Crazy September

Hey okay so I realized I haven't posted in ummm forever but it is has been a crazy September and only going to get busier. Things are good here in Minot. Since I last posted we spent a day at the Lake with Janee and Harry and also spent Labor Day weekend in Starkweather with my whole family. It was so nice to see everyone. Jess is busy with wedding plans and Lisa is finally starting to look like she might be having a baby. Which is good considering she is five months along, I am pretty sure I was her size at three months but who is counting ;)!! I think Grandma and Grandpa were happy to see the grandkids and I guess they didn't mind seeing us either. It was a great weekend and as always sad to leave them. It makes it even harder now that Sydney gives hugs and kisses when you leave. I think I liked it better when she didn't pay any attention!
I just got back from a four day work Trip in Sioux Falls. Where I missed my babies and Husband like crazy!! Brock did an awesome job with Taylor. I was honestly never worried about leaving them I was more worried if I could make it four days without them. Well I made it through and I am home with them again. Other then that we have both been very busy with work and Brock is reffing high school football this season which leaves his Friday nights booked. Thank gosh it only goes a little over a month or so!! I have a lot of conferences come up for work and also Norsk Hostfest. So life doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. Times like these I am so thankful to have a wonderful family to go home to at 5:00pm to relax and just hang out with them.
Taylor is getting so big I can hardly believe it. At her four month appointment she was 23 inches long and just over 13lbs. We have started her on rice cereal and we have mixed reviews. She seems to wake up with a tummy ache around midnight, but then we rock her back to sleep and she is fine the rest of the night. She did have her first ear infection and tooth come in about two weeks ago. That was a learning experience. She was miserable and as most of you know when your baby is miserable so are you. Brock and I were a good team but we are thankful for lots of calls to our Auntie Doctor Lisa and Auntie Nurse Jessie to keep us sane. Oh yeah and a few crying phone calls to Grandma Jamsa reassuring me that she wouldn't stay that cranky and uncomfortable. We still have a few crazy busy weeks ahead but I will try to post more next week. Take Care love and miss everyone!

Growing Up

Taylor Sue is getting bigger by the day. She has her four month doctor appointment on September 4th and we are interested to see how much she weighs. I am guessing around 12 to 14 pounds but I have never been really close with my estimations so we shall see. She rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time on Sunday night. I think she scared herself a little but after she did it once, she did at least five times. You could almost see her mind going like "Hey this isn't so hard". She is really starting to find her fingers. Although she still loves her pacifier she seems to be sucking on her fingers a lot more. Brock and I would defiantly be okay if she decided she didn't want her pacifier anymore.
Taylor defiantly is getting a mind of her own and will let you know when she is upset. She gets really upset if you have the nerve to pull her blanket out of her mouth to have her eat her bottle. I didn't know a baby could stick their bottom lip out so far!! She is a really really good baby all in all. She has even let Brock and I go out to eat a few nights. I don't want to jinx it because as my mom says as soon as you think you have her schedule figured out she will change it, but she has been sleeping really well. She normally goes to bed around 9:00-9:30pm and then wakes up around 6:00-6:30am. It is a pretty awesome feeling to get a full nights sleep!
We love being parents and are so lucky to have the support of both of our families.

Family

It has been a rough four days for the Jamsa family & friends. My uncle David was killed in a plane crash while fighting fires in Reno. He left behind 4 kids and a wife. It was tragic and unexpected. I think about him leaving for work that morning. He probably did what I assumed he did every time he left for work. He kissed his kids goodbye and told him he loved them and would see them soon. Then told his wife how much he loved her and left for work. All the while never knowing it would be the last time he would see them. I wonder what would you do it if was the last time you would see a loved one. Would you say good by a little slower? Would you tell them you loved them a little longer? Its is a question we should all asked ourselves everyday because the honest truth is you never know when its your last day here on this earth. It shouldn't take tragedies like this to make on realize how precious time with your loved ones really is, but it does serve as a reminder. So when you go home tonight tell you loved ones how much love them, hold them just a little longer, let the kids stay up fifteen minutes more just to hangout with them. Call your siblings and let them know how much they mean to you. No ones is guaranteed a tomorrow so we should all live for today!

Daddy Comes Home!

After five whole days in the cities for the PGA Golf Tournament Brock is coming home tonight and we couldn't be more excited. We had to stay a few nights at Grandma Kathy's because I can not stay alone. Yes you read that correctly I am 25 years old with a baby and I can not stay by myself overnight alone. Its pathetic I am aware but just the way it is. We only get one night with daddy because then tomorrow we go to Starkweather for our joint baby shower with Sheila and Vivian Wass. I can't wait to see Sheila and meeting their new little baby girl. It will be really neat to see Taylor's reaction to her new friend. I will upload some pictures when we get back from the shower.

The Tollefson's

We had a great weekend at the Tollefson's new home in Wahpeton. Their house is gorgeous and they have already made it into a home. It reminds me of the house off of Father of the bride except theirs is blue! They hosted 8 adults, 6 dogs, 2 kids, 2 toddlers, and one baby and they still had room for more! Kori's parents Ken and Karen along with Kori's sister family Kim and Kyle were visiting also. We got there by 9:30am on Friday which was nice so we could keep Taylor on her schedule.

Brock and Kori and the Nelsen boys went golfing on Saturday. The girls just hung out at the house for the day with the kiddos. It got nice enough for the kids to go out and play in the pool by the afternoon. Sydney and the kids loved the pool! Sydney is learning more words every time we see her it is amazing. Taylor just kind of hung out in her stroller for the afternoon. She loves being outside. We bought her a bug net for her stroller online. It is one of the best purchases we made. I recommend it for anyone having a baby in the summer time. Lisa looked great you can start to see there is little baby in their. They found out they are having little girl #2 in December and we couldn't be more excited for them.

Then came Sunday :(! I hate the day I have to leave my family behind. Of course I cried like I always do. I don't know how people can live a plane ride away from their loved ones. That would be really tough. I defiantly took for granted living in the same town as my sisters for almost five years in Grand Forks. It is very true you don't know what you got tell its gone. We weren't looking forward to the drive to Wahpeton but it is not bad at all. We are happy to only have a 5 hour drive and not have to take a $500 plane ride to go see them. We are very lucky to have our families so close. Taylor will get to see Grandma and Grandpa Jamsa and hopefully Auntie Jessie next week at her and Vivian's Shower in Starkweather. We are very excited. Thanks for the great weekend Lisa and Kori! I will post some pictures from the weekend later tonight!

Kathy's Bday BBQ

We had a great time at the Kathy's Bday BBQ last night at Brit and Terry's! They made some great food. In fact I was still full this morning!! It was nice to see Grandma Kathy be able to eat some real food!! We had a good time with great company! We had to see good bye to Carly for a few days as she is moving back down to Grand Forks, but she will be back next week for a few days. We will miss her lots! Taylor really enjoyed hanging out with everyone. She carried a pretty long conversation on with Great Grandpa. She is really starting to coo and giggle a lot. She is also very aware of people around her and when people stop paying attention to reminds them where she is! Thanks for the great night Brit and Terry!

New Camera

Welp we did it after a few months of wondering if we should or it was a good decision We went and bought a Nikkon d60 camera. My sister got one last year for Christmas and she loved it. It takes great photographs and with Taylor we seems to take pictures daily. I have always had an interest in photography. Which makes me a product of my father. For as long as I can remember he has had a camera in his hands. Whether it was a video camera or a "old fashion film" camera. He also taught photography in one of the tech ed classes I took at Starkweather High. We learned a lot in that class from shooting the photos to processing the picture. At the time you don't think much of it but it really is a pretty neat process. I can't imagine being able to do it for a living. What an amazing job to be part of the most important times in people's life. However being busy every weekend of the summer doesn't seem as glamorous!

I hope to be putting up some pictures very soon. We have a busy weekend ahead of us. We celebrity Grandma Kathy's 50th at Terry and Brits place. Then we are going to head to Whapeton on Friday to see Kori and Lisa's new house. It looks pretty amazing from the pictures! Taylor is excited to see her cousin Sydney and of course our dog Emma is just has excited to see Izzy and Zoe. I will post picture on Monday if I don't get to it this weekend. I hope everyone is doing well! Get out and enjoy the weather if it is nice, summer is going to be gone before you know it!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar

My dad brought this to my attention a few years back and I can even relate to it more now with Taylor...life can seem so crazy that you forget what is important. I believe we are all guilty of getting caught up in the little things and if you say you don't then your lying to yourself its human nature. The important thing is that you stop and realize what is important. Taylor and Brock do that for me everyday. No matter how stressful my day was at work or if I am just having a bad day all I need to is to pick her up and see her smile and realize that is what is important. Your family, your friends and your health are what makes life so great.
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee...A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed."Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff.""If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Taylor Sue DesLauriers

Brock and I were blessed with baby girl on May 1st. She just turned three months this past weekend and is getting bigger by the minute. She is a pretty low maintenance baby for the most part. She also has start sleeping through the night, but as a mom I still don't sleep through because I have to get up and check on her to see if she is okay!! She is starting to smile and giggle and it is the most amazing sound in the world. She is really starting to recognize Brock and I. She can't control herself when Brock walks into a rooms she coos with excitement! He is amazing daddy! Brock and I couldn't have asked for anything more then such a little angel.