Dear Maggie...

We were so blessed to welcome little Maggie Mae on March 6th, 2015.  

But before I get into what a great birth story you had let me back up 24 hours and tell you what happened leading up to you coming on your own 2 weeks earlier then we expected.  Your mom had been in to see Gretchen earlier in the week who told her you could come any day.  Later that week your mom had been having several contractions and had been told to come in to see Gretchen before they got to painful in case she went into labor because your mom's labor can be very sudden and her family has a history of going very quickly.  So we made our way into Gretchen's office who checked your mom and said...'You are definately having a contraction right now' and then said 'I think this baby is coming today and don't want you to go home but rather stay close in downtown and walk around and see if that makes you go into labor quicker'  I asked what are we waiting for or looking for to know when to go to the hospital and she said 'if your contractions are 5 minutes apart check in to the hospital'.

Your mom and I headed down to the Harmon's grocery story in downtown SLC and started doing laps.  I told your mom that I had wanted to prepare to run the 5k this year in Centerville's 4th of July and she was just starting me off on that journey.  After walking for an hour we headed to the hospital because your mom was having contractions every 3 minutes.  Upon checking in they checked your mom and said...you need to walk more...ugh are you KIDDING ME!

 They left us to walk the floors and at first your mom was...let's just say she wasn't happy.  She was tired, pregnant and ready to deliver.  We started doing more laps around labor and delivery and I tried to encourage your mom and said "you're doing great babes"...well your mom gave me such a look I realized that she had heard me wrong and when I had said "your'e doing great babes" she had heard "you are a giant whale and can't do anything right".  I quickly ducked my head and kept walking.  Round and round we went...your mom's anger slowly raising because she had done everything they asked and yet they were telling us you weren't ready and she knew you were.  After a few hours of walking and a reprimand from Gretchen we were sent home and by this point I was PISSED.  I was pissed because Gretchen who had told us to come told us we shouldn't have and told your mom that she wasn't having contractions after she had just told us she was...granted she was in a stressful C-section delivery of another patient at the time but to see your mom in tears in that bed broke my heart.  We left the hospital vowing that we would have the baby in our bathtub at home before we came back to the hospital.  You mom had an appointment on the 6th to have her membranes stripped and she called and cancelled resigned that you would come on your due date and we would be okay with that.  When we left the hospital your mom continued to have bad contractions all night but they stopped after some time and she was able to come to bed.

The next day we had to pick up the pieces and move on...we had things to do and work to get to.  Your mom had run up to your Aunt Becki's to go to a garage sale and got out of the car and said...I think my water broke.  Becki looked down and said...unless you just wet your pants your water just broke.  So your mom called me and back into the hospital we went.  I was skeptical and didn't want to get sent home again and in the elevator as we rode up to Labor and Delivery said..."are you sure"...your mom moved the blanket she was holding in front of her to show me she was literally dripping out a little rain storm all over the elevator floor.  Sure enough her water broke and they checked us back into the hospital into the very room where we delivered Molly.  Gretchen was short at first with us giving us a "well you got what you wanted attitude" but warmed up after realizing we wern't making this up.  The funny thing is, your mom's contractions completely stopped after her water broke...nothing after two days of non stop there was nothing...so they gave her pitocin and we waited.  Around midnight they came in and woke us both up and said...you're ready.

As we waited your mom put on some make-up to look her best in photos.

 This whole time I had been subdued about this birth.  I thought it was the disappointment of being sent home and the false starts and everything else but I wasn't as giddy.  I soon learned why...your mom started to push and immediately Gretchen put her hand on your head and said..."slow down mom" and your mom pushed a little more and you literally shot out and into Gretchens arms...and I mean shot out and water went everywhere so that I had to jump back to not get splashed.  You were perfect with a full head of hair and a pink little body.  Your cord was really short so that they could barely set you on your mom's lower stomach until they cut it and we realized this is why you were so low the whole pregnancy.

  

We were so happy and yet I waited...I waited for that dang placenta to come because this is where everything had gone wrong with Molly.  Within minutes your mom delivered the placenta without any problems and we were in the clear and were left alone with you to do some skin on skin time.  At this point...something broke in me and I cried.  I hadn't realized how much stress I had been holding in, how much fear that things wouldn't go okay and that I would lose your mom.  You had changed the memories from that room from bad ones to good and I cried with releif to have you in the arms of your healthy mom.  Welcome to our family you beautiful girl...

February Service...Heart Attack!

Anna and I were happy to see the new year come this year.  2014 was a very hard year for us...we had two miscarriages last year (one at 3 months and the other much shorter), we lost Anna's older brother to suicide. The trials were hard and at times we felt like putting up our hands and saying no more Lord we can't take it.  But looking back we realize how much empathy we learned this year and we also learned what it meant to be served by others and the kindnesses that were shown us.  Those that meant the most were the unsolicited acts of kindness where people just acted without saying "What can we do" like the Plaiziers who heard by accident that we had the first miscarriage at 3 months and showed up on our doorstep with a plate of brownies and big hugs or Anna opening the door one day to find a bowl of hot soup and rolls for her and the kids with coloring books and a movie from Amy White.  We committed to show more love to those around us.  I heard a quote the other day that said "Your mess is your message" and I loved it.  How perfect it was to describe that your trials really shape who you are and what you learn.  My mess is my message and it grew a lot in 2014 of which I have complete gratitude for now.

Anna fell into a deep depression after her brother killed himself in October and I had been praying about how to help bring her out of the darkness that was surrounding her.  I decided I would give her a gift for Christmas that would carry on throughout the entire year in 2015.  Let me explain a little back story here...Last year I gave Anna a year of dates...each month I had a preplanned prepaid date planned for us to do and each month she would open an envelope and we would go on the date...it was my way to give her my time.  This year I thought I would do something similar but instead of a date I thought what would be the best way to help her out of depression and I thought the prophets always teach us to focus on others and we will see depression dissipate so after much prayer I prepared 12 acts of service we would do, 1 each month, as a family and sealed each one in an envelope that we would open on the first FHE of the month.  In this way we would be giving our time to others.  I prayed that Anna would be open to this and that it wouldn't seem like another thing on her list that was already weighing her down.  Slowly Anna has come out of the dark and is back in the light and thankfully a week before Christmas she came home from church and said..."I got the clearest impression that we need to serve more in 2015 today"...I said a silent prayer of gratitude to my Father in Heaven for softening her heart.  Our first act of service was to go to the temple, which we did, and serve those who couldn't serve themselves while Anna still is able to go to the temple before Maggie (the name we have chosen for our new baby) comes in March.  

Each year we choose a theme for the year that we hope to adopt into all of our family activities.  This year we have chosen D&C 4:2 "O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength..."  We have since found out that it is also the Youth theme for 2015 which is fitting as I am in YM.  I'm really excited to see what experiences we have this year and how it changes us as a couple and also our girls and I hope that the 12 acts will be something we carry on for the rest of our lives.

As mentioned above for our January 'Act of service' we went to the temple.  For February we decided to Heart Attack some neighbors who meant a lot to us and who are always a great support to us and our girls.  Here was the card when Anna opened it...

So we sat down with our girls and cut out hearts and the girls loved adding their special touch to each heart coloring frantically to make sure each heart had its own unique abstract design.  We put on our coats and crept out into the darkness and across the street to the Echols door and plastered their door with hearts.

The girls were so proud of sneaking up to doors and not getting caught.  We next went over to Alexanders (Gma Marilynn and Gpa Sherm) who our girls just adore and look up to.  

We often find them sneaking over there when they are on their back porch and just hanging out with them in the summertime...here is a photo with Sherm from last summer.

Don't you love this photo...you can see the love they have for him in their faces...we are blessed to be surrounded by such great friends and neighbors.