"i go golfing!"

Jace always wants to go golfing with his Dad so we thought we would take him for family night. We hit the miniature golf course with Lexi and Alma for some golfing fun. Jace loved that he was "golfing like daddy" although he didn't want to wait for everyone to take their turns. He was usually a hole ahead of us. To add a little competition we put a wager on the game. Lexi and Alma v. Jared and I. If they win they get a dozen of my tamales and if we win they watch Jace for us one night so we can go on a date. And the prize went to...Jared and I!! We get to keep our tamales and go on a date without paying a babysitter. Yeah!

a birthday to remember

Saturday we celebrated my Grandma and Grandpa Tubbs' 85th and 90th birthdays. My Grandma and Grandpa Tubbs (really all of my grandparents) have been played a huge role in my life. They have always been there for me and my siblings from day one and have made us feel like we were always their grandkids. What great examples they have been to me. I'm glad that I could celebrate their lives with them. They have 5 kids, 27 grandkids and 50 great-grandkids.

Earl Johnson Tubbs - 90


Elizabeth Jean Tubbs - 85




All of my family was there to celebrate (except Devin who is in Mongolia). We haven't all been together since my wedding 4 1/2 years ago so we got together for a quick picture at the party.

jace diaries

dear jace,

on friday you turned two! wow...that went by really fast! it has been a total joy to be your mom and watch you grow like crazy since you were born. now you can do so many things like talk and run and sing and dance and bring joy into the lives of others. you have an amazing way of bringing joy and making someone's day - even complete strangers benefit from this. please, never outgrow this talent of yours.



we celebrated your birthday in malad with your cousins. you waited very patiently to open your presents at your birthday party. as they sat on the table you would observe them and touch them. at one point you accidently ripped some of the wrapping paper. in a panicked voice you said, "oh my goodness. oh my goodness. i broke it!"

at your birthday party we had hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and fruit. grandma tubbs made you a train birthday cake and you opened a lot of presents. then it was time for the pinata. you gave it some good solid hits and then let your cousins have their turns. you were a little intimated about running in for the candy but everyone brought you some to eat. you had a really good time and loved playing with all your cousins.







i am excited to see you grow this next year and can't wait for all the fun times that we will have together. thanks for being such a great little boy and giving me hugs and kisses whenever i want. i love you more than you know.

love,
mommy

update...

So, we were supposed to do the transfer today or tomorrow but things never seem to go as planned for me. I am definitely taught over and over in my life to be patient and that my timetable may not be the right timetable. My body decided to do it's own thing instead of doing what the meds told it to. Now my uterus lining is not where it needs to be for the transfer. So, after a second ultrasound on Saturday the doctor decided to add some more meds (a little progesterone) and hopefully sort out the problems. We are now on schedule for the end of October and are hoping that my body will start cooperating. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy blaming any issues I have on the hormones!

what do we do?

Our sweet little boy is becoming quite rebellious at bedtime. He has always been really good at going to bed and never complained much about it. The past few weeks he hasn't been complaining but he hasn't been staying in bed either. The other day it took us an 1 1/2 hours of putting him back in bed before he finally went to sleep. We have tried a lot of different disciplining tricks to get him in bed and none of them seem to work.

Normally we put him in time out when he makes a bad decision but that doesn't really work with bedtime (since he would gladly be anywhere but in bed). He has a few stuffed animals that are in his bed with him. He is pretty good "friends" with all of them but has a couple of favorites. One night we decided that we would put his animals in time-out. So we told him if he got out of bed one more time than Slacker would have to go to time-out until morning. He was pretty devasted when he lost Slacker but it still took him three animals before he stayed in bed. The next night night it only took a couple of times. The third night he was bringing them out as offerings to us! He thought he could just trade an animal to stay up later.

It's a good thing he is so cute, it's pretty hard to get mad at him. It wouldn't be quite such a big deal other than if he doesn't get to bed on time he is pretty ornery the next day. What do you do with your kids? Any magic tricks that might work?

weekend recap

Just a quick recap on what we did this weekend.

Dinner at the Mayan with our friends, the Smith's. We were all thoroughly entertained by the diver's.


BYU football game - another beautiful shutout by the Cougars (oh and Jared thinks his team needs a little credit for the win since they started the ball rolling for the cougs three years ago)! Jace is really loving the games. His favorite parts are the fight song and his hot dog - he is very happy when he has a hot dog in his hand.


Franson Civil volleyball party without any kids (yeah for babysitters!). We had a lot of fun except that Jared pulled a muscle in his back and has been in a lot of pain since. He ended up in bed all day Sunday - no fun for either of us. He is hoping to have a Wolverine-like recovery by tomorrow so he won't miss out on Wednesday golf and his first soccer game on Thursday.

On Sunday Jace was walking around the house with his hand on his back saying, "I hurt my back, I need medicine."

college fb picks: week 4

(i just realized i never posted these - and it was a pretty good week for me)

scoreboard:
Jared 11-16 .407
Jeannie 12-15 .444

Jared's picks
Wyoming v. (14) BYU -27.5 BYU
Idaho v. USU -4.5 USU
(20) Utah v. Air Force -7.5 Air Force
(6) LSU v. (10) Auburn -2.5 LSU
(25) Fresno State v. Toledo -6.5 Fresno State
(15) East Carolina v. NC State -7.5 East Carolina
(3) Georgia v. (24) Arizona State -6.5 Georgia
(18) Wake Forest v. (24) Florida State -4.5 Florida State
(9) Alabama v. Arkansas -9.5 Alabama
BYU: 13-0
Utah: 10-3
USU: 3-9
National Champion: Oklahoma

Jeannie's picks
Wyoming v. (14) BYU -27.5 BYU
Idaho v. USU -4.5 USU
(20) Utah v. Air Force -7.5 Air Force
(6) LSU v. (10) Auburn -2.5 LSU
(25) Fresno State v. Toledo -6.5 Fresno State
(15) East Carolina v. NC State -7.5 East Carolina
(3) Georgia v. (24) Arizona State -6.5 Georgia
(18) Wake Forest v. (24) Florida State -4.5 Florida State
(9) Alabama v. Arkansas -9.5 Alabama
BYU: 13-0
Utah: 11-2
USU: 3-9
National Champion: Florida

gardner village

This morning I had to take my car to get fabric protection stuff put on. It was going to take 90 min. So Shaunte' and Carter were kind enough to pick us up and play for the morning. Thanks guys!

We headed over to Gardner Village to check it out. I've always wanted to go here because I thought it looked like a great place to take pictures. It was fun to wander around (although the stores are definitely not kid friendly) and take the boys to the petting zoo. They had the biggest pig I've ever seen at the petting zoo. And they had some pretty cool Halloween decorations out.

Jace is a cute model but not the best at letting me take his picture. I had a hard time getting him to look at the camera and when I did this is what happened (he's saying cheese):




At the petting zoo Jace didn't want to "pet" the goats but he would "tickle" the goats.

I love his legs in this one, totally unrelaxed and stressed. He is saying "walk with me mom."

His legs are relaxed in this one after he realized he was going to be okay without me holding on.

lessons at the park

Jace loves to go to the playground. It is a great activity for us especially now that it is not as hot during the day. I think busy playgrounds are a great learning place for Jace. It teaches him how to take turns, and how to wait patiently, and how to maneuver around the kid that plants himself in the middle of the stairs and won't move. I love that he can figure out how to get along with the other kids without any hovering moms. Kids are great about working things out when adults aren't right there to fix everything.

Jace's #1 lesson of the day: you better hop off the slide quick before the next kid plows into you.

jace diaries

dear jace,

you have always loved taking your medicine (i.e. motrin for teeth or benadryl for allergies). whenever we mention the word medicine or you see it on the counter you get very excited and exclaim, "i need my medicine!"

every morning when i take my medicine you ask for some too and are often disappointed that you don't get any. so i have always been greatful that the bottles are child-proof - until today. we went to the park to have lunch and play. the blanket was all spread out, our lunch was ready to eat and you were so happy. i ran back to the car (a very short distance from the blanket) to grab our drinks and a book. when i returned you had my bottle of estrogen pills (they were in my purse), lid off, spread out on the blanket and blue (the pills are blue) around your lips and on your hands.

happily, you exclaimed, "i got medicine mom!" are you kidding me? what happened to the child-proof top? so we packed everything up and hopped in the car (in case we had to take you to the emergency room) while you cried because you hadn't even gone down the slide yet. we called poison control and they said that the levels in the pills are so low that the worst it could do was give you an upset stomach. so everything turned out okay, thankfully.

just a little scare to keep us on our toes. daddy was pretty stressed because he doesn't want anything to happen to you (and neither do i, i'm just a little calmer than dad). know that we are doing our very best at keeping you safe and healthy and happy.

love,
mom & dad

99 days...

...till Christmas!!

Time to start thinking about gifts and decorations and parties and traditions! This year we are going to be more conscious about our family traditions. We will probably be spending it at our house as a little family and it is about time we start our own traditions for our kids. Some ideas that we have:

Cut down our Christmas tree and put it up right after Thanksgiving
Celebrate Advent through the month of December
Watch the Polar Express on Christmas Eve
Act out the Christmas story as a family
Provide service for someone as a family
Read one Christmas story a day in December

What kinds of traditions do you do with your family? Any great ideas for us just starting our own?

go cougs!!

What a beautiful day for a SHUT-OUT! Great job to BYU today. I almost started to feel bad for UCLA but then remembered that it was about time we put them and the pac-10 in their place. Go Cougars!

college football picks: week 3

scoreboard:
Jared 7-11
Jeannie 7-11
(last week was a bad week for both of us)

Jared's picks
(18) BYU v. UCLA -8.5 BYU
Utah State v. (22) Utah -23.5 Utah
(13) Kansas v. (19) South Florida -3.5 South Florida
(5) Ohio State v. (1) USC -10.5 USC
(10) Wisconsin v. (21) Fresno State -1.5 Wisconsin
(14) East Carolina v. Tulane -13.5 East Carolina
(2) Georgia v. South Carolina -7.5 Georgia
Michigan v. Notre Dame
Georgia Tech v. Virginia Tech -6.5 Virginia Tech
BYU: 13-0
Utah: 10-3
USU: 3-9
National Champion: Oklahoma

Jeannie's picks
(18) BYU v. UCLA -8.5 BYU
Utah State v. (22) Utah -23.5 Utah
(13) Kansas v. (19) South Florida -3.5 South Florida
(5) Ohio State v. (1) USC -10.5 USC
(10) Wisconsin v. (21) Fresno State -1.5 Wisconsin
(14) East Carolina v. Tulane -13.5 East Carolina
(2) Georgia v. South Carolina -7.5 Georgia
Michigan v. Notre Dame
Georgia Tech v. Virginia Tech -6.5 Virginia Tech
BYU: 13-0
Utah: 11-2
USU: 3-9
National Champion: Florida

jace diaries

dear jace,

i want you to stay little forever and you are not. you are growing up more everyday. i am excited for you to learn new things and progress but sad because all too soon you will be all grown up and on your own.

this week you took a big step (or at least what i think is a big step). you did something that i did not think you would be doing for at least a few more months. this week you got completely dressed all by yourself. you took off your jammies and put your socks on. then you picked out a shirt and some pants and proceeded to put them on. no help from mommy, all by yourself. everything was on the right way and even matched for the most part. i was proud of you but a little sad that you didn't need me to help you at all. at least i know that if i ever can't dress you for some reason you have it all under control. i will try not to say anything when you pick out your clothes but if you want to do me a favor i would love it if you could make sure they match.

a couple of other things that show you are growing up too fast: you speak in complete sentences and articulate as much as you can and you asked to go to the bathroom on the potty, which, by the way, i am so not ready for. i don't mind changing your diapers because that means you still need me. i will let you grow up because i love you and i find joy in your accomplishments.

love always and forever,
mom (& dad)

in remembrance...

September 11, 2001 will be a day that I will never forget. I was all ready for school about to leave. Lexi, Devin and Jacob had already left on the bus. My mom was in her room with the news on. Just as I was about to walk out the door, she called to me that the one of the twin towers had been hit. I have to admit that I didn't even know what the twin towers were. I watched in disbelief at the news coverage thinking first that it couldn't be real and second (not knowing what kind of plane hit the first tower) what kind of idiot would fly into a building. I left for school and when I got there the second tower had been hit. It was then that I learned that they were commercial planes and that it was the terrorists that did this. I remember the feeling that was in the halls that morning and watching the news in all of my classes that day - watching it happen over and over. I remember it being the topic of discussion for several months as we wondered what was next for our country and our lives. My mom and dad were supposed to go to Alaska the next week but had their trip canceled. In the spring of 2002 I went with my class to Washington D.C. and New York. Driving past ground zero is another thing I will never forget.

I am so very grateful for the men and women who serve and protect our country. Who put their lives on hold and leave their families. I wonder what will happen in my children's lives that they will never forget. I pray that America will be safe and that we will remember who we are and what we stand for as a country, that we can all be united again.

wildlife preserve

The other day as I was driving out of our drive-way I saw this:


We have a regular wildlife preserve going on right here in our yard. This little fellow was looking in our kitchen window one day:


I have also had racoons, squirrels and birds peeping in on our lives. One day Jared was awoken from a nap by this loud chirping noise. When he went out to investigate he saw squirrel, standing on his two little legs atop a rock yelling something at the world. And one afternoon we looked out back to see a couple of deer laying on the grass enjoying the sun. We have also seen a couple of rattlesnacks slithering through the yard. Who needs to go to the zoo when you have one right in your own backyard.

"it's the hormones"

Three years ago when we were going through this process the first time the doctor told Jared to "be patient with your wife because she will be on a lot of hormones." When I was going through it then I would have told you that they didn't affect me and everything was great. However, looking back I can see that I may have been a bit confused because they did affect me. I will admit there were times when I was a bit crazy but at least I can blame it on the hormones.

So what about this time? Well, Sunday I went from being angry to laughing to crying within five minutes. I think we are in for another emotional roller coaster ride. You would think that me being aware of this will make it better but at the moment that the emotions take over it's really hard to step back and take control. It's amazing how fast my mood can change that sometimes I feel like I have no control over it. At least this time Jared and I are a little more aware and maybe can handle it a little better. I feel like I need one of those wood signs with vinyl lettering hanging in my living room that says "it's the hormones".

Today I started my estradiol (a form of estrogen) and continue to take my Lupron shots. The shots are not bad. Just like taking an insulin shot if you are diabetic. Apparently the lower part of your stomach has the least amount of nerves so that is where I do it. It is kind of weird sticking a needle into you and not feeling a thing. The first time is always the hardest but now it's easy peasy. And because this post needs a picture this is the needle I use for the Lupron.


Thanks for all of your support and encouraging words. It really does mean a lot to us. Tweny more days until the transfer!

colleg fb picks: week 2

scoreboard:
Jared 4-5
Jeannie 5-4

Jared's picks
(15) BYU v. Washington -6.5 BYU
UNLV v. (23) Utah -21.5 Utah
USU v. (16) Oregon -34.5 Oregon
Minnesota v. Bowling Green -5.5 Bowling Green
Texas A&M v. New Mexico -2.5 Texas A&M
(18) South Florida v. Central Florida -13.5 South Florida
(8) West Virginia v. East Carolina -8.5 West Virginia
Air Force v. Wyoming -3.5 Wyoming
Georgia Tech v. Boston College -6.5 Boston College
BYU: 13-0
Utah: 10-3
USU: 3-9
National Champion: Oklahoma

Jeannie's picks
(15) BYU v. Washington -6.5 BYU
UNLV v. (23) Utah -21.5 Utah
USU v. (16) Oregon -34.5 Oregon
Minnesota v. Bowling Green -5.5 Bowling Green
Texas A&M v. New Mexico -2.5 Texas A&M
(18) South Florida v. Central Florida -13.5 South Florida
(8) West Virginia v. East Carolina -8.5 West Virginia
Air Force v. Wyoming -3.5 Wyoming
Georgia Tech v. Boston College -6.5 Boston College
BYU: 13-0
Utah: 11-2
USU: 3-9
National Champion: Florida

disclaimer: we do our picks separately so we don't know each other's picks until they are final

jace diaries

dear jace,

this week you figured out how to put your socks on all by your self. i was very proud and a little surprised when you did it. you even made sure that they matched. you also popped one of daddy's birthday balloons and thought it was hilarious. now you are trying to pop all the balloons. your dad has you practicing your basketball shots and has you stand about 2 feet from the hoop. everytime you miss you grab the ball and say "try again" and you never get discouraged. you have made some great shots for a 23 month old.

you wake up every morning between 6:15 and 6:45 - way too early for you. the less sleep you get the harder you are to get along with. you have become more defiant, especially at nap time. your dad and i are trying to figure out how to teach you to obey. it's not so easy being the parent and doing things out of love rather than frustration. be patient with us and we will be patient with you.

we love your sweet spirit and the joy that you fill our home with. we love that you love music and try to sing along with the songs. this week you learned zippeedeedodah and shalalalala (kiss the girl). you also started gymnastics this week and loved it. you listened to everything your teacher said and didn't miss a beat. you worked on the balance beam, the trampoline, forward and backward rolls, balancing and bear crawls. your favorite - swinging on the bars.

keep making us smile,
mom and dad

another baby?

WARNING: long post and lots of reading (sorry I couldn't think of any pics for this)

So, when are ya gonna have another baby?

This seems to be the question of late. About a month ago we started getting this question - a lot. Maybe because Jace is about to turn two, maybe because we don't talk about it much, who knows. It's kind of like the "are you dating anyone?" or the "when are you going to have kids?" questions. I guess it is just that time in our lives when people want to know.

I tend to be a little reserved when it comes to sharing some of the personal things in my life. I think this is for a couple of reasons: one, I don't really like to draw a lot of attention to myself and two, I think that I am protecting myself (you know, if I was pregnant but miscarried it would be easier to deal with if nobody knows, right?).

So, my answers to the "burning questions" from everyone have been fairly vague. Why should I put myself out there and be vulnerable to things not working out (I don't want people to know that my life isn't perfect, right?). After a lot of thinking and humbling and talking with Jared we decided that maybe the best option is to include our family and friends that really do care about us and want to be there for us.

We know that you want to be involved because you love us and want to help and how could you help if you don't know what's going on. With humility, I am realizing that we probably won't be able to do this alone. And most importantly, we really could use all of the extra prayers that we can get as this is all totally in the Lord's hands. We are just praying for the best and trusting in His plan.

So, what is the answer to the question?

We are planning on having another baby and soon. This is an excerpt from my journal on 8.4.08:

"Today Jared and I drove to the University of Utah for a cryo-preservation consultation. Jon and Aubrey were kind enough to watch Jace for us (they strongly discourage bringing kids to any of the appointments). A cryo cycle is a lot less invovled then a full IVF and we've already done it once before. The doctor said pregnancy rate with a cryo (meaning that the embryos are frozen not fresh - we have two in the freezer) is about 40% but we got pregnant once before so we are optimistic. Also, we talked about the placental abruption and the doctor feels like our miscarriage rate is normal since we did carry Jace to full-term (for those that don't know we did have a miscarriage after Jace - the result of a placental aprubtion which we also had with Jace - if that makes any sense). We are excited!"

We set up our "maternity insurance" here. Called the clinic when I started my period, had an ultrasound, sonohystogram, and a trial transfer and picked up my meds. Now I am taking birth control (which Jared blames for any disagreements that we have), pre-natal vitamins and giving myself a shot of Lupron everyday. Our Embryo transfer is scheduled for either Sept. 30 or Oct. 1.

So know you all know. If you really didn't care then that was a lot to read. We'll keep you updated and if you have any questions just let us know. Right now we are just praying that the embryos will thaw and be healthy and vital for the transfer. Thanks for all your support. We love you all.

Happy 28th!

Wishing you a very happy birthday today! Thanks for all the you do for our family! We love you!

picnic in the park

Last night we went on a picnic in the park...

had some swing time...

climbed on the playground...

played a little football...

laughed a lot...

and made some memories!

goodbye old car

goodbye old car and all of your memories...
driving to vegas with roommates
close calls with Jared
running over curbs
decorating disaster
keys that were locked inside
emergency room visits
our first baby
alabama and mexico
overloaded to go camping
visits to the mechanic
Jace's favorite pastime
byu bumper stickers
goodbye old friend

hello new car and memories to come...
hello new car smell
hello new adventures!

labor day hike

We took our scouts on a hike yesterday morning to Battle Creek Falls. It was nice and cool for most of the hike. On the way back down we got a little rain and a little hail.