Heartbroken...

Jeff posted this as one of his Jazzbot posts...it was a sad day seeing Deron leave the Jazz...it was especially sad for Jaxon as you can see once you read Jeff's post.  I wanted to add how much I love reading Jeff's posts...he has a talent for writing that I would be happy having just a small portion of.

Perspective

Posted by: Jefferson Trimble on February 25th, 2011

The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.

I was prepared for this, I had told myself that if the Jazz traded Deron Williams it would be in the best interest of the team. Then it happened, unexpectedly. I was still on board, we got a lot of talent back. We may take two steps backwards but we take one forward with the picks, Favors, and Harris.

Then it all caught up to me. I walked through the door at the end of a long day. My son came up to me in his Deron Williams jersey and welcomed me home. It became apparent that my wife had not told my son the news. One of the wonderful things about sports is the bond that comes from watching it with your son.I share this bond with my Dad and have loved sharing it with my son.

Here was the challenge, explaining to my five year old why it was a good thing that we had just traded his favorite player. I decided to just come right out and say it. Here’s how it went:

Me: “Hey bud, the Jazz traded Deron today”

Jax (My Son): “Why”

Me: In my head “because Deron was going to leave any way…wait I don’t want to make Deron out to be the bad guy to my son.” What came out, “they just decided it was a good decision.”

Jax: “Now who’s my favorite player going to be.”

Me: (Unconvincingly) “Millsap, they have a guy named Devin, that’s close to Deron.”

Jax: “Is he number eight.”

Me: No

Jax: “Who’s number eight?”

Me: “We don’t have one anymore”

Jax: “Then I need a new jersey.”

At this point he ran into the bathroom, locked the door, and cried.

As you can see I didn’t fair too well. This did put it all in perspective, my son is a Jazz fan. While it might be sad for him and me to see a great player leave, we still have the team. Tonight, when the Jazz take on the Indiana Pacers and start a new chapter in the franchise, my son and I will be watching. That makes it all better!

Jaxon is 5!

When did we go from this...

To this?

Looking back at the pictures of Jaxon when he was little brought back so many memories.  I remember how clueless I felt as a new mom, but also how much I loved it.  It was a lot harder than I expected it to be...and also more rewarding.   I think back now to what he (and Claire) have taught me since then and how much my love has grown for both of them.  Jaxon is a great big brother and I love how excited he is to have a baby brother.  He's always amazed me with his memory and his intelligence. He cracks me up all the time and loves helping with laundry, dishes, and cooking.

He got to pick what we had for dinner the night before his birthday.  He chose homemade pizzas...and he wanted to make them himself.  He took all of our orders and made our pizzas...they turned out yummy. He opened his presents first thing the next morning...his favorite gift was his new bike.

His birthday party was a week after his brithday (post to follow) so we let him pick where he wanted to go on his actual birthday.  He picked the mall..he loves playing in dino town, riding the carousel, and riding on the train.  Since he had turned 5, he told us he was old enough to go in a car by himself.

Here he is happy as can be....what the pictures don't show...Claire and I crammed into the next car with another lady and her kid so Jax could have his own car...just a bit awkward.

We went to Training Table for lunch...a favorite of Jaxon's.   He got a popcorn machine from his grandparents that he couldn't wait to use.  That night we enjoyed Despicable Me and popcorn at the Trimble Theater.

Things I don't want to forget about Jaxon at this age:

• He is 100% boy...loves wrestling with his Dad, loves watching sports, loves fixing things and knowing how everything works.
• Hobbies....playing Super Mario on his DS or the Wii, playing with friends, building with legos, being a firefighter, playing outside.
• Favorite Movie...Star Wars
• Favorite TV Show....Curious George and Cat in the Hat
• Favorite Foods...pizza, baked potatoes, spaghetti, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and broccoli.
• He enjoys preschool...especially since he gets to go with his cousin McKay. He has started bringing home books and is doing well with reading.
• He loves drawing and making art projects and giving them to me or his dad.
• He loves putting on his Jazz jersey and playing basketball...it's hilarious to listen to him play and I'm impressed by how much he knows already.
• When Jaxon grows up he wants to be an EMT/fireman.
• He loves Toby as much or more than he did when we got him.  
• He has a sweet side that I love...he always tells me I'm the best mom in the whole world. 

Happy Birthday Jaxon!!!  You've brought us so much happiness!! We love you!

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day....I love decorating my house for it and it breaks up the long winter months.  I like having an excuse to get a babysitter and have a date night.  This year I was thinking back on the Valentine's Days that I remember the most.  When Jeff and I were dating, we bought our own lobsters and cooked them ourselves and had fondue for dessert.  It was a great first Valentine's Day spent together.  Jaxon was born on February 12th and we brought him home from the hospital on Valentine's Day...definitely another one I won't forget.  The last few years, we've celebrated it on a different night to avoid the long restaurant waits...this year we went out on the Friday after, ate at Texas Roadhouse and went to the King's Speech.   It's so nice to get out and enjoy time with your hubby!  

I thought it would be fun on Valentine's Day to do a party for the kids since Jaxon was off track as well as his cousins.  They had fun playing games...passing the heart until the music stopped, don't eat cupid, and the hot/cold game to find the hidden heart.  They have so much fun together no matter what it is they are doing.

We decorated heart sugar cookies:

And ended with the kids exchanging Valentine's.  Fun was had by all and is something we'll have to make a tradition.