Kimberly's Birthday and Ogden Temple Open House

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday this year. We spent the day together as a family, kept busy but not too busy, and made some great memories.

When we found out a few months ago that the Ogden Temple House would be taking place this month, I immediately knew that's what I wanted to do for my birthday. Nate took the day off work, and it was a Wednesday so we knew it wouldn't be insanely busy and easy to make the ticket reservation. Our neighbors and friends across the street, RaeAnn and Brian, came with us which was fun since Brian is a member of our church but not active and RaeAnn is not a member at all. It was just a walking tour, but the line moved at a pretty rapid pace  - almost too fast to really enjoy it. It is absolutely beautiful and so different from the old Ogden Temple they tore down. Afterward we took some pictures:

Notice that Felicity's dress is wet in this picture. Within a couple of minutes of coming out of the temple, she quickly ran to the fountain nearby. As soon as she saw the coins people had thrown in, she wanted to try and get them, and I was 3 seconds too late from stopping her from falling into the fountain.

In the tent outside, they offered a free picture in front of a photo background of the temple.

After the temple, we headed home for lunch, a nap for Dayton, and I ran a couple of errands by myself while Nate made my birthday cake.

That evening we tried out a restaurant that was new to us (Taggart's Grill) because of its rave reviews. It was about a half an hour drive up Weber Canyon to get there, but so worth it. The food and service were excellent and the atmosphere was beautiful. The kids enjoyed walking around the outside and enjoying the peacocks that roam around as well as the koi pond. We will definitely go there again - hopefully without kids next time.

Happy birthday to me! Nate made that beautiful and delicious carrot cake from scratch. Dayton tried with all his might to stick his hands right in it while we took a couple of pictures.

Because I love to both give and receive practical gifts, Nate got me just what I asked for - a new diaper bag and also a new pair of nice flip flops.

July Trip to West Yellowstone

Since our trip to West Yellowstone in June was a quick one, we planned way back in January to take our longer vacation in July and coordinate it with my family's monthly turn at the cabin. So we headed there on Friday, July 11th, and left on Tuesday, July 15th. We crammed a lot into our days there and had a great time. Here's some pictures of the highlights:

At Grandma's and Grandpa's house, Bridget and Felicity loved picking the never-ending supply of wildflowers and picked numerous bouquets while we were there.

All of the kids enjoyed tractor rides with Grandpa, and Felicity and Dayton even enjoyed some naps on Grandpa's shoulder during their rides.

 

I'm a s'mores fanatic, so we had to make a fire and do a little marshmallow roasting while we were there. Even though we have a fire pit at home, there's something about a fire pit in a mountain setting that just seems to make it better.

 

I love this girl and her messy s'more face.

 

We also made it over to the cabin a couple of afternoons so the kids could play on the beach and in the lake. Afternoon thunderstorms seem to be the norm, but any time the sun came out, all the kids got in the lake. The mosquitoes were fierce, but that didn't stop them. Both of the girls enjoyed jumping off the end of the dock multiple times as well.

I'm pretty sure this was the first time ever both of the girls got to go on a boat ride in the super old fishing boat. I have many fond memories for riding and driving that boat in my youth.

The absolute highlight of the trip for me was getting to meet up and hang out with my best friend from high school, Angie.

This was the first time we'd seen each other since her wedding 6 years ago, and hopefully it won't be that long before we see each other again. We are the kind of friends that can talk about anything and pick right up where we left off even if we haven't communicated in a while. She is one amazing woman, and I couldn't wait to give her a big hug and talk with her and her husband, Kevin. We've communicated a lot more frequently the past few months since she and Kevin suffered the devastating loss of their baby girl Ella at 35 weeks - just days before Christmas. And following the delivery, Angie almost died herself. She and Kevin continue to struggle with their grief and loss, and it was wonderful to finally be able to give her the hug I was dying to give her these many months and to reconnect. I'm so glad they made the trip so we could finally see each other again!

I forgot to take a picture of our other dear friends we got to see while there, but our friends Sandy and Bill were camping in Island Park and drove over Sunday evening to visit with us. Even though we get to see them all the time at home, it was fun to meet up for a short visit on vacation.

Certainly a wonderful trip for everyone and lots of great memories made. As usual, the girls didn't want to leave Grandma's and Grandpa's house, but hopefully we'll get there again for a short trip this fall.

Yellowstone Half Marathon and June Trip

This weekend we had the opportunity to take a quick trip to Nate's parent's house so Nate could run the first ever Yellowstone Half Marathon. It also happened to be a cabin trip for my extended family, so my cousins Steve and Lori ran it too. I was a little nervous about how Nate would do and recover running at such a high elevation (about 6600 feet), but he wasn't very concerned about time. He just wanted to have fun. He and Steve ran almost all of it together until about the last mile where Nate hit the wall and told Steve to keep going. He finished just a few minutes behind Steve with a time of 2:22:12.

Here's some photos Nate took during the race. Certainly a beautiful course, although he said it was more of a trail run.

He had the girls run the last few feet of the race with him.

They all did it! And for the record, the girl on the right, is Lori's friend who ran it too.

Like I said, it was a quick trip. We got there late Thursday night and left Sunday afternoon. On Friday, the day before the race, we just hung out. The girls love spending time with Grandma and Grandpa and playing outside. They were hoping for a few RZR rides, but it still had the snow tracks on it and Grandpa couldn't find the right bolts to put the wheels back on. 

We would have spent some time at the cabin, but Felicity was at the tail end of a cold and Dayton was very, very sick with one. He was so sick, in fact, that he hardly slept 2 of the 3 nights we were there because he was coughing so much and very congested. Poor little guy, he spent most of Friday and Saturday just snuggling and sleeping on whoever would hold him.

It's a good thing we're coming back next month for a little longer trip and hopefully with healthy kids.

Race for the Cure

I think it's been 4 years since the last time I participated in Race for the Cure. I always enjoy doing it, but getting to SLC that early in the morning is always hard when you're a mom of little kids. Because it had been so long, I really wanted to do it this year, so I encouraged my sister Megan, Aunt Jennine, and her daughters and their families to register too.

We rode the train downtown which was a first for me. We had to catch the train a little before 6 am (way too early). And after all my effort to get to the train station I almost missed it because of the longest and slowest freight train preventing me from getting over the tracks to the station. Luckily, I made it just in time.

It was a beautiful day - just a little chilly and sprinkling drops of rain here and there. We all started off together, but Megan and I ended up walking the whole thing together a little ahead of everyone else. It was nice to spend time together chatting and catching up on life.

This year, I felt an increased desire to participate because of my sister Amy's current battle with breast cancer. I also love that it's always Mother's Day weekend and feel like it's a great way to think of my mom and all that she went through before it claimed her life.

Easter Weekend

Holidays always seem to be full of lots of activities which can sometimes get a little hectic, but I like to look at it as lots of family time and lots of memories. Here's several pictures from our busy Easter weekend.

We had a great time dyeing eggs. It was Felicity's first time because we used to do it during her nap time when she would have been more of hindrance than a help. She loved it, and did pretty well. As usual, they wished there were many, many more eggs to dye.

Saturday evening we went to our dear friends the Underwoods for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Unlike traditional hunts, any eggs the kids found had to be put in someone else's basket instead of their own.

As for the big day...we went to church, of course. The girls were so excited to wear their new dresses. I wish that I would have had time to make their outfits, but that just wasn't going to happen this year. Instead I chose a color scheme and bought them. I love how this picture turned out. Every time I look at it, I can't help but think how lucky we are to have such cute kids.

After church, we went to Nate's Aunt Linda's for lunch and an egg hunt. The weather was gorgeous, so the kids rode in a trailer behind the RZR to the river bottoms for the hunt.

 

Finally, we headed directly to my Aunt Jennine's house for the annual decorating of the chocolate marshmallow eggs and some visiting with my extended family. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures.

It was definitely a busy couple of days, but the kids enjoyed every minute of it. It was wonderful to spend time with both sides of our families as well as good friends.

My Dad's Death and Funeral

Love leaves a heartache no one can heal,

love leaves a memory no one can steal.

- Irish Wisdom

This is a picture of my dad on my wedding day nearly 8 years ago, but this is how I like to remember him.

It's been just over a year and a half since my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, and early in the morning on April 10th, the cancer won and he passed away. Bev did a wonderful job caring for him until the very end. He was pretty sick most of the short 10 months they were married, and we are all so grateful for her and all that she did.

 

Since about mid-March, I knew this day was coming as his health started to rapidly decline. I'm just grateful that I live close enough that Nate, the kids, and I could say goodbye beforehand. Although it was hard to see him so weak and frail at the end - images I can never erase from my mind - I'm grateful I was able to have that opportunity.

 

I have a lot of mixed feelings about his passing away. We weren't very close because of his constant traveling for work and missing out on much of my life, but I have never in my life questioned that he loved me. He was always affectionate and said he loved me often. Even so, he lacked an ability to communicate well, and I felt like he never really knew me - a few facts yes but not much as far as my interests, likes and dislikes. But he is my father, and I love him  - flaws, quirks, and all.

 

Watching both of my parents suffer and then die from cancer was certainly not easy. Being a 33-year-old orphan is hard too. Most people my age have at least one and most of them both of their parents, and it's hard to not feel some jealousy. I hate that my husband and children don't know my mom and my children won't really know my dad either. Bridget is 6 and will have a few memories, but Felicity and Dayton won't have any.

 

The weather and funeral were perfect. Everything from the talks to the music was just as he would have liked even though he gave no instruction beforehand as to what he wanted. As Jill, Megan, Jessica, and I were singing our song accompanied by Emily, I couldn't help but think about how much my dad loved listening to and watching us perform. All the money my parents spent on various music lessons certainly did not go wasted.

 

Here's a few pictures from the funeral:

 



 

The cutest bunch of orphans you ever saw.

Our parents have a wonderful posterity and legacy to be proud of. We were all together with the exception of Amy and Stuart's 3 kids who stayed behind because of the huge expense to fly here from Maryland.

I'm so grateful for the plan of salvation and to be blessed with a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know my parents are together again and will watch over each one of us from the other side of the veil. This is not the end, and I look forward to reuniting with them again someday.

Visit from Jill, Elaine, & Charlotte

My sister Jill and her girls, Elaine & Charlotte, got to come visit for a quick trip this week over their spring break. Even though we don't get to see them as often as we would like, our girls love being with them and play very well together.

Elaine and Charlotte don't get to be around babies very often, and they both loved meeting Dayton for the first time and holding and playing with him.

We also planned a little family gathering with our extended family while they were here.

Megan is always the favorite aunt.

We also went to Megan's new apartment and then went to dinner together. After dinner we went to a cupcake shop where these cousins had a great time playing together. So much fun!

Winter Trip to West Yellowstone

Nate's parent's are currently in the middle of remodeling their entire house. The first two floors are mostly done, but they recently started the top floor and wanted a little help, so we ventured north over President's Day weekend to help with construction and so the kids could enjoy some time at Grandma and Grandpa's.

We left Saturday morning and got there by early afternoon. Dayton was pretty excited for his first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's and was an angel in the car all the way there and back.

Even though Scott and Alice were in the middle of construction when we got there, they took a little break so the kids could go play outside in the snow. One of the first orders of business was for Grandpa to create a good sled hill with the tractor. Felicity was happy to help. I should note that they've had plenty of snow this winter and had 3-4 feet in their yard and many piles of plowed snow that were even higher.

 

And here's a little video of some sledding:

 

It did snow a couple of days while we were there adding a few more inches. The girls would have loved to play in the snow more than they did, but I had to stay inside to take care of Dayton. And I didn't mind too much since the Olympics were on, and I'm a bit of an Olympic junkie.

Nate did take a few breaks to go outside with them and ended up building a little snow cave.

Bridget thought the cave was pretty cool and was sad to have to leave it when we left for home the next day.

When the sky is blue instead of stormy, it's quite picturesque. It's certainly fun to visit, but I know I couldn't handle living in a place with that much snow for months and months.

It was a quick, fun trip and fairly uneventful unless you count that Nate scared me to death on the drive home when he slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting a fox that ran across the road.

Dayton's Blessing

Today was this handsome boy's baby blessing at church.

Nate likes to give me a hard time because I didn't make Dayton's blessing outfit like I did for the girls. But it's not my fault that patterns for boy's blessing/christening outfits are either way too summery for this time of year or way too girlie/ugly. Instead I bought an outfit and made an alteration to it. The cute little vest he's wearing had a super big and ugly collar that went all around it. A few minutes was all it took to remove it and sew the vest back together, and it looked much improved. What a cute boy!

 

The blessing was perfect, and I'm happy to say that Dayton didn't fuss at all. I'm so grateful to the wonderful woman in our ward who has the amazing ability to take notes short-hand, so she's able to take notes during the blessing and then transcribe them so we have a written copy of his blessing. She did the same for Felicity, and I love it!

 

Those that participated in the blessing circle were Nate, Bishop Bradford, Grandpa Scott Waldron, Grandpa Ian Wilkinson, Uncle Brant Waldron, and Great Uncle Blaine Holmes.

 

Afterward, we squeezed people into our house for some lunch and family time. It was a beautiful day!

A family picture with Nate's parents on the left and my dad and his wife on the right.

I'm so lucky to be this sweet boy's mom!

Dayton's Birth

As I expected, my due date with this pregnancy came and went. I must admit I was pretty grumpy about it too because I was so ready to be done with pregnancy and hold my baby boy. As I sat in church on my due date (10/13/13), I seriously felt like I was going to be pregnant forever - no contractions at all up to this point, and I was 3-4 cm dilated and 70% effaced at my appointment just 4 days before. If I had known what was going to happen that night, I certainly would have made an effort to go to bed much, much earlier.

At 2:30 am, I woke up needing to go to the bathroom but soon realized it was much more than that. I crawled back in bed not sure if I was having real contractions or not. They were different than what I had with Felicity. With her, I would feel my whole abdomen get tight and then relax. These felt more like cramps and were really low in my belly. Nate was sleeping away while I timed them, but after just a few I was sure they were the real thing because I got the "baby shakes" really bad just like I did with Felicity. I'm honestly surprised I didn't shake Nate awake as I laid there for 45 minutes timing and shaking. It wasn't until my 3rd trip to the bathroom during that time that he woke up. Then he timed them with me for quite a while. They were really irregular, short, and not very intense at first, but soon they started getting stronger, lasting almost a minute, and became more regular. I hate having to wake someone in the middle of the night to come stay with our kids, so I held out as long as I could and finally started getting dressed and throwing last minute things into my bag about 5 am. We called my Aunt Jennine at 5:30 and she was there a little before 6 am. At that point my contractions were only 2-3 minutes apart, and I just kept praying my water wouldn't break or I'd be in trouble.

I look terrible in this picture, but it's just before we left to go to the hospital, so I was living on 3 hours of sleep and in pain.

We got admitted to the hospital quickly, but the bad news was that they were really busy and it was also shift change time for the nurses at 7 am. I got gowned up and walked and walked around my room waiting for a nurse. Finally a nurse came in, and I told her I really needed to get my IV so I could get an epidural. She checked me (I was 6 cm and 100% effaced), so they very quickly got me my IV and got the anesthetist in there. I didn't know that once you hit 7-8 cm, your epidural might not work. Luckily, I got mine just in time and ended up being very, very numb. My doctor came and broke my water about 7:40 am, and about an hour later, he was ready to come. Thankfully, I was so numb, I didn't feel the need to push because we had to wait about another 20 minutes for a nurse to help her with the delivery.

I pushed through 3 contractions (about 7 minutes I think), and he was here!

When he came out, I asked my doctor what she thought about his weight because I was expecting him to be about 8.5 lbs., but she said he was well over 9 lbs.!

I was shocked when they told me he was 9 lbs. 12 oz. and 22.5 inches long! I can't believe he was that huge! No wonder I'd been so uncomfortable the past month. Soon after, Nate asked me if I was ready to commit to the name we'd been thinking about, and I was. So we named him Dayton Scott. Dayton is just a name we both liked, and Scott is after Nate's dad.

After I got moved over to postpartum, we let Jennine know she could bring the girls to meet him anytime. They were both so excited and each wanted to be the first to hold him.

We had a few other visitors during the time I was there. Jennine got her turn to hold him after the girls, and Megan came to visit after work that night. My friends Corey and Desaray and their 2 girls also came that afternoon, but I forgot to get a picture. The second day, my dad and Bev came to visit too.

Some of our visitors

Our first photo as a family of five

My stay at the hospital was really nice. I had wonderful nurses in labor and delivery as well as postpartum. I also got to spend a lot of alone time with Dayton since Nate had to spend more time at home with the girls this time. There was lots and lots of snuggling going on. Love it!

One of the other things I was REALLY looking forward to was the spa services they offer for free with the cosmetology students from the Applied Technology College. This program wasn't around when I had Bridget, and they were on Spring Break when I had Felicity so I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed again this time around. Luckily, I got my pedicure!

Dayton Scott

Born October 14, 2013

9:04 am

9 lbs. 12 oz.

22.5 inches long

Look at those cheeks! They've certainly been getting a lot of kisses. We are so thrilled to have this little boy join our family and grateful he's healthy and all went smoothly with his arrival.