On the mend...

Russ is doing good and continuing to heal. On Sunday his entire body was sore/aching. Today his neck and back are feeling better but his knee is feeling worse. He's walking better now but his legs definitely got the brunt of the wreck. We'll have to wait a couple more days to see if he needs to go in for an MRI on his knee. Here's a picture and,as always, the picture does not do justice to how his legs really look.
Neal A Maxwell said: "Trials and tribulation tend to squeeze the artificiality out of us, leaving the essence of what we really are and clarifying what we really yearn for."
Through the trials Russ and I have gone through, I've been so blessed to see more and more the incredible man that Russ is. He continues to worry about and care about others and not himself. He doesn't complain and is always so optimistic. Everyone told me that when the ambulance arrived at the hospital and Russ was wheeled out on a stretcher, he was smiling and waving like a celebrity. He didn't want the parents there to be worried and tried to ease their concern. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be married to such an incredible man.

We are also very grateful for our bishop and members of our ward. Our bishop stayed at the hospital and waited until everyone was released. The other ward members at the hospital were so concerned for all the individuals involved. We were touched by their selflessness and love.

Russ Russ

This post was going to be an Anniversary post about the last three years and how Russ was at Scout Camp so I spent our Anniversary with Lincoln instead... But it will now be about Russ's drive home from scout camp.

Russ has been at scout camp all week four hours from home. They went rafting and boating and cliff jumping and fishing, etc. etc. I was terrified all week because scout camp is notorious for accidents so I prayed all week long that Russ would come home alive. I know that sounds a little crazy... but my prayers were answered. They were on their way home Saturday afternoon and were ONE exit away from home when they went over a hill. Right over the hill is an on-ramp where a semi was getting on the freeway. Apparently, a truck had cut the semi off so the semi had to slam on its breaks so was almost at a complete stop on the freeway. As the truck Russ was in came over the hill, they saw the semi, slammed on their breaks, and tried to swerve into the other lane but they were too close and smashed into the semi probably going about 60 mph. This was the truck.

Russ was in the passenger side. The dash came down and trapped his legs and he had to pull himself out and one of the young men in the back. All five individuals in the accident walked away from it. For that, we will be FOREVER grateful! They all have scrapes and bruises and had to go to the hospital for x-rays but they are all okay. Lincoln was SO EXCITED to see his daddy! He had no idea what was going on but hung out with daddy in the ER. Russ has a bunch of scrapes and bruises and his neck and back are really sore. The x-ray of his knee looked okay but they don't know if anything was torn. We'll have to wait it out about a week and see.

There were so many tender mercies that happened around this accident. Here are just a few:
-Besides the truck directly behind them after the crash, the next two vehicles were a state trooper and an ER nurse. They just HAPPENED to be the next cars that came by!
-Another truck was supposed to be pulling the trailer but the lights didn't work on his truck so the truck Russ was in was pulling the trailer. The weight of the trailer possibly could have stopped the truck from rolling which would have resulted in more serious injuries.
-All of the individuals in the car were wearing their seat belts (which saved their lives)
-The dash came down and Russ's legs were stuck. Had another car ran into the back of them, Russ would have lost his legs. I am so grateful that the truck behind them was able to pull over to the side of the road before hitting them.
-Russ just happened to have volunteered at an ER for a year during college and all of his training and experience there kicked in and he tried to remain calm, think of other things, and ask others questions so he wouldn't go into shock.
-The state trooper and ambulance workers said in a crash like this they are usually looking at serious injuries and death.
-The state trooper asked Russ if he was in the passengers seat then told him how lucky he was to be alive.

I am so grateful that my prayers were answered and that my husband made it home from scout camp. I am also so grateful for all the prayers that have been given in his behalf. I am so humbled for all the prayers that have been given for our family over the past couple years and am so grateful that I have BOTH of my BOYS at home with me today.

Happy Dad's day!

I am so grateful for the Fathers in my life and especially in Lincoln's life. Lincoln has the BEST daddy ever! I have never seen a father love their child more than Russ loves Lincoln. He always asks me to send him pictures of Link when he is at work. He is always so excited to see Link when he gets home. He loves to hang out with Link and always tells me all the adventures him and Link are going to have when Link gets older. He stays up at night looking at pictures of Lincoln or sneaking into his room to watch him sleep. He is such a GREAT husband and father! Lincoln is still a daddy's boy and loves Russ so much! The other day, I saw Russ pull up and I told Link that daddy was home. He ran to the stairs and ran to the door and waited at the door until Russ came in! What a pair these two are! I love my boys!!

This is probably not the best picture of Russ being a loving father but Link loves it when daddy throws him in the air.

Link is so blessed to have the grandfather he does. Russ's dad is an incredible person. Like Russ, he possesses so much love for his family members. He shows it in small ways but those small ways mean so much. All of his family members respect him and trust him. He is a great pillar of spiritual strength as well and allows the spirit to lead his words and actions. Since I'm still working part time, Link gets to spend time at Grandma and Grandpas and loves it when Grandpa comes in for lunch and when he gets to spend time with Grandpa.



I have conflicting emotions on Fathers Day. My father passed away 9 years ago so honestly, until last year the only way I celebrated Fathers day was to skip church (don't judge) and have a barbecue with my family. I was a teenager when my father passed away so I don't have too many memories of him but I will always remember that my father was a hard worker, very smart, loved to laugh, and loved his family. Here are some things that I remember about my father:
-He was a workaholic (like Russ) and when he wasn't at the office for tax season he was building houses (why not build houses in your spare time?!).
-He was always in the garage with his tools building something.
-He always woke us up in the morning in his awesome green and white striped robe (he later change it to navy) and sat in his famous brown chair and read us scriptures every morning without fail.
-He would try to wake us up in his cheery voice with corny jokes that he thought were hilarious.
-He was always telling jokes that he thought were funny.
-He'd fix my baked potatoes for me (that sounds so weird but he would get them out of the peel for all of us).
-He clipped my nails.
-He would get the guts out of my pumpkin.
-He would get the car for us when it was raining
-For holidays I would either get him socks, a tie, or a hammer. (I don't know what he did with all those hammers!)
-I remember asking him on a questionnaire I had for school what his dream job would be and he said a landscaper.
- The week before he passed away we were talking about what we would do if we only had a couple more months to live and he said that he would go to the temple more.
-I called him 'pop' and he called me 'dot'

I am grateful for the memories I have of my 'pop' and for the knowledge I have that families can be together FOREVER. Also, because of a lack of an earthly father, I've been able to grow closer to my Heavenly Father, for which I am eternally grateful.

I love to see the temple

A temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is being built in our small town! We feel so blessed to have this beautiful and sacred building just blocks away from our home! I am able to pass the temple and watch the construction every time I go to the grocery store! What a miracle this building is!

I have pictures from a couple months ago but have not downloaded them yet.

This is what the temple looked like about a month ago...

This is what the temple looks like today... (taken out the car window)

Tulips

The tulips were out so my mom, brother, and I took Link and my nephews to get pictures with the tulips! It was quite the adventure to get 4 boys 4 and under to smile for pictures.

SUMMER!

We are so excited for Summer to finally be here! Link loves visiting his grandmas house because we always go play outside! He was a little apprehensive about the sand at first but now I think he likes it well enough... he definitely loves to eat it! These pictures are from a couple months ago. Hopefully it's warm enough now to go outside without a jacket!

Easter

Sorry I'm late as usual on posting. Here are some pictures of our Easter Extravaganza (Link was already in his pajamas...oops)! We went to my moms and Link had an easter egg hunt with his cousins! Good times were had by all!

The boys with my grandparents

Hope everyone had a HAPPY EASTER!!

Mr. Link

Our little man is still keeping us busy. He starting walking/running at 13 months and hasn't stopped since! He is now 15 months old! I was just recently looking at pictures from Christmas time and Link looked like a baby then. He looks and acts so much older now! Besides 'mama' and 'dada' and a bunch of babbling all day long, he's not way into talking. He loves to give high fives, show us his tongue, give us kisses, play peek-a-boo, wave to himself in the mirror, and get thrown in the air by daddy. He has a love/hate relationship with the vacuum. He is fascinated by it when it is not on and he plays with it and tears it apart but when it gets turn on, the tears start coming. He LOVES to turn the lights off and on and would do it all day if we let him. He has been playing with plastic Easter eggs this week and thinks they are the greatest thing ever! He fell down the stairs for the first time last week and since then has been MUCH better at climbing down backwards. He still tries to see where he is going so it's kinda backwards and sideways at the same time. We have a bunch of puzzles and he used to just throw all the pieces off the board but now he is trying to put them in the right places! He still loves the outside and is fascinated with animals (I don't know where that came from). It's so fun to see his little personality come out. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.


When he gets tired he will rest his head on whatever he is near- the couch, the floor, you, etc. It is so dang cute!





He sucks on his toes sometimes in the car when he gets bored. What can you do...

Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has just released a new rendition of the motion picture "Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration" and it is available online. They used a lot of footage from the original with more narrating and explanations. You can watch it at this website.

Lucas

One of my favorite quotes is by Neal A Maxwell, An apostle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said:

‘The new star of Bethlehem would have had to be placed in it’s precise orbit long long before it shown so precisely. By reflecting such careful divine design, it underscored what the Lord has said, ‘All things must come to pass in their time.’ His planning and precision pertain not only to astrophysical orbits but to human orbits as well. Each of us has a personalized plan. Like the Christmas star, each of us, if faithful, has an obtained orbit, a priesthood path, as we pass through this second estate.’

This quote teaches that the events that happen in our lives do not happen by chance. The Lord is in charge and He will allow events to happen in our lives that will bring about the most personal growth. This quote also teaches that ‘human orbits’ do not happen by chance. People are placed into our lives for a reason- to teach us, to strengthen us, to help us grow. Russ, Lincoln, and I were blessed to be acquainted with a little guy, along with his parents, who taught us all of these things plus countless others. His name was Lucas. When Lincoln was at Primary Children’s Medical Center for the first month of his life, Lucas was there for his Glenn Surgery. Lucas was the happiest baby I’ve ever met. I always loved walking by his crib because he was always smiling and flirting with all the nurses. He had endured so much in his life and yet was giving and sharing happiness with those around him. To me, as a parent of another little heart baby, he taught me to hope. Hope for Lucas, hope for Lincoln, hope for all the other children with physical ailments. His parents were examples of strength, service, testimony, and happiness. Through all of the medical appointments and ups and downs they were strong. They had so much faith in the Lord that they KNEW what the Lord wanted would be the best for all of them and that they would be able to endure it. Even while living at Primarys, they were always looking for ways to serve others and to brighten the days of those around them. They exemplify what Elder Neal A Maxwell said, “Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity.” Along with their son, they always had a smile on their faces. Russ ran into his parents this past weekend and learned that Lucas “peacefully left this mortal life on Wednesday, March 9^th” at 21 months old. I am grateful that Lucas and his incredible parents crossed our ‘human orbit’. I am grateful for the knowledge that we have of the Plan of Salvation and that Lucas and his family “are sealed by the Lord’s holy priesthood to become an eternal family.” Keep these wonderful people in your prayers. If you would like to help, they asked to “please consider donating to Intermountain Healing Hearts, an organization that has provided tremendous support to us and other families affected by congenital heart defects.”