Presents for Carter!

Elliana has a friend from Primary named Carter. Carter was born with only half a heart. He needed a transplant. On December 4th his mom Jessica got the call that a heart had become available for Carter. This is the best gift Carter got by far. But another fantastic gift he was given was to have Elliana has his friend. I dont want to brag because I know that her kind heart wasnt a result of just me but also the Lord. She has been praying for Carter everyday sense she learned he was sick. Now we pray for a fast recovery. Carter is still in the hospital. He will not be able to return home for Christmas. This is heartbreaking for Elliana. When she learned this... Her response was "I will just pray harder for him." This has humbled every cell in my body. Her faith that the Lord can help her friend is beyond anything. We have been able to go up and see Carter. We got to give him a Spiderman blanket. I have heard he loves it! :) Elliana was very happy she got to play with Carter and make his whole day better! He played with the kids for about an hour. And Jessica I think enjoyed the adult conversation. My heart goes out to this family right now. I know the Lord will bless them for enduring all they have. Their faith is strong and so they are a great example to me. We love you McOmie family!

Elliana Gayle Reiher

Today is a special day! Elliana turns 4 today! She is such a special person! I am so lucky that she chose me to be here mother. I knew she was special before I even had her. It was very spiritual. I knew the month of her birth and she was going to be a girl. I cant explain how I knew this but I did. She has been such a delight to our family. She has a way of making you happy when you are sad or upset. She lights up the room with her smile! Her favorite thing is her Daddy. She has been a daddys girl sense the day she was born. She loves to play soccer and play with her brother. She loves school. Her favorite part is handwriting. She is very smart and can write most of her letters. She loves to play with her brother. They are best friends. Another best friend of hers is Bryndi; the little girl I watch.



I am so grateful for Ellianas sweet spirit in our home. She adds so much to our family! I am grateful the Lord trusted me with such a special daughter of God. Elliana you are truly special and I love you very very much!

22 Weeks and Counting!

I had my monthly check up at the drs on this past Friday the 9th. The baby is doing great! Very healthy heartbeat of around 155! It was strong and everything. As I sat there and listened to it I couldnt help but be grateful. A friend of mines little boy just got a heart transplant due to the fact he was born with only half a heart. I couldnt help but be grateful that my baby's heartbeat was so strong and healthy. I couldnt help but say a little prayer to thank my Father in Heaven for the health and safety of this child. I also asked a blessing over the little boy Carter has he recovers. I am grateful for all I have and grateful for all the trials we have been through. I dont think I would be as strong and as humbled as I am today with out them. I am glad that my baby is healthy and strong. I am measuring right where I should too. So the baby is the perfect size and everything! I also cant thank everyone enough for their unconditional love and support through everything my family has gone through!

Mothering of the Unborne

So I have come to the conclusion that mothering an unborn child is much like mothering a born one. I have been having awful headaches and felt very nauseated. So I as much as I want those to both go away I have to be careful of how I get them to go away. Taking a wrong medication could have bad consequances. Yesterday we ended up at the hospital. I was hooked up to IVs and the baby put on an external fetal monitor. I was there from 5am-around 8:30am. But my main concern was that of the baby. I was hoping it was okay and nothing was going to happen to it. That is a lot like parenting the born. We worry not about ourselves but about our children. We worry more about them then we do anything else even our spouses. I love being a mother to both my born and unborn children. The baby is just fine however I am not. I am still having headaches and still feel nauseated. But as long as the baby is fine I can deal with the rest!

Half Way There on Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving! It was a great day! We had my mom, her husband Steve, my brother Ben, his wife Brianna, and their son Nathan over! We had all the fixings and it was just in all a good day! It also marked the half way point in my pregnancy! I am grateful for the health of this baby. I am grateful it chose our family to join. I am grateful the Lord has blessed us after the trail of our faith. Sometimes we dont realize the blessings that we have. Sometimes it takes going through something horrific or awful to realize that we have is a miracle. The only thing that could have made the day better was to have Craigs family with us to. We did a Skype with them and got to see them all. It was hard to be away from them. I am so grateful for all that I have and for all that the Lord has blessed me with. I am grateful for the Temple and for the blessings my family has received from our choice to be married there. I am grateful for a husband who lived his life to be able to take me to the Temple. And for the wonderful Father he is to my children. I am grateful for all of my kids. They have all brought their own little spirit into my life. These are blessings I hold most dear. I am of course grateful for so much more. Thank you to all that have supported us and loved us through our good times and bad. Who have loved us unconditionally. We love you too!

18 Weeks and Counting!

We had our 18 week ultrasound today! Our baby is perfect and healthy! It was so active during the ultrasound! It was awesome to feel it and see is move! Now every time it moves I think of watching it. We were strong and didnt find out the sex of the baby so that is a surprise! We are comforted to know that our baby is healthy. It sounds weird but I could tell just by the ultrasound that the baby is already as in love with me as I am with it! We are very excited to welcome this adorable little spirit into our home!

Feeling the baby!

So I have been feeling the baby move around a lot. It first started on the 20th of October. This is the first time I felt the baby and I KNOW it was the baby. I am sure I felt flutters before then but this is the first time I didnt have a doubt. This is my favorite part of being pregnant. Feeling this life growing and moving inside of you. Makes it more real to me. But at the same time I think its pure magical! And a miracle. I am excited for this little flutter to become flow blown kicks! I am excited for others to be able to feel the baby move too! I am excited to share this experience with my kids and husband. They say the baby can hear me so I am trying to sing and talk to it a lot. The kids arent so keen on the idea but I am sure it just has to grow on them. We have our next doctors appointment on the 11th after our Ultrasound that same day. This is going to be a great day!

14 weeks and counting!

I am now 14 weeks pregnant as of yesterday! Its been exciting and challenging! But today marks the day I got to hear the heartbeat. Its funny how that small fast little thud can send you to tears. Your whole life changes in that minute that you are just listening. And to make it all that much better the baby moved so we could hear it better. The dr said it was about 160 and was impressed. This now puts my miscarriage rate to less then 1%. Unfortunately it never goes to 0 but we are down as low as we can get. It sunk in then that this is really happening. We are really going to have a baby! We are still stuck on not finding out the gender of the baby. I want it to be a surprise and I want people to be able to guess and have it be a fun game. I am thankful for all of those in my life who I get to share this miracle with. Thank you everyone for your love and support! My baby is doing great and that makes everything wonderful!

New addtion!

So the Reiher family is growing! I am currently 12 1/2 week pregnant! The dr says everything looks really good! The baby is active and the heart beat is very healthy! I am due April 12, 2012! We are very excited and grateful for this blessing! We are also excited that our baby will come just 6 months after Craigs brothers baby! They will be able to play together! We have however decided that we arent going to find out the sex of the baby until its born! Some may say we are crazy but I think it will add to the suspense when it comes time to have the baby! My due date is my father in law Jeff's birthday! So Happy Birthday Grandpa! It has been a rough road for us. With the two miscarriages we were wondering if we were even supposed to have more. But the Lord kept telling us to be patient and we will be rewarded. It has been a scary road with the pregnancy for the simple fact that we didnt want to get attached and have things not work out. But every time we had a test or ultrasound and everything came back good we got more and more excited! Now that we are passed the "danger zone" so to speak we are beyond excited! We are looking forward to all of the fun and challenging things this pregnancy will bring! I have been sick a lot but grateful for that because it means the baby is in there and is growing the way it should! I will be sick every day until delivery if it means I get to bring a healthy baby home. People will ask what I think the sex of the baby is..... I think its a girl..... Craig is guessing a boy.... So one is right! hahaha But Elliana wants a girl and Ethan wants a boy! But they both say they are happy to just have a baby in the family! :) I want to thank all of those that have supported me and my family and have been there for good news and bad in the last year! We love you all and are glad you are in our lives!

Strength

Sometimes we feel we are stronger then we really are. I have learned that it is okay to admit defeat. Its okay to ask for help and to admit we arent as strong as we thought. I know sometimes I have a hard time dealing with things in a way that is productive and end up doing things or saying saying things I wouldnt normally do. I thankful for those that realize that and forgive me before I have hurt them. And for those that have no idea I just hope will understand. I make a lot of mistakes and I try very hard not to. But I am grateful for my wonderful friends and family who totally understand! And for the Lord and for the atonement.

Preschool!

I have started my preschool for the 2011-2012 school year. Elliana was very excited to have some friends over while Ethan is at school! I have 3 girls! Ellianas favorite thing to do at school is the hand writing! She can almost write her name! I am very excited and proud of my little girl! She is getting more grown up every day! She loves to sing the songs and talk in circle time! I am very excited and proud of her eagerness to learn! She is going to blow them out of the water come Kindergarten! I love you Elliana!

1st Grade!

Ethan had been in the 1st grade now for a month. He has learned so much and is doing so well! He loves school and loves all the new friends he is making! He loves his teachers too! He is in a special program at school and only has 14 kids in his class right now. He can write letters! I cant believe how big he has gotten. Seems like yesterday he was in my arms for the first time! He is very ready for this point in his life but I am so not ready for him to be ready! Its such a bitter sweet feeling! Pretty soon he is going to be driving and wont need me to do anything at all! But for now I am going to enjoy each day he brings me! I love you Ethan!

Ellianas 1st soccer season is done!

Elliana is done with her first season of soccer! I cant believe how fast it went by! She is disappointed cause its over. She loved it! She is asking for fall soccer too! She doesnt want it to end! She wishes she could just play soccer all the time! I am sure this is a sport she will play for a long time! She says she is going to miss her coach! She was worried what would happen to him now that soccer is over! He assured her that he would be okay and that she would probably see him next season! :) I am so grateful we were able to put her in and that she enjoyed it so much!

Ethan Jeffrey Reiher

Ethan turns 6 today! I cant believe how much he has grown and how fast it has come! He will be starting the 1st grade and is very much looking forward to it. He loves baseball, reading, and Alana. He is a bright boy with a lot of energy! He loves to play outside. He is very kind hearted and good natured. He loves going to church and reading the scriptures. His favorite story is when Nephi and his brothers went to get the plates. Not only is it his birthday but its the day I became a mother. A day I will never forget. I am so grateful that he is my little boy and we are a forever family.

Ethans Hits!

Ethan started practicing coach pitch with Dad this season more in detail! He is getting so good!

Soccer and Tee Ball!

The kids have started to play their summer sports! Elliana is so excited for her soccer! She did so good at her first game! She listened to her coach and did what she was told. She loved to run and kick the ball! I think we have found a passion for her! She has been asking to play soccer sense Ethans first season 2 years ago! She was so excited to be able to play! She is good too! When she kicks the ball she really kicks it! I am so proud of my little girl!

Ethan LOVES Teeball! Best thing is that Craig is the coach! Craig loves it! Its so fun to watch the both of them out on the field doing their thing! Ethan is getting VERY good at hitting and throwing the ball! He loves tee ball and that makes it so much more fun to watch! He loves dad coaching!
I love being their cheerleader too! My kids are so amazing to me and I am so excited for the month of July!

8 Years

Craig and I have been married for 8 years! I cant believe that its been that long. We have been through a lot as a couple. Both good and bad. I do have to say our greatest accomplishment in these 8 years is our children. Both living and passed on. They make us love each other even more! People have asked me what made me fall in love with Craig. And its hard to answer. Because falling in love with him took my by surprise. I can tell you what things I love about him. One is his faith. He has faith in me, the kids but most importantly in the gospel. He has kept to his beliefs his whole life. Even when it wasnt easy. Also the way he loves me. Unconditionally. This makes me love him even more. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have such a wonderful husband! He is my life and my light. He is my best friend. He is a wonderful father. I love you so much Craig. I am glad we both lived worthy lives to make it to the Temple. He is my husband now and forever. I look forward to spending an eternity with you Craig!

Funeral Services

Grandpa had a wonderful Viewing and Burial service. It was sad but he would have loved it. A lot of people showed but and I saw family I havent seen in years! It was nice. I will miss Grandpa greatly. He was such a funny man! I asked my Uncle Steven why they didnt get flowers that squirted water. Grandpa would have loved it! We all laughed! I am so glad that he is with my Grandma and there 4 kids! He will be loved, adored, and missed by my family for a long time.

Ronald W. Jensen

My Grandfather past away last night around 11:30. He lived a long and great life. It was interesting to me that he passed away on his anniversary to my Grandmother who passed away 5 years ago. He chose to be with my Grandma. He was such a funny man. When we were little he told us stories before bed. They were all about Mr. Magoo. For those who dont know who that is. Mr. Magoo was an old blind man with big glasses that tried to do things on his own. These stories always made us laugh. When I was 11 we had a daddy daughter date in my ward. Both of my fathers were unable to make it. So Grandpa came with me. That meant a lot to me when I was little. These are my fondest memories with my Grandfather. I love him so much and will miss him very much. I am glad he is reunited with my Grandma and his 4 children that he has lost. Grandpa you will be missed, loved, and adored.

Elliana and her Casts!

Elliana was having a fun time jumping off the couch on evening at the end of Feb. She was jumping onto a bean bag. She missed and started screaming! You all know the scream of terror when your child has hurt themselves badly. The next day she was limping still so I called the dr. She had an appointment at 10. Craig took her to the dr and he asked us to wait it out the weekend because he didnt want to expose her to any radiation because she is so young. Well that was the weekend we lost the baby. Not fun cause she couldnt walk. Well come Monday I called the dr and took her up there. The dr ordered the x rays and we went over there as soon as we were done. Later that night we got the phone call that her leg had a fracture on the tibia. So the next day we went in and had it cast put on. She wore that for 4 weeks. It was hard to bathe her and everything but we made it. She got her cast off the beginning of April.
Two days later she was sitting on the arm of the couch and lost her balance due to the fact she wasnt used to being without the cast on her leg. She fell off and smacked her arm on the coffee table. And again I hear that scream! I was babysitting that evening and had too many kids to take them all to the ER. She wouldnt stop crying because it hurt so bad! Well Craig came home from school and took her. Come to find out she broke both of the bones in her arm. Where was Craig and I during all of this? I was taking a bath when she broke her leg and Craig was in the midst of telling her to stop jumping off the couch. I was in the bathroom for 30 seconds when she broke her arm and Craig was at school! I am convinced she has my balance and Craigs bones! She has now gone 2 weeks with no casts! We are VERY proud of her! I have decided that I cannot go potty without her! She was a real trooper and she is happy and healthy now!

Elliana Turned 3!

Elliana turned 3 this last December! She had a great birthday party and loved her cake! She was so excited to have all her friends over! Then she got to have all her cousins/brothers over for a party! I didnt get to do a tribute to her so here it goes! Elliana is a very special addition to our family! She came at the perfect time! Her favorite things are her Daddy and her Blankie!


She also cant be without her brother Ethan for too long!

She loves her preschool class as well! She is so smart and so eager to learn! She is like me to the T! Her birth was interesting because I went into labor on my own. But because I had a previous c section the drs wanted to keep a close eye on me so I had to stay my whole labor. She was born at 5:13 in the morning on Dec 13! She was 8lbs 6oz! She had the chubbiest cheeks! We are so happy she came to our family! We love you Elliana!

The past 6 months!

A lot had happened to our little family in the past 6 months. I havent been able to talk about some of it and some of it brings me such joy that I cant help but talk about it! Ethan is almost done with Kindergarten! I know scary! He only has 8 more school days! Elliana is growing so fast. She is ready for soccer and dance classes! We also had a 3rd child the past 6 months. This is what I cant talk about but need to. I miscarried at 12 weeks. I was having problems and went into the ER to have them check me out. They found a 9 week old fetus with no heartbeat. My world came crashing down hard. I didnt understand why the world kept turning when something so tragic happened. I was sent home to miscarry and did so at exactally 12 weeks. I have never been through something so challenging so mentally, physically, spiritually, challenging. Although I will never forget what happened or our little "Peanut" I am ready for the next step. I know the baby is in heaven with Heavenly Father and that it is doing great work.
On a brighter note! Craigs little brother Brandon got married! She is wonderful of course! They had a beautiful wedding! Elliana got to be the flower girl! She kept saying she was going to marry Brandon! But we love Rachel! They are actually expecting their first child in October! We are very excited! The kids talk about it a lot!
We are excited for the future for our family! We have moved into a house and have plenty of rooms to fill! So we know our family is going to just keep on growing!