Happy Birthday Jonah!!!

Jonah turned 1 on Saturday! We had a great party. I didn't have high expectations when we moved out here because I always imagined his first birthday surrounded by his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and neighbors. I didn't think that we would know a single soul here in Georgia by the time his birthday came, but it turns out that we have made a few, but really great friends. All of who came, and it was a really great time. Best of all, Jerry's parents came all the way out here too!

One of Jonah's most defining characteristics is his love for food and feeding himself. However one that is even more prominent is his tendency to stare at new people. S T A R E. Most people think that it's because he is shy, but really he just really studies new people and things. He likes to figure it all out before he makes any moves.

I thought that he would dig in to his cake in record time, but with 12 people staring at him waiting for him to grab that cake and take a bite, he just stared right back.

"Here's your cake Jonah! Take a bite"


"No?"
"OK, what if I give you a fork?"

"No? OK, what if I put whip cream on top!"

"Just a little taste. No?"

He finally takes a small bite, and...

IT'S GOOD!!!!!!

He kept smiling the whole day.

Jonah and Colton really wanted to go outside and play with the big kids.


Our friends. Lexie and baby Robbie (Neighbors), Paige and Emily Tyler (they moved out here from Eagle Mountain at the same time as us) and Lexie's husband Rob. We also had the Howell's (whom [who or whom?] Jerry knows from Monterey) and Jerry's parents.

Jonah got a swing for his b-day, which he LOVES!



Happy Birthday my little one!

Blog Etiquette 2

Thanks for your comments! It's nice to have finally figured some things out.

1. I've decided to answer comment questions in the comments section of the same blog post. That way all questions and answers are all together in one place.

2. Thanks Lisa for your help on how to fix my player!

3. Laura- To create a link in your blog: Type the word you want to become the link, click on the link icon right above where you are typing your post. It's the 6th one from the left, it will prompt you to add the web address you want linked, and viola! It's done!

Blog Etiquette

1. How do I set my music player to play songs in a random order instead of in the same order all the time? I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing the same song every time they go to my blog, I am.

2. When someone asks a question when commenting on a blog, what is the best way to answer? Would it be to comment on my blog, or on their blog, or in a personal email or message or phone call?

What are your thoughts? Anyone else have any questions about blogging they want answered? Let discuss...

I'm back

My week went pretty well. I did really good with no internet, but I did still turn on the TV when I was nursing, and I had to check up on American Idol. But overall we had a really nice week. The best thing was Jerry and I spent more quality time together. At night, after Jonah went to bed, instead of just watching TV together, we played games, or talked or read. It was really great. I think we are going to keep the TV off when we are together.

On another note, the weather here has been so nice! It's been in the 70's with sunshine. All the trees are blooming and the grass is starting to turn green.

Here is a picture of our back yard. Our tree just bloomed yesterday.

And... we finally got a new camera! I'm so excited!!

Back to Basics

Last night I mistakenly drank a big Cherry Coke at dinner and couldn't sleep. So I was up and watching Oprah at about 11:00 at night, and she had a very interesting show. It was about people who wanted to simplify their lives. They decided to, for one week (or more), get "back to basics". Here are a few example of what they did:

1. No TV
2. No Internet
3. No car (one lady was driving her kids the 2 blocks to school instead of walking them)
4. No spending (only a few dollars for perishable food, like milk, eggs, and bread)(One lady was shopping every single day and had about 2-3 years worth of food storage-which is good to have food storage, but she was out of control)
5. Dinner together at kitchen table (instead of in front of TV) each night
6. Kids had to put away all but 5 toys. (these particular kids had a huge playroom that was wall to wall toys)

All of these families were much much happier at the end of the week, and were going to continue (for the most part) with their new lifestyle.

So, I am going to go 7 days with no internet, no TV, no spending, and a few other things.

So long! I'll see you in a week to report how the week went.