Nathan and Brooke Gardner

2011 Recap

2012-01-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

I realize I haven't blogged a lot this year so I thought I would write about the high lights of the past year in one post.

January: Gavin perfected his walking skills.
We knew when first found out Gavin had Mosaic Down Syndrome and that he may have delays in his development. But as he was learning and growing, he development at least gross motor wise was the same as any other "typical" child. Walking did take a little bit extra practice but by the time he was 14 months old he had it down.

We also celebrated Nathans 26th birthday. We went and saw the movie Tangled with Ryan and Andrea. It wasn't Nate's first movie choice but he was a good sport about it.

February: Gavin's first sleepover.
For my birthday/ Valentines Day we left Gavin at my parents house for the first time. The plan was for Nate and I to spend the night somewhere in Salt Lake, but we ended up just going home after some shopping. None the less it was nice to have a little break from being a mom for a night.

Elder Gardner goes to the MTC (missionary training center). We were able to go with Ben, Ryan, and Andrea to drop Brandon off at the MTC.

March: Big news.
We found out Gavin would be a big brother!! I told Nate that I thought I was pregnant and even took an at-home pregnancy test, but it was either too early to tell or it was the crappy cheap pregnancy test. So a few weeks later I took another one and it was positive. We were super excited.

April: Ultrasound
Because Gavin has Mosaic Down Syndrome my doctor wanted me to have whats called a Nuchal Translucency Screening. Which basically is a test that takes a measurement on part of the fetus along with a blood sample of the mom and determines the moms risk for having a baby with down syndrome or other chromosomal defects. If the measurement on the baby is really big that's usually an early sign of a defect. This picture is of the measurement they take of the baby. Its the fluid on the back of the baby's neck.

**These are not my pictures, I got them off the Internet

My results came back really good. My risk hasn't increased at all, its the same as any other woman my age. My chances of having another child with DS are 1/10,000 and my chances of having a child with any other trisomy are 1/2,800.

May: Anniversary.

Nathan and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. We went to dinner at Ruth's Cris. We each got a steak, and they were SO good. I would suggest this place to everyone.

We took Gavin to the zoo for the first time. I'm pretty sure he loved it; it's sometimes hard to tell Gavin's emotions because he doesn't always show them. He loved and still loves to be outside, that was probably his favorite part of the whole day. One of his favorite animals was a desert cat. It would run around its cage and come right next to the glass where Gavin was standing.

June: Boy-O-Boy!
We found out we were having another boy. I didn't want to find out but my surprise was ruined before it even started. The day we went for the ultrasound we told the tech that I didn't want to know the sex so before she was close to finding out to just tell me to close my eyes. I was a little suspicion because both the Nate and the tech kept calling it a "he" but whatever. Towards the end Nate couldn't contain Gavin anymore so he took him out into the hall. While Nate was out the tech asked if I wanted her to print out a picture of the sex and put it in an envelope to take home for future "proof." I said yes. She had a few more measurements to take and then she said "Okay, I'm done I just need to print off your boy picture."
She tried to fix her slip-up by saying something like she just had boy on the brain. I wanted to give her the benefit if the doubt but I could tell she felt really bad about it.

July: Fun in the Sun.

Gavin and I spent a lot of time out-side this past summer, but because we had no yard we would go to my parents house. He has a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa Bunderson's house.

We had a good 4th of July. We watched a parade, had a barbecue, played with cousins, and watch fireworks. Its been fun with Gavin getting older and understanding and doing big kid things.

August: Vacation.

This year we drove down to Cali for a vacation with the Gardner's. We stayed at Bass Lake. We played in the water, hiked at Yosemite, got a lot of sun, and ate a lot of yummy food. It was such a good time! You can see better, more detailed versions here and here.

September: State Fair

My sister Brittany and her little boy Drew's, my sister Breanna, Gavin, and my-self went to the sate fair. We didn't get to stay very long but we squeezed in as much fun as we could. The two boys went through the "Little hands on the Farm" maze type thing. Gavin really liked it. He probably would have stayed there the whole day. I had to keep hurrying him along because there were other kids behind us. We ate some yummy food, and saw a lot of farm animals.

October: Surprise.

We took Gavin to a pumpkin patch this year. He mostly just played in the dirt and threw and kicked the small pumpkin we picked out for him -he thought it was a ball.

Oh and SURPRISE! Our baby Jackson came 3 weeks early. I had a feeling he was going to come early, but I didn't want to get my hopes up and them have the last three weeks drag on, so I did nothing. The car seat, bassinet, everything was in our back room -untouched. I did do one load of baby cloths. I'll have to tell his birth story another time.

Jackson Otto Gardner was born on October 25th at 4:34 p.m. weighing 6 lbs 10 oz. and 21 in. long. He shares his birthday with his Grandpa Bunderson, which is super cool. He is the sweetest, most perfect little baby. We love him lots and lots.

Vivian came and stayed for a whole week after Jackson was born to help me. It was great!

We had a fun Halloween and went to a trunk-or-treat on our neighborhood. Gavin dressed up as a cow boy, I dressed up as a cowgirl, and Jackson dressed up as a candy corn. And yes I'm mother of the year for not taking one single picture of Halloween.

November: Thanks

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!! We moved into a new house in Granstville, and are loving it. We're excited to make it our own, I have a bunch of plans to decorate but don't have a lot of time with a newborn and a VERY active two year old.

We had a really good Thanksgiving Jason and Jenna got to come spend it with us. We had our Thanksgiving dinner at our old rental since it was empty. I went shopping on black Friday -it was a bad experience this year. It was SUPER crazy. I might not ever do it again.

I felt really blessed this year I have a healthy new baby, a healthy and active toddler, an awesome husband who works so hard for our family, a beautiful new house, and great family who help and support us so much.

Gavin turned 2!! We had a little birthday party for him; we invited family over for cake and ice cream.

December: Blessed

If 11 months of awesomeness wasn't enough, December brought more blessings. Nate got signed off at work, he is now an official Certified Professional Controller. From the very beginning of Nate's training, 2 and a half years ago, we've felt super lucky and blessed that, first he even got the job, and that he's been doing so well with training. Its been a huge weight off his shoulders financially to finally be done with training.

Christmas was really fun. Gavin had a blast this year opening presents. We were spoiled. Gavin got a lot of new toys, one of which was a fun tent and tunnel from his g-ma and g-pa Gardner. Jackson got a new baby swing which Nate say's was maybe the best purchase of all of Christmas.

On December 31 we gave Jackson his name and blessing. It was extra special because two of my nephews were baptised the same day. We were sad that none of Nate's family were there -it was our fault- we planned it on a day that they were all out of town.

It was a great way to end the year. 2011 treated us very well, and we are excited to start a new year.

Nice Bum, Where Ya From??

2011-10-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

I pulled out these hand-me-down boots out the other day, and Gavin has been wanting to wear them all the time. He wont even take them off to get his diaper changed.

I thought he looked pretty cute with his nakie bum and boots on, so I had to take a picture.

Babies, Babies, and more Babies.

2011-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

We've been lucky enough to get three new babies this year.

First was my nephew Drewes, born in January.

Then came Cael who arrived in April, who I still haven't met yet. :(

Last but not least is...

Adrie Beth Bunderson.

Born June 9th 2011

5 lbs. 2oz.

I got to take these pictures of her yesterday. I still can not believe how little she is. She fits right inside her daddy's hands. She sure is a cutie.

3-21

2011-03-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. Kelle Hampton says it better than I ever could, here.

I hope one day people will see my baby for who he is and not just for something he has.

Gavins New Favorite Toy

2011-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Gavin this fun race car toy. Gavin didn't quite understand how it worked until a while ago. Before he would try and sit on it. Now he plays with it a ton. He even puts blocks and the remote down the ramp and watches them go around and around.

This is how Gavin ends up at meal times A LOT. It makes me laugh at how one moment he'll be running around like a crazy person and the next he's dead asleep. This particular time he fell asleep mid-bite -the chicken nugget was still in his mouth- by the time I got the camera out it had fallen out.

Gavin is developing the cutest personality. He is SO happy and feels SOOO big now he's walking, he loves to show off for everyone. He is getting more confident and is starting to try and run. He loves playing chase. He can now sign "dog" and say "hot."

Update

2011-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

I guess its time for a real post, so here is an update...

Gavin's birthday, November 27th:

I still can't believe this kid is ONE! He is getting so big and learning a lot. We had family over for a party. There were 38 people -not including Nate Gavin and my-self- here at our little ol' house. There are a lot of people who love my baby, and that makes me happy.

He had fun digging into his cupcake. He was shy st first, but then went to town.

After the birthday party we went with Nate's side of the family to the Salt Lake Temple to see the Christmas lights. It was pretty cold but I think Gavin enjoyed it.

Gavin's first hair cut:

I just trimmed the much needed ends of the few pieces he has.

(sorry this first picture is blurry, daddy took it)

Christmas:

Christmas was really fun this year. Gavin saw that there were toys left out for him and actually showed excitement and raced to see what Santa brought.

This was Gavin's favorite toy Santa brought. It lasted about a month, and now he doesn't need it.

After opening toys and playing, he was spent...

And last but certainly not least:

GAVIN CAN WALK!!

He's actually been walking for several weeks now, but I just haven't gotten around to announcing it. He's getting better every day. This deserves its own post, but here's pictures.

Also:

This kid LOVES books.

He'll dig through ALL of his books and find one of his favorites, all of which are animal books, come bring it to me and sit on my lap.

Well I'm sure by now Gavin has destroyed my house, so bye for now.

Introducing...

2011-01-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

Drewes Todd Palmer

Born: Jan. 24th at 4:04 a.m.

8lbs 3oz.

My sister Brittany's first born.

Gavin getting a closer look.

Fun fact: The first born of my siblings and my-self, so far, have been boys.

The ONEder fund.

2011-01-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is Nella Hampton, her mom is Kelle Hampton from Enjoying the Small Things she is turning one this month. Kelle is holding a fund raiser for the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society). The goal is to reach $63,000 by the 22nd. If you would like to donate you can here.
Wouldn't it be super cool to be a part of something this amazing!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

This song is really beautiful. At Christmas time I always seem to think about the virgin Mary and her most uncomfortable, beautiful, spiritual experience of bearing the Savior Jesus Christ. What an amazing woman she must have been. Let us all remember the true meaning of Christmas in celebrating the birth of Christ.

11

2010-11-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

Gavin is 11 months and 11 days in the 11th month. Pretty cool.

Halloween

2010-11-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to add some pictures; no time for more. Gavin likes to get into EVERYTHING! I cant turn my back for a second.

31 for 21 #2

2010-10-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some facts I found from this website: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/down-syndrome-facts.html

Down Syndrome Facts

The incidence of a child being born with Down syndrome increases with maternal age. Even though this is true, almost 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to mothers who are under the age of 35. The reason for this is that most women give birth before the age of 35.

Children born with Down syndrome must have a thorough medical examination performed. Almost 40% of infants with Down syndrome are born with heart anomalies. Some of these children are born with thyroid, vision, hearing, or gastrointestinal abnormalities. The earlier these problems are detected, the better. Sometimes these abnormalities can be totally cured, if not, proper treatment and care from the beginning will help in minimizing the damage.

Children born with Down syndrome develop more slowly (mentally and physically) than normal children. They may suffer from digestive problems, they get infected more easily; mostly lung infection affecting proper breathing, constipation, eye and ear infections, and in rare cases leukemia. Many kids will not have even one of these symptoms except for different facial features and slow growth.

Any child can be born with Down syndrome irrespective of the parents race, nationality, and socio-economic status.

Someone who does not have Down syndrome at birth can't get it for life. It is not contagious and can't be spread by any means.

Currently there is no cure for Down syndrome. Other major accompanying complications such as heart problems can be cured surgically.

Many with Down syndrome pass out successfully from high school and college, and have full time jobs.

Due to their unusual looks and behavior many think that those with Down syndrome are mentally retarded. Those suffering from Down syndrome are not mentally retarded. The following two points prove this.

Chris Burke who played the role of Charles 'Corky' Thacher for 4 years in the hit TV series 'Life Goes On' is a living example that a person with Down syndrome can lead an almost normal life. Today he is Ambassador of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). He not only travels around the US giving inspirational speeches to Down syndrome children and parents, but also writes a column and responds to queries in the NDSS magazine.

Jane Cameron - 1949-2000 (artist whose tapestries hang around the world), Sujeet Desai (musician, married and well settled), and Michael Jurogue Johnson (artist), all suffer/suffered from the Down syndrome. There are many more with Down syndrome who have become famous.

31 for 21

2010-10-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Grab This Button

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Aren't we lucky, we get to party all month long!

A Good Nights Sleep???

2010-09-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

I just went to check on Gavin... and this is what I found.

More Pictures...

2010-09-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

Because I cant stop when he's this cute.

Pictures!

2010-08-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Gavins 9 month pictures! Enjoy...

Weekend

2010-08-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Illinois for Nathans little brothers wedding.

We were a little worried about taking Gavin on the plane, but he was SO good. He slept every time we flew.

I think the most difficult part was trying to occupy Gavin while we were waiting for our flights.

Jason and Jenna got married in the Nauvoo Temple, which is beautiful!

Congrats to Jason and Jenna!

Their reception was held the next day in O'Fallon. It turned out great. The weather wasn't too bad, it didn't rain and it wasn't too horribly hot.

Gavin got to wear a Fuchsia tie too!

Go Gavin Go!!

2010-08-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Gavin has been pushing him-self up onto his knees and/or toes!

He'll figure out this crawling business in no time...

I guess that means its time to get out my running shoes huh?

p.s. I just love these photos so I had to add them. They're Gavin's 6 month pictures I finally got around to editing.

Life

2010-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of our lives.... ok well mostly just Gavin's life.

Nate complained about not being in any of the rock climbing pictures from our family reunion, so here you go.

This was a while ago, I don't remember what upset him, but I think his face is pretty cute.

These next few are just some of the faces Gavin makes. He is too silly and makes me smile all day.

I let Gavin play with his food.... he got real messy.

So we had to have a bath.

While Nate's mom has been in town we've been doing a lot of fun stuff. One weekend we went to the mud races. The cars were SUPER loud.

This past weekend Nate and I went up to Logan UT for one of my good friends wedding. Isn't this such a beautiful Temple?

On our way home we stopped by some old friends of ours and they showed us their horses.

We met up with some of Nate's family and went and saw the movie Salt, and then went for ice cream. Gavin LOVES ice cream.

On Saturday I went on a hike with Vivian and her mom, brother, and sister. We saw a lot of pretty wild flowers.

I've tried to upload a video of Gavin laughing, but either my computer is too slow or I'm too impatient. Maybe another day...

Howells Family Reunion

2010-07-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Fun pictures from the reunion.

I'll let the pictures explain them-seves....

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our 4th of July celebration.

Gavin and my little sister waiting for the parade to start. If you look closely to this first picture you can see Gavin's cute bottom front teeth.

They passed out these cute little flags to all the kids. I think Gavin liked his.

Then he got pretty tired.... not even the big sirens from the firetrucks woke him.

Once the parade was over we had a yummy BBQ.

After our BBQ the kids played on the big blow-up slide which is always lots of fun. Although we weren't sure what Gavin thought of it.

He for sure didn't like the screaming fireworks.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've seen a lot of people making wordless Wednesday post... needless to say I like the idea.

Pictures

2010-06-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

I love these boys more than you know.

So cute!

I love how he is looking out of the corner of his eye's. It comes from my moms side of the family.

Rides With Grandpa

2010-06-05T22:49:00.001-07:00

Gavin likes going for rides with his Grandpa Bunderson. He even fell right asleep helping him move the sheep the other day.

Bath Time

2010-05-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I cant get enough of my cute boy and his cute naked body. I couldn't help myself from taking a few pictures this morning after bath time.
Look at how big he's getting; sitting up and making silly faces. LOVE it.

The Best Two Years

2010-05-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Nathan second anniversary. It really has been the best two years of my life. These are a few things I love about Nate.

1. He picked me to spend eternity with.

2. He is a really good daddy.

3. I am grateful that he honors his priesthood.

4. He is such a hard worker.

5. I love his personality, he makes me laugh all the time.

6. I love the moment he proposed....super cute, and so Nate (with fireworks and everything). He planned a bonfire party and invited a bunch of people. He proposed down the trail so we were alone. Dropped down on one knee even wearing a tux.

7. I love this face....
8. I like that he is so outgoing.

9. He is super ticklish.

10. We both like being physically active.

11. I love his little sexy dance.

12. He is a very determined person.

13. He takes such good care of me and Gavin.

14. He loves candy, and so do I :)

15. The first night he told me he loved me. He had planned the whole date, and it was so cute. We rode the ski lifts one summer night and looked up at the full moon. We had hot coco and talked about love.

16. He puts up with my silly perfectionist ways.

17. He is adventurous.

18. He thinks I'm beautiful.

19. The way he love to be silly and make others laugh.

20. He makes my life so much better. I dont know what I would do without him. He is my best friend and knows me the better than anyone. I am the luckiest girl.

I love you Nathan.

Our Visit to Italy

2010-05-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Italy this weekend. Actually we've taken a few trips to Italy, but with this one being our most recent I thought I'd blog about it.

I've been working on sitting up with Gavin for months now; and I'm proud to say that he can do it all by his-self! -Well with little support. The average baby can sit up at around 5 or 6 months, while babies with down syndrome take a little longer. Gavin is now 5 1/2 months old, I'd say that's right on track for a "typical" child.

As of right now we really haven't seen any delays in any of Gavin's development. Which probably has something to do with his Mosaicism.

Gavin has also started eating solid foods.

He loves to smile and make faces.

He loves his momma! And his momma loves him too! I am so blessed to be a mom, but especially to be Gavins mom. He is the reason I got to celebrate this weekend as a mother.

I HATE mice!

2010-05-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

100% sure a mouse just ran across my bedroom floor. We went to my moms, and on the way home Gavin had of course fallen asleep. So, I just left him in his car seat to the side of my bed -not wanting to take him out in fear of waking him up. But as soon as I saw that little creature -or should I say critter- I promptly ( once my heart started again ) took him out, not caring if I had to spend the next half hour getting him back to sleep. But i wasn't going to let that disgusting, infested, nasty thing get my baby. -Did I mention how bad I hate mice? Well I do.

New Favorite

2010-04-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

My new favorite thing Gavin does is give a smile that turns into a little giggle when he looks at himself in the mirror. He must think that, that baby he's looking at is SO cute. I would have to agree :)

Baseball

2010-04-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Gavin and I went and watched two of my nephews baseball game on Sat. These nephews are in the same kindergarten class and on the same baseball team. Gavin LOVES being outside.

20 Weeks

2010-04-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Gavin turned 20 weeks old yesterday. So my little sister and I took some pictures of Gavin just for fun.

Pic's

2010-03-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

My cute little man on Valentines Day.
Look at that cute chunky little thing!

Playing on the boppy.

2010-03-20T15:21:00.001-07:00

*bRoOke*

10 Things I Love About Gavin

2010-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things.
10. His big, beautiful, almond shaped eyes.
9. When he looks up at me while he nurses. I imagine he's saying "Thanks momma!"
8. His chubby little legs.
7. His pouty face. SO cute.
6. He loves getting kisses. I love giving him kisses.
5. How whenever he hears the "Muah" sound he opens his mouth. -He way of giving kisses.
4. The three little wrinkles in his four-head whenever he raises his eye-brows.
3. I can't get enough of his sweet little voice. He is talking so much lately. I LOVE it.
2. His adorable little laugh. When he giggles I get the butterflies.
1. His smile. It seriously melts my heart.

03/21 (Trisomy 21)

2010-03-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to get the word out that the 21st of March is World Down Syndrome Day. I'm going to make this a special day for our family. I'm looking forward to the challenges and triumphs that will come our way.

2010-02-11T18:44:00.001-08:00

I love this boy! He makes my days so joyfull. I'm so blessed to be a momma.

2010-02-07T21:53:00.001-08:00

I love it when Gavin has a blow-out right as we're both about to fall asleep.

Sheep Wrestling, Muffins, and My Boys

2010-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

This past summer my dad and little sister breed all their sheep; so this winter all their ewe's had their baby lambs. Yesterday they banded off all the tails and either tagged the females or castrated the males.

My dad "hired" some of my nieces and nephews to help. Here are a few videos of what went down. I LOVED watching the kids, and I think they had a lot of fun. Some of the lambs were riled up and a little hard to handle -it was pretty funny.

These muffins are DE-LISH! I LOVE them, and could probably live off of them. They are french toast muffins. I know, kinda doesn't sound that good, I thought the same thing. But then I tried one and was pleasantly surprised. I got them from Costco, so if you have the chance to try them you really should!

My baby has red hair!!! Yay!!

Its looking more red lately, and I love it! Isn't he so cute with his little pouty face. (he gets it from me)

My two favorite boys in the whole world!

I love to just watch Nate interact with Gavin. He is such a good daddy. I know they are going to be good buds forever.

2010-01-29T18:02:00.001-08:00

my sister inlaw took this pic of gavin with his cpusin korty. i think its so precious. i'm so glad gavin has lots of cousins who love him.

p.s. i love mobile blogging!

2010-01-27T14:21:00.001-08:00

I was looking through the pic on my phone and saw this one. I took this like two weeks ago, but its SO cute I just had to post it.

2010-01-25T15:21:00.001-08:00

Gavin and my Grandma Steadman.

2010-01-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Oops! I forgot a few...

Just talking to God... he left there not too long ago.

Picture OVERLOAD!!

2010-01-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

I have SO many pictures of Gavin its not even funny. I thought I'd put some of them up so you can enjoy him as much as I get to. -Ok maybe not as much as I do, but a little bit.

Merry Christmas! Gavin in his Chirstmas p.j.s

Busy busy busy

2009-12-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Whew! These past four weeks have been super crazy. We've for sure been through a roller coaster of emotions.

We had a pretty scary experience when Gavin decided to come two weeks early -and SUPER fast.

Because I tested positive for Strep-B and wasn't able to get the antibiotics before labor Gavin had to have an IV in his tinny little arm. Broke my heart.

Two days later the pediatrician explained to us why she decided to run some blood tests on Gavin because he showed some physical features of down syndrome. -But told us not to worry about it because he only had two signs.

The poor little guy had to go under the bili lights for his jaundice.

We got to take him home! Home sweet Home :)

Grandpa Gardner came to visit!

At a week old I had to take Gavin to the doc to get the strep-b results and ended up having to go to the hospital because he was looking too yellow. And ended up having to put him under the lights at home for two days. -NOT fun.

Gavin rolls over!! That's my boy :) so proud.

The blood test results came back positive for down syndrome. Not the easiest thing to hear. Needless to say I cried -not because I was disappointed or sad, I just keep thinking of the struggles my baby is going to have throughout his life. It's going to be the hardest thing, but I I'm up for it all.

The whole experience made me realize how much love and support my family has for Nathan and I. I truly am blessed.

Grandma Gardner came to visit! And even took me shopping :) it was a nice break.

We had to take two different trips into Primary Childrens to examine Gavin's heart. A lot of people with downs have heart problems too.

The first trip came with good news. The EKG showed no problems. (we're still waiting on the results from the ECHO)

We we're referred to a geneticist who was also at Primary Childrens. It was pretty stressful having to go into salt lake three different times, a lot of different appointments and other things to remember. But good news followed this appointment too. The doctor said he has good muscle tone. Its common for downs babies to have low muscle tone so I was happy to know that his was good. She didn't have any other concerns and said we didn't need to schedule a follow up.

We had the DDI Vantage program come and evaluate Gavin. It was yet another thing going on -piled on my plate, but it ended up being a good thing. Its good to know that there is a program that can help Gavin as he begins to learn and develop and provide extra help if he needs it.

Now its Christmas! The best time of the year. I love the spirit of Christmas and all the happiness and love it brings. Having a new baby, I think about Mary and her giving birth in those circumstances, and it humbles me. I'm reminded that Jesus Christ went through experiences such as being born in a grungy old manger in order to succor his people. I know that having a child with a disability isn't going to be easy, but I also know that I have a Savior who is going to be with me every step of the way.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

p.s. My little boy is SO cute! I just had to add some pictures

3 Weeks Old

2009-12-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

Gavin is three weeks old today! Each day he is awake a little more, which is fun. The last time we had him weighed, he was 6 pounds 15 ounces and he is finally starting to fit into his newborn cloths. He is a super good baby, he hardly ever cries and I usually have to wake him up during the night to feed him.

Here are a few picture of my sweet boy.

Playing on our bellies. He doesn't like it too much -the reason he rolled over at a week old :)

But he loves his bath.

I Love It Here In Holland

2009-12-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

I don't really know what to say, only that I feel so blessed and privileged to have Gavin in my life. I've felt Gods love for me more this passed week than I EVER have. I truly know that I am a special daughter of his, and he knows me personally; he has a special plan for Nathan and I on this Earth.

Last Wednesday we found out that little Gavin is an EXTRA special little boy. He has what is called Mosaic Down Syndrome. Its a rare type of down syndrome -only about 1% of people with downs have Mosaic. Basically, with Gavin, only half of his cells have the extra chromosome. So technically...he's only half downs :) which is why he doesn't look like he has it.

We were given this little poem by Gavin's Dr. I like it a lot. :)

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandt's.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Happy ThanksGAVIN

2009-12-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Well, now that I have a free second I thought I would post our eventful Thanksgiving weekend. We went to my parents house for Thanksgiving, we had lots of yummy food and all shared what we were thankful for. I said "I'm thankful for this tinny baby inside my tummy...Oh and Nate" :)

I decided I wanted to go Black Friday shopping with my mom and sister in-law early the next morning. We left around 3:30 to get to Kohl's 4:00 a.m. door buster. We had pretty much planned out our trip so that we could make it back in time for the infamous "preg-check."

While in Wal Mart is where I started getting backaches. We figured it was just because I had been walking around for a couple hours, luckily we were just about done with our shopping.

Once we got back I took a long nap at my moms house, while I waited for Nate to get home from work. Even after my nap I was still getting backaches. My sister in-law said they could be contractions....

When Nate got home from work we had some dinner and decided to run to Wal Mart to look for a few gifts I didn't get earlier. And I was still having back pains. Again we figured it was just because I had been on my feet walking around all day, so we decided to go home and relax and watch a movie. The movie Nate chose was Big Daddy. My "backaches" were still bothering me, even to the point I couldn't sit down, I just kept walking around the house. By this point I knew something wasn't normal, but I didn't really know what was going on. Finally I took a shower to help relax. To make a long story short I was having really painful contractions, so I called my mom to ask her how you know if your in labor. She said to time my contractions, and if they were close to call my doctor. This was a little before 9:00 p.m. While I was on the phone Nate started putting a hospital bag together just in case. We timed one contraction and then...... MY WATER BROKE!! (around 9:05) So we rushed to the Tooele Hospital* We arrived at the hospital at 9:15 and Gavin was born at 9:20. The on call doctor didn't even make in time to deliver the baby. It was a super crazy night, and has continued to be a crazy week and a half, but I'm so happy to have my wonderful, beautiful baby boy here.

*The hospital I had been going to for prenatal care was in West Jordan, about 40 minutes away from our house. Nate was for sure inspired to take us to the Tooele hospital. Otherwise we would have had the baby on the side of the road.

Here are a few pictures. We don't have a lot from the hospital only because we didn't have our camera. We took a bunch on our phones but I cant figure out how to put them on the computer.

This is the last picture taken of me preggo belly. I'm so glad I don't have that thing anymore :)

Gavin under the bili lights for his jaundice.

Gavin's first bath at home.

More bili lights at home. Poor guy did NOT like it in that little case.

Some how he ended up with the pillow on his head.

Playing with daddy.

Silly face :)

Another bath with daddy. My sweet Boy. Isn't he the cutest little thing? I cant get enough of him.

The joys of pregnancy.

2009-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Swollen phalanges, sore ribs, weak bladder, backaches, sleepless nights, and "gain-the-weight-osis."
I just love being pregnant. Good thing its all going to be worth it! But in all seriousness I actually feel really good, I cant complain too much. I'm just to the point where I'm ready to get my big belly off of me. Luckily I have an awesome husband who has really stepped up to help me.
One more Month!

Halloween

2009-11-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!
This year we got invited to a Halloween dinner party, which was a lot of fun. It wasn't too hard to decide what we were going to dress up as -Juno was the first thing that I thought of. Nate's costume was my favorite. He was such a good sport for dressing up like a goofball.

These are the treats I took to the dinner party. They were pretty good until the cookies got soggy from the pudding. :(

The dinner party was Thursday night, so on Halloween we went to my parents house to hang out. Of course all the grandkids who live in Granstville come trick-or-treating to my moms. It was fun to see them all dressed up. I wanted to take pictures, but forgot. Afterwards Nate and I doubled with my sister and her date. We just went to dinner, but it was still fun.

Birthday Dad

2009-10-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

I have the best dad. He is such a great example. He is, by far, the hardest worker I know. His love for working hard is the thing I admire the most about him. I remember when I was little thinking that my dad was the smartest person EVER -I still think that, he always has the answers to my questions.
I am so grateful and blessed to have him as my dad.

Weekend Fun

2009-10-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Nathan and I did some fun stuff, or I could say we actually did something. We usually don't do much because Nate prefers to just relax from his busy work week.

On Thursday Nate had is very last softball game, which he did really well, as usual. But, as usual his team lost.

On Friday we went to a pumpkin patch and picked out some pumpkins. Nate picked two; he said he needed an extra one in case he messed up the first one while carving it.

I picked a momma size pumpkin, and then we got a baby one for "Baby Gardner."

Yummy! Pumpkin guts :)

We bought a pumpkin carving kit with stencils.

The finished products! We tried to light our faces so you could see who's-is-who's. Nate's is on the right (the little monster guy).

p.s. my face looks chubby. -I guess I have an excuse though :)

On Saturday we went and watched my nephew play in his little league football game. He did so good. I like watching him play a lot; makes me so proud. He's almost 11 years old and almost as tall as I am!

Later that day, my sister in-law brought her kids into Salt Lake to Gardner Village. Because we live next door, we walked over and hung out with them. The kids (that includes Nate) are looking at the tinny fish in the pond below.

"Get Bewitched." My niece loved this witch, she stood and watched it for about 5 min. The witch had a cat chasing a mouse under her dress.

We're practicing for when we go get our "pregnant pictures" taken.

On Sunday I went to my parents house while Nate was at work. Anyway, while I was there, one of the momma cows had her baby. I didn't stay to watch it all because it got too dark, but I just thought "Oh man, that's gonna be me in a little less than two months!"

P.S. We went to the doctor this morning and everything looks good, we're on track :) we start our "2 week" visits now. Let the count down begin!

32 weeks

2009-10-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Quick update on our little rascal. He's more and more active everyday; I can tell he's getting really strong, because its starting to hurt A LOT whenever he moves. He's most active at night -when I'm trying to fall asleep of course! We have a war every night on who gets to occupy the space next to my ribs. He's just about as stubborn as I am, but I usually just let him win. :)31 weeks

Two of my favorite outfits I've gotten the baby. In the top picture the shirt has a pattern of airplanes, and in the bottom just a picture of a plane. Because his daddy helps airplanes fly safely, his grandpa fly airplanes, and his great grandpa use to fly airplanes, I knew I had to buy them.

32 weeks. I'm finally starting to feel pregnant. My belly is big enough now that it limits me in being as active as I'm use to, which is kinda annoying, but its totally worth it.

Excitement

2009-10-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is pretty gross, but the truth: Nathan and I have been married for a year and a half now and have never owned a vacuum until just recently. -That's a LONG time going without vacuuming ha ha. But...for the first year we moved every three months so its not as bad as it seems. Anyway, we finally got a vacuum!!! I was so excited; as soon as I got home I put it together and of course used it. I was smiling the whole time I was vacuuming :) Nate was laughing at me and thought it was pretty funny. And the best part about it all was we got a great deal on it. It only cost us $180 instead of $400!My new favorite dance partner! ha ha jk I was just thinking about Ms Doubtfire.

29 weeks

30 weeks

Baby

2009-09-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

We went to the Doctor on Friday and I had an untrasound. This first picture is of the baby's profile. I think his mouth is open and he's sucking on his fingers, super cute! We're thinking he gonna have a Bunderson nose :)

28 weeks

I have a small problem with the spacing between my utrus and cervix -or something like that. The doctor isn't super concerned, but is hoping it will just fix itself. I guess if its a big problem I would have to just get a c-section.

Last night Nate was playing with our baby. Nate would push on my stomach and the baby would kick back; it was super cute and fun. We're excited to get to play with him once he's here.

Nates Post

2009-09-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Nate The Great. Just look at my cute wife! She is gorgeous. I sure am lucky to have her. Overall I'm a pretty lucky guy, great wife, family, little kid, job. I would say athletically talented but my softball team is 0-5. ha. We lost another game tonight. I have fun playing but man I can't stand losing, I guess thats why I stopped playing baseball when I was 12, you can't win all by yourself. ha. So we found out tonight that our good friends Colton and Misty are pregnant so thats really exciting that one of our friends is pregnant at the same time as us. Brooke uploaded some pictures of whats been going on the last week or so.Brooke at 27 weeks prego.Brooke and our niece at the state fair. Notice the GINORMOUS pig in the background, it was by far the biggest pig we've EVER seen. It was as big as a cow -with sort legs of course.Brooke at 27 1/2 weeksMe up to bat, I forgot my cleats so I had to wear my grandpa shoes. Ha ha

Baby Up-date

2009-09-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

26 weeks....

Boy oh boy!

This kid better have some bulging leg muscles by the time he comes out, cause he sure is getting some good exercise in here.Everything is going good though. We're getting anxious to meet our little rascal. I'm whining down on my second trimester, and I hear its all down hill from there, so wish me luck :)

Whats in a Name?

2009-08-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

We thought this was pretty darn funny so, I figured I'd post about it. There are new people coming into our ward ALL the time and of course they always have to introduce themselves at the beginning of class. Well, this new couple stands up and the guys says "Hi, I'm NATE GARDNER, and this is my wife... so-and-so." -wait what!? (this is what I was thinking) I looked over to Nate and we both started laughing.
Nate went up to him after class and talked to him for a sec. come to find out his full name is Nathaniel, so technically they're not the same person ha ha.

Baby

2009-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

I kinda feel silly posting a pic of myself. But....whatever

24 1/2 weeks (almost 6 months)

No baby name yet. With my 10 nephews, Nate's 4 brothers, and all our boy cousins; all the good names are taken. Here are a few of MY favorites.

Brock
Reese
Cole

What do you think?

Dr. Check up

2009-08-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

So I went to the doctors today for my 24 week check up. I was in and out super quick, the doctor just measured my belly and checked the babies heart beat -and that was it. But everything is good! I'll get an utrasound my next appointment and I'm pretty excited; mostly because Nate will finally be able to come with me. I think he's gonna love seeing this baby boy, cause he's felt him move a bunch, so it will be fun.

2009-08-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

For some reason my computer wouldn't let me upload more than five photos. So here are a few more from the reunion.

When I was little my family came to Kennecot and I remember this HUGE tire the very most.

Howells Family Reunion

2009-08-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Howells Family Reunion.Brandon filled in for Nate. The hike was a little harder than I rememberView from the top. "Was it worth it?" He he heHeart of Timpanogas Cave

Looking over Kennecot Copper Mine. It got a lot bigger from last time I was there.

Baby Gardner

2009-08-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would post these pics of our little boy.

They're just pictures of pictures so they're blurry, but isn't he so cute?

I love this picture because you can see his whole body.

He crossed his feet which I thought was totally adorable :)

Counting my blessings

2009-07-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

I couldn't sleep....which isn't anything unusual, so I thought I'd post a little note. I was just thinking the other day about how blessed I am.

I was raised in one of the best families anyone could ask for. I have a wonderful husband who works really hard to support us, and makes it so I don't have to work. We've been blessed with a baby boy, who I already love SO much. I have a feeling he is going to be a little rascal just like his dad cause he wont stop moving :)

These are just to name a few -Oh! And I couldn't have asked for a better family to marry into, they're great! How did I get so lucky?

(this pic was at my nieces baptism in March of 08. My sister Brittany was on her mission at the time, and we've had some additions. Its time for a new family picture huh?)

Be Careful What You Wish For

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

The other day after Nathan got home from work we were just sitting around not really doing anything (which is basically the story of our lives) and Nate said: "Its a good thing we're having a baby its too quiet in our house."
I only half agree. Yes I cant wait til the baby comes so I wont be bored anymore. But.... Since I'm the one who is going to be home all day with a crying baby, I'm not so sure I'm not going to miss how quiet and peaceful our home is now. Its like that song by Trace Atkins:
You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These Are Some Good Times, so take a good look around; you may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this

FHE

2009-07-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

We went to the driving range for Family Home Evening. All I have to say is.... "FOUR!"

This was only my second time going so I guess I had an excuse but I'm still real poopy at it. Nate on the other hand -in my opinion- is pretty good. He can at least hit the ball over 100 ft.

I know, I know, I have horrible form. -Oh well.

God Bless America

2009-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our Fourth of July. We went to Grantsville for the day to watch the parade, have a yummy barbecue, play in the water with the kids, and watch fireworks. We had a great time.Nathan with all the kids playing with poppers before the parade. (They all love him cause he actually plays with them ) Here are the kids watching the parade.....

And here are the adults.

This was my favorite float. When it passed I said "Look Nate, that's us!"

Memories

2009-07-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

Last year on the 4th of July Nathan and I were living in Seattle. It was pretty neat watching the fireworks across the bay and seeing their reflection in the water.

Its crazy that a whole year has gone by. I remember Nathan had to work during the day so it wasn't all that eventful for us, but I'm glad we got to watch fireworks. They've always been my favorite part of the 4th of July; ever sense I was a little girl.

All Because Two People Fell In Love

2009-06-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my parents 38th wedding anniversary.

I guess you know you've been married a long time when you both forget its your anniversary! My mom only realized it when she was in the middle of teaching her pre-kindergarten summer class and they were putting up the date on the board.

And I guess you know we've been married REALLY long when you don't spend any time together and are totally fine with it. My dad got home from work and had to leave again to go to the farm. My parents are wonderful people who have raised wonderful children. I am SO blessed to be a part of it. I can only hope my marriage will have become what theirs in now when I celebrate -or in their case NOT celebrate my own 38th wedding anniversary.

Surprise!?

2009-06-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally spilled the beans!

This is how I "spilled the beans" to my family the day after I got back to Utah. If family wasn't able to come over to actually see it, I just sent them a text.

It was kinda funny cause nobody was really surprised -of course they are excited but not very surprised. Once my dad saw me he said could tell I was pregnant. He was going to ask me but thought he wouldn't steal my thunder.
Nathan and I are super excited. We're going to get a wonderful early Christmas present. I'm really excited for Nate to be a daddy, he is going to be great. He is always so cute with all my nieces and nephews, and they all love him cause he plays with them. Hopefully he'll have enough energy with his new job to play with our kids.

Speaking of Nate's new job -HE PASSED HIS TEST! He took his final evaluation yesterday and did well. I had a nightmare the night before he took it that he didn't pass and got fired. I was reluctant to tell him but i just waited til after he passed.

So we have nothing but good news. Life is good.

Utah here I come!

2009-06-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

I'm heading back to Utah in two days and I'm getting nervous for my plane ride. It will only be my third time flying and I'm going all by my-self! I have no idea what to do. I just know I'm going to get lost! I stop in Denver and switch planes which makes me more nervous, I don't want to miss my flight and be stuck at the Denver air port.
But...
I am so super excited to go back to Utah. I'll get to see my family and friends and finally feel like I'm home. At the top of my "to do" list is to find an apartment, I'll have two and a half weeks before Nate gets there. Then, once I find a place -and depending on where that is, I need to find a job.
So our time here in Oklahoma is coming to an end and we're excited. Nate takes his BIG test/evaluation on the 16th (its the test if you don't pass you're fired) so he's getting a little nervous, but I know he'll do great. -At least I hope he does; he said if he doesn't pass he's running away to Mexico! Ha ha

Tornado!!

2009-05-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

I experienced my first official tornado warning last night. Nate and I where laying in bed; Nate was watching the basketball game, and I was reading. It all started when the big sirens outside went off, then the warning on the t.v. came up -which said to change the channel to the news. Of course the first thing Nate did was go outside. I changed the channel and started watching what was going on. I got bored of that so I went outside with Nate. It was too dark to see anything except for when the lightning would strike and we couldn't tell where the storm was even coming from so we went back inside to watch the news. -Come to find out the storm was right to the Northeast of us. Nate kept going out side to see if he could see anything. Anyway to make a long story short the storm came across towards us but moved Southeast. We were in the warning for two hours but nothing happened, it rained really hard for about five -maybe ten min when the storm was on top of us, but once it had passed we turned the t.v. off and went to bed.
It wasn't even that exciting, all though there was a crazy man who was trying to be the hero of our apt complex and was asking anyone who was outside if they were with the FAA. He was like "I've lived here a long time and I know what to do, so listen to me blah blah blah..."
So I guess I can put this down on my list of new and exciting things I've experienced from being married to Nathan! :)

ZOO!

2009-05-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Nathan and I went to the zoo with some friends and their two little girls. I had a lot of fun! I love the zoo, and one of my favorite animals are the giraffes. I just think they are so awesome looking. I'm just so amazed at all the creatures God has created.

This giraffe was on a hill, but we didn't really understand why it was standing like this..? I thought it was really funny so I took a picture of it. It kind of looks like a tripod. It totally made my day.

This was the strangest looking animal in the whole zoo. It's an Okapi, a relative to the giraffe and lives in the forest. It wasn't discovered until 1901. It has crazy huge ears, which you cant really see in this picture. Another favorite of mine was the turtles and the GORILLA!

Locks of LOVE.

2009-04-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

So I FINALLY did it! I chopped my hair off. I've been wanting to for months and months now. I finally got up the courage to make an appointment. I got it cut the day after Easter Sunday. I haven't told anyone. So if you're reading this you're on of the first to know.

(Nate kept telling me I needed to post some pics)

Sooooo.......

Here are the before and after photos.

This first picture is actually from a while ago, I just didn't have any other ones.

I don't exactly look happy in this picture, but that's because I wasn't in love with the cut the silly guy gave me. It kinda seemed like he didn't know what he was doing. I think the thing that made me the most upset was he charged me an air and a leg! Wasn't it enough I was giving all my hair!! :)

Desperate Housewife

2009-04-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

I quit my job at Wal Mart last week-Hallelujah!! I kinda got talked into it by the other desperate housewives of the FAA trainees, it didn't take much so I guess I cant really blame it on them. I also went to the Moore substitute teaching workshop and have subbed the last two days. Both today and yesterday I was just filling in for the teachers assistant, helping with the multiple disorder kids. The first day was really fun, I was with the pre-k kids so it was obviously lots of fun for me. There was this one little boy who was SO cute. He was a miniature red neck who could talk your ears off. He was telling stories about his daddy and his daddy's truck and his momma all in an Oklahoman accent -he made me laugh.
Nate is doing well in school. These last two weeks he's been on the night rotation so I've been trying to keep myself busy. His class started their non-radar section, which I don't really know what that means. All I know, is that each day they split into partners and take turns solving problems all day. Basically one partner is the air traffic controller the other is the pilot. They're in front of a computer, with a headset and everything and they have to solve the first situation and just make sure the planes don't crash. Then they switch positions. They solve three problems a day, so it takes a couple hours to finish one problem. Nate gets really frustrated some days but I don't blame him -its stressful stuff. ....tonight must have been a bad day. He just text me and said he was grumpy. Ha ha poor boy.
We're doing good though, Nate's half way done with training! Just two more months til we're back in Utah.

Easter!

2009-04-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!

On Saturday Nathan and I did some fun stuff for Easter. Earlier in the day we went and hung out with some friends from Nate's class. Nate and his buddies played some basketball, while I hung out with two of the wives and one of their little girls. It was really fun, the little girls are super cute and made me miss all my nieces and nephews.

Afterwards Nate and I colored eggs and made Easter cookies.

Silly Stuff

2009-04-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

A lady I work with called me a "heffer" yesterday. I've never been called that before; even just as a joke. I was telling her how I went and talked to our manager about my time adjustment and she said...."You're leaving us! You 'heffer!'" Ha ha -whatever, I guess that's just an Oklahoma thing? Anyway I just thought it was kinda funny.

"Moooo"-ving on...

I went to enrichment tonight and we shared our dirty little secrets about getting rid of dirt (spring cleaning). I learned some pretty awesome stuff, which I'll be excited to use on my OWN house -not these crummy little apartments we've been living in for almost a year. The tip I gave was: If you have a small NEW blood stain, just spit on it, scrub, then rinse with cold water.

I got quite the tan line today. I was pretty much outside all day at work. We got a huge shipment of flowers in so I was moving and rearranging flowers to fit all the new ones. Its pretty sweet.

Sunday

2009-03-29T20:01:00.001-07:00

I wish there was more to say, but like Nate said we don't really do much besides go to work and school. We had dinner with another FAA couple in our ward Anne and Parker today. They were asking what we've been doing for fun since we've been here, and honestly, we haven't done anything! Last Monday we went out to dinner with some of the couples in Nate's class who will also be working at SLC, but I think that's about it.

Work is still crumby, I'm trying to talk Nate into letting me quit. He said once I can replace my Wal Mart job I can quite. So, I've been applying to a bunch of different places -non have contacted me back. I was talking to Anne at dinner and she suggested substitute teaching, and I'm thinking about giving that a try.

The weather here has been SO crazy. There was a big snowstorm that came through on Friday -I guess it was a big deal. Anyway it snowed on and off Saturday and today it was super sun-shinny and warm! It reminded me of Utah a little bit.

One more thing before I go. They way people talk around here is so silly. No one speaks proper English. I've noticed a couple things:

1. People say "Oh, hush!" when they're getting made fun of.

2. At Wal Mart they have a meeting every morning at 9:00. "Where's the meein' thismornin.'"

It kinda sounds like they're saying smornin' (Nate also says this)

3. (My favorite) Everyone is "fixin'" to do something. Someones always fixin' to go to lunch.

2009-03-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hey this is nate. I guess this is a blog???? my first time. Well i am in Air traffic control school. i just finished my first class. i got a 92 on my final yesterday. i was happy with that score, it was a little above the average of the class. I have been memorizing a map all day! On monday i start the non-radar class which is supposedly pretty hard, so i'm trying to buckle down and study. I remember why i have never had good grades, i can't study, i have A.D.D. Class is from 7 until 3:30 or from 3:30 to midnight. i catch the bus at 6. Thats always fun. I can't wait to be done with school and be back in utah working. We really don't leave our house here in oklahoma. One we are trying to save money, and two we are always tired cuz we are both working/studying full time. I miss my friends and family, oklahoma is far from anything important to me, besides the national wreslting hall of fame, thats here. and that is important. Well gee, blogging was fun. until next time. Nate G

Work

2009-03-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

So I've been working at Wal Mart for almost two weeks now, and I still dont like it. In fact I dislike it more than I did the first week. I know I should have a better attitude, I am trying, really -give me some credit, I've lasted this long! It should count for something right? I'm work in the Garden center, which I'll admit is better than the rest of the store -less customers and I get to be outside in the beautiful sunshine. BUT Lets just say that my desire to get my degree is even stronger. Each job I've had I am reminded of how I dont want to end up. Lets just hope I can deside how I want to end up. Hopefully I will have made up my mind by the time we're in Utah.

Husband Quiz

2009-03-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Copy and paste these questions in your own post and see how much you REALLY know!
1. He's sitting in front of the TV - what is on the screen?
Anything sports! -That's is, men's sports. Or Poker
2. You're out to eat - what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
He would ever order a salad, but if it came with his meal he would get just plain ol ranch.
3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Hes not too picky. But I just recently learned he doesn't like onions. But he likes onion rings -weird, I know.
4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does he get?
Mountain Dew, or Root beer.
5. Where did he go to high school?
O'Fallon Township.
6. What size shoe does he wear?
11 1/2
7. If he could go to any one sporting event what would it be?
Wrestling Nationals and the Superbowl for sure, but he would be happy with pretty much anything pro.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
He probably doesn't have one. I know he loves bacon though, so maybe BLT?
9. What would he eat every day if he could?
Steak, bacon, meat in general. -Oh and don't forget the candy.
10. What is his favorite cereal?
Captain crunch -the berry kind.
11. What would he never wear?
Pink
12. What is his favorite sports team?
I don't think he has a favorite.
13. Who did he vote for?
He didn't...oops, we were living in Vegas at the time.
14. Who is his best friend?
ME!!! but he's really close to his brothers too.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Complain, and "not make the best of every situation."
16. What is his heritage?
Good question, Irish I'd guess hence the red hair.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind?
I actually did make him a cake on his b-day and I make score bar delight.
18. Did he play sports in high school?
Yes, mainly wrestling, but soccer and track.
19. What could he spend hours doing?
Playing x-box or computer games, or watching sports.
20. What is one unique talent?
He's good at everything he does, not matter what it is. He exceeds expectations

2009-03-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

In loving memory of Aunt Eileen, March 12th 2009.

Home Sick

2009-03-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. We're doing pretty good. This passed weekend we took a road trip up to O'Fallon to visit Nathans side. It was really nice to be with family, I was getting really lonely. I wish we could go back to stay. There's lots of love and company, which is somewhat limited with just Nathan and I.
This week has been pretty crazy with Nathan's night class rotation and me starting work. We hardly get to see each other at all, just to say goodbye as I leave for work; our schedules are the complete opposite! It makes me dislike our whole situation even more. I feel another melt down creeping up on me. I don't know why, but I've been more home sick then I've ever been.

I love the day of LOVE. (kinda late, I know. sorry)

2009-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Valentines day this year was super awesome. We had a very nice, romantic evening. We went to the beach, whats more romantic than that!? We took a short walk and collected sea shells -I even found a sand dollar, we got a little silly and ran at all the seagulls.

After our walk we set up our cute little picnic. We had chocolate covered strawberries, pineapples, grapes, chocolate covered pretzels, and sparkling cider. You know, the perfect feed each other, finger foods :)

We cuddled for a while and watched the sun set. That is one of my absolute favorite things God created. They are so beautiful, especially on the water, the reflection is so gorgeous! -Of course this picture doesn't even come close to serving it justice.

Oh and speaking of sunsets, the other night Nate went to take the garbage out and told me to come look outside. The sunset was absolutely breath taking -no joke it literally took my breath away. It had a deep red tint to it that was completely stunning.

We got punked!

2009-03-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

So its Sunday morning and Nathan and I are excited to go to our new ward -especially since it starts at 1:00 (we love sleeping in). When we got to the church we noticed something odd. There were only two visible vehicles in the parking lot. We drove around to the other side to see if it was one of those things were they assign parking lot sides to each ward. But there were zero cars. Why wasn't anyone at church!? We went inside and saw the announcement for Stake Conference, which ended at noon. -Of course! Just our luck, the one Sunday they have their Stake conference is the first Sunday we're hear. So... we missed church.... such a sad day.

Disneyland Birthday!

2009-02-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

For my 21st birthday we went to Disneyland. Nathans family was in town for Ryans wedding which was all the more reason for us to go. It was a lot of fun, we all had a really good time -except for when it rained!

Oklahoma

2009-02-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

OKLAHOMA!! Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, and the weaving wheat can sure smell sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain.

We made it! After a two day road trip from Utah, we finally made it to the city of Moore where we'll be staying (Home of Toby Keith). We left early Saturday morning and drove for about 13 hours and stopped in Salina, Kansas to stay the night. On Sunday we drive the rest of the trip which was only about 3 more hours to Oklahoma City.

Moore is just south of Oklahoma City -we actually live right on the boarder. The air port is really close to where we're staying, and that is where Nathan's classes are; there's even a shuttle that comes and picks up all the students and takes them to class. Is going to be really nice for me so I can have the car to run errands, or even get a job. Nathans classes started yesterday, which he said was basically just an all day orientation. Nathan has already made a bunch of new friends from training, he says there are even a few from Utah -AND they are married too!! So I'm not the only wife here. I'll get to make friends too.

We are excited to be here, but are counting down the days til we can go back to Utah -well at least I am :)

Intro

2009-02-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

So we decided to start a blog.....why not, we have everything else! I guess we'll start with an introducion. Nathan and I got married on May 24th, 2008, thats almost 9 months now. Crazy how the time flies by. We've moved around alot. Four times to be exact and we'll be making our fith one in a couple weeks. We first lived in Seattle and moved from one apt building to another. From Seattle we moved to Las Vegas, and from Vegas to Southern Cali. We'll be moving to Oklahoma soon. Its been quite the adveture I must say, there's definetly been ups and downs but its been good for us.
Nathan was offered a job with the FAA and starts training in a few weeks, which is the reason for us moving to Oklahoma. His training is 17 weeks long, and once thats over we'll finally be back in Utah! (Nate will be working at SLC Airport) We're super excited, we've missed family and friends.