Going Private

So everyone has heard the scary news lately I'm sure and we are no exception. With the world that we live in Carl and I feel it best to make our blog private. So if you all would leave a comment with your email addresses so I can send you an invite I would really love it! It will probably take a while for me to do so don't feel rushed. Thanks a bunch everyone!

Happy late Halloween

So it shouldn't be a surprise that I haven't blogged in a while. Here is an update on us. We moved to a bigger much nicer apartment here in Nephi that we absolutely love. We don't have everything put away quite yet so when it is all nice and neat I'll post pictures. Gavin is such a big boy! 2 weeks ago we went up to Logan with Brit and Brandon for the weekend and had a blast! Between family pictures courtesy of Jolley Time Photography and eating at our favorite restaurant Angie's twice we had so much fun. Thanks Summer and Suave for letting us come invade your house. We sure do love you guys. On our way up there we stopped at Cabela's and I made Carl get Gavin a camo hat. You can tell how spoiled he is, I never want things for me anymore, just for him. He looks so darn cute in the hat and I think he really likes it! also on Halloween he was a pumpkin. As cheesy as I am I took him trick or treating at both Grandma and Grandpa's houses and we had loads of fun. If I may say so I think he is the cutest darn pumpkin I've seen! He has also started eating rice cereal with baby food added to it, which only means one thing, my baby is growing up. It's way sad but I love seeing him grow and change every day! Life is good!!

Our might hunter. Gosh he is cute! Look out girls he's going to be a heartbreaker

Gavin and Daddy playing. Carl won't admit, but Gavin has him wrapped around his finger!

Gavin loves his cereal and he is even eating it with a spoon!

My cute pumpkin. Don't you just want to eat him up?

This is Gavin's very first shot at eating the cereal. We didn't have a baby spoon and poor Aunt Hill had to be the bad guy and hold him. He hated it!

So we are doing great! Life is good and we couldn't ask for much more! Happy election day

I'm a Slacker!

Here's Santa's newest elf in training!

I know everyone is busy, but I have been busy with work, trying to move to a new place, and keeping up with my boys that I haven't been able to blog. So my blogs are going to be like a lunar eclipse, they'll happen once in a great while and you'll be lucky to catch it!
So here's my blog for the next few weeks, take your time reading it because like I said it might be a while before it happens again. Right now we are making Gavin stay awake after 5pm so he'll sleep better, which he does. But we have to deal with "Oscar the Grouch" from 5 to 8 (bedtime) because he is so tired and grumpy. Oh well, just a phase we have to go through I guess. So Gav is almost 4 months and is growing like crazy. I was looking through some pictures and had to post some of my favorites from when he was teeny.

Gavin throwing an Anderson attitude, that can't be a Brown trait!

This is the picture we used for his birth announcement. He is sitting in Carl's baseball mitt so we are hoping that from a young age he will get the hint and be the Yankee shortstop one day. I don't know the Yanks aren't doing so great so maybe he'll play for the Phillies!

Gavin playing with "Puppy" his new favorite toy that must go everywhere he goes.

Aunt Leslie and Uncle Casey are letting us borrow this fun toy so we can keep Gavin entertained and actually accomplish something around the house.

P.S. The World Series is almost here!!!!!! Go Phillies since the Yankees didn't make it!

Catch up on Sleep!!

Surprise surprise I am posting and it hasn't even been very long. Everybody just take a minute to breathe I know it's a lot to take in all at once! This weekend has been a lot of fun. Thursday I dropped Gavin off and my Mom and Dad's and Carl and I were off for a weekend alone. It was really sad leaving Gavin, but it was a lot of fun for Carl and I to relax and not have to worry about Gav for a short time. It was Carl's cousin's wedding and Carl was one of the best men, so we had to go to Salt Lake for their wedding. It was a really beautiful day and the temple was so much fun to attend! I love the Salt Lake temple and I really want to go through a session there soon! So here are some pictures of their wedding, let me know what you think. Lindsey (the bride) is into leopard and zebra prints so that was pretty much their theme. It was fun and it was nice to enjoy being with Kendall and Catherine while Kris and Lindsey were in the spotlight!

This is the partial wedding line, I couldn't fit everyone in it.

Coby Knudsen, Kris Bartholomew the happy groom, and Carl. These guys have been best friends and have had a lot of fun growing up together. It was fun to get them together for a picture!

The leopard print wedding cake...let me know what you think of it!

The centerpieces for the tables.

My handsome husband in his tux. He hated the darn thing, but I thought he looked pretty darn cute in it!

So we had a really fun weekend, we stayed at the Little America Hotel last night which was fun. Carl is such a good husband and treats me good. I couldn't have asked for a better husband and father for Gavin! Now we are in Salina for the night and are glad to be back with Gavin. I think he has grown in the two days we have been gone. So after a fun filled weekend of sleeping in and not having to wake up for feedings at 3:00am, we are back to our normal routine and I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Did you miss me?

Okay so I am finally posting after many weeks. Sorry to everyone, especially Mom, Brit and Hill they have been on my case for a while. So we are doing awesome. We blessed Gavin on Sunday the 14th which you probably already know if you look at Brit's blog. It was a lot of fun to get the family and friends all together, we have a great family with lots of support and love! Two weekends ago we went with Carl's family to Heber City and went to the Jordanelle Res. for the day. We had a lot of fun but it was freezing cold the day we went to the lake so we were all fairly miserable. We also got a new car a few weeks ago which I absolutely love! It's a Honda Pilot and I no longer have to get down into a vehicle!!!!!!! HOORAY!! My job is going very well, I am learning so much; from math to biology to writing a paper on why the legal drinking age should be 18. I love the job and love the kids, sometimes I come home after dealing with a bunch of knotheads and hold Gavin and tell him if he ever acts that way, he'll be in big trouble. Of course he just smiles at me which I love so much. He woke me up at 5:30 this morning and was so happy, he and I danced, sang and here's another big milestone: Gavin rolled over!!!! It was so darn cute and made me such a proud, sad mom. He's getting so big so fast but I love it! Being a mom is the best thing in the world. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

This is Carl's parents Steve and Sherry and

look how hot Carl looks about ready to sneeze:)

This is my parents Dwayne and Brenda, the proud Grandma and Grandpa!

My new ride!!!!

So my photography isn't that great, I was trying to take pictures of me and Gavin and got a little sliver of myself. Oh well, he sure seems to like me!

This was the extent of Gavin playing at the lake. It was so windy and he already had a cold that I kept him wrapped up and out of the wind.

Carl and his Dad trying to find Laurie's sunglasses.

This is cousin Malia. She at so much candy at the lake that the rest of the day she was running around like the energizer bunny. I love the dirty face!

So there's our life in a nutshell. When we get more exciting news I promise I'll blog again.

New Job

Well, I've got a part time job and I am having mixed emotions about it. I applied with the school district here in Nephi for a part time job and was called last Friday for an interview with Nebo View Elementary. Well I didn't get that job and was pretty bummed but today I got a call from the High School special ed supervisor saying she really wanted me to come work for her. I was so excited because this will help us get into a house faster and what not, but then I became very emotional because I don't want to leave Gavin. It turns out that Carl will be working some day shifts and I was worried about where we would take Gav, but his cousin who I am SO grateful for said she would be more than happy to tend him. I was worried about him and now I know he'll be in good hands. So I start my job on Wednesday, yeah as in 2 days, and am excited but a little nervous. We'll see how it goes!

Fun Fun Fun

So I finally figured the computers out at the library so here are some of our latest photos. We have been having lots of fun from family reunions to bathing Gavin to just playing at home. Gavin is getting so big and is starting to smile at us whenever he sees us. He is so much fun and I just love being a mom!!!

Gavin FINALLY enjoying a bath, he usually freaks out, but he is starting to like it and play in the tub.

The beginning of what is to be a very handsome boy. He is so cute!!!

Tummy Time! Not Gavin's favorite time

This is a four generation picture at the Stephenson Family Reunion. What awesome people Gavin has to look up to!!! My Grandpa Steve Wanlass, mom Brenda Brown, Me and Gavin. I must add that my Grandpa tried feeding Gav a snow cone...naughty Grandpa. Gotta keep your eye on him!

One of the many happy times Gavin has. Here he really looks like his cousins Riley and Malia Searle (Riley is 8 and Malia 1 1/2). I think Gavin and his cousins will have lots of fun getting into trouble!

So that is our life in a nutshell right now. We are just enjoying each other and enjoying watching Gavin grow. Life is good, I can't complain but I better get going because I left Carl home with Gav and one can only imagine what kind of trouble might be taking place! XOXO

Girl Weekend

This weekend was so much fun. We had our second annual girl weekend up in Logan at Brit's house. Poor Gavin had to be the only boy, but he handled himself pretty well. We headed up to Logan on Friday morning and were able to make a stop at Burch Creek Animal Hospital (where I worked while in Ogden) to let everyone there meet Gavin. It was so much fun to see everyone and see all the changes. I loved working there and really miss all the animals and wonderful clients. There were a few that I really grew to love and miss them so much so if you are out there Kit, Sam and Mrs. Richards give the dogs a big kiss for me!

We got to Logan and Brit surprised us with the craft. Way cute decorative blocks for our houses, so I'm a bad describer and don't have my camera so to see pics go to Brit and Brandon's blogspot. We went to the farmers market Saturday morning which was so much fun and got some raspberries, apricots, and peas and then began our day. We had loads of fun shopping and just doing girl stuff. Gavin did pretty well with a few emotional outbursts here and there, but what can you expect. All in all it was a great weekend! Now we are back home and struggling to get little Gav man to sleep in his crib. He slept for a few hours in his pack and play last night because I was desperate and rolled up two towels and layed him in the middle of them. He felt like he was being held and actually did pretty good, but by about 4 this morning he wasn't going for it so he slept on me. I know he is very spoiled because I hold him to get him to sleep, but he's my baby and I just can't help it. He gives me the puppy dog eyes and the lip and I just can't handle it. Any advice from other mothers would be greatly appreciate!!!

Our Little Gav Man!

So Gavin is the cutest and best baby in the world. Obviously from these pictures you can see how much we love Gavin and I have been a slacker in the blogging world, so here are some of my favorite pics of him. He is now a month and a week old (tomorrow) and is growing and changing so much. We love him to pieces!!!! The picture above is him in his Derek Jeter uniform from Aunt Paulyn. He was born on Derek Jeter's birthday (Jeter is shortstop for the New York Yankees) and we love baseball so we were so excited about this uniform. He looks just like my brother Brandon in this picture! It's my favorite!!!

This is Grandma Merlene - Gavin's Great Grandma. She is such a sweet and very strong woman. We love her dearly and are so glad Gavin got to meet her!

This is Gavin with my Grandpa Wanlass. Grandpa loves Gavin, he's the first great grandchild on the Wanlass side and has Grandpa wrapped around his little finger.

This is Gav Man as a gangsta'. I don't know why but I love this one!

Gavin in Daddy's mitt. Can you tell we are hoping for a great future for him...Future shortstop for the New York Yankees!!!

Gavin showing off his muscles. We sent this to Uncle Brandon and he loved it.

So there is our little man! We love him so much and can't wait to share more fun pics with you all!!! Brit is teaching me how to blog better and this weekend we are having our 2nd annual girl weekend so I will definetly have more pics to share!

Gavin Update

I just thought I would update everyone on the cutest baby in the world. Gavin is doing great! Yesterday we had an appointment to get on WIC and Gavin weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces so he is growing really well. He is not sleeping at night at all, but he's only 3 weeks old so I can't expect much out of him. He is so much fun! This morning I was getting ready for the day and Gav was laying in his bouncy chair watching me, a way fun song came on the radio so I picked him up and we started dancing together. He loved that! Today was the first day that he really smiled when I did something with him, so things are going to be so much fun! Tonight we are going to go for a walk so that should be fun. Well gav is having a breakdown so we better go home. i will post pics this weekend!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago? I was 12 and was just entering young women's. What some fun times.
2. Five things on your to do list today: *Scrapbook Gavin's pictures *Laundry *Go to the post office if Gavin permits *Take a nap *Try to clean the house...not likely to get done
3. Snacks I enjoy: I am a snack freak. I love anything salty and basically anything that isn't good for you. I guess that explains the 50 pounds i gained with Gavin and the fun time I'm having trying to get rid of it.
4. What would I do if suddenly I were a billionaire? Buy a house and a car i don't have to get down into. Then I would send my parents on a fantastic trip and help them and Carl's family with anything they needed.
5. 3 bad habits: *Biting my nails (I think that's common in my family) *Leaving dishes in the sink *Laziness
6. 5 places I've lived:*Redmond, UT*Salina, UT*Cedar City, UT *Mayfield, UT *Ogden, UT and now Nephi
7. 5 jobs I've had:*Babysitting*"Sandwich Artist" @ Subway*Reporter for The Salina Sun *Lead Receptionist for Burch Creek Animal Hospital *MOMMY!!!!!!
8. 5 things people don't know about me: hmm.....this is a tough one.*I have a purse fetish. I look for a new purse everywhere I go, sorry Brit I copied this one from you.*I am a major germaphob and clorox wipe everything *I love doing tedious things like cut things out, organize papers, at Burch Creek I loved going through mountains of reports to check prices and inventory.*I really don't like feet. I think they are the most disgusting thing i've ever seen and i hate it when Carl touches me with his feet!!!!! *I am a movie FREAK!! That is mine and Carl's greatest date is renting a movie and relaxing together. Loads of fun!


1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Baby Update

Gavin is 5 days old today and is doing great! We have been very blessed because he is such a good baby and his health is great too. We have had to take him to the hospital everyday since he came home because his bilirubin levels have been elevated. Poor Gav has to lay under a bili lamp all day everyday until the levels are down. He seems really content under it, but I would so much rather hold him all day.
Carl is home alone with him right now while I am with my sisters. He was pretty nervous, but has been doing awesome as a dad! We are so excited to finally have him here and look forward to posting more pictures of our cutie!

Our Baby is here!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Gavin was born today June 26, 2008 at 5:11pm. He weighed 6 lb. 5 oz. and was 20 in. long. He has blue eyes and brown hair and we love him to pieces.

come on baby!

Quick update: no baby yet. I am trying everything in my power to get this show on the road, but this child is not cooperating. I have been to the hospital 3 times in the past 6 days for non-stress tests because of high bloodpressure and irregular heartbeats, but everything is looking good. Tonight I am making Carl take me for a long walk and a bumpy ride to see if that will do anything. My sister-in-law Leslie said to walk up and down the stairs, so I've tried that and will continue to try that. If nothing happens, I go back to the doctor on June 26 (next Thursday) and I am requesting that he induce me then. But wish us luck, hopefully the baby will decide to come on his own.

Doctor Appointment

I just got done with my 36 week 1 day doctor appointment and things are going great. My bloodpressure was high but nothing to be concerned about and the baby's heartbeat was at 153 bpm. So things are looking great and I am very excited! I go back next Friday (the 13th) so wish us luck!!!

Today I am home alone for the entire day and I am not sure what to do with myself. In Ogden I would go window shopping or go to craft stores and buy little projects to keep me busy, but I am having a very hard time in Nephi. I absolutely love the feel of the small town and love Nephi all together, but I miss all the options we had in Ogden. I think Carl misses it too because when I was too pooped to cook dinner he could just run right out and get something with all the options. Now we have very few options and he is getting sick of them. I'll admit, I love cooking and I love watching the Food Network channel, but lately I am no Betty Crocker. I despise our kitchen, it is so small and it seems like I just get the dishes done and I have tonz more piled up. I hate dishes and I avoid the kitchen at all costs (unless the baby gets hungry). Poor Carl, it seems like every day I come up with a wishlist for our future home, i.e. big kitchen, no green carpet, few stairs. He just takes everything I say in one ear and out the other, I guess he's getting used to my emotions and hormones.

I also thought I'd recognize Carl and his classmates from WSU. Most of them have taken their tests to be Registered Respiratory Therapists and have passed!!!!!!!! What a huge relief so way to go guys! Carl met some really great people up at Weber and I hope we can keep in touch with them. We both got lucky and met good friends - I miss all my friends from Burch Creek. They are great people! I can't wait to go visit them with the baby, he'll be loved and spoiled by all up there.

Well, I guess I've made a few minutes pass so I'll head back home. Wish me luck and if anyone has any good, easy ideas for a huge pregnant woman to do, feel free to let me know.

Okay, so I cheated on the Tuesday Tell All, I saw this one back on May 20 and thought it looked fun, so I'm doing it for today.

Answer the following with only one word.
1. Where is your cell phone? .................... pocket
2. Your significant other?....................... HOT!
3. Your hair?.................................... Messy
4. Your mother? ................................. Amazing
5. Your father?.................................. Understanding
6. Your favorite thing?.......................... Relaxing
7. Your dream last night?........................ No Sleep
8. Your favorite drink........................... Coke
9. Your dream/goal?.............................. House
10. The room you're in?.......................... Library
11. Your children?..................................... Unborn
12. Your fear?................................... Water
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years........... Nephi
14. Where were you last night?................... Home
15. What you're not?............................. Dishonest
16. Muffins...................................... Poppyseed
17. One of your wish list items?................. Shoes
18. Where you grew up?........................... Salina
19. What you read last........................ Scriptures
20. What are you wearing?........................ Comfortable
21. Your TV?..................................... Old
22. Your pets?................................... Wimp
23. Your computer? .............................. Dusty
24. Your life?................................... Happy
25. Your mood?................................... On Edge
26. Missing someone?............................. Carl
27. Your car?.................................... Dirty
28. Something you're not wearing?................ shorts
29. Favorite Store?.............................. Walmart
30. Your summer?................................. Busy
31. Like someone?................................ ?
32. Your favorite color?......................... Purple
33. Last time you laughed........................ Today
34. Last time you cried?......................... Today

Tag Your It!

Britney tagged me so here it goes: How to play this game of tag. Post these rules on your blog. List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

3 Joys

1. Feeling my baby kick or move

2. Waking up to Carl and hearing him tell me good morning and I love you

3. Stepping into a car that has been sitting in the sun. I love the heat!

3 Fears

1. Water, especially deep, dark water

2. Heights

3. Flying in an airplane, I will never do it again unless I am fully sedated or Carl is by my side

3 Goals

1. Read my scriptures daily

2. Cook more often and better, healthier meals

3. Stop worrying about things I can't change or have no control over

3 Current Obsessions/Collections

1. Food Network Channel (we just got direct tv and I love watching this channel)

2. Buying yarn

3. This is so bad, but I also love watching the show Jon and Kate plus 8. Maybe my goal should have been to watch less TV!

3 Random Surprising Facts About Me

1. I have gained about 50 pounds with this pregnancy, I am embarrassed to admit that!

2. I am becoming major OCD about sanitizing everything in the house, I carry lysol spray with me wherever I go. Carl loves that :)

3. I will hopefully be working at the elementary school this fall as an instructional assistant.

Tag 5 People

Since I'm new to the blogging world I don't have lots of people, so I'll tag Chari, Janel, Tatum, Brandi(you can count mine and Brits) and anyone else who reads my blog. Have Fun!

Ready for a baby!

Today I am 34 weeks along and can't believe how close we are getting to having a baby. It is exciting and a little overwhelming to think about. Everyday I have been going through clothes and getting things ready for our little guy but still feel totally unprepared for him. I have the diaper bag packed with a few outfits for him to come home in (everything looks so little I hope he fits in them) and have all the 0 to 6 month clothes washed and put in his drawers. I have some blankets washing right now, i told my mom last night that I couldn't wait any longer, I had to get them washed. I am so excited. I can't believe how tired I am though. I sit down on the couch to take a little break and fall right to sleep for about 2 hours, and by about 10:00 I am more than happy to go to bed! Oh well, it's a lot of fun and we are so excited for our little guy.

Happy Anniversary

Wow, 2 years down many more to go! Carl and I have been married for 2 years today and what a ride it has been. I am so glad I have Carl in my life. He is my best friend and makes me want to be a better person. He is continually doing things to make me laugh and keep me happy and works really hard for our family. He is such an amazing guy and I know he'll make a great daddy! We didn't do a whole lot today because I have been sick all day (the joys of pregnancy) so we are hoping to do something tomorrow before Carl has to work again. We almost have our house all put together. I am going to start washing baby clothes today and getting them put away and my dad and grandma are bringing by our crib tonight as well, so the baby's room will be just about ready. My awesome mom is making all the cute nursery stuff (blanket, bumper pads, diaper holder, etc. ) and you guessed it we are decorating in baseball. It will be way cute all put together so I am really getting excited.

We talked to Elder Brown yesterday! He is full of manners with Yes Ma'ams and Sirs but he sounds really good. He left a really fun message on the answering machine for us to listen to when we have a bad day and need to hear his voice so that was fun too. 10 months and he'll be home! The countdown is on for March 20, 2009. Go Elder Brown, we are all so proud of him!!!!!!!!

So I am finally getting somewhere in the blogging world. Carl told me I needed to put more pictures up so here are a bunch of random pictures of us. We will probably put lots more up when we get more (of the baby when he comes) so hold onto your hats!

We also went to the State baseball tourney on May 8 and 9 and watched Carl's cousin play. Go Jace he did awesome and the Bulldogs took state! I'll admit I felt a little out of place cheering for Gunnison, okay I felt kinda like a hypocrit, but I really enjoyed supporting them. So that's my life in a nutshell right now. Carl works quite a bit at the hospital and I am putting our house together preparing for the baby. 54 days and counting until July 3, hopefully he waits until at least the middle of June he makes me nervous some days!

We made it

Yeah, we made it to Nephi in one piece. We have boxes stacked to the ceiling still, but hopefully soon they will be out of the way and we will be settled in. I love Nephi, it has an awesome small town feel and I just love not hearing cars and UTA buses constantly. Life is good in Nephi, Utah!!!!!

Getting ready

This week is going to be a crazy week! Carl works nights every night until Thursday so I am staying with my Mom until then. Then it's back up to Ogden for a day or two and we will be moving to Nephi. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so over Ogden and ready to be in Nephi. We still have so much more stuff to pack and I am not sure if we can make it all work in one day. But we'll see what happens. I am totally excited and proud of Carl for graduating! We are both ready to be done and on our way! We are both getting really excited to be parents as well; me more than Carl because I keep buying cute little outfits for him. Today I got a way cute onsie and 2 pairs of pants for 7 bucks. You can't beat that - the only downfall is that they are 6-9 months so he won't fit in them for a while.

Well, there's my update for a few days. Once I get settled into Nephi I will get more pictures and more postings up. I have to have Brit take me through a blogger lesson first because I have no idea what I am doing. So you'll hear from me again but it might be a while. Later!

WOOHOO

Hey everyone I am officially entering the blogging world! My creative flows aren't really flowing right now but with the help of my lovely sister I will have a great blog. Wish me luck!