Bradley and Ellen

Beach-tastic!

2011-03-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

I never thought my first trip to the beach would be unplanned and spontaneous, but it was! On Monday, the first day of Bradley's Spring break, we were twiddling our thumbs trying to come up with activities to fill our week. We tossed around local stuff and Nauvoo...but my joking proposition to go to Florida starting turning into a reality the more we crunched the numbers. We booked our hotel on Hotwire, packed our sunscreen, and at 3 am the next morning, we set off for Pensacola Beach.

I had no expectations. I thought the beach would be rocky and cold. The lack anticipation and planning really made the trip one of the best ones I've ever experienced. Flying by the seat of your pants really pays off sometimes...

Sweet & Sour

2011-03-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Sweet...

Sour...

Cabin Fever Made Bad Snip-Snap

2011-02-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

I don't really know what happened during Oliver's 6th month, but the pictures I took were extra special. Enjoy...?

I like this one. It says hunter-gatherer all over it.

Hunter-gatherer down.

Ode to flash dance.

There's no unicorn, is there?

My bum's in a bowl. My bum's in a bowl. Sing it, now.

Hunter-gatherer meets hobo.

Christmas pageant goes ill.

I've got three dirty diapers hidden up there.

We really only leave the house for church. Explains a lot...

Our Holiday Adventure

2011-01-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well its a brand new year and time for the first blog update of 2011! We had a great Christmas vacation this year which consisted of a lot of TRAVELING!!! We wanted to take advantage of the time we had off for the holidays to see as many people as possible and it turned out to be a great success! Our first journey was a rivoting 10 hour drive from Des Moines to Colorado Springs which is always a lot of fun! Althouth the drive wasn't that great we had a great time with the bennion family seeing movies and just having a great time! Claire especially liked dressing up Oliver with the tupperware bowls.
After a short stay in Colorado Springs we were dropped off at the Denver airport and we hopped on a plane and headed for Salt Lake City. It was Olivers first plane ride but he had a great time during take off and slept all the way there! What a great boy! Then after a 3 hour trip in a rental car we arrived in Blackfoot Idaho where the Christmas party really took off! Oliver was so excited to be with his cousin Madison!

He also loved meeting his Uncle Brandon and playing with Aunt Lacey

If there is one thing that is synonymous with Christmas at the Stokes house it is food! We ate so much we could have all popped. It was so Good! There were Cookies

And Pies

And dont forget the marinated filet mignon! Delicious!

Even Oliver enjoyed his first jar of baby food over the Christmas break! It was sweet potatoes and he loved it.

Well sure enough Christmas Eve came and we all had a visit from the pajama elfs! They brought us all some pretty snazzy pajamas Bradley even had star wars on his!

After Christmas was all said and done the partying was far from over! We went and spent two days in Utah to celebrate with the extended Stokes and Fillmore families. We had a really fun white elephant party with the Fillmores where Oli got to meet his great Grandma and Grandpa Fillmore!

Then Ellen and I stayed with Uncle Orvil and Aunt Patty which was of course a blast! Thanks Patty and Orvil for letting us crash your party! The next day we had a gourmet chinese dinner at Grandma Stokes houses and needless to say it was delicious also! After all of that parting we were just about done but we also got to stay at Grandma and Grandpa Watsons house for two days (one extra due to a winter storm) We felt so lucky that we got to see so much of our family during the same trip!

After all that fun we returned to Colorado for a day before making the exciting journey back to Des Moines! We found everything here just the way we found it and the new year is already treating us well! Thanks to everyone for such a great holiday season! And even though the sun has sent on 2010 we wish everybody the best of fortunes in the great new year of 2011!

Thanksgiving in Colorado!!

2010-12-11T16:52:00.001-08:00

Well this is Bradley reporting in for this blog update! It is that time of year again and we had a great start to our holiday season in good old Colorado! I had a whole week off of school (including one day of skipped classes!) so we had plenty of time to party hard! We left Des Moines right at 11:30 in the morning and we actually made the journey to Colorado springs in only 10 and 1/2 hours which is a new record! Oliver was a great traveler although he did get a little grumpy every now and then! Here are some of the things we did while we were celebrating!

We had an awesome time trying to hit golf balls at the driving range!

What a Swing!

Getting ready for a great drive

We played a seriously intense game of jenga

After all of that hard work hitting golf balls and playing games we had to go and get some refreshment right? So we went to this cool ice cream place and got kids sized cones for a dollar! Yes those are KIDS sized cones! It was crazy!

Oliver just loved his first thanksgiving (although he didn't really enjoy the mashed potatoes that we force fed him!) One of his favorite parts was when he got to jump on a tampoline for the first time with mom! In his new bear suit and all!

All in all our Thanksgiving vacation was really fun and it was just too bad that it had to end so quickly! The best part was of course being with family especially so that Oliver could get to know his family better even if they are a little crazy sometimes!

After it was all said and done I knew more than ever what I am most thankful for in my life! The two best people in the whole world! Happy Holidays everybody and a Merry Christmas!!

Baby Love

2010-11-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

There are two things babies love: food and things that light up. Oliver started rice cereal mixed with juice, and man does he devour it! (Hence the unbreakable concentration.)

We weren't going to put up a Christmas tree this year because we won't be in town, but while Bradley was at church (I stayed home sick), I decided to surprise him and put it up anyway. Oliver has a hard time looking at all the sparkles. It looks like he just got out of a whirlpool when he stares at it too long.

Five-Year-Old Flying Lesson

2010-11-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

Bradley went to church without me today because I was sick. The Primary lesson was supposed to be on the Resurrection.

"So, what can Jesus do for us that we can't do by ourselves?" (Looking for the Resurrection answer)

"Can Jesus fly?" One of them asked randomly.

"People can't fly." Another answered smartly.

"The only way people can fly is by hang gliding when you have to hang stuff on your arms and legs so there's no way for the wind to get through when we fly."

"I know some people who can fly. Batman and Superman."

"Yeah, but those aren't real people."

"I know how you can fly," another piped in. "If you don't understand the law of gravity you can fly. But if you do understand the law of gravity, you can't fly."

Then one of the students tried to levitate out of their chair.

"Look! I don't understand the law of gravity!"

Our Windows are Covered in Goo.

2010-11-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

We have a fly problem at our house. For weeks I was wondering where all these darn flies were coming in from. The weather has changed. Summer's gone. There shouldn't be house flies buzzing in at every moment.

Well after two weeks, I'd had enough. I was sick of smashing flies with an old Ensign magazine in windows and against our newly painted wall. I began wracking my brain for places they could be originating. Maggots, anyone?

I thought of Oliver's diaper pail. Nope. Not there.

The garbage? Perhaps an old lump of steak had fallen somewhere and had attracted the little nasties.

Then it hit me.

When we first moved into our lovely, brand new apartment, a bird nest had been built on a fire sprinkler on our deck. Birds had left a giant mound of poop in front of our sliding door and also...we THINK...a few little birdie eggs that DECOMPOSED.

Bradley went outside with an apron, gloves, broom, and a Walmart bag. He knocked the nest down, and BANG. Flies. Lots of them.

I'm still mortified. Every once in a while a little sick one still wanders in, begging for a snack.

Too bad we took his away. I just hope whatever was whetting his appetite was tied directly to the decomposing nest. If not...something seriously disgusting found its way into our sprinkler head.

Nerd Alert

2010-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! I bet no one can guess what we dressed up as. Expectopatronum, dude! Ha!

Oli was Hedwig/An Obscure Owl. Isn't he cute?!

At least we weren't the only nerdy ones there. We dig other nerds.

The Epic Dual...

We found Dumbledore. Phew.

Oli + Dad = Still Distracted

Snot, drool, tears. Poor little owl. He didn't know what to think.

The trunk-or-treat was awesome this year because it was beautiful outside! That is definately one thing I'm loving about Iowa. There's actually a long fall! Yippie!

Oli Pop

2010-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of this little guy! He looks just like a little lolly pop that got licked and stuck to the carpet. His hair is so crazy!

Crazy Iowa Colors

2010-10-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Being from Colorado, I'm a little biased. When you enter the state line, the sign says "Welcome to Colorful Colorado". I thought nothing could be more colorful: the red rocks, the purplish mountains, and bright indigo sky.

Iowa's taken me by surprise. Here's a progression of a sunset from my deck. It was wild!

The whole sky was literally orange. Not just part of it. The whole thing. I'd never seen anything like it.

A few days later, we were at a local park, and this was the bright green algae on the Raccoon River! I thought it was totally nuts! It looks like Mormon Jello salad. Ha!

No Free Guac

2010-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, if you dress up like a burrito on Halloween and enter the euphoria of a local Chipotle restaurant, you get a free burrito. A few people in my family have been doing it for years.

Needless to say, I was a little disappointed to find that Halloween fell on a Sunday this year. Not that I particularly like Halloween, or that I was looking forward to breaking the Sabbath, but because I wanted my free Chipotle burrito via dressing Oliver up as a burrito so I could wallow in free zesty chicken and black beans.

Oh well. At least we have a blog to showcase the Renold's wrap pre-Halloween rehersal.

10-10-10

2010-10-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Us (And Probably Didn't Want to):

1)When we go on long car trips we don't listen to music or talk for hours and hours and hours on end. And we don't even mind.

2)I ran into Bradley exactly 3 years ago at the Conference Center and then we started dating immediately afterwards.

3)We are counting down the days for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

4)Bradley is secretly in love with a Fiber One Andioxidant cereal. I'm in love with the Fiber One pancake mix. Please, no comments on this one, people ;-)

5)When we're bored, we watch full episodes of House Hunters on HGTV.

6)We both talk in our sleep. For example, two nights ago Bradley sat up, and waved his hand like he was Captian Planet saying "Walk. Ground. Earth. Wind. Dirt." He was completely serious.

7)I am dead set on throwing a Regency Ball someday.

8)We love looking at model homes and getting pretend quotes.

9)No matter what we do, Oliver always has fuzz between his toes. He rarely even wears socks.

10)We haven't washed the outside of our car in two years.

So now you know. Aren't you thrilled? Hopefully this gets you thinking about the kooky things in your home! Life would be boring without them!

Out of the Gate and Time's Already Flying

2010-09-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Oli's second month is almost gone and I don't want to forget it. His floppy, cuddly, bob-against-your-neck stage is coming to an end. I will miss it.

This is his "before church hair"

And his "after church hair"

We went to a corn pool (literally). That's Oli with his friend Atticus. Oliver mostly just sat on top of the corn and wiggled his feet through it. It was pretty amazing, that corn.

And nothing's sweeter than a baby sleeping. Bradley and I always joke that it's like watching a fire. You just can't stop looking at them!

I can honestly say I've never had so much fun in my entire life. Being a mom is just too cool.

Renaissance Festival

2010-09-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning with nothing to do...so, naturally, we went to the Renaissance Festival.

First, we posed at the play house.

Then we tried to knock some pins down with a ball. You got three tries, and the best part was the sign.

Here's me by the castle in front of the jousting arena, and then me with the princess and her friends.

The parade with the king, queen, and other drunken people...?

Here's the jousting fight/sword fight. It was the best part. Oliver thought it was awesome, I think.

The food there was awesome (and super expensive). Here's our 1 kabob for $7. We also got a funnel cake (Bradley had never had one!), but I didn't get a picture of that. It was just too good to remember to take a picture while eating it.

Dragon Skull (I dunno...)

Oli gettin' ready for the Wild Wenches Pony Race...

And then the Wild Wenches themselves.

Here's what Oliver thought of that.

And here's Oliver once we got him outta there and into the car...(nah, he loved it)!

Dairy Confessions

2010-09-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

We love chocolate milk. We love ice cream. A lot. But we've made a compromise lately after Bradley took a nutrition class at school (brakes screeching in the background...)

A good compromise.

If you're as squeamish about soy as I was, don't be. It's GOOD. It is just like chocolate milk only it has real cocoa in it, so it has a darker flavor. Yum. And the Ben and Jerry's--go snuggle up to it. It loves you back. The chunks in it are still huge.

Be brave. You can still cheat on Cold Stone later.

Bradley vs. Doug

2010-08-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Back in one of my psychology classes, I heard that people often marry people who are similiar to one of their parents, i.e. females marry men like their fathers and males marry women like their mothers.
Sound weird? Well, here are some obscure similarities between Bradley and my dad.
THINGS THEY LOVE (AKA ALMOST CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT):
Homemade Rootbeer.
Heinz 57.
Rib-eye steak.
Corn on the cob (in massive quantities, if available).
Popcorn at the movies (the movie doesn't matter so much as long as there's a treat involved and its half entertaining).
Salad (especially from a salad bar).
Chips and Dip (French Onion and Fresh Salsa).
Claussen Pickles.
Toffee.
Buffalo Wings.
THINGS THEY DO:
Monopoly.
Cook more than their wives (and probably grocery shops).
Snore.
Wear Sunday socks with shorts.
Semi-lame jokes (actually, they are pretty funny).
Late 90's/early '00 sitcoms.
Piano.
Bowling.
Top off the gas tank and shake it.

A Little Something About Oli

2010-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Every weekday morning after Bradley's goes off to school, Oliver and I just lounge around until we feel like waking up and getting dressed. He holds my hand and makes faces, doses in and out of sleep, growls, and coos. Its during these moments that I get little glimpses into his future personality...

Personality hint #1-Future Ladies Man

Personality hint #2-Future Philosopher

Personality hint #3-Future "Eat Mom and Dad out of house and home, including the sheets."

Personality hint #4-Future Sneakster

Personality hint #5-Future Right-hand Man

Personality hint #6-Future Sweetheart (Yeah, Mama's boy...)

I want him to stay right where he is, but I can't wait to see who he turns into. I feel like I'm caught in a wonderful and unsure place. Motherhood rocks.

Bradley's Birthday Bash

2010-08-07T13:53:00.001-07:00

Welp, Bradley is officially over the mid-twenty hump. That's right, he's 26! Hip Hip Hurray! Here's how the party went down...

First, after a great night's sleep thanks to Oli (no joke), Bradley decided that we needed donuts for breakfast! Three cheers for donuts!

For lunch we tried a new borrito place called Panchero's (kinda like Chipotle only they make the tortillas from dough right in front of you and mix the stuff in your borrito) and then the party started! Two things I couldn't resist:

One, I saw this Star Wars birthday banner at the store. Need I say more?

And then a party hat for Oliver!

Then it was time for some gifties and a Jello cheesecake (by special request)! When I first asked Bradley what he wanted gift wise, he immediately said he wanted a...

TIE HANGER!!!?

And a new SHOWER HEAD!! We went to Lowe's and picked it out special!

He also got a new tennis raquet! (Shout out to Nathan and Shaleena--you have been warned of a tennis doubles match. Cut throat.)

Happy Birthday Bradley! Sorry the candles didn't change colors like the package said ;-( HAHAHAHA!! Love you to bits!

Oliver's Big Weekend

2010-08-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

Oliver is one month old! We have loved every minute of him! He is such a great, sweet baby and hardly makes a fuss unless he's hungry. We love him so much. This weekend was his baby blessing and a lot of his family came out to see him. It was beautiful. Thank you so much for everyone who traveled. It was AWESOME and SO much fun! I think Oliver stole a lot of hearts while he was here with his mini man charm and good looks.
Guess who's hiding in the big, crooked family picture...? Hmm, I wonder ;-)

Claire wasn't liking the pictures too much, so I thought I'd give her credit for this one. Pretty cute.

Overall I think Oliver will be very excited to hear the stories of his blessing when he is older. Namely, gallons of Cold Stone in our freezer, fun games, ugly picture contest (don't ask), yummy sandwiches, yummy restaurants, RED potato salad, and a good heap of hello dolly bars. Oh yeah--and a really great time with FAMILY! The best!

Strike a Pose, Tiny Man

2010-07-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures for ya. I just wanna cuddle the little sugarbugger, don't you? 6 days old ;-)

The Full Story

2010-07-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Alright, NOW that we are home, I have a moment to get Ollie's story up! It's a long one, so hold on tight!

Thursday, July 1st I was scheduled to be induced and we were going to stay at the hospital overnight. The hospital was so full that they kept pushing our time back into the night until a bed was empty, so we didn't get checked in until 10. Well, with the first medication, I thought it wouldn't start contractions until they got me pitocin in the morning along side it. I thought we would be bored out of our minds playing card games and watching HGTV. Wrong. The contractions started after an hour. They were bad at first. And then they got badder. I know that's not a word, but I'm trying not to use profanities. It hurt. Bad. And they wouldn't let me go to the bathroom for 2 hours after the medication started, so it was wretched. In order to get through it, I had to picture that a rock was in my hand and I was crushing it to dust. Weird, but true. Bradley said I didn't look like I was in pain, but trust me...

Well, our little friend the epidural came. Not to judge anyone who likes to go all natural or whatever, but who in the sam wouldn't get one??! The lady who gave me mine had it in my back in literally 2 mintues tops. The funniest part was when she said it would feel like I hit my funny bone in my butt...hmmm. Did I care? No. Stick that needle in, crazy! And quick!

I wish I could say that after the epidural everything was cake. For almost all 19 hours of labor I was shaking like crazy. I'm talking BIG shakes. It was so weird. I couldn't control it. I bet this has happened to some of you. It is horrible! You try to "rest" like the nurses say, but you are shaking the whole bed! I kept apologizing for it (well, for everything), but the nurses were so nice and kept telling me I was completely normal. Phew.

It was a really slow process. One of the funniest things was that I was burning up (naturally) and so I kept asking Bradley to turn down the temp. And down. And down. Pretty much every person who came in the room was like "Whoa! Do you know how cold it is in here? Are you cold?" Um, no. I was burning up and Bradley was wrapped up like a mummy in a long toga-like blanket. The doctor made some sort of a joke about my husband wearing a dress, but I didn't really think anything was funny. This was the doctor in my group of OB's that I was trying to avoid the whole time and lucky me--he was the one on call that day. We've called him "Doctor Knit-whit" from the beginning just praying he wouldn't deliver our baby. And he wears tight jeans. It's disturbing. Okay, back to the story...

Before his actual birth, his heart rate started to slow down a lot. It gave us a little scare, but the whole process was hard on the little guy. The cord was just losely around his neck, but he was breathing really fast and was blue when he came out. I seriously had no idea what was going on. I was so out of it, and I was so traumatized by Dr. Knit-whit making stupid comments to distract me that I just stared off into space.

But little Oliver was here! They put a ginormous oxygen mask on his face that totally smushed his eyes back. It made me so sad. But I got to hold him for a quick minute before he went off for testing. I didn't get to see him until much later that night and then I just snuggled him. It was sooo nice. And Bradley is sooo cute with him. They are just great!

Overall, the only good part about having Oliver was Oliver himself. Totally worth it, but a bit of a nightmare. ;-) Good thing he's delicious.
Ollie and his Daddy

Me and my little man

Going home outfit

Our little one is here!

2010-07-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well after a long long long night and most of a day our little Oliver finally arrived! He made a grand entrance weighing 8 pounds and 2.5 ounces and measured a whopping 21.5 inches long! Of course if you take the cone head into consideration he would probably lose an inch or so! Here are a few pictures so that you can get to know him and there will be more tomorrow when he has taken his true form!

And here is a picture of one awesome mom! She did such a great job!

We are so excited for our new little guy! What a relief that he is here!

Midnight Madness

2010-06-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

We were in need of some serious distractions yesterday, so we decided to go to the midnight showing of Eclipse. In order to kill time before the show we played Phase 10 and made sure to put the hospital bags in the car. I was kinda hoping I would spring into labor once we bought our tickets or something, but reverse psychology didn't work. The movie was really fun, by the way. Definately more guy friendly. But going to bed at 3:30 and waking up at lunch time messes with your mind. At least it's practice for the coming days, right??!

Eviction Notice Unsuccessful

2010-06-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Attention: While at high adventure camp, our son learned how to tether his umbilical cord around my spinal column with a Palomar knot. He has no intention of cutting it loose, but remains in a state of utter relaxation whilst bouncing on the world's finest water bed. A Simmon's, I believe.

"Wow! You're huge! You've doubled in size!"

Yup, someone actually told me that at church. At least she had the guts to say what everyone else was only thinking. Gotta give her props for that. For now, I think I'll go have another brownie.

I was really hoping the crazy full moon and absolute WORST thunderstorm I've ever seen would've given him the nudge, but those old wives tales are only there to mess with my sanity. Eating nearly a whole pineapple didn't do it either, though I must say, it most definately contributed to my "doubling in size".

Onward to the realm of overdue! And what a marvelous journey it will be! *Loves*

2 Year Anniversary and 39 Weeks!

2010-06-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

First off, YES I am still pregnant for all of you eagerly awaiting a phone call. I do enjoy cruel and unusual punishment on most days, but I assure you, this is one arena where I'll show some mercy *hehe*.

It was our 2 year anniversary yesterday! Yippie! And what a GREAT, HAPPY, WONDERFUL 2 years it has been! Here's how it went down in pictures...
We went to a hibachi grill for lunch called the Samuri. We were the only ones in there. Flaming onion volcano included!

Then we went to the movies...

(www.cinecon.com/frontimages/1440-toystory3.jpg)
Just for the record, a SMALL popcorn was $5.40 cents. What the...good thing we collected points from our Frosted Mini Wheats cereal boxes for a $5 voucher off of concessions! (Super nerd alert!)
Then the best part of all. Bradley made me a book full of our favorite "P.S" lines from our all of our e-mails while we were dating and engaged. They are super funny and super adorable to read. There are so many in there! It seemed we always saved the P.S. lines for those gems of truth haha. Plus, I love those pink daisies!

The surprises kept coming! Bradley made me stay out of the kitchen while he made me a secret dessert--paradise pie from Chili's! Except it was homemade and even better! He paired it with cake batter ice cream. Yeah. Go google the recipe and make your own. You'll want to explode with chocolately, gooey happiness.

I love you, Bradley!!!!!

And lastly, the 39 week shot of doom. This had better be the last one. Actually, it is the last one. Any "past due" shots just make me wanna hurl ;-)

Take me out to the Ball Game!

2010-06-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, life continues to be as exciting as ever here in Des Moines Iowa as we await the arrival of our new little family member. Bradley is still on break from school and is working a few hours a day in the Anatomy Lab which he really enjoys so that is good. Both of us have really enjoyed all the time that we have been able to spend together and we have done some pretty sweet stuff during this past little while. Last week Ellen suprised Bradley with the anouncement that we were going to go to a Cub's babseball game here in Des Moines! It was dollar day at the stadium so we packed up our umbrella and went off to the ball game. Bradley had never before been to a real baseball game which Ellen thought was rediculous! Here is a picture of us at the ball game.

And here is one of the giant tarp that they pulled over the field during the rain delay. It started to rain pretty hard for a while!

The baseball game was pretty fun and all of the people getting more and more drunk each inning was interesting too. Needless to say we left a little early so as to get off the road before all of them got on the road!

We also had a really fun time yesterday at the Ames Iowa Parad of Homes! Ames is a little town about 1 hour from Des Moines so we packed up our little Honda Civic and went to see some homes. We took our GPS with us but most of the homes were so new that their addresses were not in the system so we had to rely on the little map they gave us to get around. After several hours and a few instances of getting lost however we were able to see all 8 homes in the parade. Our favorite home was a 2 story house with a finished basement that had a cool family room with built in surround sound! Bradley thought it was pretty sweet! The only bad part of the day was when we stopped for lunch at a little pizza place and it was not very good at all! Ellen claims that the sauce on her pizza tasted like windex! So we got some skittles and giant chewy sweet tarts to make up for it and all was well!

In other news we have officially found someone to move into our apartment on the 22 of July so that we can move to our new place! We are so excited to move to a nicer place with our own washer and dryer and save some money at the same time! Other than that we are just excited as can be to have our little one come (Ellen most of all obviously!) It will be great to have him here and to start out on a brand new adventure!

Fun in the Sun!

2010-06-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hello June! Bradley's been out of school for a week, so we've had a party! We've been swimming, garage sale "hopping", walking around random places, driving random places, eating. Eating some more. Getting things ready for our potential move/baby. Always baby, baby, baby. That's all we've got on the brain lately. And everyone take note of the countdown ticker on the side! Do you see that??? Less than a month! What?! Here's us at our complex pool. Don't worry, we had sunscreen on. And this totally counts as my 36 week shot (and probably more pasty skin than you care to see, but we were having a blast)!

And here's Bradley playing boy scout. He tried to use his shirt as a "floatation device".

And last of all, here's the new addition to our family. A new brown microfiber chair for our living room thanks to Craigslist. Yes, I'm a little addicted to craigslist. And it was a steal. We loved our old loveseat, but it was time to part at last. We will miss you, but the new chair is, shall we say, tastier to the back side? I think yes.

Baby Shower!

2010-05-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my baby shower that my friend Dana threw for me and the little one! It was so nice to celebrate and eat awesome food! We played lots of fun games (the clothes pin game, matching game, guess number of M&Ms in a bottle, how big around am I, etc.)

And here's Grandma Lori's quilt, Great-Grandma Joan's Blessing Blanket, and Great-Grandma Bonnie's blankets.

34 Weeks and Bye to 1st Year!

2010-05-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm 34 weeks already! Wow. The second half of this nine month to-do has definately gone by a lot faster. Only 3 more weeks until I'm full term and only 6 weeks until D-day strikes! That's June 27th for those out of the loop. But hey, you never know when he'll come! That's the exciting (and scary) thing! As far as how I'm feeling...well...I can't complain. Its uncomfortable, but that's to be expected and I am so thankful that I even get this opportunity! (That's me holding up a 3 and a 4 by the way...)

Another exciting thing is that Bradley is finishing up his first year at DMU! He only has 2 tests to go next week and then there's a break until the end of July. Talk about awesome timing! He got a job as a TA on campus so that'll keep him busy for about 20 hours a weeks or so. He said looking back, his favorite class was Bio-Chemistry. Least favorite: Pathology. Scariest moment: thinking he'd missed his Physical Diagnosis test last week. Apparently there were two test groups scheduled instead of just the one like he thought. Phew! Everything was a-okay! Oh, and all the free lunches were good. Spoiled little premie doctors ;-). And the free dinners were a nice perk too except for when the guest speakers randomly dropped the f-bomb. Neato...
MID MAY SHOUT-OUTS: Happy Birthday Mom (Today)! Also, thanks to Grandma Lori, Great-Grandma Bonnie, and Great-Grandma Joan for sending us the beautiful quilt, blankets, outfits, and burp-cloths. They are sooooo lovely! We will take pictures with our little one all wrapped up in them when he gets here. He will love them!

Type A Dinner Party

2010-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Kate Gosselin and Martha Stewart beware: you've got some competition on your hands.

Yesterday (on a whim, mind you), I decided to have some of our married friends over for dinner. A casual, low-key, unimpressive dinner.

Right.

Here's how the preparations went down:

1) We were having chicken quesadillas. Easy, right? Boring? I thought I'd force myself into serving something normal. Well, I had the entire brick of cheese grated by noon. Our guests weren't coming 'til 5. I had a pan of brownies already cooked and cooled on the counter by 11 a.m. To top it off, I decided brownies weren't good enough for dessert. Someone was bound to be a chocolate hater, the inconceivable fiend. I made a batch of monkey bread.

2) Our apartment is usually "walk-in-able" on most days (i.e. no underwear strewn across the house, no larger-than-my-head globs of toothpaste on the bathroom counter, no puddles of melted popcicles on the table). We cleaned over the clean. We polished over the stuff no one would look at (Bradley scrubbed the floor boards of the bathroom). I mean, what if someone actually had to USE our bathroom for more than 30 seconds? I would be horrified if they went to wash their hands and caught their elbow in a bit of goop. Or worse yet, what if they were chillin' on the porceline seat of power and began looking at all the grime we'd missed? I also fluffed the pillows. Yes, fluffed.

3) I PRE-BUTTERED the tortillas.

4) Here's the worst one. In order to make it look like I didn't care as much about my preparations as I really did, I wanted to keep the chairs at the kitchen table instead of pre-placing them in the living room so it would look like I hadn't thought of it when our guests arrived (we had to eat in the living room for space reasons). I also kept the fruit in the dreaded tupperware container so it would appear as if I didn't care about using a nicer bowl. Yeah.

5) After two unneccesary and consecutive trips to the corner store for various items we though we HAD to have for our quesadillas, Bradley and I were finished by 4:55 and eagerly awaiting a knock at the door within 5 mintues time. We sat on the couch, a bit moody after the stress, and looked around at our evidence of psychological abnormalty.

Our guests arrived at 5:30. Both brought delicious side dishes in tupperware and I could've swatted myself. It seemed so comfortable, so natural. Plastic. It made me take a deep breath.

Overall, we had a great time. But why the fuss? I don't give a darn when I go over to someone else's house for dinner and they're serving out of plastic. I don't even notice. I don't notice the dirt, the dust. I don't care if they're still finishing things up when I arrive. It's just normal, isn't it?

Next task: Crush the type A preparations and chant "I am not Kate Gosselin, I am not Kate Gosselin" until I get it right. Oh, and I think I'll order pizzas next time, too. But hold the olives, please. We love you black fruit of goodness, but our guests might not...

A moment to vent...

2010-04-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

As I have started using this blog to sort of "journal" our lives, I'd like to take a moment to share some things we've noticed...

At least once a week (if not more) people like to tell us the phrase "Just wait until the baby comes, then _________________ will happen/be impossible." (You fill in the blank). While this may be true in many cases (i.e. sleep, going out on a whim...), I find that these sort of statements from people are really interesting. Not only do I find them to be oddly limiting, but I find that one life changing event yields a very different effect for every individual and couple.

Take Bradley and I. We were told a thousand times "Just wait until you're married, then _______________ will change. That's just the way it is." Well, I hate to inform the world, but none of the things those people told us turned out to be true. It's NOT just the way it is. Sorry. Bradley and I are, to put it plainly, a different sort of couple. That's not to say we are cool or anything, just different. We don't watch sports. We don't have "girl's nights" or "boy's nights" to have some time away. We've never had an argument or a fight. Disagreements? Yes. More in love than on our wedding day? Absolutely.

Here's another one of my favorites. "You'll barely survive medical school. I hope you're prepared to be alone for 4 years. Its going to be rough. Your husband won't see your children grow up." Um...no. Not true. Its not an exact science that medical school=hard on marriage, hard on family. Its a choice. I see Bradley more now than I ever have. In fact, Bradley said that he'd rather get B's and be home rather than get A's and never see me and our family. Has this held true? Yes. Will it continue to hold true? Yes. We chose it. And he's doing much better than the "B" range, too. I think there's a connection...

My point is, life isn't a rubber stamp. One thing most certainly doesn't equal another. Of course our baby will change our lives. How could it not? But it doesn't mean that the habbits and personalies of our lives and relationships will change for the worse unless we allow it.

Just sayin'... I heard these sort of statements too much lately to not put my two cents in. We're just a bunch of weirdos over here apparently ;-) But I bet a lot of you would agree...burn the rubber stamps!!

Pregnancy Favorites

2010-04-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

So far, these are some things I've found to really work for me. And for flavor, a few things that really didn't...

The Good.

#1 My Angelsounds Fetal Heartrate Monitor. Yeah, I know these only work for some people. But it worked wonders for me. I could hear our baby's heartbeat at 9 weeks and every day after that. So reassuring. Plus, you can hear him roll and hick-up. I would've lost my mind with out it.

#2 *Walmart* brand Advanced Therapy Lotion. Haven't got a stretch mark yet. The stuff lasts all day and you can tell it's working. I wish I would've used more of this stuff pre-pregnancy. Totally awesome. But once again, that's me talking.

#3 Old school toothbrush. I loved my electric toothbrush, but I found that it was irritating my gums. On our trip to Chicago I took a really soft travel toothbrush and...wow! It felt so good on my gums I brushed for way longer than needed. No more pink in the sink. Yea! It was like a spa resort massage for my chops.

#4 Ice Mountain water bottles. You drink out of them almost like a baby bottle so you don't take extra air down with you. Need I say more?

#5 www.i-am-pregnant.com- I like reading the comments on this website because other moms with my same week and due date post things. And it's totally candid and real. I laugh at it all the time because I can totally relate.

#6 Chocolate dessert. Okay, I know that's broad. Let me explain. Anything that sounds WAY too rich after a huge meal is exactly what I want. Yes, hand me that slice of cheesecake that is the size of my head, please. And yes, the more chocolate the better. Anything that I couldn't possible down pre-pregnancy I can down now. And it must be chocolate. And it must be really bad for you.

#7 Target brand t-shirts. They stretch. They come in great colors. They make my bump look like a basketball. Everyone's happy. And no one needs to look twice. Yes, I AM pregnant.

#8 Carnation Instant Breakfast (Chocolate Flavor). It's like drinking a yummy vitamin and it makes me just as happy as chocolate milk.

#9 E.l.f. cosmetics. How come no one told me about this before? $1. Are you serious? The other day I needed a confidence boost and I came across this. Thank you, Target. Once again, you prove to me that you are in the mind and heart of the pregnant lady (and female, in general).

Some things I'm not liking so much...

#1 My hair. It's out of control. I hate styling it. I get way too overheated when I try. It looks like a poodle/Jane Austen character. Get me out of here! I'm in the process of looking for some edge. Ughhhh. I just want it be cute without trying, but that's asking way too much.

#2 Our bed. Don't even get me started on this. It isn't comfortable. We even put a memory foam pad on top. I think I'll blame it on the pregnancy, but seriously. It's not on my nice list right now.

#3 Cocoa butter. It's okay, I guess. But it makes you smell like a chocolate cake and it doesn't last as long as my beloved Walmart lotion. Plus, it's expensive.

#4 Crest Pro Health toothpaste. I thought this would be good for tooth sensitivity and whatever. Well, I'm sure it works fine, but the flavor is ubber gross. It tastes like chemicals. Plus the beads in it give it a concrete texture. Bring me some of that on a cracker. Not.

#5 Movies. Could we get a good movie on isle 5, please? Geez, I feel like there's nothing good to see lately! I've just given up. I can't rely on movies for an occasional distraction anymore. They are just blah. Or maybe it's just hard to get around pregnancy/baby brain. After all, baby stuff is fun to think about...

29 Weeks

2010-04-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here's me at 29 weeks. I think I popped out at 25 weeks and have been the same ever since. At least it feels that way. The little guy's feet have now found their favorite place: my ribs. He kicks and rolls all the time and I'll admit, sometimes they hurt! I feel like he's trying to break out of prison! I guess he just wants out so he can be best buddies with his parents ;-) Lately, Bradley and I have been joking as to whose feet he got: mine with the webbed toes, or Bradley's weird pinkie toe that doesn't like to touch the ground. Sound weird? Just imagine if he got both! At least I'LL still think it's cute.

And here's the red bird that likes to hang out in the tree by our deck. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a bird like that outside the zoo...hmmm, maybe I need to get out more, but those are some seriously red feathers!

The Wonderful Things of Spring!

2010-04-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! This past week was really fun with it being my 23rd birthday and Easter! For my birthday, we kept it low-key, but Bradley had lots of little surprises for me! He is such a fun guy. And the weather was pretty much perfect. I couldn't believe it!
Here's my Cold Stone cupcakes that I've wanted to try forever.

And we went on a picnic...

Easter was great. In fact, its my favorite holiday. The sun is usually out and the green starts to come in. In Colorado, I remember the tulips in our backyard would start to sprout. Here in Iowa, everyone's lawn is already green! How does that happen? And the meaning of the day is wonderful, and it usually isn't that bombarded by secular things. (Except we did eat our share of candy~could we help ourselves?!). Also, it was awesome because of General Conference. We hooked up Bradley's laptop to our TV and watched away!
Here's our pre-Easter egg dying party...

And the best part about future holidays is that we'll be able to project our excitement on our little man instead of feeling silly doing the "kid" stuff. But we all know grown-ups like that stuff too ;-)

Chicago!

2010-03-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

I think I need to pinch myself because time is going by so fast! It seems like Spring would never come, let alone Spring Break. And now, our break is almost gone! We got back from Chicago yesterday and it was a blast! It is only a 5 hour drive or so from Des Moines, so we decided to try it out. We wanted to go have a little fun (meaning sleeping, eating, and going with the flow) one last time before the little guy comes into our lives.

The first night we stayed at the Wyndham hotel near the Magnificent Mile. We wanted the downtown experience, and it was great and fancy...except we've decided that fancy isn't always better. We sort of felt like we had to tip-toe around--never knowing when to tip, never knowing if we were doing the right thing. The vallet parking was a bit weird. Our room was really comfy. The breakfast buffet was to die for. The pool and hot tub were fun. But the fancy fru-fru just isn't our style. (Except for the linens on the bed...where did they get those?! I want some!)

Here's a picture of Bradley lounging on the really comfy bed. Yeah, he's enjoying himself ;-)

And California Pizza Kitchen was a block away...hello yummy.

Our second day in Chicago was whirls of fun. We went to Shedd's Aquarium and walked along the lake. It was such a beautiful day! I got to see my first dolphin, whale, and shark! The lines were long, the crowds were crazy, but we found ways to get around it and do our own thing. We even went to one of those 4D movies where they spray you with water, scare you, and fill the room with bubbles. I didn't really like it when they sprayed water on my face--I thought it was gross. But Bradley seemed to love every minute of it!
Here's us along the lake and by the skyline.

And me being silly rubbing my belly.

The lake is HUGE!

That's Navy Pier behind me.

It was almost like the ocean, but I'm still a loser and haven't seen it. So I pretended.

Holy Giant Anaconda!!!! It could probably eat Bradley like a little wanton.

Holy Giant Amazon Fish!!!

And us together outside the aquarium(it was difficult taking pictures together!)

The next day, we were at our AWESOME Holiday Inn which was just as nice as the Wyndham (in my opinion, that is. It had a fridge and microwave haha). Plus we didn't have to deal with the fluff. We decided to go to Alice in Wonderland at a very old theatre called the Pickwick. It was really fun! We also ate at an amazing sandwich place called the Potbelly. I thought it was funny considering the circumstances.

The last day we wanted to go to the Chicago temple and do some family sealings. It was a neat experience! Our little break was so fun even though I'm sad it went by so fast! Bradley and I both agree that we are happy to see Winter go! Finally!

25 Weeks and Minnesota Madness

2010-03-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Bradley had a fairly easy schedule in terms of studying, so I got the idea...let's go somewhere! And what better place to be than with family! It was a really spur of the moment thing, and it was so much fun! We went to Kris and Chuck's house and they totally spoiled us and showed us such a fun time! We ate so much good food and got a chance to catch up. So relaxing! We also had a chance to go to Mall of America. Although I couldn't ride any of the rides, I still had so much fun watching them and eating fun treats (Dip n' Dots, anyone?). Bradley was so excited to be on all the roller coasters like a "little two year old" as he just said to me. Haha. Here is a picture of the indoor theme park and a new/old picture of Kris, Chuck, Jessica, and little Rachel. We love how Rachel talks! So cute! And Jessica is so grown up and gorgeous! And, here's the ever-growing bump. I know, I look beyond tired and a little scarey--but look at that tummy! Honestly, it looks a little big to me like I just popped right out there! But I love being pregnant and feeling our little one kick and flop around. It makes me smile. And I think I might've got my first stretch mark today...haha. Bradley said its not one, but we'll see. Also, I know it sounds crazy, but I have been in a major nesting mood. All I can think about is organizing, cleaning, and getting things for the baby! Gah! I am so glad that Bradley is enjoying school and doing so well. He really has a knack for study skills. I see him so much every day! It is such a blessing. I was really scared that medical school would turn our relationship upside-down, but it is awesome! He's so excited to be a dad too. He likes to talk to my stomach, which I'm sure is more amusing to me than to our little guy haha. But it makes us laugh.

Our FHE Discovery

2010-03-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

While doing family history, this is what Bradley and I discovered...(click on the image for a bigger picture).

I don't know about you, but I thought that was...neat. And sorta...creepy?!!! Haha.

23 Weeks!

2010-02-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

Well, 23 weeks will be here tomorrow so I thought I'd post a new sassy side shot for the family (uh, but they are embarrassing)! I was going to wait until 24 weeks, but I think I grew! And thanks Mom for the maternity shirts! Totally sweeeeet!

Here is also my favorite ultrasound picture (so far). I just love the profile shots! It is totally fun to guess whose ears, eyes, nose, etc. he has! What do you think?! I think he might look like a little Bradley, but time will tell. He's also been kicking me like crazy and it is the best feeling in the world! I think he might be a chocolate lover like me. Everytime I eat it, he goes nuts!

Also, I know it is SUPER early but here is some of our nursery furniture (thanks Stokes!) You know who you are! I think it's soooo cute and fun and the best is that it was such a good deal! I decided to get white furniture because the room is so dark and tiny and I wanted to brighten it up.

So fun! I will try and update more often! One last thing...here is (finally) the Bennion family picture. I just figured out how to scan (no joke!) so here it is. We took this picture at the same place Nathan (my brother) and I used to feed the ducks when we were very tiny. At least I think that's what my parents said.

Boy, Broadway, and Bling!

2010-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

As most everyone knows, Bradley and I are expecting a BOY in June! We are so thrilled. For some reason, I just couldn't picture our first baby being a girl and we constantly referred to the baby as "he" even before we found out. Most of the people in our family also thought it might be a boy, so I guess its just meant to be! Everything looked fine on the ultrasound, so I'm hoping he'll come to us healthy and happy! We already have a name picked out, but we aren't going to share it until he gets here! I'll have to be careful though. I'm saying his name all the time I'm afraid it might slip!
As far as the pregnancy has gone, the first trimester (up until about 16 weeks) was pretty special. I felt really lousy and sick. It was hard not to get frustrated by the fact that I was drained of all energy and didn't like any food that Bradley suggested. But then 17 weeks came...and I felt amazing! It was like magic! Now I eat all the time and EVERYTHING sounds good! Here is a 20 week shot (although I'm 22 weeks). I haven't really grown that much since then so I think I'll wait until 24 weeks to post a new one.

On another note, Bradley and I went to the Lion King a few weeks ago! It was so fun! Des Moines is pretty unique in that its downtown is pretty much dead all the time, so traffic and parking were great! What a great Christmas present from my sweetie!

And finally, last night we went to DMU's Winter Gala. It was so exciting to have an excuse to dress up! Especially with the best date in the world, my husband!We went to dinner at Bravo Cucina Italiano and it was very scrumptious! The actual dance was kinda funny because everything was so fancy but then you had all of the non-LDS students drinking and dancing to the loudest band in the world and dancing very...uniquely. It felt like prom all over again except the drinks made everyone around us VERY happy haha. When we walked outside Bradley and I both thought our ears had completely shot, but it was fun to observe the craziness. The best part was the dessert bar and chocolate fountain and hanging out with our friends Dana and Brodi!

And here are the massive icicles that Iowa's winter brought us. I want Spring to come! And pronto! Loves!

One Million Bazillion Calories of Festiveness!

2010-01-03T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we're home after two weeks of being in Colorado for the holidays and boy is it cold here in Iowa! At times it is -30 and our apartment is freezing! I thought Rexburg got cold, but this is really burrrrrrr!

We sure did have a PARTAY in Colorado. And by that, I mean that it consisted of eating a lot of food. (Not solely, but I DO love to eat...naturally.) We hit up Yakitori, Smash Burger, Qdoba, Wild Wings, Schlotzskys (twice), etc. etc. etc. Basically it was awesome!!! In between gorging ourselves on the delicacies of America's saturated fat warehouse, we played a lot of board games like scrabble, boggle, Rook (which the Ladies roundhouse kicked the boys on), and a bunch of other fun ones.

One of my favorite things we did one night was make a huge fire in the brick fireplace outside. We roasted a ton of marshmallows which meant a lot of s'mores. I don't think I've ever seen a kid (aka Claire) eat so many burnt marshmallows in one hour. She had those things cranking out of the fire and into her mouth like a shooting rocket.

Christmas eve was awesome! We had our usual almond in the pudding and clam chowder. Bradley got the almond in his pudding this year which meant he won the prize! It was a "Worst Case Scenario" board game, and holy moly is that a crazy game! I now know how to dismantle a caterpillar's head in case I need to eat it on a desert island. Man vs. Wild anyone? The pajama elf also made his usual rounds to our house and dropped off some warm and fuzzy sleeping duds. Anyways, one of the best parts of Christmas eve was that Matt called from Aussie land! He had a lot of good and funny things to say to us! Go Matt!

Christmas morning (drum roll, please) we all woke up at 4:30 in the morning! Yeah, it's a tradition at our house to go through stocking and present goodness in the dark morning hours. And we open presents one by one...youngest to oldest...

My head hurts just thinking about it now, but wow! And yawn!

We had such a nice Christmas! It was fun to see everyone open presents (especially Claire) because she still is in that believing state. I don't know how she's still doing it with all of us older kids around, but Santa still lives at my house people! One of my favorite gifts was the fullsized keyboard my parents got for us. I have really been wanting to play the piano and now both Bradley and I can! Everything thing we got was so nice and fun! Thanks a bunch!

New Years was a blast too. And guess what we did? Eat. The usual wantans and mountains of bubbly and chips and every horribly delicious and heart wrenching thing. Now we are back home after a terribly long drive. Our next task is to get our apartment up to a decent degree so we can ring in 2010 with some energy!

Life or Something Like It!

2009-11-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

Everyone! I am SO sorry that I haven't updated this is 1,000 years! I totally could've, I just plain forgot that we had a blog! What! So, let me catch everyone up on a few things...plus a few funny photos that I'm sure the closest friends and family will get a kick out of. (Everyone else will probably just think..."hmmm, weird.")

Anyways, life is awesome and we are gearing up to fly to Idaho for Thanksgiving! We are so blessed to be together! This past month has been great. Some of the Bennion bunch joined us for Halloween. I think Claire was just WAY more excited about that candy than anything else. If you know Claire, you'll understand! ;-) Love her! Also, Sam and Bradley decided to wear disturbing teeth (as you can see). I thought they were totally disgusting, but hey, guys apparently love that stuff?!

But WAY before Thanksgiving, Nathan and Shaleena got married and it was so awesome! It is strange to think that they used to be great friends in high school and now look at them all grown up! Here is a picture of us ladies holding up the groom! Check out the look on his face! He's a happy camper.

Bradley's doing super good in school. Lucky duck. Somedays I wish I had his brain! Hehe! But I count my lucky stars everyday that I was able to earn my degree in something that I am absolutely passionate about and will hopefully be able to use! Right now, I am trying to figure out which is the best option right now! But as everyone says, "You've got time." Well, I hope that's true! We love you all! Even you crazies who I haven't seen forever! Take care and remind me to update soon. I'm sure I'll have stories about pie.

Time sure does fly by

2009-09-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Wow! It seems like forever since we have updated our blog! Things are going well for the Stokes family here in Iowa. Bradley is really enjoying medical school and is doing really well so far. He even got a 100% on his first biochemistry test! Way to go Bradley! His favorite part of school so far is dissecting in the cadaver lab which is a little freaky but oh well! ha ha ha!

Meanwhile we have really come to like where we live. We have the best location that we have ever known since we are just 1 mile or so from the free way and 5 minutes of driving from a huge shopping mall with movie theatre, restaurants, and everything you could ever want to do. There are also some really pretty parks that we like to go to and take walks and pictures.

Ellen is also doing very well. She keeps herself busy and takes very good care of Bradley. All in all life is going really great and we are so excited for the big wedding of Nathan and Shaleena coming up in a few weeks! That will be so fun! Ellen took some awesome pictures today and when they are ready we will post them for all to see!

2009-07-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

HOLY SMOKES! Happy 4th everyone! We just got finished blackening our fingers on some majorly sweet fireworks! I forgot how freakishly good the smoke smells. Hmm, but we are back now. We got some sundays and chocolate shakes, ate some pieces of our frozen wedding cake, read a ton of books, watched food network, bought a new couch, drove the old GMC truck, partied like rock stars. You know, the usual. Here are some pictures with us dancing with sparklers. You could say it emulates our stunning personalities on a few levels of awesomeness. "Shnike on a bike" as Matt and Sam would say...wish they'd put it on youtube. Love you all and to all a good night.

2009-06-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had quite the eventful week! For our anniversary, we went to the Tautphas Park Zoo in Idaho Falls, went to Chili's (duh), and saw Night at the Museum (it was pretty lame, but we ate watermellon patch kids the whole time so it made it better). After that, Bradley made me the best dinner in the world and we drank a lot of bubbly! Andrea and Nathan also had their baby this week. Her name is Madison Lynn and we are finally aunts and uncles!

2009-06-17T08:40:00.001-07:00

This week marks our one year anniversary! We have had a really great year, and it has gone by so fast we can't even believe it! It's funny because a lot of people in our student ward are just recently married, and we call them the newly weds! It seems like we are still in that boat, but in Mormon territory, its a different story. We are old timers now! This week is also exciting because Andrea will hopefully have her baby, which means that Bradley and I will finally have a niece! So exciting!

Also, Happy Father's Day to both Papa Stokes and Papa Bennion! We love you guys!

Hey Everybody!

2009-06-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

We are still madly in love! We are doing great! I am half way through my last semester as an undergrad and Bradley is working here and there! We move soon, so we've been on the look out for random, fun furnature. Here is a picture of us at Temple Square, and another one of us eating!

2009-03-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hola everybody! We haven't updated in ages! Today is Bradley's last day teaching Pathology and Anatomy at the hospital in Blackfoot. I think he's not THAT sad about it. He'll be done at BYU-I officially in April, so he'll need to start up a new job. He'll probably be driving for United Pipe and Supply again, if he can.
I am just trucking along with school. The whole 20 credits thing is starting to wear on me, but its worth it. I am still tutoring, and I am busier than last semester. I guess they got the word out that I was an amazing tutor or something. J/K. We are starting to look for housing in Des Moines. Its absolutely ridiculous. I don't know how we are going to move all of our stuff out there in a U-haul and tow our car behind. I am going to be very grumpy on the ride there. We will miss Rexburg a ton. Its nice to have the temple so close and live in the greatest apartment ever. Oh well. Maybe Des Moines will be the bomb. We'll see.
I thought I was done with the whole sickness thing after my emergency room visit in January, but I got a really nasty throat/cold thing. I thought I was on the homestretch. Oh well. They make some pretty fantastic cold medicine these days. I am high as a kite...almost.
Bradley and I have been trying to do some fun stuff on the weekends. For Valentines Day we went to Idaho Falls and stayed at a hotel and went to Ruby River and watch Brian Regan videos. Last weekend we went to a school thing called Extravadance and then went to Chili's. It was way fun. We also try and hit Coldstone often. I think I'm hungry or something. Tootles.

Life is busy

2009-01-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

We just went to Lacey's sacrament meeting talk before she leaves on her mission to Uruguay. It was very good to hear her speak and she did a great job. A lot of the family was there as well as many of Lacey's friends. The food was very good and we all rolled out of the door like the girl on willy wonka after chewing gum. We are sure that Lacey will be a great missionary.
Ellen also went to the emergency room this week because she was dehydrated (stomach issues...). That wasn't fun AT all. But the recovery is coming along. We also had to (finally!) get a new lap top because our other one was so ghetto fabulous you couldn't do anything on it unless you wanted to spend ten years doing it.
Well for now peace out and we will be in contact!! We mainly wanted to test out our new computer's ability to post a picture on our blog! Chau.

A new year . . . A new semester!

2009-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Well we made it through 2008!!! What a great year one of the best obviously since we got married in 2008. We are looking forward now to the great 2009 starting out with this new semester. Ellen can graduate in July by really putting in the effort. She has 20 credits this semester and 21 next semester in order to finish!! Good luck to Ellen!!! Bradley walked in graduation in December but is taking biochemistry and a psych class in preparation for medical school which starts in August. Ellen is also going to continue to tutor sociology and Bradley is working as an anatomy TA and teaching anatomy and physiology at the hospital in Blackfoot. All in all it will be a busy time for both of us.

We had a marvelous Christmas break eating everything from crab stuffed tenderloin to chicken and dumpling soup. We also ate from a selection of every sweet thing imaginable. Bradley got a sweet tool set along with some nice clothes and other fun stuff. Ellen was excited to get movies, boots, a fondue pot, and other stuff as well. Thanks to everybody who helped make our Christmas amazing. The Stokes parents surprised everybody by getting a Nintendo Wii for the family how exciting!!!!

Change of plans

2008-11-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Someone once said that the only constant in this life is change. Well that is definitely true for the Stokes family! After some careful research Ellen realized that if she changed her minor to psychology and took a lot of credits in winter and spring that she could graduate this coming July. This meant that she would be done with school before we left for medical school. We were so excited!! This also meant that we no longer needed a place for her to study while Bradley is at medical school so now we are leaning more towards going to Des Moines Iowa in August. The school there is the one Bradley liked the most so that is exciting!
In other news Bradley's sister Lacey has been called on a mission to the Uruguay Montevideo mission which is the same mission as her dad! We are so excited for Lacey and wish her a huge congratulations.
Other than that school and work is as busy as ever but we are finding ways to have fun as we go through it all! We are very much looking forward to spending time in Colorado for Thanksgiving and being able to see all of the family there! We cant wait! Bradley is especially excited for all the pie! That is his favorite part!

Fieldtrip!

2008-10-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well, first and foremost lets just say that Bradley got into Midwestern!! Yeeee-haaa!!! That's good news for the both of us! Yesterday we went on this very long geology fieldtrip for school. It was fun...but did we mention long? Mesa falls was my favorite. We went to Yellowstone and Montana and saw all a bunch of natural disaster sights. Bradley said his favorite part was about the earthquake...but I honestly don't remember the earthquake part. And we also want to say 'Hi' to everyone also...so hi.

2008-10-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

We have some good news! Bradley has been accepted to two medical schools so far! One in Iowa and the other in Mesa, Arizona. He is very relieved to have that hurdle past him. We are still hoping to hear from Midwestern in Glendale, Arizona!

It's starting to get cold here in Rexburg and we saw some snow today! We've just been trying to stay cozy in our apartment! The semester is almost halfway over and time is flying by! Bradley's teaching job in Blackfoot is going great and Ellen enjoys her tutoring!

Summer Fun, But School's In!!!

2008-09-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Bradley and I had a great last few weeks of our summer break! We decided to go on a weekend long date late in August and ended up going to an aquarium, the planetarium, shopping, The Melting Pot, and museums in the Salt Lake area! It was a ton of fun!

Last weekend we went camping in "unknown" territory somewhere Southeast of Rexburg! It was the greatest camping spot ever and boy did we eat some good dutch-oven food! Nathan and Andrea went with us and it was sooooo fun! We played lots of Bocce ball!

School started this week. Talk about a slam! Just kidding! We love school! Bradley is a the lead TA again in the Biology department and he really likes it! He's also teaching Anatomy and Physiology at the massage school in Blackfoot. I just got a job yesterday as the Sociology tutor...should be adventurous! Other than that we were able to go to the Parade of Homes today and see some over the top homes!

Birthday...Again!

2008-08-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we had one more little party for Bradley and his twin brother Nathan on Sunday night! Bradley had to have a confetti cake which we all thought was amusing, but surprisingly good! Here's some pictures!

Birthday!!!

2008-08-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

August 7th was Bradley's 24th birthday! He is getting to be quite the old man these days! JK!! We had a wonderful time celebrating his birthday. He was very lucky and got off of his work early both on the 7th and the 8th. On the 7th we went to a new italian restaurant here in Rexburg called Amicias. The food was really good and the company even better (Obviously!!) Then on the 8th we had a family dinner at Ruby River Steak house. It was really fun and we even got free desert and a picture with a really cool hat! Congratulations as well to Nathan who also turned 24! (Also very obvious) It was really fun to have the whole new family all together again! Thanks to everybody for the fabulous birthday!

Lagoon!!!

2008-08-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a mini vacation to Lagoon!! It was Ellen's first time at Lagoon and Bradley hadn't been for years. We were able to ride all of the big roller coasters except for the biggest one "Wicked" because...we got scared. I (Ellen) liked the Spider and Fire Dragon!!! Bradley's favorite was the Spider. Basically the Spider was fun because the actual cart you sit in spins while the roller coaster does it's thing. We rode backwards for most of it and laughed our heads off. We were also very pleased to have Dip n Dots because we hadn't had it for so long. I even thought they had gone out of business so I was really excited!! So yummy!!

We were also able to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Watson! Thanks for your hospitality Saturday night! We had a blast!

Here are also a few pictures we took at Nathan and Andrea's wedding! It was nice to not be the ones in the spot light and we partied! But Kudos to Nathan and Andrea!

2008-07-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We made a blog so everyone can keep up on our lives! We'll have lots of fun pictures and things to show you as the year keeps moving on! For now we are just enjoying our cute little apartment in Rexburg during the seven week break before school starts again in the fall!!!

Bradley graduates (hopefully) from BYU-Idaho in December with a B.S. in Biology! Go Bradley! He's sent in medical school applications and we hope to hear back soon! Ellen still has a ways to go with school (1-2) years to be exact. She's studying Sociology and loving every minute of it!