Russell & Jerusha

Our New Addition

2011-10-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

this is a new record! its only been weeks not months between posts. You can all thank Emily because she requested a blog update about the new baby for those who don't have facebook. If you want to see a lot more pictures get facebook. As for the details, on September 28th I went in at 10:00 for my c-section we all packed up because was told it would only take about an hour. My Mom and Dad were here so they could keep an eye on Nazarie. It was so wonderful to have them here. When we got to my room at the hospital I was told my c-section wasn't scheduled until 1:00, So we just had to sit and wait let me tell you that was a long wait. Finally 1:00 came around and i was taken to the operating room where i got my wonderful spinal tap so that I wouldn't feel anything. They finally brought Russell in and Lex was born 10 min. later, at 1:31. he weighed 6lbs 15oz and was 20 inches long. He is definitely a little ginger and has his daddies dimples. Lex and i were in the hospital until that Saturday. Both of us are doing great, i feel a lot better than i did with Nazarie, and Lex is gaining weight like crazy almost 1lb in a week! if he keeps that up he will be a little chunker. Nazaire I think really likes her new brother she likes to rub is soft hair and hold his had. She sure is a cutie. Russells mom and dad got here on the 9th and we blessed Lex that day at church. it was great to have them here as well, now that everyone is gone I miss them all that much more.

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Lotsa' catchup

2011-09-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well I know it Has been a REALLY long time and so much has happened between our last post and now and even then the last post was very brief. Well for starters the big thing is we moved to Pennsylvania! more on that later. Since the last post Russell Graduated from BYU-Idaho in April and I am very proud of him for that. He applied to two graduate programs one in Mississippi and one in Pennsylvania, I personally did not want to live in Mississippi so I got lucky and Russell was accepted in to the Penn State Graduate Acoustics program. It was a little stressful at first wondering how in the heck we were going to be able to afford to live back east let alone pay for graduate school, both are very expensive! We had to work for about 3 months strait on paper work for our town house that we now live in I just couldn't believe how picky they were and how much stuff to fill out! But we got it in the end and even though its more than twice what we were paying in Rexburg its cheaper than most places out here. And as for the financial stuff we were VERY blessed and Russell was able to get an assistant-ship that pays for all of his schooling and most of our living expenses so that is a huge relief. Nazarie turned 2 this summer and boy is she a 2 year old fits included, but she sure is cute. She is a little chatter box and can now count to 6! which is a big deal to me. She is still in Love with Disney princess and likes to watch PBS in the mornings. We have been telling her all about the new baby and she acts kind of excited about having a baby around. When she is asked where brother is she will pat mommies tummy and she is working on being able to say his name which is cute because it takes her a while to get all the sounds out so its more like Leee....x.....s. I just cant believe some days how big she is. Lex was initially due Oct. 1st but I was very scared about breaking my tail bone again during delivery so we talked to a doctor her about a c-scetion he checked me and could tell by the placement of my tail bone that it would for sure break again and agreed that a c-section was a good option so now we have a date set for one on September 28th, I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy. The last appointment the dr. said that his head was REALLY low which I could have told him myself because I can really feel it, and I'm dilated to a 1 so not to far along, however today at church i was having some false labor and Russell and I decided that we might need to get prepared just in case. I say that Im not lucky enough for him to come early and Russell says he not lucky enough for the baby to wait until the c-section is scheduled, so I guess we will find out who the lucky and unlucky one in this marriage is in the next couple of weeks. My parents are going to be here in little over two weeks and I just cant wait to see them I have sure missed my family, after all this is the longest i have ever been away from them. Then Russell parents will be here October 7th and we will bless Lex on the 8th then they will stay for a few more days which will be great. Other than that Russell has enjoyed school so far and is still getting orientated with his research position. We love the ward that we have moved into and they have already taken good care of us. I feel like we were noticed when we moved in unlike our past wards. We have made some good friends who have a daughter Nazaries age and they love to play together even if they do get along like two year olds, they are also expecting their second child in Jan. so they are in pretty much the same place in life that we are and we really enjoy spending time all together. Well I guess that sums up the really important stuff. im sure we will post soon (soon to us blogging means hopefully again in the next year)

for those who dont have facebook

2011-03-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

Well in case you haven't heard via facebook I'm prego.... again. I'm 11 weeks and 2 day along as of today

P.S. Never challenge the Lord, He always wins.

The End of Summer

2010-08-06T16:39:00.001-07:00

Well, its been quite a while since we have written. Its not really that we've been too busy, even though we have kept ourselves occupied with things, we are just lazy and forget to update this that often. We'll try to post some pictures too. Nazarie is growing up just as cute as ever. She has probably been sick for about three fourths of her life, but during the summer she has been happy and healthy.

We went to the park a lot this summer, and after a few months of trying, she finally enjoys getting into the water. Now, we almost can't get her out of it. Russell is just working at the theater and on a senior thesis project for school. He was studying wind patterns. Ironic, seeing how much he hates the wind...He will start school again in the fall, and will be on his second to last semester.

Jerusha has been caring for Nazarie at home and she even went back to work for a couple of months at the tanning salon. She wanted to earn some extra money for a new car, and we got a Honda Element that we really like. The dog, Elphie, is loving being outdoors in the summer and we are quite sure she is going to flip out when she has to go back inside for the rest of the year.

Work at the theater is going well. They got a new 3D projector that Russell loves and the 3D is amazing. He is being promoted to executive manager because the previous is leaving indefinitely. While it doesn't mean a pay raise and is mainly just a title, it does mean more hours for him. We love some of the new movies that have come out recently, of course, we have always been really big movie buffs.
Nazarie's first word was dada, and she quickly learned doggy, or dog-dog, after that. Russell swears she said Mama once or twice, but Jerusha is not so sure. At this point, she is walking really well while holding someones hand but lacks the courage to take off on her own. I think it will happen within the next month. She has also learned Hi and doesn't fail to say it whenever she can. Her laugh is contagious and infective. We have never seen a baby with as cute of a smile as she has either. She just melts our hearts and we love her to pieces. Anyway, thats about all thats happened recently. We are planning to take a trip out to Russell's parents in about a week and we will be staying until the end of the month. We are excited for Russell's family to have more of a chance to interact with the baby. Well, until the next update.

we are so bad!

2009-11-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

So I know that it has been forever, Facebook is so much easier to update! I have never claimed to be a good journal writer. Well Nazarie is getting so big! she is 3 and a half months old and is rolling over and trying to get those little hands coordinated. She is such a happy baby she smiles all the time and has the cutest little laugh of all time. Everyone agrees that she is the cutest little girl. At the end of November we all went to snowbird to Russells family reunion and we had such a blast it was so nice to see everyone and have something to do. since the baby was born I guess my friends don't find it any fun to hang out with me, so I have a lot of alone time, so I am working on my crocheting skills making booties, stuffed animals, anything I can figure out. I really want to learn how to knit but I don't know anyone who knows how :(. I have also recently cut off all my hair. I look like alice Cullen, when I went to get it cut I took a picture and the owner of the salon thought it was a picture of me! so that was cool. I am also working on getting things made for a booth that I hope to sell child fantasy accessories. I have made a bunch for Nazarie and I have to pay for my boredom somehow. but its a lot of fun and things are ending up sooo CUTE!!! Im also working on a line of headbands and hair bows that are just to die for.

As for Russell he is in school and it really enjoying it, and doing well, and at night he works at the theater and has a lot of fun doing that. hope all is well with everyone!

Baby Update

2009-09-05T14:21:00.001-07:00

So, its been a while since we last updated our blog and a lot of things have happened since. Another semester of school has gone by and Russell has done well enough that we'll have money for school next semester. Russell is still working at the theatre and he did through the semester over 40 hours a week, plus he was a teachers assistant for one of his physics classes. Jerusha worked summer school until about three weeks till she was due.

We all expected Nazarie to come late, which would not have been that great because Russell's family came up four a week about 5 days before her due date. We talked to the doctor about inducing so that Russell's family could see her before they went, but we eventually decided it would be best to just wait for it to happen. Luckily, Russell's family did get to see her before they left.

On Friday night, the 31st, we went out to the sand dunes with Russell's family and he took his guitar and we made a campfire. Jerusha left a little early because she was tired. It was a good thing too, because the next morning at 4 o'clock, Jerusha's water broke, and we rushed to the hospital. She didn't start her contractions until 5 o'clock, but because they induced her, her contractions got worse and worse until at 1:00, when she was a only 2 cm, she had to have the epidural for the pain.

She didn't really have a problem after that, and the next 5 hours went fairly well. At about 6:00 the doctor came in and we had her push. The pushing only lasted maybe 20 minutes and then we heard our little girl for the first time. She came out with a full head of hair and a strong cry. The doctors had her do skin to skin with Jerusha for a little while to get her breathing the way she was supposed to and she was a little jaundice but she has not a problem now.

She is the happiest baby you could hope for and she hardly ever cries, just when she wants something. She sleeps well too. The first night Russell's and Jerusha's moms stayed and cared for the baby. Now, she usually wakes up once a night, sometimes twice, and Russell and Jerusha take turns taking care of her.

She is five weeks old now, and she just gets cuter and more beautiful everyday. She smiles now when was talk to her and our hearts just melt for her. We are so happy to have this little angel in our lives.

Russell is going back to school this week, but most of his classes are in the afternooon, so he will be at home in the mornings. His pretty happy that he gets to sleep in. We are going to bless her this sunday and all the boys from both our families that can are going to stand in the circle.

Well, thats been our life for the past couple months. Also, we moved to a new apartment in Main street station. Its big and bright and sunny. It took a while to feel like home but we love it now. We feel so happy to have Nazarie in our lives. She is such a joy.

2009-05-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

Wow so I know that it has been forever since we posted last. December ouch we are not so good at this. Well lots has happened We found out that we are having a baby girl, if this is news to you then you must never talk to us, anyway we are super excited to be welcoming little Nazarie to our family in less than 3 months. we have been doing a whole lot of shopping to get ready we have all of the basics I think so we are just about ready! right now Im at 29 weeks and my baby girl weighs about 3lbs. I on the other hand have gained way more than that. Russell has decided that he needed some practice playing with girls so that he's ready for our own, so he has been spending a lot more time playing with Audrey, Dad says that it takes practice acting like an idiot, but its soooo cute he plays trolls and fairies in which pretzel is the troll. He has also become a favorite playmate of Audrey's little friends next door. they always try and get her to go get "her uncle". I know that he will be great with our little girl. We just have to get over fat jokes.

Russell is back at school and is not really enjoying it to much the poor guy, he is taking 2 physics classes and calculus. Luckily he has a bowling class twice a week so that he can unwind and have some fun.

We have been enjoying the warm weather! last weekend we got our first snow cones of the year and I got my first sunburn, it wasnt a bad one, but we have been going on picnic's and spending time at the park with Audrey. About a month ago we went to the nature park to feed ducks well I must say that it was an awkward experience with a four year old because it was mating season and the ducks we at it.... ya but we had fun anyway. we also went and had a picnic at this huge park in Idaho falls and after that went to visit my 90somthing year old aunt.

We have also had Russells parents to visit and JD was here twice and stayed for a week with Russell so that was fun for him. Well I guess thats about it.

BIG NEWS

2008-12-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

So now i guess its ok to tell everyone the big news. We're having a baby! I am about 10 weeks along as of now, and we couldn't be more excited. We saved the big news for Russells family until yesterday for Christmas. we wrapped up 2 onesies one saying "I love my grandma and grandpa." the other saying "newest Hawkins" and his parents opened them up to a great surprise. anyway just wanted to tell the world.

2008-11-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

Halloween was fun. We went trick or treating with Audrey but we only went to about five houses. She got the flu and so we had to get her home pretty quick. It was still fun though, because the second door that we went to the lady there gave us some candy. Yumm! I love Halloween.

Jerusha used Russell's Ninja turtle pajamas and went as a ninja turtle because it was the one costume that she could stay warm in in the cold cold fall months in rexburg. After we went trick or treating, we went and saw the Caucasian Chalk Circle for Russell's class. It was okay.

A few days before Halloween Russell had the Halloween Concert. He wore that costume for Halloween, except he didn't have the black eye or mustache that he had for the Halloween concert. The concert was an awesome experience for both of us. We heard good things about it from others as well.

Jerusha made this shell herself. Isn't it amazing!

This is a picture of Russell in his jammies. When he was four or five, he had some ninja turtle pajamas and he missed them and always mentioned it, and Jerusha being the amazing wife that she is made him pajamas just like he had when he was little. Yes, I know Michelangelo doesn't usually have a Katana, but Russell forgot his nunchuks at Jerusha's parents house so he had to make do for the picture. Well, that's all for now. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time on Friday night carving some pumpkins. We thought that it was getting about time, so we invited our families to join us. We did it at Jerusha's house. We wondered where we would find pumpkins for a cheap price, and at Broulims they had pumpkins they were selling by the pound, but we realized that we went there that the five dollar pumpkins at Walmart would be cheaper, at least for Russell, than buying them by the pound at Broulims. So, Jerusha got her pumpkin at broulims cause it was a little smaller and Russell got his at Walmart and it must have weighed at least 50 pounds.

We had a good time digging them out and getting Jerusha's parents kitchen all messy. Audrey was there and she enjoyed making her own unique pumpkins and Russell's sister joined us as well. Here are some pictures of Russell and Jerusha carving up their pumpkins.

Here are Russell and Jerusha's pumpkins. Russell decided to make and explosion from his pumpkin and Jerusha decided to do Zero from the nightmare before christmas. They both turned out pretty well actually, especially seen with the lights off, which unfortunately we couldn't photograph because it is so hard to hold the camera straight long enough to get a good picture. But here they are in the light.

Side story, russell's parents grew pumpkins in Colorado this year and they weighed them. They were so huge that some of them weighed up to 80 pounds. I know. Ginormous. Sadly, we have no pictures to show of them, because they were all stolen by someone at night, who will more than likely crush them on the road somewhere. Sad story. Still, those were some mighty big pumpkins.

2008-09-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured we could put in a few pictures of our apartment and how things are going here. The first picture is of us and half of our kitchen. It is really great because everything that we have is in matching color red. At least, its read and white for our kitchen and living room, and then we have a pirate theme for the bathroom of turquoise and black. Its pretty cool.

This second one is of our living room. Check out our DVD collection. I know, its pretty impressive huh? And our couch and chair are the most comfortable things ever.

The last one is of the office. Well, playroom we could call it. And this picture isn't even showing the keyboard we have. Well, that's the apartment.

2008-09-20T22:05:00.001-07:00

2008-09-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

So, it has been one month and some days since our wedding and life is wonderful. Our wedding day was amazing. There were about 30-40 people from Russell's family there and Jerusha had her immediate family and Liz. We also had some friends join us that day. The experience was the greatest of our lives, and we will never forget that day. The spirit was so strong in the temple. After we were sealed for time and all eternity, went outside to do pictures. It would have been perfect if it wasn't for the downpour that started after we began. It didn't last the whole time though and we were able to continue without any problems. Our honeymoon was great. We went up into Alpine and stayed in a cabin for a night. We would have stayed longer but we were both excited to move into our new apartment, which looks amazing by the way. Jerusha started work at the Junior High soon after that helping and aiding some of the children. And Russell has started school since as well. He is enjoying classes and working at the theater.

2008-08-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

well things have greatly changed over the last 5 weeks. Russell and I got married!!!!!!!!!!!! the day finally came. We headed down the day before the wedding , and i got to go through the Temple for the first time and it was truly amazing. sadly Russell's dad was not able to be there because you see Russell for got to pick up his tux the day before and so he stayed behind to pick it up right as it opened. the day started beautiful we started with the breakfast it was a little awkward because we were sitting up front so that everyone could look at us. but its ok.

2008-07-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well The wedding is only two weeks away and two weeks has never seemed longer. But I'm Way excited. Another exciting thing is that Russell and I can move into our apartment this next Friday. as of right now all of our new stuff is stacked up in my bedroom and there is no room to move around so i will be glad when there is somewhere else to put it. I have to be fair and say that it is all my fault because I'm the one who wanted to get it all so far in advance but hey we got really good deals on ALL of it so how could you pass that up? my point exactly.

This coming week is dance festival and Dana is going to be here!!!!! it will be so great to see her. I miss that girl! well thats all for now! Love you all!

oh! and here are the pictures from rafting i promised Russell i would post them It was such a Blast!

Do I look scared here cause i think i was...

Awww we're so cute how does anybody stand us?

2008-07-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

So, we went on a little hike up into the mountains when we were in Colorado. There was this really beautiful waterfall and all, and the weather was just perfect. Great for some pictures. This first picture is our favorite that my mom took of us when we were up there.

We also figured we would put our annoucement up for people who were curious about it. We are proud to announce that these announcements (no pun intended), were created by non other than Matt Baugh. We think they are amazing.

alright so here's the update the big day is 29 away and Russell and I are back in the 'burg i just got too home sick and dragged Russell with me the poor guy. today we just got our couch and a chair! so that is so exciting that i cant even stand it. they are amazing. also today we sent out our announcements so keep an eye out everyone who we care enough to send one to. plans for the wedding are all done so it is just "down hill from here" however it seems like Aug. 8th couldn't be farther away. why did none of you married folk tell us that it SUCKS to be engaged! any way, so our 4th of July was an exciting one indeed we went white water rafting and encountered class 5 rapids. Our guide was amazing and we made it through without any accident ok well maybe there was one but it was him that got thrown off of the raft at the Lunch Counter. It was intense, and i got to cross something off of my list of things to do before I die. Also our families meet for the first time we all drove 9 or more long hours to get here but it was a blast we all had dinner together on both the 3rd and the 4th.

And so it starts

2008-06-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

So everyone else got a blog so we thought to ourselves "selfs, we need to be like everyone else." so here we are!!! so far wedding plans are going great we have the temple, (go Manti!) announcements are designed but not sent (we will be sending those out soon, we hope.) Aug. 8th is the big day so everyone remember we are accepting cash. ;) wink wink. life is pretty good, we are both in Colorado Russell is working and I, I'm not doing much of anything.