Things To Be Thankful For...

This is a little late, but as they say better late then never. I thought it would be nice to post my next blog on nothing but things I am thankful for.

1 I am so thankful that Ken has a job that give me the privilege of staying home with my sweet children.
2. I am thankful for Angela. She is so good at doing her school lessons while I am helping Christopher with his.
3 I am thankful for Christopher. He is a very slow learner, but slow still means he is still learning just the same.
4. I am thankful for my little 18 month old Kirsten. Even though she tells me nearly every morning that there is lights it is still so cute to hear her say it just the same. It is nice to be reminded of the simple things in life. Yes even lights that we take for granted.
5. I am always thankful for my little Angel Baby Naomi. She gave us so much to look forward to. (For more on that see my last blog entry.)
6. I am even thankful for Buddy our dog of nine years. He is half the reason I kept the weight off I lost this past year. Thank you Buddy for begging me to take you on your evening walks.
7. I am also thankful for our house that we recently moved into last June. It is so nice to finally have the room to store things. I also love that fact that the kids have there own room.
8. I am also thankful that my in-laws live here in Pocatello. They sure love spending time with there grand kids.
9. I am also thankful for my good health. It can be easily taken away. I am so glad to be healthy and strong.
10. I am also thank for the gospel. Without it I would have little hope for the future. I am so thankful for that knowledge that I will see my Naomi again.
11. I am thankful that I have the choice to be happy and I am glad to say that I am indeed happy.
12. I am thankful for friends as this and facebook has shown how many I truly have in this wonderful world!

A Letter to Naomi

It has been 3 years since I gave birth to my Angel baby Naomi Ruth Tennant. I thought to commemorate the occasion I would write a letter to her in my journal. Here it goes.

Dear Naomi Ruth Tennant

It is hard for me to believe at times that it has actually been 3 years since you blessed us with your presence. I was so excited to find out I was pregnant with you on the 4th of March 2006. It had been such a long time since I had a baby. I had planned on naming you Naomi since your Grandma Robbins died a year prior to my getting pregnant with you. Naomi was your great Grandma Robbins' name. Naming you Naomi was my way of dealing with the loss of my Grandma. Just knowing I was finally pregnant with you brought so much happiness into my life. I couldn't wait to tell everyone I knew about your coming. Your due date was the 4th of November. It seemed the longest wait of my life. I knew you were a girl as soon as I knew I was pregnant with you. I found out on the 24th of June 2006. There wasn't a single person that I told about the news of your coming arrival that wasn't also happy for your coming. Later in the summer as your daddy and I prepared for your birth, we realized that we wanted to have a home birth. We took a Bradley Method class and we learned that this would be the best way to bring you into the world. We later, after much searching, found a midwife that fit our needs and expectations. I was so excited to give birth to you at home. We chose to have a water birth.

On November 6th 2006 I went into labor with you late that night. My labor with you was long and hard. With the help of your Daddy and my midwife, Michele Bartlett, I made it through. Finally at 2:28 pm on the 7th of November, you came into the world. I still remember when your daddy brought you out of the water. Your little tongue curled and your lips quivered. You were so cute. I was so excited to finally have you in my arms. I felt the most happy I had ever felt in my life. My recovery after giving birth to you was very relaxed. I enjoyed being in my own home. You were so cute. You weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces. Your daddy and I experienced the happiest five and a half weeks after your birth. It was so fun to see you grow during that time. I loved holding you in my arms while you fell asleep there. I wonder before you left us if life could possibly get any better. I was so happy.

Christmas and the excitement that went with it was added to the excitement of having you that following December. After you turned one month old you started to smile at me. I knew then that you loved me and you knew that I was taking good care of you as your mother. Your brother, Christopher, and sister, Angela, loved holding you. They adored you, their baby sister. Life seemed complete with you in our lives. You started to babble shortly after you turned one month old. You were such a sweet baby. I enjoyed soothing you when you were fussy. Your daddy so enjoyed rocking you to sleep at night. We didn’t complain much when you woke us up at night. We enjoyed our time with you, not knowing at the time it would be so short.

Then the awful day came when Heavenly Father called you home on the 16th of December 2006. It broke my heart to lose you. We found out that you had died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). For months afterward it caused me much sorrow. I didn’t know how to go on with my life without you in it. My arms ached to hold you. With the passage of time and the arrival of your sister, Kirsten, nineteen months later, I have found reasons to be happy again, though; it is not the same kind of happiness as it was after your birth. I do love my life and your siblings, but you should know that not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. All the love I would have given you the (kisses and hugs) I now give to your siblings. When I see your baby sister, Kirsten, playing, laughing, and babbling, I think of all that I have missed with you, but I also look forward to someday having this time with you in the millennium to raise you there. In the mean time I will continue giving hugs and kisses to Angela, Christopher, and Kirsten; those same hugs that I would have given to you if you had lived. Please know that I love you so much.

Your mother, always.

Happy Halloween

The kids carving pumpkins. Unfortunately, these pumpkins only lasted about four days before fuzz decided to start growing on the inside. Two days later, they collapsed as they looked more fuzzy than pumpkin...




Finished product, the left of a monster, Christopher's choice. Angie a message of Trick or Treat. Ken did all of the carving and not to bad after year three of attempting to carve pumpkins.



All the kids were excited this year. Christopher chose the fireman outfit and Kirsten loved to be in here cow outfit. She threw a fit when we took it from here while in the store to pay for it. Get this, though. She is barely seventeen months, but the outfit is for a two year old.



After getting everyone dressed for the evening, we went out to two trunk or treats and the kids had a blast. We went to the trunk or treat of our current ward and old ward. It was nice to be able to mingle with friends while Ken gave out the candy. The kids got what they wanted then headed back to the van when they had their fill.

Happy Halloween everybody and enjoy life!