Introducing Emma!

After much anticipation, our daughter Emma was born!  She is perfect--healthy and beautiful and we are so excited to have her home!  The birth was a crazy fast "let's never do that again" experience, but now is a blur.  Everyone here is so good to us, bringing me flowers before and after I had her, bringing dinner, watching my other three, and loving and supporting me constantly.  I put on facebook that we brought Emma home, and not one second later, three friends liked my post!  What love!  Thank you!
My parents and brother Dallin will be here in less than a week to stay for two, and we can't wait!  Tony went to work today and I was fine with the kids and new baby at home, but it will be so nice to have them here to help and love my kids! 

The biggest point of contention in our home now is who will hold Emma next and for how long :)

Did you know?

I'm pregnant :) Did you know? We are having another girl, and we are so excited. Keegan was a little upset that he won't be having a brother, but Tony promised him he'd wrestle with him every day (Keegan: "EVERY day?") then it was ok :) She's getting big and moving around...getting comfortable. I just want to hold her in my arms and see her all new and beautiful.
Have I mentioned yet how huge my other three are getting?? Just tonight Zoe finished another chapter book that she got for Christmas. She's doing her own hair now--thank goodness--I could never get it just the way she wanted it. I cut bangs for her though and she is so cute and BIG. Lots of clips that coordinate with her outfits! On the school bus Friday the boys in her class sitting behind her were whispering about how they were going to get the girls, and Zoe turned around and said, "Boys, you are busted. I heard everything!" and they screamed! I love it.
Tony gave Keegan a whole bunch of Kindersurprise toys that he got on his mission and Keeg LOVES them. They of course come apart into at least three or four pieces and you can put them back together which is heaven for my little man.
He and Olivia are in bunk beds and it is hilarious to listen to them at bedtime. She can hold her own with him, but he is sneaky and really knows how to push her buttons. Their latest thing is singing "poopy Livvy" or "poopy Keegan". I think that it might have come from this book that they found in the library called "Peek-a-poo"--seriously, that 's the name of the book (it's a potty training book). We had to check it out of the library just so that the kids could read it to their Dad. Too funny.
Anyway, so that's been us lately. Pretty exciting I know :)
ps how on earth am I going to handle FOUR? ahh!

Zoe runs again!

Zoe ran her second triathalon! She did such a great job :)

Wish I was home

It is the wee hours of the morning and I just finished going over my mom's notes for the eulogy she will give later at my Grandma's funeral. As I was talking to my mom about how she died, she said, "Grandma got just what she wanted." She was not in pain, and it wasn't long and drawn out. She was ready and she was at peace. I spoke with her more in the last few weeks. Whenever I thought about her I'd give her a quick call. She told me she loved me and was proud and amazed at what Tony and I have accomplished in the few years that we have been married. She told me not to come, that she wouldn't want to put me out and that she knew how very much I loved her. She said she was grateful for the medication that kept the pain at bay. I told her I thought Grandpa was impatiently waiting for her and was probably bugging Heavenly Father to call her home to him. Every time she said she loved me I knew she meant it. When Grandpa was so sick I saw a moment between them that I will always remember. She bent down by his bed, holding his hand with one of hers and with the other tenderly stroking his head, murmuring softly, and him looking up at her, adoring. She kissed his forehead. Sixty four years together! One year apart was enough.
I am so honored to have known her and to--physically and spiritually--have part of her in me. Knowing that makes me believe that I can be a better person, that I can be like her in ways that I wish I was.
Dad and Val, I am so sorry that you lost your mom. I am sorry that I am not there, but I hope you can feel that I am there in spirit!
All my love,
Shayna

Out!

Here we are right before she went in for surgery. She was very brave and everything went well. She's so much happier that we're sure she's feeling tons better. It'll take a little while for the results of the biopsy to come back, but it looks like she'll be just fine...hurray! Thank you all for your happy thoughts and prayers!

Say a prayer...

I'm concerned. Olivia is going to have minor surgery on Monday morning. There is a mass on her jaw/neck that has grown to about the size of a nickel and gotten redder and raw looking. And there is a second one starting. They think it is a bacterial infection in her lymph node, but antibiotics aren't making it better. I'm concerned about the mass itself, finding what exactly it is, and the actual surgery. There are some risks.

As all of this has been happening, I of course imagine the worst, and in my mind I jump in between her and God with my arms out and say,"YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME." But just this week I have stopped and reminded myself that He is a just and loving God and my kind Father, so in my mind I hold her to Him and pray, "Bless my child!"

Would you also pray for her please?