A Little Snack

Yesterday was a nice really windy day, so instead of going outside to eat our snack, we ate it inside with the sliding door open. It was a fun little time. Brooke really liked it.

Anyways, guess what! Our car broke down. Perfect timing, right?! I am so ready for a new car! We'll see if that actually happens.....When it rains it pours.

Gordon will be home in 8 days! WOO HOO!

Things are happening

So here's what has been on my mind lately:

1. I forgot my running shoes in Utah and I'm supposed to be running this week--I have a schedule to follow! They are being sent to me from our friends we were with in Bountiful where I forgot them. How dumb is that? I completely and totally FORGOT them. Maybe subconsciously I really don't want to run anymore. Who knows! I'm just anxious to get them. They can't get here quick enough.

2. Gordon is leaving for Chicago tomorrow on a business trip for a long time (a week and a half!). I'm going to miss him :( Sad day.

3. We're still on the hunt for an apartment. We've found one that we really like and I'll probably sign the lease while Gordon is gone, assuming we get the place. I hope we do! Its really nice.

4. I think Brooke has hit her terrible two's 10 months early. Is that even possible? Oh well. She's a very determined little girl and seriously too smart for me. I can't harness her genius. Its just wearing me out. I also made the mistake of feeding her M&M's. Since Gordon's Mom teaches piano, she has a lot of treats (like M&M's) in her piano room. Brooke used to sign 'more' and point to the candy dispenser of M&M's. I used to tell her 'no' and she'd throw a fit. NOW, she just uses the dispenser herself. Thats right....she learned how to use the candy dispenser....and she's only 14 months. Genius I tell you.

I've been meaning to post this

These are videos from our drive up here to Oregon. I'm a vlogger! Shay Carl would be proud...

We're here!

We made it to oregon in one piece! Hooray! Anyways, its late, but here are a few photos and videos of our life in the past few days.

We went to Utah last Thursday night so I could run another half marathon, this time with my sister! Precious. We did it!!

So happy to be done! I didn't review the course as much as I did for the last race, so getting to the finish line seemed like an eternity--especially the hill at mile 11!

While in Utah, we stayed with our good friends, Rob and Erin. They have the sweetest little girl named Lyla. She's a cutie and Brooke loved playing with her new friend.

Brooke especially loved the ball pit.....
...and this hat! How adorable is she?!

Love my Brooke!

So, we're in the middle of our move and are about to travel to Salt Lake for my half marathon (woohoo! SO EXCITED!) BUT, I thought I'd write a little blurb about how much I love my little Brooke!

She is generally so content and has quite the personality. She loves her dad and gets excited when she sees him come home from work. She likes to laugh and she likes to squirm out of my arms so she can walk herself and do things on her own. She has the biggest smile on her face when she sees me walk in the door. Everything to her is a cell phone and she holds anything up to her ear and babbles. She likes to 'talk' --it's like she has her own language. Anyways, I love her to pieces and love being a mom to such a great girl! She's wonderful!

He did it!

Congratulations, Gordon! You did it! Off we go to our next phase in life after college! I am one proud wife! So excited for what the future holds for our little family!

By the way, we're moving to Oregon in a week! Gordon got a wonderful internship that is paid! It has been an answer to our prayers and we are so grateful. I was hoping this company would see the ambition and hard worker that I have always seen, and I guess they did because he's in! He starts May 10th. I will keep you posted as we get through the next week or two.

For now, we're partying.....and packing.

DEAR BILL:

THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG AND BEING AN UNOFFICIAL FOLLOWER!

Anyways.....

Its taken me forever to finally upload all the photos and videos we have, but I DID IT! And now, you lucky people get to find out what we've been up to!

Brooke is walking like a pro! This video was taken 3 weeks ago! She is at the point where she'd rather walk than crawl and she can get up to stand on her own without using a wall or a toy. Way to go Brooke!

Gordon was watching Brooke while I was at the gym and he was busy doing something when after a few minutes he thought to himself "Wow, Brooke is really behaving well! Wait....I should probably go check on her". He found her in front of the TV watching baby einstein with her sippy cup-- that she was shaking the milk out of rather effectively. He took the cup away from her and then thought to take a picture! Smart man.

A portion of our trip to Canada was spent in a van traveling to the airport. Brooke and Zoe were together in the back and Brooke loved it! She usually is by herself in our small VW, but this was a change she liked! She really loves her cousins!

While we were gone, we missed Gordon! I showed this picture to Brooke a few times and she would point to it and smile!

First of all, I know these are out of focus.....my brother was impatient with my camera and just took a bunch without focusing. So, overlook that! These are my sisters and as you can tell, we had a good time........you can sort of tell what our personalities are from these photos. Or, we're just crazy.

And finally, a video that should brighten your day. Brooke cracks me up! I love that girl to pieces!

We love Grandpa Ernhofer!

Brooke and I went to Canada for a week with Shayna and her kids to visit my Grandpa who is very sick. I was going to write this big long post about how amazing and miraculous this whole trip was, but my sister beat me to the punch and it is very well written, so this is what happened in her words:

"Two Sundays ago I felt that I should call my dad and ask about Grandpa (miracle #1). He told me that my Grandpa was worse. I asked if we should come and he said he didn't know. I asked my mom and in reply she told me the story of when Grandpa was about to have his brain surgery and I called my Dad who was at the hospital and asked him to pass along the message to Grandpa that we (Lauren and I and our families) loved him very much and were thinking and praying for him. Mom told me that when my Dad told my Grandpa, Grandpa wept. She said, "If he has that reaction to hearing that you love him, imagine what it would mean to him to have you come all this way."

It just so happened that we had unexpectedly got a big check from our insurance (miracle #2)from when Liv was sick and in the hospital and I was feeling guilty about it--that we had financially benefited from her being so sick--and I thought "This is Livie's money. What would she want us to do with it?...Have us take her to meet her Great Grandpa."

So it was decided. Tony and I got out our calendar and saw that the only possible time it would work would be immediately, so he looked up plane tickets while I called Lauren. I told her that we were going and asked her if she'd like to come. They talked about it and figured that the only way they could afford it would be if Gordon got the internship he had applied to, which they wouldn't know until later. In Lo's words they "decided to take it on faith" and they decided Lauren and Brooke would come.

Then I called Sam. We had been trying for over two years to see Sam after she moved to Calgary, but something always seemed to come up. So I called her and found out that because of spring break she would be off work at the exact time that we were planning on going (miracle #3), and after a bit of encouragement from me, Shawn ("family comes first!") and my parents, she decided she would come to (miracle #4).

It was late when it was all worked out and official, and it was even later in Ottawa, so I waited until the next morning to call my Grandma. At first she didn't believe what I was saying, but I kept telling her, "It is done. The tickets are bought. We're coming! We're all coming." Only after a moment when the news had sunk in did she remember something that had happened the night before. She woke Grandpa up to get him ready for bed, and as he was waking up he said, "Is Shayna here? When is Shayna coming?" Grandma said, "No Frank, Shayna lives in the States, she's not coming." And to me she said, "What an amazing coincidence! How did he know you were coming? Just as you were working it out, he knew." (miracle #5)

All of Grandpa's grandchildren and all of his great grandchildren came for him. We bought tickets Sunday, and we were on the plane Wednesday. While we were gone, Gordon got word that he did get the internship (miracle #6). While we were there, there were countless little miracles involving each person in our family. It was amazing.

We just got home last night.

Mom called just a minute ago and said that Grandpa went back to the hospital today. They did more tests and the doctors say he has two weeks to maybe two months to live on this earth. My mom said that the last time he was very lucid was the last time I saw him, two days ago, when we came to say goodbye. He had fallen asleep after we spoke, so as I was leaving I pressed my cheek to his and whispered, "Goodbye Grandpa. I love you." and he said "I love you too."

I am so grateful this Easter weekend for a loving Heavenly Father who allowed me the opportunity to see my Grandpa and tell him how much he means to me, and for my Grandpa to see all of his family there with him and for him. I'm grateful for the prompting of the spirit that we all have that if followed, will allow us to be instruments in the hands of God. I am grateful to know that because of Jesus Christ, we will all rise again. That we will live with our families forever, and that death is a temporary parting.

President Benson (a prophet) once said, "Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us." I am so grateful that even though we can't see him here, we can feel His love every day."