Family Newsletter 2013

I figured I should probably get this post written BEFORE I send out my Christmas cards since they direct the recipients to my blog for our family newsletter!

Our family has had quite the roller coaster of events this year and they all seemed to happen during the month of April! But we survived and we're only stronger because of it!

A little on Nick:

This year Nick graduated from Utah State University in the Spring with a Bachelors in History and a minor in Biology. He was a trooper with all that went on during those last few weeks of my pregnancy with Shelby. Being his final semester, he had a 20 page research paper for one class and a 15 page paper for another that came due during the time that I was put in the hospital on bed rest. Between taking care of me, taking care of Shasta, and working 40+ hours a week, it's amazing that he not only passed his classes, but achieved good grades in them! Color me impressed! I have no idea how he did it. (Although maybe that explains those new gray hairs...!)

Nick received a promotion at work which has been a huge blessing and he's enjoyed his job a lot more since. But hopefully he'll be able to find a career using his degree and won't work swing shift forever! It's a blessing and a curse because although it allows me to be a student, it's in no way fun not having him home in the evenings during the hardest part of the day.

A little on Sara:

This year has been anything but easy for me. I started out the year being 19 weeks pregnant and it's no secret that pregnancy is down right miserable for me. I endured one of the hardest semesters of my life (at the time) because I was student teaching 5 days a week and puking my guts out! Then with a little over a month of school left to go, I found myself on bed rest and in and out of the hospital and had to stop going to class. Then Shelby was born 8 weeks early by an emergency c-section and I returned to school 7 days later and played catch up with what I missed! (I would have gone back sooner, but I wasn't released from the hospital until Thursday and didn't have class again until the following Monday.)

I'm not gonna lie. My summer was miserably hard. I had the hardest time adjusting to two kids. I was SO sleep deprived and I stand by the phrase, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"! I wish I could do those first few months with a new baby without all the crazy hormones! Those things are beastly! Then summer came to an end and the hardest semester of my college career began. I never dreamed adding a second child to the mix would make being a student so much harder. I've really struggled with finding balance between being a mom and a student and finding time for homework has been pretty much nonexistent. But I've survived this crazy year and I'm still feeling like it's a dream that another semester is in the books and I'm that much closer to graduating. Although my degree is useless in Utah without going to Grad School... but I don't want to think about that right now!

A little on Shasta:

She started the year at the ripe age of 20 months! She was so fortunate to have a mom start potty training her a week before ending up on bed rest, but even with all the craziness that went on during that time she still trained like a champ. She became a big sister, celebrated her 2nd birthday and two days later her sweet baby sister came home from the hospital!

Shasta LOVES to sing. She's pretty much a walking music box. She's always making up her own songs to tunes she already knows. And when she thinks I'm sad or in a bad mood she will put her arms around me and start singing one of her many songs. The one she sings most often in those situations is, "I like you, I like you, I like you, just the way you are" which she learned from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Can she be any sweeter?! She also loves changing her clothes at least 5 times a day, getting her hair done, wearing makeup, brushing her teeth, and doing pretty much anything she sees me doing. Our new favorite chore to do together is the dishes. She's an awesome dish washer!

The best thing about Shasta is she is so loving. She tries to comfort Shelby every time she cries by saying, "I know Sister, I know. It's okay. Mommy's coming". And if I tell her she needs to be careful so she doesn't fall on Shelby, she'll immediately drop to the floor to hug her and say, "Oh, I'm sorry sister, I'm sorry". She's been the best big sister and I definitely look forward to the years to come because I get to watch her and Shelby become the best of friends!

A little on Shelby:

Shelby started this year on April 8th when she was born 8 weeks early at the tiny doll size of 3lbs 11oz. She spent 20 days in the NCU and finally got to come home two days after Shasta's birthday and a week before Nick's graduation. She had to be on oxygen for a month after she came home and the day that oxygen tank left our home was a day worth celebrating (on mine and Nick's 7th wedding anniversary no less)!

Shelby has been the sweetest baby. She has such a mild temperament and loves watching her big sister be silly. She's also really fascinated with Wedge and tries to touch him any time he comes near her. She's really smiley at home, but when we're around other people she goes into awkward stare mode. She bottles up her laugh and doesn't let a lot of sound out, but it's so precious and I can't get enough. And she's recently developed a new, soft cry that says she's sad and her feelings are hurt because everyone walked into a different room and left her all alone.

She's eight months old and is now somewhere between 4 and 5 times her birth weight. She didn't get a fair start to life, but she proves to me everyday that she's a trooper and there's a reason Heavenly Father needed her here sooner.

A little on Wedge:

Wedge started the year dodging one terror, more commonly known as his little sister, only to finish the year by giving into two terrors. When it was just Shasta he wouldn't dream of trying to sit in mine or Nick's lap if she was around. He would find a comfy spot on the floor and wait until the lap stealer moved before he made his way back to his rightful place in one of our laps. He would occasionally choose to play with her, but he mostly kept his distance. Then Shelby came home and he realized these little terrors were not only NOT temporary visitors, but they were multiplying and if he wanted to reclaim his designated seat then he'd better suck it up and cozy up next to the girls.

Wedge celebrated his 4th birthday, became a big brother for the second time, and has matured quite a bit over the last year. He's gone from a boy to a man (a puppy to a dog?)! He still gets excited when visitors come over and he never tires of playing fetch or going on walks. Maybe it's because he's given into the girls or the fact that he's become more independent, but there's no doubt this last year has made him more mature. But one thing's for sure. Our family definitely wouldn't be complete without him!

(Sorry it's blurry. I took a picture of a picture because using a scanner is so 20th century and I'm way too lazy for that!)

We've had a crazy hard year to say the least, but we've made it out alive and I for one am thankful we don't have to do it again! Here's to another year in the books and (hopefully) a much less stressful year to come.