Chapter 4: fireworks

So, it turns out I was wrong... there's a first time for everything people.
Trevor wasn't a player.

After the second date there was a third and a fourth date and at the end of each date we were trying to come up with reasons to see each other again. I couldn't figure out why such a great guy liked me so much, so quickly, but he did... and I liked him... a lot.

I had one problem though. I was going to marry "my missionary" remember?
Well, believe it or not this was still my plan even though I really liked Trevor. I had cared about this missionary guy for a really long time and all signs pointed to us getting married. Now I just had to break it to Trevor. This is where the story gets uncomfortable.

We had just gone on our fourth date (fireworks at Weber state) and it was another amazing night. On the way home we were talking and Trevor started telling me how much he cared about me then he said, "oh yeah, but isn't your missionary coming home next month?" I froze, how did he know? He started laughing and I realized he was just kidding. He didn't know... but when he saw my expression he stopped laughing and I said, "actually he will be home in 2 months."
Silence in the car... very awkward silence.
He finally said, "So you are telling me that you are waiting for a missionary?"
"ummmm" I knew I had to be honest so I explained as best I could the situation... I had a long history with this guy and had been writing him throughout his mission. He would be home very soon...
I felt sick inside. I knew that Trevor was hurt.
We talked about it the whole way home...
The conversation was heavy...
It was a long drive home.
When it was time to say good-bye Trevor hugged me tight for a long time and then out of no where he kissed me. Not a normal "first kiss" kind of kiss, more like a "I'm staking my claim" kind of kiss.
Then he hugged me again and whispered, "just give US a chance."
Still stunned by the kiss I managed an "okay".

Chapter 3: wipeout?

Okay, back to the story (even though Trev pretty much gave away the ending- (me shaking my head)).

So, I was bummed since it was confirmed that indeed Trevor was a player. I had a lot of fun with him on our first date. Oh well, I'm sure he has moved on to the next girl so I might as well move on too.

To my surprise the day after our date he called. We talked and he was so funny and genuine (I found out years later that he used to write a list of things to talk about on the phone with me so there wouldn't be any awkward silences... cute).

He asked me to go boating with his family and said, "basically I'm just trying to come up with an excuse to take you out again". He was so honest and it was so endearing... Maybe I was wrong about him.


Okay, meeting his WHOLE family (including grandparents and 2nd cousins-once-removed ;0) in my swimming suit no less was not my idea of a comfortable 2nd date but I was curious about this guy so I agreed.


We walked on the beach and chatted while we waited for the boat to come get us. The boat came and they had us jump on the tubes first. I had never been tubing before and I'm not a great swimmer so I was nervous. His dad was driving the boat and it was full of members of Trevor's family who were all watching me curiously as the boat picked up speed. He was going fast, really fast and then he started turning and swerving and things got crazy.


I was TERRIFIED. I remember my hands were griped so tightly on the handles of the tube that they stung and my heart was beating in hyper speed. I turned and looked at Trevor who was bouncing and smiling and I tried to smile and pretend like this was actually fun... I couldn't have been convincing... I'm a terrible actor. Everyone was still watching and smiling and giggling from the boat and the water was spraying in my face but I was trying not to choke and spit and I was too afraid to let go of one hand to wipe the hair out of my face. I just kept repeating to myself, -don't let go, hold on- and every once in awhile I would turn to Trevor and give him my fake "this is great fun" smile. Then all of the sudden I found myself skidding across the water without my tube drinking gallons of water. I had fallen off and now I was floating in the middle of the lake alone.

Coughing and gasping for air with water coming out of my nose (pretty) I tried to quickly pull myself together before the boat came back . I was so embarrassed because I didn't know that it was normal to fall off the tube (like I said, this was my first time).

Trevor was cute and jumped off his tube to help me.

To this day I hate tubing.


On the way home we played "the question game". It's a game where you ask each other questions... Brilliant! I asked him questions like, "What is your favorite color?". He asked me questions like, "What qualities are you looking for in a husband?" and "Where do you want to go on your honeymoon?" Hello?! (...blush...)

At one point in the night I looked over at him and he looked at me and... I don't know... we just had a "moment".

Then it was time to say goodnight. My journal reads, "I just really had a good time with him. He gave me a nice hug and we just kinda talked and held hands for a few minutes then I went inside with a smile on my face... I had a hard time sleeping that night... sigh."

Happy Birthday little man

Campbell was born on February 13th 2007. The little stinker was breech so I got to experience a c-section.

It's funny, when I worked as a labor and delivery nurse I had many patients who had to have emergency c-sections. I remember being used to it and telling my patients, "it happens all the time, it's going to be just fine." When I found out that Campbell was breech and that they were preparing the OR for a c-section I suddenly understood how my patients must have felt. I felt a whole lot of empathy and I wish I would have been more understanding of their fear. Luckily everything worked out great and he was a healthy baby.

Campbell has always been SOOOO FUN! He started smiling at 2 weeks and I am not kidding about that.... no, it was NOT gas! He would look right into my eyes and just grin at me.

I couldn't believe it!
Campbell was highly allergic to milk products as a baby. If I so much as had a bite of a brownie and then nursed Campbell he would be in terrible pain and even have bloody dirty diapers... poor baby. I was on a very strict diet and we prayed and prayed (for his sake) that he would outgrow the allergy and he did at 14 months. Oh HAPPY DAY!

Campbell delights in making people laugh. He loves to dance and make goofy faces (he also loves to pull hair and throw things but we won't talk about that).

Campbell is a VERY busy boy. He loves to get into everything and is bored with toys quickly. He would much rather play with cords or your camera or cellphone (he likes electronics like his dad).

I can't believe my little man is 2.

I can honestly say that Campbell has made me smile everyday of his life.

It is a gift he has.

Happy Birthday Campbell.

Chapter 1: The Party - Trevor's take

OK, this was the best party I have ever been to. My friend Wade invited me, but unfortunately later I had forgotten about it. Another friend invited me somewhere else and I had said OK. Later, realizing that I had double booked (OK, I didn't go to many parties, but it was July 4th and you take what you can get). Now this is where I am grateful for my conscience. I have always wanted to do what was right. This was no exception. I had messed up and made two commitments, but I had told Wade first that I would go with him. Honestly, that was the dilemma. So, anyway I went with Wade to the party. While were were walking through the condo complex we saw some girls that caught our eye. I was not super excited to be going to the party, but I did wish that they were going - then it would be worth it. It didn't cross my mind that they actually might be on their way to the same one. Anyway, they showed up at the same door. Yes we actually really did play fag tag and eat dinner. It was the best fag tag I have ever played. I hooked arms with a beautiful "Kathryn". I watched her throughout the night. I had this feeling I should talk to her. I am sure it may sound corny to you, but I thought to myself that this was an important thing to do and that God may be guiding me to over come my fear and talk to her. I was nervous and almost chickened out. I psyched myself up to talk to her, I remembered that as a missionary I often was guided to talk to someone, and it wasn't always in my comfort zone. So I got up the courage and walked across the room (I hated that I had to leave for my curfew) and asked Kathryn if she would go out with me. She said, "Me"? I guess she was confused because she had no clue I was interested. She wrote her number on my hand. I was so scared that it would sweat off, as soon as I got into the car with Wade, I wrote it on a receipt that was in my wallet. What a night. I got home, I think it was the next day or two and we were having a family reunion. I asked my cousin Lindsay how long I have to wait to call. She said, "You are just wasting time." Ahhh! I didn't want to waste time. I called. Melissa, Kathryn's sister, answered and said Kathryn was at work. The next thing I knew I got a call from Kathryn from her work. She was very kind and we talked and set up a time for a date. I was so impressed. She called me back, and it was a real number. This girl was so beautiful and kind. The best way to describe her was wonderful and classy. I think I was smitten even before I really got to know her. I talked with Wade and decided to bring out the big guns. We were going to finally do the date we had talked about doing all through high school. Take 4-wheelers into the mountains and have lunch. I know, it probably doesn't sound that exciting, but that was our dream. Funny huh? Well that is what we did. Taking Kathyrn out was the best thing I have ever done. Heavenly father guides us sometimes, I was guided to her. She is my soul mate. Today is Valentines. I am not very good at telling her how great she is. I wish I could express myself better. I love her and am amazed by her. She always helps me when I struggle. When we got married I thought I knew her and she though she knew me. I guess it is hard to really know someone without being married. I belive I was guided to her, I could not have found someone so perfect for me on my own. I love you Kathryn.

Chapter 2: Is this guy for real?

Trevor called me a few days later to let me know we would be four-wheeling that Sat. and when he would pick me up.

My parents weren't thrilled that I had agreed to go out with a complete stranger so my dad was there to "greet" Trevor at the door.

First on my dad's agenda:

- Find out the boys last name.

-Scare the crap out of him.

He asked him his full name and invited Trevor to sit down (that's when I knew we were in trouble) and proceeded to list all of the people we know who were killed riding three/four-wheelers... nice.

Trevor took it well and eventually dad let us go.

It was a double date with his best friend and after picking up some food we headed up to the bountiful "B" to ride the trail.

Trevor was cute and charming and funny... a little too cute and charming and funny. I couldn't help but wonder, "is this guy for real?!". Then we four-wheeled up to a peak just when the sun was starting to set and Trevor stopped and turned and looked at me and said, "This is my favorite part... It is the most beautiful spot on the trail... It's called 'Kathryn's Point'."

It was then I knew... he was a total player.

After a too perfect evening (that ended with his cousin playing the guitar while he sang a song... about me... that he made up as he went... He was hilarious! ) I was convinced this guy was too good to be true but I had to get a second opinion.

A girl in my nursing school attended high school with Trevor so I asked her the next day if she knew anything about him. She said, " I didn't know him well but I do know he had a lot of girls after him and I think he was kind of a player."

Yep, just as I suspected.

Our "Love Story" Chapter 1: The Party

My sweet friend was feeling down after a recent break-up and in an effort to "get back in the game" asked me and a few other girlfriends to go with her to a work friend's party. I remember standing in front of her closet the morning of the party picking something to wear and making the comment "Who knows Jana, maybe you'll meet your future husband tonight." Little did I know...

I wasn't very familiar with the big city (haha) of Salt Lake but we finally found the apartment complex where the party was to be held.
Two guys wandering around the complex immediately caught our eye. They were very cute and one friend thought out loud, "I hope they are going to the same party we are". Me and you both I thought.
We found the apartment and were thrilled when a few minutes later the mysterious guys knocked at the door. My journal reads "they were cute and fun and one of the two wasn't just cute, he was HOT" (gush). So what did I do?... I avoided him.

I should back up. You see, I had a missionary and although I had been dating the whole time "my missionary" was gone he was almost home and I was going to marry him... so there you go.

I was successful at avoiding the "hot guy" for most of the night (except when we played a crazy game of "fag tag" and I was forced to lock arms with him for a few nervous seconds). My friends enjoyed his company while I watched from the other side of the room hoping my friend had found a new love interest.

Then at 11:30pm the "hot guy" (it turns out his name was Trevor) turned to my girlfriends and said good-bye then stood up and walked across the circle (we were playing some kind of party game) to where I was sitting. He crouched down and asked, "Will you go out with me next Saturday?" "Huh?... me?...um, okay." I wrote my number on his hand and then he was gone and I was left dumbfounded... I didn't even know his last name.

2 months today

Davis is the sweetest, most good-natured baby.

He loves to be held and loved but he is also happy sitting and watching his brother and sisters.

Hallie and Megan love to hold and rock Davis in the rocking chair. They adore him.

He isn't the greatest sleeper but that is the only complaint I have about this little angel (he can't be totally perfect right?). We spend a lot of time snuggling at night, just little Davis and me.

He is 2 months old today but it feels like he has been in our family forever and I guess in a way he has.

We love our little Davis Mack.

Now for some more pictures...

Okay, I know I'm his mom but seriously... don't you just want to eat him up?!?

To the Rescue

She flew in.

She saved the day.

She flew out.

Such is the life of a Supermom.

Thanks mom.

a little bit of snow?

It all started so innocently... a nice snow storm and about 4-6inches of fresh powder.

School was cancelled and the kids rushed outside (dressed in endless layers of snow gear) to sled with all the neighbor kids.

There was giggling, sledding, snowball fights, and lots of fun.

Then came the rain... and then came the ice.

It was BEAUTIFUL.

But, it was also treacherous and within a few hours over 600,000 homes and businesses were without power including our home. It was 12 degrees the first night but luckily we have a gas fireplace and some candles and flashlights and we were able to stay warm enough. Some friends loaned us a generator and we were able to plug in our fridge and the fan on the fireplace.

We played games by candlelight and made shadow puppets and told stories in the dark.

It was an adventure.

They said it would take the power company 7-10 days to get the power back on but we were some of the lucky ones and ours finally turned on a few hours ago after 3 long days and 2 cold nights.

We screamed and cheered and I must admit my eyes got a little damp. My kids are warm in bed and I have never been more thankful for: my toaster, and my garbage disposal, and my closet light, and my oven, and my blow dryer, and my washing machine, and my dryer, and my automatic garage door, and my dishwasher, and my computer, and my TV, and ELECTRICITY... it is a wonderful invention.

(I love this man)

On the mend

We are into our 3rd week of RSV now and I think we are finally on the mend... Hallelujah!

Davis took it the hardest since he is so little but his doctors worked hard to try to keep from admitting him to the hospital which would likely lead to more illnesses.

I had a meltdown... so my mom came to the rescue (bless her, bless her, bless her). She has been an angel, helping with laundry, and kids, and dishes, and even insisting I sleep in while she gets the kids up (bless her, bless her, bless her).

Davis is finally sleeping a little better at night and we are almost done with breathing treatments.

Yep, things are looking up at our house, and we are thrilled about that!

Oh, what do you do in the winter time...

I paint my son's toenails.

not on my own

Wow, what a crazy week we have had!
It started when Campbell fell off the kitchen chair and bit all the way through his lip... luckily Trevor was home and came to the rescue.
Things went downhill from there. First Campbell got really sick, then Trevor, and now Davis. The pediatrician wants me to bring Davis in everyday until he starts feeling better which is a pain but better than being admitted to the hospital so I'm thankful for that.

I've been feeling a little (that's an understatement!) overwhelmed as a mother of four little ones especially since the two littlest have been so sick and Trevor is back to working a lot. I feel like I can't keep up with my families daily needs let alone do those other things I should do (like wash the sheets, or do my visiting teaching, or help my friends, or reading to my kids... you get the idea).

I've been praying and asking for His help and I have felt those prayers being answered in lots of little ways. My kids are still sick and Trevor is still gone but I have moments like yesterday when I had only had about 3 hrs of sleep and I felt like the Lord blessed me with the energy I needed so that I was able to still care for my family and even be NICE to them (which never happens when I'm really sleep deprived).
I feel sustained and I'm realizing more and more that I can't raise 4 little ones on my own. I can't be a great mom, wife, friend, etc. without help from the Lord and He doesn't expect me to do anything perfectly.
I feel humbled. I feel grateful.

Hello, mother of four here.

Okay, everybody who told me that "After 3 kids it's all the same" ...lied.

I think we've reached our limit.

After all, "4 is the new 6" right?

p.s. I'll probably feel differently about this tomorrow.

He sMiLeS!

We got this cute outfit for Davis in the mail (no card, was it from you?) and I thought I'd take some pics of Davis in it. I started shooting and Davis started smiling! He hasn't smiled much up to now and I would never had expected him to smile when I was actually taking a picture (because they never do!) but he did!
I guess he likes to be in front of the camera. He'll probably be a famous actor/ male model someday lol... especially with a smile like this:

Campbell has realized that mom is extra busy with "brudder" so he loves to copy Davis. For instance, if I change Davis's diaper then Campbell lays next to him and says "diper" expecting me to change his, or if Davis gets a bath then Campbell wants a bath...etc

This particular morning I was taking pictures of Davis and when I was done I moved Davis over and Campbell plopped down into his spot and pointed to the camera. He wanted his own photo shoot and I was thrilled because he never sits still for a picture (I only wish that I had washed his face and combed his hair that day ;0) He smiled big and I got these pictures:

What a ham!

My little man isn't so little anymore... sniff sniff

Love that new Car-pet smell

Been saving money for awhile now...

It's amazing what something like new carpet can do to lift your spirits on a dark and cold January day... Ahhhh (you can't see me but I am smiling).

Davis

thanks to you

You fed my family.

You called.

You visited.

You brought gifts.

You deserve "thank you" cards and yet...

here they sit in a big pile with your names on them.

I will get them to you I promise but until then this is for you

ThAnK YoU!

I finally said YES

Trevor is spontaneous... I am not.

I used to be, before the kids and the house and the dogs and callings and everything else a responsible adult has to think about.

Trevor is often coming up with "fun" ideas like: "Let's go camping tonight!" or "Let's drive down to Florida this weekend!" or "Let's buy a new car!" My responses generally sound something like this: " No" or " I don't think so" or "No thank you" or " We don't have the money for that" or sometimes I just laugh.

Like I said, I'm the non-spontaneous responsible adult around here.

Well, a few weeks ago Trevor was trying to convince me to go to Florida for the holidays and I was giving him the laundry list of reasons that wouldn't be possible and so he hit me with, "Let's go to Utah then". The craziest thing happened, I paused for a second and then said, "Okay." You should have seen the look on Trevor's face. He was dumbfounded.

Next thing I knew (literally minutes later... I think he was afraid I would change my mind so he was quick) Trevor was cleaning out the truck and loading up our Christmas gifts (including all the gifts that our family paid $ and stood in long lines to send to us from Utah, sorry family) then we were on the road.

The drive there was LONG but the adrenaline was high and we were so excited to surprise everyone.

We arrived at my parents house 30hrs later and just 2 days before Christmas. They were shocked!

We had a great time surprising all our family over the next few days. It was a Christmas I will never forget.

Seeing my sister's new baby Avery was a big draw to Utah. She is a doll and Melissa is a great mom.

Yummy lunch at Melissa and Jeff's new LEGERS deli (on Redwood). Love this pic of Trev enjoying his favorite sandwich "the kitchen sink".


Christmas morning.

Exhausted from all the festivities.

Grandma Law teaching Hallie how to use her new sewing machine.

Eight days later it was time to load up the car again and head back to Kentucky. The drive was never-ending and at one point Trevor turned to me and said, "Next time I come up with an idea like this will you please say NO".

Despite the long drive that we hope we will never have to make again (Trevor is considering living here forever in order to avoid it) it was such a wonderful Christmas and although I will probably say "No way!" to Trevor's next crazy idea, I'm so glad I said "okay" to this crazy idea.