Jeppesen Family

Marathon Mama!

2010-06-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, the plan was to start posting where I left off. But let's be honest, I'm too lazy to make up for lost time. So, this is where I'm starting...

On May 2, 2010 I ran my first marathon! Woo hoo! It was so hard! Mentally and physically demanding. I ran the marathon up in Orange County with about 10,000 other runners. I kept up a good pace for most of the run, but the last six miles really killed me. My back started to ache really bad and so I slowed down to walk for a bit. Well, once I started walking, it was hard to start up running again. I probably walked a good part of those last six miles which really disappointed me. My finishing time ended up being 5:04.

Trapped. After the race, we go straight into a 'runners' only' area with food and drinks. I had a hard time eating. I was super close to losing it in this photo. Very nauseous. Julia's obsessed with my medal.

So, not being thrilled with my finishing time, I felt the need to run another. My friend, Catherine, and I were able to run the San Diego Rock n Roll marathon on June 6Th with 40,000 other runners. That's right, two marathons (and a hair color change) within almost a month of each other. I am a little insane... Well, this one wasn't any easier. More hills and warmer weather proved to be more challenging than OC Marathon. Although, with the help of my running buddy, I was able to beat my time by twelve minutes and I ran the race in 4:52.

Funny story. At this point, I have completed at least half the marathon and am super hungry. Julia runs out to meet me with a nectarine. It's hers though, she just happened to be holding it when I ran by. I try to take a bite, Julia freaks out. I take a bite anyway knowing she's being ridiculous. Nathan tells me later on after the race that she was so mad a bout me taking a bite of her nectarine that she refused to eat it and he had to drive home and get her a new one. Oh boy...

(Also, a little side note, as wonderful as my husband is in supporting me, notice my daughters scary hair in both this and previous photos. Please, can he not manage a ponytail???)

I do think I am hooked now, though. There will be more to come. And I will keep running until I meet my time goal...

Also, my husband is the best support ever! He was there for both races. Loaded the kids in and out of the car about six times per race to cheer me on at different parts of the race. Fighting traffic and crowds to take pictures and show his support. I love him, and am so grateful for him!!!

Blog Neglect

2010-05-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blog for the past 5 months, and now it's time to update. So, I will slowly bring my blog up to date. Hopefully my friends in the blog world haven't given up on me!

Christmas and New Years

2010-01-15T13:58:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful holiday here in San Diego. I was sad not being with my family, but it was nice and relaxing just the four of us.
Nathan and Julia Christmas Eve making cookies for Santa.
Right before bed. Mason an Julia in their new jammies from Grandma J.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Christmas morning. I couldn't get Julia to look at the camera long enough for a photo. She was too distracted by all the presents.

Santa Daddy must have snuck these in my stocking.

Chocolate Santa for breakfast.Only on Christmas.

Sea World was open, so we decided to go for a couple hours before dinner with our friends.

The day after Christmas, Nathan's parents drove over. It was also Laurie's, Nathan's mom's, birthday. So Richard took us to dinner at Seaport Village, and Nathan bought us a carriage ride. Julia loved it! She kept asking where Cinderella was, though.

Nathan's parents had brought my sister, Kellan, with them. She stayed with us for a week before we took her up to my parents who were visiting in Newport.

I took her to the zoo one day.

One New Years Eve, we went to the tide pools at Cabrillo National Park.

My Birthday at Disneyland!

2009-12-14T08:46:00.000-08:00

This year Disneyland had a special deal where you could get into the park for free on your birthday. Well, in my case that wasn't necessary since I have a season pass. So instead of a free ticket in, I received a gift card for the amount of a ticket. Good deal, huh? Well Nathan's season pass had expired the week earlier, so I used it toward the price of renewing his pass.
Anyway, when I woke up that morning, it was pouring rain. I was still determined to go though so I could get my gift card. Nathan, luckily, was able to get off work early and come with us. Even in the rain, we had a lot of fun, and no lines!

We had to get a photo in front of the big Christmas tree, but Julia just wanted to go play...
This was the nicest Santa! And there was no line! So we just hung out with him for a bit and took or time taking some pictures.

Getting a little silly toward the end of the day.
On our way out after a wet wet day at the Magic Kingdom!

More visitors! Yay!

2009-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

My parents and a few of my siblings came for a visit over the weekend. We had some free passes to Legoland, so we went while they were here.

Karsyn, Julia, Parker

Julia really wanted to go on this ride, even though I told her she would get wet. She had fun,

but was a little uncomfortable in her wet jeans afterword.

The only ride Mason could go on. (Legoland isn't very baby friendly...)

Mini lego Capitol

Juliabuilding her race car.

Julia, Dad, Parker and Karsyn racing.

We also went to La Jolla Cove while they were here. The kids found a good climbing tree.

Alec, Dad, Mom, Parker, Karsyn

Our kids were not in the mood for photos...

So we took one without them!

Had a great time with my family! Hope next time every one can make it!

Jon and Kara

2009-12-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Jon and Kara finally came for a visit. Jon had a break from school and Kara was done with her grueling internship. They weren't here for long, but we made sure to have fun while we had the chance! We went to the zoo one day, and then the next Kara and I did what we do best. Shopping. And then they had to go home. Boo.

Mason was totally digging Uncle Jon's nose.

>

Meagan & Cory

2009-11-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Four weeks ago today my best friend, Meagan, and her fiance, Cory, were married! The ceremony was so beautiful! We were so lucky to be a part of it. Mason walked down the aisle with the ring bearer, Julia was a flower girl and I was a bridesmaid (and Nathan was supportive).

My mom made all the bridesmaid dresses. Aren't they lovey?

Beautiful bride getting ready

Mason and Marvin. Total studs

The wedding was in Sedona, but it ended up being pretty warm, so he lost the jacket.

First Kiss as Husband and Wife!

Mr and Mrs Cory Barnes!

Julia getting down on the dance floor

Group photo HHS alumni

Congrats to Meagan and Cory! We love you guys so much!!!

Happy Birthday Mason!

2009-11-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Mason is One!

On November 2, Mason had his first birthday. The week before, we were in Arizona, so we had a birthday party for him at my parents house.

Julia and Karsyn dressed up a Snow White.

Mason playing with Grandma and Grandpa Jeppesen.

Uncle Alec lighting the candle for Mason's snake cake.

Yummy!

Yay! Presents!

Nice earrings, Aunt Kara

GREAT Uncle Matt and Aunt Melissa

Megan even brought brand new baby Whitman!

Auntie Meg, Cory and Nadene

Nathan wasn't able to make it to Mason's party in AZ, so back in San Diego, on Mason's birthday, we had a mini party. Mason got to eat a Skinny Cow while we sand Happy Birthday!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Jeppesen had sent him a gift in the mail, so he had a gift to open on his birthday.

Did I mention he knows how to read?

I'm so blessed to have Mason in my life and to be his mother!

More Halloween! I'm way behind on posts...

2009-11-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

About a week before Halloween I took the kids to a pumpkin patch to go get a pumpkin. The had a great time!

Julia picked out about ten pumpkins before she decided.

Such a sweet sister.
A little too sweet.
Ok, I think he's had enough...
And he's making a break for it.

Julia and Mason got all nice and dirty. Mason had just started walking about two weeks before. But when he wanted to go fast he would still get down and crawl. Soooo dirty...
Milking the cow.
Petting zoo.

Julia really loved her pumpkin. At some point after we had gone to bed, Julia snuck downstairs to get her pumpkin and fell asleep with it.

SeaWorld Trick or Treat

2009-11-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Since Julia and Mason will be busy in Meagan and Cory's wedding for Halloween, I decided to take them Trick or Treating at Sea World. Julia wore her Snow White dress that Nathan's mom, Laurie,made for her and she looked to beautiful!

Julia with, what I can assume is, a Princess.

Dawson and Julia looking super excited...
Waiting for the spooky show to start...
and there's the Julia I know!

Mason and Julia giving Elmo loves.

Disneyland Scares!

2009-11-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to go to Disneyland in October for their Halloween specials! There were plenty of scary additions! It was a bummer we picked a rainy day, but good for short lines!

Julia and Mason love Snow White. Mason even got a big kiss on the cheek. And Julia started to strip to show her her Snow White panties. Now that scared Snow White a little...

Playing on the Halloween stage at Cali Adv.

They had a good time climbing on this in New Orleans Square.

Mason loved the Queen of Hearts, but wouldn't get near the evil Queen. Can you blame him?

Riding the Carousel all by them self! (With me standing nearby, of course)

Standing in the rain for a photo with the Mickey Pumpkin. Too bad the photographer chopped Mickey's head off...

The girls love the Wishing Well!
We LOVE Disneyland during Halloween! Wish I could have made it back a second time!

They even made a scary addition to Space Mountain to make it even scarier! It totally freaked me out!

Visit from the Griffiths

2009-09-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

This past week was Nathan's first vacation (He gets 3 one week vacations a year). Our good friends, Zac and Catherine Griffith, and their two little girls, Isabelle and Ava, came for a visit. The first couple of days we just kinda chilled. Wednesday and Thursday were a little busier. We drove up to Anaheim Wednesday morning to go to Disneyland! Wednesday was a little stressful for me. Before we went to the park, we checked into our hotel that we would be staying in that night. Then Nathan walked to the gas station next door to put air in our stroller tires. Well, it turns out one of the tires had a thorn in it, which caused a small leak, so by the time we walked over to the park, in what seemed like blazing heat, it was flat again. Nathan was able to borrow a pump from the stroller rental place, but it was flat again in a couple hours, so we just pushed it on a flat. So, by the time we'd gone on a couple rides, I was stressed about the stroller, super hot, (I wore jeans. Not smart.) and in pain. I had wore a new pair of shoes and in return received a huge blister on both pinky toes. At about six we were totally wiped, and as a joke I told the guys they should take the kids to McDonalds, and let Catherine and I play. They went for it, and Catherine and I enjoyed the park for about an hour and a half longer before we headed back to the hotel. That was very nice.

Mason and Minnie, very cute

Mason was trying to take off Jasmine's straps! Naughty, naughty!

Our second day was less stressful. Nathan was able to fix the tire Wednesday night with a patch kit, and I wore shorts and different shoes.

Daddy's so mean while Julia was sleeping.

All of us after a long day at the Happiest Place on Earth!

At dinner, there was this guy making balloon characters. He was really good, so we had him make something for the girls. He made them crowns. Aren't they cool?

Cupcake boy

2009-08-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to a friend's little girl's first birthday party. It was so cute! She had swimming, toys, good food, but best of all...CUPCAKES! They were sooo yummy! And Mason really like them too.

His first cupcake. Look at him dig into that thing! Yummy!
Mason started cutting his first tooth about two weeks ago. Now he has gotten his first tooth and is cutting his second. Mason is such a good baby, and even though he has been teething, he has only been mildly fussy. What an angel! I'm so blessed to have this sweet little guy!

Chipmunks and Dinosaurs, oh my!

2009-08-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we finally made it back to Disneyland. We hadn't been since we moved to San Diego and I was having withdrawals. It was more crowded than I'm used to, but still fun. Mason LOVED it! In just two and a half months, he has developed so much more, and totally got a kick out of all the rides and parades. It was so cute! When we'd get on a ride, he would giggle and bounce on my lap with excitement. My new friend, Kristi, and her daughter, Ella, came with us. We had a blast!

We saw Chip (or is that Dale?) in Frontierland, and he was showing the girls where we should go next. Guess where? Chip n Dales house in Toontown!

We also made our first trip to San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. It is VERY big and we didn't see the whole thing. But we made sure to go to their new exhibit Dino Mountain. The first time through, Julia was soooo scared. She got a little braver the second time around, but still terrified of the carnivores. The dinosaurs where so lifelike. They moved and made sounds. Very cool.

These were one of the only dinos Julia was brave enough to turn her back on.
Mason liked the view from the stroller. He's such a good baby! Julia was terrified of the T-Rex. We couldn't get her to turn around for the photo. She felt safer with her eyes on him. At the front of the exhibit they were given little dino passports so that they could stamp for each dinosaur they saw. She really liked to get her stamps.
She didn't feel these were as threatening either.

But more of the scary ones...

This one shot water out of it's nose. We didn't know that at first and totally got sprayed. Pretty funny

Shamu Rocks!

2009-08-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Nathan got off work early. Hooray! (Well, 6:00) So we decided to go down to Sea World and catch their Shamu night show. It's called Shamu Rocks. It's pretty cool, and Julia loves it! Since we weren't going to be there long, and were planning on going home right after the show, we decided to be brave for once and sit in the soak zone. We were on the second row dead center. Well, Shamu did a good job and we got soaked! Totally worth it to be up close and personal, though.

Waiting for the show to start

I think my camera got a little wet, too

Mason was in between a laugh and a cry for this picture. I think he was having fun, but not sure if he liked the cold water. I think Julia was a little cranky, though. After he soaked her she kept saying she's going to spank Shamu's bum for getting her wet!

Good thing hair grows back...

2009-08-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mason had not had a hair cut yet, and his hair was growing in all wispy and uneven, so I thought I'd give him a little haircut. Well, apparently I had the clippers on too short of a setting because I pretty much gave him a buzz! I'm so sad I want to cry! His face is a mess because I had to feed him while I cut, to distract him.

Believe it or not I cut off over an inch.

Ahhhh kids...

2009-08-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

Me to Julia: Pick up all your toys and put your clothes away, please.
Julia: Okay, mommy.
about 2 minutes later (way too soon for the room to be clean by the way)
Julia: My room's all clean, mommy!
Me: No it's not sweetheart.
Julia: Yes it is. I don't see any toys anywheres.

Aparently we need to work on what "clean" looks like...

Also, here's a fun picture I took of Mason on Saturday. We were on Coronado Island and Nathan was throwing him up in the air so that it looked like he was jumping over the San Diego Bay Bridge.
Bruce Barnes (Kara's father in law) did some touch ups for me so that it would look nice when I printed it. Thanks!

San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Visitors, Hooray!

2009-07-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago our friends Jeremy, Arabeth and their daughter Braelyn came to San Diego to visit us. We had so much fun while they were here! It was just a bummer Nathan was working so much he barely got to hang out :(
While they were here we took our first trip to the World Famous San Diego Zoo (since we moved). I was purposely waiting for their trip before we visited, because the last time we came to the zoo was with them on vacation when Julia was only 4 months old! So we wanted to make our next trip with them as well. But this time I knew it wouldn't be as long in between trips and I went ahead and purchased a season pass.

Julia and Braelyn

Braelyn had her whole face painted with a beautiful butterfly and Julia really wanted hers done as well. We decided a little heart would be best, though ;)

We also got a Sea World pass this past week.

Julia and some our new friends (Carolyn, Dawson and Kylie) on a ride at Sea World

And, yesterday, my Uncle Matt, Aunt Melissa and their three kids drove over here from Palm Springs where they're vacationing to visit us. We went to the beach and the zoo. It was so much fun and Julia loved having Ruby to play with.

They especially loved burying Mason together

And then they buried Nathan. Nathan was able to meet us at the beach after work. Yay! (He's been working so many hours, we hardly get to see him!)

We love our friends and living in beautiful San Diego!

Meagan & Cory and Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend my friend Meagan and her fiance Cory came to visit us! Sadly, Nathan was on call so he didn't get to spend very much time with us. I still tried to show them a good time with kids in tow. Of Course they were very sweet and helpful with their "niece and nephew" and I think we had a great time!
We took them to La Jolla cove to see the seals.

We went around Balboa Park looking at all the cool buildings, gardens and museums. Meagan insisted on wearing the wrap. I think it suits her :)

We watched the fireworks on the roof of Nathan's hospital. It would have been nice to be closer, but it was cool to watch six firework shows at once.

Julia thinks it's funny to go cross eyed in almost every photo I take of her. I don't...

Hope every one enjoyed their Fourth of July and we all continue to enjoy our
independence!

I also wanted to add that Julia has turned into the language police (I've been teaching her that words like stupid, shut up and butt are naughty). Anyway, she catches me saying them all the time, though. I think I get into more trouble for saying them than she does! It's pretty funny because if I say one of them, she'll interrupt me and say,"Uh oh, Mommy! That's a bad word! You're gonna go to time out!" And this weekend she was on triple duty. She had Meagan, Cory and me to reprimand. By the time they left, we were pretty good at substituting the "naughty" words for more appropriate ones. I'm glad I have my daughter to keep me in check.

Coronado Island and Cabrillo National Park

2009-06-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks my brother, Parker, and sister, Karsyn, were here in San Diego visiting with us. We had fun, and it was good for Julia to practice sharing here toys and mommy. Sunday my mom, grandmother and two more of my sisters, Kourney and Kellan, came to pick them up and visit. It was nice to have them here. Yesterday we went to Coronado Island.
Mason always manages to get covered in sand.
Julia was calling to her Aunt Kellan to help. She didn't want to go into the cold water.

The boys, Nathan and Parker, were working on their skin boarding skills.

Nathan borrowed some surfboards from our friend, Jon, and he's been practicing surfing.
Parker, Karsyn and Julia got buried. I almost wanted to leave Julia this way for a while...

They really love the sand.

Today we went to Cabrillo National Park Tidepools and Point Loma Lighthouse.

We will have to come back in the winter, because then you can see the whales migrating.

The Lighthouse

I thought this was a silly picture. This nice man was there to give out information and he was dressed as one of the crew that found the area in the 1500's. Julia wouldn't pose for a picture, but she liked to stand by him.

We were over looking the military base, so we saw some submarines,
battle ships and fighter jets. Pretty cool!

Nathan's Graduation Party

2009-06-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great turnout! Thanks to everyone who came and showed their support for Nathan. Thank you also to all of you who couldn't make it, but have shown your support these past years! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

Happy Day Doctor Jeppesen!

2009-06-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, June 5th, Nathan graduated from Medical school! We are so proud of him!
Nathan with my dad and brothers and sisters.
Nathan with his parents, brother, sister and grandparents.

La Jolla Cove

2009-06-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today we went to La Jolla Cove. We had never been there before, since usually when we'd visit San Diego we go to Mission Beach. Well, it's my new favorite beach! There were seals everywhere, which was very cool. Also, there are tide pools where Julia could go explore. She loves looking at the crabs and the "goos" (sea urchins).
Here's a picture of some of the seals. When we were down on the beach, one of them just waddled up on shore right next to us! I couldn't believe it!
You can see more seals in the background.
I bought a big blanket for Mason to play on, but he likes the sand so much that as soon as I put him down, he books it for the sand!
And then he gets covered in it.
Luckily I can keep his binky in most of the time so he doesn't eat too much of it :)
We had so much fun at this beach. In the cove there was a place where people were swimming out into the ocean and back. The distances were marked with buoys. Well, Nathan decided to go for a swim and when he came back he said he really liked it and there were a lot of fish to look at. So I decided to conquer one of my biggest fears of swimming in the ocean and take the plunge, literally. I made it about 3/4 the way to the quarter mile buoy and then had to turn around because I was almost hyperventilating. I don't know why, but open water freaks me out! I was so scared! It took so much out of me to stay calm enough to make it back to shore. I'm gonna keep trying though, until I can do it!

We're Leaving L.A.

2009-05-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

It came really quick. Our six months are over and now we're headed out. Nathan starts residency in San Diego next month. We'll be moving down there first thing Saturday morning, and for now we're just trying to get everything all packed up. It is proving to be difficult with the kids. Julia keeps throwing random things in boxes and unpacking others, while Mason tries to eat any boxes or other things we leave on the floor. Hopefully the move will go smoothly. This will be our eighth since we got married almost five years ago!
It's been a sad week of goodbyes too, though. We went to Disneyland yesterday for the last time. Well, as for weekly trips. We will still probably make the 90 minute drive from SD every couple months. But we will miss the weekly venture.
Julia also had her soccer finale. She had a chance to say goodbye to her friends and coach. She had so much fun running around the field and doing jumping jacks.
We're gonna miss it here! Not so much the traffic, tiny apartment and huge rent, but our friends and all the cool things Los Angeles has to offer!

Quarter of a Century!

2009-05-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, May 14th, was Nathan's 25th birthday! I almost felt like it was our whole families' birthday, though, because of all the fun we all had! We started out the day at Newport Beach. It was perfect! The weather was beautiful.

After a few hours at the beach, we headed over to Disneyland. Since Nathan doesn't need to get in free on his birthday (we have season passes), he received a gift card for the price of the ticket, $69, to spend in the park. So when we got there, we hit one ride and then Nathan spent the next couple of hours spoiling his kids. Julia got the most stuff, most of the things she was asking for when we would go every week. Nathan got her a Buzz Lightyear gun, a light sabre (that Nathan built himself in the Star Tours store), and a pirate hat, hook and sword. Really, you would think she was a boy. But I guess it's appropriate that her daddy got her all those gifts.

Then Nathan picked out a super soft Winnie the Pooh for Mason. He really loves it! All Nathan got for himself was a sweet treat in one of the bakeries. Afterward we were going to do dinner at Cheesecake Factory, but were way too tired, so we just hit In N Out Burger on the way home.
I think he had a great day. I am so happy he is my husband. He is so selfless and is a wonderful father. I love him so much! Happy Birthday Nathan!

My Little Monkey Turns 3!

2009-04-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Julia had her third birthday! I can't belive it's already been three years since Julia came into our lives! We love her so much and she brings us so much joy!
On her birthday, she woke up to balloons and a table full of her birthay presents.
She does a real good surprise face.
I think this one was her favorite gift.
After opening her presents, we headed off to The Magic Kingdom! We had birthday reservations at the Cafe Orleans where Julia would get a birthday cake in a princess treasure chest, but our reservations got all mixed up. They were able to still get us in, but were all out of cake. So instead they gave us a free desert, and still gave Julia the treasure chest with mirror and princess flag. She loved it. And the dessert was these yummy donut-like things in the shape of Mickey Mouse. They put a candle in one and decorated it with sprinkles for Julia. She liked it.
We bought her her season pass and she was already tuckered out from standing in line to have her picture taken for the pass. She also got her birthday buttons.
A visit with Winnie the Pooh.
We shouldn't have waited for the end of the day to take this picture. Mason was too tired. He looks like he's crying harder than he actually was. He was only whimpering a little.
Also, my Mom and sister, Kourtney, were in town because my sisters choir was singing at Fullerton College and then going to Disneyland on Saturday. So my Dad, who's been working in Las Vegas, decided to come over to LA and stay with us for the weekend, rather than back to AZ. He drove straight to Fullerton to see my mom and we headed over there to see my mom and sister after Disneyland, where she succeeded in talking me to come to Disneyland the next day. (Going to Dland on a Saturday did not sound fun to me and we were originally supposed to go down to San Diego to find a place to live.) Well, it was really crowded, but I had a fun time with my parents. Glad my Dad was able to stay with us!
Hanging out with Grandpa at Grandma's hotel after Disneyland!

Strawberries, mmmmm

2009-04-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we gave Mason a strawberry for the first time. As you can see in the pictures, he thoroughly enjoyed it.
We put the strawberries in this cool netted feeder so that he couldn't gum any big pieces off.
You can see the excitment in his eyes.
You can see all the juices running down him and the Bumbo to the floor. Yum yum!

Also this weekend my friends Meagan and Nadene (Meg's mom) came to LA to get fabric for Meagan's wedding dress. We were so happy to be able to meet them for dinner in Woodland Hills where Nadene grew up.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

This Easter was very fun. Now that Julia is older, she was really into the whole egg hunt and Easter bunny thing. I did try to explain the true meaning of the holiday to her, she didn't really grasp it. Maybe next year.
We started off the weekend with an egg hunt at one of the local rec centers. They did a really good job, and had cookie decorating, egg coloring, face painting and a bounce house.

Then Saturday night we decorated eggs for the Easter bunny to hide. Julia really liked this.The next morning the Easter Bunny had come and left some fun toys, new swimsuits and eggs for the kids. And he hid the ones we decorated. Julia started strong, but about half way through, she just layed on the floor. I think the Easter Bunny overdid it with the eggs. You can see how full her basket is already...
Julia and Mason in their Easter best. This picture cracks me up, because as most of you know due to complaining in past posts, Julia is really hard to get a good picture of. I have a hard time getting her to smile, look at the camera and open her eyes all at once. I usually only get only one or two of the three. Anyway, in this particular picture, she had been closing her eyes in all the pictures, so I said, "Open your eyes nice and big like Disney Princess eyes!" and she did. Needless to say, a little unnatural looking.
Since our church building is right next to the temple, we decided to take a few shots of the kids. The grounds are beautiful, and so are our kids, of course, but the pictures weren't as well as I hoped, since they were both tired after church.I was able to get a really nice shot of Julia. She looks so sweet and innocent. Looks can be deceiving...

Mason's First Swim

2009-04-05T23:19:00.001-07:00

Although I started Julia swimming at two months, Mason couldn't start until now. Since he was born in November, it has always been too cold. We have been in AZ for the past couple weeks, though, and we went to the local public heated pool and went swimming a few times where Mason had his first swim. and tuckered out from all the fun :)
Once Nathan joined me in AZ, I got some film of him going under. He's gonna be a fish, just like Big Sis!

Grandma & Morgan came to visit

2009-04-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Nathan's mom and sister came to visit us. While they were here we went to Disneyland. Julia had a great time showing them her home away from home! And her aunt Morgan bought here a beautiful umbrella with her name on it. Julia calls it her Mary Poppins umbrella.
It was hard to get a good picture at the end of the day. You can see her holding her umbrella.

Catch Up

2009-03-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've been really lazy on posting lately. I need to catch up with everything that's going on. First, three weeks ago my Uncle Matt and Aunt Melissa cam to visit and we went to Disneyland. It was really fun, even though they had to sleep on the floor. We stayed up late playing games, and ate way too much junk food. Also, the Saturday they were here, we all went shopping except for Nathan and Julia, who went to The Tour of California race at Rose Bowl. They got to watch the end of that race, and Nathan even got some close-ups of Lance Armstrong. Nathan said Julia was really into the whole biking thing.

Me, Melissa and Matt on the rapids ride in California Adventure. It was warm, so we didn't mind getting wet.
Lance Armstrong riding.
Then the next weekend we headed over AZ so Nathan could take his Board Exams. Hopefully he passed! We won't find out for a few more weeks. While we were there Mason had his four month check up. He is healthy weighing in at 15 lbs 6 oz, and 25 inches long. We also got the go ahead to start solids, so that afternoon I gave him rice cereal for the first time. He ate the entire serving and has everyday since!

Messy face.
Karsyn also had her fourth birthday while we were there. Julia really liked her Ariel cake and keeps talking about her own birthday coming up.
Julia and Mason's aunts and uncles and cousins.
We were also able to visit with other friends and family while we were there. It was so nice to see everyone. I was just really sad because I wasn't able to see my dad. He has been working in Las Vegas, and was still there during our visit.

My aunt Robin was tickling Mason and he was loving it.
Grandma Jodi (my mom) and Mason. He drools so much, that's why his shirt is all wet.

San Diego!

2009-03-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nathan matched! We will be moving to San Diego for residency! I am so excited! Though not Nathan's top choice, it was mine; closest to home and to where we are now. The only bummer about this one is that the third year is spent in Sacramento. So my dream of not moving for 3 years is gone. We will spend two years in SD and the third up north. Hopefully Nathan is excited, too. I havn't had a chance to speak with him since he is at work. I checked it for him, and then had to text him the results via the Alltel website, since I currently don't have a phone. (I dropped it in a cup of water a few days ago.) But from what he has said about the program, I think he will be pleased he matched with them. I'm sure I'll update this post once I speak with him. I just wanted to let people know, since I don't have a phone to text everyone!

Swiper no swiping!

2009-02-09T14:41:00.001-08:00

Last night before Nathan and I went to bed, we heard Julia wake up crying. Nathan went into the room to see what was the matter, and to get her back to sleep. When he returned, he told me this: When I went into the room, Julia was crying and sweating. I took off her wet jammies and asked her what was wrong. She said, "Cinderella's in trouble! Swiper's gonna get her! And Sleeping Beauty! Sleeping Beauty's in trouble!" She was so scared that Swiper the Fox (from Dora the Explorer, for those of you with out kids) was going to hurt her princess friends. What a silly girl. Nathan was able to calm her down and get her back to sleep, but we will have to limit her cartoons, since apparently they are giving her nightmares!

Fun with friends

2009-02-05T19:37:00.001-08:00

Even though we miss our friends in AZ very much, I'm happy that Julia and I have already made some good friends in our new home. Everyone has been so friendly and inviting.
Every Wednesday we go with a mother's group to Disneyland.
Julia and her friends took a break from the rides to take a photo.

She also started playing soccer. She needs to work on listening to her coach, but she's got the kicking down.

Goal!!!

I love my brother!

2009-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Julia really loves her little brother. Sometimes a little too much. If he starts crying she says, "Oh no! Mason's sad!" and then runs over to put his binkie in his mouth. The problem is, she isn't very gentle, and will force it in his mouth and hold it there if he doesn't want it. Also, when he is laying on the floor, she likes to give him a hug by laying on top of him. She also is very concerned with his well being. If she's around and somebody tries to touch him, she yells, "Don't touch! Your hands are dirty!" Must be something she's heard before. :) Really, though, she's still learning, and I think Mason is very blessed to have such a loving older sister!

Mason is growing so much. We are so blessed to have him with us!

He is very chunky.

Nathan's had interviews for residency almost every weekend this month, and this weekend he was in Chicago. When we got home from church I took Julia's dress off and told her to go get dressed so we could go to the airport to pick up Daddy. This is how she dressed herself. (Don't pay any mind to my messy apartment in the background. I was alone with my two kids for over three days, and it was raining outside almost the whole time)

Park City

2009-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

We got back to Los Angeles from a fun holiday in Arizona, only to leave again in a week to Park City, Utah. Nathan and I got to ride while his mom watched the kids. And since their condo is right on the resort mountain, it was easy for me to come in every couple hours to nurse Mason. Each day during one of our breaks we would get Julia all bundled up to play in the snow. Her favorite part was throwing snowballs at unsuspecting victims as they walked by. Lucky for them she hasn't quite perfected the art, and most of the snow would just stick to her glove.Julia also got to try out snowboarding. Next year she'll be old enough to put in ski school while we're there.

The last full day we were there, we went down to Salt Lake City to show Julia and my families exchange student, Dani, Temple Square. I also got to visit with my friend Meagan Olson who is serving a mission there.
Thanks to Nathan's parents for sharing this trip with us. We had so much fun!

I also wanted to post some pictures of my Grandma and Grandpa Stapley's 50th anniversary party we had the day after New Years. It was a wonderful program put on by my parents and aunts and uncles.
My dad played the guitar while his siblings sang.
Grandma and Grandpa
Dani and Mason

Merry Christmas & Mason's Blessing

2008-12-29T11:55:00.001-08:00

We came back down to Arizona for the holidays. We had such a great time! It went by way too fast! I wish we had more time with our family and friends. Here are some action filled shots from the first week of our visit, Christmas and Mason's blessing.
He was not very happy with me for laying him down on the gifts, but I had to get a photo of his first Christmas morning!

Julia was so excited to open her presents. This was her first Christmas that she was able to open all her gifts all by herself. Very exciting!

Mason soon fell asleep on Grandpa, and that is where they stayed the whole time we opened gifts. (It takes our family hours because there are so many people and we open them one by one)

Julia got quite a bit of clothes and princess dresses, and she had to try each one on as she opened them.
She even got a Suns' jersey. We have to represent while we're in LA!

The kiddies in thier Suns' gear. It's just too bad the Spurs totally robbed them that night :(

Mason was blessed on Sunday, December 28th. We had the pleasure of having some of our family and friends there. And some joined us at my parents house for the afterparty.
Aunt Robin and Uncle Justin

Catherine, Zac, Ava and an upset Isabelle

Nadene and Auntie Meg

Grandma and Grandpa Larson

Our happy family!

I was so sad when I realized I didn't get photos of Nathan's or my parents with Mason. They were there, and we love them so much and are so greatful for all the support they show us!
We are also greatful for all who came to the blessing showing their support! We love you all!

Jeppesen Christmas Groove

2008-12-18T22:47:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sea world, Venice Beach and more Disneyland

2008-12-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

We decided to go to Sea world on Saturday since it's only a two hour drive and we had free passes. We were all packed up and ready to go when our two and a half year old, who should be potty trained, had a horrible blowout. Poop was up to her neck and down to her ankles. SO gross. We had to strip her down in the tub and just wash her off. Once we got a new outfit on her and I rinsed out her dirty clothes, we were finally ready to go. The drive was going great, and we were making great time, but when we were about 2 miles from the park, Julia threw up all over herself. Perfect. I think it was a mixture of the huge Naked fruit drink she had and carsickness from watching movies the whole way. I've been to San Diego enough to know that there was a Target just a couple of miles up the road from Sea world, so we drove that direction so we can wash her off and get her a third outfit for the day. I spotted an Old Navy by the Target and decide to go there instead since I had Old Navy bucks. I had to buy her a new outfit and sweater, but it didn't cost me anything thanks to the bucks! Well, we finally made it to Sea world and had a fun time watching the show and looking at the animals. Mason and I checking out the seals and sea lions.
Julia liked the starfish. We felt so bad, because it wasn't until after we held the starfish out of the water for a couple of minutes that we found out you're not supposed to do that. It shocks their systems. Poor little guy.

We also went to Venice beach last week. Well, just me and the kids. Julia really liked to chase the seagulls away. Since it's off season, the beach was so clean and quiet. There were just a few surfers, a few other people, and us. It was very relaxing.
And of course we've been to Disneyland a few more times. I wanted to show everybody my sweet new baby carrier. I just got it Monday. It was my birthday present to myself (I'm now the big 2-4). Well, I guess from Nathan, but I bought it for myself. He actually makes fun of me for wearing it; says I look like a Jedi night. It is so comfortable, though, and Mason loves it! I can nurse him while he's inside so I can still use my hands! Awesome.

Speaking of Mason...Here are some new pictures of him. He is getting so big! Total opposite of Julia. According to our scale, he already weighs over twelve pounds!! He's not even six weeks until Sunday! What a moose!

California Adventure

2008-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

We made it. It's a miracle. We are now in our apartment in Los Angeles. There are boxes everywhere, and we can't use our stove top or oven for over a week (because I forgot to schedule the gas guy to turn it on), but we're are here, and finally have a computer! So here's the story: I am a total procrastinator and didn't start packing until Friday, which was actually Friday afternoon because I went shopping with my mom in the morning. We were packing up and loading the trailer until after midnight, and then woke up at 5:00 am to leave for LA. Nathan and I were each driving our cars, mine with the two babies, and then Nathan's dad was pulling the trailer with his suburban. Everything was going fine until Nathan and I stopped about halfway, so I could feed Mason and get gas. This is about the time when he got a call from his dad saying the transmission on his car was shot, and the car was basically useless. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, Nathan's battery died and I had to jump him, and then as he was pulling out of the gas station, he called to check on his dad and got a ticket for talking on his cell phone while driving. Apparently it's illegal here. The cop had to jump him again, and then Nathan was on his way. Well, since Nathan couldn't stop his car with out needed it jumped, it fell upon me to stop at a bank to get the cashier's check for the apartment. I stopped in a little city, Indio, along the way. After driving over five miles, I finally found a bank. I got my two kids out of the car, having to carry them both because Julia didn't have any shoes (apparently we packed them all), and walked into the bank. There was about 15 people in line in front of me. After waiting for about 10 minutes in line, I decide to make sure I can even get a cashiers check here. I couldn't. So, very frustrated, I left that bank to find another. I finally found one of my banks, and headed inside. Unfortunately, though, I got the dumbest teller ever! She had to re-do my check 3 times! The first time she never even asked me how much I wanted it for and just made it out for the entire amount in my account, and the second time she made it out to me from the apartment complex. Finally the third time she got it right, but only after I'd wrestled with Julia for 45 minutes in the bank. And then I still had to drive another 2 hours to LA, and since our little detour lasted longer than it should have, poor Mason was ready to eat again before then. But he had to wait, because I wasn't stopping again.
Once we got to our apartment we were able to meet up with Nathan, who was able to get his car a new battery before we got there. Nathan's dad was still over two hours away with his broken down car, and my dad was on his way up from Arizona to help out. My dad eventually got to him, but by that time, Nathan's dad had decided to just buy a new truck. So he hitched the trailer up and got to LA after midnight, and me dad headed back home. I felt so bad for both of them, but so blessed that Nathan and I have dads that would do so much for us.
Well, at least between unpacking, and getting stuff with our apartment all settled, we've been able to have some fun. We've been to Disneyland twice, and visited the beach (we are only about 5 miles away).

At the pier in Santa Monica. This place is pretty cool. There are roller coasters, food and games.

First two weeks!

2008-11-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

We made it two weeks! Mason had his two week birthday on Sunday! Now I have been told that I need to post new pictures of Mason, and update the blog. I'll start with letting you know I am enjoying very much being a mother of two. I didn't know if I could love another child as much as I love Julia, but the second I saw little Mason, I loved him just as much! He is such a sweet baby, and has such a mellow personality. Which is great in contrast with Julia :) Julia is a very loving big sister. She is very concerned when he's crying and is constantly showering him with kisses. I still have to watch her around him, though, because she really likes to touch his eyes. And when I'm nursing, it's like a free for all, since she knows I can't get up and get her. For example, today while I was nursing, she got into our fridge and ate two yogurt cups and four peppermint patties. When I was done nursing I had to clean chocolaty-yogurt fingerprints up from everywhere.
Mason has been to the doctor three times since we left the hospital, and the doctors say he is perfect, healthy, and growing very well. (Of course I already knew he was perfect) His first doctors appointment was on Nov 6th, and he weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. Then he had his two week appointment on Nov 14th where he weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. The doctor was amazed that he grew 20 oz's and one inch in just eight days. Then I had to bring him in yesterday, for something else, and they weighed him at 8 lbs 15 oz. He grew another 6 oz's in just three days! It makes sense, though, b/c I feel like I'm constantly feeding him. I'm very happy he's growing so well. I had so much trouble with Julia nursing at first, and she was so tiny. It relieves a lot of stress knowing that he's eating plenty. And he poops ALL the time! I have gone through two and a half packs of diapers already! I know this might be TMI, but he poops after I feed him, and then sometimes when I'm changing his diaper. We've had to wash our sheets more than once since we got back b/c of him going poop while changing him. It just shoots out! Very gross. And I forgot to mention in my last post that my normal doctor wasn't on call when I delivered, so I had the on call doc deliver Mason. That doctor happened to be Dr Partrich who also delivered me almost 24 years ago! How crazy is that!

These two pictures are for my friend Jennifer. She wanted to see pics of my hot baby ride. I LOVE my stroller! I highly recommend it. It has so many options. This is the toddler/newborn option. Once Mason's a little bigger he will be upright, and the seat Julia is in will click underneath, rather than on top (like in the picture I have on my stroller post)
Julia always wants to hold him and kiss him. She looks a little scary in this pic. I hadn't gotten her dressed or brushed her hair yet. I move slowly these days :)
Tummy time for Mason. He is so much cuter in real life! I need to work on my photography skills (I have none)

My very good friend Jenna got married this weekend, and Mason came along for the party. Here's Meagan looking beautiful in her bridesmaid dress. And then below, Nathan and I (not looking as hot as Meg)

Eventful Weekend

2008-11-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well, now that we're home and starting to get the hang of things, I thought I'd put up some more pictures from our eventful weekend. Thank you to all those who left your sweet comments and texts. I appreciate all of my friends' and families' love and support! :)
We'll start with Halloween. Friday night, Nathan, Julia and I went trick or treating with my family and some friends. It was really exciting for Julia. She kept saying,"candy!" and then "aarg" before she proceeded to hit the poor person with her foam sword. She was really into the whole pirate thing. It was such an awesome costume. Thanks to my friend Catherine for letting her borrow it.
After trick or treating we went out to my friend, Melissa's, Halloween party. Jon and Kara were dressed as pirates, too, and Julia and Jon had the exact same costume! It was pretty funny.

The next night was my friend, Meagan's, engagement party. Even though it was the day after Halloween, we were asked to dress up. I decided to be Sarah Palin, and Nathan was Michael Phelps. I felt like we did a pretty good job on the costumes. Nathan had a good time making all of his gold medals.
Well, while we were at the party is when it all started. I was sitting on the couch watching the game and talking with friends, when I decided to get up to go to the bathroom. I felt like my bladder was almost empty and gave a little push to try and get out those last few drops when I felt a big pop and then another gush of fluid, as if I hadn't gone pee yet. I wasn't sure what had happened, so I just finished up as usual and washed my hands. I dediced to ask Meagan's mom about it (she's an RN), and she said if it was my water breaking I would still feel leaking. After talking about it for a while, I decided to get up and fill out my card for Meagan's party before I forgot. As soon as I stood up, I felt the leaking, and then water started to run down my legs. I freaked out and squated down to try and hold it in so I wouldn't leak on my friends carpet. They ran and got me a towel, and we went out to the car to go to the hospital. Since we were so close to home, we went there first so I could change out of my Sarah Palin outfit and pack some stuff for the hospital. Once we were on our way to Chandler Regional, the contractions started. Luckly they were only every nine minutes, so I got a ggod break in between. When I got there, I was only dialated to a four. But by four am I was at a ten and twenty four minutes later our healthy baby boy was born!

New Baby!!!!

2008-11-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone--this is Jodi, Kassidi's mom, and she asked me to update her blog to let all of you know that she had her baby. Kassidi's water broke Saturday night around 8:45 or so, and she had the baby at 4:24am on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. Everything went great, and both mom and baby are doing fine. Kass and Nathan named the baby Mason Lewis Jeppesen. He weighed 7lb 11oz, and was 21" long. Baby Mason is beautiful (but then I'm a bit prejudiced), and Julia seems excited about having a new baby brother (at least for the moment).

ABC tag

2008-10-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

A. Attached or single? attached
B. Best Friend? Nathan
C. Cake or pie? cheesecake
D. Day of Choice? Sunday because I know we don't have to be anywhere but church and home
E. Essential Item ? carmex
F. Favorite Color? green
G. Gummy bears or worms? doesn't matter
H. Hometown? chandler
I. Ideal Vacation? one with beautiful weather, friends and/or family and no worries about how much it costs!!!
J. January or July? January
K. Kids? Julia, and soon baby Mason
L. Life isn't complete without? The plan of salvation
M. Marriage date? July 17, 2004
N. Number of brothers/sisters? 4-bros and 3-sisters
O. Oranges or apples? Oranges
P. Phobias? heights
Q. Quotes? I can't think of any, but I've been hearing a lot lately "God helps those who help themselves"
R. Reasons to smile? I have a healthy family
S. Season of choice? Fall or spring
T. Tag some people: Kara Barnes, Heather Peck, Cathrine Griffith and Jodi Stapley
U. Unknown fact about me? I can't think of anything. I've done enough of these tags that my unknown facts are no longer unknown :) Maybe people don't know that my dream job growing up was to be a marine biologist, and I was so serious about it that I wanted to change my name to Marina. I still think it would be a sweet job, and I love the ocean.
V. Vegetable? Asparagus
W. Worst habit? Gossiping (before you judge me, you know we all do it)
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y. Your favorite food? pizza
Z. Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius

Baby Boy Shower!

2008-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday, my friend, Taya, threw me a baby shower! It was so fun and she is so sweet for thinking if me :) I'm so grateful for all my friends that made the drive out from the east side!
and I'm so happy to have been able to see all of me friends from the west side!
I got some cute clothes, Kara made a super soft blanket, Taya gave me some of her awesome baby accessories from Jonesy baby, I got diapers and wipes, Cheyenne made a really cool cake, and I got some other good necessities (binkies, receiving blankets, cash :).
Nathan's mom. She's excited for the baby to come :)
I had to throw this picture in here, too. Julia got into my sister's lipstick, and even though she did get into trouble, I thought she did such a good job I had to snap a few photos ;)

Daddy's Visit

2008-10-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

Nathan was able to sneak away for a week, and we were sooooo happy to see him! He was such a big help with Julia, and it was so nice to have my best friend back! I don't know how army wives do it for so long!!! We were able to spend the week visiting friends and family and just hanging out. It was great! I had to take him to the airport yesterday, though, and I am already so sad he is gone. Only four more weeks and he'll hopefully never have to leave again :)
His first day here we attempted to take family pictures along with some maternity photos. It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Julia, as most of you have heard before, does not do well with pictures. We were not able to get any good family shots, well, maybe a few with some good editing, but we did get some fun ones.

And here are a few shots of my big ol belly.

I've decided I could never be a model. It was so awkward having pictures taken of me by myself. Hopefully after the baby's born we can get Julia to sit still for a few pictures for Christmas cards.
So Nathan's in Virginia now and will be home sometime before Nov 2nd. I'm hoping he'll be home by Halloween for two reasons. One, I'd like him to be able to go trick or treating with us b/c he missed it last year (he was on rotation in New Mexico) and two, it would be awesome to have the baby on Halloween, so of course I would want him here for that :)

Our California Adventure

2008-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Julia, Nathan's mom (Laurie) and I took a trip last Wednesday to Los Angeles to hunt for apartments. What a nightmare. I'd never driven in LA before, only gone to Disneyland. The traffic and roads are crazy! And there's never anywhere to park. Luckly we were driving Laurie's car that had GPS, or we would probably still be lost in the middle of the city. We found a few apartments that I wouldn't mind living in. The problem is, we will most likely have to rent a one bedroom because of prices, and we have to try back again end of October b/c no one would hold an apartment for us until our move the end of November. The hospital he will be working at is in a very nice area near Beverly Hills, and that's why it was so hard for us. But we don't want to be too far away, b/c even just a twelve mile drive can turn into an hour or more drive in traffic. I was so drained after two days of searching. Luckly, my mother in law was so sweet to take Julia and I to Disneyland the last day of our trip. She even bought me a season pass so that we can go whenever we want once we move :)
The coolest part about Disneyland was that while we were waiting in line, I saw Mark and Gev from the show So You Think You Can Dance. I asked them if I could take a picture and they were so cool. I saw them later on and Courtney from the show was with them, along with another blonde girl I didn't recognize.

Julia was so excited to see Pluto. I can't belive how much more she was into the Disney characters than our trip eight months ago in February.

She has her pirate hat and beads from New Orleans square. Also, Laurie bought her this Cinerella baby that she was absolutely obsessed with. For journaling purposes I need to add that we watched the parade and Julia was just so excited about it and dancing the whole time. At the very end the princess float came and the princesses got out to dance. Julia was beside herself with amazement. Then once they passed, she grabbed my hand to follow behind them while crying, "Wait for me princesses, I'm coming!" But we were unable to keep up b/c of the crouds, and it just broke my heart that she was so serious about it all and very upset they weren't waiting for her. She was ok, though once we distracted her with some more rides :) Dumbo is her favorite still.

At the end of the night I wanted to get one picture of her with the Mickey pumpkin, and she would have nothing to do with it. She was happy until I got out the camera. Why is my daughter so anti pictures???

I'm glad we were able to have a little bit of vacation on our trip, and I really hope we are able to sign a lease with a safe, affordable apartment soon!
Also, good news, Nathan is here this week. Yeah! He was able to sneak a break before he's off to Virginia for another month. We love Daddy!

Stroller

2008-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

So this is a picture of my #1, and pretty much only, item I want/need for the new baby. It's a Phil and Ted's Sport Stroller Double. This stroller has GREAT reviews, and I've talked to many moms who own the stroller and LOVE it. It is the only tandem jogging stroller out there. I really didn't want a side by side. I think it's pretty amazing. The only problem is, it's gonna run me just under $500. I don't know if Nathan will let me spend that :( I think it's worth the investment, though, and I have read that Phil and Ted's has a great warranty and costumer care. The only place that sells them is Just Juvenile in North Scottsdale, or you have to order online. So I think one of these days I'm going to have to make the treck out there to take a look. I'm trying to decide what color I want. I really like the green, but it also comes in red, navy and black. Is the green too much?

Late Tag

2008-09-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Megan tagged me about two weeks ago, and I've been really bad about completing it. So, since I don't sleep anymore, due to the little boxer living inside of me, I decided now is as good a time as ever. I am supposed to reveal 6 of my quirks. Here goes:

1. I won't wash my hair two days in a row. That's why summer kills me. I have to be really careful not to get it wet when I swim if it's not a wash day. My hair just dries out to easy, so I try not to wash it very often. I still shower, though. So don't worry :)
2. When I check on Julia before I go to sleep, I have to make sure she's breathing. If I can't hear or see her breathing, I put my hand on her chest to feel. I've done this ever since she was a newborn b/c I was terrified of SIDS, and even though she's two and a half, I still freak out a little. Nathan thinks I'm crazy. Probably am.
3. I hate doing dishes. I will shove everything, including pots, pans and my crock pot into the dishwasher to avoid the chore. And if the item simply won't fit, Nathan gets the honor :)
4. I have a habit of pushing on my two front teeth with my tongue or thumb from the front. I got made fun of a lot when I was younger for having big teeth. I never had braces, but kinda grew into them so they aren't so bad now. I'm still self concious though, and absentmindedly try and push them back.
5. I have a bedtime routine of brush my teeth, floss, wash my face, check on Julia and then pray. If I miss any of these things, I'll lay in bed thinking about how I need to do it. So the only way I can sleep, is if I follow the routine. (But currently, nothing can help me sleep)
6. I am addicted to Carmex. I keep a tube in my purse, my swim bag, my bathroom drawer, my nightstand, and my car (when it's not too hot outside). This way, I always have it when I need it. I always have to have a coat on my lips. In fact, Nathan remembers from our first kiss that I tasted like Cramex, so he went and bought a tube to wear so that he would always feel like he just kissed me. Isn't he romantic???

Well, there you have it. I'm sure I have weirder quirks I could share that I'm just not aware of :) I will tag my mom and Alisa Taylor.

Lake fun

2008-09-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Kara invited us to go to the lake with her family Friday. Julia was so excited that she had her life vest on before we even left the house! It was a very hot and sunny day. I wish Julia would have kept her sunglasses on. Every time we stopped the boat to switch wakeboarders, Julia wanted to jump in and swim. She didn't even care who was in the water. She would go to anyone. And it was so funny to watch her swim with that lifevest. Now that she knows how to swim with out one, she was trying to swim with her face in the water at times. She was so brave, too. She would just jump in right from the boat.
Thanks for inviting us Kara! It was a blast! Just wish I could have wakeboarded! :)

Just for Dad

2008-08-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Nathan never really pays attention to our blog. But now that he's off and misses us, he says he likes to check it and look at pictures of his family. So, even though I don't have anything exciting or interesting to post, this one's for Dad. Some pic's of his little girls he misses so much. Julia loves Grandma Jeppesen's puppies. She's actually really good about being nice and soft with them. It's the adult ones that she's mean to!

Julia's new thing is putting a ball under her shirt and saying it's her baby. It's pretty cute :) She wants to be just like Mom.
She rolled off the couch on to a toy and got a pretty heinus goose egg. Where's the doctor when you need him???
Nathan, I know you said you wanted some pictures of me, but seeing as I'm huge and pregnant, I thought I would send you an old one that holds some good memories :) I love you, sweetheart!

Park City & Fish Lake

2008-08-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

So a day after we got back from Hawaii, we headed up to Park City Mountainside Resort to spend a week while Nathan worked at the Salt Lake VA. It was fun for Julia and I, but sad that Nathan had to work. We got to spend a lot of time with his parents at the condo, and swim in the fun pool and hot tubs (they have seven!). Also, the resort has a bunch of fun activities for the kids. Nathan played hooky on Thursday so he could have some fun with us.
Julia and Nathan on the Alpine Slide.
Nathan and his Dad on the zip line.

After the week was over, Nathan was able to take us up to his family cabin at Fish Lake. He was so excited to go fishing! I think it's discusting, but whatever makes him happy. The cabin is at almost 10,000 feet, so let's just say I wasn't able to work out the whole weekend we were there. Just walking up and down all the hills almost did me in! Nathan went out fishing by himself the first day. We walked down to see if we could find him, but we couldn't. The lake was too big.
One of the fish Nathan caught. He cought a bunch, but only kept two to eat.
Julia and I decided to go for a ride. She wasn't patient enough to fish, though. She just wanted to keep reeling it in.
We saw a bunch of deer while we were there. Very cool.
Nathan's Grandma and Grandpa Jeppesen.

After we left the cabin, Nathan took us to the airport to fly home. We were so sad. Julia and I probably won't see him until right before the baby's born! Julia keeps asking where her daddy is. We already miss him!

Coconut Bras and Grass Skirts

2008-08-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I were so lucky to be able to take a trip to Hawaii last week with some friends of ours. We had so much fun! We left the kids and had ourselves a much needed break. We were on the island of Oahu the whole time. It was so beautiful!
Here is a picture of the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. I'm so glad we were able to to see it. It made me so sad, but grateful to all those who serve our country.
Here's the four of us outside our hotel. Zac, Catherine, me and Nathan.
We also got to visit the temple. The grounds were so green and beautiful! Did you know this temple was built before the Mesa temple? I thought that was amazing.
We took a hike through the rain forest to see some waterfalls. The boys thought they were Tarzan and decided to climb the vines up the tree.
(A true belly shot for those of you who have been asking)
We also got to go snorkeling a few times. It was so fun! I was a little scared at first, though. I thought I was going to scrape my belly on the coral. Nathan really got into it and took some awesome pictures. He wasn't afraid of sharks and swam a lot farther than me into the ocean.

Here we are at the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. That was pretty cool.
I bought this grass skirt costume for Julia. Pretty cute, huh?

Ode to a great husband and father!

2008-07-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

Today I have been married to my wonderful man for four years! In these four years, we have moved six times (making our seventh in December), even all the way from New Jersey. Between the two of us, we have held 11 different jobs and owned six different cars. Nathan has almost completed medical school, but I am still learning to be a mom :) So really, in all, we have done a lot of learning and growing in the past four years; tried to buy a house and failed, only to find out what a blessing that was when the market took a downfall in the next few months, and scheduled a cruise only to miss the boat but end up needing the money from the refund. Nathan helped me through two miscarriages and has put up with me through one and a half pregnancy's (which is a lot considering the mood swings and anxiety I get when I'm pregnant) The best part is he's done it with a smile and is always telling me how beautiful he thinks I am. I'm so glad that we've done it all together. It would have been nice if I could have instead put things like: In the past four years we have gone to Europe, China and Australia, ran a marathon together and swam with sharks, but I can't and that's ok. There will be a time for all that. But for now, I'm just glad I'm married to the man I am, the children he's given me and for the wonderful husband and father he is.

Just letting Julia decorate.

He loves to play with her. She loves this new idea "taking turns". So she jumps, does a trick, and then it's "your turn", she says.

Fourth of July in Pinetop

2008-07-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

We spent this fourth of July weekend up in Pinetop. My friend Jenna invited us to stay with her and her family up there. We had so much fun! The weather was so beautiful! We were there Thursday night through Sunday afternoon. I wish we could have stayed longer! Nathan and I went on a run every morning when it was bright and sunny, and then by two it was usually raining. It would stop around early evening, though.

Julia really liked going out and climbing on the deer family they had in the back of their cabin. She also liked running on the golf course, playing with there dogs and just receiving so much attention! She was the only little one with six adults, so she soaked it up!

She said, "It doesn't work, Mom." It took her a second to figure out the elk was fake.

We watched fireworks Friday night. Julia liked them at first, but then fell asleep. We were all really tired from playing all day :)
Saturday night they had a party with all their friends in the neighborhood. It was a blast! We BBQ'd and then roasted marshmallows, yum!
I also want to mention Sunday was Jenna's fiance's, Phillip, birthday. So he got to spend his special day driving home with us. Happy birthday!

Thank you so much Jeff and Cher for sharing your fun cabin with us!!!

Great new blog!

2008-07-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I used to work for a swim school in Phoenix called Hubbard Family Swim School. Well, I just recently received an email notifying me that the owner, Bob Hubbard, now has a blog! I'm so excited about this, because I really look up to him and his ideals. If you want any of his advice on parenting or swimming, check it out: http://swimschoolbob.blogspot.com/ I highly recommend it :)

Tagged Again!

2008-06-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged again! I like this one b/c I just learned so much about my friend, Elisa, who tagged me, after reading hers. So here goes: How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, & 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!
Joys:
1. Julia & Nathan. I can't believe how much my priorities changed after Julia was born. I'm at the point were I think I need her more than she needs me. People always comment on how nice it must be living with my mom so that I have a built in babysitter, but the truth is, I don't usually leave Julia with her unless she's napping. I pretty much take Julia everywhere with me b/c I miss her so much when I'm gone. Even just for an hour. I am so happy to see her in the morning when she wakes up. I'll even wake her up sometimes! (I know, I'm crazy) I feel whole with her in my life :) Same with Nathan. He is a wonderful husband. He takes such good care of Julia and I, and does such a good job putting up with all the drama around him. (It's hard living with your wife's family). He is so bright, and I'm very proud of everything he has accomplished in school and life. He is a worthy priesthood holder and loves the Lord. I couldn't ask for anything more!
2. Disneyland! OK, this one will be short. You don't have to know me well to know I love Disneyland. I've been there over 20 times since I was one. So for me it is a magical place full of memories. And now that I'm older, I want to share those memories with my kids. Can't wait to move to LA!!!
3. My "BIG" family. I have a huge family. I'm the oldest of eight kids, my mom's the oldest of ten and my dad's the second oldest of seven! It is so fun! And even though we do not yet know how large we want our family to be, I find so much joy in being part of a large family!
Fears:
1. Death. The closest person to me that has died is my great grandmother Allen. She died the summer of 2003, and I still get really sad when I think about it. I'm afraid of what would happen to life if I lost someone even closer, like my Grandma, who's been sick for a while, one of my parents, or my child. I can't even think about it or I get horrible anxiety.
2. Scorpions. I never even thought about these little devils until we had an infestation at our apartment in Glendale. And then once Julia was born I couldn't sleep at night, worrying whether they would get to her or not. That's why we got our cat. But we just ended up moving anyway.
3. Ghosts, Aliens, the unknown... I know, I'm such a baby. I am terrified of these things, though, and that is one reason we are not living alone while Nathan is gone. I'm just a big Scaredy Cat!
Goals:
1. Potty training Julia before baby boy comes! We've already started. I figured it might take 4 months, so we started early. So far she has about a 20% chance of going in the toilet. Hopefully she will get better, b/c I can not afford to put two kids in diapers!
2. Get my bachelors degree. I was half way there when I dropped out to work full time when Nathan started Medical School. Hopefully when my kids are both in school, I'll go back and finish up. It might take me longer, though, b/c my major was Spanish and I've pretty much forgotten everything I'd learned.
3. Go on a mission with my husband. Nathan and I got married before he was able to serve a full time mission, so we would really like to serve together later in life.
Current Obsessions/ Collections:
1. Buying Julia clothes and shoes. I've actually done well lately, since we've been trying save for our move to California, but she has more clothes and shoes than both Nathan and I. I just love how cute she looks in everything!
2. Potty training Julia. I've been buying her so much stuff, princess panties, princess toys, and princess movies, to bribe her. I also make myself crazy asking her all the time if she has to "go".
3. Working out. Here's another one where you don't have to know me well to know I'm obsessed with working out. I wake up every morning at 5 to either go to spinning, weight lifting or go run 7 miles. It's my high. If I don't wake up early enough to go, I obsess about finding another time in my day to workout (which is hard with Julia).
Surprising Facts:
1. I like to watch the History and Discovery channels. There's just so much randomly interesting information out there!
2. I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was growing up. And I can't wait to live by the Ocean! Dolphins, whales, sharks, octopus, they all fascinate me (that's why I love that discovery channel!)
3. I can still do a back handspring, and a round off-back handspring. I know my cheerleader days are long gone, but I've still got the skills! :)

I tag Arabeth, Heather, Kara, my mom, and Jennifer.

IT'S A BOY!!!

2008-06-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I found out yesterday that we are going to have a son! I wish I could have captured the look on Nathan's face when he found out. He was beaming with pride. Not that he doesn't love his daughter, but he is so excited to have a boy. The doctor said everything looked great on the ultra sound, so no worries there. We got some pictures of the face, body and his parts :) but our scanner isn't working, so that would make it difficult to post. I don't know how well it would turn out anyway, since my loving daughter has already taken her chance at crumpling up the picture! I handed it to her b/c she wanted to see the baby, and then when she was done looking at it, she started crumpling it into a ball as if it were trash! Is this a sign of things to come? She's already picking on her little brother, and he's still in the womb!

Purse Tag

2008-06-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

My friend, Arabeth, tagged me. I am to disclose the contents of my purse. For those of you who have ever seen the inside of my purse, this is very scary. In fact, Nathan calls it "the abyss", if that helps you understand what we're dealing with. I told Arabeth I would still do it, though, so here goes: wallet, diapers, wipes, fruit snacks, crackers, hard candy, gum, mints, granola bar, chocolate, taffy, smarties, easy mac, pens, crayons, reciepts, keys, purell, lotion, perfume, Julia's play phone, hair tie, hair clip, chapstick, spare change, perscription painkillres, little tot books, camera, checkbook, tylenol, planner, kleenexes, nail file, Julia's hair bows, visine, Julia's play make-up, nailpolish, Tide to go pen, cough drops, paycheck stubs, shopping list and my phone.
I think I might need to clean out my purse.
I tag Kara and Catherine

Nathan's Rotation Rollercoaster

2008-06-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that Nathan was leaving in July for rotations for school, and then coming back in November when we will then move to Flagstaff until he graduates. Well, he received a phone call Thursday that left him a little stressed and upset. Apparently the program he was super excited to attend in Tuba City (just outside Flagstaff) is dropping it's student program. So this left Nathan with nowhere to go the month of July as well as November through April. After working on his case for a little while, the school informed him that the program he got accepted to at Yale would still take him, or he could go to the Phoenix VA. Neither of those options sounded good to us since Yale is all the way on the east coast and I'm due the month we would need to leave, and he's been at the Phoenix VA a few months all ready, so he wanted to go somewhere new. Nathan went ahead and asked them if there was anyway he could get in somewhere on the west coast (San Diego, LA, SF, Portland or Seattle). Turns out UCLA had an opening, and we won't have to go until December. We just need to wait for the director to look over his transcripts and accept him. I'm not too worried though, seeing that Nathan is ranked third in his class (sorry, I'm bragging). So now Nathan is just going to a local doctor office for the month of July, Salt Lake in August, Denver in Sept, Virginia in October, and hopefully somewhere local in November before we move to LA December to May. I am so excited about this new schedule for two reasons: A) he's now going to be here for July, and B) we will live in California for at least 5 months! It's going to be expensive, but so much fun! We can go to the beach and Disneyland all we want! I think I'm a little more excited than Nathan :)

San Diego!!!

2008-06-09T15:03:00.001-07:00

Last week we decided last minute to go to Sea World. I had been bugging Nathan about it for a while b/c Julia is so obsessed with fish and sharks. He kept saying no and that we couldn't afford it. Well, I was complaining to a friend of mine who has a daughter Julia's age, and she said that they would come too so we could split the price and it wouldn't cost as much. Nathan agreed and Saturday morning at 4 am we were on our way. (Thanks Angelica!)
We stopped to see the sharks first. Julia really liked them. She kept saying, "ooo scary!"
And here is the shark tunnel. We walked through that one a couple times. That was the best way to see the sharks.
We also got to pet and feed the dolphins. Julia was more scared of them than the sharks, though. And I think it's b/c we were able to get so close.
I'm so glad we went! Julia really got into the shows and LOVED Shamu.
On Sunday we went to the beach. It was so beautiful! Of course crazy Nathan went swimming, and we made Julia get in, too.
Julia had more fun with the sand castles, though.
And eating the sand. YUCK!
I love San Diego! The whole time we were there, I was trying to talk Nathan into doing his residency there. We'll see!!!

I also want to give a shout out to the Brimhall family. Last time we went, Julia was 4 months old and we took the trip with them. We had so much fun! (Even though Julia wasn't old enough to care) And we really missed you guys while we were there! Love you!

Nice Weather

2008-05-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

I've been really slacking on my blog lately b/c of some internet problems we've been having with our computer. I haven't been posting as much, and I haven't been reading my friends blogs like I usually do. So, I'm on my dad's computer now and can play make-up.
Last weekend we went up to Forest Lakes with my uncle Matt, his wife Melissa and his 3 kids. It was beautiful weather! It was so nice to escape the heat. They had some fun toys, too. I don't know what this thing was called, but Julia and Ruby loved being buckled in and going for a ride. They also had quads. But I wouldn't let Julia ride that. We also had a picnic by this little pond/river (I couldn't tell what it was). Julia really liked the water, but wanted to know where all the fishies were. Nathan thought he was Bear Grilles and was trying to build a shelter. (As if I would ever sleep under that thing).

Well, to our pleasant surprise, after returning from up north to the heat, we only had to bear two days of it before we had some most excellent rain and cool air. The first day of it, we decided to go to the zoo. Not so good an idea. It rained almost the whole time we were there. Julia still liked it though, and my mom had some free train passes. We just rode the train the whole time so that we could stay sheltered. It was really cool, though, b/c the lions and tigers were out. The tiger actually climbed to the top of his tree right in front of us! I've never seen anything like it! The elephant also seemed to be out enjoying the shower :)
I also wanted to add in this picture of Julia. I put this dress on her for church Sunday only to hear Nathan, "What in the world are you putting on her!?" It was my dress that my mom had made for me and took my 2 year old pictures in. It is a little 80's, but I think she looks cute.
Ok, I'm almost done with this super long post. Yesterday, we made another attempt at family pictures. I just REALLY wanted a good one before it got to hot to take them outside and my belly was the size of a beach ball. We got lucky this time, finally. The weather was beautiful, and even though Julia was not cooperating, somehow my amazing mom was able to snap a few good ones. She also took some family shots of Matt and Melissa. They had some cute ones, too. But I do not envy them trying to get three kids to cooperate, rather than just my one! Thank you so much for your patience and talent mom! And here's some free advertising: If anyone needs pic's, give her a call! She's good and cheap! :)

Flight of the Conchords- Business Time

2008-05-19T17:27:00.001-07:00

Nathan loves these guys, and this is one of his favorite songs they do. So...in celebration of his birthday, I have devoted this post to him:

Two down, Sixteen more to go...

2008-04-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Julia turned two on Thursday, April 24th. We spent most of the day in airports or flying back to Phoenix from Las Vegas, but I think she still had a good birthday. She loved flying. She called the airplane a shark, and I tried to get her to call it a jet, so she'd call it a shark-jet. Whatever. She was awesome on the flight, she just got really ancy while we were waiting on the runway. She didn't understand why she had to stay in her seat or on my lap with a seatbelt on. Well we made it home safely, and got to see daddy, and decided to go to Peter Piper Pizza for her birthday dinner. She loved it! We couldn't even get her to eat. She just wanted to go on this stupid merri-go-round over and over and over again. It cost 50 cents and lasted about 10 seconds so, needless to say, we spent too much money on the darn thing. Here's a pic of her so happy.
On Saturday, we had a last minute mini party for her at the park. We had some of our close friends there. Thanks for coming guys!! And they all spoiled Julia with fun gifts. Grandma Jeppesen even got her a really cool kitchen set! We had a pinata which she thought was so cool, but we only had a baseball bat, and I think it was too heavy for her to get a full swing. Our friend Zac eneded up just ripping it open and shaking out the candy. My favorite part of all was when Julia's friend, Isabelle, leaned over and blew out Julia's birthday candles before Julia could. We relit and Julia got her chance, but it was way funny.
Here's a video of it. I don't know why the right side is cut off, but you can still see what's going on:

Free MySpace slideshows, photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pregnancy Blues

2008-04-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, as most of you have noticed by my baby ticker, I'm pregnant. Nathan and I decided it's finally time for number two. Now, let me start this out by saying this is a vent/complaining post, so if you don't want to hear it, stop reading now and just leave me a comment of congratulations :) Otherwise, here goes:
First, are we really ready for number two? Julia is crazy and getting crazier. We live with my parents, and Nathan still has a year of school left. We're insane, I know. But, seeing a few of my friends in my situation, or not, having number two, or even number three, I try to have faith.
Also, I've been upset for a few weeks now, mainly b/c I'm only 11 weeks and I've already gained 12 pounds. What really set me off tonight was I was looking at old postings from last year, and I was a lot smaller. I'm already about to start wearing maternity clothes, and I was at least 20 weeks when I started to with Julia. My butt is all of a sudden the size of Texas and I not only have a baby bump, but love handles!!! I feel sick all the time, but never throw up, and some might say that's lucky, but I wish I would just throw up and get it over with! I haven't changed my diet or my work out routine. Even at 5:00 in the morning, when I am so sick and tired, I get up and run 5-6 miles. So why the weight gain? One of my friends told me some people are just destined to gain more weight while being pregnant. Your metabolism can slow down and your body holds on to fat. What's up with that? That's not fair! If I take care of my body, it should show!!! And to top it all off, we're going to Hawaii in July, and at this rate, by that time I'm going to be a whale! They'll think I'm beached when I'm laying out on the beach and roll me back into the ocean!
Once again I apologize, but really, it's not fair. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a work-out-aholic. Please advice or empathy from anyone.

Fun Weekend!

2008-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

This was probably the first weekend in a long time that we actually went out with friends Friday AND Saturday night. It felt like we were in high school again! ha ha, not really. Mostly b/c we still had psycho baby with us. It was a fun weekend, though. Friday night we went out with Meagan and her boyfriend, Cory. We went to Oregano's. It was sooo good. And then we went over to their place and watched the Sun's game and hung out. I love when we get to spent time with Meagan, because we don't get to see each other as often as we used to b/c of our crazy schedules.
Saturday night I went to dinner with Kara, Melissa and Julia, of course, while Nathan was at Priesthood meeting. We went to Gecko Grill. It was pretty good, except Julia didn't know how to behave. I think she totally grossed Kara out when she spit out a chip with salsa on it she didn't like and then put the chip back in the chip bowl, and then she kept trying to touch Melissa with yucky bean hands. Sorry, guys! This is what's it's like with a toddler! After dinner we went over to Melissa's for August's birthday celebration! It was fun! Melissa had made lots of yummy treats and we hung out and played rock band. Julia was being super crazy and wanted to play all the instruments. The funniest was when she sang, b/c you could hear her cute little voice through the microphone. She started getting really tired later on, though, and turned into a brat. But right before we were leaving, she threw up on Melissa's super nice couch! I felt so bad! Luckily it was leather, so it cleaned up pretty easy. She wasn't acting sick, so I guess she just had too much candy.

Easter

2008-03-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Easter was so fun this year! First, we went to Julia's first birthday party on Saturday. It was so fun! It was for her friend Miles who was turning two. They had an Easter egg hunt set up for the kids and they had so much fun!
Julia filled her bucket with eggs, and then emptied them into this little boys bucket so she had room for more. It took her a while to figure out there was fun toys and yummy treats inside the eggs.
Easter morning. We had to wake her up since we have church at 8:00. That's why she looks so sleepy.
Julia's Sleeping Beauty Easter dress. (Courtesy Grandma Jeppesen)So cute!
My Grandma and Grandpa Larson (Grandma Larson aka Julia Larson, who Julia is named after) It was so nice b/c they came over for lunch after church, and then we were able to spend the afternoon with them. My Grandpa told stories of when he was in the Marines. It was very interesting. He's such a fun storyteller. Plus I love spending time with them. They're so fun!
All of us in our Easter best! (really only Julia, I'm pretty sure I've had that skirt for like 6 years)

I hope every one else had an awesome Easter! I want you all to know how thankful I am for Jesus Christ and the sacrafice he made for all of us!

Nathan's Trip to Guatemala

2008-03-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Nathan dying of heat next to the liquid hot magma.
Nathan atop the Volcan de Pacaya
Floating on the alleged Waters of Mormon locally known as Lake Atitlan

Ruins in the Mayan city of Tikal. Traditionally held to be the city of Zarahemla. This temple dates to 250 BC
The bell tower in San Andreas Itzapa

Another Triathlon!

2008-03-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm a little behind on my postings. Last Saturday I completed another triathlon! It was so much fun! I didn't really train for it b/c it was kinda last minute, but I'm so glad I did it! My friend Taya had invited me to do it with her and it was her first one. She did so awesome! I also wanted to give a shout out to my friend Josh who came to watch, and ended up watching Julia :) Thanks, bro, I know you don't like so much one on one with the kiddies, but you did a great job!

Also, Nathan comes home today! Yeaa!

We Miss Daddy!

2008-02-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Nathan left Friday night for Guatemala and I missed him so much right away! He's going to be there for 2 weeks for a medical mission. He went down with other students and doctors to work on the people down there. He was very excited to go, and it will be great for his personal and medical growth. I just miss him so much, and since communications are limited, I'm not quite sure when I'll get to talk to him next.
While I'm on the subject of my sweetheart, I just want to let everybody know how much I love him! He is such an exceptional guy! He treats Julia and I so well. And we will be so happy when he comes back!

Happiest Place on Earth!

2008-02-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Last week, my family, Uncle Matt, Aunt Melissa, and some of my cousins, went to Disneyland. It was so fun!!! I wanted to stay longer! We were only going to go for two days, but by the end of the second day, we hadn't had enough, so we decided to go a third day. My family went for five! I'm so jealous, but Nathan couldn't get off work for that long. Julia went on all the rides she could, and wasn't scard at all. Before we left on Sataurday, we stopped at Newport Beach. It was such a beautiful day! While we were there, Julia ran around in her diaper, and a bird pooped on my head! Pretty sick. I took so many pictures, so I decided to post a few. There's also a pretty long slide show below. If you have time, hope you watch it! :) I love Disneyland!!!!

I think Julia was wondering why Minnie was dressed the same as her.
I love Sleeping Beauty's Castle!
My Family in front of the Park. We had so much fun!!!!
Newport Beach
As soon as we got to the beach, Julia started taking her clothes off. The only other time she does that is when I start the bath. So, I guess she thinks the Ocean is a giant bathtub! :)

Disneyland!!!

2008-02-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

Tagged by Kara-te

2008-02-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Best of 2007
GREATEST MEMORY - I have a lot this year b/c of Julia. She started sitting, crawling and walking this year! All very cool memories. But I would have to say the greatest was when she started saying "thank-you". She was just about a year and it was so cute! It was one of her first words, so that was very exciting.
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT - Making it another year with Nathan in Med school and raising Julia :)
GREATEST HEARTACHE -Nathan having to leave out of town for three months for rotations
GREATEST EPIPHANY - Moving back in with my parents isn't so bad. They help me out a lot with Julia, and I love being able to spend so much time with my family.
GREATEST YOUTUBE VID - Probably the miss teen usa "maps" one (I do't know how else to explain it, but you know)
GREATEST MOVIE - Harry Potter or Pirates. I know many people wouldn't agree with me, but I love fantasy stuff.
GREATEST RECORDS - Muse and The Good Life
GREATEST CONCERT - Muse and The Good Life :)
GREATEST MOMENT OF IMMATURITY -When I got called to teach the Sunbeams, I went out to my car and cried. Then I told Nathan I was going home and never coming back to church again! I'm such a baby.
GREATEST AREA OF GROWTH - I'm trying to be a better mother. Trying...
GREATEST MOMENT - Wouldn't that be the same as favorite memory? Well, I can't pick a favorite. Just a lot of the cute things Julia does :)

I am tagging the following individuals to post their answers to the above Greatest of 2007. Cut + paste, folks. Heather Peck, Melissa Larson, Mom, Taya Jones, and (if you have time with that new baby) Catherine Griffith.

Curious George AKA Julia Jeppesen

2008-01-29T15:12:00.001-08:00

I have a cousin who kept calling Julia Curious George , and when I asked her why, she said Julia looks like him. So Finally I decided to buy and watch the movie. First of all, it is a very cute movie with a great soundtrack. Second, all I could think about the whole time was that I should some how be making money off this movie since they obviously used my daughter as a model for George! She does look like him. And the funniest part is that she acts like him too! There's even a part in the movie where he snuggles up to sleep and Julia sleeps the same way! So if you want to get to know my daughter better, watch Curious George the movie!

kids are gross

2008-01-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't have kids yet, those of you who just had your first (Meg and Jen), and those of you who do have kids and have probably experienced the same as me:
KIDS ARE GROSS!!!!!!!
Last night while Julia was bathing, she pooped in the bathtub and then threw the her turds all over the bathroom!
And this morning she wouldn't let me brush her teeth, she wanted to do it herself. She was mimicking me. She would put it under the spout of the bathtub (pretending to get water on it) and then brush and then spit. It was way cute. Up until pretend water wasn't good enough and she lifted the lid to the toilet and dipped it in the toilet water!!!! Luckily I caught her in the act and snatched it away from her before she put it back in her mouth!
GROSS!!!!!!

Snowboarding Slide Show

2008-01-08T12:33:00.001-08:00

I made a slide show of Nathan, my brothers, my cousin and I going off this jump he built up at Wolf Creek. It was fun. Nathan is obviously on a different level than the rest of us, though!!!

I was still recovering from my back accident, but there was so much powder that it didn't really hurt when I biffed it off the jump! (I didn't put up the picture of that one ;))

Backboarding

2007-12-31T11:17:00.000-08:00

Who knew when I went to Brighton to snowboard, I was going to take "boarding" to an all new level??? It was only my second run of the day and I stopped to wait for Nathan, who had taken the scenic route through the trees, when it hit me. Literally, HE hit me HARD! Not Nathan, but some punk teenager who was going fast and out of control. He hit me right in the back and I tumbled about twenty feet down the mountain. After about 45 minutes I was able to try and sit up, only to black out. Ski Patrol had to backboard me and pull me down the mountain. Then, from there, I was put on an ambulance and transported to a hospital. By the time the Doc let me get off the board I had been on there for over two hours! It was so misserable. My back was killing me and I could hardly walk. I'll shorten up the rest and just say that there was no spinal damage, but a lot of soft tissue and muscle damage. Also, the guy had hit me so hard with the edge of his board, that even through three shirts and my jacket I still have a cut on my back from the board. But the worst part is the depression. I waisted a whole day in the ER that I could have been snowboarding, and hopefully I will be able to get on my snowboard again, soon, bc we are in Colorado now and supposed to go again the end of the week. I have been looking forward to this trip for so long and hopefully it won't be waisted!

Temple Lights

2007-12-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

We hadn't been to see the Temple light's yet, since Nathan was gone, so we decided Christmas Eve/ Family Night was a good time to go. Aparently many other people thought that as well, since it was very crowded. Well, anyway, they looked great and Julia was so excited to see all the different Nativity scenes and lights. She kept saying "WOW!". It was pretty cute. She did a great job leading the way through the lights and covering all the grounds. My only complaint about the night is that I wanted to try and get a few pictures of her and us as a family. Well, for those of you who have seen past blogs, you know Julia does NOT like to have her picture taken. So I had to either sneak a picture when she wasn't looking, or she was screaming in it. That's ok, though. At least I'll be able to laugh about it later, right?
Julia is a little adventurous.

Walking on the ledge...

Jumping off the stairs...

We decided to give Julia a break and leave her out of this last one. And, of course, her back is to the camera.

Santa Claus

2007-12-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Last Monday night we had our annual Larson Family Christmas party. And, lucky us, guess who stopped by?! Santa! Julia was so into him. The moment he entered the room she didn't take her eyes off him. She followed him to his seat, and then anxiously climbed onto his lap. And, unlike most children her age, she wanted to sit there for a very long time. Sadly I had to get her off because the other cousins needed a turn, but I was so pleased that my daughter was not afraid of Santa!

Family Pics

2007-11-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

We attempted to take family pictures Wednesday. Things did not go anywhere near as planned. First, our photographer, my good friend Heather, was not able to make it to take our pictures. We were already dressed up and ready to have them taken by this time, so I called my Mom to have her come and take them.
Next, as you can see in the above picture, Julia was not in the mood to have her photo taken. She just wanted to run around and play. Anytime we tried to pick her up she would scream and fight me.
Finally she started to get a little better, but then my Mom's battery on her camera went dead. So we only got about three useful pictures.
Nathan leaves today to go back to New Mexico and won't be back until Christmas time, so I guess we'll have to try again then. It shouldn't be this difficult to get family pictures!

Tag, I'm it!

2007-11-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by my best friend, Kara, to share 6 interesting things about myself. Hope I don't bore you!

1. I love to snowboard! The last couple winters have been rough for me since first I was pregnant and then last year it was hard to find a babysitter so I could go. I have high hopes for this season, though!

2. I love food! I eat pretty much all the time. And since I eat so much, I must work out everyday to try and balance it out. In fact, Nathan has forbade me from eating any candy this entire week (he dosn't think I can do it) and it's killing me!!!

3. I've done a triathlon. It was so fun, and I would like to do another, but it's been hard to train since we moved. I really need to do another before I get pregnant again, though.

4. I was bald until I was almost three years old. So, believe it or not, my daughter actually has more hair than I did at her age!

5. I have a tatoo. I forget most of the time that it's there. I'm running out of things to share about myself so I figure this would be new to some people.

6. I road bike. I really love it, and it's a great work out! I'm pretty much just like Lance Armstrong. haha not really, but pretty close ;)

NowI will tag Taya Jones, Kim Warner, Annie Miller, Melissa Larson, Alyssa Edwards and Heather Peck. Can't wait to read about you all!

Karsyn's Hair Cut

2007-11-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today I cut about 3-4 inches off Karsyn's hair. I think it looks adorable! (Especially since I've never cut hair before!) I've been bugging my Mom for months to give her a style. (She still had that little girl hair do where it is just how it has grown in) Well, for those of you who don't know, I'm babysitting ALL of my brother's and sisters by myself while my Mom and Dad are gone for 10 days! And I figured that since I was doing that, I should be aloud to chop off Kari's hair! But just in case my Mom freaks, the story is: She got gum in her hair so I had to cut it ;)

Halloween!

2007-11-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's Minnie Mouse!!!!

Julia really got the hang of this trick or treating thing and everyone loved her! She actually tried going into a few houses! What a silly girl.
What a long night.... Minnie needs to rest.
Julia really loved trick or treating this year. I was surprised at how well she did. I thought she would just want to sit and eat her candy as she got it, but she didn't. She would put it right in her purse and then put her purse right back on her shoulder. What a smart girl! It was a fun night for Julia and Mommy! The only thing that would have made it better would be if Daddy could have been with us.

Old pictures

2007-10-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

I was looking through some of our old photos and I thought it would be fun to post them.

Yes, that is nathan. When we were on our honeymoon, he thought it would be funny to go fun on the beach in my running shorts. And with his long hair, he really looks like he's straight out of the 70's!

Another honeymoon pic. That's the face I fell in love with... (his, not mine)
Our Disneyland trip while we were dating. We look so young!
And last, but not least, my cheer days. I think this was after a pep assembly. I miss all my hair! I used to have sooo much!!!

Uncle Jon

2007-10-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Julia and I stopped by Kara and Jon's house today to say hi and Julia was so happy to see Jon. She went right up to him and gave him a hug and then layed on his shoulder for the longest time. It was so cute! I think she misses her daddy.

I would also like to thank Kara for washing my car. Apparently it was really dirty. Jon actually told me I needed to vacuum the inside. He was right, but in my defense, it was all Julia's mess (crackers, raisins, pretzels) So I vacuumed the inside and Kara helped me do over the outside. We're so lucky to have such good friends to take care of us while Nathan's gone! :)

Halloween Block Party

2007-10-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our (well my parents') annual block party. It's a lot of fun. Every household has a station with a game where you win candy. We get to socialize with neighbors we don't see often, and all the kids get to dress up and win candy.

Here Julia is playing ring toss with the Viking. She was a little scared of him.

She was a lot better at this game. But I think she cheated. She was sopposed to throw them in.
At the end we ate dinner. Every one brought something to share. Julia was a mess. I hope I can get all those stains out of here costume before Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

2007-10-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

For Family night, Monday, we carved pumpkins. It was a lot of fun! Julia got a kick out of the whole thing. Also, after my dad cleaned them out, I roasted the seeds and we ate them. Yummy!
My brother, Dustin, carved this one. I guess it's supposed to be a cat, or a devil. I can't remember.

Julia didn't carve hers. We can't trust an 18 month old with a knife. Her, Karsyn and Parker got to color one. She loved it!

State

2007-10-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

My brother Steven had State for Dive last Saturday. It was a really warm day, and we had to sit in the sun at ASU for four hours to watch, but it was worth it! He got third! Go Steve! You're #1! Well, actually #3, but that's ok. Maybe next year ;)

My dad was so hot he wet his bandana and put it under his hat. What a goof!

Visiting Dr. Dad

2007-10-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Nathan has started his rotations for Medical School. Currently, he is in Tucson. Julia and I really missed him this week, so we went down to Tucson to visit him overnight. There wasn't much to do, since we don't know where anything is. But we did go to Eegee's for dinner, that was based on Megan's previous comment on another trip to Tucson, and Julia led us on a few random walks around the ugly town...

I think my sister has Narcolepsy...

2007-10-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Once again, falling asleep randomly.

So tired

2007-09-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

I guess Julia plays Karsyn too hard! My baby sister fell asleep standing up this afternoon. What a funny sight!

Swimming at Grandma's

2007-09-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

We went swimming at Grandma Jeppesen's yesterday. It was such a nice day! The pool water was refreshing and it wasn't blazing hot outside! It's for days like these we live in AZ!!!
The Dogs like to swim, too.
Nathan was taking Karsyn for rides under water.
I couldn't open my eyes, or my contacts would fall out.

Kellan was diving for rings. Don't ask me why she insists on plugging her nose when she goes under.

Julia's Aunt Karsyn was trying to teach her how to blow bubbles.
Also, I wanted to point out that the swim suit Julia has on is one of mine from when I was her age!!! Isn't it so cute!?

Special K Challenge

2007-09-14T08:36:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have decided to take the Special K challenge. (I am a dork) But for those of you who know me well enough, you know that I have the motivation to work out, but I am addicted to food! I eat way too much and I just can't control myself! So I've decided I will just commit to try this for two weeks and see if it works. Anyone who wants to try with me, let me know :)

New (to us) car

2007-09-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today we took a drive to Tucson to buy Nathan a car. He got just the car he wanted. An Acura Integra (2000). I think it's too loud, but he likes it, it's his car, and we got a good deal, so I guess I'm happy. But, I hate Tucson! I got lost for like a half hour! I lived in New York for 3 months and NEVER got lost. I was in Tucson for 2 hours and got lost for 30 minutes! Whoever designed that city never heard of a grid!

Triathlon... I did it!!!

2007-08-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

I completed my first triathlon yesterday! It was a harder than I expected. I had a burst of energy at the beginning, and felt like I did very well with the swimming and biking, but my legs where so numb by the time I ran than I think I would have been better off walking! It was so fun, though, and I hope to do another one soon!!!

Before the start, we were tagged up with our numbers.
Then we went into the aquatic center to swim. After we swam, we had to run outside, barefoot, to our bikes to get dressed, if you chose to dress. I did.

The biking was hard, but I feel like I did the best there. There were a lot of hills that made it challenging, but luckily a was able to push up them.

Once again, I had to change. But just into tennis shoes. Although I was so tired by now that I moved very slowly.

The running was the hardest. I finally made it to the finish line. It felt sooooo good to finish! I couldn't say the same for my hair! Talk about scary!

Julia took it all very well. I think she just liked being outside the whole time. Nathan said she would get really excited whenever I would go past. Maybe she's a future triathlete! (Hopefully better than her mother!)

Thanks so much to all those of you who supported me! Especially my wonderful husband, Nathan! I love you all!!!

Finishing the House

2007-08-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Nathan stepped in some wood glue. That is why he is missing a sock. Dork.
For those of you who don't know, Nathan, Julia and I are moving in with my parents next week. We were supposed to move into a rental home by his school, but we had some problems with the renters and are no longer doing so. Instead of renting another place, we decided to move back to Chandler. Nathan is done with "school" and will be gone on rotations anyway, so why waste money on another rental. We were invited to move in with my parents, and after prayer and careful consideration, decided it was our best option. Nathan will be at a hospital in Tuscan all of October and in Shiprock, New Mexico November and December, so at least Julia and I will not be alone for these three months. I will miss all of the wonderful friends we made in Glendale, but I am so excited to see more of my family and old friends :)

Also, for those of you who don't know, my parents had not quite finished their addition. Now that we are moving in, they have kicked it into high gear. In the picture, Nathan and my Dad are installing the wood floor in the room intended for my brothers. (I am currently trying to talk my Mom into letting us have that room, seeing as it is 560 square feet.) There is still much to be done, but nothing that can't be accomplished in the next month or so.

Any of you married couples out there that have had to move back in with your parents feel free to share any advice. Wish us luck!

Baby Shower

2007-08-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

This was taken at my friend Michelle's baby shower last Saurday. I wanted to put it up so that all our friends that couldn't make it could see how good she looks! Now, I for one am jealous. I gained over 50 pounds in my pregnancy, and this lucky thing has only gained 33! Well, she probably eats a lot better than I did, too :) Also, in the picture, my friend Megan is pregnant. She looks awesome, too. I'm so happy my friends are finally having babies!!

Fun times with Aunt Kara!

2007-08-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today we met up with one of my best friends, Kara, at Scottsdale Mall to hang out. It was so good to see her. She lives way over in Gilbert and I live way over in Arrowhead, so it isn't so easy to get together often. She is such a good friend and I am so lucky to have been so close to her for so many years! I just can't wait for her to have kids, because she is so good with Julia and I know she will be an awesome Mom. Her husband, Jon, is applying for Midwestern's new Dental School. So it would be really cool if he got in b/c then they would move over here! But I guess we would only be over here for one more year by then. Oh well. Jon takes his DATs on Wednesday. Good luck Jon!

Just like her daddy. Straight to the books...

2007-08-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

She's already reading at a third grade level!

Future Olympian

2007-08-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

The rings are her favorite.
This isn't part of the class, but I'm trying to raise a well rounded athlete.
Jumping into the pit is fun, but she has trouble getting out.

Julia has been in gymnastics for a couple months. I think she really likes it, but she better step it up a notch if she's going to make the 2008 Olympics!