Just Me and My Grandpa

Trevor had his Papa George stay at our house for the weekend. He had so much fun playing with the choo-choo and wearing Papa's shoes. He impressed Papa with his speedy running in Target and through the Galleria Mall. I think that Trevor looks a bit like his grandpa when he was little - especially when his hair is buzzed. They're two handsome guys!

No pictures on last post....

Don't know what that's all about... but you can see all the pictures and video and stuff on Mom's blog, which you can link to off to the right........

Congrats Little Bro

My brother Michael has received his mission call!

The Boise family gathered for Michael's big moment and put him on the phone so that David, Mom and Dad, and I could listen in. We were getting crystal clear reception out on the porch and listened as Mikey read the first line of the call... Then he gets to the part where he says "...you have been called to labor in... WAAAAAAHHHH!" Meanwhile Mom's yelling into the phone... "Michael! Michael! We couldn't hear you! We couldn't hear you!" And Michael's yelling into the phone, "What? What?" That seemed to last for like 5 minutes (though now watching the video, I see that it was only a few seconds....) until he says, "Oh! South Africa Johannesburg!" So there you have it!

The best part of this moment is the two little boys (as they will forever be known, even though they will never be little again!) sitting together on the couch and Mikey's smile, while Kevin is just so intense, dying to see where his big brother is going. Kevin looks like he's going to burst a blood vessel! Look at those faces, how did they grow up so fast!?!

A little shock, a little excitement....

The fam - Mom and Dad were "stuck" here in Houston on the big night. But it made it a lot more exciting for me to have them here and see their reactions. I kept looking at Dad and he kind of had this dazed look, whether it was just becaues he was so calm and collected, or just trying to wrap his head around the idea of South Africa, I don't know. Mom was emotional, of course. But mostly just excited and the strong missionary mom that she is.

My brothers! They're a crazy, funny bunch and I love em.

Sooo... He's going to be serving in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission. I'm so excited for him and think it's so awesome that he has decided to serve a mission. It's especially fun to think of him serving there since that is where David's dad served his mission and where mom is from, where she learned the gospel and was baptised. Congrats Mike! Sorry we couldn't be there for the big event, but we love ya!

August Rush

I never really claimed August as my favorite month, but this year it seems obvious that it has to be. My birthday was August 4th and what a great day it was. The best birthdays are the ones that last a few days long. I have to thank Carin and Danelle for making this happen on my birthday weekend by taking me out to do a little shopping at Michael's and then chocolate fondue at The Melting Pot. YUM! It was amazing - my favorite combo was to dip strawberries and bananas in the Yin/Yang white chocolate/dark chocolate fondue. We also tried one with toasted marshmallow, milk chocolate, and Oreo cookies.

Then on the 4th, some girls from my ward got together for a little pot luck, playgroup and birthday cake. Sure, the person who was supposed to give me a ride forgot about me and I arrived to my own birthday party about 45 minutes late, but it makes for a good story and was pretty funny so it almost made it better that way.

Next up in my own little August Rush is the SHERYL CROW CONCERT on Aug 14th. I'm so excited - it's going to be outdoors and on the grass.... Can't wait!!!!

Then on Aug 16th is David and my 5th anniversary. We don't have any plans for that, really, but it's exciting. We have had a great 5 years with lots of fun and a beautiful baby boy to show for it. Not too shabby!

Second to last in my favorite month of the year is on Aug 20th - my parents are making a trip to Houston. I can't wait for them to see where we live, the house, neighborhood, sights, etc. It will just be good to spend time with them and for them to get to know Trevor again - we can't wait! Plus I just can't wait to give my mom a huge hug and hang out.

Then, Aug 30th is the BYU football season opener, which I will be watching ALONE (sad!). But David will be having a great time with the fam in NYC and I'm so glad that he gets to go and experience all of that and celebrate Barbara's retirement!

So here's to my favorite month! :)

Aquarium Fun

View of Houston from the Ferris Wheel

We spent a fun filled, hot and humid day at the downtown aquarium. A friend from my ward helped us get in for only 4 dollars so it was a lot of fun for a great price. We're lucky to live in a great ward and I've made some good friends already who get together each week. We have had a lot of fun going to play group and getting to know the other mommies and kiddos.


Inside the aquarium they had a little area where you could touch some sting rays and other wildlife. They also had shark "eggs" (Not sure if that's what you would call them and I didn't have enough free time to read any of the signs) . They were pretty amazing little pod looking things. This earth and all the things that were created on it are incredible.... But anyway, here is Trev reaching in to touch a sting ray. Oh, and splashing half the pool on me and his shirt. The sting rays were incredibly slimy but cool to see up close and touch.

Outside they had a carousel and Trevor rode on the dolphin. He oohed almost the whole time, just like in the picture. As soon as we finished the first ride, Trevor ran out the gate and then back through the line for another turn. We're still working on the waiting in line concept...


Not sure why they have a tiger at the aquarium, but it was pretty cool! I loved seeing Trevor react to seeing a huge tiger 3 feet away separated only by glass. He didn't know what to think at first, and when the tiger walked by he turned and made a beeline for me. But the second time he just stood there in awe. We had to say goodbye and wave to him before leaving.

A couple pics from the ferris wheel. Trevor was brave and enjoyed the entire ride, especially because you could see the freeway and all the cars.

Trevor "riding" the pelican and "driving" the submarine. They are coin operated rides, but an 18 month old can just sit on there and doesn't know the difference. Ahh, the age of innocence. Just look how red and sweaty his little face is! It was a hot one - over 100. I was melting.



The highlight of the trip was a little train ride into the shark tank. Blue just like Thomas! Trevor is totally into trains right now and he was in heaven. I pried his sweaty little chubby hands from the seat at the end of the ride, which we rode twice. He cried both times when we had to get off.

We had such a fun day and are wiped out!

LOST

Most of you who were smart enough to start watching this show 4 years ago when it came out are probably wondering why on earth I am posting about LOST in the middle of the summer. Well, while all of you who are going through withdrawals and waiting breathlessly for the next season to begin in the new year, we are just getting started. The summer can be a lonely, boring time for TV junkies like David (and myself, yes I admit it!). This year we decided that since there's nothing good on that we'd get LOST. Seriously, it is blowing my mind. We'll usually spend a late evening at the Hae Haes' (I think there have been nights that we stayed up til 2 or 3) getting about 4-8 episodes in every weekend. I ususally end up having the craziest nightmares about insane people chasing me through the jungle, but it's totally worth it. Tonight, Carin is going to be nice enough to watch Trev while Dave and I go on a date, then we're going to all get LOST in the mid season 3 (so no spoilers people!). We're hooked! I have to say... and I never thought I would.... I like this even better than 24. Sorry Jack (Bauer, that is)!

1st Annual Jones Girls' Weekend

In the Jones family there is this wonderful tradition (which will go on and on and on...) called an annual GIRLS ONLY WEEKEND where all the women ages 16 or older (or 18, depending on whether moms or grandmas have the ultimate authority??) gather together for a retreat with good times, good food, very little sleep, and great sisters. Okay, sure... so this was the first time we ever did a Jones Girls' weekend, but it is now officially a tradition because after all the fun we had, I just can't see us not doing it again and again. (It is a yearly tradition, Paul. It will happen each year. Mark your calendar for midsummer 2009 girls' weekend.)

This long post is probably going to be pretty boring for most of you, since it's just mostly my memories of the trip...

So MY girls' weekend (I know I missed out on some things since we were the last to arrive, first to leave) began on July 10th when I closed the front door to a screaming baby and reluctant husband - but I forged ahead, never looking back! Danelle and Carin and I enjoyed a child-free air travel experience. I'm sure we must have been glowing and exuding a sense of sheer happiness because nearly everyone we came into contact with on that trip was very friendly to us - even the security checkers. I say NEARLY everyone because Carin did have an incident with a peeved flight attendant, but fortunately we laughed that one off... and one chick-flick (definitely, maybe) and a few iced drinks later, we made it to the OC with ease.

There we met up with the rest of the group and headed off to BJ's to enjoy the famous Pizzookie. I, unfortunately, did not get a picture of this ginormous cookie the size of a large pizza with 1/2 gallon of ice cream all scooped up on top! But it was delicious! Definitely lived up to my high expectations. Luckily we had an even 8 girls, 4 to a pizzookie (although, Steven... we are MORE than willing to accommodate and make room for a 9th girl for next year with NO problem. Really, we will all benefit from this situation - 4 girls to 1 pizzookie? 3 girls to 1 pizzookie? Who wouldn't vote in favor of the latter???) Anyway... the pizzookies were delicious and evidently the sugar went straight to the blood stream - proven by the singing along of various 80s love songs before we left the restaurant.

We then headed off to Julie's new condo (which is amazing, by the way!) for more fun and chick flicks and just a little bit of sleep.

Friday morning Julie took Danelle and Linds for a little run around the park while the rest of us prepared for the long day ahead - full of shopping and eating. We headed off (ON TIME, by the way!) to the Pacific Whey Cafe for a delicious breakfast and baby shower for Laura and baby Autumn.

Let the shopping begin! We started out with the Paper Source, Crate & Barrell, Pottery Barn and H&M. Then we headed off to the beautiful Fashion Island mall for a little Barnes & Noble, Limited Too, and Anthropologie. And as if that is not enough to make your head spin, we also went to a 2 STORY Target. Two full floors of Target goodness, fully equipped with a cart escalator. It was pretty amazing.

After our shopping extravaganza we headed to the Spaghetti Bender for a delicious italian dinner, complete with cute guy waiter, pasta dishes as big as your face, garlic bread, and soup tureen.

From the various shopping destinations Julie found some amazing stuff for her new place and Carin spent the evening putting together the awesome designs with the paper from Paper Source while everyone else bossed (err, directed) each other around as to where to place the other items, baked Chocolate Bliss (I think that's what they were called - basically the best, most chocolatey, decadent cookies you ever tasted!) and debated over whether this or that frame was completely even. The final product is awesome, eh? Hope you're loving it Julie!

We then spent the rest of the evening hearing/sharing dating/proposal stories (it was girls' wekend, afterall!) and playing a little Hot Dice.

Saturday was our stroll down Main Street in Huntington Beach for a little breakfast/shopping (surprise!), walk on the beach, and pedicures.

Danelle and I decided that we really wanted to get our hair cut, and somehow dragged Lindsey into the plan. We found a salon right there on Main Street and popped in to see how much it would cost. Undaunted by the report that a haircut would be anywhere from $65-95, I decided that girls' weekend would just not be complete without that haircut and tried to strike a bargain. I asked the people at the front desk if they had a stylist who would do three haircuts for $40 a piece and they worked it out for us!

So a great morning just started getting better. But we were all floored after seeing how great Lindsey and Danelle looked after Dani (the most amazing stylist ever!) was done with them! Pretty soon Carin, Kim, and Julie were signing up for the haircuts, too. I know that most men out there can't relate to this, but all you girls know that there is nothing better than a good hair cut and we went on and on for hours about the awesome haircuts. We will always remember Dani! :-) It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.

So after a quick walk in the sand and sun, a mani/pedi and/or hair cut, girls' weekend came to a close. Danelle, Carin and I enjoyed another carefree plane ride (although this time around I was heavy laden with the goodies I acquired, so my shoulder was dead by the time we reached the car!).

I had so much fun and can't wait to do it again next year. I am so blessed to have such amazing inlaws!! I remember that when David and I got engaged, Carin sent me a little card on my birthday. On the inside it said, "One thing we love in this family... SISTERS." Over the past nearly five years I have seen how true that is! Thanks Jones sisters, it was an amazing weekend! Love you all!