Christmas Came Early

We had Christmas yesterday! It was so much fun. Brooke and Evan are visiting from California so everyone decided that it would be fun to do our family Christmas early this year. We were all together, except for Brent who is on his mission. It has been a lot of fun spending time with everyone. We spent all day Saturday together starting with breakfast followed by sledding, while others went shopping. We then had dinner and then our family gift exchange. We each have a sibling that we buy for. It's lots of fun to see what everyone will get. This year we had Breanne. We got her some children's books and a new outfit for when she starts teaching next year. I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments. She will be teaching K-2 I believe. Bev had us this year and she got us the perfect gift...a date night!








Movie tickets, dinner and babysitting! I'm so excited to use it. Date nights are the best. The kids got to open presents from their aunt Brooke and uncle Evan. Then they got to do stockings. It was so nice to sit and talk to my brothers and sisters. I'm glad that we have good relationships with everyone. Family is such a great blessing.

Christmas Day Dec. 25TH
Christmas day was super nice.  We had a quiet one with just our little family and my dad in the morning.  Bev and Demarco and Kade came a little later in the morning for breakfast.  It was nice to be together and spend the day as a family.  The kids played with there new stuff, and they got a lot of it.  It seems that whenever Joe and I try to do a small Christmas we end up with way more then we thought.  Next year we will stick to our guns and not go stir crazy.  Yeah right :p 
Here are some pics from Christmas morning...

                                          Brynwen and presents.

                                           Joe's Kindel.

                                           Brynwen

                                           Brynwen and her race track.

                                           Prime Rib Dinner...yummy!

                                            Gabbie opening a present.

                                           Cordin opening a present.

                                           Gabbie showing her stuff.

                                           Cordin

                                            My dad.

                                             Christmas tree before.

                                                     Kids and the tree.

 

Brynwen

                                           Gabbie excited.

                                           Cordin excited.

                                           Gideon and his present.

Family at the tree.

                                           Gideon with his movies.

Off!

I have today off. This doesn't happen very often . Normally I'm at work on Saturdays and only get to have the mornings with my family. Today we get to spend the whole day together. We are going to go shopping for a suit for Joe and then I'm taking Gabbie to see Tangled. I'm so excited to see the movie. I've heard really good things about it and it looks cute. So, I get to be home today and I don't have to stress about going to work. I'm so happy about this. Oh, and I have tomorrow off too!

I'm thankful for work free weekends with my family!

Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving was nice. We had a small one this year which seems to be a tradition with us. We never have the big numbers that used to happen when everyone lived here. It was my family and my sister Bev and her son Kade, my dad and Joe's niece Kayla and her husband. It was very nice and very small and very good. We went the traditional route and had turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, yams, rolls, mashed potatoes and jello. Like I said very traditional. It was fun having everyone here. We set up the Wii and played some games and watched Toy Story 3. I had to go to work at 5:30 last night. It was really slow and very boring. I was so happy when my shift was over and I got to come home.

I'm thankful for my family and the chance to spend time with them. And, even though I don't like my job, I'm thankful that I have it.

It's COLD!

We had a blizzard! It snowed pretty much all day Monday and all day Tuesday. We probably got 10-12in of snow in that time period. It's now really cold outside. I woke up today to -6 and it's supposed to stay cold all week. We are also getting more snow over the weekend. So far, it looks like all the predictions are coming true, another bad winter. It's days like this that I love to wear my sweats and sweaters, and don't forget the warm wool socks. Staying cozy and warm in number one on my list of things to do today.

I'm thankful for a home that has a heater!

Snow, snow and more snow!

It's snowing, and has been for the last 16 hours.

Crazy snow that has accumulated to 10 in.

Snow that has closed the schools for the day.

Which means that all of the kids are home. It has

been a crazy day. My kids are wild and excited that

they get to stay home from school. I have a feeling

though, that this is just the beginning of many

snow days. What will I do with my kids? It's like

summer break but COLD. Even with the crazies,

I love having my family around me. They're great!

I'm thankful for snow days with my kids and husband!

Awww Music!

I was called into the

Primary as the pianist at the

Beginning of the year. I didn't

Like it at first, but now I am loving

It. I get to play the piano every week.

I get to play music and it

Forces me to practice every week.

It's been a blessing in disguise.

I wanted more time to

Play and now I have it.

I'm thankful for Sundays and I'm

Thankful for the piano!

Peace

I totally forgot to post yesterday. We were busy all day cleaning out the garage so we can one, park the cars in there and two, move the furniture from downstairs into the garage so we can finish the ceiling. I'm so excited. It will be really nice when it is finished. I then had to go to work last night so it made for a long day. When I got home it was wonderful to just sit and relax for a minute. All of the kids were asleep. Joe and I were able to talk to each other without any interruptions. That doesn't happen very often.

I am thankful for peace and quiet and a small moment to be an adult with my husband.

Harry Potter...the best one so far!

It really is the best one so far. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part1! Joe and I went to see it tonight and we loved it. The last two movies in the series have been disappointing to say the least. This one however was great. It stayed very true to the book and was so good. I will be taking the 2 older kids to see it now. I think they will really like it.

Today I'm thankful for date nights with my husband, and good movies.

It's gone

Today I'm thankful that illness

Doesn't last forever. The kids are

Back at school and we are

Almost back to "normal"

Yeah! for the human body

And the way it heals itself!

We are remodeling. Nothing to major just some stuff that we have been wanting to do for some time now. We are going to remove our false ceiling that is downstairs and put in a nice ceiling with new lighting. It is going to become our movie room. We are also going to open up a wall in our living room upstairs. This will open up the kitchen and living room so they look more spacious. We are also debating between hard wood floors throughout the upstairs and nice new carpet. There are advantages to both. It's a hard choice. We are also going to rip out the floor in the bathroom and re due it with tile, as well as the entryway to the front door. Some new doors on the front and sliding back door, as well as new windows in the house. It's really exciting to do improvements on our home. Can't wait until it's all done.

I'm thankful for my home!

Day 16

I am thankful for Ibuprofen. It is a life saver when you have to go to work with a really bad headache. Which is what happened to me yesterday.

Today I am thankful for a husband that will get up with a sick child and let me sleep. I really am married to a great man. He is loving and kind and sweet and gentle and sturdy and all of the things that a good man should be. I sure and lucky to have found such a great companion to spend my life with.

Yucky Tummy!

I woke up today feeling really yucky!

I have a major headache and my stomach

is rolling and doesn't feel good.

I hate feeling this way. I hate that I have

to spend copious amounts of time in the bathroom.

I hate that I have to miss church.

I hate that I still have to go to work tonight

because I don't have any more sick days. And, I hate

that my family will probably get it too.

So, what is there to be thankful for...

...today I'm thankful for Pepto Bismol and Sprite!

New Hairdo

I was able to go the the salon today. It was so nice to be there by myself. I don't get to do that very often. I was there for 3 hours getting a color and cut. I really like it. I will have to take a picture of it. I didn't really change the style, but the color is a dark chocolate brown with carmel highlights. I'm liking it a lot...so today I'm thankful for a stylist that I like and can trust with my hair, and for an awesome husband that will stay home with 4 crazy kids.

Bouncing Baby Boy

Four years ago today, my beautiful baby boy Gideon was born. We went to the hospital Saturday evening and I was induced. Gideon decided not to come though until Sunday. It wasn't a difficult labor. It was smooth and went without complications. Hard labor didn't start until mid-morning and by that point I was ready for the epidural. I got it around 3 or 4, and by 7 he was ready to come. He was a whopping 10lbs 2oz and 21in. My biggest baby! Cordin and Gabbie were able to be there with their aunt Brooke, I think Breanne was there too, I can't remember. Within 30 min of his birth they were in the room and holding him. It was such a neat experience having them there so soon after the birth of their baby brother. They were very excited and took lots of pictures. It was such a great day welcoming this new addition to our sweet family. I will always be thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed our family with Gideon.

I am thankful for my sweet little 4 year old, Gideon.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my little man!

thankfulness

I have been a complete slacker when it comes to posting new blogs. I admit that I have been rather lazy about it and am going to work on doing a better job at writing in my "journal".

Seeing as how this month is almost half way through, and that it is the month of giving thanks, I thought I would follow in the foot steps of some of my friends. I am going to give thanks for something everyday. It doesn't matter how big or small. Since I am 11 days short I will get caught up with 11 things today...

1. I am thankful for my sweet little boy Gideon who makes me laugh with the things he says. Example: Gabbie was upset, and once she left for school Gideon turns to me and says, "What is wrong with that child?" Gotta love a 3 year old.

2. I am thankful for my home.

3. I am thankful for a sweet husband that takes care of me when I am hurt.

4. I am thankful for the Internet and the distraction that is can give to crazy kids.

5. I am thankful for prayer and fasting. They do work.

6. I am thankful for 4 beautiful children. They may drive me bonkers at times but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

7. I am thankful that families are eternal. I miss my Mom.

8. I am thankful that I have a job, even though I don't like having to work outside my home.

9. I am thankful for a husband that provides not only financially, but also emotionally.

10. I am thankful for good friends. You know who you are.

11. Today, I am thankful for the men and women that sacrifice all they have to keep me safe. Without them where would we be?

There you have it. The beginning of my Thankful November. Now I just need to remember to keep it up.

Grandma Midgley and other stuff.

September started out on a sad note, my grandma Elaine died on the evening of Aug 31. My sister Bev and I headed out that night at 10pm, to Bellvue, to go and be with our aunt Darlene and to be with grandma. It was hard to be there but it was also a very peaceful and spiritual time as well. I'm thankful to believe what I believe. Knowing that life doesn't end with death has been a great comfort to me. It is hard to loose a loved one, but I know that I will see my grandma again and that she is happy and with those that have gone on before her.  I will miss you grandma!

Here is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa Midgley many moons ago.

The kids also started school on the 1st. I was still in Seattle so I missed their first day. I think they had a good time and that all was ok.
Oct 4...
I started this post back in Sept and I thought I would finish it now. The kids still love school, surprising, I know. Cordin has decided to do band this year. He is playing the clarinet which so far he seems to really like. He has learned how to put it together and how to make sound, now all he needs is the notes. Gabbie is loving school. She is such a social child and thrives on being with others. She is supper smart too. Both her and Cordin are. Gideon wants to go to school so badly. We are thinking of putting him in pre-school. I think he would love it. I just need to justify the expense. Brynwen is growing up way to fast. She is 18 months now. She loves to be apart of everything and follows brothers and sister around like their shadow. I can't believe that all of my kids are getting so big.

Joe and I are doing well. We are living life and doing what we do...work and home and work. Joe's birthday is this Friday and we are excited about sharing this with our family and friends. Our good friends Bill, Maggie and Miri are coming to spend 5 days with us, we can't wait. We are so excited to see them. For Joe's bday we are planning to have dinner with all of our fam that is here and with great friends, then it's off to play laser tag. It should be a great night.

That's pretty much all that's going on with us so far. We are happy and healthy and excited for the coming months. I will work on doing better at posting all the fun stuff that is happening to us as this holiday season begins.

Summer in a nutshell

August is more then half way through and I am sad to see that summer is coming to a close. School starts for us in 1 week. I can't believe this, and have mixed feelings about sending the kids back to school. Cordin is going to be in the 5th grade. Yes really. Gabbie is going into the 3rd grade, and I am feeling like an old mama. Cordin doesn't want to go to school, which is not really all that surprising, and Gabbie is very excited to go, mostly for seeing her friends, not the actual school part. I have liked having them here. They have mostly been really great. We have had our moments of course, but I will miss them when they are gone for most of the day. Gideon is sad that they will be gone, he really likes having them here to play with. Now he has to go back to having just mom to entertain him. What am I going to do? He really wants to go to school and be a big boy like brother and sissy.

Our summer was pretty tame. We had one really big adventure when we went to Utah for 2 weeks. It was a great trip filled with lots of family and fun. We did the Dino museum and went swimming a couple of times up at the reservoirs. The weather was pretty great the whole time we were there. It was so nice to spend time with Joe's family. The kids loved having cousins to play with and hang out with. I really liked renewing relationships with all of the family. We got home in the middle of July and have been swimming and playing here. Like I said it's been pretty tame. We are going to "end" our summer with a camping trip over labor day weekend. We are so excited to spend some time with my brothers and sisters. Everyone but Brooke and Evan will be there. They are coming in the middle of Sept. I can't wait to have some good quality time with my siblings. It's been awhile since we were together.

                                           Face paint at the museum

                                            Cordins dragon

                                           Chandler's Dragon

                                           Justin's Dragon

                                            Gideon's dino

                                           Gideon and Justin on the dino

 

     Justin Cordin and Chandler on the dino.     

                                                                        

                                           Gideon and a Turkey.

                                            Cordin on a horse.

                                           Gideon on a horse.

                                            Gabbie on a horse.

                                           Brynwen on a horse.

                                            All the kids in jail.

                                           Kids in jail again.
Well, that's been our summer in a nut shell. I'm looking forward to what this school year will bring. I'm sure that it will be filled with lots of surprises. Hopefully they will all be good.

The fun is about to begin!

Well, here it is the end on June. I can't believe that it is already the 29th. I know I say it a lot but where does the time go? We have had another busy month. The kids finished school on the 11th. It has been a challenge to come up with things to do to keep them busy. We finally have some nice weather going on so, we have been able to spend time outside. Gideon is an outdoor fanatic. He loves to be outside. We have finally started to put the swing set together, I can't wait for it to be finished. He will be so excited to have his own park.

We are getting ready for our Utah trip. I am so excited! It is going to be so nice to not have to work for 2 weeks. I can't wait to see family. I really love Joe's family and it will be so nice to spend time with them. The kids can't wait to see all of their cousins. They are thrilled to have instant friends to play with. We have some great activities planned for the trip too. We are going to go to the dinosaur museum, which will be Gideon's first time there. In fact it's his first time to Utah. We are also going to go to one of the water parks they have there. There are many to choose from so it should be lots of fun. I can't wait to see everyone. I will take lots of pictures.

I also get the chance to renew some of my old friendships. It will be nice to see people that I haven't seen in a long time. I love spending time with friends that you can just pick up where you left off and if doesn't feel like any time has past. This is going to be a great trip.

Stories from heaven

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to

Earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there

being so small and helpless?" God replied,

"Your angel will be waiting for you and

will take care of you." The child further inquired,

"But tell me...here in heaven I don't have to

do anything but sing and smile to be happy...

"God said " Your angel will sing for you and

also smile for you, and you will feel

your angels love and be very happy."

Again, the small child asked "And how am I going to

be able to understand when people

talk to me, if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful

and sweet words you will ever hear,

and with much patience and care,

your angel will teach you how to speak."

The child then said "But what am I

going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your

hands together, and teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?" the baby asked.

God said, "Your angel will defend you, even if

it means risking its own life."

"But I will always be sad cause I will not see you anymore..."

God said, "Your angel will always talk

to you about me, and teach you the

way to come back to me, even though

I will always be next to you."

At that moment, there was much peace in heaven,

but voices from earth could be heard and the child

hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now,

please tell me my angels name!" God replied...

"You will simply call her Mom."

"A mother's nurturing love arouses in children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experienced in their premortal existence."

-M. Russell Ballard.

Where did May go?

I missed the month of May. There was way to much happening this month. We had Cordin's 10th birthday on May 1st and Gabbie's 8th birthday on the 2nd. We then proceeded to have Cordin's friend party on the 8th which turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. It was the first year in a long time that we let the kids have their own parties and didn't combine them. Gabbie's party was a slumber party on the 14th and 15th. The boys also had the father, sons camp out that same night so it was all girls here for he party. It was a lot of fun.

The 18th was Joe's and my 11th wedding anniversary. We had planned to go out on a date but weren't able to because of some stuff. We ended up going out on Saturday instead. It was nice to just spend alone time with Joe, it doesn't happen all that often. We went and saw Ironman 2. I thought it was really good. It was fun to just sit and hold hands with Joe.

On May 23rd Gabbie was baptised. Most of my siblings were able to come and lots of Gabbie's little friends from church were there. It was such a special day for her. Joe baptised and confirmed her. Bryan gave a beautiful talk on baptism and Ben gave an equally wonderful talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost, Gabbie picked the program. Breanne sang for us while playing her guitar. It was a really neat day all around. We then had everyone that wanted to come over for dinner. I am so proud of Gabbie. She is growing up way to fast for me. She is such a sweetheart and has a very tender soul. I love her and am so happy with the choice she made to be baptised.

On the 27th it was my birthday. It was pretty low key. We went to dinner as a family at the new Mongolian BBQ that just opened here. It was really good. There was lots of yummy food. The kids even behaved themselves, which was kind of shocking. Like I said May was a crazy month for us. I liked it though. It was nice to have lots of things to keep us busy and things to look forward too. Now we get to look forward to our Utah trip to see Joe's family. It should be lots of fun.

Catching Up

It's been awhile since my last post. A few things have happened since then. Where to begin...February we went down to Tricities to go to the temple with my brother Brent. He was taking out his endowments so he could go on his mission. Joe got really sick that weekend and ended up not going so I took all four kids by myself and headed down there. It wasn't so bad and I'm glad that I went to support Brent. Most of the family made it to Bryan and Rachel's. It was nice to see everyone and spend time together. Family is great!

The Tuesday after we got home, I got a call from my sister telling me that grandma Midgley had a stroke on Monday. It was a stroke that affected her vision on the left side of her body as well as her movement on that side. That was hard news to hear. Grandma has always been really healthy and independent, so hearing that her body wasn't working for her was sad. She has been in a rehab hospital for the past month and a half and we have just found out that she has been accepted into a private home care. We went to Seattle for a weekend in March to help Darlene look at some different medical home options and to visit with grandma. There are so many different options out there but we all felt that having a small private home care facility was the way to go with grandma. I think that she will be very well cared for in her new environment and it's really close to my aunt.

On March 22nd we celebrated Brynwen's 1st Birthday. I can't believe that my baby is 1 already. It was pretty low key. Bev, Demarco and Kade came over for dinner and cake. We sang happy birthday to her and she danced while we sang. We gave her her own cake and just let her go to town. It was fun watching her cover herself in chocolate frosting. She got some new clothes for summer and a fun little toy that she loves to play with. Shortly after she turned 1 she took her first unsteady steps. She is still crawling everywhere but loves to walk along the furniture and to walk holding mine or Joe's hands. What a sweet baby girl.

Cordin and Gabbie are getting ready to celebrate their birthdays. May 1st and 2nd are just around the corner. They are pretty excited because these are big birthdays for both of them. Cordin is leaving the single digits and moving up to doubles, I can't believe that he will be 10. Gabbie will be 8 and is so excited to be baptized. I'm not sure when we will be doing that yet, sometime in May. Gideon is happy, most of the time. He loves to be outside playing and this year we decided that we would buy a swing set for him. We did and are now just waiting for all of the boxes to be here so we can go and pick it up from Walmart. I am so excited for it to get here. I can't wait to have a "park" as Gideon says in our backyard. It will be so convenient to have it right outside our door. I know that both he and Brynwen will have lots of fun with it over the next few years.

Catch up on Brynwen...first birthday!

Brynwen is very mobile now. She has been crawling for the past month and a half. She is now pulling herself up and walking along the furniture! UGH! I can't say that I am very excited about this. I'm glad that she is learning and expanding her horizons but, I just want her to stay my baby. I know that this is totally selfish and that I should encourage her but, I really want her to stay little, I want my baby to stay a baby. She is pretty cute when she walks. She's very unsteady on her feet still and wobbles and shakes when she is trying to get anywhere. She loves to follow Gideon around and they play hide and seek all the time. Gideon will pop up from somewhere and she will just laugh and laugh. I should get a video of it because it really is very cute.

                                          At the park

                                          on the slide
                                          

                                          in the stroller


March 22 was Brynwens first birthday.  I can't believe that she is one already.  We did a small family party with Bev and Demarco and Kade.  We had dinner and then did the whole cake and ice cream thing.  She had her own cake and make a huge mess.  It was awesome!  Here is her cake...

                                          Eating rocks.

                                          Beautiful Baby!

2003-04

In trying to recall 03-04 I'm having a really hard time remembering what happened. There wasn't anything really significant that stands out in my mind. It was school...school...and more school. I was home with the kids and Joe was going to school and working. It was pretty tame as far as things go. I do believe that these are the years that we started to hang out with Cale and Sharon more. We played games and watched movies and even occasionally went out.

We made a couple of trips to Utah also. I think we even went to Seattle to stay with Bryan and Rachel. I do remember going to Zoo with the kids. I honestly can't really remember what happened in these two years. I did decide to go back to school in the fall of 2004. I started on my bachelors degree in Speech Language Pathology. Cordin started pre-school that same fall. He really loved it. For some reason those years escape me. Oh well, this will have to do. It I can remember anything else I will revise this.

This is when I wish I had kept a better journal. I guess it's never to late to start.

2002 in review

The year started off with Joe in his 2nd quarter of school at SFCC. He was doing a full load and he was working for a company in Liberty Lake doing Microsoft support. I know a long drive and busy schedule. I was 6 months pregnant with Gabbie and we still lived in a one bedroom apartment. We wanted to move. In March we became managers for Cheney Real Estate and moved into a 2 bd apt. This was our 6th move in less then 2 years of marriage. Crazy I know. Managing apt was nice and an answer to prayers, but I will never do it again.


We had a lot of snow that year, and we had to shovel all of the side walks before a certain time each day. Most of the time Joe did it, however there were the times that I had to get out there, 8 months pregnant and shovel show. It sucked. I only mention this because I don't recommend shoveling snow when your 8 months pregnant.


Gabbie was born May 2, 2002. My in laws were able to come and stay with Cordin while I was in the hospital and Joe had to work. Her delivery went smoothly. We went in at 10 in the morning and had her at 10 that night. It was a Saturday. She weighed 8lbs 3 oz and was 21in long. She had some issues with jaundice and had to be put on the lights. Thankfully we were able to do it at home. She had to be under them for 3 days. Other then that she was healthy and strong.


Shortly after Gabbie's birth Joe lost his job with Microsoft. We were a little distressed at the time but it ended up being a blessing. Joe was able to get on with the school doing work study in the area he was studying. He was able to add this to his resume which helped him in the long run.


The summer was pretty much a blur. New babies will do that to you. Joe went to school all year round so he didn't really get much of a break. He did pretty well in school. I think he enjoyed it. He had a little bit of an adjustment since he was older then most of the students there. It was a pretty quiet summer. We spent a lot of time at the kiddy pool in Cheney. It was free and we were poor.


The fall meant Joe was starting his second year of school. We had our first "Crunch" time with the apartments, when all the students move in for the new school year, we had to check them in. That was crazy. Long days toting a 4 month old in a pack and a two year old that didn't understand why mommy and daddy couldn't play. Thank heaven we had my brother and sisters to come and help. The Holidays were uneventful. We stayed in Washington again and spent them with my family. That pretty much rounds out the year. I know not very exciting huh?

Recalling 2001

2001 was kind of a crazy year for us. It started out with Joe joining the Army. I think he signed in February. We were told that he would have to report and be sworn in in March so, we decided that it would be nice to see family before he left. We went to Spokane to see my siblings. That was in early March. We were there for a week and that is when I decided that I would like to move home to be close to them while he was in boot camp and training. We came home from our trip to have enough time to get him ready to go.

He left the second week of March. It left me with a lot to do. We had given notice on our apartment so I had 2 weeks to get us packed and our stuff put into storage. It was hard not having him there with us. Cordin was about 10 months old when Joe left. Cordin had a really hard time. He used to wake up in the morning and sit on the end of the bed waiting for his daddy to come back from the bathroom. When Joe left, he didn't get to say goodbye because he had fallen asleep. Looking back I would have done it differently and woken him up to give Joe a hug and kiss goodbye.

Our plan was to go to Germany. (Boy, that is so not what happened)! I was able to get everything ready with lots of help from Joe's family. My grandma found us a little one bedroom furnished basement apartment in Cheney. It sucked, but it was a place over our heads for the 3 months that we had planned on being there. Everything was going pretty smoothly until Joe called me and said that there was a hiccup in his paper work. He was promised a certain type of job and because of an indiscretion in his past (won't go into that) they were not going to give him said job. They gave him three options, he could rejoin as...1. infantry man...2...calvary scout...3...he could make it so it was like he never joined the Army and could come home. That was easy for me...COME HOME. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. I talked to his dad and a brother in law and we all fasted and prayed about it and the end result that we all got was that Joe should come home. So he did. It only took the military 4 weeks to send him home. He got home on April 30th which was nice, he was there for Cordins first birthday (May 1st).

The summer was pretty lame. We were now stuck in Cheney. Joe was out of work. We had a little in savings which is what we lived on. We weren't sure what we should do. At the end of the summer we moved into another one bedroom apartment. Joe enrolled in school at SFCC and started on his career path. I was able to be at home with Cordin. I babysat for a friend to earn a little extra income. That helped some. As the fall came I found out I was pregnant with Gabbie.


That fall the terribly sad event of 9/11 occurred. I know that the Lord was watching out for our family. I have no doubt that if Joe had stayed in the Army as a Calvary scout he would have been one of the first soldiers over seas. I am so grateful that Joe was able to come home. I really admire, respect and am eternally grateful for what our military does for us, but it was a blessing that Joe was with us, even if it didn't make sense at the time.


The end of the year was pretty quiet. We spent it with my family. The holidays were nice as I recall. Pretty laid back but very nice. I think that all of my siblings were there. That was the first time in several years that that happened. We were able to be together and make memories. Those first two years of marriage we not a walk in the park. There were some rough patches in there too. I just choose to look back on the more positive stuff.

years Past

My dear friend Maggie has been reviewing her past decade year by year. I really like the idea so I am going to steal it and do the same. Love you Maggie. Your so smart. Let's see what I can remember.


2000
We were living in SLC Utah. The year started out with me being 5 months pregnant with Cordin. I was also working in a day care center at the time. Joe worked for Marriot vacations or something like that. He was also going to school to get his MCSE certificate. Joe and I had been married for 8 months. We lived in this really nasty basement apartment. It was a missionaries apartment before we moved in. It was infested with ants. I really hated that place. The landlords did nothing to improve it, but it was our first home together so there are good memories.



In March we were given the oportunity to move into a house (renting) that was next door to my sister in law Jeri. It was out in a little town called Cedar Fort. A very far and long drive to get anywhere. I don't know what we were thinking when we did that move. But, it worked out. I stopped working in April to get ready for Cordin's arrival. On May 1, 2000 he was born. It was a real eye opener to have a baby. Joe would say that I suffered from post partum depression. I probably did. That first month after he was born is kindof a blur. We celebrated our 1 year on May 18th. We didn't do anything though because we were both so out of it from sleepless nights. Good Memories!


In June Bryan and Rachel were married and we got to come up for the reception in Cheney. Shortly before that, Joe lost his job and we were looking for work. Thankfully we were able to stay in the house we were in. Joe came home to Utah after the reception to look for work and I was able to stay for 2 more weeks with my family. I remember that it was nice to rest and recooperate. I went home and we had a very hot and miserable summer.


At the end of the summer Joe finally found work for a company that did support for Microsoft. He had finally finished his MCSE at that point. We moved to Springville in October another basement apartment, at least it wasn't bug infested. Our landlords we an older couple. I remember that the day we moved it started to rain and we couldn't afford to get a uhaul so our neices boyfriend at the time had an open trailer that we used. Everything got soaked! It was a crazy experience. I don't know why we didn't cover stuff up with tarps. How stupid were we.


The rest of the year pretty much went without any major hiccups. I remember being happy and thankful that we had a home and that Joe had a job. We spent the holidays with Joe's family. It was pretty low key. That was 2000. Next installment to follow shortly.

Guess what I can do!

On the 22nd of this month Brynwen turned 10 months old. The day before that she started to crawl. She is still getting the hang of it but she is moving and getting into everything. Her favorite room to crawl to is the bathroom with the kitchen being a close second. It has been fun watching her discover new things. She can now follow her brother down the hall and into the other room. She really likes this. She loves to crawl under the computer desk and sit under it. She is just so darn cute. She talks up a storm and is trying to say small words like dadadada and mamamama. When ever Joe walks into a room she lights up and gets really excited. Her arms start to fly and she bounces up and dowm. She loves her daddy and wants him to hold her all the time. She can also get on her feet and hands which tells me that she will probably want to start walking sooner rather then later. She has been trying to pull herself up but doesn't quite have the upper body strength yet. It's only a matter of time though.  
 

I know I say this a lot, but I can't believe how fast the year has gone. I can't believe that my baby is so close to being 1 already. I wish...well it doesn't really matter what I wish. When it comes to time it always goes way to fast.

On a side note...we got two new kittens on the 23rd. They are really cute and very active. I don't know what I was thinking. Orange and white kittens, they are into everything. They are brother and sister and play together all the time...usually it is in the middle of the night and on my bed. They are really cute.  Gideon can't keep his hands off of them.

                                           Raydar

                                     Peck