Together Forever.

Houston Temple

Ethan kept saying that he wanted to go inside because Jesus was there. :)

I am so excited for the day to come when we will be able to take him inside such a special place.

My sweetheart.

Riley Enjoying himself in his ride.

Riley was having a good time.

Ethan of course loved the water, but I was trying to help his understand that we shouldn't be swimming in the water fountain.

When we pulled up to the Temple, I said Ethan look where are we, and he knew exactly where we were! "ITS THE TEMPLE MOM!!" it melts my heart that he can say he wants to see angel Moroni.

I'm such a lucky girl to have such an amazing husband. I wouldn't and couldn't ask for a greater father and husband for our family. Im so thankful for the blessing he is in my life, and that I get the blessing of being with him for eternity.

He is a goof ball, but how can you not laugh at this silly little boy.?. YOU JUST DO IT!

My pride and joy.

I couldn't have asked for a better ending to our Saturday night. We had planned on going to our ward luau party tonight, but the kids had fallen asleep and when I say kids I mean ALL THREE OF THEM including myself so FOUR kids were sleeping... When I woke up it was 5 and that was the time it started. I started to panic because I had made a potato salad to take and we were LATE! LATE! LATE!

Long story short Layne didn't want to wake us up ha ha. He has been so busy and we have been on the go so much that today was a day we all were just being totally LAZY, and it felt great!

We ended up going and getting the kids some shoes because poor Riley has ONE pair that fit him and they are looking very... WORN and UGLY, soooo we finally went and got him some NEW ones! :)

On our little outing we thought we would drive around and look at some neighborhoods that we would like to look for a house in... lets just say our taste is out of our price range. :) So on our

way home I wanted to stop at the Temple because we pretty much were driving right by it. When we pulled up to the temple Ethan's eyes got so big and he was so excited that we were at the Temple. He kept saying that he wanted to go in. So we explained to him that when he gets older he will get to go as long as he is obedient to Heavenly Father and his parents ;)

Even though we explained this to him... he still kept walking towards the front doors saying that he wanted to go in because Jesus was there. When he said that it made my heart melt and thank my Heavenly Father for the first time for such an observant little boy. :)

We walked around and Ethan loved the water fountain and I had to make sure he wasn't going to jump in and take a swim. Riley loved the flowers when I pushed him around close enough he could just drag his little hands over them. I was surprised that he didn't try to yank on them... he just wanted to feel them and so I let him.

Mason of course was a sleep.

While we were there I couldn't help but feel the Spirit so strongly. Being able to see all of my boys and my husband there... even just outside I thought... this is heaven... this is what we are all working so hard to have in the end...

Every day we are blessed with the chance to have a little bit of heaven on this earth when we are all together as a family... it made my chest burn and I had to keep myself from crying. While I stood there I began to think about a few families that have lost their little children in one way or another... all too soon in this life. I began to feel a loss for them as I looked at my sweet little boys. I felt almost guilty that I was able to walk up to my little boys and hug them, kiss them, and just breath in their scent. To SEE them there at the Temple made a moment in my heart Ill never forget. I am so grateful for the chance that we all have to live forever with our families... to have them for always. I always keep those families in my heart and every time I hug my boys I for whatever reason think of them and I take just one more second or two to soak them in, to enjoy that moment a little longer for them. I don't know if that sounds crazy... but I keep them in my heart all the time and pray for them always.

I know that families can be together forever. And I want to live everyday working for that special gift and promise out Savior and our Heavenly Father have promised us.

I'm Thankful for my family and couldn't ever say that my Father in heaven didn't love me... because when you love with all your heart... you are given the greatest of gifts...

Look a likes...

Can you tell who is who?

Things that make us smile....

These are some of our awesome friends that we went to the Astros vs Nationals baseball game.

Astros 3 Nationals 2!

This is what Layne does when we go out...

BUSY WORKING!

Ethan sure loves to help and he was very persistent that I let him help and feed Riley.

And of course being a GREAT BIG BROTHER. He sure loves his little brothers.

Mason's Blessing

Mason was blessed on July 3rd by Layne in our Ward here in Houston. As I always say I couldn't believe that we were blessing our 3rd little boy. Layne did such an Amazing job with his blessing ,and even though I had the other 2 boys being little farts while he was blessing him I still was able to feel the spirit. Layne told me after the blessing that right after he said his name Mason let off a nice loud fart. He said that he was surprised that no one in the congregation heard it because the mic was so close. So only the men standing in the circle had a good little chuckle while they were waiting for Layne to go on with the blessing. Mason didn't cry or make a fuss during his blessing and that helped my crazy mind.

Mason is such a sweet little boy and it turning into such a handsome one. I think every day he gets more adorable, and his double chin gets bigger. :) My boys never stay little for long, they bulk up pretty fast.

After Church.... "YAY I DID IT!!!"

Before Church.

I am so thankful for the blessings I have been given in my life. 3 Sweet little boys that will grow up to be such amazing young men. I can't thank the Lord enough for them in my life. Even though they keep me going 24/7 they help me grow in more way then I ever thought possible, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Im also thankful for my wonderful husband that will be such an great example to all three of them. I know he questions himself, but I know with out a doubt what a wonderful father he is and will be. He has had wonderful examples. Im thankful for the blessings that he brings into our home as a priesthood holder and what joy and happiness the priesthood brings as well.

MY BABIES

Riley was laying almost on him but of course I couldn't get that picture fast enough.

My 2 little babies are growing up so fast. When I look at Riley I think that he should still be Mason size!

Sometimes it makes me so sad to look at him and how big he is already, I feel like I missed out on his first year for some reason. But I sure am enjoying every moment I can with him. He is my cuddle bug. He isn't talking but his own language. :) But he sure does have a high pitched squill on him... its one of those high pitched sounds that you think is coming from some horror movies, BUT at the same time he has a very deep voice and like I say he has Layne's range. Not only is he walking but he is running. He has such a fun personality and is such a blessing in our home we love him so much and cant wait for his little brother to tag along with him and Ethan, they all are such amazing little boys and will be great Young men some day.

Riley is already ONE and more.

RILEY IS ONE I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WELL RIGHT NOW HE IS A LITTLE OVER ONE BUT THAT IS BECAUSE i'M SLOW GETTING ON THIS. WE HAD A NICE RELAXING DAY AND JUST ENJOYED THE DAY. RILEY IS ENJOYING HIS ICE CREAM CAKE FROM COLDSTONE. IT WAS QUIET YUMMY.

ETHAN LOVED RILEY'S BALLOONS, I HAD TO REMIND HIM A FEW TIMES THAT THEY WERE NOT HIS BUT THAT RILEY WOULD SHARE WITH HIM... AND WE STILL HAVE THAT CLEAR BALLOON FLOATING AROUND WHERE EVER RILEY DECIDES TO WONDER.

OPENING HIS GIFTS

GRANDMA AND GRANDPA BOWEN CALLED HIM ON SKYPE AND ETHAN AND RILEY THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY NEAT.

HANDSOME LITTLE STINKER. I SURE DO LOVE HIM. IT MAKES ME SO SAD TO THINK THAT HE IS NOT A BABY ANYMORE, BUT I OF COURSE STILL TREAT HIM LIKE ONE.

BROTHERLY LOVE NOT VERY OFTEN DO I GET A PICTURE OF ALL THREE BOYS TOGETHER.

lAYNES FATHERS DAY GIFT.

LITTLE MASON IS GROWING UP SO QUICKLY, I AM CLEANING OUT CLOTHES AND I STARTED CRYING THE OTHER DAY BECAUSE MASON WAS ALREADY OUT OF HIS NEWBORN CLOTHES. I GUESS IM SO USED TO KNOWING THAT IM THERE IS ANOTHER LITTLE SOON IT NEVER BOTHERED ME TOO MUCH. BUT NOW THAT I KNOW WE ARE DONE FOR A WHILE OR FOR GOOD ITS KINDA SAD.

1.5 MONTHS OLD

Moving Forward

Gosh it's been a long while since I have posted, but I have a good reason. .. LIFE.
I have had a whirl wind of events and enjoyed them all, mostly because they included the people I love the most, My family.

As life goes in the forward motion I find myself some days struggling to get out of bed, new babies do that to parents for a short time for some. My boys are growing as all kids do, and with that comes so much joy and sometimes sadness... not sad because I have them but sad because I see how quickly my life is going and how quickly my boys are getting older. It gives me a daily reminder what is most important in life and that is Family, and working to be closer to God every second of every day so that what he has promised us will be there in the end of THIS life.
My father in law is a great man and I am so blessed to have his council in my life. I want to thank him for the Sunday talk he gave to us. It really stuck to me when he said that we shouldn't worry so much about the economy, money and all the temporary things of this life ... what we need to do is make sure that we are getting as close to our Heavenly Father as we can, that is what is most important.
These are not his exact words but close to what he was trying to get across to us. It made me stop and really think about all that I worry about... is that one of my daily worries? Am I working my hardest to become closer to my Savior in my life? Am I being and example to not only my children but those who know me? I believe that we should stress the importance of becoming closer to our Savior more then anything else in this life. Doing this does not lead to a dead end but to a road that will bring happiness and eternity with our families. These questions I sadly have to answer honestly with a "No"... I know I am far from perfect and that is why I SHOULD be doing all I can daily to become closer to God so that my children can see the joy it brings into your life and the strength it gives you when hard times come your way.
I know that in our home we try... but I don't always do a very good job. There are days I KNOW if I would have let the spirit guide me instead of being hard headed I could have avoided a fight with my husband, a moment of impatience with the kids and it getting the best of me. My list goes on. But I know which direction I want to go and that is to keep moving forward.

I'm thankful for my families and for the chance I have been given to be apart of all the wonderful craziness both bring to the table. I love you all and thanks for showing me how beautiful life is with family.

*.* Mason Tyler Bowen *.*

Mason Tyler Bowen

Born April 26th 2011 at 4:15 pm
6 Lbs 11oz

Well we would like to welcome out new little one into the family! Mason was in a hurry to get... of course with some help from the doctor. Here is the little run down of the day he got here.

I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday the 26th for my weekly visits to check on the status of Mason. After checking me she said that she wanted me to go up to the Labor and Delivery to be monitored and if I was having any contractions then she was going to break my water and get the little man here.

I was a little skeptical at first because I hadn't had contractions that were painful enough to even make me stop and wonder if I was in Labor. So Layne and I went up there and they hooked me up. (surprisingly, I started feeling them which I think was from her checking me.) After about an hour the nurse finally came in and said well I let your doctor know whats going on and she said to admit you and get you ready so she can come up and get you going. I just looked at Layne and he said "Sounds good! Lets go!" :) All I was thinking was "FINALLY!!" So we walked to the delivery room where they hooked me up and did all that fun stuff with needles and such.

A little bit later I started to wonder if I was just going to sit in that bed all day when finally the anesthesiologist came in, and normally I have a good sense about people... well my thoughts were right on with this guy... I was ready to have my epidural and enjoy what was left of my labor... Long story short on this part I felt more while he was putting in the line then I ever did the Ethan and Riley and the ending results ended up in me only feeling contractions on the left side of my stomach... I could still move my feet no numbness at all and to top it off I had the worst back ache. Even though it hurt like the dickens it was awesome (now that its over) to feel it all. Weird I know.

Before they did my epidural my doctor came in at 3pm and broke my water about 15 minutes later the guy came in to be a complete waste of my time and money... I say this much enthusiasm.

In the mean time, Layne had run home to go pick the kids up so he could run them to our friends home... while he was there he I had to call him and let him know he better hurry back to the hospital or he was going to miss the show! :) So I guess in the rush out of their house he forgot to leave diapers and the car seat for Riley ha ha. :) Luckily our friend is resourceful! Layne got there just in the nick of time walking/running into the room 30 minutes before Mason finally got here. So two pushes and TAA DAA a baby is born!

Everything went well and Mason and Myself were glad that moment was finally over with. We only stayed one night and came home the next day! Its been great to be home with my boys. Ethan just loves Mason he was so concerned when he came to the hospital and he was crying. I didn't think he would be so excited about his new little brother but he was. He came right up to the bed and peaked up over asking if he could hold Mason! Ethan for sure is full of hugs and kisses and big brother concern for his little brother(s). Riley... well he just knows he likes him... but doesn't know what soft means... So we keep him a little further from his reach when we cant be holding the both of them.

The next day I took Riley to see his doctor and Poor Ethan was so worried... "MOM HE CANT GO TO THE DOCTOR... HE WILL GET A BAND AID!" After a few minutes of letting him know he was going to be JUST FINE he let me get out the door.

It amazes me how fast/slow time goes... now Mason is already 5 days old... still cute as a button, still keeping me up at night. :)

Here are a few pictures for this post.

36 weeks and 2 days

I had a doctors appointment today not expecting anything to really be going on down there... but I'm more then ready to have this baby get here. To my surprise my doctor checked me for the first time and said that I was dilated to a 4 and 50% e-faced, she said she was concerned that I wasn't feeling my contractions, but in all reality I have been feeling them they just haven't been anything to catch much of my attention to become concerned... so I had to go get a NST and of course that was just fine. Baby is great and moving LOTS and I'm feeling fine other then the normal aches and pains at the end of a pregnancy. So I'm hoping that at the end of this week little Mason will be here cause I know Ill be more then ready to end this being with child phase.
:)
WISH US LUCK!

My moment

I was sitting on my living room floor just taking in all the craziness that has made my life... and it made me smile. I have found myself taken back when I just sit for a moment and breath while my 2 boys are playing, crying, laughing, sleeping, or sitting next to me looking at me for an answer or a simple moment of a mothers love. These moments make tears fall from my eyes that burn from few hours of sleep and fill me with the greatest joy and happiness that only comes from being a mother. It amazes me how happy my children can make me when I feel as if my world is falling apart, or I'm just so worn down I cant give any more... but a smile, I love you, or the sweet laughter of my children gives me reason to get up and keep going, to look at all that is wrong and look at the things that make life beautiful.

I am thankful for the chance that I have been given to bring healthy little boys into this world and try to teach them the ways that will make my Heavenly Father happy and proud. I'm thankful for a husband that has more strength, is more forgiving then anyone truly knows... He has been my saving grace. I know the Lord saved him just for me and my boys, he loves with all his heart not just enough but more then enough.

I pray for these moments at times I feel I need an extra push, and even just to have that close moment with my sweet boys. I'm excited to have another little boy running around driving me crazy, making me wonder if I am EVER going to get the laundry or dishes done, and going to the store more then I need to because they have already gone through 6 gallons of milk before the end of the week has gotten here. When people think I have my hands full or will I already know that, my hands will be full... full of life, love, joy, and I'm sure many gross things. BUT the Lord has picked ME as their mother to raise these 3 sweet boys that will forever belong to me. For that I am eternally grateful.