Busy, Busy

Sorry for the lack of posts this past month. Things have been super crazy at our house-mainly because of church callings. In our church, people volunteer their time and "talents" to help the church run. The bishop of our church "calls" or assigns you these responsibilities. You do have the freedom to choose to accept them or not, because no one gets paid. In our ward, some members are reluctant to accept callings for whatever reason. So, the members that are willing end up with multiple callings. Shawn and I started as

Webelos Leaders

After doing that for a few years, Shawn was called as 1st counselor in the

Elders Quorum

That was doable, because I was mainly the only one that worked on scouts anyways, so I really just needed him to show up and be the second adult. After he had been in the Elders Quorum for a few months, I was also called as the

Camp Director for the Young Women

Even that wasn't so bad...still doable. But, when it rains, it pours! Not even two weeks later, I was put in as 1st counselor in the

Relief Society

I've only officially been in for two weeks, but have already helped with our first funeral and birth and hours and hours of meetings with this presidency.

All of this without being released from any other callings...so sorry for the drought. It probably won't end until after Girls Camp, though!!!

My Baby's 1!!!

This past week, we celebrated Oakley's birth. He got to have a play date with his neighborhood pals on Friday, then we had to entire fam damily over on Sunday. In the event that Shawn's entire family showed, I had to plan for about 35-40. Luckily, although we would have loved to see them, they don't do get-togethers very often, so only a few of them came. It made things a bit easier, although it was still crazy at our house! Sunday was wet and rainy all day and we had planned on having a bbq outside because our house would have come apart at the seams if we had to sqeeze all those people inside. There had been pockets of sunshine between downpours, so we set everything up outside but also cleaned out the garage and car port "just in case". The party was supposed to start at 6, and at 5, another terrential downpour commenced. I was starting to freak a bit. But, someone (Shawn, that is) must have been living right because right at about 5:50, the clouds broke and the sun shined the entire party! It started raining again right as Oakley finished his cake, so we gathered in our little canopy and opened presents. It worked out perfectly!

I had planned on just tossing some chocolate frosting on "Oakley's" cake. Larissa was up visiting, and because she's so creative, we came up with the idea to write words around the cake that made up his name. If you can't read them: Outgoing Adorable Kissable Loving Edible Youthful. I love her!

Oakley was quite unsure about the cake at the beginning, but as soon as Shawn showed him that he could eat it, he dug right in. He finished off more than half of it! By the end, he was throwing cake at everyone who passed by him.

The finished product :-)

Mucho Randomnoso

So, I've been gathering things that I've wanted to post, but could never find a roundtuit. This first slide is of Odie playing the piano. I have video also, but can never get it to work for some reason. He plays whenever he passes the piano, and then turns around and waits for someone to clap or say something before he'll continue...it's so funny! The video I got is him reading music. He plays for awhile, then stops to turn the page, then plays again, then turns the page again...priceless!

This next one is pretty self explanatory-his first real "booboo". I think he's allergic to gravity, I'll have to have the doc check at his next checkup. I couldn't believe how fast it popped out of his head. By the time I picked him up (only like 2-3 seconds after he hit the corner) it was already protruding out of his head about a cm! Gross!! I hear I have to just get used to it with boys, though.

We had lots of Easter parties to go to. Shawn's family was planning a camping trip, but everyone flaked out, so we were actually able to go to the other parties. We ended up going camping by ourselves to a closer location. (Last slide) We just went out to Antelope Island, and I couldn't believe I've been here this long and just barely discovered its beauty! It was gorgeous out there and the bugs weren't out yet! We took our bikes, and eggs to decorate. I forgot to pack our Easter bunny treats, which bummed me out a bit (even though I'm the only one that really enjoys the hunt). But...we have AWESOME NEIGHBORS!!! We came home Sunday eve, and as we were hauling stuff out of the camper, Shawn noticed a few eggs on our doorstep. We looked closer, and our lawn was covered with goodies to search for! It totally made my day. If you were the Easter Bunny...THANK YOU!!!

Odie's new thing now is he loves to read. By read, I really mean throw books on the floor. He does look at the pictures for a second before he moves on to the next one, so I guess that counts.



I went outside with Odie because he was getting really tired and cranky, and the fresh air always helps! Anyways, we found with bird in my grandma's garden and the second we walked by, he started laughing. He went crazy when I actually made it move.



That's all the randomness for now, even though I've left out a lot.

P.S. I feel like I should definitely be riding the short bus, but I just realized there's a compose tab, and I can do all sorts of things to the text!...next post!

Health Update

As some of you may know (many do not), I've been having some health concerns of my own over the last little while. It all started just after Christmas vacation. During the month of January I had gained A LOT of weight. I was being good, and walking, but everyday the needle on the scale rotated a little farther. I've been working on losing weight, so this was very frustrating, and I was losing hope! I would eat even less, walk more, and the pounds still packed on. I just thought I was doomed to be big. After another month, though, my neck began to get really stiff. I was having a hard time looking up and swallowing without it hurting. I finally gave in and went into the doctor (yes-it takes a lot for me to go in) and he found a lump on my thyroid. He drew some blood, and sent me in to have an ultrasound done. It took me two weeks to finally hear word about what was found, but all I got out of him (his nurse, actually) was that the nodule was bigger than he'd like and was getting too much blood flow. He ruled out thyroiditis, but I'd need to see an endocrinologist.
Now, there's only one endocrinology office in this area, so the next appointment they had was almost a month away. I took it, but called them about every other day to see if they had any cancellations, as my neck was still hurting. That didn't work, so after a month of waiting, I finally got into the endocrinologist today. Now, in that month's time, of course, my mind was fearing the worst. My doc wouldn't tell me anything (for anyone who lives in the area, I'm looking for a new OBGYN-let me know if you like yours!)so I had to do my own research. Apparently, thyroid nodules are very common, but you only need to worry if they are big or if your lymph nodes are also swollen. So, mine was big (according to the doc), and I've had this pesky swollen lymph node for years. Of course I started freaking out. I went into his office ready for whatever he was going to throw at me. But, lucky for me, he's not really worried! He says my swollen lymph node doesn't really relate to this, and that the nodule I was so worried about from the other doc isn't really a nodule at all. It was just my entire thyroid that was enlarged. He didn't have to biopsy anything, or run any more tests.
So, what does this all mean??? I'm fine. I'm on medicine to get my TSH levels normalized, which means I have to have blood work done every 6 weeks until they are. I need to get an ultrasound of my thyroid done yearly to monitor nodules, and I will have to take synthroid for the rest of my life. That I can handle! The one downside right now-I do have to wait until everything is normalized before I can think about Oakley being a big brother. It may be much later than what Shawn and I are thinking, but at least it can happen!
Cancer scare #2 evaded! Go me!

Nobody Loves Me...

My parents flew out for a quick visit to see me...I mean Oakley (what was I thinking!)...a few weeks ago. I wasn't very good about blogging while they were here, but here's what went down

PopPop

PopPop scared the crud out of me...I thought I was going to die!


But then he took me for a walk so it was all good. Well, as much of a walk as he could with a broken leg!

Bobshi

It's almost easier than telling a toddler to play hide-and-go-seek...without seeking ;-)





Andy Reid...here I come! Bobshi taught me how to play catch!

Poppy


Even thought he's pushing 85, Poppy still got down on the floor and chased me around his house, then played catch with me.


He also taught me how to talk


Aunt Rissa

I just love my Aunt Rissa. And I'm so glad she lives close, so I can see her whenever I want to!

Tami

I provided the entertainment for the group that helped Tami move into her new house. In return, she gave me these totally awesome kneepads so I don't bruise my knees. I think they're hot.

We need...

So, I admit-I'm just a little klepto. I stole this idea from my cousins blog also (not the same one I stole the other thing from...I have like 40 different cousins to choose from!) Anyways, you go to google and type in "YOUR NAME needs", and post the first ten things that show up. It's pretty fun, and even if you don't post on your own blog, admit it, you won't be able to turn the computer off without testing your name, too!

1.)Jessica Needs Coffee
javajavajavajavajava
2.)Jessica needs a bigger Al-bra
for those of you who breastfed...ain't that the truth!
3.)Jessica needs her "Eric" time
I'm actually seeing him this weekend
4.)Jessica needs to put some clothes on
That's what blinds are for.
5.)All Jessica needs is a nice Chianti
That and a little west and wewaxation.
6.)Jessica needs a root touchup
No way-this is all natural!
7.)Jessica needs a haircut
Desperately
8.)Jessica needs to come to Australia for a much awaited concert!
I have been dying to go my entire life
9.)Jessica needs to learn some new lingo.
Why? Am I not hippety in this hissety???
10.)Jessica needs cash
Make checks payable to "pofolk".


1.)Shawn needs to pee
When doesn't he?
2.)Shawn needs a car
He's already got a car, truck, motorcycle, and boat-why another car?
3.)Shawn needs his mommy
No comment...
4.)Shawn needs to clean his car
We spent almost a day cleaning his car-now it's my car's turn!
5.)Shawn needs like 14 hrs of sleep
That he does-he's been working a ton of overtime...ontop of EQ Presidency, he's pretty pooped.
6.)Shawn needs a makeover
We love him just the way he is!
7.)Shawn needs to loosen up those hips
He's got mad dance moves...he just doesn't perform for strangers
8.)Shawn needs immediate prayers
He needs a whole lotta something!
9.)Shawn needs help
He's "special"
10.)Shawn needs to get more side jobs
He could've used them last month when he was out of work. Now that he's back to work, everyone has extra work for him...Murphy's Law.

Added video

Since the David at the Dentist video is no longer available for your enjoyment, I added another video in its place. Check it out in the older "David at the Dentist" post. You won't be sorry!

Gibson Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

My cousin put this on her blog, and yes, I stole it! I was interested, so I put our pics in. Anyone surprised???

Mobile Uploads

These first two are actually from my real camera (hence the flash shadows), but they really show off his cute pj's and his cheesy little cheeky grin.


The rest of these are from my phone.


Odie was totally fixated on our kitchen doors the other night, and we finally figured out why! He could see our reflections, so it was just like a mirror, and boy does he love mirrors! He sat and played with it for about 15 minutes! Bytheway, his pj's were a gift from a friend back when he was born. He's about to grow out of them, but it's still not really warm enough for him to use them, so I put them on him last night just to see them. I love the way his little thighs and biceps hang out-and especially how the horizontal stripes accentuate his diaper!!



Having fun in the snow. We got him this snowsuit from Kid to Kid and this was his first time using the whole thing. He uses the jacket all the time, but he's never needed the pants...who needs pants anyways??? ;-)


My dear, sweet husband...isn't he a cutie?!? I think we were both taking pics of each other-hence his phone (camera) in his hand, too! He's so much fun to be with, and even puts up with me when I come home and say, "Let's go tubing!!!"


He absolutely loved the snow. While we went down the hill, our feet would sometimes catch the snow and spray us. I thought he'd freak, but he laughed the whole way down!


So, I have to embarrass my dear sweet Rissa, 'cause that's what sisters are for! Oakley and I went down to visit out dear sweet Rissa, and before we got to her apartment, she warned me that her room was a mess. I wasn't quite ready for this!!! She normally isn't a slob (I didn't think so, anyways), she just claims she's been really busy and hasn't had time to pick up. I told her they were all just dirty clothes, so why not get a basket or hamper and put them in that to begin with...what a novel idea!!!

What a nice day for tubing

We got about 5 inches of snow yesterday and it was nice and sunny today so we figured we'd better go tubing or we might not get another chance this year. Little man was just happy to be outside. He didn't mind going down the hill on our laps either. We have a convenient place to tube about a block from our house at the communter rail station.

This was Shawn's first post! Aren't you proud of him!!! ...There are past posts that say he did them, but that was me...I had just forgotten my username:-)

"...a great and dreadful day..."

I am just all that and a bag of potato chips...I can crawl now.


He's fixated with sports games already...not a good start!


Typical play with daddy time. Daddy plays...and I'm with him!


Anyone notice anything about Odie's pose? Typical guy!!!


I'm just cute...that's why.


His hair goes like that as soon as it dries. I comb it flat down, and it just shoots straight back up.

So, yes, my baby is crawling. I knew this day was coming, but I hadn't quite mentally prepared my 'mental' for it. Everyone warns about how fast time flies, but just yesterday, I gave birth...don't you remember? We had baby-proofed, and all, but it just happened over night. Once he started moving forward, he was a bit shaky for, oh, about two hours. Then, he had it down and was all over the house. Now, we can't get him dressed, or change his diaper without him escaping. He's a fast little bugger, too! It is nice, though because he plays hard and crashes even harder. Because he's been going so much, he takes two 3-3 1/2 hour naps during the day, and then falls asleep at 7:30! It's nice cuz that way, we still have time for mommy and daddy time.
On another note, Shawn's been playing Mr. Mom. He's waiting for his company to get some new contracts. In the meantime, I've been working full-time. It's been kind of a nice change, but it's made me realize how much I miss my boys. I'm still trying hard to get used the house being left "daddy style". I think Oakley really likes it, too.

David at the Dentist

So, since David at the Dentist is now copyrighted, I found a new funny video to keep you guys entertained while you're supposed to be working. I love it. Nothing better than pure, innocent humor!


I stole this video from my friends site, for everyone else to enjoy, also. Let's all go to the dentist-hey, insurance will pay that way!!

It's Alive b

Hello again to our long lost blossip friends. Just had a quick minute to try to catch up from our 2 month blogging break. The Gibson Gang got to go back to PA for a little R&R, from which we've been back for two weeks now. In the transition, I have "misplaced" my flashdrive with all the new pics to share on it. I kept thinking I was minutes away from finding it, and I'd post as soon as I could put pictures on. Well, hasn't happened yet.
We are alive, though, and had a wonderful time visiting my fam. It was hard to leave, but someone had to come cook for my poor starving Ethiopian :-) Actually, he probably ate better with me gone because he had dinner invites from friends and family.
Nothing all that exciting is happening now, except this weekend I'm excited to get a visit from Larissa and our cousins Marc and Kendra from NV.
Hope all is well, and I'll post more once I have some pics to go along with the stories...

No. 2

Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try to hide, someone can always hear you going to the bathroom? Like you're being watched, feeling unsure and vulnerable? Well, my poor kid gets tortured! As a lot of you know already, Odie has actually been semi "poop-trained". I noticed that he kept pooping about the same time everyday, so I started holding him over the toilet. If he doesn't start going within the first thirty seconds or so, I figure he doesn't need to, so I take him off. It's been about a month now, and I can count the number of messy diapers I've had to change on one hand. This day, however, I heard him holding his breathe (my signal that he's going to go soon), and when I went to grab him, this is what I saw. I was laughing too hard to worry about getting him to the toilet. So, I instead pulled out the camera. Now-how would you feel if someone was not only watching, but filming your "alone time"??? He was giving me the dirtiest, yet sweetest looks between grunts-it was hilarious!!

Shawn's pic is a typical thing at our house now. Whenever he has to change a messy diaper or take out his garbage bag, he plugs his nose up chuck full, so nothing can sneak past! Oh, what a family!!

Color/pattern blindness

While I was at work today, Shawn called me and asked me what shirt to dress Oakley in. I told him it depended on what pants he put on him. He said "the striped ones", but I couldn't picture which ones he meant. He answered his own question and said, "Nevermind, I found one". The picture shows what I came home to. :-) So, if you can't really tell, the pant are pastel yellow and blue striped. The shirt is a red and deep blue plaid flannel. Need I say more??? Even though Shawn may not have any fashion sense, I know he loves and takes care of Odie, so that's all that really matter...it just made me laugh!