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!