Crazy, Busy, Happy Life!

Life has been pretty much a whirlwind since school started! I am grateful for so many many things.

A Few Minor happenings in the last few months:

• Bryan turned 30! We had a lot of fun celebrating his birthday! In fact, his balloons are still fully inflated and floating in our kitchen even 2 weeks later!
• Samantha read her first chapter book from beginning to end. She has a talent show tomorrow. Look what she made. It is called, "Samantha's Rose" If you don't know, her middle name is Rose.

• Laci stopped having accidents!

• Bryan was ordained an Elder
• We went to a Buffet for Thanksgiving and Bryan’s birthday dinner a week later. Samantha tried sushi!

• We went to a Voicemale/Jon Schmidt concert at the mall, and Samantha got herself a free CD by making friends with the members of Voicemale. Oh, and Laci smashed her finger in the car door as we got out of the car. That is why she is showing the world her finger in this picture! Luckily, I had a first aid kit with an ice pack and a bandaid in my bag on my chair!

• My mom and stepdad came to visit and we had an exciting birthday dinner for Laci at Winger’s which included a popcorn fight.
• Bryan’s last final is tomorrow!! Wish him luck

As we have ventured into our first semester as a family unit in college, I have noticed more and more what extraordinary children we have been blessed to raise.

When Samantha was born, I remember in a blessing I was given that she was to be "my gift from Heavenly Father to show how much I am loved" She has definitely proven that year after year. Samantha has grown so much this year. I believe she is wise beyond her years. I believe she knows what a special life she has. She knows her mom is different, and I believe she knows her divine role in our family. More than any other child I know, Samantha is concerned about her family, and things that a child should not be concerned with. She has overcome so many emotional battles from her past. She has handled her life with grace. She will not give up! She has jumped an entire reading level in a matter of weeks! She helps take care of mom, and our home. How many seven year olds do you know who offer to make dinner on a regular basis just to help out? How many do you know who, after working with the family to clean the house for an hour (rather than play Barbies, or whatever else a little girl does) cheerfully says, "This is fun mom, we should do it more often!"

Bryan said the other day how he can see glimpses of who she will one day become. Samantha is going to be a very kind person, who is watchful of the people around her, and would swim through fire for the ones she loves.

Laci is a pure joy to be around! She has a raw sense of humor and a tiny little voice. I cannot believe she is now five years old! Laci is extremely smart! She comprehends more than your average barely 5 year old. Not to mention she is a smart-alec too! She is full of funny things to say, along with lots of love. She is finally 5! She made her own birthday cake. It was a lava cake made in the microwave! Then we decorated it with Tinkerbell!

Though it may seem surprising, Bryan and I are still extremely happy! It is hard to believe we have been married for almost 7 months already! My husband is so good. Bryan has grown so much since I first met him. He was ordained an Elder in November! We have seen so many blessings from that! (I don't know if he sees the difference as much as I do)

If you would have told me two years ago, that this life was coming my way, that there was a Bryan out there needing me just as much as I needed him... I would have called you insane! I cannot believe my own personal nightmare was just two years ago. I think I have lived and learned the meaning of the song "Hope Hiding There" by Michael McLean. http://meloduckpond.blogspot.com/ For added effect of my entry please go listen to song #7 on my old site playlist :)

"Around every corner, though you're unaware
Protected by grace in the face of despair
There is hope hiding there"

And right around the corner, there he was :)

We are going home to Arizona for Christmas this year! I am so excited to get out of the cold!

What an amazing year we have had. I feel extremely blessed. I hope everyone else has a happy and blessed holiday season.




Oh yeah, and to those of you wondering....

Good Times are Ahead!

It seems like more often than not, I start my blogs out with, "I have not blogged in forever.." or something similar to that. Way to go Melody for pointing out the obvious!

We have been sooooooooo busy as of late. Bryan and Sammie started school the week of August 24th, and I have yet to find my balance(no pun intended) with the new schedule. Bryan has a night class four nights a week, and also a class every Saturday morning til noon. Needless to mention, that on Wednesdays, he leaves at 8am, only to return sometime after 8pm.

Life is good though, we are being blessed, and a very happy little family. Laci started preschool yesterday and has yet to complain about that. She also started a dance class last Tuesday, went to her second class tonight, and is loving that! I cannot believe how grown up she is becoming. We are even noticing that her eating habits are changing, and that she is starting to finally get meat on those little bones of hers! The location is so nice(dance and Headstart), they are right down the hill from where we live, here in our complex, and she could practically take herself if it wasn't for the fact she must be signed in by an adult. I did enjoy the past three weeks with her alone all day. But this year isn't so bad since she only goes half day, so I get the afternoons and all day Friday with her.

Sammie is also doing well in school. I feel as though she is going to make a lot of progress this year. Her teacher has a huge emphasis on reading, and it has been very good for Samantha. Her teacher is also very organized, which is very good for mom and dad! She is also settled in special education and getting the help that she needs. She has already progressed leaps and bounds in just these few weeks. She has a fieldtrip to the State Fair tomorrow, and she is way excited!

Bryan is enjoying being back in school. He has a busy schedule and enjoys being able to come home to his family after a hard day's work. He is such a GOOD dad and I think he has a lot to do with how much success the girls are having in school. It is nice to have the reinforcements in getting homework and reading and chores done.

I am doing great too. I am enjoying the peace and quiet in the evenings while Bryan is in class. I keep busy on my hobbies. Plus, I have become a huge sucker for hot, deep, bubble baths with aromatherapy from Bath & Body Works. For the last 28 hours, I have been without my power wheelchair. It was in the shop getting fixed. For the last several months, I have not been able to use it but in the house. The batteries were fried, and would show as dead on the power meter just minutes after unplugging it for the day's use. But, tonight, my wheelchair is returned, with new batteries and a few simple repairs. I now have my freedom to come and go throughout the area as I please!

Sorry there haven't been pictures, I am in need of a new camera, and it will be my belated birthday/Christmas present when the proper money for it is saved up.

We are so blessed. I feel as though Heavenly Father truly knows what he was doing when he placed our little family here. It just keeps getting better and better. I suppose all I have left to say is what has become our family motto - Good times are ahead! (In so many ways)

Our Court

Ok so here are two videos. One of the (well both) girls playing on the swings in the court, and Sammie is doing 'underdogs.' it is so fun to have kids. It has brought back so many memories of Cass and I when we were little. We used to spend what seemed like hours swinging in the backyard in Glendale.

The other one, (if you ignore my talking to Bryan) is a video of our court, to where I showed you the layout of the 3 buildings, and then with the huge grassy area and playground in the middle.

And here is some cute pictures we took today.

Trax, Mobility and an Update

Last week we took a trip on the bus and Trax to Temple Square. We are trying to get me familiar with the area and where we live so that I can go where I want in the city independent of others. The picture of the boat is a replica of the boats European people took to cross the Atlantic when they come to the United States to join with the members of the church in New York and Missouri. The beds the girls are laying on were also in the Church Museum. Those are what the people on the boats slept on, and kids are allowed to climb in and try it out.

Oh, also, on Monday night, we spent the evening in the courtyard, and Bryan fixed my custome manual chair. Before, the wheels were dropped too low and too far back for me to really propel myself properly. By adjusting the position of the frame, I am now able to use this chair as it was intended. Ever since, I have been using mostly my manual chair in the house or walking, unless I am doing something that requires free hands. I also have enjoyed the freedom of racing down the sidewalks again, and have been able to get good exercise every night by pushing myself around the court. I was going to take a picture of our court tonight, but it was too dark, so I will have to take a picture and show you the layout later.

Intermountain Homecare finally came and picked up my power chair for repair today. I have not been able to go out and do things in town for quite sometime, because of problems with the power level indicator for the battery. Whether it was charged or not, it was showing a dead battery (even when fully charged and working fine) to where I really had no idea how much juice there really was left at any given time.

We will still be using the clapsing chair for when we run errands in the car, just for time and convience. And I will still use my power chair when I go out and about, or I am cleaning or carrying stuff and need free hands.

We are happy, and well, and excited for the new school year. We love our new home, and our new neighbors. Truly, though I miss the people in Ephraim, I know this is where we are supposed to be and we are being blessed. Plus, I have enjoyed being back in the city, as it is more what I am accustomed to.

Chest Pain? That's not even the half of it!

On Monday(the 20th), we had to take back the UHaul Truck. We got two of three days free, because the truck rental place wasn't open on Saturday in Nephi. They also were really nice, and nearly tripled our free miles! Bryan's mom was nice enough to meet us at the UHaul Rental place to give us a ride back to our apartment. Well, on our way home, I started having chest pains. I had gotten some the day before, but they eventually went away after an hour or so.

When we got home, it was about 12:30pm and I was still having pain. On the way to lay down, I suggested Bryan that maybe it was better to just go to the hospital now, since they seemed to be getting worse. I am so glad the kids were gone, it would have been such a pain to find a sitter!

Bryan and I got to the University Hospital Emergency Room, and it seemed like we waited forever! (Not really, but I was in pain) They finally got us in a short time after we got there, when they found out that I had previously been diagnosed with Mitro valve Prolapse, they moved me back to a different exam room immediately since apparently that made me "more complicated." After that, the charge nurse came in to take all my information. (Contacts, Insurance, Allergies) After that, I met my nurse and the doctor came in and asked me a ton of questions. He then ordered bloodwork, and an EKG. By the time those test results came back normal it was pushing 5pm. The doctor told me, that just to be sure they wanted to run a CT scan, just to make sure everything is fine. At this point he really figured they wouldn't find anything and were going to blame the pain on inflamation of the outer wall around the heart. Which actually is quite common, and he was going to send me home if that came back normal.

So, I go in for the CT, and the radiologist informs me that they will be injecting a dye in my IV which will help them see what my organs (ie heart) is doing. She also told me, that the dye would make me feel 'hot inside' but that the sensation would go away almost immediately following the test.

The dye felt horrible, and uncomfortable! I was glad it was over when they pulled me out from the machine. They started wheeling me back to my exam room on my gurny, and I remember saying that I felt funny and tingly. The radiologist told me that was normal and it would go away. A few hallways later, my nurse met up with us, and took over pushing me. I told her how I fellt funny and my limbs were now feeling like my blood was boiling. She said "That should be worn off by now."

A few minutes later, after getting me situated in bed, my nurse returned with a doctor. I told him again how I was feeling, and that I felt tingly and uncomfortable. (By this time, I was scared to move and was holding perfectly still trying to ignore it, thinking it was all in my head) It was then that this doctor(not my actual doctor that was assigned to me) asked what I was allergic to. I told him Codeine, Iodine, and Amoxocillin. He then informed me that some of the dyes have iodine in them, and he left to go call the radiologist to see if mine did.

My nurse also, sometime by this time asked if I felt itchy, and by this time I said it was kinda like that. She then left and returned what seemed to be HOURS later with my doctor. He told me my test came back negative for any problems and that he was ready to send me home. But that if I was indeed having a reaction I couldn't go home! (It was now 6pm) My doctor and nurse continued to stand by my side staring at me, WAITING for something to happen. It was a few minutes later when I started coughing, and my nurse rushed to go get benedryl! After the Benedryl, I started to get a slight case of hives and continued to cough! They continued to stare. After a few minutes of them staring, and me still coughing, I started to get scared, like why isn't it helping! They then gave me two more medications, and I became incoherent, and I fell asleep!

I was so out of it, I would startle in my exhaustion and the smallest noises. Bryan said I startled to a pen dropping in the hallway, and even him taking a deep breath!

By the time I woke up, it was 9pm. and all my symtoms of the reaction were gone.

The question you all are wondering, is WHY did they give me iodine? The answer: The charge nurse neglected to put that I had any allergies into my chart! (And my not having any clue CT even used iodine, didn't have a need to mention it)

We got home around 9:30pm. The chest pain was gone, and it had been blamed on inflamation from exhertion and/or normal causes. They sent me home with a perscription for the iodine reaction, to keep it from coming back in a few days(which apparently happens). And it turns out, the whole reason I went to the hospital, wasn't even the issue of why my stay was prolonged.

Don't worry Mom, I am fine now, and haven't had anymore chest pain, or any more allergic reaction. Bryan and I will probably get me one of those allergy bracelots that I wear twenty-four seven, to keep this from ever happening again. Oh and now, I will never forget what the answer is to the question they always ask... "what happens when you have iodine?"

Our Big Move to Salt Lake City!

We have been so busy and I fell behind on blogging again. Sorry! This has been a busy two weeks(as usual). The girls left for Arizona on the 12th, and Bryan started packing shortly after that.

Saturday, the 18th was our moving day. We planned on leaving Ephraim no later than 12pm. Check out of the Ephraim apartment took longer than we planned. The landlord was way more nit-picky than we expected. By the time we got to our new apartment it was just before 4pm. Well, apparently when we told and verified our moving date as the 18th with the complex, they failed to look at a calendar and inform us that they are not open on Saturdays! So here we are with a full moving truck, friends to help us unload, and no keys to get in.

After doing enough asking around, we were able to find out who our Resident Assistant was for our building, and she was able to get special permission to give us our keys! (sigh of relief) Thank heaven for on-campus housing, and the grand idea of RAs.

By the time we got our keys, it was after 4pm, and everyone who was planning on helping us unload had to go by 5pm at the latest! So, in a rush to unload the truck we were massively blessed! Random people from our court(each tripod of buildings with their playground in the middle is called a court) started offering their help unloading. We were being helped by complete strangers! What a great first impression, and we knew we were going to like it here. We found out later that the ward we would be attending for church is made up of only the people in our court. 30 families! Everyday when we go outside, it's like there is a church gathering in our front yard. Last night we went out and all ate homemade ice cream. What fun!

Once we got everything *in* the apartment, the next challenge was to get everything to fit. The front room was completely packed with stuff, and it was then time to get everything in it's place. After a lot of trial and error we found a perfect setup for the front room, and everything actually fits! I should probably mention, that includes the kitchen and all the appliances that were once in my china hutch in Ephraim, now completely fit in my kitchen!

Unlike Ephraim, the girls actually have tons of room in their room, and since they weren't home, we were able to get rid of a ton of unimportant stuff. Plus, we also made a huge box of toys and books to send home with Russell when he brought them back home. We got them new matching comforter sets courtesy of Target, and partly paid for with two year old, wedding gift cards from my previous wedding. (I found them when I switched out my old purse for a new one) We went to one Target across the valley, and they only had one, but I fell in love with it, so thanks to Russ calling and asking to take them out to dinner before bringing them home, we rushed to another Target and hoped they would have two! They did! We were even able to get it all done before the girls got home. So the girls now have new comforters with butterflies! (Not to mention how excited I was to actually get to go to Target and pick these out, and I didn't have to settle for Ephraim's mini WalMart and it's selection) Oh and another bonus to new bedsets, we were able to get Laci excited enough about her new bed, that she is now completely off her baby blanket!

I was so nervous to move here at first. Actually, I was petrified! The first time I came to the complex and was shown an empty apartment, I left in tears. The doorways were so narrow, the bathroom tiny and the kitchen cupboards I could barely reach. As time went on, I began and get over it and have faith, and hope Heavenly Father would work it out. We were blessed to see when we first came in, that everything in this apartment is in pristine condition. The carpet brand new, and very taken care of! We also found out that ALL our utilities (water, electric, trash, phone, internet, cable) is included in our monthly rent amount. That will truly help us out, and with everything we get(the community, maintenence, campus affilation) it is such a steal of a deal! Oh, and not to mention, the doors here are actually wider than the unit I first saw, and I am able to get around and function perfectly fine!

As hard as it was to leave Ephraim, we truly love it here, and feel as though we have been put here for a reason. Bryan and I have enjoyed putting together our first apartment together, and it truly feels like home!

Sparklers, Bowling Balls, and Bed-head!

We have had a busy couple of days. Here are pictures from the 4th of July, bowling, and our haircuts we got today!
We had a great time as a family for the holiday. We did all our cleaning on Friday, so all day Saturday we got to play. As you can see, the girls really have gotten into helping clean lately, and we all work together as a family to really clean the house about every two weeks.
On the 4th of July, we spent time as a family watching movies, and then after cooking up some tasty burgers(compliments of Bryan), we went outside at dusk on the grass and played games til it was time to set off fireworks. The girls had a lot of fun with a few sparklers(that were hard to light at first because of the wind), and then us ladies sat on the grass while Bryan did all the work to give us a fun little firework display in the complex parking lot. The girls got to bed late, and were more than cranky the next morning for church, but it was sure worth all the fun.
Sunday was fast Sunday, and Sammie got up and bore her testimony all by herself. I wish I could remember what she said, because there was just one thing that was so sweet. but I am sure you can imagine.
Laci even wanted to bear her testimony so I got up to take her. Now, a few months back I totally fell in the middle of Sacrament Meeting(you may remember that story) and so as you may guess, I was so paranoid to walk up. But of course, I knew it was so unlikely I would fall again so I just went ahead and got up(taking my shoes off first to make it less risky), knowing if something happened, Bryan was right there. So I got up and guess what? I totally tripped over my own feet and caught myself by grabbing on to the pew(which caused me to do a 180) and hung on for dear life with one hand inches from hitting the floor! Of course, Bryan was there in seconds to help me up, and it happened so fast from the time I stood up to when I fell, and got up and walked up to the front, that I don't think very many people even noticed! But oh my word! What luck!
When I got up to the front I realized Laci was being shy and didn't follow, but with a little coaxing she joined me on the stand. When I took her up, it being her very first time, I whispered in her ear, "I would like to bear my testimony," she then responded with a very audible, "What?" into the microphone. After a few attempts of getting her to repeat that, I finally gave up and had her just say three things, and her testimony officially started with "I love my family" It really was the sweetest thing ever. I am really glad I finally have the opportunity to do testimonies with the girls, now that I have the spousal support in Sacrament Meeting!
Yesterday, my good friend Karin came down from SLC for a visit. We decided to go bowling! Of course the girls had a blast, and I even got a strike on the 10th frame! Sammie did so good, she bowled all by herself and got a bunch of frames with only one pin left! I guess playing on Wii really does pay off! Bryan is the genius bowler in our family(or claims to be ;) ) but he complained the lanes hadn't been greased in forever, and made it impossible to bowl with accuracy. He scored under 100 the first time in his life with a final score of 99! Karin scored right behind Bryan. She claimed she is usually horrible, but usually she plays "normal" people. I argued I was normal, apparently normal people don't use a crutch when they bowl. :)
I have been so looking forward to today! I went and got my hair chopped off and highlighted, and I absolutely love it! I have had long hair for two years, and I was ready for a change and a non-itchy, light-weighted head again! The girls have been struggling with brushing out their hair(Laci gets the rattiest bedhead!) so we went ahead and got their hair cut too. Actually, we all got the same one, except Laci was given bangs since the front of her hair was so whispy.
Life goes on in the Clayton Household, and we are excited about the future! Bryan has been doing shadowing, and gets to shadow a surgeon in surgery tomorrow for the second time. He registered for classes today, and he is looking forward to starting school up again in the Fall. The girls are headed out on Sunday to spend two weeks with their dad in Arizona while we pack everything up and move to Salt Lake in 9 days! Thank goodness, Bryan has agreed to do most of the packing. He remembers from my Mingle Profile that one of my 3 pet peeves is "packing to move" I absolutely hate it! What a good husband!

Our month of June!

Sammie turned 7 June 15th! I can't believe it! Here are some pictures from her birthday! We did a mini family party with the 4 of us on her birthday. Then on Tuesday we went for pizza with Cass, Mark and the cousins. Wednesday she had her best friend Emily over for a party. They had a blast with a fashion show, hide and seek, and lots of fun.

I can't believe my little angel baby is 7 now. Seems like just yesterday that she came into my life and changed it forever. She and I have conquered so much together. She has been my companion through life's struggles, the one to dry tears in hard times, and the one to make me laugh in the happy ones. She is a blessing to all who know her, and I can only hope she knows every single day of her life how special she is.

Also included in these pictures is the Manti Pagent, and the girls swim lessons. As you can see they are little fish. I will have to post video of them jumping from the diving boards in a later blog.

I love my family, and this has definitely been the summer to remember. (So far)

May Day

This may take a long time to load, so please be patient!

The Merry Month of May!

I started this post and decided to redo it. I had so many pictures and content, that I decided it is easier to make a slideshow, then explain all our happenings with it, rather than post all the pictures to blogger seperately.
Bryan moved to Ephraim at the beginning of May. This little family has been so busy since then! The girls finished up school, and then we had Scandinavian Festival Memorial Day weekend. Of course, the 27th, Bryan and I got married and went on our honeymoon. There won't be any pictures of the wedding in this post, as I do not have all of them. After the honeymoon, the four of us stayed over night in a hotel for two days, as Laci got her cast off on the first. Some of these pictures are from our trip to the Children's Discovery Gateway that afternoon.
I am also posting a video of Sammie's 1st Grade May day preformance the last week of school. Look for it in the next post!

Oh! I forgot! I look really really tired in these pictures! I found out why the day before we got married. I found out I had MONO! Yes, and I am not sure how I got it. Needless to say, the honeymoon and family vacation came just in time. I am doing much better now, though, if you were wondering.
I think that is it for the month of May, I cannot even express to you how happy we all are. I love my husband so much. You will probably get so tired of reading that! I am going to say it a lot. The girls surprise me everyday. They are such amazing kids, with very entertaining personalities! Life is wonderful!

Our Trip to Arizona

Daddy's Little Girl

I hardly blog about my dad. Very few people even know how I really feel about him. We have a complicated relationship. It is not your typical father-daughter relationship. We don't talk much, and I doubt he even knows how much I love him, and how much I appreciate and feel loved with all the little things he has done throughout my life.

Niether one of us are big talkers. I am not very good at expressing my emotions into words, or starting small talk. Yeah, I can write a poem or blog about an experience, and make the reader understand so deeply, you cry in relation, but for some reason I can't just come out and talk to my dad very well. It has always been that way. He is exactly the same. He doesn't express how he feels either, he expresses it in the things he does, usually.

For example, I remember one year when I had surgery and was in the hospital. Now, mind you, any of you who know my mother KNOW how incredibly amazing she is, and she was ALWAYS there for me. Always the first one I saw coming out of recovery, always the one there with me through doctor's appointments, etc...

Anyway, I remember one instance I was in the hospital, and for some reason or another it was my dad who stayed with me that night. I was at Phoenix Children's Hospital, which of course is right down town, and the helipad was very close to where my window was. My dad was sleeping next to my bed in one of those fold out chairs.

Well, I woke up in the middle of the night, in the dark, scared to death of the helicopter that was landing. You know, lights flashing, propellers roaring... I look over, and of course my Dad is snoring loudly. Then I said, "Daddy I'm scared." My dad didn't do much, he simply reached his hand through the bed rail and took my hand and held it. I remember feeling safe, and I shortly fell back to sleep after that.

I don't know if this next experience was the same surgery or not, but it also took place while I was in the hospital. All I remember, is that it was supposed to be my first time walking after my recent surgery, and the physical therapist was there, (probably mom too) along with my dad.

Well, I remember being in so much pain, just when they got me standing upright on a walker, I was crying and screaming, not a happy child at all. The PT wanted me to walk across the room, and I thought I was going to die! That's when I remember, my dad talked to me. He said, "Mel, you can do this and if you do this I will take you down to the cafeterria for ice cream." Well I apparently did it, because I very fondly remember that walk with my dad, in a wheelchair on my way to get ice cream. I knew my dad was proud of me.

And now, probably my most favorite of all, is when I turned 16. For a lot of teenagers 16 was a big deal. Of course that is the age of rite of passage when it comes to driving. But for me, I didn't really think anything of it, I didn't really think I was going to drive, so it was not a lot to look forward to, other than the big sweet sixteen party I had planned at my Dad's house. All of my friends were there, from school, camp, church, even a few from the internet, I hadn't even met yet.

So, here I was enjoying being with all of my friends in one place, when my dad comes in and interupts. He proceeds to tell me, "Melody we forgot the ice cream, come with me to the store." So being clueless as I was, I say ok, and I leave my own party to go with my dad in his convertable to the grocery store. We get to the end of the block, and he turns around and stops. He says, "Get out." Of course, I was rather confused, "Huh?"

My dad then repeats himself, "Just get out." So I listen, he then tells me to sit down in the driver's seat. It was then that I realized what was really happening. Below stearing wheel, I notice a lever that basically looks like another turn signal. "Drive" he says, "This is gas and this is brake, and this is a suicide knob you use to turn the wheel."

So I start to drive back to the house. Every single one of my friends were apparently informed on the secret by my step mom while I was gone, because EVERYONE was out on the driveway cheering for me.

There are no words to explain how I felt that night. Hearing the sounds of my friends and family cheering me on, I was on top of the world. Even though I don't drive now, I feel like, just the fact that my dad was willing to do that for me, to show me that I could, and how much he believed in me, means everything to me.

Even though my family may not be the ideal you would consider. And even though, it may not seem to the outside world that my dad and I have the healthy father and daughter relationship, in his own way, he always tries to show me how much he really cares. I believe we have a lot of meaningful silent conversations. And for that I will always be thankful.

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart." ~Author Unknown

"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me." ~Jim Valvano

He Will Bring You Peace

Sometimes when you think that life
Is at it's very worst
A lot of pain can be forgotten
If you put your Savior first

He can turn the night to day
He can wash away your pain
And in the times that you feel numb
He can make you feel joy again

So remember in the depths of sorrow
When the pain seems much too deep
You can find hope in tomorrow
And He will bring you peace.

Melody Weight, January 11, 2009

To Tyler's parents: It has been a year since we got together and had lunch, and met in person for the first time. I know, I have too good of a memory. I cannot believe the year it has been. Thank you for being my hope in tomorrow. Thank you for being my angels sent from heaven. I know that I have been blessed with many angels in my life over the last year, and I continue to see the miracles on a day to day basis. I feel as though, the blessing of that remarkable little boy, in being able to carry him, and deliver him to you, I was able to see a glimpse of eternity. Maybe I shouldn't have posted this little note to you on my blog, but I wanted the world to know where my thoughts of this poem were rooted from.

They really are the sweetest little family ever!


Being a mom, raising two precious Spirits, I feel as though I am blessed with a glimpse of eternity every single day. Of course, with how difficult children can be, sometimes the only way to get through the trying days, is that eternal perspective!