Jake's a liar, eh lawyer.

I know. That joke is so bad and so old, but I couldn't help myself. Yes, law school done, BAR passed, licensing fees paid, and oath taken. On October 22nd, we went down to Abravanel Hall for Jake to take an oath and be sworn in as a lawyer for the State of Utah. 

Random question, if it is a swearing in ceremony, other than a welcome speaker, is there a need for any other remarks? Regardless, what I heard from the speakers wasn't bad at all. Some of it quite interesting. Overall, well done. 

All the new lawyers taking the oath. 

 We are so proud of Jake for all his hard work and dedication. Even with challenges, he never let that stop him. Great job, babe. Thanks to all of our family and friends who helped and supported us through this journey. Even though you may not feel like you did much, we feel like you did and are grateful for your help.

FYI, he took care of the finding a job part as well. He isn't working for a firm, but as a law clerk for the 1st district court with buildings in Logan and Brigham City. Stay tuned for updates on how that's going.

YAAAHOOO!!!!!

Can I get a what what? YES!!!! I am so excited and so proud. We finally got BAR results back (and a few weeks earlier than expected. Jake passed the BAR with flying colors. We are so glad. Now it's pay the licensing fees and wait for the induction ceremony, in October, and he will be official.

Congrats babe. I am so proud and so happy. I am also glad the wait (for results) is over.

Where has the time gone?

Ever have one of those hectic but slow passing times? I know, sounds crazy but all at the same time the past months have happened so fast but also not passed fast enough. Hopefully I can catch everything up with a few pics (ok more than just a few) and a quick/longish post.

We spent some time in St. George. While there we did lots of fun things, including driving to the Valley of Fire.

Ellie posing for the picture.

Going on a short hike.

 We splashed around Main Street, played on a play ground, played tons at the house because it has an awesome tree house and pool, and went to the Wildlife Conservation Museum. One night Jake and I ditched the kids and took off for Vegas. We spent the night and then drove to the middle of nowhere (past some crazy prison in the middle of a Nevada desert) to a place called Beatty. Then we drove a little farther to where the Tough Mudder was being run.

The group that started the race together. 

Justin, Marc, Cassie had started the race earlier and Steve, Connie, and Maddie were wandering around taking pictures. We eventually all ended up together and then separated again. 

My hunk at the end of the race. 

 We drove back to St. George (almost a 7 hour drive) and splashed in the pool to relax.

We celebrated Sammi's birthday but I made sure to post about that. I was called to be the Young Women's Camp director; more on that later.

Then in May we drove back to Denver, mostly for Jake's graduation but partly to play. We didn't have a whole lot of down time while there. We drove out through highway 40, through the mountains. A gorgeous route but adds quite a bit of drive time.

We went to the Butterfly Pavilion and had a blast taking pictures and watching the butterflies. Jake and I went an had lunch with his former boss while Grandma Wendy and Grandpa DeVon took the girls to the mall to eat and play.

One of the close ups of a butterfly.

Of course the main reason we traveled there was for graduation. Luckily, the law school scheduled it for a short-ish time and followed the schedule. The first speaker was great; funny, interesting stories and analogies, etc. Sadly the second speaker was a politician who was apparently working the campaign trail. I am so proud of Jake. He worked so hard and accomplished so much. I wish there was more I could do to show my appreciation for him but bragging about him on the Internet (on a blog not many people read) will have to do for now. Love you babe.

Proud of our graduate.

 Yes, the hat is awesome, you'll have to ask Jake the true meaning of the robes, and sadly Sammi's eye is swollen mostly shut. She rolled (either by herself or with some help from her sister) off the bed and into a dresser. She survived and everything is fine now.

After eating some food and avoiding the spiked punch, we went to the Aquarium. Still a great place to see. Because of graduation, we also had Jake' parents, his sister, and his younger brother's family. It was so fun to have them out there and show them some fun things.

Like at the fish.

 We made a quick stop downtown at the Capitol to take pictures at the Mile High Marker (that has been moved several times thanks to GPS and geo-locators). Then we decided on watching a Rockies Game.

Scoreboard of the Stadium. 

 We never went while we lived there so this was fun. I am not normally a baseball fan (they really need to do something to speed up the game, that's all I'm saying.) but watching a major league game is a little different and quite fun.

Obviously Ellie and Becca enjoy baseball as much as I do. 

After church on Sunday, we went for a scenic drive. We traveled up through Golden and up the Lariat Loop. We came out and drove up by Red Rocks Amphitheater and then on to the Denver Temple.

Temple in Denver, CO

 By this time, nap time was over and the girls loved walking and running around the grounds.

Cute picture with the eye healing. 

Of course we drove down to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. You can't go and not feed the giraffes or the birds. They had out a baby wallaby to pet. It was so soft.

Give me food.

It rained on us a bit. At one point I was running through the rain to take Ellie to the bathroom. On the way back, we stopped in a covered area with other people. I started smelling something like urine and strong BO. We left quickly and found the family. As we walked near the same area, I notice the smell again and realized it was the porcupine (not the people standing under the cover with us earlier).

This was the funniest porcupine. He walks on his hind legs. 

 Ask to see that video sometime. It's pretty funny. After we stopped at this burger joint called Crave Real Burgers. Jake had the burger on donuts instead of buns and I had one with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, mozzarella, and basil. They were pretty good but way big.

For the home route, we came along I-70 and spent the night in Glenwood Springs. What a great place! We took a tram ride up to a cave tour.

Ellie and Grandpa in the cave.

 Sammi was a little tired and fussed at being in close quarters but really enjoyed it when the guide along her to walk just about anywhere lit.

No daddy, not this way. 

 Our hotel gave us passed to the hot springs pool there, which was awesome. The girls loved it. So did I. We swam that night and then a bit the next morning before starting our final drive home.

A few weeks go by, we move into June and then we get busy again. Jake and I participated in the Dirty Dash. Stef and Danielle came with us in the morning and then Jake ran a second time with his siblings and their kids. We were pretty easy to spot.

The pre-race picture.

  The next week, Jake and I went to Youth Conference while the girls stayed with Grandma Connie and Rebecca. (Of course, Marc, Cassie, Grandpa, and Hayley were there too.) My dad was in charge of games and activities but was never given an official committee to help him so Jake and I enlisted. It was a blast. Alternating every 2 years, the Stake switches between Pioneer Trek and the Book of Mormon Experience. Luckily this year was the Book of Mormon one. It was so fun to see everything and it was so hard to leave but we had finished our responsibilities and we had the Watterson Family Reunion to attend.

Here we are in Ophir again. This year, we just stayed in a tent. The kids met us there. Luckily for us, Connie packed extra blankets because we had a cold spell. Sammi still managed to earn a spot between Jake and I, but Ellie slept warm and cozy in her own sleeping bag.

Cousins dog pile. 

 A few short weeks later, I had YW Girls camp. Sadly I did take any pictures but I am working on collecting them from other leaders. We had a great time. Our theme was Be Believing and I truly hope it helped some of our YW learn to just believe. I know I did after so much prep.

To start July off, my dad's family had a family Lagoon day. Like every other time at Lagoon, we started off in Lagoon-a-beach and then headed out to rides once we passed the hottest part of the day. Unfortunately I didn't really ride many adult rides but I didn't mind too much. They have added quite the small child area. Ellie loved it. Sammi started out a little unsure but quickly realized that she hated faster rides. Small child/infant rides she was just fine with riding.

Mommy and Sammi on the tea cups, pre-ride/pre-crying.

 Sammi was a good sport though. She rode with me but always ended up crying and wanting out once they started.

Come on, another one mom!

 Grandma, Grandpa, Braden, and Annie stayed around with us.

Going Jeepin'

Sailin' Sisters.

 We didn't plan too much for July, as Jake was trying to study for the upcoming BAR test but we still managed to do some fun things. Fireworks on the 4th of July, a few softball games, an adult dodge ball game at a friend's birthday party, swimming at East Canyon Resort with Grandma Connie and Maddie, and a bbq with fireworks for Pioneer day.

We also welcomed a new cousin, baby Tanner. Ellie was so excited to see him. She loves holding babies for a short time. Sammi's turning into a bit of a meanie so we didn't let her try holding him.

Ellie holding her new cousin.

The BAR association decided that July should go out with a bang so Jake had the wonderful 2 day test the last 2 days of July. Yes, 2 days of 6-7 hours of testing and now we wait 8-10 weeks for results. Isn't that awesome? I know he did great. He has worked and studies so hard. I actually don't have any worries about it.

So that is most of our summer. If you want to hear more in depth story about something, let me know and I will try to post additional pictures and information. Actually, there is more to come but this is long enough for now and I don't have the other pictures off my camera yet.

One Semester left

YA! Can I get a what, what? (Isn't that so old school?) There's is only one semester left of law school and I think everything is ready for graduation. At least I hope it is. Jake supposedly took care of all the hold problems with 3 different admissions offices since they can't share transcripts with each other. Yes, somehow Utah Law Admissions didn't have his official undergrad transcript from Utah. I assumed they could share or at least it would have come over from Denver with his request to be a visiting student. Hopefully there are no more surprises.

After that we (and by we I really mean Jake) have the simple task of finding a job.

Where does the time go? A long update.

Man, it has been a while since I posted last and here's my explanation, time sped up and I can't manage to keep up with it. Here's a quick breakdown of what has gone on with a few pictures.

Jake was accepted to the University of Utah law school. YA! So when we flew back to Utah at the end of July, we started looking for places. But the main reason for our visit was because my little baby brother was leaving for the MTC and then off to Michigan for 2 years.

Saying good bye at the Temple.

 FYI, missionaries are kicked to the curb at the MTC. Families don't walk in with them anymore.

These kids are going to miss Uncle Jeff.

 Ellie prays for him every night. (She also prays for Grandpa to be a good missionary too which makes me giggle.)

Stef and Sammi looking pretty.

 By the time we flew back to Denver, I had 8 days (count them 8) to pack up everything and make arrangements for moving back. Somehow we made it and this move was better than moving out to Denver. We are glad to be back but sure miss our Denver friends.

We are living the new American Dream of moving back in with family. We are helping my parents clean out their basement to finish some of it. We had a yard sale. Remind me, I will never do anything like that again. People are rude and cheap. Oh, well its over and most of the basement is clean.

Then for the family tradition, Cherry Hills. I don't know why, but we love this place.

Ya for Cardiac Canyon.

Here we go.

Sammi played a little bit.

Ellie loves the water.

Sammi loved the lazy river. She even tried to skip naps to stay.

 I had a ton more pics but I am trying to keep this post as short as possible.

The last Tuesday in August we went to Thanksgiving Point for $2 tues and to see the Museum of Ancient History or something like that. Ellie and Braden had a blast. The best part had to be the ice cream at the end.

She is loving that ice cream.

Braden is a little better at eating ice cream. At least cleaner.

 Then in Sept, we had another family tradition, the Utah State Fair.

The chillin's learning to be farmers and how the whole system works.

Proud FFA members.

Geez, can't we have a normal pic.

Ellie loves her hood.

Sammi too.

 Of course one of the main reasons we go, all you can eat ice cream tent.

Braden struggled eating ice cream this time.

 Of course we had to ride the giant slide.

We had a good time. Things are going pretty good here in Utah. We are glad to be near family again.

Bragging time

I know I don't do this enough but I am going to brag about how proud I am of Jake. He has been working so hard in school. This semester he was accepted on the Water Law Review (same as Law Review except strictly concerning water law). He was also asked by one of his professors to help write a paper about Water Law. He has been doing this in addition to continuing to work at the law office and completing all his other class work.

I know all this has been stressful for him, not to mention trying to entertain a crazy 2 year old and his crazy pregnant wife. I know he is working hard to do the best he can and I wanted to make sure everyone else knows it too.

Love you Babe!

DU Law School and Hockey

Jake's boss couldn't use a set of his tickets to a DU Hockey game and was nice enough to let us use them. We tried to find a babysitter but no luck so we decided that Ellie could just come with us.

Earlier that day, I asked Ellie if she wanted to go to a hockey game. She responded, "Yes, and eat pizza." So we decided to make a night of it. We grabbed some pizza at the local Beau Joes pizza and then headed to the school. Jake wanted to take us on a tour of the law school. Ellie loved this idea as she had been pretending to go visit Daddy at school by putting on her shoes and backpack then walking to the front door and telling me she was going to school.

Every ride in the elevator and walk down a hallway, she had the biggest small on her face. It was fun for me to see where Jake spends all of his time.

We then walked across the street for the game. Ellie has found her shadow and thought it was funny to watch it move as she ran passed street lights. Daddy couldn't help himself once in the arena. Ellie received a foam finger although I'm not sure if he really bought it for her or for him and she just took it over.

Entering the arena.

She was so excited to watch them skating.

Our view from row 2, right behind the glass.

She was the most interested in the skating during warm-ups but watched bits of the game. Part of the problem was the match started at 8:00 which is normally about her bed time. She did just fine staying up late but wanted to walk around. Luckily but unfortunately DU wasn't playing their best so we left halfway through the 3rd period.

I had never seen Ellie with a smile that big on her face. She really enjoyed going out and spending time with mommy and daddy, especially with daddy.

Sports Dates

A couple of weeks ago, a co-worker of Jake's had some Denver Nuggets tickets that he couldn't use and gave them to Jake. So we went on a date; a quick dinner and then the Nuggets. Neither one of us is a big fan of professional basketball but a date night is a date night right? The night turned out a little more exciting than we would have ever thought.
I believe the game was against the Toronto Raptors. The seats were great seats, around row 20 in the lower bowl. Across the aisle and a couple rows below us sat a couple of ladies (black ladies) with jerseys supporting the away team. As the game progressed the really drunk frat like boys a couple rows in front of us started harassing the women pretty bad. The guys (also black) sitting next to us made some comments about how black women never show up to sporting events without husbands/boyfriends and started joking with Jake about how this would turn out. Turns out, they were right. Shortly one of the women's husbands showed up to have a polite conversation with the "frat boys".

To shorten this story, event staff showed up several times and eventually the other woman's man came over, with child in arms, and slapped one of the "frat boys". Turned out to be a decent fight, cops and everything. Shortly after that, there was a fight on the court also. Jake made the co-worker cookies to thank him for the tickets.

Well, this week, Jake received tickets to a DU hockey game. any bets on if there will be more fights there?

Jake's Love

I promise, Jake and I are still married and Ellie and I do see him on a regular basis. I know he doesn't get much love from the blog but that's because his life is not as exciting as mine and Ellie's. (Love you babe.)

He is still working for the lawyer in Broomfield and really likes it, which is a good thing. He is also learning a lot from the lawyer. Sometimes it seems like he learns way more for the job than he does from school. School started about 2 weeks ago for him so he spends his mornings in class and then heads up to work. Can you say "brain overload"? That's a lot of new information but he is doing great. I try to be patient when he takes time for himself to unwind from all that learning. Ellie sometimes isn't so patient and jumps on him or just gets in his face to have him read a book.

He does get to come out and do stuff with us occasionally and we really love it when he does. Keep up the good, hard work. We love you.

Summer Internship

Can I just say, YYYYEEEEAAAA!!!! Jake was got home from signing a contract for work at a summer internship. And even better, it's at the law firm that he considered his top choice. They deal in construction and real estate law so it should help him determine if it's really what he wants to do. Since it is an internship, there will be a small amount of compensation with part time hours. The only down side, which isn't a huge one, is that the office is about a 25-30 minute drive as long as there isn't a lot of traffic.

I am so excited for him and excited that after next week, we will have one full year of law school behind us.

Back to School

Jake is back in school but I am not sure if he is back into the swing of things yet. Classes were only the last 3 days of the week his first week back. The next week was Civil Rights day so only 4 days of classes. He finally had a full week of class but on Friday the 2nd of 2 classes was cancelled so it was only a half of a half day. This week would have been a full week except Denver University (specifically the Law School) closed down on Tuesday because of the cold temps. His last class on Monday was cancelled so when a professor walked in to inform the class some of the students, mostly those from Utah or Wyoming asked why if there wasn't that much snow (less than 2 inches). They were told because the school doesn't need any law suits, especially from law students who have recently learned about negligence, prudent care, etc. 

He seems to be handling the time off alright. He spends quite a bit of time (what I really mean is at least 40 hours a week) at the school, whether there are classes or not. He and some friends from his classes study together and work on outlines in study rooms on campus. Though Ellie and I would love to have him here more, it's probably best since we can be very distracting. Well, mostly Ellie because she wants his highlighters, tries to read his books which usually means torn pages or lost spots, wants to type on the laptop, etc. She is a big help with studying.

We are proud of how hard he is working and we hope that he does well this semester. We were proud of how well he did his first semester even though he is being hard on himself. ;) Love you Jake. Keep up the good work and remember to back up your hard drive.

Catching up!

I can't believe what a slacker I am. Actually I can. Time just passes so quickly and I hate being on the computer after work because I spend all day on the computer. So here are some things that have happened since last post (be aware we have been busy).

Teeth - I don't have a good picture but Ellie has gotten teeth. The 2 bottom middle ones and 2 on top. Oddly enough, they aren't the middle ones on the top. They are the side ones. She has looked like a little vampire for about a month now. Finally the 2 top middle ones are starting to come in. What a trooper!

Memorial Day weekend - We didn't do anything special for Memorial Day. We did visit Grandpa Watterson, Grandpa Bob, Chelsea, Grandma Lue and Grandpa Lee. Also, my sister camped at the old Memorial day spot, Wasatch Mountain State Park. My mom stayed with her over the weekend so we went up for an evening. This was Ellie's first experience "camping". I think she enjoyed it. There was dirt, her cousins, marshmallows, chocolate, and all that fun stuff. I'm sure she wished she could walk. I am glad she couldn't, especially after seeing all the dirt and trouble Braden got into.

Highland Games, June 11th - We went to the Highland games with Ellie's Uncle Marc, Aunt Cassie, and cousin Becca. It would have been more fun had it not been raining so hard. It was fun/funny to see so many men in skirts, I mean Kilts. :) Luckily we were able to be there for the opening of the Tatoo. No not tatoo's on your body, but the bagpipe contest. It was amazing to hear 4 groups of bagpipers march in playing songs to start off the competition. Ellie was so shocked.

Aunt Calee's Wedding - My sister Calee got married on June 24th to Devin DeMann. It was such a beautiful wedding, but how could it not be with how good looking my family is. It was a little hot outside but we managed to survive. Ellie was a doll. She loved it.

The wedding was at Millenial Falls in Draper. They have a gorgeous garden and waterfall in the back of the reception center. It was fun to be all dressed up. A family friend was nice enough to snag some family photos for us all prettied up.

Of course we had to find food to eat between the ceremony, pictures and the reception.

Jake didn't seem to mind being dressed up all that much.

Calee looked gorgeous and seemed to enjoy it. I thought it was a great wedding.

The next day after Calee's wedding, we left for Idaho for the Watterson Family Reunion. This isn't a small, close family thing. This is the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc from Jake's Great-Grandpa. I believe it is the familys of Grandpa Woodrow's siblings. I think we have been all but one time since we have been married and oddly enough I don't think I have ever seen one of Jake's cousins there.

We did spend some time talking with family, rock climbing, and even swimming. Swimming wasn't that enjoyable. We thought the water would feel good after a hot day full of rock climbing. Unfortunately because the pool is close to a hot springs, they let to pool heat naturally. I think it was about 60 degrees, but Ellie stayed and played in the water until I took her out because of purple lips and shivering.

Oakley Rodeo, July 3rd - We went to the Oakley rodeo with Jake's family. It was so much fun. I haven't been to the Oakley rodeo in years. Things have changed quite a bit. Ellie also loved it. She thought the horses were great although the fireworks at the end startled her a bit.

July 7th - the 9th Jake went rock climbing with some of his brothers to the City of Rocks in Idaho so Ellie and I spent some girl time with my mom and sisters. On Wednesday we went boating. I was so excited because it has been almost 2 years since I had been waterskiing. Calee and I got one ski in each and noticed the fuel was low. So unfortunately I have only skiied once this year.

The next day we went to Gardner Village to the petting zoo and to do some shopping. We had a good time. After doing a little shopping, we ate dinner at Archibald's.

Jake and I played on 2 co-ed softball teams this year. One on Tuesday night and one on Thursday. We loved playing and Ellie loved cheering us on. She was such a trooper to come hang out at our games. We were league champions for both teams and Jake was the number 1 batter for both leagues. We had the best teammates as well. I can't wait until we can play again.