This Week . . .

-I cut fresh roses for the kitchen table. They stabbed me multiple times. I kind of hate roses.

-Weston finished swimming lessons and was sad they are over. He didn't pass Tot 2, but I am so proud of him because he had such a good attitude, put his whole face in the water several times, and made a new friend.
-I made dinner every single night. Even though one night was spaghetti and one night Ian bbq'ed.

-I didn't get the kitchen floor swept. Probably because I was here.
-We went to the park and enjoyed our first free lunch in the park of the summer. It was burritos. The kids were not really fans, but liked their Cheetos and chocolate milks.

-I took both kids to a movie by myself and didn't have to take anyone out.

-I read Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Book #2 in the Underland Chronicles) by Suzanne Collins. Even though this series is more geared towards tween/teen boys I really think they are fun books.

-I baked chocolate chip cookies. They turned out flat for some reason. But the dough tasted great!

-Ian finished all the drywall in the den! This weekend we start mudding. If you are in the area and need a service project on Saturday we would welcome the help. :)
-I didn't make lunch most days. Lunch is the hardest meal of the day for me since I don't really like sandwiches. I usually just end up snacking my way through the afternoon or eating a baked potato for lunch.

-I bought popsicles. It is officially popsicle season. Hooray!

-I bought printer ink. It cost $50. Are you kidding me?!? Have any of you used the ink refill service at Walgreens? Is it cheaper?

-My mommy celebrated her __nd birthday! I'm not sure how she feels about me announcing her age on my blog, so I'll let you guess. I wasn't there, but I think she had a great birthday. I thought about her all day and waited to call because I knew she was busy with assemblies most of the day. Then I forgot to call. Until about 8:30pm. Luckily Weston was still awake and sang to her with me. Happy Birthday Mom!

-The kids played outside for hours with their Buzz Lightyear squirt guns. They mostly tried to wash all the sidewalk chalk off the walls of the house and didn't spend too much time shooting at each other.

-Ian hung the hammock.

-Weston took this picture and wanted me to put it on the blog.
-It was summer and we are loving it. This weekend is a little break from summer since it will be stormy and only in the low 60's, but I am going to take advantage of that and make soup and get in some last minute baking.

Musings

After all my complaints about the never ending Utah winter, I am now starting to think I should have just kept my mouth shut. My house is rapidly heating up. It has been in the 80's for the last several days and my house got up to 77 inside. Luckily it still gets pretty cool at night. And we are supposed to get some storms and 60's weather this weekend, which actually might be somewhat welcome.

Despite my narrow window of comfort (Ian teases me that I'm only happy when it's between 70 and 73 degrees) I am prepared for summer. I went shopping for some maternity clothes last night. I have finally gotten to the point where none of my jeans fit. I have never needed maternity clothes in the summer since I've tried to plan it so I'm never pregnant in the heat, so I definitely needed a few pairs of capris and some more short sleeve tops.

I started at Old Navy since my favorite maternity jeans are from there, but alas they had very little and most of it was not that cute anyway. Next I decided to check Kohl's. I hit the motherload there. They had a ton! And it was all on sale or clearance. I felt a little guilty shopping at Kohl's without any coupons, but sometimes you just have to suck it up and buy stuff you need. I ended up getting 2 pairs of denim capris, a smocked cotton dress, and 2 long sleeved tops for Fall/Winter. I spent about $75. I thought that wasn't too bad. Certainly less expensive than shopping at Motherhood.

I'm 14 weeks now and finally feeling less nauseous all the time. Hooray! I still haven't gained any weight. Also hooray! But I look pregnant. How does the weight migrate like that? I'm looking forward to getting some energy back soon too.

Weston is doing fabulous with swimming lessons! Yesterday he put his whole head under the water a few times. He still came up kind of spluttering and wiping his eyes and ears, but there was no crying and I'm hoping he's starting to get used to the idea of putting his face in the water.

I was really excited to find out a few weeks ago that the Cinemark theater near us was doing summer kid movies! They had a deal where you could get a pass for all 10 movies they are showing this summer for $5 per person or $1/person/show. I decided to just pay for the ones we go to since I'm not sure we will go to more than 5 movies. Weston is especially excited about getting to see movies at the theater. Today is the first one. It's Alvin and the Chipmunks. I hope Davin doesn't get too restless. I will be sure to bring him some popcorn. If you live in the area and want to join me one of these weeks let me know!

I think I'm due for a haircut. When my hair ends up in a ponytail by lunch every day that usually means it's time. I'm debating about putting blonde highlights in for the summer. Any thoughts?

Davin's Ears, among other things.

This week was busy with swimming lessons and catching up with laundry and grocery shopping. Wednesday night we also attended the Earnst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards dinner with some other people from Verite. We were there mostly to support another company who was a sponsor of the awards. It was fun to get all dressed up again, but we had a hard time finding a babysitter for Wednesday night and ended up taking the kids over to a neighbor's house to play while we were gone. They loved it, but it was kind of a late night for everyone.
Bright and early Thursday morning I woke up Davin and took him to the ENT Surgery Center to get his ear tubes placed. He was so adorably cute all morning and was very happy and compliant while they did all the prep on him.
He was not a huge fan of the gown and ended up just going shirtless for the procedure. I stayed with him until he was asleep under the anesthesia and then waited in the lobby. I didn't wait long though. It was only about 15-20 minutes before they called me back and he was awake. He was not a happy boy. He was crying and squirming and seemed kind of out of it. He kept trying to get out of my lap, which was annoying. Also I think they should have given me the post-op packet and information before they gave me my screaming child because I was having a hard time listening.
Davin calmed down in the car and by the time we got home he was fine. He was excited to eat some breakfast and have some milk. We spent the day mostly relaxing, but did squeeze in a quick library trip. Davin really seemed fine all afternoon. And he's been great since then. He is not a fan of the prescription ear drops he has to have right now, but other than that he has been back to his normal, happy self. Hooray! He also is already saying Weston with the "n" at the end instead of saying it Westie. I think he's going to be speaking better real quick.

Last night we all went to the park after dinner. It was such a nice night. It feels so good to be able to enjoy the long, warm nights. After playing at the park for awhile we drove over to Cold Stone at Jordan Landing. They had a band playing in the middle of the shops, so we got our ice cream and then sat outside to eat it. The kids were so funny dancing and running around and giving high fives to all the other people listening to the band. We just had a really fun night. By the time we got home it was bedtime. Perfect!

Today Ian has some help getting some more drywall up in the den. Tonight is the Elders Quorum BBQ, so that should be fun too. Hooray for weekends and nice weather!

Memorial Day Weekend

We sure enjoyed our long holiday weekend! Ian came home early on Friday and we packed up the car and drove to Logan. While eating dinner at Subway I realized that I had forgotten an entire bag of toiletries at home. Whoops. Luckily there was a Walmart right across the parking lot. The kids were super excited I had forgotten their toothbrushes because they got cool new light up ones. I was less excited since I had just bought new toothbrushes. Oh well.

When we got to Logan we went to my cousin, Larissa's, wedding reception. It was raining on and off, so we mostly stayed inside. It was fun to see her as a bride and meet her handsome husband, but I didn't get to visit with as much extended family as I was hoping to (where were you Jill?!?). After the reception we headed out to drive the rest of the way to Rexburg to spend the weekend with Mel and Brad. We got there around 10pm. The kids stayed awake the whole time. Thank goodness for the portable DVD player.

That night we visited for a little bit before we set up beds and got some sleep. Saturday was rainy and cold. We decided to go up to campus in the morning just to get out of the house for a little bit. BYUI was pretty deserted and all the fun displays in the buildings were closed, but it was still fun to go check out where Mel and Brad spend their time. The kids were supposed to take awesome naps that afternoon, but Weston was not cooperating. Davin took a short nap, but woke up kind of grouchy.

It finally stopped raining for a little bit, so the kids got to play outside for a few minutes before we all went to see How To Train Your Dragon at the cheap theater. It was such a fun movie! We all loved it. Davin was riveted and didn't really even get restless the whole time. Weston fell asleep towards the end. I told him he needed a nap, but 4 year olds don't listen to Mom. Oh well.

We ran to a couple stores after the movie trying to find The Matrix. Brad had never seen it and Ian wanted to watch it with him. He finally found a combo pack of all three Matrix movies plus the Animatrix movie all for $10. Not bad. We grilled burgers and hot dogs for dinner. It was super yummy. Luckily the kids went to bed early and we watched our movie.

Sunday we all went to church. Weston loved visiting a new ward and making new friends. Davin seemed to do great in nursery. I even had to wait a few minutes for him to be ready to leave when I went to pick him up. I sure do envy anyone who lives in a ward with lots of young families. Sigh.

That afternoon we all napped and watched movies. Mel and I took the boys on a walk around her complex to see the horses in the field and get some fresh air. It was windy and cold, but not really raining. Mel made me meatloaf and giant baked potatoes for dinner. It was so incredibly delicious! Thanks Mel!

Monday we planned on going to the zoo in Idaho Falls. Brad wasn't feeling good and didn't end up coming with us. We missed him, but we had a blast at the zoo! I am lame and didn't get my camera out of my bag until Monday, but I have lots of pictures from our zoo outing!

All ready to see some animals!!!
Watching the penguin feeding. They were so funny! They kept sneaking into the food closet.
Me and Mel! We had so much fun hanging out. Love that girl!
Snack time. We had animal crackers of course!
Weston loved this little play area. Davin did not. He just wanted to see animals I guess.
This is what Davin did while Weston was playing in the play area. That pig was hilarious snorting at Dav the whole time.
Daddy braved going into the petting area with the kids. The boys had the place to themselves and made sure they brushed every single goat. :)
I love that the lions were so close! Probably because they had a smaller habitat than the lions in bigger zoos do, but I thought it was cool to see them up closer.
Weston preferred the fake lion. Davin fed it wood chips. So helpful.
Riding the tiger. It was napping in it's enclosure, so this was definitely more fun.
Hooray for zoo day! We had so much fun. We also saw the pelicans getting fed, a camel, lots of monkeys, birds, tortoises, a snow leopard, and a baby zebra. I was highly impressed with this little zoo!
After our zoo outing we grabbed some lunch and headed back to Rexburg to pack up. We left in the afternoon and made it home by 7:30. I drove most of the way. It was much more relaxing to drive than to have to turn around every 10 seconds to get something for the kids. :) What a fun little trip!

It's good to be back and play some catch up with laundry and getting the house in order. We have no food and I desperately need to meal plan and grocery shop. That's next on the list of things to do. But first, I have to mention that Weston started swimming lessons this morning. He was complaining about it when I mentioned that he was starting this week. He kept saying how he didn't like how all the other kids splashed him in the face and he didn't like going under water. Well, he did just fine. He has a sweet teacher and a small class. He had a lot of fun today, so I'm hoping that bodes well for the rest of the 2 weeks of classes. Davin was very disappointed that he didn't get to swim. He kept trying to take off his shirt and shoes. Poor kid.

Preschool: 1 Year down, 1 to go!

It seems like there has been a ton to blog about this week, but now I am drawing a blank. I guess there hasn't been as much as I thought. Yesterday was Weston's official last day of school. It was just a little picnic graduation party. He painted a graduation cap that he got to wear and then his teacher gave him a certificate for completing the 2009-2010 school year. He was really excited and loved running around with his friends. Davin tagged along. It was windy so he didn't wear his hat for long.
For his teachers I made gift card holder/thank you notes then we put $10 Borders gift cards in them. I thought they turned out pretty cute. They were super easy. I just cut out 4 apple shapes using the first one as an outline for the others. I wrote on the sides then used a glue stick to glue the bottom and sides together creating a pocket for the gift card. I also added a little stem with a leaf. If you decide to make these I recommend putting the stem with a leaf on both sides so it still looks like an apple after you put the gift cards in.
In other Weston news he has been wanting his hair spiky the last little while since he got his latest hair cut. I don't like it as much, but he seems to like it. I guess we'll do it until it grows out too much for that style. I am so proud of Weston for finishing his first year of school! He loved it and seems to have learned so much. I am looking forward to teaching him how to read this summer during his school break!
This morning Davin had his appointment with the ENT. They didn't even test his hearing because he still had fluid in his right ear but no infection. Apparently this is the kind of fluid that can cause kids to not hear and delay speech. He is getting tubes next Thursday. The doctor said that the kind of fluid that is behind his right ear is usually the consistency of rubber cement when they aspirate it out during the tube surgery. Gross.

Anyway, I am excited to see how quickly his language explodes when he can hear clearly. It also makes me feel a little proud of myself because I was right to be concerned. Whew! My mother's intuition is still intact. :)

I think I may be starting on the downhill side of pregnancy nausea. I still have issues with cooking and food sounding good, but I don't feel quite as blah all day. I am super excited that my sweet cousin, Kim, is bringing me dinner tonight. No cooking! Yay!

I am also trying to get things ready for the long weekend. We are going to visit my sister. I can't wait to hang out with her and Brad! I sure hope the weather forecast is lying though. It's saying rain all weekend. Boo. I hope you all have some fun plans for the Memorial Day weekend!

A Busy Weekend

This last weekend was super busy. Productive, but exhausting. Let's start with Friday. I decided we needed an outside outing. The weather wasn't super warm, but it wasn't freezing, so we went to Wheeler Farm to check out the animals. It was packed. I have never seen it so crowded. There were several school groups there in addition to the normal mom crews. It also got really windy, so we didn't stay too long, but Davin was in heaven with all the ducks running around.
Weston's favorite was still the tractors.
My favorite was having a quick camera to take some pictures. :) We met Ian for lunch after we had visited all the animals, battled the crowded (gross) bathrooms, and stepped in lots of duck poop.

This is from Thursday night I think. Davin was my little waffle making helper. He was so excited that he got to wear the kid apron and help stir.
Friday night I went down to Provo for my long lost friend Lindsey's bridal shower. We were Spanish speaking buddies freshman year at BYU, but then lost contact for several years. We have reconnected lately on our blogs and Facebook. Anyway, it was super fun to visit with her after not seeing her for 7 or 8 years. After her shower I dropped in to visit with another college friend, Lisa. We visited until late. Then I had to drive home in a crazy storm. Strong wind, strong rain, lots of standing water. Let's just say I hydroplaned 4 or 5 times and it was scary. I didn't get home until late. Ian had started ripping out the walls in the den when I got home, but there was no way he was going to be able to finish that night, so we pretty much called it a night and got ourselves to bed.

BEFORE
Saturday was construction day! Luckily we had some friends come to help. There is no way we would have gotten as far as we did without them. Thanks Wilson's, Bayles', and Campos'! The Campos' watched the boys all morning while we were working. It was so nice not having to worry about them.

DEMOLITION
I thought the room looked tiny without walls or furniture. Doesn't make sense, but it did. After we got all the drywall and insulation down we put up heavy duty plastic sheeting along the walls we were insulating to keep the insulation clean and to help seal off the multiple cracks and little holes in the outside walls. Next we put up the insulation.

INSULATION
Finally we did drywall. By the time Ian got back from his 3rd trip to the store with the drywall it was getting late in the afternoon. The guys only had time to get a couple of sheets of drywall up.

DRYWALL
We didn't get quite as far as we were hoping, but it was a productive day and it's coming along. We are on budget so far too, so that's good! By Saturday night Ian and I were both so tired. I slept better than I have in weeks.

Last night we went to Ian's boss, Steve's, house to watch the finale of LOST. It was fun to watch it with Steve and Erin (Steve's wife) and Zack (another co-worker). We put Davin to bed around 9:30, but just tucked Weston in on the couch with Charlotte's Web thinking that he would for sure conk out. Nope. He stayed awake the whole time until we got in the car around 11:45pm. Needless to say everyone is napping right now.

Today was Weston's end of the year class party. It was supposed to be a water party outside, but alas, we woke up to snow this morning, so they just played inside, watched a movie, and had ice cream. I think he still had fun, but I'm looking forward to the whole preschool end of year picnic on Wednesday when the weather is supposed to be a pleasant 75 degrees.

Coming Soon . . .

That's right . . . we're expecting! Baby Bowles #3 will be joining our family in early December. I am 11 weeks and I just saw our cute little peanut baby wriggling around with a strong heartbeat yesterday at my 5th doctor's appointment. Yes, 5th. We had a little scare at the beginning of this pregnancy. I was having a lot of abdominal pain, which was when I went to my doctor and found out I was pregnant. Then they were concerned that it was an ectopic pregnancy (outside the uterus). I had several ultrasounds. They found some ovarian cysts, but by the time we could actually see the embryo it was where it was supposed to be. I'm so grateful that I had a doctor who was willing to wait out what could have been a dangerous condition just in case the pregnancy turned out to be viable. Everything seems to be just fine now. The baby is growing and is measuring right on schedule.

So far I have been having some standard nausea and food aversions. The hardest part about this stage of pregnancy is that I don't ever want to cook. I plan meals, but by the time it's the day to cook them they don't sound good at all. I just want my food placed in front of me. :) I have been eating a lot of baked potatoes and cinnamon toast. No weight gain to speak of yet, but I swear I'm already getting a rounder belly. I haven't gotten out any of the maternity clothes though. I have a few things that will work for the next few weeks at least.

Weston is super excited and really wants a baby sister since he already has a brother. Davin doesn't completely get it, but points to my stomach when I ask where our baby is. And he did not want to let go of the ultrasound photo from yesterday. I think we are going to have another boy, but my mom insists it's a girl until she is proven wrong. We shall see. We won't find out the gender until the end of July.

Finally, I am seeing a different doctor. A doctor instead of a midwife. I really loved my midwife, but she retired after I had Davin. This doctor has an office about 3 minutes from my house and delivers at the closer hospital. I like him and he has lots of experience. I think the convenience is too good to pass up.

In other news, we cleared out the den last night, so all our den furniture and belongings are now crammed in the living room or have been relegated to the garage for now. Time to start demolition! I'm hopeful that we will be able to get all the insulation and drywalling done this weekend. Mudding and painting will probably have to wait, but it's not too bad. We are just going to all have to get used to living in a slightly smaller space for a few weeks.

I have a feeling that my cooking motivation is going to sink even lower during "construction." Sigh. Any quickie, easy meal suggestions?