.howell.

Happy Holidays!

2012-01-20T09:41:00.008-07:00

It's about time for a Christmas recap I'd say!

Christmas Eve

We had a mini birthday celebration for Jaden and then headed over to our boss/neighbors' home for a gift exchange and lunch. Later in the afternoon we had one of our cute family of friends over for treats and a nice chat as they were headed home from a DC trip. Then we had a nice chicken cordon bleu dinner and later in the evening we joined Steve's family via skype for their Christmas Eve devotional and family gift exchange.

Christmas Morning

We may or may not have gotten up at 6:30 and WOKEN OUR CHILD UP (are we crazy??). But we had to leave for church by 9:15, so we had to have time for all of our presents and traditional Christmas morning breakfast casserole before we had to get ready. So no sleeping in for us!

Can you see the hint of frost on the ground? Some white Christmas for us... :)

Santa and grandparents came to our home!

Jaden's Christmas Highlights

Jaden's very own baby grand piano! Grandma and Grandpa Howell couldn't resist it, and we're pretty much in love with it as well. It teaches him high/low, fast/slow, notes, songs, music, learning...Steve and I may or may not have played with it on our own as well ;). Let the piano lessons begin!

Poor baby was so tired, when he lost his balance and fell down, he just decided to stay there :)

Steve's Christmas Highlights

A made-for-the-oven dutch oven with a cookbook written and published by Steve's very own dad...?!?! What a surprise! It was actually a gift for both of us, which was made evident by the color of the dutch oven--lime green all the way!

Audrey's Christmas Highlights

Lots of workout clothes and weights that I couldn't even lift while sitting down. I guess I have my work cut out for me :)

Our mess.

Then we had a yummy breakfast...

...and headed to church where we practiced/performed O Holy Night in sacrament meeting all in one shot. Whoops...

Jaden was SO tired that he spent the car ride home and next three hours looking like this:

Then perhaps the coolest part of Christmas was spending the afternoon and Christmas dinner with the missionaries! They didn't have anywhere to go, and we didn't have any family around, so it worked out perfectly! We tried to give them a good and relaxing Christmas experience, which hopefully they had. Dinner took long enough to get ready that by the time we were ready to eat, it was time to skype with my missionary brother Daniel! So the lucky missionaries got to see MORE missionaries on Christmas. Oh well. :) It was SO good to see my brother. It's amazing to see how he's changed from a new missionary to a seasoned missionary over the past 19 months.

After Steve took the missionaries home, we spent more time skyping both of our families and *finally* just relaxing! The day after Christmas was more relaxing than Christmas itself as we slept in and took a risk taking Jaden to Sherlock Holmes. He did well and overall we had such a great holiday. It was a very merry Christmas for us, quiet and full of love and the spirit of Christ. We hope it was wonderful for all of you as well!

One year older and wiser too

2012-01-01T19:51:00.008-07:00

Jaden had a birthday, shout hooray!

We threw a penguin and peppermint birthday bash to celebrate.

Some documentation of the festivities:

Trying out his new walker! (Goodbye high chair, haha)

BIRTHDAY MORNING!!!!

Good Morning Jaden!!!

Birthday bath!

Opening presents!

We can't believe our baby is one already!

Jaden went to the doc for his 12 month check up and here are his stats:

Weight: 23 lbs (50th percentile)

Height: just shy of 30 inches (50th percentile)

Head: not sure how many inches but it's the 98th percentile! Poor kid doesn't stand a chance to have anything but a big head with the two families he comes from!

Right now Jaden:

Jabbers all day long (mostly dada--mama remains to be seen)

Is so laid back and easy going--happy to play with toys in one part of the room for like a half hour at a time

Waves hi and bye

Can say woof woof like a doggie

Smiles at everything

Loves to have Dad spin him around and get dizzy

Crawls everywhere, just discovered the stairs, and has even taken a few steps!

LOVES the piano

Still wears some 9 month clothes, but phasing into 12 month

Sleeps about 10 hours a night

We love you Jaden and we're so happy you're in our family!!

Family Christmas Pics 2011

2012-01-01T19:40:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas from the Howells!!

*and Happy Birthday Jaden!!*

Once Upon a December

2012-01-01T18:58:00.003-07:00

One day I'll be caught up on our blog...

Until then, here's part of our December, in pictures:

*Christmas parade*

*Virtual hiking via google--someone must miss the mountains...*

*Loving the Christmas packages from the mailman*

*The ornaments kept getting moved up higher and higher on the tree*

*Discovering that the high chair makes a good walker*

*Very flattering family photo at the ward Christmas party*

*Birthday eve--so tired*

November Temple Day

2011-12-19T08:40:00.004-07:00

We made it to the temple on the second weekend in November. We hadn't been there together since May, so it was long overdue. We're trying out different ways to do the day; this time we drove there and back in one day, each taking a turn going to a session while the other one stayed with Jaden outside or in the visitor's center. While we missed being in the temple together, it was definitely cheaper and more simple than arranging to go with another couple and staying over the night before. We like both ways though, so maybe we'll have to do a little of both. I thought the day would be crazy busy, but with all the driving time, quiet time in the temple, and down time just hanging around the grounds, it was actually a very relaxing and spiritual day.

I wish we lived closer to a temple, but it's been good for us to sacrifice and learn to plan the temple into our busy lives, no matter how far away it is. It's definitely been an adjustment this year with a baby, though. However, I think I've learned a lesson from my friend Megan. I remember her writing on her blog about how her goal with her husband at the beginning of the year was to attend the temple something like three times in the year. For them being far away from one with small children, that's a realistic goal. I think we're going to try to do the same thing--we'll set a goal for a number of times that will stretch us, but not expect ourselves to make it once a month. That's just not going to happen right now, and I'm learning to be okay with it. While I'm missing the ease of having a temple close by, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to go at all. It was such a good day and so fun to spend it with my lovely little family. :)

Oh and now a trip to the DC area isn't complete without a visit to Cafe Rio! I miss the ease of getting to that place too...Jaden loved it and I couldn't be more proud! Thanks Steve for being willing to always go there for me :)

Punkin' Chunkin' 2011

2011-12-13T21:23:00.005-07:00

Canons. Trebuchets. Slingshots.

All ways you can use to try to shoot a pumpkin into the sky as far as you possibly can...?

That's what happens at Punkin' Chunkin', anyway!

The first weekend in November is the annual event. It's a big deal, filled with 50,000+ people who come out from all over the country both to participate and watch. The Discovery Channel even comes each year and films for a special episode they air on Thanksgiving.

Seriously, thousands of people piling into a huge cornfield to launch pumpkins?

Awesome.

We tried to go last year, but the hour long line of cars waiting on long country roads was more than we had patience for. So this year we planned ahead and went early in the morning. It was SO cold! And by so cold, I mean probably in the 30s. We're kind of spoiled here.

We saw a grand total of three pumpkins launch the entire time we were there. They go so far and so fast it's hard to even see them. The farthest distance one of the canons shot a pumpkin was almost a mile. So what do 50,000 people do if they can't see what's going on? Drink, of course. Seriously, I think most people come just for the tailgating. It was like NASCAR minus the racing. Last year we saw people selling t-shirts that said "Punkin' Chunkin' 2010--Let's Get Smashed." Hahaha, yep. That's basically what happens.

Steve's entire department and their families were invited to a tailgate put together by a client. We had a really good time. We enjoyed trying to find the trebuchets that were going off one at a time so we could actually see a "punkin'" being "chunked"; walking past all the food and merchandise vendors; listening to the bands play on the stage; eating LOTS of food; laughing at Jaden as he experienced s'mores and Cheetos for the first time; spending time with friends, work associates and acquaintances by a much appreciated campfire; and the Pampers diaper changing station (I am a HUGE fan of that thing that manages to show up at all major events).

Some things we didn't enjoy: hearing the f-bomb more times in one day than I've probably heard in my entire life; long lines for icky porta-potties; and being out with a baby in the cold for so long without a stroller (my bad). Other than that, we had a great time! I probably wouldn't take kids between the ages of 6 and oh, probably 21. Or maybe I'm just not used to a redneck, country atmosphere and I just need to be corrupted a little more? Hmm, no thanks :). I had to laugh at this sign, though. Kathryn, if you're reading this, this sign totally reminded me of you, hahaha :).

Anyway, here's Punkin' Chunkin' in pictures. It's definitely an experience we couldn't pass up! Redneck for sure, but oh so fun!

This is Halloween, Halloween

2011-11-30T10:13:00.005-07:00

Since it's been a month since Halloween, I thought I'd finally get around to blogging about it!

This year was so much fun. Halloween is a lot different with a house and a baby. We loved decorating our house, dressing Jaden up, taking him trick-or-treating to some of the neighbors, and handing out candy to all the kids who came to our door.

We had a week's worth of festivities before the actual holiday rolled around. First, a town in our area had a mid-week Halloween parade so we got to see fun costumes, hear a bunch of high school bands and wave at the cool small town floats.

We went to a pumpkin carving Halloween party put on by some of our friends from our previous ward. Jaden was pretty excited about all those pumpkins.

Saturday was our ward Halloween party put on by the Young Women and Young Men. Sadly I didn't get any pictures...?!?! It was dinner and trunk-or-treating, but unfortunately it was too cold for us to actually use our trunks. So no worries, we just trick-or-treated in the building instead! The YW/YM also held a dessert auction as a fundraiser for their camps this coming year. I may or may not have spent $45 on the most amazing/deathly butterscotch caramel cheesecake our friend Camille made. Steve and I shared one piece when we got home and he took the rest to work with him. It was intense stuff and there's no way we could have finished it.

On Monday--the actual holiday--Jaden and I went to see Daddy at work so everybody could see him in his little chicken costume.

I may be biased, but I thought he made a pretty cute chicken. :)

I surprised Steve with a Halloween dinner when he got home from work. We had butternut squash soup and salad. It was basically the same meal we had at the Howell Halloween party in Utah, so I wanted to recreate it for Steve since he missed out on that one.

Then it was trick-or-treating time! Jaden loved seeing all the kids coming to the door and couldn't wait to head out himself!

We very daringly set our candy bowl out on our front door step so we could both go with Jaden to visit some neighbors. To our surprise (and disappointment) there was still quite a bit of candy when we got back. Every single Reeses was gone though, darn it :).

There is a house close to us that TOTALLY goes ALL out with their decorations. It's like an outdoor Halloween museum. We had to go check it out to finish out our night!

Keep runnin' runnin', keep runnin' runnin'

2011-11-29T07:38:00.005-07:00

I have officially accomplished my goal to race in a 10K!

I originally wanted to run a Halloween race out here, but when I found out that our plans wouldn't allow me to run it, I looked up races in Utah for when I would be out there. I ended up signing myself up for the 10K at the Layton Marathon race, along with my mom and brother. *Side note: when I asked them if they would run it with me, I got a couple of "sure, why not?" type of responses. I was a little annoyed that they could commit to that so easily and were ready to go without training, because it was a HUGE deal for me and I had spent weeks preparing for it. Basically I was just jealous that they're in such great shape and I wasn't :)*

They were so great to wake up early and wait around for an hour in the freezing cold. Then they ran at my pace the whole way, which was a LOT slower than what they could have done it in if they were racing for themselves. I was really grateful for their support and encouragement. Plus Peter is hilarious and made us laugh the whole way.

(PS check out my sweet bib number :). We put them on our legs because we were wearing jackets in the beginning that we knew we'd probably take off.)

We finished! We ran it in 1:05:33. Not an amazing time, but my goal was 1:06:00 (a little bit faster than an 11 minute mile), so I was happy about it! Plus I was proud of myself for accomplishing a goal that I had worked so hard on. I didn't care what my time was--I was just so happy that I DID IT!

A big surprise came when we checked our times to see where we placed. Pedro came in second in his age group and would be receiving an award! He didn't want to hang around for it, but there was no way I was going to pass up that photo op. So we stayed and froze for a good hour, waiting for the awards ceremony.

While we waited, we joked that it would be hilarious if Peter won second place out of only two runners. Sure enough, after they called his name there wasn't a third place award given, so that means there were only two people in his age group. Hahaha, we were laughing about it for the next few weeks. I was still proud of him, though :). I'm sure he could have come in first if he wasn't running at my pace...

When I first committed to run a 10K, my sister in-law Brittany and brother in-law Shawn decided that they wanted to work up to one, as well. Theirs was in Highland the week after mine and was actually during the time that I would be visiting the Howells. So, like a crazy person, I asked if I could tag along and run that race, too. I was so worried that my body would fight against me because I had pushed really hard the week before (after Saturday's 10K, I had run EIGHT miles on Monday--the longest I had ever run!). Shawn and Brittany had been running at a much faster pace than me, so I said goodbye to them right at the starting line and figured I'd do worse than I had the week before. But somehow I pulled through and shaved SIX MINUTES off my time!?!?! That's like a minute a mile! I have no idea how I did it, but it felt awesome! I ran it in 59:38--under an hour! When I got to the very end, saw the time and realized I could finish in under an hour, I just pushed it for all I was worth. It felt SO good! Shawn and Britt did amazing. Britt even suffered from a killer side ache around mile 3 but was able to pull it together and still accomplished her goal to finish in under an hour. She's seriously incredible. When I get a side ache, I'm walking home :). I'm so proud of them!

Huge thanks to Stan and Julie who came out to cheer us on and snap pictures!

While we were waiting for our places to be posted, we were joking about Peter's second place experience and thought it would be funny if the same thing happened to Shawn. Then sure enough, Shawn won third place...out of three. Hahaha, we were rolling! Shawn wore his medal loud and proud though!

They're so cute together and I just love them :). I'm working really hard to try to catch up to Britt's pace but I don't think it's ever going to happen...

Since this post is so long in coming, I actually have an update about how I've been doing with my running since these races. It was REALLY hard to get into a routine when I got back home after Utah. I was used to having babysitters who could take Jaden as long as I wanted, and I don't have that here. Leslie, my running buddy, will run with me when she's visiting her parents (Steve's boss who lives in our neighborhood) so Connie (her mom) will watch our babies. It's definitely easier to go then, when I have a babysitter and someone to motivate me and push me harder and farther. But Leslie's not here all the time, and it's hard to go when she's not around.

It's also hard with the changing seasons and especially when I'm not training for something. I feel like I need to be invested in a race or something to really motivate myself. The next step from a 10K is a half marathon, which seems like a HUGE jump. It's one thing to double your distance from 5 to 10, but it's another to double it from 10 to a half (13.1 miles). Then one day Leslie told me about a 15K (9.3 miles) that is put on in DC in December and we decided to work toward that. I found out I wouldn't be able to make it to that race (not to mention it was really expensive), so we decided to just do it on our own.

And we did it! We just ran our 15K the Saturday after Thanksgiving! We didn't worry about time or anything, although we ran it in approx. 1:43:00 which is about an 11 min mile. I'm really glad we ran it, especially together, because that proved that we have what it takes to prepare for a half. So that's our next goal! We'll probably run a 10 mile race in February and then do a half next April or May.

I just want to train for our half a lot better than I did for our 15K. I wasn't running very consistently, my distance wasn't anywhere near what it should have been, and I haven't been eating very well. Basically, I wasn't ready for it and my knees really felt it. I want to run safely and take care of my body. Nine miles is a huge distance to just go out and run. But wow, if there's ever a time to run a long distance or race, it's the Saturday after Thanksgiving when you've been carbo-loading for a few days straight!

Anyway, I'm really starting to love running and I'm hoping I can keep it up through these grueling winter months. Any advice from all you runners out there on how to stay motivated during the winter? Or how to find time to run when you have babies? Please don't tell me it's to go at 5 am--I really don't want to hear it, although I know it's probably the best option. ;) Seriously though, any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Utah in October part 2

2011-11-29T06:32:00.004-07:00

Wow, I'm really behind on my blogging.

Here's the rest of our trip to Utah--the time we spent with the Howells!

Jaden and Poco took some time getting reacquainted with each other. Poor Poco was kind of jealous at first of everyone's attention going to the baby, but he learned to put up with it. He was even patient with Jaden trying to pet him, play with his collar and follow him around. Jaden was fascinated with the dog--even took some begging lessons from him. :)

We had an early Howell Family Halloween party, complete with butternut squash soup, homemade caramel apples, and games. It was great to have everyone together, especially all the college kids who are away from home. We even caught Steve on Skype for a few minutes because that was the night he was home in between trips.

On Sunday we took a drive through the Alpine Loop to see all the leaves. The drive goes from American Fork Canyon back through the mountains and comes out through Provo Canyon. When we got to Provo, we made the rounds to everyone's apartments--Emily, Shawn and Brittany, and Jake. It was so fun to see where everyone lives!

(I also saw Peter's apartment in Provo while I was in Utah. He's living in the complex where Steve and I met. Oh the memories ;))

Anyway, the colors peaked while I was in Utah, and our drive was GORGEOUS. These are definitely the mountains Steve and I miss so much.

And then of course Julie and I did a WHOLE lot of shopping and crafting it up while I was there. We made it to Taiwan Imports and Tai Pan Trading where I so wisely decided to buy a pencil tree for my entry way. It ended up costing as much to ship it home as it did to buy it :). Steve just laughed at me. Anyway, then Julie introduced me to Hobby Lobby and I don't think I'll ever be the same! We have one out here, which is going to be dangerous to my budget. I sure wish we had a Tai Pan, but oh well, I'll take what I can get. :) Julie also let me use her digital scrapbooking program to make some things for Jaden's birthday party coming up, and she helped me make vinyl lettering on her Cricut for Jaden's bathroom. I'll have to put up some pictures if I ever get caught up on our blog.

It was so fun to spend time with everyone--especially Spencer who hung out with me at home, and Brittany and Emily who took time out of their days to meet me on campus.

Jaden and I miss everyone so much!

so many new tricks!

2011-11-01T09:54:00.002-06:00

Jaden has changed SO much in the past month.

Seriously, Steve came home to a brand new baby.

In the past few weeks Jaden started crawling!

At first he would only move toward the right motivation,

aka my phone because he knows he's not supposed to have it,

but now he's all over the place.

He also got his very first HAIRCUT!

Oh my goodness, he needed it pretty badly because it was getting ratty on the ends and wouldn't stay combed, but it was pretty traumatizing for his mom.

My baby is just growing up too fast and now he looks like a little boy!

He's been getting more and more big boy food.

So far he likes salsa, avocados, olives, crackers, bread, ice cream, etc.

And he has a TOOTH!

It's not all the way out yet, but it cut through while we were in Utah.

He loves his walker.

Grandma Hayward had one at her house,

so by the time we came home he was ready to cruise all over our house!

It's not going to be long before he's walking...

Jaden is also pulling himself up to standing against furniture, his crib, Mom's leg, and almost everything else!

The other day he even managed to get onto the dishwasher by himself.

Nothing is safe anymore!

This past week he also started walking along the furniture after he pulled himself up.

My goodness, it's amazing what can happen in one month of a little guy's life!

Hong Kong October 2011

2011-11-01T09:04:00.006-06:00

Steve came home from Germany for a grand total of one day and then headed the other direction around the world to Hong Kong.

He was there and in mainland China for another week.

He took Flat Stanley to a restaurant with amazing views overlooking Hong Kong.

Another restaurant in mainland China (I forget where exactly) seats 10,000 people at once.

Crazy! They ate there about three times.

The food was crazy as well.

At this restaurant they could pick out the exact animal they wanted to eat (mostly seafood like these little turtles)--almost all of which were still alive--and it would be taken to the kitchen to be cooked however they wanted.

Mmmm...chicken paws.

They made friends with a Buddhist monk.

Of course they had lots of meetings as well.

Steve got plenty of opportunities to use his Chinese.

Flat Stanley in China!

He loved Hong Kong, but was definitely excited to see this little guy when we finally got home!

Cologne Germany October 2011

2011-11-01T08:45:00.002-06:00

Steve spent a week in October doing business in Cologne, Germany.

Poor guy has it really rough.

Lots of wining and dining in expensive European restaurants.

For example, at this restaurant they actually ate in the wine cellar of the restaurant.

Steve was given a Flat Stanley by a member of our ward to take with him on his business trips, so he got a few pictures with him outside the cool, HUGE cathedral in Cologne.

Steve was able to meet up with Laura while he was there.

Laura was a foreign exchange student from Germany who stayed with Steve's family for a school year back in 2008.

We love her to death and Steve was glad he was able to see her for an evening.

He had a good trip and came back with lots of German chocolate, just like he promised. :)

Utah in October part 1

2011-11-01T07:27:00.006-06:00

Okay, since October is now over, maybe I should blog about it...?

I was home for a grand total of nine days the entire month.

Steve had a couple of business trips back to back, so Jaden and I decided to go visit all the family in Utah!

We stayed for three weeks--the 2nd to the 23rd--and got lots of good family time in.

We had a few visits with Great Grandma Hayward...

Visited Aunt Brittany and Aunt Emily on BYU campus...

(miss those mountains!)

Saw Jaden's other "Aunt" Emily when we went to lunch...

Watched Grandma's volleyball game...

Got together with friends...

(Jess, we realized we needed to take a picture as we were all heading out the door and we just missed you! But I'm so glad I got to see you!)

I also got to see several other friends as well but didn't get pictures...??

Anna, Lisa, Ali, Jessie, Mal--thanks for seeing me!

Played lots of piano...

Went miniature golfing...

Cheered on the cougars...

(I consider it my responsibility as a mother to bring Cougar Football into Jaden's life :) and it was SO fun taking him to a game! He was so tired at the end but he did so well.)

Went to see Captain America and carved pumpkins...

And of course there were a couple of family parties, shopping in Park City, and visits to my favorite restaurants:

Baja Cantina, Cafe Rio, Zupas, Kneaders and the Lion House.

a blessing and a curse

2011-09-27T16:07:00.006-06:00

My jogging stroller.

Oh man, I'm so grateful for it, but it's SO hard to run with. Even Leslie (my running buddy who sadly just moved away) who pushes a jogging stroller, too, thinks mine is really hard to push. Every time I run with it, I try to decide whether it's a blessing or a curse to my poor body. Usually "curse" wins. :)

This past week (last Thursday?), I ran a 10K distance for the first time in my life!

6.2 miles.

And I ran it WITH A JOGGING STROLLER.

I was so proud of myself, I almost jumped up and down and shouted out loud as I crossed my imaginary finish line by my mailbox. However, I think our neighbors probably think we're already weird enough (we don't drink???), so I figured I wouldn't give them any more reasons to question our sanity. But holy moly, I was excited. Never mind it took me seriously an hour and a half. I was just so happy to have completed that. I was shooting for 6 miles to begin with, but after about 3.5 miles, I was done. So I decided that I'd run as long as Jaden was being good, and as soon as he started getting restless, I'd stop. Yeah, that well-behaved kid made me run the whole stinking distance. He sure knows how to challenge his mom, in a good way of course :).

Anyway, I'm hoping that running with a jogging stroller will help me over prepare for the race I have coming up, so I don't crash and burn. I'm more than a little worried about it, but I know that running is totally psychological, so I'm just pretending like I'm ready. Hopefully it works.

Also, on a totally vain note, I decided that for a boost for each race I run, I'm going to buy something new to wear for it. For my 5K in July it was new shorts. This time I got a moisture wicking technical t-shirt. Holy moly, those shirts changed my life, especially because of how humid it is out here. I sweat SO bad in regular t-shirts and finally Leslie let me have one of hers to try and seriously I don't think I can ever go back. Oh the things you learn as a new little runner :). So for date night I made Steve take me out to the outlets and I picked out a new shirt at the Nike store. Bright pink. So yeah, I know that sounds funny and vain, but it makes me feel legit, so I don't care. Plus Steve agreed that it was a good reward for training so hard.

Rock on.

Oh and a bonus about the jogging stroller?

Totally giving me the best arm workout ever, as well.

That monster is seriously both a blessing and a curse.

So much to say

2011-09-09T08:01:00.003-06:00

I promised my brother I'd post this video.

I took this on Sunday while we were skyping my parents.

We were laughing so hard!

I was thinking a few days ago about how blogging has kind of become my family journal, so I figured I might as well take a minute to describe how our life is right now. I know I'll forget a year down the road if I don't. So here's a quick update on our little family:

Jaden is sitting up really well. He's spending more time on his tummy, too, scooting around backwards and in circles. You can tell he really wants to move forward and gets frustrated when he can't, so crawling isn't too far away. Still no teeth, but his bottom two are looking closer and closer each day. He has such a fun personality. He's pretty laid back, unless you get him excited--see video, haha. He's chatting more and more. He says dada and baba, but not in relation to anything or anyone yet. He's not a big laugher, but we can get him going every once in a while. But he has huge smiles all day long!

I'm staying busy, which has been really good for me. Jaden and I go to two playgroups a week. One is in the evenings that a girl in my neighborhood does where we read a bible story, sing a song and do an activity. The other one is done by my friends in our old ward. We switch houses every week and let the kids play so the moms can chat. Every few weeks we'll go out and do activities like berry picking, a park, etc. It's been really good to make friends and talk to other adults during the week. I've also been trying to work out consistently. I'm training for a 10K (ahh!) in October. I'm friends with a girl in our neighborhood (who is actually the daughter of Steve's boss, and a member of the church) who has kind of the same exercise background as me. She also has a daughter who is three months older than Jaden and she picked up running as a way to lose her baby weight. She's way ahead of me though--she's already done a 10K and is working toward a half marathon. But she's been my running buddy lately and I've pushed myself so much harder with her help. We're also motivating each other to get to our goal weights. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I have six more pounds to be where I want. So our reward is pedicures once we get there. :)

Steve is oh so busy. Between work and being the YM president/scoutmaster, some days he doesn't have time to turn around. But he loves his job and the YM. He's such a doer that I don't think he'd want it any other way. He does appreciate being able to relax every now and then on the weekends, after he's completed his to-do list that's always about 30 things long, of course. And on top of that he's such an awesome dad. Jaden is turning into such a daddy's boy. As soon as Steve walks in the door, Jaden better be in his arms or else there are plenty of tears. It's so fun to see them bonding (again, see video).

We're settling into life here more and more. We still try to explore this area on our date nights to figure out the best restaurants/beaches/activities/festivals etc. Overall we're becoming more relaxed with life (and by "we" I mean "me"--I think Steve's been adjusted for awhile). We really do love where we're living and life is good. :)

Life is a Highway

2011-08-30T18:53:00.010-06:00

Get ready for one long picture-filled post. I was going to do a bunch of individual posts, but I'm lucky to be posting at all, so everything is getting crammed into one. This is a four-post-in-one phenomenon, people. Watch out. :)

August sure has been full of adventures! One day I was talking to Steve about my personal adjustment to living out here (that's a post for another day), and in part of our conversation he said, "You know, you can take Jaden to the beach by yourself. You don't need to wait for me." I was a little surprised because a) I would have never thought to venture to the beach by myself with a baby, even though it's so close and b) I thought he'd feel left out if I went without him. But he really didn't mind and actually gave me a challenge to go to the beach one day a week before it gets too cold. Um, okay...if you insist. :) So I packed Jaden up one Friday and took him to the beach. And it was glorious...for about an hour. Then he was no longer interested in being on the towel and instead wanted to feel the sand and rub his eyes simultaneously. So we were done. But I like that activity: beach for an hour in the mornings once a week? I could get used to it.

Then the next weekend my mom came into town to stay with Jaden for a couple of days while Steve and I drove to Moline, Illinois. Yep, that's right. Illinois and back in two days. The reason: we bought a car from my parents (in Utah) and were giving our Accord to Steve's parents (also in Utah). So each car drove across the entire country--we just switched cars halfway through. Stan and Jake were so nice to take their whole weekend to drive out and meet us. We left our home at 6 p.m. on Friday, drove straight through and got to Moline at 10:30 the next morning, had a late breakfast with Stan and Jake at Panera, turned around and drove back to the Ohio/Pennsylvania border that day, stayed the night and drove the rest of the way back home on Sunday. It was an intense road trip, to say the least. (Most of which was done in the rain--how can it rain across most of the country all at once?) Intense, with about $70 worth of tolls. Ouch. But we have a new car and Spencer has a car for high school! I actually really miss Savvy, though. Steve and I were reminiscing about that car. We had our first kiss in it, talked for the first time about getting married, had endless meaningful conversations over the years, commuted to Provo every day, drove across the country together to our new home, etc. We also paid a lot of money in repairs :). But it was such a good car and I'm sad to see it go.

It was also hard to be away from my baby for two days. But he had tons of fun with his grandma, and I was so grateful she was willing to come stay with him. She even brought our whole family surprises! This year's BYU football shirts for Steve and me, and a bigger BYU hat for Jaden. We're a little excited for football season around here. I also got to take her to the beach while she was here. I was glad she got the opportunity, because she's only been here in November, January and April when this area is a ghost town. It was fun to show her all the touristy stuff that happens in the summer when everyone flocks to the beaches.

And lastly, I have to throw these pictures on because I just like them. Lately Jaden has had his first diaper rash. Holy moly, it was just one of those weeks where you think, "Wow, why didn't anyone ever tell me motherhood would be like this?" Cleaning up wet and poopy messes ALL day long because you're trying to let your baby air dry as much as possible gets really taxing after a few days. Add in all the sink baths and dirty laundry, and all thoughts of motherhood being glamorous go straight out the window. And then you realize that yes, EVERY mother you've ever talked to has told you to look forward to this very experience, but you didn't think it could be THAT bad. Well, it's not that bad, but just really taxing. We're almost done with it, though, thank goodness. No more cute bare bums on the floor.

And here's the last picture, I promise. We have a little concert pianist in our midst! This boy LOVES the piano. We hope it lasts. (And don't worry, Steve's right behind him in this picture. I wouldn't just let him sit there by himself :) ).

Whew! All caught up! Ten points to whoever is still reading this. Here's to hoping September is a little less wild and crazy. Although, it wouldn't be our life if that were the case...

sew many quilts

2011-08-23T14:09:00.005-06:00

Wow, I have so much to blog about!

I'm getting behind.

Like how I have finished my first ever quilt!

It's been done for about a month, but I'm still really proud of myself, so I'm dedicating a whole post to it. :)

Now that it's finished I look at it and see all my mistakes, but you know what?

I don't care.

Actually, that's a lie.

I care a lot, haha.

But even though this project was a very basic, very novice quilt,

it definitely got me out of my comfort zone and stretched my talents.

So I'm displaying it proudly over my sofa anyway.

Just don't look too closely at my corners.

Steve's Aunt Jan has a quilting machine, so while I was in Utah I got to use it!

Sew fun! (haha, oh please...)

I took it up to our family reunion at the Heber Valley Girls Camp and learned how to bind during craft time.

Voila!

The finished product!

Thank you Julie for guiding me step by step!

It was so fun to do this project with you!

I'm ready for the next one... :)

Going, going, stuck.

2011-08-22T08:34:00.003-06:00

Oh no, we're getting to the mobile stage!

The nugget's not quite crawling yet, but he's got a kind of subtle backwards scoot going on right now.

You can't really tell he's moving, but all of a sudden he gets from his blanket to the other end of the room...and stuck under the entertainment center.

Haha, we were laughing so hard!

And like the mean parents we are,

we had to take a picture before we got him out :).

I heart NY

2011-08-13T09:22:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Steve had to take a last minute business trip to NYC.

So of course I begged and pleaded to tag along!

We actually ended up staying with Steve's parents who were there on business as well.

I love that city and it was so fun to be there with Steve, Jaden, Stan and Julie.

We crammed in as much as possible on the weekend and then Julie and I braved the city on our own while the men worked on Monday and Tuesday.

Did I mention that I love love love that city?

Endless things to do, people to see, places to eat, stairs to climb... :)

Steve and I are getting to be pro at cramming as much as we can into whatever amount of time we have.

Here's what we included in our "turbo tourist" time in the Big Apple:

Train ride from Jersey. Penn Station. Subway. One bedroom apartment rental in Upper West Side. Broadway. Wicked matinee. Times Square. New York style pizza. Toys R Us (never attempt NYC with a baby without an umbrella stroller--you'll need one. Baby Bjorns won't cut it). Grand Central Station. Chinatown. Little Italy for stuffed artichokes and Italian ice. Church (in the same building as the temple). Visit with friends serving as missionaries. Stan's trade show. Walk through Central Park. Concert by music group from Yemen. White Collar. Fifth Avenue. Diaper change in Tiffany's (seriously, the nicest stores have the nicest bathrooms...don't even try to find a bathroom in Forever 21). FAO Schwartz. View of NBC Studios and Radio City Music Hall. Attempt to see Museum of Natural History--twice--and catch the last 10 minutes. Hill Country BBQ. Shake Shack. More Central Park. Mexican food. Gray's Papaya. Carmine's. Crumbs Bakery cupcakes. Train back to Jersey. Drive home.

Thanks for such a fun trip, Stan and Julie!

We loved hanging out with you!

Jaden's Six Month Pictures

2011-08-12T21:09:00.007-06:00

Love his little personality :).

Photos courtesy of Monkeyface Photography

Utah. Life elevated.

2011-08-05T13:41:00.011-06:00

Vacation days. Utah. Surprise visit. BBQ with family. 4th of July. Happy Birthday Mom. Parades. Festivals. Park City. Baja Cantina. Alpine Slide. Boating. Shopping. Provo. Simple Grace. Zupas. Lunches with friends. Temple. Cafe Rio. Biking. Time with Grandma. 5K running. More parades and festivals. Church in old wards. Laura. Family dinner. Quilting. Roasting hot dogs. More shopping. PF Chang's. Walking at the park. Emily's job interviews. More Zupas. Running. More temple. Swinging on the swings. More quilting. Family picnic in the park. Ultimate Frisbee. Harry Potter. Missionary fireside. Hiking. Tucanos. Gateway. Cheesecake Factory. More running and biking. More Zupas. Family pictures. Logan. First time away from Jaden overnight. Elements. Anniversary Inn surprise. Taj Mahal. Birds Eye shooting trip. Dutch oven cooking. More hiking. More temple. Thai food. Family reunion at Heber Valley Camp. Canoeing. Zip line. Sevens game. Play pen in the cabin. More quilting. BBQ with friends. Pack up. Chat at the airport. Home.

Three marvelous weeks in Utah with family.

July 2-24th, 2011.

(July 16-24th for Steve)

974 pictures.

Here are 12.

Thank you everyone for such a wonderful trip!

We miss you all and wish we could have spent more time with everyone!

Love you!

playing catch up

2011-07-01T08:30:00.004-06:00

Wow, where did June go?

We haven't had a lot going on,

but I swear every time I've turned around these past two weeks,

Jaden has been doing something new.

So here's what we've been up to:

First time on the swings at the park.

Mom tried to re-introduce the pacifier with a bigger size.

It lasted about as long as it took to take the picture.

No cute baseball and football binkies for us, I guess.

Time for solids!

He got a little teaser with pears before Mom and Dad learned that you start with the orange veggies first (how does everybody know this stuff?).

Anyway, Jaden has been chowing down on carrots, sweet potatoes, and now squash!

And of course the not-as-yummy rice cereal as well...meh...

My baby is sitting up all by himself!

Father's Day lovin'.

Playing with Dad (and drooling on Dad...).

FINALLY fitting into his BYU jammies.

I've been waiting for this day... :)

Love his huge smiles!

(Still no teeth...just trying to memorize this cute toothless smile before it changes)

And that's pretty much it.

In other news...

today is our birthday!

Yep, OUR birthday.

Steve's and mine.

We're kind of celebrating throughout the whole month, a little at a time.

Why is it so hard to get older?

I still feel like I'm 20.

But anyway, Happy Birthday to us!

I love you Steven and I hope you have the best day ever!

Here's to a great year being 26/24!!

ohhhhhh say can you see

2011-06-16T08:26:00.005-06:00

Last weekend Steve got free tickets through work to go to the Baltimore Orioles game. So we packed up the munchkin, picked up our friends Skye and Cody, and made a weekend out of it!

We got to the stadium and it turned out that we had GREAT seats.

Like, we got to go up the small escalator with a guard checking tickets and then enter through a door into an air conditioned hallway filled with lounges, food vendors and all the private company boxes. No, we weren't in a box, but it was pretty much the next best thing.

Jaden was a star at the game. I think he was the only baby there.

Maybe because everybody else was smart enough to leave their five month olds at home for a Friday night game? Right when we got our tickets scanned, the guy working the door asked us if Jaden was a first timer. Um, yep. So he told us to go to the fan appreciation center and pick up a special gift. Jaden got a certificate and a bunch of Orioles propaganda-schedule of the season, a poster, some vintage baseball cards, etc. Lucky boy! Then on our way to our seats, SIX more employees asked us if he was a first timer and if we had gone to the fan appreciation center to get his gift. They're good at what they do, that's for sure. :)

I was a little worried about how Jaden would do at such a late night game. With an hour long rain delay before the start of the game, it was looking like we would be there pretty late. But he did just fine--right up until the Star Spangled Banner. Apparently Orioles fans shout "Ohhhhhhhhhhhh" really loud at the line "Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave"--yeah it totally scared me and our poor baby completely freaked out! So after that, he was done. Every cheer, especially for the home run at the beginning of the game, totally did him in. We were really lucky to have such great seats because I took him out into the air conditioned lounge, sat on a comfy seat and watched the game on TV. Then Steve and I ended up switching places every other inning so we could each see some of the game live. I sure love that hubby of mine.

It was a great game and we had so much fun, even with an incredibly tired baby. Then we all crammed in a free hotel room--thanks to our Marriott points--in the DC area that night so we could make the long drive home the next day. We woke up and headed to the mall for a couple hours to kill some time before going to, ahem, CAFE RIO. Skye and I were SO excited.

Thank you, Cafe Rio, for bringing my pork burrito to the east coast.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. :)

Such a fun weekend and--almost--completely free!

on a white sandy beach of hawaii

2011-06-06T13:58:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe this time last year, Steve and I were in Hawaii with the fam.
(Nine-ish weeks prego and queeeeeasy...)
It's already been a year?!
It's even harder to believe that it's been FIVE years since I was living there as a student for the summer.

Hawaii, I miss you.

I owe a lot of my life to that little island.
It's amazing how such a short period of your life can affect you in so many lasting ways.
My first time really being away from home was actually really hard, even though it was "paradise." I didn't go to party, rather I went for school and to work and it was a struggle in a lot of ways. But you learn the most and grow the most from your struggles. I grew to love Hawaii not because it was fun or paradise (which it still definitely was), but because of how I changed as a person. I became a lot more daring, adventurous, independent and comfortable being by myself. I grew to love different cultures and the way people communicate. For the first time in my life, I lived as a minority among the different races around me. I realized how unique it really is to have blonde hair. :) I did fun things and dumb things--a few I'd take back, but most I'd do again in a heartbeat. I made lifelong friendships and I realized that the United States is not the center of the universe.

Fast forward two years.
I honestly think I owe my marriage (at least in part) to Hawaii.
Steve took me out on our first date in June 2008 (he didn't know he asked me on a date, but that's a story for a different day) and while he was cool and really fun to hang out with, I wasn't interested in a serious relationship. But he surprised me with a little bit of intrigue--he was leaving the next week to live in Hawaii for the summer.
Um, hello?!
I wanted to hear all about his experiences. I gave him my list of everything I'd done, along with everything I wish I had done, and told him I wanted a full report with pictures when he got back. He actually texted me a couple times while he was there, which I think I ignored (oops :)) but then when he got back, he asked me out again. I was totally turned off to dating and boys at the time, but I really wanted to hear how his summer was, so I agreed to go.
The rest is history. :)

My memories of this island are pretty much summed up in this song:

So thank you, Hawaii.
Thanks for changing my life.
I can't wait to see you again.
I hope it's soon.

Howell Family Trip 2010

Spring/Summer Term 2006
(I don't know where my summer term pics are so these are only spring...oh I hope I didn't lose them....?!)

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-02T09:59:00.002-06:00

We were so excited for a three day weekend that we thought we'd cram as much as possible into every minute!

On Friday night, our friends Cody and Skye came up to our house and we had an evening of pizza, Bananagrams and a movie.
They stayed over in our guest room and early the next morning
(after Steve's gourmet breakfast of stuffed creme brulee french toast)
we headed out to the beach!

Jaden has been to the boardwalk several times, but this was his first time out on the sand.
I think he was intrigued with it.
Maybe he's still too little to care... :)

On Sunday we went to church...

...then had a game night at Devan and Cassie's house with Cody and Skye.
We played Power Grid--kind of like Settlers but a lot more fair. :)

Monday was our CRAZY day.
Steve got to drive to the church (which is 30 min away) THREE times to take care of the flag.
In the morning he did a flag raising ceremony with the scouts,
then we got to go back in the afternoon to raise it from half staff to full,
and one more time in the evening to take it down.
So we just planned our Memorial Day activities around it!
We went to a state park close to us to do some, ahem, nature walking.
It can't be considered hiking if there's absolutely no change in elevation.
But we'll take what we can get!
We found a five mile trail around a pond and it ended up being really fun.
Jaden did really well in the backpack, aside from having to stay in his long sleeve jammies because Mom didn't want him to get sunburned.
It took him a little while to get used to being carted around, but then he slept for most of the way.
But holy moly, was it ever hot.
I don't know if I'll ever get used to this humidity...

It was a great weekend and I'm already gearing up for the next one! :)

like father, like son

2011-05-28T15:02:00.006-06:00

I think Steve is excited about having a son...

Dozing at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday.
WAY too early to be up...

New backpack!
So excited to go hiking!

Being Superman at the beach

...they're becoming good friends. :)

a day in the life

2011-05-24T12:16:00.006-06:00

Our little nugget is 5 months old today!
I cannot believe how fast the time has gone.
Five months of pregnancy felt like FOREVER
(and then there were still 5 to go...),
but five months of having a baby has just flown by.

Everybody told me that babies would start getting fun at around four months.
I was a little offended at that because I thought my baby was fun right from day one.
(Don't tell me my baby's not fun right now...haha oh geez...)

But seriously, Jaden has changed SO much in the past month.
He is so expressive, chatty and has the biggest smiles all day long.
He's also starting to laugh a little bit, which just melts my heart.
Other than trading in his pacifier for his thumb, I really have nothing to complain about.
He is SUCH a good baby with such a positive, laid back and observant personality.
So yep, four months really is when he has started getting SO fun!

Right now Jaden has a pretty full agenda every day.
The routine changes up a bit from day to day, but for the most part,
this is how a day in Jaden's life usually goes:

Wake up, diaper change, eat.

Start out on the playmat...
(Sometimes he even becomes a multitasker...)

Practice rolling over on the floor...

Then practice sitting up...
Either go for a walk in the stroller
or hang out in the swing while Mom does P90X or Hip Hop Abs...
Chill in the bouncer in the bathroom while Mom showers and gets ready for the day...

Throw in two, sometimes three, naps that usually end up being in the swing...

Get used to the high chair and rice cereal...
(Wow, we should be playing "Where's Jerry the Giraffe?" in all these pictures)

Some good ol' tummy time (probably the least favorite part of the day)
and of course we can't leave out the constant finger sucking...

And then there's the jumparoo of course...

And that's about it!
Of course there's the bottles, good conversations, a few tears and some diaper changes along the way.

But hands down the best part of the day:

When Daddy comes home!

As long as he doesn't encourage more tummy time, that is. :)

Then there's more playing and reading stories,
and of course bath time and time for bed!

Phew!
Busy day for a busy five month old!
We sure love him!

so expressive...

2011-05-24T10:47:00.002-06:00

The following pictures represent about 30 seconds in the life of Jaden.
Try picking your favorite expression.
I can't do it. :)

9 p.m. on Mother's Day

2011-05-17T09:01:00.006-06:00

This is what 9 o'clock at night looks like at our house.
Both boys begging for bedtime.

This was Mother's Day and I think they were both exhausted from pampering me all day long.

Here's how my day went:
Steve got up early to prepare his Young Men's lesson and TURNED OFF the baby monitor so I could sleep in while he took care of the baby.
I woke up to tulips on my kitchen table, along with a letter and a Reeses' from Jaden, and a letter and a Snickers from Steve.
Along with the letters Jaden gave me some money he had been "saving" to go pamper myself in some way (who knew he was so rich?) and Steve gave me some coupons of service.
Meanwhile, Steve had made me cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
Then he got Jaden ready for church so I could get ready.
During church, Steve very willingly (like always) accompanied me on a musical number I was asked to do, then took care of a VERY poopy diaper:
like change-the-outfit poopy.
In fact, he changed every diaper all day long.
Then after church he made me the dinner of my choosing
--homemade Hawaiian pizza--
while we both skyped with my missionary brother and family.
No wonder they were both so tired!
Thank you SO much, boys!
I'm so blessed to have you both and I love you so much!!

This Mother's Day was interesting for me. I feel so bad that I totally dropped the ball on honoring both our mothers this year because I have been totally wrapped up in surviving as a mother myself. The past few weeks (ever since Jaden's breathing episode) were really difficult for me. I think I finally went through the baby blues that come with having a baby. I don't know why, but that breathing experience sent me into the weirdest funk of anxiety that I could not get out of for several weeks. Long story short, I felt incredibly overwhelmed with the responsibility of keeping a child alive and well, and struggled to find the joy in being a mother.

(I don't know why I'm sharing this, other than in an attempt to be transparent and not seem like all my blog does is brag about my seemingly "perfect" life--thanks Anna :))

But I learned so many things during those weeks of struggle with myself.
First, I learned that motherhood is, in fact, hard. (Um, duh?) Up until now, sure it's been hard physically--pregnancy, birth, recovery, sleepless nights, nursing, etc., but I'm just beginning to realize that motherhood is extremely difficult emotionally and spiritually, too. Their problems are your problems, their heartaches and pains are your heartaches and pains, their joys are your joys, and so on.

Which led me to step two of what I've learned--I need to rely heavily and constantly on my Heavenly Father. I can't do it on my own. He knows me and He knows Jaden and if I act with faith instead of fear, He will give me the help and guidance I need. When I was at one of my lowest points, I found this. I had seen it before while I was expecting Jaden, but it means so much more to me now. So anyway, I'm trying to live with the Spirit more abundantly in my heart and home and I've definitely felt a difference.

Third, I am so blessed to have the mothers in my life that I do. My mom and mother in law are amazing examples to me of what motherhood should be. Not only have I learned from their previous experiences when they were in my shoes, but I learn from how they continue to mother today. I talk to each of them at least a couple of times a week, usually with a problem or question, and they're always willing to drop whatever they're doing to help me. Even to the point of dropping their plans for weeks at a time to fly across the country last minute--my mom missed half of Christmas plus the next two and a half weeks when Jaden was born and Julie missed Easter and Emily's prom to help me for a week when I was scared to death of being with Jaden by myself. Even though being across the country from family is lonely and difficult sometimes, they've helped close the distance. They've shown me that being a mother to your kids (no matter how old they are) is more important than money, time, distance or sleep. And when they can't do anything else, they pray for us. And I feel those prayers. I am so grateful for their endless service and motherhood.

Their charity has helped me realize the fourth major thing I've come to understand this week. Charity is not something that simply falls on you when that baby is born. It takes work. My mom is charitable, kind and selfless because she has worked on it for years. It's been a hard adjustment to being a stay at home mom because I've been focusing on the things I've been doing, how I contribute to society, what I'm missing out on in the business world, how I can still keep up my skills and not let my education go to waste. Granted, I realize that I have to take care of myself and it's important to have balance and personal time and interests, but for heaven's sake, I have been so selfish! This time isn't about me growing and developing, it's about taking what I've learned and putting all my hard work and effort into helping my little boy grow and develop. When I realized that, all of a sudden my days weren't long and boring anymore. Nothing really changed in our activities or schedule, but as soon as my attention was more directed to Jaden than myself, I found so much more joy in the things that I'm doing. Not that I was ignoring him before, because I wasn't, but letting go of my pride and just being happy with where I am in life right now has increased my love for him and my gratitude for the opportunity to be his mother.

I can honestly say that I both love and like being a mom. It hasn't been easy to say that these past few weeks, but I am at a point right now where it's true. I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and that Jaden was sent to Steve and me for a reason. I'm so grateful to be learning charity, love, patience and understanding from him. I know that throughout his life this little breathing episode will be nothing compared to what's in store, but hopefully I've begun to learn things that will help me in the trials that continue to come.

Wow, sorry for the personal journal entry, but I just wanted to share some of my thoughts and let some of my dear friends who are new moms know that if you're ever feeling discouraged, you're not alone. I know we don't often see it on Facebook or Blogger, but we all go through the ups and downs of motherhood--physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And even though I live at the end of the world (at least the end of the country) I still think about you all and pray for you! Hang in there, whatever challenge you're going through.
Happy (belated) Mother's Day!
Love you all!

A DC Temple Trip

2011-05-16T10:22:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we went to DC for the weekend

with our friends Devan, Cassie and their little boy Drostan.

We stayed the night on Friday in a hotel in Bethesda so we could make it to the temple early the next morning.
The plan was to have us go to a session while Devan and Cassie watched the kids, then switch and have us watch the kids while they went.

It worked out so well~

well, minus Jaden waking up EVERY 45 minutes all night long.
And Devan and Cassie getting up at 5 to make it to the 6 a.m. session
only to realize when they got to the temple that the sessions didn't start until 8.
Poor guys...
So they came back and went back to bed.
Then we went at 8 while they took Drostan swimming, we brought back breakfast, and we checked out of the hotel and took the boys to the park while they went to the temple.

A couple glitches in the plan, but it was so fun to hang out with them and SO nice to be able to go to the temple together without having to ask someone to watch our baby for 10+ hours while we made the trip.

And before we headed for home we stopped at B.D.'s Mongolian BBQ for lunch.
Um, hello?
How have we never had mongolian barbeque before?
Mine didn't turn out as well as Steve's did, but it was such a fun experience!
I had been gunning for Cafe Rio because they JUST OPENED ONE in the DC area,
but I'm all for a new experience any day.
We'll just have go back another time for my pork burrito, I guess.
(Or I'll just have to make a trip to Utah) :)

Sadly the only pictures I got were at the park, but it was so fun playing with Drostan and Jaden together.
Drostan is three and he's getting a baby brother in July, so he was really excited to play with the "baby boy Jaden."

I had a couple flash forward moments as we were buckling two kids into car seats, going on a walk with the big boy pushing the little boy in the stroller, etc.
I have a feeling we're going to be having boys :) and it's not going to be too long before Jaden is the three year old pushing his little brother in the stroller!
Ahh! Where is time going?

let the festivities begin!

2011-05-09T09:25:00.006-06:00

If there's one thing I absolutely love about summer,

it's festivals!

I love the parades, streets lined with vendors, kids' activities, warm weather, horribly fattening food, patriotism, etc.

One thing that makes up for our lame winters out here (no snow, just cold and dead trees)
is that our warm weather starts really early!
So the festivals have started, too.

Last week we headed to Dover for "Dover Days."
What I should have expected (but didn't) was how people dressed up.
In Utah people celebrate heritage by dressing up as pioneers.
Out here, it's all colonial--looks like the American Revolution.
Complete with wigs, three-corner hats, big poofy dresses, the long jackets with short white pants and stockings, you get the idea.
So cool!

They had a parade, maypole dancing, a Civil War and WWII encampment, tours of old colonial buildings, vendors and tons of food.
It was so fun to get out and soak up some sun and American heritage!

Warning: way too many pictures ahead.

This vendor won our "coolest idea ever" award.
It was a baby changing station!
Complete with a complimentary diaper, wipes, hand sanitizer, changing pad and garbage cans!
Wow, when did we become so lame?
We thought it was awesome. :)
Their way of getting people to stay longer, I guess.Rallying the troops. :)

The other festival we've been to recently was the kite festival on the beach in Ocean City.
We got there pretty late in the afternoon, so we missed a bunch, but it was still fun to see all the crazy kites!
They had competitions where two, three and four kites would do routines and try to stay in sync with each other.
The festival was sponsored, judged and everything.
Who knew kite flying was such an intense hobby?

Our favorite kite was the huge jellyfish just hanging there with its tentacles(?) floating in the air.

There's a section along the boardwalk that always has some kind of Christ centered sand castle.
I don't know who or what church does it, but it's pretty cool.
This one was especially neat because of the Easter season.We love taking Jaden to the beach!

We can't wait for summer!
We're off to a great start already!!

a week of fun with grandma howell

2011-05-04T07:59:00.005-06:00

We had such a great time last week when Steve's mom, Julie, came out to visit.
It was great to have company and someone to hang out with during the day.
Plus she spent lots of time with Jaden, giving me a much needed break and an opportunity to recover from the post traumatic stress I had after his little breathing incident.
I was so grateful she would be willing to come out on short notice and leave everything to help me out for a week.
Thank you SO much, Julie!
And thank you Stan, Emily and Spencer for picking up the slack at home so she could come!
I REALLY needed it and having her here helped immensely.

We did quite a few fun things while she was here.

First: Steve got tickets from work to a game for the minor league baseball team.
It was pretty much the equivalent experience to the Salt Lake Bees games.
We invited our friend Gloria from our ward to come with us and had a great time.
Jaden looked so cute in his little "Cougar in Training" hat!
It's still a little big on him, but I thought it was darling :).

Second: Julie and I spent the week quilting!
Or trying to get around to it, at least.
It's a lot harder with a baby who seems to want to be the center of attention. :)
We struggled to find some quilt shops out here, but finally discovered a couple darling ones!
I started my first quilt ever
(unless you count a really sad rag quilt I tried a few years ago--I don't count it)
and I'm so excited to see how it turns out!
We did a really easy pattern, so I'm hoping to finish it this week.
Because it was such a quick project, Julie gave me an early birthday present to give me another project to work on--one of Moda's new jelly rolls!
The fabrics are darling and I can't wait to use it,
but the hardest thing is deciding what to do with it!
Pillows? Quilt? I don't know.
Quilting is something I never expected to get into, but I'm really enjoying it so far!
Now I just have to wait till July when I can take my projects to Utah to actually quilt them...

I haven't taken a good picture of my quilt yet--this was just a hasty attempt to remember what pieces go where before I forgot, but you get the idea :).
Lime green, yellow and a little pink with stripes, polka dots and paisley...
yep, definitely an Audrey quilt.

Where was Jaden while Julie was teaching me to quilt?
Testing out the jumparoo for the first time!
We had this incredibly large toy donated to us from a generous ward member cleaning out her house, and I'm starting to be so grateful for it.
Jaden likes to be up right now.
Not reclined, not laying down, UP.
So it's a perfect toy to keep him occupied so Mom doesn't have to hold him 24/7.
Man, our sunroom is turning into what Julie calls a "baby gym."
Jumparoo, swing, bouncer, playstation, pack n' play...
We're quickly becoming Jadenized. :)

Third: Julie helped us out and took some family photos of us one night.
We don't have ANY pictures of the three of us, so we caught the last bit of daylight one evening and got a few outside our house.

But first, Jaden got to charm the camera while Mom and Dad were getting ready...

Our little family.
Jaden is FOUR months old already!

We also had fun during the week playing Bananagrams, making freezer jam, going to the mall, eating at Olive Garden, cooking dinner, going to Easter dinner at a ward member's home, and just chatting.
The week went much too quickly.
Thank you so much for coming, Julie!
We loved having you out here!
Love you!

we're still breathing...

2011-04-30T07:16:00.006-06:00

Dad and Jaden in the hospital waiting for some tests.

Last Tuesday our little family found out the hard way what happens when Jaden decides to scare Mom and stop breathing.
(Note: we found a hard way, but thank heavens not the hardest way...)

Here's basically how it goes.

Go to the pediatrician in the afternoon to check out a little cough.
Everything is fine.
Heart is good, lungs are good.
Paranoid first time mom.

Fast forward to evening.
Dad's away at a meeting for scouts.
Jaden wakes up from an evening snooze in his swing, hungry and mad.
He starts having a coughing fit, which makes him more mad.
He holds his breath for awhile, then lets it out.
Then stops breathing.
For several seconds.
Goes limp.
Eyes bug out.
Turns pale, starts to turn blue.

Mom freaks.
Runs with baby to find her phone.
Calls 911.
Puts baby on the couch.
Gives the man information.
Starts CPR.
Jaden comes to for a minute, then goes back out.
A couple times.
Then starts crying.
Paramedics come.
Jaden's crying--they think he's fine.
No big deal?
They think he doesn't need to go to the hospital, but give Mom the option.
Mom decides to wait for Dad and keep an eye on Jaden.
Paramedics leave.
Mom stays cool until Dad gets home.
She hands over the baby and cries. A lot.
Dad gets Jaden to bed.
Mom calls the pediatrician.
Doc is concerned--tells Mom it's serious and to come in first thing in the morning.
Mom doesn't sleep.

Getting ready to go--Jaden gets REALLY mad and hungry.
Mom is super shaky and scared, but gets him fed and in the car.
Bad start to Mom's day.
Get to the doctor--wait for about an hour.
Doc sees him, thinks he's fine, but wants to get tests done.
Long story short--Doc ends up ordering an ambulance to take Mom and Jaden to the ER.
(More for Mom's sake than baby's, as embarrassing as it is to admit.)
Dad comes straight to the hospital and brings Mom some food.
Jaden gets LOTS of tests done.
Urine sample, blood work, pertussis, EKG, x ray, upper GI.
Gets an IV with a splint so he can't move his little arm.
The hospital pediatrician throws around possibilities of dealing with apnea.
She decides to admit him overnight.

Because of his pertussis test, Jaden gets to spend the night in isolation.
Mom and Dad don't have to wear masks and gowns, but the nurses do.
Jaden gets hooked up to monitors in his room that watch his heartbeat and he's good to go.
Dad runs home to grab dinner and clothes and such for an overnighter.
Mom and Jaden finally get a much needed nap.

The hospital stay goes smoothly--no repeat episodes or apnea problems.
The nurses teach Mom and Dad infant CPR.
(because Mom most definitely did it wrong, but at least it got him breathing again)
Tests come back in the morning looking great.
Kind of a double edged sword--
so happy to hear there's nothing wrong with the baby,
but also no way to know it won't happen again.
Apparently it's a common thing in babies,
but it's something they take very seriously, especially if CPR has been performed.
They have Mom schedule a follow up appointment with Jaden's pediatrician for the next day.
It goes just fine--no problems.

We're hoping it was just an isolated incident.
Mom's making changes to Jaden's diet--
nursing is done because he doesn't have patience for it.
So it's pumping and supplementing with formula.
Not Mom's plan, but since when do babies follow your plans?

So anyway, Jaden is fine.
But Mom's been a wreck.
However, thanks to Steve's mom coming out for a week long visit to help, plus some good ol' time under our belts,
Mom's starting to get her confidence back as a mother.
Scary stuff.

But we're all still breathing.

Jaden's EKG

SO tired of tests and being poked and prodded everywhere.
Check out that IV and splint!

He even got a little Jaden-sized hospital gown :).

So happy to finally be able to cuddle my baby and sleep because there were nice ladies keeping an eye on him on the monitors just outside the door.

Dad brought Jerry the Giraffe to the hospital to give Jaden a friend to play with.

**Side note: A couple weeks ago Steve's sister asked me to update my blog more often.
I told her that we didn't have anything exciting enough going on in our lives but I'd try to come up with something.
Um, I'm sorry Em, but I'd rather have absolutely nothing to blog about ever again than go through this kind of excitement, ya know. ;)
But hopefully we're past this and we can go back to fun posts.
Love ya girlie :)**

a virtual telegram for daddy. (for real this time)

2011-04-15T14:36:00.006-06:00

Every once in a while Steve will send me texts in telegram format.
You know:

Hi. Stop. You're cool. Stop. I love you. Stop. Can't wait to see you tonight. Stop.

Etc.

So while Steve was gone on business for a few days last week, I thought he might appreciate a little telegram from Jaden in his inbox:

*Sorry it's such low quality.
I had to make it super small to get it to load.
I am NOT video savvy.*

a visit.

2011-04-08T09:45:00.006-06:00

Jaden got a visit from his grandma and granddad this past weekend!

My parents came out to see our new home and spend some time with their favorite grandson.
Only grandson, but still :)

We had a great time chatting, watching conference and just relaxing.
I love my parents and miss them a lot, so it was great to have a few days to just spend time together.

It took a little while for Jaden to warm up to the idea of having people in his house,
but he was pretty happy to have so much attention.

Jaden was helping Grandma out on our game of Sequence.

He also loved to have Granddad play "This Little Piggy" with his toes.

We spent lots of time on the piano.
Steve and I have a duet we like to play,
so we "performed"--more like practiced--it for my parents.

And of course Jaden loves to play the piano with whoever will take him.

He's finally big enough to wear his cute little sneakers from Great Grandma Hayward.

Jaden wasn't too happy about his parents deciding to love on his cheeks at the same time.
Side note: I am wearing a Jimmer Fredette shirt sent with love from my brother.
Thanks Pedro!!

It was a great weekend and we were sad to see them leave.
Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad!
We can't wait to have you back out here again!

i need advice!

2011-03-29T13:33:00.005-06:00

I need advice.

For all you stay at home moms,
answer me this:

What do you do during the day?

I'm having a hard time feeling productive and like I'm contributing to society
when I'm home all day, every day.

I know things will get crazier once I get into the playing/crawling/running around stages,
but right now I'm kind of at a loss.
I just feel bored.

You can only clean so much and cook so much dinner, let's face it.
And most hobbies are pretty expensive.
I don't go a lot of places because there's not much here to start with,
and it's a lot more difficult with a nursing baby.

So I'm in need of some ideas.
What makes you feel fulfilled and productive at home?

PS:
Don't get me wrong, I love this little nugget more than anything
and I'm SO glad I'm at home full time with him!

But I didn't realize I'd still be a person with needs after I became a mom :)

everybody, everybody wants to love

2011-03-28T13:49:00.006-06:00

Our weekend in Utah was insane, to say the least, but such a party!

Thursday:
a full day of traveling
meeting my family at the airport
Cafe Rio (a must have for us)

Friday:
wedding dinner preparations
Thai food for lunch (another must have)
an Eagle Scout picture
wedding dinner

Saturday:
sourdough waffles for breakfast (the final must have)
wedding!!!
an evening with my fam

Sunday:
Jaden's baby blessing
another almost full day of travel
and home at 2 a.m. Monday morning

Get ready for an overload of pictures... :)

Jaden's first time in an airport!
SO much to look at.
We had to run through POURING rain at long term parking, hence the frizzy hair...

On the airplane!
Although this was technically Jaden's first airplane ride,
he had been on more than 20 planes, two countries and 21 (22?) states before he was even born. So the kid's a natural.

All the Howell boys are Eagle Scouts!
So while they were all in the same state, Steve's parents wanted to get a picture.
The first pic shows how excited they were about it.
But the second one was how it turned out. :)
Jaden received a new friend from Aunt Jan!
He's spent a good amount of time trying to figure out Mr. Monkey.

The wedding dinner!
Yep, even Jaden got a matching white shirt and tie!
(Somehow he managed spit up on the tie 30 seconds after it got put on and have TWO blowouts in the shirt that night. How is it that babies know when they're wearing more expensive clothes?)

The first dance as (almost) husband and wife!
Shawn and Brittany Howell!
They're married!!
Four generation picture with my dad and grandma.

One long (but quick), exhausting weekend.
It was SO great to see so many family members and friends while we were out there.
We wish we could have seen more, but there just wasn't enough time.
I guess we'll just have to go back!

We're so excited for Shawn and Brittany.
It was awesome to see them so happy and to have them get married in the temple.
We love Brittany and she's perfect for Shawn.
It's interesting to see how the Howell family dynamic is changing.
Our families are still new to the whole in-law/grandchildren thing,
so it's fun to see how adding new people to the family changes things for the better!
We wished we lived closer to family,
but it was great to see them while we could!

Oh and here are two last pictures:

We miss our mountains!
Saying goodbye on the drive to the airport.

And to end our fabulous trip...
Kind of hard to tell here, but the poor kid is just wailing.
This was on the bus back to long term parking from the airport.
It was about midnight and he had had enough. :(

key changes

2011-03-24T13:36:00.002-06:00

So my friend Lindsay has this thing on her blog called Heartstrings of the Week where she posts music that well, touches her heartstrings.
I love listening to the music she finds, because it usually gets to me, too.
I recently found a couple of songs that have hit my heartstrings, so I thought I'd pass them along as well.

Right now I'm pretty much addicted to my Il Divo station on Pandora.
I may or may not listen to it every. single. day.
LOVE that group.

I've had two songs from that station stuck in my head for the past week.
And I just barely realized why:

Powerhouse harmonies and key changes.

Oh man, they give me chills.

Every time.

Adagio by Il Divo

and

Requiem by Three Graces

I just barely heard this group for the first time--love them!
But then, I'm a big fan of female trios... :)

Hopefully these hit your heartstrings this week, too!

a name and a blessing

2011-03-18T16:16:00.005-06:00

This past weekend our little family traveled across the country to visit our home roots.

The reason:
Steve's brother Shawn got married last Saturday!!

Steve had two days off this entire first year of work,
so we reserved them for Shawn's wedding.

While we were there,
we figured it was a perfect chance to bless Jaden in our old ward.
(Also Steve's parents' ward.)

LOVE his knit sweater blessing outfit!
THANK YOU Grandpa Howell!

Not a missionary opportunity like it would have been to bless him out here (sadly),
but we were so glad that our close family could share in his special day.

**more pictures to come of the wedding weekend, stay tuned**

so lucky

2011-03-17T12:38:00.002-06:00

We are so lucky...
to have this little boy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

for the fam...

2011-03-02T10:19:00.006-07:00

We seem to be on a video kick lately but they're too big to email to the fam!
So on the blog they go.

We've had lots of smiles lately from this little man and finally got a couple on camera!

(ignore the horrible camera work and cheesy baby talk... :) )

why a house is so much better than an apartment part one

2011-03-01T08:29:00.003-07:00

Because we can play the piano as

LOUD,

LONG

&
LATE

as we want!
(Well, at least until Jaden goes to bed, anyway)

It's amazing how paranoid we've been about everything with neighbors in such close proximity.
I still feel bad every time Jaden cries late at night or early in the morning, when we use loud tools, watch a movie etc.
I wonder how long it will take us to stop thinking, "But the neighbors..."

Our home has gotten very musical all of a sudden, which we love!
Our goal is to make sure this kid develops rhythm :)

Home Sweet Homeowners!

2011-02-24T21:07:00.010-07:00

After a couple of long, intense and stressful months,

we have a home!!

We couldn't be more excited!

We casually started the house hunt back at the end of November, thinking we wanted to just get an idea of what was on the market. Well, that turned into a HUGE process of measuring the pros and cons of which state to live in (cuz around here you can choose), looking at foreclosures, trying to build, researching loans and interest rates, etc etc. Steve first showed me this house during the time that my mom was staying with us in January. So yep, Jaden was brand spanking new and we were not expecting everything to happen so quickly! This house was built as a spec home, so it's never been lived in and the builders were anxious to get it sold.

The past thirty days have been a whirlwind, but we feel so blessed to have things work out how they have and can't believe where life has led us! I've had more anxiety over buying a house than I have had over becoming a mom. For some reason, signing my life away to a 30 year mortgage has felt more permanent than having a child--backwards, I know. But I didn't get nine months to prepare to have a house. :) Hopefully I'll get more comfortable with the idea of having a mortgage, haha.

The major (and only) downside to moving is that we have to leave our ward. We tried really hard to stay, which should have been easy, seeing as how our ward boundaries take almost two hours to go from one end to the other, but somehow we missed it by a couple of miles. So a new ward it will be because apparently that's where Heavenly Father wants us. I'm just hoping I can have the same calling--as freaked out as I was to get it, I am SO sad to be released. Funny how that happens...

Anyway, we feel SO blessed and can't wait to have everything all settled in and get life back to normal! Jaden has been a trooper through the past few days, but I think he'd appreciate not being dragged around in his car seat all day, every day, to everywhere. He's also been a great helper as I've been packing, but I think he's ready for a little more attention. :) Steve is ready to be done with this because he's basically had to take care of EVERYTHING. I've tried to stay on top of things, but wow, I've can't believe how much effort, communication and paperwork it takes to buy a house. Steve handled pretty much all of it, and I'm so grateful for that. I think he'd be happy with not buying another house for a long while. And holy cow, I am so ready to never pack and move again! Well, maybe not never, but I'm just done with it for now. Over it. No more moving!

So we're happy that we've found somewhere we really like and hopefully will soon love!

More pictures to come soon!

sleep and skype

2011-02-17T12:44:00.006-07:00

Last night we had family prayer

and then Steve put Jaden down at 11 pm.

This morning I woke up to Steve's alarm going off at 6 am.

Instant. Panic.

Why?

Because I didn't hear my baby at all during the night!

He slept from 11 to 7!
And all on his own schedule!
I was so proud!*

*after recovering from a minor heart attack when I thought he was either dead, dehydrated, or exhausted from being left to suffer all night long*
Can you tell I'm a paranoid first time mother??

He usually just gets up once, so it's not like it's been too bad,
but it was so nice to get seven straight hours of sleep!

We'll see if it happens again tonight...

*****

Also, I had to put this picture up because it makes me laugh.
This is how our typical Sunday evenings look--skyping our families!
Thank heavens for technology...
Living far away would be a LOT harder without it.

Steve's sister Emily asked us if we thought putting Jaden in front of the computer so much would give him brain damage.
Umm...I sure hope not, haha.
Otherwise we'll have to give up skype and I know of four grandparents who would not be very happy about that. :)

one "love"ly weekend

2011-02-15T10:26:00.005-07:00

I LOVE having Valentine's Day around a weekend.
More chances to celebrate!

Friday

I gave Steve a little gift to kick off the weekend...

He had wanted strawberry milk the last time we were in the grocery store,
and like the mean grocery budget nazi I am, I said no. :(
So I was making up for it!

...and then we hooked up our projector in our bedroom
and watched "The Majestic" on the wall.

Saturday
Steve's day

I woke up to this!
I had a card from him and a card from Jaden :)

Then he took me to the mall because he wanted to buy me a dress.
cute head :)
Sadly, because I'm picky and post partum, I didn't find anything.
So instead he bought me a cute sweater. :)

And then we went home, dressed up nice (yay for a cute new sweater)
and went out to eat at a cool Mediterranean restaurant.

Where we got this...
ahem, that is ALLIGATOR!
And it was SO good!
Especially with the raspberry jalapeno sauce...mmmm....

...and this.

Wow, what a day!
I'm so spoiled.

Sunday

We didn't do anything on to celebrate,
but we had a fun evening of dinner and games with some good friends.

Monday
Audrey's day

Man, my day was kind of a bust.
I wanted to do all kinds of cute and creative things for when Steve got home from work, but the day totally got away from me.

But at least I got to spend it with my other Valentine...
Yes, I had control over his wardrobe, haha.
His socks say "I heart Mum"-they were a Christmas gift from Aunt Laura from Germany :)

..and I did at least get this done.

(I heart attacked every wall of our living room)

The pink and purple hearts have little random reasons why I love Steve,
and the red hearts have reasons why Jaden loves him.

I didn't have time to make dinner :(,
so we went to a pizza place I'd been wanting to try.
It was kind of lame.
But then we came back and watched "Red"
--not a romantic movie at all,
but Steve had wanted to see it so that was my gift to him.

I never used to like Valentine's day,
but I LOVE it now because it's so fun to be creative and surprise each other with little meaningful things.
Overall, it was a success! :)

all smiles :)

2011-02-15T09:06:00.002-07:00

Our little mister must have woken up this morning
and decided it was time to smile...

because he's been doing it ALL morning!!!!

SO darn cute!

Lately...

2011-02-10T13:41:00.004-07:00

We love visitors!!

A couple weeks ago Jaden got a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Howell!
It was so great to see them and fun to introduce them to their first grandbaby.
They couldn't get enough of him!
And Jaden seems to think he can be held all day long now... :)

Steve was especially excited to see his parents.
It had been 7 months since he had last seen them so it was great to have a few days to spend some quality time with them.

Grandma Howell and Jaden

Three generations of "Allen"--they all share the same middle name

Grandma Howell is the queen of digital scrapbooking and sent us this darling collage she put together when they got home.

And here are a few more pictures of Jaden that we've taken recently:

This is Steve's favorite.

And this is my favorite.
He's so close to smiling for real!

It doesn't look like it here, but bath time is getting better!

Tummy time, on the other hand, is not so fun these days.

We've been learning to adapt to a third wheel on our date nights.
Lately Steve's had extra help when we play games. :)

poor savvy

2011-02-04T10:19:00.004-07:00

Dear deer (hehe),

Sorry.
We hope you're happy in deer heaven.
We wish we could send you the bill.

Not-so-warm wishes,

Steve, Audrey and our poor little car

P.S.
Thank you for at least not being as big as Utah deer.
And for not injuring Steve.

*note. we are not typically the type of people who name their cars. but savvy is a cool car name, no? and it just kind of stuck...don't judge us.

getting to know you...

2011-01-24T17:28:00.007-07:00

Almost seven years ago (Seven years?? Sheesh I'm getting old...) I sang a song with my junior year high school choir class.
It was a beautiful, soft, lullaby-sounding arrangement of
"Getting to Know You"
from the classic musical
"The King and I."

When we learned it, my sixteen-year-old self decided I was going to sing that song to my babies someday.
Then I forgot about it.

I hadn't heard that song for years...
until when a couple of days after we brought Jaden home, I set my iTunes on random and a recording of the song my choir had done came on.

I sat there listening and cried.
So happy to be a mom, so in love with this little boy, but so overwhelmed because I didn't know anything about him.
So I started singing to him, and that song has become one of our lullabies.

It's been so fun "getting to know" Jaden and his little heaven-sent personality.
Today he's a month old and I can't believe how much he's grown and changed already!

Right now Jaden:

*is an observer.
From day one he has had bright, alert eyes ready to take in everything.

*eats on demand.
Usually every three hours.
All night long.
So fun for Mom...and not too bad if she can get in the 8:30-10:30 am sleep along with him.

*isn't smiling for real yet,
but is showing a hint of two darling dimples.
Can't wait for those!

*loves bath time as long as he has a warm washcloth over his tummy
and DAD is giving him the bath.

*puts up with tummy time for about a minute...
while trying to decide what he thinks about it.

*falls asleep to Mom reading scriptures to him around 1-2 in the morning.

*is stimulated more than relaxed by Mom singing to him.
(Which makes lullabies kind of counter-productive, but we're working on it, haha)

*makes really entertaining confused and pooping faces.

*has the cutest hiccups that make him sound like a squeaker toy.

*takes a pacifier because Mom really doesn't want him sucking his fingers
(which he tries to do anyway).

*is overall a patient, laid back and easy going baby.

We just love him and the last month has been indescribable.
I've tried to savor every moment, but time is still going too fast for me!

okay kid, do your worst...

2011-01-19T12:20:00.004-07:00

...because we're ready for you.

These came in the mail yesterday.

Five. Huge. Boxes. Worth.

Thanks to diapers.com with their good deals and free shipping,
we're set with diapers and wipes for the next six months.

And that's how a husband solves "running out of diapers" problems:
Just take care of it all at once!

He's so happy about this purchase, I think I'll give him diaper duty till this stash runs out... :)

It's amazing the things we buy for a little 7 lb bundle of joy!

Now, where to put them???

year two

2011-01-16T15:59:00.010-07:00

Wow, we've had an eventful year!
I know this post is more than a little late, but I wanted to recap our second year of marriage in pictures.
So hats off to 2010-we sure enjoyed you!

January
We headed down to St. George for some geocaching.

February
Valentine's Day!
(Yes, this is a cop out picture because really we didn't have anything cool happen during this month)

March
We got our kitchen torn apart while trying to fix the leak that left a huge hole in our wall.

Actually I think that was in January as well, but hey, March needed a picture.
We had a couple of really lame months.
I guess I could post several projects and papers that we worked on during these two months, but we're trying to forget those.

April

We spent General Conference weekend in Park City with my fam...

...and we finished up school projects...

...and we took a break from finals by heading up the canyon...

...and then we graduated!

So of course we had to skip town and head down to Cancun for some much needed R and R.

May
We found out we were pregnant!

Steve had a "man's weekend" filled with shooting, four wheeling, etc...

Then we accepted a job offer and took off to the eastern shore for the weekend to apartment hunt...

We sent a brother off on a mission...

...and said goodbye to our dear friend Andy.

June
We spent a great week in Hawaii with Steve's family...

Then came back, finished packing, and headed across the country to our new home...

And I came straight back west for a Simple Grace-filled week of performances.

July
We celebrated our birthday...

...then Steve went to Vietnam and the Philippines...

and I went to Education Week in Rexburg with my madre and girlies.

August
We went camping in Virginia...

and spent a week in North Carolina for Steve's job.

September
We went on a quick weekend business trip to NYC.

October
Steve took a business trip to Paris...

and I welcomed home a brother from a mission.

November
My family came out to visit and we spent a few days in DC.

December
We went on a day trip to Dover and saw the Dover Downs...

and finished out the year welcoming Jaden into our family on Christmas Eve!

It's hard to believe 2010 has come and gone already!
We never would have guessed at the beginning of the year where we'd be now.
We're looking forward to 2011 and for all the changes and adventures this year will bring!

the due date.

2011-01-11T14:26:00.002-07:00

Today is my due date!

And this is what my life looks like:

Wow, I can't imagine still being pregnant right now...
I think I'd be running stairs trying to get him here.
Luckily he was too excited to join us for Christmas to wait for a cool birthday date like 1/11/11!
And I am definitely not complaining!
We sure love our little bambino!

I love this little polo outfit :)

pictures galore!!

2011-01-08T08:33:00.008-07:00

As promised...
here are pictures!

So hard to choose just a few, but these are a pretty representational cross section of our life for the past two weeks.
Speaking of, I can't believe my baby is two weeks old already!

Last prego pic--taken one week before D-day at 36 1/2 weeks...

Merry Christmas!

Mom made it right as we were getting discharged from the hospital.
Excellent timing!

Headed home!

Gram and the most expensive Christmas present we're ever going to give her... :)

All bundled up for his first doctor's appointment!
(PS- Jared and Ali, we tried to use your car seat but the car seat inspection lady at our childbirth class wouldn't let us...it's past its expiration date I guess. But thank you so so much!)

Traumatized from his first bath experience...

...but after a new diaper, clothes, dinner and some love, things are all better!

Let the late nights begin!

LOVE this boy :)

This is Jaden's favorite outfit.
Those sweats are so comfy he doesn't really know what to do with himself except sleep.

Someone loves his Gram!

Happy baby...

...and a not so happy baby.

Steve is what we call the "swaddle king."

I don't know what this face is, but it makes me laugh :)

Bright eyes!

Hangin' out with Dad.
That was the first and last time Jaden will ever be allowed on our bedspread.
Let's just say that outfit got washed and we're headed to the dry cleaners soon...

jaden's birth story

2011-01-06T08:58:00.005-07:00

Jaden's Birth Story

Wow, I can't believe how having a newborn changes your life so quickly! I feel like I do nothing all day, but yet I don't have time to do anything I need to get done, either. I wanted to document his birth story before I forget details, and it took me two weeks to get to it. I don't know how I'm ever going to survive on a schedule! Oh well, one day at a time...

This is the face that melts me several times a day.
More pictures to come but this post is forever long already, so it will have to wait :)

Here's the story (more than you probably ever wanted to know):

The Contractions

On Dec. 22, we went to bed at about 11:30. I just laid there for awhile, feeling a lot of tightness and wondering if I was having mild contractions. At 1 am I gave up trying to figure out what was going on with me and drifted off. I woke up at 3 a.m. with a pretty intense contraction. I started timing them at 3:45, writing down the times and lengths in the dark because I didn't want to wake up Steve. However, he woke up to go to the bathroom around 4:30, so I decided to tell him what was going on. "Honey, I think we might be having a baby today. I've been timing my contractions for awhile now and I think I'm in labor. " He wasn't fully awake yet, so his response was, "No you're not, go back to sleep." (haha) It took a little convincing, between showing him my contraction pattern and actually having a couple, but he finally believed me (and got more than a little excited). So we were awake for the day.

The Labor

Oh, the labor...all 26 hours of it. We went to the hospital around 9:30 am on the 23rd after I had called my doctor and was told to go in. When we got there I was dilated to a 2 and told to go home and walk. So Steve headed to work and I went down to our apartment complex's treadmill and walked for an hour. It didn't do much-hardly any contractions at all-so I went home and took a nap. I woke up at 1:45 and got in the shower. Holy moly did that do the trick. All of a sudden my contractions started coming consistently about 3 minutes apart. So I called Steve and my mom and we were back at the hospital, dilated to a 4, and admitted to a room by 4 pm. Enter a badly wanted epidural soon after and I was good to go. It was just a waiting game from there. My doctor got there at 9:30 pm, when I was at a 7.

The Delivery

At 11:30 pm I was deemed ready to start pushing. I was happy about that because I had been trying really hard to not have a baby on the 24th. Ha. I pushed for two hours with hardly any progress. They kept lowering my medication so it got increasingly more painful, and finally they decided I needed a break when I no longer had anything to give. That was one of the most miserable and discouraging points I think I've ever had. I kept thinking, "Women have been doing this since the beginning of time, so why can't I?" I was really worried they'd take me in for a c-section, but luckily I have a patient doctor who boosted my medication back up, gave me petocin to help things move more quickly, and then let me sleep for as long as I needed. I woke up at 4:30 am on the 24th rejuvenated both physically and mentally and ready to push. The baby was at a +1 so in came a bunch more nurses and the doctor all ready to have a baby. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. Pushing took about a half hour; he was still having a hard time progressing so the doc used her final trick before resorting to c-section: the vacuum. That was all it took. Jaden came right out after a couple pushes, gave a couple little cries and then opened his eyes, ready to observe the world. The first thing the doc said when she looked him over was, "Wow, he's got the biggest cone head ever." Not the first thing you want to hear, but it was true :), he kind of looked like an alien for a little while and had a nasty bruise as well. Thank heavens for hats...but it didn't take long to get his cute little head back to normal.

The Hospital Stay

We had a great experience in the hospital. We loved the staff. It may sound weird, but it was so fun to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas together as a little family just laying low in our room. Steve brought over our Christmas presents from family, so we had gifts to open. We also had a few visitors-friends from our ward-while we were there. It was so nice to be thought of during such a busy holiday. We had the option to go home early on Christmas, but having no idea what we were doing as parents, we decided to stay till the 26th as scheduled. My mom caught a flight on late Christmas afternoon and made it to the hospital the next morning, right as we were being discharged. I was kind of caught off guard at how the hospital discharge went. There was no test to pass, no proof we needed to give that we were ready or worthy to be parents. I was thinking over and over, "Wait, we don't know how to do this yet! Don't let us leave!" But they kicked us out anyway. :)

Side note: It broke my heart in the hospital to see some perfect new little babies coming into less than ideal situations--teenage moms, families that reeked of smoke and other substances, etc. We're definitely not perfect parents, but at least we're married, committed to each other and to Jaden, and want him more than anything. I just pray for those darling little babies who are in for a rough road, even though it's not their fault.

The Past Two Weeks

Holy moly, do I ever love this kid. He hasn't even been in our lives for two weeks, but already I can't think of the person I was before him. I can't believe how instantly the motherly instinct kicks in. I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm so protective of him and my world revolves around him. I'm exhausted, but doing better every day, and I'm so glad my mom is here to help out anywhere and everywhere. It's been so fun to see her bond with Jaden. I don't know what I'm going to do when she leaves. And I think Steve is the cutest dad on the planet. He does so well with Jaden and it's so fun to see them together. Jaden is SUCH a good baby. Other than having his days and nights mixed up, he is pretty easy. He's so patient and such a happy baby. One thing he does NOT like though is the bathtub. We're still working on that one. But we feel so blessed to have him in our home and we love him so much!

INTRODUCING...

2010-12-26T05:53:00.006-07:00

Jaden Allen Howell

7lbs. 2 oz.

20 1/4 in.

Born Friday, December 24, 2010

5:02 a.m.

The newest love of our lives.

And the BEST Christmas present ever!!

This is how he was brought in to us from the nursery after he got all cleaned up!

Brand new!

Just chillin' with Mom on Christmas day.

(Horrible pic of me, but this is our first family photo! It's a screen grab of us talking to family on skype...thank heavens for technology so we could show him off!)

We have definitely had the most memorable Christmas I think we'll ever have!
Welcome to the world, Jaden!
We are SO happy to have you!!

the best two years

2010-12-22T07:48:00.008-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated our two year anniversary!

Time is kind of funny.
It feels like we just barely tied the knot,
but at the same time feels like we've been married forever.

And I love that boy more than ever.

To celebrate, we headed into D.C. for a little overnight getaway

where we went to the temple (and saw the lights from our car--it was freezing!),

and ate here

and here.

Oh and did a little baby shopping here.
(LOVE this store)

It was a quick, but oh so fun celebration.

We talked about how life changes so quickly and how last year during our anniversary we never would have guessed where we would be this year.
Living back east, expecting a baby, planning the long term future...
it's been an eventful year!
But there is no one I'd rather be sharing all these adventures with than Steve.

Thanks for being the best husband a girl could ever ask for, babe!
Love you!
Here's to forever more years!

.holiday fun.

2010-12-17T09:37:00.007-07:00

So far in our marriage we've tried to buy a new special ornament for Christmas every year.

Well, in an attempt to be creative and less expensive, we decided to make ornaments this year instead!

Creative: yes.
Less expensive: heck no.
But such a fun date night!

Steve wanted to do a baby theme and found an easy looking ornament on etsy.
No idea how he came up with etsy, but I thought it was hilarious.
So we made cute little blocks!

Steve's block--he did a family one.
And he's quite the calligrapher, if I may say so.
Where does he come up with these talents?

And my block.
I wrote down my due date and our baby's potential initials,
so I may end up having to completely change my ornament or just throw it away, haha.

And then we made delicious wassail and fell asleep to Elf.
PS--Just FYI, cuddling on the couch when nine months pregnant is NOT comfortable.
Getting out the air mattress to lay down and watch a movie--brilliant. :)

Then the next day we headed up to Dover with our friends Cody and Skye to an apple orchard that was hosting some Christmas festivities.
Free hayrides, smores, homemade apple cider, Christmas shopping and Santa Claus?
Count us in.

And while we were up there, we decided to explore a little bit.
So we ended up at the Dover Downs!
Casino, hotel, spa, racetrack....
We'll definitely have to get back there during the racing season.
Steve wants to grow a mullet by then so he can fit in. :)

it's a jungle over here

2010-12-09T07:02:00.004-07:00

First off, sorry about the lame-o posts lately.
Other than Steve's work, church, and baby, our lives have been pretty uneventful.
Hopefully it will be picking up here in the next month or so, though!

So the biggest news in my life:
I found baby bedding!
I know that sounds super lame, but I'm really excited about it.
I've been ultra picky.
Like I had to have barnyard red in it, and I wanted something gender neutral.
And I pretty much got what I wanted!
Thanks to grandparents--this is our Christmas from them.

(For the life of me, I could not get this picture to face the right direction. Sorry!)
I don't know if you can tell the difference in the picture, but I LOVE all the several different fabrics!

I saw this in Deseret Book back in August when I was home,
loved it,
but couldn't justify buying it.
Then when I went back in October, we stopped by DB again and it was still there.
I was telling my dad about it and he thought it was a necessary purchase.
So this is his contribution to baby's nursery.
Thanks Dad! :)

And finally, here is my latest baby bump pic (almost 35 weeks), after a long night at a Christmas party for Steve's company.
Can I just say I'm SO ready to be done with pregnancy?
These last 5 weeks seem like FOREVER long.
January feels as far away as it did in May.
I'm getting into the nesting phase, but unfortunately only toward baby stuff.
It would be nice if that feeling would carry over to the rest of my house, but so far it hasn't yet. :)

But we have an anniversary and Christmas coming up, so hopefully the time will go quickly!

can you say clumsy?

2010-11-29T18:29:00.003-07:00

I was talking to my 86 year old grandma today and our conversation went something like this:

"Grandma, how are you doing?"
"Well, I'm getting clumsy. But then I think, so is Audrey."

What?!

My first thought was to defend myself.
I'm not getting clumsy!

But then I thought about it for a minute.

I've broken a glass, a bowl and a plate since I've been pregnant.
And yesterday I broke my hand mirror in my bathroom.

Uh oh, seven years of bad luck?

Funny thing is, after I broke the mirror, I stained one of my white shirts with marinara sauce.
Then today, I stained ANOTHER white shirt with balsamic vinegarette.
TWO stained white shirts in 24 hours.

I think I'm going to at least have seven bad years of ruining white shirts.

So I guess my grandmother is right.
I AM getting clumsy.

Thanks, pregnancy.

:)

our latest project...whoa baby

2010-11-24T16:24:00.006-07:00

We only have seven more weeks till Baby Howell's debut,
so that means one of several things.

The kid needs a room!

And it's coming together...

(he's not allowed near the crib anymore)

We have a crib, mattress and rocking chair!
Still working on bedding and a dresser,
so it's not cute yet and all his clothes are in a box.
But we're getting there!

And in other news:

Tonight is the first use of our fireplace this season!
Hooray!

Bring on an evening of german pancakes for dinner (healthy, I know), baking pies and drinking hot chocolate.
(even though it's still 50 degrees outside--we weren't blessed with a false alarm blizzard this week like everybody else :) )

Hope y'all have a fabulous Thanksgiving tomorrow!

introducing family to the eastern shore

2010-11-16T10:46:00.006-07:00

My family came to visit us this past week!
It was so fun to hang out with them and show them where we live.
I think they were a little surprised after traveling ALL day to discover that yes, we really do exist clear out here.
(People really live here? Not many, but yeah, we do.)
A lot of the sights we saw are cooler in the summer, but we were still able to give them a good idea of what our new home is like.

Like Rehoboth Beach, DE.
A boardwalk and tax free outlet stores, rock on.

Berlin, MD.
If there's anyone who loves Runaway Bride more than I do, it's my mother.
So we had to go see the little town made famous by that movie.

Assateague Island.
Cold, cold, cold.
But we got to see the wild ponies and dumb people trying to feed them.
What could be more entertaining?

We ate at a couple cult following places.
Like Station 7- a restaurant in an old fire station.

And of course there's Ocean City.
Most of the boardwalk stores were closed, but it was still fun to walk around.

Then we headed to DC for a couple of days.
We went to the temple visitor's center one night...

...then came back for a session the next morning.
Love that temple.
I'm so excited to see it at Christmas!

And since Peter was gone last year when we went to DC as a family, we sped through a few of the must see sights at the mall.
We went to the Archives building where we saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the United States Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court Building, Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery.

This is the first picture we've taken together in months.
We've each been doing crazy things lately, but sadly not much together.
So on the blog it goes. :)

It was such a fun trip and it was really hard to see the family go.
But I'm glad we finally got a chance to show them our apartment, ward and where Steve's working.
It was also fun to have time to hang out with Pedro.
He left on a mission the day before Steve and I got engaged, so a lot's happened since we've really spent time together.
And I'm excited because we only have 8 WEEKS before my mom comes back to help out with our new little mister!

Thanks for coming, fam, and for spoiling us all week!
We love you!