Pumpkin Patch

I promised Vessel he could pick out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch for his birthday. Here are some photos of our afternoon.

Trying to get a spooky shot through the fence

My Boys

My Blog is Boring, right?

I honestly wish I had more time to write. That's the only thing keeping me from updating my blog. I have all these things I want to talk about. So many things I want to get out of my head. But finding the time to type it out and organize it? Not really. Maybe someday soon. I don't want to stop writing. I miss it.

Shippy and Smiles

Here are some comparisons of my two boys at around the same age

Vessel about 3 months

Jacob about 3 months

Me and Vessel

Me and Jacob

Vessel taking a bath

Jacob taking a bath


The title of this post is Shippy and Smiles, which is what I call my boys. Shippy is Vessel because he was a tanker as a baby (well, and vessel is another word for ship) and Smiles is Jacob because he is the most smiley little guy I've ever known. I don't remember Vessel ever smiling and laughing as much as Jacob does. Jacob laughs and smiles so much I just started calling him "Smiles." We'll see if it sticks.

Here are some super adorable pics of Jacob:





So this is such a random post, but I just wanted to show some pics of our summer projects:

Our backyard, which used to be horrific. I wish I would've taken some before shots. We tore out lots of trees and bushes with an excavator, ripped out a fence, tilled the dirt, made a trail, laid down sod. Phew, it took a long time.

Here is the retaining wall my husband built. He is quite amazing. I think it turned out splendidly.
Here is a picture of our deck. It wasn't this year's project, but I don't know if I ever posted pictures of it. We made a fire-pit in the center so we roast hot-dogs and marshmallows on occasion.
Mike learned a lot of new skills this summer, including how to put tile around the fire-pit.
You can't really see them, but I have some square food gardens in the back. It didn't produce anything this year. I planted a couple tomato plants, but I knew it was too late in the year to get anything from them. Maybe next year....

Now all we need is to build a privacy fence around the backyard and it should be all set. :)

Post Pregnancy Update

Jacob is 1 month old today. I feel like the time has gone by fast. Much faster than with Vessel. I had a difficult time adjusting to life as a new mom with him. When Vessel was a newborn I kept wishing his life away. I thought, "if only you were older then I could enjoy you." Regrettably, I didn't savor those newborn moments with Vessel. I know postpartum depression had a lot to do with that. Plus, I had several other things on my plate at the time including full time school and a calling in YW. And then my sister moved in with us and consequently brought all of her problems along with her too (not to mention my mother's death which still loomed over both of us.) Then there was that hypothyroid problem I was diagnosed with. Yeah, only two words to describe that time in my life: NO BUENO.
But things are so good this time around. I haven't had any postpartum depression or problems with my thyroid. My labor and delivery was great and I had a fantastic experience at the hospital. Last time I was admitted to the emergency room a week after delivery because of a uterine infection. But I haven't had any problems at all since Jacob's birth. I feel healthy and fully recovered for the most part. Wow, I can't believe how blessed I am to have everything going so well these days.
Can I just say, I have such a deep love for both of my kids? Jacob is so sweet and mild. I love cuddling with him. He is an amazing little babe. He eats well and sleeps like a dream. I can say this because Vessel NEVER slept through the night until he was over a year old. I blame myself for that. This time I've tried doing the "Babywise" methods and they are working great. When I was pregnant with Vessel I heard about the book "On becoming Babywise" and was told by numerous people that it was awful and basically child abuse. I vowed to steer clear of the book and just parent my child however it felt natural to me. And then while I was pregnant with Jacob I heard a couple of friends praising the book and I decided to read it for myself. So I picked up a copy at the library, and I just have to say that it is far from child abuse. In fact, I think it's a genius book! Jacob has started sleeping 6-8 hours straight through the night. I think a lot of this has to do with me applying the "babywise" techniques from the book. Anyway, having a baby on a good eat/wake/sleep cycle has done wonders for me. I feel way less exhausted this time than I did with Vessel.
Speaking of Vessel, things with him are going super as well. I was worried that when the baby was born he was going to be resentful, mean, and bitter. But he has certainly surprised me. Jacob couldn't ask for a more loving brother. Vessel has never tried to intentionally hurt the baby. He always want to love on him and kiss and hug him and stroke his hair. It's so sweet to watch. He calls Jacob HIS baby. It's nice that he hasn't been lashing out too much. I think having family visit for a couple of weeks helped because Vessel was lavished with attention while Mike and I could focus more on Jacob. Vessel is still just as loving towards me and Mike too. Of course, he has his days. He is a 3 year old after all. :) But he is a good little boy and I feel totally blessed that I get to be his mama. And that kid makes me laugh. He is getting so smart and says some of the funniest things I've ever heard. One of the best parts of having little kids is to hear the things that come out of their mouths. :)
So that is how the post pregnancy is going. I wasn't expecting things to be going as smoothly as they have, but I'm not complaining. If one thing can go right in my life, I'd rather it be with my little family than anything else.

Life....and stuff

Jacob likes to punch himself in the eye.

Cuteness.

Black and white cuteness.

Not a fan of bath-time.

Mike turned the big 2-8 on July 13th. I made sure to "Rick Roll" him twice. And both times he fell for it. I rock.
I made a basket full of treats with balloons and a card with the best Dwight Schrute quote on it. I also made him a cake (which Mike's mom frosted and decorated) and his favorite Indian food.

Then I blindfolded him and drove all over creation to try and disorient him.

Then we ended up at the grassy area near the Civic Center where the farmer's market is held. I hired a couple musicians to play a private concert for us. They played "our song" and a few DMB covers because that's Mike's favorite artist.

Then we busted out the "booze."

Mike's parents came to stay for a little over a week. They were a HUGE help with the kiddos. We spent a day in Helena with them. Here is Vessel and grandma on the carousel ride. It took a lot of persuasion to get him to ride on an animal and not the freakin' bench. Ha ha.

Then we ate at the supposed best sandwich place in Helena called the Staggering Ox. This is what my club sammich looked like. There were a lot of artsy paintings which gave the place a cool ambiance.


Uh, that's all the pics I've got to share right now. Thank you for viewing.

Who is Who?

A.

B.

A. Vessel
B. Jacob

Jacob Phoenix

After 5 days the kid finally has a name. It was tough, you guys. We went through at least 10 baby name books, and online baby name sites, and we even went through the dictionary. If I had my way he would've been named Riven Jacob as soon as he was born, but Mike was not into that. I understand where he's coming from though. If he had his way the boy would be named Dallin, and I so wasn't into that. Anyway, here he is. Little Jacob. And here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

He loves sucking on his hand. It's really cute.

And here's a cute one of Vessel with his new bike riding gear!