For years I wrote in my journal, nightly...so why is it so hard for me update my blog even monthly? I think it might be because when I finally sit at the computer to browse around for my self and read everyone else's blog...I don't have any interest in thinking through what to say to document my own life. So here it is...my most recent blog update. I won't even try to fill you in on what has happened in our lives since...well...I opened up my preschool last fall (I think that was my last update...ugh!)

I have the time to update the blog right now, because I am being forced to sit down chill out these last couple of days. I had a minor surgery on Monday. Now I have to take it easy and relax on the couch (which is impossible to do with a 1 1/2 year old). The surgery was to take out my I.U.D. You might think to yourself..."you don't need surgery to take that out". My I.U.D actually made its way through my uterus and was resting behind my left hip bone. So in this case, we did need surgery to take it out. The surgery went totally fine though. The incisions were kept very small and so I am healing fast! The number 1 question that I have been repeatedly asked is if I will ever get an I.U.D. again. For me...no. It feels pretty silly to have to go get the thing removed through surgery and then later, put one back in. This is supposed to be pretty rare, so I am not telling anyone else what would be smart or not. I used to swear by it, but I will have to find a new kind of birth control.

My goodness...Ainsley is almost a year and a half and she is the funniest, most adorable little girl to us. This is more for myself than for anyone else, but a little bit about her right now...
she will eat almost anything, anytime...
she calls both Trevor and I, Dad...
she LOVES shoes, phones, laptops, ipads, etc.. and cars!
she LOVES the wind in her face and insists on having windows rolled down in the car..
she wears her jacket around all day, just hoping to go outside or in the car...
she sleeps with her Kiss,Kiss Bear...
she can't get enough of books...
she can spot Sesame Street characters in EVERY store we go in...
she can now say, Dad, shoes, there it is, uh-oh, please, car...
she signs milk, again, music, lay down, change diaper, thank you, sorry...
she wants me to sing 24/7 in the car, usually the same song over and over...
she is bossy when she plays house...
she will sit on uncles and grandpas laps for longer than she ever does for Mom or Dad
she will never tire of playing Hide and Seek...
she is a wonderful helper when it comes to cleaning up the house...

We love her so much! There is an endless amount of patience, frustration, joy and love when it comes to having kids...at least for us! Thanks for checking in.

P.S. Pictures always make a post more fun, so I picked 5 of our recent-ish pictures, in hopes that it would help to summarize our life a little bit.

Here I am after surgery...a very loopy day for me.



Our family trip to visit Temple Square:



Oh yeah, Trevor brought me along on a business trip he had to New York...awesome vacation! Here we are on the top of the Empire State Building. This site was by far, Trevor's FAVORITE!




Ainsley, just being cute with her little mischievous face.



This was awhile ago, I guess just long enough to out grow those clothes that she is in.

Preschool Opening

I know I need to update our blog about our life...but I just can't wait to tell everyone about how we are actually going through with my Preschool plan! I have been planning and contemplating this for a long time, and we have almost finished our basement in hopes that it would all work out, I was just waiting for the city's approval for my preschool business license. It was finally approved last night and so Trevor and I are putting on the finishing touches of the basement and gathering the rest of the supplies that I need to start out the preschool with. I have butterflies in my stomach!!! Anyways, if you know of anyone looking for a preschool for their 3 to 5 year old, in the Herriman/Riverton area. Send them my way! Thanks so much!

Last night Trevor and I made a trip to Costco. Man, we can never walk out of there without spending a few hundred dollars. Anyways, look what Ainsley found!





We were such the sight to see, walking around Costco. Of course our cart was filled to the brim already, so the bear sat in the cart, like a baby would...only it took up the entire cart, even while sitting. Ainsley was completely giddy about the whole thing. We got so many looks as we lug around this huge bear, sitting upright in our cart, with our baby clinging to its arms, belly, legs, nose, ears. She was all smiles and giggles the whole time. Trevor and I started feeling very conspicuous because we couldn't pass by anyone without them laughing, whispering to themselves, making a comment, or even having some others' kids cry because now they wanted one too. Just so that you know, even though Ainsley would love to think this bear is hers, we really bought the bear for the reading nook we are putting in our basement for my preschool.

Which reminds me, I need to show pictures of before and after, as we finish up our basement. I have been getting more and more furniture for the preschool. I am getting really excited. I just have to wait for the letter from the city saying that the zoning is okay. Then I can start enrolling for this next year. Any day now...I can't wait! If you know of anyone that is out on this west side of the valley, that is looking for a preschool...I would love to have them!

Our Latest and Greatest

Well Trevor and I finally feel settled in our new home! All of the boxes are unpacked and we only have 3 things left to hang on the walls. Here are some pictures of the day we were moving in. I wish I had some final shots of the house all put together, but I haven't taken any yet. We absolutely love our new house, our new neighbors, our new ward...we feel very blessed. I know that we have family that feels like we are on the edge of the world, but Trevor and I are starting to really enjoy a little bit of a longer drive to our parents (it used to be 10 minutes and now its 30), because we get into some of the best conversations when we have a little bit more time. The view out here is beautiful. We can see so much of the mountain range, and we are able to see 3 of the temples in the valley,very clearly. I love the sight that we get to see at night from our upstairs windows...the lights of the city are wonderful.



Here is Ainsley in our backyard, squinting into the sunlight, and putting up with me weeding for as long as she'll let me.

Ainsley is all bundled up to take a walk around our new neighborhood.

I know that I should have posted all of the wonderful things that Ainsley was up to at her 6 month checkpoint, but moving kind of got in the way of that. She is now a little over 7 months. She seems to be getting happier and happier all of the time. She LOVES the fact that she is more mobile. What a wiggle worm! She is always on to the new thing...well as long as we are at home she is. Whenever we are out and about at other places she likes to sit and take everything in for awhile. She is getting faster at her army crawl. She goes from laying down to sitting up all the time, and when she does she looks at us and claps for the praise that she knows she deserves. The latest accomplishment is pulling herself up to standing next to our ottoman. She is not shy about showing us how proud she is of herself...you should see that grin! She is in the 60 to 70th percentile on weight, height and head circumference. She loves bananas and eating anything that she sees me eating. Toys that have lights and noises are her favorites (which is bad news for Dad who has an Ipad, Motorola Xoom, Evo Phone, 2 laptops, xbox controllers, and several remote controls). Ainsley thinks Dad is the funnest person. When he comes home from work she gets a big grin on her face and if he doesn't come over to her quick enough, she starts her whining until she gets a big hug from Daddy. My favorite thing is when she wakes up from her naps, she pulls down her bumper pads and looks through her crib bars, searching for me, until I come for her. I know that I taught her this, after playing peek-a-boo constantly through her crib. I just love to see her PATIENTLY looking for me. Thats a lot about Ainsley...props to you if you made it through that whole explanation!




Here is Ainsley trying to peek out at me through her crib bars. So cute!

I wanted to also say congratulations to a couple of my brothers. Aaron graduated from the Fire and Rescue Academy at UVU. He is working and going to school like a mad man and we are so proud of him! He is going to be fighting wild fires this summer. What an exciting job! I'll post about this again later, but my older brother, Paul, is also graduating with his JD from the law school at the University of Utah. Between them and Trevor graduating, I feel like I belong to a very productive family these days.



Trevor sitting with Ainsley in one of the fire trucks.



Here is the building that the students would practice putting out fires in, or practice falling out of buildings, or practice ventilating roofs, and the list goes on...



Ainsley and I



Aaron and his girlfriend, Katie

Another news of excitement...Jiffer (Jennifer) is prego! I'm so excited for my little sister to have another baby. Right now I can't even think about having a second child. Ainsley has me busy enough, but I know that she is so excited for this next member of her family. We are happy for her!



This is Ainsley and her cousin Lydia trying to play together. I think it will take some more time!



Trevor and I took Ainsley to a park to see if she liked the slides...she did!




Ainsley is laughing at me here. I was giving her a binkie...which she refused to take at about 3 months old. She thinks the binkie is hilarious now. Its almost as if she is laughing at me for giving her a "baby" toy. She puts it to the side of her mouth, and laughs before spitting it out. Silly little sprite!

Tata for now!

Woohoo!

Yeah!!!! After what feels like a long time coming...but really it isn't...Trevor and I will close on our house sometime between the 2nd and 7th of March. We will most likely move in a week or so after that. We went and saw the house again today for our inspection, and we fell in love with the house all over again. We are both so excited to move into our new home. Right now we are looking forward to all of the projects that we have started making for ourselves...building stairs off the kitchen, finishing the basement, just a little bit of paint, setting up the pre-school to be...and the list goes on and on, but gets more mundane after this. I'm sure it will reach a point that we won't be excited about projects, but as of right now I think Trevor and I are just excited because all of the projects will be for OUR HOUSE! I can stay excited about the house, as long as we don't start talking about all of the expense that comes along with the house. I don't know if I have ever met someone as much as a penny pincher as I seem to be. Spending ANY money gets my stomach churning...so I guess I need to buckle up for an extensive stomach ache. Well, the house is in Herriman...about 4 minutes away from where Trevor's office is. The top reasons I love the house are

-front porch

-landscaped yard

-adorable gables

-kitchenette by entertaining area

-nice looking wood trim/flooring/cabinets EVERYWHERE

-super cute room for Ainsley

-play room just for Ainsley (and future kids)

-big enough area for a preschool

-it is MY HOUSE!



Now, there is a large part of me that will miss several things about where we are living now...which is in the basement of Trevor's parents. We have continually commented about how blessed we have been, to be able to live in this basement to start our family and get through school. We would not be buying the house that we have now, if it weren't for the opportunity that we've had to live here. Now, my top reasons for missing our current home...

-late night talks with family

-we are 10 minutes away from almost ALL of both our families...except for our wonderful sister Suzie in Iowa

-saving money

-being able to borrow (mooch) milk, eggs, spices, soda, buttons, internet, satellite, netflix, etc...at the blink of an eye

-closer to the University of Utah for Trevor's commute (going to end soon!!)

-having someone to talk to when Trevor is away at school for the week

-being able to know my niece and nephews that live above us so well

-its close to our sons graves

-Its been our home for the past 3 years

Thank you Mom and Dad Schow for letting us have 1/3 of your house for 3 years. We are excited that you will finally have it back in a few weeks, you deserve the space. Not that your excited for it. :) Not like you have already bought ALL of the furniture to fill it up.

One Handed

Because our little Miss Ainsley loves to be held when she gets bored or tired, I have become proficient at many things with one hand...usually my right hand while Ainsley is in my left. I am sure lots of mothers get used to performing one handed but here is my list off the top of my head...

Changing loads of laundry
Cooking
Putting on make-up
Making the bed
Cleaning the house, in general
Looking up things online
Getting dressed
Packing our home in boxes
Putting on jewelry
Cleaning drool off my face/hair/clothes
Scrubbing drool/spit-up off of the floor
Balancing books/dishes/groceries/miscellaneous items on one side of me for various reasons
Blogging...

Although I realize I am not unique in having these abilities, I nevertheless find that each day I impress myself with the clever abilities that I now realize I can do.

One another note! Trevor got an iPad because of his work...And I have gotten to play on it a lot so far. I thoroughly enjoy the iPad. It is now on my Christmas list, along with my jogging stroller. I have to admit that I have had more time than lately to fool around on the iPad because my little family has been a basket case of head colds and stomach bugs for the last week. I haven't wanted to do much but sit on the couch and waist the time away. Let's hope this next week brings us health and energy.

Little by Little

It's about time I post something for 2011. The year has been great so far. Trevor is back in school, in his last BUSY semester. He does have one semester after this one, but not nearly as busy. He is only taking 2 classes next semester...and then he will graduate with his masters! I can't tell you how ready I am for that day! He will definitely deserve that proud feeling you get when you accomplish what you set out to do. I am so proud of Trevor. I've said that a lot on here, but it is VERY hard and trying to go through school without being able to see your new baby girl, because she hasn't woken up before you go to work, and has gone to bed before you get home from school. Ainsley and I definitely miss Trevor during the week as well. But thats not what I came to blog about...

Ainsley is SO fun to have in our family. She is my personal playmate all day. She gets more and more giggly all the time. She loves being tickled on her feet, under her ribs, and on the inside of her thigh. She knows how to roll over now, but I don't think she sees a purpose in doing it very much yet. She thinks Daddy is hilarious. He doesn't even have to do anything, and she'll be beaming at him for minutes at a time. She really enjoys sucking and gumming anything she can get her hands on. Oh, and the latest...she LOVES solid food. I gave her sweet potatoes for the first time last week and after the first bite she stuck her arms out towards the food and started shaking them with anticipation, with her mouth open wide and puckered for the next bite. The first couple of times I fed her, she would get upset as soon as she finished the food in her mouth, because she didn't like having to wait at all for the next spoon full. She has learned by now that the food will come, and she doesn't need to whine about it. I have learned that she gets fairly bored being inside the same house all day. She has a much better day when we have an excuse to get out of the house and go somewhere. For that reason, I can't wait until it warms up so that we can just go walk outside! At her 4 month check up she weighed 14 lbs. 10 oz., she is 2 feet tall and is as healthy as ever. Some of you might know that she has had blood in her stool, since about 2 weeks after birth. We have been trying to figure out why for awhile now. We finally were able to go see a gastro-intestinal doctor about it. She diagnosed it as neo-natal colitis and the good news is, she will outgrow it, probably by the time she is a year old. If you ever want the details, I'm happy to share, but that could get a little boring on here.

Here are some pictures of our little baby girl:

Here she is eating her sweet potatoes for the first time.



She LOVES to suck on the bird's hair in this picture...I want to figure out how to take the thing off and wash it!



Trevor and I took her to Wheeler Farm and looked at all of the animals...




This is a toy that will always put a smile on Ainsley's face: her monkey



Ainsley is beginning to like being on her tummy for longer periods of time, finally.



Like I said, everything goes in the mouth...



The latest trick she knows...she can play with her feet!

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)