Merry Christmas...

To all our friends and family, we love you and hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Back in the Game...

So it's been awhile... I get it... Needless to say it has been an eventful couple of months. Because it has been so long, what used to be simple "blogging" has turned into a seriously daunting task... there are just too many pictures/stories to "recap" in one, let alone three or four, entries. As a result, I give you the following... my favorite pictures from the last couple of months and even better, a promise to blog more consistently and frequently in the future. Enjoy!



The kids bouncing on my knee during our Mortensen Family Reunion back in September.



Max as "Max" from Where the Wild Things Are... his first halloween...



Reesey on her way to church...



Reese and I at the Zoo celebrating her second birthday... such a big girl...



Matt and the Duke at Yosemite... such a gorgeous backdrop (and the models aren't that bad looking either!)

Summer Days...

Thought we would give you a few photos of the kiddies... we just got back from visiting family up north... we have been trying to spend as much time at the beach as possible... enjoy!





think she was tired?






don't judge...




good big sister...

New Addition...

Welcome to the family little Singer! I am so excited because I have wanted a serger for a while and now I finally have one! I am looking for any and all advice I can get on how to operate this thing. Thinking about taking a class but don't know if it's worth it since this is a hand me down. Do I know how to use it?.. No. Do I know how to thread it?.. No. Am I excited for my next project?.. You betcha.

Three Years...

... and still counting! Three years ago this man made me the happiest woman! I can't believe it has only been three years and we already have done so much. Thank you for making me laugh every day... thank you for Reese and Max... thank you for being so good looking... thank you for loving me... love you babe.

Disneyland...Beach...Blessing

The last week has gone by in a flash. It started out on a high... Reese and her boyfriend Tanner went on a romantic date to Disneyland. Sparks flew as they watched the Playhouse Disney show, and the relationship kicked into overdrive when they shared a delicious dinner of Puffs, apple slices and Cheetos (the dinner of champions)! I don't know how Reese learned to open mouth kiss, but she loves planting big ones on Tanner... so stinkin' cute. It was so fun to go with the Davis' because we were able to switch off watching the kids and going on rides. I FINALLY rode the Tower of Terror with Matt for the first time... I LOVED it!!!!! And I swear that I have never heard Matt scream that high before... hilarious!
Next, we had all of our family come in town for Max' blessing. A bunch of us went to the beach and it was so fun to watch Reese and her cuz Evelyn play together. They both loved charging the waves and playing on the huge sand piles by the lifeguard stations. Sadly, the out of towners (Heidi!) weren't able to handle the sun as well as the rest of us... oh well, everyone needs to start with a base burn? right??
Finally, we blessed little Max on Sunday. Matt did an awesome job and the Duke didn't even make a peep! It was so hard to find a little outfit to put him in that didn't scream white polyester, so inspired by my friend Dana, I made him these little pants! My first pair of pants and I thought they turned out pretty cute! I also sewed the "m" on his onesie over the Gap bear... to make it a little more personal. But one of the cutest things was that Reese fell asleep within the first 10 minutes of church. She was so fussy because with all the family in town we didn't put her down for a nap before church, so by the time we got there she was pooped!!!! Thanks to Heidi for putting her to sleep.... she loves her Aunt Heidi!
An awesome week... thanks to all our friends and family who came down and participated. We love you all!








Reese in here Daddy's shirt... a make shift sun dress post ocean dip!



Max is like three times the size of his younger cuz Jaxon... but he is only a month older!





Sleepy Girl!

Reasons Why...

Just when I think that I am going to lose my mind, Reese does something beyond adorable with Max and the slate is wiped clean!
Chaos is a good word to describe certain times during my day, but the good things like Reesey kissing Max, Max sleeping 9 hours at night, or Reese wanting to cuddle and hug me totally make everything worth while.



Matt snapped this picture of Reese holding Max on the couch. She had just finished her favorite thing to eat in the whole world (graham crackers) and was no doubt watching Madagascar... so she was completely pacified! Not a great angle for Max, but I love the little smirk on Reesey's face...



Reese loves wearing my sunglasses, and of course I let her because I think she looks hilarious in my enormous shades. We call her sunglasses her "sunnies" and my only wish is that she would keep them on longer than 15 seconds...

Time Flies...

I can't believe our little Duke is six weeks old! He is getting so big and already growing out of some of his newborn clothes! A few weeks ago, my beautiful and very talented cousin Shari took some pics of Max... she did an amazing job and I absolutely love them. During his photo shoot, Reese and Matt were playing out in the back... that statement alone should worry some of you (for those of you that know Matt). Let's just say that he turned the hose on, and the rest is history. Thank you Shari for capturing these moments! A day in the life...

The Happiest Place On Earth...

So we took Reesey to Disneyland this week, and it is so cute to see her get excited over it. She went to the Playhouse Disney show and was completely in awe of all the characters. I sat with her in the audience while Matt and Max sat on the side, and I kept looking over at Matt to see if he could see her reaction to the show. She was jumping, singing and she absolutely loved when the bubbles dropped from the ceiling. I have a feeling that this will be a regular activity for us when we go there! Here are a few of our favorite pics that we took of our little Reesey Goose...

It's Only A Matter Of Time...

... before Matt sees this post and either makes me take it off the blog, or laughs horribly at me (you know the point your finger, throw your head back kind of laugh). The reason why I am telling you this, is because I, myself, find it very funny and can attribute all of my actions to the emotions of becoming a mother of two! So, Matt gave me an iTunes gift card recently and the other night I caught myself trying to catch up on "the latest" music in an effort to break out of the bubble I have been living in for the last three weeks. As I was perusing, I came upon this song... listened to the short teaser provided... discovered that I can be brought to tears in a matter of seconds... then purchased the song. The picture below speaks for itself (as does the current song on my playlist)... don't judge me.

Mr. Bunny...

Reese came home from church on Sunday to find that Mr. Bunny had come and left her a basket full of presents! What do you get a 16 month old at Easter?... We tried hard to put together a basket that she would love to come home to, but when all was said and done all she really wanted were the Easter eggs filled with candy! Atta girl! I failed to get some pictures of the setup before Reese came in and tore her basket apart... but here are a few pics from her egg hunt in the backyard.

On a side note, Max continues to grow like a weed (Matt is keeping his fingers crossed that he will be six feet or taller... he really wants a collegiate athlete in the family!) and Reese is showing more and more affection towards him. Below, I have included a picture of her sharing her Easter Bunny with him... that thing is bigger than he is! Hope you all had a great Easter weekend!

The Duke...

Finally! Here are some of the much requested pictures of our little Max. We came home from the hospital on Monday and have been staying busy ever since! Life with two kids is definitely different, but I am loving it! Initially, Reese completely ignored Max... she pretended that he wasn't even in the room. But after only a few days, she has become absolutely enthralled with him! She gives him kisses and hugs, and she pushes her stuffed animals around in her doll stroller like they are her babies! How cute is that?!?! Enjoy the pictures!





Matt's Game Face...



"You mean he's staying?!?!!?"

Maxwell Duke Jones...

Maxwell Duke Jones was born Friday, April 3rd at 3:24 pm. Weighing in at a whomping 8 lbs. 12 oz., and measuring 21 inches, we definitely have a football player on our hands! He has a full head of hair and the longest feet ever! We are all doing well and very grateful for c-sections! Pictures are to come...

San Francisco...

So Matt decided to surprise me with a trip to San Francisco Valentine's Day Weekend. Do I have the greatest husband or what? We left Reese with my parents (my first time being away from her!) and we took the city by storm. We had the best weather the entire time we were there (almost impossible if you've ever been to SF) and it was so good to get away before little Jr. gets here. I keep pinching myself that he will be here before we know it and that I have SO much to do before then. Anyone who knows me knows that I pretty much "nest" whether I am pregnant or not... so it is especially bad these last few weeks of my pregnancy. I have a million projects all going on at once, and my creative/organized mind seems to constantly be running! Oh well... it's the final countdown and I couldn't be more excited... wait... scared... wait... no, excited. Here are a few of our favorite pics from our weekend in San Francisco...