Boys & Toys

Jack, making his "cheese" face for the camera.

The Jasons. That's right, we are both named Jason, both served in the same mission in Russia (at different times) and became neighbors in Provo. And we both own the same .45 ACP Taurus.

Here we are, playing with our new toys. Or, as I like to refer to the little guys, the reason that Heather has carte blanche to do WHATEVER she wants, for like, ever. Yeah, Heather didn't want me to buy this latest addition to the family, but with a new Democrat looming as Commander-in-Chief, I couldn't take a chance......so, there you go.

Jason's List

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (it's probably best if you DON"T try to visualize this)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (I had some help)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michaelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in movie
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia (Does a Mission Count? I think it does.)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Legos!)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (Yuck!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square-(how about Red Square? I've done that!)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (OK, so I've had temper problems in the past.)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (From the air-thanks Scotty!)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating- (quail, fish and chicken)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life-(My sisters, from drowning. Doesn't everybody?)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (My wife keeps telling me the kid is mine-I gotta believe, right?)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Talked your way out of a ticket (I have, however, successfully bribed a pair of police officers and on a different occasion, been hauled in to prison.)

More Evidence

You try so hard to keep them safe.......

Sometimes you remember to make memories and laugh instead of getting mad.....

And you end up with pictures like these. Way to go Heather on snagging these shots instead of blowing your top, like I probably would have done.

Little damn fool selves, or PRESSURE!

You've got that crazy look in your eye!

There’s this parenting magazine that Heather gets that had this really funny piece about what life is like with a toddler. The editor of the magazine was complaining to her mom that all she seemed to do was try and keep her kid safe; to which the mom replied, “Yes, that’s what you have to do-keep their little damn fool selves from killing themselves.” I can totally agree. I notice that there is this tension in my body that comes from ‘constant vigil.’ We were at this restaurant, the China Lily in Lindon, (the walnut jumbo shrimp were out of this world) and I noticed that there was a tension in my body that never went away, at least until bedtime. Now, that comfort in my life has dwindled as well. Just last week, I commented to some friends about that magical time of night when I could stop locking my garbage can, because Jack was in his bed for sleep. Well, Jack has learned to climb out of his crib. I feel like a small part of me has died or something. I HAVE NO PLACE LEFT TO HIDE! He’s so cute, too, when he climbs out of bed and wanders into my bedroom asking for me in the pitch black of 7 am. “Da-da?” When he finds me, he pulls the covers off and places his cold little hands right on my face. That is what increased pressure and diminishing freedom feels like.

Jason, This is your child! Part 1

I love ketchup. I joke that when I first fell in love with Heather, it took me some time to displace cheesecake on her list of faves, and I still think I'm only barely Number 1 in her book with cheesecake hot on my tail. For me, the love is ketchup. I was so pumped when I discovered ketchup-flavored potato chips, you can only imagine. There's this place in New Mexico called Stahlman's Country Farms, they mostly grow and sell pecans, but they have this jalapeno-flavored ketchup there that is just to die for. If you are ever in the area, I strongly recommend you stop by. Besides the world's greatest condiment, the have a lot of other good stuff, too. Anyways................I discovered that Jack will eat stuff if it has ketchup! I know that this is probably very disappointing to my Dad, but Dad, there will be time to grow hair on his chest with salsa later. For now, thanks to an affinity for ketchup, Jason, this is your Child! I generally try to go easy with the stuff, and will add it to his food only as a last resort, and of course, I'm very pleased when it works and he eats something he had previously refused. His second favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's barbeque sauce, but sometimes it's too hot for him.

Heather, this is Your Child! Part 1

Here's one I found of Jack with his Mama Fala and his cousin Kia when they came to visit for Jack's 1st anniversary of his B-day in April of '08.

So, Heather does this thing where she always crosses her legs (ankles?). No matter what, her legs just do it, almost like they have a mind of their own. She could be sleeping on her back, her stomach, no matter what, her legs are crossed. If she could drive with her legs crossed, she probably would. And, so does Jack. The first time I noticed it Jack was in his high-chair. It is so cute to me because it is a perfect marker for something Heather does all the time. Heather, This is your child!

Cinderfella Christmas

Another word that Jack can say is vacuum. Ok, so he doesn't really say vacuum, it comes out more like 'bah-king,' but we know it means vacuum. Jack LOVES to vacuum, so for Christmas, this is what he got from Santa, and it is also the gift he liked the most. On Christmas day, it was the one thing he kept going back to, over and over.

This is the face you get from Jack when you take his picture, along with a really cheesy 'shee-sh,' for cheese. You have your head tilt, your teeth exposure, and the slurpy 'sheeeee-ch.' It's really great.

Like father, like son.

Where's that pose? And the cheesy grin?

Oh, there it is!