6 Year Anniversary

This weekend we were able to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. An engineering degree, 5 different homes, and two kids later our lives have changed so much from that early morning day that Mo took me to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. Our relationship grows stronger every day. I love Mo so much more now than I ever thought possible ... and I am thankful everyday that I have such a great husband. He gives his best at trying to make sure that I am always happy and I know that it is not always easy to do and I really appreciate him for that. He is my very best friend and I love spending time with him. Time doing the things that we love to do, and time just hanging out at home with each other and our two boys. Mo is such a good listener if I have something that I need to talk about, and he is always receptive to the thoughts and concerns that I have for our boys. We both want the best for them. He is really funny and he is always making me laugh with his corny jokes. One of his old seminary teachers told him that girls like corn and he really took it to heart and he is still trying to impress me with it. I enjoy being with Mo more than anyone else. For our anniversary Mo surprised me with staying a night at the Alaskan Inn in Ogden Canyon. But before we went there he took me to my absolute favorite place to eat... Tempanyaki's. There is nothing better than the Samurai Special. The Alaskan Inn was so fun. Our room was the Bears den and they had chilled sparkling cider and chocolate dipped strawberries waiting for us when we got there. They also had fresh chocolate chip cookies. They really know the way to a girls heart. We had so much fun just relaxing, watching movies, and hanging out without the responsibility of being parents for the night. Mo told me that he was in as long as I was because he thinks he has a pretty sweet deal. What he doesn't realize is that I am the one who has the sweetest deal. Love you Mo!

Christmas 2008

The month of December goes by faster than any other month for me, and I can't believe that Christmas is already over. We took our tree and Christmas decorations down today which is a sad moment for me and a time of celebration for Mo. I always tease him that he has a bit of Scrooge in him. I know for sure that he will be happy not to listen to the FM 100 month of Christmas songs on the radio in the car. We wanted to make Christmas this year really special because it will be the first Christmas that Jackson remembers. I couldn't even sleep the night before in anticipation for him to see all of his Santa presents on the couch Christmas morning. I felt like a little kid again. Recreating the magic that I believed in for so many years for our son was really special. He was so excited to walk into the family room. We had been telling him all about Santa coming on Christmas eve night all month but I don't think he really understood until he walked in and saw all of his presents. He wanted to touch and play with everything and then all of Benton's things too. He was even excited to get socks. Jackson was really easy to buy for this year because he only asked Santa for one thing... a spiderman webshooter and costume. Mo gave me a great surprise- I told him that I think our family gift for Christmas should be a camcorder and he had convinced me that we needed to spend more time shopping around for one and that we could get one later. I was really disapointed because I thought it would be so fun to have one on Christmas morning. So what a suprise when my first gift was an awesome camcorder. Thanks Mo! After enjoying Christmas morning at home we got ready and headed up to my parents for breakfast. It is the one day of the year that my dad makes us his special omletes and they are delicious! We also had blueberry pancakes, hashbrowns, and bacon. I think Jackson ate 4 pieces of bacon... he loves it. Breakfast is his favorite meal. Christmas at my parents is always big. They always make sure that everyone gets what they need and usually everything they want for Christmas. We have always been spoiled and this year was no exception. I can't even think about one thing that I even thought about getting that I didn't get. Jackson got some really fun toys and Benton loved laying on the floor in the middle of the wrapping paper to play. He thought life was great. Colby and April gave the best present. They were so excited to have my parents open it. We are all so excited for them. They will be great parents. After presents at my mom and dads we went to Gary and Kathi's. Most of Mo's family was there and that was good because holidays are really the only time that we see most of them. His grandparents were even up from Salt Lake. All three of the babies are getting so big. Tabitha might be even bigger than Benton. We visited at the Palmers for awhile and then headed down to visit my grandma and grandpa Vogt. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without going to their house. My grandma always has plenty of good food set out for everyone to eat and of course their singing christmas toys are in full force. It is really hard to see them getting old- especially my grandpa... I hope he can make it for at least one more Christmas. Christmas night was spent back at our house playing Mo's big Christmas gift Rock Band. We are great- especially with me and Sha on the vocals... What a great Christmas! This year I really wanted to help Jackson to learn that being willing to give is really important at Christmas so I took him to All a Dollar and let him pick out one present for everyone for Christmas. I didn't provide any guidance, I just let him pick out what he thought that everyone might want. He did a really good job...the first thing he grabbed was some light blue colored Foot Splash for my mom and then he wanted to know where the toys were for his dad and grandpa. When I thought he was all done he did the cutest thing. He picked up a thing of lotion and he said,"and I want to give this to you mom." When we got home he wrapped his presents himself and he knew exactly what he got everyone. He had a hard time letting them keep their presents though, especially the ball he gave my dad but we had to start somewhere.

Ski Season 2008 has begun...

Yesterday for Christmas Eve we were able to carry on a tradition that we have had for as long as I can remember. We went skiing at Snow Basin. I have so many fun growing up memories of skiing together. Now that we are older and have our own busy schedules with family, work, and school we don't get a chance to ski together very often so it made the ski day extra special. I am so glad that Mo loves skiing as much as I do so that we can continue that tradition together and with Jackson and Benton when they get old enough to ski. When we asked Jackson if he wanted to go he said,"maybe next year." It was a great ski day to start the 2008/2009 season with. It had just dumped the day before and the snow was still so good. My only frustration is that I can't keep up with my 58 year old dad.
When we were done skiing we went back to my parents for dinner. My boys had a really good day with their grandma and I am so thankful that she was willing to watch them for us. Before dinner my mom dressed Jackson up as a shephard, Benton up as baby Jesus, and Shalee as Mary and read the Christmas story from the bible- it was really cute. Jackson didn't want the head part of his shephards costume on and so he took it off and said, "Shephards can wear their costume like this with the top part off."
After dinner we headed back up to Snow Basin for the torchlight parade and fireworks and then home. We were all so tired- Jackson fell asleep in the car and Mo said that he wished that he could do that. What a great day!

The Fancy Feast

Last night our youth had a Christmas dinner (The Fancy Feast) for some of the people in our ward. We do the dinner every year for the older couples in our ward, the inactive couples, and couples that have just moved in recently. This year the dinner was special for me because at our dinner we had the debut of my dads band. They were really great- Mo's dad did an awesome job singing and my dad is such a good drummer. The songs were really fun- a lot of the older people at the dinner were clapping along and tapping their feet. I am so glad that they were willing to come play for us because they made the dinner a big success. I was really proud to be able to say that my dad was the drummer. What a cool dad =).

Great Grandma Vogt turns 81...

On Saturday we celebrated my grandma and Jackson and Benton's great grandma's 81st birthday. Jackson loves his great grandma Vogt. She tended him for me while I worked from the time he was 6 months old until he was 2 and 1/2 so he was able to get to know her and experience the wonderful grandma that she is first hand. We couldn't have asked for a better grandma. She is so kind and loving to all of her grandkids- she really has a way of making you feel special. When I was a kid she always spent her time playing with us. She would play hide the spoon with us, dress up(in her square dancing clothes), beautician(she would even let us do her hair and make-up even if she had just go her hair done that day), color, read stories, and she would even jump on the tramp. She is also famous for having the best junk food and sweets to eat at her house. She is also very supportive of her grandkids. I remember her coming to see soccer and softball games, school choir concerts, and talks at church. If she knew about it and she could come she was there. When I lived with her for a few months I would wake up to hot breakfasts, come home to a warm dinner, and my room was always picked up and my laundry was done (including ironed socks). She was also there when both my babies were born and she brought dinner and called everyday for the first week to ask if I needed anything. And, she never misses a birthday...I always look forward to my early morning call and birthday song. At 81 she still gets down on the floor and plays with her great grand kids and she still knows how to make them feel special. I hope she had a happy birthday. I know that we had fun celebrating with her- and Jackson loved helping her blow out her candles. We are so thankful for her.

Christmas Season 2008

The Christmas season has officially begun. We went to the parade on Saturday with my mom and dad and then to the lights on Monday with our friends the Waltons. I am so excited for Christmas this year- it is so great to watch how excited Jackson is about all of the Christmas lights and songs and of course Santa Claus.

This is Jackson in his favorite parade watching spot.

Benton really liked his spot too.


After the parade Jackson got to get in and drive the Christmas train. You can see how happy this made him.

Here are the boys at Christmas village. We had a lot of fun looking inside all of the little houses and Jackson loved talking to Santa. We are glad that the Walton's could come with us... they are such good neighbors and friends.

The Dentist and Doctor visits...

Jackson had his first official dentist visit yesterday. He was such a great boy- he did everything he was asked to do with a smile. He thought getting his teeth cleaned was pretty cool... especially the tube that he could drink out of. He also loved the orange glasses, he told the dental hygenist that his mommy had some like that(I guess my glasses look like that to him- I hope they don't look like that to anyone else :)). He had a few cavaties which makes me feel so bad because now at his next dentist visit he is going to have to have them filled. His first visit was such a positive experience I hope that his next visit won't make him hate going to the dentist for life.

This is Benton watching intently as Jackson was getting his teeth cleaned.

The dental office was perfect for kids. They had a playroom filled with fun toys, all the walls were painted with storybook characters, and they had cinderella playing on the tv. I don't know a kid who wouldn't like going to this place. I should have taken Jackson a year ago before he had so many cavaties.

We took these pictures last night of Benton on the day of his 6 month doctor's visit. He is still a really big baby- 95% for height and 80% for weight. The doctor said that everything looked great and he gave us the official okay on starting to spoon feed Benton(he has actually already been eating food for a month). At 6 months he can sit up on his own. He loves to roll around on the floor, and he loves to have all of his clothes off. I think he likes his clothes off because it makes it easier to play with his feet which are his very favorite toy. He is very ticklish, he loves to play boo, and he loves stories and songs. He is such a happy baby and a special member of our family...we love him very much.

Jackson had his 3 year old doctor's visit yesterday too. He really likes going to see Doctor Hom- especially when he doesn't have to get shots. He is a just a little bit below average on height and weight but that makes a little bit more sense for a child of Morriah and I. The doctor said that he is a very healthy 3 year old. Hopefully he won't have to go to the doctor again until he is 4. He really liked the incredibles sticker and book that doctor Hom gave him. Jackson is such a very active boy with tons of energy and he keeps me busy all day long. He is so much fun- he makes us laugh every day... life wouldn't be the same without him.

Thanksgiving 2008

I want to dedicate this post to a reflection on the things in life that I am most thankful for. I am so thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am so thankful for the knowledge and direction that it provides for me and my family in helping us in our journey through this life. I am so thankful to know that I have a heavenly father who loves me and who gave me the opportunity to come to this earth to learn and to grow. I am so thankful that I can be a wife and mother. I am so thankful for my husband. I love him so much and he is my very best friend... I can talk to him about anything at anytime and he is always there to listen. I am so thankful that he is so willing to help me with whatever I need help with... especially our boys. I am so thankful that he is willing and able to provide for our family so that I can spend most of my time at home with our boys. I am so thankful for the opportunity that heavenly father has given me to raise Jackson and Benton in this life. They are both such special precious spirits and I am so thankful for their healthy bodies and minds. Being their mommy teaches me so much... especially the meaning of unconditional love. I never fully realized how much our father in heaven loves us until I had children of my own. I am so thankful for such great parents who taught me the meaning of sacrifice. They made their children the most important thing in their life and I am so thankful for all of the love and understanding that they give me, and also for the guidance and direction that they provide me. I am thankful for the kindness that Morriah's parents always show me. I am thankful for my sister and our friendship and her sense of humor. I am thankful for my brother and the christlike example he has always provided for me and his cute sweet wife and her example of having a dedication to excellence in all areas of life. I am thankful for all of my extended family- I couldn't ask for better grandparents and I am glad that I have a close relationship with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am thankful for education and the ability I have to support our family if anything ever happened to Morriah. I am thankful that I can continually learn and gain knowledge. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful to be able to see and hear and touch and smell. I am thankful to be able to laugh and play and run. I am thankful for nature and the change the four seasons bring to it. I am thankful for the sunshine and that I can wake up every day hearing Jackson say,"it is time to get up mom, the suns up." I am thankful for my calling in the young womens and the spiritual growth it has given me this past year. It has helped me to see and want to be the woman my father in heaven intends for me to be. I am thankful for all of my friends, old and new, and the things that I have learned and still learn from them every day. I am thankful to have so many great people to look up to in my life. Finally, I am thankful for thanksgiving and the chance it gives us to reflect on what we are most thankful for.

Pretending to be a dog...

So, this is just a quick little post about something that I found so totally gross but so totally funny at the same time. Jackson was outside swinging on his swings today and when I went to check on him he had his pants down and when I asked him what he was doing(because he has been known to just pull his pants down and pee when he is playing outside and I thought we had fixed that problem)he said,"Mom, I just pooped in the grass." When I asked him why he had pooped in the grass and told him that we don't poop in the grass he said,"but dogs do." I said,"Jackson honey that is right dogs poop in the grass but you are not a dog, you are a little boy and little boys always poop in the toilet." He said,"but I was just pretending to be a dog." How special the imagination of a child.

Benton...

Here are some recent pictures of Benton. I can't believe how fast he is growing. He is so much fun... he loves to play, and he has started to do this really deep belly laugh that is so cute. He loves his hands and feet(he is a little bit too fat to suck on them comfortably but he tries his hardest). He loves to grab and taste whatever he can get his hands on which is really typical of a 5 month old baby. He is trying to learn to role over from his back to his belly and he can almost sit up without help. He still really loves Jackson and Jackon really loves him. Jackson wanted me to take Benton to his playroom downstairs so that they could play together today... it was really cute. He loves eating solids and he has started to make eating motions with his mouth when he sees us eating. He just started sweet potatoes yesterday and he thought they were pretty yummy. He is such a great baby and the thing I love the most about Benton is that he always has a smile for me.

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Benton with his great grandma Vogt... who is a wonderful grandma.

Bentons thoughts... Maybe rolling to the side might help me hold on to my feet.

I got it :)

Benton is playing with his Aunt April.

Mom really used to good at some things...

I just got this picture from the couples Lake Powell trip that Mo and I went on in October. That is me at Lake Powell just 4 months after having Benton and I think it is pretty awesome. Sorry about the brag moment but because I am doing this blog for my boys as their little journals I wanted to add this picture so that when they look at this fifteen years from now when I am telling them about how their mom used to be a good water skier that they won't be able to say ,"ya right mom." :)

Jackson's Family Party

Sunday we had our families over for cake and ice cream to celebrate Jackson's 3rd birthday. It was finally time for Jackson to have his own cake, candles, and presents to open. He has been practicing on everyone elses birthdays this year, so he knew exactly what to do.
Jackson sneaking some frosting.

Here is the evidence.

He is so happy that he has his own Car's cake... he chose the one he wanted at Sam's club.

Sitting patiently as everyone sings happy birthday. Jackson loves lighted candles.

You probably noticed that there are more than three candles on his cake. The one in the middle is a big number 3. The bigger the fire the better as far as Jackson is concerned.

He wanted to play with every toy he unwrapped. Lightsabers were the present of the party. When people asked me what he wanted I told him that he really liked Star Wars. So, I guess what is a better Star Wars toy than a Lightsaber. He almost had 4.
We hope he had a great birthday this year- we love him so much!!!

California Vacation

We spent the past week in California for Jackson's 3rd Birthday. We had so much fun... it all started on Saturday morning at 5 o'clock. We thought that Jackson would sleep in the car but he was way too excited. We have been telling him that he is going to Disneyland for his 3rd birthday since just after his 2nd birthday so I think that he didn't want to go to sleep in fear that it wasn't actually time yet. He was awake and excited the whole way to the airport, and on the plane, and even at the rental car place. Both he and Benton did really great on the flight.

Boarding the plane... Jackson loves Bagels.

I was really happy that Benton was asleep.

Waiting for the rental car shuttle and still happy.

When we got to San Diego we checked into our hotel and spent our first day of vacation at the beach. It was a really nice day- a little bit too windy for Benton but for Jackson it was great. He loved playing in the waves, having mud throwing wars with his grandpa, and building sand castles.

Jackson thought it was so fun to run from the waves.

Jackson chasing his grandpa with mud... you can see how happy that makes him.

Splashing in the waves.

Just me and the two boys enjoying the ocean together.

We ate at Chevy's that night(my choice and my favorite) and went to Sea Port Village where Jackson and I rode the funnest Carousel I have ever been on. It was really so much fun that I wanted to ride it again. Sunday was Jackson's birthday and the first thing we did was open presents. He loves opening presents- what kid doesn't.

Happy Birthday Jackson.

After breakfast we spent the rest of the day at Sea World. Jackson loved the shows... especially the pets rule show. He liked looking at the Dolphins but he didn't want to get too close. He liked petting the Manta Rays but his favorite exhibit was probably the star fish pool. He loved looking at them and pulling them out of the water to pet even though that is against the rules.

Jackson made friends everywhere we went. The new killer whale exhibit is great!

The star fish exhibit.

At the end of the day he was exhausted. He fell asleep in the car before we even left the parking lot. Monday was our first Disneyland day. Both of our boys gave Mo and I a 5'clock wake up call every morning of the trip because of the time difference and the time change. So, we were ready to go in plenty of time because the park didn't open until 10 o'clock.

Waiting for the shuttle to Disneyland.

Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth.

Our first ride at Disneyland was the Jungle cruise. Jackson sat really close at first because he thought that all of the animals were real.

Our next ride was the Pirates of the Caribean (a family favorite). Jackson didn't like it- I had forgotten how dark it was, he actually covered his eyes for most of it. Then it was on to the Haunted Mansion which he really liked. For some reason he really likes Ghosts. Some of his favorite Disneyland rides were the Buzz Lightyear ride(Mo wouldn't admit it but I think it was one of his favorite rides too, he wanted to be a Level 7 and unfortunately he only made it to a Level 4... better luck next time), the carousel, the peter pan ride, and Mr. Toads wild ride. The ride he really didn't like was the Matterhorn. When he got done he said he only wanted to go on rides for small kids.

The Davy Crocket Island.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters- we definitely rode this the most.

Jackson made sure to keep and eye on Buzz.

We spent Tuesday at Disneyland too. Our favorite thing Tuesday was the parade.

Jackson enjoying the parade.

T

The carousel ride was one of Jackson's favorites.

Benton just hanging out-it wasn't a very exciting trip for him... he would have rather been sleeping.
They were both very busy days and it was nice to relax in the evening in the hotels hot tub. Benton even really enjoyed that- in fact, that was probably one of his favorite things. Wednesday we headed to Hunington Beach for some shopping and lunch and then to the airport for our flight home. The flight home was not as exciting as the flight there but that is how it always is. We were glad that Grandma and Grandpa Vogt and Aunt Sha could come with us. It was fun to have them and they were a lot of help. We have already decided that the next time we go to Disneyland will be for Benton's 3rd birthday. I think we will wait to tell Jackson this time 2 and 1/2 years is way too long to wait.

This is what we all wanted to do by the end of the trip.