-The Cingolani Family-

A Christmas Quiz, To Get Me Blogging...Again!

2011-12-15T16:04:00.001-07:00

Time to jump on the blogging bandwagon again. My friend Abby had this cute Christmas quiz on her blog and so I borrowed it from her. Enjoy...and you should totally post it on your blog too!!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? I love me a good hot chocolate. Not too sweet and not too rich. I like it creamy with marshmallows.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was younger and Santa came to my house he only wrapped a few things and we would find them on the couch. Now that I have a family of my own, Santa wraps everything and puts it on the couch with our stocking.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I love white lights. In my house and on my house. There is just something peaceful and calming about their glow.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. My parents used to have a mistletoe decoration that they would hang up, but no mistletoe in this house.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Thanksgiving night. I always feel like a little kid setting up the tree!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Only one?! Let's see...I love a good ham and potato dinner. I know that's not one dish, but whatever.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Sleeping in sleeping bags with my siblings in one of our rooms. We would stay up all night talking about what we thought Santa was going to bring us.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was in 5th grade. Too old you think? My friends started telling me there was no Santa and so I remember asking my mom and told her to tell me the truth. Sad day...I still sort of believe though. I love that magical feeling!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We did when I was younger and still do now. We get to open Christmas jammies and sometimes a movie or game to watch or play that night.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights, red and gold ornaments with a handful of others. We buy an ornament every year and we have started buying our boys one too.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it! I don't like being cold or driving in it, but I still love it!

12. Can you ice skate? Yep. Haven't been in forever but I can.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My favorite was from Santa one year. It was my first porcelain doll and her name was Amanda. Still have it and cherish it to this day.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Definitely eating good food with no guilt and spending time with friends and family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I love a warm piece of apple pie with lots of cool whip on top.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Buying the boys a new Christmas book each year. Having Christmas Eve dinner, just the 4 of us. Going out to Justin's grandparents house in Eureka on Christmas Day. His grandpa is the funniest guy I know and we always have a great time with them.

17. What tops your tree? The past 5 years it has been a gold star. But it crapped out this year so while we were out Black Friday shopping we picked up a red and gold Santa that lights up.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving- It is so fun to figure out what to buy for everyone, then to wait for their reaction when they open it. I have a hard time keeping it a secret though. Like I said, I turn into a little kid this time of year! It has also been neat this year to explain to Jaxon about giving to those less fortunate.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? I like them in almost all flavors.

20. Favorite Christmas show? The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Elf, A Christmas Story, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I remember watching most of these growing up. I do love the classics too. Rudolph, Frosty, Santa is Coming to Town, etc.

21. Saddest Christmas song? Is there one? Strange...

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Again, only one?! I will admit that I love Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I also like listening to Kenny G (don't judge me). I listened to those growing up. I have recently come to love Michael Buble and Josh Groban. I like the Trans Siberian Orchestra too. (I don't know if I even spelled that right, and sorry, but I am too lazy to look it up.)
Leave me a comment if you post it to your blog so I can check it out!

Finally...

2011-07-22T11:52:00.000-06:00

I finally got blogger figured out...thank goodness! I was getting a tad frustrated. Anyway, I am back and that's all that matters. We have had a busy summer playing at the pool, going to a Bees baseball game, eating lots of yummy summer food, and playing in the sun! I have so much I need to blog about, all in good time I guess. This weekend is the 24th of July, always a good time! We are lighting fireworks on Sunday, and going to the parade on Monday. Should be a fun weekend! Hope you all have a great weekend as well!

What Is Going On?

2011-06-13T20:27:00.000-06:00

Ok I am having some serious blogger issues! I want to change around the colors and fonts but when I go to the template designer it says that an error occured. Not sure if I am doing something wrong or if I need to report this to blogger. Any ideas?

Day 14 of 30

2011-05-21T10:41:00.000-06:00

Day 14: Someone who fascinates you and why

This is Sandra Lee. She is an author and host of a Food Network show, Semi Homemade. It is one of my favorites on the Food network. She fascinates me because of what she has been through and what she has become because of it. Here is the condensed version of her story. She is the oldest of I think 4 siblings. Her mom raised them alone and also suffered from depression. This made it hard for her to function as a 'normal' mom, taking care of her kids and house and keeping a job. There were a lot of days that she would just lay on the couch and watch tv. So Sandra had to step up to take care of herself and siblings, as well as pay the bills, do laundry, prepare meals, etc. She was only about 7 or 8 when this all started. In her book she said there were times when she didn't know where her next meal would come from. So, fast forward to her college years and she developed the idea of cooking the semi homemade way. "70% store bought ingredients and 30% fresh ingredients give you easy, fast, delicious meals that you can make in minutes." There were a lot of publishers that told her this idea of cookbook would never sell...they were wrong! She now has many, many cookbooks, a memoir that she wrote, and her tv show that has been on air for about 6 years.
I just think she is amazing because there were many times in her life that she could have just thrown her hands in the air and said "forget it!" Instead she chose to persevere and look at what her hard work and dedication has made of her! She is such an inspiration to me!

Day 13 of 30

2011-05-20T16:46:00.000-06:00

Day 13: Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and you find attractive

Brad Paisley

Tony Stewart

Gordon Ramsay

Trace Atkins

Blake Shelton

Quite the list right? We have 3 country music artists, a world famous chef, and a Nascar champion driver. Apparently I like guys with accents, deep voices, and kind of have a cocky, 'bad ass' (pardon the language) attitude.

It's kind of funny, cause even though my hubby can't sing (at least professionally), he is very similar to these guys. He wants to be a Nascar driver when he grows up and he definitely has the cocky attitude. Interesting...

I'm Bored, Already

2011-05-20T16:18:00.000-06:00

So here we are, the first day of summer vacation, and I am pretty sure Jaxon has told me "I'm bored" about a thousand times today. If this is the way the next 3 months are going to be...oh man!! Never mind the fact that he has a playroom full of toys, or a closet full of movies, or his own personal library full of books. Nope, none of that is any fun cause he is bored. So to fix this problem we decided to plan out our summer with 5 different themed days for the week. Here is what we came up with:*Movie Monday
*Crafty Tuesday
*Where can we go Wednesday
*Treat time Thursday
*Fun Fact Friday
So every Monday we will watch a movie together. Every Tuesday we will make a craft. I have every Wednesday off so we will go on some type of adventure. Every Thursday we will make some type of treat, and every Friday we will learn about something. We are also going to work on learning to read and know our sight words, continue practicing our writing, and do some worksheet pages out of his workbook each day. Our library does a summer reading program and we are going to be participating in that as well. We also have 9 days of swimming lessons at the beginning of June too. I think after reading this list of activities this kid isn't going to be saying "I'm bored". I am going to try my best to blog about our fun filled summer. What do you all have planned for the summer?

Day 12 of 30

2011-05-14T13:07:00.000-06:00

Day 12: Your highs and lows of the past year

The highs:
*Giving birth to a perfect, healthy little boy
*Paid off quite a bit of debt
*Pretty healthy family for the most part (more on that later)

The lows:
*My kids getting bigger and bigger every day (it's a good thing but makes this mama sad!)
*I really can't think of much else, I can honestly say that this last year has been one of our best yet!

Day 11 of 30

2011-05-06T17:40:00.000-06:00

Day 11: Somewhere you would like to move or visit

This is on my 'bucket list', to visit Hawaii. I want to go and spend about 10-12 days of sight seeing and laying in the sun on the beach. Aaaahhh!

ABC of Me

2011-05-06T17:35:00.001-06:00

I totally copied this from my friend Abby's blog. I thought it looked like fun, enjoy!
Age: 28
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathrooms (especially the toilets), washing dishes
D. Dogs: My Chihuahua, Harley (he is the cutest thing ever and makes me laugh every day!)
E. Essential start to your day: A few minutes of quiet
F. Favorite color: Pink
G. Gold or Silver: Gold when it comes to diamonds, silver for most anything else
H. Height: 5'0
I. Instruments you play: None :(
J. Job title: Mom, Office Manager
K. Kids: One 4.5 year old and a 1 year old
L. Live: Payson (West Mountain), Utah
M. Mother's name: Brenda
N. Nicknames: Sometimes my mom calls me Mandy, and my dad used to call me Mandy Pandy

O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 - One for heart surgery in 7th grade, one for giving birth to Jaxon and one for giving birth to Anthony (the last 2 were the best!)

P. Pet peeve: When people run late, when there isn't a 'plan' for something, judgemental people

Q. Quote from a movie:

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: I'm the oldest, then a younger sister and a younger brother

T. Time you wake up: 7 a.m.

U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret

V. Vegetable you hate: Cauliflower

W. What makes you run late: Getting two boys ready

X. X-Rays you've had: One when I broke my foot in 5th grade

Y. Yummy food that you make:

Z. Zoo animal: Hippo

Day 10 of 30

2011-04-28T20:32:00.001-06:00

Day 10: Bullet your whole day

Ok, I'm back. We have made it through the first birthday and Easter and now life has settled down...a bit. Try to contain yourself when reading the events of my day...it's sooo exciting!! :)

*Woke up at 7:30 a.m. (wanted to sleep longer but the boys did not...they won)
*Made breakfast for the boys and myself
*Hubby got home from working a graveyard
*Ate breakfast while visiting with hubby, looked at Facebook (look at me multi task!)
*Hubby went to bed, I got ready for the day
*Opened my office at 9:00 a.m. (I work from home)
*My mom came over at 10:15 a.m. to watch Anthony
*Emptied the dishwasher
*Went to school with Jaxon from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (thank goodness for preschool teachers...those kids wear me out!)
*Came home and ate lunch with my mom and Jaxon
*Walked outside for an hour
*My mom left and I got the mail
*Looked at Facebook, e-mail and blogs
*Tried to fix our DVD player that Anthony broke
*Hubby woke up, came down and tried to fix DVD player...no success, thank you Anthony
*Visited with hubby
*Closed office
*Hubby ate dinner while I got him a lunch together
*Got the hubby out the door for another graveyard (the last one for the month, YAY!!)
*Fixed Anthony dinner, I ate with him
*Fixed Jaxon dinner
*Bathed Anthony and made a To Do list for tomorrow (I have a hard time functioning with out them)
*Got Anthony lotioned up and in jammies, mmmm he smells good!
*Played with the boys, read books
*Helped Jaxon with his preschool workbook
*Cleaned up the playroom with the boys
*Put Anthony to bed
*Hung out with Jaxon, did this post
*The rest of the night will probably be watching Sprout with Jaxon til he goes to sleep then catching up on my DVR'd shows, then head up to bed around 11:00 p.m.

In the midst of all this excitement I also changed diapers, let the dog outside, and worked in the office. Told ya it would be exciting!!

Day 9 of 30

2011-04-14T12:19:00.000-06:00

Day 9: Put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs to come up

Please don't judge me...I don't own an ipod, nor do I want to. It's something I would never use and honestly I am a bit technologically challenged. They kind of scare me. So, I guess I am skipping this post since I am with out and ipod. Again, please don't judge me!!

Day 8 of 30

2011-04-14T12:17:00.001-06:00

I am already lagging behind by 3 days on this challenge. Is that why it is called a challenge? For me I guess it is! So, because it's my blog and I can if I want, I am going to do the 3 days that I missed today. Here goes!

Day 8: Something You Miss

Lately something I miss is my sister and her family. Especially since she just had this new baby. That is the only downfall of her hubby being in the military is they move around a lot and it is hard to be able to see them. Family is really important to me and I love when all the family is together. My siblings and I are all so different, it amazes me that we all came from the same parents, but they are mine and I love them. However, on a side note, rumor has it my sis and her fam are planning a trip out here in the fall of next year, so I am looking forward to that!

A New Member To The Fam

2011-04-12T16:08:00.000-06:00

Not to my fam, but to my sister's fam. She had their 3rd baby boy this morning at 4:16 a.m. He was 5 days over due (she doesn't like being induced...crazy!!) and weighed in at 9.5lbs and was 20.5" long. He looks just like his brothers! I wish I lived closer to them so I could go visit and snuggle that babe. They live in Hawaii right now, her hubby is in the army and that is where they are stationed for the next 2.5ish years. Anyway, just wanted to share!!

Day 7 of 30

2011-04-11T20:53:00.000-06:00

Day 7: Bible Verse

I don't think I have a favorite bible verse. I honestly haven't read enough of the bible to have one. Religion has been on my mind a lot the last year or so, and I have found myself questioning what I really believe and what I think is good for me and my family in our life right now. We have some friends that are so great when it comes to this matter and have helped us so much. They have answered a lot of questions and have given us a lot to think about. I might blog more about this later on when more things come about, but for now that is all I have to say.

Day 6 of 30

2011-04-10T10:22:00.000-06:00

Day 6: A place you have travelled to

Beautiful picture huh? Yep, I have seen it in real life. It is no where extravagant, but it is beautiful. St. Pete Beach Florida. It's on the gulf and it is an awesome place to vacation. Justin, Jaxon & I went there to visit Justin's grandparents in the summer of 2008. We stayed for about 10 days and it was awesome. The water was warm, the weather was perfect, and the sunsets are beautiful. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back!

Day 5 of 30

2011-04-09T19:02:00.000-06:00

Day 5: A picture of something that makes you happy

These boys seriously make me happy every day. Even on the days that are not so great. They still find some way to make me happy and smile. Having these two boys around has really taught me what life is all about. I love watching them grow and see their little personalities shine.

This cute little dog makes me happy too. He is our 'honeymoon baby' (we brought him home on our way home from our honeymoon) and seriously he is just like one of our kids. He sleeps in between Justin & I at night, hogs the couch during the day and will growl at you if you try to move him, loves to go with us in the car and likes to eat up the crumbs left in the high chair from Anthony. He is so spoiled and I don't think he knows how good he has it. I love it at night after I get the boys in bed he jumps up on my lap and snuggles with me. I love the fact that he is so loyal and protective of me and that I can do no wrong in his eyes.

Day 4 of 30

2011-04-08T10:25:00.000-06:00

Day 4: A song to match your mood

Right now in life I would have to pick Martina McBride's 'Blessed' song to match how I feel. I am so lucky to have the life I do, with a loving hubby and wonderful, healthy kids.

I get kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughing
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Across a crowded room
I know you know what I'm thinking
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet
And no words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift

When I'm singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know

Day 3 of 30

2011-04-07T17:07:00.000-06:00

Day 3: Your parents

These are my parental units, Mark & Brenda. They are the people that raised me, so if I have any flaws it's their fault. :) No, really, these people are pretty cool. They raised me to be a strong, independant, smart, hard working kind of gal. These two always have my back and always have my best interest in mind. I don't think I could have asked for better parents...and they couldn't have asked for a better daughter. :)

(Just want to put it out there that I really am not a snob like this post makes me sound!)

Day 2 of 30

2011-04-07T16:58:00.003-06:00

So I should have done Day 2 of 30 yesterday, but it was a busy day of errand running so you get Day 2 and Day 3 today. Lucky you!
Day 2: Your first love:
Ironically my first love was a guy named Justin. Yeah that is my husbands name...only he is not the same Justin that was my first love. This Justin is from Spanish Fork and is about 4 years older than me. (My Justin is from Price and is 6 1/2 years older than me.) We thought each other was 'it' and he gave me a promise ring. This happened my Sophomore year of high school, you know, back when I knew everything about everything. So the summer after that year of school he went to boot camp for the National Guard and I 'waited' for him to get back. I flew out to Missouri with his family to watch him graduate from basic training and couldn't wait for him to come home. Then when he got home I realized that he wasn't the same person he was when he left and I broke it off. Good thing I did cause then I wouldn't have my Justin now. Young love is a funny thing. You think you are in love, but really you aren't. Looking at how I love my husband now and how I 'loved' that guy then, is two totally different things. The feelings couldn't be more opposite. However, all things happen for a reason and I feel like you have to learn from past experiences.

Day 1 of 30

2011-04-05T19:22:00.000-06:00

Day 1: A recent picture of yourself, introduction and 15 random facts about yourself

Hi! I am Amanda and this is Day 1 of my 30 Day Challenge. I am supposed to introduce myself and then list 15 random facts about myself. I have a super hot husband and two of the cutest boys around. I also have a super cute Chihuahua named Harley who is also like one of my boys. I love chocolate, mexican food and Pepsi. Is there more to life? I think not. Ok, enough about me, lets get on to the 15 facts. (I was just thinking...why do you have to introduce yourself when you are also going to list 15 facts about yourself? Just wondering.)

1. I never wanted to get married or have kids. So glad I met my hubby and decided to change my mind about that!

2. I am DEATHLY afraid of heights. I am pretty sure my 4 year old is more brave than I am.

3. I had heart surgery in 8th grade.

4. I am afraid of the dark.

5. I LOVE country music, and that's pretty much all I listen to.

6. A bubble bath and a good book is my 'go to' to unwind.

7. I am addicted to the Food Network.

8. I am a major coupon clipper/bargain shopper.

9. I have never met my father or mother inlaw.

10. I order the same thing at each restaurant 99% of the time.

11. I am a recent Jazz basketball/Nascar fan. (Never saw that one coming!)

12. I love entertaining and having people over to my home.

13. I used to be a make up artist for a cosmetic company.

14. I have to have a plan for each day.

15. I absolutely HATE cleaning bathrooms.

I'm Jumping On The Band Wagon

2011-04-05T12:50:00.000-06:00

So I have decided that maybe if I try this fun 30 Day Challenge that some friends of mine are doing that maybe it will help me be better about blogging more. I think it's an accountability thing. Here is how it will go:
Day 1: Introduction, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Your first love
Day 3: Your parents
Day 4: A song to match your mood
Day 5: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 6: A place you've travelled to
Day 7: Bible verse
Day 8: Something you miss
Day 9: Put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs that come up
Day 10: Bullet your whole day
Day 11: Somewhere you would like to move or visit
Day 12: Your highs and lows of this past year
Day 13: Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and you find attractive
Day 14: Someone who fascinates you and why
Day 15: A photo of something you ate today
Day 16: A letter to someone who has hurt you lately
Day 17: A youtube video
Day 18: A photo of you ten years ago
Day 19: Your favorite quote
Day 20: A regret you have
Day 21: Explain how you got your scars
Day 22: Talk about the cuteness of your pet
Day 23: The last thing that made you cry
Day 24: Talk about the last random act of kindness you encountered
Day 25: Ten things you want to do before you die
Day 26: How do you think others view you
Day 27: Picture of your family
Day 28: Your favorite musician and why
Day 29: A photo of you as a child
Day 30: Something you learned (if anything) about yourself in the last 30 days
Since I am typing this from a different computer I will have to do my Day 1 later on today. I know you can't wait!

Stuff

2011-02-13T20:24:00.002-07:00

We really are still alive. I still love looking at all of your blogs, but have a rough time keeping mine updated. Rather than bore you with playing catch up for the past 3 months, we will just start where we are now. I have to say, (knock on wood) life is pretty good right now. We are all healthy and happy, can we really ask for anything more? We are itching for Spring to get here so we can spend more time outside getting our wiggles out.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Am I excited? No not really. This is one holiday I could care less about. Not that I don't love being loved or having my hubby or others show it, but seriously my life would be just fine with out Valentine's Day. I always tell Justin, why spend money on gifts and a date for Valentine's Day when we could save that money and spend it on our anniversary. Jaxon has had fun with Valentine's this year though. He picked out Spiderman valentine cards to give to the kids in his pre-school class, and he and I made red velvet cupcakes. P.S. I felt really old buying my son his first box of valentine cards. The only thing Justin and I usually do for each other is buy a card. This year for some reason I was totally off my game and procrastinated buying him a card. So, after he went to work tonight I sat down and wrote him a letter. I think that is much better than a store bought card anyway.
So anywho, that is the excitement at our house...I know terribly exciting right?! I am seriously going to try to be better at this blogging thing, you all are making me look bad! :)

New Family Pictures

2010-11-20T13:54:00.003-07:00

Rub - A - Dub - Dub

2010-11-18T15:49:00.003-07:00

These two boys LOVE bathtime!! Jaxon especially likes bathing with Anthony. It gets a little wild sometimes, and sometimes I wonder who gets more wet, me or them, but it is fun to watch them play together.

Forever...Part 2

2010-11-18T15:17:00.004-07:00

Once again, it has been forever since my last post. My excuse this time? Yeah I have one...my computer was in the shop and it took like 2 months to get it back. I have lots of pics to post and have had good intentions to post, but 2 little boys, (and 1 big boy) have kept me busy lately. Rather than bore you with the past, here are the pictures and a little blurb to catch you up on our exciting life.

Jaxon has turned 4 now and has started pre-school. He loves his teacher and really enjoys going. He is growing like a weed, 35 lbs. and 40" tall, and has developed quite the attitude. We are dealing with a bit of a headstrong boy with a smart mouth to follow. My mom keeps saying it is just a stage and I hope she is right!

Anthony is 7 months old now and is also growing like a weed. He has 2 bottom teeth and is currently cutting the top 2. It is funny how different the 2 boys are. Teething with Jaxon was a breeze, but Anthony is another story. He is cranky, drooly, and not enjoying it at all...who could blame him? He is sitting up himself and we find him in the oddest places from him rolling and scooting all over the floor. He still isn't sleeping thru the night. Apparently to him sleep is over rated and is not important to him, which means it's not important to mom either.

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment!!

Forever

2010-09-02T15:25:00.002-06:00

Oh my gosh, it has been FOREVER since I have posted!! I just noticed that I didn't post at all in August...geez! I have been reading everyone elses blogs though, it is my only connection to the outside grown up world! Summer has been busy, but lots of fun. We took Jaxon to his preschool meet & greet today to meet his teacher. He starts on Tuesday and just the thought of him going to school brings tears to my eyes. On top of that he is turning 4 on the 10th. Seriously? Where did the last 4 years go? He isn't a baby anymore, but a big boy (as he often reminds me!)and is such his own little person. He has been a bit of a handful lately, and I think that going to school and having a bit more structure is going to be great for him. I am glad he is excited to go to school, it makes it a little easier on mom. I will do a full update complete with pictures soon when I find 5 minutes that I don't know what to do with. Not sure when that will happen... Til then I hope you all had a great summer and are looking forward to fall as much as I am!

Time For An Update!!

2010-07-24T17:15:00.004-06:00

You know it is time to update your blog when your BFF sends you a text message that says "Update your damn blog!" Life is good, just enjoying the summer. Here are a few posts, 11 to be exact, to catch you up on all the excitement we have had in the last month or so. It's ok if you don't read them all, I won't judge you, however I might be a tad heartbroken! :) Enjoy!!

The Toy Fairy

2010-07-24T17:12:00.002-06:00

Justin and I have decided that we are going to write a book entitled "Lies You Tell Your Kids to Get Them To Do What You Want". I am pretty sure it will be a bestseller. One chapter would be called The Toy Fairy and it would go something like this. If you want your kids to clean up their toy room, tell them that there is a toy fairy that will come and take whatever toys don't get cleaned up. It works...for now. (Please don't judge our parenting skills...or lack of skills! Whatever works right?)

24th of July

2010-07-24T17:08:00.002-06:00

So Justin had to work today, so the boys and I and my parents went to the Spanish Fork parade. It was a lot of fun and they both seemed to have fun. Then we went to lunch and school clothes shopping (am I really old enough to be buying my son school clothes?). It was a fun afternoon for sure!!

Anthony watching the parade

Jaxon at the parade

Twinners

2010-07-24T17:06:00.001-06:00

Just a cute picture of the boys in their matching outfits. Jaxon thought it was so cool that he and Anthony had the same shorts on and yellow shirts.

My Picasso

2010-07-24T17:03:00.002-06:00

You know when the backyard is a bit too quiet that someone is up to something. This is what it happened to be one day. Jaxon had built a HUGE mud hole and had 'painted' all over himself and the fence. Gotta love having boys!!

His beautiful mud picture on the fence.

He really gets into his work...notice the mud in his hair and all over his clothes!!

What My Boys Do Best

2010-07-24T17:01:00.001-06:00

I peeked in the living room and this is what I saw...the both of them glued to morning cartoons!

Aquarium & IKEA

2010-07-24T16:52:00.002-06:00

Last week we went up to the Aquarium and wandered through IKEA on the way back. Please don't judge us, but it was the first time we had been to IKEA. We kept saying we were going to stop but just never have. We thought this picture was funny cause it was totally us all day long. Mom pushed the stroller with the baby and Dad held Jaxon's hand...ok maybe not funny to you guys but we got a good laugh out of it!!

Our family friendly parking spot

The penguin encounter. Kind of a blurry picture cause they are FAST swimmers!!

Anthony wishing he could pet the sting rays.

A sting ray that popped up to say hi.

Justin & Jaxon touching the sting rays. This was Jaxon's favorite part of the aquarium and whether Justin wants to admit it or not, I think it was his favorite part too!

Growing Up WAY Too Fast!!

2010-07-24T16:43:00.003-06:00

So my baby is only 3 months old and thinks that he needs to be sitting up! He has been holding his head up since day 1, but this sitting up thing is CRAZY!! Either my brain is foggy or I just don't remember Jaxon trying to sit up this young. And he has started smiling, a lot!! I love to watch him smile, his whole face lights up!!

My two boys! Jaxon will not let me take a picture of just Anthony, he thinks he needs to be in every picture!

LOVE that smile!! It makes my day!!

Looking up at his mama!

3 months old and trying to sit up! Is this supposed to happen?!

I am pretty sure he is going to sit up and climb out of his chair any day now!!

He Found His Hand!!

2010-07-24T16:40:00.002-06:00

It's hard to tell from these pictures, but Anthony has found his hands and is fascinated with them!! He likes to hold his arm straight up in the air and just stare and his hand. I love watching him explore and learn new things!

4th Of July

2010-07-24T16:35:00.002-06:00

For the 4th of July we met up with Justin's sister at Rock Canyon Park. We brought sandwiches for dinner and sat and visited til it was time to watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire. Jaxon and his cousins had a ball playing on the hill and watching the fireworks. I think we might do this for the 4th from now on. It is a great place to sit and lots of fun for the kids.

Jaxon and his cousins playing with glowsticks.

This one is a tad blurry, but they were having so much fun running and rolling down this hill.

A Day At The Zoo & Gateway Fountains!

2010-07-24T16:17:00.004-06:00

We made our annual trip to the zoo in June. We had a lot of fun and both boys were troopers in the heat. We decided that next year it would be smarter to go either in the spring or fall.

At the fountains at the Gateway mall.

We were watching this giraffe try to get a leaf off of the tree.

Jaxon liked the giraffes and wanted to pet them.

Baby Zuri...she is so cute!

Baby Zuri

Jaxon measuring up against the gorillas.

At the Spider Monkey cage.

Justin & Jaxon watching the monkeys.

Discontinued Scentsy Bars Brought Back!!

2010-06-11T11:32:00.002-06:00

Hey all!! For the month of July only Scentsy is bringing back certain bars that were previously discontinued!! They are only available in bars and only for the month of July. I will be putting an order in on July 1st so if you want any of these great scentsy favorites, let me know by then. Also anyone who orders will receive a FREE gift with purchase and FREE shipping!! Now would be a great time to stock up on your favorites!! Leave me a comment or email me, alcingolani@yahoo.com with your order!! Here is the list of discontinued scents that will be available:

Leather
Cashmere
Watermelon Patch
Eucalyptus
Strawberry Sweetie
Mysterious
Sizzlin’ Coconut
Fried Ice Cream
Key Lime Tortilla
Newborn Nursery
Luscious Lemon
Banana Nut Bread
Apples & Pears
French Vanilla
Pumpkin Pie
Cappuccino
Eggnog
Blackberry Bushel
Cheerful Day
Pink Plumeria Passion

6 Weeks Already!

2010-06-08T11:21:00.003-06:00

Can you believe this littly guy is 6 weeks old already? Ok so he will be 7 weeks tomorrow (6/9) but this was taken last week. He is such a good baby and we love him so much. I have to say we are spoiled with him as far as his sleeping goes at night. He eats at 8:30 ish then goes to bed and sleeps until 2:00 ish. He gets up and eats, then doesn't usually get back up to eat again until around 6:00. I really can't complain about that! He is getting so big too! He is so heavy that my arm shakes a bit after holding him to nurse. I am thinking it is a good arm workout though! He loves to swing and be held and snuggled ( I am not complaining much about that either!) I am thinking he is going to be built a lot like his dad, big and stalky. I think we have a little linebacker on our hands!!

Day Out With Thomas

2010-06-08T11:09:00.003-06:00

On Memorial day we went up to Heber and rode the Heber Creeper with Thomas the Tank Engine. We had a lot of fun and Jaxon seemed to really enjoy it. After the train ride they had a bunch of little activities set up for the kids to do. We had a lot of fun and might have to go again next year.

Jaxon mini golfing.

Me and the boys on the train. It's not the greatest picture cause our batteries died right after Justin took it, naturally. We bought more after the train ride at their gift shop, yeah $1 a battery...highway robbery if you ask me, but hey you want to remember stuff like this so what do you do? Next time I will be sure to take extra batteries just in case!

I Never Thought...

2010-06-03T16:36:00.002-06:00

that I would be one of those moms that packs her baby around in a sling. I was always so against them thinking that the baby looked so uncomfortable and that it was crazy for a mom to pack her baby like that. Well, I am now a believer. This baby LOVES to be held and packed around, regardless of what I am doing or where I am going. So since I was not issued 2 more hands at the birth of this baby, I have resorted to the sling and am finding that my little man is quite comfy in there.

*Please excuse the way I look, I had been cleaning all day.

Smile!

2010-06-03T16:34:00.001-06:00

I told Jaxon to smile and this is what I got! What a ham!

My Thoughts On Being A Mom

2010-05-11T15:56:00.003-06:00

With Mother's Day being this past weekend, and lots of my friends having babies (including my own new baby) I have been thinking a lot about being a mom and the joy it brings me. This is seriously the toughest task I have ever accepted, but I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world. To me being a mom is the most daunting task I could have ever accepted. I mean I have these 2 boys who rely on me for EVERYTHING. It is my job to raise them well and teach them all they need to know to prepare them for the real world. Some days I get thinking about it and it almost scares me, so I try to take it one day at a time. Granted this job is not always so glamorous or easy. There are plenty of days that jammie pants and a t shirt is what my hubby comes home to (poor guy). I always thought I would never be that mom, but you know, spending more time with my boys or helping them with something is way more important than getting all dolled up. I have a girlfriend in Vegas who also has 2 kids and sometimes I just laugh at the conversations we have. We both used to work at a high end cosmetic counter and were quite the divas. Ok we still are divas, but you get it. But the funny part is to think of who we were then to who we are now because of our children. There are plenty of times that we chat and laugh at the fact that it is 2:00 p.m. and neither one of us has showered or got ready for the day. All because our kids take presedence in our lives and their needs come first.
I also have been thinking about my hubby's mom. It will be 11 years on Sunday that she has been gone and I know Mother's Day is rough for him with her not being around. It reminds me to take advantage of the time I have with my mom, even when it is not easy, because one day she will be gone. I wish I could have met Justin's mom just to thank her for raising such a great guy. The values she instilled in him are amazing, a lot of the time doing it on her own. He is such a great provider for our family and the most selfless person I know, and I know that comes from her.
Even as hard as this job is, I wouldn't trade it for the world. These 2 boys teach me more than they will ever know. Jaxon reminds me to stop and 'smell the roses' and that it's ok to have an imaginiation and be silly sometimes. And Anthony reminds me about the miracle of life and how precious it is. It is an amazing experience and I feel truly blessed to have these beautiful boys in my life.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T15:53:00.003-06:00

Mother's Day this year was great. I was woke up a tad too early by Anthony who wanted to eat, but I guess I will let it slide this once. Jaxon and Anthony got me a cute Snoopy card and Justin bought me this nicest card with the sweetest message wrote in it. They had tried to find me this sign that I wanted, but couldn't. Jaxon kind of spilled the beans Friday night, and we couldn't help but laugh at him. So I will have to go to Quilted Bear and order it. It is a wood sign that says "My greatest blessings call me mom."
Anyway, we went to my parents house for lunch then came home and napped. After that we just kind of hung out, just the 4 of us. I love spending time with these 3 guys, even if we aren't doing anything in particular. Hope you all had a great mothers day as well!

How It All Went Down

2010-05-10T15:13:00.002-06:00

I am sure all of you are just so anxious to read about our birth experience, so without further adu...here it is.
We went to the doc on Tuesday, April 20th and found out that I was still dilated to a 1, but a bigger 1 than last week. The doc asked me what I wanted to do since my due date was in 2 days. I told him I was ready to have this baby. So he called the hospital and had it set up that we would go over for some hormone cream to soften my cervix more and then go in at 5 a.m. the next morning for the pitocin drip. So we headed over for the 1st dose of cream at about 3:00 p.m. (I had to have 2 rounds of this, 6 hours apart). So the nurses did their thing, and I laid there for 30-45 min. on the monitors. Little did I know that this cream could cause contractions, man they were strong and hard, not to mention the pain I was in from their hands being you know where. We decided to take Jaxon out to my parents house so he could spend the night, then at 9:00 p.m. Justin and I headed back up to the hospital for round 2 of this adventure. Once again they did their thing saying this time I was dilated to a 3 when we left at 11:00 p.m. We came home, and I decided to try and go to bed to get some sleep. I was having really strong contractions and was in quite a bit of pain. So I get upstairs and I toss and turn trying to breathe through the pains. Justin was downstairs at this point watching tv. He has a hard time relaxing during stuff like this, imagine that! I texted him and told him to bring me a clock with a second hand at about 1:00 a.m. I knew they were getting closer and stronger. Sure enough they were happening about every 2 minutes and lasting for a good minute to a minute and a half. Justin called our awesome nurse at the hospital that helped us at the 9 o clock adventure and she said it would probably be wise to come back in so I didn't miss the chance for an epidural. So we got back in the car and were off again. We got up there, got all settled in to the same room and started the process of 100 questions and hooking me up to every type of machine possible, while all the while I am still having contractions that are definitely getting worse. When she checked me this time, I was at a 5. I got my epidural at like 2:30 a.m. ish. At this point I had had it. Things were much better after the epidural kicked in though. I kept progressing until about 5:30 a.m. then my contractions started to slow down so we started the pitocin drip to get things moving again. After that I just laid there and hung out. I could still feel the pressure but that was about it. I liked my epidural better this time cause I could still move my feet myself but couldn't feel too much. Then at 6:30 a.m. I woke Justin up (yes he was asleep on the couch, poor guy was beat!) and told him that there was a ton of pressure and to go get the nurse to see what was going on. She came in and sure enough I was at a 9, almost a 10. So the nurses prepped the room for delivery and went and woke up the doc out of the doctor's lounge. Anyone else notice that everyone was sleeping but me? Just wondered. Anyway, he came in and we started pushing. It was such hard work, but in a way I enjoyed every minute of it. I could feel it, but not if that makes sense. It took about 20-25 minutes of pushing and our little man was born at 7:10 a.m. The doc set him on my belly while cleaning him off and said "he looks bigger than 7 lbs 3 oz like I thought". The day before that is what he guesstimated he weighed. So we all took bets on the weight. I said 8 lbs 3 oz, another nurse said 8 4, the doc said 8 2 and my lovely husband who has to be different said 9 lbs. She weighed him and sure enough 8 lbs 12 oz. Maybe dad knew what he was talking about! We all couldn't believe how big he was! 21" long as well with big hands and long fingers and lots of dark hair. Such a beautiful little thing.
Giving birth is such an amazing thing. I always feel so strong after thinking that "hey, I just brought another human being into this world". I loved sharing that with Justin, it is such an experience that brings you so close as a couple, I love that feeling.
Jaxon came up later to meet his baby brother and was in love immediately, and still is. He loved holding him and kissing him and is gentle, for the most part. We came home the next day and just love having this little guy here and a part of our family. Little did we know we were in for a week of hell following this amazing experience. See when they discharged us they said we needed to bring him back to the doc the next day to have his bilirubin levels tested for jaundice. We did the same thing with Jaxon, so we thought no big deal. Took him in and it wasn't where the doc wanted it so we had to take him back the next day as well, that was Saturday. Once again the doc didn't like where they were so we took him back Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday the following week. The poor thing had to be poked in the heel every time and would just cry and cry. Our doc doesn't work on Mondays so the results were read by another doctor, who ordered bili lights to come to our house. So the home health nurse came and set them up and told me to leave him under them all the time, except to feed and change him. I have never cried so much in my life. Not only are your hormones already out of whack but then to tell this new mom that you can't hold your baby, it kills you. That week was the most emotional, sleep deprived week ever. But we made it through it. I don't think I would have if it hadn't been for Justin. Usually he is the worry wart and I am the one calming him down, except this time the roles were reversed. I was a wreck all week and was so glad when the doc said we could be done with them on the Friday of that week. We took him in for his 2 week appt. the following Tuesday and everything checked out great. His levels are where they should be and he said he looked great health wise. This was definitely welcome news!
So now we are just loving having him here with us. He is a great baby, so content and easy going. He gets up twice a night to nurse, about 4 hours apart so that's not bad and he LOVES to be snuggled, my favorite part! Justin says that is the only reason I have babies, maybe it is, is that so bad?! It amazes me how this new human can feel like such a part of your family immediately and that you just love them unconditionally. Jaxon is adjusting pretty well. I won't say he has been an angel the whole time. He is definitely doing things to get our attention, but I know that will pass. We are trying to keep things as normal as possible and still have one on one time with him. I love having these 2 boys in my life, I don't know what I would do with out them!
So that is our story. I know it is the longest post ever, but I had to put it on here. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for Justin and I and our boys.

First Bath

2010-05-10T15:09:00.001-06:00

We gave Anthony his first bath last week and he LOVED it. This is totally unlike his older brother who cried the whole time and HATED his first bath. Anthony was so content just kicking his feet and having the water poured on him. The getting out of the tub part was not so much enjoyed, but hey, who can blame him?!
This was also the day that we realized how much Jaxon and Anthony look alike. We never thought they did until we got out Jaxon's scrapbook and looked at his baby pictures next to Anthony...yep, they are brothers for sure!

Easter 2010

2010-05-10T15:05:00.003-06:00

Jaxon and Dad finding Easter eggs, and Jaxon with his Easter basket. The Easter bunny brought him a new outfit, LOTS of candy, and some cars from the movie Cars. That afternoon we went to my parents house for a yummy ham dinner, then came home for a nap...what a great way to spend the day!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2010-05-10T15:00:00.003-06:00

Here we are coloring our glitter eggs for Easter this year. *Note to self: glitter eggs are messy after they are colored and leave glitter EVERYWHERE!! Don't buy this kind again!
Aside from the mess we had fun coloring our eggs. Justin and I decided that we need to boil more eggs this next Easter cause he and I have WAY too much fun coloring them and then Jaxon gets mad that he has no more to color.
*Please excuse the way I look, it was a weekend and I was like 37 weeks pregnant...enough said.

Fishing At Springlake

2010-05-10T14:54:00.002-06:00

We have taken up the sport of fishing this spring and hope to do more of it this summer. Jaxon had a blast putting worms on the end of his spiderman fishing pole. Spiderman is the only one that caught anything, and then the dang fish got away. Justin spent more time feeding the fish than catching them...a tad frustrating for the experienced fisherman!

Here He Is...

2010-04-22T06:49:00.002-06:00

We are so thrilled to announce the arrival of our lil man!! Anthony Jay was born Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 7:10 a.m. weighing in at 8lbs. 12 oz. and was 21" long. Both mom and baby are doing well. I will post more about the delivery later on, but until then here are some pictures of his first day!

A Summer List

2010-04-08T11:20:00.002-06:00

Seeing the sun out for the last 2 days has me thinking that maybe, somewhere around the corner, spring and summer are coming. Not sure exactly, but I am trying to have a positive attitude. I have been making a list of fun things to do this summer, just random things around here that would be fun to do for a day/afternoon. We will see how many we accomplish...I think I forget that we will have a new baby...but once again I am trying to be positive; and anyone who knows me (especially Justin) will tell you that I have a hard time just sitting in the house, especially on a nice day. Check out our list to the side, and feel free to add any suggestions!!

It's Official

2010-04-02T09:27:00.002-06:00

Justin is now a full time employee at SAPA. He was offered a loader position yesterday and he accepted. Hooray for good news!! This means benefits go in to effect immediately, he gets his 2 weeks paid vacation, and a pay raise. We are so excited and it really couldn't come at a better time. Nothing like getting benefits just weeks before your baby is due, and getting vacation time so he can spend more time with us when this baby does come. We both feel better now about him being full time and feel like we can breathe a bit better. It's a lot of weight lifted off our minds, thats for sure. Now all we need to do is sit back and wait for this little man to arrive and it should be smooth sailing from there!!

Lists and Nesting

2010-03-29T11:00:00.003-06:00

So my pregnancy ticker reminded me this morning that I only have 3 weeks and 3 days left til my due date. Like I don't physically know that I am nearing the end. I won't complain to you about all the aches and pains and aray of emotions of the 9th month...but lets just say that they are there in full swing. The nesting/cleaning like crazy phase is there too. All I want to do is make lists of things to do and clean and organize EVERYTHING. I made me a project list of things to have done before Anthony comes, and I have slowly but surely been crossing things off as they get done. However my to do list today has 21 things on it...a typical list for a Monday. Justin keeps reminding me that whatever doesn't get done today will still be there tomorrow, but it's hard for me to not to want to cross everything off in one day.
I can't believe that we are so close to meeting this little man. I am so excited to get him here and be a family of 4. Every time contractions start I think 'is this it?' I hate that part actually. I am such a planned out and in control person and this is one thing I don't have control over or marked on my calender. But, such is life, and once again Justin reminds me that I can't always have control over everything in life. That's a hard pill for me to swallow sometimes.
Anyway, nothing much else exciting at our house. We have taken up fishing this year and Justin and Jaxon have had a blast. I have pictures...(blog about fishing trip is on the never ending to do list too). It's cute to watch Jaxon with his Spider Man fishing pole and to watch Justin teach him about using a worm on the hook and how to try to wait patiently for a bite, (yeah we are working on the patients part especially). I am especially glad to see the sun out a bit too. I never thought that I would be one of those people that need the sunshine to be happy, but apparently I am. I seem to get really irritable and antsy this time of year. I am sick of the cold and ugliness of winter and am ready to get outside and play and work in my yard. I sit here on my couch and look out my glass door plotting everything I want to do and places I want to go. That list is also a long one.

Random Ramblings In The A.M.

2010-03-15T05:34:00.002-06:00

So here I sit wide awake at 5:30 a.m. Way too early for my liking. You would think I would be used to it since I have been waking up at 3:30 a.m. for the past 8-10 weeks. Apparently my body has an alarm clock that goes off then that says "ok, aching back and hips can't take laying down anymore...WAKE UP!!" And I am SO not a morning person. My hubby can attest to that. I enjoy my sleep...but am learning to adjust (ok, still trying after 3.5 years). I was actually woke up, more like startled, by Jaxon this morning. We had our first bed wetting accident. I am assuming he peed in his bed, then decided to come lay on my comforter on the floor, then wake me up to tell me he was wet. I guess laundry is on the 'to do' list today. I tried to go back to sleep, but Jaxon wasn't having it. He came and got in bed with us, I got up to go to the bathroom and come downstairs, and yeah, he followed me. So here we sit watching Blues Clues while I am having some nasty contractions. I am telling you...I am not going to make it another 5 weeks and 3 days. Or, like Justin thinks, he will be a stubborn baby and be overdue. So that would mean at least another 6 weeks of contractions and uncomfortableness. I wish that I could use Blues Clues to figure out exactly when this baby is coming. It would make things a lot easier. On a side note...it's funny the things you think about while laying in bed at 3:30 a.m. This morning for me it was the thought of 'are the bottles that go to my breast pump clean' and 'did I throw away those old nipples, pretty sure I did, does that mean I go buy new bottles and nipples or just new nipples?' Yep, those are the things I was seriously pondering. Oh yeah and the fact that I need to buy more nursing pads. And that I should seriously pack my hospital bag today. I think I am getting so close, yet that part is not done. That can go on the 'to do' list right under laundry. Sorry it's a long rambling post...but I am entitled seeing as it's now 5:45 a.m. I will keep my 2 readers posted on these nasty contractions. So far they are still pretty strong and painful...Justin will be thrilled to hear this when he wakes up!!!

A Much Needed Date

2010-03-01T12:57:00.003-07:00

We realized that it had been about 6 months since we had been on a date! Way too long if you ask me, but you know how it goes. Now that Justin has this new job/schedule we are hoping to be able to do more, just the two of us. (Yeah right, who am I kidding, not with a brand new baby coming!!) So anyway when we were given these Jazz tickets we decided that would count as a date for the two of us and took advantage of it!! Jaxon stayed overnight at my parent's house, which he loved! It was so great waking up when WE wanted to Sunday morning, and having a relaxing morning just to ourselves.
The Jazz game was seriously a blast!! It was so cool to see these players in real life...who knew they were so tall!! When we got there we ate a yummy dinner that was included with our tickets. Then we went out to the court to find our seats. We were seriously like two kids on Christmas. All we kept saying was "can you believe how close we are" and "this is so awesome!" Anyway, the Jazz creamed the Rockets, which was a good thing, and we really enjoyed ourselves!! Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure! (Please notice the 'bump' I've got going on!)

Nothing New

2010-02-26T12:07:00.002-07:00

Not much new going on. Justin started his new job this week and it went great!! He says he is happy to be back and I have noticed a big change in his attitude just in the last 4 days he has been there. This new schedule will be something to get used to, however having him home more will be a nice change.
The pregnancy is going well. I can't believe there are only 7 weeks and 6 days left!! I am uncomfortable as can be, but just keep reminding myself that it is all worth it in the end and that the end is in sight. Jaxon loves feeling my belly when Anthony has the hiccups and asks every morning if he has come yet.
Justin and I are going on a date this weekend. We are FINALLY going to a Jazz game. Something we have talked about doing for the past 2 years. A lady that Justin used to deliver to gave him some tickets for his birthday. Not to brag (ok just for a minute) they are on the 2nd row from the floor, behind the hoop. It includes VIP dinner before, and parking. We are really excited to go and spend some time together. My mom is taking Jaxon overnight (that will be an adventure for her) so we will have the house to ourselves. I plan on sleeping in on Sunday morning...we'll see how that goes with an aching back, aching hips and a bladder that is always full!!
Anyway...that's the Cingolani household in a nutshell for now. I will post pics of our fun weekend soon!!

New Changes...Again

2010-02-16T13:46:00.002-07:00

I am pretty much a believer that our house is never meant to have a dull moment. There is always something going on and last week was no exception. Justin took the week off of work for one of his paid weeks off, and in the middle of his birthday and studying for his life insurance test, was offered a new job, and took it. When Justin and I first met he was working for Alcoa, an aluminum extrusion company, in Spanish Fork. Good benefits, great pay, and the hours weren't too bad. Granted they work one month of days and one month of graves, but it was ok for a while. Well, fast forward to us having Jaxon and I not being able to handle being home alone at night by myself. So he quit. We thought we were making the right decision, but apparently our crystal ball was dirty cause it didn't quite work out like we thought it would. He started working for Sunroc, which was great cause he was home more, but yeah...remember he got laid off? Bad move. So he then takes the job at Schwans, which when you are unemployed you will take just about anything for work, and has worked his tail off for the past 13 months. Seriously putting in 14 hours a day, which equals 75 hours a week, and on a salary wage, not hourly, for that matter. To sum it up, the job at Schwans has taken a toll on our marriage, family life, and him being able to be around to be a dad.
So, fast forward to last week. We find out that Alcoa, now called SAPA, is hiring pronto and so we jump on it. He interviews and gets the job all in one day!! Such a great thing!! We are really excited about this change because it means he will only be working 4 12 hour shifts Monday thru Thursday, it's an hourly wage which means 8 hours of overtime pay a week, and as soon as he is given a full time position he gets back his benefits and paid vacation time. So now we are just praying and hoping that he can get a full time position soon, because if any of you all have forgotten, we have a baby coming in 9 weeks and 2 days, if not sooner, and health insurance is a bonus when it comes to these events. We plan on carrying a Cobra policy on just myself until then, which is spendy but well worth it for him getting out of Schwans. I am not looking forward to the graveyard shifts, but I do better now being alone at night than I did before, so I am trying to have a positive attitude about that part. He is finishing out this week at Schwans and will start with SAPA next Monday night, and we couldn't be more excited!!

Scentsy Clearance Sale!!

2010-02-12T13:39:00.002-07:00

Right now EVERYTHING from Scentsy is 10% off to make room for the new Spring/Summer catalog!! I am offering all of my stock on hand at 20% off! They are discontinuing a lot of popular scents and warmers so now is a great time to stock up on your favorites! I am also offering FREE shipping on any orders so let me know what I can get for you!!

30 Weeks

2010-02-11T12:29:00.001-07:00

This comic pretty well sums up how I am feeling these days!!

Happy Birthday Baby!!

2010-02-09T07:34:00.002-07:00

Today is Justin's 33rd birthday!! I know, such an old man right?! He took this week off of work to celebrate and do a few other things. It has been great/weird having him home. He usually works so many hours that Jaxon and I are on our own so to have him around is strange, but we are TOTALLY enjoying it too!! On Sunday we had my family over for lunch. My dad's birthday was Friday, so we usually celebrate the 2 birthdays together. Tonight we are meeting up with an old friend of Justin's to have dinner at Texas Road House. YUMMY!! Can't wait for that!! There will be more celebrating tomorrow when I am off duty from my office. Lunch at Red Robin...anyone else notice a trend...it's all about the food!! Anyway, just wanted to give a shout out to my sexy husband HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Conversations With Jaxon

2010-02-09T07:21:00.003-07:00

Here is the first conversation Jaxon and I had today:
Jaxon: "Mom, is baby Anthony here yet?"
Me: "No, not yet."
Jaxon: "I'm going to go check."
(He walks over to baby Anthony's bed and peeks in. At this point I am thinking, if you find anything let me know!)
Jaxon: "Nope not yet."
This kid cracks me up!!

Yesterday's conversation while I was dusting my room:
Jaxon: "Mom, what is that?"
Me: "It's a container I keep my earrings in."
Jaxon: "Why you need earrings mom?"
Me: "Earrings are for girls to wear to be pretty."
Jaxon: "Mom, you already are pretty." "Those are nice words right?"
It totally made my day!

I Mean Seriously...

2010-02-08T09:23:00.002-07:00

*WARNING...RANT POST AHEAD*

Info you need to understand this post:
1. I live on a VERY busy road.
2. It is very dark out here at night, no street lights on this busy road.
3. We are on city/county lines and people have lots of livestock out here.

Ok, you are still reading so here is my rant/soapbox for the day. It all started last night. Justin and I went up to bed around 11:30 p.m. (I know, pretty late for a prego lady) and we were laying there talking when all of a sudden we hear a loud noise, what sounded like a hit of some kind. We both leap out of bed to see what in the world it was. We couldn't see too much because it was so dark, and the fact that I am blind without my glasses on. Then I see 2 horses moving across the street, next to a big black figure laying in the road. You got it a horse had been hit. I tell Justin what I saw and we both knew we were in for it. I believe we both said the words "Oh s#$&!" at the same time. I didn't know how talented I was when it came to multi-tasking, but I am good. I was throwing clothes on, running down the stairs and calling 911 all at the same time. Justin grabbed a flashlight and went out front. Yep, we were right. A big horse had been hit and was laying in the road, not quite dead yet. So as I am relaying this info to the dispatcher a truck is backing up. It was the truck that hit the horse. The 2 people inside were lucky they were in a truck because anyhting less than that and they probably would have been dead. See the speed limit on this road is 50 mph and it was a Clydesdale horse. Yeah thats pretty much like hitting a cement wall. It did a lot of damage to the truck so I can only imagine if it had been a car or if they had been going any faster.
So the police and sherriff show up, along with some punk kid in a car. On a side note, our neighbor has horses and cows who are ALWAYS getting out. We figured it was their horses so I tried calling their house only for them not to answer the phone. Turns out the punk kid knows the neighbors and so Justin tells him I can't get them on the phone, go over and knock on the door, which the punk kid does. The parents weren't home I guess cause one of their boys came over to deal with the situation. By this time the police had the road blocked off, thank goodness cause like I said in the info above, it is a BUSY road.
Anyway, to make a long story short, no one was hurt but they had to put the horse down. That was the worst thing I have ever heard/seen in my life. I won't give you all the details, but lets just say I can still hear the shot. They then get the kid's tractor to move it out off the road and the idiot barely hauls it into the field next door. Come to find out the cop told Justin that they have been out here multiple times to this residence because their livestock get out. It's not because thier livestock is super smart, it is because these people are super lazy and don't want to build a a decent fence. Trust me, they have the money, they just don't do anything completely and their idea of a fence is a couple of sticks and a strand of barbedwire. I am not even kidding on that. So they get everything cleaned up, the road sprayed off, and Justin and I trudge up to bed. Yeah, we didn't sleep much last night. The thing that really pisses me off is this didn't have to happen. If they would be responsible horse owners, build a decent fence, then this wouldn't have happened. No one would have been out there at midnight going through any of this and the horse would still be alive. It bothers me, Justin, the poor girl that was in the truck that hit it, even the cop told Justin he hates this part of his job. Move forward to 7:30 a.m. this morning. I am out driving through the storage units and see it laying there. Sad. I think , oh they will be out soon to take care of it. I go upstairs an hour later to get dressed and open the blinds in Jaxon's room, which happen to face that field, and nope, there it is still laying there. Jaxon loves to see the cows, but this morning when he asked to see them I told him they were in the barn eating breakfast. Yeah I forgot this kid is on a growth spurt and can apparently see out his window now. He asks me why the horse is laying there. I tell him he is hurt and that the farmer went to get him a band aid and that the horse is just resting. Yeah, quick thinking I know.
As I write this ranting post it is 9:50 a.m. and nothing has been done about the horse. I tell ya, if nothing is done with it in the next hour or two, I am going to have to remind them that it is still there and that they need to be responsible and have it taken care of. I usually try to keep my nose out of my neighbor's business, but seriously, this is rediculous!! It would be one thing if this was the first time this has happened, but come on, this is like the 7th or 8th time since we have lived here (just over 2 years) that their livestock gets out. So, there is my rant for the day...if you made it this far thanks for reading. I know it's not the most pleasant post, but I had to get it off my chest. Besides, I figured if I put it on here, then maybe when I see my neighbors next I might be more pleasant about the situation and not say something stupid.

A Few Things

2010-01-26T18:53:00.003-07:00

So I had all these great intentions of posting pictures of the last few weeks and of some fun activities we have done, but yeah, it hasn't happened and so I figure the reality is it probably won't. For that I apologize for the following wordy post, but without further adu here is an update of the last few weeks.

*Monster Trucks - Jaxon is in LOVE with monster trucks. He asked Santa for one this year and was extatic when Santa brought him one as well as Grandma and Grandpa. So when Justin heard on the radio that they were coming to the E Center we decided we had better go. It was a lot of fun and Jaxon had a BLAST!! We bought lower bowl tickets so we could have pre-show pit passes, and so we got to go down and walk around the trucks. They just happened to be giving rides in the back of one of them, so of course, Justin and Jaxon had to have their turn. They had a lot of fun and it was all Jaxon talked about for the week after.

*Sledding - Grandpa bought a double person snow tube for Jaxon and his cousin Kodi, so we all bundled up and went to Peteetneet to test it out. We had a ball!! Jaxon loves to go sledding and play in the snow. I was really bummed out not being able to go down with them (my mom wouldn't let me being prego and all) but had so much fun watching them. It never failed, we would get them all lined up ready to go straight down the hill and every time they would turn and almost run into this big pine tree! They didn't care though, they would trudge back up the hill and head down again.

*Baby News - I am almost 28 weeks pregnant and really starting to feel it. My back aches almost constantly, I am having a hard time sleeping, I feel like I am going to the bathroom every 5 minutes (sorry, hope that's not TMI), and tonight I found the stretch marks on my thighs and sides of my belly re-appearing. Other than that I am feeling good. I remember the last 12 weeks with Jaxon...feeling the same way. Just ready to be done being pregnant, and lots of anticipation to meet this lil man. Jaxon and I have been pulling out all of the baby clothes and getting them washed and organized. He has been so cute to watch, he asks whos they are and I tell them they were his...he then tells me it's ok for baby Anthony to borrow them. He is getting excited for this new arrival too. He loves to kiss and hug my belly and is asking when he is coming so they can play trucks. Too cute!!

*Potty Training - We are completely potty trained (ok not we, Jaxon)!! Hooray!! My goal was to have Jaxon potty trained by the time Anthony was born, so hooray for making that goal. I bought him some training underwear and that seemed to do the trick. He didn't like them when they were wet and caught on to the whole toilet thing pretty quick. I do have to brag a bit and say that he only had 3 accidents in all of this, and knock on wood, no #2 accidents. It is so nice to have him tell me when he needs to go, and the fact that he is so independant and can do it on his own, including washing his hands!!

*Valentine Pupcakes - Nope, not a typo, Jaxon and I made Valentine Pupcakes last night. It cracks me up every time how he says cupcakes. This kid loves to help me in the kitchen and I love having him in there. We mixed up the batter, chocolate of course, ate the beater when we were done, frosted them this morning, and ate the frosting left in the container. We did red sprinkles which he thought was the best part. He was so proud of himself and his pupcakes!

*Home Schooling - I am tossing around the idea of home schooling Jaxon for his first year of pre-school. He has such a late birthday that he will be almost 6 before he starts Kindergarten, which isn't a bad thing, it would just mean sending him to 2 years of pre-school starting this fall. I worry about him getting bored and being disruptive. I was thinking of taking 2 days a week, preparing a lesson plan and for 2-3 hours working on things that he would learn in pre-school. I don't know, just an idea...what are your thoughts on it? Keep in mind by no means would I home school him any further. I am all about sending him to a public/charter school. I think the socialization is good for them, and lets be honest, mom needs that break! Anyway, just a thought.

*Scentsy - Just thought I would throw out there that for the month of February EVERYTHING is 10% off. I am personally offering all my product I have in stock at 20% off, and anyone who hosts a party (catalog or home) will receive a FREE warmer of their choice. Let me know if you want to buy product or host a party!

So that about sums it up. Sorry there are no pics to go along with this great update, maybe next time!

26 Weeks

2010-01-14T11:11:00.002-07:00

This comic made me laugh out loud!! Here we are, 26 weeks into this pregnancy. It feels like the last month or so have flown by. I started pulling out baby clothes and am getting them washed. It was fun to look at them and remember when Jaxon was that small. I feel pretty good for the most part. Kind of achy this time around. I think this baby is sitting more in my back than Jaxon was so I am feeling a lot more uncomfortable than I did with Jaxon. I have only gained 8 lbs. too. Not complaining about that...like my doc said, the less you gain the less you have to lose after! I am getting so excited to meet this sweet boy!

New Years

2010-01-07T14:50:00.002-07:00

This New Years was just ok. Justin had to work both New Years Eve and New Years Day, and it just happened to fall on his overnight route in Heber. So I had two choices: I could either sit home with Jaxon alone, or I could pack up and head to Heber and stay with Justin in his hotel. I chose the latter. Our storage unit office was closed both those days so we pretty well had nothing to do. So me, Jaxon and Harley headed up to Heber. Here is a quick run down of how exciting our night was: we sat in the hotel room waiting for Justin to finish his route, Justin finished his route, we went and grabbed something to eat, ran to a redbox and rented a movie, came back to the room ate and got Jaxon in bed, started watching our movie and were asleep not even half way through the movie at 10:30 p.m. The best part was at midnight we heard fireworks going off (it felt like they were never going to end) and we both were mad that we were woke up. We decided right then and there that we are just an old married couple who enjoys sleeping! The next morning we woke up, got ready, and went and had breakfast before Justin had to head off to run his route. I have to say it wasn't the most exciting New Years, but who cares. We were together (which doesn't happen often) and we really aren't big fans of New Years anyway. Just another holiday to us, nothing big. We are excited that 2010 is here. We both have goals set that we are excited to accomplish this year and not to mention the arrival of our son!

24 Weeks

2009-12-30T12:59:00.002-07:00

I have been such a slacker at taking pics of this pregnancy. I should have been more on the ball, but I guess some are better than none, right? Here is me at 24 weeks...I can't believe there are only 16 weeks left til this little man makes his arrival!

25 Years

2009-12-30T12:44:00.003-07:00

December 19th is kind of a solemn day around our house. It's the anniversary of Justin's dad's death. He was killed in the Wilberg Mine fire. This year marked 25 years since it happened. They held a memorial for the 21 people that were killed down in Emery County, and we were able to go at the last minute. We drove up to the memorial that they have down there. It is a beautiful stone listing all the names of those lost that day. It sits at the bottom of the canyon where the mine is. You could just feel how sacred of a place it is. (I wasn't sure about taking pics there, so we didn't). Then they held a memorial service at the Emery County High School. They were going to have some of the national MSHA officers there to speak, but due to the bad snow storm back east they were unable to make it. They had a few other speakers there, one of the guys from back there made it in and spoke. He actually flew out and was in charge of watching the chemical levels inside the mine while the rescuers were in there trying to find them. It was neat to hear him recount those days and what everyone went through. Then they had a lighting ceremony. They had 21 mining hard hats lined up across the stage with everyone's name on it. They turned out all the lights and as they read the names of those lost they turned on their mine light. Afterward they gave the hats to the family members that were there. It was such a neat experience and I am so glad we were able to make it down for it. I really wish that I could have met Justin's dad, Vic. From what I hear from stories he was such an awesome guy and everyone seemed to really love him. In a way he is still around and defintiely not forgotten. We have decided to name this baby after Justin's dad, and I know that means a lot to Justin. Below are the pics of the hat that had Vic's name on it.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T12:38:00.003-07:00

As you can see we had a great Christmas! Jaxon was spoiled for sure! The funny thing is he had asked Santa for a monster truck this year. Well, Santa brought the monster truck, but he hid it towards the back of the Christmas tree so when Jaxon came into the living room to see what Santa brought he was sure that Santa hadn't brought the monster truck. Then when he saw it, all was well.
It was also funny when he would open a gift, say how cool it was, yet when you asked him what it was he would tell you "I don't know." Too funny!
Justin and I decided that this year has definitely been the most fun with Jaxon. He seemed to really get the whole Santa thing and was really looking forward to Christmas Day. It's hard to believe that this was our last Christmas with just the 3 of us.

Christmas and Needed Feedback

2009-12-29T18:14:00.001-07:00

Merry Late Christmas Everyone!! We had such a great Christmas this year. It was a busy few days but we enjoyed every minute of it. It was full of eating, visiting family, eating some more and waiting for Santa to come! I will post pics and more details in a later post. Until then, I need some feedback. I am thinking of starting a chore chart for Jaxon and am curious as to your thoughts on it. Is he too young (he is 3) what kinds of things would you put on there (brush teeth, pick up toys), and so forth. Leave me a comment with any thoughts on this, if you have done it, know someone who has done it, anything. Thanks...can't wait to hear your awesome feedback!!

Favorite Holiday Traditions

2009-12-18T12:26:00.003-07:00

Can I just say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this time of year?! It has to be my favorite, despite the cold weather. I love the snow, the excitement, the decorations, the food, I love it all. I copied my friend Ashley's idea about posting favorite holiday traditions. Here are mine, in no particular order.

1. Driving through the Festival of Lights and around Salem Pond.
2. Opening pj's on Christmas Eve.
3. Eating all the yummy food and treats!
4. Watching Jaxon get just as excited about Santa coming as I do.
5. Watching the Christmas Story over and over and over with Justin.
6. Shopping for and wrapping gifts.
7. Putting up all the Christmas decor on Thanksgiving weekend.
8. Making sugar cookies with Jaxon.
9. Laying around in my pj's, eating and watching movies on Christmas Day.
10. Spending time with family.

I seriously feel like a little kid every year, and I love that Jaxon inherited that trait from me! On a side note, I have to tell you all something funny about that...so the other night when I was in the tub having contractions, I hear the sound of wrapping paper ripping. Yep, Jaxon had gotten under the tree, picked out a present and opened it. It was a 'Ants In The Pants' game and he had the game tore open ready to play. I couldn't be mad, it was too funny!!

22 Weeks

2009-12-17T22:10:00.003-07:00

Sorry, it's another prego comic. I think they are so funny cause they totally apply to pregnancy!! I can't believe that we are 22 weeks along today! It is finally starting to go by quickly, I am sure due to the holidays. We had a little scare the other night. I was out running errands and started having contractions. I called the OB floor and she told me to drink some water and take a warm bath then lay down. I did that and called her back cause they weren't stopping. They weren't regular or really painful, just enough to make me worry. When I called her back I also told her that he hadn't been moving much that day either. She had me continue laying down (which about killed me, I have the hardest time just sitting) and drink some juice and count his movements. Luckily he moved the 10 times like he was supposed to, making his last 3-4 movements in the last 5 minutes. Justin and I both agreed that he is definitely our kid, being a procrastinator already!!
I think I just need to remember that I am not super woman, at least not every day, and that I need to take things easy. It's a hard thing for me to do, but I know it is important. I think we have also settled on a name. We are leaning toward Anthony Jay. Anthony was Justin's dad's middle name (he has since passed away) and Jay is Justin's middle name. It is a very Italian name, but I love that it has meaning to it. It's so funny Justin and I picking names, we really have a hard time agreeing on one. Then when it comes down to it, we don't have 2 or 3 to choose from, it's 1 only and so it sticks. That's how it was with Jaxon, we really couldn't agree on anything else, so Jaxon it was.
Really fast I just want to mention how cute Jaxon is being lately about this baby. He loves looking at the ultrasound pics hanging on the fridge, touching my belly and talking about Baby Anthony. He is going to be such a great big brother!!

My Granny

2009-12-09T13:08:00.003-07:00

Nancy Marie Stone Lawrence James

1942 ~ 2009

Nancy Marie Stone Lawrence James, loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister passed away on Sunday, December 6, 2009 in Goshen, Utah. She was born on October 2, 1942 in Denver, Colorado to Dean Alma and Dona Marie Warner Stone.

She enjoyed crocheting, knitting, Goshen Sr. Citizen Center, Book Club, cooking, and canning. She loved to spend time with her children and grandchildren and found great joy in serving them. She's back with the love of her life, dancing the night away!

Nancy is survived by her five children, Morgan (Terri), Brenda (Mark), Joe (Rachel), Jennifer (Steven), Jacob (Trinity), 23 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings, Susan, Ann, and Dean. Nancy was preceded in death by her parents Dean and Dona Stone, and her husband, Star James.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 11, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at Walker Family Mortuary, 187 South Main Street, Spanish Fork, Utah. Family and friends may call on Thursday evening, December 10, 2009 at the mortuary from 6:00-8:00 p.m. or on Friday morning from 9:45-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.

This was my Granny, my mom's mom. It was such a shock to receive this phone call Sunday night. In fact it still doesn't seem real that she is gone. I have so many great memories of spending time with her, and I am grateful for that time.
Another thing I am grateful for is I was the last one to see and talk to her. She stopped by my house after grocery shopping Friday afternoon and we chatted for a while and made plans to have lunch on Tuesday (yesterday).
The only thing I find comfort in right now is knowing that she is with her sweet hubby, Star, who passed away just over 2 years ago.

The Way The Cookie Crumbles

2009-12-04T14:51:00.002-07:00

Apparently when eating E.L. Fudge cookies eating the whole cookie is optional, and eating only the frosting is acceptable!

We Totally Caved...

2009-12-01T15:06:00.003-07:00

Yep, totally decided we couldn't wait the three more weeks til Christmas and found out we are having a boy!! We are super excited!! Jaxon keeps carrying around the ultrasound pictures letting everyone know that it is his little brother. I am not as disappointed as I thought I would be. Not that it matters either way, as long as it is healthy, but I wouldn't have minded a little girl. I am excited though for Jaxon to have a little brother. Everything looks great on the ultrasound and all the right parts are there. He weighs just about 12 ozs. and I think is super adorable!! Finding out it is a boy makes me even more excited to meet him in late April!!

Ultrasound Day

2009-11-30T14:26:00.003-07:00

Our ultrasound is tomorrow and I can not wait!! I think it is just the fact of taking a peek in there and making sure everything is ok. We have decided to ask the ultrasound guy to write down what we are having, boy or girl wise, and put it in a sealed envelope. Then I am going to give my dad the sealed envelope along with a pair of blue slippers and pink slippers and he is going to wrap up the appropriate color and give it to us on Christmas morning. It's going to kill us to wait another three weeks to find out what we are having, but it will be a fun Christmas suprise!! Everyone keep your fingers crossed for a girl! I can't wait to let you all know the results!!

Can Anyone Relate To This?

2009-11-30T14:20:00.002-07:00

Lately I feel like I have so much on my mind and things I want to accomplish that it is making me crazy and throwing my anxiety into overdrive! Throughout the day I have these random thoughts of things I want to accomplish before the baby comes, things I want to do through the holiday season, making goals for 2010, and other everyday stuff. I know some of it can wait, I mean I still have 20 weeks left til the baby comes, but these are the things that weigh on my mind. I am a good list maker and I think that will help; I think I just need to find a balance for everything. Does anyone else do this or have any great ideas on dealing with it? I would love to hear your thoughts!!

19 Weeks

2009-11-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is EXACTLY how I feel lately!!

Thankful

2009-11-28T11:50:00.002-07:00

This past month I have been reflecting on what I am truly thankful for this year. Not that it really changes from year to year, but I think as we experience different things, the perspective might change a bit. This holiday season is different from last year. Justin was out of work last year and I feel like it really was a wake up call to what I am truly thankful for and what REALLY matters most. I won't bore you with a super long post, I just feel like I need to get it out.

*First and foremost I am thankful for my family. My devoted husband who works so hard to support our family, my son who reminds me what life is really about, this unborn baby who reminds me how precious life is and what a joy it is to be a mother.

*I am thankful for my parents for giving me a different perspective on life and for my two sister in laws and their families for accepting me into their family and loving me as if I was one of their own.

*I am thankful for good friends, otherwise known sometimes as my therapists.

*I am thankful for good health.

*I am thankful for a roof over my head, food in my pantry, and a warm home at night.

*I am thankful to live in a free country where we can come and go and live life as we please.

I know it seems like a list of little, or common things, to be thankful for, but I think they are the things in life that get taken for granted and sometimes forgotten.

Thanksgiving/Black Friday

2009-11-28T11:41:00.002-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We spent it down in Price with Justin's two sisters and their families. There is 16 of us when we all get together so it was quite the houseful, but the weather was nice so all the kids got to play outside. Jaxon LOVES playing with his cousins, and kept asking all week when was it time to go down to play.

Then we decided to try a little Black Friday shopping. Neither Justin or I had been shopping on this crazy day, and thought maybe we should try it once. That was all it took for us to realize that we will never do that again!! Not only did we have to drag Jaxon out of bed to go with us (lack of babysitter) but I was literally getting pushed around at Target and of course they had already run out of what we wanted. We tried our hand at Toys R Us and had a little better luck, then on to Wal Mart. We got about half our shopping done, but decided that the getting up early and dealing with crowds was SO not worth it. Maybe when our kids are older and they want that hottest thing out there we MIGHT go, but even then...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!!

Tag

2009-11-08T11:16:00.004-07:00

I love tags! My good friend Misty tagged me, and I have to say I really had to think on these!!

Five North American Cities I Would Seriously Consider Living:
1. Price, Utah
2. Konnapolis, North Carolina (for Nascar reasons!!)
3. New York, New York
4. Savannah, Georgia
5. Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Five Songs To Which I Know All The Words:
1. "Then" by Brad Paisley
2. "Welcome to the Future" by Brad Paisley
3. "Teardrops on my Guitar" by Taylor Swift
4. "Best Days" by Kellie Pickler
5. "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins

Five Foods I'd Wish To Have In Unlimited Quantities On A Deserted Island:
1. Smothered Burritos from Los Amigos
2. Chocolate
3. Pepsi
4. T-Bone Steak
5. Doritos

Five Chores I Should Be Doing Right Now Instead of Blogging:
1. Laundry
2. Bathrooms
3. Changing Bedding
4. Cleaning up the backyard
5. Organizing the closet under the stairs

Five Childhood Friends I Would Love To See Again:
1. Amy Haws (sorry Misty, I totally copied you!)
2. Aliece Buys
3. Celeste Moos
4. Catrina Stanton
5. Amy Waters

Five Friends To Tag:(play even if you didn't get tagged!)
1. Ashley
2. Alexis
3. Tammy
4. Kim
5. Katherine

Been A While...

2009-11-08T10:55:00.002-07:00

FINALLY...we are back with the technological world!! The computer that we used to use died on us and so we went out and bought us a laptop computer. This is something we have been talking about doing for a while, and finally just did it (not that we didn't have a gentle shove from the other computer crapping out on us!!)
Anyway, I can't believe how disconnected I felt from everyone. No checking Facebook or blogs or being able to read my e-mails. I am SO glad to be back on!!

So Halloween has come and gone. We had fun and Jaxon made a haul as far as candy collecting goes. Needless to say Justin and I have enjoyed the fruits of Jaxon's labor, and am pretty sure I have been running on sugar for the last 2 weeks! Jaxon dressed up as a football player for Halloween this year. He looked pretty cute in his costume! Justin had to work the day of Halloween so I took Jaxon over to the Provo mall to Trick or Treat. I can not believe how many people were there right as it started!! We covered both levels of the mall and his candy bag was pretty full! This made it nice cause then we didn't have to go to so many houses out in the cold!(what can I say, I am a wuss when it comes to the cold!) When Justin got home we took him to my parents and grandmas house then met up with some friends. We ended the night with some yummy Los Amigos take out. I had been craving a smothered burrito all week, so this was a welcome treat!! (It amazes me what little things make a prego lady happy!!)

This last week has been eventful with truck issues. We found out that Justin's truck needs a new heater core...only $700.00 to replace! We found someone who will do it on the side for $200.00 plus the cost of parts...a much better deal! Then on Friday night Justin calls and tells me that his truck will not start. Yeah the battery is dead. So I drag Jaxon and myself out of bed to go get him and today we are headed out to buy a new battery. Can I just say that auto issues really irritate me!!

So thats the low down at our house...not much new and exciting. I am happy to report that I haven't had a migraine/headache for a while now (knock on wood). This pregnancy is so different from when I was pregnant with Jaxon. I hope that means it is a girl!! I see the doc again this Wednesday so that should be fun. I am hoping to schedule the ultrasound for the end of the month.

Scentsy

2009-10-26T16:00:00.001-06:00

Right now I am giving any one who hosts a Scentsy open house or book party a warmer of their choice for FREE! Right now is a great time to host a party cause Christmas is around the corner and people are starting their Christmas shopping. Scentsy also has a new Holiday insert/catalog that has all our new warmers/plug ins that are availabe for the holiday season, and let me just tell you they are SUPER cute. Let me know if you are interested!!

Family Pics 2009

2009-10-26T12:43:00.002-06:00

So I have to admit that I am a little vain and wanted our family Christmas card picture taken before I start showing more and my face gets fat. I know, I know, it's crazy, but I guess it's just me. Here is a preview of what my amazing friend did. Note: she had to deal with one ownry husband, one 3 year old who was more interested in the creatures around than photos, and one pregnant lady...this girl should win an award!!

14 Weeks

2009-10-23T10:23:00.000-06:00

Baby Update

2009-10-20T13:47:00.003-06:00

In case you all were wondering about our baby world, here is your update. I am almost 14 weeks along and feeling better physically but my headaches/migraines have started. I had them for a good 4-5 weeks when I was pregnant with Jaxon, but they didn't start until I was about 16 weeks, so they are kind of early. It really sucks cause they never fully go away. The pain dulls but never really leaves. I am hoping they only last 4-5 weeks again cause anything longer than that and I may hurt someone!!
I went to the doc last week and everything looks good so far. I got to hear the heartbeat, that is always the fun part of the visit. I was suprised at how relaxed my doctor was at this visit. He asked how I was feeling, told me everything looks/sounds good and sent me on my way. I guess he figures I know what I am doing this time around! The fun part of clothes not fitting has started as well, and I notice laying on my belly at night is a tad uncomfortable. I have felt a little something in my belly, not quite sure if it's the baby or not. I can't wait for when I can feel it move. That is probably my favorite part of being pregnant!

Jaxon's Words

2009-10-20T13:40:00.003-06:00

So there once was a point when we were worried about Jaxon not talking. We had him evaluated and everything checked out ok, he was just being stubborn and taking his own sweet time (he comes by this honestly!!) Lately he is such a jabber box and some of the things he says seriously crack me up! I have to laugh at some of his mis-pronounciations too. Here are a few that make me chuckle every time I hear them:

Megos = Legos
Magets = Magnets
Tumkin = Pumpkin
Macadonald = Old Macdonald

He also has started with the 'why' phase. You tell him something and he asks why, you explain it and he asks why again. Sometimes I could seriously pull my hair out giving him explanation after explanation. The best is my response 'because I said so'...if that doesn't make me sound like my mother!! I have to say though, I really am enjoying this age (3). He is becoming Mr. Indepedant which is fun to watch and he is so inquisitive about things. I love having this little man in my life, I don't know what I would do with out him!!

Update

2009-10-01T10:46:00.002-06:00

So the last 2 weeks I have not wanted to do one stinking thing...I think I am in a funk, but on my way out. I am hoping that the dishes get done today and that the laundry that has been folded and in the basket for the last week gets put away also. I don't know what is going on, I just don't feel like doing anything. I get like this every once in a while and then I start beating myself up over not having things done, and Justin has to remind me that I just need to take care of the important things(Jaxon and myself)and that the other things can wait. I am so glad that I married such a patient and understanding man. I don't hear one complaint about him having to go digging through the laundry basket for work clothes or having to ask if the dishes in the dishwasher are clean. He is so good to remind me to lay off myself and just relax. For some reason I feel like my house needs to be as clean as a show house sometimes. Probably cause that is the way my house was growing up. Dishes have to be done, nothing out of place, beds made, etc. I need to remember that I am only human, 11 weeks pregnant, and chasing/entertaining a 3 year old and that stuff doesn't always matter. Dr. Laura said it best one day, "as long as your house is clean enough that DCFS doesn't want to take your kids from you, thats all that matters, and that for the next 18 years your house is a toy box." She also said that "if people don't like the way your house looks then they don't need to come over." I really agree with what she said that day and have tried to remember these words when I start to get down on myself.

In other positive news Jaxon and I have both been to the dentist and are cavity free. We also went to his 3 year old well check and he is right on target and very healthy. I went in to the doc, filled out some OB paperwork and had blood drawn (yeah I am still bruised a week later) and a pregnancy test (which Justin asked me if it came back positive! lol). I go in for my first OB visit on October 14th. I am looking forward to it, mainly hoping to hear a heart beat, but could totally go with out the nasty exam part. I will be 13 weeks along by then, I can't believe that we are almost 1/3 of the way through!! I had a dream the other night that it was a girl...hope that is a good sign! I feel pretty good for the most part, not so tired anymore and not as queasy. I am happy to say though that I have only thrown up once. Knock on wood!

Speaking of throwing up, Jaxon has a touch of the flu today. So I guess we will stay in our jammies and watch movies all day. Poor kid, I hate when they are sick, they are so miserable and there isn't much you can do for them!
Anyway, that's about all that has been going on. Watch for more updates to come!!

What A Weekend!!

2009-09-21T14:32:00.005-06:00

Justin and I had a FABULOUS weekend!! We dropped Jaxon off at Justin's sister's house and headed to Heber/Park City for the day. We ate at our favorite steakhouse, Bandit's, wondered Main Street in Park City, then headed down to West Valley for the most fun concert ever. We bought tickets to Brad Paisley way back when they first went on sale, and decided that would be our treat for our anniversary that was in July. We both have really wanted to see him and were so excited to go! We had GREAT seats, 7th row from the stage. So close you could almost reach out and touch them! It was the best concert ever, probably one of the best I have seen. So here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure...thanks Brad for a wonderful night!! Dierks Bently...that guy has a ton of energy!!

The infamous Brad Paisley...mmmmmmm.

The coolest picture we took! We loved the movies he showed on the big screen.

He and his band singing about water. They are amazing together!

I am pretty sure he was singing to me on this one...too bad he forgot to look at me!

It was so much fun to spend some one on one time with Justin. The concert was like re-living our wedding all over again because a lot of the songs we heard we had played at our wedding reception. After the long drive home we slept in til 9:00 the next morning, had a lazy morning then decided that we missed Jaxon so we headed to Price to pick him up.
I love weekends like that!

My Brain is Gone

2009-09-14T14:44:00.003-06:00

It's official, my brain has gone down the drain. I can't keep anything straight anymore, nor can I remember anything, not even what I had for breakfast this morning! Just kidding, it was a yummy glazed doughnut...healthy right?!

Anyway what I mean is ever since I found out I was pregnant I really can't keep anything straight. Lets take this week for example, (I know, it's only Monday!) I usually have Wednesdays off, but I am working this one so I can have Saturday off. Yeah I scheduled 2 doctor visits and a dentisit appt. all for this Wednesday! I am sure they were all thrilled with me this morning when I had to call and move them to next week!

Then, I can't remember if I gave my dog his heart worm medicine last month (pretty sure I didn't, but don't dare give it to him yet this month). I am lucky that all of my bills have been paid on time and that I remember to feed and water my son. I know they say it is normal, but it drives me CRAZY because I am usually so organized and on top of things. When I was pregnant with Jaxon I could never remember if I shut my garage door or not. Good thing my sweet neighbor understood and was always willing to go out and check for me!!

Just wondered if this has happened to anyone else?!?!

Jaxon is 3 Today

2009-09-10T11:56:00.002-06:00

My big man turned 3 at 3:16 a.m. It is so hard to believe that he is 3 already. Time flies way too fast and it seems like he shouldn't be this old. My friend and I were talking about how they are not babies anymore, but little people. I love having this little guy follow me around all day and talk my ear off. Happy Birthday Jaxon!! We love you!!

Our Onion Days Weekend

2009-09-10T11:22:00.004-06:00

We had so much fun at the Onion Days Celebration this last weekend. It was a full weekend with fireworks, the carnival, Jaxon's birthday party, and the parade.

It started with the fireworks on Friday night. We sit up at Springlake Elementary School. It is a great spot cause no one is ever there and they have the playground for the kids to play on while we are waiting. We grilled some yummy burgers and just hung out, watching the kids play. Jaxon & Austin playing on the playground

This picture is kind of blurry, but this is the scooter that Jaxon 'found' at the playground. I am assuming some kid left it there after school, and so Jaxon took full advantage of it! P.S. The fireworks were lame this year, hence no pictures of them.

On Saturday they had the firemans open house. Jaxon has been really interested in fire trucks and the fire station lately, so this was right up his alley.

Jaxon in front of the fireman's lockers

Seeing one of the older fire trucks

Sitting in the drivers seat of the ladder truck. Notice the grin...he thought he was pretty cool!

In front of another older fire truck

After the open house at the fire station we headed over to the carnival. We had lots of fun, and it was great cause there wasn't a ton of people there. Last year Jaxon was really only old enough to ride the merry go round, but this year he got to ride lots more...another reminder he is getting bigger.

Riding on a motorcycle

Driving a 4X4 truck

He really liked this one, the dragon went up and down

Jaxon & Dad on the merry go round

On Sunday we had his birthday party. My family came over in the afternoon for cake and ice cream, and then Justin's family came over later for a taco dinner, which I totally forgot to take pictures of. I like to think I have a good excuse for forgetting though!

His magna doodle from Grandma & Grandpa. I know it's hard to read, but his shirt says "I'm going to be a big brother." That's how we told everyone we were expecting.

Opening more presents. Notice the pile of wrapping paper...yeah he is a spoiled kid!

His Spider Man birthday cake, which by the way tasted really good.

Thank you Walmart Bakery for making my life a little easier.

Monday was the big parade. It's not a great picture cause the sun was right in our eyes, but we had fun and Jaxon got a ton of candy.

All in all it was a great weekend. Justin and I also went to one of my BFF's wedding Saturday night which was fabulous. We got to see/catch up with old friends and had a great time.

The Big One...

2009-09-08T10:09:00.003-06:00

I am so excited that I finally get to post this on here and start telling people our exciting news...we are pregnant with baby #2!!!!! We are so excited to be having another baby!! We are due in late April (the online calender says the 24th.). This just happens to be 5 days after my birthday. Nothing like being 9 months pregnant on your 27th birthday right?! Who cares though, we have waited a long time for this to finally happen and are so happy that it has finally happened!! I have felt pretty good (even better now that we can tell people!), just a tad nauseous and tired. Anyway, I will post more later on how we told family and all that jazz, for now just keep your fingers crossed for a girl!!

Yesterday's Project

2009-09-03T11:37:00.002-06:00

I love Roberts Arts & Crafts! I could definitely spend a lot of money in there! I wandered through the other day and saw all their cute Fall decor and lots of cute decorating ideas. They had these wood blocks that spelled out "Give Thanks" that I really wanted, but couldn't justify spending $35.00 on them. So, fast forward to this week when I check my inbox and there was a 50% off one item coupon from Roberts. SCORE!!! Here is the end result of my shopping extravaganza!

My entertainment center

My kitchen table

Yeah, I was pretty proud of myself!

Still Alive

2009-08-31T09:10:00.003-06:00

I was talking to one of my BFF's the other day and she informed me that I need to update my blog. I know, I have been a real slacker lately. So, for all of you (what are there, like 3 or 4 people?!) that faithfully read this exciting blog, here is a small update. We have lots going on this weekend, so there will be much more to post come next week. We have one of my BFF's getting married. At that wedding I get to see/hang out with above said BFF who told me to update my blog. We have Jaxon's 3rd birthday party. He is such a little person/man, not even a baby anymore. Of course there is Onion Days...gotta love that, right?! We also have a super cool announcement...so stay tuned for all of the fun posts that are right around the corner! Until then, just know that we are all still alive and kickin!

P.S. This post is dedicated to my BFF Katherine! :)

Open House

2009-08-10T10:36:00.003-06:00

I am hosting a Scentsy open house on Thursday, August 13th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at my house. Everything is 10% off and I do have some product on hand. There are a lot of things that are being discontinued so now is the time to stock up on your favorite things. Everyone is invited to come to the open house, and if you can't make it, you can order online at www.scentsy.com/amandacingolani Hope to see you there!!

Playing Catch Up

2009-07-31T10:59:00.003-06:00

So life has been really busy lately. Not only have we had the month of holidays, but I have been crazy busy planning Scentsy parties, coupon classes and a bunch of other stuff for the next 2 months. Looking at my planner, the next available weekend I have with nothing planned is the first one in October!! CRAZY!!! Needless to say I haven't had much time to blog. So, here below are a few things we have been up to. Enjoy!!

Also FYI everything from Scentsy is 10% off for the month of August, so now is a great time to host a party or get stocked up on your favorite Spring & Summer scents before they are discontinued.

Harley Swims

2009-07-31T10:49:00.002-06:00

Never turn your back on a mischevious 2 year old, or never leave your non-loving water dog alone with the mischevious 2 year old. This is what could happen! Never mind the fact that Jaxon is swimming naked, the poor dog hates the water and I don't think is a very good swimmer. Thank goodness there wasn't a ton of water in the pool.

This is Harley's look of 'I am so going to kill you kid' or 'Get me the @#$! out of here!' I am seriously suprised that Harley didn't bite Jaxon...these two are not the best of friends.

After Mom rescued Harley...I think he was running for cover!

Late Night Ice Cream Lovers

2009-07-31T10:38:00.006-06:00

(Justin is so going to kill me for putting this on here, but it is too funny not to!!!)

So most nights when Justin gets home from work he eats dinner and then has some ice cream. Might be a cone, might be a bowl...either way it is something ice cream. Well, apparently Harley loves ice cream too. See he always begs for food when we are eating, but he especially begs for ice cream. Crazy dog!! So the other night Harley was being especially cute about the begging process, so I grabbed the camera. Harley eyeing the bowl of ice cream.
At last Dad decided to give in and share his ice cream. Harley was so excited!! It was so stinkin funny, maybe you had to be there. I really think that Harley thinks that he is a human, I just don't have the heart to break it to him that he is a dog. These two are quite the ice cream loving pair!

24th Of July Weekend

2009-07-31T10:28:00.004-06:00

We had a fun holiday weekend. Justin had to work on Friday the 24th (stupid if you ask me) so Jaxon and I got up and went to the parade with my sister and her 2 boys. Jaxon and Kodi (his cousin) got new animal chairs from Grandpa & Grandma to go to the parade with...however they thought sitting on the curb by the dead grass was a lot more fun. Figures!! Jaxon & Kodi...the few minutes they actually sat in their chairs. Jaxon & I
Then on Sunday night we lit off fireworks at our house. This is Jaxon stepping on some Snap N Pops. He thought that was pretty cool!!
Watching Dad light fireworks

He loved watching them...in fact he is still talking about how we had to wait til it was 'more dark' to light the fireworks.

On the Saturday night we went to the Spanish Fork rodeo. Did I take any pics? No. I had my camera with me, but totally spaced it. We had a lot of fun watching the rodeo, and Jaxon is still talking about it also. I swear the kid never forgets ANYTHING!!!

Big Boy Bed

2009-07-31T10:11:00.003-06:00

Jaxon decided to start climbing out of his crib, so we decided it was time for a big boy bed before he really hurt himself. His crib is one that converts to a day bed style and is close to the ground. We decided to try this for a while and maybe 'you know who' will bring him a regular big boy bed for Christmas. He wasn't sure what to think of the new bed at first, but lately has been doing pretty well with it. We have definitely gone the rounds with getting him to stay in his bed and securing anything within his reach, but I am happy to say that he stays in it for nap time and bed time...for the most part.

(Never mind the fact that blogger or I loaded them in the wrong order!!)

Jaxon sitting on his bed.

Helping dad convert it from crib to bed.

Jaxon helping dad 'do the work'.

I can't believe he is old/big enough to be sleeping in his own bed. Not to mention we have been potty training as well...it makes me feel sad and happy all at the same time. I am excited to see him grow up, but then it makes me sad cause it has happened all too fast and he reminds me he is not a baby any more. Not to mention his 3rd birthday is right around the corner and that doesn't help at all!!!