Happy Holidays!

It's been awhile since I've uploaded any pictures from our camera. I thought since I have finished my 20+ page research paper, I would take time to do a little update-or maybe a big one.

Halloween was awhile ago, but it was so fun to see the little kiddos dressed up. I did homework all day long, but we had a few visitors. Little monkey Broden came to see us! He was so cute in his costume and his parents didn't look too bad either!

Kayla and Spencer had reserved the community room here and invited a bunch of friends to come hang out. We stopped by for a little bit and ate some yummy food. Here is a picture of Phoebe as a cute ghost! Gabe was already in his PJ's but he was a cute monkey.

November flew by and we cannot believe it's already December! We have been busy with school work. And I do mean "we". Brady has been pretty helpful this semester helping me with anything possible. Being pregnant really drains it out of me. I don't remember the last pregnancy being this tiring! I have been doing 12 hour clinicals the past few weeks and have absolutely LOVED being at the hospital. I am working at the Women's Center in Idaho Falls. This is where any women who have surgery or have a baby come and stay for a little bit. It's so fun to be around amazing women. And I have to brag a little bit! I was up for over 24 hours the other day and even though I was exhausted...I think I did pretty good for being 27 weeks pregnant!

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. We spent Thanksgiving day with Brady's family and had a wonderful meal together. We then left for Utah to visit Tara and Derek and their little kids. We absolutely love spending time with them! We don't see them very often so it's always great to hang out with them. Tara just had a baby boy on the 18th! He is soo adorable and we enjoyed snuggling with him while we were there. Eva is getting really big and LOVES to jibber jabber all day!

Baby Baron snuggling with Mommy...

Eva giving me a fake smile...
Eva giving Brady kisses...

While Brady and I were in Utah, we went shopping and bought furniture for the nursery! We almost couldn't fit the rocker in the car, but Brady eventually fit it in our back seat. It was an interesting situation! We also went to see Jake and Rudi who were in American Fork...they were sick with the flu so we didn't see them for too long, but we always look forward to seeing them whenever we can.

As December has approached us we have been extremely busy with school work and trying to get things ready for Cooper! We purchased a crib at Target last night and the box didn't fit in the car! So, Brady had to take it out of the box and stick it in the back seat. We made it home just fine and he put it up right away since it was in pieces everywhere. It's adorable and I am so glad we found a cheap crib that looks good. (no pictures until the room is finished-sorry!)

School ends in 2 weeks and we are SO excited!

For an update on Cooper...check out his blog :)

Stone Update

Well, I am doing okay with this kidney stone! Let me just say how grateful I am for the Priesthood in my home. I know that I would not have been where I am today if it wasn't for the blessings Brady was able to give me.

Since the last post, I spent an entire day at the hospital. It all started at 7:30 am when the pain woke me up. Brady so kindly placed pain medication, the hot pad, and something to drink on my night stand before he left for work just in case I needed them. Of course I called him and told him what was going on. After about 3 hours or intense pain and throwing up uncontrollably I asked Brady to come home. He ended up taking me to the ER because I couldn't stop throwing up and I couldn't get the pain under control. After some Zofran and Morphine in the ER I was still in pain. They did an ultrasound and found that there was fluid in my kidney (meaning the stone was stuck). My actual doctor that I have been seeing through this entire pregnancy was in surgery and once he got out he came to see me. He was able to get me some GREAT pain medication and some better medication to control my nausea. I was then taken to make sure that our baby boy was alright. After hours of being hooked up to the monitors, everything seemed perfect. His heart beat was strong and not one single contraction, which would have terrified me if there was. I was able to get some sleep and then go home in a MUCH better condition than going to the hospital. Since then I have had one attack that lasted a few hours and luckily Brady was here to help me. I have been doing really well and even spent 12 hours at the hospital on Sunday for clinical!

So things are going much better and I am still on antibiotics and other meds to help pass this stone. I'm starting to think that I passed it and didn't even know it since I haven't had a bad attack for a few days!

Cooper is doing great and growing! While we were hooked up to the monitors, there was this weird constant sound for a little while and I asked the nurse what it was. She said that he had the hiccups! It was cute to hear them and comforting to know that he is growing!

Again??

Things have been going pretty smoothly for the last couple of weeks. We are both signed up for classes next winter, our house is warm, cars are running, and food is in the cupboards. However, our health seems to not be in great conditions.

Brady hurt his ankle pretty bad during his last soccer game to the point where we thought it was broken. He went to the doctor and it's just a really bad sprang. A few days later he had this rash all over his foot and around his ankle. It was pretty itchy and so once again, our wonderful doctor gave us some advice and we tried a little benadryl. That didn't work so then the all wonderful athlete's foot medication was purchased (or should I say "jock itch" mediation!-Brady felt silly buying something that said "jock itch" all over it). That didn't work and it was spreading to his other ankle and up his leg. So then he made an appointment to meet with our doctor. He ended up leaving with a sore bum from a steroid shot and some steroid/antifungal ointment. Since then, it has been working great!

I on the other hand had my glucose test on Friday-which turned out great! So no worries about gestational diabetes. Then over the weekend I haven't felt the greatest with some back discomfort and things that lead me to think I had a UTI of some sort. Then on Monday I was in some serious pain...EXACTLY like I was with my last kidney stone. So I drank lots and lots of water to try and flush whatever it was out. I was scheduled for a 12 hour night shift at EIRMC Monday night. I was there for 2 hours and about passed out and felt like my dinner was going to come up. Of course I ended up going home after that. I cried all the way home and once I got home, my dinner came up and I was in serious pain. Called my doctor, he sent in a prescription for pain meds and Brady went and picked them up for me. Thank goodness for late night pharmacy's! Brady and Reed gave me a blessing and I felt great the rest of the night. Unfortunately, I was prepared to be up until 7 am so I stayed up doing homework until about 4:30. Today I scheduled an appointment with my doctor to run some tests...and everything points to KIDNEY STONE (or possibly an infection). Now I am on some antibiotics to treat for an infection and hopefully if it's a kidney stone...hopefully I will pass it soon and not 3 weeks from now! I am also still battling a head cold. It's unfortunate that all things things happen right before the end of the semester when it gets rough and my schedule consists of late nights and early mornings. Oh well, we'll make it somehow!

So that's what's going on in our lives! Baby Cooper is active and kicks constantly! I have finally gained weight and can now say that I weigh more than my pre-pregnancy weight. Thanksgiving break is coming up and I can't wait to be able to relax a little bit before the end of the semester. We are planning on going down to Utah to see some friends and our new little nephew that will be delivered TOMORROW!

Life is exciting, fast paced, and great!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday! It wasn't anything special to me-just another day but Brady made it special and all about me. Unfortunately, I spent most of my day on campus studying, going to class, and trying to figure things out for next semester. However, last night Brady took me to Olive Garden - where I had a yummy salad, bread sticks, and fettucini alfredo - and we had our good friends Brandon and Cristina with us! We then went to the mall (to find out it was closing) and Target just for the fun of it. I also opened presents from Brady and he did so good! He got me some cute clothes that I can wear while being pregnant! I REALLY needed some and he has great taste is clothes :) I also got some pajama pants (which are AMAZING), the movie The Proposal, and some cute slippers! Overall, it was a great birthday and I can't believe that I am one year older.

Lately

I have been such a grump lately! I haven't wanted to do anything related to school work at all and all I want to do is sit in my PJ's and do nothing. Of course I talked to Brady about how I have been feeling and we thought that I should do something fun for myself. And we couldn't think of anything since this whole last year has consisted of me working ridiculously hard to get straight A's in the nursing program. However, I do have this LOVE for crocheting and we thought that I should make our little guy a blanket. I haven't made anything in so long but I have enjoyed sitting in the same room with Brady and relaxing while I crochet my little heart out for our little guy :) It's simple but for a little boy, I think it needs to be. Here are some pictures of the blanket so far:

So aside from studying, crocheting, eating, and sleeping things have been pretty laid back in our home. The semester is halfway done and the cold weather has hit us pretty hard. We are not excited for the snow to come. The leaves have fallen and it seems like we completely missed the transition into fall :( I do not like fall here in Idaho-there are not enough trees to see the beauty of this time of year. Everything is just brown and looks dead. However, that does mean that our little guy will be here in a few months!

My belly keeps getting bigger and bigger! I feel him moving just about all day long now-I'm starting to wonder if he ever sleeps. Some of my favorite foods have been anything with tomato sauce. Spaghetti, spaghetti O's, lasagna, tacos, tomato soup, beef stew...they all taste so delicious! But still no cravings so that's been great! We know we're going to name him Cooper-we just can't think of a middle name. Oh well, it'll come to us someday. 

Brady had one of his last soccer games for one (of three) teams the other night and it happened to be their first loss of the season. He still has two teams he's playing for and they will be ending shortly because of the cold weather this time of the year. I also must continue to brag about my husband! He got ANOTHER raise! And this may not be surprising to some of you but his first raise this year was a few months ago and with some company changes we didn't think that he was going to get one, but then they surprised us and rewarded him for his excellent work. And this one we didn't think he would get because he just had one a few months ago-but they still surprised us! Now, this job of his isn't anything spectacular but it gets us by until I graduate and we move on from Rexburg, Idaho. It has given him some great experiences and patience with other people. We are very grateful for his job and how well they have treated him. Keep up the good work huni!

Halloween is coming and that means my birthday is coming up as well. We don't have anything planned except for dinner with another couple. We plan on going to Olive Garden and then just hanging out afterwards. It should be a fun weekend-full of studying and little children in costumes!

Boys Clothes

Ever since we found out we are having a boy, I have been trying my hardest to find great deals on boys clothes. It is soo difficult to find anything cute in the stores for little boys. They all have cheesy pictures and sayings on them that I am not a fan of. My friend in the nursing program - who is a mother of three - suggested going to The Children's Place online sale items and find a coupon online to use for the website. This is seriously the BEST idea anyone has ever told me! There are things on the website that I am finding for less than $5 for cute polo shirts and cargo shorts (for next summer of course). Along with the coupons I am finding...it's a GREAT deal!

Where do you find cheap clothes and good deals for children?? I NEED HELP!

A little baby update

We had a doctor's appointment today for just a check up. We really wanted another ultrasound so our very nice doctor did another one for us (even though we had one 1 month ago). It's a good thing he did because we are now having a BOY! It's no mistaking it this time! We are shocked but so excited! He is healthy and growing perfectly. We were able to see little sucking motions and he gave us a great big yawn! He's so handsome and already looks just like his daddy (seriously has his nose)! We're going to have so much fun with a little boy...but I have to admit I'm sad to give up the pink, bows, and dresses :( We also weren't able to get a very good picture of his profile or anything cute except for his little boy part that proves he is a boy! He just wiggles WAY too much for a good picture-that little stinker-the whole point of the ultrasound today was to get me a good picture! 

So I wasn't going to post a picture but I felt the need to show everyone that it's for sure a boy!

 

Family Time!

This weekend was our niece's baby blessing! She's 2 months old and so adorable! Tara, Derek, and Eva came up to spend this special event with her. Here are a few pictures from this weekend-unfortunately I didn't get one single picture of Tara's belly or Eva...but maybe next time.

The DePew's

I caught one of the smiles she gives me

I LOVE THIS KID!!

Just thought I'd throw in my 21 week picture. If you're looking for an update on our little family-check out the blog! Click on the picture that's in the right margin.

The blessing was perfect and Phoebe looked beautiful! Kayla made her blessing dress and did such a wonderful job. It's so much fun getting Brady's family together. It doesn't happen very often but when it does we always seem to have a blast! I love seeing our niece's and nephews grow up and I am so excited to have more to come! Our next nephew to come is baby boy Bleazard in November!

October 2009

Well, things are still GREAT here in our home. School is pretty insane (and I am procrastinating by writing this post) but I have enjoyed what I have learned so far this semester. I am going full time - which in Nursing means about double time! This pregnancy makes attending class and getting homework done more difficult because of the exhaustion that won't go away. But Brady has been a wonderful husband and helps me just about every single night! Homework would not get done if it wasn't for him.

Our little girl is still active as ever and I am enjoying the little kicks and punches she gives me. She's starting to react to things pushing up against my belly - such as a school book or my laptop and of course my pants. For more updates on our little girl go to this LINK.

Brady has been super busy these past couple weeks. He is on 3 soccer teams (1 competitive and 2 intramural), still working full time, helping me with my homework (as noted above), and playing in the garage! He has been working very diligently on a headboard, footboard, night stands, dresser and will soon be working on baby items. Here are pictures of the newly finished dresser that he stained for us.

This is also our new headboard and footboard that he is still in the process of finishing.

I am so proud of Brady for making these things for our bedroom! It makes him so happy to finally have all the tools to accomplish something so great.

End of 18 Weeks!

Things are going GREAT! This little girl is active as ever and I secretly hope that she calms down a bit before she's born. Brady still hasn't been able to feel her yet but he is patiently waiting :) My morning sickness is strictly morning now-which is amazing! It makes school much easier. There's really not much else to report..everything is going as it should be and I am feeling pretty anxious for things to get more exciting-like decorating the nursery, building a crib, buying clothes!! We just have no reason to go and buy stuff when she's still so far away.

Some people have been curious about names. Now we have liked a certain name for awhile now but it's not a for sure thing (but most likely). We REALLY like the name Kenley Rae. It's girly and she'd have my middle name. So that's it for now. We haven't really found anything better...but I'd be open for suggestions!

I also HAVE to tell you this story. So if you read one of my previous posts...we bought the baby a Michigan onesie. This onesie is navy blue with yellow writing on it (Michigan's colors of course). Well, the first thing Brady said when we got home after we found out we're having a girl was.. 

"She can't wear that." 

And of course I questioned him because it's only his FAVORITE football team. His response...

"it's not girly enough for her. It's navy blue!" 

haha I seriously about peed my pants! This little girl is going to be so spoiled by her daddy!

If you're curious as to what we're having...check out the blog :)

Baby update on the other blog! Check it out!

in Michigan and a SUrpRiSE!

We FINALLY made it here to Michigan! It's more muggy than I remember and already raining... but we have been with good company and have had a lot of fun! We are exhausted after our first day! 

Now that I have spent time with my mother...it's about time to FINALLY announce to the world that... 

I'M PREGNANT!!

Things have been great so far and I have enjoyed this pregnancy (even with the 24/7 nausea and kidney stone)! Brady's cousin, Tucker and his wife Amanda, gave me a great idea of starting another blog about the pregnancy and baby...so go to babyellis2.blogspot.com for more details! 

Kasey is here!

My sister, Kasey, is here visiting for 2 weeks! I picked her up last Monday from the SLC Airport and spent the afternoon shopping in SLC. Unfortunately, that trip was cut short because of my kidney stone but we enjoyed ourselves. We haven't done too much since she's been here...there's only so much you can do in the town of Rexburg! But we've played lots of games and have watched many movies. This past weekend we took her to Yellowstone National Park. We reserved a campsite and camped on Friday night and drove around the park on Saturday. I have NEVER been so disappointed with our trips there. We saw: 1 buffalo, a few elk, 1 antelope, 1 grizzly bear, 1 black bear with 2 cubs. We were very upset and felt that Kasey didn't get the full excitement of Yellowstone.

Other than Yellowstone, we have gone shopping in Idaho Falls, went to the pool, tanned, read our books, and went to see The Proposal (which was awesome!).

Next on our list: Jackson Hole, possibly the hospital (Kayla is currently contracting consistently every 6 minutes), Rigby Lake, Teton National Park, and G's Dairy Delight!!

Yay!!

I NO LONGER HAVE A KIDNEY STONE!!!!

Yay for Friends!

On July 3rd, our friends Alisha and Travis came up for a visit! We haven't seen them since they moved to Washington and it was SO much fun to have them back in Rexburg! Our friends Chelsea and Nate came over for the day to spend time with them too! The day went by fast and as usual, tears were shed as they headed home :( We miss you guys!!

I didn't get very many pictures...sorry! But here are the few that I have of the kiddos playing together!

Broden (not the best sorry Chels!)

Makenna and her big eyes!

Makenna wanted to play but Broden didn't really know what was going on

I LOVE these kids!

4th of July!!

For the 4th of July, we went to Warm River with Brady's family. The weather was PERFECT! It was sunny but not crazy hot and there was a nice breeze. While there, we celebrate Spencer's birthday with a yummy cake that Laura made.

Spencer and Reed went fishing and kayaked down Warm River

Brady relaxed in the shade with Gabe and read a book

Gabe enjoyed playing in the sun with water guns

Kayla and Laura relaxed in the shade trying to stay cool

and I was kind of all over the place having fun!

Family Pictures

When Brice was here, we took family pictures. Here are some of my favorite

I LOVE this kid!!

Everyone together is unusual!

Yellowstone 2009

Brady's brother, Brice, came into town from Hawaii in May and the men went to Yellowstone for the day. Here are a few pictures!

Curious Coyote

Lunch

Hungry Bear

Rushing Waters

Hmmm

Well, I'm sorry I haven't updated this thing in awhile.  We have been super busy as usual and it's going to be even CrAZieR!  Mid term grades went out this week... I hate to admit that I have poor grades this semester :( I have never had this low of grades and I'm really disappointed in myself...so I will be putting more hours into homework and studying.

On the upside of things! Brady and I are going to Michigan in August and we are going to HAWAII in December!!! We are very anxious to see family on both vacations and be able to spend time with each other.  I am EXTREMELY anxious to get away from campus!! I have to say I have been going to school straight since January except for a week break in between semesters...and I wouldn't really call it a break because we were assigned homework our first day "off"!  I am worn out!

Sorry about not posting any pictures.  I have misplaced the camera cord and my Mac won't take our SD card.

Very Grateful

Living here in Idaho hasn't been a hard adjustment for us.  But one thing that really gets to me is being away from our son's gravesite.  There are times when I just want to go and check it out and make sure it's clean and maybe place a few flowers around it every once in awhile.  Today I was checking my email and Brady's Aunt Lynell and both Grandparents had thought about him this past weekend. Here are some pictures she sent us....

I am so grateful to have family in Michigan that is able to visit his gravesite and place flowers there like I wish I could. I am anxious for our upcoming visit to Michigan to FINALLY see his headstone for the first time and place flowers of our own.

Mother's Day

Well, Mother's Day was pretty sad this year. The weather was beautiful and it was a great weekend, but I didn't get to see my own mother and I of course it made me think of our son.  It was a pretty rough day and I do not like being so far away from my Mom! I miss her like crazy and I am always sad after talking to her. But besides the sadness, Brady and I took Missy to the park and had a little picnic! It was a short trip but we had a lot of fun enjoying the sunshine! Missy absolutely LOVES being outdoors and I was so excited to see her run around.

The cake I made for Laura

Missy and Brady hanging out at the park

Birthday Girl

It's been one crazy year! Eva is finally O-N-E year old! I can't believe how fast this little girl is growing. I wish we lived closer to see her more often, but I guess I can handle a 4 hour drive to see her cute face :) She is such a little sweetheart and I absolutely LOVE it when her face scrunches up and has a cute smile!

Playing with her blocks

Loves her dress!

Here's that cute scrunched face!

Beautiful little family

Awesome cake Tara made!