Jade had her first birthday!

Here is a long 10 minute video of Jade's birthday party. Feel free to watch it or skip it! But I will say, she is too cute for her own good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhd40aqocXk

We took her swimming to celebrate her birthday!

She has mixed feelings...

This girl LOVES cheerios. So I couldn't not give her a cheerio cake.

JADE UPDATES:
-2 naps
-Bedtime at 7 PM...SHARP haha (Some of you know how crazy I am about bedtime. It isnt flexible. Not negotiable.)
-Finally mobile! Crawls everywhere and climbs onto everything.
-A master at stairs.
-Loves music. She dances whether music is on or not.
-21 lbs
-Loves her Birthday present that grandma and grandpa got her! It's a walker/car. Seriously best toy ever.
-2 1/2 teeth with many looking to come.
-Loves nursery. With our new calling at church being in the nursery, Jade has enjoyed every minute. Snack time is her favourite.
-Likes: cheese, music, crawling, baths in the kitchen sink, being chased, skyping, greek yogurt, peas, cheerios, water, milk, Grandpa, Stairs, necklaces, my nose (OUCH), her car seat, shopping and her walker/car.
-Hates: people leaving the room, snot sucker, getting dressed, Grandpa going to work, diaper changes, and the hours between 6pm and 7pm.
-Says: Ta da, dad, dada, mama, mum, Mommy, Daddy, Ya, wow, eee eee(what a monkey says), uh oh, up, ow, wow, yeah dad, baba, happy, and baby.
-Does: puts her hands in the air for "Ta da", stands, crawls, climbs, dances, baby sign language for "more", waves goodbye, blows, sniffs on command (thanks to bath and body works), shakes her head, nods her head, blows kisses, and claps.
-is 12 months and a couple weeks.

What does our future hold? Here, let me tell you.

So we made some major decisions lately!

We were struggling with what to do for a summer job before law school starts in September. Not a lot of summer jobs pay well for for an employee leaving in a few short months. We were stuck with, where do we go? How do we make the most money? What is the easiest move? And what just makes sense? Then we were hit in the head with the obvious move to Calgary to install for my brother in law's team at Vivint. Easy move. Near family. They only employ in the months we need employment. Seems too perfect. Done. 

Then we decided on the law school Alex is going to attend. Drum roll please....

Detroit Mercy Law School and Windsor Law.

Confused?

I know you are thinking, why there? how can he go to both schools? why not here (fill in the blank)? What are you thinking?

Yeah, well believe it or not, we thought about this decision a considerable amount. These are the reasons that Detroit is the right move for us:

-70% tuition scholarship. DUH.
-Culture. Yeah okay, it's still America, but living on the opposite side of the country will be a drastic change for our little family. Temporary adventure.
-The dual JD program. This school is the only school in the nation that offers a dual JD degree.  He will attend both Mercy Law(US side) and Windsor Law(Canadian side) throughout his program. The two schools are connected by a bridge from city to city which happens to be closer than I thought. This allows a unique opportunity for Alex to work on either side of the Canadian, US border. The program is more rigorous, but what a cool degree to have! One of our main concerns with Alex attending a US school was having to take the NCA national exams to be able to practice in Canada. This school eliminates this fear. I didn't want him to feel the pressure of passing hard tests designed to discourage lawyers from crossing the border in order to provide for his family the way he imagined. He has already been through a lot of stress with the LSAT and school applications. Enough is enough. The poor guy still has law school ahead of him. After hearing horror stories, we weren't ready to take too many risks and Detroit just made sense.

What I know about the city of Detroit:

NOTHING...just kidding. But almost true. I know that....

They make a lot of cars.

It is the home of the Detroit Redwings baby. Hoping to score tickets to some games.

The city is known for it's high crime rate.

Windsor is only a 10 minute bridge ride away from Detroit.

It can get extremely cold.

That pretty much sums up my extremely uneducated knowledge of Detroit. 

Sometimes when I picture us moving to Detroit I envision this...

I sincerely hope it's not all like this...

We also planned and BOOKED our better late than never....HONEYMOON.

We never got your typical honeymoon paradise because we had to be back at school a few days after we were married. Then that cute chubby little baby happened and before we knew it, we were caught up in life. Which is wonderful but you know what else is wonderful.....Cancun!! April 6th can't come sooner.

Hedley Concert

For Alex's birthday, I splurged on some Hedley concert tickets. My rationalizations for this expenditure are legitimate.

1. We love music. It brought us together.
2. Hedley is so talented and Alex and I are both fans.
3. It's a Canadian band tour and since we are living here, it would be our only chance.
4. I have no self control.
5. I like excuses to spend alone time with my best friend.
6. Nothing beats live music.

Hedley didn't disapoint. They were so good and we had the best seats possible! Front row and dead centre. I started out acting like a teenage screaming fan to be funny and ended up being exactly that. It was so fun! I got Jaccob Hoggard's sweat on me! I even got a guitar pick! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD1ohF9O05U

Updates on the husband.

Alex could NOT put his soccer shoes aside for even a couple months and begged me to find him a soccer league to play in while here in Med hat. So finally we found a team for him to play on. Most of their games landed on Sundays so he only got to play in two games. Kind of a disappointment but you gotta be grateful for what you got right? Enjoyable while it lasted.

Alex is really enjoying working for my Dad and his law firm. At first Alex didn't feel very useful but he is slowly starting to feel comfortable. Every day he feels more and more confident in his career choice. Alex and I often talk about how blessed we are to have the opportunities we have. We will always feel like we can't repay my parents for the foundation they have made for us.

Law schools are overwhelming us. We have a big decision to make and a couple options to discuss. Where do we go for 3 years? Many factors fill our mind and cause the struggle to choose. Location. Money. Education. Across border possibilities. Safety. Scholarships. Start date. End date. Cost of living. We decided to make our decision by this coming Monday. We are feeling the pressure to accept a law school, plan and get excited about it.

We both got called into the Nursery at church. We love it because Jade gets to play and I don't have to juggle her around for all 3 hours. And another plus is that those kids are AAAAAHDORABLE! Snack time is a obvious perk.

A letter From Mom On Your 1rst Birthday!

Little Jade at the hospital...

Birthday girl saying Happy Birthday!

It's fun to see Jade so little and then a year later, SO BIG!

My sweet Jade Marie, today is your first birthday! A year ago today, we were meeting you for the first time. Meeting you was the most spiritual experience I have ever had. Nothing prepares you for this moment. The moment, you see life in an entirely different way. With more surety than ever, I realized that God has to exist. Life is too intricate and complex to be a mistake. There are no words created to describe the moment you were born. We were overcome with love, compassion, protective instincts, happiness, strength and purpose. God has a purpose for you, me and everyone here. God entrusted me and your Dad with one of his precious children…you. My heart stopped when our eyes met. Suddenly, I had a person that needed me. Needed me for everything. One day you won't need me. This reality scares me. But hopefully it also means you have found your eternal companion who takes care of you and loves you an incredible amount.

I can honestly say that this last year has been my favourite. I know that every year will become my new favourite.  In the first year of your life you have lived in Rexburg Idaho, Orem Utah, back to Rexburg and now Medicine Hat Alberta Canada. You have flown on an airplane from Canada to Utah. You have seen all the seasons. You love eating new things. If I ever find you aren't eating well, I just introduce a new food and you are eager to eat it. I will do what ever it takes to hear your laugh or get a cuddle. You are the definition of sweet. Your presence makes everyone in the room smile. You enjoy life but I can tell that you are a thinker too. You think before doing anything. You like people. You smile at anyone with your one tooth sticking out for all the world to see. 

It's hard to believe a year ago, I didn't have you in my life. Thank you for being a constant reminder of the Saviour's love. Your presence reminds me daily of my life's purpose. Your smile reminds me that happiness is right in front of me, and never behind me. This year has flown by so fast. Only a couple more before you think you don't need me. Before you start making decisions on your own. Before you take what we have taught you and test it out on your own life's adventures. Please remember that I love you. That I don't have the ability to stop loving you. It became permanent the day you came into our lives on March 5th, 2013. No letter, no words, will ever adequately represent how deep my love is for you. Happy 1st Birthday Jade! I can't wait to see what another year will bring! Keep lighting up the room.

Love, Mom

We are celebrating Jade's birthday next week when my parent's are back from Hawaii. So expect another post with pictures of her and her smash cake.