Oh I've Got Five...

Fun at the Firehouse

2011-10-16T20:13:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try to get back into regular picture posting. Think of this as a pre-New Year's resolution. I hope to get some photos up soon from our trip to San Francisco/Stinson Beach in August, but in the meantime here are some fun shots from an afternoon we spent in September at the firehouse where our neighbor works.

They Ate Thanksgiving Turkey!

2010-11-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

As our boys seem to have come into this world with strong opinions about what they will and will not eat, it is always cause for celebration when previously-rejected food gets an enthusiastic reception. Based on some recent success with fried chicken we decided to throw holiday decorum out the window and go with a more medieval approach to the older boys' turkey. It worked! Woo hoo!

Space Derby

2010-10-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to put up some posts from August for a while now. August was full of fun activities, all of which are worthy of posts. The first one I want to blog about was actually the last event of the month: Jackson's participation in our stake's Cub Scout Space Derby. As co-creator of Jackson's rocket (I whittled and sanded, Jackson painted) my fervent wish was that the rocket not fall apart on the first run. Much to our happy surprise, however, Jackson took first place in the derby! Hurray! More catch up posts to come.

March Merriment - the Sequel

2010-05-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the second March flashback. To cap off our family spring break (yep, the three schools our family is connected to all took the break in the same week - we probably should have made a huge stock market bet as soon as we found out as that kind of luck may not come around again) we took a ride on a whale watching boat. No whales showed their tails, but we saw a whole bunch of dolphins. It was a perfect day for being out on the ocean as the water was smooth as glass. Here are some pics and video clips from the outing.

March Merriment

2010-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well I know this is reaching back in time a bit, but I want to get some pics posted from March that are too good not to share. In this post I'll post some shots of a really great missionary activity put on by our ward's primary. You can see from the pictures that the kids dressed up like missionaries and the primary provided name badges. Each of the children was "called" to a particular mission somewhere in the world, and their names were then posted on a big map. Jackson's mission was Raleigh, North Carolina and Ethan's was Houston, Texas. In about thirteen years we will report back on how prescient the primary presidency was. There were a bunch of great activities like the making-your-bed race (I can report that that particular lesson hasn't stuck), missionary Jeopardy, and the construction of missionary piggy banks out of plastic water bottles. At one point the kids made a healthy snack out of apples, graham crackers, and cinnamon sugar. That made me think back to some of the snacking that went on during my mission days in London England. I had one companion that constructed "missionary pizza" out of toast, ketchup, and a slice of processed cheese. My snacks of choice were Yorkie bars and chocolate covered Hob Nobs. Ah, good times. Anyway, the kids had a great time and we got some great pictures. Enjoy!

Whoo Hoo! Artichokes!

2010-04-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

I can't say that my garden looks like much so far this year. My biggest crop by square foot is weeds. However, the artichokes that I planted last summer from seed have finally arrived and man is that a funky looking plant. The pictures here don't really give you a good sense of scale. The two plants are really big and bushy. So far we've eaten three and given away two green globes. Not much to eat on the leaves (I know there's normally not much anyway, but these really don't offer much meat on the leaves of the globe) but the hearts are tasty. I wish I could embed one of the songs from Little Shop of Horrors and have it playing while you look at the pictures. I think of Mean Green Mother from Outer Space every time I go out in the back yard.

Birthday Festivities

2009-11-30T08:43:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd post a few pics from the big "four-one." I wanted a pie so we made a cherry pie the Sunday before the big day, which you can see in the first picture. However, the boys were looking forward to some cake and ice cream so we whipped up a quick cake too. What's a birthday without a few extra carbs? As you can see I had plenty of help in opening presents. Since Disneyland was the birthday destination we've got three shots from the Magic Kingdom. The first one of Jackson and me is in front of It's a Small World. In the last shot you can see that Disneyland gets into the swing of Christmas well before the Thanksgiving turkey is served.

Halloween Video

2009-11-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Better late than never I always say. Here is a video clip of trick or treating. There are a couple moments of really dark screen but for the most part there is sufficient light from people's porches to see our little trick or treaters in action.

Halloween was Happy!

2009-11-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

What better day than Friday the 13th for looking back fondly at Halloween. Just a few stills from Halloween at the Joneses for now. I'll upload some trick or treating video once I get the files off the camera.

Hello Tooth Fairy!

2009-10-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Jackson lost a tooth over the weekend. It's a lower front tooth (the left mandibular lateral incisor if my dental training a la wikipedia is any good) so it's a little hard to see the gap in the picture. He was pretty excited about the tooth finally coming out, as it's been loose for weeks. He was even more excited about the bounty left by the tooth fairy. He's pretty well convinced that the tooth fairy is make believe, but that didn't dampen the appeal of cold, hard cash under the pillow in the morning. Once his younger brothers saw that Jackson was getting camera time they wanted in on the action too. Can you use photoshop to clean the living room?

Massachusetts Trip

2009-10-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'm reaching back in time here. Back in August we went on a fantastic trip to western Massachusetts to visit family. These are just a few of the great shots from the trip.

The first pic was taken at a swimming hole on the Mill River. The next three shots involve a trip to the lake (more swimming ) at the Daughters of the American Revolution State Park. The final shot is of the fam in front of the obelisk at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Church Historical Site. More to come!

Fun Day at Irvine Regional Park

2009-07-29T23:32:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd post a few pics from a recent outing at the regional park. Duck feeding, picnicing, trac ball, swings - it was a fun day. When we drove from the pond area to the playground (it's a big park) Joseph fell asleep so that's why he's not in any swing shots. However, the one picture I've posted of him here shows him doing what he likes best - scarfing the chips. I'm afraid on that score the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Oh I've Got Five...

2009-07-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

Dang, almost two months! I really mean to post a little more often. Well, here's something I've been wanting to put up for a while: a clip of the old Sesame Street song that inspired the title of our blog. This, along with Oscar's "I Love Trash" and Ernie's "Rubber Duckie," is an anthem of my childhood. This is old school Jim Henson genius.

Once again, we have a two year old...

2009-05-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

I'm going out of chonological order now. Just thought I'd reach back a bit and catch up with some fun pics. This also gives me a chance to brag about Holly's ability to generate significant quantities of festive cuteness. We recently celebrated Joseph's 2nd birthday. The Elmo theme was selected by the birthday boy himself. At least we think that was what he was doing with all that pointing at the multitude of Elmo toys at Target. I don't think he actually got any of those toys (sorry kiddo, but the presents were purchased long before you pointed at the red monster), but Mommy rose to the occasion with an abundance of great, hand-crafted decor. His older brothers also rose to the occasion and played with Joseph's toys whenever their parents weren't looking. And with that, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

First Piano Recital

2009-05-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Jackson had his first piano recital last night and did a great job! I've posted video of the two pieces he played. The first one was called Rockets and Sea Divers (sorry about the fuzzy video, Daddy's still learning) and the second piece was the Can-can (which unfortunately has the first few notes cut off since he started playing before I could get the camera rolling.) Noelle Buffo is his teacher and her students all played very well. Special kudos go out to the other folks from the ward who did such a great job in the recital: Dylan Hahn and Amy Petersen (Faye, we look forward to seeing you up there next time!).

On a side note (ha, ha - get it? "note"), and parental pride alert: Jackson began piano with Noelle last Fall, and as a 6 year old is her youngest student by 2-3 years. He showed amazing focus and nerves of steel (and what we thought was hesitation on his opening number was actually his patience at waiting for a cue he thought was going to come from Noelle to begin playing.)

This was such a big night for Jackson and we wanted to share it. We know there are a lot more moments from our boys' lives as of late that we'd like to post (Father's & Son's campout, Mother's Day fun, Soccer season...) but we thought we'd post this while it was still fresh. CONGRATULATIONS, JACKSON - you were awesome!!!

We're back! February Cute Shots

2009-03-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well it's been too long, but we're back in the saddle. I thought a few shots of last month would be a nice way to get the family blog back in action. We had planned to go camping at Anza Borrego State Park early in the month, but heavy rains rolled in the day we were supposed to leave so we decided to camp out at home instead.

We "hiked" around the house, went cave exploring in the garage, and, of course, roasted marshmellows.

Not exactly getting back to nature, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all.

Wa-Hoo!!!

2008-12-29T20:49:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help putting this on the site. Too funny! Wouldn't it be nice...(sigh)

Summer Fun

2008-10-04T22:17:00.001-07:00

Some pics from when my family visited this summer. My sis and me at the Aquarium of the Pacific. We don't look alike - but not many people can tell us apart over the phone! Love you, sis!
Joseph getting a good laugh in with Grammy.

My niece and nephew in an egg at the Santa Ana Zoo.

My nephew, Gabriel, my sis, Dawn, and my niece, Ileana.

Gabe and his daddy, Michael, playing chess.

Gabe after a particularly wild boogie-board ride! Get 'em, Gabe!

Me and sis with Jo-Jo-bear

Ethan ready to ride!

Joseph in the sand.

What being at the ocean for 5 days does to little ones!

My fam! Thanks for a great visit!

Delayed Wickedness

2008-09-02T09:03:00.001-07:00

Well I know this is late in coming, but I thought I'd post some wrap-up commentary on the final round of the Wannabe Wicked contest this past August 20th. First of all, thanks so much to everyone who took the time out of your day to vote and send encouraging comments! I really appreciate all your kind words and support!

Anyhoo - here's the scoop: I went and performed and was able to give a strong performance despite having lost my voice days earlier from a bug the boys and Elliott had gotten. The judges gave good comments and I had a great time. I didn't end up winning, but it was a good experience!

We got some good video of my song on our 8mm video camera, but I'm having a lot harder time than I expected getting that converted to a digital format that I could post here. If I get get the video converted, I'll definitely post it!

WICKED RULES (just a little less without ME there!) :)

WICKED voting has started early!!!

2008-08-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we're not sure why, but citywalk has changed the rules on the Wannabe Wicked voting. It was supposed to be you could vote as much as you wanted, everyday, up through the 19th of August (starting tomorrow, on the 13th). Well, we just checked the site (see below) and the voting has started AND you can only vote once a day. Anyway - PLEASE go vote starting today if you planned on voting.

http://www.citywalkhollywood.com/wickedvote/index.html

Thanks in advance for any and all votes for me! :)

Wannabe Wicked Videos

2008-08-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. While we still think the link in the previous post is the place to go to vote for Holly on the 13th, it is not currently providing access to any of the finalists' video auditions. However if you go to SonicBids' Wannabe Wicked page (SonicBids is the video hosting site for the competition) they now have all the finalists videos available for viewing. If you want to check out Holly's audition along with her fellow finalists (the competition) here is the link:

http://www.sonicbids.com/ItWorks/event_view.asp?event_id=1114

Help Holly Get WICKED!

2008-07-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

Big news! Holly was picked as a finalist at last night's Universal Studios Citywalk Wannabe Wicked competition 4th round semi-finals!!! This means that she will be performing again on August 20th for the grand prize (which includes a walk-on appearance during a WICKED performance!) In addition to the judges' pick that night, there is a fan favorite competition that will be occurring prior to the final round. Here are the particulars:

Audition Videos of the Semi-Finalists for each round of the Competition selected by the
Judges will be displayed and accessible on the Universal website at www.CityWalkHollywood.com on August 13, 2008. The Audition Videos will then be rated by anyone who chooses to log onto the site and vote for the “Wannabe Wicked Fan Favorite.” Voters can vote for the “Wannabe Wicked Fan Favorite” as many times as they would like between 9:00am PST, August 13, 2008 until 11:59 pm August 19, 2008.

Here are some pictures/video from the semi-final round last night:
Posing, pre-show, with a WICKED balloon
Getting some last minute info

The emcee, RoRoIn front of The Emerald City map for a photo

Opening intros for the 10 semi-finalists

Performance of "For Good" and Judges Critique

(sorry for the distortion, but this was taken with our little point and shoot camera)

Singing "Dear Old Shiz"

Cutting off RoRo, after she hit the high note at the end of Dear Old Shiz

Here's Holly getting picked as a finalist (Georgia's timing here is perfect - nice shot Georgia!). Holly says that her exact words in this moment were, "WHAT??? SHUT UP!!!"

Message of congrats from OZ

"Whew!!! Ok, now it's three more weeks..."

In the meantime, GO VOTE!!! Well, voting doesn't start 'til the 13th, so go practice voting. When the time comes just imagine you're in Chicago: vote early and often! It'll be a clickfest folks - you can vote as many times as you want.

And if you're available for the Wednesday, August 20th finals contest, then come up to Universal Studios CityWalk and get WICKED with us!!!

Water Slide

2008-07-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

This summer we've been so fortunate to have a lot of visits from loved ones. We've recently had a great gathering with Holly's family, some of whom came from as far as Massachucetts. The boys have had a great time with their cousins Ileana and Gabriel, including a couple of fun afternoons at a nearby water slide. We'll hopefully get a lot more pictures up from the whole vacation, but for starters here's a great sequence of Jackson and Ileana and the end of a water slide run.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

2008-07-04T11:51:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd post a few pics of the kiddies enjoying some of what summer in So Cal has to offer. Our three guys enjoyed running around the sand with their cousins a couple weeks back. You can see the reddish pink light in the picture. Often the marine layer comes in at evening time and the sun "sets" early, but that day we got to watch it all the way down to the water.

Here are some closer shots of the Jones boys sitting on the grass on a school field trip...

clambering around a newly chalked climber...

and ascending a step ladder in the front yard during car wash time.

Moving back indoors, Grandpa had Jackson and Ethan enthralled with some vintage Lionel toy trains. Guess what Santa will probably have in his sack this Christmas...

More pics soon!

Everyday Finance Contest

2008-05-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Many of you know that in the last year and a half I've become very interested in learning more about the stock market and other kinds of investment possibilities. Nothing like an impending 40th birthday to make you think more about financial security. I've pretty much done all my reading online and one of the sites that I've turned to frequently is a personal finance blog called Everyday Finance. A link to that site has been in our Blogs of Note section for some time now. In addition to interesting discussions of the market, EDF has turned me on to Prosper.com and a more effective use of cash incentive credit cards. Everyday Finance is currently running a contest to celebrate its 250th post and, while I think the site is worth checking out for its information alone, I thought some of you might want to get in on the possibility of a cash prize. This blog post is serving as my entry into the contest, but you can enter with as little effort as an email subscription. Here's a link to the contest posting: Everyday Finance $250 Contest

One of the things that has drawn me into reading financial blogs is hearing about what other people are doing with their investments and why. So in that vein let me share that if I win any of the cash prizes I will either put the money into my Prosper.com lending account or I will use it toward the purchase of a stock I found out about on EDF: ticker symbol WWE - that's right, World Wrestling Entertainment. If I get that stock I would enjoy a delicious irony as well as a nearly 9% dividend yield...

An Experiment

2008-04-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

So today marks the "National Turn TV Off" week - when people are encouraged to turn off/unplug and otherwise not use their TV's for an entire week. I knew this was coming up, but I actually thought it was next week (so as you can guess, I'm off to a great start so far!) NOT!

I'm a person who believes there is good that can come from TV/movies but that it shouldn't continually take the place of time spent together - but I'm also a mother of three young children who sometimes needs a moment to 1) get dinner made, 2) fold 2 pieces of laundry and put them away, 3) clean a gross toilet, 4) insert something here! It IS hard to spend the whole day, every day creating "moments" for your children. And I don't know that that is needful or even wanted every moment for the kids as they enjoy having time on their own here and there to play too. This all said, I DO turn to the TV sometimes as a way of getting a moment or two to clear my own head, get something done during daylight hours (rather than hoping I can squeeze something in once all kids are asleep and then having no energy to do it - and besides, my kids seem to know this desire of mine and do their level best to deter me from having said "moments" after bedtime to do anything), and as a way of recharging myself and my ideas of things I can do with them. I also wonder if teaching them about limits and moderation isn't possibly a better way than making them think it's all or nothing.

This all being said, I think it's a great opportunity to get creative, push the limits of my own imagination (and stamina) and see just what we can come up with as a family.

I don't know if I'll actually make it an entire week with NO TV ("Lost" IS a new show this week!) But then again, if I ask my children to go without "Curious George" then I should be able to cut something too! :) We'll see...we did have some great time today playing games and continued the fun into Family Home Evening!

Who knows how this will all pan out...perhaps it will be a raging success, perhaps we'll try some new things we've never done and discover something new about ourselves and each other, perhaps we'll strengthen the bonds of family love and affection...or, perhaps we'll just look like this at the end of the week:

I'M GAME! BRING IT ON!!!

Three peas in a pod

2008-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided to take photos of our family for Easter and per usual that was quite the experience! At least we didn't have to wait in line at some overcrowded photo studio, have our appointment be 1/2 an hour behind schedule, have to nurse the baby during the photo shoot, wait around for an hour after the appointment for our photos to be "processed", and in the end, pay waaaayyyy to much for them! :) Something good comes from getting all our own photography equipment!!! Anyhoo...here's one of the pictures I just love - a "let's all cuddle together" (which, I might add, then did on their own without my coaxing them!) Joseph's face is particularly priceless as we're not sure whether he's annoyed or just about ready to laugh (if memory serves, I think he did giggle a bit after this shot.) The Jones boys...hard to resist! But biased I am...

Lost Blues

2008-03-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we're all set to get our weekly fix of LOST last night, and we realized nothing new was on the DVR. It seems we were the only folks in America that didn't realize Lost was taking a month-long spring break. I guess filming in paradise can really wear a cast out. Yeah, sure, writers strike, yada yada yada. Is anyone else cheesed off about this? I can't get by for a month on Dancing with the Stars!

Okay, I feel better. By the way, speaking of Dancing with the Stars, I think a Star Trek reunion smackdown would be a serious ratings machine. It's high time the question of "Best mambo - Kirk or Picard?" be put to rest. Who's with me...

Doin' the Time Warp...

2008-03-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had another glorious stay at the beach cottages, this time at the Painters' Cottage, just as we had last month for an evening. Our other two stays last year had been in the Long Board Lodge, which we also love - but it was soooo nice to be 20 paces or so from the actual sand, as opposed to dealing with the brief but sometimes annoying stair hike from the Long Board. As Douglas, a friend of Elliott's parents, said when he stayed over one evening at the cottage: "It's like a time warp." Too true, too true! The boys love any cottage stay and this time was no exception! You just have to love living in Southern California when you can hang out on a beach, and with the exception of just a few other people, be the only ones there! So choice!

Days of Whine & Poop

2008-01-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

Over a month ago, while vacationing in Phoenix during the holidays, I jokingly mentioned to some family that although I was woefully behind on my blogging, I may just have a suitable post theme to add. Well, time went by and I had hoped to NOT have cause to post my original idea - but alas and alack, I DO - and it revolves around POOP! (At this time, any readers with weak stomaches may choose to visit another blog instead of continuing to read!) :)

In mid-December, Joseph got an ear infection and despite the antibiotics used, acquired another one (and another one) over the course of a month and a half. He had 3 rounds of meds, each stronger than the last, and with rounds 2 & 3 began to have a LOT of pooping - as mentioned in the title (the D-word really is more appropriate, but I'm trying to be considerate for those with delicate feelings on the subject.) As family around us can attest, it became so bad that along with a flamming red bottom, Joseph also had to deal with fissures. On a side note, I believe if we had stock in any one of the following companies: Viva paper towels, Balmex, A+D ointment, Costco diapers, Costco wipes (pre-Viva paper towels), and Neosporin, we would have secured our retirement and the financial well-being of our children for life!)

The "Whine" referred to in the title of my post really has come more from me. Joseph, ever the love, has done remarkably well considering all of this. With the exception of actually having his diaper changed, he has continued to be very loving, charming and while in Phoenix even progressed from belly crawl, to knee crawl and started pulling himself up! What a boy!!! :) But I digress... My whining has come usually this this: "Ok, little man - you've just had your diaper changed for the 8th time - so no more for awhile, Ok?" To which Joseph would respond with a giggle, a twist of the head and the most charming smile...and two minutes later proceed to grunt, strain and, yup, you guessed it - POOP yet again! "AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!! Stop POOPING, little man!!! I just can't TAKE it!" Yeah, that's me. Ever the example of grace under pressure...(pressure, get it?) :)

Although he has THANKFULLY been without an ear infection for a couple of weeks at the writing of this post, he has, however, continued with his FREQUENT pooping (and from time to time RED bottom.) We had hoped that his little gut would return to a normal schedule since coming off the 3rd round of antibiotics - but not much luck there. At the suggestion of my sister we even tried some probiotics, which seemed to (somewhat) work for a short time, but after a week and still having fairly frequent poops, we took him off that and have just kept up with lots of nursing and some solid foods back in his diet. Honestly, I can't even remember what his "normal" bowl habits had been prior to all of this. :) Yesterday his bottom started to look a bit "miffed" again (not ANGRY, mind you) but clearly a little peevish. I've got to run and get some more Viva and A+D ointment again - butt (he, he, he) in the meantime we're doing what we can to keep him happy in between diaper changes. He really HAS been a trouper! He even was awesome yesterday at Disneyland and napped for an hour and a half while we ran Jackson and Ethan around. (More on the two older Jones' to come!)

Anway - just an update to let one and all know what we've been up to, why we haven't done much in the way of posting, and if you should see/talk to us any time soon, why our eyes twitch and our voices warble as if on the edge of sanity!

For those reading with diaper-aged children: May their bottoms be happy and your supply of ointment never fail!

Thanksgiving Montage

2007-11-27T23:45:00.000-08:00

Well it's been over a month since we've posted! Too long, too long! I thought I'd break the silence with a few Thanksgiving photos. We hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

You may be able to tell from the picture below that our meal spared one of the birds pictured above. In an attempt to take some of the stress and kitchen mess out of Thanksgiving we opted for a ham. The little piggie that gave his all for the big day came pre-cooked and that made life a whole lot easier, for us at least...

The nose-picking going on at the table is just a little dose of reality in what is otherwise a shameless "aren't-my-children-soooooo-cute" website. It was really nice having family out for the holidays. Holly's parents, Gary and Bev, joined in on the feast and were good sports about the aforementioned nasal exploration.

Speaking of cute kids, here are some shots from Jackson's Thanksgiving activity at school.

One final dose of reality: the tantrum that ensued upon our departure from said school activity was mercifully not captured by still or video photography. For that, we truly wish to give thanks.

Pics from SLC

2007-10-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures we took of our boys and their Jones cousins while we were out in Salt Lake City for my Grandma Marjorie's funeral. She was 102 years old, still living in her own home, and (up until quite recently) going up and down the stairs to her room on the second story every day. These photos are a fitting tribute to Grandma as many feature the kids romping around her backyard. She would definitely approve!

A little something for Auntie Dawn!

2007-09-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, hopefully everyone will enjoy this, but in particular I know from a recent conversation with my sis that she really wants to get her hands on Joseph. I know this isn't the same thing, but perhaps it will still be something she enjoys! (BTW - This was taken with our little still camera - so perhaps not the best picture quality, but you get the idea!) A little "talking" to start off the day!

It Starts!

2007-09-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Quick story:

Jackson and I were walking home from school yesterday and at one point he needed to stop to get some mulch out of his shoe. As he was finishing up, we heard "Hi, Jackson!" and looked up to see a girl standing near her mother a few paces ahead of us. I leaned down to Jackson and asked: "Who's that?" to which he replied, "Oh, she's just a girl in my class." Hmmmmm. Really. Just a girl in your class, you say? Oh yes...it starts! The awareness and eventually the little crushes...Man! And I've got THREE boys! We've been joking all along that Ethan would be our heartbreaker - but Jackson seems to be doing just fine in that department.

(Jackson decided recently that he wanted to wash up his own dishes! What? Come again? Be my GUEST!!! Oh, and love the bed-head too, bud!)

Summer Vacation at Crystal Cove

2007-09-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

It's taken a little while to get these pictures onto the blog, but we wanted to post some shots taken while staying at the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. Crystal Cove State Beach is just a few miles north of Laguna Beach in Orange County, CA. There are some cottages there that are to die for. It's practically gladitorial combat to get a reservation, but Holly managed to snag three nights in mid-August. My parents joined us for some fun in the sun and plenty of lounging on the deck. Of course, with three little boys lounging may not be quite the right word. I needed a few days to recover from the vacation, but it was still a choice time at the beach! Oh one more thing: the cooler Ethan is reaching into was holding, among other things, a sizeable assortment of cookies. He really was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Dear Family and Friends,

2007-09-08T06:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I realized it's been over a month since I've posted (and I promise that I'll have a new one regarding why and what our family has been up to soon) - however, perhaps you'd indulge me for just a moment longer to check out another blog:

http://www.omeh.blogspot.com/

Simply click on the link listed above - or cut and paste the link into a on-line browser window to see and read. This is a friend who used to live here in Anaheim, but now resides in Boise, ID with his family. This is a cause that is near and dear to his heart and he's trying to do what he can to raise awareness and assistance. Right now he's on a coast to coast solo bike ride across the US to let people know about this. I know he'd appreciate it if people could check out his blog - and you can even post (opening a Google account to post on blogs is EASY - just need an email address and pick a password and you too can add comments on to any blogs!) He's doing this amazing trip right now - and you can check out his progress every day.

Well, that's all for now! I promise, again, that I'll post real soon on our family - but in the meantime, if you have a moment and can stop by Chip's blog it would mean a lot to him, his family, and us!

THANK YOU! :)

Brothers

2007-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoying some time on the computer. Thus far, Ethan has been content to watch his older brother play - but we're already starting to see Ethan's interest in getting on the computer himself.

Water play at Grammy and Gramps' house.

Jackson discovered that he could make Joseph laugh by tickling behind his ears.

Joseph with a new onesie from Grammy (I like how Ethan is hovering nearby.)

Goofing with the cousins in Phoenix

Out in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard on irrigation day. The other cousins have experienced this before but Jackson and Ethan really relished getting in on the event.

This shot was taken when Joseph celebrated his '3 months old' day.

Days of Ethan...

2007-07-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ethan enjoys climbing into Joseph's swing.

A recent photo taken from our backyard. Elliott & the boys were throwing paper airplanes and Elliott snapped this shot of Ethan.

After Joseph had a particularly loud bout with gas (his hollering was loud, not the gas) I had Elliott get some ear protection for me since Joseph has a decent set of lungs. Ethan was only too happy to test out the ear-wear himself - and this photo, in particular, just cracks me up! (Love how his cheeks get so squished together!)

With his cousin Lucy Mae on our recent trip to Phoenix.

Ethan loved getting into the kennel with his new "cousin" George.

J & j days...

2007-07-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a month since our last post! We've been out of town, back in town, and in general just running around so our blog has been a little short on the updates. But here are some fun pics (pretty much a Jackson & Joseph blog post day.) Enjoy!I can't believe how big Joseph is getting (and I'm AROUND him all the time!) I love this picture of him and his cute chunks! Cute clothes are fun but sometimes you just need a good onesie to really show the growing boy!
Ok, so with all the hoopla surrounding the final Harry Potter (which we haven't gotten into yet since the boys are still pretty young but we'll look forward to in a few years when we can all enjoy it together) I thought I'd post this pic of Jackson doing his mini tribute to Star Wars. He's really gotten a kick out of his light-saber (am I even close on that spelling or is it some other version?) from his birthday. And the sewn hoodie-towel from Aunt Chrissy was perfect for our "Young Apprentice" (ok, so it isn't brown, but hey - I didn't say it was a PERFECT tribute!)
Elliott snapped this photo of Jackson a few weeks ago and it has quickly become one of our favs. I easily see both Elliott and myself in him in this shot - he's a keeper!
Joseph's first trip to the beach (on the outside, that is!) And yes, it was actually COOL that day with some winds whipping by - so we snuggled him up in his carrier. He seemed to really enjoy the trip (and I even composed a little "First trip to the beach" song in his honor which I had to record onto my cell phone for lack of a better recording device at the time.) Now I just need to figure out to include the song on a scrapbook page of this day.
Here's Jackson and his friend Makayla playing Go-Go TV (they love it and what great excercise - I even do it for good cardio!) Notice the badge of honor on Jackson's right arm courtesy of his 5 year trip to the Dr. for Kindergarten immunization updates. What a brave guy! He didn't even cry! Not once! He just held my hand and looked away from the needle. I was so proud of him!

Just a few things...

2007-06-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from various and assorted events that have been occurring over the past few weeks - Enjoy!
Jackson had a musicale a few weeks before school ended. The theme was "Bahaman Breezes" and all the kids came out in tropical clothing ready to sing a few songs. Jackson performed in "A Citron life for me" (to the tune of "A Pirates life for me"), "It's a small world", and "Pearly Shells" along with the Finale, "Pu'pu O "Ewa". He was awesome - singing and doing the hand motions. I had the inspired idea to have him wear the sunglasses as we were getting out of the van for the performance. I truly think he enjoyed his "look" - kind of like his own special character for the event!

Cool-man Jones prior to the musicale - like a true Jones performer, he's all smiles. Nerves of steel, no trace of hesitation - yeah...it's in his blood. :)

Joseph waiting patiently during the performance. He was a trooper!

The cool man next to the tiki pole after the show (see his thumbs up!)

My birthday! Well, if you're going to turn another year older, at least make the cake fun!

Donuts with Daddy day!

Jackson's thought: "You want me to eat donuts with daddy for Father's Day - uh...OK!"

"Never met a donut I didn't like!"

A little shy about his gift for daddy.

How I found Jackson after he woke up for his final day of pre-school. I have no idea why...

This was Jackson's reaction when I told him it was the last day of school.

Last day of pre-school - on to kindergarten!

Decorating goodie-bags before lunch.

Hugs and smiles from and for the teacher!

Looking through said goodie-bags before heading home!

Awesome bounce-house fun - with the requested theme. We had 15 kiddos and half as many parents attending and the bounce house was the best money we could have spent for the party - totally worth it! The yummo cake - again, with the requested theme.

Jackson and Gramps enjoying the party.

Ethan being...Ethan!

2007-06-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Joseph in various positions...

2007-05-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some updated photos of baby Joseph...in various positions he takes around the house.

The "angry tummy time".

The "post-bath boxer".

The "gleeful swing" pose.

This is one of our all-time favorites (so far). It's the "how I love to sleep best...with daddy holding me out in front of him and killing his back while I snooze" pose. (Notice the VERY relaxed state of Joseph, evident by the flopping arms at each side. "Ohhhh-yeah...")

The "watching the bear show" pose and the "close-up of watching said bear show".

Yeah...he's a keeper!

Enjoy the day

2007-05-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

Elliott was in the backyard the other day with the boys just having fun when I was able to snap these photos of them as they decided to enjoy the day and the weather (Jackson had just figured out that I had come outside right before I snapped this photo.)

Alright, now they're ALL posing in this one!

I call this, THE GREAT ALBUM COVER!

"You're a, Heartbreaker...Dream-maker..."

2007-05-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

The lead-in line from Pat Benatar's song aptly describes this picture to me. Both boys have their own personal charm - but Ethan's pose quells any thoughts that he's a shy one!

(By the way, that's their version of the temple - not sure which one - but that's what Jackson said they had built.)

Anything for the ladies...

2007-05-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

The young women of our ward had a car-wash fundraiser to raise money to attend camp and we took both autos over for a good wash. Immediately upon opening the van door, Jackson and Ethan were surrounded by the young ladies and Jackson asked "Can I help you wash cars?" - to which the girls replied a hearty "Yes!" The boys had MUCH fun! Can you tell? Now, to just get them to continue doing this for our cars every month (with the same enthusiasm) until they're married...

Working hard to impress the girls...

Just give Ethan the chance to plop something into a bucket of bubbles and he's good to go!

Wonder if we can get him to do this with our cars normally?

"Muffins with Mommy" Day

2007-05-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

Jackson's school had a "Muffins with Mommy" morning to celebrate Mother's Day. It was such fun to hang out with Jackson, munch some muffins, and watch him do his thing. I even received a beautiful card and sun-catcher he made! He's not smiling much in this photo 'cause I just told him I had to go, but all in all it really was a lovely morning!

"I made this!"

Cutie-pa-too-tie! (Oh, excuse me, Cool Boy Jones!)

"Hey, Mom, watch me shove a muffin into my mouth using only one hand!"

Jackson on the playground - a boy with trucks and sand...it's like peanut butter and jelly (or honey in our house) - it just GOES TOGETHER!

Various and Assorted Photos...

2007-05-21T16:52:00.001-07:00

Handsome Joseph in his blessing day outfit. What a heart-throb already! The line of girls waiting to hold him every Sunday is impressive. And he was PERFECT during his blessing (daddy especially appreciated that!)
Mommy and Jackson outside his school.

When Mom and Dad Jones and Rachel and Jared (Elliott's sister and husband) came out for Joseph's blessing day, we took some shots in the backyard. I LOVE Jackson's expression in this one (and you can bet from Ethan's expression that he's taking this in and plans on duplicating it at a later time!)

Great picture of the boys with daddy (ok, so he doesn't particularly like this photo of himself, but I think it looks great!)

More pics of the Jones boys

2007-05-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more shots of Joseph with his big brothers. We're especially fond of the picture of Ethan (the blondie) and the new arrival lying on the bed. Clearly, they are destined to be accomplished singers!

Big Brothers' Fun in the Sun

2007-05-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well, considering that we've posted some pics of Joseph, we felt it was only appropriate to also include some recent pics of his older brothers. Here's Jackson (almost 5 years) and Ethan (2 years) in the backyard. I picked up these hats at Target recently (SO hard to find decent hats that will actually COVER your child's head!) Ethan's is particularly hysterical - but he really enjoys peeking out from under it!

The Latest Addition!!!

2007-05-13T00:32:00.001-07:00

Well, we've had a new addition come to the Jones clan and we figured a blog with some pictures would be the best way to share the news. Joseph William Jones was born Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 7:03 pm! 7 lbs. & 10 oz. and 20 inches long. True to form, he arrived EXACTLY five days before his due date (just like his two big brothers did before him!) I don't know why my body decides that this is when they need to come, but it does. And he came FAST too (thankfully!) Elliott and I were walking up to the hospital at 5:45pm and he made his grand entrance just after 7pm! He even was gracious enough to arrive with plenty of time for mommy to get a bit of rest and then watch American Idol results and Lost (Rest, you say? Yeah, right! Like I'm going to be able to wind down quickly after experiencing the equivalent to running marathon in under an hour!) But what a guy! We're super excited about his arrival and now that a couple of weeks have past since his birth, we're seeing glimpses of his brothers in his expressions. What a cutie (we think!) :)

Here's just one picture of him for this post (don't be fooled by the "I love daddy" binki - although the sentiment is VERY true, Joseph also knows exactly WHO got him out into the world! The "I love mommy" binki is nearby...) We'll post some other pics of him and also try and keep up with regular pics of all the kiddos. Can't believe it - three wonderful boys! Can you see the gray yet? Has it started already? If I could upload a song to this post, it would most defintely be the theme song to "My Three Sons"!