Oh, I know...I know...

Eeps...it's been so long since last I wrote. I apologize for that. It's amazing how quickly you can get caught up in the daily routine and forget the little pleasures. But it's almost a new year. A chance to alter my daily routine.

I really won't even bother to try and remember everything that has happened since last I wrote...All I can think of is Nile finally started walking a few months ago and is now running. The running is adorable though because his chubby cheeks get to bouncing up and down. It's too adorable. Nile is also becoming a pretty verbal little kid. He often likes to jabber in baby talk to himself. He gets really animated and throws his hands around as he talks. He must have some sort of story going as excited as he gets sometimes.

His actual vocabulary is getting quite large too. Up to date he has added the following words: No, go, uh oh, oh no, oh gosh, oh jeez, what's this, cracker, more, thank you, please, up, car and stop. Seemingly everyday I'll say something and realize that he's saying it back. I think Nile is going to be a very smart kid. He is still so attentive and aware of what is being said and done.

We had a great Christmas this year (pictures to follow). We woke up at a fairly decent time this year. Greg got up at 5:30, I got up at 6:30 (then showered and did my hair), then Nile woke up at 7:30. Once he was dressed and fed we sat down to open gifts. Nile got a very big stuffed elephant from Santa. He got a set of adorable blocks from his 2nd cousin Joshua. He got an activity table from Mommy and Daddy that has a little laptop, telephone, piano and story book on it that teaches beginner words, numbers, letters and colors in english and spanish. He LOVES it.

Greg gave me the new fancy copy of Sleeping Beauty (my 2nd favourite Disney movie, second only to Nightmare Before Christmas) and the piano score for Nightmare Before Christmas as well as the sheet music for Victor's Theme from Corpse Bride. I got Greg a music book that has a wheel on the front for composing music and a new kit to change the pick guard and all the nobs on his guitar.

After we had cleaned up our mess we drove down to Grandma and Grandpa Woodcox's. Christmas was amazing as usual. My Mom puts a lot of work into making Christmas absolutely fantastic every year. I'm positive that she spends all of her money and time between July and December each year buying and making gifts for all of us. We had decided to go a little slower this year (what a nice idea!) so when we arrived we sat down to our traditional breakfast of fried corn meal mush, sausage/bacon and other breakfast favourites. My aunt Annie joined us this year for Christmas too. She and my Grandma used to come every year, until the past few years when my Grandma was just too sick too travel. It was soo nice to have Annie there.

After breakfast was cleaned up we settled in to open gifts. First and foremost was the adorable bean bag chair that my mom had handmade and embroidered for Nile. He loves to throw himself into it. Each of Nile's cousins got one too. Nile got a dancing SUV from Uncle Cameron, some money from Grandpa and many many toys from Santa and Grandma. He got a toy boat, toy car, toy dumptruck and 3 musical instruments. He got his own toy guitar, toy piano and toy drum set that he can play and that also play several classic rock songs. He really loves the SUV from Uncle Cameron. He loves to flip it upside down after it turns on so he can rub his finger against the spinning wheels. Nile also got a personal cast iron muffin tin shaped like a train.

Greg got a really nice shirt from my parents along with some money from my Dad.

I got a cute hoodie and several shirts from my parents along with some money from my Dad.

Together Greg and I got new towels, a new game expansion set for Munchkins from CJ and Heidi, a gift card and movie tickets from Cameron, a new Calendar, a 72 hour kit instruction book, kitchen towels, and probably a couple other things that I'm not remembering right now. The big ticket item, however, was a fantastic digital keyboard!

I had expressed to my Mom the fact that I really missed having a piano and that Greg had wanted me to teach him to play piano. I also really feel like it'll be important for me to teach Nile piano as Greg teaches him guitar. Unfortunatley we just couldn't afford a decent keyboard to play on. Well as usual, my Mom was listening and she delivered. She got us a WONDERFUL keyboard to play on. I am so overjoyed to have a piano in my house. Music is so totally integral in my life and Greg's that not having a musical outlet for me was really hard. But I'm back on the horse now. They keyboard is great and sounds wonderful.

I am so thankful for my Mom and what an awesome effort she always puts into Christmas to give everyone all they want. The house is always decorated festively and it is always quite a sight to behold each Christmas morning when we walk into a room absolutely filled with presents of all shapes and sizes.

Anyways, we had a wonderful holiday and can't believe how quickly it came and passed. This time of year always reminds me of just how fortunate I am and brings out the philanthropist in me.

I'm really looking forward to the opportunities and excitement that the new year is sure to bring. My job at The Generations Network is quickly blooming into a career (one I didn't even know I wanted until now) and Greg's prospects with his current band are looking brighter with each practice. Nile is growing in leaps and bounds each day which makes me miss the tiny infant I held so recently. I so enjoy his steps forward, though, he gets more intelligent and more entertaining each day.

Uncle Cameron is leaving us soon too. Although I am so proud of his decision to enlist in the regular army, I can't help but get a little choked up at the thought of him leaving. He is headed to Germany for now but will most surely have to serve at least one tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. The thought of him serving in the war zones terrifies me but I recognize how much he thrives serving in the military. I am so proud of his willingness to serve his country. I am positive he will do well and will thouroughly enjoy his time in Germany. I have already placed my orders for chocolate and those famous German gummy bears. I also endeavor to learn German so I can communicate to him in the language he will undoubtedly learn quickly. It will most definitely be strange to not see Cameron wandering around my parents house but I'm sure we'll be in frequent contact. We joke that within an all too short period of time he will find himself a German-bred supermodel wife and quickly produce a brood of children.

I intend to do my best in keeping this blog up-to-date so that Cameron and other friends and family will be able to see what fun we have here at the Bowden home.

Updates are Coming...

Ok ok, I know, it's been a while since I last updated...so here's some joy to tide you over.

And also, just in case you've forgotten how funny this world can be...we found this on Greg's new socks.

Close up...pay attention to the line underneath para Caballeros
Because EVERYONE knows, it's impossible to keep your leftover socks fresh once you've opened the package. Thank heavens for Zip-Lock sock bags!

My Nile

Some funny-ness for your day.




That's Greg in the background providing the beat. Whenever he does it Nile stops whatever he's doing and starts grooving immediately. We call it grooving because I don't think it technically qualifies as dancing but he's almost always grooving. That kid is a Groove Machine!

On another note, I'm finally finished with my training for my new job at Ancestry.com, doing tech support. It's a pretty decent job and it pays great. I'm just glad I'm only doing part time. I think full time would get a bit tedious. I've enjoyed it so far and I really enjoy the people I work closely with so all in all I'd say I've lucked out in yet another job.

So this saturday, we decided to go to Hogle Zoo. We haven't been in a while and we figured Nile's finally at an age where he might appreciate it a little more than before. We had a really good time and following are some shots from the trip including some from Nile driving.
Nile really liked watching the monkeys running back and forth on the vines, especially the little spider monkeys. He was laughing and grunting and growling. It was too funny.
Tuckered already?Getting ready to head home.Clearly Nile thinks he has better taste in music than us. He was getting pretty handy turning to new stations and then cranking the volume. This kid is just TOO much! I can't even explain how glad I am to be done with training so I'm back with him all afternoon and evening. It's nice to get out and be a regular person again but I love coming home to hear him beat feet (or in this case, knees since he's still not walking) around the living room to come see me walk in. The biggest joy of my day is seeing the grin on his face when he points to me and looks at Greg as if to say "Ha! She did come home!"

Tag!

Tag your it...

ABC's...
A-Attached or Single? Attached...3 big years
B-Bestfriend? Greg
C-Cake or Pie? Pie
D-Day of Choice? Christmas
E-Essential Item? Tinted moisturizer
F-Favorite Color? Gren
G-Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms? Gummy worms of the sour variety.
H-Hometown? Payson
I-Indulgences? TMZ
J-January or July? July, lots of birthdays
K-Kids? Just 1
L-Life is incomplete without? My family
M-Marriage Date? 12 Aug. 2005
N-Number of Siblings? 2 brothers
O-Oranges or Apples? Apples...granny smith only
P-Phobias or Fears? Being alone
Q-Quotes? It's too long to type in here, it's my fav quote from Fahrenheit 451 though
R-Reason to Smile? Nile's grooves
S-Season? Fall
T-Tag 5 People? Uh...Amy, Rachel, Clarissa (only if you have time), Olivia and Anbre
U-Unknown Fact? Well it wouldn't be unknown if I put it here would it.
V-Very Favorite Store? American Eagle
W-Worst habit? Eating...too much
X-X-Ray or Ultrasound? I've only ever had an ultrasound...
Y-Your Favorite Food? Everything unfortunately
Z-Zodiac Sign? Aquarius

Quick note

Hey, I just wanted to add a quick note here. I've been itching to post but just can't seem to find any time.

I just started my new job at The Generations Network, as a Tech Support Agent. I'm really excited about the job and have really enjoyed my first three days of training. The company seems like it'll be really excellent to work for and seems like a company that I could really grow into and move up the corporate ladder.

My training is for 3 weeks at full time, then I'll drop down to part time mornings after training. I'm having a great time, although I'm ready to get into taking calls and the tech side of things versus learning about the company and it's products. I'm ready to go!

I'll also be glad when I'm at part time since I currently feel like I have zero time to do anything until after Nile goes to bed. When I get home he's always a bit clingy from being without me so he doesn't really like to be put down or ignored until he goes to bed. After that I have to get work done for my other job and then try and fit in a session at the gym, dishes and other cleaning and getting Greg off to work. I don't know how other women work full time and still get everything done! Kudos to you!

So I'll post more about my job and training and recent happenings just as soon as I have a moment to breathe!

Weehaw!!

And the winner is...Casi Bowden!!

I never thought...oh...who to thank...*slips speech out of pocket*

I won an award!

This fantastic award was given to me by my cousin Olivia, http://libstersbloggy.blogspot.com
who has always been an inspiration to me. I so enjoy reading her poetry and hearing about her school assignments. It seems odd to me that even though she's only a few years my junior I have seen her grow so much in the past few years. Olivia is so intelligent and creative. Her insights have always expanded my view of the world. Thanks Liv!

So, there are rules to this award.
1. Post the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 7 (or however many you want really) other people for this award and add links to their blog.
4. Leave a message for the people that you nominated!

*****

My first Nominee is Rachel Grimm, http://grimmfamilyfairytales.blogspot.com, she always has such adorable pictures of her nieces, nephews and fur babies. I love reading about the funny things they do and reading about her first year of married life. She always has great pictures and fantastic stories about the goings-on of the Grimm family!

*****

My second Nominee is Clarissa Thomas, http://thomastikis.blogspot.com, I have totally enjoyed watching their fun in New York and seeing the progress on their home and lives as they bask in Clarissa's radiant pregnant glow. Clarissa always has such spiritual thoughts and I love see pictures and reading the stories of their many trips and vacations. The love between Clarissa and her husband Dan and their unborn sweetie is so heart-warming!

Hurrah!

Nile's First Kiss

Here is a video from a couple days ago. We were upstairs visiting our neighbors Natalie and her little girl Taelin, who is just a few weeks older than Nile. I had Nile laying back on my legs and Taelin came over and started giving him kisses! It was so adorable. Natalie grabbed her camera and caught this video of the itty bitty lovebirds.

Birthday Pictures

Sorry for the delay. Here are the pictures from Nile's birthday! This first picture is Nile prepping for his Birthday Breakfast. He had to eat before we let him at his presents. He got Oatmeal and Applesauce for breakfast. Here is a shot of Nile's present before he got them. I ran out of wrapping paper before I could wrap the bigger gift, so that one just went without. Here he is looking at the box. After he fiddled with it for a minute he looked up at us as if to ask how on Earth one gets it out of the box. With a little help from Daddy, Nile got into his other gift. Once it was open enough to get at the parts Nile really didn't care if the rest of the wrapping paper was off or if the toy even got taken out of the box. He just wanted to play. Nile really had fun playing with his toys. It was hard to get him to go down for a Nap. Later that night, after dinner, it was time for Cake!! Nile did really well until he had almost finished eating/playing with his little cake. Nile decided to rub his cake covered hand all over his eyes and face. Luckily for him we had a bath ready!

Friday Fill-In (a little late)

1. Holidays in the summer are hot and fun.

2. Steaks are my favorite things to grill.

3. My thoughts are so garbled lately.

4. The Scottish festival is what I'm most looking forward to this weekend!

5. My favorite book so far this summer is haven't got one yet.

6. Getting Nile out of bed is the best way to begin a day.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Watching a movie, tomorrow my plans include the scottish festival and Sunday, I want to take a break!

Look for birthday recap photos and post coming soon!

Happy 1st Birthday Nile!!

I'm really not quite sure how we got here so quickly. It doesn't feel like it's been a year but I know it has to have been. Time stops for no man, let alone my idle wishing. Nile has come so far in the past year. It's amazing how quickly our little ones change and progress into toddlers, children, teens and adults.
It has been such a fascinating and wonderful year. I was in no way prepared for Nile when he arrived but through trial and error I have discovered in myself a love that I had no idea could exist. Nile is my perfect foil. He pushes me where I need to grow, he compliments my strengths and tests my knowledge. He is creating my complete personality. Nile is so smart and excels where his contemporaries may not. Nile has always been a few months slow on his physical accomplishments but I think this is because he is so content to sit and study. He is happy to only sit or only crawl until he has explored everything available on that level as completely as he can. Mentally, though, Nile is a star. Nile has a three word vocabulary. He knows his Dada, his Mama and he's all too happy to shout No no no no no no when something doesn't meet his needs.

Nile is such an intense soul. His eyes study the deepest parts of your eyes. He is so expressive and talkative. His babbling serves him some purpose as he is always so confident in the gibberish. He loves to explore, test, experiment and socialize. He is so happy to sit with a toy and learn all its parts and ins and outs. He likes to study how tires spin and how toys move and operate.Nile is the ultimate Mama's boy and I couldn't love it more. While there are a few things he'll only do with Daddy, like "lounging" (Nile likes to lay very casually in the nook of Greg's arms, something he's never done with me), Nile definitely loves his Mommy. I love the special time I share with him every night before bed. I cuddle with him until he lays his head on my shoulder or rubs his eyes and then I get the pleasure of tucking him into bed each night. It is my special time and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is my ultimate goal in this life to always be there for my little man. I'm confident that we've started a nighttime routine that will stick forever.
As I sit at my computer in tears, I say a quiet goodbye to my infant son and joyfully embrace my growing toddler. I will never be able to truly comprehend just how dramatically Nile has altered my life for the better. Happy 1st Birthday Nile, many happy returns. I love you!

Friday Fill-In

1. Birthdays are coming too soon.

2. Autumn is my favorite season because I love the weather and the beauty of it.

3. I feel my best when I've just finished a hard workout.

4. I have too many to say just one thing is my favorite food!

5. First impressions are never set in stone.

6. The best piece of advice I ever received was to be grateful for what I have, life could always be worse.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to sleeping extra, tomorrow my plans include family portraits and dinner with my parents and Sunday, I want to take a nap!

Friday Fill-In

1. A smile is the easiest way to change your mood.
2. Trivial Pursuit is my favorite board or card game.
3. I would love to have more relaxation in my life and less financial stress.
4. When I think of the Summer Solstice, I think of playing night games.
5. I just remembered I need to clean up the bathroom for the new dryer.
6. One of my favorite song lyrics goes like this: It's 8:16 A.M. will you wake up to me
The first thing that you see
My eyes open I'm just hopin' you feel the same as me -311, 8:16am.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to taking it really easy, tomorrow my plans include doing laundry at Rachel's and Sunday, I want to go to Chris' farewell!

Nile's 1st Haircut!

Well we finally had to do it. Nile got his first haircut today at 12:30pm. In the past week I had multiple people tell me what a beautiful baby girl I had. Yes his hair was long...ish, and yes it curled, but by no means does that automatically make him a girl! It was just the straw that broke the camels back though. His hair was already in his eyes and ears and at bath time his wet hair reached down between his shoulder blades in the back. Soo this is the hair we started with. Really really getting long.


This is him in his high chair this morning. Glorious curls and all. I was kinda sad to have to cut his hair but it was still all weird lengths as it hadn't been cut since he was born. So the top was long but the crown of his head had shorter hair and the sides and back were very long. It was getting pretty crazy and after a day it got kinda matted especially with the heat this summer. So I called my mom earlier this week and asked her to make an appointment for us with her usual girl Missy at The Avenue Salon in Payson. I had my hair cut there a lot too growing up. So we drove down today and got him all ready. I got in a cape and we got a little one for Nile and started spraying his hair with a little water. He wasn't too keen on that but didn't fuss too much. It wasn't until Missy started cutting that Nile freaked out. He kept his head still for the most part but he cried the entire time. He wasn't too angry until we got out the electric trimmer to do his neck and behind his ears. At that point he started screaming his lungs out. That boy can definitely wail when he wants to, lucky for us that's not too often. I'm really happy with his haircut though, he looks like such a little man. It's adorable. That boy is so cute, it can be hard to concentrate in his presence. I think he definitely looks even more like his father now though. We probably won't have to cut it again for awhile now that it's structured and even, it should grow out pretty well but still look manly, no more mistaken gender for Nile!

Friday Fill-In

1. Traveling to every continent on Earth is high up on my bucket list.
2. My favorite quote is the last two paragraphs (look it up); it's from The Coda to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
3. My love of journaling inspired me to start blogging.
4. Strawberries are best fresh from the plant.
5. Something crazy was in the last dream I remember having.
6. The most enjoyable time to go for a walk is evening just before dark.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to my husband coming home, tomorrow my plans include checking out Ikea and Sunday, I want to celebrate Fathers Day!

Friday Fill-In

1. Idle hands are signs of an idle mind.
2. I love to brush my teeth in the shower.
3. My favorite time of the day is when I get Nile out of bed and he's so happy to see me.
4. The last tea I drank was peppermint I think.
5. I like to swim swim swim in the Summer.
6. My mother always said remember who you are and what you stand for.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to packing the uhaul, tomorrow my plans include unpacking the uhaul and Sunday, I want to relax a bit!


Tomorrow is moving day! I'm super excited but also kinda anxious. I'll be sure to post with lots of pictures when we finally get it all done.

Effort for Frequency

In an effort for more frequency in posting to this blog, I've decided to pick up Friday Fill-Ins:

1. For me laziness is the opposite of creativity.
2. Collected Stories of Philip K Dick (vol. 2) was the last excellent book I read.
3. I like fill-ins because they spark some measure of creativity.
4. In nature I like looking at weather phenomenon.
5. I'm not completely decided as to who should win the US elections.
6. The last time I laughed with all my belly was a few days ago when Nile found a good laugh in me nuzzling his neck whilst making pig noises.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a good movie and some down time , tomorrow my plans include packing and getting some work done and Sunday, I want to take a good long nap!

Mother's Day

Well, all in all I'd say I had a pretty good mother's day. My first official one, that is.

Unfortunately, this year, my Great Grandpa passed shortly before Mother's day, and last year, my Grandma passed on Mother's day. So lately the holiday has been shadowed by mourning. But this year I found joy, regardless.

We were in Payson for the weekend visiting my family. It was a lot of fun, we always have a good time in Payson. My mom made Rice pudding for the guys and cheesecake for the girls and we had a BBQ at my aunt Val and uncle Kevin's place in Nephi. Their family was present (minus Olivia and Holly's bunch), Grandpa and Grandma came, and the whole lot of us. It was fun though. That night before Greg and I left my mom brought out gifts for Heidi and myself. She had my aunt Holly who was visiting my cousing Christina in Turkey pick us each up a Cashmere "Pashmina" shawl and beautiful hand-enameled bracelets to match. Mine, of course in vivid green, (alien green, as my mom refers to it), easily my signature colour.

Earlier in the week I had received, also for Mother's day but from myself, a couple of new tops and a jacket to wear while jogging and working out. Greg was super sweet and his gift to me was a brand new jogging stroller so I can take Nile out for runs while I'm getting my cardio in. Brilliant! I really love it. I was so excited when it came early, on thursday morning. I waited all day looking at the box because Greg said I couldn't have it yet. But when he came home from work he let me open it up and we put it together. We took Nile out for a maiden voyage right after. He loves it! He really likes tooling around town in it. His ride is pretty cushy, very padded and if I put the bug screen over it, he must feel like he's in his own little rocket ship or something. Lucky dog, him riding in comfort, while I hussle-tush. Ah well, it's fun for me too. I haven't run or jogged in a very long time so it's nice to get back outside (in spite of my terrible allergies)

I had a really great first Mother's day and I'm ever so grateful to have made it into that category of women. My own mother has been nothing but a shining example of womanhood and motherhood all my life. There is no question or concern she can't field, no favor she won't help with, no textile item she couldn't sew (and in mere hours no less). She is a fantastic mother and a wonderful grandmother. Nile is very lucky to have her and I'm sure he'll grow up knowing this full well. I am so glad to have Nile in my life, it's hard to believe just how long he's been here but I can't imagine my life without him.

I am so overjoyed at the sound of his babbling, his infrequent but boisterous laughter (he guards his laughter zealously). I can't help but beam when I come into his room after a nap or in the morning to see his ear to ear grin peaking over the crib railing. I always laugh when I find myself covered in all manner of goo, slobber, food, snot, and occasionally still pee. I find enormous amounts of joy watching Nile crawl from toy to toy, pulling things from his shelves, even though I know it means I'll be cleaning up later. This could go on forever!

There is absolutely nothing in this world that compares with the joy of motherhood. Even though it snuck up on me, I couldn't be happier.

Goodbye Great Grandpa Hunstman

On Friday May 2nd, my dear Great Grandfather, LaVar Huntsman, returned home to his father in Heaven. Grandpa Huntsman was well into his 90s but had bid a temporary goodbye to his wife Ruth over a year and a half ago.

In the last few weeks of his life, Grandpa told us of the times that Grandma had come to visit him recently. We all knew she was growing impatient.

Grandpa will be sorely missed. I will never forget his smile, his wonderful stories, or his pet name for me, Curly, on account of my natural curls. I was so greatly blessed to have had my Great Grandparents live so long. Grandpa was a fantastic example and the best patriarch a family could ask for. We are all so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from his example.

I rest assured that my Grandma is happy to see her LaVar again. Heaven is an altogether better place for it. I feel grateful for the knowledge that my dear Grandpa is in a much happier place and that he has had a most joyful reunion with the family that returned before him.

I love you Grandpa! Every time I wear my hair curly I will be reminded of you. I'll miss you but I hope I'll see you again some day. Please watch over my Nile and the little one, or ones, who have yet to join us on Earth.

The Wonders of Growing Up

This friday will mark Nile's 10th month on this Earth. That's right, he is a scant 2 months away from the big year mark. I can hardly believe it. How can it be that a year has passed already. That doesn't seem humanly possible. Simple proof, I suppose, that I cannot stop the flow of time, however desperately I try.

Nile has made leaps and bounds developmentally speaking in the last few days and last month. Firstly, Nile has absolutely mastered the use of a sippy cup. He started using one about 2 months ago, but didn't grasp it all the way at first. The first few attempts, Nile expected us to hold the cup for him. After figuring out how to hold the cup himself, he had to master the principle that up meant more juice, down meant no juice. After one or two days of sucking on the cup without tipping it up, he finally figured it out. Occasionally Nile tries to be lazy and use his high chair to hold his cup, but that only works when the cup is really full. Otherwise, he just sucks air and we all know, air is nowhere near as tasty as juice.
Also, on Sunday the 27th of April (mark it, it's a big day) Nile crawled for the very first time! He started a bit later than most of his buddies but he was testing out different skills first. Starting at about 7 and 1/2 months old, Nile began figuring out how to sit up from kneeling and lying positions and then at around 8 and 1/2 months he figured out how to go from sitting to kneeling and would rock back and forth on his knees. At that point he wouldn't crawl as hard as I tried to entice him to. But while we were upstairs playing one night, Greg laid down the capo for his guitar and Nile was off to the races. He made pretty good time, I'm sure driven out of fear that Daddy would pick up the appealing goal. He's still a little shaky on his knees but is crawling more and more each day. He is turning into a real troublemaker. He only cruises for things he knows he can't play with, of course. I will try my hand at posting a video later.
All in all, Nile seems to be making excellent progress. He is still happy and healthy. Which I'm extremely blessed and very grateful for. I can only hope it continues.

Easter Fun!

Well another Easter has come and gone. Like every year my mom had our baskets loaded to the maximum. I feared our basket would break apart every time I shifted it. We easily made off with a couple pounds of candy. Grandma couldn't resist. Nile's basket had some baby food, cheerios, a cereal container, a light up bouncy ball, a wooden block rattle (a puzzle but Nile doesn't know), and even a package of Mini M&Ms.

The night before Easter my mom whipped up an adorable little pair of springy linen stripped pants for Nile that turned out just to die for. He thought they were fantastic but of course, he had to puke on something Easter morning. Lucky for me it was his shirt and his Aunt, not his new pants!

Easter morning we woke up and came out to the kitchen to see the line of Easter baskets down the bar. One for my Dad and Mom to share, one for Kirstee and Makadee each, one for CJ and Heidi to share, Cameron's (plus something for Trooper the dog), then came the basket for me and Greg, and last but not least Nile's first Easter basket. Nile was a little more interested in our basket from the start cause it had all the colorful candies that he could easily grab. We got some breakfast in us, with the addition of some much needed sugar, and got ready for church. Nile wore his fancy new pants with a nice crisp, white button up shirt. He looked adorable. Heidi, CJ and the Girls met us a church and we had a good time there. After church we came home, took off Nile's pukey shirt, got into some pants myself and helped Grandma tidy up the house for our family to arrive for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Great Grandpa Huntsman hasn't been feeling well lately so he and Grandpa Larry stayed in Ft. Green.

The Easter party consisted of Mark and Mallory, Greg, Joan, Jesse, Jake and Sammie, Royell, Mackenzie, Gideon, Jonah and Joshua, Grandma Lois, CJ, Heidi, Kirstee, and Makadee and of course US! Greg had to stay home in Logan, though, cause he had a really bad cold. We bbq-ed, ate and then it was time for the Hunt. The older kids went out back and hid the eggs around the yard and then the wee-ones were free. The older kids had a little more independent success but I'd say Nile and I and Royell and Joshua did ok too. Although they were more interested in the eggs than their contents.
Those are Nile's fancy pants by the way. Nile really enjoyed lounging on the grass playing with his Easter Eggs. It was a really nice holiday. We certainly missed Dad in Logan but it was kind of him to spare us the sickness. All in all, another fantastic holiday at Grandpa and Grandma Woodcox's.

I've Been Tagged!

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged! *scary dramatic music*

1. What was the best thing you cooked last week?

A wicked cobb salad...so it's not cooking but it was delicious.

2. If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who?
I would take Nile (when old enough to understand) and Greg to Egypt so Nile could see his namesake river.

3. When was the last time you cried?
A few moment ago actually.

4- Five things you were doing 10 years ago?

1- Looking forward to being 13

2- Planning where I'd be in 10 years...

3- Suppressing crushes on CJ's friends.

4- Adoring AL English, and our poem roll calls and in depth current event discussions.

5- Swimming my guts out.

5 - Five things you were doing 5 years ago?

1- Cruising in my green machine.

2- Preparing for college ever so excitedly.

3- Mr. Griffin's whip.

4- Living it up in drama.

5- In one of the worst dating situations of my life.

6- Five things you were doing 1 year ago?

1- Finding out that my baby was a boy.

2- Preparing for said boy.

3- Working at Embroidery.com for my 2nd year.

4- Pretending to be enjoying waddling to school.

5- Pondering my future.

7 - Seven of your favorite hobbies:

1- Reading

2- Playing with Nile

3- Journaling

4- Debating politics with Greg

5- Visiting my family

6- Texting Rachel

7- Exercising.

8 - Five favorite foods:

1- Tater Tot Casserole

2- Lasagna

3- Enchiladas

4- Pepperoni

5- Green Chili Chicken Soup

Five places you’ve been:

1- Vegas

2- Wyoming (whoopy I know)

3- Oregon

4- Disneyland

5- Canada

10- Five favorite memories: (in no particular order)

1- The birth of my son

2- Getting married

3- Moving to my first home

4- The days Nile first smiled and laughed.

5- Nile's first Christmas.

People I will be tagging are: Clarissa, Amy, Heidi and Greg. Okay taggies, copy and paste and put your own answers in, then tag at least four other people.

The Car Show

Last weekend we got to go to the Car Show in SLC at the Expo Center. We met up with CJ, Heidi, Kirstee and Makadee. It was a lot of fun. We wandered around, browsing through cars we might buy and ones we'll probably never be able to afford. Nile got to sit in his very first convertible. He had a lot of fun staring at his reflection in all the really shiny cars. He also liked watching his two cousin play around.

After the car show we went to Joe's Crab Shack. It was pretty good. I think it was the first time any of us had been there. We enjoyed it. It was actually the only thing open at noon. Unfortunately seeing as how we had wanted to go to the Mayan.

Greg got to oggle the truck he wants to buy eventually (especially if we make the move to Wyoming) and I got to breathe on my Lotus Elise (a girl can dream...someday) We had a great time and decided that we needed to have more outings with CJ and his family. After we came home, we were making faces at Nile in hopes that we could elicit his all too rare laugh. We were blowing raspberries at him and as we were doing it we could see him thinking really hard and then he started sticking his tongue out to try and get the same noise. It was hilarious. Nile is way too smart. I'm just glad he can't crawl yet, or I'd be in trouble!

The Many Faces of Nile

It has been such an interesting year but I can't believe Nile has already reached his 6 month milestone. He is such a big boy! It feels like just yesterday I gave birth while at the same time it feels like Nile has been in our lives forever. He's so independent some days. He rolls over, a lot. He sits up on his own, until he gets bored then he ends up on his face. He's outgrowing the need to be rocked to sleep in his bouncy chair. He's interested in his Christmas toys. He's starting to laugh. He's getting more and more handsome as each second ticks off the clock. It's astounding!


He is so much fun to play with and jabber with. He likes to grab at books when we read. He loves to cuddle and he's achieved a new, albeit not very fun landmark. On the day he turned 6 months, Nile got his first cold! He is still sniffling and coughing from time to time but luckily it didn't get too bad. He has a constant need to be held but I can't say I blame him. I wish I still go that much attention when I was sick.

I just can't believe how absolutely smitten I am with this little creature. He is my world. I would give up ANYTHING for him. Who wouldn't, he's adorable!! I love to see how he changes every day. He's so entertaining. Goodness..I'll stop gushing now. I just wish everyone could feel what I feel.