Make it 3

So, we are definately having another boy. I made her check over and over and over again, because I refused to believe it. But, there's no mistaking. It's a boy. I'm a little disappointed, but I'm excited too. I was just so sure it was going to be a little girl this time. Oh well. I guess we'll just have to try again. :) Well, see for yourself. The proof is in the pictures!

My secret!

So...I've been keeping a secret for a couple of months now. I'm.........pregnant!! I'm about 12 weeks now. I've been tired and not feeling the greatest and super busy, so that's one of the reasons my blogs haven't been very consistent lately. Anyway, I had a miscarriage back in May, so I wasn't in a real hurry to spill the beans, but I feel safe about it now. So, surprise! Of course, we're hoping for a little girl, but another boy would be ok too. :) Anyway, I'll keep you updated on any exciting news.

Jared's adventure

Last night we were at my aunt and uncle's house and Jared fell down and hurt his wrist. It was kinda late so we couldn't really tell whether all the crying was from pain or from just being tired. He seemed to be ok, and it wasn't really swollen or anything, so we decided to go home and see how he felt in the morning. This morning he seemed to be ok, but he still wouldn't use his hand very much. I took him in to the doctor, expecting it to just be a sprain or something and he would just tell me to put some ice on it or something. Imagine my surprise when the doctor came back with the x-ray showing a fractured bone in his wrist! So, Jared gets to wear a cast for 3 weeks. It totally caught me off guard because he hasn't been crying or complaining about it very much at all. I would have thought that if something was broken, I would know for sure! I guess I was wrong. Anyway, Jared was very good during the whole thing. He was so brave. It helped that they kept shoving candy at him to keep him happy. :) Anyway, so far the cast doesn't seem to bother him, but we'll see how he feels by the end of the day when he realizes that it's not coming off!

Hair cut!

So, more than a month later, I finally had time to go and get my hair cut! It's been really busy lately. So, anyway, here's the final product. Let me know what you think!





The lighting must have been weird, because my hair is definately not red. I'm not really sure how I feel about the back, though. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all the comments about my hair! I think I've decided to leave it longer, but add lots of layers. Now it's just a matter of finding the time to actually do it. I'll post pics once I do it. :)

So, on Saturday I get to go to the conference center for the relief society broadcast. I'm really excited! It should be really neat. So, for all those who are watching it, keep your eye out for me. Maybe if you're lucky you'll see a shot of me. Hey, there's only going to be 20,000 other people there. It could happen. :)

Should I cut it??

Ok. So I've been contemplating this decision for months now. Should I cut my hair or not?? I've been growing it our for about 4 years now from a very bad, very short haircut. It's been driving me crazy lately though! It takes forever to comb, especially when it's wet. It's annoying when I sleep, it's always getting in my way. I shed like crazy! I could go on. So, I'm thinking about cutting it. John doesn't want me to though. He likes long hair. My dilemma is that I'm terrified to cut it anyway, because I'm worried that I'll hate the new haircut and wish I hadn't. So, anyway, I told John I'd take a poll and see what everyone else thinks. Should I cut it? If so, how short? What style? Got any pics of good cuts? The thing is that my hair is really fine and limp. And I don't spend very much time on it, so it would have to be a quick and easy style. Any feedback would be much appreciated! Even if you're not bloggers, leave a comment!!

Random Pics

John was having fun with the camera today. We were all being silly and making funny faces. Here's a look into the crazy side of the Cowgills.

Duck Pond

Now that Joshua is at school Monday through Thursday mornings, I've been trying to have some good quality time with Jared. Last week we walked at the park a couple of days and afterward we played at the playground or fed the ducks. It's been a lot of fun just being alone with Jared. We haven't had very much alone time together! Anyway, here are some pics from the duck pond.

Karate

Joshua's been in a karate class since the beginning of July. He absolutely loves it!! It's so much fun to watch him. Normally, I just drop him off for class 2 days a week for 45 min. But at the beginning of each month is parent's week, where I can go and watch. Here's a picture from the last time I went. They were doing an obstacle course and I caught him at the finish line. He's the one all in black with the white belt.

Lagoon

I know it's been forever since my last post! We've been so busy, it's been crazy! Joshua started preschool 4 days a week. I started taking 2 classes at the LDS Business College in Salt Lake on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I'm trying to get my generals done so that someday when my kids are a little older I'll be ready to do my bachelor's. I've been really tired lately. So, anyway, you'll get a bunch of new posts today to update you! :)

A few weeks ago we went to Lagoon. My uncle's band was playing at a company party there, and he was able to get us free tickets. We had a lot of fun! Here are some pics of the day.

Grocery trips...what fun.

So, we just back from going grocery shopping. The trip itself wasn't too terribly bad. They were good enough to get doughnuts for their treat. But then in the line, on the way out, and on the way home they went crazy! Fighting, whining, crying. So, anyway, they didn't get to eat their doughnuts after all. We finished lunch, I put a movie on for them, and then I took my doughnut and locked myself in the bathroom so I could eat it in peace without them complaining about how they didn't get to eat theirs. I didn't even think twice about it. But when I got in the bathroom, I realized how pathetic that is! I had to go lock myself in the bathroom just to eat a doughnut!!! Oh the life of a mother. The things we do to get a quiet moment. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about!!

Wedding pics

Wedding

This past weekend John's little brother, Adam got married to his longtime girlfriend, Hannah. We are so happy for them!! We just adore Hannah. She's the sweetest and cutest girl ever. :) We're so glad she's officially part of the family now! Congratulations guys!

Airplane museum

Since me moved into our new house, we've made it a point to do something fun every Saturday. When John was in school we never had any time to do much as a family, so it's been great spending so much time together! We do yard work and house projects on Saturday morning, and then in the afternoon and evening we're off for some type of cheap adventure. (We just made our first mortgage payment!) :) So, two weeks ago we went to the airplane museum at Hill Air Force Base. We live just south of the base, so it's only about 5 minutes away. The kids love airplanes and have wanted to go see them for a while. The base runway is just a few blocks from our house, so we're right in the flight path. We see fighter jets and stuff all day every day! They're pretty loud, but it's kinda fun to see. Anyway, here are some pics. There were some big planes there!

That's Jared way back there. Towards the end, after we had all ready seen all the planes inside, he wasn't as interested. He was much more interested in planting himself on the ground and playing in the dirt and rocks. We had a hard time convincing him to come back to us.

In every picture we have of Jared here, he's holding at least one rock. The boy is obsessed with rocks!! I guess he learned to love them in AZ. :) Anyway, antime he sees a rock, he has to pick it up. He'll hold them until I make him put them down.

Back to reality

I just finished reading Harry Potter last night. I hardly ever read books because when I do, I get so addicted I neglect everything else important! I love and hate how you can get so wrapped up in a fantasy world that doesn't even exist! Your reality seems to slip away and you get so focused on the characters. So, now that I'm done (it was great, by the way!), I'm trying to stop thinking about the story and characters so that I can come back down from my fantasy cloud and be normal again! I haven't stopped thinking about it all morning (and night. I finished it at 1 am), so I decided to turn to my next addiction, which is reading everyone's blogs. So, I read everyones and decided to update my own. Hopefully this will pull me to the real world. :)

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago. John and Joshua had a water fight. Joshua loves playing in the sprinklers and squirting people with the hose. Who wouldn't?

Peanut Butter Balls

I made these yummy peanut butter balls this morning. We used to make them when I was kid, but I've never made them with my kids. So, we pulled the recipe out and did it. It was a HUGE success! They're totally healthy and the kids loved them. So did I. I could eat them for sweet snacks, and not feel guilty about it! So, here's the recipe.
Mix:
1/2 c peanut butter
2 1/2 Tb nonfat dry milk
2 Tb raisins
2 Tb honey
1/2 c coconut

Form into balls.
Roll in sesame seeds.

We substituted dried berries for raisins because my kids don't like raisins. I doubled the recipe and got about 12 2-inch balls. You can get sesame seeds in bulk at a health food store for cheaper. You can also get unsweetened coconut there too. Oh, and after I made the balls I put them in the freezer to firm up so they wouldn't be so sticky and soft. I'll probably just keep them in there so they stay good for longer.

Song Ideas

So, I got called to be the nursery music leader in my new ward a few weeks ago. Surprise, surprise, another music calling. :) Anyway, I'm actually pretty excited about it. John and I were both called to be in Jared's nursery class with a few other teachers, and then I get to do the music in both of the nurserys also. The good thing is that I never have to do the lesson. :) Anyway, it's been kind of nice to be with John and Jared for the whole block. I never thought I would want a nursery calling, but it hasn't been too bad so far.

So, the reason for this post is that I'm looking for some cute visual aids for the song, "Give Said the Little Stream." The kids love looking at pictures and having something to see while they're singing. I can't seem to find anything good for this song. If any of you have any ideas, let me know!! Thanks!

Backyard pictures

I couldn't get these pictures of the backyard in my last post. So, here they are. The yard needs a little TLC, but it's getting there. John all ready took out 4 smaller trees that were dead or dying. Now we just need to do some weeding and pruning. We love having a back yard!!

Here's our apple tree. They're filled with worms this year, but next year we'll spray it and have lots of apples! And our neighbor has peaches too! I can't wait to be able to outside and pick some snacks for the kids. Next year we're going to plant a big garden too. Lots of fruit-strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, melons. And some veggies too-squash, cucumbers, lettuce, potatoes, corn, peas. Who knows what else. We have plenty of room for a garden without taking from the kids play area. We feel so incredibly blessed!

Pictures of my house!!

So here it is...my house! It looks small from the front, but it's not. It's actually about 2300 sq ft. The yard needs a little TLC, but John will take care of that in no time. We've only been here for about a month, so we haven't had time for all the finishing touches yet. :)
This is our family room. These are new couches and a new furniture set. In the left corner, you can also see part of our new computer desk as well. We still need to get a rug for in here and some decorations. :)
Here's the rest of the family room furniture. I LOVE having the armoire for the tv! It's so nice to be able to close the doors and not have the tv staring at you, calling your name!
Here's our front room. The couches are new also. That's Joshua taking a nap. I love when he does that!
Here's our basement. All we have down here right now are the kids toys. So, basically it's just one great big playroom. I love it! I can just send the kids downstairs and they can make a big mess, and I don't even have to look at it! There's also plenty of space for them to run around. It runs the length of the whole house. They've played soccer, chase, dodgeball, and done somersaults across the whole room. Did I say I LOVE this room!! The laundry room is also down here, as well as the 4th bedroom.

So, we decided to go to temple square today. We thought it would be a nice family activity for Sunday evening. And we live so close now! :) So, we took the kids and went on a tour of the conference center, which was nice, but longer than I expected. Then, we decided to let the kids play by the fountain to the south of the temple because they just couldn't get enough playing in the water. Here they are getting as close as they can...

And here's Jared.....

Yes, Jared actually fell into the fountain! He was soaked all the way through and heartbroken! I love the huge puddle of water you can see in the last picture. It was hilarious!! Luckily it was only about a foot deep and he went hands first, so he didn't get hurt. Just swallowed a bit of water. Anyway, so that was our peaceful trip to temple square. Although, it did get better after that. Jared cheered up a bit when we went to look at the reflection pool over on Main Street Plaza (between temple square and the Joseph Smith Memorial building).

As a side note, the company John is working for designed Main Street Plaza if any of you have ever been there! They've also done a few temples and are working on the new Church History Library next to the conference center. Pretty cool! :)

So, I didn't want to start this blog, but I've been reading everyone else's for so long, I just couldn't resist any longer. So, for those who I haven't talked to since we moved, I'll give an update on where we're at.

When we moved up to Utah in May we stayed with some good friends of ours in West Jordon. We all had really good intentions, but it just didn't end up the way we had hoped. Our friends have 3 kids. The older 2 are about the same ages as my boys. They played great for the first day, and then it was all downhill from there. They constantly fought and were at each other. We ended up staying in the basement for most of the day so that we could try to avoid the conflicts. Anyway, we were there for about 5 weeks while we were in the process of buying our new house. This picture is one of the VERY rare moments when everyone was smiling and actually playing nicely together.

When we finally moved out, I think we were all happy to be getting our own space back. But, we still love them and are so grateful that they were willing to let us invade and stay there for so long! Anyway, so we bought a house in Layton (about 25 min. north of Salt Lake). It's wonderful! It's everything that I hoped for and wanted. It's an older house, but that's what we love. We love the houses that have a little character. It's a brick rambler with a basement. It has 4 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. We've got the family and living rooms upstairs, plus the whole basement for the kids playroom! It's awesome! I don't know how many of you ever came in our house in Mesa, but this is a HUGE step up! AND, of course my favorite part of all is our yard!!! We have a nice big yard with grass, grass, grass, and more grass! We have a little deck we can sit on and enjoy the cool summer evenings. It actually cools off at night in Utah! We are absolutely loving it here! It was definately the right choice! It hasn't come without it's difficulties, though. We actually still haven't sold our house in Mesa yet, but we still feel good about everything and we know that things will work out. Whatever that means! :)

John is loving his new job. He loves what he does and we are so grateful he was able to get this job so easily! We feel so blessed to be here and to have the things we need! I even got to go Craigslisting and get some new furniture! I'll get some pics up of the new house as soon as I can!