So grateful for tender mercies

Nearly 10 years ago Steven and I got married in the Salt Lake Temple. What a blessed day that was for me! It was full of amazing blessings pronounced upon our heads as well as commandments.
I will be eternally grateful to Steven for taking me to the temple to kneel at that alter together. What a whirlwind it has been ever since! Not 2 months later we realized that I was not getting over an infection, and was also getting sicker. I was expecting our first baby. JL was born 1 month before our 1st anniversary. It was hard for me to understand why I was going through motherhood when I had barely gotten used to being a wife! Steven would call to me if he was busy with something "Mom! Someone needs to eat!" Or, "Mom, someone needs a diaper change!" (Steven changed more diapers than I did). I finally told him to please not call me Mom for awhile. It was too hard for me! Not until she was looking up at me from her carseat smiling, did I tell him it was ok for him to call me Mom. She looked up to me. She needed me. She WANTED me for her Mom. At that moment, I knew I wanted to be her Mom, too.
Two years later we welcomed JS into our lives. I couldn't have been more proud, or more ready to be a Momma again. He was and still is everything I ever wanted in a son.
I get HORRIBLY ill when I am expecting. I have hyperemesis which means I spend most of the time either in the hospital, or at home with an IV. Two years after we welcomed our JS, Steven came to me and told me that the spirit had told him TWICE that there was another baby waiting to come to our family. UGH. I did NOT want to have another baby. I was happy with my girl and my boy, and felt fulfilled. Steven was still in school, we only had a 2 bedroom apartment, I had just quit my job to stay home, and things were just plain ROUGH. I responded with a STRONG no! That was in August and in December Steven told me that if we weren't going to do what the Lord asked us to do, we weren't going to be blessed. I already knew back in August that it was time to try again, and I knew that he had felt the spirit. I couldn't deny it & neither could he. Reluctantly I prayed for strength and comfort through this next pregnancy with all the faith I could muster truly thinking that if I did His will, I wouldn't be sick. HA! It was the hardest pregnancy by FAR. Two different times, in two different blessings, Steven and I were told that the Lord was pleased with our obedience, but it was ok to be done. I knew then, and I know now that I couldn't and didn't want to live without this baby boy. He and his siblings are angels in my life. I couldn't live without them.
Their first memories of life were tough times. We struggled and fought to finish school, and struggled financially. We had a small and very humble apartment with small and humble children. They did not have video games, a back yard, a picket fence, fancy cars (or fancy and expensive carseats for that matter), straight from the store clothes, or *gasp* even their own bedrooms. They DID however have a Mother and Father who loved and cared for them VERY much, who taught them to pray, to read, to love, to share, and to be GRATEFUL. We worked hard, and still do.
Today we have a home to live in, a good school to go to, a wonderful street to live on, a DEGREE (yay), and jobs. We still have a long way to go. I have so much I still want to accomplish, but these 3 little monkies are my priority. I love volunteering at the school and watching them learn, listen and grow.
I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and bad endometriosis after JT was born. I knew I couldn't have any more babies. In fact, my Dr told Steven that we COULD have more, but the kids wouldn't have a Momma. Done. What a bittersweet feeling that was. I am so grateful to have 3 healthy kiddos.
The tender mercy in my life is that my Father in Heaven knew. He knew that I would not be able to bear children later in life. He knew and I know that we were SUPPOSED to have our little ones now. Everyone is different. Every story is different. I am, however, very grateful that Steven listens to the spirit, and that I also can feel the spirit in my life. I know that life isn't always what we want it to be, or what we think it SHOULD be. I am grateful for my story. Grateful for the life I lead.
I cannot believe that we started on this journey 10 years ago! What a crazy and wild ride it has been. I wouldn't want to change a thing.

Family Pictures

My JL & me

hahahahaha!

JS is always worried about his smile...he's so cute!

My pretty 9 year old!

Me and my little gal!

smmmooootch!

I love JL's face

Me and my boys!


Daddy smooches

So cute!


Don't let those faces fool ya...they're all TROUBLE!

I think JL got more than she bargained for..

My JL

I love that you can see his birthmark on his left wrist. It's in the shape of a heart, and I always tell him I gave that to him, so he'd always remember that I love him!

Our fun collage..

My handsome hubby and me

JT, JS, and JL...cute kids!

CRAZY TIMES

Life has been crazy...
In June, I had a full hysterectomy and am STILL trying to recover. It's been harder than I thought it would be. I am just plain exhausted, and everything I do takes hours to complete. The kids have been awesome to help out, and do their chores without too much arguing. I have so many good friends and awesome family that has helped out, too.
JL and JS get up every morning and go over to Shayla's house to feed her animals and sometimes clean out cages too. They have been very happy to help Shayla and haven't complained once. JL even stayed there one day while I ran errands to keep Shayla's girls busy and help with Shayla's chores. Shayla said that if she asked her to do anything she would say..."I would LOVE to..." I'm so glad that she is willing to help, and that she cares for our very sick neighbor who needs us. I have enjoyed being a kind of Mom to Moe and Edyn. They are such amazing girls who get along AWESOME with my kids, and hardly ever complain. (Plus Edyn is a snuggler which I LOVE LOVE LOVE.)
JS just finished his first season playing tee ball...he LOVES baseball like you wouldn't believe. He was lucky enough to go with his Uncle Brandon and my Dad to Colorado a couple weeks ago to watch the Rockies play his favorite team, the Red Sox. He takes the game very seriously and I am sooo wondering where that came from...geeee...i'm not sure...um STEVE!




This is one of my favorite pictures of Steve and JS...Steve was a fun part of JS playing ball..

He hit the ball every time!!

He loves this game!

Steve tellin JS what to do...lol

JT gave him hugs after every hit!

He reminds me of his Daddy...

What a handsome little guy!!!

JL had her recital, and her pictures are on my Mom's camera, so i'll have to post those pictures later! Thanks to Jackie for taking all these pictures of JS for me since I was working during most of the games! You rock woman! I love our neighborhood! It has been an amazing time for us to be here. I am so glad that we made the move we did when we did it. We have made so many fun friends, I can't even believe it!! Anyway, life is good...couldn't ask for more...

A good friend...

...the first day we moved here, I had a cute little blonde girl in our new place playing with JL. She said her name was Moe. I told her that I would have to meet her mama before JL could go over and play. It wasn't long before Shayla came over to introduce herself, and later bring us these DELICIOUS chocolate chip cookies. She left the house thru the garage and saw my Matchbox sign and about had a coronary! She was a Rob fan too...and instantly we were bonded! We had the same pregnancy stories, the same likes/dislikes, and that was the beginning of a good friendship.
She came over at the end of April to tell me that she was gonna go to the Dr and talk about having another baby (which was scary since she gets as sick as me) and she was glowing! She went to the Dr and later came to tell me that she had an appointment at Huntsman cancer center. They were pretty sure she had breast cancer. They did a biopsy a few days later, and last week they confirmed the fact that she had breast cancer. On Monday she had a double massectomy and they removed a tumor in her lymph nodes. She is healing and doing well. Shayla is exactly 4 months older than me is all. Please pray for my cute friend! We are going to do a relay for life on the 4th of June @ Weber State. I love my Rob fan friend. When she same home, we had the house all sparkling, and decorated the porch and I left a sign on her door that said 'The rain's gonna wash away. I believe this. ~Rob Thomas.' I love ya, Shayla!

www.comewhatmay-xela.blogspot.com

I'll post pictures sometime soon!

New picture of the prophet

I still can't believe that they got to meet Pres Monson! Found this new picture today and HAD to post it!

JL's Jazz game performance and Utah Dance championships!

Pres Monson and some of the girls

The girls and all their trophies! The cheer team won 1st place!


JL is on LA's shoulders on the left!

Cute girls...

We got to watch Kyle warm up! JL lost her ticket backstage during the rehearsal, so I went back in the tunnel to find it. A janitor ended up finding it, but I found Kyle back there, too. Of course my stuff was on the court with the other moms and I didnt have my camera, but let me tell ya...he is so cute! haha! Oh and he smells as good as he looks!!

picture with the jazz dancers...

After the girls' performance, we went back into the tunnel, and President Monson was there. The girls got their pictures with him, and I stood there like a dummy not taking pictures. I have some friends with better pictures of him and JL and me, but I snapped this one as he was walking away...this is what it looks like if you were following the prophet tho...!!! He actually spent a minute and talked to my brother which was really REALLY cool. The next morning, JL woke up and looked at me and said..."I met the PROPHET!" She was more excited about that than the jazz performance! Everyone was shaking his hand, and JL and LA were hugging him around the waist so tight! haha!



warmin up!

JS had a great time watchin the Jazz!!

Uncle B, Aunt K and JL with her famous peace sign!

JA, JL and Courtney!

And a serious one...

Jazz rehearsal

mmm...Kyle...we were so close to him!

Rallyin before their performance!

9.5 years and still hot together!! haha!

Practicin before performance

rehearsing

JL is the one in red and white...haha...she's right there on the floor..

Love that smile!

Am I pretty enough?! YES!

BFF's

The squad...lol with Brittany in blue...haha!

Messin around in my messy room...

cute girls...

LA is a poser!

Trying to do LA's hair but they had to pose for a sec..

JL's BFF LA...she's adoreable!

JL and LA doing their shoulder set

another shoulder set shot

rehearsal

Waiting to rehearse