So much more than a loving memory....

For those of you that know me very well, know that I grew up in a sort of haven. A child's paradise. Living in two very large yards, separated by a flowing creek, and more trees and flowers found in any other Spring city yard. My great grandma & grandpa of course lived in the larger yard, in one of Spring City's largest & most beautiful historic rock houses. My parents owned the other yard. If you could count the times I've crossed that bridge that separates the two, the number would be next to an infinate amount.

When my mother was only four yrs. old, her sister, three, and her brother, one, their mother passed away at a young age of cancer. My mom's father's parents took my mother and her sister in & raised them as their own, just after being empty-nesters from raising their three own children.

My great grandpa was an incredible man, with a yearning of knowlege and learning, which he did, always. Wether it be reading, listening to classical music, or babying his beautiful rose gardens, he was always busy, making more than good use out of his time. When I was in the eighth grade, he passed away of mesothelioma. It was such a hard time.

Now, my great grandmother has passed away. A woman who was a mother to my mom. Who spent everyday of my childhood life with me. She was my second mother. I think it's safe to say I spent more time at her house than I did my own. She was a woman who went above and beyond the calling of a grandmother. She was a mother to everyone in her family. I don't think I've ever met a grandma who was closer to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. I'm so thankful for the opportunity my boys had to be able to know her. Their great-great grandma. Their "little grandma". It's always been so hard for me to imagine life without my grandma. The lively, spunky 88 yr. old lady who I surely thought would outlive us all.

I feel so lost. When I go home, I won't be able to cross that bridge and find my gandma. Of course I can cross that bridge, walk into the yard and around the house, but she won't be there. Nothing will hold me there. The fire's gone. My chilodhood is gone. I don't have that home to go to anymore. It's all too much to comprehend now. It will take much time to mend my heart. A huge chunk of my life is lost.

But how thankful I am to have the knowledge I do about gospel, god's plan and the after-life. I know my grandma is with grandpa now. Surrounded by a loving family. And I can't even imagine, how much my mom's mother must be thanking her right now. And to think that she is with my brother Dane. I'm almost jealous when I think of the people she gets to spend her time with now.

Grandma, if you even knew the impact you've had on your family. How proud you must feel. You will be in my heart every minute of every day. It will be so hard for me to let go. I haven't simply lost a grandma. You've been so much more than that to me. May you be wrapped in the love of our heavenly father. I will be anxiously awaiting the day when we will meet again. I know how you so wanted to live to see my third son. Well, you'll get your chance. Maybe you'll get to before me even. I love you grandma. I'll miss you, more than I could ever tell.

Eva Mae Downard Pedersen. May 21st, 1921-April 23rd, 2010.

Catching up....lots of new posts!

The baby's room: I finally got around to getting the baby room put together. Painted the walls, put up the new crib & dresser. My mom made the crib skirt and window valance. With my other boys, I did everything sports. This time I wanted to do something different, so I went with airplanes, hellicopters, cars, trucks & tracters!!
I made these wall hangings with a bunch of scrap paper, two-dollar frames & ribbon. Very inexpensive, and they turned out pretty cute. If you look at the pictures and compare it to the bedding, you'll see I copied the design.And here is something I never thought I would do...take pics of myself at 36 weeks pregnant!! So far during this pregnancy, I've avoided cameras at all costs. Seeing my pregnant body is not pleasant for me, but I started feeling guilty. You see, I have pictures of my belly during my last two pregnancies, and I started feeling bad that this new little guy wouldn't be able to see me pregnant with him. (my boys love the pics I can show them with "them" in my belly) And since I am horrible at keeping a journal, this blog is sort of it. So, whether I like it or not, I've gotta put this "history" on here. As you can see, I don't think I could get much bigger! I'm getting really anxious to meet this baby boy!!! And so are his big brothers!

Easter 2010

Easter this year was extra exciting for my boys. My mom had her annual easter egg hunt. My in-laws had their easter egg hunt. But the most exciting thing....Aunt Tosh & Uncle Kevin surprised the boys with BUNNIES!!! Andy named his Youkollis.(you know your husband is a big redsox fan when he has taught his 4 yr. old the team player's names) and Maddex named his bunnie "Spuddie". They've had too much fun with these cute little bunnies!

Vegas Trip

A few weeks back, Brandon had a softball tournament with Thunder Bay in Vegas. The fields they played on were so AWESOME. Called the "Big League Dreams" fields. Every field is the exact replica of the major league fields. They had stadium seating and everything. Sadly, I was too busy chasing my boys everywhere to get pics of the fields, or Brandon playing, which I will regret forever, but Luckily, Tosha got lots of excellent pics and has posted them on the Thunder Bay team blog(thunderbaysoftball.blogspot.com) If you scroll down far enough, there are also some pretty cute pics of my kids. I did manage to take a pic of the boys at the entrance of the fields in front of the giant baseball.

Brandon was sad that they didn't ever get a chance to play on "Fenway Park" but he did get to play on "Yankee's Stadium". Maybe next year, Brandon. Thunder Bay ended up taking THIRD PLACE!!!

On our way home we stayed at Brandon's Aunt & uncles condo for a night & as you can see, the boys had SO MUCH FUN in the pool!! Awesome weather to escape to!

Happy Late 29th to Brandon!!

On April 5th, Brandon had his 29th birthday!! We celebrated by leaving the kiddo's with grandparents the previous weekend and going up north for some husband/wife time! We went to Clash of the Titans, which by the way, surprised me. I have tried to watch the old one, which makes me just laugh. I honestly can't make it through it. But to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the new movie! We stayed the night in a suit.(the jacuzzi felt especially wonderful on my aching pregnant body) and we did a little shopping. Happy 29th, Brandon!!! Enjoy your last year in your twenties!!! Haha





Here is the gift I got Brandon: A new softball glove. I had a heck of a time finding this exact glove. I must say, it's the sexiest glove I've ever seen :)

It's Official...I Am A Horrible Blogger!!!

I've been a total slacker when it comes to keeping up on my posts. I'd like to make it a goal to post more often, but to be honest, I don't think I actually will;)

On February 14th, we celebrated Maddex's 3rd birthday. This being a day I'll NEVER forget, I just want to tell the story. I'll shorten it....On the morning of Feb. 13th, 2007, one week before my due date, I began having contractions. It got my hopes up, I thought for sure THIS would be the day. As the day went on, the contractions became irregular, more spaced out, and eventually disapeared all together by evening. Disapointed and pessimistic, I sent Brandon to work(Graveyard shift) Assuring him over and over that I wouldn't go into labor. My mother, however, was not convinced. She insisted on staying over at our house, just in case, because she just "knew" I would go into labor in the night. So she bedded down on our livingroom couch. Andy(only a year old) fell to sleep quickly, as did I. At about 11:30, I awoke with some contractions, but forced myself back to sleep, telling myself that it was just braxton hicks. At 12:30, I awoke again and couldn't quite force myself back to sleep. I woke my mom up, told her it might just be gas pains, and that I would wait before calling a doctor, calling up to the mine to have Brandon sent home, etc. By 1:30 My contractions were only about ONE MINTUTE APART. My dad got off swing shift and made it over to my house about 2:00, after taking an Ambien(sleeping pill)My doctor was in Orem, and orem was to be the hospital where i would deliver. My mom stayed at our house with Andy, while my sleepy father drove me up to the hospital. I called up to the mine & had them deliver the message to Brandon. My contractions were a minute to only 30 seconds apart the whole ride up!! On the freeway, I had the horrible feeling to "bear down"! Oh for the love of Lyza, I feared if I stood up to get out of the truck, the baby might come out right then and there! Nurses got me settled in my room, checked how far dilated I was and I was dilated to a SIX! They gave me my epidural, which slowed down my contractions and the whole labor proccess a lot, so Brandon was able to make it for the birth. Maddex was born at 9:43a.m., valentines day, face up instead of face down. 7 lbs. 3 oz. 20 inches long. Black hair, dark eyes, and absolutly beautiful. The best valentines gift I could have ever recieved. Maddex, we LOVE you so much! You weren't planned. I cried when I got that positive pregnancy test, and sadly, they weren't tears of joy. But our heavenly father knew better. He knew we needed you, right then. He knew your brother needed you, and now I thank my lucky stars for our little unplanned "mistake". I wouldn't have it any other way.



Maddex LOVES Mickey Mouse. He insisted on a Mickey party. And what Maddex wan'ts, he gets! The flash on my camera wouldn't work for his party! GRRR! So this is the only pic I got of his Mickey party, and it's so dark.





My handsome valentines boy.



The Mickey Mouse cake I made for him, which he still talks about every day.

Catching up...Christmas '09

So I've been slacking big time in the blogging department. So here are a few new posts. I've kept them short 'n sweet. We had a wonderful Christmas(considering the boys tipped over our christmas tree. Twice.). The boys were so fun this year, now that they're older.