Monster Mash

Funny Halloween video I made. I don't know who the werewolf is. Some random guy. I call him Steve.

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3 Year Anniversary

On September 23, 2009 Gene and I will have been married for 3 years. Three wonderful years to be exact. Because of Gene's job and our kids and our schedules, we celebrated our anniversary early. Gene made plans and left me completely out of them. He's always surprising me. He planed for us to stay in the Park Plaza Resort up in Park City. He also planned a boating trip up on Jordanelle Reservoir to go fishing. He also planned for us to ride the ski lifts up the mountain to go on a hiking trip. Due to the weather we were not able to go hiking. Everything else was awesome. The hotel was very nice. Other than the bed that is. The bed was as solid as a wood plank. That's ok, I stayed up watching True Lies with Arnold Schwartzenegger. Not the actual guy, I mean he was in the movie. Gene fell right asleep. He got up early for work that day, so he was totally exhausted. The next day we got up early and took a boat out on the water. We stayed out on the water for about 4 hours. No luck catching any fish, but it was a beautiful day and it was wonderful to spend the day together.

The last three years have been so great. We've bought a house, had 2 amazing children, and still like to spend as much time together as possible. We are best friends. I couldn't imaging being with anyone else. Happy Anniversary Gene!

Utah State Fair

Gene's sisters Tiffani and Camille were wonderful aunts to Ethan yesterday and took him to the Utah State Fair. Gene was at work, and I stayed home with Sydney. So, I can't say much about what happened there, but they were kind enough to take some pictures for me. So here they are. Behold the cuteness that is my son. This first one is my favorite!

Ethan Turns 2

Wow, 2 years already gone! I can't believe how fast he's grown. It's amazing the difference in development over the last year. Since his first birthday, Ethan can now walk, talk, drink from a cup, color pictures, help dress himself, knows when he needs his diaper changed, help brush his teeth, and many, many more things. Ethan is very independent and is a big goof ball. He has such a silly, lovable personality.

Tiffany and Mark came to visit for Labor Day weekend, so while they were in town we threw Ethan a birthday party a week early. The party was a "Cars" theme. Ethan loves the Disney movie Cars and loves, loves, loves to play with cars. Or I should probably say anything with wheels. Cars, motorcycles, trucks, you name it. Anyway, we invited over family and friends to the house and celebrated Ethan. He got a lot of gifts! Mostly clothes, which he needed. He also got a basketball hoop and some Lego type of toys. We also bought him a Power Wheel. Something Gene and I always wanted as a kid. He got a tractor Power Wheel. We bought if off the classified ads for a great price. The cake was delicious. White cake with raspberry filling. Mmm! I'm not sure if Ethan understood that the party was for him, but I think he enjoyed it anyway.

People weren't kidding when they say kids grow fast! It truly blows my mind that he is already 2. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow. He is an amazing kid!

Syd Turns 1 Month Old

One month has gone by since Syd has joined our family. She is delightful. We are learning once again how hard it is to have a baby. Of course, it's all worth it, but the sleepless nights and constant feedings get a little tired. It seems that she just might have blue eyes. I didn't think that was possible, but apparently blue eyes run in Gene's family. So, Gene thinks he needs to get a gun so he can fight off the boys when Syd is in high school. She is quite beautiful. She'll also have her older brother to fight off the boys.

Syd is already growing like a weed! She is gaining weight and height at a good rate. The girl likes to eat...just like her mom. She is sleeping pretty well too. In fact, last night she slept 8 hours straight, woke up to eat, and went back to sleep. Amazing. I hope this is going to be the new thing. I won't count on it though.

She is just a wonderful addition to our family. She fits in so perfectly. We all love her so much.

Sydney

Our little girl is now here. Sydney Stewart was born on August 14, 2009 at 3:41 pm. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 19 inches long. Gene and I went in at 7:00 am and I was induced at about 7:30 am. So, that is about 8 hours of labor. Half the amount of time that my labor was with Ethan. Everything was going well until Syd decided to put her hand up over her head while in the birth canal. Thankfully I had my epidural before then, because the doctor had to manually move her arm back into the right place. Ouch is right! From then on, everything was good again. When the time came to start pushing, the doctor came in and got everything ready for delivery. A big light came down out of the ceiling and so did a mirror. That means I got to watch the delivery too. I thought it might be kinda gross to watch, but I was wrong. Watching my sweet child be born was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Not gross at all. After 9 minutes of pushing, our angel was born. She is healthy and happy. Our hospital stay was very pleasant. I had wonderful nurses named Kim and Julia, and the food was pretty good too. We got to bring Syd home on Sunday afternoon. It was kind of strange to have a baby back in the house. We were soon reminded about how much sleep we weren't going to be getting. Other than the lack of sleep, it has been so much fun to have an infant. She really is a beautiful child. We can already see bits of her personality coming out. She is so sweet. We truly are blessed.

9 Months

Here we are at 9 months pregnant. Wow, that sure came fast! We are all prepared and ready to go...well, as much as we can be anyway. We are registered at the hospital, have the car seat in the car and have the nursery all set up. So, here's the plan...I have a non-stress test later today and another one on Tuesday. Sydney slowed down a lot in her movement, so while the doctor is out of town for a few days he wants things to be monitored. We're not really worried about anything, but the doc just wants to make sure. Why do the doctors always leave town when you might need them the most? Goodness. Anyway, I am scheduled to have my labor induced on Friday the 14th of August. It is 4 days earlier than my due date, and exactly one month before Ethan's birthday. Dr. Brown is a little worried she may be a big baby. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but as long as she's healthy, I'm happy.

We aren't quite sure how Ethan is going to take to his new baby sister. He really is a tender child, but sometimes I'm afraid he might not understand that she is not a doll. He is sweet with the babies and the baby dolls at work, but this is different. I suppose we'll just roll with the punches...like we do with everything else.

Well, that's the update for now. I'm guessing the next post will be about our sweet little girl. Yay!