30 weeks

So I have had a few requests to see the big belly, so here it is! I know it looks like I'm 9 months but I'm not. I'm getting pretty used to the ,"Wow your huge! When are you due?" I tell people in June, and then walk away:)

Halloween, family, and outings!

We got to go to the lake lots this summer but Isabella only went once and she actually really liked it! It was fun to watch her little face! She liked to help Grandpa drive the boat!
Hangin out at the zoo! Cousin Kellene came to visit for a couple of weeks and it was so fun because the girls were both at good ages where they played really well together. We spent most days with her while she was there, and Isabella loved having a friend to play with everywhere we went! It was the best!!! Kellene was so good to her! As are all of her cousins. She is a lucky girl!
Best Buddies
Kellene wanted to go on the log ride at the Zoo and of course once Isabella saw that she had to go to. I was shocked and Grammy took one for the team and took her for me. She liked it until the very end when the wind blew those sprays right on them and soaked both of them. She didn't like the getting wet part. But I was pretty proud of her braveness!
They would hold hands whenever we were walking in parking lots so that we could stay together and I finally got a picture of it!
Kellene was giving Isabella a ride on the tricycle. It was so cute and their faces say it all! They were having so much fun at the children's museum. Isabella was so sad when she went home. I think it took a couple of weeks before she stopped looking for her when we went over to Grammy's house! I love cousins!
MY MAN cooking homemade empanadas from scratch. The recipe was straight from Argentina from his mission, and they were good. I didn't help once!

she wouldn't smile for the camera. So this is what we got. You know she was in deep thought over some serious stuff just then:)
The belly. I swear it has doubled in the last couple of weeks! This was at week 22.
Playing in one of the three little pigs houses at the pumpkin patch.
Raggedy Ann for the play group Halloween party. She was supposed to be a Lady Bug, which she was for 2 of the 4 dressing up occasions. But Arizona was so hot this year that when it came time for parties that were during the day, I had to come up with something a little cooler. 94 degrees on Halloween was a little ridiculous!!!
Here she was as a fairy princess. I think she liked this costume the best! And it was the least hot. She wore this one to the Midwestern Halloween party, which was lots of fun with lots of candy. I think she learned to like Halloween there!
She has this new thing where she needs all of her "friends" around her and at least 2 or 3 of them come with us in the car or to bed etc. But the baby is definitely her favorite right now!
We just got back from Mexico and all the boys did fire works, which Isabella did not enjoy. She has always been pretty sensitive to loud noises. But one thing that she did like was their head lamps! She left it on for quite a while!

My Sister

Nicole Marie Robinson- August 28 1979- July 11, 2010
We love you soooo much and cherish the memory of you till we see you again!

So I have avoided blogging about the 900 lb gorilla in the room, for a list of about 100 reasons. But I finally have a minute and a clear head, and since this is my public journal it is time.
My sister passed away on July 11, 2010. She left behind her 3 1/2 year old daughter Kellene and her husband Nate and of course us her family, extended family, and friends.
Rich and I were in Oregon at the time and I was sitting in church when I got a couple of phone calls, so I decided to run out and check and make sure everything was ok. My parents had the smarts about them to make me go back in and get Rich so he could be there when they told me the bad news, which was torture, because I knew it had to be bad. I was newly pregnant and sick and I think that they were afraid I would pass out or something. This is the type of news that you never want to hear at this age in your life, but I think a certain angel was holding me up as I processed the news and I was able to have a clear mind and a complete sense of peace. I was indeed grateful to have my husband at my side to for comfort and support. As Rich went back inside to get the keys to drive me home, I sat down on the curb and put my head in my hands and said a little prayer, and at that moment I felt in my heart and knew without a doubt, that she was okay and in a better place for her at this time in her life.
I can not be more grateful for my Father in Heaven and for righteous parents that raised me with such a true knowledge of where we came from, why we are here, and where we go after we die. That we truly can be an eternal family and this trial is but a moment and we will be able to see her again.
Miracles surrounded all of us during the following weeks(and still continue) and as we attended to the needs of the funerals and handled grief and mourning. We were able to go in and dress her body as an entire family and kneel around her for one last entire family prayer in this life. How sweet and sacred that experience was! We survived 2 funerals and were still standing afterwards.We were able to comfort each other and hold each other up through our sadness. We were able to say see you later and not good bye to her, knowing she will be with us again. I know for a fact that the strength we received was Heaven sent and not of our own accord! Friends and family were there to lift us up and carry us on in the hard moments and the lessons I learned and truths that were sealed more fervently in my heart will always be treasured! Thank you to everyone for those blessings! Thank you for the sweet stories you told us about her, the cards, food, money, flowers, and support and love!
My sister and I were 22 months apart and couldn't have been more different if we tried!:) She was country, I was R&B. She was t-shirt and jeans and I am sparkles and frills! She was an adrenal junky and I am a little more cautious. Her favorite color was blue and mine is pink. She is fair skinned and I am olive, she loves sugar and I love salt:)The list goes on and on.... But for some reason we chose each other and were put into the same family as sisters for a reason. We played well when we were little, fought like cats and dogs in the middle years, and came to a tolerance, love and respect in our recent years. I have always loved her and admired her spunk, and she has always owned a tender part in my heart.
Nikki's life was not exactly hard but she struggled more than the average bear. Her school years were tough and she suffered socially and longed for a place to fit in. She liked to make her own mistakes to learn from instead of learning from others mistakes, which I think is 1/2 of the world;) She was the most loyal and caring friend you could ever have. She would never judge and would love you unconditionally no matter what. She was forever kind to anyone she met and loved to strike up conversation with strangers and learn about people. She loved the outdoors, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, sky diving, quad riding, and so on. And she did all of those things very well. Ever since she was little we always said that she had the most amazing ability to know where she was at while in the air!! Random, but she always smelled so good. I remember walking in to her bedroom growing up and it had the sweetest smell as did she. She loved animals, dogs, riding horses, and was always kind and tender to them. She had a special place in her heart for the mountains, country music, Montana, Garth Brooks, Dodge trucks, and dirt bikes/motorcycles. She loved children and they always loved her. She was one of those that had a special touch with them and they always responded well to her. She was so handy and could fix almost anything!She was very intelligent and would shock me with her knowledge of things constantly. She loved her family and we love her! She loved her sweet daughter so much and the last four years of her life she was her greatest joy. She waited a while to become a mom and when she was blessed with Kellene, she cherished her beyond belief. She loved her sweet husband and I'll never forget when she met him and how her countenance and whole being would light up when she talked about him or was around him! She was such a soft hearted and kind soul who loved with all she had and she will be sooo missed!
I used to think that death would be the hardest thing that you could ever go through and I was terrified of it. I was blessed with an experience about six weeks before this happened that pierced my soul! The lesson I learned was that death is not the scariest thing in this life. Losing my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel is! With out it everything is hard, and with it anything in manageable! It hit me while sitting in church one Sunday, and after, I kept having the impression to write down that experience, which thankfully I listened to. I can not express how grateful I was to have been prepared and know that no matter what life throws at us we can get through it with the Saviors help. Death is hard and what is left behind is sad, but the strength we gain and the perspectives learned are so precious to us as a family. And we know that all can be healed and all can be restored through obedience to the Lord's commandments. What a sweet and precious knowledge that is, and I am eternally grateful for it!

So we have a little secret!!???

So we went to the doctor today and found out in fact that I am not just getting fat, But that we have a baby BOY!!! growing in there! We are 17 weeks along and very, very excited to be able to experience a girl and now a boy! Rich pretends not to be too excited that it is a boy and just says that all he wants is a healthy baby. Which of course I agree, but it is way fun that we are having a boy too! and I know that he is ecstatic!! I am due the end of February and so far so good. This pregnancy has been a lot easier than Isabella's and I said today that if this is what boys are like, then I want all the rest to be boys! I am still sick but I don't throw up, so I'll take it! This little boy is also the reason for my blogging absence! Every time I get pregnant, I lose all motivation for things that are not an absolute necessary to live! We are soooo grateful to be pregnant again and so excited and waiting very impatiently for February! But just wanted everyone to know what has been new in our lives!!

Our Summer

Hi from the Newells! We are alive and well with just a long blogging absence! We kind of took the summer off! A quick Isabella update... she is talking more and more everyday and we love it! She mimics anything that she can and is so cute! She still loves to go bye-bye, loves her baby dolls, her t.v. shows, playing with the big legos, loves to be outside and in the water, loves to climb and play chase and hide and seek, loves tents!, loves her books, and loves playing in her crib when it is not bedtime, loves her grammy especially,likes making messes for mommy and daddy to clean up, she has expanded her meal choices which mommy is especially happy about, and at her last check up she was 36 inches tall and 26.5 lbs. She is growing more and more everyday and really turning into a little girl! She is such a joy and light in our lives!!!

So in early June we were able to go to New York and Connecticut! It was so fun and my very first time there! We experienced as much as we could see and had so much fun! We took a run in central park and then had breakfast at the boat house. We got stuck in traffic because of a parade, we semi-mastered the subways and the day we left someone even asked me for directions on it and I was able to tell them! We ate lots of good food, slept late, walked for hours, and just enjoyed the culture!
On our last day in New York we went to the Natural Museum of History. I am not a fan of museums and this one did not sway me. But this whale was cool!

This is Little Italy where we had the most amazing pizza of our Lives in this tiny restaurant called, Lasso!So good! This was probably one of my favorite areas and someday when we go back I would like to spend more time there. Mostly in the restaurants!!We took a special extra walk to see Yankee stadium. We didn't go to a game. We had such little time there that we just wanted to see things and experience the culture. I didn't make him go to a play so he didn't make me go to a baseball game! Win-Win!


Rich's sister Jill took a bus from D.C. to come and hang with us for the day! So awesome! She served her mission in NYC so she was a great tour guide for us. We walked our legs off that day and got to see so much. Here we are at Grand Central station with her before she caught her train back! Thanks Jill, we Love you!
Central park was one of my favorites! Our hotel was right at the entrance so the day that we got there we took a bike tour around it, because I was way to lazy to walk and was lost instantly! It was so beautiful and the weather was amazing! It was a good way to see alot fast!
The statue of Liberty! Awwww!

Here we are in Connecticut for Ryan and Kylee's other wedding reception. They had it in this beautiful mansion and the area that Kylee grew up in was so amazing! So green. And after all of the festivities is when we drove up to NYC.

We got to go to Oregon this summer in July, and we actually flew in on our 5th anniversary and Rich surprised me and took me to the same place we stayed on our wedding night and in the same room! It was so wonderful and so much fun. His wonderful parents took care of Isabella for us! Hows that for company, the day we show up we leave our kid with them and go stay at a hotel. I guess kids will always be kids! Thanks Mom and Dad for everything that you did for us while we were there!
We went up to Ashlee and Jeffs on day and they took us to the wildlife safari, where the animals roam out free and you drive through it! It was lots of fun and she loved it!
She played with all of her cousins and had a blast!

A quick family picture at Matt and Beths!This is in Matt and Beth's front yard. We were able to be in Oregon for the blessing of new baby Gannon!
We played with lots of friends. She is so happy when she has a play buddy!
Teaghen and Isabella! They play so good together!
We went through four containers of finger paint! Lets just say that it will be a little while before I buy more! She's like" How did that paint get all over me? Hmmm, a mystery!
Princess Isabella, with her legs crossed, eating grapes, watching t.v. and had just had a luxurious bath! I was fanning her with palm leaves on the side
We also went to Lake Powell, Sacramento, Utah, and Mexico, all of which I left my camera at home. So you'll just have to imagine. We did lots of swimming(mostly Isabella and Daddy), lots of playing and chillin', and had a good summer in between all of our trips! Life is good and everybody is happy here!

She's 2!!

So two years ago the most amazing thing happened! We became parents to a beautiful baby girl. She has been the joy in our lives for the last two years and it just gets better everyday! She is still so happy (most of the time;) big huge smile 98% of the time, gets excited over everything, lives to play" I'm gonna get you", loves to swim and jump and watch t.v., to swing and slide and be tickled by her daddy. She gives us hugs while patting our backs, blows kisses to everyone when she says bye(even the grocery store lady), hates her vegetables, is talking more and more everyday, and loves to be around people and never wants to miss a party!

Here she is the day she was born

One years old
and now TWO!!! I can't believe it!
When everyone showed up to her Minnie Mouse party she was so excited that she just ran around hugging every ones legs!

She loved opening her presents and it was so fun this year because she could actually understand what was going on. Her is one of her gifts,every girl needs a pink ball! This was one of her favorite gifts from Amber and Aaron!
Here she is getting her kitchen. We waited until the end and brought it in and she was so excited! Little does she know in about 16 years that is the last thing she will ever want!
Three lovely ladies!!
So we sang to her and then told her to blow, and she did but very delicately! It took her about 10 tries and us helping before she got it out. We were clapping and cheering as she finally did. She is just such a little Lady!
Before she blew them out, she decided to stick her hand in the frosting to give it a little try! She liked it! And is my child the only one that eats ONLY the frosting on the cake?!

The cake! I'll let you decide if you think I made it or not?!??
Yummy!
Us with our party hats! I didn't think she would wear hers longer than to get a picture, but I was wrong. She didn't want to take them off until it was bedtime. So cute! Then a few days later I was making her breakfast and served it to her on one of her leftover party plates, and all of the sudden she runs upstairs and comes down with her ears on. If she was going to eat on a Minnie Mouse plate then she needed her ears!
Her buddy spot! After a quick wardrobe change for the princess we headed off to Chuckie Cheese. She loves it and it was so fun to watch her!
She was just shoving in the pizza!
On the swing ride. This is the ride that I remember loving as a little girl. I didn't think she would do it but after about 10 seconds she loved it and rode it 3 more times! Grandpa would walk around to each side as it swooped up and give her a kiss and then go to the other side!
We had her birthday party the day before her actual birthday so on her real birthday we gave her our gift. Her own house. I hope she doesn't look back on her 2nd birthday and think that mom and dad were trying to move her out already- with a kitchen-house-vacuum-food......? She loves to play pretend, and i love to watch her do it.
And after it was all done we asked her how her 2nd birthday was and she said,"WOW,WOW!"
We love you Isabella and are grateful for the blessing you are in our lives!!!