Family there is no greater blessing

Brian Hurt His Knee

2011-02-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged for a LONG time, but I think in this situation we have with Brian this is the easiest way to let everyone know what's been going on. So here is the story from start to finish for all of you who don't know. Keep in mind this is through my eyes. I know it is long!

Saturday Jan. 29th

Brian goes to referee some games at the church and our ward was playing one that day too, but Brian hasn't been playing this season. He has been the coach. He decided to play due to a shortage of players. According to other people there he was in about 2 min when he went down. Originally he had thought someone ran into his leg but other players on our team said no one was even near him. He just turned wrong. I got a call and it went like this: Brian"I did something stupid. I decided to play" Me" oh no what happened" Brian " Can you take me to the hospital?" ME "are you serious?" Brian" no rush just when you can"

Me and the kids went down to the church and 2 men helped Brian out to the car. We came home and I went running around the neighborhood to find someone to watch the kids while I took Brian to the ER. My friend Debra and her family took the kids. When we got to the ER I had to get a wheel chair because he could not bear any weight on it at all. We got right in. They sent us to do x-rays and the Dr came in and wrenched his knee back and forth and it looked very painful when he did that. He said I don't think you did anything to it. There is a chance you tore your ACL but that is not likely. I will send you to an orthopedic dr and he can tell you for sure. They put a stupid flimsy brace on it and said go home. I tried to get him in the car but it was near impossible. When we got home we realized they didn't even offer us crutches. So I went back thinking how miserable it was going to be trying to help him around everywhere. I didn't get his prescription filled because the pharmacy was closed. We thought we would wait until the next day to fill it.

Sunday Jan 30

Brian decided he want to go to church with the stupid knee brace that wont stay on and crutches. He did ok and we decided to hold off on the prescription.

Monday Jan 31

Even though Brian was icing it a lot he woke up on that day and his leg was quite swollen and looked like it was getting bigger and bigger each day. We also knew when we woke up that it was going to be impossible for him to work at least for a week but he wanted to go down there and see if he could try to get in and out of the truck. Well that failed. It wasn't going to happen. We got an appointment with the orthopedic dr and it was miracle that we got one on Wednesday. He was really feeling a lot of pain that day but stuck with Advil.

Tuesday February 1

Brian leg has gotten even bigger and he is stressing out about missing work. He is also very antsy and drives to the Verizon store by himself. At this point he is still in pain but dealing with it by taking Advil

Wednesday Feb 2

When we had made the appt. we asked them how long they thought the appt. would last and they said 45 min to an hour. So we went ahead and took the 2 girls with us to the dr. We got there and the girls were doing great, but we waited an hour just to get in to see the dr. We saw Mitchell Larsen. He looked at it and said well it looks like you tore your ACL and MCL but I want to get an MRI and you can do it right now just down the hall. He told us that his leg was so big because it was full of blood and that it needed to be drained. So before we got the MRI the PA came in with a huge needle and drew a bunch of blood out of his leg. It was so gross and I had to cover Brian's eyes so he wouldn't freak out. Then we went to the MRI and waited an hour to get into that. Then he was in the MRI for a half hour. The girls were getting restless so we went on a walk and got some snacks out of the vending machine. Then we had to go back to the dr office to see the results of the MRI. We waited another hour. When we saw dr Larsen he said well it is worse that I thought it was it looks like it is your ACL MCL and your Meniscus is torn and flipped. He said because of the extend of all the damage we need to do surgery right away. How does tomorrow sound. We were pretty shocked but of course said yes. He said that he would have him rest for the weekend and the start walking and Physical Therapy on Monday. A 1 hour visit turned into a 4 hour visit. When we got home we had to make a million phone calls arranging a babysitter and cancelling preschool. Jody Brian's cousin was nice enough to come stay with the kids while we were gone. We called our Home Teachers and neighbor to come give him a blessing. Any hope of him going back to work any time soon was out the window.

Thursday. Feb 3

We left at 1230 right when Jody got there ( the kids were so excited to have Jody there! ) We went to Provo to have the surgery in an out patient surgery center.We waited about 30 after checking in to go back and get him ready. He leg was quite big and had filled up with blood again. Brian was feeling good, but a little anxious. They took him away and told me the surgery would last 90 min. I left and got something to eat and came back 90 min later and waited another hour. I was a little surprised that it was taking so long for the dr to come talk to me. I was the last person in the waiting room and dr Larsen came in and said there was more damage than we thought. We had to repair the ACL with a cadaver tendon because we there was no good ones for us to use of Brian's. The MCL was more damaged than they thought, but they don't repair those and so he would not be able to walk for 2 weeks so that it would give that time to heal. The Meniscus he took out. He said he was surprised that all the tissues and surround his knee were so damaged. That is why the surgery took so long. Him and the PA thought is was amazing that he was only on Advil for the 3 days previous. I was expecting for the nurse to get me soon after the dr left but it was a while till she came. By this time it was 6. We thought we would be home by 5. When I went into recovery Brian was having a hard time so it ended up being 4 hours till we were ready to go home. They did a nerve block on his leg so he wouldn't feel pain in his leg for 24 hrs. When we got him up to take him home we notice that the pillow under his knee was soaked with blood and water. That was a concern but they told us it was fine. We got home at 10:30 and Jody had done such a good job taking care of everything that day and we couldn't tell her enough how much we had appreciated her help that day. Brian had a good night that night.

Friday Feb 4th

I had been concerned with his bandages still and couldn't let go this feeling of something wrong with that. I couldn't imagine that his bandages being wet could be a good thing. I waited until the surgery center call because I knew there were going to check on him and I thought that I could get them to do something about my concerns. They told me that I needed to call the dr's office so I did, but because it was Friday the dr's and pa's were gone for the day. She put me on hold for a long time and came back on and said blow dry it. I was stunned. What was that going to do? I was not satified with that so she put me on hold for a long time and came back on and said the pa would call me. He called me and said go to the store and buy some ABD bandages on the top of it. I was stunned again. What is that going to do soak up the water? I was not satisfied with that either. Then he said then you have to change the bandages. Go to the store and buy some ace bandges and re wrap it. I asked him what if the sterile white bandage are wet then what? He said don't touch those. I hung up the phone and cried and told Brian I wasn't comfortable doing that. After a couple of hours the pa called back and right away said did you do it? and I said NO I am not going to take the chance of something going wrong. He said good I had arranged for a nurse at the ER to change them for you and they wont charge you. I had to call Jody back and get her to come up from Payson to watch the kids again. I was worried about taking him because the nerve block had worn off and he was very drowsy from the meds. I hated to take him out and put him through that but I knew it needed to get this taken care of. We arrived at the ER and luckily got right in. She took off the brace and unwrapped the bandages and the Polar care machine that ices his leg was leaking and that is why it was all wet. I knew it! I knew something wasn't right. His sterile white bandages were wet also and very bloody. I called the surgery center because that is where we got the machine and told them I needed a new machine right away. I left Brian at the ER and went to Provo to pick up the new machine and got back to the ER and she had changed all the sterile dressing and then we put it all back the way it was, except now we had new dry clean bandages and I could breathe a sigh of relief. That night sure took a tole on Brian. He was in a lot of pain through that night.

Sat Feb 5th

Brian has been in a lot of pain and hasn't wanted to talk much to anybody and hasn't wanted to see any one, but I think each day will get better and better. The kids have been amazing though all of this. Max has been such a big help and has really stepped up despite his own anxiety. Our kids have all shown us so much love and have been so patient with everything. I am so grateful for all of our friends and family. We have felt so much love an support though all of this. I can't say it enough Thank you Thank you !

2009-08-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

I having a SALE!!

I found these cute old antique windows. They are hot right now! I have seen them all over the place as decorations. I have single pane, two pane, three pane (as seen in the picture above), 4 pane and 6 pane. Normally they start at $50, but right now through October they will be $25 and up depending on how many panes you choose. You can pick any color of vinyl and any saying. Look at my other blog for ideas. expressionsbyeloise.blogspot.com

Could it be?....... Spring

2009-04-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

I am afraid to even say the word for fear it won't really be true. Could it be spring? I hope so. I keep telling Brian not to put the snow shovel away. I am certain there will be one more big snow before we can relax. I took this picture of my tree in the front. I love it's pretty blossoms! I had a very cold and snow spring break at the farm but loved being there anyway. The cold temperatures didn't slow down Max one bit. He took every advantage he could to go out on the farm. His favorite part was driving the 4-wheeler. Here is a slide show that shows all the things we have been enjoying this spring. Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad's

2009-03-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

I am Enrichment leader in our ward and we decided for our dinner for the Relief Society Birthday we would do the sweet pork salads from Cafe Rio. It turned out amazing and all the sisters were ranting and raving about how good it was. We had so many people request the recipe and so I thought I would share them all with you! The dressing is the exact kind that Cafe Rio uses! That's one of my favorite parts of the dinner. Enjoy!

Sweet pork
3-4 pounds of pork loin
1 cup brown sugar
1 bottle red taco sauce
1 TBL. Cumin
1 can of coke
Cook pork on low in crock pot with above ingredients for 12 hours or overnight. Shred
pork. Strain liquid, then add the liquid back into shredded pork.

Rice
2 c. chicken broth
4 1/2 c. water
3 c. rice
6 chicken boullion cubes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt or powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder or salt
1 Tbls. dried parsley
Add all ingredients to large pot/pan. Cover with lid and bake 1 hour at 400 degrees. Stir
half way through cook time.

Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix (buttermilk recipe)
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayonnaise
2 small tomatillo, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 small jalapeno (seeds removed), chopped
Blend in blender. Add additional mayo if dressing is too thin.
My family likes this sweet pork recipe better (it's more work, but i do like the flavor!):

Another Sweet Pork Recipe
3 lbs. rump pork roast (from costco ... comes with string tied around it)
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 TBL. dried minced onion
Cook all ingredients in a crock pot all day (low). 1 hour before serving, remove meat and
shred, discard juice. Put shredded meat back in and add:
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. red enchilada sauce
Warm for 1+ hour on low.

To assemble the salad first you put a tortilla on the bottom then the sweet pork, rice, and beans (black or pinto which ever you like best). Then you put lettuce and top it with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cilantro and whatever else sounds good to you and then use the dressing. UMMM it is GOOOD!

An interesting lunch

2009-02-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

At Manila Elementary they have "take your family to lunch month". Max has been begging me to go to the school and have lunch with him. I gave him a million reasons why I couldn't and then....
I gave in. I thought to myself, it won't be THAT bad right? Turns out it was wonderful. The girls loved it. It was interesting though that the kid sitting next to Saydee was eating things off the floor and the kid across from him was daring him to eat the grossest thing he could find off the floor. That happened to be a Kelsee's chewed up peperoni! eeeewww gross! I also found it interesting the whole school lunch trade. One kid traded his cantaloupe for a Hersey kiss and another traded a pizza crust for an extra chocolate milk. Another interesting fact is that Max didn't get a milk. I asked him why didn't you get a milk, he replied, oh I have never gotten my milk this whole year. I continued to lecture him about how I pay for him to drink a milk every day and from now on he had better drink his milk! The girls and I had fun playing at the play ground with Max. All in all we had a very interesting lunch today!

The ginormous Mathews family

2009-01-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

These pictures were done by Shawn Frehner the day of Max's baptism. We were missing two people but you have got to admit, this family is getting HUGE! The best part about it is I love every moment I get to spend with this crazy family! They are the light of my life! I love every single one of them dearly!

We wish you a Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

WOW! We have a lot to report. We had a very big weekend with my family. Most important our first and oldest child Max was baptised! It was a very special event. He was able to share his day with his cousin Shayla Mathews. His Grandpa Mathews said the prayer and Uncle Dann gave a talk on baptism and his Pop gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and his Grandma Vicki ( the wonderful and most talented) wrote a song for his baptism and Uncle William sang it for us. Here is the words to the song.

Today I choose to follow Him, Jesus Christ, who died for me.
I choose to keep His commandments so His spirit will be with me.

Chorus:

Through the priesthood I am baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
I want to remember how I feel this day. Help me as I try to live like Thee, I pray.

Jesus left me the path to walk; my parents taught me right from wrong.
At times I'll make a wrong choice. I can repent, and learn to be strong.

Sing chorus again.

I'll learn to hear the Holy Ghost; whisper things you'd like to say,
to lead and guide and comfort me; to know of thy love every day.>

It filled the room with the spirit! Lots of thanks to everyone who participated and made it an unforgettable day for our child!

We took family pictures (it was impossible to get EVERYONE to smile!)

My family did the Christmas program in sacrament meeting. It was neat to hear my brother report his mission. We all sang in the Christmas program inculding the kids.

On the way home we went sledding with Brian's sister Keri in Cedar City and we were able to make it home safe and sound despite a huge snow storm that we had to battle the whole way. We are so blessed this holiday season, with love from friends and family. We don't know how we would get by without the support of all of you. We are so grateful that we have the Savior in our lives and that we have guidance from him. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy from this holiday season!

she talks

2008-12-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

Kelsee has started talking a lot. I wanted translate for you the things that we understand that she says.
Daeee- Daddy
cut cut- drink
doe doe- Dora
cocky- Rocky (our dog)
shshshis shshshis - could be shoes and could be socks
She does say other things but we haven't figured out just yet what they mean. 18 months is such a fun age we all enjoy all the new things she is learning.

Just another side note: Max will be baptised in Pioche next week along with Dann's homecoming and a Christmas program provided by the very talented and large Mathews Family. All are invited to attend!

2008-12-10T13:21:00.001-08:00

If any of you are interested in ordering for Christmas I have started a blog for my business
expressionsbyeloise.blogspot.com. Thank you Brianne for your help!

Getting in the Christmas spirit

2008-12-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Our family has a Christmas tradition to go see the lights at the Salt Lake Temple. It puts us in the Christmas spirit. We finally got our Christmas tree up and Brian is determined to put lights up outside still. I am sure they will look amazing when it gets done.

Kelsee liked the lights but she cried when she had to get out of the stroller that why she looks so mad.

I also wanted you all to see our very talented and vivacious Saydee preforming her favorite song in Sleeping Beauty!

I learned something new!

2008-12-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

Last week for Thanksgiving we went to Rio Rancho New Mexico to visit Brian's sister Kristi. Here are 10 things I learned!

#1- The stop lights are side ways.

#2- A lot of the houses there Adobes and southwest style landscaping.

#3- Saydee LOVES Mackenzie
#4- Kristi hates dogs.

#5- Max and Broox love to do whatever Conor is doing and always followed him around.

#6- Spencer is the blogger of the family and is a really good kid. Thank you Spence for taking such good care of our kids! Maddison loves to give hugs hugs and more hugs.
#7- Kelsee traveled good but we found out she really doesn't like to be away from home.

#8- We learned that the Caldwell's house flooded and we saw first hand how much work it takes to put it back together.

#9- New Mexico is known for it's green chilies. We were able to try them out at Twisters. Yum!

#10- We learned we get along really good with our relatives in New Mexico! We had a great time bowling, shopping, going to the movies, playing games and don't forget Thanksgiving dinner. It was amazing. Brian fried an yummy turkey and we had lots of good food. In the end it was totally worth the 12 hour drive!

Twilight

2008-11-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

So yes in case you were wondering I am one of "those" people who went to the midnight showing of Twilight. I have to admit I am a huge fan. Some of the women in our ward went to dinner at Olive Garden before the movie. It was fun we talked about what our expectations were for the movie. Mine were very low. I just couldn't see how they could make the movie like the book because they book was so amazing and I thought even if you left out the tiniest detail that it could even compare.

So we decided to go to the Pleasant Grove theater knowing it was probably the only theater in Utah county that wasn't sold out. We waited an hour in our seats with a lot of teens before it started. One of my friends had a package from her husband that had black nail polish, caffeine drinks, vampire teeth and more. It did keep us busy. Thank Ben!

So what did I think of the movie? I did like it not love it but liked it. These are my favorite scenes. The baseball scene.

And the scene with James in the ballet studio.

These are the characters that I was pleasantly surprised that were better than I expected.

Carlisle and Victoria. I did think they did a good job with Bell. All in all it was a very fun girls night out and wouldn't mind doing it again.

So the question is will I go see it again?

Yes defiantly and maybe even talk Brian into going with me, but not anytime soon.

Some exciting news

2008-11-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

We are so proud to announce that Kelsee has FINALLY walked at the ripe old age of 18 months!Enjoy our video of the exciting moment.

We would also like to share with you a picture of Broox with glasses! We found out he is blind as a bat, but we love him anyway!

The cutest darn duck ever

2008-11-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat?

Isn't Kelsee the cutest duck you ever saw?

She did so good with her first time trick or treating. She sat in the stroller the whole time and never made a noise except for the happy giggle when one of the kids would shove candy in her mouth. It even rained on us and no one complained.

This is Max our scary wolf.

Of course this is Broox our Darth Vader. He is really into Star Wars.

Don't forget our chicken Saydee. She is the the one who got the most comments. When we got the the steps I would say "go chicken go" and she would get of the stroller and run up to the door. One of the times I didn't say it and she made sure to remind me to say it before she got off because she liked it so much! What a day we had so much fun all of us!!! We hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween.

I was telling my mom about how I was so shocked when Saydee brought in a rose from my rose bushes. I have never had my roses bloom this late in the year. Saydee and I were very excited and knew my mom would be too because we know how much she likes all our rose bushes!

P.S. Brian doesn't want me to make a big deal out of this but it is his birthday today and we love him so much, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOWEN!

Fall Festivities

2008-10-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the HEE HAW farm. It was so nice to be together as a family because life has been so busy lately. Max's favorite part was the pedal carts and the corn canon. Max got picked to get in the pin and catch a pig. He did manage to get one but couldn't hold on to it long enough. Broox loved the animal train and the big slide. Saydee loved the animals especially petting the bunny rabbit. Kelsee had fun in the corn box. I liked the hay ride except I wanted to jump on the tractor and drive it. Brian's favorite part was the corn maze. He kept getting us lost on purpose!!

We celebrated another birthday, our Saydee Lady turned three! I got the Sleeping Beauty movie and she became obsessed! Needless to say we did a Sleeping Beauty birthday party for her complete with cake, balloons, and party hats! It was obvious what to get her for her birthday, a Sleeping Beauty doll, clothes and coat. It was a fun party!

2008-10-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

The school pictures are here! Last week Broox finally learned how to ride a bike. He had asked me in June to help him learn how and it was difficult so he gave up. After all the other boys his age in the neighborhood started to ride a "two wheeler" he got motivated again to give it a try. So with 7 other little boys cheering him on and without any help from mom he got on and he did it! If any of you know Broox you can only imagine his excitement. Lets just say he was over the top animated when he he said " I can't believe it!" So here is video of his worldwide debut on his green hot wheels two wheeler bike. Jody now you have a riding partner for when you get home!!

Just us girls

2008-10-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

I love digital scrapbooking!!! I just got the girls pictures done. Hopefully the boys pictures will be here soon. Enjoy!!

First

2008-09-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

It is always exciting when your oldest child achieves one of his "firsts". As a mother I am going through it for the first time also. It is both scary and wonderful. I remember when ...

Max ate his first foods

First Christmas

First Birthday

First day of Preschool and first crush, his teacher

First day of Kindergarten

First trip to Disneyland

Lost his first tooth

This past week we had another first. His first time at scouts. It happened to be the famous PINE WOOD DERBY. Brian, Max and I shaped and painted our first ever derby car in 2 hours. We had no confidence in his little red car. We weren't even sure if it would make it down the track. Brian and I were nervous the first time his car car was up. To our complete amazement he WON! The look on Max's face was priceless. All three of us looked at each other with huge, goofy, grins. We could believe it. He kept up winning and winning and each time it was shocking! What a great night. Max said " I love scouts, it is so fun!"

Max is 8

2008-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

We celebrated another birthday in the Bowen house over the weekend. Max turned 8 on Sunday the 21st. We (I mean I) threw Max a birthday party with all of his friends (14 to be exact). He got lots of neat stuff. All of his friends knew that he loved money so he got a lot of it. Brian and I got him a new bike. He looks so little on it but he can ride it like a pro! The reason I said I threw him a party is because Brian had a friend call at the last minute and had an extra ticket to the BYU football game. He did have fun at the game and I was glad he went, but I will admit it was crazy with all those rowdy boys! Max is a sweet boy and we love him very much. Happy birthday bud!

Fun in Cedar City

2008-09-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went to Cedar City. The first thing I did is get up early and go to Sky Fest with Larissa and her kids. It was neat to see the balloons set up and take off. We were able to get real close. There was no wind so a lot of them hovered over us and even landed right by us.

After the balloons we had Larissa's kids and Kerri's kids come to our hotel and swim. This is Tanner and Max doing flips into the pool . The kids had a blast!

The next thing we did is we went to the church and Brent (Brian's Dad) ordained Nolan (Brian's Uncle) to a High Priest.

Then it was Tanner baptism.

I don't know if you could fit anything else in one day but we managed to get in some quality time with Grandma and Pop. The kids soaked in every second they could spend with them.To top it all of Kelsee had the time of her life riding in this wagon at Kerri's.

Labor Day weekend

2008-09-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Before we left for Labor Day we managed to fit it a dinner with our best friends from Arizona between me getting ready for my craft fair and having Enrichment night in my backyard and Brian installing our new dishwasher. I honestly don't know how we got everything done but we sure had a good time with our friends the Gresko's. We went to Max and Cheese a cute kids cafe we like to go to in Orem.I did the craft fair on Saturday while Brian and the kids attended our family reunion in Panaca. The craft fair was a success! I was able to make it to the reunion for the dinner and the couples obstacle course competition. Brian and I thought we had everyone beat with a time of 1min 29 seconds until Charles and Anya went and beat us with their time 1min and 20 sec. This is Max and Broox with their cousins Aden and Andy. There was someone at the fireworks that said look at those 2 sets of twins.
This is Michele and Kezie at the parade. Poor Kezie got bit!
My parents at the parade. If you haven't seen my dad for a while you might not recognise him.

I did the truck decals for my dad.
I took this picture of the farm where I grew up while the boys played.
My sister-in-law Anya and Anika and Aden

Charles, my Mom and Laurel being silly at the fireworks. I have to say this tiny town in Southern Nevada really out did themselves this year with the fireworks. They really put on a show. It was awesome!

Andy and Max were having so much fun playing on the farm while I read my book.

On the way back we stopped in Cedar City and had lunch with Keri (Brian's sister) and her family at the park. It was so good to see them.

One of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was when I stayed up late playing Farkle with my family and was glad Cody could join us! I hope you all had a fun and safe weekend also!

Sad or Cute?

2008-08-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is sad or cute, I haven't decided! Kelsee has been teething. She has 4 teeth coming in at once, two of them molars. She has been waking up during the night. One morning I got up and I check to see if Kelsee was up. She was still sleeping and I noticed an empty bottle in her bed so naturally I asked Brian if he got up during the night and got Kelsee a bottle and he said no I did not hear her cry and I said that I hadn't either. Very confused I asked the only other adult living in the house, Nicki, if she got Kelsee a bottle during the night and she said no. So I asked the boys did you get Kelsee a bottle during the night they said no. So that left Saydee. I asked her, did you get a bottle for Kelsee during the night? She very casually said yes. I about died that my 2yr old got up with my 1yr old and went all the way down stairs in the middle of the night, in the dark, opened the fridge, climbed up to the top shelf where the bottle was and walked all the way back up the stairs, in the dark and gave the bottle to her sister and went back to sleep and apparently her baby sister went back to sleep also!

2008-08-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what I was doing at this exact moment in time nine years ago on August 20th ?

This and this
and this

The smile on our faces says it all. FOUR kids and NINE years later, I am still married to my best friend. These picture remind me of the true happiness and overwhelming joy that we felt on that day when we were sealed in the St. George temple. We look so young and I better not have anyone making fun of my gloves!!!! Happy anniversary Brian, I love you!

What were you doing on this day nine years ago?

First day of school

2008-08-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Just when I was teeter tottering on the brink of insanity, the first day of school came. It could be compared to Christmas. I love my boys dearly, but it's nice to have the quiet one on one with my girls. I love it when they come home all refreshed and happy to see me! The teachers are amazing and think that they are heaven sent! It is so nice to get into a routine again.
Max is in 2nd grade and his teacher is Mrs. McBride.
My shy, full of worries child is off to face 2nd grade. He is excited about his teacher but would turn away when she tried to talk to him. He is disappointed that his best friend is in another class but said he got to play with him at recess. He stepped up as the big brother and told Broox all pointers in how to get through all day school.
Broox is in 1st grade and has Miss Spadafora. He is excited as you can see! He loved eating lunch at school and says " I like the grilled cheese and chocolate milk." He had 5 kids from the ward in his class and 2 kids from kindergarten. He has already made a new friend and says one of the girls in his class is "hot" but can't remember her name!

Saydee had a hard time and kept wanting to go with them. She kept saying but I want to play with them. I told her she could come to my school and she could play with Kelsee. That seemed to satisfy her for the time being.

2008-08-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The summer is officially over for us! Since I started the blog half way through the summer we thought we would do "Our summer in review from A to Z"
A- Always keep your shoes on at Grandma's so you don't get pokies
B- Bowen family reunion
C- "Catch the ball, Max" He was in coach pitch.
D- Dinosaur museum
E- Eloise had a birthday
F- Fireworks Brian's summer side job
G- Going to Kangaroo Zoo was fun
H- Had to go to the P.G. pool all the time
I- It was all about the goggles at the pool
J- Just have to go to the crash derby
K- Kelsee got some teeth
L- Lagoon
M- Mowing the lawn w/our riding lawn mower, thanks to Flatnose Ranch!
N- Never a dull moment with 2 dogs plus 4 kids plus all the kids on our street
O- Orem Owlz baseball games
P- Pop took the boys to the drag races
Q- Quiet, not so much!
R- Rosco grew a bunch
S- Swimming lessons
T- Turning six (Broox)
U- Under estimated Max's love for the farm
V- Vinyl (so much work to do)
W- Water fights and water guns
X- maX & brooX best buddies and worst enemies
Y- Yummy all the ice cream gummy worms and popsicles.
Z- ZZZZZZZZZZ never got to bed on time!

Nicole Duffin

2008-08-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is Nicole Duffin. She lives with us. She is a friend of Brian's. Brian met the Duffin family on his mission and just last year got back in touch with them. Nicole just recently moved from Idaho and need a temporary place to live. It just so happened that right when she needed a place to live, Clayton (Brian's brother) had just moved out of our basement the week before, sooo.... the room was still empty. We thought we would give it a try and see if it was going to work out. It has been 3 months now and needless to say it has worked out great. She is single and has a dog named Rocky. The kids absolutely love her dog. They always ask her if we can trade her dogs. Saydee loves Nicki! Kelsee has warmed up to her quite nicely. She is a weight loss counselor at LA Weight loss. Here are some common questions we get:
Did Brian and Nicole ever date in the past? NO!
Does she pay rent? YES
Does she babysit? YES
Is she dating? YES no one serious YET
Is she there at the house much? NO not much but when she is here she plays with the kids and we stay up late talking and watching movies.
Does she go to church? YES she is an official member of our ward and goes with us.
How long will she live here? We don't know, but we would mind if she stay a long time because she is wonderful!
How old? Nicki and I are 4 days apart.

Snakes

2008-08-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Snakes! It all started late spring, right after the snow melted. Brian found a snake skin that had been shed by the rock wall. He said looks like we have a snake living in our yard. I didn't think anything of it. Then end of June I went to turn on the water in the back and a large black and brown snake slithered across my foot. I freaked out! I called the neighbor boys and told them I would pay them $5 to catch it. They did end up catching that one. Then this week we found another one in the back yard. I almost had a nervous break down. Then the next day we found one in our drive way but it was just a small baby one. So by then I was kinda getting use to them. So yesterday, the neighborhood boys came over to mow the lawn (our grass was soooo long) and they found 5 snakes just in the grass on the side of the house. AAHHHHH! They fed them to their chickens. Then later on that night we found another one on the rock wall. I am convinced that there are probably at least a dozen more snakes hiding out there in our yard. I am trying to stay calm and be strong, but we are talking about creepy snakes here. If anyone out there has some suggestions on how to get them to leave, it would be appreciated!

2008-08-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We went to Thanksgiving Point for Family Home Evening. In August they have $2 Tuesdays which is a good deal considering that it is normally $10 per person. This week we went to the Dinosaur Museum. The kids loved it. Kelsee's favorite part was the HUGE shark coming out of the wall. Saydee loved digging the bones out of the dirt. Max loved the 3D movie "Wild Ocean". Broox thought the hands on display of the water and sand was fun. Brian I think was happy about the popcorn drenched in butter we got for the movie. As for me I loved being together as a family. It brings me so much joy to see smiles on their faces! If you haven't gone there yet, I would defiantly suggest it!

Broox turns six

2008-07-24T17:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Pioneer day everyone! Broox turned six today. As you can see he had a blast. We turned our backyard into a water park. We had sprinklers going, slip-n-slide, water balloons, squirt guns, wet trampoline and don't forget the hose! The favorite thing of all the boys was the 50ft slip-n-slide. They had a blast on that thing. He had a grave digger cake and of course you have to end all birthday parties with a pinata. Broox is easy to please. He got a new hot wheels bike from me and the kids and his favorite present is the mega zord power ranger. We all love Broox and we are happy that he had a good day!

Danns birthday

2008-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is my brother Dann. It is his birthday today! He is on a mission in Argentina. Happy 21st birthday! We love you and miss you! Forgive Dann us for our singing we are amateurs.

First hair cut

2008-07-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Saydee got her first hair cut! I know it seems weird because she is almost 3 years old, but her hair is very thin and fine and hasn't grown much. I had a hard time convincing Brian to let me cut it. He was afraid it wouldn't grow back fast enough. I think that now that we have cut off most of the baby hair that it will grow back thicker, well at least I am hoping! She was so good at the salon. She liked it so much that the next day when I gave her a bath I had washed her hair and she started to cry. She had never cried before I thought soap was in her eyes or something and she kept crying saying don't wash my hair! After I got her out she told me I didn't want you to wash my hair cut away!

This summer Saydee has had a lot of bumps, scrapes, and bruises. She has gone through a lot of band aids. She has also been really sick this whole month. So I recorded this video of her telling me about her being sick. It is quite funny. She is always saying funny things!

2008-07-14T11:54:00.001-07:00

Well today is my birthday and I am not afraid to admit my age I guess for one more year, I am 29 today. I did all of my birthday celebrating on Saturday because that is the day Brian was able to plan things for me to do. I had a wonderful time. I do not have pictures because my camera broke so guess what I got for my birthday. You got it a camera! The best part about my birthday so far is Broox came in at 7:00 am and very enthusiastically said in a loud voice "Mom guess what, it is your birthday today! Happy birthday mom!" He is a very thoughtful and animated child. I was not really in the mood to talk birthday with anyone at that point because I had only had 2 hrs of sleep do to a screaming sick baby, but I couldn't help but to smile and then I told him to go watch TV! Saydee sang me the Spanish happy birthday song feliz cumpleanos. Thank you Dora! I just want to remind you all that is is Bastille day today also. Oh you don't know how proud my dad is to have a daughter born on Bastille day!

2008-07-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to join all you bloggers out there. I guess we thought that because most of our family and friends live far away we would still be able to share our lives with you even though we don't see you every day! So here goes!
This is my a picture of my mom with me. I believe that God put angels on the earth to watch and protect us. My mom is one of those angels. She is the neatest person I have ever known. The kids and I decided to go visit her at the farm while Brian went to do the fireworks at Reno, which I have to mention even though he pulled 18-20hr days his face lit up when he told us about detonating the explosives in the middle of Lake Tahoe. So one of the days my mom took us to Kershaw Ryan in Caliente. We went with my two sisters Larissa and Mary. We had a picnic, swam and played. Max went with Uncle Lee on the farm and spent most of his time there.

For the 4th of July my mom and I took 11 kids to the parade because Mary was in it. The theme was favorite TV shows. She was on the float that was doing the Brady Bunch. We had seen them before hand and Mary's boyfriend Cody had told all the kids in my car that he would give them lots of candy so when the all the kids saw them coming down the street they were jumping up and down screaming "Cody Cody Cody" and said nothing about Mary. It was funny. We still love ya Mary!!

One of the days Mary had taken the boys to catch crawdads and when Broox came back he had all these bites all over his neck, head and back. He scratched them until he was covered in scabs. The fireworks in Caliente were the same as they always are pretty uneventful. Even so Saydee put her hands over her ears and would not move them for anything, even well after they were over. She liked them I think cuz she was calling out the colors. I enjoyed having William and Morgan there. So that's it for my first post Love you all!