Miss A...

Oh Miss A, you have changed our lives! For the better of course! You have only been here for a short month and we already love you more than we can say. You have already taught us so much and we are so grateful you were sent to our family. Here are some things about you...You are a great sleeper and eater! You usually give me a solid 4 hours of sleep at a time during the night and day. You do have your fussy time between 8pm - 11pm but it isn't bad at all. I know you are still really little and need lots of rest, but we are so excited for when you are more alert and can play with us for longer!

You are such a sweet baby and you love it when your big sister sings to you. Even when you are crying and mommy can't quite get you to calm down, she can. She comes right up to your ear and sings really soft and you will stop crying to listen to her.

You love your car seat and your binkie. Whenever I put you in the car seat, as long as you are fed and your diaper is changed, you will fall right to sleep. You don't always need your binkie, but when you do you are sure happy to have to it! You do not like a messy diaper at all! You will let me know the minute something happens in it...

You love your baths and your daddy! You are so relaxed and calm when I am washing you, even when I wash your head and water gets on your face, you love it. There may not be another time when you are as content as you are when your daddy is holding you. You snuggle right up to him and you could honestly sleep for hours if he didn't have to move. He loves it too!

You are just a beautiful baby inside and out. I could sit and watch your little facial expressions all day and I would hold you forever if I could. Your daddy and I love you so much and can't imagine our family without you. Nothing brings as much joy to me as getting to be a mommy to you and your big sister. Love you Miss A!

A Heart for Carter...

This has not been an easy year for my family to say the least, but for every trial we have been given, we have also been able to experience a miracle. Carter's heart is one of those miracle's. Carter is my nephew and when my sister in law, Jessica, was pregnant she found out that Carter had a severe heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He had his first open heart surgery at 3 days old, spent his first 6 months of life in the PICU at Primary Children's Medical Center, and has been in and out of the hospital ever since. This little boy has been through more than anybody I know and and goes through all of it with a smile on his cute little face. Ever since he was born we knew that eventually he would need a new heart, but I always figured it would be in his teenage years or later. When complications came up and the final surgery he needed to reconstruct his heart was not going to be an option, we realized he was going to need a heart much sooner. He was listed on the transplant list a few months ago and on Sunday Dec. 4 Stayler and Jessica got the call that there was a heart for Carter. This came a lot sooner than any of us expected and after 13 hours of surgery, countless prayers and a lot of waiting, Carter had a new heart. I can't express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father enough for sending Carter to our family. He has taught us SO much in his 4 short years of life and has truly been a blessing to our entire family. Mostly, he has taught me what faith is. He has taught me that our Heavenly Father is in control and there is plan, even if I can't see it from where I am standing. His parents have taught me the true meaning of sacrifice and charity through their amazing love for Carter. Anyone who knows Carter loves him! Little Miss may be one of his biggest fans and is always so excited to see him. His road has been anything but easy, but his spirit is so strong and his will to live life is even stronger. I am so grateful to the donor family for their willingness to allow Carter a chance to live his life to the fullest with a new healthy heart.

And this is one of the most incredible families I know. My brother Stayler, his wife Jessica and their four kids; Carter, Bridger, Mason and Audri. Carter is so lucky to have them as his family, he couldn't be in better hands. They are his biggest fans and his constant support and I am lucky to get to have them all as my family and I love them so much!

Our Thanksgiving 2011...

Our family had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Since Miss A was just over a week old, we decided to keep it low key, so we stayed at home and did our own little Thanksgiving with just our family and it couldn't have turned out more perfect. Jeff did the majority of the cooking and oh boy did it turn out amazing! He took time to study out some recipes on-line and found one for some amazing mashed potatoes and since neither of us are huge turkey fans, he also found a recipe for ribs...they were incredible! I made the stuffing and the rolls and a key lime pie for dessert and together we made a pretty impressive feast. After eating and filling ourselves completely full we watched some football and just spent time together as a family. Us girls were so grateful to get to have daddy around the whole week of Thanksgiving and to just spend time with him. Jeff helped out so much and especially made the transition to two kids a lot easier on me. We love him so much! We ended the night with a family "sleepover" and watched a couple short Christmas shows. It really was a perfect day and we really do have so much to be grateful for. I love my family so much and am very grateful I can have them for eternity.