Trent and Lindz

Mischief Managed

2012-01-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Lindsay and I'm a Harry Potter nerd! And, I love it! It all started with my brother being obsessed with the books. That trickled over to my mom and by the first movie I was hooked. Our entire family, with the exception of my Dad, are quite the Harry Potter fanatics! I even sucked Trent into the group but he won't read the books. "Why read the books when I can just watch the movies?"
When the release date for the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, came out I knew we need to end it with a bang! These stories have been a huge part of my life and will be in my children's lives as well. I invited my family, the Hunsakers, and a few of my brothers invited friends. It was a BLAST! I enjoyed every minute of planning the party and the company was delightful. My brothers came earlier in the day to help make signs and make yummy food. I think everyone had a great time!

All but I think one of these wands was made by my brother Tyler and my mom.
Awesome signs my brothers made. There were two more but I forgot to get pictures.

We had Treacle Tarts (Harry's favorite) cake pops, caramel corn & movie theater pop corn Of course we needed some Butter Beer
As evidence by these pictures my boys loved the Butter Beer!

Definitely NOT my best work but I made a couple Gryffindor aprons for my mom and I. I made them that day so I was a little rushed. I really wish I would have spent more time on them!

Seligman

2012-01-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

This past year Trent's parents shocked us all with the news that they were moving to a little (really little) town called Seligman here in northern AZ. It reminds me a lot of the little town in Cars. In fact it's off the I-40 which was the original Rt 66. They own property up there and decided to leave their home of over 30 years and live the good life! Their house is so cute and their property is beautiful! When the words to the song "Home on the Range" come to mind I always pictured something like where they live. It's going to be the funnest place for the grandkids to grow up. There's space as far as they eye can see and the adventures are just around the corner for my kids. We had an opportunity to see it for ourselves for the first time back in November. Luke was in heaven! He'd wake up each morning and ask to go outside to play. He'd get out there and look out from the porch for a minute and then say "run, run, run!" and take off! I can't wait for all the great memories to be made at Gramma Jo and Papa Dale's house! The visit was so nice ans we all loved the quality time spent together. We've missed having them 25 minutes away but we've had so many great visits with them since they've moved! So much to explore!

Levi staying snugly warm with Gramma

For Christmas this year, Trent built his dad a potato gun. Papa's dog, Quigly, loves for you to throw his toy. Now with all that space and a potato gun, Papa Dale can really throw it far!

Love that cute little face!!!

The real reason we went there when we did was for our annual Christmas tree cutting. We usually would meet up at Trent's parents house here in Chandler the morning of. Now we have a new tradition of driving out the day before and staying an extra night. That way we don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn AND we get to have extra time with family! I'm all for it :)

Levi missed most of the fun!

The winner!
Gotta love fun family traditions!

2012-01-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

*Since this is our family journal I decided to write about this experience.

Sometimes life is such a roller coaster ride. That is the best way I can describe what we've been through the last couple months. I was so hoping to post an announcement on our blog that we would be having baby number three this summer! We were happily surprised to find out that we were expecting again the week before Thanksgiving. I took a pregnancy test and we went to the Dr and sure enough there was a baby coming! Considering how unplanned it was I was surprised and happy at how thrilled I was for another baby. Three little ones under three seemed so overwhelming! We hadn't planned to get pregnant as soon as we did (we wanted to wait a couple years), but I knew it was what the Lord wanted for us as soon as we learned the news. I was at peace and excited. I thought I was experiencing morning sickness symptoms and since I knew I would need help with the boys and since we had already had two very healthy pregnancies we figured we'd let the cat out of the bag and make the announcement to family and friends Thanksgiving Day. (Soon after we made the announcement I realized I was just plain old sick and that it wasn't morning sickness! Oops! Live and learn I guess)
Christmas Eve, I began to show signs that something might be wrong. I shared my concerns with Trent but we kept our worries under wraps till the Christmas weekend was over. I went to the Dr Tuesday afternoon where our concerns were confirmed and we learned that we had in fact lost the baby.
It's been a long road and although I am at peace with all that has happened (excepting whole heartily this baby that we were going to be blessed with only to loose it a few weeks later) I have had a lot of thoughts and emotions through this loss. I sometimes feel silly for feeling the way I do. Compared to what others have lost, this probably seems like nothing. I have come to terms with the loss and have "moved on" I guess. Each day is different and I know I'll never be the same (in a good way). I still know that this is what my Heavenly Father wanted for us. I know it. It hasn't been all bad. We've had some sweet experiences. Trent and I have been brought even closer together through this and we've been encircled in the love of my family and close friends. I don't want to speak for Trent and what he's felt about all of this but I do know that I've been his number one concern and he's been a rock for me to lean on.
I've never known a loss like this. To have something for such a short time only to loose it shouldn't be so devastating. I know we will have more children. And I know that life will still throw us trials, but I'm thankful to know that I can make it through with the love of my Heavenly Father and the people he's blessed my life with. I'm thankful for Eternal Families. I love my two little boys with ALL of my heart. I've never experienced a love like the love I feel for them. They've made this experience sweet in their own special way. Our family has been brought closer together and we appreciate more than ever before what we have and for that alone I am grateful for this experience. Thank you to everyone who have shared their love and concern for us! Life is moving forward. And even though we don't know what is in store for us, we are excited for what the future will bring.

Where to Begin!?

2011-12-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

Every time I think about updating the blog I feel overwhelmed and the more time I let pass by, the more overwhelmed I feel! It's time to break the cycle! We've been busy here in the Owens home. Last I posted Levi was just shy of 2 months old. Now, my little boy is 6 months and still as sweet as ever! Oh, he melts my heart! It's been so fun to have such a snugly baby. He's happy about 90% of the time and for the other 10% he's only upset because he's hurt (usually by big brother trying to rough house) or he's tired. He's growing so fast! He's in the 95th percentile for his height and has been most if his life. He's 50th for his weight so he's a little bean pole :) That's the Owens side for ya! He still looks NOTHING like me! Haha! I always joke that unless Trent is with us, people would probably think I'm babysitting someone else's child. Luke looked just like my side for the longest time but around 6-9 months he started taking after Trent a little more. Levi is showing no signs of looking like me and that's just fine! I love that he takes after his dad and that he and Luke are so contrastingly different. Levi is officially mobile and crawling all over the place! He's in 7th heaven. He thinks he's so big now that he can play on the floor with Luke. He just adores big brother! No one can make him laugh like Luke does and Luke laughs back just as hard.

Luke turned 2 in November. My baby is now my big baby! (He'll always be my baby. Always.) I have to say that the terrible two's came a little earlier than 2. He's sure learning quickly how to throw tantrums and his new favorite word is "no". We're learning to get through it. "Time Outs" have become a daily occurrence but boy is he sweet when his minute is up! No one can send me over the edge and then warm my heart as quickly as that boy! Yes, there have been a few bumps in the road but there have also been so many sweet moments! He's speaking so much more now and cracking us up with the things he comes up with! He's always been pretty independent and wanted to do things on his own which we've always loved him for. Lately though he's been giving hugs and kisses and he's been extra snugly. Dad and I are soaking it all up as long as it lasts! He still loves when Dad comes home. I think he must get sick of spending all day with me, a GIRL, and feels relived to see Dad come through the door to wrestle with! We got a piano several months ago and Trent plays everyday when he gets home. I don't know how to play (yet) so when Trent sits down to play his little shadow is right there with him playing along. We love our little Lukie boy!
We have a new addition in the family! A rat terror named Brody. He's the sweetest little dog and our boys LOVE him! The best part is that he loves them right back. Brody and Luke could wrestle and run around the backyard for hours. It's so fun to see them become little buddies. He's a puppy still (8 months old) so when we first brought him home there were a few potty accidents but really that's been the hardest adjustment. He's a very quick learner and eager to please. My cousin and her husband gave him to us back in Aug. Her hubby was being deployed to Germany and they couldn't take the dog with them. He's been a lot of fun and a great addition to our family.
And finally, here's a picture of the cutest frog and Tigger you've ever seen! I hope this catches us up for now! Hopefully it won't be so long till I post again.
Posts to come: Tree Cutting and Seligman Trip & Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 Party

It's About Time!

2011-07-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Every time I get on the computer I'm reminded that I really need to update my blog! Levi is already almost two months old. Seriously, we're closer to 2 months old than to 1. Time is flying! I have a feeling I'll be saying this my children's entire lives but that doesn't make it less true. I love being the mother of two boys. Physically they couldn't be more different but that's something I love about them.

My littlest man is such a joy to have in the house! Levi is such a mellow baby. He just goes with the flow. I think the second time around with a new baby has been easier for me but it doesn't hurt that he is so good. He's starting to smile and coo now and we're all soaking it up! Even Luke likes to get in on the fun and talk to him and make him smile. Levi is still all his dad. I look at him sometimes and I just smile about how different he looks from Luke. Luke was round and chunky, Levi is long and just barely starting to chunk out, a little! Luke has a more olive complexion and Levi has milky fair skin. Luke looks like me and Levi looks like Trent. The only thing I can say my boys have in common is they are both absolutely adorable! I love that they have their own looks!!!! Levi really makes us smile every day. It's only been two months and like I said before, it's flying by. But at the same time he feels like he's been apart of out little family forever. I can't imagine life without him. Whenever I look at him I know he was meant to be mine!

Luke, has really adjusted well. At first I couldn't say that though! For the first two weeks or so after Levi came home there were plenty of tantrums! The tantrums I could handle, what was rough for me was that he wanted nothing to do with me after we came home from the hospital. It tore me up! He stayed with my mom while we were there and when we came home he just wanted her. Eventually we got past that and my little boy finally wanted his mommy again. Another obstacle that we're still working on is hitting. Luke has a problem with hitting Levi. At first it happened a few times a day and now we're down to a couple times a week. I'd say that's progress. Timeouts are also a new thing to our house. He's actually really sweet with his brother now. He loves giving him kisses and when Levi cries or makes a noise he comes quickly to get me and says "baby!" while he points to Levi.

Even with all the rough times Luke is still his sweet self. He seems so big to me now. He is saying more words now and copying us all the time. They really do observe everything!! I think we're getting close to potty training too. He has been bringing me a new diaper whenever he pees or poops all on his own. I think that means he understands what's happening now. We bought him a training potty and I've tried to introduce it to him. He thinks it's fun to open and close the lid and run around the house without his diaper on but for now that's as far as we've gotten. He'll use it when he's ready. I'm not expecting anything really soon but we're ready whenever he decides to use the "big boy potty".

We feel so lucky to have our boys!!

Levi

2011-06-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

Introducing
Levi O'Keith Owens
Born May 25th at 5:24am
Weighing 8lbs 5oz and 20in Long

Let me just start by saying Levi is such a sweet little baby! He's really just been such a joy. I think the second time around I've learned to just slow down and enjoy having a newborn again. This time is over in the blink of an eye so I'm trying to soak it all in. Luke has also been so adorable with his brother. More on him to come.
So here's Levi's birth story.
I had been dilated 4-5cm for almost two weeks. When I was first told how far dilated I was I immediately thought, "This is it! I'd better get packed because it could happen any time!". Trent was excited but cautious because he knew we could be waiting for a while. (How did he know that and I didn't? Who was the pregnant one here!?) I was approaching 39 weeks and I was dying to have my baby in my arms and to not be pregnant anymore. I was getting so uncomfortable and sleep was not happening anyways so why not be awake with a cute little baby instead of screaming heartburn and an aching back? Plus, I had been having inconsistent contractions for 2 weeks that were getting uncomfortable. I'd been walking everyday among other things to make something happen but...nothing. I called my Dr.'s office on Monday to see if I had any options at this point. I already had an appt with my Dr. for Thursday but I was too anxious to wait till then to talk to them. I had a few concerns. The biggest one being that I live in Maricopa and my hospital (Good Samaritan) was about an hour away. I was already half way dilated so who knew how fast things would progress from there. My hopes were crushed though when they said to just pay attention to my body. When I felt labor coming on to go to the hospital (yea thanks, I already knew that!)
After my phone call on Monday I was very emotional. I cried over EVERYTHING! My mom sweetly mentioned that it must happen soon cause being emotional must be a good sign. Tuesday morning I woke up with contractions coming every 5 minutes but that only lasted for about an hour. They got farther apart as the morning progressed. Then I started getting contractions that were lasting 10-15 minutes and I started to worry. Could the baby handle contractions for that long? I called my Dr. office again. The triage nurse I spoke with said that she was going to call me back in an hour and if I had any more that lasted that long that she was going to send me to the hospital. Welp, I did and so I called Trent to come home. He came home and we tried to get our new van registered quickly before we left because the temporary tag expired. (Yes, we own a van now. Just call me soccor mom! We love it by the way.) It was a huge nightmare and it took us forever to leave! (It's still not resolved by the way, grrr). Finally, we were ready to leave and we dropped Luke off at my parents. I couldn't even speak when we left, I was so emotional. I realised everything would be different when we came home and I was going to miss my little Goober! I kissed him quickly and cried while we pulled away.
When we got checked into triage it was 3:00. I knew that unless they found I was in active labor I could very well be sent home and I was praying the whole time that they could admit me!! I came in and was still 4-5!!! I couldn't believe it. So disappointed. The nurse had us get up and walk for an hour to try to get a change. It's funny but that was actually a lot of fun. Trent and I were joking and laughing and really enjoyed walking with each other. When I came back, still no change. She said she'd call the Dr though at our request, and see what she wanted to do with me and told us to go walk for another hour. So we went to the cafe, got some dinner and walked again. When I came back, still no change. She did say I was a 5 now but not actively in labor still. BUT!!!!!! Sweet, sweet Dr. Mayer said she'd admit me anyway as long as I was ok with having help to get my labor going! She recognised how far we lived from the hospital and felt comfortable keeping us. We were elated! We wouldn't be leaving the hospital empty handed.
By the time we got into the room and I was hooked up to pitocin it was 9:00pm! We were in for a long night. I had an incredible nurse, Edna, who made us very at ease. Unfortunately, we were still in labor when Enda's shift ended so nurse Chelsea was the nurse we had the rest of the time. She was awesome too though! I started to get pretty uncomfortable around 1:00am and so enter the epidural. This epidural felt very different from the one I had with Luke. With Luke I was completely numb!!! I couldn't feel my legs at all! This time I could feel my legs. I don't know if I could have actually gotten up to walk or anything but I could feel them and move them no problem. But I couldn't feel my contractions at all. As long as I couldn't feel those I was happy. Around 3:00am I started to feel some pressure so nurse Chelsea came in to check me. I was a 7 and so she adjusted my bed so I was sitting straight up in hopes of bringing the baby down even more. At 3:30-4:00 I was really feeling more pressure. So I was checked again and still a 7. I was surprised because the pressure was incredibly uncomfortable. Chelsea moved me again, this time on my side with a "peanut ball" (a huge ball shaped like a peanut, pretty self explanatory) between my legs. At 4:30 I was almost in tears because the pressure I was feeling. I was checked again (by a different nurse this time) and this time I was a 9. After the nurse checked me she just left like that wasn't too big a deal. I was thinking, you'd better get the Dr. cause this baby is coming! At 5 I was really feeling uncomfortable and questioning the epidural I had. I was feeling too much and I actually started to feel a little scared. I wasn't prepared for this. Trent, my parents and my mother in law, were all in the room with me and were wonderful. It was an intense time and they helped keep the room quiet and peaceful which I really appreciated. Trent said he thought we should the the nurse to check me again (I wasn't able to really communicate at that point so I was thankful that he sensed something was up). At that point my parents and mother in law left the room because they knew it was going to be time to push. I was told the Dr. was coming but not fast enough. My body was pushing all on it's own. Do you know how difficult it is to not push when you have no control? While we waited I was completely unaware of anything or anyone in the room other than Trent. He was so great, coaching my breathing, telling me it was going to be ok, that the Dr. was on her way. Finally, at 5:15am Dr. Mayer came in. At 5:18 I started pushing and at 5:24 Levi O'Keith Owens was born! I asked that he be given right to me but his breathing was a bit labored so they took him straight to the warmer to help him out. Of course, I was ok with it because I wanted him to be ok but I was dying to see him! Trent went over and was very proud of the fact that Levi had his toes. When I saw him for the first time I noticed he had much more than Trent's toes! Levi definitely takes after his Daddy which I love! Luke looked just like me and it's so fun to see that Levi looks like Trent. I see a little of Luke in him too though. You can tell they are brothers. Looking back, I definitely felt way more than I should have! I was absolutely scared. But, I would do it again in a heartbeat to have this precious boy in my arms. Labor and pushing times were less than half what it took with Luke and I was grateful for that.
Isn't it incredible how you instantly love them? I love them from the moment I find out I'm pregnant but when I finally met my boys that love was overwhelming! I am so grateful to be Levi's mom.
I've recovered very well and am enjoying my new little family. I feel so blessed!!!

Easter

2011-04-26T19:54:00.001-07:00

We had such a nice Easter this year. It was fun to watch Luke hunt for eggs and get excited every time he found one. This year we started a new tradition with Grandma and Grandpa Owens. Saturday we all got together and had a great lunch, decorated eggs and cup cakes with the older kids and had an Easter egg hunt. Grandma Jo also had Brighton read a nice little message about the real meaning behind Easter. I am so grateful for my Savior and his life and sacrifice. He's my greatest friend, confidant, cheerleader and example. I hope you all had a nice Easter as well!

Luke and Papa Dale
Grandma Jo and her Grandbabies (Minus Addison and Xander. We miss them so much!)

As much fun as he had hunting for eggs, what would he rather have been doing? Playing with his buddy Quigley! Luke loves to throw his toy for him.

Happy Belated Easter all!!!

March (and some April) in Pictures

2011-04-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

I recently uploaded a bunch of pictures from last month and some of this month on my computer and realised I had quite a few! So here's a recap of March (and some of April) in pictures :)

He had his first Oreo! Thanks to mom's irresistible cravings for Oreo's :) As you can see almost all of it made it in his mouth. Luke found this blanket in a drawer of our entertainment center. After I spread it on the floor for him he grabbed his books, crackers and sippy cup and made a little picnic indoors while he watched Finding Nemo in Disney channel. Such a cutie!!! Grandma Lora taught him how to put crackers between his toes. He's since gotten very good at it!What a stud! This was Trent and Luke getting ready for church a few weeks ago. Can you tell the boy loves and admires his Dad!? Dad rinsed his toothbrush... SO of course Luke needed his rinsed too. My mom got Luke his own work belt so he could help Dad in the garage :) He wore it the whole first day he got it almost. I honestly don't remember why he was crying in this picture (pouting would be more like it) but it makes me laugh! We made a fort in the living room. He loved it! He mostly wanted to run around it. He would crack me up because if I got out of it he's grab my hand and pull me back in. Even if he wasn't in it he wanted me to stay in there. It was pretty cozy in there actually so I didn't mind. If he wasn't awake I could've taken a little nap :) And finally we went to the park with Grandma Lora a week or so ago. I've felt like such a bad mom lately because we seriously stay inside all the time. I have been so hot and tired lately. I finally decided to get up off the couch and take my boy to the park! He deserved it. Excuse his shirt which is way to small and tight on him...it was laundry day so the poor boy looked like an orphan. He drug Grandma all over the park. You can tell by the look on his face that he didn't have any fun at all! :) How can you resist that face!?

Random Thoughts

2011-04-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like at this moment I have so much going through my mind. I just need to get all these thoughts out so here goes. This is more for my benefit so feel free to skip this post if you want...

-I really feel like I've done so much better with my weight this pregnancy! So far I've only gained 11 lbs. I put on almost 50 with Mr. Lucas so this is pretty exciting for me.
-That being said I'm really worried that these next couple months will catch up with me and I will put it all on again.
-At my last appt Dr. Jackson told me that Levi is "measuring a little on the large side". What does this mean!? Will I have a big baby? And I can feel it, let me tell you! Luke was 7 lbs 9 oz and I still needed the help of forceps to get him out. That was mostly cause his heart rate was dropping and we needed to get him out fast but still! I'm nervous about having to push a average size baby out all on my own this time let alone a "large" baby! I'm thinking (maybe wishful thinking?) that Levi just went through a growth spurt and that he'll average out before D day.
-We live in Maricopa and are delivering at the same hospital that we had Luke at. I love the hospital but mostly I love my Dr's and this hospital is the only place they deliver. When I had Luke though we were living about 3o minutes closer to the hospital than we do now. The hospital is a good hour away now! I don't think I will deliver in the car or anything (knock on wood!) but I am worried about having contractions in the car where I can't get comfortable for an hour. I'm no hero. I want my epidural!
-I'm feeling really motivated and excited about losing weight after this boy comes. I'm giving myself a week after he comes and then it's back to Weight Watchers!
-I recently took an awesome photography class and have yet to take my camera out and practice what I learned! What's wrong with me? I want to, trust me. I just feel so huge and so tired that crawling around for a shoot doesn't sound ideal. I need to just get out there and take my adorable toddler out for a mini shoot! Bite the bullet and do it!
-Trent is wonderful! I seriously have married the perfect man for me. He is working so hard. He is always a hard worker in everything he does but at work right now he's doing the work of about 3 people. His superior at work just quit and so he's been promoted temporarily till they find someone to take on the job full time. It is SUCH a demanding job and he's constantly going. I'm amazed at how he keeps it together. If it were me I'd come home each night (sometimes he doesn't get home till over an hour later and still has phone calls and work to do when he gets home) and want to just crash! But he still wrestles with Luke, helps with dinner, and makes time for me. I just love him. Love him!
-Luke looks so big to me lately. Maybe it's his new clothes or the fact that he tries to talk to me like he knows what he's saying. We'll have little conversations all day that mean absolutely nothing to me but he sure knows what's going on! I can't imagine how big he will look when his little brother gets here.
-I have 2 months left and I'm kinda freaking out a bit. I'm more excited than scared at this point though.
-I LOVED General Conference this weekend. I needed it so much. What I walked away with this time was that I am a Daughter of God. Because I am His I can go to him with any questions I have. Concerns. Expressions of Joy. Moments of frustration. Anything. He will always answer me and I need to really listen for those answers. Sometimes I get so caught up in my day to day life that I think he didn't answer my prayer but the truth is I just wasn't listening. He will always answer me. I just need to pay attention!
-Look how handsome my boy is! He gets his good looks from his Dad :)

Blog Link

2011-03-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

Since private blogs don't show on your blog roll when their updated I created a seperate public blog to show when we update our private blog. (I saw that my sister in law did this and it sounded like a great idea). Whenever I make a new post I'll tell you about it on this sepereate blog. If you want you can add it to your blog rolls so stay updated on us :)

lindsayloophotography.blogspot.com

(I thought a long time ago that I'd start a photography blog and never posted any pictures on it. Since I had a blog already created this is the one we'll be using)

Dear Levi,

2011-03-02T18:42:00.001-08:00

Can it really only be 3 more months till I get to meet you!? Till I get to see your beautiful face. I can't wait to see what you look like! Really, can't wait!
You're such an active little guy. It seems like you're constantly busy inside of me. Of course when anyone else tries to feel you move you get shy and still. I've said it before but you still make me smile whenever you dance around. It's so much fun!
I've really enjoyed being pregnant with you. Watching you grow. I've felt great and so I can focus on the miracle that it is to carry you. I already love you so much! I know that I can't imagine how much that love will grow when I see you for the very first time.
You have an awesome big brother by the way. He's so much fun. I can't wait for you to meet each other! I can't wait to watch you grow up together. You're changing our family dynamic and it's a welcome change. So many people are anxiously awaiting your arrival! I don't think anyone can be as excited as I am though. I love you!

Love,
Mama

P.S. I know you're due June 3rd but if there's anything you can do to come the end of May I'd greatly appreciate it! :)

Dear Luke,

2011-03-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

You are at such a fun age right now! I love that you love to read books. It is so adorable when you bring a book to me and want me to read it to you. I love it when you sit on the floor and "read" to yourself. Adorable! You love to learn and are curious about everything! Your little jibber jabbers all day long are like music to my ears. You have been such a snuggler lately. You are normally very independent but lately you will give me kisses for no reason or let me just snuggle with you on the couch while we're watching Mickey Mouse. Even dad gets loves from you and he loves it just as much as I do. Right now you love to be with Dad. you just follow him around the house and are so interested in what he's doing. You're his little shadow. You're such a good boy! You are happy almost all the time. I don't know how I got so lucky to be your mom.
(Helping Dad build his shelves in the garage)

I know that you really don't have any idea how much is going on in your life right now. Mommy's belly is getting bigger and bigger and I don't think you've noticed at all. Even though I've tried to teach you on several occasions that your little brother is the cause of my ever growing belly. I worry about you all the time. In fact I haven't stopped worrying about you since the day you were born. Actually since the day I found out I was pregnant with you. When I saw you for the first time I knew I'd do anything for you. Anything. I worried about whether or not you were eating enough. If you were getting enough sleep. I would often sit and watch you when we first brought you home after I'd put you to bed just to make sure you were still breathing. Now my worries for you are your molars that are coming in. It looks so painful and I know it is. But you handle it like a champ. I worry about the kinds of foods you eat. I want to make sure you eat healthy. Thank you for being a champ eater lately. You have eaten whatever I've given you. Thanks bud!
My greatest worry for you is your new brother coming. For 16 months it's just been the three of us. Most of the time it's just you and me. I can hardly wait to meet your little brother but know that I'll always cherish this one on one time with you. I've loved every minute! It's going to be so fun to watch you with your little brother though. I hope you love each other. I hope you will be great friends. I hope you take to him right away. You have so many people that love you and who will be there for you always! Just know I love you too and that you'll always be my baby boy!

Love,
Mama

Trent's Blog!

2011-02-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Just FYI. I decided to start a blog for my baja project. Probably wont be very interesting but if you are interested it is down on the right under Trent's Baja Project.

Luke's Big Boy Room!

2011-01-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

I finally finished Luke's new room today! When Levi comes we needed the nursery to be available for him. So, instead of waiting till the last minute to get Luke used to a new room we decided to move him now. We actually got the crib from a friend several months ago and Luke has been taking naps in that room since the beginning of summer (it was one of the cooler rooms in the house during the day) so he's pretty used to it. The transition has gone great and I love how the room turned out!

I decided to go with a Volkswagen theme since Dad is a VW bug fan! He's in the middle of rebuilding a bug right now actually. More on that in another post! There are only a couple things VW up in the room for now but hopefully I'll find more things as time goes by.
This was the original color in the room. My awesome brother Tyler (who's home from his mission! That's a post coming soon) came over and painted the room for me since I can't with the pregnancy. My mom helped too. They did a great job!

Here's the finished product!!! I really love it :)

The only VW things in the room for now. I made the bug and van and the hub cap came from the bug Trent is working on. There are a couple more too that I might try to add in there somehow.

I'm absolutely kicking myself for not taking a before picture of this dresser! It was 70's hideous!!! I got it for free and knew it could be saved. Trent is really the one who should be given the credit. He did all the work. We took the old drawer faces off and Trent made new ones. Add a little paint and new knobs and, tah dah! Brand new dresser!

Baby Owens #2 is A...

2011-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

BOY!!!!!

Luke gets to have a little buddy :) It's funny how with the second we're thinking more about what would be best for Luke and less about what we want. Trent and I knew we'd be trilled with another boy though so it's a win, win, win for the Owens family!

We also have a name for little boy Owens, Levi O'Keith. We just like the name Levi and O'Keith is after my Dad :)

Hooray for little boys!

17 1/2 Weeks!

2010-12-27T18:44:00.001-08:00

I heard you pop out more with each pregnancy. No kidding!! Here I am with #2.

Here I was at 17-18 weeks with Luke. Quite the difference!

Am I already almost 18 weeks? Seriously? I feel like this is just whipping by. With Luke it seemed like he would never come. I enjoyed and soaked in every new thing. I read my "Your Pregnancy, week by week" book practically every day! I could tell you on the spot at any given moment exactly how far a long I was, how big he was, what new things were developing at that time, etc. I was enveloped in my pregnancy and my changing body.

This time...I have to think about it when people ask how far along I am (sometimes I just say, "I'm due June 3rd). I think I've opened up my pregnancy book twice. I don't know what changes the baby is going through (How sad! I think I'll check my book after this). I am however still loving the little nudges and kick that I feel. I cherish those moments! Each time I feel it I smile. I can't help it. I really can't think of anything more incredible than bringing a life into this world.

I can honestly tell you that I love being pregnant! I love the bump. I love the smiles you get from strangers. I love marveling in the miracle of it all. I love knowing I am apart of Heavenly Father's plan of creating life. I even love the first trimester sickness because it's a constant reminder that baby is growing. I can say that because I'm out of that stage! Ok maybe 'love' is the wrong word...I can appreciate the first trimester. How's that? I love thinking about Luke as a big brother! I was the oldest in my family and I always, always wanted to have a big protective older brother! It was meant to be for me to have a son first. I will be able to watch him in that role. I'm sure I can throw in obnoxious big brother. Come on. What older siblings don't pick on the younger ones sometimes? The younger ones get even though by ruining your stuff :)

This pregnancy may be going by fast. I may not be as on the ball as I was with #1. Please don't judge me too harshly. Come on, I'm chasing after #1 most of the time! But I still am loving each moment. I think it's ok for time to slow down a bit more though. I want to soak up as much one on one time as I can with this little monster before both our worlds are going to be changed (for the better).

Monday is the big ultrasound! I think I'm more excited this time around than I was the first. I'm excited to see who will be joining us. This will change our family dynamic. I would love another boy! I'd love for Luke to grow up with a brother next. Luke has been so much fun! I love my boy. Another boy would be wonderful! However, a girl is a new adventure (I'm not gonna lie, the thought of a girl still scares me a bit). A girl might be the sweet, delicate addition our family needs. So exciting!!!! I'll be sure to post the news on Monday.

Family Pictures

2010-12-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

Before Owen's #4 joins the family and started popping out too much I wanted to get pictures of the three of us. My friend Kelsey is a very talented photographer and was kind enough to take some for us. She did such a great job and we love them! Here are just a few (ok a lot) of our favorites
Gotta love the boo boo face. He's a pro!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! We had lunch with Trent's family and extended family and dinner with my family. It was so great to see family that we haven't seen in a long time and to eat lots of yummy food!

Sawyer girls. They live in California and we definitely don't get to see them enough!Joanna and Aunt Martha. Aren't they such cute sisters?

Justin and Audra have some horses at the end of their property and so we took Luke out there to look at some. I thought he'd get a kick out of them but he was actually kinda freaked out. Can you blame him though? Look how huge this black horse is!
(If You look carefully you can see the beginnings of my baby bump! Exciting!!!)

This brown horse was so sweet! He actually started licking my hand!

Justin and Audra (who hosted all of us for lunch) have and incredible house and an incredible backyard. If I was a kid I'd have so much fun playing at their house. Luke played outside on the playground with his cousins and I'm pretty sure he had fun too.

Luke and cousin Dale havin fun!

Now on to the Loomis family Thanksgiving!

For the past 5 or 6 years (right mom and dad?) my Dad has been deep frying our turkey. Oh my gosh it is so delicious and in my opinion the only way to go! This year did not disappoint. Another great turkey Dad! We all circle around they turkey and pick at the yummy crispy skin while my Dad tries to carve it! Of course a Thanksgiving turkey wouldn't be complete without all the yuuuummmmy sides that my mom made!

This is how it usually looks at my parents house. Luke in the middle and the whole family circled around him!

I'm so mad I didn't get more pictures while at my parents house! We really had a lot of fun visiting. After dinner we all went for a walk to try to make room for pie. It was a great way to top of a fabulous day!!!

Halloween

2010-12-01T13:27:00.001-08:00

This is our one and only picture taken on Halloween! I meant to get one of just Luke in his superhero costume but it just never happened. He was too tired at the end of the night and went straight to bed. He looked adorable though! We just went trunk-or-treating at our church building. He's still too young to know what's going on. Next year should be better. I've mentioned before that I'm not a big Halloween person at all! It's just not my thing. Probably never will be. In fact I'm surprised I even dressed up (I dug out my old scrubs from my working days. I know, lots of thought went into this!). I'll make it fun for my kids but will probably never get into it. So anywho here we are on Halloween! tah-dah!

Luke's 1st Birthday

2010-11-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

I can still vivdly remember the day Luke was born (probably because it was only a year ago!). It was the longest, best day of my life. I can remember after they brought him to me and we were alone as a family for the first time thinking, "Oh my gosh! You are mine!". I couldn't believe I was entrusted with such a precous gift. It was actually a little scary! I immidiatly felt a great responsibility for this baby which I've always tried to take seriously. I want the best for him! That feeling has never gone away. He's still my precous boy and always will be. Being a parent has certainly come with its long and ever growing list of challenges. Sure I have moments where I want to lock myself in my room for a while just to get a break. Sure I have moments where there is nothing else to do but cry in desperation for answers. But I can honestly say that I have loved every minute of being Luke's mom. Even the hard times. He's my greatest blessing!
I'm amazed at what he's learned in one year! Right now he's walking like a champ and has been for a couple of months now. He can say bye, "ba". He's learning what things mean and how to get the things he wants. He really is a little person!
His birthday was November 12th but we celebrated it on the 13th because it was a Saturday and of course we needed to have a party! I have to say that we have such wonderful friends and family who came out to support Luke. I know that he had no idea what was going on that day. In fact I'm sure it's already forgotten. I know Trent and I will always remember it though. It was probably more for us than for Luke but he sure was spoiled!

I was a great day! Happy Birthday Luke!

Here's the Birthday Boy one his actual Birthday!

Like I said he was spoiled!

Luke really didn't know what to think of his cake. He just touched it for a while till we showed him he could eat it. Even then he mostly picked at it. I think the pressure of eating in front of an audience was a little much for him! He eventually got a little more into it.

I can't believe he's 1! What a whirlwind this parenting thing is! Happy Birthday Luke :)

Recap

2010-10-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

For posterity's sake I wanted to make sure I recap what we've been up to lately. I've been such a slacker blogger! I'm brewing the idea of trying to do a post a day all next month just to see if I can do it. I know, exciting stuff! We'll see, like I said the idea is still brewing.

First of all my Dad graduated from college this month! {he still has one more semester but he was able to walk early}. I don't think I can put into words how proud I am of my Dad! This has been a long road. He's had to juggle family, work, demanding callings {Hello Bishop!} and many other responsibilities while going to school. He's set such an example of how much he values his education. I love him so much!! Way to go Dad!!!

Grandpa with his very grumpy grandson! It was definitely nap time!

Luke got his first haircut! His hair is already grown back and he needs another one! He did how any 10-11 month old would. He squirmed like crazy and threw a couple tantrums but with Grandma Loomis's help we got through it!

Doesn't he look like he's so miserable!
There were some good times...

But it mostly went like this!
All done and so happy it's over! I don't like it...He looks too Big!!! But he's still handsome :)

Luke had a ton of fun with Dad the other day playing in this box!

What was it for you may ask...

His big boy car seat! He loves it!!! He really loves being able to see what we see. He was a big talker in the car before but now he really likes to ramble!

Ok well that was a lot of information! Hopefully that'll hold things over for a little while longer :)

Gilmore Adventure Race

2010-10-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

I want to make sure I do a quick mention of the Gilmore Adventure Race we did back on Sept. 25th with Justin and Audra {Trent's brother and his wife}. It was much harder than I expected it to be and looking back I'm very proud of myself for finishing it! I don't know if you've made the connection or not but I was about 5 or 6 weeks pregnant at the time. I felt lightheaded a few times but other than that I felt ok. Trent did awesome! I think he could've done another 12 miles. When we first arrived in Prescott we grabbed some breakfast at Cracker Barrel {my first time eating there, it was fabulous} and headed up the mountain to sign in and register. We got our number {96} and then we waited! There were two groups of racers the long racers which was 18 miles and the group for the short race which was 12 miles. The long racers went first. Talk about feeling out of place! These guys were serious! Some of them were even sponsored. We all couldn't help but crack up at how unprofessional we all looked in our homemade iron on t-shirts! We joked that if we ever do this again our team name should be "No Intimidation" haha! Once they left we waited for our turn. We got a little pep talk and were told the rules and then had 15 minutes to get ready and look over our map.

Before the race. Don't we look great! So unsuspecting!

When the race started we had to "run" {hello altitude! I was so not prepared for that. running for me was more of a walk/slow jog} to our next stop to get all our coordinates and plot them on our map. When I say we of course I mean Trent and Justin. They did all the map work which was really nice for Audra and I. Our first 2 or 3 stops were all hiking. It was a pretty intense hike! There were no trails so we had to trudge through the wild wilderness! :)

At the very top! All downhill hiking from here:)

The rest of the race was all mountain biking. Trent, bless his heart, has tried so hard to get me into mountain biking. When we bought my mountain bike a few years ago he was more excited than I was! It's just not my thing! So needless to say I wasn't super thrilled that the next 8 to 9 miles of the race was all going to be mountain biking!

We also had a few challenges along the way that we could either do or take a 30 minute penalty if we chose not to try it. We did each one and moved on in great time. The first one was building a bridge out of domino's. The next one was throwing metal washers into a hole that was a few feet away. The last and hardest was a puzzle. Only one of us could try it {we could help from the sidelines though}. It was pretty tricky but Justin got us through!

I'm not gonna lie to you I was miserable on the mountain biking part! {I may or may not have cursed under my breath a few times}. A lot of it was uphill and that's what sucked all my energy! I don't mean to make this all sound negative but I really hated this part! Trent asked me a few times if I thought I'd ever want to do this again. I'd just glare at him and say, "Don't ask me right now because the answer is NO!" I really kinda felt like I was holding everyone back. I was usually the caboose of the group. I can honestly say though that I did my very very best! I pushed myself as hard as I could and I'm proud of the fact that I didn't give up.

Before you could cross the finish line you had to scale a 12 ft wall! Maybe it doesn't look super tall in the pictures but believe me 12 ft is tall! We had a great strategy though and all made it over safely.

We finished with 7 minutes to spare! All in all this was a truly incredible experience and it really showed me what I was capable of. I don't think it's really my kinda thing but I learned a lot about myself and we really did have a lot of fun together. I'm glad I did it! Thanks Justin and Audra for being our teammates! Go team 4.0!!! {We are all Owen's and there were 4 of us...get it :)}

Coming Spring 2011!!!

2010-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Baby Owens #2!!!

Yes it was planned...
Yes we are thrilled...
And Yes a little nervous!

We couldn't feel more blessed and excited :)

9 Months

2010-08-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

This has been the strangest age for me so far. I LOVE all the new things Luke is doing and learning, don't get me wrong. But I also am feeling for the first time that Luke isn't really my baby anymore. I know he's still a baby but he's acting more and more like a big boy and he doesn't need me as much. Not gonna lie, it's been a bit difficult for me. But He's learning so fast which has been so fun to watch! Here are a few things we've learned so far:
- He's mastered crawling (that's baby stuff) and he's on to walking. He hasn't mastered that just yet (Thank goodness, I'm savoring every last second I have left!) but he can take several steps on his own at a time. Sometimes he doesn't even realise what he's doing. He'll just walk away from the couch to get a toy or something he sees across the room and before he knows it he's walked there all on his own! Oh boy...life will be forever changed!
- He also can wave "Hi" and "Goodbye". One of our new favorite things to do is to wave goodbye to Dad while he drives away for work in the morning. For some reason he thinks it's hilarious when someone waves back to him. We all have a good laugh.
- And MY favorite new this he's learned is giving kisses! Oh it melts my heart!!! There's nothing better in this world than a big, wet, open mouthed kiss from your 9 month old! Sweet joys of life!
- He still loves Baby Einstein and it's a life saver on Sunday mornings while Trent and I are getting ready for church. It plays on a loop and so he'll sit there for as long as we need him to! (Don't worry we don't do it all the time!)

I was thinking the other day that he's been on the outside as long as I carried him on the inside! It seems like he's been here longer than that though. I feel like he's been with us forever! I just got my maternity pictures back not long ago from my friend Kelsey who took them for me. In honor of the 9 month mark I thought I'd post them since I didn't when I was actually pregnant. What can I say? I just didn't really feel like posting pictures of me in my third trimester glory! Now that I look at them again though it wasn't as bad as I thought. :)

Now here he is 9 months later!!!

I know that's a lot of pictures. I'm just a proud mama! :) He's changed my life in almost every way and I couldn't be happier. I'm doing exactly what I've wanted to do my entire life and I have zero regrets!

Backyard Update

2010-08-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

So Trent here. Just thought I would show picts of what we did this weekend on the back yard. So I got a contractor to get me a 48" reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) that we are going to use for a fire pit (for free might I say!) They dropped it off and everything. It was left on its side so it was easy to roll around. We dug the hole (Lindz helped. Thanks Love!) and just rolled the pipe over and pushed it in. I was really nervous because this pipe weighed a ton (seriously, 2,000 lbs) but it seriously was nothing. So we are going to pour a pad around it with the pit flush with the pad. You'll see picts once its all done. But here are the picts from this weekend.

Check it out!!

2010-07-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone I've started a photography blog with my friend Heidi Rieck. We are trying to turn this into a little business and we want to try a test run to see how it goes. We've created a blog and have done a few great sessions so far. Come check it out!

howsweetphotography.blogspot.com

We are offering incredible introductory deals on photo sessions right now to get our name out there so if you are interested please let us know!

Really?

2010-07-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

I knew as soon as Luke could crawl that it couldn't be long till he would be running. The very next day after figuring out crawling he was pulling himself up on the couch, his crib rail, kitchen chairs, pretty much anything he could. This is his new favorite thing to do. He can stand like this for several seconds. He has a new toy that a friend gave him. It's a Leap Frog shopping cart with wheels and he will actually walk with it sometimes. My mom always talks about how intense he is. Yep. That's the perfect word. Once he figures something out that's his main focus for a while. Huh, I wonder where he gets that? (Remember the puzzle and the Lego train track?) Maybe it's normal for an 8 month old to stand on his own like this, I have no idea I'm a rookie you know. All I know is he's growing up way too fast.

This intense personality of his could be why he got this today... Can you see it? It's just a little red mark under his eye. His first shiner. He loves to "help" me fold his laundry. I bring his clothes from the dryer in a blue plastic hamper. He pulls his clothes out of the laundry basket and throws them on the floor. Mommies little helper! Well today he was holding onto an edge of the hamper and it folded under him and he fell and hit his face on the edge. Poor little guy. He looked at that hamper like it did it on purpose! So sad.

3 Years

2010-07-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Trent and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on Wed. We went to dinner and saw a movie. Our idea of a perfect night out. :)
I meant to get a picture of us while we were "out on the town" but I totally forgot. I wanted to make sure I captured the day though. So here we are in out grubbies on the couch. But this is us!

They're Back!

2010-07-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

My poor husband! Trent's warts are back...again. He went back to the dermatologist...again. To try to get rid of them...again. The never ending cycle
It blistered because of the freezing
POOR TRENT!!!!!

2010-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

When we bought this house we took on the empty dirt backyard as well. We actually were kinda excited about it because then we could make it whatever we wanted. We've also learned that creating a yard from scratch is a lot easier to think up and draw on paper than to make it happen.
Luckily for me, I married a very handy, determined and hardworking man! He's been faithfully working on that yard for a couple months now. We can finally see a little of that hard work pay off.
The house that is directly behind us is about 3 feet higher than we are so our yard has this slope along the back wall. We decided to make that into a garden since we weren't sure what else we could do with it.
Here's the garden wall from start to finish. :)

I did help Trent bring each of these stones into the backyard. Each one weighed 55lbs, in the heat of the day, which in AZ means HOT! It was brutal. Poor Trent did the rest on his own that way. Never complained once though. See what I mean? Hard worker!

We're planning to put a fire pit in the middle of where the curve is.

TaDa!

Our New Home

2010-06-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

I've had a few requests to post pictures of our new house. We have been here since March and are still loving it!

Our empty catch-all living room and entry way.

Kitchen

Kitchen-To the right in this picture are some double doors where the office is.

Family Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Guest Bathroom

Luke's Room

Luke's Room

There's another guest room next to Luke's room but it's pretty much empty so I figured no one would care to see that.

We Love Dad!!

2010-06-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Luke actually loves the pool. Don't let his grumpy face fool you.

I know this is late but I needed to make sure I acknowledged Trent on his very first Fathers Day! I knew when I met Trent that he would be "The Fun Dad". When we got married and even when we started dating we loved to talk about our future family! We spent so much time talking about how many kids we wanted, names we liked and how many boy and how many girls we would want (as if we could choose). But Trents favorite thing to talk about was all the fun things he would do with our kids. Taking them hiking and mountain biking, playing Legos, working on projects together. Trust me the list goes on and on and grows every day. We pretty much agreed on everything about kids except deciding when we would start out little family. Trent was very certain that he wanted to wait at least 4 years after we were married to start trying. I, thought he was crazy if he thought he could make me wait that long. I loved our time before kids but I was just very excited to begin the next phase. You can imagine my complete shock when one night Trent told me he was ready to start a family. We had been married A little over a year and a half.

It didn't take long till we were expecting and preparing for little one. The only thing that could make Trent happier would be if we were having a boy! Enter Luke.

Trent is everything I hoped the father of my children would be. It melts my heart to see Trent and Luke together! That little boy loves his mommy but he adores his dad! And how can you blame him? Happy Fathers Day Sweetie. We love you!

Here we go

2010-06-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Teething. I noticed Luke's first tooth creeping in a little over a week ago. He's been so good though. Nothing like I expected a teething baby to act. No fevers. Not at all grouchy but maybe just a little more clingy with me. But seriously he's been a dream as usual. Until yesterday. Poor baby! I could just tell he was not himself. His tooth is still just below the skin and I also noticed tooth number two coming right next to it. He was extra extra clingy and very fussy. And to top it off he would not take a good nap. He normally doesn't give me too much trouble going down for his nap but yesterday he wouldn't sleep unless he was in my arms and even that wouldn't last longer than 20 minutes. The second I laid him down he'd wake up instantly and start to cry. There was nothing more I could but but hold him and give him Tylenol. I feel so helpless! So here's my question to you experienced moms out there. Are there any good teething secrets out there? I can't imagine what teething must be like. There are so many things that babies go through that seems like it would be so overwhelming and confusing. It's probably a good thing they don't remember any of it!

I've Been Told

2010-05-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

That I need to update my blog :) And I do.
Well let me just catch you all up on the whole weight loss plan. (Thanks for all the great advise and encouragement by the way) I've actually been doing Weight Watchers for almost 3 weeks (3 week mark on Monday)and I've lost 7 lbs so far! Yay! I'm loving it. I'm the type of person who gets pretty excited to eat and that's what I miss when I diet but WW lets me keep that excitement and still lose the weight. I'm pretty excited about that! My friend Heidi is doing it too so we help keep each other on track and motivated. Exercising hasn't been quite as easy. But I'm gonna be forced to get motivated here real soon cause Trent and I signed up for a marathon in September! Ah!!! Me?...A marathon!? That's just silly! But it's true. We signed up with Justin and Audra, my BIL and SIL. They've done it before and made it sound so fun and suckered us into signing up with them this year.:) I've never in my life wanted to run a marathon but this one isn't just running. It's running, biking, canoeing(sp?) and some other things. I'm a little nervous but actually excited too. I'll be good for me to have a deadline to get fit. (I'm gettin pumped Audra!!!)So there you have it. That's my get fit plan. I'll keep you updated on how it's going.
Luke is 6 months old! What?! When did I give him permission to grow up so fast? Seriously folks this is not fair. It's a good thing he's at such a fun age!!! Oh man. I think 6 months might be my favorite so far. He's so adorable. He's such a fun and happy baby too. I love that he likes to snuggle and that he's so bright and inquisitive. He's growing fast and learning so much. I swear he's gonna take off crawling and day now. Not so sure how I feel about that. Actually ya I do. Not too excited. Baby proofing, here we come.
Trent's doing great. He's been working so hard on getting our back yard done. When we bought the house it was just dirt in the backyard so we've literally had to start from scratch. It's coming along though. My brothers have come over a couple times to help which has been nice cause I get to bring water instead of dig :) Not that I'm not willing.
Just a quick recap on my first Mothers Day...
It was really wonderful! Trent got up with Luke in the morning so I could sleep in and got him ready for church. They (by they of course I mean Trent) also got me a couple Willow Tree statues that are beautiful. I love them! After church we went and saw Trent's mom and dad and gave Joanna her gift then it was off to my mom's to have an awesome dinner prepared by my Dad, and to hear from my brother whose serving his mission in Alaska. It was so great to hear from him! When we spoke to him last Mothers Day he helped tell my family that we were expecting :)That was a great day!!! So fun. No surprises this time. He is doing great though. He'll be home before we know it. It was a bit surreal celebrating Mothers Day as a new mom. I have found so much joy in this great role and responsibility. I truly couldn't be happier doing anything else. Of course it comes with its difficult times but those difficult times make the sweet moments even sweeter.

Ok I know this is getting long but I have to share this story real quick. A little while back my Aunt Dawn was here visiting and my mom, my aunt and I were all talking about my sweet grandma. This woman is extraordinary. We were talking about the things that remind us of her and the little things of hers that mean something to us. I mentioned her sugar bowl. My grandma has this cute little blue and white sugar bowl that will forever remind me of her. So this Mothers Day I decided to get my mom her own sugar bowl. I was so excited to give it to her. I gave her her gift and she gave me mine. We opened them and just started laughing. We both gave each other sugar bowls! It was so sweet. Except my mom called my cousin Erin, who is oh so talented, and had her write a beautiful poem to go with it. It was a precious moment to go with a precious Mothers Day.

Yes this is Luke sucking on a pickle. I thought I'd just let him lick it thinking he'd maybe just make a funny face but He LOVED it!

Happy in Grandpa's chair

Luke and I on Mothers Day

This is what he looks like after his food is all gone. Such a sad moment. Don't worry buddy, I feel the same way when my food's all gone too.

Overwhelmed!

2010-04-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

**This is all kinda personal (and embarrassing) but I need help!**
Right after Trent and I got married I put on about 25lbs in 2 months! My eating habits hadn't changed. I just got married to my best friend, had a super fun awesome wedding day, and went on a beautiful honeymoon. That said I wasn't stressed. The only thing that I did change was going on birth control (sorry if this is TMI for anyone). I started it a month before we got married and by the time we got married i had quickly gained about 7lbs. After the honeymoone I really started to notice the weight. I went off the pill as soon as I made the connection but it was too late. The damage was done. I gained 30lbs in 3 months!!! I was so devastated. I heard of gaining weight the first year of marriage but this was ridiculous! I have been trying for almost 3 years to lose the weight but I just couldn't do it!!! I lost the baby weight but still have all the pre-baby weight that I wanted to get rid of in the first place to lose! For a while it was because I couldn't commit and now it's because I feel so overwhelmed with the idea of trying to lose the weight. I want to SOOOOO bad! I hate getting dressed in the morning and I hate wearing a bating suits. I hate mirrors and seeing myself in pictures and I hate that I hate all those things! I'm not trying to sound vain. I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin again. I am so so ready to fully commit finally. I just don't know where to begin. It's daunting. I feel like I have such a long road ahead of me. I'm not even asking to be at the weight I was before the pill (that'd be a bonus). Right now I just want to lose about 15-20 and then go from there. So here's where you come in...
I NEED YOUR ADVISE!!!! Do any of you have tips? A diet that you know will work? Ways to stay on track? ANYTHING!?
I also want to invite any of you to do this with me who feel the same way I do. Trent is going to be my workout buddy and I think that will help a ton! But the more the merrier! I hear it's easier to lose weight if you have a support system to help you. I'll help you if you help me :) And, now I've made public my plan. You all know about what I'm trying to do and so that puts added pressure on me to keep it up!!! I'll keep you posted on my progress along the way. Wish me luck!!!

Our New Abode

2010-04-04T16:08:00.001-07:00

As I write this I am sitting comfortably on my couch in my living room in our new home! That's right, Trent and I are responsible for a house and It's wonderful (and terrifying).

To say this has been a long experience would be an understatement. We had been searching for a home for a year. That's right, a year. Countless offers and frustrations later we are finally homeowners. Anyone who says this is a buyers market is probably right, but the thing they forget to tell you is that it's a buyers market at the banks discretion. You no longer have any say in whether or not you want a home. The banks hold all the power and tell you if you're worthy of their home (even if you're perfectly qualified and can afford the home) and they're so polite about it. They wait months to tell you and sometimes they don't bother to tell you anything at all. Depends on whether or not they feel like it. What sweethearts. Thanks Obama for bailing out the banks! Now they don't have to respond to anyone. They're in no hurry. They already have their money. Another one of his wonderful "Changes". Yay!!

Anyway, enough of that. I could go on forever! We really are so grateful to be here. There have been so many who have worked incredibly hard on our behalf and to them we are so so thankful! Trent's Dad is one such individual. He has spent countless hours and taken those hours out of his already swamped schedule to help us. We couldn't have done it without him. Trent's brother Justin helped us search for homes for a while too and we're grateful to him also.

We're so happy to be in our home. We're living in a great neighborhood in a great ward in Maricopa (it's about 25 min outside Phoenix). We really love it out here and it's nice because Trent's commute is only about 25 min right now. I'll post pictures soon.

(Two more posts below)

Spring Break in Rocky Point

2010-04-04T15:36:00.001-07:00

Woo Whoo Spring Break! Par-Tay!! Ok so maybe those partying days are way way behind us but we did go to Rocky Point, Mexico for Spring Break this March and it was so much fun. We went with Trent's brother Jeff, his wife Leza and their two cute kids Addison and Xander. Trent's been going there at least once a year for most his life and I joined the fun right after we got engaged. Let me tell you though, it's a completely new experience going with a baby. Normally we would wake up get in our swim suits and head straight to the beach and only come back to the house to eat and sleep. This time however we probably spent about 5 or 6 hours total on the beach the whole 5 days we were there. It was still a lot of fun but a different kind of fun. It was Luke's first time at the beach and he didn't seem to care too much. He liked putting his toes in the sand but other that I think he'd be just as happy indoors.

A trip to RP wouldn't be complete without a trip to the fish market to barter for souvenirs. This time I was spoiled though by my husband. Every year we go I want to buy a matching pitcher and glasses set and a brightly colored clay vase. They just remind me of Mexico and I think they're pretty. Well my requests were finally granted and I walked away with not only the pitcher and glasses and clay vase but a platter to match and two Mexican blankets! I was a happy girl. We had a new dining experience while we were there too that I think has become a new tradition. It's a little fish shop behind the fish market where the owner fries up any fresh fish or shrimp you want for a great price to eat in tacos, in homemade tortillas of course. I'm drooling just thinking about it! It was literally behind the fish market so we were eating near the water and the view but also near all the other lovelies of a back ally. Authentic. All part of the experience though. Our little family had a great time this year and are looking forward to next year already.

At the "resturant" behind the fish market

See, Luke had a little fun at the beach.

Trent and I have a picture very similar to this one that we took when we were engaged. Now here we are again married with our chunky baby.

Luke with cousin Xander in their matching suits. Too cute!

Joy

2010-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

* This post was supposed to be first*

So much to write about! First of all, can I just talk about our cute little Lukie Boy? He's always had a lot of character and personality, even from the day he was born, but as he gets older the more of it he allows us to see. He's been so much fun! He's learned to roll over and is very proud of his new achievement! Every time he does it he looks at us like "Check me out!". He seems to have found his voice too. So fun! He likes to talk to himself sometimes in the morning before I get him from his crib. I'll let him chatter to his toys for a while till I can't help but go get him to join in the conversation. Which brings me to his next big accomplishment! We're sleeping through the night *hallelujah*. I feel like a human again. I was getting up with him 3 to 4 times a night and needless to say I was pretty much a grouchy zombie. My poor husband took the brunt of my crankiness. He was such a dream though and let me be cranky to him and was always great to take Luke so I could have a break when he came home from work. Love him! All three of us are thrilled that Lucas sleeps through the night. How did we do it? The good ol' let him cry it out method. It was torture!!! But lucky for me there were only two nights of crying and he didn't seem to be even the slightest bit angry at me in the morning. He's such a sweeite. I'm so glad he's a snugly boy. He loves to be cuddled and I'm more then happy to let the laundry pile up and the dishes sit in the sink to oblige him. I love being a mommy! The best word I can think of to describe this experience is Joy.

Going Private

2010-03-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

It's time. I've decided to take my family blog private. I really didn't like the idea of all the crazies out there being able to know about my little family. Friends and family please leave me your email so I can include you if you'd like to follow us. Now, I'm not above blog stalking...I spend many an hour doing it myself. I can do it because I'm not crazy and if you're not a crazy person and like to stalk my blog feel free to leave your email as well! (I can't imagine I have a ton of followers.) I plan to make the change at the end of next week so please let me know by then. I have lots of fun pictures and big and fun events to write about so please stay tuned :)

Now That I'm 31/2 Months Old...

2010-02-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

i love being with my dad. he's my buddy.

i like to smile a lot!

i'm putting anything and everything in my mouth that i can get my hands on

i love my Bumbo seat

getting in lots of tummy time

but it wears me out

mom and dad took me on my first hike and i and loved it!

I'm a busy kid!

Our Little Goober

2010-01-14T19:28:00.001-08:00

It's been a month already since our last post. Luke is two months old! Where does the time go? Everyone tells you to enjoy every minute because it goes by fast. No kidding! He had his 2 month check up today and we found out he's 13lbs 3oz and 23 inches long. (That's 75th for weight and 50th for height for those who were wondering) He's smiling up a storm and is cooing and making the cutest little noises! Is there anything sweeter? He's such a snuggle bug which I LOVE! I think he's getting ready to start giggling any day now too. He starts to work up to it and then just can't quite get it out. Sometimes he goes from smiling to talking to crying to smiling again without missing a beat! You can tell this whole body thing is a little overwhelming to figure out for him still. We went through a rough week or two around Christmas time where every night at around 5 or 6 he would just cry for about 3 hours straight. No matter what we did he just couldn't be comforted. There was nothing we could do sometimes accept cry with him (and believe me sometimes I did). It broke my heart and I've never felt more helpless. (Audra, I feel for you! I had it for about 3 hours a day for two weeks. I can't imagine all day every day for 3 months! You're a good woman.) We weren't sure what brought it on but he seems to be out of that phase now. I seriously think that life just got to be too much for him sometimes and he just needed to cry it out. Being a baby must be so hard. There's so much to figure out and learn!

The majority of the time he's a happy baby boy. I think we're all learning our new roles as well as anyone would expect. It's interesting to see your spouse go from husband or wife to mom and dad. I know that for me I see Trent in a new light. I fall more in love with him each day as I watch him with our son. I knew he would be a great dad but he still has his ways of surprising me. He always told me before we had Luke that he wasn't as excited for the newborn/baby phase but was super excited for the one year old/toddler age. He's still excited for that but you can tell he just can't get enough of our sweet little Luke. After all they're only this little for so long. We are so in love with our baby boy! :)

1st Road Trip to UT to visit his Great Grandparents the week after Christmas.

1st Christmas in his cute PJ's Aunt Kelsey bought for him.

Hangin out with Dad

Sweet little smile :) We are having so much fun!

One Month Old

2009-12-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

Can he really be one month already? Where has the time gone!? You can't deny when looking at him though that he's a growing boy. We went to his one month check up today and found out he's already 11 lbs and 22 1/2 inches long. Wow! He's in the 80th percentile for his weight and 60th for height. He's our growing boy! When I look at him sometimes I feel like he looks so little still but then other times I can't believe how big he's gotten already. He's been such a good baby! He pretty much cries when he needs something and then he's pretty happy once he gets it. The only problem we're having is bed time. He's not the best sleeper and has his nights and days mixed up a bit. He usually wakes up around 11:00 or 12:00 to eat and then is up again at 2:00. From 2 am on he is up almost every hour. I'm not sure why. Sometimes he wakes up to eat and sometimes he's just up and looking around for an hour or so. He's not fussy just awake. It's been a challenge for me since I don't ask Trent to wake up with him. I feel like since he needs to be at work everyday and can't nap he shouldn't have to get up with Luke. I can at least nap when Luke does during the day. Everyone is reassuring me that it'll get better and I'm just waiting for that day! His Dr today even suggested giving him formula during one of his late night feedings to hopefully help him sleep longer through the night.
I feel so blessed to be his mother. He's such a sweet little guy and has us wrapped around his little chubby finger. He has brought such a sweet spirit into our home and blessed our lives so much. His grandparents and uncles are all enamored with him too. He's gonna be a spoiled boy!

I know...

2009-11-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

He's Cute :)

And we love him to pieces! Even if he does make us feel like this:

Introducing!...

2009-11-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Lucas Lucien Owens
Born Thursday November 12th 2009 at 1:21pm
7lbs 9oz 19in. long
He's Perfect!

This is our little man! He had a rough arrival but he's finally here! We were anticipating his arrival to come any time all this past week. I went to my weekly check up on Monday and found out that I was 4cm and 80% effaced. I walked out of that appointment thinking that being that far dilated, I could go any time. So I went home and packed my bag and...nothing! Finally though on Wednesday we went into the hospital thinking my water may have broken. I wasn't feeling any painful contractions though so I wasn't sure if I was actually in labor. Once I got to the OB Triage and they checked me they told me I had in fact ruptured and they were admitting me. Hooray!! I was so excited! I really didn't want to be sent home without a baby in my arms. Once they got me in my room at about 6:30pm they hooked me up with Pitocin to get my labor going. My parents came to the hospital and we all waited, and waited...and waited. They kept upping my pitocin and it seemed like my labor just wasn't progressing. It was about 4 in the morning though when I really started to feel the contractions. By 5 they were incredibly worse and right on top of one another. Time for the epidural! After the epidural they checked me again and I was about a 6. I was so disappointed! The amount of pressure I was feeling and since my contractions were so close I thought for sure I was getting really close. At about 8 in the morning a new Dr. came on the shift and decided to really get things going and cranked the pitocin up every 20 minutes since I was still only 6cm. It wasn't helping much so we started tossing the idea out of having a C-Section which I really didn't want to do. She said she'd give me an hour with the pitocin as high as she's willing to let it go and see if it helped. Well it did! I was fully dilated and ready to go at around noon. I pushed through 3 contractions and with each push Lukes heart rate would drop so they let me rest for 45 minutes to see if he would come down on his own. After the break we got right back to pushing and his heart rate would still drop. The Dr. decided to use the forceps to help get him out faster. (That's why his poor little face looks a little beat up). A few more pushes and he was here!

I couldn't describe how it felt to see my son for the first time. It was the most incredible spiritual experience I've ever had. He's such a sweet baby. His little spirit has completely transformed our home and we are so grateful he's here. I have to also mention how wonderful Trent was through the whole labor and delivery and how great he's been ever since. He's Superman! He was so present for me through everything. I don't know how I could have done it without him.

Our First Family Picture! Too bad Mommy looks so exhausted!
Just a few hours old in Daddy's arms

First Day at Home

I'll get more pictures up soon.

Just Playin Around

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

So my friend Dave lent me this Lego set and I thought it would be cool to video tape it getting built and then play with my movie editing software. Here is the result.

The Countdown Has Begun!

2009-11-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

I officially hit my 37 week mark on Sunday. That means any time people! (I know, I know I could go over my due date but just don't ruin this for me!) I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by. I was talking to Trent the other day and we were in awe of how it seems like just yesterday we were telling our parents but at the same time it feels like a distant memory. As difficult as these last few weeks have been with crazy swelling, weight gain, sleepless nights of trips to the bathroom and heartburn, backaches and feeling like I can't move because of this huge beach ball in front of me, I have really loved being pregnant! :) It's true you go through an emotional roller coaster while you watch your body change from your own to the host of this little person growing inside of you. I can't believe how much weight I've gained and I'm ready to burst into tears whenever I get a good look at my feet! But I have the reassuring knowledge that at the end of all this I get to hold my little man in my arms! That makes all this we women go through so worth it! I can't wait! The closer I get to my due date the more and more excited I get. I saw my Dr on Monday and he said I was 2 cm dilated (sorry if that's TMI for some of you). I kinda wish now that I didn't know because now that I know my body is getting ready for labor I can't help but feel like it's just around the corner. I'm being realistic though and I know that in reality this could last for weeks! I'll be sure to keep you all posted though. I told Luke that he had to hold on till his baby shower. Well, that was Saturday so he has the go-ahead to come out any time! (Which I tell him regularly)
Speaking of my shower, it was awesome! I'm so overwhelmed by my generous friends and family. Thank you to all who came and helped! It was so much fun! I loved opening all the cute little clothes and supplies that I'll get to use in a few more weeks. It kinda brought it all home and made this seem a little more real to me. It was a great day. As soon as I get pictures I'll put them up. I also have some maternity pictures that my friend Kelsey offered to take for me. I'll put those up when I get them too. It's funny how startling it is to see yourself in pictures when you're the size of a whale but Kels did a pretty dang good job of minimizing that for me :) I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween (which for me is just a silly holiday to help us gear up for "the real" holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Fourth Times the Charm?

2009-10-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well I am sure many of you passed by the comment in Lindsay's last post about my wart coming back. I mean who wouldn't? She is so dang cute with our little baby inside her. Well I know that you all loved my wart story and the picts so I thought I would let you see the fourth removal. This time they just burned it out. Picts speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Finally!

2009-10-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

When you start getting text messages from friends and family that your blog is boring and needs an update you know it's time to write something down! Sadly, we just haven't had a whole lot going on in our lives. Trent's still working hard and keeping busy. He's loving the cooler weather so he can go mountain biking more often. And oh yes how can I forget...You all remember his lovely post about his nasty wart right? Well that little friend of his just can't move on and let my poor husband live his life cause that sucker is coming back! That's right folks! I swear I don't know what else we could possibly try to get it to go away. You'd for sure think that SURGERY would do the trick but I guess we all underestimated "The Thing". He's a very persistent little booger. So Trent has another appt with the Dr. who performed the surgery next week as well as an appt with a dermatologist just for good measure. Poor Trent, I feel so bad for him.

I've been feeling pretty good for the most part. I've decided that being short and pregnant isn't the best combination. But I'm grateful my body is able to do what it needs to do to make a nice little home for Luke while he grows. However if he could find a better place to hang out other than my ribs that would be awesome! Seriously he hangs out there all the time! I feel like I have bruises on my ribs from him. He's definitely getting bigger! And so am I. I'll try to get another picture up for all of you soon. I keep forgetting to ask Trent to take one for me. My feet have been getting nice and big as well. In a week they just decided it was time to catch up with the rest of my body I guess cause they have become so swollen! And painful. I wasn't expecting that. Trent and my brothers have fun squishing them though. I'm glad they are enjoying them.

We've also finally started getting our house ready for Luke. We've been putting it off because we weren't sure if we were actually going to be living here when he came. In fact we were counting on it! Who knew buying a house would be so stinkin' difficult! That saga is a whole post on its own! Anyway I started to get this panicked feeling that I needed to get my house ready for him. I still have 6 weeks till he comes but I still felt this uncontrollable urge to start preparing. So my wonderful husband spent his whole weekend moving furniture around, rerouting our computer so we could put our desk in the dining room and cleaning out the old office so we could get things ready. We're getting his crib this weekend and I already feel so much better. Thank you sweetie!

Speaking of Trent, I just have to say that I am so blessed to have him. He is taking such good care of me and I love him so much. I've been kinda useless lately because when I get home the first thing I want to do is put my feet up and get those puppies to go down a little. He's been so good to get things for me, rub my nasty feet and to just sit with me. I love him so much!! He's going to be the best daddy!

Anyway that's about it for us right now. I'll try to update this more regularly. Oh yeah! We have two new nephews! Both Trent's older brothers and their wives have had their babies. Dale Justin came first followed by Xander Jeffery. Lucas Lucien is next! We can't wait :)

27 Weeks!

2009-08-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

I thought you might all appreciate a new post. Not that the wart removal wasn't an exciting story but I know I was sick of looking at it while it was attached to Trent's finger so you must be too. In all seriousness though I am SO thrilled the wart is gone. That thing was so sick. We've been celebrating its disappearance ever since!

I can't believe I'm in my third trimester already! Sometimes I feel like this pregnancy is going by too fast and other times it feels like delivery day is so far away! Luke is such an active little guy. I sometimes feel like there's a little alien living in there. What's so bazaar is to watch him move. Trent and I get such a kick out of that.

According to the Dr. everything is looking great and Lucas is a happy healthy little man. We're still right on track for Nov. 22nd. We're trying to get things ready for his arrival as best we can. But we're still house hunting and so not knowing where we'll be in three months presents a slight challenge. Nothing is set up but I have bought fabric so my mom and I can start sewing his bedding. I think it's adorable! Once it's finished I'll be sure to post pictures.
I'm just now starting to feel a bit more uncomfortable and sleeping is getting a little more difficult. I know it's just gonna get worse though so I'm trying to enjoy it now! Trent is getting more and more excited as the days pass. I think now that he can see and feel Lucas move it's become more real to him. Last night Trent was talking to Luke through my belly and he had his face pressed up against it and Luke kicked him hard in the face! It was so funny. It was like he was saying "Ok Dad I hear you!". So fun! :)

I'm really starting to notice the puffiness and I have to tell ya, I'm not a fan. I was hoping I could avoid it for a few more weeks but I think it's starting to catch up with me. I guess that's just part of the deal though and in spite of everything I'm really loving being pregnant. Only three more months to go and I'll have my little boy in my arms. I can't wait to meet him!

The Saga of the Wart Hopefully has ENDED!!

2009-08-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ok it Trent again. I'll be honest. I really just wanted to share these picts with everyone even though I know that everyone might not want to see them. I think they are pretty cool.

So I have had a wart problem for a while. But in particular on my left index finger. On my mission I got this wart on my left index finger. It was close to the time that I was coming home so instead of having a 3rd world "doctor" take care of it I waited to get it removed in the states. And I did. After about 3 years the darn thing came back. So i went back to the dermatologist and had it removed again. Here are some before and after picts of what both these removals looked like. (The picts are only of the second wart. You can kinda see the scar from the first one to the left of this wart.)

No longer than 3 months or so after the second removal the stupid thing came back. Now what dermatologists did with me is freeze it off a few times and when that didn't work (it never did) they would cut it off and cauterize it (pic above). Well the third time I went back to the dermatologist and asked if they would just go straight to the cutting and cauterizing. They wouldn't so I asked to refer me to someone who would. So that got me to a hand surgeon, and I had that thing surgically removed. and here are those picts.

Yes it was that big

It was my little six fingered hand that I always wanted.

This is how it was wrapped for one week after the surgery.

Once they took off the bandage.

After 2 weeks of having the bandage off. The night before the stitches came out.
My finger now, 3 weeks after. It is kinda tight on the knuckle when I make a fist but I like scars and its way better than that hideous wart. They cut the wart out then took the skin on top of my finger and stretched it over the hole. I have a U-shaped scar now.
So that is a fun update for Mr. Owens. Lindz is happy that the thing is gone too. I kept picking at it and making it bleed. She was done with that real quick.

Somewhat Simple

2009-08-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! If you haven't already you need to check out my friend Stephanie's super cute blog Somewhat Simple. I've added her button to my sidebar which links to her blog so go check it out! She has the funnest crafts and home projects as well as recipes and great giveaways. Prepare to get inspired! Have fun :)

Seriously?!?

2009-07-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

So only one comment on my train huh??

What AZ Heat Can Do!

2009-07-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ok. I know it has been a while since you all heard from me (Trent). Especially with all the trips and baby stuff that my wife likes to blog about. But I had to share this because I think it is kinda funny. I don't know if you all remember my post back on Dec 19 where I built a bridge out of popsicle sticks and put my Lego train over it. Here is the picture.

So, this last weekend Lindz and I went to St. George Utah for her family reunion and before leaving I turned the air off. Usually I just turn it up to like 85 or something but for some reason I turned it off. When we got back it was 95 in our house and this is what we came home to.

I guess the hot glue got soft and down she came. At first I thought that we were robbed cause it was a mess. So I cleaned up the Legos, put it back together later that night, and we just left the bridge there with the track. A couple of days this week there would be a piece or two that would fall during the day but she still stood. Well today after we got back from some errands this is what we came home to.

There was only one piece left on the wall and I have no idea hows it is still there. The paint must have adhered to it somehow. So I guess today she will come down completely. Good times. I just wish I was there to witness it all.

Two Years!

2009-07-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

First Comes Love...

Dating The night Trent pop'd the question!

Then Comes Marriage... 7-7-07

Then Comes Baby Luke!...

Happy Anniversary Sweetie! I Love You SOOOOO Much!!!

It's A...

2009-06-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Bouncing Baby BOY!!!

And mom and dad couldn't be happier :)

17 Weeks!

2009-06-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy seems to be flying by. I'm sure once it gets closer to the delivery, time will slow way down. But for now I have to say that I'm loving every minute of being pregnant. The morning sickness is gone but I'm still trying to regain my appetite. Don't worry though, I'm eating enough for me and the little peanut. All in all though it's been a lot of fun! I am starting to feel the baby's little flutters and nudges and if I'm really lucky I feel what seems to be a kick! It's so faint though that sometimes I'm not so sure.
Next week we get to go find out what the sex is! I can't wait! I honestly don't care what it is but I'm so excited to find out :) Any Guesses?...

Virginia Trip

2009-06-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since our last post but I wanted to make sure I documented our trip to Virginia and D.C. in April before I forget.

First of all it was so much fun to spend time with Jeff and Leza and their little cutie Addison. That made the trip! We went to the D.C. temple our first day there and that was such an awesome way to start off our trip! It is a beautiful temple.

There was a beautiful little path just behind the temple. It is so green over there it was a bit of a shock to us Arizonans.

The next day we did the D.C. tour with our tour guides Jeff and Addison. We each rode a bike around D.C. and that made it SO easy to get around. We covered so much ground that would've probably taken a couple days if we'd walked. It was awesome to see some of these monuments and historical sites that I've seen in books and movies up close. I have to say that the most moving aspect of the whole D.C. trip for me was to see the quotes of these great men of our nations past. God was the center of the U.S. at one point in time. It breaks my heart to see the leaders of the country today try to push Him out of everything we do! It was awesome to read some of the quotes written on some of these monuments. Anyways, here are a few pics from that day.

Jefferson Monument

Inside Jefferson

White House
Lincoln. This was one of the favorites. I couldn't get over how huge he is!

Outside Lincoln

After we saw D.C. we went to the Arlington Cemetery. It was such a solemn experience. It was moving to be on those sacred grounds and to watch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Our final stop was the Marine Corps War Memorial.

We had such a great time! I have a ton more pictures from this trip but I think it'd take all day for my slow computer to load them.

The Funnest Day Ever!

2009-05-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

First of all thank you for all the nice comments! Trent and I are so excited about this baby. I'm about 11 weeks right now and so the baby is due November 22nd. Thanksgiving Baby! Hopefully just not ON Thanksgiving :)

Trent and I found out that we were pregnant in March. We knew even before we became pregnant how we wanted to tell our families so when it happened we started to put the plans in action. Let me just preface this by saying that we've been working very hard to keep this a secret from our family. We had them all pretty much convinced that Trent wasn't ready for kids yet and that we were gonna wait a while longer before we started trying. So here's how we broke the news...

Trents mom and dad got one of those digital picture frames for Christmas last year. Both Trent's brothers have loaded pictures of them and their families on the frame and we were the only ones who haven't put pictures up. His parents were always asking us when we were going to put our pictures up. So on Mothers Day we came over to have breakfast and told them we finally loaded our pictures. After breakfast, we were all sitting around looking at our pictures and reminiscing about each one. Finally a sonogram picture popped up with red writing on it that said "Grandkid #6 ETA November 22nd" His mom immediately started screaming and crying and hugged us both. His dad on the other hand took a few seconds longer to figure out what the picture was. But once he did he started crying too :) It was perfect. Even though this isn't their first grandchild the are just as excited as if it was. They're gonna have their hands full this year though cause both of Trents brothers are expecitng at the end of the year too! Three grandbabies in one year!So fun!!!!

When it came to telling my family the news we knew we needed it to be special for my brother Tyler as well. As you all know he's serving a mission in Alaska and so we wanted to make this special for him too even though he can't be here. I love my brother so much and over the last few years have developed a special relationship with him. We decided that we wanted Tyler to be the first one we told and for him to be the one to share the news somehow. We emailed him right when we knew we were expecting and he was SO excited! Through email, we started plotting a way to tell my parents and we decided that his phone call on Mothers Day would be the perfect time to spill the beans. Mothers Day came and we were all on the phone with Tyler talking about all the incredible things he's experiencing and accomplishing in Alaska. (Which is a whole other post of itself! He's doing SO awesome!)When the conversation started to wind down a bit more he said "Is everyone able to hear me cause I have some exciting news" (he was on speaker phone) Once we said yes he said "Well, mom and dad...I'm gonna be an uncle!" They were in such shock when we broke the news that I thought they were gonna pass out! Their reactions were priceless. They both started crying and so did a few of my brothers. IT....WAS...AWESOME!!!!!!

It was so hard for me to keep this a secret but it was all totally worth it for the reactions from our families (who were so shocked!) and to have Tyler tell my family. It made it that much more special for all of us. We got my parents reactions on video.

We tried to record his parents but didn't push the 'record' button all the way so we missed it :( I'm so bummed!

Now that the word is out its become even more exciting! It was pretty fun though for Trent and I to have our own little secret for a while. :)

Great Picture From Tyler!

2009-05-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

My brother Tyler who's serving a mission in Alaska just sent us a great picture!

Wow! That's GREAT news Tyler!

And We're Off!

2009-04-27T20:24:00.001-07:00

As of tomorrow afternoon Trent and I are off to Virginia where we will:

1. Visit Jeff and Leza and of course our cute as can be niece Addison.(Our soul purpose of going on this trip)
2. Take a tour of D.C.
3. Visit Philly were we'll have our first "real" Philly cheesteak.
4. Catch a ball game.
5. Go to the D.C. temple
6. And of course have a BLAST!!

With a trip like that planned how can we not! We're so stinkin' excited!!!!

Easter & House Hunting

2009-04-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday and were able to feel the love of our Savior! I know I did. This has been one of the more spiritually uplifting Easter Season's I've had. I'm so thankful for our Savior and for what he has done for me personally!
This weekend has been a busy one for Trent and I. We spent most of our Saturday looking at houses with Trent's dad. The one house I wrote about in my last post is already off the market so that's kinda a bummer. We looked at about 8 houses though yesterday. The majority weren't what we were looking for but it was nice to see what's out there. But let me just say we found the house! Oh! It's perfect! Better than the last one. The price, location and floor plan are just what we are looking for. I can't stop thinking about it. I know I'm getting my hopes up though and I need to be careful to not get too excited. There's a chance we might not get it. Who knows! We still need to put an offer in which we are hoping to do this week! Hooray! It's really starting to get exciting.
Sunday was a totally relaxing kick back day. We don't have church till 11 so we were able to enjoy sleeping in. We had a very nice day at church and then went out to my parents house for Easter dinner. It was delicious!! Our really great family friends the Hunsakers came over too and we had quite the feast. It was a great weekend!

Crazy Saturday (It's a long post with no pictures. Sorry! Feel free to not read it!)

2009-03-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

So we kicked off our weekend with helping Justin and Audra (Trent's brother and his wife) move into their new home. They built the whole place themselves (well practically) and did a great job! It's so beautiful! It didn't take too long since we had already moved the bulk of their stuff last Saturday and just had the last minute things. After that Trent and I got to go with Justin, who has his real estate licence to look at houses!!! Yep, that's right Trent and I could potentially become home owners with in the year. We feel really great about this decision and feel like we can't pass up the opportunities that are out there right now. So in exchange for helping him move, Justin took us to look at a few places. The first one was nice but not really what we're looking for and the second house was in the cutest neighborhood you've ever seen but the inside...not so cute. It stunk like cigarettes and animals and the carpet was disgusting which we could replaced but the overall layout was awkward and again, not what we're looking for. I felt like I carried the stench of the house with me after I left, ew! But the third house was just right! We loved it!!! It was in an awesome area and the floor plan was just what we're looking for. We'll see what happens though. We'll probably keep looking. There's still a long road ahead of us and we're not in any huge rush to move so we're taking our time. But so excited!!

So after all the excitement of the morning I had to get back home so I could get ready to set up for our stakes' YW broadcast/YW recognition night dinner. I got to the stake center at 3 and we got right to work setting up the cultural hall and getting the food prepped. By 4:20 I left so I could take a much needed shower and get dressed so I could be back in time for the broadcast which started at 5:00. As I was leaving the parking lot to go home a little Korean woman with a small rolling suit case stopped in front of my car waving her hands in the air for me to stop. I had no choice really but to stop and see what she needed. She couldn't speak English very well but I understood that she was trying to get to a neighborhood which was one more block away and asked how to get there. When I told her how far it was she looked like she was going to cry. She timidly asked if I could take her there. Now, I'm not the type of person to ever let some stranger get in my car especially if I'm alone but I knew I needed to take her and that everything was going to be ok. I think she was expecting me to say no, and so was I to be honest, so when I said yes she cried out in relief! She got in the car and acted like it was the first time she'd ever sat down in her life. It almost looked painful for her. I got a better look at her when she got in. She had a band aid on her forehead and weird scrapes and marks all over her face. She was wearing a big jacket over a hoodie sweater and it was probably 73 degrees outside and I don't know the last time she'd showered. I knew right away that she had been through more than I could imagine. After talking to her a bit more I learned that she was trying to find a Presbyterian church where a Pasteur was going to help her get to Kingman, AZ. She was hoping to get a bus ticket that left that night so she would have a place to sleep that night. What was in Kingman I didn't know but it's a pretty far drive from Phoenix. We drove around for 20 minutes looking for this church and I began to panic. What will I do with her if I can't find it? I can't leave her on the street. I had to find this place for her! So I turned to the one person who I knew would know what to do, my wonderful husband. I called Trent and the conversation when something like this:
Me: Hey I'm in a little situation here and I need your help. Do you know of any Presbyterian church's on Alma School and Galveston?
T: Um...I know there are a ton of church's in that area but I'm not certain about a Presbyterian one. Why?
Me: Well I have a woman here who is looking for this church and I'm not sure where it is.
T: Oh well tell her I'm sorry but I don't know where it is exactly. I could try to look it up for her.
Me: Ok, could you do that? She's in my car.
T: WHAT!? You picked her up!!!!??
Me: Yes. It was the right thing to do. I'll explain later.

Clearly he wasn't too pleased I picked up a complete stranger! After we hung up we pulled into a parking lot and waited for his call. She remembered she had a phone number of the place she needed to be and so just as we were getting ready to dial it Trent quickly called us back. He found the church and it was nearby so we headed that way. When we got to the church I let her out and she repeatedly thanked me. She picked up her suit case and I watched for her to get inside ok. Once she was inside I drove off and immediately began to cry! I couldn't even begin to understand how a life like that would be. I felt concern for her that she would find where she needed to go and hoped that the people she came in touch with would help her. I felt so grateful for the life I have. I have people who love me and who would take me in no matter what if anything ever happened to me. I have a husband who I love deeply and who makes me feel safe and loved. I have always had a roof over my head and food on my table. And most importantly I have a knowledge and testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. That gives me more peace and comfort that I could even imagine possible. I have so much to be thankful for and feel a little embarrassed that it took a situation like this to open my eyes a little more!

It's About Time!

2009-03-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Man I hate it when people take forever to update their blogs!! Ok, ok so I'm guilty! Lately there hasn't been much to blog about and now that I actually have something to write about I take forever to get to it! So here goes...

My Dad's birthday was Feb. 27th. He turned 46 this year!! Holy Cow! Trent and I went out to Maricopa to have cake and ice cream with the family to celebrate. Before we could have ice cream though we went to the local park to watch him in his last soft ball game of the season. Now, I know what you might be thinking, "wasn't that how he busted his ankle a year ago?" Why yes, yes it is! I guess there was no stopping him though and he was very excited to get out there and play again. Luckily he walked away uninjured this year. What can I say he's a risk taker and that's one of the things I love about him. Seriously though I think I have the best Dad! He's so much fun and anyone who knows him can attest to that. He also has the greatest heart & I love him SO much!I just love this picture or my Dad. This was during the cabin trip just before Tyler left. I think he looks so handsome :)

We also were able to celebrate Trent's birthday which was March 1st which also fell on a Sunday this year. So we celebrated on Saturday. This year I decided to let Trent plan his special day and do what he wanted to do. We love love love road trips so on Saturday he wanted to hop in the car and drive to The Burger House which is in Miami, AZ. So that's exactly what we did. Those of you who have been there know that they have THE BEST burritos ever and those of you who haven't been there should go! We think it's totally worth the 2 hour drive! We had a lot of fun and took the longer scenic route home and stopped at our friends Clark and Kelsey's house to say hi. We had dinner at BJ's on the way home and just took it easy the rest of the day. On his actual birthday we had his famous Nachos birthday dinner at his parents house. Trent loves nachos and that is and always will be his meal of choice! He even wanted to have a nacho bar at our wedding!

On our way to The Burger House!

This one just cracks me up! My husbands vision is starting to go and he has very sensitive eyes so in order to see while he's driving during the day he has to wear his sun glasses and his vision glasses...It just makes me laugh. What an engineer :)

Before we left for The Burger House though we stopped at a local music shop so Trent could pick out one of his presents, a new ukulele. He picked up playing on his mission but the instrument he got on his mission is actually a quarto and not a 'real' ukulele and he's always wanted a real one. He also gets to fix up his mountain bike for his birthday which he is SO excited about. He got a new fork for his mountain bike. His old one wasn't working and he said would slow him down on the downhills. After he picked up his new Fox fork he went for his first ride with his new and improved bike. He came home and said "this is the best birthday present ever!" I think that means he's happy :) And that makes me happy to see him happy.

Present #1 & Present #2

The happy birthday boy after a great ride on his newly improved bike! I love him:)

I'll get around to it...

2009-03-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have updates coming soon! I still have my Dad's birthday and Trents to talk about. I need to upload the pictures to my computer so as soon as I get around to it I'll have a new post...whenever that will be :)

Summer is Just Around the Corner!

2009-02-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

I love winters in Arizona! 60 degrees is pretty much the average. AZ winters are perfect for me because #1 I love wearing cute winter clothes! I get to wear cute little sweaters and scarves but don't have to feel overwhelmed by a big bulky jacket and still feel cute. #2 If I want to go to the snow and feel bundled up it's only 3 hours away. #3 The nice weather lasts the majority of the year. To me, you can't beat that!! However, summers are not so fun and the last couple days have been hinting that it is just around the corner. Although it is still wonderful, day in the park, let's have a picnic weather (about 75-80 degrees) it is starting to get warm out. Before I know it I'll be feeling like I've been blasted with a blow dryer every time I walk outside. You pretty much need to live indoors or in a swimming pool to survive AZ summers! Alas, the brutal summers are totally worth bearing for 3 months in order to enjoy the perfect weather the rest of the year!

February=Crazy Birthday Month!/Family Pictures

2009-02-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

This is definitely a busy month in my family. We have three birthdays in Feb. David's (the 2nd) Jared's (the 9th) and my Dad's (the 27th). Since David and Jared's are only a week apart, this year we decided to have them over for a sleepover at our place, which has sorta become a really fun tradition with my brothers. Trent and I love having them over! We took them to Famous Dave's for dinner and then they wanted to "hang out" at the mall for a while. We had a lot of fun! I can't believe how old they are! David's already 16 and such a character! He is known in our family as the teaser. Anything he can do to get a rise out of us he does. He is also such a sweetheart so we always forgive him :) He is very happy his long awaited debut into the dating scene has finally arrived! Watch out ladies! Jared is such a great kid! He is all boy and is growing like you wouldn't believe! He's taller than I am now (which isn't exactly that difficult to do). I now have 3 out of my 5 younger brothers who are towering over me! He turned 13 this month and is playing basketball this year and absolutely loves it!!! It's no secret that I love my brothers! They bring so much joy into my life. I'm so privileged to be their sister! Don't worry I'll be sure to cover my dad's birthday when it comes too.

And sorry it's taken me so long to post these! We took these just before Tyler left.

The whole gang The Girls

The Boys...

Showing their true colors!

The ones who started it all! Such a cute couple!

What a LOAD OF CRAP!!!!

2009-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Are people really this ignorant and selfish!? What's worse is if you read the comments you'll see that people actually agree with this nut job!

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article5627634.ece

Just Rambling

2009-01-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

I wish I had something fun to post about but I don't really. I just thought I should post something to update my blog. I do have more happy news though, I got a part time job! Yea! I'm working at a chiropractors office running the front desk. The Dr I'm working for was in our old ward. It's a great environment and so far I'm really loving it. And the best part is, I get to wear scrubs to work everyday! I swear it's like going to work in my PJ's! It's pretty awesome. Trent is doin good at his job. He isn't doing the type of work he was hoping to do when he graduated but he's thankful for the work and so that keeps him happy. I'm always in a state of awe at how blessed we've been these past few months. We are so grateful!
Other than that our lives are pretty boring right now. We are however so stoked about LOST coming back into our lives! I have such a love/hate relationship with that stupid but brilliant show. I'm already sucked in yet again and so irritated that I don't have that show figured out yet. Oh well, Life is good :)

He's Outta Here!

2009-01-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

I actually wrote this a while go but I'm just now getting to posting it!

Well it's official..Tyler is in the M.T.C. (Mission Training Center)! My family drove him up to Provo last weekend. He reported at the M.T.C. Wednesday with just my parents (the boys stayed with my aunt Nancy in Hurrican, UT). Unfortunately Trent and I weren't able to go so we said our goodbyes to him last Friday. I had no idea how difficult that would be. You wait their whole life to see them go on a mission but never really prepare yourself to let go! Life will be so strange for the next two years without him but we are so excited and proud of the decision he made.
He seriously is such a good kid! He will be terribly missed but we know he has greater and better things to do in Alaska. He is so excited to get there and serve! We love him to pieces!!

Great News!

2009-01-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

So we've been waiting till it was official to say anything but Trent has a new job!! He started on Monday and we're pretty excited! It's been an adjustment on both our parts getting used to not seeing each other all the time. As unsettling as it was to be unemployed it was so fun being able to spend most of the day everyday together. The company Trent's with now is called Valentine Engineers and they're an environmental engineering firm, which Trent wasn't super excited about at first but he's really growing to like it. The first week has been a bit overwhelming for him since they're having him start things he's never done before but they don't expect him to figure it out all at once and are all willing to help him learn which is great. We have been so overcome with gratitude these last few months and feel extremely blessed that Trent was able to find a job so quickly and with an engineering company! We were starting to consider other avenues of employment for him since most engineering companies are downsizing now-a-days. We're grateful this came in his path. Thank you to those who offered so many prayers and well wishes our way! They were truly felt and appreciated! We'll keep you posted on how it's all going :)

The Best Cousins EVER!

2009-01-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

I could seriously argue that I have the BEST family in the world! Both my immediate and extended family are amazing! I really don't know what I did in my premortal life to deserve all of them. Growing up in Vegas I had several of my cousins that lived close by. Of course I've never had any sisters but I think I got something better than a sister of my own. Growing up I had my totally cool totally awesome cousins, Janessa, Cristen, Erin and Brittany. Brittany and I are just about the same age but my other three cousins were all older than we were by a few years. I couldn't have asked for better sisters to cart me around with and teach me more about what a righteous Daughter of God really looks like. They were, and are to this day, gorgeous women on the outside and have a beautiful spirit to match. I looked up to them all so much and can honestly say that I wouldn't be who I am today without they're examples. They loved me and cared for me as they would their own sisters. Brittany has always been a rock in the gospel. I can remember many a sleep over at her house where after staying up till all hours of the night (OK probably 10 at the latest but to us it was SO late!)having fun and when we were finally exhausted and it was time to fall asleep, no matter what, she would pull out her scriptures and read. She was such a great moral beacon and she was never afraid to stand up for what she believed in and what she knew to be true and right. I owe so much of the development of my own testimony of the gospel to her example. It wasn't uncommon to see my sweet parents living righteous lives, but to see someone my age who I admired so much live that was so influential to me. We also really knew how to have a blast! There was never a dull moment when we were together :)
Janessa, Cristen and Erin are actually all sisters so when I was with them I actually felt like I had been adopted by them. I was included in everything they did and they never made me feel like I was a nuisance or a drag to be around. They would even let me go with them on outings with their cool older friends and always introduced us as their "cute cousin Lindsay" or "this is my cool cousin". I felt so special with them. They too were examples of how to live the Gospel in their actions and words. Oh how I wanted to be them! They were, and are still, SO COOL! Brittany and I have soooo many memories of having fun outings and sleep overs with them. We would always go to the nearest blockbuster and rent a fun flick and then go to the nearest convenience store and they would tell us to get whatever we wanted! Of course we would all get a Jones soda cause no night was complete without one and our favorite snack (or two, there were no limits) at the time. They made us feel like rock stars! Another favorite thing for Britt and I to do was to "go shopping" in their closets. We'd get a phone call from one of them saying their closet was getting full and could we come help them out by taking some of their clothes off their hands. Of course we jumped at that opportunity every time because they had the coolest clothes! Again we felt so special and loved. I don't know if they really ever knew how much things like this meant to me. I still look back on those days with the fondest of memories and will never forget how special they made me feel.
We're all grown up now and living our own lives but we still have fun together and love each other. I love those years in Vegas and I love those special sisters of mine!

Cabin Trip

2009-01-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas of '07 Justin and Audra, my bro-in-law and his wife, gave us a two night stay at Audra's parent's cabin up in Show Low to redeem any time within the next year. It was such a fun gift and we finally used it this December and took my family up there with us, Justin and Audra were there too of course. We brought our Wii up there and played that most of the trip! We went shooting the second day we were up there and is was freezing but I think we all had fun in spite of the cold!!!! We even got a little snow the last day we were there!!! Us desert dwellers don't really do cold and snow too well but it was fun for a day. It was an awesome way to spend some time together before Tyler leaves in a week or so. Time flies!!!!!! He's leaving to go to Utah on the 9th and that will be the last time Trent and I will see him since we're not going to be able to go up there with my family. I get emotional just thinking about it! Anyway!!! Here are a few pictures. Sorry there's a lot and they're not really in order either.

Shooting Pics

I just LOVE this picture of Jared. What a stud!

Snow
Wii Playin'

This was actually while we were shooting. It was pretty cold so these guys tried warming up in the truck.

Don't Give Me Free Time and a Bad Idea! I Just Might Do It!

2008-12-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

So... Trent here! When Lindz and I moved into our place one of the first things that my father suggested was that I build a bridge across this gap from our pot shelves to run my old Lego train on for Christmas time.
So my dad gave me the idea and Wood/Patel was nice enough to give me plenty of free time. And I ran with it! Of course I couldn't just half ace it. I had to make it awesome. Come on I have little brother-in-laws to impress! So first the calculations.
Once I had the equation for the arch of the bridge and the dimensions of the gap I plugged it into the good ol' TI-89 and wah-la! I had my bridge. I took the coordinates from my calculator and plotted them straight to my desk.The sketch might be a little hard to see on the desk. Once I got it all drawn out, I started to build. I made it out of popcicle sticks and hot glue.

You might see to the right that I built a ramp because the pot shelves were not level. Well once I got the train on there it didn't work that great, so I had to build an elevated track for the loop on the lower shelf. Here is the final creation with the train on it. It goes all over the pot shelves. Lindsay loves it! There is an error with the bridge though. Can anyone tell me what it is?

Say "NO" to "Yes Man"

2008-12-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

Have you ever sat through a movie that you know you should've walked out of. Well, I'm ashamed to say that that was the situation Trent and I were in tonight. We decided to go see "Yes Man" for date night and no more than 10 minutes into the movie regreted our decision. Please don't see it! It is so crude and offensive. I know, what else were we expecting from a Jim Carey movie right? Well this one went way too far. I don't want to get into details but just please take my advise and don't go see it. It isn't worth the money you spend or the un-uplifting feeling you get when you leave the theater! We ended up driving around looking a Christmas lights to try to get that movie off our minds. So say "NO" to "Yes Man"!

My Brother The Eagle Scout!

2008-12-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

So Tyler earned his Eagle a year ago and we finally had his court of honor a week ago! Just in the nick of time too, he leaves for Alaska in exactly four weeks from today! Holy cow this time is flying by!!!! I can't even think of my baby brother leaving for two years without choking up. I'm so excited for him though, I'll just miss him :)
But here he is with his brothers. A good lookin bunch of boys if you ask me!

Not sure what Jared's doing with his face in this one but it's still a cute bunch!

I Am Woman Hear Me Roar!!!

2008-12-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

So I feel like I accomplished something great on Saturday. Since Trent and I started dating he's been asking me to go mountain biking with him. He loves to mountain bike! I don't know why but I just have felt uneasy about doing it. I'm not the most graceful person in the world as anyone who knows me can attest to. I knew it was pretty much a guarantee that if I went I would get hurt, I wouldn't be able to keep up with Trent (which I can't stand by the way!) or something terrible would happen which would keep me from going again. I know I'm a real optimist! But much to my, and Trent's, surprise I actually liked it! I couldn't keep up with Trent, and I almost passed out at the top of a big climb (seriously I was falling over at the top, Trent had to hold me and my bike up just before I dry heaved in the bushes. Sorry for the details) BUT I DID IT!!!! I was pretty proud of my self. If anything it showed me exactly how out of shape I am and motivated me to work harder! :)

Here we are at the top. Right after I just about hit the dirt and puked my guts out. Lovely.

Don't You Love The Smell of Fresh Cut Christmas Trees? (Scroll down for Thanksgiving post)

2008-12-01T13:07:00.001-08:00

Last year I was adopted into an Owens family tradition of cutting our own Christmas tree! I went with Trent's parents and their friends the Rollers and despite pleading from me, Trent had to stay home. He was still in school at the time and just couldn't miss any time for homework and studying. However, he'll never live down not coming with me on our very first Christmas as a married couple to cut down our first tree :) Anyway, it was such a fun experience last year and I was so excited to continue that experience again this year. This time Trent was with us. We also recruited my whole family to come join the festivities :)
The Whole Gang!

The finished product :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-12-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

Trent and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had Thanksgiving lunch with Trent's family. His brother Jeff and his wife Leza came to town from Virginia and it was so great to catch up with them and their little girl Addison who will be 1 next month! She's such a cutie pie!!
Trent with Grandad
Addison! Such a Sweetie :)

Grammie, Leza with Addison and Jeff

Cousins

What could be better than one Thanksgiving? Two Thanksgivings! After lunch we headed out to my parents house to have dinner with them and it was delicious! We topped off another wonderful Thanksgiving with some good ol' fashioned Wii playin' fun.

Yet another delicious turkey Dad!

We truly have so much to be grateful for!

I Wish I Could Come Up With Creative Titles

2008-11-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

First of all I just want to say that the funeral service for Shane Figueroa on Saturday was the most moving, inspiring, touching and life changing funerals I've ever been to. The throng of friends, family, police officers etc was absolutely impressive. You couldn't help but walk away with the knowledge that Shane's life and death has touched literally thousands. His testimony and love of the gospel was strongly felt. What an incredible person he was. We all will miss him.

A couple of weeks ago we went to a little goodbye party for our good friend and Trent's cousin Scott. We played Rock Band ate yummy food, laughed and had a great time. He reported last Wednesday to the MTC (mission training center) as a full time missionary in Portland, Oregon. We are all so proud of Scott and this decision he's made. It won't be the same without him for the next couple years but we're all 100% behind him and we'll be here ready to party again when he gets back!

Trent displaying his mad skills on the guitar!

Cherish and Kelsey

The gang. Yes this is typical. Trying to get these boys to take a serious pic is near impossible.

We'll miss our Scottie! Can't wait to hear about all the great things he'll do!

I'm gonna be honest, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I LOVE celebrating Fall and Thanksgiving and to me, Halloween is just a sign that Thanksgiving is coming. Luckily for me I married a man who feels the same way. We're both totally content to not dress up and stay home and pass out candy. This year though we went to my parents to see my brothers costumes and watch movies. It ended up being a pretty fun night.

Jared & his buddies as the 3 Musketeers

Tyler and his friend Ronnie looked awesome! If you can't tell they're Two Face and The Joker

He even went as far as to shave one side of his head!

Agent J and Agent C of the Men in Black :) So cute!

Like every Sunday we were in Maricopa again with the fam. All 9 of us decided to go on a walk. It was a beautiful day and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures

Of course any family outing would be incomplete without my parents "other child" Holly.

Families Can Be Together Forever

2008-10-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

This week has been emotionally draining for my family and myself. Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult things to go through but also to watch those you love and care about go through. Wednesday morning after my first class, my husband called me and told me about the passing of his sweet Grandma Rena. She was 77 years young and lived an incredible life and was loved dearly by all who were privileged to know her. Her life was full of ups and downs but she never complained and relied on her Savior Jesus Christ to build her up and help others. She lived a life of service and compassion and will be so missed. The last year and a half have been especially trying on her health. She developed Lou Gehrig's Disease which greatly impaired her quality of life. It was so difficult for us to watch her suffer and so when she passed it was a very bittersweet moment. We are so sad to lose her but relieved to know she is in her perfect state and reunited with her Heavenly Father and loved one's on the other side. We love and will miss you Grandma!
Another tragedy struck this weekend with the passing of Officer Shane Figueroa. The Figueroa's have been friends of mine and my family for the last four or five years. My dad is their bishop in Maricopa. Shane was hit by a drunk driver in his car while responding to a call on duty. To say this was a shock would be an understatement. He was 25 years old. He has a beautiful young wife and a 3 month old little girl. I cannot express the remorse I feel for his family and loved ones. His loss was so tragic and unexpected. I love his family so much and our thoughts and prayers go out to them. It has been a very difficult for me to come to grips with this news and I cannot even imagine the devastation his family is feeling. Life is so fragile.
I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of Eternal Families. Families can be together forever. How wonderful is that? I know this blessing brings comfort and peace to my husbands family and the Figueroa's. We can be with our loved one's for eternity. We have been taught this principle from a young age but things like this remind us of its truth and promise. This life may seem long to live without them but the eternities are even longer to be with them. Kiss your loved one's. We never know when our time with them may be interrupted.

Now What?

2008-10-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

So I took out this 3D puzzle to keep my mind occupied while looking for work and it did keep me busy. But I finished it a lot sooner than I thought and now it is back to finding something to do. Here is the masterpiece. It was pretty fun, especially when Lindz would help.

"Called to Serve"

2008-10-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

My brother Tyler opened his mission call last night. He was so excited! My mom checked the mail at around 12:00 and saw that his call came. Unfortunatly, Ty was at work and wouldn't get off till 5:00 and so he had "the longest day I've ever had at work" as he put it. Poor guy had to wait another hour after that so that our family and friends could share the moment with him. When it finally came time to open it, we had several of our family members on a conference call, family and frinends gathered around in the kitchen and we all held our breath as he opened the big white envelope. To all of our shock Elder Loomis was called to serve in the Alaska, Anchorage Mission. I'm not sure how this desert dweller will handle the cold weather but I don't think he cares at this point. He's so happy and excited to serve the Lord in Alaska. We're so proud of him!

Picking him up from work. He's ready!!
Once he got home he wouldn't let that call out of his hands!
Let's get this show on the road already!

Hooray Alaska!!!
We are all so proud of him but I don't know if anyone is as proud as our Dad. He was the only child in his family to serve a mission and so to see his first born son follow in his footsteps and set an example for the rest of his brothers is pretty awesome!
Mom's just thrilled that #1 he's staying in the U.S. and #2 that he gets to be home for the holidays :) He reports Jan. 14th She's so proud of her little boy!
Ty and "big" sis (odviously he towers over me!) I'm SO SO SO ecxited for you Ty. You are such an AWESOME brother and you are going to be an even better missionary! We will miss you so much while you're gone for two years but we know this is the best and most important thing you can be doing with your life. So proud of you!!!

Fun Weekend!!

2008-10-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is Trent again. So this last Friday I went mountain biking with a friend from my ward. Normally I am pretty good and if I ever come off my bike it isn't that bad like I loose my balance or something. Well this last trip I came off good and hard. We were on a downhill section and it was a single track trail and it was on the side of a steep hill. I started sliding off the side of the trail and fearing the fall down the mountain I locked up my brakes. Well I locked the front brakes a little too hard and I flew over the handlebars down the mountain. I landed about 10-15ft downhill from my bike and was dinged up pretty good. The impact wasn't that bad. I have been a little sore this weekend but what made it especially fun (note the sarcasm) is that as I rolled downhill I rolled through 2 cholla cacti. So this last weekend we have been digging out thorns, which isn't that bad when you do it yourself but the majority of the thorns were on my backside so Lindsay had to go to town. It hurts worse when you don't know when the pain is coming. And I don't ever want to repeat this accident but I have to admit that it was very nice with Lindsay concerned about me and taking good care of me while I was injured. She's the best!

My turn to update!

2008-09-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

I guess it has been a whole since you all heard from me. Well I guess I have a lot more time now since I was laid off this last Thursday. It came as a surprise, kinda. I did dream the night before that I was laid off. I guess God was just preparing me for the next day. So its on to job hunting! Lindsay has a job interview today for this place called Jymboree or something like it for a part time assistant manager. So hopefully good things will come from that. Be prayin with us to find employment if you would. It will be greatly appreciated.

So on to a different topic... a little while back I received the best gift ever (for the moment I received it at least)! I got all my Legos back! That's right all of them! I sold them to my moms friend before my mission to try and save some money and I regretted it ever since. Well she told me that as soon as I had my first son she would give them back to me. Well once I knew that she was going to give them back to me I figured I should try and get them now. And I did! Lindsay and I have already separated them by color and I have built a few sets. Brings me back to my childhood! Its great! We might have pictures to come later.

So other than that I have started a new hobby about a month ago. My friends got me into fishing. We would go every Friday to Saguaro Lake and fish off the shore or the dock. At first we would catch nothing or these little Bluegill...

But the last two times we went we figured what the Largemouth Bass like, and that's what we want to catch! Last week my buddy Jason caught 3 Bass in like 30 min. and I caught nothing.

Well yesterday I caught 4 Largemouth and Jason 1. I just figured God was showing a little sympathy on me for losing my job the day previous and let me enjoy catchin lots of fish. It was all good and fun!

Our Fun FIlled Weekends! WARNING: Picture Overload!!!

2008-09-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well I know it's been a while but I actually have an excuse this time for not blogging. #1 I finally started school!! YIPPEEE!!! It is so nice to have something to get accomplished everyday. Granted it has only been two weeks of it and I'll probably have a post soon enough about how 'I'm so sick of school!' But for now I'm happy. I already dropped a class though! It was my photography class and I was really excited to take it but I would have to spend at least $400 in equipment to take the class and that didn't sound too great. I wasn't too heartbroken though. It was a 35mm film class and I really just want to learn more about digital photography. So, till next semester.#2 Trent and I have been out of town for the last two weekends. For the first weekend, we decided to take a very last minute trip to Utah to visit my grandparents. Trent's mom was going to Kanab and offered to let us drive her up there in her cushy Cadillac and then we could go straight to St. George from there and she would get a ride home with a friend of hers. I was so excited to go! I have to state for the record that I have the best grandparents ever and I was so happy to see them and for Trent to get to know them better and visa versa. Trent was happy to get out of the valley for a while and see some of my family too. While we were there we got to see my cousin Brittany and her boyfriend Nissa. It was so great to see her! We grew up together and so every time we get together we have so much fun reminiscing about old times and catching up on what's new. We went hiking with them and enjoyed St. George's unique beauty. We got to go to the "Jacob Hamblin House" too. Jacob Hamblin is Trent's great great great grandfather. It was pretty cool to see that heritage. Of course the highlight was seeing my grandparents. Outside the 'Jacob Hamblin Home'
Hiking with Brittany and Nissa. His name is actually Apanisa(not sure on the spelling) and he's from Fiji which is so cool!

We saw this on the way up the hike. It was too funny!

The very next weekend we went to California to visit Trent's aunt Martha and her family. They're so much fun! We had a blast down there with them. We left on a Wed. night and then woke up on Thurs and went to 6 Flags with Trent's cousin Hayley and her friend Katie (they got to ditch school!). We rode all the big rides including the "Dare Devil". For those of you who don't know what that is it's a huge swing thing that lifts you up way high and then drops you. It is such an adrenaline rush! I screamed my head off the whole time. Friday morning we were up and at it again and went to Hurricane Harbor. After a long hot day walking all over 6 Flags it was nice to kinda take it easy and cool off at the water park. We realized from the 6 Flags day that we're not teenagers anymore and walking all over a huge theme park all day isn't as fun as it used to be. The park closed at 7 on Thursday and we were ready to leave by 5 or 6! Saturday we went to Santa Monica Pier and rode the Ferris wheel and met friends Dave and Rachel for dinner at a really crappy restaurant at the end of the Pier. It was still fun though! We stayed Sunday and went to church and were able to spend the whole day relaxing and getting ready to go home Monday. It was a great trip!

Getting ready to scream my guts out!

Cousin Hayley and her friend Katie getting ready to go. I think I freaked them out even more with all my screaming.

Almost to the first drop on Goliath
Tired, soar feet, sweaty and ready to go home already!

Santa Monica Beach! I know I look huge in this picture but I had to document that we were actually there so please ignore my chub! The Ferris wheel on the pier.
Melanie and aunt Martha.

We seriously had so much fun! Well that's my little update. Hopefully there will be more to come soon.
*Hopefully this all makes sense. I don't feel like proofreading!*

I don't even know where to begin!

2008-08-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

There's so much to catch up on...I still haven't found a job, so with all my free time you'd think I'd have plenty of time to catch up on my blogging right? Well apparently there's all the time I could ask for and I'm just being lazy about it. I was actually pretty excited about not working for a while and having time to get things done and enjoy my down time. Needless to say I'm sick of my down time and I can't wait to go to school or get hired part time somewhere. I'm so bored!! I can't seem to find a part time job which I thought would be easy to come across. I have applied and interviewed at several places but with my full time school schedule coming up in a couple weeks I can't offer as many hours as employers need. It's frustrating cause 1. extra moola would be nice and 2. until I have babies I don't have much of a desire to stay home all day. You can only clean your house so many times and run so many errands in one day. There are some upsides though. I get to be home right when Tent gets home from work, I've spent a lot more time with my mom and help my friend Kelsey while she's working for a while by watching her little baby every now and then (so fun!). It's also nice to run errands and feel like I have time to get things done. But I am getting more and more excited for school to start!

Anyway... Trent and I had a great first anniversary. Our anniversary was on a Monday so we decided to celebrate the next weekend. We did honor that day though by going to The Melting Pot that night for dinner. We had never been there and had always wanted to try it. We had no idea it was so pricey though! It was a great atmosphere and a fun experience but we both decided the food wasn't really worth the money you spend. But it was fun to try once.

The next weekend we went to Snowflake and stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast there. Trent's mom gave us a night at the bed and breakfast for Christmas last year so we could go to the Snowflake temple and our anniversary seemed like a great time to use it. The temple was beautiful and a great way to celebrate our marriage. The funnest part though had to be the road trip to and from Snowflake. We have so much fun driving together and this time was no exception. We took a little detour on our way up to stop in Holbrook, AZ to see the town Trent's dad, Dale, grew up in and to visit his grandpa Stan's grave site. We also stopped at El Rancho for lunch, a must have according to Dale and it didn't disappoint! Once we got to Snowflake it was pretty cloudy and drizzly which I loved! I love rainy weather and it made staying at the bed and breakfast even more cozy. It rained on us on the way home too. It was so fun.

The famous El Rancho.
Snowflake Temple. It was super small but of course it was gorgeous!
This place was so adorable! It was really fun to stay there.

These thunder clouds were so cool lookin'! It looks like a painting to me.

Well I'm not sure if any of you remember my "Goodbye 'Happy Pounds'" post way back in January?(I'd put a link here so you can read it but I don't know how to do that, sorry) You may be wondering how we're doing and whether or not we've actually lost any weight. Well let me just tell you...No, no we have not. Unfortunately, we weren't serious enough about losing weight back in January and so we didn't lose any of our "Happy Pounds". But don't worry because we're on our way now. I just got SO sick of not fitting into my clothes and I hated seeing myself in pictures. Trent was ready to lose weight too and so now that we're both serious it's a little easier to keep our goals. We both have a goal weight to be at by October. We signed up for a gym and are going at least 3 to 4 times a week and eating healthier. We're kindof in a little competition with each other and are trying to be the "biggest loser" between the two of us. Whoever wins gets to chose where we go on our next vacation. Wish us luck!

Here are a few more pictures of the last couple months.

Heidi's wedding...It was so great to be apart of that special day with her. Not only was I asked to be the Matron of Honor but she also asked me to be the photographer for their special day and I was so honored! Here are a couple of my favorites. She looked beautiful!

Bein' silly at the reception...As usual.

Watching baby Brooklyn. I love this girls!

Just a few weeks old and already smilin'!
Seven weeks or so. She's such a sweetie! The pictures below are a few I took while I was babysitting for Kels. She is so precious.

Yes, I'm a Push Over

2008-07-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have been working for an auto dealership for about 31/2 years. I started off there as a receptionist and then quit after about a year and a half because I was getting sick of the sleezy environment and being treated like gum on the bottom of someones shoe. I took some time to visit family and worked at a nearby elementary school after I left. I really loved working at the school but once summer came I needed a new job. I fell back on my connection with my friend Jessica who ran the front desk and told her I needed a temporary job until the school year started again. I wasn't thrilled about returning to work there but I needed a job quick and I wouldn't have to train there. Once the school year drew near I was getting more and more excited to quit. Of course, right before I was supposed to leave I was offered a promotion and a raise that I couldn't refuse and I now found myself in a new department with new people and so I was hopeful that this change would work out well. Oh how wrong I was! The position I was given was as an administrative assistant to the companies executive assistant. She worked directly with the family that owned the dealership empire and let me just say that this family is NOT easy to work with. Because I was there to help her in any way possible I worked with that family a lot myself. I quickly found out that they could care less about me, my feelings or whether or not I did a good job. When I did a bad job though they made sure you knew exactly how worthless you were. They wanted you to get everything done 5 minutes before they asked you. If you didn't get them someones number fast enough (and by fast enough I mean faster than you could dial the number) you would get a smart comment like "80% Lindsay, 80%" (Oh I hated hearing that!!) I would also expect to get yelled at (and when I say yell I mean YELL! and be told I wasn't good enough) They wanted you take care of their personal life as well. Anything from picking up their wife's dry cleaning to fixing their cell phones, you name it, they couldn't do it. Last I checked that was NOT in my job criteria. I swear it's amazing how incapable they are! I guess when you have billions of dollars you decide you're above buying your own mouthwash and that you can talk down to people. I don't know if I'm even getting across how ridiculous it was to work there but let me just say that I am a pretty patient, tolerant person and these guys made me want to throw myself over a cliff. Why would I work and put up with such a place you ask?...I'm not quite sure. I definitely didn't get paid enough to put up with their crap-ola! The only reason I can really come up with is that the other people that I worked with were good people and even though I felt like I couldn't do my job they reassured me that I was somewhat valued. Kim, my boss, was also stressed to the max and needed me badly. I know. Not good reasons to stay in a situation like that. As my husband always told me "I'm too nice" and I hate putting others in difficult situation and I didn't exactly have people salivating to get my job and I knew it was going to be difficult for them to find someone to fill my position. Thank goodness for me there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I am starting school full time in the fall and would need a part time job. There was no way around that. I knew there was no way they would allow that position to be a part time job. So, I gave my notice and was getting so excited to leave! What was I thinking though!? Or course it couldn't be that easy. For some reason, I just couldn't leave that place and was drug back in again. They said they needed me so badly that they could make it work part time. GREAT! So since I was pretty sure I couldn't get a p/t job that paid what I was making there, and because I knew what I was doing there and I wouldn't be there as much as I used to be, and after about a week to decide, I agreed to stay. (Yes, I'm an idiot). Heavenly Father must have been looking out for me though because about two weeks later...I was LAID OFF!!! Yep, you read that right they kicked me out. What they heck was all that please stay part time crap about? "Oh yea, go ahead and go and pursue your education, Oh wait please stay!, Never mind get out of here!" Wow what a whirl wind. I was kind of upset by all that but I couldn't deny how excited I was to leave. I was almost gitty when I called Trent and told him. He was pretty relieved too. Whenever I would have a bad day at work (which was pretty much everyday) I would bring that home with me and that was not fair to him. So long story short I'm not working right now (it's kinda hard to find a p/t job that will work with my school schedule) and I'm enjoying time to get things done before I start school and loving being anywhere but there! Hooray for me!

Time Flies When You're Havin' Fun!

2008-07-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

Welp, we made it! One whole year. Holy Cow! Where has the time gone!? We were told this year was going to be the hardest but I think we've realized you can't believe everything you hear. We have felt so blessed. I've decided there's nothing better than being married to your best friend! He is such an incredible man and I feel so privileged to be his wife. I can't wait for what our future brings but here's a little look at our beginning. I mean common, how could we not be lucky? We got married 7-7-07!

Such a great day! :)

Rocky Point

2008-06-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Trent's family has been going to Rocky Point since before he can remember. They used to camp at an RV park down there but since everyone has gotten older and since Joanna, my mother-in-law, decided to put her foot down, they've been renting a beach house for the last few years. I joined the tradition last year after Trent and I got engaged and totally fell in love with it! You can't quite beat being at the beach with great food, great people and perfect weather!
This was our first time going as a married couple and it was definitely a memorable trip! We decided to car pool with Trent's parents and take Trent's Yukon down there because it seemed to fit everything and everyone the best. Trent's brother Justin and his family followed us in their car. Trent checked the oil and all the other vitals of the truck before we left and so we felt pretty confident that the beast was gonna get us there with no problems. We filled the truck to the brim and packed ourselves in there too somehow. As we were getting ready to pull out of the driveway Dale, Trent's dad, kept asking Trent "did you check this" or "did you check that". After Trent finally convinced him that we checked everything we started the engine and off we went! We made it almost to the border and stopped to get gas one more time before we got into Mexico. After we filled up and used the absolutely disgusting bathrooms, seriously they are SO sick!...we started the truck and headed toward the border. We had seriously only been driving for about 2 minutes and call it bad luck or irony, the battery light comes on. Fabulous. To make matters worse it was about about 7 at night and the sun was going down. We were already too far to turn around and so we had no choice but to keep going. We turned the a/c off (luckily it was May and so it wasn't too hot), turned off the head lights, radio and pretty much anything else that would've used up any juice. The sun was going down and fast! Let me just state for the record that driving in Mexico, with no head lights and a car that's barely running is not fun. To top it all off the truck only went about 35 miles per hour and that was with Trent pushing the pedal all the way to the floor! Every time we stopped at a stop sign or light the truck would almost completely die. Luckily we had Justin's family close by in case we couldn't make it. The truck finally died once we crossed the gate into the beach house development. I was so relieved that it took us that far but we still had another 3 miles to get to the actual house. We didn't have a tow rope in the car either so Justin drove to the house to look for one. While we waited we had 3 Mexicans stop to ask if we needed help. They are so friendly down there! We finally found someone with a tow rope to take us to the house. Relief! I couldn't believe we finally made it! I'd better state in Trent's defence that he did check the battery before we left too but even though it read that it was charged it didn't read that there wasn't enough left for the long trip. We all were in such a hurry to get there that we didn't stop and really listen to the promptings the Lord was giving Dale to check everything again. Lesson learned!
Dale and Trent spent the first half of the trip trying to get everything fixed on the Truck. I felt so bad for them. Thank goodness Trent speaks Spanish! Trying to find a car battery in Mexico would've been very difficult otherwise!
After that was all taken care of we had a blast! We were able to veg out on the beach and enjoy the rest of our vacation. We stayed up playing games and watching movies and just enjoyed one anothers company. There's one restaurant there that became our favorite place last year and we were all so excited to eat there again! It's on the roof of a building in the fish market and it was so yummy last year. Unfortunately we were all disappointed this year. The food was not as good and it was WAY overpriced this time. So sad. Luckily for us we found a new hot spot this time and let me just say this place was so much better than our favorite spot last year. You got a lot of food for your money and it was really really yummy! As you can tell by the picture Trent and I had no problem finishing off the entire fiesta platter by ourselves! But it's OK cause we were on vacation! At least that's our excuse :) Trent being himself
This was at our old favorite resturant. Our poor little niece wasn't feeling very good that night. She was so sweet and just wanted Trent to hold her. She loves him!

Justin and his kids playin in the party raft.
This was before the Fiesta Platter. Don't we look so excited to eat it! They brought it out on a large pizza tin. So much food!

But of course we finished it off. No problem.

Coming Soon!!

2008-06-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

* Updates on "Rocky Point" * "Moving" * "Beautiful Baby Brooklyn" * "Heidi and Max's Wedding" and More! *

I know, I know...The anticipation must be killing you!

Itchy and Scratchy

2008-05-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

All my life I have been blessed to be pretty healthy. I have never been allergic to anything and have always felt pretty lucky to not have to worry about whether or not something was going to send me into a reaction. Well I guess Heavenly Father decided it was time for me to experience what that was like (opposition in all things right?). Back in October Trent and I went to conference and a couple days before we left I noticed that certain areas of my skin were kinda itchy but it wasn't anything that serious, just a little itch here and there. I thought it was dry skin. While we were driving out there the itching spread all over my entire body (in between my toes even)! There were never any red patches or bumps either, just itch. It became unbearable and I was scratching so hard that I was giving myself bruises and welts all over my body. It was everything Trent could do to try to keep me comfortable and my poor guy felt so helpless because nothing soothed the pain. As soon as we got back we went to a Dr. who told me that I had come in contact with something that flared an allergic reaction and that I had hives. Fabulous. This lasted for about 4-5weeks. I was so miserable. I had no idea what could have caused it because I hadn't come in contact with anything new! I have always had pretty sensitive skin so all my soaps and lotions are mild and I am consistent with the brand that I use. Unfortunately, hives just go away on their own and though there are a few things you can do to sooth the itch (sort of) you just have to let it run it's course and hope you don't get in again. It may seem silly but I think that might be the most uncomfortable that I have ever been! I still don't know what caused it, the first time at least! Monday afternoon I was plagued with that same unbearable itch. NNNOOOOO!!!! I knew instantly what it was but still saw a Dr. this morning who confirmed that it was the dreaded hives. Yes I have it again. I am pretty positive I know what it's from this time. Trent's Grammie left me the rest of her Gain laundry detergent to finish off. The Dr. said that is the most common detergent to cause allergic reactions. Yeah, Gain hates me. I had no idea it would do this to me and since detergent is expensive and we didn't have any from the move I washed our sheets, bath towels and clothes in the wonderful stuff. Needless to say it's never going to be used in our house again and now I know to just be careful and not stray away from what I already know works for me. I'm rewashing everything in our old brand and praying this goes away soon. Wish me luck! At least I have an idea of what I'm in for this time around. If any of you have had this before and know about a miracle remedy please let me know! So far I've tried Benadryl, a prescription antihistamine, baths in that oatmeal stuff, baths in baking soda, avoiding warm water, creams, lotions.... Anything is worth a shot trying. I am grateful that I know what the source is this time. It's not the worst reaction to have, just a really really annoying and uncomfortable one. Sorry if I've made you all itchy now!

Movin' On Up!!

2008-05-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

May has been such a busy but way exciting month for Trent and me! Trent's graduation was on the 9th, we went to Puerto Penasco, Mexico (aka Rocky Point) with his family last weekend (a super fun yearly tradition in the Owens family, I'll post about that later) AND we're moving this weekend!! That's right; Trent and I are growing up (sort of) and moving out of his parent’s guest house! His sweet Grammie is getting too old to live completely on her own and so to best accommodate her it was decided that we would swap houses with her. We are really excited about the decision! It's a bitter sweet situation though. On one hand, Trent and I are getting into a bigger place, Yippee! We've been living in a 400sq. foot one room radius for so long that moving into Grammies little town home is gonna feel like moving into a mansion! On the other hand it's hard for us to watch Grammie get older and have to depend on others more and more. She's such a sweet heart and we love her to death! This move will be great for her though and I think she’s pretty excited about being closer to family and managing a smaller place. It will be comforting for everyone to know that she is close to Dale and Joanna in case anything should happen to her. We will probably see her a lot more now too which we love because she's a hoot!! If you want a good laugh, hang out with her for a little while and you'll get it!
It's amazing how much you can accumulate in almost a year’s time. Looking at everything that we've boxed up, I don't know how we fit it all in our house in the first place! I really don't know if I could put it all away again and make it fit. It feels like we're busting out the seams in that place. I can't wait to utilize the little things like an oven, cook top, washer and dryer, two bathrooms! Aahhh, Heaven! I also get to decorate more than one room! Living in the studio room has given me a lot of time to get excited about decorating the town house and make it feel like home.
We have been so blessed in our marriage and we just can't get over it sometimes. Trent’s parents have been so wonderful to let us occupy their backyard for so long while we try to save for a house and now Grammie is letting us take over her home so we can save some more. We'll be adding a lot of financial responsibility with this move, more than we’re used to anyway, but it still is nothing like a house would be! It has been so nice for me to live so close to my in-laws too and to develop a relationship with them that maybe I otherwise wouldn't have right now. We’re really gonna miss being close to them sometimes. They are awesome and I love them so much! Trent and I have had fun in our little guest house but now we're ready for a new adventure! We'll never forget our humble beginnings and super fun memories and good times in the guest house!I didn't have a really good picture of the house itself but here's one of us in his parents backyard. The house is in the back of a garage, that you can't see, behind Trent. That walkway behind the pool takes you right to the door. They have an awesome pool back there too that we're gonna miss being so close to. I know we're spoiled!

He Did It!

2008-05-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

He did it! Trent finally graduated Summa Cumme Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering on May 9th. I couldn't be prouder of my guy! He has worked super hard his whole college career and now he's finally able to reap the benefits. He has a job with the civil firm that He's been interning with, Wood Patel, and we are both really happy about that. He seems to really like it there and since he's been there as an intern for the last 10 months he already has a grip on how things are run there.

My family, Trent's parents, his brother Justin, and his cousin Scottie and Scottie's mom Sharon were able to come as well. Everyone is so proud of him. After graduation everyone came back to his parents house for for a BBQ. It was a great Day!

She's Havin' a Baby!

2008-05-05T16:40:00.001-07:00

My good friend Kelsey is due in about 15 days with her first baby. (Did I freak anyone out with my title... No,I'm not pregnant!) I was able to co-throw a baby shower for her and little Brooklyn (her baby girl on the way) with her mother-in-law, Julie. It was so much fun to be apart of! I love that girl and am so excited for her and her hubby! Trent and her husband Clark, are best friends from H.S. and so Kels and I count ourselves lucky to have become such good friends ourselves! She's so much fun and she is going to be the best little momma! I love her to death!! Here are a few pictures from the big day.
Playing the Toilet Paper Game

She Hit The Motherload!!
Kels and Baby Brooklyn...See what I mean?! She's a Good Time!
Me and Kelsey

This is for you Kels...2 Posts!!

2008-04-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Trent had some work to do and my friend Kelsey's hubby was busy too so us gals got together and had so much fun. Friday night we saw Baby Mamma and I thought it was Hilarious! Then on Saturday we went yard sale hoppin’ for a while where I got a really cool vase for two bucks and Kels got a couple of lamps that she's gonna revamp. Good finds, but we wore out early and so we went to Mesa where they were having this AWESOME Boutique Spring Sale. A bunch of venders displayed all their cute stuff on the sidewalk and we were in heaven seeing all the stuff people make. It didn't take us long to realize that we could make that stuff too. So we hit up Joann’s and a Scrapbook store and went to work. This is what we came up with. I had to borrow Kelsey’s picture cause we were at her house and I still haven't figured out which picture to put in mine. Is the saying I have on my project dumb? I saw it in a magazine and thought it was cute. Does it make sense? Trent said he doesn't get it and it took my mom a while too. Be honest, cause if it's dumb I need to change it! :)
Kelseys...Very Cute
Mine

The Saying...Love Is Friendship On Fire

MY Nieces and Nephew!

2008-04-30T21:21:00.001-07:00

I love being the oldest! I have such a fun family and I love watching all my brothers grow up. The place I hold in my family as oldest is one that I wouldn't trade for anything. One thing that I hadn’t really experienced though was the fun of nieces and nephews. Until now!:) I know that someday, when my brothers grow up and marry cute fun wives (I hope) I will have a chance to enjoy and spoil their children. Fortunately, I don't have to wait anymore to enjoy having nieces and nephews. Trent came as a package deal with his wonderful family and included was two more brothers (I can never have enough of those), two sister-in-laws (FUN!!) AND one adorable nephew, Brighton, and two sweetheart nieces, Adaira and Addison. I love love love being an aunt! They are such cute kids though so I don't know who wouldn't love having this job. Here are a few pictures that I took of the Owens kids this past weekend when Trent’s brother and sister-in-law Jeff and Leza came to visit with little Addison. This was the first time Trent and I met her and so it was so much fun to hold and kiss that chunky monkey while she was here. Enjoy! Addison Marleigh
She Loves Her Uncle Trent

Justin and Audra asked me to take a few pictures of their family. They all look so great!
Brighton and Adaira...They Love Each Other
Handsome Boy
All Together!
Owens Family

Slacker!

2008-04-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

I will be the first to admit that I have a tendency to procrastinate. That is one of the things I dislike most about myself. I wasn't always this way. While I was in elementary school and middle school I was always on top of things and homework was my number one priority when I got home. My freshman year was that way too. But gradually I started procrastinating homework and studying but somehow still pulled off being an A and B student. How could I really learn my lesson about procrastinating while I was being rewarded? I never really did learn that oh so important lesson. Now I’m in school again as a college student and the only thing that procrastinating rewards me with now is panic and a cold sweat. Trent on the other hand is quite the opposite! He's a go getter all the way! He hates putting things off and likes to get them done and out of the way. I used to be like that! I used to love that about myself in fact. I would get everything I didn't like to do out of the way and then enjoy my free time. I still hate having things linger over my head waiting to get done. So why don't I just get them out of the way first!? I want to get back to having that mentality. I’m starting school up again in the fall (I was supposed to start in the spring if that helps my statement any) and I want to enjoy my college experience as much as possible and I think overcoming this downfall will really help. I don't put off everything, just certain things. But I am really going to try to be better and take control of my life. It's such a bad habbit. I really need to work on that. Maybe I'll try tomorrow...or the next day.