Flashbacks!

Hey All! So this is my first attempt at blogging. Here we go!
My Love and I got married in the Jordan River Temple in May of '05. We were high school sweethearts. I wrote to him everyday he was gone to boot camp for the Marines. He completed all of his training in Decemeber of '04. My Love proposed to me in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in SLC. It was amazing! A nice couple saw My Love propose and took pictures for us. It was a very fancy event-My love was in his dress blues and I was in my prom dress. Then someone even paid for our dinner! My Love and I decided that if we ever witness a proposal at a restaurant, we'd buy their dinner just as someone did lovingly for us. Fast forward to our wedding day. We got married around 8 am on the 27th of May and have been loving every minute of it. We went to The Anniversary in for our wedding night. The next day we went to the Homestead up in Midway. It is gorgeous. We stayed there for 3 nights. Then we didn't feel like going home yet so we drove to Park City and stayed at the Marriot Mountainside for 3 nights as well. It was amazing! I highly recommend these places for romantic get-aways. Life began and we moved to Ephraim, Utah. Turkey town. Awesome little town but not the best for your nose. Especially in the summer.
In January of '06 I started feeling a little queasy. (I also started having migraines-which I had never ever had.) Yes! We were expecting a beautiful little baby. Later we found out that little baby was our sweet little Hallie. She was born on October 30th 2006! At 1:43 pm. She was 7 lbs 11 ozs. and 21 inches. She was very sick when she was born, but I'll post about that later. (It's too long for this post.) Labor was incredible-you probably don't hear that definition of labor very much do you? Well it's true. I truly and absolutely loved my labor. She came out without a catch-literally! The doctor missed the delivery! They were calling and calling him. Hallie was not waiting. She was making her way out-ready or not. She beat him to the party and the nurses had to deliver her. Well one of the other docs from their office came in and started stitching me. Suddenly the door flew open and our delivery doctor flew into the room with the reddest face I've ever seen in my life. He says, "Sorry! My pager fell off in the parking lot!" It's kind of funny to picture his pager outside in the parking lot buzzing along the ground; and picturing him finally picking it up and dashing into the hospital. He told us that the doctor's office finally got ahold of him and told him that he had just missed a delivery at American Fork Hospital. To which he exclaimed ,"What?! I'm at American Fork Hospital!" Yeah, turns out he was just downstairs the whole time! Downstairs! The whole time! While they're telling me not to push! Sigh! More to come about what happened after we left the hospital.
Well Life sped by with our fun little family of three. Then in March of '08 the migraines and queasiness started again. (By the way, both pregnancies were planned.) Thus our little Kenion Levi entered the picture. We found out he was due on December 26th. To which I questioned My Love, "What is up with us and Holidays?!" I was induced and He was born on December 19th 2008. Although when I got to the hospital I was at a '4'. We're pretty sure he was going to come that day anyway. Our little Kenion was born at 12:43 pm. I was only in labor for about four hours! Once again I loved my labor. It too was incredible. Kenion's delivery was more scary than Hallie's was though. K got stuck. His shoulders are broad like his Daddy's and they got stuck on my pubic bone. The doctor and nurses started panicking. They were pushing on my belly and stressing. I've never pushed so hard in my entire life. I didn't lose my head and start panicking-neither did Levi-I just pushed and pushed knowing my baby was depending on me. Then out he came! He was ok. They gave him a 'blow by' of oxygen and then he was ok. Though His poor face was completely bruised from just above his chin up. The nurse compared it to someone being hung. Once he was out and safe the doc was telling us that that is a true emergency, and that you have about 3 minutes to get the baby out. After that the baby is in serious danger and they'd have to take matters into their own hands. Thankfully that didn't happen. He was stuck for about two minutes. We were relieved and comforted that he was safe. 8 lbs. 3 ozs. 20 inches. We cooed and loved him. Hallie was so excited to see him. When she arrived she wanted him. It was so adorable. Then she wanted to get up and play again. So she just let go and started getting off the couch. Thankfully Daddy was helping her hold him or he would've been on the floor! So begins our family of four. Hallie is now 2 and 1/2 and Kenion will be 4 months on the 19th! Hallie is animated, happy, vibrant, funny, loving, caring, and a BIG tease! Not necessarily in that order. She loves her baby brother. She really misses her Daddy. Kenion is so happy, loving, and sweet! He loves his big sister. He is always showing off his sweet smile to anyone who talks to him. His fist smile was when he was three days old. I kid you not! It was definitely a social smile too! Not gas like some people say. No! You could see it in his face. He was happy. I told My Love that it was so he could see what he looked like smiling before he left. Which brings me to my next subject.
When we were first pregnant with Kenion, we found out the official news that My Love would be deploying with the Marine Corps at the end of the year. Hard day. In October he left Auto Zone in Ephraim-they will be holding his job for him- and we moved to Payson. This way I could be closer to our families while he was away. He started training with the Marines everyday. He had to leave for a couple weeks here and there. This went on til December when they were officially activated. Thus begins this year, 2009. My Love is now far away from us in Iraq. Some days are extremely hard and lonely. I miss my best friend. All of you reading this make sure you hang onto your loved ones dearly. The last time I saw My Love in California before he left. I said, "I guess we're lucky. Cause we know what it's like to be without each other, so we don't take each other for granted." To which he replied, "Yep!" So the next time you get mad at your hubby, your kids, or even a friend, think of how sad your life would be like without them. We were very blessed that Love was able to take paternity leave to come home and be there for our baby Kenion's birth. We took advantage of any time that we could see him. We took spontaneous trips to Cali and drove to Vegas as well. My Love also took advantage of any time he had to call and talk to his little family. We cannot wait til we are all together again. We're counting down the days. My beautiful daughter cries herself to sleep some nights saying, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" While she hugs "her Gima Bear" that he made for her with his voice inside. It tears my heart out that I can't fix it for her. She doesn't even understand the danger he's in. All she knows is that her "Daddy isn't coming home for a long time." Right now she doesn't have the pleasure of running to her Daddy and grabbing his leg with joy when he gets home from work. Kenion woke up the other day and just looked at me and cried the saddest cry. I comforted him and loved him. He calmed down and then looked at me and started crying the saddest cry again. This happened 3 times. I know without a doubt that he was missing his Daddy. You could see it on his face.
I will keep you posted on how My Love is doing and what he's up to. For now he is in Iraq carrying a loaded M16. He is there sacrificing so that each and every one of us here in the blessed U.S. can do the things we do. The reason we can go to work or to the mall or to McDonald's and everything else we do here. He is missing a year of our lives together. He will return to having his children one year older than they were when he left. He has to watch his back every where he goes. He does it for our Country. For our freedom. He is truly an amazing man! I'm very blessed to be with him for eternity. I love you My Love!
Just remember when you go to bed at night and sleep in your warm cozy bed that my husband's got your back!