I want to start with the bad news first, so that we can get on with the good stuff. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Trevor and I had a house that sort of fell into our laps. We LOVED it and put an offer on it right away, we checked everything out about it that we could, the offer was accepted, we had our loan going through and then a little ways into it we found out that the city of Riverton was building a FREEWAY in our backyard!!! We had asked about what they were using the land for behind our house and we were told, "Riverton city doesn't have any plans for that land yet". BUT when you go online to UDOT you can see that this freeway has been planned for a long time. Maybe you have heard of it. Its called the Mountain View Corridor. Anyways, we spent a weekend trying to decide if it was worth buying the house still or not, and we came to the decision to walk away. Now that its over, Trevor and I both feel good about it. We feel like we dodged a bullet. Oh well....on to better news.

Trevor is almost done with this semester!!! One more semester like this one and Trevor will be in the clear to GRADUATE! I can't wait! This semester, while working full time and going to school full time, I have gotten to see Trevor Wednesday evenings and then the weekend. He keeps telling me that I have been a single mom - and some times it feels like that, but I really can't complain. Trevor is working so hard to get through school as fast as he can. I don't know if I'd be able to do what he is doing. He comes home, just exhausted. The other night, after I got dinner ready, (Wednesday, of course...if he is eating dinner with me) I dish up my food and then look over to Trevor and find him sleeping! He couldn't stay awake even to start eating dinner. Poor guy. He wants so much for our little family. I am very proud of him. But we are both looking forward to when he is done and has his masters.

Our little girl is doing wonderfully. She has this looks that she gets on her face when she is trying to study or concentrate on something. She furrows her eyebrows and it looks like she is scowling. Anytime we go out anywhere, she spends a lot of time concentrating on everything new around her, so a lot of people get to see her "scowling face" - which she has become known for. It is really funny, because Trevor and I only see that face once in awhile around our house. We definitely get to enjoy the more giggly and smiley Ainsley. I could not praise her more for how well she is sleeping. And I LOVE getting her up in the morning, because she just doesn't stop smiling. Here is a picture of her laughing at a reflection of herself in one of her favorite places...her swing.



I went to the festival of trees with some of the family from the Schow side. There are always VERY creative people involved with the Festival of Trees. Here is one pretty creative idea. The picture below is 4 trees covered in blue stuff, and ocean creatures. The trees bend over to make them all look like a giant wave that Santa is surfing underneath. A lot of time is spent making all of this happen. I can't help visit this Festival with gratitude for all of these donations that help Primary Childrens Hospital. I know that miracles do happen there. I have a niece that is living today because of the work that goes on at that hospital. I really enjoyed our visit.




As many of you know, Trevor and I graduated from rival schools. I represent the blue down south and Trevor has extreme pride in his Utah degree. We are very cordial with each other and can even appreciate each other's school for the good things that both have, but on GAME DAY, there is no question for who we both route for. So, this last game day, we made sure that Ainsley was equally cheering for both teams. We end up looking very patriotic as a family. You can see our fan spirit below...I can't say that I was very happy with the outcome of the game...




Thanksgiving was wonderful. We were able to spend a little bit of time with Trevor's side of extended family. We had delicious home-made rolls! Then we went over to my side of the family. Several of my syblings agreed that this years Thanksgiving was the most delicious one we've had! I think we are just getting to the point, where we all have had practice making our specific dish for Thanksgiving. Really, everything tasted so wonderful! My spares no expense on this meal. We had a huge smoked turkey and a ham! Theres no harm making too much food for Thanksgiving because the leftovers make the best part! My mother-in-law actually made a miniature Thanksgiving meal several days later, just so that she could have leftovers.


I also need to say Thank you for several friends coming to Ainsley's Baby Blessing. The blessing was beautiful, our little girl was beautiful...and it was great for us to get together with family and friends that day. We are extremely grateful to have Ainsley in our lives. Nothing has ever made us happier, then our little daughter.

Another little tid bit

I forgot to tell about a few cool events in our lives the last time I posted on here.

After several months of trying to schedule it, Trevor was finally able to go para-gliding! He loved it. He went tandem at the point of the mountain with a company called "Cloud 9". It was fantastic. Ainsley and I watched him from below. He said that they started out nice and slow and hugged the side of the mountain. As soon as the guy that was taking Trevor up could tell that Trevor was comfortable, he went faster, did the flips in the sky and headed out further away from the mountain. When Trevor landed he had a big grin on his face. If he had all the money and time in the world, I am sure that he would have already gone out and bought the equipment and the lessons to start doing para-gliding on his own.





I failed to mention before about how my grandparents got to be here for Ainsley's birth and a few weeks afterwards. They live in Texas, and are unable to come to a lot of big family events. I was so blessed to have my grandparents around for when Ainsley was born. We were able to get this 4 generational picture of us girls. In the picture is Ainsley and I, my sister Jennifer and her baby girl Lydia, my Mom and my Grandma Roark.

Well, tomorrow Ainsley will be 1 month old. I can't believe how long a month felt when I was pregnant and waiting for our little girl to come, and now a month passed by so quickly. It feels like we just brought her home from the hospital. Since it has been a month I figured it a good time to record our impressions of Ainsley and our life as parents. First I have to thank Trevor's boss for giving him a free extra week off to spend with Ainsley and I, right after she was born. I appreciated that gesture SO much. It was the best gift that anyone could have given us for her birth! Especially because the first few days after coming home from the hospital felt like we were constantly catching up on sleep and trying to figure out the ins and outs of being parents. It wasn't until that next week that I think we REALLY got to just be on vacation with our new little daughter.

A little bit about Ainsley...So far we have figured out that Ainsley likes to be moved and rocked whenever possible. She hates cold wipes. She likes to be massaged (especially on her butt). If she can't be held, she loves her swing! She calms down faster for Daddy. Her favorite spot to sleep is on top of Mommy. She is enjoying her bath a little more every time we give it to her. She is beginning to laugh and smile a little more and she is following rattles and her parents voices around with her eyes. She LOVES FOOD! We think she is very photogenic and beautiful!

Trevor is loving having his daughter here. He has already said how he'll be excited for the next one to come along...when its time. (Not going to happen anytime soon.) He misses her all day while at school and work. His Masters program is keeping him busy, but he has still been able to find time to play with Ainsley and I when he is at home. He has been known to get a smile out of Ainsley, just by asking. She loves her Dad.

I couldn't love being Ainsley's mom more! It is very true that everything takes longer now, than it used to. I am very happy if I am able to work out, eat and get in a shower before noon! I'm sure I'll get faster with time. I think it is also because I can't resist playing with her and talking to her while she is awake. We are doing great as a family. Thank you everyone, for your warm wishes to us when she was born! Thats all for now!

Ainsley Lucile Schow

Just a quick update. We have officially named our baby girl Ainsley Lucile Schow! She is still doing great and is still adorable. Here are a few videos of her immediately after she was born.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIwq6No7g8g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebxu0UA95ss

It's a Girl!!

"First Moments with Mommy"


So we went into the hospital this morning around 7:45 to be induced. Kristine could hardly sleep, she only got 2 1/2 hours... I however slept great! I have been trained to sleep through anything from Kristine's constant runs to the bathroom in the middle of the night. We will see how I deal with baby cries!! Anyway, so we check in and get the process going around 8:30. By about 10 to 10:30 Kristine was already on Pitocin, her water broke, and she had her Epidural. We felt great and excited. I LOVE EPIDURALS!!! Kristine says they are "painless" and she is extremely surprised how relaxing the whole labor process is, including contractions. I know...doesn't sound too typical for a woman in labor!

I can't believe how good Kristine looks during the "Transition Stage" of labor. She is totally making it look easy, I was way proud of her.



Our baby girl was born at 5:30 P.M. on Tuesday the 14th of September, 2010. She is adorable! I know that everybody says that their own baby is the cutest baby in the world, but she is truly adorable! She was 6 lbs 13 oz and 19 inches long. She looked like she had a big head to me, but ANY head would have looked big from my perspective! She is a good baby (well...she has been for the last 5 1/2 hours and we don't really have anything to compare her to). She cries for about 15 seconds every time she is moved around too much, but then she settles down pretty quick. She is extremely silent while she sleeps, which I guess is a good thing but it freaks me out! I like to hear her breathing and she is too quite most of the time for me. I am sure that is a feature I will love of hers in the coming weeks.







We are so excited to have our little girl. It was really nice to have her and to think about our 3 children, 2 of which are in heaven already. We couldn't help but think about our 2 boys being around us during the labor and while we were alone with our little girl! We are sure that the 3 of them have a great relationship and we feel blessed to be the parents of such beautiful children.

It was nice to have the family come in to see our little girl. After waiting hours in the waiting room, our family was able to come in and celebrate the birth of our healthy baby girl. Many others came throughout the night and it was so nice to have visitors to show her off to. We are excited to keep showing her off as she continues to meet the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great-grand parents!



















Sadly, we are not 100% positive of the name of our beautiful little girl just yet... I know...it is me that has commitment issues. Kristine is sure, she is just waiting for me to get on board completely with it. As of right now, our little girls name is Ainsley Lucile Schow. We both simply think that Ainsley is a beautiful name, and Lucile is the name of my wonderful grandmother. The more I see our little girl (not crying) the more I think the name fits and she is Ainsley!

(I would have had this blog post up earlier, but Ainsley decided to have a poopy diaper! Awesome, sticky, and disgusting all wrapped up in a tiny little package! So far I love being a Daddy)

Does Summer Have to End?

I had been looking forward to a trip out with my family all summer long. Sadly, that trip has now come and gone. It was so much fun to be with my family in Bear Lake for a long weekend. I kept telling myself that this trip was at the end of summer. Now the trip is over and Trevor has to return to school again soon. He is starting his Masters Program. We have one final push during this next year and then he will really be done with school! The good part of summer coming to a close is, the anticipation of our baby coming doesn't have to last that much longer...We have 4 more weeks left...I can't wait! I'm having dreams all the time of going into labor. I have done up most of her bedroom. I am going to pack the hospital bag on Monday. I'm just soooo ready for her to be here!

This post started out as a brief synopsis of our family trip. So we all started off the trip with great intentions of getting to Bear Lake as early in the day on Friday as possible. Those intentions didn't get us too far. After we were all packed and ready to go we realize that the connectors from our trailer hitch and our camper trailer don't match up. We spend the next few hours trying to track down the adapter that we need. In the end we settle on splicing the wires ourselves and making a home made version of the adapter. There always has to be a set back in a trip, right? At least we got ours out of the way at the beginning. On Friday we still got to go on a boat ride for a bit, after camp was set up and settled. The water in Bear Lake was cold...but not too cold. I expected it to be worse. After I rolled myself into the water, I had to wait about 30 seconds and then the water felt wonderful! There is nothing like swimming around to ease the pressure off of a pregnant back. Trevor and I love being out on the water. Thank you to Katie for letting us borrow her family boat!

The next day we went on more boat runs. My family found a great beach to lay out a miniature camp on. Jamon, my brother in law, borrowed his family lake toys. We had a lake trampoline (that had a slow leak in it, so that didn't last long) and a SWEET lake lounger that held at least 7 people on it at once. It was perfect for the whole set up. The beach that we got on was shallow for a LONG ways out. The kids got to play in the water safely, we all got to sun bathe and most of us ended up burned somewhat. We had a canopy for shade, Amber's delicious pasta salad, and a whole 2 days to do nothing but relax on such a perfect beach! The water was so clear too!


On the third day up there, we set up a morning run to try to get the good water on the lake. It was definitely the best water we had up there the whole time. Jamon, Trevor and Katie showed off their skiing skills. Most of the family had a go at getting up on the wake board or skis. We again, played on the beach, collected little shells, played bochee, cards, flew kites, swam, boated, lounged, and got the famous RASPBERRY SHAKES from Bear Lake. I have to give my mom a big Thank You for all of the delicious dinners and dutch oven desserts. I wanted the vacation to last at least 1 day longer, but we had to come back home to be responsible adults. For my own self, I need to list a couple of the funny moments that happened on the trip...the ones that make a family vacation fun!

-We found out how much the family loves Sun Chips
-Jiffer's appendages out of the water
-Max giggling with the bubbles from Eva and Grace
-Trevor waking up others in the camper because he was laughing DURING his dream
-eating our dinners with no light
-John's karate grunts during Egyptian Rat Skrew
-Katie's speed at ANY card game
-Being soaked TWICE in the front of the boat
-Motion sickness
-Watching 2 trucks with their boats get stuck trying to launch from the sandy beach
-The Idiot jet skier too close to shore (not so funny)
-"Thats not a banana, thats my nose" - Daddy Fuller
-Grace falling out of the side of the camper (again, more scary than funny)
-Eva sitting in the lake, asking if it was too cold...
-Learning how to drive a boat and pull someone behind the boat

Pictures are to come...

Summer 2010

It is a little late, but happy 4th of July!

Trevor and I have been enjoying this summer so much. It feels like a lot has gone on and its only half way through the summer. I figured I would just put up some of the activities Trevor and I have gotten to be a part of so far this summer. There is definitely more to come, but for now here is what we've been up to...

First, Trevor started complaining one morning that his stomach wasn't feeling very well. He went to work and he said by lunch time he felt pretty sick. He stuck it out though and made it through the day. He ate dinner, hoping that would help out, but it didn't. Things just got worse. His pain progressively got worse right over where his appendix is at. We started looking up what could be causing this pain and we kept reading symptoms for appendicitis that matched exactly what he was feeling. So finally we went in to the E.R. and Trevor definitely had appendicitis. They gave him pain killers for the night and then operated on him the following morning. He was in so much pain before the surgery, I was relieved when they brought him out of surgery and he looked at me and said, "I feel like I could get up and do jumping jacks." We spent the rest of the day in the hospital recovering. Trevor has been great ever since. We'll see how much of a scar he'll have. Right now the scars are still pretty bright. It is amazing what the medical world can do these days though. Trevor has his appendix removed and all there is to show for it are 3 small incisions, no longer than 2 inches long. Amazing!



I have been able to talk different family members into going swimming with me as much as possible. The pool feels great these days...especially for my back. My sister has been great to swim with me most of the time.

We've gone to several campfire evenings. You can't ever get enough of those though! I love being up in the canyon. It has been so green and the rivers have been really high! It is beautiful. Trevor went rock climbing outdoors for the first time, with our brother in law, Jamon. He loved it! When he was finished he decided we needed to buy him his own rock climbing shoes. (He has several toys right now that he would LOVE to go out and buy... para-gliding gear, rock climbing shoes, a boat, 4-wheelers, a dirt bike and the list goes on...Not to mention he just got a whole new set of golf-clubs for Father's Day.) Anything Trevor can do to be outside, he'll jump at the chance to go!We also got to go camping over night with our friends, Danny, Amelia and Hannah Morgan. (Thanks for bringing us along on that guys!) Trevor and I had a blast! It was a great experience to realize what we do and don't have for camping trips. Maybe we'll start making a Christmas list...



Here is my sister trying to roast marshmallows while the guys rock climb.




My little brother graduated from Skyline High School. He was very anxious for that. I remember the feeling of being excited to move on with my life, but not being able to until high school was finished. I believe he has been feeling like that since before his senior year. He is in that stage of trying to figure out what direction he is going to go in for his career, schooling and all of those major decisions that start to creep up after high school. I'm proud of him though. He has got a very level head and wants to do things the smart way!



My Dad had his birthday on June 30! Happy Birthday Dad! I have always been impressed with the ambition that my father has. I don't believe that he'll ever let age stop him from doing the things that he loves. He talks about how he is turning into an older man, but I don't see him like that at all. He has enough desire to be on the move and experiencing things...especially with the family. We all love him and look up to him so much! For his birthday we had a big bbq at my parent's house. Afterwards we watched a movie on a projector, against the side of the house. I think we'll do that more often, now that we know how much fun it can be! Trevor proved his cooking skills once again at the birthday. I think he stood by the grill for over an hour, bbq-ing the entire dinner!






Trevor had to re-paint the baby's room. It was a little painful, having to paint over the room that we painted for our little boys. It was so cute too! I made sure to get a lot of pictures before we painted over our blue room. Now it is ivory-yellowish and I think it is looking more and more ready for our little girl to come! Speaking of which, I have had some requests to post some belly pictures on here. So you get to see my prego-belly at about 28 weeks. Now I am 31 weeks, so I should get some more photos. Trevor is telling all of his nieces and nephews that my belly button sticking out is actually just the baby's nose pressing against the inside of my stomach. They always look up at him with a look that asks, "Are you serious or is this a joke?"





We've also been lucky enough to go boating this summer...and we have some plans for the future weeks ahead to go boating again. But the Morgan family was nice enough to bring us along, again, on their boat! The best boating trips are with the Morgans. Trevor so desperately wants a boat. He watches for anything he can to learn about keeping good maintenance up on a boat. Steve Morgan said at one point that Trevor was "trying to be the crew" on the boat. Really, Trevor's great passion is to be out on the lake! Thank you, thank you for bringing us with you! I have to fight back my jealousy on these boating trips though. I want to get behind the boat so bad, but there is no chance that I'd even be able to sneak a small ride on the wake board. I have too many people looking out for the baby's and my well-being. The water was freezing and choppy, but we wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else! Tiffany and Mark Frogley were able to come along also, with their baby girl, Ashlyn. I was impressed that Tiffany was able to get up and wake board, after healing from a broken tail bone! Way to go!




And lastly, this last week we were able to spend some much needed time with Trevor's sister, Suzy and her family Brent, Megan, Joseph, Sarah and Daniel. They live in Iowa and they drove 2 days to get to Utah for a visit. We went to the aquarium and to the visitor's center downtown. We had s'mores and taught the grandkids how to play some night games. We ended their last evening here by watching as many comedian clips as we could fit in. The most fun part of it all was having the whole family here to hang out and catch up! We miss you guys!


Here the kids are at the temple square visitor's center.

Well, our summer adventures will continue, I'm sure. Until then...I hope you enjoyed this long post!

There are two major things that I needed to update the blog with. Major to Trevor and I, at least.

First, Trevor has graduated with his bachelors in Information Systems from the University of Utah. It is a strange feeling for both of us, not to have to think or worry about his homework or study schedule. He loves what he has learned in his education, loves his job and is actually excited to go into his Masters program in the fall. He is burned out from school, but he figures he'll be doing and learning more about what he really loves while in his masters program. I'm so glad that he has the summer off though. I am so proud of his determination and work ethic while in school. He has really shown me how much of a foundation he wants for his family these last few years with his efforts in school. Even when it has been stressful and he has had to sacrifice in order to get through school, he has had his mind set on a goal... and he has made it! He even graduated Cum Laude in his class. Way to go sweetheart! You can see below the kite he bought for his own graduation present. It is 2.1 meters (about 7 ft. long) and has been just the thing to bring on that summer, outside, playful feel. Even though the weather has been crappy recently, we've been able to get out to the park and fly this baby several times. It can pull me across the park with not very much wind. We are just having fun going outside these days!









Second item, we celebrated our 3rd anniversary on the 16th of May! Three years has definitely gone by fast. But at the same time, Trevor and I feel like its been so much longer than three years. That may be because we have known each other for more than 8 years. I have to go pretty far back in my memory to remember a time that Trevor wasn't a crucial person in my life. I know for certain that having Trevor strengthens me in times of hardships and makes my times of joy that much more full of elation!

Baby Girl

Today was our 20 week appointment! I think it is amazing all of the things doctors can see these days with technology. The doctor can answer so many questions by just looking at an ultra-sound machine...its incredible! Everything is looking healthy and right on target. I'm getting more and more excited to pass by the date that we lost our little boys by. It will just be that much more relaxed, not worrying as much about how our little girl is doing. We are sure it is a girl. Confidant enough to pick out clothes, names and colors. We had a gender check done a few weeks ago and the ultra-sound tech was positive it was a girl. Then today we asked the doctor to double check, and we got some great 'girl' photos. Trevor and I are so excited to meet our little girl! So far this pregnancy has been really easy. Last time I was pregnant I got through the nauseous stage and pretty much jumped to the third trimester stage. I grew so fast that I was dealing with all of the uncomforts of being big and stretching everywhere - with lots of pressure! I didn't know the difference then. Now I feel like I am really small and this second trimester is great! I hardly feel pregnant sometimes...but I have the reassurance of a little pregnant belly and those tiny kicks and movements. Trevor and I are having so much fun!



We are confidant that she won't come out looking like a monkey...even though her profile looks somewhat like that...



The GIRL shot!



This one I think is really cute. On the left side of the picture are her hands covering up her eyes and forehead. If you look close you can see her little nose and mouth underneath her hands, more in the middle of the picture. She is such a cutie!


Besides the baby stuff....I can't wait for Trevor to graduate next week! Every day is that much closer!!!!!