Playing catch up!

 

These sessions are now posted

HERE

 

 

Shay's 1st Birthday

Little Miss Shay is ONE

WOW

 

Her first year went the fastest for me. I seriously can't believe she's one! I feel like it was just yesterday I was bring her home.

 

Planning her first birthday was weird. I truly could not grasp we were about it cross the no more baby zone. She very well may be our last and putting a year under her belt was a crazy feeling. However one thing I've LOVED as a mom is to watch my kids grow, explore, progress and learn and that comes with time, age and getting older so I've usually welcome the milestones... and this one I did too, just with a bigger lump in my throat:)

 

She loves milk and has no problem with transitioning away from the bottle to a sippy cup. I have yet to find anything she won't eat. Wait... I lied, she's shoot pea's right back out at you with a look of disgust! haha! She's not walking yet, but she crawls a million miles a minute. She's getting more hair everyday, not enough for a ponytail but we're getting there. She loves to attack her brothers if they laying on the ground. If I'm sitting she has to be right on top of me. She thinks she is so cool when she's made it over to Mason's Lego table and she starts smashing his creations as fast as she can while Mason screams for me to stop her. She thinks it's funny. haha. Poor Mason has already met his match! She prefers cars over dolls. oh dear! And dinosaurs over a rattle! She loves to help me with laundry and will literally craw through, over and under any pile I'm working on! She's sweet, tendered heart and feisty all in one. She's perfect!

 

Shay is beautiful inside and out. She is my first to prefer a parent... both of our boys were happy with either Seth or I.. or heck the neighbor but Shay she's a mama's girl! I secretly love it... okay it's not so secret that I love it. haha! I love when I walk into a room her tiny little face lights up and her chubby hands instantly and impatiently reach out for me. I love that she crawls to wherever I am if she can hear my voice. I love that when I tell her no, even nicely, her bottom lip pokes and quivers so dramatically.. diva, I tell you! I love that she has an attitude at one years old (even before that) to match her brothers. She doesn't let anyone get away with anything and if she wants something WATCH OUT! I love that she loves her dad. She loves to feel his whiskers when he comes home from work... I love that she adores, completely and utterly adores her brothers.

I simply love... her.  

 

She has changed me world in yet another way, just as each of my kids have. She has made my days brighter and my heart bigger! I truly don't know how I got so lucky to be her mom! I have a daughter. that almost frightens me. Only cause I know what my mama means to me so well I better do half as good of job as my own mom... shay's namesake:)

 

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We celebrated her birthday the Sunday after her birthday with a family dinner and then we had the Stephen and Debbie, along with Annie and Paul (her fiancé) join us for cupcakes afterwards. It was a neat day. She was spoiled and actually was the first one year old I've seen to literally love every present and actually care about it. She would hold everything and say "oohhh" it was so cute! She got a little nervous if there was wrapping paper instead of a bag.. She freaks out when the paper crinkles. I don't think she likes the sound (she's the same way at the doctors office when you put her up on the table with that paper, FREAKS OUT) but in all she loved it and didn't get sidetracked at all!

 

She totally didn't go for her cupcake like her brothers did. She took her time to figure out what it was and even then didn't dive right in. She was teething so I think that may have curbed her response too. It was such a fun day though. I love being with my family and was so touched they came to celebrate with Miss Shay! She is one very loved little girl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chasey's Grave

My other dad in the sky

On our way home from Easter Weekend at my moms in Toquerville, we stopped in Ferron for a night to visit the Benson's and attend Aunt Chanie's baby shower.

 

While there we decided to take Mason to visit Chase's (Mason's birth father) grave. We've taken him twice before but he was too young to really understand where we were. Now that he's almost 5 (whoa) and has started to ask a lot of questions and knows all about Chase, we decided now would be a good time. He knows Chase was in an accident, he knows he wasn't wearing a helmet and that he's now in the sky with Jesus. He always asks "Did it hurt him?" "Him bump his head?" In which we do our best to answer his questions and explain how important it is to wear a helmet and that sometimes people are just needed on the other side. In telling him his 'story' as we do with all of our children we reassure him how loved he is and how the lords plan was for Mason to find his family here on earth.  He is very sweet about it and has always been open and in tune to all that is around him. His story is unique and he senses that.

 

On our way to the grave site, we told Mason how most bodies are buried in the ground so families have a place to visit and their spirits go to heaven. When we arrived Mason got out and helped Seth put some flowers in the vases. As I was fiddling with my camera I see mason out of the corner of my eye reaching out to tough Chase's picture, then I hear him say "Hi Chase, I'm here, it's me Mason!" My heart melted.  Seth quietly responded with "he knows who you are buddy"

 

Mason then proceeded to talk to Chase and bring rocks and sticks up to his picture so chase could see:) Seth and I stepped back and just let Mase do his thing. We were a little taken back to see Mason start to get emotional, he hugged Chases head stone and got really quite. We bent down and told him Chase loved him and watched over him. He asked us where chases body was and Seth sat down and patted the ground over where his body was buried. Mason then laid down and hugged the ground. He then popped up and started to dig and said "lets go see him" we started to laugh and told him we'd see him again someday but that we had much, much more to do on earth before that reunion came. We talked a little and told him how much we loved him and having someone in heaven to watch over him is pretty special. He gave us a big smile and hugged his dad. I think I even saw Seth get teary when that hug came:)

 

It was a very special moment.

One we didn't quite expect...

then again Mason always had a heart that understood far more than we could imagine.

 

We are grateful for Chase and the role he played in bringing our son to us

We're so sad that we don't get to meet him here on earth

but because of what we know to be true we know we will indeed meet him someday!

 

Birth families play a special role in our lives.

We are so grateful we have the ones we do.

Because of our relationship with the sweet Bensons, Mason will get the opportunity to know Chase through them

 

I'm also very grateful for Temples and that because of them Mason has a mom and a dad here on earth and in Heaven and we are one in the same.

 

He (as well as Aiden and Shay) gets a front row seat on how angels can play apart in our lives and are witnesses to how heavenly father's divine plan plays out.

 

Our family is pieces that make a complete puzzle and not one of us is from the other but we simply fit seamlessly and perfectly as one.

 

Chase is one of those people I'd like to thank for making that happen.

I look forward to doing that someday... just after Mason tells him all about everything, as I'm sure he'll want too when that day comes:)

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Weekend

Toquerville Easter Weekend

 

We've started a little tradition to do Easter down at my moms (lets face it I use any excuse to go 'home':) last year we weren't able to go because Miss Shay was only a few days old! However we were able to go this year and my sister Chelly and her family was too. It was such awesome weather! We had so much fun all week! It was neat to celebrate Christ's Resurrection as a family and see our children gain a little bit more understanding than the year before!

 

Saturday we were able to meet up with a ton of our extended family at the orchard and have a huge egg hunt! Mason TOTALLY got it this year. He literally ran around scream "MORE EGGS YEAH!" it was hilarious... Then there's Aiden, he'd walk right past them and ask his dad "where are some?" They made us laugh the whole time! Shay could have cared less, she sit and chilled among the family as mason snuck her candy (that seems to be his thing:).  It was such a fun day!

 

Then Easter Morning the kids woke up so excited to find their baskets that the Easter Bunny had left, so to find he'd left some eggs behind too! The hunt the morning was a little chilly and Mason and Aiden quickly realized how cold the wet grass was with no shoes and came running back:)

 

The got them dressed for church it the Easter clothes and as always my dreams for all these lovely pictures... faded. It all started and ended with Aiden's sweet, sweet attitude:) UGH! I eventually gave up and realized I may never get the results I do for my clients with my own children. OH WELL!

 

Church was awesome, being with my sister, mom, aunts, grandma and cousins is always such a great time. I truly come from some of the best 'stock' :) there is! I love, love, love my family I come from and now the one I have of my own!

 

It was a perfect weekend!

 

Happy Easter! 

 

(shay had a minor tumble of the porch step and scuffed her nose... those are not boogers:)