Jaron 'n' Joni

Our New Blog

2011-02-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already heard...My sisters and I have started a new blog. It is sagaofsevensisters.blogspot.com. Because there are seven of us, each one of us will take a day each week to post. My day is Saturday! So if you like reading daily about crazy moms living life to the fullest, then stop on by!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2010-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't been the best about posting, but...... We have an announcement!

After two years of trying and a couple of miscarriages, we are happy to announce we are having a baby!!!! We saw and heard the heartbeat today! We are so excited. I am due the first of August! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

What We've Been Up To

2010-08-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well, its been quite some time since we posted. It might have something to do with moving three times since February. So here is a catch up to get us back into blogging. Since we moved home it hasn't seemed necessary to post since we see family more, but I love looking at other people's blogs, so we will continue to post. Anyways, here is our update...

1. In May we moved to Provo. Joni got a job from her old employee at Alpine Storage. They have apartments right off of the office. Joni and the kids run the office for a few hours in exchange for rent and utilities. Its a really good arrangement.

2. We went on a family vacation to Island Park. Joni's parents have a cabin there and they rented it to us for the week. It was just the four of us, Jaron, Joni, Vienna, and Clark, but we had a wonderful time.

Here we are at some stinky hot pots.

We went into West Yellowstone for the afternoon and watched Beauty and the Beast at the Playmill, which was so fun. Vienna and Clark got so into it that they laughed, cried, screamed, and cheered. They were almost more entertaining than the actors!

They were so excited to meet Belle and the Prince at the end.

It was colder and rainy while we were there so we lived in the hot tub.

Our two little fish

Here we are at Big Springs, the beginning of the river.

We also fed the fish and the birds.

Vienna feeding the animals.

The kids were suppose to be feeding the fish and birds, but they started eating the hot dog buns instead!

3. We went to Lagoon on my mom's Stake Lagoon Day. My parents came, along with my sister Millie and her family, and my brother JB and his family. It was a fun day.

Here is Clark and his cousin Truman. Vienna is in the back.

Vienna riding the boats. This is her last year to ride the boats because next year she will be too tall.

4. At the end of June a job came open at Alpine Storage at their Roy Facility. Though Jaron is working right now in Sandy, his company plans to relocate to South Weber. So we decided to move to Roy anticipating Jaron's companies move. It was a good move for us. We really like the apartment there. The shifts aren't as long as in Provo, so Joni and the kids are in the office less and it is nice to be close to home. We hope to be here for a few years because we are really enjoying our time.

5. We went to the Rodeo around the 24th of July. YEE HAW

Here are the BOYS

And the girls, Don't mind Vienna's deer in the headlights look.

6. We also went to the 24th of July Parade with my family. It was a great parade.

7. So we live in Roy now, Jaron commutes to Sandy, and things are going great. The kids really like living here and have adjusted well. We look forward to when Jaron's commute will be ten minutes, not an hour each way! Life is good!

Happy Birthday Clark!

2010-04-16T09:01:00.001-07:00

3 years ago today I was cleaning my apartment when I came to the conclusion that my water was breaking. I scrubbed the apartment, packed our bags, and waited for Jaron to get home from school to take me to a doctor's appointment. When he came home, I didn't tell him I was in labor. I just said, "Bring the bags, just in case." So we went to the doctor's and I finally had to say, "My water is breaking." They sent me to the hospital and two hours later, I met my little boy Clark. He has been such a joy to our family. I am so glad he decided to come and though he was a bit of a surprise, we are so happy he came. He is a busy boy, talking to anyone who will listen. He loves all things boys but will play dolls with Vienna. He loves his big sister Vienna and tries to do everything she does. He is eager to find a friend at the park and loves to have fun. He loves to cuddle and give me kisses but he will quickly change to wrestling. The other day at story time the librarian was reading a story about a bird that can fly. Clark said, "I can fly. I am a superhero." The librarian said, "Yes, superheros can fly." Clark said, "No, I am a superhero." He is our little superhero and we love him!
Happy Birthday Clark!

In Utah for a Month

2010-03-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

We are officially moved to Utah and have been here for one month! The move was hard, but we made it! Jaron likes his new job and the kids are adjusting well. They both miss California, as do I, but I think we will have a good life here. More to come...

Goodbye San Francisco

2010-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

Well, if you haven't heard...we are moving to Utah this week! Jaron got wind of a job from his cousin and so he applied for it. At first we didn't think we were interested, but the more we learned, the more Jaron really wanted it. We were so excited when he got it. He will be working for a company that builds the steel part of a building. So we are leaving on Thursday and heading to Utah. We are so excited for this new chapter in our lives, but we are sad to close our California chapter. We have really had a lot of fun here. We have done a ton of sightseeing. We both commented the other day we feel like we have been on a vacation for a year because we live in a vacation spot. There is always something to do! To say goodbye to the bay area, we spent the day in San Francisco. Here are a few pictures from our day. Enjoy...

We started the day by taking a tour of Alcatraz Island. It was a beautiful day.

We threatened the kids that we would lock them up if they weren't good!

Jaron and Clark on the tour.

The San Francisco skyline from Alcatraz. Notice the steep streets going up the hill in San Francisco.

Clark enjoying the sunshine and green grass.

Jaron touring the outside section of Alcatraz.

The Golden Gate bridge from Alcatraz.

We ended our fun day with clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. We then took a trolley to the train station. It was a wonderful day! We have loved living here and will look back with fond memories!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-18T16:20:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, we went home to Utah. It was such a wonderful trip as we visited both families. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Clark loved Santa Claus and wanted to make sure he knew he wanted a fire truck.

Vienna was a little nervous, but was brave enough to sit on his lap.

Here are our Mary and Joseph and manger. The kids did a good job reenacting the event.

Vienna got a littlest pet shop for Christmas.

Here are father and daughter playing with toys on Christmas morning.

Clark got his fire truck! He loved it!

Vienna got a snow white cleaning set.

One day we went to visit Jaron's mom's school bus. The kids loved it.

Here are the kids trying to drive away.

Here's the whole bunch enjoying our memories of riding on the bus.

Vienna in her Christmas dress.

Clark in his new shirt.

When we were in Utah, Jaron and I celebrated 7 wonderful years of marriage!

Our little family.

We went sledding a couple of times when we were in Utah. So much fun!

We have a community garden plot and we just put it in. Here is the finished product.

2010-01-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas was such a wonderful time but this week back has been a slap in the face. So, I will give the top 5 reasons why this week was so bad. 1. On Sunday we were suppose to take Amtrak home. It was suppose to be so fun and wonderful. One of the trains broke down, so they put us on buses and shipped us home. Jaron had negative leg room, Vienna and I were so car sick, and it was too hot. That was miserable. 2. On Monday I went to the ER thinking I had an appendicitis. I was sent home with no diagnosis, just really sick. 3. On Tuesday, Clark threw up everywhere, twice. After that, I learned how to catch it when it came out. He threw up continually for about 8 hours and then was done. That was MISERABLE. 4. On Wednesday, Vienna was put under and had 4 cavities filled and a root canal. She has a metal cap on her back molar, which she hates. She came out fine but cried the rest of the day. 5. On Friday morning Jaron woke up throwing up and he threw up a ton for about 8 hours and then he felt better. To try to balance out the negative, here are a few positive things that happened. 1. On Tuesday, I cleaned out all my closets and put all of the Christmas presents away. It feels good to be cleaned out. 2. We had a nice evening for Jaron's 30th birthday. We had Applebee's take out. I got us Oriental Chicken Salads (which Jaron will never have again because he threw it up for a couple of hours the next day.) We had cake and opened presents. Jaron got a nice bag for his fishing stuff, an exercise ball, a scale, and a jump rope. It was a good day. 3. On Saturday we put in our garden in our city garden plot. It was wonderful. The drive was short and beautiful. The garden is in the middle of the country, so from our spot you can't see any houses, just rolling green hills (yes, we are entering the green season!) We put in onions, cilantro, carrots, beets, radishes, strawberries, rhubarb, peas, and lettuce. It was so fun to work the soil. The kids loved it and we had a wonderful day. 4. I taught sharing time today and it went really well (minus the girl who wet herself when giving a talk in opening exercises). The new sunbeams did good and it was fun. In conclusion, I am still really sick to my stomach. It has been 1 1/2 weeks, and today has been rough. When Clark and Jaron got sick, I thought I had what they had, but it has been totally different. When I talk to people, they say this bug is going around. But nobody has talked about stomach cramps. So I am going to go see a doctor tomorrow. I just don't feel good. I hope they can give me something because I am done with this. I hope we have a better week and I hope you all have a good week.

Joni

Happy 30th Birthday Jaron!

2010-01-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Today is a big day in Jaron's life. He has left his 20's and is now entering his 30's. His 20's were some important years. He served a mission, got married, had two children, got into BYU, graduated from BYU, got a job and moved to Arizona, bought a house, moved to Oakland, California and celebrated 7 years of marriage. Many people say that the 30's are the best years of life. If that is so, and the 20's were so great, I am excited to see what happens in Jaron's next 10 years. I hope I am by his side for it all!

I could write a novel about Jaron. I love him so much and he is so good to me in so many ways. He is my level head, my best friend. He is the first person I want to call and who I want to spend my time with. He is also a wonderful father. Clark cried for almost an hour this morning because he didn't want Jaron to go to work. As I was enduring the tears I thought, "Jaron is such a good dad and Clark's tears are proof." The kids love to be with him and I love to be with him. I keep teasing him that now that he is 30 I will turn him in for a younger man. I would never change my choice of who I married. Jaron is my other half.
Happy Birthday! I love you Jaron!
Love, your adoring wife, Joni

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, we stayed home and celebrated it with our small family. It was a wonderful weekend. Here are some pictures of what we did.

Here's Vienna ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Even though it was just us we still cooked a full Thanksgiving meal. We will be having left overs for a month!

Here is Clark showing off his turkey. I think that is about all he ate for dinner.

On Saturday we went to a tree farm to cut down a tree. It was fun because you walk around and choose your tree and then you cut it down yourself. Here is Vienna holding the saw.

Clark is relaxing on the tree cart.

After walking around for a little while, we found our tree. Because we live in a small apartment, we needed a tall skinny one and we found it. It was perfect.

While Jaron cut down the tree, Vienna and Clark used the cart as a teeter tauter. It was fun.

Here's our strong man cutting down the tree.

The tree is loaded on top! We were excited.

Here is our tree. We spent the afternoon decorating the tree and the apartment. It feels like Christmas. I love this time of year!

2009-11-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

Life is going great here. We have been sick, sick, sick. Vienna caught the H1N1 Flu so for about a week I did nothing else but be a nurse. Clark has had one cold after another. But we are hopefully taking a turn for the better. Here are some pictures from recently...

Jaron came down one morning to find the kids like this on the couch. What a good sister!

Our little town had a tree lighting event last week. We had so much fun. There was hot chocolate and cookies, carriage rides, and santa. It was a good way to start the season.

Vienna was so excited to see Santa.

And this was as close as we got. Vienna got so shy that she even had me tell him what she wanted. But it was fun anyways.

I put this outfit on Clark and it was too small. The pants are floods and his belly sticks out of the shirt. Jaron looked at him and said, "You look like Nacho Libre!" I thought it was funny.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to our ward's trunk or treat. Actually, three wards combined to make a TRI-ward trunk or treat party. Vienna wanted to be Snow White and use the cute dress and shoes that mom and dad gave her for her birthday. So in the day I put sponge curlers in her hair. When it was time to get ready, I put make up on her and took the curlers out. Then I sprayed her hair black. That stuff is messy and she couldn't even touch her hair or it turned everything black. It took us three washes after the party to get it out! Anyways, then I put a big red bow in her hair and she put on her dress and shoes. Clark wanted to be a clown but he didn't want the make up, so I spiked his hair. Jaron threw on his Austrian costume and I grabbed his work stuff to make a construction worker costume and off we went. There was a great turn out. We decorated our trunk. Jaron stayed with the van while I took the kids around. It was fun to see members of our ward. When we were done they had hot dogs and nachos. Then they had a parade/costume contest. I told Vienna and Clark to hold hands and wave to people. They marched around and around and had so much fun. When they were done, they announced the winners. There were so many kids and tons of cute costumes that I didn't think we would win. Plus, there were tons of princesses. Well they gave out four awards. When they got to the cutest costume, they announced, "The winner is Snow White, the taller one. We think the shorter one was so cute, but it's the taller one." Well, I wasn't sure if Vienna was the taller one, so I didn't do anything. Jaron kept saying, "Joni, that's Vienna." I didn't want to disappoint her by bringing her up but then her not being the winner. So the judges looked around at Vienna and pointed at her and told her she was the winner. I ran and got her from the parade and she went to the stage and got a certificate and a big candy box. When she jumped to me off of the stage, I lifted her up so the whole audience could see her. When I did, she lifted her arms above her head, clenching her fists in celebration. She did the whole Rocky-at-the-top-of the-hill pose. Jaron said it was really funny. She definitely performs in front of an audience. We were so proud of her for winning. It was such a fun night. I know it is a lot of work for activity committees but we loved it!

Here is our Snow White, The Cutest Costume Winner.

Her hair looked like the real thing. I even had someone ask if it was a wig.

Here is our cute little clown. He would squeeze his nose and say, "Honk Honk."

Here is our Austrian.

Here is our trunk and my creative construction worker costume.

This week we went to a really fun pumpkin patch. The kids had a blast.

Here the kids rode a train around the pumpkin patch. They were too cute.

We carved pumpkins on Thursday night.

Vienna was so excited to carve!

Jaron was a good dad and helped out.

Vienna and Clark showing off their pumpkins.

We have had the most fun celebrating Halloween.

Lemonade for Sale

2009-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Vienna wanted a toy from the Disney Store but she was $15 short. I suggested she try to earn some money and she decided to have a lemonade stand. So Jaron made some yummy lemonade and I made a sign. We set up shop and soon the air was filled with Vienna's cries of, "Lemonade! Come get some Lemonade." She made $20 in about an hour and a half. With that good of profit, we might turn this into a business! (Child services would probably get called, so maybe not a good idea.)

Here is Vienna selling some lemonade to a neighbor.

So I have been trying the book called "Deceptively Delicious" where you sneak vegetable purees into the family's food. Here are my beet purees ready for the freezer.

Here are some pink pancakes, with beet purees in it. Guess what? The beets make the pancakes better! The kids love them. I will never go back to plain white pancakes!

Clark is pretty happy about pink Mickey Mouse pancakes.

Happy 4th Birthday Vienna!

2009-09-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Vienna turned four today. What a wonderful little girl she is. She has the biggest heart and loves everyone. I am so glad she came into our lives four years ago. I don't know what I would do without her! I love you Vienna!

Jaron's mother made this beautiful dress. She is very talented.

This is at the Oakland Temple. It was a beautiful day.

We were lucky enough to have had my parents visit for the weekend. It was pure joy!

Vienna had a great birthday!

Here is a picture of her gifts. Looks like a good birthday!

Jaron's mom made Clark this apron and my mom gave him a motorcycle so he wouldn't feel left out. It was a fun day for everyone.

A friend gave us this puppet theater so I sewed some puppets. The kids thought it was great!

Jaron's parents gave Vienna this cute styling set along with a craft kit. Just what a little girl loves!

For Vienna's birthday we went to Chuck E Cheese's "Where a kid can be a kid!" Vienna is showing off her new birthday shoes. She used some of the money Jaron's Grandma Lewis sent to help buy them. Very cute!

Clark loved this place. This horse really moved up and down like a horse. Clark really got into it!

The kids had a blast. It was a good choice.

Clark is a very happy kid! All in all, it was a great birthday.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-13T18:15:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday before Labor Day the kids and I went to a children's museum. It was right next to the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. The view was amazing and the kids had a great time. The theme was ocean and fishing, which was really fun.

Here are the kids in the bird's nest of a ship.

Clark was the captain. He would get mad if other kids tried to take away his wheel. He could have driven that ship all day!

Here is Vienna at the top of the fishing boat. The kids had a great time playing on this pretend boat.

Vienna got to help build the golden gate bridge. She thought she looked like her dad in the construction gear.

Clark is our little digger. He loves trucks and shovels.

They had an art section and the kids loved it. It was really messy, but so it is with kids!

For Labor Day we went north a few hours to the Fort Bragg area. It was beautiful with lots of redwood trees and the ocean was beautiful. Here we are Friday stopping at a local diner. It was in a cute old house on main street.

The kids loved that we were next to this huge moose.

On Saturday we took a four hour train ride on this old fashion steam engine. The train took us along a river through a redwood forest. It was so much fun. I was just taken aback by the beauty. To have this beautiful steam engine puffing away next to a beautiful forest, it was the best!

One of the cars was open and you could stand out in the air while riding the train. We loved to stand out there because the smells were wonderful. Also, the trees were so tall, it was cool to see them against the sky.

We walked through Fort Braggs and found this gigantic redwood. They said it was planted in 100 AD. That is amazing!

We went to Glass Beach. Long ago people used this area as their dump and the waves took the glass and turned them over until they became smooth glass. These pieces were all mixed up in the rocks on the beach. It was pretty cool.

Here is us standing on glass beach. The waves and rocks were amazing.

We hiked along the cliffs above the ocean. We saw some beautiful views.

On Monday the little town had a parade for Paul Bunyan. It was very small townish, but really fun.

On our way home we stopped at a light house. This is the house of the keeper.

That is the lighthouse in the background.

This was a beautiful place. It made me wish we lived at a lighthouse.

Here we are standing at the edge of the cliffs by the lighthouse. We had a great weekend!

THANKS GRAMMY FOR THE PAINTS!

2009-08-27T08:03:00.001-07:00

Jaron's mom sent these paints. The kids love getting packages in the mail. We had a lot of fun painting. Thanks GRAMMY!

Our Visit to Utah

2009-08-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

We spent most of July in Utah, though Jaron flew back to work. We had so much fun. Here are a few pictures.

Clark happy to play after being in the car for over 15 hours!

Racing down the sidewalk.

We went fishing that first night by the Allred's house. Both kids caught fish.

Having a good wrestle in the back yard.

Our Fourth of July Barbecue. Look at our Patriotic shirts.

We went to the Allred's condo in Park City. The kids loved the pools.

Clark was prepared for just about everything.

Showing off his new tube.

Malinda made this nice sweater. It was beautiful.

Vienna just chillin on a Sunday afternoon.

Vienna showing off her catch of the day!

Clark had a lot of fun fishing and hanging out with his grandparents.

We went to a horse parade with my parents. Vienna had to wear the whole outfit.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-07-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

I know it is funny, but I am wishing myself a Happy Birthday! Today I turned 27, wow I am OLD! I feel like I have had a birthday MONTH! I spent the month in Utah and loved it. Jaron's parents watched the kids and paid for us to go see Hello Dolly, which Jaron's younger brother Dallin was starring in. Then my parents took me out to lunch and paid for me to get a hair cut. Jaron and the kids gave me flowers for our front porch. I have had a great month and feel so very blessed on this day. I have the best husband EVER and the most wonderful kids in the world. And best of all, I am going to the beach tomorrow to celebrate my birthday. So fun! I am one lucky girl!

Stitches & Bikes

2009-06-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the damage. Two inner stitches, Four outer stitches, and one big scar front and center. Could it have been anywhere else? Oh, Well...

We bought the kids new bikes. Vienna is so tall she had to get the bigger size bike. She loves that it is purple!

Clark is our little wild child on his new bike. He just pedals fast and turns quick. He has fallen once and we were happy he had on his helmet. I hope I can survive a boy!

MORE STITCHES!

2009-06-03T07:26:00.001-07:00

Well, it happened again. I am now an experienced mother who has lived through 3 times going to get stitches. Yesterday I was doing laundry and Vienna asked if she could come too. So she walked down the outside stairs that I hate so badly. She was almost to the bottom when she tripped and fell into a ceramic flower pot that was at the bottom. She looked up at me and had a large cut on her forehead, the exact spot of Clark's scar. My first thought was, Oh, that needs stitches. My second, my kids will have matching scars. Clark got stitches a year ago on his forehead. Vienna started to cry and asked if she would have to go to the hospital. We are experienced in this. I told her probably. I grabbed Vienna and ran up the stairs. I put a towel on it and called Jaron. He was in San Francisco but said he would catch the next train home. This was at 1:30pm. I called the doctors and they said to come in and they would tell me what to do. Clark had only been asleep for a little while but I didn't have anyone to stay with him. So I woke him up and loaded the kids in the car. The doctor said it needed inner and outer stitches so he sent us to the emergency room. By this time Jaron had met up with us. There was a really nice PA who took care of Vienna. She put some numbing medicine on it and made us wait 30 minutes. It was so worth the wait. Vienna didn't even cry. Last time the doctor stitched her up when it wasn't numb and she was hysterical the entire time. After a couple inner stitches and four outer stitches we were on our way home. The PA said it should heal nicely. It is a straight line and with the inner stitches she won't have the dent like Clark does. I wish we would have known this for Clark. He now has a permanent dent on his forehead. So we survived. I was much calmer for this time around. I held Vienna snug in a blanket while they did it. The PA even complimented me on how well I did. It hit me later and I felt emotionally exhausted. It is so hard to be a mom and see bad things happen to your babies. Now my sweet little girl's forehead will have evidence of these nasty stairs. The ironic thing is we are moving in four days so we won't have to do these stairs any more. I knew they were going to be trouble. I am just thankful for good doctors.
Another day in the life of a mom...
Joni

Stinson Beach

2009-05-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

My sister Stalee and her girls came to visit the week of Memorial Day. We had so much fun. The thing we loved most was going to Stinson Beach. Here are some pictures of our fun time there.

Clark loved the sand!

Vienna posing--she loves to wink!

I'm WICKED, THROUGH AND THROUGH

2009-05-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day, Jaron gave me Wicked tickets. I was so excited to see this! It is playing in San Francisco. My sisters saw this in New York and ever since I have been dying to go. My sister Stalee decided to come for a visit and watch the kids while we went. I loved having my sister and kids here. We went to the beach twice, San Francisco for the day, and the Marina near my apartment. She is one of my best friends and I loved having her visit.

We left for Wicked a little before 5 on Saturday. Stalee helped me get dressed and helped puff my hair. I wore high heels with capri slacks and Jaron wore a suit. We rode into San Francisco on the train. Jaron had made reservations at a nice restaurant across the street from the Theater. When we stepped off the train we were in a very rough part of town. We were quickly asked for money. We walked to a nice Hotel where the restaurant was. We were seated near an old man playing on a Grand Piano. All of the lights were low. It was very fancy and very romantic. They gave us our menus. I looked at Jaron and said that I could not remember going somewhere to eat where I didn't know what was on the menu, all these fancy words! So I ordered the chicken and Jaron got the Salmon. Our food came out looking like a masterpiece. It was all so fancy and so good. My chicken had grilled asparagus and noodles. It was so yummy. Jaron's Salmon was amazing. We both had dessert and left quite satisfied. We went to the theater and it was beautiful. The details in all of the designs were amazing.
When the music started I got chills. The orchestra was amazing. The lights and the set was amazing. The actors were perfect. We were so close we could see the spit coming from their mouths. The woman who played Glinda had played that part on Broadway and was really good. When the scene of "Defying Gravity" came on I was mesmerized. I clapped harder than I have ever clapped after that song. The guy sitting next to me was alone. He had come with a brother, but there seats weren't together. But the entire time, he would look over at me when anything amazing happened. He must have enjoyed seeing my excited face over everything. I was happy he not only could watch the show but could watch me enjoying the show.
Wicked was amazing. Going to Wicked was one of the best nights of my life. It was great. Jaron and I can't wait to go back. We live here, so we might as well see it twice! I have thought about it, dreamt about it, and sung the music all weekend! I am so grateful to a husband who paid a ton of money and gave me a great night out. That will be a hard Mother's Day present to beat!
On Monday we decided to go to the beach. Jaron had missed out on the days we went with Stalee. We had a nice time. We built sand castles and Vienna and I ran through the waves. Our beaches a lot of times have a lot of fog, but I think it makes them mysterious and romantic. I love being so close to the ocean. Jaron said he thought I was a beach bum because I love it so much. We are having a lot of fun living here!

My Baby is TWO!

2009-04-21T09:31:00.001-07:00

On Thursday it was Clark's birthday. I tried to make it the best day for him. We made cakes, had baths, took a long nap, played out side tons, got Little Caeser's pizza and ate it at a park, and ended the night with a party. Vienna made sure everything happened, even duck, duck, goose. It was a fun day. Clark got a train from mom and dad. We gave him CARS, and a semi truck. It was a fun day.

I can't believe my baby is two. Time has gone fast these last two years. Clark is such a joy for me. He is so loving and loves to cuddle. He wants me to hold him and kiss him. On the other hand, he is so wild. He wants to wrestle and runs around crazy. He loves dinosaurs, balls, cars, and trains. He likes to climb and jump. He always wants to do what he sees other kids do. He is an observer. He will often stand and watch what others are doing. He is a collector of things. Often times he is walking around the house in dress up shoes, bags on his arms, and his arms full of things. He is constantly going and moving. He doesn't watch tv, but is always walking around looking for something to do. He loves his sister Vienna. He loves playing with her and she can make him laugh harder than anyone. He is talking so much and is constantly singing! All in all, I love every bit of him. He is my little boy and I love being his mommy! I am so grateful he came to me two years ago. I would choose him every time!

Clark with his basketball cake!

My parents gave Clark this train. It's been really fun.

Jaron and I gave him this car transporter and CARS cars. He wouldn't take his eyes off of it long enough for a picture!

Jaron's mom made Clark this quilt. It is so bright and cute. The dinosaurs have really fun faces. We are lucky to have a grandma who is so talented!

Oakland Zoo

2009-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday we spent the day at the Oakland Zoo. It was such a great zoo! The kids had a blast! Here are a few pics from our day!

Here are my three favorite people playing at the Zoo kids play area.

Here's my home girl! She loves to wear her hat like that!

This is Vienna's favorite ride! Me, not so much. I get so sick with going round and round and round!

The kids absolutely loved this ride! Their faces say it all!

This is blurry, but I loved Clark's face. He was having so much fun!

The kids liked this ride, but couldn't figure out how to get it to go high. You had to pull the stick really hard to make it fly. They had fun anyways!

A Great Day

2009-03-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Our family took a day trip this weekend. We left Saturday morning and drove to Muir Redwood Forest. We hiked through some beautiful redwoods. The kids did so great! I was proud of them. Then we went to Muir Beach. It was beautiful. We set up chairs and umbrellas and let the kids play in the sand. It was a wonderful afternoon. Then we went to Muir Overlook which we could see San Francisco and then up the coast far north. There were beautiful cliffs and the ocean was so sparkly. It was a great day. Here are some pic. Enjoy...

Here we are at the entrance to Muir Woods.

We are at the base of a large redwood.

We LOVE Clark!

Clark took my map and led the way!

Jaron took some great shots of the forest.

Yes, I am standing in a tree!

Here are the kids at the beach. The played so hard and got covered in sand. It was a great day!

Jaron was a good dad and helped them build a sand castle.

Take a runny nose and fall face first in the sand and you get a great mustache! I think he looks like Hitler!

Here we are at the overlook. It was beautiful.

Over Clark's shoulder is San Francisco. This was a great view! It was a great end to a great day!

Weekend Fun

2009-03-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had some fun. First, we had a pirate birthday party to go to. On Saturday, we did some sight seeing. We drove up the coast. It was beautiful. Here are some pictures from last weekend!

I didn't have pirate costumes, so these were my homemade versions. Vienna decided she was a girl pirate.

Clark loved this little pirate ship. He drove it the whole time. He even says, "ARGH!"

We stopped at this beach right by the Golden Gate Bridge. It was freezing, but Vienna was determined to build a sand castle!

This beach had some beautiful views. The ocean was to the left, the bridge to the right, and ships were coming in. In the summer this is a "clothing optional" (nude) beach so we were OK with it being so cold!

Inside of Our Martinez, CA Apartment

2009-03-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

We are all unpacked and settled in. I actually like have a one story small apartment again. It is easy to clean and cozy! The kids are adjusting well, thought Vienna still says that she misses Arizona, her house, and her friends. I will post pictures of the outside, but here are a few of where we live.

This is the front half of our living room. It is a rectangle, so the front half is the tv room and the back half is the kids play area.

It is nice to have carpet on the kids play area. Hopefully it helps drown some of the noise for the neighbor down stairs.

This is our dining room. We brought that cupboard with us since we had bought it for the house, but never attached it. It makes for a nice pantry.

This is my kitchen. It is small, but cute and it works.

This is our small bathroom. Leaves much to be desired, but it will do.

This is our bedroom. It is quite large. We even have the computer desk in there. We only have a very small closet for us to use. My shoes are stacked on top of each other. Other than that, it is a great room with lots of windows.

This is the kids' new bunk beds. Vienna decided she was too scared to sleep on the top, so we put both kids on the bottom bunk. They are too long to sleep feet to feet, so we put them horizontally on the bed. It works nicely.

The kids room is so large that it fits all of the toys. It's nice to have a place for everything and everything in it's place.

We have a small deck off of the family room where we have stored a few things, but after a huge garage sale, we fit nicely in 900 square feet. There's a lot of love in this little place!

California Travels.

2009-03-04T07:39:00.001-08:00

When given lemons, make lemonade! That's what we decided to do. Since we were moving from Arizona to Northern California, we saw that we were somewhat passing by Anaheim. So, Jaron took a vacation day and we stopped. The company moved us so all we had were our suitcases and van. We also had enough Marriot Points to stay in the hotel across the street for free. This was a great day. It was rainy so not many people came. We walked on all the rides, saw all the characters and had the best time. This really helped us leave Arizona because we were excited about Disneyland. Now we are in California and with all the rain we are getting, we are missing our beautiful spring weather in Arizona! But we are here and healthy!

Here we are at the famous front gates!

The Princess Castle!

They had redone It's A Small World. The kids loved it. One time we got a frozen banana to eat in line, but Vienna decided it was hers and would not share. Can you blame her? They are YUMMY!

Here we are in line at Jungle Cruise. The kids loved this ride but I had to remind them it was just pretend.

We got to meet Mickey Mouse! Vienna said to me later, "Mom, Mickey Mouse is just a puppet. It is just a person in a costume." Well, how do you answer that one?

Clark pulling his classic silly face.

Vienna's favorite ride was the merry go round.

On Saturday we did some sightseeing to San Francisco. We went to Fisherman's Wharf. From this spot we could see Alcatraz, the bay bridge (in the background), The Golden Gate Bridge, Boats, and other islands.

In the background you can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

At Pier 39, Sea Lions bask in the sun on the docks.

We stopped to watch a street performer. Jaron got called on stage to help. He was a good sport!

California, HERE WE COME!

2009-02-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

So, just when life is going just how you want it, something has to change and turn it up side down! Last Thursday Jaron was informed that the company was down sizing and we were being transferred to Oakland, California. We will be moving in a few weeks! He will be working on a job site where they are building a large hospital. We will live outside of Oakland and Jaron will ride the transit system to work. Oakland is right across the bay from San Francisco. We are preparing for our new adventure! Here a few pictures of Oakland, our new home!

Christmas Vacation

2009-02-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

In December, we went home for Christmas and my sister's wedding. We had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures from our vacation.

Jaron was the video guy for her wedding. We are making her wedding video. He was so dedicated in getting good footage. He did a great job. It was a long day for Clark!

Vienna had a great time! She ran around the reception with the biggest smile on her face. During the dancing at the end of the night, she danced the night away!

Jaron and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! I love you Jaron!

When we got back, we had Jaron's 29th birthday party. Vienna made sure the whole house was decorated. I don't think Jaron blew out one candle, he had too many helpers!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARON

2009-01-07T14:15:00.001-08:00

As I sat in my sister Millie & her new husband Robert's wedding ceremony, I felt like I was watching my own ceremony. I sat directly behind Millie and Robert, so I could not see either of their faces. All I could see was Millie's red hair and the back of Robert's head. So, it was easy for me to put Jaron and me in that situation. My heart was so full as I thought about how much I love my husband and how grateful I am to have been sealed to him in the temple. When I was engaged to Jaron, so many people would say, "You are marrying Jaron Allred? You are very lucky." Sometimes I got sick of hearing that. Wasn't Jaron lucky to marry me? I thought I was a pretty good catch. I now realize that I am the LUCKIEST woman in the world to have caught such a great man like Jaron. Thinking back, I realize I was a blind twenty year old in love. I did not know the true Jaron. The good news, he is a million times better than I thought when I said, "Yes, I will marry you." So here is my ode... Jaron is the kindest person I know. He is a good listener and truly is interested in what you are saying. He doesn't try to solve my problems. He listens and gives me sympathy. He knows I need to work out my own problems so he lends a shoulder to cry (or SCREAM) on. He is always there for me when I need him. Jaron is so loving. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He loves to snuggle on the couch. He loves to hold my hand. He is so loving to me and my children. His favorite thing is to sit under a blanket on Saturday morning with both kids on his lap and watch cartoons. He knows how to love. Jaron is a great father. He changes diapers (dirty ones too!). He gives baths and puts kids to bed. He knows what the kids like to eat. He brings home a treat for them everyday (usually 1 starburst for each kid in his lunch box.) He plays barbies with Vienna and throws balls with Clark. He wrestles and tickles and reads stories. Jaron loves the Lord. He served a faithful mission where no one was interested in the church. He can count the number of baptisms he participated in on one hand (maybe even on one finger) yet he loves his mission and was a good missionary. He didn't care about his title. He only wanted to serve the Lord. He carries that same love into his life. He leads family prayer and scripture study. He supports family night. He does his calling. I am so happy to have such a faithful priesthood holder leading our family. So after six years of marriage, I look back at that twenty year old girl and think, "YES, you were a lucky girl to be marrying Jaron Allred." HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARON. I LOVE YOU! Joni

Christmas Card

2008-12-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Though I tried really hard, I am sure I was unable to get my Christmas Card to all of my friends and family. So, if I did miss you, I am posting our Christmas Card picture on my blog and am wishing you a Merry Christmas! Love the Allreds

Scared of SANTA

2008-12-14T06:51:00.000-08:00

We went to our ward Christmas party last night. Santa came and Vienna made sure she told him what she wants. Let's hope Santa doesn't mess up because she has now told him TWICE that she wants a Dora backpack. She was so brave.

Clark on the other hand, he wanted nothing to do with the big man. Let's hope he still gets a present:)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

Life is crazy, as holidays often are. I am finishing up school. A week and a half and I will have finished all the credits needed to re-certify as a teacher. I am also doing a bunch of video editing projects for family. And now my sister Millie is getting married, so we are preparing to come to Utah in a few weeks. So, my blogging has been infrequent but here is my post to say MERRY CHRISTMAS. I hope you all have a happy holiday and let's hope the new year finds me visiting the blogging world more :)

After Thanksgiving we drove a couple of hours to the mountains and cut down our Christmas Tree. There was snow on the ground and it snowed while we were there. It really felt like Christmas. When we got back we put on our T-shirts and decorated the tree. It feels weird to be in the 70's and 80's in December, but the weather is beautiful.

Gilbert city had a tree lighting concert and Santa came. Vienna told me over and over she needed to sit on his lap so he will know what she wants. So, we waited in the longest line and she sat on his lap! I thought she would be scared, but she sat down and said, "I want Dora's backpack." Clark would have nothing to do with him except when he gave him a candy cane! I hope Santa brings what Vienna asked for :)

Vienna's 3 Year Old Pictures

2008-11-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I took Vienna in for her pictures. After a little bribing, she did great. She wore the dress Jaron's mom made her. We love our little THREE YEAR OLD.

TRUNK or TREAT

2008-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a Halloween Trunk or Treat this weekend. We all dressed up and had a fun time. Clark didn't want to wear a costume so luckily he had a baseball shirt and he loves Jaron's hats, so he went as a baseball player. Jaron didn't want to dress up. So when it was time to go, he agreed to wear his construction gear. He wears all that stuff at work, but it was a costume, so he wore it. He actually got a lot of compliments on his costume! Vienna and I wore costumes made my Jaron's mom when he was little. Vienna's costume was her aunt Amy's when she was little and I wore Jaron's brother Dallin's Egyptian costume. A few people complimented us on home made costumes. Too bad I couldn't take the credit! When we got there, most of the adults weren't in costume. Too bad for them, they all missed the fun opportunity to dress up. I LOVE HALLOWEEN. After the party I was putting Vienna to bed and I was singing a Halloween song and she said, "Mom, Don't sing that. Halloween is over." I thought, "Hmm, could I get away with that?" I love Halloween but I don't love having tons of candy around the house so maybe we won't have to go trick or treating. We'll see!

Here we are, ready to go to the party.

Here is our little witch!

Here's our handsome construction worker!

Here's our little slugger!

Walk like an Egyptian!

YeeHAW! The county fair!

2008-10-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday we picked Jaron up from work and went to the State Fair. It was opening night so we got in for $1 per person, the kids were free. Also, we went to the free parking and took the shuttle in. So for $2 we went to the fair. (Don't worry, they get you with the food and the rides!) We had so much fun. They had a petting zoo with camels, baby giraffe, ostrich, pigs, buffalo, etc. We also saw all the farm animals. Vienna loved the cow pies on the floor! There was a building filled with things to play on, like little gym props, little cars to push around, and a little corn maze. Another building had a mini farm on it and the kids got to be real farmers. We went at night so it was so busy! It felt like Disneyland where it is impossible to take a full step! At one time I noticed a group of policeman with bulletproof vests on and on the back it was printed, "Mesa Gang Enforcement." I said to Jaron, "That makes me nervous! Do I get a vest, too?" Then later we saw two gang-like teenagers running for their lives. I said to Jaron, "That makes me nervous too!" Then we were walking through the main section and a lady totally ran in to me from behind. I turned around to see what was going on and she said to her husband, "They are RUNNING!" I looked back and people were running from the middle area. Then I heard someone say, "They are SHOOTING!" and I heard a few pops. I looked at Jaron and said, "We need to run" He is so calm always. He said, "Running is how people are killed. We're ok." And he just quickly walked away. I would have been part of the stampede but good thing someone has a level head. Turns out, nothing happened. People really might have been running away but the popping were balloons from a game. We didn't see any police around or hear of any shootings, so I don't think it was serious but it scared me. We left a little while after that. Though we had a brush with gang activity, it was a fun night and we loved being at the fair. I don't know what it is. Maybe it is because I grew up going to the fair, but the fair just seems magical. The smell of greasy food, people staring at cows and sheep, money being spent on a six dollar corn dog, it is just magical!

Vienna loved being a farmer. This was her favorite part and she milked for ten minutes. We should live on a farm!

The kids loved these toys and went crazy! It was fun to watch them playing so hard!

We went on one ride and they let the parents go on it. With two kids and me, we were quite squished! Also, it went around in a million circles so I wanted to puke. The kids had fun, so oh, well!

Clark is Eighteen months!

2008-10-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

This month Clark is turning eighteen months, which means one thing...NURSERY! Clark will love it, especially since Vienna will be in there for three months to help him get used to it. Clark is such a fun boy who loves wrestling, cars, shoes, and balls. He says words like, "Thank You," "Doggy," and his favorite, "Daddy!" He loves kisses and hugs! He has been such a joy in our lives!

Clark now can answer how old he is!

Clark often falls asleep in his highchair at lunch. He plays so hard then sleeps so hard.

It is so stinking hot here that Clark spends most of days in a diaper. Hey, it saves on laundry!

Vienna TURNS THREE!!!

2008-10-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Vienna turned three years old in September! She was so excited for this day. We had a few friends over for a party. She loved being the birthday girl! Vienna is a fun little girl. She is a tease who learned from the best, her dad! She loves to talk and talks to everyone who will listen. The best thing about Vienna, she loves life! She is always ready for fun and friends. She wakes up each morning saying, "What are we doing today!" We are so grateful that three years ago she came to our family!

Here is our little dancer. She takes tap, ballet, and tumbling from the community classes. She loves it and really tries to follow the teacher the entire time. She is cute to watch.

Jaron's work paid for a day at the amusement park. Vienna was just tall enough to ride with her daddy. They zoomed around like they were in the Indy 500.

A Fun Summer!

2008-10-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

It is still over a 100 degrees on some days, so the summer is still lingering. We are still in T-shirts and capris. We have had a fun summer, visiting Utah, exploring Arizona, and enjoying our community pool. Here are some pictures of our fun summer!

We went to Utah in July. Here is Clark and Vienna, our little fishermen! Clark had fallen in the pond and spent the rest of the day in a diaper. We didn't catch any fish, though dad and grandpa tried!

We spent some time in Hooper for the Haws Family Reunion. The kids loved playing in Grandma and Grandpa's yard and playing with cousins! It was a great visit.

In July, Joni turned 26 years old. She couldn't be a happier woman. She has a great husband and two beautiful children!

In the summer, the Phoenix Zoo opens up at night when it is a little cooler. We went and visited the animals. Clark is a little animal lover so he enjoyed watching all of the animals. The zoo is very beautiful and we love going!

Our New Color House

2008-10-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

In May we moved into our first home! We love it and have enjoyed our summer here! It was painted bright colors by the previous owner and we have enjoyed all the color. Someone said it was fiesta style, so we feel like having a FIESTA all of the time!