I Heart Jared Nicholes

In our ward we have a very high number of kids with disabilities, 8 in our primary. It is definitely a challenge each week, but since I'm behind the piano it's usually not a challenge for me, but mostly for the primary presidency. One boy in particular (Jared) is my favorite to have around. After talking to Steven about it yesterday, I think I discovered that I enjoy his presence (and many) outbursts each week because it's very reminiscent of when Tim was little. The only difference is, I get to enjoy Jared and understand that he is just his own man. Whereas, when Tim was little, we were so close in age that his outbursts used to be embarrassing because I didn't think that people understood.

I have been enjoying Jared in primary for months now, and I thought it was only fair that I share some of Jared on my blog. Between Steven and I we have lots of favorite moments with him, but by far these are our favorites.

• In preparation for the Christmas program, Jared was asked to narrate a portion of the nativity play, and when his turn for the microphone came it squeaked. And into the microphone Jared says, "They've hacked into our microwave system!"
• When generally asked in primary when Jesus would come again (looking for the answer that no one knows) Jared raised his hand and said, "April 1st 2016 will be first contact!"
• Arriving at church very early (long story), I was sitting in the chapel when Jared and his brother and sister arrived. He had with him a very large souvenir newspaper that I assume he brought back with them from their Hawaiian vacation. (The headline was about the attack on Pearl Harbor) When his older brother tried to take the newspaper, Jared shouted very loudly, "Don't touch my tie, I don't have underwear on!"
• During a practice for our primary program, Jared brought with him half a broken fishing pole that he wanted to give to the chorister to use as a baton. He did, and she did, and then she gave it right back to him. There was a great deal of sword fighting and rifle shooting with the broken antenna. Both Steven and I were nervous that he might hurt someone else with the imaginative tool. Steven leaned over and asked him to give it to him. Jared responded very loudly with,"Are you threatening me?" and when I leaned over to get involved he asked me," Are you trying to take my personal property?" After which I told him he could put it under his chair or give it to me, which interrupted our practice for about 3 minutes while he decided. I wasn't fazed, Tim has done much worse, but when Jared and I were done negotiating the Primary Presidency looked like I had spun gold. It was awesome.
• One sharing time when the classes were split into a boys team and a girls team for a challenge, Jared announced repeatedly that he was the general for the boys team and proceeded to tuck his suit jacket into his pants and then retie his belt on the outside like a ninja costume, and he then beat everyone up.
• Yesterday in Primary his mother came in to check on things, and he told her that he had a headache and needed to go home. She checked his head and told him that he was going to stay. So, then he said his throat hurt. (Of course in a suddenly raspy voice) She told him that he had to stay. She turns to leave and he says just a little bit louder, "But, I'm constipated and must use the bathroom!" She turns and says, if you are constipated you don't need to use the bathroom, and again turns to leave. As soon as she is almost outside the door he yells, "Okay, then I have diarrhea!"
• This is my favorite one by far. Jared raised his hand yesterday and asked the Primary President if he could show the primary a Hawaiian dance he learned on his vacation. She told him she didn't think that there was going to be time, and that maybe the next week would be better. Not able to pass up this opportunity, I asked him to show me when Primary was over. It was awesome. He remembered everything they taught them, and was very handsome doing it. But the best part was when his sister came to look for him. He asked her to show us the dance she learned, which she was too embarrassed to do. So, don't worry, he showed us her hula too. Complete with hips and sounds. I'll never forget it.

I am so grateful to have grown up with Tim. Even though there were very difficult moments, I am so glad that I am able to interact with these other special spirits comfortably because I've been doing it since I can remember. Jared makes primary for me every week, I'm so grateful he's there. Can't wait to see what happens next week!

Around Here

Just a few things that are happening lately....

I was finally able to convince Steven to purchase a new pair of shoes. He's been wearing the same pair of New Balance sneakers since we were first married. (He recently told me he feels like he can feel the cement through them.) So, he searched and this was the end result. The same pair of shoes, but a much cooler "Kermit the Frog" green. On a side note, he finally gave into the expense and the next day found an old box that had his old mission piggybank in it from when he was growing up. Strangely the box held the exact amount of money he spent on the shoes.

Also, I am suffering. I have a very strange and itchy rash related to pregnancy. I was told by the doctor that 1% of pregnant women have the opportunity to enjoy it. It's called PUPPS, and they don't know what causes it, just that you will have it until after the baby is born. So, I've had it for about two weeks, and will get to enjoy/endure this for another 5. It's difficult to capture all the agony that the rash is, but just know it is everywhere and itches like bug bites. (Including on the bottom of my feet)

This week for FHE we had a night of pizza and playing Scene It, the Pirates of the Carribean version. The game was very interesting. I thought I would totally dominate but the game is very tricksy. It somehow knows to give all the easy questions to the elderly parents and the trick questions to the people who have actually seen (and thought they understood) the movies. My very favorite part of the night was when Tori was petting Trooper and she turned to her mother and told her that "Trooper's pants were very soft." Awesome.

This picture contains the aforementioned "Kermit" sneakers, the "soft pants" dog, and the huge desk that Steven decided needed to go in our room. We really need to communicate about this "nesting" stage better.

We are getting so excited for Kaden's baptism weekend. We can't wait to see the Maile's and the Brousseau's! It feels like we haven't seem them forever. Don't let either picture fool you, they are all insane.

Can't wait til you guys get here!

The Bag

Steven and I went into the hospital a few days ago for our "pre-admission" appointment. Basically, they try to get as much paperwork done before you come in to have your baby, so that when we come in Steven doesn't have to figure out all the paperwork. (That might actually be entertaining) By far the best part of the appointment was when the nurse reminded us to bring the car seat and some going home clothes for Cooper. In that moment everything really hit Steven who looked at me and said, "He's going home with us." Yes Steven. We aren't leaving our newborn here with this less then pleasant woman.

Anyways, I was just going to open up a forum and ask everybody out there what they take to the hospital with them, or what they wish they could. I packed a bag for Cooper already, but am not sure if it is complete or not. So, what do you wish you had thought to take for your hospital stay, and what does the baby need for that first trip home?
Any input is appreciated!

We're Bored

It's official. We are totally bored. It's the time of year when it definitely feels as if winter needs to be over, but the weather simply doesn't cooperate. We want to get outside and do new things! Hike, boat, not have our pants soaked halfway up our leg from walking outside...any of these things sound awesome.
Since the boredom, I have been doing boring things to try to make myself busy, only increasing the boredom. Today one of the "fight the boredom" exercises turned up something delightful.
I was going through old pictures on my computer and came across something that made me oh-so-cheerful.
Before I start this story, let it be known that I totally love my mother-in-law. She is the most loving and proper woman I know. I am only telling this story because I know it makes her laugh too.
One Sunday Marsha (mother in law) noticed a new family in her ward. After sacrament she went to them and introduced herself and chatted with them for a while, welcoming them to her ward.
Little did she know that during the entire sacrament meeting and her chat afterwards, she was still wearing her sunglasses and one of the lenses was missing.
I'm sorry, but as I picture this, it ALWAYS makes me smile. So, last year Steven and I were driving and I discovered that one of my sunglasses was missing a lense, so we seized the opportunity.

Hence...

Thanks Marsha!

Party Animals

Today we had a baby shower here for a woman from our ward who doesn't have any family in the area. It actually was really fun and went off without a hitch. We opted to have it in the morning. (My idea) I think the reason I gave had something to do with mothers, and Saturdays and how it's such a busy day... but my secret reason was....Costco makes the best pre-made baked breakfast goods!

Everything went so well, it was very fun to have women from the ward come that I wasn't very familiar with. Since Steven and I are in primary, unless someone is also in primary or really rowdy in sacrament, chances are we have no idea who they are. But, this is all changing with Steven's new calling. I have never witnessed a calling for which you needed to know so many names!

The last shower I attended in this ward was different then any I had ever been to. All the women brought their children, and it was sort of a free-for-all during the shower, so I wasn't sure what to plan for as far as the children were concerned. So, the husband was asked to be on child duty. We made sure to have crackers and a movie upstairs so the kids would have something to do. I let Steven pick the movie and he chose "Snow Buddies". (The new movie about puppies that become a dog-sled team) Turns out the only kids who came were the Javier kids, so they got the royal treatment with Uncle Steve. I have been hearing quotes from the puppy movie all day...sounds like a winner.

So, here are a few pictures from our day..

P.S. Tori is leaning because to take the picture I had to gain her attention and stand in front of the tv. She seems pleased.

My favorite part of the whole event was coming upstairs to see Steven and Sammy. I told them to say cheese and instead Steven said,"I want to take a nap..."

Happy Saturday!

Sleeping Arrangements

I have found the answer! Lately I have not been sleeping well at all, mainly due to the fact that our box springs is busted right in the middle. It sounds totally ghetto I know, but when my younger brother Tim spends the night, his favorite "surprise" is to run into our room and jump on our bed with us in it. He usually goes right for the middle, and the first time he did it, we heard a huge crack. So, we switched out the box springs with our guest bed (apologies guests...) and had a very long conversation with Tim about why we were doing this. So, true to Tim form the very next time he came for a visit, another surprise jump and another broken box springs. So, now we make do and roll into each other every night.
Recently Steven and I were talking about all the things we loved doing our first year of marriage, and camping came up. He suggested we take a quick camping trip before the baby is born. (Anybody been outside lately?!!) So, as a surprise I set up our air mattress and sleeping bags and various camping treats in our living room last weekend. Imagine my surprise when I slept through the night! We spent the entire weekend on that air mattress. It was great. When I had had enough of sleeping in our living room it went back into the camping gear, only to have the worst night of sleep ever back in our bed. So everyone....

That's right! For the rest of this pregnancy I am sleeping on our air mattress.

I can't really explain why it's so much better, only that it gives in the right places. We deflate it a little, and the end result is that it feels more like a hammock then a mattress. My hips don't hurt, and I usually sleep through the night. It's awesome!

Also, yesterday we went and shopped for everything on our "baby list". Our list contained everything since we had nothing, ranging from shampoo to the baby's crib. It was very fun, and Steven did such a good job staying interested. (I'm sure that the crackers and gatorade grabbed at Target to keep the blood sugar up helped...) We had so much fun and found almost everything on our list. We have just a few things left to find and yesterday's trip made everything seem real. We bought our first diapers yesterday, and I think everything settled on Steven in that exact moment. It's possible that he said, "We bought diapers today" about 10 times.

Upon coming home my husband carried the crib to the baby's room and announced he was going to put it together. I hate putting furniture together, so it was a dream come true to get to sit and watch someone else do it.

Yes, The Office is playing on the laptop in the background. I usually get so frustrated during these experiences I try to put something on that will keep me happy.

Notice I said we got "most" of the things on our list. I forgot the dust ruffle...But nonetheless I think it turned out pretty cute! I love how Steven is holding a hammer and a screwdriver as his tools. I can't remember a single instance in which Steven needed the hammer to build the crib, but I love that it's one of the tools!

It seems that our sleeping arrangements are solved...

I'm Going To Try

Recently I've read a lot of postings about President Hinckley and what an amazing impact he had on so many. I wanted to post something to honor him as well, but everytime I thought of posting, I couldn't think of an appropriate way to express my feelings. So, afer more blog hopping I found that some people are participating in what is being called "The Hinckley Challenge". The challenge consists of reading The Book of Mormon in 97 days. (One day for each year President Hinckley was alive) I've decided that I am going to try.

I love President Hinckley. I loved the influence he had on others around him. I know that when I get into the habit of reading my scriptures I am a better person. So, participating in this challenge is my small attempt to become a bit more like President Hinckley. We were so lucky to get to have President Hinckley with us for so long, and I am really looking forward to what the new presidency will bring.

A Total Nerd

I think most adults would say that as they have grown older, their taste pallet has narrowed. I would say this occurs simply because as you get older and have new experiences, you choose new favorite tastes and meals. Well, this isn't the case for me. I would have to say that if anything my pallet has just widened to include all kinds of new things and all the old as well. I don't think this is necessarily something to complain about, considering it makes me very easy to please. However, it just makes life a little harder for me when most foods I encounter I like to eat.

One of the foods I have loved as a kid is cold cereal. When my family was young there were a lot of mouths to feed, so the most cost efficent way to serve breakfast was a heaping pot of oatmeal. I don't have anything against oatmeal other then the fact that I can't stand the texture, and I had to eat it for years. I've always wondered if my mother's mantra of "it sticks to your bones" started as the reason she fed it to us, or the excuse. But, regardless of the reason, we are all healthy and I think that it did stick to our bones. (Maybe that's why they are extra thick...) The point of all of this rambling is coming....we had oatmeal to eat Monday thru Thursday, and on the blessed day of Friday, we were allowed to have cold cereal. We didn't get to pick the kinds if I remember correctly, but it didn't matter what kind, it was a miracle.

So, as an adult one of my favorite meals is cold cereal. Usually the types I like aren't the "good for your heart" or "lose a size in six weeks" kinds of cold cereal. The ones I would choose are the ones that are awesome. They are the kinds with cartoon characters and amazing words like, chocolate, marshmallows, and as seen on T.V.. So, this week at the store I happened upon my new favorite cereal. It is a new kind of Frosted Flakes, but with a Honey flavor instead of the old Frosted Flavor. One of the saddest things about the old Frosted Flakes was that they got soggy so fast. (Resulting in cereal eating too quickly, and burps afterward) But good news! This new kind of F.F. has a reformulated flake! They stand up well in milk, lasting much longer, and the flavor of the cereal is reminiscent of Golden Grahams.

Get out there and try it so it can stay as a real flavor and not disappear from my local Wal-mart!

(Disclaimer: Spell check not working...now realize I have come to rely upon it. Apologies for any misspelled words)

A little indulgence...

I always look forward to the "next" thing. No matter what I'm going through or participating in, I always look forward to what's coming next. For example, during the summer I look forward to winter, and vice versa. I know this one is fairly common...I'm just getting started. As I have spoken to others, I have come to understand that many people look forward to seasons and other fun things that are coming up in their lives. (Things like trips, holidays, etc.) But, I think my husband would tell you that I'm a little bit worse.

I see my life as a series of "humps" that I have to get over to get to the next thing. Whether that means I can't be excited for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over, or I can't be excited to go on a trip until I've packed everything in the car...etc. Sometimes I catch myself in the middle of these thoughts because I want to really try to enjoy my life for what I'm experiencing while I experience it.

Today I am indulging my not so great habit... I am really missing warm weather, so I compiled some pictures of things I would rather be doing or feeling today! (Please note that not all of the pictures were taken by me, I'm not sure who took each, so if it was someone out there reading this...thanks!)

I'm looking forward to BBQ's at the cabins. This particular time was at the beginning of the season last year, hence the sweatshirts and coats. I love that you can see the cabins in the backgrounds. They are truly one of my favorite places to be.



I'm looking forward to Dad getting back to golfing. I know how much he misses it, it's always fun to hear his stories and know how happy the sunny season makes him.


I'm looking forward to being exhausted at the end of a day in the sun. (I also miss being tan, but my definition of tan and Tori's definition are very different)


I'm looking forward to it not getting dark until about ten o'clock at night. Makes life seem a little more excitng when you don't feel like you are supposed to be sleeping at four.

I'm looking forward to Mom's flowers. Somehow each year I always delude myself into thinking that I might be able to copy what she's done at least a little...



I'm looking forward to being on the boat with sisters...



I'm looking forward to fun vacations..(shell searching)

I'm looking forward to Mom relaxing in the sun. Since everyone knows that Mom is a California girl, one of the only times she will lay still for more then 5 minutes is in the sun. Although,truthfully this picure is contradictory since she says she can't relax on the boat...

I'm looking forward to swimming in the lake, and having a designated flag holder...

I look forward to the nights being warm enough that crazy girls can sleep in the back of dad's truck in sleeping bags...

I'm looking forward to watching my husband wakeboard, because I can't do it...

I'm looking forward to blue sky and water. Bring on summer!