I will be so glad when Rora is done teething!

As the title of this post suggests, Rora is teething. Horribly! In 3 days last week she had one tooth on the bottom front come in and one molar. On top of that a eruption hematoma has formed. If you don't know what that is, neither did I. It's where the gum gets stretched so thin that the blood vessels pop causing a bruise under the gum. It's horrible. Poor Rora has had this now for over a week. She has a hard time eating anything on that side of her mouth and is in so much pain. I can't wait for her to feel better! Poor, poor baby! Yet even with the pain in her mouth she is still the sweetest most adorable girl around...of course, I can't wait until she is sweeter, more adorable because she is happy! Plus, she will have more teeth and will be able to chew food properly! YAY! Thats about it for now, we are just trying to get through the next (hopefully) week and get her feeling better. Wish her (ok, ME really) luck!

It used to be more than double the size it is now!

Kira's talk

Next Sunday Kira is giving the talk in primary. I told her the 'theme' (I know the scriptures are true) and asked her what she wanted to say. She told me and I wrote it down. I have to say, she did a pretty good job! Especially since she is only 4!

Joseph Smith read in the scriptures, “If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” So he went out to the woods and he prayed and Heavenly Father and Jesus came down from Heaven and told Joseph Smith that he shouldn’t join any church. Later the Angel Moroni came to see him at night by his bed and told him about the Book of Mormon and where to find it. Joseph Smith had to wait 4 years until he could get the Golden Plates and then he translated them so we can all read them and now we have the Book of Mormon. And we can all read the scriptures. Joseph Smith is a good example to me. I want to be like him and find answers in the scriptures. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I know she will do great when she shares it next week. Great job Kira!!

Aurora is 1!!

The last year (and 3 weeks...) has flown by. It seems only yesterday I was rejoicing knowing that she was inside my womb. Yet here she is, one year old. She is such an amazing little person. With such a personality!
She is determined, strong willed, loving and caring. She started walking at 10 months and hasn't stopped. Her latest achievement has been saying, "mama" and blowing kisses (smacking sound and all!) She 'dances' by doing a squat bounce.
She loves to learn and is excelling at sign language. She can sign love, chocolate, more, shoes, please, eat, water, nurse, spaghetti, Mom, Dad, what, bye and a few I can't think of.
She loves her baby doll and kisses and loves on her. She worries when she cries and consoles her.
Her favorite places in our house are sissy's room (because it's off limits ;) and the empty cupboard in the kitchen. She hides toys, snacks, bottles and herself in daily. She likes to drive her new car she got for her birthday over to the cupboard and then hide. I love seeing the beginning of her imagination poke through.


Rora still likes to be wrapped in the Mai Tei and is content if I tote her everywhere I go. She is learning to clean up and her favorite chore is throwing stuff away. Were working on only throwing garbage away ;)
Yep, I have a pretty amazing baby! I am such a blessed Mother. I can't wait to see what the next year holds for her. Happy Birthday Aurora!

Aurora's journey to joining our family...

Last month Aurora turned 1! I can't believe she is already a year old. Where did the time go? It seems as if ive known her forever and yet I still feel the ache I felt for the years we were trying for her.
A little over 4 years ago my sweet princess Akira was born. Within months of having her I felt the longing for Aurora. Her spirit is so strong and I knew that she was ment to be in our family. When Kira was 8 months old we 'officially' started trying to get pregnant. I thought for sure that my kids would be no more than 2 years apart. Of course not. I had to stretch myself to the Lord's timing and rely on him. There were so many nights when I cried myself to sleep. I could feel her so close and yet it felt as if my body was failing both myself and the Lord because I couldn't bring her here.
We decided to try fertility medication and I was put on clomid. The reaction was crazy. My mood swings were so intense. As each cycle ended I went into a mini depression, feeling as if somehow I had failed. We were trying one last time. We had an adoption agency chosen to go through and were giving it one final try. That's the month I was blessed with Aurora in my womb. I found out 3 days before mothers day that I was pregnant. Looking back, I am still filled with such gratitude that I was able to concieve and carry her. Sometimes you never know how grateful you are for things until you don't have them.
Because of that, my outlook on pregnancy changed. Yes, I was SICK! Yes, I had pains, Yet everytime I threw up I praised God that I had a healthy baby growing inside me. Nothing I went through was worse than knowing that she was waiting to join our family and being unable to make that happen.
December 29, 2009 I was able to hold her in my arms and look into her eyes and know that she was mine. That everything I had been through the last 3 years had led up to this moment. I had known her before I was able to concieve and knew the minute I saw her that she had been as anxious as I was to join our family.
Every moment with her is extra special because of the trial of getting her. Every sleepless night I praise the Lord. I couldn't have it any other way.
Aurora Laurel has made me a better Mom, a better person and most importantly, a more grateful daughter of God.

The rest of our trip to Utah...

Christmas day was great in its own way. It was so different to be away from Josh on Christmas day. We spent the morning lounging around and enjoying a phone call with Tanner! My Dad was so excited for everyone to come over and open presents.
When Christmas evening came we had a great family dinner(even Dustin's couscous squash was pretty good ;) Finally after dinner it was time for presents. Dad gave such amazing and thoughtful gifts this year. All the grand kids got marshmallow shooters, which commenced with a 30 minute marshmallow fight before we could finish presents. ;)

Along with all our great gifts, Dad made everyone a walking stick with sticks that he and Mom had found on their last trip up the mountain. What a keepsake! They turned out beautifully and I love mine!

Christmas day was wonderful, we enjoyed the nativity, orange story and hanging out with the family!

Sunday was another busy but great day. Alicia hosts a Ladies Tea every year and it was so much fun! It's so nice to be able to get together with all the lovely ladies...especially when I am not hosting! Thanks Nelli for such a great afternoon!

That evening we had a birthday party for Rora...that's right, shes ONE! The highlight of her party was when she ate her cake. Grandpa Tim let her feed him cake off her fingers...what a great grandpa! She was so sweet to share her birthday cake with him. Even Grandma Lisa took a bite from her! Brave, brave people. For the record, I would NEVER eat mashed cake from my babies fingers...but what a memory!

The rest of our vacation we tried to relax and just enjoy our time with our family. Kira and Kenzie are the best of friends and have such a great time together!

Even our trip home was pretty good. We had a 2 1/2 hour layover in Denver and after a yummy pizza dinner the girls enjoyed two hours of running on the walking escalator(not sure the name) one side wasn't running so the girls walked on the side that was running and while Rora walked back on the out of order one, Kira ran back on the moving one. I couldn't believe how entertaining it was for them!(Sorry no picture.) Plus they both napped on the flight since they had spent 2 hours running around.

We were so grateful to be home and see Daddy! After 10 days away, home was such a welcome sight!

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve was as busy as we got while in Utah. Our day started by hanging out with Monica & family. Kira, Kenzie and Braxton are such great friends!

From there we headed over to Aunt Lindsey's home for the Babb/Wickert family Christmas party. There was delicious ham, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc. I almost had to be rolled out! As always, Grandma & Grandpa Wickert spoiled the girls!


Since we were already down in Spanish Fork, we decided to stop and visit my Gpa & Gma Jones. It felt like 'coming home' as soon as I walked in the door. There is just something so magical about Gma's hugs. Rora cozied(sp?) up to Gpa and LOVED his cane. Gma got out her little rocking chair and both girls contentedly played for over an hour while I got to bask in my Gma's love. (Ok, so this pic is from Rora's birthday party, but I Love it :)

Even though it was getting late, since I was already down in Mapleton, I knew that I needed to go see Mom's grave. It was so peaceful and the perfect thing to do on Christmas Eve. Brought the spirit to the forefront of my mind and I left with such a sense of peace.

After dinner and realizing that my Dad wasn't going to get a stocking together for Shontel, Kira and I decided to be Santa's helpers and headed to the store. Little did we know, that Walmart closed at 8pm! ACK! We didn't get any of our grocery shopping done, but did manage to get all thing stuffers for Shontels stocking. Needless to say, since most of our groceries were for Rora's birthday party, her cake had homemade frosted animal cookies...at least its a memory ;)
Kira was so sweet about helping Shontel have a Christmas. I definitely don't have any regret from telling her Santa is 'just pretend.' Fun, but just pretend. :)

Vacation fun part 1...oh well if im updating you on last year's trip ;)

Christmas this year was HARD! Josh stayed in Alabama while the girls and I headed to Utah. Our trip started as most do in the airport. Since last time we flew Kira ended up with pink eye and had to stay away from all the fun...and Makenzie (who had a heart transplant and has to be extra careful) her favorite person in Utah, (No offense Grandpa!) the girls wore masks while in the airport and on the plane. Both girls did great with keeping them on. We had a few funny looks, but nothing else - there was one girl who asked Kira why she was wearing a mask...Kira said that it so she could keep Kenzie healthy - anyways, even the baby did great at keeping it on. I just tied her mask in back she had her plug underneath it. We pulled it down to eat and nurse, but other than that she wore it all 12 hours!

Both girls were great on our flights. I am so blessed to have such great children who are willing to go with the flow.
We arrived in Utah (after a delayed flight) at 2:00am! Here I was, Rora in the Mei Tei on my back, carrying Kira with one arm and wheeling our suitcase(stacked with Kira's backpack and my purse) off the plane. I still can't believe I did it! As we were just about out of the airport, Kira woke up and was awake/excited enough to run the rest of the way to Grandpa. She squealed when she saw him and jumped in his arms giving him a HUGE hug! I think this picture is my favorite out of all the one I took on our trip. Pure joy is all I can use to describe it :)

Our first day in Utah was spent playing in the snow, visiting Mom's grave and getting some 'real' food in Dad's house. :) So no pictures :(
After a great nights sleep, we headed out to Vernal to visit my Grandparents. It was a great drive and a great visit! Grandma is still the best cook I know and make a scrumptious lunch! Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Sonny also came for lunch which was great. Rora took to Sonny like she belonged in his arms and he in turn got down to her level to play. It was adorable! I also got to visit with Jessi and Aunt Barb, who gave me the sweetest gift ever! A treasure box that matches my Mom's. She gave me so much more then just a box...she gave me a lifetime of memories that I can pass on! Thanks Aunt Barb!!
Anyways, here's a couple pictures of our trip to Vernal. For spending just a few hours there we sure had a lot of fun!


Our third day started off with a trip to the photo studio with all the Babb/Wickert clan for a cousin photo session. All the kids (7 girls and 1 boy) looked great and we ended up with some cute shots! From there we headed over to a birthday party for Alex (a cousin on Daddy's side) Happy 1st Birthday Alex! (Picture is of Kira, Willow and Ellory while waiting for everyone else to arrive at the party.)

From there we headed over to Kenzie's (cousin on Mommy's side) 5th Birthday party! It was great to spend so much time with the families! As if our day wasn't full enough, that evening we made gingerbread houses!

Needless to say, we went to bed exhausted!!
Up next...Christmas Eve!!

Our life in 2010

I saw this on a friends blog and had to do my own.

January 2010 brought to us a new normal and a visit from Grandma Wickert. Kira adapted to the roll of big sister as if she always was one. I just love this picture, Josh is 100% in love with his new baby and Kira, as ever, is posing for the camera.





February 2010 brought a trip to Utah so Grandma Madsen could see Aurora Laurel(yep, she was named after my Mommy.) Even Daddy got to go with us on this trip! He also was able to bless Rora while we were there.




March ushered in Spring! We were able to get out and enjoy the beauty that Heavenly Father created. We enjoyed trips to the Botanical Gardens, the park and even a day trip to Chicamauga, Ga.(Civil War battlefield)




With April came Easter and the reminder of our Saviors love for me. It also brought out my girly side. Kira had me try her hair a million ways and always, both she and Rora had to have their nails painted! I realise that I haven't put a picture of me up yet, so here is one of the girls and I just enjoying life. :)




May brought strawberry picking and lot of fun with friends! Rora started eating solids! We were strawberry picking and she was strapped to me. Next thing I knew she had half a strawberry gone! The pictures are of Kira and some friends at the gardens and Rora enjoying her 2nd, or maybe 3rd strawberry :)(Yes, I have strawberry in my teeth...they were delicious!)




With June came swimming lessons! Kira had a blast and can't wait for lessons again next year! She also enjoyed an overnighter with Daddy. They slept over at Field Day for Daddy's ham radio club and she had a blast! Her friend Will went with his Dad and they played and played and played! Rora also had an eventful month. She started scooting and sitting up!




July was such a hard month! The girls and I were planning a roadtrip to Utah with my cousin Jessi. Two days before we were set to leave we got the phone call from my Dad. After 3+ years battling stage 4 ovarian cancer my Mom passed away. We loaded up the car that night and the next morning headed to Utah. My Mom gave me a wonderful life and an exceptional role model to emulate. She is in our thoughts and prayers daily. Even though we were so emotional, our drive out to Utah holds some of my best memories of 2010. It was exactly as Mom would want it to be. With us laughing, loving and singing into the baby puffs container! (I forgot my camera...so the pictures aren't mine.)




School started again in August. Kira back to preschool(she loves it!) and me back to babysitting. Life took on a new normal for us. It seems as if all I did was go here or there, do this or that. Very, very busy! Rora sure loves her food!




September brought more family time with a trip to Disney World. We all had a blast hanging out with Mickey and the gang. I love family time, so being able to reconnect in such a grand way is perfect for us!



In October Kira turned 4! She had her first real birthday party and chose a Princess and Knight theme. They all were knighted and slayed a dragon. She had a blast! Rora also had a big month, she started walking!! I can't believe how grown up she is!!




With November came the opening of the Angel Tree. Whenever we had a free moment we were busy helping the Salvation Army. The pictures are Kira putting the Angels on the tree and us enjoying seeing the Christmas lights at the Botanical Gardens.




December came and so did the joys of Christmas! We found lots of ways this year to give of ourselves as the Savior gave. We also trekked of to Utah for Christmas. (It was so hard leaving Josh since he had to work Christmas day!) Rora also turned 1! We has a small party in Utah for her and then just had cake with Daddy when we came home.



2010 was a great, yet hard year for us. And so, with Laughter and Love we look forward to what 2011 will bring! Happy New Year's everyone!!