Make a Wish

Tralee loves dandelion skeletons. She's also good at blowing on them, but her breath isn't quite strong enough to blow her wish away, so I usually have to step in and finish her wish. I'm pretty sure Tralee's wish will still come true, even if I'm the one sending it into the universe.



I hope all her wishes come true.

New Haircut and Glasses

Audie Jacobs (Boise's most talented hair stylist) recently highlighted and cut my hair. It turned out great! A few days after my hair cut, my eye doctor's secretary called to let me know my new glasses had arrived. I'm a whole new lady.

Busy Day

A fellow mom in our ward called this morning to let me know about a play date happening at a local park. It was a great excuse for Tralee and I to get out of the house and socialize, so we went. Tralee had fun running around, blocking the slide so no other kids could go down (we're working on this), swinging, and I had fun visiting with other moms.

After the play date Tralee and I came home for lunch, we both took a nap, and then I cleaned up a bit. Before I knew it I needed to have a game plan for dinner, so I started going through our food supply to figure out what to make. In the middle of preparing dinner, Tralee woke up, became mesmerized with the rice cooking, climbed around on furniture (the little monkey), and made a mess as I finished preparing dinner (chicken, veggies, brown rice).

Jim got home, we ate, and as he left for mutual, Tralee and I left for a Stampin' Up party another lady in our ward was hosting.

I have to say, some women are SO crafty! I've done my share of crafts/scrapbooking, but I'm amazed at the things there are to do out there! So many more items/ideas than I've ever dreamed of. The thing is, I recently read an article that said of all the crafts you can do, scrapbooking/paper crafts are the least economically friendly, and since my heart isn't into it, I didn't purchase anything. Also, I've been doing the digital scrapbooking thing using tools like blurb.com, picaboo, snapfish, etc. The books come perfectly bound, really cute, and take up only a tiny bit of space on my bookshelf, as opposed to the humungo 12x12 scrapbooks I used to make, and they cost the fraction of the price to do, AND it's a LOT less time consuming. It's fun to make cards (like we did at tonight's Stampin' Up party), but I just don't see myself doing it enough to purchase all the equipment. I'll just go out and purchase a card if needed. That being said, I don't have anything against scrapbooking, Stampin' Up, or card making, in fact I admire all the crafty women (and some men I suppose) out there in the world that DO do it -- it's just not for me. . . anymore.

Tralee and I left the party early because she was getting fussy cramped up in a craft room, and it was close to her bedtime, so we came home. I still need to do some laundry tonight because I'm out of clean *unmentionables.*

So, that was our day in a nutshell. I hope yours was dreamy, blissful, and constructive.

Baby Survey Tag

Baby Survey

1- Where​ were you when you first​ found​ out you were pregn​ant?​ At home. I didn't believe it though. I called the 1-800 number on the pregnancy test box three or four times asking them about the test. Each time they told me it was positive, I would hang up and call again thinking, "well, that person didn't know what she was talking about." I took another test a few days later and was just as confused when it turned out positive.

2- Who was with you? I was all alone. Before Jim got home from work I put the test in a gift bag, and when Jim walked through the door I said, "I have a surprise for you!" We have his reaction on video, it's priceless!

3- How did you find out that you were pregn​ant? We went on a trip to Canada and I was "late." I was also really tired and napped all the time, so I suspected I might be. When we came home from our trip, I purchased a test after work. I took it as soon as I got home and it was positive. I didn't REALLY believe I was pregnant until I heard Tralee's heart beat the first time at the doctor's. I started crying, because that's when it hit me.​

4- What was your first​ react​ion to findi​ng out you were pregn​ant? I was dumb-founded, excited, fearful, and happy.

5- Your Husba​nd's react​on?​ He was really excited! When he was opening the gift bag containing the pregnancy test his hands were shaking.

6- Who was the first​ perso​n you told?​ Jim. Then on Father's Day we told some little old ladies while we were eating at I-Hop (I know. I know. It was a Sunday. In our defense that was back when we were living apart while we moved, I hadn't seen Jim in over a week, and we had no food in the house, so we went out to I-Hop.) These little old ladies wished Jim a Happy Father's Day, and we told them it WAS happy, because we just recently found out we're expecting. Those were the first people we told. After that we waited to tell family and friends until around 12 weeks.

7- Did you plan to get pregn​ant?​ We weren't trying, but we weren't preventing.

8- Was every​body happy​ for you? Yup.

10- Did you go out and celebrate?​ We went to one of our spots in Logan Canyon, brought Chinese take-out with us, and roasted marshmallows for dessert. That was our little celebration. I got sick the day after, and couldn't eat Chinese food the rest of my pregnancy.

11- Did you want to find out the sex? Yes, although I already knew it would be a girl.

12- What was the sex? A girl

13- Did anyon​e throw​ you a baby showe​r?​ My boss threw me a surprise baby shower at work, and my mother-in-law threw me a family shower as well. I felt very blessed.

14- If yes, who? See above answer.

15- Did you get any outfi​ts at the baby showe​r that you just knew you weren​'​t going​ to put on your baby?​ I don't think so, although there were some that she never wore, because I had too many to choose from or they were the wrong season.

16- How much weigh​t did you gain?​ Get ready to gasp in horror -- 65 pounds!

17- Did you loose​ all of the weigh​t that you gaine​d? ​ Nope. The first thirty just fell off at delivery. The next ten crept off over a month's time. I lost five more, and there's a pesky 20 lbs that's really holding on. I keep telling myself I'm going to try REALLY hard to lose the weight. I've been working on it for a year now with little to no results. I won't give up though! I will conquer the baby weight!!

18- Did you get a lot of stret​ch marks​?​ Yes I did. They didn't show up until after I gave birth though.

19- What did you crave​ the most?​ Subway sandwiches or wraps (no lettuce or mayo)

20- Did you crave​ anyth​ing crazy​?​ Nope.

21- Who or what got on your nerve​s the most?​ Surprisingly it wasn't Jim. He was very attentive to my needs during pregnancy. I guess nothing really got to me too bad. I worked full time while I was pregnant, so I got tired a lot, but not moody. . . not that I recall.

22- Were you marri​ed at the time? Yes.

23- Did you have any compl​icati​ons durin​g your pregn​ancy?​ Nothing serious. My left leg went completley numb the third trimester and no shoes fit my swollen feet -- not even big ol' crocs. I got pretty bad heartburn, but nothing too dramatic.

24- Where​ were you when you went into labor​?​ I had a scheduled induction. However, they said I was already in labor when I got there. So, they didn't have to induce, just speed up the process with pitocin (spelling?).

25- Did your water​ break​?​ The doctor broke in at 7am the day I delivered. That was weired/gross.

26- Who drove​ you to the hospi​tal? ​ Jim.

Where is # 27?

28- Did you go early​ or late?​ I was a week and a half early.

29- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth​?​ Jim, our doctor, one nurse, and Jim's Mom (who is also a delivery nurse)

30- Was it video​ taped​?​ Not the actual birth part. We videoed us going to the hospital, me having a contraction before and after the epidural, and then the video camera went away until after Tralee made her debut.

31- Did you have any drugs​ for the pain?​ Yes, epidural. I LOVED IT!

32- Did you go Natur​al or have a c-​secti​on?​ natural

33- What was your first​ react​ion after​ givin​g birth​?​ I was excited to see our little miracle. I was also excited to try feeding her.

34- How big was the baby?​​ 8.1

35- Did your Husba​nd cry? Jim was counting to ten as I was pushing. The last time he counted he only made it to eight because he was so choked up. We both cried after we saw her for the first time.

36- What did you name the baby?​ Tralee Marie Jacobs (Tralee is the name of Jim's favorite city in Ireland where he served an LDS mission. When he was leaving Tralee the thought struck him that he should name his first daughter Tralee. I liked it as well, so that's how she got her name.)

37- Did the baby have any compl​icati​ons? ​ Nope. Her apgar score was a 9, and Tricia (Jim's mom) said that's only because the doctor's never give a perfect 10, although Tralee was a 10 in perfectness!!

38- How old is the baby today​?​ Almost 20 months.

39- When is the next one comin​g?​ Whenever God wants it to.

40- Are you marri​ed now? Yes

41-​If you could​,​ would​ you do it all over again​?​ Of course.

I am tagging every MOM who wants to do this . . . that is, if you can manage to find a spare moment.

Our Little Business Woman

Jim and I watched in amazement as Tralee conducted a business meeting via phone the other night. Of course, as soon as we got the camera out she stopped. Luckily she wasn't too camera shy to finish up the meeting while we got her on video. We're not sure what the meeting was in regards to. Probably something to do with the change in diapering operations. We switched diaper brands, and I'm sure it didn't go unnoticed! Anyways, whoever she was gabbing to got quite an earful.

Oh, and in the end she's says, "bye." We're not quite sure how it started, but we think it's cause every morning we say, "Bye Daddy!" So, now whenever she says "bye" to anyone or thing it sounds like "dye Dee dee" When we ask her to "say bye!" She says, "Dye dee dee."

She Really Loves Corky

Tralee adores Corky. There's no denying it. Corky is tolerant of Tralee, at best, but would prefer to be left alone. It just won't happen. When Corky comes out of hiding Tralee showers Corky with hugs, kisses, and snuggles. I've got to admit, Jim and I are a bit jealous of Corky! We usually have to beg Tralee for hugs and kisses. Corky gets them no matter what. It's sweet really.

This is SO us!!

I was watching Sesame Street clips on youtube with Tralee when I came across this Bert and Ernie clip. I was laughing out loud while watching because this is such a Jim and Leslie situation!! I never thought I would relate to Bert and Ernie!!

For those of you who know Jim, you know he's an active guy who hates just sitting around. He also likes to push people's buttons for his own amusement. There are too many occasions in our marriage to count the number of times Jim has done something like Ernie does to Bert in this clip. I also usually react the exact same way Bert does. This is pretty much an everyday occurrence in our house. As soon as Tralee and I finished watching this, I made Jim watch it to. He agreed with me, "That's us!" he said. So, enjoy taking a peek into our lives with a skit done by Bert and Ernie. Ernie plays the part of Jim, and Bert is Leslie (although we look nothing like them. . . I hope!)

Please don't come over now

I'm sick. I caught some awful bug overnight. Seriously, I went to bed feeling great and this morning I woke up and felt like crap. My throat hurts, I have a horrid head ache, I have a cough that hurts like heck, I have no energy, as well as no real appetite. This really sucks.

Yeah, I feel bad, but being sick mostly sucks for my poor house. It was already in need of a cleaning (which I was planning to do today), however now it's crossed over from being mildly untidy to hazardous waste zone (ok, maybe not quite that bad, but close). I've had no energy to do anything buy lay on the couch. I've tried to get involved with Tralee as much as possible. We've read a few books (with my croaky hardly-there voice), played on starfall.com, watched recorded episodes of Sesame Street together. I've also changed her bum when needed, and fed her as well. Tralee's also had some fun on her own, and my house reflects that. Instead of chasing after her and picking up the things she tears apart, I've let her run wild and free. There are little messes everywhere on top of the messes that were there yesterday .

Jim was at a scout camp until around 2:30 today. When he got home he made me some soup, and fixed himself some lunch. I appreciate Jim's willingness to take care of me, however my kitchen is two times as messy as it was before. I guess I can't complain. At least Jim was thoughtful enough to cook me lunch. Jim's been under the weather as well, and is exhausted from scout camp so neither of us are much in the mood to clean. Oh well. Even with the messes surrounding me, I'm staying put, drinking lots of fluids, and trying to attack the infection that's wreaking havoc on my body. Once I'm relatively "clean" again, I'll attack my house. Until then, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't come over. It's a waste land here. All forms of humanity have vanished. There's a sickly woman dwelling here, a little wild child running around, and caveman camping out on my couch. Our home looks almost primitive with the lack of care it's received. I'm waiting for someone to come slap a "condemned" sticker on our front door. Hopefully I'll get enough energy soon to clean enough to escape that fate.

Thanks for listening to me ramble. I'm afraid this virus has taken over my brain as well. Nothing seems to be working how it should.

Just Some Recent Photos

We haven't really been up to much. So, I haven't been blogging. However, I know if I don't post some pictures soon there are some grandmas who will let me know about it. These pictures were taken two Sundays ago. We were all outside drawing with sidewalk chalk and running around. It was fun.

There you go. Hopefully I'll get back into the blogging mood soon.

Rose Garden

After Tralee and I completed our art project at BAM's Toddler Wednesday(see previous post), we ran around in the rose garden. Tralee spotted one of the fountains, and she desperately wanted to go in. She wouldn't move away from the fountain for the longest time. I wasn't about to let her get in the water either. They dye it an unnatural blue color, and I can just imagine Tralee coming out of the water dyed blue. Not to mention the chemicals they probably keep in the water to keep it clean and blue. Here is Tralee looking all forlorn because I won't let her get into the water. Lucky for me, the fountain was just high enough that Tralee couldn't climb over the wall and get in!!
It took some pretty serious convincing, but I finally got Tralee to walk amongst the roses with me. She even smelled her first flower! I had to show her first, pretty dramatically, how to smell a flower. When I asked her to do it, she took a nice big whiff of a pretty rose, turned to me, and smiled. I think she liked it. Plus, she didn't sneeze afterwards, so she's not allergic! Hooray! Her future suitors (does anyone use that word anymore) can send her flowers!!Tralee really liked the roses, probably a little too much. I kept telling her, "No touch! Just smell with your nose and look with your eyes!" Tralee ignored me and continued to tear petals off of each rose within her reach. She probably managed to mangle at least three roses before she caught on that it was a "No no." I'm glad no one else was around to scold me for not keeping a better eye on my daughter.It was fun watching Tralee explore her surroundings and smell the roses without me telling her to. It was a lot of fun! I also took some cute pictures of Tralee. I tried to get some pictures of both of us. They didn't turn out too great. The sun was right in our eyes. Oh well, I tried.

The roses were beautiful and they smelled great! I'm glad Boise has a rose garden. It's a definite plus!

Irish Jig Anyone?

Bugs Bugs and More Bugs

Today was Toddler Wednesday at the Boise Art Museum, so Tralee and I left at around 10am this morning to check it out. The art project today was so much fun! I had more fun this time because Tralee actually got into it! This was the first time she didn't just want to run around the room and go play in the Art Experience gallery.

The project was based on Catherine Chalmers' American Cockroach exhibition. BAM's art studio is set up with several large tables with numerous little stools around them. Today the tables had these supplies on them:
What do you ask did we do with these supplies? We made bugs! This was such a cute idea. Next time you get a package full of those annoying little packing noodles, don't throw them away! I didn't realize this, but if you get them just a little wet, they stick together. So, BAM had different colored packing noodles, pipe cleaner, different colored wires, scissors, moist sponges, and then let the toddlers (and adults) go to town making their very own bugs!! Here's Tralee working on one.

This was her finished project
Tralee showing me her finished wormy worm
I knew Tralee loved this project because she kept kissing the bugs we made. I couldn't get her to stop. She would pause every now and then and I would hear her go "MWAH!" It was so funny! People around us were laughing too.
Here's our first creation. I let Tralee pick out all the colors, and I showed her how to do it. We call this bug Lucy -- short for luciernaga (firefly in Spanish).
Our next creation was a worm. It kind of looks like Slimey from Sesame Street, so that's what we named him.
I was ready to leave, but Tralee didn't want to, so we made one more buggy. His name is Bert. Bert the Butterfly.Here are our buggies all together.

Before we left BAM I let Tralee play in the Art Experience room. She loves the magnet shapes and puzzles in there.
We played in the rose garden for a while (pictures of that soon to come) and left for home. Tralee fell asleep on the way home and took a nice long nap once we arrived. While Tralee was napping I watched the Netflix movie that smiled up at me from the mailbox this morning. I know, I should have done something more productive with my time, but I just didn't feel like it. So I watched The Other Boleyn Girl, and quite enjoyed it! It was a sad story, but made me think about what I learned in World History those many years ago in High School. I had several preconceived notions about King Henry. This movie made me re-think them just a bit. I could ramble on about this forever, but I won't bore you. I think I might crack open a history book and brush up on my history though. Entertaining and interesting to say the least!

We had a really fun day!

Bouncy House

About a month ago I was in Walmart when I came across a Little Tikes bouncy house. It was originally way out of our price range, but as Walmart was clearing out lots of their "summer" toys, they had it marked WAY down. It wasn't exactly in our budget at the time, but after calling Jim we agreed that we should buy it and save it for Tralee's big Christmas present from us. So, I went to the bank and took some moola out of our Christmas fund. As I headed back towards Walmart I worried that maybe it would already be gone, since there was only two bouncy houses left. Luckily one remained when I returned. It was meant to be.

I came home, dutifully put the big box containing Tralee's Christmas gift in our garage, and put it out of my mind. This is usually hard for me, because I hate keeping things a secret, and almost always give people their presents early. I just can't wait! Jim's usually the one that can keep presents a secret. So, I was surprised when a few nights ago Jim announced, "I can't wait any longer! I want Tralee to bounce around in her bouncy house right now! It'll be too cold at Christmas!" I too wanted to see Tralee bounce around, so we set it up right there and then! I know, we're awful! We sure had fun playing in the bouncy house in nice warm weather though!

These are the pictures from our early Christmas celebration.

Tralee wondering what Daddy is up to

Tralee in her new bouncy house

Whatcha doin' Mom?

Jump! Jump! Jump!

Cute Girl

Nice face Tralee

Well hello there!

Thanks for my present Dad!

We hope to use this bouncy house for many celebrations to come. We're still going to set it up on Christmas, since it IS Tralee's Christmas present!