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!!!!!

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was fun! First of all, I was on Spring Break, so I have been in a really good mood. I have gone back to work by now, but I think the break gave both the kids and I a chance to rejuvenate for the next long haul. They are happy which means I am happy, which means they are definitely happy =) I spent Friday making an easter basket for Trevor. I thought I was creative and had reason to be proud of what I put in his basket (Well, our basket. I was told that if I was going to make him one, I had to make myself one..."of equal quantity, quality and monetary value"). So I made "us" a basket. It had things that made me think of fun spring activities Trevor and I will finally get to go outside and do, soon I hope. It had some religious items that made us realize why Trevor and I have so much of a reason to celebrate Easter. And it had candy.

Friday night I pretty much spent on our friend's parent's couch (Thank You Morgans!)and slept while my husband and Danny Morgan got to re-live what it felt like to be in high school. Apart from the fact that the boys had a pregnant wife and a nursing mother asleep behind them on the couch, they were able to stay up late...I won't say until what time...without a care in the world, to "hang-out". Thank you, thank you, thank you Danny and Amelia!

We loved conference. We enjoyed watching it with my Dad on Saturday. We went house hunting between sessions on Saturday and dyed eggs between sessions on Sunday. I think we do a fairly good job at egg dying.

There is always a major Easter Egg Hunt on the Schow side. If I remember correctly, there were 150 eggs hidden somewhere in the house. We also had a fabulous dinner on the Fuller side - with many guests included. We had my oldest brother with his family of 4, my younger sister with her family of 3, my youngest brother and girlfriend, two happy grandparents, my sister-in-laws family from California of 4, a son of a friend of my parents from when we lived in Kansas, Trevor and me! Nothing celebrates holidays like big family evenings! We ended the weekend satisfied, relaxed and feeling blessed.



Sorry Ryan...it is just cute to see father and son on their hands and knees looking for Easter eggs.



A wonderful grandmother, willing to go to all of the work for a great Easter hunt.



He'll be a great Dad, don't you think?

Photo Tag

I was tagged by Amelia and Jen on the photo tag. The rules go as follows:

Rules:
1. Open your first photo folder
2. Scroll to the 10th photo
3. Post the photo and the story behind it
4. Tag 5 or more people



So this photo was taken back when Trevor and I celebrated our first anniversary together - May 16th! (its coming up again) We actually did save part of the top of our wedding cake to eat on our anniversary. We had eaten small bits of it throughout the first year - because it was just so dang good! I've really never had a cake that good! Surprisingly it still tasted good and rich a year later. I know that sounds gross, but we had a lot of fun with it! We went back up to Park City where we had our honeymoon. Marrying Trevor was, without a doubt, the best decision that I have ever made!

I now tag Heather Richards, Chrisy Keddington, Ennlee Fuller, Suzy Bean and Haley Summerhays. Have fun girls!

Jan., Feb. and March...

So I am trying to procrastinate a school project that I really do need to get done for my kids in class, but instead I decided to update the blog. We have actually had a lot happen in the last little bit. For the sake of simplicity I'll start from further back and then move forward into our current lives.

So we have this chinchilla named Opie (or O.P. for Optimus Prime). We are pretty sure that he started becoming addicted to the plastic in his cage. He is supposed to chew on wood and things that will grind his teeth down, but for the life of us we couldn't figure out how to stop him from chewing on the plastic instead of the wood stuff that he is supposed to. So one weekend Trevor and I set out on a plan to reconstruct Opie's cage. We took out nearly all the plastic and bought the expensive wood that chinchillas are apparently allowed to chew on, and rebuilt his cage. (I guess regular woods would've killed him.) It took a good 4 to 5 hours of our weekend, and now our chinchilla is having to go through withdrawals. Here are the before and after photos:




A week or two later Trevor got a letter in the mail telling him that his Scholarship program had "found" (does that seem odd to anyone else?) more money available and decided to add on to his scholarship money. Blessing #1 for the day! Then he gets a call telling him that he had been offered a job, for a full time position with the LDS church in their Information and Communications Systems Department (ICS). This was the job that he was hoping for, and went through several interviews for. We were so thrilled to have his career going forth, at a place he will love, doing something that is intriguing to him. Everything we kept finding out about the job kept getting better and better! He took me out to dinner before he told me the good news. Blessing #2 for the day! Here are some pictures of our yummy sushi dinner (well Trevor got sushi, I like to stick to the cooked foods.) We went a little bit overboard, but I didn't care after I heard the good news.




Then we went home that night to discover:



So, our third child is on the way! I am now right at the beginning of the second trimester. I've been feeling nauseous, but compared to what other women go through in pregnancy, its not bad at all. It has been a lot like the first pregnancy so far. I don't throw up. I get sick at a regular time of 9:50 every night. Then I wake up needing to eat within 5 minutes. As long as I take care of the eating part, then I'm great. Which is a huge blessing when teaching. My kids just laugh when I snack on crackers during the day. We'll find out if its a girl/boy next week. Any guesses? Every thing is going smooth so far. It is just one baby this time. That is a really good thing for my sanity! We are due on Sept. 16th.

Anyways, that day was a wonderful day in our lives. Blessings, blessings and more blessings!

A few days later we went to celebrate our Grandpa Higgins 80th birthday. Have you ever had a surprise party for an 80 year old man? His reaction was priceless. I don't think anyone has ever enjoyed their party more than he did. He is such a sweet, caring man. Here are pictures of that as well:




For anyone that didn't know, my little sister, Jennifer had her first baby! She had a little girl, 8 lbs and 5 oz. She is very, very cute and likes to snort like a cute little piglet. I couldn't stop giggling when I held her. I am so excited and thrilled to see my little sister become a mother. Their little girl came to a mother and a father ready to give so much love to her. What a blessed baby! We had a baby shower for her a couple of weeks past. A few pictures from that event as well. The family is so excited that she is finally here!






And still more babies...my sister-in-law, Chrisy Keddington and her family, had their third child, Kyler a few weeks ago. He is healthy and adorable. He dealt with a broken clavicle for the first little while - but we are sure the pain is gone now. Trevor and I got the treat of being at the hospital while his older brother and sister saw him for the first time. This was really sweet to watch their little, joyful reactions.





And finally for the latest news, I got a china hutch! I kept seeing it at RCWilley and whenever I saw it I would stop and tell Trevor that that was what I wanted someday. Well we found it at the 'scratch and dent' in almost perfect condition for LOTS off the price - and I have my china hutch. My great grandmother gave me TONS of her china dishes and I finally have a place to display them at. I think its gorgeous! You don't have to agree, but I love it!

Christmas - 2009

I'm finally updating our blog. I might be better again, because I got a new camera for Christmas. Since I have a new camera, I'm more excited to put some pictures up on the blog. I have thoroughly enjoyed Christmas break. My grandparents from Texas flew in and because of that my parents have wanted to plan everyday with something fun to do. I did bring home grading to do over the break...but that's the life of a teacher...no getting around it! I think Trevor is also enjoying his LONG break from classes. He almost gets a month! Was school break always only a week and 1/2 long when I was in school? I swear our school breaks felt a lot longer growing up.

Well the last week has consisted of Trevor's Birthday,school getting out before the break, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the Nutcracker, eating out, and playing lots of games.

We went out to eat with Danny and Amelia and their baby Hannah Morgan for Trevor's birthday. Alex and Eva and their baby Lily Morgan met up with us later that night. There is nothing like hanging out with friends that you can totally relax with. It was exactly what Trevor wanted and was very fun! He, of course, got a couple of parties between both sides of the family... and a beautiful, delicious birthday meal of a shrimp, chicken and pasta medley.

The week before Christmas we had our extended family party for Trevor's side of the family. Don't even ask me how many people were there...too many to count. Even Santa showed up.




The kids at school were very anxious for the Christmas break, but they worked as hard as I hoped for up until the bell rang for them to leave for the break. Nothing makes you feel quite the same way as a classroom full of excited kids for Christmas. The break gives me a little bit of time to start missing and appreciating them!

Amber, my sister-in-law, made a great tri-tip steak dinner for Christmas Eve. She is an awesome cook. I have always wanted her overnight salad recipe and her home-made salsa recipe. And...if you've ever had the chance to try her Sheepherder's spice, you have had a real treat! We spent one night this Christmas break mixing up this spice in home-depot buckets with a drill! It is quite a project for a present for the neighbors. Anyway, we got our traditional pajamas on Christmas Eve, which you can see pictures of below.




Trevor and I woke up at 6:00 a.m. on Christmas to have our own, little, personal Christmas. Then we were at my parents at 7:00 a.m. for the Fuller Christmas. If you are fans of "The Office" you probably would have enjoyed our Christmas morning. We gave my niece, Grace, the uni-corn barbie (the one and only that Dwight horded one Christmas) and we gave my brother-in-law his present presented in jell-o. I got a great pressure cooker. Can you believe I steamed carrots later that evening, in my pressure cooker, and it only took a total of 4 minutes? I'm going to love my pressure cooker. So will Trevor, because he won't have to wait as long for dinner! Look at my Grandpa in the back of the picture. I have so many memories of him dressing up as Santa...its a real beard!












We had to make it back to the Schow's house by 4:00 for another Christmas celebration. There is never a dull celebration when the Schow's get together. Jan (Trevor's mom)got a total of about 60 kitchen glasses for Christmas (thats what she gets when all she asks for, for Christmas, is kitchen glasses). There were 6 of us that got her kitchen glasses! It was a very fun day. And we ended the night playing a game called, "Quelf". The game was invented to create a fool out of every person playing. As you can see below, I ended the game wearing a bike helmet, mummifying my face, and wearing Christmas bows as jewelery.





The next day we were at the Nutcracker. I dragged Trevor along by telling him that if he went, it would count as a Christmas present to me. It wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be...but I think that was because he sat with my niece, Gracie, on his lap. They entertained each other during the show. I thought the Nutcracker was beautiful though.



We also brought my grandparents to see our sons grave. It was such a sweet sight to show up and find that someone else had left a gift for them at their grave. Sweet enough to bring tears to my eyes. They have been in our thoughts non-stop. Their due date was Christmas Eve. What a blessing to know that our little family is loved so much! Trevor and I love to know that we have an eternal family.



We are still having a wonderful Christmas season. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kyson and Timothy on Aug. 1, 2009

Trevor and I are proud and extremely privileged parents of Timothy Trevor Schow and Kyson Gary Schow. They were born on Aug. 1, 2009. Unfortunately they didn't have the ability to survive on their own, outside of the womb. They were born and passed away around 3:00 pm on Saturday. Trevor and I are experiencing the feelings of losing our little boys - but we are only saddened because we know we have to wait longer than a few months now to raise and hold our sons. We have to wait years, instead of months. We know for a surety that we will be able to do everything parents are privileged to do, only we will get to do them after we are resurrected with our sons. We know that they will be helping our family as it grows for years to come. Trevor and I feel extremely blessed to know them as we did. We felt their strong personalities early on in pregnancy and we have felt extremely close to them during and since these events have happened. We know that they have been put hard to work on an important mission together for our Heavenly Father. We are so proud that they are called to work in the greatest cause and are needed for the work and glory of our Heavenly Father. We love them with all our heart. It is amazing to realize how fast and automatic the feelings of parenthood come while we were able to hold our babies. The pride, the protection, the love is more than I can ever explain or have ever felt before. I expect that love and these feelings to grow stronger for them over the years and expand as our family eventually grows even more. The plan of salvation has never meant so much to our souls. Our testimony of that has grown tremendously. Thank you all for the support and love and prayers that we feel.

My Growth...

Okay, I have several pregnancy shots that need to be put on here. I am overwhelmed at how big I've gotten so fast. I know...there are two babies growing inside of me that are now about 6 inches long - so I should expect to feel large, to have to hold my breath whenever I bend over, to not be able to lift myself onto the bed or to roll over easily for that matter. I know that I knew this kind of stuff would come with a pregnancy. It just seems to have come on so fast. I'm afraid that I will soon be out of a cute pregnant belly phase and onto whale-ish looking. Oh well...Trevor tells me, "you asked for this", which I did. Actually doing it is a little different than talking though. No, we still couldn't be more excited to be planning for our little boys. Trevor laughs a lot at my daily realizations of things I have trouble doing or can't do at all. He loves to see that the boys are getting bigger. He rubs them and talks to them as if I can't hear anything he is saying to them. Hopefully those are the times I will remember about pregnancy and not the back pains. My cousin, Angie, has given me some maternity tops which have saved my life the last couple of weeks because I haven't brought myself to buy maternity clothes yet. I'm sure we'll be going out this weekend to get some - because I really don't have much I can fit in. My mother-in-law has spent hours picking out bedding with me and my mother is coming over several days out of the week to paint the nursery with me. We are so so so blessed to have family so close by. They are the biggest support to us with all of our decisions and I love to be able to go through these times of our lives with them. Alright the pictures...

These pictures are of me at about 14 weeks:




The funny thing is when Trevor took these pictures he thought I looked "more pregnant than I was" - we didn't put them on the blog at first because we thought the pictures made me look bigger than what was really there - little did we know...

These are me at about 16 1/2 weeks:




That is where I would have liked to stay for awhile longer, but here is me at 18 weeks (1 1/2 weeks later):



Maybe you don't see the largeness of the belly that I see, but nevertheless, it is expanding quickly. The nursery is still in progress, but here are a few photos of it in the process:





We love you all!