Thanksgiving, being Thankful for working vehicles, and Camels!

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year. We almost didn't make it due to car trouble but, my family pushed thanksgiving dinner back an hour and we ate as soon as we got there. Good thing I was in charge of the relish tray...no cooking needed. Cut vegetables on a platter and you're good to go...good thing because we got there just in time to eat. These glass turkeys are my grandmothers. My mom inherited when she passed and they were the center peice for the Thanksgiving table.

You can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie!! I love homemade pumpkin pie! YUM!

We are so thankful we were able to go home for Thanksgiving. On Wednesday I was heading down I-15 to pick-up Reed from work so we could get to Vernal the evening before thanksgiving. I heard a squeaky belt noise and thought it was this old car that had come up along side of me. The car passed and that's when I noticed the squeak was ME!! The next thing I notice is one red flashing light on the dash board saying "battery not charging" and that is when I lost power steering and power everything. It was a blessing I was in the right lane because going 60 mph with no power steering it was really hard to get the car stopped off the side of the road after going around a bend in the road. Needless to say, by the time I got stopped and called Reed I was in tears. He asks me to go look under the hood. The first thing I notice is the belt that goes around everything is missing. Reed then asks me to see if there is any fluids leaking underneath as he was concerned about the belt puncturing the radiator when it came off. I look underneath and notice fluid POURING our of the engine. NOT A GOOD SIGN!! Reed said he would try to get off a little early...he just had to give report, finish charting and be there as soon as he could. He stopped by the auto store to get a new belt to be able to limp the car off the freeway. It was cold enough that we hopefully could get off the freeway without the radiator. So, I climbed in the back and got out the winter clothes (packed for christmas tree hunting)and bundled the kids up. It was COLD! We only had to wait about an hour before Reed came to our aid. Luckily I hadn't picked up Reed yet so he came with a warm car for the kids to sit in while we worked on the other. Come to find out...it was actually the water pump that had gone out (thus all the fluid pouring out) and it had wiggled enough to throw the belt which in turn controls all the power everything. After being on the side of the freeway for five hours and now with a dead battery. We finally called a tow truck to take us back home.(thankfully covered by our insurance). It was too cold to be able to fix the car on the side of the road and we were short parts needed to fix the problem. We at least could get home and be able to fix it in the garage where it was a little bit warmer than the freeway with cars passing by at 60 + mph. We just prayed we could find a part store open on thanksgiving morning that had the parts we needed. We climbed into bed at 2 a.m. with the plan to wake up and take the car apart then go to the auto store to find the parts we needed when they opened at 9 a.m. We found a part store open on 31st in Ogden and Reed was headed there when he found  a checker store open on Layton Main Street. He was able to purchase all four parts we needed, replacement fluids and was even able to borrow a special tool needed to get the fan part off the water pump with the promise to please bring the tool back because it wasn't for rent. Reed gave his word and came home with everything needed to fix the car. He had the car all back together and was replacing the fluid at 11:30 a.m. I repacked the car while he took a 3 minute shower (literally) so we could make it for Thanksgiving dinner. We stopped on our way out of town and gave back the borrowed tool and we were on our way to Vernal. We called to say we were on our way and they said they would push dinner back an hour to wait for us. We were very thankful they could wait to share the holiday with us! Love you all and thank you!! 

The day after thanksgiving is HOLLY DAYS! It includes a craft fair and lots of free activities. The police department had a roped off area for kids to ride pedal cars. 

Isaac was okay that he got the pink tractor when it was his turn to ride...apparently they are the fastest pedal cars. 

The next thing we did was ride a came. Yep, I said camel. We had to wait in line for an hour in the cold but, the kids were SO excited to get to have this opportunity. It's not everyday you get the opportunity to ride a camel. Definetely Reed and mine first time. 

Right before our turn they changed to the male camel. He was about 9 feet talle at the hump. You had to use a special stair and platform to get on the camel. Then you got to take a turn around the roped off area.  

Abbie and I were able to ride next. It is quite the ride...swaying back and forth so high off the ground. Definetely something to always remember! 

My mom and dad even rode the camel. We all decided that if we waited an hour in line in the cold, it was worth taking a ride. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! 

Even my neice Leah, who just turned a year old, took a ride. It was REALLY a fun experience!

While standing in line for the camel rides, they started to set up the free churro booth. So, after our camel ride we all enjoyed a free, warm and yummy churro! 

This is Leah after her first camel ride. 

After the free churros we got on a free shuttle to go to the Western Park where they had rock climbing and the festival of trees. 

Kaden enjoying the warm shuttle ride.

Abbie and Reed were the only ones that wanted to climb the rock wall so they stood in a short line to take their turn on the rock wall.

I love her hair after taking off her static filled coat. Looks like a serious natural rock climber! 

While we were waiting for the light parade to begin the kids got to ride some ponies! 

Isaac was careful to not touch the pony. He has allergies from horses so he is careful to not touch their fur. He still loves to ride. Sounds just like his dad!

Kaden enjoying his little pony ride! Great view for the passing light parade!

After the light parade, there were still festivities but, the kids were ready for hot chocolate at grandma and grandpa's house! So, we headed back to the cars to warm up with some yummy hot chocolate but stopped at a booth and got a deep fried oreo for everyone to try! Quite yummy! A day filled with trying new things at Holly Days!

Isaac's Fall Fun

Isaac has a lot of fun things he has been doing this fall. He had to do a school project that actually had to be a family project. Everyone had to help with it. He had to disguise a turkey! Isaac came up with the idea to do a "JAIL BIRD". So, we all pitched in and helped cut peices and colored a little. This is what we came up with...

Do you think he'll get noticed? Either way..he's not getting out of there anytime soon! LOL 

Isaac's jailbird even had his head sticking out of the bars. 

Isaac has also had some fun things happening....the tooth fairy has been visiting regularly!

He just lost his 5th tooth. It is the top on on his left. He almost has a checker board mouth. He thinks it's great!! 

Handsome even with missing teeth! 

Isaac had their feast at school today for Thanksgiving and he was an indian. They put indian symbols on their collar and a feather on their headband. Pretty cool! I am glad you have had such great days at school! Fall is such a great time of the year!

Conference Speakers

Today Reed and I were asked to speak at the Davis County's Women in Business Conference. We were the guest speakers to talk about Angel Watch and tell our story. Carolyn (over angel watch) spoke for the first few minutes and introduced us. We were asked to speak for about 35 minutes.
It was scary and yet we felt like we were supposed to do this. We prayed that we might be able to say those things that we felt like we should say that would be helpful to others. It was quite the experience. It was scary as we pulled into the parking lot and it was full and the only parking we found was at the back of the building. That's when I got nervous. We really didn't know how many people would be coming. The women at the conference were so kind and made us feel so welcome. It actually felt a little bit healing to be able to tell our story.
We want to thank Carolyn for asking us to speak. It felt like a way to help Angel Watch to try and repay them for all that they did for us and helping us through a really tough journey. Educating people about Angel Watch and what they do is a little way we can help to educate the community about these type of services. Angel Watch is a non-profit organization and they do everything for free for the families of babies with lethal diagnosis'. How can we ever repay these gracious women for the services they provide. They gave us the tools and information we would need to make our experience with Jacob the best possible through a tough journey.
To find out more information about Angel Watch you can visit their website.

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/services/womennewborn/pregnancy/highrisk/Pages/AngelWatch.aspx

Thank you Angel Watch...you really were angels in times of need. Love You!

Free Turkey????

This is kinda a funny little story. I was at work last night working the swing shift which means I get off before 11 p.m. I am the first one that gets off shift for the swing shift and I love that shift. I was driving home and had already turned the corner by the Smith's grocery store at our house. As I am passing the last turn-in to the grocery store I remember that we used the last of the gallon of milk. I remember this as I am past the last turn in and have to flip around to turn into the grocery store. I didn't have any kids so I knew I could be quick. I was tired and it was 11:15 p.m. so I wasn't going to get a cart or anything...I could carry a gallon of milk...RIGHT???? Well, I get back to the milk fridges and decide well, I better get two or I'll be back here in 2 days (my kids love milk). So, I decide to grab 2 gallons. As I am turning to walk to the cashier I notice their gallons of real orange juice are on sale and my kids love this orange juice as does my husband. So, I think.....well why not....I can carry 3 gallons. By the time I am half way to the cashier I am thinking....why am I CARRYING 3 gallons...MAN, I should have gotten a cart! Oh well, I see the first cashier light on as I walk down the isles of cashier and plop my gallons on the first possible edge of the conveyor belt. It's only funny because it wasn't running at the time so as I walked down to the pay spot...the cashier and I have to wait for the cashier to turn on the belt so my milk and juice can come slowly down to be scanned. There wasn't anyone in front of me so I didn't feel TOO bad as we watched them slowly come down the belt. (Thank goodness it isn't too long because I already felt silly for putting it way on the end...BUT it was heavy and the only time I ever carry three gallons is into the house and it's only 10 steps) Anyway, the cashier rings up my milk and juice and I am swiping my debit card to be done with the transaction and the lady asks me "Do you want a free turkey?" I look at her like.."what are you talking about" and she states again "would you want a free turkey?" I slowly answer "I guess". She then tells me that the gentleman in front of me purchased a turkey and asked her to give it to the next person in line. There wasn't anyone in line when I got there, so I have no idea who this was. She goes to retreive the bird from the freezer and it is HUGE!! I was a 22.5 lb turkey. So, now I have 3 gallons of milk and juice and she is trying to hand me an enormous turkey. She looks at me and my predicament and the cashier offers to carry the turkey to a cart for me. (You get a free bird and then someone even has to carry it for you...this was just too funny) So, we get almost to the cart area and there is a small shopping cart sitting there abandoned like it was there just for me. The cashier and I just chuckled over how perfect the cart placement was and she helped me put everything in the cart. I get out to my car and just start to chuckle....Reed is never going to believe what just happened. This kind of stuff never happens to me!! I pull into the garage and park the car. With my lunch bag and purse, I have to leave the food in the car and go inside to set everything down. Reed is waiting up for me and I tell him he's never going to believe what just happened and he has to help me unload the car. He helps me take my two gallong of milk, 1 gallon of juice and 1 enormous turkey into the house as I tell him the full story......at the last second I realized I needed ONE gallon of milk and had to U-turn to go back to smiths grocery store to get ONE gallon of milk.....

November 11th One Year Ago

One year ago today was a big day in our families life. Reed and I were heading to our 20 week ultrasound to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. We were really excited as we entered the doctor's office. The ultrasound was started as usual and we were both trying to guess if it was a boy or a girl. We got the news that it was a precious little boy but, that he wouldn't survive once he was born. This was a big blow. It was shocking news. We were immediately sent to the specialist who gave us Jacob's definitive diagnosis. I can remember coming home and after Reed telling our neighbor why we had asked her to keep the kids a while longer going into our closet, closing the door and falling on my knees and crying uncontrollably. It's one of those days you don't like to think about too much. It's one of those days where your heart is ripped from your chest and broken into a million peices. How do you pick up the peices? We have spent everyday since picking up all the tiny, little peices.
One year ago today we had no idea the journey we would go through in this last year but, we would both say that we as parents would never take back the precious time we had with our son. It has been a sacred, humbling, blessed experience.
I have learned that true compassion and service has not come in a big spectacle. The most meaningful and sacred moments of service from friends and family has been when small acts of service and kindness has come from their heart. They are acting in Christ's behalf giving service to our family in a time of need. I will cherish those moments when I've truly needed someone and either a friend or family has been there to fill that void and give me the strength I've needed to face those challenges.
I am grateful for the obstacles we have had for the fact that it has made us stronger as a couple. When you think you aren't brave enough or strong enough we have been helped and carried through. Nothing will ever take the place of our son but, good has come out of this experience. We will forever miss our son.  We have learned so much. My parents gave us these little blocks with saying that we have, each on our nightstands. Sometimes you need to remind yourself.

BELIEVE
Promise me you'll always remember; you're
braver than you believe,
stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think.

-Christopher Robin to Pooh

and

If God brings you to it, He will see you through it.

and one that has been a good reminder is....

Sometimes God calms the storm...sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

One year ago today was a changing point in our lives. We will forever miss our son. We are grateful for all that we have learned. Looking back a year ago a lot of emotions come to the surface and we never could have known how our lives would change walking into that doctor's appointment. Although we are truly grateful for everything we have learned I know that we never could have done this alone. I truly believe that sometimes when our challenges are bigger than ourselves. We are brought up to face them and with help from God all things are possible.

We are truly thankful for everyone that has been there for us.

We miss and love you , our precious Jacob.

Our Halloween

Due to Halloween being on Sunday this year the festivities were moved to saturday. This means that Halloween and my birthday were celebrated together. So....it was one fun day!! The day started with Reed making homemade pancakes and put a candle in my pancake and the kids and Reed sang happy birthday to me. Too fun!

Each of the kids had to clean their own pumpkin this year. They thought it was cool that they could do it by themselves. Then onto the carving of designs.

Abbie carved a spider. Isaac carved his own designed jack-o-lantern face. Kaden carved the batman logo. Reed carved a hunting dog sitting in the duck swamps and I carved the little yellow guy from despicable me. I think they are too cute.

We went to the church carnival and the kids LOVED the cake walk. Reed and I didn't know if we were ever going to move onto another carnival game because it took a while for all three kids to win a prize. 

Isaac's favorite was the fishing pond. He kept winning light flashers to wear on Halloween night.  

Kaden winning his popcorn ball at the cake walk. 

Soups and Chili's with breadsticks for lunch. 

Trunk or Treat after lunch. 

Each of the kids chose their costumes this year. This was the first time we didn'thave a theme. Kinda sad that they are that old that they don't want to be a theme but, fun that they got to each choose their own. 

The kids trunk-or-treating!

After the rain finally stopped the kids were ready to go trick-or-treating to the neighbors. It's a tradition so we just had to buy extra candy this year. 

Kaden carved the bat...to go with his batman costume.

We sat our pumpkins outside and lit them to glow for Halloween. 

Isaac's pumpkin is in front. It was his own jack-o-lantern face design. 

This is Reed's lab puppy who Isaac said looks like a puppy on it's own island. 

This is my despicable me little yellow guy. 

The pumpkins are lit and the kids are ready to go trick-or-treating. 

Glow sticks in hand. 

After quite a few houses Kaden and I headed home to hand out candy. His legs were tired and I guess he had enough candy because he was happy to help. 

Isaac finally coming home with a bucket of candy. 

Once all the kids were home they all helped hand out candy. 

The kids friends came by and they had a lot of fun giving candy when they came to trick-or-treat. 

Abbie's spider pumpkin. She was a spider witch for halloween. Must be a theme with her this year. 

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Such a fun halloween. Almost was rained out but once the rain stopped it was a wonderful evening of spooks and treats.