raising heller

(this is how i found him this morning doing his puzzle wearing his optimus prime costume. i thought it was funny because could he really see the puzzle pieces this way?)

well jackson is officially 4. i can’t believe it! it is funny because most of the time i have to remind myself that he is not lily’s age because they are the same size but then when i think back it seems like just yesterday that this loving little boy came to us. here are ten things everyone should know about jackson:

1. he loves to cuddle.
2. he has a very hard head and he doesn’t always know where he is swinging it. everyone who has spent time with him has been knocked by his noggin.
3. he has the best voice. i always said i wanted a child with a scratchy voice and i definitely got one.
4. he is awesome at puzzles. he can do a puzzle with 100 pieces that says it is for 5 years and up.
5. he loves his brother and sister. he would choose to play with them over anyone.
6. his favorite food is a hot dog. i asked him yesterday what he wanted for dinner on his birthday and all he wanted was a hot dog. “i kept saying but you can have anything you want!” hot dogs it is!
7. he hates taking pictures. i try very hard to get pictures of him but most of the time he gets away.
8. he used to be allergic to dairy but now he is not. he will try almost anything and for this i am very grateful since i am constantly struggling to get lily to eat the most basic foods.
9. he is a momma’s boy threw and threw. he would almost always choose me over anyone.
10. this kid has more energy than lily and asher put together but he has always been the best napper. until lily started school last month he was still taking a 2-3 hour nap. unfortunately he has now decided that he doesn’t need one but i still try.

i love you buddy!

jana's journal

why don’t we call it autumn anymore? so we went to the park yesterday and took some pictures of the kids playing. i think this is my favorite time of year in washington. the weather is beautiful, not too hot, not too cold and it is absolutely amazing how many different colors the leaves turn. it is like one day it is summer and the trees are green and the grass is starting to get brown from too much sun and not enough rain and then suddenly it is fall and the grass is green again and the trees are spectacular. it reminds me that now is a good time to start fresh and try harder. it makes me want to be a better wife, more patient mother and a more helpful friend. i know that typically the new year is the time for this reflection but seeing all the changes in nature is a much better reminder for me.

(i love being reminded that they really do love each other)

(the kids had so much fun just running around this tree chasing each other i thought it was cute)

(we went there with the intention of taking pictures in the rain but of course when you want rain, it goes away)

(steven was able to get so close to this bird it didn’t even care)

just so you know, jackson was not into taking pictures and tried to get away as fast as he could so that is why there are more of lily and ash.

jana's journal

why don’t we call it autumn anymore? so we went to the park yesterday and took some pictures of the kids playing. i think this is my favorite time of year in washington. the weather is beautiful, not too hot, not too cold and it is absolutely amazing how many different colors the leaves turn. it is like one day it is summer and the trees are green and the grass is starting to get brown from too much sun and not enough rain and then suddenly it is fall and the grass is green again and the trees are spectacular. it reminds me that now is a good time to start fresh and try harder. it makes me want to be a better wife, more patient mother and a more helpful friend. i know that typically the new year is the time for this reflection but seeing all the changes in nature is a much better reminder for me.

(i love being reminded that they really do love each other)

(the kids had so much fun just running around this tree chasing each other i thought it was cute)

(we went there with the intention of taking pictures in the rain but of course when you want rain, it goes away)

(steven was able to get so close to this bird it didn’t even care)

just so you know, jackson was not into taking pictures and tried to get away as fast as he could so that is why there are more of lily and ash.

jana's journal

well, i have been reading quite a lot since april because when we moved into our new place, we decided not to get cable. at night when the kids are in bed there is nothing i want more than to sit on the couch and relax. normally i do this while watching a variety of shows but now i read. i thought i tell you all what i have been reading and if there are any recommended reads.

here they are in no particular order:

*jane eyre (charlotte bronte)- recommended by ruth and it was soooo good! i can’t believe that i hadn’t read it before. everyone should read it. i did think it was kind of slow in the beginning but once i got through that, the story really, really picked up and i couldn’t put it down.

*peony in love (lisa see) – she write using her chinese background and they are so amazing! it is so intense reading about what it was like for women in china when women were in arranged marriages and could not leave the house. this book is loosely based on someone who actually lived and died because of the strain this put on them at the young age of 16. i loved this book!

*sunflower and the secret fan (lisa see) – also somewhat based in history, this really goes into detail about the act of footbinding and what it meant in their culture. she is an awesome writer and i recommend all of her books.

*flower net (lisa see) – this book and the and the sequel are part of her mystery collection. although i liked her novels better both of these two books were pretty good.

*the interior (lisa see) – see above

*city of bones (cassandra clare) – where do i begin? i think these are the best books i have read all year. if you love twilight i this series is a must read. i have actually read them twice now and i could hardly put them down. it was all i could do to feed and clothe my children! well i am exaggerating but they are so, so, so , so good. let me know if anyone else reads or has read them, i want to know what you think.

*city of ashes (cassandra clare) – awesome

*city of glass (cassandra clare) – an amazing ending to one of the best series!

*the percy jackson series: the lightning thief, the sea of monsters, the titans curse, the battle of the labrynth and the last olympian (rick riordan) – along the lines of harry potter (they are actually shooting the movie for the first one right now) but very different. this book is all about greek mythology and i found the history so intriguing. i would recommend this to everyone and if you have children who can read i would suggest them as well.

*the fablehaven books: fablehaven, the rise of the evening star, grip of the shadow plague and secrets of the dragon sanctuary (brandon mull) – another lds author to really hit the mark. these are awesome books that the whole family can read. i have really enjoyed them and would recommend them to all. i do believe there will be at least one more book in the series but not for a while.

*twenties girl (sophia kinsella) – the author of the shopaholic books has written a very cute novel. much different than the shopaholic books and in some ways better. i don’t know about you but when i read those books i was practically yelling i was so mad most of the time because of the stupid things she was doing. i had a really hard time finishing some of them but was always rewarded in the end with a great ending. if you like her other books i would recommend this one.

*the time travelers wife (audrey niffenegger) – what a name that is. anyways i loved the story but can not recommend this to anyone because of a lot of choice words and some scenes that i wish i wouldn’t have read. awesome story though see the movie, it is missing the bad parts.

*the memory keepers daughter (kim edwards) – loved the book and the story. it is definitely a tear jerker but a great read.

*the girl who could fly (victoria forester) – this was such a touching story about why being different is good and how we should stay true to who we are. great for adults and children. loved it.

*the giver (lois lowry) – this is a classic that i had never read. people kept asking if i loved the book because two of the characters are lily and asher. i figured i should give it a shot and loved it. if you haven’t read this you should. it is pretty short and a very quick read.

*the defector (daniel silva) – this was an intense thriller about the russian kgb and the Israeli intelligence. it was kind of a random read for me (a recommend from the library staff) but i actually really liked it.

*a thousand splendid suns (khaled hosseini) – another amazing story. i don’t know if you have read the kite runner but this is the same author and everyone says this story is better. i only saw the movie so i don’t have much of an opinion on the kite runner but this was truly amazing. i find it so fascinating to learn about what it is like for the women of Afghanistan. if you are at all interested in historical fiction you should give this a whirl. it is a beautiful love story.

*the hunter games (suzanne collins) – i just finished this today and i can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. i am dying to know what comes next in this amazing story about survival and love. i think i would categorize this as sci-fi and it was amazing. READ THIS!

let me know if you have any recommends for me. besides the time travelers wife, i recommend you read all of these books but if you aren’t a crazy speed reader like me, please just read the cassandra clare books YOU WILL LOVE THEM!

jana

jana's journal

well, i have been reading quite a lot since april because when we moved into our new place, we decided not to get cable. at night when the kids are in bed there is nothing i want more than to sit on the couch and relax. normally i do this while watching a variety of shows but now i read. i thought i tell you all what i have been reading and if there are any recommended reads.

here they are in no particular order:

*jane eyre (charlotte bronte)- recommended by ruth and it was soooo good! i can’t believe that i hadn’t read it before. everyone should read it. i did think it was kind of slow in the beginning but once i got through that, the story really, really picked up and i couldn’t put it down.

*peony in love (lisa see) – she write using her chinese background and they are so amazing! it is so intense reading about what it was like for women in china when women were in arranged marriages and could not leave the house. this book is loosely based on someone who actually lived and died because of the strain this put on them at the young age of 16. i loved this book!

*sunflower and the secret fan (lisa see) – also somewhat based in history, this really goes into detail about the act of footbinding and what it meant in their culture. she is an awesome writer and i recommend all of her books.

*flower net (lisa see) – this book and the and the sequel are part of her mystery collection. although i liked her novels better both of these two books were pretty good.

*the interior (lisa see) – see above

*city of bones (cassandra clare) – where do i begin? i think these are the best books i have read all year. if you love twilight i this series is a must read. i have actually read them twice now and i could hardly put them down. it was all i could do to feed and clothe my children! well i am exaggerating but they are so, so, so , so good. let me know if anyone else reads or has read them, i want to know what you think.

*city of ashes (cassandra clare) – awesome

*city of glass (cassandra clare) – an amazing ending to one of the best series!

*the percy jackson series: the lightning thief, the sea of monsters, the titans curse, the battle of the labrynth and the last olympian (rick riordan) – along the lines of harry potter (they are actually shooting the movie for the first one right now) but very different. this book is all about greek mythology and i found the history so intriguing. i would recommend this to everyone and if you have children who can read i would suggest them as well.

*the fablehaven books: fablehaven, the rise of the evening star, grip of the shadow plague and secrets of the dragon sanctuary (brandon mull) – another lds author to really hit the mark. these are awesome books that the whole family can read. i have really enjoyed them and would recommend them to all. i do believe there will be at least one more book in the series but not for a while.

*twenties girl (sophia kinsella) – the author of the shopaholic books has written a very cute novel. much different than the shopaholic books and in some ways better. i don’t know about you but when i read those books i was practically yelling i was so mad most of the time because of the stupid things she was doing. i had a really hard time finishing some of them but was always rewarded in the end with a great ending. if you like her other books i would recommend this one.

*the time travelers wife (audrey niffenegger) – what a name that is. anyways i loved the story but can not recommend this to anyone because of a lot of choice words and some scenes that i wish i wouldn’t have read. awesome story though see the movie, it is missing the bad parts.

*the memory keepers daughter (kim edwards) – loved the book and the story. it is definitely a tear jerker but a great read.

*the girl who could fly (victoria forester) – this was such a touching story about why being different is good and how we should stay true to who we are. great for adults and children. loved it.

*the giver (lois lowry) – this is a classic that i had never read. people kept asking if i loved the book because two of the characters are lily and asher. i figured i should give it a shot and loved it. if you haven’t read this you should. it is pretty short and a very quick read.

*the defector (daniel silva) – this was an intense thriller about the russian kgb and the Israeli intelligence. it was kind of a random read for me (a recommend from the library staff) but i actually really liked it.

*a thousand splendid suns (khaled hosseini) – another amazing story. i don’t know if you have read the kite runner but this is the same author and everyone says this story is better. i only saw the movie so i don’t have much of an opinion on the kite runner but this was truly amazing. i find it so fascinating to learn about what it is like for the women of Afghanistan. if you are at all interested in historical fiction you should give this a whirl. it is a beautiful love story.

*the hunter games (suzanne collins) – i just finished this today and i can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. i am dying to know what comes next in this amazing story about survival and love. i think i would categorize this as sci-fi and it was amazing. READ THIS!

let me know if you have any recommends for me. besides the time travelers wife, i recommend you read all of these books but if you aren’t a crazy speed reader like me, please just read the cassandra clare books YOU WILL LOVE THEM!

jana

jana's journal

jana's journal

jana's journal

ENJOY!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Meet Jacob Black' Preview in HD

jana's journal

ENJOY!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Meet Jacob Black' Preview in HD

jana's journal

basil.
my favorite fresh herb to cook with (probably the only fresh herb i have cooked with)

zucchini.
my zucchini plant hasn’t been doing too great. this is my only zucchini that has grown. when i transplanted this from a pot to the ground, i don’t think i got it in the ground good enough. oh-well at least i will have one.

roma tomato.
obviously not ripe yet but there are for nice sized ones to choose from.

bell pepper.
i love bell peppers. fortunately this plant was happy and there are like 8 or 9 growing pretty quickly.

this is jackson’s sunflower.
he planted a little sunflower seed in an egg carton at preschool and this is what it has become. i think he planted it way back in april or may but this little sucker has hung on quite well. today is the first day that it opened but it is a good two feet tall.

i thought i would try gardening this year. i really don’t know what i am doing but most of my plants are producing for me anyway. i just thought i would document them just in case i ever feel like i am not a very good homemaker. i mean come on, i grew my very own vegetables and herbs. i am sure most of you are thinking, “what’s the big deal?” well, this kind of thing just wasn’t done in my home growing up. we just weren’t the gardening kind of people. actually, i did try to keep a cactus once but killed it by over watering it! i obviously didn’t know what i was doing. well when we lived in spokane, steven’s family had/has this huge garden every summer and it was the most awesome thing. all i had to do was walk into my backyard and i had my pick of zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, corn, basil, pumpkins, green beans and i am sure there is much more that i am forgetting. i was able to watch them a bit and thought i would give it a try. i love walking outside every day and seeing how much my plants are growing, it is very satisfying.

jana's journal