April Blessings

Connor and I went on a little vacation to Idaho during the last week of April. We had a lot of events happening on my side of the family during that time, and I'm so grateful that we were able to be there for all of them. 

Brian wasn't able to come with s for the week because we're saving his vacation time for family reunions this summer. So we caught a ride up with Kelsey's (sis-in-law) mom on Saturday, April 22nd. She was so kind to let us tag along. The next day, we attended my nephew Emytt's baby blessing. It was a really good day, and the blessing was beautiful. It's the first time we'd all been together since the weekend of my baby shower last October, so it was nice to catch up with everyone.

We only managed to get a picture of three of the four new babies that day though. From left to right: Connor (4.5 months old), Katelyn (5 weeks old), and Emytt (we set Kate and Emytt (2 months old).

 

Connor and I stayed at my parents' house over the next week. We had so much fun visiting with my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews. It was so nice to have an extended stay. It was a much more relaxed visit than we usually get during our short weekend trips. There are so many people that want to see us and that we want to see when we are in Idaho, that we usually spend most of our time driving around trying to fit everybody in. This time, we didn't have to run around very much and got to just enjoy our time hanging out in Chester. I got to spend some extra time with my brother Luke, and that was awesome. He took some time off from work while we were there. I don't get to see him as much as I would like, and when we are up visiting, he's often working or at class, so it was nice to be home with him for a few days.

I loved getting to see everyone so much, and I got to spend time with my newest niece and nephews. They are all so adorable, and each so unique. I'm really excited that Connor has so many cousins his age to grow up with. I love my cousins and we had a good childhood together, and I'm so happy that Connor will get the chance to have that experience too.

     

Grandma and Grandpa loved having so much time with Connor. He was in fine form all week, giving them smiles and giggles and showing off his rolling and scooting. Brian was so worried that Connor would start crawling while we were gone. He did start getting up on his knees while we were there, but luckily that is as far as he got.

     

Cousins Kaylee and Sophie spent a lot of time with us, and it was fun to see them interact with Connor. They kept asking to hold him, or help feed him and loved playing with him. Every time they saw him they would say "oooh, look at the baby" or "he is so cute." Even Tayte, who is not quite two years old, would give Connor toys and rub his head. All of it made my heart happy. I love all of these kids so much!

Our visit was not without problems. First off, it was so cold all week. I was looking forward to spending time outside, and helping my mom around her yard, but it was just too frigid and windy to do so. It even snowed one day while I was there. Not too surprising, but still I was hoping for warmer weather.

Secondly, I got sick about halfway through the week. Really sick. I caught some flu bug that had me down in bed for 24 hours. It was a nasty bug, and i had a horrible fever for part of the day. I just remember being so cold, shivering under a pile of heavy blankets all afternoon. I haven't been that sick in a long time, so that wasn't fun. I'm so grateful that my mom was there to take care of Connor for me that day. That evening, after the fever broke and I started to come out of it, I just felt drained. I had no energy and it was exhausting even to stand up. It was so hard to even hold Connor. The next day I felt much better, except that somehow on top of the flu, I'd gotten a head cold. My sinus' hurt and I had a bad cough. It was a rough few days...but I made it through.

Friday night, Brian drove up to join us. The next day, April 29th, was a busy one. My brother Luke was schedule to go through the temple and receive his Endowment that day. Connor also turned 5 months that day. We got up early, got ready, took a few pictures of Connor and then drove to Brian's parents' house in Idaho Falls. We got to spend a little time with them and introduce Connor to Uncle Kim and Aunt Pam. After a quick lunch, it was time for us to head back to Rexburg to go to the temple. We left Connor with Layne and Kris. It was the first time I'd left my baby for an extended period of time, and I was a sad and anxious to be away from him for very long. However, I still had a head cold and wasn't feeling super great, so that helped take my mind off of our separation. 

It was a beautiful day, bright with sunshine and blue skies. Brian and I arrived at the temple really early, so we took some time to walk around the grounds and enjoy the weather. 

I checked my phone before we entered the temple, and Kris had texted me a picture of Connor. Of course he was doing fine. I was having a harder time being away from him that he was me. Layne and Kris were taking good care of him, and I was able to relax a bit knowing that he was enjoying his time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Our time at the temple was so wonderful. Brian and I hadn't been since before I was pregnant with Connor. Way too long. It was really nice to be back. And we were there with my entire family. It was a special day for sure. I'm so proud of Luke. He's such an awesome brother and just a great guy in general. I sure do love him.

All six of us.

From left to right (youngest to oldest): Annie, Luke, Jamie, Tyler, Kiley, Jessica

The original eight.

Add in the spouses.

We're missing Danny and Kelsey. They were home babysitting the kidlets.

After pictures in front of the temple, we went to the Hickory for dinner. The food was good and the company better. Brian and I headed back to I.F. to get our Connor. He was just happy as can be, and I'm grateful that Kris and Layne were able to watch him for us. 

The next day, Sunday April 30, we packed up all our luggage and drove to Driggs. We arrived fairly early, so we spent some time at my sister Kiley's house before going to church with them. They blessed their baby Katelyn that day. Again, I'm so glad that we were able to be there with my entire family and Scott's family as we all celebrated baby Kate.

 

I'm so glad we got a picture of Kiley and I together with our babies. Too fun! I wish we lived closer so we could see each other more often. I miss getting to see her whenever I want to. However, we live a whole lot closer these days and I do get to see her more than I did when we were in NYC, so I can't complain too much. 

After Sacrament Meeting, we ate lunch back at their house. While everyone was there, we finally managed to get a picture of all four babies together. Jackson (3 1/2 months), Emytt (2 1/2 months), Connor (5 months), and Kate (6 weeks). Aren't they so cute together? We did good.  It's so fun to have four babies in the family at once. Grandpa and Grandma are just over the moon with all these new little ones. I just keep thinking how fun it's going to be a year from now when they're all walking.

And here are the three boys together. Jackson, Emytt, and Connor. 

Maybe during our next visit we'll manage to get a photo of all four of us together holding our babies. I meant to get one, but didn't get a chance too while everyone was still there. Oh well, I'll try for one next visit.

Once the festivities were finished, we said goodbye to everyone and drove back to Utah. We had such a lovely time. We've all been blessed so much this year. After getting to be present for these happy events, I'm filled with gratitude once more for the gospel, for eternal families, and for the joy that both bring me each day. Family is everything.