Remington Nathan Bowen! He is Here.

I will post more pics later but I wanted to send some out for those who have been asking. Remi was born December 15th at 8:03 pm. He weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. My experience at the hospital was fabulous and I can't say enough about my doctor. He was amazing and made me comfortable throughout the entire process. Judd loves his brother but is jealous as they come. He asked if he could suck on my you know whats and he attempted when my head was turned. Hopefully we work through this jealousy because it is going to send me over the edge. Remi looks a lot like Judd bet there is definitely something different. So far he is a good sleeper and eater. I just love all of my boys and am so thankful to be a Mom. Enjoy the pics.

Getting ready for Remi's entrance to the world. I was so nervous b/c I started to feel pain but my doctor topped me off and it was wonderful!

Judd adores Remi. He is very, very, very helpful. Bless is little heart. He is going to send me right over the edge with his helpfulness.

Catching Remi with his eyes open.

Grunt face!

Love him to pieces. Can't get enough of him.

Final Stretch!

So, I have been a total slacker with the whole blog thing but it has been a busy couple of weeks. My due date is approaching soon and I couldn't be more happier. I am definitely ready to be done! I have been contracting like the dickens but of course they aren't consistent. I have been walking up a storm and jumping on my little trampoline like a total nut case, but no success :(. I feel like I have to keep my house clean 24/7 in case I do go into labor....who knows who will be spending the night with Judd and I wouldn't want them to think we are total pigs. My appointment is tomorrow and I am hoping I have dilated to more than a one-I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Poor Judd has had an ear infection for the last month. Finally they approved him for tubes so he will be having the surgery on the 14th. Knowing my luck that will be the morning my water breaks. I wish we would have done tubes sooner b/c the poor kid has been miserable every other month with an ear infection. The doctor said that once the tubes are in, Judd will be a whole new boy-I am hoping this will alleviate half the tantrums he throws.

Judd seems to be excited about the new baby coming, but I really don't know if he understands it all. I overheard Jon telling Judd the other day that his world is about to be rocked but not to worry because he would help him get through it all. I read that older siblings transition better with a new baby if you get them a baby to care for too, so that's what we did. Judd and I headed to good old Walmart and I let him pick out his own baby. Of course he picked out the creepiest one (I think the baby is almost as big as him), and has established a love/hate relationship ever since. He shows it love sometimes and sometimes not. I am constantly reminding him to be soft, not to push the baby swing so high b/c it is hanging by a thread, and the baby's head is not a ball for your baseball bat. Heaven help us. The other day Judd was playing with my tummy and asked how the baby comes out. I quickly pointed to my belly button and said it pops out here. Judd looked puzzled for a minute and then felt my belly button and said is this the baby's doggy door. My response, "Yup!" He keeps me on my toes at all times, that's for sure. I am hoping he won't feel left out or get too jealous. He has been my little buddy for the last three years and could never be replaced! I love him to pieces, even when he is a booger nose.

Hopefully my next post will include the new bambino. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chilling with Dad. However, Judd still doesn't call him "Dad." It is always "Jon." We have been working on it but he is a stubborn mule just like his father :).

Taking care of his baby.

Enjoying the Christmas Tree. He gets up every morning and turns it on and when we leave the house he turns it off and says, "the tree won't catch on fire."

Ready to pop. This picture is for Sarah Sue La Bell. Jon always takes horrible pictures of me. For some reason there are always 12 chins attached to my face when he takes it, so it is easier for me to get the job done.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

By sister-in-law, Laurie, who runs a preschool for Kids on the Move, invited me and Judd to a toy store to meet Yo Gabba Gabba. I am so mad because I left my camera at home so I only got photos on my cell phone which I have no clue how to convert them to my computer. However, I did manage to get some before pictures at home . Judd was very nervous and shy to meet the characters and wouldn't shake their hands or give any hugs out. He was very excited though to receive a goody bag full of toys and treats. When we got in the car to come home he had a total melt down because he wanted to hug Yo Gabba Gabba (the story of my life). Here are a few pics from a fun day......

Little did I know that he wasn't feeling good. He had a ear infection a couple of weeks ago that was treated with antibiotics. However, the antibiotics didn't take care of it all the way so needless to say we made another trip to the doctors and he is on another antibiotics. Can you tell he is not at his best :)?

I told him to strike a pose and this is what he gave me. I especially like the puckered lips.

HaLloWeEN

My little dinosaur. He loves this costume that his Grandma Kris made him. It has already been worn to Walmart and various neighbors' homes. How am I suppose to get him potty trained when he won't take it off?

Being shy at first to have it on but once he saw all of his cousins dressed up, he was ready to strut his stuff as a green people eater! I especially like the bling that was placed on his tail and hat.

This year the Halloween party was at our house. Judd had so much fun trick-or-treating with his cousins. My favorite part was being able to visit with all the neighbors. Jon teased me because I would get two or three houses behind our crowd because I was chit chatting with everyone. Like I mentioned before, my mother-in-law made all the costumes. Aren't they cute? She is so talented.

Plum tuckered out after a night of fun.

Dinosaur

So, tonight Judd and I went to my mother-in-laws, Kris, to hang out and help her make Judd's dinosaur costume. Kris is a champion. This year she is making all the grandkids costumes. I wish I had her sewing talent.

At the end of the night Kris had Judd try on the costume so she could put the final touches on it and he was absolutely in love. Once he had it on, he tore upstairs so he could look at himself in the full length mirror. He gazed at himself for a long time and even stood to the side so he could admire his dragon tail. Judd was truly impressed with himself and couldn't get enough of his whole ensemble.

Well, Judd had to take it off so Kris could finish it and he went into total melt down mode. He cried and said he wanted his dragon back. Literally the kid was crying uncontrollably and although we all laughed, he gave us all dirty looks and continued to throw a temper. So, my sister-in-law, being as cute as a bug's ear, took extra fabric and made him a headband, belt and bracelet. Fortunately this saved our bacon and we were able to leave the house without the costume because things still needed to be added. He fell asleep in the car and couldn't help but snap a picture of him wearing his duds. Love him to pieces!

Somebody Turned 3 and had 3 Birthday Parties!

Judd celebrated in style this last week with three birthday parties. Jon's parents are divorced so we have two separate parties with his side and then we have one with my family. Judd loved everything about his parties and thinks he needs to have one each day for the rest of his life. He loved his presents and they have kept him entertained for the last couple of days, which has allowed me some extra sleeping time :).

I can't believe Judd is already three. I don't know where the time has gone and wish it would slow down just a little bit. Judd is becoming such a big boy. I love his little personality, even if he is a stubborn mule at times. I adore the little stinker and want to put a big bubble around him so I can protect him forever. We have been able to bond like the dickens because Jon has been out of town a lot with the hunting season, and I have truly enjoyed getting to know him a little better. He is purely a naughty pants but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Things I want to remember about this stage are:

1. He is Mr. Independent. If I have to hear "I do it myself" one more time I might poke my eyeballs out.

2. Potty training is a bust but it is more my fault than his. Although his new Superman big boy under-roos he received for his birthday are helping a little bit.

3. He doesn't want to hold my hand when we are walking in parking lots or crossing busy streets.

4. Every time I take on or off his shirt he says, "I am not going to be afraid of my shirt." I think it stresses him out that his shirt might get stuck on his head.

5. He is fast and you have to keep your eye on him at all times.

6. He adores his Dad and wants to do everything with him. I am definitely chopped liver when Jon is around.

7. He loves cooking with me and is very helpful....sometimes.

8. He looks forward to preschool and talks about all of his friends.

9. He is sassy.

10. I love that he refers to the new bambino as "Baby Remey," even though we haven't decided on a name for sure.

11. Loves filling his new sparkly silver plastic piggy bank with coins.

12. Makes a silly face when he is embarrassed.

13. At drive through windows he shouts, "I want a diet coke and chicken nuggets."

Playing with his new remote control dozer

Nothing like a pirate birthday party.

My brother-in-law Casey & mother-in-law Kris.

Jon would probably kill me if he knew I put this up. He is wearing one of his Dad's old wigs. I like him better bald :).

Marshall, Judd, and Paris

Pumpkin Patch

Cute little Nathan isn't in the picture. He left early. Wish I got the entire group in the shot.

This year Judd was able to visit a cute pumpkin patch twice in one week. Once on our own and then again with his little joy school group. He loved it. The pumpkin patch is in Orem and included a corn maze, petting zoo, bouncy houses, and playground.

Unfortunately, Judd and I were both traumatized when we went the second time with the joy school group because Judd got lost. I was talking with the other Moms and had my eye on him the entire time. For a couple a seconds I looked away and he was gone. Seriously gone. Horrible things went through my head and I began to run around the place like a chicken with its head cut off. The Moms began searching with me and cute Katie (one of the other Moms) found him back at the petting zoo. Thank you Katie for finding him. I seriously thought I was going to have a nervous break down and then deliver my baby right then and there. When Katie found him he was crying and looking for me. When I came up to him, he put his little lip down and said, "Mom, I was scared and want to go home." It broke my heart but I think it has taught him a little lesson about wandering off on his own. He does it a lot, like he has no care in the world. Anyway, it ended on a better note with him being able to pick out a pumpkin to carve with his Dad.

What If?

So, the other day Judd and I were going to meet a neighborhood friend at the park. I put Judd in the jogging stroller and placed the brakes on because our driveway is down hill. I then went to grab the garage door opener which is my car. While doing this I heard Judd screaming, "Help Mom!" I turned around and immediately was terrified. The stroller began rolling down hill, right towards the main street where I could see a car coming at full speed. I ran after him as fast as I could, which isn't fast with my big belly. Fortunately I got to him before the car did but it scared me so much. I sobbed like a baby (hormonal as all get out) because I kept thinking what would have happen if a car was right there. That night I said a prayer of thanks and held Judd while he slept (and cried again). It makes you think how fast life can change...it only takes a split second.

1st Field Trip...Apple Orchard

I thought the kids would have a difficult time paying attention b/c of their age, but surprisingly enough they did really well!

The lady giving the tour is one of the owners of Crandell's Orchard. I forgot her name but she was so good with the kids. She even picked Judd to turn on and off the fruit sorter. He loved it.

Watching the fruit get separated.

I think Judd is getting his back teeth in b/c lately his fingers are in the back of his mouth. It is driving me crazy.

Enjoying a yummy apple. He gave it to me half finished so I assumed he was done. So, big mamma shoved the rest of it in my mouth. Needless to say he wasn't finished and completely melted down when he figured out that I ate it. Now, he will hand me his left overs and say, "Mom don't eat it. Okay!"

I am loving this Joy School and so is he. It is amazing how fast they learn. I am fascinated with how much they take in and repeat, even with Nursery. He came home one Sunday and told me all about Joseph Smith and praying. I love this age, except for the fits of independence...wanting to everything on his own.

I am an Idiot!

Ok....so some how I erased all my friends blogs I like to look at. How do I add them back. Please help...any advice would be great.

Joy School

Seriously the cutest things since sliced bread.

Judd is participating in "Monster Truck Joy School" this year with some friends from the neighborhood. They will be on a rotation between each others houses. Judd got to have his friends over first. Actually we will have the first couple weeks here, since the other Moms are nice enough to give me a couple months off with the new bambino. This kids are amazing, hilarious, and spunky. And, might I add exhausting. Preschool teachers should earn a million dollars. Once upon a time I thought teaching first grade was hard, but it doesn't hold a candle to preschool. They have the cutest little personalities, and I hope with all my heart that Judd is a good boy when he goes to his friends' houses. I have threatened him with his life. Judd loves school and asks me each day if it is time to go to preschool. I am so fortunate to have great neighbors that are willing to embark on this preschool journey. Wish us luck :).

Lake Powell

I was a little apprehensive about going to Lake Powell 6 months pregnant. The heat, the bouncy boat, and camping on the beach sort of scared me, but I knew it would be worth it to be with my family. I am so glad I went. Other then the windy and sleepless nights, it was a lot of fun. Thank goodness I had Jon because he took Judd for me so I could get some sleep.

Some of the highlights from the trip:

*Waking up the first morning at 5am because Judd was up and at it. Hated getting up that early but Jon and I took Judd away from our campsite so everyone didn't have to hear him. Judd stayed cozied in Jon's arms while me and Jon talked the morning away. It was nice to finally just get to sit and listen to one another. It doesn't seem to happen that often with our busy lives.

*Judd loving the Sea-Do. He fell asleep in it.

*Wave runner rides with Jon and Judd.

*Watching Judd build sand castles with his Dad and two cousins, Nick and Sawyer. Seriously, I am always harping on Jon for not doing more around the house. However, he always makes up for it when we go on trips. He made the trip so fun for Judd and all the cousins. The kids love Jon!

*Watching my Dad enjoy all his grandkids. My Dad loves Lake Powell. His whole summer consists of weekend trips to Lake Powell. I don't know how he does it. He is always up for going and will take anyone there. He drove to Lake Powell for a day just to take my cousins to Rainbow Bridge. They had never seen it and my Dad was more then willing to be their tour guide. He is going on 70 years old but has the energy of a 20 year old. His priority at Lake Powell is to spoil the grandkids. They get just about anything they want.

*Riding in the car to and from Lake Powell with my sister Nickie. We laughed our guts out.

*Getting to be with both my sisters. It is amazing how fast time flies and how big their kids are getting.

Here are a few pics from the trip:

Looking 20 months pregnant, even though I am only 6.

My Dad

Snuggling with Mom in the hot sun.

Rainbow Bridge. No, that is not a beached whale. It is me.

Nick, Jon, Judd, and Gracie enjoying the Sea-Do.

Picture Overload!

Jon has been out of town for the last three weekends in a row (remember it is hunting season). Although I enjoy spending time with the love of my life Judd, I am exhausted. Therefore, desperate times called for desperate measures.....Judd has been laying around watching various and many episodes of Dragon Tales or whatever is on Comcast demands!

Loves to read in the buck. Humpty Dumpty is one of his favorites. Hey at least he isn't hanging out nude on the back porch because he has slipped through the doggy door. The other day I was explaining to a new neighbor where we lived and she said, "Oh, you are the house that has the naked little boy on the back porch." My only excuse is I am still potty training and he does much better without clothes on!

The green piggy bank is going to be the death of me. We have already been through three piggy banks. He keeps breaking them. My bank had plastic ones and I begged to buy one. They told me no...it was only for those opening an account. Why didn't I just open an account for Judd because then I would have gotten it for free! Duh!

Because Judd keeps breaking his piggy banks, he gets a plastic baggy. My Father rolled his eyeballs at his new piggy bank. Wasn't impressed with me at all.

Since Jon has been out of town and I hate staying home alone, I made my two nieces (Olivia & Grace) stay with me last weekend. We had fun shopping our little hearts out and making these cute frames. Olivia and Grace fight like the dickens with each other but it was still fun.....must be the hormones. I guess being 10 and 12 years apart from your own two sisters helps with alleviating the sister rivalry.

Embracing Potty Training

Judd will be turning 3 in October, so I think it is about time I took the bull by the horns and get him potty trained. I have made several attempts to get him trained but have failed miserably. It is sometimes easier just to let them go in their diaper (when I am out shopping), which has been sending him mixed messages. Now I am trying to truly commit because I put Judd in a little preschool group (Joy School) with some neighbors and I don't want them to have to suffer. It is coming along....one day at a time.....but I can say that I am already exhausted and I just started on Monday. I can honestly say that I have cleaned more poop in the last two days then I have in my entire life time, and that is not saying much because I worked at an Autistic Group Home for five years. I just have to continually repeat..."I can do this!" Aside from that things are going well.

Judd is growing like a weed and speaks more like an adult than a child. He continually makes me laugh, even with the inappropriate things that come out of his mouth. I shouldn't laugh because it only further encourages the naughtiness but I can't help it. We are learning together how to be patient, speak kind words, and share with others. I have started to be more consistent with my disciplining and hopefully it works. Hunting season is approaching soon for Jon. He can barely contain the excitement. If only I had antlers on my head. He is taking Judd this year hunting which kind of forces me to go because I am not sure that Jon won't get side tracked by a luscious animal crossing his path. I am finally enjoying being pregnant. The morning sickness is gone but the heart burn continues. The prescription the doctor gave me is helping but not much and the doctor said it is all he can do. It is is my own darn fault. The weirdest things give me heart burn but I can't help myself. Anything with sugar burns the daylight right out of me but does that stop me.....No! Why do I love to eat? Really it is the thing that gets me out of bed....hmmm what can I shove in my mouth today? Those women who are skinny (I refer to you as hookers...but there is still love in my heart for you) right after they have their babies are very lucky. Anyway, I am looking forward to Fall because I have snagged myself some cute sweaters that I am dying to test out and I love the season of pumpkin spice hot chocolate. And, by the way....the doctor changed by due date. Instead of being due December 28th, I am now set for December 15th. Yahoo! I figured there might be a little discrepancy. So, I must start my Christmas shopping now.

Jon's b-day & Camping

Jon's birthday was on the 23rd and he repeatedly mentioned that he wanted to go camping for it. In the spirit of love I agreed to go, even though I am terrified of camping for one reason and one reason only....BEARS. Two of my biggest fears are: a) I will get eaten by a shark when I go in an ocean & b) I will be eaten by a bear when camping. Dumb I know but it brings me much anxiety. It would certainly be my luck to have one of these two things occur, luckily this time it didn't :). We decided to go camping with the Colby family and headed up the mountain Friday afternoon. We were suppose to meet them at Potter's Pond at 2pm but they didn't show up, so we decided wait and fish. Jon was on a roll because within 20 minutes he caught 5 fish. Since we were only permitted to catch 8 we stopped and went to look for a place to set up camp. You can only imagine my fear as we continued up the mountain because there were no camp sites available. The higher we got the more bears I thought there would be. Finally we found a spot, which unfortunately was by a herd of sheep that did not shut up EVER! Jon was nice and set up camp while I downed a few waters. It was fun watching Judd want to help set up the tent and it probably took Jon twice as long because Judd wanted to fully participate and kept taking off with the hammer. Once camp was set up we went back down to the lake to see if we could locate our friends. Still no sign of them so we went on a four wheeler ride. Judd loves to drive the four wheeler and if you aren't careful you find yourself getting whiplash because Judd has decided to push the gas to its maximum when you are at a complete stop. Little Booger! Luckily on the ride we ran into the Colby's and they were able to follow us to the camp site. The Colby family includes four kids, which I don't know how they do it. Jon and I had a hard time controlling our one. We hadn't seen their kids in a long time so it was fun getting to know them a little better. Instantly their little girl, Alora, became my best friend and their oldest son, Jason, was a hoot and a holler. The kid is so friendly and never stops talking. While sitting around the camp fire he massaged my back and begged to rub my feet. He was kind of a little flirt! When night time came I thought for sure Judd would sleep like a champ because he didn't have a nap but oh was I wrong. He fell asleep while we were sitting around the camp fire but when we went into the tent he was up and at it. I think our tent was too much for him to handle and he wanted to help Jon continue to feed the fire. Let me explain....Jon has a pretty cool tent since he hunts half of his life away. It has a small burning stove inside with a vent that lets out the smoke. I felt like I was in a small, warm cottage the entire night. Judd was pretty excited about it too, so lets just say we got about 2 hours of sleep that night and the next day I was exhausted. Since I was trying to get Judd to settle down, I forgot about the whole bear situation, plus there were three dogs with us and not one of them barked the entire night so I figured we were pretty safe. The next morning we fished, went on another four wheeling ride, played in a stream (which Judd fell in and wasn't happy about) and just hung around the camp fire and visited. I have to be honest though by 11am I was rearing to go home but I knew Jon wanted to stay most the day. So, I bucked up and decided to enjoy it (since Jon & Judd were really having a good time) rather then drop major hints that I was done. Once it was time to pack up Jon turned into a major "Bear." Do you remember when you were younger and a vacation was ending? My parents would get tense and ornery, probably because they knew that they had to face the real world and an abundant amount of laundry. So, while I wanted to do back flips naked because we were going home, Jon was having himself a little temper tantrum. Later that night when we got home he apologized for being a drama queen and we finished the night with laundry and went to bed early. It was a fun trip and I am glad that Jon pushes me to do things that scare the pants right off of me. I enjoyed being able to spend time with him and Judd. I am amazed at what a good Dad Jon is and how Judd adores everything he says and does. He has taught me how to enjoy nature and be at ease with those things I can't control. I hope his Birthday was fun! Sorry for the over load of pictures but I couldn't help myself.

Birthday Boy!

Potter's Pond Fishing!

Judd isn't scared of flopping fish anymore. He wants to literally hold them!

Helping Dad set up the tent.

Getting ready to go four wheeling!

Roasting Marshmellows!

Kept saying, "I want to do it by myself."

Cute Alora!

Mr. Flirt Alert! Jason! Ladies watch out.