Having Faith Through Our Trials and Counting Our Blessings

I'M BACK! Finally after almost a year, I am back in the blogging business. So much has happened this past year. There has been a lot of highs and a lot of lows. Since my last post, which was in August, Quinn turned 2, we moved to Burley into my Mother-in-laws basement, Jake started his new business, my Mom had brain surgery, I helped take care of my Mom, we moved out of my Mother-in-laws basement and into a little house of our own, we had a baby, spent 8 days in the NICU, and many other things in the middle. This has been the craziest, most emotional year of my life. I have learned a lot about myself and my relationship with my husband is stronger than ever. I have become more independent and have taken over things I never thought I would have the courage to do. My testimony has grown as I have looked to my Heavenly Father for comfort and strength to make it through these tough times, and through these trials my faith has grown. Among the tough times, were also some very happy times,(the birth of my second daughter). I have felt his love as I held my baby in my arms knowing she came straight from my Heavenly Father. I felt his comfort as I stood next to her incubater watching her stuggle to breathe and trying to gain strength of her own. I have felt the love of true friendship as my best friend and her family housed me, fed me, drove me, and comforted me through this hard time. I have tried to be a better mother to my two beautiful daughters as I came to realize that the time here on this earth is precious and I need to spend as much of my time teaching, playing, laughing, and comforting these precious angels. Motherhood is the best, most gratifying calling I will ever do and I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the life that I have and allowing me to be a Mother.
Just for my sake only, I will tell about the major experiences I have had this year, feel free to skip on down to the pictures.
Moving to Burley was not the easiest thing for me. Not because I didnt want to be close to my family, but because I dont like change very much. I was having to leave my best friend, knowing I wasnt going to see her as much. I knew that Jacob's work hours were going to change, becoming longer and being away more often. What I didnt know was how my life was going to change. At the time we moved I was about 4 months pregnant, so we all know how emotional pregnant women are, at least I was. So I held bitter feelings toward my husband for making me go through these major changes. My Mom had had some health problems earleir last year following a so-called minor procedure. She came out of that surgery a different person. Shaking, stuttering, and slower than usual. Doctors didnt know what was wrong so she lived with these things for quite some time. In September, she finally got some answers. A brain tumor. Luckily it wasnt cancerous but still it was major. On September 20, my Dad's birthday, my mom had brain surgery. The day before her surgery, I felt in my heart that I needed to be there with my Dad so I drove to Salt Lake that morning. My Dad has always been a very strong person, not ever really showing fear. That day, I experienced fear in my Dad that I had never seen before. We waited anxiously in the waiting room for 6 hours while my Mom was in surgery, praying that everything goes well. The Dr finally came out and told us that the surgery was a success. We were so relieved, but not ready for the long road we were about to face. I spent many days driving to Raft River to help take care of my Mom. I wont say that it wasnt hard on me emotionaly or physically, but through this experience I learned that I am capable of things I didnt know I was. My Mom is still trying to recover. She has had some good days but she is still fighting horrid headaches and other things that still keep her from driving or being able to spend the time with her family that she would like.
Jacob and I decided to move to Burley to take over his Dads Wrecking yard. This was something Jacob has always wanted to do so with the help of our Heavenly Father, we moved our little family here. Since he started working there he has made some great improvements. Business is doing so well and Jake has worked so hard. His hours are longer and he works saturdays which is hard, but I have tried so hard to support him with a positive attitude (its been hard) knowing that the work he does is for his family. I am so blessed to be married to such a hard-working man who cares so much for me and our girls. Which brings me to my next experience.
On February 8, 2013, our beautiful baby, Abby Lynn, joined our family. I went in for my c-section just positive that thing were going to work out better than last time (with Quinn and our scares with her). First of all I was going to be awake through the surgery, as I wasnt with Quinn. Other than being able to hear our baby's first cry (which is a feeling i cant even explain) the surgery was NOT fun. I hated knowing exactly what they were doing. Jacob almost passed out at the sight of blood(which made the dr. and nurses laugh. He was able to go be with the baby while I recovered. But sitting in the recovery room for 1/2 not being able to see my baby seemed like eternity. I didnt know that I would be waiting a lot longer than that. When I got back to my room they told me that she was having a hard time breathing on her own so she was hooked up to oxygen and couldnt leave the nursery. I on the other hand couldnt get out of bed so until I could get up and walk I wasnt able to see her. I finally got to hold her for the first time 9 hours after she was born. That night I got up and walked to the nursery every 3 hours to see her. The next morning at 6am, the nurse told me that she wasnt getting any better, she still had fluid on her lungs and so the ambulance and the NICU team from Pocatello was on their way to get her. My heart sank. I didnt really know what was going on but I knew it wasnt good. As they took her away, Jake and I sat there in tears and in fear of not knowing what was wrong. The feeling of carrying a baby for 9 months and then having her taken away is a feeling unlike any other. I was destraut and anxious to get to her. My dr. was kind enough to release me a day early so I could go be with my baby. She was in the NICU at Pocatello for 8 days. Those were the longest days of my life as I had to sit next to her incubator and just look at her. Hooked up to so many tubes and cords, looking so helpless. I had many thoughts and prayers that were felt from family and friends and of course the comfort of my Heavenly Father. I felt so alone, and so surrounded by love all at the same time. My parents took care of Quinnlee for the whole time I was away and I missed her more than anything. I am so grateful for my parents for all thier love and support at this time and even though Quinn didnt really understand what was going on, she was such a good girl. Eight days after Abby was born we were finally able to take our little family home and start our lives together.
The first few weeks were a little rough as I tried to get used to a new babies schedule and of course the lack of sleep. I am still lacking sleep but my body is used to it now. I love my girls more than anything and I am so grateful to be their Mom.
Life throws us curveballs, but it is how we choose to handle them that can make or break who we are. This year has not been easy, but I know through my Heavenly Fathers love that he will not give me a trial that I cant handle.
Now here are some pictures of the greatest blessings of my life... my girls!!

Abby Lynn Brown

February 8, 2013

7:36am

7lbs. 11oz. 19 3/4 in.

 

 

 Quinn made this for me on Valentines Day, as we were still in the hospital, I got it via phone.

 

 On the 7th day in the NICU, she finally was transfered to a regualr crib.

 We finally get to go HOME!!

 This was Quinns first time meeting her baby sister....

....and it was love at first sight.

 Abby's first bath.

 When Abby was 1 month old, we took her to Island Park to have a fun weekend with some of our Pocatello friends.

 We took her on a short snowmobile ride up to Mesa Falls. You cant see her but she is snuggled up inside my coat.

This was Quinns first haircut EVER, and she was 2 1/2 years old. She hated it!

 Easter with the Webb's. Quinn LOVED the bubbles.

 March 31, Easter Sundey, we blessed our sweet angel baby. She looked so beautiful!

 

 As you can see, Abby has grown a ton in just 2 months. She now weighs 15lbs 14oz. but is still only 20 in long. Quinn loves her baby sister more than anything and is very protective of her. She wants to be able to play with her but for now, holding her is good enough. I haven't talked much about Jacob but he is not forgotten. He has been so supportive of me this last year and has done his best to comfort me. He is the greatest Dad to our girls and he loves them more than anything. Even though he is not home very often, I know that the hard work he is doing is so that he can give us the best life we can have. I love him more than anything and I am blessed to be married to him for eternity.

Catching Up

Once again I have not kept up on my blog. Now the summer is almost over I decided I needed to catch up on what we've been doing this summer. Mostly, Quinn and I spent a lot of time at home, playing outside in the water. We did manage to keep ourselves busy, which is probably why the summer went by so fast.

 

Jake and I took Quinn to the Burley Fair and Rodeo. She sat through the whole rodeo and loved every minute of it. She's our little cowgirl!

This summer we were able to take a few days and go to Utah with our good friends. We took the kids to the Hogle Zoo and Quinn soaked up every animal she saw, then would say "another one Mommy". It was so fun to get away. We also went to Lagoon and spent the day, without the kids and it was a blast!

Quinn and Grant have been able to play together more now that they live a little closer to us.

Quinn and I went to Jakes big family reunion in Southern Utah in June. We drove with Jake's sister and her kids and we had a lot of fun. We met more of our family in Provo, did some fun stuff there, then drove the rest of the way to Bryce Canyon the next day. The kids did awesome in the car which made the trip so worth it. At the reunion, Quinn got a little too close to the glider swing and got hit right under her eye. We took her to the ER but luckely she didnt need stitches. She just got a nice little shiner. Other than that little insident, it was fun spending time with Jakes family.

I have the camera flipped the oppisite way so she was able to look at herself. She wasnt quite sure what that was on her face.

And... the most exciting part of our summer was finding out that we will be having another baby! Quinnlee is going to be a big sister and we are so excited. I'm due February 15 which makes me 14 1/2 weeks to date. The first trimester was tough, I was really sick but i'm feeling much better now. Even though Quinn really doesnt undersand whats going on, she does know there is a baby in mommy's belly and she loves to kiss and talk to my belly. She will be the best big sister!

Other than expecting a baby, the other exciting news is that we will be moving to Burley in a couple weeks to start a new adventure. Jacob is going to take over his Dad's wrecking yard and we have decided that is the best thing for our family at this time. Even though its scary, we are excited to start a new chapter in our lives. We have been so blessed so have found someone to buy his business here so we wont have to worry about that and he can just focus on the wrecking yard. I am so grateful to his family who has been so supportive and it will be so fun for Quinn to be closer to most of her cousins. We are so sad to be leaving our friends we have made here in Pocatello but we are so excited to be close to both our families. This is what we have wanted for a long time. Quinnlee will be turning 2 on Sunday which makes me so sad. Time has gone by too fast and she has grown into a beautiful, smart little girl. I am grateful everyday for her, she always is making me laugh. I am so blessed to have such a hard working husband who is willing to do anything for his family. I know this summer has been so stressful for him but he has stayed strong and with the help of our Heavenly Father, we know the decisions we have made are the right ones, no matter what happens. So, there it is... our life in a nutshell.

Lately

Hello blogging world! Yes, it has been since before Christmas since I last posted to my blog. I am officially a terrible blogger. Since it's been so long, I will briefly catch us up from, what has it been, NOVEMBER. Christmas was fun, Quinnlee enjoyed every single gift she got. It was a blast being with our families and enjoying our time together.

Work is going great, i'm loving the experience and the people I work with. However, these past couple months have been hard being away from Quinnlee so much, so I am looking forward to summer when Quinnlee and I can spend our time together out in the sun haveing fun with our friends. I have made the decision that I will not return to work next year. I gave the working-mom world a whirl, and it's just not for me at this time. I don't regret my decision to go back to work because I have learned so much and I have meet such wonderful friends, but I am missing out on so many things not being home with Quinnlee.

Quinnlee is still growing up way too fast and it makes me so sad. Since she is really the only thing I have to blog about.. here is what she's been up too lately.

She is so good at communicating her wants and needs with her words and her signs

Throws tantrums and gets frustrated quite easily

Watches Sesame Street EVERYDAY (Elmo is her favorite)

Loves her "banky" and her babies and wont go anywhere without them

Loves her daddy and goes CRAZY when he gets home at night

Loves to eat (finally)

Waits patiently by the door every morning to go play with her friends

Loves to dress up in her tutu and jewlery

Has enough hair to fit into a small pig-tail on the top of her hair

Bath-time is still her favorite time of the day

Loves to sing and dance with mom and dad (she's quite the musical little thing)

Reading books is her second favorite thing to do (after taking a bath)

Loves to go bye-bye because she gets to watch a movie in the car

Goes to nursery and LOVES it

and the list could go one and on...

Here are some pictures

Left a little present for Grandma and Papa Webb in their kitchen
Helps me get ready This is what happens when church is right during nap time

Jacob bought me a sewing maching for christmas and here are two of my first blankets I learned how to make.

So last but not least, Valentines Day was great this year. Jacob bought me the most beautiful flowers and delivered them to my school where I work. It had the most precious note attached to it that made me cry when I read it. This is the second time in our 5 years of being married that he has bought me flowers. This just goes to show that our husband do learn eventually. He is scoring big points this year because not only did he get me flowers, he also got me a spa day which I enjoyed with two of my good friends. We got a manicure, pedicure and a full body massage. This year is starting off pretty good!! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is a great father to our precious daughter. My life is truly amazing and I couldn't ask for anything more!!

Christmas time is a special time

It has been quite a while since I last visited my blog. We have just been keeping busy with christmas parties, family, work, and Quinnlee. Work has been going great, I enjoy my time there and the people I associate with everyday.

Quinnlee has had a pretty sad month, she got all four eye teeth in at the same time but it seemed to last forever. After they finally popped through, and we thought things were about to get better, we were wrong. She got a nasty cold that has been lasting forever. I am looking forward to having some time off to spend with her and being home with her so she can recover from the month she's had from you-know-where!

I love the Christmas season so much. With all the decorations, the Christmas music, and everything else that makes this season special.

I don't have very many pictures to share, but we have had a busy couple weeks. We had the big Webb family Christmas party which is always the highlight of the year. Every single person was able to be there and we even got our picture taken as a family. So fun! Then we had our small Mark Webb Christmas party which was so fun to be together as a family. I love watching the kids light up as they open thier gifts, especially the two little ones, Quinnlee and Grant. They are at such a fun age where unwrapping the presents can keep them entertained for hours. There is nothing better than getting together with the ones you love and enjoying eachothers' company.

Here is our beautiful Christmas Tree. I am quite proud of this one if I dare say, it's held up great with a 16 mo. old living in the same house.

Two of Santa's helpers escaped from the North Pole and somehow showed up at my house. (If you look carefully, you can see Quinnlee's head in the back)

Quinnlee has turned into quite the character. She never stops talking and most of the time I can understand what she is saying. She loves to sing and can bust out a dance move from anywhere. She watches my every move, then does it herself. She loves to help me with my chores and she's actually a good little helper.

She was a little thirsty I guess.

She wanted to help make dinner, but most of it ended up everywhere else besides the pan. Who cares? She was happy!

Thats it, she's pretty much my whole life and I love every second of her! I am such a proud Mom and I feel so blessed to have her as my daughter. Christmas will be so fun this year and I know she'll love it, as will I! Sorry to say "I" so much, I do have a husband, and he is AMAZING! Love the guy to death and he loves his girls too. It's 9pm and he is still at work! A am so grateful that I married such a hard worker.

Merry Christmas everybody, or as Quinnlee would say "HO HO HO!" I will do more updates after Christmas!

Time fly's when your having fun...she's 1!!!

HEY... so I'm still not very good at this blogging thing, and I cant figure out how to copy and paste so all my writing is at the end of my post. So enjoy the pictures and if you feel so inclined to read about our exciting lives, feel free!

I'm pretty sure I have the best Dad in the whole world. He took Quinnlee and I to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. We actually went to get my Mom from the airport and Dad decided he would take the day and spend it with Quinn and I. It was such a fun day watching the two of them together having so much fun looking at all the animals. Quinnlee loves her Grandpa Mark!

"I can't believe my Mom is making me sit on this huge elephant, how embarassing"
Train Ride

Two peas in a pod

Her first ride on a carasail, she lookes thrilled doesn't she?

Looking at the monkeys, but making sure Grandpa doesn't go very far.Who needs a swimming pool? Just give her a hose with a little running water and she'll play for hours.... literally. Helping Grandpa load the dishwasher
Happy Birthday Quinnlee! This is her new toy and baby."Look Mom, Grandpa let me drive his truck!" Bath-time is so much fun.. especially with my friends! Who knew that the only way to get her to eat was to let her do it herself?

Even though she doesn't get much in her mouth, she's still happy! Anyone need a ride?
Enjoying her first ever ice-cream cone. YUM! Hello friends, I decided it was about time I updated my blog. So much has happened since my last post so it may be an overload of information so take it or leave it... First and foremost, Quinnlee turned 1 on August 26th. I cant' believe my baby is already 1 but this year has flown by. We had a fun little party here in Pocatello with some friends and family and Quinnlee loved her new toys she got for her birthday. She wouldn't eat any of her birthday cake so that was a bummer but it was still really fun.

Eric came home from Michigan where he spent the summer working and came home a whole new person. During the three months he was gone he lost over 60 lbs. WOW! He looks amazing and he seems so happy and confident it makes me so happy to see him that way. I am so proud of him and also my parents who have worked so hard to be happy and healthy. All three of them have been an inspiration to me. No I haven't lost 60 lbs, but I have lost 12 since a few months ago and I feel pretty good.

Towards the end of the month in August, I was in Lava with some friends and I happened to run into a friend of mine who graduated from the same program I did in collage. She had just been offered the job of the new Teacher of the Deaf in Pocatello and she told me how she is looking for a couple new interpreters. This was only 1 and a half weeks before school was supposed to start so I told her I maybe would be interested in a part time job but that I really just wanted to be a stay at home Mom. But for some reason I just kept asking her questions and the more I thought about it I got more and more excited and interested. Jacob and I talked about it and after a few back and forths, some prayers and a trip to the temple, I decided to take the job. WHAT? That's what I was thinking, but I really need to pass my certification test and interpreting in a school is really the only way I would gain the experience to pass the test. I have a wonderful neighbor/friend who told me she would watch Quinnlee for us everyday. It seemed that everything was falling into place so I really felt this was the right thing to do for our family at this time. I have been working now for a month and I really am enjoying it. I am learning so much. Not to mention, Quinnlee LOVES going to her friends' house everyday, she doesn't look back. Sometimes she doesn't even want to come home with me when I come to get her. It is such a blessing to us that I don't have to worry about her at all during the day because I know she is being taken care of. I still have a hard time leaving her some days and I feel so guilty, but it's getting better and we are all adjusting.

Our family has been blessed with so many babies in the last couple months, and there are more to come in the near future! (No, not me... not yet anyway :) ). It has been so fun so see our family getting so big and I know my Grandma Webb is in heaven loving on all her great-grandchildren. Life just doesn't get any better than this.

Quinnlee started walking shortly after her birthday (a week to be exact). She is loving this new adventure and she never stops. She is so fun and does the funniest things sometimes. She is talking so well, most of it is just jibberish but every once in a while she will throw in a word or two that is actually a real word. She still loves her Daddy more than anything, but since I have been working she gets excited to see me too. That makes me feel really good. She is almost winned from her bottle and she is eating so well.

Weekend family fun

This is just a random funny picture I needed to share. When we got home from church on Sunday Jake and I ran downstairs to change our clothes real fast and left Quinnlee upstairs. We heard her start crying so Jacob ran upstairs and this is how he found her. She had fallen into the clothes hamper and was not too happy about it.

This past weekend was so fun. First of all I was able to go to Education Week at BYU-I in Rexburg with Jacob's Mom and a few of his sisters. Thursday and Friday we went to classes all day and they were so wonderful. It was just what I needed to hear. We stayed at Jacob's sister April's house and had such a fun time. Then Jacob and Quinnlee came up on Friday night and we had a BBQ and another sleep-over. Then on Saturday we went to Rigby lake and Quinnlee had a blast, as you will be able to see below. After the lake, Jacob and I went with April and her husband and one of Jake's brothers and his wife to the horse races in Idaho Falls. They were so fun, it was the first time Jake and I had ever been. It was so fun to spend time with Jacob's family, I love them so much! It was so good to spend time with Jacob also, especially since he's been so busy lately, it was good to get away and enjoy ourselves. It was a perfect weekend and I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family!

Quinnlee thought it was pretty funny to get buried in the sand.

Yummy! Sand tastes so good!

Normally, Quinnlee LOVES playing in the water but all she wanted to do was play(eat) in the sand.

So tired after a long day at the Lake.