Camden & Becca Bird

sleeping beauty is awake

2012-02-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

We finally got some pictures with her eyes open.

Siblings

2012-02-12T13:54:00.001-08:00

I was a little worried about how Bronson would be as a big brother and a sharer of attention. So far we are doing great. He is so good with Evelyn. He is gentle and soft. It helps that she has not been a very demanding baby and has slept a lot of the time. He still gets plenty of attention.

Kisses - He often will come into the room and say "baby, kiss, head"

One of his favorite things to do - Hold her little sister!

Here he is helping her clap her hands:)

It is such a great thing to be a mom - I love my kids

Welcome!

2012-02-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Evelyn is here are we are so thrilled! The delivery went so smoothly. We decided to get induced which was great! We knew that we were going into the hospital to have a baby! It was similar to my experience with Bronson, but a lot less time. I was given the pitocin and just about an hour later they came in to break my water. After about 20 min I started feeling the contractions and they were getting a little more painful so I called the anesthesiologist in to get my epidural ( I love epidurals!) Camden got back from his class just in time to hold my hand while I got the shot. This epidural was a heavy one. I literally could not feel any part of my legs. Not the most comfortable, but Camden was there to help me turn if I wanted to, and I prefer feeling nothing to feeling everything. At one point I asked him to curl one leg under the other thinking it would be more comfortable for me. He looked at me a little confused and told it me it was already curled.
I was able to nap and read on and off for the next couple of hours. They checked me and said I was ready to go! Wahoo! I only had to push through about 4 or 5 contractions and she came out healthy, pink, and chubby! She was 8.9 lbs. Everything went so well! It has been a great couple of days. The pictures below are of our newest little girl. We have yet to get a good look at her beautiful little eyes she has been taking her time waking up into reality. So far she is a good sleeper:)

Cute, Chubby little face.

Sometimes she gives us some cute little expressions, and yawns.

That is one proud papa!

A lunch date gone bad

2012-01-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

One afternoon I stopped home for lunch before work really picked up that day. When I entered our dim house (the curtains were still closed from the night before) I was met by Camden who had also stopped home for some food. As we talked about our day I headed to the kitchen while Camden opened up the curtains. When the light poured into our apartment I was crushed to see that my delicious Great Harvest bread had gone moldy, and I expressed my disappointment to my husband. From behind me I hear my husband ask, "What?" I turn around and notice his very sober expression as I tell him again the bread is moldy. With concern and fear in his voice he responds, "I made two sandwiches with that bread."

Lesson learned: A well lit house is a safe house, in more ways then one.

It wasn't this bad but this sells the idea.

Funny

2012-01-25T21:16:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time my husband and I went on a date! It was so nice, relaxing, and fun! We decided to go to a local Thai restaurant that I've been wanting to try. It was delicious. When we got the check at the end of the night Camden looked at me and said he had forgotten his wallet, which was fine since I had mine. I handed them my card only to find they didn't accept American Express. This is not uncommon so I went to the always acceptable debit card. Funny thing is, it had expired. ( I had gotten a new one and just hadn't taken the time to activate it) My bad. In great embarrassment, we had Camden run home to get his wallet. When he got back we gave the waiter Camden's debit card and apologized for the inconvenience. We learned some things that night. I really wish keeping money on hand was the only lesson but it was not. Instead we learned that Camden and I got our debt cards at the same time. We frantically searched through our wallets, pockets, and my purse in search of any cash. Fortunately, we were able to scrounge up just the right amount for the bill with nothing but a quarter to spare for a tip. They were super nice about it (we did drop by later with a tip). It was such an awkward experience so I hope you never find yourself in a position to not pay for food you have already eaten.

Some days EVERY penny counts!

Chocolate pudding

2011-12-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

Bronson has discovered "treats" he recognizes and appreciates a little sugar here and there. So tonight we gave him some chocolate pudding. yummy. He actually appreciated playing in it more than eating it. I guess that's a good thing.

He is usually super sensitive about dirty hands, and often can't wait to get them clean, but he made an exception for the pudding, fascinated by his dirty hands!

I being the kind, caring mother that I am started asking him where his nose was and then where is eye was. He kindly obliged me much to my delight.

But oh no... he got a little in his eye, so naturally he wanted to rub his eye to help clean it out a little.( I promise this was not my intention I was merely trying to get a little more pudding on his cute little face.)

This is where our game came to an end. He looked so cute with his pudding eye so a I quickly snapped a couple pictures and then rushed to his aid. He was not having any success getting the pudding out of his eye.

These pictures are just because I thought his little jump suit was cute!

Leaves and stuff

2011-11-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

We finally got to play in the leaves! This is what we did Thanksgiving day - We also ate and visited with family! Which was so fun. I LOVE thanksgiving! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the actual Thanksgiving feasting ( we got two! ), but we did get pictures in the leaves! Also I have started discovering photoshop. It is amazing and addicting, for example this picture below. What a cute expression and moment. Too bad we couldn't pose the leaves and make sure non of them were disrupting his smile. Oh, but wait, there is photoshop! Here is the before and after!

Before any retouches

After
Fun huh!

Bronson was fearless. He was undeterred by the mouthful of leaves, being completely covered, and totally inundated by big piles. He was having the time of his life.

I thought this picture was funny, doesn't he look like a football player. (Not my first choice of sports, but it's cute while he's so little.)

Yeah for leaves!

Also the pregnancy is coming along nicely!
We are in the third trimester and I'm really starting to feel it:)

Wish I was a baller...

2011-11-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

A favorite hobby of Bronson's is playing basketball! Every time we pass a basket ball court, or hoop, or he sees somebody with a ball we all know about it. Often the moment ends in tears as we tear him away. He has such a tough life! Here he is showing off some of his skills.

He also knows he shouldn't throw the ball into the parking lot so obviously he does it every time.

Look at that innocent little face

2011-11-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided we needed to go take pictures with some fall colors in them. It was a beautiful sunny halloween and Bronson was being pleasant! I'm so glad we did because this morning when we woke up all of the leaves have fallen. It is rainy and cold outside. I love this time of year for so many reasons.

October is just gorgeous with the colors first in the mountains and then in the valley. November is special - Thanksgiving, anticipation, Bleakness before the beautiful snow. December - It's just absolutely exciting. Finals come and go so quickly and then there is such a time with family, snow, beautiful lights, again the anticipation. What a wonderful time of year.

I can't believe we have just left the month of October. The holiday months make pregnancy go even quicker. We are so excited for our little girl to get here. Not for another trimester or so though:)

Trip to the canyon

2011-10-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Last fall we took a trip up the canyon. Look how small Bronson was.

Here he is this fall with his daddy. We got up there a little too late for the great colors, but it was so fun to get out!

Aunt Catherine and Opa came with us! Bronson unfortunately was captivated by the water! Here he is looking longingly off of the bridge.

I was there too!

Fall Fun!

2011-10-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun going to a pumpkin patch with some friends!

By the way Bronson got a hair cut! We sat him down in front of a youtube video of monster trucks (truck is one of his favorite words/objects right now.) It was fairly painless and looks decent! It was getting so long and nappy - it had to be done!

Jack and Bronson.
Jack is such a good buddy to Bronson. He is a little older than Bronson so I especially appreciate his patience and kindness with my little guy.

Upside of ER

2011-10-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Bronson was really fun when coming off his drugs...

ER

2011-10-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time...Bronson fell quite a distance onto his cute little head. It happened so quick and was so frightening. We immediately went to the ER where they proceeded to give him a cat-scan and discovered a small fracture:( We discovered that he really doesn't like cat-scan machines. They tried just putting him in - Didn't work. They tried giving him a small amount of medicine to help calm him down - Didn't work. Finally they gave him something that was effective. Every time the plan changes it takes a long time, so we were there for quite a while waiting for the results. We spent the night in the hospital for observation.

Here he is the next morning, he was feeling much better and his hair was SO nappy from all the struggles in the cat-scan machine and just a ruff night in general.

The next morning they suggested we get one more cat-scan to be sure there was no small bleeding that may have occurred over night. The only problem was we had just eaten a little breakfast and he wasn't supposed to eat for six hours so that they could sedate him. We waited. He loved the play room and the little basketball hoop that was there. He is a pretty good shot!

Coming out of the sedation is never fun. He is lucky to have such a great dad to comfort him. (Camden also spent the night with him while I went home to sleep in our bed. Camden is so good to us.)

Happy to be home, and safe.

Here are his beautiful eyes. New fact that I didn't know. When you get a large goose egg on your forehead the blood drains into your eye. So now he has a black eye. he looks like a cute puppy dog. We feel so fortunate that he is going to be perfectly fine.

It's a ....

2011-09-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!

This pregnancy has been awesome. I have felt really good the entire time, but somehow I haven't been in the mood to blog very often - sorry.

Here is a little catch up!

We had a family reunion in Eden. Part of the reason was to celebrate the the momentous achievement - ALL of my male cousins are now officially eagle scouts. Years ago when the oldest cousins earned their eagle awards my grandparents set a goal that every one of their 14 grandsons would do the same. Over the last twenty years or so we have celebrated every one of them. This summer the youngest grandchild earned his eagle and completed the goal. Here is a picture with those that were able to make it.

Bronson loves spending time with his uncles!

They had a "treasure hunt" for the younger kids. Bronson got a little dog!

We also had a blast during our annual trip to June Lake! One of Bronson's favorite activities was feeding the fish at the dock.

Little family picture in front of Gull Lake.

Had to add this picture!

Here is the entire Bird family! It is SO much fun spending an entire week with them in such a beautiful place. Catherine will leave for her mission this fall so it was especially nice to spend the time together.

Last, but not least, Camden graduated. It was so fun to participate in all of the graduation ceremonies. Unfortunately he jumped right back into school about two weeks later, but it was so fun to celebrate a huge mile post in our lives! I'm so proud of him!

Baby on board!

2011-07-13T21:28:00.002-07:00

We are expecting another baby! And we are so excited about it!

Here are a couple pictures!

This picture is a little older, but I just came across it and was so happy to see my handsome men!

Bronson has taken a real liking to dogs. A couple of years ago that would have been a big problem for me, but I'm warming up to them (a little) He can say "dog" and will often follow it with a woof woof sound.

We went to a parade! Bronson loved the open streets and crowds of people!

Uncle Stephen with Christian and Bronson on the forth of July! We had a great holiday. Bronson thought the fireworks were awesome!

Subway

2011-06-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

We did it! A couple of months ago we got a crazy idea to go through the Subway canyon in Zion's national park. We put in for a back country permit and won the "lottery" to get a pass! Camden and I went with my Dad, Stephen, Caleb, and Catherine. It was a great group and we had such a fun time!

Here we are at the start of our adventure!

Descending into the canyon!

The Subway is such an awesome hike you are constantly going in and out of the water and scrambling all over the boulders.

You can repel, but you can also lower yourself down a couple of drops. This one dropped right into some deep water.

Great fun!

This hike has some spectacular moments! You've got to love water and red rock in the dessert.

California Fun!

2011-06-01T19:50:00.001-07:00

We had a great memorial day weekend! We went to visit Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Catherine.

Last year when we visited the beach, Bronson was in a cast and tiny. This year he was cruising around the beach. We just sat and watched as he followed the seagulls, made some new friends, and played in the sand.

We slathered on the sunblock (and it worked!) But it made his little face very susceptible to sand getting stuck - it was so funny.

We played on a boat at a different beach!

We discovered starfish and other under sea creatures in a Bronson sized aquarium.

We went hiking with Grandma and found some ruins. It was really cool.

We are one happy family!

Kids are so funny!

2011-05-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Bronson keeps us laughing and moving!

Just this morning we went to breakfast as we were leaving I decided to let him wander. I had some time and he is always happier when he gets to pick the direction we go. He took us to a tunnel that goes up towards campus. There he kept walking back and forth waving at everybody that passed us. He was a hit, he has discovered the power of a wave and uses it often. He rarely fails to get a response from whomever he has targeted with his wave.

The stroller is still useful some of the time, but he prefers to "help" us push the stroller. This is less effective, but cute. He also likes to do this with the cart in the grocery store.

The weather has been a bit cloudy and rainy these last few days. Which means we are still wearing jackets often. I don't mind though I really like the jacket Bronson wears. I think it is so handsome!

Lastly, the lilacs are in full bloom! I love lilacs, they only flower for about two weeks every year, but they are spectacular and fragrant.

An evening at the Park!

2011-05-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

We are loving this spring weather! The other day, after work, we hooked up the bike trailer and rode to the park. The weather was perfect and the evening lighting was so picturesque. Bronson is getting to be such an active little guy.

Up to this point there is only one word that I'm sure he says on a regular basis - it is ball. He loves to play with balls. When we went to the park we forgot to bring one so he zeroed in on a group of college kids who were kicking a soccer ball around. He walked right up to them pointed to the ball and said ball. I was watching from a distance and could hardly stop laughing. The kids were super nice and played with him for a minute until we broke the game up. This picture was taken later in the evening after we came home from the park. I should have gotten a picture of him with his "new friends"

I'm not sure if he is a daredevil or if he just doesn't have enough experience to be afraid of anything. He has taken a liking to the big slide at the park we go to, it's a pretty big slide and he does it all by himself:)

Another thing he found interesting were the wood chips that were everywhere.

And then there is the swing! I love the children swings and so does Bronson. Especially when his daddy is waiting for him every time he swings forward.

Yeah for sun!

2011-05-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

And cute babies!

who's the MAN!

2011-04-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

He's the man.

This picture was taken the day he married me! Camden is such a great husband. We recently celebrated his birthday. It was kind of low key, but so fun! I love birthdays.
Happy Birthday to Camden.

Also he has been accepted into the MPA program! We are thrilled and looking forward to the next couple of years - it will be busy, but good!

Yeah for Camden!

I believe in Miracles!

2011-03-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is the follow up to my last blog, but keep reading because I've got some exciting news!
1.Camden
2.Christian
3.Stephen
4.Bronson
5.Rachel
6.Catherine
7.Me
8.Robin
9.Dad
10.Susan
11.Mom

I think everybody is aware that Bronson was born with a clubbed foot. It has been a stressful and worrying thing for a new mother (me). We have been to a TON of doctors appointments, lots of casts, he had one minor surgery and one more major surgery, and then wore a brace for three months, and we now wear the brace part time. It has been an interesting 9 months or so. We have done all of this for the purpose of allowing Bronson to be able to walk, run, jump like a normal guy. Despite doctors assurances I often can't help but be a little concerned about the ultimate outcome. I was told that Bronson may be a little slower to crawl and walk, but to not be concerned. I have mentioned that he picked up on crawling quickly after the brace came off and I was SO pleased with his ability to move. Since then he has been pulling himself up onto things and walking with help. Well today he made a giant step. Literally! He took a couple of steps all by himself. I am proud, happy, and relieved!

Smile!

2011-03-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

This morning I was late to my dentist appointment :( Unfortunately this appointment wasn't the standard teeth cleaning (that took place last week), this week I had a cavity. I have had very little experience with dental work outside of the semi-annual cleaning. The last time I had a cavity they asked if I would like to listen to music - using a portable CD player, oh how time can change things. This time they had a nice i-pod filled with hundreds of songs. It was nice. I laid there breathing the oh so relaxing laughing gas and was surprised at how familiar the memory of my last cavity was. Then I got the shot to numb my mouth. What had been a slightly familiar memory came crashing back as a vivid memory. I don't know that you ever forget the feeling of a half numb mouth. how miserable. Getting the cavity filled was a relatively short experience, but the effects of a numb mouth wasn't. I was so hungry, but I didn't want to eat. I drank some water and could only feel it in half of my mouth. I have a new found appreciation for our amazing tongues and overall abilities of our mouths! What a blessing! Also this week Bronson has begun his own collection of teeth so here is a shout out to teeth and the wonderful opportunities they give us! (Food is so much better with them!)

Below I have posted pictures of a number of smiles (from my family). Can you guess who's they are?

1.
2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

10.

11.

Rex Lee Run

2011-03-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

This morning my Dad and I ran the Rex Lee 5K! It was such a great experience. Especially since both my Dad and I have had to work up to any kind of running. My parents came home from Russia last July. Since then my Dad has lost over 50 Ibs and has started to run again for the first time in over 25 years. He also had a cancer scare which required an operation. So the Rex Lee Run was perfect since all proceeds go to cancer and it's research. I had a baby and have not been great about getting back into running. But we did it!

Here we are before the race! It was a lovely morning, and it was so nice to have my Mom, Bronson, and Camden all there to cheer us on.

Home run stretch.

We crossed the finish line together.

Just after we finished, and we shaved over 6 minutes off of our time from last week. It felt so good!

Just a side note - Guess who just got their first tooth?

To be a Mom

2011-02-25T22:45:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest things about being a mom is being so absolutely aware of every little thing your baby does. Every new discovery he makes, face he pulls, skill he acquires. As a blanket statement all babies are cute - they're babies! But having your own is a unique experience. Having a child has been a life changing adjustment. There are days when I reminisce in the freedom I once had, or the full night of sleep I had on a daily basis, or how I took every small thing, like walking around uninhibited, for granted. I didn't realize or appreciate it at the time, but I now look back on those days with fond memories. Having said that - I love my life. I'm married to a great man, and I have an adorable little guy. My life is everything I have ever wanted and I'm grateful. Now back to Bronson!

He is such a handsome little man. At nine months old he is a busy fellow who is living a very interesting life, he is into everything except his toys. He started crawling just after we took his brace off, although he was slow and unsteady at first, he quickly became quick and confident. It has been an incredible change to watch. I'm so glad that he was able to pick up on crawling so quickly. ( I tried to put a video on, but ran into some technical difficulties:)

Another great thing is that he can pull himself up to a standing position. His little foot is doing so well! It's still not perfect, but taking the brace off has been a great new stage. Walking around with help is one of his favorite things to do. Again it's still a work in progress, but it is great!

He is SO cute! I love him. At nine months he is still not sleeping through the night (last night was beastly), He is crawling, exploring, and pulling himself up on everything. He plays with his tongue a lot, and jabbers using so many sounds that will one day be real words.

The best part of being a mom is sharing it with a dad and knowing that it will last forever.

Washington Weddings

2011-01-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

Roughly two months ago we took an incredible couple of days and visited D.C. It was such a great experience and despite being nervous about taking Bronson on a plane, riding tons of public transportation, and walking around a big city it was a success. I was so proud of how he did - we had a great time. D.C. is one of my favorite places to visit there are so many things to see and do. I'm so glad my brother Carl married Susan and I'm glad they did it in D.C. Thanks!

Walking toward the Lincoln. Bronson was pretty good in the backpack, but we did opt for the stroller the rest of the time:)

I was also worried about the weather. I had heard that D.C was very cold towards the end of November. Lucky for us it was spectacular weather for most of our stay. Here we are having a picnic lunch on the mall.

We walked to all of the monuments on the mall. They are such amazing landmarks and I'm always impressed by them.

My brother is getting his doctorate at the Catholic University so we visited the spectacular cathedral and observed a mass. I absolutely loved the cantor. I wish we could listen to such an angelic voice in a building with such great acoustics every Sunday. The only problem is when your baby starts to fuss EVERYBODY can hear him. It can be kind of stressful.

Arlington Cemetery is one of my favorite places. It is such a solemn and breathtaking cemetery. I'm so glad I was able to walk around the area with my little family.

Thanks to Carl and Susan! I'm so glad you two are married! The wedding was SPECTACULAR!

Now we are one big happy family! (minus my mom and dad - but they were there!)

It's time to blog again

2011-01-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

I'm back - and a lot that has happened. We enjoyed a Wedding, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a New Year without saying boo on our blog. Oh how time flies and what great times they are! For now I don't have the time or energy to give justice to all of our wonderful adventures, but let me post a few pictures.

We had a very Merry Christmas.

And our Daddy has started his last full semester at...BYU we decided to have an impromptu photo shoot with all of our BYU paraphernalia.

Bronson is almost done with his first three months of his booties and bar, which means technically he will only be wearing them at night and during his naps. Of course that all depends on what the doctor says in our next appointment. If you ask me I think his foot still looks enough different that there will probably be some more something that we will have to do.
He is putting pressure on his foot and with the help of his Uncle Xan has even been "walking" around quite a bit so I'm very hopeful!
That's all folks!

Feeding and Feet!

2010-11-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

"Look mom I can eat real food! It's mushy and I'm not great at getting it to stay in my mouth, but I'm getting it!"

So apparently Bronson is old enough to start eating real food. What an adventure. He still hasn't made up his mind weather he really likes it or not.

We also gave up our casts and traded it in for a brace! Here is a picture of the brace that we now wear 23 hours a day 7 days a week. The first week with the brace seemed like this would be the longest three months of little Bronson's life, but day by day his foot fit better and better into his new little shoe. His foot had been so swollen from all of the casting it took a bit, but the transformation has been amazing!

The best part is that Bronson seems to like his booty's and bar much better than his cast. He has become so pleasant and playful. Originally he was very slow to put pressure on his newly freed foot, but now he really likes to stand on booth of his feet. I think it will get better and better - It already has!

His foot is FREE for about an hour a day. You can see there is a marked difference between foot a and foot b, but they both work and that is what we've been going for. I'm so glad that my little buddy will be able to walk, run, and jump. What a great blessing.

Fall Fun

2010-10-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

In between classes, internships, raising a baby, and working we have been out and about a couple of times!

We went to my Grandma's cabin a couple weeks ago. It was so fun! I hadn't been up there since before we got married. We went hiking down to the beaver pond and over to some huge beautiful trees. It was so fun - what a great time to reminisce. Here my sweet Camden is holding my water for me.

We also went to cornbelly's cornmaize. I was thinking it was a cornmaze and the scary part had a couple people hiding with fake chain saws, but I was WRONG. It was a super fun Halloween carnival and the haunted corn maize was scary. We had so much fun! They had a pumpkin tower that was so cool. Every pumpkin was so intricately carved.

Bronson, of course, LOVED all of the attention he got! It was actually his first day without a cast so he was a little sensitive. Overall he did pretty good.

One of Bronson's favorite people is his Great Grandpa Dean. Sometimes on my day off we go and visit him. Grandpa always takes Bronson outside which is his favorite place!

Life is good and it's just getting better! I have yet to take pictures of Bronson's brace and his little foot, but it is on my to do list. So maybe next time.

Just Because!

2010-10-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

We went walking in our beloved mountains a while ago! I LOVE fall time.

I've missed blogging about so many little things. Soon I will post a decent blog, but for now just to let you know we have graduated from cast to brace with little Bronson. We are thus adjusting to our new set up.

Daddy's Boy!

2010-09-25T19:58:00.001-07:00

Babies grow up SO fast! Bronson is now officially four months old. At times it seems like he has always been here and other times I can't believe it's already been a whole four months. He is handsome, funny, and smart. It's amazing to watch his little personality come out.

There is a poem that my Grandmother gave to me when Bronson was just a week or two old. The last part of the poem goes--

"Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep."
-Ruth Hulburt Hamilton 1958

How true it is, he is already so big. It is so fun to watch him grow and it is so fun to remember him as a new born. I just love him, I'm so glad to be his mama!

He is such a handsome little boy! The older he gets the more I think he looks like his daddy and also he has some remarkable similarities to his Grandpa Bird!

Look at these handsome guys!

He just loves it when he gets kisses! Look at that little face :)

Surgery - Success!

2010-09-19T20:37:00.001-07:00

Thank you for all of your well wishing! Bronson's surgery went very well! When he went in they told us that it could be a short minor surgery or they may have to cut a little more and it could be a little longer. Thankfully the surgeon felt like they were able to get enough of a flex in his foot with the more minor surgery - which is great! The less surgery means less chance for problems throughout his life! I'm so glad that we have skilled professionals so close, our doctor has been so good with Bronson!

Here is Bronson in his little hospital gown. I thought he looked so cute! Poor kid he didn't know what was coming.

It even tied in the back!

It was kind of a long day for Bronson. He did not like the anesthesia or the surgery very much. Here he is with my Grandpa who was SO good at soothing a tired, grumpy little guy! My Grandparents were so helpful, I don't know how we would have done it without them. Thank You!

Bronson got yet another cast. This one is big and FAT! But at least they put some fun color on it. Usually his casts have been the white plaster, but this time they put an extra little wrap on it I think it looks so much nicer. Another funny thing about Bronson is he really likes to lay on grass. It is so interesting and cute! Again thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers!

surgery

2010-09-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

Little Bronson is going in for surgery tomorrow. As much as I hate surgery I'm relieved that they will be giving him some anesthesia. Hopefully he will not look at me with that accusing look, and they will be able to get the correction they want. His little foot has been SO stubborn - I really hope it is not indicative of things to come!

At least he is cute!

Over due update!

2010-09-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

I realize my blog has been stagnant for the past three weeks. Sorry! I guess part of me wishes we were still at the Lake :) Life is Good! Since the last time I blogged we have been busy, busy, busy. Camden finished his internship up in Sandy, which he had really enjoyed. He started his fall semester, and started working with Provo city. So he has been dealing with a lot of change. He works so hard!

I have been balancing work and baby. Which can be a challenge sometimes ( most of the time ) I'm grateful my mom has come home from Russia she has been a huge help and support. We have started taking Bronson up to Salt Lake every week for his little foot. It is a long trip, but ultimately worth it I hope! His little foot isn't reacting so well to anything - so what was originally going to be a shorter treatment period has now stretched out to nearly four months and counting. We are anxious for him to graduate from his casts into the special booties that will continue the correction. We just go week by week.

We went to Cascade Springs as a family the other day! It was so fun. The leaves are just barely starting to change so we'll have to go up again in a week or two.

Bronson often gives us "the lip" right before he starts to cry, but we only have one picture of it. So the other day we spent quit a bit of effort trying to catch it on camera for posterity sakes. Unfortunately this doesn't do it justice at all. I think the best part about "the lip" is the way he plays with you. Sticking it out and then almost smiling and then sticking it out again until he finally starts to cry.

I loved his expression in this picture. It shows his big saggy cheeks and double chin. And of course where would we be without the big dribble of drool. He drools so much!

We went to our nieces soccer game the other day and it was so fun! The evening was beautiful. Bronson always likes the out of doors and had fun playing with his daddy. It was fun to spend some time with the Weights as well!

This is the bumbo. I'm sure anybody with a baby is fairly familiar with this ingenious little contraption. I think Bronson looks like he is sitting on a throne! He usually really likes this chair which can free up a hand or two when I need it! Of course it never lasts too long, but we take what ever time he will give us! He is so funny!

June Lake

2010-08-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

We went on a fabulous vacation. June Lake is a mountain paradise. It's a Bird family tradition to go and vacation there. There is something for everybody and it is especially nice to be able to spend so much time with our family! We were there for an entire week. We went biking, hiking, swimming, some went fishing. The weather was gorgeous.

Here is our little family

Bronson spent A LOT of time in his little hat. We tried to keep him out of the sun as much as possible - which can be tricky for a little two month old baby. Over all he was such a good little guy. In this picture he was actually riding a ski lift. I was so grateful that we had a front pack to strap him in!

Recently Camden and I bought bikes which has been SO much fun. Here Camden is riding with our nieces. We rode the June Lake loop which is a route that covers some of the most beautiful areas. It passes four different lakes and has a lot of hills!

Camden and Bronson are catching some sun! We went swimming which felt so good! Bronson just hung out in the shade, but I think he really enjoyed being outside.

Here's the whole Bird clan! What a trip - Thanks

Family

2010-07-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

My little brother Nathan his wife Robin and their adorable little boy Alex just left to travel across the country. We are going to miss them:(
Before they left we took a family picture that was a couple years overdo. It has been a fun filled two weeks - FULL of family gatherings, and I have loved every minute of it. It seems that with them leaving we all have to get back to real life now. I'm glad we were able to capture a moment with us all together. I think it looks pretty good!

An update!

2010-07-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

My family is all back together! We went and picked the Russian crew up almost two weeks ago! It has been non-stop partying ever since.

Here they are coming down the escalator at the airport! What a sight.

Broson has really started to turn on the charm. He has been smiling more and more! And he loves his oma!

We love to try and get him to smile!

Here he is trying to put the moves on his cute little friend Brooklyn!

CALIFORNIA!!

2010-06-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad my in-laws live in California. It is such a beautiful area and I always love to visit. Bronson was such a little trooper. He slept for most of the way there and back. ;) We spent time with his grandma, grandpa, and aunt Catherine. We visited with friends ate yummy food, rode bikes ( not Bronson), and we went to the beach! It was a short vacation, but it was SO nice.
Unfortunately Bronson kicked his cast off half way through our vacation so he was a little uncomfortable until we decided it was time to take it all the way off. This is the second cast in a row that he has had a hard time keeping on. It puts us back a little way in the treatments for his foot, but still things are coming along. He is getting cuter and cuter I'll try not to overload the blog with pictures, but there will be a few!

Our family at the beach!

Bronson and his daddy at the same beach! Don't you love Bronson's little sweat suit.

For the most part he was happy, but he had a couple sad moments.

This is Bronson at exactly one month old. I can't believe how much he has already grown.

Lots of Improvement

2010-06-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today we went and got yet another cast (#4), I decided to take my camera so that we could compare the progress. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm so glad that we live in a time where there are so many things that we can do! My dear Bronson will have no lasting effects from this little club foot.

This first picture was taken in the hospital.

This was taken earlier today in between casts.

And here is our handsome little dude!

The Way We Were!

2010-06-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful family! We have been separated for almost 4 years now. My parents have been serving in Russia for almost three years and took half of our family with them. Here's what has happened since they've been gone. Now to sum up three years is a little much so I just included the life changing events.

They will be back in under a month and I'm kind of excited.

Family picture taken a LONG time ago, but it's the only one I have. Here we are all together!

Here is the Russian crew just before they left, aren't they cute!

A couple months after they left Stephen came home from his mission. Here he is coming off the escalator at the airport. ( He did get to go and visit the family in Russia! )

Then Nathan and Robin got married!

A little while later Camden and I got married.

A short time later Stephen and Rachel got married.

Then the babies started coming - Christian first.

Then Alex

Then our little guy.

After a year in Russia Xan went on his own mission and just return TODAY! But to Moscow so we won't see him until he gets home with the rest of the clan!

As you can see it has been a busy three years and I for one can hardly wait to be all together again - especially with our new and improved family!

Cast #2

2010-06-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Less than three weeks old and we just got Bronson's third cast on today! He has been handling his casting so well. Becoming parents has been such a great experience. Bronson handles his silly parents so well and he has been training us in the ways of parenthood :) What an adventure.

I came home one night after running some errands to this!!! Camden was doodling on Bronson's little cast! Bronson of course was complete knocked out sleeping. I thought it was so cute!

This is what his "doodling" looks like! lol

My colorful little man!

Ohhh! Looking good! and Cute!

Look Mom I have a new cast!

2010-06-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is just doing great! He had his second cast put on today. For those of you who don't know our little buddy has a club foot. He is handling his casting very well ( better than his mama ) I love it when he is awake and happy. His little eyes look so inquisitive and it is so fun to have him look at you! Pictures don't do him justice, but they sure are fun!

We had a baby!

2010-05-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

Bronson Charles Bird has arrived at last! He was 7 Ibs 2 oz and measured about 19 inches! He is so cute and has been such a good little baby. We still need to teach him the difference between night and day, but other than that he is practically perfect. What an experience to become parents and to love so much.

The delivery was relatively smooth there were no complications thank goodness! I had to be induced so it took a little longer than usual. From the time they started me to when he finally came took 19 and half hours. I'm so glad they have epidurals it meant that a lot of that time I could rest and relax.

We are SO glad that Camden's mom could come and help us. She stayed and helped us for the first week and it made such a difference. We are still easing back into life. Most of our time is spent just staring at our cute little baby or trying to console him between the hours of 11:00 and 4:00 am. :)

Just FYI My puppp's have decreased substantially. Thanks to everyone who had me in their thoughts and prayers. Hopefully they will be completely gone within a week. Again thanks for letting me vent on my last blog entry I think it was very therapeutic

Here he is at the hospital

At home and tired.

My men!

Misery

2010-05-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Misery is described as "a circumstance, thing, or place that causes suffering or discomfort" I've often heard the last weeks of pregnancy can feel like a REALLY long time, but it's one of those things you don't quite understand until you are there. In addition to being almost 9 months pregnant I have developed a condition known as PUPPP's all of those letters stand for some long scientific words that means nothing to me. Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy if you're interested.
WOW it is not the funnest thing I've experienced. It started out as a very itchy rash on my tummy. When it first appeared I was thinking it wasn't too bad. It itched really bad at certain times of the day, but it wasn't constant. Unfortunately it spreads - to your whole body. My legs, my back, my arms, my tummy, my ankles, they all feel itchy, red, and have little bumps. blah. Last night it decided to have a hey day. It went to town.

Misery - an itch that can not be scratched. That is my new definition.

Oh that time will pass quickly, that this baby will be healthy, and that I will still be slightly sane when he gets here! Thanks for letting me publicly complain - sorry for the complaints I really am thrilled to be pregnant, I'm grateful that we are almost parents, and I'm so excited to meet my little boy. I will gladly take the bad with the good. Bring it!!!

A hard lesson learned

2010-05-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago we decided to take a little road trip down to the Manti Temple. Knowing that in the next couple of weeks we will be a little less flexible and really not able to go to the temple together without a very trusted babysitter on hand. Camden had just finished his semester and I had a day off so we took off. It was a beautiful drive and fun to be together, but there were a couple of disappointments. For one the temple was closed. You've got it Closed :( We had just assumed that it would be open as most temples are for most of the year, but unfortunately we hit right during the two week cleaning period. Lesson learned - call ahead and never assume.

We did get to see the outside of the temple which is an experience in and of itself.

We read about part of the history.

And then we sadly turned around to go home.

Maybe someday we'll get to go and enjoy a session together, but we'll see when someday occurs.

Do you ever?

2010-04-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days when you think back to yesterday morning and it seems like it happened an eternity ago? Today was such a day. It's hard to believe that just yesterday morning I was walking through the rain with my nephew on my way to see my brother graduate. It seems so long ago :(

Today I started at 6:15 am. We made breakfast for the RA's (Resident Assistants) in my building. It was a beautiful morning the rain that had been so oppressing just the day before was no where in sight. Everything was beautiful spring blossoms and green. Today was the LAST day of check-outs in my building! Subsequently at eight months pregnant I spent the day going up and down stairs, walking down long hallways, and finishing all of the little things that were still waiting for me. My RA's were wonderful and had worked so hard all week for this final day. By the end of the afternoon when everything was done we were all looking like zombies. One by one I had to say goodbye to the girls I've worked with all semester, and then it was over. This building that was so crazy and hopping all semester is now an empty shell of what it was. It's kind of weird. It will see hundreds of new faces this summer and crazy will happen again, but for now we are alone.

Camden and I enjoyed a nice game of pool in the empty lobby ( he won! ) And now we are enjoying a very quit evening. It never ceases to amazes me how much things can change in just a day. I've felt similar feelings after finishing finals, coming home from a mission, getting married. All of these take so much preparation and time, but in the end it happens in just a day. My favorite thing about a long day is the end when your feet, mind, and body are sore and you DESERVE to relax. So I go now to relax!

FINISHED!!!

2010-04-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Finals are OVER!! Camden spent a beautiful afternoon studying for his last final and was able to finish them all up on Monday. He finished strong and had a great semester. We are excited for his internship this summer and hope everything goes as planned.
Finals were just one more thing that had to happen before our baby comes. So another task is crossed off the list! Speaking of baby...(cause I always do) we received a BEAUTIFUL quilt. I've always been fascinated by pieced quilts and LOVE them. The colors and patterns and stitches just make me happy. Our little guy will have the nicest quilt in our home. Thanks so much! The pictures don't do it justice, but it gives you an idea! We're down to 4 weeks and counting.

Hungry for Baby

2010-04-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

No, I am not eating the diaper cake, but it sure looks good. Actually it looks incredible! Vivian my sister in law made it for me! Thanks:)

With a little over five weeks to go until the due date we are doing well. I'm getting a little bigger (or a lot depending on who's asking) the baby is obviously getting anxious to spread his little legs. I don't think my ribs are great barriers, but they'll have to do for the next little while. And everything seems to be going perfectly, or we are really hoping! Ultimately we are just excited and nervous for the changes that are coming our way.

Camden is prepping himself for the many nerf gun wars that will inevitably follow the arrival of another boy in the house. Even if it takes a few years.

I am getting a little less able bodied as my wonderful expanding belly limits my everyday movements. (Tying shoes is the worst.)

And thanks to the generosity of my family little baby Bird has a place to rest his head when he finally gets here! I LOVE this pack n' play and it fits so nicely into our little apartment!

EASTER EGGS

2010-04-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

So this year for Easter we decorated eggs! I'm embarrassed to admit it, but this was the first year that we've done Easter Eggs. They turned out very colorful and we had a fun time. On Easter morning Camden took advantage of my sleeping a little late (I'm getting pretty good at sleeping in) and hid them around our apartment! So this morning I woke up to an Easter Egg hunt!! He had to play the warm/cold game on the last couple so I could find them. With his help I successfully found all 14 eggs!

Camden is holding my favorite egg! I loved how the colors were so vibrant when we mixed them.

In the process! Later, Camden accidentally dropped an egg in the dye. It subsequently splashed out all over the place. We're just gearing up for children:)

A carton of finished products.

Gateway

2010-03-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

So we took a day trip! It was another Saturday that I had off so we took off! We decided to try the trax and go explore the Gateway mall in SLC. It was so fun to get out, and seeing the mall was awesome. I hadn't been there for a couple of years so it has developed a lot since I last saw it. The sun was shinning and there were a ton of people walking around! Also on the trax we were able to see downtown SLC which is undergoing a huge renovation. I'm so excited to see the finished product. One other side note. The trax runs right past the KSL news building as we approached we saw a HUGE line that wrapped around the building. Looking at the people I made a comment how there were a lot of bigger people. I was a little concerned thinking it was just a random sample of society. Come to find out they were holding auditions for the reality show "The biggest loser" So my observation wasn't totally out of place or biased. Besides I'm 7 months pregnant. So who an I to be talking.

We rode up on trax! We ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (YUMMY BBQ Pizza!)Outside of lunch and the trax we only spent 50 cents and it was on an arcade game!

Here we are at the fountains we sat and watched the little kids run through the water for a while, and then caught the show where they synchronize the fountains to music!

2010-03-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

So... I love being pregnant it is such an incredible feeling to watch my tummy get bigger and bigger, feel the little kicks, just to imagine how our lives are about to change with the addition to our little family, milking my inabilities so my husband has to pick up my slack .
There are also some down sides (all worth it) suffering through the heartburn, not being quite being as lithe as I once was, watching all of the people run in the good weather, wanting to go camping, ect... So I decided I needed to go somewhere, do something, outside of the house, not a movie, no shopping, I wanted to go to the mountains. It feels like it's been a LONG time. So Camden cordially agreed to come. We haven't had the best experience with winter campfires, mostly because I lack so much of the necessary preparation skills. It's been cold, no seating, dark, with little kindling so we in essence blow on the fire until we're out of breath and then go home. But this time we had it a little better. (Mostly because of my wonderful husband!) It was a success! Here are some pictures of our winter escape.

We brought paper, fire excelerant, and dry wood.
We sat on our camping chairs and roasted delicious hot dogs.

Then we went for s'mores. After eating one Camden decided they weren't so great unless the chocolate was a little melted so we got a system down where he would melt the chocolate on a graham cracker ( which got a little too toasty ) while I would roast the marshmellows. That way they were ready at the perfect time.

Needless to say they were DELICIOUS and messy! It was so fun to be up there in the mountains with a warm fire and a hot husband.

Tie-Die

2010-02-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

As a Hall Advisor I have the opportunity to socialize with so many new people-and I love it! The other day one of the floors in my building was having a tie-die activity. I was excited to get to meet more of the residence in my hall, and I was thrilled to see and be able to tie die again. I've only tie-died once or twice before, but I remember it being VERY fun. I decided to try dieing a onesie. (for my baby.) I think it turned out pretty cute! My little boy will be a wild child from the womb. What hope does he have.

The baby bump

2010-02-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

So my tummy has grown a considerable amount in the past month or two. I have definitely left the fat phase, where people aren't sure if you are just getting a little thicker around the middle or if there is a baby in there. I think I can officially say that I look like a pregnant women obvious to even the least observant people. There are days when I feel VERY pregnant, but there have also been some days when I can almost forget my delicate state. That is until I walk by a full length mirror or see my reflection in the store window, then it hits me like a pile of bricks. This is for real! And I'm so excited!

Me in all of my pregnancy glory!

I was never very good at hiding behind skinny trees, but now it is just a joke. Camden thought it would be funny to see me try. So here I am with my best effort :)

2010-01-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

In the hospital with my new Nephew!
Camden enjoying the sun in California for Thanksgiving!
Our incredible trip to the pristine June Lake!
Mount Timp!

Hello! Time for my yearly update! Just joking. I know it is clique to say I'm going to be better about posting, but I really think I will be! Year in review. Last May we moved to Wymount, which was great. We met a ton of great people and had an awesome summer. We hiked Timp, Went to June Lake, and took a couple of weekends in St. George. It was my first summer working full time which tied me down more than I was used to, but we were still able to have a great time!
This fall Camden started school again and I started working my second job. It was busy, but also very good! We found out that we were pregnant in September and have been absolutely excited about everything that means! In November we were able to go to California for Thanksgiving. It was great fun. The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and I really like my in-laws. At the end of November we had an addition to our family. (No I did not somehow magically quicken my pregnancy to 3 months, I'm still working on my baby.) My little brother Stephen and his wife had a CUTE little boy!
Christmas was a delight. It is so great to have good family to spend holidays with. I'm getting bigger and my baby has begun to kick at my insides! It is such a great experience to feel that little flutter. I've heard it will probably become more like kicks than flutters, but for now I'm enjoying the little flutter feeling!
The week after Christmas we moved! Yes we moved! This is our third place in less than a year and a half of marriage-CRAZY! We were very glad to move because it means that I got a job that I've wanted for quiet some time. I get to be a hall advisor in Helaman Halls.

We also found out we are having a healthy, perfect(at least I hope) little BOY. Yep we are starting our little brood of children with a boy! We are SO excited! So in May we will officially be parents.

So as you can see my lack of updates have not been for lack of life. On the contrary we have been very anxiously engaged in so many great things and feel very fortunate for the wonderful year of 2009 and are thrilled to see what happens in 2010. Hopefully I'll be able to document it a little better!

We had a visitor today!

2009-05-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

I little update! Camden and I moved last weekend. We are now living in wymount. So far it has been a great experience! We were very sad to leave our little green house and I was especially sad to leave my young women.

This evening we were calmly minding our own business. I had just gotten back from exercising and Camden was studying. I thought it was a little stuffy so I opened the window and propped the door open for a little cross breeze. As we were sitting there Camden quickly got up with a "whoa" sort of a sound. I could here something, but it took me a moment to realize that we had a visitor. A bird had flown into our apartment. I'm embarrassed to admit, but I sort of flipped out. I was sure the bird was going to poo on me. It was flying around our front room and to be honest the bird was flipping out too. Camden was trying to direct the bird toward the door with a blanket, but the bird was not thinking straight and kept flying like it was about to die. Finally the bird found the window and was encouraged by the view of outside. Unfortunately it was a window, not an exit. We finally ended up taking the screen out of the window and carefully directing the bird through. That Bird was HAPPY to get out of the Bird house. We were glad to get it out too! It did leave us a little present on the window sill. But not too much thank goodness!

Our first official vacation!

2009-04-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the St. George temple!

This is the famous "crack" my family and I would go here when I was little. I think it used to be bigger. I almost didn't make it through, it was a tight squeeze. Camden led the way and I couldn't bear to let him be the only one that made it through.

As you go into the crack some of it opens up quite a bit while other parts get really skinny. Here Camden had disappeared into one of the openings and poked his head out.
He's going in from the top.
Angel's landing - look at the drop off good thing there were chains to hold on to.
We still need to scale the cliff!

The top! WOW

Honeymooning in Mexico!

2008-10-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

The sunsets were fabulous!

Camden had a ton of fun in the pools!

Aw cute! During one of our walks along the beach!

We went out to a fancy restaurant! Everything had wine in it.

We had a barbecue on our balcony.

There was an abandoned boat on the beach! So we took some fun pictures!

Courtship

2008-10-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Camden and I met in our BYU ward. He moved into Alta for the fall semester 2007. Although I immediately took note of him we didn't really talk until January 2008. In January we were assigned to the the same FHE group! He was my dad!

During that first month or two we steadily became better friends and would often see each other outside of our family night group. The latter part of February after going on a couple of dates we decided to exclusively date each other! It was so exciting!

Throughout the semester and into the summer we didn't miss a day without seeing one another. The first part of May we traveled down to California for a couple of our friends weddings. It was a spectacular trip where we did so many fun things. I was able to meet his entire family and so many of his good friends. I couldn't believe it, but if it was possible (and it was) Camden just got better and better the more I knew about him. We went to the LA temple and the San Diego temple for sessions and sealings. We went to the beach, gardens of the world, magic mountain. the getty villa, Solvange, and so many other places. We were there for two weeks together!

WOW WE ARE MARRIED!

2008-10-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Me neither, but it's true Camden and I are married! We have been married for four weeks today!

We were married in the Bountiful temple on September 4. Since that wonderful day we have spent an incredibly relaxing, and beautiful week in Mexico for our Honeymoon, had an open house in California, and played catch up in school!

I just decided to start a blog so I will probably do some back blogging! I've got fun pictures and great stories!