Cuddlebug!!

Maycie is our little Cuddlebug! This morning I woke up and rolled to see that it was 8 AM. I was wondering why Maycie wasn't awake yet. I came out in the family room and Cammie and Maycie were sleeping on the couch. SO SWEET!! It was so late last night when we went to bed that I guess I forgot to turn on the baby monitor. OOPS!

How much longer?

My Dear Family,

We can't wait for you to get here. As we were thinking of the fun we will have we couldn't help but turn the music up and dance. But ya'll better watch out. You never know what Scott has up his sleeve!

See you soon!

Frosty OUR Snowman!

It doesn't snow very often here in Tennessee so when it does it is a big deal! So last night, while we waited 2 hours (it's a 30 min. drive) for Scott to get home from work, we decided to go out and build a snowman. It was so much fun! The best part is that by this afternoon most of it will be gone. We get to enjoy the excitement of the falling snow, build a snowman, and then say goodbye until next year. That is the best way to enjoy snow!

Santa

Santa showed up at the library on a fire engine today! Emery couldn't wait to see him and sit on his lap. It is so fun that she is really starting to understand Christmas! We especially love it because of the song "...you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout..." It really helps us when times are rough!

Whitney's Birthday

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Today is the Birthday of my beautiful sister Whitney who is no longer with us. Whitney had such a contagious laugh and smile. She made friends everywhere she went! Today in celebration of her we will ...

Wear PINK
Eat Scrambled eggs with Cinnamon/sugar
Listen to Norah Jones
Laugh a lot
Eat Mac n Cheese with peas
Watch The Devil Wears Prada
Look through picture books of her
Listen to Michael Buble
Watch home videos
Go out for sushi

We love You Whitney!! And we will be thinking of you all day!

Good Morning!

This morning I heard Maycie waking up but waited a few minutes to see if she was just stirring. A few minutes later I could hear Emery in there talking to her so I went in there and this is what I found:

One of Emery's most favorites things is to be read to! Now she is passing that on to Maycie.

May your Merry be CHRISTMAS!

I love this time of year! I am sure we all do. But I think this year has been a bit hard for people to get into the Spirit of Christmas considering the crisis that surrounds us. Although times are tough we can still do much to enjoy this time of year. Especially by just being together with friends and family!

This year for our Relief Society Christmas Dinner our presidency decided to take Christmas to a few women in our ward that are not able to make it out!! We decorated a few small trees and took them baskets filled with all sorts of gifts and goodies! I was able to go to the home of a dear sweet woman who, despite being able to get out because of a recent surgery and stroke, made each of the women in the ward a Christmas pin to wear at the party! She also makes baby blankets for every baby that is born in our ward (I think there were somewhere around 17 or 18 this year!) What a humbling experience it was to go to her home and thank her for her love and service. Then to sing carols to her as she cried and was able to feel the Spirit of Christmas with us was an experience to remember!

This past weekend we went to The First Annual Spring Hill Christmas Parade! We bundled up and brought hot chocolate to sip as we watched the floats and bands go by! Although it was nothing like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade there was something just SPECTACULAR about it to me! Just so much warmth and love was around as everyone went by saying MERRY CHRISTMAS!! And because we live in the South there were many floats that said 'Jesus saves" and "Jesus Loves" and there were church choirs on their floats singing, and many of the floats had nativity scenes. The reason I bring this up is because while watching this go by I sat next to a friend that just moved here from Massachusetts and was taken away by the way people so FREELY spoke of Christmas! She said that people there(Mass.) are offended if you say the word "Christmas"! It is called the Winter Holiday! After that I couldn't help but say Merry Christmas to everyone that went by! Although we may not be of the same faith as most of these people we all come together in celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ!

I am so grateful for these wonderful experience I have already been able to have and we are still a few weeks away from Christmas day! I think this will definitely be a Christmas to remember!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Our Turn!!

As Scott mentioned yesterday, Emery was sick throwing up yesterday. Well, now it is our turn!! Scott and I are both down on the couch. Emery was so excited to feel better so that she could go to Gram's house to eat TURKEY and play with cousins today. When we told her that we were sick and wouldn't be able to go she was upset but then she decided to be the doctor and take care of Daddy. What a sweet girl!

Thanksgiving

As I woke up this morning I thought about being thankful and the things I am thankful for. I am thankful for a loving wife who is a great mother to my two beautiful daughters. As I was reflecting on this, Emery walked through the door saying that she threw up in her sleep. The next hour was then dedicated to giving baths, changing sheets, soaking clothes, and doing the laundry. As funny as it may sound, I am thankful for opportunities like these where I can care for someone else. Parenthood is one of the greatest services around. I am grateful for my parents and the countless times that they cleaned up after me and cared for me. I am grateful for Tasha's parents and family. From the first day I walked into their home I knew that I was part of the family. I am thankful for a wife that loves me and puts up with me on a daily basis. I am grateful for two wonderful daughters that light up when I walk in the door from a hard day at work. Most of all, I am grateful for love...without it, none of these things would be so amazing and inspiring. Thanks to all on this Thanksgiving!!

Happiness

I was talking to a lady the other day whose kids are grown and don't live near. She told me to just enjoy this time in my life because it will soon be gone. She said that it was the happiest time of her life and when she looks around her house that has everything always neat and in order she wishes that kids would come and mess it up!!

I just can't get that off my mind. We are busy and often times feel like we can't keep up! But this is truly the HAPPIEST time of my life! I have a wonderful husband who loves me more than I thought a person could be loved. And I have 2 BEAUTIFUL girls who are so full of LIFE! I would not trade these 3 precious souls for ANYTHING!!

It's Autumn Time!

We opened the blinds this morning and this is what we saw! We love the Fall here in Tennessee because there are trees EVERYWHERE!! We are especially grateful to have a beautiful treeline in our backyard. About a month ago I was teaching Emery about the seasons and this week anytime we drive anywhere she says "Mom the trees are FALL!!" She loves to see the beauty of the changing leaves.

P.S. Notice our wood pile is almost gone. My wonderful husband just went this morning to go chop us some firewood for the winter. It is starting to get cold and we are going to need it soon! We love having a wood burning fireplace.

Yes it is True!!

Gas is $1.95!!

Rebekah

Emery and Rebekah at the beach

Today Emery and I were talking about our feelings and how to express them. We talked about how we need to use our words to communicate the way we feel. And then we talked about friends and how they make us feel happy. I had a little cutout of 2 girls holding hands. I told her that one of them was her and the other was one of her friends and she could draw their faces and clothes, etc. She chose Rebekah to be her “friend”. She drew a happy face on herself and said that she is happy when she is with Rebekah.

Rebekah is Emery's cousin who is 9 years old. Rebekah is so sweet! She plays with Emery and takes very good care of Maycie. She just absolutely loves my kids and they love her back! Thank you Rebekah! You are going to be such a wonderful mother one day. We love you!

You'd Think We Love Halloween

We are Halloweened out! We had a lot of Halloween Festivities this year. We went to the zoo for their Halloween celebrations, then the Pumpkinfest in Franklin, and we had a little Halloween party at our house, and we went to our ward Trunk-or-Treat!! FUN TIMES!!

Pumpkin Pancakes for Halloween Breakfast

The Ghouls at Grassmere (Nashville Zoo)

While here Emery saw a "Friendly Ghost" and said "Look Mom! It's the Holy Ghost!"

The PumkinFest in Downtown Franklin

We had a Halloween Party with Emery's friends. I let Emery pick the food that we made. We made Mummy Hotdogs, Spider Crackers, and Monster Mouths. Emery was very proud of her work!!

Happy Halloween-Eve!!

Is this not HILARIOUS!?! We were at Kroger tonight getting ready for our little Halloween Party tomorrow and we found this Binky for $2!! I just couldn't pass it up. At first Emery freaked out but then I told her it was just silly and she couldn't get enough of it.

I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween! We are having a little party at our house with some friends. And then at night we are off to our ward Fall Festival/Chili Cook-Off!!

The Grocery Game

Can you guess how much all these groceries cost me??

I just joined The Grocery Game this week! I have been hearing about it and how it helps people save a lot on their Grocery bill and thought that I might give it a try. I paid just $14.06 before tax for all of these items. A savings of $49.32.

If you are interested in saving money on your groceries I suggest that you check out www.thegrocerygame.com!!

Check out the website and if you decide to sign up please put me down for a referral: natasha@charter.net

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEY

This is a shout out to my sister, Kelsey, who turned 18 today!

Isn't she just Gorgeous!?!

Kelsey was crowned Provo High School Homecoming Queen 2008

Wish I could have been there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEY!!

We love you!

Birthday Celebrations!!

Emery just turned 3 and it has been a weekend of Celebrations!! We had Kinzy and Kaylie sleep over on Friday night so they could come with us to the Country Ham Festival. Saturday morning (Emery's birthday) we woke up and had our Traditional Pancake Breakfast!! Then Emery opened a few presents; a bike from us and a Barbie from Kinzy and Kaylie! After that we were off to the Country Ham Fest. We spent all morning there and the kids had a blast playing games, giong on train rides, getting their faces painted, doing Karaoke (check out previous post), going down the big blow up slide, decorating pumpkins, and much more.... ALL FOR FREE!! Then we ate lunch and enjoyed Deep Fried Oreos! After that the kids begged us to take them home and have naps. We watched the afternoon session of Conference while they slept. We told Emery that she could choose any place to eat for dinner since it was her birthday and she chose SAM'S CLUB!! Funny I know but she absolutely loves their pizza!! Then on Sunday night we had a birthday party with "PUPCAKES" and ice cream with Scott's family! She was so spoiled but it was fun!!

Our Little Star!!

Today was Emery's 3rd Birthday and we went to the Spring Hill Country Ham Festival. They had a little Karaoke stage for the kids so we asked Emery if she would want to do it. She immediatley, without hesitation, picked the song "The Start of Something New" from High School Musical. Not knowing if she would even go up on stage I prepped her by telling her that when they call her name then she can go up there and sing that song. Sure enough she VERY confidently went up there and sang EVERY word! The DJ was so surprised and was asking us if she was 4 and we told him that she turned 3 today! So when she was done he got up there and this was the conversation:

DJ: "Is today a special day for you?"

Emery: "Mhmm, IT'S MY DIRDAY(birthday)!"

DJ: "How old are you today?"

Emery: "2!!"

DJ: "Close, just add 1"

Emery: "I'm 'Free'(three)!!"

Then the DJ invited everyone to join him in singing Happy Birthday to Emery!

Where Have the Last 2 Months Gone??

As hard as it is for me to believe our Little Maycie is already 2 months old! What a joy she has been for us. She has been such a sweet, huggable, lovable baby. From smiling since she was 2 weeks old to sleeping 8-9 hours at night we couldn't ask for a better baby! We just took her in to the doctor for her 2 month check-up and she tops the charts for height and weight! You Go Girl!!

Just a few Highlights of the past 2 months:

We Blessed Maycie when she was just 1 week old so that my whole family could be there! She was really smiling big for the pictures after. Too bad the lighting on my camera wasn't very good.

My Family drove out from Utah to see Maycie when she was born!

SISTERS!! Emery is so good to Maycie and is constantly giving her hugs and kisses!

My sister Sharalee had her baby on Sept. 18. Kyle Brennan Nabrotzky was 7 lb 6 oz, 21.5". We were able to enjoy Mama Sharon for a few weeks again. And we also got a short sweet visit from Aunt Sherice. We were just spoiled by them!!

All this and we are EXHAUSTED!!

My Little Helper

Ok, so Emery has always been one to join me in any task I am doing and loves being a "Big Helper". I have always encouraged this even though sometimes, as most moms would know, it tends to make more work for me. I just figured I would teach her now because most kids probably go through a stage of wanting to be "BIG" and then it just kind of gets old. Well tonight I was in the bathroom fixing my hair and Emery came in and told me that she "Put all the things away". So I asked her "what things?" and as I said that I looked up and she was holding an empty laundry basket that before that was full of folded clothes. I did not doubt that she put everything away but just to make sure I asked her to show me where she put everything. She then proceeded to show me where she put her jammies, her clothes, Maycie's birpcloths, etc. Out of all that laundry the only thing that she didn't put in the right place was her dress but that was because her dress hangs in the closet and she can't reach so she put it in the drawer where the rest of her play clothes are. So how's that for a responsible 2 year old?? Ok, so she'll be 3 next month, but still!! Just a proud Mommy moment!!

The Delivery

I haven't had a chance to sit down and blog about the delivery of our sweet new bundle of joy, Maycie!! As many of you know Maycie was a week late. I was given the option to be induced up to a week before her due date but my body had shown NO signs of getting ready for labor so I didn't want to chance something happening because I wasn't ready. My doctor said that the latest he could schedule an induction was 10 days after the due date so we went ahead and scheduled it for then in hopes that I would just go into labor on my own before then!

So 2 days after my due date I went in to the doctor and still NO signs of labor; no effacing, no dilating... the next day my mom came in town and that night I started having some contractions but then they went away for a few more days... Five days after my due date I went in to the doctor and there was good news I had actually dilated to a 2!! I was induced 8 days late with Emery because I had not dilated or effaced so this was a big deal that I had progress without being induced!! Well 2 more days passed with a few contractions here and there... by this time I was starting to feel a little frustrated because I knew that there were only a few days until I would be induced and I really wanted to go into labor on my own! It was Saturday and it seemed like such a long day... We went through the daily routine of get a shower, eat, get a nap just in case I go into labor! Sharalee called in the afternoon and had the great idea to go out on a date that night to get our minds off of it. So my sister Emily watched all the kids so that Sharalee, Steve, my mom, Scott and I could go out for dinner. We decided to go to Outback for dinner and made a reservation for 7:15. On the way there we stopped to drop Steve's computer off to get repaired and while waiting for him I started feeling a few contractions but just kind of disregarded them. We got to Outback soon after that and while we were waiting to be seated the contractions really started coming on strong! Even though we had a reservation we sat there for 20 minutes and were still not seated. I decided that we should probably just go because the contractions were coming strong and often. We left Outback with our mouths watering and decided to run somewhere quick and get take out! We had seen a friend drive by while we were driving to Outback so Steve called him and he came to take Steve home to watch the kids and the rest of us were off to the hospital! We go to the hospital by 8:30 and they were VERY busy! We sat down to get checked in and another couple was right behind us and there were 2 more people in the ER getting ready to come up so the lady was trying to keep it all organized. We finally got back to triage probably 30 minutes later and by 9:30 they were able to check me and I was dilated to a 5-6. So they got me a room quite quickly and we asked for an epidural right away! By this time the contractions were very strong but I was able to endure them pretty well. When we got to our room we were trying to get my mom, Sharalee and Kris (Scott's mom) back there because they were going to watch the birth but the nurses said to wait until I got the epidural because they would have to be out of the room for that anyway! Well I wished we told them where my room was anyway because they were so busy at the hospital that I didn't get my epidural until around 10:30. And up until that point they were dying waiting in the waiting room. We were calling and texting them with all the updates but were afraid that they were almost going to miss it all!! By the time I got the epidural and they all got back there with us the nurse checked me again and I was dilated to 8-9. So they prepped the room to deliver and call the doctor! Once the epidural started kicking in I was quite relieved but was feeling a lot of pressure and knew the baby was coming soon. While waiting for the doctor get there everyone was making guesses on what time the baby would come and how much she would weigh. It seemed like it took forever for the doctor to get there because I kept feeling a lot of pressure when the contractions came and it was making me nervous. The doctor got there at about 11:20 and got all scrubbed up and then when we starting getting ready to push I just stopped having contractions. Of Course!! It wasn't very long before they got going again and I was able to start pushing. I did not have to push much before the baby was born at 11:42 PM on August 2, 2008. And we were all SHOCKED at how much she weighed!! Even the doctor and nurse after seeing her before they put her on the scale guessed 8 1/2 pounds (they deliver babies often and usually come within a few ounces of what the baby weighs). But our little Maycie was a whopping 9 lb 7 oz!! Welcome Baby Maycie!! We love you! And thank you to Scott, Mom, Sharalee, and Kris for being there to be a great support!! And also to Tom (Scott's dad) who was so anxiously waiting in the waiting room!! I've never seen such a proud Pop as when he walked in the room to see his newly born granddaughter! .... PRECIOUS MOMENTS like this will never be forgotten! I know that my Heavenly Father knows what is best for me. It took a lot of patience to wait and see if I would go into labor on my own. But in the end the timing couldn't have been better. Sharalee was back from Mindy's wedding, mom was in town, and it was the weekend so Steve could watch the kids so Sharalee could be there. As hard as some days were that week I still felt a lot of peace in the decisions we had so prayerfully made to schedule the induction later. And we didn't even have to wait that long!

TIME OF OUR LIVES!!

Ok! So I haven't been keeping anyone up-to-date with pics of the Baby Girl... SORRY!! I have just been enjoying the time that I have had with my family here! My mom, Emily and David have been here for 3 weeks and the rest of the fam joined them for the last week of that!! I was able to sleep as late as I wanted, there was always someone for Emery to play with, someone to hold the baby and not a meal to worry about!! I would have to say that I have been very spoiled!! It was such a great time but now we have to move on!

My family has been gone for 2 days and I already can't wait until we see them again!! It was wonderful to see the way that my sisters and brother interact with Emery and Maycie. Everyone just loved on Baby Maycie! And I just can't help but smile every time I think of Emery laughing at Kelsey, playing play doh with David, Making Pizza with Emily, picking blueberries with Cammie, Kimberly cheering Emery on when she goes potty, and Emery giving hugs to her Papa Howie and Mama Sharon! And yes Mama Sharon even though you didn't get much attention after all of Emery's Aunt's arrived I am more than grateful for all the time you sacrificed to be here with us!! We love you and Miss you ALL!! Thank you for EVERYTHING!!

It Doesn't Get Sweeter Than This!!

It has been so fun to see how Emery has been with a new little one around. A few of our favorite things have been:

* On the way home from the hospital Emery was so excited and with a huge smile said " Mommy Dr. Thomas got Baby Maycie out!! Now you can run and now you can bend over!!" It is amazing how observant our little 2 year old is!

* Before Maycie was born we were prepping Emery and saying that she can be a big helper and get diapers for mommy, etc. So every time I even mention that Maycie has a dirty diaper Emery is right there with a fresh one!! It has been 2 1/2 weeks and she is still going strong. I thought it would have faded by now

* Emery has asked me a few times if Maycie can talk yet because she said when Maycie learns how to talk she wants to teach her how to say "Bow-Chicka-Wow-Wow!"

She's Here!!!

Here are a few pictures to please all of you that are dying to see our little Maycie Cheyenne. She was 9 lbs 7 oz. and 21 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well.

Late Nights, Doctors Appointments, and Still No Baby!

Like the title of this blog states, there is still no baby. We do like to have you hanging in suspense wondering if Maycie has arrived yet, but I (Scott) have taken over the blogging "wheel" for the time being. Tasha is having a lot of contractions and is definitely ready to have this baby. We both feel like it could happen anytime over the weekend, but nothing is for sure. If Maycie decides to be strong-willed, then we may have to wait to be induced on Tuesday. We will be sure post as many pictures of our new little girl as soon as she arrives. So as we continue to enjoy our late nights and doctors appointments, just remember to keep Tasha in your prayers!

Due Date and Still no Maycie

Do I look ready or what??

Oh So Cute!!

Ok, so this last week waiting for Maycie to get here has felt VERY long!! We were going to the pool almost every day but now it is so hot that swimming is almost unbearable. So I have been doing many projects to keep me busy and help time pass... I will post more on that later.

Well today I decided that I would attempt to cut Emery's hair. We have been talking about doing it for awhile now to help even it out. Well my first attempt wasn't so great because I just kind of cut it all straight across. So I thought that we would just wait until this afternoon and take her in to the salon to have them give it a little shape. After about an hour of staring at it and hating it I thought that I would attempt to do it myself. I just wanted it to be shorter in the back than in front. Well this is what we ended up with!! I have to say that I am pretty proud of it. It isn't perfect but who would notice??

PREGO SISTERS!!

My sister Sharalee and I are both pregnant! It has been kind of fun being pregnant at the same time as her. I am due July 26 (Girl) and she is due September 26 (Boy)!!

I really wanted to get this picture taken because we are both now showing and she left out of town until after I'm due. So we didn't want to miss the chance to get a picture together in case I have the baby before she gets back. Sharalee comes back and my mom gets here on July 29! So I am really kind of hoping that Maycie will wait until then to come. I think that the chances of that are good considering Emery was 8 days late and so far with 9 days left I have not made any progress. We will see!!

So Fresh!!

Emery and I stopped by a local produce stand today on our way home from the pool to pick up some fresh produce for dinner tonight and tomorrow. Emery is such a lover of fruits and vegetables!! While we were there she helped me pick out cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, and peaches! Yum! As soon as we got in the car she was begging me to eat the green beans, and could not understand why we would need to cook them first.

Well, sure enough, we had been home for about an hour and Emery was being a bit too quiet so I went to find out what she was doing and she had helped herself to a HUGE tomato (she just ate the whole thing like an apple) and was about to take a bite of the cucumber!! She just could not help herself. She really loves garden fresh veggies!! We cannot wait until our garden is ready to pick and eat!! We already have lettuce and a few of our tomatoes are starting to turn red. Yahoo!!

Not So Bad This Time!!

I am getting very excited and anxious to have this baby!! I only have a few weeks left and I am very uncomfortable and don't sleep well. All along this time I have been saying "at least I'm not swollen like I was last time". Well I couldn't really remember just how swollen I was when I was pregnant with Emery so I started looking through all of my pics and I did find a picture of my feet. I had forgotten just how bad it was!! This is a picture of my feet when I was 33 weeks pregnant with Emery. Just imagine what they looked like 8 weeks later when I finally had her.

Needless to say, I can't complain too much because I have not even swelled at all this time!! I am just happy I don't look like this!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP!!

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This weekend we celebrated Scott's Dad's 60th Birthday!! His mom planned a weekend for everyone to be here. Scott's brother and sister even came in from Ohio and South Carolina with all of their kids to SURPRISE him. We were all at his house and surprised him Saturday morning when he came home from his bike ride. He was just so happy that he was laughing and grinning from ear to ear! We took family pictures that morning and then in the evening we celebrated with everyone at Carrabba's for dinner. We spent all day Sunday together and on Monday we went to the Lake for the day!! It was such a blast! We really enjoyed this wonderful weekend together building memories with everyone!! We love you Gram and Pop!! Thank YOU!!

What a Relief!!

We have this big closet in one of the rooms in our house and have never been able to use the space very well. The closet just had some cheap wire shelves that were not even wide enough to hold a rubbermaid container. And we also put a bookshelf in there to hold albums and games. So needless to say, everything that we tried to store in there ended up on the floor and the closet was just a mess.

So my wonderful FIL came to the rescue. He spent all last week building us the most wonderful shelves!! Thanks Tom!! Now we feel nice and organized. I forgot to take a picture before we started cleaning out the closet but this will give you an idea of the before and after!! These pictures really don't do it justice.

BEFORE

AND...

AFTER

Notice all the EXTRA space!! We now have a spot for our food storage!!

34 WEEKS

34 Weeks - 6 Weeks to go!!

I realized that I have not been posting much about my pregnancy and how things are going. Everything is going great! Besides being quite tired, and having heartburn like never before I am doing great!!

FORT MORGAN, AL

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We just got back from a wonderful trip to the Beach!! We went to a place just right outside Gulf Shores, AL called Fort Morgan. We went with Scott's family and the Bickmore Family (close family friends). We stayed in a beach house on a very quiet private beach which made it all the better. We had fun searching for sea shells and crabs and we even saw sting rays and dolphins!! What an adventure it was for Emery. I don't think she has ever had so much fun in her life. It is so fun now that she is a little older to see her just so happy and excited to see and learn new things. After a few days of being at the beach there was a spot that the sand had washed up a lot and it was very shallow (it barely went to Emery's knees) about 25-30 feet out. So this was just a perfect spot for Emery and her cousins to play. There were still waves but they were not rough enough to knock her over. Ever since we have been home she can't stop talking about it!!

This is a video of Scott and Emery Boogie Boarding. At the end of the clip you can tell that it was very shallow, which made it hard to boogie board. It was a bit more deep the first few days that we were there and that's when we got some good boogie boarding time in. After that the sand started to wash up more and that made it shallow. This was our last day there.

WE"RE BACK

I know it has been way too long since I last posted!! I have just been a slacker at blogging. We have been so busy so I am not really going to "catch-up" but will just let you know of the recent goings on!!

In Memory of Whitney...

Whitney Nelson December 10, 1986 - March 25,2007

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It was one year ago today that my sister Whitney, who was 20 years old, passed away. This event has been on my mind a lot lately so I thought I would share some of my thoughts and feelings. This year has had its ups and downs for our family as we have tried to learn how to deal the loss of our loved one. There have been many happy moments as I recall the wonderful times that I had with Whitney and the wonderful, happy, bubbly person that she was. And then I have days that much heartache and sorrow are felt as I remember the events that occured. Although there have been many challenging days I feel so grateful for this experience because it has deeply strenghtended my testimony of the Plan of Salvation and knowing that I will be able to see her again. I know that Whitney is happy, and that she is near us cheering us on through our journeys in life. I love you Whitney!!

Memories of Whitney:

1. Her deep raspy voice!!

2. Her self-appointed middle name "Cheyenne". She wasn't given a middle name but she knew that my dad loved the name Cheyenne and wanted to name her that but my mom didn't like it. So she decided that she would just call herself Whitney Cheyenne anyway. Funny thing is: Whitney Cheyenne Nelson is on her diploma.

3. Her passion for fashion and beauty. Whitney was a diva! She graduated from Dallas Roberts Hair Academy, worked at Banana Republic, and the MAC counter at Nordstrom.... NEED I SAY MORE!! She dreamed of living in New York and doing makeup for 'Stars'!

4. The way that she could deeply express how she felt, whether happy or sad.

5. Her quick wit and sense of humor. After her passing a friend of our family relayed this story to us: She was at one of Cammie's basketball games, wearing her Provo High Cheer clothes, cheering Cammie on and this lady turned to her and asked her why her family is so amazing and her response was "I can't tell you! It's our family secret!"

6. When we were in High School I can't tell you how hours Whitney spent helping me straighten my hair!! But it was the ritual that I remember the most. She would come down in my room at night and we would turn on The Wedding Planner and she would spend about an hour or longer straightening my long, curly, frizzy hair. Sometimes we would actually watch the movie and quote the lines but other times we would just chat. Then when she was done she usually wanted to just sleep in my room with me. GOOD TIMES!

7. Whitney and I one year took some summer school classes together. I just remember that we loved to go to Carl's Jr for breakfast whenever we saw the sign for Buy 1 Get 1 Breakfast Sandwiches. When we would go there we would get the sandwiches and then Whitney would always ask for an order of Criss-cut fries. It was not a breakfast item but they were always willing to cook some up, which Whitney loved since we knew they were VERY fresh!! It would take longer since they weren't already cooked and we would always go through the drive-thru and they would usually ask us to pull forward and they would bring them to us when they were done. So if we were running late Whitney couldn't order fries!

8. I remember one Halloween, in high school, that Whitney just really wanted to dress up and wanted me to dress up with her. She dressed up as a Barbie (Of Course!) and I didn't really have anything in mind for myself. Well Whitney really wanted to rat my hair so she had the "great idea" of having me just wear all black and paint my face white and she would rat my hair to make me just look like a scary Halloween something... We then just walked around the neighborhood knocking on a few neighbors doors just for fun!! I was actually a bit embarassed but Whitney always had a way of talking you into things.

9. Whitney loved Macaroni and Cheese, WITH PEAS!! I don't know why this really stands out to me but I remember that Whitney loved to come home from school and make and eat a WHOLE box of Mac 'n Cheese WITH PEAS in it. That or Ramen Noodles. Well every time we eat Mac 'n Cheese we eat it WITH PEAS! And every time I eat it I think of her!! Funny thing is: when she passed away and we were going through some things in her room sure enough when we found her "Secret Stash" there was a box of EASY MAC!! Even when Whit was trying to eat good she still had to have her MAC!

10. One other thing that makes me think of Whitney every single time I see it is SUSHI! She is the one that introduced me to it. She loved to go to this restaurant call Demai (sp?) on Tuesdays when Sushi was $2-$4/roll. One night when I was visiting Utah she went there with some friends and brought a roll home for me to try!

Easter Celebrations!!

We had a few fun festivities for Easter this year!! We went to Sharalee and Steve's for an Egg Party on Saturday. We colored and decorated eggs, and we decorated and ate lots of cookies!! The we had a big Egg Hunt and then enjoyed and lunch of Egg Salad Sandwiches. Thanks to Everyone for a fun day!!
Then on Easter day (my birthday) the Easter Bunny stopped by our house and Emery collected eggs from around the room. She just loved it!! The Easter Bunny knew that Emery had been eating too much candy lately so he left her: fruit snacks, goldfish cracker, raisins, and juice boxes. To Emery this was still such a TREAT!! We do not often buy these things. Then of course we had to have a photo shoot of Emery all dressed up with her hair curled for Easter. That night we joined Sharalee and Steve again with friends and family to eat a yummy Easter dinner: Ham, Cheesey Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Spinach Salad, and Rolls. YUM YUM!! Then we finished off with a Strawberry cake with Cream Cheese Frosting to sing Happy Birthday to me. Thanks everyone!! It was a good time!
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IT'S A GIRL!!

Well Emery has been saying the whole time I've been pregnant that it is a girl and today we found out that she was right!! We are so excited to have 2 sweet little girls.

LOLA

We have a new addition to our family!! Today we brought home Lola, a Cairn Terrier.

Scott had a friend at work that was looking for a home for her. Someone had brought Lola in to the vet and said that they didn't want her anymore. Scott's friend brought her home and told us all about her. We have been wanting a dog but were going to wait a little longer. When we heard about her we decided that she seemed like she would be a good fit for us. She is a small house dog, 2 yrs old, potty trained, and easy going. The family that she came from had neglected her a bit and she is quite skinny. But we will make sure that she will be well fed and get some meat on those bones.

Tears of JOY!!

My experiences being a mother and wife have been some of the best in my life!! Not a day goes by that I don't think of how truly blessed I am to have a beautiful daughter and another child on the way!! I did not know that I could love someone, besides my wonderful husband Scott, as much as I love Emery. It really helps me to better understand the great love that our Heavenly Father has for each of us, HIS Children.
Today Emery and I had a few conversations that have made me cry tears of JOY all day!!
First Conversation...
First to set the scene: Emery and I were getting ready to eat breakfast and had just said a blessing on the food. (Emery said the prayer) When she finished there were a few short moments of silence and then...
Emery: "Know Jesus?..."

Me: "Yeah"

Emery: " Jesus is in heaven. And "Whintey" in heaven. "Whintey" is in heaven with ours baby"

Whitney is my sister who passed away last year in March. I don't know what triggered Emery to say that but it was just one of those moments that my heart just skipped a beat and I couldn't help but have those sweet tears of JOY!! I knew Scott had spent a lot of one on one time with Emery lately so I called him right away to tell him what she said and to ask if he had been talking to her about Whitney or the baby being in heaven. Neither of us had recently. We have told her about Whitney being in heaven but it has been awhile since we remember talking about it. But we were just amazed that she was able to put that together. Children are smarter than you think and they are so impressionable!!

Emery seems to be quite smart. Mostly because her memory is AMAZING. She will bring things up from months ago and remember so much about it. So my mom had suggested to me that we start teaching her to memorize poems and songs or something that will help keep her mind active. We decided that we would start teaching her the Articles of Faith. We started with the First Article of Faith and talked about it for Family Home Evening. We kept reciting it with her whenever we remembered for a few weeks and she had gotten it down pretty good so we decided that we would move on. So last night for FHE we decided to start learning the Second Article of Faith and we talked to Emery and taught her about what it meant. When we were reciting it we got to the word Transgression and told her that it was like a sin. And we told her that sins are things that we do wrong. Things that make Heavenly Father sad liked not being kind, etc.(we had to bring it down to her level) And when we do things wrong we need to say we are sorry and fix it. So this morning I was reciting it with her again and when we finished she said....

"I don't hit my friends. I say sorry my "gressions" huh?"

Once again another moment that brought those sweet tears of JOY!! She actually learned and understood the things that we taught her!! We are so very greatful to have such a great knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father and the plan that he set out for us to follow. He loves us even though we are not perfect. It is so wonderful to learn about and teach to our children the perfect example of His son Jesus Christ so that we can strive to become more like Him and to enjoy the blessing of being together as a family forever!!

CHECK THIS OUT!!

For Valentines Day my cousin and his friends did this for the "Girls" in their lives!! I just thought it was great!! Phillip is my cousin... his is the first one!! He is one of the most quiet, and reserved people I know. But after watching this I don't know any more!
Just click on the link to view it:
http://tothegirlsinourlives.blogspot.com/
If this is not the cutest Valentines greeting I don't know what is!!

Valentine's Celebrations!!

I remember when I was growing that my parents always made Valentine's Day a very special day for us!! A lot of times they would make a fancy dinner and they would always have a special gift for us. SO Scott and I decided that we would try to make this a tradition in our family!! We did our special dinner the day before Valentine's Day because Scott was at school on Valentines day. Scott is always helping in the kitchen so I decided to make it a bit more special that I would just do it all to make it a surprise for him. We also decided to dress up to make it feel more special, especially for Emery. You can't tell because of the flash but it was a candlelight dinner(not lights)!! I planned it all out just right so that we could do it in courses and it would all be hot and fresh as I served it.

We started off with Course 1:

Cheese fondue with Multigrain French Bread

Then I brought out Course 2:

Caesar Salad (Scott's FAVORITE!!) and I snuck away to put the Main Course in the oven...

Course 3:

New York Strip Steak, Salmon, Steamed Veggies, and Baked Potato

Note: I had alread eaten the salmon before I remembered to take the picture!!


Dessert:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries!!

I learned a lot making this dinner...I love to cook and try new things. This was all pretty easy. We just never go all out like this and learned that this was so much food!! We just ate a little bit of everything but none of us could eat everything served. Which actually was not bad because it made for some great leftovers!! But we enjoyed it very much!! It was a blast and we will definitely keep this tradition going!! At one point Scott commented, "Boy, you are way more Romantic than me!!" I just laughed. Scott can be romantic too!!

On Valentines Day he woke and made me breakfast in bed, which I totally LOVE!! With it he brought me a little gift and a card. The card had this in it:

Yes it is a HUGE pin! He told me I had to wear it all day!! So I did, and with PRIDE! After I read the card he said, "I was looking through all the romantic cards and they were great! But, they're just not me. So when I saw this one I just had to get it!!" Scott also got me some perfume that I have been wanting. It is Dolce and Gabanna's Light Blue. This is what my sister Whitney wore and every time I smell it I think of her!!

IT SNOWED TODAY!?!

I just had to post this because this just makes me laugh!! This is a picture of our house this morning. We had been hearing on the news that there was a POSSIBILITY of snow flurries this morning. So, when I woke up this morning I looked outside and sure enough there were flurries. Always when it is bad weather or snowing here everyone turns on the news to see if there are school closings. Sure enough NO SCHOOL!! My family just always gets a laugh out of this because they live in Utah where this winter there has been 3-4 BIG snow storms a week and they have not had any school closings yet!! We don't often get snow here and don't have much equipment to keep the roads safe. There are a lot of back country roads that the busses and parents have to drive on to get the kids to school so really they just keep the safety of these people in mind when they are detemining the closings. They allow for something like 13 snow days before they have to make it up at the end of the year!!
So, needless to say, there are a lot of happy kids and teachers out there today that are just happy to have the day off!!
Note: There was just a little bit more snow on the ground when I first woke up. This picture was taken about 30 min. after when I realized it was starting to melt.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

As many of you may already know the President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away a week ago Sunday. This dedicated man was 97 years old, had a love for the word of God, and brightened the life of anyone he met. Ever since childhood I have had fond memories of President Hinckley giving inspired talks that have shaped the person I have become. When I turned 19 I had the great opportunity to serve as a full-time missionary in Salt Lake City, Utah. This put me close to all the action! One of my favorite quotes came when he visited our mission and told us, "Don't be stupid!" Besides that profound doctrine I have learned many great things from this man. He is an example for anyone to follow. He was a hard worker with a determination to get the job done. His list of accomplishments is to long to list. His love for those he came in contact with was too strong to be measured. In short, throughout his life, he emulated the life of our Savior Jesus Christ. I myself have taken on a covenant to follow Christ and to strive to be like Him. I know that as I do, I may also have opportunities to bless the lives of others. I encourage you to read more about the life of Gordon B. Hinckley and see for yourself the great life he led, and maybe you will see how he has changed mine.

We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet...

ONE IN THE OVEN!!

We are finally past our first trimester and are so excited to announce that we are expecting a new little one in JULY!! We feel so blessed to be able to have another child. We have been reading baby books with Emery to help her try to understand that she is going to be a big sister. I don't think that she will really understand everything until the baby is actually born. But she loves to sing to the baby and talks about how the baby eats through the "bela-cord".

Only in the South...
At our last Doctor's Appointment I was talking to the doctor about not being able to sleep at night and he was giving us some suggestions for that. He runs a Christian Based Practice so he told us that he knows we are people of FAITH and to use that to our advantage. He told me that the LORD is very real and I should be PRAYERFUL. He also suggested that when I am awake at night that I can read the BOOK of PSALMS and that I can feel a lot of peace when I do that. YA GOTTA LOVE THE SOUTH!! I don't know of anywhere else that your doctor will give you that kind of advice.