All Because 2 People Fell In Love

This is my family. My immediate family. Want to hear some cool numbers???

10 kids.

7 spouses.

21 grandchildren.

2 great-grandchildren.

Here's how shocking that is to the world outside of Utah:

When Ryan and I took my parents to New York in the fall of 2007, we were able to go to a Wicked cast party. There we met a few of the actors in Wicked, and the directors and other important people who run the show. While we were talking to one guy, we'll call him Mark since I can't remember his real name, he asked how many kids were in our family. I said I was #8 of 10. His jaw dropped!

He then asked, "From the same parents"?

"Yes".

He turned around in his chair and announced this to the room. Yeah.

Then my Dad piped in that #10 had just left the house and he was going to P.A.R.T.Y. when he got home! Mark looked at my Dad and said:

"I think you've had ENOUGH party time"!

LOL! I've never laughed so hard!

I love being able to say those numbers and give people a little shock for their day.

I love having this unique, loveable, never-a-dull-moment, family.

My Valentine's gift from Heavenly Father

I got a Valentine's gift from Heavenly Father this year.

A real, tangible, loving, amazing gift.

I cried over this gift.

Let's back up a bit.

March 4th, 2006. This is the day I got engaged to my wonderful husband Ryan. What do girls most often get when they get engaged??? A ring.

Mine was perfect (despite my mother saying "I know a fake when I see one" when we told her the news) She was just in shock. It's ok Mom :)

I couldn't have picked a better one out myself. I cried when I saw it.

April 15, 2006. This is the day that ring was put on my finger as a symbol that I was married. When the "for better or worse" times came, this ring would remind me of the promises I made to my companion, and help to keep us together.

July 15th, 2008. This was the day my first son was born. As I thought about the little miracle in my arms and what his future would hold, I thought about the ring on my finger and what it would be like to pass it on to him and his future wife. I wanted my ring to be passed down generations and generations to come. I wanted to have a bit of my history be in this ring.

February 9th, 2009. This is the day I lost that ring.

I didn't even tell Ryan for a whole week that I thought I'd lost it. I knew it would break his heart. My heart was shattered. All those things I had promised with, hoped for, dreamed of, were part of that ring. And I so carelessly lost it. How? My fingers were swelling on our way back from SLC, so I put it on my watch for safe keeping. We made a stop at Daniels Summit Lodge. That was the last place I saw it.

My heart shattered again when I told Ryan. He helped me look for it. We tore his truck apart looking for it. No luck. With a heavy heart we stopped looking. I would never forgive myself.

Mother's Day 2009. This is the day Ryan forgave me (of sorts) and bought me a new ring. Not like my first one, but one to show that he loved me and wanted the world to know it. My heart sunk because while I was happy to have that symbol back on my hand, it was a reminder of what I lost. I decided that I needed to move on. I needed to forgive myself.

But I had a hard time doing that.

I even kept looking. Called to see if anyone had seen it. No luck.

For 2 years. No luck.

Feb 15th, 2011. This is the day I got the best Valentines gift from Heavenly Father. We just moved (#2 since I lost the ring) to our new home in SLC. It was time to tackle my room. Clothes to go through and put away for later days. At the bottom of the tote was a brand new, never been worn, vest that Ryan bought for warmer days 2 years ago. I don't know why he never wore it. I don't know why it escaped the DI pile. I just didn't throw it out. So I picked it up to put it in the tote to go downstairs and... plunk...

I looked down.

There it was.

My ring.

The one I had made my promises with, had hopes with, had dreams about. The one I never stopped looking for. The one I never forgave myself for losing.

I picked it up. Immediately I felt like I was in a dream. I kept saying "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh". I even had Jace witness all of this. (when I showed him my ring at lunch time he said "oh my dosh, oh my dosh, oh my dosh")

I put it on. It fit. I put my watch on too. It was really there! I kissed Jace and texted Ryan that I had witnessed a miracle. I needed to tell him!

No answer.

I texted my sister Cami. I HAD to tell SOMEONE!

No answer.

I called my Mom at work. THIS WAS BIG NEWS!

No answer.

So I called my Mother-in-law. She said, "Oh I didn't even know it was lost" AHHHH!!!!! (I know I told her).

So I tried my Mom again. FINALLY she answered. She was just as amazed as I was! It was the reaction I was looking for! Just the utter feeling that this happened was overwhelming.

FINALLY Ryan texted me back and I sent him a picture of the ring on my finger. His reply?

-What? You serious?!?!?!?

-Dead serious.

-Where?

-In that vest coat thing of yours

-Wow.

What boggles my mind is everything that happened or didn't happen in those 2 years for me to really lose the ring. Like the vest not dropping it the dozens of times I packed and unpacked it, or moved it to and from the DI pile. What's even more hilarious is that I had just mentioned to Ryan LAST NIGHT that it's been 2 years since I lost it.

So there you have it. The story of my Valentines gift from Heavenly Father. I know that's who it's from. Only He knew where it was and it took 2 years to get it to me. That's ok. I'm just glad it's back on my hand and not plowed in the snow or buried in the dirt.

Next on my list is to get it re-sized so I'll never have to take it off!

p.s. SORRY for not having any pictures!!! They are ALL on my other computer and my camera battery is DEAD!!! I'll post some soon!!!

Quarantined

Since becoming a Mom, I have always felt there's a list of things that will eventually happen that will qualify you to be an "expert Mom" of sorts. Like being in the Olympics. Here are a couple of examples:
- Catching throw up in your hand
- Giving your kid a hair cut and have it look professional (still working on that one)

The one I learned this last week is:
Moving into a new house, putting it together while hubby is working to provide for us, and BOTH children have:
- RSV (Kayson)
- Ear Infection (Jace)
- Runny Nose (Both)
- Bad Cold (Jace)
- Constipation (Kayson)
- Diarrhea (Jace)
- Fevers that never seem to end (Both)

So I think I've earned the Gold Medal this week for putting my house together while taking care of these poor sick boys! If your thinking I should have asked for help, you're probably right. I should have. But when I thought about getting other people sick with what we have, I just couldn't do it. No one needs to be exposed to this! I did take Kayson to the dr, and he said that Kayson didn't need to be in the hospital since he's had RSV for a week and is on the mend. I'm so thankful for advice and equipment Aunt Jamee and Uncle Troy gave us to help with his breathing!

Of course I can't forget the great things I've learned this week. Like how much of an amazing husband I have. He went to the store at 2:00 am to get some Childrens cough medicine. Kayson couldn't stop coughing and Ryan went without being asked. I love him so much!

So please no visitors yet as the boys are very contagious! We will be seeing you soon and will have pictures to show as well :) Have a great weekend and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY on Monday!!!

Update...

I knew it was coming. Kayson has finally started to crawl. He hasn't gone full-blown-get-into-everything-and-drive-mom-nuts crawling yet, but he's taken the first few steps, and I know it won't be much longer before he will constantly be under my feet.

Where did the time go???


p.s. We found a place to live! But because this blog isn't private, I don't want to post where. You can call me or my Mom for the details.

Just When...

...I've finally gotten settled into our beautiful home, we start the process of...


Moving.

Since last year's economy dip, our little family has struggled with lost job, financial stresses that come with that, and just trying to BE a family. Although Ryan's last job at Schlumberger was a blessing after 4 months of no work, it wasn't working out for us (Ryan's sleeping at home 3 nights in 5 weeks just wasn't appealing). We want and need Dad home.

So Ryan found work in SLC as a salesman for Larry H. Miller Used Car Supermarket. It's something completely different than what he's used to, but this job gives our family: Dad home every night, Sunday's off (which is a needed blessing), as well as the possiblity of getting out of some financial stress that his last paychecks couldn't cover. He's already doing very well for a "new guy", and I can see Heavenly Father blessing him, and in turn us, for following the prompting to take this job.

I'm very sad to be leaving the basin. Although I love SLC, to me it's a place to visit and leave. In SLC you find rush hour, and crazy drivers (not that the basin doesn't have any, you just see double out there), you find more noise and less country fields. Aside from the stuff I don't like, SLC offers my siblings and their families (I feel like I've lost touch with them), shopping, and fun places to visit like the ZOO or Lagoon in the summer.

The one thing SLC doesn't have, that I will miss utterly the most, are my children's grandparents. Jace is constantly talking about Mama's car, Mama's house, Mama's blankets, calling Mama at work, and just plain Mama (Mama is both grandmas)! He talks about Papa Jay and Grandpa and how much he loves their trucks and helping with the jerky. I feel like I am ripping my children from some very important people in their lives that they have grown up with and care for very much. I worry like my Mom that the boys will forget them, or be shy when we come to visit. I don't want that! I still want to see Jace run into their arms and forget that I'm even around. To pick to ride in Mama's car or stay with Mama instead of picking me. To see Jace and Kayson learning things from my and Ryan's parents, is a treasure that our family has enjoyed by living close to them.

I don't know what the Lord has in store for our family, and I pray that one day we will come back and live here in the basin. But for now, we need to live in SLC. We just need to. I'm scared, but excited. Sad, but happy. I know this is the right thing to be doing for our family.

We don't have a place to live right now, although we have applied and are waiting for answers on a few rentals we liked. Ryan is staying with my brother Galen until we find a place. Thank you Galen from the bottom of our hearts! So I will update when we do have a place. If you get a chance, please say a little prayer for our family. This is going to be a hard move.

SO, I guess I'll see some of you around soon! p.s. here are some misc pictures. Enjoy!

Jace and Kayson opening Santa's gifts:


Jace cleaning up his orange crayon on the wall


My favorite pj's for the boys! They say "Big Brother" and "Little Brother"!


Jace's favorite place to be (stinker)


Kayson balancing on one knee (silly kid)

Not much longer

Jace 7 months:


Kayson 7 months:


Jace started crawling at 8 months. That gives me aprox. 4 weeks before Kayson starts. Yikes.

Christmas 2010

Here are some pictures from this years Christmas!!!




Frosting cookies (although I think Jace ate more frosting than cookie)




Jace helping Grandpa "roll the rolls". Everytime he finished a roll he put it on the baking sheet and yelled, "I did it!"


(Alesa loved everyone, but Uncle Scott was her FAVORITE!!!)





Our Christmas Eve Program 2010! (you won't see ALL the characters because we had a BIG family in a small room. I couldn't get everyone.) Sheep and Cows:










Shepards:


Angels:




Mary and Joseph (Makayla was right in front of me so I only got Bradley. Sorry!):


Grandma reading a Christmas story:



The End




Or maybe just more posting another day :)