Picture Explosion

 In the past month and a half... Nathan was hired as a full time seminary teacher.  Here he is on one of his last days as a student teacher.

 Nathan graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Public Relations Communications.  He tore his meniscus just a few days before graduation, so he did the whole thing on his crutches.

 Here we are looking hilarious.  I'm about to have the baby and Nate is on crutches.  Both Nathan's and my parents came up to support him in his graduation.  Here we are with my parents.

 

             Nate cruisin' on his crutches after getting his diploma. I had a better picture, but Eden erased it...so here we are with a blurry picture.

 Eden discovered that she LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  She would sit on our couch with her little elbows on the arm of the couch to watch.

 Nathan had his knee surgery to repair both his meniscus and his ACL (which he tore the year before but didn't know).  This is him right after waking up for surgery.  He was pretty hilarious.  As you can see he had absolutely no expression and was serious as can be while telling crazy jokes.

 He INSISTED that I take a picture of him holding his "blood cup".  They had to leave the wound open for a day to let it drain so it didn't swell too big and he thought it was pretty impressive.

 Nate got me this for mother's day.  SO PRETTY.  There is nothing I love more than beautiful flowers outside my house.  Unfortunately, Brigham was born soon after and while we were at the hospital, the flowers died from not being watered.

 This is Eden doing her laps.  He would run down the ramp and then come back up the stairs.  She would do this for about 1/2 hour at a time.  This came in handy as I worked in the office because it would keep her entertained for so long and I could watch her at the same time.  She misses this dearly.

 Brigham Roger Doutre came into the world about a week and a half ahead of schedule.  He came so fast that we didn't have time to get our camera, so this is it for the labor pictures.  **NOTE TO SELF: Don't leave camera in the car thinking Nate can run back out after we check in.  We'll just say that Brigham came the moment the doctor arrived and that's only because they made me wait.  Let's also say that no drugs at all were used because there wasn't time.  They didn't even have me hooked up to an IV or have my hospital wrist band on.  Lickity Split I tell you. Lickity Split.

 Eden and Brigham on the day after we got home from the hospital.  We moved a week later so you can see the boxes leaning up in the hallway behind Nathan.

 My cute little sweet heart the day after Brigs came.  She has been so sweet with him and it has really helped me to handle the changes well. 

 Eden's first time holding the Brigster.  He was a little bit unsure even though she loved to be near him from the get go.

 The morning of the move Eden and I ate cheerios on the floor next to Brigham while Nate was doing all of the work with the moving company.  Isn't this just adorable!?

 While we waited the weekend for our things to be delivered to our new apartment, we were able to stay with my parents.  This was SUCH a blessing as we had a week and a half old baby.  Eden loved it and was so excited to be able to play all day.  At my parent's there is a never ending supply of people who will take her outside.  A little girl's heaven.

 Eden swimming for the first time this summer.  My cousins have a pool so we're able to go every week and we've been having a ball.  It's so nice to be able to get out and play in the sun each week with the adorable thing.  Brigham is the perfect age because he sleeps in his car seat the whole time.  This means that I actually get to swim!  Woot Woot!

 Nathan's sister, Cami, left on her mission to Brazil.  She came to visit us the day before she went into the MTC.  I'm SO glad she was able to meet Brigham before she left.  She is seriously the absolute best.

 Eden found some awesome grease on a car in our parking lot and was COVERED when we came inside after sending Cami off with Dani and Nic.

 Eden LOVES our patio.  Almost everyday I fill up a little bucket with water and toys and let her play to her heart's content while I make dinner or feed Brigham.  She is always overjoyed when someone joins her.  Nathan is able to go into work earlier in the summers and get home earlier which means he gets to be home to play with her in the afternoons.  This has been SO WONDERFUL!

                        Dripping wet and outside.  The two keys to happiness for this little one.

                                     Nate watching Eden while she plays out on the patio.

 Brigs and dad.  This little man really looks like a little man and I'm so in love with him.  He started out scaring me to death with his heart and not eating, but he's changed his ways and is quite the awesome child.

 Eden making my heart melt.  Funny how I thought my heart was full with love for just one child.  Another comes along, and somehow my heart just expanded to fit him in there too.  These two are my absolute joy. 

 No words needed on those pictures, you can see why he melts my heart just from looking.

 My whole family was able to be here for Brigham's blessing.  It's not very often we're all able to be together, so it was SO fun to have everyone here.  Levi had just come home and Blake doesn't leave for another month.  McKay and Katie and Clark had been down for a reunion, so they were able to make it as well. 

 I feel so lucky that my children get to know both sets of greats on my side.  My sweet grandma and Grandpa Peterson are on the left and my sweet Grandma and Grandpa Williams are on the left.  My kids are so lucky for the heritage they have on both sides of our family.  We have so many wonderful examples of faith and goodness to look up to.

                                                          My parents and the Brigster.

 Eden thought that everyone came to see her and she had all eyes turned to her every minute she could. 

My sweet baby boy on his blessing day.  It took so much faith for me to have another baby right now and I thank my Heavenly Father every day that he knows better than I do.  I have truly been blessed to be a mother to these two sweet angels.  They allow me to learn a little bit everyday about Father's love for us and what the Plan of Happiness really means.  What a privilege it is to be able to raise these two and teach them about our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  I am so excited to talk to them about the Holy Ghost and to teach them to follow his promptings, for that is the key to all joy. 

Our life has sure changed a lot in a very short amount of time, and we feel so blessed to be a part of all the changes.  Life is so good to us.  We love our new home here in Utah and feel so grateful to have our job and our family close (Nathan's family is moving here in about a month!!!!!)

Many Updates: No Pictures

• I've been waiting to post until I upload pictures and have realized that if I keep doing that, I will never post.  So you're just going to have to take it like this.  When the baby is born, Nate will upload pictures and I'll finally get them all on.

 Over the last 3 months...

• Nathan tore his ACL and meniscus and had to have knee surgery
• Nathan has been going to physical therapy 2-3 times per week
• Nathan couldn't drive for a few weeks with his knee so Eden and I have been taking him back and forth from work.  (80 minutes in the car everyday with a 17 month old gets a little old).
• I sung "Old McDonald Had a Farm" at least 600 times during those weeks of driving.
• Eden has discovered that I have a baby in my tummy and will kiss my stomach anytime the baby is mentioned.
• I have been going to ultrasounds twice a week to make sure that the heart is doing fine.  So far, so good. (This means that I have been juggling my work schedule, Nathan's work schedule (along with driving him back and forth), getting both of us to our different doctor's appointments-which means that between the two of us, we have one EVERY SINGLE DAY, getting Eden her naps, preparing for a baby, and trying to pack and clean for our move)
• I found out that Eden is TERRIFIED of the doctor's office.  When they take my blood pressure or have me lay down on the table she SCREAMS which is totally unlike her.  She is normally really independent.  Let's just say that going two times a week (and the appointments last at least an hour) has been a little stressful.
• I've had amazing friends step up to help me out by watching Eden twice a week while I go so that she doesn't have to scream for an hour, and now that Nate can drive himself, they also let me use their car sometimes so that I can get to my appointments.
• I've been working in the office.
• We found out that we are hired by seminary and will be moving to the Bountiful area to teach.
• We found an apartment
• Our baby will be induced on May 29th if he doesn't come before (he's getting pretty big and they want to make sure he can handle labor)
• We will be moving two weeks after baby is born.
• I'm starting to get a little stressed about moving with a brand new baby and Eden.  Eden being the main concern.  That girl can unpack a box faster than I can snap my fingers.

So, it will probably be a little while before I post again, I will be having a baby, packing, cleaning, moving, unpacking, settling in, and figuring out how to do life with two kids and without managing.  So bare with me, I'll update you as soon as I can.

Grandma

I am one of a privilaged few who grew up close to my grandparents.  Sundays included going to grandparent's homes for dessert and spur-of-the-moment piano concerts and reading tucked up close to grandma.  I married a man who didn't have this blessing.  His grandparents lived far away or had passed away by the time he was old enough to know who they were.  He is now so grateful to have joined a family where I have two sets of grandparents that helped to raise me.  My grandparents were at my sports games, my piano recitials and choir concerts.  My grandparents were there for me to talk to when I needed some much needed advice.  I learned from their past and hope to spend more time doing so.

Grandpa Peterson took me to the open house of the Bountiful temple.  I was 8 years old and I remember holding his steady hand walking through that temple and knowing that this was a special place because my grandpa knew it.  He took me to Baskin Robins afterword and let me ask him questions and tell me what I thought about the temple.  I will never forget that.  I chose to get married in that same temple-and there was Grandpa (along with all of my other grandparents) back in this temple we had been to so long ago.  Times like these are special to me.

Today is my Grandma Peterson's birthday.  She has been such a pillar for me during my life.  The majority of my memories include making cookies with her in the kitchen, getting together with all of the in-town cousins for an annual Halloween party every year, going to Marie Calendar's during Priesthood session every conference, snuggling in her lap while she read me story after story, and coloring at her welcoming kitchen table with the tin of crayons beside me-I can smell that wonderful aroma of tin mixed with crayola even now-not because I love coloring-but because that smell is a symbol of my grandma's love for me.

Now I'm grown up and I've moved away and I no longer get to see my Grandma very often.  She still is a beacon of hope and courage to me on the hard days of parenting.  Grandma has told me of the many crazy days of her motherhood (at that very same table I colored at), many days with tears running down her cheeks she was laughing so hard.  I try to tell myself that when I'm struggling, "someday I will laugh and laugh about this, Grandma did it, and so can I!"

Grandma's unwavering faith has shaped me into the person I am.  Her life hasn't been without challenges, but she faces them with the knowledge that her Heavenly Father loves her and that everything always works out in the end.  She continues to leave me a beautiful legacy, one that I can lean on for courage and strength, one that I would be proud to tell any person.  My grandma is Carol Peterson, a beautiful, faithful, loving, patient, perfect grandmother.  And I love her.

Happy Birthday Grandma!  I so wish I could've been there to help you celebrate your 75th birthday!  If only for the love of your children and grandchildren, you must be the most loved woman in all the world.

God is Good

Have you ever had one of those days when the love and understanding of a Heavenly Father simply overwhelms you?  I had such a day today.  It's not necessarily when everything goes just your way or just because you received a blessing for which you've been praying; it's more that you just feel in your heart that no matter the outcome of any certain project or goal, there is someone who loves you and is guiding your life.  It's such a beautiful thing, really-an empowering thing.  And today I feel my heart shouting "God is Good!"

And the Gender Is...

 First up in exciting news... We found out that we're having a boy.  We are thrilled to have a few more footballs and trucks around here and we're especially excited to watch Eden take on the big sister role.  She turns into such a little mommy whenever I watch kids that are younger than her. It's bound to just be hilarious!

It's pretty amazing to think that in just 4 short months, our lives will change so dramatically.  New baby-2 under 2; new job-hopefully; new home-okay, okay, apartment; new state-probably; and no homework-YAY!!!





Next up in news is that Nathan's little sister, Cami, just received her mission call.  We love being at school with so many of our siblings and Cami lives in the complex that we manage, so it's fun to see her every day.

She will be leaving June 12, so she'll get to meet our little guy, and is going to the Belem, Brazil mission.  She'll be speaking Portuguese and as you can tell from the picture, she was pretty surprised and SO EXCITED about it.

 Eden LOVES to sing.  Here she is with Nathan listening to some popular song and singing her little heart out.  In church she gets so upset because I don't sing during the prelude and she wants me to sing with her.  If the piano is going, she is singing and thinks everyone else should be too.  The intro to the song is also a burden for this girl:)

 The fridge is her most favorite toy.  If I'm cooking, she runs into the kitchen so that she can play in the fridge before the door closes.  She is known to climb up the shelves and try to sit amongst the butter.  I guess it's a good thing she lives in Rexburg, because the cold doesn't seem to bother her at all.

This is my office.  Eden is such a little copy cat these days and loves to do whatever Nathan or I is doing AT THE EXACT MOMENT THAT WE ARE DOING IT.  I made the mistake of forgetting to close the office door when I came out the other morning and as you can see she took full advantage of the situation.  Her little hands are placed perfectly on the keys and every once in a while, she would move her right hand over to maneuver the mouse.

Anyway, that's a little bit about our life.  Nathan is still going to school and teaching seminary and we are truly loving our last bit of time in Rexburg.  We look forward to the new changes and opportunities that are coming to us, but are so grateful to have a few more months of consistency.  We've had a bit of a scare with Jr. (the one in the tummy) and it has made us so much more aware of the many blessings we have.  Sometimes I forget how precious life is...I hold Eden a little closer each day and find that my patience with her has been increased to overflowing.  I'm grateful for the moments that help us to gain an eternal perspective again and even more grateful for a Savior who truly understands, grieves and loves.  It is through him that we can have the strength to choose faith over fear.

Yes

"Tomorrow" was one of those days.  The kind that leaves me strutting through the house because I've got to be the world's best mother.  In fact, I bet they'll make a movie after me one day!  Luckily for my pride, I know that tomorrow will come and I'll be back in the races again. But for today, I'll strut all I like.

What's Red and Raised and Itchy all over?

Shingles.  I started finding symptoms for shingles around Thanksgiving and I've been on this AWFUL medicine ever since.  The actual shingles wasn't so bad.  I was a itchy and my side was pretty sore to touch, but it wasn't anything I would've gone to the doctor for had my sister Katie not looked at it and told me she was pretty sure it was shingles and that since I was pregnant I should go in right away.

We caught it really early on so it never got to the intense stages.  I'm really lucky that we caught it so early because with my pregnancy it could've been really dangerous for the baby/me.  I'm the girl that doesn't take medicine for anything and NEVER goes to the doctor.  I probably would've been a sea of rashes before I had said anything to my OB/GYN.

Anyway, like I said, the actual shingles wasn't too bad, it was the medicine that threatened my life:).  They warned me when they gave it to me that during pregnancy it can make you really sick and drowsy.  As in, I wasn't allowed to drive the whole time I was on the medicine drowsy.  That was a bummer as it's Christmas time and I really needed to be running errands.

I was much more sick during the 10 days of medication than I was the entire first trimester with baby and I was pretty mad about it too. Wouldn't you know this would all come during Eden's "I'm-really-onery-and-getting-teeth-and-a-cold-and-deciding-to-tear-the-house-apart" and while Nathan has been pulling practically all nighters to get his homework/work done.  Luckily I have some awesome friends who helped me with some of my office work and even took Eden one afternoon so I could take a nap.  THANK YOU!

But, now I'm done with the medicine and I'll be able to handle Eden's temper tantrums and craziness a little better.  (Yes, my 13 month old is throwing temper tantrums!!! AHHH! I'm only imagining what will be coming in another year.  YIKES!)  This child knows what she wants and she lets me know.  Not to worry, I'm a tough cookie and I'm just as stubborn as she is.  I pick my battles, but once I've acted, I hold my ground.  Most of the time.  Sometimes after 45 minutes of her crying that she wants more food while there is perfectly good food that she likes on the high chair tray in front of her (she just wants something else) I give in because I will punch myself in the head if I have to endure this for any longer!  Can you tell it's been one of those days?!  Some nights I put that adorable child in her bed for the night and want to shout "Hallelujah!!!  Some nights I put her in her bed and wish I could keep her up with me because we've had so much fun together and she's been my little sweet heart... maybe tomorrow will be one of those days?????