OLD MAN MARSHMALLOW

Dawson helped with school lunch and therefore had a net hat.  During family home evening, he proceeded to tell us (in a very deep voice) that he would like to be called "Old Man Marshmallow."  And then he posed for this picture.  Where do my kids come up with this stuff???

MOM HUGS

I love it when I get mom hugs!  Especially when they are not solicited.  

(This guy was not into it!)

  

FIRST EVIDENCE

So yesterday after returning home from work, I saw the first evidence of something tragic and terribly wrong!

                                 

On the bathroom floor there was a piece of blond hair and our hair cutting scissors.  Kate denied that she had cut her hair, but then confessed to the crime.  She then began crying saying that I couldn't possibly cut anymore of her hair and that the rubber band had been stuck in her hair.

This morning, I began the task of cutting my baby's hair.  Here is the pile of what was lost:

                                 

And then the finished product.  While probably not perfectly straight, it actually isn't as bad as it looks in the photo.  I think she is going to like her new hairdo!!!

                                   

FAST FACT FRIDAY - THE DATE OF OCTOBER 3rd

Interesting facts for Faith on her special day!

Headlines that day

*Idaho State Journal - Dragila vaults onto a Wheaties cereal box
*USA Today - Are the Yankees finished?
Bush, Gore set to spar

Things that happened in 2000

*The president of the United States was Bill Clinton.
*Presidential election was George W. Bush (R) vs. Al Gore (D).  Results were not known for a month because of disputed votes in Florida.

*Worldwide concerns of Y2K ended over uneventful Happy New Year!
*Summer olympics were held in Sydney, Australia from September 15-October 1.
*Goblet of Fire from the Harry Potter series was published.

*51 million viewers watched the first season finale of Survivor.

 *The prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was President Gordon B. Hinckley.

*President Hinckley made a goal of 100 temples by the end of 2000.  The Church had 102 temples by the end of December.  (33 were dedicated in 2000.)

Cost of Items in 2000

*Gallon of Gasoline cost $1.26
*Postage Stamp cost $0.33
*Dozen eggs cost $0.89

Events in History on October 3rd

*1678 - Taj Mahal completed

*1863 - President Lincoln declared last Thursday in November Thanksgiving

*1922 - 1st female senator - Felton

*1944 - US Troops cracked siegfried line during WWII

*1955 - Mickey Mouse Club premiered on ABC

*1990 - East & West Germany United

*1995 - OJ Simpson acquitted

WAY BACK WEDNESDAY - FAITH'S BIRTH

We are so blessed to welcome Faith into our family.  Here are a couple of pictures of her first couple minutes through her first month.  She was such a good, angel baby.

Expecting you

Grandma Kathy

Laura, Robyn, Zoey, Faith, Grandma Cindy, Tracy 

First time Aunts and Grandma!

Aunt Tracy

Aunt Robyn

Aunt Laura

Grandma Cindy showed off our baby to everyone at the hospital

Coming home from the hospital

Daddy holding our baby when we got home from the hospital

Heaven must feel something like this

Grandma Kathy

Grandpa Jerry

Halloween bunny and Daddy

Britney and Amy with Faith

Faith - 3 week old picture

DEALING WITH A CURVE BALL

For months, Fatih had been complaining that she had a sore back. Every time we would hug her, she would just cringe.  We had been thinking that she was growing so fast and getting into the teenager years (they don't want to be hugged, do they?), that we just didn't think much past that thought.

Well, one day, I had had enough.  She needed to get an adjustment from our chiropractor.  When we arrived, he said that anytime he has a teenager come into his office, he first checks for scoliosis.  Image my surprise when he showed me her curved back!!! 

We are lucky that she has a mild form of it.  Stretching and watching her should help prevent it from getting worse.  Life is all about how we deal with curve balls, right?  We hope that she knocks this one out of the park!!!

Picture shy and reading!  Haha!

FAST FACT FRIDAY - STORY OF FAITH'S BIRTH

Dear Faith,

I am excited to tell you about your birth story.

Your dad and I were married November 20, 1999 and couldn't wait to add to our family. January 25th, we received the exciting news that I was expecting. It was the most incredible feeling I had ever felt.

After seeing our doctor, Dr. Breeze, we learned that your due date would be September 30th.  I rarely felt sick with you and only threw up 3 times with you.

All along, I thought I was having a boy.  It was decided that we would name you Dawson Cole.  One Saturday, when I was about 5 months along, I went to the maternity fair at the mall with friends (Heather Miller, Kristi Casper and Lavonne Casper.) Free ultrasounds? Hook us up! After waiting in line, I got the results without your Dad. I bought a very cute pink onesie with a pink headband and wrapped it up.  Imagine his surprise when he opened the present and saw the special news! (Dad was NOT happy I found out without him.)
 

My cravings with you were Taco Bell (I had never liked Mexican, even American-Mexican), swedish fish, and marshmallows.

We struggled to find the right name for you.  We checked out books and killed a tree printing off pages and pages of baby names.  We finally narrowed it down to Maya, Kimber Lee, and Faith.  One day with only a month or so to go, your Aunt Tracy asked, "How about Faith Nicole?"  We knew the moment those words left her lips that that was to be your name. Faith means "to trust".

We were told that you would be born early.  Imagine our surprise when September 30th came and went with no baby!  Here we were thinking you would come early and then nothing.  Can you believe it Faith?

Tuesday, October 3rd, on a very warm Indian fall morning, Brandon and I somehow woke up very early that morning (around 4 am) and talked.  Brandon was at school and came back home to pick me up when he heard my water broke. The doctor started me on pitocin to start labor.  Grandma Cindy also came to braid my hair.  At 6:19 pm, the most beautiful and perfect baby was born.  Dad was right there and cut the cord.  You looked around at everyone, but were so good and didn't even cry.  You were truly perfect, weighing in at 7 Lbs. 6 oz. and 20 1/2 inches.

The first time I saw you, I knew that I was in love all over again.  This time with a baby girl.  We love you more everyday and can't believe what a beautiful young woman you are becoming.  Always remember who you are, return with honor, and don't be a stupid cow!

Love,

Mom

 

WORDS TO LIVE BY 2012

Here are the quotes and thoughts that showed up in Facebook this year for me. LOVE the inspiration!

Faith + Prayer = Blessings and Miracles

"The road to success is always under construction."

“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley 

"He lives! He lives who once was dead! ... Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives: 'I know that My Redeemer Lives!'

"What will you choose to do, with the time God has given you? Every day you have a choice. Make it count." Unmeasured Strength by Lauren Manning

"Do not ever take friends for granted. Offer them advice when they seek it, lend an ear when they want to talk, hold their hand when they need comfort, lend your shoulder when they cry, enjoy their company, make sacrifices for them, and share your life with them. True friends will do the same for you. That's what friendship is." Genelle Guzman-McMillan

 "When we compare, we can compare only to facades, to what we see and perceive. Even if we think we know someone well, there is always a deeper part that is hidden from us." Merrilee Boyack

"In quiet moments when you think about it, you recognize what is critically important in life and what isn't. Be wise and don't let good things crowd out those that are essential." Richard G. Scott

And for Faith, Dawson, and Kate when they are teenagers:

FACEBOOK FUNNIES 2012

One of the funnest things for me to do in January is to go through all of my Facebook posts and see what things were SO funny during the year.  So thankful for all of these smiling moments and my beautiful family!  I love you!

January ~ 

January 3rd
Kate: "Mom, are rice krispies a vegetable?"

January 9th
Singing tonight "The Wise Man and The Foolish Man" and Kate does it like this. "The rains came down and the flowers came up!"

January 24th and 25th
Kate: "When you love someone, you color them pictures!"  Then she adds, "Why do you throw all mine away???" Sweet girl! We cannot hang on to the 10 + pictures she makes everyday!

February ~ 

February 1st 
Tonight when I asked Dawson about making sure clothes weren't shoved in his drawers, he said, "Ummm, I think I may have forgotten how to fold clothes." 
Yeah right Dawson ... but nice try!

February 16th
Kate is having anxiety about going to school. "I don't even know math!!!" she cried. So Dad was teaching her 1 plus 1. Kate finally said "2." And Dawson, under his breath said "Oh geez." Funniest thing that happened all day!

March ~

March 5th
At FHE tonight, Dad did the lesson on emergency preparedness. We started talking about escape routes if there was a fire. The look on Dawson's face was priceless. Dad then quoted the scripture, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." And Dawson said, "Well, I'm pretty scared right now." Then, a little later, Faith was telling escape routes. Each time, Dad said, "No, that route is blocked." Dawson said, "Great. We are all going to die!"

March 9th
Pinewood derby tomorrow. Dawson is so excited. He said, "The odds of me winning is 5%. The odds of me not coming in last is 50%." I asked Dad where he got those odds. He told Brandon that he calculated them himself! 

March 11th
Dad asked the kids to clean up. Five minutes later, F was sitting down and he asked, "What are you doing?" F answered, "I'm on my break." Brandon answered, "What are you? A union member?" 

March 12th
Did I really just tell my 5 year old that she needed to eat 5 french fries before she eats licorice?

March 24th 
Dawson says, "My nature is weirdness." Yes, Dawson, we all know that!!!

April ~

April 7th 
Last night Brandon and I were talking to a neighbor about how we try to keep commercialized Easter on Saturday and religious Easter on Sunday. When talking about what is in the kids' baskets on Sunday, Brandon said, "Oh, don't worry. We throw in a few chocolate Jesuses." I guess there are no chocolate bunnies at the Jolleys!

April 12th 
Kate this morning: "Mom, I'm allergic to ghosts and lions! And a teensy bit to bears!" Where does she come up with this stuff?

April 20th
Morning! Faith was hilarious this morning. First she said, "I told you I needed munch loney." A few minutes later, as we were discussing ISATS, she said how disappointed that she was not in the advanced (super close on both so far). She is 'just' high proficient. I asked her if she discussed it with her teacher. She said that he said not to worry about it (good call I think). Then she says, "I know that I'm still one of his prize students." I wonder how she knows??? Funny girl!!!

April 21st 
This morning as Dawson was wiping off his juice mustache, I asked him if he was going to grow a mustache when he got older. Then, realizing that Brandon really never wears any facial hair, I asked him if he knew that when he was older, he would have facial hair. He said he knew that and that he would shave. Next, Dawson said, "That's the painful part of being a boy. Shaving! The painful part of being a girl is having babies. That's SO painful!" Funny boy!

April 26th
Kate this morning: "I dreamed that daddy brought me home a mountain dew and my dream came true!"

April 29th
So, this afternoon, I was trying to tell my sweet husband what I thought we should do for an anniversary gift this year. Before I could tell him about it, he said, "Buy guns." I said, "What for?" (You probably know what's coming next, but being a blonde, I didn't!) He said, "To shoot each other with." That's real love!

April 29th
Brandon and I were sitting in the bedroom when all of a sudden we hear Kate in her game show host voice, "Come on! Let's rock this baby doowwwwnnnnn!!!!" We are still laughing about that one!

May ~

May 2nd
So this afternoon, we are cleaning, and Kate says (in her Annie voice) "Oh my goodness! Dawson trashed my room!" I had to explain that he didn't trash it ... she did!

May 13th
Is it weird that when I found out the water in Texas is chlorinated, my first thought was, "How in the world do they give a proper facial???"

June ~

June 15th
Yesterday, while we were driving, we passed a lake. Randomly, Dawson says, "Dad and I are going to go fishing!" So funny because they have never been fishing before ... but now they will have to go!

June 15th
Kate is waving at the parade and yelling, "Hey everybody! We're here for candy and toys!"

June 20th
Feeling a little sad that my baby is 5, so I asked her if she could please be 4 again. She said no. I asked her why not. Kate said, "Because Jesus Christ won't let me!" What a cutie! And don't you wish, just for a day,that sometimes your baby could be smaller again?

June 29th
Dawson tonight, "Mom, you look like you are 19!" Me, "You know how to win over a girl's heart!" D smiled and nodded his head.

June 30th
Tonight, Kate came into our bedroom and said, "It smells like paint and diet." Hmmm, wonder what 'diet' smells like.

July ~

July 7th
"K-I-T-E, that spells Kate." Exact words tonight from our little girl!

July 8th
We asked Kate what Veggie Tales movie was playing. Her response? "Why do these people (her parents) always think I can read?" Too funny!

July 15th
Brandon, Kate, and I are hanging out in the bedroom today. Kate says, "Talk to me and not your father!" (meaning Brandon) So funny!!!

July 16th
Yesterday, I had a nice conversation with Dawson. He said, "Dad says I can't sleep in the living room unless it's a special occasion." Me, "Oh, does that make you sad?" Dawson, "No. Actually, I'm relieved. I get a lot more sleep in my own bed!" Kids are SO cute and funny!

July 22nd
Kate today, "Bored, I am 'D-L-I' BORED!!!"

August ~

August 5th
At church today, an elderly man held the door open for our family. Dawson turns to Brandon and said, "These senior citizens are doing good deeds!"

August 13th
Yesterday at church, we were one crayon short in a brand new box of crayons. Things disappear quickly around our house (in a 2 week period, we lost 6 complete boxes of crayons.) I started to freak out a little. Kate (5 years) starts rubbing my cheek and says, "Mom, it's going to be okay. We have 8 more boxes on the stairs. No worries! No worries!"

August 25th
Kate tonight (5 years old) telling her aunt Amy: "Our neighbors live right by us." Lol!!!

August 29th
Dawson and Kate were having a conversation in the car about school. Dawson says (almost 9), "School is an event in life that people have to do to survive!" Wonder how he comes up with all this stuff!

August 30th
Dawson today, "I read a book title. It said, '10 stupid things people do to mess up their relationships.' I'm going to have to read that by the time I'm 16!"

September ~

September 16th
Playing apples to apples when Dawson is trying to help out his card. "Sushi, sushi ... I mean, I don't know what card I put in!" Laughing SO hard!!!

September 17th
Faith said tonight, "Family helps each other. Even if we irritate each other out of our minds." So true! It's going to be a LONG week folks!

October ~

October 4th
Kate today, "Mommy, if you will start Barney for me, I will not bother you anymore!!!"

November ~

November 26th
My Monday in a nutshell. After searching for my keys for over 5 minutes, Kate (5 years old) says, "Here they are!" Where are they? Hanging on the key hook. Load up Kate and head to the library to return the books, only to get there and realize I don't have any books ... in the car. Grrrr! Head back home to get the books, and Faith (12 years) says, "Good one Mom! Good one!" Thank you Monday for gracing me with your presence. Now will you please send in Tuesday?

November 30th
Dawson (9 years old): "Mom, here's my advice on dating. Never flirt with a girl until you are at least 14 or 16!!!"

December ~ 

December 26th
Kate today just said, "Mom, I have some barf in my shoes from school!" I guess there is barf at school! Interesting!