End of Summer BBQ Extravaganza!

I just like saying "extravaganza." We neighborhood/ward friends got together last night for a fun BBQ at Megan and Gillis Sessions' house! It was sooooo fun. It was "B.Y.O.M" (bring your own meat) and we all brought sides. We ate and then played Catch Phrase. It was HILARIOUS, as usual!! We just LOVE our friends!!!! Thank you so much, Meg and Gillis for your wonderful hospitality :)

Megan, Rachel, Natalie, me, and Jenny

Rob and Natalie

Rachel & Megan with Claire and Megan's little boy, Porter

Jordan with Gillis at the grill--Megan and her hubby, Kyle in the background

Claire with Megan

Family Photo :) Rachel took this great photo (great = Claire is looking AND smiling!)

Peter and Jenny!

Natalie's amazing watermelon cupcakes! (they don't TASTE like watermelon, they just LOOK like it) So, Megan Cross got me this cookbook called "Simply Desserts" by Betty Crocker, and ever since then, all of my friends want it. I think they'll be ordering it soon. Or keep borrowing mine.

Anyway, good times!!!

Sydney and Gavin Come Again :)

And they brought their mom ;) It was a fun-filled week last week...

First, we went to the Thanksgiving Point farm. Remind me I hate going to farms. I decided I don't like animals, and being out in the sun without a pool nearby. It's bad. Anyway, but it was fun because of the company!

Sydney was soooooo cute with Claire! She was like Claire's little mommy the whole time!

And Claire loved it :)



Sydney and Gavin LOVED making Claire smile and laugh all week--especially with peek-a-boo

And so did Lauren!

And Michelle has got to be the CUTEST pregnant woman ever!

And then, we went to Lagoon! It's not Cedar Point (the BEST amusement park in the world with the biggest rides that we used to go to when we were little) but it was fun! (Thanks Mom and Dad for treating us!! You're the best!)

Jordan and me on the swings!! My nephew took this great picture and the one below too!

Niece, Becca, and nephew, Gavin, being crazy :)

Jordan with Becca and Gavin as well, on this REALLY awful ride that smushes the person on the end (the "soggy fry" from my youth!! :)

On the Sky Ride thing!

Sydney with her favorite Uncle "Mon" (that's short for Monster, you know...)

Sydney and Gavin with their favorite Aunt Nunu :)

And then we went to the cabin over the weekend! (and went on a hike-of-sorts...a not-long-at-all hike :) As you can see from my feet, I wasn't exactly ready for hiking...)

Yep, flip flops make grrrrreat hiking boots.

Sydney and her cousin, Rachel!

Little Lauren on her first hike!

Claire on her first hike as well--she was very prepared also--no shoes! In fact, she had socks on but I had to take them off to wipe her runny nose with them like a million times, ha!

And then we went to Smith & Moorehouse reservoir. It was sooooo beautiful :)


Grandpa with his favorite granddaughter (ok, fine, one of them... :), Claire!

Michellie and Sydney. What a cute picture!

Grandma and Grandpa photo op

With my two little cuties :)

So, it was a great week with an unfortunate anticlimactic end. I got food poisoning while at the cabin. Puked my guts out for an entire night. It was the worst night of my life probably!!! AHH!! I'm still recovering as we speak, but feeling much better. And I lost 4 lbs. That made it NOT worth it since it was probably mostly water, but almost, since it was nice to see a lower number on the scale.... :)

Crawling :)

She's gotten a lot better since this video!

Baby Laughter is the BEST

Amazing what a little tie to my robe will do for a 7-month old baby :) (and yes, I have this huge, fluffy, warm purple robe--I kinda look like Barney in it.)

Happiness = Baby Sleeps for 12 Hours Straight

This picture features Claire on Daddy's lap in a store while Mommy tried on SHOES :) Best day EVER! Ha! Must've been nap time. For shame. Now we really try not to disrupt her schedule, but I guess that only gets harder as you have more kids, right?

She did it. Starting two nights ago. And hasn't stopped since. She is sleeping through the night!!! It took about 3 days of training (I used the "Ferber" method) and now she sleeps like a PRO!! I did not think it would be so easy!

Claire was waking up once during the night and then would wake again at 5am, and after a feeding, sleep til 7. So, to stop that, at first we just gave her a bottle of water when she'd wake...she did NOT like that! (That was the suggestion from my absolute FAVORITE baby how-to book, "Baby 411" - basically if she's getting water when she wakes up, she's really not going to feel inclined to wake up anymore for that!) Then, I just started going in, not picking her up, consoling her as I usually do using the Ferber method and finally, she started not waking up at all! And even when she does wake up at 7 or a little earlier, she just plays in her crib til I come in and get her.

What is ALSO awesome is that she now goes down for her naps usually without even crying! And if she does cry at all, she'll cry out for like 5-10 seconds and then I don't hear a peep out of her. She's also on a great schedule that includes two 2-hr. naps, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and then a 30 min. catnap in the late afternoon. I also started putting her down at 7 instead of 8, and that has been good.

Anyway, it's a pretty great milestone! I was really worried I wouldn't have the stamina to hear her crying, but seriously, before this I tried to just have her cry it out, and she'd cry for a LOT longer. But, with the Ferber method, since you go in in intervals to reassure her you're there, she would go to sleep (even in the beginning when I was just starting to train her) right after I'd come in the first time. It's like she just wanted to know I wasn't abandoning her or something, and she was fine.

Anyway, that's the big news.

Strawberries

Heard maybe this was a food to give her a little later? :) Oops! Whatever! Oh well. BUT don't worry, I won't be giving her cow's milk, tree nuts, peanuts, or egg whites til she's 1. I think those are the main ones to avoid for allergy reasons?

These were taken up at the cabin. Love these pics. So funny.

Time for an Update

Ok, all I post about is Claire. Well, she is the love of my life (next to you, of course, honey!), and I have to document every milestone and every giggle she makes, right? It's making up for the fact that every time I've asked my Mom about my childhood (I am the 5th of 7 children, so you can see where this is going) she only remembers like 2 things: "You loved to hide under blankets." And "You were shy and a peacemaker." That's IT!!! My baby girl is going to know...well...everything!

Update on Janessa:
I have been working for iBAHN, a company that provides Internet and conferencing solutions to hotels across the globe. I have been there for about 3.5 years. It's a good company--well, they all have their ups and downs I guess--but it was time to say ADIOS. Really. Time. So, Friday, the 31st of July was my last day. At least, my last official day.

Last week, I was hired on as a contractor. So, basically, I still work for iBAHN, at home, on my own schedule, hourly. It's PERFECT. I don't have to worry about company politics, I can make my own hours, and work while Claire is napping! Best of both worlds. Opening a new savings account for taxes :)

I SO love being a Mom WAY more than a career in marketing, seriously. It is SO MUCH BETTER. It is what I'm meant to do. It is the best.

Update on Jordan:
Meanwhile, Jordan is finally starting a one year (or however long it will take him) program at school that will certify him in some Electrical Engineering type thing (I can't even tell you what it is, honestly...nerd stuff...) and give him a year of college credit. Two birds with one stone. It'll also help him make more money at his job, potentially! He is still at ICU Medical, working on automation machines that produce medical supplies.

And, ok, I'm going to praise my honey just a little here: He talked to his boss the other day, and asked him for a raise. His boss said he would submit for it and also gave him a promotion! He is now on a task force that will determine the process (ok, I have NO vocabulary) for the new Toyota brand machines that are coming in. Then his boss said, "You know, some of the engineer techs (that's Jordan's job) come in here running their mouths about how great they are. You don't have to. I know you come to work, you do an excellent job, and your dedication and work ethic do not go unnoticed." Anyway, thought that was pretty cool. Jordan is a really hard worker, and I'm really proud of him :)

That's about it for now! Was this boring? Well, if it was too boring, you've stopped reading by now, lol. :) More about Claire in the next post----of course!

Ps. A post without a picture isn't that...well, I just don't like doing it. So, this is a lame picture we took of ourselves in the doctor's office for Claire's 6 month checkup--with Jordan's camera phone. Anyway, that's why it's kinda grainy and lame, but it was the only one I could find!

She Can Sit!

Well, has been able to for a little while now, but has finally gotten to the point where she won't fall over half the time. Here she is with one of her favorite toys...the mouse (what a Daddy's Girl...ha!)