The Walker Family

Hubba Hubba!

2010-06-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

So Ali and Avery went for their 6 month check-up today, even though they are closer to 7 months...I'm a little behind. They had their 4 month check-up about a month ago. Again, I'm a little behind. Anyway, a month ago, both of them weighed 18 lbs. exactly. Wow! They are chunky! Today, just a bit over a month later, Avery weighs 20 lbs. 4 oz. and is 28 inches long. Ali is 20 lbs. 3 oz. and 28.25 inches long. Holy cow they just gained 2 lbs. in a month!! They are both over the 97th percentile. A+ girls! I just have to laugh, they are so yummy. I knew they were heavy, but I didn't realize I was packing 40 lbs around!! I must be one buff monkey. (:

I like 'em big! I like 'em chunky!

My Owee-O at about the same age. He was always above 95 percentile in height and around 75 in weight. I don't know where they get it. (:

We survived!!

2010-06-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

On June 3 Ali and Avery turned six months old! Where did the time go!? Oh wait, it went to making bottles, washing bottles, feeding babies, wiping bums, changing diapers, washing clothes, burping babies, snuggling, kissing, rocking, buying diapers, buying formula, getting little to no sleep, getting sleep and wondering how I ever went without sleep, playing dress up (girls are so fun), taking pictures, and falling in love with my little girls more and more every day. It has been a crazy six months to say the least, but I think that life is finally feeling normal...whatever that really means. We decided that we needed to celebrate the fact that we made it and we are all alive! Most people that have twins say the first year is the hardest. So far I would say the first two months are the hardest. I don't think I really remember much about that time, probably delirious from lack of sleep. It has definitely been challenging but I absolutely love my kids.

Owen had a rough go at first but he is doing so good. The girls absolutely adore him. The other day he thought someone was leaving with one of his sisters and he had a bit of a come apart! I took that as a good sign because I think he might have shipped them back at first. (: During the past six months we also potty trained Owen! Wow, that was so much harder then I thought it would be, but he is a champ now! He has kind of turned back into a momma's boy. He was stuck to his dad's side for awhile but now he is my shadow. I love having him as my buddy. (: It's so fun to see him learning and figuring things out. He will say the funniest things and we just get a kick out him!

Ali and Avery are the sweetest babies ever! They put up with so much mauling and being passed around and kissed and loved on. They love it. Even when they aren't feeling good, there is always a big old smile waiting for ya. The only time they ever cry or fuss is if they are tired or hungry. They love love love their jumpers and never stop. You would think it would burn off a little baby fat but they are still as chubby as ever! We don't know if they are identical or not but they sure do look alike the older they get! They are so good natured and they just make us so happy!

My fam has informed me that they don't really care what I have to say on my blog, they just want to see more pictures! (They only love me for my kids) So here ya go...I don't want to hear any complaints this time because there are a ton! I didn't label many of them so in this first pic its Avery, Owen, and then Ali. If you want to figure out who is who, you'll have to try and base it off this pic! Or by binkis, Avery is pinky Ali is lime ricky.

My sister Em gave them these shirts, they say "My sister is my BFF" I love it!

Avery

Ali

First ever ice cream cone! He has a milk allergy so this was a big day for us!

I think I could submit this one in a contest or something I think it is so awesome!

The Beach-Part 3

2010-05-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the beach! I love the smells, I love the seagulls, I love the waves, I love the sand (I just don't like to take half the sand home with me...which we did.) One of our last afternoons we went to Huntington Beach. It actually wasn't all that warm. I was really windy and a bit chilly, but that didn't stop us! Owen absolutely loved it. He threw the biggest fit when it was time to go and at that point his skin was turning purple and he had goose bumps all over him. Ali and Aves pretty much slept through the whole thing but I couldn't resist an opportunity to put those chubby little girls in their swimsuits!

Playing in the sand!

Proof that Owen walks on his toes! My little twinkle toes (:

Getting a feel for the water.

I think Aubrey was trying to trick us! She told us to turn around for a pick and just then a wave came and hit us...thus the shock face.

I think this is my vote for favorite picture of the whole trip. I love my boys!

You can start to see the cold is starting to set in for O.

Sleeping peacefully away!

Dad and Aves

Mom and Ali

The whole fam!

Part 2- Disneyland!

2010-05-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

So the second half of our week was spent in sunny California at Disneyland! This was Jake's and my first time to Disneyland so we weren't sure what to expect. It wasn't what I expected but so much fun. Good thing we had the ride max experts with us so we went on lots of rides without much of a wait. I think the longest we waited was maybe 20 minutes. So the very first thing we did of course was go meet Mickey! We had been talking to Owen about Disneyland for weeks so he was all prepped and excited to go. So as we are waiting to see Mickey, I'm telling him that when we walk in the next door Mickey will be waiting and he can go give him a big hug. Anyone who knows Owen, knows that a hug from him is a pretty big deal. He doesn't just pass those out! Anyway, we walk in and O walks up to him all cautiously and just sticks his arms out and stands there waiting for Mickey to hug back. Mickey didn't see him so Owen was just standing there with his arms out and then he kind of looks at me. Then it was all over for any Disney character getting a hug from him. I think he felt embarrassed so he just came back and hung on to me. I love this pic because it shows O checking him out, but only from a distance. I felt bad for him, but really it was Mickey that missed out!

Owen and Tevon holding hands getting ready to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Like I said before, I didn't really know what to expect and one of the first rides we did was Pirates. Someone told me that I could take my babies with me on that ride. Great! Now all of us can go together...with the help of Grandpa Walker.

So we are riding along in this boat checking out the pirates and such. It starts to get dark and I can't see a thing. I'm holding Ali who is asleep and all of a sudden the boat goes down a big drop! Didn't see that coming! Poor Ali I think I squeezed a little hard because I was so worried about her. She jumped a little but other than that it didn't even phase her! In after thought, don't know if I would have took them on that ride if I'd known but oh well! They didn't seem to mind. (:

Aubrey decided Ali and Avery needed a pic with the Splash Mountain sign in the background as proof that their parents were crazy enough to take them to Disneyland when they were only 3 months old! We didn't take them on that ride...

Here is our crew that rode Splash Mountain together. They all just got done laughing because the poor sucker in the front just got soaked!

Jake and I should have saved our money because I think Owen's favorite part of the whole thing was riding the shuttle to and from the park. He would sit there and say Wee! This was after our first day and you can see it on his face that we wore him out!

The shuttle actually gave me a lot of anxiety. This was probably the hardest part of the whole trip with our three little ones. The shuttle ran from our hotel to the park every 20 minutes so we had to try and catch it just right because it doesn't sit around and wait. We always had to have someone help us because we had all our bags, a toddler, two babies, a double stroller, and ourselves to get on. Sometimes the bus would be packed but people were always so nice and when they saw our "circus" they would always give up their seats or help us get our stroller on. Nice to know there are still good people in the world!

The next morning was a very early morning. I think we were up at 5 to feed the girls and get everything packed so we could be to the park and get in early for the Magic Morning. We walked in the gates and their was Mickey Mouse again! This time there was no chance of Owen getting out to say hello!

Avery got to say hello though!

Owen loved the Small World ride. Once again he got to ride in a boat which he thought was great and this time I didn't have to worry about any big drops. I only had to sing the stinking song the rest of the day, lets be honest, I think I was singing it the rest of the week! He also really liked the Finding Nemo submarine ride.

Big Thunder Mountain- one of our favorite rides!

The entire time we were there, Owen was begging to go on the train. The only problem was, once we got on he was bugged because he couldn't see the train anymore! (: But it gave us a good chance to sit down and feed the bambinos.

Our last day in the park we did rides for Owen in the morning and then went over to California Adventure so we could ride some of the bigger rides. He didn't really care too much about Peter Pan, but he thought Dumbo was really fun and actually hit some targets in the Toy Story Astro Blaster ride. We saw Goofy but as you can see, he still wasn't sure about all the characters. (:

Ali loved watching the Dumbo ride

This was Owen's first roller coaster! The kiddo is so tall that he was almost tall enough to go on every ride in the park. He was tall enough for this one so I made him go on it with me. He got pretty nervous while we were standing in line and I was starting to wonder what he would do when we got to the front. He didn't get scared though so we hopped on and I kept telling him how cool and fun it was going to be. I don't know what he really thought but when I asked him afterwards if he wanted to do it again he said yes! We are in the fifth car back.

Over at California Adventure Owen saw McQueen and Mater which normally would have been the highlight of the day for him, but he was so tired and grumpy at this point that we just hurried and snapped a pic. Then we got to realizing that the poor boy was hungry! He wouldn't eat breakfast and then we were so caught up in everything that it was after one and he hadn't had lunch. Poor guy is just like his dad when he is hungry, a complete bear! Food cheered him right up though.

I absolutely loved being able to dress the girlies in sundresses. The weather was beautiful!!

We did some really fun rides at California Adventure. My fave was Soaring Over California which was kind of like a flight simulator thing. We also did the big roller coaster and the Hollywood Tower of Terror. When it was finally time to leave this is what our kiddos looked like...

It was such a fun adventure for our little fam. Of course we couldn't have done it without all the help. I have one more post to do of an afternoon we had at the beach, but Disneyland was definitely the highlight of the whole trip!

We Did It!!

2010-04-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Walker Family Vacation- Part 1

So I was very skeptical about making a 10 day, 2,000 mile, 40+ hour trip, with a 2 1/2 year old and 2- 3 month old twins. However I have to say I'm so glad we did it! It was so much fun and my kids are CHAMPS! They were so good in the car, in fact I think they were probably better than Jake and I. Granted we had alot of help from fam, without which, it literally would have been impossible. But I can count the total number of meltdowns on one hand. After this trip we feel like we can do just about anything! (: I wanted to break down the trip into different parts because I have lots of fun pictures and stories and I will get overwhelmed if I try to do it all at once.

We left on a Friday afternoon and drove as far as Ogden where we stayed at our friends house. Got up the next morning to cold, wet rain and hit the road again. Things were going well until it started to get really windy and then we hit a full blown snow storm. We had really bad wipers so it was pretty scary and I know we recieved lots of help through our prayers. We saw a HUGE wreck in the opposite lane with several semi's and at least 15-20 cars. It's the kind of thing that makes you sick to your stomach. We finally get to Cedar City where we are able to buy new wiper blades and of course didn't see another speck of rain or snow for the rest of the trip. We got to Vegas later that night, it was pretty cool to be driving in the dark through the middle of nowhere and then come around a bend and suddenly see all the lights of Vegas. We were very happy to be there!

We stayed in some condos that Jake's Dad has through his timeshare. We got in and got settled. Every night of our trip looked like this, Owen passed out in the middle of our bed, legs and arms sprawled everywhere and one or both of Jake and I taking an elbow or leg to the face at some point in the night. Ali and Avery are squished into one pack 'n play. Yes they were probably too big but we didn't have room to bring two beds. Their pack 'n play is pushed right up to my side of the bed so that when they stir I can lean over, give them their binki, and pray they will go back to sleep so I don't have to wake up and feed them. Sounds nuts but it was actually kind of fun to have all of us together like that. (:

The chickies in their bed.

Our stay in Vegas was pretty short but lots of fun. The best part was the pool! Owen was in heaven. It was a little chilly but we decided we could tough it out. There were several different pools, we mostly stuck to the heated ones. My fave was the lazy river. Owen just curled up on me and we floated around and around. So fun!

Chillin in the lazy river.

On Monday we did some great shopping and got some killer deals. I'm loving the outlet mall there. In the afternoon the boys all went golfing while the girls watched the kiddos. And then we switched that night and the girls all got to go to Phantom!! Due to some construction that we were unaware of we missed the first part of the show. But Aubrey was our Nascar driver and manuevered in and out of traffic to get us there asap. We only got dirty looks and honked at a few times! When we finally got to the Venetian we were at a dead sprint with some of the girls in heels (seriously don't know how we made it down the stairs without someone breaking their ankle)! Anyway, we got there just in time for my favorite song and the rest of the show was awesome! It was such a great night and we made some really fun memories. I still don't know how you missed that construction barrel Aubrey (:

The next morning we packed up and headed out to California! So this kind of what it looked like in our van. Yes I am a minivan mom at 24, it's kind of sad but after that trip the van is part of the family and I'm so glad we have it!

As long as O had his movie player he was good to go!

Ali and Avery catching a snooze in the car.

Stopping to burp and change the girls. Jake would pull over hop in the back and take one of the girls.

This is where I spent the majority of my vacation. Squished between the girls making dumb faces, singing annoying songs, and just trying to entertain the troops.

Double Blessings!

2010-03-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

On February 21 Ali and Avery were blessed by their Daddy. My mom made them the most BEAUTIFUL dresses and they were so sweet during the whole thing. They had lots of family there to love and snuggle them. My fam stayed with us and we had a full house! It was so much fun but my poor little Owen was sick and struggled most of the weekend. He sure was a trooper for feeling so yucky though.

This is a 5 generation pic with Jake's Great Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad. How cool is that!

The girls getting adored by their cousins. Notice the looks of adoration and the cameras (:

Owie with his Aunt Em

Jack and Ali and Zack and Avery

Aunt Nat with the chuba-bubs

Am I Crazy?

2010-02-15T20:25:00.001-08:00

So we have a dilemma in the Walker household. Jake's family has been planning a trip to Disneyland in March for over a year. We were really excited about it and then we found out we were having the twins in December so we thought that trip was out for sure..or is it? Do I need to check myself into a loony bin for even considering it?! Ali and Avery will be a little over 3 months and Owen is 2. Do we really want to drive 13 hours one way with 3 kids, 2.5 and under? (That doesn't even include stops for feeding and changing babies, potty breaks, or "if we don't stop for a break I'm going to pull my hair out!") The plan would be to drive to Utah and stay overnight, then drive to Vegas where we would stay for about 3 days and then keep going to California for the rest of the week. I keep trying to think through everything and ask myself, can we seriously do this? Yeah, we might survive but will we just be paying for a whole bunch of gas and food and park tickets just to go and torture ourselves? I don't know! I'd like to think it would be a really fun adventure and Owen would love it, especially Mickey Mouse, and the girls are such good babies that they would be pretty easy, but I don't want to be naive either! What to do, what to do? I've never been to Disneyland so I don't even know what to expect. I would love any advice or even a reality check if I'm just being a crazy person. (:

Avery and Ali snuggling at 7 weeks

This is how Jake found Owen one afternoon. He had been in playing with his blocks and fell asleep with the lid on his head! Too funny (:

My beautiful baby girls! Fatty Patty and Chunky Monkey

Owie chilling with his sisters. I absolutely love my kiddos.

Pics, pics, pics

2010-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

Life at our house still feels like survival mode! My mom went home a week ago...I got to keep her for 6 weeks and it was so amazing to have her. She is so good to us and we loved having her. We made so many good memories and that time we had together will always be one of my favorites. Avery and Ali are 7 weeks old now. Chunkin out and yummy as ever! Owen is starting to realize that they are around for good and has really started taking to them. (: He is pretty cute with them and likes to help burp them. I put lots of pics in this post and I don't have the time to go through and sort them so they are in a crazy order with just a little caption explaining them.

Ali snugglin with Grandma. This was her very favorite spot to nap (:

Avery bundled up and ready to go!

Avery kinda has Uncle Simon's haircut because she lost some of her hair but its really starting to make a comeback (:

Ali's has so much hair and it sticks straight up

Cuddle buddies

Owen checking on his sisters

Peekaboo!

Owen got blocks for Christmas and he absolutely loves them. All day long, "Mommy play blocks?"

Aves getting snuggles from Kenadee. Ken said she felt like she was wearing a diaper on her face (:

Em and Avery

Wow, ok I promise Ali gets held too but for some reason all the pics I used

are with Avery. This time she is getting loves from her cousin Brooklyn

Owen with his buddy Aiden. Tyler and Kaydee came to visit a few days after Christmas and it was so fun to see them!

Owen with his other buddy (and someday wife) Mia. Its not like Amber and I have plans for them or anything (: We love it when our friends are in town!

I think this is our first family picture all together.

I don't know why this turned sideways but this is the girls in their Christmas jammies!

Owen playing in the wreckage. He LOVES his McQueen jammies and it is not easy getting them off him in the mornings!

Look at that smile...I knew I hit the jackpot with this one

I just think this is funny.

Grandma with her little bear cubs

Christmas Eve dinner! I got to steal my parents and have them to myself for Christmas this year! My fam is pretty sure I planned the twins just for this reason (:

Owen making it hard for his daddy to sleep

Both my girls in the bouncer!

I had to put this on here because even though life is so crazy right now, times like this make it so worth it. Seriously, how many people get to do this.

Thanks so much Mom and Dad for everything!

My life is pretty much feeding babies, changing bums (3 of them!), and playing blocks. Getting a shower in can be tricky and sometimes I feel like I'm spread so thin. But when I get a smile or a sweet little coo or when Owen asks me if I went potty and then says, "Good job mommy, good job!" it makes all the tough moments seem not so tough. Love my little fam.

They're Here!

2009-12-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but they are actually here! Ali Jan and Avery Sue Walker graced us with their presence on Thursday, Dec 3 at 3:04 and 3:06 in the a.m. We thought we were going to be able to deliver the babies normally but at the very last second Avery flipped around breach so they came C-section. That of course was after I was dilated to a 7 and had gone through most of the labor process anyway! We are so proud of our girls! Ali was 6lbs. 14 oz. 18 3/4" and Avery was 6lbs 4oz. and 19". Big, beautiful, and healthy! It has been somewhat of a whirlwind since they got here and at the same time it seems like they have been here for such a long time. Owen is adjusting to being a big brother. He is a little jealous when Jake is holding the girls but has done pretty good. He seems so big now! My mom is here and we surely wouldn't survive without her. Our life is a little upside down right now but we are SO blessed and wouldn't have it any other way.

38 weeks 3 days- night I went to the hospital

Ali & Avery

Lots of dark hair! (Avery/Ali)

First snuggles with Grandma

Coming home...finally!

Proud Dad of his baby girls

Big bro Owen with Avery...

and Ali

Owen swaddled up just like his sisters (:

My beautiful baby girls!! (Avery/Ali)

Times a' Tickin!

2009-11-29T19:25:00.001-08:00

Thought I would get one last post in before I officially become a mom of three! I'm on the countdown. Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks prego which is actually past full term for twins. My doctor told me last week that if I don't have them this week then he will induce me at the beginning of next week. Yea and yikes at the same time! Definately ready but it also feels surreal. I'm pretty sure the hard part is in front of us but it is such a relief knowing that we made it without any complications and now we can relax and just let them babies come! We have been so blessed. We couldn't have done it without all the help. Our fams and friends have been SO good to us. It amazes me how caring everyone is. So thank you so much to everyone's help and prayers because we have felt all of them!

Now for some back blogging...Halloween was almost a Hallowasn't for us. Owen pretty much hated his costume and Jake and I both had a really big day so if it hadn't been for Ben, Aubrey, and the girls coming over to get us going we probably would have stayed home all night. But when Owen saw his cousins dressed up he decided his pirate costume wasn't all that bad so we headed out and made a few stops. Jake and I didn't dress up but we did have some really good ideas! If we weren't so worn out we would have done it. I was going to be a Double Stuffed Oreo and Jake a tall glass of milk! (: Get it...double stuffed? Would have been great!

So my cousin Josh who lives in England came to visit my parents for the month of November and he took a weekend to come visit us. It was so much fun! He came with my sister Em and we had a great time. Owen loved Josh even though Josh was trying to make him into a soccer player! (: We went to Devil's Canyon, shot clay pigeons, watched Cars with Owen at least 3 times and just hung out.

Thanksgiving was really low key. We had dinner with Jake's sister, Shelly and her fam. It was really nice. Then we spent the rest of the weekend putting up Christmas decorations! Jake is so funny when it comes to Christmas. He LOVES it. He has been trying to listen to Christmas music since the beginning of October but I don't let it go on too long. It's actually really fun because he loves to decorate and make everything feel Christmasy. Anyway so we are pretty much set for Christmas after Jake did the Black Friday thing at 3:30 in the morning. So there are still a few little things left to do but we are ready for Twinners and Santa Claus!

A Lotta Bit of Catch Up!

2009-10-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

There has been lots going on around these parts in the last two months. We are really enjoying our new house but there has been SO much to do. Of course like any house renovation, it takes longer, costs more, and gets old faster than you think it will! I hate to say that because I sound so ungrateful because I really am happy that we get to do all this work on the house but its a little stressful when you're racing the clock...or in my case a time the time bomb I've been lugging around! It gets frustrating at times because I want to be involved and do stuff on the house but often I don't have the energy or there are too many fumes or something. Jake has been superman. He works all day and comes home and works most of the evening on the house and usually gets Owen ready for bed for me. I seriously don't know what I would do without him! He has been my rock. At some point I will post a few before and after pics. Its all starting to come together and I know it will be worth it when its all said and done! Our fams are so good to us! Jake's brothers have spent Saturdays helping Jake. My mom has been here twice to help me paint and organize. Just last week she came with my sister and bro-in-law and we worked two and a half days straight to get a bunch of projects done. We wouldn't survive without fam!

So yes I'm having twins and just like this blog it has kind of been coming in second behind the house. People say all the time, I just can't imagine having two babies. My reply is, neither can I! Its our reality buying things in twos and trying to come up with two names but I seriously don't even know how to actually prepare to have them here. As uncomfortable as being pregnant can be, I'm pretty sure that is going to be the easy part! Its going to be tough but I am pretty excited to snuggle my two little girls. Another thing people ask me is if it feels different being prego with two. Uh yes it does. Actually it hasn't been until recently that that has been the case. I've felt really good so I can't complain. But my goodness these two are wrestling or doing jumping jacks or something in there! It's pretty crazy. I also feel so much more tired this time around. Its been kind of hard finding a balance between taking it easy and still getting all the daily house stuff done. In fact my house is most often in shambles. I walk over stuff all day just because I'm too lazy to bend over and pick whatever it is up! I also have to go to dr. appointments more often. I'm already going once a week plus I have to start getting non-stress tests at the hospital so they can monitor the babies. I get to see my little ones all the time because we have an ultrasound every check-up to check their heart beat. I have already had two super-hootie ultrasounds at the hospital where they go through and measure each little body part and will probably have one more in a couple of weeks. Ultrasound is always so cool but these ones take an hour and a half minimum. It seems to be a challenge for the tech to be able to keep track of which limb belongs to which baby because they don't hold still very well. (: Anyway, that gets a little uncomfortable after awhile and I usually have to stop for potty breaks! So its been a fun and also crazy experience so far. One night Jake said it almost like winning the lottery! How many people get to have twins. (: I thought that was pretty funny!

Owen has had a rough couple of weeks. Colds, coughs, teething, and our personal fav, hand foot and mouth. But he has been a little angel the last three days and quite frankly we deserve it after so many rough weeks!! He turned 2 at the beginning of October and had a really fun birthday. The little tikes police car we gave him totally tanked for the first couple of days...he didn't want to get in it and said no, I scared. Maybe it was the sirens or maybe he thought it would drive off with him in it but he no likey at first. His favs were the monster truck that makes all sorts of noise and chants "Bigfoot! Bigfoot!" (which he chants as well, thanks Em) and all the trucks he got. He loves them!
We also took his binki which wasn't fun at all but has been such a good thing, I wish we had done it sooner. He is also sleeping in a big boy bed and has transitioned so well. He is getting all grown up but he will always be my baby boy!

So if you have made it this far actually reading my blog than you are pretty good. I usually just look at the pictures. I didn't mean to go off and write so much but I obviously had a lot on my mind! Life is only going to get more crazy but we have so much to be thankful for!

Our First Place!

2009-08-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

So we finally have a little house to call our own and we are so excited about it! The day before we were moving my oldest sister, Natalie, calls me up and announces that they are coming to help us. We were so excited and thankful for all the help. It was so nice because I'm pretty much useless when it comes to carrying big stuff now and Owen had a bunch of buddies to keep him preoccupied and its always fun to have your family around! It was a big weekend but we got lots done and we had help from Shelly and Carl, Jake's family, as well so we were definitely taken care of. Thanks so much to everyone!!

The crew that came from Idaho to help us! And yes Natalie is my sister, my little "big" sister at that. (:

The guys worked so hard and it wasn't the coolest day out so we had to get their pic by the horse trailer. Troopers! (Obviously this is a reenactment)

Thanks again Nat! Love ya!

The boys helping out in the truck.

Taking a break for a movie and popcorn night!

Jonah and Owen posing on the slide.

Thank goodness for the sweet Super Nintendo Jake and I scored for free! Isaac is pretty much the master of Mario now.

So last weekend Jake and I were excited that we finally got to paint our very own first place. We went and got paint and got started at 11 pm Friday night. I fizzled out at 1 am and went to bed and Jake was going to finish the first coat and then come to bed. I woke up at 5 am when he finally came to bed!! The next morning I walked out to see that he had finished both coats and pushed all the furniture back and cleaned up all the paint mess. How awesome is that?!! He is the best and I love him.

These are just random pics of Owen cus I think he is the cutest ever. Jake likes to wrap him up tight in a burrito and I got a kick out of it, obviously Owen did too. (: The second pic is Owen after he ran through the sprinklers one night. The little stink!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!!

2009-08-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

TWO GIRLS!!! We had our big ultrasound on Wednesday and I was so surprised to find out that we are having two little girlies! I was pretty sure that I was going to have boys but that just goes to show you how much motherly intuition I have. It was so much fun getting to see all their little body parts. The ultrasound alone took an hour and a half. The kiddos were making it really hard for the tech lady to keep them strait. She kept getting them mixed up about which was which but we got it all figured out in the end! I think it is still sinking in that we are having girls but I'm so so excited! We have been laughing about how boys are so easy because you just throw on some shorts and a t-shirt, give them a truck and they are pretty much set. With girls there are so many accessories! Tights, bows, bracelets, dolls etc, etc! I hope I'm up to the challenge! I keep thinking about trying to get two little girls, hair and all, ready for church and I'm pretty sure we will never ever be on time again! (Not that we ever are...) It will be so much fun and Jake said he is prepared to get on the floor and play dolls with his girls so I know he will be a great with them. (: My belly is growing so much every day. I'm pretty sure I'm the same size now that I was when I had Owen and I still have about half way to go. Yikes! They are moving around tons and its our favorite thing to just sit and watch my belly jump and laugh. Owen still doesn't know whats coming but he has it down pat that we pray for Daddy, Mommy, Owie, and the babies every night. He will be a great big brother and I'm glad my girls have someone to look out for them as they grow up. (:

So my Mom, my sister Nic, and her three little girls came to visit the same day we got our big news and it was so fun to have them here. We pretty much just hung out but that is what we do best in Wyoming!

Chillin in the wagon. Halle got the raw deal sitting in the back. The ride obviously got too relaxing for Owen and Vienna.

We had a great idea for a photo op but the kids just did not want to cooperate!

Tubby time for the little greasers!

Tin lizzy, Awie, Venna, and Hayee

"Maga" washing Owen's grubby little feet.

Me and Nic were always "the little girls" in our fam and now I'm going to have my own set of "little girls". I love how Tynlee is accentuating my tummy. (:

Owen is getting used to being out numbered!

Crashing after a fun-filled week. He is so BIG! We love having fam come to visit and can't wait for next time!

P.S. Jake and I bought a house and we finally get to close and move in this coming week! Yea! It has some quirks we are going to have to take care of but we are really excited to be in our very own little home Wohoo!

Tynlee's Blessing Plus

2009-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

I've kind of been backtracking with my blog because so much has been going on but I still have older stuff I want to put on here. My sister Nichela and husband Trav blessed their third beautiful baby girl at the beginning of June and we were able to make the trip over to be there. They named her Tynlee and she is such a doll! She keeps getting chubbier everytime I see her and I've been told that she is keeping up with the trend. (: FYI- My mom made Tynlee's blessing dress just like she did with the other two girls and they are absolutely beautiful! Sadly, I did not inherit the talent for sewing. Anyway here are some of the pics from the weekend. It was so fun to see everyone and I can't wait to go back in two weeks!

Little Miss Tynlee B!

She did not want to wake up to play with me.

Tyns with her spunky big sis Vienna.

The cute little fam!

She was not too happy at this point but she was nice enough to let me get a pic in her dress (:

The Moms with their girls.

I'm pretty sure I'm her favorite aunt!

Owen playing with his buddy Peyton! They are 10 days apart.

On the way home we stopped at Upper Falls in Yellowstone just to get out of the car and stretch a bit. Owen thought it was pretty cool but didn't want to get too close to the edge.

The last stop we made on the way home was Wal-mart to get Owen a basketball hoop. He absolutely loves basketball and goes crazy whenever he sees a hoop. That didn't go over well at the blessing when the overflow was open and he could see the hoops from where we were sitting...needless to say we spent most of the time in the hall. (:

Check out that follow-through! His Uncle Heath would be so proud that O is shooting left-handed but Jake is working really hard to change that. I guess he doesn't want Owen to be a southpaw!

Nana and Papa!

2009-06-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago my parents came to visit and it was so much fun! I love it when they come because we get them all to ourselves and we don't have to share! (I know my sisters are thinking...you are so the youngest child :) We went to Billings one day and decided to hit the zoo, not the most amazing zoo I've ever been to but Owen still liked it. Mostly because he was with Grandma and Grandpa!

Owen sporting the cute lil hat my parents got for him.

This was a cool little tunnel at the zoo playground. Aren't I an amazing photographer!

I showed this picture to Owen the other day and he kept saying over and over, thas Nana, thas Papa, thas Oee. He didn't let me put the picture away for a good ten minutes! When I tried he would say no I want Papa, I want Nana.

Grandpa and O

Three amigos!

Those are the cutest bears I've ever seen!

My mom helped me plant a flower pot while she was here. She is the master behind my beautiful pot. While we were at the nursery she kept picking out all these flowers and I asked her if they were all going to fit into one pot. Sure they will!

So one day my mom and I were talking on the phone about flowers and I was trying to explain a flower that I didn't know the name of. She asked me if it was a dahlia and I had no clue and she said they are the ones that look like a curled tongue! So now every time I hear or dahlias that is what I think of! I made her demonstrate for the pic. (:

It was such a fun week and so hard to let them leave. I love my Mom and Dad so much and can't wait to see them in a couple more weeks!

Two heads are better than one!!

2009-06-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

So Jake and I got the shock of our lives this week! I am 13 weeks pregnant and decided it was time to go to the doctor. Everything went well and the last thing the doctor did before we left was an ultrasound. Just as he was putting the ultrasound on my tummy I told him, "Just don't tell me there is two in there!" Without even skipping a beat he said, "There's two in there!" We thought he was messing around with us because we could distinctly see 1 baby on the monitor. He was taking his sweet little time measuring and doing all that fun stuff when he moved the ultrasound and said, "Here's baby B!" We just about died! I said, "Holy cow! You're serious!" We were absolutely stunned. Jake and I kept looking at each other laughing and shaking our heads. It is pretty exciting and overwhelming and scary all at the same time, but we couldn't be happier. It's funny because after all the intial shock wears off you start to think about what "twins" really means...two cribs, two carseats, double the diapers, a bigger car...the list goes on! I know everything will work out. We have awesome family, friends, and support which makes all the difference. We are so humbled at this HUGE responsibility! The big day is December 14 so we have some time to get ready. We are going to have to move soon and my dad is pretty sure we are in need of a mini-van...I don't know if I can bring myself to that point quite yet! Owen will be 2 in October so we will have three kids two and under!! (: I have to laugh everytime I say that! Our life is definitely going to be turned upside down but it will be totally worth it! We took a few pictures of our ultrasounds, they aren't real clear but I wanted my fam to see them. Twin A was sucking his/her thumb in the ultrasound and we could see Twin B moving all around. Babies are absolutely a miracle! The third pic is both of their heads (the two circles at the top) and that is why the doctor wrote "two heads are better than one!"

Owen's 1st picture with the twins!

Puddle Yumping!

2009-06-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

So amazingly Lovell has been experiencing some rain for the last two days and I'm loving it! One, it gives me a great excuse to not weed the garden and two, I feel like I should get to read my book all day! However, we decided we needed a little fresh air and went for a walk in the rain today. Thanks for the great idea Nat! I guess you can see my flower pot now...that story is for another post but here is a pic of how gorgeous it is!

Sniffing the flowers

Anyone who knows me, knows that rain and my hair don't mix well...

So Owen and I bundled up and hit the puddles. It took one demonstration for O to figure out the art and I'm pretty sure he is the master now! This first pic is his take-off.

Look at that air! He has his mom's hops.

We stopped by to see Jake who was working close by and in attempt to show off his skills Owen fell on his little hiney. I kinda figured it would happen at some point!

This is the best. (: It was a good time and totally worth all the wet soggy clothes!

Easter and Yardwork

2009-04-16T13:20:00.001-07:00

So I know I just barely did a post yesterday but I have fam coming this weekend and then I get to go home for the whole next week. I know I'm going to have lots more pics I will want to post so I figured I better hurry and put some Easter ones on before they are old news!

Owen at Aunt Susan's easter egg hunt. I was amazed at how quickly he figured out what to do!

As you can see he didn't waste any time digging in. He has a Peep in his mouth and is ready for more!

Such a handsome fella! Oh and don't worry I don't feed my kid king size candybars. That was Jakes (:

So I was in charge of rolls for the family easter dinner and I was scared because I have never made them before. Pathetic I know. But they turned out so good and I was so excited! I'm not exactly the best homemaker in the world so this pic is for my mom so she can see the finished product! Thanks for letting be call you a buzillion times Mom!

This past weekend we worked out in the yard a whole bunch and it was so fun! I love working in the yard, I think its therapeutic for me. Owen loved it too. He helped me put leaves in the wheel barrow, push it over to the pile, and then he though he needed to ride back in it himself. He wasn't always helpful though, he sure thought it was funny to run through all the leaves I was picking up and scatter them everywere! And of course he had to get his dad to chase him around and wrestle with him. Love my boys.

This picture just makes me laugh and I had to share. Jake checked on O before we went to bed and this is what he found. Ouch!

Birthdays, Babies, and Big TVs!

2009-04-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

So I was looking through my camera and noticing it was almost at maximum capacity. I had some really fun pics on there so I decided it was time for another post. Ryan is Sam and Brandee's foster baby and he is so cute! (Sam is Jake's brother) He turned one at the beginning of the month and he sure loved his cake! We really hope that he is part of the fam forever!

These are the girls! Taycee, Brooklyn, and Alex were the official cake decorators!

Sam, Brandee, Taycee, and Ryan in his new birthday outfit. Wow! Whoever picked that out has some great taste. (: So fun!

I love this pic! But it scares me a little bit! I'm thinking if that can happen to Owen then I definately need to stop hanging out with Aubrey!

On April 7 Aubrey had her baby, Candace Carol Walker! She is such a little doll. Brooklyn and Alex got to come and sleep at our house while Ben and Aubrey were at the hospital and we had a lot of fun! They are such good kids.

Coming for a visit to see their cute new baby sister. Aubrey looked great!

So sweet!

Owen and Alex playing on the makeshift slide made out of a big box and watching cartoons on my bed!

So this post actually isn't about a big TV although Jake finally got the TV of his dreams. He has been saving for a long time now so I finally gave in. I don't know what it is about guys and big TVs but I could care less. Its just not my thing but sometimes you have to keep your man happy! So anyway this first picture is the before pic, but not of the TV, of the entertainment center. We were having issues about where to put the monstrosity because I didn't want it to be the huge focal point of our family room. Anyway, after a week of the TV sitting on the floor we got creative and transformed our old cheapo entertainment center into a new one! My handy manny Jake took out the middle shelves and used them to make it 4 inches taller so the TV could actually fit. It only cost us 10 bucks for paint and 3 bucks for new hardware! I feel so creative and thrifty!

Antsy for Summer!

2009-03-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

I am SO ready for summer it's not even funny! We had some awesome weather last week but now it is cold and blah again. I was thinking back to last summer and all the fun times we had and decided to post some pics to help me get through until spring and summer are here. These are some of the highlights and some of my favs.

Coach Webb's Wedding

My coach from college got married last summer so Jake, Owen, Mom, Dad, and I packed up and traveled to Couer d' Alene for his big day. I wish I could say it was a blast, but it wasn't really. No, it had some fun parts but Owen was so sick the whole time with hand, foot, and mouth and it kind of made it miserable for all of us. However, it was awesome to see a bunch of teammates and friends from the Northwest days and fun to have that time with my parents.

Birthdays!

Jake and I both have our birthdays in July so that is our favorite month. Expensive...but fun! (: We have lots of other family members with summer bdays and it just fun to be able to get together so much.

4th of July!

Another reason why July is the best month! I love the 4th! We went to a parade with our friends and then hung out at my parents all day with good food and fireworks that night.

Boating!!

I know this makes you itchy Em!

Woohoo! I can't wait to go boating! Last summer was the first time I wake boarded and it was so much fun. I should edit my video clip so it looks like I am this awesome, amazing, coordinated wake boarder...but lets be honest, I'm definately not. This was one of my more graceful wrecks though. ( I had to keep some of my pride!) Notice how compassionate my fam is in the background. (:

Ogden Canyon Vacation!

Jake's Dad and Stepmom took all the fam to this fun timeshare place in Utah. We had the whole week in some condos and it was such a good time. We went swimming, did some shopping, went to Hogle Zoo (spelling?), and battled a nasty ear infection with Owen. That last part not so fun.

My Family from England!

My mom is from England and her brother still lives there with his fam. They ALL came to visit last summer and it was such a blast! The best part was when we rented a cabin in Island Park so we could all be together. It was absolutely crazy but so much fun. We also went boating and did some sightseeing while they were here. I miss them and wish they were coming back this summer.

My Little Fam!

This was our first summer with Owen as a little family. I will definately remember it as one of the best. Although Jake and I were both pretty busy with school and Owen had issues with ear infections all summer long we still managed to have some really good times. Owen learned how to crawl on June 25, his Grandpa Walker's birthday and never stopped cruising from then. We went to the Rexburg air show which I would recommend because it was so fun. Everything else was just little things here and there, trips to the park, playing tennis, and going for walks but I think those were some of the best times. I know this summer will be fun and different in its own way and I am so excited!!

Go Duke!

2009-03-18T19:34:00.001-07:00

In honor of March Madness we thought we would make a post to say Go Duke! Although Owen may be just a little bit brainwashed by his dad, he is pretty much a true blue Duke fan!

Fun with the Fam Damily!

2009-03-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

My mom, Emily, and her kiddos came to visit us a few weekends ago and we had so much fun! They are the best for trekking all the way over here to see us, especially since we were all packed into my little house. As I was looking through all the pics we took it looks like all we did was lounge around in our jammies...true, but not completely true! Owen loved having his cousins to play with and I think he was kind of bored with me after they left. But the fun part was that Jake ended up buying a truck in Rexburg so we had to go to Idaho the next weekend to pick it up! Yea!! Two weekends with the fam and I'm a little worried I'm going to be going through withdrawls this weekend, especially since our little nephew, Jonah boy is turning two! Happy Birthday Jonah! We so wish we could be there for the party and the basketball pinata! Save a tootsie roll for us! (:

There are a TON of pics so be prepared!

Owen and Gage jumping in the crib. They were pretty excited to see each other!

My cute and getting so grown up neice, Kenadee with Owen

Snuggles with Grandma. Isn't my mom beautiful!

My cute and fun sista Em and Zack the master of the Wii

Zack showing O the ropes. Don't you love the old school game boy?

All the kiddos!

The boys with their binks.

Owen found a nice little nook to snuggle into!

Lunch at Irma's!!! One of our most favorite places to eat is the Irma hotel in Cody. It is so dang good! Its a pretty fun atmosphere too because its the hotel the Buffalo Bill built back in whenever. Only we decided that if you want to work there you have to have either no teeth or really bad ones!

This is pretty funny. Notice Gage with the little impish smirk. That little boy has plans....

Guess I should have warned Kenadee huh?! (:

Gage sportin my red shoes that he dug out of the closet. They are definately a good look for him!

Thanks to Owen and Gage I don't even need to wash those doors anymore!

I love my fam, they are so much fun. There were so many other pics I wanted to put on here but it was taking forever! Thanks for coming you guys! I will see everyone when Nic has her baby yea!! Oh wait, I guess I'll see Nat and Dave when the semester is over right? Nat, you can go ahead and plan on having my watch ready by then. (:

Messing around

2009-02-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

Our family is easily entertained...pictures as proof.

He looks so sweet and innocent right here. Oh how decieving looks can be!

Jake and Owen trying to figure out the dish. We finally have TV!!
LOST, where have you been all my life?

We are a pretty good looking family!

This is the 4-wheeler that Owen drives all over the house. His favorite thing to do is to go for my feet, which he is very accurate with! Or else try to drive over the pile of stuff I am trying to sweep off the floor. Little stink!

My boys wrestling. (:

Owen is really into grabbing our faces and attempting to pull off our skin when we wrestle. It hurts so bad! Jake's smile is leftover pain face from Owen doing just that!

Jake made me a heart-shaped pizza for Valentine's. Precious.

It's official...we're bloggers!

2009-02-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

Yea! We finally have a blog. I guess moving and getting sick of unpacking and organizing is good for something! You'll do just about anything to be too busy to get around to the other stuff! (: Jake, Owen, and I are now Lovellites...never ever thought I would say that but it has been really good. We are moved in and have most of the essentials put away. It's kind of fun to have a new space to put your stuff and decorate. Owen was feeling a little lost at first. I think he was a little concerned about where all his stuff was and not sure what to do with himself but he is finally coming around. I think the fact that he has room to ride around on his little 4-wheeler has definately helped him get over it. Jake is working "like a man" again. He came home and rubbed his rough hands on my face to prove it. I think he was getting sick of me teasing him about soft banker hands. He is working with his dad building houses and really liking it despite the cold Wyoming weather! I get to stay home with Mr. O and I absolutley love it! He keeps me busy and keeps my laughing all day long. He is developing quite the little personality. Sometimes that is good sometimes its not! We miss Idaho and our fam there but we also know we are supposed to be here and love having time with our fam here.Owen wanted to make sure we made it to Wyoming safe.

My Mom and Dad helped us get all our stuff there. They were such troopers! Drive all day, unpack in -15 degree weather, go without showers for a day and a half due to frozen pipes, and run two doors down to go to the potty! (: We love them so much!

2 weeks in and we still don't have TV!! Owen has one Baby Einstein movie that he loves and watches over and over...it is getting really old! However he must have been a little bored with it this day because this is how I found him when I came to check on him. So cute!