... that Jas was 20 months!

Jas is extremely needy a huge cuddlebug!

She usually prefers to be leaning on us,

 

In our arms,

 

Or perched on top of us.

When mom and dad aren't around, cuddling babies is an acceptable alternative.

Sometimes we can distract her with a book or a baba

But that only lasts so long before she is clamoring all over us for attention again. I love this stinky baby! Someone asked me the other day if she is a momma's girl or a daddy's girl, and I honestly couldn't say one or the other. Her most recent favorite is to sit on the couch with one parent and then pat the couch on the other side of her until the other parent completes the Jazzy Sandwich.

She is getting so big and tall now!!! People make fun of me all the time when they see me still trying to carry her around. Daddy did her first big girl ponytail one day and suddenly, she's just not a baby anymore!!!!!!! *ugly crying*

I love my Jazzy!!!!!!!!!!

... that we love Auntie Kaari?

Kar brought her camera with her so that we could take some family pictures, and then took individual family pics for anyone who wanted them too! #allthehearteyes

Some noteworthy commentaries on this lovely photo shoot:

1. Jas was in a VERY bad mood (probably because she was starving)

2. She was only happy if she was holding rocks in both her hands or running around

3. She hit me very hard in the face with said rocks right at the beginning of this shoot

4. Every time I picked her up, her boots covered my dark jeans with dust

5. One of her rubber bands burst and we didn't have a spare to fix it (thankfully you can't tell)

6. She threw multiple crying fits and I finally said "enough" when she sat down in the dust and completely destroyed her outfit.

Thanks Kar for editing out the crazy! Love my family!!!!!

... that it was Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

Kelly loves Utah so much that she talked mom and dad into having Thanksgiving in St George this year! They rented out a big house in LaVerkin so that we could all stay together and it was so fun. Jas was pretty good in the car, but is getting older and learning what "boredom" is now, so she needed a little more entertaining than usual. But once we were there with cousins, aunts and uncles, NaNa, Grampus, and AhTa, she was happy as could be!

So much food, fun, games, laughing, talking, kissing, fighting, hugging, and playing.
Not enough sleeping.
Too much waking up in the night.

We love Thanksgiving!!!!!

... that we went to the cabin?

Mom and Dad finally fulfilled their dream of buying a cabin! We missed the first family trip to the cabin, so we got a special invitation to spend a night with mom and dad all to ourselves! We had a great time and the cabin is awesome!

Cute, cozy, and plenty of deer to keep us company. Not too long of a drive, hidden in the beautiful mountains, but close enough to town to be super convenient.

Thanks for the invite Mom and Dad! We love the cabin!!!

... that I'm finally learning about Jas' hair?

I have been meaning to ask someone who knows what they are doing give me some real tips on how to braid and care for Jas' hair. For the past 18 months. #facepalm.

There are a few teachers at Jas' daycare who have done Jas' hair or talked to me about it, and I finally set up a time to take her to one of the teacher's house so that I could watch her braid Jas' hair. And it was not as terrible an experience as I would have thought. #thankgoodnessforMoana.

With the help of Moana, toys, hairclips, and a Dum Dum that I later had to wash out of my hair, we finally had some super cute braids with only a minimal amount of tears.

While she braided, Jas' teacher gave me all kinds of tips on techniques, products, and hair care. She taught me about hair growth and change, and confirmed that Jas needed a hair cut to remove all of her damaged baby hair. When I got home, I ordered a lot of products and called Kelly to ask her if she thought I was crazy for wanting to cut her hair myself. I know Jas' hair better than anyone, and once her teacher pointed out the dead ends, I could tell exactly where it needed to be trimmed. Kell gave me a supportive "Go for it!" and that was all I needed. A week later, I took her braids out, washed her hair, and cut all the dead ends off, and it has made a WORLD of difference. With all her dead baby hair cut off, her hair is strong, healthy, and so much less tangled! She actually liked having her hair in braids, and I am less worried that her hair is getting damaged. I finally feel like I am really learning how to care for her hair and it makes me feel like a better mom.

Jas' teacher also told us that we need to protect her hair while she sleeps, so we bought her a "sleep cap."

It protects her hair from rubbing while she sleeps, keeps her braids from fraying, holds in moisture, and provides endless amounts of entertainment.

I love this baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

... that things were looking up?

November started off on a great note. I was still riding that Halloween high, the weather was nice, the holidays were just around the corner, and I was just feeling good. Working on our costumes had gotten me all excited about sewing again, and while I was in the groove, I grabbed three dresses that have been sitting in my closet for a LONG time and altered them all so that I could finally wear them. Yay for "new" clothes! I also pulled out a jumpsuit that I bought probably three years ago and finally fixed the plunging neckline with a cross body zipper and I love it!

This jumper has literally been halfway torn apart in my closet for three years because I was too intimidated to try to fix the neckline. But in a burst of inspiration, I decided to throw a zipper on it and it turned out just how I imagined! Then I embarrassed myself, Matt, and all of our neighbors by asking Matt to take pictures of me in it. And he did, because he is an #instagramhusband. I love to sew!

Also at the end of October, Matt and I decided that we felt like it was time for a career change for him. We have loved the firm that he has been working with, and they have given him invaluable experience over the last 5 years. But we decided it was time for him to look for new opportunities to move his career forward and take care of our family. We fasted and prayed to ask Heavenly Father to help us know if this was a path He wanted us to take... and the next day Matt got a call from a firm in Salt Lake asking him to interview for a job that he hadn't even applied for. He had been recommended as a replacement for someone that he had worked with in another capacity a few years ago, and they wanted to know if he could start right away. Now if that isn't a directly miraculous answer to prayers... I don't know what is.

He went in a few days later for his interview, and had an offer a few days after that. We celebrated that night with a family date night at Market Street.



We have really been so blessed when we try to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do! Like it says in the scriptures, He prepares a way for us to accomplish His work.

Here's to a future that's looking bright!!!