Halloween and Fall Fun!!!

I have never been one to enjoy Halloween, except for maybe those days when my dad would dress up and scare the trick or treaters on our front porch or the days before I was diabetic and enjoyed eating myself sick on candy (to be truthful, I usually ended up throwing some of my candy away because I would wait too long to eat it all). I must say that my opinion of Halloween has dramatically improved since having a baby. My opinion of gore and scary movies has stayed the same (very negative) and I still have flashbacks of Dallin jumping out at me from the backseat of my car two years ago, but how can anyone look at this cute little polar bear and not like Halloween at least a little bit? I must say Jackson made the cutest polar bear I have ever seen.



Not only was he the cutest polar bear I have ever seen, but the coolest polar bear I have ever seen too.

We had a ward Halloween party which also doubled as Trunk-or-Treat and a chili/cornbread/pie cook-off. Dallin and used Lisa's (Dallin's sister's) recipe to make some great cornbread (which unfortunately only took first place in our books) and Dallin made a beautiful apple pie from some apples we brought back from my parent's house. I am proud to admit that Dallin won the "Overall Best Pie" award. First place! What a wonderful husband I have. We were so excited. I wish I would have taken a picture of the award winning pie. We also won one of the costume awards. Jackson, as you can tell from above, was a polar bear and Dallin and I were his zookeepers. We wore white and khaki, shorts, tall socks with boots and sandles, sunglasses, and even put sunscreen on our noses. We won the Most Original Costumes award, or something like that. We had a lot of fun passing out candy and hanging out with our friends in our ward. Good times.


On Friday, we also had a Halloween party with some of Dallin's cousins. We had soup and breadbowls, dipped carmel apples, and watched Ghostbusters. That's about as scary a movie as I like them. ;-) We had a lot of fun getting together with family. It's great to live so close to them. Brian, Stephanie and Charlotte came straight from a Halloween party, that's why they are dressed as The Incredibles. The rest of us weren't just party poopers. And Jackson was already asleep, otherwise he would be livin up the party too.


We've been able to do a lot of other fun things together this fall too. Here is a list of just a few of them.


We went to Red Butte Garden. It was beautiful. I loved seeing the trees that had changed colors and all of the beautiful flowers. It is such a fun place to go. We had a great afternoon there.

One morning, we also hiked Ensign Peak bright and early. We left at 7:00 or so. We packed Jackson up there in his handy hiking backpack and had a great time. It was a beautiful view. We also took Dallin's little backpacking stove and made hot chocolate and instant oatmeal when we got to the top. It was so much fun and I have the pictures to prove it.

Jackson obviously liked the hot chocolate, as you can tell from this picture.

We also went to Gardner Village. I had heard that they had some fun Halloween witch displays. Was that ever an understatment. It was crazy! They had witch displays everywhere and they were incredible. Unfortunately, the kids in West Jordan were off track, so there were a billion kids there and it was a little too crowded for us. Maybe next year we will plan our trip a little better. I still enjoyed seeing all of the fun witches.

Pseudo 1 year old pictures revealed

Jackson will be turning one next month, believe it or not. I really wanted to get some good pictures of him for his one year birthday. I also realized that the weather in November is probably going to be less than "picturesque". So, a few weeks ago, my sister Brittany took some pseudo-year old pictures. I think they turned out great. Here are a few of them. Thanks again Britt. She's basically amazing. We sure love our little munchkin.

All Grown Up

The last few days, I have really had something on my mind. It all started on Friday when we had a church meeting for stake conference. Jackson was all wound up and we ended up taking him out to the foyer with all of the other "crazy" kids. Jackson has always been a pretty social little boy. There were two other boys, around two and three, who were out there playing with eachother and driving their little cars. Jackson immediately wanted to be part of their little gang. He crawled right over to them and tried to play with them. He even finangled a way for one of the dads to let him play with another car. He sat on the floor with them and stood up by the little table they were playing by and just laughed. I'm pretty sure he's convinced that he is a big kid now. He loves being mobile and being able to get into anything, and everything, he wants to. I have been asking myself where my little baby has gone. When did he go from this....

and this...

To this?

And thinking about this got me wondering about other things. I realized that 11 month olds aren't the only ones with this problem. Why are we all so focused on being "grown up"? It seems like way too often that we are all saying, I can't wait until I'm done with college, I can't wait until I'm married and don't have to play the dating game anymore, I'll be happy when I have a baby, I really just want to have a house, or my life will finally be complete when I find my "real job".

I've realized that living only for tomorrow makes us miss a lot of today. There's a quote from Thomas S. Monson that says:

If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll have a lot of empty yesterdays today.

It's sad how true this is. I have realized this as I have watched my little boy grow from a newborn who relied on me for everything to a little boy who is almost a year old and wants to do everything himself. I have committed myself to take the time TODAY to enjoy life's little pleasures. Tomorrow will come with it's own set of joys and trials. It's today that we need to take the time to enjoy. Otherwise we might miss moments like this....

and this.....

and this.....
I've learned over the last year as our family has had some hard experiences that you never know when it will be too late to enjoy something or more importantly someone. That's why I've decided to stop living for tomorrow and to start living and loving today.

Isn't life a wonderful thing when you take the time to actually pay attention to it?

Meet the band

It's amazing how much music can change your mood and match the way that you are feeling. If you are having a bad day and just can't express in words how you feel, chances are that there is a song somewhere out there that can say it for you or a song you can bang out on the piano that will help relieve some stress. If you are in a great mood, there are probably thousands of songs that have an upbeat rhythm to match your skipping and singing. I love seeing (and occasionally being) the person that is singing at the top of their lungs to music in their car.

Over the years, my taste in music has grown and metamorphasized. I have grown to like contemporary and beebop music from high school, punk and pop music from roommates, classical music from playing the piano, country music and some oldies music from going to school in a town where those are the only stations you can get on the radio, and last but not least jazz music from marrying a jazz musician. Jazz music has been the most recent addition to my eclectic musical taste. I have realized that Jazz music can be fun, or calming, or relaxing, or awe inspiring. The more I have learned about Jazz, the more I have come to admire Jazz musicians. I cannot believe the talent it takes to be able to improvise and just go with the flow of the music. It's amazing.

I, however, am lucky enough to be married to one of those talented, amazing jazz musicians I was talking about. A few months ago, we helped organize a jazz night out on the grass at our apartment complex. We had food, drinks, friends, and great music to help enjoy the beautiful summer weather. Some of the members of the band formerly known as The Koecher Quartet came down to jam out and share their talents. It was so much fun. We're hoping to do it again. Meet the band....(notice that they were playing on the basketball court :)

Jake Coleman on the guitar. Jimmy Williams is in the background of this picture. He's also an amazing musician and one of the head organizers of the event. We couldn't have done it without him. Thanks a ton!

Ben Watkins on the keyboard.

Scott Allred on the drums.

Dallin Koecher on the bass.

And the honorary member Cameron Wood on the tennis racquet. He jammed out on his tennis racquet for probably half of the concert. It was so cute.

Grateful

Last night, after Jackson was asleep, I snuck into his room, sat down by his crib, held his hand and cried.

They were mostly happy tears.

I cried because I am so grateful for my many blessings. Yesterday, as I watched general conference, I was reminded how important it is to recognize and express your gratitude. I think I took it to heart, because I don't think my heart could have fit any more without exploding.

I cried because I read that a friend from high school gave birth to her second little girl at full term. My friend was fine...but her baby wasn't. She had a stillborn baby girl. As I looked at some of her pictures of the funeral, I realized how grateful I am that I have a healthy baby boy. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be his mother. I love spending time with him. I love playing hide and go seek with him or peekaboo. I love seeing his face light up when he sees me. My heart was broken for my friend. I wish it didn't have to take other's misfortunes for me to be grateful for my blessings.

I cried because I am grateful for my health. I also watched a video clip about Stephanie Nielsen who was in a plane crash and her inspiring story. She is so grateful for her life and her family. I realized that I often take my health for granted. I am such a lucky girl.

I'm grateful for my beliefs. While I don't want to push my beliefs on anyone else, I do want to express how important they are to me. Yesterday, as I listened to the prophet and apostles speak, I felt the Holy Ghost witness to me that Christ knows me and loves me. I am not 'just another person'. I am His daughter. He loves me even more than I love Jackson, which is hard for me to comprehend. I know that life will not always be easy, but that I have a friend who is always there for me, my Savior. He is always listening and reaching out for me. This weekend made me feel more committed to progress. I want to become a better person, a better member of my church, a better mother and wife. I want to become better accquainted with my Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the knowledge I have and for the person it has helped me to become.

As I sat by Jackson's crib and thought about my blessings. Dallin and Jackson were first in my mind. I am so grateful for a husband who is truly my best friend. He is strong enough to hold me when I'm having a hard day. He is sensitive enough to know when it is best just to say nothing. He is funny enough to always make me laugh. He is observant enough to notice when I do the small things, like cleaning the bathroom and thank me for it. He is a wonderful dad to Jackson. I love to here him call Jackson "Sport" and play with him and make car noises when he's giving him a bath. I melt when I see them playing together or sharing tender moments. I feel more in love with Dallin today than I was the day I married him. What a wonderful man. I love you.

I love Jackson for so many reasons. I love him because he makes me smile. I didn't know my heart could hold any more love until the first time I saw him. He is so curious and loving. He's such a smart little boy. He even figured out how to open a ziploc bag so he could eat the graham crackers inside. I love his hugs and slobbery kisses. I love hearing him say "Ma ma ma" even if he isn't really sure what that means yet. Basically, I love being his mom and having the priviledge of getting to know him better and watching him explore the world.

I am also grateful for the time Dallin, Jackson and I get to spend together as a family. I would classify yesterday as "the perfect day". We spent the morning watching general conference. Then we went on a picnic to the park and grilled hot dogs and played with toys. We layed on the grass and enjoyed the last of this beautiful weather. We watched some more conference and played on the swings outside. We watched Kung Fu Panda and I cuddled with my boys. I gave Jackson a bath and he fell asleep in my arms while I was feeding him before bed as I sang to him and talked to him and told him how much I love him. Yep. A perfect day.

A whole bunch of firsts

Here is my best attempt at getting a picture of him for his ten month pictures of him, his bear, and his sign. It didn't work out too well. He think paper is the coolest thing and must be crinkled, ripped, torn, and eaten. This worked okay though. Notice the bear on the floor. Close enough.

He's still a skinny guy though. While I was trying to take his pictures, I looked away and when I looked back, he had wriggled out of his pants. What a funny boy.

It feels like Jackson has been growing so much lately! He is doing so many new things and getting so big! Over the weekend, he got his first tooth. While he was at it, he decided two is better than one. He got his top two teeth first. I had never heard of a baby getting the top teeth first. He seems to be doing really well though. It is borderline impossible to get a good look at them though. Everytime you try to get him to open his mouth, he sticks his tongue out or squirms away. They are definitely there though.

On a sadder note, Jackson also had his first cold. It was a doosy. He had a runny nose, a cough, and then some stuffy nose moments. Luckily, he still slept great at night. He was just grumpy and clingy during the day. I'm glad he's over that now. He was not a happy camper. I missed my easy going, happy little guy.

I also now have my first "real" job in my field. I got a social work job. I currently work part time at Highland Care Center. It has really worked out well for me. I do social histories, psychosocial exams, paperwork (of course), and some mental health therapy when I have extra time. It's been great to get to know new people and try new things. I like having a job in the field I went to school for so long for. Now I get to start adding up my hours until I get the 4000 hours required to get my LCSW license. Until then, I'm starting to get used to signing my name, Amber Koecher, CSW. It's fun to actually have letters after your name ;-) I'm so grateful to have friends, family and an amazing husband who are so willing to help out with Jackson as I make this step.

This other first happened a while ago, but I can't forget to write about it. Jackson is now a first-class sleeper. He sleeps through the night and takes pretty good naps (usually) throughout the day. I can't even tell you how nice it is to be well rested. Sleep should be everyone's best friend. It's a lot easier to be happy and productive when you got some rest the night before. Jackson wasn't like all of my other friends babies who, at least it seemed like it to me, slept through the night at two months old. We had to have a few more months of interrupted nights. Everytime I heard someone else talking about how their newborn slept through the night, I wanted to hit something. To everyone who may be thinking of beating me up around now, the time will come when you get to be the one bragging. Until then, go play soccer or something else to take it out on.

Jackson also has his first (okay maybe it's his fifth or sixth) girlfriend. He is definitely a ladies man. This is a neighbors little girl who I watch on Monday's. She is only five days younger than Jackson. How fun. You can tell from his smile that he really enjoys flirting. Oh boy. What will his teenage years be like?

He is also crawling like crazy now. I thought at first that he would skip crawling and go straight to walking. Nope, I was wrong again. He still prefers walking and will crawl over to our couch or anything upright and pull himself up to standing so he can cruise around. We also discovered that he likes playing hide and go seek. I'll go crawl somewhere in our house to hide and he'll come crawling after me until I jump out at him. Then he'll just laugh. It's so much fun.

He's also turned out to be quite the little destroyer. He likes to get into anything and everything. Then he'll look at me all mischeviously and it's hard to get mad. He's such a busy little guy.

Jackson also loves books. It makes me so happy. Sometimes he'll sit on my lap and let me just read to him. He loves the texture books and likes to turn the pages himself. More often, he just likes to look at books on his own. He'll sit and turn the pages and look at the pictures. Sometimes he'll even lay down and look at books while he's holding the book with his feet. And some people doubt we came from monkeys :-)

These last few pictures are too cute not to include. The aviator picture is especially for his Uncle Cody. He can't wait to go flying with you. Notice Dallin and I both trying to hold his hands for half a second to stop him from ripping the glasses off so we could take a picture.

I also love this one. I have a 5x7 of this on my desk at work. It makes me so happy to look at it. What a happy baby. We sure love you Jackson!

Walk to Cure Diabetes!!!

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes almost nine years ago on November 30, 2001. I am grateful for the medical progress that has been made to make diabetes a liveable thing. On August 21st, my family and I participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes at Wheeler Farm. It was a lot of fun to be surrounded by family and doing something for a cause that strikes close to home for me. The event was huge this year. Dallin and I participated in the Cache Valley walk last year and enjoyed ourselves and decided to make it a tradition. The walk at Wheeler Farm was for Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties. It was crazy. They said they had over 6,000 registered walkers. It was very well organized. I'm so glad we were able to participate. Hopefully the money raised by JDRF (The Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation) will continue to bring people closer to finding a cure. It has been a long road for me to figure out how to best live with this disease. I dream of a day when they will find a cure and there will be no more finger pokes, carb counting and insulin. Until then, we'll be participating in more diabetes walks. ;-)

Thanks family for all of your love and support in this event. It really means a lot to me. :)