We have had several changes these past couple weeks including Dave and Kaydyn (my brother and niece) who have come to live with us from Salt Lake. It has been a lot of fun for Marley to have a playmate around but a little more work with two kiddo's in the house. Is is nice to have family in town with us. :) Also for those that don't know, I am pregnant! Carl and I are so excited and can't wait until June when the new baby arrives. Unfortunately I have been really sick but I am hopeful it won't last too long. Good thing Dave is here to help me while Carl is at work! Here are some pictures from Halloween and a day at the park!
Marley was so excited to be an elephant but here she looks like a grumpy elephant! Kaydyn wore Marley's monkey costume from last year.
Walking downtown to trick-or-treat at the businesses. We were lucky enough to have Papa and Nana here for the weekend!
I have obviously been terrible on the updates lately and I am sorry! We have just been having so much fun! A LOT has been going on and more updates are to come. An exciting bit of news for me has been that I have been called to the Primary presidency. What an amazing calling! I am having so much fun. We are currently preparing for our yearly primary program that I am sure will be wonderful! Here are some pictures from September and October--
Marley and I like to visit Carl at work for lunch. Marley wanted to be Daddy for the day- notice her name tag!
Marley loved coloring on the sidewalk all summer.
Marley and I were so lucky to join my parents in Sun Valley Idaho for Labor Day weekend. It has been a tradition in my family for over 10 years now to go there. It is such a beautiful place.
Marley playing in the river. She is adventurous just like G Mama.
Nana giving Marley rides! Yes, it is suppose to be for the luggage.
Relaxing at the car show with Papa.
We love to jump on the beds in hotels!!
Marley waiting for the ice show to begin...she was just several hours too early! The ice shows at The Lodge are amazing. They always include gold medal Olympians.
Feeding the swans and ducks.
Marley helping sell the cars.
Boat ride.
And of course swimming with Papa!
After we were in Sun Valley we were able to spend some time in Salt Lake City.
Marley at Jungle Jim's. We went there twice in the week we were there because Marley loved it so much. She won lots of tickets!
What a cool Papa riding the roller coater with Marley!
This month we joined Carl on one of his business trips to Denver. Marley LOVES hotels so it is always so fun for us. Plus we get to stay in amazing hotels! We went to the Zoo and to the children's museum.
Marley's favorites, the elephants!
The merry-go-round
We always take a picture in front of the sign.
Marley's favorite part of the children's museum was the fire truck exhibit. She is SO proud of her Daddy being a firefighter. To be honest though, she gets to sit in the fire trucks a lot!
Painting one of many masterpieces.
They had a vet clinic. Marley loved pretending to help the animals.
Setting appointments.
We were creating our own train track.
Planting veggies in the garden.
Marley's other favorite part-the doll house! Here she is putting the dolls down for their naps.
For those that haven't read this book you must (I know I am a bit behind the times in just reading this). It is an amazing story about Afghanistan and the wars it has suffered. I learned so much about Afghan culture and the pain the woman, specifically suffered. It is a wonderfully written book that I think everyone should read!
P.S. I know I haven't posted pictures lately, but it is because I left my camera in Salt Lake! I will receive it soon. :)
If you haven't yet, you must read or watch President Obama's school speech given yesterday morning. Though I don't agree with many of the ways he is leading our country, his speech is inspiring and appropriate. You can read it here.
Each time Marley has been to the ocean she has loved it. My way of making her feel like she is at the ocean? Taking her to the lake! She LOVES to get dirty and play in the cold water. She is going to be just like me- a tomboy!
Marley was so excited when she saw there were cows in the road! (On the way to the lake) Shovel, shovel!
Dirty bum!
The other kids we were with gathered a butterfly which Marley was scared to hold. If you notice, it is on her head!!
She will touch but not hold!
Taking a snack break!
Teaching Dora how to swim.
She didn't want to get out! Her attempt of a protest.
Although Marley didn't want to hold the butterfly she wanted to be sure to show it some love. :)
While I was at the lake with Marley I had some time to think. I thought about how truly blessed I am. I feel SO lucky to be a full time Mom. I know there is nobody better to teach her and I wouldn't have it any other way. Marley brings me so much joy and teaches me so much. I am so lucky to have a husband to support me in this and one that will take on the entire responsibility of bringing in the dough. I still pinch myself sometimes when I realize I get to hang out at the pool, lake, etc. for my job. WOW. What did I do to deserve such a wonderful life?
This past weekend, Carl completed the 200 mile Wild West Relay that was from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs, CO! He was in a team with 11 others, each completing 3 legs. I still can't believe he did such a thing, but am so proud of him! What an accomplishment. During the relay Carl described it as pushing his limits and is glad he did it, but never wants to do such a thing again! In his words, "Checked it off of my bucket list!"
Marley and I are so proud of you, Carl. You continue to show us that we can do anything we set our minds to! We love you! (Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Carl running the relay. Others took those pictures so we are waiting for them to be passed along!)
The van Carl was in. Their team had two. One of the exchange points.
The finish line! Carl wanted Marley to finish the relay with him. She was SO excited to run with Daddy!
Marley was so excited to see her Daddy. It had been 2 days.
I was happy just to get the free stuff at the finish line...no need to actually run the relay!
A new thing we have started this summer has been going to the river to play. Marley is so outgoing and seriously doesn't even notice that the water is cold! Unfortunately, I switched something on the camera so the auto focus didn't work. Sorry for the poor quality!
Marley loves her friend Annie. Marley discovered the goggles after all the swimming.
Marley playing "speed boats" with her friend William.
What a beach babe!
The friends we were with were awesome and brought a large tube for the kids to go down the river on! (And they tied it to a rock so they could only go so far! Perfect.)
What a birthday Marley had this year! Thank goodness Carl planned a weekend in Denver otherwise we wouldn't have done much. We were beginning to feel terrible that we hadn't had time (thanks to my surgery) to plan a big birthday party for Marley when Carl surprised us with this! We were in Denver for the weekend and spent most of our time at the Denver Zoo. Marley is obsessed with animals and seriously had the time of her life. It turned out to be amazing just celebrating her birthday just the three of us!
Marley thought it was cool to see how big the polar bears are! She loved this.
She couldn't get enough of the snakes.
Mid-day nap. So much action!
Her favorite--the elephants!!
The great thing about it being her birthday was...she got everything she wanted! Hence the several rides on the carousel.
She had so much fun deciding which animal she was going to ride each time.
No, I didn't make it myself. :) I actually ordered it on our drive home from Denver!
Before she blew out the candle..
And what Marley got for her birthday- yes she got her very own flat screen and DVD player! ha ha that is what you get when you let Daddy pick out the gift.
Here is the video of us singing happy birthday to Marley and her reaction!
Enjoying the wave pool Lunch at the hotel (Sorry for the terrible quality picture!) Fish Creek Falls- this was a self photo using the timer! Marley just loves Bobby and Megg. Bobby is her boyfriend!
We have had a very busy past couple weeks..As mentioned in a previous post, we have had a lot of company and I have LOVED it! Unfortuately, I didn't get any pictures while Kathy, my Mom and Dad, and Eric and Jinju were here. Probably because I was still stuck at home (after the surgery). BUT by the time Bobby and Megg arrived, I was feeling much better. We were able to go to the pool and spent a day in Steamboat. Marley and I also took them to Fish Creek Falls, which was beautiful!! I just wish we could have done the actual hike. :) I am so happy they were able to come and am so grateful they came all this way just to see us! You two are the best. We love you guys. Here are a few pictures of the week.
For more pictures visit Megg and Bobby's blog here:
About a month ago we were able to travel to Salt Lake as a family (usually it is just Marley and I). It was a special trip because Carl's sister, Ashley got married. While we were there, it happened to be my 26th birthday so it was nice to celebrate with family and friends.
Nate and Ashley's Wedding
During the week, I was lucky enough to co-host a family bridal shower for Ashley and Nate with Kerri-Ann. It was a success (except for the explosion of the chocolate fountain..something that won't be forgotten though) and we had an amazing time. Of course there was also a bachelorette party- It was a blast playing "Rock Band" and chatting with Ashley's friends.
We were thrilled to be in the Salt Lake Temple as Nate and Ashley were sealed for all time and eternity. It is always such a blessing to witness such an amazing event, and even more so when it is your family. We are so happy for them and are excited to have Nate in the family. The following day was the reception at Wheeler Farm. I was honored to be a bridesmaid and had a blast. Carl was the Deejay and had the whole crowd dancing-especially Marley! Marley looked so beautiful in the dress that Ashley chose and that Susan Wesley made. The reception was perfect and Ashley looked astonishing! We were so happy to be a part of it.
The Bride and the Groom at the Bridal Shower Sokia family at the Salt Lake Temple Marley in her "flower girl" dress. Doesn't she look adorable? Mommy and Marley in the dresses that Susan made for us. She is talented!
Having fun at the reception! Carl being the Deejay- and Zach being the Deejay's groupie. :)
Papa and Marley dancing.
My Birthday
I was so excited to be in Salt Lake for my birthday this year. The day started with breakfast at Village Inn with Bobby, Megg, Eric, Jinju, Carl, and I. We laughed the entire time. :) The rest of the day was spent at my parent's house eating good food and having great conversation with those I love. It was nice to have my entire family there including Dave and Kaydyn. My grandma was there and John, Craig, and Kini made as well. It was also nice to have Star and Taya stop by to see me. What a great day it was!
Marley and Kaydyn playing together. The suit Marley is wearing is the only extra my mom had- it was way too small for her. :)
Kaydyn is SO good with the camera. She loves to smile when you tell her to say, "cheese!"
So much love!
Four generations!
Kaydyn loves her uncle Carl.
Taya and Marley playing at the Lapoint swimming pool.
VIDEOS
Taya and Marley playing
Marley singing happy birthday to me!
John and Kathy tearing up the dance floor!
Marley dancing at the reception
Eric and Jinju are so sweet. We were on our way to the drive in theaters and they surprised me with this! Please excuse my annoying scream in the background- I was very surprised. I happened to turn the camera on to film the sunset. So fun! If you can't tell, they used cups in the fence on the overpass to say, "happy b-day Jen."
While watching the fireworks on the 4th, I noticed a man taking pictures behind Marley and I (Carl was lighting the fireworks with his fellow firefighters so wasn't with us). The following day, my friend Cindy asked if we saw our picture in the paper. She then pulled out her paper and showed me this picture!
Now Carl isn't the only one in the family that has been in the "Craig Daily Press!"
For those that did not know, our family has had a difficult week. In just 6 days we went from being excited about adding another child to our family, to me having surgery and losing a baby. We have been trying to get pregnant again for about 9 months now so it was hard to lose this baby. Unfortunately, the baby was stationed in my right fallopian tube. This type of pregnancy cannot ever go full term because there is no where for the baby to grow. If the embryo grows to be larger than a jelly bean, the fallopian tube ruptures causing hemorrhaging. Because of this high risk and where we live, we decided to have laparoscopic surgery to remove the embryo from my tube. The doctor also had to perform a "d and c" because my body still recognized that I was pregnant and began growing a placenta. During my surgery, the doctor discovered the tubal pregnancy was caused by endometriosis (that I didn't know I had). It had caused scaring which ultimately lead to the egg getting stuck in my fallopian tube. Because of the way the embryo was stuck, it caused a lot of damage which required the removal of my fallopian tube. Needless to say, this has been an emotional time for Carl and I. It has been difficult to recover from surgery and deal with the loss of the baby and my fallopian tube. Luckily, the doctor says my remaining fallopian tube looks great and we should have no problem getting pregnant again. It is still still scary, though.
We have felt so loved during this time. Carl's mom, Kathy was here Sunday and left this morning. She not only took care of Marley and me, but she completed countless loads of laundry. I am so thankful her and can't express my gratitude properly. My Mom arrived yesterday and stays through Saturday night. My dad also comes tonight. Eric and Jinju come tomorrow night. How lucky we are to have such amazing family to travel to Craig to help us. It has not only been crucial they were/are here to take care of Marley (I can't lift Marley, let a lone walk), but it has lifted my spirits and made me feel so loved. Thank you. Also, we have an amazing ward that has brought dinners and stopped by for moral support. I have many bunches of beautiful flowers- thank you Jen Stephens, Lauren, and Sara. They have brightened my days! Of course great friends that have sent cards with such amazing words. (Megg, Star, and Kini) Again, we feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.
Carl and I know that everything happens for a reason and know that this situation has taught us a lot, for a reason. We are so grateful for our faith and our relationship with our Heavenly Father to help us through tough times. We are grateful for this opportunity.
This video was taken about 2 weeks ago. This shows how incredibly intelligent Marley is!!! She sings the ABC's and "I am a Child of God." I am a little behind on the updates but promise more in the next few days including Ashley's wedding and fireworks!!
Father's Day this year was very quiet, but we liked it that way. Marley's new favorite thing is to have music time with Daddy- they dance and sing! Or sometimes they just listen and cuddle as you will see below.
The card Marley made for Carl
Marley chose to make a golf towel for Daddy with a picture of herself on it!
Marley cuddling with Daddy while listening to music
Hope all the fathers had a fantastic Father's Day!
Each year in our city of Craig there is an event called, "Whittle the Wood." It is a competition of wood carvings that are AMAZING. This is the first year we attended and we had no idea how big of a deal it is. Literally half of the entire city was there! There was a huge stage set up with numerous bands that played, restaurant stations selling yummy food, and a lot of amazing wood carvings to observe. We enjoy attending community events like this! Carl was gracious enough to volunteer his time to serve food with the Lions Club.
I think Marley had a little too much sugar..snow cone, cotton candy, and candy! Carl serving some yummy food!
One of the carvings done this week..
and another!
A carver in the process!
Marley playing with her friend Dustin- sharing her sunglasses!
Marley loves taking "self photos" just as much as I do!
I can't wait for next year!
Right now Carl and I are listening to the police channel on his fire radio hearing the aftermath of the event. The police have set up a barricade to check for drunk drivers. I am happy to know that our police are taking care of us! Carl received a fire call about 30 minutes ago and on his way home was pulled over for a check. ha ha I love living in a small town!
This is Marley's way of being creative in the McDonalds playland. After shooting many hoops, she decided she wanted to do something else with the balls..
Most of us focus on daily activities that include work or school, and for me that is taking care of Marley and the house. For Carl it involves much more. Not only does he have a very time consuming job and is working for the fire department, but he always makes time for service. Whether that is helping a friend move, cleaning up the highway, or serving food at a community event he always makes time for these things (Not to mention all of the time he puts into his calling at church and his teaching the temple preparation class). He is involved in every aspect of life. He simply amazes me. If you look at the hours he spends in the office and at the fire department, you would think he wouldn't have time for anything more. That is the wonderful thing about Carl- he MAKES time. He sacrifices sleep and "fun" time to serve others. I am so grateful for his example and the way he makes me want to be better. He strengthens me and continues to show me that it is always possible to fit more people into your life.
You are remarkable, Carl. I appreciate what you do because it makes you and I better. Thank you for being you! I love you!
Marley was so excited to be an elephant but here she looks like a grumpy elephant!
Kaydyn wore Marley's monkey costume from last year.
Walking downtown to trick-or-treat at the businesses. We were lucky enough to have Papa and Nana here for the weekend!
Davey and Kaydyn.
Emmy found herself a friend!
Climbing!
Uncle Davey is so much fun! 
