Back to Reality

Back to reality.....and even though I had such an awesome break and loved all of the game nights, parties, laughter, hoards and hoards of good food, and late late nights....it is refreshing to be home and back to our somewhat scheduled life.

I love that we have a fresh start every year, a new beginning. It's funny how I need that, but I do...I love it. Life goes so fast. I'm glad we have designated time each year to look back and reflect and then look forward and change.

Here's some looking back....

January through April-
Chad and I started a new semester of school and honestly it was a crazy one. We look back and think, how did we do that? But somehow we did (with help and strength beyond our own we know). This included a full load of classes for Chad and a new job at Melaleuca in the Spanish division and my first internship with Help Inc. a center that offered parenting classes, counseling, help for child sexual abuse victims, as well as a myriad of other things. (awesome experience...loved it and learned so much). Chad and I also both received new church callings, that were both so rewarding, but definitely time consuming. All of this busyness also included emyri being bounced around from baby sitter to babysitter. She was such an awesome 1 1/2 year old sport about it. We hated having to be away from her, but we can't thank all of the perfect baby sitters who helped us out. You know who you are...we couldn't have done it without you: ) For some odd reason I also thought I could handle being on a competitive b-ball team here at school with three practices a week and games on the weekends. What was I thinking...I know not, but it was so much fun and I'm glad I did it. Not only was I the oldest on the team, but I was the only mom too....hence being dubbed "Big Momma": ) My team was fun and I loved being able to play again. I even liked that Emyri got to see me playing and being a part of something.


May through August-
We somewhat moved home and Chad started working construction again for the summer while I started my second internship. The catch was that my internship was here at school about four days a week. Every Monday I had to load up and leave Chad and Ems in SV, which totally broke my heart....more than once. But thanks to my mom and Chad for taking such good care of Emyri while I was gone and thanks to another awesome internship, this one at a Juvenile Correction Center with a group of 12 girls, we made through another semester of craziness and even had some fun along the way. Chad set up another mens softball team and they had tons of fun, while I played on Anna's women's softball team. We love our dose of hometown softball each summer: ) We also got to head off to Lake Mead with a bunch of friends in June (which was incredible!). Then in the middle of June on my way out of town to my internship, I met Chad at a rest stop during his lunch break to take a pregnancy test which told us we were expecting baby number two: ) Chad told emyri our little secret that day when he got home from work and she just smiled. I think she's gotten what it's all about since the very beginning. She is so excited to be a sister: ) Emyri had her second birthday in July and loved the princess castle cake that her DAD made for her. Not joking here....even though he probably doesn't want me to broadcast his domestic skills here, he made an awesome princess castle cake on his first try: ) We couldn't believe our little girl was already two, and even though she seemed so little, she also seemed wise beyond her years. Emyri just kept growing and becoming more of the amazing little girl she is today all summer long. She loved playing outside with grandma, jumping on the tramp, going to nursery, and coming up with some new and goofy thing to keep us laughing. In August we got to go on a fun trip to Bear Lake with the family. We stayed in the cabin again and had tons of fun. We love getting together.

September through December-
We started another semester of school, my last semester, but after some careful consideration and lots of prayer, Chad decided to defer for the semester and keep working while he really figured out what he wanted to do for school and the rest of his life. I absolutely loved only having one class and being able to really be home and present with Emyri. Chad started substitute teaching and really liked it, but was also offered some good opportunities for work back in SV. So in about October he started traveling there for the week and coming home on the weekends. Man did we miss him....but we sure lived up the weekends together. We also had an awesome Halloween party with friends, a great Thanksgiving with Chad's family in Utah, and found out we were having another little girl. It was a great semester and ended with me graduating from the Social Work Program.....I finally made it through: ) It was a neat ceremony and I even got to say the opening prayer for it.....probably because I was the veteran of the program since it took me two extra semesters to graduate: )...but nevertheless, I felt honored. Then we headed home for the Christmas break! We ended the year out among our family and friends...the best way to end it!

We look back and see how blessed we have been throughout this last year. We were being carried even from moment to moment at times. We're so thankful that Heavenly Father is with us every step of the way on this journey through life. We love it here on earth, especially since we get to share this experience together. We hope everyone else has been able to learn from life and experience so much happiness as we have this past year. We love you all so much and can't wait to spend another year laughing, loving, and living life to the fullest with you again.

love, us: )