Tidwell Family

Family and Newborn Pictures

2011-12-22T09:21:00.000-06:00

Graduation/New Job

2011-12-22T09:08:00.000-06:00

I don't have any pictures of our recent graduate but Garon did finish up his bachelors in business December 2011. He has accepted a job with USA Truck in Van Buren, AR as a Fleet Manager. At this moment he is working two jobs because he couldn't leave Fleet HQ at the moment or else we would have had to go a while without a paycheck because USA Truck pays only once a month. He is also holding onto Fleet HQ because after the first of the year there are going to be possible positions within Wingfoot with relocation that he may enjoy a little more. We are kind of in limbo at the moment and not for sure what the future will bring. We are so grateful that opportunities are opening up for our family. He won't be home much since he is working about 75 hours a week but I know this is only for a short time.

Congratulations Garon!! We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished.

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-22T09:02:00.002-06:00

We spent a Sunday evening together decorating Christmas cookies. This was the only day Garon was going to have off of work for 7 days so we took advantage of his time home by doing some family activities. Jillian had a great time! She had a huge sugar rush, even bigger melt down, and then she slept like the amazing kid that she is. We absolutely love our little family and the many fun times we have together.

Jillian's Masterpiece

Wyatt looks so amused to be here

Oh the Little Ones

2011-12-22T08:32:00.000-06:00

Life is never boring in the Tidwell home. We always have something to do and someone is willing to put on a little show. Some shows are comical, some dramatic, and we often have some that are a little mix of both. Our Jilly Bug is growing up so quickly. Her list of activities include but are not limited to:

*Climbing on furniutre

*Kissing her little brother

*Trying new things

*Watching Barney (it is a new favorite for her

I'm not such a fan but if it makes her happy we will do it)

*Playing in cars (see previous blog)

*Running around

*Picking fights with her cousins

*Sleeping in her own big bed

*Saying words such as:

Owe

Hot

Thank You

There you go

Mom, momma, etc. over and over again

Dad

Stop

Uh hu

Stuck

Down

Done

Yuck

Stinky

Cheese (for the camera)

Papa

Nana

Jacee

I am sure there are more but this is all I can think of at the moment.

Jillian really enjoys being without clothing.

CHEESE :)

The story with the next couple of pictures goes something like this:

Mommy was busy feeding Wyatt on the couch one morning and Jillian decided she absolutely had to have a banana right that moment. Mom heard chairs moving around in the kitchen and a little bit of grunting then silence. Wyatt now has a full belly and Mom goes into the kitchen to see what is going on and this is what she sees. Jillian has climbed onto the table, got a banana in hand and is successfully getting it open with her teeth.

Papa with Jillian (1), Addyson (1), and Grant (2) doing a little playing on the piano.

We often will go visit Garon on his lunch break and this was one of those days. He usually ends up going back to work with food or drink somewhere on his clothing after our visit.

Jillian has a few nights where she just wants to cuddle and sometimes I am okay with that. This particular night I don't think she was feeling too well (she recently has had 4 molars cut through all at once) and she passed out with legs crossed, arms up, and hanging out with mom.

Here are some pictures of the little man to show he isn't neglected. He enjoys hanging out in his swing, bouncy chair, being held, and favorite place to fall asleep is in his bed.

This one is really dark but she is giving him kisses, again...

Little Grease Monkey

2011-12-22T08:03:00.000-06:00

Jillian absolutely loves cars. Well, she loves big cars. You know, the ones people drive. She could spend hours inside just playing. When Mommy's car needed new brake pads this was right up her alley. She very much enjoyed playing with Daddy's "toys" and getting all dirty because she was able to play with the car. She is so stinking cute and full of personality. Here are a few pictures from the infamous event.

I can do it Dad, just watch!

Needless to say I was in dire need of new brake pads, there was no pad left on the old ones.

The Fear of the Unknown

2011-11-27T18:26:00.000-06:00

So what do you do when you have 6 long hours in front of a computer with nothing to do? Pour out your worries into cyber-space for all to criticize. Well, as the Tidwell Family faces big changes on the horizon, I worry about what is to come. The not knowing is something that I don't handle very well.

December 14 will mark the end of my career as an undergrad student. I will be the new owner of a piece of paper that has costs more money that I care to think about. I gave up even more money per year to go to school because my job at Dupont would allow me to get an education. And now that the education has been obtained, the fear of whether I can pay for this education is starting to set in.

So let me recap. I gave up roughly $65,000 per year worth of income from a manual labor job. It took me 4 1/2 years to finish the degree. Minus the income I have made, we have an oppurtunity cost of $200,000. Then we look at the added expense of getting the degree and still living day to day. I probably should see how much student loan debt we are in, but it is up there. My education, from an economic accounting perspective, has cost more than a quarter of a million dollars! Now that I have an education, the job market is gone to crap and I'm going to be lucky to land a job making $35,000 a year. Man that hurts to say out loud.
I wish I didn't focus on numbers so much. That is why I'm so grateful for my loving bride. She always helps me focus on what is important. If I would have stayed at the manual labor job, I would have never met her, would not be in the beautiful state of Arkansas, have two wonderful kids and an education that has bettered my life more than what money can make up for.

As I close this November, I want to say that I am very grateful for the chance to have obtained an education. I'm grateful for my eternal companion that has put up with my stressed out brain and lack of interaction in the three and a half years we have been married. I'm so grateful for the support of our family and friends that have made this journey possible. Last but not least, I want to give thanks to my Father in Heaven for watching out for our little family. We have had a great struggle, but have never wanted for anything. He has always given us in our time of need. As I focus on this next chapter of our life and look at the unknown before me, I pray that I will not fear but put my faith in God and feel for his direction through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

New Adventures

2011-11-16T21:01:00.000-06:00

Wow, I believe that is really all I can say about today! :)

Life has proven to be rather interesting with two little ones at home, it is busy, fun, exciting, trying, frustrating, surprising, interesting, eventful, and so much more. I am going to take a moment and share with you how my day went today, this hasn't been a typical day and I can only pray that it doesn't become the "norm".

The morning started off pretty normal, children woke up between 6 and 7 a.m. and I had no desire to get out of bed so their amazing Daddy came to the rescue while I convinced myself that it was time to get up and get going for the day. Diapers were changed and breakfast got started. Jillian of course cannot wait for breakfast to be cooked so she has a banana and her milk to help hold her over and Wyatt is pretty chill at this point because he just had a bottle not too long ago (I honestly can't remember the time because too much has happened since this morning and now).

We leave the house around 10:00 a.m. to go run some errands, nothing special. We arrive back home at noon and Jillian is passed out in her car seat and Wyatt is starting to wake up because he is ready to eat again. I managed to get Jillian inside and in bed without waking her up (she was purely exhausted), and Wyatt gets his lunch fix from Daddy. I start making lunch for Garon so he can eat before he heads out the door for work.

Fast forward time to about 1:15 p.m., this is when my day starts getting a little interesting. Garon leaves the house to go to work for the evening. Both kids are awake and Jillian is yelling bye in a happy voice but then watches Daddy leave and starts screaming (not unusual for her, don't worry it doesn't last long at all). She comes back to the living room and starts vigorously loving on her little brother. She absolutely adores him, lots of hugs, kisses, hand shakes, arm pulls, etc. It has come to the point that I have to grow those eyes in the back of my head that all moms are supposed to have because our little angel will try to pick her brother up and she has actually succeeded in this task. So we play pass the baby back and forth for a little bit, read a book, and play on the floor.

At about 2:30 p.m. I decided I should probably start dinner so I can have time to cook it and get everything together in time to make it to Garon by 4:30. Wyatt is asleep in his bed and Jillian is following me around wanting more attention. She has been teething a lot lately and I was trying to get things done so I gave her a popsicle, placed her in her chair and let her go to town. This worked great, she ate the whole thing and didn't even make a huge mess. 2:45 Wyatt wakes up and is not a happy camper, I am at a point where I can't really stop but I do anyway. I get Jillian wiped down, get Wyatt out of bed and put him in the bouncy chair in the kitchen so he can see what is going on. Jillian is excited her brother is awake again so the loving has started over. I am watching her out of the corner of my eye to make sure she doesn't tackle the poor little guy and occasionally I could be heard saying "be gentle" or "softly" . She got really quiet and he wasn't making much noise so I looked over to see that Jillian had gone to his room, pulled a brand new package of refill wipes into the kitchen and had half of Wyatt's diaper off. YES, MY ONE YEAR OLD WAS TRYING TO CHANGE HER BROTHER'S DIAPER!!! Quickly, I had to stop what I was doing, go get a diaper and get him settled back in, she just wanted to help...when he started crying she found his passy and brought it into him. So while I am getting Wyatt "fixed up", she walks over to the table and pulls a chair up to the refrigerator and proceeds to climb onto the chair in hopes of reaching the m&m's that are on top of the refrigerator (thank heavens she can't reach them, YET!). So, Wyatt is now clean but still screaming because it is now a little after 3:00 and he thinks he is starving and Jillian is back in her chair with 5 m&m's, you may be surprised at the mess 5 little m&m's can make.

Jillian decides she is done with the m&m's because she has seen me make a bottle and knows I am about to go feed brother (which in turn means more love time for her). I proceed to wipe her down one more time, pick up Wyatt, mix the bottle, and head to the living room. Curious George is on PBS and we take a little breather and watch this while Wyatt eats, poops, eats and little more, and poops a lot more. Jillian decided she needed to do a little system cleansing also so I get both of them cleaned up, get Wyatt to burp (this is no small task), and start getting dinner together because it is now 3:50ish. I get the dinner in the car, get shoes on Jillian and Wyatt is finally loaded in the car seat. We are ready to go see Daddy for dinner.

Fast forward again to about 5:45. Jillian is now officially exhausted but I am not letting her go to sleep because I don't want to be up until midnight. This action results in lots of tantrums, fits, episodes, whatever you would like to call them. Wyatt is in and out of sleep but hanging out happily in his crib. 6:00 gets here and guess what time it is again, it is time to make a bottle and feed the little man, Jillian is giving her loves but not so many this time because she is tired and she thinks she should get all of the attention right now. I am feeding Wyatt and she decides to climb up on my lap, she helped burp him and both kiddos were cuddled on me as I rocked them. The night from this point starts to go pretty smooth. Wyatt is in bed by about 7, a little early so it may be a rough night but we shall see, and Jillian now has me all to herself. She is happy being held and rocked but she started to get tired so she got down and found random things to get into, one of the favorites is the drawer on the entertainment center with all her diapers. At about 7:45 the tantrums started back up so I said, "let's go lay down and get ready for bed".

Without a fight we went in her room, laid on her bed, said prayers, and sang some songs. I had a very motherly moment this evening as I was putting my precious, wild, crazy, loving little girl to bed. I looked at her and noticed how grown up she was becoming, she is getting so big but is still so little at the same time. We sang an assortment of songs but the one that made me tear up tonight was "You Are My Sunshine". This little girl lights up my life everyday. She has stolen my heart and I hope she never gives it back. She truly is my sunshine and she brings so much joy to my life. Even when I have trying days or moments she helps me laugh instead of scream. Children really do bring out the best in us. We did in fact have many heart to heart moments today but I suppose that just comes with the territory. I feel so blessed to have these two amazing children, to have a loving and supportive husband, to have family I can call on when I just need an encouraging word or a moment of motivation. I am living my dream, I am doing what I have always wanted. My life at this moment is not always easy but I am loving every minute of it. The laundry may get backed up, the dishes may have to wait, my floor may not always be perfectly vacuumed but I have two little angels named Jillian and Wyatt who make my home the welcoming place that it is.

Wyatt Eugene Tidwell

2011-11-09T20:22:00.000-06:00

I am a little late in doing this post but the Tidwell Family has a new addition! :)

Friday, October 28, 2011 proved to be a very productive day. This particular morning we went out running errands and what not all while I was having lots of pressure every time I took a step, stood up, or sat down. I am going to back track a little bit back to Tuesday the 25th; I went to labor and deliver this night because I had been having contractions all night Monday and all day Tuesday. We went in around 9:00 or so and turns out the contractions were 3 minutes apart. I thought this was great news except my cervix wasn't exactly cooperating. I entered the hospital dilated to a 2 and left around 1:30 a.m. with progressing only to a 3. Needless to say they gave me a shot of morphine and sent me on my way.

Now, back to Friday...I was having lots of pressure and a few contractions here and there but nothing major. We decided to go into the hospital around 3:00 p.m. even though I wasn't in "pain". I get settled in and the nurse comes in to check me and see what was going on, I was dilated to a 5! At this point we knew today was the day.

We move from an observation room to a labor room, not much is going on. I am all hooked up to monitors, Garon is watching t.v. and we are just hanging out.

In these two pictures we are just chilling in the room. I am having inconsistent contractions and things are pretty easy. We kept at this pace until about 7:00 p.m. when the doctor came in to break my water and the pitocin really got going.

Garon took a little nap before everything got a little crazy. I must say that he did deserve it!

At 9:37 p.m. Wyatt Eugene Tidwell entered this world.

Height: 20 inches

Weight: 6 lbs 14 oz

Jillian came to visit and she absolutely adores her little brother.

Sorry for the blurry picture, she kept moving and trying to get the camera so we will have to work on some more.

All in all, I must say it was a pretty easy labor and delivery. Having a 6 lbs baby is so much easier than a 9 pounder. We are so excited to have little Wyatt here in our home and a part of our family.

Maternity Pictures

2011-11-03T16:09:00.000-05:00

At 36 weeks pregnant we decided it was time to take some family/maternity pictures. Jillian is 15 months old, I am 9 months pregnant (basically), Garon 26 and myself 25.

It was crazy to try and wrap my brain around the idea that I was about to have two children, not just one child. We had a ton of fun taking the pictures and as if you couldn't tell through the pictures the weather was absolutely amazing this particular day.

Here are just a few of the great shots we got, hope you enjoy!

Funny thing about this picture, she cannot stand it when Garon and I hold hands.

31 almost 32 weeks!

2011-09-20T22:49:00.000-05:00

So these aren't the best pictures in the whole world but they do for those of you who are curious. I had just got out of the shower before taking these and we have had to change bedding pretty much everyday for the past week, hence the laundry on the floor. I am feeling pretty big these days, having a hard time bending over and what not but I know it will all be worth it in a few more weeks. If this little guy comes about the same time as Jillian we are looking at only another 6 weeks or so which is absolutely crazy to think about.

It's A....

2011-07-25T21:49:00.000-05:00

We have a new addition coming to our family in November and we are super excited! I am a bit terrified but it will be lots of fun and we will never have a dull moment. Our new little one has proved to be a BOY! We found out about a month ago (I know...I am really behind in posting).

Names are still up for grabs, we have one in mind but have not been able to settle on it just yet. Name suggestions are always welcome *Jack has been submitted a couple times but it is a no go, just a heads up*

July

2011-07-25T21:42:00.000-05:00

The month of July has been a crazy and busy one! We have been extremely behind on blog posting but I am here now to do a little catching up.

Jillian celebrated her FIRST BIRTHDAY on 5 July 2011. We had a great party here at the house with lots of friends and family. She has grown up so fast and is so much fun to have in our family. She has accomplished many milestones over the past year including:
*Laughing
*Crawling
*Walking with assistance
*Saying: momma, dada, stop, that, cat, dog, papa, go, bye, hi
*Climbing on/in things
*Standing on her own
*Drinking/eating just about anything
*Helps with dishes and laundry
*Plays catch, peek-a-boo, wrestling, pat-a-cake, dolls
*Enjoys reading books
*Loves swimming and bathtime
I am positive there is so much more that our little big girl is doing but I can't write it all down because it would take a really long time to go through it all. She is pretty much perfect!

Where to begin

2011-05-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

It has been so long since I have taken the time to sit, reflect, and write of life for our family. We have been staying busy as ever and enjoying the little break that Garon has from school right now. He has finished up his semester and will start his summer class July 5th so we take what we can get. I say we have been staying busy but I don't have the slightest idea as to what particularly has been keeping us this way. We of course have the normal day to day activities of doing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning house, changing diapers, reading books, sharing giggles, and taking a little nap when our little love bug will allow it.

Jillian is growing so quickly. She is becoming more and more independent but loves to have Mom and Dad around, if she could have it her way we would always be together at all times. It is hard to believe that she is 10 and a half months old already, she eats anything she can get in her mouth, gets off furniture all by herself, likes to help do dishes and loves to pull laundry out of the dryer. Jillian likes to think she is helping you fold clothes (she picks up what you just folded and puts it in a little pile at her level), if you leave the toilet seat open she plays in the water, unrolls the toilet paper, loves taking a bath, and the newest discovery is going SWIMMING! She absolutely loves swimming, we get in the water and she just kicks and kicks. If we aren't careful she tries to jump out of our arms because she just wants to go, we do have a floating thing and she does good in it for a little while but it get old and she wants more freedom. Our little angel is getting so big, she doesn't exactly look like a baby anymore. We still are not sleeping through the night these days and she still has just two teeth but she is growing strong and moving fast. Jillian walks along furniture and crawls very quickly. She will wave her hand and say "Buh", clap her hands, and her cute adorable fish face has turned into her way of blowing kisses. Every once in a while she will try to stand up on her own but she has yet to do it.

All in all time is going by rather quickly and it is hard to believe that she is almost a year old. I do the best and I can and I hope it is enough. I want my little one to know just how much she is loved and how much joy she brings into our home. There are lots of things that just don't get done because I enjoy the time I have to get on the floor and play with my bundle of joy, hearing her laughter and seeing her smile brings so much joy and happiness to my soul.

I need to take just a moment to say just how thankful I am for my family. I have an amazing husband who does all he can to provide and support our family and I am thankful for the education he is getting. My life is truly blessed, and I am so grateful for the love and support I often receive from those around me.

More Pictures!!

2011-05-15T23:55:00.002-05:00

Why does it take us so long to put up pictures of the cutest baby ever?

Jillian loves laying in bed with us. Horrible habit, we know, but she is just irresistible sometimes.

Such a ham, like her daddy. Big cheesy grins for the camera.

I totally forgot about these pictures.

This was when Jillian and Daddy shared a lunchable for snack. She loved the cookies!

She can fight sleep all she wants, but when we get her into the car she just can't compete. Look at how much more hair she has here that in the last post.

Jillian is growing up so big, so fast. It is going to be hard to keep up with the flood of memories that she is sending our way. She is the best little girl a mom and dad could hope for. We love you Jillian with all our hearts!!

Picture Crazy Update

2011-03-07T23:04:00.000-06:00

So, I am about to go overboard with pictures here but I have had these and haven't posted them and have absolutely no excuse. Jacee (Garon's sister) came up in January (when I had my gallbladder taken out) and took some pictures. The first batch you will see with the two babies are Addyson and Jillian. Believe it or not Addyson (the small one) is 3 days older than Jillian. Enjoy the fun! :)

I love the faces on this one, Jillian was refusing to sit up at this point and was being a smarty pants about it!

I hope you have enjoyed the show! Jillian looks like a completely different kid now and has a great personality to go along with it. She brings so much joy, love, peace, and laughter into our lives.

Jillian Needs a Snack!

2011-03-07T20:58:00.000-06:00

This is a great video of how smart and determined Jillian can be. While Mom left her alone with Dad, who doesn't always keep both eyes open, Jillian decided she needed her Puffs snacks. She proceeded to dig through the diaper bag, pull out a diaper, bib, and what ever else was in the way of her Puffs container. This is what happened next.

The Joy of Oreos

2011-02-28T23:14:00.000-06:00

I ventured out and gave my baby 2 Oreos the other day, you have to have one for each hand, right? She absolutely loved them and enjoyed every minute of it. I had no idea she would be covered literally from head to toe in chocolate.

Oh the happiness

Are there any more?

Let me give you some loves!!!

Got the day started right, first the Oreo and now a bath

Say Cheese


I'm busy at work...

Following the bath she decided to get to work. Jillian loves the computer and loves to type in "word". She is growing so quickly and it is so exciting and so sad at the same time. She is now crawling all over and most of the time she will fuss the whole time she is moving but look up to you with the biggest grin across her face.

Jillian is also into eating everything, it doesn't matter what it is or where it came from, if it can go in the mouth it is sure to make it there. The only food she has turned down so far are peas (I can't really blame her).

My life is a brighter place with her in it and I am so blessed to have her. She is a very special little girl who can bring so much joy and sunshine on a cloudy day.

Jillian is Crawling!

2011-02-25T00:39:00.000-06:00

Look out world! Jilly bug is on the move! She has been crawling for a few days now and it is so much fun. I know that it will eventually get worse, but for right now we are enjoying it. We left her alone in the living room, and she crawled into the bedroom where Laura and I were talking. We keep calling her and around the corner she came all smiles!

However, she is not always all smiles. When she first started to crawl around, she was so mad! She would start out in a direction crying and complaining, often with her eyes closed. Once, she crawled about two or three feet with her eyes closed, stopped, opened her eyes and was wondering where she was at, then went right back to crawling and crying.

Here is a little clip of her progress.

Snow Days!

2011-02-11T21:11:00.001-06:00

Every one loves a good snow day! We have definitely had a good bit of snow this winter. I have missed a total of three days of school because of it, and oddly enough, worked one of my days off. Does that make sense?

Now, I don't know about you guys, but I know one little bug that knows how to spend a snow day.

Poor little Jillian has a had a runny nose. We gave her some medicine for it and she finally laid down in bed with Daddy. I put her on the pillow to prop her up to help her drainage and she slept for a good little while.

It has been a truly amazing experience becoming a husband and a father. I love my family so much and totally don't give my wife enough credit for all the work she puts in at home. I love you sweetheart! And I love my Jilly Bug!

Jillian Update

2011-01-30T22:29:00.000-06:00

She for some reason loves to suck her lips in and it is the cutest thing ever!

Beware: There is often a naked baby in our house...she loves being without clothing

So happy to have her own cup!

Best part of eating (well, after the food) is she gets to clean herself and play

Drool bug but a happy one

Dad decided to put the "total pillow" on her head, she didn't mind too much

It was pretty cold this day and she just looked so darn cute!

Jillian loves to go shopping these days (it is best when she has just woke up from a nap)

So Happy!!!

She decided to spit up all over herself one Sunday and this was the back up outfit in the bag, yes she has an Arkansas Razorback shirt (Thanks Sammy!!)

It is so hard to believe how fast she is growing up. Jillian will be 7 months old this week and it is absolutely crazy to even think about. It was not too long ago we were struggling with colic and not sleeping and now she rolls all around, sits up in the bathtub, talks all the time, loves her food, belly chuckles, and feeds herself at night (it is really nice, we will walk in hand her the bottle and walk out of the room).

This has been a wonderful adventure and she is such a fun baby to have around. Jillian puts a smile on our faces every single day. We love you Little Miss! :)

Just a Little Update

2011-01-16T22:57:00.000-06:00

Life has been a little crazy around here lately. Last Tuesday I had to have my gallbladder taken out. Since Jillian was about 1 month old I would have these severe painful attacks and we couldn't figure out what they were, the first couple I just passed off as my body just getting back in order. After the 3rd attack I started to get a little worried and the 5th attack got so bad that I was throwing up because of the pain. Garon took me into the ER on Tuesday the 4th and I discovered my gallbladder was full of stones. They sent me home with some good stuff and told me to call the surgeon. I was able to get into the Surgeon on Friday the 7th and had surgery on the 11th. It was a crazy little adventure and I am glad it is done and over with. I am pretty much back to normal and I am so relieved that I will NEVER have to have another attack like that again.

Garon has started his semester and is taking a full load. He missed his first day of class to take me to the hospital and nurse me but went in on Thursday. It is going to be a full and crazy semester but come the end of December Garon will be graduated! :) He has been absolutely amazing the past couple of weeks taking care of both Jillian and I. When I couldn't move he would wake up every night to take care of her. Today at church she did not want much to do with me at all, she was a Daddy's girl all day long. When Garon had to go to work she threw quiet the fit but got over it pretty quickly.

Jillian is growing like a little weed. At her 6 month appointment she weighed in at 20 pounds and was 27.5 inches long. She is rolling everywhere and wants to crawl so bad. She is scooting backwards and gets frustrated because she gets further away from what she wants. Anything and everything she can get her hands on makes its way to her mouth. We have started to introduce the sippy cup and she is slowly getting the hang of it. Jillian talks all day long, today in the car she was talking and got louder and louder until we turned and looked at her and then she gave us the biggest grin. (I have really got to get the camera out more often). We love this little girl so much, all the crying the first three and a half months of her life was definitely worth it to get to this point.

I will get some pictures up soon, don't have them on this computer.

Peek-A-Boo!!

2010-12-29T11:27:00.000-06:00

Christmas Day

2010-12-27T19:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas was amazing this year. Garon and I both felt as though this was our first Christmas since we have been married. Technically this is our third but the first year we were married we moved to AR, the second we traveled down to TX so we didn't do any decorating or anything like that so this year was the big whammy! It was wonderful because we have a beautiful daughter to share it with. We decorated cookies, went caroling to some friends, had company over, spent time with the Grandparents and enjoyed our holiday season. I love the holidays and the excitement that comes with them and I love I am able to spend them with the two people I love most.
Here is your warning: THERE ARE LOTS OF PICTURES ATTACHED We did not do very good at taking pictures of everything we did but we did manage to pull the camera out for Christmas morning. We all look tired (even the baby) but we had fun and enjoyed the time spent together. This picture is a little blurry but this is our Christmas decorations

Jillian loved the bows, it took her a little bit to realize there was more around.

The elephant came from the stocking

Along with the teething rings and that book down in her lap

Doll from Hindmarsh Family

So serious about opening her gifts

Dad said: "Movie or Chew Toy?"

Happy Baby

Must say she didn't do too bad for First Christmas

She was so content to sit and play and watch

Just so you know, these knives are AMAZING

Beautiful ornament from Hindmarsh Family (makes me miss my horn)

I suppose I need to try to make a cheesecake now :)

It is another picture of our happy baby

Garon was happy with Santa

Jillian decided she wanted to help daddy open stuff

Push Up Pros...I hear they are amazing for push ups...

New shirt

Paper and Bows with teething ring in hand...slobber is explained


The best people that have ever come into my life!

We are looking forward to this upcoming year and the many exciting things that are to come. Happy Holidays to all and may you have a wonderful New Year!

Just Stuff

2010-12-06T20:39:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been one of those days. Jillian cried, ate, cried, slept for 15 minutes, cried, played, cried, cried, went in the car, got sleepy, cried, ate, got home and played, went grocery shopping, got home and played with Daddy, Daddy left for work and Jillian cried and cried and cried, I fed her, changed her diaper, tried to rock her, tried laying her down, and so much more and she just cried. At 5:00 p.m. this evening Ms. Jillian decided she was tired and went to sleep, she woke up at about 5:30 but was back in bed by 6:00 and will sleep until about 4 in the morning. With her not liking to nap early bedtime is a must but I must say it makes the evenings rather peaceful and I am able to accomplish the things I didn't get done all day long.

Jillian has been doing so much better as far as the crying goes. Having a day here and there is NOTHING compared to the nonstop I had for the first 3 months or so. She is such a blessing and Garon and I are both so grateful for the many blessings she brings into our lives.

On another note....

I think I am going to have to stop taking Yaz (that is the birth control I have been on). I took this before I got pregnant and had no problems with it at all. I have been on it for the past 4 months and each month right before I start my cycle I get this excruciating pain that I can only describe as contraction pains but it doesn't go away and it gets stronger and stronger and will last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. After the extreme pain is gone I stay sore for another day or two and eventually get back to normal. I need to clarify, when I say I have pain, it isn't cramping, it feels like it is right below my right rib cage and it shoots all the way through to my back and goes down to my lower back (where the menstrual cramping is going on). When this hits I can't do anything, it hurts to stand, sit, lay down, or even just to move. I have been doing some research and Yaz is known to cause gallbladder issues but I don't know what to do because I can never get into the doctor when it hits because it is always on the weekend. I set up an appointment to go in tomorrow to discuss other options and see if the two are even related. I told Garon today that I am just falling apart.

Happy Note:
GARON IS OFF ON CHRISTMAS DAY!!!! I am super excited about this and as an extra bonus he is going to work days on the Tues-Thurs before Christmas. He does have to work Christmas Eve night but I can handle that.

Pictures and Jillian Update

2010-12-02T20:07:00.000-06:00

Milestones Jillian has made:

Rolling from front to back and back to front

Eating rice cereal twice a day

Eating veggies once a day

Sleeping from about 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. (on average)

Slowly getting into a nap routine of some sort (short naps but naps none the less)

Starting to reach out to Mommy and Daddy

Will sit up until she realized she is sitting up

Loves to pull hair

Slobbers like a Queen

Rattles are miracle toys

Splashes in the bath

Loves listening to music while getting lotion after bath

Loves being without clothing as much as possible

Holding her own bottle (when she isn't too tired)

Occasionally will put herself to sleep

I am sure there is more that I am missing but this is all that is fresh on the top of my mind!

2010-12-02T19:22:00.001-06:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

It's Christmas Time

2010-12-02T18:28:00.002-06:00

The tree is up and trimmed and there are even a few presents beneath. The aroma of cinnamon and spice fill the air and you can often hear the tunes of Christmas carols in the background. I must say this is my favorite time of year, not because of the Santa Clause, the Reindeer, candy canes, or lots of goodies but because the spirit of loving can be felt, for the friendships that are renewed, for the joy that is seen on the faces of those we serve, for taking a little extra time to say hello, for the smiling faces in a world of trouble. This time of year holds so much joy that is often times forgotten.

I was in the car the other day and the thought came to me, "Why can't there be more Christmas like songs throughout the year?". I started reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas and what it means to me in my life. Last year I was just 2 months pregnant and scared to death because I didn't know if I would be able to carry this baby, how could I handle another devastating miscarriage, what kind of mom will I be if I am able to carry to term, will I be able to do what is best for this child inside? I must say I made it through and this year we will be having a little different Christmas because we have "our family". We have experienced a miracle this year and for that I am so thankful. As far as what kind of mom I am, that is still to be determined...I know that Garon and I do our best and we try to do everything we can to show our little Jillian that she is loved and adorned. I have been reflecting about Mary and her trials over the past few days, she was a strong courageous woman who stood for so much. She brought the Christ child into this world in a stable and his bed was a manger filled with hay. Oh the many blessings we have today! I was able to birth in a hospital, had painkillers available (not that I took any), and I was able to rest in a bed with covers.

My all time favorite Christmas songs is: Do You Hear What I Hear

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light

I don't really know why this is my favorite but it always causes me to ponder.

Update on Pictures

2010-11-22T07:00:00.005-06:00

So, the pictures aren't exactly in time order, I am typing and doing this with Jillian on my lap so I am not spending too much time on it but I hope you can enjoy :)

Jillian got a new pair of sunglasses and she likes them as long as she is awake. She fell asleep with them on and was NOT happy when she woke up.

Garon and Jillian decided to take a little nap, rare occasion for Jillian.

Just being cute in her cute little outfit

we went on a walk at the park and Jillian got tired of her stroller so we ended up carrying her 1/2 the way but she was cuddly so we couldn't pass it up.

She is learning to feed herself so well, when we are holding her she does okay most the time with holding her bottle but we improvised with a blanket for this round.

While eating her rice cereal. She really enjoys meal time and sometimes we just can't get it to her fast enough for her liking.

Figuring out how to feed herself, she really likes the idea but hasn't fully got it down.
She does know where the utensils go.

Shop til you Drop...She passed out while we were doing a little Christmas shopping

She loves her new ride!

Halloween Outfit

One proud Daddy who is definitely under the Baby's spell.

November

2010-11-21T23:06:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it has been a full month since I last posted anything. It is crazy how time just slips away from me these days and I can't seem to get it back. I should totally be in bed right now trying to get some sleep while Jillian is in dreamland but instead I am awake and on the computer.

Jillian had her 4 month check up earlier this month and she weighed in at 17 lbs. 8.5 oz and is 26.5 inches long. She is wearing 9 month clothing, talking, playing with her feet, smiling, screaming, eating Rice cereal twice a day, slowly starting to put herself to sleep (occasionally). She has stopped sleeping all through the night for some strange reason (where did my baby go that slept until 9:00 in the morning?) She is generally in bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and has been waking up at 3:30 and 6:30, at 6:30 she thinks she needs to be up for the day. We generally play for a bit, she will eat some cereal, and eventually go back to sleep but it is short lived; like 45 minute short lived. Jillian feels she doesn't need to take a NAP during the day so she takes little cat naps, any ideas on how we can change this? Jillian is slowly growing out of the colic, it has been a battle but we are surviving. She now does very well for the most part during the day but the evenings (3:00 p.m. on) start getting a little rough. There are times when Garon leaves to go to school or work and Jillian wigs out, like she knows she isn't going to see him again that night, it is CRAZY and it is just enough to make me want to go crazy.

Garon is working hard to get through the semester, he is taking less hours this semester but it has been tough. Between work, school, home, and church he stays very busy and Jillian and I try to be as supportive as we can. Sometimes I have a really hard time with this because I get greedy and just want to spend some time with him.

As for myself I have finally given in and went to the chiropractor because I have had a headache for the past month solid (no joke) and my lower back has been killing me (I took a fall about 4 or 5 years ago and never got it looked at and now that I am carrying around the baby it is starting to take its toll). I went in for the evaluation last week and he was touching some places on my back and I thought I was going to jump out of my skin. I go back in tomorrow for the results of the x-rays and scans that they did, hopefully I am not too messed up to be fixed.

I was going to upload some pictures but I am on the laptop at the moment and we don't have any recent pictures on here. I will have to get on the desktop tomorrow and get some updated pictures for you all to see! :)

Back Flash

2010-10-24T21:45:00.003-05:00

So, I never posted this picture before but looking back on it I probably should. This picture was taken of me about 24 hours before Jillian was born. This was on July 4, 2010 and it was the first day in my pregnancy that I really felt "HUGE" and looking at the picture it makes perfect sense.

October is here already...

2010-10-19T21:46:00.002-05:00

Time has yet escaped me again but all is well. Life has been going great and we couldn't be happier. Garon is still in school and working full time but still finds time for his family. Jillian is growing like a little weed. She is talking, laughing, cooing, and becoming mobile. She is sleeping great at night and eating all the time. We have so much fun together during the day. I must say it isn't always peaches and cream, she does still have her screaming fest about once a day but it doesn't last near as long and we can calm her down a lot faster these days. She has graduated up to the size 3 diapers (the size 2 still fit but they are just a little snug).

A couple of weeks ago Jillian and I made a road trip to TX and had a great time (I was a little insane by the time I got there). I was an amazing trip but it was hard work and probably won't happen again for a while, traveling with a 3 month old by yourself is a little tiring but we made it through. We are so blessed to have so many people who love us and want us to come visit.

Jilian decided to roll over this morning and it was so much fun to watch her. She smiled as soon as we turned of the camera (as always). Later this afternoon we were both laying on the floor, she was down by my feet and the next thing I knew she was up by my head. She isn't crawling yet but she is getting close, she sure does know how to scoot around on her belly and face.

September so Far

2010-09-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

Well, September has been a bit of a busy month. First let me catch you up on what happened at Jillian's two month appointment. She weighed in at 14 lbs. and measured at 23.75 inches long. She is a growing girl and I don't believe there is much we can do about that. She is finally beginning to outgrow her colic (we think). She has been a much happier baby and is sleeping more at night. She usually goes down between 8:30 and 10, sometimes a little earlier and sometimes a little later. Generally she will wake up between 2 and 3 and again at 6:30 and again at 9, occasionally she will reduce it down to twice a night and if she really loves us that night she will only get up once (last night was one of these nights; she went down about 9:30 and didn't get up until 6:30 then went back to bed until 9) :)

September has kind of slipped us by. I say it has been a busy month but in all honesty I don't really know what has been going on. I paid my car off Friday and that was such an amazing ordeal, one less bill to pay which is oh so wonderful. My sister also got married on Friday, it was a nice and simple ceremony, Congratulations to you Sara and Matt! :)

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Kadence did not really want to have her picture taken so I had to sneak it in and this is the best I could do. She loves coming over and playing with Jillian, a lot of times she likes to play house and she acts as the big sister, I am the mom and Jillian is the baby...fun times for sure :)

Jillian (on the left) is three days younger than her cousin Addyson (on the right). I like this picture because they are both smiling but I cut part of Addyson off...oops!

I got both of them here but they aren't smiling near as big.

I wanted Garon to get a picture of Jillian in her dress before the wedding and this is what he came back with...he was being silly.

It's not the best but she was just so darn cute!!!

Kadence, Sara, Bishop Bardin, and newest family member Matt.

There were lots of yummy treats afterward.

The "I" on the cupcakes stands for: Ichniowski

Here's What's Been Happening

2010-09-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

Not a whole lot. Garon is in school and working and I am at home with little Jillian watching her grow like a weed. It is absolutely crazy how quickly she is blossoming but we are loving every minute.

Garon's schedule allows him to be home in the mornings with us but he is gone pretty much every evening. Jillian hasn't been crying near as much the past couple of days *knock on wood* as she has been and I am so grateful. We are headed to the doctor on Tuesday for her 2 month appointment, this will include shots which I am totally NOT ready for.

Well, here are a few pictures to enjoy...there would be a video or two but I don't know where they disappeared to on the computer :)

Pictures

2010-08-25T23:42:00.003-05:00

These are the pictures that I have been meaning to upload. Her blessing took place on Sunday, August 1, 2010

Random Events

2010-08-04T22:45:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been a whole month since Jillian joined our family. So much has happened and she has grown so much in such a short time. I have had my fair share of joy, laughter, tears, tiredness, exhaustion, enjoyment, and any other emotion you could possibly imagine.

Jillian has brought a lot of joy to my life over the past few weeks. I will admit that it has been a tough road. I was nursing her in the beginning but I just couldn't seem to keep her satisfied so I began to supplement with formula. While nursing and supplementing I also began to pump, talk about emotional and physical drainage. After about a week of doing all of this I just could not handle it anymore and I wasn't able to produce any more milk so I had to make a decision to either continue trying to nurse and bottle feed and pump or just go ahead and switch over to formula. It took me almost having a breakdown to make up my mind and accept the facts. She has been on formula full time for a little over a week and things are going pretty good. She gets a little gassy every once in a while but we are able to work those bubbles out with a little patience and time.

She is staying alert for longer periods of time which is exciting. I love watching her as she notices new things. She is also becoming a little more verbal, she now grunts and coo's in her sleep which is fun to listen too. She wakes up every 3-4 hours at night and is eating 4-6 oz (most of the time she is good with 4 but every once in a while she likes a little extra).

Daddy is doing great with his little girl and she loves "play time". He is amazing at getting up when I need the extra help. For some reason she likes to be awake 3-5 in the morning and it gets a little taxing sometimes, I generally have to give in and ask for help during this stretch. Garon is also staying busy with work. He has just got hired on at Fleet HQ through corporate, his hours and such did not change but we will be able to get insurance in 90 days which is exciting.

We had Jillian blessed at church on Sunday and she looked like a little princess. I totally didn't take any pictures but Garon's sister did so as soon as I get some I will get them posted.

Garon has told me that when I am ready or would like I could take a little road trip, this sounds amazing in theory but the thought of traveling by myself with Jillian is a little scary just because I won't have help in the car when she gets hungry, needs a new diaper, is fussy, etc. etc. I will admit that I will probably take a shot at it though within the next couple months and see how it goes. He has school starting in 3 weeks and he is continuing to work full time. I am so lucky to have such a devoted husband and father; we definitely couldn't do this without him.

I think this pretty much catches us up for now. I will take some pictures and get them posted SOON! :)

Jillian's First Week

2010-07-14T21:01:00.000-05:00

Jillian Grace Tidwell was born at 5:49 p.m. on Monday the 5th day of July, 2010. She weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. Head circumference measured at 14 3/4 and chest measured at 14 1/2. She was a chunk but a beautiful one at that.

We had a very busy week. We were in the hospital all day Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday they finally allowed us to go home around 6:00 p.m. which was a wonderful feeling. I was able to go home and sleep in my own bed and spread out and most of all...I COULD SLEEP ON MY STOMACH AGAIN!!! :)

Thursday proved to be a pretty good day. Garon was really good about making me take it easy (I sometimes did a little more than I should have) and this evening my cousin and her family got into town to stay with us for the Anderson Reunion that was happening this weekend. Yes, that is right we had a total of 9 people in my house and we had a good time. I love it when we can all get together.

Friday morning we had to take Jillian to the pediatrician for a weight check appointment. This one didn't go so well but it was okay at the same time. She weighed 9.2 when she was born, then 8.7 when we left the hospital, and at this appointment she was down to 8.4. The doctor was a little concerned about this and wanted me to start supplementing formula at feedings because my milk had not come in yet. Low and behold it came in that day! At the appointment she was also concerned because Jillian was looking a little more jaundiced than previously so she sent us over to get a biliruben test ran. The results came back and it had jumped from the 7.1 in the hospital to 16. That is a huge jump. Because it came back so high they told us they wanted us to take her into the nursery on Saturday to be retested...yes, another poke at our new born baby. We took her home put her under florescent lights, tried to feed as much as we could to try and get more dirty diapers.

Saturday came around and we took her in for yet another test and luck came our way. Her bili had dropped by 2 points. The pediatrician on call told us that we wouldn't have to put her under the lamps at the hospital because it was showing signs of dropping! YAY!! Go me, I did something right. We completely missed the family reunion on Saturday but that was okay, Jillian had been a busy girl and she was exhausted.

Sunday I stayed home from church with my cousin and her family. Garon went because my sister Karen, from AZ was blessing her baby that day. Monica did a little photo session with Jillian and she tolerated it very well, I was impressed to say the least. Sunday afternoon/evening everyone gathered at my parents house. This was the last day that all the family was in town, most were headed out Monday morning. We ventured over there to take part in a little bit of the excitement. That was Jillian's first "real" outing I guess.

Monday came around and my cousin left to go back to TX. As they were leaving we were going out the door to go to doctor appointments. Jillian passed this appointment. She had gained 2 ounces over the weekend which was good and she did have to go get another bili test done but those results too came back better, she was now down to a 12. Doctor says we won't have to test it anymore unless she all the sudden starts becoming more yellow again.

I know, went a little overload on pictures but I hope you enjoy! :)

Little Jillian is Here!

2010-07-06T16:02:00.005-05:00

Well, just one day after worrying to death about my wife on a road trip by herself, we have a new bouncing baby girl! Ok, maybe not bouncing, but she is so beautiful and healthy. Everything is going so smooth that we couldn't have hoped for anything better. So, to the story...

Once Laura got back from the lake, we did some work around the house to get ready for the family reunion and the Hindmarsh Family that will stay with us. Around 1 a.m. Monday we went to Mom and Dad Anderson's house to enjoy the hot tub. It made Laura feel great! So great that the next morning Jillian was ready to hop out of the oven!

Around 8 a.m. on Monday, July 5, 2010, Laura gets up for the 53rd time to pee, but this time she doesn't have any control over it. How weird, right? I'm still in bed and I hear Laura's voice call to me from the bathroom, "Garon, I think my water broke." But did I panic?? Nope! I just asked if she could still make breakfast.... Ok so maybe not, but I still didn't panic.

We gathered all our stuff together and got ready for the big day. One main thing I had to do while Laura grabbed a few odds and ends was figure out how the car seat base attached to the back seat. I admit the first attempt failed, but I got it figured out.

She started contractions around 9:30 a.m., Dr. sped them up around 11 a.m. with wonderful Pitosin which sent Laura into a very dark place that we won't talk about. Then the wonderful Epidural was administered and Laura came back to her happy place. We started to push around 4:45 p.m. and little Jillian was here at 5:49 p.m.

Again, she is so beautiful. I can't believe she is actually here. It is such a weird feeling, looking at a little human, knowing that she will come home with my wife and I for a really long time! The more I look at her the more my heart melts, so yeah I'm pretty screwed from here on out.

Here are some pictures and we will try to post more as she progresses:

4th of July

2010-07-04T17:20:00.004-05:00

Well on Friday, the doctor thinks Laura will have the baby sometime in the coming week. 3 cm and 80% means she is ready! And by she I mean Jillian. I'm so proud of Laura. She has been great through the entire pregnancy and even at 9 months prego she is still like, "It's not too too bad."

So today, after church and dinner with Grandma, I leave for work and Laura leaves for the great out doors! She feels good enough to drive 55 miles away, by herself, into no wheres ville to enjoy the lake with her mom, dad, sister, brother and niece. Alan says if she does have the baby, they will send me pictures, and that it will definitely be a water birth! Just got confirmation that she made it without any worries which is great!

So now we play the waiting game for the last final days. The Dr. is out of town for the weekend anyway so Laura says she isn't going to come until Tuesday, when the Dr. gets back. We still have a doctors appointment for Friday to see how things are progressing. With this baby almost here and all the Anderson Family coming into town for the big family reunion, it is going to be a fun filled eventful week! We hope everyone arrives safely and has a wonderful time. If the baby does make a grand entrance during the reunion, then the Hindmarsh's will get a house all to themselves for a few days!

I am so glad to be having a healthy little baby soon. Thank you to everyone for the wonderful gifts that have helped us prepare for this little one. And a huge thank you to Laura for teaching me lots of stuff that I will be putting to the test in the upcoming future. I love you sweetheart!

37 Weeks and Counting

2010-06-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are...37 weeks into the pregnancy meaning I am officially at term and Jillian could come any day or week. This is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. We are pretty much ready but at the same time it seems like there is so much we need to do our rather "should do" to be completely ready.

If one more person begins to tell me that I am "NESTING" I think I am going to go crazy. I am nowhere near nesting. I have not cleaned every room in my house, the laundry is not completely all done, the bathroom has not been scrubbed from top to bottom, my kitchen is in the same boat as the bathroom, I have not completely set up Jillian's stuff, I have not washed her items that need to be washed, and the office/guestroom has gone untouched for weeks and to be honest I have no desire or ambition to get in there and get it done. On top of all this, I don't even have a bag packed and ready to take to the hospital. I do believe that I can honestly say I am not nesting.

With all this said, my house is not trashed, I have always tried to keep my house presentable and I do this by doing a little bit everyday, my routine has not changed at all.

We went to the Doctor today for our 37 week check up and I am dilated to about a 2 and am 50% effaced. He was pretty impressed. He said when we go back next week (if we don't have her before then) we can talk about induction. I am not so sure I want to venture to that route. He said the earliest he could do it would be the 7th, 8th, or 9th of July and I said there was no way we would do it then because of all the family coming into town for a family reunion. If we did induce we would have to wait until Monday the 12th which is just 2 days before the due date. I just assume to let nature run its course and let Jillian get here when she is good and ready. I asked today about how big he thought she was and he said that she is probably coming up on 7 lbs. I can totally handle that. Garon was 9 lbs 8 oz when he was born and I was 9 lbs 6 oz. If I can get her to be 8 or less I will be ecstatic.

We will be sure to keep you all posted and let you know what is going on. For now, we are just waiting and taking it easy.

Time Flies

2010-06-10T01:41:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how quickly time is going these days. We are down to five weeks, yes, that is 5 weeks before our due date. We are getting so excited but I am getting a little anxious at the same time. I look around my house and start thinking of all the things I "need" to get done before Jillian makes her grand arrival. Where oh where do I begin. Over all the house is clean, I just have to keep up the regular regimen. Jillian's room and the office/guest room need some major TLC though. My piles have gotten so big that I wish I could pull a Mary Popppins right now and just snap my fingers and everything would go where it should properly be (that is why I haven't tackled it yet, I am not sure where it is all going to go).

Garon is working long hours this week which is good but I miss him when he isn't home at night. He has been an amazing husband through this entire pregnancy. This morning he let me sleep in while he played with the kiddos and it was so amazing.

In one month we will have lots of family in town for a family reunion. It is going to be one crazy, fun, exciting, tiring, enthusiastic time and I can't wait. We are kind of hoping Jillian will make her appearance either before or after the grand event but I suppose only she knows when that will happen.

Not too much else is going on in our little world. Just taking life one day at a time. Garon and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary the other night and we look forward to many more ahead.

Maternity Pictures

2010-06-05T23:30:00.001-05:00

Well, I wasn't sure if we were going to do them or not but we did and we are happy about it too. Garon and I both are not huge fans of taking pictures but we know it needs to be done and we would have regretted not doing them. His sister took these and did a great job. Thank you JLT Photography (especially for the drive up to AR).

Hope you enjoy! :)

Jillian in 4D

2010-05-07T17:42:00.001-05:00

We went today and had a lovely ultrasound done and got some really good pictures. I am excited for this because I have had a wonderful cold that is taking every bit of energy I have out of my system. I must say, it is NO fun and very frustrating but I am making it through. Here are some of the sweet pictures we got of Jillian. We also received a copy of the ultrasound on DVD, Garon will be working on getting that posted.

The top picture is Jillian's leg with her hand around it, she held that position for a while. We tried to move her around so we could get a good picture of her hand but she was not letting go.

In the second picture she was eating, she would swallow then wait a few seconds and she would get a grin of satisfaction. It was amazing to see.

The third picture is one that Garon cropped, we were able to capture one of her sweet smiles.

**Just a side note in case you are wondering the ultrasound does not show hair on her head, those are just shadows (I had to ask because there were times it was hard to tell).

I hope you have all enjoyed and we will keep you posted on what's coming up. We are now going to the doctor every two weeks. It is so hard to believe how fast time has gone by.

FLEET HQ

2010-04-16T22:22:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited about my new job. Like Laura said, it was truly a blessing from the get go. I got a call from TEC, a temporary staffing agency here in town, and the lady from there said she wanted me to interview for another job. This interview was the second one in a week's time that they called me for. The first one clearly not working out.

When the call came, I was in the middle of Intermediate Accounting, a class that has totally kicked my butt this semester. I left to take the call and after talking to the TEC lady I was a little hesitant about even going to the interview because the shift they were hiring for was from 11p.m. to 7a.m. The lady did say that they could give me Monday and Wednesday off so I could get some sleep and go to class. So against my better judgment, I set up an interview for the next morning.

Well,,, going into the interview, TEC doesn't send Fleet HQ my resume, I park in the wrong parking lot, and when the gentleman before me gets out of his interview, the Head of Operations says all these wonderful things about Chesley, the gentleman in question. So in my head, I'm hoping that Chesley falls on the way out of the building and breaks his neck so I can get the job. Well, they bring me in and introduce themselves. There are three gentleman asking me questions in the interview. We get talking about the company and what they do. Basically, when I trucker gets a flat tire, they call Fleet HQ's solution center here in Fort Smith, and we do everything we can to get them back on the road as soon as possible. They go into the history of the company, how they started with only 8 people in 2008 and have since grown into a staff of 60 people and counting.

The interview went amazingly well! Travis, the trainer, asked only 3 questions out of the 15 on his generic interview sheet. Mike, the Head of Operations said, "This is the second one I have felt really good about today. I'm going to call it. Be here Monday morning at 7:45." SWEETNESS!!!

The first week of training has went very smoothly! Everyone has been very professional and great to work with. The environment is perfect, handling the calls is a little stressful at times, but for the most part it goes very well due to the hard work and strategy that the company has put into place to move the calls along. And they hire for corporate from within their own company. I'm so very happy to have this job!

Now to focus on the next set of good news, I successfully managed to get onto Second Shift. This shift runs from 2:30p.m. - 11p.m. They have said I can have Tuesdays and Thursdays off for the next three weeks and that is sooo much better than working the graveyard shift. Everything has been getting so much better it's almost too good to be true.

The Lord has truly blessed us when we where all out of options. Just goes to show that you have to put your faith in the Lord and take that blind step of faith.

UPDATE

2010-04-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

Garon got a new JOB!!! We are super excited about this. He has been looking, filling out applications, and going for interviews. One finally paid off and the HIRED HIM ON THE SPOT!!

We are feeling really blessed right now because just a few short days ago we had no idea in what direction we were going to turn.

Busy Day

2010-04-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

It has been a long but eventful day. So much has been going on but I can't complain. We are slowly changing things up in the house to start getting it in order which is extremely nice since we have been here for over a year.

Garon and I went to the Doctor this morning and had a great check up. Jillian is sounding great. When he first started listening to the heart it was right around 150 and after a couple seconds it jumped up to about 160...she is a little active most the time. Measurement wise she is a little big, we are right at 26 weeks and she is measuring around 29 (he reassured me that this is nothing to worry about at this time, that is actually a pretty good measurement). We will go back on May 3rd and after that appointment we will start going every two weeks. It is crazy how fast time has been passing by.

On the job front, Garon is actively looking for something but is having a hard time finding stuff available. I am considering baby-sitting in my home but I have to first find someone who is in need. We just keep reminding ourselves that we prayed about the decision to move more than once and more than once we got the "yes". With all this in mind we have to just believe that everything happens for a reason and everything will work out. It is just really tough sometimes.

It is hard to believe we have made it to April already, where did the first three months of 2010 go? I must say that we are definitely looking forward to the next few months. Garon is more than ready for this semester to be OVER!!! It has been a tough one but he is making it through, Summer break will be a good thing for him. In June we will celebrate our 2 year anniversary, it is crazy. I can remember what happened two years ago like it was yesterday. I must say that I have found one of the most amazing adventures of my life through marriage. Come July things will start getting really busy! We have a family reunion planned for July 10th and are so excited to have lots of my family in town. Some of them I haven't seen since I was itty bitty and there will be others (spouses and children) that I have never seen. It is going to be a great time. Jillian is due July 14th but that is no guarantee. On one hand I think it would be nice for her to make an early entrance but on the other hand I wonder if it would be better for her to be a little stubborn...either way I am going to be one tired person the month of July. After the craziness of July, school will start up again in August for Garon.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-04-02T23:55:00.001-05:00

WOW!!! I am getting old...the big 24! :) It was a great day. I spent the morning at the doctor doing lab work (not so much fun) but then I was able to go to lunch with my Grandma, wonderful husband, and my niece Kadence. We had a wonderful afternoon. We went to Grandma's house for a little bit and then came home. I got some beautiful roses and lots of hard work out of Garon. We spent a nice quiet evening at home together and it was GREAT! Here are some pictures of the day and the work we accomplished. :)

Houston

2010-04-02T23:47:00.001-05:00

Here are some fun pictures of our trip to Houston! We had a great time. The top pictures are from a fun Easter Egg hunt and then that afternoon we had Noah's baptism. It was a great day filled with lots of fun and laughter. We look forward to the times we are able to spend with this lovely group of people. We miss them very much being so far away.

Baby Shower #1

2010-03-30T22:46:00.000-05:00

While we were down in TX for our wonderful spring break we had a fun little shower for Ms. Jillian Grace. It was amazing! My cousin counted 27 people in attendance and we had a great time. We played games, laughed, at great cake, wonderful punch, and got lots of good stuff.

Because Garon and I were traveling we considered this a gift card/diaper shower and it was amazing! I tried to make a little collage but I couldn't figure out how to do it so you get a slide show instead. Hope you enjoy! :)

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-21T21:54:00.004-05:00

I had a few moments this evening so I decided to make some changes to the blog.

Garon and I are down in TX for Spring Break and we are enjoying ourselves. Garon was able to have his craw-fish for the first time in about 2 years, lets just say he is LOVING LIFE today! :)

Here are a few pictures of the event. Lets just say...Laura had NONE of the MUD BUGS!!! They stink, they look gross, and I just have no desire. Garon LOVES everything about it, the prepping, the cooking, the serving, EVERYTHING!

P.S. We didn't bring our camera because we a slackers and never think about those things so all the pictures you will get are going to be coming from our phones! Enjoy and happy reading! :)

Happy Birthday

2010-03-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Garon!! You have made it to a Quarter of a Century!! :)

Happy Birthday Garon! I hope this day is fill with much joy and laughter! You are an amazing person and I am so happy to be here with you to celebrate.

You are the best there is out there! :)

A Decision Has Been Made

2010-03-16T15:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I appreciate you all for your input. I have made a decision and I had to go with my gut on this one. This is the one!

I am getting pretty excited!!

Here is a little exciting side note for you! Garon felt the baby move last night!! He got so excited and it was great. I am so blessed.

Help Please

2010-03-15T14:31:00.000-05:00

I am going to attach a few pictures of some crib bedding that I have been looking at. I need help though. I "LIKE" all of them and there are a few that I "LOVE". Go ahead and leave you opinion and I will take all into consideration.

This has been my favorite all along and I am not sure why. It is listed in the neutral section of the stores but I don't know. I do really like it every time I look at it.

This next one I would have to say is my second favorite because it says Girl but it doesn't shout out PINK.

This next two are both sets that I like but I just haven't found a love for them. I almost settled for the pink and brown one but I don't want to get something unless it is IT.

If you don't mind, let me know what you think. I am simple yet like the fun.

Thanks! :-)

Friday!

2010-03-12T08:31:00.000-06:00

It is crazy to think that today is Friday already! This week has gone by rather quickly but I must say that I am pretty excited for Friday. I have marvelous plans for today, some may or may not happen but some of them have too. For starters I will be taking a shower and then I was considering a possible pedicure. At 11:30 today I am going to meet my cousin for lunch which I am super excited about. We live a short 30 minutes from each other yet we barely get to see each other. Following lunch I will be headed back home to "clean house". My cleaning today will entail folding, washing, drying, folding, folding, folding, and putting away laundry. Vacuum over the carpets. Unload and load the dishwasher, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. I think it will be a rather productive day. I hope it all gets done becuse this evening we have some friends coming over to watch a movie and two of the cutest girls ever will be staying with us.

Garon is getting his fair share of practice time in these days, it is kind of cute.

Since it is Friday that means we are just a few short days away from his PARTY which means I have to finish getting that all planned out. We are doing a hot dog/hamburger cook out. We would do it at our house but my Parent's house will hold everyone a little better. I don't mind the coziness but I think there are some that do. All in all it shall be a wonderful weekend and I am ready for it.

A little further down the line, a week from today we will be making a trip to TX for an entire week!!! We are pretty stoked about this. We were kind of worried about being gone for the whole week but we have been blessed yet again and it all worked out so we are on! The main reason we wanted to go for the whole week is because we probably won't be able to get back down there until after the baby has arrived and it would still be a few months after that before we were able to go. I have a strange feeling that our lives are about to get really busy but I am oh so happy for it. Times have been trying but at the same time we have learned many lessons and have received so many blessings.

So to you from me: HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Much Better

2010-03-06T00:29:00.000-06:00

Okay, so the previous post was a total release of frustration. I want to let you all know that there is no need to worry, everything worked out and I am much better. I just had a small trial in patience, understanding, and gratitude. I am so thankful for the many blessings in my life and for the love and support we continually get from our loving friends and family. You are all the best and we couldn't do it without you! :) It is late so I should probably head off to bed but I just wanted to put it out there that my hormone rage has calmed and all is well in the Tidwell home!!

Tears

2010-03-05T08:39:00.000-06:00

Warning: There is some venting ahead!

TEAR
–noun

1. a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.

2. this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, esp. grief.

Okay, now that is out of the way, can you take a guess at what is going on?

I know I am pregnant and I know that I am expected to be emotional but I cried for what seemed all day yesterday. Some stuff was worth it, other things not so much. I was a little emotional before I got pregnant but there are certain days now that it just hits me and it won't go away.

This has been a tough week (well, it started off GREAT and then it got hard). Monday was the best day of my week, we were able to go to the doctor and see our little girl on screen and see/hear the heart beat. It is amazing and I get excited thinking about it, I also get tears occasionally but these are the good ones, the ones that give me a little hope.

Tuesday things were still pretty good, not much to complain about. I was given a task to do at work (mind you, my hours have continued to be cut back and I am no cleaning the school in the evenings after hours). The task I was given wasn't so much in the "cleaning" department but at the same time it was, I was helping the front desk get some files in order and clean out the old ones, etc. I wasn't very tired this particular night and I ended up staying until about 2:30 in the morning. I got home and got in bed about 3:00. Ok, no big deal, I could handle that. Wednesday, I get up and am getting things done around the house and I go into work at 2:00 p.m. (instead of the normal 3:00) because I was trying to get this task accomplished so I could move on to the other things that needed to be done. I stayed until 11:00 p.m. and got everything just about done. Again, no big deal. Thursday, this is where things got hard and I began to loose it. I get to work at the normal 3:00 and get the assigned task accomplished within 45 minutes. Yeah! Go me! Well, that is not exactly the reaction I got. I pretty much got told that everything I just did was a waste of time and energy because now there is no need for the charts that they are all probably just going to be tossed and there are other things I could have better spent my time on....WHAT!!?!?!?

I held myself together through all that and got things to where I could walk away from them without leaving the front person in a bind. I was off to start "cleaning". Low and behold there is no spray bottle in the back for the bathroom cleaner. I try to go find some and made the mistake of asking if anybody knew where it was. At this point I was asked by person A:

Person A: "How many hours have you worked this week?"

Me: "Well, I did 9 hours on Tuesday and 8.5 hours on Wed and 1 hour today so far."

Person A: "Go home, I can't afford to pay you anymore this week. You can come back Monday"

In my mind I was like "WHAT THE HECK???" At this point I walked away because I could totally feel my face getting red and my eyes swelling up and that is when all the tears began to flow. These weren't exactly the same tears that I had talked about earlier, these were tears of anger, heartache, and frustration. I get stuff put away, go to the bathroom (completely lost all control in there) wiped my face off, tried to cool down, walked out and said bye. At this point I hear Person B say "Is she okay?" I turned around and said "I am fine" and just kept on walking towards the door.

Am I fine? No, I am not fine. All I could think about was how are we going to pay our bills over the next two weeks, what I am going to do about this or that? I got in the car and sent a txt to Garon letting him know I was on my way home and that I was having a breakdown. I didn't want to bother him with it too much because he was in class and all that stuff so I told him what had happened and said we could talk about it later. I was sobbing the entire time I wrote the txt, the whole drive home, and then I sat on the couch and cried more.

I pulled myself together enough that I was able to kneel in prayer and talk with my Father in Heaven which did give me a little comfort. A good friend once told me that the Lord never leads us this far down a path and then just leaves us there alone to figure it out.

Garon made it home about 5:30 give or take a few and we sat and talked and I cried some more and was just at a loss. We are good people (at least we are striving to be) and we just don't understand why this stuff keeps happening to us. We have continuously filled out applications, we have both had interviews, we are doing all we can at this point. All I am asking for at this point is for another 4 months of understanding, of work, of working full time so we can pay our bills and get ahead just a little before the baby comes. I know things happen for a reason and we are given trials to build our character and test our faith but there is only so much I can take at this point and I feel as though I might fall. What have I done, or what haven't I done that I need to do.

I have so much to be grateful for, I have been tremendously blessed and I need to not take those things for granted. I am thankful for a roof over my head and food in the pantry (even though we did go into debt getting it) and sound vehicles to drive. I am thankful for my Savior and the sacrifices He has made and the example He set. I strive to follow that example and do the right thing. A good friend of mine had a blog post about judging others and it had a great impact on me this morning. I try extremely hard to not judge those around me and to give everyone a fair, equal chance, most of the time more than one but sometimes, such as now, I feel as though I am the one being trodden underfoot and somehow I have to figure out how to pull myself up.

Needless to say, it has been a week of tears. Some have been good and some have been not so good but none the less I continue to push forward and make the best out of what I can. This time will pass and all will be well. Thank you for reading and I am sorry for the downer, I feel a little better getting a part of this off my chest.

Jillian Grace

2010-03-01T15:48:00.002-06:00

We did a poll, we took the pictures and the outcome is a little Jillian Grace Tidwell. We are pretty excited about this one. She looks healthy and has a strong heart beat of around 154. We didn't get a picture on the disc that shows it to be a girl but as far as the eye could see there were no parts sticking out.

We have a picture of her face, we were even able to see her brain during the ultrasound, it was pretty neat.

Garon requested this particular picture. She was taking after her mother in the fact that she had her hands up by her face not wanting to take a picture, she was done at this point in the game!

She finally decided to stretch out a little bit. She spent most of the ultrasound hour curled up in a little ball. It was so awesome to see her move and wiggle, she was even trying to talk to us at one point.

All in all everything looks great. Our due date continues to be July 14, 2010.

Funny Story

2010-02-20T21:54:00.000-06:00

Tonight was had our Saturday session of Stake Conference which was really good but the funny story comes from the after party.

Following conference we went with a few friends to Braums for dinner/dessert. We had a great time with lots of laughs. The best part was when our buddy Geoff started making comments about kids and how hard it can be at times but also how wonderful they are. He was telling us that one day we would soon figure this out for ourselves. We let the conversation go on for a bit and Garon's grin just kept getting bigger and bigger, finally he makes the comment to the entire group that "Come March 1st we will know if it is a boy or girl". Everyone just kind of paused for a moment and then kept asking if we were for real. It was a wonderful evening and it is so great to have such great friends (we really do need to get together a little more often)! :)

So yes, for those of you following, we will indeed find out if we go pink or blue on March 1st, that is if the little one really wants to share. We are getting pretty excited as time passes. It has gone by pretty quick so far. We are currently at 19 weeks just a few days away from 20 and things seem to be going great. Every once in a while I get a smell coming my way that I don't like but it usually goes away rather quickly. I just have to space out the time between Garon and I in the restroom...if you know what I mean.

Over all the pregnancy has gone very smoothly, not too much sickness, and the tiredness kind of comes in waves. I find that when I get up and get going I tend to have a lot more energy than when I just sit around and try to motivate myself, kind of strange but it works.

I have outgrown most of my "normal" pants, I can still get them on but I can't exactly button them, I do the rubber band trick but sometimes it just isn't comfortable. When I am home I put on the big pants and loose t-shirts but I do try to dress properly when I leave the house.

Hmmmmm, I don't really know what else to put at this point, that kind of catches me up for the blogging world for now.

It's Valentines Day

2010-02-14T23:31:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am at the close of a wonderful Valentines day! Garon and I took the rather relaxing path today. We made homemade cards, and I got him his ultimate favorite treat, Reese's - I got the heart because they come with more peanut butter which he prefers. We managed to make it to church and enjoy the day then we came home and just spent the afternoon with each other which is absolutely amazing. I must say that is one of our favorite past times. We love being able to spend time together even if we are doing nothing.

This evening my niece came over and spent the night, she is so funny and amazes us every time she is around. She wanted to watch her movie so she did that and then went to town on a bag of popcorn - I think she literally ate an entire bag, we were sharing but that did not last for long, she picked it up and moved it to the other side. After some play time and a few stories we got all nestled into bed and within a matter of minutes she was out. We had one T-I-R-E-D girl on our hands. She wants to get up in the morning and make pancakes and play games.

Garon and I are so blessed to have wonderful family near and far and we are so grateful for the support and love that they continually show towards us. We have learned and continue to learn that it is the simple things in life that keep us going and give us the strength, energy, and hope to continue to move forward. Life is grand and I am so happy that I have a wonderful eternal companion that I am able to share it with! :)

The Beginning of a New Adventure

2010-02-05T10:57:00.002-06:00

The news is slowly beginning to escape our lips, Garon and I are expecting a tiny little miracle. We had our first doctor appointment on Tuesday, February 2. There is one baby and everything looks as though it is going great. We are 17 weeks along, almost the half way point which is really exciting for us. It has been an emotional journey thus far but the worries and "what-ifs" are on the verge of subsiding. We will find out on March 1st what we are having - that is if the baby cooperates with us - which is pretty exciting.

I also have two sister that are expecting and we are all due within a month or so of each other. We have one due the beginning of June, I am due July 14, and my other sister is due just a few days after that. It will be a busy summer for our family but it makes life so exciting.

I will have pictures posted later this evening once I get them scanned into the computer.

2009 to a close...

2009-12-30T11:34:00.000-06:00

That is right! We have made it to the end of 2009 and it is hard to believe! Where has the past year gone? It was one year ago this week that Garon and I moved to AR. It is crazy to look back and see all the things we have done. I have been trying to recap in my mind the past year and the influences it will have on our lives as we grow older and see years to come. Let's see...by moving to AR we were able to attend school at a lower rate, we were supplied with jobs, an income, a home, and great opportunities to meet new people. We have been able to do some traveling back and forth to TX and we have been able to have people come visit with us.

We have had many challenges to overcome in the past year but we have done it. It is through these trials and errors that we have grown closer together and stronger than ever. We wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for our families and our friends. You were all there when we needed you most, whether it be a few blocks away, miles away, or just through the phone. We cannot express the gratitude and love we have in our hearts for each and everyone of you. Life is an amazing thing and I am absolutely positive that we cross paths for a reason. There are many qualities that I do not have that many others do and I am able to grow and learn by example.

I have learned a great deal of patience over the past year, still have some improvement to do but I understand that we are all individual and don't need to be like "everyone else". It has been difficult to put this in words but it all makes sense.

So, here is a little bit of a re-cap for the past year...if there are blanks, we will fill them in later. This is actually harder to do than I thought.

January: Started work and school in Arkansas
February:
March: Garon's 24th Birthday and we moved in to our house
April: Laura's 23rd Birthday
May:
June: 1 Year Wedding Anniversary
July: Garon's Brother TJ got married and Garon surprised me with a trip to TX to visit my cousin
August: My cousin Rachel got married and we had a house full of people for about 5 weeks
September:
October: Made a trip to Utah for the funeral of Garon's Uncle Pete
November: Thanksgiving trip to IL with Aunt Becky to see her daughter and family
December: Tis the Holiday season and we made a trip to Texas

I am kinda sad that there are blanks. I suppose those blank months all we did was work and go to school.

December Already!?

2009-12-04T10:31:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe that it is already December. This year has just kind of flown by, a lot has happened, many lessons have been learned and I am so grateful for the life I have. With it being the wonderful holiday season, I can't help but have my heart softened. I have had the wonderful sound of Christmas playing at my desk and in my car. I love this time of year, the weather, the smells, the company, and the happiness that is felt everywhere.

I have been reflecting the past few days as to what is the purpose of Christmas and do we all remember the true meaning? Between all the shopping, baking, decorating, and all the other busy moments of the holiday I am trying to sit back and think, "Why is Christmas important to me?" The decorations are nice (not that I am doing that this year), the gifts are thoughtful, and the treats aren't bad either but when it comes down to it, it is the Spirit of Christmas that I enjoy. The being able to help another less than I, doing a good deed just because, and remembering to be a little more Christ-like. After all, He is the "reason for the season".

I heard the following song and it kind of touched my heart and hope it does the same for you.

Welcome to Our World

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from god
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome holy child
Welcome holy child

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long awaited holy stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
World now breaking heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect son of god
Perfect son of god

Welcome to our world

We have been Elfed!

2009-11-28T22:45:00.002-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Possibly Going Private:

2009-11-17T11:21:00.002-06:00

So, I was just looking at my past blogs and going through e-mails and notied that I had one post from November of 2008 that had 26 commets left to it! I was like what the crap...there was nothing exciting on it and nothing fun and all the coments were just links to other pages and who know what else. I did not look at any of them and after trying to delete all th comments and not succeding, I just deleted that particular post.

I am on the bridge of going private, I got really irritated by this.

Anythoughts or if you would like to be on the "approved list" you can send an e-mail with your address to us at gandltidwell@gmail.com

Thanks!!

Beat to the Punch

2009-11-16T04:27:00.003-06:00

It's 4:00 am and I don't know what woke me up, but I can't go back to sleep. I was just looking at the blog two days ago and noticed how nothing new had been written in a long time so I wanted to take this time to thank my wonderful, beautiful, amazing bride for putting up with me and all my stress from this semester. Then I see that she posted just yesterday! Lol.

Laura, I love you with everything good that I posses within me. When I wake up in the middle of the night and find myself almost falling off the bed cause you have snuggled up to myside, my heart melts and it keeps me up wondering how come you love someone like me so much. To everyone reading this blog, Laura is truly one of a kind. She is the "butter of my bread!" She is my joy!

Life's Journeys

2009-11-15T14:03:00.003-06:00

Well, I have not blogged in a while and not a lot has gone on so here I am. It is a wonderful, beautiful, fall afternoon and we are just enjoying our time one with another. Garon and I have been staying pretty busy but with just the normal routine things. We are approaching the holiday season and we are figuring out what to do, how to do it, and at the same time we continue to find deeper meaning for everything.

We will be making a trip to IL for Thanksgiving which we are pretty excited about. My cousin lives up there and has no family around so it will be a great thing to be able to help her out a bit.

For Christmas we will be going down to Texas. We miss all of our great friends and family down south but I must say the weather is much better up here.

For New Years, we don't have anything too exciting as of right now, I am sure we will come up with something though.

It is crazy to think that the year 2009 is coming to a fast close. Where has time gone and what have we done. I have been thinking about the past year and the things I have accomplished, the things I should have accomplished, and the many great moments I have shared with those around us. In October we were able to make a trip to Utah and I absolutely loved it. We were going on not so great circumstances but it was such a humbling and self-fulfilling experience.

My life is truly blessed to have some really wonderful people in it. I know that when things get difficult and the way a little weary there is always somebody or something I can lean up on. This life is a grand adventure and I am so happy to be here, to wake up in the morning and to witness the growth of others. As Chicken Little says it, "Today is a new day".

I am so grateful for Garon and the companionship which he offers. I am "one of the lucky ones". I never imagined how great it would be to have somebody by my side who would hold me up through the darkest of darks and rejoice in the happiest moments. Thank you Garon. Over the past year and a half we have seen a lot, been through a lot, and have managed to help each other along as we wondered the path of our journey.

Everything seems to be pretty much same old same old.

July coming in August

2009-08-23T20:47:00.001-05:00

Garon Chillin in the Pool

2009-08-03T23:27:00.002-05:00

So, Garon has no clue this is here yet...I am waiting to see just how long it takes for him to realize I have updated (again)...

I LOVE YOU GARON!!!

FINALLY PICTURES

2009-08-03T22:50:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has taken so long to get some pictures up. We have been a little crazy and I wasn't exactly the most computer literate but I have conquered and here you go...

These are our latest family pictures and had a fun time taking them. Hope you have enjoyed

Time Has Passed us by...

2009-08-01T23:15:00.002-05:00

Well, I have done it again. I have let the moments of time pass me by just as sand through the finger tips.

We have been going non-stop pretty much the entire month of July but I have been loving life. I went to Houston and saw my cousin Monica and her new little bundle of joy and had a wonderful time with the Hindmarsh family. I miss being so close to them but we are finally starting to slowly adjust to it. Two weeks after that visit Garon and I both made a visit down to SE Texas (Lumberton, Beaumont, and Groves) for the wedding of his brother T.J. We really miss the people but realized that we don't exactly miss the weather.

Meanwhile, two weeks ago, my cousin Corrie and her family came in for a visit for you sister (my cousins)'s wedding which happened today, August 1, 2009. It has been a crazy but fun-filled couple of weeks. We weren't exactly use to having eight people in our house all the time but now that we are approaching the go home time we are wondering what we will do once everybody is gone.

The past few weeks Garon and I both have had some eye-opening moments and I am so grateful when they come along. We have learned much about our families, each other, and most of all ourselves. There is nothing like taking a moment and stepping back to take a glance of the big picture. What I mean is when things get crazy and chaotic we tend to forget about the "end goal" and have a hard time seeing past the fog in front of us. We have so much to be grateful for and I cannot even begin to put it in words (mainly because I know I will leave a bunch of stuff out and that just wouldn't be good).

We are anxiously awaiting the quick approach of school which starts ummmmm...THIS MONTH...Garon will go back full time and continue working part-time and I will continue working - ANYTHING TO GET HIM THROUGH SCHOOL!! :) Love you Babe! We have recently started tossing the idea around of me going to school but are just trying to figure out how to make it work. I know that is what I NEED to do and it is something that I WANT to do. I do realize or hope to realize that I wouldn't finish school here in Arkansas but I so okay with that. Somehow the mention of going back somewhere in TX after his graduation keeps coming up but I keep reminding him that since we have met we have said we would like to live somewhere where they have four different seasons, a place where it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I guess only time can tell where we will go. Now, if Garon does go for his Masters which I believe he wants to do that would in about a year and a half put us in TX for that degree but who knows from there. But, all of this is a LONG WAYS DOWN THE ROAD...

Now that I have taken a step into the future lets come back to reality, we are here in AR, going to school, working and trying to pay the bills. Which means, we are NORMAL young married people who have an amazing road of love, laughter, joy, and friendship ahead of us. Life is Great!

I love you Garon and am so happy that I will be able to grow old and gray with you (try to keep out the gray part though)!!

Side Note: I tried to upload some pictures but after over an hour of waiting I gave up. Garon has got to clean out the computer or the uploader thing-a-ma-jig isn't working right...one day I will get some put up.

Life

2009-07-09T12:02:00.002-05:00

So a few weeks ago I let the world know that I have been overwhelmed with happiness and no sooner than I speak trials tend to come my way.

Life is an interesting thing that I am so thankful to have. No matter how trying people, places, or circumstances may be I know that it is all going to be okay.

I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband who really cares about me and looks out for my best interest. I have been pretty much an emotional wreck for a week and he talked to the boss and is sending me away for a weekend so I ca relax and not worry about anything. Thank yo so much Garon for everything that you do.

All in all we are doing great. Ready for school to start (or more like be done) but that will be sure to come in time. I don't exactly know what all we do to stay busy but we tend to have something all the time.

Happiness

2009-06-26T13:18:00.002-05:00

I don't know why but I have been amazingly happy the past few weeks and I am loving it. Life has been good. Nothing has really changed in our lives. We are still working eveyday. Garon is working extra through the summer to cover missed hours during school. We are looking forward to the upcoming semester.

My cousin Monica brought little Daniel Tucson Hindmarsh into the world Thursday 25 June 2009 and we are so excited for their family. You can see pictures and details on her blog, hindmarsfamily.blogspot.com

We are preparing a trip to the south in July for TJ's wedding.

All in all, life is good and no room for complaints. I am learning to look at the cup half full and I love it! It kind of stinks that it took me 23 years to figure it out but bettr sooner than never.

If you are reading this I hope you have a marvelous day and enjoy the sunshine.

P.s. If I am missing letters and stuff my keys aren't all hitting on the keyboard,it is tempermental...

My Wife is the Bestest!!

2009-06-21T21:47:00.002-05:00

I want every one to know that I, Garon Tidwell, married the best woman in the whole wide world. My lovely bride tried to get up before I did but that didn't happen this morning. So I was ordered to stay in the bedroom. She had a surprise waiting for me and she didn't want me to ruin it.

Laura made me a wonderful breakfast and served it to me while I was still in bed. Hootnannie pancakes!! Some people call them German pancakes, but the name is not as important as the taste. She called my sister, Jacee, to make sure she had the recipe correct. It was a wonderful breakfast that gave me so many childhood memories to think about this morning.

Now, on to the gifts!! My wife went way beyond the little trinkets. She bought me a radio doc for my iPhone. It has a bright display, a remote, dual alarms, and sounds crystal clear! I have been looking at them but never thought she would get me one. I love her so so much! She also got me lots of sunflower seeds and sunscreen. Both of which come in really really handy while I'm at work.

I regret that I don't get on here more than I do. I am so grateful to have found the love of my life. She is the best person. She goes above and beyond to make me feel like the only person in the world. I absolutely love my moments with her when time stands still, and I get to be with her in our perfect little house, all alone in this world like no one else exists.

I LOVE LAURA!!!!!!

Biggest Slacker EVER!!

2009-06-02T16:15:00.002-05:00

It is official! I am the biggest slacker there is in the blogging industry. Truthfully, I haven't been doing a whole lot lately but haven't seemed to have the free time to do anything extra.

May 16th we celebrated my nieces birthday (pictures are coming, just haven't had time to clear off the camera)

May 20th we made a little trip to TX for Memorial Day weekend and had such a wonderful time. We got in about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, stayed with my aunt in Lumberton. Drove around Beaumont and did stuff Thursday day, had lunch with a great friend and that evening drove down to Groves to be with Garon's family. Friday we were in Groves just spending time then that night we went and saw the amazing musical "The Scarlet Pimpernel" Jill Hayes did a fantastic job directing. The cast and performance was beyond words.

May 28th we had Dad's birthday

Today, June 2, is the anniversary of my parents. Happy Anniversary to them! :)

June 4th is the anniversary Garon's parents. Happy Anniversary to the also!

And now for the big one!!!.....You ready?
Sunday, June 7, 2009 marks the 1 year for Garon and I. We are pretty excited and cannot believe how fast time has flown by us. We have been through so much the past year but we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I am so happy, so blessed, so amazed that we have each other.

BIG NEWS: WICKED is coming to TULSA!!! I am so excited. Garon and I are trying to find anyway possible to pay for this extravaganza. I have wanted to see Wicked for a really long time and now it is here. We have pretty much narrowed it down to the fact we will have to go on a weekday show because the good seats in the Saturday shows are ALL sold out but I found a few weekdays where they are still good. This hopefully will all fall into place to help make July a bit exciting.

Then, July 25th, T.J. (Garon's brother) is getting married so we will be headed down to TX that weekend to enjoy the festivities.

Aug. 1st my cousin Rachel is getting married, yes, in the heat of the summer and I believe it is going to be outside. Will have to find a light summery dress for that one.

Then in Sept. I am hoping to go down to TX for Labor Day weekend to help my cousin out with her kiddos and the new no name baby boy that will be coming in just a few short weeks. We are really excited about this one!

Well, now you have my update. If I forget to blog again, you will have a little bit of an idea what is going on in my life.

Reading other blogs gives me a desire to get in a better blog routine. I love reading about the adventures others go through. Thank you all for blogging and reading, if you read.

Ta-ta-for-now...next we will post some pictures! :)

Looking for Peace? Here it is...

2009-04-15T15:33:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T20:13:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a very busy weekend but I wanted to take just a moment to post a little something because I feel the urge to do so. Easter is such a wonderful time of year and the older I am becoming the more special and dear I hold it to my heart. Not only it this a time for families to spend time together and enjoy friends. I enjoy this holiday because it is a bit more personal. This is a holiday that affects each person in an individual way.

This life is amazing and we are all so blessed to be able to participate in daily miracles. As I have gone through the Easter Sunday I have had many reflections and thoughts go through my mind. It is so hard for me to comprehend what all my Savior has done not only for my sake but for every single person. The agony and torment the Savior felt days before the crucifixion and then the loneliness as he tread the path burdened with the cross and then the wonderful blessing of Eternal Life because on the day, Easter Day, the Savior rose again. He lives, He knows us, He loves us, He understands our needs, and no matter how difficult or rocky our path may seem we will always have the comfort of our Savior by our side.

We had an Easter Contata at church this evening, "I Stand All Amazed" written by Sally DeFord and it is so moving and inspiring and I would like to take a moment to share the words of a commonly known hymn in which she added a fourth verse:

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died.

Oh it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me
Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

I marvel that He would descend from His throne divine,
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine.
That He should extend His great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

Oh it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me
Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

I think of His hands, pierced and bleeding to pay the debt,
Such mercy, such love and devotion, can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at His feet.

Oh it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me
Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Secure in the promise of life in his victory.
So ransomed from death I will live to my Savior's praise,
And sing of his goodness and mercy through endless days.

Oh it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me
Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

Oh it is wonderful. wonderful to me.

This hymn has always had a great impression on my heart but for some reason I have felt impressed to share with those of you who read my blog. This life is a wonderful thing and the atonement of my Savior is absolutely indescribable. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have, for knowing that I will be with my family forever and one day be able to meet my Savior face to face.

I hope you all have had a wonderful Easter Holiday as you take time to draw near to your Savior. I love you all! :)

I love CRAZY weather!!!

2009-04-09T19:09:00.002-05:00

It has been a really LONG time since I have had a really good thunder storm and here it is! There is nothing like hearing the thunder roll, the patter of rain and being inside my home able to watch it all. I am a little concerned though because Garon is actually in class at the moment but I am trying to convince him to come home before it gets too bad but you know how those classes go...I have been watching the news and in Downtown Fort Smith they have a light sprinkle and are beginning to watch the sunset and at my house about 10 min. from where the news anchor was it is pitch black and pouring down rain with high winds. This has been the perfect topper for my day. There has been 3220 strikes of lightening in the past 20 minutes and they are starting to slow down.

Well, I just thought I would share my weather excitement since I had some time. Hope you enjoyed my Crazy Weather Update!

My Wife Rocks!!

2009-03-22T14:25:00.002-05:00

So my lovely wife Laura gave me access to the blog and now I get to post my very first blog! I just want to take a minute to brag that my wife is the best in the world! In one week, she put up with me being stressed out about midterm tests, she moved our stuff from a garage across town and then unloaded everything, set up our house and made it a home, and THEN, to it all of, she through together a wonder birthday party for me with friends and family at the home!

We had approximately 13 people, including ourselves, over at the house yesterday. It was supposed to be a surprise dinner for my birthday, but it was a little hard to keep a secret when Laura is cracking the whip at me to put together pantry units and computer desks to get the house unpack in time for company. Laura worked all day and all night to get the house ready. She had all the boxes unpacked and almost all the pictures hung by the time company started arriving. We really cut everything close to the wire. I didn't even buy a propane tank for the grill until around 5:40 and the party started at 6!

It was wonderful and I want everyone in the world to know that my wife, Laura the Great, is the best woman in the world!!!!

A Birthday...

2009-03-19T16:07:00.002-05:00

Happy be-lated blog birthday to my Hubby! Garon's birthday was Tuesday 17 March and we had a nice quiet evening at home, kind of. Garon has class on Tuesday evenings so we did not do anything big. He wanted me to make dinner so I did his favorite, meatloaf, onion potatoes, green beans, salad, and broccoli (for him). My amazing aunt made a like triple chocolate birthday cake for him and I graced his presence with a new grill for our new patio. He was pretty excited, not so much about putting it together but about the whole situation. I love him so much and it was a year ago on that day that our lives truly changed FOREVER.

Saturday (the 21st) we are doing hamburgers/hot dogs with the family for his "birthday party" so it should be fun and exciting. We are working hard at getting the house all together by then so it can be enjoyable all around.

Well honey, this one is for you "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"! I love you!! :)

Home Sweet Home Part I

2009-03-13T13:53:00.003-05:00

So here is a little glimpse of where we started and soon to come is where we will be. Things are going great and there has been lots of hard work (by the all AMAZING Garon, Kelley, Jason, and Dad). Things are going well and we will be moving things in this weekend, March the 14th. I hope you enjoy the pictures and pretty soon we will be up for visitors!

Cold! Again??

2009-03-12T12:08:00.002-05:00

The weather has been absolutely CRAZY!! Every other week it seems as though we drop back down to the freezing range. Earlier this week we had weather anywhere from 70-80 degrees and it was absolutely beautiful outside. Today we are featuring a misting semi-sleeting wetness outside with a spiking temperature of 35 degrees if even that (the wind is blowing so I am sure that is making it a little colder). Don't get me wrong, I am not ready for the heat of summer but at the same time where is SPRING?

Garon and I are staying busy with our new callings. He is the new Young Men's President and I am the Relief Society Secretary. The house is almost ready to be moved into, we will be posting pictures shortly, and work and school makes for a busy week. We are looking at a possibly move next week! Time has definately flown by quickly. Garon and I have been married for nine and a half months and while we were talking the other day we couldn't believe that it has been that long, it is a short while but so much has been done!

I suppose that is it for now, if you have anything you would like to see us blog about just let us know and we will see what we can do.

For now, I am going to take in the cold weather because I know it will be gone all too soon!

Here we are!

2009-02-20T16:33:00.003-06:00

It has been a while and not much has gone on but I feel the need to put something. Garon and I are staying busy with life but it is all good. Here is a picture for you to enjoy since I haven't posted any in a while!

A NEW YEAR!?!

2009-01-15T12:46:00.002-06:00

Wow! The new year has come and is well on its way. Garon and I made a move up to AR on the 23rd of December and yes here we are nearly a month later. Life is a little crazy, we are staying busy with work and Garon has recently started back to school but things are great. We are currently living with the parentals, kind of weird at times but all in all it is going well. The paper for the house is in the works and we are going one project at a time. I put this background up for Garon, he loves his M&Ms so "cheers to you hun!"

Life is going quickly, Garon and I have been married for 7 months and are beside ourselves, who knew time went so quickly. Well, don't really know what else is going on but I will try to get some pictures taken and up...not my specialty but we shall see. I hope all is going well for those of you who follow. Take care and enjoy every breath you take! :)

Holiday Elf Video

2008-12-06T12:56:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Life Changes Quickly...

2008-12-01T22:54:00.003-06:00

It has definitely been a little bit since we have blogged but a lot has gone on. Last week of course was Thanksgiving and we had a great holiday. Thursday we spent time with the Tidwell Family and Friday made a trip out to Houston to visit the Hindmarsh Family (that is my cousin). We had lots of fun, food, tricks, laughs, and of course a little bit of confusion has to be added to the mixture, but it was an amazing weekend and we had LOTS of FUN!!! :)

Over the past few weeks, Garon and I have come to understand a little more of just how much we continually have a growth of gratitude. Life can be pretty interesting at times but at this particular time in our life we are so blessed to have knowledge and the comfort of hope and support of family. We are getting ready to step out on a limb and let the Lord work his miracles and tender mercies. As we very QUICKLY approach a move we have much gratitude in our hearts for the support and love that our families have shown to us. We had things pretty easy, I must say, in the beginning and we are having a delayed start to the "newly-wed living circumstance" if that makes any sense at all. After all, I do hear that this is the time where all the real fun and excitement takes place. We are moving up to Arkansas the week of Christmas, like two days before Christmas. We are getting really excited and anxious and scared all at the same time but we know that this is what we are to do and we know that everything works out as need be.

I want to take a minute to brag on my wonderful other half. Garon means the world to me and I am so happy when I am with him. I never thought it possible to have someone so amazing who is constantly looking out for me. Not only is he my best friend but he is my best confidant. Life is amazing with him around, he helps with the cleaning and always goes the extra mile to see that I am happy. He has put himself in the position to do whatever is best for our family and I cannot thank him enough for the sacrifices he makes, this includes waking up at 3:00 in the morning to go to work and then taking on a full 18 hours at school and then coming home and helping with things around the house. Garon, you are my one true love and I am so grateful for all you do. This life is nothing but a small moment in time but I know and am ecstatic that I will be able to spend my eternities with you!

Okay, so the point of this blog...I don't really know. Life changes quickly and with these changes we learn and grow.

Trip to Houston

2008-11-18T00:29:00.006-06:00

So, Garon and I did not make it to Houston last Thursday as we had planned. We were going to take a short little nap before we went and discovered that our ceiling was leaking in our bathroom so we put a call into the landlord and then we got settled in for our moment of rest. I guess we needed a little more rest than we had planned because we slept for a good 3 hours or so. By the time we woke up and got there it would have been early evening meaning we would hit traffic and then be there for just a bit and it would be Garon's bedtime and we would be exhausted driving home so we decided to just enjoy our rest and time together. We did however make it Saturday, we were supposed to be there at 1:00 and because a little misunderstanding in directions we showed up about 20 minutes late, we would have been really early if we would have stuck to the way we knew, but we live we learn. We had a wonderful day at the temple. Kendall went through in preparation for his mission in January to Portland, OR. We are so excited for him! Here are a few pictures of our day.

Garon and I on the Houston Temple grounds after spending a wonderful day together.

What a wonderful day, siblings together in a special place

The very proud, handsome looking missionary!!

Mom and Dad Tidwell with Kendall

This is Garon and I in the car on the way to the temple.

Hmmm,Yawn, Hmmm

2008-11-13T01:25:00.002-06:00

So Garon and I will be attending the temple tomorrow, or I guess it is this afternoon, and I am so excited. I just so happen to be off of work and he gets out of school at 12:00 which gives us plenty of time to make the drive to Houston and have a wonderful afternoon together. This probably means that I should be in bed asleep instead of up writing, but I just can't seem to fall asleep these days.

Garon and I look forward with great anticipation to the time that we get to share. We have learned a great deal about the value of life over the past month and it is amazing how much we take for granted and don't even realize it. I am so thankful that we are able to support each other and confide with one another. Life is an amazing thing and there is so much we can do if we but use our time wisely.

As it is becoming well known, we are making a move up to AR just a few days before Christmas and Garon was so funny the other morning. He had just come home from work at UPS to get cleaned up and was getting ready to go to school when he looked at me with his little gleam in his eye and said, "We are moving to AR" and just a few seconds later in a very enthusiastic voice stated, "I am excited". We had been praying and fasting on the issue and we never really got a definite yes or no but once we made a decision everything started falling into place and we know that this is what we are to be doing at this particular time in our lives. We will miss family and friends but there was an amazing invention a few years back called an automobile and it allows great miracles to happen. We can be somewhere and all the sudden in just a few hours we can be somewhere completely different...Gotta love those smart people! :)

After all, life is supposed to be an adventure, right? All kidding aside, we truly are excited and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us on the road ahead. It is amazing the peace that we find when we put ourselves in the right place at the right time.

I suppose this is all for now. I will try to take some pictures while we are out and about on our little trip, the weather has been wet but absolutely wonderful so we may be able to spend some time outside!!! We love you all!

What brought us to where we are

2008-11-09T23:27:00.005-06:00

So, I am not the best at the blogging things but I have some time this evening while I am wide awake when I should be sound asleep. This life is an amazing adventure and sometimes we wonder how it is possible to make it through and what exactly is it that has brought us to the point in our lives we are at. Below I have added some pictures of the past five to six months of my life. So much has gone on and so much has been accomplished at the same time. This picture is of me and my eldest sister on my wedding day. This is forever a day that I will hold dear to my heart, a new horizon was opened and a new level of relationship was built. I am so thankful for my family, this includes parents, sisters, brother, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. My life has been greatly blessed because of the influence of so many and I don't know that I could have made it this far in life if it were not for the continuous love and support that is constantly offered.

This picture is of Garon and I at Chili's on 6 June 2008, the day before we would commit to each other for time and all eternity. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life who loves and supports all I do. He truly is the love of my life and now that I have found my Knight in Shining Armor I don't know what I would ever do without him.

This was taken one very late night when we were dating. I don't know how we managed to do it but we would stay out or up until 2 or 3 in the morning and at times this was an early night. After finally saying good night I would hop into bed and try to get as much of the three or fours hours of sleep I could manage before I had to be back at work 7:00 a.m. the next morning. We made it and we were never too concerned about the sleep.

This was a honeymoon picture. I was kind of loopy this day because I had taken some motion sickness medicine but we had a spectacular time. We were in Progresso, Mexico at the Myan Ruins and it was beautiful. I would do it all again and not trade it for the world.

This is in the same area. The sun got a little bright but we were enjoying our time together with no interruptions from the outside world we once knew.

This was really fun. We made it to Cozumel!! A once in a lifetime kind of thing and we enjoyed it. We just walked around while we were there because the ship portal arrived pretty much in the middle of everything. We got off and looking in the water was amazing. We enjoyed some good sight seeing and look, we even kind of match.

Garon and I have had a little bit of an adventure in our short little bit together but I don't think either one of us would want to trade it for the world. We both feel truly blessed to have a support like we do. I must say, things get kind of tricky at times but we always know that something is going to work out. There is a greater plan and sometimes the less we know of this great plan the better off we are until the timing is right. I don't know if this is the kind of blog you all were looking for but it is something that came to me and it was nice to go back and re-cap some more. I love you Garon! :)

HAHAHAHAHA

2008-09-07T19:59:00.003-05:00

So...You want to see how crazy my husband can be? We made a recent trip to AR and went to my cousin Rachel's house. She had some new hair removing cream and wanted to see just how well it worked...need I say more from the pictures? It worked pretty darn good. Hope you all enjoy a good little laugh, we sure got some kicks and giggles!! :)

It Happened All So Fast!!!

2008-06-16T15:57:00.003-05:00

It is official...I am a married woman. Sounds a little crazy but my name is now LAURA GRACE TIDWELL...a change but I am getting use to it. I married Garon on 6/7/08 and we left for our wonderful cruise on Monday June the 9th got back on the following Saturday. We are working for a few days then come Thursday the 19th we will be back in the car headed up to Arkansas for reception number two!! We are having a great time as we really get to know one another. We will be living in the Anderson Apartments in Lumberton, TX; it is a two bedroom, two bath, washer/dryer, etc. We are pretty excited and really busy at the same time (I still have to pack and get stuff ready to move). Hope you enjoy the slide show and I will try to stay a little more updated here...Love YA!...Pictures are to come but here are a couple...

So Much FUN!

2008-03-20T16:54:00.012-05:00

WOW...I can't believe it, the one and only Laura Anderson is ENGAGED!? I know, it is pretty shocking but it is so much fun. Mr. Garon C. Tidwell of Groves, TX popped the once in a lifetime question to me on his birthday (as his only birthday wish of the evening) March 17, 2008. We are looking at the wedding date of June 7th...not set in stone yet but it is a 98% chance. It is truly amazing at how quickly life can change yet it is so wonderful at the same time. We are making a little trip up to AR tomorrow so he can meet the family (yes, I made sure he talked to Dad before I actually took the ring) it is going to be a wonderful fun and exciting weekend. Here are a few pictures and I hope you enjoy them. *Sorry, they are a little out of order but you will get the idea*

Long Time...Much has gone on...

2008-02-28T20:40:00.003-06:00

Hello, hello, hello!

It has been a LONG time since I have done anything. Looking at pictures you will see why. My time has been a little occupied with a special someone - yes, HIS name is Garon. We are looking forward to our nice little trip to Arkansas Easter weekend, it will be lots of fun. All in all life is going pretty good, same ole same ole. I am still working at Texas State Bank (soon to be Compass Bank), I am teaching Gospel Doctrine in the Beaumont II Singles Branch, and spending my extra time (or made up time) with Garon. Life is grand and continues to get better.

Date Night...

2008-02-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

Here is a little update...Last Friday 2/8/08 we had a date! Yes, it was we, my roommate Lena and Myself went with Garon and Bryan. We had a fun filled night of home made pizza, virgin margarita drinks, bowling, ice cream, Cranium, and Imaginiff. We had a great time with lots of laughter. In the games we had boys vs. girls or angels vs. devils...WE WON! We followed it all up with "10 Things I Hate About You". I hope you enjoy the slide show.

All in all life is going pretty good. Staying busy as always but it keeps it interesting.

A new year has begun...

2008-01-12T17:55:00.000-06:00

Here it is almost half way through January, I can't believe it. I am amazed at how quickly time passes these days. I have been staying extremly busy between work and church and going in between. I am having a few people over this evening for a nice little 'Girls Night', they are good to have every once in a while...you know food, movie, gossip, maybe a game, nothing but taking it easy. If I am good you might get some pictures out of the deal. I am greatly considering going to school for Massage Therapy, if I can get it all worked out how I would like it. The acadamy that is about ten minutes from my house has night classes starting up again in September (I was thinking a bit too late to start in January) so I am going to get things ironed out so I can get the ball rolling on a flat surface. I must say all in all things are going pretty well, nothing too out of the ordinary has happened, I do the same old routines day in and day out with random activities thrown in the mix. I thought that is what makes life so interesting. I am greatly looking forward to Monday 21 January 2008 because that is my next day OFF of work (Martin Luther King Jr. was a wonderful man wasn't he?). I better get back into the kitchen, I have a lasgna in the oven and need to get the salad put together. Oh, before I forget I have found a great cure for a burn stainless steel pot...had to experiment...after boiling water in the pot, scrape what you can out and rinse and soak the remaining blackness on the bottom with oven cleaner and it starts wiping off rather smoothly (mine took a few times but it was all good). People are here so I better get going. Take care and have FUN! :)

CHRISTMAS

2007-12-25T22:53:00.000-06:00

Christmas is here and just about gone! There was so much excitement, food, fun, entertainment, games, and laughter. I have come to realization that children really have no concept of time...when it is dark we sleep (particularly early morning hours). We had such a good time. Christmas Eve was spent with some friends, I built my first gingerbread house all by myself. I took Noah and Ethan home and got them all tucked into bed so Santa could come. Noah wanted him to be loud so he could wake up when he got there and Ethan told me to tell him to be really quiet...I don't think I told any of this to Santa. We got up at the early 5:20 a.m. Christmas morning and Santa was great! We opened presents, played a bit and I was a little tired and went to bed until about 11:45 (it's a holiday so it was allowed). Upon receiving plenty of rest we had a great lunch/dinner of steak and baked potatoes, had a wonderful marshmellow fight, jumped on the trampoline, went for a walk, and just had FUN...THANKS BRANDON FOR THE OIL CHANGE! :) Though I was away from home (AR) this holiday season all was well, I have family and friends who take well care of me. I am truly blessed to have so many around who show their love and offer such great hospitality. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

12 Days of Christmas-Straight No Chaser

2007-12-17T19:34:00.001-06:00

Hope you all enjoy this just as much as I did!

It is Christmas Time...

2007-12-17T18:11:00.000-06:00

There is nothing better than the smell of spiced cider on the stove, candles lit, and the Christmas tree aglow with the mellow sound of Christmas carols in the background...there you have it, welcome to my home. Although it may be the middle of winter I have just ventured to turn the thermostat from "cool" to "heat" as of 6:30 this morning when I had to get out of bed and my house was 65 degrees. It is wonderful that the high is below eighty and the lows are starting to go to in the thirties.

Nothing too big is planned for Christmas this year. My roommate will be in Houston with family so I will be sleeping in Christmas morning (I have to work Christmas Eve), and I will eventually find my way to Monica's for dinner, nothing beats a good steak Christmas day. After spending a few hours there I will probably head back home and get some rest so I can head back to work on the 26th for much excitement.