MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

This morning began with this mischievous grin...

We're getting her started early with the piano, Grandma!! :)

I don't think anyone opened any gifts by themselves...Hailey was always there to lend a helping hand.

Every item had to be opened and tried out before we could continue on to the next thing...

Hailey was really excited to find "Bob Mado" (Bob the Tomato) in her stocking!!

The Christmas morning hit was the doll that Hailey got from her cousins Gabby and Mason.

She kissed it, and fed it a bottle...

I'm pretty sure it made it's way into her bed for a nap this afternoon! :)

Here's some fuzzy slippers that Santa brought for Hailey. Sadly, they don't stay on very well. :)

Hailey is already very comfortable with her new "computer" she got at Nana's house. Here she is chillin' in the middle of the family room playing her alphabet game. :)

Hailey's always trying to use mommy and daddy's laptop, so she got her own...

Caser had fun, too.

Aunt Lynn Honey is always good for a toy that talks!! This is a froggy puppet that sings songs. :)

Caser got a little baby "Melmo" (Elmo) in his stocking.

And Hailey got a mini "Dabby Abby" (Abby Cadabby) in hers. :)

Our Fun Snow Day...

After finally coming to the conclusion that I could NOT spend another day in my house staring at my husband (no offense, Todd) we ventured out yesterday to spend the day at my parent's house. It turned out great since Chris, Christy and CASER came too. Sheesha was home, so it was an official Family Day. THEN Aunt Stacy and Uncle Keener came over!! Good times...

We ate, did some sledding (not me, of course), ate, watched the Hawks game, ate, had lots of fun visiting, ate dinner and then went home. :)

My folks just re-did their big family room complete with comfy new couches and a gas fireplace, so it's cozier than it's ever been at their house.

All in all, one of the best snow days ever!

What's Been Up with Us...

As per usual, Blogger messed up and put these pictures in the wrong order, so I'll tell you about our last few days backwards...this is Todd bringing Hailey in from the snow after maybe 3 minutes because the wind was blowing so hard in her face that she wasn't feeling it and hated being that cold.

Here's a picture from the 3 minutes they were out there. Her mittens didn't stay on. Bummer.

And here she is bundled up like a burrito. She could barely walk. :)

These snow days make for lots of time to kill, so we've been making breakfast a lot as a family. Here's Hailey stirring the french toast mix with her dad.

And here's Hailey stirring the waffle mix. She can eat two full-sized waffles! Crazy... :)

And here's the rest in bullet form:

*SNOW!! It was fun at first, but now I'm going stir-crazy! I'm the kind of wuss who gets scared of the icy roads, so I guess I'm a self-made shut-in right now.

*Christmas Shopping - almost done!

*Wrapping Presents - almost done! My awesome husband ran to the store for me to get all my supplies I need to wrap all my gifts later when Hailey goes to bed. How nice will that be to have done?? (P.S. Christmas isn't until next Thursday, people!! I'm so proud of myself!)

*Trying to get creative with activities to break up the days at home. So far today we've played Play-Doh, busted out a new Little Mermaid toy for Hailey to play with, and had tons of time with books. I have no other ideas!!

*I'm actually starting to count down the days until our big ultrasound sometime on or around Jan 7th. I have NO idea what we're having, but want to know so bad! Thankfully next week I have a doctor's appointment and then Christmas, so there's some distraction from the waiting. :)

That's about it...really boring, but at least now you're informed...

Todd Quote...

While on our way home from the FWHS basketball game tonight, we were tailgated and then cut off by a car being driven by a young high school girl. Todd was perturbed, to say the least, and murmuring things under his breath...

Me: Todd, stop speeding...let it go...would Jesus speed up and tailgate her back?

Todd: No, he'd bash her and then tell her about himself.

Me: Not so much...

Todd: Maybe He'd follow her home and then tell her about himself.

Me: Todd, we're not following her home to tell her about Jesus...just let it go. :)

You Stinker...

Hailey and I were just sitting on the couch watching "Gabby Dancin" video for the third or fourth time in a row when she lets out a little "tooterbug".

Hailey: Mommy tooterbug.

Me: Um, no...that was NOT Mommy...that was Hailey.

Hailey: Gabby tooterbug.

Me: Nope...Gabby didn't do it either...that was Hailey.

Hailey: Mason tooterbug.

Me: Nope...still you. Just own it Hails.

Hailey: Hailey tooterbug.

Me: yeah...

What is her father teaching her these days??? :)

Happiness is...

Sitting down to a homemade mocha treat on a snowy night...

Mocha Treat -

-1 Nestle Hot Cocoa packet
-1 small cup of decaf coffee (brewed fresh in my Sanseo coffee maker)
-topped off with a nice dollop of homemade whipped cream

Yum... :)

Hmmmm...

I don't recall putting you to bed with your froggy boots on, Hailey...

Calling all Generous People...

So, I have a favor to ask of all of my blogger friends.

I'm helping put on a community Christmas party for some new friends. Our new middle school director here in Federal Way has been getting to know a large group of young kids that live close to the Young Life house. Some of them have become involved in the middle school ministry, but many of them are too young to participate. Leslie made a "pinky promise" to these younger kids that she'd do something special for them for Christmas...you know you can't go back on a "pinky promise"!!

One thing we're trying to do is to make sure that there are prizes for each kid there. We're expecting close to 50 kids...therefore we need 50 prizes! If you would be willing to spend maybe $5 and buy a gift for a needy kid this Christmas or have any questions on how you can get involved, please email me at jessicaannyost@gmail.com. You can either donate an item, funds or your time.

Thanks in advance for helping make this a special day for these kids!! We want this to be a day to remember. :)

Camera Fit

Here's one of Hailey's camera fits...so pathetic, but so cute! :)

Dance, Dance, Dance...

Silly girl...

Christmas Cookies!!

This past weekend Steph, Kelsey and I got together and made Christmas cookies for our Young Life girls. Then we packaged them up really cute and delivered them to school along with an invite to our big Christmas Bash! We had so much fun...and SOOO much sugar!

Hailey found a new fave friend in Kelsey. She even insisted on praying for Kelsey before her nap. So cute...

Can you tell we were busy??

Hailey helped, too...although she ended up eating more frosting than cookies...which then resulted in a meltdown of massive proportion later that evening. :)

Kinda like "Where's Waldo"...

Can you find Todd in this pic? This is the heart of being a Young Life leader...hangin' with your kids. :)

A Love for Her Cousins...

Every morning without fail Hailey wants to see her cousins - Caser, Gabby and Mason. She sees their pictures and squeals with delight!

She looks at this picture and says, "Caser football popo!" (Popo is another name for buns in our house...)

Then she looks at this picture and says, "Gabby crying!!"

And lastly, this picture...and says, "Mason take a baff!"

She loves these kids...like CRAZY! :)

Miss you, cousins!

Thanks, Dave...Hilarious... :)

Dave Barnes.

What more can I say?

Miss Independent

Yeah, here's the exchange this morning between my daughter and I while trying to get her dressed...

Me: Okay, Hails...stand up and let's put your pants on.

Hailey: (while making no effort to begin standing) Hailey help you?

She proceeds to try putting her pants on by herself...to no avail.

Me: Can Mommy help you? (I reach for her jeans to help her pull them on)

Hailey: (SNATCHES the jeans from my hands and says firmly...) HAILEY DO SELF!!

Me: Okay, but can Mommy just help you?

Hailey: HAILEY DO SELF!!

Ten or so minutes passes by and my daughter is still as naked as she started. I'm going to need to start scheduling another 30 minutes just for Hailey's dressing rituals!!

How did this happen? She's just my little baby!?!

You know you're pregnant when...

you cry your way through a re-run of the series finale of the original 90210...you know, Donna and David's wedding.

Not cool. Glad Todd's not home. :)

I know they call it black friday, but this is just ridiculous...

Wow...are day after thanksgiving sales really worth this?!?

Happy Thanksgiving!

* I just got done peeling 8 lbs. of potatoes...I'm thankful I'm done with it! :)

* I just spent a wonderful morning with Hails...I'm thankful for her and her sweet heart!

* Todd is still out playing football with a bunch of his friends and Young Life kids...I'm thankful he gets to be a kid sometimes.

* I might be crazy, but I think I've already felt the butterfly-ish movements of our baby...I'm thankful for this new addition to our family!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Spillin' the Beans...

So...many of you have heard, but some have not that we are PREGGERS!!! I've avoided telling the world via the internet until officially out of my first trimester, just in case. We had an early ultrasound at about 7 weeks and were able to see a very strong heartbeat and today heard it for the first time! About 168 beats a minute...Hmmm...what might that mean?? According to the doctor the heartbeat is a correct indication of the sex of the baby about half of the time... :)

We are beyond excited about this new addition to our family on or around June 3rd. I think even Hailey is excited...when asked if she wants a brother or a sister she says she wants a monkey (thanks, Dad) but I think she'll be fine either way.

Well, that's our exciting news! Now I've just got to wait until the first week of January to find out what it is... :)

the sweet conversations between mother and daughter...

We've been teaching Hailey how to obey, so when she is disobedient she sits in time out and says "sorry" when she gets to come out. She's been doing really well. She may not totally understand "sorry", though... :)

Mommy: "Hailey, guess what?"

Hailey: "Wuv you."

Mommy: "You're right! I love you!"

Hailey: "I wuv you too, Mommy!"

Mommy: "Oh, Hailey...that melts mommy's heart!"

Hailey: "Sorry."

Hails, you're too cute for your own good... :)

No Laughing Matter...

We've got a pesky visitor. He started bothering me when we first moved in, but after a few annoying weeks he left. And for some reason he only came around when Todd wasn't home, so my husband thought I was crazy.

Well, he's back...with a vengeance...and Todd believes me now. His favorite time to "peck" away at our house, right outside our bedroom of course, is EARLY in the morning. Seriously Woody?? Find another house.

We thought he was gone when Todd "got him" with his bb gun, but he found his way back. I just read online that if I blast him with the hose, he might leave forever, but every time I go to grab the hose he catches on. Then about 10 minutes later he's back. I think he thinks he's gonna trick me...not so much, Woody!

I've moved the hose close to the door and it's all ready for him to come back. I'll keep you posted on the SHOWDOWN!! :)

How backwards is this???

Tonight I made bow-tie pasta with chicken and broccoli in a garlic sauce. Yummy, by the way...the dinner slump is officially over for now!

However, when Hailey saw the pasta she wouldn't eat it because she thought it was a butterfly.

We then proceeded to tell her, as usual, three bites and then she could be done. Todd had to hide her chicken and pasta in her broccoli!!

This kid is weird, but what else do you expect from the daughter of Todd Yost...the man who will only eat Lucerne brand cream cheese... :)

Big Girl Bed...

We have the kind of crib that turns into a toddler bed, so we finally decided that Hailey was old enough to start sleeping like a big girl. Please note the pillows lining the floor just beside her...she's already rolled out of bed once since I put her down. :)

I'm pretty sure this will wreak havoc on my whole getting to sleep in until 8:30 tomorrow morning, but I guess I'll deal.

In the words of my good friend Jenna, "don't grow up, Hailey"!!!

Update: Other than the one fall out, she did great! She even stayed in bed this morning when she got up until we came and got her! Good job, Hailey... :)

Time Out, Peese??

At dinner tonight while we were all eating our chicken caesar salads, Hailey decided she only wanted bread.

As usual, I said, "Three bites of chicken. Then you can have more bread."

As I put the chicken to her mouth she says, "Time out??"

No, Hailey...you can't choose a time out instead of your chicken.

Kids...

Oh, the Duggars...

I'm finally getting around to watching my DVR'd proposal of Josh Duggar to his girl...except I have one question...WHY ON EARTH ARE SHE AND HER MOM WEARING MATCHING OUTFITS??? I mean, no offense mom, but not so much into the matching. I'll be honest...I would maybe consider matching with Hailey now, but I would not do that to her when she's past the age of 5...or whenever she considers it "un-cool".

TLC, bravo on your decision to give this family their own reality show...

It's like a trainwreck...I can't stop watching.

fine, you perv...

I just can't do it anymore...sorry Todd...no more "naughty Betty".

Sick.

Dinner Slump...

Calling all domestic ladies!?! I'm in a dinner slump!! Please pass along your favorite dinner ideas to us or my husband might leave me for Betty Crocker!! :)

Keep in mind that Todd is a carnivor!! Our dinner always must include some sort of meat.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and help in saving the future of my family...if I try serving tacos again, he really might go insane... :)



(P.S. I googled "Betty Crocker" thinking I might find a nice picture of a housewife serving some dinner...instead I found a very inappropriate picture of a woman wearing some sexy lingerie and an apron. Todd doesn't understand why I don't post this picture. You're so rude, Todd.)

"Hailey-isms"

"Mommy help you?" - Mommy will you help me??
"Ips" - Chapstick please...
"Mommy read do." - Will you read this book to me Mommy?
"Dora Boots??" - Can I have my Dora cup?
"Todd???" - Daddy??
"Nigh-Night??" - Will you put me to bed, Mommy??
"Poo-Poo Potty??" - Will you let me sit on the potty?? I may or may not get anything accomplished on there, but I'd like to sit on it anyway.

Happy Halloween!!

Here's what this glorious "holiday" includes for the Yost family...

*Laundry...and LOTS of it
*Multiple requests to watch Psalty...we're limiting this to once a day...for mommy's sanity
*Teaching Hailey to have a "thumb war"...she's actually pretty good at it :)
*A spaghetti dinner (is it just me, or is this the BEST dinner for Halloween??)
*Trick-or-treating later with Caser
*More laundry...did I mention I have LOTS??
*Todd working... :(


I know, I know...how do we contain ourselves around here?? I couldn't tell you, but we're having fun all the same. :)

Oh, and an update, our big Halloween bash on Monday night was GREAT! There were between 80-90 kids just busting out of the basement at the YL house. We had a really good time...thanks to all of you who prayed for us!

The 80's Called...They Want Their Outfit Back...

Yeah, so after a very lively trip to the Goodwill, Target and Claire's here is the end result...If you think of it, be praying for our Halloween Club tomorrow night. In case you hadn't guessed, there will be an 80's theme... :)

"Paises, Mommy...Paises!!"

In case you hadn't figured it out, in Hailey-speak "paises" means praises and she can not get enough Psalty!! She goes completely crazy when she sees Charity Churchmouse...and loves the Churchmouse Choir! It's so seriously cute, but SUCH a blast from the past! I mean, have you watched it lately? Those hairdoo's are straight out of 1985! :)

It's so worth it, though...I'd much rather her beg to watch "paises" than anything else. :)

On a light-hearted note...

After I put a ponytail in Hailey's hair, she left it in for about 45 minutes or so before she ripped it out and it turned into this...

From the back it looked like something from Ace Ventura... :)

And here is what we've been up to lately...sitting on the potty with books.

There's a lot more sitting on the potty than actual "going", if you know what I mean, but she asks all day long to sit on it so...I oblige.

And last, but not least, I think Aunt Lynn misses having a dog that she can put into a handbag... :)

our new pic for pres...

Vote for Todd!

UH THIS IS A TODD POST "FORWARNING"...

So I was thinking I would get in on all this election hullabalu (hull-a-ba-looo).

I have a quick question/comment - I was wondering what blogger land/Jess's blogger buddies thought. Is all this talk of who we should vote for not wasted enegry when we live in Washington and last time I checked, all that counts are electoral votes in an election. I really have a hard time seeing why we should even vote when we know that our state is totally left wing and the Republican party has never even been close to getting WA or OR votes.

By the way, this does not mean that I'm not going to vote.

Also something else - I was thinking why are there even Democrats and Republicans? Why can't the people running just be Americans and that's it? No associations - then we as voters can vote soley based on who the person is and what they stand for, what their goals are, etc... I don't know, but I think sometimes people don't pay enough attention to those to things, and are so locked in to their party and having the label of Democrat or Rebulican.

I say get rid of it.

Your thoughts???

P.S. The reason that this is only the second post by Todd in over a year is that this took over a half an hour for me to write...I'd rather be on Wakeworld...

Hmmm...

Since the issue of abortion beliefs has become such a hot topic in the blogger circle, I thought I'd give my two cents. Please respect my opinion. This is my blog and I'm entitled to my opinion just as you are to yours.

We not only elect a president based on his plans for our country...we elect a man based on his character.

View this video and tell me (respectfully) how you feel about "I have two daughters, and if they made a mistake I wouldn't want them punished with a baby."

I understand the need for education, but this issue will still come up whether people are educated or not.

I will stand before God and give an account for my vote in this election.

I won't vote for a president who doesn't believe life begins at conception.

I'm aware that this isn't the only issue. There are many.

I'll still vote for this guy.

Psalty the Psongbook

This post is really meant as a shout-out to Shawna, Christy, and Alicia...oh, and my mom and aunt Stacy who put up with the countless hours that this tape played...I'm surprised it still works to be honest.

Hailey is officially a Psalty fan and a Sensational Servant. She clapped and cheered through this whole movie.

Oh, and Todd knows all the words to the songs too.

Wow.

Whew...what a week!!

So, in addition to trying to prepare for our 1st Young Life club of the year, we've had a house of sickies!! I've had a gigantic head cold and Hailey has had a fever off and on and a pretty nasty cough. Todd's been well, but working like a crazy person. He hasn't been home before 8 pm one night this week! Needless to say, he's pretty tired...but I'm so thankful he's still willing to give me a hand helping out around the house when he gets home. Love you, babe! :)

This morning I woke up feeling pretty crummy, but after my shower felt like a new woman. I even ventured out to the grocery store before 9 and cleaned out my fridge (I found some salad dressing from '07...oops).

Now I'm ready for my nap.

The saddest part of this whole thing is that I spent the last sunny days of '08 cooped up in bed! Oh, well...I'll see the sunshine again some other time I suppose.

books, buckles and babies...

Hailey's new favorite things in the world are books, buckles and her baby doll. It's pretty fun to see...she especially loves to read books with Sesame Street characters in them...and lucky for me there's been an abundance of them in the dollar section at Target!! Her new fave is Dabby Abby (Abby Cadaby).

Then there's the buckles. She buckles this high chair and then says "help" louder and louder until you un-do them. It was really cute until she started almost figuring out how to un-buckle her car seat!!! :(

Last, but certainly not least, is her baby. It's my old cabbage patch kid...I got it for my birthday when I was 12...don't judge me.

Oops...she hasn't quite figured out that babies are fragile...here's her right after she dropped the baby on her head.

And she's off...this baby sleeps with her, she wraps it in a blanket, puts it in the high chair, and pats her buns when she's putting her to sleep. She even puts her finger over her mouth and says "Shhhh...". Adorable. I don't know what all these hints are, Hailey...mommy doesn't have any siblings coming for you anytime soon! :)

i know, i know...

I have been the world's worst blogger...again! Life's been crazy...here's what I've been up to...

YL Leadership Retreat in Yelm complete with lots of great practical teaching, some great fellowship, and my first time playing Bunko!! Loved it...
My first week of Bible Study Fellowship...I used to say that I'd NEVER do BSF, but God had something else in mind for me and I'm loving it so far...it's a study of the life of Moses...
Went to Malibu's Women's Weekend and had such a good time! It was the perfect refresher for the upcoming year. Thanks to Todd for taking such amazing care of Hailey while I was gone! :)
Our office is done!! We just moved both of our desks into the new office we built where our carport used to be (and by we I mean Todd)...it's beautiful. I'll post pics when it's not a disaster of paperwork and boxes.
I've just started eating a gluten-free/low sugar diet based on my nutritionist's assumption that I'm allergic to it. So far so good, but it's certainly a new challenge not eating any wheat or sugar...
Now we're in full swing with Young Life starting back up! We'll be planning on Saturday and having our first club here in about two weeks...keep YL in your prayers!!

Well, that's all...I'm pooped! Hope everyone has had a great September thus far!

our future baller...

Todd is convinced that since Hailey is in the 75th percentile in height and has huge feet and long fingers that she's destined to be in the WNBA. When I put on her hi-top chucks this morning, he got inspired...


This picture is a little grainy, but I love it...Here she is in all her glory...with her pink basketball...

She's trying to throw it up on the chair...

...but she missed and was a little perplexed at why it rolled the opposite way. :)

Coach Daddy has already started morning drills in our entryway...

Hailey, Daddy will still love you even if you want to be a ballerina instead... :)

wii...again

I think Todd and Jeremy are going to be banned from playing the Wii together. Jeremy taunts Todd and Todd gets mad at Jeremy. Not good.

the rest of my playlist...

-Say (All I Need), OneRepublic
-Lucky, Colbie Caillat & Jason Mraz
-Lullaby, Dixie Chicks
-Viva la Vida, Coldplay
-New Soul, Yael Naim
-Don't Stop Believin', Journey
-Just Dance, Lady Gaga
-Mercy, Duffy
-Forever, Chris Brown

It's quite a mix...I swear I do like some good music!!

burnin' up...

I have a confession to make.

I'm a closet Jonas Brother's fan.

I'm listening to them right now on my iTunes.

Finally...it's off my chest...the burden is lifted.

That felt good.

crafty christy...

My crafty sister, Christy, made me this table runner!! I love it because it's a little wider than a typical table runner,
AND it's reversible!!
Sweet Christy showed up yesterday with this beautiful handmade gift for me...for NO REASON!

Thanks, Cweek...I love you. :)

hailey's shoe obsession...

I think it's sort of a rite of passage for every little girl to become obsessed with her mother's shoes...I don't think every girl loves putting on her daddy's work boots. Silly girl.

(I'm fully aware that I just posted three of almost the same picture. I loved her face in each one and couldn't choose. I love my little princess.)