Motherhood

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

-Elizabeth Stone

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers in my life!

Most importantly, I want to wish my own mother a happy Mother's Day. I don't think you ever fully appreciate all the hard work that your mother has done for you until you become a mother yourself. My mom always made being a mother look so easy and since I have become a mom I can tell you that it is definitely NOT easy! It is the hardest job in the world and my mom set such a great example for me to follow. I don't know how I would have survived that last 8 1/2 months of being a mother without my mom there for me. She was such a great support and always seemed to know exactly what to do. So, thanks Mom for always being there for me and for being such an incredible grandma as well!

I also want to wish my "second Mom", my mother-in-law, a happy Mother's Day. She is also an incredible mother and I am so grateful to her for raising such an incredible son.

And to all the other mothers in my life: my Grandma May, for being such a wonderful grandma to me growing up, and my sister, for being a great example of motherhood . . .

But the thing that I am most grateful for on this Mother's Day is my own opportunity to be a mother. Being Jaxon's mom is the most precious gift in the world. I can't believe Heavenly Father trusted me enough to send me such an incredible little spirit to be a mother to. I love everything about him--the color of his eyes, how he smells after getting a bath, his hands and his fascination with them, the expression on his face when he is trying to figure something out, and most of all, his smile that lights up my whole world! He is the light of my life and the greatest blessing I could ever ask for!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Thanks for being such a good Daddy to me even when I am a pill! I love you tons!

Happy Birthday Shane!

Reasons why I love my husband and why he deserves to have a wonderful birthday:

Because he brings me flowers for no reason at all.

Because he never gets upset with me (even when I gave him a horrible haircut!)

Because he still calls me "Princess".

Because he is my other half.

Because he loves his little boy as much as I do.

Because he is a worthy priesthood holder.

Because he tells me he loves me at least once a day.

Because he still takes me to see chick flicks.

Because he makes me laugh.
Because he takes care of me when I am sick.

Because he is as sentimental as I am.

Because he gets up early on Saturday mornings with Jaxon so I can sleep in.

Because he works so hard to provide for us.

Because he married me in the temple for time and all eternity.


Because he held my hand through 24 hours of labor.

Because he tells me I'm beautiful every day (even when I am 9 months pregnant!)

Because he gets so excited to give me presents that he can hardly wait for me to open them.

Because he is the most handsome man in the world!

Because he makes my world a better place!

Happy birthday babe! I love you tons!

Thanks Fam!

I know I am really late posting this (it seems like everything takes longer with a little one!) but I just wanted to thank my family for spending time with us last weekend. My parents and Lacey and Todd came over to visit and we had a great time seeing everybody! We love you all!
Oh, and Jax got to wear his first tie to Church! Isn't it cute?

Jax Attax!!

These are just some random pictures of our little angel.

"A boy's best friend!"

What a ham!!

He still doesn't sleep well but he sure looks cute doing it!

This was his first time to the park with Grandma and Grandpa Hogan.

Isn't he a stud?

Getting to Know You . . .

I have seen these “Get to Know You” posts on other people’s blogs and decided to create my own tag. So, these are 100 things you may or may not know about me:

1. I love playing sports!
2. My favorite sport is basketball. I played basketball in high school, intramurals in college, and most recently, in a city league.
3. My second favorite sport is football.
4. My favorite sports team that I have ever been on was a intramural football team with my roommates. We were called the Goof Troop and we won the championship. (Intramurals were surprisingly competitive at BYU-Idaho.)


5. My favorite color is pink.
6. Me and Shane are avid movie-goers. We used to go to the movies all the time before we had Jaxon. We have seen everything (that is not rated R of course)!
7. I love movie-musicals like The Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia.


8. My favorite movies of all time are the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
9. When I watch TV shows I get addicted to them and have to see every single episode.
10. My favorite TV shows are The Office, Battlestar Galactica, Bones, and So You Think You Can Dance.


11. My favorite guilty pleasures are The Bachelor and America's Next Top Model.
12. I always wished I was a good dancer. I still do when I watch SYTYCD and DWTS.
13. I went to early morning seminary at 6:30 AM for four years of high school. (I admit, I did fall asleep frequently.)
14. The best year of my life was the year that Shane and I were dating and engaged.

15. I used to be really shy when I was a kid and I am still terrified to get up and speak in front of people.
16. My favorite calling I have ever had in Church was being in the Relief Society presidency.
17. I am naturally hot-blooded. I don’t get cold easily and I can’t stand too-hot weather.
18. I am a very picky eater. I only like really bland foods. It drives Shane crazy!
19. Speaking of eating, I LOVE anything chocolate which really sucks right now because I am on a diet trying to lose the baby weight and I can’t eat it. It’s a tragedy!
20. Oddly enough, I didn’t like chocolate when I was pregnant.
21. My favorite dessert is Cold Stone ice cream cakes.



22. My favorite DIET foods are those new little 100-Calorie packs. They have all different kinds of snacks that are (obviously) only 100 calories!


23. My LEAST favorite foods are raisins and stuffing.
24. I was voted “Most Flirtatious” in my senior class. (Random, I know.)
25. I am deathly afraid of big spiders. Not so much other bugs or even little spiders but big, aggressive, house spiders like we have in Logan (and of course, Shane is never here when I see one. Go figure.)
26. I am also afraid of roller coasters. Shane finally got me to go on some small ones (Lagoon anyone?) but I am still afraid of anything bigger than those.
27. I am a country girl at heart.
28. My secret dream is to live on a ranch and be a cowgirl. (Hey, I did grow up in Wyoming!)
29. I love the outdoors which worked out perfect since I grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
30. I love to camp. My favorite place to camp is in Jackson. It is on private property (near Harrison Ford's house) and is near the river.



31. I love to go boating on Jackson Lake. I do like to waterski and wakeboard but I am not very good at it. I mostly like to just admire the scenery (it is right under the Tetons!)
32. I love to go fishing with my Dad and Shane. I only learned how to a few years ago but I really like it. The best part is just hiking through rivers and streams.


33. I love water. I especially like to swim in rivers and lakes. And I love taking swimming lessons with my little Jax!
34. I love to go rock climbing. My favorite place to go is in Moab.


35. I used to be afraid of whitewater rafting but after I went a couple times I now love it!

36. Coincidentally, me and Shane's first date was going whitewater rafting.
37. Shane and I met on a blind date.
38. Even though it is a little scary, I love to be outside at night time in the woods because it is so peaceful and beautiful.
39. I also love to look at the stars.
40. I have very bad vision according to my eye doctor but I quit wearing glasses/contacts because I think I can see just fine.
41. I worked construction for two years with my Dad.
42. I was born in Kalispell, Montana. I only lived there for three months and I have never been back.
43. Jackson Hole is my favorite place on earth. Three generations of my family grew up there. My parents and grandparents still live there. Shane and I met there. And yes, Jaxon is named after it.
(This is my great-grandpa's barn.)

44. My least favorite chore is ironing (though scrubbing out Jaxon’s laundry is a close second!)
45. The place I most want to visit in the world is Africa. (I’m jealous of you Trish!)
46. I have never been out of the country.
47. The farthest trip I have ever taken was to Hawaii.


48. The worst trip I have ever been on was last year when I was two months pregnant. I went to Washington D.C. on a business trip. I was still in the morning sickness phase and traveling made me so nauseated. (Plus, we ate some really bad Southern food.) But I was glad I got to see the nation's capitol.
49. The best trip I have ever been on was my honeymoon to Vegas!


50. I was in a car accident involving three buffalo when I was eight months pregnant!
51. My favorite thing about being pregnant was watching my baby move in my stomach. The best was when Shane could see it.


52. My LEAST favorite thing about being pregnant was going to the doctor's office every week!
53. The only thing I ever really craved while I was pregnant was ice. Everything I drank had to have crushed ice in it. My favorite is the little tiny balls of ice that are served in restaurants like Costa Vida.
54. The most difficult and scariest thing I have ever done was to give birth.
55. I didn’t have an epidural when I gave birth (see my previous posts for the whole gory story). Lots of people in Utah find this really weird but it was pretty much the norm where I grew up.


56. Being a mother is the hardest and most wonderful thing I have ever done. I can’t believe how much I love my little Jaxon.
57. I feel so protective of my little boy. I definitely have mama lion syndrome.
58. I think my son is the most beautiful baby in the entire world! He has gorgeous blue eyes, a huge smile, and the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a baby!

59. My three nieces, Kira, Kamber, and Kendi, are close seconds in the most beautiful baby awards!


60. I have no idea what my natural hair color is because I have been dying it since I was 16.
61. I love to wear sandals which is one of the reasons that summer is my favorite time of year. I can’t stand closed-toed shoes.
62. I think my parents are the hardest workers I have ever known. I really admire both of them and appreciate everything they have ever done for me.

63. Even though I don’t say it as much as I should, I really love my two sisters. They are both wonderful people and I very much admire both of them.


64. I have never broken any bones except for a fracture in my arm when I was five and a broken fingertip when I was playing intramural football.
65. I also never had any stitches until I gave birth.
66. I really love school and learning.
67. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from college.
68. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in Technical Writing.
69. I also really love math (it’s true Chase!)
70. I want to go to graduate school someday.
71. My favorite toy growing up was Barbies (I only had sisters. Go figure.) I still love to dress them up when I get together with my sisters.


72. I am very nostalgic which is probably the reason why I am also somewhat of a pack rat. I hold onto things for sentimental reasons.
73. My favorite American Idol of all time is Chris Daughtry.


74. I have the most wonderful husband in the world!


75. The best day of my life was the day I married him in the temple for time and all eternity.


76. Shane spoils me rotten!
77. I love animals.
78. I especially love dogs!



79. My favorite type of dogs are Collies but I love puppies of any kind. (Who doesn’t? I mean really, have you ever seen an ugly puppy?) And I would have 12 if we could afford them (and had more land and a bigger house.) And yes, they would all sleep on the bed with me. (Sorry, Kaysley. I do love you the most!)
80. My dog, Kaysley, is a complete klutz. She is only four years old and she has already broken her toe, had a tumor removed, and became epileptic.


81. I still have a security blanket.
82. My biggest pet peeve is when people say they are going to do something and then they don't.
83. I love to lay in the sun! Funny story – last summer (when I was eight months pregnant) I would go to the pool and lay in the sun a lot. I wore shorts most of the time but one day I decided not to wear them. I burned my upper thighs so bad that I couldn’t go to church the next because I couldn’t walk!
84. I am a small town girl at heart and I never want to live in a big city.
85. The biggest “city” I have ever lived in is Logan, Utah.
86. My favorite music artist is Keith Urban.


87. I know two future rock stars -- Cary Judd and Kalei Hogan!



88. I still love stuffed animals, especially teddy bears.
89. I love to read! Reading novels is my all-time favorite hobby.
90. I usually read three or four books at a time (just to keep it interesting!)
91. My favorite books are The Work and the Glory, Lord of the Rings, and of course, as I posted before, the Twilight series (which my sister-in-law, Kalei got me hooked on!)



92. Someday, I want to write a novel.
93. My favorite store in the world is Deseret Book. I go in there when I am having a bad day and it usually cheers me right up. Also, I spend too much money there. (Hey, I’m just keeping them from going out of business!)
94. I read mostly LDS fiction and fantasy novels (strange combination, I know!)
95. I have the best in-laws in the world! They are very different from my family but I love them all to death!


96. I know a lot of people don’t, but I love McDonald’s!


97. My favorite thing right now is nursing Jaxon in the middle of the night. I know, I know, I complain about it a lot but he is just so cute when he is half asleep! He doesn’t open his eyes but he pets me with his chubby little hands and it is just so sweet! (It’s even better when he only gets up once or twice a night!)



98. I love to wear rings but my wedding ring is so gorgeous that I quit wearing my other ones because they pale in comparison.


99. I love my little boy to death but I really hope I have a little girl someday.
100. I am already afraid of sending my son on a mission!

Wow! It was a lot harder than I thought to come up with 100 somewhat interesting things about myself. But I can’t wait to hear some of yours! I tag Leisel, Mark and Amberlynn, Travis and Bree, and anyone else who feels like doing it. You can write 10, 20, 50, or if you are really ambitious, 100 things like I did.