Visit!!

Shawn and Julie came up for a visit and took pictures and videos of Brooklyn. They got some really cute ones and I absolutely LOVE this one. Her expressions and smiles are so much fun!! We can't wait until they're little girl is here!! It'll be so much fun to get the two girls together to play when they get older. It has been so great having them and mom here, it definitely made my first week home with Brooklyn better. It was nice having family around to hold and play with Brooklyn so I could catch up on a little sleep.

Tyson has been home all week too and that has been GREAT! He's been so helpful and I have enjoyed the extra time with him. Brooklyn has been such a good baby, she only wakes up once or twice during the night to eat and she sleeps a ton during the day. She loves to be swaddled nice and tight to sleep as well as during the day! She has been such a blessing to us and we are enjoying every second we spend with her!!

Here's a video of my mom trying to get her to wake up! It took forever, Brooklyn can sleep through anything. Even when she's being passed around from one person to the next. She's our little angel!!!

First Photoshoot

Today Shawn and Julie helped me get some really good photos of Brooklyn. We had so much fun. We put a blanket on my bed, put her down and started taking pictures! She had so many cute pictures that it was really hard to pick which ones to post.

Shawn and Julie came up to get mom since she was here all week helping me with Brooklyn while I recuperated. It was so wonderful having my mom here for a week!! She helped me so much with figuring out how to take care of my new blessing. I'm nervous for her to go home. Being a mom is so much fun. I love getting to hold my beautiful baby girl!!

New Arrival!

So I was asked all day yesterday about if I thought I would have the baby early. I told everyone that the baby hadn't dropped so I assumed she would be late. As we were going to bed I got some pains in my abdomen but it felt like a cramp at first so I tried to get some sleep. I laid there for an hour as the pain got worse and worse. I finally got out of bed and went into the office to look up labor contractions on the Internet. The descriptions that I read sounded a lot like what I was feeling so I woke Tyson up. We called up to the hospital labor and delivery department and asked them when I needed to come in. The nurse that I talked to told me that I should come in when the contractions lasted a minute and were about four minutes apart. She also said that it could be false labor so I needed to take a warm shower. If the pains went away, then it was just false labor. So I got in the shower and the pains didn't go away. By this time, the contractions were 45 seconds long and about 3-4 minutes apart, and when I got out of the shower, they were about a minute long. So we hurried and got dressed and ready to head to the hospital.


Tyson went out and shoveled the walkway and started the car so it would be warm for me when we got in. He is the best husband ever!! We got in and headed to the hospital. It was about 1:00 am when we left and I was admitted by 2:30 or 3:00 am. They let me get in the jacuzzi tub which felt so good during the contractions. I had Tyson call my parents who were surprised by his phone call and they said they would leave when the freeway opened. They left around 8:00 am when the freeways opened back up. After being in the jacuzzi for a while, it started to get too warm and I had a panic attack. Tyson got me out quickly and he took me back to my room. I had not planned on getting an epidural but after the contractions got to be too much to handle, I asked if I could get one. The nurse told me it would take about a half and hour to get it because the person who administered it had to drive up to the hospital. When I heard this, I was so shocked. I was thinking that they could give it to me immediately. I wished I had said something a half hour earlier!! So around 4:30 am I was able to get the epidural, and I must say that it was a lifesaver! The next few hours went much better and around 9:00 am the epidural started to wear off. It wore off on my right side first and then my left. The last hour and a half of labor I had no numbing, which was okay after it was all over with.


Pushing only took about an hour and labor was only about 11 hours long. I was soooo blessed. At 10:52 am this morning, our beautiful Brooklyn was born. She weighs 7 pounds 12 ounces and is 19 inches long.

Brooklyn Jean Coles

Tyson's parents were the first ones up to see us, and my parents and brothers and sister got there around noon. Everyone was so excited to see us. This was the first grandchild on my side and it was the 28th on Tyson's side. Everyone had a lot of fun holding Brooklyn and I had the hardest time staying awake. I was so exhausted from labor and delivery and the extra medicine they gave me when the epidural started to wear off. All in all it was such a wonderful day and we are so proud of our new baby girl!! I am so grateful that Tyson was there through it all and for all of his help. He is the love of my life and I am so glad that we got to bring such a precious baby into this world. We are one happy family!

Canada Trip: Day 3

Today was another day of adventure! We drove up to Calgary to do some site seeing and stay at another motel so we could see more. On the drive up, we saw a few really cool places.

This one is an old fort that they have turned into a gift shop. They would take people around for rides and things. We were going to go on the ride to see inside the fort but they wanted an outrageous amount of money for the tour so we figured pictures of the outside would have to work.

We saw a John Deere dealership on the way up!! It was cool to see one up there! Go John Deere green and yellow!

On the way up we also saw a turn off for the Nakiska, where the XV Winter Olympic Alpine events took place. The poles where all of the country flags are hung were lined up along the driveway. I wish I would have been able to see it when all of the flags were on the poles. What an amazing sight that would have been!!

After this stop, we were able to go to the Canadian Olympic Park. The building had little shops inside and a real bobsled. There were the ski jumps for the events. During the summer months, they turn the ski runs into a bike run. There were a ton of kids going up the chair lifts with their bikes and then speeding down the trails. It looked like they were having a lot of fun. We went to the bobsled track. It is HUGE, a lot bigger than I expected. We walked around the rest of the grounds to see what else was there. They had a huge ropes course. We had so much fun! I didn't realize that there was so much to do in Canada and especially on the way to the cities we had planned to visit before heading up here. 

We finally headed back to our motel, which took us forever to find in the first place, and then went to get something to eat. We headed to a grocery store and found the BEST apples I've ever had. They were Spartan apples and I wish they had them in the states. They were crunchy and just the right amount of tartness and sweetness. I also wish we could bring some back to the states. I'd love to share them with family! We had a busy but great day today!! I can't wait until tomorrow when another adventure begins. 

Canada Trip: Day 2

Today Tyson and I were able to go through a session at the Cardston Temple. It was absolutely wonderful! The weather was beautiful, as was the temple. We started out early this morning so that we could visit other places as well today. The session was great and afterwards, we walked around to see the beautiful grounds that are always kept up so well. We've been wanting to visit this Temple since we got married and were excited to have the opportunity.

We went to the temple visitors center and were able to see pictures of the construction of the temple as well as remodeling that was done. The workers in the visitors center told us a few places that we could go while we were here. They also told us that Simon Dewey lived not too far from the temple. We were excited to hear that because that is Tyson's favorite artist. It would have been cool to have met him.

After going to the temple, we went back to our hotel to change and then headed out for Waterton Lakes National Park. The drive was beautiful and we were able to stop several times to take pictures along the way. The country up here is magnificent. I love the landscape and views as we drive through.

When we got into the national park farther, we found a mountain with a hiking trail. We went to the visitor center at the base of the mountain and looked through some of the brochures. One of them showed a view from the top of Bear's Hump and we decided that it would be a great place to take a look over the area. We started up the hill, and about halfway up I really started to get winded. I guess I didn't think that being 3 months pregnant would have much affect on me, but boy was I wrong. It took us a while to get up to the top but we made it! The view from the top was awe inspiring and took my breath away. We were able to see the towns below and the lakes all around the mountain. It was all worth the tiring hike and I would do it again to have the opportunity to see that view again. 

We descended the mountain and went to see one of the buildings below. It was the Prince of Wales Hotel. There were stairs that went up the front of the building. 

We proceeded through the park to Cameron Lake and Mount Custer. It was raining but we got out and took shelter in the buildings by the lake. The mountain still had snow on it and it was cold but worth it.

We even got the opportunity to see much of the wildlife through the park.

Today was a wonderful day. We were able to see so many things and come to a place we've both been longing to see. I have enjoyed my time in Cardston. I can't wait to be back in a couple days, and I hope we'll be able to come back after the baby is born. It would be so fun to share this with him or her.

I love getting to go on new adventures to places I've never been!!

Canada Trip: Day 1

Today we got to Canada! It was a very long, but beautiful, drive. We left earlier this morning and drove for approximately 9 hours. We stopped a few times along the way in various towns. I slept most of the way due to curvy roads that were making me car sick. We got to the Canadian boarder and handed the boarder officer our passports and answered his questions. Then we were off  to drive to our hotel in Cardston. On our way through Canada, we saw a fence that had hats nailed to each fence post. It was the coolest thing I've seen someone do on a fence and now I regret that we didn't stop to take a picture.

We finally got to our destination and checked into our motel. It was a really nice place and the receptionist that checked us in was so nice.

On our way out of the motel to go do some site seeing, we found this weird bug on the wall outside our door. It looks like a mix between two different bugs.

We then went get dinner and look around town. Such a beautiful city!!

Bahamas Cruise Day 4

We landed back at Miami Port this morning. After we said goodbye to my family we headed to the car rental agency. When we got the car we rented, we headed out for Kimarie and Jason's. We were so excited to see them. We went through many toll booths to get to their house. My favorite exit was the one to Kissimmee. It was a very interesting name for a town.

When we got there, we played games with the girls. Avory was glued to Tyson, which was so cute. I think she really enjoyed getting to see him. We definately had a lot of fun with the whole family, we hadn't seen them since we got married. We aren't looking forward to leaving tomorrow, we've had a lot of fun!

Bahamas Cruise Day 3

Well, today was a let down. The weather was bad so we weren't able to go to the second island. The winds made the water too choppy and the cruise ship was not able to dock. The captain told us over the loud speaker that we would slowly begin our trip back to Florida instead of docking. We were all disappointed but there was nothing we could do. There wasn't a lot to do on the ship so we just sat on the deck and looked out at the ocean and turned on the TV in our rooms to see if there was anything on. We walked around the ship for a little while to keep ourselves busy. It's been a long day but we'll be back to Florida tomorrow and we'll be able to visit Kimarie, Jason and the girls!

We got to see the island we were going to be on and it looked beautiful! Oh how I wish we could have gotten off the ship. I was going crazy being confined to the ship and I was getting more sick as we sailed to Florida.

Eventhough we didn't get to get off at the second island I had fun on the cruise. I don't know that I would go on another one but it was a good vacation. The food was magnificent and all you could eat. We got to try desserts that we wouldn't normally get at a restaurant and we had whatever we wanted.

Awesome Tree in the Middle of Nassau, Bahamas

Bahamas Cruise Day 2

So far the cruise has been fun, although I didn't realize how much the ship can rock. I get motion sick easily so with all of the rocking I decided I definitely needed to start taking the motion sickness pills. They worked wonders!! Whoever thought of them was a genius and my vacation saver. We got to get off the ship today after sailing all day and night yesterday. We got off the ship at Nassau, Bahamas and had a scheduled amount of time that we could explore on the island. It was definitely not long enough. We had to hurry to see the sights that we wanted to so we could get back to the ship on time.

We were able to go to the Atlantis resort and see the huge fish tank that they have there. The walk was long to get there but it was so worth it. We got to see rays, and a variety of fish in the tanks. Inside the resort there was a huge waterfall with shells at the bottom. It was beautiful!

We walked through the resort and ate lunch. There were some really cool lights throughout the inside of the resort. They looked like they were made of colored glass. My favorite one looks like the sun with solar flares all over. I wish we could have stayed longer but we were on a very tight schedule. We had a few more places we wanted to see while on the island and the walk took a lot of time.

After Atlantis, we found a bus cab that was willing to take all 11 of us to our next destination. It cost us a bit but we were able to see everything we wanted to. The bus was crammed but we were all able to stay together.

The next place we went to was the Queen's Staircase. One of the locals was nice enough and told us the history behind the construction of it. He told us that the trench and stairs were cut out of the limestone by slaves, who used picks and other sharp tools. Many of the slaves died as a result of the hard labor. 65 stairs were cut into the limestone. The trench was constructed to help protect Fort Fincastle from enemies. The foliage surrounding the trench was beautiful. There were so many different plant species. The roots of plants covered the walls and trees covered the top of trench, creating a sort of canopy. There were little shops along the walls with items that the locals were trying to sell, jewelry, wooden toys, bags and other trinkets. The local people are very talented at using the resources around them to make beautiful souvenirs.

The local people were all bundled up in coats, hats and gloves due to the 60 degree weather. We thought it was nice weather but they were used to a lot warmer weather and this was almost winter weather to them. I was surprised to see the big coats and gloves but understood once we talked to a couple of the shop owners.

We climbed the staircase to Fort Fincastle, where we were able to get on top and look our at the island. It was such a beautiful sight. We could see all of the foliage and the little towns around the island. We were able to see the cannons they used to protect the island. We also got to see jail cells where they would hold prisoners. The sight was awe inspiring. I was glad we were able to make it to this site. It was all very worth it!! All in all, today was a beautiful day with a lot of sites to see. I can't wait for tomorrow to see what other adventures are in store for us.



Bahamas Cruise Day 1

Tyson and I flew out today. We are on our way to Florida for a cruise to the Bahamas with my family! We got to the Florida airport and caught a bus to an IHOP restaurant for breakfast. The food was delicious and hit the spot after being on the plane for so long. After we ate, we caught a bus to downtown Miami so we could get to the port. We walked around and found a CVS Pharmacy to get razors and a few other items we needed and then we started on our way.

We got to walk through a lot of downtown Miami with our suitcases. We walked past the Miami Heat stadium, which Tyson enjoyed. I wish I would have gotten a picture for him, but I didn't think of it at the time.

We also walked past "The Torch of Friendship" that was dedicated by Miami for our neighboring countries friendship with the United States. It was dedicated in memory of John F. Kennedy and was really cool to get to see. I was very glad that we decided to walk around downtown.

When we got to the bridge that leads over to the port, we found out that there wasn't a way for people to walk to the port. We walked back to an area where we had seen multiple cabs and got one to take us over to the port. WOW cabs are expensive!!

We met up with my family where we had to check in for our cruise. The building was packed with people going on different cruises. We went through security and waited in line to check in. When it was finally our turn, we gave our passports, drivers licences and check in information to the lady behind the desk. I was so excited to get on the ship. I have never been out of the U.S. and I was excited to have the opportunity to explore a beautiful island. We got on board a while later and got settled in our rooms. We got to explore the ship, to see what there was to do while we were on board. We got to see all of the buildings along the coastline as we left the Port of Miami. Some of those homes were huge and there were a lot of office buildings as well.

And we're off on our new adventure...