Lehi's family

In this week's Come Follow Me lesson, Lehi bears his testimony to his son, Jacob, and recognizes that Jacob's life has been hard, particularly because of the rudeness of his brethren. 

I can't help but feel like Lehi who felt sad for Jacob who had to fight alongside the few other righteous brothers in his family to speak truth and live it. I feel this for my own kids in a world where even the simplest of choices have been convoluted and made to be complicated. I'm sad that my kids have to fight so hard to keep the simplest of truths in their hearts.

 I love in the scriptures later when Helaman is told the importance of the scriptures because they will show future generations the truth. The truth is simple and can be understood by all. Heavenly father foresaw the confusion we'd encounter today and preserved his teachings to help us navigate these times specifically. And I'm grateful:)

2023 Summary

Christmas 2023

How time is flying by!

Christmas present highlights for this year:

-We got a smoker

-Kate and Will got an MP3 player. Kate also got art supplies and Will got a super cool roller coaster lego set.

-David got magnet toys and legos

-Keira got a doll house

Both Kate and Will are participating in Draper recreation basketball and it has been so fun to watch! They are also going to participate in the string festival in a couple of months.

 David loves Kindergarten but he also loves being at home and relaxing (the 1/2 days suit him;). Keira absolutely loves preschool and would go every day if that were a thing for 3 year olds:) Kate loves math and is super excited for JA academy where all of the 5th graders will be given pretend jobs. The job she has been given is to be a KSL news reporter. William is in 3rd grade and earns lots of points to buy candy with at his classroom "store." His teacher adores him and he is basically rocking the 3rd grade.

I attended my first real estate investor conference this year and bought a duplex. I also started a new job as a multimedia developer and am loving it.

Ben is learning all the ropes of being in a bishopric and has made friends. He is satisfied with his work as an engineer and the flexibility it has offered us. He is also constantly doing a house project for us. This year we're going to finish at least 3 of the 4 bathrooms;)

This coming year, we're going to Zion's National Park, Disneyland, and Glacier. We are excited to help our kids develop and appreciation for nature. 

The lord has been blessing our lives and is helping us to stay centered. We're reading the BOM as a family, slowly but consistently. We have a goal to finally finish it this coming year.

Keira's birth story!

Keira was born during the year of Covid! The nation was apprised of a new virus in January or February of 2020, and Keira was born in May. By that time, Kate and Will were attending school online, and Ben was working from home a few days a week due to the need for social distancing. 

Keira was due at the end of May but throughout the pregnancy I had minor complications due to Placenta Previa. I had an ultrasound scheduled for the morning of my birthday, May 4th. I woke up with some light bleeding but attended the ultrasound anyway, letting the doctor know about the times I had been to the hospital in previous weeks for the same issue. She recommended that I go ahead and have the baby that day. I was 36 weeks pregnant, and Keira seemed healthy. I figured it was better to be safe than sorry, and I thought it would be fun to share a birthday with my youngest!

I finished my appointment and called Ben. 

"So...we're going to have a baby today."

"...Ok (laughs)."

"Call your parents and see if they can leave now."

Luckily Grandma and Grandpa Ellis moved to St. George the week prior and were willing to come help with the kids while we were in the hospital. They really saved our bacon! Jody came up to cover us until Rob and Karen could get here.

My c-section was scheduled for 5pm, so I went home, leisurely packed my bag, and headed to the hospital to do some monitoring and waiting.

Since this was my first c-section, I wasn't sure what to expect but it was definitely interesting! When Keira came out Ben held her close to my face for a minute before they whisked her away to make sure she was doing well. She was loud so that seemed like a good sign, but they were worried about how much work she was doing to breath, so they took her to the NICU,where she stayed for a full two weeks.

I sent Ben to Washington so the other kids could get some cousin time while I went back and forth between the hospital and home. It was heart-wrenching not being able to be with her during her first weeks of life, but it was also probably a blessing as I was utterly exhausted, and healing from the most intense surgery I had ever experienced. By the time she came home, I had already been able to sleep through the night for two weeks (besides getting up to pump). 

She came home on day 14 with Oxygen. The tech explained how to change the oxygen canisters and monitor her breathing. I was relieved not to have to go to the hospital every day, but that oxygen machine was loud and never stopped beeping! After one night of it waking us up constantly, we decided to just turn off the sound and check it during the night time feedings. 

She made mounds of progress once she was home. She seemed to thrive on the snuggles and the freedom of Mom's schedule as opposed to the NICU's. She is the only baby I had to use premature clothing for. She was so tiny! But she grew into her newborn cloths quickly.

Now she is 18 months old and walking and babbling like a pro! She knows how to hold her own when she doesn't like what someone's doing, and she knows how to milk you for attention:) She is spunky, independent, and curious! We love Keira. 

2019 Here We Come!

2019 Here We Come!

2018 has been full of life for us! I can't believe we only have a few days left of this year- it went by fast!

We are enjoying time together as a family this week; Ben got the whole week off so we have been playing board games and sledding non-stop! On Christmas we went to visit the Eldredges and it was sure a party, complete with Grandma's Bingo:)

David is growing. He hasn't been consistent with sleeping through the night, which is rough, but we have faith that he'll get there. He is 5 1/2 months old! He has the cutest smile and he adores his siblings. He lights up whenever Kate and Will come near him.

Kate is loving Kindergarten! She loves to learn period! Right now she's perusing violin and dance, and a little bit of piano. She likes to play "teacher" with William as the student. She is an awesome big sister to both Will and David. I don't know what I'd do without her. 

Both Kate and Will are starting swimming lessons next week. We're hoping they'll be proficient by the summer so that they can be more independent during pool time!

Kate and Will are very social- they love their friends:) We have had play dates galore at this house! William loves cars and legos, and he is doing awesome attending preschool 5 days a week! He is our comic relief; his expressions are super silly and we love it! William loves Kate. He won't let her out of his sight. He also loves David. He asks, "where's my chubby?"

David's Birth Story

Luckily when you're on baby #3, doctors and nurses tend to think you know what you're doing. This means I was able to be induced a week early! And boy was he ready - he came out a whopping 8 pounds 2 ounces, and 21 inches tall.

I went in at 7:30am without Ben, and planned to have him come a little bit later once I got going. By 8:30 the Anethesiologist was ready to give me my epideral, so I told Ben head over at 10am (Stephen and Amanda headed up to the house to take care of Kate and Will- they are awesome!). Shortly after, they gave me the petosin and by 2:18pm David was born! It was quick, easy, and as planned. We are pretty lucky!

Mom came down for a week and entertained Kate and Will while I got used to nursing and slept as much as I could. Sarah and Brooklyn came down for a few days as well which we loved.

Kate and Will love having a baby in the house. They are good at grabbing diapers for me and giving David a binky when he is fussy. It's nice to have helpers! They have been super good sports about not being able to leave the house as much. I think it will be good for them to have lots of down time before the busy school season starts in a few weeks:)

David is making excellent strides in his sleeping patterns. He is sleeping longer and longer at night, and he is pretty happy during the day. He is starting to follow faces with his eyes and he enjoys music. We love him so much!

New Year New...Nothing. New Nothing.

2016 is over and we're on to bigger and better things! But actually just more of the same things...I really thought we'd be well on our way to baby #3 by now but I suppose God has a different plan in mind. That said, I LOVE the two that I have. I have multiple moments every day where I just adore my children and I want to eat their squishy little faces. I relish those moments because they are pretty short compared to the "oh my gosh motherhood is kicking my butt" moments, and I'll take what I can get.

Kate is totally in love with school and friends and all things colorful. It has been so fun to see her soak up learning and blossom in personality. She is a super sweet sister (most of the time) to Will. I seriously don't think they could be cuter siblings. Some other things Kate loves include paints, princesses, dress-ups (she wears a princess dress every single day), strawberries, and treats (she comes by that right). She also loves running errands with Mom and going outside. Her signature phrase is, "seriously?"

William is so big! And I'm not the only one that thinks so - everyone comments about it! He is talking in full sentences and he wants to do everything Kate is doing. He is very silly which is so fun; we always get a good laugh or two out of him. He loves Dory and Nemo, and he loves to be outside. He gives the sweetest kisses and I can't get enough of his cheeks. Some of his signature phrases include "aww, why not?" and "I need some more." There is also our favorite, "Oh gosh." He is constantly eating. No breaks.

Ben is living the engineering life at L3. He has brought on his best friend Dan and cousin Harrison so I'd say L3 wants to keep him around, even if only for recruitment purposes;)

Life as a teacher is pretty fun these days. I don't have a new baby to keep me busy so I thought I'd pursue a few endorsements (history and reading) and they are proving to be challenging and fun! I've already made some neat changes to my courses using what I've learned and that makes my life seem like it's on the up instead of at a plateu. What else do I need?

Mom & Dad, Stephen & Amanda, and Tim spent Christmas with us! Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Scott came for Christmas Eve dinner, so we felt lots of love this holiday season! We are so blessed to have family near us. On top of that, Tim proposed to Becky and we'll have a wedding soon! It's a fun time for our family:)

Kate Goes Missing

October 12, 2015

On Saturday Ben and I decided to visit Cornbelly's, a much talked up way to celebrate the fall/Halloween season. We thought, "it's a beautiful day, lets go see some pumpkins and walk through a maze!" And so we drove our little family to Thanksgiving Point, expecting to play for a few hours and head home.

We made it about 20 minutes; After playing on a kid-sized boat, we realized Kate was no longer there and we could not find her. It was a terrifying realization. Ben and I of course imagined worse-case scenarios. I asked a mother also sitting near the boat if she had seen Kate; she hadn't, but she started helping me look. When we couldn't find her she went and notified an employee for me - at that point it had been about 5 minutes and I was crying. There is no worse feeling than losing a child and feeling completely helpless! That place was so big! An employee took me up to the information desk (Ben was circling the area) and there Kate was in the arms of another employee, screaming in true Kate fashion. I was so relieved! I do not know how she got away from us. In total we probably only lost her for about 10 minutes, but it sure felt like longer!

I was humbled that so many people were understanding and ready to help us. We went home after that and ate ice cream:-)

A similar experience happened only a few weeks earlier. I had started the car remontely, and somehow the car locked after I had put William and the keys in the car (it's not suppose to be able to do that). Luckily the car was on so he couldn't overheat, but I was nervous! I went back to knock on the door of the woman I had just visit taught, and she called the police for me. They sent the fire department, but while we were waiting, the car turned off. I totally panicked. I thought he was going to get heat stroke. Luckily, the fire department arrived shortly after the car turned off and they pryed the door open with a wedge enough to stick a wire stick in there and pop open the door with the handle. When they got William out he was sweating and crying, but he was ok.

Janessa was so nice - she had done that before and knew how scary it was. Looking back it was no big deal, but it feel like such a big deal when you're going through it. I am grateful for good people in my life!