I'm back!

I know I said before that I would be back to blogging soon but this time I mean it.  I have been so busy lately.  Then with Josie being sick and now being sick myself,  it just didn't happen.  But here is a little run down of what we have been up to. Zech is busy with school so I find myself having a lot of free time with the kids.  I have been trying to do some kind of special activity with them each day.  It has been so much fun, Elai has really taken to doing crafts, baking, and SEWING.  He thinks it is the best thing on earth to help me put the foot down on my sewing machine.  I have also been trying hard to take the kids on special outings.  We were able to go to the pumpkin patch, kids museum as well as go with the church's preschool to tour the tractor store.  Elai was most excited about the last activity.

Some of you might not know this, but Elai is a farmer at heart.  He loves riding tractors and watering my plants.  He thinks it's fun to dig in the dirt and likes to harvest and prepare all of the produce. 

Josie has recently been learning all kinds of new tricks, crawling, talking, and even helping me fold the clothes.  Well she thinks she is helping, really...just making things harder.  I still enjoy it though.  She recently turned 9 months old.  I can't believe how fast time has flown.  I feel very blessed that she was able to join our family.  Elai loves her so much.  I often enter the room to find him "helping" his sister. 

Here is one of Josie's 9 month pictures.  I haven't formally done a  9 month photo shoot yet, so more to come soon.  Speaking of photo shoots.  I have been busy with my photography business, Moments By Emiley.  Feel free to check out my facebook page.  I hope to have a website up soon.  Here are a few recent photos I have done.

Well that's about all we have been up to.  We love it here in Urbana.  We have been able to meet many wonderful people and feel blessed to have them in our lives.  Though this is a stressful time in our lives we are trying to make the most of it.

Life on the Farm

As summer is coming to an end I can't help but think about the wonderful time we spent in Montana. Yesterday as I was shucking corn that I had picked up from the farmers market my mind kept going back the the garden in Montana. Oh how I wish I had got to spend more time in that garden. It's funny how all your worries can disappear in such a place. Elai was very fond of it also. Especially when it came to the watering duties. He misses the "ladies" so much and asks me everyday if we can go see them to get the eggs. Our family grew so much there. Elai grew so much and really started talking. Josie went from sleeping all day to eating solid food. It's hard to believe that it has already been almost a month since we left. Everything is so different now. Instead of peace and serenity we are in a place that goes goes goes. Instead of dairy farms and mountains we have corn fields. And inplace of our families we have our ward family. Though things are sure different we couldn't imagine a better place to be.

I never thought I would say this but Montana definitely has a place in my heart.

Campus Tour

Tonight Zechary took me on a stroll of campus. We had such a great time walking around looking at all the old buildings. In the center of campus they have this statue which is supposed to be famous so I figured I had better take a picture of it.

We are not in Idaho any more! On all of the campus buildings you will find tornado shelter signs.

I really love all of the buildings on campus, they are not like any other campus buildings I have seen before (I know it's not saying much, I am sheltered!). Most of the buildings look like mansions.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Well week one of medical school is finished and we have survived! We are excited to be here and to explore everything. Things are sure different here so we are trying to just take in as much as possible. I have met some great ladies who have husbands in the MD program with Zech. It's nice to have a support system here since our family is so far away. We have been having lots of fun and will try and share some of our experiences along the way.

We have arrived!

Wow it has been forever since I updated this thing! To give me credit...I have got on a couple of times and tried to upload pictures but my images were to large and I haven't had the time to change the sizes. A lot has happened since I last posted. Josie is six months old now...I think she was about 3 weeks last post. Elai talks so much, his new favorite saying is "No Way." He is so much fun! We have moved and Zech is starting medical school on Monday. I have started a photography business, which I am really excited about! Other then that we were just relaxing in Montana for the summer. But it's about time for us to get back to the real world now.

We have been in Urbana for a little over a week now. Things are finally starting to come together. We are unpacked, for the most part. We were able to attend church last Sunday and LOVE the new ward. Everyone is really friendly. I was a little worried coming out here that it would be hard for me to meet people since I stay home with the kids but I have met so many people. Elai loves our new apartment. We have four neighbor kids that he gets to play with. I am already feeling sad that we have to leave next summer. You see Zech's first year of medical school is in Urbana, but this second through fourth are in Rockford. Oh well we will worry about that later, but in the mean time we are going to enjoy our time here.

Our trip over took 4 days, we actually had planned for 5 but were able to drive longer one day. Surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We drove about 6 hours a day and made stops about every 2 hours for the kids.

Elai loved it when we stoped. He would run to the back of the car and sit on the tailgate. He thought it was really cool.

Elai drove with his daddy in the "Big Truck" while Josie and I followed behind in our car.

We saw a few things along the way...like hay rolls in the middle of the interstate (and I thought Montana people were rednecks)

And as we passed through Iowa were went right through the Missouri River flooding. It was crazy. I have never experienced sand walls on the interstate. We also stoped in Rapid City and took a trip to Mount Rushmore, but more on that to come.

But we are here now and enjoying our new home. And we are really excited for this new chapter in our lives.

Look What I Got!

I have had great success this week shopping at Albertsons and Walmart.

When Josie was born we received a diaper bag from the hospital with Lysol coupons inside. I knew if I waited for the right time to buy some, I could get them for free. Well it happened! I got all of this stuff for only $1.68 (just tax). I love Albertsons doublers! So here is what I got:

- 4 bottles Ken's salad dressing

- 5 2pk Olay bar soaps

-5 oral b toothbrushes

- 3 reach flosses

-3 bottles of Lysol wipes (these are like gold at our house)

- 2 bottles of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner

-1 bottle of Lysol kitchen cleaner

- 2 bottles of Lysol bathroom cleaner

- 2 bottles of Lysol all purpose cleaner

Over all a great shopping trip!

My Helper!

I guess you could say I am pretty lucky...
I mean how many people's children love to do the dishes???

And at such a young age!!!

Isn't he just wonder?

He makes my world turn.

A Boy and His Slide

What is with this weather? It is sunny and warm one day and snowing the next. Well I guess mother nature doesn't realize I have a little boy who is dying to go outside and play but since it's still too cold for that we brought the outside to our living room.

Elai loves his slide. He even likes to go outside and play on it in the snow.

However I am not up for being outside in the cold for too long.

So by bringing it inside, we both win.
He plays on it for hours.

He especially thinks it's funny when I try to go down it, but that is not picture material.

Reflections

As I reflect on the things in my life I feel truly blessed, especially for...

my family.

The boys and the car

Zech's family is here this weekend for Josie's blessing. And everybody that knows Elai knows how much he loves his car. What we didn't know is...

how much Nathan would love his car.

I don't know who likes it more..

Elai

Or Nathan?

Lucky for Elai, Nathan leaves tonight so he can have it all to himself again.

Josie's Birth

As my due date of Feb 4th grew closer it was apparent that little miss Josie was not going to follow in big brother's footsteps by blessing our lives six weeks early. So as Feb 4th started getting closer, I decided that I wanted to be induced so that Zech would be here for the arrival of our baby girl, as he was scheduled for an interview in Maryland on the 4th. On the 25th of Jan I went in for what would be my last appointment before I was scheduled to be induced on the 27th. I was already dilated to a 4 for some time now, so while in the office my dr. striped my membranes. The doctor told me that often women will go into labor 24-48 hours after the striping but if I hadn't gone by 4am on the 27th to come into the hospital and she would start the induction.

For the rest of the day I kept hoping this would be it. That we would finally be able to meet our baby girl, who we so desperately awaited for. But nothing changed. No contractions, no nothing. As the day came to an end I started to get nervous about being induced. I contemplated not following through with it for I was worried that just maybe Josie wasn't quite ready yet and that it might be better for us to just wait. But Josie had other plans in mind.

The next morning (Jan 26th) I woke up about 8am to Elai, just like any other morning. I still wasn't contracting but when I went into the bathroom I noticed a lot of blood. As a precaution the doctor decided I better go to labor and delivery to get checked out, all along assuming everything was normal and that the bleeding was caused by the striping of my membranes the day before. So I got ready and Zech took me into the hospital.

When we got to the hospital at 9 am we were notified that the doctor had just went in to do a c-section and that there were three of them planned back to back. That it might be a while until he would have a chance to come check me. Again the nurse told me what I was experiencing was probably just from the striping of my membranes and that I would probably be going home after the doctor came and examined me. But Josie had other plans.

Within the first hour of being there I started having contractions, and they were only four minutes apart. When the doctor came in I was at a 5 so they decided to keep me. Josie Faye was going to make her grand entrance later that day!

There were many other c-sections planned for that day so the doctor wasn't able to break my water until around 2pm. I had already had my epidural so once my water was broke things moved very quickly and within a hour Josie Faye Rios made her grand entrance into this world. She was born at 3:12 pm.

Everything went so sooth, with the exception of my epidural not working correctly. It was a wonderful experience for Zech and I. I was feeling great and couldn't wait to take our baby girl home.

Time goes by...

Josie Faye 6lbs 15oz

Just six days ago our world as we know it forever changed as we welcomed Josie Faye into our family. Her sweet spirit has filled our home and brought joy to our lives. It's funny to think that last year at this time I was still mourning the loss of our unborn child. While this year we celebrate a very precious gift. I don't know why things happen the way they do but I am so thankful to have Josie here with us. After all the worrying and precautions we did to ensure the pregnancy would last, she is here and very healthy. Heavenly father knew we needed her sweet spirit as he chose to send her to us.

Two Years and Counting

Two years ago today marked a very special time in our lives, for Zechary and I were able to be sealed in the Rexburg Temple for time and all eternity. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. Some of our family and closest friends joined us for this special occasion. Little did we know that this event would forever change our lives.

After a lot of consideration we decided to get married civilly in July of 2008. I had only been a member of the church for 5 months and we decided that we didn't want to wait to be married. Both of us knew we wanted to be sealed as soon as I had been a member a year and could go through the temple so we made our reservation far in advanced and went on with the July wedding plans. We had a beautiful garden wedding with our family and friends present. It was amazing, but something felt like it was missing.

It wasn't long after we were married that we found out we were pregnant. We were so excited however the news put even more pressure on us to make sure we went through the temple in January. We wanted to make sure our children were born under the covenant.

On January 17, 2009 we were finally able to go to the temple to be sealed. It was a hard road getting there, Satan was definitely trying to make sure we didn't make it. But we did it and our lives were changed forever. We learned to appreciate each other so much more. Elai was born a few months later it and what a blessing it was knowing that the three of us would be together forever.

I am so grateful for our little family and the opportunity that our Heavenly Father has given us to be together forever. I'm thankful that I know that no matter what happens here on earth, we can be together again.

Randoms

As I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself that I can't seem to get comfortable enough to go to sleep it dawned on me just how lucky I am. I am able to carry children. I have true love in my life. I have a wonderful husband that works so hard so I can stay at home and watch the kids grow. He cooks me dinner when I'm tired. I have a warm place that I call home and an abundance of food in the cupboards. I have friends and family that care deeply about me, that call me just to say hello. I have all kinds of kitchen and craft toys to play with. I know the gospel is true. I know my father loves me. I have a savior who payed the ultimate price for me. I would be ungrateful to sit here and sulk knowing that some people don't have these things.

Struggles

(Houston, Tx LDS Temple)

Lately I have been really struggling with all of the Equal Rights stuff going on with Gays. Normally when it comes to controversial issues, I'm not the type of person to speak out. As I have learned over the years that some people are pig headed and it's just not worth the fight. However on this issue I cannot just stand back and say nothing. Growing up I was taught by my wonderful mother not to judge others. This has been a difficult task for me. She lead by example and excepted all, no matter the color of their skin, religious or sexual beliefs. I always tried hard to follow her example. Now we are at a time in this life where the government of our country is basically saying it's okay to be gay. This truly breaks my heart. As I think of Elai growing up in a country that takes away from what we believe it makes me sick to my stomach. So after hearing about these "Equal Rights" there is one thing this has taught me. I now have such a stronger testimony in Eternal Families. That marriage is really meant to be between a man and a woman. I am so thankful to be sealed to my husband and our children from time and all eternity. Though I don't look down on people who choose another path, I will not pretend that it is okay. I love my family and my savior Jesus Christ. I look forward to living with my Father in Heaven again. Until then, I will try my best to teach my family the principles of the gospel.

My $1.56 Shopping Trip!

Albertsons was having a double coupon day today so I had to run over to see what kind of deals I could get. I was so excited when I returned home. I was able to get 5 boxes of Keebler crackers, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 10 Clorox to go packs, and 2 three packs of ivory soaps all for $1.56. Normally when it comes to doublers I only grab the free deals, but I thought I would pay a little for the crackers since Elai has been going through so many. On my was home from Albertsons I stopped by Walgreens and got 4 (1 is not pictured because Zech opened them the moment I got home) large bags of M&Ms without paying anything out of pocket. Santa also got stocking stuffers! Overall I would say today was a great day for bargains. The only problem I ran into was that the stores weren't completely stocked so I couldn't get everything I was hoping for.