Our Utah Friends with Bristol

It has been a lot of fun being back in Utah. We have been able to catch up with all of our friends. Brody, Sam's good friend, celebrated his birthday on May 26th. We were able to go out for Sushi, my first time since being pregnant-YUM!, and go to Todd's, Brody's dad, studio. It was a fun night with everyone. Happy Birthday Brod!


It was really cute to see Sam's friends interact with Bristol. Everyone loves new babies, but to see boys hold babies.. there's just something about it. Ladd did really well with Bristol. He seemed so comfortable and confident. Meg was so proud of how well he did. Brody, on the other hand, seemed so uncomfortable and really not sure what to do about it. When Ladd handed Bristol off to Brody he just couldn't get his arms in the right position to hold her. Cara tried to assist, but for some reason he just looked so uncomfortable holding her.

Our New Home

My sweet friend Kim set us up with a great home to live in while Sam is attending the U. We feel so blessed that we are able to stay here in Bountiful while her husbands aunt and uncle are serving a mission in Africa until January. Kim offered us the home when I told her we were moving back and we couldn't resist. The rent is cheap and the area is perfect. Sam only has to commute about 20 minutes to school and we are close to everything. Bristol has really adjusted to being here and is doing so well. I think she finally feels like she is in a familiar place and is sleeping really well. Thank you Kim for offering us this beautiful home for our family.

First Visit from Aunt Katie

My sister, Katie, came to Utah two days after we arrived on May 23rd and stayed for 2 days. She missed the birth of Bristol by 1 day. She flew in the day after her due date, May 3rd and left the evening of May 7th. She had to get back to work in California. I warned her that most babies do not come on their due date, only 10% in fact, and that she needed to come at least a week later than May 2nd. But, she was just too excited and knew Bristol would arrive on time. I felt so bad that I went into labor the day she left, but there is nothing you can do about it. So, she decided to come and visit us when we got to Utah. She was able to see Bristol when she was just over 2 weeks old. My sister is so sweet and such a great aunt to little Bristol. She just loves her so much. She even bought her a cute shirt that says I love my aunt. Katie has dressed Bristol in so many cute outfits and keeps sending them this way. She is definitely spoiled already! Thank you Katie for coming to visit. Bristol loved seeing you and we can't wait for the next visit. Hopefully we will be heading your way soon!

Utah Bound

After a long 2 days of driving, Bristol and I finally made it to Utah. We left HR on Saturday May 21 and were able to stop in La Grande to visit my friend Lindsay and her family. We stayed for a few hours and then headed to Caldwell, ID to stay the night with my Uncle Mike and Aunt Amy. They were sweet to let us stay there. We woke up early Sunday morning and made the rest of the trip. We arrived in Payson by about 4 pm, just in time for a BBQ for my brother-in-law, Scott. It was a long and tiring drive, but I am glad we were able to make it safely. Bristol did great. She slept most of the time and woke up every 4 hours to eat. It was perfect! It was fun to be down in Payson and see some of Sam's cousins and for Bristol to meet her cousins Reagan and Kyler. They were so sweet with her. It is nice to be back in Utah again, although we do miss our parents dearly. I am sure we will be making a lot of trips to Oregon in the near future to see the grandparents. They had a really hard time seeing us go, but it was what was best for Sam's schooling.

Bristol's First Professional Photographs- May 20, 2010

I took Bristol when she was 12 days old to get professional pictures taken. It was an interesting experience to do this with such a young baby. She was asleep when we arrived, which made for great pictures. Then as the photo session progressed she started waking up and was getting really upset. So, needless to say, we were only able to get about 20 pictures taken before she was really ticked off. But, the ones we did get were great and I am so glad we did this when she was so young. My mother-in-law always says that there is nothing like the first 2 weeks of a baby's life. I agree with her totally. This time is so precious and they are just so sweet.

Our 3rd Anniversary

It's been 3 years, on May 19th, since we were sealed in the Manti, UT temple. It's amazing how fast the time goes. This year Sam was in Utah and I was in Oregon for our anniversary. We knew this was going to happen when Bristol was 6 days late, so we were prepared to share this day apart.

I feel so very lucky to be married to Sam. He is so wonderful in so many ways. I am blessed every day by our marriage and so grateful to be an eternal family. Being sealed in the temple on May 19th, 2007 was the best decision I have ever made in my life. This year we were able to bring sweet Bristol into this world and am so grateful for her for joining our family. I have such a strong testimony of eternal families and this gospel. We are so blessed to be members of this church, to have the saving ordinances that the temple allows us to participate in. I love Sam so much. He makes me want to be a better person everyday. I can't wait for the rest of eternity to spend with him.

Our Move to Utah

Sam started school at the U on May 17th, thank goodness Bristol came when she did, we were cutting it close. Sam had one week with his new baby girl and then had to head to Utah. We packed the moving truck and cleaned the apartment in Salem and Sam headed out on Saturday morning, May 15th. We took some pictures the day Sam left just to see how much she would change in a week. I thought she changed a lot, Sam just said her hair was lighter. Bristol and I stayed in Oregon for the next week so that she could go to her 2 week appointment, her pediatrician requested it. It was a rough week for the 2 of us. Being a single parent is a lot of work. But, I had a good time spending it with Sam's family and my family. I spent a few days in Hood River visiting with my family and enjoying them coming over to see us. I was able to visit my grandpa Kelly, this is his first great grand baby too, and his wife Harriet. They loved seeing Bristol and couldn't get enough. It was good to get that time in before we moved. I also had a few days to spend with Sam's parents and my friends in Salem. It was great to see everyone before we made the big move. Bristol also had a hard time with it. It is amazing how even little babies know when they are being moved around and not in the same place. She did not sleep very well. There were a couple of nights that I just sat up rocking her because she was crying. Bristol also lost the rest of her umbilical cord that week. I had to capture it!