Joey is 11 months old!!

Wow, I feel like this winter has dragged by, but then when I think about my baby boy being almost a year old I guess it really has flown. He is getting so big, and independent, and I just can't believe it. Just a week ago I walked into his room to get him up for the morning, and he was standing up in his crib!! This is the first time he has stood up using something. I was so excited for him and he was so proud of himself. I sat in the rocking chair cheering him on, and I felt a little sad. I LOVE the 3 month plus baby stage. They are so much fun and I adore their cute happiness. They seem easy to please. The more independent and mobile they are, the harder it seems to please them and they get more moody.....

I'm not going to lie, if I could keep them at 6 months forever, I would!! It's almost tempting to have another baby, but they would grow up too. LOL, I said ALMOST TEMPTING!! But I'm not up for it yet. He's gotten to the point that he wants to be going, going and so church is becoming a challenge. It's a good thing he's so cute and social. The ladies in the ward adore him! And everybody comments on his beautiful blue eyes.

He just got his 7th tooth, the bottom second from the middle on his left side. He has seemed to be teething for a month now, so it's been a relief to get it in. His hair is really coming in! It's so blonde, he hardly seems like the same baby when he was born. I will need to give him a haircut sometime before his birthday.

He can wave, clap and feed himself for awhile now. I keep forgetting to write it down. He is a big eater, probably bigger then his sister was. He loves everything, but not broccoli so much.

He is starting to defend himself and play back with Addie. They are pretty cute and play hard. Sometimes too hard which ends in frustration on his part. But they are good friends. They seem the happiest when they are up together. Addie is very protective of her brother and tries to help him when she can.

About 2 weeks ago I looked over and he was on his tummy, I watched in the corner of my eye, half paying attention to him and suddenly he was on his bum sitting up by himself!! He was so smooth and quick, it looked like he had been doing this for months. And maybe he has and we haven't seen him. He does it all of the time now and seems to think he's pretty great. He also is using the toy totes to stand up and gets very excited at any chance he gets to try and stand. What a handsome big boy!!

I couldn't resist, they are just so cute playing in the tub!! But all essentials are covered, so these are for momma. Their cuteness must always be remembered, I love them so much

A letter to my children when they have children of their own...

I want to write this to my children....hopefully they will get some smiles, laughs, and reassurance that we all go through it. I get intimidated being a mother. I do! It's hard not to when I have my mom, that was pretty darn as perfect as they come! And my sister Stephanie, I don't know how she does it all and seems to enjoy every minute of it! And my sister Rachel, who is so patient and mellow about everything. And so I just want to express some of my thoughts and feelings so that my children will hopefully feel like I understand!

And yet I can't even write more because my kids are demanding 100 percent attention....I'm exhausted and envy neighbors and friends who had family close by they could visit and help out, go on dates once a week! Without paying so much for babysitting that you can't afford it.  Things were so simple with just the two of us. But then again, everything have more meaning and depth with children. The plan of happiness, was never easy, but always worth it.

Boise visit to Grandpa Gary, Grandma Sally, and Uncle Phil

Joe's dad Gary had to have both hips opperated on again in December. Unfortunately when they were removing the old hardware they found infection in both hips. So he had to stay at a facility to recuperate and heal so they can go back in to replace the hardware. We waited until we were all feeling healthy so we didn't share our bugs and drove 5.5 hr drive to Boise. All in all the kiddos did pretty good. We got dvd players for Christmas for long trips like this, however Addie and especially Jojo aren't old enough to enjoy watching TV yet.

It was fun for Jojo to meet his Grandma Sally and Uncle Phil for the first time, and for Addie to see them again. It always amazes me how fast they warm up to Sally. I think her animated facial expressions are so similar to Joe's that they automatically feel that they know her.

We were able to visit Grandpa Gary a couple of times and bring him some dinner (greatly needed after being in the facility for a couple of months!!) and treats. Considering his situation, he is amazingly optimistic and only had positive things to say. He's a great example to all of us.

She's wearing all of the bows Aunt Rachel gave her....She'll wear a bow for a couple of minutes, just to take them all out. Lol, what a silly cutie pie.

I wanted to show that she does sometimes let me do her hair, SOMETIMES!

New Year's

Daddy had to work New Year's Eve, so we went to visit my family the following day. We were excited to see my parent's and Kevin's family. The kids always enjoy the attention and love. Addie jumped for her first time in front of me and my dad. That was pretty excited. She has become a pro at jumping ever since. She really enjoys to parents and likes to tease my dad. He always seems to soften when she comes in for a hug. It's a big deal because she doesn't give those freely. Joey got ooh's and aah's over his speed with is army crawl.

Joe and I had some fun going to the shooting range with Kevin, Ben, and Adam. It was my first time shooting a gun (besides a beebee gun at girls' camp, I know, pathetic!). We went back another day with just Kevin. I didn't do too bad with the shot gun, was great with the 22, and was one for one with the 220 Swift of my dad's a ways back with a scope (totally cheating, I know).

Kevin often does a smoker for meat when we visit. It's so yummy! A lot of work, but it is wonderful. He has been milking cows now, working 40 hrs plus in 3 days, and sometimes more!! And even then he still got up so smoke the meat for 12 hrs.

Fun times with Grandma Hebdon 

Addie's Christmas Dress

I know we have some pictures of JoJo with his Christmas outfit, I'm not sure where they are.

Jenna's robe she gave Addie, so cute and grown up

We always enjoy going to Arimo and are grateful for such a fun family.

Loveland Aquarium with the Bares!!

The Bare's invited us to visit the Loveland Aquarium in Draper with them. Jeff had passes with his work, so we were beyond excited to see them, and to see the fish, mammals, and birds. It was a lot bigger and better than I anticipated! Both kids LOVED it and were fascinated by the swimming fish. Even Joey watched as they swam around. It was so cute to watch their expressions. The Bares were awesome, especially Stephanie! The kids had so much fun being loved on. We took some fun pictures and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It's too bad life gets so busy! It's fun to get together with such a fun family.

We went to lunch at Del Taco, and they were amazed at our kids and how much the ate ;0) We are going to be in for it when they become teenagers!! LOL we are lucky they aren't picky and eat well. I've said it a hundred times, but they are healthy, following their growth curve, and when they get sick, it's not so scary for us as parents.

It was fun to sit there and chat with everyone. Their kids are a lot of fun to talk with. It's crazy to watch them mature and grow up. Time flies!!

King Crab, he was huge!

The kids were over looking the pond that allowed them to touch the animals. It was fun to feel the various techtures. We all tried to touch the sting ray, but only Joe was able to, they are so quick!!

Both of our kids especially adore their Aunt Stephanie. They loved her attention and smiles.

Joey is 10 months old!

Our bouncing baby boy is growing and growing. LOL a member from my mom's ward made a big deal over him and asked for a high five from his bear claw. It's true, he is a solid, happy, healthy boy. He has a lot of muscle and is just anxious to be on the move, trying to keep up with his big sister. They have a lot of fun and wrestle with each other. He has started to stand up for himself and play back. Addie LOVES it. They get each other giggling pretty good. The first thing Addie does when she gets up in the morning or from her nap is "Where's Jo Jo (it almost sounds like Doe Doe?". I guess our official nickname for him has transferred to Jo Jo.

He said Mama and Dada, but now he is just babbling away, with a few squeaks and squeals too. He still has 6 teeth. He is eating solids like a champ and is only taking 3 bottles a day 4-8 oz, depending on his mood. He seems to love everything, except broccoli (which we can get him to eat if it's mixed up in other foods). He LOVES being in the tub, shower, any of it. And it seems like barely warm water is the best, he even prefers cool water to normal warm water. The two kiddos really have fun together in the bath.

He does really well with picking up food and feeding himself. He is learning how to use the sippy cup. He mostly likes to shake it so water comes out of the cup, or fill his mouth up to spill it all over himself. But he is learning, so that makes me happy. Addie is a champ at drinking water, and is always requesting it. She doesn't seem to like juice, which is fine with me. The doctor says that's a healthy habit so I am hoping for the same with him.

Merry Christmas!!

What a wonderful time of the year! It's so fun to see the Christmas Trees, Lights, wreaths, decorations....it's all so exciting and fills the soul with excitement. The celebration of our Savior's birth, His life, example, lessons, Atonement, death, and Resurrection....It's one of those gifts we are given to evaluate our many blessings, the miracles of each gospel principle, and the miracle of life.

We were able to go to Temple Square to see the lights on Dec 20th. It was a warmer evening, however there was a mist that ended up in a drizzle, so our kiddos ended up getting sick. But everything was beautiful!! We watched the Nativity and tried to point out the animals, the star, and baby Jesus to Addie. LOL, it's kind of hard for kids to enjoy stuff outdoors because it gets so cold. And to enjoy the lights, it needs to be darker.....we left the house at 4:30, so not too late, but it gets cold so quick. We walked around the temple, and then ended the evening in the visiting center. We let Addie run around a bit and Joey was able to sit and stretch out while we stood in line to go up to see the Christis. When we got up there, the kids seemed to enjoy the lights, the stars, and looking up at the Christis. Addie seemed to enjoy that part and liked to look up at him. We are grateful for events like this that help us to focus our minds and spirits on the true meaning of Christmas.

The next day we went to the mall and got a picture of the kids sitting on Santa's lap. We had tried to do this at Carabella's but apparently Santa only visits 2 of the weekends. And we had missed this. But I just HAD to have the classic picture of babies sitting on Santa's lap. Joey was content to just sit there, but Addie was very upset, poor girl, poor Santa! LOL, hopefully she will understand who he is better next year. Maybe Joey won't be so content next year....we will see. Anyways, we let them play around on the playground there and then went home. Now we just patiently waited for Christmas to arrive.  Unfortunately it landed on Daddy's 7 days on. I was planning on going to my parent's since Joe was working, but we all got a head cold, so I decided to stay home. I'm actually glad I did because since it was the holidays Joe worked early 6:30-4:30, so we got to spend a lot more time with him then if he worked his normal shift.

So for Christmas Eve when Daddy got home, we read Luke 2 while we all took part in the Nativity. We video taped it, so I think it worked out well. Joey was baby Jesus, Addie was the Angel, Daddy was Joseph, and Mommy was Mary. It's always fun to try to get that done every year. It's a tradition in many families, and growing up we did it for quite awhile. I plan to do the same.

We opened up our pj's from Grandma and Grandpa Hebdon. Addie got cute turquoise with owls, moons, and stars onsie pjs with the footies. Joey got cute grey with baseball memorabilia onsie pjs with the footies too. We LOVE their pj's they give the kids every year. They are so warm and perfect for Christmas Eve. It's a tradition that we did as kids, and my dad's family did growing up too.

The next day we waited until dad got off in the evening to open the gifts. We were all very spoiled!!

Santa Claus and our two cuties!!

All bundled up for Temple Square

Joey was watching all of the activities.

I adore this picture, the little children at the feet of Christ.

What a smile!!

Enjoying their presents

Reindeer headband, they loved the lights

Jojo's first Christmas

Addie: Vacuum from Santa; Green Christmas Dress, Play Dough, alphabet magnets, coloring books, Mr. Potato Head, white fluffy blanket with pink and turquoise elephants from mommy and daddy;  Peanuts memory game from Joey;
Joey: Little People Farm and animals from Santa; stuffed horse, a tower that balls fall down tier to tier, fuzzy shirt and pants, fuzzy navy blue blanket from mommy and daddy; shapes in a wooden wagon from Addie.
Together: 2 books from mommy and daddy, portable DVD's for traveling and goodies from Santa; soft stuffed polar and panda bear with matching books from the Bare's (who had our family this year).
Mommy and Daddy: Lap Top from Santa; and a 6 day East Caribbean Cruise in April from each other (including birthdays and anniversary gifts!! We got a great black Friday deal and free miles for the flights, so we decided we were going to spoil ourselves).

Adaline Mabel is 2!!

Our baby girl is growing up, but she will ALWAYS be our baby girl!! What a delight she is to us and her brother. She is often smiling, laughing, finding ways to make others laugh, and exploring new things. She LOVES to be outside and unfortunately mommy doesn't like the hot or cold....so she thrives off of any time she gets. However, she doesn't like being contained, but instead allowed to roam free as she pleases.

For her birthday, mommy made a banner that said, "Happy 2nd B-Day Addie". I put up stars around it. It took me quite a long time, but I wanted it to be special!! She LOVES stars, so I had cut up stars and put them up. I also made her a cake and decorated it myself. It was my first cake, and though making the frosting was very frustrating, it was fun when it finally came together!! I used a bunch of colors to make it fun and bright. She really liked it and couldn't wait to touch it. And when she did, she was pretty good!! Not too messy, but she had fun. I made her spaghetti and meatballs, one of her favorite meals.

Her gifts from us were: Little People Zoo with animals, baby Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Sleeping Beauty book, Dr Seuss's "Oh the places you will go" (hindsight, it's probably more appropriate for her when she gets older, oh well). She got money from the Bares and from her Grandma and Grandpa Hebdon. We decided to put the money into her piggy bank so she can save up for something when she gets bigger.

We were going to go to Temple Square in Salt Lake to see the Christmas lights but Daddy was oncall at the hospital and got called in. So we decided to wait for another night to see the lights, which we did Sunday night. Her baby brother was very excited for her as well and enjoyed playing with her toys and paper. It's going to be interesting when Christmas comes!!

Milestones:

• She is learning her shapes. Her favorite and first seems to be star. She LOVES stars!! and loves to sing "Twinkle Little Star". She has also learned circle, square, triangle (pronounces kicangle), heart, and is learning rectangles (which is confusing because they look like squares, but sound like triangles....not the best job done by the English language! But serving a mission teaching Mongolians the language, I have to say not a lot of English makes sense!!).
• She is learning colors. Her favorite and first is blue, purple then white. She is picking up on black, red and green. And is trying to understand orange and pink.
• The other day there was a penguin on the TV. She got excited because there was a penguin on her pj's, and then she grabbed her pet penguin. She said black!! It's fun to see her understand what everything means!! I always worry that I don't teach enough, but somehow they just pick things up. It's pretty amazing.
• She loves to dance (her dancing is bouncing as she rocks back and forth. We think she is pretty adorable!).
• She loves animals and calls them by what noise she makes. Her favorite animals are a cow (moo) and cat (meow, with her face scrunched up).
• She loves riding Great Grandpa Belnap's rocking horse he made for my mom. We get to borrow it, and it's probably her favorite toy.
• She does not enjoy coloring! She asks for "color" but lasts for 2 minutes, then she is done. However, the other day she got into mommy's colored sharpies and went to town on her pj's and high chair (she now pushes the high chair to the counter, climbs up the highchair with the tray still on, gets what she wants, and squeezes into the seat). Once again, I think all parents have to believe in angels and miracles that children survive childhood!!
• She really likes going to Nursery. The first few months (June to October) she really had a hard time going into the class. The first month she would have to be held by the teacher. The next few months it would take 10 minutes, and then she would gradually warm up. Now she hesitantly walks in, but they say she does really well. And when I go in to get her, she is running around playing. I am so grateful that we have people who are willing to fulfill their callings. It's a tremendous blessings for those kids to interact and learn from others. And it allows us parents a break, yah!!

Stats:

• Height: 35.5 in 75%
• Weight: 30 lbs 75%

Joe took her to the doctor appointment on Dec 18th.  He explained to her what the doctor would do, so when the doctor checked her tummy, ears, back she was fine. She didn't cry until he checked her mouth. She hates brushing her teeth, I don't know why. She got her vaccinations,  cried, but that's understandable. She interacted with the doctor and he was happy with where she was on her milestones.  He said she was a happy, healthy little girl. She kind of does this skipping run at times, but I guess that's her trying to jump, so that's exciting too.

Her Birthday gift, Little People Zoo, Joey was having fun too!

Addie eating her chocolate cake, yummy!

She actually didn't make that big of a mess. She is getting really good at feeding herself and being careful, for the most part.

Daddy bringing out her cake while we sing Happy Birthday.

Joey's 9 month stats

Joey went in for his nine month dr appoinment. He is doing really well, meeting all of the milestones for his age.  He was good the whole time, except the vaccinations.  He was pretty sad, like his heart was broken. Poor little guy. But he handled them well and seems to have no adverse reactions which is a relief. 

Height: 31.2 in 98 percentile

Weight: 23 lbs 7 oz 

He's so big, healthy,  and happy.