The Doss Family

14 Days of Valentines

2012-02-16T00:07:00.002-07:00

Oh Valentine's Day. What an interesting holiday. You either love it or hate it. Am I right? There is just no fence sitting with this one. Well, I happen to love Valentine's Day. And this year I was determined to make it a memorable one. {I actually have a new resolution to make ALL holidays memorable and fun ones.} Adam has what he likes to call THE 14 DAYS OF VALENTINES. Basically, this is a fun way to show your love each day up until Valentines. Each day you do something special to tell your lover how much you love them. I hid these in all sorts of places for him to find and Adam loved every minute of it. He has attempted to do this every year for me... So this year I was determined to REALLY show him what these 14 days are all about. So as I was searching for inspiration on ways to go about accomplishing this I discovered this is not a foreign idea to the internet. There are lots of good ideas out there people. But here is what I came up with to show my valentine how much he means to me. 

DAY 1

Heart Attack! The weather was wet and since that was the case I had to decorate the garage door instead of Adam's car at work. I was really hoping for that public display. I would have loved to see him drive down Eagle Road with a car littered in paper hearts.   

DAY 2

A mug with a picture of Dax and I so show off at work. 

DAY 3

Shower crayons. A fun way to start the day with notes and games on the shower walls. Don't worry, I only took pictures of the appropriate ones for the sake of y'all.  

{The best part was Adam's response back. It was a fun little banter we had going on and I had to laugh out loud to some of his drawings and remarks.}

DAY 4

Treasure Hunt. Adam came home to a treasure map complete with pirate dialogue and clues to a hidden buried treasure.

DAY 5

A love letter out of conversation hearts. 

DAY 6

Getting ready to a bathroom littered with pick-up lines. You know, start the day full of compliments. 

DAY 8

A message in a bottle.  

DAY 9

Lucky boy got golden tickets.... {the template can be found HERE}

DAY 10 

Ways to say "I Love You" in ten different languages.

DAY 11 

Homemade lottery tickets.... {how to instructions can be found HERE}

DAY 13

13 reasons why I love him.

DAY 14 

A good old home cooked meal with sparkling cider and candlelight.... okay somehow life got busy and we ended up with just the dinner part :]

Some of you are probably really good counters and noticed that I missed 2 days. I pride myself on the fact I did as well as I did but yes, I got behind the ball twice. And trust me ADAM NOTICED. He was so cute as he bashfully asked if he missed something that day because he looked so hard to find his valentine but couldn't.

I love you Adam. And this year was special because I had TWO valentines. I'm such a lucky girl. 

3 Months

2012-02-08T21:10:00.001-07:00

Already. Daxton is 13 weeks today. 3 beautiful months. I have learned so much not only about Daxton, but about myself. About being a mother. There truly is no greater calling. 

1.9.12 I have been singing you your ABCs as my song of choice the last few days but let me just say you like the Spanish version MUCH better. For some reason it is soooo funny. You just smile and coo up a storm! I wish I could read your mind in those moments; I wonder what you are really thinking. Even more so I wonder what you think when I literally talk nonstop and tell you everything all day. I never stop talking to you; I am an open book and you know no secrets. Thanks for being such a great listener and never interrupting. :)

1.10.12 I’ve been slowly retiring some of your newborn clothes and you are progressively outgrowing them faster than I know how to cope with. However, it is so fun to watch you learn and grow and it amazes me how much you learn in a day. This afternoon we snuggled up on the couch and watched a movie and I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved it. I LOVE being able to do whatever with you and not worry about what day or time it is or what I need to get done... none of it matters in those moments. It’s like I can freeze time for just a little while.

1.11.12 We had your 2 month appointment today... meaning shots. Thank goodness Dad came because I cried. I actually did better than I though I would you should be proud. You did great though; you are such a champ. You weighed in at 10.2 pounds which kind of surprised me and overall you are looking fantastic and growing beautifully. But later on into the day you needed lots of tlc and those little thighs of yours were very sore and tender. I felt terrible. I just hope tomorrow is better.

1.12.12 I have told you about some of your favorite things like the Spanish ABCs but there are some more. 2 things that you LOVE and also ALWAYS calm you down are a song and photograph. The song is “Santa Lucia” by Nicho Hinojosa and yes that is in Spanish as well. It’s on a CD from your dad’s mission and it’s also one of our love songs. YOU. LOVE. IT. I put it on repeat and you just sit so still and listen to it. It’s pretty funny. In fact you are listening to it RIGHT NOW. I think you really like the guitar in it but especially Spanish. You love it. I just hope we can teach it to you. You also really love a photograph in our living room. It’s my favorite wedding picture of your dad and I. We are in front of the temple- coincidence? I think not. Of all the things in the room you could like to look it there is definitely no parallel. If you are fussy we can just put you in front of it and you instantly quiet down. It is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen and I know you understand or at least can feel what that picture means.

1.13.12 Dad has a boy scout campout tonight up in McCall so it’s you and Me. Aunt Carissa came home tonight so we went to play at your Grandparents. We went on a double date with Grandma and Grandpa to The Outback Steakhouse. You did NOT like it there. Part of it was the fact that it was late and we had waited for almost an hour in the waiting room, but after I finished my salad it was game over... We decided to spend the night again and you loved it. I found it hard to sleep in the same room though. That sounds terrible but you see at home you sleep in your crib in your own room. At Grandma’s we are in the same room so I hear every little noise you make and you are a cute, but also a NOISY sleeper; so I woke up a lot thinking you were waking up. Nope you were always sound asleep.

1.14.12 We love Saturdays. Saturday means Dad is home. Of course we he was camping so we didn’t seem him until later that day but we still LOVE having him home. You boys always seem to find time to watch a football game together on the weekends. And it’s funny because you both claim to be “watching” but you are both watching through closed eyes. Now if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were sleeping. But that could just be a technicality. Tonight Dad and I went out on our second date. We did family dinner at Austin’s and afterwards went to see a movie. Everyone couldn’t wait for us to leave to have you all to themselves. I admit I did much better leaving you this time. However, I have a confession to make. As soon as the movie was over (literally, the credits JUST started) I was crying. I missed you. And Monday is my first day back at work. I’m really nervous. I don’t know how I will do for more than 3 hours.

1.15.12 After church we had dinner with Grandma Mary and Edd. Your grandmother just loves you to pieces. She can’t wait to take you out of the car seat the absolute second we walk in the door. You are a very loved little boy and that will never change. You have a special place in every one's hearts that cannot be replaced- especially mine.

1.16.12 First day back at work. I only cried halfway there. That’s pretty good. I thought I wouldn’t do so well. But I was definitely glad Dad took you to Grandma Jones’. THAT I would not have been able to handle. I could leave with you still asleep at home but I don’t think I would have done well dropping you off. Work actually went well and pretty fast. You didn’t seem to mind playing at Grandma’s. And better yet it was Martin Luther King Jr day. Meaning Andrew, Gregg and Carissa were home all day. Austin even stopped by as did Grandpa; they HAD to just come say hi. I was ready by the end of the day to see you. I missed you. When I got there you were sound asleep in your swing. I wanted to wake you but I was good and let you sleep instead. It was hard though.

1.17.12 I am only working Mondays for the next 2 weeks to get my feet wet again so we got to play all day! Well, more like hang out. We were lazy today. I love that. One day it will be gone so I will just enjoy it while I’ve got it. One thing I have been meaning to write about is the how excited you get when it’s time to eat. Holy smokes you get soooo excited when you see that bottle and then when I put the burp rag under your chin you start smacking those lips SOOOO loud and fast accompanied by those kicking legs. You squirm with anticipation until that bottle reaches your lips. Then it’s relaxation time. You are just content. All your little quirks are adorable.

1.18.12 It FINALLY snowed this year! We woke up to a winter wonderland. I have to tell you. Last night I decided to catch up on this year’s season of “The Bachelor.” You AND your dad watched it with me. You literally sat down and watched the screen with me. It was hilarious. You only lasted for about 30 minutes of it and went to bed. Dad on the other hand watched all 3 episodes. Yes, it’s true. He watched them until 1:00am with me. What a good husband right? We had fun laughing at how silly girls are (one day you will think so too). You are also on this hand-sucking kick right now. Instead of thumb sucking, you ball up your fist really tight and suck on the back of your hand and first knuckle. It’s hilarious how hard you suck in an attempt to get something out.

1.19.12 We spent a good portion of our day today with your Grandma Mary. She had occupational therapy for her wrist downtown and we took her to her appointment and waited while she was seen. You draw so much positive attention! We played in the waiting room but I was amazed that not ONE person walked by without complimenting you. Either on how adorable or handsome you are, how well you behaved for such a lengthy period of time, how alert you were... the list goes on. After Grandma’s appointment we went to lunch at the Olive Garden and you did wonderfully seeing as you slept the whole time. :) You are also becoming so talkative. I truly love it. I will never tire of listening to your little noises and coos. One day I will miss them dearly.

1.20.12 The last few days I am starting to think your dad is right. He has always said you look like Uncle Gregg. I have always said you look like Uncle Andrew, but just this last little bit I would have to agree with him. You look more and more like Gregg everyday. Next week I start my full week at work so this afternoon we went to the Toyn’s house today to make sure your car seat fits okay in their van. I feel really good about you going there and you seem just ecstatic to have some playmates. I think you will really like it there.

1.21.12 This morning we went and watched Dad play in his church basketball game. He has fun playing... don’t tell him, but let’s hope you get your basketball talents from me :) It was fun to sit there with you because you were so occupied by everything that was going on. You REALLY loved when the next team and their families started showing up. You love chaos I have decided; that and people watching. The busier and louder the better. After that we all took a nap. And I mean ALL. The whole family including Jack and Lula fell asleep on the couch in the space of just 2 seat cushions. We all tend to do that sometimes.

1.22.12 You are on a new bubble blowing kick. You somehow manage to blow all these teeny tiny bubbles and let them sit on your lips. I have no ideas where you learned that one.

1.23.12 I went in to work for the second time today and it was easier than last week so that is good news. Meanwhile you went to Aunt Codi’s today and played. She loved having you there and she said the only time you cried and were fussy was when Uncle Austin held you. I kinda thought that was slightly humorous. Then tonight was family night at Grandma Rene’s assisted living home. We went and had sloppy joes and played Bingo. It was actually pretty fun. And you my dear, were in bed by 9:00pm which might I add is not a usual. Then you slept 7 hours again. I love it when you do that.

1.24.12 One of my favorite things is your little hands. It is so amazing to me how small they are. I love when you hold my hand when we are snuggling. I love to watch those little hands open and close around my fingers over and over again. I can’t describe it but I feel so important and loved in moments like that. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

1.25.12 You love me so unconditionally. It’s truly humbling. I cannot even fathom the words to describe to you how much I love you. I love being your mom. I love looking into those blue eyes of yours and smiling at you only to get an even bigger smile back. I love when you try to talk to me. We hold lots of conversations you and I. I just wish I could see the world from your eyes some days. To see everything so new and fresh would be so invigorating. I get just a little taste of it by watching you learn and discover all the things this world has to offer. Life doesn’t get any better than this.

1.26.12 Mom went out on a girl’s night which left you home for a boy’s night with Dad. I think you both thoroughly enjoyed the experience seeing as you and Dad had a dance party in the kitchen, followed up with your bath. You wore your new pajamas that look like a pilot’s flight suit which naturally lead to zooming around the room like an airplane.

1.27.12 Do you know that the absolute BEST part about my day is? When you first wake up in the morning and greet me. There is nothing better than waking up to you grinning from ear to ear and genuinely happy to see me. It makes me feel so good. I LOVE that smile of yours. And you slept 8 hours last night. A new record.

1.28.12 Saturday is a special day, it’s a day to get ready for Sunday... We tackled chores big time. It was much needed. Tonight we went on a dinner date to Chipotle and followed that up with dessert at Kneaders. Yum.

1.29.12

1.30.12 It’s my official start week back at work with my new schedule workof Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. It surprisingly has not been as hard for me to go back as I was anticipating but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you like crazy. When I called to check on you Grandma told me that Grandpa held you from the moment you arrived until the last possible moment before he had to go to work. Then he timed his lunch around your nap so he could come home to play with you. They love you and so do I.

1.31.12 I am going to hate Tuesdays. Today is a Tuesday. And I am not a fan. It was such a long day! It’s my full day at work each week and by the time I get off work and pick you up from daycare it’s SOO late and you go to bed 2 hours later. It’s depressing. I REALLY missed you today. BUT on a positive note, it was your first day at the Stephanie Toyn’s house. YOU. LOVED. IT. Steph said you did so well with your naps and eating and her kids loved having you there. Let me tell you it is such a relief to hear that and know you are in such good hands. That I am very grateful for.

2.1.12 You slept SOOO well last night! You were pooped after your fun day yesterday and were not only in bed by 8:00pm but we only got up once all night! I was so proud of you! Then you and I were up and at ‘em by 7:30am and ready to tackle the day. You even took a nap in your crib! It’s been a little while since you napped there. I felt like it was a very successful day in regards to solidifying a schedule. SUCCESS! This afternoon you and I were working on phase 1 of Dad’s Valentines while watching a movie and you were totally watching it with me. It’s funny to see you so interested in something on TV. 3 months {almost} and going on 3 years.

2.2.12 We had a busy night. We had a surprise birthday party for Grandma Cole at Flying Pie Pizza. You and I went and picked up family from the airport and you got to meet some of your great aunts and uncles for the first time. It was quite the gathering and we had a lot of fun with everyone. It’s been such a long time since everyone was all together like that.

2.3.12 I had the day off today! It was slow at work so I was able to stay home and play with you which is a much better alternative in my opinion. You are really starting to show your facial expressions and vocalizing your thoughts. I love to listen to those perfect baby sounds. Tonight was another surprise party for your Great Grandpa Jones. Always interesting with that side of the family...

2.4.12 Fair warning: this post may be TMI... You gave me a laugh out loud moment today. Oh my goodness. We were watching a movie this morning and you were also playing on your play mat. I look over to see you not only clenching those fists tightly like you do, but your nostrils were white from flaring them. Then all of the sudden a miniature bomb went off in your pants. It was quick and powerful and after it was over you were so happy with a big ol’ grin on your face. I was laughing so hard! Aunt Carissa came home for the weekend and she came to visit. She can’t believe how big you have gotten already. She really hates not being around to be more involved but we love it when she comes home.

2.5.12 It is a slow weekend for us because you and Dad are sick. The cold has come to visit and there is a lot of sleeping happening around here. And I must say you are a happy little guy for not feeling too great. You are content if you are being held and snuggled. And today is also Superbowl Sunday so another first for you.

2.6.12 I was nervous to leave you today. You have been feeling MUCH better but I wanted to be there for you all the same. Grandma did a great job though. When I got to Grandma’s to pick you up you were fast asleep and snuggling with Hannah on the couch. I was so happy to see you. I really miss you while I am at work. I’m just glad we have so much love and support to make it easier.

2.7.12 Tuesday again. The best part about my day is picking you from daycare. I LOVE seeing you after a long day. There is no better feeling than heading home to Dad with you in the backseat.

2.8.12 3 months today. It has gone so fast. You slept 9 hours last night too! What a great way to kick off another month. I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me. I will never be able to put into words how hard it is to sneak into your room and kiss you goodbye on days I go to work. I hate not being able to start the day with one of your contagious smiles. You are the reason I get up each day. I can’t imagine a life without you or your father. Some things I always want to remember:

How much you LOVE your baths. It’s some of my favorite one-on-one time with you.

That adorable smile first thing in the morning. Absolute BEST way to start the day.

The gratifying feeling of success as you learn. Like how to put yourself to sleep for naps and at night, sleeping for long hours and even through the night and discovering new things like how useful your hands are. Simple, but gratifying.

Our bond as mother and son. I love that you know your mama. I feel so proud when you instantly know it’s me. There is just something about being so important and loved by someone so small. You know my voice and respond to it with such trust. It’s a beautiful feeling.

360 Minutes

2012-01-18T11:15:00.002-07:00

360 minutes. That is 6 hours. Have you ever heard of this show?

Well, I haven't watched this show since Jake was the bachelor. My friend Rachel and I watched it obsessively. It was our girl's night. Silly right? I bet you are wondering what 360 minutes has to do with anything. So I'll cut to the chase. I caught the end of one of this season's episodes on TV the other day while doing laundry. When I got bored last night while Adam was doing homework I jumped online for something to watch and WALLA. Adam came in and sat down next to me... then 3 episodes later it's 1:00am.(Note: 1 episode=120 minutes. 3 episodes=360 minutes. 360 minutes=6 hours). 

Yes. That. Just. Happened. Adam and I watched 6 hours of "The Bachelor" on our computer screen. The GOOD part was laughing at how silly and totally awkward some of those girls are. The BEST part was getting ready for bed afterwards. Adam was talking about the girls (BY NAME) and saying who he did and did not like. 

I LOST IT. I was giggling so hard. Who is this guy? Oh yeah. He's just my best friend and I love him to death. Look how much fun we have together. 

Posing for our Christmas card that never got sent out. 

Laughing at our son's bodily functions.

No ugly sweater party this year- had a baby instead. So he HAD to wear it Christmas Eve.

Christmas games.

Yes we have a peeling face mask on. (Sorry for my lack of clothing.)

Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic.

Halloween. The milkman and pregnant housewife.

Driving my car but forgot HIS sunglasses. Yes they are ON TOP of his real glasses.

Thanks Babe for giving up your man card to spend time with me. I love you.

2 Months

2012-01-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read the title right: 2 months. Where has the time gone? I can't even begin to explain how wonderful my life with this little boy is. Right next to Adam, they are my most favorite things in this whole world. I love being Daxton's mommy and I can't wait to hear what his little voice will one day sound like when he calls me that. But not to get ahead of myself of course. Time can just take a chill pill as far as I am concerned because Dax is growing up WAY TOO FAST. Although he still has that newborn cry he hardly seems like a newborn baby to me anymore. I just hope I can capture every moment and never forget how sweet life is when you take a moment to slow down and joy it. Seriously, as I am writing this post this little man is asleep in my arms. I swear I could hold him forever, especially when he sleeps. I mean look how sweet he is?

12.9.11 You and I went to my work Christmas party at Wahooz for some bowling fun. Let me just say you were most definitely the life of the party and the star attraction. You even posed for a photo-op with one of the bowling teams. You were awake for the longest time period of your life as we bowled. And those light fixtures were just something else- you couldn’t seem to get enough of them. And you slept like a rock after that!

12.10.11 Tonight we had the Pences and the Botkins over and we made homemade Christmas ornaments out of salt dough. It was an experience and we were all definitely first timers. Dad and I tried to get your hand and footprints done but it was proving to be more difficult than we thought and I’m not so sure you were a fan of the cold dough on your feet. We also made Grinch cookies which turned out AMAZING if I do say so myself. Two new Christmas traditions I hope we do for many years to come.

12.11.11 We all made it through our first full week of church as a family. There are about 5 newborn babies in the ward but my unbiased opinion is you are definitely the cutest. We made the family rounds today and ended at your Great Grandma Cole’s house to do our traditional ornament opening. Each year Grandma gives everyone a new ornament. You got your first. They are a pair of little blue glass shoes with all your birth information on them.

12.12.11 Okay Bud, Dad and I have been attending your all-night parties for the last few nights and we are TIRED. I love you but I don’t think I can do many more nights until 3 am anymore. So our new goal--> work on that.

12.13.11 I finally weighed you since your last dr visit and you are up to 8 pounds! It's crazy for me to think some girls deliver babies as big as you are now and even bigger than that! I just can't imagine. Thanks for coming a little early and sparing me :) and when you woke up crying from a nap this afternoon you had your first crocodile tears. Is it bad to say you were so cute?

12.14.11 You rolled over today! I told you that you were very strong for your age. You rolled over from your tummy to your back and luckily I got it on film! And tonight after your bath Dad was reading to you and normally you are pretty interested in the book itself but tonight you were all about Dad. You just stared up at him and didn't take your eyes off him. I tried to take a picture but you fell asleep by the time I got there. He loves you so much and so do I. And we had a great night last night! You were in bed by 9:00pm and we only got up twice in the night. I was so happy :)

12.15.11 We went to your baby shower the ward TRIED to put on the day you were born today. It was a rescheduled for obvious reasons. It was put on by my wonderful visiting teachers and turned out to be a lot of fun and you got spoiled rotten... AGAIN. You lucky boy you.

12.16.11 Back to the pediatrician today. Bad news is we went back because you have not been feeling good. Good news is you are now 8.6 pounds and growing beautifully. I took you in because for the last 2 days you have not been your happy little self and all you want is to be held all day- even for your naps. Not that I mind holding you but I couldn’t stand to see you cry because something was hurting anymore. And I was right, you have GER (gastroesophageal reflux ) which is basically heartburn in babies. So Dr Kissam gave you a prescription to take away the pain. I hope it helps.

12.17.11 The medicine definitely seems to be doing its job. You had a MUCH better night and things are looking up! We went and did some Christmas shopping today (we are a little late in the game) and didn’t get very far. More running around than anything. Tonight we had a Jones Family dinner at Uncle Austin’s and did our gift exchange because they will be in Cedar, Utah for Christmas this year. And OH MY GOODNESS your Uncle and Aunt love you SOOO much. But I have to back up and fill in some details. Austin nicknamed you Sanka from the movie “Cool Runnings” because when he very first saw you you were ‘tanning’ under he bililight at the hospital; then the second time he saw you you were wearing your football beanie with the tastles- he saw them as dreads. So he teases about your “lucky egg” and the name Sanka has stuck ever since. Well, Uncle Austin found you a Christmas present alright. HE FOUND A LUCKY EGG! And he was so excited to give it to you. So you now have a lucky egg, “Cool Runnings” and a onesie that says “Want to kiss my lucky egg?” on the front and “Sanka” on the back... it will all make more sense when you are older and watch the movie I promise.

12.18.11 Lazy day at our house. Dad got to watch 2 football games... not a usual around our house. And I found what to make for your Christmas present! It is in the making and I am super excited because I think you are just going to love it! We went to Grandpa and Grandpa Doss’ for dinner with Great Grandma Rene. And I must say I have never seen someone eat like Grandma Rene! She is the fastest eater on the planet! And that’s not a bad thing, I was simply super impressed and blown away- not at all what I was expecting from her. They couldn’t believe how much you have grown in the past week either. Putting on some pounds and starting to outgrow some of your newborn clothes... I’m not ready for that yet because before you know it my maternity leave will be over, then it’s your first day of school, then your dating and.... Let’s just slow it down okay? I want to enjoy every second and not miss a thing. I just can’t believe how fast time really does go!

12.19.11 We spent the day with Aunt Carissa today. We BOTH loved it. We miss her while she is away at school so today was a blast. We went Christmas shopping and ran errands AND I GOT THE SUPPLIES FOR YOUR PRESENT! Construction begins tomorrow! Your Dad and I rented the movie “The Fifth Quarter” and oh my goodness. The story line is based on a true story and SOOOO sad. Without going into details it made your dad and I really think about how fragile life is and how quickly someone you love can be gone. I want you to know how much we love you Daxton. You are the MOST important thing in the whole world and all that matters. We can’t imagine a life without you in it. You have a very important part in this family and always will.

12.20.11 Thank you for having such a good day today. Because of that I was able to clean the house and not just the house, but the WHOLE house. It was a very productive day :)

12.21.11

12.22.11 Busy day! Brunch with your Great Aunt Jane and Grandma, off to hang with the uncles, then to my 6 week appointment with Dr Z! We weren't even home today it seems like. Dad came home early from work and his Christmas vacation started so we get him for a whole week! We are both excited about that.

12.23.11 Yesterday was so busy for us that you didn't get an actual nap. The good ones where you fall asleep and wake up on your own so consequently today you were soooo sleepy.You just wanted to sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Needless to say. Was another pretty lazy day. Tonight during bath time you cried going in the tub, loved your bath as always (especially getting your hair washed, you LOVE to have your head rubbed with my fingertips) and cried coming out of the tub. You really didn't want it to end. But I don't blame you I hate that initial getting out of the shower moment- it's cold! Oh and I finished your present... It's your mobile! Dad helped and it looks pretty good If I do say so myself.

12.24.11 Christmas Eve! We have been busy this holiday season because you are the life of all the parties and the VIP guest too. We went and did Christmas with Grandma Mary and you got to open your first stocking. Uncle Dan gave you your first fishing pole and Aunt Lori gave you the book Corduroy. From there we went to Aunt Virlyn's for some pasta and you met Aunt Heather for the first time. Then that evening we celebrated Christmas with my family at our house and Elder Belliston came too. We had tons of food and played our family money game- Grandma Cole won this time. We opened all our present and you had quite the haul! Your favorite gift by far has been your swing. You love that thing and know the instant it stops moving even if you are dead asleep. You did pretty good with all the loud noise and didn't even seem to mind. It was another late night for all of us.

12.25.11 Your first Christmas! It was spent with Dad's family and we just played all day long. Grandma Rene came and we did our gift exchange which is always an adventure with everyone. You were passed around and loved as always and enjoyed sleeping in everyone's arms- that's your favorite place to sleep EVER by the way.

12.26.11 Dad's office is all closed up for the week and school is out so we get to enjoy him and have him all to ourselves. Grandma Mary broke her wrist ice skating so we'll have time to spend with her too while she is hanging out at home healing.

12.27.11

12.28.11 Where has the week gone? With Dad home it's been so nice to get things done- your room is FINALLY getting put together! And I've decided you prefer the bottle over nursing. It seems easier and you eat much better that way.

12.29.11 Ugh. Dad and I got organized with all our medical bills between the 3 of us. Let's just keep it simple and say its been a medical year and thank goodness for insurance. We went and played cards with Grandma Rene today and she loved that we were able to stay and hang out for a few hours uninterrupted.

12.30.11 I had to go get some follow up blood work done today so I was at the hospital for a good 5 hours; leaving you and Dad on your own. You boys seemed to do okay without me but I sure missed you. Dad had to deal with your first blow out all by himself :) It wasn’t very big as you will show him one day... but he seemed pretty proud he took care of if alone.

12.31.11 New Year’s Eve! We had a little get together at our house and you did wonderful as always! It was so fun to ring in the new year with you and your dad as we watched the countdown and drank our bubbly (non-alcoholic of course).

1.1.12 Interesting day at church today. Well, funny might be a better word. You are going to be quite the little entertainer. During sacrament meeting you started to stir in your car seat so I took you out and was holding you. Mind you, it’s quiet and you let out a loud belch. Everyone giggled because for such a little person it was pretty impressive. But the fun didn’t stop there for you- oh no. As if you wanted to one-up yourself you followed with a nice juicy wet toot. That really got the crowd going. Yep, you are definitely your father’s son. In fact, he was so proud of you that he took you to Elder’s Quorum to show you off.

1.2.12 I’ve said it before but your hunger cues are constantly changing and lately it’s sticking out your tongue. Today however, I learned a new one. You were chillin in your swing while I was getting ready today and I heard you spit out your pacifier then all the sudden SMACK! Those perfect little lips let out the loudest smack I have ever heard! I started laughing. Totally made my day. You make my day every day.

1.3.12 You giggled today! I was just talking out loud to you like I always do; just sharing my thoughts and I asked you if you wanted to hear a secret and you giggled! It was so cute! You have really started to be very observant and take in your surroundings.Objects have become so interesting. You LOVE the frame collage in the living room too, for some reason it is just fascinating! Dad and I also went on our first date night alone tonight. We went to the Cirque du Soliel’s Michael Jackson: the Immortal World Tour and you went to Grandpa and Grandma Doss’. I cried as we pulled out of the drive way. It was so hard to leave you like that but I made it just fine for those few hours. You did wonderfully though-happy as a clam and behaved so well, just like your mother taught you. :)

1.4.12 It is becoming so fun to have playtime- when you are actually awake that is. But you love to lay on your mat with all your bright fun toys dangling above your head. I can make you giggle easily and you are trying SOOO hard to actually laugh. It’s sooo cute to watch. You open your mouth so wide and give me this big grin and coo and talk right back to me. I sure love being your mom. Oh, and Grandma Mary came and hung out with us for a few hours today. She thinks you are just the best medicine for that broken wrist of hers.

1.5.12 I love giving you your baths. And frankly you love getting them. But I REALLY love your hair after a bath. It’s adorable. Not only is it getting lighter like a sandy brown, but it’s sooo fuzzy right after a bath. And I love putting it into all sorts of little hair styles while I dry you off. But my favorite is that little fohawk.

1.6.12 Mom had to go into work today to get her new schedule all arranged. Time has gone way to fast and I’m so sad that I have to go back to work already. I would TOTALLY rather just hang around with you all day. I’m going to have a hard time, but it’s only temporary in the big scheme of things... You are now batting and playing with your toys! You were on your play mat that suspends toys above you and while watching them like always you took a swing at one and game over. Once you discovered that those toys didn’t stand a chance. You went crazy hitting them around and enjoying the sounds and influx of movement. It’s so fun to watch you learn and discover something new. Like your tongue for instance- ever since that discovery it has not stopped moving. Tonight was a Jones family get together. Those are always interesting. You met almost everyone there for the first time too. Quite the little celebrity actually.

1.7.12 First Doss family breakfast! We met Dad’s family for breakfast like we do every month and it was your first outing. We went to Elmer’s (now called Jerry’s I think) and you were just ecstatic to see your Grandma. She can get you to laugh and coo and smile like no body's business! It was absolutely adorable! I love you.

1.8.12BREAKING NEWS... YOU SLEPT 6 1/2 HOURS LAST NIGHT! A NEW RECORD! Officially 2 months old and Church today. We were out in the hall after you had eaten and when the ward before us go out and you were in heaven. With all the noise and so many people and kids running around there was just so much to see. It was fun to watch you and those little eyes ran around like crazy trying to take everything in. Have I mentioned how much I love you? And the fact that you are 2 months? I can’t believe it. I’m amazed at how much you have grown and developed in such a short time frame. And SOO smart.

One Line a Day

2011-12-13T11:18:00.002-07:00

My dear friend Rachel inspired me to do this. She kept a daily journal for her daughter to mark all those first milestones and I just loved her line a day so much that I thought I should do the same. 

Here is Daxton's first month... yeah it's been a whole month already. I don't know how time has flown that fast but it has. I just hope I can keep up :)

9.11 So much to learn. We are both trying to get the hang of breastfeeding and things are slowly progressing for us. But you are just the sweetest thing I think I have ever seen. Your weight dropped down to 4.15 and I was just shocked when the nurses told me that. That is soooo little! You had to do some time under the bili light because of your jaundice. It made me so sad to  see you under there I was pretty emotional. But you did great and after a little while you didn't seem to mind. You are so sleepy and sleep like there is no tomorrow. Between all the visitors and eating every 2 hours, all three of us are just exhausted but we have had the most incredible time together and I wouldn’t trade all of this for the world. I love being your mommy. 

10.11 We got to take you home from the hospital today! It was such a great feeling leaving with you. Dad and I were on such an emotional and spiritual high. It felt so good to get outside and experience so many firsts with you. Like your first time outside, your first car ride, first time meeting Jack and Lula, first night at home…  We are so blessed to have you in our family and it couldn’t be more complete.

11.11 4 days old today and your first photo shoot! After your first initial visit with Dr. Kissam, your pediatrician, you had your newborn photos with Amanda Andrews out in Mountain home. You did so great and let me just say those pictures are going to be so cute! You loved all the heating pads and space heaters everywhere. Daddy got his picture taken with you on his college football- he was so proud.

 11.12.11  

13.11 Grandma Mary came over and spent the afternoon with you and me. You sunbathed again to help with your jaundice and you loved it- just like your Mom. Daddy and I had to take you to the hospital to get more blood work done to measure your bilirubin levels and we waited for 2 hours. Daddy was getting protective that you had to wait so long to be seen- he was not happy. You really didn’t like having you have your foot poked and I was trying so hard not to cry.

14.11 You have officially found your tongue and you play with that silly little thing all day long.

15.11 You had your follow up appointment today and your circumcision. I felt so sad leaving that office. But the dr said you were SOOO good, you didn’t even cry during the procedure. And you are back up to your birth weight again of 5.5 lbs! Your jaundice looks much better and you are more perfect than ever.

16.11 I took you back to see your pediatrician today to check on you. We had a rough night last night because you were bleeding and I was an emotional wreck. I felt so bad and you were having a hard time being your usual relaxed self. Grandma Jones and Andrew came over to help me because Daddy was at school- thank goodness you have such a great family. You are one lucky little guy.

17.11 Last night Grandpa Jones came and had a sleepover at the house. He came to give mom and dad a full night of sleep. He got up with you every 2 hours with you. When I woke up he left you a note in your crib. It said: “Daxton, Thanks for letting me sleep over. It was fun getting to know you better. I’m looking forward to more fun dates ahead. Tell mom I love her- Love Grandpa” He is already the best grandpa and loves you sooo much. He also says you are the cutest baby he has ever seen. He’s not biased. And your umbilical cord fell off today! You have an officially innie!

18.11 You had your first act of defiance today. You definitely get this from me. But you wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with nursing. You literally used your hands and feet to push away and with those little lips pierced together at tightly as you could muster. I wish I could have captured the look on your face. You also got to be the tag-a-long for Daddy and I’s date night. All three of us went to the redbox and curled up and watched “The Green Lantern.”

19.11 First Boise State Football game- well technically your second but first you participated in. We went to Uncle Austin and Aunt Codi’s house and you were actually watching the game on the screen. I was pretty impressed. On a sad note your Great Papa John passed away today. Your dad was really sad that we never got the chance to meet them. But he was so excited when we talked to him after you were born.

20.11 You went to first tithing settlement. Bishop Broadbent thinks you are just precious and you know what? He’s so right. And you got to meet Aunt Lori today! She was so excited to see you.

21.11 Lots and lots of visitors in the last 13 days of your life. I think we are both getting ready for things to settle down. It makes it hard for both of us to get in food and naps.  Today you were out and about the most you have been in your whole life. I was a little apprehensive to say the least. We met up with Grandma Jones on her lunch hour to try to find your blessing outfit and you got to see all the girls at Dr Z’s office and they just loved to love up on you. After Dad got off work we went to your Great Grandma Hayes house to meet her for the first time. She is a professional seamstress and was attempting to help alter a tuxedo we found for you. No luck. Then, we went to Costco. It felt good to be out and about but you are still so little it makes me nervous. But you are a champ and didn’t even mind- believe it or not you just slept through most of it.

22.11 We went back to your pediatrician today for your 2 week check. She said you look just perfect. (That seems to be a common word for describing you.) You are now 6 lbs and have grown ½ “. Your jaundice is gone so you no long have to eat every 2 hours! You and I are BOTH excited about more sleep at night. But we found out why you have had a few rough nights- gas. Your poor little belly is bloated so we have some exercises to do that will help and got some gas drops too. They seem to help but I just wish I could make it go away; I don’t like it when you are no your happy cheery self.

23.11 You have started to dislike being swaddled as much as you used to. You LOVE to sleep with your hands above your head on either side of you now. And stretching out your legs is becoming more common instead of always cured up like a frog. You are changing everyday too. I can’t believe that you don’t really look like a newborn to me anymore. And when Daddy was feeding you tonight you took the bottle right out of his hands and held it all by yourself! You are only 2 weeks old! We were impressed.

24.11 Happy Thanksgiving! Today is your official due date. We ate our Thanksgiving meal at Grandma Mary’s house with Ed and Aunt Lori. You slept through everything. You are just one tired little tike! After dinner we made the rounds to all the family. We played the money game at Austin and Codi’s and your dad won the pot of $39! Wahoo! Then the candy bar game we weren’t so lucky to come out on top. After that we headed off to your Great Aunt Virlyn’s to visit with everyone. Grandpa and Grandma just got home from your Great Papa John’s funeral in California so they haven’t seen you all week- it was a great treat for them.

25.11 Your first Black Friday! Dad convinced Mom to go out with Aunt Carissa and Grandma for a little shopping and so you had your first boys night with Dad. Things went pretty well considering it was in the middle of the night. You have such a good Dad. I hope you know how much he truly loves you.

26.11 Dad had his internship at BSU again today so you stayed home and hung out with me. We like having the day to just hang out and attempt to get things done. Laundry is about all we can ever get accomplished. When Dad came home we went out and did a little more shopping which really ended up as window shopping. It was nice to for us to get out of the house for a little while.

27.11 Your baby blessing was today! Daddy did such a good job! You were just peaceful and good and ever sleeping away. You looked soooo cute in your little blessing outfit. And you have such a big support system. The men who participated in your blessing were: Dad, Grandpa Jones, Uncle Austin, Dustin Moyer, Tucker Botkin, Dane Pence, Andrew Firkins, and Adam Firkins. It was such a wonderful experience and I was just happy to be a part of it. Your Dad was so nervous; he hadn’t been that nervous in his whole life- not even for a college football game! I hope you know how special you are to him. He loves you so much. You don’t even know the impact you have a missionary already. Your Grandpa and Grandma Doss and Grandma Mary were all there too. That is HUGE! After your blessing Dad handed you over to Grandpa Doss and his reaction was so neat to watch. He wasn’t able to participate in your blessing but just having that honor was very moving for him and it showed. They all love you Daxton and so do I. Oh and the Christmas tree is officially up :)

28.11 You have done it ever since day 1, but that little “O” face you make is just to die for. I am sad that you don’t make your audible high pitched sigh as much as you used to. Your Daddy and I love it and I just hope we can get it recorded.

29.11 First night in your crib last night! You nap there during the day but Mommy was a little nervous to make the jump and have you sleep across the house at night. But I did it and that was probably your best night EVER since being home. It made a very enjoyable and sleep inclined night for your mother so thank you.

30.11 We went to visit my work today. It was kinda comical to hear all the “aaaawwwws” and “oooooohhhhhs” coming from all the girls. Everyone just loved you and couldn’t believe how little you are which is crazy to me because I see how much you have grown these 3 weeks. I swear you have doubled your size. And we made our first ever trip to the grocery store and we went all alone. Apparently we were feeling brave :) You just slept which was great for me because the way I had your car seat in the shopping cart would have definitely made things interesting if you needs some TLC.

1.11 You slept for a 4 hour stretch last night! Hello beauty sleep for mom! I am so proud of you! We are making progress and that feels so good. Have I told you how much I love you?

2.11

3.11 Daddy left to go to California with Grandpa to help move Grandma Rene to Meridian. So it’s just you and me for the next 2 days. You got to spend another evening with your Grandpa Jones while I went to a BSU basketball game with Grandma, Great Grandma Cole and Uncle Andrew. It was hard to leave you for the first time with someone other than Daddy but you did great. Uncle Austin and Aunt Codi were there too. I’m pretty sure they think you are just the greatest thing under 10 pounds. 

4.11 First sleepover! We ended up staying the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s because we were both too tired and Mommy wasn’t ready for a night home alone while Dad was gone. I think your grandparents were more thrilled than ever. We had a pretty good night too considering we didn't’ really plan for that. Later that evening we picked up Dad from the airport. You and I met your Great Grandmother for the first time. She was just tickled pink to meet you. Dad said when she was saying goodbye to everyone in California she kept bragging about how she got to meet her great grandson. She was excited to say the least. And when she held you for the first time I don’t think she took her eyes off of you. 

5.11 Grandma Rene moved into her new assisted living facility called Spring Creek. We went over to visit tonight and she was ready as ever to hold you again. It’s so fun to watch her watch you. She concentrates so hard on every little feature like she is trying to memorize every little detail. 

6.11 Lazy day for you and I. I tired to take some pictures with my new camera but let’s just say I have a long ways to go before I will be satisfied with my work. You, on the other hand are a great model. I love to watch you sleep. You have officially decided you love to sleep with your hands unrestrained and above your head. I call it the“field goal.” And I just don’t know what I will do when you decide you don’t really like your legs curled up so much. You like them almost as close as you can get them to your chest. Like a little frog. All these details have changed so much since you were born 4 weeks ago today and I love to see how much you have grown. Yet it makes me sad it’s coming and going so fast. I don’t want this you-and-me time we have together to end. 

7.11

8.11 We have gone to see Grandma Rene everyday so far and I dare say you are the real highlights our visits. She loves to hold you on her lap as that seems to be the easiest for her. But you are getting SO strong! Not only do you hold your head up most of the time but you almost push yourself straight off of her lap by pushing against her stomach. You are growing up so fast. You are one whole month old today and I don’t know where all that time has gone. I wish things would just slow down.

11.8.11

2011-12-01T09:47:00.001-07:00

With Thanksgiving right around the corner Adam and I have so much to be thankful for. I am most thankful for my son, Daxton James Doss who came into this world punching and kicking on November 8.

It all started with Dr. Zakarian saying that I was probably going to have this baby within the week. I had been going in for non-stress tests each week at the hospital and then seeing Dr Zakarian for a biophysical profile each Friday morning since 28 weeks. This Friday was different. I was 37 weeks at this point and Dr Z was doing my routine ultrasound and going over the results of my NST from earlier that morning. I had been having contractions consistently about 3 minutes apart so she decided to check for dilation. You know just for the heck of it. I was dilated to 2 cm and about 80% effaced! You should have seen Adam’s face! His jaw dropped to the floor with shock- Happy birthday Babe :)

So we left the office with a little skip in our step and a little disbelief at the reality of what could come within a few short days. So that weekend we began the preparations to welcome this little boy into our hearts. I FINALLY packed my hospital bag, got the car seat installed and diaper bag assembled with everything he would need to come home…  you know JUST IN CASE.

So I went to work on Monday, had a normal day and felt fine. I could feel contractions all day, but for me that was normal. I had been having them and felt the same way for the last 9 weeks. No big deal. Adam kept checking on me throughout the day and was asking if I felt different or if I thought he was going to come soon. I kept saying no way, I feel fine. I’m not even to the uncomfortable phase of pregnancy yet. I haven’t even developed a waddle! This baby is NOT coming anytime soon.

So that night Adam and I decided to get all our errands done- again JUST IN CASE. We picked up some more sweats, socks and last minute items as well as grabbed a Dominos pizza literally on the go. We sat and ate it in the parking lot for crying out loud! So as we meandered through the stores just enjoying our time I could feel the contractions building more each time. Just enough to make me stop walking and concentrate until they would pass but I wasn’t worried. This baby was not coming tonight; there was just no way.

It’s now 8:30 pm. Got home, pulled in the garage and I grabbed the few bags at my feet and climbed out of the car. I took one step towards the garage door and then BAM! My water broke right then and there on the garage floor. I mean that thing broke! It was like someone poured a gallon of water down my legs. I started yelling, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” And Adam panicked yelled back what’s wrong? I yelled back, “I think my water just broke.” And my dear sweet husband asked if I wasn’t sure I didn’t just wet my pants. “Oh no,” I said, “I’m sure!” I ran into the bathroom and Adam came in and started giggling because he realized his wife was serious. I looked like a little 2 year old who had wet their pants- they were soaked all the way to the cuffs of my jeans. That was the trigger button for Adam. He started to get really excited and super nervous and anxious at the same time. I called my mom needing expert advice and Adam disappeared. He was running around like a madman trying to get everything in order. And we were off the hospital.

I felt sooo silly! My water just broke and other than having really inconsistent strong contractions I felt fine! The reality of the situation was slowly beginning to settle in. I called Dr Z as she had instructed me to do. She asked all the questions she needed to assess how far into labor I was and she thought she would see sometime around 10:00 am the next morning. So Adam and I were giggling and talking on the way. Neither of us could believe the reality of what was happening; it was game time. We were going to be parents in just a few hours!

9:00 pm. Upon arrival to the hospital I laughed as we parked the car because I looked over and realized that we were parked next to my parents! They had beat us to the hospital. As we were walking up to the entrance to St Alphonsus labor and delivery my cell phone rang. My mother was calling from the waiting room wondering where I was. Oh my goodness, makes you wonder if they are ready to be grandparents?

We all make our way in to L&D and as soon as I walk in I announce to all the nurses at the nurse’s station, “Either I peed my pants or my water broke!” They all got a good kick out of it. I just wanted to put it all out on the table :) The nurse took me into a room and I put on that lovely gown with all the holes in it. They hooked us both up to the monitor and checked us out. I was dilated to a 3 and 100% effaced. Adam asked the nurse if we got to stay. She kinda laughed and politely said, “Oh yeah, you’re staying.” And so we bunkered down and all the family started to arrive. The air was filled with excitement and anxiety. My room was full of people as my contractions started to really build. I got sick as my body was doing its best to cope with the pain and I could not stop shaking. My nerves were going crazy and I was having hot and cold flashes. Everyone started taking the hint that it was time to leave and things weren’t going to be happening anytime soon and so about 11:00 pm they trickled out with promises that they would get a call when it was “go time.”

Adam and I were then left alone to take it all that was happening. I was getting scared at this point because I knew I could progress the labor. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to. This was so new to me and I was afraid of how much more pain I was going to experience. But as Adam lovingly encouraged me to get out the bed walk, I did, in baby steps. I started pacing around the room and finally made it out to roam the hallways. We walked for about 20 minutes and then headed back to the room so my nurse (Meghan who was totally AMAZING!) could check my progress. She was shocked! I had jumped to a 6 in that 20 minute time span. Meghan got me a nausea medication that helped like crazy. I was not loving that part of the experience. It was then I knew this baby boy was coming sooner than later and I asked for an epidural.

It took a half an hour from start to finish for the anesthesiologist to give me that sweet IV. Too bad my left side missed out- it only worked on my right side. He had put the extra long needle (glad I didn’t see it) in crooked. Were doing everything we could to correct that but to no avail. He said if we didn’t get it fixed that the only alternative was to start the process over. I thought he was crazy. It was so hard to hold still during those contractions! Between turning and rotating and positioning we were having no success on my left side. Meghan checked my progress again and holy smokes in another half hour I was at a 9! She left the room to call Dr Zakarian; it was officially“go time.”

Adam called our families to tell them he would be here soon and my mother came back into the delivery room. I wanted her to be a part of this experience and she was so elated to be there. Dr Z was at the hospital within 10 minutes of that phone call. She did one final check and I was at 10 cm and 100% effaced. “Time to push,” she said with a grin on her face. At that moment I knew there was no going back and as scared as I was if I was going to push I was going to give it everything I had. I did not want to be in labor pushing forever. I became so focused and determined to bring this baby into the world.

So as everyone was hustling and bustling about the room getting it all prepped for my baby I did my best to remain calm and focused despite the pain. I knew I needed a goal. I had been light hearted from the get go and I certainly did not want to change that now. I wanted this to be a sweet memory for all of us. My dr gave me instructions on how to push and with Adam at my side we were ready. I could feel the next contraction coming and when my dr gave me the signal I pushed and gave it everything I had. I tried to disregard how much it hurt and concentrate because my baby was all that mattered. I was doing this for him. And with much encouragement and three pushes later and my sweet boy entered the world at 2:17 am. He came out strong, punching and kicking. It was such a beautiful sound to hear his cry. He was in my arms seconds later and that was the best feeling in the whole wide world and completely indescribable. Time stopped. I was a mom. And in my arms was this perfect little boy who became my whole world. My life changed forever in that moment. I now understood how much love my parents had for me as I held my son for the first time. Life was perfect. There is no other way to describe it. It was so amazing to think that Adam and I would be with him for eternity. Our family was truly beginning and there was nothing sweeter than that.

Daxton James Doss you were born into a family that loves you more than you can every imagine.  

 Weighing in at 5.52 lbs and measuring 19” long. 

33 weeks

2011-10-09T21:16:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness I am 33 weeks pregnant! Sometimes it still amazes me that this far into the game I can still find myself saying, "I'm pregnant?" and YES that IS a question mark. It's just so crazy. I am going to HAVE A BABY and be a MOM. Wow. How totally cool is that? Adam and I will be talking and all of the sudden out the total blue I will interrupt our conversation with my sudden ah-ha moment and inform him that in just a short time we will be PARENTS! I can't believe it some days (even though this little guy has officially taken over my abdominal cavity and controls my bladder like he has his very own remote control). But in all seriousness I couldn't be more excited or ready. I have always wanted to be a mom. I have the best mom EVER and only hope to be HALF the mom she is- if I can do that I will be successful. I am just so grateful for the opportunity that Heavenly Father has given me to be that for someone else. I am going to have a son. Wow.

This was at 32 weeks but you get the idea :)

Gettin Crafty

2011-09-21T17:30:00.001-06:00

Just call me super mom :)

Okay, really I am just super proud of myself for accomplishing my first sewing project ALONE- aka without my mom's amazing assistance because she is super awesome. Having said that, I did make the bumper set for the nursery with her help. So I decided to take the bull by the horns and use my birthday presents (cutting mat, rotary cutter and ruler) from Mr Adam and make the changing pad cover!

I know I am proud of myself like a preschooler who just wrote their name for the first time BUT check out my handiwork... 

Pregnancy

2011-09-10T22:39:00.003-06:00

 

I love being pregnant. It has to be one of the most amazing experiences that as a woman I will ever get to experience my WHOLE life. I can say that as of 29 weeks, I feel wonderful. Don't get me wrong we have had our share of complications, but as far as FEELING goes I couldn't be better. 

We had some scares in beginning... When I was only 12 weeks along we had to rush to the ER at 4:00 in the morning. I had a subchorionic hemorrhage (SCH) and what the drs called a "threatened miscarriage." That was the scariest night for both Adam and I. We had a miscarriage last year so it was the worst feeling ever. I was on bed rest for a week but we were blessed and our little guy was just fine. 

When I went in for my checkup after the ER we were told that on top of the SCH I also had placenta previa. So long story short and lots of medical terms later, I was put on restricted physical activity for the next 3 months.

Last month we finally hit a good stretch! I was doing great! The hemorrhage was gone, the previa took care of itself and I just had my glucose test to pass and I was on the downhill stretch. Well, not so fast... I failed my first 1 hour glucose test AND my second 3 hour glucose test. Thus, I have gestational diabetes. 

The diabetes I must say was expected. Diabetes runs on both sides of my family and my mother had gestational for 3 out of her 5 pregnancies. So I knew it was coming and with that knowledge I also knew I could get through it. I would do whatever I needed to for this little boy growing inside me. He is dependent on me. How can I not?

So despite the insulin injections and restricted diet, I am a happy girl. I have a wonderful husband who has been so good to me and helped me through every step of the way. He is so excited and ready to be a father. I couldn't have married a better man. He will be the BEST dad ever. I mean the man draws football plays on my belly for his son to learn! He has a little bit of learning to do but then again so do I. We are excited to bring this sweet spirit into our home and give him more love than he can imagine.  

                     15 weeks

                     25 weeks

                     29 weeks

New Additions

2011-09-10T14:52:00.003-06:00

We have 2 new additions in our home this year. Count them not 1, but 2!

First is little Miss Lula. Her name comes from one of Adam's favorite places he served on his mission- Cholula.

As much as I  love her, don't let this cute little face fool you. She is a fireball! She will eat ANYTHING! And I mean just that. For example: collars, underwear, shoes, sandals (her favorite), books, baby gates, shirts, tables, baskets, iphone chargers, the list could SERIOUSLY go on and on....

But despite her annoyances I don't know what I would do without this little girl. She is my snuggle bug and comedy relief. She has become a part of the family and it just wouldn't be the same without her.

The second addition is very exciting. WE ARE EXPECTING!

Adam and I are having a little boy and he should join our family right around Thanksgiving this year. That is actually his due date, November 24th. Everyone is just a LITTLE excited. He will be the first grandchild on BOTH sides of the family.

Here are some of his first ultrasound pictures: good luck trying to figure them out :)

I Love this Man

2011-03-25T15:00:00.004-06:00

Gordon B. Hinckley has GOT to be one of THE CUTEST OLD MEN.

He is {secretly} and always will be my favorite prophet. I miss him and his sense of humor. I never had the pleasure of actually meeting him in person but WHAT a wonderful man.

He shares the BEST advice and tid-bits of knowledge EVER.

For example:

"Marriage in its truest sense, is a partnership of equals, with neither exercising dominion over the other, but, rather, with each encouraging and assisting the other in whatever responsibilities and aspirations he or she might have."

"Stop looking for the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight."

"Through all of living have much joy and laughter, life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

"Be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged. Things will work out."

"If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel."

Our Humble Abode

2010-12-23T17:55:00.014-07:00

We bought a house! Not just any house but OUR HOUSE.We love it! We closed on our little home on November 23, 2010 and moved in on Thanksgiving. What a perfect day to celebrate all that we are thankful for. We have truly been blessed.

Please don't judge by the lack of decor... we are still under construction :)

Found a Lost Gem

2010-12-23T17:41:00.004-07:00

I forgot I had taken this!

Here is a little gem I caught on film.
Adam is trying very hard to be diligent with his studies.
Too long in front of the computer.
Priceless.

Get Outta Town

2010-08-09T17:08:00.008-06:00

We are a camping fiends! That seems to be our flavor of the summer. Adam and I needed a break from life so took time off work and said, "SAYONARA Boise, we are outta here!" So we did what any fun-loving people would do. We spent the weekend in Cascade with the 2 best people you ever did meet, Ashley and Nathan Leavitt and their dog Duke. Let me introduce you: (Nate, I love this picture and makes me laugh... sorry I put it on the world wide web.) SUPER FUN! One of fun-filled adventures was when we went and did the river kayaks up at North Shore Beach in McCall. We took our furry companions and rented 2 doubles and took off for the afternoon. Duke had such a blast walking all over the kayak-he has impeccable balance! Jack just thought it was the most exciting thing ever! The thing is he doesn't know he is little yet... but Jack did so good! He was pooped by the end of the extrusion and just took a siesta on my lap and then in the shade of the kayak. One of our hilarious stories comes with what started out as a race between our two boats. In this river there are fallen trees which then lead to fallen tree stumps. Adam and I dodged around a set of two right next to each other, but our fearless compadres decided to sneak through them... well they missed. This is the outcome: They got lodged on top of it! SOOO FUNNY!!! We played on the beach and got Duke to FINALLY swim! Although he need a little leverage but we won't talk about that it's a family secret we will use on all our children... right Ash? ;)
Between dirt for a campsite, 2 trees as shade, Ice Cream Alley, watching the dogs chase after the laser pointer, deflating air mattresses, back lighting in our tents, games all night, dirt, s'mores and campfires, I don't know if we could had any more excitement. Thanks to Nate and Ashley for not only putting up with us but also being our almost unbelievably-IDENTICAL-personality-matching friends :) We lub you guys!

New Family Addition... Meet Jack

2010-08-09T17:07:00.006-06:00

Let me first say, Adam loves me. That poor man, I have him wrapped around my little finger :)
Now with that said, he got me a puppy! I have wanted one forever and we finally got the approval from the landlord. Well, next day we had a puppy! This is little Jack.

We love Summer

2010-08-05T23:49:00.012-06:00

We love warm weather and summertime!!! Boating, sunshine, shorts and flip flops, camping, sunshine, floating the river, late nights, windows down, sunshine, sunroof open and of course MORE SUNSHINE! Hhhhmmm! :)
Who doesn't love summer?

Independence Day

2010-08-05T23:48:00.015-06:00

Adam and I spent the 4th of July camping in Cascade with his parents. We camped at Lake Cascade State Park and we had the most amazing view of the lake. Every morning we got to wake up to this right outside our tent.Gorgeous isnt' it? We were the true campers in our little pack though, everyone else pulled out their 5th wheels and motor homes and we had our trusty tent. We love camping and according to us, we camp luxurious style. With our too-big-for-two tent, sleeping bags that zip together and an air mattress we live the life in the great outdoors. The only thing that is missing is a bathroom, otherwise we are set. Now, I love the dirt but I love a me a clean shower more! Greasy hair is not my foretay. So thank goodness for those 5th wheels right?We went kayaking on the river up by North Shore and went on hikes and played with his parents yorkie, Rocky in the lake. The only thing missing from our 4th of July was the heat and oh yeah, fireworks... oops. We got a little lazy and didn't make it into town to see the big fireworks but we did see the locals set off their illegal ones across the lake. That counts right?
On our drive home we stopped at a draw bridge and took a break from the drive and got a little daring. We got home and watched an outdoor movie with my family in my parent's backyard. I love summer and holidays. :)

One Year Already?

2010-08-03T21:00:00.016-06:00

Holy smokes! Times does fly! Adam and I shared our first year anniversary on June 13th. I know I'm a little late but there is SOOOOO much to tell you about! Sorry I have been so behind AGAIN on keeping this thing updated... So first things first, decided to get a gift together instead of getting each other something... so we got a Wii! :)Adam was in charge of our anniversary this year and he did an amazing job planning the whole thing... with a little help :) Most of if was a surprise but the camping part the first night I played a little part in to make sure everything we needed was present and accounted for. We headed up to McCall and spent the first night in Ponderosa State Park. Which, might I add, is my FAVORITE place to camp ever! But we had fun setting up our little site and strolling around down by the lake. We ran into town to get some last minute supplies at good old Paul's Grocery... and where I may have secretly vandalized the store but on ACCIDENT of course. As we were getting our ducks in a row, I spotted one of the most crucial tools needed for any experienced campers collection- roasting sticks! So I quickly grabbed two of them and due to my happy-go-lucky mood at that moment I started to have a sword fight with an invisible opponent. (And for the record these sticks were not sharp in the end, but flat and evenly cut.) Well, one thing lead to another and as we were cruising down the soda pop isle I spotted a big old carton of root beer needing to be taught a lesson! I screamed, "ON GUARD" and took a poke at the plastic holding all the cans in their place and misjudged my strength. Because I stabbed right into some poor can and soda started spraying EVERYWHERE! I just laughed with embarrassment and headed straight to the check stand to get the heck outta there! Adam just laughed at me.We started dinner later that night and gave up just as quickly as we started and decided pizza was a much better alternative. :) That next morning though, we had the best breakfast ever! Hot fresh straight off the fire. Yum! That morning we met Jeff, our entertaining little squirrel who I ended up feeding right out of my hand; apparently he had a thing for graham crackers. But that afternoon we spent running around, enjoying ourselves and splashing around in the Gold Fork hot springs.That evening was the surprise part. Adam had booked the Rose Room Suite at the Ashley Inn in Cascade. We got all checked in and headed up to shower and check out the room. It was nice, BUT I will say that for a ROSE room I expected REAL flowers, but instead we got FAKE roses. Unimpressed. Let me tell you I was just swept off my feet after brushing those artificial rose pedals off of my bed... NOT! :/ But other than that, I will say the room was quite luxurious. Great view and AMAZING bathroom complete with a gigantic jacuzzi tub with a fireplace and huge shower! -Can't wait to have a one of those.I have always wanted to go see a movie in the old Roxy theater in Cascade so Adam did just that. And the rest of the evening was spent just the two of us. We had a lot to celebrate besides our one year so it made it an even better weekend than we could have hoped for. I love you, Adam. Thanks for an amazing anniversary! I look forward to many more :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T17:58:00.016-06:00

So our Memorial Day weekend was packed full of fun and adventure. It started out with Adam helping me with my Relief Society lesson by collecting river rocks on the Green Belt. And I don't know about you but I think Adam had a LITTLE more fun than I did climbing around on the bank. Observe.
Then after the Green Belt we took our date to the one, the only, the Discovery Center! Where the featured exhibit was "hot things."

Then on the freezing cold Memorial Day itself, my family took the boat out for a little spin on the lake. BRRRRR! It was rainy, cold and windy. Not so much fun when you really wanted to catch some sun! My little sister Carissa brought her bestest bud, Lindsey home with her from school. On the drive up Adam was so generous he made me some beautiful jewelry from duck tape and gum wrappers.

An Eagle Scout And A Fish

2010-05-25T18:36:00.007-06:00

So before I even begin let me just say I hate fish. They are ugly and scary and don't even taste good...
So on that note, my little brother Andrew is an avid fisherman. I love the guy but he is just weird; who likes fish??? Anyways he is 14 and this last Saturday he had his Eagle Scout project. He decided to do something along the lines of yep, you guessed it FISH. The project itself was really good. He decided to teach a group of underprivileged kids how to fish. The idea was to teach them how to fish and hope to instill a lifetime skill and hobby in them. You know the phrase, "Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." Andrew worked really hard and got lots of donations for all the equipment which he gave the kids in the end as surprise.
The weather was super crummy though, 37 degrees and rain is not a good mix. These kids were Just adorable and they didn't even complain about the unfortunate weather. They were between the ages of 6-12 and most of them English was their second language. I was excited because Adam and I were going to use our Spanish to help interpret and I was anxious to talk to them, which turned out to be a funny story. I was getting my group all geared up and as we were working I surprised them and started talking in Spanish. My favorite was Marcelino and he was just completely shocked that I knew Spanish! The look on his face was priceless, but his older and of course much wiser sister was the one to pipe up and say with a puzzled look on her face, "We speak English too." Haha! I didn't know what to say! So I just cut the Espanol all together.The best part for some, but the sickest part of the day for me was catching my first fish! SUPER SICK NASTY! Maybe I should explain some more, I am not only grossed out by fish, but terrified of them! My brothers think it is just hilarious to remind me when we are at the lake just how many fish there are swimming with me. And they just roll with laughter if I see one because I am out of that water faster than a fly on stink. I am lightning fast! I am just scared they are going to bite me... I know, I know, "They are more afraid of you, than you are of them." WRONG! LIES! They are out to get me and I don't care ewhat Anyhoo, so I was swindled into catching my first fish and the result was pretty funny. The outcome was a lot of screaming and flailing around on my part. It was quite the site. The video below has just a little tid-bit of what I am talking about... see for yourself.

Oh and if you are interested- Andrew was in the paper, here is the link if you would like to read the article... idahopress.com.

Saturday Is A Special Day

2010-05-25T18:12:00.004-06:00

Let me just say it. We just love our Saturdays! They are our ONE day of the week to actually get something done TOGETHER! This being the case, they are SLAMMED! I don't know if any of you even remember that one actually NICE Saturday we had awhile back? You know the one with the great weather? I know it was pretty far away but we had to so much fun that day and got quite a bit accomplished. The most exciting news of the day was I think I found the best chocolate shake in Boise. It was at Good Times. Yum! The second most exciting news of the day was we bought sleeping bags and a river raft! But they were steals of a deal. There is a huge liquidation sale going on the old CompUSA building over by Sports Authority that had everything 50% off! So we bought 2 fantastic sleeping bags that I am just dying to use and the tube is not ordinary tube. It is a double-seater with mesh bottoms AND complete with a built in cooler in the middle. We are just a little excited to use it!
We also bought a set for frisbee golf which we discovered we are not very good at. We could definitely use the practice. We played at Ann Morrison downtown with our great friends the Leavitts and completed our outing with ice cream at Goody's downtown- gotta love that place. It reminds me of the candy store in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. :)The craziest thing to happen that day was watching a little old lady run her BRAND NEW, NOT EVEN REGISTERED 2010 Toyota Highlander into a giant concrete barrier... oops. We were at the ATM and heard these loud noises that I thought were gunshots they were so loud. We got to play the rescue team as we helped her get a tow truck. That was interesting.
Then to complete the night I had to watch the Idaho Steelheads hockey game. It would have been a little more excited but due to the fact that we had a score of 0:0 for a large majority of the game was super lame. Then to set off the night in a bang we got beat in the last 20 seconds, bummer.Happy Saturdays :)

It Takes Two

2010-05-11T19:19:00.012-06:00

So Adam and I are parents........... Just kidding :) We WERE parents for 2 adorable little girls this weekend though. So sorry to disappoint you! Meet Hannah and Cate. We love them.These two are practically nieces and their parents went to Las Vegas for the weekend so Adam and I were in charge. I have watched them since they were both just babies and we had SOOOO much fun together. We went to gymnastics, soccer practices, soccer games, Applebees, wedding receptions.... you get the point; we went everywhere. It was a fun packed weekend! Our most fun outing was complete with their cousin Ian, three kites, two dogs and a wagon. Saturday night we went to the park and had just a ball! We flew kites, played tag and even taught a little man to use the great outdoors as his bathroom. But THAT was an accident and a funny story all in itself. Ian is just precious and those of you who know him understand why. Bless his heart, we were at the park and he has to use the restroom. He kept doing the bathroom jig and I kept asking, "Ian, do you have to go potty?" I kept getting the same answer of, "No thank you." Well, several repetitious inquiries later I asked again, "Ian, do you have to go potty?" and got a huge "OKAY!!!!" in return. I told him to run over to Adam for some man-to-man outdoor bathroom assistance and next thing I know I see this cute little boy with his pants around his ankles sitting on the grass going potty. He hadn't quite learned the standing approach and this was no time to coach. I was laughing so hard at how adorable the whole situation was. Adam is ready to be a dad. See for yourself:I am in love with this man. Maybe someday soon he'll have his own kidos to play with.

Queathem Wedding

2010-05-11T18:57:00.011-06:00

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. That is how you spell it; beautiful. Adam and I went down to one of my bestie's wedding in Utah. Miss Candace Emily Burr is now Mrs. Candace Emily Queathem. She married Eric Queathem we just adores her. Their wedding was sooo grand and sooo amazing! It was literally a fairytale, something you only dream about. We had so much fun and it was so great to see all our friends while we were there. They were married in the Draper Temple and had their reception and ring ceremony at The Caille. WOW. Can I just say that? Love you Candi and best wishes to you both!

Conference Weekend

2010-04-05T17:15:00.001-06:00

ROAD TRIP!
Saturday morning we headed out of town with our good friends Nate and Ashley Leavitt. We were headed to Utah for conference and a weekend away from the 208. On the drive down I took a Dramamine for car sickness, but it wasn't non-drowsy... and the result was Jessica passed out in the passenger seat with her mouth wide open! Everyone kept teasing me; claiming I would start talking about all sorts of foods like hot dogs and red bubble gum. So needless to say I made sure I was wide awake for the ride home. :) We arrived that afternoon and the boys got ready for the Priesthood session and Ashley and I went shopping. We got lost in the TJ Maxx there; it is was SOOO HUGE! We found lots of cute things to decorate our houses. Then we jumped from store to store to store and eventually met up with our husbands and our friends Dustin Moyer and his cute new fiance Courtney at Tucanos for dinner. I had never eaten there before, but WOW! There is sooo much meat! For those of you that know me, you know I am not the best meat eater. I am a strict chicken fan but Adam was very proud of me. I tried almost everything!
That night we played Wii Resort. Oh my hilarious! There was a sword fighting game that was so funny! We got way into it (you all know how that goes). I was just a little sore the next day... kind of pathetic! :)
Sunday morning, after breakfast we started our new family tradition of dyeing Easter Eggs! I hadn't done that since I was like 5 years old! It was really fun and totally childish but what a great tradition!We had tickets to the Sunday afternoon session. Which was AMAZING! My favorite part was when Elder Nelson teased about showing his baby picture and then giving that classic wink at the camera! I loved the talk from Bradley D. Foster with the story of the young boy and his father trying to read a wordless picture book. And the little boy correcting the father on his choice of vocabulary and when his father questioned him on how he knew this, the little boy replied, "Because Mother told me." His father then asks who was the last word and authority in the house and the little boy thought very hard and then carefully replied, "You... because Mother told me." It was so cute! Conference was wonderful and it was so fun to be able to go with Adam for the first time.
Nobody really loves having to climb in a car and drive home right? Our ride home was such a hoot! We cranked the ipod and sang to all sorts of silly, fun songs. Not to outdone we included dancing! So fun!

No. No. We Are NOT Lazy.

2010-03-30T21:31:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: This WAS my idea... Adam just went along with it.

So my least favorite chore in the whole wide world is making the bed. We (and by "we" I really mean "I") started to clean out our closet. The outcome was clean sheets left in the dryer and blankets, pillows and lots of clothes littering our bed. So me being the lazy and spontaneous girl that I am decided to create a second mess in our living room. It looked like this:Yes. Instead of simply cleaning up after our mess, or better yet, throwing it on the floor until the next day, we blew up the sturdy air mattress and had a sleepover in our living room. Complete with popcorn and a movie. We are just a LITTLE silly :)
BUT we had fun... and it did turn into a 2 night sleepover... I was lazy twice.

Big Boy Present

2010-03-28T20:41:00.001-06:00

So as many of you know, Adam and I are on VERY opposite schedules. I work mornings and Adam works evenings. So the only time we see each other is on my lunch break, when we are sleeping (if that counts) and Saturdays and Sundays. So our only time together is our weekends, and let me tell you we sooooo look forward to them!
So... Yesterday we went on a little shopping spree to good old Lowe's. Adam is now officially a M-A-N. I bought him his very own grilling machine. He got a BBQ! There was a sale going on and so we got one for our little porch at our apartment. And today Adam was super excited to get home from church to cook us some Ballpark Franks- my absolute favorite! He is just so happy because he gets to eat other meat besides chicken and hamburger... that is IF he does the cooking...
Then to add to our little home, we bought a love fern! :) It is soo cute! We just love it! And we also got a little potted plant too... only I have no idea what kinds they are? Oh well, we are adding to our little place and making it ours. Now all we need is a puppy and I am a happy little lady.
Then today I did a little funny. We were making some muddie buddies to deliver to our families when we make our weekly rounds and Adam had it all under control. That is until Jessica tried to step in and help out. I was adding the powdered sugar to the bag of chocolate covered chexes and didn't zip the ziplock bag ALL the way closed... this was the outcome.Here is a picture of our little place. I'll have to take some more soon.

Update Anyone?

2010-01-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

As you can tell it's been a little while since I updated the world on the Doss Family. So here is the breakdown for the last 6 months... right after we arrived back in the States after our honeymoon we piled my little VW Bug with all our belongings and moved ourselves down to Mesa, Arizona. We lived in a condo right on a golf course and were both working full time. I bet you are wondering what in the world would possess us to EVER move to what I like to call "Hell's Kitchen (only hotter)". Reason number one was school for Adam. ASU had the masters program he wanted and he was offered a job with a landscaping company with a very promising future. He actually moved down there in May the last 6 weeks of our engagement. We had some great adventures while we were there. Like a hour long hunt for a terrifying lizard in our condo! That was hilarious. The little guy was more scared than we were but he gave us both a run for our money. The bedroom got torn apart trying to catch him so we could release him into the wild! Haha what a great night. We were so proud. Another fun time was our ward's giant slip-n-slide. Although we were the new-bees and knew abosolutely no one, we got to cool off and have a blast while doing it.

Well, after about a month or so we just decided it was not for us- too hot and we missed home. So we packed our bags and moved back to good old Idaho and settled down in Meridian in a little 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment we love and now call HOME.

Football, football, football. Can a girl ever get sick of that word? Yes! If you know Adam at all, you know he has 2 loves. His wife and football, especially Boise State football. Now, as much fun as it is, Jessica is ready for a break. We went to every Boise State home game and only missed one game rain or shine the whole season- heaven forbid! But great job at the Fiesta Bowl Broncos... Adam also coaches football at Meridian High School and works full time as an oderly in the OR at St. Luke's Downtown. He is currently applying for an internship at BSU with footaball program (so keep your fingers crossed!) and is getting his degree in Sports Managment. Is that a surpise to anyone? I work a whole block away at Ada West Dermatology and love every minute of it and am going to school for Nursing. We are sooo unbelievably busy but have so much fun at the same time.Um, what else? No, I'm not pregnant yet. :) But my bestie, Rachel Mendenhall just had her first! Noah Matthew Mendenhall! 6 pounds and 18 inches long! CONGRATS! I can't wait to meet the little guy! And I did get brave and chopped my hair off. It hasn't been this short since I was like 4! That's all at the moment and I promise to do my best to keep everyone better updated.

¡Nos Gusta Mexico!

2009-07-07T17:51:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, the honeymoon! We left bright and early on Tuesday morning for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We stayed at a time share in downtown for a whole week and absolutely loved every single minute of it! It rained every single day but we could have cared less! We had such a blast and Adam LOVED being back in Mexico after his mission. It was fun to watch him relive some of those memories and let me tell you his Spanish came in quite handy. I could understand most of what was always being said but responding was a whole other story... no hablo bueno. Here is the breakdown of our greatest vacation ever:
DIA 1: We left early on Tuesday morning and arrived in the Mexico airport around 3pm. And as we did, ooooweeeee, we got swarmed as soon as we stepped out those security doors! It's funny how much someone can warn you but until you experience it yourself you don't really believe them. Puerto Vallarta thrives on tourism and they are GOOD at it. We took our 5 minute $20 taxi ride over to our resort and got ourselves all checked in. Our room was gorgeous! We were in a way-too-big-for-2-people condo complete with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a living room, dining room and kitchen. Needless to say we were quite comfortable! I felt like a little spoiled pampered palace brat with all the hand and foot treatment we received, but it was a nice change though I will admit. We did some exploring and went grocery shopping for week. Now, that was interesting. Did you know that they don't refrigerate eggs? WEIRD! And it's so crazy how different one food can be from country to country. After shopping our tummies got the best of us and you'll never guess what we ate for my first dinner in a foreign country? Pizza Hut! It was all that was open by the time we got to dinner but I will say that the cheese in Mexico does not beat good old American cheese...
DIA 2: Our first full day in Mexico! We went our first Vallarta Adventure- the Canopy Tour. It consisted of a jet boat ride to the other side of the coast, hoped into 2 giant yellow jeeps where we wound up through the mountains and through small Mexican villages to our redezvous with our canopy guides. We got instructions and geared up for our adventure by mounting a mule and riding up a windy path to some the highest mountains in the area. At the top we strapped onto a thin cord and zip-lined over the trees and repelled down waterfalls. It was soo beautiful and SOOO much fun! Our adventure lasted 8 hours and I was so proud of my little hubby. He did so well with his fear of heights- which at times I must admit was hilarious to watch and our guides were such a hoot! At the end of the day we were tired and hungry so we cleaned up and headed out to end the day with a romantic dinner in downtown at a little restaurant called Si Señor- yum!
DIA 3:This day full of fun at the pool. We tested out the beach and the ocean but it was super dirty due to all the tropical storms that time of year and for those of you who know, I hate fish. Adam had a good time watching me squirm while I swam thinking of all the nasty little creatures below me... eewww. The pool there is so much fun. It has a little island in the middle of it with a slide and everything. We splashed around for hours like two little 16 year olds without a care in the world. That night we had our second Vallarta Adventure called Rhythms of the Night. We hoped on a boat with a complimentary open bar all night! So we helped ourselves to endless amounts of fruit punch! We floated around for 45 minutes to Las Caletas. Once we arrived we were ushered through the jungle with drums and
torches to an outdoor amphitheatre and were entertained with a story of a prince and princess. Afterwards we wound our way through the jungle once more and found our dinner by candlelight waiting for us. The food was so delicious and it was so romantic to sit and talk and stare at each other. I am so amazed with the man I married and the moment could not have been more perfect. After dinner we had time to wander around the island and we walked along the beach and watched the stars. This was one of our favorite parts about the whole trip. The boat ride back was so much fun too. The crew who runs these adventures are such a blast to spend time with. The ride back we kissed under the stars and danced on the upper deck of the boat. We love Mexico!
DIA 4: Today was such a waste in the beginning. We did one of those dumb time share presentations- you know the ones if you don't have money to buy in you just do it for the free stuff? Well, our 45 minute tour turned into a 5 hour ordeal. Those buggers don't take no for an answer! So we blew off some steam at the pool and got ready for our next date night- sunset sailing! We met our crew members and fellow sailors at the marina and we were off to enjoy the most beautiful sunsets. Mexico is known for them you know... So we weave our way out of the

docking area and I am feeling good... 30 minutes later we hit the open water. Well, as in most of Jessica's great life stories something always has to ruin a good thing. I GOT SEASICK! :/ Can you believe it? We were sailing in Mexico and it was worst 3 hours of my life! I wanted to die; I even fed the fishies. Adam loved every second of sailing and the sky was absolutely amazing, but too bad my eyes were closed most of the time. I didn't even want to eat the shishcabobs or

chocolate covered strawberries. So sad huh? Adam was so good though he just laid there and held me while I was miserable. Oh well though, another great story right?
DIA 5: I woke up sick today so we opted out of our snorkeling excursion at Yelapa. We regretted it later but it seemed like a good idea at the time. After breakfast we spent nearly the entire day just lounging around the resort and pool. We made our way downtown for some more shopping and it was sooooo much fun. We didn't find anything really worth spending the money on so we just paroozed and wandered. And the best part about the day was Adam finally found his tacos al pastor!!!! About time too; he was beginning to drive me crazy with all the talk of these tacos. If the health inspectors saw this little place and what we were about to eat he would have shut the thing down in an instant. But it's Mexico and surprisingly enough I LOVED the tacos and Adam was as giddy as a kid at Christmas. He was so happy to get his tacos. So for those of you who don't know what they are... The meat cooks all night, but it's just on this stick thing under a flame, then you just slice it off the big old hunk and serve on a corn shell with lime juice, lettuce and salsa. Esta muy bueno.
That night there was this GIGANTIC concert downtown on the pier. It was an effort to burst the tourism back up after the whole swine flu scare down there. I have never seen so many teenagers in my life! It was such a zoo and so we decided to check out the commotion. So we hastled our way through the mob and got some ice cream and just as we sat down waiting for the concert it started to rain, again. So we called it quits and headed back to the resort for some rainshower hot tubbing where we had the whole place to ourselves :)
DIA 6: Sunday! Church in Mexico was interesting. First of all either you knew nothing about the Mormons or very little. Our taxi driver got us super lost and by the time we got there we had a little while to spare. And when church did start? Wheew, I thought I could understand more that I really could, so I spent most of my time watching all the little kids. :) Everyone was sooo kind and came right up and introduced themselves to us. There was another family there as well from Utah which was interesting to chat with them afterwards and we came to find out they were at our resort too. After church we decided to try the bus for the first time the whole trip. That was pretty crazy let me tell you! They just hall bum through the city weaving in and out of cars like they are race cars and then when you pull the cord to actually stop you have nearly all of 2 seconds to get off! We went and played around downtown again (after we got our free massages-which Adam absolutely loved by the way. and this was probably the most fun day of all. It was POURING rain and we were just running around in the warm rain and all the locals thought we were just 2 crazy Americans! We were soaked to the bone and still continued puddle jumping and splashing eachother with dirty water. And of course we were downtown so we just HAD to stop and get Adam his tacos again. The fun fact I forgot to mention is that they still serve Coke in the glass bottles there. I thought that was pretty neat.
DIA 7: We had to come back to reality today :( We spent the day enjoying Mexico on our little beach and enjoying the last of our freedom from the cares of the world. Adios Mexico.

Together Forever

2009-07-07T17:49:00.000-06:00

Aaaahhhh! We are married??? Yes, Adam and I did make it through the engagement. Props to us right? We sealed it for time and all eternity in the Boise, Idaho Temple on June 13th, 2009. So it's official we are stuck together for ever and ever! I don't even think I could put into writing how amazing and special that day really was. If you are married then you know exactly what I am talking about. Adam and I met at the temple and our session was at 10:30am. The ceremony was beautiful, the feeling indescribable, and the emotions surreal. We were so absorbed in the moment and taking in what was truly taking place that Saturday morning that is was mind boggling. Adam looked so handsome and I couldn't have been more in love with him. I married above my head and I am so blessed to have him. As we walked out of that temple holding hands as husband and wife for the first time we were flooded with family and friends, and oh yeah tons of flashing cameras! Oh what a day! Of course there were soooo many pictures to take everyone cooperated quite nicely. -Thank you everyone! :] We had such a blast with those pictures, our photographers were amazing and it would not have been nearly as fun without Nate Thueson, Adam's best man, to spice up the mix. He was so proud of his best man pin that was labeled and I quote "BM," it just cracks me up. After pictures we had a delicious luncheon compliments of the Byers Family. And soon after Adam and I were off taking more pictures at the Boise Train Depot. Between rain showers and laughs we took hundreds of fun photos and finished with only a little time to spare before our reception.
The reception was beautiful! My mother did such an amazing job piecing it all together and it would have never turned out so well if we didn't have help from so many of you. What a party though! We had a DJ, music, dancing, complimentary-made-with-love-bunt-cake (Homemade by the greatest mom in the world. Yes, she made every single piece of chocolate cake at that wedding!), a toast, the whole works. It was so much fun and turned out even better than we could have pictured. But by the end of the night Adam and I were so tired, hungry and ready to get out of there! So on our way to the Anniversary Inn we made a pit stop at good old Taco Bell in our wedding dress and tuxedo. The drive through lady thought that was so great that we got free food! The rest of the night was history and you can let your imagination fill in the blank.
But the next morning now... I have to inform you that my corrupt gang I call my family showed their love by filling our car FULL of PACKING PEANUTS and decorating the outside! Good morning! :]

Pictures soon to come...

Our Courtship

2009-06-30T12:41:00.002-06:00

Where to even start? In my opinion we have the greatest story ever. It is full of twists and turns and unexpected decisions yet so fully of excitement. Time passed since our first encounter and Adam came over to visit Danielle a few times. I usually was in my room enveloped in my studies and too busy to chat... okay that's a lie. But I was usually pretending to get my homework done. But Adam usually found a minute or two to come in and at least say hello. So our conversations began there. And you can imagine my enthusiasm when he started coming to my institute class with our friend Mike Nielsen. I was none the less dissatisfied. But Adam somehow managed to slip in little conversations with me everyday after class and our friendship was off and on the rise before I knew what was happening. I grew warmer to the idea of him and was too nice to ever tell him to get lost, and eventually our conversations became longer. Our first defining conversation was an interesting one and the water levels were falling and we found ourselves letting the other into our lives.
When Adam finally got gutsy enough to ask me out he did it through a facebook message because he "didn't have my number." But let's be honest here, with as much asking around as he did about me and knowing my roommate, he easily could have gotten a hold of my number. The first 3 times he asked me out I said no and then when I ran out of excuses I gave in.
Our first date was a triple date that fell through to more of a double date with a tag-a-long. The boys planned out and cooked a delicious chicken dinner complete with vegetables (shocking I know) followed by games and a movie. That was the night I learned what being "butt cold" meant... ask Adam about that one. That first date turned into 3 first dates in one week and I found myself asking Adam if "I needed to be worried." His only reply was, "Only if you are worried about having fun!"
These dates were followed up by a Christmas trip to California to watch BSU play in the Poinsettia Bowl and visit Disneyland. After all, it IS the most magical place on Earth!. We went with a big group of friends and had such a good time. Adam tried so hard to get past my tough defenses and with patient persistence he did. Eventually I yielded and let Adam into my life. My parents saw it the second I walked in the door with Adam after that 16 hour drive through snow storm after snow storm. Those couple of days marked the beginning of what I had believed to be doomed from the start and I came home denying what was taking place... I was falling in love.
We came home from that trip unsure of the future and what if would hold for us. However, we continued to spend time together and were inseparable.
Our first kiss happened in while playing in the snow at a park near Adam's house in downtown Boise. And yes I kissed him... more like attacked him right of the snow bank but those are minor details :] We officially starting dating the beginning of January and were engaged by the end of February. It was short but when you know it's right; it's right.

The Beginning

2009-06-30T12:05:00.001-06:00

Our start was not like most other starts... There were no sparks, no fireworks and no googling into each other's eyes... The truth is I DESPISED Adam. We met one fine day in September at my apartment. Adam and my roommate Danielle Soderquist were friends and if you ask him, he was "doing service" by bringing over an old couch of his to make an addition to our apartment. This was our first encounter and one that left lasting impressions let me tell you. I came home from school at Boise State to find this overly confident boy with his hat on backwards and my two teeny roommates struggling to fit this GINORMOUS couch into our small, humble apartment. I parked my trusty old Bronco II and proceeded to carry my books and things in. Well, for those of you who don't know, let me inform you how the layout of my apartment works. We were located on the 2nd floor and as you enter the apartment there are 3 perpendicular hallways before you enter any sort of a room able to hold such a fine piece of furniture. As I approach the struggling group I make a comment about how there is no way that couch is going to make it up the spiral staircase or let alone past those hallways. Adam (and mind you I didn't even know his name yet) looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Well aren't you just a little pessimist." Um, excuuuuse me! STRIKE ONE. So I jump in and help in this pathetic endeavor and we get the couch up the stairs and past the first hallway. Adam and our neighbor at the time were doing everything (including breaking 2 door jams and leaving their greasy paw prints on everything. STRIKE TWO.) from taking doors off the hinges, to rotating the couch, to trying every angle possible to get it in there. Then STRIKE THREE came when they took the doors off our laundry room and my bras were hanging out to dry. As a boy Adam had a few comments up his sleeve. Well, needless to say I was the one with a smirk on my face because the couch did indeed NOT fit into the apartment and they had to spend another 30 minutes or so taking the couch back down and load it again into his truck to take home :] So Adam left without even a sliver of a chance of getting to know me. I thought he was cocky, arrogant and needed a few lessons on how to treat a lady. Little did I know he had other motives... and I unknowingly entered what was about to be the rest of forever with my best friend.