May 22nd- May 28th 2011

Ellie started to pull herself to a stand on Sunday. She now stands beside whatever she can get a hold of. She is starting to get into the toy drawer for her toys too! This kid is learning a lot real quick!

Poor little Kailee got into trouble in Nursery at church on Sunday, which made me pretty sad and Ryan pretty mad! Usually when we go to get her from class she is happy and comes running for us, but this time she had the saddest face and walked to me slowly. We were told that a lady who was in there with her own daughter yelled at Kailee for putting a crayon in her mouth. The regular teacher told us she didn't know why the other lady got so upset about it and handled it the way she did. Poor Kailee was sooo upset. Ryan and I were both pretty upset about it too. We kept thinking about all the things we would like to say to that lady!! Funny how protective we are of our kids! Poor kiddo. Hopefully it won't affect her wanting to go to class!

Kailee had her 24 month old check up at Grow Up Great Pediatrics on Tuesday. She now weighs 25lbs 8oz (45th percentile), she is 36 1/2" tall (95th percentile) and her head is 19 1/4" (80th percentile). She is growing tall, tall, tall!! She does so good with the Dr. She lets her check all the things that she needs to and doesn't fuss about it at all. The Dr. advised us to start giving Kailee calcium vitamins because she's concerned she doesn't drink enough milk, but that was the only concern!! Yeah for healthy kids!!

On Wednesday morning I found Ellie standing in her crib! My baby is getting so big! It's so fun to see her learning these new things! When Kailee was this age it made me so sad to see her getting big. Now with Ellie I find myself getting excited because I am anxious for the girls to be able to play together and be friends. I still find myself wishing she was still a teeny tiny baby in my arms, but I am more excited for her to be able to do the things that Kailee is able to do. Cute girls!

Before the girls' naps we made a quick trip to the park by our house on Wednesday so Kailee could burn some energy. The poor girl has wanted to get out of the house all week! I think she is a lot like me. We just want to go, go, go.  I am glad we live so close to a little park for times like this! I am also grateful for weather that cooperates when we need to get outdoors. Kailee is becoming so brave on the slides. She has started to go down on her tummy, which I believe she learned from watching her cousins! Good thing they are all good kids and she learns good things from them!

The rest of the week we spent at home. The kids played and did the things that kids do and I went through all the baby clothes and sorted them by size in lots of different rubbermaids. It took me 3 days to do it! It will sure make it easier to find clothes to fit the girls though.

Saturday morning I took off to get my hair done while Ryan stayed at home with the girls while the carpets were being cleaned. Shortly after I got to the salon he called and said the guy was finished. Mmmmm, I was not impressed. It seriously takes me longer to vacuum the house! Even when I got home I wasn't impressed. Money wasted and lesson learned darn it. After I changed my clothes and got cleaned up, we headed to Jolie's house for her backyard Garden Party. We made it there close to the end, but we still had time to grab something to eat and visit with everyone there. Jolie is such a great host and has such fun parties. I always look forward to going. Ryan won't admit it, but he likes to go too because there is always lots and lots great food! Kailee is always excited to go too. She loves going to her Aunt Jolie's and Katie's house. She loves to play in their yard with her cousins! Later that evening, we dropped Kailee off at Grandma Colleens and we went to a birthday party for one of Ryan's friend/co-workers, Ryan Knighton. There was another couple there from work that we spent most of the time talking and laughing with.

This is the famous 1 Year Old Mouse. It has been passed  down from all the nieces and nephews on the Jamison side. Ryan won it out of a claw game and each kid gets it for their 1 year old birthday now. This picture is of Kailee saying goodbye to it. We were getting ready to give it away to Leah for her 1st birthday. We will see it in a few months though for Ellie's big day!

May 15th- May 21st 2011

Good things come to those who wait! On Sunday we went to my mom and sisters Stake Conference to hear a speaker we never thought we would have the opportunity to hear... my sisters husband, Mike! He was asked to share his story about how coming back to chuch has affected his life. He did an amazing job and his story touched so many people. I can't believe the changes he has made to make life better for him and his family! Yay Mike!! What a neat experience! After Mikes talk we took off and headed to visit Ryans Grandma Jamison. She is 92- soon to be 93, but doesn't seem like she's in her 90's at all! That lady is amazing and so fun to be around. Sometimes I even feel like she is my own Grandma! She treated us to a yummy turkey dinner and then we visited with her for a couple hours. Well, I got to visit with her while Ryan entertained Kailee and Ellie. I had so much fun visiting with her and listening to her stories. She gave our Ellie her baby spoon since she is named after her!! I have to write this information down just so I don't forget it...

Grandma Jamison was born June 1, 1918 in Calnavada, Nevada and grew up in Hawthorne, Nevada (a place full of sage brush, lizards and toads!). After school she moved to Utah to attend Henagers College to become a stenographer (a steno as she calls it). She lived with a lady and also worked for her to pay for her room and board. And that's how she met Grandpa Earl; he was the brother to the lady she lived with! She earned $56 a MONTH at her first job, $60 at her second and later earned $75 at another job. Crazy! I couldn't imagine living on $75 a MONTH. That's probably what our grandkids will say about our income!
Grandpa & Grandma Jamison also had a produce business in Billings Montana where they worked during the summer. Grandma worked right along with Grandpa doing things that seem only men should be doing! She absolutely loved it in Billings and wished they could have lived there, but they always had to come back so the kids could go to school. She always wanted to learn how to drive Semi-trucks too, but Grandpa Jamison wouldn't let her. She told us she had a dream that she finally learned how to drive a semi and she did very well! She showed us pictures of when she was a little girl and also her curls. Yes, her actual curls. She has saved them all these years. She said her dad was so sad when she decided she wanted to cut her hair.
Oh how fun to visit with Grandma. I hope we have many more opportunities to hear her stories!

Monday morning Ryan left to do another round of training for the Questar offices in Eastern and Southern Utah. This time he had a training partner, Tyler, who started in the dept. not too long ago. (He was also Ryans foreman in the Operations dept...) They will make a stop in Fillmore for a quick training then head to St. George for two nights. After St. George they will head to Panquitch for a few hours and then they will stay a night in Richfield. That's a lot of driving!! I had made plans with Alison to go to St. George Monday afternoon and stay for a few days, but ended up deciding to stay home. I wasn't sure how Ryan really felt about us going since he had someone with him and they had to work late. It would have been a nice change of scenery for me and the girls, but that's ok. The weather wasn't that great down there anyway. So Monday, the girls and I just hung out at home all day. While I mopped the kitchen floor Kailee kept herself busy with the dish towels. She gets them all out of the drawer and lines them up from the kitchen to the front room window. She is so creative with things to keep her busy and occupied!

It's a good thing I didn't go to St George because I was able to get the girls pictures taken for Fathers Day on Tuesday. I have been wanting to get a picture of both of them and Fathers Day was a great excuse! The girls did good and I think the pictures will be cute! It was raining when we finished with pictures so we headed home, changed into comfy clothes and stayed in for the rest of the day. Since Ellie has learned how to crawl she has started to follow me EVERYWHERE. We were all in my room folding laundry and I left to Kailee's room to put her clothes away. Ellie kept whining so I went to find her. I found her laying on her belly, head first down our big stairs. She was about three stairs down. I don't know how she stopped or why she didn't tumble all the way down, but I am glad she stopped. Poor thing. She was scared out of her mind. When I picked her up she held on to me soooo tight. Sorry baby girl.

Ryan made it back home Thursday late afternoon. Unfortunately he felt like the trip was a little pointless. They were able to do a few of the things they went for, but the main things they went for didn't happen. I say, at least he got away for a little bit. That's always kinda nice I guess.? I am still grateful he has this job. It's a lot nicer than him being out in the field all day every day and working the schedule.

May 8th- May 14 2011

For Mothers Day, my sweet girls, with the help of their sweet dad, gave me a decorative garden stone with each of their hand prints in it! We also had a yummy french toast breakfast! I love being a mom! I love my little baby girls. It's the best job I have ever had! It is very stressful and chaotic at times, but I wouldn't trade them for anything! I have realized something pretty interesting recently. So often I hear "a parent can't be a friend AND a parent to their child." I have recently realized I disagree with that. To me, a parent is someone who teaches their child and is an example for their child. And a friend is someone that you have fun with, the person you tell your secrets to, someone who makes you feel loved, and on and on. So to me, I want to be first a parent, but I DO want to be a friend to my girls. I want them to feel more than comfortable coming to me with concerns or problems. I want to have fun with each other.  I want to be the one to teach them the things they need to know, but I also don't just want to be their commander. I want to be their friend as well!

I am also grateful for all the mothers in my life! My mom is so giving. She is always so willing to put our needs in front of her own. She has always based her life around her girls, and I am grateful for that. I am grateful for such a wonderful mother-in-law! She is so loving and accepting of others. She always looks for the best in everyone! She has welcomed into her family with open arms. I am also grateful for my sisters and sister-in-laws! They are always there whenever I need them. They love me and they love my girls! All the mothers in my life are wonderful examples for me!

On Monday, Ryan planted the flowers for our front garden as part of my mothers day gift! It was a pretty chilly evening, but he did it with a smile on his face!!

Kailee had her first haircut on Wednesday! (Two days before her 2nd Birthday!) The back was starting to outgrow the front and the top, so I thought we would even it up a little bit. We took her to Cookie Cutters in Bountiful. I thought it would be a good place since they have little cars for the kids to sit in and movies for them to watch. At first she was upset and didn't want anything to do with it, but after she got a sucker she was A OK!! I was sooo nervous when the girl started cutting. My heart sunk and I started to wonder what in the world I was doing. It looked so very short. I thought for sure I had made a huge mistake. Ryan even seemed a little nervous about it, which made me worry even more! But it turned out cute and looks so much better!

My poor little Ellie had her first fall down the stairs on Wednesday. Kailee had some papers sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Ellie went to reach for them and when she did she fell down our three little steps. Poor kiddo! Ellie has a very distinct cry when she gets hurt (or scared)! It's more of a scream than a cry. As sad as it is, it's also kinda of funny because it's sooo stinkin cute! Sorry Ellie Belly!

On Friday, our little Kailee turned TWO. Wait, what? Two? Where in the world did two years go? I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday! But here is my little girl... talking, walking, feeding herself, running, jumping, teasing us, brushing her own teeth, choosing what she wants to eat, picking out what she wants to wear... she isn't my baby anymore, she is my little girl!! And what a sweet little girl we have! She tells us she loves us and loves to give us hugs! She loves her baby sister, her grandmas, aunts and cousins! She loves to laugh. She loves to pretend. She loves, loves, loves her daddy! She is so creative and keeps me on my toes! She points out pictures of Jesus and calls castles Temples!! I could go on and on! I sure love my little Kailee! She has changed our world!

For her special day, we opened presents first thing in the morning and then went and had her pictures taken. We had plans to go to the Zoo, but some of Ryans cousins were in town so we met them at the park for lunch instead. After the park we headed home to have a small party with Grandma Colleen, Grandma Carla, Aunt Steph, and cousins Kaden, Cody, Conner, Kloe, Anna and Katie!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!! We love you!!

And, just because I think she is cute... here is this one! We love you too, baby girl Ellie!

May 1st- May 7th 2011

Ellie had her first Big Kid Bath Sunday morning. I had put her on her chair, but she quickly rolled off. She is so funny in the tub. She splashes and splashes. I pretty much get soaked when bathing her. She is getting so big. I still want to think of her as my little baby, but she is growing so quickly!

As I have mentioned before, Sundays are a difficult day for us. For some reason, they just seem so chaotic. During the week Kailee takes a nap somewhere between 1pm to 2pm. On Sundays, she doesn't get a nap until around 5pm, which makes for a rough day. On top of no nap, for some reason when Ryan is home Kailee wants nothing to do with me. She wants Ryan to do everything for her. So that makes it really interesting trying to get her ready for church. This particular Sunday was no exception. AND on top of all that chaos, a guy from the Elders Quorum called a half hour before church started to see if Ryan could help pass the sacrament. Of course that is a great opportunity and something that we love him to participate in, but really? They couldn't have called a little earlier? Like I said before, Sundays are chaotic and that just added to it. I was in a hurry trying to finish getting the girls ready so I could finish getting myself ready and of course Kailee was not going to think about cooperating. I deal with it every Sunday, but for some reason today it got to me. I kept telling Ryan, church isn't worth the chaos, it's not worth the hassle and the feelings of frustration!! I walked out of the house and got in the car and just started crying. Ugh, I was for sure over my limit. I was trying so hard to get everything ready so we could be out the door on time so Ryan could help pass the sacrament, and I failed. Not fun! Good thing we get to sit quietly for an hour during sacrament so it gave me time to cool down and unwind from the frustration!! I decided then, not to let it get to me. If Kailee goes to church half dressed or without her hair done, OH WELL! At least we will make it to church without feeling frustrated! Phew.

On Monday the girls and I went over to the park and played for a little bit. It's nice having a park so close that we can just walk to. The walk gives me a little time for peace and quiet and excercise too. The park gives Kailee a change of scenery from being home all day and is fun for her. When we got home from the park I wasn't ready to go inside so I put Ellie in her bouncer, pulled out Kailees bike and car and I pulled weeds in the front garden. It was sooo nice to have some nice warm weather. It was even nicer than I thought because both girls ended up with rosy red cheeks, noses and arms. Oops! I need to remember to put the sunscreen on them.

On Thursday Ellie turned 7 months old!! This week she started to push herself from laying down to sitting up. She gets up like a pro! She is also starting to get up on her knees to crawl and she has started to growl. If we growl at her, she will growl back at us and then giggle about it. She is still sleeping good at night too. She usually wakes up around 7:30 or 8am when Kailee wakes up. Couldn't ask for her to do any better than that! She is also starting to become so social! She sits in her bouncer and talks, and talks to Kailee. Kailee loves to play with her, tickle her, and talk to her. I catch Kailee talking to Ellie how I talk to Ellie. Kailee will say "Are you hungry Ellie, no, no? Ok!" She talks to her in the sweetest voice! It's cute!

Friday we met up with my friend Alison and her daughter Jaycee at the Layton Commons Park and then went to lunch at Zupas. Poor Kailee was so quiet and timid the whole time because I upset her before we left. I made her a waffle for breakfast and brought it upstairs to my room so she could eat in there with me while I got ready. Of course, she kept finding other things to do instead of eating. For some reason I let it get to me and I kept getting mad at her. I even left her in the house while I pulled the car out and that totally upset her. Once I got to the park and calmed down I realized how stupid it was to get so mad about her not eating her waffle. I have to remind myself that I need to make time to sit downstairs at the table to eat instead of rushing her. Sorry Kailee. I will do better next time! Other than that little episode it was fun to spend time with Alison and her daughter. We didn't get to chat very much at the park, but we were able to a little bit more at lunch. When we got home from lunch I was sitting on the couch and Ryan walked in. What a good surprise. It's always nice to have him home a little early! We hung out at home for a little bit and then we went back to Zupas for dinner. Haha, crazy I know! The sandwich I had for lunch was so good I wanted it again! We then headed to Joanns so I could get some fabric for a pillowcase for Kailee. Another day, another project!

Saturday morning we got up and headed to Ryans moms to help with some house projects as a gift for mothers day. Ryan put some castlerock stone by her fence in the backyard so Sophie would stop digginer her way out of the yard, Jolie and Tawnie cleaned out the garage and the front garden and I organized her pantry. It's always fun to do things like that for others, especially when it helps them and they appreciate it! After we finished there we headed home to work on our house work and yardwork. Ryan headed outside to mow the lawn and I got busy cleaning the house. Then we went to the store and bought some new flowers for the garden out front. We moved all the plants that were out front to the back. I was getting frustrated with how the garden looked and wanted to try something new. I walked up and down the isles looking at all the plants trying to find the best ones that would get tall and survive the hot afternoon sun. Fun, fun. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Thanks Ry, Kailee and Ellie for the Mothers Day garden!

Oh yeah, can't forget to mention... on Saturday Ryan noticed Kailee starting to go potty so he ran her upstairs and helped her get on the potty. She went like it was no big deal. Ryan called me upstairs and we kept praising her and telling her good job. Then I ran downstairs and got her some jelly beans. It was so funny because she just looked at us like we were silly. She didn't quite understand why we were celebrating like we were... afterall, all she did was go potty on the potty. Hopefully it will become a habit for her sometime soon!!

April 24th- April 30th 2011

Sunday was Easter...

First, the celebration of the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Second.... Easter Basket Goodies!

In Ryans basket was an airplane, a watch for work and an Easter tie. My basket was full of lots and lots of socks and candy. Kailee got a bubble gun, a kite, a movie, a couple books, and some chapstick. Ellie got a toy light up ball, a couple books, and some treats! There was also 30 candy filled plastic eggs hidden around the house that Kailee had fun finding! My mom came up in the morning and had a yummy breakfast with us. She brought us a yummy and really, really cute bacon and eggs breakfast...made of chocolate! After church we headed to Ryans moms house for a yummy dinner and another egg hunt!

Sunday was also my 31st Birthday! Ryan and the girls gave me a cute pair of Nikes more socks and a gift card for some shorts!!

This picture is hillarious! We had just woke Ellie up from her nap and Kailee was being silly...

Ryan took Monday off work and it was fun to have him home again. We spent the day running errands... actually he ran me around to run errands. Of course as soon as we got in the car and started to drive Kailee and Ellie fell asleep. So Ryan dropped me off at the stores I wanted to go to and he waited, patiently, in the car for me so the girls could sleep.

Wednesday I got the cleaning bug again so I headed for the basement! We haven't been able to see our basement floor for a reeealllly loooong time. It got to the point that I did not like to go down there cause it was hard to walk around. Anytime something needed to go in the basement, we would open the door, throw it down the stairs and close the door! Nice huh! I went downstairs around 11am and worked till about 3pm. I reorganized the cold storage and then went through lots and lots of other stuff to sort it to be put away, thrown away or taken to the DI. I was really excited about how it looked when I was finished. Another project finished started! There's still lots to do, but there has been a huge improvement made! Our house is almost de-junked! While I cleaned, Kailee played with everything and kept herself occupied and Ellie sat in her bouncer watching! Ellie was really funny. Everytime I would leave her sight she would start to cry. As soon as I came back, she would stop!!  At times it was stressful, because I was trying to hurry to get as  much done as I could. Other times I just had to laugh because she learns something new every single day. I am glad that she loves me and doesn't want me to leave her, even for a second!

Before we headed to the basement Kailee wanted me to do her hair, like this:

I worked on the basement till about 3:00ish then I had to hurry and get cleaned up to get to Activity Days. Ryan got off work early so he could be home to watch the kids while I was gone. Libby Bailey was in charge of the activity this time and she had the girls make cute little foam purses. It's funny to watch the girls do projects. Some of them rush through the project as fast as they can and end up doing it completely wrong, others are so distracted by what the others are doing they barely start theirs and then some others do the very best they can and even ask for help to make sure they get it just right. We are all soooo different! This is definitely teaching me patience to let them do it how they want.

By the end of the week I think Kailee was starting to get cabin fever and wanted to leave the house. All day long Friday she kept saying Bye-Bye. Over and over. Poor kid. I was so focused on getting things done around the house I neglected her a little bit. When Ryan got home he called Jolie to see if she could go over there to play with Katie for a little while so she could get out to have some interaction! We dropped Kailee off to play with Katie and then the rest of us headed to Old Navy at the Gateway Mall. Kailee absolutely loves her cousins and has so much fun being with them. Ryan and I appreciate our families being willing to take the girls whenever we ask. 

On Saturday we got up early, had breakfast and then headed to Tawnies house for a Boutique she was having. Of course we had to buy a few of her peanut butter bars! We are addicted to those treats and I get excited anytime I hear she is making them!! After the boutique I was planning to get back down in the basement to finish it up, but we just couldn't get the motivation. We went down there later in the evening, went through some clothes we had stored down there and made our "keep, DI, or give away" piles. Then we loaded up the car with the stuff we were getting rid of and headed out to deliver it all. We didn't get a lot done, but it was nice to get that stuff taken care of. Every little bit helps!!

On Saturday we noticed Ellie starting to army crawl!! She is also starting to talk and it sounds like she is saying Maammaa and Daadaa!! 

Kailee's new favorite thing to say is "I want (insert item of choice) pwease?" She says it to be polite to ask for something, but she also says it to beg for whatever she wants. She is learning that if she asks for something and we tell her no, if she says "pweeease" she usually gets it! How can we reisist? She is too cute! She is also starting to answer our questions with a very excited "YES!" I always say this, but it is so fun to watch her learn new things and put her world together!!