Stained Glass Windows

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I was at the gym on Saturday and noticed a quote that was on one of the boards. It read:

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
                                                                     Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I usually don't pay attention to the quotes but this one stuck out to me. What a wonderful imagery that this author paints. I love spending time talking with friends and reading their blogs. Every once in awhile I will come across other people's blogs and find myself drawn to read their stories. It amazes me to read of all the trials and conflicts that people face every day. What is even more amazing is their strength and courage to get through, the light from within. So many people that I know and don't know are going through some rough times and I find extra strength to push through my trials as I see them find the blessings in their lives and rise above their problems.

I'm grateful for the help I have from friends and family and especially my Savior as he truly is the light from within. I know that my knowledge and testimony of him and the church is what gets me through the day!

So I want to thank those of you who are fighting for the light from within to overcome the darkness inside! I want to thank all of those Stained Glass windows, the ones I know and don't know!

Across the Nation and Back

Get ready for picture overload! This was truly one of the vacations that I was not ready to head back. I really felt like home when we landed in Sacramento and was sad to leave. It was quite a busy trip and enjoyed all the family we saw!

Kellen did amazing on the plane! He got fussy once (I mean come on he is a baby) but other than that he slept and ate!

Thursday night Brad's dad took us to a Kings game along with his brother! It was my first pro game and I had a lot of fun.

Grandma loved playing with Kellen and it was nice that she volunteered a ton to watch him. She got him some very cute animal puppets and he loves them already!

My brothers got to meet Kellen for the first time and the consensus was that he was cute. Efrain really liked to  hold them, it was fun to see them around him.

We celebrated Leanne and my grandma's birthday that weekend as well. And in case you were confused Leanne turned 18  and my grandma 69. I am so glad that her and Bob (Elder and Sister) were able to come up.

Here is a picture of the four generations of my dad's side.

On Sunday we blessed Kellen and had many family there. We took up four rows, but we are used to that by now. Kellen did very well and he was blessed in the same outfit as Brad. And was blessed in the same blanket that my dad and uncle Loren was blessed in. He has great shoes to fill!

Brad's dad took the kids on a ride in his Chevy, they loved it!

We celebrated Hannah's birthday, watched the superbowl, went to many yummy restaurants, and just hung out with family. The rest are just some misc photos that we took during the week. We were very sad to go but know we have to get back to reality. We found out Kellen is more of a home body and has been a little more pleasant since we've returned. Brad is off to Africa in a week and while I am excited for him to go I know I will pray for his safety!

2 Months Down...Many to Go!

I'm sure at some point everyone who blogs decides to write a new post instead of doing the other hundred things that needs to be done. Well that is me, I am not doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc; I am going to tell you all about one of my favorite things!

Dang! Isn't he cute! It is the one reason why we don't consider giving him back! But truly he is one of my favorite things right now besides my husband of course, and as of lately chocolate!

As of today, Kellen is 2 months old. At his doctors appointment he weighed 11 lbs 1oz and is 23 inches long. His growth is normal and he is doing good. He has this sleeping at night thing down and most nights is asleep by 9:30 and wakes me up at 7! Now we just need him to be able to hold his head up so he can use his bumbo and other new toys!

It isn't as exciting to hear about Brad and I but we are doing well. Brad is getting ready for his Africa trip in about a month so he has been working a lot. At times he gets less sleep than me but he is trooper. I started a second part time job as a receptionist at a local Montessori school and I love it. It feels nice to get back into that kinds of work and Kellen is able to be in their infant program while I work. Life is going to get very busy but I think that is what we are used to!

Someone is Happy

I thought I would post a little video of Kellen. Please excuse my high pitched voice. He is starting to smile and laugh when he sees a familiar face so that is nice. He is also starting to cry every time he goes down for a nap unless you hold him. I swear I haven't been holding him all the time....maybe I am just in denial

Christmas with Our Little Family!

Well the Holidays have come and gone and for once in my life I have hit January and not seen any snow yet! Brad worked most of the holiday nights but we were able to spend Christmas together. While we weren't near family it was nice to feel their love as well as spending Christmas with our little family. But don't worry Kellen and I were taken care of while Brad worked. We were invited to many Christmas parties by people in the ward and felt loved from them as well!

To start off with, it is way more fun to see pictures of this guy then us. We bought a little outfit for Christmas for Kellen and then an anonymous person dropped off some more Christmas outfits. So he was well dressed this Holiday season! 

Brad worked Christmas eve so we didn't open presents until 6 at night, Christmas day. But we got dressed in our pjs so it looks normal. Kellen obviously was spoiled this year as he should be but he slept the whole time! Brad did most of the shopping and I was glad because he bought some good stuff and things we needed. (Maybe minus the nerf guns he bought Kellen :) )

This is Brad trying to calm Kellen down. And yes he is wearing the stockings that we had hung up. He said they were comfortable!

 A lady in our ward did Kellen's baby pictures as well as our family pictures this year. She is an amazing photographer and it was so fun to work with her. She didn't even flinch when Kellen peed all over her blanket...twice. Here are some of my favorite shots, isn't she amazing. If you want to check her work out, www.emilyjonesstudio.com 

These are the Holiday cards we sent out. I scanned this so the quality isn't the best. I wish we could have sent them to everyone but we only had enough for family. Kellen was the best thing about this year and he came right before it ended! It is crazy to know that a year ago we were in Rexburg doing pretty much the same things we had for the previous 3 years. But now we are in Virginia, Brad has a great RN job, and Kellen has joined us on this crazy adventure. We have much to be happy about! Our family had friends have been on our mind, especially during this season and we hope all is well!