30 is lookin' good

Today is my 30th birthday!

Crazy, right??

I still feel like I'm 20.

My friends and family have showered me with love and support and it makes me so grateful to have wonderful, uplifting people in my life. Thank you to all of you that made my day so special.

To celebrate my big milestone today, I decided awhile ago to do something different. I wasn't planning on blogging about this because I didn't want to bring that much attention to my plans, but after talking to my friend, she convinced me to share my journey. Please don't think I'm posting this for any accolades or attention, this is not my intent. But I did want to share my feelings about today and how this birthday week unfolded. 

My 29th birthday was miserable. I was sick, Jack was sick and I had to cancel last minute plans with friends because we were feeling crappy and Mike was traveling. So, I spent my birthday in the emotional dumps, feeling sorry for myself. So, this year I wanted to do something amazing. Mike and I talked about a vacation, or a day of complete indulgence to mark my 30th birthday, but I stumbled across an article of a woman that did 38 Random Acts of Kindness for her 38th birthday and I instantly feel in love with the idea. Birthdays are suppose to make you feel great and what better way to do that then showing service and kindness to others. Plus, as Jack is getting older, I want to set a better example of kindness for him to see and what better day to be selfless than on your own day?

Since I had a few tasks to do, I started my Random Acts of Kindness on Monday and made it a birthday week celebration. I've noticed how happy I've been this week, serving others and trying to brighten someone's day. I'll admit that I got a lot of weird looks and when I explained what I was doing, some people were dumbfounded and not knowing how to react, but Jack and I smiled, Jack gave them a fist-bump and we were on our way to the next act.

Tuckered out from all our R.A.O.K.

So, here is the list I pulled from other women's lists and some that I thought up myself. 

30 Random Acts of Kindness:

1. Letting someone go ahead of me in each store I visited this week

2. Putting exact change in soda machines for someone to use

3. Donating Toys

4. Writing Thank You Notes to under-appreciated church members

5. Leaving Hershey Bars on people's windshields

6. Donating Dog Food to the local kennel

7. Donating Clothes to a women's shelter

8. Tip the drive-thru worker and thank her for all her hard work

9. Pay for someone's lunch

10. Scatter change in the park for kids to find

11. Leave $1 in books at Target 

12. Treats for the local firemen

13. Flowers on a grave that doesn't get many visitors

14. A gift to an elderly tenant in a convalescent home

15.  Making treats for an early morning seminary class

16. Giving a homeless person a blanket

17. Donating books

18. Flowers to someone in the hospital that doesn't get visitors

19. Goodie basket to a woman that has always shown me kindness

20. Christmas gifts to less fortunate

21. Extra diapers & wipes in the Mothers Lounge at a church building

22. Cookies to a family going through a hard time

23. Driving and picking up kids from school for busy parents

24. Helping an elderly women to her car

25. Donating cans of food to a shelter

26. Giving a person in front of me in line my change for his order

27. Treats to our mailman & woman with an extra big thank you

28. Candy canes in my neighbors mailboxes

29. Donate money to our church missionary fund

30. Complimenting strangers and smiling at everyone I made eye contact with

That is what I did to celebrate my 30th birthday and even though I am exhausted, I can easily say it was my best celebration ever. Helping others and seeing the utter disbelief on people's faces made me first, feel bad that kindness isn't popular in the world anymore, but more importantly, it made me feel so blessed, grateful and filled with love for others. Also, it made me realize how caught up I get in my own problems and day-to-day tasks, that I forget to look around me and see what other's may need. I watched a man on crutches return to his car at the gas station to find one of my Hershey bars on his windshield and his smile helped me see that I've been blind in my own busy-ness.

I was dreading 30 a few months ago, but after today and this incredible life lesson, I am confident that 30 will be my best year yet. 

Thank you to all my friends that helped me feel special today and a big thank you to my family for all the birthday love. And a big shout out to my little man, Jack for all the birthday kisses and hugs. 

Best. Birthday. Ever.

  

Things I Love

It has been a ridiculous amount of time since my last post. I have no clue where August went. 

Seriously. 

But, I've realized I haven't done Things I Love post in a while and it's time for me to sound off on all the little quirks and traits I love about my little Jack-a-Rooney. 

So, here we go...

I absolutely love the fact that I can ask for a hug and a kiss and Jack comes running to me with his arms open, blowing kisses.

I love how he reaches his hand out for mine when we are going down the stairs, and then how confident he is when he has my hand. 

I love how he runs with his belly pushed out...like it's navigating his path.

I love how he sleeps on his tummy with his bum in the air every night. 

I love his laugh when he thinks something is really funny and his other loud laugh that imitates Mike.

I love how Jack follows Mike around the house and tries to be like Daddy in every way possible.

Even though it adds work to my day, I love how Jack tries to "help" me organize the house by putting dishes away from the dishwasher, putting his dirty clothes...somewhere, and hiding my wallet and/or car keys.

I love the fact that I get to sit him on my lap each day and have a jibber-jabber conversation without any distractions and let him know his mama is listening and cares about how his day is going.

I love all the times he looks up at me while playing, or strolling on our walks, or reading, with the biggest, most genuine smile I've ever seen.

I still adore his snuggles and consider it the best part of my day.

I love how he expects a taste test every few minutes when I'm cooking...just like Mike...and how he eats pretty much anything we give him as long as we are eating the same thing.

I love how smart he is and how he knows how to work my iPhone already. 

And last but not least, I love when he runs up to me, crawls into my lap and puts his head on my shoulder like it's the best place to be in his little world.

...Makes me feel like the most important person in the world.

 

This week, I've been stressed with life stuff and figuring out how to make ends meet...especially since we plan on moving to San Francisco (hopefully) by the end of the year. Yay!

But each time I get uber stressed, I'm always reminded of how richly blessed I am to have two amazing men in my life. I could live in a shoebox apartment and eat Top Ramen every night and still consider myself the richest girl in the world.

Our Little Monster's Birthday Party!

Our little Jack turned one in style this last Saturday with a big Monster Bash! 

It was such a great day and everything turned out perfect and according to plan.

 I've had the luck of having my best friend, Holly, close and willing to slowly help me put decorations together, sew monster dolls, paint, frost cakes and prep everything for the big day. We started a few months ago and I'm pretty sure she is beyond happy that the party is over and she won't have to assemble anymore monster doo-dads for me ever again!

Here are a slew of pictures from the big day...

  

Starting to put the food table together

Our monster posters

We attached monster posters to the trees coming up the driveway

Monster balloons

Our fancy-pants photo wall and monster prop that I proudly painted myself

Our party invitation

Jack in his monster party outfit...just waking up from his pre-party nap

The table

The cakes we hand-made. Whoop Whoop!

Face-painting by my mother-in-law Teri

His big birthday cake bite! We held him since he recently hates his high-chair...

Me and my mama

Jack letting all the girls color on him with the face paints

Giving mama kisses in exchange for his bottle... yes I bribe my kid for affection.

more monster balloons

Deflating the monster balloons was actually pretty funny and sad at the same time.

The monster dolls in need of adoption

Monster Adoption Certificates to make the adoptions official

More decorations

Monsters everywhere!

My faithful and trust Holly helping me set up

Enter at your own risk!

This boy loves his Nana!

Aunt Marci coloring with the kiddos

Jack trying to impress the ladies

Attacking the monster balloons

More table decorations

the food!

Our monster fort was the popular place for all the kiddos to eat their candy in secret

Jack taking the first swing at the monster pinata

The aftermath of the pinata

Happy Adopted Monsters and their new mommies

Jack's favorite seat in the house

After the party, he took a ride in the wheel-barrel with Nana

Playing with new toys!

puzzles with Uncle Adam...and his ponytail (haha)

Cuddling Aunt Marci

The pinata before the damage

Oh what this boy does for the ladies

Post-party nap time

The party was a huge success and Jack just loved having all his friends and family around. We have such an amazing group of friends and family that took time out of their schedule to celebrate with us and each of them bless our lives in different ways. Thank you for all who came, helped and supported us. We love you!

Now on a personal note, I can't believe my little baby is one and walking like a big boy. I never imagined how rich my life would be as a mother and how much joy this little man would bring to my life. This has been the best year and I would not change a single thing. I have cuddled him to sleep each night, sang every song I know, kissed his cheeks so much there should be permanent lip marks, acted like a total fool just to hear his laugh, counted to 10 thousands of times to stay calm through tantrums, played a million games of peek-a-boo and stayed up countless hours watching over him. 

Totally worth it.

And I'd do it all again in a heartbeat!

Jack Adam Pless

I'm a little late on the birthday post, but Jack turned one year old on Thursday, June 27th!

I can't believe a year has already zoomed by since this little man came into our family. 

He has kept us on our toes since the day he was born and continues to surprise me daily. 

 

I'm so proud to be his mommy and get the privilege to see him grow and learn. What an amazing year it has been! Happy Birthday to my Jack-a-Rooney!

Mom Thoughts

I love being a mom. I adore it. 

But there are those times where I'm pulling my hair out and breaking down from the stress. Sleep-deprivation, mixed with an active little boy, a dirty house, loads of laundry to do, worrying about the future and that feeling in the back of your mind that you are forgetting something all the time...can be a little much.

 

I sometimes feel like I'm treading water and just barely keeping my head above water. 

Mike has been so amazing through all this, but with his commuting to the bay area each day, sadly there are days he leaves at 4am and doesn't get home till 9pm. And those seem to be the hardest days for us at home.

Go figure. 

But this last week as I was getting my To Do list together and trying to remember everything that needs to get done, I saw Jack, sitting on the floor...staring at me. 

Just waiting for me to look at him so he could show me the biggest, sweetest smile. 

He was so happy and content to just be with me and have my attention.

And then I realized...

I'm an idiot!

I say that in the nicest way possible of course, but here I was, stressing out and worrying about silly things while I had someone who was just so happy to be with me...no matter what. So, I ditched the to do list and took a day to learn from Jack...and this is what my 10 month old reminded me:

1. Each day is an adventure and a chance to explore. Even the boring tasks that need to get done can be fun if you try and have a good attitude. Jack loves folding and sorting laundry with me...he even looks forward to it. He doesn't sort or "fold" in the conventional sense, but he has a lot of fun.

Which brings me to my next point...

2. It doesn't have to be perfect or planned. He has been teaching me that since the day he was born! Hello Charlotte! 

But the best times we have together are unplanned tickle fights, walks and hide 'n seek sessions.

3. Taking breaks are essential. There are those rare times when he falls asleep in my arms and I see this huge smile smeared across his face as he snuggles. (Jack is a huge snuggler) Instead of rushing him into his crib, I just soaked in the moment and took a nap with him.

4. Family is the best. He gets so excited when his family is around him and he gets to play with all of us. He doesn't care about anything else except quality time. He is more content just being held by Mama, Daddy, Papi or Nana than anything else in the world.

5. The last thing is probably the most simple. Just be happy. Jack is always smiling, laughing or hugging. Even through his teething, he manages to laugh or smile through the pain. He's not always so chipper, but 95% of the time, Jack is just happy. Definitely something to aspire to.

He reminded me of this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley which gave me great comfort this week. Even though I ditched my to do list, everything that needed to get done, did and I felt uplifted to be able to spend my time with my amazing little one.

 

So those are my thoughts and my little life lesson I learned from Jack this last week. Nothing profound or earth-shattering, but to a frazzled mom, it was just what I needed to ground me, renew my soul and have the strength to do it all over again this week. 

Three cheers for all the moms out there! We all deserve medals...

or cupcakes... 

cupcakes are good. 

Things I Love & Updates

First of all, after going through some of my pictures, I've realized how much of a ham Jack is in front of the camera. Wonder where he got that? (wink, wink)

Second, I"m so glad this week almost over! It has been a doozy and I'm hopeful that next week (and many weeks after) won't hold so many tears and frustration. 

 

But, we have great news (which most of you probably already know due to my Facebook posts). Mike landed an amazing job working with NASA in the Bay Area. He has been working so hard and was just dying to get this job. He even turned down a job offer, hoping that he would get this job and our prayers were answered. It fills my heart with joy to see him so excited to go to work and making notes all over the place as he gets inspired. I know that sounds weird, but to me that just means Mike is back to his old genius self and figuring out how to change the world...or how to build stuff that will be going into space! 

Right now Mike is commuting (2 hours drive) to work and he says he doesn't mind it so much, but I think he just wants to stay here in Clements a little longer and take advantage of all the space we have out here. Either way, my parents are thrilled we are sticking around for a little bit longer till we find (and can afford) a place of our own and I'm happy with the peace and quiet we have.

Now onto the things I'm loving about Jack right now. 

I'm in total, head-over-heels love with his laugh which has added the cutest little snort when he is super happy. It kills me every time. 

I love his two little teeth, but I honestly hated the process of them showing up. Teething sucks!

I love how excited he gets to eat the baby food I made for him and how well he gobbles it up.

I love how he is still my little snuggler and how he always looks for me when he is trying something new.

I love how he splashes in the bathtub and giggles when I put bubbles on his nose. 

I love how serious he gets when Mama asks for kisses and after a few, he holds my cheek and tries to put my nose in his mouth...it's weird, but I love it. 

I love how fascinated he is with how everything works...everything. From cars, computers, phones to horses, rabbits and ducks we see on our walks. 

I love how he will crawl, wiggle and shimmy over to me when he thinks I have something interesting. This boy can move! 

I love how much he loves other babies and will move towards them just to hold their hands. Seriously, it is the cutest thing I've ever seen. He saw a baby girl and as she was reaching her hand out, he grabbed it and just held it so gently. Homeboy is already putting the moves on to the ladies. 

I crack up every time he figures out how to undress himself. If I'm not careful, he would be naked by the end of the day. 

I love how he says 'Mama' and 'Dada' now and how he loves to play 'Toss the Ball' with anyone who will play. 

He loves his toes and he laughs so hard when I pinch his cute little bum.

But most of all, I love how sweet this little man is. He holds my hand, grabs my arm and just is so content when he just has your attention. He is the most loving and forgiving little soul I've ever had the privilege to be around.  

Plus that smile makes up for anything bad that has happened this week.