Little Baby Brown

I am so very excited to be doing a post about our little one on the way! 

It's kind of a funny story the way it all worked out, but we are absolutely ecstatic. If you read my blog last month, you know we were getting pretty frustrated with trying to conceive and not having luck. After several doctor visits, Dr. Bailey gave us a prescription for Clomid, which is a fertility pill. So that very day we went to Wal Mart and got the prescription filled. $100.00 BUCKS after insurance! Lol, on top of all the doctor bills, we were learning fast that those babies don't come cheap. But we were excited because it was actually going to happen soon. So we played the waiting game. You are suppose to start taking the pills on the 5th day of your cycle. We waited for weeks for when my period was suppose to come until the day finally came. Nothing. Then a few more days went by with nothing. Then a few more. I didn't want to get all excited because I hate the feeling of thinking you are pregnant then finding out you're not. Well finally we decided we had better go get a pregnancy test. We felt stupid buying it, and we made sure not to go through anyone's line we knew! We went home and I peed on the stick. We immediately regretted buying the kind that have a + or a - because the horizontal line was super clear and the vertical line was there, but kind of foggy. I guzzled down like 2 bottles of water so I would have to pee again, and we got the same result. So we were almost sure it was positive, but in this situation, you want to know for sure! So we made a Walmart run and got the kind that say PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT. Well first try, I was obviously anxious as heck to see what it says and Mackenzie was being a little punk. I went in the bathroom to see it and he started waving it around so I couldn't get it! Ha, you girls probably know that you are not suppose to let the pee side face up. Well we didn't know that, and looking back, we think that is probably why the result was NOT PREGNANT. So there we were, feeling emotionally worn out! We thought we were, now this says we're not. What the heck! I was ready to give it one more go, but Mackenzie said we should probably give it a rest until the next day. So we tried to put any baby thoughts away and enjoy our Saturday night. Well Sunday morning I woke up and had a full nights bladder ready for action. We had two more tests and they were both positive. So we were 4 out of 5 and realized this was for real. 

I have imagined the day when we would look at the test and see PREGNANT and what our reactions would be. But let me tell you, nothing can prepare you for that moment. We were in shock and instead of jumping around being silly, it just got really real for us. We just kept saying, "Is this for real?" You kind of get this feeling of being really overwhelmed and a part of you wants to go straight to the computer and start looking at cribs and clothes and diaper bags, but then a part of you is thinking,

 "What the heck am I going to do!"

Haha, after the initial shock wore off, we got really really excited!

Since we found out, it has been extremely hard for me not to tell anyone. I cannot keep a secret for anything, and I just wanted to tell people about it. We were planning on trying to wait to announce it for like another month, but on Christmas Eve as we laid in bed talking, we decided that we never have ALL of our family all together, and we just could not resist telling everyone on Christmas. 

So on Christmas morning, I busted out these cards. We put them in a box with a bunch of confetti and wrapped them up with a pretty bow. We gave them to our parents as we made the rounds throughout the day. It was so much fun to watch them dig out the card, open it and realize what it said. The reactions were priceless. It was the best Christmas present we could have given them!

So we are currently 7 weeks along.

I haven't been to the doctor yet,

but we should be due around July or August. 

I haven't been sick at all yet,

but I have had really bad headaches EVERYDAY,

heartburn after almost every meal,

and I pee like a million times more than I used to.

They say that is due to the increase of blood

coming from the babe.

The other thing I have noticed is that I am

SO TIRED.

All the time.

I am just exhausted.

I go to bed early, wake up late,

doesn't matter.

I still want to take naps every afternoon!

Our baby is currently the size of a blueberry and

it's heart is already beating away!

We already love our little one so much,

and cannot wait for all the milestones along the path to becoming parents!

Baby Brown is on it's way!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well Christmas has come and gone, and it was one of the best Christmases ever! I have to admit I thought it was going to be weird with all our dysfunctional families! Haha, but everyone proved me wrong. We had so much fun going from house to house and everyone just seemed so happy. We went over to Waylon and Katie's for the Beck/Nunley Christmas Eve party. It was lots of fun and the food was delish! After that we had Christmas Eve at Mom's house and did the traditional Christmas Eve things. We started a new tradition, where we got to tell stories about good things each other had done throughout the year and everytime a story was told about you, you got to open a present. It was so nice to be reminded of why we love each other so much! Mom and Ken spoiled us, and I got a new camera! Along with TONS of other cute stuff. It makes me feel guilty when my parents go all out on Christmas!

After the Christmas Eve shin dig, the boys and I felt like it wouldn't be Christmas Eve without watching the Grinch. So they came over to our house and we popped in the movie. Lol, we got about 20 minutes into it when we decided there was no way we were going to stay awake. So they headed home. 

We were happy to get to bed, and we slept in until 8:00! I took a picture of my phone cuz I don't think I have ever slept that late on Christmas! We opened presents from each other and gave Hemi girl all her new toys! Kenz got me some cute clothes, a new make up case, a new robe, shoes, coat, lots of cute stuff! I got him some new clothes, and I got our internet hooked up and got him X Box Live! He is pretty stoked about that.

After that we got ready and headed over to Mike and Amy's for a yummy Christmas breakfast. We opened presents with them before the whole crew arrived. We were excited to give Mike and Amy their very special present (see next post) and once that was done, we headed over to Nephi to see my dad. 

Dad and Tracy spoiled us as well. We had stockings full of cool stuff (including a $30 gift card to Macaroni Grill). My dad got me the black Cricut Expression! And he got Kenz a really  nice pop up shade tent. Dad LOVED his present from us and started crying! We ate more good food then had to leave again. The only bad thing about Christmas was that we couldn't really stay in one place too long because we had so many people to visit. 

We went over to Ephraim to see mom and Ken one more time and to give them one last present. They, too, were over the top excited and I was glad we made the trip over to see them.

Finally we made it home. We got home and were completely WIPED OUT. We watched some Harry Potter because I am making a tradition for me and my little family to have a Harry Potter marathon every year during the few days of Christmas. We started them during the day on Christmas Eve and finished the day after Christmas at about midnight! The worst part of Christmas came at 11:00 when Kenzie had to go to work :( I was so sad to see him leave. But I am very thankful that I had him all weekend because for the past couple years he has had to work either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 

I had a major picture overload, going crazy with my new camera! So I tried to limit the madness by making a few collages.

Yep, Looks like Santa found us! 

All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful Christmas. We could not have asked for better, and we are SO SO thankful for our families for all they did to make this Christmas special. We love you guys!

PS.

In case you haven't put it together yet,

this will be our last Christmas with just us!

Baby Brown is on the way!!!!!!!!!!

Read on!

Eye Opener.

I just had to take a minute and share a story that Kenzie told me last night.

He works with a bunch of smelly, teenage, troublemakers all day and night every week. Lol we joke that working with these boys makes us never want to have kids, but of course we don't mean that. If we didn't love these kids and want the best for them, we wouldn't come to work everyday, trying to help them and worrying about them all the time. The program Kenzie and I work at together is a private facility. Most of the boys come from families all over the world who pay the tuition rate of $8,635.00 a month for them to be here. Needless to say, most of them will have a pretty good Christmas. Below is a picture of one little corner of my office. This is about 1/4 of the presents that will be here for the boys on Christmas morning.

This is my house. This is  not even half of the presents we have for Christmas. I would dare say that we are very fortunate, and after Kenzie told me this story last night, I started feeling very selfish. 

Well the program that Kenzie works at during the day is a state program. A lot of the kids there have had a rough life, and several of them don't have the loving families we have all grown up with. In a lot of cases the state took them because no one else would. The state gave each of them $58.00 to get themselves something for Christmas. They could buy a few things for themselves since they wouldn't be expecting packages from their families, or for those who actually do have families to send presents to, they got $58.00 to get each of them a Christmas present. I don't know how much you spend on Christmas, but $58.00 to buy something for myself and everyone I love wouldn't get me very far. I'm sure these kids were ecstatic to at least get some money to have some sort of Christmas. There are 12 boys out there, and Kenzie said that several of them spent all their money on others and didn't get a thing for themselves. And almost all of them used some of their money to buy Mackenzie a Monster Energy Drink from the store because they know he gets tired from working graveyards then day shifts. 

Does that not just bring you back to earth?

I got all emotional when Kenzie told me about it. I can't even believe that these boys, who most people are quick to stereotype and keep their kids away from, are so much more selfless than myself. They truly appreciate what they have, and I am so glad there are people out there who are good and kind and have the true spirit of giving this week. Not seeing who can give out the best neighbor gifts or who gives their family members the best presents, but being genuinely selfless and kind. What a great example.

Kenzie and I decided that we are going to go up north tonight and buy the boys a nice present and tell them how much we appreciate their example. I just wanted to share this story in hopes that as we celebrate the holiday this weekend, that we will keep in mind those who are less fortunate or spending the holidays away from their families. I was thankful for the reminder from a few teenage troublemakers of 

what Christmas is all about. 

Along those same lines,

I had to share this video. 

If you've never heard the song

One Last Christmas by Matthew West

check this out.

It is probably the best Christmas song ever!

Happy Holidays everyone.

We are sincerely grateful for the kind and genuine people we have in our lives

and we wish you the best this Christmas and for a wonderful new year.

A Few Things...

I have been so terrible lately to blog.

I just feel like there isn't much to say lately!

I seriously want to try and step it up because I absolutely love looking back and reading old blog posts and remembering how life used to be.

A few things we've been up to lately:

Kenz is playing city league basketball with some of his very best friends,

Russ, Teejay, Nolan, Chode, and Biggie. 

Over the years it seems like we see some of our friends less and less

so it is really nice to be able to see them at least once a week for basketball. 

I just love going and watching Kenzie play.

Watching all the wives there supporting their hubby's and the little kids running around all over just takes me back to my childhood and spending countless hours in gyms and at softball fields watching my dad play. It is fun that Kenzie is the same way and always dragging me out to games ;)

Sunday Dinners:

We are making it a priority lately to have Sunday dinner.

Lately it has been us and Jordy every Sunday night

It is such a nice way to end the weekend and get ready for another long work week by spending a few hours with the people we love. Aren't these two the cutest thing you've ever seen? With their steaks and potatoes! Lol the other day I stopped and was like, "Oh my gosh, you two look so much alike!" Haha they get it all the time, but some days they really do look like brothers. We love Jordan!

Other than that,

we've just been working our lives away. Seriously, Kenz is working 80 hours a week. 80! I am exhausted after doing 40. I don't know the heck he does it, but I sure do appreciate it. He works so hard to take care of me and every single date night, bill paid, surprise, or just handing me a 20 dollar bill means so much. When we first got married, we struggled. There were times that we were seriously broke. We never knew when Kenzie was going to get laid off and we were just so stressed about money all the time. Looking back, Kenzie always says we had to go through that so we would appreciate what we would have later on in life. And boy is he right. I never have to go to work without money in my wallet or gas in my car and I am so thankful for all he does to make that happen. I just can't even explain how happy I am to have someone that cares so much about my well being! He is just a sweetheart. 

 So anyway,

that's life lately.

 I am seriously going to make a big effort to be a better blogger. 

Senior Ball

Saturday was Ty's Senior Ball....

Him and Taneasha looked so stinkin' cute

and it was a great night!
I didn't have my camera so I stole mom's pictures off facebook!

I have finally been able to spend some quality time with the boys lately and it has been awesome!
I remember one day a few months ago me, Zack, and Ty were going to try and go to a movie and a few hours before we were going to go I got called into work. I just started bawling and realized how much I missed my brothers. The past year has been strange, and for a while things were just awkward between my whole family. But there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, and I am so happy that the boys come over and hang out or go up north with me. I miss them all the time!

A Very Special Day

Today is a very special day...

It's Ty's 18th birthday!

Ty is one of my very best friends in this world and I do not know what I would do without him. He is such a sweetheart and I just love being around him. He is the best brother anyone could ever ask for and as much as I hate seeing him grow up, I am so looking forward to seeing what the future holds for my cute, smart, funny, sweet little brother!

I love you Ty and I hope you have the best birthday ever!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was a little different this year because everyone had to work! Kenzie, Mom, and Zack all had to work on Thanksgiving so we decided to do a late dinner at our house. We didn't eat until about 8:00. I made the turkey! I was pretty nervous because I have never made a turkey before, but it turned out just fine! The food was delicious and it was nice to spend some quality time with the fam. 

Ty hung out with me while we waited for the rest of the family to show up. Hemi just LOVES Ty. He took a nap and she would just go snuggle up to him!

We have had a rough year,

but we have SO MUCH to be thankful for. 

Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to have the things we have. I am so thankful for each and every member of my family, for my house with my garage so my car is never frozen in the mornings, for my nice car, my job, my puppy, and mostly for my sweet husband. 

Now bring on Christmas!!!!

A Very Formal Thanksgiving!

Last Friday we had Thanksgiving Dinner with some of our favorite people. I just love that we have such good friends that we spend holidays with. The food was delicious, the company was awesome, and now we are looking forward to the Christmas party in a couple weeks!

Here are the boys saying a few words before we had dinner!

They are so funny!

After dinner,

Taylon had a little surprise for the boys.

Ash orders clothes for a living...

So they couldn't resist buying the boys these tuxedo shirts for pictures!

You would not believe how excited they got when Taylon busted them out.

It was like a brawl to get the right size. Then Taylon got out their camera and tripod and took pictures.Aren't they a cute bunch of boys!

 Parker, Carter, Levi, Kenz, Kaden, Paul, Taylon

Matt, Kamron, Jord, Tyler, and Chet

The girls didn't get a picture cuz we were too busy taking pictures of the crazy boys!

What a great group of friends to be thankful for!

We Broke Dawn!

We broke dawn!

Haha I had decided this year that I was going to wait and see the movie on Friday or Saturday and not fight the crowds to see the premiere. Well on Thursday at about noon I decided I couldn't bear not going to Breaking Dawn at midnight so my mom ran down to the theater and got in line. Luckily she was able to get a spot about 15 people back. When I got off work Zack, Ty, and I went over and kept the spot for the next 8 hours! We ended up having quite the variety of people in our twilight group... Of course my aunt Taneal came. I just love her. Mack got off work, took a quick nap then came to join us. We ended up in line with our friends, Matt, Kazia, and Kensey. Our random little cousin Kaden somehow found his way to our group. And of course Mom and Ken. We ate pizza, laughed A LOT, watched the movies on our mini DVD player, laughed some more and ended up in a mosh pit with about 50 teenagers. Haha, it was outrageous.But we got PRIME seats and the show was amazing. I will most definitely be seeing it again, and I am SO glad we decided to go on Thursday night. We had so much fun!

Since mom left us for a while to go to work, we didn't get too many pictures. But here is one of me and the boys waiting in line ALL freaking day!

Twilight enthusiasts!

Baby Talk

WELL....

I hope you all won't mind if I vent for a minute.

I have some major emotions that I need to get out of my system!

Most of you probably don't know that Kenz and I

have spent most of this year trying to get pregnant. 

In the beginning, 

we just decided to stop being careful

and see if anything happens.

Nothing.

A few months later we started

really WANTING a baby.

Nothing.

Nothing, nothing. 

Now it is starting to consume me,

and every month is getting sadder and sadder.

I have been going to the doctor

and by next Monday we will know for sure what is going on.

The doc is like 90% sure that I have

 Endometriosis

but I had blood work and ultrasounds all last week

to rule out ovarian cysts or tumors.

I found out today that I have very high levels of prolactin,

which could be causing all of this. 

Assuming that it is endometriosis,

I am going to have to start this intense (expensive) therapy for 3-6 months

where I go in weekly for a shot and take pills everyday 

which will turn off my estrogen, which is what feeds the endometriosis.

Oh and PS! You can't get pregnant during this therapy!

Sounds super appealing right??

OR 

we can continue trying and take our chances of

getting pregnant with endometriosis,

which are not very high and include risks of miscarrying. 

Does that not seem like a lose/lose situation?!

I am so frustrated and this has been such an emotional roller coaster.

It is so hard for me to see people who don't even WANT kids

or TRY to get pregnant getting them.

There are so many times people get drunk and get pregnant!

Or don't want another baby, but get an accident!

Or we have a friend who's girlfriend basically tricked him into

getting her pregnant so he wouldn't break up with her.

Needless to say it is infuriating to me

that someone could bring a baby into the world

in those types of situations when I want one so bad!

I am hesitant to say that because I don't want my good friends

that are pregnant to think I am not happy for them, because I totally am!

And I know they will be amazing parents.

I'm just jealous!

I know we are still young

and there is tons of time to start our family. 

But when you decide that you are ready for it,

it is hard not to be sad when it doesn't happen.

And it is hard not to get upset when people don't appreciate

the blessing of having kids.

And on top of that, 

it SUCKS getting poked and picked on at the doctor

all the time and knowing you're not getting any closer to the end.

Sorry for the pity party!

I am trying to have a good attitude

and not stress out too much about it

cuz I'm sure that's only making matters worse.

I just want to start my family!

What a Guy!

Just had to share a few things that my hubby has done lately

that have made me absolutely, head over heels in love!!!

* He keeps making me dinner!
Several times in the last few weeks I have come home 

from work and he has dinner ready.

He even cooks healthy stuff like stir fry 

cuz we are trying to eat good!

* He drove clear to Lehi one day last week and bought me a

 snowboard, boots, and bindings!

I love it!

* He came out to work and broke into my car

when I locked my keys in the car last week!

* He took me on TWO nice dates over the weekend

which both included a nice dinner and some good shopping!

* But the best one happened last night during an hour long phone call

when he told me that I didn't need to worry because he would never let anybody hurt me!
Is that not the sweetest thing a guy can say to you????

I can't believe the freaking cuteness sometimes.

Sorry to get all cheesy....

But I just have to make sure I remember

all these sweet things he does on a daily basis!

How the heck did I get so lucky!!!!

A Good Person

I have something that I have been wanting to blog 

about for quite some time now,

but haven't really known exactly what to say

and didn't want to offend anyone or

make anyone think any less of me.

But I need to get some of these feelings out.

My testimony is not strong.

Since about this time last year we have had several things happen

( especially lately)

that have made me really question a lot of things.

We aren't active in the church.

We do things that are frowned upon by the church.

Are we bad people?

We still believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost.

But I do not feel that the church is being ran the

way that Heavenly Father intended it.

And that makes it very hard for me to go

and to pay my tithing and to sit in relief society and get judged.

Mostly I just want to know...

What makes you a good person?

I know so many people who drink and swear

that are great people and who would do anything in the world for you.

I have had some of these people show up to 

help me when I needed someone the most.

I can't even begin to describe how wonderful some of

the people in my life are.... who aren't active in the church.

I get a warm and welcomed feeling when I am with these people.

And it so hard for me to believe that these people

are going to be turned away by Jesus when they try to go to heaven

or will be denied the opportunity to be with their families forever.

Maybe this is just a phase we are going through.

Or maybe I am making a major change in my life.

I just know that I want to be a good person.
And I feel like I have been a better person this last year

than I have been my whole life.

I need some direction!
Does anyone else feel this way sometimes??

What a Weekend!

What a weekend!

We did all sorts of fun stuff this weekend and by

Sunday night we had worn ourselves out!

Please try to refrain from laughing out loud at this picture.

Haha, Thursday was the Zumba Halloween party

and I HATE dressing up.

So me and Ash got the bright idea to just bust out 

our old cheer uniforms.

Lol, I had to send Ty a picture and tell him

I was representing JHS the night before the big game.

He was probably like WOW my sister is a loser.

Friday we made the trip up to Stansbury

to watch Ty play in the high school football playoffs.

It was a rough night!
The game didn't turn out so well,

and Ty was so sad

that it was the last game he will ever play in.

I am getting SO sick of the constant

reminders that my little Fluffy is growing up!

It was so fun that we just happened to play Stansbury,

which is where our cousins go to school!

Kylie was so cute with her Stansbury gear and

her crimson and gold #63 on her cheek for Ty!

Andrew is Ky's friend/boyfriend

Lol, dramatic high school relationships, right?

He is the cutest, most outgoing kid ever!
He came to Mom's wedding and 

he just automatically fit in with our family.

 He said that since we are having a hard time making a baby

he would come be my son!

Friday night when I got home,

we went over to Matt and Kazia's house

for a little get together with our friends.

In the rare occasion that one of our friends 

is out before we all head home,

the boys could NOT resist the temptation to draw on his face!

Haha sorry Chet!

 Saturday morning we went to the Annual Buffalo Cup.

I could not believe how many people were there.

The buffalo cup is a race in Indianola.

It is not actually called the Buffalo Cup.

But our friends feel the need to incorporate the Buffalo into everything.

So they literally made a buffalo trophy

for whoever won out of our friends.

We had a little ceremony after the race

and Taylon and Kamron

were the ones to take the prize.

Haha, it was fun to just sit with our friends

and watch them race all day.

Saturday night,

we went over to Chet's for a while.

Literally watched Tosh.0 for like 4 hours.

Haha, it was kinda funny to see like 15 people

smashed into his living room watching tv and cracking up 

at the stupid stuff on that show!

We got to bed by about 11:30, 

which is like a record for us!

Sunday was spent having MUCH needed husband and wife time.

We cleaned the house,

watched the Halloween movies,

made lasagna for dinner, which was delicious by the way,

Kenz made a good 5 layer dip,

we watched the Cowboys get dominated :[

and we just snuggled until he finally made himself go to work at 10.

I have to say this was a great weekend.

The joys of being a young, married couple!

Lol one of these days we are going to HAVE to start

being more responsible and saving money and staying home sometimes.

But for now,

I will just enjoy the fun times we have together!

Mom's Wedding ♥

Can you believe my mom is a married woman!
October 15th was a beautiful day.

I don't think I have ever in my life seen my mom this happy.

I remember when I got married my family said that

I just had this glow around me.

Now I know what they're talking about!
She was glowing.

Ken is a great person,

and I am thankful that he came into our lives when he did.

We had such a fun weekend hanging out,

decorating,

eating,

watching old family videos,

jamming out to music in the kitchen,

and just spending time together with all our 

cousins, aunts, uncles, grandpa, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.

I am sad it's over!

Here are some pictures of the big day.