Lately...

Lately life has been all about Jocelyn. She's at such a fun age and even though she definitely has her days where I could sell her on Craigslist and not bat an eye, most days she is the sweetest funniest little person in the entire world.

This would constitute as a Craigslist day. I run downstairs to grab something and come back up to these beautiful raccoon eyes. My mom told me that she could be a part of the band KISS. Note: This was not easy to remove. She had to have found my waterproof mascara. I didn't have any eye makeup remover so RJ had to frantically run to the store to buy some. I told him not to come back without getting the most expensive makeup remover he could find. The cheap stuff just wasn't going to cut it. Luckily, $15 dollars later, worked like a charm.

 

 We go on a lot of walks. There is a park not far from our house that we like to walk to.

 

We're gearing up for Easter around here and can't wait to go camping this weekend. This is what happens when you "clean" the toy room. Cleaning may or may not actually happen. 

 

We went miniature golfing a couple of weeks ago and Jocelyn loved it. She didn't particularly care for the golf club, she liked throwing the ball toward the hole instead. Whatever works. 

 

The newest hit around our house is sunglasses. Dad wears them and now Jocelyn must wear them. EVERYWHERE. Including the house at 5 pm. We like to keep things awesome around our house. Yesterday we drove down to Salt Lake and she left them home. She insisted we turn around even though we were two minutes from my Grandpa's house. No can do, little J, no can do. 

It really doesn't get much better than it is now. She's at a stage where she makes us laugh daily and the days she's not so great, we get to admire her cute little face after she falls asleep. However bad day she's having she's always willing to give you a "hud & tiss" and that just makes everything worth it. 

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J's Broken Arm

While at my nephew Declan's birthday party last Saturday Jocelyn fell down the stairs and broke her arm. RJ and I had gone downstairs to get something and Jocelyn was jumping down each step after us. She slipped and fell and of course started crying. We picked her up and gave her lots of loves. Once the overall scare factor was over I asked her if anything hurt and she told me that her wrist was hurting. We decided to head home so we got in the car and she was still favoring her wrist and holding onto it.

Jocelyn loves going to the doctor, so when I asked her if she felt like she needed to go to the doctor her answer of course was, "Sure!" But then she followed that up with, "Doctor... right now!" Her wrist was swelling a little bit so we pulled into a parking lot and RJ got out and felt her wrist. He said that it didn't feel normal so we decided to head to InstaCare to have it checked out.

Of course once we got there all Jocelyn cared about was the fish tank. That kept her occupied while we waited for the doctor. They took her back and did an x-ray and sure enough, she buckled the larger bone in her upper wrist on her left hand. It missed her growth plate which was good and it wasn't broken all the way through which was another plus. They put a "Band-aid" (splint) on her arm and she was so good the whole time. She held really still and was happy to have her wrist supported and feeling better. She hadn't cried since she fell down the stairs, and she didn't complain about pain unless she put pressure on her wrist.

 

This was waiting to go back. She got tired of holding her own arm, so she asked me to do it. She definitely has a little dramatic side to her. As soon as we got the camera out she looked all sad and sorry for herself. Not to discount that she obviously wasn't feeling great, but she totally snuggled in and got serious for this picture.  

 

 She definitely doesn't feel sorry for herself for long. She didn't mind them putting on the "Band-aid" and 2.4 seconds after this picture was taken she threw the pillow on the floor and was done with it. 

 

Telling me to feel how soft it was.

 

And then we were out of there. She didn't seem bothered by the splint or the shoulder strap. She kept telling us she wanted to go show "Aunt Tiss" her arm. Aunt Chris lives a few doors down from us and Jocelyn loves going over there. We hurried and text her to see if we could come say hi. We went over and Jocelyn visited and played with Uncle Rusty, completely unphased by the night's activities. 

 

This morning Jocelyn went in for a hard cast to wear for the next 4 weeks. She made sure the doctor knew she wanted "blue, not purple!". She sure knows what she likes. The cast must be kind of awkward and bulky because this was the only thing she would do with her arm. 

I'm so happy that although she broke her arm, it could have been much worse and we were able to go right in and get it taken care of. She was a champ the entire time and I love that she makes all the doctors and nurses love her. She has such strong opinions and she doesn't mind vocalizing them. She was happy to take a bath in the sink on Monday and get sprayed down last night in the tub with a bag over her arm after she had a potty training poop disaster incident. 

I may be a little biased but I certainly think she's the cutest little thing in the whole world.

 

 

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Lately...

It's been a while. A looooong while. But this year I want to document our lives a little better so here's a start... already a month late. So far this year....

We have learned where Mom's rollers are and how they work...

 

 

We, meaning Jocelyn, have decided that we cannot go to bed without an entourage of dolls, water, blankets, and stuffed llamas. 

 



 

 

After this incident, we, meaning Mom, decided Jocelyn falling asleep in our bed was cramping our style, so out she went. It's going well so far. She'll fall asleep in her own bed after you read her 8 bazillion stories and 5 Frozen YouTube videos.

 

 

We have gotten ready and visited Dad on Saturdays. This picture shows her curly hair. And how big she is getting... *sniff sniff

We have gone on many car rides that must include Lorraine the llama. Thanks a lot Mom and Dad. Best Christmas present ever. Also notice that we cannot get in the car without Jocelyn taking her shoes and socks off. 

 

For Jocelyn's birthday, we, meaning RJ and I, got a fish tank. To say we're all enthralled is an understatement. 

We have been painting... There is nothing like a new color and fresh coat of paint to make a room seem new again.

 

 

We have also been on family breakfast dates. Waffles for everyone. 



 

We have been ice skating. Which makes you realize how old you are when you are sore the next day. Or is that just me? 

 

We took a rare picture of RJ and I alone. Which makes me very happy. 

 

We also have some pretty big news... that I'll tell you tomorrow. :D



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Happy, Happy, Happy

Yes, my title is a reference to Duck Dynasty. I do love that show.

This week I have been overly happy for some reason. Which has been a very good thing! I love feeling at peace with myself and with what I can't change.

I have tried really hard the last couple weeks to be outwardly happy. Just a happier person in general. I read that happiness is contagious and I am really tried to embrace that and help the people around me feel good by knowing me. I know that sometimes when you try to force happiness it doesn't come; so I haven't put a lot of pressure on myself. I have just tried to adjust my attitude to make life seem a little brighter.

And it has totally worked!

Here are some of the things I have done to help myself achieve more peace (because I love making lists):

- I have tried to spend at least 30 minutes every night just doing what Jocelyn wants to do. I never ignore J, but there are things at night that have to get done after work. Laundry, cooking, catching up on Instagram... you know, the important things. But I realized that the most important thing is raising my daughter so I have tried to be more active in what she's learning and discovering in life. I have also tried to include her in my laundry ventures and cooking dinner. Makes for a much slower process but I think ultimately in the end it will be very rewarding.

- I have decided that my happiness doesn't depend on if other people are happy. For example, RJ. He may be having a bad day but that doesn't mean that my day has to be bad. At first I felt a little selfish but it has made a world of difference and usually helps RJ's mood get better sooner. So the saying "misery loves company" is not allowed in our house.

- I have tried to envelope myself in the Christmas season. I'm trying to make smaller things a big deal, like Thanksgiving and Christmas and trying to celebrate little things that makes life more fun.

- I have had such a sense of gratitude lately. For a whole slew of things... that I have such a fun little family, that I have a car, that I can buy groceries. I think the cold weather has made me realize how much I have and how often I forget to remember to be thankful for all of those things.

- I have tried to surround myself with happy people and good attitudes. I love my coworkers and they are a good example to be happy no matter what and be chill about things that aren't important or that won't change. I spend a lot of time in my little office with my coworkers, they are great at listening to me vent but also having a good perspective on life. I am grateful for them. Plus there are a lot of laughs and that makes every work day better.

All in all, I think I'm just feeling okay with myself. I've come to terms with the things that can't change, but I'm also trying to better myself a little more everyday. I overthink just about every single thing in my life, so it's been nice to sit back and take life day by day and not try to look at the whole picture at once. Life is fluid and with every choice it changes, so I've tried to make the decisions that are the best for me and then be confident in what I choose. And then the days I choose to eat french fries for all three meals... I forgive myself for those days too.

Life is good; and meant to be lived in happiness.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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Saying Goodbye

We didn't end up making it to California.

Instead we get to say one of the hardest goodbyes to an amazing person.

RJ's grandpa passed away yesterday leaving everyone behind a bit sad. I'm so thankful that now he is with his sweet wife, but the finality of death is never easy.

I didn't know him extremely well, but he always had a warm smile and a joke to tell even if it was just to make himself laugh. Which is my kind of person... I frequently laugh at my own jokes.

RJ lived with his grandpa for a lot of years and helped mold RJ into the person he is today. One part of his obituary stands out that shows just how much RJ is like him.

It says, "Lothar had a big heart and was never too busy to serve his fellow man. He practiced the gospel of Jesus Christ in his treatment of others and in all his actions."

RJ isn't a very religious or spiritual person but he is still a very kind and compassionate person when it comes to serving others. He'll come to a person's aid without any question or second thought. He's very giving and has such a huge heart for someone in need. Only 1 of the 5,975,311 reasons I love him.

So although we didn't make it to vacation, I feel like we get much more. We are going to be surrounded by family that we don't see often enough and we're going to be reminded of how much we love RJ's grandpa and why he was such a monumental person on this earth. 

Plus funeral potatoes... I love funeral potatoes. :)

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