Family Bucket List 2018

I can’t believe Christmas has come and gone. It always seems to fly by way too fast. We have had such a wonderful time celebrating. Tomorrow we will have our Christmas with Brandon’s family and then I will start posting about our holiday happenings. 

This post is an idea I got based on something my amazing sister in law Heidi gave us a few years ago. She created a “winter bingo” with a bunch of bucket list ideas of things she could do with her family. She typed it into a spreadsheet and then printed it and marked them off as they did them. 

A little background here, Brandon and I are super indecisive about things. This is especially true when it comes to what we are going to do on his days off. So, I decided that we would take Heidi’s idea but make one for the whole year. We sat down and both wrote down anything we wanted to do together, with the kids, any holidays or even small things we could do at home. Some will be a big stretch for us and others are as simple as having a movie night at home. I listed mine by season to help me remember holidays and other important events. Then we shared them and made one big list and I typed them up into the spreadsheet. I am sure we left out some things that we want to do or will do, but it gives us a starting point to plan what to do on his days off. 

This is what ours looks like: 

I hope everyone has a Happy and safe New Year! I’m going to be sharing more about my goals and the talents I’m hoping to work on in 2018. 

73 Questions

I heard about the 73 Questions from Vogue via one of my favorite designers.  Lauren Stokes created the amazing Lauren James brand and I am a HUGE fan!  She keeps it classy, cute, and comfortable.  If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, she shared answers to 73 questions and I thought it was fun to learn little tidbits about her, so I thought I would do my own.  My question list is somewhat different from hers.

Vogue’s 73 Questions List

1. What’s your favorite movie? It’s so hard to pick one. Sweet Home Alabama with Reece Witherspoon is one I watch over and over. She is seriously my favorite. 
2. Favorite movie in the past five years? So many...the first one I can think of is Interstellar.  
3. Favorite Hitchcock film? I haven't seen any...
4. A book you plan on reading? The Rent Collector 
5. A book that you read in school that positively shaped you? Les Miserables 
6. Favorite TV show that’s currently on? This Is Us 
7. On a scale of one to ten how excited are you about life right now? It is winter so I’d say 8 (I hate winter)
8. iPhone or Android? iPhone 
9. Twitter or Instagram? Instagram
10. Who should EVERYONE be following right now? Lauren James and Roolee for clothes. 
11. What’s your favorite food? Ice cream 
12. Least favorite food? Peanuts 
13. What do you love on your pizza? Ham and pineapple or veggies 
14. Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper but I can only go caffeine free 
15. Favorite dessert? Cheesecake or ice cream 
16. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Any chocolate 😍
17. Coffee or tea? Neither!
18. What’s the hardest part about being a mum? Right now with Little’s, losing sleep.
19. What’s your favorite band? Depends on the genre, but Lady A, Florida Georgia Line, and Sister Hazel are a few. 
20. Favorite solo artist? I can’t pick just one: Justin Timberlake, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood are some. 
21. Favorite song? Everything I Do by Bryan Adams. It was our wedding song. 
22. If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be? Justin Timberlake. The man can saaaaaannnnng. 
23. If you could master one instrument, what would it be? Piano
24. If you had a tattoo, where would it be? Somewhere hidden!
25. To be or not to be? That is the question. BE!
26. Dogs or cats? Dogs 💯 
27. Bird-watching or whale-watching? Whale watching. That means I’ll be at the beach. 
28. Best gift you’ve ever received? My kids 
29. Best gift you’ve ever given? 
30. Last gift you gave a friend? A hat 
31. What’s your favorite board game? Sorry
32. What’s your favorite country to visit? Never been out of the US. 
33. What’s the last country you visited? USA 
34. What country do you wish to visit? Dominican Republic 
35. What’s your favorite color? Blue 
36. Least favorite color? Garnet 
37. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls y’all 
38. Heels or flats? Heels 
39. Pilates or yoga? Pilates 
40. Jogging or swimming? I love both! But jogging more. 
41. Best way to de-stress? Ice cream, Netflix, and my husband 
42. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Transport anywhere 
43. What’s the weirdest word in the English language? Weird. It seriously is...
44. What’s your favorite flower? Daisy
45. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday 
46. Do you like your handwriting? Yes 
47. Do you bake? Yes 
48. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I’m too sensitive 
49. What is your most favorite thing about yourself? I give everything 100%
50. Who do you miss most? My Nana and Pa 
51. What are you listening to right now? The fan in my baby girl’s room. 
52. Favorite smell? Vanilla and coconut 
53. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My sister 
54. Who was the last person you sent a text to? My husband 
55. A sport you wish you could play? Volleyball 
56. Hair color? Blonde 
57. Eye color? Blue 
58. Scary film or happy endings? Happy ending 
59. Favorite season? Summer 
60. Three people alive or dead that you would like to have dinner with? Mom, Nana, and Great Grandma Tucker 
61. Hugs or kisses? Hugs 
62. Rolling Stones or the Beatles? Beatles I guess. 
63. Where were you born? Winston Salem, NC 
64. What is the farthest you have been from home? Hawaii 
65. Sweet or savory? Sweet 
66. Lipstick or lip gloss? Gloss 
67. What book have you read again and again? Harry Potter series 
68. Favorite bedtime story? Anything with a happy ending 
69. What would be the title of your autobiography? How the South Raised Me: Family and Faith 
70. Favorite sound? Ocean 
71. Favorite animal? Alligator 
72. Who is your girl crush? Erin Andrews 
73. Last photograph you took? My sweet baby girl in her PJs for her 4 month picture 

Christmas Traditions

Growing up, my family had so many fun traditions during the holidays. We are establishing some of our own traditions with Brecken and Lizzie. This is the first year that Brecken sort of knows what is going on and that makes it a lot more fun. I know each year will just add to the excitement. Below are some of our traditions. Some of them are rooted in faith and others are more whimsical and light hearted. I would love to know what y’all do as well!

1. Christmas Music 

Yes, November 1st marks the beginning of Christmas music for me. I am sure that makes some people cringe, but there is something about those carols and hymns that bring happiness and peace instantly. My mom used to turn on the TV to the satellite dish Christmas music channel and blare it to wake us up for school.  For us right now, we keep it going most of the day on the computer and in the car. Trying to teach Brecken the fun and spiritual songs is so cute and I love how quickly he learns. 

2. Pajamas 

We got a new pair of PJs ever Christmas Eve from my parents. Usually Christmas themed and matching with my siblings and sometimes my other cousins. This traditions still continues. My mom buys us girls some, but right after Thanksgiving. That way we get to wear them longer.
Lizzie and Brecken’s 2017 PJs are from Carter’s.  I have yet to get their picture together, but trust me they are adorable.


3. Reading
I love books! I accumulated quite a few Christmas ones over my teaching years. We are reading one each day the month of December. Even though they are little, I want to instill a love of reading in both of them. I will share some of my favorites in another post.

Something else we are doing is reading a scripture each day that testifies of the birth of the Savior.  I have found many different options on Pinterest, but we are using this one with just a few verses each day.


4. Advent Calendar
This may be Brecken’s favorite one. We have a countdown that you move the candy cane each day. He has a little one in his room as well. He loves numbers and knows them up to 20, so he’s always excited to move the candy cane. Brandon’s grandma gave him one that has a little chocolate for each day. He loves getting his chocolate for the day!


5. Ornaments
My mom bought us an ornament every year. As I got older I got to choose (so many Barbie ones) so now I have 30+ special ornaments that go on our tree each year. We have been doing that with the kids. Brecken chose his ornament this year, a truck of course. Brandon and I also like to snag an ornament when we visit a new place. I love that all the ornaments on our tree mean something. They are also all smashed on the top 1/3 of the tree because of the two year old who loves to play with them.


6. Baking
Some of my best memories of Christmas are in the kitchen. We always had a day of Christmas baking. Fudge, candy, and of course sugar cookies were always made. Then we would take plates of treats to friends and neighbors. We have baked a little this year, but I am excited to get Brecken involved in decorating cookies. I also hope to be better about passing the treats we make along to others.

7. Lights
Y’all, my hometown has the best Christmas lights I’ve ever seen. Tanglewood Festival of Lights goes all out with over a million lights, and people drive from all over to go through the park and see them. You will sit in line for hours sometimes, but once inside it is so worth it. Not a whole lot changes each year, so going through makes you remember so many other trips through. It was about 5 minutes from my Nanas, so we would add some Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate and that was the perfect night of lights.
One day I will hopefully get to take my family through, but we have some cool places to see lights locally. Temple Square and Willard Bay are both bigger displays in Northhern Utah. We hope to get to one of those before Christmas.

8. Santa
My Nana and Pa’s Christmas Eve was something we all looked forward to every year. One thing they did when we were little is had Santa visit. He would come and bring us each a sucker. Brandon’s Grandma has a party every year with Santa. All the kids get to sit on his lap and get a gift. It’s a great way to see Santa and skip the mall. We went to the Willow Park Zoo for the Reindeer Trek last week. Brecken wouldn’t sit with Santa by himself, but he loved petting the Reindeer. Lizzie slept right through it.

9. SERVICE
This is the most important one. My mom found so many ways to serve others by giving during the holidays. We often participated in an angel tree or adopted a family. Our church has an amazing campaign to serve and remember the Savior called Light The World It has a focus each day with ways to serve. I am not perfect at it, but we are striving as a family to participate. I would love to know ways to get my little kiddos more involved in service.

What traditions do you have? I’d love to know your ideas.

Elizabeth's Birth Story

Elizabeth Jane Andrew 

Let me back up to December 6, 2016.  You know how some women will say they knew they were pregnant before they took a test...I never believed them.  I had NO clue that I was pregnant with Brecken before the test and was pretty surprised when it was positive.  This time was different (everything about this experience was different) because I had told Brandon a few days earlier that I thought I was pregnant and bought a test.  I really didn't want to take the test yet because maybe it was all in my head.  I'll be completely honest, I wasn't really expecting to be.  Anyway, December 6th.  I took a test that morning and it was positive within about 3 seconds.  Shocked.  That is probably the best reaction I could give.  I immediately calculated the due date to be August 18th.  

My pregnancy wasn't horrible by any means.  I didn't feel as sick this time, just really tired and needing to eat small meals often to maintain my energy.  Chasing Brecken around was exhausting and anytime he napped, I napped.  Everything went smoothly and we got to the point of finding out the gender.  Our OB had hinted that she thought it might be a boy during a previous appointment, so that is what we expected.  

I remember going in to the room and the tech immediately said first thing, this baby is a girl! Again, shocked!  I was so excited that we would be bringing a little princess in to the world, and a healthy one at that.  

We spent the rest of pregnancy at the park, on walks, and doing whatever we could to beat the heat of a hot summer after a miserable and cold winter (that lasted until the end of May).  

At 36 weeks I went in for my first of the last 4 appointments.  I remember thinking that the baby always felt like she was mostly staying in the same place, even though I felt her move often.  When I mentioned this to the doctor, she felt around and said, "Yup.  This baby is breech."  I immediately got nervous because I did not want to have a C-Section.  She tried to push her into a different position, but nothing happened.  We scheduled a special appointment at the hospital where they hook you up to monitors and give you some medicine to allow the doctor to really push and try to move the baby.  It wasn't fun.  I didn't feel a lot of pain, just a lot of resistance from the baby.  After 30-45 minutes, my doctor's arms were exhausted and our little one would not budge.  Not wanting to stress her or move her if she had the cord wrapped or something, we decided to schedule a C-Section.  Brandon was really nervous and I definitely had my moments. 

The next few weeks were really slow as we hoped and prayed for the baby to turn.  I guess I should just say her name because we had definitely decided on Elizabeth (my middle name) as her first name.  Our little Lizzie had made up her mind that she was comfortable sitting sideways and so on August 11th, 2017 we headed to the hospital at 11:00 AM.  

Sidebar: It's weird to not go through labor (not complaining) and sort of knowing when your child is going to be born.  

Brandon was PUMPED to put on the scrubs.  My very own McDreamy! 

I've never had surgery before (minus wisdom teeth), so I felt all Grey's Anatomy like as we went into the ER.  I actually walked in there myself and then they administered the anesthesia.  Immediately I was numb and they helped me lay down on the table.  I remember being a little nauseated and light headed, so they gave me some medication to help with that.   I knew they were starting and it was pretty strange to be awake.  It took just a couple of minutes and I heard a cry! 

Elizabeth Jane Andrew
8lbs 19 inches
August 11, 2017 12:51 PM

At 12:51 PM Elizabeth was born and I got a look at my baby girl for the first time.  She was beautiful and had a head FULL of dark hair.  We thought she was going to be small, but she weighed in at 8 pounds exactly and 19 inches long.  The doctors could not stop talking about how beautiful she was and her gorgeous hair.  It was the Cache County Fair and they said that if I was to send  in a picture of her, she would easily win cutest baby. Maybe they say that to everyone. . . I'm just going to pretend they don't.  

I got to watch as Brandon helped get her weighed, measured, and cleaned a little.  The doctors were finishing up and I got to hold that sweet girl for the first time.  She look so much like her big brother at first glance: big eyes, cleft chin, same nose.  We were in love immediately. 

They wheeled us into recovery, where we had to stay for at least 2 hours because of the C-Section.  Let me tell y'all something, I have never sweat so much in my life! It was insanely hot because of the anesthesia and not to mention I hadn't been allowed to eat all day.  I remember eating cups full of ice chips to keep cool.  


We finally got into our room and right as we did my Mom brought Brecken in.  He was so happy and excited to see the baby (the only thing he will call her).  He ran around saying "Baby" with a little yell/laugh.  It was precious.  


One final thing about this day was deciding her middle name.  I was in charge of that because Brandon chose Brecken's middle name.  I struggled with this for months thinking of so many names, but ended up choosing the name I thought of very first when we decided her first name would be Elizabeth: Jane.  Elizabeth Jane Andrew.  Jane is a family name on both sides of our families and I think it gives her an elegant and timeless name.  We call her Lizzie mostly, but Elizabeth is truly special.  My Nana suggested that I have the name Lauren Elizabeth and my Mom chose it.  To continue that name in our family means a lot to me. 

Brandon gave Lizzie her first bath

Look at that curly hair! Only curls when it is wet.

I have to share the beautiful Newborn session we had with the amazing Rebecca Dosch! She is seriously the baby whisperer.  We took all of these in about an hour.  She provided all the wraps, headbands, and props.  I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.  If you are in need of a newborn or family photographer in Cache Valley, go check out Paisley Bird Photography!