One Year!

My little Emilee! This picture was taken of you less than 24 hours after you were born. I love how angelic you look! February 25 2008 is probably the most beautiful day of my life up to this point! Don't worry, Daddy knows exactly what I mean when I say that, and I know he won't feel bad to know that our wedding day has now dropped to number two! It was a day blessed by our Heavenly Father, where Mommy learned a lot about the joy that comes through the struggles in this life! I worked harder than I have ever worked for anything, and in the end I got you.....the grand prize!!

Thank you for coming to this earth with your light, your love, your infectious laughter, your mischievousness, your energy and your goodness. Every moment of this past year has been magic. From the moment you wake up each morning to the moment you finally fall asleep each night, you are teaching me and your Daddy what it means to really experience this life!

I feel so emotional, thinking about you. Thinking about all that the future holds for you! What an honor it is to be your Mommy!

We had a birthday party for you on Saturday at Grandma and Grandpa Iverson's house! I know you will not remember that day forever, but I think in the moment you felt loved and celebrated. Grandma and Grandpa Bernier and all of Mommy's family were there along with all of Daddy's family! I will write a special post all about it when I get to feeling a little better. I just didn't want this day to go by, without recording something about how much I love and cherish you!

Happy Birthday my tiny girl!! May all of your dreams come true!

Love,
Mommy

Baby Steps

The other day Emilee and I went out for a little walk! Seeing her walk around outside put into perspective just how tiny she is! Daddy drove by in his work truck while we were out, and took a few quick pictures!

Isn't she sweet?

She toddled around picking up rocks, eating snow and enjoying the fresh air! We are both looking forward to spring, where butterflies, bunny rabbits and green grass are waiting to be discovered!

Motherhood

It feels like just yesterday I was laying around feeling so sick I thought I would die! My pregnancy with Emilee was a rough one for the first few months. I literally wondered if it would kill me sometimes! This time, I am quite ill, but I feel so blessed to still be able to function.

The first time I did this, I would lay there in bed thinking, how in the world am I going to do this when I have other children to care for? Heaven help me!!! I realize each pregnancy is different, but I am wondering if indeed heaven helps us rise up to the challenge and do what we have to do! I don't claim to be a super mom or anything like that. If you saw my house, you would see that the dishes are piling up, the shelves are rather dusty and we only get around to vacuuming every few days, however, I feel so much more capable than I did the first go round!!

Tyler is so helpful!!! He takes such good care of me and Emilee, but I realize that I need to be the one to step up and take care of things! He does have a job after all!! The extended family has been so good to me too! Watching Emilee, helping me clean etc. Thanks so much!!

All of this teaches me just how amazing my mother and mother-in-law are! They did this multiple times, and I know they didn't just lie around being waited on! They both inspire me to buck up and do what sometimes feels so impossible!

After I completed my first delivery without an epidural, I said to my doctor,"Now I have joined the ranks of the strong woman", to which she replied, "Michelle, you always have been a strong woman, or you wouldn't have done it." That compliment meant a lot to me, as someone who has wimped out a lot when things get hard. I don't mean to insinuate that a woman who has an epidural is not a strong woman, it was simply something I needed to prove to myself. It also made me realize that all women are strong and amazing! We will all go through things in our lives that will prove that to us!!

Hooray for husbands who are willing to cook, clean, and hold our hair while we puke! Hooray for babies who are willing to happily play with toys while we lay lifeless on the couch! Hooray for ourselves, for getting up and finally cleaning the nasty bathroom! And Hooray for our Mothers who have gone before us, and are proof that yes indeed we CAN do this!!!

Lovely

Don't you love the word "Lovely"? I think it is one of the most beautiful descriptive words. I used to worry so much about being pretty, and I never felt I compared to any of my friends growing up! I was miserable most of my life wishing to be pretty, but now I am realizing that being pretty is nothing compared to being lovely. The definition of the word inspires me!

1. charmingly or exquisitely beautiful: a lovely flower.
2. having a beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye, as a person or a face.
3. delightful; highly pleasing: to have a lovely time.
4. of a great moral or spiritual beauty: a lovely character.

When I think of loveliness, I think of many women including Sister Hinckley! I love her soft kind face molded by a life of goodness, service, laughter and love! She is sassy and yet very reverent and respectful when it comes to sacred things. She seemed to really enjoy everything about life. What a patient and strong woman!

As the years go by we create the face we will live with in our 70's, 80's and 90's! Will it be soft, or hardened? Will we shine, or be dulled by feelings of bitterness? Will our faces be lined with worry, or sculpted by faith and hope? What will our eyes tell those who look at our pictures long after we are gone?

When it is all said and done, I hope to be thought of as lovely!

My Life & My Heart

Hello my sweet handsome husband!! I found this adorable photo of you and Grandma Hess when you were just a tiny tot!!! I am so grateful to your parents and everyone else in your life who influenced you and taught you, and I am grateful to you for all of the good choices you have made in your life! I am so blessed to have a man with such humility, integrity, and a heart that is completely true! Don't worry......I know you aren't perfect, but today I want to honor you for your patience, your example, and all of the things that make me love you!

When I was on my mission I loved to hear the Spanish terms of endearment! They would call their loved ones things like Mi Vida, or Mi Corazon, which interpreted mean My Life or My Heart! Tyler, you are my life and my heart! You lift me up, you make me feel safe, you are teaching me what real love is and I thank you for that with all my heart!! I hope I can show you how valued you really are in my life. I hope I can be better at taking care of you, listening to you, giving back rubs, showing gratitude, and changing the things in me that desperately need changing!

Thank you for taking such good care of me!! Thank you for being super daddy to our Emilee and soon to be baby!!! You have been so patient with me and my constant whining "I don't feel gooooooooood", since I've been pregnant! I'm sure that's got to be so attractive!! I love that you choose to love me everyday!!

I love that you have a magical stash of hidden chocolate, when I feel like I just won't be able to go on without satisfying my craving! I love how you always refill my ice water for me! I love that you watch Emilee when I really need some rest or when I feel horribly sick! I love you for a million more reasons!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Memories to Last a Lifetime

All of my life my cousins have been some of my very best friends! We have spent many a summer day wearing dress ups, watching movies, playing cops and robbers, singing songs, jumping on the trampoline, eating otter pops, going to the lake, playing card games, talking about boys, and many many more adventures!!

The day Emilee was born, Aliyah was brought into the hospital room to meet her new cousin. She stared at her with wide eyed amazement! Finally she realized, this is a tiny person like me!!! She got so excited and leaned toward her to touch her face! It was such a sweet moment. It was a reunion of friendship, a realization that their lives have begun, they were here together, and together they would share many a summer day singing, jumping, eating and playing!! Even at this young age, every occasion together is building "memories to last a lifetime"!!

Please Feel Free...

If you do happen to check in on my blog from time to time, please feel free to leave comments! I always love to hear from friends and family!

P.S. Isn't this the cutest face you have ever seen?! You're growing too fast baby!! Slooooooooow down for goodness sake. I love to look back at your pictures and see how much you have changed. We need to take some new pics so everyone can see how big and beautiful you are now!! I love you baby!

Happy Birthday Corbin

Ten Things I admire about Corbin:

1. You are very generous.
2. You make me laugh.
3. You have an amazing singing voice.
4. You are a good example of consistent exercising.
5. You are a great actor.
6. You are a good friend.
7. You are compassionate.
8. You liven things up where ever you go!
9. You have successfully juggled a full load at school along with intense opera practice.
10. You are not afraid to go for what you wants in life!

Happy Birthday Corbin!! I don't know if you will ever read this, but If you do, I just wanted to let you know that there are many things about you worthy of admiration. You are a great and extremely talented person. Keep making those decisions in your life that will bring you true happiness!

Your sister,
Michelle

Bucket List Tag.......From Lory

The idea of this tag is to put an X on the things that I have done, and then answer some questions about myself. Here goes...

Swam in the ocean X
Gone to Washington DC
Gone on a blind date X
Skipped school X
Watched someone die
Been to Canada X
Been to Mexico
Been to Florida X
Been to a foreign country X
Been on a plane X
Been lost X
Been on the opposite side of the country X
Cried yourself to sleep X
Played cops and robbers X
Recently colored with crayons X
Sang Karaoke
Paid for a meal with coins only X
Skipped out without paying for a meal
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? X
Made prank phone calls
Caught a snowflake on your tongue X
Watched the northern lights dance
Danced in the rain X
Written a letter to Santa Claus
Been kissed under the mistletoe
Watched the sunrise with someone X
Watched the sunset with someone X
Blown bubbles X
Can hula hoop? X
Gone ice-skating X
Been skinny dipping outdoors
Gone to the movie's ALONE
Gone to a horror movie and laughed through it

1. Any nicknames? Not really
2. Mother's name? Carolyn
3. Favorite drink? Water, sangria, chocolate milk, horchata
4. Body Piercing? Just my ears...one in each ear.
5. How much do you like your job? I love it, just sometimes wish there was a paycheck at the end of the month!
6. Dad's name? Rick
7. Favorite vacation? I have loved all of them, but I think New York City was my favorite.
8. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Probably
9. Ever eaten mud? No
10. Ever been on TV? Yes
11. Ever steal any traffic signs? No
12. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
14. Can you drive a standard car? Yes - kind of!
15. Favorite pie? Strawberry or peach
16. Favorite number? 8
17. Favorite movie? You've Got Mail, Lord of the Rings, and The Lion King
18. Favorite dessert? I just love dessert, but pumpkin cheese cake is right up there, or anything dipped in sweetened condensed milk.
19. Book on CD or regular book? Either one
20. Favorite food? Thai curry, tikka masala, cafe rio, Italian food, and a good old cheese burger! The list could go on and on!
21. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday....Iverson family dinner!
22. Favorite brand of body wash? Anything coconut.
23. Favorite toothpaste? Anything without baking soda.
24. Favorite smells? Lilacs, toast, bacon, babies, my delicious husband!
25. How do you relax? Reading.
26. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Fit and Fabulous! Three more children, making extra money for the family doing something I love and something that will allow me to be here for my children. Closer to the Lord, closer to my love. Just basically a better version of myself!
27. What is your favorite breed of dog? I love Labs, and Jack Russell Terrier puppies are so darn cute!
28. Like to celebrate by going out or staying in? My lazy side likes to stay in, but I sure do enjoy going out. So both!

I am probably supposed to tag someone now. Heather Grimes and Sherry Brunt!

Have Fun!!!

Baby Tag

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? At home with a home pregnancy test.

2- Who was with you? It was just me and Tyler.

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? Missed a period and then started feeling sick.

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? So excited and a little scared, realizing that there is no turning back now!

5- Who was the first person you told? I honestly can't remember....I think it may have been Tyler's family since I was working for them, and had to take time off due to sickness.

6-Was everybody happy for you? Absolutely!

7- Did you go out and celebrate? We celebrated, but I don't think we went anywhere.

8- Did you get morning sickness? It was pretty much all day sickness, and it lasted a good two months. I could barely leave the bed!

9- Did you want to find out the sex? Yes, but when we had the ultra sound, she wasn't in the mood to show us. We later found out at another clinic in Provo.

10- What was the sex? Girl

11- Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes! Grandma Hess, and my dear mother and sister!

12- How much weight did you gain? About 30 lbs.

13- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? Yes!! It came off within the first week or two! I think most of it was water!

14- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? None

15- What did you crave the most? Bread and lunch meat....I also went through a phase of craving peaches.

16- Did you crave anything crazy? Not really, but I did send Tyler out to get me a McDonalds double cheese burger once at midnight. Poor guy!

17- Who or what got on your nerves the most? Being sick for what felt like a lifetime.

18- Were you married at the time? Yes

19- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? No, but at the very end my doctor was worried I was getting toxemia.

20- Where were you when you went into labor? At my Mom and Dad's house in Springville. We were living there for a semester and so I could have the baby up there.

21- Did your water break? Yes, I woke up to use the bathroom and.....there it went!

22- Who drove you to the hospital? My love, Tyler

24- Did you go early or late? 2 weeks early

25- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? Tyler, my mom, three or four nurses and my doctor

26- Was it video taped? No

27- Did you have any drugs for the pain? I had a couple of doses of a drug that took the edge off for a contraction or two, but other than that...no.

28-Did you go Natural or have a c-section? Natural

29- If natural, how long did you push? I pushed for an hour!

30- What was your first reaction after giving birth? Disbelief! I couldn't believe I was actually a mother. It was a dream come true!

31- How big was the baby(s)? 5lbs. 11oz.

32- Did your Husband cry? Yes, we both did!

33- What did you name the baby(s)? Emilee RaNae

34- Did the baby(s) have any complications? Not a single one.

35- How old is your baby today? 11 months....she just started walking!

36- When is the next one(s) coming? Not sure.

37-If you could, would you do it all over again? Absolutely, it was so rewarding to accomplish something so beautiful. It taught me a lot about how much Heavenly Father loves me personally.

Now it is my turn to tag so I will tag Heather Grimes, and Sherry Brunt!

Winter Wonderland

Last year the ranch was covered in a thick blanket of snow! It was magical and wonderful. We loaded up trucks with inner tubes, snacks, coats, and mittens and headed up to the hills! The snow poured down while we cruised down the snow covered mountain roads! Over and over again we went down and back up. Adolfo had the time of his life! It was so adorable. He wanted to ride that inner tube with anyone and everyone. Then he would make the long trek back to the top, usually unassisted. What a trooper!

This year is much different. While most of the state has received several inches of snow, we have remained untouched. Only dry brown and yellow grass covers our yard. No snowmen, no snow angels, just the usual rocks and dirt. We weren't able to make our trip to the hills, with inner tubes and snacks. Oh well! Maybe next year.