How Our Second Miracle Came To Be. A Year in Review

2015 Highlights

   First came love, then came marriage, then came the adorable Emmett in the baby carriage! He was so lovable and kissable that his Mom and Dad thought "we want so many more!" But then Emmett did not like to sleep and his Mom walked around like a Zombie and his Dad tried not to zonk out through his med school classes. After 8 months Emmett discovered the land of toys in his dreams and his parents once again knew what it was like to sleep through the night! Life was heaven and Emmett's Mom and Dad quickly forgot the pain of sleepless nights and the throw up soaked outfits. One day She was so nauseous and Dad came home crazy excited with the thought that another baby was on its way. Although the baby turned out to be just a stomach bug they loved the idea and couldn't help but look to the future! After prayer and ten months of travel, school, and new adventures Emmett, Mom, and Dad held beautiful Fynn in their arms!

Lets start at the beginning when our smiley sensitive Fynn was just the size of a seed. 

The last blog entry was May of 2015 when we were heading out on our crazy busy blast of a summer!! Soon after that blog I became pregnant and my energy levels for journal writing disappeared!! Although I was sick and lost 15 pounds in June alone from early pregnancy we still had a great year so let the year in review begin!

Our road trip from California lead us to Rexburg Idaho for the month of June. Jeff had a Medical Internship there working with a family med doctor. He worked with him in his office and the Emergency room! While Jeff was off taking out stitches and taking histories Emmett and I played with some family and friends in the area, while I was not loosing 15 pounds that is! When Jeff had time off we explored beautiful areas near by.

   The Tetons

We had a blast playing with Chelsea and Blake's family, 

Jeff and Blake were companions on the mission.

Yellow Stone

playing at the park with Jeff's Cousin's Wife Kaylee

Got to visit with my roommate Amber from BYU

Cousin Rachel Johnston

Macy and Emmett

then and now (We met in Moscow, and now they live in Idaho Falls)

Drive in Movie Theater 

    After Rexburg we headed back to Coeur d'Alene.  While there we spent 2 days in a SUPER HOT apartment in Moscow packing our apartment. In the heat Jeff and I both found excuses to take a break from working. It was this excuse that ended in an amazing life changing surprise!!!

No, this is not when Fynn was conceived if that is what you are thinking!!! Jeff went over to the neighbors to use their internet for some school work he had. I decided to start packing the bathroom because I was hoping to to turn on cold shower water to cool off the room I was working in. Such a waste of water, I know, but I was desperate!!! As I started cleaning out I came across three pregnancy tests. Two dollar store ones and a fancy expensive one. I didn't think I was pregnant, my mind had connected my nausea and tiredness to the heat of the past month, but wanting to take a break from packing I thought "I will take a pregnancy test just for fun." Out of the box came the dollar store test and after emptying my bladder I sat next to the shower trying to cool off. A few minutes later I remembered the test and peaked over. Expecting one negative line I could barely breath and my heart dropped in my gut, like when speeding down a roller coaster ride. There was not one line but two. There was excitement and the question "WHAT???" in my mind. Yea we were open and excited to the idea of our next baby, but...... Trying not to get my hopes up I convinced my self it was because I left the stick sitting too long with my pee on it. I pulled out the other cheap test and squeezed out as many drops as I could. It too quickly became positive!!!!!! I chugged some water and got out the fancy test and as soon as I felt the ability to pee again I did! When it popped up with the actual words "POSITIVE" I started jumping and squealing!!! I had to tell Jeff!! Although it would be fun to wait and plan a cute surprise there was no way I could keep it in. I ran over to the neighbors and knocked on the door. I am sure it was really odd when I knocked on the door and when invited in, with a big smile asked "can you actually ask Jeff to come out?" .....

Now this is Jeff speaking:

It was odd. It was really odd that Amber was asking me to come out. Surely she could tell me whatever it was with them there. When she insisted my mind began to wonder. Was she bleeding? Did she need stitches? (No, she was smiling. Guess that rules out a family member dying) And then she told me and I was like "Awesome! Wait, is this awesome? I think this is awesome but I need to check fist. . . . . checking. . .  yeah, still awesome, but. . . I don't know what to think." 

By this time were hugging, and I was so shocked. I didn't want to make a big scene because then the neighbors would ask questions, and I would have to come up with some really pathetic lie. That was not going to go well. Instead I went back inside to finish doing whatever dumb thing I had to do for school and kept a straight face and then went back to our apartment. It was so new and so exciting, but now I knew that it was 9 long months away. February is a very long time from June. I remember just randomly getting the butterflies in my stomach and being all excited while we were packing and blurting out with a smile "You're pregnant", and then we would laugh and continue packing. It was going to be awesome to have another kid. 

Immediately Amber wanted to come up with names and think about a girl or a boy and all that went along with that. I just wanted to savor the moment that we were were going to have 2 kids! How awesome would that be?! I mean, Emmett was sleeping through the night, like she said, and was just learning to walk. How much better could this be? I would soon learn that walking is the gateway to many more things, and I should not be too hasty when it comes to thinking life is going to be roses and rainbows from here on out. There is a long way to go from walking to coherent, thoughts and actions. But it turns out I really like this roller coaster. Good thing, because there is a strict no refunds/returns policy on these kids.

Amber again:

 Back in Coeur d'Alene I went to the doctor and sure enough we got to hear our little ones heart beat!

Nana and Emmett

Emmett's Early 1st Birthday
(we wanted to celebrate in CDA before we left for the summer)

Benjamin and Emmett

(cousins/ best friends for life)

Benjamin, Benson, and Christopher

Aunt Janneke 

Our announcement to the Shirt's Family that we were pregnant... We turned over Emmett's bib and the surprise was out!!!

"My last birthday as an only child"

    Grandma Ellen, Janet, Emmett, and I took the train to White Salmon!! Jeff thought we were ridiculous to get up crazy early to catch the train, so he drove the car and met us there :) To tell you the truth I think he LOVED time to himself in the car where he could blast his music and didn't have me telling him to slow down!! 

Playing around White Salmon

     After our visit we flew over to the east coast for 2 weeks of July and 2 weeks of August to be typical tourists and have a family reunion!

Emmett looking adorable for his long flight!

He entertained everyone at our gate during our 3 hour delay!

 The plane was so empty that we were able to put Emmett in the seat next to us in his car seat. It was perfect because he slept the whole time. This was especially wonderful because our 3 hour delay meant that we were not getting in until after midnight! We were so grateful that Jeff's uncle was still willing to come and get us, even with our super late arrival. This was on top of the fact that they had just, literally a few days before we got there, moved to the Baltimore area from Florida. Jeff's uncle Callis had recently taken a job at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. We were so excited to get to see them, since the last time we had seen them was our wedding. They were our tour guides for the first week we were there. We are so grateful for their hospitality and accommodations.

Peddling the swan with Jeff's cousins Eliza, Jackson and Julia

Emmett was helping clean up the mess on the floor. :)

Space and Air Museum

Jeff and the cousins enjoying the SR-71

Emmett really liked the Space Shuttle.. but the workers were not a huge fan of Emmett "exploring" the large piece of machinery 

Washington DC temple

Emmett riding Jeff's Uncle Callis's back                       Callis and Jill and their children

We had an amazing visitor come tour with us for the next couple weeks!! Filomena flew in from Italy all by herself. She is one of the sweetest teens one could ever meet. We loved having her with us! And I have to mention what a huge help she was with Emmett and my tired, nauseous, pregnant self!!

Pluto Palooza

While we were there Callis's work was having Pluto Palooza! What is Plato Palooza you ask? Well the people at APl were part of a team of scientists that built and launched the New Horizons spacecraft that went and took the most detailed pictures and measurements of Pluto. We were there right after it had passed Pluto and there was a big media frenzy about it. Jeff and his cousins loved going to the different stations and learning about all the different things the scientist had to say. I was not engaged, but it was fun to be there. Filomena, one of the cousins that Jeff and I stayed with when we were in Italy also came over. I don't know how much she got out of it since it was all science lingo and her English is not on that level, but we had fun together. 

Harper's Ferry

We also took a day trip to Harper's Ferry with Jeff' s uncle, cousins and Filomena. Harper's Ferry was a strategic city during the Civil War times. It had ammunition and guns and was the site of a lot of trade to the West. It was fun to see the history and to see the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains.

Where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac

Emmett Loved the bus ride.

The "Mall"

Emmett and I before the massive blowouts that happened. Needless to say, feeding a lactose intolerant toddler milk and then going out for the day will not end well (especially when you run out of baby wipes, and the bathrooms only have air hand dryers). 5 diapers and a borrowed pull-up later we got home with Filomena' s sweater as a toga.

Jeff loved the meteorite from Oregon. The Smithsonians were one of his favorite places.

Emmett's 1st Birthday

(one the actual day 7.21.14)

Jeff's aunt Jill had gotten some party favors for Emmett's first birthday. Needless to say, he didn't quite get the concept. 

We met up with my old roommate,  and Chinese study abroad friend, Hannah. She had recently moved to DC and we HAD to take a picture in front of the Chinese arch. 

Emmett didn't last long. But he was a champion because he slept as we drug him around DC from the Mall to the White House to the Washington Monument. He was a trooper. 

At the White House. This is as close as we could get because the week before this a guy had jumped the fence and gotten to the White House. They were in the process of replacing the fence with a bigger one, with flame throwers and razor wire. Ok maybe the last part wasn't true. . .

Emmett and Jeff in front of the Washington Monument.

Filomena and Emmett in front of the Lincoln Memorial. 

Everybody loved Emmett. He wanted to say hi to everyone.

Can you find the cute "Fist Bump"??

Look! I'm one today!

Sunset in front of the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument

Staying at Emi's House

Towards the end of out stay in DC we got to go and stay at our Friend Emi's house for a few days. Her parents live outside of DC and were gracious enough to let us come and take over their house with our little rascal! He really liked the tub. (So did I. :) ) 

We went for a day trip to see the falls on the Potomac river. They are pretty awesome. 

Jeff getting help walking on stilts from Emi's mom and sister. 

Emmett and Hannah sharing a vegan cupcake. We didn't want any dairy and the Cupcake places in Georgetown were not a disappointment. 

Emi's sister Elizabeth, Emi, Emmett and Elizabeth's friend all enjoying the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks.

Myrtle Beach

Our next adventure took us to Myrtle Beach. My uncle Don had found a house right on the beach to rent for the week and it was perfect. There were 12 bedrooms and beautiful views of the shore. We REALLY enjoyed ourselves there. My mom flew in to meet us right after we landed. My uncle Wayne was there with his daughter, Don, his wife Amy and 2 of their kids were there, Amy's sister and some of Don and Amy's friends as well. It was a party and it went on all week. 

 

Filomena and Jeff

Emmett really liked the Watermelon

Enjoying the sun!

Filomena also made us some of our favorite Pizzas that we had in Italy. They were amazing and we all loved them. Potato and Margaretia  pizza.

Emmett with Don and Amy's grand daugher, Kinsey. 

My Mom with her brothers Wayne and Don

  Emmett took his first step trying to get down to the water a few minutes after we took this picture

No stranger danger for Emmett. He made so many friends!

Parasailing

Our Big Adventure for the week!!!

Signing our lives away! 

Jeff, Amber, Donna, Kinsey, Debra and Olivia

Getting ready to go up!

And we're off!

And here we are at the end of our ride. Poor Mom didn't fare so well :(

Next, we flew back to California... 

We thought it a perfect way to end our last week of summer break

Monterrey 

We went and visited our friends Jeremy and Carrie. We had to go and touch the other ocean on the other side of the country. Not very often that you get to say that you were in both the Atlantic and the Pacific in a matter of a couple days. :)

If you can't tell, we LOVE this little guy!!!

We finished up our vacation at my mom's house playing in Lodi. 

Emmett likes to explore

And everything is included in this exploration. Dryers included. 

Asparagus is good, but wrapping it in bacon is better. 

We went up in the mountains for an afternoon and Emmett made some friends.

Well maybe this explains why he doesn't like dogs. . . 

Celebrating Emmett's First birthday with Grandpa George

Emmett with Great Grandpa Bob

Jessie's Grove Outdoor Concert

We went to an outdoor country concert one we took Emmett's Pack-n-play and he actually fell asleep. 

Emmett with his adoring fan club. Mamaw, Katherine, Roberta & me!

laughing so hard we cried!!!

Saying goodbye to Mamaw before we fly to Seattle

SEATTLE

The end of August we moved to the rainy city for Jeff's second year at University of Washington School of Medicine.

His first ride in his big boy car seat!

Emmett quickly fell in LOVE with the puddles!!! This was a common face when it was time to come inside :)

Emmett enjoying the view of the city from Gas Works Park.

Emmett playing with his friend Ty. 

 With how much I love the number 3 you can imagine how wonderful I thought it was when Emmett was 13 months and fynn was 13 weeks (8.28.15)!!

 WWAMI wives ALL PREGO at the same time!!!I made the announcement and surprised them all right before we took this pic!

Carrie Reed 35 weeks, Me 14 (8.30.15)weeks, Kelsey Hinchcliff and Kylie Steiner both 27 weeks

Exploring Whidbey Island

First time driving onto a ferry! 

WOW!!!! There is a baby in there!
15 weeks (9.6.15)

Nana came to play 9.9.15
Emmett's first time down the slide by himself 

BYU game in our back yard!!! 9.11.15

Jeff's birthday present was going to a Sounders Game  9.22.15

Jeff's surprise party!! 9.28.15

When our good friend Carrie Reed was in the hospital having her 5th baby we took Ty to make things easier. We got many comments about our "twins"
Downtown Seattle and the EMP museum

Outfits from "Princess Bride" 

20 weeks

 

 My Mom came to play with us in Seattle the week of the big ultrasound to finally get to see Fynn for the first time!

 On a ferry to Bremerton!

 

21 weeks

 Seattle equals fun puddles ALL year long :)

 Our apartments had a petting zoo in our back yard.. Emmett loved ALL the animals! I on the other hand was terrified (if you did not know, I am so not an animal or reptile fan)!!! Thank goodness my mom was there because if not Emmett would have been on his own!!!

 

Ballard Locks

10.10.15

GENDER ULTRASOUND

21 weeks (10.13.15)

Seeing Fynn for the first time

It was a beautiful day and since we were already downtown at the doctors we just had to explore Pikes Market and buy lots of yummy treats ;)

Our announcement to the world... aka "Fcebook"

FALL

I LOVED the location of our apartment in Seattle!! We shared this massive fenced in back yard with the neighbors. Emmett spent so much time watching the cars, animals, and people playing out there. He also loved following the big kids around as they played. He would get right in the middle and act like he belonged, and the best part is that they never pushed him away!

Halloween 

We spent Halloween weekend in Othello Washington visiting Jeff's Grandma Ellen and the rest of the family that came over!

His excitement for life is contagious!!!

Alexander and Emmett giving loves (cousins)

Norene and Janneke

boys will be boys :)

Christopher, Benjamin, Emmett

LOVE how much this pic shows tons of personality 

 Fynn's growing bump
11.6.15

Making my first apple pie filling!

Always joking and laughing at himself!! I LOVE it!

 

 Snoqualmie Falls

11.26.15 (27 weeks prego)

12.5.15  

Before and after 

Emmett's First haircut 

I can't believe how much older it makes him look

 

Jeff wore these same shorts when he was 4 years old!! You go my stout adorable 1 year old!

Emmett's first go at a spoon!!

"Mama... STUCK... Mama.... STUCK" How I began finding him after naps every day for a couple months )

11.28.15
28 weeks

Christmas 
in Coeur d'Alene 2015

and Emmett's first snow

32 Weeks

Christmas Eve

 Sorry Santa!!! Not this year!!!
Emmett 17 months

 Cousins
(Christopher 5, Benjamin 3, Emmett 1, Alexander 8 months)

Our Christmas scare :(

So it turns out that I am more clumsy than one might realize. We were taking groceries out of the car. I was holding Emmett on my right hip and down I went on the ice. My entire left side slammed into the cement. I didn't have any bleeding, but I started having really painful contractions that lasted 2 weeks. When Fynn slowed down his movements we went into the ER. The Emergency room is hilarious when it comes to pregnant women. I walk in and I got immediate attention, sorry 30 other people that were ahead of me in line! My uterus was really irritated, but with time it relaxed. When we got back to Seattle I had another fall. No traction sandals and rainy Seattle ended in a slippery fall straight onto my back.  My foot flew high into the air which caused me to kick the door knob and I still have the scar. Thankfully Fynn came out perfect and unharmed!!

North Pole Cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene
This fun little ride across the lake has become a fun Christmas tradition!

New Years Eve

We partied by playing hand and foot and drinking 

delicious sparkling cider!!

33 weeks Pregnant

My post on Facebook

"Today is the best day of pregnancy, 33 weeks

 and 3 days in the 3rd trimester.

 Nesting has 

 begun and I am going crazy cleaning out and

 organizing!!! It feels amazing! Happy here

 in Seattle!"

35 weeks

Oh you know, just walking to the grocery store to shop with 4 little ones :)

January 22nd, 2016

We grew to LOVE Seattle! Jeff and I got called at church to teach the senior primary kids in Sunday School! The group of rambunctious 9 to 11 year old boys was a challenge and the most fun I have had in a calling! I made such good friends who were always there for craft nights, going on walks, driving around, and just hanging out! This year of school was easier for us then the first. Jeff's schedule was the same everyday, noon to 5 he was in class. He did his best to study in the morning. Being pregnant it was such a blessing to have him around to help with Emmett in the morning. And the weather, WE LOVE IT! The rain did not seem as bad as we were lead to believe! I was able to go on walks all year long and there was never snow so I especially was in heaven! And we will forever rave of Seattle's parks!  
  
 

Green Smoothies!!!

2.7.16

2.11.16

Ward Party Photo Booth

Our year in review!!!

Soon to come Maternity photo shoot and Fynn's Birth story!