Stinking Awesome Stowells

BedTime

2011-12-27T21:20:00.002-07:00

We read scriptures and were praying and Davin got a case of the hiccups tonight. After Bryan closed the prayer, he leaned over and tickled Davin really quick when he hiccuped. Instead of a hiccup, a large belch came out. We laughed and Bryan tickled Davin again. This time, Davin let a little toot out. We were all laughing pretty hard by now. I guess Davin gives off gas in some form or another when he is being tickled while having the hiccups.

4 Years

2011-10-07T20:19:00.003-07:00

Miss you Timmy. Love you.

Bounce U

2011-10-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Bounce U as a family. Davin loves the place but Brielle had never been. She was in heaven. At times, I think she enjoyed it more than Davin.

Brielle walking in the bounce house

Oh-it was Cosmic bounce-so the kids had glow sticks and most of the lights were off. There were strobe lights everywhere. At first, I was nervous, but you could totally see and it made it a lot of fun.

Brielle with her Daddy.

Riding down the slide.

I have opposites for children. Davin is very careful and as my friend described him the other day, timid. Perfect word Alecia. If he's comfortable, he'll be crazy but if he is unsure about something or his footing, he takes his time. Brielle on the other hand, is crazy. She just goes for it-whatever it is- like a 20 foot slide at Bounce U. Traditionally you would think it would be the opposite due to gender but Bryan and I like to create offspring that don't exactly go with the norm I guess.

Family Night Out

2011-09-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

A little while after Brielle turned one, we realized we had never gone out and celebrated for her. We asked Davin what he thought we should do and of course, he said, Chuck E Cheese Pizza.

Our kids love Chuck E Cheese. Brielle finally understood what was going on around her and went crazy. She ran everywhere and tried everything out. I loved her excitement but it did stink not being able to hang out with Bryan and Davin at all since I was chasing her the whole time.

Davin gets so serious and competitive. Oh wait, Bryan does too and he's the adult in the situation. Hmmm...

Brace yourself, this is Brielle's newest lineup of facial expressions. Not so pretty but pretty hilarious.

And no, she does not have any teeth yet and yes, she is a year old.

Bird Watching

2011-09-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Davin made a bird feeder and binoculars in Preschool-both for the letter B. He was soooo excited to hang the bird feeder and watch for birds.

I wish our birds would have responded better to the feeder. They were only a little interested. Maybe next time I won't use Reduced Fat Peanut Butter. I guess birds like the greasy stuff...

Diamondbacks Game

2011-09-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

Bryan's brother, Mike, got the family some awesome tickets for the Diamondbacks Game. It was a lot of fun amidst Brielle's antsy behavior. It was fun to be with everyone and baseball. Davin loved watching and Brielle loved being passed around and adored.

Although I do have to admit that Brielle and I spent more time in the hallways than in the stands, I will forever be grateful that we were on the suites floor of the ballpark. The hallways are carpeted and air conditioned and have big plasma tvs all around to watch the game. So, in a weird way, it was like being at a non-baby proofed home but at the ball park-which was a lot easier to try and manage Brielle than in the stands.

Davin and Brielle sure do LOVE each other. Its so fun to watch.

Umpa and Mike with Brielle-I tell you she got passed to everyone!

Constitution Fair 2011

2011-09-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

I was able to help with the Gilbert Constitution Fair this year. Bryan's aunt Barb is in charge of the entire thing. I was asked to run a stage and MC for it. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful fair. This is a picture of my Dad's group, LIGHT, performing. David Archuleta performed last on a huge stage and there were incredible fireworks to close the night. It was a great night that celebrated our Nation's Freedom.

Brielle's Birthday-Filichia Side

2011-09-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday party for Brielle at our house with my side of the family. It was fun to have everyone over for cupcakes and ice cream.

Brielle was a little shocked at first when everyone started singing to her. She wasn't sure if she liked all of the attention. By the end, she was loving it though.

BIG SMILES and GIGGLES

Davin and Uncle Matt playing STAR WARS Guess Who? with cousin Ward. Matt and Ward were like super serious playing this-it was like they were testing their STAR WARS knowledge trying to ask tricky questions and such-pretty funny.

Brielle loved her first cupcake. Tasty.

Caslynn didn't want to take a picture but I thought I would still put this on. I can tell these 2 girls are going to be buddies someday soon already.

September 9th, 2011

2011-09-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

Brielle's first day exploring the park.

It felt pretty good outside one evening so we tried out the park. The kids were in heaven.

Brielle had learned to walk since we had been to the park in the spring. She loved the freedom.

Slide for the first time. She was a little hesitant at first but kept climbing up to go again.

Davin had to take her, of course.

Again and again...

cheesy face

Brielle was playing in the sand so Davin got down and played in it too. When he was her age, he couldn't stand the sand. He freaked out when it would get on him. Oh how things have changed.

Brielle thought the foam stuff felt cool. She kept dancing on it.

Funny picture-but depicts her constant huge smile while playing.

She loved riding this thing with her Daddy. Bryan is such an incredible father. I am so grateful for him.

He raced Davin around. He would jog along side Davin riding his scooter. Of course, Davin won 2 of the 3 races. Bryan had to get a win in for 2 reasons, his ego/competitive nature and to teach Davin he can't always win. I'm still trying to figure out which reason is the more important in Bryan's mind.

Helping Daddy Stretch Out

2011-09-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Bryan always takes the time to stretch before he goes and does anything athletically. He realizes the importance after so many strained ligaments and surgery on his knee. The kids always pile on top of him to help.

Davin tackles Bryan which then makes Brielle tackle Davin. It then completely flips around. Bryan tickles Davin and Davin pesters Brielle. My little girl at least is tough and thinks its fun. Hopefully she can keep up with her brother and not get hurt anytime soon cuz half the time they're wrestling, she has initiated it.

Bedtime Giggles

2011-09-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

We were tucking Davin into bed the other night and he started laughing so hard. We asked him what was so funny. He told us he was thinking about when he Bryan, Umpa and Uncle Mike went bowling and Umpa fell down. I had not heard about this at all and it had been a couple of days. I asked what happened. He told me that Umpa went to throw the ball but fell on his belly instead. Retelling it does not give in justice because the funniest part was how hard Davin was laughing and giggling. He could barely get enough air to tell me.

He always seems to come up with something like that right before bed. It is like his mission to keep himself awake. He loves to play "The Chipmunk Game". It is a game he has created and named that. He burrows under our comforter and sheets and makes little noises until we tickle him. Bryan and I just love it (not the sarcasm) but Davin thinks its fun so we humor him a couple of times.

Davin Story

2011-09-04T20:42:00.002-07:00

Tonight we were at Bryan's parents house and Davin and Bryan were playing a game. My Dad is finishing a floor side job tomorrow and Matt can't go. Bryan said he would go and my Dad said he would pay him (so you know-my Dad is only doing this to pay off debts from LIGHT from last year. Some kids bounced checks and now my Dad gets to pay off the $11,000). Bryan said "Sucks for your Dad" and then Davin said "Sucks for my Dad, too" He then paused and looked back at Bryan and said, "sucks for all of our Dads".

I don't like that he used the word sucks but it was hilarious.

Golfland September 3rd, 2011

2011-09-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Davin has been working on some different tasks and filling in reward charts. He filled one in and chose to go golfing as his reward.

We had sooooo much fun. It was still pretty warm so we went at dusk. No one was at Golfland so it made it super nice with Davin running onto every green possible.

Davin taking a picture of his hole in one. He ended up getting 4 holes in one. Seriously and I am not lying and it was without help. Boggles my mind.

Bryan working with Davin. I love how patient he is. (Note-Davin chose his outfit cuz he wants to be a drummer like Uncle Steve. Yes, they are his pajamas. Whatever though-his reward)

Brielle was sooooo good the whole time. She carries the putter, she cheered and clapped and she even got to walk around some. She is adorable.

All of us. Thank you random lady taking the picture for getting at least Brielle to smile.

I love their playground at Golfland. Yes, it is old and ghetto like all of Golfland but it is huge and FREE! Brielle waited at the bottom of the slide for Davin to come down and scare her. So cute!

Friday, September 2nd: Davin's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

(Davin's typical pose-Don't know where the head tilt thing comes from-drives us crazy)

Here with go with year #2 of preschool. Davin was so excited to go back and see Miss Rachel (really Sister Colby) again this year for pre-kindergarten. I was really excited when Rachel commented on Davin's improvement over the summer. As much as I would like to take credit, it has pretty much been Bryan. He has been so good about working with Davin on letters and sounds, numbers and their value. Davin had shapes, puzzles and colors down a long time ago.

(Again, don't know when he learned to stick out his tongue cuz this is the first time I have seen him do it) He was so excited to go but asked if Brielle and I would miss him while he was away cuz he would miss us. Adorable.

It is weird with him not here. Usually I run errands but I was home the other day and Brielle napped. It was nice to have some quiet time but I didn't know what to do. I had so much I wanted to do that I didn't know where to start. In the end, I basically got nothing done. By the time I pulled out a project (after cleaning, dishes, etc), it was time to get Davin. Oh well, it was nice to have uninterrupted cleaning time.

Davin's First Naughty Word

2011-09-01T20:45:00.003-07:00

Davin and Bryan were playing a video game the other night (Space Camp-oooh its Bryan's favorite. You dig moon rocks and repair moon robots-hahaha! Davin loves it though). Well, something happened that didn't go their way and Davin blurts out "What the f%$#!" Yeah-Bryan and I both gasped. I hate that word and it sounded horrible coming from my son. We both turned and looked at him and asked him where he heard it. Neither of us have ever said it and we don't watch any tv with language of that nature in it. We both knew he did not learn it at home and even more confident that Davin did not realize the severity of the word he just used.
Davin was so embarrassed when he realized it was a bad word. He cried and cried. He didn't tell us where he heard it, he said he made it up. Uh-huh. Nevertheless, I wish I knew where he heard it but at the same time, maybe Satan just has a way of teaching our children things. Maybe Davin did really just make it up in his mind and it happened to be a bad word. He had been saying just "what the..." that he learned from a friend so it makes me worry but I can't blame without knowing. Nevertheless, we had a really good teaching opportunity. It was so hard to watch my son feel so bad over something he did so innocently. We talked to him about repentance though. It is amazing how much a 4-yr old grasps.
The next day, I was trying to probe in conversation to learn where he may have learned this foul language without asking outwardly, trying not to make him feel bad. (We had told him if he repented, he would be forgiven and it was like it never happened so I didn't want to bring it up again cuz he did his version of repentance.) Well, I didn't get any info that way but I did learn that while he was at his friend's the other day, another friend came over and he was not nice. The 2 boys then ganged up and were saying unkind things and telling Davin that they didn't want to play with him. Davin was actually tearing up when he told me. I could tell how bad it had hurt his feelings. I was so heartbroken to watch my little boy start to go through the struggles that I know he will face the rest of his life. It starts so early.
I never knew what my mom meant when she talked about when her kids hearts were hurting, her's was hurting more. I understand now. I have been there and I know that this is only the beginning. I hope that this will not shape my child but that he will be able to overcome these moments and learn and grow from them instead of letting them conquer him.
I talked to Davin about how he was feeling. I asked him if he ever would want to make anyone else feel this way. He told me "No". We talked about that we should never act the way these boys were. That we should be kind and play with everyone. I asked him why we should do this and he responded "Because Heavenly Father and Jesus would want me to". I was so proud. We went on to talk about that Jesus was kind to everyone and that we should try and be like him. My son then said something that I have never thought about. He said, "Mom, Jesus loved everyone but still people hated him and killed him." I sat for a second and said a quick pray. Words then came out of my mouth "Davin, who do we remember though for their love and who do we want to be like hundreds of years later? Who do we worship and whose name do we remember? Who is happy now and who is sad because of their choices in their lives? Jesus or the evil men that hated and killed him?" Davin responded with "Jesus". I told him that doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing but it will always bring us the most happiness.
Surprisingly enough, my little barely 4 yr old Davin seemed to understand this. I am grateful for the assistance I had from above in answering my son's statement and I am grateful for a sensitive son who seemed to really understand the concept of being nice to everyone. I am so grateful for my Davin and Brielle (& hopefully more) and hope I can be the best mom I can be and teach them the way the Lord would have me teach them.

A Great Weekend

2011-08-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

Regrettably, I did not take one picture this weekend. It was so much fun and it was memorable though so I wanted to journal it.

Bryan and I decided that we needed to get away, just the two of us for a night. We found a deal for Gold Canyon Golf Resort (where we stayed our wedding night) and bought it. We love this resort in Gold Canyon. Easy drive, far enough away that its out of the city and pretty, jacuzzi's in the room, very nice, your own casita set in the side of a mountain. Very personal. I was so nervous. We had never left Davin overnight and I didn't know how Brielle was going to do. She is so clingy to me.

Friday at 2, I put Brielle down for a nap and my mother in law came over. We took off. We went to Paradise Bakery and to Ross to get Bryan a couple of Nike shirts. We checked in at 4 and had so much fun relaxing, jacuzzi-ing, eating at the nice restaurants, walking around the beautiful resort, etc etc. Our kids did great! We checked in on them every couple of hours to make sure that my mother in law and then my mom weren't in absolute hell. Actually every time we called, we asked to talk to Davin and he said, "no-I'll see them tomorrow". Nice.

It was nice to not have a kid wake me up, nice to have the whole King bed to just us, nice to sleep in. Nice to not cook meals for anyone else and only have to get ready ourselves. But at 10 am, we were ready to go see our kids. When we got home, we walked in to an audible reaction from Brielle. It wasn't a word or anything but a very excited little laugh. Davin was "hiding". We went and found him an he was giggling sooo hard. It was so fun to be back to our little kiddos.

Bryan left shortly after we got home for a soccer game. I got the kids to do some quiet time. When Bryan got home, he showered and he and Davin took off to go bowling with Umpa and Uncle Mike. They had a lot of fun (story to follow). Brielle and I went to get fairy princess pictures done. Brielle's pictures were adorable but so expensive so I got the 5 x 7 that the sitting fee included and I think offended the photographer. Oh well, I'm not dropping $80+ on fairy pictures. It will be cool to have one though.

When we met up at home, we changed into swimsuits, loaded up and headed off to Will Knowlton's 3rd Birthday Party. It was a lot of fun with good friends. The weather was actually a little overcast so it was a bit chilly. We went to the Garrett's home to check on it since they've been gone and ran into, the Garretts! It was a pleasant surprise. We talked for a bit and the kids played. Davin was sooo excited to see Brigham and Taft. After chatting, we went and picked up a pizza on the way home and had a "picnic" in our family room. Bathing time, scriptures, prayers and bed. Our kids were exhausted but it was an awesome day.

The next day, I was able to accompany a girl in sacrament meeting. I was then able to teach my Sunday School class and another class as well. I had almost 30 teenagers! I am glad that we get to use the Seminary rooms. It went well, and then I was able to work on a musical number that the combined YM/YW are going to do in sacrament meeting at the end of the month. Bryan had lot of Bishopric meetings but we were able to head to family dinner afterwards followed by a LIGHT fireside that I sung a duet with my father at.

CRAZY WEEKEND! but so fun, I am so grateful for all the opportunities that I have been given to be with the people I love and to serve them.

Pirate Davin Stowell

2011-08-26T08:05:00.001-07:00

Davin was invited to a friend's birthday party last week. It was a lot of fun and oh so cute all of the activities, game and treats his friend's mom put together. She even took pictures of them as pirates. She emailed me Davin's pic and I couldn't help but post it. It's pretty perfect.

Bryan's Soccer League

2011-08-10T14:34:00.003-07:00

Bryan's brother, Mike, has an indoor soccer team that plays in the nearby league. Bryan has been playing on the team the past couple of months. I knew Bryan played club soccer with a torn MCL all growing up but I never realized how good he is at soccer. I should have figured since he is super athletic but whatever. It is so much fun to go to his games. Davin loves it, Brielle watches and even though the field house is muggy and hot, we do look forward to watching Daddy dominate every week.

Pretty Girl

2011-08-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

I promise she doesn't wear a tutu every day...

Arizona Grand Resort

2011-08-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

Double Stack!

Bryan's parents get a hotel room at a fun hotel in the valley every summer for a couple of days. We always look forward to going and visiting and playing at the water park.

Brielle had loved the water! She had taken a big nap, played some more and had a bath at this point.

Davin played for hours out in the sun. He had the time of his life. He was especially excited when his Daddy showed up after he left work early :)

Bryan was spinning Davin in circles, pretty funny.

Bryan, Davin and Aunt Natalie-don't they all look alike?

Good Morning Brielle

2011-08-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

That is some crazy hair there woman...

Brielle 10 1/2 months

2011-08-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take pictures more often. Like every month or 3 months. Well, I am getting better at least. I only took these 2 weeks after I intended to...
I tried a new setting on my camera that I read up on. Obviously, it came out overexposed in this picture but I still love it so I thought I would share.

Brielle is Walking!

2011-07-31T09:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday, chilling at Grandma's-eating puffs
Playing with Aunt Natalie-giggling and laughingAfter her bath, she finally decided to show the family what she'd been doing all week at home:walking.
Davin and I were playing one of his new games at the table earlier in the week (like the 25th) and we look over and she was walking across the kitchen. She didn't really stop after that. She decided to walk one day and that was that. She didn't even do a first step. She opted for the first steps instead. Crazy girl. She was 10 months and 1 week old. Too early.

Davin's Family Birthday Party

2011-07-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

(Colby's and Davin playing)
Like I said earlier, we were able to have the water bounce house and slide all day on his birthday. In the late afternoon, we had cousins and some good family friends come over.
(Uncle Brock and Aunt Taryn-BFAM)
We bbq'd and had root beer floats and cupcakes for dessert. As Davin would say, "Tasty".

Davin and Brielle had both crashed after the morning party so thankfully, they were full of energy and ready to play again.
Brielle loving the attention. She just crawled around from person to person and tried to get as much ice cream and cupcake possible.
Aunt Amy-(BFAM)-Kent had school but she still came! Always so fun and thanks for letting me use your canopy.
Blowing out candles-We had Umpa blow out candles since the 19th is also his birthday and had Aunt Heather blow out candles too since the 23rd is her birthday! Happy Birthday to them!
Rachel and Blake. Sat on the couch and enjoyed it all. She and Heather talked a lot-about schools mostly. Ironically, her boys got into Heather's elementary school and Gavin and Camryn now sit next to each other in their kindergarten class.

Bryan and Mike showing off the whiteness and being good sports and playing with the kids in the water. Besides the bounce house, I had set up a coloring station, a sponge throw for points, water guns, bubbles and the kids had nets to try and catch them, etc. My backyard was a huge party.

Aunt Alyssa and Aunt Laurie relaxing. (BFAM) Thank you to everyone that came and all of the wonderful presents! I should not have bought Davin anything! He was so spoiled by everyone. I will post his birthday list soon. The kid has so many new toys. I didn't realize when you invite a million people to a birthday party that they all bring a present. Now I know!

Davin's Friend Birthday Party

2011-07-19T21:23:00.001-07:00

I am crazy as everyone knows and love to throw a big party. When Davin's 4th birthday was coming up, I was trying to think of something different than usual. It is so hard when kids have a summer birthday. It pretty much has to involve water. The other dilemma I had was that we have a huge primary and I wanted to be able to invite all of his friends and not have to draw a line. Davin had really liked the carnival I threw for Bryan's birthday/CPA Graduation Party so I started looking into something of that nature. Well, I called around and got a water bounce house for half price and all day. It worked out well since we wanted to have a friend party and a family party that evening.
The bounce house/water slide was huge and took up more than half of my yard. The kids had so much fun even though it was disgusting hose water.My yard was absolutely soaked by the end of the day.
Davin opening his first present's card! So exciting!

Davin opening his Thor sword from the Mecham twins. Heather said this was her boys favorite toy. I now know why. Davin (and every other kid) LOVES this sword. It is soft though so I like it too.
Davin trying to wait patiently but just being extremely disappointed that I am not letting him rip everything open.

Gotta love the face...of both Davin and Brigham

There were 26 kids, 12 moms and 8 babies at my home that morning. It was crazy but it was awesome. I am so grateful for such incredible friends in this ward and for their kids being such great friends to Davin. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVIN!

Davin's 4th Birthday-Stowell side

2011-07-19T07:57:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that our little Davin turned 4 this year? Holy Cow-time flies!
What an awesome cake! It says "Happy Birthday Davin and Umpa"
Davin sporting his new Volcom hat that Uncle Matt spoiled him withI love that Davin and his grandfather share a birthday. It will be so neat as the years pass to always share that together and that Davin will always have that special connection with his grandfather.
Uncle Mikey had us get the Mickey Luke Skywalker and Minnie Leia Skywalker while we were at Disneyland the end of May. He loves these little figurines. Its like his 2 favorite things combined: Disney and Star Wars.
Davin loves to go over to Bryan's parents and read the Polar Express and listen to the CD with his Aunt Adrienne (somehow nicknamed Honey). She is in Alaska but she made sure Davin got his very own copy on his birthday.
Brielle just likes to be with everyone. Love this age-she wasn't jealous at all...
Umpa opening his STAR WARS pajamas that Davin picked out. We also got him a remote control car. Its like shopping for a kid-so fun.
Davin loves Guess Who? the game. Well, we added STAR WARS Guess Who? to his game collection. He asks questions like "Are you a bad guy?", "Do you have a blue lightsaber?" "Are you human?" (opposed to like a creature aka Yoda, Chewbacca) Its pretty entertaining.
I've been wanting to get a kitchen for Davin. He loves playing with his cousins. I finally got a really good deal on a wood one at Target (thank you Heather) and stored it. I found deals on the Melissa and Doug wood food and would buy it as the months passed. I know it kind of seems girly but let me tell you-it is every kid that comes over favorite thing to play. Brielle LOVES it too. They play together really well and pretend like they are cooking. Heather gave me her old white kid table with chairs cuz she got a bigger one. It is in awesome condition. The kids love it and I am so glad I watched for deals and took my time and got the good wood kitchen and food. There is a huge difference in quality compared to the cheesy plastic stuff. Umpa and Uma got Davin the IMAGINEXT Dragon Castle. He loves it. It does a lot of really neat things and his friends love playing with it. The accessories (dragons, chariot, boat) that went with it went on clearance at Target and I was able to get those (thanks again Heather). We have been using them as prizes when he fills his reward chart. I really like the IMAGINEXT line-pretty much indestructible-they come with a cool animated DVD of the playsets and characters-and Brielle can't choke on it. BONUS!
Here Bryan and Davin are reading cards on Great-Grandpa's walker. (We should have gotten Davin one of those-he loves it) He was soooo excited to get money so he could be "games" aka video games. Thanks Stowell Family!

4th of July, 2011

2011-07-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

We decided a while ago that we needed to get away to Granny's more often like we used to. Before Davin's breathing issues. Since his lungs are doing sooo much better, he does not aspirate anymore, and the warm weather, we decided to head on up for the 4th of July Weekend. before we headed up to Pine though onSaturday, we were able to attend Ward and Amber's sealing at the Mesa Temple and a beautiful luncheon at the Landmark afterwards. Sadly, I did not take any pictures. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and spend time together with family we do not see very often, though. Then, we hit the road. This is what Davin did on Ellsworth road with all the hills. He thought it was so much fun and called it a rollercoaster.

We got to Pine a little before dinner and had a beautiful walk and very nice dinner. We attended church the next day. It is so fun to see so many friends from home that are up there at their cabins (Garretts, Cummards, Lebarons, Whitings, LeSueuers, Dorneys, Lloyds, etc). Church was overflowing.
(I love how Davin and Brielle look at eachother)
After Church, we had some good grub and did some nice relaxing, OUTSIDE. Brielle was starting to be able to play outside when it was warming up so it was fun to enjoy the outdoors with her.
Bryan took Davin "exploring". It was so fun to be able to see out son enjoy the outdoors with no boundaries the way we did when we were kids. They made up a game called the "rock game". Basically, they would walk along the big river rocks and pretend to slip down and then pretend like they were hurt. I think the game was created in an attempt to get Davin to not cry when he actually slipped. Well, it worked and Davin thought it was hilarious. It scared me frankly. I could just imagine them pretending to slip and actually slipping and hurting themselves unintentionally. I shouldn't have worried though, Bryan would get hurt on the 4th inevitably.

This was Brielle's favorite place at Granny's house. They always find one of the most dangerous places with wires and such and just hang out there all day.
Monday, we decided to forego the Payson carnival. The fires had forced everyone from up North to go to Payson and it was CRAZY. Anyways, my family was still in town and they were all having a last minute bbq/swim at my parent's house. We headed to the valley and jumped in the pool. We were having so much fun, the kids were laughing, good conversation, tasty food, and water basketball started. Everytime the guys play this, we joke that someone is going to get hurt. Well, someone did finally and that someone was of course Bryan.

I was talking with my Aunt Sari and look over to see my mom and dad hunched over my husband and blood spilling out everywhere. My mom looked up and said, "he's really hurt this time". Oh great, well, at least it happened early enough that we beat the burn victims from fireworks to the Urgent Care. Bryan was going after a rebound and came up behind Matt who was going for the same rebound. Matt didn't know he was there and pulled the rebound down hard in turn catching Bryan directly in the nose. The ENT the following week said he was lucky that it healed perfectly and so he didn't have to have it set. It was still a pricey 4th of July with Bryan's deductible...
I wish I would have taken picture more when this happened, this is 2 days after he broke his nose. The swelling had decreased quite a bit but his black eyes had not really set in. At first, he looked like he had a nose as big as a lion. By Sunday, he had a black X on his face between the blackness on top of his eyelids and below his eyes. He was still cute though.

How do you put on a t-shirt?

2011-06-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Davin sometimes has a hard time getting his shirts on the right way.
He would tell me "It's okay Mommy, I'll just walk upside down"

The things he thinks of...

Layton Lakes Splash Pad

2011-06-17T22:55:00.004-07:00

Bryan has incredible cousins and some of them have kids Davin's and Brielle's age. One of the cousins, Kristy and her family were in town and we were able to get all of the cousins together and go play at the Layton Lakes Splash Pad.
It was a lot of fun. Brielle was nervous at first but she warmed up to it.We weren't able to stay super long because of some prior engagements that we had planned that evening but it was so much fun being together while we were.
Davin and his cousin playing.

Davin and Brielle are best friends. She would get nervous when he would leave her. As long as he is next to her, whether he is pestering or not, she is okay. She absolutely adores her big brother and he adores her.

Hope we get to see more of our cousins very soon!

6 years!

2011-06-01T08:06:00.003-07:00

Holy cow. Time flies right by. It speeds up the older you get. I never believed my mom when she would tell me this but as with everything, my mom is right.

I feel like I've known Bryan so much longer than 6 and a half years but at the same time, I remember falling in love like it was yesterday.

Its hard to believe everything we have accomplished and experienced in the 6 years together. 2 kids, build a house but buy a different house, I got my associate's degree (woohoo-yeah right, I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up still and finish school) Bryan getting his bachelor's, Bryan getting his CPA, Timmy passing away, Davin's medical history (need not say anymore), etc etc.

Life is good. Although I sometimes have a hard time with the monotonous day to day and kids smothering me in 115 degree heat, I do love life and my family. I am so grateful I can stay home with the kids. I am excited to see what the rest of life and the eternities after have in store for Bryan and I and our family.

Great-Grandpa Stowell

2011-05-29T07:53:00.001-07:00

It was Great-Grandpa Stowell's Birthday today. We had a wonderful family party to celebrate.

I am so grateful that I have been able to get to know Leroy. He is an incredible man with crazy stories of being undercover for the CIA and having a brain surgery that went bad. He is an incredible man and has had 5 lifetimes of events in his one lifetime.He is incredibly sweet and the kids love him (especially his walker). Happy Birthday!

Davin's 3-yr Old Preschool Graduation

2011-05-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Davin graduated from his 3-yr old Preschool with Miss Rachel. He had such a fun year. He learned a lot, made a lot of good friends and most importantly-he is excited for school next year. Thank you to my good friend Rachel for an incredible year and we look forward to next year!

Disneyland May 23-25, 2011

2011-05-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

We decided to go back to Disneyland one last time before our passes expired just us. It was so much fun! We had enough points for some free hotel stays and the weather was perfect. It actually got chilly at night! The kids were wonderful and all in all, it was a perfect trip.

My mom's little pocket camera's time thing was a little off-sorry!

We had been to Disneyland so many times, Davin knew his way around. We decided to let him decide what we were going to do. We actually got so much done! He remembered everything. He loved that it was really his and Brielle's vacation. We would ask what he and Brielle wanted to do and he would turn and ask her and pretend like they made a decision together. Pretty hilarious.

Best of all, we saw Fantasmic as our final Disney adventure. That show gives me goosebumps. It is truly breathtaking and the music is incredible.

On a Sunday...

2011-05-15T20:09:00.001-07:00

The cousins ganging together to try and take out Uncle Matt. He's a good sport.

Family Home Evening

2011-05-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

For Family night, we learned that we are all children of God and that we have an eternal family. We had a good night together drawing pictures of our forever family.

Disneyland... Again

2011-05-04T07:57:00.009-07:00

We went back to Disneyland the beginning of May with Bryan's parents and his brother Jeff's family before they moved to Texas for residency. It was a lot of fun but unseasonably warm.
Brielle on Small World. Definitely her favorite ride.
Davin trying to get the sword out.
Brielle and Lily loving on eachother.
Davin taking care of his girls in Mickey's house
Bryan and Jeff on the last day. They both walked out of the hotel at different times like this and ended up at the park matching. I guess brothers think alike. They were even brave enough to break off from the group to go ride some rides just them too. Jessica and I called them our "gay husbands".
Davin on Tarzan's treehouse, definitely one of his favorites...
Again on Tarzan's
I know I cut myself off and Bryan's eyes are closed but this is the best I could do I guess while holding a baby on a boat and trying to snap a quick picture of all 4 of us before entering Small World.
Davin and Daddy waiting to ride Midway Mania
Davin with Woody and a green army man. Davin carries his sword everywhere in the back of his shirt. Right before I took this pic, Woody took the sword out and he and the green army man had a hilarious exchange where they fake fought. It was very cute.
Jasmine
This is what Brielle looked like in her stroller 24/7. She was wide eyed and smiley the whole trip. This little girl LOVED Disneyland more than I thought possible.
Cinderella. Literally the most beautiful princess I have ever seen up close and so incredible sweet with Brielle too (not so impressed with Aurora that day)
Bryan and Davin were the high scorers on the Buzz Lightyear ride one of the days. Yep, 2,034,5000 points. I think Bryan has ridden that ride a lot.
This is their picture that was flashing on the screen all day "TOP SPACE RANGER". It was Bryan's score that won but he put Davin's initials cuz Davin thinks they are a team and he knows his initials. Bryan is on the left in the pic and if you look close, you can see Davin's head and gun popping out on the right.
I thought Mickey would freak Brielle out but he did not. She was completely mesmerized and couldn't keep her eyes (& hands at times) off of him.
All 4 of us. We had such a fun time that on the way home, we talked about maybe going back before our annual passes expired in a month. But that is another story...

Family Night

2011-04-25T23:51:00.003-07:00

We had a lesson tonight about being children of Heavenly Father. We made crowns and sang "I Am A Child of God". Davin loved it and it was one of the first lessons that Brielle actually participated. I mostly colored her crown but she had a crayon and contributed.

She also contributed with her constant running nose and drooling from teething. Seriously, could the little girl just cut some teeth already!

I thought Davin would like the lesson but he loved it and wore his crown to bed. He made sure to put his sister's crown next to her crib so she could remember that she is a child of God.

I love Family Night but I absolutely love when my child learns something and enjoys it.

Easter

2011-04-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Easter weekend. It has been so long now that I know I am probably missing some details of events but the big things that happened were the Ward Easter Egg Hunt, the Stowell party and Filichia party. Surprising isn't it? hahaha-not.

Here are Davin and Bryan at the ward Easter Egg Hunt. The Primary and everyone else that helped did an incredible job. Davin got a lot of eggs. So many, that he gave some of his to other little kids that were a little scared of running around when the horn sounded. I was proud of my little boy.

Davin collecting eggs.

Brielle thinking being in her stroller is awesome. Oh my word, she has me under a spell.

The loot that the Easter Bunny brought. The Easter Bunny got each kid a toy but then went to Seagull Book and went crazy with books, puzzles and coloring books about the Savior. He/She figured it was more appropriate.

We were headed to the Stowell's egg hunt and look back to find Davin like this. He had stacked he and Brielle's baskets on his head. Silly boy.

Daddy's Little Girl

2011-04-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

How she adores her Daddy...

I'm definitely a little sister

2011-04-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

I walked into the family room one day after the kids had been playing and found this. Not exactly what every mom wants to see. But, if you look past the toy gun, you realize she just wants to be like her brother. He is very good about playing with her and I am grateful even if that means he uses baskets as hats sometimes.

Filichia Family Pictures Spring 2011

2011-04-20T21:10:00.002-07:00

We decided to take some Filichia Family pictures before Lauren headed off on her mission.
We realized that her and Matt would overlap and it would be a while till we would all be together again.
We realized a little late though and ended up only having time the hour before Lauren was set apart.
We set up Steve and my cameras on tripods for the group shots. I took the ones of Davin and Brielle, Bryan and the kids. My mom took the pics of Heather, Matt, Lauren and I.

Chuck E Cheese

2011-04-18T19:42:00.002-07:00

We kept our tradition of going to Check E Cheese before we say good bye for a while to family members. We went the Monday night before Lauren reported for her mission.The kids had a lot of fun like always. It is so crazy to think back on the first time we came 3 and a half years ago and the kids didn't really know what to do. Now, we have 2 more little girls added to the family and the kids love to play all the games and know exactly what to do.

There was only one other family at Chuck E Cheese that evening which was really nice. It is always a good time to just relax and remember how important families are.Every time we come here, I will always think of our last night with Timmy. How grateful I am that I know that I will see him again and that we will live together in the eternities.

I am grateful for the blessings of this beautiful Gospel and for a loving Savior and Heavenly Father who created a flawless Plan of Happiness for us.

Sister Lauren Lee Filichia

2011-04-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

My little sister, Lauren, left for her mission the Thursday before Easter. She is going to serve in the Birmingham, England mission. She is going to be an incredible missionary.

We did a lot of family stuff before she left. Here are some pics of our family get together after her farewell though. She was down on the floor with Brielle. She kept Bri for a week and Lauren is like a 2nd mother to my little girl. Brielle will really miss her aunt.

Matt and Brielle zonked out.

(again at Lauren's family get together-I just had to document Davin's first Barbie moment)
Chuck E Cheese Monday before Lauren left. We went to Chuck E Cheese the night before Timmy died. In a silly way, it is a special place for my family now. We thought we would again spend another family night there together.

Right before Lauren was set apart, we took some family pictures. (Very last minute) I'll post some later but I took 3 single pictures of Lauren-all of them gorgeous. Here is one though of our sister missionary! We Love You! Good Luck!

I have created a blog for her letters and pics for all to see:
www.sisterlaurenlee.blogspot.com
Enjoy!

Timmy's Birthday Party

2011-04-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

As, usual, we met as a family at Timmy's grave for his birthday.
I decided to jazz it up a little and brought a cupcake cake and had asked his friends to send him birthday cards that we then read to Timmy.
We wrote messages, listened to a story from each of us, sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" and let balloons off as usual. We then sang "Happy Birthday" and let the kids blow out the candles.

We finished by getting dinner and finding a really neat park nearby and had a picnic and let the kids play. We talked as adults and we stopped to look over at Lauren playing with the kids. She was leaving for her mission in a couple of days and was really struggling with saying goodbye to her nieces and nephews. It was so incredible to sit and watch my little sister's love for these kids. I am so grateful for an incredible tight and loving family and that we have stayed close to home.

Happy 30th Birthday Timmy-Man!

2011-04-15T10:16:00.002-07:00

I can't believe you are 30 years old today. Holy cow-how time flies! You're almost an old man. I will never be able to think of you any older than 26 though so you'll forever be young. Timmy, we miss you. We miss your smile and goofiness. We miss your laugh and wit but most of all, we miss your incredible spirit and optimism.

We remember you everyday and think of you often. We are trying to be more like you and more like our Savior. We love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

ps-I missed my birthday call from you again this year more than anything else. I guess it may just be that way for a while though. 'Til We Meet Again Big Brother

The Park

2011-04-14T22:03:00.002-07:00

It has been beautiful outside. Anyone in Arizona knows that we need to soak up this incredible weather before its gone for a long long time. We have basically lived at the park. We go every day, sometimes multiple times. Yesterday, I took my camera and new lens and tried it out for the first time. Its going to take work to get the hang of but single portraits were never so beautiful.

The only problem is now the image is even more clear. Brielle has had a runny/dry nose from teething but she almost looks sick in these pics. Oh well, everything else about the picture is cute. She is a doll.

Davin is turning into quite the model. I pull out the camera and he runs to pose. I love it.

Birthday Weekend

2011-04-12T21:24:00.002-07:00

Only pic this weekend that I took-Carson's baptism
Davin-Cade-Carson

Bryan and my birthdays were last weekend. Mine was Saturday and Bryan's was on Sunday. We woke up Saturday morning to a very rainy day. I know some people love them and I don't mind them but it was not the weather I was hoping for.
Bryan had to work the first half of Saturday so a good friend of mine organized a little breakfast with some sisters in the ward. It was so nice to do something. Her husband even watched Davin. It meant a lot that she was willing to give up her Saturday morning with her husband as well as some other sisters to join me for breakfast. I am really grateful for good friends.
After breakfast, I ran some errands (in the rain), came home made lunch, fed kids, changed Brielle & put her down for a nap, got Davin dressed and Bryan's stuff ready. Bryan walked in the door with white roses! The best ever. He had already bought me a new lense for my camera. He spoils me! He then quickly ate, changed, and we headed to Chick-fil-a for our lunch in the car on the way to Carson (my nephew's) baptism. It was very nice. My sister gave a wonderful talk and Carson set a very good example for Davin. Afterward, we headed to Tanner's for dinner after the baptism. We chilled and ate and had a little candle blowing out.
By the time we got home, we had 2 tired kids, a very tired Bryan and very claustrophic Birthday girl. Brielle was really fussy all night.
The next day was Bryan's birthday. He took Davin to church and I stayed home with Brielle who had decided to get a fever and bad cough in the middle of the night. We chilled when they got home and Bryan took his "birthday nap". All he wanted was a nap he said. After he woke up, he left with Davin to his parents house for dinner while I stayed to rehearse the arrangement of "Because I Have Been Given Much" for Lauren's farewell next week with my sisters and Mary Ellen (the arranger and pianist). It is gorgeous as usual. Brielle and I ended up getting to the Stowell family party at 6:30. Everyone was waiting. Bryan and I blew out candles, opened cards, I ate really quick and we packed up. When we got home, we bathed kids, read scriptures, etc etc-the nighttime routine and thus our actual birthdays were over and past.
Monday morning, I talked with some of Bryan's good friends from high school and we decided to do some cake and ice cream that night. So, the BFAM met up Monday night and we had a good time. We hadn't chilled since Christmas Eve so it was good to see everyone all together again. It was 9:30 though before it ended. Thus, with Bryan getting up at 4 am for crazy tax season and getting home at 7:30, I overdid it this weekend and I have one incredibly tired husband. It was a good weekend. We saw a lot of people and made a lot of memories but looking back, I wish we could have had a few moments to breathe and relax. I have yet to get Bryan to pick out his birthday present. He said he'll get some new work clothes. Let's hope he actually does it and spends some money on himself.
It was fun but, I'll just be glad for someday when Bryan and I are retired and we can celebrate our birthdays in peace. Hahahaha!
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and presents. We love you!

6 months

2011-04-03T21:21:00.002-07:00

How has it already been 6 months?

I can't imagine life without her though. She has stolen all of our hearts. She is so happy, sweet, easy going and fun. She laughs a lot and LOVES her big brother. She will choose his toys over her own any day. If she hears someone singing, she will completely stare at them and listen. She is a better audience at 6 months old than some will ever be. We love our little girl.

Tired Boy

2011-04-03T21:16:00.003-07:00

I guess Davin was tired. We were coming home Saturday night from a family birthday party for his cousins.

He even used his cupcake as a pillow. Needless to say, he didn't end up eating that cupcake the next day as promised. It disappeared while he was sleeping.

Brielle's Room

2011-03-25T21:06:00.003-07:00

I finished Brielle's room a long time before she came into our lives but I thought I would finally post some pictures of her nursery. I love how it turned out.

Thanks to my friend, Misty, for "getting rid of" a bunch of stuff that I ended up using in Brielle's room.

2 Little Girls

2011-03-25T20:19:00.002-07:00

Brielle and Lily have what I always dreamed of...
They are 3 months apart and are absolutely adorable.
Even though Lily is older, I think Brielle will always be bigger though. Lily is very petite and Bryan and I somehow have very tall kids.
We are so sad that Lily and her parents, Jeff and Jessica are moving to Houston to residency but are very excited for their visits and hope they get to someday move home!

Ten Virgins

2011-03-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

I was given the opportunity to be in Ten Virgins. It was a crazy experience actually. I was asked to represent my ward in our Stake Production by my Relief Society President and said I would gladly do it and that I loved the play. She asked how I was familiar and I told her I had been given the opportunity to also be in it in my previous stake. She then asked me if I would be willing to help since I knew how it played out and such and of course I said I would be more than happy to.

Literally an hour later, the Stake Relief Society President was on the phone and asked if I could be the assistant director. The Director was super busy at work and we were three weeks from the performance and almost nothing had been done. The Director called me that evening and came over and from that point on, we were co-directors. She took over the music practices and made the beautiful lamps. She also took care of logistical things such as building schedule and such. I was lucky enough that me sister had just been in her Stake's production. I called Heather and she put me in touch with her director. She had not returned the costumes to the Easter Pageant yet. We arranged to have the costumes transferred into my name (which I lucked out since they were costuming the Pageant and who knows what I would have ended up with if I went down to get stuff after that). The girls from the cast and some friends helped decorate the stage. And most importantly, Steve, my brother-in-law, had just done sound for his stake's production and was more than willing to come and run the board for mine. I asked my Dad if I could use LIGHT's equipment and he was more than happy to let us use it.

I hunted down ladies and tried my best to get a girl from every ward but it didn't work. I was very prayerful about who I chose when I was referred names and when I spoke with women on the phone. I was also extremely prayerful and thoughtful in character assignment. Their voice and style had a lot to do with it but more than anything, the emotion and messages I felt like needed to strike each woman at their core so they would be able to make it believable.

In the end, the performance was magnificent. I wish we could have done it again for couples or young women or something. The spirit was so strong and our chemistry as a cast was incredible although we had only known each other for two weeks. I am so grateful for the wonderful women I was able to meet through this experience. It is so much fun to run into them at stake choir or stake conference, around town or at the store. I am grateful they put their faith in me as a director although I am so young. I am grateful for Steve and my father who did the sound and set up and tore down a couple of times. I am grateful for Lauren who came and ran the spotlight (which is not an easy task although it looks easy). I am grateful for Bryan, who although was neck deep in tax busy season, was a champ and did everything he could to support me and help me out. I love directing. I love performing. This was the best of both worlds and also for the stake which was a bonus. I hope that I am given more opportunities such as this in the future.

Davin's First Fieldtrip

2011-03-22T21:35:00.004-07:00

Miss Rachel took Davin's preschool class to the Fire Department for a tour. Davin was so excited to go and he even thought it was so awesome that Mommy and Sister got to come.

The fireman did a good job and were really good with the kids. They were very patient and taught the kids a lot of really good things about safety and what to do in an emergency.

I want to take our kids back frequently to the fire house to help remind them about safety and emergencies. I have talked to Davin a million times about running off in parking lots and such but when the firemen talked about it, he finally let it sink and he realizes the danger of it. I am so grateful for these men that serve us daily and their wives and families that let them do so. Thanks Miss Rachel for a wonderful field trip.

Ten Virgins

2011-03-21T15:40:00.002-07:00

I have been given the opportunity to co-direct and be in "The Ten Virgins" for my Stake Relief Society. We are presenting it this Thursday evening at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend. It will be located at the Stake Center on Higley Rd, between Ray and Williams Field. It will be an incredible evening.

Brielle and Brielle

2011-03-20T22:04:00.001-07:00

This is my little piano student named Brielle. She always thinks it is weird that she and my daughter have the same name. she will play with her and she will say "Brielle" to my daughter and then giggles. Its pretty cute.

Camryn's Birthday Party

2011-03-20T21:58:00.004-07:00

My sister, Heather, threw her daughter the sweetest birthday party. Cami wanted a "Princess" party (of course, she's 5). The kids showed up and were paired up-a knight and a princess. She knighted the boys (giving them chain metal and swords which they made and were awesome) and crowned the princesses (complete with matching earrings, rings and necklaces).
The boys then learned to sword fight and the "bad guys" came. They protected the princesses in the tower (up in the fort) and afterwards danced with their princesses that they saved from the "bad guys". It was so awesome. And the kids loved it. They actually really danced for the whole song just spinning and spinning and afterward, the boys bowed and the girls curtsied. I loved it and so did Davin. Bravo Heather as always!

On a Sunday...

2011-03-13T23:02:00.003-07:00

It's so hard to not spoil the heck out of this little cutie. Every night, it is so hard for me to put her in her crib to fall asleep. It is wonderful that she can do it, but I love love love her so much that I always want her in my arms. Oh the dilemma of being cute.

Saturday Night at Golfland

2011-03-13T13:38:00.005-07:00

When we went to the Bahamas, our cruise ship had mini golfing on it. Davin loved it so we decided to take him to Golfland. Of course, Davin fell asleep on the drive, but he woke up happy and excited to golf. We had such a fun time.

I am always amazed at Bryan and his incredible patience with Davin. Maybe I'm a bad mom but after like the 5th hole, I'd be like, OK Davin, how about you let me do it. Bryan worked with him on every hole and let him try over and over and over again. Its a good thing our kids have their Daddy!

I was so amazed at how well Brielle did. At night, they have the volcano go off which is loud and its just kind of crazy there. She did awesome though and was all smiles for all the strangers that we made friends with.
She was actually very observative which shouldn't surprise me since Davin was that way. She loved watching her brother and Daddy and would get excited. It was her own version of cheering.

Little "Pink" Dress

2011-03-13T13:34:00.003-07:00

Brielle has adorable clothes but there is something about this shade of pink that I absolutely love Brielle to wear.
Brielle is getting really good at sitting up. So fun but so sad. It means my little girl is growing up.

Perfect Weather

2011-03-13T13:24:00.004-07:00

It has been absolutely gorgeous outside. We have been doing a lot of quick park trips. We have found if we don't stay too long, the allergy attacks are much fewer. Davin usually rides his bike over and Brielle has been doing really well at sitting in the stroller. It is so funny to watch her expressions. She is so curious and she really enjoys being able to see everything.
I am so grateful for this time of year and the beauty we have been blessed with on this earth.

Somethings Going On

2011-03-04T22:54:00.002-07:00

Its been a long week. Brielle was still getting over her RSV so we were on house arrest the first of the week which Davin never handles well (Can't blame him). We were able to go the park yesterday and to Bounce U with some friends today. Something is going on though! We have gone 3 places all week and we have lost 3 very important toys. What is up with this! I never lose anything. I like things to be in their place. (Except I have a knack for putting really important things, ie wedding jewelry, in a "safe spot" and then never find that safe spot again)But for the most part, I don't lose stuff. We lost Sophie-Brielle's favorite teether that we take everywhere on Monday, Darth Vader's helmet that day too and Luke Skywalker today. What the heck!?!

Bahamas Cruise (the longest post ever!)

2011-02-07T15:51:00.007-07:00

Bryan's parents took us on an awesome trip to the Bahamas in January. We flew to Florida and then got on the boat the next day. We went to the Grand Bahamas and did some shopping and played on the beach and then to Nassau where we went to the Atlantis. The Atlantis is paradise. It was soooo beautiful. I hope to go back someday with my family and be able to stay for longer than a day. We had a day at sea and then got off the boat the next day and headed to GatorLand in Florida. Yes, it was an amusement park all about Alligators. It turned out to be surprisingly fun. The next day, we traveled home.Davin's first airplane ride! He did well. Granted we took about 20 puzzles, a dvd player, a bunch of snacks, etc. I was super impressed with him on the whole trip with his patience and his willingness to sit still. I sure love my not so little anymore Davin.
I wasn't too hot on the ideas of Alligators being everywhere in Florida. We got in really late to Florida and went straight to the hotel When we dropped off our car the next morning, this is the sign that was in front of our parking place. Needless to say, it took a couple minutes for me to get out of the car and I wouldn't let Davin out for a while. I was a little paranoid.
Walking to the straw market on the Grand Bahamas island to do some shopping and find a calling card to call home and check on Brielle so mommy could calm down.
Davin and his daddy playing at the beach. Davin has been to the beach before but this was the first time he really played at the beach. He absolutely loved it.
Family shot at the beach at the Grand Bahamas island (minus Brielle :( )
Dinner with my 2 handsome men
Formal night on the cruise.
Davin in the jacuzzi-he absolutely loved it
Davin swimming
In front of some of the slides next to one of the pools at the Atlantis
all of us in front of the Atlantis while on the beachwalkway
on a bridge at the Atlantis
in by the aquarium
in front of a tank
A cool waterfall at the Atlantis
Overlooking one of the many little lakes with a bunch of sea wildlife at the Atlantis and beyond that, the crystal clear ocean.. Absolutely Breathtaking.
We may have thought we lost Davin for a few moments while at the Atlantis. (He really just went with Grandpa and Uncle Mikey) but when we did find them, they were by this sign which is ironic.
Enjoying the waterslides on our cruise boat.
Playing minigolf on the cruise boat
Enjoying a late night snack of ice cream and frozen yogurt in 24/7 buffet restaurant.
playing with the birds in the aviary at GatorLand
riding the train at GatorLand
I made Davin a car map to play with on the trip. It has all of the places Davin likes to go and was super cheap to make. The best part is it folded up really nice and small so I could put it on the outside flap of my carry-on with some Cars. We set up camp in the corner of a Gate at the Airport that wasn't being used and he was happy for a long time. It also worked wonders in the hotel and in our cabin on the boat. So glad I did it and took it. My dad had made us kids one when we were kids and we loved it. I'm glad to keep the tradition alive.

Grateful

2011-01-31T18:22:00.003-07:00

Last night, Brielle fell and hit her head. I was standing at my mom's counter and had her sitting leaning against me in front of me. Lauren and I were playing with her. I looked away for a moment and she dove. It was a straight head dive onto laminate floor from a counter top. She did not pass out and screamed immediately and I checked her eyes for dilation. (I then proceeded to pretty much go into shock). Bryan and my dad gave Brielle and I blessings and we rushed to Phoenix Children's Urgent Care. She was acting fine so we thought we would go there before exposing her to all the crap in ER's. We walked in and they took us back immediately. The Dr checked her over and said he was pretty sure she fractured her skull but he didn't see any signs of bleeding or swelling. We went to the hospital to get a CT SCAN (which took forever) and were admitted to the hospital. She had sustained a 4 cm fracture on the left side of her head. She has a small hematoma (probably spelled wrong) on the right parietal lobe. We are so blessed though. No bleeding, no brain damage, no swelling, nothing.
All of the nurses and Doctors were so amazed with her happiness amidst such a fall and that she didn't have any damage besides the actual fracture (which is swollen but is not as nasty as you would think and she doesn't really notice unless you apply pressure). She will be completely healed in 6 weeks like any bone and there will be no after effects. The Social Worker and Police Officer (yeah, I had to be evaluated since it was head trauma to a child under the age of 1) were both nice and were very comforting letting me know it was an accident and its very obvious it was unintentional. I could have been more careful though. Bryan and talked about how babies become appendages and in one moment of complacency, a lot can change as we saw last night.
I feel horrible. I know accidents happen but this still happened in my hands basically. I was too slow. I should have never have sat her like that on my mom's counter (especially not realizing how slick it is), we should have called 911 just to be safe, etc. It's moments like these though that make you realize the importance of priesthood blessings and having faith. I know Heavenly Father is mindful. He protected my daughter and I know he protects her and Davin countless times that I don't even realize. I feel so blessed and am so grateful for modern medicine. It is comforting to know that she is going to be fine. Please keep her in your prayers though.

Good Morning

2011-01-28T10:22:00.002-07:00

Who can have a bad day when this is how it starts?

SeaLife Aquarium

2011-01-28T08:58:00.008-07:00

We had a coupon for buy one get one free to sealife aquarium that expired the end of 2010. Thank goodness cuz even with this coupon, it was still $30 for the three of us.
We knew we were going to be going to the Atlantis in a couple weeks which has a ton of amazing aqauriums so we thought we would do this as a warm up.
Davin loved the tunnel that you could walk in. There were little quiz questions that he thought were fun to answer too.
Sister slept for most of it but when she woke up, she actually checked it out and seemed to like it.
Davin absolutely loved it. These were cool little capsules that gave the kids an inside look on the aquariums. Very smart. He was fascinated with all the different kinds of fishies.
The coolest part was that it was an all day pass. So we went through and then went shopping in the mall and then could go through again.

Bounce U

2011-01-28T08:31:00.004-07:00

Groupon had some good deals on Bounce U so Heather and I got some and took the kids over Winter Break. It was so much fun. Steve and Bryan were even able to come from work and meet us. They let them play with the kids on the big bounce thing. It was a lot of fun and we still have some more passes to go again with the cousins.

I was a little irritated with some of the other kids would push in front of the ball gun things that our kids were playing with and such. I was in taking pictures and told the boys to nicely not let the other kids do that. (I may have also told the kids doing it over and over to cut it out too and not cut in line) Brielle was laughing watching the kids and thought it was lots of fun.
All of the kids slept great that night. :)

Christmas Morning

2011-01-26T08:24:00.005-07:00

I was bad and barely took any pictures Christmas morning. Here is a pic of Davin opening his stocking, Brielle getting a doll from her grandparents and Brielle and cousin Lily on the way to the Stowell family party. We had a lot of fun at the party.

After the party, Bryan and his family went to see "True Grit" and I took the kids home. They did not want to do quiet time and it was a crazy couple of hours. Being the procrastinator that I am, I had waited until Christmas Day to learn the solo my dad asked to me to sing at the Temple Christmas Lights that evening. So, needless to say, with two kids that didn't want to sleep and trying to learn a song, I was frazzled when I met Bryan to give him the kids and run to warm up at the Temple.

I calmed down though, eventually. It was such an incredible opportunity to be asked to sing at the Temple Lights on Christmas night. I have sung there many times but never been honored with Christmas night. There were so many friends and family members there to support us which meant so much more on Christmas. My song ended up going fine but I wish I could have done my best. Nevertheless, the night ended with Heather, Lauren and I singing our arrangement of "Oh Holy Night". I am so grateful for the most beautiful song ever to sing with my sisters. It was an incredible feeling and I hope I never forget the powerful spirit and the feeling of joy from the holiday season I felt in those moments.

Christmas Eve Festivities

2011-01-13T08:38:00.004-07:00

We have the kids dress up and we act out the nativity every year. This year, Barb and Spence couldn't make it for Christmas Eve and Barb has the costumes. We had some make shift little outfits but it worked thanks to Burger King and Aunt Mel's scarf collection. It was fun to see Davin actually realizing what we were reading and talking about. We had talked about Christmas and celebrating the Savior's birth at home and it was rewarding to see that he actually listened.
After the Nativity, we sing carols and Santa comes to visit. He has a gift for all the younger kids. It is a fun family tradition and the kids really look forward to it.

Christmas Eve BFAM Brunch

2011-01-13T08:28:00.003-07:00

I started the tradition a couple years ago to get all the BFAM (basically high school friends) together on Christmas Eve for a brunch. Thank goodness Kent makes his homemade biscuits and gravy. It has turned into one of the traditions of Christmas I love the most.
All the friends are, I guess you could say, growing up. More than anything, we are all spread out doing our own things with our own families. One's in med school, one's about to go to PT school, we have 3 CPA's (crazy I know), a school-teacher, a dental assistant/office manager, one just got his business degree and is deciding where to go for his master's, etc etc. We have lots of kids between us all.
There were some friends who couldn't make it or thought it was on a different day which stinks. Taryn's dog went into labor so her and Brock couldn't make it. Other than that though, it was fun to have a full house and to have a house that smelled oh so good from yummy food.

Lovin' It

2011-01-08T18:42:00.002-07:00

I bought this dress at Gap when I was prego with Davin and didn't know if it was a girl or boy. Its been hanging for almost 4 years in my closet. I finally got to use it.
Oh I love dressing her up

Disneyland

2010-12-28T10:45:00.005-07:00

We were able to go to Disneyland again with my whole family in early December. It was a fun way to kick off the holiday. Davin loved having his cousins at the park with him. Brielle did awesome. It was a quick trip but well worth it. It had been 5 years since our last family trip. It was to Disneyland too! I guess Disneyland is the place to go when you don't have too much time and little kids.

Brielle's Blessing Dress

2010-12-16T15:38:00.004-07:00

I had fun with my new camera the other day. Babies are hard to take pictures of. Especially when you have a 3-yr old that wants so badly to be in every picture as well.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-15T16:57:00.004-07:00

I didn't get very many pictures on Thanksgiving. Being a mommy to a newborn really impedes on taking a lot of pictures. I got enough though I guess. We started with Bryan's family at Jamie's house for Thanksgiving lunch I guess and then headed to Heather's for my family's Dinner. Davin didn't get his usual nap but he was very well behaved and fell asleep very quickly on our drive home at 8 that night.

Davin loves playing Duck,duck,goose with his cousins. Thanks Jason for playing with all the kids.

We painted rocks to put around Grandpa's Grave. Jessica had the idea of trying to put Lily's hand print on one. When Lily tried to put her hand that was covered in paint in her mouth, Jessica realized that maybe finger painting is for kids over 5 months.

Brielle and Lily staring at each other. Its like these two know they are going to be the best of friends already. I'm so excited my little girl is going to have a cousin so close in age. I always wished for that.

Bryan's foosball table is getting good use at Heather and Steve's. They had a wonderful dinner over at their house cuz it was at night. Decorated beautiful. They even bought warmers for outside. My sister knows how to make even grass look great.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving. Could not have been better. It made me realize how I wish we spent more time with Bryan's cousins and their kids.

LIGHT Alumni Show

2010-12-15T16:37:00.004-07:00

My Dad decided that since LIGHT has been around now for like 8 or 9 years, that he should have an alumni show and party. It was awesome to see everyone from the years past. He chose like 8 group numbers from the years and we recreated them. Its amazing what you can't seem to forget after years and years. You press play and the dances come right back! We had some specialty numbers. He asked Jeremy and I to perform "Tear Jerk" from our year. It was a lot of fun.

Here is "Save the Last Dance" complete with the ballroom dance, costumes and of course-Aaron Butler, home from the mission and singing the solo.

Lauren and Chris dancing! Oh, I miss these two!

After the show, Davin got on the stage and did some performing of his own. He is super funny. He acts shy but will get on stage and go for it. Pretty hilarious.

It was fun to see so many of the numbers I have choreographed through the years be recreated and performed. It has been hard for me to not be involved at all this year but seeing these numbers gets me excited for when my family is in a place that I can go back and help again.

2010-12-11T16:38:00.001-07:00

Make a digital scrapbooking design

Sister

2010-12-08T11:05:00.001-07:00

Our First End to Soccer Season

2010-12-07T22:22:00.004-07:00

Soccer Season officially ended. Davin had so much fun playing this year and had a lot of good friends on his team.
I ruined my Christmas gift accidentally and ended up receiving my super nice new camera early. Now I am really having a hard time only putting a couple pictures on here. Darn.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Davin made this in Nursery on Sunday. Simple yet adorable. You can tell that the teachers asked the kids what they are thankful for and wrote down what they said.

At least Davin was honest. Bryan, Brielle and I now know where we stand.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are safe wherever you may be!

Cute

2010-11-15T01:09:00.000-07:00

Brielle looks good every day but Sundays must be documented.
Davin/Mario needed a picture with his sister. Love the smile.

Can I say adorable? I know, I'm prejudice. I can't get over the cardigan. Her aunts would be so proud.

Brielle's Blessing

2010-11-15T00:52:00.001-07:00

So, I am totally lame and this is the only picture I took.
Bryan was able to bless Brielle on November 6th. It was beautiful and we were able to have so many family members and friends present. In the circle, there was Bryan, Great-Grandpa LeRoy, Grandpa Randy, Grandpa Tim, Great-Uncle Chad, Cousin Garrett, Uncle Steve, Brock, Kent, Ryan, and Bishop Smith. Bishop told us that while he was on binky duty, he had a hard time closing his eyes watching Brielle absolutely stare at her father while he was blessing her. I am so grateful that Bishop just watched her watch him. He said it was amazingly peaceful to see such a little girl love her Daddy so much with her eyes. It was a beautiful blessing and I wish I could always remember it just like I wish I could remember Davin's, but I won't-darn it!We had a nice brunch at our house after Sacrament meeting (yes we ditched Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society). It was so nice to relax with family and friends after one of the craziest weekends ever (Les Mis, Matt football game, Blessing, all of us having allergies and colds that make it so you can't breathe-therefore sleep well). We are so grateful for everyone that could come and support us and our family.
A special thanks to Granny for Brielle's GORGEOUS dress. Can you believe I showed her like 3 pics of dresses I liked on the internet and she made this beauty? She's amazing. I am going to take better pics of it with a good camera. Then you can really see how amazing the dress is when its not tucked up and under Brielle. I am so excited to hang it in Brielle's room next to my gown that my Grandma got me.

Les Mis

2010-11-15T00:48:00.001-07:00

BEWARE! I was lame and only took pics of Jeremy and I so they are ugly.

I had the opportunity to be in Gilbert Stake's production of Les Mis. It was an incredible experience. You would think it would be a so/so thing being that a stake produced it. It was far from. It was the most professionally done show I have ever been a part of. Even though I was technically a drunken crook, I still was able to feel the Spirit and realize the missionary effort from putting on the show for the community.

Halloween

2010-11-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year. It was fun that Davin actually knew what was going on somewhat. We had previously gone to the pumpkin patch. On Wednesday, Davin had a Halloween party at preschool and we had my mom and dad's Halloween Carnival that night. This is like the best part of Halloween. It is fun to see friends from growing up with their families and catch up. Its like a mini-reunion of the ward every year. Davin had a blast with his cousins and did not want to get off the bounce house and leave when it was time. Cade and Carson were super awesome and responsible with Davin. There are lots of people and they would hold Davin's hand everywhere they went so he wouldn't get lost.
Thursday, we craved pumpkins with Bryans family. Bryan and Davin carved a "surf board" or mummy tomb, Natalie a cat and I tried to make a Mickey with an outline from the internet. It was okay-stick with the books. Friday we of course had Matt's football game and Saturday morning, Davin had a soccer game. Saturday there was primary program practice which was hilarious and later that evening was the ward trunk or treat.
(Mikey dressed up as the kid from UP for work at the bank. He won the costume contest.)
Sunday we went to church and after quiet time, we Davin and Brielle dressed up and headed to Bryan's parents. We stopped by Great-Grandpa's on the way. We had a tasty dinner and were off to Heather and Steve's Halloween party. It was a little crazy. They had all of Steve's family, all of Heather/my family and some friends and their families from their ward. There were like 30 kids and 25 kids. Thank goodness they have a big house and a big back yard! It actually was not too crazy until the boys started with the swords for a while. Davin had a lot of fun. We even took the kids trick or treating around the block. Davin went last year but it finally clicked this year. It was hilarious to watch him run to the doors and try and say "trick or treat", get so excited when he got candy that he started running away, catch himself, run back and say "thank you". He did this at nearly every door. I guess the candy was just that exciting time and time again.
We had a great Halloween. I didn't get a pic of Brielle-she was a princess for the ward thing and a lady bug on Halloween. Davin, of course, was Mario all week long.

The Last Couple Days

2010-10-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I stumbled upon this at Les Mis practice. We got a good laugh. No wonder people think us Mormons are crazy when we quilt signs like this. (Sorry if I offend anyone, but seriously?)

Davin earned his Super Mario costume. He wears it nonstop now. At least its easier to take off and put on for potty than Bowser was. (And he's not as sweaty)

Brielle has decided she likes the swing. This is a pic I had to steal of how her feet were poking out of the blanket perfectly while in the swing today. She is Daddy's Little Cutie.

Les Miserables

2010-10-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to email out and let you all know about a play that I am in. Gilbert Stake is doing a production of Les Miserables as a missionary effort. We have people from all religions in the cast and everyone is welcome to attend. The admission is FREE! The show is cut down to an hour and a half and is going to be really good. It has been really neat and I hope you all can attend. The performances are the first weekend of November, Thursday the 4th at 7:30 pm and Saturday 3:30pm and 7:30pm at Gilbert High School Auditorium. You request tickets through the blog. GET THEM QUICK! At rehearsal last night, they told us the tickets are going extremely fast. Saturday night is almost all gone actually. I hope you can all come!

www.lesmis2010.blogspot.com

My Greatest Blessings

2010-10-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Had to snap this shot on Saturday morning before Davin's soccer game. I had to go to the recording studio for Les Mis and missed Davin's game. I was not happy about it. Bryan was such a sport and took both kids super early and of course-it was Davin's turn for snacks. He had so much stuff to lug out there but was super happy about it. Then of course, recording went two hours over and well, let's just say-I am grateful for a patient husband. I came home to a mopped kitchen, emptied dishwasher, vacuumed family room, living room and stairs. Brielle was asleep and Davin was happy. I told Bryan I should work full time and he should play mommy cuz I think he's better at it. He laughed and said "No way". I am so grateful for everything he does to help out.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun last night at the Pumpkin Patch with my family. Davin loves being with his cousins. He enjoyed everything so much more this year and is so much more aware of what is going on-like what you do for Halloween and such.
The best part of going to the pumpkin patch?-it means all the holiday festivities are starting. Best time of year!

Photo Shoot

2010-10-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

So I took some pictures on my not so nice camera today but they turned out half decent thanks to the awesomeness of my mac and iphoto. So now, which one(s) for the baby announcement? Hmmmm...

Pictures

2010-10-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 9th

2010-10-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday was eventful. We started the day with a soccer game then headed to Home Depot for their Fire Safety day. Davin built a Fire Rescue Boat and then got to play on the fire engine with his dad. He thought it was awesome. The Captain of this crew was super cool and let Davin play with the hose.

We ran errands and went to grandparent's house, did quiet time and went out to Queen Creek for Matt Minson's birthday party that evening. It was super fun. There was a volleyball tournament, tons of food, tons of little kids for Davin to play with and so many friends. We all had a blast!

Oh and Happy Birthday Lauren!

Friday October 8th

2010-10-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Had to take a picture of Brielle

Davin had his first fieldtrip. We went and saw "The Three Little Pigs" Puppet Show at the Performing Arts Center. He really liked it. He was super good and Brielle slept thru the whole thing almost!
That night, we went to Matt's football game. They won!

This was Brielle's first football game and I think she enjoyed it. She watched and listened and was super good.

Bowser

2010-10-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

We pulled out Bryan's big brother's old N64 a couple months back. Davin is now obsessed with Mario.

My sister, Heather, had a dragon costume she let Davin borrow. She told him it was a "Bowser" costume. He wears it probably 12 hours out of every day. Basically, he wears it from when he wakes up thru nap time and until bath time at night. It makes potty trips super exciting.

Bryan is super awesome though and plays with him. They reenact the 3 Bowser levels on Super Mario 64. Davin thinks it is so fun. He pretends to blow fire and stomp around like Bowser. Bryan plays along so well. He acts like his bum caught on fire and the ground is falling to pieces or tipping. It is quite hilarious to watch. I'm grateful Bryan doesn't take himself too seriously and that he has more energy than anyone I know so he will play this over and over with Davin.

Davin and Brielle

2010-10-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

We have been chillin' a lot. Davin loves his sister and is a super good helper. He always makes sure she is comfortable and not crying.

She loves him though. Even though she is only 3 1/2 weeks old, its like she knows he is her big brother. She stares at him and when she is crying, if he puts his face down by hers and pats her cheek, she stops crying. She'll even fall back asleep half the time. Its awesome.

I am so grateful for my two beautiful kids.

3 Years

2010-10-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

It is 3 years today since Timmy passed away. It seems longer yet not this long. Weird how time works.
I am so grateful for this beautiful Gospel and for the sealing power of the priesthood. I am grateful that my mom and dad chose to be married and sealed for Time and All Eternity in the Provo Temple 33 years ago today. I know I will see Tim again someday and that he will have the same laugh I miss and smile I long for. He will give the same incredible hug and his love for the Lord and life will be even stronger. I know he is doing the Lord's will and I know he is still aware of me and my family. Love you Timmy-Man.

2010-10-04T11:42:00.001-07:00

Bryan's Birthday/CPA Party-6 mths late!

2010-10-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

So, I can't believe I forgot to blog about this cuz it was awesome. I forgot to take pictures the night of I was so busy so I got a few pics from my brother in law.

Bryan's Birthday is April 10th, which kinda stinks cuz of busy season. This year, his birthday landed on a Saturday-so he actually had it off! (His boss didn't make him go in that Saturday-thanks Carter!) Bryan finished his CPA tests and upper level accounting classes earlier but had just officially got his CPA certificate. I decided he needed a party to celebrate his birthday that we could actually celebrate but more than anything celebrate his graduating years before and getting his CPA!

I threw him a huge party. I rented a bounce house, inflatable slide, snow cone machine and cotton candy machine. I had hot dogs and ships and tons of soda and water. I basically had a mini carnival. My sister and Heather and her husband, Steve, were so gracious to let us use their awesome and huge backyard. I don't know where else we could have done this and had it fit! We had TONS of people come and support us. It was so much fun and the kids loved it. I know it may sound weird that I threw this kind of a party for Bryan, but if you know him, you'll know that this is up his alley. He jumped and played almost as much as the kids did. Davin loved it. It was a great day.

I love surprising people. It was really hard to keep something this big from Bryan and I mostly pulled it off. He thought Heather was throwing him a little party (cuz she's awesome like that) and that's why we had to go over there in the middle of the day on his birthday. I don't think he expected what was really going on at all! I told Bryan he better remember this cuz he's not getting a party like this for a long time! The best part-I completely paid for it by myself so he didn't drop a dime on his own birthday party.

Today

2010-09-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Cutie isn't she?
2 weeks tomorrow night. I can't believe it!

1st Road Rally

2010-09-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Since Brielle has come into our lives, Davin has been watching more TV than usual. I can't drive yet (legally) and we don't really want to take Brielle out everywhere yet. Anyways, I'm not feeling good enough if I have to battle a Davin fit or something be myself. Nevertheless, Davin's favorite show right now is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Road Rally" 1hr special. We found pjs at WalMart that are even Road Rally pjs. Well, Bryan being the awesome father that he is created his own road rally. He made a map and "Mickey markers" at work and set it up Friday when he came home. Unless you've seen the episode, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Basically, they went on a treasure hunt.

the first thing on the map was a basinet, so Bryan asked Davin where Sister sleeps
They had to check the map to see where to go next. You have to ride something in a road rally, so Davin chose his Buzz and Woody scooter for himself and the razor for his Dad. He wanted mom, Brielle and Vixen to join too but we just walked.
Next stop was the tramp so away they went.
When they found the mickey marker, they jumped up and down. Next stop was the TV (which the pics didn't turn out)
Final stop was the car. He got a Mickey when he found the final spot.
We have now had 3 road rallys. Every time, Bryan changes up the map a little. (Like toy room TV or the other car. He even used the bed as a tramp once since Davin jumps on it no matter how many times we ask him not to) Bryan is planning on making a new map tomorrow so we can have another road rally.
Oh how I love Bryan and his willingness to be silly with his kids.

Our Week

2010-09-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

It was all in all a good week. I had a really hard time when Bryan had to go back to work on Wednesday. I felt cheated. With the planned c-section, we laid it out with weekends that Bryan would be home for 10 days straight. With Brielle coming early, I only got 7 days. Wednesday was my first day and it went okay. Thursday, the exhaustion and emotion caught up. It was not so good and my mother in law came over and took care of Brielle while I took a nap with Davin in the afternoon. I had 2 solid hours of sleep with no interruption or worry. It was heavenly. Thank you Tammy! Friday was really good and it was even better when Bryan got home and I knew I had him for 2 whole more days! I guess I am crazy because I love being with my husband soooo much. When he comes every day is the best moment. Davin agrees with me. He knows when he wakes up from his nap that his father will be home shortly and he watches the window and listens for the "Beep" of Bryan's car alarm arming.

Having the 2 kids is going to be different. I was spoiled with ease with Davin. (Most of the time that is-every kid has their days and moments). I don't think I'll be out and about as much. At least it is cooling down and I can send Davin out back to play or we can go to the park. He has so much energy-weeks like these-that is the hardest part-trying to give him an outlet for burning that energy. All in all, I feel mostly good. My dang hand where they tried to get the iv in the first time is still giving me fits and breastfeeding hurts! The actual huge incision though that I have feels great.

Davin and Bryan practicing soccer to get ready for Davin's first game on Saturday.

Brielle slept a lot.

Davin's first soccer game-yes I chose #6 (my lucky number for him)

Brielle and her cousin Lily met for the first time. These 2 are 3 months apart-so much fun when they grow up!

oh and ps-I brought up birth control methods with Bryan and what we should do when I go to the Dr this Tuesday. I was thinking IUD. Bryan said, "Why"-I don't want to wait as long this next time. As much as being prego and having to go through this again doesn't sound all that inviting right now, it made me happy to know that Bryan loves being a father and is already looking forward to having our family grow again. This whole 2 kid thing isn't stressing him out too bad. He has been so patient and such an incredible father. He has taken over mopping and vacuuming (since I am not supposed to do those things) since I was like 25 weeks prego. It is so nice to have a spouse that is so willing to help-with kids and housework. Love you Bryan!

She's Here!

2010-09-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Brielle Maureen Stowell came unexpectedly Tuesday night at 9:35 pm.
(coming out of my belly)

I had been at my sister's house chillin' all day and came home for quiet time with Davin. When we woke up, I felt a small gush and thought my water had possibly broken but wasn't sure. I wanted to call my Dr before his hours were over to see what he would want me to do if later that night I was sure my water had broken. He asked me a couple questions and told me to go to the hospital to be safe. I was sure I was probably overreacting at this point and sure it was going to be pointless but he said he was going to check up on me and he would hunt me down if I didn't get there in the next hour.

(Bryan had just cut the umbilical cord)

We finished packing my bag and dropped Davin at Bryan's parents house. We got to the hospital and I was informed that I was in trouble and I was late. Haha-my Dr is really cool and likes to joke with me. They had a triage room ready and they took a sample of the fluid. It ended up being the mucous you excrete a little while before you labor but not amniotic fluid. They asked if I was having contractions though and I said, I think, so they started charting them. They told me my water most likely had not broken so Dr Mikel was discharging me.
(My first time holding my baby-as awkward as it looks, it was a precious moment)
20 minutes later, the nurse came into my little room with an iv and said, "We have to hurry-Dr. Mikel is going to be here in 20 minutes". I was really confused. I thought I was going home. Little did I know, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and 5 out of 10. It was a little early to call the c-section cuz I hadn't had them consistent for an hour so they may subside but Dr. Mikel felt like we needed to go ahead and do the c-section.(30 minutes after being born)

5 minutes later, I was on an iv talking with the anesthesiologist, trying to get cell phone reception in the hospital to tell our in-laws and my mom that we were having a baby and 45 minutes later, Brielle was born. It was fast-crazy fast. I almost lost it at one point. I had to ask the nurses to leave and I kinda "pounded it" into my brain that I was having a baby and that I could do this. Literally, I was hitting my head with my hand. I said a little prayer in my heart (of which I could tell Bryan was a the same time-it was quiet and we both had our heads bowed). I am so glad that Bryan had suggested we do the blessing for Family Night the night before. He was truly inspired.
(Our first family pic-not so good-but also 1 am in the morning-can't expect much better)
The surgery was flawless. I lost 1/2 as much blood as an average c-section and the anesthesia didn't trip me out this time like last time. We were talking and laughing with the Drs through the whole thing and Dr. Mikel was telling me what he was doing as he was doing it. (Not everyone would like that but I think its interesting). I could even kind of see what was going on in the overhead surgery lights reflection.(Davin holding his Baby Sister Brielle)

It was a huge blessing that the chain of events happened and that Brielle was born Tuesday night. My scar from my c-section with Davin was so thin from the damage I did to it when I fainted the morning after I had him that you could see through my placenta. If I wasn't feeling too much pain with the contractions at 5's, I probably would have been in hard core labor before I went to the hospital that evening. If I would have been contracting that hard or tried a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), my placenta most likely would have ruptured which would have been dangerous at the time for Brielle and myself as well as end my baby-having days.
(Davin giving Baby Sister a present he picked out at the gift shop-adorable socks)
Davin saw his little sister late Tuesday night and then Bryan took him home to bed and my mom stayed. I walked 3 1/2 hours after the surgery and again a couple hours later. The moment my cathedor was out, I was a lot more mobile and then the iv came out and I walked a lot. I cut my pain meds in half 2 days after the surgery. It hurts but it seems like if I keep moving (but don't mask it with too many meds), I feel better. I hurt the worst after I sleep and don't move. I got released from the hospital as soon as I could. I wasn't even there 48 hours. I wanted to be home and I think the Drs were really excited with how well I was doing.(Krystal and Taryn with Brielle and I)

Brielle has been wonderful and Davin has been an incredible big brother. He is soooo excited and sometimes a little too helpful. Brielle is so chill and I feel like too easy. She is a great eater and sleeper. I feel so blessed and am so grateful for good Drs and medicine. It will be hard when Bryan goes back to work on Wednesday but at least he got one week off.(going home-Davin had to help)

Football Season Has Begun

2010-09-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

My little bro, Matt's 1st Football game was tonight. There was a carnival before and lots of fun things to do. Davin was so well behaved. He loved watching the game and our IPOD Touch is the best invention ever for entertaining. Being 2 weeks from having a baby, it was a little warm but it cooled off and there was a little breeze that made it tolerable. It was a lot of fun and I am bummed that I am going to miss so many games this season.

Matt is turned to the side in this picture. It was one of the times he was on the side line. He plays safety which has been a big change from quarterback but he's liking it. He has the white socks and white gloves on.
Yay! for being hugely prego and very hot!