Christmas Eve

Well here it is, Christmas Eve!  I remember my brother (Austin), cousin (Dylan) and I staring out our front window in our Layton house trying to see Rudolphs nose and I swear I saw it once. 

Yesterday we went to visit Santa at the mall.  HOLY two and a half hour wait but it was so worth it.  Santa was the real thing, beard and all!  He said Beckham was such a good boy... hopefully that means lots of diapers and maybe a toy or two is coming his way! 
Last night was so cute... after his feeding he was wide awake and looking at me.  I was half asleep looking like a zombie but I figured I should probably at least give him a smile.  As SOON as I did his face lit up and he smiled the biggest smile I've seen yet!  I definitely want to make it a point to smile at him as much as I can even when I'm dead tired because he obviously likes it.  Jared dotes on Beckham and lives for his smiles.  Whenever Beckham's in a good mood Jared tells him how sweet of a boy he is and how much daddy loves him and that usually does the trick!  One of these times we'll get his smile on camera.
My family's tradition for Christmas Eve is all getting together and having a mexican fiesta with Mom's amazing enchiladas, rice, beans and the works!  I miss my family so much and I wish I could be with them, but I'm also lucky to have a new family to share their traditions with.  Tonight we are decorating gingerbread houses and hanging out with Mom and Dad Frost, all of Jared's siblings and their families. 
Little Beckham is so much fun to be with and show off to everyone!  I'm so proud of our little boy.  Everyone just loves him!  Everywhere we go someone is coo-ing at him or holding him and he loves it.  Today he gave Grandma Frost three BIG smiles :)

Texas!

Well, we flew into Houston, Texas last Saturday (the 17th) and the flight went amazing!  Beckham didn't cry unless he needed a diaper change and we made sure to feed him on take off and landing.  Such a sweet baby! 
We've pretty much just been hanging out and relaxing for the most part.  We have hung out at Jared's dad's house and had a game night at Lisa's... SO much fun playing Pictionary on Wii by the way :)  We went to Lupes last night with Brian, Brandon and Kristin's family.  They have the best beef fajitas in the world. 
Beckham hasn't had a set sleep schedule since we've been here so nights have been rough.  We've been up til about 4 every night with him.  He's so awake at that time because he sleeps all day when we go places so finally I just put him in bed with us (I know that's a big no-no) and it makes life SO much easier!  He snuggles with us and is perfectly content. 
Today I gave him his first "big boy bath" in a whale tub and it was so fun!  He loved it!  We sang songs, played and best of all... got clean. :)  He just stared up at me and the ceiling and might have cracked a smile once or twice (it may have been gas though... lol).  He DID go potty in the tub of course, but that's ok.  It was cute.
Last night while I was awake with him I just couldn't stop myself from thinking how lucky I am.  Once I turned my life around and started doing the right things within ONE year I have the life of my dreams.  I literally dreamed about Jared and Beckham when I lived in Maryland and I have them now.  It's amazing to me.  I feel like the Lord wanted to give me these things so badly and all I had to do was go looking for them.  I have an amazing husband who treats me like a princess and a sweet baby boy who loves us both just as unconditionally as we love him.  What an amazing life I have. 
I'm so excited for Christmas this year!  I wonder what Santa Clause will bring Beckham?  When Beckham gets older and asks me about Santa or looks back on this blog (hopefully all this blogging is not in vain...) I really hope I can help him understand who or what Santa Clause is.  Santa Clause isn't necessarily a person outside of the magic of childhood.  He is an idea, feeling or spirit.  Once a year he comes around to help us understand a little more about love, life, family and Christ.  He helps us appreciate things in life that are gifts more fully.  Presents aren't a necessity to me anymore now that I'm older... the idea of being with my family is.  The birth of my baby boy has helped me understand Christ's birth even better. 
I'm so lucky to be where I am now and truly blessed for the life I have been given. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and I hope my family knows how much I miss and love them and am thinking of them. 
Monkey is crying so I've got to quit here!  <3

My Christmas Wishlist

Must haves for Christmas...

1. Baby Santa Suit
2. Cute Baby Santa
3. Kiss From Santa

CHECK!

Merry 10 days til Christmas!

Tomorrow we'll run errands... Saturday [our anniversary :)] we're going to TEXAS... Sunday we'll be in Texas  with our family!... Monday is Christmas shopping!!!!!  Yay!

I really, really, really hope Hubby remembers our anniversary! 

Hello World!

I can't believe our  little baby boy is almost 1 month old!  4 weeks ago today was the best day of our lives.  Today we had a doctors appointment with Doctor Holbrook just for a check up.  Beckham has quite the history with her... after his circumcision he showed her who was boss and went potty all over her stethescope and table.  I was pretty nervous to go alone (up until this point Jared had always gone with us) but he did SO great!  He wore a Santa's Helper outfit and was so cute. 
He's just started smiling at us occasionally!  It is what I live for now, I just try and make him smile.  It probably only happens once a week to us but it is so fun :)  What a sweet little boy! 
Although he sleeps a lot still, it's so much fun to wake up and have him here.  Jared and I were talking about it and it's like Christmas morning EVERY single day.  Even  at night when I wake up with him it is so much fun to have him cry for me and as soon as Jared or I pick him up he calms down a little. 
I love it when he lays on my chest and sighs.  It is complete happiness to him when he is full and has a clean diaper. 


First captured smile while sleeping!

He just started sleeping in his crib a couple of days ago and he is doing pretty good!  He's got his camel (from Grandpa Johnson all the way from Djibouti) and dinosaur (made by Grandma Johnson) in there to help keep monsters away :) 
We'll be going to Houston, Texas to spend Christmas with Jared's family and we can't wait!  Beckham is so excited to meet the other half of his family (even though he doesn't know it quite yet).  I'm trying to think of what to pack for him... flying there and driving home.  Yikes! 
I'm thinking of starting a blog about being a new mom, adding things that I'm learning and maybe helping other first timers as well.  I'll post a link when or if I ever get it up and running. 

November 30, 2011

Well, we're officially 2 1/2 weeks into being parents and we couldn't be happier. 
Thanksgiving made me really think more about how thankful I am for my husband and our baby.  We took a family picture and Beckham even got a little Indian feather to stick on his head. 

Yes... I had Jared coordinate his clothing with ours

Cutest Indian/Turkey Bum in the world!

Our Sweet Baby Boy

I love this sweet boy so much.  I can't believe he is my SON!  I can't imagine life without him... what did we do?! 
I want to write some things down I never want to forget...

Daddy and Beckham cuddling

Jared loves Beckham SO much and just stares at him for hours at a time. 
Beckham puckers his lips and I LOVE kissing them!  He'll probably hate it later, but I love it and always will.
He'll stare at you while he's awake and I always wonder what he's thinking.
I love when he streaches and his little arms go up and his eyes roll in the back of his head. 
The sure fire way to calm him down is to do bench presses with him!  He loves being moved around and rocked, probably because Jared and I were running around the whole pregnancy!
He sleeps 5 hours at a time at night now at just ONE week old!  Crazy!  He'll eat then fall right back to sleep.  It's nice to have some sleep :) 
He doesn't cry unless he needs to be fed, changed (or will need to be changed soon) or burped.  He's so pleasant! 
I love when he sleeps on my chest and cuddles with me!  It's my favorite thing in the world. 
Being cooped up with my sweet husband and our little baby for the past week has been so nice.  I just can't wait to spend the rest of my life and eternity with them and the rest of our babies waiting for us in heaven.  Beckham is so loved and I'm so happy he chose us as his parents.  We keep wondering how he could come to such a horrible, evil world when he's so perfect?!  We'll do everything we can to be good parents and love him and teach him right from wrong. 

Right before the C-Section
Look how cute he looks in there!

A little about how he came into the world...

First Sight

After getting sent home on Friday we went back Sunday, November 13 to the hospital to induce one more time!  I was on pitocin from 8 p.m. to 12 p.m. (16 hours) and still didn't dialate any more so we went ahead and made the decision to go ahead with a C-Section.  I already had an epidural in place so they upped the medicine and took me in to prep.  Once they started the procedure I honestly felt nothing.  No pain, just pressure... which was completely fine, just a little uncomfortable.  When I saw Beckham for the first time I couldn't say anything, I was just so incredibly happy I was all tears.  Finally when I heard his cry it was the sweetest sound I've ever heard.  He was born November 14, 2011 at 1:04 p.m. and was 8 lbs. 9 oz.  When they let me hold him all I remember was looking at his cheeks and his little puckered lips and fell in love. 

First Family Picture

These are the best times of my life.  I will always always always cherish these times with our sweet little boy.  He and Jared are my whole world and I can't imagine life without either one. 

Grandma Johnson

First Bath 11/19/11

Being loved on by new Uncle's and Aunt!

False Alarm

Well Thursday came and went with NO baby!  I was in labor all day starting at about 8am.  UGH I can't even tell you how frustrating that was!  I had no progress in dialation or effacement.  I was having contractions every 1-3 minutes but they weren't very strong.  They decided to try another medicine in pill form that just had to dissolve in my mouth so I took that all night from 9pm-5am every 4 hours and I actually made progress!  Only in softening the cervix, which is way better than the day before.  We were put on pitocin again and lo and behold not enough progress to keep going.  Instead of pushing it we decided to give our little Beckham some more time to come naturally so we're home now until Sunday night.  Sunday we will start pitocin again and the doctor will break my water!  So Monday or Tuesday for sure. 
I loved hearing all of the babies crying and moms cooing.  I was honestly in heaven.  I'll post some pictures when I have time/have the energy to.  I'm still having contractions just not as regular. 

Last Minute Thoughts

Well folks, I am officially 1 day overdue and SO ready to just be a mom.  I definitely still feel good and like I'm human.  I think I have a lot of energy right now as compared to a few weeks ago.  Knowing that he'll be here anytime just makes me happy.
Last Monday, we had a little scare where Beckham's hearbeat was a little too low.  It was really scary and just showed me how much I love him already without even seeing him.  Luckly, everything was fine and we went home a couple of hours later.  Yesterday was my official due date and we set up induction for Thursday morning so that our sweet baby will be here by Friday so that family will be able to see him.  I can't wait!  Only 1 more day after today and we'll start the process.
I have to admit... I am kind of scared.  Being around babies and being a mom is a whole lot different.  When a baby starts crying when I am holding them I go find their mom so she can make their baby feel better.  I can't do that with this baby!  He's mine.  I just hope the Lord will be with me and I'll have lots of support from family to help me out.
Although I am scared I am much more excited and anxious to have him.  I have lots of moments where I think about it and cry and last night was the first time I almost broke down in front of Jared.  I just think about holding him and loving on him.  I'm going to be his mom and one of the only things he loves and knows in the world for a short while.  He's going to want me and cry for me... ME!  He'll want his mommy and that's me. 
I have to admit it is really hard to keep waiting patiently.  I really had hoped he'd be here by now but he is definitely already teaching me lessons I need to learn!  T minus 36 hours :)  I love you baby boy!

12 Days and Counting

12 days...
Am I ready?  It brings me to tears thinking about how my baby will be here at any time now.  I've always heard that when you're in that childbirth room that is the closest you get to heaven while you're on earth.  I've played the moment when I will see him for the first time over in my head countless times.  Will I cry or laugh? 

I can't wait to be a mom.  I've had so many great examples in my life I can look to for help and advice.  I hope I'll be like my mom eventually.  I'm so happy I get the chance to raise a baby.  The anticipation is killing me... when will it happen? 

Let's be honest about the last month of pregnancy.  My feet get swollen to the point where you can't recognize them.  My wedding ring doesn't fit... which is really sad because that is the one thing I was hoping to avoid not fitting.  My back hurts and there are aches and pains you don't even want to know about!  I cry all the time from these emotional ups and downs.  It's kind of embarrassing but Jared has been really good about just understanding when I need him to just hold me.  I can't sleep much because of aches not to mention those 2-3 potty breaks I have to take and when I can sleep, I snore... yuck!  I feel really chubby and haven't been able to see my feet standing up in probably 3 months or so.

Despite all these "woes" it is definitely worth it.  Sometimes you just have to vent about how you feel :) 

Beckham, I love you and we can't wait to have you here with us FINALLY!  I have been waiting for you patiently but I don't now how much longer I can wait!  Hopefully you'll come next week.  The doctor said you are about 7-1/2 lbs. now so we'll see how big you are when you're born! 

The Pregnancy Laziness is Present

Lately I've been SO not wanting to post anything.  I just feel fat and like I need to watch movies and eat food.  I really need to get out of this rut dang it! 
I am 35 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow!  Lately I've been having a lot of cramping and I have to be honest, I was pretty worried about it.  I keep thinking "OH my heck I'm in labor" but I know I'm not.  The Doc says everything is fine and cramping is normal cause of the streaching.
I have to admit that I'm really nervous about actually going into labor.  I've heard so many horror stories (by the way, never tell a pregnant woman about your horror birth story... it's not very encouraging) and I'm not good with pain.  YES I am going with an epidural, I definitely want one.  I feel like if there is something that will help you with the pain, take it. 
I'm getting very anxious as well.  I almost feel like I've had him before and I'm not waiting to meet him... I'm really missing him.  Does that make sense?  I can't wait to hold him and just bond.  I'm so excited that he's going to want ME,  I'm his mom.  Moms are comforting and no matter what they love you with everything they have.  I know when I got hurt when I was little all I wanted was my mom and I'm so happy I get the chance to be that for my little Beckham.  I already love him so much, I can't even imagine what it's going to be like to see him for the first time.  I've played it over and over in my head so much. 
Dad came home about 3 weeks ago for a couple of weeks!!!  It was so much fun.  We all felt complete again.  It's weird when someone in our family is away from the rest... it just doesn't feel right.   When we are all together it's perfect, and I wouldn't want it any other way.  Anyways, the visit was full of many fun things... dinner at The Roof, Mary Poppins, the Bountiful Temple, Park City, a fun family baby shower and movies.  My favorite part was when we all just sat down at Grandma and Grandpa Thurgood's house and hung out.  We listened to songs, did the cha-cha slide, watched Beckham's ultrasound, ate GOOD mexican food (thanks Mom!) and watched movies together.  We miss him so much.  Hopefully the next 3 months go really super fast so we are all together again soon. 

After dinner at The Roof

Baby bump vs. full belly bump ;)

Park City!

Mary Poppins

Baby Shower!

School is still going good.  Not much exciting to tell, other than we are almost halfway through this semester lol.
This weekend was General Conference for the LDS church, it was so neat to watch.  I love listening to the speakers and thinking about how it relates to me.  It's amazing to me that there is a living Prophet and we get to listen to him every 6 months!  I love it.
Also this weekend was a U game vs. Washington that was pretty embarrassing, so we will end this post right here.  :)
<3 Britton

Someone loves me

Right now laying in bed sick the only thing I can think about is how grateful I am.

Usually our sunday routine is the same... Get up for church, fight each other over the mirror to do our hair and brush our teeth (with similar tactics we saw on the utah and byu games last night), get church clothes on and go to church for the 3 hour block. Today wasnt much different until we were sitting in church.
All of the sudden, nausia hit and I ran out of the chapel. My body started going into panic and all I could feel was the pain of my whole body clenching. I was freezing while others were hot and couldn't make myself go back into the chapel. Terror overcame me as I thought about how this might affect (or effect?) my little baby.
Long story short, we went to my grandparents and I went straight to a warm bed. Now here we are an hour and a half later and I'm still in that same position.

My sweet husband was trying to keep me warm when finally my parents came home. Immediately as I saw my dad I asked him and Jared for the greatest gift anyone could receive. I asked for the one thing I know could give me relief at that moment as long as I was strong enough to believe it would. I asked for a priesthood blessing.

All I really wanted to say is that 10 minutes after that blessing I feel a million times better. My body has stopped clenching, the shaking has stopped and I feel an undescribable feeling of gratitude.

I'm grateful for my wonderful husband and dad for being worthy of giving me such a blessing. I'm grateful for everything in my life that led me to have a strong faith in the church and everything about it. Most of all I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father who gave the power of acting in his name on this earth. I'm thankful He loves me and has let me know that many, many times. 

Now moms making her amazing enchiladas and I get to enjoy them and the company of my family while my dad is home :)

Peek at my baby!

The 3D ultrasound on Tuesday was absolutely amazing.  How does that work?  I don't have many things to say, so here are the pictures :) 

Shy baby

Friends are the family we choose :)

They wouldn't stay still!

Last night we went to a really fun BBQ at Emily's parents house.  It was so fun!  First we all just sat down and talked then Sam, Emily, Corbin and Jared jumped in the pool (I couldn't bring myself to get in a bathing suit... not quite ready for that lol), had diving contests, goalie challenges and slide-offs!  Watching was way fun too (hello queso dip...)!  The BBQ was amazing, basketball was fun to watch and watching Sam pitch fast/curve balls/sliders was incredible. 
It was really nice because I kept thinking about a saying I've always heard... Friends are the family we choose.  Her parents and brother completely welcomed us in their home and treated me and Jared no different from their fun family.  It felt like they were family!  It was nice to meet them all too after so long.  We also got to meet Corbin's brother and his girlfriend, they were way nice as well.
Afterwards there was a huge lightning/thunder storm pretty far off so Jared and I found a lookout spot near our house and just watched the show.  It was beautiful!  It reminded me of what we always did while we were first dating, and I definitely miss that :)  So fun!!

Reap What You Sow

Today at church Jared and I sat through two very good talks about reaping what you sow.  From what I get out of it, reaping what you sow means that you get what you put into it.  A.K.A. If you water and feed a plant/relationship/your brain then it will grow into a beautiful thing.  If you ignore it or water it with acid (good analogy, huh? lol...) then it will die literally and figuratively. 
One thing that really got me thinking was when the Brother that was speaking applied this saying to marriage.  If you feed it with love, service and gratitude it will grow and most likely be reciprocated.  If we are selfish, hold grudges and argue a lot, well, you do the math. 
I think Jared and I are pretty good at this, but noone is perfect.  I have things to work on just like everyone else.  I'm making it a goal this week to "nourish" our relationship!  Service, love and gratitude can't be too hard.  He likes brownies, I love him and sometimes he buys me treats and I'm grateful :)  Just kidding... but you get the gist. 
Yesterday while I was eating Cheesecake factory with my mamma and Trinity (YUM!), my wonderful hubby was out serving.  He helped our friends Corbin and Emily move into their apartment, and then after about 6 hours of helping them volunteered to help one of their brothers move too!  Now that may sound easy if you haven't moved in the past year or so, but I remember moving into our apartment, what a crazy experience!  Lots of heavy lifting and hard work haha.  Around 8 that night he finally came home... and guess what?  There was NO complaint from him.  He just talked about how he was happy to serve and what was for dinner.  He was full of funny stories to tell me too.  He is awesome.  I learn more and more from him every day.  After everyone was all showered and fed, Jared and I went up to the cabin with Corbin and Emily and watched part of Shark tales... so glad our friends are back!
Tuesday is the ultrasound!  I'm getting more and more excited every day!  I don't know how I'm going to wait 2 more whole days!

Ariane's baby shower!

Ariane- 32 weeks, Me- 28 weeks!

Today I had fun with my mom and baby sister at Ariane's baby shower!  It was so fun.  How weird... just about 4 or 5 years ago we were gossiping about boys we liked, trying on crazy clothes together at Peebles and now here we are 6.5-7.5 months pregnant!  I am so sad she is probably moving to Texas... I'll miss her.  I was looking forward to our little boys being together pretty soon after birth, dang it! 

Beckham- I've been thinking about you a lot today.  I can't help it, you're moving all around lately like crazy!  I'm getting a 4D/3D ultrasound on Tuesday, I can't wait!  I get to take a peek at my baby boy.  I wonder who you look like... guess we'll get a good picture of that in a couple of days.  Love you!

Daily Ramblings

Today the unthinkable happened... I took a 4 hour nap!  What the heck?  Who does that?  I figure it's ok though because in 2 1/2 months I will no longer be able to sleep in general.  Honestly, I think I'll be ok though.  I have always been able to adjust when I need to pretty well.  In high school early morning seminary was brutal, so I can only hope that prepared me for the sleepless nights.
We didn't have a whole lot to do today... actually we haven't had pretty much ANYTHING to do the past week or so Jared has been off.  We went to the dentist for Jared's check-up and then went to see the Green Lantern at the dollar theatre!  I wasn't really looking forward to seeing it, I hated all of the commercials and thought this was the end of Ryan Renold's (*swoon*) career.  It actually wasn't all that bad!  I'd even go as far as to say I liked it.  Big shocker ;) 
Monday wll be the 6 1/2 month mark of the pregnancy which means I only have about 2- 2.5 months left!  Where the heck did all that time go?  We have so much to do before then.  We're moving into another apartment in our complex on the 29th-30th of this month and that's a pretty big task at hand.  Especially because I won't be able to do a whole lot at once which means TONS of trips back and forth.  We'll both be juggling school and our tasks at hand for a while (yes I am in school this semester... yikes!).  I get to set up Beckham's room (yay!) and our house all in time for him to come.  I'm so excited for everything!  I hope that I can cherish this fun time instead of rushing through it because it really is an amazing time of life and I realize that.  Wish me luck!!!

Sprinkled on... again?

A year ago yesterday, we went to the capitol and star gazed again.  I remember it being so fun and relaxing at the same time.  He and I talked about random things, we got sprinkled on again and he lost his keys. 
Today I went to visit sweet baby Claire!  She's only a week old and I loved cuddling her.  If it's possible, it made me even more baby hungry than I was before... shocker! 
Other than that it was just grocery shopping and signing up for Fall classes (eek!).  I'm excited to go back instead of being a fat, lazy lard but I'm definitely nervous.  It's going to be a heck of a lot of work to be juggling a new baby and studying.  I feel like the girls on 16 and pregnant (but not 16... make sense?), BUT I have an amazing mom who will teach me everything and help me out with babysitting for when the baby comes :)  Bonding time for Grandma and baby! 

My life in a nutshell

Wake upEat
Clean a little
Watch TV
Think about what I want to eat
Resist eating
Eat
Lay down because I'm cramping
Get a heating pad because my back hurts
Snack a little
Think about how good that snack was
Eat
Misc. things (clean, TV, cabin night, make dinner... maybe)
Go to bed

That is my life.  This pregnancy has taken over me and my body!  Who am I!?!?!  I used to be fun and have energy but now I don't have any.  I pant when I get to the top of my stairwell.  I live in sweatpants when I don't have to go outside because, honestly, nothing else fits. I squeeze into my jeans when I have to make an appearance.   Seriously... I. Have. No. Life. 

Plus side is at the end of this  I'll have what I've always wanted.  A little baby boy :)  It is worth it, but sometimes you have to rant.

August 8, 2010

8/9/10 1:04am
I just had an amazing time with a girl that is already so special to me.  She is sweet, kind, smart, and very funny and beautiful.  Her name is Brittonlee.  I just met her a week ago.  Tonight was the first night we hung out with just us two.  We went downtown to Temple Squre.  It was so much fun.  She is so sweet.  We walked around and decided to sit on the lawn in front of the temple where we could talk and look at the temple as well.  In the middle of the conversation the sprinklers came on and got us soaking wet.  We ran out of there as fast as we could.  After that we found another spot to talk by the big mirror pond.  It was so peaceful talking to her while overlooking all the beautiful scenery.  While we were sitting there she said that what happened with the sprinklers is "something out of a movie."  I laughed beause I thought the same thing.  I told her we got "sprinkled on" and we both laughed after that.  After being at Temple Square for about an hour and a half we dicided it was time to go home.  We looked at a few more statues and then walked to the car.  After arriving back to her house I was walking her to the door and we looked up at the stars together and she thought she saw a shooting star.  She once again said that "this is like a movie."  I had an amazing time tonight.  I don't want to jinx anything but I think I may have found her.

I love this letter Jared wrote.  There are two more, but I kind of want to keep those just for Beckham.  Is that weird? 

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

All growing up I knew I wanted to find a man who is just like my dad.  A lot of girls say that, but seriously, my dad is my hero.  He is a good man all around.  I've always looked up to him.  He's a worthy priesthood holder, an amazing father, a hard worker in all that he does and genuinely a good person.  If you needed it, he would give you the shirt off his back.  Dad is all those things and much more, but I think most importantly he has a special, strong love for my mom. 
Although my dad is overseas with the military, he makes a special effort to continutally make their bond grow stronger.  Every day at 6:30 he wakes up and gets ready while Skyping with my family.  I know he tells mom how much he loves her every time.  He goes to work, grabs something to eat then comes right back to his little storage container "house" to Skype with her again until he goes to sleep.

Family Chat

This Monday was my mom's birthday and dad sent her flowers over the weekend just so she would know he was thinking of her.  It's nice to have something physical there that represents dad.  Mom has those flowers right on the kitchen table, probably so a part of him is always there.  Whether it's flowers or a spiritual email he sends, he makes sure he's there with her in spirit always. 
Yeah, it's way hard having him gone.  I'm holding back tears while I type this because I miss him so incredibly much!  I never realized how much I needed him.  I always reach for my phone to call him when I'm having a bad day or just want to talk.  I miss him tons, but I know my mom misses him more.  Somehow she still stays strong for us all. 
Dad is my hero.  He loves my mom with everything he has.  He'd lay down his life for her, no doubt about that.  Although he is doing his duty to his country, he will never stop doing his duty to his family.

^^ Mom and Dad humoring me and doing a cute picture ^^

Meeting in the middle (Germany) for a weekend.  I've never seen them so happy :)

Cabin thoughts



Roasting Marshmallows

Last night Jared and I went to the cabin again for a getaway.  It really is nice to have a place to go that completely seperates you from the world.  We have no cell phone, internet, cable, regular phone or hot water.  No heating/air conditioning, neighbors or friends... for just one night it is me and Jared.  I think that being in those conditions makes me so much more thankful for my surroundings.  You can see SO many stars while you're roasting marshmallows or sitting on the porch rocking chairs.  It's almost magical.  When family is up there with us it's even better.  We play games, cookout, watch movies and sometimes even take naps :)  This weekend we rented movies and had midnight movie nights.  My favorite was Source Code... it's about a man who has to go back through someones mind and figure out how to stop a bombing from happening in downtown Chicago.  It was one of those movies that makes you think. 
Anyways, it's always fun up there... even when we lose a horseshoe in the creek :)

8.6.10-Exactly one year ago today...

It's fun keeping a journal because you get to go back and read about everything that happened in your life.  It's almost like having a third person view of everything and learning more about yourself, I love it and hope I keep going through the blog!  One year ago today here was my journal entry...

       "I hung out with a guy named Jared Powers today.  We went up Big Cottonwood to his cabin and had a BBQ with a bunch of peoople and I had an awesome time!  Beore everyone got there we sat by the waterfall (!) and just talked and joked around.  I kind of wished we had more alone time like that.  He's way cute sweet and funny." 

I remember I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be his date.  I still feel just as lucky to be spending eternity with him and our sweet baby (more to come hopefully... lol). 

Corny, huh? 

A New Beginning

Back up... I forgot to start at the beginning... :)
Everyone needs new beginnings.  At 20 I was definitely in need of one.  I packed up my things and without telling hardly anyone and was our of Maryland within a week of my decision.  I had so many people who helped me through everything.  A change that big is actually really scary for me.  I had a family friend, Jared Davis, give me a blessing.  I needed comfort from my Heavenly Father and the knowledge that I had the strength to do this.  He and his wife both talked to me and made me feel loved and that they cared about me.  My family gave me the support I needed and loved me the whole way.  Even though they couldn't be here in person they were definitely there in spirit.  One of my very best friends, Laura, made the treck with me across the country!  What a sweet girl.  I hope I can be like her one day.  She dropped EVERYTHING and went with me as soon as I needed her.  Laura's whole family helped me by being there for me when I needed them.  Her father and husband gave me a beautiful blessing promising me that I would be storong and courageous in this trip.  It convinced me even more that I could do this.
I left July 8, 2010.  I threw everything I could in my little 2005 Mustang GT.  That thing was packed full.  The first day was hard and full of tears.  I had left my friends without letting more than a few know. 

That trip was one of the best and most healing of my life.  Within 3 days, I knew where my life was going and what I needed out of it.  Laura and I had many fun nights in hotels, trips to Omaha, Nebraska where the historical Winter Quarters is located. 

We ate out where we wanted when we wanted, and if we didn't want regular food we went to a local Walmart and bought snap peas, ranch, cheese and bread.  We got stuck in the most "podunk" towns in America and the only one I can remember the name of is Toledo, like the saying "Holy Toledo".  Worst. Town. Ever.  Don't go there.  Nothing exciting.  Another town we had a horrible feeling about and got lost for probably an hour or so because the GPS wasn't working right.  It was really scary but all we could do was pray and call her awesome husband, Derek, to help us find a hotel.

Finally we arrived in Utah!  I believe it was July 10, 2010.  We saw family, unpacked and relaxed all day.  What would I do with my first week there?  Well it was full of church (on Sunday the 11th), shopping, food and fun.  Everything we could think of doing together we did.  I'm so thankful I have her in my life.  I will always owe her big time and hope someday I can return the favor. 

On July 16, Laura had to leave.  It was hard for me because that meant everything started.  I was alone in this huge city with no friends.  I stayed inside most of the time and hung out with my awesome Grandma and Grandpa Johnson.  When I wasn't there, I was with Grandma and Grandpa Thurgood.  I'm so thankful for the time I had with them all by myself, but it was darn well time for me to make some friends.  Instead of being shy at church I tried to talk to new people every time and go to all of the activities.  I strengthened old relationships, met new friends through old friends, but most of all I learned more about my wonderful family. 

Britton, meet your future...

Look how lonely he
was without me!

While a year may sound like such a short period of time, I rewind a year of my life and find myself meeting my now-husband! It was an awkward meeting because we were introduced a week earlier but I didn't actually remember that because of the insane amount of people I met then. The conversation went like this...
"Hey britton!"
"Hey!" Turn to a girl next to me, "how does he know my name?"
So from there someone over heard my comment and told jared what I had said (thanks a lot Archie). I apologized after sacrament and asked what his name was it all started from there. There's lots more details but Beckham will have to ask about those later :)  We exchanged numbers and it all went from there. Gotta love him!

Our Real Life Love Story

Everyone has their love story.  Some are normal and some are something like out of a Disney movie.  I'm convinced that Jared and I could write a book about all of our stories.
Long story short, when I sold my laptop I lost a lot of history about Jared and I.  In my written journal I have everything up to 2 days before he proposed, and everything else was lost...  It's really frustrating but I hope I can remember everything.  I want to remember details about how things looked and felt. 
I want to start from the beginning.  I don't want anything lost.  I want my kids someday to be able to go and look at how we became a family, so without furter adieu the next post will begin my fairy tale story. 

Buca, I apologize for stealing...

I'm actually REALLY proud of myself.  I don't consider myself a gormet cook or even someone who could impress a crowd, but last night both of my boys (yes, Beckham included) were impressed!  Our favorite thing from Buca is Spicy Chicken Rigatoni and thanks to the internet I found it :)  Hello savings!  We usually pay about $20 for the smaller meal (without our amazing $10 off coupon), but all in all it was about $10 for a large portion!  Yay me :)  It's pretty spicy, but all you have to adjust is the crushed red pepper.
Here's the recipe:
Buca di Beppo's Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

1/4 c oil

1/2 T crushed red pepper

1/8 t salt

1/8 t ground black pepper

1 T chopped garlic

6 oz chicken, sliced

3/4 c. Marinara sauce

1/2 c Alfredo sauce

2 t butter

1/4 c peas

1 lb Mezzi Rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions (I use penne... Rigatoni is harder to find)

1. In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and sauté just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. 

2. Add sliced chicken and sauté briefly to coat in spices and garlic.

3. Add Marinara Sauce first and then Alfredo Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has cooked throughly.  Take off heat, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.

4. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Let drain for 15 seconds. Toss with the sauce. Place pasta and sauce in pasta bowl, reserving the majority of the chicken to be placed on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from the pan to the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve.

Other than that, this month has been full of family, Trinity's birthday (YAY!) and spending time with my hubby.  This past week we've spent a couple of days at the cabin.  I loved it.  Jared and I just sat outside feeling as if we were the only people in the world and made s'mores.  We played cards and watched movies together.  I'm so excited for my baby to be here but I will definitely miss the easy days when we could pack up and go wherevr we wanted whenever we wanted to.  Here in 3 months we'll be starting a new, wonderful adventure! 

Summer lovin' ;)

Dear friends, family and potential stalkers (hehe, kidding),
So many fun things are going on this amazing time of year! I love summer so much.
I love...
Spending time with my amazing family
Skyping with dad and taking funny pictures
Sleepovers with trinity
Father in law visits!
Fireworks
Carmel apples
Baby bump (22 weeks)
Trying not to laugh while jared dances funny
Warm days
Soccer games
Slushies
Upcoming football season!
I am so happy with life. I'm a mom to be to my little Beckham, I have a wonderful husband. I get to see my mom and siblings all of the time and I get to see my dad in less than 2 months!
Life. Is. Good.
<3

Summer Fun and Bump News!

Well first off I don't think I've blogged what the baby is... He's a BOY!  It was so neat seeing the ultrasound.  Although we didn't get any good pictures we did get a great show :)  He was flipping around, rubbing his head and making cute faces.  That was one of the neatest things I've ever seen in my life.  It made this baby so real to me! 
I can feel him kick all of the time now :)  Jared can feel sometimes too.  For those of you who aren't moms yet,it feels like little bubbles popping in your tummy at first.  When you feel it more and more it actually feels like kicks coming from inside you!
So far this summer we've done so many fun things!  We go to the cabin a lot, we've been to Wendover (big winners... woot woot!) and to a Real Soccer game :)  

Austin's Birthday!  Horse shoes with Jared :) 

Trinity and Grandpa T

My beautiful Mamma <3

RSL game with Jared for our 6 month anniversary

  Well, I hope everyone else is having as great of a summer as we are!  Have a fabulous night :)

Myth-Buster #2

Pillow
If it's north-boy, south-girl.
Mine's South.  Girl

Acne
More-Girl, Less-Boy
More definitely... Girl

Hair
Growing Slower-Boy, Faster-Girl
Slower... Boy

Guess
Well the last thing I can really do is guess.  I wish I could say I had a feeling about one or the other but I really don't.  When I see little boys OR girls my heart melts.  I will just guess and I say... Boy!  Who knows though?  I'd LOVE a girl too :) 

What a fun weekend!

This weekend, Jared and I spent time together all ALONE!  I don't think we'll be able to say that many more times... There are so many things that will change in such a short time.  I'm so thankful for our time right now that we have alone.  I know I'll miss it but I also know we'll love being 3! 
Friday and Saturday, Jared and I went on about 5 motorcycle rides!  We went to T-Mobile to get our phones fixed, the temple, Jimmy Johns, Sugarhouse Park (so pretty by the way!!!), all over downtown and many more places!  I love motorcycle rides with Hubby <3.  Sunday we went on more motorcycle rides and my family stopped by.  I love how they live here now so we can all just "drop by" which we haven't been able to do for a long time because we've lived so far apart.  We got to keep Trinity with us and maybe tonight again :) 
This week we have so much to look forward to!  Today I get to watch a sweet little girl from the ward, so both Trinity and I have someone to play with (I get double the fun!).  Tomorrow we have our ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or girl AND we are having a family BBQ at the cabin to celebrate :) So many fun things I think it might be overkill to list everything lol.  ANYWAYS I am very excited! 

Myth-buster #1

Wedding ring over belly
If you tie your wedding ring onto a strand of hair/string it will move either back and forth or in circles.  Circles-boy, back and forth-girl
I tied it to a piece of my hair (so noone could say I didn't do it 100%... ouch by the way...) and it went back and forth!  Girl

Heartbeat
The story goes... if your baby is a girl, the heartbeat will be over 140, under 140 is a boy.
Last appointment the heartbeat was 150.  Girl

Here's my baby bump... oh wait it's not there yet!  Dang it lol.

Take a gander...

Dear friends and family,
Before we find out we wanted to have everyone take a guess at what the baby will be... boy or girl?  So go ahead!  Cast your vote on here and then we'll see who is a baby psychic! 

Boy?

Or girl?



Boy or Girl?

A couple of friends came over the other day and got on me for not blogging!  I really didn't think anyone read the blog so I probably need to make things a little more interesting... so here's what we're going to do.
There are SO many wives tales on how you can predict the sex of your baby.  In reality they are all 50% correct, but so much more fun than just waiting!  I have 4 weeks to wait for the ultrasound (that is if my call tomorrow doesn't convince them to move up the appointment... just saying) so I will do some of these each week till I have done them all!  Then we will tally them up and see if they are right or wrong, which ones worked and didn't.

I looked all over online for these tricks, if you have any more than let me know! 

The Wedding Ring Over The Belly

Get your wedding ring (or other ring/needle/pin) and attach it with a strand of your hair or some string. Lie down and dangle the ring over your belly. If it starts moving in circles, you are having a boy, or if it moves like a pendulum from side to side, then you are having a girl.

North or South?

Look at your pillow and see which way it faces... if it’s north, then expect a boy, south means a girl is on the way.

Pimples, Schmiples…

If you get acne during pregnancy, apparently you’re having a girl, and if you don’t, then you’re carrying a boy.

Hairy Legs?

Has the hair on your legs grown faster than normal? Or has it grown just like normal? Because if it’s growing faster than it did pre-pregnancy, then you’re said to be having a boy.

What’s Baby’s Heartrate?

If you’re carrying a girl, then baby’s heartrate will be above 140bpm (beats per minute). A boy is said to have a heart rate under 140bpm.

Take a Guess!

After all, you have 50% chance of getting it right! It may be even more than that – an article said a study was done on mother’s guessing the gender. The women (who didn’t yet know their baby’s sex), guessed the correct sex of their baby 71% of the time. Not bad!!!

Babies on the brain

All I can think about lately is babies!  I think it's pretty normal for a mom-to-be so this will be a guilt-free post about my excitement for my baby :)
Shopping for friends baby showers used to be so boring and tedious but now I can't wait to do it and have to stop myself at just one present (due to our college-student budget).  The little outfits are SO cute and I just can't wait to cuddle my little M&M in some of them. 
I do have to be reminded sometimes (by my mother and sisters-in-law) to enjoy living in the moment and not rush everything.  I am so thankful for this time and everything my hubby and I get to do together that we won't be able to here in the near future.  Spontaneous road trips, long afternoon naps, sleep at night... etc.  I have to admit though, I am more than happy to give some things up for this baby.  I can't wait to lean over my bed and be able to look at my little baby in his/her bassinett and just thank my Father in Heaven for that little gift.  I know I'll have to give up a lot of sleep, but I also know that it will be worth it. 
I'm so excited for a baby shower, setting up a nursery, shopping for diapers, little outfits and all of that!
Basically, I'm so thankful for this time in my life and I can't wait to hold my baby. One month left till we find out if it's a boy or girl! 

Adventures, Shakespeare and Cooking

Basically the title of this post explains exactly what I've been up to the past little while.  Adventures to San Diego and Vegas, Shakespeare plays (starring my VERY talented siblings) and getting back into cooking.
I have to apologize to my friends and family that have mentioned my lack of posts.  The only excuses I have are a) I'm still getting used to posting on a blog.  I always forget I have one!  And b) I really haven't had anything new to post.  BUT all that has changed my friends.  Back to blogging I am (hopefully ;]) 
On Tuesday, May 3 Jared and I decided to surprise my family with a visit!  So Wednesday we picked up and went on that 11 hour road trip.  It actually didn't seem that long at all!  When we got there they were so surprised they didn't even recognize us for about 5 seconds.  My own MOTHER, lol.  Just kidding mom :) 
Our trip consisted of the Mormon Battallion, beaches, sunburn, Shakespeare and best of all, time with our wonderful family.  Friday and Saturday was the kids Shakespeare plays.  Trinity, Houston and Austin were absolutely amazing, not to mention really funny.  I can't believe all of those kids could remember those lines in Shakespearian language.  Congrats you guys! 
We stayed through Mothers Day and left on Monday so we could stop in Vegas for a couple of nights.  It was so fun but the main reason we wanted to stop there was to see Phantom of the Opera, and tickets were CRAZY expensive... so we pretty much just hung out at the pools and went to see all of the sights.  I don't think I could ever get tired of Vegas.  For those of you who think Vegas is a horrible place to go and a "City of Sin", come with us and I assure you that you'll think differently! 
After our long trip, we finally came home this past Friday.  After almost 2 weeks of not cooking it was SO hard to get back and actually cook something, which is VERY out of character for me.  I love cooking.  It's one way I can make my husband happy and improve myself.  I love it when I take something out of the oven/crock pot/pan and it turns out amazing.  There is nothing better to me than when Jared tells me how good something is and that he loves me (aww... sappy I know).  Which brings me to tonights dinner, which was actually pretty good and one of the only meals I've cooked this week and I wanted to share it! 
If you've never heard of the "A Year of Slow Cooking" blog you need to visit it.  She has really great recipes for any day.  I found this one yesterday and had to try it, and the finished product was very good.  Here's my version of it, just a few tweaks.
For this recipe you'll need...

--2 pound chicken
--3 small potato, cut into small chunks (optional.)
--1 red onion, diced (optional)
--1 cup corn
--1/2 to 1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
--1/8 cup hot water

cornbread topping:

--3/4 cup corn meal
--1 1/4 cups of flour (I used a Bob Red's Mill GF mix--we were out of Pamela's)
--1 cup milk
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 egg
--1 tsp baking powder (only if using regular all-purpose flour)

Spray the inside of your stoneware with cooking spray. Cut up the chicken and potato, and add to the crock. Add the corn.  Add bbq sauce, and then add 1/8 cup of hot water. Mix well with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well.  Spread the topping on to the chicken mixture. If I do this one again I'll probably half this and only put it on half of the bbq. 

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mine was done in 3 because I used a 6.5 Qt. crock pot and I browned the chicken beforehand. 

Hope you like it!  Sorry again for being M.I.A. for a while there.  I'll try and be better! 

Britton

Sarah Taylor Designs Giveaway

My cute friend Becca is doing a giveaway on her blog!  Go to http://4redchairs.blogspot.com/ to enter. 
The giveaway is for a $35 gift certificate.  They have really cute necklaces with tags for names of children, or other things equally as adorable.  Here is a picture of Becca's necklace she has.

Go over an enter!  I did already :)

Free cheese fondou at melting pot :)

Call and use the code word "ricotta" and make a reservation! Thought I'd share the love with everyone for date night.

Oh mornings...

As I was laying in bed this morning I couldn't help but thinking about my baby.   The only real proof I have s/he is in there is the morning sickness, but soon that won't be so!  Jared and I get to hear the heartbeat for the first time in a week from this Friday (April 15)!  I am so excited.  It's hard to imagine that a real baby is in there.  A real, tiny, mini Jared and Britton.  What will s/he look like?  I'm so thankful for this baby. 



This Sunday Jared and I have the opportunity to give a talk on our favorite General Conference talk.  I'm really nervous to get up in front of the amazing people in our ward but I'm working up the courage! 

Tonight is Chili Verde for dinner.  It's one of our favorite dinners so I decided to include the recipe here.  I had a horrible time cutting the chicken, so this may be one of the last times we'll have it in a while unfortunately!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cubed
• 1
  teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, minced or diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  Pretty much just put salt and pepper on the chicken and cook a little in the oil and butter.  Sautee Onion and garlic then put everything in a crock pot for 5-6 hours.  SO yummy.  We eat it with tortillas, chips and salsa.  My favorite thing to do with the leftovers is put over a tortilla with eggs.  LOVE it.  You will too ;) 
• 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa verde (you can find it in the mexican food isle)