It's Finally Here...

I can't beleive it, Christmas has finally arrived! I just wanted to take a minute and wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope that you all enjoy your time with friends and family as we reflect on the 'reason for the season'. I am especially grateful for this Christmas this year, as it has taught me that yes, there are still a few good people in the world, and miracles do happen as long as you have a little faith. One miracle that happened at our house this year is some great people at a certain place that we do business knew about our family's struggle this year with Justin losing his job and knew that Jaxon probably wouldn't get much, if any, Christmas this year. So they took it upon themselves to go out and buy Jaxon his Christmas gifts. They also made sure that they got our family money for grocerys too, which came in very handy. Watching the wonder and amazement on Jaxon's face as Santa delivered his gifts was so amazing and something that I will never forget. I am especially anxious to watch this little guy tear into his gifts tomorrow morning, and will always be forever grateful to these great people. What they have done for our family will always be remembered and cherished. I can't wait for the day that we can 'pay it forward'. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Making Cookies For Santa!

Jaxon & Mom rolling the cookies in sugar.

So this Holiday season has been so much fun with Jaxon! We have been explaining all about Santa to him and all sorts of other Christmas stuff. So in our explaining to him about the big guy, we told him that we need to make him cookies to leave out on Christmas Eve. So, tonight we made Ginger Snaps for Santa. Jaxon & I mixed the batter, I rolled them into balls and he rolled them in the sugar. Needless to say our kitchen counters and floor were covered in sugar, but oh well, it's the experience of it all right? He was so fun to watch while rolling the cookies in the sugar; he was so proud of himself! Then we watched them bake and then Dad decided that it was time for a bath since he was covered in sugar and thought that maybe that would be the easiest way to clean him up! When he got out of the tub he ran downstairs and was looking for his cookies, and of course we had to taste one to make sure that they were ok to leave for Santa! Too fun!!

Sledding...

This is Jaxon waiting ever so patiently for Mom & Dad to get ready to take him sledding!

For Christmas this year Grandpa & Grandma Davis bought Jaxon some new snow boots, and Grandma said that if he needed them early to play in the snow, he could have them. So we called them this weekend and they brought over the snowboots and a new sled for Jaxon to play in the snow with. So, we bundled him up (just like the little kid on the movie "A Christmas Story") and took him to Peteetneet to try out the new gear.

Naturally when we got there the camera died, yeah the same thing happened last year too. Go figure! Anyway, he loved it! There were a lot of other kids there sledding and he loved watching them too!

Santa & Jaxon

Ok, so I know the picture is sideways and I apologize for that, but it is still a super cute picture since last year with Santa we had a MAJOR meltdown. This year we took him to see Santa uptown at what was supposed to be Payson's Christmas Festival. Yeah it wasn't much of a festival, but all Jaxon cared about was seeing the big guy. I decided that this year I would prep Jaxon to see Santa by telling him all week long that we were going to see him and that Santa was really nice; and Jaxon's reply every time was "I'm going to cry!" I was a little nervous as to how it was all going to play out...but needless to say he did great and talked all about it for the rest of the night. Justin keeps saying that it looks like Jaxon is telling Santa his whole life story in this photo, and I think I agree!

Brownie Bliss

Jaxon enjoying a brownie that I made. Man those were the days that you could eat however you wanted and nobody said anything. Do you think he enjoyed it? Yeah me too!

A New Way To Watch Cartoons

This is Jaxon's new way of watching cartoons...

Yeah, that is the hide-a-bed that he is sitting on with the couch cushion behind him. I don't why or where he learned this, but almost every morning this is how he sits on the couch to watch tv.

One Of My Best Friends

Ok, so I am sure that some of you that read this are going to think I am crazy to do a post about my little dog, but seriously I love this dog like I love Jaxon! He follows me everywhere, snuggles with me on the couch, and sleeps right next to me at night. I probably take as many photos of Harley as I do of Jaxon. I know kind of pathetic, but I don't care.

This is when I thought Harley was lost the other day, but really he was curled up under this big quilt we keep in the living room. He has gotten lost in the house before...but that is a whole other story! See, he is so little and he gets cold, so he is always under a blanket or curled up somewhere.

This is kind of blurry, but I went to lay Jaxon down the other day for a nap, and usually Harley will follow me to Jaxon's room, only this day he didn't. I came back downstairs and this is where I found him...eating the crumbs out of Jaxon's highchair. Like he doesn't get enough to eat!

I don't know why he closed his eyes. Maybe he thought he was in trouble, only I was laughing too hard to be mad at him!

So there you go...a little glimpse at my 2nd child.

When It's Too Quiet...

So I was working in the office this morning thinking Jaxon was in the living room watching cartoons. I noticed that the house seemed a little too quiet so I decided to go investigate. When I came out of the office and turned the corner, this is what I saw...

That's right! My little man with his Christmas jammies half unzipped (I am pretty sure that Justin taught him that), with his Santa hat on, digging Jello out of the bowl with his hands and shoving it in his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days!! It was too funny, I couldn't be mad, so I grabbed the camera instead thinking..."hey this would make a great blog entry!" Welcome to my Monday!

HE GOT IT!!!!

HOORAY!!! We could not be more excited! Justin got the job with Schwan's! We know this means a long work week, including 12 hour days, but the money is great and it is perfect timing! He goes on Monday to start filling out paperwork and then should start the following week. It just feels like such a weight has been lifted off of our shoulders. He will be making twice as much as what he made at Sunroc to begin with and they have great benefits. We are so excited to see our lives get some stability back. What a great way to start the new year!

A Little Update...

So I just thought I would update you all on the CRAZY life at the Cingolani household where it is seriously never a dull moment!

1. Thanksgiving was great! I hope everyone else enjoyed theirs as well! We went to my parent's house this year. My sister and her husband and their little boy flew in from Texas, both my grandmas were there, and my little brother was there too. This is the first year in about 4 years that we have all been together for Thanksgiving. We had a ball and found out that my sister is expecting their second baby in April! This is so crazy and exciting because only my parents knew, so I walk in the door and there she is standing with her 5 month old belly! Too fun! I seriously have a lot to be thankful for this year, but I will save it for another post maybe.

2. Justin started back to Sunroc. This is a good/bad thing. The good thing is we now have health insurance, and some money. The bad thing is the fact that they are not busy enough with work and decided to not have him work today, and we are worried about this happening over and over in the future. So that means today was unpaid. Not a good thing when you have financial obligations! He is interviewing with a different company tomorrow. (no not Questar, they were nice enough to send him a letter saying they found some one else for the position. RATS!!) This job pays really well and is very stable. It is a lot of hours, but we are thinking that it might be worth the sacrifice to get ahead right now. I will update you all on how that goes later on.

3. We put up our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving night and Jaxon has decorated/undecorated it about 100 times per day! This is fun to watch until about 5:00 p.m. and then I just want to take the dang thing down! Justin and I are working on having patients with him about it. If that is not a full time job, I don't know what is! Seriously though, I love this time of year. Ask my husband, next to my birthday, this is the best time of the year! This year though I have had a hard time getting in to the Christmas spirit, I think with everything going on, but I just keep reminding myself that it could be worse and that we are not alone in this boat.

I think that about brings you all up to speed on the Cingolani household. Look for more updates to come!

THANK YOU!!

Just wanted to post a quick THANK YOU to all of you who have left such sweet messages about Justin getting a job. We so appreciate everyones thoughts and sweet words at a time like this. Also a HUGE thank you to two of my best friends (you know who you are!) for their support for us. What they did for us means more than they will ever know! Anyway, thanks again guys and we love you all!!

FINALLY!!!

So after hours and days and weeks with little or no sleep and a lot of stress and applying to jobs...Justin finally was offered a job and he took it!! It is back at Sunroc (yes, the same company he was laid off from) only in the insulation plant, and not the lumber side where he originally was. So, he goes today to fill out some paperwork and get the ball rolling and hopefully by this next week he can start working again. This is especially a good thing because he will get his medical benefits back immediately, which is great because neither Justin or myself have been covered while he has been off. We have some reservations because of the way this job pays its employees, but anything is better than where we are right now.

The funny/crazy thing about this happening now is on Tuesday night he was looking at the DWS website and there was a job for Questar for a meter reader postition. Naturally it paid well, was close to home and comes with great stability and future growth. So he applies for the job, we fax off the application cause it had to be there by 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, and then last night Sunroc calls and offers him this insulation job. So, in the meantime, we are crossing our fingers that Questar does call and maybe offers him the job with them, because that would be more ideal for us, but we will see. It just never fails, our timing for these things is always off.

However, I am just glad that we have something now, besides lovely unemployment and I know it will make Justin feel better to be back to work. I have to admit I am also looking forward to not having to stress so much and maybe the headaches and sleepless nights will go away!

Cinnamon Rolls...YUM!!!

So this morning my lovely husband informed me that he thought Cinnamon Rolls sounded really good. Well, they obviously were not on the grocery list, as we are on a tight budget with Justin being out of work, so I decided to see if I could make some. So I get out my trusty cookbook, and low and behold, I just happen to have everything on hand to make these yummy treats! So we went to work, and by we I mean mostly me, but he did help a little. You see last week I tried to make bread and both loaves came out rock hard, so I was a little nervous to make Cinnamon Rolls, as the making of the dough scares me. (BTW if anyone has a good and simple bread recipe, please pass it along!!) Anyway, as you can see these came out beautifully and tasted delicious! Justin was making fun of me when I told him I was going to blog about my Cinnamon Rolls, but I am sure that someone out there will appreciate this post, even if he doesn't!

Happy Halloween!

Ok, so I thought I took more pictures of Jaxon in his monkey costume, but this is about the only decent one. He is really in to Curious George right now, so the monkey costume worked out great and he thought it was really cool! He even thought the banana was a phone and kept trying to talk on it! All we heard all day yesterday was Jaxon saying "haween" (halloween). He just kept repeating it over and over.

We took him to a few houses and to Grandmas (where the good stuff is) and he seemed to have fun for the most part. The only melt down we had was when we told him he couldn't have any of his candy because we hadn't had dinner yet. We really aren't cruel parents, it was just my parents were taking us to dinner after we had gone trick or treating! Hope everyone else had a fun Halloween!

Carving Pumpkins

On Tuesday afternoon we decided to carve the 2 pumpkins that Jaxon got from his Grandma's this year. Justin cut the tops off so Jaxon & I could clean them out, (funny how he got out of that messy job, right?). I was trying to show Jaxon how to clean them out, but he wasn't too sure about it.

After a few minutes of watching me, he decided that it was ok and dove right in. It was fun to watch him with the seeds and the stringys. He either didn't like the strings on his hands, or wanted to eat the seeds. YUCK!

Then, the next night (cause we forgot the night we carved them, I know horrible parents!) we lit them up! Again Jaxon wasn't too sure as to why we were outside in the dark past his bedtime. But once we lit them all we heard from him was "hot, hot!" It was the cutest thing!

Here is our pumpkins all lit up!

And to finish it off, here is me trying to get Jaxon to look at the camera for a family photo in front of our pumpkins! This year was so much more fun than last year!

Lazy Sunday Afternoons

So Justin woke up Sunday morning and told me that his foot was really hurting but he didn't know why. So, being the good nurse wife that I am, I said take 2 Ibuprofen and let me get my foot soaker. I think he thought the foot soaker was a little girly, but as soon as he put his feet in it he couldn't stop telling me how good it feels. (I love when I am right! :)) So of course Jaxon had to be right in the middle of it and was fascinated with the bubbles. We let him have a turn with Dad, but I didn't grab a photo of it. So needless to say, while watching the Nascar race, Justin and Jaxon were relaxing it up by soaking their feet!

HELP!!!

So I want to change my background to something fun for Fall, and I can't seem to figure it out! Everytime I follow the instructions to change it, it never fully works! Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?!

Time For A Scentsy Party...

For those of you that don't know, I am a Consultant for Scentsy. I have a party that I am doing on Tuesday, October 28th so if any of you all want to place an order now is a great time to do it so you won't have to pay shipping on your order. If you do want to place an order you can e-mail me at alcingolani@yahoo.com. You can also take a look at the catalog on my web site, www.scentsy.com/amandacingolani.

They also have these great new Plug In warmers that are perfect for a bathroom or an office, and are only $15.00! I think they would make a GREAT Christmas gift!

You can also host your own party and earn lots of FREE stuff, and get some things at 1/2 price!

What Happens When Mom Is Gone???

I went and did a Scentsy party last night, so Justin was watching Jaxon while I was gone. When I got home Justin said he had a picture to show me. These are what he showed me and I couldn't help but laugh! Justin decided to dress Jaxon up in the beanie, glasses and gloves that Justin uses when he used to ride his motorcycle to work in the mornings. I have a feeling he is going to be just like his dad when he gets bigger! YIKES!!!

Never A Dull Moment...

So I have decided that there is never a dull moment in our house. The latest occurance of this is Justin getting laid off from his job yesterday, and Jaxon having the flu on top of that. We heard that something was going on at Justin's work, but didn't really think that anything would happen. Sure enough, Wednesday morning as soon as Justin walked in they told him that they had to lay him off. What a day. I have never felt so lost or so out of control in my life, and if you know me I like to be in control of everything. Not sure if that is a good thing or not, but that is just the way I am programmed. So we had to swallow our pride and file for unemployment and other resources that we never dreamed we would have to use. Needless to say, we have spent the last day online looking for jobs and Justin is out filling out applications today. Jaxon on the other hand is feeling better, minus the milk and Kix cereal he threw up this morning. I don't know if it is a flu bug or something he ate, but he has been throwing up and having the runs for the last 2 1/2 days. Poor kid, I hate when he doesn't feel well. Anyway, that is the scoop at our house. Hope everyone else is doing well! Oh and to add we meet with the Speech Therapist next Thursday to see if Jaxon is in need of their help or not.

New Hair

So I decided that I wanted something new and different for the Fall Season, so I went to my fabulous hair dresser on Saturday and she totally hooked me up! I really like it, what do you all think?

Too Cute...

This is what happens when Mom takes to long to cook lunch!!

Vegas Vacation

We had SO much fun down in Vegas! We saw and did lots of fun stuff, and ate at some yummy places. We went through M&M World, which was one of my favorite places, wandered through all the different casinos, ate at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant, tried to eat at Toby Keith's but the wait was too long, and seriously I think we walked 100 miles through the whole trip! We decided that was the best way to see everything was to walk. The best part was having Jaxon with us so the "card" passer outers didn't bother trying to give us any. I could have done with out all the cigarette smoke, but all in all we had a good time. Oh and I must say that Jaxon is a world class traveler and didn't even care where we were going, he was just along for the ride!

Toby Keith has a bar & grill in the Harrah's casino that we tried to go eat at, but the wait was too long for the little one.

Inside the Venetian Hotel & Casino. I really wanted to go on one of these gondola rides.
Justin & Jaxon with the Green M&M at M&M World!
Jaxon & I in front of the Nascar M&M racecar at M&M World. (I felt like a little kid at this place!)
The lions at the MGM Hotel & Casino. This was super cool to see. The glass between you and the lions is only 1 1/2" thick!
DelRay, Crazy Joe, and Justin. These are his friends that we were hanging out with.

The group of friends that we followed from St. George to Vegas.
This is Jimmy Buffet's restaurant Margaritaville. It was really good and was a cool place to see.
Ok, so I was totally a tourist and was fascinated by the Stratosphere! (Sorry it's sideways!)
I loved walking through here, it was right across the street from where we stayed.
Jaxon & Justin inside Caesar's Palace.

A Little Update...

This is for all 3 or 4 people who care to read my blog or who care to know what is going on in my life! We have appointments with the speech therapist and the developmentalist later in the month of October. They will come in and evaluate Jaxon to see if there is a need for him to see a therapist and to see where he is developmentally and if he needs any help there. I feel good about this endeavor and am doing it more for my own peace of mind.

On a side note, we are headed to Las Vegas tomorrow to catch up with some of Justin's friends at a bike rally. I plan on shopping, shopping, eating, shopping, and oh yeah, catching up with some friends! I have never been to Vegas before (I know, I know, pathetic) and am really looking forward to the little break before the holidays come! I will post some pictures and any great stories from our adventure when we get back. Until then, peace out!

Speech Therapist

So I called the doctor's office today to see what the doctor thought we should do after getting the results of Jaxon's hearing test. He suggested seeing a Speech Therapist from Kids Who Count. So we meet with the coordinator tomorrow to get all set up and ready for our meetings with the therapist. I feel really good about this decision and am anxious to get the ball rolling. Like I have said before, maybe I am paranoid, but a little extra help doesn't hurt right? Stay tuned for more updates on how this adventure goes.

Update on the Hearing Test

Ok I know I am a little out of control, 3 posts all in 1 day, but I just wanted to give an update on the trip to the doc for the hearing test. We just got back and he did in fact pass this hearing test. So that makes me feel good to know that he can in fact hear. So I am not sure what happens from here. I will chat with our doc in a couple of days and see what he recommends. Maybe I am just being anal and paranoid, but I just want to be sure that everything is ok. I do however feel like this doctor that we just saw was kind of thinking I was crazy because after the test he was all "I am sure he is normal and just not ready to talk." This may be true, but the last time I checked I am the mom and I get to decide what I want done with my child. I am pretty sure that is my right, especially as a first time parent, to be a little more concerned. Anyway, there is my soapbox for the day, and I will keep you all updated on what happens next.

100 Random Things About Me!

I stole this from my friend Misty's blog. I thought it was a fun idea and decided that I wanted to do it too. So here they are in no particular order, 100 random things about me!

1. I loved my wedding, and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

2. I wish I could have met Justin's parents before they died.

3. I loved being pregnant with Jaxon and can't wait to do it again.

4. Harley is one of my best buds.

5. I love Disney movies.

6. I am a bookworm.

7. I couldn't live without caffeine.

8. I craved Dr. Pepper like there was no tomorrow when I was pregnant with Jaxon.

9. I had heart surgery when I was in 8th grade.

10. I love living in the country.

11. I miss my job at Dillard's.

12. I love being a mom.

13. Being a mom has been harder than I thought sometimes.

14. It took us 3 days to have Jaxon.

15. I have learned patients after having Jaxon.

16. I am deathly afraid of heights.

17. I am a very loyal friend.

18. I am opinionated.

19. I love the color pink.

20. I was dissapointed when we found out Jaxon was a boy cause I really wanted a girl.

21. I love my 2 sister in laws.

22. I bite my nails when I am nervous or anxious.

23. I am OCD about doors being locked.

24. I started having anxiety attacks after I had Jaxon.

25. I always worry about money.

26. I love a clean and organized house.

27. I love to cook.

28. I hate cleaning toilets.

29. I hate to wash dishes.

30. My first kiss was in 8th grade. I never talked to him again after he kissed me.

31. I sometimes have trust issues with people.

32. I don't understand politics and it drives Justin crazy.

33. I love driving Justin crazy. [in more ways than one! :)]

34. I have a really good memory.

35. I had my galbladder removed 6 years ago.

36. I am supposed to wear glasses or contacts.

37. I used to clog and loved it.

38. I have never been good at math.

39. I am addicted to hot baths at night.

40. I love to read in the tub.

41. I love Good Housekeeping magazine and wait for it religiouly every month to come in the mail.

42. I love the show Good Things Utah.

43. I wish I could meet the girls on GTU.

44. I love to shop.

45. I love mexican food.

46. I love desserts.

47. I don't always wash my face before bed.

48. I love makeup.

49. I would love to go to beauty school.

50. I live on a storage unit site.

51. I am afraid of spiders.

52. love to travel.

53. I love to swim.

54. I only gained 35 pounds when I was pregnant.

55. I love reality shows.

56. I am very claustrophobic.

57. My favorite saying is 'sounds good'.

58. I moved a lot when I was young.

59. I love to talk on the phone.

60. I always wanted to be a nurse.

61. I love country music.

62. I have a shoe addiction.

63. Sometimes I get car sick.

64. I have to use my planner to stay organized.

65. I love making to do lists.

66. I love scrapbooking.

67. The holidays are my favorite time of year.

68. I think my birthday is a national holiday and I celebrate all month.

69. I can't stand it when things are mis-spelled.

70. I loved our honeymoon in Park City.

71. I am always early or on time to things.

72. I can't stand it when Justin is late to things.

73. I am afraid of the dark.

74. I am stronger emotionally and mentally than I thought I ever could be.

75. I like going to Price to visit my sister in law.

76. I love my car.

77. I am such a heavy sleeper that sometimes I don't hear Jaxon in the night.

78. I am harder on myself than I should be.

79. I am addicted to blogging.

80. I love camping.

81. I love live theater.

82. I could live in my pj's.

83. I love snowy days.

84. I never run out of things to talk to Justin about.

85. I am a Nascar fan.

86. Thanks to Justin I have learned a lot about sports that I never knew before.

87. Sometimes I say things to Jaxon that my mom used to say to me.

88. Some days I wish I was famous.

89. I love having my hair done.

90. I like going for walks.

91. I have a large shoe size for only being 5' tall.

92. I always try to make a good first impression.

93. I bought my first car from my grandpa.

94. I love roses but would never want to grow them.

95. I love massages.

96. Sometimes I say things without thinking.

97. I talk to Harley like he is going to talk back to me.

98. I have the worst sweet tooth that I know I passed on to Jaxon.

99. I get sick when I don't sleep at least 8 hours.

100. I always read the obituaries first in the newspaper.

Well, there you have it. 100 random things about me. Feel free to do this yourself, I think it would be interesting to see what other people had to say.

A Trip to the Doc

I took Jaxon to the doctor yesterday for his 2 year well child check. Of course as soon as the nurse asked him to stand on the scale, he started bawling like she just tried to take off his right arm. Then there comes the part of standing next to the wall to see how tall he is. Again he screams bloody murder. So we get into the room and the doctor comes in to give him the look over to make sure I am doing my job of keeping him alive and well. He asks me if I have any questions or concerns about how Jaxon is growing and developing. I did and was ready to ask. See Jaxon doesn't say much. He probably gets this from his dad, but it just seems that he has no interest in talking or even mimicking what Justin and I say. He probably only says 4-6 words right now. So the doctor decides that we should take him to an ear, nose, and throat doctor to have his ears tested just to be sure that he can hear well enough. So that is where we are off to today, for a hearing test. Once our doctor gets these test results back, we will go from there as to whether we need to see a speech therapist or not. It makes me wonder because the day after Jaxon was born he had to have a second hearing test because he failed his first one. (I wasn't too worried about it then because the technician who performed the test said that sometimes new babies still have amniotic fluid in their ears and that causes them to fail.) It could be a number of things why he isn't talking. Maybe he is stubborn (don't know who he gets that from?!), maybe he just isn't ready to talk, or maybe there really is something wrong and we need to figure it out to get a handle on it now. I feel very strongly about having him looked at and tested and feel I need to go with my mother's intuition. I will keep this blog updated for those that are interested in our journey (however long or short it may be) of getting Jaxon to talk.

Napping With The Toys

So I was in the other room for a minute and I realized that Jaxon was being awfully quiet. Usually not a good sign! I peeked into his playroom and this is what I saw. He is all snuggled up with his stuffed frog, fast asleep! It must be rough work being 2!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jaxon!

Well, it's official, I have a 2 year old! As of 3:15 this morning, Jaxon is 2! It is still so hard to believe because sometimes, like today, it feels like just yesterday that he was born and then other days it feels like we have had him around forever! He is such a funny boy and we absolutely love him to pieces! Justin and I both always say that we wouldn't know what we would do without him! Happy Birthday Jaxon! We love you so much!

The day he was born. September 10, 2006. 6 lbs. 2 oz. 19 1/2"

His 1st birthday party.

His 2nd birthday party.