Nixon Banks Shumway

Baby Nixon Banks Shumway was born yesterday at 5pm weighing 8lbs and 7 ounces. He is the most perfect human being in the world. I just love him and can’t get enough of him. I use to think that newborns can sometimes be kind of strange looking, but not this baby. He is perfect.

Crazy enough, Dr. Guzman let Alan deliver Nixon. I am not even kidding. Dr. Guzman has delivered all of Rachel’s babies and Rachel just loves Dr. Guzman and he has become a really good friend to her and Alan. So anyways, Alan was right there doing everything he was told as the doctor was just leaning over him directing him in what to do. I did attend the delivery and it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. When I started to see his head, I didn’t quite know it was the head and then all of a sudden, his head just popped out and then his shoulders and this tiny human. It was so amazing. At first it was a little strange seeing my sister this way (I am not going to lie) but then I thought…well that is going to be me someday so oh well.

He is trying to be very modest in showing that he is indeed a little boy…

This is Dr. Guzman. I didn’t picture him to be so young looking. He was telling us that he delivers about 45 babies a month and has been practicing for almost 8 years. You do the math…

Bonding time with his favorite aunt…

I have to say this was one of my favorite parts of my whole experience. Baby Nixon is having his ABR hearing test. It is his Auditory Brainstem Response which basically measures responses from the hearing nerves and the brain. I have seen this on video in some of my classes so it was fun for me to watch in person.

It was fun to see Kaden and Jack’s response when they saw the baby. And here is the cutest video of Kaden with Nixon.

Book/ Movie Review

I finished reading this about a month ago and I didn't like it nearly as much as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" (as Melissa agrees with as well) but I thought it was a good read.  Quite disturbing at some parts, that I wasn't quite prepared for, but I kept reading because of the factual information it provided and I had to know how it ended.  Obviously it is fiction but it gives a great background of what it really is like in Afghanistan.  I wanted to reach through the pages a few times and strangle the main character for his stupidity but it was still good.  

This is probably the best book I have read in a really long time. It is so easy to read and follow and it really opened my eyes to how women are treated in the middle east. I really enjoyed Miriam and Laila and the character development.  They were so strong and I loved Laila's independent spirit.  I felt for both women through the entire book and just wanted justice for them and the horrible Rasheed they had to put up with.  What an idiot!  I love the love story between Tariq and Laila and I won't say anymore but you must read it.  It doesn't happen very often that I want a book made into a movie but I will make a definite exception for this one.  

Steven and I went and saw "Amelia" on Friday night.  I was really excited to see it and Steven was just being a good boyfriend, but I may have got my hopes up a little too much.  I think Hilary Swank is an incredible actress but it was soooo slow and it seemed like it just dragged.  But what was I really expecting??  And I had no idea that Amelia Earhart was such a legend and so famous.  She was the most famous women in the country for a really long time.  You can see through the movie that she was a very assertive and a "no nonsense, get out of my way" type of women.  But I guess you would have to be if you want to be the first woman to fly around the world.  And I had no idea that the U.S. Government conducted the largest search in history when she and her navigator vanished somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.  Don't let me discourage you...but I would wait until the dollar theater or DVD.

And I just had to post this cute picture of our firefighter and Harley Davidson biker.  Baby Shumway still has not made an entrance but Rachel is going into the hospital tomorrow night at 9pm to be induced if he doesn't come on his own before then. So I will have pictures up very soon of the new baby.  

I take the GRE on Saturday...I am so over it...

Steven and I didn't dress up for Halloween but I told him if we get married, next year we have to be Anderson Cooper and a news anchor because I think Steven kind of resembles Anderson Cooper.  Why didn't' I think of that before Saturday night at like 9pm??  Duh...Oh well.  It would have been so funny.

Fall Break Trip

My Mom and I flew to California last Friday to visit my cousin Katrina and her cute family and her new little baby Krislynn.  It was so nice to get away. I went to California every summer for like 7 years and it just feels like another home when I go visit my aunt and uncle and cousins.

This is Katrina's oldest Lizzie and she is a carbon copy of Katrina.  It is amazing!!

Katrina, Lizzie and David

My Mom and I went to the BYU vs San Diego game.  It has been forever since my Mom has been to a game.  Steven was originally going to come up and go with me but his school and work has been so, so hectic so he let me and my Mom have the tickets.  And the tickets were amazing.  This is me and my Mom taking the elevator down to the field level seats.  

Katrina and I

My cute little cousin Sierra

And then we flew to Salt Lake to stay with my Grandma in Draper for a few days.  I just think Utah is so pretty and I forget how much I love the mountains.  But I love this picture because it was raining outside and my Grandma is so funny about not getting her wig wet and forgot she had this on while we were walking around the grocery store.  I just had to take a picture.

On Tuesday we went up to Salt Lake and went to Trolley Square.  We would go every summer when I was a little girl to visit my grandparents and get the taffy and eat at The Spaghetti Factory so we did it again for good ol' times sake.  We also went up to the Conference Center and I took so many pictures.  You would have thought it was my first time or something.  

That night I went to eat at Cheesecake Factory with Kelli, Jo, Code and Lena.  This is Sydney, Jo's daughter.  She is so cute and was such a charmer with the camera.  I am loving the headband!

On Wednesday we went up to Ogden and went to my Grandpa's grave site and had lunch with my Mom's friend Trisha and her 2 daughters.  I haven't seen them since I was 16 so it was fun to see them.  

I was able to go up to Provo all day on Thursday and visit some friends.  I do have to say that it was sooo nice to be there and not have to do anything. No class, no homework, no job, no walking up to campus, no long hours, it was great.  

I went to Bajios that night with some of Steven's family.  Here is his sweet Mom, his sister Danelle, and cute little nephew Evan. How could you not love this face??  

This is Steven's nephew Parker and he got tired of the spoon and began scooping his soup with his hand. I thought it was hilarious. He was just going to town!

Laura (Steven's sister-in-law) and daughter Autumn

It was a very fun trip and just good to be with my Mom and family.  By the time I got home, it felt like I had been gone for like a month.  Vacations are great but sometimes hard for me because it throws me out of my normal routine and schedule but I am happy that I was able to take a week off with my Mom.  


Now back to normal life...

P.S. Sorry for the picture overload

Stekah Day

Stacie and I had our first annual “Stekah Day”.  That is the combination of Bekah and Stacie in case you were confused.  It is Fall Break for Mesa Public Schools and Stacie had the day off and I don’t do any speech stuff on Mondays and decided to give myself a day off too and not go into my parent’s office.   It was an excellent decision.  It is a tough life I know…

It started out with the movie “Fame”.  I thought it was really good and soooo entertaining.  It is amazing how talented all these actors are and the guy in the movie that sings and plays the piano…well I will just let you see it for yourself.  And he is like 18 but whatever.  And I just became aware Sunday that “Fame” was a movie a long time and then became a TV show.  The first movie was R but this version is really clean I guess compared to the first thank goodness.  But I really liked it.

Then we did a little shopping and I found 2 pairs of jeans at American Eagle that fit perfectly.  Finding good jeans can be so hard, so I am super happy to have finally found good fitting jeans.  They are well worth the $ if you know what I mean.  And Stacie found some sweaters and jeans at GAP.  It is funny because I will like this super cute coat and Stacie will say, “That is totally Bekah” and then Stacie will buy her sweaters and I will say, “that is totally Stacie”.  I love how we all have such different taste in clothes but it fits that person so well.

We then went and ate at a place called Sauce.  It has pizzas and salads and sandwiches and we shared a salad and pizza and it was delicious.  I think I might have eaten 5 out of the 8 slices of pizza.  I hadn’t eaten in like 20 hours so I was pretty hungry.  I think Stacie and I will be eating at Sauce again sometime in the future.

So you can see that our first annual “Stekah Day” was a success.  Thank you Stacie…It was a excellent day.

Yes Please

Yes Please…to the above.  I will be saving my pennies for these dresses even though the girl’s stance in the second picture is a little strange.  Anyhow, I am very excited about these future purchases.

Yes Please to Arizona winters…when I went running yesterday morning, it was 57 degrees and it was perfect.  A little chilly starting out, but when you are done and sweating and gross, you still feel great only because it is not 110 degrees at 7am.  Thank you Arizona for allowing us to workout outside in your beautiful October-April months.

 Yes please…to November 7^th because that means I will be done with the GRE and my new nephew Nixon will have made his entrance into this world…crying and screaming…but I have to say that is quite the entrance.

Yes please to these 2 movies that I will be seeing in the next couple of weeks. 

Yes please to a much needed vacation to California and Utah with mi madre.

Yes please to this Weekend...my mom and I are making dinner for my brother's homecoming group for Saturday night and I am going on a date with a really cute guy who's name starts wtih K and rhymes with teeth.  Even though he will be working on feet someday...

Yes please...