One Month Old

We can't believe how fast our little one is getting older. I would say growing, but this first month has been a slow start on the growth chart...still under the 5th percentile at 6lb 11oz. At 3 weeks she hadn't even weighed 6lbs yet.

She is a pleasure to have around...most of the time. We love the way she gets crazy hair after she eats, the silly face she makes after her morning vitamins, the way she holds onto her binki, the scrunched eyebrows when she poops. We don't like it when she poops during bathtime, all in her towel, but we still love her anyway. We love how she has uncontrollable limbs, and her little spit bubbles. She makes us smile and laugh multiple times each day. We can't wait for the day when we can make her smile and laugh multiple times each day.

A Well Documented Life

Ashton and I cannot get enough of our little girl. We are so happy to have her around, even if she takes all our energy. Ashton loves to take pictures of her. It is really quite sweet how much he loves her. And it is really quite sweet how much he loves me. He is willing and ready to help at any time. I am so grateful for such a great man who is a good husband and father.

Just a few little things about our little girl:

She loves to have her hands up by her face. And the second your wrap her up she starts fighting to get her hands out. If she's really tired she gives up easily, but if she is still kind of awake she fights it hard core.

She makes the funniest little faces and we love how she has no control over her limbs. They often just randomly fly up above her head in what Ashton calls the "victory" pose (one hand up) or the "champion" pose (2 hands up). This is slightly funny because the other day Ashton got really excited about something that was good at work and he threw his hand up in victory himself.

We can't wait for her to really smile at us!

The Arrival of Our Sweet Hallie

Our little Hallie girl decided to come right on her due date! At least it wasn't late! I went to the Dr. the day before and she said I was 3.5 dilated and 80% effaced. She stripped my membranes which apparently seemed to help the process move right along. The next morning a little before 5am I woke up to some contractions but just laid in bed thinking that it wasn't real labor. But then they started to get stronger. I went into Hallie's room and tried to time everything, but it was just getting stronger and there was all kinds of pressure. After about an hour I went and woke Ashton up and told him I thought he was going to have a little baby that day. We got everything together and went to the hospital, arriving a little before 7am. I was just hoping that they wouldn't turn us away. They took us back and checked me out. I was a 6.5 and they let us stay (thank goodness). They asked if I wanted an epidural and I decided to get one. I didn't think that the pain was that intense. Of 1 to 10 it was probably around and 8, but it was the fact that I knew I still had a few more hours to go and to enjoy it without any pain seemed quite enticing. They gave me the epidural a little after 8am. Then Dr. Au came and checked me out around 9am and my water sac was hanging down really low and so they broke my water and by 10am i was ready to push. I pushed a few times without the Dr. there and then 2 or 3 times once she got there. Hallie wasn't coming so they gave me an episiotomy and on the next push there she was! It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

She was born at 11:07am and weight 6lb 1oz, and was 19.5 inches long.

They placed her on my tummy and took and cleaned her up and then I got to cuddle with her. Oh it was so wonderful. (It was also nice to be able to lay on my back and not have all that extra weight on my guts!) Then she went down with Ashton to take a bath and they took me down to the recovery room.

Little did I know how great the hospital was. I tried to live it up as much as I could. Everything I needed was a call away, and when baby was fussy or I wanted to sleep I just sent her to the nursery; I must admit that she spent most of the time with us though. We loved and sill love just looking at her. Sometimes it's hard to believe that she is ours and is finally here, and other times it seems so real and perfect and natural.

She had a little problems with jaundice, but she turned out fine and didn't have to go under the lights or anything. She is a great sleeper...getting her to relax is the hard part, but once she's asleep she is ASLEEP. She has had man 6 hour sleeping nights so far. I hope that doesn't stop anytime soon.

We love you Hallie and are so excited to have you in our family!

Happy Birthday Dear Ashton

From ashton's birthday

Happy Birthday Ashton!

I know I tell you all the time, but I love to live my life with you and grow old with you. You are such an example to me and will be a great dad! You are one who loves the Lord and always tries to do what is right. You have a great love for other people and have the gift of showing them. I am grateful for your example to me! I love you!

P.S. Remember how much you love that fabric shaver?

The lamest blogger ever...

So...

I have finally updated this blog. I have been horrible at keeping up this past semester. School was so busy and then on the weekends family events and church callings took up our time. I know...excuses, excuses. But we have finally put a few highlights of our life up. I didn't realize how many people read our blog until we didn't put anything up and then people made comments about how we haven't posted for a while. You all will have to forgive our lameness.

We are grateful to have so many people who love and care about us and want the best for us in life. We are also grateful for those who make our lives full and meaningful. We love our family and our friends and are grateful for your influences in our lives. We are excited about this upcoming year! So many wonderful things to look forward to! We will attempt to do better at keeping this thing up and running!

The Most Important Thing...

Here is a picture from our ultrasound which was forever ago (the end of September).
I was 21 weeks and am now 35. (Sorry for the delay).

I have been meaning to put this up here for a long time, but obviously school got the best of me. But as many of you can probably tell from the pictures (if you didn't already know), Ashton and I are expecting a little girl on Feb. 9th.

I have had a great pregnancy. I never really got sick. I have ran the whole time, 6 miles everyday (I will probably start cutting back now though). I didn't even start showing until I was about 28 weeks. I have measured small nearly every time. It was been so nice to wear my same clothes for so long! However, I have now had to buy some new clothes. I have been able to continue my schooling and balance life just fine. I am finally getting to the point where I am just tired a lot; 8 hours of sleep never seems to be enough. Being pregnant for me hasn't been that bad. I'm not the type who loves being pregnant, but I'm also not puking my brains out. I am definitely ready to be done being pregnant, although I'm not sure I'm ready to have a baby.

I always complain to Ashton about getting bigger and weighing more and he always makes me feel so good. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband. The other day we measured our stomachs. He was just a half an inch bigger than me still. That was nice to know especially since he is not a big guy at all.

We spent some of our break getting ready for our new addition. Although her room isn't put together, at least it is cleaned out ready to be filled with all baby. We have lots of cute things to put in there within the next month.

We are grateful and excited for our new baby to come. Only 5 more weeks (hopefully) and she'll be here. I told Ashton that she can't come any sooner (I have to finish that thesis) and she can't come on Valentine's day (I don't want to spend the rest of my life celebrating her birthday instead of going on a nice date with Ashton...not that we couldn't go out on another night, but still).

Names? We are going to name her Hallie Moriah. Hallie because I really like that name. Honestly, I remember the first time I heard that name was when I was like 12 and I was watching Oprah and Halle Berry was on and I thought she was one of the most beautiful black women I had ever seen. And Moriah comes from the Bible. It is supposedly the place where Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac, and where Solomon built his temple. It is believed to be the place where the Muslims have built the dome of the rock. We thought it would be a meaningful reminder for our daughter and for us of the Savior and his sacrifices that we might live with our Heavenly Father again.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas! It was so nice to take a break from school. I was definitely experiencing major burnout. Getting a master's degree is hard work! I am proud to say that I successfully finished all of my classes and I don't ever have to take another one (for this degree at least). My next semester will be finishing up my thesis and then graduation! Although this semester was hard, it was quite rewarding. I will definitely get 2 publications and 3 presentations out of the semester...that is a lot...just trying to fill up that vita.

The break was spent with friends and family here in Utah. Ashton's whole family was here for Christmas. It was great to spend time with them and with our nieces and nephews. And then this past week we have spent relaxing and doing some shopping. We bought our first set of couches. Before, we just had a chair that we would squeeze into and Ashton decided that he had had enough. So, now that we have had a break, it will be go time starting tomorrow...getting back into school is sometimes difficult. I feel like I need just one more week. But I know I can do it, I have to. Graduation for me must happen in April!

Thanksgiving Break

For Thanksgiving this year Ashton and I went down to Arizona. Hello warm weather! We had a great time with friends and family. We are grateful for the time we were able to spend down there and the relationships we were able to rekindle and keep alive.

On our way back, we stopped in Vegas to celebrate our Anniversary. Our anniversary was in September, but because Ashton was still selling in Atlanta and I was in Utah we didn't get to be together, so we planned a little trip on our way back from break.

Ashton has wanted to see the Lion King musical forever and so we finally went to it. It was absolutely amazing! And I loved seeing Ashton's face light up like a little kid. He was so happy the whole time. That is his favorite Disney movie. He loves the message of the movie and how it seems to parallel the gospel. That we are children of divine origin and although we lose our way sometimes, we still have a Father in Heaven who knows and cares for us and wants us to return and be like Him. I'm glad he enjoyed it so much.

We also got to stay in the Bellagio. That is my favorite hotel in Las Vegas, mainly because of the water show. We had a great trip...a nice little getaway.

Canyoneering

At the end of October one of my classes took a canyoneering (you can click on the word "canyoneering" to find out exactly what that is) trip down to southern Utah. It was so amazing! Thanks Melissa for all of your planning! And I know this was a long time ago, but it was such an awesome trip, and we were fortunate that Ashton was able to come along. He is practically a part of our cohort anyway.

On our way through the canyon

A big opening in the canyon

We drove down the night before and went camping...it was freezing! It was nice to wake up and feel the sun again.

Mark and me after a rappell

We then drove to the top of the canyon and hiked our way through some narrow spots, rappelled down into some freezing water, shimmied down some tight squeezes. It was so much fun. The rock formations were absolutely amazing. We live in such a beautiful place. The best part was the company. We loved spending our time with the cohort. We will never forget Mark playing the mexican race horse game, Clive wearing his orange headband, Jessie and her spandex, Melissa's great help, and Rachel helping to lead the way.

The last rappell

A beautiful sunset at the end of a wonderful day

My Super Lydia!!!

Today is Lydia and my 3 year anniversary and I just wanted to let everyone know how blessed I feel to have such a SUPER WOMAN wife!

I've been meaning to blog about how spectacular she is for a long time, especially after last semester. Lydia had one of the hardest semester's she's ever had, her grandpa died, she took some time to spend with me and got behind in school work, trained for a marathon and then ran a marathon and took a comprehensive final 2 hours later! She overcame some pretty crazy odds last semester and she'll do it again this semester too! And all the while she has to put up with and take care of me. She truly is an amazing woman.

On this wonderful 36 month anniversary I wanted to express to the world (or really just anyone that reads this blog I guess) how much I LOVE my dear Lydia.

I have been whooped by Lydia Anne Buswell for a long time. A lot of people don't know, but on one of our first dates I told her I wanted to have a "celestial relationship" with her. I was initially just thinking that if eventually I was going to have a "celestial relationship" with someone that I may as well start practicing what it was going to be like. But the truth of the matter was that I probably knew deep down that it was going to be a really special and eternal relationship.

I've been so blessed and honored that Lydia has chosen me to be her eternal companion! I feel so out of my league when I'm around her. She carries the most amazing countanence and is always beaming! I love how she lights up a room and can brighten anyone's day that she talks to. I am so amazed at all that she is and all that she will become.

Lydia I just want to tell you that I love you so much...but the words and the actions can't really express how deeply I care for you and how deeply I love you. You mean everything to me! You are the perfect wife for me and you are going to be such a great mother to our children! I can't wait to have a big family with you.

These past 3 years have been the best years of my life and I know we'll have an eternity of years to come that will be even better.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MY LOVE!

Back to School = Back to Funday Fridays!

I love my program. I can't say it enough. I love my professors, my classmates, and one of my favorite parts of my program is funday Fridays. Every Friday we take some time to practice what we preach and do something recreational. This week we went rappelling. The view was amazing. The company was superb. And the food was fantastic--hot dogs and s'mores! I look forward to many more good times with the best program in the world! (Oh and welcome to the Marriott School of Business! Our department changed schools and is now in one of the top 20 schools in the nation!) I can't wait to graduate from the same college as my husband--top tier!

Grandpa Buswell

Ashton's grandpa Buswell has been really sick for quite some time. While Ashton was here in Utah we went to visit grandpa. Ashton loves his grandpa so much. Grandpa was a WWII veteran and has amazing stories. He is a wonderful grandpa, always there when you need him. He is Ashton's biggest wrestling fan. I'm sure he could have taken my champion down in his prime. Maybe he still could. We are grateful for his loving guidance and influence in our lives, directly and indirectly. He is one of the many reasons we are proud to carry the name BUSWELL!

Heading West

Our trip back to Utah took a week long and was filled with many stops and much fun. We started out by going to a Brave's game, employing the tomahawk chop as our winning companion. We stopped in Tallahassee to play croquet and then probably our most favorite stop of the trip was Destin, FL. We spent a few days basking in gorgeous, breezy, sunny weather with warm, white sand squishing between our toes, watching that emerald coast gently brush the edge of the Gulf. My uncle owns some property down there so we stayed in one of their places and they were down there at the same time and so we got to spend our time with them. We had a blast!



After Destin, we went to play some croquet in Alabama and Mississippi. Alabama had one of the most historical capitols we have ever been to. There was a lot of stuff about the confederate states. A star where Jefferson Davis addressed the confederate states for the first time (which is actually on the capitol building stairs) and the first confederate white house.



We stayed a day in New Orleans. The garden district is wonderful and the French quarter is pretty trashy in some places, but other parts have a great atmosphere. We enjoyed some authentic New Orleans food. And one of our favorite parts was how the cemeteries are all above ground graves.



We stopped in Baton Rouge for some croquet and then in Houston to stay the night. We played croquet in Austin, and our last main attraction was the Davy Crockett monument (which is in the middle of nowhere but we saw it on the map and thought we should stop).

It was great to finally make it back to Utah after traveling for a whole week. Ashton spent a day here in Utah helping me unpack and visiting family and friends and then took off back to Atlanta to finish selling there until the end of September. I am enjoying the nice crisp mountain air while Ashton is barely surviving the humidity of Atlanta. We miss each other insanely and are excited for our reunion.

We did take some fun pictures which you can look at here

August to Atlanta

We made it down to Atlanta and then I left to go back up to Baltimore to hang out with some friends that had previously planned to come into town. Also, my brother was in town visiting. So all those people came and left and then I had a flight to AZ from Baltimore. One of my best friend's little sisters got married in AZ. So I was there a week and then I went to Connecticut to visit my sister in law for a few days and then packed up in Baltimore and headed down to Atlanta. I was only there in Atlanta a week before it was time to start our trek out to Utah, but that was definitely enough time to squeeze in a game of croquet!

Ricketts Glenn State Park

So I have not posted anything for a long long time. The end of July to the end of August was crazy. I was traveling someplace new every week and Ashton's office got moved down to Atlanta and there was no internet connection. So I haven't been able to post. But now I have some time and a connection. So here we go.

Last year while we were in Pittsburgh we found a state park in PA that has a hike that includes 22 waterfalls. And I wanted to go so bad. But we just couldn't find the time. So right before Ashton's office got moved down to Atlanta, we took a little road trip. It was so beautiful!

We made a little stop in Scranton, home of the Office. And then took some back country roads back down to Baltimore. We were traveling on the 16th of the month and every month on the 16th we make pizza, but since we were gone we stopped in at a small town restaurant in Slocum, PA and had some of the best pizza we've ever had!

We left for Atlanta the day after we got back from our trip and Ashton's office stopped in Chattanooga, TN and sold there for a few days. Choo Choo is a great place for mountain biking and hiking. So many trails that are all so beautiful!

For more pictures click here