Christmas Questionnaire


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper for sure. All other occasions throughout the year I use bags but for some reason Christmas always deserves wrapping.

2. Real tree or Artificial? If you read my post about trees you know I love REAL!

3. When do you put up the tree? Just after Thanksgiving.

5. Do you like egg nog? I used to when I was a kid. We always mixed it with 7up but now I don't love it. It is really strong and I can only drink maybe a few drinks and then I'm done.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Dad made me a "Hope Chest" which was hand made about 6 ft. It is really beautiful and is a wonderful tradition that was started by my Dad.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? I have THREE supprizingly! I received one from my Grandma Gubler when I got married, one from Brett's Grandma Brady last Christmas and one more from I don't remember who (sorry if it is from you).

8. Hardest person to buy for? Everyone knows it is Josh Farnworth :)

9. Easiest to buy for? Anyone who has my same taste in clothing. I love shopping for Hayley Brady!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail! It is so much more fun and classy.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? You know I can't say that out loud!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, The Grinch, Elf.... I can go on and on.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mint hot chocholate, spicy tomato drink, cheese ball, chocholate count down calendars :)

15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored are fun but I like going for glam with the white lights.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Beach Boys Christmas, Elvis, Celin Deon, Amy Grant... I like old school Christmas songs best.

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? HOME! I'm lucky with both families in Utah and 10 min from eachother.

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? For sure!!!

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Is this seriously a question?? Christmas Day!!

20. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I LOVE Christmas and all the things that everyone seems to hate. I love the busy mall and love the snow! So the only thing I can think of is taking down the Christmas tree. I hate taking the lights off and saying good bye to Christmas.

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? Sparkly everything!

22. What do you eat for Christmas dinner? My family is very casual for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Brett's family has a huge meal on Christmas Eve.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Clothes that fit! Maternaty is not as fun as normal clothes but I need comfy clothes very badly!

24. What is your Christmas wish for the World? For Christmas to be as special for everyone as it is for me!

23 Weeks and "Getting His Excercise"

I love being pregnant...more than I ever imagined! The little guy is a serious mover. I feel him all throughout the day and the other morning he actually woke me up with his flailing. Yesterday morning as Brett and I lay in bed, we both watched my stomach ripple as he was "getting his exercise" as Brett calls it. We started chatting about our precious baby and our absolute amazement of his growing little body. My goal throughout my pregnancy has been to enjoy each and every stage. I hear all the time "I can't wait for... the baby to come" or "...the baby to start smiling" or "....the baby to start crawling". It's so ironic that these same people in the end say "I just wish my baby was a baby again" or " I want to be pregnant and have a belly again." I am trying to embrace every stage of my pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I think about being able to hold him for the first time every day! As Brett and I started to talk about how our lives will change he said "I just can't wait until he can recognize me and get excited when I come home." I quickly made the point of enjoying is development as he grows. Living in the present and not in the future is something that doesn't come easy but is very rewarding in the end. Feeling his little movements makes my heart flutter and is a constant reminder of how very blessed we are to have him growing so healthy and strong. I love my little boy more than anything in the world!

No-More Belly Shots. My Mom was horrified when she saw that I posted a picture of my bare belly on my blog a while back. She said "Grandma looks at your blog!!" I think it is fun to look back and see how it has grown. I don't think it is inappropriate at all. What do you think?? Honestly!!

Ginger-Bread Houses!

Our Stockings Hung with Care! (Tea's is in the middle. We'll have to add another next year!!)

Tis the Season

My little siter Heidi is married! She married Trevor Wood on Thursday, December 4th. These are a few pics from the wedding.

My family always goes tree shopping for a REAL tree every year. My parents are so kind and purchase our tree every year because real trees are spency.

We all picked our tree and headed home to decorate. This is how my tree turned out. I love it!

tHanKfuL For EveRy MomEnt oF EveRy dAy!

I'm half way to the end, or should I say to the beginning of a new life! I am feeling him move more and more. Today I want to express my gratitude for such a healthy little boy! We had a ruff week since our 20 week appointment last Thursday. I'll start from the beginning.

When we did IVF to get pregnant we had to do a procedure called ICSI. We were told there was a very small risk with ICSI that the fetus could have some kind of birth defect. We knew we were supposed to precede so with a lot of prayer we did. My entire pregnancy has been perfect. All of my ultra sounds were great and everything was going smooth. At our 20 week appointment they did a full exam of his brain, spine, umbilical cord and heart. He was so active and was moving like crazy. My placenta is running along the surface of my belly so the ultrasound tech said I don't feel him near as much as he is moving. He had his hands up by his face the entire time. We saw him sucking and she said "he is just thirsty". Crazy he drinks when he is thirsty!! I love this fun stage of development. He is weighing well over the normal weight and I am measuring almost a week early! It doesn't necessarily mean I'll deliver early, it just means we are having a very big BOY! He should weight about 8-9 oz. at 20 weeks. He weighed 15 oz!! That was the good news. She then told us not to get stressed but he has little spot on his heart called an EIF. This spot is common in Down Syndrome babies. She kept reassuring us that she didn't want us to panic because it could be nothing. She explained that the spot is just a small sign and he could still be perfectly healthy. She referred us to a Perinatologist and Genetics Councilor at Utah Valley. They would do a more detailed ultrasound and then would make the suggestion of getting an Amnio. Our appointment was scheduled for this Tuesday.



I think he will be a thumb sucker, or at least fingers.



(Below) The spot on his heart. An EIF is a calcification on the wall of one of the chambers in his heart.



Our appointment was with Dr. Julie Gainer at Utah Valley. She checked for all sorts of other signs. She said ultrasounds are the least accurate way to diagnose Down Syndrome. The only way to know for sure would be an Amnio. The Genetics Counselor said there is 1 in 500 chance that the Amnio would lead to my water breaking and a miscarriage. I know to most a 1 in 500 chance is so low but for me he might as well have said 1 in 1. After everything we have done to get this sweet baby I couldn't take the chance of loosing him. We opted not do the Amnio and get some blood work done instead.

Last night, Wednesday, Dr. Gainer called to tell us the results of the blood test. Brett and I were both thrilled to hear the new of our little one having a 1 in 9,100 chance of being Downs. She said the highest she has ever seen a test come back the baby did have Downs was 1 in 160. She said we really should not have to do the Amnio and his heart should be just as healthy as any other baby.

As I said we have so much to be thankful for. What a wonderful start to a Holiday Season. I am so excited for this upcoming month!!


I Am Grateful For....

1. An amazing husband and fun nieces!

2. A big fat baby belly (and TJ's too)!!

3. Twin cousins coming soon!!

4. This CHRISTMAS season!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Man's Best Friend

Loving Memories of Sutton Special!

July 1996-October 2008
Another big change in October was the passing of our Sutton Special.

Over 12 years ago my parents finally gave in to the begging and pleading of their children for a puppy. My Dad worked with a lady whose dog had just had puppies. We all were told to go out the the tomato patch and find the biggest tomatoes we could find. We all ran out to the garden and started looking for tomatoes. To our surprise we found the most adorable little puppy you've ever seen! He was black, white and tan with floppy ears. He was a shepard mix and just about the cutest thing ever!

Sutton was such a good dog. He was trained from a puppy not to come in the house (at my Mom's request). I of course would always sneak him in the back door and play around the basement with him.

We went summer after summer camping with the family and Sutton always loved to run free. This picture was taken of Sutton as a puppy and me camping September 1996. He always listened and was so obedient. Just about the best dog anyone could ever ask for!

We love Sutton and will miss his fun spirit in our lives.
(Hours before Sutton left us)

Autumn Change

Happy Halloween!!

October was such fun month, full of change! Change of leaves, change of season and change of my HAIR!! In the first trimester I was so nervous and cautious about everything. Before we even started IVF I colored my hair to my natural so I wouldn't have to get it done. It felt so great to get it colored and cut! I feel so much better when I do something drastic and the dark was really drastic.

It has been so fun to have Brittany and the girls move back!! The home of Bill and Lynn is always exciting and full of suprises with Hallie and Maddie runnig around!

I helped Hallie rake up some leaves into a pile so we could jump into them. Such a BLAST!

Hee Haw Farms

Hay Ride

Feeding the animals!!

Brittany and Hallie on the BIG slide!

Grandma to be, Me and Jill

Hallie and Aunt Emily

Tea's New Bed

Grandma bought Tea a new bed becasue she was sick of her laying on her couch and pillows. Tea loves her new bed!

Brett's Little Boy

Dear Daddy
Written By: Baby Boy

I won't be long now daddy
Only five more months to go
You listened to my heart beat
Now see how much I grow


You have three little pictures
So you can see I'm really here
I can't wait to spend time with you
And fill you life with cheer


I have ten little fingers
And ten little toes
Mommy loves you daddy
Hold her while I grow


Before the Ultrasound!!

We are the pround pregnant parents of a BOY!!!! Wow, I can't believe how excited I am. On Wednsday, October 22 it took the the nurse no less than 10 seconds to find his BIG secret. She said "Here is the face...now lets see what you two have........IT'S A BOY!" Of course you never want to be told one thing and then get another, so I asked "how sure are you?" She kind of chuckled and said "I'd bet my house on it! You have got a BOY in there!"

I honestly didn't know how I was going to react going into this appointment. Either way I knew I would be shocked. After we knew I couldn't stop smiling for hours. It just feels so right. HE is so precious and now I feel like I can talk to HIM and feel conected to HIM :) My favorite part of this experience is to see Brett lite up when he sees the ulrasounds. This makes it all come to life for both of us. Calling everyone was such a blast. My parents are going to be first time Grandparents to our SON.

FACE PROFILE/HIS SECRET/HIS FOOT & TOES

Into The Stretchy Pants

Belly Bump at 15 Weeks!

Stretchy Pants!! I have always hated these pants and swore I would never wear them. I just can't fit into my regular jeans, even though I still try and wear them with zipper unzipped, button tied with a hair band and belly hanging out. These stretchy pants are great but my stomach is so sensitive that I can't wear them for too long right on my belly. I have to pull the elastic down after an hour or two of wearage.

Grandpa the HERO!

These pics were way back at 6 Weeks. My sister had them on her camera so I couldn't post them until now (sorry they are small). As most of you know I've had a little bit of a belly from day one of my pregnancy. This was because of the swelling from In-Vitro. I was slightly hyperstimulated, meaning that my ovaries were swollen. Most people don't look like this the day they find out they are prego :)

I made my Dad the coolest shirt (thanks to my Cricket)! My mom had been at Girls Camp all week and she hadn't heard the new of my pregnancy. She came home very late Friday night. It was August 1st and we found out earlier that day that we were pregnant. My Dad had this shirt on when she came home!

My Dad's MS Update!

Some of you know my Dad and some of you don't. He is the greatest Father, son, friend, brother, husband, leader and most of all example! His enthusiasm is contagious and most everyone who meets him wants to meet him again.

Two years ago my Dad came to our family with some horrifying news.

For the past couple of months we knew he had been developing some interesting symptoms. On of which was his feet felt like they were on fire. He felt as if he had 3rd degree burns on his feet all the time and could not wear socks and shoes. Just a few side stories…That winter his feet were so hot he was found several time shoveling snow with flip-flops! The next summer at Lake Powel he thought dry ice in a bucket of water might cool his feet down…not very smart I know, but kind of funny if you know my Dad!

With his symptoms persisting, my Dad proceeded to seek help from a specialist, followed by an MRI and then a spinal tap. This was when he was told that he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the nerves in your body. Not knowing too much about this disorder my first thought was that my Dad was dying. It was so abrupt that I didn’t know how to react to such news. I hugged my Dad and said “I don’t want you to die!” My Dad being the Father he is said “If I do, you’ll know where to find me.” How reassuring to know that my Father knew where he would go if it was his time. I know that is not something that I have ever been able to say in my life and hope someday I can be spiritually confident enough to say that to my children.

Being the positive ball of fight and devotion that he is, he decided to take his treatment into his own hands. He researched diets that my help fight his MS and came across a book “The China Study”. He completely cut meat, dairy and hydronated oil out of his diet. As you can imagine that is NOT an easy thing to do. We grew up on roast and mashed potatoes, cheesy casseroles, sour cream and lots of milk. He cut it all out cold turkey to see if it would make a difference. He slowly noticed his symptoms subsiding. His feet were still just has hot but the numbness in his stomach and vision were back to normal! Over the next two years he had no added symptoms to his hot feet.

My parents invited us to the temple the other week, along with my sister and her husband. During the section my dad said that his feet felt cold for the first time since the diagnosis! It was a miracle.

He had another MRI last Wednesday to see if the lesions on his brain had gotten worse. MS has no cure and it is progressive disorder. The MRI was to see how fast his body was destroying his nerves. If the pace was fast his MS would continue to take over his body. He received a letter from his specialist and it read “You have no new lesions on your brain or spinal column…” It was an absolute blessing! His will and spiritual strength has conquered the discouragement of doctors and statistics. Will he be the same “Groovy Guy” in 30 years? I think so!

Grow Baby Grow!

On Thursday we had our 10 week appointment with Dr. Judd. The baby was kicking and punching like crazy!! In the picture you can see it's little foot and toes. You can also see the cute little face. Don't worry...what looks like a Pinocchio nose is really just the baby's hand up by its face. The baby's fingers and toes are not webbed anymore and it is really starting to grow into a little Bremily.

The little nugget is about an 1 1/2 in from head to butt. It's heart beat was going so fast. It was 166 beats per min.



As for me, I was super sick starting at 6 weeks and now I feel like it might be letting up (knock on wood). So much for morning sickness...how about all day sickness. I am working full time and have recently taken over the HR department at work. This past week I worked the entire week including Saturday and I am totally worn out. I love that it is Sunday!

Now for the fun part. For all of you gender predictors, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE HAVING? Here are the clues... (and no I don't know what I'm having until the end of October)

1 Food just doesn't sound good period...but I have been eating a lot of fruit. I like strawberries, peaches and grapes.

2 Usually meat is not my friend but dairy most defiantly makes me throw up. I can have small amounts but you won't find me eating a steak or drinking a glass of milk.

3 Greasy food :(

4 Carrots, celery, cucumbers, black olives, pickles...all dipped in ranch!

5 I love salty! The only restaurant that I crave is Happy Sumo. It is because of the edamame covered in rock salt and all the soy sauce. Everything is very salty!

6 Most of my real cravings have gone away, but in the beginning I was eating cottage cheese and tomatoes every day.

7 My skin has not been breaking out at all and has become really soft.

8 My hair is oilier than ever. I hate it but some say it points to a certain gender.

So...what is your conclusion? Let me know :)

Our Miracle Baby

I finally have decided to post about our life changing story. For anyone reading this post who has any questions about infertility, or any questions about our story, I am more than happy to help. We have been very open about our story all along.

I’m going to start from the very beginning…(sorry, it's kind of long)!





Brett and I were married July 2005. From the the moment we were married I wanted to start a family. Brett and I had two different plans and Brett's was to wait for a year before we added a little one. One year passed and Brett still wasn't convinced that we were ready. 6 months later he gave in and we started to try and get pregnant. For those of you who have had a hard time getting pregnant or it didn't happen right away, you know the pain that come every month when you are not. Month after month no success. Month after month more sadness.

April of this year, most of you know that Shane and Truly (Brett’s brother and his wife) went through a long procedure to allow them to have a child (they got the two for one special and are pregnant with twins!) She had one of her appointment with Dr. Richards- also know as Doc, and invited me to come along. At this time Brett and I had been trying for a baby for about 17 months with no success. She thought I could ask Doc a few questions after their appointment. This appointment was the start of a long road.

After talking with Dr. Richards he concluded that we needed to get some more testing done. We went through a long rigorous testing regimen. The way everything happened so quickly was scary but we knew that this was our chance. Within a few weeks we were told that we would need to proceed with IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). *To read more about IVF use this link; http://californiafertilitypartners.com/treatments-in-vitro-fertilization.html.

Doc informed us that because of our circumstances artificial insemination and fertility treatments would have a slim (less than a 5%) chance of working. Regular IVF “may” work so we would not only have to go through IVF but we would also have to go through an additional step called ICSI. *To read more about ICSI use this link; http://californiafertilitypartners.com/treatments-intracytoplasmic-sperm-injection.html. Because of this extra procedure we were told that the very best chance of success would be to travel to a world renowned doctor in Los Angeles California, Dr. Marrs. With a lot of praying we decided this would be our chance.

In Vitro is a long, 1-2 month process that requires strict injections of hormones and stimulation drugs. This allows and prepares my body for a surgery called the egg retrieval followed 3 days later by a transfer. With blood draws every other day, ultrasounds, injections of drugs and support of loved ones...hopefully pregnancy is achieved. The success rate of IVF varies due to age, male or female factors and the experience your doctor has. Dr. Marrs has 30+ years experience and defiantly knows just about everything there is to know about baby making!

Brett did such a great job drawing up the medications and comforting me!

I had the great opportunity of having two shots in my stomach daily! Please let me remind you that I am terrified of needles! The best medication of all made me feel like I was going through menopause. Yes…hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, nausea, mood swings and all.

I had numerous blood draws and ultrasounds. Brett’s birthday, July 11th, was on a Friday. This was the day that my nurse Kristin called from California Fertility Partners and told us to be there on Monday for an appointment. We would finally meet Dr. Marrs for the first time! We were so excited we left the next morning. We started the drive to LA.

We stopped off in Las Vegas and Ryan and Sarah McGiven were nice enough to let us stay the night. Brady and Easton were so adorable!

We arrived at our hotel in LA on Sunday afternoon. Comfy bed!

Our Monday appointment went very well with an ultrasound and meeting Dr. Marrs.

What we went through the next week in LA was stressful yet strengthening our relationship. We did find some time for some fun and relaxation.

The Beach, out to dinner and DISNEYLAND.

I was in a wheel chair because I was still in some pain from the egg retrieval the day before.

The Egg Retrieval- Thursday, July 24th.

Making sure my levels are all good. They gave us the go!

Brett's addition :)

Before I went in for surgery they let Brett come in and see me followed my Dr. Marrs letting be know they were going to get started soon. Because of the other patients privacy they weren't even going to let Brett come back, so I was very excited to see him. Once my IV was started and the drugs went in I was feeling the effects almost immediately. I just started laughing and then I was out...

Waking up from my surgery. They got 10 eggs out of my two ovaries. It was amazing because he predicted to retrieve 8. I had 13 eggs which was surprisingly low for my age. I should have had close to 20. It may have been due to the cyst I had on my ovary earlier in the cycle. Well we got 10 eggs and now it is time for my eggs to meet up with Brett's sperm. Dr. Stone (embryologist) performs ICSI and microscopically injects the sperm into my each of my eggs. Now the waiting game. They now become embryos and grow like crazy. Out of the ten eggs, three didn't make it right off the bat. The next day Dr. Stone called and told us that only 5 of the embryos made it and they would be transferring the embryos back into my uterus.

Sunday...The Transfer!

Sunday we arrive at California Fertility Partners.

I was given a Valium for the next procedure I would go through. We went into the room and they showed us that we had 3 good embryos. The goal was to get the embryos to an 8 cell count and a 7.0 grade. I had 8, 7 and 6 cell count embryos. Dr. Marrs showed us this picture!

This was the surgical room were I had to drink 3 water bottles!! After bottle 2 I almost through up and then had to keep chugging. That was the worst of all! This was to fill my bladder so they could get a better look with an ultra sound where they were going to place the little ones.

The great doctor that helped us through it all!

Dr. Marrs

Another Waiting Game

The embryos were in and we made the trip home. We had to wait until August 1st to find out whether this entire journey was successful. That was a LONG day!! I'm going to say the longest day of my life! I had a blood draw that morning and then we just had to wait and wait and WAIT.

We got a phone call from Doc which I was not expecting because I was supposed to be contacted by my nurse Kristin. I answered the phone not thinking anything of it. He said "I just got off the phone with Dr. Marrs and.......................................................................................YOUR PREGNANT!!!!!!"

This is the little one at our ultrasound on Tuesday, August 19th.

Thank you to everyone who fasted, prayed and held your breath for us!! We are so blessed and know that this child is a Miracle Baby!