A Birthday and a Blessing...

I can't believe it...

This handsome boy is 5!!!!!

Time is flying by and no matter what Chris and I do we can't slow it down! We decided it would be best to start him in Kindergarten next year and let him be one of the oldest in his class instead of the youngest. It still blows my mind that he is old enough to have gone to school this year! Yikes! My mom took him shopping to pick out his birthday present at Funfinity and the one thing he wanted sooo bad was a Taser gun...I don't know where he comes up with these things sometimes. Luckily he did not come home with one!

Chris was able to come home and bless Jaxon while my parents were still here. It was such a special day. We had been teaching Trayden what a blessing was and he was so cute about the whole thing. He even prayed the night before that "Dad would do a good job blessing baby brother". The priesthood is such a blessing and I am so grateful for a husband that honors his. Jaxon did great and didn't make a peep the whole time...

or have a blow out in his all white outfit! I really was holding my breath the whole time hoping it wouldn't happen! So fun to spend this day with great family and friends!

East Coast...

The boys and I were able to go back to Vermont with Chris for a month while he finished working and I was so excited to go for many reasons.

1. To finally spend time together as a little family of 4.

2. My aunt and uncle were finishing up their mission at the Joseph Smith Memorial and we would be able to see them and what they have been doing the past 18 months.

3. We would get to see the leaves change!

4. I've never been to the East coast!

The only thing I was not excited about was the fact that we would have to fly through the night with 2 children and a massive amount of stuff to get there! Luckily both boys were great and we made it with out any trouble. It is absolutely beautiful and we have gotten to go on some awesome hikes...

 Chris lived vicariously though Trayden and signed him up for the Jr. Spartan race in Killington, VT. 

He was only suppose to do a half mile race because of his age but Chris convinced Trayden and the staff that he could do the mile race with the older age group. He rocked it and wanted to do it again! The actual Spartan Beast is ridiculous! Everyone who finished looked like they were about to die and for some reason Chris can't wait to do one. Which sparked another event of Chris vicariously living through Trayden. Chris and Trayden got out of bed before Jaxon and I one morning and this is what I came downstairs to this...

Yes that is my 5 year old with his head shaved into a "spartan hair cut" aka a mo-hawk. Boys will be boys...5 years old or 30 years old!

We were able to go to the Joseph Smith Memorial with and Aunt and Uncle right before they completed their mission assignment.

Sadly it rained pretty much the whole time but Tray thought it was so fun to walk around with the umbrella. It was gorgeous and so fun to learn about the history behind the memorial. My Aunt and Uncle were on a service mission and in charge of the grounds for the memorial. They were able to take us around and show us the different things they had done to the grounds while they were there. I loved getting to hear their experiences as missionaries and the way the Lord has blessed them while they were serving.

I was looking online for things to do with kids while we were here and I found an old fashioned candy store. It took a little convincing to get Chris on board but it ended up being a lot of fun.

We got some fun, yummy candy and Chris even said we may have to stop by there on our way to the airport...he always resists my little adventures but ends up having a good time!

It really has been a really fun experience being able to see places we would probably never get to visit, but I have to say we are pretty ready to get home. We are trying to make the most of our last couple days before we head home to reality!

A New Addition...

So I'm behind...very behind...like almost 4 months behind! Better late than never right? 

So the week leading up to my due date I had 1 goal I was focusing on...

1. To not have this baby before Chris got home...(or on Tuesday because Tray had a soccer game or Wednesday because Chris had a softball game!)

Chris had been out of the country for almost 3 months and wasn't flying home until the Sunday before my due date...pushing it I know! So Chris had jokingly weeks before gave me the "Okay" to have the baby on Thursday the 14th. Luckily my parents came the end of May to be there just in case I did have the baby early and to help get everything ready. 

Chris finally made it home and I had not had the baby so I was very relieved. I had been pretty careful to not do too much physical activity or anything that might start my labor, but as soon as Chris got home that was a different story. The day Chris got home I played soccer, volleyball, and bad mitten! Unfortunately that did do anything but make my legs sore! I worked Monday and Tuesday and was feeling really good so Chris, Trayden, and I went for a hike up Mapleton Canyon Wednesday morning. 

That afternoon I had a going away lunch with my coworkers and then spent the rest of the day shopping with my Mom. 

That night Chris had a softball game and as we were walking to the car I had an interesting pain that did not quite feel good/normal. I mentioned it to Chris and then we were off to is game. During his game the pain kept coming and going and I was starting to think I was going into labor but did not want to be "that" first time pregnant lady that freaks out and it's false labor. On the car ride home I started timing how far apart they were. When I realized they were 5 minutes apart and consistent I told Chris that he should probably shower and get a bag ready when we get home just in case. He was a little bugged/taken by surprise that I hadn't said anything until then. So when we got home I finished putting the last minute things in my hospital bag and sat and waited for my contractions to get closer together while watching So You Think You Can Dance! Chris was getting pretty antsy/nervous and kept saying we should go to the hospital so around 1:30 AM we went to the hospital and got checked in to wait another hour to see if they would keep me. Lets just say the next hour was a little rough and I told the nurse that if she sent me home I would cry! Luckily I was progressing and got to stay. I got an epidural as soon as I could (call me a whimp, whatever!) which was the best decision I could have made! Everything went really fast after that and Jaxon J Eastman was born at 7:55 AM June 14, 2012 5 lbs 15 oz 18 inches!

That was one of the most surreal moments of my life. I have never felt so close to Heaven. Call me crazy but I am beyond excited to have that experience again soon.

Jaxon has been a little light in our home ever since! Trayden is an AWESOME big brother and is so cute with him...

  I was shocked at how small Jaxon started out...

but I am happy to report that he is now in the 90% for height and weight!

He is such a happy baby and hardly ever cries. He already has so much personality and it has been so fun to watch him learn new things every day. 

 And seeing these 3 adorably, handsome boys together MELT my heart!!

To say that our life is a little hectic with 2 boys would be an understatement, but we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world...(at least most days! lol)!

Fail...

So this is the very reason I was hesitant to start a blog, I was afraid I would be horrible about keeping up with it! As more time has gone on the more overwhelmed I have become about posting and not knowing where to start or how to catch up, but I'm biting the bullet and going to try to be more consistent. So here goes my attempt to briefly catch up on life...

 Trayden turned 4 with a pirate birthday party!

Chris and Trayden got in touch with their "Jersey" roots for Halloween...

 

We surprised my mom for her 50th birthday with a luau...

 Christmas was so fun this year as Trayden is getting older. We wrote a letter to Santa and left cookies and milk and carrots for the reindeer...

And one of our BIG updates is that Trayden will be a...

 

We are having a BOY and I'm 5 months along due June 16th. I know ultrasound pictures are really only cute to the parents but I can't resist...

 He took a big gulp right as the picture was taken...he must have been enjoying the orange juice I drank right before!

We really are so excited to have another little one join our family. Trayden has been so cute about being a big brother, he talks and kisses my tummy all the time. He doesn't quite understand why the baby has to stay in my tummy so long and why the baby doesn't know how to give kisses yet. So our life has been a little crazy lately and we know it's only going to get crazier but we couldn't be more thrilled with this next adventure!

Catch up time...

So I have been horrible about blogging and I'm blaming the unreliable internet at the hotel! So catch up time...here we go...

We are no longer in Washington, we made a little trip south to sunny California and we have been here the past month and a half. We are loving it! The weather has been fabulous and I have a tan for the first time in 2 years! As I have said before, I am pretty easily entertained and little things make me happy and the combo of the hotel pool and the farmer's market across the street on Saturday mornings have me on cloud 9! I will say that I was a little taken back by how cold the water at the beach is, I'm use to lukewarm Texas water, but it was still really pretty and fun.

The first weekend of August we had to make a spur of the moment trip to Utah to go to Chris' sweet Grandma Eastman's funeral. 

It was very bitter sweet, it was fun to get to see family we just wish it was under different circumstances. The service was beautiful and there were a lot of little tender mercies that helped make her sudden passing a little easier. So thankful for the knowledge of the Gospel and that families are eternal.

One of the fun things we were able to do since it we decided to take this trip on such short notice was surprise Trayden! We surprised him and picked him up from daycare! We missed that little guy so much and we both were giddy pulling into the daycare parking lot to get him! We were even more excited because we were able to get him the day after his 4th birthday!! Can you believe it...I have a 4 year old! I was looking back at pictures from last summer and he looks so little. This past year has flown by and I just want him to stay little and at home with me forever.

 

I probably kissed that cute face a million times in the 3 days we had him! Oh and as for that Shamu baseball bat he is hugging (thanks lollie!)...he smacked quite a few hits over the fence! Chris had a perma grin on his face he was so proud!

Look who made the long journey from Texas to see us...

My little big sister! So excited to have her out here for a couple weeks and I think I have convinced her to come back to Utah with us for a little while! 

We went to Mt. Diablo and saw the Bay area from up high.

And after a picnic on the way down where we found huge pine cones...they really were massive

We found a car show across the street from our hotel...

We were kind of bummed because we got there at the end but it was fun to get to hear all the cars start and rev up as they were leaving. 

I can't believe that we only have a couple weeks left out here before we head back to reality in Utah. This summer has been an adventure! It's been so fun to get to spend so much time together, I'm sure Chris is ready for a break from me, but it is going to be weird not to be together all the time when we get back. What's going to be even weirder is having a schedule where I have to be somewhere at a certain time! I've been spoiled this summer and have had a relaxed job...okay very relaxed job! Working from my phone while I lay by the pool is about as good as it gets!

So until then, I'm going to sleep in, soak up as much sun as I can, and enjoy my one-on-one time with my hubby! 

Scuba Steve and some animals...

So we tried Tray's snorkel and goggles out at the pool and I must say it was very entertaining!

He did really well for his first time, you can see from the fog in the second picture that he was having a hard not breathing out of his nose. I have no room to talk though, I like to snorkel but I usually end up freaking out a little bit. I don't think it was quite what he was expecting it to be but it was a lot of fun to watch!

Our next adventure was the Woodland Park Zoo! Anyone who knows me knows that I love the zoo and may or may not have made my friends go with me to the Houston zoo when I was in high school. The great thing about having a kid is that you have an excuse to do a bunch things that you secretly really love...Chris has caught on and always asks me if I'm more excited than Trayden and sadly the answer is usually yes!

Life with a 3 yr old...

My life the past 2 weeks has been far from boring and I couldn't be happier! I flew and picked up 

this little guy...

from Utah 2 weeks ago and it has been NON-STOP ever since lol. Chris surprised us when he picked us up from the airport with tickets to go to this...

the Mariners vs Yankees game! Where Tray did this...

pretty much the whole game! lol It had been a long day for the little guy! So fun though!

Remember all of my crafting?...Well last week we put up a booth at Kelani's parents neighborhood garage sale and sold some of our goodies...

 These are some of the headbands that I made

We actually did really well and are looking for some other fairs to get into while we are here this summer. Kelani's little girl Lilly was our adorable model...

Tray was a good helper and our "protector" since the Dads were at work

Poor dinosaurs...I don't think they have ever been killed that many times in one day!
Luckily when the Dads did get home Tray was able to take a break from all the girly stuff and play in the lake.

Having Kelani's parents so close (and on a lake...big bonus!) has been so fun and such a blessing! Keeping Tray entertained in a hotel room has been a little tricky, our hotel does have a swimming pool but it's indoor so it's not quite as fun when you aren't in the sun, so it's been so nice to be able to go to their house pretty much every weekend and play in a yard.

I've been trying to harness my inner creative momma skills and come up with things to do in our hotel room and I must say I totally envy you fun, can come up with something from anything moms! I'm still working on it! I do have to brag a little bit, I can make a pretty mean fort...

We watched Pocahontas and he pretended we were in a tee-pee like the Indians! Seriously, don't you just want to kiss that sweet face all over? Oh and if you were wondering, that is Armadilly the armadillo Lollie and Pops (aka my parents) got Tray for Christmas which pretty much doesn't leave his side. Anything to try to make him a Texan! lol

And my other go to activity when all else fails is making a treat...

and whats easier than no-bake cookies?!

So in a nutshell that has been our lives the past 2 weeks! Today Tray ran errands with me and since he was good he was able to pick a prize and he picked spider man goggles and a snorkel so I should have some fun pictures to post! lol

P.S.- can someone please make time slow down, this 6 week trip is going by WAY too fast!!