Now I know my ABC's...

Here's a little video of Jimmer saying the sounds of the letters. He really likes to talk and learn about the ABC's right now (hence the quiet book project :)). He has learned his letters and sounds rather easily and I just hope he remembers them for later! He now quizzes me on the letters and then says, "You're so smart, Mama!" It feels good to be "so smart". His new quiet book has helped him start to use the sounds of the letters to say the beginning of words. So, ya know, he'll say the sound of the letter A three times and then Apple. My favorite is when he'll say the sound for L three times and then say Moon :). This video is mostly for Grandma and Grandpa Rees.

Learning to Sew

My mom gave me her sewing machine about a month ago and I have been trying to teach myself how to sew. My mom says she's forgotten how to sew and she won't need her machine, but I happen to know she lies. :) I wanted to borrow her machine to see if I could even learn to sew before I bought myself one. I'll give her sewing machine back to her sometime, but I think she'd rather just make me learn and then have me do her sewing projects for her. I'm not any good, but I'm loving it.

My first project was this alphabet quiet book that I got a pattern for from Etsy. I think it turned out okay. There are lots of things I'd do differently if I were to make it again. I learned a lot from this project! One of them being to relax a little and try to not be such a perfectionist when I'm learning something new. I think it required more than my beginning sewing abilities. When I opened up the PDF pattern and saw that it would take 20+ hours I knew I was in trouble! But Jimmer really likes the book so far (mistakes and all), but that may just be because it's something new. He loves to rip all the little pieces off and put them back on (they're detachable with velcro). My next project is finishing some file folder games that I put on hold to work on this craziness.

Las Vegas Vacation

Watching the Belagio Fountains

The whole Rees gang at the fountains

On the really high, really windy bridge above the Hoover Dam (only a little freaky!)

Scaring mom to death

Fun boating/jet skiing day at Lake Mead. Here are some cousins hanging out and snacking with Grandma.

James' mom playing a Minute to Win It game

Doing under-doggies

Just a cute swing picture

James played like he was on vacation

Jimmer loved jumping in the pool over and over again

So fun!

We took family pictures with the whole Rees clan. I don't have the big family picture yet, but here is the one we took of just James, Jimmer and I. It's our most recent family picture.

In July we spent a week long reunion in Las Vegas with James' whole family. We had 42 people altogether and we stayed in one really big house. We had a lot of fun!! We enjoyed swimming, cooking and eating together, playing Minute to Win It games, shopping(girls)/basketball(boys), touring the Hoover Dam, boating, visiting the Belagio fountains, playing with cousins, and doing skits. We love spending time with whole family and wish we could see everyone more often.

Seeley's Graduation

Farish Family

Seeley and Connor

Seeley and Hope getting sprayed with silly string

My sister, Seeley, graduated from MATC (Mountainland Applied Technology College) and got her cosmetology license back in June 2011. She works at a salon and unfortunately for her, she has earned the privilege of doing my hair for as long as she lives in Utah. :) I have been majorly slacking on this blog, so I wanted to put these few pictures up now. James was at the graduation too, he just took all these pictures. Good work Seeley!

Side Job

Can you find James?

I went to byucougars.com one day and saw James (holding his red flag) on the homepage.

My dad has been a volleyball referee for years and years. I used to go to college games with him and sit in the stands by myself and just watch. My dad liked me to come with him so he could drive in the carpool lane in CA and I loved to go and watch awesome players like Misty May at Long Beach State. Anyway...since my parents moved up to Utah, my dad has coached (or coaxed??) James into becoming a line judge. So James has been lining some BYU and University of Utah games these past few seasons. Although I hate that most of the games are on Friday and Saturday nights, I do like to spend the extra moola! Thanks for working so hard James (and Dad)!

P.S. - See told you I'd post! More to come. I promise. After posts like this, I know you're excited.

P.P.S - Do you like the new look of the blog? I couldn't go back to sleep after Jimmer woke up at 3am asking for soda. What the heck? Are the new fonts showing up?

I will post.

Come on Michelle. You can do it!

Jimmer is 2!

I thought I'd try to at least get a few pictures up of Jimmer's 2nd birthday. I made him a small basketball cake (half of which collapsed) on his actual birthday and let him open his big present that day (a basketball hoop). Then when my sister and her family returned from their vacation, we had Jimmer's "party". Streamers from the dollar store make it a party, right?

Yay! I'm two!

Why do you keep taking pictures of me, Mom?

The birthday boy
Jimmer could tell it was a basketball...that's all that counts.

Jimmer loved blowing out his candle. He kept saying "Do it again! Do it again!" And Grandpa would let him :)

Awesome decorations for the party

How old are you?

Loving all his presents!

Fun work bench from Grandma and Grandpa!

Blowing out his 2 candle again! (and again and again)

Showing me the basketball ring from his "puh-cake"

Swimming with Dad and Papa (and Will)

A look back to his 1st birthday :)

And he's growing up right before our eyes!