Christmas Eve 2011

I am just amazed at how quickly this year went by... I look around and am amazed at all that has happened, and all that we have gained this year and it is simply wonderful! There have been trials, and some pain... but a whole lot of blessings.

We looked forward to our phone calls with our missionary and for the opportunity to spending some time with my family. This has been a very special year with new babies being born. Shayne and Kerry welcomed a beautiful little girl on November 30th named Sariah and Shalum and Candice FINALLY... finally had their dream of a baby come true. They adopted a beautiful little boy they named Jared Axel Decklan... AKA Jax! He is truly a blessing and the strangest part, he looks like he could be their biological son. Candice's mom said that even through adoption our family genes are strong! :) It is AMAZING to see them with this little boy! The joy they have on their faces is so wonderful. I think we had tears in our eyes every few minutes just looking at Shalum with this little boy. It was such a wonderful day, knowing that soon we would be welcoming two more baby boys, and loving the moments we get to spend together. The kids love to hang out with their cousins and I think that my goal next year will be to work hard to find more opportunities to spend more time together.

Our Christmas eve was nice, laid back and fun. It started with lunch with my family, and ended with the sibling exchange,and oh, we can't foget about the phone calls with Tallin!!! He sounds AMAZING! It is crazy to hear him speak. He had to think about words in English. He is so happy, so upbeat and loves serving his mission! We even got to get to bed at a half way decent hour...

Shalum and Candice and their sweet little boy Jax! Santa's helper... Jax!

Gabriel is talking to Uncle Tallin... he can point Tallin out in family pictures so Tallin can be happy that we haven't let him forget who he is!

Sweet Sariah...

Shalum is a daddy!!! I can't tell you how wonderful that is to say that!!!!!

Cereta and Kalli are such good little mommies... except Noah isn't sure if he likes being a life sized doll for them!

Cereta sure loves Noah...

Kalli, like the rest of her sisters, is a baby freak! There just never seems to be enough babies to go around!

Sariah and Jax, so excited for their first Christmas... :)

Shayne and Tiffany are hogging the babies!

We told Candice that she looked good with twins! Her sister recently had twins and she said that she is content to have them one at a time!

Gabe opening his cool present that Grandma and Grandpa got him!!!

When in doubt... buy Matchbox Cars for Nate... nothing makes him quite as happy!

Kami got the really cute boots she wanted!

Bummy got his DS game he wanted!

Kalli was so happy to get the Easy Bake over she has talked about nonstop!

Because you know.. the boy needs more weapons! Yay Hayden!

Matt knows Wyatt well...

I guess Jace knew Willie desperately wanted new shoes after he borrowed his a few times!

Clothes are always a hit...

Cute shoes and jewelry... what more does a girl want? Kassi says they are perfect!

Kailee gets.....

ANOTHER purse!Kinzee knows Tanner well too... a new pair of shoes!Gabe isn't worried about his mom opening her present... he just wants his dad to put together his cool toy grandpa and grandma got him!

And they're off... Nate said he would push GabeAwesome! And it makes noises too!

Tanner... just because he hates his picture taken so bad that I get them every chance I get!

Little boys love hanging with their sisters!

Can I just say that there is NEVER a dull moment with these girls around. We laugh constantly and I love that they are so fun, and so happy!

And after the craziness of the day... all is calm, all is bright!

This is the time when you let go of the worry and sit back and enjoy the reason that we celebrate Christmas. It seems like this year the days just slipped away from me and I didn't take a lot of time to reflect on the birth of the Savior. And this night... after the crazy of the day, as fun as it was, I looked around and remembered that none of this really mattered... what truly matters is the gift we were given so long ago. The Savior was born, a tiny baby, who grew to be Everything for everyone. And I am grateful!

Company Party... second visit with Santa

The company Thayne works for always does huge Christmas parties for the kids... this one was no exception, although it is seriously so crowded it is hard to move and the line for Santa seemed to go on forever. But they had a great time and enjoyed not only seeing Santa, but the Grinch also!

The kids got cotton candy and cookies and drinks and enough pizza to feed a small country...and pillow pets, and toys and they played games... and enjoyed all of the excitement of getting ready for Christmas!

Kami and Kalli weren't scared of the Grinch... Noah didn't care who was holding him... just that he was being held!!!
Nate was excited to meet the Grinch!

Hanging out with Santa

Gabe wasn't all that excited about seeing Santa at all!

Again... Noah is just glad someone is holding him!

Hmmm... wonder what Kailee is going to ask for!!! :) haha Kailee!!!

Part of the whole darn family... Poor Santa!!!

Kailee and Noah....

Kinzee and Bummy....

Garrett and Gabe enjoying some pizza and cookies!

Nate trying to convince Noah that he is having fun....

Naptime....

Yummy cotton candy...

Rana...it's funny, Rana and I met online many years, and many babies ago. In October her husband started work out here and now... here she is, hanging out at the company party with us!

December 3rd ~First visit with Santa for the season

The daycare that Kailee works at has Breakfast with Santa every year... the little ones got to go meet Santa and do their best to convince him that they are on the nice list this year. Nate was excited this year to meet Santa and sit on his lap. He has told us several times that he is on the nice list. Can't believe the year has flown by and here we are ready to celebrate Christmas already!

Noah is definitely on the nice list! For sure!!!Kami.... naughty or nice?!?!?!
Hyrum is for sure on the good list... right Bummy?!?!
Nate said he is on the top of Santa's good list!
Kalli tried to convince Santa she has been good all year!

Kailee is 19

~November 30th my sweet Kailee Anne turned 19!
My beautiful little girl is all grown up.
I cannot believe how quickly those years have flown by.
She is so much fun... she is the light when she walks in the room!
I can't wait to see what she does with her life...
and I am so very grateful that she is my daughter!
Happy Birthday sweet girl... and may this year bring you joy and happiness and
dreams come true for you! And Kailee got the neatest present of all...
a new cousin, Sariah was born!
Happy Birthday Sariah,
Welcome to the world!!!

The Hand

I went through with the surgery and came through with flying colors. We had to be at the hospital at 8am and thankfully when we got there, they had been standing around waiting for us. The surgery before me, a total knee replacement, had to be canceled and we were ready to go. Good I guess because I didn't have time to really think about it, though it did put a rush on things considering I still needed to pump before I went in or be in pain for a few hours. They let me pump and then came in and got ready to put the IV in. Now... I have to put this out there... I DETEST IV's. As in, they terrify me. I know, I know... I have had 11 c-sections and 16 children so a little IV shouldn't cause me a panic attack just knowing it is coming. But it does!!! I also never understood WHY they don't willingly numb your hand before they jam a huge needle in it! Well... ok, I get their explanation in theory. The only problem is that their theory works backwards for me. I tell them that my veins explode if they don't numb it first. It never fails in our hometown hospital that they basically tell me I lie... they don't believe me. But I DON'T lie, and it IS true. If you don't numb my hand first, the vein ALWAYS blows. So, the nurse tells me that they don't have time. I tell her that they will have to make time when my vein blows and we have to do it all over again so why don't we just do it right the first time. She tells me that the vein doesn't hold as well if it is numbed first. I tell her I promise mine will. She tells me again they don't have time. I tell her it will take just as much time to have to do it over than to do it right the first time. Did I mention I have this horrible, overwhelming phobia of needles?

Guess what? She wouldn't do it, and jammed that needle in, and said 'oops'... and moved it around until I had sweat dripping down my face. I was feeling woozy and ready to pass out (I will point out that I have actually FELT one side of a c-section being performed TWICE after the spinal wore off, I could feel them cutting, stapling, the works, and can handle that... but NEEDLES... not so much!). The nurse continued to dig around, commenting on how sorry she was that she was digging around. I did say, "I told you so..." but that didn't help me any!!! The other nurse told her she thought it WAS in place but by the time they figured it out, it was a mess!!! Thankfully the anesthesiologist came in then and said that HE would do it... it wasn't nearly as horrible. But... what is bad is the hand that was operated on wasn't nearly as bad as the one that was bruised from the failed IV attempt!!! And you can't really see to appreciate the bruise in this picture! The surgery itself wasn't horrible... well, that I know of. They knocked me out for it but it was only about 15 minutes and before long I was back in the room and ready to go home. Buffy kept my baby boy all afternoon so I rested, but really was fine and it didn't slow me down at all except not being able to get it wet for a few days. Which was a nice break from doing the dishes!!! :)

And after two short weeks, the stitches are out and I am now free to do dishes again!!! There is only one tiny spot that is still numb at the very tip of my middle finger and the doctor said that if that is the only spot I should be completely healed within a few weeks. Now to build my strength back in my hand.... but hauling Noah's car seat in and out is working wonders!!!

Thankful Day 30 (Caught up!)

Thankful Day 30
~I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am grateful for the peace that has filled my life because of it.
There are moments in life when you wonder why something is happening and without the knowledge of who we really are, why we are here and where we are going,
I cannot imagine how much different my life would be.
I am thankful for the gift of peace that comes when the storms are raging around me.
Without the hope that comes from the gospel,
life would seem incredibly unfair and scary.
I am grateful for the power of the Priesthood and the many times it has blessed my life.
I feel blessed every time I enter the temple and feel the Spirit of hope
in a world where many lose hope.
I am so very grateful for the knowledge of our purpose here,
and most of all I am so very thankful to realize that even when things are hard, great knowledge comes through the trials and peace comes in knowing that no matter what, every experience will be for my own good and that I can look back and know that the hardest times in my life is when I have felt the greatest blessings of comfort and peace.

I am so very thankful for the atonement and for the knowledge that it is not weakness to lean on the arm of the Savior...
that this is where we find our greatest strength!

Thankful Day 29 playing catch up

Thankful Day 29
~ I am grateful for friends!
My dad used to say that you were lucky if you have one true friend in your life.
I feel very blessed that I can say I have had several true friends.
Friends where you can not talk for months,
and then pick up right where you left off.
Friends who know you need them without saying a word.
Friends that share the joys and pains of everyday living,
who will cry with me,
and then make me laugh so hard I really am crying!
I cherish the friends that make my life so much better because they are in it!
You know who you are!!!! :)

Thankful Day 28 Playing catch up...

Thankful Day 28
~ I am grateful for the things I most often take for granted.
I am grateful for eyes to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell...
and hands to use for so many things,
like holding a baby, brushing my teeth, being able to tie Nate's shoes.... t
hings we just do every day without thinking.

Happy 5 month birthday

Happy 5 month birthday little man. 5 months... Such a small amount of time in the eternal scheme of things. Yet in the first 5 minutes of your life it was like you had always been ours. Like the puzzle was missing a piece so important that it simply could not be completed without you... And while some on the outside, trying to look in think that we had enough, they simply do not understand that we did not have enough, because we did not have you. They could not understand what we always knew... Our life would lack something until we had you. You have blessed our lives in a million little ways. You were sick all week. Each day when the kids walk into the house they immedietely came to us, and each one reached out to touch you. They needed to check on you before they did anything else. It is hard to even hope to explain to people who wonder why we want so many children. How do you explain something you can't understand with the mortal mind? We seemed to know what we would be missing without you. Now, here you are. A child I prayed for, an answer to those prayers.

Slow down time... Do not move so quickly. Because he is my 16th, I know all too well that 5 minutes all too quickly moves to 5 months, and then 5 years. And then to 15. And on and on. But for right now I want to breathe in your sweetness. I want to cherish each moment of my baby. All too soon you will be running to catch up with the others. So tonight, just be content to sleep in my arms. Just for tonight be safe in my arms and let me look down at your precious face and memorize how you look when you yawn and stretch. Let me pretend that I will always be able to protect you and fulfill your every need. Because I understand that when I blink, you will have grown and your only need from me will be the support to let you fly.

Good night sweet boy. Happy birthday... Thank you for healing my heart.