Boston's Newborn Photos

I had arranged for Boston's newborn photos long before he arrived and when he was just 7 days old, we made a trip to Idaho Falls for his photo shoot. They were taken by Caralee Case Photography and she did a fabulous job! Check out her blog, http://caraleephotography.blogspot.com/ and enjoy these beautiful picutres of baby Boston! We love our sweet little man!

Blakeism...

Isn't that the term blogging moms use to describe the cute things there kids say? I think so.... Here's a few hilarious things Blake has said the last few days. This kid makes me laugh out loud every day! We love him so much!

Blake (with his blanket around his head): Mom, do I look like a shepherd?
Laura: Yeah, you do look like a shepherd.
Blake: Well, I need some sheep to guide!


Laura: Blake, you're so smart.
Blake: Well, there's smart, and then there's Kmart smart.

Maybe this kid has been watching too many Christmas shows and commercials, but it sure makes some hilarious comments come outta him!

Introducing Boston Morgan VanOrden

Here's the L&D story for those interested in all the details! ;) Monday night we finished packing bags and warmed up some leftovers for dinner. Mom and Dad stopped by on their way home from Rexburg to pick up Blake for the night, since we had instructions to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday for the induction. Dad helped Doug give me a priesthood blessing, and Blake took off with Grandma and Grandpa. Doug and I seriously weren't sure what to do with ourselves. Where Boston was already overdue, everything under the sun was ready and waiting. No to do list of any sort. So we picked up the house a little and turned the TV on. Just before 9 p.m./Jay Leno, I started having contractions. They were about 8-10 minutes apart and very mild. We watched Jay, and turned in for the night. I slept until about 2 a.m., and at this time contractions were 4 mintues apart, but still very mild. I took a bath and went back to bed. Doug and I got up about quarter after 4 to shower and finish packing for the hospital. My contractions had slowed down to about 8 minutes apart, but slightly stronger than before. I didn't time them while getting ready, I figured when we got to the hospital, they would put me on monitors and see if they were even real or what. We got to the hospital about 5:30 a.m., checked in and they sent us upstairs.

The nurse had me change and get in bed, and then put the monitors on, asked a few questions and said they were about to do shift change, so my nurse for the day would be in in a few to check me and whatever else. We got settled in our room, and the nurse came in. It took us about an hour to get an IV (for antibiotics for Group B strep), and then she checked me. She said I was a good 5 and since I was contracting on my own, she'd call the Dr. to see what he wanted to do. Dr. came just before 8 a.m., checked me again and said I was a 7, and quickly broke my water. Pain was manageable, but figured if I was already a 7 and my water was broke, I better get the epidural before it was too late. They got there quickly and before I knew it, I was pain free. Thank heavens for modern medicine!

We made a few phone calls to update family, and then I turned on a movie and thought I'd relax, thinking we'd have a baby by 12 or 1. The nurse checked me again a few mintues before 10 a.m. and said I was fully dialated. I started laughing, and she laughed too cause she said everytime I did, she could feel the baby move down even farther. Dr. Larson walked in at 10 a.m. and got the last few things ready, along with the nurses and then it was time to push. The first push was a learning session (its been 3 years since i've done this, okay) and by the third, we had a baby!

It was so quick and effortless, I feel like I cheated at Labor and Delivery! We had a mirror set up in front of me, and I got to witness the coolest miracle ever. Delivery time was 10:17 a.m.

They got Boston cleaned up and started all the newborn testing, while I got stitched up. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and is 20 inches long. He swallowed a bunch of junk on his way out, and was having hard time keeping his oxygen up, so they took him to the nursery to put him on oxygen. He was there for about an hour and then he was all ours. He has the softest skin and beautiful brown hair. He feels like a little pug with all this extra skin on his head. Boston is a very good baby. Doug and I got lots of sleep last night and are grateful for the fabulous care we are getting here at the hospital.

We are checking out of the hospital this afternoon about 4 and then we're headed home so Blake can meet Boston! I can't wait to see this little reunion happen: it could be interesting!

Boston is such a beautiful baby and after being scared to death of the newborn stage, I'm loving every second I get to snuggle with him. He is so sweet and so fresh from Heaven. We love him so much already! We'll try and take a few more picutres the next few days and post them soon. Thanks to all our families who have helped us get ready for Boston's arrival and have helped keep Blake while we're at the hospital. We couldn't do it without your love support!

Here we sit like frogs on a lilypad...

I guess I feel more like a whale than a frog, and i'm usually leaned up against an extra pillow and my corn bag, but you get the idea. Still waiting for baby Boston to make his arrival.

Not sure there's anything more depressing than visiting your own blog and see the floating fetus say you have 0 days left, and then look down to remember that he's not here yet. I might have to remove that soon.... Anyway, the clock is ticking for this baby to come on his own. If he doesn't make an appearance this weekend, we're still scheduled to be induced Tueday a.m., so watch for a more exciting post sometime next week!

As for due date plans: clean the church in the morning (this better put me into labor or Doug will be in big trouble for saying yes), rake the leaves off our lawn (if its not snowing) and then take Blake to Grandmas and try and get a little Christmas shopping done, since we know the odds of going Black Friday shopping are dwindling unless this little one comes out sooner than later. Hoping a busy day will result in something more than an extremely tired, grouchy, and sore mom to be!

Dear Boston,

Dear Boston,

I think its time for you to make your arrival. Your brother is anxious, and your dad is so excited, and my stretch marks are stretching. Your crib set is finished and there are clean clothes and blankets folded and waiting for you. There are meals in the freezer, the car seat is installed, and your diaper bag is packed for the hospital. I've monogrammed your blankets and Aunt Jan has already started on your Christmas stocking. I've scheduled your newborn photos, and have arranged subs for Primary. We're ready when you are! We already love you so much and can't wait for you to come to our family. See you soon!

Love,

Mom

p.s. Don't forget Dad has tests this week, so he wants me to remind you that anytime after Thursday morning is a good time to come ;)

39 Weeks, 1 Day

Baby Update

Went to the dr. today... and here is a little TMI for those that care:

Belly still measures 35 cm, but it seems to be growing in every direction as far as i'm concerned. I lost 2/10 of a pound this week, so my weight gain total is still at 17 pounds. My dr. predicted this would happen... he said months ago that i probably wouldn't gain much weight the last month, due to there being no room for food, and its very true. In fact, i'm wondering where exactly my stomach is right now? Hmmm....

Baby's heart rate was 147 ish, if i remember right. He is definetly head down and i'm dialated 2 cm. In two days (Saturday) i'll be 39 weeks, man time flies. Seems like just yesterday we told our families we were expecting!

Anyways, now down to business: the plan. We have scheduled to be induced Tuesday, the 24th, thats 3 days past my due date and just in time to check out of the hospital for the Thanksgiving holiday. That is, unless he chooses to come on his own before the 24th. I'm having mixed feelings about whether i want him to come before that or not. Doug has a crazy week at school next week and so i'm actually crossing my fingers that Boston will wait until his dad can get a big presentation and 2 exams out of the way first. Doug's already explained his class schedule to my belly (in plenty of detail) so we'll see how well this little one obeys right?

By the way, back/hip pain has gone away and i've been sleeping much better lately. (knock on wood, right?) Feeling great and trying to enjoy as much one on one time with Blake before i have to share my time with 2 boys. I better run, gotta get a few last minute things done, i'm hosting Girls Night tonight at my house! We're having a holiday feast recipe swap, so i'll pass along the best of the best recipes i try out tonight!

And my mom thinks I'm weird?

So my mom is always making fun of me because I seem to have a song for everything. Well, this morning I was up at 4 a.m., taking a hot bath to relieve some miserable back pain and I get back in bed and asked Doug if he would put some icy hot on my back. Although he was hardly awake (pretty sure he hadn't opened his eyes yet), I told him sorry I had to wake him in the middle of the night. He suddenly bursts out in song "We're all in this together...." from High School Musical! I was laughing so hard, cause he was singing it just like they do in the movie. I'm not even sure if he realized he was singing, cause he was totally asleep again two minutes later. I might break out in song somtimes, but never in the middle of the night!

By the way, the bath/icy hot combo must have worked because I got back to sleep by 5 and slept for 2 1/2 hours! I really don't mean to whine, but I think I would rather be up in the night with a newborn than deal with this back/hip pain that seems to come from sleeping on my sides.

Speaking of baby, at my Dr. appt on Thursday, Doc says baby has dropped a little (which makes sense why this back/hip pain has recently come about) and is definetly head down. I've gained 17 pounds so far, and my belly was still 35 cm. Dr. says thats because he's dropped some, and didn't seem concerned at all. We don't plan on inducing to get him here early, so unless he comes early on his own, we probably won't meet him until at least his due date. I'm 38 weeks today, thats 14 days to go! Wahoo! The three of us can't wait to meet this little guy!

Happy Halloween

We had a fun week and weekend and I can't wait to post these pictures of my adorable tiger! Thursday Blake got all dressed up in his costume and we headed to the SR Library for the costume parade at story time. Blake loved all the little halloween rhymes and songs and thought it was so cool that all the kids were in costumes.

Saturday we headed out to Sheila's to make applesauce! Curtis was fabulous help and ran the Victorio Strainer and we kept busy washing, chopping, cooking, taste testing, bottling, and steam canning 30 quarts of applesauce. We had yummy apples, some from the local Isom's Fruit Farm and others from Doug's parent's apple trees, and we hardly had to sweeten the applesauce at all. We wrapped up the applesauce project and headed home to get ready for the trunk or treat.

Blake dressed as a Tiger, I was a pirate, and Doug an egyptian. We handed out lots of candy and got to see lots of our friends and neighbors in their creative costumes. Then we went home, popped pizzas in the oven and played games for the rest of the night with our friends, Lloyd and Sunni, Travis and Angie, Nate, and Cole. I totally spaced taking pictures, but we had a great time catching up with all of them!

3 years for Blake

Poor Blake... once a harvest baby, always a harvest birthday, which just happens to be the busiest time of year for our little family. Blake turned the big 3 on October 14th and we found a few spare moments to celebrate his day. Blake played with Grandma VO while I worked in the morning and then we headed home to bake a birthday cake and wait for Doug to get home from school. We had birthday dinner at McDonalds and then headed out to Grandma and Grandpas for a birthday party. Blake wanted a "pumpkin frosting cake" and thats we had. We lit 3 candles and when we started singing, he got up and started dancing. This kid always cracks me up! We opened presents and enjoyed cake and ice cream with all his Grandparents and some of his aunts and uncles that live close. Thanks to all of them for celebrating with us! He got a few clothes, puzzles, toys, a game and as always, he was spoiled like crazy. I lost the pictures of him blowing out candles so i'll have to track some down from Sheila and post them later, but here's one of him enjoying his happy meal. :)

I thought I would post just a few things we love about this little boy and his latest habits and favorite acitivites.

Blake loves animals and can't wait to be a Tiger for Halloween. He wears his costume every day and loved pretending to scare us as a tiger, lion, or t-rex.

He is learning to count objects and counts anything he can, from smarties to his fingers, and anything else. Puzzles are his latest favorite activity and his mechanical skills are always being challenged with getting the pieces all in the right spot.

Blake loves being my helper and is great to help with his simple chores like putting his own dishes in the sink, putting things in the garbage for me, or putting his own clothes away in his dresser.

His vocabulary seems to grow every day and my latest favorites are: seriously, actually, ingredients, and when he says that something is "freaking me out." He never ceases to make Doug and I laugh and we are so glad that harvest is over so that we can enjoy a little more one on one time with him. He is so grown up and we can hardly believe we have a 3 year old. We love you Blake, and are so glad you are in our family!

October Update

Thought i'd give you all a quick update on things. Harvest is still in full swing, with all the potatoes out of the ground, we've moved on to sugar beets. We're hoping to be finished around the 26th, only a couple weeks to go.


Doug is staying very busy his classes and his new calling, and has been trying to fit in a few hours on the farm here and there as well. Blake is getting so big and is so stubborn. His latest hobby is arguing with everything we say, i love it! Haha! Today is his Birthday, and we're getting ready for a party with family later tonight. (I'll post more on his birthday another time.)



As for me, still driving truck and starting to feel like a whale! 5 1/2 weeks to go and i'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I went to the dr. last week and here's my stats, along with a belly shot. Enjoy! Dr. says i'm boring (i guess thats a good thing, right) and wants to see me back at 36 weeks.


34 Weeks
Belly measures: 33 cm
Total Weight Gain: 15 pounds

Some call it harvest, we call it chaos...

Thats right... harvest is in full swing, and that means our lives have been turned upside down and anything relatively close to our "normal lives" has been tossed out the window! I'm driving truck again this year and am enjoying being a small part of the whole harvest operation. Blake gets dragged out of bed very early every day and gets to go play with one of his grandmas. Could life get any better for a 2 year old? I hop in the truck, drive all day, and sometimes I get a glimpse of Doug while I'm unloading at the cellar. Doug jumps back and forth between school and work, as he's in class 2 mornings and 2 afternoons a week. We eat out of coolers, and when we're home we switch laundry, and thats our choatic life, only 5 weeks to go!

As for other news, Doug was set apart in a new calling last sunday. He has been called as the new Elder's quorum president of our ward. We were both totally overwhelmed by the calling, but know he'll be able to accomplish what needs to be done with the help of our Heavenly Father.

I also had my 7 month check up last week. Here's my stats from the visit:

31 Weeks/ 7 months

Stomach Measures: 30 cm

Total weight gain: 12 lbs.

Heartbeat sounds good and Dr. says baby is head down and should stay there from here on out. Before we left, he told Blake and I not to forget to go get some ice cream, and said he wants me back in 3 weeks. Here's a belly shot, we took yesterday after church, 31 weeks!

Kinda Sorta, Not So Terrible 2's

Blake must have known that I was extremely frustrated with him. After lunch, I told him to go downstairs and put himself down for a nap. For the first time today, he actually listed to me... he turned and headed for the stairs and its been silent for the last hour and a half! He has redeemed himself! And for that, I have to post just a few of my recent favorites about this 2 year old...

1. His favorite movie is Narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. Not even kidding.

2. He will eat raisin bran or oatmeal over captain crunch any morning.

3. He can turn anything into a sword: most often its the vacuum extension.

4. When telling stories, he speaks in run on sentences that include every detail he can remember.

I can't believe the 2's are coming to the end, but he's so ready to be 3! I think the potty training has boosted his self esteem. He tells me all the time that he's a big boy, I just don't want to believe it...

6 down, 3 to go...

I had a check-up yesterday to end my 2nd trimester, which means we have exactly 3 months/1 trimester/ 13 weeks/ 92 days to go.... but who's counting right?

27 weeks/6 months

Stomach Measures: 26 cm (up 5 cm in 4 weeks)

Total Weight Gain: 7 lbs.

Dr. says everything looks great from the ultrasound we had a few weeks ago. Says baby is average size and my belly is growing nicely. I'll see him again in 4 weeks. Here's a few pics from the ultrasound we had a while back. I just bought some of the fabric for the crib set yesterday and I need to pick up a little today and i'll be set to get sewing. Pictures to come when it's finished!

On another note, I've been trying to help mom get Grandpa Tyler's house ready for him to come home from the hospital next Monday. We been working on wiping walls, cleaning carpets and today we'll pick up the new beds and get them set up and ready. We saw him yesterday and he looked great and was taking a stroll with his walker. He still has a long recovery ahead of him, but he's making great progress from his broken femur/hip replacement injury and surgery.

Doug has been busy on the farm the last few weeks cutting grain like crazy. They finished last night and he said they were the first to finish. He starts school next tuesday and things will get totally crazy when we start digging spuds in less than 3 weeks!

Potty Training

Warning: This post may have too much information for some. Read at your own risk.... haha!

I'm afraid to say it outloud for fear that lightning will strike and all will be reversed but, BLAKE IS POTTY TRAINED! Wahoo! I blocked out my schedule for 2 weeks, hardly going anywhere so we could potty train. Our method...

Week 1: Blake ran around either totally naked or just in undies for most of the week. I confined him to the kitchen, living room and bathroom so we wouldn't have to deal with accidents on the carpet. I put him in diapers for naps and bedtime and we had a handful of accidents, but he was catching on. At the beginning of the week we switched the reward for going potty from 2 mike and ike candies to doing the potty dance. Every time he went, we would do the potty dance (simply Blake and I sing the word potty over and over and dancing all crazy :) ) Worked great! I still put him in a diaper for church though, and when we went to walmart....

Week 2: Since Blake did awesome the first week, I got him dressed in sweats and he could play anywhere upstairs. He wanted to wear undies for naptime and he stayed dry the week before during naptime, so I let him. Diapers were only for bedtime. He was in a diaper all day Tueday while we went school shopping with Curtis, but besides that, he was in undies all week and only had 2 accidents! By Sunday we had been to Walmart, Keslers, Hong Kong, Church and both Grandma's houses without any accidents. He is still in diapers at night, although the last 3 nights he has woken up totally dry in the morning. If this continues for the rest of the week, i'll probably let him wear undies to bed- he wants to so bad!

Thank heavens for cool dinosaur undies and the potty dance (got that idea from babycenter.com by the way)! We made it! Now let's just hope he doesn't regress when baby #2 shows up.... hmmm.....

Speaking of number 2, here's a belly shot from yesterday after church, 26 weeks/6 months along. Blake and Doug set up the crib on Satrday night while I was helping in the kitchen at a wedding for my newest step-cousin Melissa. Things are slowly starting to come together for the baby. Crib, dresser and clothes are ready to go. Still need to sew the crib set and get a few wall hangings done for his room. We're starting to dig spuds in less than 4 weeks, so the clock is ticking... I go back to the Dr. again on Thursday, so i'll have an update on the baby later this week!

Baby Update 23 Weeks

I went to my 5 month check up this morning and thought i ought to update everyone of the little soccer player inside of me....

23 Weeks/5 months
Stomach Measures: 21 cm
Total Weight Gain: 4 pounds
Complaints: Heartburn, heatburn, heartburn...
Concerns: "I'm okay to go tanning, right?"

Doc says everything appears normal, and we scheduled the big ultrasound at the hospital for Monday. I'm excited to have another look, hopefully we can get a good picture or two this time. Its so weird to have so many ultrasounds, I only have two with Blake and this will be the fourth with this pregnancy. I guess all Dr.'s do things differently, and I don't mind taking a look at him again and again. Here's a few approximations from my favorite website, babycenter.com.

Height/Length: 11 inches
Weight: around 1 pound
They also say that he can hear loud noises (louder than my heart beat) and his lungs are developing, preparing to breathe on their own. I only feel him kick first thing in the morning and then again when i settle down at night. I assume i'm just too active during the day to notice. I don't feel "active" but i'm always ready to crash with Blake with he goes down for an afternoon nap. Let's just say i'm enjoying the peace and quiet before it disappears in a few months! :)

I'd post a belly shot, but i'd really rather wait until I look like I have a cantalope under my shirt. Right now it just looks like i have a bunch on butter attached to my front :( Hope you enjoy the update. If we get some good pics on Monday, i'll post them next week!

There's No Place Like Home...

Since July started, we've been on the go, always packing clothes, coolers, diaper bags, etc. Blake and I have been hanging at home the last few days and it feels so nice to just stay home, clean up the house, run errands, and be back to "normal" life. We have had a fabulous month and are trying to convince ourselves that its okay summer is about over and harvest is about to arrive. Here's an update of the last three weeks! WARNING: this post does contain all the details, and may seem to go on forever, enjoy! :)

Thursday, July 2nd we headed to Island Park with my parents and Becki. We had a little dinner at the cabin and headed to West Yellowstone. We did a little shopping and went to see "Footloose" at the Playmill Theatre. It was so fun and the actors there are so full of energy. We always love going to the Playmill! Friday, we all packed in Dad's truck and drove the upper loop of Yellowstone Park. We only saw a few Buffalo, but Blake enjoyed every minute of the park. Back at the cabin, we ate some yummy dutch oven potatoes, roasted marshmallows, and played games. Saturday was the 4th and we packed up, cleaned up the cabin and drove to Idaho Falls. We all went to the movies and Blake and I saw Up. It was a cute show. We caught up with more family to have a late lunch at Carinos, and to wish Tim a Happy Birthday! After dinner we headed to sit and wait for the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration. We had staked out a spot earlier and when we got there we played a few rounds of Phase 10 to pass the time. The weather was so beautiful outside and we loved the fireworks as always!The next weekend was our VO Family Vacation. We finally got away Friday just after lunch and headed to Salt Lake. We went to a fabric store that my Aunt Jan introduced us to and i found some cute minky to make a blanket for the baby, similar to the one Blake packs around everywhere. We also hit the Carter's Outlet and i found some cute clothes for him as well. We headed to the Hotel (i pricelined us rooms at the hilton) and met up with the rest of the family. Doug went to see Hello Dolly with Sheila and Curtis at the Hale Centre Theatre, and Blake and I headed to the Gateway to do a little shopping with the rest of the crew. Saturday we headed to Hogle Zoo first thing in the morning and Blake absolutely loved all the animals. I think i enjoyed the giraffes and elephants the most, i hadn't been to a zoo in so many years. After checking out ALL the animals, we grabbed lunch and went to Raging Waters. It was the first time we'd been swimming all summer and it was so much fun! I loved the wave pool and even rode a few slides. All three of us were exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel that evening. It was a fabulous weekend! Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun family vacation!

The next Monday and Tuesday were booked with last minute girls camp to do's. We packed everything Tuesday night and pulled out first thing Wednesday morning for Pasa La Coma. We took eight girls and had the most fabulous time. I was literally so busy having fun i only took one picture, so i'll have to post more when i get some from the YW Presidency. We hardly got any sleep, played Curses a few too many times, ate some totally yummy food, pulled a few pranks (not me, just the girls ;)) and loved every minute of it. It was so nice to be back at Pasa La Coma, enjoying the outdoors and getting to know the YW of our ward, they are great! Doug was a huge help and let's be honest, we never would have made it to camp without him. Thanks babe for being my "assistant camp director!" By the way- we finally got to use our sleeping bags that Mom and Dad gave us for Christmas. :)

We got home Saturday and I finally got the house put back together yesterday. Don't get me wrong, i always love a mini vaca here and there and especially love girls camp more than anything, but i'm so glad my calender is blank for a little while.

Blake's Prayer

We were saying our family prayers the other night before we tucked Blake in for bed and it was his turn to say prayers. It was my turn to help him, so I whispered and he started repeating... for the most part:

Laura: Please bless our little brother
Blake: Please bless our little brother (in his little innocent voice)
Laura: That he will grow healthy and strong
Blake: That he will grow healthy and strong, and that he will be a monkey...

Doug and I were busting up laughing, I couldn't control myself. Doug finally took over and helped Blake quickly end the prayer. He must watch Curious George to much, probably thinks a monkey would be a lot more fun than a baby! Gotta love this kid for making me laugh every day!

So we had an ultrasound today...

Thats right! Doug, Blake and I headed to the Dr.'s office today to have my 19 week ultrasound, and the results are: IT'S A BOY!

Now all the fun can begin! I was sure it was a boy, and I'm relieved to know I was right! We have so many boys clothes and things already, but I am planning on making a few blankets, quilts, burb rags, and new bedding for the crib. And the name game is just beginning...

I would post pictures from the ultrasound, but the only ones they printed out seemed slightly inappropriate for our family blog. :) This ultrasound was performed by my Dr. and a month from now, I'll have the "real" ultrasound at the hospital with a tech, where they will measure the baby, and look for anything out of the ordinary. The second ultrasound will definately confirm that its a boy, but I agree with the Dr. when he said "I don't think they're gonna argue this one." Everything looked great today, we could see his brain, arms, legs, hands, feet, and a bit of his face. He wouldn't show his profile, so we didn't get any great pictures. He seemed to move around like crazy though, possibly posing for the camera. He must be photogenic like Blake. :)

Blake is so excited to have a brother, but he informed me today that "its not gonna be a little brother, its gonna be a BIG brother." I didn't want to tell him that that's never gonna happen.

Other than our exciting ultrasound today, we've been taking it easy when we can. We had a fabulous time at the Relay for Life (more to come on that later) and I painted my soon to be sewing/craft room in the basement. Once we get the craft room set up, the living room is next and last on our list of remodel projects. We've picked out new flooring, and we'll be texturing, painting, and replacing a couple doors and the trim work. We're hoping to have it all put together by the time harvest starts and things get crazy! We'll keep you updated....

Summer is getting busy for us now... the farm is a little busier now that its not raining so much. And we have a couple mini vacations planned. Next weekend we head to Island Park and Yellowstone for a little get-away, and then its off to SLC for the VO Family Vacation. We're going to Hogle Zoo and Raging Waters, it should be a blast! And then we're off to Girls Camp! Hope you're all having a fabulous summer!

Highlights from March, April, May, June...

So there are about a million things I haven't blogged about and at this point, I'll never be able to go back and catch up..... so, here are a few things worth mentioning for those of you that missed out!

March
*Miss Makenzie Kahilu VanOrden was born on the 19th, 7 lbs. 8 oz. to her wonderful parents Shane and Jessica. We are so glad she is here and healthy! She is gorgeous and is getting to big! We love her and are so glad to have her in our big family!

*Doug and I had our third anniversary! I was in SLC picking up Amber and the boys so my friend Sasha took me to dinner to celebrate! How romantic, right?

*Amber and the boys arrived from PA! We're always glad to have the PA Campbell's come for a visit!

April
*Enjoyed Easter Sunday at Dayton's baby blessing. We had lots of easter egg hunts and got to decorate eggs over the holiday weekend. The easter bunny also found our house and brought us all of our easter favorites! Imagine that, right?

*Blake and I flew out on tax day with Amber, Jackson, and Marcus and headed back to PA with them to help paint their new house! We have 2 1/2 weeks of crazy painting and moving fun! I enjoyed every minute I got to spend with Al and Amber! I couldn't ask for a better brother and sister! Thanks to Doug for being a bachelor so I could visit their family!

May
*Returned home from PA and didn't know what to do with myself.... you mean I don't have to paint for 14 hours today? What should I do with all my spare time?

*Doug finished his Junior year of college, and was so glad to have this semester over with.

* Doug was also inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, an honor that is only offered to the top 5% of the College of Business Junior Class. He was 1 of 5 out of the College of Business Juniors that recieved this invitation. We got to attend a nice dinner in Pocatello where he was recognized and we'll also get to go again next year. I also got to meet a handful of his professors and they all told me how great of a student he is. He finished the semester with nothing but A's! He has worked so hard the last three years and holds a 3.91 GPA!

* May flew by as we spent time in yard and got our gardens ready to go and planted. We had beautiful weather and made lots of plans for the summer months ahead.

June
*And now its already JUNE! Can you believe it? Last Sunday was Miss Makenzie's baby blessing, she is so sweet and we love her so much!

*Tonight our friend Jake gets home from his mission and Doug and Blake are heading to the airport to greet him, while I stay home to host Girls Night!

*I had another Pre-natal appointment today, thats right, my blogging friends are the last to hear that We're having a BABY! I am about 17 weeks along and our due date is November 21st. We find our BOY or GIRL on June 25th, just two weeks from today! Take a guess, boy or girl and maybe you'll get a prize if you're right!

May Update and Upcoming Events..

Blake and I traveled home safely from our trip to PA and now, two weeks later, we're almost used to life at home! We painted like crazy while at Al and Ambers and enjoyed spending time with their family. Blake especially enjoyed playing with his cousins. We've been busy since we got home with yard work, garden, the house, girls camp and RELAY FOR LIFE!

Last year, i was on my mom's relay team and even though they invited me back this year... Who wants to relay with a bunch of old ladies? Just teasing mom, well kinda. I am the captain of my own Relay for Life Team this year and have gathered 11 other young chicks to be on my team. We set a goal to raise at least $1000.00 and are doing so well! We are at least half way to our goal and we have a few fundraisers left (such as selling delicious dutch over dessert on the night of relay: June 19th) to help us bring in more cash for the American Cancer Society.

For those of you that have never heard of the RELAY FOR LIFE, here's the 411. It is the signature event and fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The relay is not only to raise money but to honor those who have suffered from cancer, whether they are with us still or not. If you want to honor a family member or friend who has been through cancer, you can purchase a luminaria for $10.00 and decorate a bag in their honor. Each bag will hold a candle that will be lit during the Luminaria Ceremony on the night of Relay. The bags line the track in honor of those who have suffered. You forget how many we have lost to cancer, and this ceremony is a great reminder of why we are researching so much.

Now that you are so excited to be on my team next year at Relay, click HERE to make a small donation and help our team raise $1,000.00! And then the next step is to send your friends there too! :) Let me know if you would like to buy a luminaria in honor of a loved one!

p.s. thanks for not giving up on our log... updates coming soon, like maybe uh august! enjoy your summer!

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

Nope, our family didn't fall off the face of the earth... just been having to much fun to take time to blog! We have enjoyed a wonderful visit from Amber, Jackson and Marcus! Between celebrating a wedding, baby blessing, Easter, general conference, we haven't even had time to sit down and have a break! Blake and I drive down with Amber and the boys tomorrow and we fly out Wednesday a.m. to Lancaster, PA. We are so excited to help them with their new house and are looking forward to spending some time with Uncle Al, since he didn't get to come to Idaho this time. We'll be back May 2nd, just in time for Miss Makenzie's baby blessing. Seriously not sure what Doug is going to do without us for almost 3 weeks. I'm sure he'll enjoy the peace and quiet and I'm sure his mom will feed him well! Thanks Doug for letting us spend some time with Al and Amber, we will miss you lots! And thanks to Sheila for babysitting my garden (currently in a started box) while i'm gone! I have tons to blog about... check back in May!

Banana Nut Bread

Believe it or not, I made Banana Bread for the first time this week! I don't remember eating this a lot growing up, but its a regular at Sheila's house. I tried out the recipe she uses and it was easy. I used my mixer and used the wisk for all the ingredients, and then switched to the dough triangle when I added the flour. Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup margarine

2 1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 bananas (ripe or bruised)

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

dash cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups Flour

Mix ingredients and pour into bundt pan or 2 loaf pans that have been greased (pam) and sprinkled with sugar. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until done. Top will by medium brown and toothpick will come out clean. You can use small loaf pans as well, adjust the cooking time in half. Give it a try and tell me how yours turned out! Enjoy!

Tag of 8

8 things tag rules are: post rules on your blog, answer the 6 '8' items, let each person know they are tagged by leaving them a 'comment' here goes

8 favorite TV Shows
1. Biggest Loser
2. Friends
3. Gilmore Girls
4. The Bachelor
5. Today Show (dumb i know)
6. Everybody Loves Raymond
7. Jon and Kate plus 8
8. The Office


8 things I did today
1. Watched little Keaton
2. Texted Jessica
3. Made Banana bread
4. Sat through a Primerica presentation
5. Vaccuumed the living room rug
6. Changed out some Scentsy scents
7. Finished the laundry from yesterday
8. Finished up my Jr. Miss errands


8 things i am looking forward to
1. Finishing "spring cleaning" my house and garage
2. A trip to Al and Amber's in April
3. Refinishing the floors in my living room (and trim and texture)
4. My 21st birthday
5. Doug's graduation in May 2010
6. Blake being potty trained
7. Girls Camp (i'm the camp director wahoo!)
8. Becki and Pablo's wedding


8 favorite restaurants
1. Roadhouse
2. Melinas
3. Hong Kong
4. Rupes
5. Chilis
6. Carinos
7. Red Robin
8. Quiznos Subs


8 things on my wish list
1. A beautiful yard
2. Another kiddo
3. Baskets for my entry table
4. A roomba vaccuum ( it think it would be great)
5. A walk in closet
6. A smaller waistline
7. A storage room
8. A Maid to clean my house!

I won't tag anyone this time, if you want to participate, consider yourself tagged!

Just a few pics of our NEW CAR!

So obviously, our car isn't brand new, just new to us! Thought i'd post a few pics for you all to see my new "baby." I am loving driving it! This week is crazy with jr miss practices/dress rehearsals, tuesday, wednesday and thursday night and then the program is on saturday. Wish all my girls good luck!

We're getting a new CAR!

So we sold our car on craigslist in less than a week, resulting in a new car that we can pick up tomorrow! Here's the dish on our new SWEEEEET ride! haha!

2004 Honda Accord EX
Graphite Pearl Exterior (a pretty name for gray)
Gray Leather Interior with heated seats
6 Disc CD Player
Tinted Windows
Sun/Moon Roof (tilts and opens)
Dual Heat (his and hers, as i like to call it)
Auto lock, windows, and seat
Keyless entry (the feature i wanted the most)

It's beautiful and so fun to drive! The dealer offered us (not us offered to him) $1400 less than he was asking, simply because we said we were looking at another similar car and he wanted our business. We ended up getting the car for $2600 less than Kelly Blue Book price (its like our online bible when car shopping)! We're so excited! We'll post a picture sometime!

Quick! Limited Offer!

Another fun blog game!The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! (Though I hope you will!)
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. I don't even have a clue what it's going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a homemade gift! It may not be great, but it will be fun!!* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* * *

Mr. Blake

My neighbor Heather is a photographer and she took some adorable pics of my Blakester yesterday. The light was great, it was beautiful outside and she did a wonderful job! I can't imagine its easy taking pictures of a 2 year old, either. Click HERE to check out her photography blog! Here are a few of my favorite of Blake!

All photos taken by Heather Sellers Photography http://hsellersphoto.blogspot.com

I Heart Valentine's Day

So, maybe this is old news cause Valentine's Day was a whole week ago, but I thought share our fun day with you! First of all, the three of us went to visit Tim, Abby and Dayton in Rigby. Uncle Doug got to see Dayton for the first time and I enjoyed holding him and thanks to Tim, I was allowed the priviledge of changing his diaper too! (Whatever it takes to get favorite aunt status, right?) And his chubby cheeks and beauiful eyes make my heart melt, so i'd do anything for this sweet little guy! He was so alert and it was fun to see a little more personality!Now, it only took us a year and a half in this house to realize that our kitchen table was better off in the kitchen, instead of in the dining/living room. But after moving our table there we realized that it just wasn't working out to well, and a new table was the only solution. We looked at a few and found this table at Oak Express/Furniture Row. It came with 4 barstools/chair and its counter height. We went and picked it up on Valentine's day, and so therefore, this is my gift from my valentine (i'm so spoiled i know).

After putting the new table together (you would think its came from IKEA seriously) and loading up the older one for Shane and Jess, we cooked a yummy dinner of steak, coconut shrimp, and mashed potatoes! We bought the shrimp frozen, all it had to do was bake for a few minutes and it was ready. I found a recipe for the pina colada sauce like they have at red lobster and it was all great! (and much cheaper than red lobster too)

And just in case any of you love coconut shrimp too, the brand was called SeaPak and we got it at Walmart and here's the sauce recipe: 1/3 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup pina colada drink mix, and crushed pineapple with a little bit of pineapple juice. Super easy, try it out!

Dayton Timothy Campbell

Our family is so excited that Dayton finally made his arrival! Blake and I got to meet him today and he is so beautiful and so sweet! Its amazing how perfect little ones can be! We love him so much already. It will be fun for Blake to have a cousin close by! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 21 inches long. Dayton has lots of dark hair and his skin is so soft! Congrats to Tim and Abby! We love you baby Dayton!