The Trip... Day 1

Depending on how you look at it, I am either writing this very late on the end of our first day of vacation or very early on the second. We drove down to vegas today after digging the car out of 7 inches of fresh powder this morning. We are staying with Shannon's Aunt & Uncle. They have 3 kids, the youngest of whom i believe is 6. They all love Weston, and Weston loves their toys. He has been playing nice with the kids as well. There was a slight incident when he stumbled upon a toy spider that looked a little too realistic for Weston's taste, but otherwise he has been a very good little boy. He was great for us on the drive. It's so much nicer to break up these long drives into two days for him.
After he and I watched "Toy Story" on the lappy I decided it was time to listen to some Headlights. Apparently Weston thought this was a pretty awesome idea. He began to rock out.

When we finally got to St. George.... our car was a mess...



More to come i'm sure....
Now its off to bed...
Still have to drive to LA tomorrow.

Our Little Christmas

On Saturday morning we had our little family Christmas since we will be out of town for the actual holiday and we had work and a gazillion other things going on this week before we leave. I, of course, woke up at 6:30am and couldn't go back to sleep because I was too excited. We had a nice morning opening presents and playing with toys and having fun breakfast. Weston loves his new bakball hoop and his chairs.
After the festivities we all got dressed and took Weston to the doctor to diagnose another ear infection and get antibiotics started before our trip. Overall, a very fun, festive Saturday.



Weston making his first basket. This is the only ball, of the 4 that fit, that he will use.


A picture of the everything set up the night before.


Weston wanted to open all his presents sitting at his new table.


Retrieving the actual basketball that came with the hoop from Dad.


Right after he took the bow off the table and was climbing into a chair.

Family/Weston pics

While in Oregon for Thanksgiving we had a Bowles family photo shoot to take some extended family shots with everyone there. We also did some breakout sessions of the smaller families. Here are the pics of us and the adorable Weston portraits. I'm in love with the close up of his smiling little face. These are just the sneak peak proofs, so ignore the "do not copy" printed across them.


Our little family, soon to be growing.

My sweet boy. He's just so stinking cute!

He was loving the big boy chair and the entire extended family were making faces at him to get some good smiles.

Temple Square

Sunday night we went to look at the Christmas lights at Temple Square with our friends, Becca and Alann. Weston was very excited but got irritable fairly quickly once we got there since he was tired and it was really cold. We also didn't bring the stroller, which was probably a mistake, but he loved all the lights and running around. He was particularly fond of the one fountain in the middle of temple square. We spent about 15 minutes there. Anyway, it was a good time and I'm glad we made the time to go. Here are some of the pics from our outing.



The whole gang.


Our little family . . . a new Christmas tradition?


Weston wasnt too comfortable up there because his coat got all bunched up.


Hanging out by the fountain. It was the coolest part to Weston.


Weston and I checking out the lights.

Baby Jesus

In the past week or so, Weston has discovered that Mommy and Daddy have actual names that other people call them. Mommy is Shannon and Daddy is Ian and Weston is Weston, so he was sitting with me on the couch while Ian sat at the computer and he was laying his head on my belly and listening to the "baby" (aka my digestion). So when he sat up I asked him what all of our names were and he told me and then I asked him what we should call the baby. What should baby brother's name be? He thought about it for a second and then said "Jesus" and looked quite proud of himself. I tried not to laugh and explained that Jesus was a special name and that baby Jesus was born a long time ago and that's why we celebrate Christmas. Then I asked him if there was another name we should call the baby and he muttered something that sounded like Wyatt, but we didn't all agree on that one. Anyway, it made Ian and I laugh that Weston thought that baby brother should be named Jesus. Hope everyone is enjoying the season and remembering that it is all because our Savior came into the world that we celebrate.

Midwife

Today I had my first appointment with my nurse midwife. She is so wonderful and positive. She is the one who delivered Weston and I am excited to have her deliver boy #2 (which is what we are still calling him since we're really no closer to having picked out a name). I just switched from my doctor at Jordan Valley Hospital because I was fed up with the hour long wait every time I had a checkup and the 2 minutes consults I got with my actual doctor and the mile long walk from the construction zone parking lot at the hospital. It was so nice to be seen quickly, efficiently and warmly and Diana doesnt mind having Weston trot around the office during our visits since she was the first to see him in the flesh. Anyway, I just wanted to post my plug for CNMs and my content feeling that I took the step to switch back to one. I am much less concerned about this birth now that I know much more what to expect. 24 weeks and counting . . .

Christmas Tree

We got our Christmas tree last night. Weston was pretty excited about it all evening and even got a bit frustrated when we had to go pickup a friends truck first in order to bring the tree home. He helped decorate a bit.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We had a very nice trip to Oregon for the week of Thanksgiving. We drove all day on Saturday and Weston was super good the first half of the drive. The second half, more particularly the last 2 hours, were pretty rough. Overall, he was very good in the car. Aunt Aly helped out a lot by setting up elmo dvds on her laptop for him to watch and getting him snacks and drinks. It was just a long day of driving. We were all excited to be done with the drive. We had a quiet Sunday just resting from the trip and going to church. That night we had a birthday dinner for Ian's mom.

Monday morning we went to visit our friends from our first married ward at BYU who were also in town for Thanksgiving staying with family. Its been years since we were all together so we had lunch and played Settlers. It was really fun. Unfortunately we forgot to take any pics during our visit, so bummer about that, but we loved hanging out with Glen and Kathryn and seeing how big and adorable their little 5 month old son is getting. Later that afternoon Ian and I headed to downtown Portland for our overnight anniversary getaway. We went and checked into our bed and breakfast, which was very cool looking. After we dropped off our stuff we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant called Alessandro's in downtown and then wandered around a bit browsing shops and looking for some good hot chocolate. We ended up at another restaurant and had some really good vanilla bean creme brulee and hot cocoa. We decided we truly are an old married couple when we got back to the hotel and were so tired but it was only 8pm! :) We had a nice night and enjoyed our huge jetted tub and and the king sized feather bed. The best part was not having to worry about getting up with a little one in the morning. We had a quite lazy morning and then went down for breakfast. It was delicious. We have pretty high bed and breakfast standards since the only other one we had stayed at was on our honeymoon and it was amazing! The breakfast was right up there though. We had fresh fruit, hot cocoa, juice, muffins, hash browns cooked with diced peppers with a spiced crab cake and a poached egg on top. It was actually really really good even though i had no idea what a poached egg really was. Anyway, after we checked out we did a little bit of shopping then headed home to our little Weston. He was good as gold while we were gone, so that was nice to hear.

We spent the next couple days getting ready for Thanksgiving, visiting and playing with Weston. We also went and saw Enchanted. It was so good. I loved it and cant wait to see it again. The night before Thanksgiving we went to a studio and took some nice family pictures with everyone. I will post them as soon as we have them available. Thanksgiving day was very relaxed and nice. I was in charge of mashed potatoes and whipped cream. My arm was a little bit tired from mixing by the end of the night, but all the food was amazing and it was nice to be together for the holiday. Eli and Emilee, us, Aly and Grandma Bowles were all there, along with a couple of friends of Eli and Emilee's.

Friday morning Aly and her friend went with me to Walmart at 5am. It was pretty painless and I got everything I needed there for good prices. Later that day extended family from Washington drove down for the night. We had another big fun dinner of salmon, cheesy potatoes and Grandma Squires rolls, which Weston ate almost a whole one! We played cards together that night and had a big ice cream sundae dessert bar. Very fun. Weston loved his cousin Andrew, but was a little nervous with 2 dogs running around and barking.

We decided to stay on Saturday until after the BYU v. U of U football game and then drive halfway to Boise and spend the night and finish the drive Sunday morning. It was a good decision. We had a blast staying and watching the nail biter game with Ian's family and some family friends. The drive was very easy split up like that and Weston was really just so good.

It was a wonderful trip and so great seeing so much family and some friends too. We had a fabulous Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the rest of the holiday season. It's nice being home and I have been madly cleaning, grocery shopping and decorating for Christmas. Once again, I hope everyone had as nice a Thanksgiving holiday as we did.


Our Thanksgiving table before all the goodness was devoured. It was a delicious and festive dinner and weston had a little bit of almost everything.


Ian and I in front of the "White House" bed and breakfast we stayed at in downtown Portland for our 4th anniversary.


Weston fell asleep rocking with Papa after he got his black eye from running into the corner of the open oven door. This was, of course, the night Ian and I were away for our anniversary. We can't seem to get through a family visit without a face-altering injury. :)


Weston was laughing so hard because Grandma was rubbing his back and head with the vibrating massager we got her for her birthday. It was so funny.


Playing with the trains at Grandma and Papa's house. Weston mostly just liked pulling the track pieces apart.


Reading a new book with Great Papa.


Watching the BYU vs. Utah game Saturday morning before heading back home. It was intense but we won! What a fun game. We were glad we stayed to watch it.


This was the other big family dinner on Friday. We ate the salmon that Ian's dad caught earlier this year. It was delicious and some of the WA family came down for the evening and spent the night.


Weston had a ball dancing in circles around this little stuffed doggy whenever Great Grandpa Squire played a certain song on the ukelele. It was quite hilarious.


Playing on the slide out in the backyard on a rare sunny Oregon Thanksgiving day. It was, however, very very cold. I didn't last long outside and had to switch off with daddy.


Weston playing with Daddy and his blocks, wearing his new favorite shirt with a basketball on the front.


Weston watching the BYU game with papa. Weston learned how to say "bayou!" (BYU) and also "go cougs!" He got really excited when we all started screaming and clapping.

And they're off!

Our holidays have officially begun. I am packing as we speak (type?) for our trip to Oregon for Thanksgiving. Ian just left to pick up Aly from the airport where her shuttle from Rexburg dropped her off and then bright and early tomorrow we will begin the trek to OR. I am a little concerned about Weston and the 13 hour drive, but he doesnt have a lot of choice, so I guess I will have to just hope for the best.
I spent half my day getting the car in decent shape to make the drive. I thought I just needed an oil change and a car wash, but when I got out at the car wash and walked to the other side of the car, I noticed a push pin sticking out of the tire! So I took it to Les Schwab to have them patch the tire and rotate the tires while they were at it. When I went back after work to pick it up, it wasnt ready and waiting because apparently 3 of the 4 tires were not in any condition to be driven on due to my car being VERY out of alignment. We got the pleasure of having to buy new tires and pay/wait for the alignment to be done. I sat and waited for 2 hours while Weston was stuck at daycare. Finally Ian picked him up and came to relieve me from waiting, but the car was finished right then, so we hit the Taco Bell and then came home to frantically pack and bathe the Weston so he could get to bed.
My day has not exactly turned out as planned, but I think that we will still make it to OR tomorrow and I am actually really grateful that I noticed the tire issue before we were in the middle of nowhere in the rain and had a blown tire. Anyway, I will post pics and video of the trip when I get back. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

We gave our old computer to our friends. And I am just posting this to show them how it works.

Weston and I (this is Ian btw) went to the park yesterday and had ourselves a good time. As it had been forever since I had taken any videos of the infamous wee one, I decided to take the camera along....it couldn't possibly have anything to do with my desire to play with the HD camera from work and the new computer at home. Anyway. I took some regular old fashioned digital pics too.

These are "Banana" seeds. Weston was sorely disappointed that they didn't taste like bananas. This is somewhat surprising, since he doesn't like bananas in the first place.




Luckily this year Weston did not try to eat the leaves in our 2nd annual "Take copious amounts of pictures of Weston in the leaves" festival.



At this point Weston was just ready to leave the festival (he thinks it's overrated and has become too commercial) so we went to the actual park instead.

Curling up

There are some things in life that I just have no self control over. A few of these things include chocolate and a good book. I am currently speeding through Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. I stayed up late finishing the first book and started the second this morning. I seriously couldnt believe the clock when i looked up. I had to finish the book. Now, if i can combine an amazing read with chocolate, then thats even better! :) Anyway, I am very excited because I just got an email this morning saying that the last book in the series is waiting for me at the library, so I wont have to wait to finish off the series. Yay! Happy reading!

See if you can tell . . .

Little arms folded up over the face and the bony knees sticking up.
This one is NOT shy!
Our little peanut is the size of a can of soda now and weighs about the same.
This is my favorite shot. Just curled up checking stuff out.


We had our 20 week ultrasound today and discovered that Weston is getting a brother in a few more months! We are very excited to welcome another little man to our family. Weston is already saying "brudder, brudder brudder" and poking me in the belly button. I'm not sure he entirely gets it because he also pokes himself in the belly, but we'll get there. Anyway, we have no idea what we will name this little one, so any suggestions are welcome. In other Bowles family news, our new 24" imac arrived today, so Ian is very excited and will be up late tonight setting it up/playing with it. My next post will most likely be from the new computer! This week also marks my first week of my new work schedule, which is only 10 hours per week! It feels like i'm on vacation, but seriously, it is very nice to have more time home with Weston and to take care of things around our house. The doctors office made us a DVD of the ultrasound, but we are having issues getting it in a format to post, so that will be coming . . . check back soon.

Halloween

Halloween has come and gone. It was Weston's first real Halloween where he likes candy and wore a costume and could walk. We went to our ward's trunk or treat. Weston was very in awe of it all. He stared at all the other kids dressed up and loved to just giggle and trot around the parking lot. I dont think he understood trick or treating but got the idea that he could get candy, so he made the rounds. Anyway, it was very cute. I had bought that long wig for super cheap and just put it with all black and went for the goth/elvira look. It was a big hit at work where I was the only one dressed up. I am sitting here completely exhausted after running 3 Halloween parties today, but they were all overall successes. I am glad its over. Hope everyone had a fun Halloween. Holidays: so fun, but so tiring. I guess we do it for the memories (see below).

My little lone ranger.
What a handsome cowboy.
We got stuck for a few minutes while Weston pointed out that we were walking by cars.
Ian and Weston at the little carnival inside. Weston really likes his new pumpkin straw.
Posing with his tuff face (aka aunt juju face) when we asked him to smile.
Weston and me. Happy Halloween!

The Cat

Today I set up the cat Halloween decoration/tradition. I had almost forgotten about it since I didn't really decorate for Halloween, but then my helpful husband reminded me. So I set it up during Weston's nap and he noticed it immediately. cat, black, meow. That was his commentary on it. When he discovered that you could eat the treats (donuts) on the tail, then he was really excited. Anyway, we had fun carrying on the cat tradition.

Weston and the cat.
He was pointing out the eyes and feet but I caught him halfway through.
Eating his donut half. Yummy.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we got together with our friends, Becca and Alann, and carved pumpkins! This was Weston's first experience with pumpkin carving and not very surprisingly he was not a fan of cutting it open and touching the goop. He just watched mostly and seemed a little confused about why we were mutilating perfectly good "pun-kins". I think he also liked that he got to color on the table since it was covered with newspaper. Well, the rest of us had a pretty good time with the holiday tradition and I'm glad Weston didnt miss out on it.

I did the initial scooping out of seed and guck.
Ian took over for the more intense scraping and the actual face carving.
I just had to have a picture of Weston's face every time he was offered some pumpkin innards. He was so grossed out it was funny.
The finished product. Pirate Pumpkin . . . Aaarrrr
Weston like the finished product and showed us the eyes, nose and mouth.