The Powell Family

The days leading up to Christmas…

2009-12-31T13:00:00.001-08:00

The month of December was a busy one…like I’m sure it was for most everyone! We had family get togethers, parties, decorating, and watched some of Brookie’s firsts!

Decorating the house!

I love this first one! All three of them are making a goofy face!

Letters to Santa!

These are Allie’s letters to Santa this year. Not really sure where she came up with putting letters in front of words, but it’s cute regardless. Don’t worry, we didn’t know what an AOS reindeer was either…or an OOASY baby. (If you click on the pictures you can read the letters.) The first one we wrote at home and the second one she wrote while at Mary’s house (the sweet lady who watches my girls while Nick and I are working.)

Holiday Traditions!

Allie made this graham cracker house while at her Powell grandkids Christmas party. She was very proud!

Allie got to go with Grammy Jean on their first movie night. Grammy Jean took her to see The Princess and the Frog. Allie loved it! But I think she loved being with Grammy Jean, riding in her car, and listening to the Shamu soundtrack more :) !

I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the traditions this year! We got together as a Davis family and watched the First Presidency Christmas message and frosted sugar cookies to eat…I mean to make plates to deliver to friends and neighbors.

I sadly had to miss the annual playing Hide-and-Seek at the Tumbleweed Christmas tree. I have been going every year since I was like 3. It all started when my mom was single and trying to think of inexpensive ways to have fun with two little kids. What a smart mom she is! We have gone back every year since then and several years ago started inviting the whole family. Many of the children will agree it is their favorite Christmas tradition. We end it by snacking on yummy sweets and drinking hot chocolate and playing red rover, but I guess this year they played missionary tag. Poor Brooklynn was really sick with a double ear infection and Nick was puking because of a migraine. So I stayed home to care for the sick and Allie went with my mom. Fingers crossed we will all be healthy for next year!

Brooklynn’s Firsts!

About the first or second week in December Brooklynn started sitting! Such a big girl! She is much happier now that she can sit and reach for things instead of just rolling around. She started rolling about a month before she was sitting. I realized after watching my cousin’s baby that I never let Brooklynn be on the ground. She was always in a bouncer, on my bed, or in her exersaucer. The first couple of days of me letting her be on the ground she was rolling! Shocker I know :) ! I love this picture of her! So sweet!

Brookie Lynn!

Allie Mae!

The pictures of the girls were just because…because I think they are pretty darn cute!

Party at Jaime’s!

We had our friend Christmas party the day after Christmas, so technically it doesn’t go under The days leading up to Christmas title. Jaime’s sweet mom Craig gave Allie an antique tea set since Allie is always playing tea party with Craig. Thanks Craig! Allie loves it!

Brooklynn had fun playing on the ground with Jaime’s puppies!

Family Time!

2009-12-31T11:56:00.001-08:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to visit with family I hadn’t seen in years.

My…let’s see what are we again…second cousins I think…my mom’s cousin’s kids…anyways…Sara and Cami were down from Utah for Thanksgiving and we were able to catch up! When we were little Erin, Brittany, and I loved when Sara and Cami visited from Arkansas. It was fun to see them again and watch our kids play together. I hope we don’t go another 5 years ladies!!

(Photo courtesy of Allie)

Cami, Me, and Sara. Are these girls not gorgeous?!

Allie, Sara’s little boy Drew, and Cami’s little girl MaeLee. We missed a picture with Livi, one of Sara’s little girls! She was getting washed up in the tub :)

Natalie, Sara’s other little girl, and Brooklynn. Not the best pic, but at least you can see both of their faces :) I think Natalie was excited and curious to see someone smaller than her!

That weekend I was also able to go the homecoming…wait, we don’t call it that anymore do we…to listen to my cousin speak for the first time after his mission…one of my cousins on the Armstrong side. We don’t do a lot…ok, we don’t do anything with that side of the family ever. This family is really the only Armstrong family we enjoy seeing. Was that too harsh? Do I sound bitter? I might be a little bitter…but that’s a whole other L-O-N-G story. So let’s not go there…did I just go there?…let’s move on.

My little family and Chris got to hear my cousin Justin speak. Thanks for calling and telling us about it Ben! It was good to see you guys!

Me and Brooklynn, Alllie, Chris, Justin, and Ben. Thanks for taking the picture Nick and for being so supportive!

I’m a lousy shot…

2009-12-31T11:32:00.001-08:00

It’s sad, but true. I will pray that I won’t ever have to protect myself or someone I love with a gun. I’m being generous by saying I’m lousy. To put it blunt…I suck. I’m horrible. I can’t hit a target to save my life.

We went shooting the Saturday after Thanksgiving. When Erin called us the night before to go I was pretty reluctant. Growing up I was not allowed to play with toy guns even. They weren’t allowed in the house, and I remember if one of my friends had one at their house I would tell them not to tell my mom I was holding it! The only thing I could think of when I thought of going shooting with the family was Allie getting shot in the back of the head. Morbid…yes. Some might even suggest that I need counseling. But, I knew Nick would have a good time so I mustered up some courage and decided to go. We all actually had a really fun time. It was pretty windy and a little chilly, but we had fun.

Thanks Kent, Steven, and Nick for your expertise!

Thanks go out to Auntie Joy for protecting Brookie’s ears, Uncle Kent for protecting Allie’s ears, and mom for protecting my ears :)

Watch out Mom! Chris has you surrounded! Ok, it was lame, but isn’t that what this picture set up looks like?

You see that first one? Even with two hands I can’t hit anything! But that third picture…I’m shooting a…oh heck, I’m not going to even pretend I know what it was so I’m going to call it a big gun, I was finally able to hit the targets with that one.

Uncle Kent was very patient in teaching us how to shoot, gun safety, and walking Allie up to see look at the targets.

Nick’s gun was perfect for Allie and I to shoot with. Allie could pull the trigger over and over without having to reload or anything. She was cracking us up because sometimes you would look over at her and she would be looking all around while her finger was quickly pulling the trigger. Good thing Daddy was aiming! Nick was also very patient with Allie and I :)

Somehow Grammy Jean was able to get Brookie warm and snuggled enough to go to sleep despite the wind and noise of the guns.

NO! It’s the world’s BEST cup of hot chocolate!

2009-12-31T10:54:00.001-08:00

Do you recognize the quote? Ok, actually it says, “No! It’s the world’s BEST cup of coffee!” You know, from Elf! Allie loves quoting it. A couple of weeks before Christmas she got one of her belts and put it around her eyes while drinking her hot chocolate. And then we role played. And yes, I know, the lines may not be exact…but you get the picture.

Me: “Just put your hands out and take a sip!”

Allie: Drinks the hot chocolate.

Me: “Well?!”

Allie: “It tastes like a yucky (in place of the word crappy) cup of hot chocolate (in place of the word coffee).” Then slowly takes the belt from around her eyes. “It is a yucky cup of hot chocolate.”

Me: “No! It’s the world’s BEST cup of hot chocolate!”

What a crack up she is!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-31T10:34:00.001-08:00

This Thanksgiving we had a lot to be grateful for. We, unlike a lot of unfortunate people out there, are able to pay our bills, live in a home, have two vehicles, have two beautiful and healthy girls, we both have jobs, and we both have very loving and supporting families. We are grateful for our testimonies and for the many blessings we have witnessed this past year. We are also very grateful for the knowledge we have of our Savior and his plan for us.

The day before Thanksgiving Allie, Brookie, and I baked pies with Jaime and Craig. Thanks for the baking fun ladies!! I had never made a pie before and actually had a lot of fun making them.

We made a pumpkin, pecan, and apple blackberry pies for each of us. I made the pumpkin and apple blackberry pies gluten free for our family. I guess I didn’t get a picture of the pecan pie.

Allie loves Craig! And Craig is so sweet with Allie! These two have tea parties together, watch Shrek together, and all sorts of other things. Do you see Allie’s face in that second one? What could she be telling Craig so seriously? Look at that finger!

Thanksgiving day we ate at my grandma’s house with all the family and then ate again with Nick’s family in the evening. What could be better than good company and good food? Oh my goodness I’m salivating just thinking about the spread we had…times two!

These two could be twins! Some people will comment, when I’m holding Brooklynn, that she looks like me. Then Allie will walk up and they say, “Holy cow! Never mind, she (meaning Allie) looks exactly like you! Brooklynn must look like Daddy.” As you can clearly see…yes, she looks just like Daddy.

Thanksgiving night I participated in the midnight Black Friday madness at Superstition Springs mall. I was not prepared for the chaos! Sara invited me to go with her and her sister. Thankgoodness I did not try to fight the crowds alone. Sara and her sister are pros when it comes to Black Friday! We all got the free $50 gift card for spending $100. There were only 400 available and seriously…thousands of people fighting for them. Thanks Sara and Marie!! My cousin, Lynsey, and her friend came with us also. When the doors opened and people started running I laughed and told them to remember it wasn’t worth losing an eye or being trampled. Lynsey’s friend replied with, “My mom said to watch out for the old ladies.” Apparently they have pointy elbows and aren’t afraid to use them :)

Exhibit A: Waiting in line before the mad rush Exhibit B: Waving our receipts in the air toward the mall employee handing out the vouchers for the free gift card Exhibit C: I got a golden ticket! (Sing the tune from Willy Wonka) Don’t be afraid of my excited face. It was $50 free dollars! And no, that tendon you see bulging from my neck did not burst. (If you click on the picture you will see how close it was though)

It was a good Thanksgiving!!

Jaime and Michael’s Wedding

2009-11-23T23:34:00.001-08:00

Ok, here’s your warning. This post is quite a long, detailed one. But I knew I had to write it all down somewhere and I wanted to remember it. So there…you have been warned.

Do you remember last December when I blogged about going to Zoo lights? I was setting up one of my best friends in nursing school with one of my best friends from high school. They met December 4th…and got married the 14th of this month! As you might have guessed they hit it off from the first night and were engaged on Valentine’s Day. No, they are not Mormon, but they both have said they can’t make fun of how quickly Mormons get married anymore :)

We started the festivities back in May with an engagement party at Jaime’s parents’ home. It was of course beautiful and we had a fun time meeting the wedding party and both sides of the family. Then in June we met for lunch at Mimi’s Cafe and then off to David’s Bridal! We went to pick out our bridesmaids dresses and see her Little Mermaid inspired wedding dress.

Yay! She had found the one she had been eyeing for years and looked gorgeous in it!

In October we threw Jaime a bridal shower at Mike’s parent’s home. His mom went way above and beyond and the shower was gorgeous! It was kind of fun throwing a party for my friend in the same home that I hung out at in high school :)

The sign in frame, the beverage table, and the spread of divine food.

Name tags for everyone to wear, advice cards for Jaime, and the cupcakes from Sprinkles that I heard were way way good.

The back of every chair had this cute bow, Auntie Shar was nice enough to keep an eye on Allie. Thanks Shar!

We kept it simple: only 2 games. The first one was a memory game. You only had about 10-15 seconds to look at the tray of “wedding items” and then you had to write down as many as you could remember. Then we played the bubble gum game. Jaime’s friends always play this at their bridal showers so we had to have it at hers! Jess and I recorded Mike while we asked him some questions about Jaime and some about their time dating. We then asked Jaime the same questions and if she answered different than Mike she had to put a piece of Bubbilicious in her mouth. I think out of 15 questions she only had 6 pieces of gum…not too shabby :)

The week after the shower we got together and helped Jaime make the centerpieces.

Allie was also very helpful as you can see.

The weekend before the wedding we had a blast at Jaime’s bachelorette party. We all wore little black dresses and had dinner at fancy restaurant called Avalon in Scottsdale. Oh my goodness it was good and although it was quite pricey, it was definitely worth it! After dinner we went to a friend of Jaime’s to open her little, barely there gifts :)

This is the happy couple at the grooms dinner the night before at Rustlers Roost. Jaime’s sister-in-law to be made her the bouquet out of the bows and ribbons that were on her bridal shower gifts.

4 1/2 years and 2 kids later we are still a happy couple too!

I had a blast with these two! Jordan and Mike were some of my best guy friends in high school. They were always there when I needed someone and I’m so glad we’ve stayed friends!

We were taught some line dances and made a conga line at one point! (We were standing in front of a fire so that’s why the pictures have that weird texture.)

AND THEN THE BIG DAY FINALLY CAME!!!

She had her hair…

and makeup done before we rode to Stonebridge in…

this fun thing!

We laughed and danced to a CD Jaime’s soon to be sister-in-law made for the ride. There were a few tears shed along the way when we thought about what was about to happen! Little Jaime and Michael Hass were getting married! Jaime had to keep tilting her head back and blinking those dang tears away…we didn’t want runny makeup!

Oh my goodness I love this girl! (Thanks to my mother-in-law for altering my dress for me!!)

I’m pretty sure these two were supposed to be sisters! Thanks to nursing school at least they are best friends :)

Leah’s mad hair skills and Shaela’s mad makeup skills gave Jaime the flawless look!

We had a lot of fun taking pictures and getting ready in the bridal room!

Allie had fun putting on lip gloss in front of the bridal mirror :)

I may or may not have taken these from someone else’s blog ;) I promise I have never done it before…but I was standing in front and Nick was keeping Allie entertained so I didn’t get any of the actual wedding. Ok, enough rationalizing :) How gorgeous is Jaime and how sweet are both of these pictures!

Again with the may or may not have been taken from someone else’s facebook :) Wow, the more I think about how easy it was though the more I think…should I go private? Anyways, how happy does Jaime look walking down the aisle as Mrs. Jaime Hass!

So being the maid of honor also meant I had to give a toast. A little nerve racking, but it wasn’t too bad actually. It was fun standing up there with 3 of my best friends and yes, that is only sparkling cider I am toasting with.

Their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Hass.

I am so grateful for what a good husband Nick is. Long story short, my cousin also was getting married that day, so Nick took the girls back and forth and did outfit changes while I helped with Jaime’s wedding all day. Then he sat and held our sleeping baby or crying baby at times, danced with Allie, and I even got to dance with him while others helped with our girls. So thanks honey for letting me be with Jaime all day and for driving all over town to get to everything!

Their cake was gorgeous! Jaime made sure I didn’t put the garter too high up her leg…she didn’t want Michael to have any excuse to dig around under there for too long :)

Since we were all in nice clothes I had to get a family picture! Of course the one that Brooklynn is actually looking at the camera Allie is making a kissy face…goof ball.

Ok, now this one I will fully admit I took from Michael’s sister Ashley. She takes the BEST pictures and obviously knows how to do some cute editing. They rode off into the night to their honeymoon in a gorgeous old school Rolls Royce.

Congratulations Mike and Jaime! Driving to Zoo lights last December I would never have imagined things would have gone this smoothly! I’m so happy for you two and am so grateful to be friends with both of you!

Allie’s 3rd Birthday Party

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Ok, you’ll scroll down and really see that these are out of order. Oh well. I blog on!

Allie’s birthday lasted a couple of days this year. On her actual birthday we made the crown seen above…

made a breakfast of bacon and mickey mouse pancakes…

braided her hair, per her request because she wanted braids like Princess Fiona from Shrek… (Now I know it’s not exactly her hair style…but we had to work braids in somehow and this is what I came up with), and watched Elf. That is what Allie wanted to do, so that’s what we did!

Her birthday was on a Thursday, but we had her birthday bash on Saturday. That meant I stayed up super late…like 4am late…frosting cakes Friday night. I am quite the procrastinator and can’t start things until the last minute. So I started baking cakes and cupcakes at 10pm. Allie wanted so badly to stay and be a part of it all, but she was exhausted so I pulled out her princess couch and she watched for a while before falling asleep.

Last year Allie had a Cinderella cake with gluten-free pumpkin carriages made out of cupcakes. This year she had Ariel with a gluten-free ocean :) I L-O-V-E the star tip!! It makes for a really easy yet good looking cake.

We all ate way more of the blue frosting than we should have, as you can see by the blue tongues. Brookie didn’t get any frosting this year though :)

I also had this Bundt cake available for anyone that didn’t want blue or red teeth.

This face cracks me up. It’s like she is mesmerized by the cake…or is it the fire?

We had quite the turn out! Thanks family and friends for celebrating our Allie Mae with us.

Allie’s 3rd Birthday

2009-11-23T15:56:00.001-08:00

This posts are out of order…I know. But at least I’m finally blogging, right?

Allie turned 3 this year on the 16th of October!! Where did the time go? I can’t believe that I have a 3 year old!

We love Allison so much. She brings such a fun personality to our family. She loves to sing, dance, play with Brooklynn, let Brooklynn suck on her toes “because it tickles Mom!” (obviously she does this when I’m not looking and I tell her to stop when I catch her), color with markers and cut with scissors, wear only her underwear (this drives me bonkers, but the minute we walk in the door she is stripping and taking her hair ties out, argh!) and play with stuffed animals and dolls. We often hear her playing with her dolls and animals and it is a crack up to hear the things she has them say to each other.

She is such a smart little girl and we are learning quickly that we have to be careful with what we say around her. The other day the curtain rod fell down. I was frustrated because I had flowers drying on it and clothes too. I let, “Oh crap!” slip out when it fell. Two days later when I was finally putting it back up (don’t be hatin’ we’re busy around here :) ) Allie said, “Mom, I saw this fall down and I said Awww, crap!” Oops, let’s not say that Allie.

Allie likes eating mac n’ cheese, quesadillas, spaghetti, apples, corn, peas, green beans, pop tarts, fruit snacks, granola bars, marshmallows, and absolutely loves sour cream and salad (not together though). Allie always talks about how excited she is to start pre-school. She really keeps us laughing with how dramatic she is about everything.

The other day on the TV there was a commercial for an iPhone. Allie watched the whole commercial and then whipped around to look at us and with her hands clasped together she begged, “Please, please will you buy me an iPhone Mom and Dad? Please!” She loves playing with my mom’s and Rick’s. She, all by herself mind you, can turn it on, put in the security pin (so much for security, my mom showed her the code once and a week later she was punching it in herself), play games, take pictures, listen to music, and occasionally we have to stop her from buying things online.

The other day she was getting some ice out of the ice machine on the freezer and some spilled on to the floor. She walked by the table where Nick and I were sitting and said with her hand in the air, palm facing us, “My bad Mom.” Then gave a totally fake breathy laugh and said, “I’m sorry Mom, that was my bad.” She is quite the drama queen and it cracks us up. We could not imagine life without our little Allie girl.

This morning she ran up to me and gave me a hug. As she was squeezing me she said, “I love you Mom! You are my best, best friend!” Please oh please let her remember that when she’s older! She makes us laugh whenever she wants to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks because she calls it Alvin and the Chick Punks. Too cute to correct. She loves to quote movies and her favorite line to quote with me is from Fox and the Hound. She has me say, “You’re my best friend Copper!” And she says, “And you’re mine too Todd.” Then I follow with, “And we’ll always be friends forever, right?” She ends with, “Yeah. Forever.” Allie Mae I really hope we are best friends forever. You can always bring a smile to my face.

As I type she is begging me to let her pour salt into her hand. She assures me, “I am not going to eat it Mom!” And when I ask why she wants to put it in her hand she replies, “So I can hold it and rock it to sleep Mom!” She tells me this while cupping her hands together and rocking them back and forth.

We love you Allie Mae! Thank you for being our little girl and such a good big sister to Brooklynn. We are so blessed to have your strong spirit in our family!

lllllllllmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

(Allie’s contribution to this post)

Brooklynn’s 4 month check-up

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Photo courtesy of Allie

Brooklynn’s 4 month check up the beginning of this month went perfect! She is getting to be such a big girl! We love her so much!

It cracks me up how she can fold herself in half. And you can kind of see how long her hair is getting! So see…I’m not such a bad Mom after all for shaving it :)

Her stats as of 4 months are:

Weight: 15lb. 12oz. 90%

Height: 26 1/4 in. 97%

Head Circumference: 17 in. 95%

Yay for percentages in the 90s again!

Halloween

2009-11-23T13:54:00.001-08:00

Well it’s about time I blogged about this! This year Allie was super girl (she loves PBS kids Super Y, so she wanted to go as Super Allie) and Brookie was the green M&M.

We started the Halloween season (is that the right word?) by going to a Halloween party at Martha Stewart’s house…oh I mean Jaime’s house (aka Martha Stewart’s protégé). We love parties at Jaime’s! I wish I would have taken a picture of the outside of her house. HUGE spiders complete with spiders eggs everywhere and a life size man completely wrapped in spider’s web and hanging upside down. Jaime does not spare any details :) Thanks Jaime for a fun party!

The spread…and this was just the sweets spread, not the meal she had also prepared.

Martha inspired pumpkin decorations and gluten-free cupcakes!

I just love these girls! They are so good to my girls!

And thanks Mike for sitting with Allie outside for most of the night roasting marshmallows and chatting about whatever it is 3 year olds have to chat about :) Allie loves you!

The day before Halloween we finally bought and pumpkin and carved it. If you do it too early it shrivels up outside!

Allie’s making the same face as the pumpkin!

Brooklynn was also very helpful by providing her usual grins and squeals :)

Our pumpkin wasn’t super creative, just the usual Jack-O-Lantern face, so Allie added a few of her finishing touches.

Gotta love that kool-aid mustache

Halloween night we went trick-or-treating with my cousins in Mesa.

We started out the evening by visiting Craig, Jaime’s mom. She is so sweet to my girls and they love her! We consider her one of the girls’ grandmas, so naturally we had to stop by her house and trick-or-treat.

Chris wore his plumber costume again. Allie had no clue who it was at first, but she soon realized it was Chris and laughed because she could see Uncle Chris’ bum :) His costume says McKrackin Plumbing: We’re #1 when it comes to #2.

Don’t mind how blurry the picture is :) This is the famous Talking Pumpkin! Allie and the other kids talk about him all year. A man my mom’s family has known for years owns this house and sets up a Jack-O-Lantern with a speaker in the mouth. The man stands in his cul-de-sac and talks to the parents as their kids walk up to the door to get candy. As they walk by the pumpkin the man talks into a microphone he has in his hand and his voice is heard from the speaker in the pumpkin. The pumpkin thanks the kids by name for coming to see him and comments on their costumes and how much bigger they are than last year. The Talking Pumpkin is a HUGE hit every year!

Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Festival

2009-11-23T12:58:00.001-08:00

Well we said we weren’t going to do it again this year…but we did. This year was actually a lot better than this year because we took advantage of the things that DIDN’T cost extra. We still spent way more than we should have, but Allie had a blast! Unfortunately Nick and I, like last year, went later than we wanted to and by the time we got on the train it was after 6:30 and so it was “spooky”. I was a little peeved that the ride was so scary for kids as this is a family festival, right? Poor Allie lost it when a girl dressed in a really scary costume with a ton of blood makeup on her face jumped out of the trees and screamed right in Allie face. Then the girl followed along side the train next to Allie while dragging a foot. Most of the train ride Allie was crying with her head buried in Nick’s chest so she wouldn’t see the other scary “actors”. However, in their defense they do tell you that after 6:30 it will be a scary train ride and so it is definitely our fault…but really…does it have to be that scary? Can’t someone in a pumpkin costume jump out of the trees and say BOO! ? Other than the train ride Allie loved it!

Brookie had a ghost painted on her cheek and Allie got a pumpkin like last year.

Allie went down the HUGE, LONG slide several times and we rode on the bee, too. Why go stand in the long lines at Disneyland to ride Dumbo when you can go to Schnepf Farms and ride a Bee that goes up and down?

This was by far her favorite ride! As you can see :) She got to ride in it all by herself and it would move up and down when she pulled on the lever. She was so proud of herself! She rode it three times and we finally had to drag her away to something else.

Nick is always such a fun dad. Allie loved climbing to the top of the haystack and jumping down to Nick!

JDRF Walk 2009

2009-11-23T12:40:00.001-08:00

Nick and I walked in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk again this year with my cousin Samantha. This is our third year to walk, but this year we were smart and left the girls at home. We walked so much faster…suprise, suprise! Great-grandma offered to watch the little kids this year and we were very grateful!

We all wore our team shirts that Samantha designed the first year we walked. The front says Samantha’s Mission Possible and the back says Target the Cure Juvenile Diabetes

Samantha’s friend Aubrey, Samantha, and Samantha’s sister Sabrina.

We were so jazzed…we made it to the end!! And Nick was… afraid? or just embarrassed of his dorky wife?

And mom was not only jazzed about making it to the end…but the free water :) !

Thanks Samantha for letting us be a part of this with you!

Here’s some random pictures of what we did in October…

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Allie rode trikes and played with her best friend Elizabeth that lives just down the street.

Brooklynn discovered she can get her toes up to her mouth. Who needs a paci when you have your toes?

More and more people told us that Brooklynn looks “just like her Daddy”. Which is just fine with me :)

Allie and Brookie watched PBS kids together

Brookie and Allie got cuter and cuter.

We fed the ducks with some friends.

And Brooklynn learned how to suck her thumb. I’m not super worried though because she will still take a paci, and if she’s like Allie she will only do it for a couple of months and then quit. But for now, she’s pretty darn cute when she does it :)

This is how she sleeps. She rolls to her right side though ususally, and then drapes her left arm across her face and sucks her right thumb.

She’s so advanced…

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This was taken back in October so she was only 3 months old, but as you can see she is already pulling herself up and standing. Ok, ok, she’s not really. But it makes me laugh that she locks her little knees and will stand there for a while if you stand her up. Check out those chubby thighs! I could just eat her up!

Some of September’s happenings…

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Here are some more things we did in the month of September that didn’t really warrant their own post. I know I always have a lot of pictures :) but some day when I make this into a book I know I will want all the pictures.

We rode the “caroself”, as Allie calls it, at the mall.

Unfortunately this is her favorite thing to be on while on the carousel. It spins around faster than the teacups at Disneyland! Allie calls it the driver car and loves spinning in it. I’m not going to lie…it makes me a little queesy.

The grandmas held their grandbabies and let them talk to each other. Why does it look like Brooklynn is chewing Clancy out? I love how they are holding hands :) and Clancy looks shocked!

This picture cracks me up. Allie looks pretty conniving on my lap! She was just about to blow out the candles on my birthday cake at my grandma’s house.

Emma and Hailey stayed at our house one night while their parents had an evening to themselves…smart parents:)…and the girls had a blast playing together.

We walked around the temple, visited the visitor’s center, and laid on a blanket in the grass under a tree. It was such a nice day as long as we were under a shady tree.

We tried out the Kid Club at the mall with Sara and Aiden and decided it probably wasn’t worth coming every week…but the kids got a free ride on the carousel!

Allie is in the middle of a big “Yee-haw!”

We rode the train and carousel at McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale with Claire, Cooper, and Chris. I love taking Chris places with us. Not only is he a funny guy to have around, but he is sooo helpful with my girls. I never have to worry if Allie is with him because he watches her so carefully. Allie is so lucky to have him. He always does what she wants him to do, so she has a blast with him. Thanks for being such an awesome brother and uncle Chris!

Splish-Splash!

2009-10-20T18:04:00.003-07:00

(Photo courtesy of Allie)

Some friends of mine, Claire and Melanie, and I met at a splash pad to catch up while the kids played. Melanie has since moved to Boston :( , but it was fun catching up with her before she left.

Allie had fun splashing around with Claire’s little boy Cooper.

Brooklynn had fun being held and chillin’ on the fake grass.

An attempted picnic in the park…

2009-10-20T18:04:00.001-07:00

I was trying to be a good mom. Nick was working late and we had been cooped up in the house all day. So, I made Allie a pizza and a sandwich for me, popped some popcorn, mixed up some kool-aid, and packed some popsicles in ice and we headed off for a picnic in the park. Allie wanted to have it in the middle of the grassy area at the park by our house. After a couple of pictures we started eating our feast! About two bites into it I packed us all up and we headed home…we were being eaten by mosquitoes. After shooing one off of Brooklynn’s chubby cheek I knew we had to go home :( We ended up having a picnic in our living room. Do I get points for trying??

Brooklynn’s Blessing

2009-10-20T15:59:00.001-07:00

Brooklynn was blessed on September 13th in our ward. We were so grateful for all the friends and family that were able to attend. Nick gave a beautiful blessing and it reminded me how grateful I am to have a husband that is a worthy priesthood holder and can bless our children.

What great families Nick and I have! These are the ones that we could grab for a quick picture.

Rick (my mom’s boyfriend) and my mom

My grandpa and grandma

Nick’s parents

Afterwards we met at my mom’s house for a luncheon.

This is what Brooklynn did while we all stuffed our faces :)

In keeping with tradition, we colored on the paper that covered the table. I was impressed with some of the drawings! The middle one is Brooklynn coloring with her toes :)

Powell Family Pictures

2009-10-20T15:42:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Lexi and her mad photography skills :) we were able to finally get Powell family pictures. We decided we’d better hurry and do it before Taylor leaves on a mission and one of us wives get pregnant again…there’s a lot of that going on in the Powell family :) . These are not the ones Lexi took, but just a few I got with my own camera. I will post Lexi’s later!

These are Nick’s parents (Papa and Sazu), as the grandkids call them, with our girls.

Oh my goodness, Brooklynn’s face cracks me up in this one!

These girls were cracking me up! Allie is on the left, Hailey in the middle, and Emma on the right. They have a lot of fun together. Uncle Taylor (above picture in white with Allie) was making them laugh with silly noises. Emma is the oldest, 9 months later Allie was born, and 8 months later Hailey was born. I can’t wait for these girls to get a little older and see what fun they have together! I had a lot of fun growing up with my cousins!

Allie Emma Shayla Hailey Jayden

These are the five older grandkids, the other three are the babies that were born in April, June, and July. Little Shayla is only a month older than Hailey. These four girls are going to get in all sorts of trouble…I mean have all sorts of fun growing up together :) Poor Jayden had to get stitches that morning after getting hit by a passing bike during the Amp Walk.

I’m so grateful for such wonderful in-laws. It was fun having Mike and Aarin in town for the weekend!

Amp Walk 2009

2009-10-20T15:16:00.001-07:00

On September 12th we participated in the 2nd annual Amputee Walk my brother-in-law puts on. It was a 5k and although some people might think an amputee walk is kind of an oxymoron, my sister-in-law and I were talking about what a great opportunity for these amputees this walk really is. These amputees can prove to themselves and others that although they may not have two perfect legs they are not defeated. There was one amputee in particular that walked the entire way. He was the very last one to come across the finish line, but he was determined to finish! It was such a proud moment for himself and his loved ones. I got a little emotional seeing him come to the finish with his crutches. What an accomplishment for him to tell others he participated in and finished a 5k walk! There was also a little boy there, maybe 8 years old that was also an amputee that ran over to him so that they could finish together. I am so glad that my brother-in-law puts this together despite his busy schedule. It is a time for amputees to come together and remember they are not alone and a time for those of us with two legs to have a taste of humility and remember how blessed we are.

2 Months Old!

2009-10-20T14:54:00.001-07:00

Brooklynn’s face says it all…we were shocked at how quick 2 months went by! By this point Brooklynn was sleeping through the night. I would feed her at about 8pm and she would sleep until about 5am! She is such a good baby. I am definitely being spoiled!

Her two month check up went perfect and her stats are as follows:

Weight: 12lb 11oz. 90%

Height: 24 in. 92%

Head Circumference: 16in 90%

Allie was always in the 90s too, so I’m happy to have another chubby baby:)

Allie was so good at the doctor’s office. I’m so proud of what good, happy girls I have!

7 Weeks Old

2009-10-20T14:37:00.001-07:00

Another friend of mine in my ward asked if she could come and take my girls pictures when Brooklynn was 7 weeks old. My reply: “Of course you can!” I love when others can share their talents that I don’t have…ie. photography skills. Ruth did such a good job of making Allie feel comfortable and was actually able to get some shots of her not bouncing all around. Now you understand how truly talented she is :) Here are a few of my favorites…Thanks Ruth!

How I LOVE homemade raspberry freezer jam

2009-09-12T01:06:00.001-07:00

I have had raspberries in my grandma’s freezer for…maybe 2 years now, or has it been longer? Well, needless to say it was waaaay past time to make jam. I was spoiled as a child to never know the taste of store bought jam. My mom and grandma always kept our freezer full of homemade freezer jam. Boysenberry and raspberry to be exact. Mmmm. So a couple of years ago I ordered berries with the intent to make jam soon…and soon turned into 2 or 3 years. Grandma and I were concerned that maybe the berries would have lost some of their flavor, but to our relief they were still full of flavor!

Allie had a lot of fun helping us stir the jam. Now that I know how easy it is to make I will definitely be doing it more often! Unfortunately the company we used to order from has significantly increased its prices, so I’ll be on the look out for berries on sale.

We bottled 25 quart sized bottles and 9 smaller bottles. I was happy with how much jam it made!

Brittany and Clancy came over to visit so Brooklynn and Clancy kicked around together. And Emily and Cami were there too, so Allie got to play with Cami. It’s so fun having some of my cousins be close to Allie’s age and also my cousin’s children be Brooklynn’s age.

Thanks Grandma for all the help! I love learning from you and spending time with you!

Labor Day

2009-09-12T00:37:00.001-07:00

This Labor Day Nick didn’t have to work and wasn’t even on call…yay! I kept trying to think of something inexpensive…ok, free!…that we could do as family. Just our little family. Too hot to go hiking, too hot to go to the park, too hot for a picnic, you get the picture. Nick and I both finally had the same thought at the same time…blow up our little pool! This is September…why on earth did we not do this earlier?! We had a blast with the four of us! It was Brooklynn’s first time in a pool and she loved being in the water. As for me, I loved being with my cute little family!

Here’s what we’ve been up to…

2009-09-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

Playing with Brittany’s baby Clancy

Eating chocolate ice cream cones with cousins Shayla and Hailey

Meeting cousins Kylie (on the left born in June) and Lucy (in the middle born in April)

Playing with the Powell grandparents

Going on walks at night…even when poor Nick is so exhausted from work. We love our Daddy!

Laughing with Sharla at her bridal shower!

And her wedding!! She looked beautiful! I’ve never seen a dress like hers before.

Bareback riding at Uncle Kent’s.

Letting Allie take pictures…she loves doing it! And loved on our sleeping girlies.

Singing Happy Birthday to these three… and these two girls… and this cute grandma on the end.

Going to breakfast with Lauren, Matt, and Mattison (Lauren is one of my roomates from BYU and they were in town!)

Going to Clancy’s baby blessing and loving on cousins!

Licking the brownie bowl clean!

Working hard to blow out 24 candles! Why does that number make me feel old…that’s not old…right?

Whew! Did you catch all that?

Allie's Not-So-Little Baby Doll

2009-09-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

Am I a mean mom for thinking this was hilarious? Poor Brooklynn :) She is such a good sport. Brooklynn lets Allie get away with pretty much anything and she just smiles. Allie had a lot of fun pushing her around tonight. She absolutely loves Brooklynn. I'm so grateful for these stinkin' cute girls!

Joseph E. Davis (aka Grandpa Strawberry)

2009-08-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

That's my great-grandpa, Joseph E. Davis. The E standing for just that, the letter E. He was born April 1st (April Fool's Day!) 1913, just one year after Arizona became a state. He turned 96 last April and passed away July 1st, the day before Brooklynn was born. I think he had to get up there before Brooklynn and my cousin's baby, Clancy, were born to warn them about what a crazy family they were coming to and to love on them before they had to face this telestial world. I have such fun memories of my grandpa.

(Grandpa Strawberry at his 95th birthday)

We called him Grandpa Strawberry. He and grandma lived in Strawberry, AZ for many years in a house they built with the help of family. It was easier to call them Grandma and Grandpa Strawberry than to try and distinguish between Great-grandpa Davis and Grandpa Davis. So to us grandkids he was Grandpa Strawberry. He taught us how to smell the bark of pine trees and distinguish between the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ones. Don't believe me? Go for a hike in Strawberry, AZ and I promise you will smell a neopolatin array of pine trees. He played baseball with us, pushed us on the tire swing at a nearby property, took us on the best nature walks, took us four-weeling in his old mail jeep (some of us consider those rides awesome memories while others, ahem Erin, remember them as harrowing rides where the jeep almost tumbled down hills). He would literally tell those in the jeep to put their hands out to brace against the mountain and keep the jeep from tumbling down it. I am among the ones who consider them awesome memories :) The local squirrels ate out of his hands and the javelina and him were friends. He had a way with animals. He played Monopoly with us until all hours of the night and woke up early to make a big, heaping breakfast complete with hot chocolate made of milk and Nestle Quick.

(Grandpa Strawberry at his 94th birthday seranading us all with his harmonica)

Oh I could go on and on about what an amazing man he was. He was the hardest workers you have ever met and his stories could keep you entertained for hours. My mom is serious when she calls him "one of the last of the tough guys". He always made people feel at home and never was short on candy to offer, especially chocolate covered peanut clusters :)

(Allie's blessing. Grandpa Davis, Grandpa Strawberry, Allie and I, and my mom. I can't believe how different my mom looks now!)

I feel blessed to have known my great-grandpa so well. When he moved to Arizona we were sad to see our memory-making years in Strawberry over, but excited to have grandpa closer. We made many more fun memories here in Mesa. He loved hiking with us in the Superstitions and never turned us away when we came knocking on his door. Allie even knew exactly who great-great grandpa was and says what a "good, good grandpa" he was. She and I both got to be with him a couple of days before he died. She held his hand, talked to him, and then ran off to play with the fun little trinkets around his house.

(Grandpa Strawberry's homeade gifts. Rocking chair, table, napkin holder, and basket.)

Grandpa Strawberry was in the greatest of health until the last few years, and even that was just the normal things like eyesight, hearing, etc. But don't tell him it was because he was 96 years old! He hated when people reminded him that he how old he was. That didn't mean anything according to him! Especially when the hospital staff told him that "his 96 year old body...", you would have thought they were talking bad about his mother by the reaction he gave! "Don't you look at that birthdate! That number doesn't mean anything! Don't you judge me by that year!" And most of the time he did it with a smile on his face.

(Grandpa and I at my wedding)

I was blessed to have Grandpa Strawberry as one of the witnesses in my wedding and one of the men in the circle at Allie's blessing. He gave us a rocking chair he made as well as a children's table he made. Since he has past I have also been able to get a napkin holder and basket he made. He was so good with wood and tools. He gave me, Allie, and the rest of our family members memories that will always be with us. I am so grateful for what an amazing example he was of working hard, spending money responsibily, loving your family, keeping your temple covenants (he had just a few months ago renewed his temple recommend...at 96 years old!), and always remembering to have fun. Again, I could go on and on about all the fun memories I have of him and all the wonderful things he taught me. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father was kind enough to take him quickly instead of letting him linger on in the condition he was in (which had come so suddenly it seemed). I'm so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the testimony I have of seeing Grandpa again in his perfected body. I look forward to the day where I can go on walks

with grandpa again!

(Allie at Grandpa Strawberry's house last Sunday. The family is working on going through his things and dividing it out so that everyone has the opportunity to have something of Grandpa's and Grandma's.)

(Nick and I sitting on Grandpa Strawberry's couch. I had to get a picture on this couch. It is a beautiful couch and he has had it for years and years. You would never know though because it is in perfect shape. Sitting on it reminds of me of sitting on it in Strawberry in their livingroom by the stone fireplace.)

(This is what Allie got from Grandpa Strawberry's house. Grandpa and squirrels just go hand in hand. Allie really liked playing with these little squirrels when she was at his house. She tells everyone they are her "special, special squirrels" and that they "have to be very, very careful with them".)

We are dogless...

2009-08-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

and it's a very weird feeling.

I always had a dog growing up and Nick and I got Kasey 6 months after we got married. She was the cutest red queensland heeler puppy. Nick wanted a heeler because his grandparents always had one on the ranch. He loves everything about his grandparents ranch. The tiny, tiny town feeling, the horses, the stables, the cattle, the river that runs through the property, the acres of crops to water and tend to, and of course working side by side with his grandpa. I think having a heeler reminded him of the summers he spent working from sun up to sun down cleaning stables, fixing water lines, eating cheese with grandpa, and shooting the bull with the neighbors who stopped by.

We loved Kasey, we really did. She was the best dog. She was super easy to potty train, she got along with other dogs, she let Allie hit, push, and pull at her, she never once growled or snapped at another person, she let Allie play in her food dish while she ate, and (without training her to do it) we could take her off her leash and let her run and know she would come back as soon as we said her name. Truly, the best dog. Unfortunately our lives have become too hectic to devote to a dog like a queensland heeler. They are working dogs. They are supposed to be rounding up cattle, not sitting in a tract home backyard. We finally decided last Friday, after talking about it for months, that in fact we were being selfish for keeping her. What if she misses us?! What if she feels like we abandoned her?! What is there to miss? The occasional walk we would take her on? The occasional throwing a Frisbee in the backyard or tennis ball at the park? We call ourselves dog people, but it's only because we like dogs. Not because we consider them one of our children and treat them as such. No, it would be better for Kasey to be in a home with true "dog people". It was hard for Nick, and me too, but mostly for Nick to agree to the ad on craigslist. "Please," I thought, "just hurry and let a good family come and take her. If she has to sit on craigslist for more than a week it will break my heart and I will have to take it down." Luckily, Sunday we got a call on her. It was a guy calling for his girlfriend's mother. She has had queenslands for years and recently one of the dogs died. She has property for the dogs to run, a pool that she lets the dogs swim in, and lots and lots of love to give. He was surprising her with Kasey. She had always wanted a red heeler. Perfect! When he came to look at her he had a treat pouch on his side and talked about what a good dog she was! What good eye contact she kept! Good eye contact? Ah yes, I was reminded that I was not a true "dog person". He is a dog trainer and was excited to work with a dog as smart as a heeler. He promised to walk her every day like he does with the other heeler and that they don't get rid of dogs so Kasey would be in a permanent home. He even told us we were smart in realizing we couldn't give her the time she deserved and deciding to give her to someone who did have that time and ambition.

So, long story coming to a close: we will miss Kasey a lot. Mostly because we knew what a good dog she was and how well behaved she was, but also because it reminded Nick of Grandma and Grandpa Giles. Allie will definitely miss her (we think it just hasn't set in yet that she isn't coming back). We are so grateful she went to a home where she will be loved. Nick and I agreed we need a little dog that can run around in the house and the kids can play with. Maybe someday...

My pretty girls...

2009-08-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Lexi Morris, came over and took some pictures of the girls when Brooklynn was 10 days old. I think she did such a good job! She is just starting to take pictures and always says she has to give her disclaimer of "I am not a professional, so I can't guarantee anything!", but I think they turned out beautiful! I'm so happy with them. I wish we would have taken more of these kinds of pictures with Allie, but you live and you learn I guess. These are some of my favorites. Thanks so much Lexi!

I love her little pouty lips and chubby cheeks.

What a cute little profile.

This one cracks me up.

I love her face in it...so serious.

Oh my Allie girl...I love you!

Allie Mae

2009-08-04T23:28:00.000-07:00

My posts lately have been all about Brooklynn, so I thought I'd post something about Allie. I love my Allie girl. She is my best friend and often tells me that very thing. She also tells me that I'm a "good, good sharer" (when I share something of mine with her) or that I'm a "good, good mommy". Those are the times when feel like I must be doing something right. Allie is such a sweet little girl. She has such a strong personality though! Where does she come up with some of the things she says?! She keeps us laughing. She always says her describing words twice. For example: "good, good mommy", "this is very, very special to me", "he is a grouchy, grouchy man", etc. She is so good with Brooklynn. She loves to run and get her a paci when she's crying. I have to remind her to not push it super hard into her mouth, but she is such a big helper. Here lately she's having trouble listening and following what I say, but I'm sure the poor girl is still adjusting to not being an only child. I am so grateful to have Allie in our family and can't imagine life without her. She was such a trooper while I was going to school. She sits at the computer now and says, "No mom, I can't do that right now. I'm just doing my homework!" Apparently I said that a lot to her. Poor baby. She is awesome at going on the potty, she loves to help me make dinner (and help me taste test :), which is normally fine, but tonight I turned around and she was licking a fork she had just rubbed around on the raw chicken...never a good thing...), she loves to help fold laundry (and is surprisingly good at it), color with markers and cut with her little scissors, take baths with Brooklynn, hug and kiss all over Brooklynn, watch movies, sing songs, read books, and dance to any kind of music. There are days we butt heads, but I'm pretty sure it's because we know how to push each other's buttons. But for the most part we are the best of friends. She can't decide quite what she wants to be when she grows up. The other day she said she was going to be a doctor-princess-nurse. She also claims she wants to drive a cement truck (every mother's dream for her little girl). She knows that she wants to work at the hospital though with mommy, and grammy Jean, and Rick (my mom's boyfriend). She loves driving by the hospital and saying, "Mommy, what do you see!" I need to be better about writing down our conversations because they are a crack up. The other day she told me "You are a good, good mommy!" and gave me a big hug. So I said, "Thanks, Al. And you're a good, good daughter." She gave me a dirty look and said, "No mom! I'm a girl! I'm a good, good Allie girl!" and then sighed. Silly me for thinking she was a daughter when really she is an Allie girl! Whenever we sit down at the table to eat, whether it's lunch or dinner, she will ask, "So mommy, how was at school?" or "So daddy, how was at work?" Then we have to ask her "So Allie, how was at (and ask various questions)" to which she will answer, "Good. Good, good." I'm glad that she gets that the dinner table is where we talk about each other's day...again, I must be doing something right. Right? We love our Allie Mae!

Quick...someone tell me I'm not a bad mother!

2009-08-04T23:10:00.001-07:00

What's all that hair from you ask? Could it be that Nick trimmed his goatie? Could it be that I trimmed Allie's hair? (Well I did do that a couple of days ago, but that's not it.) I can't believe I did it, but...*tear* I shaved Brooklynn's head. I know, I can't believe I did it either! But something had to be done! I know that she's a girl and you should only shave boys' heads, but seriously it needed it.

Do you see what I mean?! It was bald in the front and the back was getting long and had a ton of hair. From the back you couldn't even tell she was losing hair! It had been driving me crazy and I didn't know what else to do. I kept thinking that when it did finally all grow in the different lengths would be really dramatic. So I did it...I shaved my poor baby girl's head. I was seriously almost in tears about it!

Allie was born with so much hair that I could put a clip bow it in when we left the hospital and it never fell out! Brooklynn had a full head of hair when she was born, but for some reason the hair has only fallen out on the front half of her head.

These are pictures of Allie in the hospital. Look at all that hair! And like I said, it never fell out!

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Oh I still can't believe

I did it!

She is still our adorable

baby girl...but now more

than ever I need to buy

hair bands!

I See the Moon...

2009-08-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

When I was little we would always go to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Sunday night. All the uncles, aunts, and cousins would come, too. We ate popcorn, drank kool-aid, and the little kids played while the adults caught up on the past weeks activities. I have such fun memories of Sunday nights at Grandma's house. The worst punishment our parents could give would be to stay home on Sunday nights instead of going to Grandma's. What on earth would you do just sitting at home on a Sunday night?! I'm sad to say that over the last couple of years Sunday nights at Grandma's have not happened every Sunday like they used to. The price of gas, families moving out to Queen Creek, and some of us kids getting married and creating our own families have made it harder to commit to every Sunday night. We are hoping to at least set aside one Sunday a month that the whole family can commit to. Right family?! Right?! Well, one of my favorite Sunday night memories was walking out to our cars with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa would either carry us or hold our hands and walk with us. As we walked out he would ask us where the moon was and we'd laugh while finding it together. Then he'd sing "I See the Moon". I loved listening to Grandpa sing. I was shocked the other day when one of my cousins didn't know the words to this beloved song! It proved to me that we need to be better about spending Sunday nights at Grandma's! I have enjoyed singing this song to my girls (it's so fun to say girls, plural!) and Allie loves singing along with me. She asks me to sing it to her every night before bed. Tonight I asked if she would let me record her while she sang so that great-grandpa could hear her. Surprisingly, she agreed! She threw in "Mr. Golden Sun" while she was at it :) So this video is for you Grandpa! Thanks for all of the fun memories and I am so grateful you are able to make memories with my girls. Allie adores you! Love you Grandma and Grandpa!!

"I see the Moon. The Moon sees me.
Hiding behind the old oak tree.
Please let the light that shines on me,
Shine on the one I love."

Here's What We've Been Up To...

2009-08-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Allie's read lots of books to

Brooklynn.

Dancing in the rain

Feeding our babies...

and making sure to burp them

well afterwards.

Eating ice cream with

Grammy Jean.

Taking pictures upon Allie's

requests.

Taking naps with sisters.

And taking baths with sisters.

Enjoying visits from Erin and

Steven.

Visiting little Clancy Kent

(Brittany's new baby!)

Taking naps with Daddy.

Just sitting around enjoying

our sweet baby.

Enjoying Brookie lynn's smiles.

Tummy time!

Trips to the park (and being

eaten alive by mosquitoes!)

Trying new recipes (stuffed

bellpeppers) with Allie calling

out ingredients :)

Lots of big sister kisses!

Making whooley mammoths

with Aiden (what a good mommy

Aiden has!)

Stories before bed.

And most of all...enjoying being

together!!

The Fourth of July!

2009-07-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

We came home from the hospital with Brooklynn on the 4th. We were hoping we would go home that day since we wanted to watch fireworks in our backyard with Allie. Allie loved the fireworks and Brooklynn slept through it all. Next year should be a lot of fun with the two of them! My mom was there to help with the girls and help around the house, so she was able to take a couple family pictures. Remember, this was the day I came home from the hospital so don't judge too harshly :)

"Mom, they go BOOM!"

Our first family picture

I love these two!

Brooklynn's Arrival!

2009-07-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Brooklynn is three weeks old today...I think it's about time to start blogging! She has really been the perfect baby. We are loving every minute with her and Allie is loving kissing, hugging, and reading to her! Here's the arrival story for those who have been asking...

WARNING: VERY LONG POST

DISCLAIMER: I have always believed a woman's birthing story is like a soldier's battle story. It's a story that most people want to know all the details and a story the woman takes pride in telling. It's not that the woman is complaining, but telling what she had to go through to get her little baby into this world. Do you not agree? When you tell a birth story it isn't that you are complaining or trying to impress everyone with how brave and awesome you are, but in telling it don't you agree that you are amazed at what your body can endure to see your precious little baby? So here's my battle story...

I was really excited for a repeat c-section. You have to know my story with Allie to really see why I was so excited for a repeat. With Allie I started swelling really bad at 30 weeks and had to sleep with ice packs between my hands because the swelling created a carpel tunnel syndrome feeling. It wasn't the typical pregnancy swelling...I was HUGE! For those who have seen pictures they say it looks like I'm in a fat suit...I felt like a water balloon waiting to burst! I went into labor on my due date and after laboring for 43 hours it was discovered she was a brow presentation (coming out eyebrow first instead of the top of the head first), so I had to have a c-section. My temp was spiking, my blood pressure was going up, and I was puking. Needless to say, when they suggested a c-section there was no need to persuade me. Allie was stained with meconium, came out completely limp, and never really even cried (the one time you want your kid to really wail and she didn't!). She was REALLY beat up. She had a HUGE lump on her head from trying to come out the wrong way, her nose was completely flat, and there were red marks all over her face. Poor girl. My mom was in the OR with us and she remembers thinking, "This baby has some sort of syndrome. It's not down's syndrome but there is definitely something wrong. How am I going to tell my baby her baby has problems?!" And Nick remembers thinking, "Our little baby is deformed, but we are going to love her anyways because she is our baby." Poor daddy! Well after a few hours she looked like a normal baby (babies are amazing that way!). After I had her I kept swelling (I got stretch marks after I had the baby!!) and had to be sent home on a diuretic. I lost 40lbs in 10 days...I'm telling you, I was pretty darn swollen. My incision opened up a little and I got a nasty infection with smelly, green pus coming out (don't try and picture that) and battled mastitis 3 times. I had soooo much milk. In the mornings I would pump 9 ounces off one side, feed Allie on that same side until she was full, then pump another 5 ounces off that side...and then have to just pump on the other side. I'm telling you I could have feed quadruplets! So...now with that little bit of Allie history you can see why I was really excited for a repeat section. I could just walk in, hair and makeup done, no contractions to breathe through, and with everything that went wrong last time this time was going to be cake!

This pregnancy was awesome. I only swelled a little after 38 weeks and never once puked. I was able to get through nursing school, take boards, get the house ready and felt great! The day before we went to the hospital we ran last minute errands, spent time with Allie, did yard work, picked Allie out a princess wallet from the Disney store (I made the mistake of saying a couple of months back that maybe Brooklynn would give her one after she had asked for one...I didn't think she would remember, but she was telling everyone that Brooklynn was going to give her a princess wallet when she was born), and then went to dinner at In-N-Out together. I didn't go to bed until midnight because, being the amazing procrastinator that I am, I had not packed a single thing for me in the hospital or for Allie. I woke up at 3am to shower and get ready. We still were running a little late so we dropped Allie off at my mom's instead of my aunt's on the way to the hospital. We got there at 530am and got all checked in. I wasn't really nervous, but I think it's because I'm so used to working in the hospital that it didn't really set in that I was going in as a patient. They had to try 3 times to get an IV (I felt so bad for the nurse. She's been a nurse for years, but I have really valvey veins and very rarely can they get it in under 3 tries.), but the CRNA was able to get one in. They took be back to the OR like 20 minutes early (fine with me, let's get her here!) and did the section. Nick was great the whole time. He was taking pictures, talking with me and we were both watching them cut me open in the reflection of the OR lights. Pretty crazy! The doctor had to cut my incision a little bit wider because, like Allie, Brooklynn was wedged and he couldn't get her head out. The first assist had to really push on my chest hard to get her unwedged while the doctor pulled. I'm sure it only lasted for a few seconds but it felt like forever! They usually have to push on the patients to get baby out, but they really had to work to get Brooklynn out. It was the worst pain I have ever felt and I remember thinking, "I'm not breathing! Do they know I'm not breathing?! You're killing my chest lady! Does anyone realize I'm not breathing! I'm dying here on the table!" Like I said, I'm sure it wasn't long at all but it felt like forever!! I got an awful pain in my right shoulder and the anesthesiologist had to give me some more meds to get the pain to lessen. The section went well though and I just had a sore shoulder afterwards. Also, like Allie, Brooklynn came out not crying but finally gave a little squeak. Man that worries you! Nick got to give the first bath and was so sweet with Brooklynn. He's such a proud Daddy. My mom didn't get to go back to the OR with us this time (politics!!) but she was there in recovery with us and got to love on Brookie lynn too. Later that day I noticed I had a headache that got better when I laid down. Ugh, spinal headache. I kept trying to play it off because I didn't want to make a big deal about nothing. But sitting up and trying to feed a brand new baby while it feels like your eyes are going to pop out of your head was getting really hard. They tried to be conservative and give me a caffeine drip and really hydrate me throughout the night, but the headache was still there. So the next morning they had to do a blood patch. They think it was due to all the pushing they had to do on my chest. The hole that my spinal anesthesia went through reopened and the spinal fluid was leaking out. The anesthesiologist said that instead of your brain bobbing around in your skull it is just sitting there which is why the horrible headache is there. It was like a 15 on a pain scale of 0-10. (I told Nick it was Heavenly Father's way of saying, "The next time you give your husband a hard time while he's laying on the couch with a migraine and puking his guts out...remember this." Lesson learned. So the anesthesiologist started another epidural while an RN drew blood from my arm. He then put about 30cc of my own blood into the epidural space in my spine and I had to lay flat for like 15 minutes while it clotted. Instant relief!! The blood clotted which then closed the hole. Thankgoodness for that anesthesiologist!! The rest of the hospital stay was fine and Brooklynn nursed like a champ! (I had to use a breat sheild for a month with Allie before she finally latched on herself and was a good eater.) We went home two days after the section, the fourth of July!, and then had to go back the next day for another blood patch. I had another dang spinal headache! After a couple of days at home I realized I had mastitis again so I filled a prescription that made poor Brooklynn's tummy really rumble. Poor baby. But after that was all over we have been great! That's what I get for saying, "with everything that happened with Allie this one is going to be cake!" And really, even with the little setbacks with this one it wasn't all that bad. I am already telling Nick I want another one. He just says, "One at a time, Mindy!" Oh yeah! I'm so grateful my doctor didn't even let me try to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Ceserean). Some people really questioned why I didn't at least try, but Nick and I just didn't feel comfortable with all the risks involved. Good thing we didn't! My doctor doesn't let his patients even try them, but for me it was such a blessing. He said when he was doing the section the scar on my uterus was transparent and that it was starting to open on one side. Meaning? If I had tried to have a regular delivery, the contractions would have stressed out my uterus and for sure opened it up causing a uterine abruption. Really bad thing to happen. So he said he double stitched my uterus and that the next time should be fine. Fingers crossed?! It makes me a little nervous for how many more kids I will be able to have though. We are so grateful to have little Brookie lynn here happy and healthy!!

Dropping Allie off at my mom's.

2 more hours until she's here!

Hanging out in triage.

Poor Nick was so tired, but so

supportive!

A little cut here and a snip there,

A big push here and a big pull

there...

And she's here!

Daddy gave the first bath!

I thought it was so cute that the

nurse put a little rolled up blanket

between her legs.

Allie's first time holding

Brooklynn.

"Look Aunt Emily! She has two

ears like me!"

The Aunties! My girls are so

lucky to have these girls.

Proud Uncle Chris.

Cousin Kylee and Brooklynn.

Kylee is only 4 weeks older.

Apparently Uncle Mike and

Aunt Aarin approve!

I think this picture of Aunt Wendy

and Cousin Caitlin is so sweet.

Brooklynn's great-grandpa came

to see and love on her. Her great-

great-grandpa went to heaven to

meet her the day before she was

born.

Matching outfits for pictures!

I'm excited to dress them alike

now and then.

This is my favorite way to hold

newborns.

Headed home!

Allie has done so well with Brooklynn!

She is the best big sister!

She's Here!!!

2009-07-08T21:01:00.001-07:00

Brooklynn Michele Powell is here!! She was born July 2, 2009 at 7:40am. She was 8lbs 7oz and 20in. long. And, of course, absolutly perfect. I promise I will post more, like my delivery story, Allie's cute take on things, etc. It's time for Brooklynn to eat again, so hopefully I'll post more soon, but I just had to get her picture up!!

I'M OFFICIALLY AN RN!!

2009-06-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's official! I took the NCLEX yesterday with 3 of my friends and found out today that I passed!! We all passed!! I can finally say I am done with school (until I go back next year for my BSN), and that I am a licensed nurse! Now to find a job...in this jobless economy...but we'll worry about that later! On to more important things like spending time with Allie and Nick, finishing last minute things until Brooklynn gets here, and maybe actually having time to update our blog!! I have been excited for the day that I would have RN behind my name since I was 5! I did it!! Thanks to all the awesome family that helped with watching Allie so nursing school was even possible!!
~ Mindy Powell, RN

What Not to Say to Someone Who is Pregnant

2009-03-04T16:42:00.001-08:00

This is for all those people out there that might forget to think before they comment on the size of a pregnant women. Is anyone else out there amazed at the things people say?? Some of these comments were from when I was pregnant with Allie and a few are from now. I'm sure everyone that has ever been pregnant has heard at least one of these. I've learned to just laugh...

* "How far along are you honey? Oh you poor thing, you have such a long way to go!" (In case I didn't know I look gigantic...this confirmed it.)

* "Are you sure there is only one in there?"

* "Oh my goodness you are so swollen. Look at your ankles...they are sagging over your flip-flops." (I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.)

* "Are you sure your blood pressure is normal. You just look like you're getting sick! Your arms are even swollen!" (Unfortanely it wasn't until after I lost all my water weight with Allie that I realized my arms really were quite swollen.)

* Them: "How far along are you?" Me: "22 weeks" Them: "Oh so just barely." Me: My thought(Are you kidding me! I'm over halfway lady! I've been pregnant since September! Barely would be like 4, maybe 8 weeks! There's a living being the size of a banana in me!)

* Them: "How far along are you?" Me: "22 weeks" Them: "Oh don't worry you always stick out faster with your second one!" (Apparently I "stick out". I didn't have a problem with it really until someone tried to make me feel better about it...now I might have a problem with it)

* "You look like you're ready to pop!" (Unfortunately lady I still have like 10 weeks left!)

Oh the funny things people say...that they shouldn't say...

22 Weeks

2009-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

A couple people have been requesting belly pics and I have been quite reluctant to post them, but here's one I took the other day. My friends and I were taking pictures for our graduation announcements, which turned out way cute, and I thought I'd better get at least one belly shot. I'm feeling really good so I can't complain. After my clinical shift for school yesterday I got home and took my scrubs off and realized my legs were quite swollen. Ugh. And so it begins...I pray that it's only my legs this time and not total body. There's just something about a squishy forehead that's just not right. Nicks comment was, "My play toys are back!" He had a lot of fun when I was pregnant with Allie making designs on my legs and feet. They were so swollen you could push in on them and the dent would stay for like 15 minutes or so. He has promised me that he will still love me when I'm big and swollen again. I think we have decided on Brooklynn Michele, but maybe still deciding on the middle name. Allie and Brookie. I think it's way cute. She's been moving a ton and Allie has had a lot of fun tickling her and pretending to hold her. I'm so grateful things are going so well! We are blessed!

Here are a couple of the pictures we took on Saturday:

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

2009-02-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

I had my big OB ultrasound today and we found out we are having a... GIRL!!! We are so excited to have another sweet little girl in the family! Allie was so proud telling everyone she was going to be a big sister. When we brought her in the room and she saw the big TV ultrasound view she said, "That's my baby!" I can't wait to see what fun these little girls have together. Allie said she would share her toys with her sister, but we'll see how that goes when the time really comes. All I could think about when I left was that I need to buy more bows and headbands and skirts and dresses...the list went on and on. Nick was rooting for a boy, but he is happy either way. We'll get a boy eventually. That's our big news for the day! I haven't updated this in forever...maybe when school gets out...my fingers are crossed for sooner....

One my favorite smells...

2009-01-17T09:31:00.001-08:00

is waking up to bacon, eggs, and chopped potatoes sizzling on the grittle and piping hot waffles in the waffle maker. That is what I woke up to this morning. Mmmmm. I know I should be on here updating the past couple of weeks, but I'm going to brag about my husband instead. I worked Thursday night and didn't get to sleep yesterday during the day really since I was home with Allie. Meaning? I was exhausted going to bed last night and then Allie didn't sleep well, which means I didn't sleep well. I woke up at 10 this morning smelling those wonderful smells. Allie was on the couch watching a movie and Nick was hard at work cooking away. He said he didn't need any help and for me to go relax. What a guy. Truly I am not worthy of him.
Oh and P.S.: he brought me home a dozen roses the other day...just because. He knows I love it when he does that. Thanks sweetie I love you!!

It's About Time!

2008-12-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

That's probably what most of you are thinking! We have had a crazy busy couple of months so I'm excited to finally sit down and get you up to speed. I apologize for some of the long posts, but it's for journaling purposes. You might have to get caught up while your children are napping or when everyone is asleep late at night. Or, you might just want to look at it in shifts. There's quite a bit to get caught up on. You have to go back a few pages and it starts with the Gilbert Days parade...was that really over a month ago?? I have enjoyed reading all of your blogs and decided I had better do my part to get up to date on mine. My goal was to get it up to speed over the break so now that it's done maybe it will be easier to post a little at a time. We hope you have had a great holiday season so far and hope you enjoy getting caught up with our family!

Finally!!

2008-12-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Finally...we can tell you what we've been keeping a secret since we found out in
October!!

We are so excited to announce we are adding another member to our family!! We found out the middle of October but have kept it quiet until we found out everything is going ok. We had another appointment on the 18th and things looked good so we figured we should start telling people! I will be 13 weeks on Sunday the 28th. My due date is July 5th, but I will be a repeat C-section so I will deliver the end of June. Two of my sister-in-laws are also due in May and June and my cousin, Brittany, is due the week after me! I'm really excited to be pregnant with these girls! Unfortunately my SILs are sticks so they probably aren't the best people to be pregnant with since I certainly am anything but a stick while pregnant, but we are excited to have cousins close in age again. When we told Allie she said, "Allie has a baby in her tummy too, Mom!!" and lifted up her shirt. She lifts up my shirt and says, "Oh cute mom!" I told her to enjoy it, because it certainly won't be cute for long. I think she will do really well with the baby. She is always pretending to hold babies and changes her stuffed animals "diapers" frequently. She goes through quite a bit of wipes. I am excited to see how she will react to a real baby in the house. When we asked her what we should name the baby she waited a minute and then gasped before saying, "Baby Jesus, Mom!" Hmmm....maybe we could put a spanish twist on it an pronounce it Hey-Sus?? So that is our exciting news! We will keep you posted on the happenings and if I get really brave maybe a belly pic or two. Fingers crossed I won't swell as much as last time! We are so excited to be adding another child to our family and feel very blessed. We waited until my due date would be when I was done with school. Did I mention we were so excited??!!

Christmas Day!

2008-12-26T13:04:00.001-08:00

WARNING: This is a long one. Remember I use this for journaling purposes so while you might get bored we find it fun to look back on.

We had a very merry Christmas this year. It started by watching the Disneyland Christmas parade. Did anyone else besides Matt and Lauren know Disney had this? It was our first year to watch it and Allie loved it! After it was over we opened presents. We decided since Allie was spoiled rotten for her birthday and she wouldn't remember this Christmas probably anyways, that we shouldn't blow a lot of money. Allie got a mini backpack with her name on it and Sleeping Beauty. Santa got her this cheesy tiny plastic guitar that plays a Miley Cyrus song. He must have known what a nightmare it is in the checkout line because we can't get her to put the dang thing down. Nick got me exactly what I asked for: a box of dark chocolate covered almond clusters. Also, keeping with tradition, one of the Willow statues. This one is called generations and is really sweet. Nick got exactly what he wanted too: a Glenn Beck DVD and his book "The Christmas Sweater". Nick absolutely loves Glenn Beck. We then went to my mom's to open presents. Allie got a lot of clothes (which she needed really bad) and some more books from Grandma and Rick. Chris got a Wii and a lot of fun games and controlers to go with it. He is way excited! We recently had family pictures taken at Val Vista lakes professionally and they turned out really good so that's what we gave my mom. We got...drumroll please...a new camera!! I had been asking for one so I'm so excited!! It's a Nikon P80. It has 10.1 megapixels, it can zoom up to 18x, and it has a really great flash. We liked our other camera, but I wanted one with a little more megapixels and a better flash. It came complete with a case, extra battery, and 2G picture card. There is a definite difference in the pictures we took at our house on Christmas and the ones we took with the new camera after we got it. Thanks Mom!! We love it!! After my mom's house we went to my grandma's for dinner and opening more presents. Allie got pajamas from my grandma and a baby doll with snap on clothes (so cute) from one of her cousins. (We don't do gifts as adults anymore, but the little kids draw names. It is cheaper this way and let's be honest...what do you get an adult for under $20 that they don't already have? We have all agreed it is less stressful this way.) My cute little great-grandpa was not able to be with us since he has been placed in a rehab center. ***** Way long story, but in October he was put in the hospital to amputate half of his big toe on the left side (I think that side). We finally got him home after two weeks and he did the same thing to the other foot (ripped his big toe nail off due to an ingrown toenail. He's a tough 'ole guy!) Unfortunately at 95 years old there isn't much circulation down there so he had to go back the week before Christmas and have the other big toe and the toe next to it amputated due to gangrene. Too much info for your stomach?? Sorry. Anyway, we thought we'd be able to get him home for Christmas but the care facility wouldn't release him since he was only put in the day before. We are hoping he will only be there for like a month. He has a PICC line to put antibiotics due to an infection in the incision and he basically needs to learn to walk again since both big toes are gone. That is where you balance when you walk. So we are praying hard for him and hoping he will be home soon. Poor grandpa. Up until this point he has been quite independent. We are very grateful to my grandpa who lives next door. He has been helping him live independently for quite a while now. He also has been the one to change wound dressings a couple of times a day for a couple of months. He probably has done more wound dressing changes than I will ever do. Thanks grandpa for taking such good care of him and grandma for cooking him dinner everynight!******** Back to Christmas, after my grandma's we went to the Powells and had dinner. We opened presents there too. We got a big framed picture of George Washington praying next to his horse in the snow. Nick loves this picture and has been wanting it for years. Thanks Susan and Kelly!! They also gave us a cute holiday decoration. His aunt and uncle in Utah sent us the classic Christmas DVDs and a racing t-shirt for Nick. Thanks Mark and Mel!! Allie got a teepee from grandma and grandpa complete with a matching pillow. They also gave her a toy lantern and flashlight that work, toy binoculars, and a little toy canteen. She can have a campout in her teepee now! What a cute idea! It is a perfect little fort because you can set it up fast and it folds down really nice too! She also got a little puzzle. Nick's aunt and uncle gave her a really cute warm blanket. I hope I didn't miss anything! We had a great time spending the holidays with family and feel very blessed to be so close to everyone. We are grateful for our Savior and for the sacrifice he made coming to this earth. We love our Heavenly Father and are so grateful for his sacrifice of giving his son to all of us so that we may live with him again.

Allie packed up her

presents and ran

for it!

My Christmas

presents!

Nick's Christmas

presents!

Just a little

excited...

Allie loves Curious

George!

A touch, feel, and

popup book. Good

choice Grandma!

Mine and Nick's present!

Very good choice Mom

and Rick! Thank you

so much!

Allie refers to these

two as "CamiCaleb"

all one word. She

plays with these

cousins once a

week while I

am in school.

Almost all of us!

Some had to sit

in the livingroom.

We are quite a

big bunch!

Again...not quite

all of us. But you

get the picture.

We take up quite

a bit of room.

Thanks for the

help unwrapping

cousin Samantha!

Allie is lucky to

have so many fun

cousins who love

her. They are actually

my cousins...but same

thing, right?

Quite excited about

her new babydoll.

Thanks Dallin!

My grandma makes

one of these for

each member of the

family and then

puts them on the

tree in family clusters.

The tree is getting pretty

full!

Twins with cousin

Cami!

These cute boys,

Caleb and Parker,

are only a month

apart and keep

us laughing!

This is almost all

of the grandkids.

We have three in

Utah that we miss

and a few others

had already left.

Dinner at the

Powells!! We were

missing a couple of

families.

The grandkids LOVE

uncle Taylor. He keeps

them laughing and

always is willing to

play with them. We

appreciate it Taylor!

Allie's new teepee!

Nick's parents are

always have fun

ideas for the kids'

presents. Allie

loves her little

kitchen that Nick's

dad made last year.

Allie always says,

"Silly Papa!" He

isn't afraid to get

down on the floor

with the kids and

they love him for

it!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

We usually spend Christmas Eve at Nick's parents but his dad works the graveyard shift and sadly he had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas. So, we spent this Christmas Eve at my mom's house with her boyfriend and his son, Anthony, and his son's girlfriend, Rochelle, and my brother. Mom made delicious prime rib, mashed potatoes complete with gravy, fresh green beans, and a salad. She had the chocolate Godiva cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. It is flourless so we can eat it and holy cow it is way rich, but oh so good. A few of us opened gifts and we watched It's a Wonderful Life. It was a really relaxing and fun evening.

She got this way

cute reversible

coat from Grandma

and Rick...

and some new

books...

and this yummy

peppermint

lollipop!

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party!

2008-12-26T12:21:00.001-08:00

My friends and I had an Ugly Sweater Christmas party. There were some pretty ugly sweaters. I got mine at Ross and it was like a half sweater. It was like they got bored making it and just stopped. We all agreed it would have been even better had I not worn anything under it, but no one wants to see that. It would have turned into a white trash ugly sweater party. We had it at Jaime's house and she of course went all out. She made a really yummy gluten-free potato soup and really pretty cranberry punch. She also had hot chocolate complete with whipped cream, marshmellows, and chocolate sprinkles. Allie loved it! We did a cookie exchange and my friends were nice enough to make sure all the goodies were gluten-free. Thanks ladies! You don't know how much it means to me! We also watch Elf. Will Ferrell cracks me up! We drew names so it was fun seeing what everyone got for their secret santa. Ok, it wasn't really secret, but that's what we called it. Jaime's mom is like our "Nursing School Mom" so we had to get her something. We got her a wine glass and had "Cocktail Queen" engraved on it, along with "Love, your nursing chicks" since she has been called our mother hen. Jaime made this gorgeous scrapbook shadow box of Allie looking at pumpkins for me. I love it! You are so talented Jaime! It says, "The Best Pick in the Patch". Allie is definitely our best pick in the patch.

Jaime's yummy

cranberry punch

she threw together.

Our spread.

Allie's ugly sweater

purchased from

Goodwill for only

$0.99. I guess it

would have been

cute in the early

90's with matching

green sweatpants.

My friends are always

spoiling Allie. She's

so lucky to have them.

They got her this

princess table and chairs

for Christmas. She loves

them! She likes to color,

eat, and have tea parties

at it.

We love you

Craig!

These next pictures are the ones Allie took. She figured out how to push the button. They cracked us up because apparently this is Allie's and most little kids view of the world. They see a lot of bums I guess.

This one was our

very favorite. How

often do we bend

down to talk to

little kids and give

them cheesy smiles?

Is this what we look

like to them??

School Is Out!!

2008-12-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Another semester is over!! I can't believe how fast this one went! I just finished Block 3 of Nursing school so I only have one more semester to go. Nick, Allie, and I are so excited. Almost there!! I hope next semester goes as fast as this one! Thanks Nick for being so supportive of everything I have done and thanks Allie for putting up with me while I'm in school. Overall it really hasn't been "stressful" as far as studying and school goes, but it's stressful trying to get Allie to the right place and get things done at home while still keeping my grades where they should be. Nick and I are looking forward to May! My friends and I got our traditional End-of-the-semster pedicures. Allie even got her toes done this time! She picked out her own color and was very proud to show them off.

Look at those cute

little toes!

Thanks girls for making

Allie one of the girls.

She loves you guys

and it makes life

so much easier

on me.

Utah Trip

2008-12-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

We spent a weekend in Utah for Nick's grandma's funeral. Poor Nick has lost two grandpas, a grandma, and an uncle in the short 3 1/2 years we have been married. We had a lot of fun in Utah though seeing family and Nick has some fun memories of his grandma to comfort him. We kept telling Allie we were going to play in the snow. When we got there there wasn't any snow so we were relieved when it starting snowing the next day. We appreciated Mother Nature not making liars out of us. Random story, when we were driving away in our rental car from the Salt Lake City airport I saw a friend's husband. What are the odds. I haven't seen or talked to Stacey in forever, so it gave me a good excuse to call and get caught up with her. Nick had the opportunity to dedicate the grave and did a really good job. It stopped snowing just long enough for us to finish the graveside service. It picked up again right as it was ending. Coincidence...I think not. We had a really good time in Utah and hope to go again soon just for fun. Maybe then we can see friends and see family during a happier time.

Her princesses

kept her entertained

on the flight. She did

so good to and from

Utah.

The first thing Allie

did when we walked

into the hotel room

was jump in this

drawer. She had

a blast playing in

it.

Allie and her cousins

Hailey and Emma

had fun watching

the snow fall before

we left for the

funeral.

This was Allie's

first time to see

snow so she wasn't

quite sure what to

do with it. She

wouldn't touch

it with her hands,

only with her feet.

We were happy my

mom bought her

this cute little

coat to go over

her dresses. It

worked perfect

for this trip.

Thanks Mom!

This is how Allie

looked almos the

whole luncheon.

We weren't

complaining though.

**********************************************

We had a chance to see the lights at Temple Square with Nick's family. We took Trax to get there. While Allie thought it was fun riding the train it was super crowded and Allie cried almost the whole way there. It made for a really loooooooong train ride. She's only two and she's been on planes, trains, buses, and ships. Too bad she is too young to remember it. Good thing we have pictures to prove it!

***********************************************

Allie liked holding

Sasu's hand while

walking to the train.

Can you tell she

was a little grouchy

that night? She kept

saying she was cold.

Poor thing. We had

her bundled up pretty

good, but I think she

was tired.

She finally got happy

when we let her walk

and hold Emma's hand.

I hope we can always

channel her strong

personality in the right

direction!

*********************************************

When we stopped to see the Christus I was trying to be really spiritual and show her Jesus. I asked her if she knew who it was and she said, "Jesus!" I told her that Jesus loves her and wants her to be happy. She interrupted my spiritual thought with, "boobie." "What?" I asked. Then completely matter-of-fact like and totally serious she said, "He's got a boobie Mom." and pointed to Jesus. Well Allie, yes he does, but can we focus on the nail prints on his hand or something?! I knew my thought was over at that point.

******************************

Allie had a lot of fun playing in the snow with her aunts and uncles. She even threw a few snowballs herself. We built a super tiny snowman and took a picture right before Allie kicked it down. We played at a park too but it was covered in snow and ice. Allie still went down the slide. She thought it was fun to walk in the deep snow that no one had walked in yet. Silly girl.

She had a rosey nose

cheeks like Santa.

Can you even see

the tiny snowman?

"HIGH-YA!"

She kept throwing it and yelling, "Right in Mommy's face!" Thanks Al. Love you too babe.

Gingerbread Houses

2008-12-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

We had our annual gingerbread house making again this year. We went over to my mom's and watched the First Presidency Devotional with all the family and then made our houses. We are so blessed to be able to turn on the TV and hear a specially prepared message from our sweet First Presidency. I loved watching it every year. The Christmas stories are so inspiring and really fill me with the Christmas spirit. I am so grateful for these three men and all the love and sacrifice they put into our church. Allie had fun making the gingerbread house. She also liked eating the candy before we could get it on the house. A couple of weeks after building it I found her on the counter at home with both hands on each side of the house and she was licking the sprinkles off the top of the house. Goofball. I thought our house was pretty cute until I saw some of your houses!! Like, hmm... Lindsay for example!! Holy cow your gingerbread Mesa Temple blew ours out of the water! I'm impressed! I should have taken a picture of all of the houses because they were all so unique and turne out so cute. Oh well. Maybe next year.

Nick put the walls

up while Allie

made sure the candy

wasn't poisonous.

The families hard

at work building.

Now looking at it

I see it needs a lot

more candy and

frosting...but Allie

liked it and that's

all that mattered

to us.

The Polar Express

2008-12-26T10:37:00.001-08:00

Our ward activity this time was Polar Express. They did a really good job! The little kids came in their pajamas and each child got a gold ticket that was punched. I thought Allie wouldn't get it because I kept telling her we were going on the Polar Express Train and really we were just going to the church. But she loved it! They had chairs in the cultrahall set up in rows like on a train. The conductor was a friend of Nick's since high school, so it was fun to see him up there getting into it. They had the movie Polar Express playing on a projector and they would play parts of it and then act parts out. Like when they bring out the hot chocolate they played that scene while members of our ward dresses in aprons and chef hats rolled out hot chocolate to all the kids. And when the caraboo are on the track the conductor stopped the movie and told us all the make caraboo sounds and then the movie turned back on when the caraboo were clearing the track. We obviously didn't watch the whole movie only parts of it, but the parts we did watch were the fun ones. We sang the first part of Santa Claus is Coming to Town and suddenly one of the doors flew open and there was Santa! The child who had three punches in his ticket instead of one like everyone else got the first gift of Christmas. All the children got to take a turn meeting Santa and he gave them a bell to remind them to believe! Allie was so excited to see him until she actually got up there...of course. We had snacks afterwards and then went home. Good job to our activities committee!!

Getting ready to

get on the train!

Standing in line to

see Santa!!

Check out that

look she is giving

me! So sad!

Allie got to meet

the conductor up

close. We were

excited to find out

Ben and his family

were in our ward

whenwe moved out

here.

Here's Allie's ticket

to ride.

Tempe Marketplace

2008-12-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

The weekend after our cruise we had a datenight with some of my friends. We went to Zoolights and then had hot chocolate and sat by the fire at Tempe Marketplace. Allie loved the zoolights, but wouldn't touch the stingrays this year. I only got a couple pictures of zoolights, darn it. It was a big night because I set up two of my best friends, Jaime Smith and Mike Hass. I am proud to say it is still going really really well!! They are together every night, they are both totally into each other, and they are going to Disneyland together with Mike's family next week!! I told Mike when he was ready to slip the 'ole ring on to let me know because I'm ready when he is. It's fun being friends with both of them because I get both sides of the story...and it's funny to hear them say the same things about each other. It's always a relief when you play matchmaker and it works out so well! I'll keep you posted!!

Tempe Marketplace
had a HUGE tree set
up. Allie was very
impressed.

Ensenada, Mexico Cruise

2008-12-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend my mom took Nick, Allie, and I on a cruise. My brother also came. It was a short cruise that only stopped in Mexico, but since it was Allie's first we thought it had better be a short one so we could see how she would do. Also, I was still in school and my mom was busy with work, so a little weekend cruise was perfect. We had a blast! Allie was so good and loved being on the "big ship"! The first couple of days she kept saying she wanted to go on a big ship, so we had to keep reminding her that we were on a big ship and show her the water out the windows so she would believe us. Those cruise ships are so big sometimes it doesn't feel like you are even on one! We went with Carnival cruise line this time and decided we liked our Royal Carribean cruise line cruise to Mexico better. But at least we know which one we like better now. We went to see "La Bufadora", the blowhole, again (we saw it last cruise too), but along with La Bufadora there is the open air market where you can haggle with prices. My mom and I both got Coach purses that look completely real. They have the leather patch on the inside, it says Coach on everything, and there are "C"s on the purses instead of Gs or Os. The guy told us we were getting genuine Coach bags and not Ooach or Goach bags. That made us laugh. Whether or not they are real, they look real and we got them for like $65 instead of the couple hundred we would have paid in the states. Mom and I had fun seeing how low we could get them to go. The guy started off at $120 so I thought we did pretty good. Nick and I really enjoyed just getting away. Nick said he was going to be sad to go home and find the bed unmade, no towel animal sitting on our bed, and no chocolate on our pillow. Cruise life is definitely the way to go. Thanks Mom! We had such a good time! My mom has a lot of the pictures so I'll have to post more later of Allie mini golfing on board the ship and a few other things.

Lifeboat drill!

She thought she

was pretty special

drinking out of

these glasses.

Dinnertime!

We took a charterbus

to La Bufadora. Allie

thought it was really

fun.

She was very impressed

by the water shooting

into the air. She is

so dang cute!

Nick packed her

all around and squeezed

in between people

to get her closer to

the blowhole. She

loves her Daddy.

She wasn't quite

sure what to do

with this seal.

She sat like this

for a good 5 min.

before going closer.

One night there

was a bunny on

our bed. She liked

that one so much

she read it a Pooh

bear story.

Like a big girl she

slept on a pull

out bunk bed. We

lined it with pillows

and if she rolled off

it would have been on

our bed so we weren't

too concerned.

She loved jumping out of the windowsill. This is what kept her entertained while we were in our room.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-26T09:31:00.001-08:00

I'm sad to say I forgot my camera on Thanksgiving, but maybe I can get some from my brother and post them later. We had a really good Thanksgiving. We truely have so much to be thankful for. I was supposed to work 7p-7a the night before so I thought I was going to be totally exhausted Thanksgiving day, but I went to work and it was super slow so they let me go home. We woke up and watched the Macy's parade (it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it!) and then my cousin Erin came over to help me make the gluten-free greenbean casserole. We had to use a different cream of mushroom soup and since the fried onions you usually put on top are covered in wheat we had to fry our own onions. It turned out so good, but we smelled like fried oil! We ate dinner at my grandma's house with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. After being there a few hours we went to the Powell's for dinner #2. We enjoyed being with all of Nick's brothers and sisters and Allie liked playing with her cousins. They had a bonfire in their backyard for some, while others watched a movie or played a game. It was a fun day to be with family. Nick and I have been so blessed this year. He has a stable job that is still getting him at least 40 hours a week, I have a really flexible job that brings in a little extra money each month, we have our sweet Allie Mae, we are happy and healthy, we have a beautiful home, a reliable car, I am almost done with nursing school with no student loans, we have no credit card debt or other debt besides our home and car, we have strong testimonies of the gospel, we have a love for our Savior and Heavenly Father, we have an amazing ward family, and we have loving families who support us and love us back. There are many more things we are thankful for but these are the few that come to mind right away. We look forward to the year ahead and pray we are prepared for any challenges it might bring. Darn economy!

TWILIGHT!!

2008-12-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

My friends and I went to the midnight showing of Twilight. One of Jaime's friends designs t-shirts so he made us all Twilight shirts. I thought they were way cute and we didn't match everyone else who had a Twilight shirt on. We met up with some of Jaime's friends that had been in line since 11:00am. Needless to say, we got a really good place in line that was inside the theater. We were probably in the first 50 people. We passed time snacking, reviewing the NCLEX book (ok, we really only did a couple of questions), taking turns to go out and get dinner, and talking. We ended up being on the news since we were so close to the front of the line. I don't know if that is something I should be proud of or not. I liked the movie. I know there are a bunch of people out there that were sorely disappointed, but I went into the movie realizing it wasn't going to win a grammy. There were some cheesy lines, the special effects weren't all they could have been, and it was way too short, but hey, I go to be entertained and I was entertained. It probably helped that I was there with a bunch of friends. Thanks Nick for not thinking I'm too lame and for staying home with Allie that night. Don't worry, you still win over Edward!

Jaime, Shaela, Me, Jess, Sharla
People in school call us
"The 5 Musketeers".

Gilbert Day's Parade

2008-12-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

We went to the Gilbert Day's Parade this year and invited Nick's family and my brother to go with us. Allie had a fun time running around with her cousins. Rick's (my mom's boyfriend) sister-in-law works for an Orthodontist and was passing out toothbrushes. I'm pretty sure this was the highlight of the parade for Allie. She also loved seeing all of the horses and marching bands.

Poor Chris kept

smelling something

foul. I'm pretty

sure it was all the

presents the horses

left behind.

Allie loves her cousin

Emma. She couldn't

put the toothbrush

down once Nick

unwrapped it for

her.

Nick was good at

keeping the girls

out of the street.
Allie is going to

brush those

teeth right out

of her head!

Nick wouldn't mind

cruising around

town in one of

these.

NER*D

2008-11-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm officially a nerd. I just bought my ticket for the midnight showing of Twilight at the Cine~Capri. For those of you not from AZ it is the largest theater in AZ and can hold 500 people, so the screen is HUGE. My friends and I are going and I'm pretty darn excited. No worries, we're not dressing up as vampires or werewolves. I've never been to a midnight showing before. The only time I came close was when I worked at Harkins and had to work during the midnight showing. I can guarantee you this will be way better. Fingers are crossed that the movie will at least be almost as good as the book, but we all know that the books are usually way better than the movie could ever be. I hope Hollywood doesn't mess with it too much. Nick is an amazing husband and told me to have a fun time while he watches Allie. I am so lucky to have Nick. He is a way better husband than I deserve. I'm so grateful for our marriage and how much it has grown in 3 1/2 years! I love you sweetie!

The Powell Family

The days leading up to Christmas…

Family Time!

I’m a lousy shot…

NO! It’s the world’s BEST cup of hot chocolate!

Thanksgiving

Jaime and Michael’s Wedding

Allie’s 3rd Birthday Party

Allie’s 3rd Birthday

Brooklynn’s 4 month check-up

Halloween

Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Festival

JDRF Walk 2009

Here’s some random pictures of what we did in October…

She’s so advanced…

Some of September’s happenings…

Splish-Splash!

An attempted picnic in the park…

Brooklynn’s Blessing

Powell Family Pictures

Amp Walk 2009

2 Months Old!

7 Weeks Old

How I LOVE homemade raspberry freezer jam

Labor Day

Here’s what we’ve been up to…

Allie's Not-So-Little Baby Doll

Joseph E. Davis (aka Grandpa Strawberry)

We are dogless...

My pretty girls...

Allie Mae

Quick...someone tell me I'm not a bad mother!

I See the Moon...

Here's What We've Been Up To...

The Fourth of July!

Brooklynn's Arrival!

She's Here!!!

I'M OFFICIALLY AN RN!!

What Not to Say to Someone Who is Pregnant

22 Weeks

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

One my favorite smells...

It's About Time!

Finally!!

Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party!

School Is Out!!

Utah Trip

Gingerbread Houses

The Polar Express

Tempe Marketplace

Ensenada, Mexico Cruise

Thanksgiving

TWILIGHT!!

Gilbert Day's Parade

N*E*R*D

NER*D