5 months

Hattie is already 5 months and I just can't believe it! She is such a good baby and is so easy right now. She is pretty content no matter where she is. However she is starting to recognize when someone besides mom or dad is holding here. She still sleeps 12 hours a night and is beginning to love rice cereal. She decided she likes to yell rather than cry to get our attention which is usually pretty funny unless she continues to yell and yell. :) She has outgrown her baby tub so we've started bathing her in the bathtub on a big sponge. She loves the water and I hope that continues right on into summer or else I don't know what I will do! She has rolled over a few times and is so surprised when she does- it's pretty funny. We love her more and more everyday and love seeing her little personality come to life.

The Big 3-0

Spencer and I turned 30 this last week. We had some great celebrations with our families.

For my birthday Spencer surprised me with my favorite McDonald's breakfast- A sausage McGriddle with OJ. The I spent the whole day with my sisters and mom. We went to the ark and let the kids play while we had lunch. That night spencer took me to Carinos for dinner. it was really nice to have dinner just the two of us. Later we met Mom, Dad, and Hattie at Orange Leaf for some frozen yogurt. To finish off the night Spencer rented 13 going on 30 for me to watch. He was so thoughtful and it was a great day.


For Spencer's birthday we opened presents that morning before General Conference and then in between sessions we went to Sills Cafe for breakfast at lunchtime. that night we went to Grandpa Morgan's for pie and ice cream and everyone sang happy birthday to Spencer. Since it was conference weekend we didn't do lots, so next Friday I planned a Glow-in-the-Dark tournament with some family and friends at Swan Lakes Golf Course. That should be really fun and I think Spencer will like it. Also, the following weekend we are going to St. George to celebrate our birthdays. Hattie's first road trip! We'll see how she does.

Sunday consisted of two birthday meals and celebrations with each of our families. It was great to listen to conference and be with everyone.

The Day That Changed Our Lives Forever

It has been one year to the day that we found out our 4th InVitro cycle was successful and we were finally pregnant. That day was such a joyful one for us as a family. A few days previous I had taken a home pregnancy test and had received a positive result, but because of past false positives, I wasn't going to get my hopes up yet. We wanted to wait until my blood work was taken and analyzed. Waiting for the dreaded call (as I had found it to be) from the Utah Fertility Center was always nerve wrecking. Fortunately, this time is was the best call I had ever received in my life. All my dreams had come true. All of that waiting and wondering had been put to ease by that one phone call. I knew that this blessing had come from our Heavenly Father and that he was the one I needed to thank at this time.
That evening we showed up at each of our parents front doors holding a sign stating, "Miracles Happen". It was such a tender, sweet moment with each of our parents as we cheered, jumped up and down, and cried as we realized our prayers had been answered.
Before this trial, faith was always something that seemed like such an easy thing to have, but there is nothing easy about it when your faith is tried over and over again. And for me, that was when the true test of faith really occurred. I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends whose thoughts and prayers made it easier to go through this trial. And now, one year later, we have a beautiful daughter who has been entrusted to us by our Heavenly Father and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Valentines

This year Valentines was a little different than we are used to. We didn't really make big plans beforehand because we didn't know what Hattie's schedule would be. Needless to say, we finally decided to do something low key and made it to Cracker Barrel, where there was no wait, on Valentines! CB always pulls through like that- one reason we love it there and I love their pancakes, so it was a win win. Hattie has always done great at restaurants, but she was pretty fussy- another reason I was glad we chose Cracker Barrel. Spencer ended up holding her the majority of the time, but was able to eat at the same time. It was fun to be together and love that Hattie was with us this year.
This is the best pic we got.

Three Months Already

Time has flown by ever since little Miss Hattie was born. She is the love of our lives and we can't get enough of her. She is such a good baby and makes each day better than the last. Weight: 14 lbs.
Length: 24 inches
Hobbies(if you can call them that): loves to play peek-a-boo, hang out on her changing pad, play on her play mat, take naps in her car seat, and likes to tease herself by pulling her own binkie out.

Hattie Girl

Hattie is our miracle baby who came to us on November 8, 2012 at 1:59PM. She is beautiful and perfect. She weighed 7 lb. 9 oz. and was 21 inches long. The moment she was born, all of our struggles we faced to get her here were forgotten. She is the love of our life and we can't get enough of her. Lately she loves to smile, laugh, and talk. Being a mom is the best thing in the world and I love waking up to her smiling face every morning.

Miracles Happen

                                                   

My sweet husband and I decided after 2 years of marriage that it was time to begin our family. Little did we know the road ahead would be a long and challenging one. After not being able to conceive during the first year, we began going to doctors and attempted our first of many fertility treatments. After multiple doctors, tests, and trying everything, nothing worked, but I knew we couldn't give up. With amazing doctors, family, and friends on our side, we continued our journey through our second and third failed attempt at InVitro. We learned much about faith versus fear as we went through this emotional rollercoaster together. We decided that we would try one last time and put everything in- an all or nothing mindset. We knew what if felt like to fail and so we could only hope for the best. We put all our faith in Heavenly Father and trusted that he knew what was best for us. In our minds we literally had nothing to lose. With hundreds of prayers on our behalf, we both felt at peace. Almost exactly one year ago, after five years of trying, we found out we had conceived and neither of us could believe it! Words can't express how grateful we felt to our Heavenly Father for blessing us at that time. It almost seemed surreal. Even today, looking at my miracle baby, it seems too good to be true! I learned so much and was strengthened over and over throughout the course of this trial in our lives. I would have never believed infertility would be something I would have to go through, but if I had to, I would do it all over again because of the blessing that our beautiful daughter is in our lives. And although, our infertility journey may not be over, we can only hope for the best in the future. I want to share a few quotes and scriptures that really helped me through this journey and lifted me when I felt it was too hard to handle. Book of Mormon Alma 26:12 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. Mormon 9:21 21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. Plaques from my mom: "The Lord is watching over you, I know, because I asked him to." "Where there is hope, there is faith, and where there is faith, Miracles can happen

... And I'm Back

It has been almost 3 years since I posted anything, but I am excited to start again. Almost exactly a year ago, we found out we were finally pregnant after our fourth and last InVitro attempt. Needless to say, that was the best day of my life! Now that our miracle baby is here, the day she was born ranks as the best day of my life. I hope that through my blog I can keep a journal of our family's great yet imperfect life and help others realize that miracles still happen. We just have to keep the faith and have patience.

Catch All...

Well, I figured I was in need of a "catch all" post so I could get caught up without taking too much time (on my part and others). So here is what happened in April.

First: A much needed vacation to Vegas and St. George with a much missed BFF! One of my top 10 funnest trips ever!!






Next up: Finnley McKay Cowdin born into this world on April 22. He was 7 lbs. and 19 inches. And of course, so cute!!

And finally: Davey boy left for Russia on April 26th after 3 long months at the MTC. He is actually now in Kazakhstan. It's about a 5 hour flight from Russia, so he'll be there for about 6 months or so. He is so excited to finally be there and we are so happy too. He'll be an awesome missionary. Love ya Dave!

Birthday(s)

Last weekend we celebrated our births together. Spencer was a gentleman and let me come down 3 days before him, so therefore I am 3 days older than him. (and he reminds me of that yearly)

This year we got to celebrate our birthdays along with General Conference and Easter- so it was a fun filled and uplifting weekend.

Spencer spoiled me as usual and got me lots of gifts. The main one being a bunny- he is so cute!! And is getting bigger by the day, but shouldn't get bigger than 2 or 3 lbs. He is a Netherlands Dwarf bunny and I named him Bear.
(FYI-his eyes aren't really red, cause that would be creepy, it's just the way the flash picks them up in the pictures)

The Empty Sea (MTC)

What is "the empty sea" anyway? I know it's a mystery to me... All I know is that it's where Dave gets to spend the next 3 months of his life. :)
We sent David off last Wednesday and it was a great day. We were able to all go out to breakfast beforehand (except Dan) and spend some time with Dave before he left. Then we parked by the MTC and took some pictures together outside before the curbside drop-off.
Dave is going to be such a great missionary and to have been called to serve in Russia means there are some great things in store for him there. He will do awesome.
We love David so much and will miss him and his always smiling/laughing personality, but know that he is where he needs to be right now. We are all looking forward to his successes in the mission field.

Vegas Baby!

Last weekend we decided to take advantage of the Monday holiday and go to Las Vegas. I am always anxious to get out of the cold in January, so we've done this almost every year since we were married. Lindsey and Brett came with us and were apparently pretty pumped for the 6 hour car ride.

When we got there, we hit the strip running... it was a great trip as always.
When we weren't playing blackjack and nickel slots, we were walking our buns off. Here are a few of the places we visited:

The Fashion Show Mall- where we practiced our mad shooting skills- in honor of the new TV show "Human Target."


The Hard Rock Cafe


Maggiano's (my new favorite resturant)

The Coke Factory



Fao Schwarz Toy and Candy Store

The Bellagio


Paris


The All-You-Can-Eat-All-Day Buffet at Excalibur. (not pictured-unfortunately)

Coyote Ugly Bar (haha- no pictures from this, sorry!)

Mesquite Golf and Spa

Thanks Lin and Brett for joining us once again!!