Halloween and Utah

I know it has been ages since I have been on here. But there really wasn't anything exciting to put on here. Finally Halloween came and we got some cute pictures of Jason in his costume. He was Batman. We also took him trick or treating. We only went to 12 houses but it was still fun, at least I think for us. Jason doesn't quite understand the concept yet. We just got back from our goodbye trip to Utah. We had to bid the family a farwell before we went to Japan. Also we have had quite a bit of things happen the past little while. Back in September I broke my back, and was down for about two weeks. Now I am all healed though. And beginning of October my grandpa had three strokes. However he pulled through all of them. He is like a new person now. Jason also had his first trip to the ER when he had a fever of 102.4. We were told that it was the flu, but we later found out that it was just from him getting two teeth at once. So about 5 days of unecessary meds. He is weighing in and 24 1/4 lbs. Big boy, I know. Other than that just been busy with the fall weather. And getting ready to leave for Japan. Love and miss you all. I will try and be on here more often.

From Newborn to One Year Old

Well another chapter has finished in our journey. Today we celebrated our little bug's first birthday. It seems like yesterday I was still walking around with a big belly and waiting for him to arrive. This past year has been one of many ups and downs. It is true, your life completely changes after having a baby. The first few months were all about adjusting. It was hard work. I don't think I have ever ran on no sleep for that long. Finally at about 3 months I caught a break, Jason started sleeping through the night. I remember thinking okay maybe this does get easier. And then three months later I learned that it may get easier in the aspect of getting more sleep but then I never thought how hard it would be when Jason started crawling. Suddenly, he was crawling everywhere and getting in to everything. Then what seemed like day and night Jason was walking. Now he is so big. I just remember holding that little 6lb 9oz baby when he first arrived and thinking this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have heard that you never know what love truely is until you have a child. Well let me just say that is 100% true. I have watched Jason slowly grow up and he is now becoming a little boy, not a baby anymore. He is learning new things everyday. He opens and closes the doors down stairs, which is a little game we like to play. He has six teeth now. He weighs 22lbs 15oz and is 30in tall. I cherish everyday I have to spend with him. When I am having a bad day it seems as if he can tell and he will come up and give me a hug and let me know that everything is okay. He is my little prince and I love him more than words can say. I can't imagine my life without him. I just want to thank Heavenly Father for blessing me with such an amazing, energetic, handsome, and loving little boy. This is the beginning of another chapter in our lives. Today is the day of the rest of our lives. All I can say is Happy Birthday to my little bug, and I love you more than anything.

California

Ahh back from California. The weather was nice, the beach was fun, and we went to the zoo and seaworld. We all had a great time. Jason played in the sand on the beach and loved it. Me and Travis boogie boarded. We also went swimming at our hotel. Let me just say one thing about the San Diego Zoo IT'S HUGE. We also went to our share of mexican, sushi, and italian restaurants. Other than me getting terribly sunburned it was a great trip. Jason got pretty worn out though and took a few naps along the way. Don't even let me get started on our plane trip home. First our flight from San Diego to Minneapolis was delayed an hour. Then we arrived in Minneapolis only to find that our flight to Minot had been cancelled due to runway construction. So we then decided to get our luggage before it flew to Minot without us. That process took a total of 3 hours. We then decided to get a rental car and drive home which took a total of 8 hours. Ugh after the exhausting trip home we could wait to have a relaxing time at home for a few days. Our trip was fantastic. We got to spend time with my family and enjoy a little vacation. Thanks to our little monkey he made the trip even more exciting.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today is our 3rd anniversary. I can't believe that it has already been that long. This year has been so eventful. We were blessed with our little boy. We have never been as close as we are now. Everyday I fall more and more in love with Travis. And I just wanted to take this time to say thanks to him for loving me and taking care of our family. I love you so much and I hope that you know that. "Here's to the rest of our lives together". Happy Anniversary My Love.

11 MONTHS ALREADY

I can't believe our little prince is already 11 months. He walks all the time and now has 3 teeth. I won't find out how much he weighs or how tall he is until the end of the month. He is no longer eating baby food. He now eats spaghetti o's, and mac and cheese, and oatmeal, and pretty much everything he can eat. He is also consistantly drinking out of a sippy cup. However he yet again calls me dada all the time. So I decided to take a video of him saying dada. Hope all is well. And I will have a big post next month since he will be 12 months. Love you all.

Emma and Jason

Emma is Jason's little playmate from across the street. They get along quite well. Although both of them have yet to learn the concept of sharing and Jason loves to play with Emma's eyes. They have spent a lot of time together the past few weeks. Too bad we will be leaving this February cause I am sure they would grow up to be good friends.

Pool Days, And Haircuts

Sorry it has taken me so long to post up anything on the blog. Jason is really keeping me busy since he has been walking. Ugh all of the falling and bumps and bruises go along with it. We have finally found some really good friends out here. They just happen to live across the street. They have a little girl that is 2 months younger then Jason and we have been hanging out with them a lot. Jason has a little playmate now. Sorry that was kind of off topic. Jason is growing more and more everyday. Oh and his two front bottom teeth have cut through so we have been enjoying long nights. Also his hair has grown so long that it started to get to the point of looking girly so we went ahead and gave him a haircut. He looks so clean cut and handsome now. We have finally got a chance to set up Jason's pool again. Jason and I spent part of this last Sunday swimming. This time went way better then last time. Well not much else to update on. I wanted to say Congratulations to my cousin Becca and her husband Jeremy on their new baby boy. And wanted to mention a little Happy Birthday to my daddy. Anywho we love and miss you all I hope all is well.

Grammy and Grampy Ratcliffe

We had the opportunity last week to see Travis' parents. They finally got to see their grandson for the first time which was long overdue. We had tonz of fun and we miss you all. Jason is also now 10 months. I can't believe it. Oh and the long awaited new step in Jason's life, drum roll please.....JASON IS WALKING. He took his first steps the day before his daddy's 27th birthday. Now he stands up and walks everywhere. Also he likes to play a little game with me. He crawls towards the stairs and wants me to chase him up the stairs. He is also finally getting some teeth. But lately the past few days he hasn't been eating very much of his food and insists on waking up every four hours at night to eat. AHHH.. it's like I have a newborn again. We don't know what happened he has been sleeping through the night since he was 3 months old. Anywho other than that we are preparing for our move to Japan this February. Been working on passports and getting appointments taken care of. Been quite busy around here. I never got a chance to post up anything about my hubby's birthday. Travis turned 27 on June 29th. Happy Birthday Babe. Other than that not much else going on up here in North Dakota. We watched the fireworks on base on the 4th and well to say the least not very impressive. I miss going to Mentor High and watching them almost every year. The funny thing was Jason slept through the fireworks and didn't wake up until after they were over. FUN FUN. Well I am signing off. I finally can get around to doing house work now that Travis has returned to work. Love and miss you all.

Jason's First Swimming Pool

This summer has been pretty warm so far. We decided to buy Jason a little swimming pool to play in. Of course the water wasn't warm enough for him to swim in for very long. So hopefully we will have more fun times this summer.

Kadena Japan

We just found out we got orders. We are going to Kadena, Japan. Finally somewhere warm with beaches. We have to be in Japan by February. These are some of the pictures that I found online without being there. We will miss you all but trust me we will post plenty of pictures.

Jessika's Birthday

My Birthday was on June 13th. I turned 22. YAY.

Utah Adventures

The Aquarium

Jason and Luke

Graduation

Jason's Frist Experience with Stage 3 Food

Me and Jason

Jason's first experience on the grass.

Lindsey and Jason

On June 2nd me and Jason traveled to Utah to spend time with my family. We were quite busy. First my little sister graduated from Hunter High School (I am so proud of you Lindsey, keep up the good work and I am sure you will be sucessful in the rest of your life). She graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. The day after her graduation she had a party. And let me just say she has a lot of guy friends. Way to go Lindsey. Sunday came and we invited all of our friends that we knew from Ohio over to dinner. And man is it crazy how much has changed. Most of them married now and one with a son only a month and a half older than Jason. Monday we went shopping for my birthday clothes from my parents. Tuesday we went to Lagoon (kinda like a Six Flags) and Jason rode his first two rides, a merry-go-round and a train, which he enjoyed. Wednesday we decided to go to the Hogle Zoo. Although about an hour or so after being there it rained on us. It was so fun to see Jason look at the animals although he seemed scared of most of them. And last but not least on Thursday we went to an Aquarium. Which I have to tell you Jason would reach toward the tanks and when the fish would swim away he would try and follow them with his hand. Quite entertaining. He also touched a sting-ray. We had a lot of fun being in Utah and seeing everyone. We miss you all. I can't wait to come back and see you guys again. Maybe by then Jason will have some teeth and be walking. Also I wanted to say thanks mom and dad for all the fun we had. And Lindsey good luck at BYU.