Happy Birthday!

Posted by Jordan

Yesterday, Naivie turned two years old!

McLain and Sheri brought Ben over for a little party, and our good friends Jake and Kate Neeley brought their little boy Clayton. We played with balloons, chased bubbles around the living room, had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. It was a total toddler riot.

I have to brag on Jaicee for a moment: This was her FIRST birthday cake. (Grandmas made cakes last year). Both of our moms always made fun theme cakes when we were growing up. Jaicee wanted to continue the tradition, and make a Nemo cake for Naivie. (Naivie LOVES Finding Nemo).

With the standard our mothers had set, Jaicee was pretty nervous about it turning out right. Even when it was done, she wasn't fully satisfied that it looked professional, but myself and the rest of us at the party were extremely impressed! It looks exactly like Nemo--And she didn't even have a pattern to work from! GOOD JOB JAICEE!!! It was an awesome birthday cake!

I'm so proud.

BUBBLES!

Naive was certainly queen for the day. She got a booster seat from Grandma Ross (so now she can sit at the table), a doll from Krista, some new pajamas and a big fuzzy pillow from us, a cool spinning globe toy thingy from the Berkleys, some flowers from Clayton, and she still has one more waiting in Moab from Grandma Knutson...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAIVIE!!!

Couch Detectives

Posted by Jaicee

You would be surprised to know that Jordan and I have recently become detectives. We never knew we had the talent until just a few nights ago. Thanks to our neighbors, the Binghams (some of our favorite people in the world), we've been borrowing episodes of "Monk" on DVD lately, and have gotten hooked!

Jordan and I don't have TV in our house (We have a TV, but it's only hooked up to the DVD player). We haven't had TV since we were married, except for a few months in our home just before we left for Russia. Even then, we didn't watch a lot. It hasn't been until recently that we have had a little extra free time in the evenings and the need to divert our attention from the economic crisis that surrounds us... and neighbors who have every episode of every television series ever made on DVD.

For those of you who are not acquainted with Monk, it's a show about a homicide detective who suffers from severe OCD, germaphobia, and neurosis... he became this way when his wife was killed in a car bomb several years before. But the great thing is that he is the awesomest detective and can solve the toughest cases because he is so neurotic. He notices the tiniest details that no one else does. It's so hilarious to watch him and his nurse/assistant (whom he can't function without) try to solve the cases despite his issues. But he always does... right around thirty-five minutes into each episode.

So, a few nights ago we were watching after the kids had been put to bed, and within the first minute of the show, Jordan yells, "I've solved the case!"
"...What?!" I yell back.
"No really, I've solved the case." Knowing that we have never once been able to solve the cases before Monk did, and that it was only a minute into the episode, I just stared at him, unbelieving.

But the fact was, he did! By the end of the show, he had nailed every fact, except one which I had the pleasure of solving a little later in the show, but still before Monk. It was a momentous occaison! There was great pride in the Knutson household that evening...

...the evening we discovered we were couch detectives.

The Least Celebrated National Holiday

Posted by Jordan

About two weeks ago, my brother called to remind me that Saturday the 24th was a national holiday. I racked my brain, but had no idea what he was talking about. I was matter-of-factly informed that it is Neil Diamond's birthday.

Oh, THAT national holiday!

I was also told that we would be celebrating with a small party in his honor. And party we did. McLain and Sheri even made a guitar-shaped birthday cake:

We watched the Jazz Singer while eating barbecued, bacon-wrapped shrimp. Yeah, we know Neil Diamond is Jewish, and our grilled delicacy is far from kosher, but we like bacon. And shrimp. And barbecue.

So, for the sake of having an excuse to hang out with my brother and eat cake and barbecued meats...

Happy Birthday Neil.

First Steps!

ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT!

Just two days shy of ten months, Norah Jane took her first steps!

She finally got the courage to start out without holding on to anybody and take about four or five steps all by herself!

Norah is so much smaller than Naivie was at this milestone, both in age and physical size. It's funny to see this little tiny baby walking by herself. So cute!

These are the moments that make a parent feel...

"...relief that maybe someday our children will grow up." -Jaicee
"...like running around on the lawn in circles like an excited puppy." -Jordan

Congratulations Norah, on taking your FIRST STEPS!!

Later, bye!

Posted by Jordan

Okay, so here is a picture I took of Jaicee's cousin Emily (formerly Ross) Berkley, her husband Steve, and their little boy Max. They also have another one on the way!


Emily has been a regular guest in our home since Jaicee and I got married. She's more like a sister, really, than a cousin. And when she got hitched to Steve, he became like a brother to me. We're about as close to Steve and Emily as anyone on earth. I LOVE those guys... And apparently I expressed those feelings to Emily in no uncertain terms over the phone last night.

I had just finished talking to her about the three of them coming over to our house to play some games... And stuff like, "Can we borrow your crock pot?" and "Yes, we have a puzzle you can borrow." You know, just the regular sort of stuff. Call ends, I hang up.

Five seconds later, I haven't even put the phone down yet, and Steve is calling me back. Hmm. Must've forgotten something.

"Hey, what's up?"
"Jordan. Tell me the honest truth: Did you just profess your love to my wife?"

Confusion and mild panic start to envelop me.

"Uuuh... what?"
"Did you say 'Love you, bye' to Emily just before you hung up the phone?"

I start shaking with laughter both from embarassment and amusement.

Now, I have to tell the listening audience that Steve and I had this conversation long ago. That is, we discussed how sometimes you get in the habit of saying "Love you, bye" to your wife, and then you accidentally let it slip when you are getting off the phone with your brother or something:

"Alright bro. Talk to you later. Uh-huh. Yup. Love-- uh-- luh, love...steak. Love steak! Yeah, man, I love steak. I'm really in the mood for some steak. I'm going to go tell Jaicee to cook me one right now! A big one! Medium-rare, just like I LOVE!! LOVE STEAK!! BYE!!!!"

Hang up. Cursewords.

I once accidentally opened the car door for my buddy Rob during the time that Jaicee and I were dating. I stood there looking at him for just a second, holding the open door, then I slammed it shut, told him to open his own dang door, and marched proudly around to my side of the car and got in.

Yeah, slip-ups happen. But it is particularly awkward when it is somebody else's wife. Ugh.

Just for the record, I don't deny that I may, in fact, have said "Love you, bye" to Emily, but I am pretty sure that I said "Later, bye." Later, bye...Love you, bye...it's pretty close, especially with the cell phone signal we get around here...

In any case, Steve, please don't be offended. Truth is...

I love you too, man.
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Just because she's cute...

Redneck Sledding

We're not ashamed.

It feels faster when you're actually on the sofa.

Long haul out of winter

Our "Ode to January"

Scroll down to the bottom of this page to our music playlist. Click "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" which we included as the last song on the list, and sing along...as loud as you can...

...but sing these words instead (written by Jordan and Jaicee):

It’s The Most Miserable Time Of the Year

It’s The Most Miserable Time Of the Year
Once the Holidays end
I can’t smile and pretend that I’m glad winter’s here...
It’s The Most Miserable Time Of the Year
It’s the yuck-yuckiest season of all!
Feeling barely alive ‘cause it’s dark after five,
Slip on ice and I fall...
It’s the yuck-yuckiest season of all!

There’ll be frost on your windshield
And people will get killed
From driving too fast in the snow
All the skies will be overcast
"Defrost" on full-blast
And shoulders hunched up from the cold...

It’s The Most Miserable Time Of the Year
There’s no more mistletoeing
Just lot’s of snow-blowing
And frost-bitten ears...
It’s The Most Miserable Time Of the Year

There’ll be numb toes and fingers
The snow drift that lingers
Just outside my door on the lawn
Resolutions were spoken
In two weeks were broken
‘Cause my motivation is gone!

It’s The Most Miserable Time Of the Year
I can’t wait for the spring
When it get’s here I’ll sing,
Rip my clothes off and cheer!
It’s The Most Miserable Time--
It’s The Most Miserable Time--
Oh The Most Miserable Time Of the Year!

(Copyright 2009 Jordan and Jaicee)

Ends and Beginnings

Posted by Jordan and Jaicee

Well, just to bring closure to the last year, a few words about Christmas: Naivie was old enough this year to really get excited about the decorations, the lights, the snow, and the candy that preceded the Holiday. It was so much fun for us to drive around town and listen to Naivie screaming "Christmas Lights!" (or, as she pronounced it "Kimas Yaights!") and giggling elatedly while she clapped her hands and kicked her legs with unabashed delight. It really brought back the excitement of being a child at Christmas time and made this Holiday Season more fun for Jaicee and me than it has been since we were children ourselves! Norah, of course, now nine months old, still had no clue what was going on.

Both of the children, however, were terrified of Santa Claus.

Every year Santa comes and makes a special visit to the Ross house in Willard for Naomie's birthday (Jaicee's little sister). Mom and Dad Ross somehow got a special hook up with the North Pole. Well, the second he arrived, Ho-ho-hoing and jangling his jingle bells, the girls were on defensive alert.

Naivie soon figured out what was going on with everyone sitting on Santa's lap, and wouldn't even let Jaicee hold her because she correctly assumed that her own mother would betray her and thrust her into the awful grasp of that faceless, bearded monster. Aunt Lisa barely got her to take a candycane from the Man in Red, but not without trembling and an anxiety-filled whine.

Norah was about the same.

Maybe next year Naivie will put it together that Santa is the one who brings the presents and give him a second chance. We wish that we had just pushed them into Santa's lap anyway, so that we could have a picture like the one's in this book we saw at the store, Scared of Santa. (Pretty funny book, by the way.)

Both of the girls certainly had fun opening presents on Christmas morning. We had originally planned to have our own Christmas morning at our house in Logan. It was fun last year to start our own Christmas Eve and Christmas morning traditions, even though Naivie was only 11 months old. So, the plan was to have Christmas morning at our house then drive to Moab to spend a few days with Jordan's parents down there.

But God, knowing that we don't have snow tires or four wheel drive, and forseeing the snowstorm that would bury most of the road we would travel on Christmas Day, inspired Jordan's dad to call and convince us to come down on Christmas Eve. SO, with a distinct sense of urgency, we packed, threw all of the presents in the car, and headed down within a couple of hours. Good thing, too. Looking at the news on Christmas Day, we are certain--absolutely certain--that we would not have made it to Moab without incident, if we had made it at all.

So, Christmas Morning was in Moab, and the entire Knutson family was there (with the exception of Brennan, who is still serving faithfully on his mission in New York). It was a riot!


One of the best presents this year was to find out that not only is Sheri pregnant, but Sarah is expecting as well! WAHOO!!! Hooray for more cousins! Grandma Merrie will have five Grandkids by the end of 2009. Family reunions are just getting better and better!

So, with that, we wrap up 2008. It was an eventful year for our family. We had both trials and blessings this year. Thankfully, more of the latter to help us overcome the former. We must acknowledge that God is always mindful of us, and has always taken care of our family as he carries out His will. We are grateful.
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