MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL....

Another year has gone by and I wonder where it has gone. This year has been full of changes.

Brent's big accomplishment was graduating from Utah State University. It has been a long road but we finally made it. He also took the Dental Admission Test and scored very well. He has applied to numerous dental schools, which we are currently waiting to hear from. It is a long waiting game :)

I've been busy taking care of kids. I'm still serving in the Young Women's presidency, volunteering at the local Food Bank, serving with the PTA, and visiting parents in the NICU with Brent. I've been struggling being pregnant the last half of this year. Our baby girl is due Feb. 10, 2011, I've decided I'm just getting to old to be pregnant, it is a lot harder than it used to be. :)

Dallan is growing up too fast. He is now in the 2nd grade and this last October he turned eight years old and was baptized. This was a very special day for him, he was so very excited. He said turning eight is the best because he got baptized, started Scouts, and graduated from having to ride in a booster seat. :) He likes school, playing with friends and cousins, and he even does well playing with his siblings.

Allie is such a big girl. She started kindergarten and loves it. She is starting to learn how to read and loves to dance to music. She loves animals, all different kinds. For her birthday she wanted a matinee and for Christmas she asked Santa for an armadillo. :) She is all girl and is so excited for a baby sister!

Cody is two years old!! And he is into everything! When he is angry or mad he yells, "Cody!". I guess he hears us yelling that too much. :) He talks so well and repeats things very well too. He loves to play with his brother and sister. He also loves Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Lightening McQueen. He likes all kinds of balls and I just try to keep up with all his energy.

At this time of year we look back and are so grateful for the many blessings our Heavenly Father has given us. He has always looked out for us and provided so much for us. We are most grateful for the gift of His son, our Savior Jesus Christ, the real reason for the season!!!!!!

Just a quick update, since I am so bad at updating. Allie was telling me that when she grows up she will have two babies in her tummy. She will name them Shayla and Kayla. And then she thought for a minute very intensely with her hand on her forehead and said, "I just can't think of a boys name though." And she was so distraught about it. It was funny. So I guess we will have to see what happens when she grows up :) Hope all is well and just on the side note. Today is the last day of classes for Brent!!!! Yay!!!

Merry Christmas 2009

What a great time of year. We have been so busy and done so much.

Brent has been very busy with school all year. He has been getting good grades, spending time with family and selling Cutco knifes. I don't know how he does it all, but he does and he is amazing. He has one more semester and will graduate in May. We are both very happy about that. :)

Dallan turned 7 this year. He is in the 1st grade. Dallan is a great student and is good at reading and math. He is a great big brother and helps his mom out a lot. He played T-ball again this year and did very well. He loves to go camping, play video games, watch movies and play with friends/cousins.




Allie is 4 years old, but can not wait until she turns back to 5. (When she was 3 she was convinced she was 5 yrs old, she was very disappointed when she turned 4. ) She loves animals, especially puppies. She can't wait til she is a grown up so she can have all the pets she wants. She is trying to learn lots so she can go to kindergarten next year. Allie loves to play in sand, go camping, and watch movies too.





Cody is now 14 months old. He has had the busiest year changing and growing. He has been walking since he was 10 months old and now is running and climbing on everything. If you come to our house you will see how we have blocked everything imaginable. I think his first words were "teeth". he can say mama, daddy, thankyou, and repeats other words very well. His laugh is contagious. We are so glad he is in our family.


As for me, I have had a very busy year just being mom. Three kids keep me busy everyday. I am also serving in Young Womens in our church which I absolutely love! I've been Brent's tutor this past year also, but have finished that up because he has now past my level of knowledge. :)
As I contemplate another year gone I am reminded of the many miracles that have happened so often in our lives. Those miracles come from the purpose of this season our Savior Jesus Christ! How blessed we are for the daily miracles He gives us. We hope this Christmas time we all will turn to our Savior and just REMEMBER. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Seriously, were does the time go!!! I am not ready for cold to come and it is already here. I have birthdays to plan, Halloween costumes to put together, house to clean, the kitchen???well, I don't know what to do about that. I can't believe Cody is going to be turning 1 and Dallan is turning 7. See my previous posts for emotions running high. Cody's 1st birthday will be emotional but I am sooo very grateful for it!

September 3, 2009

Wow, We have been volunteering with Common Bonds, the parents support group if you’ve had a baby in the NICU. Tonight was the first night that we went into the NICU to visit with parents and give them some gifts. What a wave of emotions that came over me tonight.
I started to cry in the waiting room. There was a mom out there, she was surrounded by family. And she was just crying. She would stop the tears for a moment and then all at once they came again. I so remember that feeling of having no control over those tears. They were flood gates that would just open and I would try everything to stop the tears and nothing worked. The feeling came back so fresh I started to cry myself. My heart ached for her. As we went inside and started finding out information on the babies and families, I realized that her baby boy was the same gestational age as Cody was. My heart went out to her again.
We scrubbed up and I can still smell the soap on my hands . A smell that I have now associated with Cody, I would long to be with him when he was in the NICU and I would smell my hands and that is the smell I remember. So with that smell comes so many memories. Memories of long hours, of tears, of smiles and of hopes.
So many stories and so many lives that pass through those doors each day. We meet a father tonight, his son was born this evening. As we visited with him I heard the grunting of his son and saw the little chest retract. It was if it was Cody lying there again. I know those sounds and I’ve seen the little body fighting for air.
I don’t know if we helped anyone else tonight. But if anything it has brought back the helpless feelings I had and the feeling of totally relying on the Lord. It is very true that at the hardest times of our lives is when we are the closest to our Savior. So If anything came out of tonight’s visit it is this:
I came home and held Cody so very tight, and just remembered. Remembered the pain, remembered the blessings, remembered the roller coaster, remembered how merciful the Lord has been to us, and remembered how it felt to have a baby in the NICU. I pray for each of those babies tonight and their parents.

Where has the summer went too???? When life is busy time sure flies by. Dallan is in first grade and loving it. Allie is trying to learn to count to 20. She could if she tried, she just doesn't care to try right now. So we are working on that. Cody is 10 months old!!!!! Holy Cow the time flies with a baby. In two months we will be celebrating his first birthday. So many feelings come flooding back when I think about that. :) I am trying to finish putting together our kitchen and Brent is back at school trying to get A's. So that is our life in a nut shell. I'll try to be more specific later.

Just a quick note

This morning Brent and I were laying in bed being entertained by Cody. Dallan comes in, almost in tears. I asked him what had happened.

Dallan: "I can't play chess anymore"

me: "Why not?"

Dallan: "The box says you have to be eight"

Brent and I just cracked up laughing. He is reading everything and took the 8 and older comment on the box literally. It took us a bit to convince him that he could still play chess even though he wasn't eight. :)