The Nielson Family

Here we are...

2012-02-02T15:53:00.002-07:00

I finally am updating my blog. A few weeks ago for family night we looked at the past pictures and videos on it and I felt like a complete failure for not blogging more often. I have missed out on so much. I have a million pictures to post of the kids.

We have been through alot and blessed so abundently. Cory and Lindsey moved out last August and we have missed them so much. Lindsey is due to have her second baby (little Cory) in June. We are so excited for them.

Jeff has been working crazy long hours at his job. He is officially a "sport's fanatic". I dreaded the day of this happening. Selfishly, I would rather he not have access to 24/7 sports updates on his phone. Ha ha... I am so grateful for all he does to support our family. He is an amazing husband to me and daddy to Kaebrie and Owen.

Owen is 4 years old now and he is a smart little man. He has been going to preschool at Bravo Academy since September 2011. He loves his teacher, Ms. Berry and his friends. He is a sensitive boy. Jeff needs to toughen him up a little :) He enjoys imagining many adventures with Kaebrie and is a really good organizer and helper. We went into the eye doctor last week and he needs glasses. He was very excited to get glasses. We are waiting for the to come in.
He has had some issues with falling and hitting his upper lip. Two falls and two lip injuries in the same spot. Poor kid! He is such a sweet boy. I love him so much...

Kaebrie, my dear sweet Kaebrie. Where do I start with her? She has been sick with something for the last few years. Pretty much after I stopped nursing her at 8 months old. After two surgeries, multiple doses of antibiotics over the years, asthma with breathing treatments, sinusitus/infections, ADD/ADHD, and multiple other issues. We have an answer!!! I had some alergy testing done on her in December when she has her adnoids taken out. Well tests showed a serious alergy to, none other than, MILK!! I knew this.... However, I thought she had outgrown it. I feel like mother of the year. She has been so much better over the last few weeks since I have taken all milk from her diet. Yes, milk is in everything! Really, I'm not kidding. I know when she has had some, she turns into the little girl I once knew so well. Other than that major undertaking in her health, she is a very happy and sweet girl. She has a histerical sense of humor with a very contagious laugh. She goes to preschool at Bravo Academy as well and loves her teacher Ms. Yeager. She is the class clown. She has a very creative side to her. She loves anything with pink, purple, princesses, cupcakes and sequins on it. She is my sweetheart for sure. Over the last year we have become very close. I thought I would never see the day but here it is and I am savoring every second of it. I love her so much!

As for me, I have been so blessed to be a stay at home mommy since the closing of my business. I have kept busy with getting into the grove of motherhood. I love being a homemaker and raising kids. I had a very difficult adjustment emotionally but now I feel like I am doing what needs to be done to be somewhat of a good mommy. I have been serving in the Relief Society Presidency for a year now and thank goodness for this calling. I have been busy enough that any free time I have had, I could use to serve others instead of wallowing in my current issues and problems. Heavenly Father sure knew I needed this calling. I have loved every second of it. I will miss it so much when we move... (Side note) We sold our house in December. We haven't moved yet but should be hearing a move-out date soon. I will post about this next time.

So for now, that is what is going on in our little fun lives:)

My Cute Little Two Year Old

2010-11-11T08:58:00.014-07:00

This is how the kids end up after we visit Grandma and Grandpa Bowen.... They get so worn out from all of the excitement!

My little messy faced girl! She got a new coat and wouldn't take it off! Good sign, she loves it!

Opening Gifts.... With lots of help from Owen!

Eating Kaebrie's favorites for dinner...

Kaebrie and her Grandma Bowen....

Riding on Grandma Bowen's back. It wasn't intentional, grandma kept saying "I'm too old for that Kaebrie". She is so silly and loves her Grandma.

Our little Kaebrie turned two! I am still in shock that she is already two and that I have not been pregnant for two whole years.... Kaebrie has such a sweet spirit. She and I have grown quite close the last few months with me being home. She is such a spunky little thing. She knows what she wants, when she wants it. She has grown quite fond of our trips to Grandma and Grandpa Bowen's house every Wednesday afternoon. She mentions going to their house every morning. For her birthday, she got to go and have a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa Bowen all by herself. From the sounds of it, she soaked it all up and loved the one-on-one attention. She is talking so much and has such an adorable personality. She loves to play with her brother Owen and cousin Avery. She especially loves to do flips on mommy and daddy's bed. This is Jeff's signature daddy move when he gets home from work! They LOVE it! She loves to read books. Her favorite color is yellow and loves ANYTHING that is the color yellow. I am not sure if she really loves the color or loves saying the word. Yellow definitely fits her personality!!! She is a free spirit and keeps us laughing all the time! She loves babies, both real and toy forms. She spots out all the mothers with babies at church and tries to mother them by shoving things in their faces and covering them up with blankets. The moms in our ward think it's so cute. She can be a little overbearing at times! She is such a great part of our little family. Kaebrie, Happy 2nd Birthday!!!! We love you so much....

My Testimony...

2010-11-07T16:28:00.004-07:00

Yesterday, I woke up and went to the temple. I have had a lot of things on my mind from the past week and I needed to go to the most important place and think. The entire time I was at the temple I was filled with such a sweet and calming spirit. As I sat in the celestial room, I pondered about my testimony of the gospel. I kept having a repeat feeling that I need to get up in sacrament and bare my testimony. As scared as this thought made me, I knew that the time was here. Well, today in sacrament there was so many people that felt that same way because there wasn't a break where I felt comfortable to walk up and put the feeling to rest. The feeling was incredibly strong for me to share my thoughts and bear my testimony and I didn't.

My heart is full of gratitude for my trials and many blessings. I look around and see how much can be taken for granted. We are so blessed to have so much at our fingertips. I have learned so much and know how easy it is to get caught up in so many other things of less importance. Life is truly a test for each of us. As we make decisions, consequences follow. Whether it be a good consequence or a bad consequence. We live and learn and pick up to move forward on to the next event. I love my life and am grateful for the opportunities that have blessed my life. I am especially grateful for my sweet children and for my loving husband. I am so blessed to have so many great friends as well. I am still under shock at how well everything worked out in closing our store. After much prayer and fasting, Jeff and I knew that the time had come to close. Heavenly Father truly had his hand in this. Everything went so smooth. He blessed me with so much comfort in knowing that whatever comes next in life, I can handle. I am a new person and have a whole new perspective.

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet, called of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have a deep testimony of eternal families. Although not all of my siblings have gone through the temple, I have an un-dieing faith that one day they will see the light and except the gospel back into their lives. I still remember my wedding day when kneeled across the alter in the temple and looked into Jeff's eyes. I knew from that moment that we would be together forever. He is such a wonderful husband and father. How did I ever deserve such a wonderful life? What a great blessing it is to have the gospel and to know that there is a reason for being here aon earth at this time. Everything happens for a reason. I hope and pray that one day my whole family can be sealed in the temple. I love my siblings and can't imagine not having them with me in the next life.

I have been blessed with wonderful neighbors and friends. My patriarticle blessing specifically says that I will have many friends in my life. It talks about me lending a word of encouragement to everyone who I come in contact with. I have had many people bare their soul to me. It has been very interesting to me to read my blessing often. Each time I read it, I learn something new about myself. There is so much to work on and so much to learn while on earth.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My new found passion...

2010-10-31T21:41:00.005-06:00

When I closed my store, I made a goal to start running. I love to run and it is a huge stress reliever for me. When I choose to do this, I kept telling myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. After running a business for three years I feel like this whole new person that can do anything I set my mind on. Afterall, running is a complete mind game. I sign up for the Halloween Half Marathon in Provo with Cory, Brad, and Shelley. We had a good time. I finished in 2.13 which was awesome for my first 1/2 marathon. At mile 10 my hip was giving me some incredible pain that slowed me down quite a bit. I couldn't walk the next day but the pain was worth it. Now, on to training for my full marathon in May...

Cory and I trained together. I am so thankful for Cory and Lindsey. They are such an amazing couple! We are so glad to have them with us. This was the funnest Halloween I can remember. After the race we went to Brigham for a trunk or treat and then to visit Grandparents. We went to Melissa and Herman's for dinner and caramel apple dipping! Then on to Farmington to visit the rest of the grandparents. The kids had a good day and seemed very pleased with the candy. Halloween was INCREDIBLE.. Ha Ha

Can you believe it????

2010-10-31T21:28:00.003-06:00

Can you believe that I am updating my blog? It has been since March since my last post. Time needs to slow down a little around here. There has been so much that has happened in my life over the last several months. To summerize here is a list of my highlights:

1- Cuddle Haven closed on August 13, 2010.
2- Owen started Preschool, got potty trained, and turned 3.
3- We finished our basement.
4- Jeff and I went on an amazing cruise to the Eastern Carribean.
5- Cory and Lindsey moved in on September 25th.
6- I am now a stay at home mommy!
7- Kaebrie is turning 2 on November 10th.
8- I trained for and ran my first 1/2 marathon.
9- Reorganized, or should I say, organized my life. Finally!
10- Received so many blessings by having a sincere faith in my Heavenly Father.

There is so much more to post about but I decided to start with this weekend and gradually do update posts separate so this one doesn't turn into a novel. Then again, I most likely don't have any readers anymore. It has been awhile!

Kaebrie Update...

2010-03-02T12:10:00.003-07:00

Kaebrie is the best little girl... She is so much fun! Jeff and I can't believe that she is already 16 months old this month. This means nursery is well on its way. Will I actually be able to sit through Sunday School and Relief Society again!?

Kaebrie is talking a ton. She will try to say EVERYTHING that Owen says. She loves her daddy and is a definite daddy's girl. When Jeff tells her "No", it sends immediate tears. When mommy tells her "no", it never fazes her.

She loves her binky and her rag to sleep with. She has been a good sleeper. I hope and pray that she will not learn how to crawl out of her crib.

She is very easy going and has such a good temperament. Several people ask me if my children are twins. It makes me laugh. Owen is small for his age and Kaebrie is large for hers. They look nothing alike but measure up pretty closely. They are so much fun!

I love my kids to death! Being a mommy has blessed my life so much....

Owen Update...

2010-03-02T11:57:00.003-07:00

Owen is growing up so quickly. I had to post an update on all the NEW things he is doing and saying. This was what he said to me yesterday:

Owen: Start building some memories.
Mom: What does that mean?
Owen: Owen is hilarious.

He has been watching Lady and the Tramp, Cars, Finding Nemo and Little Mermaid so I am thinking he heard "start building some memories on one of those shows?

He is such a funny kid. Jeff and I are constantly laughing at him. He speaks in full sentences and asks questions with good grammar. I enrolled him in preschool for the fall and he is really looking forward to it. He loves to learn!

Here is another funny from Owen:

Scenario: Jeff put his t-shirt over his head from behind his back (not sure how to explain well!?) It was over his head and across his forehead.
Owen: Dad looks like Jesus...

Here is how Owen counts:
1, 2, 3, 10, Y- He has his alphabet and numbers slightly mixed right now. It is funny though!

Owen loves to draw, paint and play with Play-doh. He has been a little bit better with bed time. We figured out that we can't feed him or give him anything to drink after 6:00pm or he will not settle down and go to sleep.

Overall, he is doing great and seems to be really healthy. Minus his 24 hour flu he has right now.

Happy Number Seven!

2010-02-28T09:07:00.002-07:00

To my better half,
Happy Anniversary
When years are passing by like days,
and in my hand your hand is placed,
a knowing smile crosses your face,
a simple touch can still make my heart race.

When I can see my soul in your eyes,
and you see your soul in mine we realize,
that a love so deep can harbor no lies,
where our only tears shed were happy tears we've cried.

I love you as much now as I ever did before,
if possible, I may even love you more,
all starting from a feeling we did not ignore,
a feeling of connection we chose to explore.

I don't know what it is that you saw in me,
what I saw in you was the utmost happiness
that can ever be,
even more so on the day when you and I
became "We",
I can still smile and say with love and
truth, I love you...Happy Anniversary.

My Humble Heart....

2010-02-25T15:21:00.003-07:00

Have you ever met someone who has a seemingly perfect life? I am sorry to say that I am not that person. I am however, someone who values the struggles that have been thrust upon them and realize that it is because of these struggles that I am who I am today.

My life has never been perfect, but lately it has been filled with an increasing number of opportunities and trials for me to trust and put my faith in Heavenly Father. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Yes, I do mean everything. Every happy, great, sad, and down right awful thing that happens in life is meant to be. My experiences over the last three years of my life have really challenged this idea. Most days I am not sure why I bother living another day. Then I bring myself back to reality and assure myself that things can always be worse and things aren't that bad.

I started working at the IRS again and realize what a blessing it is to have a great job at my fingertips. My reinstatement was going to expire in August of this year. I felt it very necessary to return to work for many reasons. Although this has been a very difficult adjustment to wrap my mind around, I feel very humbled.

Faith is the key to all things. My testimony has never been so strong. The Lord has blessed my life in so many ways. I have to keep telling myself that things will get better and everything will work itself out.

I have been blessed with a wonderful family and great neighbors who are constantly helping me get through each day. Everyone is so willing to help me with anything. I feel so guilty about asking people to help me out. I am indeed grateful for everyone in my life. My sweet mom has been such a blessing to my kids and I. She is always so willing to drop everything to help me. I couldn't make it through this time of my life without her. I love you mom!

Sorry for my rambling post.. I will post more later!

Owen's big boy bed!

2010-01-24T16:31:00.008-07:00

Warning: If you have a weak stomach, I would recommend you not look at the last picture in this post. Well, we decided to convert Owen's crib into a full sized bed. We thought that it would help him sleep better. Joke was on us. He still gets up at night and has a terrible time falling asleep. The last two night we have gone for a drive to put him to sleep.

So, here is the scoop on what happened to my head. Let's just say this topped off a horrible week at work and a really rough day. I needed a good knock in the head to make me focus. Jeff had taken out Owen's bed rails and put them on the living room floor. He went with Aaron to our store to get the mattress that we ordered for Owen. I was in the living room with the kids and the kids kept playing with the rails, walking on them and making mommy worried that they were going to hurt themselves. I got the kids off of them and reached down to pick one up and lean it against the wall. While bending down to get the second rail, the other one against the wall came down on my head and hit me extremely hard. I wasn't sure what had happened to me for a minute. I went and laid on the couch and reached up to feel my head and my hand was drenched with blood. I immediately called Jeff and luckily he was almost home. It looked a ton worse than it actually was. Head injuries always bleed bad.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-24T16:08:00.002-07:00

We had a really fun Christmas this year. Owen and Kaebrie were really fun! They are still too little to grasp the whole idea of Christmas. We talked about baby Jesus and the nativity. Santa was understood for sure. We took Owen to the mall to sit on his lap. He looked at him with a weird glare like "Who are you"??? Santa gave him a coloring book which made his day. After that, he loved Santa...

We will more than likely NEVER leave for a vacation in December again. Christmas came and went way too fast. I didn't even get to do my Christmas baking and I feel like our last minute shopping was indeed too last minute. Not to mention, we shopped at Cuddle Haven on Christmas Eve for our kids. This won't happen again.

When we got home from our cruise, we had some major issues at work. It was a blessing that our phones didn't work because it would've ruined my whole vacation hearing about all the issues. Although, I went crazy not being able to talk to my kids. I have never missed anyone so much in my life.

Back to Christmas, we woke up on Christmas morning and hosted breakfast for Camille, Aaron and Sheena, Grandma and Grandpa Aamodt and Jim and Lori. Then for lunch we had Grandpa Rex come over. Then off to my family party at my parents home. Christmas was really fun and I am so blessed to have the example of Christ in my life.

Our Christmas Gift to each other!

2010-01-06T20:32:00.023-07:00

Jeff and I had an amazing time on our cruise! We have several more pictures but our computer broke so I will have to post more later. Plus, we have to blog about the stalking adventure on our cruise. Pretty funny and entertaining! Last stop Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We didn't get off the boat in this town either. We were exhausted from sleeping all day/night and overeating. We didn't have the energy to go on shore.

We spent several afternoons playing hand and foot in the game lounge. We were always surrounded by older couples (in their 80's) playing bridge. We fit right in!

PS. I hate always losing to Jeff. Can he ever lose any game he plays?

Hmmmm, what to eat. We slept until noon so our appetites were a little out of control. Everything looked good to us. So, being that we were on a cruise and everything was paid for, we got some of EVERYTHING. Hamburger, fries, soup, cake, chicken fingers, chicken wings, rolls, and of course frozen yogurt.

Note to self: I'm still carrying around cruise weight, UGH!

Fourth Stop: Ixtapa, Mexico

Mazatlan, Mexico

Second Stop: Mazatlan, Mexico

We got off the boat and then got right back on after being swarmed with taxi drivers wanting to take us into the city. We got an uneasy feeling about the crowd so we headed back to the boat and didn't see much of this city.

Another fruit carving table. Notice the festive fruit for Christmas.

First stop: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

We love frozen yogurt!

Not sure if I want to admit how many we ate the whole time on the cruise.

We averaged about three huge cones a day! Mmmmmm... We were on the boat for 10 days, 30 cones! No wonder I have a muffin top to get rid of!!!
Festive "Welcome Aboard" carved fruit...

First formal night...

Our room... We had a balcony, loved it!

Last March Jeff and I decided to book a 10-day cruise to Mexico for each other for our Christmas. We had such a great time! My mom once again came to the rescue and stayed at our house with our kids while we went. Mom-I hope you know how much this meant to Jeff and I.

WE LOVE GRANDMA BOWEN!!!!!

We haven't been on a real vacation that wasn't work related since we went to Hawaii before we had Owen. What a treat! We made lots of memories and decided once again that we love cruising. We would live on a cruise boat if we could and travel the world.

Owen is a climber! Not so much a good sleeper anymore...

2010-01-06T20:23:00.004-07:00

Two nights before Jeff and I left on our cruise, Owen decided to climb out of his crib. Does everyone go through this? He went from a solid 13 hour sleeper to a sporadic 2-3, 5 or 6 hours at a time! We converted his bed to a toddler bed and he still is not sleeping through the night. We have to sit by his bed and talk to him for about 1-2 hours until he decides to close his little eyes and go to sleep. Then he ends up in our bed in the middle of the night. There goes our perfect sleeping child! This is what I get for being so proud to have such good sleeping children. We are going to order him a big mattress so we can convert his bed to a full size in hopes that he will love it and stay there all night. We are under the assumption that he falls out of his toddler bed in the middle of the night and then crawls into our bed for comfort. To be continued....

Baby Ovary

2009-12-07T14:37:00.002-07:00

This is baby Avery (Cory and Lindsey's cute little girl). Owen calls her baby Ovary. It is so funny. I tried to get video but he won't concentrate on what I want him to say and wants to take the camera away from me. It's super cute and makes me laugh! Baby Ovary and Lindsey came to visit last week and we loved having them come and say "hi". Cute little girl! We love you baby Ovary...

Jeff's work Christmas party..

2009-12-07T14:30:00.004-07:00

This year Expeditors decided to have a 1940's gangster gambling party. Not my idea of a good time. However, I had fun with Jeff playing with fake money. They gave everyone $1000 dollars to start with and then they gave out raffle tickets for how much you made. Jeff turned his into $50,000 and won a purse. He really had his heart set on winning a leather lap top case. Oh well, you win some and loose some! We had a great time dressing up and going out together.

Kaebrie is walking...

2009-12-07T14:22:00.002-07:00

Kaebrie decided to start walking this past week. She thinks she is so big and she is!

I can't believe she is growing up so fast.

I Love the Christmas Season...

2009-12-04T14:55:00.002-07:00

I love the smell of Christmas... The warm cinnamon vanilla fragrance, all the pretty lights and decorations. The spirit of Christmas always comes over me and makes me feel so rejuvenated. This special time of celebrating the birth of our Savior is so special and we are so fortunate to have so many great things in our lives and so many wonderful people around us.

I just love Christmas!

We finally got our house all decked out. The kids are loving the tree and all the fun things to play with and take apart. Jeff and Aaron put lights up on our house and they nearly killed themselves. They look fantastic! I have been talking about Christmas with Owen and I'm pretty sure he understands what it's all about. Kaebrie will not leave the lights plugged into the wall. She goes up to them time and time again saying "no,no" as she unplugs them.

Jeff and I leave for our cruise in one week. I'm getting really excited but am nervous to be away from my kiddos. My mom is coming to our house to stay with the kids the whole time we are gone. Mom-I'm extremely grateful for you helping us out. Owen and Kaebrie are looking forward to it.

Being Thankful...

2009-11-26T11:24:00.002-07:00

Today I woke up feeling an extreme amount of gratitude for all the blessings that have been given to me throughout my life. I am so blessed to be where I am today and to be the woman I am. I don't give myself enough credit most days. I am grateful for my dear children and for the love that they show me. I'm especially grateful for Jeff and for the wonderful husband and father he is. There are so many blessings that I have received and am grateful for.

I'm grateful for Jesus Christ and for his atoning sacrifice. How blessed are we to be able to repent and be forgiven of our sins. I'm grateful for my family and for the love that they show to me and for their examples for me to look up to.

I'm grateful for my testimony of the only true gospel on the earth today. There is no doubt in my mind that the gospel isn't true. I'm grateful to everyone who blesses our lives and show us so much love.

On this Thanksgiving I am truly grateful for life and for being able to be on this earth at this time.

Kaebrie's 1 year pictures...

2009-11-12T21:10:00.005-07:00

Kaebrie is Uno!

2009-11-12T20:50:00.009-07:00

Happy Birthday big girl!

Grandpa Rex came over and brought Kaebrie a cute Pony bike to ride on.

Opening gifts with the cousins!

I thought it would be appropriate to have a doggy party for her since one of her first words was "doggy".

Can you believe that Kaebrie is one? I'm not sure where the last year went. She has been a huge blessing in my life. When she was born I swore up and down that I was done having children. After experiencing mother hood, I feel like there might be one more little spirit up there to welcome to our home.

Kaebrie, you are such a cute little girl. You are always making mommy laugh and lightening my moods. When I look at you, you make me feel like I am the luckiest mommy in the world to have such a sweet little girl. I love it when you crinckle your little nose and squeel at the top of your lungs. I laugh when I watch you crawl around with your leg tucked under you. You have been such a great blessing to our lives. Always know that your mom thinks you are the greatest daughter ever. Love you little sissy...

2009-11-05T13:36:00.004-07:00

After the General Conference Priesthood Session, Jeff came home and told me about Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on the rough economy. Since then, Jeff kept referring to several things that he mentioned for us as Latter-Day saints to follow. I finally took the time to pull up the talk and read it. I felt as if he was talking directly to me. In this trying time of economical trials I felt very touched by his words and was encouraged to keep working as hard as I can and learn as much as I can while on earth.

At times of trial, I tend to get very angry. Jeff also told me of President Monson's talk on Anger. This was meant for me too! Please read if you haven't already.

Dieter F Uchtdorf's Talk
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-19,00.html

President Monson's Talk
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-21,00.html

Happy Halloween...

2009-11-02T11:06:00.008-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Just "BEE" yourself!

Kaebrie loved wearing this curly wig that Jeff found. She was so funny!

We aren't the most original when it comes to carving pumpkins:)

We carved pumpkins for family night. Owen was very intrigued by it. He loves candles and was so excited when we put his favorite "green candle" in his pumpkin and lit it on fire.

Just another update...

2009-10-25T18:10:00.010-06:00

Owen has gone pee-pee on the big boy toilet for the last three nights! Let's hope this means he will be potty trained really soon.

We took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch behind our house. We got to take a tractor ride and pick our very own pumpkins. Owen was in heaven. He watches the field from our windows and has been wanting to go. We had a blast!

Here is a good shot of Kaebrie's teeth. She has two bottom middle teeth, one top side tooth and her two middle tops are coming through. She is so silly!

My tired girl.

Kaebrie had her first surgery. She got tubes put in her ears. No more ear infections, thank goodness!

Here is a video of Kaebrie crawling with her tuck and climb leg movement. She also is saying "Doggy" and "Hi". She loves Walter and as you can see Walter loves her. I still can't believe she will be one in a few weeks!

My Little Stud

2009-09-09T21:09:00.008-06:00

I haven't posted anything for awhile and I tried to think of a quick way to play catch up. The past few months have flown by for us. Our kids are growing more and more every day. They are so much fun!

Owen is learning all kinds of things. He loves to talk about everything these days. I don't think that being two is terrible. Owen is such a cute boy. He is so good to help me with cleaning and laundry. I really hope he won't grow out of the cleaning phase. It's nice to have some helping hands.

Kaebrie (otherwise known as Sissy) is getting so big. She is already 18 1/2 lbs. Owen didn't weigh that until he was about 18 months old. Goes to show just how different my kids are. Kaebrie started crawling when she was 9 months old. Now she is starting to walk along all the furniture. She has a very distinct way of crawling. She tucks and drags her right leg under her body and lifts her left leg out front to do all the work. She is so fun and has quite the personality. Drum roll please---SHE TAKES A BOTTLE---My mom got her to take a bottle about a month ago and absolutely loves it! I'm really thankful for the break from nursing. I finally have my body completely back.

Jeff and I are keeping busy with our jobs. It really never stops with this busy lifestyle of ours. At night we just collapse from our endeavors. I'm really struggling with a decision about my business. I have a year and a half left until our lease is up. I'm not sure if I should keep it going or be done with it. I sacrifice so much to make this store work. I've put so many hours into it and in return I loose time spent with the people I love most. I guess time will tell what I should do.

This summer flew by and I am shocked how close we are to the holidays! I can't believe it...

Thanks to all who have helped me with my kids. Especially my mom! She is an amazing grandma (Bon Bon) and mother. Words truly can't express my gratitude for the love and kindness that has been shown to myself and my children. Not a minute goes by that I don't think about every blessing in my life. If I fall, someone is always there to pick me up and help me know that everything is going to be OK. Jeff has been a huge support as well. He said it best when he told me "It's 90% attitude and 10% situation". How true is that? I feel like I don't deserve to have such a great life.

Just thought I would post some cute photos of Owen. Little Angels Photography does amazing work. She hasn't retouched any of the images yet so I may post more in the future.

Well, I'll stop rambling now!

My 2 YEAR-OLD

2009-08-19T12:28:00.004-06:00

Owen turned 2! Can you believe it?

The last two years have flown by. My little boy isn't so little anymore. Owen has so much to do and so much to talk about lately. He is constantly asking about doing things himself and has a very large vocabulary.

Here is a list of his favorite things.

Favorite food: Fruit, Veggies and Wendy's chicken nuggets and french fries dipped in honey mustard.

Favorite Letter: "W"

Favorite Book: How Dinosaurs say goodnight

Favorite Activity: Going to the park or Bon Bon's house

Favorite Number: 2

Favorite Saying: "Owen do it"

Favorite Movie: Cars and Finding Nemo

Favorite TV Show: Sesame Street or Barney

Favorite Toy: He just got spoiled for his b-day so he has lots of fun toys that he loves. We bought him a trampoline, basketball hoop and some battery powered tools. He also got a doctor kit, doodle board and a bike that he LOVES! Walter also has become a favorite toy, if you will.

I love you OWEN! Mommy is so blessed to have you.

Our Summer!

2009-07-10T21:38:00.018-06:00

Our summer has been really busy but we have made some great memories! It has been a whole new world for me with my kids getting bigger. I don't want to say easier but in a way it has been. They are really loads of fun. I have enjoyed every minute with them. I have been able to really get our business up and going. Having Lexi here a few days a week has been so great for me mentally to get on top of things..

Jeff is keeping busy at his job and helping me with mine when he gets home. We finally have our house put back together after selling majority of our furniture and replacing it.

Owen is talking more and more every day. He wil repeat everything you say. My favorite words are "Chutes-Sa" which means "Pizza" and "Bon Bon" which means "Grandma".

Kaebrie is eight months old today. She is jabbering and starting to scoot herself around. She loves to play with strings, tags and fabric. She is quite the eye catcher in a crowd. She got her first tooth on the bottom a few weeks ago and is trying to get another one to break through. I still haven't been able to wean her yet. I have tried every bottle, sippy and cup invented and nothing has really given her reason to suck. I tried a new formula the other day and she ended up in after hours care because her whole face and neck broke out in hives. She was allergic to it of course. Silly girl!

We have played at the park and ran through the water in the yard.

We decided to be in the Kaysville City parade on the fourth of July. Here is a side shot of our float.

Monica and Kayla came down to help us out! Thanks guys... Monica pushed Kaebrie and Owen in the stroller and they slept through the whole parade.

Hi mama! Cheese...

Here is our gang. Kayla, Monica, Amy and me.

While we were waiting for the parade to begin, the mayor of Kaysville City and Fruit Heights awarded our float "Best Small Entry". We received a trophy. I'm still shocked but honored. Considering this is the first float Jeff and I have ever built.

We spent the rest of the day in Brigham with my family. Brad and Shelley had all of our family over for a BBQ and karaoke in their backyard. It was so much fun. Owen loved playing in the water with his cousins and Kaebrie just hung out. She loves grandma or as Owen would call her "Bon Bon". We aren't sure why he calls her that???

To our Dada....

2009-06-21T22:54:00.004-06:00

Dear Dadda,

I love it when you get home from work. I love to play blocks with you and read stories. Thanks for giving me baths every night and for giving me my "Vrrrmmm" and "Mulk" before bed.

We miss you when you are working. We are so grateful for all that you do for us!

Love you Dadda... Happy Father's Day.... Sun

Dadda say "ugh"

Jeff-Thanks for being the father of our two precious children. Heavenly Father has blessed me with so much but being your wife and the mother of your children has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I often think back to when we first got married and the fact that you wanted nothing to do with children. Luckily, we decided to become parents. I want you to know that you are the best dad ever. Owen and Kaebrie love you so much. Owen asks about you all day and is so excited when he hears the garage door open. Kaebrie can't take her eyes off of you whenever you are in sight. She is fascinated by you and I can tell she has a special bond with you already.

Life has truly blessed us both in becoming parents. You have been by my side through everything. You are always so caring and loving. I want you to know that you are the best daddy in the whole world.

Happy Father's Day Sweetie! We love you soooo much...

Happy 30th Birthday Sweetheart!

2009-06-10T21:31:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday Sweetie! Another year goes by with so much accomplished. I want you to know how much I love you. You are everything I have ever dreamed of having for my eternal companion. I appreciate all the hard work you do to support our family and my business. You are the most patient, kind, smart and understanding person I have ever met. Here's to another great year!

Owen helped mommy make daddy a very special birthday cake! Nummy mama...

Owen and Kaebrie love dada...

Jeff's mom took us to dinner at Buca Di Beppo in SLC for the big 30 celebration. We had "The Pope" as our centerpiece. STRANGE BUT HILARIOUS!

L to R: Sheena, Aaron, Bill, David, Dan, Grandpa A, Grandma A, Camille, Jeff, Kaebrie and Owen. Thanks Camille! That was so much fun...

WE LOVE YOU SWEETIE!

A quick update

2009-06-04T11:34:00.002-06:00

Well here goes...

I have been busier lately than ever before in my entire life. Having two kids and a business has been more than I could handle. After several discussions between Jeff and I we finally came up with a resolution to help me get on top of my life. We hired a nanny.

Her name is Lexi and I used to babysit her when she was little. She is 17 now and was looking for some work for the summer. She comes Monday-Wednesday and helps me with the kids and housework. This has been such a great thing for us. We made up a room downstairs in my craft room for her to sleep. Owen loves her and Kaebrie is getting better with her. This was the answer to my prayers.

I have been able to get caught up on some things that were lingering since before I had Kaebrie. I have high hopes and goals for myself this summer and am going to take advantage of every second I can to get on top of my life so that I can be a better wife, mother and business owner.

Owen is so much fun. I agree with my mom that this age is the funnest and cutest. Owen has a huge vocabulary for his age. He will say and repeat anything he hears. Lexi was out on the deck with him yesterday and I overheard their conversation. Owen pointed to a small bug on the ground and said "buck" over and over. He then walked over by the door and pointed to a screw and said "buck". Lexi corrected him and said "screw". Owen then repeated back "screw buck". Sorry but I thought it was funny. He is getting so big and will be turning two in August.

Kaebrie has made a turn for the better. She has been doing so good in therapy and only has to go one more time this month then she is done. Her neck has made so much improvement. She is seriously so beautiful. Several people have told me to get her into modeling. I have the perfect business for that. She jabbers all the time and doesn't really fuss too much anymore. The hardest thing has been trying to get her take a bottle instead of mommy. This girl WILL NOT suck on it. We have tried sippy cups, three different kinds of bottles and a cup. She will drink a little bit but only by chewing on the nipples. Does anyone have any recommendations? She is sleeping really good and is in great health.

Jeff and I keep ourselves extremely busy. We are looking forward to a cruise in December that Jeff booked for us. I'm really excited but already know I will go crazy without my kids. They are the center of my world. Jeff decided that he would put near all of our furniture in our house up for sale. We sold our end tables, couch set, bedroom set, and rocking chair. We do own a furniture store and I guess he felt like he needed to change things up again. Jeff loves to have huge change occur in his life. I'm not great at adjusting to huge change. Hopefully we can get our new furniture in before they come to take our bedroom set or we'll be sleeping on the floor for awhile. We have such a wonderful life filled with crazy times!

My Beautiful Six Month Old

2009-05-16T20:14:00.007-06:00

Kaebrie turned six months old. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. This last week has been so much easier for me. Kaebrie has decided to be a happy girl finally. Her fussiness has decreased substantially and she laughs and giggles way more frequently than ever before. At her doctor visit she weighed in at 15 lbs 6 ounces and 25 1/2" long. For once, she had a really good visit with the doctor.

Her favorite things are:

Eating rice cereal mixed with bananas

Chewing her cloth doll Aunt Diane gave her

Talking to mommy

Watching Owen play and talk

Playing in her saucer

Going outside to look around

Her Miracle Blanket

Jeff and I aren't sure how we created this little lady. People stop us EVERYWHERE, just to tell us how beautiful she is. She is a blessing to our family and we are so lucky to have her.

These pictures are absolutely the cutest things I have honestly ever seen. My little Kaebrie is so adorable. She is dressed head to toe with stuff from my store. These are the cutest pettiskirts ever and I had to use my little model to show them off.

The time has come...

2009-05-11T13:03:00.002-06:00

I'm going to take my blog and go private. If you would like to continue to read our blog please leave a comment with your email address. I will leave this posted for a few days and then off we go to the private world of blogging....

2009-05-06T12:50:00.003-06:00

Mother Teresa hung a copy of this poem on a wall of the orphanage she founded in Calcutta. Its source is unknown.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis. it is between you and God;

It is never between you and them anyway.

I have been doing some serious soul searching over the last few months. I came cross this poem and it really hit home for me. I need to really work on relying on the Lord to help me through tough times and thank him for the good times. I have been so blessed and I should never complain, EVER.

Being an owner of a business I have seen people who are very selfish, angry, irritable, irate, unreasonable, unforgiving and very unchristlike. For the longest time I have taken the blame for their anger and frustration. From this day forward I will not let them get me down. On the flip side I have met some of the most incredible people, gained life-long friendships, educated myself in measures beyond what schooling ever taught me and most importantly, I found out who I am!

Also, I became a mother of two very beautiful children and a wife to the most incredible man. How lucky am I to be living such a wonderful life. I know complaining about life and how tough things get becomes a daily ritual for lots of us. We all need to be happy for ourselves and happy for eachother. I am trying so hard to better myself and prepare for the day when Christ visits the earth. I'm not sure if I will be around for that sacred day but I do know that I need to make every minute count. The world has so many evils in it and so many good things as well. I hope that I can teach my children what they need to know to make it through.

I challenge everyone who reads this post to do one act of service this week. Every little bit can go a long way!

Ms Kaebrie is going on 6 months~

2009-04-23T22:23:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Kaebrie is almost six months old. Where has time gone? She has been doing really well in her physical therapy and we are now going every other week. She is such a cute little stinker!

Have I mentioned that she is a fuss basket? The other day, Owen covered his ears and looked at me shaking his head. She was being very noisy. It's not a crying scream but more a loud, high pitch, shrill scream. It has been getting louder and louder as the days pass. I feel like a horrible parent majority of the time. We'll be in public or visiting friends/family and she honestly screams and screams to a point where I just have to leave and go home because I can't mentally take it anymore. Everyone keeps telling me that it will pass but I am yet to see it get better.

I have to admit though, she is a great sleeper and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Her and Owen are on similar schedules now and it makes my day a little easier to plan. I can get most of my work done while they are napping and after they go to bed.

Kaebrie, you are so special. Mommy loves you so much. I will do anything and try everything to comfort you and make you smile and be a happy girl. Sometimes when you scream I get impatient but I'm trying really hard to be the best mommy to you. You are the most beautiful little girly I have ever seen and I am so blessed to have your sweet spirit in our eternal family. Mommy will always love you and cherish every moment with you. (Even if you are screaming).

Owen and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week!

2009-04-23T14:33:00.012-06:00

Do you remember the book "Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?" Well Owen had a week full of bad things happen to him. I kept wanting to post and things kept happening. Sounds horrible but I wanted to post after at least two days had past without a major injury.

(Keep in mind he has been on Lortab for pain control from his surgery)

Owen had his surgery on Monday last week. He had a pretty rough next day because he was in lots of pain and literally couldn't and wouldn't walk. He had lots of "mommy time". I enjoyed the loves from him.

Wednesday, he got some energy back. He decided to climb on the table when mommy was changing Kaebrie's diaper. I heard a loud thud and a screaming child. I ran to discover he had fallen off the table and hit his poor head on the tile. He had a nice goose egg on his head.

A few hours later I was sitting on my bed nursing Kaebrie and Owen made a mad dash to climb on the bed, he tripped and hit his eyebrow on the edge of our bed frame and got another goose egg below his other one.

Thursday, Owen decided to climb on his toy chest in front of his window. He lost his balance and fell and hit his lip on the window seal so hard that his bottom tooth went right through his lower lip. There was blood everywhere. I was going to rush him to the ER but I made a quick, panicked call to my mom to see what I should do for him. She told me that they wouldn't do anything because it's his mouth and they don't stitch mouth areas.
Friday we went to Brigham to see my parents and luckily nothing major happened.

Saturday, Jeff got a room up in Park City so we could get away, relax and do some shopping. I was so excited for this because I was literally a nervous wreck by the end of the week. Plus, it sounded great to get away from everything for a night. We got up to Park City and went to park in the outlets and there were very few cars in the parking lot. We thought maybe we picked a great day to go because it wasn't crowded. Ha, they had a power outage and near all the outlets closed for the day. Go figure! We went to our room, hung out and then went out to dinner. Jeff showed Owen how to play video games in the restaurant. Owen was glued! He screamed when we left... It was hilarious. (not that he screamed but that he shares his daddy's love for video games) We went back to the hotel and went swimming and then off to bed.

(I had to post Kaebrie in her cute lil' swimming suit)

We have been dog sitting for Jeff's brother, Aaron, (our new neighbor) while they are vacationing in Cancun. He brought his dog over on Friday night. We have her in the back yard. She is a very large yellow lab and is really friendly. Jeff and I were upstairs unpacking from our trip and Owen decided to venture downstairs. Minutes later I heard a very vicious growling dog and a child screaming bloody murder. I ran downstairs and found that Aaron's dog had stuck its head through Walter's doggy door and bit Owen's hand. It was bruised and he has two holes where his teeth went in. I ended up taking Owen into after hours emergency. His finger appeared fine and the doctor sent us home with an antibiotic in case it got infected. The doctor had to report the dog to animal control and they came out late Sunday to take a look at the dog and determine what to do with it. We had to sign papers to have her at in-home quarantine for 10 days.
Needless to say, Owen has had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week....

For the record, this week has been so much better.

Owen's Surgery

2009-04-14T12:27:00.008-06:00

Yesterday, Owen had his surgery. He did extremely well considering what they did to him. They gave him a sedative beforehand so that he wouldn't throw a fit when mommy and daddy left his sight. He was pretty loopy! The surgery was fast and he came out of the anesthesia perfectly. The only thing that upset him was the IV in his foot and the heart monitor on his toe. He wanted to pull both off immediately. I have to say I am so impressed with Primary Children's Hospital. They are so great with children and make them as comfortable as possible. Jeff and I commented on how organized and efficient they are. The doctors are excellent and the staff is amazing. We wanted to keep the cute hospital outfit he wore but couldn't.

Owen slept near all day yesterday and topped that off with a solid 14 hours of sleep last night. He woke up happy but can't walk very well because of the swelling. I let him take a bath in mommy and daddy's tub and he was all smiles. We have to bath him 2-3 times a day to keep the swelling down and the incision clean. Hopefully by tomorrow evening he will regain some strength and have less pain.

Since my blog is my journal I have to report how Ms. Kaebrie did through this event. She was a bawling mess the whole time at the hospital. One nurse asked if there is anything she could get for us and I told her I wanted a sedative for Kaebrie. We had a good laugh because I believe everyone was in agreement that she was being very unpleasant. Poor girl. Jeff said that he thinks she reacts off of her mother being a stress case 90% of the time. This could be true! Hopefully she will be a happier girl soon. She does best at home for whatever reason. We leave the house and a switch goes on to begin fussing.

I'm so grateful for both of my cute lil' kids. They have shown me a love I never knew existed.

Pictures with my kiddos

2009-04-06T12:37:00.007-06:00

This past weekend was lots of fun. Jeff planned a day with the kids to take me shopping for a dress and out to dinner. Yeah, it was my birthday. Not to mention, I feel older than 26. Most people guess my age to be about 30. Does that mean I am going look 40 when I'm actually 30? CrAzY!!! I hope not...

It is so difficult for me to find a nice dress. I'm slightly on the picky side because I have lots of factors when choosing a dress. Setting my pickiness aside, I couldn't find anything. They were either too short, sleeveless, too bright, too wide (Moo Moo's are back in apparently) or just too ugly. This is why I haven't been able to find a nice dress in the last decade. I'm out of style I guess...

I really appreciate Jeff taking me to go shopping to buy ANY dress I wanted. I guess I will have to keep looking and hope I'm able to find one some day. We were going to eat at the Cheesecake Factory but the wait was 90 minutes. That being said we left and went to Mimi's Cafe.

Sunday we went to my parent's house and ate a yummy dinner. We celebrated my birthday along with Alex's (14) and Dallin's (6). It was so much fun to be with the family and to see Owen play with his cousins. We took him on a walk to the neighbors farm to see the cows. He loved it!

Thanks to all for a very happy birthday!

Musically inclined

2009-03-26T10:13:00.003-06:00

I found this old harmonica in our storage. I played it for Owen and immediately he was fascinated by it. After having it laying around the house for a week or so he learned how to play it. I grabbed the video camera the moment I heard him. Too funny! He loves music. . .

Be sure to pause my music so you can hear him.

Kaebrie's physical therapy

2009-03-24T13:27:00.002-06:00

Kaebrie and I went to physical therapy yesterday for the first time. I learned so much about my little girl. The physical therapist asked several questions about Kaebrie and determined that she obviously suffers from Torticollis and acid reflux. She told me that they go hand in hand. She taught me a series of stretches to do 2-3 times a day with Kaebrie. She also said that physical therapy is going to last 4-6 months. Kaebrie has a moderate degree of Torticollis. Luckily, it's not severe and is treatable. I look forward to seeing how much she improves each week. My sweet little girl has been so ornery lately. I started giving her acid reflux medication again and have already noticed a change in her fussiness. I really wish I could read her mind. It makes me so sad to see her unhappy. I hope and pray that I will be able to be a good mother and provide her with the love and care she needs.

Pretty Bird

2009-03-24T13:15:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Owen and I opened the front door to go get our milk delivery and saw this pretty bird purched by our door. Owen was really excited. I let him throw bread at the bird to eat. He thought it was so great! The bird appeared to be really cold. It wasn't expecting the cold weather to come back.

Dr. Visit

2009-03-11T22:03:00.005-06:00

Kaebrie turned four months yesterday... That four months flew by for me. I ventured to the doctor for Kaebrie's four month and Owen's 18 month checkup. Kaebrie weighed almost 13 pounds and is growing very well. Owen still weighs 22 pounds. He is still not gaining weight as well as the doctor would like but seems very healthy.

We found out that Kaebrie has torticollis. Torticollis is a muscle disorder in her neck. She tilts her head only to one side and cannot move her head over to the left as well as she should. I have to take her into physical therapy to get the muscle loosened and help her head movements. Did I notice this? Yes, in fact this explains everything. She cried when I nursed on one side because her head couldn't move where it needed to. I struggled for two months getting her to feed from both sides well. She didn't have acid reflux, she was most likely uncomfortable and in pain. I guess you just have to be patient and alert at all times. Better to catch it now than later and have it become a bigger problem.

As for my little guy, he has to have surgery. They have to redo his circumcision. We have to take him to Primary Children's to meet with a surgeon and then schedule the big event. I'm not sure I can handle this very well. Putting him out seems so scary to me. He'll be tough and everything will be fine.

Needless to say, our doctor visit wasn't the best one. Shots aren't ever fun either. I thought Kaebrie was going to quit breathing because she was crying so hard.

I tried to get a cute photo of both of them but Kaebrie was screaming. It seems she is always screaming unless mommy is bouncing her. Owen didn't know what to do with her.

What a night.....

2009-03-05T12:16:00.003-07:00

Owen had us laughing last night. He insisted on brushing his teeth over and over again. I couldn't get him to go to bed and stop brushing. First, I tried having him say goodnight to his toothbrush and toothpaste and put them in the drawer. He screamed, cried and was so sad about it. Second, I thought putting him in bed would help him forget about it. Not so lucky! After 10 minutes of heavy screaming and crying I finally went and got him. I let him continue to brush his teeth until he had his fill. Problem: He never got his fill. He would've slept with his toothbrush and toothpaste had I let him. I had to capture on video how much he was into brushing his teeth. After I got the video, we put away his toothbrush and toothpaste and he cried himself to sleep in 15 minutes. I felt horrible but didn't know how else to handle it. He hasn't ever been this attached to something before. I can't complain that he desires good hygiene....

The Bachelor...

2009-03-04T13:16:00.002-07:00

I hate it when I get all wrapped up in a TV reality show. I got really involved when Deanna didn't choose Jason on the Bachellorette. Then when he was the new Bachelor I was very interested to see what was going to happen. I loved Melissa and was heart broken when he let her go and went back to Molly. I feel like this show is a crock. In the real world, a man isn't able to date tons of women, make out with all of them within minutes of each other and switch back and forth with his feelings. I was bent at his decision to let go of Melissa. Isn't this every mans dream though? To date multiple woman all at the same time and try to work it out with one and rebound to another. This isn't reality, it's insanity. It's just like having an affair and feeling good about it. I was really bothered by this dumb show. Jeff was even irritated by it. I just needed to vent some frustration.

Happy Anniversary

2009-03-01T18:36:00.001-07:00

Jeff and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary yesterday. As a part of Jeff's gift I did a memory trail. We went to Weber State where we met. Had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in memory of our first date, drove to the Bountiful temple where he proposed and we were married, drove by our first apartment and our first home. It was such a fun day remembering how our journey began together.

Jeff- I love you with all my heart and soul. You are truly the love of my life. Heavenly Father sent us to each other for a reason. We have two beautiful children that I love dearly. Thanks for being so patient and full of love for me and your children. You are the best husband and father that any one person could ask for.

I LOVE YOU!

Growing up so fast....

2009-02-21T16:05:00.003-07:00

Cute Ms. Kaebrie is getting so big... She is so adorable and I love her little personality that she is developing. She will be 15 weeks old on Monday. Hard to believe it's been almost four months already. She is smiling all the time and started laughing for mommy. Did I mention how cute she is? I know, enough already...

Both the kids have been sick again, including mommy and daddy. They are on antibiotics for their ear infections. I had one too many visits to the doctor over the last few weeks.

Kaebrie and I went on a little vacation to Las Vegas to a few baby shows for my store. My employee, Sadie, came along for the ride as well. We stayed with Cory and Lindsey and had a blast as usual. I wish Cory and Lindsey lived closer. My mom graciously watched Owen for me. He came home doing and saying all kinds of new things. Not much new and exciting going on around here. I am anxiously awaiting spring so we can take the kids outdoors. Warm weather is right around the corner.

Animal Sounds-18 months old

2009-02-20T09:48:00.005-07:00

Kaebrie's Special Day

2009-02-09T18:12:00.010-07:00

Kaebrie, you were blessed by your daddy on Sunday February 8, 2009. We are so blessed to have you in our eternal family. You have such a sweet spirit. As mommy sat in the chapel holding you she had so many emotions running through her heart. Daddy blessed you that you would have a good relationship with your mother and that you would communicate with her as a friend. I will forever treasure these words in my heart throughout my life. I hope you will always feel the love that I have for you as my little girl. Daddy will never forget the way you looked up at him after you were blessed. We love you Kaebrie.

Thanks to all our family and friends for sharing this special day with Kaebrie.

Owen loves to play outside

2009-02-05T15:54:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was so nice outside. I had some spray painting to do so I decided Owen and I would go out for awhile while Kaebrie napped. He had so much fun running around with Walter and watching the airplanes in the sky. In the picture above he is pointing to an airplane saying "What's that".

Owen is learning so much. He started to knock on the front door from the inside and the put his ear to the door to listen. Where in the world did he learn this? I never have consciously knocked and listened to any door. He has also become quite the climber. He climbs on everything. Including our nightstands, couches, his bookcase and chairs. He is a very determined little guy. Not to mention fearless!

I'm in need of some advise for anyone out there who has a child that likes to throw everything. Owen has always thrown stuff but I never thought it would become an everyday thing. He throws stuff at everyone and anything. He also has been breaking everything and knows it is bad because he will yell "Uh Oh". How do I discipline him? We tried putting him in his crib but discovered quickly that when we put him down for a nap he cries because he thinks he's being punished. I tried squeezing his hand and saying "stop" but he thinks that is funny and it doesn't get to him. How old do you start putting them on time out? My sister suggested putting him in the bathroom and closing the door but I'm afraid he will try to climb in the tub or play in the toilet and make a huge mess. Any advise out there?

Sick & Stressed

2009-01-30T12:11:00.006-07:00

I thought I better post to vent some stress. Work has been crazy busy this week and way stressful for me. Between ordering product, training a new employee and getting our financials in order for the new year we all got sick. I'm pretty sure Owen picked it up at nursery because I saw a few little kids with green boogery noses. Hopefully we will all get better quickly. I hate seeing Owen and Kaebrie with runny noses and coughs. I haven't slept good this week to add to everything. If mommy is ornery, so is everyone else.

Owning a business is a tough job and has been fun and extremely stressful. I have mixed emotions about it. One day is great and the next is awful. Especially when everything that goes wrong is your fault and becomes your problem. I don't regret opening my store but at times I wonder what I would be doing to fill my time. Perhaps I would still be scrapbooking and be able to go visit Friends/family more often. I feel trapped at times. I can't do things I used to be able to do. I miss going shopping and out to dinner. I'm not trying to complain but have a very clear understanding of both sides of the spectrum with working and stay at home moms. I work and stay at home. I'm very lucky to be able to work at home and take care of my kids. My days are usually a jumbled up mess. I wake up and immediately have several emails to answer and phone calls to make. It gets tiring. Hopefully soon I can get my act together and on top of everything so things can be a little less chaotic. I have been blessed with very good employees who keep the store open and functioning. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I keep telling myself that things could always be worse. Luckily we aren't dealing with poverty or a serious illness. I am grateful for the opportunity to run a business. I have grown and learned so much.

I'm so blessed to have two beautiful children. They truly make every living moment a gift. I have a great life filled with such wonderful people and amazing opportunities. I know that most working women see my life as one they want to live. Things aren't always greener on the other side. We just always have to remember that things happen for a reason. Jeff is an amazing father and husband. I'm so proud of him for his accomplishments at work and thankful for all he does to provide for myself and his children. He is my sanity. He has a way of opening my eyes and realizing that there is a positive outlook to every situation. Here are a few pics of my store!

Kaebrie's Birth Announcement

2009-01-24T22:00:00.002-07:00

Better late than never!

We are planning to bless Kaebrie on Sunday, February 8th at 9:00am. Just a heads up in case I don't get the invitations mailed until next week.

Update

2009-01-24T10:48:00.004-07:00

Just a quick update from the last two weeks. The kids are so much fun lately. Owen in talking more and more every day. Kaebrie is starting to coo and is so smiley and cute! Owen tries to share his binky with her and likes to give her loves. Owen's form of giving loves is to pretty much lay his whole body on her and say "Ohhhh". He likes to kiss her on the forehead too! He is such a great big brother. I hope that the loves and kisses don't soon turn into hits and bruises. Hopefully I can teach him not to be a bully to her.

Kaebrie is sleeping so good at night. Her and Owen are on the same schedule. I put them both down around 8:00-8:30 and they don't wake up until 8:00am. The last 4 days have been this way. I wouldn't have it any other way. How lucky am I? The Miracle Blanket and Baby Wise both work. It just takes patience and an established routine. I'm a bit worried that her sleeping habits are going to change next week when she hits 12 weeks. They usually go through a 12-week growth spurt. We'll see! I'll enjoy the sleep while I get it... I can't believe she is already almost 3 months old! Time really goes by in the blink of an eye. And Owen turns 18 months in February! I love my two kids. They are lots of work but sure are fun!

Mmmm Ketchup

2009-01-24T10:42:00.004-07:00

I decided to let Owen try Ketchup with his corn dog. It was a hit for sure! He of course had to rub it in his hair and get his hands in it. I've never seen him eat his food so well though! I think the idea of dipping his food in something made his meal all the more interesting.

8 Weeks Old

2009-01-07T21:56:00.003-07:00

I can't believe Kaebrie is already 8 weeks old. It seems like I just barely had her. She is so beautiful! She has the whole package. She has adorable dimples in both cheeks, big blue eyes and last but not least cute hair. She had a full head of hair at birth and it has started to get curly lately? What a lucky little lady... If I were to use gel I'm sure the curls would stay there all day. Where this dark hair came from I'm not sure. I'm very anxious to see if it will lighten up or stay dark. Tonight I'm sleeping her on her back for the first time out of her car seat. Last night she slept from 9:00pm until 6:00am. I was shocked when I woke up to see what time she had slept till. Jeff was mad because his alarm went off at 6:30. Usually she wakes up between 4 and 5 so he knows he has some time to sleep longer. We sure love our little Kaebrie.

Great Grandpa Gray

2009-01-05T13:44:00.002-07:00

Great Grandpa Gray is staying with my parents for a few weeks and we decided to venture out of the house to go and visit. After all, he needed to meet Ms. Kaebrie Kathleen. We had a wonderful visit and love grandpa so much. I wish we lived closer! Kaebrie and I are named after our late Grandma Gray (Kathleen or Kathy). I often try to remember her and the fun times we had together before her passing. I remember going to Lamonts in the old Ogden mall and shopping with her. She always had her hair and make-up so pretty and wore the cutest outfits. I also remember the summer vacations at their home in Washington. They had a swimming pool. I remember going out for frozen yogurt with them. I love my grandparents and am so grateful for them in my life. My grandpa is such a kind person and lives to serve others. He frames gorgeous pictures for everyone and I remember going to the gas station and him going around offering to wash car windows of the people filling up their cars around him. We love you so much! Thanks for everything and your example.

Owen's so big!

2009-01-05T13:26:00.005-07:00

We went and got Owen's hair cut for the second time. I told Melissa to have it spike on top. It's really short but I think it's cute on him. We left the back long for this photo to see what he would look like with a mullet. It got cut off! Now he looks so big! He is growing up way too fast. Thanks Melissa

His new words are:

Cah-Cah Cracker or Cookie

Uh Oh

What's That (This is hands down his favorite word to say)

Woof Woof or Dog

Bock Bock or Chicken

Hot or candle, fireplace, stove etc.

Brrrr or cold

Double U or "W"

Noodle (I can't put into letters how he says noodle)

He has a new habit of screaming at the top of his lungs. It hurts my ears and makes Kaebrie upset. He does it when he is hyper or extremely happy. He loves to play with Walter. I fear that he is going to make Walter bite him one of these days. After he drags him by the collar off furniture and around the house, that would be enough to make me bite someone. He also likes to sit and watch Walter eat or should I say help Walter eat. I'm not sure what the fascination is? He is so much fun and we love him so much.

Firm Believer

2008-12-31T14:38:00.015-07:00

I'm now a firm believer in using Baby Wise and the Miracle Blanket to train your children to be good sleepers. Kaebrie has slept through the night for five consecutive nights now. She has slept for 7-9 hours straight. She is 7 weeks old so that's amazing to me. I used the same thing to get Owen trained and Baby Wise is still working for him. He sleeps 12-13 hours at night. I had him in the Miracle Blanket until he was 8 months old! You aren't supposed to use it past 14 weeks, Oooopps! Me with little faith in my girl. I obviously expected way too much out of her when she was born. I didn't document anything with Owen and when exactly he started to sleep through the night but I believe it was about this same time frame. Now I just need to feel comfortable sleeping her on her back and out of her car seat. She has had some reflux problems and I'm still a little cautious. I wanted to post this great news after the third night but waited so I could confirm that indeed she is sleeping through the night! What a great way to start off the new year...

Good girl KAEBRIE!!!

I sell the Miracle Blanket at my store. They back up their product with 100% satisfaction. If the consumer isn't satisfied they will refund their money. My sister Melissa told me about the blanket after I had Owen. Thanks for a great recommendation!

Annual Snowboarding Adventure

2008-12-30T11:43:00.005-07:00

Last year, Jeff and I went snowboarding with Cory and Lindsey and decided it would be fun to go again this year. I was hesitant because I just had a baby but it was extremely fun and entertaining. We all discovered that we were out of shape. Jeff is looking pretty sexy in his under gear. Thanks for the memories Cory and Lindsey. Hopefully next year I won't be afraid to get off the ski lift...

Beautiful Shelf

2008-12-30T11:26:00.003-07:00

Cory made this beautiful shelf to match my sofa table. He is very gifted and I love the new addition to my kitchen. It matches perfect to my sofa table and you would think it was a set.

Thanks Cory and Lindsey for the yummy no bake cookies as well. Boy did they bring back memories. I'm glad it was a moist batch so we didn't have to share them with Fullmer's on Christmas. Jeff and I watched the movie Manequin on Sunday and laughed. Jeff kept saying "Stupid" to himself through the whole thing. I can't wait to watch Girls Just Wanna Have Fun now. Too funny!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-30T11:17:00.003-07:00

Jeff and I enjoyed Christmas morning with Owen. We tried to teach him about baby Jesus and the nativity but I think he is a little too young still to fully understand what Christmas is and what it's about. He enjoyed opening his presents and running around in excitement.

We spent majority of the day traveling to see all the grandparents. We went to Grandma Camille's for breakfast, Grandpa Rex's for lunch and my mom and dads for dinner.

Thanks to all for the presents and for having us over to visit.

Meriwether Christmas Party 2008

2008-12-30T11:05:00.003-07:00

The Sunday before Christmas and all through grandmas house

Everything was stirring,

including a mouse.

Lil' Kaebrie lay sleeping in grandma's toy sleigh,

Owen sitting in the high chair and dumping food off his tray.

Tradition held a competitive game of bingo

where everyone won and traded their lingo.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the great time

and all the fun prizes from the bingo game.

(I realize the last of the poem doesn't rhyme, I struggled a little)

I love my kids....

2008-12-19T22:06:00.005-07:00

Owen is such a happy little man. He woke up the other day from his nap with huge smiles for mommy. I'm so blessed to be able to stay at home with my children. I would fall apart if I had to leave them with a babysitter everyday. They are truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. Owen is growing up so fast and does new stuff every day. The other night I asked him to get ready for his bath and to get ready by taking his clothes off. He immediately sat on the floor and tried so hard to take off his pants and shirt. He understands more than I expect sometimes. Kaebrie is starting to smile and look around to see what is going on. She is now out of the newborn diapers and most of her preemie clothes are tight. This last week I feel like all I have done is nurse her. She is going through the sixth week growth spurt. I love my children so much and wouldn't trade being a mommy for anything in the world. It's a blessing to know that I can be with them forever.

Infected? Not sure?

2008-12-19T21:53:00.002-07:00

I decided I had to post for my poor finger in case down the road I am left with some sort of scar. In February, Jeff and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. Jeff got me two bands to go around my beautiful wedding ring. The morning of our anniversary he left my ring on my shelf in our closet. When I saw it I was in such shock and so excited to put it on that I immediately shoved it on my finger (even though it was too small and I hadn't gotten it back on since pregnancy with Owen). I got pregnant in March with Kaebrie and didn't have troubles with my finger until the last month of pregnancy. Not to mention all the fluids I was filled with both times I was in the hospital that made me swell. I tried every ointment and lotion to get my ring off with. It just wouldn't budge. My sister Melissa tried oil and soaking my finger in ice water. Both left my finger throbbing and hurting. Jeff researched on the Internet and found that we should try Windex. My finger hurt so bad that I would cringe at the thought of putting cleaner on my sore finger. So Wednesday night I was able to finally get it off. I think the cold weather had a part in this? I am hoping it will heal up soon and no scar will be left behind.

Merry Christmas from Owen & Kaebrie

2008-12-12T20:28:00.002-07:00

Kaebrie's 2 week pictures

2008-12-12T20:27:00.004-07:00

2008-12-09T17:39:00.005-07:00

Owen has a new habit of putting food in his hair and setting it on his head. He is such a silly boy. He went from throwing his food on the floor to putting food on his head. He keeps us laughing! Those are pears in his hair...

4 weeks old

3 weeks old

Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sheena brought us a wonderful dinner and visited. Yes, they are holding the baby!

Update from the past 2 weeks

2008-12-09T17:14:00.003-07:00

I thought I better do a post of my past two eventful weeks so I can read back and remember the struggle and maybe grow from this all. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I ventured up to Perry to my parents house where I found myself starting to hemorrhage. Luckily I had my mom to care for me and two sisters near by to provide some necessities. After a call to my doctor, I took 3 Motrin and layed flat and the bleeding nearly stopped. The next day was Thanksgiving and the whole day was wonderful being with family and enjoying all the family fix ins. Good times! Jeff and I got home that evening and I started to bleed extremely heavy again. I was passing clots the size of grapefruits and the bleeding was literally gushing out of me. I was scared to death. Thanks to the help of family and neighbors I was able to make it to the hospital to get help. After all the blood work, ultrasounds and an emergency D&C I made it home and am feeling a ton better. I guess I had what they call a detached placenta. There was some tissue left in my uterus that should've come out during birth that caused all this. I kept praying in my heart for things to be ok. My babies needed me and I was scared to death that something was going to happen to me. Thankfully, I have an extremely supportive family that does so much for me. I appreciate my mom and Jeff's mom for being there through it all. I deeply appreciate all that both of you have done to help us through this. I'm also thankful to Jeff for stepping in and being mommy so I could get the rest my body needed to regain my strength. I am truly blessed! Kaebrie has been a very pleasant baby so far. Every day gets better and better. Now that I am feeling more normal I can enjoy every moment with my two kids. That's been our excitement. This week I am feeling so much better and am starting to prepare for the holidays.

Mommy of Two Precious Angels

2008-11-23T15:23:00.003-07:00

It's already been two weeks since we welcomed Kaebrie to the world. I have to admit that having two children under the age of two is definitely hard work. There are moments of pure stress and moments of pure joy. It has been interesting to see just how different Kaebrie is from Owen. I expected Kaebrie to come out and act like Owen did as a baby. (Such as: sleep through the night, nurse really well, never cry). Joke was on me! She is definitely different and has her own personality. She is very pleasant but has a serious attitude problem, especially when I try to feed her. The doctor diagnosed her with acid reflux but I'm not 100% sold on the diagnosis. I personally think she is just picky and on the stubborn side. Each day seems to get a little bit better. Owen seems to be adjusting quite well and doesn't get too upset anymore.

I am truly blessed to be a mother of these two precious angels. I'm not sure what I did to deserve the role of their mother but I am grateful each day for them and for the joy they bring into our home. As we approach Thanksgiving my heart is filled with so much gratitude. I have such wonderful people in my life that lift me up when I need it most and lend a helping hand at any given moment. I also have been blessed with a wonderful husband who is such a great dad to our children. What more could you ask for?

Welcome Baby Kaebrie Kathleen Nielson

2008-11-13T13:12:00.017-07:00

Our sweet little girl arrived on Monday, November 10th at about 8:30pm. She weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces and was 20" long. My labor was approximately 3 hours long. I pushed all of two times. She is so sweet and I think she is gorgeous... Her sweet spirit has filled our home with so much joy and love already. We are very grateful to have wonderful children to bless our lives. Owen has adjusted OK so far minus the one melt down when we got home and I sat down to nurse Kaebrie. He has been very clingy and lovey with mom. I am so glad to have Kaebrie here and so lucky that she is healthy and doing so well. Thanks to everyone for your love and well wishes. Thanks Grandma Bowen for taking such great care of Owen while mommy was recuperating.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-13T13:05:00.002-07:00

Owen was a monkey for Halloween this year. He hated wearing his costume so we weren't able to get very many good pictures of him!

Prego Pictures 35 1/2 Weeks

2008-10-30T18:56:00.006-06:00

I made a much hesitated decision to get my maternity pictures done. I am now near 36 weeks and very anxious to be de-pregnated (Is that a word?) You get my drift... Being pregnant is such a miracle and I am so thankful for being able to bare children. I'm very surprised I am posting all of these on my blog for the simple fact of me being so self-conscious and baring it all. I advertise in my store for Little Angels Photography and often look at the maternity portraits she has done. I swore I would never do any, but here they are! I'm very glad I did them just in case I decide not to have any more children.

Owen is growing up too fast....

2008-10-23T11:03:00.003-06:00

My mom watched Owen on Monday for me and when I got there to pick him up he was eating his dinner with a fork! Ever since he has wanted to eat everything with this cute baby fork my mom introduced him to. He loves it! Everyday it seems like he is doing and saying new things. He is growing up way too fast. He is the cutest little man ever! Yes, I'm prejudice....

Owen's First Haircut

2008-10-15T11:00:00.007-06:00

Before the haircut

During.....

After!

Owen finally got his hair cut for the first time. He looks so handsome! Aunt Melissa cut his hair in Grandpa Bowen's Mickey Mouse barber shop. He was so big and let Melissa cut away without any fight. Now he looks like a little man and all growed up! Thanks Melissa...

32 Weeks and counting

2008-10-10T10:37:00.002-06:00

Here I am at 32 weeks! Shining in my pregnancy glory... I decided I better post a little something about my pregnancy and how I have been feeling. Setting aside all the aches and pains, severe heartburn and acid reflux, restless nights, constant contractions and all the other fun and games associated with being pregnant. Time has flown by this pregnancy. It seems like yesterday I was announcing that we were pregnant again and here I am at 32 weeks and almost done. I'm very lucky to have a healthy body and to carry a healthy little girl. She moves constantly and it seems like she never rests. I may be in for a treat and have a little girl that can't hold still for two seconds just like her mother. At night I lay awake and feel her kicking and moving around. I almost wish she was out so I could hold and comfort her. Who knows maybe she has heartburn just as bad as me and that is why she is wiggly? As I am getting closer and closer I am getting more and more excited to have another little one. Sometimes I get really scared to have two kids under the age of two and wonder if I will be able to handle it. I'm just thankful that I don't have a 9-5 job to go to everyday and I can be a stay at home mommy. Although being a business owner has its perks it can be extremely stressful at times and some of my attention turns away from Owen momentarily. I'm just thankful he can be with me all the time. I can't wait to see and meet our little girl!

One Step Closer

2008-10-06T18:01:00.003-06:00

I have a huge to do list that I am slowly crossing things off of before Kaebrie enters the world. One big one was crossed off last week which was "getting Owen to walk". That's right, he is finally walking. He can't quite grasp the idea of getting up on his own to walk but he will pull himself up onto something and start walking away! He is so much fun lately too... With him communicating in his own baby chatter and walking around at my side, he is a great companion. He spent a day last week with Grandma Bowen and when I went to pick him up he was pretty much walking by himself. This week he has been on the move and walking everywhere on his own. Thanks mom for helping me accomplish another thing before Kaebrie comes. Owen, you are such a big boy and mommy is so proud of you!

Weeeeeee......

2008-10-01T13:58:00.003-06:00

We went and visited Grandma Meriwether on Sunday! She has all kinds of fun things to do in the backyard. Jeff jumped on the trampoline with Owen and I swung with him. He loves to swing! Thanks for the visit Grandma Meriwether...

Life as I know It

2008-10-01T11:25:00.003-06:00

Life as I know it is very different than it has ever been. As a teenager I never realized what was in store for me later in life. I sometimes wonder how kids now deal with the pressure of trying to keep up with fashions, have good friendships, pressure to partake in drugs, sex and alcohol and staying true to the gospel principles. I guess you could say that I have been doing lots of thinking lately and pregnancy tends to make me a bit emotional. As I bring another one of Heavenly Father's choice spirits into the world I feel extremely blessed and overjoyed that he trusts me to raise these precious gifts in such a horrible world filled with Satan's power. Everywhere you look you see Satan's hand in the mix of things. How is it that I was so blessed to be born into the gospel and not have to find it later in life or at all? Having this knowledge has been the greatest gift anyone could ever receive. I cannot imagine my precious little Owen partaking in Satan's power as he gets older. It breaks my heart to see sweet innocent children exposed to such cruel and harmful things. I realize I must be prepared to answer any questions that my own children may have about the gospel. Growing up, I guess you could say, I had a very bad attitude about the gospel and in church found myself being a bad example to my best friends by choosing not to sing primary songs and openly saying "No" to near every calling asked of me. At the time I thought I was being cool but in all reality I was given the opportunity to attend church and partake of several callings and I chose Satan's way. As an adult and mother I now know how stupid I was and am glad that I finally saw the light and woke up. My children need me to be a near perfect example so that they can in turn lead a good life and not get mixed up in all the crap that is out there. I do realize that they will have free agency and will have to make decisions for their own learning purposes but I don't want them to blame me later in life for something I should have taught them. Daily prayer and scripture is a must and am thankful that I have a husband who is willing to do this with his family. Is it enough though? I think it is vital that children have a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and come to know our Savior and understand the sacrifice that was made for each of us so that we can return to our Heavenly Father and live eternally with our families. Again, I feel very blessed to bring another little one into our home and can't wait to meet her sweet spirit. I love my family, friends, my precious Owen, and my wonderful husband. Jeff you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I'm so grateful for all you do for me and our family! Some say that there isn't such thing as finding your soul mate...Well, I'm proof that there is one and only out there! I love you Jeff!

Our Vegas Vacation

2008-09-16T14:14:00.024-06:00

Dad and Owen dancing on the piano at FAO Schwartz at Caesar's Palace.

Owen loved the giant aquarium at Caesar's Palace.

Playing arcades at Red Rock. Owen was fascinated by the lights and noises.

We went bowling at Red Rock. It was really fun!

We took Owen to see the Bilagio fountains. He loved the water and the music.

We went to Fremont Street to see the light show. It was actually very fun and allot cleaner than we had expected it to be. Owen was very fascinated and was dancing the whole time the show went on.

Jeff and I took Owen to the park by Cory & Lindsey's. We have never put him in any sort of swing before and he loved it. He was giggling and smiling the whole time. It was so cute to watch him love something so much.

We of course had to go eat at Claim Jumpers and get our craved blackened bow tie pasta. It was as delicious as I remembered.

Jeff took Owen out the pool at Cory's to get his feet wet.

Jeff and I went to Vegas to attend our first baby show convention for our business. My mom graciously joined us and took care of Owen while we went to the convention during the day. We were very privileged to stay with Cory and Lindsey for 10 days. It was so much fun and hard to leave to come back to reality! I'm sure everyone got tired of me complaining about my aches and pains due to pregnancy from being on my feet too much.... Here are pictures from our adventures! Thanks Cory, Lindsey and Mom!!!

Dedicated to Aunt Melissa

2008-09-16T13:50:00.005-06:00

With much persistence by Aunt Melissa Owen finally said "Ball" and hasn't quit saying it since. Not to mention mommy's persistence with this as well. I had to catch it on video for Melissa because Owen won't say it in front of her and she's the one who taught him to say it. So Melissa here is Owen with an apple saying "ball", hey it's close enough to the shape of a ball. Anything round is considered a ball now!

Owen's other words: Ma Ma, Translated: Mom

Da Da, Translated: Dad

Ball, Translated: anything round

Wsat, Translated: What's that

Ssss, Translated: outside

Uh oh, Translated: Uh oh

Yeah, Translated: Yes

Nah Nah, Translated: Num Num

Na Nuh, Translated: Banana

Knox Blox

2008-09-03T16:43:00.002-06:00

Grandma Meriwether made us dinner when Owen was sick and made a special treat for him. Nothing like Knox Blox to cheer up an unhappy toddler. Thanks Grandma, I love jello!

IHOP with Grandpa Gray

2008-09-03T16:38:00.003-06:00

When we went to Alpine to get Owen's pictures taken we went and saw Grandpa Gray since it was literally around the corner. He took us to IHOP for dinner. Either we were starving or the food was delicious because there wasn't a crumb left on anyone's plate. Even Owen had a feast! We love and cherish our time with Grandpa Gray. He is such a wonderful person and example to everyone in his life. Thanks for the visit, we loved it!

Owen's diagnosis

2008-08-29T10:29:00.004-06:00

Well after five long weeks of consistent sickness, several doctor visits and many sleepless nights I finally got an answer to Owen's misery. We learned that he is lactose intolerant. It explains everything, especially the excessive diarrhea that we couldn't get rid of! My poor baby has been so sick and is now in the 5% for his weight. The doctor really wants him to gain it back as soon as possible and now that we know the culprit we are well on our way. It amazes me how as a mother you are in tune with your child and know deep down when there is something really wrong. Even if the doctor's diagnose something that seems right but the sickness continues and doesn't get better. Hopefully he is on the mend and we got him taken care of. Last night was the first night in several weeks that he slept through the night. He has always been a great little sleeper and slept near 12-13 hours every night since the age of about 2 weeks. No joke! So when his patterns changed I knew right off that there was something going on. Anyways he is doing so much better and mommy feels a huge relief now. I love you Owen!

Owen's 1 Year Pictures

2008-08-25T15:29:00.008-06:00

Thanks Justin for the adorable photos! We love our little man... He is growing up way too fast!

Owen and his 4-wheeler noises

2008-08-18T10:49:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Owen!

2008-08-18T09:57:00.014-06:00

He took off walking with it with a huge smile on his face. Not to mention he continued to make car sounds while pushing it around. He is such a fun boy! Happy Birthday Owen.

Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sheena gave him a cute walker, car, dump truck toy which he immediately loved.

This is what mom and dad gave Owen for his birthday. He thought it was great for a minute. Maybe he will like it more in a few months?

After the party I gave Owen his bath and he got to wear his new jammies from Grandma Bowen. He wanted to play with his bubble blower from Sadie & Joey before bed. He had a hard time settling down after the fun day!

Finishing off everything but the outer crust! Imagine that! 1st birthday tradition is to have the kid make a huge mess but Owen stayed pretty clean. Had I been a great mom, the cake called for sliced bananas and whipped cream but I wanted to avoid everything coming back up after he ate it!

Starting it off......

Singing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy! I was hesitant to give Owen the full on cake that I had planned because his tummy wasn't quite ready for a load of sugar. I made him a miniature banana cake and he loved every morsel of it.

Skylar and Chylee after the treasure hunt. Thanks for coming guys!

Owen enjoyed opening his presents. He loved the tissue and wrapping paper.

Owen's party was a pirate theme so I had to get eye patches and earrings for the kids to wear. Uncle Aaron was a great sport!

Daddy and Owen took a pre-party nap. It was so tender to see Owen in daddy's arms. He loves his daddy. Daddy loves his little Owenski...

Grandpa Rex came over the night before Owen's birthday and brought him some fun presents. He gave him a car, hammer and a little ABC wheel. Thanks Grandpa!

Owen was sick all last week with a flu bug on top of teething. I had him into the doctor twice to make sure he was going to survive and for my own peace of mind. He hasn't ever been this sick before so I was really worried. He would just lay on the floor and not want to play! It broke my heart to see him so out of it.

Boondocks

2008-08-10T23:05:00.005-06:00

Owen also won a dum-dum sucker. He kept eating the stick? When he finally got the hang of it he finished it off to the last lick...

We won some tickets and got Owen some smarties. He loved them!

He enjoyed holding the golf ball and stick while Jeff and I played.

On Saturday we went to Boondocks fun center in Draper for Jeff's work party. We took Owen miniature golfing.

Sneak Peak at Kaebrie

2008-08-06T21:34:00.005-06:00

Playing in the Storage Tote

2008-08-06T10:21:00.003-06:00

Busy Boy

2008-08-06T09:40:00.004-06:00

In the cupboards again!

He discovered how much fun it is to rip up a paper napkin in tiny pieces.

I love Owen

2008-08-06T09:35:00.003-06:00

Never did I think that having a child would bring so much joy and happiness to my life. Owen has changed me so much. He is so loving and adorable! As a mother, I have come to the realization that life is so short and goes by so quickly. We must make every moment count. I noticed I don't have a whole lot of pictures with me and my little man so I thought I would take at least one to post of us.

Grandma Bowen's

2008-08-03T20:54:00.002-06:00

Owen loves music, that or he loves pounding on the piano. Grandma Bowen played some songs while Owen was playing and he was quite amuzed with the whole thing. Owen has a special place in his heart for his Grandma Bowen. He loves her so much! Thanks mom for the delicious meals and for loving my little Owen. I'm extremely blessed to have such a wonderful example in my life that teaches me how to raise my children in righteousness. I'm greatful for both you and dad for raising me in the gospel! Much love to you both....

23 weeks and counting

2008-07-28T12:39:00.003-06:00

Baby Kaebrie at 16 weeks! When we found out what she was!

23 weeks and counting!!! It seems like I have been pregnant forever! This pregnancy is so much different than with Owen. Besides the migraines and minor aches and pains it has been a really good pregnancy. I keep telling Jeff that I don't want to be pregnant for awhile after this one. I am so excited to have a little girl! Owen is so much fun and I can't imagine how much fun it's going to be with two children under the age of two? I'm worried that I won't be able to handle it but know that Heavenly Father needs me to have this sweet little girl in our lives at this time. I am so blessed to be able to bear children and raise them in the gospel.

Exploring everything

2008-07-28T09:52:00.004-06:00

Owen has been discovering how to pull anything organized apart. He got into his cupboard where I store all of his feeding supplies and pulled one thing at a time out.
This weekend at the store he discovered the hair bow display. He pulled half the display off the rack while I was helping a customer. He was fascinated with the construction of the bows!

Happy 24th of July

2008-07-27T21:02:00.004-06:00

Logan and Owen

Logan and Jen invited us over for dinner and fireworks on the 24th! It was so much fun seeing them and their cute family. Jeff played the firework store and the kids took turns choosing which firework went next. Collin learned that the firework is no good after the fuse is pulled out of it!

Bed Head

2008-07-27T20:57:00.003-06:00

Every morning Owen has serious bed head. He was blessed with quite the head of hair. I had to capture it since it was especially messy that day!

4th of July weekend

2008-07-27T20:45:00.005-06:00

Cory and Lindsey were in town for the 4th. We went to Brigham on the 5th to have breakfast with them before they left for Vegas. Lindsey fed Owen his favorite food, Bananas!

Jeff and I did some fireworks for Owen. They scared him to death at first. By the end he finally got comfortable with the lights and noises.

Jeff and Seth went on the catapult. Jeff had to remove his glasses so it wasn't as scary since he couldn't see anything.

We spent the 4th at Lagoon for the Aamodt reunion. It was pretty warm!

Owen's first injury

2008-07-27T19:35:00.004-06:00

Mommy forgot that I could crawl. When she wasn't looking I climbed out of the tub and landed head first on the tile. Oops.

Getaway to Midway

2008-07-27T19:21:00.004-06:00

Jeff and I took Owen for a weekend getaway to Midway. We stayed at the Zermatt Resort. It was so much fun! We took Owen swimming and on a Merry Go Round they had on the resort. It was nice to getaway for a weekend.

2008-07-27T19:18:00.002-06:00

What better way to start a blog than with some of the greatest gals on the planet. This picture was taken at my parent's house in May for Georgie's baby shower. I sure miss all of you!