Day at the Park

Lately, we have been taking Jackson to the park nearly everyday. He just loves to get outside, run around, climb, jump, swing, and slide! And Seth and I love to wear him out! He is so full of energy, it is exhausting to watch sometimes, BUT it is so amazing to see how quickly he is learning to climb and lift himself and to see how strong (and brave) he is getting. A month ago, he wouldn't climb up to the slide or slide down with out Seth or I there, but now he finds his own way up to the top and he is sure to go down the highest slide possible! These pics were taken at Vivian Park in Provo Canyon-it is so beautiful up there. Seth can't wait until Jackson is big enough to do some fishin'! Maybe next year...

Mother's Day!

Well, I haven't done a great job of making this mother's day special, but I did want to make sure that I took the opportunity to let a very important mom know how special she is. I feel bad because she had to work tonight until 3AM, which is about the worst way possible to spend mother's day. Hopefully this will at least bring a smile to her face. There are so many reasons that I love my wife, but I never have time to list them all in mid-conversation, but since she is working, I have all the time in the world! So here it goes.

Why I love my wife:

1. Nobody makes me laugh like she does. Since we have Jackson, I am in school, and Jill works nights, sometimes our only chance to spend time together and talk about things is when we are both so tired we can barely see straight. Even though we are exhausted, these times often turn out to be the highlight of my week. On a day she has off we might not make it to bed until midnight, and even though we are dying to go to sleep, we stay up laughing and talking until its way too late to be awake. Its hard to go get Jackson up early the next morning, but I wouldn't trade that time for anything. Its funny how after a while you know exactly what the other is thinking, and can often finish each other's sentences.

2. She is a great Mom. Its hard enough to be a mom, but Jill has to do it on no sleep. There are times where she gets off work at 5AM and I have to leave at 8 or 9. So on 3 hours of sleep she gets up with Jackson and takes him to the Library for storytime or to the park. I know its not easy, but she is always willing to do whatever it takes to make Jackson happy. There is nobody I would rather have teaching and raising my kid.

3. She is a hard worker. Whether its at work, around the house, or something else, Jill gives everything her all. She has only been a nurse for just over a year, but is constantly receiving awards at work for her diligence. She is very focused, and that is why she was able to finish her degree with an infant at home. It would have been so easy to quit, but that is not who Jill is.

4. Not only does she love me, but she makes sure she shows me. Jill is such a wonderful wife. She knows what I need before I do. She always goes out of her way to make sure I know how much she loves me. Sometimes I'll come home and she has a plate of cookies out with a card from her and Jackson telling me how much they love me. She surprises me with a meal that I mentioned that we should have sometime that I have long since forgotten about. When I am coming home from work or school, she waits on the porch with Jackson to show me how excited they are to see me. Every now and again a husband needs to be reminded that he's still important to his lady, and she reminds me every day.

5. She puts up with me and keeps me in line. I love sports. During BYU's football and basketball seasons, I am dragging her to a sporting event every other night. I'm sure it isn't always her first choice, but she likes to go with me because she knows I like to go (kind of like when I go shopping with her). I also love to laugh and have a good time, but am easily distracted. Jill keeps me on track and helps me to do everything that I need to do. She has also worked hard on our budget, which has made it possible for me to be back in school. Because of her time and effort on helping us cut costs, we have been able to pay off quite a bit of debt.

6. She's beautiful. Jill is even more beautiful than when we first met. When we met she was just a pretty girl, but she has become an unbelievably beautiful and amazing woman. How did I get so lucky?

Okay, I realize that this list will never be long enough, and believe me; there are a million more reasons why I love Jill. I can't imagine life without her, and can barely stand spending any time apart. Jill, I hope you realize how special you are to me, even though I may not do a good job of expressing it. I love you more every day, and hope that I can always be what you deserve. I am so blessed to have you in my life. Even though Jackson doesn't know many ways to show you he loves you, I see it every day. Someday he will appreciate all that you do for us. Happy mothers day! Love,

Seth

Anniversary

This past weekend, Seth and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! I can hardly believe we have been married that long! The time sure has flown by, but then again we have certainly been through a lot together and it is hard to remember my life before Seth. We had a great day all to ourselves to celebrate, thanks to granny taking Jackson off of our hands. The day started out with a wonderful massage ( I FINALLY got to use my gift certificate from LAST Mother's Day ;), Costa Vida for lunch, shopping in Salt Lake, a matinee, and dinner at Tucanos! It was a pretty busy day, and of course I didn't take pictures of any of it-but it was just what we needed. We rarely have the chance to spend the day together alone anymore! Too bad you only celebrate anniversaries once a year!

"feeding" the ducks

Jackson and I were going to pick Seth up from school one day, and I decided we could go a little early and stop by the duck pond south of campus to feed the ducks. It was a little chilly out, but Jackson was so excited to be let loose to run around in the grass. I showed him how to toss bread to the ducks, and he gave it a try. but quickly became bored. When I would hand him a piece of bread to toss, he would just eat it! I don't think he realized the ducks were eating the bread, I think he thought we were trying to hit the ducks with the bread. He started to just pick up sticks or rocks or whatever he could find to chuck at the ducks. By the time we left, the ducks were all in hiding from Jackson terrorizing their peaceful park!

When we ask Jackson, "Do you wanna go see Granny and Grampa?" His reply is "And Pepe?" (Granny's cat)

Here comes the sun...

We were so excited to see sunshine on Sunday afternoon that we just had to take Jackson to the park. He LOVES to be outside and will usually throw a tantrum when I take him straight inside from the car! Rain or shine he will say "Outside? Come on!" He just loved playing, climbing, and running at the park. There was another family that brought their dogs to the park while we were there. Of course Jackson was so thrilled and he kept saying "puppy! puppy!" The family members kept calling to one of the dogs saying, "Here, Mochi, here boy!" Jackson caught on and was soon saying "Mochi! Mochi!". Who's going to tell this kid that he will probably never have a pet dog?

Rolling down the hill with dad

Cougar in training

Jackson loves to get on the web cam so he can chat with his Gramma and Grampa in AZ. My sister was nice enough to record this web cam session while she was watching Jackson. Jackson has known the BYU fight song since football season and would always say "Rah, Rah" when he saw the BYU logo. But my mom decided it was time to teach him, via web cam, the "Gooooo Cougars!" with the actions at the end. He picked right up on it, and he has been chanting the fight song with actions ever since. And of course he has become familiar with the Y on the mountain, and whenever he can see it from the car he shouts "Y-U, GOOOO Cougars!" Oh yeah-and despite the way it appears on this blog-my child does usually wear clothes!