Bounce House Fun

Today we had fun with Heidi and the Girls. They spent the night last night so I could go to an early morning appointment ALONE. That's right, I had 2 hours to myself! Thank you Heidi. So afterwards we headed over to the Bounce House and had a blast climbing, jumping, sliding and all that good stuff. I did way too much and wore myself out, then again so did everyone else.

Here's Taylor after going down the slide head first on her back!

It's Mya with Aunty April

Heidi having fun!

Owen being incredibly brave and sliding down unassisted down a steep slide.

Woo Hoo!

Poor Owen, ready to call it a night.

Taylor was a great help with Owen and Mya, she lifted them and encouraged them to try new things. They all had a lot of fun and even made new friends.

A Lovely Saturday

Today was such a lovely day. It was not too cold and we were up and out the door at a decent
time. (Always a tough feat with a two year old) We did some window shopping and headed home for nap time. Garett worked on the cars for a bit then we were out again. I got some wonderful deals at Wallyworld. A kids shirt for 1.50, slippers for Owen 3.00 and slippers for me 5.00. Garett's quick driving reflexes and keen eye for good food led us to the only Little Caesars I've seen in a long time. So we indulged in a yummy pizza, some crazy bread and sauce for dinner. We ate the crazy bread in the car. Owen was was going "mmmm" "mmmm" from the back seat most of the way home. I agree with Owen "mmm" "mmm".
Here are some pictures from today. I thought it was time to post a picture of pregnant me.

Me trying to get Owen ready to go. Just let go of the slinky already!

Tough guy.

Me and baby girl at 7 months.

Smile for Daddy

Our big cheezer. It's hard not to love a face like this. :)

What's your New Year's Resolution?

I haven't thought much about what I want out of this coming year. Have you? So far we have plans to finish painting before the baby arrives and hopes to be prepared for the big arrival.

I think I would like to...
1. Adjust well to the new baby, like sleeping and eating sometime during the first 3 months.
2. Journal more often. Twice monthly would be good.
3. Stay in better contact with loved ones.
4. Find a new talent.
5. Read more - of everything.
6. Feed my family more healthy foods.
7. Exercise with my family.
8. Stay organized.
9. Continue and increase spending meaningful time with my family.
10. Last, learn how to take really great pictures.

I'll have to think more on the the interpersonal goals. But this is a good start.

Happy 2008!

I can hardly believe the new year has arrived! We have had such a wonderful 2007 and hope that in 2008 we will be just as blessed.

I have not posted anything about our holiday... so here you are if you weren't there.
On Saturday, December 22, 2007 we celebrated Christmas before leaving town. We made the mistake of opening stockings first. They were loaded with candy treats so Owen had no desire to open his presents. After a struggle for the candy we encouraged Owen to unwrap his gifts, he just wanted to play with the bows and jump off the boxes like he has been doing for the past month. :) Half an hour later we have opened his Tonka dump truck and a Magna Doodle. He loves them both.

Owen relaxing with his bear and favorite blanket.

Our advent calendar-yes, I realize the 5 is backwards.

Afterwards we packed up the car and drove to Mississippi. It was a long drive with lots of stops along the way, but with a borrowed DVD player, the trip went smoothly. (Thank you Ruth)

In Mississippi we stayed with Garett's family and had a wonderful visit. Owen had a hard time adjusting to the new sleeping arrangements on the first night and didn't fall asleep until 1am EST! But after the first night he did pretty well for an almost 2-year old. While in town we were able to visit with lots of extended family, it was so nice to see everyone. I think we all look about the same, with the exception of the kids. They are growing so fast! Christmas evening we continued our celebration Owen was thrilled to get Car's toys and PJ's he plays with them all the time. Another perk of Mississippi is the space to run and play, Owen spent some quality time outside pulling a wagon and chasing the chickens. Going home was hard to do but we left the day after Christmas and had another long drive, Owen was happy to be home and settled right into his bed.

Jaeleigh, not wanting me to break her concentration. :)

Owen and Keaton

Taylor and Keaton

Owen with Grandma and his new Car's view finder.

Once home we were able to visit with my side of the family. Christi and Skot drove in from Chicago and Wendi and Marilee came in from South Carolina, Heidi, Taylor and Mya are already in town - only twenty minutes away since they moved. :) Thursday night we hung out and went to see Enchanted, which was a really cute, make you love princesses and happy endings kind of a movie. On the way home Owen threw up for the first time ever, real throw up, not baby spit up. Surprisingly he had no fever and felt so much better that he just fell asleep. There was quite the mess to clean up when we got home and I have to thank Garett and Christi for tackling the grossest of them all, with my pregnant nose I was nearly useless. Even though Owen felt better it was not the end of the up chucking. We started Owen on the BRAT diet, it helped while he recovered. Friday Garett and Owen took it easy at home while I picked up Owen's new big boy bed frame! I'm excited to get it all together. I also did all the shopping all alone! It was so much easier! Saturday Wendi and Marilee arrived in town. Late through the night Garett got Owen's sickness and stayed in bed recovering most of Sunday. He is much better now. The rest of the week has been happily uneventful, playing with cousins and hanging out with sisters. Garett went back to work today and now we are back to "real life".

Owen and aunt kiki.

Mya, loving life!

Skot and Christi checking out their new book from the kids.

Taylor, being kind to the baby doll, I cannot say the same for my little guy.

Wendi, Marilee and Christi

To all our relatives, if you have pictures of us from this Christmas, please send us a digital copy. The tree and decorations are already down and we did a terrible job of getting any picture of us as a family, or at all for that matter. Please and Thank you!

I hope you all had wonderful holiday celebrations !

Sixth Month Check Up

Today I went to the MD for my six month check up. All is well with the baby. I was lucky enough to have another ultrasound and was able to see her face. It looked like she was looking straight at us. She already has chubby cheeks and a long femur, so she will probably be long like Owen. I need to start preparing for her arrival. So far we have a pack of diapers and 1 6-9mo outfit. We still have plenty of time, but it does seem to be going by quickly.

Anniversary Lunch

Today we enjoyed the much anticipated anniversary lunch. We got a baby sitter and went out to a Japanese steak house. I finally enjoyed the steak that I have been craving for a month now and Garett went with some tasty chicken. It was a bit strange sitting there not having to battle Owen for a fork or knife. It was relaxing, I loved it. Garett said he did too. Now that my sister has moved closer to us I think we might go out more often.

I've been thinking back on my past and to me it's amazing how much my life has changed over the past six years. I returned home from serving a mission, met - dated and married Garett. I enjoyed most of my working years, had a wonderful little baby boy who turned our world upside down and have a girl on the way, who I'm sure will follow in the footsteps of her brother.
My life has gone from selfless service, to selfish indulgence - buying and doing whatever I wanted when I wanted, and now as of two years ago back to selfless (and thankless) service. What a roller coaster ride. I can honestly say that my best years are the ones where I give the most. Those are my happiest years. Garett and I have this conversation probably once a week, we both agree that we love our lives. I love my family, I love how I spend my time, I love who I spend my time with, and we have the things we need. Garett is a wonderful husband, father and friend. I feel blessed to be so happy.

What's new?

It's been a while since the last post. There has not been much going on with us. So I thought I would update you on a few of the little things..

Owen: Watches Disney's CARS everyday. He has a lot to say but it is still hard to understand. Although with the right candy as bribery he will try to say anything. We are doing our best to get him to stop throwing things and to listen better. Unfortunately for us he's not interested so he sits in time out a few times a day.

Garett: Still enjoys his job a year later. :) He has been working a few side jobs as well to keep learning and the extra income helps too. And he is really excited for the new "Borne" movie to be released to DVD tomorrow.

April: Me, I'm still pregnant and getting bigger. I'm pretty sure that I'm 5 and 1/2 months now. I constantly lose track. This baby is very active and packs a hard punch. As of Saturday afternoon I now love Swedish fish and I have been craving steak for weeks now. Garett and I are going out for our anniversary and I will be ordering steak. This Thursday will mark 5 awesome years of marriage for us. :)

Family: We have gotten really good at remembering and holding Family Home Evenings. It's one of the best times we spend together all week. We finished our Christmas shopping right after Thanksgiving - this season will be low stress. And we are trying to figure out how to decorate a gender neutral room for Owen and his little sister. Please comment on that if you have some ideas.

We hope all is well with you and your family. We will be decorating cookies tonight and seeing Santa later this week... so I will be sure to post some pictures in the next day or two.