1.

if you know me, you know I think birthdays are a big deal. combine that with the fact that I am ridiculously sentimental, and you come up with a birthday party I spent way too much time and energy on, considering my child won't even remember it. but, in the end, I'm glad we did it.
**be warned: this post is meant to be super detailed so family members who couldn't be here can get an idea of how it all went down. I won't be offended if you get bored.**
here is mr. macko's birthday week, starting with the actual day:

October 27th
first of all, I was in and out of tears all day long. how can my baby be one already? secondly, all day long, I kept telling DJ, "we were doing _____ right this minute last year." so, we decided to drive to the hospital and take a picture of mack in front of the hospital the exact minute he was born. here you go. welcome to your first year mack.







no actual celebration that day, but mack did have a little bite of pumpkin roll. he loved it. look at the kid, is anyone surprised?

October 28th

spent the day making these super easy, inexpensive tissue paper puffs for mack's party. cute, no?

October 29th

went over to a friend's place to help with these. a million thanks to elise who made the cake pops, and let me come over to help dip and decorate them. I think they turned out so, so cute. she found the idea, picked up all the ingredients, and prepared everything. they were a hit! thanks again, elise!!

October 30th

*photo taken by deej*
all dressed up for the ward trunk or treat. honestly, he is the cutest dalmation ever.


October 31st
the party...
after a slightly hectic morning (went five different places to find dry ice for homemade rootbeer, couldn't find it anywhere, ended up buying jones soda instead.) and no sleep the night before due to a cake catastrophe (completely ruined the first cake, and started over at 1am), the party was ready to go. a huge shout out to keri who came up with the concept for the whole party. I'm lucky to have super creative friends. :)
the invites (wrapped around a jones soda bottle like a label):


along with the cake pops and tissue paper puffs above, here are the other parts of the food table:

white "pumpkins" filled with candy


the above mentioned jones soda.


millions of spider cupcakes



the cake. don't judge. next year I'm ordering one from a bakery. I was not made to decorate cakes.

somehow I didn't get a picture of the whole table. so, I've included my 'pre-game' sketch to help you visualize where everything was. the giant pumpkin on the right side of the table had soup in it, and a wonderful friend made a yummy salad for the other side of the table.


the costumes:
I was Galinda from Wicked. two years ago I was Elphaba, and decided to carry on the wicked tradition. unfortunately, people thought I was either the fairy god mother or a beauty queen. I guess Galinda needs an unnaturally colored face to be recognizable.


DJ bought a pig nose and a thermometer and was going to be swine flu. I thought it was super creative. we couldn't find the thermometer, and after running errands for the party, he didn't have time to properly affix the pig nose, so instead he was a super attractive husband. that's better anyway. :)

the little animals:






how mack started to feel about half way through:


...until we brought out the cake. he went crazy.

notice the first three pictures: 1. testing. 2. yay! this stuff is good! 3. more, please! (the fist in the hand is his version of the sign for "more"). also, notice how he plunged his sippy cup into the cake. yum. the hat was made by carlee. check out the link. she sells lots of cool stuff.
how much did he eat, you ask? one third. that's 1/3 for those of you who need to see it in numbers. nearly half of a double layer cake. yup, I think he liked it. and, he took a nice long nap after, and slept really well that night. maybe I should give him his own giant cake more often.

all in all, I think it was a success. thanks to everyone who came, helped, and made mack's birthday special!

November 1st
a few pictures from mack's one year photo shoot:








dear mr. mackers,

happy birthday little guy.
I can't believe you've been mine for one entire year. you will never understand how you have made me better in every way (a little crazier too, but one has to take what they can get, you know). we love you more than you will ever understand until you have a child of your own. I hope you can put up with all of our idiosyncrasies and be proud to call us your parents.
I love watching you discover life every day. I love listening to and watching you figure out your words. every time a word escapes your little mouth or a sign comes from your little hands, my heart melts just a little bit. I love how proud you are of yourself when you realize what you've done. I'm proud of you too.
I love how excited you get to see daddy when he comes home, and I love how you still need me when you're sad or hurt. I hope that never changes, and you will always come to us when your sad or hurt and need a little comfort.
I love watching you scoot around the house. it's unconventional, inventive, and so smart. who wouldn't want to travel around on their bum all day? you have one-upped us all.
I love listening to you pound out your original compositions on the piano. I love that you love it--you have definitely inherited your mommy and daddy's love for all things musical. I know you won't believe it when you're older, but you already sing to us. you sing in the car, you sing in your crib, you match whatever tone comes out of our mouth. I think you're a musical genius; we have a progeny on our hands! oh, and by the way, if you end up hating all things musical, that's okay too. :)
I love that you have a little will of your own, and you quietly (or not so quietly sometimes) make it known. I hope you will always stand up for what you believe in... it would be all right if you don't scream it at everyone through the rest of your life though. just sayin'.
I love how you find humor in the simplest things. I love how you laugh at me when I'm crying. it makes the hard moments a little easier. you make me laugh every day.
I love how shy and cuddly you are. even though it can be taxing at times, I love that you want to cuddle up to me whenever you can.
I love how you remind me of the important things in life. you mean the world to me.
little man, I'm so proud to call myself your mommy. I love you to the moon and back.
happy birthday.
love, mommy

sentimental.

sentimental is the word of the day. today is my little guy's first birthday--I absolutely cannot believe it. all I can think about is what I was doing exactly one year ago at this very minute. much more needs to be said about that, but it will be in another post, another day, after his birthday party is this saturday, and his one year old photo shoot is later this week. my little man is getting so big.

on another, much less sentimental note, I'm fully recovered from the swine flu. that's right. the swine flu. so if you're wondering where I've been for the last couple weeks, the answer is in bed. literally. thank goodness for the most amazing friend in the whole world, and the best husband ever, or I don't think I would have survived.

now to this gaggle of photos. editing these is making me long for the beaches of virginia beach. when the G20 Summit came to town, we skipped town. the day before the summit commenced, we called up some friends, booked a hotel, and made plans to leave the next day. it was the perfect escape. we had sunny skies, rainy skies, and cloudy skies, but we were just happy to be with each other.

September 23rd

September 24th
cape henry lighthouse. such a beautiful, picturesque place. apparently, I was diggin' the black and whites, but who can blame me?










September 25th
the people...

keri: the stylish one.


*photo taken by keri*
me. keri says I was looking at dj when she snapped this picture. awww.


madi: the happy one.


mack: the coy one.


the whole gang. so what if we're forcing them to like each other?? what's the big deal? they'll thank us some day.

September 26th
the beach:

as you can see, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. not a bad deal, I say.

sand sculpting contest:

can you see the man in the moon? ...


that's right, it's been mack all along. he's all powerful.


this is purely to show you the scope of these sand sculptures. they were amazing.

the little ones discovered that sand is fun. looks like we'll have to take another beach trip soon.






September 27th

goodbye virginia beach. you were good to us.

I have much more to share. october was a busy, busy month, and I can't wait to show you what I've been up to!

see you real soon.

plugs.

mack is on the move--not your conventional type of movement, but he's getting around nonetheless. he scoots all over the house on his little bum, and we have discovered he loves plugs.

so do I. so today I'll be plugging some of my favorite things.

9.9.09

DJ and I celebrated 9.9.09 by gathering together $9.99 and browsing the aisles of our local rite aid. we split the aisles into 5 groups, and chose an item from each group. the idea was all his, so props to deej for being the brains of this outfit. we came away with a shoe polish kit (our big ticket item--$1.24!), rite aid brand chap stick, travel size hand sanatizer, travel size crest pro health (my absolute favorite--you've gotta try the clean cinnamon), fun size twix in a pack of 10, and a pack of crayola crayons.

big spenders.

September 10th

started teaching a new class at a new gym with new people and new nerves. here's to hoping it works out.

September 11th

mack gets a forward facing carseat. woot! we chose the graco nautilus, and we've been happy so far. my favorite part? glancing in my rear view mirror and seeing my happy, smiling boy.

September 12th



one of my good friends started an etsy shop selling women's and children's hair accessories, and appliqued children's clothing. All of her items are fantastic. she asked me to take her product shots, and I fell in love with everything she is selling. I already have two head bands and one clip, and I'm sure I'm not done. check out bold minimalist. you won't be disappointed. to see more of the product shoot, click here.

September 13th
the mack games...


yes, in the 'technologies' picture, he is sliding the 'slide to open' gadget on dj's phone. he has it down. he can open that phone in no time flat. he's a chip off the old block.

September 14th
went family outing to sonic. it was a bit of a drive, but totally worth it. I can't wait to live close to one again.

while we were there, we ventured into a chuck e. cheese where mack went on his first ride. he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about it...


September 15th





another incredibly talented friend who makes amazing diaper bags, birdie slings, and little girls' tutus. she's in the process of making me a custom diaper bag right now, and I can't wait to get my hands on it! check out le sassy seamstress. you can see more of her product shoot here.

September 16th

went to dinner at the cheesecake factory with some friends. yum.

September 17th

did a newborn shoot (truly, one of my favorite things) with this sweet little girl. I just wanted to eat her up. look at those cute little lips. more can be found here.

September 18th

went on a date with my husband. we went to a romantic little restaurant called Point Brugge Cafe, then to Julie & Julia. The food was delicious, the movie was one of the best I've seen in a while, and the company was perfect. thank goodness for good friends who took our little man for the night. thanks. you know who you are.

September 19th

another cute little newborn to brighten my day. only four days old, and so cuddly and cute. to see more, click here.

September 20th

reggie out on the town. he's a charmer.

September 21st



found this truck on a sunday drive. dj was nice enough to stop so we could take a few pictures. I couldn't stop talking about it for days. isn't it awesome? to see more, click here.

September 22nd

*photo taken by deej*
happy fall. my favorite time of year here in the 'burgh.

no more plugs for you, but as long as mack has his obsession, there will be lots more for us.

so, waddayathink? do you have any plugs to share with me? pretty please?

sickies, cookies, friendsies & lovesies.

September 1st

*photo taken by DJ*
mack gets {really} sick for the first time. I'm talking a fever of 103 and rashes all over his back and tummy. three doctors later, I calmed down a bit, and we spent the day like this looking out the window at this:

it was actually quite nice.
how can one be that sick and still be that cute? how?

September 2nd
mack is back, and cuter than ever.





my little man is TEN MONTHS and ONE WEEK old, and life with him is getting sweeter every day.
by the way, he says mama and dada, and it gets me every time. even when he's yelling it at the top of his lungs from the next room. he loves us.

September 3rd

a new recipe. it is definitely the best I've found so far--and believe me, I've been on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie for years. deliciously chewy in the middle, a little bit crisp on the outside, and a slight hint of toffee flavor. YUM!!! email me if you want it (libbijones at gmail dot com), I'm keeping it a teensy bit secret before a chocolate chip cookie cook-off next week.

September 4th

drove here for labor day weekend to spend the holiday with some of our favorite friends

September 5th



started the weekend out with an incredible breakfast of blueberry pancakes & produce shopping at an open air market. it was divine.

September 6th
made our way here:






the birthplace of him:


where they prohibit this:

so I was unable to get a picture of the gorgeous vintage covered baby crib in Washington's house, and I can't find it online anywhere. I'm a little heartbroken.


I did, however, get a picture of these artichokes in the one place they allow indoor pictures--the slaughter house. thanks a lot.


*photo taken by Katie*
mack played in George Washington's yard while DJ and I ignored him a little and maybe might have kissed.

good day all around.

September 7th

woke up to homemade lemon pancakes with raspberry topping. they were even better than the blueberry pancakes, which is quite the feat.

September 8th
visited here:

it was breathtaking.


*photo taken by DJ*
mack even snuggled up for this picture. there are no words for how much I love him. really. none.

and, there are no words for how much I appreciate your support and words of encouragement. it means a lot. you keep me going. so thanks.

lovesies all around.

life's a party.

August 20th
partyin' it up at the pediatrician's office.

mack's 9 month (3 week) doctor appointment. as you can see, he is quite excited...


...and humongous. 96th percentile for weight, 94th for head size, and 89th for height. yup. huge. as DJ would say, "he's not failing to thrive." nope. not at all.

August 21st

we might have had to change mack's clothes on a park bench... maybe. I know, that's what you would call exhibitionism, but I think when they're this young, it's just called cute... right?

August 22nd
what better excuse to party than a wedding? please excuse the lack of pictures, as DJ asked me nicely to please keep my camera in my bag... it was difficult. truly. here are the few I snagged:







the wedding was beautiful, and the couple was absolutely glowing. we loved being a part of their day.

August 23rd

our view as we left fort worth. a nice place for a wedding... probably not our ideal place to settle down. just sayin'.

August 24th

moving the party on down to the waterfront (because the biggest party is ALWAYS at costco, and that is where costco happens to be located).

August 25th

...and subsequently to wal-mart... because... well... just 'cause, nn-kay?
(can you see the begging in his eyes? "please take me home for a nap, mommy, please!" and I did.)

August 26th

mack learns to feed himself. thank heavens.

August 27th

a swimming trip dismantled by the weather turns into a shopping trip to best buy. I'm gonna go ahead and say swimming would have been slightly better, but I'll take it.
*photo taken by DJ*

August 28th
picnic at the west end overlook--one of my favorite places in the city, and the place of my fantasy party. it would be awesome. maybe someday.



*photo taken by DJ*

August 29th

threw a party for Tanis' 30th. the party happened to include a little photo shoot (she's a fantastic photographer herself). to see more, click here.

we then went to Tusca for dinner, and it was so yummy (see below for proof), so fun, and just what we all needed. so, thanks for having a birthday Tanis. we need someone to have a birthday every weekend. :)

just a little goat cheese mediterranean vegetable salad. that's all.


and, of course, a glass pipe holding all things chocolate. yum.

August 30th

senior pictures for this guy. it was such a fun little shoot. he even had me quoting "anchorman." that takes talent.

August 31st

always a party with these little ones. we got together for a quick little shoot, but with such photogenic kiddos, you can't go wrong. to see more, click here.

we're livin' it up, and lovin' every minute.

hope the same is true for you.

nine pictures a day...

as promised, here is the utah portion of August. For this post, my "picture a day" project has gone to the "nine pictures a day" project. I try not to do that, but I know these pictures of my family will be the ones I will treasure the most in the years to come.

we had an absolutely delightful time. it is so refreshing to be with family. and, what could be better than being surrounded by my cute little nieces and nephews?

here's the rundown:

August 11th

went to a park with this little fallen angel (notice the broken arm :) ).


fed these guys...


and this little guy (if you've ever wondered why he's so big, now you know).


some of us ran non-stop (I don't have one picture that is in focus of this little girl)...


others laughed a lot....


some asked lots of questions...


and others were generally sneaky (notice Mack's food in front of Bekah. I told her it was Mack's 'special food,' and she had her special food. so, instead of trying to eat it in front of me, she snuck over to a distant table, and enjoyed her feast there. :) ).


all told, it was a magical day.

August 12th
Hogle Zoo:

met this mom and her baby...


and this funky zebra. check out those bold stripes. sometimes I wish I were so bold. I'm working on it.

the kids loved it...








and lafe did this:


and of course, Mack was angelic... kind of.


post-zoo, we made our way to the park for pizza and obstacle course races.

michael was a maniac and was absolutely determined to beat his best time each time he did it. isn't that an amazing attribute? go michael!

August 13th

took photos of this perfect little girl who is the daughter of one of my favorite people in the whole world. to see more, click here.


DJ and I spent the afternoon all by ourselves on a date ... to the cougareat. don't judge. we miss L&T okay? we then made our way upstairs in the wilk where we played our newly discovered game. we've been hooked ever since.

August 14th

discovered that mack loves basketballs...


and is not such a big fan of spurting water...
he came around.

August 15th

enjoyed an evening here...


and dinner at our favorite provo restaurant. notice we are literally the only ones there. they allowed us in right at 10:00, and closed the doors. all dressed up, and all by ourselves, it was quite the romantic evening. perfection.

August 16th
made our way down to st. george, and spent the day at Zions.



met up with the boys after their bikeride...


which lafe did not feel so happy about.


isn't this the sweetest picture of my dad? he loves his grandkids, and they love him.

we spent some time playing in the river, catching frogs, taking in the scenery, and enjoying each other. what could be better?

(notice once again, I cannot get a focused picture of her...)






hannah is loved by all the nieces and nephews, especially the twins. Isn't she the perfect picture of a perfect aunt? awww...





August 17th
more family pictures... this time of my side. it's a little more difficult to get pictures when you have six little kids all not wanting to look at the same place at the same time, so we have slightly fewer than DJ's family. :) however, I love what we came out with:

I can't believe how big my family has gotten. soon the only family pictures we're going to be able to take are the ones on the stage at the church. :)


the paul&amy family (notice how abby STILL isn't in focus)


the jonny&mel familiy.


the lafester.


the libby&dj family.
*photo taken by the incredibly talented Stevie*

and the sisters (minus amy & mel who had already left to put kiddos to bed):







I just love this girl with all my heart. I couldn't have asked for a better sister. isn't she beautiful?
*once again, photos taken by Stevie*

August 18th

before "Footloose" at Tuacahn (a re-creation of a picture taken six years ago, which I cannot find...). the show was awesome, and I loved seeing some old friends from college and my performing days. hooray for byu mdt!

August 19th

drove back down to Mesa before flying out. mack got an awesome haircut from grandma jones. someone recently asked if I ever put non-processed pictures up on my blog. well, here you go. not one ounce of editing in this picture. he's just naturally that cute. :)

...but I couldn't resist. the black and white just melted my heart a little...


and with that little guy to brighten your day, I'll leave you.

thanks for stopping by. :)

arizonify

well, hello there. in pitt dental vernacular, august is synonymous with break, so break I did. during the past five weeks, we've spent many more nights in other beds than our own, and we're happy to report we're back and getting into the swing of things.

a couple things from last post: I always try to credit photos when I don't take them myself, so this picture was taken by my good friend Keri,
and this picture was taken by DJ. good thing I'm surrounded by such talented people to add this little blog.

during the first ten days of august, we were arizonified. here is how things went down:

August 1st

flew with southwest to arizona. if you don't count the fact that I literally caused us to miss our flight, the traveling was wonderfully wonderful. I love southwest with all of my heart.


us enjoying the 80's themed carpet at the Vegas airport.

side note: Delta FINALLY contacted me {after only four straight weeks of trying to speak with ANYONE that could help me}, and they were extremely generous with a voucher after they saw all of the comments on the post I wrote about my experience with them. So, thanks for your comments, they earned us a few free flights. I'm flying with them in less than a month... I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. :)

August 2nd
left mack for the first time. DJ's parents were so nice to watch him (and allow us to stay in their cabin) for the weekend while we spent some time with some of DJ's best friends from high school.

the boys went golfing, and I spent the day with these three girlies:







... and I actually had my picture taken.

now you see why I am behind the camera. :)

August 3rd
I may have forced these fine people into playing photobooth... maybe...


and when I tried to get my husband to play along, this is what I got:

lovely, eh?
*photo taken by brittany.*


the whole lot of us.


we couldn't have asked for a better weekend. perfect weather, wonderful company, yummy food, lots of games, and the perfect mountain hideaway. special thanks to DJ's parents for making it happen.

August 4th

we made it back to this puppy's house.


mack was happy to see us...


...and we were happy to see him.


...and we were all happy to cool off a little. arizona in august=ridiculously hot.

August 5th
spent the morning at the lake. DJ's family is incredibly athletic. check 'em out:

tawn, tawn.


carls.


my incredibly good looking husband.


...and my cute little man, who was a little tuckered out by the whole experience.

August 6th

a quiet day at home for Mack and I.
post nap time in the pack 'n play toted all the way from pittsburgh.

August 7th
family pictures:











*photos set up by me, and snapped by DJ's cousin, Erica.*

August 8th
back up to the cabin where we spent evenings on the golf course...





...nights taking walks

(I told them to pretend like they were a band, and this is what DJ came up with. gotta love it.)



August 9th
and days swimming, mack's favorite past time...




the splashing is a constant occurrence while Mack is in the water. he's a bit of a fan.

August 10th
more family pictures (that's what you get for having a photographer in the family):















...and mack learning to golf...

we start 'em young around here. :)

so, now that you've been arizonified, hold on to your shorts, because utah is up next.

see you soon. :)