Jonathan & Rachael + Lynnlee

Cousin look-a-likes

2012-02-14T15:28:00.003-07:00

I knew Lynnlee looked like Jonathan, which then also meant she looks similar to some of Jonathan's sisters, like Sherri who looks a lot like him--- but Sherri's little Lexie.......

WOW!! I think they look So Much Alike!!!

genes

2012-02-09T12:09:00.002-07:00

I wish I could say that I can see something in Lynnlee that looks like me,
but she is all dad too me. I guess that's ok though because he is pretty cute :)

What do you think?

Suffocating

2012-02-07T14:13:00.003-07:00

Where's Lynnlee?

AHHHH!! is she breathing?! ha. Don't worry she's fine.
Lynnlee has pulled her blanket over her head and smothered her face with it or into her bumper ever since she was tinsy!
It use to scare me to death but now I know it's just what she likes and it's the way she sleeps best. Some people still might think I'm crazy to let her sleep with the blanket but I feel confident as her Mother who knows her best and cares about her safety even more than you could imagine, that it's ok :) She just really really likes it and I have even started to think it's cute and silly of her. I like these little personality types that make Lynnlee, Lynnlee.
What a silly little sleeper

Project Ancona

2012-02-05T16:56:00.008-07:00

I Started a MAJOR cleaning project at Jonathan's parents' house! (which we titled "Project Ancona" which I got from their address...230 Ancona :) )
Vicki (MIL) and I have talked about doing this for a long time and I now finally live in California, all the babies are here, the holidays are over, and we both have some free time!
We are pulling everything out in every room and decluttering like crazy! We have now finished literally pulling everything out of the kitchen and scrubbing all of the cupboards, done the playroom closet (took down shelves-bought some new ones, painted, etc.), and emptied out their storage unit they've been paying for monthly!! We have started on the garage and Mikey's room but still have A LOT to go!-Bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, storage room, Garage, etc.
I honestly enjoy cleaning and organizing so it's not bad to me at all. I actually Really enjoy it. I know that's weird but I do. I have missed Jonathan a lot but luckily he misses me too so he's come and visited even on school nights and made the commute back! :)
I wanted to take some "before" pictures because I know this is going to be AMAZING when we are done but Vicki made me promise if I show these pictures I have to show the "after" as well, so stay posted. :)

The Garage:

The Kitchen (after pulling everything out): (we all kept laughing and saying it looked like hoarders haha!) One night we made dinner on a chair because their literally wasn't one square inch on the counters!

We have also found so many treasures...
(picture)This is for the sisters mainly--Vicki Loves her lace tablecloths/runners/etc. We found SO many even unopened haha.
But the best thing I found were gift cards!--Movie tickets, Claim Jumper, Target, Macys, Pedicures, Steakhouse, BJ's, In-n-Out, Gap, El Torito, etc. Literally hundreds of dollars! Larry (FIL) told me it was their food storage ;) haha

EMPTY BINS!!!

There is still a lot to go but this is why my blogging has been slacking. We literally wake up and start working. We take short breaks for lunch and work until 11pm or 12 every night! I'm now taking a week break but we have a plan to get back to work after Valentines day!

Go Project Ancona! :)

BYU

2012-01-26T16:54:00.004-07:00

I guess I have been pretty busy lately- it was weird when I realized my last post was about the holidays! :)
Well even though we've been in California this year we've still been able to be active BYU sports supporters! Jonathan, Marc, Craig and Jackson went to a Basketball game vs. Loyola Marymont and Jonathan and I were able to go to a Volleyball game vs. UC Irvine! We saw so many people we knew there and so we were even able to sit by friends! It was so fun! Not to mention BYU won! :) Hopefully we'll be able to keep going to more considering lots of the teams BYU plays now are in southern California!

Christmas/New Years Break

2012-01-04T21:01:00.016-07:00

Jonathan has officially finished his 1st semester of Dental School!! :)
It was so fun to have him homework free over the break too! We were able to spend Christmas at the Stephens and New Years at my Grandparents with my family here in California as well. It was weird to not go to Utah at all but the weather here was seriously Amazing!! Even today it was still in the 80s! I took over 600 pictures over the break So even though you may think there are a lot below really it's only just a few :) ......

Girls

2011-12-26T12:49:00.002-07:00

These 3 have been so fun this break!
Look how cute they are in their matching Christmas Dresses!...

Elena, Lynnlee & Lexie

Christmas Lynnlee :)

2011-12-15T18:58:00.002-07:00

Lynnlee's Christmas/6 Month Photoshoot!!!! (can you believe she's 6 months! Wow has time flown!)

December

2011-12-11T22:00:00.012-07:00

Everyday when Jonathan come's home, he plays with Lynnlee and looks so super good in his scrubs-right!? :) I just had to take a pic....

I had to do at least a little bit of Christmas decorating (with our non existing budget) to make it feel a little festive. Not necessarily super pretty or cute but with the Christmas music playing on the ipod through the piano and the lights, the atmosphere is perfect for us :)

My Parents gave us this new ornament this year! If you haven't seen
the commercial you should def look it up! It is so cute and
honestly I even love looking at exactly how many
days/hours/mins/secs until Christmas! :)

Not sure why, but Jonathan LOVEs colored lights. We own a couple
of different colored lights that Jonathan will randomly turn on
in a lamp to just enjoy for a few minutes.
So Jonathan took our Red and Green and did some outdoor decorating :)

We went to a Dental School Married/Engaged couples Party!
It ended up basically just being our LDS couples friends
but it was really really fun!
We really are lucky with all of the AMAZING people we have met and get to be with here!

I know the winds have been CRAZY other places but it was still WAY windy here too! We had tree branches and such all over our yard! (This picture doesn't really do it justice but it was a try)

Because Finals are this coming week I decided that while Jonathan was basically gone all day every day studying for them I would vacation out in LA at Marc & Michelle's, for a few days this past week :) (thanks for letting me come!)
We didn't do much but it was nice to not be alone at my own house! :)

Cousins!

I had to go pick up some stockings I bought at The Grove (mall) and Extra
was being filmed (as it is everyday) so we stopped and watched for a little bit!

We made these footprint/handprints on shirts for all of the kids while I was at Michelle's. When I got home I decided to put some rick rack on it and make a bow and skirt to go with! and when I saw the Bells I had to add them to the skirt! :)

and with how much we get to have Craig come over (only 25-30 mins away) I thought he needed a shout out! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Beauty is Pain

2011-12-03T17:18:00.005-07:00

I told Jonathan I wouldn't marry him unless he would allow me pierce our infant girls ears :)
Seriously though.
haha
So................................

Lynnlee got her ears pierced today!!!

She had no idea it was coming......

Hated every second of it.......

decided everything was actually ok.....

and then looked extremely cute!!

Martin Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-29T18:10:00.029-07:00

Starting Tuesday night at The Grove (an AAAAmazing mall in LA) we met Santa and watched the "snow" fall. The snow was more like soap because it tasted nasty but it was soooo beautiful over the pond and bridge next to the biggest (Real) Christmas tree ever and lights everywhere!! It was so magical!

Wednesday we woke up in LA and then drove out to Hemet to Gma & Gpa Tibbitts house. We also got to see the Jergensen's but they had Thanksgiving dinner with their other side of the family. We had LOTS of food/treats, playing, relaxing, talking, laughing, and just fun.

COUSIN TIME :)
Lynnlee and Stella......

THANKSGIVING DINNER---so good!! probably too good. but I enjoyed it :)

...and then (of course) football, checking out black friday deals (we drove to best buy/target and instantly turned around seeing the literally thousands of people there), and playing outside and in :)

...and then, We put up my grandparents Christmas Tree and Village! Or I guess you could say "pulled out"--they have a big storage closet specifically designed for the tree that is right next the the family room so they can literally roll their tree and village out on a platform with wheels into the room :)

More Cousin Time :)

Back to LA!!.....

Stella's Blessing Day

and a much needed haircut (by me) to end the vacaysh :)

Elena!!!

2011-11-20T21:28:00.004-07:00

After going in Friday night to be induced, Michelle and Jory's baby was finally born this morning!

Elena Michelle Johnson
11/20/2011

Elena is currently in Hawaii but I get to see her when she comes in a few weeks for Christmas!!

YAY!!! :)

All the Babies have finally Arrived!

Lynnlee---June 22
Stella---Oct. 17
Lexie---Nov. 7
Lucy---Nov. 16
Elena---Nov 20

My cute Baby...

2011-11-19T17:12:00.003-07:00

I had a bunch of videos we've taken recently so i put some together with some biebs in the background...

here she is.... :)

Lucy!!!

2011-11-18T18:39:00.003-07:00

There's Another!!!.....
My snl Brittney and brother Ryan's baby girl came on Wednesday! NOVEMBER 16, 2011

Lucy Jolyn Martin

I can't wait to be able to see her
...hopefully someday!? :/
since she's in Ohio and I'm in California...we'll see when :(

But she's still super cute and I love her soooo much already!

Lexie!

2011-11-09T10:21:00.002-07:00

Introducing:

Lexie Kailyn Araiza

Lexie was born on Monday! Nov.7th
7lbs 12oz 20inches long

She is SOOOO cute and looks so much like her older brother Owen.

..........2 More baby girls to come at anytime now!! :)

Halloween

2011-11-01T14:43:00.008-06:00

Pre Halloween celebrations consisted of Halloween Crafts, Partys, Pedicures and Disneyland!!

Halloween Day consisted of...
Waking up to "BREAKING NEWS!!" (ha!)

The Divorce....

THEN>>>>

taking some pics of the cute little witch....

Then>>>> Since Halloween isn't necessarily celebrated in our city (because of the SDA religion) we knew we wouldn't be getting any trick or treaters so we did some....Pumpkin Carving!! :)... which actually didn't last long because the little knives we had all broke before we could even carve a lid off! We ended up trying to cut any kind of shapes we possibly could to resemble a face. (I guess we could say it wasn't exactly our best pumpkin carving haha!

notice my Halloween socks.... If you could feel them you would like them even more! They have aloe and something else...idk? but they are EXTREMELY SOFT! Sadly I only wore them the last few hours of the night though because it was 84 degrees here and I was too hot to wear them!!--who knew it could be so "un-fall-ish" on Halloween. I like it better than the snow though I must say. Too many years were spent dressing up and then hiding my costume under the 10 coats I had to wear to keep warm.

and then of course more pictures... :) because she's soooo cute....

and THEN I of course ended the night by making an extremely good purchase...

4 months!!!

2011-10-23T22:35:00.003-06:00

Lynnlee is 4 months old!!!

I can't even believe how fast that has gone by!
to celebrate we took some pictures :)

2011-10-20T20:55:00.010-06:00

The Latest:

------TRIP TO UTAH!!!!!!!
Lynnlee and I headed to Utah for a week!
I was a little nervous about flying with a 3 1/2 month old but luckily she slept THE ENTIRE Flight!---actually 2 flights!----there and back!

I also Really wanted to go to the BYU football game that Saturday night that I was there but I was worried with again, a 3 1/2 month old, in 40 degree weather--(it was really cold especially coming from 100 degree weather)
Luckily it didn't rain though and....she slept THE ENTIRE Game!!

It was so fun to get to see some friends and just hang out with my parents and relax!
I'm so glad I went!

----HALLOWEEN!!
When I came home I knew that even though it was roasting outside it's still Halloween and we needed some festive decor. Being on a pretty strict student budget I went to new fav-Pintrest for some ideas...

----Baby Number 1 is Here!!!
As I've mentioned before, Lynnlee has 4 girl cousins coming this fall! 2 of Jonathan's sisters are pregnant (Sherri and Michelle) and My sister and snl (Michelle and Brittney) are too (All with Girls :))
On Monday Oct 17th Baby #1 Arrived! Introducing.....

Stella Janae Rasmussen

She is so cute and I'm so glad I live close so I was able to go out to LA right away!

---Rolling Over....
Lynnlee is now rolling Back to tummy!!

Videos!

2011-09-26T23:53:00.002-06:00

The other day we realized we should probably let Lynnlee have some tummy time :/ -oops

Then Sunday night while Lynnlee was laying on her blanket on the floor she looked over to watch the tv and ended up Rolling Over!! I don't think she even realized anything had happened. She just kept staring at the TV upside down haha I wanted to get it on video but when I pulled it out to have her do it again she ended up getting stuck halfway and started crying (it was sad but a little funny). So the next morning I pulled out the camera again to see if she'd do her "new trick"--YEP!!--check it out....

When I went to upload that video I found another...
1- Bennett Love's Lynnlee and wants to know where she is, what she's doing, wearing, thinking, and why why why :) It's really cute

(Side Story---when we went to Disneyland with them Bennett ran up to Lynnlee who was sleeping in her stroller when we first got there and said, "Ninnee, wanna go on jungle cruise?" he was so excited. I think he really thought Lynnlee could understand and was excited to go with him too :) )

2- Lynnlee is a super silly stretchy baby when she wakes up ---her back arches A LOT and she groans like crazy!-(no she's not crying-until the very end)
(8-11-11)...............

ENJOY!!

3 months!

2011-09-23T13:54:00.004-06:00

Lynnlee is 3 Months old!!!! (and 1 day--but who's counting :))

Usually you have a 2 month check-up but because of the move and changing insurance etc. it took an extra month to get there :)

as of today Lynnlee's stats:

Length: 23 3/4"
Weight: 12 lbs 15 oz
---50th percentile---

The worst part of the check up----the shots :(

Battle Wounds:

Our California Cottage

2011-09-14T12:16:00.013-06:00

We found this little house to rent that's only a couple of blocks away from campus and have really enjoyed it so far.
Here's the tour---------------->>

The front of the house:
----we really like the big hedge in the front that gives us a lot of privacy

going in between the house and garage:

---kitchen door on right; laundry room connected to garage on left

covered area in back:
----kitchen window looking out; deck straight ahead off of our bedroom

Backyard:
---we are really happy about having all of this space and especially for me and Lynnlee to have a place to play as she gets older in the next 4 years.

Between house and garage looking towards the street:
Laundry room on right:

Family Room:
-----Front Door and sleeping Lynnlee on the couch :)

Kitchen:

looking down Hallway from Family Room:
---1st door on left-bathroom; 2nd door on left-our bedroom; Closet at the end of Hallway; On the right is a little hallway to 2 other bedrooms.

Bathroom:

Study Room:
---yes, I know, its Very messy! :/ It's been our "dump it in there" room while moving in and still isn't put together at all. Jonathan does study in here though which is nice so he can come home more :)

Lynnlee's Nursery:
--it seriously glows pink and I love it :)

looking out of our bedroom into the hall:
Lynnlee's room on the Left; Study in front; Hallway to Kitchen/Family Room on Right

Our Bedroom:

Out of the bedroom back doors to the backyard/deck:

P.S. visitors are more than welcome! :)

game day

2011-09-10T21:23:00.006-06:00

Does it matter that we're not even going to be physically at the game?

No.

Game Day attire is still required at this house.

Since I was ultra disappointed in Jonathan last week showing up to the game/tv wearing red while playing Ole Miss (red team) I made it a strict point today that Blue is a Must for game days like today.

O ya and don't worry...
Since Lynnlee was only days old, we've been practicing the BYU fight song.
no joke.

she was very into the game

Go BYU!!!!

(bad game today I know, but there are still more to come-hopefully with better endings too!)

1st Week

2011-09-06T13:01:00.009-06:00

Jonathan officially started Dental School!!!

Last week was his first week.
I'd say it turned out pretty good :)
Jonathan really liked his classes and all the people he met.
I really enjoyed the 100 degree+ weather and the pool with friends :)

and of course I Had to take a picture of Jonathan leaving on his first day :)
doesn't the dress code look good on him!....

On Friday's Jonathan gets out of class fairly early because LLU is a 7th day Adventist school and their sabbath starts Friday at sundown.--I'm pretty excited about that! :) so....we decided last minute to head to Disneyland!! (and meet Michelle there) I'm definitely excited about having a pass!! and honestly I think Lynnlee is too...she Loved it's a small world and Jonathan and I Loved taking turns on Soarin' (after Michelle, Jackson and Bennett left).

The next day was Jonathan's sister, Michelle's, baby shower in Long Beach, so we decided to stay the night out there instead of coming back and forth again. We had been hearing about the big waves at the wedge in Newport and wanted to go take and look so early Saturday morning Jonathan, Michael and I went to Newport before the shower.

the little black dots are the 30-40? insane boogie-boarders in the water.
the waves had been bigger the couple days before but were still big and sweet to see (some waves were about 15ft--they had been like 30 I think?)

There were TONS of people lining the beach just watching.
It was like being at a football game when someone goes long and you're waiting to see them make an amazing catch for a touchdown and the whole crowd is watching together going, "ohhhhhh..... ah!!" only it was as the wave was coming and the boogie boarder is trying to catch it and then bam "ah!" they get completely dominated by a wave. and everyone's going "ooo, ouch...etc" haha it was very entertaining! :)

ya it was a really good 1st official week!

not to mention the 1st independent BYU football game :)
Great Week

Lynn Bug

2011-08-28T00:21:00.010-06:00

Did I mention how much bigger Lynnlee's getting?

Her new trick is smiling at everything and everyone :)

Happy Birthday to ME :)

2011-08-27T23:54:00.008-06:00

August 11, 2011

old. I know ;)

This really is the first year I felt like I was getting old...Not only did my body seem to age 50 years from having a baby but I seriously didn't even remember it was my birthday until Jonathan reminded me a couple of days before!--usually I'm thinking about it and counting down the weeks until my birthday. it just felt weird to not care as much like an old person.
We celebrated by spending the night before at Michelle's in L.A. and going to a children's Irish concert at the Hollywood Bowl that day with friends. The concert was really cute and the kids loved it! They also had a craft and we ate lunch there too!

of course there were presents :)....

and my choice of dinner with Marc and Michelle...Islands!!! mmmmm

don't ask me why I only have a picture of Jonathan at dinner on My birthday...? ha but there's my hamburger and onion rings :)

Happy Birthday to ME! :)

Even though I didn't realize it was coming up so soon it turned out to be a Really good birthday!

The Move

2011-08-27T23:10:00.004-06:00

I know I'm about 1 1/2 months late on this...but...

The move to California wasn't exactly the best ever...

After 3 hours of sleep we woke up early in the morning to start our drive. My dad drove the trailer, and me, Jonathan and Lynnlee were in our car, and Craig was in his car (he was moving down too, to Pamona). After about an hour and a half down the road a semi started to pass Jonathan and I, and out of no where we heard a loud pop and crash and realized Jonathan's drivers window had exploded into a million pieces! The glass was blowing all over the car! Luckily I had Lynnlee completely enclosed inside her carseat so no glass got on her but sadly we continued to get cut by more and more glass all day and there was glass dust that covered the seats was painful like little slivers when it'd get on us.
We pulled over to the side of the road but realized being in the middle of nowhere gave us the option of 1 place to fix the window and it wasn't going to be open for another 2 hours. We instead found a hardware store and covered the window with plastic just so we could keep going. It wasn't even slightly see through so I became in charge of letting Jonathan know when he could change lanes etc until we made it to St George.
We had already called a place there and they said they had a window that we could stop and they'd install in 1 hour. Sadly we stopped and they told us the window was actually on a truck that was still coming and was 2 hours away still. We decided we had to wait in the heat in our car because driving on just didn't feel safe.
Finally we got the window put in at about the time we should've already arrived at our new house in California :( We did finally make it though and my dad and Jonathan's dad and brother had already unloaded everything! (thanks!)
It was definitely not the move I expected but after no sleep, poopy explosions (courtesy of Lynnlee), a missing window, and 14 hours later....We Made It :)

All that green stuff...yep glass all over the ground in the car!!....

Funny thing is that Jonathan got a sunburn- Just on his left arm through the plastic we put up! ha!

That right there is our lovely plastic...ya I know, you can't see through it At All!! It really was a little scary.

Somehow through all of this craziness though we were not hurt at all. It seemed terrible at the time but I know it could've been much worse. We were only dealing with a broken window and not an serious accident or injuries of any kind.

We're not sure exactly what the window broke from because it happened So fast but we're pretty sure there was a metal chain hanging on the semi that passed and it swung over and snapped the window..?

Well I'm just glad that's over.

Lynnlee's Blessing Day

2011-08-08T23:08:00.006-06:00

Lynnlee's Blessing Day
August 7, 2011

At one time we had decided to move to California the first weekend of August and do Lynnlee's blessing that Sunday too so both of our parents and family could be there. We then decided to move down 3 weeks earlier and my parents came down for a visit the first weekend in August instead.---I am sooooo glad we decided to move 3 weeks earlier before the blessing!! We actually had time to unload boxes and have things settled enough to have people over!

It was such a perfect day. The weather was great and everyone was able to come. We went to church and had the blessing and then after had everyone over for sandwiches, salad, fruit, dessert etc. We have a little covered porch on the back of our house which was perfect for the weather to stay out of the hot sun but still be outside and feel comfortable. It was a great day! Thanks for coming everyone and for your help!

6 days old

2011-08-08T22:42:00.006-06:00

June 28, 2011

Lynnlee Michelle Stephens

6 Days Old

Lynnlee is not what I'd call a really chubby baby but she definitely has rolls. When she is propped up, her forehead, eyelids, cheeks, etc all fall on top of each other like a little puppy. I also can't get enough of her little back wrinkles :)

7 Weeks

2011-08-08T19:16:00.008-06:00

-----Lynnlee Update----

Lots of reading---obviously feel free to just enjoy the pictures :)

I found her like this one night when I went to bed. She didn't move a muscle for about 20 mins haha

Quilt from Gma Janae

Lynnlee will be 7 weeks on Wednesday!!!---wow it has gone soooo fast!

I thought I would always be anxious for the next stage (smiling-crawling-walking--etc) -but from day 1 I have hated her getting bigger and older. But it has been fun to see her do new things and I guess it's good I'm enjoying each stage and not wishing it away.
I really don't know why I got such an easy perfect baby but I sure do Love her! Lynnlee has slept soooo well since day 1 and doesn't cry much at all!
The times she fusses in the night I just bring her in bed with me and I hold her and she is instantly asleep--It is so cute and I seriously love cuddling her and waking up and seeing her super cute sleeping baby face right there. There is seriously nothing better than a sleeping baby don't you think? They look soooo peaceful and precious, I love it!
On a slightly awkward/funny note (Lynnlee is going to hate me for saying this when she is older but...) she gets SOOOO calm when she poops. HA! She will be slightly fussy in my arms and I'll be bouncing her and rocking her etc and then all of a sudden she will go really limp and I know exactly why :) haha
Lynnlee has slept very spread out which seems odd for a baby. I feel like babies are always curled up with their elbows and knees in but she has always slept with them both straightened out away from her body.
Lynnlee also gets the hiccups A LOT!! I felt them a lot when I was pregnant with her too. At least they don't seem to bother her!
Lynnlee still has her brown hair but it has lightened A LOT since birth and her blue eyes are still blue!
When we put Lynnlee in her carseat she will always cry until it is picked up off the ground. Then (as I'm sure many babies do) she will Always fall asleep when the car starts driving no matter what. When we went to the beach the other day I put her in her carseat when we sat down on our towels on the sand which then of course she started crying so Jonathan picked up the carseat and then walked around with it for about 2 minutes and she went quiet and fell asleep :)
Lynnlee loves getting baths. There have been a few random times that she has cried but Most of the time she is so calm and doesn't even move except for a little squirming when I wash her face. When I pull her out of the bath and wrap her in her towel she will instantly start screaming though. It is so sad but I think she just likes the water a lot and then gets freezing in the air so she isn't very happy about it.
Lynnlee has also loved a pacifier since the hospital. She holds it in very well and will chomp on it with her eyes wide open, and suck it in when it seems like its barely even touching her lip then push it back out and do it over and over. She sometimes sucks on her fist or thumb but I try not to let her do that because breaking a thumb sucking habit when she's older doesn't sound so fun to me :)
Lynnlee gets really frustrated when her right arm is swaddled inside her blanket. I have learned to just let her keep that one arm out and she is very content and happy. The few times I didn't she wiggled a lot and escaped both arms and sometimes feet too.
Just in the last week Lynnlee has really been focusing and seeing things better. Every time I lay her in her crib and turn her mobile on she will stop crying if she is and look up at it and stare and stare until the music ends.
So I know I'm really not the best singer in the world but Lynnlee really loves when I sing to her. She gets really calm instantly even when she is screaming she will just stop and listen.
Lynnlee also holds her head up really well now and stiffens her legs a lot when I "stand" her in front of me.
I'm pretty sure she has really ticklish feet because since she was born she will squirm like crazy and pull her feet away when you touch her feet at all.
One really funny thing Lynnlee does is when she wakes up she stretches and groans. Not just like 1 stretch and a little groan--she does it for about 10 minutes where she arches her back and stretches her arms and legs out and lifts her eyebrows like it's too early/bright to open her eyes and groans and groans over and over. At first you think she's just waking up fussy/hungry about to cry but then realize...she's just waking up :)

I thought I'd be super tired all the time and be bouncing a crying baby in my arms a lot but that has not been the case at all!--I get more than enough sleep and I never deal with lots of crying just fussing here and there. I feel so lucky to be a mom! I love it so much and I love Lynnlee more than I could've ever imagined before

o hi.

2011-08-07T22:25:00.003-06:00

Since we moved to California I have felt so super busy--in a good way though considering we've been off to Long Beach and LA a lot vacationing---but I thought I'd just plug in a quick picture and update that things are beyond great and here's us :) after Lynnlee's baby blessing today at church....

update again asap :)

California

2011-07-17T14:59:00.001-06:00

Yep.

We live here now.

kinda weird--but exciting too

July 4th

2011-07-06T09:37:00.004-06:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

Ryan & Brittney (from Ohio) & Michelle, Jackson, and Bennett (from LA) were all in town! We had a BBQ, hung out, did some night swimming, and of course...FIREWORKS!!! The fireworks were especially good this year in Alpine because they made all kinds of fireworks legal. There were BIG fireworks going on ALL around us! Seriously in every direction you looked you could see amazing fireworks in the sky!

Lynnlee in her cute 4th of July dress: :) (thanks Julie!!)

BBQ:

Swimming: Sparklers!:

Fathers Day

2011-07-04T17:51:00.003-06:00

Since I went into labor 2 days after Fathers Day I never got around to posting about it and figured it needed a post (even though I am 2 weeks late) considering it was Jonathan's First :)
Happy Father's Day to both my Jonathan and my Dad!!!!! :) I love you!

Jonathan's Birthday

2011-07-04T17:36:00.004-06:00

Happy 24th Birthday Jonathan!!!!

......Presents, Swimming, Cafe Rio and of course the Martin tradition of being thrown in the pool on your birthday :)

I love her

2011-06-30T23:47:00.004-06:00

I Love this little girl soooooo much!

I was so nervous when after only a few months of being married Jonathan and I really felt like we needed to have a baby but I wanted to do what was right. Yes it's been a hard road but it's been more rewarding than I could ever imagine. Especially now that I have this cute little pumpkin I couldn't be happier! She has blessed my life so much already and I know we made the right decision. She is perfect. I love her so much! This has been such a great week and I feel so lucky to have my little Lynnlee!

Lynnlee Michelle Stephens

2011-06-25T14:38:00.015-06:00

She's here!!!
At 2:55a.m. June 22, 2011
Lynnlee Michelle Stephens was born!!
8lbs 1oz 19.5 inches long

----------lots of pictures and reading (hopefully not too much information), just look at the pictures if you'd prefer :)-----------

Just Waiting.... :)....... 8lbs 1oz..... Getting cleaned up.... A little bit tired after being in labor all night :)..... VISITORS: Gma Vicki and Aunt Tammi.... Gpa Mark & Gma Janae..... Our family... LYNNLEE..... Going Home.... Gpa Larry.... Uncle Craig.....

I was having the hardest time waiting for Lynnlee to come and honestly feel blessed to have had her come early when she did.
I had been walking on the treadmill everyday, bouncing on a yoga ball, going on walks, walking up and down the stairs as much as possible, swimming, doing jumping jacks...etc. all in hopes of dialating and starting contractions--No Luck at all!!! :(
On Tuesday (June 21st) I went in for my regular check up with my OB. And she told me (after all of my "exercising") I was dialated to a 1.7--better than 0 which I was the week before, but not near anything promising of labor coming soon especially without having any contractions. I had an appointment later that afternoon as well with the specialty Dr. to do a non-stress test (NST) (basically every week I was going in to do an NST where they just to listen to the baby's heartbeat to make sure it's working well and it also monitors any contractions). While I was having my NST Lynnlee's heart dropped for about 4 mins. It was supposed to be beating about 120bpm but it went down to about 100, so nothing really scary or concerning but the dr called my OB and they just decided to send me over to labor and delivery (about 2p.m.). I was in complete shock. Lynnlee was going to come and I didn't even have to wait for contractions to come! :) (Lynnlee's heart never did drop again the entire night of labor so I feel a little happy it did during those few random minutes of my NST so I could just be induced sooner and there was no risk.) Since we weren't prepared at all, I got hooked up to an IV etc to start to induce my labor and Jonathan ran home to get a bunch of stuff together. I then just laid in the bed for hours and hours but it seemed to fly by so fast! My Dr was going to come over after all of her office appointments for the day to break my water but she ended up going home to put her kids in bed etc before coming over so it took longer than necessary but it was still ok. I just watched TV and a Movie (Runaway Bride :)) and hung out with Jonathan. When my Dr finally got there at about 10 p.m. I was only dialated to a 2! Even after inducing labor/contractions I still wasn't dialating!---now I'm pretty sure I would've been overdue when I had her if I wasn't being induced, because of how my body was reacting. Even though she wanted me to be dialated more she just decided to go ahead and break my water. It was a little painful but not bad until within seconds my contractions I'd been having all afternoon and evening at about every 3.5-4 min went to really hard contractions every 2 mins! I kept saying I NEED AN EPIDURAL NOW!! It took the guy about 5 mins to get there and then had to sign some legal papers and then wait for it to kick in, etc which was all about a 45 min process!!!--worst 45 mins EVER!!! I seriously didn't know if I'd be able to make it through that but as soon as the epidural kicked in I felt SOOO good. I felt warm and weirdly enough cozy and just relaxed and comfortable. The rest of Labor was honestly FUN! :) haha I took an hour nap because I knew it would take a couple of hours and didn't want to be too tired but when the nurse came and checked me I had already dialated to a 5! she said within the next hour or 2 she thought I'd be actually in labor. I was shocked it was going to be so fast. At about 2a.m. I had her come back and check again and she said she could feel her hair! and I was at a 10!! She helped me start pushing (2:20ish) and my Dr came in a little while later too! (Usually she wouldn't come in until right at the end but she came in earlier so it was fun). It was all just relaxing and we were all just talking casually and such inbetween each contraction (not what I expected--in movies it's all intense and stuff...it wasn't at all!). Only about 30 mins later I had a contraction and my Dr yelled WOAH STOP!!! She was coming so fast and no one expected me to be able to do it that well and weren't ready. Everyone quickly got all the labor stuff ready and my Dr told me to push again and there she was!! :) My stomach dropped (literally ;)) and she was the cutest little thing I had ever seen in my entire life! The cord was actually wrapped around her neck 2x which no one was expecting but my dr just slipped it off and didn't seem concerned at all. I held her for about an hour and a half until they Jonathan went with them and they took her down to the Nursery to clean her up and everything. They took me to a recovery room and then Jonathan came back with her looking even cleaner and cuter :) We stayed in the hospital until Friday morning. I love her brown hair and bright blue eyes but I won't be surprised if she looses the hair and her eye color changes so we'll see...? :)
She's obviously still a newborn that doesn't cry or anything so she is pure fun. I love holding her and kissing her and snuggling her ALL the time. I wish she would never get bigger because she's so fun but I know she'll just keep getting better too.
I'm so excited to finally be a Mom and feel so blessed with such a beautiful perfect little girl!

She's Here!!!!!!

2011-06-23T22:40:00.002-06:00

June 22, 2011, 8 lbs. 1 oz., 19 inches long...Lynnlee Michelle Stephens is here! And totally cute with lots of brown hair and bright blue eyes!

More to come...

Waiting

2011-06-16T16:06:00.003-06:00

I know I'm still 2 weeks away from my official due date (July 2) but seriously it is so hard to wait! I feel so huge, uncomfortable, miserable, and anxious. I'm even more discouraged as each day passes and I'm still not having any regular contractions :( On Tuesday my Dr is also going to strip my membranes which I am beyond terrified of, making this waiting even worse knowing that that's coming if I don't go into labor (which would be a miracle if I did). Well the good news is, is that if I haven't gone into labor by June 27th, I will be induced that day!! (--hopefully that wouldn't take too long and go into the 28th though because my Dr wouldn't be able to deliver me then :( --not a big deal because her partner is great but I'd just prefer her to.)
11 more days!
Wish me luck! I really need it!

Happy 1 Year!

2011-06-13T11:08:00.008-06:00

1 year ago---June 12, 2010---Jonathan & I were married!!!

Before I got married I heard a lot about how hard marriage is. I know for some it is, but honestly with Jonathan Nothing is hard, it's only better! I have Loved being married this last year and I'm excited for many more years to come!

Differences from last year:
1- It wasn't raining...it was really warm! --I don't know what's better though because I loved the rain on our wedding day honestly
2- My belly pokes out A LOT more --and no it's not just that little extra weight people say you put on after you're married :)
3- We didn't get to hop on a plane to Florida/California for a month long honeymoon
------Although it was an extremely fun weekend!

We went up the canyon with friends for a bonfire, went swimming, did some yard work, went to church, relaxed, went out to dinner, took a walk, cut our 1 year old wedding cake, etc :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse and later got Dessert (Tres Leches) at Cafe Rio with Jonathan's sister Julie and Mark who were in town just for the night.

We had about an hour before we were meeting up with Julie and Mark in Provo so we decided to go see the new walkway they'd been working on all semester on the south side of BYU campus. It was seriously so beautiful! They had some waterfalls, benches, grass areas, etc. The duck pond even had a new addition with a dock around it and we could see lots of fish and turtles too! It was really fun to just walk around and see it all!

We thawed out our wedding cake that's been in the freezer this whole last year, and cut into it! Surprisingly it still tasted pretty good!

It really was the perfect anniversary weekend!

I Love You Jonathan!
Happy Anniversary!

Fishing

2011-06-07T16:45:00.006-06:00

The Smell of Fish makes me want to vomit.

and...I Hate the Taste of fish!
and...I completely Refuse to Touch a fish! (even if it's just to get it off the hook when it's caught--I get so scared and start hyperventilate every time I even try)
But funny enough...
I LOVE to fish!
and even better....
Jonathan and I Both LOVE to fish!
I just always catch and make Jonathan release them for me :)

For Christmas I gave Jonathan a new fishing pole and some other new fishing stuff. He's been dying all winter to use it. Finally Saturday we went up AF canyon to Tibble Fork. It was Way crowded so there were seriously no open spots to fish unless you climbed over this big rocky hill to a little spot. Being 36 weeks pregnant I decided it probably wasn't the best idea and honestly didn't even think I'd be able to make it over. So my Dad and I stayed back and watched while Craig and Jonathan hiked over. Sadly they caught nothing but I'm pretty sure they had a lot of fun and being in the canyon is completely beautiful and relaxing if you ask me :)

I was not going to climb over that big thing behind them........

zoomed in to see Craig and Jonathan on the other side of that rocky hill.....

Since the Canyon pass was still good on Monday, Jonathan and I went back! Instead of the 125+ people I had counted around the water on Saturday, there were only 4 others besides us which was very nice. But not very nice was extremely cold temperature and wind :( Yet it was Totally and completely worth it all when Jonathan caught one!! Yes it might seem small but not for where we were it was quite a good size fish! Way to go Jonathan! :)

Knowing us...I'm sure there will be many more fishing adventures to come....

Birthdays!

2011-06-07T15:14:00.003-06:00

My Mom and SNL Amy had their birthday's this past weekend!---JUNE 5 :)

Since June 5th was a Sunday we basically had 2 days of celebrations. On Saturday- opened some gifts and we went to PF Changs for dinner. And Sunday- opened more gifts and had another "Birthday dinner" of salmon, asparagus,potato salad, etc. :)

PF Changs:

Sunday:

Happy Birthday Mom and Amy!!! :)

Weekend

2011-05-30T11:48:00.009-06:00

First-----there was a really amazing rainbow from all the rain

the pictures don't quite do it justice and the colors are off but we tried :)

Second-----The nicest and best friends in the world gave me a baby shower on Saturday!
We have all grown up together at the same schools,
basically on the same street,
and same church ward since we were very little.
I'm so lucky to have always known these girls and still have them as my friends!

Third-----I avoid "baby belly" pictures as much as possible.
But since I've only taken pictures at 24 weeks I decided I'd better take some 1 more time...
35 Weeks:

Guess Who's Back....!!!!.....

2011-05-27T13:55:00.004-06:00

One of my Best Friends since kindergarten,

next door neighbor,
college roommate,
and now a returned missionary
is HOME!!!!!!!!!!!
WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome Home TIA!!!!!!

All day I kept watching the Zwicks house to see if she was home yet. Still when I left to go to the grocery store last night at 9:30p.m. her house was all dark and I knew she Still wasn't home! When I got back at about 10:15p.m. the lights were all on and there were tons of cars! I knew she was home and I was dying to see her! I couldn't have been happier when she came over to see me this morning!!
---As you can see from the picture of her with her family at the Airport she is totally the cutest most stylish missionary ever!!
I'm so happy you're home and living next door to me once again Tia!!!! :)
Love you Goil! :)

Rugby

2011-05-23T11:53:00.004-06:00

When Jonathan and I were first dating 2 years ago, we went to a few BYU Rugby games which was seriously so fun! (plus we got to see my cousin Ryan play who was on the team!)
This past weekend they had the National Championship for this year at the Rio Tinto stadium in Salt Lake!
BYU vs. Cal
So we decided to go.

Sadly BYU lost 14-21 but it was perfect weather and so fun!

It's funny how since so many people don't know the rules in Rugby, you hear multiple people explaining to everyone loudly what that penalty was for, or why the other team just got the ball, etc. It's almost embarrassing to hear someone explaining something at a football or basketball game but completely normal at Rugby :)
My brother Craig and cousin Brian were sitting in different seats than Jonathan and I so when the game was about to start we said bye and Brian was like, "See ya at...halftime.?.." and then whispered "Wait is there a halftime..?" haha
What an experience. I would definitely be interested in attending more games in the future but we'll see...

Never Say Never

2011-05-21T15:04:00.005-06:00

Believe it or not I convinced Jonathan to pick up the Justin Bieber movie last night, on his way home from work, for us to watch!

And guess who all stayed awake to watch it....
Me and 3 boys :)
And they all liked it! haha

Proof:

Dad:

Jonathan:

Craig (his knees laying in front):

The best part was when I found out that Brittney had gotten Ryan to watch it last night too!
And...He liked it!
Yep---obviously we've all got the fever ;)

VIP Parking

2011-05-17T11:11:00.004-06:00

Jonathan and I have been doing a lot of baby shopping lately.
We couldn't help but take advantage of the reserved parking spot at Babies"R"Us.

True we first pulled only 1 spot over and had to reverse and repark-but it was worth it.
We definitely felt like very important people.

Now I just wish more places had this kind of reserved parking!

Week in California

2011-05-12T14:11:00.010-06:00

Jonathan and I drove to California last week.

As we were driving we realized it was our last vacation without kids.
---some would then insert in a comment like,

"O now you'll find out how hard life really is,"
or
"hope you enjoyed it because you'll never have it that nice again."

---True life will be very different with Lynnlee and more kids in the future,
but it's exciting and happy and not something I would take back even if I could.

I brought some books and movies to watch during the drive but honestly I don't think I ever stopped talking--not exaggerating At All! We haven't done the drive in a long time and it was fun for me to just relax and I guess I just love to talk. :) Poor Jonathan doesn't say much but listen to me and the music that I pick out (our music preferences are quite different), but I think he still had fun too :)

We drove down straight to LA to my sister Michelle's house to spend a day with her first.
Then headed down to Jonathan's house
for the rest of the time which included a BABY SHOWER!

When we were at Michelle's we spent the day at the beach which was seriously soooo fun! Jackson and Bennett are getting so old and it was fun to spend time with them too!
---Even though Bennett definitely favors Jonathan over me which is so not fair :(
--haha jk I favor Jonathan too so I can understand.
Thanks for letting us stay Marc and Michelle!

At the beach:
catching crabs & being burried in the sand...
Michelle and I chose to sit on the blanket and take pictures instead ;)

And Thanks to ALL the Stephens family for letting us come stay,
and for the BEST BABY SHOWER EVER!!!
I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

WAY cute decorations!!!......

"Clothes Line" some gifts were hung on (cute idea huh!?)......

Thanks to EVERYONE who came!!!.......

Michelle & Me-----Tammi & Tawny w/ Chloe-----Linda, Jen & Sandy

Laci w/ Reagan, Kendra, Kathy & Lori----Me & Bennett-----Group action Shot :)

And some very delicious cinabuns to take home....

Look who showed up for food at the end.... :)

It was a very fun vacation but I'm happy to be home
and anxiously awaiting our little girls arrival!!!!

P90X

2011-05-02T15:48:00.004-06:00

The boys in my family started P90X today.

Obviously, with me being so pregnant, joining in was not even an option
(especially considering the crazy amounts of contractions I've been having from packing and moving)
-but I'm ok with not being included because today I watched Craig and Jonathan,
and then decided I'll never do it anyways.
---They were both about to puke and looked so sick-ha!

I will be nice and not share their shirtless "Before" pictures although they did take them :)

1 day down, 89 to go...
Good Luck!

2722 Edgewood Dr

2011-04-25T13:50:00.005-06:00

Overall I have really enjoyed this apartment.

We found it because some friends had been living in it for 2 years and we knew they were graduating so we asked them about it and were able to rent it for the next year! (Thanks Kevin and Lisa!!) I was very excited about it especially after looking at some more expensive/depressing basement apartments south of campus.

This 2 bed/2 bath place is in a little retirement community of condos :)
Therefore we rented from this 90 year old man, Stan, who lives here during the summer and rents it out during the winter while he goes to Arizona.
We especially loved having a washer and dryer in our apartment and even though its decorated very much like an old person's place, it felt home-like to us. The only bad part was when I suffered through my first trimester of pregnancy here---it's old and smells a little musty for my very aware pregnant nose. After those months (2ish) it was back to being a good apartment with no bad smells or anything to me though.
I'm glad we got to live here but I'm excited to move on as well...
Jonathan and I are going to move into my parents house until the baby comes and then move to California to get ready to start dental school this fall!

Pregnancy

2011-04-19T20:54:00.003-06:00

There are good and bad updates regarding my pregnancy....

1st: I did another 24 hour sample test to check my protein levels. (Remember, it was high which was concerning that I might have preeclampsia...etc.) Well happily my protein is completely normal and looking great! They also did an ultrasound to check on the baby as well and...everything is perfect! :)

2nd:--the bad update....I did the glucose test which everyone is tested for between 26-28 weeks for gestational diabetes. I drank some very sweet orange drink stuff and then had my blood drawn 1hr later. Sadly I failed :( Which meant I had to do a 3 hour test asap. I had to fast for 12 hours before the test began--which I realize that's not bad when you can count the hours you sleep through the night and just go asap in the morning to get started buuuut...it is extremely hard for me while pregnant!-I eat constantly and if I don't I feel very sick. I was really nervous especially when we were still only driving to the hospital and I already felt sick. When I got there they drew my blood and then had me drink the orange drink again and then drew my blood 3 more times every hour. Luckily I'm not bad with needles and such since I worked at the dental office where I saw a million IVs and injections etc. but it wasn't fun and my arm was very bruised. I had an extra blessing with the sickness though which I am so grateful for...I felt really sick for about the first 40 minutes but not again until about 10 minutes before my last blood draw. I was so relieved to have that whole test over! The nurse called me a couple days later and very very sadly informed me that I failed that test as well which means...I have gestational diabetes :( I'm not sure exactly what I'll have to do now until I meet with the Dr. again tomorrow and get more details, but I do know they'll be very strict on what I eat and I'll have to monitor (prick :( ) myself 3x/day until the baby is born. Wish me luck...I'm really going to need it!

On a happy note...the ultrasound (like always) was very fun! I LOVE seeing Lynnlee and especially love the reassurance that she is very healthy in there!

......Profile View
3D picture---you can see half of her face......

Bottom of her Foot.....

"Make that x4"

2011-04-14T18:35:00.004-06:00

So 2 weeks ago I made the post about how excited I am because
Jonathan's sisters, Michelle and Sherri, are both pregnant-
as well as my own sister Michelle-
and how perfect it will be for my little girl to have all these cousins (x3!!!) her own age...etc.

WELLLLL......
Brittney (my brother's wife) commented on the post and said.....

"Actually Rach, make that TIMES FOUR!
Just kidding."

WELLLLLL......
she informed me last night....
SHE WAS NOT KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So ya....make that TIMES FOUR!!!! for reals! ahhhhh!
First Lynnlee, July 2, then......

October 28th! (My sister Michelle)
November 14th! (Sherri)
November 17th! (Jon's sister Michelle)
and
November 19th! (Brittney)

and I am positive they will all be girls ;) jk

---Ryan actually informed me a couple of months ago that he is only going to have 5 boys,
and their names will include Magic, Kobe, LeBron...etc.
He said he'll call them the "Dream Team" ha!

but....not matter what, they will be Lynnlee's best friends forever!

Congrats RYAN and BRITTNEY!!

Tangled

2011-04-12T10:12:00.006-06:00

I got this, this past weekend...

We had gone and seen it in 3D in the theater when it came out
but I was soooo excited to watch it again!
In fact I watched it twice :) haha
I really love this new Disney addition.

If you haven't seen it....see it :)

Weekends

2011-04-09T12:28:00.005-06:00

This Weekend....
It is snowing and yucky and depressing
and...I have stacks of homework to finish before finals next week :(
but... I did eat at Zuppa's and went to a good Dollar Movie with Jonathan! :)
.....so I guess it's not all that bad,
but...
even better,
2 Weekends ago....
I was in California,
getting pampered,
loving being with family
and Julie and Mark were getting married
(and of course I took ZERO pictures at the wedding) :(

Vacation weekends are probably more fun
but I really love that I only have 1 more week of school!
and I can't wait to go back to California in a just a few weeks!

April Fools

2011-04-02T14:00:00.004-06:00

I seriously can only remember one time
I ever participated in the whole "April Fools" thing growing up.

It was when I was 4.---->I tried to get my brother Ryan to eat an Oreo that I'd put toothpaste in for the filling. Sadly he knew I was trying to trick him into eating it and wouldn't. :( .....to be nice Craig volunteered to eat it haha --what a good brother.

Last year I decided I wanted to try again.
The Victim---Jonathan.
Yep I scared him like crazy with a stuffed snake
that I placed on his seat when he was getting in the car.

Ya it was a stupid trick but it was very satisfying.
So when I woke up Friday and realized it was April Fools once again
I knew I had to come up with Something.

I came up with this...

...an elastic around the sprayer on our sink :)

Then I just had to wait for Jonathan to get home from school.
Finally...
Me: Jonathan I'm SOOO thirsty will you get me a drink of water?
Jonathan: Yep
Me: Sink water please :) (mwuahhhahaha---silent evil laugh)

BAMMM!!!!!!!

Sadly it only got his side for a second because he jumped out of the way but it sprayed all over the cupboards and kitchen floor....which he cleaned up :)

And I made him take pictures to document his foolishness---what a fool ;)

Happy April Fools Day!!

Cousins!!

2011-03-31T20:04:00.005-06:00

Growing up I had THE BEST COUSINS IN THE WORLD!!!
It was seriously SOOO fun to have cousins that were so close in age to me and I would still consider them some of my best friends ever!

:) ahhh...I miss them----plus we should add 2 boys my age in there :)...and many more within a year or two also....ya there's a lot of us :)

So basically from experience I can say I am so so sooo totally excited for my little baby girl because........

This fall there will be some of this going on....

Not x1
Not x2
but
x3!!!
----Yep...
Michelle (Nov 17th) and Sherri (Nov 14th?) and my sister Michelle (Oct 28th) are ALL pregnant!!

Not to mention this cutest little girl in the world....

10 month old Amyah, already adding to bunch!!

Yay for cousins and the most growing family EVER in just one year!! :)
...anyone else....?---Julie....I know you just got back from your honeymoon..... ;) jk

I'm crossing my fingers for all girls now..... :)

Maybe Someday

2011-03-30T21:56:00.002-06:00

I want this to be my real world.....

...really cool huh?!?

Baby Name

2011-03-29T12:23:00.003-06:00

Jonathan and I have had the hardest time trying to decide what to name our baby girl. He really likes traditional names and I really like unique names=never agreeing. We had slightly agreed on a few names such as Kierra, and Taylor---but finally decided on THE one.

Shown above left to right are Jonathan's sisters:
Julie LYNN
Michelle LYNN
Tammi LYNN
and
Sherri LYNN

and this below is my 1 and only sister MICHELLE :)

after all of our sisters we are going to name our little girl...

Lynnlee Michelle Stephens

(The "Lynn" from all the Stephens sister's and "Michelle" from my sister---in case you didn't catch that)

I seriously can hardly wait 3 more months to hold her! I am so excited to be a Mom!

Valentines Day

2011-03-29T12:10:00.004-06:00

I know this is beyond late but for when I print my blog I want this in there so...
V-day:
Since we're trying to save money for our baby and such I decided to cook some sweet and sour chicken and fried rice. It was really simple obviously but really fun to just hang out.
I had to laugh when I was walking on campus a couple days before Valentines Day and some girls were saying how they couldn't wait to have a boyfriend or especially be married so they could have Good Valentines and get nice presents and maybe go to a hotel and a nice restaurant etc. I thought ya that does sound fun. Too bad it requires a husband AND money!---someday :) but for now I'm very pleased just eating a home cooked meal in our own apartment and cuddling on the couch to watch a good movie

Pros

2011-03-23T12:07:00.003-06:00

The 2 Best things about being pregnant would probably be

1- My nails grow inhumanly fast!--seriously I cut them All the way off and the next morning there are fairly long nails again!

2- My hair is getting sooo thick!--well thick for me at least.(don't really know how to photograph that, but you can just take my word :) )

I know they need polish but I'm getting them done on friday but still...long ya?--well for me especially---I have grown up with a terrible habit of biting--equalling NO nails ever

Jonathan thought #2 should have been that he waits on me 24/7 :)
I guess that's fun too :)

Vacation..again :)

2011-03-21T20:43:00.005-06:00

Today when it was soooo windy I seriously thought our apartment was going to be blown away
and the snow was blizzarding around
and I had to go out in it all to go to class and take a lame test

I couldn't wait for California.

Yep...another trip for me and Jonathan this weekend!!
YAY!!!
We realized since we started dating over 2 years ago that there have only been maybe 2 months where we haven't spent time in California!!--Basically we love it I guess :) and are also more than lucky to get to go all the time :)

And the specific reason for our visit this time...

Julie (Jonathan's sister) and Mark are getting married!!!!
(I know I can't believe I'm getting Another Mark in my family but I'm happy I am and especially that Julie is :))

Congratulations Mark and Julie!!!
Can't wait for the Wedding!!

Day 1

2011-03-18T11:41:00.002-06:00

After the 1st day of the tournament the Martin Family brackets look something like....
#1---Mother (pure luck obviously ;) jk mom)
#2---Jonathan and Susie (Susie and Bennett guessed Morehead St. to beat Louisville haha wow they're too good)
#4---Ryan, Me, Brittney Bennett and Craig
#9---Marc, Father, Tyler and Jackson
#13---Michelle and Amy
#15---Kevin (don't get down kevin...you have more points available still than the mother)

Bring it on Day 2 :)

March Madness

2011-03-17T11:25:00.003-06:00

Since I finished class early and I don't have any work or homework I HAVE to do
I'll be sitting here.
On my couch.
Watching basketball game after basketball game
cheering for my personal bracket picks
All Day.
and
All Night.

This is definitely the best time of year :)

---I can't believe how much it has evolved over the years to be honest...
I mean I always got checked out of school to come home and watch games all day but

I remember sitting infront of the tv having to write down every team and bracket and create our own point system for our family competition and making homemade brackets with rulers and everything, and then come Monday morning fighting over the 1 bracket printed in the paper. ha Ya the internet, especially ESPN.com has made this much easier :)

Happy St Patty's
and
Happy March Madness

p.s. Ryan it's ok you copied Every one of my picks this year...at least you picked the smartest person with the best brackets to copy
---signed----2011 Martin Family Bracket Champion

Baby Update

2011-03-14T13:44:00.004-06:00

I have been through good and bad throughout this pregnancy dealing with sickness and such but nothing serious. Until....Last week I went in for my regular 4 week check up and my Dr had some concerns dealing with high protein in me that was detected...which then really concerned me. She told me I could possibly have something called PIH (Preeclampsia) which if serious they would need to deliver the baby right away --and at only 24 weeks it's basically fatal for the baby.

She sent me down to the lab to get some more tests done and I was beyond worried. I didn't know much about what was going on at this point but came back the next day and had my blood drawn and some samples evaluated.

I had to wait another 24hrs to get results which I was very anxious for. At this point I had thought maybe it wasn't as serious and had thought it might have to do with how bad I am at drinking water...I Never get enough. I started drinking as much as possible and continued to have to just wait for results from the test.

Finally the nurse called me and told me my Dr wasn't in that day but another Dr in the office evaluated my lab results and was just as concerned. Then I was really worried again. He wanted me to go to labor and delivery at the hospital the next day and have a non-stress test. Basically she told me they were going to hook me and the baby up to monitors to look for signs of stress/PIH/contractions etc. I was also told not to do much of anything but sit around and relax.

So Saturday I went to the hospital to get the test done. The nurse who came in to do the test was SOOO helpful!--Someone finally explained what exactly was going on and explained the concerns better. Basically they would never actually be able to say I have PIH unless I had at least 3 of the signs, including things such as swelling, high blood pressure, etc. I have zero amounts of swelling and my blood pressure is better than good---which was relieving. She monitored me and the baby and everything seemed completely fine as well. Everything from the blood test looked great too, and she said the only concern is the high protein still which isn't much of anything unless other symptoms begin to occur along with it. They would just like to watch me so I don't get to the point of seizures or early delivery but at this point all was looking good. And even if I did get PIH it doesn't effect the baby at all unless it forces you to deliver early and she just naturally isn't developed yet because of being premature.

I still need to go see my own Dr tomorrow to evaluate everything again but at this point I need to just continue to relax and they'll probably have do tests every other week or so to make sure everything stays fine but I am grateful for the good results we got so far.

And...I've really not wanted pictures taken of me because I feel like such a huge whale but I decided I'd probably regret not having at least some "baby belly" pictures so I took my first this weekend as well...

Happy 24 Weeks along......

Final Decision...round 2 :)

2011-03-07T14:14:00.002-07:00

Day after day we were continuously confused
over which school to go to this fall for Dental School
....Loma Linda or Ohio State.

Finally feeling like either school would be fine and would both end up being a good choice for different reasons we decided.
We officially decided to stick with Ohio State....our original decision

The next day Jonathan called Loma Linda
and told them no thank you and canceled our check etc. to them.

After only a couple hours we both had just been feeling so sick inside about the decision

so..........We reevaluated again :)

Then quickly called Loma Linda back and asked if we could take our "no thank you" back

This past weekend we took a trip to Long Beach for some Bridal events for Julie (Jonathan's sister who's getting married March 26th!) and detoured out to Loma Linda (1hr ish away) to check things out for a few hours.

We were excited about the school, the location, the people we met, the temple so close, a really nice shopping area including a BRAND NEW Cafe Rio!!! and of course the 85 degree weather we were in :)

So......
This fall
We will officially be California residents
living in Loma Linda
and Jonathan will be attending their 7th day Adventist school :)

I'm excited about our choice now but also glad we 1st chose Ohio State and just didn't feel good about it, so now I really know we aren't supposed to be there and so I'm not as disappointed to just turning them down with how excited I was to go there.

Now we just have to work on details...
where to live exactly would be an important one. :)

Lucky!!

2011-03-02T19:48:00.006-07:00

The other day Jonathan was walking to the car after class
Laying right in the road was a 2 week old brand new 300$ phone--NOT SMASHED!--wow
To avoid the next car that could easily run over it Jonathan picked it up---ahh what a nice person :)

after texting who knows who and "Mom" through the phone
to tell them he had found the phone etc
he planned to meet the girls mom at her work at the Provo Hospital to drop it off
when he pulled up she thanked him and handed him a card.
...O ya and inside the card was a nice note and 15$!!!!!

I know it's only 15$ but it was also only finding a phone and dropping it off to someone!
Sooo Lucky!

The only unlucky part was that it wasn't ME who found the phone ;)

Vay-K

2011-03-01T13:31:00.005-07:00

Well I would post some pictures of Jonathan and Michael bonding over the long holiday weekend but believe it or not...they didn't take even 1 picture! ;) ok fine 2 boys hanging out most likely won't involve any "cheese" and "smile". ---Although there were no pictures I'd guess they had a great time from what I've heard:
Sledding @ Soldiers Hollow,
Buffet breakfast/lunch @ Golden Corral (showed up for breakfast and stayed extra long for lunch too...haha yuck to me but fun for them---Jonathan prefaced telling me this on the phone by say, "now you're probably going to think this is gross but it was good to me...." :))
2 dollar movies and 1 redbox, plus DVR movies,
Drove up Provo Canyon---snow ball fight, walked on a frozen pond (ahhh! glad I heard about this after)
watched BYU basketball game (woot woot...now our favorite #3 team :) )
slid down snowy hill with nothing but shoes (Jonathan listed that as a highlight when I asked him...?)
Papa Johns Pizza & Pizza Pie Cafe (mmmm sad I missed this!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for me in Los Angeles...
Walking on the beach (only the crazy boys got it...it was freezing!)
Multiple trips to the mall :)
Redbox movies (we never stayed awake for)
Touristy Original Dowtown Los Angeles (union station picture below)
Hollywood Bowl (only because Marc drove through the do not enter signs)
Drive through the hills
Island Burger (SO GOOD!!!--- but terrible they are required via law to put the calories on the menu---1400 cal for 1 burger! plus unlimited fries and onion rings. worth it.)
Best Doughnuts I have ever had in my entire life (which is saying something...If you know me, I LOVE doughnuts!--I get my own dozen when Jonathan and I buy them and yes I eat them all in 1 sitting.-no joke.
Dental School Visits (Craigs in Pomona and Possibily Jonathan's in Loma Linda)
Trip to Hemet to see Grandparents and other Aunts and Uncles and Cousins who all live there
Stop in Redlands for Bags and Bags and Bags of the Best Oranges Ever!!

Just plain amazing to have a vacation!
A vacation from my problems (thanks bob ;))
....o and a totally fun vacation!!!!

..........O ya and Happy Birthday Justin Bieber! :)

Happy Valley

2011-02-28T21:53:00.003-07:00

On Sunday Jonathan and I went to Alpine for dinner with my family and drove past a fence near my house that is always plastered with signs. This time it informed everyone of Stake Conference and the latest missionary returning from Brazil
:)

ha ha yes it's a little commical that these signs are posted and that everyone in the whole stake will most likely even be driving by this one little area--but it's totally fun and I like it.

So...Yes I did spend the majority of my growing up in Happy Valley of Happy Valley.
And yes I loved it :)

Decision

2011-02-22T17:38:00.005-07:00

21 years and about 7 months ago I was born here:
Loma Linda University Medical Center
in Southern California

and why is this random fact being thrown out there at this time in my life...?...
Well there is a possibility I could be living life where I started life. See....Jonathan and I have been re-evaluating our Dental School choice.

......Say What!?!

We had decided on Ohio State. Which I have been totally and completely excited about!!

I've had kind of a negative view of Loma Linda and didn't even want to consider it when Jonathan got accepted. So, this weekend I took a detour trip out to Loma Linda (1hr 1/2ish from LA) when we were down visiting my sister. It's Much better than I had been picturing.

Now we have 2 great schools
2 great areas
and 1 Extremely hard decision to make.

Any advice/opinions are gratefully accepted!!! :)

Ohio State in Columbus Ohio

or..
Loma Linda

????????????????????????????????????

I'm gonna miss you

2011-02-16T19:17:00.004-07:00

Today Jonathan made me laugh so hard my ever so growing stomach was seriously shaking like Santa's belly when he say's Ho Ho Ho. It was weird but also just funny. It also made me realize how much I'm really going to miss him.
See...
I'm going to Los Angeles tomorrow until Tuesday.
Without Jonathan.
bittersweet.
I'm more than excited to see my cute Nephews Jackson and Bennett, and my sister Michelle, and BNL Marc, and spend time with my Mom and Dad and brother Craig
but I'm really going to miss Jonathan.
He's staying because he couldn't miss class and had to work, plus-- his brother Michael is coming to spend the weekend with him. I know they'll be having fun together and I'll be having fun with my fam
but I'm really going to miss him.

Love you foreverrrrr Jontania!

It's a....

2011-02-09T15:45:00.004-07:00

...shoulder and arm above the head...

...profile...

...hand on head...
...cute face...

!!!!!!!!!!baby GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was seriously so fun to have an ultrasound! We saw her perfect heart, spine, brain, legs, arms, lips, ...etc. :) She was moving like crazy also which made it even more entertaining. At one point we were looking at a 3D image of her face and she brought her hand up in front of her face, stuck her pointer finger out, and waved it back and forth...yep...we're in for it...she's already got attitude ;) We have names we like but nothing picked out yet though. Jonathan and I are soooo excited and can't wait even more now!!!!!!

Any Guesses?

2011-02-08T10:05:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow (Wed. Feb. 9th) we find out what the gender of this
squirmy little alien is, that's hanging out in my tummy.

I can't wait!

What do you think?
Boy?
or Girl?

Food Food Food and more Food

2011-02-02T20:29:00.006-07:00

In my first trimester even the smallest thought about food--ANY food...pasta, salad, crackers, cookies, candy, especially meat---made me want to gag and throw up!
Which sometimes I did. Yuck. I know.
Therefore I lost weight instead of gained like I'd expected because of being pregnant.

Now....

All I can think about is FOOD!!!!
ANY FOOD!!!
I WANT IT!!! :) and yes....I'm pregnant and I'm going to eat it. Anything I want :)
Nasty fake Ramen, sandwiches, salad, treats ....if you give it to me I'll eat it!!
---ok except some meat and pizza...those still are making me sick these days...who knows why

Even when I probably should resist I don't. and honestly can't.

We went to Red Robin and they were handing out samples of their smoothies. When we sat down- I instantly ordered a smoothie before my meal. (It's hard to resist buying every Costco sample these days)

When I wait in the Wilk for class to start...I can't NOT buy hot chocolate and an old fashioned doughnut. MMMmmmmMMMmm

And my probably most embarrassing food cravings happened when the housing fair was going on at BYU. I heard their was popcorn (which if you know me, you know I don't even like popcorn but for some reason have been totally craving it like all the time now) and I headed straight over after class. When I realized the popcorn people were for single housing I took off my ring (wish I was joking) and stood for a 3 minute lecture about their apartments--and got my popcorn :) o ya, and candy from other tables too :)

Ok. Gotta Go. I'm starving now ;)

Vampire Diaries

2011-01-29T10:37:00.006-07:00

I will admit that I was completely done with the ridiculous Vampire craze
but when I finally decided to give Vampire Diaries a chance
I fell in love with it!!

Seriously...It's Very entertaining! and not as cheesy as you'd expect.
I eventually even convinced Jonathan to watch it with me and he even enjoys it!
(definitely wouldn't say it's his favorite but he can tolerate it much better than Twilight
or The Bachelor that I make him watch with me every Monday) :)

If you haven't already fallen in love with it...you've gotta watch it now!!

And If you don't want to have to start mid-2nd season
You can buy the season on amazon for quite cheap

Do it.
Its so worth it!

Love It

2011-01-27T11:43:00.005-07:00

Is it weird that I woke up with butterflies in my stomach yesterday?
(no it wasn't just the baby kicking although I have been enjoying those "butterflies" too)
I couldn't watch anything but ESPN all day
I read almost every article about BYU Basketball yesterday
(Including the Wall Street Journal claiming BYU to be the "Duke" of the West!!)
Started sweating when I'd just think about 8pm tip off
(ok I know that's gross, I shouldn't admit these types of nerves/excitement)

I loved seeing the news helicopters flying around,
the big screens and projectors set up in the Wilk,
and BYU attire...everywhere!!
(yes I sported my own sweatshirt and bows)

So.... Yes!! I enjoyed every bit of BYU vs. SDSU basketball yesterday!!

Even Bennett couldn't get the game off his mind...
he walked to his room--found his BYU hat--came out and started cheering.....

he's just cute...how could I resist posting that?

Awww between the Australian Open and BYU basketball (ok all basketball) I'm very much so loving life

The Family

2011-01-20T14:44:00.003-07:00

Since I can remember I have had multiple cousin's at BYU together at the same time
Enough to have our own intramural inner tube water polo team each year in fact!

Sadly there are only 7 of us here this year.
(Jonathan and I, Craig, Caitlin, Mitch, Mike and Liz---if you're wondering)
Even more sadly 4/7 can't play on the team this year...including me because of that cute little baby I'm growing inside of me.

Regardless of the terrible circumstances this year I'm so happy that Mitch gathered his friends and Liz and Caitlin who can play and are continuing "THE FAMILY" team.

Woot Woot

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!

Oldies Forever

2011-01-18T12:01:00.005-07:00

I'm not sure why this is but I have a hard time throwing things away.
Maybe I'm scared to lose the memory or for some reason I think my kids will be interested in looking at all of my old junk someday...?

Why is it fun to find Art Contest medals and Gymnastic trophies that I got when I was little? Not sure? There's not a chance in the world I'd throw away my cheer uniforms or my Tennis awards. I couldn't even get myself to throw away my backstage pass I'd won to the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill Concert or the Rubix cube I'd killed myself over with my friends and Mrs. Wentz in Chemistry. What's the importance of a rock I found in Zions or a Crystal I dug up at my grandparents in Northern California? Does it really matter to hold on to the tassel from Graduation and all-night party ticket?

Well For some reason all of this stuff matters to me.

One thing I do know is that as I went through old boxes of mine to see what could be thrown away instead of just sit even longer in a box in the basement, collecting even more dust
-- I couldn't get rid of any of it.

So yes I packed it back up and put it in the basement :)

smooshed

2011-01-15T14:59:00.004-07:00

On Wednesday night when I picked Jonathan up from work
I told him I had 2 bad news's.
He said he wanted the worstest news first.

First I informed him that Duke had lost their first game this season, to Florida State :'(

Second, Craig had gotten in a car accident.

He wasn't sure how Duke losing was worse than Craig getting in an accident
but obviously a smooshed car can be fixed,
a lost game is permanently engraved in history...FOREVER!!!!

Ok Ok not really but luckily Craig was fine for reals.
He was in a parking lot and got side slammed by someone who didn't see him.
My poor good red car which has been through sooooo much
with me since I was 15 1/2 had a very smooshed passenger side.

The picture doesn't look as bad as it actually does
but sadly this is all that remains of my good old car....

I'll love you forever Mr. MML (mammal)

This is so crazy!!

2011-01-06T19:01:00.003-07:00

This man's voice unreal,

...seriously you have to click this link and watch this!!!

CLICK HERE!!!!!

The Finger......not That one.

2011-01-04T19:09:00.004-07:00

Good News...I've broken a terrible habit.
Biting my nails.
Bad News...One broke today :(
Even Worse News...My ceramics teacher told me no nails at all
are allowed for class this whole semester.

Ya I was pretty sad about my hands until Jonathan called and told me that the Dr. told him that his finger that's been black and blue and swollen and hurting since snagging his finger while playing flag football on the beach on new years day

IS BROKEN!!
He ripped a tendon and broke the bone.
He has to leave it in this splint thing for 6 weeks.
If at any time the finger bends even a little, the 6 weeks start over!

I don't know if Jonathan's more worried about his finger healing properly so he can be a dentist or about the fact that he had to drop his swimming class...?

Either way I guess my no nails isn't that big of a deal.

It's WAR

2011-01-04T18:40:00.008-07:00

Christmas was great, I got a few new apparel items I wanted,
and gave Jonathan a lot of fishing stuff he wanted

It's a fishing pole ...he had no idea ;)

BEST OF ALL
WERE THESE BAD BOYS........

Nerf Guns.

Although there was a lot of flinching all throughout the day there was a lot of fun.
It's funny how so many grown men turn instantly into little boys when handed toys ya know.

Yep...that's a barricade made from the boxes from presents that were opened

-watch your back Craig....

Eventually shooting each other ended.
But creating structure's with Jackson's new toy tower
and "who can keep their little men standing longer" began....

Sadly I don't have pictures of the next game....

1 person wears ski goggles
everyone else shoots directly at their eyes to get the "bullets" to stick
rules: you can't move or close your eyes.

Yes even my mom did it.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-04T13:36:00.007-07:00

This year Jonathan and I spent Christmas Eve/Christmas at my house. It was a typical Christmas Eve for me but lots of new for Jonathan. Since Ryan and Brittney were going to be starting their move to Ohio (sad day--be there in 7 months!) early Christmas morning we had Brittney's parents and grandma from Salt Lake up to celebrate the night with us too. We had the best meal in the whole world thanks to Kevin and Amy and my Mom, did our families annual reenactment of the nativity, had a talent show that included kids singing, Tyler reading the night before Christmas, a piano duet by Jonathan and I, and Jingle Bells performed by Marc with his tuned empty glass soda bottles filled with water, and sang some Christmas songs as a group including the 12 days of Christmas. Then we finished the night off with dessert, sprinkled magic reindeer dust food, and Grandpa's money jar (whatever you grab, you keep---go for the 1$ coins!----for kids only.) and opened up matching pajama's and new sweatshirts :) What a great night!

Mary and Joseph :)

I love Christmas break...

2010-12-22T22:21:00.009-07:00

With EVERYONE home its made for very packed and fun break so far...

Lots of People
also means Lots of Stuff....
12 adults
5 kids
10 cars (all that have to park in the same driveway via the law)
and a room full of shoes, coats and snow clothes.

Gingerbread House Mania~~~~~

Kids judging for awards ...and of course Craigs Bachelorette Tahition Hut

1 Very Happy Birthday Marc :)~~~~~

LOTS of Snow.....including a homemade igloo~~~~~

Spur of the moment trip with Everyone to pick up Marc from the Airport :)
Missionary-esk signs and all~~~~~~~~~~

And of course Pastries!!

I love Christmas Break.
and I love even more that it' not over!!

WAHOO!!!

2010-12-21T20:00:00.001-07:00

little bit totally lovin this song :)

OOPS...

2010-12-14T15:12:00.004-07:00

THIS MORNING I WOKE UP AND THOUGHT....

Hmmmm....

I should do something about those finals I haven't started.
oops.

By 2:30p.m................................
I'd written a 10 page paper,
taken a test,
made a 50 page research binder (something I was supposed to continually work on all semester)
wrote an artist statement for my artwork,
and applied to an art show:)

Ok...back to studying!!....
1 more test to go!

Who Woulda Thunk

2010-12-08T22:06:00.005-07:00

After looking at all of the dental schools
Jonathan got accepted to, we were faced with one BIG Question...
Which one should we choose?

It's way harder to decide than you'd think.

We always (thought we) knew we wanted to stay in the west
and probably even California
but after much prayer and logical thought
and a persuasive buckeye sticker
stuck to our car window by Ryan and Brittney ;)
who are moving to a new job in Ohio...

We choose you....

Wahoo!!!

I never thought I could feel this way about
moving away to the far away east but
WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!
Seriously.
This will be such a great adventure for us and we can't wait!

Although I have sorta kinda hated the buckeyes in the past
I know that I am quickly becoming a fan
---yep those are my new socks I rock daily :)
(which is ok...they are dominate in both football and basketball)

Oh and just to familiarize our friends and family
who know nothing about Ohio or Ohio State...

1-Its in Columbus (Southernish part of Ohio)

2-It's not quite as cold as Utah
...thats happy :) but I like snow so i'm ok to not have to say bye to it completely

And 3-Ohio state's mascot is a buckeye
...it's those nuttyish things that fall from trees

....ya I don't know much about them
except that I use to collect them when I was little
from this man's yard we'd walk through
to get to BYU football games
...a sign of the future? Ya probably.

Here We Come Ohio!!

.....well in September :)

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

California Thanksgiving!!

2010-12-07T20:57:00.012-07:00

Jonathan and I took an extra 5 days off of school

before our actual Thanksgiving Break :)
(Hey we're both graduating...we just need to pass classes these days right?)

We drove down to California...or should I say Jonathan drove..
I slept 7 of the 9 hours :)
(I had just started taking some medicine to help with nausea that makes me even more extremely tired)
and stayed for the perfect long Thanksgiving break!

My family went to Los Angeles to be with
my sister Michelle and her family
so Jonathan and I even ended up being able to do
the actual Thanksgiving day with both families! :)

We had so much fun...I just want to go back!
We went to Disneyland.... twice (thanks Michelle!)
Saw Harry Pot Head 7 pt. 1
Went to a taping of the show Rules of Engagement
Watched Jory's Brother Jantz play water polo
Ate at Cheesecake Factory
Picked out a very large and beautiful Christmas Tree
played at the playground in LA
and just plain had a good time. :)

--------RULES OF ENGAGEMENT-------
Jonathan's Dad does the sound for this show. I have never been to a live taping of any show before so we decided to ask if we could come and he got us VIP seats, took us on a tour of the Sony Studios and let us eat at the cast/crew dinner provided before the show!

I had never seen the show before going and we had been warned that it's not the cleanest of shows which we realized quite quickly when we watched a previous episode so the audience knows the characters etc before the live taping and so we laugh at the right times etc. But we were happily surprised that the show they filmed that night was quite clean and really really funny! Seriously David Spade is hilarious! And they handed out pizza and treats throughout the taping! It was really so fun to do something like this!
--up on the catwalk

--------DISNEYLAND PICTURES:------
Princess Ariel Stephens :)

Go Hannah!(Rick's Sister)-----cutest snowmen ever ya!?
Parade During the Day and Night :)

Aren't the Christmas Decorations Amazing?! :) LOVE IT

Hope You Had A Great Thanksgiving!!

awwwww

2010-11-21T22:09:00.003-07:00

1 year ago...
Jonathan proposed.
and I said yes!

I LOVE YOU JONATHAN!!! :)

silly silly

2010-11-18T21:55:00.002-07:00

Because Harry Potter part 1 of book 7 is now here
I have a quite silly Harry Potter tribute for ya...

Apparently Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)
is currently attending Brown University
Just recently she was sitting in one of her classes
when she answered a really hard question.
A kid stood up and yelled, "10 points to Griffendor!"
Ha Ha
She didn't think it was funny though.
After class she had her body guard pay the kid a visit.
True Story.

Tribute to my exponentially growing baby inside my tummy:

Today I woke up in Heaven.
There were people standing all around me dressed in white.
Above everyone was a beautiful chandelier.
30 seconds later I remembered I had actually come to the temple.
I started to recall.....
sitting across the alter from Jonathan,
started feeling sick...
uh oh.
Yep. I fainted.
right there in the sealing room.
Took me awhile to realize where I was and that I wasn't actually in Heaven.
But I did get some good orange juice and crackers
Who else has been in the first aid room at the temple?
Apparently my sister, and my mom.
I guess everyone, BUT ME, knew that sealings while pregnant is NOT a good idea.
It's a normal thing to pass out and happens all the time!!!
Note to self...no more sealings until baby Stephens is physically out of this tummy.

Happy Almost Thanksgiving Everyone!! :)

You've Gotta See It!!!

2010-11-17T12:37:00.006-07:00

There is a Carl Bloch show at the MOA right now!!!!

Although you may not recognize him by name, the religious paintings of Lutheran Danish artist Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834 – 1890) is at the Museum of Art at BYU!

The exhibit features five large altar paintings from churches in Denmark and Sweden. Four of these paintings have been taken out of their altar settings for the first time since they were originally installed in the late 1800s.

Seriously it is AMAZING!!! Go SEE IT!

(Friday, Nov. 12, 2010 through Saturday, May 7, 2011)

Merry early Christmas...to us :)

2010-11-16T14:44:00.003-07:00

I have wanted to have my own piano since...forever!!

Jonathan and I both LOVE playing alone and together so
this past weekend we went and bought
a brand spankin' new beautiful piano!!

It is so fun and we love it so much!!

1 very necessary break

2010-11-12T15:16:00.014-07:00

During all of the crazy school semester-ness

Jonathan has been traveling all around the country
for dental school interviews.
The week before Halloween I got to go with Jonathan
to one of his Southern California Interviews!!

(at the airport--bored. Obviously)

and thanks to Kevin and Amy for our wedding present....
we went to Disneyland!

It is seriously decorated soooo cute!!
I really want to go at Christmas time now!
The whole atmosphere is so amazingly wonderful!

When I was at Michelle's house
Jackson put his costume on at 6 in the morning
and couldn't have been more excited about it :)
(apparantly that's how dinosaurs walk ---Jackson told me)

He made sure Bennett got his on too
watch out this lobster will pinch ya!

And of course it being close to Halloween...WE CARVED PUMPKINS!!

who knew you could crack 4 eggs randomly in a bowl and they would come out smiling back at you?

Miss You Long Beach.

See you in 1 week!!!

You've gotta TRY IT!!

2010-11-09T16:43:00.004-07:00

Not even kidding...

Jonathan and I made some dang good dessert...

Chocolatey Caramel Goodness with Heath bar and Kool Whip on top :)

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm. (Hint: I crush my candy bars into small
chunks as opposed to crumbs - I like to have pieces I can chew on!)
Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve right from the pan!

(It's so fun to have my own kitchen
where I can actually have room
to store things like four and sugar
so I can cook sometimes!)

Ahhhh!!

2010-11-08T20:52:00.004-07:00

Oil Paint!!
ON MY CLOTHES!!!!!

Ugh.
I hate when I ruin clothes like that.

BUT GUESS WHAT!!!!
I just tried the best product in the entire world....

Kiss Off
Stain Remover

It will seriously get rid of any stain!
Grass Stains, wet and dry Oil Paint, grease, make-up, blood, lipstick...etc

Seriously the next time you think you ruined something
...furniture, clothes, carpet, blanket, shoes, etc.
TRY IT!!

Plus doesn't it have like the best name ever? :)
Love it.

BABY!!!!

2010-10-31T18:45:00.002-06:00

Yep...We're having one.
And we couldn't be more excited!! :)

no joke.

Happy Halloween! 2010

2010-10-31T01:06:00.016-06:00

BEWARE: PICTURE OVERLOAD!!! :)

The Martin's Halloween 2010

THE FOOD AND DECORATIONS:

Cute Balloons by Brittney and Ryan

The Perfect chip bowl (from Vicki Stephens as a wedding gift) from Rachael

Clever and quite tasty drink/slush with worms to decorate, the most creative ham skull in the world, and the pumpkin shaped cheeseball, by my most wonderful mother: Janae

And my own latest festive floral arrangement :)

THE COSTUMES:

The Cereal Killer and the Grapes :)

VERY HOT REF and The Soccer Player.

THE BACHELORETTE CREW
Creepy Peeping Tom
Creepy Peeping Tom, Peeping at the TATOO...?!?

The Wicked Witch, and her guard and cute baby Dorothy :)

The Vampires, Princess and Bear :)

AND THE HANDS DOWN WINNERS OF THE COSTUME CONTEST:

LEGOS!!!!
(Such amazing costumes Ryan and Brittney!!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Haunted Homework

2010-10-29T10:22:00.003-06:00

The Harold B. Lee Library:
I spend a lot of time there.

Especially now...
I have a research paper that is due next Friday...bla.

So today I was peacefully walking the rows and rows of books.

when all the sudden
I heard a little growl
and looked up
through the bookshelves
into the next isle and:

BAM!!

I screamed and almost knocked over the bookshelf behind me.

Wow I'm not going to lie...That was a really good Halloween Prank.

The boys told me they've been doing it all week....so...
BEWARE!!!!

WAHOO!!!

2010-10-25T18:06:00.007-06:00

Somehow I feel like all of "my teams" always lose.

But GUESS WHAT....
I've got at least one successful team this year!
Guess who is going to the world series....

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS!!!!

BOO--YAH!!

Please don't let me down now...

GO GIANTS!!

Now while we wait for Wednesday....
let yourself enjoy this perfectly amazing interview
with Brian Wilson (SF closeout)
(----even if you've viewed it already, it's so worth watching again.)

Here Goes Nothin....

2010-10-07T12:54:00.004-06:00

With only half the semester left
I'm taking on this big baby...

7 feet by 5 feet.

Stretched Canvas---check
Gesso--check
Oil Paint.....

Wish me luck!

It's here.

2010-10-05T08:15:00.004-06:00

Sadly I'm talking about WINTER.

Yesterday I got soaked running
to my car after school in this crazy rain storm:

(Yes you should be able to see mountains right there
but they are covered in storm clouds.)

When I woke up and went to school
I saw this:

Yep. That's a little bit of snow up there
on the tips of Timp.

Hello Winter.
Goodbye Happy Warm Summer.

Antoine

2010-09-30T11:11:00.005-06:00

kinda funny man but sad story ya?
Well not really because......

You know how
BRITNEY SPEARS
HILARY DUFF
and all of those wonderful people (ew)
have such wonderful voices?

...I mean the autotune (computerishness used)
makes them sound so wonderful.

Well some brothers got a hold of this autotune program
and have used it wonderfully.
Making about 1 million dollars!!!

---Antoine is still making half the money off of this!
---not a sad story anymore if you ask me!

if you are interested you can
purchase the song on itunes,
sheet music and so much more!! :)

Gotta love autotune.