"The Weeds Only Grow in Our Yard"

Years ago Crystal's neighbor asked her to water her yard for a couple of months while they were out of town.  Crystal said, "Mom I swear the weeds never grow in their yard!"  That has become a joke between us.  Everytime it "appears" that somebody has the perfect life we will say "the weeds never grow in their yard".  Our family seems to have a lot of "weeds" or trials.
The other night when I was staying at Crystal's house and she was laboring to have little Ellie a strange storm hit the house.  The house rumbled and the windows shook so hard I thought they might break.  I looked in the back yard and saw the kids picnic table blowing around so I ran outside and grabbed it before it went through a window.  Later when the winds calmed I went out into the front yard to access the damage and saw the strangest thing.  It was so dark and still raining so I waited until day light to take a few pictures.

Here is the house across the street

The house to the right of them

I must have deleted the picture of the house to their left...but here is Crystal's yard.

A closer view

Even closer

Her yard was covered in corn husks!  Just her yard.  It was almost as if somebody had dumped them there on purpose.  They blew in from the corn fields behind the house.  Is that strange or what?  There were a few random husks in Jeremy's yard but Crystal's was covered.  We just stood outside in the dark with the rain falling on us and laughed.  "Mom like we have been saying for years the weeds only grow in our yard!" Then we saw the lights on at Jeremy and Kats house and asked them to come outside and they stood there and laughed with us. 

We know everbody has trials of their own and that weeds grow in everybody's yard and that sometimes you just have to laugh!

Blessings

Just some random things I wanted to share.  I got so busy trying to help Crystal that I got a little behind on a few things.  The first is Charlee turned 21!  So Happy Birthday Charlee your new family sure does love you and we hope you have a magical year.

I finally got Crystal and Amanda to pose for a "pregnancy" photo together.  It's such an amazing thing to see your daughters pregnant together! 

Poor Amanda I'm afraid she's going to have a bigger tummy than she had with Izzy.  She is due on Halloween but already Dr.'s are saying they won't let her go past 39 weeks.  She has two tumors that sit high in her tummy that Dr.'s are watching closely.  If the nucleus in them begin to die it could cause her to go into pre-term labor.  So we are keeping the faith and as always praying. 

Then "Little Miss RaLee" started her Junior year!  I have to tell you with her being my baby this brought many mixed emotions for me...next year I will cry---a bunch!

Getting ready for the first day of school.

It require lots of this...

Every year the RaLee's biggest stresser is deciding on a back pack!  Yes the back pack.  It has to be the perfect one and she likes solid colors so she can draw on them over the course of the year.  So this years back pack is...

A super bright obnoxious yellow!

Ready for school

Her favorite shoes.  She says they are not only cute but super comfy!

Then we are in for another exciting year of Cheer!  This year she is on the Varsity Cheer Squad and let me tell you they work HARD.  Here is RaLee at Crystal's baby shower.  She showed up at the end after the grueling Saturday cheer practice.

Here she is after practice at Charlee's birthday party.  Are you seeing a trend here?  These girls are working SO hard to get their squad, 21 girls in all, ready for that first game.  They are also hoping they qualify for regionals in November.  Cheerleading isn't what it used to be back in my day!

RaLee is a back spotter/base.  It is her job to toss and catch the flyers and keep them safe.  While the flyers get all the attention the people throwing them have to be in super shape!  She goes to a gym every Monday and Tuesday for weight training.  She needs to be able to bench press 150 lbs.  She is up to 130!  Way to go RaLee...Your a BEAST!  She comes home tired, battered and bruised.  One misplaced elbow results in this...

The poor girl is covered in bruises but this was her first black eye.  It actually knocked her out for 30 seconds or so.  She rested a bit and got right back in there.  I'm so proud of you sweety!

This picture we took in memory of Kyndal Ann White, daughter of Crystal's dear friend Cori White.  Kyndal was born still October 8, 2009.  Cori wore a pink flower at her baby shower and then wore that same flower at her daughters funeral.  The pink flower is in memory of Kyndal.  We liked to think of Sage and Kyndal together with Ellie before she was born.  Telling her all about her wonderful family and this amazing place we call "Earth".

In Memory of Kyndal

Pink Booties that we prayed Ellie would get to wear home from the hospital and a flower in memory of a baby girl who went home to the Father - on top of Crystal's baby bump.

Then finally baby Ellie going home wearing her pink booties.  Oh how our family has been blessed.

Ellizabeth Mae Eldredge

Little Ellie Mae is here!  She was born August 24, 2010 at 5:26pm.  She was 7lbs 11ozs and 20 3/4 inches long.  She is perfect and has two very proud and happy parents.  Crystal always has long difficult labors and this one was no exception.  She started contracting on August 19th and delivered 6 days later!  The last two days she could not eat, sleep and had "Morning Sickness" the entire time.  My heart broke for her.  When she finally started dialating it went quick and four short pushes later we had our new little angel.  Crystal had a minor surgery to repair the rectal muscles that caused a lot of blood loss.  She will be looking at major surgery in the furture.  We are hoping she and baby will be coming home tomorrow but it may be Friday.  I don't care as long as they both continue to thrive and grow stronger.  Thank you to everyone for the many thoughts, prayers, texts, phone calls and visits...you have all been awesome!

Spencer never left her side.  He was so concerned for both of them.

Daddy cut the cord

Aunt RaLee just cried and cried she was so happy

Jayden meets Ellie

Such a look of wonderment

I can not tell you what the smile on my daughters face means to me...she is so happy!

The boys meeting Ellie for the first time

William- "Mom do the tears just keep coming to your eyes like they do mine?"

Wayne - He just stares and stares at her

Trey - "She's so tiny"

Jayden - Can't take her eyes off of her

The whole gang

Crystal and her girls- Jayden's smile

Look at her just grin at her momma! 

I wish I had the "Gift of Words" and was able to express the emotions of the past few days.  Being in the delivery room and watching Ellie's birth was something I will never forget.  We were scared and excited and when she was born there wasn't a dry eye in the room.  I can not tell you what it meant to see a living, breathing baby placed into my daughters arms.  Nor can I express how very strong the Spirit of our Heavenly Father was in the room.  We have suffered loss and know the heartache and because of that the gift of life is even sweeter than I ever imagined.  This baby does not, by any means, replace another but it does fill a mothers empty arms and helps heal a broken heart. 

After Ellie was born Spencer called me over the a corner of the room to ask me to take a picture of something he had seen...just another little sign or message from Sage.  This was the locked medicine cabinet in the delivery room.

Simply Beautiful

We are so thankful for this sweet little spirit that has joined our family. She brings with her Peace, Love, Joy and Hope.