Cabin Fever!

This last weekend, Sean, Siri and I took the kids up to the Henderson Cabin for a few days. It was lots of fun, besides having to climb a mountain of stairs everyday. It was good to just relax, and go four wheeling. Sean and his dad took Siri and the kids oh the lake and I just stayed behind and went for a four wheeler ride. I was heading up where their old cabin was, and saw a moose up the hill a little bit. We saw deer and moose a lot while we were up there, and one night we got done hot tubing (it wasn't to hot, just warm pretty much) a moose and her calf could smell the water and came up behind their cabin. We were only up there for a few days, but it was good getting out of the house and take a small vacation in the mountains.

Moose and its calf behind the cabin

Moose I saw while four wheeling

Sean playing with the kids

We weren't technically 'hot' tubing. It was like taking a huge bath

We saw some deer one morning when we woke up

Ethan Stacy

On May 10, a 4-year-old, Ethan Stacy went missing from his home in Layton, UT. After searching the apartments all night, the parents had another interview and had told authorities where he might have been. On May 11, they found his body brutally beaten in the mountains by Powder Mountain. Soon after finding his body, they arrested his mother, Stephanie Sloop and stepfather, Nathan Sloop for the suspicion of his murder and were charged with aggravated homicide, felony child abuse, obstruction of justice and desecration of a corpse.

Just before he was sent to spend the summer with his mother, his father, Joe Stacy was fighting to never let her have visitation rights. "She is unstable" is what he tried telling the judge, but ended up having to share custody with Ethan. He would spend the school year at his fathers, and summers at his mothers. Just after being sent to his mothers, the 4-year-old boy started being abused by her and the boyfriend. One day after abusing the child, they locked him in his room and set off to get married. Then sometime after that, was beat to death and buried in the mountains. The stepfather tried beating his face with a hammer so that they were not able to identify him just before trying to get rid of the body. Right now they are only being accused of the murder, but have no doubt they did it. The stepfather does have a criminal record, but nothing on Stephanie.

I don't understand how anyone could do such a horrible thing to a young child. Even just the abuse part to it also. My only guess why it did happen was because she did not want the father to be happy and did it out of spite and she is just completely mentally ill. Now I know that everyone wants them to have the death penalty and they deserve to die, but in my personal opinion, I do not agree. Where do we have the right to decide who dies and who lives? I think that being miserable in prison, and probably for her an insane asylum or something is good enough. I know it is horrible for any abuse or death of a child. I don't want to think that I am being heartless towards Ethan and don't agree with everyone else, but something that we need to remember is to learn to still love and forgive. It's terrible that he had such a gruesome death, but he is in such a better and happier place, away from the abuse and turmoil he had to live through. Stephanie and Nathan are going to be living in damnation for eternity after they die that I think they should have to live through the misery here on earth. Joe (the father) will have such wonderful blessings because of the heartache he is facing. I know it is such a hard thing to lose a child, but Ethan will always be with his father until he dies to be with him again. I am not sure what the fathers religious beliefs are, but from what I believe with my faith, I know that when he learns to forgive this tragic situation, and continues to love and follow the words of the Savior, he will truly be blessed and be happy for eternity.

"Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunrise to sunrise. It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God." - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

My prayers are with the father, and I know that he will get such love and blessings having to deal with the agony and heartbreak he has faced and that he will face.

"We can lay down our lives for those we love not by physically dying for them but rather by living for them--giving of our time; always being present in their lives; serving them; being courteous, affectionate, and showing true love for those of our family and to all men--as the Savior taught." - Elder Claudio R. M. Costa

bees...raccoons...what next?

So for the last month and a half or so, Brandi has been sitting at the fireplace trying to get whatever has been in there. The previous summer, we had a swarm of bees, so I only figured there were more and the guy didn't them all. Well, one day, I wanted to tease Brandi, so I started tapping on the window of the fireplace making her whine and try to get in there, and when I stopped for a minute, I started hearing this wierd sound. I told my parents that I just had this feeling the sound was raccoons. After a few days, you could really start hearing the sound much louder at night or even sometimes in the day. The sound wasn't coming from the actual fireplace itself, but from in the chimney.

After having to hear this sound, I really started thinking that the sound must be babies. My mom said that they were bats cause at night when you could hear them, it would sound like they were going up the chimney. I just knew in my heart that it had to be babies of some sort. So a few days after thinking either bats or raccoons, I got on the computer and pulled up bat sounds and raccoon sound. And just as I thought, I clicked on 'distressed raccoon', and it sounded like the sound. Then, clicked on 'raccoon kits', and that was the sound that we have been hearing. Baby raccoons! I called up my mom immediately and told her it was for sure babies. A couple days after we have told my brother about it, he and his family came up on Sunday and got up on the roof to look down and wonder if we could see anything.

When we shined the light down the chimney, we saw the biggest mommy raccoon! It was HUGE and she was just staring up at us from the base of the chimney. After Spencer, Ryan and I saw it, we told them it was for sure and then everyone had to get on the roof to see the mommy and her babies. My mom, who wanted to kill them and get rid of them, after seeing them, heart just dropped and couldn't believe it. We started looking for places that would get rid of them, but everywhere we called were asking for $1,200 or even more. It was ridiculous! She ended up calling Mario (our guy that cleans our yard) to see if he knew of anyone that got rid of them. He told her that they would come up and get them out for her.

Last Tuesday, they came up to look how everything was and think of a plan to get them out. When I came out to watch what they were doing, I heard this banging sound from the bottom of the chimney and the babies were so loud and my first thought was he was going to kill them. I started to panic and just begged my mom not to let them kill them and get them out another way, and she just told me to go in her room so I can't hear anything. I would much rather push them off the roof then having them kill these babies and mommy. Luckily, they weren't going to! They just ended up opening the flue, and the second he did that, the mother ran up the chimney and disappeard and pulled out six babies! They were the CUTEST things I've seen! They were putting them in a tarp, but I went to get a box with a towel so that they could be warm from the wind and be more comfortable. I couldn't resist but hold them and just comfort them. After I had gone to work, my brother and his kids came up to see them and made a big box home for them to see if the mommy would come back for the babies. Unfortuneatly, it was the night we had that big storm, so we hoped she would try to get them. The next morning, Cami came up and my mom told her that they babies were taken. When she went out to look for herself, she moved a blanket and there were two babies left. They were small, so we think that the mother thought they wouldn't survive and left them. But little did she know, I went with Cami to Petsmart to get them milk and everything they would need. They haven't eaten in twenty four hours and trying to feed them was just so hard. They wouldn't eat and would just cry. I am a total wuss when it comes to baby animals and I just felt hopeless when I couldn't help them. But we called a lady that takes care, raises and teaches raccoons to hunt and she ended up taking them. I am just glad that they did not end up dying. I would have felt like I failed ha ha. But really. Now, I want a cute puppy after being with the little babies.

And if you don't think these things are not cute, then something is wrong with you.

Exciting news!

On Monday April 26, I had an ultra sound appointment to check the baby's health and everything and got to find out the gender! I'm having a sweet little girl and it makes it more exciting to get everything ready for my couple and just making the blankets! I'll have to take a picture for the blanket my mom helped me crochet and a picture of the blanket I'm sending home with her. It will take time, but hopefully I'll get it done on time!
I am due August 30 (or September 2) so just about three more months left till the big day. I am a little nervous, but I have a feeling everything will turn out just perfect. My case worker encourages giving a name to the baby even if I place her in adoption so I have started picking names out for her and came across a few that I like. Now, I like different names, so you may think "huh?" But I really come to like (the most)-Olivia, Soleil, Taigen and Zaylee. I am going to have an open adoption, but I am just going to be getting letters and pictures that I think may last for a year and that is perfect. I am excited to make a scrap book for her and really just can't wait.

For a quick update on the adoption and everything, the family that I found ended up meeting another birth mother and she ended up liking them and probably telling them this week that she chose them. In some ways it is unfortunate, but I did only look at the family the second I saw them and didn't give it much time to really think and wait to know if they were the ones. I guess I was just anxious to just find the family and everything.
Today, I have been looking at some couples that I actually took the time to look over their profiles and even their blogs and ended up liking a few people. I found seven that I liked, but two the most only because their blogs also included their extended family and had really so much more things about them to read.
I am looking for people that really like to be outdoors and be active rather than be at home locked up all day in their home. Music is especially important to me just from growing up playing piano, singing and even messing around with the guitar and violin (I can read music with guitar, but can barley play anything on the violin, but really wish I knew how!). I'm excited to find the family that belongs to this sweet little girl. It will be hard, but the wait to have a family with my husband will be worth that wait!

This experience has really gotten me excited to get married and start a family. It will be so exciting to share my pregnancy with my husband. (kicking, ultra sounds, EVERYTHING!) It also has helped me realize the importance it is to be financially ready. I definitely want to feel one hundred percent ready when my husband and I have a child of our own.

big surprises come in small packages

So it's about time that I just come right out and say it!

Well, I will just be blunt and say... I'm pregnant. I am twenty one weeks along since Monday, and I do not know what the sex of the baby is. I think, and have thought since before I knew I was pregnant that it was a girl. I'm not hoping, but I just truly think it is. I know, I know. I'm not married, but I am pretty sure I made a mistake.

After I found out for sure I was pregnant, I was already five weeks a long and just felt like I was the worse person ever. I thought what I did was unforgivable and just felt like scum of the world. After I talked to my bishop, immediately that Sunday I found out, I felt this weight just come off my shoulders and this comforting feeling telling me that I still was loved and that everything was okay. I personally see my pregnancy as a blessing in disguise. I have started going to church again, read my scriptures almost everyday, or when I can, and pray. I love the feeling I have, and this is the closest I have felt with my Father and Savior and never want to lose that.

Anyway, so I have just recently chosen to place the baby up for adoption. I decided this not because my family, or friends, or whoever wanted me to, but because I know that it is the right and best thing to do. I have been struggling so much financially that I can barely take care of myself. (I live with my parents so thankfully I have a place to stay) Just thinking that I barely have the money to use to take care of me, I just knew that I would be struggling so much if I kept the baby.

So for the excited part! I found a family that I really like since the first time I saw their picture. They both went to school after being married, got their associates and he continued going to school and got his bachelor's and is a high school teacher and she does real estate. She will be a full time mom when they have adopted the baby and that is what I think is definitely important with having a family rather than having someone watch it, or even day care. SO what I want to do to let them know that I have considered them for the adoption is, I want to send them a little package with a blanket and maybe a cute outfit whatever the sex is with a cute paper telling them "Congratulations, it's a Girl/Boy!" and just simply explain to them who I am and why I chose them. I am going to set an appointment when I can have the ultra sound so that I can get this done before someone steals my family ha ha!

I know that it will be hard getting closer and closer to the due date, but I know that baby will be happy and that she/he will be with the right family. This experience makes me excited for the future when I am married and will experience everything with my husband.