Emma Smith, My Story

As most of you know Mike and I serve on the Joseph Smith Jr and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society I keep wanting to post this, but keep forgetting.  i wanted you all to know that if you would like the DVD please let me know, we are selling them for $13.00 ea.  This movie truly shows you a glimpse of what Emma Smith, the wife of Joseph Smith experienced here on Earth.  the Historical Society would love to do a movie about Emma's life after Joseph, if we make enough $$$ on this project then hopefully we can share a little more about this amazing woman.  I have always held a special place in my heart for this woman, she is a hero to me.  She is a woman of strength, a woman of power, a woman of love.  We owe so much to her for the sacrafice she made for each and every one of us.  i have so much love for this woman.  If you would like to watch it first, Mike and I are always up to watching movies in our basement!  Our goal is just to get Emma's name out there as the honorable woman that she is.  Like I said  before our home is always open for a movie night.  Let me know if you are interested.

My new son

Since Friday we have turned our daughter in for a son, Micah...
                        
Katie has a cousin that had an accident and his leg was shot, well, we went up there last week-end so that Mike could do a fireside, Katie was very impressed by her cousin.  We got home and nothing was mentioned till Friday, she found a cane (her crutches) and has been limping around ever since.  It is getting sooooo old.  She has to have her leg up so that it doesn't swell, she has to take her cane everywhere.  We went to McDonald's and I didn't realize she had brought it in, there she was sliding down the slide with her cane.  Good thing nobody else was there besides cousins.  Anyway long story short, she has turned into an ornery little girl who has let her imagination get to her.  Hopefully we will be done today, the cane might just disappear while she is at school.

It's been one year!

Yes, one year ago, Mike came home from basketball and we smelt something HORRIBLE!  We went down stairs and this is what we saw...
Notice this is after they started cleaning the basement.  I didn't use the pictures that are too disturbing.
Yes that is my brand new bathtub filled with poo poo water.  We came down stairs and the sewage was coming from everywhere, the tub, the toilet, that emergency drains, etc.  I about died, Mike just ran in, ankle deep and started moving things, handing them to me through the window.  He even somehow got our brand new leather sectional up on the pool table.  He was very upset I wasn't down there helping him, do you blame me...  Who knows who's crap I was wading through.  Turns out that the city sewage line had cement dropped in and luck has it that it found our basement.  Mike took 2 years building the basement, it had been done for 3 weeks then in an instant we had to start over again. Luckily this time the restoration co. finished it and after a long fight with the city I have my basement back!!!  BYU football just wouldnt be the same without our BYU room.

Pregnancy Loss

Today is stillbirth and pregnancy loss remembrance day, I know I have only had a miscarriage, but it made me think of my experience.  So I thought I would share a little of my experience with miscarriage, before Kortney (4months old) we lost 2 pregnancies, 1 at 8 weeks, the other at 12 weeks.  I don't think anyone can tell you what emotions you will go through when losing a pregnancy.  You love the fetus already so much and have bonded.  I opted not to have a D&C, and let things work out naturally.  It was very hard for me to cope with the idea of wanting a baby so bad and the fact that my body wouldn't cooperate with my plans.  I now know what was the problem, I knew that it wasn't my fault, but no matter who tells you that, you blame yourself.  Thoughts I had, maybe if I didn't lift that, or move that.  Maybe if I would have listened to my body and stopped weeding when I felt I should.  What is the Lord trying to teach me?  I know there is a spirit waiting to come to my home.  I love this baby already, why do you need to take it back home Heavenly Father.

Thanks to getting my blood drawn a million times, thanks to medical technology we finally got our little Kortney.  She is the most amazing spirit, she is filled with light and happiness.  She just looks into your eyes and you know how wonderful her little spirit is.  When I was going in for my induction at 40 weeks (yes, we made it that long after being on bed rest, horrible)  Mike gave Katie a blessing.  In that blessing it talked about Kortney waiting so long to come to this Earth, her and Katie were best friends once before, Kortney wanted to come with her, but katie is here to be her example, her friend and protector here on Earth.  It was amazing.
              
Things I learned:  I need to rely on my Father in Heaven and be patient with his plan for me.  Also I need to depend on the Priesthood, and know I can ask my husband for a blessing whenever I feel prompted.  I also learned that love is an amazing thing.  If any of you ever have to experience this please let me know, I know there is nothing I can do, but a Diet Coke and treat can go pretty far when you feel like crap.  

Tucker

Our dog Tucker, just had his 7th birthday last Sunday.  As many of you know he is just part of our family.  Katie gets so upset when others don't recognize him as her brother.  He is a very good dog, he has been very loyal to our family.  I am so glad that we decided to keep him and raise him, we had the choice of putting him down when he got hit by a car when he was 6 months old.  Mike decided he would take him duck hunting last Saturday.  We didn't train him to be a hunting dog, he is scared to death of guns and fireworks, so we always thought he wasn't a hunting dog.  I guess the whole hunting thing was just instinct for him, he would lay low in the boat in the camo, he would get frustrated when they wouldn't shoot, as soon as they, Mike and his friend Kenny, would shoot, Tucker would jump out of that boat swim over get the duck and bring it back to Mike.  Mike said it was Awesome to watch.  We are proud of our hunting dog.  He has been begging Mike to go again, he waits by the car every morning.  

My husband

I have been home alone for the past 4 weeks, while my husband has been in Mexico and Australia.  It seemed like forever, now I am so glad that he is home with our family again.  In Mexico he was gone fishing with my brother Keith, they had a blast.  He brought home some shark for Katie to try.  He was home for 2 days then off to Australia.  Australia went really well he says.  He was there promoting the movie, Emma Smith, My Story.  He got to meet with the decedents of Joseph and Emma Smith and introduce their Grandmother to them.  He handed out many Book of Mormons, and seems to be on a real spiritual high.  I am glad to hear that I was missed by the people I had met there 3 years ago.  It was so cute, because Katie knew her dad was being a missionary, she tried telling him that he just needs to play her primary songs, then people would be able to feel that Jesus is true.  :)  He kept busy giving talks and premiering the movie in Sydney and Foster.  I am so thankful to have him home.  He is such a stud, he loves his little family so much.  It is so nice to be able to talk to him whenever I wanted to today, I have been spending lots of time with him, even if we have to watch football all evening long.  If you ever read this honey, I love you.  I am so glad that you have kept all your promises to me in cherishing me, loving me, and treating me like a queen.  I have wrote many e-mail's expressing my love to you, I love you.

Quarter Pushers

So I went to Chucky Cheese today, Katie earned her hard earned 15 smiley's so her reward was Chucky cheese.  Well I had a coupon for 100 tokens, plus I had bought a gift certificate on city deals, so I was pumped to sit and let Katie and her cousin Haley play while I chill with Kortney. Melinda and Kelsey.  Well, I took a few tokens and started playing the token pusher, before I knew it I had blown 25 tokens in no time at all, and I still wanted to play.  I did earn a ton of tickets for the girls to get prizes, but still, I just kept wanting to play.  I decided that it has to do with Vegas and gambling.  I loved doing the quarter pushers in Vegas, I would get my roll of quarters and blow it all in 1 spot.  Since President Hinckly said no gambling (my excuse was always it is like going the the arcade) I have not done it.  Mike on the other hand has some explaining because I noticed our coin jar is gone right about the time he was driving through Mesquite.  Anyway what I am trying to say I guess is that I am still totally addicted, I kept wanting to do more and more and take all the tokens from the kids.  This is a lame entry I know, but it's just been on my mind tonight.