Update: Our last year!

Brett and I got married January 8, 2010, it was an incredible day and we couldn't be happier! We went to Las Vegas and California for our honeymoon where we walked the Vegas strip, went to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and Knottsberry Farm, and saw Avatar for the first time in 3D.

About two months after we were married I started getting nauseous all the time and Brett says "Babe, I think you might be pregnant." My response was "There is absolutely no way that I am pregnant!" Well he was right. After 5 home tests and a hospital test I was certain I was pregnant. Brett and I were so excited to have a baby on the way, even if it wasn't in our plan. Ready or not our daughter was coming, due on Halloween 2010!

With our family already starting it was time to get Brett squared away and into the National Guard. After a couple of months of getting all the paperwork and everything done Brett was able to get all signed up and started training for his basic November 2010. He was really excited to hear that they weren't going to send him until after the baby was due.
Finally, the last month of my pregnancy came after 9 months of carrying what I was sure was going to be a 8 & 1/2 lb baby I was ready for her to come. Wednesday October 27th I started having regular contractions 20 minutes apart. By the end of the day they were only 15 minutes apart and I was frustrated! The next day Brett and I went on a walk and I took a hot relaxing bath to try to move my labor on. I finally worked up the courage and put a tbs of castor oil into my sherbet and ate it! About 2 hours later my contractions started getting closer and closer! I wasn't nervous about bringing our baby into the world until they started getting close. So I just kept letting them go and go and go.... My mom called and asked how far apart they were I told her less than 5 minutes and she yelled at me to go to the doctor, but I was scared now and didn't want to go. My sister then called and told me I had to go now or I would be having a baby at home. So reluctantly I told Brett it was time!

We arrived at the hospital at quarter to 5 on the 28th where I was checked into a triage room for monitoring. Within 45 min my contractions went from 3 min apart to 1 and 1/2 minutes apart and were getting really strong. My water broke and they carted me to labor and delivery and got me my epidural right away! At 6:30 I had progressed to a 9 and an hour later we were ready to start to push, unfortunately we had to wait for antibiotics to get pushed through me so although we were ready to go they had me wait until 10, while monitoring the baby's vitals closely. Finally our little angel Sawyer Elise Bowen arrived at 10:22 pm October 28th 2010. Weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz she was beautiful! And long! 22 in!



We got to go home from the hospital October 30th, after all we'd been through it was nice to be able to go home and sleep in our own bed! We got a full week and a few days with Brett before he had to leave. It was so great that he got to see and get the feel of being a daddy for a little while before having to go.





He has done extremely well in his Basic Combat Training, ranking top ten in his platoon and passing all of their qualification tests with some of the highest scores. He is a squad leader in his platoon and has done a great job being a leader. We are so proud of him and all that he has been doing! And we have missed him terribly over the last month and a half.




Luckily he got the opportunity to come home for the holidays and is home for 18 days til after the new year. Then he will go back for the last 5 weeks of BCT in South Carolina, then it's off to AIT to do his MOS training for apache mechanics in Virginia, where he will be gone til sometime in June.



Sawyer is now almost 2 months old time feels like it has just slipped right by. Although my days and nights feel long it makes the weeks go by fast. She isso cute and her personality is starting to show. She doesn't stay awake at 1 in the morning wanting to play anymore, and she stares at her mobile go round and round in her swing. she still sleeps most of the day, but those few hours she is awake she is happy (mostly). We are so glad she was sent to us!






Well thats our past year in a nut shell! I'll be better about keeping up with our family news!

Engagements

We finally got our engagement photos taken it was so so so much fun! I am just that much more excited about our wedding! Our photographer was so so much fun! And she is just so adorable! I don't know how well they will turn out and my outfit was a little awkward cause I had to improvise cause we were so far away from home. But they are gonna be cute no matter what cause Brett is just adorable... I think all of our pictures we were kissing. It was funny cause she would tell us to look at each other and we'd do it and giggle and nuzzle then end up kissing. But they were cute.
We took our photos at MEMORY GROVE in SLC and it was so pretty and it was actually a nice day, we thought it was going to be overcast but it ended up being beautiful! :)
I can't wait to see how they turn out after the editing!!!

Oh and on a happy note I get my wedding dress sometime next week!!!!

Its fitting together all nice and neat. YAY!!!!

Update

So I finally got my engagement ring back! yay and its new and unaltered so there should be no more problems. My wedding dress on the other hand I am very upset about. It's been almost a month since she lost it and I haven't heard a thing so I call her up to ask her about it tell her that I live in Idaho now and that we need the dress asap so we can make the sleeve alterations and any other alterations we might need to make. She tells me she'll see what she can do about getting it done but she says the woman making my dress is too busy with a bridal showcase to finish my dress............. hmmm anyone else see something wrong with the logic in this???? Yes I feel more comfortable about what the quality of my dress will be knowing the maker is in a bridal showcase but at the same time they already messed up once.... this is my wedding not just another thing she is taking on...

Nothing I can do about that but vent.

Other than that Brett and I have been doing really well... his friends have been driving me up a wall... We live together and feel like we are always surrounded by people and haven't had time alone for the last week or so. It's smothering.

On a funny note people who live in Idaho are crazy.... People say Utah drivers are bad... I have almost gotten into 4 or 5 car accidents in the last month on small streets in Twin.... I am by no means a perfect driver... anyone can agree to that... but as far as drivers in Idaho I am a much safer driver.

Question for all you married people out there: As a newly wed would you move into a house with your 2 sisters your sisters husband and your 3 neices and nephews?

Thats the dilemma we are facing.... cheaper rent... but no privacy... it wouldn't be separate parts of a house it would be shared living space.

What do you think?

I love my sisters and the kids and my bro in law but as newly weds I don't think that is going to be a healthy place to start out. I feel like it will cause more issues than help. Plus think of how Brett would feel about it... it's my family not his, he's not used to the way they are and how close we are. I think it would be awkward to live in a house of people he barely knows.

The honeymoon is in the process of being planned: a road trip up the california coast. I'm excited. The wedding is in less that 2 months its getting down to crunch time. We take engagement photos Friday hopefully we'll get to design our announcements by next week get them ordered and get them mailed by December 1st. I think the plan for my Bridal shower is Dec 5th. My sisters are planning it.

I feel like everything is coming together quite nicely and I am excited for the end product. Haha if anyone has any ideas for gifts for the wedding party let me know.

Hopefully we will get to see you all soon. I feel super secluded living up here in the middle of no where. I am definitely missing familiar faces.

Finally at a computer I can use!

These are bobcats cuddled together.
The sign said they were loner animals...
Do they look like they hate the company of another?

Just Brett and me after our Zoo adventure.

We're in a TREE!

He really didn't want a picture taken in the tree... TOO BAD

I'm a Tank~ see those muscles.
I don't even where shoes!

The log that monkey is carrying is bigger than him!

It was cold and sleepy!

We liked the pelicans... one was eating a fish... and looked like it was choking.
Reminded me of Finding Nemo

Marsupial its so cute~

This was THE cutest animal at the zoo.
An albino porcupine

He should be a zoo tour guide doncha think?

I would not be a very good Vana White.

Our heads covered the sign.. but.. we're at the Willow Park Zoo!

This is a really pretty and BIG eagle

He's a cute Monkey!

So those are all the zoo pics.

I finally got all moved out and in.
Thanks to my Dad, Hailey, and Brett! I love you guys!

Twin Falls is the same as any other podunk Idaho city...
Maybe a little less podunkish but still it's working on it.

Working at Target is quite boring and kinda remedial I think...
But what was I expecting it is retail!

I think I only am thinking this cause I miss my old work,
And my family and all my friends.

Living here is great... minus the Brother in Law who includes himself in everything..
Even that nice celebratory dinner that Brett planned for the two of us...

We'll definitely be good with kids...
His brother is our first child...
Maybe we can teach him some manners and how to clean up after himself...
That could be a stretch though!

Well I miss you all!

Twin Falls really isn't that bad...
I am just bored and very partial to Utah.

And being able to see Brett everyday makes it worth it. :D