Forever & Always

2012-01-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 was to better document my family's life. So I guess that means I need to update this thing more often!

We are anxiously waiting for our little girl to get here. I'm going to be 39 weeks pregnant tomorrow - which feels so unreal. Where has the time gone? Luckily we have things as ready as they can be for her.

Me at 37 weeks pregnant - almost there!

The baby's room...not quite done yet but close enough

I love her bedding!

I had almost forgotten how small newborn diapers were - they're so cute!

It's a girl!

2011-08-29T14:23:00.000-04:00

I had my 2nd trimester ultrasound today and we found out that we are having a little girl!!!

I am soooo excited! I can't wait to make hair bows and buy cute little girly things. It was a little hard to get a good shot because she was being so uncooperative. I think she was trying to sleep : )

Luckily she cooperated enough so that we could find out for certain that a little lady will be joining our us.

Now if January could just get here a little sooner...

Blessings

2011-07-15T14:07:00.001-04:00

How did Carson go from this:

to this:

I certainly didn't give him permission to get so big. I feel so incredibly blessed to be a mother. I was just watching a little video on mormon.org about a couple who had been trying to get pregnant for 4 years and were not able to before they adopted their little girl. I couldn't help but tear up.
Being a mother is such a big part of who I am and who I always wanted to be. I don't always understand why I am blessed to have such a beautiful, smart little boy and to be pregnant again when other couples who long for a child are not able to have one. I don't feel like I've done anything to deserve such great blessings from Heavenly Father. But I am grateful for them. Always. Even when Carson is throwing a tantrum.

A Little Behind

2011-06-28T14:07:00.000-04:00

I've been a little behind in updating the ol' blog...but I have a really good reason why...

Ultrasound at 9 weeks

Me at 10 weeks pregnant...I looked like this at 17 or 18 weeks when I was pregnant with Carson

That's right - we are expecting baby #2!!! I'm super excited, but a little nervous at the same time about going from a mom of one to a mom of two. But I know I can do, and let's face it...I'm not the first mom to go from one kids to two. The baby is due January 22, 2012. I'm really excited about the fact that I am not going to be super pregnant during the summer - that should be nice. Everything's going good so far. The baby has a good, strong heartbeat and was wiggling all over the place during the ultrasound. I've not been very sick, which is a HUGE blessing with a toddler on my hands. I only feel a little nauseous if I don't eat every 2 to 3 hours. The only bummer is that I have been extremely tired. But if that's the only complaint I have from my first trimester, I'll take it! One of the main things I've been surprised about it how quickly I look pregnant. I had always heard that you show sooner with your second baby...I just didn't realize it would be this soon! I had to retire my non-maternity jeans a couple of weeks ago. Oh well.
Bevan is pretty confident that we are having a girl. I have felt anything one way or another yet. With Carson, we both just knew, well before my 20 weeks ultrasound, that we were having a boy. We both felt it so strongly. I guess we will see in about 10 weeks whether Bevan's right this time around. Although.....I was looking at baby names the other day and found a million girl names that I loved and only about 4 or 5 boy names that I liked. It was the exact opposite with Carson....so maybe my subconscious thinks we are having a girl....who knows.

What not to say...

2011-04-15T15:13:00.001-04:00

to a stay-at-home mom. I found this list on-line, and I have to agree with them.

1. When the kids are older, do you think you'll get a real job?

2. How June Cleaver of you!

3. Oh, so you don't work? (ha! If I didn't "work" my house would be a complete disaster zone)

4. Since you have extra time on your hands, could you whip up a few dozen brownies for the bake sale tomorrow?

5. All day with your kids? I can't even imagine.

6. I'm jealous. I wish my husband were rich so I wouldn't have to work either.

7. What do you do all day, anyway? (I've gotten this comment from Bevan a time or two)

8. I'm sure you're not the only one who's ever wasted money on a college degree. (I got this one sooooo much my senior year of high school when I told my friends that when I had kids some day that I would stay home with them)

9. That explains why your son is so clingy!

10. Weird. I assumed your house would be superclean.

I got some of these comments even before I was a mother! Craziness. I hear Carson calling for me from his bedroom...I guess that means naptime is over all too soon.

Discovery Cove

2011-03-22T22:20:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, the 18th, Bevan and I went to Discovery Cove. I just thought it was.......ok. Don't get me wrong - I had fun and enjoyed my day there. I just wasn't overly impressed. I was more impressed by the bathrooms than anything (they were super, super nice).

Bevan wasn't all that happy in the above picture...but that should be obvious. He wasn't happy about having to wear the lanyard all day (even under the wet suit). He also wasn't too happy with the fact that if he wanted to wear his own wetsuit he would still have to wear one of their vests over top of it for "safety reasons."

After getting changed into our swimsuits and wetsuits we went over to this wading pool area where there are sting rays that you can touch. I was a little nervous about it, which is silly...but it's still true. Anyways, I did touch one and it felt slimy...and bumpy. I don't know if all sting rays are like that or it was just mine : )

After that we went swimming in the coral reef area. That was pretty cool. It was salt water and there were tons of tropical fish. There were also sharks and barracuda behind a plexi-glass wall. Those reef shark were pretty scary looking up close...and the barracuda. All those teeth just make them look creepy looking.
We were really looking forward to lunch because what they offered sounded pretty good. Honestly...it was just ok. Bevan wasn't really happy with any of his lunch. Especially his cheesecake. I'll agree with him there! His cheesecake tasted like it had no sugar in it. Luckily there were plenty of snacks available. I made the mistake of getting a soft pretzel with salt after getting out of the salt water coral reef area. Not a good idea. It was a major salt overload.

I think one of my favorite things was swimming down the lazy river. It goes through the aviary, which is really cool. I don't know why they call it a lazy river though - there are no tubes you can lounge on while you are in it. Your only option is to swim. Doesn't exactly sound lazy to me.
We saw some cool looking birds in the aviary. My favorite was the peacock. He stayed back in the trees but I could still see enough of him to get some pictures.

My sunglasses had to be tossed, which was a bummer. I was in one of the bathroom stalls and they fell in the toilet. There was no way I was keeping them after that!!! But that's ok. I was wanting to get some new sunglasses anyway and this just gave me an excuse to do it sooner. Another funny thing - while Bevan and I were putting on sunscreen two rather large ladies were coming by. One was in a wheelchair and the other was pushing the wheelchair. When they got to where we were the woman in the wheelchair said to me, "Come hang with us honey - we'll fatten you up!" What?!?!?!? Honestly...who wants to be fattened up? Not me that's for sure.
So...overall, a fun day. I'm not dying to go back anytime soon, but it wasn't that bad.

Fanning Springs and Manatee Springs

2011-03-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Bevan and I took a trip up to Fanning and Manatee Springs on Saturday with our friends Eric and Alisha Famularo. Despite the fact that I did not get in the water it was a fun trip. I was actually planning on swimming at Manatee Springs but we saw at least 3 snakes sunning themselves on rocks at the waters edge...and one of them slithering their way into the water. No way was I getting in the water!!! They were supposedly Brown Water snakes and non-venemous...Bevan was the only one brave enough to get in the water that time. I did manage to get some good pictures of the park though! So I guess that makes up for the lack of swimming.

Manatee Springs

These were all over the place...not sure if they're weeds or flowers but they are still pretty

The reason why I did not get in the water

No way I was going in with this guy hanging around!

A Day at Disney

2011-03-08T22:51:00.002-05:00

On Rodeo Day (in Osceola County holiday, yeehaw!) Carson and I went to Disney with my mom, brothers, and two of my brother's friends. I had more fun than I was expecting too to be honest. I was mostly worried about how Carson would do and how long we would be able to stay. Well I never should have worried! Carson was absolutely amazing!!! He did so well and didn't get grumpy. He was perfectly content sitting in his stroller looking at everything there was to see at Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. He even took a decent nap which completely took me by surprise. We were in the middle of the Festival of the Lion King show and I noticed that his head would slump to one side and then would jerk himself back up trying to wake up. It took me a few seconds to realize that he was falling asleep. Once I held him in a cradle position he was out. Impressive. The Festival of the Lion King is a loud show, so I thought there was no way he would sleep through it but he did.
Holy close Rhino Batman! On the safari ride there was a white rhino soooo close to our truck. It was amazing. I had never seen them at such a close distance before. They're HUGE! Carson loved seeing all the animals and at one point attempted to crawl out of my mom's lap and out of the truck to try and get a closer look at an antelope.

Because Carson did so well we were able to stay at EPCOT until closing and watch the fireworks which were at 9:00pm. He instantly fell asleep on the way home.

Carson ate dinner in this position...silly kid!

It was fun spending the day with my brother and his friends. I didn't realize what a silly, funny guy Connor could be until I saw him around his best friends. Connor is usually so quiet and serious. To see him joking around and talking NON STOP was fun. It's strange to realize that my brothers are growing up. I called my mom's cell phone the other day and didn't realize for a few seconds that it was Connor who answered. His voice sounded so different from the last time I had talked to him a week previously. He sounded so grown up. It's also crazy to think that he is going to be 15 in September and will be able to get his learners permit. I remember when he came home from the hospital and how I wondered what kind of music we should play around a baby...

Classic Connor face

Connor and his friends Jorge and Jake

Anyways...back to Disney. I decided to suck up my fear of vomiting in public and ride Mission Space - the more intense version. Connor's friend Jorge was the only other person brave enough to come with me. All I can say is it's a good thing I went on that ride before I ate dinner. Jorge and I did discover, however, that the motion sickness bags that they offer on the ride and bolted down and that there would be no way one could reach them in time if they were needed...gross. Honestly...who designs these things?!

Carson loved chowing down on his apple

Disney Quest

2011-02-14T13:44:00.001-05:00

Two weekends ago Bevan and I went to Disney Quest with my brothers, Connor, Matthew, and Sawyer. And the best part was that we were all able to go for free! At the end of every year my Dad (who works at Disney) gets all these...coupons, I guess you could call them...I can't think of the right word for what they are...anyways - they give all these additional discounts to employees like 50% off at a restaurant, free popcorn, etc. Well one of them is for a free day at Disney Quest - that's how we got to go for free. We only stayed for a few hours because it was super crowded. That's never fun. Overall it was a fun time. We got this really yummy cupcake - it was Red Velvet Cake with a cheesecake topping. So rich and sooooooooooooooooo good. And I should have taken a picture of it - oh well.
Before we met up with my mom and brothers (she watched Carson for us while we played) Bevan and I walked around Downtown Disney with Carson. He is so curious and loves to explore everything. We walked by the Candy Cauldron (they make candy apples and other goodies) and were watching them make some chocolate covered marshmallows (which, I think, are kinda gross). Then, one of the employees gave a finished one to Carson, just because he is so stinkin' cute : ) He would NOT let go of his marshmallows on a stick. He wouldn't eat them but he wouldn't let go of them either. All in all a fun afternoon for the Bigler's!

We look like we're in a sci-fi movie

Give me the camera!

Carson and his treat

Harry Potter World

2011-01-25T15:16:00.001-05:00

Back in December we went to Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure with our good friends Eric & Alisha Famularo. I know that was over a month ago....but I thought I would finally get around to blogging about it.
Our main reason for going was to check out the new "Wizarding World of Harry Potter." I'm not gonna lie, I geeked out. I absolutely love the Harry Potter series and have read each of the books too many times to count. And to top that off I know an insane amount of trivia from the books. While we were walking around Bevan, Eric, or Alisha would make some kind of comment and I would pop in saying, "Well actually in (insert book title here) this is what happened..." You get the picture. *sigh* Sometimes it can be a little embarrassing when I whip out my Harry Potter knowledge but I have come to grips with it ; )
Back to Universal...the Harry Potter World is amazing!!! I definitely put my camera to good use walking around there. I took an insane amount of pictures. Some of them good...some of them not so good. One of my favorite things was the Butterbeer. It is seriously good stuff. While I enjoyed all of the rides, I wasn't able to have as much fun as I could have because about halfway through the day I started getting a migraine. No fun. What a time to get your first migraine!
Bevan & I are going back there in April for my birthday! Yay! Hopefully I will not get another migraine : )

the amazing butterbeer

Bevan with his butterbeer mustache

Changing things up

2011-01-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

Sheesh....who knew that fixin' up your blog and beautifying it could take so much out of you! Seriously, I think that is all I have been working on for the past hour or more...probably more.

Any who...I've not been that fond of my hair lately. Part of that is because I have gone waaaaaaaay to long between hair cuts. Now it just hangs there looking forlorn and forgotten, which to be honest...it is. Sad but true. My color has been buggin' me lately too. I go through the same internal "struggle" at least once a month - to dye or not dye, that is the question. Yep - I spend too much time debating with myself about whether or not to dye my hair...get highlights...do something. My hair has gotten sooo much darker in the past year or so and I'm not always that keen on it. Sure, I have some days were I think it looks pretty good but those are few and far between.

Now that my ramblings have gone on long enough, I'll get to the point. I have decided to take the plunge and color my hair for the first time in my life! What I want to do I have not quite decided yet. But I have a couple of ideas. I'm leaning towards the first picture in terms of color, kind of a reddish-blonde. What do you all think?

On the move!

2011-01-10T10:40:00.001-05:00

Carson got a Lightening McQueen ride-on car for Christmas from Bevan's parents and he absolutely loves it! He figured out really quickly how to use it on his own but every now and then he wants some help from us. I've started taking him outside to ride on his car everyday after his nap. Now Carson wants to go outside all the time and will grab my hand and lead me to the door. And, of course, he is always highly upset when we cannot go outside and play;)

I love my boys!

2011-01-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

They're both so silly :)
Carson's personality is emerging more and more everyday and I love it! He's silly, sweet, smart and stubborn - what a combo!

Finally, a post!

2010-11-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

I know, I know....long time, no post.

Anyways....Carson turned 1 on November 12! It's so hard to believe that a year has gone by already - I feel like he just a newborn not too long ago *sigh* I guess that means it's time for another one! Ha - yeah right! At least not right now.
Here are his 12 month stats:

Height: 31 inches
Weight: 22lbs 9oz

He's getting so big!

Well, no blog post is complete without pictures (part of my reason for lack of posts - all my pictures were on the camera!) so here are some pics!

Listen to Naomis Christmas Music

2010-11-29T11:08:00.001-05:00

Lots to Post About!

2010-10-06T20:57:00.000-04:00

Yay! After catching a nasty virus our computer is finally back up & running! A lot has happened since I last posted - the main thing being that Carson started walking!!! Crazy! We were over at Bevan's parents house and Carson just let go of what he was holding on to and started walking, like it was no big deal at all: ) Silly kid - of course it's a big deal!

On Saturday I went to a restaurant called the Lavender & Lace Tearoom with my mom and our good friends Becky and Marisa Young. It's a very girly kind of place - lace and flowers everywhere. And they serve what I guess you would call "chick-food" {whatever that is}. But it was a lot of fun. I was last there 7 1/2 years ago for my 16th birthday with a group of my friends. A lot has changed for me since then! After lunch we walked around a few antique shops - and I saw some pretty awesome stuff but of course it was waaaayyy more than could or wanted to spend. That's usually how it goes!

in front of the restaurant

carson being a goof during lunch

carson and grandma

this has nothing to do with what I just posted about but I figure there's nothing better than a good spaghetti face!

Some 10 month stats

2010-09-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

So....I know I am constantly saying this but it has been a long time since I last posted. I always have this fantastic goal of posting at least once a week, with pictures and all other kinds of neat stuff but I do have a 10 month old that loves to make life interesting for his mommy.

Carson is getting closer to walking every day which is exciting and scary at the same time. He his physically capable of it but he doesn't quite have the confidence yet. He lightly holds onto my finger when he walks - as long as he is able to touch something or someone he will walk.

Some 10 month stats for Carson:
-He's 20+ pounds now! When need he get to be such a chunky monkey?

-He cut one of his top teeth with another 2 on the way

-He loves eating table food and is wanting less and less to do with his baby food

-He finally found a sippy-cup he likes...thank goodness for Nuby sippy-cups!

-He's taking 2 solid naps a day, which I really like

-Carson loves to climb! Yikes!

Well, that's all for now.

You Stole My Heart

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

It is amazing how much I love my little guy!

I just look at him and am in awe that he is mine. He took my breath away from the first moment I saw him during my first ultrasound.

I was so excited to see him and then I saw him move! I was only 12 weeks along to it was too early for me to feel it but I could see it on the monitor. And I could see his little heart beating and that it was strong and that he was healthy. I was so over the moon, so happy beyond belief that I started laughing and crying at the same time.I had been worried that I would have a difficult time getting pregnant because I had poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. So to become pregnant and then to see and hear that he was healthy just filled me with so much joy. In that moment that I saw his little hand move and saw his beating heart he stole my heart.It's hard to believe sometimes that he's as big as he is! Wasn't I just finding out last week that I was pregnant with him? Didn't I just give birth to him yesterday?
He is such a sweet little boy and is so much fun! I feel so blessed to be his mother. I feel even more blessed to know that because Bevan & I were sealed in the temple our family can be together forever! What an amazing blessing that is.
Each day he continues to steal my heart and I'm sure he always will.

Long time, no post

2010-07-31T17:22:00.000-04:00

Yikes! I'm really haven't written in a long time and so much has happened too!

On July 4th Bevan & I (and Carson of course) flew out to Utah to visit family. So.....we decided to fly on a holiday because we figured, "Who'd want to fly across the country on a national holiday?" and we booked an early flight, 6:45am departure early. Again, "Who else would be crazy enough to fly that early in the morning......on a Sunday........on a holiday?" Well, apparently a lot of other people were just as crazy as we were - our flight was actually overbooked! Insane.We had so much fun! I'm thinking that Bevan may have surprised at how much fun he actually had:)Here are the highlights:Monday: Bevan went on a hike with some of my family up to White Pine and I hung around and caught up on sleep:)Tuesday: Hiked up to Timpanogos caves and did what's called and "wild" cave tour. Went to the movies and had a oh so yummy dinner at Outback:)Wednesday: Went to Temple Square and had dinner with Ashley and Alex Muir - and got to see their cute baby Abby!Thursday: We hung around Logan and went Bowling and saw Toy Story 3
Friday & Saturday: Family reunion in Paris, ID - so much fun! It was great to see family that I have not seen in a long time. We also went up to some ice caves and Bevan about gave me a heart attack being a daredevil.Bevan went home before I did because he had to get back to work. I did a lot of hanging around with my family and enjoying the fantastic weather.

He's trying to walk!

2010-06-30T18:58:00.000-04:00

Agh! I'm soooooooo not ready for this - but it looks like I'll have to be!

A Day without Carson....and Ginnie Springs too

2010-06-30T18:49:00.001-04:00

On Saturday Bevan & I went to Ginnie Springs (which is just north of Gainsville). We learned from our last couple of trips to springs (Wekiwa and Blue Spring) that it really is not that enjoyable of a trip with a baby - especially when that baby does not like the cold water. So this time we decided to leave Carson behind. Bevan's parents agreed to watch him for the day. While it was nice to spend some time alone with Bevan.......I missed my baby! We've only been on one date since Carson's birth and that was a ward temple night. I mean, don't get me wrong, we go out all the time but we usually bring Carson with us. Overall it was a good trip and I got some pretty good pictures.

Carson Crawling!!!

2010-06-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

He's on the move! Carson started crawling yesterday morning (after weeks of trying to figure it out) and he gets better and better at it all the time! And he cut his first tooth today:)

He's on the move!

2010-05-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

Carson is pretty mobile now - he's not crawling on his hands and knees....yet. He scoots himself forward pretty well though. He's actually doing more of a bear crawl. Agh! I can't get over how cute this kid is!

6 months

2010-05-13T13:22:00.000-04:00

It's a little hard for me to believe that Carson is 6 months old already! It feels like we just brought him home but on the other hand it feels like he has been here with us forever.

His 6 months stats:
Height - 26 1/2 inchesWeight - 15 pounds 4 ounces

Carson LOVES to eat his vegetables - seriously! I have a hard time getting him to eat any other kind of baby food. His favorite is sweet potatoes. Lately he's been checking out the food on our plate and reaching for it. We'll give him some if it's soft enough - like mashed potatoes.
He just started sitting up on his own and thinks he is such a big boy for doing that :) He is also getting sooooo close to crawling it is not even funny. He can scoot himself backwards and he is getting frustrated that he can't move himself forward. I'd better be on the lookout because I'm sure one day he will just surprise me and start moving forward!
We love our Carson!

Then:

Now:

Another year in the married life...

2010-04-28T14:13:00.000-04:00

Bevan & I have been married for 3 years today! Time sure does fly when you are having fun ;)

Carson is 5 months! And other things...

2010-04-14T11:23:00.000-04:00

It's crazy how time flies - Carson is already 5 months old!!!
Lets see...he weighs around 14 1/2 pounds.
Carson has been eating baby cereal for a few weeks but right around Easter I started introducing veggies. So far his favorite are the sweet potatoes - he'll scarf those down like nobodies business:) We'll see how he does when he meets peas tonight!
He's rolling all over the place! Which is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Now I need to keep an even closer eye on him! He's also discovered his feet can be used to push himself forward - oh am I in trouble...

Things are going well for me and Bevan. Work is busy for Bevan right now. He's been working until 6:30pm the past couple of nights and his team at work has to go in the next couple of Saturday's - which is a bummer. But oh well. I can't complain because his job is really great and it's better than the alternative.

My birthday is coming up next week and I have no idea what I want to do. I am determined that my birthday will not get the shaft this year. Every year since we have been married we haven't done ANYTHING for my birthday. I'm not even joking. I didn't even get a birthday cake last year : ( Although in Bevan's defense we had moved into our house 2 days beforehand and didn't have appliances in the house yet...
Anyways - we always do something big/fun for Bevan's birthday, whether it is going to Busch Gardens, camping & swimming, or going out to eat and to the movies. I'm thinking I want to spend the day at Disney for my birthday. I haven't been since Christmas time and I think it would be a lot of fun. But the bummer is Bevan probably wouldn't be able to come because of work. I'm sure I'll figure something out. As long as I get to spend the day with people I love then it will be a good day!

Oh, and I just remembered - Carson knows his name! Yay!!! Every time I call him by name he will turn to look at me - I love that little guy!

Eating & Rolling

2010-04-08T13:44:00.000-04:00

So, I realize I have been shamefully neglecting my blog. . .I guess I have a legitimate excuse since I have a baby.

Carson started rolling over almost a month ago. He can get from his back to his stomach no problem. We're still working on going from his stomach to his back. He can do it. . .I just don't think he realizes it yet. I've gone to get him from his naps and found him on his back when he had been sleeping on his stomach (his preferred sleeping position now that he can roll over). So I know he can do it. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he's rolling all over the house to get to where he needs to go.

Carson also started eating baby food a few weeks ago also. He seems to like the cereal well enough but he's still not too sure about the veggies. Although, he was chowing down on the green beans at lunch so I guess that is progress!

What can I say? We love our Carson!

Family Pics

2010-03-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

This past Wednesday my awesome dad took our family pics. They turned out great!

Carson smiles all the time - I love his toothless grin!

His Gator loving uncles: ) They got him his UF outfit for Christmas

I'm sure that is not the last time he will pull my hair *sigh* the sacrifices we make for motherhood;)

Talking Carson

2010-03-03T15:12:00.000-05:00

So, I know he's not really talking but he is just too darn cute! I love my little guy!!! He will just talk and talk: ) He is going to be 4 months old next week - insane (but a good insane)! He's realized that he can use his hands to grab things. His favorite thing to do is pull on the toys that hang over his bouncy chair so that they will play music. . . and he pulls mommy's hair which is not so cute.
He's been sleeping through the night for about 2 weeks now which means I am getting about 7 hours solid sleep every night - hooray! He still isn't too fond of naps but I'm ok with that. I'd rather have him sleep through the night than be a good napper and not sleep at night.

My Decade in Review

2010-01-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

So, seeing as this past decade is the first one that I can clearly remember I thought I should remember my last 10 years. . .through a blog post: )

2000

-My youngest brother, Sawyer, was born
-My grandfather passed away
-I started 8th grade
-Went to State History Fair with my video

2001

-I got contacts! And then freaked out the first time I put them in at home because I did not want to touch my eye. . .
-I started high school and with it, early morning seminary
-I turned 14 and started going to stake dances
-I made the unwise decision to get my hair permed. . .and then let my stylist talk me into getting short layers. It was not a flattering look.

2002

-Went to Gatlinburg, TN with my high school choir
-My 4th year of girls camp
-I started taking Duel Enrollment classes through Valencia Community College
-Pioneer Trek youth conference. Hard but great. Had some great testimony building experiences.
-Spent a week on Jekyll Island with my family. And when I say family I mean family. Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents. . .everyone. . .all in one house

2003

-I turned 16! But that day was kinda of a bummer because I got sick. . .lame, lame, lame
-My first girls camp as a YCL (youth camp leader). I had so much fun!
-I went to EFY for the first time and had a blast.
-I auditioned for, and was accepted to, the Osceola County School for the Arts as a music major
-After years of waiting I finally got braces. In fact I remember what day I went to the orthodontist to get them, September 22.

2004

-Started my senior year of high school, yahoo!
-I was the pianist for 2 of my high schools choirs
-I unsuccessfully ran for Student Body President. . .which I'm still not too happy about b/c the girl who won ended up not doing any of the things she said she would.
-Served as secretary for National Honor Society
-Took some classes at VCC
-Kind of dated a guy from my ward that I didn't really want to date. Which is why we only went on 5 dates in 5 months. . .
-My favorite year of EFY ever - Stand in the Light!

2005

-My 7th, and final, year of girls camp
-I turned 18 and finally got my drivers license
-Ummm. . .oh yeah, I graduated from high school! I was really not that sad to leave.
-Got my first job at Build-a-Bear Workshop where best friends are made; )
-Spent an awkward week at EFY. . .at 18 I was older than most of the guys I met aside from the counselors.
-Started school at BYU-Idaho, and was severely homesick. But a great time of personal growth despite that fact.

2006

-After much prayer I decided to stay in Florida and go to school here instead of returning to Rexburg and then. . .
-I met Bevan
-I fell in love this goofy, amazing guy from my singles ward and we got engaged on December 5

2007

-Bevan & I were sealed in the Orlando Florida Temple
-Had lots of fun camping. Best camping trip was when we went up to Georgia for a long weekend.
-School, school, and more school

2008

-I finally finished my AA degree. Thank goodness!
-I turned 21. . .not a very eventful birthday. All we did was go to Olive Garden for dinner. . .and I had a final exam on my birthday.
-Our friends Eric and Alisha got married
-Traveled to lots of springs around Florida and learned that I would much rather camp in an RV

2009

-After years of wishing and hoping I was finally picked as an extra in the Indiana Jones Stunt show. Lame I know but I've wanted to do that since I was a kid.
-My brother went on a mission but had to come home for knee surgery a few months after getting in the mission field. Bummer. At least he will be able to go back soon!
-Bevan and I bought our first house, very exciting. No more apartments for us!
-Ummm, oh yeah, I became pregnant with our first kid:)
-And the best thing that happened in 2009 was the birth of Carson

All in all, not a bad decade if I do say so myself. I'm amazed at how fast it went by - some of these things feel like they just happend yesterday.

Finally writing about Carson...

2009-11-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

Carson Avery Bigler was born on November 12, 2009 at 4:47pm and weighed 6lbs 10oz and was 20 inches long.

Luckily labor wasn't too long - about 8 hours, although the time seemed to pass by really fast.
I had a scheduled induction so I had to be at Winnie Palmer Hospital at 4am! It was so hard to sleep the night before knowing that I was going to be meeting my baby the next day - it was like a little kid on Christmas Eve! : )

Here's a quick timeline of what happened:
4am - arrived at hospital & checked in
6:30am - The doctor came in and broke my water. I was already nearly 4cm dilated at that point.

8:30am: Because my contractions weren't very strong and not coming at regular intervals, I was started on the lowest dose of Pitocin possible to see if that would give my contractions the "kick start" they needed.

10:45am: Holy Painful Contractions!!! The Pitocin did it's job and my contractions got closer together and stronger. I tried laboring on the birthing ball for a while and that helped . . . at first. Thank goodness I had Bevan there - he was a HUGE help and support to me. Without me telling him he knew just what I needed during my contractions - someone to hold me close (well, as close as you can get while on the birthing ball). My contractions became so intense that I started to lose it - I just broke down in tears and kept saying "I don't know if I can do this!" (I hadn't had an epidural so I was really feeling the full force of the contractions). I know it was hard for Bevan to see me like that and to know that there wasn't really anything he could do to help ease my pain.
At this point I asked my nurse to check me because if I had progressed enough I wanted to tough it out and forgo the epidural. I was 7cm! So I decided to continue without the pain meds and labor in the tub. Well, that did not last long. I think I only stayed in the tub 5-10 minutes before I wanted out. I was freezing cold and the warm water did nothing to help my contractions.
It was at this point that I said, "I want an epidural...now!"
I must say, the anethesiologist got to my room pretty quickly - she was there in 5 minutes: )

12:45pm - Ahhh. . .I got my epidural and felt much, much better. And you know what? I am totally OK with the fact that I did not deliver the baby "naturally". Honestly, if I had continued without the epidural I don't think I would have had sufficient energy to push Carson out. I pushed myself to the limit physical, mentally, and emotionally. I was actually able to take a quick nap after having my epidural!

1:30pm - I'm 10cm! Wow, those last three went quickly. And the most wonderful thing is that I did not feel anything: ) It was kinda fun the hear Bevan say as he looked at the monitor, "Wow, that last one was intense!" and to be totally oblivious to the fact that I had just had a contraction.

2:30pm - Start pusing! I was kinda excited to get to this point because I could actually do something now to help get Carson here. But holy cow, the epidural does nothing for the pressure you feel as you push - which I had no idea about.
So, after about 2 hours of pusing our sweet baby boy made his entrance into the world.

I just have to say how awesome Bevan was during this whole thing. I am so incredibly blessed to have him as my husband. He held my leg for me while I was pushing instead of standing up by my head and he witnessed the birth of our son. It has been amazing to watch him become a father - to see the change that has taken place. He is so sweet with Carson and always wants to check on him while he sleeps to make sure he is doing ok. He is a great daddy: )

9 days from due date and still no baby. . .

2009-11-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

Yep . . . still pregnant.

And while I'm ok with that, because that means he just has more time to grow, I'm on edge here! Especially because my doctor had me thinking I was going to have this baby a week and a half ago. From what she said we were expecting a Halloween baby *sigh* but I guess it was not to be.

I had an ultrasound almost 2 weeks ago (at 37 weeks) to check on the baby's growth - that was fun. The ultrasound tech had a hard time getting a good profile pic of him because he's taking up so much room in there. She ended up getting a couple of good ones for me:)

Bevan took a belly pic of me on Wednesday but I haven't uploaded it to the computer yet so I guess you all will just have to make due with my 36 weeks pic ;)

Because I have some wonderfully amazing people in my ward I had two baby showers! I'm serving in the YW program right now as the Beehive advisor and the leaders and girls gave me a baby shower. I actually forgot to take pictures at that one *oops*.

Some friends from my ward, Julianne & Amy, also gave me a baby shower. Thanks to Amy I did get some pics from the shower:) It was a lot of fun and I got some really fantastic stuff. Now I just need a baby so that I can use it all!

Bevan's parents were got us a glider/ottomon for the baby's room! That will be soooo nice for feeding him . . . and just cuddling with him;)

I thought I'd throw this one in here for fun - Bevan is pretty amused that I can use my belly as a table/shelf when I eat. I'm actually pretty amused by it too!

Big News

2009-10-19T14:07:00.000-04:00

I had my 35 week appointment last Thursday and to my great surprise (and the doctor's) I was 2cm dilated and 80% effaced! I guess being dilated isn't a big deal because some women can go around 2cm dilated for about a month before they go into labor. What really surprised us was that I am nearly 100% effaced. So now I have to "take it easy", whatever that means. Dr. White is wanting me to get to 37 weeks (which thankfully is only a week away) because then I will be full term. My next appointment is this Friday and we're having an ultrasound too b/c Dr. White wants to get an idea of how big our little man is.
The doctor, along with everyone else I talk to, will be very surprised if I make past the end of the month without having this baby. When she (Dr. White) told me that he will more likely than not be here 2-3 weeks before his due date I was really shocked. I was just not prepared mentally for the idea that, as of this week, the baby will probably be here in a week or two. I feel like I still have so much to do! But I guess no matter how much preparation you put into the arrival of the baby you are never truly prepared.
Bevan's been telling me for weeks that he felt really strongly that the baby was going to come early but I kept thinking, "NO way!" I mean this is my first baby! But I guess the Lord, and our son, have other things in mind. I can tell that he's really cramped in there by the way he is moving. I mean, his little limbs are poking out all over the place (which is very weird and cool at the same time). And every time he moves his little feet my ribs get a good jab.
So, to bring this rambling post to a close. . .baby will be here sooner than expected so we are getting everything ready. Carseat is installed in the car and hospital bag is mostly packed and ready to go at a moments notice.

It's been a long, long time...

2009-10-01T17:15:00.000-04:00

Wow...so it's been a while since I've updated the ol' blog...I really should get better about that, what with a baby coming and all:)

Although, to be quite honest, there has not been a whole lot going on - which is kinda sad. Especially for someone like me who is easily bored and always looking for something to do.

Bevan and I started working in the temple one Saturday a month back in August. I've really enjoyed being able to spend pretty much the entire day there - I'll miss working there once the baby comes.
Bevan got a new calling in church - a few Sunday's back. He was released from being 1st Counselor in the Young Men's program and is now serving as Ward Executive Secretary. He's looking forward to the change/challenge. And I have now become a Sunday morning widow, haha. He leaves for Bishopric meeting at 7:30am and he doesn't leave church until about 4:30pm. Oh well. Getting ready for church will be an interesting adventure once the little guy gets here...hopefully I won't get to church too late...
A few weekends ago Bevan and I took one of our last big, long trips to a Florida spring before the baby gets here (as my delievery date gets closer we're cutting back our travel so that we're never too far away from the hospital). We went to Peacock Springs and Troy Springs, which are both north of Gainsville. Eric and Alisha Famularo came along with us too. Even though I didn't swim I still had a lot of fun and took lots of really cool pictures.

My delivery date is only a short 6 weeks away - crazy! Bevan and I are going to be attending a 5-week childbirth class that starts tonight. That should be an interesting experience - for the both of us. I'm not too sure what to expect from it, aside from seeing some videos of actual births. But I'm sure it will be beneficial for the both of us once the big day comes.Me about a week ago at 32 weeks pregnant!

And I promise I will be better about updating the blog:)

Pregnant Naomi

2009-07-24T10:24:00.000-04:00

I finally have a baby bump! Actually I've had it for a few weeks now but I'm just now getting around to posting pics of it...I know, I've been slacking:)

When we took this pic I was 20 weeks & 5 days...now I'm 22 weeks & 6 days. We're trying to take belly shots every 2 weeks or so - we actually took some new ones last night but they're still on the camera.
Bevan's parents gave us a crib that they've had for years and we set that up in the baby's room last night - that was exciting. I can't wait to start painting and decorating his room! I've decided I want to have an ocean theme. I'm going to try and paint a mural on one of the walls of a reef with turtles and fish and all kinds of other stuff...kind of like the reef on Finding Nemo. Actually, that is how I want that wall to look - like the reef that Nemo and his dad live in. Anyways, it should be a fun project. Don't worry, I'm planning on getting help with it...I don't think I trust my artistic abilities enough to attempt something like that on my own:)
The little guy is getting bigger and stronger all the time - I can feel him move a lot! I was so excited the first time I felt him move (or realized that it was him that I was feeling moving around in there). 4 months until he gets here! Gosh, that's really not that far away. . .

We're having a boy!

2009-07-05T19:20:00.000-04:00

We found out on July 1 that we are having a little boy and I could not be more excited! I was secretly hoping that the baby was a boy:) I will say though that Bevan and I were not too surprised when the ultra-sound tech told us. We both have felt from the very beginning of my pregnancy that we would be having a boy. So. . . baby boy Bigler is doing good. He has a good, strong heart rate and is right on track as far as growth and weight are concerned - which makes us happy. Now I can start planning on how to decorate his nursery! We've already started looking at baby names. We've narrowed it down to about 4 names but won't pick one until we actually meet the little guy and see what name fits him best.

We're having a baby!

2009-06-15T09:46:00.001-04:00

I know this may be old news to a few of you, but I thought I'd mention it here anyways:)

I'm pregnant! That's right - we are expecting our first baby!!! My due date is November 23, just a few days before Thanksgiving.
I am so excited, it's not even funny:) At times it seems that all I can talk about is the baby and the pregnancy. As of today I am 17 weeks (the end of month 4). We will be finding out if the baby is a boy or girl on July 1st. Our prediction is that the baby is a boy.
At my last doctors visit the doctor said everything is going well and that the baby is right on track with its growth and development (my last visit I had a sonogram so they were able to measure the baby). And the baby's heart rate is nice and strong, which always makes me happy.
I outgrew my pre-pregnancy jeans a long time ago and now I'm at the point where I need to start buying maternity shirts too - it's kind of exciting:)
Anyways....here's a picture of the baby. It was taken at my sonogram last Thursday - enjoy!

It looks like the baby is sucking his (or her) thumb!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-04-28T13:47:00.001-04:00

Bevan and I have been married two years today!
It's hard to believe that it has been that long - it was the best day ever. Here are some pics from the wedding. . .and from the past two years:)

Just a quick update...

2009-04-03T18:29:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Well, Phase 1 of our move into our new house has been successfully executed! Our lease ended on our apartment so we moved out of yesterday and loaded most of our earthly possessions into a storage unit. We are now living on Bigler Lane until we close on our house, which could possibly be next Friday, the 10th. If we don't close on the 10th, we will definitely close of Wednesday the 15th. So, until then we're living out of our suitcases:) We're really grateful for Bevan's parents and their willingness to let us stay in their home.

Hmmm...what else is new with the Bigler's??? A few Sunday's ago I got called to serve as the Beehive advisor in our ward. I'm super excited about the call and can't wait to get to know the girl's better. Bevan is still serving as the 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency and that keeps him pretty busy. In June he will be going on the High Adventure trip with them to the Florida Keys - he's really excited for that. They will go kayaking, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, and all other kinds of fun stuff.
I guess that's about all...my posts won't have pictures for a while so I'll probably post a ton when we get moved into the house.

I hope they call me on a mission...

2009-02-28T18:25:00.000-05:00

Allan (my brother) got his mission call yesterday!!! He will be serving in the California Roseville Mission in the English language and will report to the MTC on April 22, 2009. I'm so excited for him!!!

Sorry about the video being a little dark. . .

Dreams do come true!

2009-01-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

About 2 weeks ago I took my three younger brothers to Disney World for the day. . . by myself. I was exhausted when I got home! Aside from that, it was a lot of fun. We spent most of the day at Hollywood Studios - and that is where a dream came true;)

Ever since I was a little kid and my dad worked in the show, I have wanted to be an extra in the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. I was so excited when I turned 18 b/c that meant I could volunteer to be an extra - which I did but I never got picked. But finally, finally I got chosen to be an extra!!! I was super excited. As I was walking down to the "stage" one of the other extras couldn't believe that I was over the age of 18, lol. He thought I was some underage person trying to sneak their way into being an extra:) Haha. . . I'm used to people thinking I'm younger than I really am. Heck, some people still think I'm in high school.

trying to tough it out through the fireworks

It was REALLY cold that day. We were all bundled up but still shivering like crazy. We were going to try and tough it out and stay for fireworks at the Magic Kingdom but a couple of minutes into the fireworks show we caved and went home. We got to ride in the front with the driver, which was pretty cool. Although. . . the front was pretty toasty b/c the driver had the heat turned up pretty high.

sawyer the eskimo

Catching Up

2009-01-15T16:45:00.000-05:00

Goodness, what a slacker I've been! Oh well - hopefully I'll make up for it now:)

Despite having a fabulous Christmas, I regret to say that we did not take any pictures. That's right, no pictures. I'm kinda bummed that we didn't but that's ok - can't change the past! Bevan's brother and his family came down for Christmas. I didn't really know them that well seeing as I had only met Ben and Amory once so it was nice to spend time with them and get to know them better.

A few days before New Year's we had a bonfire at Bevan's parents house. Bob & Carol (Bevan's parents) had decided to burn their Christmas tree (for various reason's) so we contributed our dying tree to the fire as well. We got some pretty good flames! Bob was worried the neighbors would call the fire department:) We enjoyed it so much that I'm pretty sure it is going to become a yearly tradition.

Another semester has started for me at UCF. I am really regretting chaning my major so many times right about now. If I had just stuck with English when I first started school back in the fall of '05, I would be graduating this semester! Instead I will most likely be graduating in the fall of 2010 - bummer. My classes are going ok so far. I'm taking French this semester and I felt sooo lost the first class or two but I'm starting to catch on to what the teacher is saying so hopefully it will continue to go well.
Here are some pics from our trip to Manatee Springs - which despite its name had no manatees.

Bevan's holding his breath in this pic - that's why he's making that face;)

Crystal River

2008-12-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

I know, I know...3 posts in a row is a lot for me but I have a lot to write about! :)

The day after Thanksgiving Bevan and I went to Crystal River to swim with manatee's. We were only about a 1/2 hour away instead of the usual 2 because we had Thanksgiving in Inverness with my Dad's family. Anyways, we rented a small "Johnboat" (I don't know if that's what it's really called but that's what Bevan called it) and stopped off at different points along the river.

The first place we stopped is called the Three Sister Springs. We saw 2 or 3 manatees while we were there. I was almost afraid to be near them because of all the stuff that the shop owners told us before we left with the boat. Like, you can't be within 8 ft. or so of the manatee, it you're too close to them you could be accused of harassing it, state wildlife officials are in the water making sure no one gets to close, etc, etc. That made it a lot less enjoyable than Blue Springs.

When we were done at the Sister Springs, we hopped back in our boat and went over to King Springs. I didn't swim this time because I was too cold. We were ready to leave, we found that our engine would not start! Bevan tried and tried to get it to start but no luck. We were stuck. Luckily, though, we had Bevan's cell phone with us and we had reception! Before we had left the dock that morning we had not planned on bringing either of our phones with us - why would we need them I thought? But right before we were going to get in the boat Bevan said, "I think we should bring one of our phones with us, just in case." Or something like that. Heavenly Father was looking out for us. I'm so grateful that we have the gift of the Holy Ghost. We would have been stuck out there a really, really long time if we hadn't brought the phone with us.

We called the shop and they sent a boat out to come and rescue us. We were about a 1/2 hour away from the dock so it took them a little while to get to us. Oh well, at least we didn't weren't out there as it was getting dark! Because we had been stranded out there we were given 2 free manatee tours. So we'll be going back to Crystal River sometime soon.

Family Trip to Disney

2008-12-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

Monday was my families annual Christmas trip to Disney (trust me we go more than once a year but at Christmas the whole family goes, not just a few of us). Because Allan will be going on his mission soon and won't be able to come on our annual family trips, he got to pick the majority of what we did.

We had a great time, but I think Bevan is a little burned out from going to Disney so much. He would be just fine if he did not have to go to Disney for another 6 months or more. And then there's me who will be going at least 2 more times before the year is over and is excited about it.
Anyways. . .while we were at EPCOT we had family pictures taken. A couple of my dad's co-workers met us in the UK pavilion and took some pics. My mom decided that this year we would all wear brown shirts instead of the usual white or blue:( Brown is not my favorite color to wear.

We ate lunch at the buffet in Germany. That was pretty cool. They have a band that plays there - that was pretty cool. I was excited to try all the German food,
and I wasn't disappointed. It was so good! Maybe a bit on the salty side but still very, very good. But wouldn't you figure, my 3 youngest brothers chose to eat the macaroni & cheese and chicken - the only American food offered. Sawyer was the most daring of the three and had some of the leek soup.

We ended our day at the Magic Kingdom. We decided to ride the carousel but Bevan was too cool to be seen on it;) Just kidding. Monday was Matthew and Sawyer's first time riding Thunder Mountain. Just as I figured, Sawyer loved it and Matthew nearly got sick.

We decided to leave before the fireworks but it was still a madhouse trying to get out of there.

Bevan's Birthday

2008-12-11T15:51:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we celebrate Bevan's birthday - he turned 29!

So, Bevan had decided that he wanted to go to this place called Warm Mineral Springs. We had checked out the website, he called the place up, and it seemed like it would be a really great trip. We got Bevan's parents, Brent & Amanda, and Eric & Alisha to come along with us.
It turns out that the Springs weren't that great. Instead of something like Blue Springs or Wekiva Springs, it was more like a swimming pool...a very murky swimming pool. We were also the youngest people there!!! Everyone else had to be, at least, over 70. But, oh well. Now we know.

We spent the night in Bob & Carol's (Bevan's parents) RV and had a birthday dinner for Bevan. That was fun. He requested steak, potato salad, broccoli, pepperoni cheese bread, and cream soda for his dinner.

After opening gifts and all of that stuff, Bevan's parents left (they were staying with Carol's friend Ruth) and the rest of us played board games and card games until after midnight. Brent & Amanda kicked butt on just about every game! It was fun.

Thanksgiving and such

2008-12-04T16:43:00.000-05:00

Yes I know Thanksgiving was a week ago but at least I'm finally getting around to writing about it! :) This year we spent the holiday with my family in Inverness, FL. It was fun to see my family - especially my cousins who I do not see very often. After eating ridiculous amounts of food we held our annual Strickland family football game. This year I actually played! I usually just sit on the sidelines and take pictures. I did take a break long enough to video some of it with the camera.

Husband Tag!

2008-11-25T14:51:00.000-05:00

1. Where did you meet? We met in the Buena Vista Singles Ward. It wasn't long after meeting him that I developed a crush on him:)

2. How long did you date before you were married? We started dating on April 22, 2006, got engaged on December 5 of that year (that also happens to be his birthday) and got married on April 28, 2007. So, long story short. . .1 year and 6 days.

3. How long have you been married? 19 months

4. What does he do that surprises you? He always knows what to do to make me laugh - funny faces, funny sound effects.

5. What is your favorite feature about him? He has beautiful light green eyes!

6. What is your favorite quality about him? He is such a hard worker. He always puts 150% into whatever he is doing.

7. What is his nickname for you? He jokingly calls me Schmopsi-poo (what Mike Wasowski calls his girlfriend on Monsters Inc.) and I respond back with Googali-bear! (what Mike's girlfriend calls him). But we don't have any serious nicknames for each other.

8. What is his favorite color? Blue

9. What is his favorite food? Hmm...he really doesn't have a favorite food. He likes all kinds of food.

10. What is his favorite sport? If he had a favorite sport it would be baseball.

11. Who said I love you first? We both said it on the same night. We were talking outside of my parents house and he told me that he loved me and I told him that I love him too. We had been wanting to tell each other for a little while but were unsure of how the other would respond.

12. When and where was your first kiss? Our first kiss was a few weeks after we started dating, after a ward temple trip to do baptisms. He had walked me out to my car after we had ice-cream at the Scott's house and kissed me!

13. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We are huge movie people! We love watching movies at home or in the theater. We also like to cook and try out different recipes.

14. How many kids and what ages? No kids yet but we would like to have 4-5.

15. Does he have any hidden talents? Bevan knows how to play the piano - if he practiced more he could be pretty good. He is also pretty good at drawing - I am amazed at some of the things he has drawn, they're awesome!

16. How old is he? 28. He's going to be 29 on December 5th.

17. What kind of music does he like? He likes just about everything except for rap and hip hop. The country music folder on our computer and has been growing a lot lately. . .

18. What do you admire about him? His enthusiasm for life. He is an incredibly positive person who always finds the bright side in any situation.

19. What is his favorite past time? Freediving. We haven't gone in a while which is surprising.

20. Is he going to read this? Eventually.

I tag anyone who would like to share a little bit about their husband.

Picture Time!

2008-11-24T13:35:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's hard to believe that Bevan and I have been married for 19 months. It doesn't feel like it's been that long - but I'm guessing that's a good thing :)

October 2007: Stone Mountain, GA

October 2007: Camping in Georgia

October 2007: At Stone Mountain, GA

December 2007: At Busch Gardens for Bevan's birthday (he's wearing my sunglasses)

December 25, 2007: Our first Christmas :)

Feb. 2008: Camping at Alexander Springs

May 2008: Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studio's

October 2008: At Magic Kingdom

October 2008: At Blue Springs

October 2008: At Islands of Adventure with our friends Eric and Alisha Famularo

Manatees and Birthdays

2008-11-05T17:17:00.000-05:00

What a slacker I've been about updating our blog;) Let's see, let's see...what have we been doing? On the 27th Bevan and I went to Blue Springs. Unfortunately, I got cold super fast because I wasn't wearing a wet suit (the water is about 72 degrees year round), so that was kind of a bummer. But the coolest thing happened as we were swimming back to the spring entrance, there were manatees in the water!!! Between about now a February Blue Springs and some other springs around Florida are home to manatees. At first I didn't know what they were, I just saw this huge shadow swimming towards me. It was the coolest thing ever!!! I have always wanted to swim with manatees, even though I was a little too chicken to get close to them while I was swimming. But just being in the water with them was amazing. The ones we saw first were big, Bevan and I thought they were adults but as we swam a little further we realized that they ones we first saw were only kids, the mother was by the stairs and she was at least 9-10 ft. long and 4-5 ft. wide! It was one of those days were I wish we had had an underwater camera with us.
My youngest brother, Sawyer, was baptized on the 26th. It's hard for me to believe that he is already 8 years old. I can still clearly remember the day he was born. I was in the 8th grade and none of my friends could believe that I was going to have a new baby brother - the idea was just unimaginable to them:) I went to the hospital with my parents and was able to witness his birth and was the first person to hold him (after my parents of course). We love Sawyer!I love his smile!

Bevan and I took my brother Connor miniature golfing and out to lunch for his birthday this past weekend (even though his birthday was back in September). I've decided that I would rather spend time with my brother's as a birthday gift than give them a toy or something else they will grow out of over time. We'll let them choose an activity of their choice (a movie, a day at Disney, anything) and then we go and do it. Just me, Bevan (sometimes just me) and one of my brothers. I would rather create memories with them than give them material things.Bevan, the mini golf champ! He won the game, but only because I let him win:) J/K!

Me trying to make a pirate face, Connor probably thinks I being a little silly:)

I can never pull off a mean face *sigh* I think I burst in laughter right after Bevan took the pic b/c I felt so silly!

Disney Adventures with the Elder's

2008-10-07T10:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we (Bevan and I) took a couple of Elder's to Disney World because it was their last P-day before going home. We took Elder Lloyd from our ward and Elder Johnson from the Goldenrod ward.Elder Hancock, Elder Lloyd, and Elder Johnson at lunch

We had a great time but were very tired at the end of the day - a full 12 hours at Disney will do that to you:)
We started off at Animal Kingdom - the Elder's were so excited to be there. They didn't really care what rides they went on or what shows they saw, the fact that they were at Disney World was enough for them. Around 10:30 another Elder joined our group, Elder Hancock from the Olympia ward. We re-rode a few rides and then went on the safari ride. Our truck had to stop about 5 minutes into the safari because the trucks in front of us had stopped. The delay was caused by a group, or family, of giraffe's that were blocking the middle of the road and we had to wait for them to move before we could start up the ride again.The giraffes eating their lunch

After that we went to Magic Kingdom.In front of Magic Kingdom

Some interesting things happened there. So, we were walking over to Adventure Land because one of the Elder's wanted to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. A Disney employee (some managerial type) stopped us and asked how we were doing and if the Elder's were enjoying their time at Disney. After that he proceeded to tell them that they had to remove their nametags because it was a "form of marketing" and that some guests might find it offensive. The missionaries told him that they would not take off their nametags and told him the reasons why. He then gave them an ultimatum - they could either remove their missionary tags and enjoy the rest of the day at the park or he would take them to go see a "manager" who may or may not ask them to leave the park. The Elder's told him they would have to see the manager because they would not remove their tags. It seemed like the guy was impressed with the fact that they would rather face leaving the park than removing their tags. After he reassured himself that the Elder's were not going to do any proselyting he told the Elder's they could keep their tags on. Apparently, the only reason he approached us was because some employee had complained about the fact that there were Mormon missionaries walking around.
After this we picked up what Bevan called a "missionary leech." A girl that was on the Disney College Program, and a member of the church, saw the whole thing that happened with the Disney employee and just kind of attached herself to our group. She didn't even ask if we would mind her hanging out with us, she just started following us around. The Elder's were uncomfortable with her hanging around with us but she didn't get that hint and none of us were rude enough to tell her to leave us alone. Part of the reason they were uncomfortable with her being there was the way she was dressed - it was rather immodest. If I had just seen her walking around I would never have guessed that she was a member she was that immodestly dressed. We finally shook off this member of our group when it started to rain. We (the Bigler's and the Elder's) didn't care if we got wet but the other girl didn't want to get wet so we parted ways. After she was gone the Elder's expressed great relief at the fact that she wasn't following us around anymore.In line for Space Mountain - and very wet from the rain

After making sure that Elder Hancock met up with his ride home, we left for home. On the way back Elder Lloyd and Elder Johnson were asking Bevan and I for dating advice like, "Is there a nice way to let a girl know that we aren't interested in dating her, you just want to be her friend?" and "How can tell if a girl really likes you?" Bevan, who has done quite a bit of dating was able to give them some good advice.
On a funny note, we seemed to run into just about every member of the church that was on vacation at Disney. They would see the Elder's and stop and say hello. One member that we ran into from Utah has a brother-in-law that went to high school with Elder Johnson. We even met a member of the church from Switzerland and were able to give her the address to the temple! We were also able to ride Space mountain 2 time in a row because the person that lets you off at the end of the ride just sent us back to ride it again. All in all, it was a fun day.

I've been tagged!

2008-10-04T20:04:00.000-04:00

Robin tagged me with this survey so here it is!

8 Favorite MOVIES:
1. Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightley version)
2. Iron Man
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Harry Potter (all of 'em)
5. Sense and Sensibility
6. The Phantom of the Opera
7. Pirates of the Caribbean
8. The Princess Bride

8 Favorite RESTAURANTS:
1. Season's 52 - if you haven't been there you should go
2. Macaroni Grill
3. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (they have one at City Walk & in Daytona)
4. Alfie's - best fried ice cream ever!
5. Panera Bread - I love their panini's!
6. Pollo Tropical - seriously good chicken:)
7. Sweet Tomatoes - gotta love a good soup and salad buffet
8. Bevan's fantastic bistro, located right in my own kitchen!!!

8 Things that HAPPENED YESTERDAY:
1. Went to Wekiva Springs with Kevin and his 18 month old, Joey
2. Set a new freediving record for myself
3. Made buffalo wings
4. Played scrabble with Eric and Alisha
5. Had a splash fight with Joey at Wekiva while Bevan was teaching Kevin to freedive
6. Talked to Alisha for a while
7. Worked some more on my parents anniversary gift
8. Ate some really good waffle fries

8 Things I'm LOOKING FORWARD TO:
1. General Conference
2. Disney on Monday with Elder Lloyd, Elder Johnson, and my hubby
3. Getting done with this semester
4. Getting done with school in general
5. Shopping for new clothes! I love shopping:)
6. Teaching swing dancing the YM&YW in our ward
7. Eating a Mickey bar at Disney on Monday
8. Bevan's homemade Macaroni and Cheese

8 Things on my WISH LIST:
A girl can dream...
1. A house (instead of an apartment)
2. A weekend at the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at on our honeymoon
3. A trip to Europe, specifically the UK and France
4. Better study habits
5. An expanded wardrobe
6....I can't think of anything else - I'm really happy with my life and what I have

8 People I'm TAGGING:
1. Christin
2. Diana
3. Amber
4. Tawnya
5. Amy
6. Andrea
7. Shelley
8. Anyone else who wants to!

The Bevan

2008-09-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

So, I couldn't think of what I should post about but then it came to me - what better post could there be than one in which I indulge myself and tell everyone about my amazing husband!

Bevan was born on December 5, 1979 and grew up in the Apopka, FL area. From all I have heard from his parents and siblings he was quite the ball of energy, a climber, and precocious. When he was 6 or 7 he climbed to the very top of a tall tree on his parents property and I'm sure seeing him up there freaked his mom out. I also found out that when he was about 3 or so, he managed to climb to the top of the refrigerator and get some cookies. Strangely enough, my parents remember Bevan from his younger years (about KG or 1st grade age) because they were in his ward! They said he was quite the rambunctious little kid. Ah. . . it only makes me wonder what's in store for us when we have kids:)Hopefully our children our not climbers. . .
Bevan is incredibly smart. He took all the higher level math courses that Valencia Community College offered - not because he had to, but because he wanted to. . . for fun. That's most definetely not my idea of fun;)
In 1999 he left for the Riverside California mission (spanish speaking). Both summers he was in California he was in the desert...on a bike. He got a serious farmers tan! After coming home he finished his AA at Valencia C.C. and then attended UCF and graduated in December of 2005 with a degree in Computer Engineering.Bevan on his mission (obviously)

When I met Bevan in January of 2006 I couldn't believe how comfortable I felt around him. It was the first time in my life that I immediately felt that I could be myself around someone. He has an enthusiasm for life that is contagious. When he is excited about something and he shares that excitement with you, you can't help but feel it too. He has an amazing amount of confidence and believes that he can do anything he sets his mind to and 99.9% of the time he does learn the new skill/hobby/talent (whatever you want to call it) and excels at it.

He is incredibly funny and can always make me laugh. He's an incredibly good cook - I was blessed to marry a man that not only can cook but loves to do it! I've rarely had to cook since we've been married:)

What else can I say - he's wonderful! I feel so blessed to be married to him and that he is a man who honors his priesthood. I'm glad marriage is an eternal thing and that he's the one I will share it with!Bevan and his brother Ben

Holy Giant Plantain Batman!

2008-09-04T11:06:00.000-04:00

So, Bevan and I decided that we wanted to revisit our Maduro's recipe (fried plantains). We go to Wal-Mart to get our usual groceries and to pick up a couple of plantains. It only turns out we needed to get one because we found just about the biggest plantain on the planet. This thing is huge! It dwarfs a regular banana-craziness.

Look at huge that thing is!

Last weekend, the 30th, we went back to Alexander Springs. Last time we were there we went with Brent and Amanda...in February. It was just a little chilly then. This time we both had a much more enjoyable swimming experience. This was partially due to the fact that we were wearing wetsuits.
On our way to Alexander Springs-I didn't realize he was making that face when I took the picture.

Well, it's that time of the year again-Roadshow time! Our stake was supposed to hold a 24-hour roadshow a couple of weeks ago but it got rescheduled due to Tropical Storm Fay. While it's a lot of work, the youth really seem to enjoy it. Even though I don't work with the youth, Bevan asked to come along and help out because he pretty much volunteered himself to write/direct our ward's part in the roadshow. Should be a fun weekend!

2008-08-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we went to a place called Ginnie Springs with Brent & Amanda. It ended up being a lot of fun! We were pretty worried it was going to rain all day (which wouldn't have been a big deal since we would be in water anyway) but it ended up being a nice day-despite it being overcast while we were there. I was able to dive down about 15-20 feet into the spring and looked inside one of the caves before I had to come up for air. Bevan, with his amazing lung capacity, was able to stay underwater for about 1 minute. I will admit that admission into Ginnie Springs is a little pricey ($12) but it was worth it because there about 7 springs within the park. We'll probably go back there sometime in October to go camping.
On Sunday (the 17th) Bevan's cousin, Tara, got married. It was a nice wedding. Whenever I attend a wedding I always think about our wedding, but especially this weekend. I am so glad that we were married in the temple! I love Bevan too much for our marriage to last until "death do ye part". Our marriage is not just for time but for eternity too:) I find that to be pretty awesome.
Bevan and I attempted swing dancing at the reception but with little success. I was pretty tired and did not have the type of energy I needed to pull off some the moves we wanted to show off to our family like the "aerial" dip and "around the world". Oh well-there will be other opportunities to showcase our dance skills.
I start classes next week-Yahoo!!! I'm excited to be getting back to school. I enjoy going and learning. This semester should be interesting because now I am in all upper-level courses: no more Gen Ed's for me! I'm hoping that I will be able to get done with school a little faster since I will not be working while in school. Being a student is my new job and I want to excel at it:)

I had to include this picture of Bevan-even though it is a little blurry. I though he looked so cute while he was taking a nap!

Springs and Pedicures

2008-08-07T19:11:00.001-04:00

Yikes! I have been horrible about updating!!! My apologies :) Anyways, not to much has been going on here at the Bigler homestead. Just the normal work (for Bevan), gym, church, and swimming. Swimming you say? Almost every weekend the past several weeks Bevan and I have been exploring the many natural springs of Florida. It's been a lot of fun and we've been able to go to places that we may never have gone to otherwise.
Through the miracle that is Facebook I was able to find one of my best friends from middle school-who I hadn't seen or talked to in years. We went out to lunch and were able to catch up on what had been going on in each other's life (she didn't know that I was married). Well, yesterday we went and got a manicure & pedicure. If you haven't gotten one before I highly recommend it! It's very relaxing.
Well, that's all for now! I'm going to go eat some chili cheese fries with my hubby!

Oh and by the way, Bevan might be updating on here from time to time-just an fyi:) Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!!

Why go to the Beach?

2008-07-16T08:43:00.000-04:00

Bevan and I have decided that the beach is really not all it's cracked up to be. Last Saturday we drove over to Clearwater Beach figuring we'd have a fun time and get rid of some of our tan lines. Not so. It was overcast and rainy all day, what a bummer. We realized that we would rather drive to one of the many natural springs around Florida than go to the beach. We did, however, end up going to the same beach side restaurant that we went to the day Bevan proposed-that was nice, and they had really good (but salty) french fries.

I am trying to find ways to keep myself busy during the day. Who knew not working would be so much...work! I need to finish editing some pictures so that I can print them out and start making another scrapbook.

Last week Bevan planned a Fear Factor night for the youth (he's 1st counselor in the YM's). One of the things he had them do was drink this awful shake. It was made up of cranberry juice, liverwurst, mustard, white onion, carrot, cocoa powder, and little bit of hot sauce. Just the smell of it made both of us a little queasy. Only one person was able to finish their entire glass of this concoction, and what's even more impressive is that he drank it in about 5 seconds. Bevan's been meaning to call him to make sure he didn't get sick from drinking it.

Star Wars Weekends

2008-06-29T15:03:00.000-04:00

On Saturday Bevan and I went to Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM Studios). Eric & Alisha, and Eric's brother Matt came with us as well. All in all it was a fun day, even though it was ridiculously hot outside. We saw several people that were waaay to into Star Wars such as: Linda Skywalker (the woman really believes that she is married to Luke Skywalker so she changed her last name and carries around a lightsaber and a small suitcase covered with Luke Skywalker paraphernalia), and the Florida 501st (a large group that goes to great lengths to reproduce costumes and what not from the entire Star Wars saga).
I think that we have had our fill of the Hollywood Studios for the moment.

West Virginia and such

2008-06-22T17:58:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been awhile but I thought this would be a good way to let all of our friends and family know how we are doing!
The big news right now is that Bevan recently got a new job with a company called SAIC. They are similar to Lockheed Martin in the fact that what they do has military applications. He will be working on training simulations for tanks, helicopters, and other things like that. He starts work there on June 30. And...because Bevan got this job I am now able to quit work and go to school full time. What a HUGE blessing that is!
About 2 weeks ago Bevan went on a high adventure trip with the young men to West Virginia (Bevan is 1st counselor in the YM's presidency). He was able to go white water rafting, cave exploring, and all kinds of other cool things. But that left me alone in Orlando for week, which was a bummer. But I kept myself busy by finally putting together our wedding scrapbook. I must say that now that it's done it looks pretty good. Part of the time Bevan was gone I went and stayed in Kissimmee with my family. It was fun to just hang out with them for a few days.
I knew I would miss Bevan while he was gone but I didn't realize how much I would miss him. Bevan called me everyday while he was gone, which was nice. He did say that I didn't sound like my usual cherry self while he was gone. I think it's a little understandable. It was like a part of me was gone for a week.
But, that week only increased my testimony and gratitude for the temple and the fact that Bevan and I are sealed. Being apart from Bevan for a week was hard enough, but I would not be able to bear an eternity without him.