Spring Break

Well, we've been home for 5 days and I'm STILL unpacking. The laundry just seems to keep growing, but oh well! We had a great spring break vacation and that's all that matters. We were lucky enough that the kids had an entire week off of school and it happened to fall right when we had some fun family events in SLC. So, we headed North before our trip to see Heide in Wisconsin.

My sweet grandma turned 80 years YOUNG last week and we had a big bash for her! She is honestly THE most amazing grandma ever! She has always been (and continues to be) such a special part of my life. She and grandpa have set such a wonderful example for us and I love them both with all my heart.

My mom came up with the idea of having each person make a quilt square about a special memory with grandma. Then she pieced them all together into a gorgeous quilt! It was amazing!

I have so many fun memories of time spent with my grandma. There are trips to Wasatch State Park, our times together in St. George, building "tents" on the clothesline in her backyard, potato salads and family dinners. Birthday cards with her beautiful handwriting, sleepovers in the red room in her basement, playing dress up with the clothes in the hall closet and friday nights watching her and grandpa play Rook. But one very special memory that I have is going to church with her and having her make handkerchief dolls for me. So for my quilt square I embroidered a little church with a steeple and the words "Handkerchief dolls at church."

I have vivid memories of going to church with grandma and sitting on the pew next to her. I can describe every detail of the chapel. I remember where we used to sit and can almost smell my grandma's perfume. We would snuggle close together as we sang hymns and listened to the talks. She always carried a beautiful white lace handkerchief with her, which she magically rolled and folded into a little doll in a cradle. I cherish this small but very special memory of time spent with my grandma.

Later that week we also got to spend time with Greg's family! We always have so much fun and hardly even see the kids because they're off with their cousins! We had a nice lazy Sunday chatting, eating and playing games. Thanks DeDee for being such a great hostess. We love you guys and wish we lived closer! (Sorry no pics)

Kate and I were also able to attend my cousin's bridal shower. Nancy is almost like another little sister to me. She is awesome and I love her so much! I am so excited for her and Danny and Zack! They are a cute little family!

Amy and Olivia came to hang out at nana's house while our daddy's worked and I packed for our Wisconsin trip. Kate and Josh LOVE little kids, especially their cousins so it was fun to watch them play with Liv. They are going to be GREAT helpers when Emersyn is born! Olivia loves to give gooey kisses, which we happily accepted. You'll also notice that the 3 amigos - Kate, Josh and Amy - got ahold of my camera and had some fun. Thanks for helping to keep them entertained Am!

Thanks everyone for a fun time in SLC. We're counting down the days until Easter weekend and your visit to our end of the state!

Our visit with Heide

One of the things that I know for sure is this ... there are certain people that you meet in life that the Lord intended for you to meet. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. People come into your life, at specific times and for specific reasons. Heide is one of those people in my life.

This past weekend we had to opportunity to go and visit her and Addy. We thought we loved her before, but this weekend made us love and appreciate her even more. We had never met before (at least in this lifetime) and yet we felt as if we have known each other forever. It wasn't awkward. We weren't nervous. It was completely comfortable and we had a GREAT time. We were all very sad when the weekend was over and we had to say our good-byes. But we're thankful to know that this won't be the last time we'll see each other.

Thanks Heide and Addy for letting us come to visit! And thank you for coming into our lives at this particular time for a very special reason - baby Emersyn! We love you!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Introducing an AMAZING woman and her ADORABLE daughter!

I thought I'd quickly introduce an AMAZING woman and her ADORABLE daughter! We LOVE them both SO much and are INCREDIBLY grateful that they've come into our lives! Thanks for a fun time! We've made memories to last a lifetime!

Feeling good!

Right now it seems that every time I turn on the TV or open the newspaper, all I hear or read about is bad things, and quite frankly ... it's depressing! However, when I stop and look around I realize that there are actually lots of good things happening, too! So, I thought I'd share a few "good news" items with you!

First ... have I mentioned to you lately how TOTALLY THRILLED I am that we are going to have a baby girl in just over 3 months? This is truly a miracle in our family and a real answer to hundreds of prayers. We've decided to name this precious gift Emersyn Grace Hardman. I have longed for another baby for so long I can hardly believe it's true! And the fact that I have alos gained another best friend, "Miss H" (the birth mom), is an added bonus! We get to meet her face-to-face in just 2 short days and I CANNOT wait! We love you "Miss H" and are so grateful that you've come into our lives!

Next piece of good news ... my sister and her husband get to finalize the adoption of sweet Olivia in a few weeks! I have always said that I wanted Amy and Casey to get a baby before we did and well, another prayer was answered! Watching my little sis become a mommy has been such a great experience. She is a complete natural and such a cute mom. I love you LOU and am grateful to call you my sister and friend.

Other good news ... Our very dearest friends from law school, Ben and April, have finally been picked to adopt a little baby girl, who is ironically due in May - just a few weeks before our baby! April and I have trudged through the storms of infertility together for many years, and now ... we get to dance in the rain puddles together and celebrate the arrival of our girls! Congratulations Ben, April and Thomas. We are SO excited for you!

There are lots of other good things happening, too! For instance, my mom is dating again and having the time of her life and I couldn't be happier! She deserves it! We also just celebrated my grandma's 80th birthday. She is an amazing woman and I love her so much! I want to be just like her when I grow up. And then there's the simple fact that it's spring and that alone is good news!

Now, in mentioning all of these good things I am in no way saying that life is perfect. I have a brother and Greg has two brothers who are out of work. However, as I've talked with each of them and their wives, I am amazed by their strength and faith. They are not feeling sorry for themselves - they are making it work and I love and appreciate each of them for their incredible examples.

So, there you have it ... Jill's good news report! If I didn't include your good news, feel free to email me and maybe I'll include it in my next installment! Until then I wish everyone lots of good news in their lives!