Introducing Tanner Justen Watkins

Wow! What an insane Christmas we've had this year. It all started Monday December 20th when my water broke. I had no idea that I was slowly going into labor. The next few days they tried to stop labor because I was only 32 weeks along. However the little man wanted to come. He made his first appearance on Wednesday December 22nd, 2010 at 3:36PM. He weighed 4 lbs. 8 oz. and was 17 1/2 inches long. Because he was so early he is living in the NICU. It has been hard to see him hooked up to machines and not being able to come home. However he is doing fabulous! He has been able to breathe on his own and is making HUGE milestones. Currently we are working on getting him to feed and gain weight. Thanks to all our family and friends for the love, support, and prayers; the three of us deeply appreciate it! We are already in love with our little boy and can't wait for him to get home!

Happy Veterans Day!

I just wanted to say thanks to those who've served our country! November always brings reminders of the things we are grateful for. I'm thankful for the freedoms I have and I know I would not be able to enjoy those without the help of others fighting for them.
A special thanks to my Vet. Justen's been out of the military for 5 years but he doesn't stop serving. Even though he's super busy with school he still finds time to help do the dishes for me or bend over and pick up what I struggle to reach now. I'm very grateful that Heavenly Father sent him my way. He's going to be an excellent Dad! Here's to you Justen and all those men that preserve our freedoms in every way!

P.S. Here's a picture for those who are interested. This was about 2 weeks ago; a little outdated.

Sweet Baby Boy

For those few who don't know. We are expecting a baby boy in February! We are so thrilled with the progress he's making. Sometimes it's unreal to think about how soon he'll be here, but we just can't wait to meet him. Here's a picture of our most recent ultrasound. I'll try to get Justen to take a picture of my growing belly. I'm looking forward to being a mother. All the stress and joys that come along with it and I'm grateful that Heavenly Father would give me this sweet baby boy to care after and love. We are pretty sure we've decided on a name.

Baby Tanner at 23 Weeks!

Our House

In the beginning of September we bought a house! We'd been searching for a few months and finally found one that fit us. We love living here and are settling in nicely. Still lots to unpack and get organized, but it's coming along. We've already enjoyed the wo's of homeownership as well. Our AC stopped working and thus, we have a new AC unit. The good news is the house is cool! Lots have been asking for pictures so here they are. I'll put up pictures of the guest room and baby's room when I get them up and running.

Oh, how I love fall!

Kitchen. It looks messy in this picture, but I promise it's not.

Office

Guest Bathroom

Master Bedroom

End of Summer Blues

It's official! Today is the last day of my summer vacation. Justen still has 1 more month, but I have to go back on Monday. Today Justen and I were reflecting upon all the great memories we have from this summer. We were fortunate enough to spend almost every waking moment with each other. We made sure that those precious moments didn't go to waste. Because I've been a bad blogger I haven't recorded all our adventures. Here are the highlights from our summer vacations.

June:
Anniversary Trip to Hawaii:





Trip to Utah


July:
Justen's Mom's birthday

San Fransisco








Honestly, if I had more time I would add more, but Justen is patiently waiting on me. Hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!

Creativity

So in know I've been a terrible blogger, but I had to share this. This is what happens when Justen and I are on summer vacation with nothing better to do.

Jimmie & Katie's Wedding

So I haven't posted in forever cause nothing was happening, then all of the sudden an overload! So I have to much blog about. I'm going to do a post a day in hopes to catch up.



Justen's younger brother Jimmie got married yesterday to his long time sweetheart Katie. It was a really special day, from the incredible weather to the amazing reception it was great. My mother-in-law did a fantastic job at coordinating the reception and my father-in-law did a great job at making it happen. They both worked so hard and it turned out fantastic! These are just a few pictures from their darling reception.

Quick Fix

Justen and I have been so busy with school and work for the past 2 months that we've had hardly any time to spend together. Justen wanted to go check out a hospital in California... looking ahead for residency, and we decided to make a trip out of it. On Thursday we drove over to California in the evening and Friday we slept in! We went down to Laguna Beach on Friday morning. A little well-kept secret I found out: Montage Resort is right on the beach and has a beautiful sidewalk right along the beach. Absolutely gorgeous!





Friday afternoon Justen went to visit the hospital and I went to do a session at the Redlands Temple. As soon as Justen got to the ER they immediately put him to work. He was shadowing an ER doctor and they found Justen to be very useful. I think they wanted to hire him on the spot and he's only in his 1st year.

Friday night we went to Downtown Disney and ate dinner and hung out. It was nice to get out and just spend some time together. On Saturday we went driving around the area. We sort of adopted the motto, "Where ever the wind blows". We went down the Santiago Canyon, Orange Circle, Hollywood, Woodland Hills, Beverly Hills, Burbank. I can't count the number of cities we where in, but we had a great time. We definitely enjoyed a break from the norm! It was our perfect fix!
Downtown Disney

Hollywood!

Science Center & Soni's Wedding

A lot has happened in the past month. As a sixth grade we took a field trip to the Science Center on February 9th. All the kids had a blast exploring and utilizing the fun exhibits. From "The Forces of Nature" exhibit where we got a little wet, to moving a ball with your brain, the kids had a great time. We also got to watch "Sharks in 3-D". I love it when students get to explore "hands on" activities because it makes learning so much more meaningful.


Teachers being silly. Because we can!

Last weekend my Mom and Kyle were married. It was a lovely ceremony and a fun little party afterwards. From the excellent weather, to the delicious food, to the dancing, it was a ball. My mom looked beautiful and happy. I wish the best of luck to Kyle and Soni as the begin their new life together. I forgot my camera in my purse, but managed to get a few pictures of all the kids and Justen and I.

Fiesta Bowl

Yesterday Justen and I went to Fiesta Bowl at the Phx Stadium here in Glendale with some friends. We definitely aren't TCU or Boise State Fans, but the tickets were cheap and it's football so we decided to go. We were way up high, like the last row, but it was fine by me. The area where we seat was mainly isolated by TCU fans who were very nice. The game was great except for some stupid Boise State fans. From the beginning of the first quarter they held up this display board high above their heads continuously. Not poster board, but I huge science display board. It made it difficult to see. This sweet older lady behind them asked them politely if they could hold the sign down and they totally were rude to her. I was mad! It's completely disrespectful to talk to someone they way they did to her, and especially cause she's their elder. Justen finally called the S.A.F.E. security people and they came and took the sign away. The boys started arguing with the security men and they took 2 of them away. That's what happens when you choose to be punk college kids. The rest of the game was pleasant. I still wish I would have seen TCU show up for the game. I was waiting the whole time... I guess the Mountain West Conference will still have to wait to ever getting the Championships. Oh well...
Justen and Courtney
Justen with Derek and Trevor

Why Justen is insistent about taking pictures of me, I don't know!