Ready! Set! Go!

One of the many gifts Brody received on his 3rd birthday was a "slip and slide" (thanks Johnsons!). As it turns out, Brody is apparently afraid that a little cold water will melt his skin right off his body or something, so he's not a big fan. He has no problem with squirting others with his new squirt gun, however, so I guess others' skin melting isn't so bad! Can you believe we actually had to bribe him with ice cream to get him to go on the slip and slide? And that was only because the bribe of M&Ms was simply not enough for him. He drives a hard bargain, but in the end he warily allowed me to launch him down the watery path of thrills and chills with his body rigid from absolute terror (but this with ice cream on the mind).



Once we saw how much fun he obviously could have had if he weren't a little sissy, we wanted to try it out for ourselves! After all, we still remember how much fun the slip and slides were in the hot summers of our youth. I was the first "adult" to throw myself gracefully to the ground while others sat and watched in amazement at my lithe positioning and incomparable skill. And now, for the first time ever, you can witness this yourself. Behold!



It seemed a bit shorter than I remember.

After I made my debut, I was able to witness the magnificence of one greater than myself. Such beauty, such speed, such in-human grace - It was as though Rosalie or Alice decided to drop by for a quick visit. But, no, It was my own beautiful Jess, flowing through the water like a watery tart.



If, after seeing these breathtaking videos, you too feel the desire to experience the thrill of this 20' wonder slide you can come on over and take the challenge for a small fee (having your video posted for the world to see!) In the end, I'm sure the lure of the slippery luge will win you over. We'll be waiting!!!

Happy Birthday, Brody!

Friday was Brody's 3rd birthday, but we decided to celebrate it on Saturday when Adam would be awake (he is working the night shift at work and sleeping during the day). We just pretended like Friday was any other day, which was kind of hard because I really wanted to sing to him. Saturday morning the kids woke up before 6:oo, like always, and I ran into their room and sang "Happy Birthday" to Brody. This is what followed:
"It's my birthday?"
"Yes! How old are you now?"
"Two."
"Noooo."
"THREE?"
"YES!"
"Wow. I'm big, just like my legs are big!"
It was pretty funny. We just hung out and got ready for his birthday party in the afternoon. After Brody's nap I took him to the back door and showed him the backyard all decorated for his party. There was a sign in the back that said, "Happy 3rd Birthday, Brody!" (thanks again for making that, Leslie) and I asked him what it said. He said, "I...Love...My...Mom...my". That so isn't what it is said but it was sure sweet of him to think so!

It is already pretty hot here in Georgia so we had a big water party in the back yard. The night before Adam and I and then my friend Leslie and I spent hours filling 500 water balloons. My fingers were literally bleeding by the time we were done. We had about 12 kids here for the party and it was really fun. Brody and Bridger were both babies about getting wet but it was fun to see all the kids throwing water balloons and each other and all the adults throwing water balloons at the kids and each other. After all those hours filling up the balloons, they were all thrown within minutes. We also had a little pool set up and the kids were having fun jumping in and out of the pool. We had lots of cupcakes and snacks and popsicles and Brody got to open all of his cool presents. One of the gifts was a Slip 'n' Slide so we opened it and set it up for the kids to play in. It says on the box that it's not for adult use but I'm so going to try it out when there aren't other adults around watching. I love Slip 'n' Slides!

It is weird that Brody is three, but at the same time, I don't really remember what it was like before I was his mom. It was probably a lot quieter and I probably got a lot more sleep, but where did I used to get my joy? Brody is so easy to crack up. All you have to do is look at him funny and he will bust up laughing. He is usually very kind to other kids and sometimes he is even kind to his little brother. He says things that make me laugh everyday. His dimple in his right cheek makes me melt and the kid has charm in his eyes. I love him and I am so thankful to be his mom.

Brody just minutes after birth- three years ago!

One day old- his first smile.

Brody with Aunt Audrey- he is totally trying to kiss her.

Happy Birthday Brody! You're THREE!

Hot Baby Mama

I am married to a Hot and Awesome Wife who also happens to be a Hot and Awesome Mom. What would I do without her? Or more accurately, what could I do without her? I'd be lost, I think. I love her and I am so grateful for her. I'm one very lucky guy!

The Strawberry Patch

It is strawberry season! Last year we had so much fun going and picking our own strawberries that we jumped at the chance when the strawberry patch opened this year. We picked two buckets of strawberries and let me tell you- they are the best strawberries I have ever put in my mouth. The ones at the grocery stores don't even taste good to me anymore. You can eat as many as you want while picking and the buckets are only $7 each. The boys had fun running through the rows of strawberries, watching the tractors nearby and of course eating the strawberries. You can even see Bridger stuffing his face in the Youtube player at the bottom of our blog. (not this entry, but the entire page). The player will always be there with the latest videos of the family. Anyway, it was a really good experience for us but we decided we are glad we don't have to plant, grow and harvest all of our own food. Those poor pioneers. If they only knew that less than a hundred years after they went through all they did that there would be cars and planes and boxed macaroni and cheese!















With all the strawberries we had I decided to try my hand at making jam. Some of my friends had done it so with their advice, I started the process. Even with Adam's help, it was a little overwhelming but we did it. We made 9 small jars of jam and the boys had it on their sandwiches for lunch. I was pretty excited about it but apparently it is nothing to be excited about. In fact, I've heard it is pretty lame to make your own jam (thanks Eliza). I don't care, though. I like to look at my homemade jam jars and know that I turned the strawberries I picked myself into yummy strawberry jam!

Another Tag

My friend Leslie tagged me (even though I told her not to) so here goes:
Five Things on My To Do List:
1. organize the junk drawer (I even got a junk drawer organizing tray!)
2. sew blackout fabric onto the boys' curtains
3. wash and load the dishes
4. make Brody a birthday card
5. clean the bathrooms

Favorite Snacks:
1. peanut butter M&Ms
2. Kudos
3. Tostito tortilla chips
4. strawberries
5. pretzel fish crackers

Five things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
1. pay off all debt, including mortgages
2. make Adam quit his job (this would not take much convincing, although we'd have to buy his contract from the military)
3. give a boatload to charity
4. throw all my trashy mom clothes away and get cute clothes
5. travel A LOT

Five Bad Habits:
1. checking my email 70 times a day (it's an addiction, okay?)
2. impatience
3. leaving clean clothes in the dryer until the next laundry day
4. throwing my bath towel over the shower door instead of folding it over the rack (Adam hates this)
5. not making my bed (what's the point?)

Five Places I have lived:
1. Pleasant Grove, UT
2. Mission Viejo, CA
3. Henderson, NV
4. Monterey (Seaside), CA
5. Augusta and Grovetown, GA

Five Jobs I've Had:
1. cleaned my dad's office
2. Windsor Fashion's (clothing store)
3. Shades Salon and Day Spa
4. orthodontic Assistant
5. mom

Twilight Trailer

For all of you Twilight fans out there (who isn't?) here is the trailer for the movie:

http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

I am reading this book again right now- this time with Adam. We made a deal that he would read it if I read one of his dumb books. I am pretty sure he likes it so far so I might have a good date to go see this movie. I am slightly disappointed in the casting but I'm sure I'll get over it once I see the movie and fall in love with the Edward actor.

Also, the fourth book is available for pre-order at Amazon.com and with shipping, it's only $16. It is set to arrive at my house just a few days after Adam leaves for his deployment in August. At least I'll have Edward while Adam is gone.