We're Back!

Well I decided it was about time we updated our blog but when I got on here I saw that Eric had beat me to it. What a guy! I'm so lucky to have him--he's so good to me!

Here's a little update on what we've been up to...

As you can tell from Eric's post there has been a little bit of excitement at our house. First with the new addition of Tucker (who came when we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we just might not be able to have any kids so...let's just get another dog right?) and then with this pregnancy. We're so excited for this baby and are praying that everything goes well.

I would love to be one of those women who say that being pregnant is the best time of their life but unfortunately I have not been one of the chosen few who get to say that. Instead, I've been working on a really close relationship with my bed and the bathroom. I feel like I've been sick forever. Eric and I actually ended up pregnant the beginning of August, and lucky me, I started throwing up right away. Then unfortunately, we lost that pregnancy and I caught the dreaded Swine Flu. Kind of felt like a kick in the teeth. However, we were really blessed because I ended up pregnant again right away. We really feel like it was a miracle! Counting our disappointments the third time was really a charm for us! Needless to say, I have a new found respect for mothers of multiple children. When you're so sick and feeling generally miserable it's hard to believe that women are willing to do it more than once and I've only started! Kind of a scary thought.

Fortunately, I think we're on the upside of it all. I've been able to keep food down for the last 4 days and am feeling much better. I'm so grateful for priesthood blessings and a wonderful husband. I've always known that he loves me very much but you really find out the extent of their commitment and love when you're not able to do anything for yourself. Eric has been pulling double duty big time since October with working all day and taking care of me as well. I'm so grateful for him!

Anyway, on to other things. We are really starting to enjoy Thermopolis. I think when we are finally in a home of our own it will really feel like we actually belong here. We have met some really great friends which helps a lot, and I think Eric knows just about everyone in town now from being at the store all day. That small town feeling is alive and well here in Thermopolis.

We had a fun summer--didn't do much but it was fun. I think our biggest highlights were family reunions, fishing, and horseback riding. It always feels great being in the mountains and having fun with family. I also had my old roomates from college come and spend a couple of days with me. It was so nice to see them again. I think it had been 7 years since we had all been together. We had a great time visiting and catching up.

Eric and my dad were able to have a successful elk hunt this year as well. It always cracks me up when they spend their "vacation" riding horses and walking for miles and miles up a steep mountain while freezing their tails off, worrying about grizzly bears and wolves carrying off their kill and then packing out camp and coming home all the time hoping that that mule train they are leading out won't plummet off the steep cliffs they are on. They call it "having a great time". Personally I don't think it sounds like that much fun...I think I would need a vacation from my "vacation" if it were me. Oh well, they seem to really enjoy themselves and it's really nice for me to have my husband and dad get along so well and have fun together.

Here are a few pictures from our summer and fall.

June
At the Yorgason family reunion my uncle Carl told us we were welcome to take his boat out for a spin...we should have asked if it needed gas because we had to paddle back to shore with one paddle and my uncle Phil's crutches! Boy did we feel like a trio of blondes. Moral of the story...check if the boat has gas before you take it out in the middle of a lake.

Fishing on the lower Sunshine above Meeteetse. We both caught our limit and had a great time.


July
On July 23rd I was able to see my nephew Zachary David Mackay come into the world. It was the neatest experience. My bro-in-law Jeff is one proud papa.

August

As always, going horseback riding is a blast. Cody was having it's annual balloon festival the morning that we left so we had balloons landing all around Eric's parents house. It was pretty neat.

We decided to ride Eagle Creek Trail up the North Fork. It was really pretty up there.

Me and Bella

All the dogs know that Grandpa is a softy. They always beg his lunch off him.

Lyle, Alex, and Eric--the Wild Bunch!
September
I took Eric to Ten Sleep lake for his birthday. We had a great day fishing and relaxing. Can you guess why we didn't catch any fish?



October
Eric was privileged to be asked to bless our newest nephew on October 8th. What a couple of handsome boys!

I found out that I was pregnant the day before our 4th year anniversary. I decided to wait a day to tell Eric so he could open this as his gift.

Hard to Believe

Some of you may already know... but to all those who read this... now you will all know that we are expecting a baby to be born around the 17th of June in 2010! (I know it's a boy! HA HA)...



I had a wonderful experience today that I really wanted to share. It was a moment in the day that simply put... put life into perspective. You all know... a moment that makes you say "I get it now". Somehow I managed to savor the moment despite the whirlwind of activity that could have ruined it for me.



I got to hear this little miracle heartbeat! It was amazing to me because of the flood of thoughts that come roaring through your mind after you hear what a 150 beats per minute sounds like through a little ultrasonic jukebox of pregnancy. I saw the heartbeat a while back during an ultrasound... and that was a wonderful thing... yet when I heard it, it took on a whole new meaning for me. My very first thought was that heartbeat sounds healthy. Now I am no medical doctor... that was just my first thought. Then my second thought... I got scared to death. There were moments of bliss, knowing that I was going to be a father, and moments of pure terror also knowing that I was going to be a father!



I left the office of that doctor with a miriad of thoughts that I will be pondering for quite some time. I wondered with great respect for God, why the path for me only had a few bumps along the way, and why the path for my life long friends Cole and Natalie was much more difficult. No good answer came in revelation of this part of God's plan. And that made me wonder... am I worthy of the responsibility to raise one of God's little ones? Have I prepared enough? Have I repented enough? Have I learned enough lessons "the hard way" to teach someone else what not to do? Again no good answer came to this simple mind. What I did have was a confirmation of sorts. I looked at Mindy, my beautiful wife in the eyes... and she smiled back at me, and she told me that she loved me. I knew that if God were to bless me with a child based strictly on my merits, choices and such... I would be waiting a very long time and the day might never come. Yet when I looked in Mindy's eyes I knew that she was one of God's chosen mothers. That she was someone so special to God that despite the failures of her husband she had enough of the good stuff to carry us through to the blessings. Then I thought how blessed I was to have such a woman in my life. Someone that did enough good in this world for two people. I also thanked God for a mother that tought me to look for virtue and charity among many other things in a companion, and then I thanked God some more for giving me the strength to hold out until I found Mindy. With her talents in the mix I feel confident that I can be a father and a dad. Life is so enjoyable and knowing that I get to spend eternity with this special woman brings tears of joy to my eyes. I am truly blessed.

So the "I get it now" moment was the realization that God wants to tell me that I am not alone in this world. That I have others to help me in this life and eternity. Others to help build me up and strengthen me. And so I have to tell my greatest source of strength on this earth... To Mindy, "Look at you girl". Let the rest of eternity start with me telling you how much I love you.