Parker's 1st Day of Preschool

Our little Parky started preschool this week. He is so ready to be in preschool. He will have a great time learning and is lucky to have a couple of his good buddies in his class. This is our cute little man on his way to preschool. This picture makes me laugh so hard. He still seems too little to be doing this! Is he really going to preschool?


Parker was indifferent about preschool. Of course he acted excited, but he is excited to do anything. He is a very laid back, easy going child. We talked about preschool for weeks and he was always excited when we brought it up, but only to be agreeable. He really didn't care about his new back pack or who was in his class. He's just a kid that's happy to be wherever he is. He could have a good time sitting around doing nothing all day long. I love that about Parker! I wish that I could be more like Parker. He's never jealous of things that Payton is doing. He's always just happy to be along for the ride doing whatever it is that we are doing.

Here are some recent pictures of Parker...

Grandma & Grandpa Chesnut

Many of you have heard about my amazing Grandparents. They are the ones who frequently watch my boys. I don't know what I would do without them! You would never believe that my Grandpa is 89-years-old and my Grandma will be 82-years-old this month. This past week they came out to bring us some tomatoes from their garden and zucchini bread. They are always taking care of us. I was able to snap a few photos of them with Cooper.

Home Renewal Challenge Update...

I need to apologize for hanging my fellow "Home Renewal Challenge Participants" out to dry. I think that I got in a little bit over my head, but now I'm ready to get back to business. I realize that I dangled this challenge out there and then didn't give you any feedback for two weeks. I apologize. It's because I've been busy working, trying to complete the challenge. Also, I've been consulting many of you over the phone or through e-mail. THANK YOU for your interest in this challenge. You have all given me the motivation I need to keep going. I would have given up on this crazy challenge the day after it started had it not been for all of you. So, in your honor, I have started a "Home Renewal Challenge" Blog. I will be putting weekly updates, tips, ideas or anything you suggest on this blog for all of you who are seeking help. Also, if you would like any questions answered, I can use this blog to answer them. I would love to use this as a community blog to let you post your pictures and updates. So, get your pictures posted and send me an update. I will link to your blog to show others what you are doing.

P.S. If you haven't started this challenge yet it's not too late. Get started today! I've posted some "Where do I start" tips on the blog.

Jones Family Reunion 2008

I finally posted all of my pictures from our infamous family reunion. I don't like to get my posts out of chronological order so you can click here to check them out or just scroll down.

four months old

I know that I say this every month, but time passes too quickly. Having an infant truly shows you how quickly the days, hours and minutes pass by. As adults the changes we go through do not manifest themselves the same way that they do with infants, but it is amazing how much we do learn, grow and change every day. Seeing an infant transform before my eyes has made me realize that every day, every moment, every opportunity does matter. Everything we do helps shape us into the individuals we are becoming. Cooper is shaping up to be quite the individual! He is so alert and so aware of the world around him right now. He recognizes his family. He laughs so hard at his big brothers. He loves Mommy & Daddy coming to rescue him after a long night's sleep. He gets so excited about things and laughs out loud a lot more now. He is very chatty. He is constantly lying on the blanket in the front room just chatting to anyone who will listen. He is definitely growing bigger each day. He weighed in at 14.4 lbs and is 24 inches long. He is a healthy, happy and strong boy. We have a hard time getting him to sit down. He loves to straighten his legs and stand up tall. We joke that he will be walking before he even rolls over. He also sits up very well. He can sit up on his own for a few seconds. He brings us so much joy. We love our little Coop!






P.S. Cooper does have more than 2 outfits...I just noticed that he is wearing the same shirt in 3 of the 4 pictures and the same overalls in 2 of the pictures. I guess I must like to use the camera on the days he wears these clothes. The truth is, I haven't been great about taking his picture this month so this is all I have...Enjoy!

Kennecott Copper Mine

Andi & Jdub invited us to go to the Kennecott Copper Mine with them. We figured since we lived so close, we couldn't pass up the chance to go check it out. It's pretty amazing!

Are You Up For the Challenge?

I need to challenge myself. Let's face it, who doesn't need to challenge themselves every once in awhile? My time has come. I'm out of motivation and I don't know what to do. You know when you hit that wall with your home when you feel like you're ready to just throw everything away and start over? That's where I am. Since I don't have thousands of dollars to spend "starting over," I thought of this challenge. I decided that if I could have my home feeling new again, or at least just clean, that I might be able to appreciate all that I have a little better. (I know that when I clean myself up I definitely like myself better!) I can always find something to complain about whether it's myself or my home. So, instead of complaining, I decided to do something about it. The following is my "Home Renewal Challenge":


I'm putting this on my blog so that I have some accountability. My husband is too nice. He's happy just to have a roof over his head so he won't care if any of this stuff is done. My children definitely don't care. However, I know that some of my friends and family out there might care and may even be up for the challenge.

Are you up for the challenge? Anyone want to join me? If so, please refer to my challenge, but make it your own. (You can click on the document and save it to your computer.) The only thing that must stay the same is the 12 week deadline. I made it 12 weeks so that I could continue to be a good wife and mother. I wanted this task to be something I could actually accomplish without letting everything else in my life fall by the wayside. I also gave myself a budget so that I wouldn't be tempted to redecorate every room. It was a way to remind myself that this challenge is about renewing what I already have!

I would love your feedback. Did I leave anything out? Any suggestions? I really don't want to do this alone so I'm hoping that some of you crazy people will want to join me. Blog stalkers, family, friends, anyone crazy enough can join me. I'm going to report my progress each week on my blog and I would hope that you would do the same. Also, for those of you who would like to join me, I'm going to throw a party at the end. After all that cleaning I need to reward myself (Have you seen the Arctic Circle commercial? It will be like that only we will have actually accomplished something). If you do the challenge I would like to reward you also. I will be throwing a party for anyone who does the challenge. Please join me or at least send me some motivation. I need all the help I can get right now!