The Cysewski Family

A Silent Miracle.

2011-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

I have wondered lately about tender mercies. We are given them more than we know. We have been told to serve others and if at all possible, to keep our service anonymous. Serve in secret. This leads me to wonder how often the Lord serves us without even knowing it. I believe I had one such experience last night.

After dinner, my children were a mess, naturally. So, I decided to bathe them. I was extremely distracted for some reason, and Nick wasn't feeling well, so thankfully my beloved sister Katie came to the rescue. She walked in the bathroom and started making her goo-goo eyes at Jordin. I left to go get Jaxon so he could join his sister in the tub. I completely forgot to turn the water off so the tub filled up a little too much. I kindly asked Katie to let some water out and forgot about it. Kate left to go do her makeup or something and I was left with my babies.

No big deal.

I was confident that my kids would be ok for 10 seconds while I went to get some clothes for Jordin so I could get her out. My kids are nuts in the tub sometimes. They like to throw toys and bang and splash, so the noise I heard during that 10 seconds was nothing out of the normal. For a split second I didn't think anything about it. I then had a strange experience. I felt and heard the word "RUN". Nick was asleep-ish and there I was alone in the room besides him. Without hesitation, I booked it to the bathroom to find something that will give any mother a heart attack. My baby was on her back with only her mouth out of the water. Her eyes were huge and she had a look of absolute panick on her face. I quickly scooped her up and to my surprise, she wasn't even choking. She looked up at me with her goofy smile like nothing had happened.

OK.....

It took me a few minutes to calm down, for my heart rate to go back to normal, and to take in what had just happened. I explained to Nick what had just happened and we thought we were pretty blessed to have such an amazing experience in following the spirit. I said a small prayer of gratitude and hugged and kissed her like never before. Little did I know at that time, it went a little deeper than that. I got the kids dressed and we headed to the TV to watch BYU take on San Diego State (Amazing game, by the way). If anyone reading this knows about Jimmer Fredette, you know how captivating his game can be. He played so well that the game took my complete attention and I completely forgot about what had just happened.

Then 2:30 a.m. happened.

Jaxon woke up with a vengeance in the middle of the night. I think he must have had a nightmare or something. Anyway, he wet his pants so I had to change him and everything so by the time I got him back in bed, I was wide awake. Awesome. Sometimes when I can't sleep I like to list things I am grateful for. I started doing that and I remembered the previous night's events. I stopped to think more in depth about what had happened and a few things ran through my mind.

1. Katie followed the spirit without really knowing it. If she had let out any less water than she did, it could have been fatal. I had a very very VERY strong impression that it would have been. It was almost like a voice telling me that I could have lost my baby tonight. I am extremely grateful for a faithful sister who listens to the spirit and is worthy to have it with her.

2. I got to the bathtub just in time. I felt very impressed that if I would have waited just 1 more second to get up and run, that also could have been fatal. That noise wasn't anything abnormal. So what made me get up and run as fast as I did?

After these 2 thoughts crossed my mind, I began to have a small panick attack. I couldn't breath, my heart was racing, but I felt more gratitude than anything else. I could literally feel the arms of my Savior around me, and him telling me through the spirit what had really taken place that night. Without the spirit, my baby would be gone. All these things took place enough for me to recognize it at the time, but when I really stopped to think about it, I was blessed with more information about what REALLY happened.

The spirit saved my baby's life.

There is no doubt in my mind that the spirit is real. There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ lives and that he is watching out for us. He blesses us and guides us even when we have no idea. He has a plan and anything and everything that happens in our lives is all part of his plan. He knows us so well. He knew how distracted I was, so he sent Katie upstairs. He knew everything. He knows everything. I am so grateful for this experience. I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, it is real, it is for all people. I can't imagine my life without Jordin and I feel that I will be forever in His debt for letting her stay with us.

So here is a challenge to both of you who read this: Pay special attention to the spirit. If you wonder if it is really you or if it is in fact the spirit prompting you, never hesitate. Even if it is something that seems small and insignificant, it may not be in the end.

My baby girl.

2011-01-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

So, a little over a year later, I'm ready for another post. But first, for both of you who read this and already know about Jordin, just to satisfy the inner OCD in me, I must tell about my sweet baby J. She was born March 25th 2010 at 8:04 pm at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. She was delivered via C-section performed by Dr. Mary Janowiak. Everything went well and she was absolutely beautiful from the first second we saw her. The surgery was supposed to start at 5 pm, but the doctor got caught up in another case and made us wait for 3 hours. We didn't mind too much though, because we had march madness to enjoy :)

She was 6 lbs 1 oz and 21 inches long. We have loved watching our little baby grow and melt our hearts each and every day. I'm sorry it took me so long to announce her birth, but with 2 kids, blogging isn't exactly #1 on my priority list! :)

My walking child!

2010-01-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a little boy named Jaxon decided that crawling was a bit overrated. So, he strapped up his walking shoes and took off! Now, he's living happily ever after walking around and causing his mother grief. We love our little boy so much, and we're proud of him! Enjoy!

Family Pictures

2010-01-13T21:01:00.001-08:00

We took some family pictures when we were home
for Christmas. Here are some of my favorites. :)

I think this is the best family picture we've ever taken. Jaxon was a little sleepy...

The two prego's. Kindof humiliating...

Da boys

I just love this picture, Rachel is too cute!

Grandma and Grandpa with their adorable grandchildren.

Da grills. And yes, Darcy is the oldest...

All of us minus Nick, who was taking the picture.

All of us minus Ben, who was taking the picture..

All because two people fell in love :)

Flying home

2009-12-31T09:53:00.000-08:00

So I'm finally posting pictures from our excursion up North. It was so much fun to see our families again! We're so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives, and we love you all more than you'll ever know! Enjoy!

Jaxon was a little sad to leave...
Oh I love these people!

I love these people too! Cute family pic on the boardwalk!

Uncle Spencer and Action Jaxon. They bonded:)

We had a birthday party for Jax while we were there. It was a lot of fun, but I think he was more interested in the boxes and wrapping paper!

We went to a Chief's game and it was 'toss-a-bear' night. When the Chiefs scored their first (and only) goal, everyone threw teddy bears on the ice that they had brought from home to donate to charity. It was really cool watching all those bears fly out onto the ice. It took 3 pickup trucks to take them all out and then some! Soooo many bears!

Thanks Ben for the tickets, we had a ton of fun!

We were able to bring Nick's family along with us. It was lots of fun!

Ben also got us tickets to an Eastern Washington basketball game. Even if it was a women's game, it was still a lot of fun. We had the best roadtrip ever going out there, then we got a pizza for $3! You can't beat that!

Recognize this horse? He was able to sit on it a little better this time:)

Happy Birthday Mr. Jaxon!

2009-12-19T12:29:00.001-08:00

Wow I can't believe that one year ago we were still waiting for Mr. Jaxon to come, going through labor, surgery and finally holding this sweet little boy in our arms for the very first time. This year has gone by extremely fast and we have loved having our little boy in our home. He has brought so much happiness and laughter to our home! This post is a tribute to my sweet little boy! We love you Jax!

He has always been a very good-natured, well-behaved kid.
He doesn't cry very often, even when he was brand new.

He has always been an extremely happy child. He always wakes up smiling and laughing (very ulike his mother), and just about anything will make him crack a big lovable grin. His smile is contagious and he makes everyone around him so happy.

He lets us dress him up in funny things and laugh at his expense.
It's almost like he can sense that he's the center of attention and he LOVES it!

He is so interested in the little things of life. I know all babies are like this, but it's a neat lesson we can learn from them. He doesn't take things for granted, he's happy about everyday life. He enjoys what he has and doesn't get upset about the things he doesn't have. Unless he's hungry.....

Let's be honest...the kid is ridiculously good looking!
He's going to be a heart breaker someday!

He has such a special, sweet spirit. After his blessing, a lady in our ward came up to Nick and told him that she could feel that Jaxon has a very special spirit. I've felt it from before day 1. There is no doubt in my mind that he's extremely close to the spirit and that the Lord has something great planned for him on this Earth. So...no pressure, right?

I think most kids hate their carseats. Jaxon, not so much. He's never really minded his carseat. In fact, he usually falls asleep in it. Good boy!

He is one strong kid! He tried holding his head up at the hospital the day he was born. I used to call him 'mommy's little linebacker' before he was born, and for good reason! He'll be some sort of football player someday, I'm sure!

Again, he's just happy all the time. He had croup this week, and even through all that, he was still smiling and laughing. He couldn't breathe, talk, cry, or laugh, but he smiled through it all. What an example!

There are just little things he does every day that
just make us smile and giggle a little bit... :)

I believe that he understands reverence in a way that we don't. I think this is part of the reason why he is so calm and well-behaved. He did this with his hands by himself at the hospital, by the way...

And here is my kiddo today. Just to show you how much he's grown, that is the outfit we brought him home from the hospital in. It used to be too big for him! He's grown so much in so many ways and has taught me so many valuable lessons. I love my baby so much, and my love for him grows every single day. I hope I can continue to learn from him often, and help him become the person that Heavenly Father wants him to become. Happy Birthday Champ! We love you!

Welcome home Elder Pingel!

2009-12-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

So, my little brother, well, younger brother, just barely got home. This is hot off the press! I was crying before I even opened the attachment on my phone. Thank you Katie for sending me this video! Welcome home Spencer!

My boy is getting so big!

2009-11-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

So, we've been trying to help Jaxon learn to walk. We do this every night that Nick is home before we put him to bed, he's getting better!

An Early Thanksgiving

2009-11-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we were able to drive to Idaho Falls to see our beloved family. Adam and Darcy had their sweet little boy, my parents were coming to town, so we decided we couldn't pass this opportunity up! We got there around 3 am Sunday morning and even though we were exhausted, it was an amazing day! We had an early Thanksgiving dinner since we were all together. It was such a happy time! Here are some pics! Enjoy :)

My baby Jax and his cousin Jack. So cute, I can't

believe Jax used to be that little!

I think maybe she's hungry?

Typical...

Grandpa has such a magical touch...

This is how excited they were to see us!

Grandma with her newest grandson! Precious!

Hahaha I love this one, Jaxon is giving gramma big kisses.

Gramma seems a little surprised!

I love to sit in the middle.

Dad helping to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. Nice...

This is Jaxon's first snow experience. Last time it snowed, he was too little

to play in it. I'm not sure what he thought about it...

This was a video of his first snow angel. Too funny!

Jaxon had his very first snowball fight. The last one accidentally hit him in the face, I felt so bad! The look on his face was pretty funny though!

Funny Rachel

2009-11-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

So, I was looking through old videos on my phone and I came across this. This was about a year ago, and Uncle Nick was apparently hilarious this night. I thought this was too cute to not put on here, I hope this is ok Ben and Michelle!

Epistle #2

2009-11-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Thanksgiving,

I'm so sorry that I skipped you and wrote to Christmas. I really do love your special day. It's the one day of the year I can eat all I want and not feel guilty about it. For that, I am forever grateful. I love how you bring families together and then tag-team the holiday excitement to your brother Christmas. You rock.

Sincerely yours,
The Cysewski's

A letter for a friend

2009-11-09T13:54:00.001-08:00

Dear Christmas,

Can you please come now? This year, Christmas means we get to go home to our families. We want Christmas here now. Please?

That is all.

Love,
Cysewski's

Jaxon is such a silly boy...

2009-11-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

So, Jaxon likes to make these silly faces these days. It is
hilarious when he does it, he even does it on command
sometimes! We love our fat-cheeked little person so much:)

Aunt Bekah came to visit!

2009-11-05T10:14:00.001-08:00

So this past weekend, we had my sister Bekah come visit. It was lots of fun and we really enjoyed having her! Here are a few pics from the weekend.

The Christmas bug kinda hit us hard and early this year, so for our family night, we set up our tree. We bought this decoration, its a Winter Wonderland Halfpipe. Snowboarders go down the halfpipe as it plays Christmas songs. It's kinda funny, we love it though!

Here's the finished product! Small, but our apartment is small too. So, our Charlie Brown christmas tree will be perfect this year :)

Sometimes he makes this face. All the times it is funny.

Pretty sure he is the cutest little boy ever. He loves wrestling his bears.

Dear Aunt Bekah. Thank you for sticking foreign objects in my nose. Love, Jaxon

Whenever he sees a camera, he automatically smiles.

Maybe he'll be some sort of male model when he grows up?

Bekah wearing the old forgotten tree skirt.

I am a tree, I am a tree, Oh glory be I am a tree...

Good little sleeper. He loves to sleep with his turtle, Russell.

Not sure what kind of face he's pulling, but its cute!

Decorating the tree! Blogger wouldn't let me move it to the top, so here it is...

2009-10-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

So...we gave Jaxon a warhead today...kids are so much fun!

What a good day!

2009-10-20T22:49:00.001-07:00

Wow what a day! We got to find out the gender of our 2nd baby today! We were told that it's 90% sure that its a girl! So, Jordin Brianne, welcome to our family! :) Here are some sweet pics of our little girl:)

She's waving hi!

These are her feet, she's sitting criss-cross applesauce on the right.

Another cute profile. They actually changed our due date to March 31st, so we're not as far along as we thought/hoped. But, She'll be here soon enough! We hope!

Oops!

2009-10-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Alright...so it's been a while...I hope this makes up for lost time. Here are just some pictures of what we've been up to lately. All of these are on Facebook already, but some people do not have access, SOOOO, here we go!

We enjoyed a nice walk to the mailbox:)

I love this picture. I think its the hair.

We bought him his first pair of wranglers. Too cute!

This just makes me so happy.

He bit Nick during church one day and it actually hurt. Lo and behold, we have teeth!

He really is such a happy boy.

I love it when we catch him making funny faces.

Huge mohawk!

At my Aunt Janet's house, listening to a baby boom-box. Too cute!

One happy fella!

So deep in thought...

He seems a bit puzzled...

And our favorite....He's going to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. Nick is going to be Waldo, like, where's Waldo? Anyway, these are the glasses that came with Nick's costume and we just had to put them on Jaxon. The funniest part was that Jaxon just left them on his face and looked at Nick with that huge goofy smile. We were laughing so hard, and it is now the background on the computer so we get a pretty good laugh everytime we get on the computer. Funny funny kid!

Another lesson learned

2009-10-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is the most amazing, wonderful thing in the world. I couldn't sleep tonight, so I thought I'd update my blog and share some thoughts about this wonderful chapter in my life. I think my whole life I've thought about when I'm a parent, I'm going to be the teacher. I'm going to teach my kids right from wrong, I'll teach them all about the Gospel, sports, academics, and life in general. This is a very important part of being a parent, but one aspect of it that I never thought about was being taught by my kids. After all, they come into this world with no knowledge of anything, how in the world can they teach us??? Let me just say that I've been downright humbled on many levels the past ten months....

In the scriptures, Christ teaches us to become as little children. I always knew what that meant, but never really understood it. Until now. One of my favorite things to do while I'm at home all day with Jaxon, is to watch him. I watch him use his imagination and play with his toys. I watch him grow and develop physically and mentally. I am absolutely mesmerized by him. He is so fascinating. One thing that we've struggled with lately, is that he will yell and scream if he wants something. We have no idea how to make him stop. Sometimes, we kinda get after him a little bit. I think about my childhood and the many times I was in trouble. (I know, I know, you all thought I was perfect...) Sometimes it made me sad for a long time. What I've learned from Jaxon, and what I think the Lord was trying to teach us, is that becoming like a child is more than being innocent and humble. It's being loving and forgiving through learning and through hard times. Almost immediately after he gets in trouble, he'll lean in and give me or daddy a kiss, or a big smile, or even a hug. He doesn't dwell on the past, he is so happy and forgiving. It is extremely humbling to me that if Jaxon can be that much like Christ, why can't I? And that's exactly how Christ lived his life. Even on the cross, he prayed to the Father for the forgiveness of the men who inflicted so much torment and pain on him.

One thing I learned today in particular, was not to look on the situation with a closed mind. I need to be more understanding, and look at the bigger picture. Today, Jax had a rough day. He was fussy most of the day and yelled more than usual. It wasn't until tonight that we took his temperature only to find that he had a fever. That would explain the fussiness! Yes, I think my child is extraordinary. I think he is the cutest little boy on the planet. But today, I gained a lot of respect for this tiny little person.

Today, it wasn't me, the mighty parent who was the teacher. No, the real teacher today was my Little Jaxon.

Trying to fit in......NOT!!!!

2009-08-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so....this makes me so sick. I went in to cut my hair the other day and told the lady what i wanted-short, but not so short that i end up looking like a boy and can't even put it behind my ear. SOOOO, she procedes to cut...and cut...and cut...and cut...she was telling me her whole life story and was so into it apparently, that she didn't want to stop. Therefore, I suffer the consequences of her horrible life...

Redfish Lake :)

2009-08-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

We had the awesome opportunity to go to Redfish Lake out in the middle of nowhere this past weekend. My whole family was there, and we all had soooo much fun! Here are some pics:)

Nick, mighty king of the rock!

This was on our nature hike. There were massive logs that had fallen over the river. So, we climbed to the middle for some great family pics!

The boys going across

Jaxon fell asleep so we put him in with his cousin Paige. Too cute!

Ok good thing we had the camera ready, he actually put
his arm around me and posed! Thanks little gooey!

Aunt Bekah, I spy something tall and
green....Can you guess what it is?

They're boat broke down? Ha ha ha just kidding, we just
took Ben, Michelle, Logan and Taylor for a ride:)

Brandon and Rachel playing in the sand. So cute!

Jaxon had fun with Grandpa :)

His first Kayak ride...He may have been a little skeptical...

Grandpa with the children

So cute, getting dirty together!

Mr. Jaxon quite enjoyed his first Kayak ride!

Todd and Dianne enriched our lives with this amazing activity. This was an amazing sword fight! Everyone was involved, and we had so much fun! Thanks T&D!

Logan and Carter skipping rocks. Nice form Logan!

Grandma with her grandsons :)

Beautiful lake! It rained the first couple days, but it was worth it!

After an intense round of pooh sticks!

Go Pooh Sticks!

This might just be the cutest Rachel picture ever taken...

Little Jaxon is a professional Whistler these days!

Fun in the sun with Daddy!

2009-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

These are just some cute videos of Nick and Jaxon
playing in the pool, he sure loves his daddy!

Boise!!!!

2009-08-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, things have been pretty crazy in our little family. The Lord has blessed us so much lately that I just can't believe all that has happened. Let me see if I can give you the short version of everything the past couple months. First of all, Nick graduated from Alpine College with his Surgical Technologist Degree. We had a bit of a hard time looking for a job, there were no openings in the Idaho Falls area. So, I randomly suggested looking in Boise. Very random! But, Nick applied for one job at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. He called about his application the next day, and they called him back a few hours later and asked him to come in for an interview! Wow! So, he drove 4 hours for his interview. They were super impressed that he drove all that way, and a couple days later they called and told him that he had the job! We were so excited!!! Well, we realized that we were going to need a place to live so we headed back to Boise to look.

I know we were inspired and led to the apartments we are in, because we walked into the office 2 hours before this move-in special ended. We got about $200 knocked off our monthly rent, and we have been blessed with absolutely everything we wanted/needed.

We were able to get the moving truck without a problem and when we got here, the car broke down the next day! BUT, I haven't really looked at it in a bad way, our ward has been so amazing in offering us rides to anywere we needed to go. The more people we meet, the more settled in we get, the more we realize that we are supposed to be here right now, and we are sooooo excited to see what the Lord has in store for us! Anyway, Here are some pics from the last month of our lives! Enjoy!

Jaxon sleeps funny sometimes!

This is what Jaxon does when he's supposed to be taking a nap..

So....we don't have a dining room table yet...no big deal!
This was our first sunday dinner, roast, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans!

I dunno, I just love this picture:)

Jaxon's bookshelf....

Jaxon's wall...are you surprised?

Jaxon's room...

The master bedroom...Yes, that is a futon we are fortunate enough
to have, otherwise we'd be sleeping on the floor!

Jaxon's bathroom

Our front room with the awkwardly placed fire place...

My kitchen! And yes, that is a pantry! Oh i love it! I didn't put up pictures of our bathroom because it was very very messy and rather than clean it, sometimes its just easier to skip it! Lets be honest here.. Our apartment also includes a washer and dryer and a huge walk in closet. We absolutely love it here and wish that everyone could come see us! Anyway, I'll post more pics and videos of Jaxon crawling for real when he finally does!

Mr. Jaxon is trying to be big!!

2009-08-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

He started rocking one night and we were just dying. It was pretty funny to watch him scream at himself. Attention ladies: Please pay no attention to the random leg in this video. Thank you.

This is a huge step for Mr. Jaxon, if he doesn't have anything electronic to go after, he usually just does the worm...He especially loves Nick's iphone. Go figure!

The fourth!

2009-07-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on the Fourth of July. We took our barbeque down to the river in Idaho Falls and we grilled hot dogs and played games and had lots of fun. One of the most exciting events of the day came a couple hours after we got there. Dark clouds started to form and then...it started to rain! We were close to a huge pine tree so we scattered and were able to get ourselves under the tree. It only lasted about a half hour though, so it wasn't too horrible.

This was the view we had all evening. It was beautiful!

He was super tired!

We had a hard time keeping him awake around 7 pm.
He had been awake since 2:30, which is a long time for him!

One of our attempts to keep him awake!

He was mesmerized by all the geese and ducks
and seagulls. We had fun feeding them!

These guys were not scared of us! We were feeding them goldfishes:)

Those clouds are so tall!!

Goofy boy!

Jaxon finds a friend!

2009-07-05T06:59:00.001-07:00

My good friend Jamison and her husband Lee came to visit a couple weeks ago. They brought their daughter Avery who is 2 months younger than Mr. Jaxon. It was so fun to see them and to see the two littles ones interact. I think it was love at first sight, Jaxon didn't even growl at her!
This was the first night, he was already trying to hold her hand!

Snuggle time!

Avery just wanted a hug, she got more than she bargained for!

Best friends!

Just hangin out

He didn't want to let go!

Funny babies!

We went to Rexburg and we took a stroll around campus for a little while. Nice face James!

Yellowstone!!!

2009-06-22T09:59:00.001-07:00

So, Nick and I both had the day off so we decided to head up to West Yellowstone to Watch my brother Adam in The Secret Garden. It was such a fun little trip, and Adam did great! I highly recommend it to anyone! It was fun to see Adam and Darcy and little unborn Pingel :)

We found this little cowboy vest at the D.I. and we couldn't pass it up. We found a little cowboy shirt to go with it. We thought that since we would be in hick country, if you will, we needed to find a cowboy hat to go along with his little get up...here's what we found!

A view from behind...

His hat was perfect, it says Jackson Hole, WY. It says his name

on it! It's spelled wrong, but hey...its still adorable.

We found him some boots to go along with his outfit...

My cowboy :)

We got super lucky because Yellowstone Park was free the day we went. So, we took a little stroll through the historic park. We got super excited when we came to the Fountain Paint Pots. They are 300 degree pools of water and mud that boil and bubble and make really stinky smells. So cool, and so fun to see!

This was the view from the road...

Some sort of Geyser?

It started raining and we had left his cowboy hat in

the car...so the blanket got soaked instead!

Cool! The water was so blue, I wanted to jump in...

We took a side road into Firehole Canyon. It was so amazing, if it

wasn't raining I would have stayed there all day!

Not a place I'd like to go camping...

Elk? Deer? I dunno...

A buffalo frolicking in the field

On the way home, we caught Jaxon's new trick on camera...
Listen carefully, he thinks he's a puppy :)

And last but certainly not least, I took a very illegal video of my
little brother. Sorry Adam :) The image is kindof blurry because
it was taken with my cell phone. Go Adam Go! Tap away!

Fun in the sun!

2009-06-22T09:11:00.001-07:00

We had a great opportunity to visit home for a few days this month. Nick had to take his certification test in Spokane so we packed our bags and bid farewell to the dreary wasteland of Souteastern Idaho. PS, Nick passed with flying colors and is now official! Next step, find a job....Anyway, here are some highlights from our amazing journey up north.

Jaxon and his shoulder angels

Fun vacation mom....

Jaxon decided to take a little swim!

Update

2009-06-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so its been a while...again...No internet is the excuse this time. So, here are some pics of us from the last month or so. Enjoy!

He doesn't seem to excited about his portable crib...

Someone likes his carrots:)

Jaxon is learning how to sit up on his own, and he loves his new toys!

Nick graduated from Alpine College, and this is what i got him as a graduation gift...ok not really but we look good anyway!

Mommy missed the boys at work, so Daddy sent a sweet pic:)

Jaxon is a good little sleeper.

Nick's mom and dad took us motorcycling today actually. It was my first time going, and we had a blast. The view from the top of the mountain was gorgeous!

We could see Hayden Lake on one side and Lake Coeur d' Alene on the other.

Such a beautiful view!

Our little sleeping beauty!

He's starting to love to read:)

He's such a stud in his Jordan gear.

He's trying to get used to the green stuff...

Hahaha a picture says a thousand words!

His first highchair experience

Finally he's met his match...

Every kid in the world has to have one of these toys, and he absolutely loves it!

Waaaaay past someone's bedtime...

Mommy, if I give you this look, then I get anything I want right?

I had to get a wisdom tooth pulled and this is what happened...

Oops!

2009-03-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

So, its been a couple months, sorry about that. I've been super super busy with work and Mr. Jaxon and trying to get everything ready to move. But, everything is done now, well, all that I can do and Mr. Jaxon is sound asleep so I thought I'd take advantage to post some pics real quick.

Here he is in his new Sunday sweater.

He is such a cute sleeper!

Sometimes he makes a sad sad face...

We found some little cowboy boots and a hat from a stuffed animal
and put it on him. He looked amazing!

This is his 3 month birthday, and thats the outfit we
brought him home from the hospital in. Keep in mind that
that outfit was a little big on him...

He just makes me so happy. So cute!

His sad face is so adorable!

His cousin Rachel just loves "Sesson"

She's takin him for a little stroll.

Hoping to not get eaten by Brandon...

His blessing day, February 1, 2009. It was such a special day, Nick
got to bless him and it was absolutely perfect:)

Being a mommy...

2009-01-19T16:31:00.001-08:00

We had a tragic thing happen last week, as I was taking pictures with my camera, something strange started to happen...it got pale, shaky and dizzy, then suddenly, he choked...he died in my arms! Poor fella...So, we've been looking for the cord for Nick's camera so we could get pics off of my memory card..we thought we were successful today..dang it! There are a lot of great pictures that I was going to post with this one but we are having bad luck over here.

Anyway, on a happier note, it is someone's one month birthday today! I thought in honor of my little boy, I would share what I've learned so far being a new mommy!

1-Naps are ok! Lately I've had a problem taking naps because I felt like I had too much to do...now its the only thing I think of these days! Great invention!

2- You learn to do everything with one hand. When the little tike is especially grumpy and you need to make a bottle, this skill comes in quite handy. You can do things you never thought you'd be able to do!

3- Wide mouth bottles are a lifesaver! Who wants to be careful making a bottle at 3 in the morning? Not me!

4- You learn to talk funny...I find myself talking like a child 24/7..sometimes I even talk like that to Nick..I just hope they don't ask me to speak in Sacrament meeting anytime soon...

5- You discover a whole new imagination you thought you never had! When your sweet baby is upset and you don't know why, its amazing the things you come up with to settle him down...

6- You learn a lot of selflessness... This little person is completely, totally dependant on you. There's no room for 'I can't change his diaper right now because I'm too tired...Would I want to sit in poop till it was convenient for someone else to change me? No thanks!

7- Infants don't usually play or laugh or even really smile at you unless they have gas, but as boring as that sounds, they are so fun! Its a different kind of fun, but fun nonetheless!

8- You never think you can love someone so little so much! It's amazing how protective you feel sometimes!

9- Moms have all the answers! I guess its because kids don't know the difference!

10- I've been reminded so many times where to turn to when I don't have the answers. Prayer becomes an even more important part of your life. Its so cool to see random thoughts come into your head and then those strange random things actually work!

I love being a mommy, its so rewarding and fun! I have been able to learn so much. I wouldn't trade Mr. Jaxon for all the sleep in the world!

My Better Half

2009-01-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

1. Where did you meet your husband? In the pre-mortal world-we're soul mates
2. How long did you date before you got married? 2 months + 3 months of engagement
3. How long have you been married? 10 months
4. What does he do to surprise you? He says funny stuff all the time! He offers to stay up with the baby so i can get some sleep:)
5. What is your favorite feature of his? perfect bone structure, sculpted abs, he's just really ridiculously good looking!
6.What is your favorite quality? He has so many, I can't name them all. He is the perfect man for me, all of him is the perfect quality!
7. Does he have a nickname for you? The ruiner...
8. What is his favorite food? Pizza, Cinnamon french toast, hospital eggs, anything that I make him...
9. What is his favorite sport? Football of course
10. When and where did you first kiss? At his parents house, in front of my car a few days after the first time we held hands
11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? wrestle, play sports, watch movies, watch sports, star gaze, fishing, laugh...
12. Do you have children? Mr. Jaxon, age 1 month
13. Does he have any hidden talents? Sewing, burping the ABC's, talking like Elmo...
14. How old is he? 22
15. Who said I love you first? After I kept bugging him for 2 hours in the rain...so romantic:)
16. What is his favorite music? Celine Dion, Lullabys, Josh Groban, Alternative music and his new favorite is country:)
17. What do you admire most about him? He cares more about Jaxon and me than himself, he would do anything in the world for us. He has a strong testimony and is always worthy to give a blessing:)
18. What is his favorite color? Green.
19. Will he read this? He already did!
20. People I tag: Michelle, Ben (do it about Michelle) Tiffany Miller

Mr. Jaxon

2009-01-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've had a couple requests for more pictures so here we go. Just an update, he went to the doctor today and he is gaining lots of weight! 8 pounds, 4 ounces!

Daddy and his boy:)

This was his outfit for his first day of church!

Cute little pic of Mr. Jaxon and cousin Brandon

We spiked his hair, pretty adorable if you ask me!

He loves to have his hands up when he sleeps...maybe dreaming of touchdowns? Practicing holding up his Heisman trophy?

Tummy time!

This is the walpaper on my phone...

He absolutely loves his bouncer! He sleeps so well in it, I don't have a problem letting him!

This was his very first ever picture! So photogenic!

We were playing 'The T-Shirt Game' and he drew this card. Perfect!

He does silly things when he sleeps..

Ashley and Brian stopped by on their way through town. It was good to see them:)

I was attempting the Jaxon face...

My little Gonzaga fan

Christmas day...Doesn't look like he really liked his hat? We thought it was way cute...

Jaxon's first bedtime story was about Helaman and the Stripling Warriors

His newborn outfits are HUGE on him! Still cute though

Om our way out of the hospital...he's so little!

Seepin' with mommy at the hospital

Looks like he's waving?

His hands are teeny!

Close this blog with a prayer???

Christmas!!

2009-01-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

So, I'm trying out a new thing, its called "post things 3 weeks after the actual event..." So, here is our humble little Christmas! We had a great day together, and we were so blessed to be with family all day. We have been so blessed, and we have so much to be thankful for. Needless to say, our favorite Christmas present this year was a little boy by the name of Jaxon:)

Our Christmas PJ's. So comfy!

The favorite Christmas picture:)

It was a tradition growing up to make a
train, so we tried it out. Turned out kinda cute!

No more silent nights!

He was too big for the hat, but it was still cute.

We wanted to dress him up like a mermaid...
Ok not really, the stocking was too small too!

Look at that pushup! Its perfect!

Jaxon was so excited that Santa came!

Bath Time

2009-01-01T04:33:00.001-08:00

Remember that one time that I was going to post these pictures a week ago? Oops! Anyway, this was Jaxon's first bath! We couldn't put him in a real bath so he got a sponge bath. He doesn't like to be cold, so he kinda struggled with the idea of this bath thing. It didn't help that it was the first time and sometimes things are scary the first time, especially if you are only a few days old!

Cold, cold, cold!!!

The binkey was a lifesaver!

I love clean babies! They smell so good:)

Putting the diaper on....almost done!

Ahhhh....so clean!

We are going to try a real bath in a few days, so if we take pictures we'll be sure to post them!

Jaxon is finally here!

2008-12-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

Now for the post we've all been waiting for...Jaxon Nicholas Cysewski FINALLY came December 19th at 3:04 PM. After 13 hours of labor and no progress, the doctor called for a C-section so he had a cone-head but he looks great now. He weighed in at 6 lbs 12 oz, and measured 20 1/2 inches long. He is the sweetest little guy, and he brings so much joy to everyone around him. All the nurses at the hospital fell in love with him and they all went goo-goo over him! He's the perfect little boy, and we just love him! Here are some pics, more will come soon!

So, he had a little conehead...ok a big one...but its gone now and he looks amazing. I was so drugged up by the time I saw him that I didn't even notice his conehead!

Yeah, he really is that small!

Nick loves his little boy!

This was the first time I actually held Jaxon.
I had to wait over an hour to hold him!

That first day was exhausting! 13 hours of labor
and then a C-Section...Good thing he's worth it!

He's so snuggly!

This was on our way out of the hospital. He looked
so little in his carseat! The nurses just loved it!

Baby Shower!!!

2008-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it took me forever but here are some baby shower pics from that wonderful day back on November 22nd. We had so much fun, lots of people came and we are so grateful to everyone who came. Well, here are some pics!

My mom made Jaxon's first cake:)

She also made chocolate suckers with Winnie the Pooh molds. Not only were they adorable but they were so good! Mmmmmm....

So much good food! I'm getting hungry just looking at these...

This was one of the cutest gifts I had ever seen, so clever too!
Baby essentials in a wreath...I love it!

Lots and lots of gifts!!!

All that gift unwrapping really wiped me out!

Well there you have it, this was such a fun day and we appreciate everyone's help. We really are grateful for everyone's help and to everyone who came. Just an update, Jaxon's due date is in 2 days so we're hoping he'll be here very soon. I'll post pictures of him as soon as he's born!

Never done...

2008-12-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

Thinking about household chores can be a very depressing thing, but thinking about how often these chores need attention is a little more depressing. We've come up with a list of things that are never done. No need to wonder what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life!

1-Laundry! Even the clothes on your body will need washing...(thank you Michelle)
2-Dishes-They may be done for a moment, but a meal is always around the corner..
3-Paying bills-Even if you are out of debt, there are still bills to pay every month. Cell phone, insurance, whatever else people pay on a monthly basis...
4-Making the bed-it's just going to get messy again as soon as you make it...grrrrr
5-Grocery shopping-you may be done with a week or two, but without fail, as soon as you get home you realize something you forgot and you have to go back...
6-Pregnancy-Enough said
7-Fixing the car-In our case anyway, as soon as we fix one thing, something else breaks
8-Haircuts-Unless you are bald (Brandon), you don't have to worry about it. But, your hair is always growing....
9-Eating- You may feel full for a while but sooner or later you have to eat again, unless you are survivorman...
10-Cleaning the house-In our case anyway, there's always something to clean...

So looking at this list, I realize that there is no reason for me to be bored! There's so much to do all the time! There are also other things that need to be done each and every day that don't involve housework, where too much is never a bad thing. Here's another list-

1-Repentance
2-Forgiveness
3-Loving others
4-Serving others
5-Scripture study
6-Learning about anything and everything
7-Praying
8-Laughing
9-Spending time with family
10-Making great memories with those you love

So, some things aren't so bad even though we will never reach the end. Wow, this is a pretty random post...I better get to work!

It's Christmas time! Ok, not really, but its close...

2008-11-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas is quite possibly the most wonderful time of the year. I mean, there's even a song about it! Anyway, Nick and I have been pretty anxious to get a tree set up and start decorating for the greatest holiday ever invented. So, we bought a little 6 foot tree, any bigger and it would be too tall, we got some ornaments and we went to town last night. I got a little carried away thinking about the baby coming, and decided to add a little flair to the tree. :) Here are some pics, enjoy!

Nick sets up the tree!

Just a little guy:)

The proud father...

We're a little excited for baby to come:)

We didn't have a star, so the baby's hat will have to do for now:)

Tag I'm it again...

2008-11-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

1. EVER BEEN GIVEN AN ENGAGEMENT RING?
Well yes in fact, last Christmas!

2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?
My marriage-8 months! Together about a year and a month now:)

3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?

Hmmm....A late wedding gift from someone in our ward last week.

4. EVER DROPPED A CELL PHONE?
Uh, yeah...too many times to count...

5. WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
hahaha...........March?

6. WHAT DO YOU SPEND THE MOST MONEY ON?
Bills

7. LAST FOOD YOU ATE?
Vanilla frostie from Wendy's, hot dogs...man i'm a healthy eater...

8. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?

depends on the age? Mostly clothes or shoes

9. WHERE ARE YOU?
On my rocking chair in my family room

10. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
Post Falls, ID

11. HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTENDED:
Riverton High School and Post Falls High School

12. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER:
AT&T-much better than the last experience we had, its worth it to have our cell phones!

13. FAVORITE MALL STORE:
Champs, Foot Locker, Aeropostale, American Eagle, Steve & Barry's

14. LONGEST JOB YOU HAD:
Triple Play, too long to count, off and on for a couple years

15. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
Nope.

16. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE?
Nope.

17. LAST WEDDING YOU ATTENDED?
Ummmm....Javis Cornett?

18. FIRST FRIEND YOU’D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY:
Nick? Mom? Gooey?

19 WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THUNDERSTORMS?
I love it. The smell intrigues me

20. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT:
Bajio, I have to agree with Darcy on this one.

21. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE EVER HEARD:
That Obama is going to change the country for the better

23. WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS?
Again, I agree with Darcy------Winger's baby!

24. CAN YOU COOK?
Macaroni and cheese? heck yeah...anything else? heck no

25. WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE?
I don't usually drive, but the last car I drove was Her Royal Highness, Majesty the big white van

26. BEST KISSER:
I can't agree with Darcy this time, Nick:)

27. LAST TIME YOU CRIED?:
hahaha I think the right question for me should be when was the last time i DIDN"T cry... when your hormones are as out of wack as mine....

28. MOST DISLIKED FOODS:
hmmm...spaghetti, tacos, pretty much all food these days...

29. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
That I have an amazing husband who does so much for me, plus also some sort of baby brewing:)

30. THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF?
My swollen ankles, I don't take life seriously sometimes, I like to procrastinate

32. LONGEST SHIFT YOU HAVE WORKED AT A JOB?
When I worked at Denny's I got on at 5 pm then they asked me to stay overnight. After some sort of food poisoning and 11 hours of torture later, I got to go home and sleep:)

33. 3 FAVORITE MOVIES?
Madagascar, Hoosiers, and hmmmm....this is a tough one.....Zoolander with nick:)

34. CAN YOU SING?
I don't really like to....

35. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED?
I've never been to a real concert

36. LAST KISS?
I gave Nick a goodbye kiss before he went to work

37. LAST MOVIE RENTED:
Ummm...good question...i'm not sure, its been a long long time since i've sat down and watched a movie

44. FAVORITE COMEDIAN?
Brian Regan, Demetri Martin, Nick, Kevin James

45. DO YOU SMOKE?
Heck no, gross

46. SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES?

must be covered well, neck to toes

47. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT?
Nick and Jaxon. Thats kinda weird that I sleep with boys...

48. DO LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK?:
Depends on if you want it to or not

49. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE?
Hahaha thats funny....

50. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST?
depends on the day and if they are blueberry pancakes or not

51. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE?:
I've never had it, I can't stand the smell, so I would have to say no sir.

59. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?:
Red and black Jordan shorts and a red Jordan shirt

60. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC:

"Oh come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant..." thank you Celine:)

61. WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J?:
Must be strawberry, no questions asked

62. CAN YOU PLAY POOL?
Well I can play, but that doesn't mean I'm any good.

63. CAN YOU SWIM?
I guess so, haven't done it in a while though.

64. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?:
Golly, vanilla lately

65. DO YOU LIKE MAPS?
Hmmm...I never need them because I never go anywhere. Maybe i'll make a map of my house

66. TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF:
My baby will be born with more teeth than me?

68. EVER ATTEND A THEME PARTY?:
Not so much

69. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON:

If Christmas could be in the summer, but still with snow but just not cold, that would be amazing

70. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID?
Ha ha when nick massaged my calves and I was in a lot of pain but I had to laugh or i would have cried.

71. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING ?
Which time? let's see....2, 3:30, 4:30, 7, 8, 9:30, 10...

72. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER?:
Fresh, cool air, Jaxon will be born and yes, of course, Christmas

73. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET?
Um, last fall a couple times

75. NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET?:
Fetcher the dog?

76. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED?:
Darcy, you are hilarious. No, i don't believe in pirates

77. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND?
Hanging out with Grandma R., hanging out with Bekah, hanging out with Nick, working and BABY SHOWER!!!!!!

78. BIRTHDATE:
September 14th 1984

79. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE:

An astronaut so I can walk on the moon and have cool stories to tell. But if that doesn't work out, I'd like to be a mommy:)

87. ARE YOU SMILING?
Inside, I'm tired!

89. DO YOU MISS SOMEONE RIGHT NOW?

Yeah, Nick and Jaxon

90. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
Um, I would love to go back east, nauvoo, England, France, Missoula

I will now tag MICHELLE, Diane, I guess thats it!

5 weeks left!!!

2008-11-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it is almost time to welcome a new addition to our little family! With the due date 5 weeks away, reality is starting to hit me just a little bit. We were able to set up the crib and get his room mostly ready for him, but I think that makes me anxious more than anything. We are just about ready for him to come, mainly so I can have my body back:) Just kidding, but here is an update and a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

I woke up yesterday morning with swollen everything. My fingers, my ankles, my legs, my knees even, my wrists, and my mom told me this morning that my face was "a little puffy." Goodbye calves, hello kankles! This is fun:)

Looks like Nick is expecting too!

And here is Jaxon's crib. I put his ultrasound pictures in it so it's almost like he's really there!

Anyway, there you go. There's an update, and we can't wait until Jaxon comes so we can post the best post ever!

A hard lesson to be learned...

2008-11-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

After watching the news last night, I had an assortment of emotions come over me, and not just because my hormones are 300% higher than normal. As I read the words "Barack Obama elected 44th president of the United States" a sickening feeling came over me, I felt scared, insecure, shocked (even though I fully expected it) and believe it or not, slight elation. Why? Because it is an opportunity for us all to take a leap of faith. Nothing happens by coincidence or accident, so there is a reason that this is happening at this time. I thought of the twelfth Article of Faith, which states "We believe in being subject to kings, PRESIDENTS, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law." What an opportunity we have to show our faith, our devotion to the Lord and to the teachings we have been taught all our lives. So, even though I don't agree with anything Obama stands for, and I'm scared to death about what the future might hold, I remember what Elder Wirthlin taught us this past conference, "Come what may, and love it." So even though it may be hard and we may not know what the future holds, this is a good opportunity to humble myself and say "Come what may, and love it."

2008-10-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

More tags...

2008-10-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

I think that getting tagged is actually a good thing, it gives me something to put on here:) Anyway....

10 years ago...

I was...14
I was obsessed with the Jazz
My school pictures looked like a mix between a Mexican and I don't know what else, something scary though!

5 things on my 'to do list' today...

1-Go to the doctor
2-Take a nap
3-Wake up from my nap
4-Register for baby shower
5-Possible another nap

5 snacks I enjoy...

1-Applesauce
2-Fruit snacks
3-Wheat thins
4-Does a nap count as a snack?
5-PB&J is always good

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire...

1-Get out of debt
2-Pay back my parents and Nick's parents with a mansion suitable for their needs
3-Buy my family a nice house, not too big, not too little
4-Purchase workable, reliable vehicles for myself and my dear husband
5-Build a football field complete with lights and also an indoor hardwood floor basketball court in our backyard

5 places I have lived....

1-Post Falls, Idaho, USA
2-Rexburg, Idaho, USA
3-Riverton, Utah, USA
4-Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, USA
5-Premortal life, heaven

5 Jobs I have had....

1-A short lived tenure as a CNA
2-Basketball referee
3-Fake plant water-er
4-Denny's waitress
5-Triple Play Family Fun Park slave

Welp, there you go. I don't have a ton of people to tag, so, I'll tag my mother dear and Darcy:)

8 is GREAT!

2008-10-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't know if Darcy meant me or another Briana when she tagged a Briana with this fun little game, but I'm kinda bored and in need of some entertainment so here we go...

8 TV shows I love to watch:

1-CSI
2-ER
3-Full House
4-Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
5-College Football Live
6-SURVIVORMAN
7-Phineas and Ferb
8-Fresh Prince (only with Spencer)

8 things that happened yesterday:

1-Got up with Nick at 4AM
2-Took a long nap
3-Made 'I will follow Jesus' necklaces for my sunbeams
4-Ordered new cell phones online
5-Watched a college football game
6-Went to Ben and Michelle's apartment to see Michelle and the children
7-Ate some delicious stir fry
8-Took a long warm, not hot, bath:)

8 Favorite Places to Eat:

1-Winger's
2-Denny's
3-Cafe Chulo/Bajios/Cafe Rio
4-Texas Roadhouse
5-Cysewski Home
6-Pingel Home
7-Olive Garden
8-Panda Express

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1-DECEMBER 18TH!!!!!!
2-Christmas
3-Thanksgiving
4-Nick being done with school
5-Actually having a little bit of money
6-A baby shower
7-Spencer coming home
8-Starting my online class

8 Things on my Wishlist

1-Baby swing
2-Baby toys
3-A house of my own
4-A full night of sleep!
5-A phone that actually works
6-Tickets to a major college football game with Nick
7-Money to pay our bills
8-Well, a baby!

I'm adding one more, I hope you don't mind Darcy:)

8 Favorite books:

1-Book of Mormon
2-Doctrine and Covenants
3-Broken Things to Mend-Jeffrey R. Holland
4-Big Little
5-The Peacegiver
6-All the Goosebumps books
7-The Bible
8-I Like Myself

Ok, thats it! I'll tag some people a little later:)

I married up!

2008-10-21T18:39:00.001-07:00

I knew when I married Nick that I was getting a good deal. He works hard, takes care of me when I throw up all night even though he has to get up at 4 am, always makes me laugh and well, he's a pretty good looking guy. It wasn't until my brother, Ben, aka: Mr. Bumpy, got kinda bored and found a website where you can put your face in old yearbook pictures that I realized just how lucky I really am to have Nick in my life. Even 40 years ago he was ridiculously good looking, with perfect bone structure, chiseled features, and not to mention great hair. So, here are a couple of the great pictures of my handsome man:)

It really doesn't get much better than this...

Ok, just kidding. I think it just got a lot better...

Well, there you have it. The most handsome man in the world. Sorry to all the married women out there who read and see this, but really, noone else compares to this gorgeous human being:)

Elijah.com?

2008-10-19T15:43:00.001-07:00

So, primary is a funny thing...I was called as sunbeam teacher a while ago and Nick was called as my assistant. Its really nice to have him there because I have about 5-6 rowdy little boys every week, and they love him! They are very good for him, and love to sit on his lap:) There have been many times when we come home just laughing so hard because of things that they said or did. Kids really do say the darndest things! A popular thing is during prayer, to thank Heavenly Father for their toys. Well, its a start.

I have a little boy in my class with a speech impediment, and he can't say the S sound, so thats interesting trying to interpret what he's saying. His parents just gave birth to a little girl whom they named Summer. (congrats!) The poor little kid just can't say Summer, he tries so hard but it comes out "Dummer" every time. Hopefully she has a good sense of self worth, and that he learns to say her name correctly, or she might have some self esteem problems later in life!

We also have had our share of rough times, however. All in one day, all by one child, I was kicked, punched, poked, spit upon and elbowed. Hmmmm...not a good feeling! I have left church wondering if I really did want children.. ;) But all in all, they are a good group and I have a lot of fun learning and playing with them.

Today was the primary program...oh boy. The past few weeks the rowdiest boys of the bunch were absent, so I thought my job was pretty easy. But, as my luck would have it, I had a full class today! 5 extremely wiggly little boys with the attention span of an ant. It was a victory in my eyes just to get the kids up there and mumble their parts. One little guy decided that he needed to jump off his chair to sing, I'm just glad that he didn't face plant into the ground, the bishop would have called child protection services and released me from my calling. They did a good job though and I was very proud of them all for being so good:)

During class, we talked about being nice to animals, and I asked each of them if they could be any animal, what would they be and why? One little boy said that he would be a bear because they eat aliens. I don't remember reading that nursery rhyme...

I think the highlight of the day though, came from an unexpected source. We had a visitor for sharing time, and I asked him what his name was. He replied "Elijah." "Well, its nice to meet you Elijah, we're glad to have you here", was my reply. His comeback was unforgettable, something I will never forget. He said, "You can call me Elijah.com if you want." It took me a minute to realize just how funny that was, but when it hit me, I lost it. How in the world does a four year old know the dot com phraseology?! Very funny, we had a good laugh.

Moral of the story, sunbeams are mostly hilarious. As hard as they are sometimes, it all pays off when they say something funny and when you see the light turn on and they understand something pertaining to the lesson. Kids are wonderful, truly heaven sent:)

Bored bored bored...

2008-10-14T14:09:00.001-07:00

What does one do all day when boredom sets in? Well, if you're me and you are very into CSI, here's one thing you can do...

CSI Pioneer Trek...

We need to get to the bottom of this!

Send in the Forensics!

DISCLAIMER: NO ACTION FIGURES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS CRIME SCENE.

So, what are some other things one can do when boredom sets in? We've brainstormed a list of 10 intriguing ideas to cure boredom.

#10- Hold a makeshift demolition derby with WalMart shopping carts.

#9- Hold a potato carving contest

#8- Start a fire with corn chips.

#7-Build a life sized figure of yourself out of legos. Yes, that is Indiana Jones!

#6- Recreate the entire Star Wars series using origami characters

#5- Dress as a ninja bear and fight dragons

#4- Practice your flaming baton routine so that you too, can become a baton twirling champion

#3- Practice your underwater tennis skills

#2- Start your own airline business using paper airplanes

#1- Build crime scenes anywhere and everywhere using anything and everything in sight

Well, there you have it. Once you read this, you'll never be bored again! Good luck to all of you in conquering boredom in your lives!

Battle of the big bellies

2008-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is the prego picture everyone wants to see:) Nick is such a nice guy, he sticks his tummy out so that I don't feel so bad about being big. He's always been there for me;) Well, there it is...Jaxon is getting bigger and bigger everyday, and kicking harder and harder too! He's taken a liking to one spot on my ribs and I'm finding it hard to breath sometimes because of it. 9 weeks until the due date, and we're extremely excited to meet our baby boy!

Oops...

2008-10-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

We have been somewhat chastised by someone who we hold dear to our hearts, to update our blog. So, to a big gween wady faw faw away, you know who you are - this is for you. I"m going to take a page out of Adam and Darcy's book and tell you about the history of the name Cysewski. Let's see what i'm really getting myself into:)

Ok, we're not having much luck....

Still no luck....

Why can't we be the Smith's or Johnson's....

Maybe if we change the spelling a little bit?

OK, we had some luck with Czyzewski. Our ancestors from Poland went through Ellis Island and people were americanizing names left and right. So, someone decided to make our lives a little easier and drop a couple z's and we now have Cysewski.

Here is the Czyzewski Family Crest, it's a little hard to see, sorry about that:) I'm not quite sure what it means either...but its nice to look at!

The name Czyzewski is the 41,021st most popular last name in the United states, with Smith and Johnson leading the way at numbers one and two, respectively.

Wondering how you really say our name? Well here it is..."chee-ZHEFF-skee" ("ZH" = the sound of "s" in "pleasure"). So, good luck with that one!

The -ski is an adjectival suffix, which can be added directly to a stem -- as piekarski means "of the baker (piekarz)" -- or can be compounded with other suffixes. Two common suffixes that can precede -ski are: 1) -ew- or -ow- (basically the same thing, dependent on whether the stem ends in a consonant classified as hard or soft)

I'm A -SKI, I Must Be Noble! If you're talking about names found in records from, say, the 14th century, names ending in -ski were borne by nobles. Back then, all surnames were noble! In other words, only nobles used surnames.

Cool, We're noble and great!

So, in my search, I also found some similar last names, such as the great Duke University men's basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Ok, that might be pushing it a little, but anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a huge Duke Basketball fan...Go Blue Devils!

Tytus Czyżewski (1880-1945) was a Polish painter, art theoretician, Playwrite, member of the Polish Formists, and colorist. Here is one of his famous paintings. I'm sure it's bound to be in our schoolbooks someday, replacing Van Gough, Picasso and Leonardo DaVinci...

Elizabeth Czyzewski works in filmography. She has worked with many movies, such as "Get Smart" with Steve Carell, and "Blades of Glory" featuring Will Ferrell. She also was the production assistant for the TV special, "Frontline: Storm Over Everest (2008)"

Well, I think this post is long enough, researching Cysewski is not only time consuming, but also a little tiring for little old me. :) All in all, even though Cysewski is a hard name to say and spell, I'm thankful to be part of this family, I couldn't ask for a better bunch of people! I'm sure there will be lots of laughs and good times ahead, and considering our ancestors came from Poland, perhaps at family reunions will consist of Polish hotdogs, cucumber salad and apple tarts:)

The Clean Underwear Testimony

2008-08-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

We have certainly grown fond of testimony meetings in North Idaho...especially this experience we had on Sunday. An older lady arose to share her thoughts and feelings. Bless her heart. Nick and I agree that we have never been a witness to such an event, but we both feel that now that we are out of the situation, it is something we can look back upon and laugh. So, this lady proceeded to advise us of certain things, and she was quite intense about it. She would raise her voice and stretch her arms out over her head, then put her hands together in front of her face and slowly lower them, much like unto yoga. Nick commented that it was much like an evangelical church meeting, and I had to agree. At one point, she pointed her finger at the congregation and firmly and sternly advised us to 'go to the temple! always put on clean garments in the morning!' I must say, we have never been advised to put on clean underwear in church before. It was quite the experience! She then abruptly ended her sermon with 'in the name of Jesus Christ.' Um...I was sure I didn't hear her correctly...but sure enough, she didn't say 'amen.' A few people mumbled an awkward amen as she proudly walked back to her seat. It was quite the experience! Moral of the story: wear clean underwear!!!

The ultrasound!!!

2008-08-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, another ultrasound...this one was a little more nerve-racking however! It was such a relief to see that the baby had 4 chambers in his heart, his heart was beating nicely and everything they looked for in the brain was there. Momma can stop worrying now! So, when the ultrasound lady was trying to get a head measurement, we ran into a bit of a problem...baby's head was apparently stuck in my hips, so she was trying to get him out...she was digging the thing into my hip bone! OUCH!!! She proceeded to try and push baby out of there with her hands, saying 'come on, get out of there!' I was about to slap her and say the same to her! Good grief! All in all, she was a very nice lady and it was a great outing. We decided on Jaxon Nicholas for the name, and we are so super excited for him to come!!! Sorry the picture is upside down, thats why they call me Captain R! Consider this post concluded:)

Our little family!

2008-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

We're pretty new at this blogging thing, but we'll give it a try anyway. Nick and I met in high school, but we weren't really friends, mostly just acquaintances. He came home from his mission in July of 2007 and we started hanging out with a big group of friends. Soon, it was just Nick and I and by Christmas we were engaged. We were married March 14th in the Spokane Washington Temple. We found out on April 19th that we are expecting our first child, obviously its our first! We had our ultrasound yesterday and we know now that it is a little boy! Well, thats pretty much our life right now!