A 2015 Update

It is April. A lot has happened the past year. So I won't bore you with a whole list of things. Just a few things...maybe.

1) Medical School

Yes, Cameron is already in his last quarter of his first year and let me tell you, he ROCKS! If               you know Cameron you know how amazing he is with his studies,and medical school is just another walk in the park for him....kind of. More like a run in the park, or sprint. But you get what I mean.
For example, he told me that what he learned in one semester (16 weeks) at BYU, he learned in 1-2 weeks in medical school. That is how fast it goes, but he is seriously adapting so well each quarter and making us so proud!
We also get many opportunities to visit Cameron at school. We love it. He is at school so much that many times when we go visit him and we are in front of his school Alexa says, " At Daddies house".
Medical school has been a great things for our family. Time has not been so precious to me ,before now. Every minute we get to spend with Cameron makes us soo happy! We ALL appreciate every moment together.

At Daddy's school. 

(Alexa really likes her fox shirt)

2) Our move to Arizona

It is a good thing we grew up in the desert or else we may feel extremely out of place. Yes the summers are CRUEL! But we hardly had to wear jeans during the winter so i'll take it! I think there is only 3 seasons in Arizona ( or two ). Spring, HEAT, and Fall. Winter is a joke here.

However, we have been here since August and so far, we love it! Don't ask us why because we don't know why. Maybe it's the year around sandals? I don't know. We also have a new Temple only 15 minutes from us. How awesome is that?! The Phoenix Temple. It's Gorgeous!

3) NAVY!

Although Cameron was commissioned before we left CA, we are now receiving the benefits of him being in the Navy and we couldn't be more grateful for it. EVERYTHING that Cameron need's for school is paid for: Books, materials, anything that is required for him to have. So cool. We never have to worry about money anymore. So grateful for this country!!!

4) Evalyn turns 1!

Whaaat? 1?! I know! That little girl is so amazing. It was so obvious why I needed her now in my life. She is so full of love.
Some milestones at one:

-Says: mama, dad, dog, di (houdini), ball, me, p ( when singing the ABC's)
- dances to all music
-feisty!
-pulls herself up
-flirts with the idea of standing alone
-shy when first approached
-loves being outside
-Now sleeps in the same room with her sister
-extremely attached to me
-Loves babies
-She laughs at the pictures when you read to her
-Very easily amused
-Loves to snuggle
Just a sweet little girl!

She hasn't decided to walk alone yet, but she is getting close! She walks while pushing things around the house so pretty soon we will have a runner and life will be interesting.








5) Alexa

She is such a great little girl. She has her ups and downs , but by the end of the day when I reflect on her behavior I realize she is just a great helper and so sweet. She is so gentle most of the time; she recognizes the various situations that call for that gentle manner. She loves reading books and learning about new stories. Her favorite right now is " Are You My Mother" by P.D. Eastman. That girl has just about every page memorized. She reads it to me a few times a day. We also love the Dr. Suess stuff like "The Cat in the Hat" and  "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Go Dog Go" by P.D. Eastman. This girl is so smart. Sometimes too smart. She always throws back comments to Cameron and I like " Don't talk to me like that" or " You need to be nice to Ayesa (Alexa)". And she has started calling Cameron by 'Cameron' when she is scolding him haha My favorite Alexa  moment happened at church a few weeks ago. Cameron was telling her to stop doing something she said " Stop freaking out, okay?" haha She makes it so hard to discipline her. The things she says is just hilarious. She is only 2! haha

It is so hard to not compare my girls, and when I don't, I get to see just how remarkable they both are in their own way.

I love being their mommy. They keep me focused. They make me want to be more than mediocre. Everything I do, I literally,do it for them. Being a stay at home mom is my world, and I love it.




6. We CELEBRATED 5 YEARS!

Cameron and I celebrated 5 years of marriage this past February. I cannot believe how fast time is going. Of course we didn't get to do anything extra special but watch Maleficent (my choice). I hope by our 10 year we can go all out and do something extra fun. ( i'd like to think that by then we will BOTH definitely deserve a real couple getaway).

I love my guy. We build each other up, we strengthen one another, and we are truly BFF's! He is a complete nerd, and I love it. We don't get date-nights, but we get moments. We don't have a million things in common, but we have enough. We are far from perfect ( way far ) but our faith in our Savior allows us to be close to one another when life wants to push us away. We are couldn't be more grateful for the life we have been blessed with. So excited for soooo many more years to spend with this man I get to call my husband and eternal companion.


"Marriage is more than your love for each other....In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of generations...In your love you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more than something personal--it is a status, an office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule, that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you together in the sight of God and man...So love comes from you,but marriage from above, from God."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer ( a letter to his niece before her wedding [1953])

Life is good. 

Our new addition!

So many new things have happened that I do not even know where to begin. Our sweet Evalyn Rose was born on April 23rd. She came early in the morning and surprised both Cameron and I. Here is our birth story:

On April 22, a Tuesday, I had been having some 'contractions' early that morning but they felt like nothing more than strong Braxton Hicks. I went to the Doctors around 9:30am and I had a contraction while they were monitoring the Evalyn's heart beat. That was when I found out that pain I had been experiencing off and on for a few days now was the real deal. So when I got home I started timing the contractions. After a few hours I realized my contractions were 1 hour apart. Okay. This meant she would be coming pretty soon! But as not as soon as we had expected her to.

That evening Alexa and I went over to our friend Heather's house and just enjoyed our time outside. I continued to have 1 hour apart contractions.

Earlier that day, jokingly, but only sort of, I told Cameron that it was time for the fresh pineapple ( Fresh pineapple speeds your contractions along...trust me!). So when we got home from our friends we had dinner and for dessert we all enjoyed a little bit of the pineapple. I continued to have contractions, and around 9:00pm my contractions sped up quickly to 10 minutes. Although it was getting exciting that my contractions were getting closer together, I had one problem....I still had to finish a paper for my class.

It was the last week of my course and I still had the whole week to finish. In anticipation, luckily, I finished my final the day before but I still had a paper to write. So that night, instead of trying to get some sleep, I got to do my homework in the middle of my contractions. haha. I finally finished my assignment probably around midnight, still not sure. But after I was done I was finally able to focus on my contractions. I noticed that they were very inconsistent between 4 minutes and 10 minutes apart. So to speed the process along( something I thought I needed to do) I had the rest of the pineapple. That didn't seem to make the contractions consistent, just last longer. They started to be more than an minute.OUCH! I was already looking forward to my epidural.

So around 1am, I told Cameron it was time. Left my Dad in charge of Alexa and we were on our way to the hospital. The entire drive there ( about 20 minutes) I didn't have one contraction. I started getting nervous they would send me back home...home became somewhere I definitely didn't want to be anymore...I wanted that epidural! So we got to the hospital, got out of the car, and WHAM! another contraction. Somehow we got up to labor and delivery and they got me into triage. It was there that I wish I had come maybe an hour earlier. They told me I was already 7cm dilated and probably wouldn't have anytime for an epidural. I was nervous because I knew this was going to be painful....yup. I was right. After they told me that, it was maybe 20 minutes...( seemed like forever) they took me into the delivery room, and within a minute this baby was READY! but I sure wasn't. I think I may have sounded like Sasquatch or a demon even. The epidural did not arrive, but with MAYBE 2 minutes( possibly less) I was able to have my sweet Evalyn in my arms. She was born at 2:49 am. It was a crazy delivery, but sooo worth it!
Something I learned from all of this... get to the hospital sooner for the epidural :)

Birth Stories are so fun to hear!

She arrived 7lb 5oz and a perfect 19.75inches.

Evalyn is so lucky to have Alexa as a big sister. She loved her sister from the moment she saw her. 

The picture is of Alexa the exact same age. They look like twins.

When Evalyn was 4 weeks old, we went camping up near Bishop,Ca. It was so much fun spending so much time with family. Something we had missed out on for a few years. 

Just this week we wanted to take Alexa to the beach for the first time...

we stayed an hour. haha

Evalyn was blessed on June 1st.

During the month of May we received some pretty great news for our family.

Cameron was accepted into the Navy.

Yes, he had to be accepted. He applied for a scholarship that will pay for medical school. 

We are so excited! 

In 4 years Cameron will be working as a Navy Doctor :)

Father's Day is in a few days and I just want to wish my dad a Happy Father's Day!!!

Best Dad EVER! 

And now, best GRANDPA ever!

About 6 more weeks until we move our adventures to Arizona...until then we will have more California fun to come. 

Expressions of gratitude

What? Less than 3 weeks?! I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone by...I guess it wasn't quick, but at least it is crazy to think our new addition will be here sooooo SOON! Super excited!
We still have a few things we are wanting to get, but we feel so prepared that she could come now and all would be well!

My entire pregnancy I neglected to take any belly pictures ( not for any reason except just forgetting) so I finally decided to do one this week (37 weeks).

I can say that I will be looking forward to the day when my stomach can breathe again...It is amazing how a baby grows inside of you with such little room! The odd thing is, you forget what it is like to not be so uncomfortable and it's normal- that is until you feel a hole in your stomach after the baby comes out and you again remember what it was like to have your body to yourself...haha...Now that my rambling is done, let's just say I am sooo excited for my little girl to be here with us!

Since it is April, that means there are only a few more months until Cameron starts medical school and we make our transition to Arizona! As a family, we are really looking forward to finally be settled somewhere for at least 4 years. If you have never had to live out of boxes, be grateful. However, we would be ungrateful if we neglected to recognize the blessings we have received and know that we will continue to receive while in this state of 'limbo'.

It is never too late or early to express what you are grateful for :

I have mentioned this before, but I am so grateful that we get to live so close to family! It was something that, as a married couple, we never got the chance to experience. Our visits lasted only a few days to a few weeks tops. We had to rush around and do quick hello's and good-byes. Now being here for months, nearly half a year it has been amazing being able to take our time to create special bonds that never got the chance to form. I love all of my family and I am hoping I can spend time with ALL of them before we head to Arizona in July.

I am extremely grateful that we have been taken care of temporally. What I mean by that is since we are in a transition mode from one school to another, Cameron had to find a way to pay for bills for our family. He is now taking on 3 jobs in order to make it possible, but they still hardly bring in enough income. It is hard to find employment when you can only promise (the most) 6 months commitment.  We had a rough patch from November to almost February where we had no income and we cut our spending by almost 80%! We were down to bare essentials( food and gas really). What a trial that was for our family, but like I said, we have been taken care of soo much!
I know not too many people respect the welfare system in our country, but I also know that it is essential for families like ours to have when times are really rough. Sure, there are talented people out there that can avoid being dependent upon the government to survive, but we just aren't as talented I guess. We are so grateful that our family has been able to have groceries and not have to worry if there will be food for dinner. Yes, I know there are people that abuse the system ( and I have been a critic in the past about it) but there are also people like us who thrive on the opportunity to buy fruits and vegetables!

To add to my gratitude about being able to afford the fruits and vegetables: Since I was diagnosed with the Gestational Diabetes, the only way I have been able to successfully control my glucose has been because of the SNAP program. Being able to buy so many fruits and veggies has helped me to have a variety of different options without buying stuff like chips and junk food to fill me up. I cannot imagine what I would have done if we couldn't afford those important items to help with my GD. Gratitude x's 100!

Since I have brought up my GD, I am also very grateful for our parents who have been willing to watch Alexa while I go to my million weekly appointments! If we were anywhere else it would be extremely difficult for us at this point.

And most importantly, we are soo grateful for everyone who has helped us get to this point. For those who have not judged but truly been there to lift us and try to get us on our feet again. It means the world to know that even in dark times in your life, there will always be those that help you see the light at the end of the tunnel just a little better.

The tunnel thought made me want to put this picture up....

We went to the zoo and travel town today and I loved this picture so much I felt like it needed a caption or something with it. I love these girls :) They are cousins and getting to such a sweet age. I look at this picture and it is just a reminder of the beauty life is, even in simple moments such as this one. There is no room for hate, envy, or anything else that brings negativity especially when there is so much love that can be shared instead. Oh, what children can teach us :)

32 weeks!!!

It's March and there have been many adventures that we haven't been able to share on the blog. SO instead of playing catch-up, lets just talk about what's going on right now in our crazy Brassfield adventures!

The Biggest Event at this point is anticipating the arrival of our newest addition to the family...Baby GIRL#2!
We were so excited when we found out that this little human growing inside of me was a girl. We were hoping Alexa would be able to have a little sister close in age. The Lord was really looking out for us too since many of the things we have are pink and not very gender neutral. It is saving us money while we continue to prepare for medical school.

Upon finding out the gender, we also found out that this pregnancy I have Gestational Diabetes. What a kick in the face that was for me. At first I felt as though I had messed up somewhere along the way, but I soon reminded myself that it just happens with some pregnancies. I do feel as though this was an eye opener to helping me take care of my body a little better. Ever since I was diagnosed I have been feeling amazing and eating great! My glucose levels have been perfect and I am so grateful that we have the technology today that helps us in every little way possible.

I also started school once again to finish my bachelors! I am attending APUS and so far I am really enjoying it. It took me about 6 months to get registered and started( I kept having to push back my start date). However, I am so happily I am finally on the track to finish my degree! It may take me 4 years to do it ( the length of Cameron in Medical School) but I know it will be sooo worth it! Plus it means a little bit more loans for us to survive off of too. That helps A LOT!

Cameron has been trying to work like a mad man, but unfortunately nobody is interested in him because he can't commit to a long period of time since we are leaving in July. So he has taken every possible random job her can, from tutoring, delivering flowers, wiring schools, and working at a golf course. I am sure I am missing more on that list, but he has been so incredible at trying his best to get us what we need.

I have actually been working on learning new skills and one new skill I am getting more comfortable with is crocheting!

These are all some of the recent ones I have done. Being in school now I have much less time to get to them, but it's really fun knowing that I can create with a needle and yarn :) It is getting too warm now for this attire, but if ever you are interested I would charge $8 for ear warmers and $12 for basic hats ( plus $2.50 for shipping). I have a lot of fun making them too!

Well, only 8 more weeks left until Baby Brassfield #2 is coming! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone.I feel like there are so many things that we still need ( or that I wish I had) but in our situation we couldn't afford it at this point. However, it is so wonderful to know that we have most of the basics and will also have loving family members around to help us transition when the baby is here. We still have no clue what we will name her, but it sure is fun searching for names knowing that one of those names will be our baby girls'.