Catch-Up #1 JaXoN is FiVe!!!

Yeah, back on SEPT 8 my little baby Jax turned five. I can write "my little baby" on here since he can't read...he has officially banned me from calling him that:)! It was a little bit of a crazy time for us since my sis was getting married and it was a pre-wedding rush of to-do projects, but I wanted to make sure Jaxon had a special day. He wanted a Sponge Bob birthday, complete with the pinata and all. He got it! Thanks family for helping us to make his day so special~!

Jax getting ready to smack the pinata. My camera died right after this picture so I don't have one of any other kids and the pinata:).

Jax also had an "under the sea" treasure hunt! Ryan made sure all the kids had their pirate hooks ready to begin. Then he gave the kids hints and had them running all over the park. The booty was next to the pepsi machine, and eventually they found it. They each got a Sponge Bob party bag full of prizes, and then Ryan distributed the gold pieces. Jax got about a billion presents for his birthday, and loved our little family party. I told him before that he could have a friend party, but there just wasn't time for it. Instead, he got a family party with games he would have played at a friend party. It worked:). Pictures of cake and presents to come:). That's all my time for now (after bedtime and baby screaming in the background)!

Then and Now

I remember being a teenager and looking at people my age now and thinking they were so OLD. I never thought I would reach the ripe old age of 28, let alone 29. Then came college, and my plans for my future evolved. I made career-oriented goals. I was going to become a lawyer, and maybe move back East somewhere. I stuck to this goal pretty much through college, only changing my mind at the end when I met Ryan.

Once I met Ryan, my plans changed again. I loved being a couple, loved being married. We constantly went on newly wed dates. There was a time when we had seen every movie worth seeing at the theater (this sounds corny but it amazes me now since we're lucky if we see a movie every few months). A few years after getting married my plans expanded and I wanted to be a mom, to have a family. I started out thinking only one or two kids, and Ryan's plans were three or four (he won obviously:)). I could only see the fun part of having kids, where you got to dress them and play with them. I didn't really believe people when they talked about how hard kids were, the lack of sleep, etc. Wow, was I in for a surprise:)!

Now, I am a mom of three boys, and a wife to an amazing person. I am busy constantly with building our house, and just the everyday stuff being a stay-at-home-mom entails. Back in the day I never knew how hard life could be, but also how great life would be. With trials come rewards. This is especially true with my kids. They are the hardest thing in my life, but by far the most rewarding.

I love this season in my life, even if it is so different from where I saw my future going when I was younger. I'm turning 29 tomorrow, and apparently feeling a little nostalgic by the tone of this post:). Plans change, dreams change, but life just keeps getting better!

Dirty Dash

I have so much blogging to do, but I figure this is a great place to start. September 25 my whole family (9 of us) ran the Dirty Dash. AWESOME! If you love to run, love to get dirty, or love a challenge, this race is for you! 6.2 miles of running through tires, jumping over walls, jumping over hay bales, running through a bogg, getting hit with snow machines, running up muddy hills, trail running, sliding down a huge slide being squirted by fire hoses, and crawling through a giant mud pool...GREAT! We all had so much fun, and will for sure be going back every year! Just don't wear anything you care about, and you'll end up donating your shoes because you'll never be able to get them clean yourself! We SERIOUSLY had an awesome time. Loved gettin' dirty! The second picture is me after my first fall, but still relatively clean from the front. The first picture is just after the finish line. Ry finished with my older brother Jarod, and I finished with my little bro and sis, and my shiny brand new brother-in-law. Good times:)