The Jones Family

June Bug...

2011-06-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

June is almost over... It is both my favorite and busiest month of the year. We have what I like to call "The Gauntlet," which is a combo of our wedding anniversary, Matt's birthday and Father's Day... all within days of each other. Why did I insist on being a June Bride?!?! Why?!?!?

Reese and Max are getting so big. I don't have babies anymore... they are like tiny adults who follow me around all day. Reese is seriously turning into my little best friend. We do everything together and she is such a good little errand runner! (Max, on the other hand, is the worst!) Today, I gave her a mani/pedi and was thinking why I don't pamper myself in this same way. She loves to dress herself, and I use the word "dress" very specifically because you will not catch her in anything but a skirt or dress and most preferably in a tutu!

The kids love wrestling with each other which is cute for about two minutes and then I usually have to intervene because someone is inevitably going to get a foot in the eye, etc... but they love it. Max is starting to talk to me in full sentences... but sometimes he will look at me and say an entire sentence that only he understands... it is so cute. We also call him our little engineer (among several other nick names) because he is fascinated in how things work. How are these wheels turning? How is the horse on this merry go round going up and down, etc. He definitely gets his intelligence from the Jones side of the family!

Anyway, here is a small selection of our family's latest pics. Including Memorial Day, Disneyland and a couple of randoms.

twenty eleven

2011-05-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while... I get it.

When choosing which pictures of the kids I wanted to post, I came across a lot of the following:

...Reese and Max jumping/wrestling in rain puddles
...Max smacking mine or Matt's face while we are trying to tell him to say "cheese"... we let him because he is laughing while doing this and his smile is so adorable... although Matt and I look ridiculous
...Reese at soccer aggressively kicking the ball into the net... while holding her princess water bottle (which somehow makes her less of a threat)
...the kids at the beach, where they are their happiest
...the kids hanging out in the back of our Yukon... for some reason they can spend forever back there
...Reese asleep in the most unusual places... standing up leaning against the couch, sitting in the chair with her hand in her bowl of grapes, and naked {my personal favorite}

So, we decided to go with the beach shots. Some our from this weekend and the rest form weekends past, but they all show how big my little babies are getting. I hope to show more soon...

Better Late Than Never...

2010-11-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

So our Halloween wasn't extremely eventful... a little candy and a lot of crying! Reese, up until ten minutes before this video was taken, REFUSED to put her Little Bo Peep costume on. Even though for the last month, whenever anyone asked her what she was going to be for Halloween, it was always "Bo Peep," and Max was always going to be "Buzz." Well the eleventh hour came along and after bribes ranging from cookies to a pony, I finally just put her in it. Of course she screamed, but as soon as our friends saw her in it and told her how beautiful she looked... she was a changed woman... couldn't have been happier.

The Duke, on the other hand, was stoked out of his mind to put on a Buzz costume. Since his first word was "Buzz" (that's just an example of good parenting!) It only seemed natural that he should don the appropriate attire. Fast forward to ten minutes into the Halloween party that night, and Max falling into the kiddie pool that was set up as a ring toss station. A wardrobe change and many tears later, we finished the night with some good old trick or treating. Happy Halloween!

Mmmmm... Watermelon...

2010-07-11T18:41:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to our local farm and took a tour... if I could sum up the whole experience in one word, it would be... Delicious! I've never tasted better produce and it was all organic and seriously JUST picked from the vine. The kids were troopers too! They loved the whole wagon ride, and Max gnawed on a carrot for almost an hour. Reese and Matt tied for eating the most watermelon (personal contest... no other participants!) and I loved getting the kids out on a gorgeous day. I seriously love summer time...

Summer Twenty Ten

2010-07-02T15:52:00.001-07:00

Ok... so it's been a while. I'm not very good at this blogging thing (how many years now have I had this?). In any event, we have had a very busy summer. The most important thing being that Reese is now potty trained!!!! Well... she has been now for over a month... but I am loving it! One baby in diapers is so much easier than two. We have been making a lot of trips to the beach... both kids are fearless and seriously charge the waves (pictures to come). Visiting family up north... having visitors come to us... And Matt and I were able to go away without the kids! If I'm lucky... my next post will be in the near future... as opposed to this Fall... we shall see.

Birthday Boy...

2010-04-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that our little Max is one year old!!!! We had an awesome birthday weekend with friends and family and I know that he loved every minute of it. Reese was such a good big sister and didn't complain once about the special attention we gave to Max. The fact that we bought her presents for Max' birthday helped smooth things over... now she is going to think she gets presents on everyones birthday... we are creating a monster! Anyway, on his birthday we took him to the beach where both he and Reese totally got tagged by waves... clothing was optional towards the end of our time there! Max is on the verge of walking, but would rather speed crawl around so he can keep up with his big sis. He has the sweetest disposition and totally lets Reese maul and body slam him to the ground... she loves to wrestle. Max is already a chatterbox and crawls around saying "hi" and "wow"... its hilarious. I think he is going to be a lot like Matt... he's very laid back and happy (let's hope he gets his dad's sense of humor too!). He is such a good boy and we love him to pieces. Happy Birthday Bubba!

You Say Potato, I Say Potahto...

2010-01-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

Our ham...

Refuses to even look at the camera (unless you catch her completely off guard, or hide the camera in some way!)

Stealing the show again...

Our Big Nine Month Old...

2010-01-08T21:30:00.001-08:00

... and I mean BIG! The Duke is weighing in at a whomping 23 lbs. these days!!! I swear my left bicep now twitches at the end of the day because he is such a chunk to lug around! Max talks ALL day long... and usually he's yelling at me. The boy has some pipes and it is so cute to hear him discover the new sounds that he can make. I absolutely love making him laugh! He is so easy to please and thinks the funniest thing around the house is his sister. He is so laid back and just happy whenever anyone gives him some quality one on one time (a rare thing when you have a two year old diva in the house!). We love him to pieces, and I especially cannot wait until he walks... so my poor arms and back will finally have a much needed break! We love you bubba!

Merry Christmas...

2009-12-22T23:28:00.001-08:00

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

Back in the Game...

2009-12-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-08-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-07-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-06-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

... 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

2009-06-12T22:42:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-05-31T23:03:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-05-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

... 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...

2009-04-13T19:30:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-04-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-03-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

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...

Naked Cowgirl...

2009-02-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

It has seriously been too long. So much has happened and I promise a more thorough update is to come. In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of our little naked cowgirl... she is getting so big!

Man Post III: I've Been Tagged!

2008-12-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

It was only a matter of time people. The people cruising the internets want to know what's going through this guys head and what's been going on with his life so here we go, lets get to your questions.

#1 How old is your daughter? Funny that would be a tagged question. Reese turned 1 on November 26th and we have just been slackers posting about her birthday. Reese is the greatest thing on earth. Anyone who has seen her chubby cheeks knows what i'm talking about. Reese is so much fun and is on the verge of walking if she learns to walk in the next few weeks she will have beaten me by a few years. My mom says I was just content how I was.

#2 Have you ever been to the happiest place on earth? Yes, I've been to Hucks Hoagies at Lake Winnepisake (spell check?) and had the Philly Cheese with extra cheese, so yes, I have. We also recently took Reese to Disneyland for the first time with her cousins Amelia and Kendall and they had so much fun together. Reese's favorite ride was on the Dumbo ride and Small World. My favorite ride was the corn dog stand that dips the hot dogs in funnel cake batter. It was a fun day Reese loved it and conked out before we even left the park.

#3 Have you ever gone to New York? I'll tell you what whoever tagged me is just dialed in. Yes, in fact we just got back from there. We went to visit my sister Becky who is moving to London. We love New York and we are sad Becky is moving to London. We had a great time and got to see a lot of things and some old friends who live in the city as well. Reese's favorite part was playing in her aunt Becky's windowsill. I know what you are wondering and don't worry my consecutive days streak in the city and eating a slice of New York pizza is still intact. One highlight of our trip was discovering Levan Bakery their cookies are amazing and we will definitely be going back.

#4 What is the status of my awesomeness and facial hair? Both are at all time highs. I've never looked more homeless.

#5 What is the status of my marriage due to the the status of #4? Shakey

Well it was way overdue but being tagged really helped get this Man Post done. I feel bad I didn't focus more on our recent birthday girl because she really is so much fun and brings this guy (picture me pointing both of my thumbs at myself) so much joy. We want to wish everyone a happy holiday season and we hope to see as many of you as we can, as soon as we can. Mostly to show off the facial hair. Please don't forget to comeback when I do Man Posts favorite things and Bullshark's book club. Once again happy holidays and Merry Christmas from the Jones'.

Boy, Oh Boy...

2008-11-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

You guessed it! We are expecting a little boy! We are completely beside ourselves and extremely excited to bring a boy into the mix. I can't lie, I am a little nervous because I don't have any boy clothes, no boy toys, and the nursery is painted purple right now... but we have a couple of months to prepare! Matt can't wait for another man to be in the house and I know he is counting down the days until he can throw the pigskin around with him. No names yet (trust me, we are working on it!) but I definitely want to get this little tyke named as soon as possible. Matt has suggested the name Thor...

Trick or Treat...

2008-11-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

For Reese's first Halloween she was a scary kitty cat... just kidding. She was the cutest kitty cat I have ever seen (sorry Heidi, but I didn't see Evelyn in her costume yet!) We took her to the Trunk or Treat the week before and she loved seeing all the kids dressed up. I was so proud of her for keeping her little ears on all night and she didn't even fuss when I painted the whiskers on her face! Such a good girl! On the actual night of Halloween, we were the worst parents in the world and we took our daughter to the Clippers v. Nuggets game. Thanks to her Uncle Brad she was able to experience the NBA from five rows back! I hope one day she will look back and thank us for such an opportunity! She ended up just sleeping on me the entire game, poor thing, she was pooped!

Getting ready for her big night out!

Getting into some trouble...

The finished product!

Three's A Crowd...

2008-10-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

...So why not add one more to the mix? You guessed it!!! We are expecting baby number two and couldn't be more excited about it! We are due April 8 (strategically planned, I might add, for two days after my own birthday! I don't want to spend my birthday in the hospital!) Reese is looking forward to being a big sister and showing the little one all the ropes. For example: 1) mom is the bad cop and dad is the good cop; and 2) you can get anything you want from dad as long as you look at him in just the right way! We are definitely finding out what we are having, and should know in a few weeks... updates to follow!

Ten Months and Counting...

2008-09-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Our little Reesey will be ten months tomorrow! Not a big deal? Well, we are pretty excited about making it this far. We love our baby girl... and here are ten reasons why she makes us happy every day:

1. Her smile. Now I know this sounds totally cheesy, but this girl smiles as wide as her mouth will let her, only to reveal that at ten months there are still NO teeth! So sad...

2. When she talks like a duck. This is a new one that I think she has derived from when I play with her and "growl" at her. It is the cutest thing because she really sounds like Donald Duck.

3. When she talks to herself. I love waking up and hearing, through the monitor, her talking to her snuggle bunny in her crib... just waiting for mom and dad to come and get her!

4. She likes to cuddle. Correction... she LOVES to cuddle, especially with her daddy in the morning.

5. She drinks out of my cup. Even when her sippy is right in front of her she wants to drink out of my cup. Yesterday, I caught her trying to drink out of this toy fish bowl that she has... no luck.

6. Her giggle. In direct correlation to her smile... it's contagious!

7. She is a good sleeper. Enough said.

8. She gets excited when I put any kind of food in front of her. I mean look at her, the girl likes to eat!

9. The obvious... her rolls. If you haven't seen them then you are in for a serious treat. Her legs have so many rolls on them that some of them get tucked away in her diaper... so cute!

10. Her sass! That, I have to admit... she gets from me... lucky girl!

Utah...

2008-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from our trip to Utah... It was so good to see all the nieces and nephews play together! We had fun going to the pool, the Hogle Zoo, going up to Brighton and walking around (it is gorgeous up there this time of year!), and eating lots of great food! I will let the pictures speak for the rest of the trip!

The Jones' at Brighton...

Wes, Meg and the kids...

Avery striking an incredible Hannah Montana pose...

Evelyn and Owen...

Reese and Avery wrestling...

Owen playing at the pool...

A random good looking couple at the pool... just kidding it's us!

Summer Days...

2008-07-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

Where have we been? I'm glad you asked... We have had a very busy last couple of weeks. We started our summer by flying up to Redding... beautiful Redding where at this particular time of year the blue, blue skies were lit up with smoke and ash from the neighboring fires! It was pretty hot up there, but we had an awesome Fourth and were with our family so we had a blast. Every night we would stay up super late (the Jones' are night owls...) playing Scrabble, and I have come to two conclusions: 1) I need to brush up on my vocabulary, and 2) I can't play Scrabble with Matt anymore... he is seriously so good and I am a competitive person who hates to lose... a dangerous combination!
After that, Matt and I went to see Wicked. I LOVED it! It was our first endeavor into broadway together and I was so glad that Matt enjoyed it too! He even said that he got goose bumps after the first act! Matt got us the tickets for our two year anniversary (thanks Aubrey!) and it was so nice to have a little date night. A huge thanks goes out to our good friends Kori and Brad for watching Reese while we were out... you guys are the best!
Then it was up to Fresno to hang out with the Mortensen crew. Reese loves her cousin Evelyn so much. I can just see it in her eyes when they played together. She would follow Evelyn around and play with all of her toys. My favorite was their bath time together. As you can see Evelyn was a little freaked out sharing her tub with someone else, but Heidi and I were loving it.
When we came home, we had tickets to Coldplay that same night so despite being pretty tired from our travels we headed back up north to see them in L.A. Our second time seeing them and and we were not disappointed. An amazing show, awesome seats, and again another incredible date night with my honey (thank you Bex and Ammon for watching our little peanut). Matt teases me because the entire concert I was holding my phone checking to see if Becky was trying to get a hold of me needing something for Reese... so I'm a little attached to my daughter. You would be too if she were as cute as mine!
So we are having an incredible summer, and hope you are too!

Good Morning!

2008-07-09T11:54:00.001-07:00

More pics to come, we had an awesome Fourth of July and hope you did as well, but I just had to put up this picture of Reese waking up in the morning... I love this little girl!

Our Little Girl is Growing Up...

2008-06-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Reese turned seven months old! I can't believe how big she is getting! She is perfect to me in every way! Right now she just learned how to clap, and her favorite thing to say ALL THE TIME is "dada!" Despite me constantly repeating "mama" to her, she always replies with "dada." I guess it is only fair since I swear that she is almost an exact clone of Matt. She is also becoming a lot more mobile. She looks to be on the verge of crawling, but I think her little buddha belly always gets in the way! My favorite thing to do is get her to smile or laugh. I've done the most ridiculous things for her just to get a giggle out of her! It's amazing the things you do when you become a mom. Next week we are heading up to Redding to see her Nanny and Grandpa for the Fourth of July. Matt and I are really looking forward to heading up there and seeing all the Jones.' We seriously have the happiest baby ever and I am so grateful for her!

Our big girl...

Looking like she is in trouble! I love her curly hair!

Eating butternut squash!

AmyJean Got Married!

2008-06-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends Amy Jean (she loves it when I call her that!) got married last week and I couldn't be happier for her! The wedding was beautiful, despite the warm weather! Amy and I have been friends since High School and I swear that sometimes when we get together, we act as if we were still in High School! It was so good to see some old friends at the wedding and we love her hubby Scott! Here are some of my favorite engagement and wedding pictures...

Matt's Birthday...

2008-06-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

So, I neglected to post on the actual day (June 19th) but we were a little busy that week! My honey turned 29 this year and he continues to get even more and more handsome with each year! We had dinner with a couple of friends the night before to celebrate followed by the after party. I'm sorry to say that there aren't very many pictures, but I was too busy playing the hostess! Happy Birthday Baby! I'm so glad that you were born!

Two Years!

2008-06-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

That's right folks... two years ago this man walked me down the aisle! It's been the happiest two years of my life! Here are some pictures of our wedding day. Happy Anniversary Baby!

To my man...

2008-06-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day Baby! To those of you out there that don't know, this time every year is pretty special to the Jones'. Matt likes to call this week "The Gauntlet" and I like to call it "The Perfect Storm." We have Father's Day, our Anniversary and Matt's birthday all within four days of each other. So this week (along with the other 51 weeks of the year) is about celebrating how wonderful my husband is... To start things out right (and because it is Father's Day) thank you honey for being such an amazing dad to Reese, for without you, she would be a lot more high strung! You are the most perfect man and I love you with all my heart!

Ok, so it's been a while...

2008-06-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy last couple of weeks in the Jones' household and I have neglected updating the blog. The rest of our May was awesome... between friends coming to visit, starting our summer out right by hitting up the beach as often as we can, and making a trip up to Brianhead for Memorial Day weekend we have enjoyed every minute. Here are a few of our favorite pics... More to come...

Reese trying applesauce for the first time... classic...

Puppy Love...

2008-05-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend my sister and her hubby came into town to pick up their new little puppy Maggie. It was so good to see them and their little girl Evelyn, and I can't believe how big she is! Evelyn is walking all over the place and she loved two things this weekend: 1) playing with her favorite cousin Reese (that includes giving her a ton of kisses,) and 2) playing with my red shoes! I can't tell you how many times I found those shoes lying around the house in the most random places!
Little Maggie is an adorable English Lab who wanted nothing better to do than to sleep and kiss everyone all over the face! My favorite was when she got Reese right on the lips and Reese just stood there and took it like a champ! Heidi and Jack, we miss you guys and wish you would come down more often!
p.s. Happy Birthday Wes!

Our little peanut sitting up like a big girl and loving it!

Evelyn giving Reese kisses...

Little Maggie...

Romping through the jungle...

Right on the lips!

Baby girl loving every minute of it...

On the run with Aunt Kay's shoe...

Happy Girls!

Weekend in Utah...

2008-04-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our trip to Utah and we had a blast! Good friends, good food, and a nip in the air can best describe the last five days. While we were there, we took our first Jones Family Photo! A huge thanks to our friend Heidi for taking the time to capture us on film! Here are some of our favorites...

My Best Friend...

2008-04-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have wanted to post about Reese's best friend for some time now... and finally we were given the rare opportunity to take a picture of Mr. Monkey without our daughter having her death grip on him! Here he is... Meet Reese's Best Friend...

I've Been Tagged!

2008-04-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

This is not the first time that this has happened to me, but it is the first time that I am following through! (Sorry Jenny!) Here you go:

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Matt
C-Cake or Pie: Cake (actually pretty much any dessert EXCEPT pie... my least favorite!)
D- Day of Choice: Friday
E- Essential Item: Lotion
F- Favorite Color: Red
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Sour Gummi Worms... I can pound the whole bag... especially when pregnant!
H- Hometown: Fresno, CA (lovingly referred to as "The No")
I- Indulgence(s): Chocolate
J- January or July: July... I love summers at the beach.
L-Life is incomplete without: My hot hubby and my beautiful daughter
M- Marriage Date: June 17, 2006
N- Number of Siblings: 3
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples (but only when they are really, really crisp)
P- Phobias or Fears: Claustrophobia
Q- Quote(s): "Live every week like it's Shark Week"
R- Reason To Smile: Matt doing his Harry Carey impersonation... or whenever Reese smiles.
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Three: Heidi, Megan and Kori
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I eat purple and red skittles on the right side of my mouth, and all other colors on the left. (I know.... don't ask...)
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Matt's Tri-Tip any day... any time
W- Worst Habit: Making lists? I make a list for everything...
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: Chocolate
Z- Zodiac: Aries (in every sense of the word...)

Man post II

2008-03-31T00:09:00.000-07:00

I know I know this has been a long time coming. I know I promised my book review of the historical fiction classic Armageddon. Turns out Armageddon was neither a historical fiction or a book. Since I couldn't give you my review I thought I would at least treat you to the sweet words of Aerosmith. Without having to read a book that gave me some extra time to ponder about my life and after sliding in a slow pitch softball game where I received this badge of honor I really got to thinking and I came to these conclusions. 1. They should sell Cadburry eggs year round 2. I'm going to live every week like it is shark week and 3. This year will be my final year of league sports. At age 30 that's right it is right around the corner I will be officially hanging it up and focusing on my Salem Spring Triathalon career. I know this comes as a shock to many except those who have seen me play sports and thought I should have hung it up a long time ago but to those of you who haven't try to be strong. Parallel to this decision I have also decided to get in the best shape of my life by the time I'm 30 so I will be going out on top. Try and catch one of my games there are only 14 months left to catch this 5'11 253lb blur in action. Thank you and don't worry Kay will be back with a normal blog shortly in the meantime enjoy this beautiful shot of Reese.

How Stinking Cute...

2008-03-04T19:27:00.001-08:00

Okay... so we have had a busy couple of weeks. Most importantly, Reese turned three months old! I can't believe how big she is getting and how fast it is all happening! She loves being on her tummy looking around and she can even roll over onto her back! I have video of it, but I can't figure out how to put it on the blog! Once I do, I will post it... it is adorable. Also, she has started sleeping through the night! We aren't at the 12 hours a night stage but she will sleep 7-8 hours every night... it makes for a very happy mama!

Love is in the Air...

2008-02-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

Matt had two Valentines this year! We had a great day but I am pretty tired. The day started pretty early for us... I made Matt breakfast in bed (he is so spoiled) then for lunch we had a picnic at the beach. Despite chilly weather and some threatening clouds we had a great time! When I picked Matt up from work, I told him to sit in the back with Reese because she had a Valentine's Day surprise for him... (mostly I didn't want her to get a papercut in her mouth from gnawing on the V-Day card around her neck!) He loved it and I knew I needed to document it with a photo!
Then for dinner, Matt and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant in Corona Del Mar, Bandera. A huge thank you goes out to Brad and Kori for watching our baby girl so we could have a night with just the two of us! We owe you guys big time! A filet mignon and banana cream pie later we are all back at home relaxing... trying to get our firecracker of a daughter to go to bed. However, she would much rather stay up and talk to us! All in all a great Valentine's Day and we send out lots of love to our friends and family.

Latest Photo Shoot...

2008-01-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

So our little girl is getting so big! Here are the latest shots from her photo shoot for her announcements. For all of you who have asked, we will be sending them out soon. Reese is so stinking cute and Matt and I can't get enough of her. She has such a personality (she gets that from her dad) and she is so cute (also from her dad)! She is beginning to coo and "talk" to us and I do everything I can to get her to do it. It is the cutest thing to listen to her and I can't wait until she is old enough to actually speak to me! I wonder what she is thinking... but then again, she probably only wonders when her next meal is coming!

Last night we had a few friends over to celebrate her two month birthday which was on Saturday! Those pics will be coming soon! On a sad note, we were devastated to hear of President Hinkley's passing yesterday. Matt and I both loved him and I know that I truly considered him the prophet of our day. He was such an inspiration to me and such and exemplary man... he will be greatly missed.

On the lighter side... Reese will get blessed this Sunday, February 3rd (yes, it is Super Bowl Sunday... I think Matt planned that on purpose!) and we are excited to have all of our good friends and family coming in town to celebrate. More pics to come... We miss you Daddy!

Matt really was building a house!

2008-01-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

Well I finally thought I would show everyone the reason Kay has been a single parent for the past few months. I also wanted to give credibility to our link on Ben and Laura's blog that says Hawaiian home builder. I'm really proud of how this home turned out and it was such an amazing experience to build in the land of my ancestors. I wish I could show more photos and that I was a better photographer. You will notice all of the bedroom shots were taken at the exact same angle. There are a lot of great details to this house and we wanted to have a real inside out feel to this house which you can see in a few photos especially at the master bathroom. It is finally done and I might even start playing a role in my daughters life. I hope you enjoy these shots and stay tuned in a couple of weeks I'm going to be doing a book review on our blog. Ok who am I kidding I'm just going to comment on a movie I watch that is based on a book like Armageddon. I love historical fiction. Enjoy the show. Mahalo.

Happy One Month Birthday!

2007-12-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am a terrible mom... I didn't post pictures of Christmas OR Reese's one month birthday until now! I'm the worst! Here are a choice few of the last week's events. Christmas was awesome and so memorable with our little girl. Her Christmas onesie said "Good things come in small packages..." and she looked adorable in it. She loved opening all of her presents Christmas morning... wait, Matt and I opened all of them for her and don't think for a second that just because we bought and wrapped them that we still weren't just as excited! On Christmas Eve, Reese opened her play mat which she completely loves. She has been so much more alert these last two weeks and it is amazing to think how fast she has already grown. She only lasts about 10 minutes or so on the mat before she gets ticked, but her favorite things to look at/play with are the mirror and the giraffe. Christmas morning for Matt and I was just as fun as it was for Reese. My sweet husband spoils me rotten (but who is complaining?!) and we enjoyed spending the rest of the day with the Jones family. Thanks for coming down guys!

On Wednesday the 26th, it was officially Reese's one month birthday! What better way to celebrate it than with Sprinkles Cupcakes! Although, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't enjoy my favorite cupcake... dark chocolate, as I am abstaining from chocolate until Reese gets a little older. She has a tiny sensitive stomach, little cutie. My consolation, however, was a close second. I loved the pumpkin cupcake and highly recommend it! We spent the day walking on the beach and we had a nice lunch with Matt's parents. Our little girl is an angel and she is treating Matt and I very well. We sleep well at night and she only cries when she is hungry or when her mom accidentally eats onions... Matt and I can't complain. Finally, on Friday we went to the Lakers game with our friends Brad and Kori. Who could turn down box seats?! We had a blast and baby girl was well behaved the entire time. It's nice to get out and hang out with friends even after you've had a baby. It makes you feel like you haven't changed despite the addition to the family. I look back at my life and can't believe how much has happened in the last two years. I have never been happier and I can thank Matt (and now Reese) for all of it. Matt, Reese and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Heart to Heart...

2007-12-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

So I hope no one gets sick of pictures of Reese... she is just too cute to ignore and I can't believe how much she has grown! Matt is out of town again so Reese and I are getting to know each other really well. Last night, for example, we had a long heart to heart from 12 am to 3 am when she decided she didn't want to go to bed! She wasn't too fussy, but she just wanted to stay up and be rocked by mom all night. Needless to say I am a little tired! Matt comes home Friday night and I can't wait!

Her First Bath...

2007-12-07T13:02:00.001-08:00

So guess who likes bath time!!!! Reese loves sitting in the bath and getting clean. It's like a little baby hot tub for her! Now the title of this post is a little misleading. We did bathe her in the hospital but this was her first bath at home. Life with Reese is totally different than before... but everyone tells you that right? I now live on a three hour schedule... everything that needs to get done has a three hour timeline before she needs to eat again. Let's just say that I am adjusting. Thanks to all of you who are keeping us in your thoughts. And thanks to all of you who have stopped by to spoil our little girl... she loves visitors! And don't worry... there will be more pictures of our little pumpkin... she is just too cute!

And Reese Makes Three..

2007-12-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

You guessed it! She is finally here! Reese Ashley Jones was born on Monday, November 26 at 7:51 am. She was 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 inces with a full head of dark hair. We had her via c-section after an hour and a half of pushing. Her head was too big... she takes after her father in that respect! Both Reese, Matt and I are doing great and enjoying being home. Dad is on diaper duty (since he had never changed a diaper in his life until his own daughters!) and we are adjusting to our new life. While in the hospital, little baby girl gave us a bit of a scare... she was a little jaundice and so needed to be put under light therapy for 24 hours. Basically, she needed to get a tan! I hated seeing her in that incubator. It was the hardest thing for me to put her in there because she didn't like it at all and cried constantly. However, now she has been given a clean bill of health and we could not be more relieved.

Apologies go out to all who tried to get a hold of me on my cell this past week. It conveniently died just before we left for the hospital and I could not find my charger! If I haven't already, I will be calling each and everyone of you back! In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of our little sweetheart and know that for Matt and I it was love at first sight!

The Final Countdown...

2007-11-15T17:00:00.001-08:00

Ok... so here we are less than two weeks from our due date and Matt and I are dying to have our baby girl! I was going to just post the picture of my enormous belly and have "The Final Countdown" playing in the background, but then I felt that I would be neglecting my blogging responsibilities! Yesterday I realized that my hormones are really beginning to take control. We found out that Matt needed to fly to Hawaii one last time before baby girl gets here, so he flew out last night and he gets back on Saturday morning. I had a bit of a meltdown but have since recovered and now I am focusing on my nesting. I am cleaning everything in the house, then organizing, then re-cleaning and I am finding it all very therapeutic! My whole family is coming down for Thanksgiving and I couldn't be more excited! I just hope baby Reese is here to share in all the fun. So hopefully the next post will have pictures or our little one... but at least you don't have to read about the Santa Ana Winds anymore... (Heidi!)

The Santa Ana Winds...

2007-10-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ok... Matt's in Hawaii and I am cooped up at home listening to parts of palm trees break off and hit my windows... I hate the Santa Ana winds! I had never heard of these before until I moved down to HB a couple of years ago. When people first told me about them I thought they were completely crazy! I thought that just because it couldn't be 70 degrees and gorgeous all the time the locals down here conjured up this urban legend of a gust of wind that terrorizes inhabitants of Southern California. It seemed, at first, that around the same time each year people would begin to blame everything on the Santa Ana winds... if it was weather related or not. They were late to work: "it was the Santa Ana winds..." traffic on the 405 was bad: "it was the Santa Ana winds..." their baby won't sleep through the night... so on and so forth. However, the veil has been lifted and I have now become a believer! My front door step is covered in debris and as I previously mentioned, things keep flying and hitting my windows... I hate the Santa Ana winds.

New York! New York!

2007-10-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

So for our last hoorah Matt and I went to visit our sweet sister Becky in Manhattan. We had a blast! It was our last trip before our little girl arrives and we enjoyed every second of it. It was so awesome to be able to walk around the city all day, and stay up all night eating at the best restaurants. Becky showed us such a good time... Thanks Beck! Here is a taste of our trip... each picture has its own caption but some of the highlights were:

1) Becky got us into the Nicole Miller show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week! It was my first and probably my last fashion show but it was ridiculously cool to be there for the experience. In the pictures of the actual runway, you can see Ivana Trump, Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock and Nigel Barker from America's Next Top Model! We also saw Eve and Jay Manuel (again from America's Next Top Model). Definitely an experience I will never forget... Thanks Beck!

2) The Yankees Game! We sat among the most hilarious group of Yankees fans... let's just say the New Yorker's personality was in full effect with these guys. We couldn't stop laughing the entire game, and plus... the Yankees won!

3) Two more of my favorite places... Mood Fabric (from Project Runway) and even more importantly, Max Brenner. If you enjoy chocolate as much as I do, then you need to go to Max Brenner. EVERYTHING is chocolate! We had to roll ourselves home after that experience.

4) The Met... The Brooklyn Bridge... Times Square... (even better, Times Square with my friend Cameron!)... Central Park... We did it all, and our celebrity sightings continued. Matt literally ran into Usher on the street outside of Radio City Music Hall, we saw Lele Sobieski at Bubby's in Tribeca, everyone at the fasion show... the list goes on!

Needless to say, we had an absolutely fabulous time in New York and made some memories that we will never forget. Becky we are looking forward to bringing baby Reese with us next year and thanks again for showing us such a good time. Tell Oates, Kevin and the Swede that we miss them!

Man post

2007-10-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

Turns out my credibility has come into question ever since I was dragged to the french movie in New York. Well folks you're wrong. A picture says a thousand words. Same old me. Still watching Will Ferrel eating only red meat and desserts and not using punctuation. Just checking in with a man post.

La Vie En Rose

2007-09-12T20:23:00.001-07:00

I have to tell you how amazing this movie is! Matt and I went to see "La Vie En Rose" at the famous Paris Theater in New York City and I just fell in love with this movie. It was a fascinating depiction of the French singer Edith Piaf. Going into it, I didn't know any of the history behind her career or how difficult her life really was. If you enjoy foreign films, I highly recommend seeing this one. Marion Cotillard plays the lead role and she did an outstanding job. After seeing it, we can't stop singing these beautiful French classics!

We're Baaaaack!

2007-09-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Never thought you would see us here eh? Well believe it. We're back, and we are sprucin up the blog in an attempt to stay on top of it. So please... STOP BUGGING US! Please enjoy this photograph of us on the Brooklyn Bridge. The rest of our New York trip will come shortly. PS. I'm Pregnant!

Hilarious!

2007-03-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so how funny is the celebrity look alike entry! We were at the Morphy's dying of laughter for hours! Of course, we picked the best ones to post to the blog (even though I look like a smurf) but we did neglect to mention that on another try with Matt's picture he was connected to David Hasselhoff... Matt's hair idol!

You heard it here first folks...just a little over two weeks until my birthday! I know that as most people get older, they like to ignore their turning a year older... but I on the other hand pretty much like to enjoy an entire birthday week! I told Matt last night that he better be grateful for April 6, 1980 because that is the day that I was brought into this world! More posts to come... hopefully detailing all the wonderful events that will happen the first week of April. It should be like a birthday decathalon!

kay3

2007-03-20T19:48:00.001-07:00

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-03-20T19:35:00.001-07:00

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

2007-03-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

Aloha from Matt on the Big Island! With Matt's new job, he is "required" to fly to Hawaii once a month to manage the building on his job site... rough! These are some of the pictures he sent me... rubbing it in my face a little, don't you think? I am so proud of him and happy that he gets to have these awesome experiences.

Work on our house seems to never stop... there is always something that needs to painted, or stripped, or new floors that need to be put in... etc. With Matt gone, I have rolled up my sleeves and really delved into the house projects... ok, so I just repainted the master bathroom, but at least I have contributed. I miss him like crazy and can't wait for him to get home. In the meantime, I have really enjoyed being a morphy!

Baby Evelyn

2007-02-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

Ok... So last weekend Matt and I went up to Fresno for our niece's baby blessing. We had such an awesome time and my baby niece is such a cutie! Her name is Evelyn Paige and she is pretty much the most perfect thing ever. My only job now is to make sure that she is well dressed for the rest of her life! My little sister, Heidi, looks awesome for just having a baby... that's not fair... More pictures of my baby girl are to come...

It's About Time...

2007-01-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

So... It's been a while. I am not very good at this but now that we have a new computer, I can have more fun perfecting my skills! This is a pic of Matt and I at the Apple store... he is so handsome. Anyways, we don't have too much to update the blog with (no babies yet!) but I am happy to start getting in the practice!

To New Beginnings...

2006-09-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is... my first attempt at blogging. Thank you Jenny for all your guidance and support! Matt and I are your typical newlyweds... we stopped working out since we got married and we are traveling out of town every other weekend trying to make the most of our summer. Can I tell you how excited I am that it is almost Fall. My favorite season... the Fall has football games, the best holidays (besides my birthday), and provides the opportunity to wear cute sweaters! I just realized that my hair is siginificantly longer now that it was in this picture. I hope I am not drawing any negative attention to myself. You know the kind... the "she really needs to cut that stringy hair" attention. Oh well, Matt likes it long.