24th of July - Fiesta Days

I LOVE the 24th of July! I know it makes me such a Spanish Forkian but I love the Fiesta Days fun! I think it brings back a lot of fun memories and I always get to spend it with my wonderful family and great friends. This years events were just the same as other years...parade in the morning, entertainment/activities and lunch at the park then over to our house for a BBQ and fireworks.


Thanks to my awesome sis we had great seats for the parade!


Daddy and Jord


Roo, J-Man & Mason (J was really tired - his sister really is one of his favorite people)


Taylor H - isn't he the coolest?



Parker & Tay enjoying their snow cones...yummy!


Drew, Court & Muh


It was nap time for baby J...here he is taking a snooze during the parade


All the kids lined up to chase after candy


Emma loved the princess crown Grandma Marshall bought for her

All the kids usually climb the rock wall in the park after the parade but this year it was this giant trampoline thingy. They all did pretty good and thought they were little gymnasts doing their air tumbling. Parker was hilarious to watch and never was able to flip, but he was the BEST jumper there! :)


Mason jumpin' around - he later threw his shoes up into the air and they hit a woman on the head. He tried to apologize to her but she was grump-a-lump and wouldn't say anything to him so we all got a good laugh out of it.


Bennett did an awesome job!


Tay did great too. His sister had gone just before him and his face was so serious and intense the entire time he was up there trying to show her up...hilarious!


Taylor H showing his mad skills


Parker gave a valiant effort trying to get around but it just didn't work out for him. :) He is such a cute kid and always makes me laugh!


I love this kid!!!!


Chillaxin' at the park with Mommy

That night we had friends and family over for the annual BBQ and fireworks. It is so nice to be able to see them from our backyard so we can be close to home; especially since it decided to rain a couple of times before the firework show!


Shawn & Keri Rawlings


Shane & Kerri Marshall


The Three Amigos - Tay Park & Tay


Bennett & Addy waiting for the fireworks to start - I wish my buns were still small enough to share a chair like this!


The Fam - Could Tay & Bennett look any more excited?


Drew & Court - He loves his wife SO much...just look how excited he gets!


Billy & Madeline


Papa Paul & Jordan


Grammy Becky & Baby J


KA BOOM!!!

The fireworks were great this year and so was the company. Thanks to all of you for spending your holiday with us, we had a great time and hope to see you next year!

Jordan's 1st Haircut

Okay I might sound a little dumb but this has been one of the hardest things for me to do! I have known for about the last month to a month and a half that a haircut was due for our little man. He has had the most beautiful hair since he was born and it has been so much fun for me to play with (that might sound a little girlie...sorry J). When he was about 3 months old he kind of thinned out around the sides and on the back as babies normally do but it always looked okay with the longer top until lately. When people start to wonder if your baby is wearing a toupee because his hair looks like a mop, it is probably time to cut it! Jordan has an obsession for pulling hair - it hurts SOOOO bad - and recently he has started to pull his own. This was the one thing that made me feel a little better about taking this big step was knowing I would be stopping the self inflicted pain. I finally got enough courage to make the appointment to chop off his luscious locks. Our sweet friend Keri Rawlings fit him in and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!



Before



Look how long it was!!



Keri working her magic



Voila - Doesn't he look adorable?!



After

I knew after he had his hair cut that he would lose a little bit of that baby look and start turning into a little man. He looks so darn cute though and hopefully it can grow in a bit more even now. A big thanks to Keri for doing such a wonderful job and for being so patient with our little guy!

Happy 6 Months Jordan!!

I cannot believe that this sweet little boy is already half of a year old!




The time goes by too fast - I think I just said that in my post yesterday but it is SO true! It seems like just yesterday I was big and pregnant blogging about how uncomfortable I was and how ready I was to have him here and now 6 months have come and gone. I can truly say that I have enjoyed every stage we have experienced with him. We are having so much fun watching him learn and get better at things every single day. It makes me sad to look back at the pictures from when he was brand new and to know that his snuggly little newborn stage is already over - but I can say that his sitting up and playing with toys, blowing raspberry's at us, and watching his face light up with excitement when we walk into a room is quite gratifying.



I love you more than words can say Baby J! You bring so much joy to our family and I can't imagine life without you. Thank you for being such a happy boy, and getting me through the toughest of days. I feel so blessed that I was chosen to be your Mommy!

Here are some factoids about J-Man:

**He is a Daddy's boy through and through - Jordan loves his "favorite" - that's his Dad's nickname now**
**He loves to watch TV - I know I am a bad mom but honestly Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Little Einstein's comes on and the kid is glued...he even laughs at the TV!**
**He loves food - always has and if he is anything like his Mom and Dad he always will. He likes all of his veggies except for Green Beans; he thinks those are for the birds. He thinks Rice Cereal is one of the most repulsive things made and can't figure out why I try to keep feeding it to him. He is just starting on fruit but so far so good**
**He thinks he is super cool now that he can roll from his back to his belly - but for some reason he can't figure out that it is okay to do this when he tips over while learning how to sit up on his own?**
**He is one of the happiest babies I have ever met - he only whines when he is tired or hungry (with the exception of ear infections...poor baby)**
**He is a big boy - I can't keep a wardrobe for the kid. He is already wearing 6-9 or 6-12 month clothing and isn't too far away from 12-18 mos...**

Happy 6 months Sweets...I love you!

Happy Birthday to Roo!!

Today was our sweet little Bennett Roo's 8th Birthday! I can't believe how quickly time flies by. We celebrated her birthday all weekend long with a friends party on Saturday. Her friends Addy, Pieper, McKell, & Avery all came over and went on the slip n' slide and had a water balloon fight. They each made their own flower clips for their hair and Bennett chose to have snow cones instead of a cake and ice cream.
After that our family went out to dinner to Red Robin then over to the carnival for some rides. Poor little Roo got home and the Red Robin dinner didn't stay in her belly too long after those crazy rides. :(


Bennett on the Slip N' Slide


All the Girls


Addy, Bennett & McKell enjoying their snow cones


McKell, Addy, Bennett, Pieper & Avery with their leis and flower hair clips that they made - aren't they all so cute?!


Bennett taking her new ride for a spin

Today she had a Birthday party over at Grandma Jeanine's house with all of her cousin's. They cooked her a delicious dinner and she got to play with her cousins. Bennett is such a fun loving little girl and a delight to have around the house. Happy Birthday sweetie!! We love you!


Bennett opening her gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Ottesen


Roo & her new iDog

Here are a few things about Bennett:

**She loves to dance and sing everywhere she goes**
**She is a little fish and loves to swim or play in the water any chance she gets**
**She loves jewelry and make-up and anything girly**
**She loves all of her friends and little cousins and would play ALL THE TIME if we would let her**
**She loves to be a mother to both her baby brother and her big brother (I think Jordan might appreciate it more than Taylor for some reason)**
**She loves the Disney Channel. some of her favorites are: Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life on Deck, and she is really starting to like Sonny With a Chance she recently told me**
**She enjoys doing arts and crafts**
**She has sensitive little feelings and a BIG heart**

Jordan's Blessing

Okay so I am obviously behind in my blogging since being without a computer for so long as well as adjusting to life with my sweet baby and his sleeping schedule. You will all have to forgive me for a while but I will be occasionally posting old events/information until I feel all "caught up" if you will.

One of the bigger events that occurred was Jordan's baby blessing. It was such an exciting and busy day for my family. My step-sister Stacie was blessing her little baby Jessie, my oldest nephew Taylor received the priesthood that morning, and then Jordan's blessing was that afternoon.

Jordan had many wonderful friends and family members here to give him love and support on this special day. I want to thank all of you for the extra effort you made to come and share this with us. Thank you to all of the priesthood holders who were able to surround this precious little boy and especially to my wonderful husband who gave such an amazing blessing that brought tears to my eyes.

Here are lots of pics for your viewing pleasure...



Jordan in his blessing outfit





























Mommy & Baby J












Grandpa & Grandma Broxton











Grandpa & Grandma Dastrup came in from Washington














Great Grandma Ottesen


















Grandma Ottesen (Grandpa was at your blessing but he had to go back out to his cows before I could get a picture)










Our kiddos















Aunt Courtney and some crazy guy...just kidding, Uncle Drew



Jair, Renee & Annika came from St. George; they are like family to us...we love you!






Uncle Billy & Aunt Madeline










Our Fam














and lots of other friends and family!























































I love this picture! This was after I had changed Jordan out of his outfit and Renee and I were playing picture time with the babies. Annika has Jordan by the collar and he's looking at me like "put your camera down and come help me"!