A couple more pictures . . .

Mellissa and Shelley also came (cowgirl, and superwoman)! Thanks for coming!

Costumes!

Saturday night was my first Halloween party! It was a lot of fun but also a lot of work! I decided to post three separate posts of the night because I had so many pictures! We had a great time! Here's all the people that came! Thanks for coming and sorry many of you couldn't make it! You missed a great party! :) (Jessica and Keven, I missed taking a picture of you guys somehow)?

Games!!

Gummy worms in flour. Jessica got the most gummy worms out the fastest! She was the winner! I don't think I will play this game again because two of us were choking and my mom got flour in her eyes! :) It was so much fun  . . . even if I couldn't breathe!

I made a pinata with candy and 10 one dollar bills! Dave got $8.  

The guys seemed to be a lot better at this then the girls! Whoever took a bit of the apple first, without using their hands won! Tyler was the winner!

Eyeballs and flies were in spaghetti. Each person was timed and you had to get the most flies!

Decorations!

It's hard to post everything but this is just a little sample of all the decorations. This was the best part!! The decorations is what makes the party and sets the atmosphere. Spooky music was playing outside and you walk through the side to the backyard. In the dark it was much better because lights were going off!

Witch's Brew!! You have to have this at a Halloween Party!!

This is the side where everyone walked down to enter the backyard! The backyard had RIP signs in the grass, cobwebs, Frankenstein lumineers, and scary people everywhere!

This was hilarious! James, Keven (brother in law), and my sister were sitting in the front like dummies. There is one dummy, can you tell which one?? They would scare people when they would walk by! So fun!

If you look closely there are little spiders everywhere on the rocks also!! It took us 3 hours Friday night and all day Saturday to decorate. Thanks so much mom and Jessica for helping! I really could not have done it without you!

Pumpkin Patch

These pictures are in reverse order but that's okay! We went to the Pumpkin Patch Friday and it was so much fun. There was so much to do and to see. My sister in law, Rachel is working there, taking pictures. The last two pictures she took! Thanks again Rachel!

The first picture the Turkey was getting a little too close to Jocelynn and it scared her. 

This is the Turkey that was eating off my hand. You could tell by my face that he/she caught me off guard. I decided to be a bumblebee this year. I haven't dressed up since before High School so it was a lot of fun! James was a bee keeper! He was a good sport and surprisingly, liked dressing up.   That Turkey was pecking my hand hard!! It took this ice cream cone right out of my hand, that's when Jocelynn got scared!

Jocelynn liked the goats. She thought they were funny. I think they reminded her of dogs.

Here's the good shot Rachel took of my little bee. Jocelynn loves her costume, which makes it even more fun!

James had a big bee on his back and a hat with bees all over it! We had so much fun!

Shoes . . . Bye, Bye!!

Jocelynn has reached the stage that all toddlers face . . . she wants to be outside and never be inside. These pictures are of her on the balcony but even that's not enough space. Every morning after breakfast, she hands me her shoes, goes to the door, bangs on it, and says "Bye, Bye!" I'm like "Wow! Slow down . . . mommy needs to get dressed :)." We go walking every morning for 30 minutes to an hour and she loves walking anywhere outside. I have to admit . . .I love it.

Last night we were eating dinner and we look over and Jocelynn had her spoon like this and was smiling (notice her feet are crossed :). It was so funny. I quickly grabbed a camera before this moment passed!

Halloween Party!!!

I don't know how to add a picture from the internet to my post so I just took a picture of a couple decorations around the house :)

We are having our first annual Halloween Party! I'm so excited!!

When: Saturday Oct. 25th. 2008

Time: 8:00pm- 11:00pm

Where: My mom's house (Call or email me for directions)

Costumes Encouraged!

Please bring a side dish!

MUSIC, GAMES, and FUN!!

We already have a babysitter so you have a week to get yours! 

The more the merrier!!

Packages Sent with Love!!!

This post is for James family and my sister!

James sisters and parents live in Arizona and Texas and my sister lives in Wyoming. They all sent packages for Jocelynn, which was really sweet. Lola (James mom) and Steve sent Jocelynn cute outfits for Jocelynn. This is one of the outfits! I love the color!

Pops (James Dad), Terry, and brother and sister sent a couple outfits with this car and a cell phone. The people in the car start laughing when you move the car. Jocelynn laughs right along with them!

My sister sent this cute stroller. Jocelynn loves to push it along and ring the bell.

James sister, Jeanette sent this cute bus with 25 balls to play with inside. Jocelynn cracks me up in this because she climbs in and out of the bus about 20 times. SHe also tries to climb out the windows. :) This makes her plenty tired before bed!

Thank you so much for thinking of Jocelynn! We miss you!

An Angel Sent Home . . .

Sunday I got a call that a student I use to care for, unexpectantly passed away. Saturday was conference for church (our leaders speak to us twice a year). I was touched by Jeffrey R. Holland's talk. The end of his talk he was saying how "angels" come into our lives, sometimes we know them and sometimes we don't. Joey was an angel that touched my life. 

I was able to attend his funeral on Tuesday (thank you Rachel for watching Jocelynn). The Priest touched me with his remarks. I absolutely agreed with everything he said. Individuals with mental and physical disabilities are angels. The world and society would look down and feel sorry for these families but it's just the opposite, how lucky they are to be blessed with these special people in their lives. Years ago I sat in a home with a 20 year old boy that was dying of Muscular Dystrophy, his brother, (two years younger) had the same condition. The youngest of them did not have Muscular Dystrophy and it was amazing the way he would care for his brothers. The love this family had for each other was amazing . . . . as the Priest would say "magical!"

Joey used to act like he was biting me when I would take him out of his chair :). Joey was here for a short time but touched many people. Like the Priest said "Blessed are the mentally and physically challenged, for they have a straight ticket to heaven!" Till we meet again. . .

12 month check up . . . and shots!

I thought she looked so cute in this gown they had her wear. This is another weird face she makes. She thought it was a blanket because she kept playing peek a boo. She was in the 40th percentile in weight (weighing 20 pounds). She's a good eater so I'm not worried about it. She's in the 75th percentile for height. 

This is her doctor, Doctor Souda. He has been her doctor since she was 2 weeks old. I really like him.  She loves ducks, dogs, and cows (which is what he's showing her) but she was more interested in the facial expressions he was making. 

This is her nurse and she has been her nurse since she was 2 weeks old also. She did mess up in weighing her at her 6 month check up but I still like her.  She gave Jocelynn 3 shots today in her legs! My poor baby was screaming in pain but I was surprised because it was only for a minute and then she was over it. I even gave her a dum-dum lollipop but she didn't care for it.

 

Party Time!!

This is the best moment when a child turns one, watching them eat the cake. Jocelynn was looking at everyone like "why are you watching me?" As time went on, she took some bites of it but didn't care much for it. She took a bite and shook her head yes. She does that when she likes something!

The family shot! Man, I love my family!!!!!

There's a good handful!

Jocelynn gave kisses to everyone that gave her a present. Thanks again! She loves them all!

Jocelynn had a wonderful party! 

Happy Birthday Jocelynn!!

We celebrated Jocelynn's first birthday at the park last evening with family (and Melinda but she's considered family :)  She was walking around everywhere. She no longer really crawls. She looked so big walking everywhere!

When a lot is going on or there are a lot of people, Jocelynn sits back and watches everyone. 

My mom with sweet baby Preston! Is he not the cutest thing you have ever seen?

Jocelynn and Melinda playin at the park.

This is her birthday cake that took me forever to make (from scratch). It was a white cake and the filling was vanilla pudding and strawberries and then a cream cheese frosting (from scratch also). I wanted to start a tradition to make her cake every year. Although it took awhile, it was fun to see the end result! 

It seems like yesterday . . .

Oct. 4, 2007 Jocelynn Elizabeth Ward was born!

8 pounds 5 ounces

It was a day her dad and I will never forget! This year has been the best time of our life. When we think of how fast time has past, it makes us sad. 

Although the year has gone by fast, so much has happened! It seems like yesterday, I was staying up throughout the night. This picture was after a long night. I'm really asleep and I was glad James captured this shot because we tend to forget.

Jocelynn has brought us so much happiness. She has brought a sweet spirit into our home.  It's hard to believe she is one! The past couple of weeks, I have been asking her how old she is. Today I asked her and she held up one finger! Here's a little description about this little angel:

Jocelynn is VERY observant and has always been. She stares at everything and everyone! She is quiet and studies everything if she is in a new environment. It takes her a little time to get comfortable and then her personality comes out. She now has separation anxiety and hates when we leave her (she cries for a couple of minutes).  She loves to talk. I am amazed at all the words she says. Her new word is paper and copies whatever we say. She is very smart. She says 17 words and signs 9 words. She has a determined, strong will and gets frustrated if she can't do something. She has always fought taking naps but she needs them! She still takes 2 a day but is transitioning to one. She loves her dad and calls him mama and dada. My baby is no longer a baby but becoming a toddler. We can't wait for the years to come!!