Baby Brecken

This is the story of how you got your name 

For a long time, Garrett and I couldn't decide on names for boys. We both knew even before we found out the gender of our baby that he was a boy. Call us crazy, but that is just what we both felt. So from the beginning of the pregnancy, we started discussing boy names, we liked the name Logan, but we were not 100% sold on it. We went back and forth trying to decided on a name for a while. Back in July, for my birthday, we went to Breckenridge, CO for a marriage retreat weekend and had been discussing names. I am the kind of girl who likes names that are not common, but that are not over the edge crazy either! So as we were coming down the mountain on the ski lift from ridding something similar to the alpine slide, Garrett asked, "Tami, what about the name Brecken?" I thought about it for a second and decided that I didn't exactly hate it. From that point on we never really discussed the name Logan anymore. Garrett was set on naming him Brecken and I still was trying to decided if that is what I wanted for his name. After contemplating over his name for several months, one night while Garrett was blessing the dinner, in the middle of the prayer, he said, "bless Brecken that he will grow strong and no complications will occur." Garrett normally would say bless the baby, but this night he called him Brecken. And it was at that exact point when

I knew that his name would be Brecken.

Now as far as middle names for you, we are still trying to figure that out.

Right now I like:

Brecken Garrett, Brecken William & Brecken Dallas.

So stay tuned for future updates on what we decide for his middle name.

Till then, enjoy some pics of my weekend birthday get away, in Breckenridge, CO. It's a beautiful there!

 Look at me, I am 23!



Me & my love! Thanks for a great birthday G.

BEAUTIFUL!!! We both feel in love with Breckenridge and how wonderful it is up there. This will definitely be a trip, we both never forget!

The baby bump and lots more

Barley starting to show!



It's getting a little bigger!

 Over night my bump got bigger!

 I let my preschoolers use my bump to make a jack-o-latern!

 How much bigger can I possibly get?

Holy Prego!!!

Oh boy, were having a BOY!!!!

We are so thrilled to have another addition to our family, and now that we for sure no it's a boy, we are preparing for him to come! Last weekend, my mom came and visited and we made burp clothes, blankets, and a cute little hat for our little boy. Everything turned out so cute and we can't wait for him to come use it.

So we haven't really decided on names yet. We both like Logan and Brecken, but not really sure which one it will be. I guess we will have to wait for this little guy to arrive to determine what name he looks like more. Each day, I am getting a little bit bigger and it's getting a little bit harder to get up, because this baby tummy is in the way.

Since I am 22 weeks the baby moves a lot, but he has moved a lot from 14 weeks. At first it was little flutters and now I am feeling movements more throughout the day, and mostly when I am trying to fall asleep. Garrett can finally feel the babies movements too and it's such a sweet moment having him experience that. Every ultrasound we've had the doctor always mentions that he moves a lot. This doesn't shock me one bit! This baby boy is exactly like his father and won't hold still. So when we went in for our last check up to determine the gender the baby was moving all over. It was such a cool experience to watch Garrett look at the screen and see his eyes light up as he saw our baby move like crazy. I think that was the moment that Garrett finally realized that I am not just getting fat and that their is actually something growing inside of me!

Baby bump & Ultra sounds pics coming soon....

A toast for new adventures!

Towards the end of May, we said our goodbyes to Arizona and began our new adventures in Colorado. We are currently renting a 3 bedroom home and are loving life. I am teaching preschool three days a week out of my home, and am 2nd counselor in the Young Women's. Garrett is working a ton and is also the assistant scout Master. So we are both  very busy, and were about to become even more busy.

We are having a baby!!! We found out in June that were expecting a little one in February, the month of love! We couldn't be more excited about this new bundled of joy that will be here soon. We told our families in August and we found out yesterday, that in just three weeks we will find out if it is a little girl or boy. I feel like it's a boy, and Garrett does too. So I guess keep reading for gender updates!

The good old south and some yummy cookin

Where do I start??? So much has happened in our lives since I last blogged. So I am going to sum it up, and post a ton a pics, because I have a ton a pics to show off :)

Garrett Graduated from BCT and AIT in May, so I flew out to Kentucky to see him graduate. It was such a cool experience to see all he's accomplished in just a few months and see all the new changes that the military has brought. I must say I am a proud Army Wife!!

After spending a few days in Kentucky, seeing caves, visiting kangaroo parks, eating delicious BBQ and spending time with his mom and dad. It was time to continue our trip onwards to Nashville, TN. Before we arrived in Nashville, we stayed one night at a beautiful bed and breakfast. It was an old fashion house that was perfect in every way, the best part was our room. We had the coolest claw foot tub in our room and our room over looked a beautiful Garden. So stunning and the perfect atmosphere for spending time with each other and catching up.

The next day, we headed into Nashville. For those of you that don't know. Garrett and I are huge country music fans. That's honestly all we listen to, so not going to Nashville, when we were only 2 hours away would be absolutely crazy. We had so much fun seeing all the old historical sites. And visited mansions like crazy. In one of the pics I will post you will see the mansion that the music video, " If I die young", written by The Band Perry was filmed in. Such a cool experience! Nashville was a blast and we loved every second there viewing everything.

Graduation day. Yeah, I'm so glad it's all over with :)

We had to stop, so Garrett could take a picture with this road sign! look real close and you will see why.

Right after we exited Mamoth Cave. The biggest cave system in US. Very cool inside!

Were about to enter the cave. We took the lantern tour and it was very dark!

The beginning of the cave

Need I say more! This house is breath taking!

This is the mansion that the Band Perry, filmed their music video, "If I die young." We accidentally came across it by messing around on our GPS. When we drove up to the mansion the whole parking lot was filled with cars. We thought that it must be like a museum and we could go inside and look. When we got inside it was crowded with people, everyone was dressed all nice and drinking wine and cheese. Later we found out that a fundraiser was being held inside, because they asked us if we wanted to donate any money. This was a very rich southern benefit, the guests were donating tons of money. We felt so out of place, but it was so cool to see everything. Later we found out that a famous country girl with blonde hair filmed a music video at this mansion. I thought for sure it was Taylor Swift and this was where love story was filmed, but I was wrong and discovered it was Band Perry.

This pic was taken on the General Jackson show boat. We ate dinner on this boat and was entertained by some country singers while floating down the river.

I really wanted that Pink Guitar!

Andrew Jackson's Mansion

Yes, there are Kangaroo's in Kentucky. Surprising, huh?

This is the old Grand Ol Opry. Such an amazing feeling standing on the same ground where famous country starts like, Johnny cash and June performed.

We loved Nashville!

A Beautiful Disaster

Now some of you might be wondering why I titled this post a "Beautiful Disaster." The whole reasoning behind  my motive is because what I'm going through right now might come across as a disaster. Something only some women can do. My whole perspective on my situation is you can always make something that is disastrous beautiful, it just comes down to a positive outlook on your life and knowing that each day brings something better to the table.

As you all know February is a month based around love. Well this month I have experienced so much love from family, friends and complete strangers. You must be thinking I am crazy that I write complete strangers, right? But before you think I am out of my mind hold your thoughts and let me explain. Both Garrett and I received letters from a church leader in the seventy, expressing his gratitude for Garrett's service and my support while he is away. We were greatly touched and felt the love of the brethren as they expressed their love for us and the sacrifice we are doing for our country.

Another wonderful act of love that was cherished this Valentine season was sent from up north from Garrett's family. The Gabbitas family all got together to make Valentines day cards for Chase (Garrett's little brother), Garrett and myself. As I opened the huge envelope addressed to me from all of my in-laws tears flooded my eyes as I saw several homemade cards and pictures. My heart was touched deeply and  I was very grateful for the sweet act of service that the Gabbitas family did for me. I will never forget the love I felt at that moment!

Thank you Gabbitas family, it made my day :)

Because my husband is away at this time I still had to do a little something to let him know that he is my Valentine. I really couldn't make him a package of goodies or anything because I wasn't sure if it would make it. So I decided to just send him a card. Yes I know, so boring, but the card I found was perfect and I am sure he loved it! My sweet husband of course didn't forget about me and somehow he timed it perfectly that I got 3 handwritten letters from him on Valentines day. It was a great surprise and a valentines day I will never forget. I must confess that even though we were not together to celebrate, we managed and instead of flowers like most girls got, I have letters that will never die and something I can cherish forever!

Now let's get to the good stuff!

Garrett is doing very well and exceeding in all tasks and challenges. Even though he has been gone a month, I am doing well and staying busy. I am learning to sew, training for a 5k that benefits supporting a solider, and crafting and having lots of fun along the way. Life is good. Life is fun and there is nothing better than a surprise around the corner. And that is what I got, I just got word that I am able to see him in March. Oh, I can't wait! Plans are being made and the official count down is on! Graduation, here I come. And then in May, everything is over and hopefully we will be able to move together somewhere cool. I'm very excited for our new adventures together. Stay tuned for new updates and a fun roller coaster ride along the way!

Let the letters begin

I was so excited when I finally received two letters in the mail addressed to me from Garrett.

In his letter he mentioned that he was able to ordained two solders into the Melchizedek Priesthood. He was really excited about that opportunity, and mentioned that one of his favorite things was going to church, because it allowed him to escape the prison he was currently living in. He says that basic is really hard, harder than the mission, but he is loving it. Yes, he has already been yelled at by the drill Sargent's, he says it's impossible not to get yelled at because everyone makes mistakes. He mentioned that in a few weeks there going to experience some really hard stuff, but that he is really excited to do it! So stay tuned to hear all about it.

The count down is on!!

Garrett was able to make one more phone call before he shipped off to basic. Of course I didn't know that and my phone went off at 4:30 AM. I would normally be upset and wondering who is calling at that hour, but since it was Garrett I was happy to hear from him. The only real communication we will have from now on will be through letters. I am sad that I won't be able to hear his voice, but letters are fun too. Our conversation was short, brief and to the point. I could hear the drill sargents yelling in the background and knew we didn't have much time. We were able to exchange I love you's and then the phone clicked off.

I know most of you are thinking how could someone do this? How is Tami handling this? Well I must tell you, I am doing well. In fact, I am amazing. Yes, it is hard that my husband isn't around, but we chose our situation, now we must live with. And the only way to live through this is to be happy, positive, and grateful. My wonderful husband made me promise him that no matter what, I would stay positive, and that I will keep. The situation is what it is, and the best way to keep going each day for me is keeping a positive attitude.

I must add how much the lord is teaching me through all of this. I feel and abundance of peace and comfort surronding me constanly, and I feel the prayers that are in our behalf. Speaking of prayers, I feel a closer relationship with my heavenly father these past few days, I'm grateful for his love for me and the hardships he is helping me overcome. Without his help, I would not be able to get through this.

Well that is all for now. 17 weeks here we come!!!

Swearing in and off he goes!

How come it is so easy to say hello, but so hard to say goodbye?
-Unknown








Here are some pictures of Garrett swearing in. Afterwards, it wasn't goodbye right then. He stayed an additional night in a hotel and left the next morning. Our final goodbye was later that night at the hotel he was staying at. Since then he has had a few phone privelages. It's been great to talk to him. He is not yet at basic, but he has made it to Kentucky. He loves how cold it is there and how beautiful it is too. He mentioned that he can attend church on Sunday, and a few guys asked him what church they should attend if they are christian. His response was the mormon one. His exact words were that he feels like a missionary again, bringing converts to church. Well more news to come as he enters boot camp in the next few days! I will keep you updated ;)

Quick trip up to Utah

Five days before Garrett's ship day, we decided to take one last trip up to Utah to see his brother get married and spend quality time together. The trip was wonderful!