The last 2 weeks......

Well, I had my 3 baby showers which were FABULOUS! My family put so much work into all of them! They were so much fun, and we got a lot of great things that will help out SO much when Archer is here!!!!

I am so grateful that my family is so willing to love and support Callan and I so much. We couldn't do it with out you guys!!! Also, I made this fruit baby.... Haha


We had an amazing Lagoon Day on the 15th and there were NO LINES!!! That never happens. All day everyone was able to just get on ride with no wait at all! Which of course the  only time I can't ride rides that happens.... GRRRR!!!! I did ride the train, and Rattle snake rapids, and tidal wave though.... and I refused the wheel chair offer from my mom. As a result I ended up with feet resembling Harry Potters arm after all the bones are accidentally removed.....

My beautiful Grandma Gail. Can you believe she is going to be a great grandma in a few weeks?!?!!! I love this lady! She is my second momma. And one of my best friends. She has helped me out so much through out my life, and this  pregnancy. Archer is a lucky little guy to have her!

                                        My lovely parents <3


We had a ton of fun at Lagoon!!! I am so happy we went and had our family reunion! We may be going back next week too! Callans family is having a Lagoon Day too. But that is like 10 days before my due date. So we shall see!!!

We have had a ton of crazy fun the past 2 weeks. Olivia got to spend this past week with me, and I loved it! She is very easy going, and is such a good helper! She helped me clean, and organize the house and put the nursery together. I LOVED having her. She will be back in a few weeks to help with Archer and Thor. She is going to be the best Aunt!!!

I love this girl! We had a ton of fun! I can't wait to see her in a few weeks. And my momma and the rest of the Nixons too!!! Oh... and of course Archer! We can't forget about him.

After the zoo, Lagoon, 3 baby showers, and a week of fun with Olivia my mission for the  next 3 weeks is to RELAX!!! :)) Because we all know that I will never have that freedom ever again!

Happy Belated Fathers Day!!

So I am a week late on getting up my final Fathers Day post! But here goes....

In case you haven't guessed the last daddy I am going to talk about is Callan! Yes, I am aware he isn't yet a dad, but at the same time I think he kind of is.

Callan is the most patient, kind, loving, funny, smartest guy I know! And I am so happy that he is my husband of a year... YES! A year on June 11. I will post about that later...
Callan is going to be the best dad. I have always known he is good with kids, but these last 2 weeks have really shown me the kind of guy Callan is.

We have had a busy 2 weeks with baby showers, Lagoon, and having my sister stay with us for a week. So there has been very little sleep, and lots of kids!

All but 5 of the 11 grandkids on my moms side are under the age of 12.
And they were all here for a week. And of course they all LOVE Callan!
Callan doesnt mind one bit either. Even though he gets up at 4:30 am every day and is out the door by 5:10am and works outside all day in the heat and has a VERY physically demanding job, he still has this immense love and patience towards people.

My family hiked up to the "Y" on the mountain in Provo in 90* weather. It is a very BIG hike and a hard one, especially with a ton of little ones. Well, the made it to the top and back down, and I waited at the bottom for 2 hours. They finally all got back! Except for my grandma, my brother Caleb, and my little cousin Lucas. Well, Callan who had already carried little Lucas to the top of the Y ran up with water bottles to find them.
We waited, and waited for 10 or so minutes, and here comes Caleb, my grandma and Callan carrying little Lucas fast asleep in his arms. :)

We also went to Lagoon on beautiful Friday with the whole family. Of course Miss Olivia wanted to ride every ride with Callan. And after he did that he finally sneaked away with the big kids! He came back later to hang out with me and my ginormous feet, I dont know if you could call them feet anymore actually....They were SO swollen. Well, my cousin Lilly had been taking care of me and hanging out with me while everyone went on the bigger kid rides. She decided she wanted to go on the Colosus a HUGE roller coaster that goes upside down and is crazy fun! So her and Callan went over there and stood in line and then she changed her mind. She ended up going on it later, and then after she realized how fun it was grabbed Callans hand and they rode it 6 TIMES IN A ROW!!!! Callan you are such a trooper!!!

There have been so many examples of how amazing Callan is, and how loving and good with kids he is just in the past 2 weeks. I am so excited to be having a baby with this man. He really is the essence of pure love. 22 more days baby!
 

Heart Ache

These past 2 days have been pretty rough!
My lovely little lady rolled off the bed on Saturday night and landed on her back.
Callan was home with her, so I didn't know about anything until I got home later that night.
By the time I got home Bella was wheezing, and having a lot of trouble breathing, and just looked like she had been through hell.
Callan had her wrapped in a cool towel and was trying to get her to drink water. But she could hardly breathe, let alone drink water.
By 2am I had just had it with listening to my little one whine in pain, and struggling to breathe.
So we headed up to the vet to see what we could do for her.

I had a feeling before we left that it would be euthanasia. But I was hoping that was just a feeling.
It wasn't.

Miss Bella had a ton a blood and fluid in her poor little lungs and only had a 40/60 chance of survival if she was kept on oxygen for a few days. And even then her life wouldn't be very pleasant.

So I made the final call to have her put to sleep.

They let us come back and hold her and love on her, and say good bye.
 
They put the little shot in her and she took her last breathe and then she was gone. Just like that.
It happened in less than 30 seconds.

We got to take her home with us and we buried her in my grandma gail's back yard under a lilac bush.

Losing Bella is hard to explain. I know a lot of people just wouldn't understand. Especially if they aren't animal people. I didn't quite understand  the pain people go through because I had never lost a pet. I would never wish this heart ache and pain upon anyone. But I think it is something we all have to go through.

I love animals a lot, and they are part of my family. I would do anything for my dogs! I know that by having animals you always have a risk of them hurting themselves, and when they do pass on, because they will, it hurts! But you have to be ready for it.

I am glad I made the decision to help my little love Bella pass on, because she was in so much pain, and she was so ready to go, but she couldn't make the decision for herself.  So I had to be strong for her and let go.
I had to be selfless and help her.

Its going to take a long time for my heart to heal. But it will get there. I don't think I will ever be okay and feel all better. But I do think that my pain will get easier to bare.

I miss her so much! And I still have Thor who will help a lot. And I have my sister Olivia her for the week, and of course Callan. And in 29 days or before my little Archer!

My heart goes out to all the family's that have lost a pet, or someone that means a lot to them.

Bzzzz Bzzz Bzzz Busy as can BEE!!!

Life is good when your busy! I am a little weird and have to say that I am at my happiest when I am BUSY. I love going a million miles an hour, and having a fast paced life. To me a day is wasted if I don't have somewhere to go, or something to do.

Last year was so busy planning a wedding and getting ready to be married . I loved it. And I am so excited to celebrate my one year anniversary with my hubby on Monday June 11! So in just a few days.

This year has been full of planning for the next best adventure... A BABY! That has kept us plenty busy with Dr. appt, and planning for the baby showers, and baby blessing, and where we will go once Callan leaves for basic training... I love it. And tomorrow I get my induction date, so I can finally know when my little man will be here, and count down the days!

Our film crew will be here tomorrow night. And we will begin a weekend full of fun times, and filming!

Then on Monday my favorite people in the world will be here!!! The Nixons! They will be flying in. :) I am so excited I can barely stand it. They will be staying for a week for my 2 baby showers next weekend, and a family reunion at Lagoon too. For my readers who don't know what Lagoon is, its an amusement park here in Utah. No, I won't be going on any rides, but I will be soaking up the sun at Lagoona Beach, and riding baby rides with the young ones. :)

Hopefully this next week and a half wont send me right into labor. Haha

Well, I am excited for Friday because I will get to find out when Callan leaves for training. He won't tell me because MTV wants my reaction, which is understandable. And for Saturday!!! It is my first of 3 baby showers. Whoo hoo! MTV will be filming on Saturday, but some of our guests don't want to be filmed so we are kinda having 2 showers in one. One for the guests who want to be filmed and then one for those who would rather not. :)) Either way I am excited to see everyone and have them meet our lovely British friend Sarah who is invited to stay for the party, and enjoy herself and meet our family who don't want to be filmed. She is so awesome, and nice, and ADORABLE! So I am happy the people Callan and I love get to meet her. :))

Anyways... I love being busy, and I am so excited for my baby to be in the military because that lifestyle is full of unknowns, and moving A LOT, and an adventure around every corner. I am so grateful to all my family, and all of Callans family who love us and are supporting us in this amazing opportunity!

I can't wait for my next adventure to begin, and share it with all of my readers!!!
So stay tunes until next time.....

Callans hero

For my second post I am doing my amazing Father-in-law Rex David Harding. When contimplating on who I would do for week 2 the choice was obvious. We would do Callans dad, his hero. :))

When I asked  Callan some of his favorite memories of his dad he told me a ton of stories, and good times. But I couldn't put them all in here so I had him pick his favorite...

When Callan was 8 years old, Callan went fishing with his dad and brothers. They got up extra early and caught grasshoppers in a field by their house  to use as bait. Every boys dream right? They went to a river near by and started fishing. As the day went on Rex, Brennan and Dustin (his older brothers) had all caught 2 fish each. And Callan hadn't caught any. He was so sad. He wanted to go down the river a little bit, because he thought he had saw a fish down stream. And after a long, hard, hot, and sweaty 5 WHOLE minutes a little 8 year old Callan had become bored. He started walking back upstream to his dad, he noticed that his dad was on his way to come get him, which Callan thought was a little strange. He asked him if he wanted to trade him fishing poles because his wasn't "very lucky" that day, so his dad traded him poles. His dad had already cast the line out for him, and as soon as Callan grabbed the pole he felt a little tug on the line. Callan had caught a fish!!!! He reeled it in, and there it was a beautiful, 6 inch trout. Awwww... cute little fishy. It was a little small, but Callan was SO excited he had caught a fish and wanted to keep it anyway.

After Callan told me this story I couldn't figure out why that was such a good memory. I guess I'm a little slow, or just stupid.... Callan then explained to me that his dad had  caught another fish while Callan was upstream and left it on the line,(hence why the line was already out) and let Callan catch his "very own fish". Callan hadn't figured it out until years later.... At that point I was tearing up. How freaking cute?!?! That just shows what an amazing and kind dad that Rex is. He really loves his kids and would do anything for them.

 I am so grateful to have such a great father in law! He is so loving and just fun to be around. So thank you Rex for raising such an amazing son! You did an amazing job. Callan is such a great man, and a lot like you. He looks up to you so much. :)

One of my favorite things about Rex is how faithful he is to his church, and how strong of a testimony he has in the LDS faith. It is such a powerful thing to have something that makes your life better, and even though Callan and I don't have the same beliefs or lifestyle we love that you stay so strong to your faith, and love how much you love it. It really shows us how that you are a committed, and amazing man. We love that about you. And we are so excited to have you stand in the circle at our sons blessing. :) Its such a beautiful way to celebrate a new life, and we are excited to share that with you!

We love you Rex and hope you have an amazing Fathers Day! :)

The one, the only BEST DADDY in the WORLD!

So I have decided that I am going to write once a week on the best dads, and father figures in my life, and in Callans life until Fathers Day. And so who better to go first than my #1? My very own dad! :)

 Growing up, my dad and I were pretty close, he wasn't home very often, because he is a pilot and had to commute a lot. But I was always so excited to see him. Even as a teenager when I was probably the most rebellious and worst teen ever, I was still excited to have my dad home, even if I didn't show it.

My dad is one of the kindest, most loving, FUNNIEST guys I know. So I got lucky when I got him as a dad! He is SO willing to do anything and everything for his family, and to make them happy and provide for them. That is something I have always admired about him. Another thing, is that my dad is VERY patient and calm. Anyone who has ever met my dad always knows him as "the nicest guy", or "such a calm, patient guy." And its true. He really is.

I don't think there has ever been anyone who has met my dad that has ever not liked him. He is just so friendly and loves to meet people! He is so fun.

Some of my dads favorite things are to go boating. He loves the water, he loves the outdoors, and as much as I hate camping I would totally go with my dad, just because he makes it so much fun. He loves chocolate, and Dr. Pepper. I probably got my love of Dr. Pepper from him.

My daddy loves to BBQ, and cook, (at least I think he likes to cook, he does it a lot). My favorite meals my dad makes are his yummy stir fry, Chinese food, and jambalaya. YUM! His BBQ chicken, steak, and hamburgers are always the best, probably because he makes them with love.... AWWWWW.

Some of my favorite memories with my dad are...

 When I was about 4 or 5, yes I do remember this. But, he was in the Air Force National Guard, and we were living in Logan, Utah at the time, and he had to go down to Salt Lake City area for a weekend a month I believe. Anyways, my mom and I had just gotten home from church, and my dad had been gone all weekend. I was so excited to I went in the bathroom and locked the door and put on a bunch of makeup (I'm sure I looked like a lovely clown), and did my hair and put on another dress. I patiently waiting for my dad to get home so we could go on a date. And even though my dad had just driven 3 hours, and was absolutely exhausted he still took me out on a dinner date. :)

One time I got tickets to go see this really cool dance company perform Moulin Rouge, and my mom got sick so she couldn't take me and I was really sad. So my dad offered. I was a little weird-ed out, how was would my dad know the story? He defiantly wouldn't appreciate the fine art that dance is. But reluctantly I agreed. And I am SOOO glad I did! We were sitting waiting for the show to start, and before they performed Moulin Rouge they had a bunch of other dance companies perform other things. And one of the performances was a hip-hop factory type thing. They came out to the audience and they were grabbing people. And the lady grabbed my dad and took him up on stage. He didn't even try and say no, he just ran up there and danced his heart out. It was so embarrassing, and so funny, and one of my favorite memories of my dad! He is a fantastic dancer. :)) I had a lot of fun that night. :)

I have so any memories of my dad that I could probably write his memoirs. He is just such a fantastic man, and I love him so much. Which is why I am naming my son after him.

Archer Rynn Harding

I can't think of a better person to name my son after, and I am so proud that he will have that name.

Words can never express how much my dad means to me. I am so happy that I have such a close relationship with my dad. Our bond has grown so strong since I have been married, and I am so happy. My dad is part of what keeps me strong. He has such a strong testimony in his faith, and he loves the church so much, and I am so grateful to have such a strong influence like that in my life.Which is why Archer will be given a blessing and a name by my dad.

I love you dad! Happy Fathers Day! I hope you know how much I love you and how much you mean to me.