Kudos

Max got news from a former collegue in Idaho Falls that the GM from the Residence Inn by the Boise Towne Square was resigning and moving to Pocatello. This leaves an opening for a GM there. (Now don't get your hopes up family and friends.) My first response was that I did not want to move back to Boise. At least not yet. We are really enjoying it here and I feel like we are still settling in. Of course, the GM position in Boise wouldn't pay as much either. Max called and talked with his GM friend, Jeff, in Idaho Falls tonight. Jeff told him that he was recently in at the home office in Monroe, LA and heard nothing but good things about Max. Jeff said they are very impressed with him and his work. Max's response was that he could be doing a lot better. Of course he could. We all could, but I am also very proud of Max and how hard he works. What a wonderful guy we have!!

Finished Project

I decided to post my latest project. I have been working on redoing an office chair for my desk. It has been a here and there project as I bought the chair before Christmas, bought the fabric with a birthday gift certificate, and dissembled, refinished, and reassembled sporadically. Here are some before picts.

Cheap ugly chair.

I wanted one without arms 'cuz they always get in the way.

Ugly torn apart back.

This was the difficult part, trying to figure out this backing system. Once I figured it out it was easy.

The finished beauty!!

I loved redoing this chair and I am enjoying it in my room, even though Max has been sitting on it at his computer. Maybe that is because I have not cleaned off my desk yet and their is a pile of pillows in the way as well.

Shots

I told Jacob on Sunday afternoon that I had some bad news. I explained that on Tuesday he was going to go to the doctor to get checked and get some shots. He was not happy and the next couple of days as we prepared him he still was understandably not happy. He understood that they would hurt but that it would get better quickly. On the way to the doctor we talked more about what the doctor was going to do and how the nurse was going to give him the shots. He stated, "Mom, this was your bad news?" I had forgotten about our conversation on Sunday and it struck me as cute/funny!

The appointment went well and we talked to her about several things. She said not to worry about his flat feet unless he starts complaining about them hurting. She thinks he has a small umbilical hernia and will just need a few stitches. She wants us to see someone to double check. It isn't urgent but we will get it checked soon. She complimented and praised him for his clean teeth. She explained that it isn't the amount of food he eats but rather the variety that he eats or is exposed to that is important. She was suprised that he was so premature because he has no physical features that are normally with premature kids as they grow. He is in the 25th percentile in height and weight and the doctor said that is good. She was glad he was so familiar with books and that we read to him every night.

After the doctor left I read to him while we waited. Jacob was very interested in learning about his inner ear and where his drum is. When the nurse came in he stated, "I don't want shots!!" We quickly laid him down and I held his hands. He was more upset that the nurse had to hold his legs so tight. In less than 8 seconds the shots were in, he was crying, and he was good to go. He quickly calmed down and later ran to the car.  I took Jacob to Chick-fil-a for being so brave. I think he was high on life because he was excited and so talkative. We are all glad that ordeal is over!

New Orleans

Jacob and I took the sister missionaries to the French Quarter in New Orleans on Monday. One of the sisters was assigned to Baton Rouge while she waits for her visa to Brazil. It was fun to see her excitement for the area. We dropped them off in the French Market area and headed to the Garden District about 15 minutes away to exchange some earrings Max ordered me for Christmas/Birthday. I had never been there and it was beautiful. A little like the French Quarter but less hustle and bustle and more foliage. It reminded me of Key West. Jacob and I ate at an ice cream shop and then we headed back to the French Quarter to meet the sisters. We parked, rode the trolley train, and located the sisters still in the Market. We ate beignets with them at Cafe du Monde.

We walked along the riverwalk and a guy was playing a guitar for tips. Jacob broke out in an uninhibited dance and was completely in the zone enjoying himself. The sisters loved it and just as one was going to video him he stopped. The guitarist laughed and said that was the best tip he had all day. We saw this cruise ship going up the Mississippi River. I didn't realize they actually ran the ships up the river. There was a huge bend and it looked like it was skidding around it.

When it was time to leave New Orleans Jacob threw a huge fit. Oh, he was upset. Screaming and crying all the way to the car. Nothing would placate him. He just loves being in New Orleans. He enjoyed being silly with the sister missionaries on the way home and we all enjoyed our little trip!

Muffin Man

Jacob loves to cook and bake. He always has to be right in there with me when I am fixing food. Especially when he can taste and lick! I had a ton of frozen bananas and we decided to make muffins for dad to eat at work. He enjoys using my mini scooper and he is pretty good at it. Barely made a mess and filled all the muffin tins.

New Calling

I was asked to serve in the Stake Relief SocietyPresidency. I am excited but overwhelmed. I will be traveling to other wards and branches, speaking and training about 2 times a month. I will also have other various meetings and represent the Stake Relief Society in other ways. Max says that he is prepared to have me gone a lot on Sundays and some on Saturdays. I am excited to serve, to meet new sisters, and get to know this area better.

Hard Lessons

Jacob saw a guy on tv eating something and asked what it was. I told him it was caviar or fish eggs. He was mortified. "Fish eggs?! You can't eat fish's eggs!! Their momma and dad will be too sad! They will miss them! Awwww! You can't eat there eggs!" I blame Finding Nemo! He felt a little better after I explained that they aren't babies yet and fish lay lots and lots of eggs. I still think it is a sore subject though. Poor guy!

Baby Girl Outfit

Just thought I would post some pictures of the outfit I made this week for Max's AGM who is due in 6 weeks. We went to the co-ed baby shower on Saturday. She loved the outfit! I think I would if I had a baby girl. As I made it on Thursday and Friday, Jacob kept looking at the various pieces and say, "Awwwwwww!" He also said that he needed a brother and a sister. Then he asked why I couldn't have a baby and when I explained to him for the 100th time that it could make me or the baby sick he seemed to understand. Although he didn't like the answer. He would make such a good big brother.

Improptu Trip

I decided it was high time that I wrote about our trip to Mississippi. On the Friday before New Years I was running around getting the Camry fixed and inspected. It was a beautiful day and when I came home I texted Max (he was in the other room but I didn't want Jacob to hear) a proposed plan to head to Gulfport. It was solidified when we booked a hotel at a holiday employee rate of $18 a night. We packed quickly and left at 4pm. It usually takes about 2 hours to get to Gulfport but on the way we stopped at a few places. Just inside of Mississippi there is a rest stop that has a practice lunar lander from the Apollo missions. Jacob loved seeing that and peppered us with questions. We also stopped at a hole in the wall restaurant called Clawzilla that had good reviews. We ate on delicious fried catfish, fried shrip, fried chicken strips, fried onion rings, and french fries. Do you notice a theme? It was wonderful food (I have never had such great onion rings and my first experience with catfish was memorable) and resonably priced. We enjoyed our nice hotel room that night, ate a good breakfast and we were off to explore for the day.

First stop at the marina. It took a while for Jacob to warm up to walking the docks to see the big fishing boats.

Jacob was not wanting to smile or pose for these picts.

Lots of pelicans on the poles. See the large casino in the background.

A big memorial anchor amist all the marina reconstruction.

Our next stop we headed a bit inland to Dairy Queen for lunch. Quite a novilty because we don't have any in Baton Rouge. Jacob loved his first Dilly Bar and it loved his face! He kept asking if we wanted a kiss! Silly boy.

After eating we headed back toward the Gulf to enjoy the beach. Despite it being foggy, overcast, and around 60 degrees we could have stayed there the rest of the afternoon. The only thing stopping us was that we forgot to bring anything to sit on and we were getting very sandy and wet because of this. We ended up staying for an enjoyable hour or so. At first Jacob was not excited about the water. Just being his normal cautious self. He slowly got used to it and ended up completely drenched.

Jacob and Max having a water fight. He would splash dad and when dad splashed him he would run away screaming.

Trying to splash dad!

A very wet, happy boy next to his first sand castle on the beach. He was so proud as he decorated it with shells and sticks and poured water around it. As we drove away he said, "I don't want my sand castle to wash away. I will be sad."

Wiping him dry and trying to carefully get off all the course sand before getting on some warm, snuggly clothes. We didn't even bring a towel. You live and learn, right?

The beach is right on the highway. I took this picture from our car to show the sand on the highway and the thick fog.

Jacob loved his first time in salt water and said that is tasted sweet. He kept licking his hand and sipping from his shovel. Once he stood in the water while to small waves lapped around him and he said, "I'm moving backwards!!" He had that sensation. Jacob also thought it was fun to chase the seagulls after I showed him how. He decided that they should actually be called "sea eagles" because they are like eagles at the sea. And he kept calling them that too. What a guy!! When we decided to leave the beach it was hard to pull him away but we promised we would enjoy it again on a sunny day.

Little guy in a huge ocean. He was bringing water for the moat he dug around his castle.

We drove down the highway and looked at all the beautiful homes. We also saw many empty lots where homes once stood before hurricane Katrina. It was a beautiful area and I can't wait to go back on a more sunny (although not hot) day. 

No More Missionaries

On Thursday morning we took Max to work so we could run some errands and go shopping. We were gone until the afternoon and then we picked Max up from work. When we got home we saw some office missionaries going in and out of the Elders' apartment above us. They frequently do that because they store stuff up there. I always jokingly ask if the Elders are moving and they always answered no. This time it was a yes. BUMMER!! We knew they would some day because it was a two bedroom and on the fairly expensive/nice side as far as missionary apartments go. Later that night we told Jacob that the missionaries were not going to live above us anymore. He became very upset and started crying crocodile tears. He had to hug mom and be cuddled by dad. He loves the Elders and they really enjoy him. They had some fun things they always did when they saw each other. They were a wonderful example to Jacob and introduced him to what some of missionary work and life is like. At church today the Elders told us how bad they felt and that they were told late the night before that they needed to pack or else they would have said goodbye. Of course we will see them at church but it was nice having them upstairs. Who know who will move in now and my anxiety is rising about it.

Christmas Day

Jacob woke around 7:30am and came running in saying, "It is Christmas today!!" He was so eager to uncover what Santa had brought him (we put a blanket over it just in case he woke in the middle of the night). He loved the little drum set and started playing right away. Luckily it isn't a very loud set. He did question why Santa didn't get him a big set like we wanted and we had to explain that Santa knew he needed to begin with a small one and then he could get bigger ones as he learns. Understandable. We opened the rest of our gifts before we had to get ready for church.

Posing with his dragon.

Messy room of presents and wrapping.

Playing with some of his toys.

Mom and Jacob playing Super Mario Bros. We were terrible and Max could barely contain himself
because we were so awful. He is the one that told me to play with Jacob but pretty quickly Max was playing too.

We went to church at 10:00am and it was wonderful. They had a nice simple program with some musical numbers and speakers. It got me in the real Christmas spirit and really thinking about the birth of our Savior. After church we went home and ate left-over fondue. Some friends invited us for dinner but we really just wanted to stay home and relax and play. Even though we missed spending time with family in Idaho we still enjoyed each other's company as well as the Christmas presents that we received. Our first Christmas season here has been a memorable one.