The Hess Household

mormon.org

2012-01-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I recently created accounts on mormon.org in an effort to share our faith with others. Check it out!

More about Kate

2011-08-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

*Disclaimer- I know it's been forever since I last posted, but these pictures are all out of order and I don't know how to do it without it taking forever so this will have to good enough for now. Later I will put them in order and add captions!

Kate is the best little baby. She has been a good sleeper since day 1. At four weeks she is sleeping around 6 to 7 hours at night; such a difference from Abby who was up every 2 to 3. I know it can change anytime, but I definitely am thankful for it right now! She also is a great eater. She has never had any problems with nursing which is another blessing. She has been spitting up a lot and I've worried about it being acid reflux, but the doctor said as long as she is gaining weight that it she will be ok. Kate also looks a lot like me! My baby picture is very similar to how she looks. She has lots of dark hair, bluish-gray eyes (for now), and has long fingers and toes. At her two-week check she weighed 7lbs 8 oz. and was 21 in. long. We are so grateful for her and for all our friends and family who have done so much for us in the last few weeks!

Meet Kate!

2011-08-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Kate Elizabeth was born this morning at 4:37 am. She weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz and was 19 1/2 inch long! Here are a few pictures to introduce her...there are plenty more to come!

"Daddy baseball"

2011-07-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

Abby got a baseball glove from Michael and Lindsay for her birthday and she loves playing catch with Brandon. Whenever she sees him watching a baseball game she says, "Daddy baseball."

Abby Turns 2!

2011-07-30T11:49:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Abby's birthday the Monday before this year since it was Pioneer Day and Brandon had the day off. We took her swimming at the Scera Pool in the afternoon and had the family over for pizza and cake in the evening. On her actual birthday we took her to Jamba Juice for breakfast because she loves their smoothies, then we got her a Happy Meal for lunch. We basically just stayed in the house and played with her toys most of the day because it's getting hard for me to chase after her when we go places. We Skyped with Jim and Cindy and Britney in the evening while she opened their gifts to her and finally we went to Pizza Factory where Ashley works for dessert!

Monday night before the family came over

Opening her presents

Abby isn't a big cake fan so I made her an ice cream cake, but she only ate the icing and left the rest of it on her plate...Next year I'll have to give her just ice cream.

She woke up so happy on her birthday and was like this most of the day...she must have known!

Posing in her new dress from Aunt Ashley

This is what she does when you say, "Big smiles Abby!"

There was a thunderstorm that hit us right as we were getting out of the car so we were soaking wet!

Ashley and Abby at PIzza Factory

Blowing out her candles

Birthday Morning- Counting Monkeys

Pregnancy Update

2011-07-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (the 28th) was my due date and still no sign of baby. I made a doctor appt. because I haven't been feeling well the last week (nausea is back) and since my blood pressure was a little high last week I thought it would be good just to go in and get it checked. My blood pressure was fine this time, but they said I have some protein in my urine, so basically I'm just supposed to take it easy the next few days and if I get anymore sick over the weekend the doctor told me to go into labor and delivery. My next appointment is Monday so hopefully something starts to happen by then!! I've hardly taken any pictures this pregnancy, but here are the few that I did take:

28 Weeks

32 Weeks

34 Weeks

39 Weeks-

This was for the Giants baby contest. The baby born closest to 9 months after the Giants won the World Series (Aug 1st at 7:54pm) wins some money and other prizes. We thought it would be fun to see how close we get!

Lots of Pictures- Mainly of Abby

2011-07-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here's an update of pictures we've taken in the last couple of months:

We took Abby to feed the ducks at BYU, but she liked throwing rocks in the water with her dad even more.

Her new source of entertainment: Stacking cans in the kitchen. She's good at it too!

She likes to fill her crib up to take a nap:)

Always happy to play in the car

I made 36 freezer while I still had energy for when the baby comes. I don't know if I've recovered yet:)

We tried to get a cute picture for a Father's Day card but it didn't work out so well.

If we ever forget to close the bathroom door, this is where we will find Abby.

Making sure her baby gets fed.

Matching toes...the first time I painted her toenails!

She loves hats!

All ready for school!

She loves her binkies too, but this was a couple months ago and she is now officially off of them!!

Lining up her dolls

Checking out the llamas at Thanksgiving Point

Abby's first haircut! - 4/22/11

4th of July

2011-07-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Brandon had the weekend of the 4th off of school and work so we decided to head down to St. George to meet up with some of the Hess cousins. We stayed with James and Jenna and Benji and Kendall stayed with TJ and Britney. They live next door to eachother so we were together pretty much the whole time. If I would have been thinking I would have taken a ton of pictures, but I didn't take any even though I had my camera :( The boys got together and played golf while us girls went shopping at the outlets in 113 degree weather. It wore me out, but was a lot of fun. The rest of the time we basically just hung out, ate good food (Neilsen's Frozen Custard...Yum), and went swimming. We came home on Monday the 4th and did a few fireworks with Abby. She was a little afraid of them, but as long as we were holding her she liked to watch!

Funny Abby

2011-06-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Abby Says I Love You!

2011-06-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Trip to California

2011-05-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

After school got out Abby and I went back to California with Jim and Cindy to spend a few weeks there with family. While in Fremont we went to Half Moon Bay, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Lake Elizabeth, and had lots of Cindy's great food! I was planning on doing a lot of swimming in Bakersfield, but it rained or was overcast most of the time we were there so we only went once. We still had a good time with family though and I was able to get a lot of my online class finished! Lindsey, my mom, and I all took the kids to Pismo beach for one night and had a great time there.

Half Moon Bay:

Monterey Bay Aquarium:

Out to breakfast in Bakersfield:

Pismo Beach:

Abby's first trip to the beach- Half Moon Bay

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

Brandon's parents came into town for the week of Easter. We planned on having an Easter egg hunt on Saturday with all the cousins, but things came up and a lot of them weren't able to make it so Abby was the only little kid looking for eggs. I didn't think she would get what to do, but she did great. Once she realized there was candy inside she was all for finding them!

Well Hello 2011

2011-01-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

It already seems like forever since we got back from California for Christmas break. We spent two fun/sick weeks divided between our families. I promised Brandon I will NEVER be pregnant again for Christamas (or atleast in the beginning stages), two holidays filled with morning sickness + other sicknesses is enough. I had my first doctor appt. the week after we got back and everything seems fine although I feel a lot different with this one than with Abby. I am a lot more sick almost the entire day and I've had a lot of pain and cramping, but I guess it's just my body getting ready for what's coming. I am 14 weeks along, just barely into the 2nd trimester. Right now my due date is the 28th of July, one day after Abby's birthday, but it's likely to change when I have the ultrasound.

Brandon is taking his junior core classes this semester and is working 30 hours a week as well. He is up at the crack of dawn every morning and up late every night. We are blessed that he is is able to work from home so we get to see a little bit of each other during the day.

I am taking my LAST class right now on campus and two classes online but then I am done with school! I am still trading off babysitting with a friend and it has been going really well, it's another blessing since there is no way I could expect Brandon to watch Abby.

Abby has changed a lot in the last few weeks. She talks all the time (except when we are around strangers) and she point and tries to name everything. She has so much personality, she cracks us up all the time. Whenever she wakes up from a nap the first thing she says when I pick her up is "baby, baby." After we find her baby she hugs it and kisses it and is totally happy. She will be the best big sister! Her favorite thing to do is read books and at night before bedtime and when she wakes up we read in our bed. It's the only time she really cuddles excpet for when she's watching the Wiggles or the "Waggies" as she calls them. Holy cow we love that girl!

A girls gotta have her purse

2010-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Abby's been carrying around her little purse all weekend. Yesterday she picked up my diaper bag, her church bag, and this purse and put them all on her shoulders (but they kept falling off) and ran to the door while waving bye to me. Poor girl has been cooped up all week because I've been sick with a virus. This is our last week of school and then finals, so just a little longer before we can play nonstop for a few weeks!!!

Santa and Mrs. Clause came to visit

2010-12-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

We were playing games with Grandma Green when the doorbell rang and in came Santa and Mrs. Clause! I was so excited for Abby to see Santa for the first time, but she was not excited at all. Brandon was holding her and right away she reached for me to hold her and did not want to get near him. We tried having her take a picture with him but she started crying so he had to hide in the background. Hopefully next year she will like him a little better.

Today I woke up to this...

2010-11-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

I have an awesome husband and he has a very talented cousin. After crying my eyes out after seeing it, I went to school, took Abby to McDonalds to play on the toys while we waited for Brandon to finish class, and then went to Kneaders for breakfast. While Abby took a nap I ordered almost all of our family Christmas presents, then Brandon and I went to the movies and saw Secretariat...Loved it! Oh and I bought a new coat at Target...I needed a new one (not really but I am addicted to buying coats!). It was a great day and I am now glad to be going to bed!

This was the first year where I have honestly not wanted a ton of attention. Not that for all my other birthdays I wanted everything to be about me, but I wanted my birthday to be recognized. This year, I kind of dreaded it. I am so grateful for everyone who thought of me and either wrote to me or called me, but I realized this year that I have been selfish in the past. I have an incredibly thoughtful husband and the best friends and family anyone could ask for. Those are the best thing anyone could be given.

Thanksgiving Point

2010-11-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

We have been wanting to go to Thankgiving Point for a while now and yesterday was finally the day we did it. The dinosaur museum was incredible. I had no idea it was so big. The had a ton of hands-on things for kids, it will be fun to take Abby there when she's older. I didn't really take any pictures while we were there because I was chasing Abby the whole time trying to stop her from touching/climbing on all the exhibits.

We went to the farm they have afterward and looked at all the animals. Brandon and I each got a ticket with admission for the pony ride so Abby got to go twice. After the first time, we took her off and she wanted right back on, but we put her on a bigger pony. She really enjoyed it, but by the end of the second time, she wanted off.

Where to find Abby

2010-11-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

Abby bolts it to the bathroom whenever we leave the door open, so if you are ever looking for her, she'll be playing in the shower.

Oh Happy Day

2010-11-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Quick shout out to the San Francisco Giants, 2010 World Series Champs! It's been a fun couple of weeks watching them make it to this point and then actually win the whole thing!

Fear the beard!

Goings-on in the Hess house...

2010-10-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

This semester has been pretty insane for us. Brandon is in school full-time, working 30 hours a week, and he just finished his softball league. I am in school almost full-time and I babysit my friend's two kids while she goes to school (she watches Abby while I am in school). Everything has been working out really well though, and we are just around the corner from finishing this semester. I just registered for my last 3 classes next semester..now I just need to pass them!

The most exciting thing going on in our house right now is baseball!! The Giants are in the world series and someone in our house has been freaking out about it! It has been a blast to watch them get to this point...we are crossing our fingers that they win!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we went to our ward halloween party. They served chili and potatoes for dinner and then we made caramel apples and played games. Abby has a little friend in our ward named Devon (he was Superman). They ran into eachother at the party and Devon fell down but Abby wasn't fazed at all. Devon's parents made the joke that giraffes and kryptonite must be both of Superman's downfalls!

Can you guess who I am?

The cupcakes I made for the party...Loved them!

String cheese fingers at the party

These worms were actually jello that they made using straws. Very creative!

Scary!!

Kangaroo Zoo

2010-10-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why it's called the Kangaroo Zoo, but I found a coupon for it in the paper and thought I would try it out. It was a really fun place. They have tons of blow-up toys to play around in. It will be a perfect place to take Abby to play when it starts snowing and we can't go to the park anymore.

She found some friends.

Abby's Chair

2010-10-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

I found this chair at Kid-To-Kid and Abby thinks she's a big girl when she's in it. She just needs to figure how to get out of it now!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I have been getting the the kids together at least once a week for a play date. This is what we did a few weeks ago. The pumpin patch had a maze, petting zoo, and a big tractor for them to play on. After a while, we took the kids to Sarah's parents-in-law's house in Springville where we has a picnic in the backyard and jumped on the trampoline.

This is the perfect one mom!

Sitting in the corn

Abby had tons of fun on the trampoline

P.S. Abby did something to my camera and the date is now on every picture. Does anyone know how to fix it?

The return of BYU football

2010-10-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

School is back in session (actually almost over now) and that means it's football season. This is the first game we took Abby to. We were worried about how she would do, but luckily there were some other kids sitting near us that she played with most of the time.

It was a good game to go to because we won!

After the game we went out to eat.

Abby's birthday post

2010-10-30T22:01:00.001-07:00

I know it's really late, but here is her birthday post for those of you (like me) without google reader:

http://brandonandmaryellen.blogspot.com/2010/07/abby-turns-one-on-july-27th.html

Look who's walking!!!

2010-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Abby took her first steps today! Of course she did it when I was gone and Brandon was watching her. When I got home from class she did it again for us! The first couple of times she took two or three steps and laughed but then she did this! Happy day!

Holy Cow!!!

2010-08-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

That's exactly what I wanted!

I used my mom's camera to take Abby's birthday pictures and I forgot to put them on my computer before she left so I finally just got them back! I will publish a post tomorrow with all of them but I couldn't resist putting this one up now!

First Step

2010-08-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Abby took her first step yesterday! She did it for me earlier in the day and then again for Brandon when he got home from work but she only stepped once both times and then sat back down! Lindsey and Sarah are here visiting for the next week. Abby is loving having a play buddy, but she is kinda a little bully sometimes, she loves to pull Sarah's hair.

Brandon and I stayed up late to see the meteor shower last night. We were originally planning on going up the caynon to see it but by the time it was midnight we were too tired to go anywhere so we just went out to the backyard. It was pretty cool but next time we want to go up in the mountains to see it better.

Peek a Boo

2010-08-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

New Mexico

2010-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we took a quick trip to Albuquerque for a singing competition that Ashley qualified for. She did a good job, the judges really liked her. To make a long story short, the whole competition was a lot different than we expected. Most of it turned out to be on Sunday and Ashley didn't want to compete on Sunday so we came home. It was a tough decision for her but I know she did the right thing! So far for each of these competitions she has had to sing in front of a bunch of people judges and she gets critiqued right after she finishes in front of everyone. She is a lot stonger than me, I don't think I could ever put myself in that kind of situation.

Abby's first Push-up

Right before she sang (she was the first one to go)

The Count of Monte Cristo

2010-08-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

The BEST book ever. Really, I'm not exaggerating and I'm not talking about scriptures or anything like that. While I was reading it I kept thinking how amazing the writing was. Each storyline was interesting, not like some books where you can't wait for it to get back to the exciting part. I can't believe it took me this long to think about reading it, but now that I have I will be reading it again (and again.) Read it and let me know what you think. Oh, and by the way, it's the longest book I've ever read too. Brandon is happy to have his wife back!

Silly Papa

2010-08-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Sundance

2010-08-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

Brandon took me up to Sundance the other night to watch the summer theater perform "Big River." It was my first time in Sundance and my first time seeing an outdoor theater and both were well worth the 30 min. drive. When we pulled up to the parking lot they had a shuttle take us to the lodge where we got on a tractor-trailer to take us up the hill to the theatre. The mountains and trees were surrounding us, it was gorgeous. It made me want to get outside and go hiking or camping! Can't wait to go back to Sundance!

Abby turns one (on July 27th)!!!

2010-07-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Abigail! We Love you!

We took her to her favorite place in the afternoon...the pool!

She loves this little fountain. It kept coming up and getting her face.

Some shots before the party.

Still not quite sure about it.

Abby loved her presents

Abby's stats: She has 6 teeth, 10 fingers, and ten cute toes:) I can't find the paper with her real stats so I will have to fix that later! For her birthday we had homeade macaroni and cheese (thank you Pioneer Woman) and pigs in a blanket. Abby had her first cupcake. She wasn't sure what to do with it at first, but then she tried the frosting and decided it was worth snarfing down. We just had our immediate family over so it was Brady, Raquel, Ashley, and my mom. It was a great day with my cute girl.

Abby's 1 year old photo shoot

2010-07-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

Brandon's cousin Jana took Abby's one year old photos and since there are too many good ones to have a favorite I had to post a bunch (I'm sure the grandparents won't complain though!) There are still a ton of other ones that I love too! Thanks Jana, you're awesome:)

Pioneer Day

2010-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

We didn't do a whole lot on pioneer day to celebrate but we did have fun! In the morning, Brandon and Brady surprised me, Raquel, and Ashley by sending us to the spa for pedicures. After the spa we went to the Ryan's for a BBQ and swimming and then we ended the day with a trip to park city for some outlet shopping!

My little shoplifter!!

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa Hess

2010-07-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

We must not have been very entertaining on the way to Brigham City

Grandma and Grandpa Hess are amazing. If the world is ever coming to an end you will find us at their house:) They are the most self-sufficient people I have ever met, everything we had for lunch came out of their garden. They must have atleast a year supply of food storage with all kinds of dried fruits and vegtables, herbs, water, wood, and anything else you would ever need. If I were half as prepared as they are I would be in good shape!

Abby's first word

2010-07-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Pizza Factory

2010-07-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

The cutest waitress there:)

Abby loved Brandon's lemonade

Last night was Ashley's first night as a real waitress (not in training anymore!) So we all decided to head over to Pizza Factory and see her in action! She was great, we never had an empty glass and the food was delicious! If any of you are around the Provo area and looking for some good food I definitely recommend it.

My girl loves her some prunes

2010-07-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

Abby has been doing thing funny thing lately whenever we feed her where she has to grab the spoon and shove it into her mouth. She never wants to give the spoon back but eventually she realizes if she doesn't she won't get anymore food. This makes feeding her long and difficult so I usually just give her foods she can feed herself...otherwise this is what she ends up looking like:)

Pigtails

2010-07-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Abby had a big day yesterday. She had her first pigtails, she stood for about 20 sec. by herself, and I'm pretty sure she said mama. I don't know if I would consider it her first word since she had no idea what she was saying, but she did say it all night long:)

Just one of those days...

2010-07-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

This was yesterday before church. Our church doesn't start until 12:30 so by the time we were leaving Abby was ready for a nap. Poor thing wouldn't fall asleep there, but as soon as it was over and we put her in her car seat it took about half a second for her to fall asleep. Thank goodness!

Minute to Win It

2010-07-18T16:56:00.001-07:00

Funniest thing happened yesterday. We went to our ward activity where we played Minute to Win It and while we were there Abby was crawling all around the floor. She ended up crawling right behind a guys chair who had no idea she was there and she did her funny giggle. Sometimes she does it really loud and this was one of those times. Well it scared him so bad, he jumped and then looked behind him to see her staring up at him. It was one of the funniest things ever. Everyone kept laughing about her cute laugh because she did it all night long. She is so entertaining, I love it!

Giants Fan in Training

2010-07-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

Brandon and I went to Denver the weekend of July 4th to watch a couple baseball games since the Giants were playing the Rockies. My mom flew in to hang out and watch Abby for us for the Friday game. While we were at the game she and Abby walked downtown and had a great time at the street fair on 16th Street. I had a bunch planned for Saturday of things to do in Denver but we ended up not doing any of it and just relaxed. It was nice just to take a nap and not run from place to place. That afternoon we all went to another game and this time we got seats that were higher up but it was perfect for Abby. Right behind our seats they had this carpeted area where she could crawl and I could still see the game.

This one is a little blurry but she was all over the place so it's the best I could get.

This little boy followed Abby everywhere and kept hugging her. They had a lot of fun together.

We got a couple autographs including Barry Zito.

Abby wasn't a big fan of the paddle boating.

Channeling the Craftiness

2010-07-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

Being the crafy people that we are (hehe), Raquel and I decided to make some magnet boards together. It took us forever to finish them, but after we did I wanted to start something else and I thought I should try making Abby a blanket for her birthday that's coming up. I was nervous to start it because it haas been forever since I have sewn and even longer since I have done a blanket. So naturally I ended up calling my cousin Jocelyn who is amazingly talented and she told me what I needed to do to begin. This is the final product and I am really excited for Abby to use it!

Abby's funny laugh

2010-07-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Abby learning how to give a high five

This is Abby's funny laugh. She does it all the time, it's hilarious. This is the best video we have of it but it still doesn't do it justice. She has a normal laugh too but she does this one more. She will usually repeat it back if you do it to her...funny girl!

Sleepy Baby

2010-07-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Vegas Trip

2010-07-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day Brandon got me tickets to see Lion King in Vegas and since it isn't too far from Bakersfield we talked my family into meeting us there for a little vacation. We stayed on Fremont street which I guess is old town Las Vegas. I had never heard of it before, but it was fun. We all went to the Shark Reef Aquarium, saw the gardens in the Belagio, ate, and shopped. I didn't take a lot of pictures, and none with my dad, but here are some of the ones I did get:

Abby loved the water show. We stayed for a couple of them and she was freaking out the whole time!

1 Semester down and other happenings

2010-07-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Brandon finished his first semester in the Business school with flying colors! This is our first semester since we have been married that he hasn't done summer sales and we are making the most of it. So far this summer we have gone to California for Brandon's brother's wedding reception, Las Vegas to see Lion King and meet up with my family, and Colorado for a Rockies/Giants game. I am planning a trip to New Mexico in a few weeks and at the end of the summer we are headed back to California for a quick trip!

Here are some pictures of Brady and Raquel's wedding, she is a great addition to the family!!

The happy couple

Brandon's sisters

Miss Abergail is 9 Months

2010-04-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

I took Abby to the doctor today for her 9 month check. She is super healthy, really long and has a big head! She commented on her low raspy voice and wants her to see an ENT to make sure her vocal folds are working right. I have always loved her cute voice so we will just have to see what the ENT has to say!

Abby isn't crawling yet but she can pull herself up,she can kind of scoot backwards while she is on her stomach, and LOVES sitting up to playing. She loves to be held and hates it when I put her in her bouncer or little scooter. She is so cute and social. She loves being around lots of people but is shy when people she doesn't know want to hold her. She is definitely a momma's girl but she loves her daddy too. Right before she goes to sleep at night we bring her in our bed and she looks back and forth between us and grabs our faces. It is usually her happiest time of day when we can always get her to laugh.

Ever since my surgery Abby hasn't been too interested in nursing. She will do it a couple of times a day but she perfers a bottle now which has been kind of hard for me, but I guess it was going to happen eventally anyway. Her favorite baby foods are still the vegtables and prunes but she will pretty much eat anything except for carrots. She has two teeth on the bottom and none on the top and her bites are painful! She is starting to get a little attitude, or atleast screams at me when she doesn't get what she wants. I hope it's not a sign of what's coming:) She is pretty much the best thing ever!

Just because...

2010-03-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

I love this man!
And he was just accepted into the BYU Business School today! I am super proud and excited for you Brandon, thanks for not giving up:) Love ya!

Miss Abby Girl Is 6 Months Old

2010-01-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

Has it really been six months since we had our little girl? It's crazy how fast the time flies. She is so much fun. Here are a few things that she's been up to:

She has been eating rice cereal and oatmeal and a few of the first foods for about a month. Her favorites are green beans, peas, carrots, and apple sauce. The first time I gave her banana she spit it right back out while making a funny face!
She is a great little roller. Lately as soon as I put her down she goes right on her stomach.
She LOVES to be held. She cries when I put her down or in her exer-saucer. I am a big softy and give in all the time...we are gonna have a spoiled little girl.
She is a terrible sleeper. Every once in a while we will have a good night but usually it's up every two to three hours. During the day she will take naps but only for about 30 min. at a time.
She always wakes up happy (at least during the day!) One of my favorite things to do is to go and get her when she is awake because she always has a huge smile for me.
Her favorite toys are not toys. She always wants to get the pine cones on our table, the computer keys, my cell phone, and she loves the ice cream scoop (I don't blame her for that one.)
She sits up really straight and can keep it for a few seconds by herself before she tips over
Her first tooth is coming in! You can see it in the last couple of pictures on the bottom.
Last but not least, she is the best baby ever! We are so lucky to have our sweet little Abby girl!

Hess Family Pictures

2010-01-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

What we've been up to...

2010-01-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I have had a crazy last couple of months. For my birthday my mom and Lindsey came into town and Brandon surprised me with a trip for all of us to Park City. We stayed Thursday night though Sunday at his aunt and uncle's condo in Deer Valley. We had a great time shopping, relaxing, more shopping and eating! His parents came into town for the week of Thanksgiving and helped us pack up our apartment because we made a quick decision to move to Orem. While they were here I had a surprise party for Brandon's 25th birthday. I was a little nervous about how it would turn out but he was really surprised and it turned out to be a great party!

We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on the 15th of December during finals week. We had a low-key celebration by going to the temple, having a nice dinner at home, and watching a movie (my favorite kind of date!) As soon as we were done with our last finals we got in the car and drove to Bakersfield for Christmas. We spent the first week with my family there and the last week in Fremont with Brandon's family. In Bakersfield Brandon spent a lot of time golfing with Dylan Faulkner while I did Christmas shopping with my mom. We went to Bill Lee's for dinner right before Christmas (an annual Bunting Tradition), and saw a lot of family and friends. While in Fremont we were able to go on about 1 date a day, it was heaven! We went to BJ's to eat, saw a movie in the theatre, saw Wicked in San Fransisco, and hung out a ton with his family. Abby was great in the car for all the driving. I was worried about how she would take being in the car so much but she was an angel. It also helped that we split the drive to and from California up by taking two days to get there and back.

Since we've been home Brandon has been working 40 hours a week in Salt Lake and I have been going to school, taking care of Abby and we are both still trying to get settled into our new place! Here are a bunch of pictures of the last little while, I don't have pictures of Brandon's party I still need to get them from his mom!

Look at those cheeks!

Brandon's birthday dinner

Music to My Ears!

2009-11-05T13:24:00.001-08:00

She laughed yesterday for the first time!!! Wow, it was so cool. I was changing her diaper and playing around with her feet; she was so happy and smiley so I bent down and blew on her stomach and out came a big belly laugh! Oh, I was so excited and giddy. I called Brandon to tell him but he didn't answer and I was still so elated that I almost cried!!! When he got home I did the same thing so he could hear her and she laughed again but not quite as hard. Happy happy day!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween Abby was a mouse, thanks to Brandon's parents, so I decided to be a cat! We went to Greg and Alyssa's party and originally Brandon didn't want to dress up but we all talked him into it. He went as a nerd and on our way over we both decided that Halloween is much more fun when you dress up (it's been a while for both of us!) We had a few trick-or-treaters...a lot more than last year. I almost didn't buy any candy because I didn't think we would have any but I am so glad I did because we had about 5 people come by! On our way home we were stopped at a check point by the police. Good thing we weren't drinking! We are finishing the day off with watching the first Harry Potter. Happy Halloween!

When It's Cold Outside...

2009-10-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

We bundle the girlie up.

But sometimes this happens...

And when her beanie is too big...

Pumpkins and Other Happenings

2009-10-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon's brother Brady and his girlfriend Raquel came over last night and we carved pumpkins! So fun! I love Fall! Everything about it is great, except for getting sick. Somehow I always manage to get some kind of cold or flu when the weather starts changing.
In other news... school is going ok for the both of us. I don't know what I was thinking about going to school this semester. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I would much rather stay home with my girl all day long but it could be a lot worse than an hour and a half a day!
Brandon took me out on a "Maryellen Day" last Saturday. It was so fun, we went shopping, out to eat, to the nickle arcade, and then finished the day off watching the BYU football team beat UNLV. It couldn't have been any better!

She's a Talker. Well...Not Really

2009-10-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

2 Month Check

2009-09-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Abby weighs 12lbs. 12.5 oz. and is 24 in. long! She is in the 92% for weight, 95% for length, and 98% for head circumference! Everything looked great and she got her first round of shots today. I'm not gonna lie, I think I cried as much as she did:) She really did a great job, she didn't even scream with the first one, just the last two. I am just a big baby when it comes to my girl. She is the best thing ever!

My Girl

2009-09-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

I Love This Girl!

These were actually taken a month ago, I have just been too busy/lazy to post them. David took them when he was here for the blessing and he did a great job! She had her two month birthday yesterday and we are taking her to the Dr today! Wish her luck!

Random Pictures of the Last Month

2009-09-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

The last month has been pretty crazy. Brandon and I are both back in school now at BYU. He is also working part-time and in our free time we are on a softball league with some of our friends. Over Labor Day weekend we took a quick trip to Bakersfield and had a fun time introducing Abby to the family. We are finally settling into sort of a routine. Abby has been great at night lately. She doesn't go to sleep until past midnight but she will usually sleep the whole night until about 6. I'm still exhausted during the day but I know I have no reason to complain!

Abby's Baby Blessing

2009-09-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Miss Abby was blessed on the 23rd of August. We decided to do it in our home and I am so glad we did because it was amazing! My brothers flew in for it and Brandon's family was here along with some of our close friends! It was a perfect day. Abby wore a dress and bracelet that Jocelyn made, shoes that Aunt Cherie gave her, and Cindy made her the blanket!! We had a brunch afterward at the Ryan's house that was delicious. We are so grateful for everyone who came. We missed not having Lindsey and Sarah and the rest of our family and friends here. Hopefully with the next one we will be a little closer to home!

One Month Today!

2009-08-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our girl is one month old today! She is the BEST baby. She not only has her parents good looks but she loves to smile, she can hold her head up so well, and she is so happy just looking around at everything! She has her mom's fingers and her dad's hairline:) She has only had a few bad nights, otherwise she wakes up on average every two hours. Lately she has been sleeping for longer periods during the night and her mama loves it!

2 Week Check

2009-08-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

This little girl is growing like a weed! A week ago at her doctor appointment she weighed 8 lbs 12.5 oz and was 21 inches long. If she keeps eating like she is we are going to have one cute chubby girl!

She Loves Her Swing

2009-08-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

And her Daddy!

It Takes a Village...

2009-08-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

...To bathe a baby!

Abby's first bath- My mom took video, Cindy took pictures, and Jim helped show Brandon and me what to do! Our tiny bathroom was just a little crowded!

And Baby Makes Three

2009-08-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. It is so nice to be back at home with our little girl. She is so much fun! It's hard to stop staring at her all the time because she is so dang cute! We had a ton of visitors at the hospital and having my mom, Lindsey, and Brandon's parents here with us made it all even more perfect!
Abby is an awesome baby. She is so content just looking around when she is awake. She eats and sleeps a lot and after she is done eating she always gets a cute little smile on her face. I really don't think I can get enough of her. She has stolen all of our hearts!

More Pics...

2009-07-29T10:45:00.001-07:00

Abigail Hess

2009-07-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

She is here! Abigail Hess 7 lbs 14 oz, 20.5 inches!! Maryellen did so awesome!! We got to the hospital around noon yesterday to do a stress test thinking we would be here for an hour or two. The doctor streched her cervix in the morning and that was enough to put her into labor! She started having contractions around 11. When we got to the hospital her contractions started coming strong and didn't stop. We couldn't have a had a more special experience! Abigail was born at 8:32pm. We have a beautiful healthy baby girl!!!!

40 Weeks and Counting...

2009-07-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

My due date came and passed and still no baby, but no worries! On Monday the doctor said I was dilated to a 1 or 2 and he gave me the option of inducing but I told him I wanted to wait to see if the baby will come on her own first.
After I had been up for a while this morning I was standing up and I felt the baby drop...crazy! I feel like I have all this room to breathe now and that is such a good feeling! I am so glad everything seems to be heading in the right direction even if it's a little slow. My mom got here earlier in the week and Lindsey and Sarah stopped by on their way to Idaho. She and Brandon's family are just waiting for us to call and tell them something is happening before they jump in the car to come here...so exciting!!

A Look Back

2009-07-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

37 Weeks

Years from now I know I am going to be kicking myself for not blogging more about my pregnancy. I think about blogging all the time. I really do. Usually about 5 times a day, and always when I am reading the Pioneer Woman. I just love her! The problem is that I don't feel like my writing flows together well enough for me to get on and talk about all the little things that happen during the day.

So this is my attempt to go back and talk about a little bit about my pregnancy. Hopefully now I won't kick myself too hard down the road!

Fun facts (At least fun for me anyway):

This was not a surprise pregnancy. Well, it felt like a surprise when I looked at the pregnancy test and realized that I was in fact pregnant, but it wasn't. In August of last year Brandon and I both started feeling like we needed to start our family. It kinda scared me at first but after a little while I got used to the idea and we didn't have to wait long before we saw the two lines on the pregnancy test!
I found out I was pregnant on Monday the 17th of November. I had this feeling like I was pregnant on my birthday (the 15th) but Brandon had taken me on a surprise trip to Zion's National park for the weekend so I had to wait until Monday to go and get a pregnancy test. I dropped him off at school and went straight to the store to get one. When I went back to pick him up and drop him off at work I knew I was pregnant and it was so hard to not tell him but I wanted to think of a fun way of letting him know. I went to Rugby practice that day for the last time (I had been working out with the BYU Rugby team for just a little while) and then when Brandon came home I told him I was teaching the FHE lesson so I talked all about parenting and family traditions and then I asked him what kind of traditions we want to have with our kids and so on. Then I gave him a wrapped package that I told him it tied into the lesson. It was a little baby BYU Cougar shirt and he held it up for a little while and looked at me with a puzzled expression and I started laughing and then crying and he looked at me shocked and said "Are you pregnant?" and I just nodded my head. Then he gave me the biggest hug and then he let go of me and felt my stomach and said, "I have to be so careful with you."
Originally we were going to wait to tell everyone at Christmas time but I had get out of playing Rugby and I wanted my mom to be the first one to know so I ended up telling her on the phone, which wasn't my favorite option but oh well. She was thrilled and from then on it was so hard not to tell everyone, especially over Thanksgiving break when I was throwing up non stop!
For the pretty much entire time after I found out I was pregnant until the end of the first first trimester I don't think there was a day that I wasn't sick. I ended up losing 10 pounds but as soon as I got into the 2nd trimester it was like a miracle. The heavens opened and I slept through the night without getting up to hurl and when I woke up in the morning and was able to keep down my breakfast. I don't know what I would have done if I would have been sick throughout the whole pregnancy. I know there are women out there who have to deal with that but let me tell you, I think if I were one of those women this would be my only child!
So Christmas finally came and we got to tell the families! For Brandon's family we got his parents an ornament that said, "When a child is born so is a grandparent." We gave it to them almost as soon as we walked in the door because we were so excited, we couldn't wait a day longer. And also because after a 14 hour car ride I don't think I could have pretended to be feeling fine for too long before they got suspicious! I was a lot more nervous to tell my family. We went down to Bakersfield two days after Christmas and while we were opening presents with them I just said, oh and I am pregnant, or something to that affect. Not very creative but I couldn't think of anything better. I will never forget how Lindsey got up and hugged me and started crying and wouldn't let go. It was a great moment!!
In the beginning I thought for sure I was going to have a little boy because I kept dreaming about this cute boy that was my son. Brandon even had a dream about a little boy so I was a little surprised that we were going to have girl but it is a good thing because we have no boy names at all. We knew instantly that we were going to name our girl Abigail, I can't even remember how we came up with it but it was both our top favorite girl name. Brandon's sister told us later that she dreamed that we had a little boy and not too long ago I had another dream about the same little boy so we will see how good our doctor is with his predictions! I guess it's a good thing I bought neutral bedding!
The second trimester really was the best, I felt the baby move for the first time I think around 20 weeks (give or take a few). I texted Brandon to tell him because he was at work, but it took a lot longer for him to be able to feel her. Now she doesn't stop moving. We think we are going to have a little soccer player because she loves kicking. I can tell she is getting big because she is always bulging out of my right side. Her favorite spot is just below the right side of my ribs. Sometimes I think she is trying to kick herself out of my stomach, but since she is not half vampire, I doubt that is possible!
I have had heart burn pretty much the entire 3rd trimester and most nights I wake up to take a pill and drink some milk but I would take heart burn any day over throwing up!
Last fun fact- I have a little over two weeks before my due date and I am undecided on how I feel. I am so excited I can't stand it, I just want her to be here, but at the same time I am terrified. About being a mom, breast feeding, and mostly about labor. In the beginning it was so far away I didn't have to worry about it but now I think about it all the time and wonder what I got myself into. I guess it's too late now to change my mind! This little girl is going to bless our lives so much. I think the thing I am most excited about is to see Brandon hold her for the first time. He is going to be the best dad. So the countdown in on. In no time at all she will be here and from then on I know life will never be the same! I can't wait!

Baby Shower!

2009-06-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

I went home for a visit a few weeks ago and while I was there my mom and Lindsey threw me a baby shower! It was in Lindsey's backyard and it couldn't have been on a better night. The weather was perfect, we had great food, played one game, and talked and talked and talked. I loved it! I wasn't able to take any pictures because I was too busy gabbing away so I stole these off Jocelyn's blog! I was given so many beautiful gifts (Don't you just love the blessing dress Jocelyn made for me?!). Abby already has a room full of clothes, now she just needs to get here!

Strawberry Jam Recipe Needed!

2009-04-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Help!! Brandon's grandparents just gave us a ton of strawberries and I am dying to make strawberry jam. I don't have any recipes and I have never made jam before so if anyof you have a great recipe pass it along! I don't know the difference between freezer jam and any other, so any info would be great!

Sewing Project #1

2009-04-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Before

After

I have tons of projects that I want to get done before the baby gets here and this one was the first. We were given this chair from Brandon's next door neighbors in Fremont before we were married. I love it, especially now since I will use it all the time to nurse. I have been wanting to reupholster it to match the rest of our furniture better and this week I found the perfect fabric on clearance! You can't see it very well in this picture but it is tan with two different shades of blue going through it!

Baby Bump

2009-04-04T08:22:00.001-07:00

Brandon took another side shot of me yesterday. Here I am at 24 weeks and 2 days!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-03-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

You have always been so supportive of everything thing I have done! I can't remember one game that I played in that you missed (even in Michigan!) You give up your time to help anyone that needs it and you can fix anything! I am lucky to have you as my dad! I love you!

Baby Stuff

2009-03-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have been looking in the KSL classifieds and on Craigslist for the last couple of weeks just to see what kind of deals they have on cribs. Earlier this week I found a deal on a crib and changing table for only $75 that I really wanted. When I got home that night from work and got online I was bummed to see that it was already sold but today when I got home Brandon had them waiting for me! It was an awesome surprise! You can tell they have been used but I will clean them up and give them a fresh coat of paint and they will be perfect!

Brandon's mom sent us a "pink" box last weekend filled with clothes and bows and lots of fun girl stuff!

A Face Full of Food

2009-03-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last week at the last home BYU basketball game Brandon was asked to be apart of a competition during halftime. He went up against 3 other students to see who could eat the most burrito in 30 seconds! He didn't end up winning (he just shoved as much as he could in his mouth without swallowing) but he can now say that he ate a burrito in front of 20,000 people!

It's a GIRL!!!

2009-03-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

We found out this morning that we are going to have a girl! We are thrilled! I am 20 weeks and 5 days. The doctor moved the due date up one day so I am now due July 22. My mom came down this weekend and came to the appointment with us. We are so glad she was here for it! We already have a name picked out...Abigail (Abby for short.) We can't wait for this little girl to get here!

The first picture of the ultra-sound is the head. The second one proves that it's a girl and the third one is of the head, spine and ribs!

Back to Back Nights In SLC

2009-02-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Brandon and I went to Salt Lake to see Josh Turner in concert! We love him and the concert was so cool. It was at a private club so there weren't a ton of people there and we got to be relly close! We already want to go see him again!

The night after that we ended up going back to Salt Lake for dinner and a Jazz game. Brandon's uncle was working the clocks for the game so Brady and Brandon had fun talking to him during half time. The Jazz ended up winning so it was a good night!

1 Happy Year!

2008-12-15T09:35:00.001-08:00

Brandon and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary today! I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by! We already have so many great memories together and we love every bit of our lives together! I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us! Brandon, you are the best thing I could have ever hoped for! I love you!

Our New Home!

2008-09-04T20:59:00.001-07:00

I know I am terrible at blogging but I am so excited about our new place that I had to share pictures with everyone! Brandon and I were so lucky to find this place, especially the first day we here! Here are a few quick pics I took before we started moving everything in. We feel like we are living in a house since we have our own front and back yards! I will have to put up more when we get everything organized! We love being back in Provo and we are having a blast going to BYU together....Good times!

The living room

One of the bedrooms

The backyard

A Great Reward!

2008-07-13T20:58:00.001-07:00

Throughout the summer I have been giving Brandon incentives to keep him excited about selling. He has been working hard and doing a great job! His last incentive was a GPS unit which we both love! Hopefully now we won't be getting lost all the time!

A Weekly Tradition!

2008-07-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Brandon has been telling me for months that he wants to go golfing with me and last Friday was finally the day! We went with Greg and Alyssa and we had a blast. The girls even beat the boys on one hole...not bad for my first time! We have all decided it will now be a weekly tradition to go on Fridays!!

Wishin' We Were There!

2008-07-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I grew our beards out all week so we could shave them into a mustache for Jimmy's Mustache party. Sorry we missed it Jimmy, but we were there in spirit!!

At the Ball Game!

2008-06-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

After Brandon and the guys were done working last Saturday we went to a baseball game in Edinburgh. Brandon was in heaven and we all had a good time!

Our Weekend Getaway!

2008-06-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I woke Brandon up at 6:30 in the morning and told him that I had a surprise for him. I told him that we were leaving in 15 minutes and he wouldn't be working for the day. As soon as he was ready we got into the car and we made the 4 hour drive to San Antonio. I eventually told him that we were going to the temple and he was so excited! The temple was awesome, we love being able to go inside together.

Brandon was thinking that we would be back home in time to hang out with the rest of our friends at a baseball game but instead I drove him to the hotel we stayed at on the riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. Brandon was shocked and I loved surprising him. We had the best weekend together. We have both decided that San Antonio is one of our favorite cities.

I found an amazing deal for our hotel that was on the riverwalk and across the street from the Alamo. We loved the little boat ride we took down the river, we had a really funny guide. One of the parts of the day was dinner. I had made reservations at a restaurant on top of the Tower of Americas, a 750 foot-tall tower in the heart of San Antonio. In the hour that we were there it did a 360 degree circle so we saw all of San Antonio while we were eating!

It was so nice to be able to take a break from our busy work week and just relax! It has been an amazing six months babe! You are my favorite!

Brandon is sitting at the bottom of our hotel

We loved the riverwalk!

Remember the Alamo!

Brandon was so excited to hear a Peruvian band.

We ate dinner at the top of this tower!

Kidding Around!

2008-06-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

One of the best parts of being in Texas is playing with Matt and Tia's cute kids, Trae and Kira. They are so much fun, especially Trae who loves to swim and play baseball!

Back for a visit!

2008-05-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to spend a couple days at home a few weeks ago! It was so much fun. I saw some great friends, went to my old home ward and spent a lot of time with family. On Sunday it was Kacy's birthday so we had a family dinner at our house. The kids were so cute! Here are some pics of the fun day!

Putting up the Fat Head

2008-05-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Living in Texas has given us the opportunity to to live right next door to some really good friends of ours from Virginia, Greg and Alyssa. Brandon actually ended up going to SVU because of Greg so we owe him a lot because otherwise Brandon and I would never have met. Well...Greg, being the romantic that he is, bought Alyssa a Fat Head of Derek Jeter for Valentines Day. For those of you who don't know what a Fat Head is, it is a full size life-like picture that you put on the wall. Well, Alyssa hadn't put it up yet so we decided to put it up last night right behind the dinner table, it was a lot of fun and when the guys got home they loved it!

Gettin' Ready to Work!

2008-05-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Brandon has been working so hard since we have been here in Texas. I am so proud of him! He is selling security systems and he is really enjoying being able to use his Spanish! He goes door to door for 8 hours a day and when he gets home at night he is exhausted! He has never done anything like this but he is doing great!!!

The Joy of Ice Fishing!

2008-05-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

One of Brandon's fondest memories is of him and Grandpa Green ice fishing. When we moved to Utah is was something Brandon wanted to do with me. So the day came when we put on our snow boots and went out to the lake. I was so scared to step out onto the ice but Brandon kept telling me that it was fine. And it was....until I fell through and got stuck with freezing cold water pouring into my pants! Brandon felt really bad so he went back to the car to get different shoes and warm socks for me. We eventually made it out to the middle of the lake and were ready to catch some fish until we realized that we forgot the bait!! Brandon luckly had some WD40 that we sprayed on the hooks but after about 15 min. of watching the pole we decided that our fishing adventure had come to an end and it was time to go home!! Yeah, it was a pretty successful day!

Honeymoon!!

2008-05-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

For our honeymoon we went on a week long cruise to Mexico. We had a blast! Our first stop was in Puerto Vallarta. We took a boat to a little island called Las Caletas. While we were there we got to hold a monkey and a parrot. We went snorkeling and kayaking and we rested in hammocks! The next stop we made was in Mazatlan. We took a tour of the city and we saw a cliff jumper. The last stop we made was Cabo San Lucas and it was our favorite part of the cruise. We took a boat tour and saw the arch, some whales and we also did a lot of snorkeling. Overall it was the an amazing week and we hope we get to go on another cruise someday!

Our Wedding...

2008-05-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

We were married in the Los Angeles LDS Temple for time and all eternity on Dec. 15, 2007! It was an amazing day and we are so grateful for our family and friends who helped us get there and celebrated with us!!

First time bloggers!!

2008-05-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I have wanted to make a blog for a while and now we are finally doing it! It might take a while for us to really get into it but I guess we will see. For those of you who don't know us very well, Brandon and I were married this last December in Los Angeles and a couple of weeks later we moved to Utah. I started my junior year at BYU and Brandon worked for Feature Films for Families. He was accepted into BYU for this Fall so we decided to take the Spring and Summer off and work. We are now living in Mission Texas (a mile away from the Mexican border) and we are loving it! The only bad thing is that we miss our families and we don't get a lot of time off! So I guess that's it for now... Jocelyn and Karrie, I hope you guys are proud of me for finally doing this!