"A Mother's Love"

Sometimes I don't know for certain if my mom truly knows how much I adore her and that she means the world to me so this is for you mom!!!

A popular saying is that God cannot be present everywhere and so he created mothers. The relationship between a mother and a child is very special and a bond that lasts a lifetime. A mother means the world to a child, it is she who protects, nourishes, and bestows her child with love and care. It is she who sacrifices many things in life to give the best to her children.

Thank you for all of your unconditional love, for forgiving me when I did something wrong, and holding me when the world around me seemed to be caving in. Thank you for being at my side when I needed you the most. I just want you to know how much I cherish and love you!!!

A Mother's Love
A Mother's love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

I Gather Strength From Life's Storms

I often find myself wondering, how did I get where I am today? Incredibly enough I have weathered many of life's storms, I often wonder if my trials are caused by me neglecting to take my umbrella out in the rain. I could go on for hours about all of the bad decisions and hardships that I have been through as an individual but feel it is from those decisions that I have blossomed, learned and grown as a person. Am I strong, somedays but other days I find myself incredibly weak and barely have the stength to stand let alone provide a normal life for my family. Why must we have bad days, why do we question who we are, why do we relate our trials based off of past decisions? These are all questions I wish I knew the answer to but turns out maybe I'm not so smart after all. Let me tell you what I do know...

Motivation is my force, the energy that drives me into action. Motivation is a compelling asset in reaching your biggest dream. It comes from the inner most core of my heart and is driven by desire to grow. It is energy unbridled. It's that undescribable feeling that you can't just help but do something. It is that unstoppable urge to "take the bull by the horns" and conquer the world.

When I feel my world can't possibly withhold another ounce of burden, I dig down deep and pull out a pocket of strength. I can remember years back when my mom told me to get up, pick my head up, and stand tall. I vividly recall at the time thinking she was some kind of drill sergeant but now looking back I know that she said all those things for my own benefit. Now as a mother, my children give me strength I never knew existed. I didn't know I had the capability to accomplish so many things in such a short amount of time but when I think of them I find the drive to be better and strive for more.  I realize I don't have the capacity to know all of the answers to our trials and tribulations but I do have the strength to learn from them and move on. I know that just because something may be easy to measure doesn't mean its important.

Wrapping it up; Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Know that people take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness, just because they aren't on your road does not mean they have gotten lost. The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance, the wise person grows it under his feet! the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way!!!

Awwwww "NUTS"

I have to start off by saying, what a year medically our poor little Kanyon has been through. Bless his sweet heart, he has been poked and prodded  more than any toddler should ever have to be. So, here we go again with his latest and greatest episode that led to his first surgery at the age of 2.

Kanyon stays with Grandma Sandi on Wednesdays while mommy and daddy work. Daddy gets a call at work saying that Kan was eating peanuts and fell backwards off his stool causing him to swallow the peanuts that were in his mouth. Grandma said that Kan starts turning blue and choking. Thankfully, she had the know how to push his tongue down and make him throw up. However, her quick actions didn't quite resolve the coughing and wheezing that followed causing her to be genuinely concerned. After a quick call to the pediatrician we were headed for the hospital.

Thankfully, when a child is having a hard time breathing without hesitation they whisk them right back for examination. Mind you the emergency room is never a fun experience and much time is wasted waiting for nurses and doctors. Often the waiting is generally not that taxing, but when you have a curious 2 year old, it can really wear a parent down rather quickly. Of course, all of the hospital staff think that Kan is beyond adorable and he could probably take a giant poop in the middle of their walking space and they would say "OMG how cute." We can already tell that Kan is going to get away with murder in this joint. No amount of crayons, stickers, or blow up rubber gloves are going to keep our toddler from pushing every button or trying to take off with a bed that has wheels across the ER floor.


They give Kan a quick look over and decide after hearing a little rattling in the lung area that xrays are the next way to go.  On the xray there is a haze in Kanyon's lungs, so they decide on a breathing treatment which in turn does not clear up any of the wheezy breathing or the rattling in his lungs. We had a great ER doctor who immediately calls a surgeon that comes right over to the hospital to look at Kan. Within minutes they are prepping him for surgery, knowing that more than likely he has aspirated a peanut into his lung and they must go in and remove it. I understand that it's a mandatory thing for doctors to give you a run down of all the bad things that could possibly go wrong in a surgery like this but good grief, talk about scaring the pants off a mom who is already a wreck as is, no bueno no bueno!!!


Kanyon is being such a little sport about all of this, in fact he is probably taking most of it better than myself.  He cried for a mere two seconds (I only cried for 10) when they put the iv in and thanked the nurse when she was finished. Every time he said thank you, the nurses just awwww'd over him. He didn't cry when I had to hand him over to the nurse to take him to the OR and waved bye bye to us as my eyes filled with tears. The waiting part has to be the worst part of any surgery. My nerves are on the fritz and I just know he should have been done by now as panic sets in. Paul is telling me not to worry that its fine, that he hasn't been back there for that long. Little does he know I'm timing down to the very minute we walked away from our little boy to head to the waiting room. Before we know it here comes the doctor holding a plastic container with the (3) peanuts he pulled from Kan's left lung. The surgery went without flaw and they are going to keep him over night for observation. At this point relief sets in and I am able to breathe knowing all is well.

Kan was extremely grumpy when he woke up from the anethesia but it wore off very fast (they lied) and he was back to entertaining everybody and trying to pull off every mechanism that was attached to his little body. We had lots of family and some friends visit us at the hospital and they were tremendous helps with Kaleb and Kennedy as we were stuck in the hospital for the night. We are so incredibly grateful for the big support system that we have. Kan is home safe and sound and was singing, "I'm sexy and I know it" within minutes after arriving home from the hospital. I have to finish by saying "dear Lord please grant this little boy a break medically and bless him with a good year containing no accidents or sickness, he definitely deserves it, AMEN...

It's called "JAM"

Every now and then I will feel this strong inclination to be "SUPER MOM," a little domesticated ball of crazy. This weekend happened to be one of those moments; when I decided I was going to make jam. I'm certain I can't be the only mother that has experienced this but I always start out my projects gung ho and then little by little as things gradually go wrong I begin wondering  what the hell was I thinking? I'm no "Super Mom" just a crazy jam making lady!!!

My brilliant husband had made jam with his mom growing up and as much as I thank him for his expertise he has a tendency to take over, which in turn makes me mad because after all it was my project. Things started out well, we had our fruit ready and the jars were boiled sanitized and ready to go. One thing I have failed to mention is that the cooking space in our kitchen is very limited so bumping into each other is fairly common in our household. This is where disaster generally strikes, you can only bump into a person so many times, especially with little ones under foot until someone's nerves are bound to blow.

Our first batch wasn't the problem even though we used old pectin and 17 jars didn't set up and ended up looking like runny goo, nope that wasn't a problem at all. This runny goo just happened to be my breaking point of frustration because oddly enough most of the things I cook, bake, assemble, etc. generally come out pretty flawless. I'm not a fan of failure and have a slight tendency to beat myself up over things that don't turn out exactly like I envisioned. At this point I was blaming it all on my mother-in-law for the bad pectin, LOL why because its always easier to point the blame elsewhere instead of admitting we actually screwed up.

Instead of being wise and throwing in the towel what did we decide to do, let's make one more batch!!! Aside from the fact we had two starving children under foot and a kitchen full of chaotic mess on every visible surface area, we were doing pretty good right? Paul was mad because he wanted to be cutting the lawn, Danielle kept asking when we were going to eat breakfast (I did tide her over with a yogurt just so you know), and Kanyon kept pushing a kitchen chair over to the counter so he could see what all the chaos was about.

I will tell you that after all the mess was tidied up, kids were fed, and parents a hair calmer that our second batch of rasberry jam turned out completely perfect. What I did learn is that I can indeed sometimes be "Super Mom." I am a firm believer this is why I have gray hair and I'm a few pounds heavier than I care to be, because let's just face it these situations can be highly stressful so what better way to handle stress than pop a twinkie or two :) LOL funny right? Lesson learned: do projects when kids are in bed fast asleep or husband is preoccupied. I love you baby, I really do but let's just face it two stubborn people in a tiny little kitchen, bad things are bound to happen to good people and I would really hate to dump a bottle of runny goo on your head!!! Nuff said :)

BOO!!!

Parenting has a lot of golden moments that make you laugh and smile.  These are the moments that you will treasure long after the kids have moved out and you’ve converted their bedrooms into an exercise room and/or office.  Some of my favorite moments are when our kids make us laugh with the funny things they say or do. 

I made the decision to take Kaleb and Kennedy with me on our weekly grocery shopping trip. Generally, they would rather not go just as much as we prefer not taking them, because as luck would have it we spend more money when the kids tag along. As we all are well aware Halloween is approaching and there is always that one aisle in the grocery store full of Halloween goodies, masks, costumes, etc. This aisle just happens to be my life saver because while I get my shopping done it entertains my kids, it's the perfect child care. Year round our house is full of scaring each other or other people for that matter, to be honest its just something we get our kicks out of. Often before the culprit even makes it to a door way I'm giggling so hard my scares end up being giggle fests.

Needless to say my kids come by scaring honestly. As I've finished checking out and grabbing my cart full of groceries, I head towards the aisle to retrieve my two kiddos but I can't seem to locate them. This had to have been the most perfect timing ever, because just as I'm getting ready to call Kaleb; a mother and her daughter are venturing down the Halloween aisle. Two kids yell BOO and jump out from behind a candy stand with pig masks on causing the daughter to scream and the mother to jump back into the shelves next to her. I know immediately that my kids are behind this and can't help but laugh until my guts hurt and I fear I will wet my pants at any given moment. This was my Sunday grocery shopping adventure and as terrible as this sounds, I can't help but think I wish I would have gotten it on video, hmmmmmmmm well maybe next Sunday!!!

Kanyon -- Aug. 26, 2010

It's like trying to describe what you feel when you're standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or remembering your first love or the birth of your child. You have to be there to really know what it's like.
- Jack Schmitt 

After raising Kaleb and Kennedy alone for so long, it was my firm belief that my days of having more children were far behind me. It wasn't that I didn't always have the hope or want one more, but life just wasn't leading me in that direction. Kaleb and Kenn were getting much older by now and needless to say so was I.

I could say that Kanyon's pregnancy came as a complete surprise but to the contrary it did not! My heart kept wanting another baby and as the stars lined up it was meant to be. My pregnancy with Kanyon was not perfect or flawless. Every horrible pregnancy story I had ever heard rang true times ten over with this pregnancy. I was sick and tired and tired and sick and sick of being tired and sick LOL. One horrible symptom I felt was always replaced with another. As elated as I was, deep down knowing it would all be over soon, I was MISERABLE! I couldn't deliver this baby quick enough so that my body might possibly feel normal again.

We chose not to find out the sex when I was pregnant with Kanyon, considering how many ultrasounds I'd had this wasn't the easiest task especially for an OCD mama. I will say it was completely worth not knowing and I would do it ten times over for that element of surprise. I was convinced that Kanyon was actually a girl, I just knew it! Only a girl could possibly make one feel so miserable. How do I know HELLO because I'm a girl and my capabilities of bringing on misery are quite scary if you must know.

They say after so many years your body goes back into the mode of your first labor and doesn't recall ever going through it before, what they say is true in my book! My labor with Kanyon was extremely similar to that of Kaleb, again I was going to have this natural drug-free childbirth and again I failed! My body was tired and I couldn't bare anymore pain or miscomfort and drugs were the relief I wanted to take it all away. Kanyon took his time making his grand appearance into this world keeping us all on pins and needles.

When the doctor placed him on my belly and exclaimed "IT'S a BOY" my heart melted and I knew the true meaning of immediate love all over again. I didn't think I had the capability to love another baby as much as I loved the first two, my heart was already so full. Kanyon was this perfect little miracle and he was mine. Paul's eyes filled with tears as he claimed, "that was the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed." He was such a big support and help through everything and to this day I don't think I could have done it without him. Any amount of love I thought I had for Paul immediately doubled when we had our union with Kanyon and were able to share the bonding moments together!

Kanyon didn't exactly start life as the best baby in the world, it took trial and error to get him on a good schedule and make him a happy little guy. He was always content in the comfort of someone's arms and at 4 months we finally figured it all out and he was bursting with bubbles of happiness. He was too cute for his own good and I couldn't make so much as a trip to the gas station without someone commenting on how adorable he is. He took his time crawling and walking and I believe it was to prepare us for all the running we've done after him since he became mobile.

Kanyon is bursting with life it takes all of our daily energy just to keep up with him. He doesn't sit, he's always doing something or making a mess. He is such a happy child and at his  young age expresses so much interest towards various aspects of life. He is fascinated by bikes, 4-wheelers, and cooking. He is very expressive and we call him repeat as he has a tendency to copy everything that he hears us say (not always a good thing)! His sense of humor is out of this world, he believes he is a little ball of funny and we go with it. He does have a slight temper and can be extremly vocal when he doesn't get his way, this trait we need major construction on. I can't imagine a day without this bright little boy in it, he melts my heart and warms my soul. He made our family whole and is this little shining star in a sea of comets. I have high hopes that Kanyon will go far in life and offer arrays of love no matter where he goes. Kanyon proved to me that I did have an even bigger capacity to love more than I ever imagined and he has filled a hole in my heart that I didn't know existed!

Danielle -- Dec. 20, 2005

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.  ~Elizabeth Lawrence


December 20, 2005.... A day I will never forget as a father.

The night before your mother was supposed to be induced, we patiently waited for the hospital to give us a call to come in to start the induction. My nerves seemed to be soaring through the roof and I was a wreck. I wondered how was I going to raise this little kid, teach you how to talk, and even feed you. I knew nothing about babies other than they were small and required lots of care. What a naive man I was! There was so much more to it than that which I was soon to find out.

About 8:00 p.m. your mother was induced at LDS Hospital in Salt lake City. The contractions started slowly and before you knew it there was panic in the air. Wait it wasn't supposed to happen like this! Every time your mother pushed your heart rate dropped, so the doctor looked at me and said "We need to do a C-Section, NOW!!!" I ran as fast as I could to the waiting room to tell the grandparents as your mom was wheeled to the surgery room. I threw on my scrubs, which by the way made me look like a complete dork, and ran in to witness a miracle. It didn't take long and before I knew it I saw a pale, slimy little gal laying on the table screaming her head off. Now explain to me just how someone can feel love and joy over something so slimy and gross? I don't know either but it was that moment that I fell in love with my little baby, Danielle.

From the moment we took you home from the hospital you were a great baby. You hardly cried and amazingly enough you slept 8 hours the second night you were home. Now this went on for about 6 weeks and then you know what hit the fan. The 8 hour nights were gone, the crying started and so did the sleepless nights for dad. This phase only lasted for a while as you seemed to outgrow things fairly fast and move on to the next challenge life had to offer. You grew so fast, before I knew it you were crawling, then walking around. Once you learned to walk we couldn't keep you out of the fridge. You loved the fruit drawer and were always pulling oranges and apples out to eat. To this day you still love your fruit!

It didn't take long for you to start developing your own personality. You always seemed to smile when a camera was pulled out and independent was an understatement. I remember the daycare telling us that you wouldn't leave the scissors alone (at 2) so they finally gave in and just showed you how to properly use them. This seems to be the story of your life. If you want something and put your mind to it you always find a way to accomplish it. You started school at Blessed Sacrament in Sandy, UT and have excelled! You have such a wonderful personality and such great manners. We get complimented all the time on how grown up you act and how polite you are.

To this day I will never forget the moment I laid eyes on you for the first time. Every day we get to spend with you offers new and exciting things. Not only fun but any challenges we will work through together. You will always hold a special place in my hea

Kennedy -- Aug. 2, 2001

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John F. Kennedy 

We announced my pregnancy with Kennedy (baby #2) at Kaleb's first birthday party, crazy right??? I technically already had a baby and now I was not only having another one so soon but I was still incredibly young and naive. Truth is I was already wanting another baby when I got pregnant with Kennedy. Kaleb was such a tremendous joy, I figured what better way to add more joy than to double it.

My pregnancy with Kennedy was another perfect pregnancy. I was never sick, tired, or achy and I can actually say I loved being pregnant. I did take a different approach and stayed much healthier with Kennedy. I walked everyday pushing Kaleb in the stroller and only gained 10 lbs, thank goodness because I was still a chubby butt from my pregnancy with Kaleb. I spent the later part of my pregnancy trying to prepare Kaleb for big brotherhood. I was elated to find out she was a girl now our family would be perfect!

At 38 weeks, my doctor decided to induce labor thinking that the baby was getting too big and I was already dilated to a 3. The night before induction I was scared to death, all of the pain from Kaleb's labor came back ten fold preventing me from getting an ounce of good sleep. To top it off I was sad to leave Kaleb and worried as to how he would feel about this little human temporarily ruling our household.

Turns out labor with Kennedy was a walk in the park. They ran me through the same induction process that they did with Kaleb but the pain was so completely mild. After I hit 7 cm I finally started feeling some good contractions but elected to have a healthy shot of demarol instead of the epidural. I basically sneezed her out she came so fast I didn't have more than 2 seconds to think about how painful it truly was. The doctor flopped Kennedy up on my belly and she took one look at me and started screaming. In my mind all I could think was oh my goodness she is so tiny and looks just like a mini Kaleb. Well who knew your capacity for love could double in seconds? Kennedy was so tiny and had all of the perfect little features any mom would hope for in a sweet baby girl. With those little girly screams I became completely smitten with her and couldn't wait for big brother Kaleb to meet her.

Kennedy was also a wonderful baby she hardly cried unless she was hungry and always had a happy demeanor about her. Kennedy became what most parent's would consider a nightmare when she grew mobile. She was so curious and always into something, whether it be pulling all of the books and movies off the shelf or climbing the handles of the kitchen drawers to get on the cupboard. I loved dressing her up in cute outfits and adored all of the snuggle time we got when she was sleepy and wanted to be held. What I wouldn't give to turn back the hands of time and hold her in my arms once more cherishing everything from her sweet peach cheeks to that baby lotion smell.

To date Kennedy is still full of life and generally into something. We tease her about being like a tornado when she comes through the house dropping little pieces of herself in piles from the front door to her bedroom. She is a vivacious, sneaky, tender hearted, sensitive, and moody piece of art. She has so many interests at times its hard to keep up with her but we manage to do it. She is passionate about her friends, school, dancing, singing, art, and so many more countless things. She does have a knack for drama and is the queen of gossip. Her heart is broken easily and she hibernates when she feels blue. She forgets as easily as she remembers which is a blessing as much as a curse. I can't picture a world without her smile or cocky attitude. She has tendency to spread sunshine and has many high hopes and aspiritions in life. Tears fill my eyes as I think of the day when I get to watch her with her children, she will be a great mom and have so much to offer a family. I wish her the best things in life and pray that she is wise enough to learn from my mistakes. Kennedy teaches me lessons about life daily, she makes me more patient and silly. I adore Kennedy with all of her little quirks and cherish the day she made me a mother of 2.

Kaleb -- Dec. 15, 1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The name Kaleb is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Kaleb is: Dog; brave. In the Old Testament; Caleb was a companion of Moses during his time in the wilderness.

Kaleb didn't come by his name easy, we must have changed it a dozen times before finally settling. I will be the first to say that nothing about Kaleb coming into this world was simple. For starters, he was well over cooked and extremely content about remaining our "bun in the oven." I, on the other hand after having a very easy pregnancy was not content. My back hurt, I had cankles, and my face was as round as that perfect Halloween Jack-O-Lantern. I wanted him out and by out I meant RIGHT NOW!!! After some coaxing my doctor decided to induce labor at 43 weeks. At the age of 19, I was convinced after reading every childbirthing book the College had to offer that I could have a natural-medication free labor and delivery (WRONG again). After the induction started, with pitocin running through my veins, and the doctor breaking my water, I WANTED DRUGS!!! I had never in my life been in so much pain and was convinced Kaleb was trying to rip his way through my body like some sort of satanic alien creature. My mom was so supportive and encouraging and stayed right by my side through it all experiencing my pain and welling up with tears when there was nothing she could to take it away. We had a huge support team awaiting his arrival! I had given up after 9 grueling hours of hard labor, locking myself in my L & D bathroom and I was convinced they wanted me to die before giving birth. A bright light came my way in the form of an Anesthesiologist and boy was I ever a happy woman, highly medicated YES but happy. The epidural finally relaxed me enough that within an hour I had dilated to 10 and was ready to push this baby out WOOHOO! I will spare you the horrific details of Kaleb's birth as he was a 10 lb baby and I can't imagine the bloody horror scene his birth left behind.

My doctor exclaimed, "oh my gosh it's a good thing I was able to catch him because I definitely needed two hands, he is so BIG." He immediately felt horrible for letting me go so far overdue. Kaleb didn't make a sound when he entered this world and scared me to death as he was 14 shades of purple. As they started beating on him he finally let out a low roar as we all gasped sighs of relief. Because he was so big and I required some medical attention it took over an hour before they placed him in my arms where he immediately sealed his way right into my heart.  All of a sudden my whole life changed, I couldn't imagine loving something so much in one short moment. I wanted to hold him close and tight forever and never let go.  I vowed that every ounce of energy and strength I'd ever received in this world was going to be invested in being the best mom that this beautiful baby deserved.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby, Kaleb from day one has always been extremely good natured. He never cried more than a whimper aside from when he was teething and he was always pleasant to be around.

To date, Kaleb is still a wonderful child, our trials with him are very few. He is kind hearted, compassionate, sincere, one track minded, wise, father-figure like, and above all bursting with love to share. Kaleb is a very quiet child, half of the time you would hardly know he is around aside from the tv being on or being provoked by his siblings. He is very passionate about hunting and fishing and the discovery channel. I hope that he will follow this love and use his passion for animals to be successful in a  career someday. Unfortunately, Kaleb is not a lover of school, he skates by and has very little drive except when fun projects arrive. We have to push him in positive directions or bribe him with good grades. Kaleb is a lover of money, it burns holes in his pockets which concerns me for his future. We adapted the same rule my mom had, half of whatever you make goes into your bank account for the future.

Not a day passes that I don't find myself so incredibly grateful for the moment this amazing little boy was placed into my arms. His soul is that of a wise owl and his eyes hold the deepest depths of the sea. Kaleb doesn't say much but he never neglects to tell me daily "I Love You Mom." He is known to slip his hand in mine as we watch a movie or just come up and give a random hug, these are small things I cherish about him. Our world would not be complete without his presence and there aren't enough words in the dictionary to explain the love I hold for him in my heart. I will never forget the moment Kaleb made me a mommy and how it changed my life forever!!!

Where "WE" Began

I could start off by saying we are your average typical everyday type family which in ways we are, but there's always a story as to where it all began. This is how "our" story began, please bear with me as I omit and try to sum things up as briefly as possible.

For starters, I spent many years as a single mom raising Kaleb and Kennedy pretty much solo with the exception of some support from family and friends. I can say this now but I wouldn't have several years ago, I was a blatantly stupid know it all type teenager. Hence why I got married at 18 and had a beautiful baby boy at 19. I fell in love with Kaleb (my first pride and joy) long before he was born and to this day he continues to melt my heart and make me incredibly grateful for the blessings bestowed upon me. Before I turned 21, I welcomed a bouncing gorgeous baby girl Kennedy into this world, she came in screaming and has pretty well continued that pattern for the last 11 years. She is a very stubborn child with a heart of gold mixed with stone LOL. Oh man did I ever want a little baby girl, I thought she would be my marriage savior and entitle our family to that happily ever after, boy was I wrong (AGAIN)!!!  Babies bring joy and happiness but they don't have the capability to fix problems that were already there. I could go into lengthy description about how taxing my marriage became but I will spare everyone the glory details and move on with "our" story. After Kennedy turned 2 I decided that enough was enough. If I was going to be a single parent then I was going to be  a single parent "SINGLE" and that's exactly what I did! I went back to school, got an apartment, a job, and took care of the kids to the best of my know how. We didn't have much aside from each other! I didn't have a fancy house or car and could barely put food on the table or pay our gas bill every month but we made it! Only the strong survive right, even if it was on Hamburger Helper giggle giggle!

A few years passed and I decided to pack us up and move to Salt Lake, where it seemed there were better opportunities awaiting our little family. By the grace of God, I met my soulmate! Paul is the most incredible and compassionate man a woman could ever dream of wanting. He took Kaleb and Kennedy on like they were his own children and I adopted his daughter Danielle like she had always been mine. Our relationship progressed quickly and soon we were living together and he POPPED the question. Before we set a wedding day, I got pregnant yep that's right premarital sex we were BIG fans of it!!! Judge if you will but we were blessed with Kanyon, another beautiful baby boy! Kanyon combined our two little families into one and we are eternally thankful for him and the presence of life he adds to ours.

June 25th, 2011 we joined our hearts and hands and tied the knot. My heart swells as I remember the day, it couldn't have been any more perfect! Kaleb took my hand and gave me away, tears rain upon me as I recall the emotions behind this union. Our children joined us with the pastor to consemate our new family joined as one, what an incredible experience! Never in this world did I imagine my life would change so immensely or that I would be lucky enough to share it with all of these wonderful people that make me who I am today.

In a nutshell this is the story of where "we" began, I vowed to keep it short and sweet which isn't always easy for me because Lord knows I'm a talker.  Everyone has a story, I thank God everyday for mine. I've made far too many mistakes to claim in this lifetime, I've been knocked down, but I will always continue getting back up with drive and the hope of winning. Today finds me happy, healthy, and cherishing life and all that it has to offer. Our adventure never seems to dull and I look forward to writing about all of the enticing things that make our family complete.