The Downs

3 weeks!

2012-02-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Jaxon is 3 weeks old today! Time seriously flies! He already looks so much different that he did at the hospital! Here is some updates on the cute kid.

-He still really wants to suck his thumb, but can't really remember where it is! When he does find it, he get's super excited about it. Until then, he sucks violently on his binky.

- He eats every 3-4 hours usually, and is a champ at breastfeeding. He sometimes goes 4 1/2 hours or even 5 hours at night!
- He is still wearing size "up to seven pounds" or newborn, but is starting to grow out of them. He fits in some gap 0-3 month outfits, but they still look huge on him! See below:

- He LOVES his bath. He sits calmly and relaxes the instant we put him in it. The other night I couldn't get him to stop crying, so gave him a bath, and it worked! He loves if I pour water on his tummy.
- This week he started getting tummy aches. :( He is constantly angry about it, and it makes mommy sad!
- Mommy has had to stop eating dairy for a 10 day trial period. KILL ME. haha. But, anything to make him feel better.
- We had to spend a day at the pediatrician this week. He projectile vomits after every feeding, and I guess that's not normal for a breastfed baby. He had to get an ultrasound to make sure he didn't have pyloric stenosis. He doesn't, thank goodness! Just probably acid reflux.
- He hates sleeping on his back. So, he sleeps on his side.

- At night, he still just wants to sleep on mommy. I give in almost every night, cause I'm so tired, and just want him to sleep. We went out and bought a nap nanny, to see if he sleeps in it! I've heard good things about it!
- He still hates being swaddled with his arms in, which is a problem, cause he can wiggle himself out of the swaddle. I just discovered a sleep sack swaddle, that is both a sleep sack, and a swaddle, so his arms stay out! So far, he loves it!
- He likes his swing, but is too tiny for his bouncer right now.
- He got his first BYU shirt!!

- At his doctor's appointment on Tuesday, he still only weighed 7 pound 7 oz, so we are going back to the Dr next Friday for a weight check! I hope he's growing huge!

I love this little guy so much! He's a cuddler, he is SO curious, and loves to look at lights. I am so happy I have him in my life!!! I can't wait to see him grow big!

Jaxon- 1 week old!

2012-01-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday sweet boy!! I just wanted to document some of the funny and cute things Jaxon does at 1 week old.

-Jaxon loves his hands. He fights his way out of a swaddle, and always has to have his hands in his mouth, or by his face.

-He doesn't like to be swaddled, or lay straight on his back. He likes to lay on his side instead.
-He is a very aware little baby. He looks around and is so curious all the time!
-He loves his binky, and came out of the womb knowing how to suck on that thing! He can also find it when it falls out of his mouth! Smart baby!

-Before he needs to poop, he stops what he's doing, and gets a very serious look on his face, then SHOOTS it out. (At the doctor it literally shot across the room!)
-He never cries. He fusses when he's not getting enough attention, but the minute you look at him, or hold him, he stops. I don't know how I got such a well behaved baby!

-He is a breastfeeding champ! He eats every 3.5 hours, and sleeps in between.

I love our little boy so much! I always knew I'd love him, but wow, I guess I didn't realize just how much! I love to stare at him for hours. I love being his mommy!

Happy One Week Birthday Baby Jax!

2012-01-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

Jaxon Gregory Downs was born on January 19, at 5:57 PM. It was love at first sight. The minute I laid my eyes on him, I knew I had never felt this type of love before in my life. Our life as a family began.

Labor Story:
Wednesday Jan 18, I was admitted to the hospital to start Cervadil. It is a medicine that is supposed to soften your cervix to help make labor easier. I got to the hospital with Greg, and was a nervous wreck! It took them 2 hours to get an IV started, so that made me even more nervous. I was supposed to just "get some sleep" and wait until morning. Well, imagine being hooked up to a blood pressure cuff, 2 monitors on my belly, and an IV. There wasn't much sleep going on. I was up literally all night, just thinking of the exciting day I had waiting for me.

Waiting with excitement for the next day!

Thursday morning, the nurse took out the cervadil, then a new nurse came. Her name was KC and she was SO awesome. I loved her. She started my pitocin around 8 AM. I was handling it well, so she kept upping the doses. Around 8:45, she came running in, and made me turn to my left side and put an oxygen mask on. It was really scary. Jaxon's heart had decreased to 80s/90s and wasn't handling my contractions very well. They turned off the pitocin for about 45 minutes and I stayed on my left side with an oxygen mask on. I was very scared, so my mom and dad came in.

After the scare, they started upping my pitocin again, doing it slower this time, and with me still on oxygen. Jaxon was a champ, and didn't have any other problems from there on out. (Although I kept the mask on almost the whole time). At 12:00, Dr. Petrovski came in to break my water. I was only 2 cm dialated and 75 % effaced. When I heard that, I thought, "man I'm going to be here forever!" She broke my water, and said, this is going to be a 5:00 delivery. KC said, "maybe 6:00". I laughed and thought, "yeah maybe tomorrow morning!" So, only about 15 or 20 minutes after my water broke, I was hurting from the contractions. They were about 2 minutes apart, and I was really really uncomfortable and feeling pain. I called for an epidural :) BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE! :) The lady who put it in was SO nice, and explained everything in detail to me. It took about 30 minutes, and then I felt nothing. It was awesome!

My parents left, and around 3:30, I got checked. I was only 4 cm, and 90 % effaced. Greg and I watched Bride Wars, and just hung out. My epidural actually wore off on one side enough that I could feel the contractions in that side, they just didn't hurt. All of a sudden, at 4:50, I looked at Greg and said, "I feel like he's trying to push out..." I was supposed to be getting checked again at 5:30, so Greg told me to just wait till the nurse came in then to see how I've progressed. A few contractions later, I said, "no, I think I need to push..." He said, "But you were just a 4..." Anyways, I called KC, and sure enough, I was 9.5 centimeters and ready! She called Dr. Petrovski to the hospital! I called my parents, and 20 minutes later Dr. Petrovski was in my room explaining the delivery process. :)

In between pushes...

It took me 5 sets of pushes (18 minutes) of pushing!!! Baby Jax came out all tangled in his umbillical cord, and was a blue color. I didn't know that babies came out blue! It scared me :) But, he was of course a perfectly healthy, 6 pound 14 ounce, 19 inch little boy!!! And all ours! :)

In shock that I really just had a baby!

6.14 pounds

I look terrible in this picture, but it's our first family picture.

Dr. Petrovski. I would like her to deliver all my children. She is AWESOME!

Our sweetie pie!

Seriously, the happiest day of my life.

All the nurses and my doctor told me I should have 10 children. That I was made to have children :) That meant a lot to me, cause if you know me, you would know that I've had the motherly instinct forever, and have wanted to be a mommy forever.Two or so hours after I gave birth we moved to recovery. We got food, and I started being able to feel my legs again :) We stayed at the hospital until Saturday morning, when we got discharged.

nap time on mommy :)

Leaving the hospital!

All ready and cute in his car seat!

Grammy had to run to Gap and buy a couple outfits cause he didn't fit in anything we had! He is just so tiny! We had to get the "up to 7 pounds" clothes!

The Downs Family

Jaxon is a happy, healthy baby. He smiles all the time, never cries, sleeps until I have to wake him up in the middle of the night for feedings. He makes our hearts melt. We are having a hard time putting him down for even a second cause he is just the sweetest thing ever! We love this little guy so much! I'm so excited to see how our lives change because of him :)

I'm having a baby this week! :)

2012-01-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

I have been nesting like crazy! I go in tomorrow (Wednesday the 18th) at 8PM and start the process of induction! I am overwhelmed with feelings. Scared, excited, nervous, terrified, happy... and so many more! :) I've had my hospital bags packed for a few weeks now, and yesterday and this morning I repacked them 2x. HAHA. I also went through all of baby's clothes again and reorganized them! Yesterday, I bought a breast pump, and so I'm officially ready for this baby to come! Today I am going to lunch with some friends and my mom, tomorrow I have my last DR appointment at 1 to check to make sure baby hasn't turned or something, then I'll come home, get ready for the hospital, and go in!! AHHHHH!!!

I can't imagine being pregnant another month. I'm so miserable. I'm so glad it's going to be done by the end of the week :) I've been very fortunate and had a very easy pregnancy overall, and am so grateful for that. But, I'm ready to be a mommy!!!!

Last week my good friends Kristin and Emily threw me a baby shower here in TX! It was so wonderful! There were at least 25 people there, and people were so kind, supportive, and generous! I am feeling so loved and spoiled! It was so much fun, so thanks to all who came!!! Here are some pictures...

My big belly

Best Mom Ever!

Delish!

Kristin, Me, and Emily

Cute Decor!!!

"You're going to be a mom in 2 weeks or less"

2012-01-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

I had my 36 week appointment yesterday. I walk in, and go to the bathroom, and all of a sudden my phone rings, and it's my doctor's office. I was super confused. Well, it turns out, my doctor was about to leave for a delivery, so they wanted to reschedule me. What they forgot about, was I was there for my ultrasound 45 minutes before my dr appointment. So, they took me in for my ultrasound, and as we were watching cute little baby D on the screen, we hear a knock. In comes my cute, blonde, super nice doctor. She comes in and apologizes for having to leave, and tells me I'm going to be a mom in 2 weeks! See, the past week or two I've been having blood pressure issues. It spikes anytime I do anything. It goes back down if I lay down though. I've been on bed rest for about a week, and am pretty bored. Not strict bed rest, I just need to watch my blood pressure. So, she said because of my blood pressure, they won't let me go past 38 weeks for the safety of me, and this baby. WHAT?! I was a bit shocked. Then she said I would get a NST which is where I get to listen to the baby's heart for 15 minutes and push a button when he moves. I get a weekly ultrasound and NST every week until I deliver. So, I guess one more week haha. So, January 19 or 20 I'll be a mommy! Coolest part of this? We could share a birthday!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!

So, I'm super stressed, and feel like I'm not ready at all for this baby. Oh and then there's the thought of pushing a baby out of me?! EEK. Scary. But, baby isn't measuring as big as he was, he's just measuring 5 days ahead :) Still a huge head, but that's ok! His estimated weight was 6 pound 7 ounces. I think he's going to be an upper 7 pound baby :) So little!

What are your guesses?

35 Weeks, and the end of 2011

2011-12-31T12:34:00.000-08:00

It's the last day of 2011. Crazy. We have had a pretty eventful year :) I wanted to document some of the fun things we got to experience this year. These aren't in any particular order, just the top ten moments in general :)

1. Finding out I was pregnant on May 25. I was alone, as Greg was working in CA, and was so excited I could hardly contain myself!!!

2. Getting to go to San Francisco for the first time, and seeing all the cool piers, Lombard street, and eating awesome food :)

3. Surprising Greg with a present of baby clothes to tell him that we were going to have a baby! The best part? He didn't get what was going on! haha.

4. Flying to Texas in May for Greg's interviews for 3 different Accounting Firms. While we were there, we got to see my little brother Chase take his girlfriend to Prom! :)

5. FINALLY getting to go on a date to The Melting Pot :) I've been wanting to go there since we got married, and it's just never worked out right. We went for our anniversary this year, and it was so great!

6. I got my phlebomtomy certificate. I can officially draw your blood if you want me to :)

7. Having a fun thanksgiving break in Utah with Greg's family. It was relaxing, and my Mother in Law made me some cute decor for the nursery!!! :)

8. My cousins and aunt threw me a beautiful baby shower, and SO many people came and showed their love! It was a great turn out, and we got soooo spoiled! :)

9. Finding out that our little baby, is in fact a boy!!!!!

10. Last, but not least, moving in with my parent's, back to Frisco, and spending the best Christmas yet with them. It's the last Christmas we will all be together as a family, since Chase will be on his mission next year, and it has been wonderful!

We have had such a wonderful year, and it will be sad to see it go. But, in 2012, we look forward to meeting our little baby boy!!! And, we look forward to any other adventure that may come :)

Quick pregnancy update:

* I'm 35.2 weeks pregnant, and am starting to feel pretty miserable. Went to the doctor yesterday, and am 1 cm dilated and it all looks good. She basically told me that I could go into labor anytime, and to get ready for a baby!!! How exciting huh? I've been having some pretty swollen feet, and I started feeling some pretty strong Braxton Hicks yesterday! Here's to hoping the rest of the pregnancy stays healthy, and for a happy, healthy baby boy!!!!!

Big Fatty :)

2011-12-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

Almost 34 weeks! Crazy. I got an ultrasound last week, and wanted to document it. We got the ultrasound, to check for growth. Everyone was just a little worried that I haven't gained much weight, and my stomach wasn't looking too pregnant yet... (Although it is now! I had a HUGE growth spurt!!!) So, we got to see our sweet baby boy on that screen again :) Best thing ever! He was sucking his thumb, and we could see his lips moving!!! It was sooooo neat. Here is some face shots..

straight on view of his face. He has the chubbiest cheeks! I just want to squeeze them!

So, If you know the Plowman family at all, you would know that we all have HUGE heads. My little brother Tyler fit into a Men's XL helmet a few years back, and actually broke it, cause his head is too huge. (This was after my dad didn't fit into the helmet!) So, as the guy is doing measurements, he does the head. It comes out to 35weeks and 4 days...... I was only 33 weeks!!!!!! I was like, UH OHHHHH... So, in the end, he is measuring ginormous. He is already 5lbs 3oz!!! And, his head is measuring HUGE. So, we had to talk to the dr about the chance of C section, and how she wasn't going to let me go over my due date, but that hopefully my body will just go into labor on it's own. I'm starting my weekly appointments after this next one next thursday! That's nuts! :) She is also going to do another ultrasound closer to my due date to check his hugeness again :) So, good news is, I really am feeding this fatty baby! haha. :)

Also, if you haven't been able to tell, about three weeks ago, I still just looked like 4-5 months pregnant. Not anymore! I definitely look 8 months pregnant now. I'm officially in the OMGSH I feel fat, nothing looks cute, and I'm uncomfortable all the time stage. But, it will go by quick, and I can't wait to see this little boy!!! I'll be a mommy in approximately 6 weeks!! Although, I hope it's more like 4 :)

Greg and Chase made it to TX safely on Wednesday, after driving through awful weather almost the whole time, so we are sooo grateful for that! I've been babysitting like CRAZY here, and have been making more money than I was in Utah the last month or so! It's been great! :)

I also have been sick for about 3 weeks, and finally went to the doctor, and have walking pneumonia. Been on medicine for four days now and still don't feel better. So annoying.

Only 6 more days until Christmas! I can't wait! I love the holidays!! I hope everyone else is having as much fun with their loved ones as we are!!!!

32 weeks!

2011-12-07T12:26:00.001-08:00

I'm 32 weeks and officially in Texas! Yeah! I'm pretty excited about it! I came in a week ago, with my 2 HUGE suitcases and 2 carry on bags. Yes, I was carrying a diaper bag with no baby... I had to get it here somehow! haha. My second bag was one pound over, and you know what? Frontier Airlines didn't charge me. It was very nice of them. Annnnd, they checked my carry-on suitcase for free! And, on my second flight, they gave everyone a free cookie. I'm a fan of Frontier Airlines. :)

Before I left, Greg and I decided to assemble all the baby stuff, and get the nursery put together a bit. We are very fortunate to be able to keep our apartment for the four months we are gone, so when we move back to Provo in April with a two month old baby, we won't have to find a new place and move. It's very nice! I didn't hang any of the wall things, because we have our rocking chair here in TX, so I need to figure out how to assemble the nursery with that when we get home in April.

Here is our adorable high chair:

Our pack N Play! :) Its green dots :) I love it!

This is where I think the changing table and picture and diaper genie will be going...

Greg and Chase and Madison are going to be driving down here next week sometime. They are hoping to leave on Thursday, so make sure you pray that there is good weather next Thursday and Friday!!! :)

When I got down here, I learned that some of my mom's friends offered us some baby things! It was SO nice of them, and pretty sure better quality than I would have been buying for myself! We got this adorable bassinet and this adorable swing...

Since getting here, I have gotten to babysit a ton! I am babysitting for two families that I used to babysit for before I went off to school, and it's been so fun to get to know their cute little personalities again! They are so old now!!! Time really does fly! I've also babysat for a new family, that I've never met before. It's been nice to have something to do, and to make a bit of money, since I don't have a job, so I'm super grateful for that!

And, pregnant update. Being 32 weeks pregnant is just downright hard. My back, butt, and pelvic bone all hurt pretty much all the time. I'm getting SO tired, and uncomfortable. I haven't slept in days, and wake up in the middle of the night at least 6 or so times. I think I especially have it hard, because I don't look HUGE yet, so people don't realize that I really am uncomfortable! Lol. I really am 8 months pregnant! Anyway, he doesn't move as much, because I think he is running out of room in there! He's getting so big! Next week, I get an ultrasound, to make sure he's been growing. I'm so excited to see him!!! I haven't been able to since 20 weeks!! I can't wait to meet this little guy in 8 weeks or so!!! Belly Pic:

30 weeks!

2011-11-23T15:26:00.001-08:00

Woah. I'm 30 weeks tomorrow! Thanksgiving day! NUTS! I move next Wednesday! Even more nuts!

Ok, so my 29 week appointment was last week, I'll start there. I've only gained 4 pounds this pregnancy, so that's awesome! Thanks baby, for not making mommy huge! (YET!) I also took my GD test, and that came back SUPER low, so he said I'm basically hypoglycemic, and that I could eat all the sugar I wanted! :) haha! YAY!!! Little did the doctor know, I totally may take advantage of him saying that... especially during the holidays! :) This appointment was my last appointment in Utah! CRAZY! I said goodbye to Dr. Glenn, and all of his nice staff. They've been great!

Saturday we painted the nursery! It's a beautiful blue/grey color. I'm obsessed! Here's a sneak peak...

Monday night was my baby shower! :) It was sooooo amazing! I think there were probably 40 people there! I feel so loved, and I know Baby D does too! It was a book theme, so everyone brought a favorite book for me, and some people wrote messages in the books :) I can't wait to read those to our son, and he can hear all the nice things people wrote :) We got SO many gifts! I cannot even believe how many we got... I feel spoiled! We got our pack N play, baby bjorn, a jumperoo thing, shopping cart blanket, an ABC picture for the nursery, diaper genie, bumpbo, boppy, TONS of cute clothes, shoes, blankets, burp rags, etc. There was a diaper cake, and a diaper MOTORCYCLE! haha. It was sooo awesome! I don't have very many pictures yet... but I'll post them when I get some! Thanks to EVERYONE who came; I hope everyone had a fun time! :)

Alphabet thing for the baby room :)

Some of the stuff from the shower! Clothes, tons of books, etc. If you look hard, you can see the diaper motorcycle! :)

The big items! :)

Oh! And my in laws got in town last night, and I opened a gift from them! Tons of clothes and white onesies (which I have none of, so that's WONDERFUL!) and some blankets... and the cutest art pieces for his room! They are hand crocheted by my MIL Ann, and are so cute!!!

The elephant crocheted piece for the wall! There's also a giraffe that's so cute! But, blogger won't let me upload it........

annnnnnd. 30 week belly picture!!!! :)

25 Loves

2011-11-16T16:25:00.001-08:00

This handsome guy down below, is all mine. I'm a lucky girl. He turned 25 today, I just wanted to make a post all about him!! 25 things I love about Mr. Gregory Downs...

1. He treats me like a princess, even when I don't deserve it.
2. His cute crooked smile :) It's my favorite
3. How he touches his hair all the time, he doesn't realize it, but it cracks me up!
4. We have SO much fun together, even if we are just hanging out at the house
5. He gets me. I can be myself around him, no matter what
6. He is SOOOO smart.
7. He is the hardest worker I know. He works his butt off to make sure he can provide for us. He works 20 hours a week, plus get's all A's in his Accounting program :)
8. He loves me, and loves our baby :)
9. Speaking of baby, I love that he kisses my tummy and tell's little man he loves him :)
10. His laugh. It doesn't get much cuter :)
11. His love for serving others.
12. How he will go out of his way, to make sure my grandparents (who live in provo) see us once a week, and when we go over, he always helps out my grandpa. He doesn't mind at all, in fact, it makes him happy :)
13. His love of kids. He absolutely loves kids, and they love him! He will goof off with them, laugh with them, and just enjoys himself when he is around them!
14. I know he's going to be the best daddy ever!
15. His love for his MTC job. He loves helping the missionaries in every way
16. His love for movies. He is so content sitting with me, and watching a movie, any movie! even a chick flick :)
17. He rubs my back when I've had a hard day :)
18. He is a gentleman. Always opens my door, and always has.
19. That we play cards, and he always lets me win (usually! haha)
20. Everyone likes him when they meet him. I love that I have never once had to "worry" about that :) He is genuinely a great person, and everyone can tell :)
21. That he's a bad cook :) HAHA. I know, it's silly, but it makes me laugh. He destroys even a grilled cheese :) We laugh about it, and it makes me feel more needed, cause I know he REALLY appreciates it when I cook!
22. His looks. Have you seen him? Tall, dark and handsome :) all mine!
23. When he looks at me, I can see how much he really loves me... and I love that :)
24. His spirituality. He lifts me up, when I have bad days, and I know he always will. He knows the church is true, and is SO trusting of the lord. I love it. Funny story, after the sacrament last week, he put his head down to pray, and we were sitting with Ava and Adalyn. Ava goes "Chelsy, why is greg playing hide and seek and being silly?" hahaha. I told her "He's praying sweetie" :) haha
25. He is my other half. My better half. I love him so much, and am so glad I found him!

Happy 25th birthday Greg! I'm so glad that almost 3 years ago, we got set up on a blind date and hit it off. I don't know where I would be without you. You are my everything, and I'm so excited for our son to be here in 2 1/2 months!!! You are going to be an amazing husband, just like you are a husband! Love you baby!

28 weeks

2011-11-10T13:32:00.001-08:00

28 weeks. That means only 9 weeks left until I'm considered full term! eek.
Watch this...
2 weeks until thanksgiving
1 week after that I move,
3 ish weeks after that is Christmas
3 weeks after that is my birthday
1-2 weeks after that Baby Downs will be here!

So crazy! I can't even believe how fast it's going to go!! :) My feet have started getting fat. EW. All my shoes are tight. Good thing I can wear ugg boots and slip on shoes during winter :) No idea what I'm going to start doing for church........

One thing that I am really missing right now, is babysitting for the cute little girls Ava and Adalyn. I've been babysitting them for two years straight, and have seen their family go through a lot, so I truly miss them... I got to go to their newest little one's blessing on Sunday! It was so special :) And look how cute this face is...

Isn't she the cutest! She is getting so big too. Addy turns 5 this month and Ava turns 3 next month! AH!

So, I've been trying to get motivated to get going on packing and cleaning and organizing for the big move. It's hard. I've literally felt like my energy has escaped and ran off somewhere. I'm way more tired now than I was in the first trimester... why doesn't anyone tell you that? lol. Oh well. I have done a few things! We built shelves above our washer and dryer, and organized all the cleaning supplies up there! YAY. And, doing that, it helped us make space in the "junk" closet for baby stuff (such as the stroller, swing, etc) I have also packed some of my pre-pregnancy clothes (yes I am aware that I most likely won't be wearing them while in TX, but I figured why not?) and the baby clothes we have so far!!!

Food.

2011-11-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to record my food aversions and cravings :)

Aversions. YUCK. When I eat this stuff, I feel sick. Sometimes I can't even eat them at all!

Eggs. I ate eggs in Texas for our 2nd anniversary. Was sitting in sacrament, and knew I was about to puke. Ran to the bathroom. Haven't touched one since!

Orange Juice. I am actually loving orange juice. But, the second I'm done drinking it, I get the worst stomach ache ever....

Marinara/Tomato Sauce. Again, I'll eat it sometimes, but it causes HORRIBLE heartburn!

Last but not least, Ice cream. Seriously. If you knew me at all, you would be shocked. I am! I've had it a few times, but for the most part, it NEVER sounds or tastes good. Weird.

Now, for my food cravings. :) YUM!

Chocolate. I know. Sad. But seriously. I could eat it all the time. I always want it. It's been hard to control myself, but I definitely have been trying!

HoneyCrisp Apples and Peanut butter. Do you know how expensive this snack is getting? Today I bought TWO apples. It was 3.70... seriously? and a jar of peanutbutter is like 5 dollars. UGH. But I love them.

3rd Trimester!!!

2011-11-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

27 weeks! yay!!! I'm officially in the last 13 weeks of pregnancy. Last trimester. NUTS. I remember when I was 12 weeks, and so excited to be in the second trimester! lol. I'm so grateful Baby D is growing healthily, and a super strong boy :) Today, I had my glucose test, and it was pretty awful. I thought I was going to puke. I went to the bathroom once ready to, and instead decided I really didn't want to drink that awful stuff again, so held it in :) Also, I've officially gained 5 pounds. I feel huge. I don't want to gain any more! But, I know I will need to lol. It just doesn't help that I was already the most I've ever weighed when I got pregnant... Next time I get pregnant, I'm going to make sure I'm skinny! :)

My baby shower is in 3 weeks, and I can't wait!!! I'm so excited for it to come! Then I move a week after that! I'm so excited to meet our little guy!!!!!!

26 weeks today!

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

26 weeks. Yes, that's right. 26 weeks. CRAZY. Baby could be here so soon! (hopefully he stays in there another 10 weeks at least!) It's going by so quickly, and I feel like I have so much to do, but can't start doing it until Thanksgiving.... We have decided on a name for this little one, but aren't letting it out yet. I've already painted his letters for his room, and the crib and changing table have been set up for months :) It's just too cute. I love walking in his room! We will be painting the walls Restoration Hardware Atmosphere Blue (THANK YOU EMILY FOR HAVING SUCH GREAT TASTE AND LETTING ME COPY YOU!) over Thanksgiving, then I feel I can put the furniture where I want it, and hang up the letters :)

This past week I've been SO tired. I feel like I'm in my first trimester again! And my back has been killing me. If I am up and about for more than 4 hours at a time, I waddle around because I'm in so much pain. I guess this is probably because I'm almost to my third trimester!!! My one book says 27 weeks is third trimester, my other book says 28... so I'm counting it at 27 weeks!!! Other than that, I've been feeling so good! I feel him kick me hundreds of times a day, and I love it. I just love him SO much already, and can't wait to actually get to meet him!!! I think he had the hiccups today... but I'm not sure... It was like a little convulsing in my tummy... maybe he was just SUPER active... but I'm claiming it's the hiccups!

I go in for my next apt on Thursday. I'm scared to see my weight gain! I haven't gained any in about 2 weeks, but that could change! I've officially gained 2 pounds from my starting weight. I also have the MISERABLE glucose test next week, and am not looking forward to it! I don't know if I have to do the 1 hour, or the 3 hour, but either way, YUCK.

Church one day at 24.5 weeks

25 weeks. I like that you can tell from the front now!!! :)

Greg and I also went on a date with some friends 2 weeks ago, and carved pumpkins!!! We went to Diegos, and then bought pumpkins, and carved them at our house! It was super fun. She is also having a baby boy that's due in February (but you can't even tell! She's still so tiny and cute). Here are some pictures...

Me and Aly!

Life is good right now! Greg is so smart! He got a 100 on a midterm, and did excellent on a research case. I'm so proud of all his hard work :) I'm moving in 5 weeks, and can't wait! I'm going to miss my sweet husband though, cause he can't come until 3 weeks later.... Before then, I have a baby shower to attend for myself :), Thanksgiving with the in-laws, and a lot of packing and washing of baby clothes! It's going to go by so fast! Can't wait!!!!

Life in the Down's Home.

2011-10-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Life has been good here in the Down's home. We have been busy busy busy! I finished my school for now, and am now a certified phlebotomist. Kind of neat. I discovered I love medical things, and think eventually I want to be an occupational therapist, or RN. We will see! That won't happen until baby boy is here though :) Greg has been in the MAAC at byu working his butt off. I'm proud of him. He is so smart, and works so hard! He is going to be working for PWC in January in Dallas for an internship, and we are so excited! I am moving do Dallas November 30, and Greg will drive down with Chase after finals!

My parents came out a couple weeks ago, and we had lots of family fun time! We went to lots of restaurants, shopping, and hung out with my cousins and aunts and uncles. We also went to the BYU-Utah game... that was an epic fail. Note to all pregnant women who attend a football game. DO NOT sit on the last row of the stadium, especially when the bathroom is ALL the way on the bottom, lowest level of the stadium, and it literally takes 15 minutes to get there... I almost had an embarrassing moment... :)

We went to a PWC recruiting dinner a few weeks ago! It was very fun, and we got to get dressed up! :) We have also had a few annoying life issues going on like broken computers, car registering of two cars, and new tires... that's life right?! :)

Our baby boy is already so loved and spoiled! I cannot wait to meet him in February! I've had about 4 friends who had their babies this month, and everytime they uploaded pictures and videos, I cried. I'm SO excited to meet our little guy, and can't wait to get to hold, kiss, and play with him! I've wanted to be a mommy forever, and can't believe it's less than 4 months away!!!
Little man kicks me ALL the time, and is measuring a week ahead! I hope he comes in January! I doubt he will, but I can always hope for it :)

Pictures of our life recently...

23 weeks pregnant! FINALLY a real pregnant belly!

Greg and I have been to best buy 5 times in a month. I finally have a working computer, and didn't pay a dime for it! :)

Is this not the CUTEST jacket you have ever seen? It's super soft and warm, and a charcoal black color. Bought if for baby bean's first winter in COLD utah! It was half off!!!

Provo is becoming a great place! We spent our last date night at the Riverwoods. Got yummy sliders and fries, then got BLUEBELL ice cream! YUM!

Cute baby Ella! Isn't she the most sweetest, perfect baby you've ever seen?! The family I nanny for had their third girl last month! I'm in love! :)

First kicks!!!

2011-09-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have to document this. Last night (September 29) I'm talking to my mom about how I'm worried I haven't gained any weight and I haven't really felt the baby move. I had felt little bubbles, but it still wasn't like "OH that's a baby!" It could've been gas. So, I was getting worried. I'm 22 weeks. So, I go to sleep last night, and get woken up at 2:50 in the morning with DISTINCT kicks to my belly!! I put my hands on my belly and felt them from the outside for a good 10 minutes. I'm convinced he knew I was worried about him, so decided to let me know he was in there :) Greg felt a couple kicks at 7 this morning!!! I'm ecstatic!!! :) I love this baby boy so much <3

Almost 22 weeks!!

2011-09-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

I am almost at 22 weeks! This pregnancy has flown by!! I feel him wiggle probably every other day now. Just for a few minutes a day :) I love it. I'm pretty sure it's movement at least! HAHA. This week I got food poisoning or the flu. Don't know which one, but it was HORRIBLE. yuck. I was very sick. But, felt fine the next day, and went on with regular life which was nice. My belly is starting to feel HUGE. I know it will just keep getting bigger, but I seriously feel like I've gained tons of weight just in my belly. I've gained 2 pounds, after losing 7... soooo I'm still down in the weight. I'm dreading actually having to watch the scale number go up! EEK. My belly looks like a pregnant belly in my opinion. It is still small compared to some of the other women I've seen. I can't wait till I actually look pregnant though. And people don't have to look at me and wonder "is she pregnant" haha.
I just updated my google, and I do not like this new format of blogging. It's confusing, and the pictures don't work. UGH. Why does technology have to keep changing all the time. Like facebook? It changes like once a month. DUMB.
Pregnancy Symptoms:
-leg cramps at night (I just read this is probably from not getting enough calcium, so I bought orange juice fortified with calcium and am drinking it every day)
-acid when I lay down. It's pretty nasty. heartburn.
-after being on my feet all day, my back hurts.
That's all though! not too shabby :) I love being pregnant, and can't wait for our little boy to be here!!!

Half Way!

2011-09-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm halfway!!! Or, if he comes early, I could be more than half way!!!
We had our 20 week ultrasound today, and he is indeed still a he :) We were worried! Haha. We already bought so much, it would have been bad if he all of a sudden was a girl! haha. What's been going on with me:
-I get the worst acid reflux ever. I take Zantac to help a bit :)
-I finally felt a flutter, at 19 weeks on the dot! September 8!
-My placenta is in the front of the baby, so he has to REALLY kick hard for me to feel anything at all :)
-I heard him kicking and hiccuping in the doppler on Monday!
-I am working at Pier One 20ish hours a week and finishing up school. By the end of a long day, I am SO wiped out. I can hardly stand up by 9 PM!
-A customer at Pier One asked me if I was pregnant, and when I was due!! :)
-Always craving carbs.... it sucks!

Overall I think I have a very easy pregnancy, and am so grateful for that! He is measuring 2 days ahead, so maybe he'll come early? I can't believe I'm already 5 months pregnant!!! It's going by so fast, but not fast enough :)

Baby nursery. We are doing it jungle themed :) Here is a sneak peak...

10 years ago...

2011-09-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'll always remember 10 years ago today. September 11, 2001 was one of the most horrifying events I've ever been through. I was in seventh grade, sitting in the American School Foundation in Mexico City, in English class. Some girl came running in saying, "someone bombed the world trade center!" Panic and horror struck. We all were told to go into one classroom, and they turned on the news for us. I honestly did not even know what the world trade center was. I was so confused, and just knew that someone was attacking innocent American's lives. As we were watching the news, a bomb threat was called into our school, and the alarms all started going off. This was a big deal, because it was an AMERICAN school. We were all escorted out to the football field. No one was in, and no one was allowed out for what it seemed like hours. I don't actually remember how long we stood outside, but I remember I was terrified. The United States was getting attacked, and now our school might have a bomb in it... Our school was right by the airport, and every plane that went by, we thought was going to bomb us. (seventh grade remember) Finally, my dad was able to pick me up, and we went home. The American Embassy did not want us to leave our houses for a few days (I might be wrong on how long as well) just to be safe. We sat around and watched the news. It was horrible seeing the people in the streets of New York covered in debris. It was amazing to watch those firefighters and police men who were risking their own lives to save others. I remember being SO scared. I didn't understand why someone would attack innocent people, and why it was all happening. I cried myself to sleep for a few nights.

Thank you so much to everyone who has given up their lives to fight for our freedom. I am so thankful for all of you who fight in anyway to help us achieve our goal.

I WILL NEVER FORGET!

Mommy Help!

2011-09-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Moms out there! I need some help. I have done a lot of research on some things and need some REAL mom opinions :)

I know I want a travel system (yes, they are bulky, but I'm a first time mom, and want the big old thing) The one I think I have decided on is the Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Travel system. (click the link)
Questions:
1. If you have had a Chicco, how did you like it?
2. How did baby like it?
3. Would you recommend getting the up to 22 pounds or up to 30 pounds?

Swing. I don't know which one I want! Would you get a full size swing, or a little mini travel swing? I can't decide!!

Diapers. What diapers have worked the best for you and your kids, and why?!

Boppy or MyBreastFriend to breast feed?

And finally,
What are the MUST HAVES. Is a swing even a must have? Or just a bouncer? What about a boppy? Necessary or not? Play yard? Jumper?

Any help or tips would be wonderful!

17 weeks and my trip to TX

2011-08-23T21:02:00.001-07:00

So, first things first.
Our baby is a boy! :)
so he gets things like:

we are beyond thrilled. :) Greg really wanted a boy (he won't admit it, but you could tell by his face!) We found out on Thursday, and they also checked to make sure everything is A OK with the baby. He is looking great, and they saw all of his organs! Pretty sure he is growing wonderfully! That makes us even happier, to know that we have a HEALTHY baby boy :)

On Thursday, after the big doctors office, we went and bought baby bedding. I'm in love with it and CANNOT wait to set up the nursery! I am a planner, and it's killing me to not already have it up! HAHA. It will be up soon! Also, that morning, we took a tour of the hospital and it's amazing. If you ever live in Dallas while having a baby, deliver it at Baylor Medical Center. Pretty sure it doesn't get much better!

Friday we went on the boat with the Fellows. Our family friends we have known forever. I wish my best friend Katie had been there, but she was stuck in Alabama working. POO. But, it was fun to see her family! Also, her little sister got married to one of our best guy friends from freshman year, so we had that reception to attend Saturday! SO FUN!

This last week was perfect. And, I'm almost half way done! AHHH!

ps. I just met my VTs. They were sweet. But, one lady just told me she lost her son at 17 weeks like a month ago........ his cord wrapped around his little head, and he suffocated. It made me so emotional. I can't believe how OK she was about it. She is a stronger woman than I am... I would be in bed for weeks.... Praying for her and her family!

15 weeks... almost :)

2011-08-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm 15 weeks on Thursday! YAY. Next Thursday, we will hopefully find out the sex! I'm so so excited! My cute mom sent me a maternity "starter kit" with some of the cutest maternity clothes ever! Everything fit (a little big for now! So I can grow into them), cute dresses, shirts, sweats, skirts, jeans, etc. I am so thankful for having such an awesome mom that loves to help us out! :) Also, at 14 weeks, I can definitely feel my uterus, about half an inch below my belly button. It's hard. I am also SORT OF showing. Mostly still bloating! Also, I lost another pound this week... I don't know why... maybe baby Downs is eating all of my food? haha. I've been feeling great! I love being pregnant!!!!

Cute maternity jeans

Tiny bump :)

Oh! We bought a crib! No dresser yet, but the crib is perfect! We LOVE it!!! :)

Greg gets home tomorrow!!!

2011-07-30T13:30:00.001-07:00

Greg gets home tomorrow! I can't even wait!!!!! I've missed him so so much. He missed my whole first trimester lol. Speaking of the first trimester, I want to document how it went for me, so I never forget :)

- The morning I found out I was pregnant, was the day before my missed period, and I decided to test because my boobs were KILLING me.
- I had low progesterone, so was on supplements until 11 weeks. Twice a day. They made me SUPER tired
- I was nannying, working at Pier One Imports, and going to school, and couldn't have been more exhausted
- On the days I didn't get a nap, I went to bed around 9:00 at night, because I literally couldn't keep my eyes open any longer :)
- I was nauseous a lot, and was always hungry. I found out that if I ate, I felt MUCH better.
- I kept chex mix or crackers in my purse at all times.
- I threw up about 10 times total. (Not too bad! Thanks baby D!)
- My go to foods when I felt sick were chex mix, crackers, baked potato with butter and cheese, toast with peanut butter, PB&J, bagel, or a quesadilla. Don't ask my why it was all the fatty carbs that helped, but alas, it was. Also, natural cheetos always tasted good :)
- Foods I all of a sudden couldn't eat: Spinach, Pizza, Pasta with red sauce, Potato Chips and Doritos.
- Heartburn happened about once a week, but it would keep me up all night!
- Insomnia. Man, I couldn't sleep at all! I think it's because I'm SO SO excited about the baby!

Second Trimester is officially here, and I couldn't feel better! It's like I woke up one day, and all of a sudden, no symptoms! But, I know you are still in there, and you are growing strong! I am not tired anymore, which is so nice. And, I am not nauseous all the time, which is even better! YAY! I'm so looking forward to feeling Baby D kick me and move around. Should be coming here pretty soon! :) Also, in less than three weeks, I'm going to find out the sex!!!

What do you think it is?
Boy or Girl?

VOTE! :)

The weeks progess...

2011-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

I will be 12 weeks on Thursday!!! My morning sickness has really gone away this week. I hope it stays that way :) YAY! I have been feeling pretty good, other than a new symptom that has come along... dizziness. It is very annoying. Baby D's heartbeat was at 169 and I heard it yesterday at 180. Beating strong :) I will find out the sex in August. August 18th to be exact! :) We will be in Texas, meeting the doctor who will be delivering the baby. :) I can't wait to find out! I think it's a boy, but I really want a girl!!! We will see soon enough :)

I went to Newport Beach last week with the family, and it was so fun! I got very sunburned (despite the fact that I used 100 spf sunscreen lol) but it was so nice and relaxing to sit on the beach all day with my cute cousins, aunts, uncles, and family. Then, I flew up to San Fransisco and spent some time there with Greg! He will be home in 2 weeks :) YAY.

I love being pregnant! I can't wait for this little one to come! He/She is the size of a LARGE plum!

Woah.

2011-07-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday and had a pooch. I still haven't gained even a pound, but have a tummy. I officially look like I ate too much today. :) The pregnancy hasn't been bad at all compared to most people. I have only thrown up a number of times, which I am SO thankful for seeing as I am TERRIFIED of puking! haha. I have been so bloated and gassy. (TMI?) I think my main symptom is extreme exhaustion. Around 5 every day, I want to die... I feel like I got hit by a truck and just need to lay down until tomorrow.

That is all!

This is me at 10 weeks!!! :)

Announcement...

2011-07-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I now have to officially announce on my blog the wonderful news :)

I'm PREGNANT! YAY!
Our little baby D will be here Feb 2!
And we will be in Texas living with my parents when that day arrives :) YAY!

For whatever reason my pictures are not uploading to Blogger... oh well.

So here's the story.
I found out I was pregnant three days before I was going out to visit Greg in San Francisco. Well, I decided I would keep a secret and buy some baby clothes, and a father's day card, and surprise him with a present! So, the plane ride was KILLER. I wanted to puke the whole time, and I was so nervous/excited I could hardly contain myself.

Finally, I arrive and give my big man a HUGE hug and hand him his present. But, he won't open it in public haha. So, another 20 minutes of waiting for my bag, and going to the car. FINALLY, in the car, I tell him he HAS to open the present because I want to see if he like's it or not.

Greg starts opening the present and sees some baby clothes
Greg "ummm, hunny... Why did you buy baby clothes?"
Chelsy" Why do you think I would buy baby clothes?"
Greg "but we don't even have....... oh wait... is that possible?"
Chelsy "YES! I'M PREGNANT!!!!"

Then he got super excited and couldn't contain himself either :)

That was one of the best trips ever, and I'll never forget it. We told our families that weekend (because my dad accidentally heard us talking about it).

I got to hear our baby's heartbeat yesterday, it was SO amazing. It was beating hard at 169 bpm :) I also got to see it... It had a head, and little limbs... so cool! How could anyone not think that's a living life? I'm in love already and I don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet! :)

We can't wait for baby D to get here, and couldn't be happier!!!! :)

Being without a hubby really SUCKS.

2011-06-26T13:16:00.001-07:00

Greg has been in California for two months now. Man it's harder than I thought it would be. But, I guess I've been keeping myself busy. For now, I got myself some medicine to help...

A beautiful painting that completes my living room. I LOVE it and feel like it really helps this room look finished :)

Plus, it was originally 200 dollars.
and guess how much I paid for it?
50.08

It was a steal!

Life is good...

2011-06-04T13:01:00.001-07:00

I am in Texas right now visiting my cute family, and we went boating today. It was perfect. GLASS WATER, no other boats, and sunny! We have a malibu wakesetter wakeboarding boat, and it's kind of my family's thing. Every summer. It's heaven. I can't wait to move back to texas! Only two more years! :)

Pet Peeves...

2011-05-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

I have two MAJOR pet peeves.
I have been thinking about them lately...

1. People who are late.
Omgsh it drives me insane!
If you say let's meet at 7, then come at 7...
not 7:30! If I wanted you to show up at 7:30,
I would have told you so :)

2. People who don't call or text back
If I texted you, then there was a reason.
answer the text.
If I called you, don't wait 2 days to call me back.

Anyways. I have been thinking a lot about how much these little things bother me. I decided that I need to work on not caring as much. So, I'm going to try to turn these pet peeves into just little annoyances :)

What are your pet peeves?

San Fran Pictures!

2011-05-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

On the Cable Car :)

Greg with a WWII submarine!!

WE CAN DO IT!

Alcatrez

The Sea Lions!

Me and My LOVE!

My Mother...

2011-05-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have the best mom in the world!
We are best friends, and I wouldn't change a thing about her.
She is loving,
caring,
beautiful,
fun,
hilarious,
and so much more!
and I just wanted to share some of my favorite things about her...
We love to shop together. We could go out for hours and it's so fun!
I talk to her about everything.
She goes out of her way to make others feel welcome, she is SO sweet.
When I come in town, she lets me hang out with her and her friends
Her cookies!
Her love for me and my two little brothers!

Thanks so much mom for being you! I LOVE YOU!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!

San Francisco!

2011-04-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

So, Easter weekend we drove to San Francisco to drop Greg off to sell pest control for the summer

(if you live in that area make sure you don't buy pest control from anyone but Greg!)

We thought the drive was not that bad.

We made it in about 10 1/2 hours

He is living in a place called Livermore

About 15 minutes away from Oakland.

They have a lot of these in Livermore...

Beautiful eh?

Anyways, I don't have the pictures because we used Greg's camera and he has been so busy that I haven't been able to get him to download them for me...

So I will post again soon with those...

But, we spent time in Livermore getting him all moved in and then spent our last day together in San Fran!

We took the Bart to San Fran.

If you've never been there it's basically a subway.

Then we got off in downtown and walked to all the piers. We walked all the way up to fisherman's wharf. SO FUN!

Pretty sure greg was drooling over all that crab, but he didn't want one for some reason

(maybe cause we are poor? HAHA)

Well, by then we were exhausted and decided we wanted to ride a cable car

COOLEST THING EVER.

2 dollars.

and red.

and cool.

One of my favorite things about San Francisco is definitely the sea lions

They are so cool!

They talk to each other

and lay around and tan

what a life!

haha!

But seriously they just came to San Francisco like 15 years ago or something.

and the Great White sharks don't come into the bay because of the low salt in the water

So they are actually safer in the bay!

Anyways, we got him settled in Livermore and I left Monday.

I have a new roommate!

My friend Tiffany moved in last week while we were gone, and she is keeping me company until Greg comes home!

We get along great, and go to school together so it's the perfect solution!

I love it!

My mom came into town on Wednesday and we went to Women's Conference

It was great!

We went to some great classes on communication in marriage, choosing the right even when it's hard, and how simple things can change our life. It was so much fun and exactly what I needed!

Life is good.

This summer may be tough, but it's only 4 months out of FOREVER :)

My favorite things

2011-04-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

My friend just wrote a post about some of her favorite things and I thought I'd copy her and do the same thing :)

Here are some of my favorite things right now!

All Natural Cheetos.

OMGSH. They are amazing and huge serving sizes! And All natural... does that count as healthy? haha.

P90X. Seriously. I'm in love. The workouts go by soooo quickly and my body is already feeling SO good on day 4! I swear I can already see a difference. Okay probably not, but I like to pretend :)

Old Navy Yoga pants. They are amazing. The capris are only 16 bucks and the pants are 20. Plus I have LONG legs and you can get them in longs! They are great! SO COMFORTABLE!

So, lately I have been having really dry skin. Including my scalp. Psoriasis runs in our family, and they think it could be starting in my scalp. YUCK.

So, I've been having these red itchy things all over my scalp for no reason.

TMI I know, but I found the coolest stuff ever. Its by Loreal, I used it once, and I woke up the next day and it was gone! AMAZING!

I have also discovered a new favorite item for my freezer. Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers. YUM. All the Chinese flavors are amazing! And barely any calories, and they fill you up!

They are on sale right now at Smiths, go stock up!

Last but not least,

THIS GUY.

he is the cutest, sweetest, sexiest man I've ever seen :)

Need Flowers?

2011-04-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Tiffany owns a flower business and is awesome. So you should check out her new blog :) She is a ROCKSTAR! Plus, she is very negociable :)

LOVE

flowersattiffanys.blogspot.com

Click for me!

My Husband is a REAL Man...

2011-04-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I love my husband. He hadn't eaten all day today. So he came home from work and wouldn't eat my dinner. I didn't understand why he wouldn't eat my dinner. So then he admits that maybe he had dinner at the MTC.

So about two hours later I say, what did you have for dinner?

Here is how the conversation went from there:

Greg: Just a hamburger and a wrap.

Chelsy: hahahaha. That's a lot of food!

(I'm thinking, wow! two full meals...)

Greg: Oh and an Ice Cream Sandwich.

Chelsy: That's not healthy!

Greg: I ALSO HAD A SALAD (he said defensively)

Chelsy: WHAT?!?!

we both laugh for a few minutes... then I ask

"That's all right?"

Greg: Um, I had tator tots and a creamsicle...

oh and one of those asian roll things...

Chelsy: OMG YOU PIG!

HAHA. We laughed so hard. Until we cried. I couldn't believe he could even shove all that food down! EW.

Note: He doesn't normally eat like this. Just on occasion.

Note again: This would be a reason why grocery shopping is SO expensive :)

I found my camera

2011-03-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

... Now I just need some time to upload the couple pictures I have on there!

This last week greg learned how to ski! YAY!

and my family was in town.

and it was so fun!

I love them so much!

Also, today's lesson was on being optimistic.

And I decided I need to focus on the positive instead of the negative in life!

I NOW SEE THIS GLASS AS HALF FULL!

Attention: Camera MIA!

2011-03-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

Yes it is true, I have misplaced my wonderful camera. So sad.

It is cute, and pink, and a cannon, and wonderful

and has lots and lots of pictures on it.

...that I wanted to post on here but cannot.

So, I will be putting some pictures on here from my Iphone.

Not as cool, but it will have to do.

First, I babysit the CUTEST kids alive.

Observe:

Little Ava decides almost every day to wear a hat and a floatie. Seriously.

Addy and I playing "baby" which consists of us pretending to sleep. alot. it's quite hilarious

Poor little Ava, doing her breathing treatment! Breaks my heart!

My precious Addy who wanted to cuddle during quiet time and then fell asleep. AW!

This happened twice in one week. Ava is now a big girl and wears big girl panties and sleeps in a big girl bed. So now, that means she wakes up at the crack of dawn and is VERY tired :)

I took the girls to the animal farm and addy loved riding the pony! She got to do it twice cause ava had a melt down and wouldn't get on it haha

Ava's cute smile!

I realize that most of this post is about these cute girls, but I spend a majority amount of my time with them :) I babysat them Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the past two weeks :) It's been so much fun! We went to the animal farm, went on 3 walks, went to the park, potty-trained, watched princess movies, made window stained glass princesses, played go fish, made and decorated lemon cookies, colored, played barbies, and much much more. So fun! These girls are just the cutest!

Oh! And now on Fridays,

I have started babysitting for a 12 month old

named LOLA.

Super cute.

and they live a block away,

it's very convenient and fun!

Here she is:

Last but not least, we have rearranged our little house

We spent HOURS going through drawers,

throwing things away,

and rearranging

and it looks good.

I'm super stoked.

I feel so decluttered!

(our new room)

(our old room, now the study!)

The Month of Love

2011-02-17T21:04:00.000-08:00

February has been a great month for us.

It has been filled with love.

I love my school. I have been completely in love with becoming a medical assistant

It is the type of work I am made for.

I have lots of bruises

But, today I learned how to take blood pressure, respiration, and pulse!

SO COOL!

I went to Vegas last weekend for some fun.

And to see my awesome cousins!

Michelle and Andrew had a baby a couple days ago, so we went up for her baby shower 2 weekends ago!

It was SO fun! And I must admit, I was a little sad that it wasn't me opening all those gifts!

And their daughter Addison is SO adorable!

Also, I love Greg.

We celebrated Valentines Day. And it was perfect.

I love him more than life itself.

I AM SO LUCKY.

He surprised me with take-out from The Cheesecake Factory, and we watched Knight and Day.

He got me Beauty and the beast, some chocolates, and of course he wrote me a love letter :)

I decorated our room.

I found some tickets that were blank and wrote "Tickets from my Heat, the many reasons I love you"

and wrote down hundreds of reasons why I love him.

Sorry I don't have pictures. I'm too lazy to upload them...

And I got him two shirts and some vans!

Also this month, I just have to emphasize how much I love Ava and Adalyn.

I have been babysitting them for a year and a half and feel like part of their family.

I have so much fun with them.

They are such good girls.

I have been potty training Ava and it's been going really well!

That's all for this post! My heart is full of love!

Random Post

2011-01-31T13:07:00.000-08:00

It's official...

My name is now

Chelsy Plowman Downs

It took me forever to change it I know.

We went on a cruise, so I couldn't change it till after!

But still, NO EXCUSE!

But, it wasn't too bad of an experience.

I walked in and it was so crowded. I was number 277.

Some white trash lady comes and sits in the seat next to me.

She smells like smoke.

REALLY BAD.

I almost gagged.

Then she gets on the phone and starts yelling at the person on the other line

apparently she was really upset

and said some naughty words...

then number 264 got called.

THIS WAS GOING TO BE A LONNNNNG DAY.

So, I got out my trail mix (I hadn't eaten yet today and just got out of the gym)

Then, about 10 minutes later they call my number.

I don't know how I got ahead of all those other people,

but I wasn't going to object!

Off I went and changed my name.

Next on the to-do list is change my drivers license.

It still says I live somewhere I don't

ha.

what a PAIN.

In other news, I am going to get my teeth cleaned on wednesday

I am excited cause its only 10 dollars

and I haven't had my teeth cleaned in 2 years.

gross I know, but I can't afford it!

OFF TO THE DENTIST! :)

Hopefully I won't have any cavities :)

Also, my fine hubby is taking midterms

midterms = i don't see greg. ever.

so, I had a girls night with caroline and then one with tiffany

it was wonderful

but i miss greg.

OH! And this Thursday is Caroline's birthday! YAY!

We may go night skiing for it :)

How fun!

Sorry about the randomness. I just wanted to blog but had nothing to blog about...

PEACE!

Life UpDate.

2011-01-26T13:37:00.001-08:00

I am so satisfied and happy in life right now. I don't exactly know why, but it's been nice. Here's what's new in my life.

First off, I am 22! I feel like that is so old! I know it's not, but for some reason I think it's much older than 21! haha. For my birthday, I had school, so my AWESOME friends (Caroline, Courtney, Ani, Bree, and Berlin) took me out to dinner at PFChangs! I love them for it, and it was so fun to have a nice girls night! Plus, Courtney and Caroline got me a Fossil purse that I have been wanting forever... and I was so surprised! They were not supposed to get me ANYTHING! And Ani got me some awesome earrings! I felt so spoiled! Greg got me the most beautiful flowers! BRIGHT PINK!

Second off, I started school! It's great! I LOVE IT! It's Monday through Thursday from 6-9. And I'm learning lots of medical fun stuff! I'm excited to get to the good stuff! (shots, EKGs, blood draw, etc) :)

Third off, I have made two great friends! I feel blessed that I found them, and that I get along SO well with both of them! I'm excited to get to know them better, and I really feel that God is watching out for me. He knows I need as many friends as I can for this summer when Greg leaves to go sell! EEEK! That's in 4 months! CRAZY.

Life is wonderful!

Funny Stuff

2011-01-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

I just had to record some of the funny things that have happened while sleeping over the last week. As you all probably know, (or not) Greg is the craziest sleeper. So, here are some of the things he said this week.

1. He started BARKING like a dog. For five minutes straight. I almost peed myself.

2. We were watching 30 rock, and halfway through the episode he looked like he fell asleep so I asked "are you sleeping?" and he shot up, and said "NO! I KNOW WHERE I AM!!!" hahaha

3. In the middle of the night he starts saying "NO! UGH. The colors are changing!" So I said "what?" He threw his hands up and got mad and said "in the program software!" hehe he dreams about school.

What a funny guy! I had to record these to read when we are older :)

Happy New Year! And my resolutions for 2011

2010-12-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! (Tomorrow of course)

Tonight we are celebrating new year's eve at our best friend's Caroline and Jordan's house!

It will be fun!

I am so excited for 2011.

In 2011 I will finish my Medical Assisting Program and have a degree!

That will be nice :)

Also, Greg will be leaving to work for a pest control company

while I stay in Provo finishing my classes.

I will miss him, but it will be best for us in the end!

Greg will be starting in the Masters program!

What an exciting year!

I have some new year resolutions that I really hope to accomplish.

I am not the healthiest person, so I want to become healthier, so I can prepare to be a mommy!

I don't want to be an unhealthy mother who can't even have fun with my kids!

I'm not pregnant, but I want to be healthier so when I do get pregnant, I won't have any problems.

So, number one:

Give up Candy and Ice Cream!

Greg and I are doing that one together :)

Number 2:

Get my MA degree!

I'm so excited to become a medical assistant, and I want to make sure I finish!

Number 3:

Work out 3 times a week.

I know that seems easy, but I am NOT in shape.

I will be working the three jobs I have, and going to school every night from 6-9.

So, I need to figure out how I am going to do this, but I am going to do it.

Number 4:

Lose some weight. I'm hoping to lose 5 pounds a month until I reach my goal weight.

Hopefully the no candy and ice cream thing will help and so will the working out 3 times a week.

Number 5:

Only drink Diet Coke 2x a week (one can). Let's face it! I need one every once in a while.

No more McDonalds dollar diet coke.

If I want one, just get a can. Two times a week.

Hopefully!

I am so excited for next year! Greg and I are starting to see our future after school and it's getting excited! It's still two and a half years away, but time flies!

And, if everything works out the way we want it to, we may be moving to Dallas a year from now for an internship!

I'm so excited to get to spend 2011 with the love of my life!

To new beginnings!!!

Arizona Christmas

2010-12-30T08:51:00.001-08:00

The second half of christmas was wonderful!

We drove to Arizona on Sunday afternoon and got there right around dinner time

We got there just in time for cafe rio pulled pork.

HOMEMADE! YUM!

We saw all my cousins, aunts, uncles, family, and grandparents.

GREAT!

We opened presents!

Greg got:

CPK gift card and movie tickets,

a laptop!

lots of clothes from Banana Republic

I got:

A kindle!

Ugg Boots!!!! :)

It was perfect!

On monday, I went shopping with the girls. (my mom and aunts and cousin michelle)

Then we ate at Rubios (YUM)

and had a family night.

Then I cut my hair all off on Tuesday morning and lightened it a bit!

FUN TRIP!

I miss them already!

Christmas with The Downs!

2010-12-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

Greg and I spent Christmas in California this year!

All the kids were home so it was nice!

We are going to AZ to spend a day or two with the Plowman family on Monday!

Two Christmases! Being married is great! haha

Anyways. We got here on Wednesday.

After a LONG day in the car with lots of tissues for my cold. YUCK.

Then we spent Thursday up in Malibu and Santa Monica

Can I say, I like that part of California?!

We ate GINORMOUS pieces of Prime Rib for Christmas Eve Dinner

I have NEVER seen such huge portion sizes in my life.

kind of gross.

Christmas morning was great!

We took turns opening gifts and got lots of great stuff! Some of the things we got were:

10 DVDs and Blu Rays

(Despicable Me, Inception, Shrek1-4, Hercules, Snow White, Toy Story 2, and The Emperors New Groove) Can you tell we love cartoons?

Donkey Kong Returns for the Wii

Lots of Bath and Body Works body washes and soaps and stuff (YUMMMMM)

Kitchen Towels

A pretty necklace

A white watch

A nice Adidas running jacket for Greg

A nose hair trimmer (hahahahah)

A book

and some other little random things!

GREAT CHRISTMAS! We are blessed :)

The Caribbean Cruise!

2010-12-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

Omgsh I cannot believe I haven't blogged about our cruise.

It was so fun.

We left on Saturday from SLC and flew to Orlando. We met the family and friends at the hotel, and went to sleep. Not too exciting.

Sunday morning we got ready to leave to Fort Canavral (spelling???) and went out to our bus.

This is what we found:

Hummer limo? I think yes!

Pretty sweet huh?

So, we got to the cruise and checked in, and went to our rooms

My parents, the Perkes, and the Calls were on the 3rd floor with a window.

The poor college kids, (us and jeff and shannon) were on the 6th floor with a promenade view!

Our room was way awesome.

Don't tell the adults :)

Day One:

We left port, said goodbye to Orlando, got a little sea sick :)

we found our dining area (we had the BEST waiter!)

we watched the opening show!

our cruise director was FABULOUS!

see ya later FL!

Day Two: COCOCAY, Bahamas

This is the little private island owned by the Cruise Line.

It was beautiful

And smaller than our ship was!

We taxi'd over to the island, found some chairs and laid out ALL day.

The little boys went kayaking, and all the men played volleyball all day

Such a relaxing day.

it was windy

cute little shop. Brian Perkes said he could live here for a week

Colby and Ty!

Day Three: At sea

Today we rented the surfer thing. So, no one else could use it!

It was FREEZING though.

So, I didn't go on it. (don't worry I did later on that week though)

The boys had SO much fun.

And the ladies did a lot of tanning.

And Tyler ate a lot of ice cream.

Day Four: St. Thomas

can we say beautiful? WOW. We got off the ship and found a cute little beach with snorkeling on it for 10 dollars. It was great! I even snorkeled! :) But. we didn't know that the shopping all closed at 4 so we didn't even get to go shopping! sad. but probably saved us some money haha ;)

st. thomas

look at that beautiful water!

amazing views!

Day Five: St. Marteen (THANKSGIVING)

Wow! This was my favorite island by FAR. I love it. I will one day own a vacation home on it! It is half dutch and half french. We rented Jeeps and drove around the WHOLE island. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! GORGEOUS! We stopped at one point and did a little shopping, then found a beach (it was nude of course) and chilled there for a couple hours. The children laughed everytime they saw a nudist walking along the beach. They were quite entertained by that! This was on Thanksgiving by the way, what an awesome way to spend it huh?

Greg and I on the beach at St. Marteen

Up on top of the old French Fort

GORGEOUS!

In the jeep with Jeff and Shannon!

Day 6 and 7: Days at Sea!

We relaxes, slept a lot, went to shows, went ice skating, rock-climbing, ate a lot, and to the ice show. It couldn't have been more perfect!

Christmas

2010-12-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Countdown to Christmas begins... 10 days till Christmas!
10 more gifts to deliver
9 gifts to wrap
8 nights sleeping in our basement
7 days until we leave
6 hours of parties
5 hours of studying
4 more homecooked dinners
3 more days of work
2 suitcases to pack

and only

1 more final for Greg!!!!

Can you believe this semester is done? It went by soooooooo fast! I'm so glad to get to relax over break. We are heading to Cali to spend time with Greg's family over Christmas! Then the 27th we are heading to AZ to say hi to the Plowman side! YAY! I couldn't be more ready for this break!

I am thankful for...

2010-11-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

We had a tradition in my family on Thanksgiving. Every year, we sit around the dinner table and say what we are thankful for. Maybe cliche, but it was tradition. This year, we spent Thanksgiving in a Dining Room on a cruise ship. I realized today when I got home that we did not get to share what we were thankful for around the dinner table and it made me sad. So, I am going to share now...

-I am so thankful for my wonderful husband. How did I get so lucky? He does so much for me, and he loves me so much. I hope I show him how much I care about him! Here are just some of the things he does that makes me appreciate him:

*He wakes up every morning to scrape the snow off my car and get it warm

*He calls me beautiful at least once a day

*He loves whatever I make for dinner :)

*He works hard in school, so he can provide for our family someday

*He is happy doing anything as long as we are together

*and MANY other things :)

-I am thankful for my family. I always feel their love, even though they are far away. Just today my mom called me, just to make sure I made it safe to work as she knew it was snowing outside. They included us this Thanksgiving on the cruise, and made it possible for us to go, even though we couldn't have afforded it. We had a blast spending the week with them, and love them so much!

-I am thankful for my friends. I feel like the friends I have, are REALLY good friends and I honestly think they would do anything for me. I have been friends with them for years, and hope it stays that way! I know I can turn to them if I have a problem, and they will help me solve it. I love you girls! (You know who you are :) )

- I am so glad that I have something to believe in. Life isn't always easy, and I'm glad that I can turn to my Heavenly Father, and I know he listens to me and is always watching me. I don't know what I would do without that.

I know, totally a sappy blog post, but I felt it was necessary. I have a pretty amazing life, and know that, and wanted to share some of the things that makes it so wonderful.

Love you all.

The 10 K.

2010-11-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Greg and I are going to run in a 10K in February.

We are training!

16 weeks of training. Hopefully it will pay off!

Neither of us run, so we are starting from point zero. :)

We are running in the...

DELTA WILD GOOSE CHASE.

Apparently all the geese migrate there, so we get to see thousands of geese while running

I think it sounds cool :)

Wish us luck!

Free Day.

2010-10-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Why is Halloween everyone's free day to dress up like sluts? I don't get it. If I have standards the other 364 days of the year, then why on halloween is it okay to throw those standards out the window and dress up like a total whore? Yeah. I decided that Halloween is supposed to be scary and fun, and it's turned into a total "sexy" holiday. DUMB. I am married in the temple, and think that I shouldn't throw the things I promised there out the window to have a little fun for one night. I was a little old grandma this year. It was quite fun.

Ugh. Anyways, sorry about this rant. It's kind of annoying to see how these costumes are completely inappropriate and I needed to vent. haha.

Love!

If you are having a bad day...

2010-10-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Just watch this.

It will make your day better.

Guaranteed.

Boy Dancing.

2010-10-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Snow. Yuck.

I couldn't even believe it. Do you ever wake up feeling great, then one thing can ruin your day? That happened to me today. My cute husband woke up with me to make me eggs for breakfast, then go out and warm up my car. What a great guy! I just love him! So, I go along and get ready, open the front door... and want to run in the other direction back to my bed. My SOFT COMFORTABLE WARM bed. I trudged out the door, up the stairs, and into my car. The drive from Provo up to Sandy is getting to be a real pain in the butt. Not only does Utah decide to close one lane of the freeway ALL DAY EVERY DAY going BOTH directions, but now snow?! UGH. So, I drove about 55 the whole 33 miles up to Sandy. I couldn't see anything, There were 3 wrecks, and it was dark. Not a good combination. Luckily for me, the roads weren't slippery. I made it to work safely! Now, I get to look forward to the drive home; filled with construction, traffic, bad drivers, and police. Isn't life wonderful?

Okay so I just reread that and man I sound depressed! HA! I'm not. I actually love making snowmen and going sledding and going snowboarding. I wish it didn't get on the roads though. And I just didn't want it to snow yet! And am scared to drive in the snow EVERYDAY on the freeway this winter. Anyways. I probably will die. Spin out of control and hit the wall. and die. nahhhh, just kidding, but... not really.

I love living somewhere with four seasons. cause real fall and real spring are AWESOME. In Texas it's just SUMMER, and random weather the rest of the year. It's beautiful in the spring when all the snow is melting, so the air is crisp and cool, but the sun is shining, and flowers are blooming. It's beautiful in the fall when the colors change, leaves fall, and the wind blows. I want to live somewhere that has only fall and spring. Know of a place?

This post has no point. Other than to hear about my disliking of snow. Love you all for reading this.

Rant. Vent.

2010-10-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is what I use instead of a journal so I am allowed to vent right? Well, I am going to. Because otherwise I may explode. I am really sick of people who are mean. MEAN GIRLS. Seriously. Why do girls think it's fun to hurt people? It's so annoying and frustrating. I am sick of it. I want to tell these people to grow up already! I mean, it's so high school don't you think? This isn't about anyone in particular, just a general rant about life. It sucks to feel left out all the time. It sucks to be ignored. Feel like you don't exsist. Especially when there is a lot going on in your life and all you need is a little support. How rude is it to invite people to do something, and PURPOSEFULLY don't invite someone else who is listening to the conversation? Pretty rude if you ask me. I really have been trying SO hard to be a supportful friend. To show my friends that they are loved, no matter what. Sometimes I don't feel like I get it back. Drive hours to go support a friend, or invite someone to do something over and over and over again... to get nothing back. Not even a response. UGHHHHHH I just want to scream and get away from my life for a few days. Good thing the cruise is coming up in less than a month. Greg is so good about supporting me and loving me. I am sooooo grateful for him. I love him more than life itself. Life sometimes sucks, but then I remember things that actually matter. Like God, Heavenly Father, the Scriptures. And I feel a little better. This is one scripture that sums up my feelings:

1 Nephi 11.17-- "And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things"
-So true right? I mean I know Heavenly Father loves me, but I don't know the meaning of all the things he does. Peaceful.

Also, I loved President Packer's talk at General Conference this year. I think it was filled with hope. We can all overcome our problems, addictions, and struggles through the power of the priesthood. How wonderful is it that I am sealed ETERNALLY to my husband, who has that miraculous power? AMAZING.

Anyways, I just needed a venting post. It happens. We all have our bad days, or weeks. But, it's all going to be ok, because of what I know to be true.

Sorry that this post is soooooo annoying. But I feel better about everything now :)

Rookie Food Blog

2010-10-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

I have a food blog now.

http://thewannabechefchelsy.blogspot.com

enjoy mucho.

love you all.

My Third Job.

2010-10-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Yes. I may just be crazy. I have a third job.

But, it's seriously probably heading in the right direction towards one of the biggest dreams I have...

WEDDING PLANNING.

I started working for Ethan at Rockwell Catering.

Seriously, probably some of the YUMMIEST stuff I have ever tasted.

I'm pretty much drooling while thinking about it.

You should probably take a look at his website.

http://www.rockwellcatering.com/

Just saying.

I get to prepare this delicious food.

Fruit Bar

Bruschetta

Rockwell Catering makes all their food fresh.

No frozen crap.

Or bought crap.

HOMEMADE.

seriously. delicious.

just saying.

If I would have had a wedding in Utah, I definitely would have wanted them.

But. I get to work for Rockwell Catering so that's good.

Anyways. I'll shut up now.

If you want any information about Rockwell, let me know!

I'm Out.

Cravings...

2010-10-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

If anyone reading this feels like buying Chelsy something fun, it would be greatly appreciated ;-)

Seriously though. I have lots of wants. No needs. So I guess it could be worse!

I know that I don't need ANY of this, but I like it anyways...

So the first, I already went out and bought two of. But I want the rest of them...

And I would love one of these ...

You see I have the app for my iphone, but it's so tiny!

AND I LOVE TO READ!

Oh EM GEE. Don't forget this year's Uggs...

I cannot find a picture of the ones I want

dumb.

I want the tall grey classic ones with three buttons :)

And some other stuff. My computer isn't letting me upload any other pictures.

Dumb.

But. I know I don't need any of this.

And so I am not going to be getting any of it

But life is great!

LOVE

Life.

2010-09-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Life is great.

Just saying.

I got to spend the weekend with my favorite little girls a few weeks ago.

We went to Kilee's wedding, painted, watched Madagascar, and...

went to SEVEN PEAKS!

Boy they loved that!

We even rode ALL of the big rides! :)

Courtney went with us, and it seriously was the best!

Greg also started the accounting program.

It was a VERY big adjustment

But, it's getting better! So, that's good!

And, we are going down to St. George next weekend to watch STEPHANIE run the marathon!

A weekend away will be nice!

I also started catering.

It's great!

I work for Ethan from Rockwell Catering.

And his food rocks.

Just saying.

Last but not least

I am going to be attending MTAC to get my medical assisting degree!

YAY!

I am super excited about it!

It will take about 9 months, and I am super stoked.

I think I should have done this years ago,

but I didn't know it existed lol :)

I am going to be very busy. I will be working at CMOE on MWF until 3

And still nannying (of course!) on TTH till about 5

Then monday-thurs will be rushing off to the school for classes.

Classes are from 6-9

Then come home.

And study during my free time.

SWEET!

I am excited for the future!

Wedding Season!

2010-09-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Ok. I know I totally SUCK at updating this thing.

Lot's and lot's has happened. Let's see.

1st. I had the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in 3 weddings last month!

It was SO great!

I got to go to all three sealings, and they were so special

It reminded me of our special day... :)

Caroline's Wedding was first.

She got married in the DC temple.

NOW, that is my VERY favorite temple ever.

BEAUTIFUL!

They got married at one, then had a gorgeous wedding reception in an abandoned mansion.

SO COOL!

It was so fun to go to my best friend's wedding in DC and then spend the weekend with my mom! She was the best and showed me all of the sights, even though she was there like a month before :)

Here are some pictures of the DC trip.

Second wedding was Sam and Karen's wedding.

Sam is Greg's older brother.

Karen is awesome. I like her a lot. My first official Sister in law!

My kids will call her aunt!

COOL! :)

They got married in Denver.

I really hadn't been there before so it was super fun!

We stayed at Greg's awesome Aunt and Uncle's house.

They are sooo great to us.

And I got to bond with the whole family!

So fun!

Their reception was in Colorado Springs, and was in the chapel.

Seriously GORGEOUS set up!

Lot's of hard work for my family really paid off!

I don't have very many pictures except these:

Ps. I have NO idea why my face is like this.

Pretty sure it's cause it was HOT outside, I was starving, and we were driving HOURS that day.

Haha. I was a mess that night. I collapsed on the bed the SECOND we walked in the house.

Strangely, I feel like I kind of look pretty in this picture? haha

Last but not least:

Kilee and Ben's Wedding!

She is my best friend from Frisco.

We have been through EVERYTHING together.

I love her SOOO much, and am so glad she found Ben!

Love him!

She got married in the Jordan River temple

Gorgeous temple by the way!

And then had the reception at a church super close to the temple.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and reception!

And, she was kind enough to let me bring Ava and Adalyn to it! :)

I love weddings, and am so glad I got to be apart of these weddings!

I love all of you, and am soooo happy for y'all!

The GREAT state of Texas, and a HORRIBLE sickness...

2010-05-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry I suck at updating.

School got out a few weeks ago, and we flew to TX for a few days for some fun.

Lots of boating, wakeboarding, eating out, and swimming

it was quite fun!

Greg got pretty dang good at wake boarding, and even has his own wake board now!

(EVEN I DON'T HAVE MY OWN!)

Here are some pictures of the trip:

How stinking cute is Oliver?

And Chase!

Anyways.

I got home and immediately started back here:

I still remember how to serve! yay!

Anyways. So Sunday, I'm working, and making money...

then I go meet up with my family for Mother's Day dinner.

And all of a sudden, I feel SO sick.

My back starts hurting, and I can hardly swallow.

And I get this wave of exhaustion.

It came out of nowhere,

So I went home and went to bed.

SERIOUSLY AT LIKE 8.

Well, I stayed that way for like days.

Finally went to the doctor and have Strep.

ITS HORRIBLE.

So yeah with a little help of Nyquil, Anti-biotics, rest, and movies...

hopefully tomorrow I will feel better!!!!

Funny Kid Stories.

2010-04-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

So, kids are so cute.

I don't have any of my own to talk about but I feel like Ava and Adalyn's big sister

so I figure I can share some funny things they have done lately.

Adalyn is the smartest 3 year old I swear.

So, the other day we are driving home from preschool, and I am asking her about her day.

Here is our conversation:

Adalyn: "Why does the lady want to get naked?"

Me: "What? WHO?"

Adalyn: "The lady on the radio! She said she wants to get naked".....

PAUSE.....

Me: "Um... no she didn't!"

Adalyn: "YES SHE DID!"

Me: "Let's change the radio channel. This is not a kid channel"

OMGSH!!! The radio was on SO quiet I didn't even notice it!

I was super embarrassed.

My mom said I should have said she is getting in the bath.

But I didn't.

SAD!

but kind of funny!

So. I tell her mom this, and she tells me some other cute stories:

One day, this short mexican man came over and was painting the door on their house.

Adalyn is upstairs and says:

"Mommy, that man is short!"

Her mom tells her to please not talk about this right now.

Being a three year old she starts throwing a fit about it...

and keeps saying

"But mom, that man is short!"

hahahaha. so funny!

One more.

They were shopping at the grocery store and a YOUNG guy walks by with grey hair.

Adayln: "Mommy! Look! It's a Grandpa!"

Kelly: "Well, we don't know if that is a grandpa"

(as she is trying to pull the girls farther and farther from this "old man")

Adalyn: "But mommy! I can tell he is a grandpa!"

OMGSH. I love children.

I cannot wait until we have some of our own.

But Ava and Adalyn are the sweetest children ever, and SO cute.

I have some HIGH standards for my children.

hopefully we have the most adorable well behaved children ever.

Greg and I babysat for Kelly and James Saturday night and it was a blast!

We ate dinner, then headed to the BIG park!

Ava kept trying to run up this steep hill with her hands in the air...

falling over and over again just laughing.

And adalyn was having a blast swinging on the swings!

We were teaching her how to pump!

Then we came home and played for a little.

Then we made ice cream sundays with cookies!

Ava of course got it ALL over her face...

Then we gave them baths which THEY LOVE

and read probably 7 books to them.

and tucked them in for bed.

it was fun

Park City Get-Away!

2010-04-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hello to all!

I hope everyone's weekend was as amazing as mine!

But it probably wasn't as great as ours!

We decided late Thursday night, that we really wanted to get away.

So, we found a cute little hotel room in Park City, and left Friday for Park City!

Greg had never been, and I haven't been in quite a few years!

It was so fun!

Our hotel was more like a little quaint condo building.

Here it is:

So, we got there, and headed straight to the outlets!

Omgsh, it was amazing.

In the Coach store, I fell in love with a purse.

that was on sale from 350 dollars to...

$110!!!!

I would have gotten it,

but Greg decided it wasn't necessary.

Good thing I have him! Or I probably would have spent hundreds!

Anyways, we did a little damage.

4 Banana Republic Shirts

6 Pairs of earrings from AE

4 pairs of flip flops from Old Navy

a new fossil wallet!

2 cute matching shirts for Ava and Adalyn!

and for greg:

A belt from Banana Republic

and sweats from JCrew!

Then, we checked into our hotel and headed down main street!

I loved it!

If you haven't been, you should!

So fun!

Quiet, peaceful, yet lively.

I can't even describe it!

Then, we went back to the hotel, and went in the hot tub and heated pool!

It was great!

We got back to the hotel room and decided we needed to go see Date Night.

OMGSH.

It was sooooo funny!

I was probably the only one in the theater laughing that hard!

I literally laughed at one point for 15 minutes straight.

I even had to make a run for it!...

No, but seriously, if you haven't seen it,

drop what you are doing now...

AND GO SEE IT!

So, Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the Olympic Park! It was so fun!

Then we went to Petco and looked at dogs :)

Which we won't be getting cause of our dumb landlord.

UGH.

Then, we went to the yummiest mexican food EVER!

I even got Sopes. My all time favorite!

It was such a great weekend!

Life.

2010-04-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Sorry I am not good at updating.

Let's see.

First off...

I have officially lost 8.2 pounds!!! :)

It feels good! Now another 30ish to go!

Second off...

My best friend Caroline got engaged!!!!

Congrats love!!!!

Third off...

We went on a fun date with Caroline and Jordan

We went rock climbing at The Quarry! YAY!

For those of you who don't know,

Greg and I met on a blind date to the Quarry!

Observe:

See how cute? haha. It was the first time we met.

Greg says he got to look at my butt all night

so he was sold :)

Anyways. Look at us now!

Caroline and Jordan are engaged!

And Greg and I have been married 8 months

and couldn't be happier!

Crazy sleeper!

2010-04-02T09:39:00.001-07:00

I just have to vent. About my husbands sleeping habits once again.

So, last night he kept saying he wasn't tired.

Then we get in bed and literally 2 seconds later he was SNORING

LOUD.

So I wake him and tell him to roll over.

He does.

Then keeps snoring.

LOUDER.

So... I'm trying to sleep...

And all of a sudden he rolls ON TOP OF ME.

I couldn't get him to move or move him myself

I was SO frustrated!

This was at like 1:30 AM

I kept shoving, and he kept coming closer.

So. Finally, I went out to the couch and slept peacefully :)

Love you Greg.

Don't love your sleeping habits.

2010-03-26T09:37:00.001-07:00

Last week, I left for Spring Break! :)

This was Greg and I's first time being apart since more than a year ago!

And it was sad!

Where did I go for Spring Break?

This WONDERFUL place:

Yes. My favorite state.

The wonderful land of TEXAS!

While I was there, my mom and I kept the stores in business

and shopped. ALOT. and ate a lot of food.

so we kept both retail and restaurants in business! :)

So... I got there on wednesday.

And we went to Pei Wei. My mom, me, and my brothers

Then I am pretty sure we shopped. YES. On the first day.

I could be wrong though.

I don't really remember. :)

Then for dinner, we went to my favorite place EVER...

LA HACIENDA.

If you haven't been there before... let's just say it is the best tex-mex place on the planet

fajitas, steak, chips, salsa, guacamole, and my favorite...

good old FATTENING QUESO!

yummmmmm....

So. The second day, my brothers left on their Pioneer Trek.

And my dad works like 83420389423 hours a week

so it was just me, my mom, and the shopping world :)

We went to lunch at cheesecake factory.

yum. plus, I got to see my old lady friends :) NO OFFENSE LADIES :)

but y'all are old :)

and shopped ALL day till our feet hurt.

This is when we came up with our contest.

We realized how fat we both have gotten.

So. We came up with a great way to lose weight.

Whoever loses the most weight gets a new pair of expensive jeans.

while the loser has to watch and not try ANY on themselves :)

YES!

I have already lost 4.8 pounds.

Anyways,

the weekend was great.

Lots of new stuff from Nordy's, J Crew, DSW and Fossil. YAY

Plus I cut 5 inches off my hair and got it dyed. :)

I think it looks quite good!

Let's see what else.

I also got to see Madelyn!

I miss my Texas babies :)

I guess they aren't really babies anymore.

But I got Utah ones now :)

OH! And it snowed. in TEXAS.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

There is only like 2 weeks or so left of school! YES!

Then summer school. BOO.

I love life.

I love my husband

I love nannying for the Woods.

They are the sweetest family ever

with the two cutest girls ever

who love me

and of course i love them :)

Ava is learning so many new things :)

I love working with her on new words and new things

love it,

love life.

did you know that you were going to marry greg when you met him?

2010-03-13T10:01:00.001-08:00

No, not right away. I knew he was an amazing guy, and that I wanted to get to know him better. But a month or so into it, I knew I liked him ALOT. And I got a job offer in New York, and actually ended up turning it down, not for Greg alone, but he was a part of it :) And it turned out perfect! We went on a trip to California together, and the week after that, I knew I was going to marry him! :)

Ask me anything

My Worst Nightmare...

2010-03-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

...ends up not being too bad! YAY!

Those of you who know me, know that my most dreaded class is Physical Science.

Let me catch you up...

I took Physcial Science in the Fall of 08, my sophomore year at Byu.

Well, it didn't go too hot.

I did not understand ANYTHING.

and failed.

sooo. then I tried to take it at BYU last fall of 09.

Took the first test, got a 50 or so on it.

freaked out.

and decided I didn't want to go to BYU anymore.

So dropped out.

Now I am taking it at UVU.

and its not so bad!

Its the same book as BYU, so I have read it already...

and the first test I got like a 60, but with a curve got a 74.

Then on the second test (which was harder)

got a 75!!!! with the curve, that is a 85! YAY!

I finally feel good about this class.

And believe that I can do it!

I think I can even pull a B out of the class!

Plus. I got a tutor! SOooo maybe an A?!

Time will only tell :)

New Discoveries!

2010-03-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

I had a great weekend so far! With a lot of discoveries.

First off: I went to Alice in Wonderland with our friends Camee and Daniel and their friends Emily and Jason! It was SO great!

I would highly recommend it!

Funny.SO FUN!

Well, when I got home I pondered for a while...

And realized...

I have really pretty friends, and I have turned into the Ugly Fat one...

And now look like this:

But, no worries!

I am getting in shape, and am very excited to be skinny and pretty again!

YAY.

So that was my first new discovery.

Second... Well, tonight we got invited to go to our friends from our ward for dinner.

They both served their mission in Thailand!

So they are amazing Thai Food Cooks.

Oh. Their names are Tiffany and Cody.

Anyways, it was delicious! OMGSH!

I am now in love with Thai Food, and hope we get the privilege to eat there again!

YAY! Thanks guys!

Third. Tonight I had the urge to make headbands. I have never done this before.

I guess I was feeling crafty?

Anyways. I think they turned out good!

Here are some samples!Feather Headband.

Feather Clip

Cute headband!

Oh! And I learned how to use my sewing machine! YAY!

Success. I think I have a new hobby!

I absolutely loved it!!!!

It's a wonderful Life!

2010-03-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hello to all. I just wanted to share my top ten things that make my life wonderful!

1. My wonderful husband:

He does EVERYTHING for me.

I absolutely love him

I don't know how I got so lucky

2. My amazing parents

They taught me values, religion, importance of education

and soo much more

they love me and always have shown that love

plus they are HOT.

3. My religion

I love being LDS

It helps me feel peace,

helps me through pain,

and helps me understand mysteries of life

I love my Heavenly Father and am so grateful for everything he has given me and helped me through...

4. My brothers

Man they are just studs.

I am so glad I have such awesome brothers

I love calling them to catch up every week.

5. My Friends

They are awesome! I can count on them for anything!

I love you all! (Many are not pictured!)

6. My job!

I mean who wouldn't want to watch these cutie pies?!

I LOVE IT!

Adalyn!

Ava! My little princess...

7. My apartment

I love that our place feels like home

especially when its clean

its nice to come home to a new apartment that is all ours! YAY!

8. UVU

Yes, I am saying it!

I am so glad I finally feel good about school

and am excited to be a teacher!

YAY UVU and not so much YAY BYU! haha

9. My ward!

Ok, I had a hard time at first.

But the last couple months have been great!

I am so glad I finally feel included,

and really can see some amazing life long friends out of this ward!

Thanks everyone :)

No Picture.... SORRY!

10. The fact that I am not completely obese and now have the opportunity to get into shape before its too late! :)

Yes. I need to get in shape, and I am officially doing it! FINALLY.

Why not? God gave me a healthy body, why should I be wasting it away?!

So new me... HERE I COME!

Goal: to look like this beautiful one:

Change...

2010-02-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, so once again I am sick and tired of my hair. Which style looks best on me? (PS. I have had all of these hairstyles before and loved all of them, so be honest!)

Brown hair with Bangs:

Blonde:

Like it is now. Darkish redish no bangs

Which do you like best?

Vote!!!!!!

Our Sleep Habits and other random stuff...

2010-02-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

I don't think you could put two more opposite sleepers in the same bed...

Seriously though! It couldn't be more opposite than Greg and I
Observe:

Meet Greg the wild one,
moves EVERYWHERE.
Hits me in the face
It sounds like an elephant jumping when he turns in bed.
NO JOKE.
I could be screaming and yelling,
and he wouldn't wake up.

Meet Chelsy:
Peaceful sleeper
Doesn't move all night
Sleeps in the same position every night
Wakes up every time Greg moves
Lightest sleeper ever.

Oh! I almost forgot! Greg snores! This picture sums up our nights together :)

Anyways, last night while laying awake after Greg had elbowed me in the face,
I all of a sudden here LOUD giggling.
...and more giggling.

...and then even louder laughing.

...and more laughing.

...it was hilarious.

...I had to laugh
I love him!

I wonder what he was dreaming of?

Could it have been a land full of rainbows?

Or perhaps cheese?

Knowing my husband, it was probably about some kind of food!

Haha. Anyways, sorry for my random post, I just had to share our sleeping habits. They might be completely different, but we couldn't be happier! We were meant for each other (even if our sleeping habits were not)

formspring.me

2010-02-19T11:54:00.001-08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/chelsyrae

Pondering...

2010-02-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

So, last night after looking at all my friend's cute blogs... I decided that I am really a bad blogger/writer. Sad.

I mean, my layout is ugly, I rarely have any pictures, and I just tell stories and facts.

Who would want to read that?

So, anyways. I decided I am going to try to be cool and be a better blogger!

Last night I spent hours trying to fix my layout.

FAIL.

I couldn't figure out all those HTML codes and crap.

FAIL.

By the end of the night, I looked and felt like this little guy:

So... if anyone has any idea how to do this blogging thing, you should probably help me out so the world doesn't have to keep looking at this.

On a happier note... I just went shopping for myself!

Greg loves me.

YAY!

I bought a couple henley t-shirts from Gap,

and this adorable dress:

I am so excited for spring. Colors, sandals, bold necklaces, cute headbands, dresses.

Bring it on.

I die. I need the shoes and necklace.

Um. Cutest shirt and necklace ever.

This whole outfit just screams Spring! I love everything about it.

Too bad all of these outfits are from anthropologie.

in other words...

there is no way I can ever afford it.

It's ok to dream right?

Welcome 2010!

2010-02-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Wow... I really am not that great at this blogging thing. Sorry. So, this year has brought so many changes already!! First off, I started school again. Not at BYU, but I decided to transfer to UVU. So far, I love it! Seriously, my classes are pretty great! I am in Children's Literature (which I absolutely LOVE), Computer Education, Intro to Education (also a favorite), Philosophy (not so much fun), and physical science (MY LEAST FAVORITE SUBJECT ON THE PLANET but it's going better than at BYU). I have also been working 18 hours a week nannying the most adorable little girls! I absolutely love them, and feel like family! Then, I have also been working about 20 hours on the weekends at Chilis. It was too much, and I finally decided to take a leave from Chili's for a few months until I have less school. :)

So, Guess what?! I am now officially 21!!! YAY!! haha. Now, I can officially get a hotel room, or go on a cruise without people asking where my adult person is! haha. For my birthday, Greg took me out to a Japanese steakhouse, and then he planned this awesome surprise birthday party!!! All my closest friends were there, and it meant the world to me! He is the best :) I got a Wii, a beautiful jewelry box, and a video camera! (so, I will now be posting a bunch of videos I am sure).

Two weeks later, my best friend Caroline turned 21! YEAH! haha. We are so awesome now that we are adults! Anyways, we celebrated it at Spark (a cool restaurant/lounge where they make cool drinks completely alcohol free). It was so much fun, this year has been a blast!

Christmas with the family!!!!!!!

2009-12-26T07:12:00.001-08:00

Christmas was perfect. Magical. (I have no pictures to prove it... I'll have to get some from my mother later) My family came on Saturday to spend Christmas with the Newlyweds :) So...

Saturday the 19th:

We went to this amazing Christmas concert. John Smitdz or something like that. An entertainer and AMAZING piano player. It was beautiful and really made me miss playing the piano :)

Sunday the 20th:

We had our huge family get together with all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was at my Grandmas. It was fun to see all the family, and catch up with cousins. My grandparent's surprised us with 1000 dollar checks!!! SO GRATEFUL!!!

Monday the 21st:

I don't really remember... I think I worked?

Tuesday the 22nd:

I worked during the day. Then that evening hung out with family and learned how to play Tripoly! SUPER FUN!!!! (I WON!!!!) haha

Wednesday the 23rd:

Got Greg an Iphone (so jealous) and did last minute shopping. Then went to Grandmas and made the BEST sugar cookies of all time!!! (more like butter cookies)

Thursday the 24th:

Worked from 11:30 to 4:30. Made lots of money :) I LOVE TIP OUTS!!! Then we went to a family dinner at Outback (my favorite). Then went home, opened PJs (mine are SO cute. with matching slippers) and went to bed so Santa could come!

FRIDAY the 25th:

Best Christmas ever. Of course we woke up at 7AM on the dot! Set an alarm and everything. We went upstairs to find Santa piles :) Oliver (our puppy) ran straight to his it was sooo funny! :) haha. There was a bone and a toy and he knew it was his! I got this Angel perfume I love and Greg got a sound system for our TV from Santa. We spent the next few hours opening presents and making breakfast. Then we went to see Sherlock Holmes (AWESOME MOVIE) and of course took naps. It was such a great day :)

Some other things we got:

-clothes

-shoes

-boots

-more clothes

-yahtzee

-monopoly

-guestures

-battle of the sexes

-more clothes

-more shoes

-more boots

-scarves, hats, accessories

-LOTS OF SOCKS. I was so happy :) haha

-laptop case

-and some other sweet stuff :)

Perfect Christmas. I love my family!

Christmas is near!

2009-12-14T11:25:00.001-08:00

Ok! So let's see what we have been up to. I will start with last night. Last night Greg and I decided to make a Gingerbread house. I had never done this before! I was so excited! (Apparently my mom bought a kit one year, and I was a brat and bossing people around, so she ended up doing it herself. So she never bought one again. hahahaha) Anyways, it was so much fun!!! Here is our finished product:

Here is Greg making it...
I am so lucky. I found the CUTEST family to nanny for once a week. Sometimes I go twice a week. But Tuesday's are my very favorite day, cause I get to spend all day with a 3 year old and a one year old. I absolutely love it. We color, play kitchen, shapes, dance, read books, play doctor, dress up. Its sooo much fun!!! Here is adalyn:
And here is Ava (seriously the happiest baby ever!):
This is a lame post. Sorry. But the other night, my grandparents were in town! And it happened to be my uncle's birthday. So, he being the WONDERFUL uncle he is, got us all laker tickets :) They got to sit in a box. But he got us row 15 seats! And we had a voucher for dinner/snacks with the sponsors. So, we got free food (Greg was soooo excited). We played the Spurs (who i don't like) and beat them!!!!!! It was great :)
Us at my uncle's playing with Saige
We also had our first snow storm!!!!! FINALLY! I was starting to believe in the whole global warming thing. HAHA. It snowed and was BITTER cold. But I love the look of the Valley after it snows. Gorgeous.
Us before the Jazz game:

happy holidays!

2009-11-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

YEAH! It is officially... 25... days until Christmas! My mom and dad and two little brothers are coming to Utah this year to see the Newlyweds :) YEAH! They love us! :) ......Anyways......

thanksgiving: So, normally every year I go to Puerto Vallarta Mexico for Thanksgiving. I have done that the past 12 years of my life or so. Well, this year because I got married, Greg and I are too Poor to get to go! Haha. Anyways, so this year I spent it a little differently. Greg and I spent the day at my Aunt Jennifer and my Uncle Kirk's house. We watched the Dallas Cowboy game, ate wonderful food, and talked with my family. Of course my cute grandma and grandpa were there so that was awesome!

Afterwards, we decided we just had to see the movie "The Blind Side" so headed off to the theaters. Well, I guess everyone else and their moms decided they needed to see that movie as well. So, EVERY SINGLE SHOWING was sold out for the whole night... NO WORRIES... we pulled out the Super Nintendo and played for quite some time. We played some Diddy Kong, I kicked his butt in Tetris, and jumped through Mario World. After that we spent the night playing card games and laughing. I sure do love him.

This week I was dying to decorate our little home with Christmas stuff! So, tonight I had some time and did it! We don't have much, but it sure is cute for our first Christmas together :) So, I went to Wal-Mart and got some great deals. Normally I DESPISE walmart. But today was actually a good experience! It wasn't crowded at all, and I found everything I needed! They had a 6 foot pre-lit tree for 35 dollars. They had the cutest nativity set for 15 (see pictures below) They had a ton of gold balls for 5 dollars for a pack of 12. They were all decorated and so pretty! I love everything I got! I even bought two ornaments.

Decorating was tough. I shattered a light bulb, so the rest of the strand around the door now doesn't work. Not only that, but then I decided I would step right where I shattered it, so I got a nasty piece of glass in my foot. Got the charming opportunity to dig that out. Then dropped a huge box of push pins all over the ground. WOW. Anyways, our apartment looks all Christmassy!!!! I cannot wait until Christmas when Greg and I get to spend the whole day with our families remembering the day Jesus was born!

25 days!

The final product: (look we even have gifts already!)

The cutest little Santa my mom got me!
Our first Nativity Set. I think we will have to keep it forever :)
We are so in love and so happy. Just look :) This is us after getting stuffed on Thanksgiving!

My mom.

2009-11-18T11:01:00.001-08:00

...Man how did I luck out?! My mom is the best mom in the world. Heavenly Father must love me to give me such an amazing mother. We are best friends. I talk to her about everything and get advice from her. I don't know what I would do without her! Annnd she is THE PRETTIEST mother ever. EVER. I am so glad I am so close with her, we have gone through a lot together, and I couldn't be happier. She raised me, taught me, and made me who I am today.

I love you mom!!!