big boy bed.

Well I had said I was wanting to get J out of his 'cage' and we've done it. Saturday I picked up the rail from our dear friends, the Martinez's. I came home and got right to work rearranging and setting up his room. That night went pretty well, he didn't even attempt climbing out so he must've been plenty tired. I did have to get up with him a couple times, but that's relatively a normal event. No falling out of bed incidents, so I was pleased with that. Sunday night started out a little bit rough. I thought I had him calmed down enough and came out, leaving his door open a crack just in case. While doing a few things in the kitchen before heading to bed myself, I hear Kent chuckle. I turned to see Jaxon standing in the living room proud as can be! Apparently he didn't bother with crying to get us to come get him, he found his own way. Great. Needless to say it took more than once of putting him back in his bed, telling him to lay down and go to sleep before he actually did so. The next time was rather funny, he climbed down and began knocking on the inside of his door to be let out. After a the 3rd or so time he whimpered for about 30 seconds and I never heard a peep until I went in after waking up myself at 8A. Hopefully he continues getting better at staying in bed, and sleeping all night.

He was pretty excited when I asked if he wanted to go take a picture on his big bed. Ha. Just happy because he knows that's where his pacifier and blanket are. I'm not sure he could have plugged it in his mouth any faster.

Just....for fun.

While I chose to take pictures with Jaxon in front of the tree, Kent prefers taking a little different approach.



It all started while Kent was reading a Louis L'Amour:A man called Trent. My dad thought it'd be funny to tape a paper over "Trent" reading "Kent" and see if he noticed when he came home from work. He did, and so since it's been the joke of the house. Tonight he decided to take it a step further and play the part. I never knew he had it in him.

Frost really bites.




Kent called me from work on Monday asking if I could do some research on Frost Bite. I was in Wal-Mart, so needless to say, research I could not. His symptoms were sounding pretty convincing though: two cold tingling finger tips. After getting them warmed back up, they hurt even worse. Turning white and by night they were blistered over. Ouch. Now to just keep them free of infection, and allow 3-6 months to completely heal back up. Luckily it's considered minor.

One of the guys that works with him made a joke, telling him something along the lines of "You better get that taken care of before your brothers have another reason to call you stubby!" Other than being only 5'91/2". In the midst of the chaos I found it the least bit funny, being in a frenzy my hubby was going to lose a couple fingers, but looking back on it I had to laugh.

*Someone needs to invent gloves for Framers, so they can still operate nail-guns in the freezing cold while wearing them. Fingerless wool gloves don't pass the test.*

Well, somewhere along the way I became rather ambitious today. It may or may not have had anything to do with the fact I didn't get up until 10A. We started off with some delicious french toast for breakfast, then bundled up for a wander outside. I'm surprised Jaxon could even function with all his winter attire on. He waddled along and didn't seem to mind. That is until the dog mauled him down, making it a good time to head inside.

I had been debating making dinner rolls or just buying them to take to our friends' Ben and Shannon Root tomorrow night to go along with supper, or just buy 'em. Since I was feeling all baker-lady I opted to make. And I already have the ingredients on hand, making it cheaper and not having to run to the store.

While said rolls were rising, I mixed up a batch of Twisted Oatmeal Craisin Cookies. Hopin' these bad boys are tasty! I'm not sure how often my sister Mistie reads our blog, but I'm figuring she would be proud of me for these ;)

The mixture.

If you're really lucky, you'll have a cute boy like this to help clean up.

I better get to chopping veggies for tonights supper before I get completely unmotivated!

Hiiii!

"Hiiii!" would be Jaxon's new word of choice. And now knows when to use the sign for 'please' before being prompted to. Well, not all the time. Baby steps, people! After a rough week of Jaxon having a cough and runny nose, wanting to be held All.Day.Long. and being all around cranky, we survived and have moved on to more peaceful days. Alyssa and Carl's wedding was a success, and Thanksgiving dinner was delicious; eating 10x's my share as always...oops!

I'm hoping to move Jaxon in to a big boy bed possibly this week. I layed him on his twin bed yesterday when showing signs of being tired and came out to do a few things. I then realized I should probably check on him to be sure he hadn't gotten down and was digging in something. To my surprise he was out like a light! He moves around a bit too much to leave him there for long, especially over night, so I need to find him a rail before we get too serious about it. We packed his actual crib away in storage so we've been using his pack n play. It's so low to the ground it is a pain to get him in and out of, even though he stands up for you to take him out. We'll give the bed a try and if all fails we can go back to the 'cage'.

We're still on the search for some land to build a house on. There are a couple possibilities we've found, but waiting on getting more info on them before taking the next step. It will surely happen sooner or later, at least I'd like it to!

As of Friday afternoon, we no longer own a home. It's actually become quite a relief. Now we just wait to hear back from the sellers of a piece of land we put an offer on. They got an extension until Monday while they look in to prices for bringing the water and sewer to the property at our request. Then surely they will counter back and we can go from there. I'm already dreaming big on all the things we could do with the extra land, while trying to remember it's not even ours yet, if ever.


This morning, Jaxon and I made it out of the house to meet my mom at Kohls. FYI My new fav store. It's obvious the holiday season is underway when you try finding a parking place, that's for sure. Fortunately the lines weren't too bad though. We even were courageous enough to meet Kent at Costco when he got off work. It was also hectic, but made it through the line quick enough. I sure am regretting not getting my Christmas shopping done by now, but it always seems too early until it's almost too late.

The chilly weather hasn't seemed to keep Jaxon from wanting to spend time outside. I feel bad trapping him the house all day, just because I don't want to be out. The yard is pretty big and way too many places for him to hide behind or get hurt by himself. When we do go out it's a must to actually play or do something, rather than just sit and watch him roam around. Keeps you warmer! This afternoon we had fun, with dad even, and had a little fire on the front porch. He played with his bucket and shovel. Drank a little rain water that had been sitting in the bucket (GROSS!). Boys anyway, what can you do?



It sure makes silly kid games more fun when you get to hear his sweet giggle. But then of course, he doesn't want it to stop. Ever.

Fall has fallen upon us.

As the wind blew about, the leaves dropped, covering the yard. Jaxon and I bundled up and took a stroll down to the mailbox. Upon our return, he was not interested in coming in the house, so we went out to jump in the leaves. Learning to 'jump' is high on his priority list. Pretty much just bends his knees and squats up and down really fast. Has yet to catch any air.



He's had a bit of a temper lately, but the last couple days have gone much better. After all that fresh air, he behaved nicely on a trip to Target. We originally went there to get him some cough medicine, but were reminded that at his age you're not supposed to give them anything. With his good behavior I couldn't resist to spend some quality time wandering around. So tonight he is sleeping with Vicks on his back and the humidifier steaming.

Before bed he packed the Dust Buster around, giving it to me to turn on for him. It's kinda heavy for a little tyke, but he continued about his business. Cruised in to the kitchen to clean up. Somebodies gotta do the chores!

little stunt man

Guess that's one way to climb on the chair, though that's not how I did it. Dangerous.

And I guess he just wanted to check the updates on Blogger too. I'm not completely sure how he got up on the chair, but with his firetruck nearby I'm guessing that would be his help.

Getting settled.

We are working our way in to settling in my dad's house. Or taking over, depending on who you talk to. During the moving process Jaxon seemed to be confused and was having a tough time. He became very clingy, making it harder for me as well. Though I imagine kids adapt to new surroundings easier than adults, it was obvious it was affecting him.
He enjoyed following my dad around outside this morning, loves the dog (I'm wondering if he might be allergic), and has been doing a great job of entertaining himself pushing trucks, cars, trailers and tractors all over the house. All the while Kent and I are getting anxious to have our current house completely signed off so we can get started on building a new house. (The closing date has been pushed off until the 12th) We have some land picked out that we'd really like to buy, just depending on when we can actually put an offer on it and all the other details involved.
Looking forward to Kent's sister Alyssa's wedding and Thanksgiving this month! And hopefully having a family picture done for our Christmas cards. This year seems to have picked up speed somewhere along the way!

selling, selling, SOLD!

We decided in early September we were not ready to endure a winter like the last and chose to put our house on the market. After having the sign in the yard for 8 days, 4 showings later, the place we call home was sold! It's sad for me to be in the situation of having to sell, but am looking forward to whatever the future brings. And of course grateful that we were able to sell our house, rather than lose it to foreclosure. We've had trouble with our neighbors, so getting out of the sub-division with a little more space for Jaxon to roam would be nice. During the winter months and while we find something else, we will be living with my dad. This will allow us to pay some things off and save money if possible. As long as work doesn't completely stall for Kent, we want to find an acre or so and build a house. With Kent able to do a lot of the work himself, it should be cheaper. And we will have to learn to plan accordingly, as most winters work slows down.

I just started packing last night, so I have a ways to go. Our closing date is the 30th of this month, and that day the buyers will take possession.

*I apologize for the lack of cool videos, but a cute pic should be better than nothing!

The stats are in:

Today was Jaxon's 15 month well-check. His tubes are still in place and his ears look clear as a whistle, or bell, whichever you prefer. Or wait, I think that's supposed to be for 'sound' not 'look'. Anyway, they look great.

• He is just below average for his weight at 24.6 lbs.

• An amazing height of 32 1/4in, which is the 90th %. Not sure how he's pulling that off.

• And last, but certainly not least, his head that he is always banging into something with; has a circumference in the 84th %.

I recently learned that, while reading to Jaxon, I lick my finger to turn the thick pages. I discovered this habit when I caught him doing it, out of the corner of my eye, while he was skimming through the pages himself. CRACK ME UP! Though, when he does it, he practically sticks his whole finger down his throat. Cute nonetheless!

I was so happy to catch this on camera!



Random Acts:
He regularly folds his hands. And when it's time to put shoes on, he turns around and walks backwards (sometimes across the room) to sit in your lap. Comes in handy, and it's pretty cute. Every chance he gets access to the broom he is sure to push or pull it around the house, 'cause the carpet needs swept occasionally you know. He has 3 teeth trying to come in. I'm rather certain teething has been going on for the last 10 months. I'm beyond ready for it to be over. And so is he, I imagine.

Lately we've been enjoying the luxury of laying Jaxon in his crib when he is tired for nap or bed time, walking out and closing the door behind us and he falls asleep on his own. This is probably the norm for most, though it's new to us! I enjoy every moment spent rocking him to sleep, but it has been nice to let him be big and do it himself. Last night I asked if he was ready for ni-night and he marched into his room and instead of heading for his crib, he stopped at the rocking chair and pushed it back and forth a couple times. Melt my heart!! I promptly grabbed his blanky and pacifier and rocked him to both our hearts content.

I love this banana loving boy.

Enjoying a fall evening, just as any boy loves to.


And I now declare tonight to be bath night.

new shoes

My yogurt-loving, blonde-haired, almost 15 month old, 24 lb, molar receiving, wrinkly-face-smiling little boy is doing great. You know, 'cause you were wondering, I'm sure of it.

Yogurt for you, yogurt for me.
If he spots it while I have the fridge open he is sure to climb in and grab a "ga-gurt".

All that fantastic sleep we had been getting is a thing of the past. Once again. But on a side note he knows how to sign 'please', just working on when to use it.

I've gotten him 3 pairs of shoes in the last week, between garage sales and GoodWill. All in good condition. One pair I am ever so proud of is the one's from GW. Basically brand new Pedi Ped's for $1.50! It amazes me the things people just give away! I also found him a lawnmower that I believe will blow bubbles, but for now he loves it just the way it is, so they shall be saved for another day.

Towing the mower along.

"It's really okay mom, I know how this stuff works."


Hmm I think we have some learning to do.

mr. giggles

(Pardon the shaky camera skills, and breathing noises. We were laughing at his spunky-ness :))

my big little helper

Jaxon found the broom sometime last week. (Probably because I rarely have used it until lately. We've had some big things going on around our house, so keeping it clean is high priority!) He still loves 'helping' vacuum, throwing things in the garbage-even shoes, and has began trying to talk. As his parents, surely we can decipher words that others probably think are nothing, but that's why we're special ;) Yogurt, cracker, all done/gone, UH oh, gogogo, outside, and bye bye are some that he has his own version of. Oh and not only does he like giving 'five', he now has learned to give 'knuckles'.

Really trying to carry the milk. Someday!
We went to Yokes the other day to get milk and eggs that were on special. I remembered they have miniature carts for kids to push, which made me excited assuming he would love it. We found one in the cart return outside and he was so proud to push it all the way into the store...that is until he saw the enormous cart with a car on front to sit in. He ditched the mini cart and was trying to climb in the car. I figured that would be fine, and got him buckled in and off we went to do our shopping. Oh my goodness, that thing was SO noisy. Probably sounded like a freight train going up and down the aisles. But he thought it was great, so we had fun with it.

******

This crazy kid loves silky stuff, like the edge of his blanky. A while back he found a skirt of mine draped over a hanger in our closet, apparently just in his reach. He would constantly disappear into our room and come out with it moments later. I would laugh at him then go put it back. Well it's been happening more lately, so sometimes it goes unnoticed.
Somehow he managed to get the waist of it around his head. He marched around like that for a bit before he got frustrated he couldn't use his hands. (A little girl would be pretty cute!)

Tomorrow it is...

UPDATE:
The surgery went well, and very fast! He was gone barely 20 min. I hardly had time to use the restroom, make some spiced cider and visit with another mom in the waiting room. The dr. came in to say he was done, and that a nurse would be in once he woke up. They must have met each other in the hall, because she came in right after he walked out!
All the nurses he crossed paths with were sure to 'ooh' and 'awe' over him. I can't blame them, he is quite irresistible to say the least. I was informed by someone that when I'm told how cute he is, I should respond with "yea, you should see his dad!" Ha. I think I might try it.
They warned me he would be sleepy, tipsy and crabby the rest of the day. So far he hasn't acted phased a bit. I'm hoping after he eats he will be ready for a nice nap though. I wouldn't mind one myself :)
Cute little gown.
(too bad it's blurry, I only had my phone to take pictures.)

*******

Jaxon will get to celebrate his 14 month birthday by having surgery. Bright and early that is. Well I'm actually not sure how bright it is at 6:30A, but we're going to find out.

I was looking at some oldish pics of Jaxon and it got me wondering if his eyes weren't quite as blue as they once were.


VS.

Maybe they are still nice and blue.

And I added this one just 'cause it cracks me up. He doesn't look like the same kid to me.


Little cowboy
He loves his 'horsie'. Not afraid one bit of all the noise it makes and tries climbing on by himself.

Jaxon playing basketball

loving this age.

Kent and Jaxon

Jaxon has been so much fun lately! More like I have a little buddy to hang out with all day, everyday. He loves anything outside. If he hears discussion of outside, stroller, bye bye etc he immediately begins flapping his arms waving bye bye in pure happiness. His high level of curiosity leaves him reaching out his hand to touch/grab things that catch his eye.

Oh, and you wanna know how he has been sleeping? Well let me fill you in, I'd be glad to! After being up for about 2 hours in the morning he is ready for a nap. And then again in the later afternoon. Naps aren't majorly long by any means, but better than nothing. And shortly after 8p he is showing signs of being ready for bed time. Last night for example, he slept from 8:30P-9A. With ZERO waking up. That doesn't happen every night of course, but we're on that path I believe. He is probably going through some cruel growth spurt, and will go back to his old ways as soon as I publish this post, but I shall enjoy it while I can!

We took away the pacifier except for bed time, and emergencies of course. But there have been few. I even leave the house without it! I'm getting brave. My main point was that I think this might have to do with his sleeping without waking 7 times a night. He would wake when he lost it, and being dark couldn't find it. After many nights of being woke up constantly, even to just walk across the house to his room and back, really messes a person up! I've never been one for letting him 'cry it out'. Sure some fussing is normal. But I feel that's my job as his mother. At this point all he knows to do when something is wrong is cry, and it's my duty to figure out why and do my best to fix it. Lately he has even been falling asleep on his own, in his crib. I usually still rock him at night, mainly because I enjoy it and it's part of the routine.

I wasn't aware that learning to walk backwards would be so neat, but it appears to be at least that. I've also caught him more than once reverting back to his baby ways, rolling around on the floor, grabbing his feet. And he also makes flopping down on your belly and sprawling out look like fun times.

So as of now, life in our house is great!

And tonight, just as I was putting the finishing touches on this post, Jaxon decided to dive off the couch with a pillow and cracked his head good on the coffee table. Kent's cousin Blaire (who has been staying with us off and on quite a bit lately, making good buddies with Jaxon. J will follow him all over.) was sitting with him so he got to witness the accident first hand. I heard the thud and went in to console him, figuring he just bonked his head like usual. But before I got there Blaire said something along the lines of "there's blood, do you have something to get it out of his eye?" So of course, I go into panic mode. Kent was still not home from work at this time, so as I'm trying to hold a rag on his head and keep him calm I'm also packing up to take him in for stitches. Before he gets home we negotiate that since it had stopped bleeding that a bandaid just might do. Either route we figured he would be getting a decent headache, a bruise and possibly a pretty scar to go along with it. J seemed fine after we both got over it. We did notice later that the table was moved about an inch from where the dents in the carpet were, and I believe he did that when he hit it. OUCH!

Sitting with Blaire shortly after.
His pacifier and blanky pretty much made it all better.
If you click on the picture to zoom in you should be able to see the nice mark.

so i joined the crowd..

I have officially made pickles. Not sure how they taste yet, but in my pantry they sit! I wish i would have worked up the courage to do it a bit sooner, and also picked the cukes before they got as big as they did. Oh well...This is a learning experience for me.

Next up: applesauce! I'm pretty excited about this one. Maybe cause Kent and I will be doing it together, always fun, and the apples are free...and we just love applesauce around here. Hopefully it turns out. After all i am new to all this handy home-made-stuff.

This week has been pretty busy for us, actually. I took Jaxon to the park to play, and met up with a friend i worked with while i was pregnant for him. She hadn't seen J since he was just a week or so old, other than pictures. He liked the sprinkler deals at the park, but mostly the big red slide. Of course. So he could give me mini heart attacks while he goes back and forth, up and down stairs. Ya know, that's just what boys do. Then we were home for a nap and off to visit more friends. The Martinez's. I used to babysit their two little girls. They recently built a house so we just had to go check it out. Again more stairs for J to explore. They generously gave him a basically brand new toy. Cause they're cool like that. (Des, he has been LOVING it. Thanks SO much!)

We also found out Jaxon likes plain ol' apples, too.
(Thanks great uncle Eric!)

Last night we took supper to my grandparents. My grandma broke her leg right below her knee about 7 weeks ago. It was way passed time for a visit, plus i figured my grandpa would like a night off from cooking ;) Jaxon tried pushing her around in her wheel chair, but could only get it an inch or so. Grandma got out just to let him go for a ride in it (I'm pretty sure she didn't mind a break from it though. They don't appear to be the comfiest.) So Kent pushed him a few laps around the house, and then he himself had to take it for a spin and let J ride on his lap. He informed me it was pretty fun and if i found one at a garage sale i could buy if for him. Ha!

Sometime today we're expecting a visit from Jaxon's G & G Rhoades. And tomorrow we're taking him to the fair. We went last year but he was a newborn and slept the whole time. We figure he will love to see and possibly pet the animals. He would probably love the kiddie rides but that could get pretty spendy. I on the other hand..go for the food! Growing up across the street from it, going to the fair is just something you do!

Bugaloo: Soft Sole Leather Baby Shoes

Bugaloo: Soft Sole Leather Baby Shoes

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Finally a video!!!

Jaxon's newly learned dismount from our bed. It's a very careful process ;) He first tries going off the end of the bed. Notice that he makes sure to grab his blanky before getting too carried away.

what's new..

We spent last weekend camping with the Rhoades side of the family. The weather was great, and we got to sleep in the comfort of a motor home. So spoiled. It was nice to see and visit with all that were able to come. I did have a stressful time on Friday night when Jaxon fell out of a kids-sized folding chair. He got scraped up pretty good, but all the blood really had me worried! Thankfully he didn't cut all the way through his lips. It's already pretty much cleared up now.



Then on Tuesday the three of us were invited to Silverwood by my dad. Since these days more time is spent working than playing, I turned down the offer. I didn't even think of just Jaxon and I going, but when my sister told me it was just her and her kids going I checked with Kent to see what he thought about that. So, unselfishly he told me to go and have fun. And have fun we did! It actually went a lot better than I expected. My dad and sisters helped out a ton with Jaxon. He loved the wave pool, toddler splash-pond and every moment he was let out of the stroller. We stayed the night in Couer d' Alene and took our time getting home Wednesday. I took a late trip to the store for a few things and Kent put Jaxon to sleep. What I figured would be a late nap and I'd be up all night with him. Nope. He actually was down for the night at 8:30p.

Jax even got to ride on the lil' kid roller coaster- 'Tiny Toot'
It was about 5 laps around a small track. At one point it drops a little bit and picks up speed as it goes around the first corner. He latched on pretty tight and let out a squeal, but otherwise seemed to like it! No hysterical crying, or even crying of any kind for that matter.

It was fun to spend time with my sisters, niece and nephew and my dad. But we of course missed Kent the entire time!

Jaxon's New tricks:

• Climbing on/off riding toys. And use his feet to push...backwards.
• Pointing at things that he wants. Or saying something like "wats sat?" in a whisper voice.
  
• Trying to throw balls/rocks.
• Unplugging things :S grr
• More consistent at waving "bye bye" very fast with his whole arm, usually both of them.
• Loves to sit on the counter while I'm cooking. Especially if he hears the KitchenAid.

• 

So today is back to reality, and catching up on things since i was 'off' for two days ;)

just because he's so incredibly cute

"seeee? i have teeth!"

Thrilled about giving 'high 5's'

texting/talking on his play phone is a favorite past time of his. "Hi daddy" has been heard clearly.

Hmm what can i find in here?

Carrying around a lunch bag. I would never let him play with a purse ;)

ENT

Today I took Jaxon to an ENT dr. A different one than he had been to previously. I liked this guy much better. He basically answered all my questions/concerns before I had to ask. Which was nice compared to trying to pry them out of the other dr. His ears looked normal for the first time since he was 6 months old. Just maybe he has grown out of this! Which he assured me, in fact, he will. Eventually. But I'm not about to get my hopes up that this is the case. Not yet, anyway. It seems to be the routine that he starts acting and feeling better just long enough for me to think he is finally over it, then we're back in the clinic getting another antibiotic. And the dr agreed that just because they look good today, he may have an infection tomorrow. Just how it works. We scheduled his ear tube placement surgery, and he prescribed him some sort of medicine that he will take once a day for 4 weeks. The plan is this will keep his ears clear of infection. He will go in for a pre-op appt. the day before surgery to talk over everything and see how things are looking at that point. As far as I know, he will be getting them though. They should stay in for 6-12 months. That will hopefully get him through the winter. And since they expected that the summer months would bring him a break from infections, and didn't, that would be great! I did have to have them put in a second time myself, and also my tonsils and adenoids removed around age 4. Hoping this won't be the case with him and we will be done after the first attempt.

Don't you just love his new eye-squinting-cheeseball smile?! I do ;) Normally the grin is bigger, but this was the best I could catch on camera.

and then there were 2

This week I've been watching a little boy just a few months older than Jaxon. It has been interesting, fun, and challenging at times! Neither of them are around kids their age daily, so they entertained each other very well! I'm starting to notice they might be ready for a break from one another though, starting to get cranky about sharing toys and such. It has been a good adventure for us all, and making some money myself again counts for something!


I am ready to have it be just us again, though. And get to sleep in, ya know...our normal routine ;)

~mmm cookie dough~

Must've needed some fixing. Tipped the whole chair over and went to work.

Since Jaxon's rough day last Sunday, he has been great! Loving his freedom to cruise around on two feet more often than on all fours. I love watching him toddle around, lookin' all big. He cracks us up daily with his silly antics and loving life spirit. His recently discovered hugs are pretty much the best around, and slobbery kisses make just about anything better. "Go, go, go", "whoa", "dadda", and "momm-A" are a few babbles we can understand him say, although there are of course a few more that I seem to make sense of, but I'm his mom :) A couple bottles were had by him the days he wasn't feeling so well, but now we're back to sippy cups only. Seeming to have a good appetite, though he still is a bit picky. But who would refuse fresh cucumbers from your very own garden? Not him!

Being my big-little helper.
Except when I'm loading it, he doesn't understand I don't want the dirty stuff back!

Keeping cool while I try saving our house from being taken over by ants.