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Easter Weekend

I got to go home for Easter... for the first time since I moved away from home in '03. It was so much fun! We had basically the whole family together, only missing Chad. (This rarely happens.) It not only was a weekend to go home and spend some quality time with the fam... but it was also "introduction" weekend for Burkley to meet the family. (dun dun dun) haha Everything went really well, we had such a good time! We got to spend a day in Seattle, walking through Pike's Place Market (my favorite), feeding the Seagulls at Ivars on the peir etc. We then went up to Bellingham and spend the next 2 days there. Went to dinner with my dad to this great newer restaurant called Scotty Browns... very modern and great atmosphere. I got to play with my little neice Lily a TON and it was so much fun to see her personality growing and changing so much from the last time I saw her at Christmas. She wants to play with and see and observe and get to know EVERYTHING and EVERY ONE. I loved this!
It's weekends like this one that make me miss living closer to my family.... maybe someday :)

Reunited and it feels so good!!

Meghan has turned the big 2-4!...
So, what did we do? The 3 Amigos got together and went to Vegas of course! Meghan couldn't come out till Sunday, but a bunch of other people wanted to go out too, so we went out early. It was a looooong weekend, but VERY fun! Not only did I spend the weekend with the Utah friends I love the most I had a bunch of my High School friends from Washington that I was able to meet up with and hang out with. (A couple that I haven't seen since High School!) Needless to say we had a wonderful (but tiring) weekend! The weather wasn't very good, but we got over it. Here are some pictures of the weekend.
Funniest thing that happened??... Chad.

Another Baby!! Can you believe it?!

So, this year alone I will go from having 1 niece to have 3 niece/nephews!!! How does that happen you ask?? Well, My sister Rachel and her husband Chad are pregnant with their 2nd baby!!! Not only is she pregnant, but she is due about 3 weeks after Jessica is!! Talk about so much fun! We are going to have so many little babies come Christmas time it's going to be so much fun.

When Rachel told me she was prego with baby number 2 I was so excited and surprisingly I wasn't even shocked. I've kind of had this feeling that it was only a matter of time before Rach and Chad went for baby number 2... I mean Lily's over a year old now, seems like a good time. I'm so excited for them to have another baby, and how fun will it be for Jessica and Rachel's babies be so close in age!

Should we start taking bets if this baby will be a mini-me of Rachel this time?! ;)

Congratulations Rachel and Chad, I'm so excited to have another baby around, and once again I'm getting more and more sad that I'm not going to be there for EVERYTHING! Love you guys with all my heart.

Weekend at the Farm

Last weekend Jessica and Zach came down and we went with some friends down to Holden, UT to hang out at Jake's families Dairy Farm. We did all the things you would normally do on a dairy farm, milked the cows, feed the calf's with a bottle, rode the biggest horse ever, shot some rabbits and got crapped on by a cow. It was actually a really good time! We went to some Hot Pots for awhile the first night there, they were more like luke-warm pots, but we had a good time. Apparently you could dive down super far and there were little glow sticks all along the bottom. From what I was told... it looked pretty cool.

I loved the baby cows, they are so cute and I wanted to take one home, Jake said no. I've never milked a cow before, so I asked the worker if I could give it a try. I went first and milked away, then Jessica went over for her turn... and just her luck the cow next to the one we were milking just started pooing everywhere!! It splattered of course, and I can now say I've been pooed on by a cow.

Here are some pictures of our weekend on the farm, and may I suggest to you that if you have the chance to visit a farm for a weekend, do it :)

Kael Vladimir Gwilliam

Baby Kael was born to Sean and Nichole Gwilliam yesterday at 7:10pm. He was 6 lbs 4 ounces and 19 inches long.

As a little background for you all... I have never been to a baby birthing, much less to a hospital to hang out with someone around the time of a baby birthing. Nichole let me come to the hospital early and share in this amazing experience. For the first time in my life I sat in a delivery room and heard the swift beat of an unborn babies heart beat. Talk about the sweetest thing!

Nichole was induced yesterday afternoon and just like any other induced labor things were moving along very slowly. The nurses were concerned because Kael's heart rate kept dropping and the next thing you know the doctors in the room saying it's time to get moving on an emergency c-section. Sean wasn't at the hospital yet since things had been moving so slowly, no one thought there was any sort of rush. I called Sean right away and he made... just in time. He was able to go back with Nichole to surgery and see his first born son come into the world! Kael was quickly taken from mom and brought into the NICU. He was having a hard time breathing and was put on oxygen for about an hour, but was then breathing all on his own perfectly. I spent the next few hours watching this sweet sleeping baby and constantly smiling at watching Sean take in his new baby. Talk about a proud father. Sean couldn't leave Kael's side and couldn't wipe the smile off his face. As we all took our turns enjoying these moments poor Nichole was stuck in the room being stapled up and drugged. 4 hours later her little angel was finally brought in to be held for the first time.... and once again I cried. (This would now bring the crying count to... ummm I don't know... about 87.) Nichole and Sean held their baby for the first time and the quote of the night was by Sean... "I could do this forever". And by this he meant, sit, hold his baby, stare at how perfect he is and then look over at his wife and smile.
Grandma Monica got her turn to hold the little one and then all the rest of us took our turns.

Thank you Nichole and Sean for letting me be a part of this day. I've only know Kael for a few hours now, but I love him so much I can't even explain.... you guys are going to be such great parents I have no question of that. To see the interactions of you with Kael proved that within seconds. I cannot wait to be a part of his life. As his godmother and Auntie Nelly I promise to be there whenever I'm needed (and sorry for you guys, I'll probably be there even when I'm not). I will love him forever and always, just like I love you both!

Auntie Janell!!!

My sister Jessica and her husband Zach are going to have a baby!!

I am so excited for this little one to come. I've known since December 27, and have had to keep this secret until Zach and Jess were ready to spread the goodness and it's BEEN KILLING ME. This will be my 2nd niece or nephew... and it's KILLING me that I don't live closer to get to see these little one's grow. Jessica I'm still holding my breath that you guys will come hang out with me for awhile... aka move to Utah. I'm sure the grandparents wouldn't be too happy about that, but think how FUN it would be. :)

The countdown begins to September, when my little nephew Marvin will be born. I have decided that Jess and Zach are having a boy and I have named him Marvin. I'm not sure why Marvin, for some reason it was the first thing that popped into my head and now it just makes me laugh.

I love you Jess and Zach, I can't wait to see your gorgeous little one!!