May 2016

Way too much fun at gymnastics!!

        

Crazy hair everyday

At the last minute I got my hands on a Time Out For Women ticket. I was a little unsure...it's a long day of speakers, but I am so glad I got the chance to go! Plus I got a super cute tote bag & David Archuleta performed! (He is so cute & his voice is so smooth. Everyone was swooning!!)

Ruby and I decided to check out Wear m Out, a new indoor playground in town and it was awesome...until Ruby went down the slide and landed in a pool of another kids pee. Barf. The worker told me not to worry, because she "cleans up pee all the time here" EW. Anyways, kind of a strange experience, so I let the owner know and she was so apologetic and gave us a free pass.  I understand things like this happen, so I wasn't offended - plus we have a free pass to check it out again! 

My sister Brooke went through the temple for her first time! It was really special having our whole family in the temple. The spirit was really strong and I could feel the presence of family members on the other side there with us. It was such a special night! (Even though we almost missed the session because we were getting Arby's hah!!)

Travis thought it would be a good idea to take Ruby camping. Not wanting to miss out on a potentially hilarious experience, I  (very reluctantly) tagged along. We went to Park Lake and set up our little camp site. Ruby was having a blast...until she realized she had to sleep in the tent. She would grab our faces (while crying) and plead with us to take her home. We were dying laughing. We felt so bad, so we threw everything in the back of the truck and went home about 10pm. I'm still laughing about it!

We have 2 ugly stumps in our front yard. One is cut really low and is falling apart, but there was an ugly one sticking out of the ground, so my dear husband took a chainsaw and hacked it to bits! Now we just need a piece of sod to cover this ugly spot. If only we knew someone with a sod farm...

In May I got to see my bestie of forever get married! I am so happy for Ben & Karina! They are so awesome. 

Such a nice day. There were also milk shots & my mom agreed to take a picture of me pretending to be a bridesmaid. No big deal. 

At Karina's bridal shower! We matched & it wasn't on purpose

We had a little too much fun at our table at the wedding. Poor Sandy. 

First day at the new EMT job!! 

"If you jump in muddy puddles, you must wear your boots"

Fun with grandma! (and having the most delicious meal ever!!)

April 2016

April started off on a great note when we got new family pictures! My Mom always wants pictures of us...so we figured it was time to get some legit ones from a photographer. (I guess she doesn't appreciate our selfies??) Jillan Russel was AMAZING. She was so chill and easy to work with PLUS she made us look good...so she was worth every penny. Check her out! 

And now some completely random pictures & memories. This is mostly for me because I am terrible at writing in my journal.

Just generally being cute & "sharing" a slurpee with me.

BBQ fun! Look at all these cuties in a hammock!!

I guess she likes cheese...

New bedding from Bed Bath & Beyond (which I returned a few months later because it started falling apart!! BOO)

Bike rides and stopping for every. single. flower.

 Travis got an EMT job! YAY! IT is a casual thing with a company based out of Calgary, but it is a foot in the door and we are excited!

We celebrated with ice cream (obviously)

Ruby and Georgia having a playdate

Bucket hats and crocs are cool right? 

Strep Throat. Yuck. She was so close to being potty trained before this hit. Poor thing!! 

She now asks to go to the zoo at least once a week!

March 2016

March was a really weird month. 

March stared off on a strange note when I came into work one day to learn that a coworker at my office had passed away. We were the same age. It was so weird because we had all just worked with her a few days before. When things like this happen so sudden, I am grateful to have a knowledge of what happens after we die & the Plan of Salvation.

A week later...
Travis and I decided back in January that we were ready to expand our family and we finally got a positive test in March! We were excited, but knew it was early so I booked a doctors appointment and then waited. When I was pregnant with Ruby we didn't tell a single person until 10 weeks - not even family! I guess I was just paranoid about something happening. But there is something so special having that knowledge between you & your spouse before the whole world knows!!

A week later.... 

My Grandpa Binning had been in the hospital for a few days, as he had fallen and the doctors thought he might have a touch of pneumonia. Travis had was at Young Men's on a Wednesday, so Ruby and I were going to go over to swim in my parent's hot tub. They weren't going to be there because they were going up to visit my Grandpa, so I decided we would tag along, as I hadn't been up to see him yet. When we got there he was pretty loopy from his meds and wasn't making a whole lot of sense. He recognized Ruby right away and started chatting with her & then on our way out my Dad mentioned that he would come up and visit him tomorrow. My grandpa told him "no your not, I won't be here" we all looked at each other and kind of snickered as we all knew he wasn't going anywhere fast. My grandpa said "I'm going home". Again, we just laughed it off and left the hospital that night. The next morning my phone rang pretty early and it was Mom - right away I knew something was up because my mom would never be calling me before 7:30am. Her voice was shaky, but she told me that the Doctor had just called Dad and said that Grandpa passed away in his sleep that night.
I am so thankful we decided to go visit him just hours before. Perhaps he had some clarity and really knew he was  "going home". We were all in shock as we figured my Grandpa was going to live forever. Before my Grandma died 10+ years ago she told us "Only the good die young, Bill is going to live forever"
My sister Brooke put it so well - "Either he finally got good or 89 is forever"
I think if we can all live until we are 89 and then die peacefully in our sleep we will be so lucky.

2 days later...

I was about 5 weeks when I started bleeding. I went to the ER for some waiting, tests, more waiting, an ultrasound and MORE waiting. (Seriously, I was there for 5 hours) I'll never forget the look on the Doctor walking down the hallway (they kicked me out of a room and sat me in a chair in a back hallway because they were running out of beds) The doctor told me that "my pregnancy had failed". I already knew at that point - I've done my research & I've heard stories from others. I felt like I should have felt more sad. (don't get me wrong, there were many tears shed!) Maybe it was because I was still dealing with 2 other deaths in my life? Unfortunately miscarriage is a natural thing that happens to more people than we probably know. I understand that the risk of losing a baby in those first 12 weeks is high, but I also understand it happens for a reason. My body knew something wasn't going to be right. I feel lucky to know I'll get the chance to meet that baby one day after I die.

If your reading this and thinking "what the heck?! Why didn't she tell me? Why is this the first I am hearing about it??" With everything that was happening at the time with my Grandpa dying and the funeral, it felt weird to share the news. When people said "I'm sorry for your loss" was I supposed to say "Oh yeah...one more thing for you to feel sad for me about!" 

A friend on Facebook shared a great quote and it really said exactly how I was feeling in a much more eloquent way - as I am NOT a writer!!  

Even as I am writing this I am cringing - I don't want to make people feel sad or weird. I want you to know that this crappy thing happens to a lot of people and life goes on.

Ok, well that was a depressing post...so here are some random pictures to hopefully make it better! 

Going through old photo albums & baking shenanigans 

I love Snapchat. Add me: Macaulj

Last minute Marianas Trench concert with Brooke. Front row!

The Easter bunny came and brought Ruby trains & treats...and some new kitchen chairs!

Feeding ducks, first haircut and ghost catching - I mean Ruby in a poncho.