Bear Lake - the pit stop.

We had to move out of our house in Wellsville on June 10th, but our house in Montana was getting some remodeling done, and would be ready till the 21st. So we took a pit stop in Bear Lake. The first few days were with my family, then we played with just our little family. 

It was so fun, and some wonderful memories. 

but in bear lake style....it was a little cold. :)

The Beach. 

 

Razor Rides. 

 

Pickleville Playhouse.

 

Minnetonka Cave

Snow/Rain Days in the cabin! 

Moving to Montana

Our journey to Montana actually started years ago,

Only we were unaware that it was the journey we would take.  

We prayed for many years to know what our Heavenly Father had in store for us as a career. 

James and I had received many spiritual confirmations that PA school was going to be the path for James. However, it wasn't always easy or smooth. So when he was accepted to school in November of 2013 to Rocky Mountain College in Billings Montana. We were ecstatic! Our long prayers were answered for PA school and we were ready for this new adventure. 

Although we knew, with a surety that we were doing the right thing for our family, it was so hard to say goodbye to our dear Utah friends. 

I wish I could have spent more time with the goodbyes and seen more people, 

but the move came quick.

taylor, me, katie, michon, and amanda (and taylor's little Leo) at Olive Garden. Celebrating our 10 year High School Reunion just how we should....eating! 

We were able to squeeze in a quick weekend with our friends Derek and Bessie Hendry and Brad and Katie Gibbons. We had so much fun and I'm so glad we took a break from packing for this trip. 

 Bowen made some awesome friends while we lived in Wellsville. 

Porter Bates, Kylan Hiener, Bowen and Max Chambers. 

they were inseparable. I loved having these boys over to our house. 

I hope that they all stay in touch over the years.

 We tried to be sure that Bowen had lots of fun before we had to leave. We had a "welcome to Summer Party for the Wellsville Elementary kids at our house and it was so fun! 

Then we took his close friends to our pool in Nibley a few times! 

It was so fun to go to my friend, Bessie's baby blessing. She is such a great friend, i'll miss her. 

Before we knew it, the house was packed and we were getting creative with eating and sleeping arrangements! :) 

 One last goodbye for Emmett with his friends Zane and Brooks. He LOVED these boys. He insisted that they were all brothers, even when we tried to explain the word "friends" emmett would respond, "Nope, they're my brothers!" 

And before we knew it, everything we owned 

(besides what we left in storage):)

was packed up a ready to go!

....and that's when i started the ugly cry.

Mother's Day!

Last night I was rocking my baby girl to sleep and started thinking....

Growing up, and through my years as a mother I've always witnessed mothers hating Mother's Day. I guess I assumed that I better feel guilt to. Since all the women and mothers I admired hated the day, perhaps it was a day to be hated. But disliking Mother's Day always felt wrong. And I've learned to trust my gut with that feeling. So, how should I feel about Mother's Day?

First I know I love being a mother to my kids. It's a calling I dreamed of for many years and feel so blessed with the children that have been sent to me. I just LOVE it. I also know it's freaking hard. Harder then any other endeavor I've done. I study more as a mother then I ever did in college. My nightstand is stacked with parenting study material: the scriptures, "power of positive parenting",  "healthy sleep habits, happy child", and my web Md.. Each of my children have different needs and in order to meet them my reading takes up all my "me time". But I love what I'm learning. Love how empowering knowledge can be as a mother. I also know hat I have many "off" days. Many days where I fall short, lose my temper, forget important events, forgo cooking or laundry, and cry. Does that make  motherhood bad? Something I should hate? Something I should feel guilty about?

I don't think so. I believe motherhood is still something to celebrate! To rejoice in Gods greatness in creating our role as mothers! Doesn't mean perfection is achieved, but that I desire to fulfill this mighty calling each and every day. And that I praise my God for my children.

I realized Eve was named by Heavenly Father and Adam as the "mother of all living" before she ever had children. That every woman and girl on this earth was given the role as mother premortaly. That each woman, regardless of her earthly experience is already a mother in Gods eyes.  So how do we become the "Mother" that he has designed? Is it solely by barring children? I don't believe it is, though that is certainly a big part. That if we can, we are to multiply and replenish the earth. But I don't believe that those who can't have children in this life are in any way less of a mother, then those who can. I believe that when God refers to "mother" He's speaking of her heart. Her divinely designed nurturing heart. Her ability to love others. Her ability to console friends, relate to pain, comfort others, serve in her surroundings, and lift. I believe God designed each female with that nurturing ability. The world however blinds us. Makes us question this Devine design. Makes us feel less then. It's cunning really. To take the very design of our core and spread feelings of hate, guilt, and fault all over it. Satan always attacks the best things, those that are most important. So it shouldn't be any surprise that he's seemed to twist our minds on motherhood. Leading women to believe that if they can't have children, don't yet have the desire for children, or feel like their imperfectly raising their children that they should hate such a wonderful day as Mother's Day.

I am grateful to be a mother. In every sense of the word.  And I looked down at my sweet baby girl and realized I'm pretty blessed to be raising a mother too!

 Audrey's Baby Blessing was a special day for us. 

She was blessed by her father, James on May 4, 2014 

She was angelic that day. 

She was blessed in the dress that I wore on my blessing day. It was made by my Grandma Saunders along with the bonnet, and blanket. 

Grandma Saunders would have been 100 years old this year. 

And we felt her with us.

 

a little bit of yoga, a little too soon.

Audrey was doing some serious yoga moves in the womb. 

She was not only breech, 

she had one foot in a "high kick" by her head,

and the other foot curled up by her bum. 

She stayed that was for weeks near the end of my pregnancy. 

and apparently when you start yoga too soon your hips don't develop properly. 

So our little angel was diagnosed with DHD. 

Developmental Hip Dysplasia

It broke my heart. 

She has had the best care and we are so grateful for Shrieners Hospital in Salt Lake. 

they have gone above and beyond to help our little girl. 

The day she got her Pavlik Harness was a hard day for me. 

She cried a lot, as would anyone strapped in a permanent squat position, and that made me cry. 

She was five weeks old at this point. 2 days prior to getting her brace she started sleeping through the night....

but that all changed. 

The first few nights with her harness were sad, sad, nights. 

 (getting the harness fitted at Shriener's with her Orthopedist.) 

This tricky little brace made it so hard to bond with my baby. She had to have the brace on 23/7. which meant it only came off for baths, or clothes changing. 

It took me a few days to realize that the both of us crying about this was doing no good. 

I was taking a bath one day to just try and relax and James brought her in to the tub with me. i held her for over an hour and we both felt so much better from then on. :) 

It was the first time i've noticed the importance of bonding with my babies.

After that bath, she gave me this little (gas) grin. Just to let me know we were going to be ok. 

 oh, i love her! :) 

 She got lots, and lots, of love during these long days. it actually made it much easier for the boys to hold her. they rushed in my room every morning to snuggle their little sis.

 the public however, was a little interesting. 

i never got offended. 

to be honest, i'd never seen a baby like this either and i'm sure I would have wondered too. 

I heard things like:

(always behind my back)

"did you see the baby with no legs?"

"oh, that poor little baby."

"do you think they broke her legs?"

"holy cow, that baby has two broken legs."

Thus, the baby wearing started!! 

I bought a wrap and wore her a lot. 

Turns out, after some online research its actually one of the best things you can do for a baby with hip dysplasia. And it helped so much with our momma, daughter bonding! 

 more visits to Schrieners...

She soon was comfortable in the little brace! 

and after 6 weeks she only had to wear the harness 18/7.

and now, is only in the harness at night time. 

We are SOO thrilled with her quick progress. 

 Though, this unexpected diagnosis was hard on us. 

we were so incredibly grateful for her doctor. 

(who, actually never saw any signs of DHD but wanted her to get an ultrasound anyway just because of a hunch. and then the Orthopedic Surgeon who noticed her reading at LRH was read wrong, and wanted to test her again.) 

Both her hips are now within normal range. 

She'll wear the brace at night for a few more weeks and then she should be in the clear for the rest of her life. 

The most questions I get are:

will she walk?

run? 

and the answer is YES!! 

Her hips will be normal. 

Had we not caught it as early as we did, it could have been much much worse. 

We feel so blessed. 

Update: Audrey's right hip fell back out of the socket. She is back to wearing the harness 23/7. We are hoping and praying for a strong recovery this time.

Two months, Too fast.

I think the more children you have, 

the faster time flies. 

Audrey is growing so fast. 

She may have started small but she gave no hesitation to catching up to her brothers. 

She now has the most adorable chubby little cheeks. 

and we cannot stop kissing her!! 

 Audrey's first time to church at 2.5 weeks old. :)

 I loved my middle of the nights with this sweetheart! 

(and i LOVE a baby in a nap cap!)

Tummy time was a little rough in the beginning. 

she was SO tired! 

 Audrey's first Valentines Day!! 

I think she stole everyone's heart at this house. 

We had some fun visits from family. 

....and the cheeks!