Once in his room, he knows to turn on his night-light and tries turning on his CD player too for his bedtime tunes. Oh my preciousness! He then "nests" in his crib for awhile before zonking out.
• Teeth-brushing has been going ok. He mostly thinks it's a treat and wants to savor the toothpaste flavor instead of keeping his mouth open for us to brush. Sometimes he giggles from the bristles tickling him, and other times he wants to pull away from them hitting tender gums from teeth coming in. 
• Speaking of teeth, he's almost got all his teeth in! The two coming in right now to fill in the gaps between his molars and front 4 teeth are his canines. Teething has been a breeeeeze with him! Hardly any moodiness, just maybe a slight fever here or there. 
• He's getting to the point where he'll sit to watch TV or movies. Before, it's just been background entertainment for him that he enjoys, but now, he likes to sit up on our couch and actually watch Pooh Bear or Mickey or Nemo for a block of time. He loves Pooh Bear! It's really cute watching him interact by waving and saying "Hi" when Pooh comes on and then says "bye Pooh" when the movie ends with Pooh and Christopher Robin walking away.
• He loves playing with big brother Gage! Sometimes it's sad when Gage's friends come to play and Jett doesn't get to go outside with them. He'll cry at the door for a bit. Poor thing, wishes he was 11 years old too!
• He gets excited over knocks at the front door or the door bell ringing and rushes to see who it is. He then gets extra excited if it's Grandma or Grandpa waiting to snatch him up.  In fact, when we tell him we're going to see Grandma or Grandpa, he'll run to the front door to go check if they're there.
• Our friend group was talking about how cute it is their kids recognize pictures of Jesus without really teaching them who it was, so I decided to test it out on Jett by showing him a picture of Jesus at home. He had a big smile on face and just when I thought something divine would happen, he started saying "Dada" over and over. Haha. Maybe Jake could be a Mexican Jesus. Lesson failed.
• He still puts everything in his mouth, so we're waiting for the day for that NOT to happen despite us flicking his mouth and attempting some discipline. So tired of slobber spots!!
• One of my favorite moments of Jett's that had me laughing away was when I carried his big John Deere dump truck over by the couch for him to play with, but he wanted it in a different spot. He started pushing it to where he wanted while saying "beeeep, beeeep, beeeep..." like trucks do when they back up. Haha, I was dying! I don't know where he figured that out from. 
• My other favorite moment so far was when I showed him our family picture in my phone and would zoom in on each person and ask Jett who they were. He said, "Gay (Gage - Haha), Dada, Momma, baby." Haha. I thought that was adorable!
• He loves Facetime on my phone! He immediately knows the ringing sound of Facetime when it's dialing and gets a permanent smile. Usually we'll call my parents for him to chat with, and what's funny is I'll try to call them when he's being particularly active so he'll jabber more on the phone, but the opposite happens where he just goes stiff and just sits there smiling into the phone. It's like he gets shy. Haha.

311 Day 2015

Rainbows & Fruit Loops

Jett brings home some pretty adorable artwork from daycare, and his project for March might be one of my favorites. Welcome March! Let's get that spring weather rolling and get those tulips popping up! And sure, I'll take a pot o' gold with that.

My Little Valentine

I was so happy this year to buy my sweet Jett a Valentine! And he loved it. Strawberry milk, circus animal cookies, a fluffy stuffed dog to match big brother Gage's, and a Cupid Elmo balloon to top it off. So fun to buy! Even more fun seeing his cute face get so excited when we gave the boys their goodies. It was hard getting Jett to sit still for pictures because he wanted to dive into his cookies that had already been opened, but I managed to get a few. Precious boy! We took his balloon up to grandma's house the next day to show it off and the picture of Jett and my mom turned out really cute. 

 

 

Awesome Sauce

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to become a mom so I could have a hand in my kid's classroom treats and parties at school. There has already been multiple projects of Gage's that I've played a part in throughout his schooling (and birthday parties)...mummy boxed juice drinks, chocolate mustache Valentines with a toilet Valentines box, Super Heroes party, Star Wars party, etc. But alas, Gage is growing, so the time for school goodies will be coming to an end once junior high comes along. So how exciting that little Jett came along to start the partying over! Yes! Clearly, I already felt the need to start treat craftiness while he's only in daycare, so why not begin with Valentines goodies?! Haha. I made these for his cute, mini-sized daycare friends, and gosh darnit, they turned out flippin' cute!! Squeezy applesauce pouches that say "You're my main Squeeze!" Adorbs. Loving the pink and green.

 

♥ Happy Valentine's Day!  ♥

He's Got the Blues

Yup, it's proven that this is my child...and I couldn't be more proud! I could only hope that one day he'd share my love of macaroni and cheese, and this night he definitely did. Jett was excited to shake the box and then drum on it with the spoon, followed by hugs and adoring mmm's. Haha! I don't know if he really knew what was in the box, but he did end up having two helpings of the cheesy goodness when it was finally dinner time. It's safe to say we sure love our mac n' cheese! And green beans. Must have green beans.

(P.S. You remember Kraft's commercial with the tagline that's my title, right? My age must be showing...)

Sneaky Santa

Several times during December, I had mentioned to Jake that I wanted to take Jett to see Santa. That's just a Christmas given that kids go see Santa...we can't be bad parents and neglect him of such joy! Plus, I enjoy seeing my own childhood Santa pictures and want Jett to have a similar collection to look back on. My only requirement this year was that we not repeat South Towne's Santa that we visited last year so we have a variety...bless his Merry heart. As the month went on, we just seemed to be too busy or too sick (curse you, cold and flu season!) and before I knew it, it was Christmas Eve. No Santa. I was bummed. But as fate would have it, I got my wish afterall on Christmas morning thanks to a thoughtful hubby. My precious present from Jett was a white frame with the cutest picture ever of him on Santa's lap! Jake had been sneaky and was able to take him sometime during the month while I was working and managed to get the priceless picture. Look at that candy-cane red striped chair! Jett looking all dapper in his little sweater and little jeans! His finger in his mouth!! Kill me now, it's THE most precious picture.

This made my Christmas. ♥

Good Tidings We Bring

Merry Christmas from The Jones Family! This year's Christmas card...

Our message on the back:

"Hello friends and family! This is where we're supposed to mention exciting things we did during 2014 like exotic vacations or winning the lottery, but for us, our year was pretty ordinary. Our highlights consist of raising the most adorable 15-month-old bundle of joy (Jett) and 11-year-old boy (Gage), while maintaining full-time employment, good health, and our sanity. Trips to Disneyland were replaced with trips to Costco for diapers, and a treat for us is having both kids in bed by 9 p.m...only for us to fall asleep shortly after. We appreciate and love our friends and family we spent time with this year, and look forward to the new year!"

Popcornopolis

If you haven't tried Popcornopolis' Zebra popcorn, hurry your buns to the nearest grocery store to buy some! And then buy two. It's caramel (or maybe toffee?) popcorn drizzled with milk chocolate and white chocolate. Oh...my...I....can't...even. It's purely addicting...and this coming from someone who does NOT eat popcorn unless it's at a movie theater and I'm starving. So that's saying something! For friend and neighbor Christmas gifts this year, I bought Zebra popcorn cones to give out, perhaps eating 2 cones along the way and having to replenish them because it's that delicious, if you haven't gotten the hint already. To top off my addiction during this time, I was lucky enough to win a 3.5 gallon tub of this yumminess from Popcornopolis themself! They had a giveaway contest on Twitter and liked my quirky submission on which flavor was my favorite (which I've only tried the one kind), and declared me a winner and sent this baby my way...the popcorn tub, adorable baby in fleece footie-jammies was already included. I let Jett open it so that there was a size comparison on how big the container was, while he enjoyed holding the lid and putting it back on only to take it off over and over. Win-win!

Blustery Stroll

We took Jett for a stroll down our chilly street, and he was so cute bundled up like a marshmallow that I took some pics that have turned out to be some of my favorites ever of him. His new raccoon hat and mittens just add to the adorableness. Look at that precious face! My baby. ♥ Despite being so cold, the blue sky with clouds was beautiful. I really love the picture above of our crooked, lonely street sign in the tall grass with such a pretty sky. Representing Cutler Crossing!

 

Cry Baby

Jett's daycare is adorable. They had picture day in November, and even though we did not plan for him to get pictures (knowing that would be an impossible task for the lucky cameraman), they took pictures anyway of all the children and then sent home the photos for us to see to decide if we wanted to pay for them or not. Jett's were priceless! This is the result we got. Poor, traumatized child that even a stuffed rainbow unicorn could not calm. And his crying continues into their group photo where he is wailing away while shoving the well-behaved, darling girl next to him whom the unicorn clearly worked for. Sigh...young love. Needless to say, we gave in and purchased the group photo because it was too cute. It will be a fun memory to look back on and of course, pull out to show his future girlfriends.