10 months left!

We are now on the down side of this mission...
Only 10 more fast Sunday's before he comes home.
I am usually okay with having him half way around the world from me,
But there are some days when I miss him so bad it hurts.
In my heart...
wondering if he is doing okay, if he is happy, if he is safe.

I hope that he is having experiences that will strengthen his testimony
and that he will always be able to put his trust in Heavenly Father.
I pray that this molds him to be a righteous man of God,
in all ways!
This mission will make him a better husband, a better father.
I am grateful he is there.
It would be selfish of me to wish him home.
I know that he is exactly where the Lord would have him be at this time...
But my mother's heart is excited for the next 10 months to fly by,
and he will come home to us!
I love seeing pictures of this beautiful place that he calls home right now.
It is amazing to see how he lives...

I love you Tallin Scott...
Stay safe!

My birthday boys

I am not sure that I ever officially said, "Happy Birthday" on my blog to Thayne!
He was more than willing to spend his special day welcoming our newest son into the world!
I was so glad that my doctor agreed to let me have him on that day!

I am so grateful to be married to this man.
He is the most amazing man I have ever known.
He often leaves me in awe of him and I count my blessings everyday
that I get to call him mine!

So happy birthday boys!
I love you both more than you will ever know!

Not a bad dream...

It was one of those nights that felt like a dream.
Too bad it wasn't!
Thayne woke up quite a bit earlier than he normally has to get up,
Which is ridiculously early anyway.
He decided rather than trying to go back to sleep, he would just stay up
and go into work early.
Strangely enough I was wide awake too.
He kissed me goodbye and turned to leave the room when his phone rang.
I could tell by the sound of his voice that it wasn't work.
He said, "I'll be right there!"
and then told me that Jace's apartment building was on fire!
He ran out the door and took his work truck while I woke Kailee,
Put some sweats on and ran out right behind him.
It only takes a couple of minutes to get to their apartment but that morning
it felt like an eternity and when I came around the bend in the road
I saw flames... and started praying harder.
I wondered how anything could be saved.
Thankfully the fire department was there,
For the second time that night it seems.
The first time, they put out a fire in the couch.
The man upstairs started it with a cigarette.
It was put out so imagine their surprise when they were called there AGAIN...
They were NOT happy.
Jace wasn't happy either!
These are the neighbors that give apartments a bad name.
You know the type.
The ones you hear all night screaming at each other.
The man calling the woman bad names,
Screaming at the baby to shut up because he is crying like a baby does.
Where he is drunk more often than he is not.
This isn't the first time the fire department was there...
Over the summer they were there for the same people, same reason.
The second time that night, it is believed that he started the fire on purpose!
Jace actually caught him leaving...
Quietly... just leaving.
Thankfully Jace had heard them and heard the smoke detector going off in the upstairs apartment.
Otherwise everyone may have slept until it was too late.
He called 911, and woke the neighbors.
The fire department protected Jace and Caitlyn's stuff and were very careful with the water so that their apartment was spared.
But it is unlivable!
Worst part is that our area is booming and finding a place to live is HARD.
Hopefully it will be ready to live in again in 2 to 3 months.
Caitlyn said at first she was just grateful that they were able to get out and everyone was safe, and then that they were grateful that their stuff wasn't destroyed...
But then, as she was packing up stuff she said it just made her angry!
I agree!!!
I am grateful they are safe... most of all that they are safe!
I am grateful that their stuff wasn't destroyed.
But it makes me angry that a man is so self centered that he is so careless that more than once he started a fire with a cigarette...
But even worse, that he started the last fire ON PURPOSE!!!
We got home around 5am and I was surprised that I fell right to sleep.
When I woke up, I forgot that I had been up for several hours already....
and then I thought, "What a bad dream..."
and then I realized that it wasn't a dream!

Just in case 2 wasn't enough...

Just in case 2 wasn't enough...

We were excited to find out that grandson #3 is coming soon after #2!!!

The first thought that ran through my mind when Garrett sent me a picture of the newest baby boy was, "Oh NO... the trouble these boys are going to cause!!!"

The thought of Nate, Gabe, Noah, Jared and now Isaac... I can only image the fun these boys will find to keep us all on their toes!
Another sweet little man will be joining our family in early 2012!

Issac Jay!

I am so excited.
This is going to be a wonderful thing!

I can't wait to see all of these little boys playing together!

How lucky can we be?!?!

Grandson #2

I would like to introduce Jared Matthew...
Well, he has a few months before he is actually born,

but we are so excited to know who he is

and look forward to meeting him face to face and holding him and loving him

and kissing him and squeezing him, and well...

You get the picture!

Kimi called me after her first ultrasound a little freaked out.

They told her that her baby may have down syndrome and/or other issues.

Long story short,

She asked if I could come for her next ultrasound.

After assuring her that she didn't need to worry,

and praying that it was true,

I made sure I was there for the next ultrasound a few days later!

There is one thing I know about Kimi...

even if the baby had down syndrome,

she would have been the absolute perfect mom to him.

But we were thrilled to find out that all of the issues they had warned her about

were nonexistent...

In fact the doctor that read her ultrasound was a little upset that they would have even scared her in the first place because there was NOTHING that indicated problems...

This little boy looked absolutely perfect in every way...

(He would be perfect no matter what though!)

And I can't wait for this sweet little boy to be born!!!

Mom, dad and baby

When the big girls saw these pictures they teased that it looked like we were new parents.

New parents to Noah... that is true!

However, we looked a whole lot younger when we were actually NEW parents!

I have learned though,

that I love being a parent, no matter how experienced I am at it!

I love holding my newborn for the first time, and every time after...
I love that after all these years, and all of our kids,

we still find such absolute joy in seeing our new baby

and wondering who they will become!

I am so very grateful for our sweet baby Noah.
He has brought so much joy and peace into our home...

and I am blessed to be a 'new' mom to this sweet baby boy!

'Papa' and Gabriel

I have loved this man, literally from the moment I looked at him.
He walked out of the office at the grocery store and I looked him in the eye
and knew that my life would never be the same.
As much as I loved him then, I have fallen in love with him over and over
as we welcomed each child...
There is nothing better than seeing the kind of man he is when he holds our children for the first time, and every time after.
But I have to say that even better than that...

It is seeing him with his grandson.
They have a pretty special bond.
Gabe LOVES his 'papa'...
And 'papa' loves Gabriel.
Seeing them together is something simply amazing.
I love watching Gabe run into the house and yell, "Papa!"

I feel so blessed to be married to a man who is completely devoted to being a wonderful dad...
I love to hear my kids talk about him like he is their hero...

and now, to see him as a grandpa...

Well, it makes me love him even more!

Counting my blessings!

Sometimes I am simply amazed that the dream I have had
from the time I was old enough to dream
is my reality now!
Years ago, when our family was going through a really rough time,
I was sitting with my mom in Church and the closing song said,
"Count your many blessings, name them one by one..."
She looked at me through tears and started naming my kids...
At the time we only had 6, but many times through the years
I have stopped to name my blessings one by one!
I love that we get to keep adding blessings for me to count...
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
Garrett, Tiffany, Jace, Caitlyn, Matt, Kimi, Tanner, (Tallin... and had he been in this picture it would have been simply perfect!), Kailee, Kassi, Kinzee, Willie, Wyatt, Hayden, Kalli, Hyrum, Kami, Nathaniel, Gabe and Noah...
Just to name a few!!!

My newest teen!

10 times now, we have celebrated a special birthday... 13! THIRTEEN! We lived to tell the stoy 9 times before so there shouldn't be too overwhelming, but it is sure amazing to think that our sweet boy has turned 13! Happy Birthday Wyatt Thayne. Where have the years gone???

This boy is amazing. He has the funnest sense of humor. He is a tease... at least once a day someone taps me on the shoulder, and when I look back he is laughing, standing on the other side like he really pulled something great on me! He has his dad's quick wit... sometimes the things that slip out of his mouth make me laugh so hard. He is so kind, so sweet and takes such good care of me as his mom. I love this boy! Our family would certainly be missing a very bright spot if this young man wasn't in it!

Happy Birthday Wyatt... I hope that this first year as a teenager is absolutely wonderful and that you will always find joy in living, just like you do now!