The Zoo

Wednesday the zoo had a free day so I took Emma. My brother Steven joined us, which was awesome! Emma had fun playing in her car seat all the way up to the zoo and then while we were waiting for a parking space, she started to get fussy and didn't enjoy the zoo as much as I'd hoped. But we all had a great time.

The tigers were the hit of the day. The three babies from last year are all grown up and we couldn't tell which was the mom. One of the tigers played with balls both times we went by them and it was so cool!

So while I write this, Emma is over in book corner in her room reading away. This really is so fun to watch. I always think how I'd like to go get the video camera, but know as soon as I get up, she'll want to follow me. So someday I'll be able to share that joy. I stack the books up and she will either demolish the stack or take one off the top and look through it.

Emma Update

It's been a while since I've given an update on Emma. I just checked and the last official update was at 4 months. She's 10 and a half months now, so I guess it's about time. Emma is a smiling, happy, adorable girl. The day she turned 8 months, she started crawling and we noticed her first 2 teeth were coming in. She started sleeping through the night at 9 months. She started pulling herself up to a standing position and turning on the TV and pushing any buttons she could find around the same time. At 10 months she figured out how to put lids on things.

Her favorite things to do are put lids on things, make mom and dad laugh, be played with, read books, say hi to anyone who'll look her way, laugh, smile, take baths, brush her teeth, get her hair combed, play with dad, play with phones, and eat. She also still loves to push buttons. She makes a growling noise to make mom and dad laugh and it always works. She loves it when people are watching her play.

Some of her nicknames these days are MZ, Em, Little Babe, Flav-a-flav, Sweetie, or just Babe. I don't call her Flav-a-flav and I don't condone that nickname.

Her attention span is growing and she'll intently play with something for quite a while.

She loves to laugh! She also loves cameras and the video camera and usually comes straight for them, making it difficult to get any pictures of her.

Her hair is getting longer and I love the cute little curls at the bottom!

She is so smiley and happy and I am so in love with this little girl that I can't even express it!

She is also getting better at playing with others! She loved playing with her cousin, Porter, who is her same size, even though he is 3 months younger than her.

Turkey Adventures!

I've been brewing this desire since Christmas to attempt to cook a turkey. I discussed it with Jake and he pointed out the obvious flaws in my plan, like I have no idea how to cook a turkey and how would we ever manage to use it all. I was deterred, but not for good. I noted last week in my grocery shopping that I could pick up a small turkey for a great price and I did it. I got a 7 pound turkey for about $7.50. (Those better informed mothers out there may see that's not a great deal, but compared to the $3.50 we spend on a little package of deli turkey, it's a great deal for us.) I then set out on a typical internet search where I look to learn how to do something new. I was struck by the first page I read and decided to try this guy's method. It took him 56 years to learn, afterall. So if I could manage to master it on my first attempt, I'd be way ahead of the game.

I had to borrow a roasting pan from my mom and prepare mentally to touch such a big gross hunk of raw meat. I waited until Saturday and put it in so it would be ready for dinner.

Success!! I opened the roasting pan and it looked like a rotisserie chicken, yet it was still a turkey. And it smelled delicious! This guy's big promise of his method is you'll have moist white meat. Well, guess what, it was. Jake usually doesn't like turkey since it is so dry and he readily agreed it was delicious. So perhaps it was beginners luck, perhaps it was because I actually ended up with a half a turkey with all the usual goodies inside already removed, or perhaps I'll continue to have success when I find occasion to cook a turkey. Click on the word "page" if you haven't already found the link to the website I've spoken of. Just in case you ever find the desire to cook a turkey.

Happy Cooking!

Snowboarding with mom

Some people know just how cool my mom is, others don't. Well, in an attempt to demonstrate, I share our latest outing. My mom and I went snowboarding last Saturday while Jake stayed home to watch Emma (he's super cool too, huh!) Yep, my mom snowboards. She's good at pretty much anything she tries to do and boosts the confidence of those learning with her. I've enjoyed learning to snowboard and was excited to see that I didn't forget everything I'd learned prior to last winter when I was pregnant. I'm still learning though, let's be clear on that.

Here's a picture from the day.

Steven's Missionary Call

Finally, the call has come. Steven has been called to the San Antonio, Texas mission and will leave March 23rd to join his brother, Danny, to serve the Lord. I don't know if I ever posted that Danny is serving in the Anchorage, Alaska mission and is loving his time there. These are my awesome youngest brothers and I look forward to having another pen-pal. I know Steven will be a great missionary and I am super excited for him!

Christmas Letter

Sorry to those who read my blog and have yet to get our Christmas letter. We had a wonderful holiday spending Christmas down here with my family and New Years up with Jake's family. Both weekends were quite busy, but it's always nice to be spend time with everyone. Here's our Holiday Greeting.


Happy holidays, from Jake, Ashley, and Emma. Our lives have changed dramatically this year as we’ve made room in our hearts and home for our little girl. She has clearly stolen our hearts and taken over our home. We are amazed at the joy, wonder, and challenge of being parents. When Jake is not being dad, he is working for the Utah Association of Realtors. Ashley gets to be home with Emma.

Celebrating the birth of Christ takes on new meaning for us this year considering Mary’s role as mother of the Son of God. What was Christ like as an infant and toddler? We would love a glimpse into Mary’s memories of raising the Christ-child.

It is in this spirit of contemplation that we share a few memories of our baby.

October 2010
Emma is in her Bunny Halloween costume. Daddy is carrying her up on his head, to Emma’s delight. She laughs and laughs when mommy sees her up there.

November 2010
Emma is at the store in mom’s arms. She keeps looking at people hoping for them to see her so she can wave at them. When she catches someone’s eye, she smiles and waves enthusiastically. Another time, we’re at church, singing the closing song. Emma is standing between us on the bench. She sees the chorister up leading the music and waves back with a big smile.

November 2010
We’re at Emma’s Grandma and Grandpa Holland’s home. Grandma turns on a singing, dancing dog. Emma starts flailing her arms up and down to the music. When it’s over, she claps.

December 2010
Emma gets an early Christmas present – a toothbrush! She’s sporting two new teeth, and absolutely loves brushing them before bedtime. She had seen Mom and Dad brushing, and always thought it was so funny.

December 2010
Daddy gets down on the floor to play with Emma. She sees him and smiles and laughs as she crawls toward him. She knows its tickle-time!

December 2010
Just moments before a dinner party, with mom and dad preparing the house and food for arriving guests, Emma wanders unnoticed to the corner of the living room and pulls over the potted plant. She senses she’s done something to make Mommy upset, and she looks up with big worried eyes, wondering, “What did I do?” She thinks having dirt all over the carpet is a great way to entertain!

As you can see, we are enjoying our new titles of “Mom” and “Dad.” Emma brings a lot of joy and laughter into our home. We wish you all a Merry Christmas as you contemplate the images of Christmas and the grand, yet humble birth of the Savior of the world.

With Love,
Jake, Ashley, and Emma Jaggi

Thanksgiving

I have been contemplating this post for a few days now, but all my thoughts are overshadowed by the irony of what I just experienced in relation to giving thanks. I just went to Harmons, which is not my favorite grocery store because they are always more expensive; however, I was able to stop inside at the bank, the post office, the bakery, the grocery store, and the movie rental store all in just a half hour of Emma's hour and a half nap. Can you imagine how long all those errands would have taken me if it weren't for the Harmons just down the street? I probably wouldn't have stopped by the bakery or the video store, but still, the post office alone would have taken me more time than all those errands combined. And even still, I think about how lucky I am to be able to mail pictures to my brother in Alaska in a few short days for just $1.90. And how lucky I am to be able to buy produce. And to be able to make salsa using the last of the tomatoes from our garden. I am grateful that we have time to run errands and are not stuck doing chores all day or working all day long to earn a living. I'm grateful that Jake has a great office job where he is home on Holidays and even extra days like today, the day before Thanksgiving. I am grateful to know I have a car to drive to run my errands, and a warm home to return to in order to get out of the snow and cold again. I am grateful for things that I don't need, but have anyway like a DVD player, because I LOVE watching movies. Which reminds me I'm grateful for the library just five minutes away where I can access almost any information or leisurely book or movie for the small price of a fine every now and then which I can never seem to fully avoid. I'm grateful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a multitude of reasons, but especially for inspired council on how to best live my life to enjoy the greatest freedom and happiness. I am also grateful for diversity in this world and that some would disagree with my prior statement. I am grateful for Emma and the wonder of being a mom. I am grateful that I find so much joy in motherhood. I am grateful for the many examples I have of people who find joy in motherhood and excel at the job! I am grateful for family. I am grateful for my mother, who is overjoyed at being a grandma and who is always as delighted as I am by any new little thing Emma picks up. I am also grateful that she is so willing to watch Emma anytime so I can spend time with the love of my life or just to have a break from being a mom. I am grateful for brothers and sisters-in-law who not only are great siblings, but who are also the best aunts and uncles in the world. I'm also grateful for my dear dad who I just adore and who is such a great example to me. My dad who is also such a cute grandpa and an excellent father. My dad who I always love to talk to. I am also grateful for my brothers' girlfriends who bring out the best in them and take such good care of them. I am grateful for strangers (or better said, people I don't know yet) who go the extra mile by extending some small kindness, such as waving at Emma so she can wave back, or checking two ways I can mail a package to see which is cheaper and then letting me use tape and a sharpie as I switch to a different mailing envelope, or even the teenage boy who surprised me by commenting on how cute Emma is when we were at the library. I'm grateful for many great examples in my life and for the power of example. I'm grateful for a memory and for the things that I take note of and 'treasure up continually.' I'm so grateful for Emma who smiles at me so often and brings so much delight to my day. I'm grateful for who she is and how she always surprises me. I'm also grateful that she is on a schedule! I am grateful for my dear mother-in-law who has and does sacrifice so much for her children and who also delights in being a grandma. I am grateful for the many things she has to offer and the things she is able to teach me. I am grateful for the way she offers different things than my mom because everyone knows there is no one better to ask than mom and now I have a mom I can go to for almost every question. I am grateful for my education and the people I have been able to meet through my work. I am grateful for good decisions in the past that have changed my life for the better and changed my life forever! I am so grateful to live close to my mom. I am also grateful for my grandparents. I am grateful for my father-in-law who cares so much for all of us children and who I also enjoy talking to. I am grateful to live in a free land. I am grateful for my friends and for Jake's friends who are so fun to have in our lives and who don't give up on us even when we are so bad at keeping in touch. And most of all, I am grateful for the two men in my life who make all the difference, my Savior, and my husband. My life is worth so much more because of their love and influence. I know I'll never be able to properly show my love and gratitude for them. Happy Thanksgiving. Feel free to comment with what you are grateful for.