Dr. Seus Baby Shower

Landon's wonderful and talented cousin was so kind to host a baby shower in our behalf over thanksgiving break while the Fowler and Drake families were in town. I am still in awe of the love and support I have from my in-law family! My sis in law Sarah and Mother in law Brenda also played a huge role in making the shower a success. All of the tiny clothes and baby things made having a baby much more of a reality. For my own memory's sake, I was late to my own party. So they turned off the lights and waited for me to get there and yelled SURPRISE when I opened the door. It was pretty lame of me, but I am glad I have friends and family who love me enough to make a joke out of my shortcomings. Here are some pictures of the celebrations!

The sister in laws...

A gift certificate to get newborn pictures taken!

Brenda and Tammy... two of the most giving women I know!

The host Heather Knight!!

"How big do you think her belly is" game! haha

I got a travel kit!! Stroller and car seat!!! Spoiled rotten.

Tina and Sam

Lindsey!!!

Getting some yummy grub!

How cute was the table?! The treats were as tasty as they were adorable.
Thank you again to everyone who pitched in and made it a splendid shower!

Welcome Back...

Yes, you could say my blogging skills have been somewhat lacking for the last month or two. I have been extremely blessed during the good times and the bad. Working full time at a job that I don't particularly love and growing a baby definitely wears me out but life is great and I am so lucky. Here's a list of what I can remember about the past few months.

1. First off, I am LOVING being pregnant. I am frequently asked how I feel and to be honest, I haven't had one problem so far. No weird cravings (if I had to say there was something I craved it would be APPLES. The cold and freshness of them have been wonderful). I have felt healthy and normal and even Landon says that I haven't been emotional or hormonal/angry like he was told to prepare for. So we'll see how the next few months pan out. Feeling this active little boy tickle my insides is incredible. I could just sit and feel and watch my stomach move for hours. Unfortunately, Landon doesn't seem as intrigued. One small kick is "whoa, thats crazy" and then he's done. He claim's he cant get his hand at a comfortable enough angle to just rest it there hours like I can. haha Its been the consensus of friends that most husbands don't enjoy it quite like the mother.

2. Thanksgiving was spent with Landon's family this year. It was so nice to get work off and spend time with the family. I even braved black friday with my sis-in-law's and mother in law at my side. However, my skepticism for the "great amazing deals" kicked in and I left the day barely scraping the surface on my christmas shopping. Story of my life... last minute shopping is my style. We had a great feast with all of the extended family. Brenda (my mother in law) always throws a fantastic party! There is much to be thankful for and it can be very easy for me to loose focus on the things I don't have or wish I had but when I take the "cheesy" advice of the hymn Count Your Many Blessings it does make things a whole lot better.

3. Speaking of parties, I was thrown a darling baby shower couple weeks ago by Landon's cousin Heather, Brenda and Sarah. I'll have to make a separate post just for the party, but I wanted to make sure I made note of how special I felt and the support and love from friends and family has been amazing. Having a baby can be a bit overwhelming financially and emotionally and knowing that I have the love and support from them is priceless. So a big thanks to all the generous hands who have shown Landon and I and baby boy support and love from day one!

4. I am currently working full time at a skilled nursing facility (AKA nursing home). I have to count my blessings almost daily to keep me going. We get 100% medical and dental coverage, pay is good, I pick my own hours and the facility is only about 5 minutes away from my APT which means I get to come home for lunch and see my sweet husband. The rehab therapists are nice and relaxed and we have a lot of fun. Most of the patients I see have a story and my goal is to learn about them and how they ended up where they are (I have to remind myself of these sweet stories to keep from crying or yelling in anger and frustration). Trying to get people to work when all they want to do is sit in bed and watch The Price is Right and Judge Judy and not be bothered by actual thinking is quite a challenge. Luckily I have a overly charming, stunningly handsome, and contageously optimistic husband to come home to each day. He keeps me running.

5. Free time (between work and sleep) is spent enjoying Netflix. I currently started One Tree Hill and Landon and I are watching Friday Night Lights. Gotta love the overly dramatic and extremely mature highschoolers that look 25 and deal with every problem in the book. It keeps us entertained. Oh and my new love of FaceTime because I get to see my sister and nephews and niece when I call them. Love it!

The End. For Now.
(Pictures are coming)

Babies...

Babies...

Babies Galore...

So Landon and I thought we'd add one more...

Six months from now, we'll be welcoming our own bundle of joy and couldn't be more excited!
February 27th is my due date and we'll find out what our little peanut is in a just a couple of weeks! No real baby bump has yet appeared, but I'll be sure to document it as soon as it makes it's appearance.

A Summer of Dreams

This summer was one like no other. I don't think I'll ever get to have so much fun packed into such a short amount of time. I feel so lucky! It was a fabulous ending before we start our final year in Utah.

It started out with a few visitors from AZ. We enjoyed a day at the park. I LOVED having my best friend come to Utah finally!

Wearing Josie's baby glasses... they almost look normal.
The darling little Porter family!

Landon and I got to spend a weekend in Moab with our friends Stephanie and Clark Haymond. We camped and hiked all day! It started off rough with a flat tire, but the sites and views were beautiful. Pictures just don't do it justice.

We spent 7 weeks in AZ living with my family.This meant, lots of fun times with the nephews, sister, and parents. It was so nice to be so close to my family. We played games, swam, crafted on baby polly's room, and enjoyed each other's company.

I love these silly, crazy, exhausting but adorable boys!!

Cooper and Cole wanted to join in on Landon's workout. Thanks for the help boys!

Cole needed to learn a proper push-up form. He was so cute.

We got down to AZ just in time to see this one....

off on a mission. He did an incredible job on his farewell talk. I was very impressed by his maturity and preparedness. We are so proud of Reece and his missing presence was definitely noticed the day after he left. We love this guy!

At the airport.

Landon and I had so much fun in San Diego, we decided a second trip was necessary. So we drove down again to crash Kellen and Sarah's house. They are the best hosts and we had so much fun escaping the heat of AZ again. We
-went to the del mar fair and waiting in HOURS of lines. We laugh about it now... but I was furious in the moment haha
-played volleyball
-boogie boarded (yes I got in the water!)
-rode bikes down the boardwalk
-got spoiled by Sarah's family who rented a beachhouse on Mission beach.

As if a first trip to New York City, two trips to San Diego, and a camping vacay to Moab weren't enough, Landon's parents had to pull my arm and leg to get me to go to UPSTATE New York! Unfortunately, Landon had to work in Tucson for his internship so I made the amazing trip alone. I am so blessed to have in-laws that treat me as though I have always been part of the family. I had an AMAZING time!

All the cousins at Enfield Glenn Falls! A beautiful place.

Fowler Girls :) I have a gorgeous family.

We spent a day experiencing the spiritual side of New York. We visited:
- the printing press where the Book Of Mormon was first printed.
-Went to Joseph Smith's home
- sang hymns in the sacred grove
-visited the Palmyra temple (and learned some neat stories about the temple itself)
- went to the Hill Cumorah Pageant (a SPECTACULAR and spiritual experience)

Thanks to Lonnie and Tammy, who welcomed the WHOLE gang into their BEAUTIFUL lakeside home! We ate like kings, enjoyed the lake and relaxed all day.

My buddy Kaiden! He was so darling!

All of the fowler ladies!

Kaleigh Drake is one of my most favorite girls on the planet! We had so much fun being goofy.

The older group of cousins dressed up to scare the teeny boppers who went to the graveyard. Man did it work!! haha They were so scared as we circled a headstone with candles. It was a perfect ending to an even more perfect vacation!

When I returned to AZ, my dear husband turned 24! We had a "Minute to Win It" game night party in his behalf. I loved having my best friends and their husbands and babies all together. We laughed so hard and of course the competitive side of us kicked in. Yes, Landon and I won! (of course)

Because Landon worked at his internship all summer, I took the lazy road and spent most all of my days with my sister! She is due any day with her first baby girl. We did lots of shopping, crafting and decorating. It was so much fun to spend all that time with her. I can't wait to be permanently closer to her. She is my best friend!

We're now back in Utah, I started my first "big girl" job as a speech therapist at a skilled nursing facility (aka nursing home). Landon will start school next month but not before he adds a trip to orlando (without me) and a Male Only family camping trip. Wow! We have been BUSY! What an amazing summer!