Coming to an End

I was just in the laundry room looking out the window of my parents' house when I noticed the sound of the clock tick tocking on the wall. Every second that ticked by meant another second closer to having to go home to Utah. It has been such an eventful week and half and I've loved every second of it. Well, almost. Things like saying goodbye to your brother for two years and watching your twin suffer through labor are never easy. But the goodness that came from and will come from these two events are what we will cherish forever.

I remember thinking during the weeks before coming here how great it would be if Amber had her baby before we came. He could come around March 15th, we would come on the 16th and visit them in the hospital, then I'd get to spend the rest of the two weeks helping take care of them at her house. As I mentioned before, Amber ended up going into labor soon after Brycen's 2nd birthday party on the 17th and little Tayen arrived on the 18th-only hours after Adam's mission farewell. And now I am so grateful that little Tayen timed things the way he did. Amber and Che' got to enjoy one last hoorah of fun at Brycen's party, then Sunday was way full of excitement as we sat in Adam's meeting listening to him speak about being an example, knowing that Amber was just up the road in labor. Talk about chaotic but incredibly spiritual at the same time. We always joked that Amber would be in labor during Adam's meeting. Who would have thought that it would actually happen! Little Tayen arrived one day before his due date and apparently wanted to join us all in his very own unique way. And while I hated seeing my twin go through so much pain and frustration during her 22-hour labor, I am so grateful that I could be there to see the nurses pass him through that window after being delivered by c-section. It was a great experience watching them clean him, take his measurements, and get his footprints. Then to see Che', a first-time daddy, come in with the biggest smile on his face to greet his firstborn son with open arms. Talk about a tear-jerking moment! I'm so glad I got to be there to experience such a wonderful moment. There's nothing like new babies coming into the world.

We've gotten a lot of similar comments regarding that crazy weekend. Things like, "What has been going through your mind during all of this?" and "What are the odds Amber would be in labor during Adam's meeting!" were two of the most common. My dad's answers were always my favorite. First, he would acknowledge how well Adam did on his talk and how excited we all are for him. Then he brought up Amber and how exciting it will be to have a new baby in the family. Then he would round it up with my favorite part: "We're sending one missionary off and bringing another into the world." That always made me smile to hear him say that. What a neat experience to be blessed with a missionary and a new future missionary all in the same week. It's just so fun!

Tyson comes to town on Friday and I'm very excited to see him. He left March 18th after Adam's luncheon and has been in Utah since. This is the longest he has been away from Brycen and I. Even when we were engaged we didn't go longer than a week without seeing each other. It's been tough (especially for him) but we're thankful for Skype. Brycen loves talking to his daddy on the computer. Tyson comes Friday, which means we'll be heading back home on Sunday. It will be so hard to leave. Amber has loved having me in town being only 3 minutes away, and I've loved it just as much, if not more, than she has. I miss my family and I miss being only 10 minutes away from them. It's hard not being able to see them whenever I want. The same goes for Tyson's family. It would be one thing if we had one of our families in Utah with us. But with both of them in Idaho Falls it makes things extra hard. By the time we come back to Idaho Tayen will already be almost 8 weeks old. That's hard for me to accept, I have to admit. I hate that I'll be missing these first few weeks of his life and all of the changes he'll go through. But I feel lucky that Tyson, Brycen, and I are only a 2 1/2-hour drive away in Utah. It doesn't take much for us to come here or for family to come visit us down there. But somehow that doesn't make things any easier.

A few things about Brycen and I that have changed while here:

• Brycen started saying the words "shoes" and "Adam". He said "Adam" (he actually says "Amam") the day after Adam left when someone asked him where Adam was. He pointed to a picture of him and said "Amam!"
• My tummy has definitely grown while we've been here. All of a sudden I'm feeling the need for maternity pants.
• These days I feel SO hungry! It reminds me of the movie "17 Again" when Zac Efron is in the kitchen at his friends' house. He says, "I'm SO hungry (with easy cheese squirting into his mouth)...all the time!" I've been accepting leftovers from others and feeling very excited about it. For some reason food is just wonderful these days.
• Brycen is pretty much done with his size 5 shoes and that's all I brought for him. One of them is still fitting but nothing else does. Even his size 6 TOMS are too small, but those run small anyway. Time to get this boy some new shoes!

Brycen and I have had quite the eventful week and a half with my family! Other activities have included:

• taking pictures of Adam in his suit before he left on his mission
• a family photo shoot with Aaron, Britney, and Boston
• a newborn photo shoot with sweet little Tayen when he was 8 days old
• being around when my parents received their first letter from Adam
• many visits with Amber, Che', and Tayen
• playing outside in the backyard with Brycen
• a birthday party for Tyson's sister, Angie
• late night movie night with Mom, Brycen, and Amy (Brycen lasted through the whole movie when it ended at 1 am. Of course the rest of us fell asleep. We watched "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown" and he loved it!)
• popcorn and "Puss In Boots" with the Miller cousins
• a play date with the Sargent kids (some of the Miller cousins)

And things we've yet to do and are looking forward to:

• seeing Tyson on Friday night
• Orange Leaf with my mom
• getting Casino beverages (Vanilla diet pepsi's from the Stinker Station by Albertson's-simply the best!)
• a visit to Fiesta Ole' (Some of you understand how it feels to live far away from Fiesta Ole' then want it when you come back!)
• Blast Off! with the Miller cousins
• getting my hair highlighted by my sister
• more visits and snuggles with Tayen
• feeding apples to the horses behind my parents' house
• Brycen's birthday party with the Miller family
• an Easter egg hunt with the Miller cousins
• watching General Conference with family
• and much, much more!

I feel grateful that I've been able to stay here in Idaho for so long. I really needed this and it's just been so much fun and quite eventful. I'm looking forward to many more good times the rest of the week!