Christmas Day!

Up early to see if Santa has come... ok. let's be honest, Ethan caught before 6am looking into the living room that was being guardrd by stools...bar stools :). This picture was taken late, alittle before 7 am.


Ava got a new baby doll- it sits down and stands up by itself, plays peekaboo, cries when it falls down and a lot of other things-crazy!

Ethan the Ninja Turtle Native American... what can I say...

Ava posing for the camera- never a problem!

It was a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Time

December was a great month at our house! We had the house decorated, much of the shopping done and left a lot undone that we normally might do because of our new little guy. Christmas Eve was spent with the Howells and we had a great time- an early lunch with the nativity, compliments, great dessert and an early night which is good because Christmas Eve never ends early at our house. Here are just a few shots of what went on before the actual day!


AIDAN MARK HOWELL was named on Christmas Eve- Whew!!! Fastest record in naming a child for us!


The Nativity on Christmas Eve with the Howells- Ethan as the angle/shepherd and Ava as Mary


An extra SPARKLY Mary and Joseph in the Nativity



Ava during her Christmas program at Draper Theater! She still practices singing for her program and refuses to let anyone join her!


Ethan the Powder Maniac- His parka somehow got left at home, but it didn't deter him a bit. He skied in the powder all day and never wanted to go home- like father like son I guess.



Merry Christmas!!!

ONE WEEK TODAY!!!

Last Saturday morning we had our sweet baby BOY and he is wonderful!!! Besides being confused on what is day and what is night, he could not be a better baby. Of course we still have not named him, but December 31 is a motivating deadline for David so we should have a name before too long. Any suggestions are welcome as well! Here are some pictures!!! Obviously we didn't take enough pictures in the hospital or I'd post a different one of me :0). Ava is in lala land and playing mommy- the one rule is not to touch him while he is sleeping (and you have to wash your hands before you touch him actually), but she breaks the first multiple times a day. She is in heaven playing mommy with him and football with Ethan. Ethan loves him as well, his attention span on for babies is just not quite as long. Anyway, we are all doing well and love this little guy to pieces! Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!!!

Come On Baby!!!

Need I say more??? Ethan was 6 days early and Ava was 17... my hopes were obviously too high and now I feel like everywhere I go people are wondering why I am there...as am I actually! Any guesses on when this baby might come? There may even be a prize for the winner...

October Festivities!

Ava's birthday party was quite a hit! Christi dressed up like Cinderella and the girls were all in lala land. More than one told their parents how the REAL Cinderella came despite the fact that Ava kept calling her Christi- thanks Christi!




Just a couple of pics to document halloween 2009. David dressed up like a nerd for trick-or-treating. I think our entire neighborhood knows him just a bit better now, and many were shocked as he walked away with toilet paper hanging out the back of his pants and as they heard his ever so endearing nerd voice.

Ethan was Harry Potter, and Ava was princess Ava except for trick-or-treating, she was a Lion so she wouldn't freeze. The picture above is when we went to Omniture where our brother-in-law Brandon works. The owner's theme for his department was the Smurff's, so we are pictured here with the Smurff's, and they were as nice as they seem on TV when I was young. We had a great time- thanks Brandon!

I think I officially hit that part of pregnancy ... less than 4 weeks to go and counting everyday! Too bad I need to get Christmas figured out between now and then. This time of year is going to take sink me every year!

A month of Firsts

It has been a month of firsts for Ethan- He had his first day of Kindergarten, learned to ride a two-wheeler bike for the first time, swam length wise by himself across the swimming pool, and last night he lost his first tooth!!! He was so excited he could hardly stand it. He was eating pasta and had it suddenly in his hand. He also said, "If you believe enough, the tooth fairy will bring you gum and money!" Well he believed (or so I thought) and the tooth fairy brought two packages of gum along with the money, and then this morning he said, "I didn't even really believe and I still got gum"... hmmm, at least he will enjoy the gum.

Latest Howell Happenings

Just a little update on what is going on with us, along with some pictures. It has been a great summer and I can feel fall knocking at the door - Come On In! I love fall and can not wait for the apples on my parents tree to be ready to pick for applesauce, apple nutmeg cake, apple pie, apple cider... yes we will be tired of apples come December.

I have found that my house is a little cleaner since I can't do much to get ready for our baby yet - I am sure the clothes would have least been out and sorted if we new the gender, but I am guessing it is a girl (I gotta have something to blame my moodiness on). We went and saw a friends preemie baby this week who weighs 5 lbs 7 oz and she is just so teeny- 12 more long weeks for us! We still have not made any headway on baby names, so feel free to share- we need all the help we can get! I gave Dave a list of about ten names of each gender probably 2-3 weeks ago and I don't think he has even looked at it yet!

Ethan started Kindergarten and loves it! He loves his teacher and is doing great in his school work! Ava started preschool and also loves it! She asks me everyday if I am going to miss her and laughs when I say how much I will miss her. They both did a reading program at the library this summer and received free cookies from Cookies By Design (see below- they are yummy!), and they get free taco's, Carl's Junior Kids Meals and both got free books- love the library!

First Days of School








Swimming in St.George- We went to St. George with my family. We had a great time in the lava caves, the crack, on the hydrotube, and swimming!




Here is Ethan in Wizard of Oz- he loved it!