The Howes Family

Photo-Shoot.

2010-03-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

Becca had the opportunity to do a photo-shoot with an amazing local photographer named Angela Little. Check out here site to see some of the great pictures! www.blessedlittlefamilyphotographer.com

Bloggidge.

2010-03-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I (Becca) should start blogging again. That might be due to the fact that my parents have been nagging me about it for a while now. But we can just pretend that I came to this on my own terms. Regardless of the situation, some blogging needs to be done. For the most part, things are the same in the good old Howes household. I (Becca) am still continuing to pursue my music career by playing shows and writing tons of songs and sending them off to my producers for critique that then allows me to continue writing and getting better and better in the process. Emma is really enjoying dance at the moment. She uses her body as her art. I wish I could do that, but I have to rely on instruments and paper to get my creativity out. Zach is pretty much dead set on becoming a major actor in the near future, so my parents are considering enrolling him in some serious acting classes. Things could start getting interesting here pretty soon. Looks like we've got a family of talent going on. It could just be a hoax. Only time will tell. Gardner likes to express his art and creativity by drawing great pictures for us and dancing naked on the coffee table. He is fairly new to the idea of having to wear underwear and go potty on the toilet. He thought it was interesting at first until he realized it's a lot cooler to never even put pants on throughout the day. Makes the 'potty run' much quicker for him, but the view isn't too great for us. My dad, also known as Dan the Man, is now working in the Emergency Room as a nurse. Yes, he is a male nurse. This makes for lots of medical talk amongst my parents. Dinner time is pretty interesting. You have to learn to eat while hearing words like "mucus", "vomit", and "today I sewed up a... (fill in the blank)". It definitely makes for some interesting dinner conversations. Never a dull moment in the Howes house. So there you have it. A nice update. Time for bed.

Long time, no see!

2009-10-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty lazy about this whole blog thing. Sorry. There actually have been a lot of blog worthy things, I just haven't got around to doing it. While we've been MIA, Becca turned 18, Emma turned 16, Zach turned 13, and Dan had a birthday ;] Gardner just continues to be the little boy we love.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gardner!

2009-05-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Utah!

2009-03-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

My dad, Emma, Zach, and I (Becca) went to Utah for 5 days to visit family. We had so much fun!

Music!

2009-02-23T21:57:00.001-08:00

Please go check out my music page at www.myspace.com/beccahowes

I just uploaded two new songs.

Thanks so much,
Becca

Birthdays and Disney

2009-02-22T16:49:00.001-08:00

Friday was our mom's birthday and since she got in free to Disney for her birthday, we decided to go there. One of my mom's friends got the rest of us into Magic Kingdom and we had a lovely time. Even though it was only 47 degrees which is freezing in Florida, we still had a lot of fun. It was Gardner's very first visit to Disney (as evidence by the 1st visit button he is wearing). He loved it. His favorite thing was probably Tigger. He thought it was the greatest thing to see him! We took him on the Peter Pan ride and a couple more. He loved them! All in all, it was a great day for my mom's 38th birthday. She's one year older and wiser too :]

Our little boy is growing up

2009-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Gardner has gotten so much bigger the past couple of months. He basically speaks full sentences and according to my dad's child development class, he's way ahead developmentally for his age. He can already count to 10 with prompting and he's only 20 months old. He's also already interested in being potty trained. He tells us to take him to the potty but he doesn't quite know how to recognize the feeling where he has to pee yet, so he just sits there forever without anything happening. But long story short, our long-awaited little boy is growing up way faster than expected. It's a lot of fun to see him grow and learn though :) Only 4 more months and then we're going to do the "baby" to "big boy" transition and get rid of the bottles, binkys, and crib. We'll see how that plays out...

David Archuleta!

2009-02-01T19:15:00.001-08:00

Emma and I had the opportunity to go to a fireside that David Archuleta sang and spoke at. It was a very cool experiance. His voice is chilling live and when he sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives, the spirit was extremely strong in the room! He told us how reading the Book of Mormon has gotten him through the times when he was super busy on American Idol and even during his schedule today. We also got the opportunity to meet him and get an autograph. He was such a nice and genuine guy! :)

The Real Thing

2009-01-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been anything exciting going on in the Howes house these days, so I thought I'd post a clip of my upcoming song called The Real Thing. It's kind of bad quality, but it's all I got.

Toby Keith

2009-01-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

We were at downtown disney tonight and we ran into Toby Keith. My mom literally ran into him on her way to the bathroom. Sadly, he wasn't very nice to us. But it was still cool to have met him, haha. The funny thing is, we got in the car and hear his song on the radio. It was awesome :)

Goodbye

2009-01-05T17:28:00.001-08:00

This is a new song I wrote. I don't have that great of a voice, but it works well enough to show you the song. So here it is.

New Music!

2009-01-03T21:11:00.001-08:00

Hey guys,
Please add my new music page - http://www.myspace.com/beccahowes

Or if you don't have a myspace, just check out my new song. There are lots more to come.

Thanks!

It's a little late, but Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T15:26:00.000-08:00

A Night Out

2008-12-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a night out as a family on Monday night. We went to Downtown Disney to look at the lights and hang out. I totally look like a photoshopped ghost in this picture, but it's all I got.

We, then took Gardner to see Santa. Which I must say, didn't go so well. First off, he hated Santa (as evidence by the sad face), and then he peed on Santa. It was lovely! The best part is, Santa tried to be discreat about whiping the pee off of his leg, but we totally saw him do it.

After our "holiday fun", we stopped by a resort that one of my dad's old friends was staying at. He had been one of his dance instructors when they were young and they hadn't seen eachother in over 20 years. They enjoyed catching up. Joe Clark (his friend), now lives in South Africa and has currently put out two albums. He was such a nice guy and it was very interesting to talk with him :]

Black and White

2008-12-13T11:21:00.001-08:00

This is a song that I (Becca) wrote the other day, and my friend Cailyn put it to the piano. So this is what we have so far. It's just a tiny snippet, but I'd like your opinion!

Lyrics:

I'm not half the girl I used to be.

There's a shadow hangin over me.

I'm undoing the mistakes of yesterday.

I sit and think of what I've done wrong.

My life is like an unfinished song,

Unfolding as the worlds fly away.

Hopeless and restless, I paint my today.

Beautiful colors that soon fade away.

Replaced with a sketch of black and white.

Anxious and weary, I finish my song.

Finding out what I knew all along,

And re-writing the words of yesterday.

I always want what's best for me,

But there's more to everything I see.

I make mistakes that help me find my way.

I'm the writer of my own sad song.

And maybe it's all wrong.

Maybe I should write about better days.

Hopeless and restless, I paint my today.

Beautiful colors that soon wash away.

Replaced with a sketch of black and white.

Anxious and weary, I finish my song.

Finding out what I knew all along.

And re-writing the words of yesterday.

I paint a world of beauty unseen.

And the words are unclear of what they mean.

There's a fine line between dreams and reality.

Hopeless and restless, I paint my today.

Beautiful colors that soon fade away.

Replaced with a sketch of black and white.

Anxious and weary, I finish my song.

Finding out what I knew all along.

And re-writing the words of yesterday.

I don't want my world to turn to gray.

Gardner loves Sadie.

2008-12-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

Gardner was watching a video of our cousin's baby, Sadie and he was being so cute :]

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving with our friends who are visiting from Salt Lake. We had a nice dinner at their condo and then watched Fred Claus. It was a nice day. :]

Gardner was going crazy from excitement! He loves going to other people's houses. :]

Ohio!

2008-11-22T09:47:00.001-08:00

My dad and I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Ohio. My dad got to show me all the places he lived during his mission. It was very interesting to see where he went and to read his journal entries about his experiences. The day we got there, my dad and I ate at the exact Taco Bell where my dad used to read my mom's letters at. It was a great vacation for the both of us and it definitely strengthened our relationship! We had so much fun! We froze our butts off! The day we left, it was 25 degrees with a wind chill of 15! It was cold! Here are some pictures of the trip!

We also went to the Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire 2W2V Tour in Columbus. My dad had 11th row which I got from the Fan Club and I got front row on the right side, but they let me move more towards the center because it was empty! :] So I was like two feet from Reba and Kelly the whole time! It was seriously one of the most amazing experiences of my life! They are both so talented and their voices blend so well together! Kelly looked at me a lot because I had met her before the show so she knew who I was. She even sang part of Because Of You to me! I almost died :] Here are some pictures from the concert and a video of them singing Up To The Mountain by Patty Griffin.

Up To The Mountain:

I also got the opportunity to meet Kelly for my 3rd time before the show. She remembered me and said that she still has the Book of Mormon I gave her. She even remembered that I wrote inside of it! She must have a really good memory! For the first 30 seconds or so, she's talking to the girl in front of me and then she starts talking to me when she says "How are you?". Here is the audio of the meet and greet and the picture of us.

Election Day!

2008-11-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

Vote McCain! :]
Here's a cute video of Gardner dancing to the remix "You Can Vote However You Like",

A day with Gardner...

2008-11-03T13:24:00.001-08:00

I thought you guys might want to get to know Gardner a little bit better, so I video taped him when he was being the most like the "Gardner" we know and love. He usually walks around all day looking for things to get into and being his mischevious little self. However, lately he's been interested in books and learning about animals and sounds. So, I filmed him when he was in a state of innocent curiosity :] Maybe it's just that he's my little brother, but isn't he the cutest thing in the entire world...? I can't get enough of this kid. I love him so much, it literally hurts sometimes. But then again, how could you not love a little face like that? ;]

This kid is amazing,

2008-11-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

We went to a ward trunk or treat and then the girls and Zach went trick or treating with some of their friends. Emma was a nerd, Zach was a "chim chim", Becca was a gothic spider widow, and Gardner was a pumpkin.

Here's a video of Gardner trick or treating,

Jack O' Lantern

2008-10-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Gardner got to help carve his first pumpkin today! He seemed pretty excited to see daddy take the gooey stuff out of the middle. Here is a picture and a short video of this special event :]
His face was so cute!

Emma and Becca's Annual Halloween Party

2008-10-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

Emma and becca had their annual Halloween Party. Becca's friend Noa performed as well as Becca, Emma, and their friend Tiffany. They had a scavenger hunt, food, and dancing. They seemed to have a lot of fun :]

Halloween Horror Nights :D

2008-10-25T18:01:00.001-07:00

Mom and dad went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios with their friends from Salt Lake, Troy and Marianne. They go together every year. It was rated as the number one place to go for Haunted Houses in US. They have scare actors all over the park, and scare zones that you have to walk through to get to the Haunted Houses. The theme this year was Bloody Mary. You wait in line for each Haunted House just like you do for a ride. The sets are unbelievable as well as the makeup and costumes! Emma and Becca also went with some friends, but they didn't get any pictures. Here are the pictures from when mom and dad went. Look for the half-head man and the dead woman shoved in a pumpkin ;] (mom was drinking hot chocolate, not coffee).

Grandma Sherrie comes to visit!

2008-10-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Gardner really enjoyed having her here :]

We took a girl's night out on Friday and went to see Martina McBride. The concert was amazing. That girl sings her butt off!

Gardner gets another haircut

2008-10-02T18:06:00.001-07:00

Gardner learned how to fold his arms!

2008-09-03T17:49:00.001-07:00

He likes to show off his guns ;]

Kenny Chesney Concert

2008-09-03T17:33:00.001-07:00

Mom and dad went to the Kenny Chesney concert last Friday night. They had so much fun! :]

Becca playing guitar

2008-09-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

Gardner's first haircut!

2008-08-26T09:20:00.001-07:00

Gardner got his first haircut ever last night! We were kind of sad to be cutting off his curls, but he was starting to look like a girl. We still left it a little long on the top so he can have a fohawk :]

Zach got the Priesthood!

2008-08-17T15:10:00.001-07:00

Zach got the Priesthood today :]
It was nice, because our whole family got to be there when he got set apart.

Happy Birthday Dan and Zach!

2008-08-16T14:11:00.001-07:00

Dan turned the big 40 today and Zach turned 12 :]

Family Home Evening

2008-08-15T21:15:00.001-07:00

Zach is getting the priesthood on Sunday, so we had a family home evening lesson about the priesthood. I decided to film because Gardner was being so cute!

Gardner doing laundry

2008-08-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry. I accidentally filmed it sideways, but it's still cute :]

G Stew :]

2008-08-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Here is one more video of Gardner.

Becca playing the guitar

2008-08-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

I know none of you have ever really gotten to see Becca play the guitar, so here is a video of Becca playing a song she wrote. She just did the guitar part of it.

Videos of Gardner

2008-07-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some brief videos of Gardner. He's such a goofball :]

Happy 15th Birthday Emma!

2008-07-28T21:19:00.001-07:00

Emma celebrated her 15th birthday today. We spent the day shopping and then went out to dinner as a family. Here are some pictures :]

Youth Conference

2008-07-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

YC group

Becca and Aaron

Becca, Aaron, and Adrien
Emma and Connor
Emma and Kaitlyn
Casley, Aaron, and Becca

Emma and Becca just got back from youth conference.
They met tons of new kids and had an amazing time.
The theme was service, so they spent the majority of
their time doing service projects. It was a very uplifting experiance!

Our not so far away vacation

2008-07-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

We drove about 30 miles to a resort in Orlando and decided to stay there for the weekend rather than leaving the state. The kids made a cake for the fourth of July and we celebrated in our hotel room while we ate the cake :]

For dinner, we went to a steakhouse and Gardner got to try ice cream for the first time. He seemed to like it!

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and the kids relaxed. Even with all the cool stuff at the resort, Gardner was more interested in a plate.

We spent the last day at the pool and laying in the sun. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. The second we put Gardner's swimming suit on, he was ready to go!

I like to eat, eat, eat

2008-06-29T13:11:00.001-07:00

After working really hard on his Saturday chore, Gardner was really hungry. So we fed him his favorite, Chicken Noodle Soup :]

Saturday Chores

2008-06-29T13:09:00.001-07:00

Every Saturday the kids have a chore that they have to do,

so we can have our house clean for Sunday. This time, Gardner decided to get in on the job.

Photoshoot

2008-06-26T17:06:00.001-07:00

Becca took Gardner for a "walky walky" and it turned into a photoshoot. Here's what she got out of it :]

Going to church

2008-06-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Gardner looked so handsome for church yesterday!

Too bad his collar is under his vest on the right side.

Haircuts

2008-06-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Becca and Emma recently got their hair cut. They wanted it shorter for the summer.

I love this kid!

2008-06-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

I took some cute pictures of Gardner today and I wanted to share them with you! He's such a cute kid :]

Gardner's first toothbrush

2008-06-17T19:21:00.001-07:00

We figured Gardner was ready for his first toothbrush, so we went to Wal Mart and bought him one. He was very excited to brush his teeth for the first time, because he felt like a big boy.

Happy 17th Birthday Becca!

2008-06-17T12:56:00.001-07:00

Gardner, Gardner, Gardner

2008-06-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this picture, because it was so cute. Don't mess with Gardner and his gatorade...ever!

Beach trip

2008-06-10T13:40:00.001-07:00

Becca and her three best friends Rachel, Heidi, and Codi got to stay with us for the night at our resort on Cocoa Beach for Becca's birthday. They had a blast. People were probably getting bugged, they were laughing so loud.

A walk to remember

2008-06-08T17:38:00.001-07:00

We took a walk as a family this evening. It was really nice. The sunset was beautiful on the lake by our house.

Becca's birthday party

2008-06-06T22:40:00.001-07:00

Becca had her 17th birthday party today.

She had some of her good friends over for pizza, cake, and games.

The kids really seemed to enjoy it!

Monday, she is staying the night in a resort on the beach with her

three best girlfriends as part of her birthday present.

I will post pictures of that as well.

top left (Allan, Heidi, Devin, Seth, Zach, and Emma)

bottom left (Tanner, Codi, Becca, Rachel, and Shelley)

8th grade graduation!

2008-06-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

Emma graduated from 8th grade today.

They had a ceremony to congratulate the kids on their achievments in Middle School. She is now officially a High Schooler :)

Tubby Time!

2008-06-04T20:13:00.001-07:00

After a long day of swimming, Gardner was ready for tubby time.

But before bed, he always has to give "brabra" hugs!

Gardner goes swimming

2008-06-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Gardner went swimming in his new pool for the first time. He seemed to love it!

Emma is inducted into Honor Society

2008-06-03T21:52:00.001-07:00

Emma had a ceremony and was formally inducted into the

Junior Honor Society of her Middle School.

She has done very well and we are very proud of her.

Gardner gets a pool

2008-06-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

He was so excited to go swimming, but it was raining outside.

So we set up the pool in the kitchen and he decided to drink his bottle and relax.

Gardner's 1st Birthday

2008-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Gardner celebrated his 1st birthday on May 21st.

He had a Curious George cake, because he's our little monkey :)