Six Years

This coming Saturday, December 13th, Austin and I will celebrate six years of marriage.  In many ways, it feels like there is no way it has been six years already. And, in some ways, it seems like we have been married a lot longer than that!! In six years, we have lived in more places and driven more miles than a lot of people do in a lifetime. Our adventures have come with a lot of ups and few downs, but all of them are experiences we look back on and are so thankful for. And I am thankful that I have been able to do it all with Austin by my side. 

I gained so much when we decided to get married. I gained a best friend that I knew would always have my back and stand by my side at the same time. Someone I can laugh with, talk with, and even cry to (since he doesn't really cry, I don't cry WITH him).  I gained an amazing father to our children.  I have someone who wants to experience life with ME by his side, and that means the world to me!

A brief LIVING summary of our last six years:

Rexburg, ID

Indianapolis, IN

Rexburg, ID

Lewisville, TX

Rexburg, ID

Norman, OK

Rexburg, ID

(Austin lived in) San Antonio, TX

Laramie, WY

We have visited/vacationed to:

Cancun, Mexico

Lake Roosevelt, WA

Lake Wolcott, ID

Wallowa Lake, OR

Oregon Coast/Newport, OR

Bear Lake, ID

Cozumel, Mexico

And COUNTLESS other small places within the cities that we have lived, as well as places we stopped and visited on our way TO those cities!!

We drove to each of these places except Cancun and Cozumel.  WHEW!!! Makes me tired just thinking about it.  The best part is, I am certain the list will only get longer and provide even more adventures and experiences that will help us grow closer.

Here is a long list of pictures that kind of sums up our last six years:

Dating

Engaged

Indianapolis

Lewisville

Sedona's birth

A family of THREE

Norman, OK

OKC ZOO...the best ZOO!!! We loved it, and Sedona and I went weekly on our $50 season pass

.

Back in Rexburg. I just love this picture!!

A day on the hill at Pine Creek!

At the Aquarium in Newport, OR

In Cozumel

With our other family, the Jones'. Austin didn't get to come on this trip, and he was really bummed about that. But we love this family and are so thankful to have them in our lives!

In Laramie, WY. Titan's birth.

Father and son. SO precious.

So very thankful for each of these men. Titan's blessing day. We missed my brother Tyson and our Brother-in-Laws Casey, Tony, and Jothan. 

This picture is with our friends, Emilee and Greg Clark.  We have made great friends in all our adventures and I wish I would have been better at taking pictures with all of them when we were closer, geographically. The Yount's, Browning's, Hogg's, Graham's, and the Clark's are some of our closest friends and we miss all of them!! Thank you for being such a huge part of our lives and for being such great friends!

Our family of FOUR!!

I am so thankful for all of the good times, and even the hard times, of the last six years. I look forward to many more years and adventures to come, and I am excited to spend them with you, Austin Clift! I love you, forever.

Family

These three are my world.  I am so blessed to have them in my life forEVER! 

Austin: An amazing Father and a wonderful husband. He works so hard to support our family. I have said in the past that he is like a cockroach: he will do anything to survive. He has been going to school for the last five years and has always had at least one full-time or two part-time, and at one time, THREE jobs. He never ceases to amaze me with the things he can do. I love how much he loves our kids and desires to have great relationships with them. He is my best friend, my companion, and my rock. I love him so much.

 Titan: He is such a sweet boy. He has brought such a spirit into our home that only a sweet baby can. He is quick to smile (except when it is freezing cold outside, like when we were taking these pictures) and he is really a content little boy. He does NOT like to take naps. 15-20 minutes TOPS. But he sleeps pretty well most nights. He loves to suck on his hands and "blow bubbles" with his cute little lips. He is definitely a Momma's boy and always has to make sure I am close by. When he is being held by a "stranger" it doesn't last very long before he shows us how loud he can be.  He loves his big sister! His "nick names" are Titan Boy, Bubba-Do, and Buddy-Ol-Pal.  We sure love him and can't imagine life without his sweet presence.

 Sedona: This picture pretty much sums it all up. She is goofy, happy, super super smart, musical, tender, feisty, and just a really great kid. She is loving pre-school and has lots of friends. She is for sure a Daddy's girl and loves every chance she has to be with him. I am amazed at how much she loves her baby brother and is always eager to be a helper. The other day, she "rawr-ed" and it scared Titan and he started to cry. She did too. She felt so bad for making Titan cry that she started sobbing and it took us quite a while to get the two to settle down and realize that everything was ok.  It was funny and cute.  We love having Sedona in our family.

These photos were taken by my amazing and talented Sister-in-law, Michelle Teichert @ michellephotodesign.com.

I Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet

I need to get something off my chest.  I don't want any arguments here, which is why I decided to write this on my blog and not on Facebook.  I know God calls Prophets for us in this day. I know what they teach is inspired by God. I know they are the mouthpiece for. God here on this earth. But let's get a few things straight:
1) I do not follow anything blindly. Never have. Never will. So, to those of my beloved extended family who think I follow a Prophet because I am told to: you are wrong. When I was a kid and President Howard W. Hunter passed away, my Dad and Mom told me how neat it was that now I would get to pray and ask God if President Hinckley is indeed a Prophet. I did. And guess what? After a lot of prayer and listening to his words, I found out FOR MYSELF that He was a Prophet. No one told me to just believe.  I spent 18 months of my life asking people to find out for themselves if Gordon B. Hinckley was a prophet of God. Do you think I would ask them to do that if I hadn't done it myself?! And when Pres. Hinckley passed away, I went through the same process again. Prayer, study, more prayer, temple attendance, and guess what? Yep, same answer. He is a Prophet of God.
2) I am not dumb.  I resent that people assume that because I don't believe in gay marriage, I am uneducated on the subject and have no place expressing myself or stating my opinion. Just because we disagree on the subject does not make your opinion more valuable or right, for that matter. I am an educated woman. I have a Bachelor's Degree for crying out loud. I can and do think and act for myself. I also have had a lot of life experience. I have had my own struggles with Principles of the Gospel and my life experiences and my desire to find peace and understanding have all led me to my beliefs I hold so dear.
3) And last, but not least, I am so sick and tired of the double standard of "Love me and accept me for who I am, but don't expect me to do the same for you (unless you agree with me)" Why is it that those who believe in gay marriage and fight for it are so offended when those of us who don't believe in it are doing exactly as they are. Why is it that because I do not believe gay marriage is sanctified by God that I am not allowed to stand up for what I believe in without being called "judge-mental, closed-minded, inconsiderate, condescending, un-educated, hateful, and most hurtful: not Christian." My belief in God is directly related to my belief in His living Prophet. And my freedom of speech is just as "free" as theirs, is it not?
Phew. Okay, rant over. Now, with all that having been said, I also believe that we must love and respect one another. While I personally do not believe in gay marriage, I do believe that. God does love all His children and I am expected to do the same. I was taught by wonderful parents who taught me to love all people, despite our differences. And that was also a strong message conveyed in general conference last weekend.
Now, a bit of really happy news that has nothing to do with the above content...
Last winter we moved to Laramie for Austin to attend school at UW. We paid out-of-state tuition. A whopping $9,000. We had to get a personal loan to pay for half of it. This semester, after being given the run-around about all the piles of paperwork it was supposed to take to happen, we were blessed to be awarded in-state tuition. Austin appealed to the registrar's office about the fact that all he needed to say was that his wife is from WY and attended UW, and he would have been given in-state tuition last January. They reviewed his case two times. Denying it once and then awarding him a refund the second time. We have been so blessed! Moving here has been so hard for me. Austin loves it here. I am learning to love it. We have had some difficult challenges the last ten months. But with a lot of prayer and study and faith, we have seen the great blessings in our struggles. Our Heavenly Father loves us. So much. Of that, I am certain :)

Blessed and Grateful

My babes are asleep and you know, there are a million other things I would like to be doing right now like unpacking boxes, cleaning, laundry, organizing, washing my windows so I can see the beautiful sunshine coming through them...the list goes on.  First things first, that beautiful sunshine coming through my windows is all because we moved! Not a big move, just behind our old apartment actually. But a move is a move and that means boxes and clutter and disruption in my regular schedule. However, in this case, it means more natural light (winter will be so much more bareable!!) and more space. We got a three-bedroom and it is so nice to have some space for the kiddos. So, lots to be grateful for. And I AM!!!  But why am I NOT doing the other things I would like to be doing?! Because I am an invalid right now.
Yep, an invalid. I can hardly walk without looking like I have a disability of some kind. Which is very frustrating to me. I have had the normal lower back pain that comes from having a baby and constantly bending over and moving all day long to keep up with a three year old, so I thought nothing of starting my exercise back up about two weeks ago. Well, now I have a pinched sciatic nerve and last week was horrible! Thank goodness for my Mom and sisters who were so willing to help out. But now, I am on my own and it could be ugly. So much to do, and no one to get it done. Austin works. That is all there is to it. He can't stay home and cater to me, we need the paycheck!
Anyway, the pity-party is over. I really wanted to write because I have had so much on my mind lately. So much gratitude for the blessings in my life. As I sit here on my couch, with the sun warming my face and my sweet babes sleeping peacefully, I can feel my Father's love for me. And I need to put that down somewhere. And since I don't do well at keeping a journal, I guess I will put it here.
A few short weeks ago, I was stressed. To the max. Money. It rules our lives. Especially in our stage of life right now. It stinks. We were struggling with the painful reality of not being able to afford out-of-state tuition for Austin this fall. This fall semester missed meant we would be behind a year-and-a-half!! What?! Yep. He had to be in school this fall to get an internship. And without an internship, we would be staying longer. We have made this subject a matter of prayer for quite sometime now. Family prayers, personal prayers, prayers together, and many discussions of our options. And I felt like there were no answers.
Well, about a week and a half ago, I went to a ward barbecue. The day had been long and frustrating with Sedona and Titan and I considered not going at all because Austin couldn't go and I didn't want to do it by myself. But, going meant that I didn't have to cook dinner. So, I went.
When I got there, I would normally have gravitated toward people I already knew. Sad, I know. But instead, I felt very prompted to go sit by a couple I had seen several times but not taken the chance to get to know them. They don't have kids yet, so I was kind of thinking to myself that I would rather go where Sedona could be social. But nope, the prompting was stronger this time. I listened.
As I visited with this couple, I discovered that neither of them are from WY but that they are paying in-state tuition. Say what?! They told me that they took a letter into the Registrar's office that said his wife was working full-time and they gave him in-state tuition! Well, long story kind-of short, I went home and told my husband and he contacted Brother Wiepert (the husband of the couple) and he volunteered to meet Austin at the Registrar's office the following morning.
When all was said and done, all they needed was a copy of my driver's license and our marriage certificate. He was granted in-state tuition. Austin's tuition went from over $9000 to $2200.  He can go to school this fall. And we could move into a bigger place.
You guys, our Heavenly Father is aware of us. Through all of this, I never wondered where He was. I know He is there. All I have to do is look at my beautiful babies and my amazing husband and that is proof enough for me that He knows me and loves me.  But sometimes, I lack the faith in His timing.  For whatever reason that day, in my frazzled state, He loved me enough to calm my troubled heart long enough for me to feel the prompting of the Holy Ghost. And I am so thankful I acted on it. I am even more thankful that my husband trusted our Heavenly Father as well, and that he didn't delay in acting. 
We have been so blessed. I know our Heavenly Father loves us. I know He is aware of our needs. That helps me to believe that we will find a way to get rid of this physical pain I am in. It is frustrating to not be able to run and be active and get things done. But for some reason, I need to slow down. Maybe I need to not worry about the baby weight and just enjoy my babies. I need to apply the Atonement better in my life and realize He suffered not only for my sins but for my pains as well. I realize that my pain is temporary and that I will eventually be back to "normal" for me. So many people don't have the physical blessings I enjoy and I feel like an ungrateful brat for even whining about it. But hey, it is MY trial right now. And whatever the lesson is that I need to learn, I know it is because of His love for me. 

My Babies

It has been quite a while since I last posted. I thought about trying to play "catch-up", but let's be honest, I rarely take the time to post anyway. No way am I going to try and do 3-4 posts to try and catch up.  Plus, I may no longer have "pregnant brain" but I do have "mom-of-two-on-very-little-sleep" brain. I'm not sure which is worse. All I know, is I probably couldn't even remember enough of the details of the last two months to make decent posts. 

But, I had Michelle take some pictures of my babies when Titan was only 3 days old. I thought I would share some of them. She really does such a great job and I LOVE that I have these sweet pictures. Titan may very well be my last baby and I wanted to make sure I got great pics of them at these precious ages they are in.

Sedona Rose 3 years 4 months      Titan Joseph 3 days

6/18/2014 Titan Joseph Clift 7 lbs 20 inches long

Sedona requested that Michelle take a few pictures of her being silly.  I love how goofy she is.  I love that she loves life and is full of energy. I love how smart she is, and even though it does cause some frustration for me, I love that she thinks and challenges me with some of the things she comes up with. I love how friendly she is and although sometimes it causes some 3-year-old heartbreak, I always encourage her to keep trying and always be kind.  She is very persistent (that is a nice way of saying stubborn).  She is tender-hearted and feels emotions and expresses them well. My Mom said, "When Sedona commits to an emotion, SHE COMMITS." It's true. Proof that she is my daughter.  I think what I love most about Sedona is that she will tell me and her Poppy that she loves us about 100 times a day.  She loves to give hugs and kisses and gets emotional when she is being left behind by one of us (like when Austin goes to work).  She is truly a light in our lives and we love her so much!!

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are some pics of Sedona being silly. ENJOY!!

Overdue, and Very LONG

 Right before Sedona and I left for our two-week "vacation" it snowed. Quite a bit. Enough for Sedona and Austin to make an Olaf. She is heaven, as you can see. Olaf melted in a couple days, which was a little devastating to her, but she eventually got over it when I explained to her that sunshine is good and that the more sunshine we get, the closer we are to having Baby Brother with us!

We left for our two-week trip on May 1st and headed to Cokeville. To my surprise and great pleasure, we enjoyed several warm and sunny days there. Sedona spent a Friday and Saturday outside from 10am-5pm when I finally drug her inside to clean up for dinner and get ready for bed. She just played with a watering can and hose all day long. Happy as a lark, that child. She got pretty sunburned on Saturday, though, because I kept putting very expired sunscreen on her that didn't do a dang thing. Oh well, she is a brown little girl now with a rather nice farmer's tan. 

On Monday, my older sisters Tami and Taffy and all their kids came to Cokeville to have a "sister's day." Livi had to work most of the day, but took off a little early so she could have a few hours with all of her sisters and the grandkids.  We spent most of our afternoon together at my Grandma Teichert's house, cleaning out her flower beds. It was great to work together, visit, and listen to all the grandkids enjoy exploring in the "jungle" in Grandma's back yard. I have so many fun memories playing back there with my Teichert cousins. It was fun to listen to them play and have a good time.

 Connor is 10 now, so that means he can do some pretty good work and even use what I would consider a "dangerous" tool. But lucky for him, his Grannie and Mom thought he would be okay using a small hand-saw, and he was more than happy to oblige.  He used the hand saw to cut down this pesky tree, while Tel, Kimball, and Brady helped him bend and maneuver it so it would finally come down. They worked hard and got the job done!!

 These two little munchkins are three weeks apart and in the past have not enjoyed each other's company as much as they did this time around. It was fun to watch them talk and giggle together as they built a "fire" out of some of the smaller logs in Great-Grandma's wood pile. They sure are cute, aren't they?!

 After a couple hours of raking and bending over, my sciatic nerve in my left leg was screaming at me. So, I used that as an excuse to get some cuddles in with this cute little boy. Dixon is so cute and he is such a good baby. I can't wait to get my hands on my own little one!!

After a week at my Mom's house, we headed to Caldwell, ID to see Austin's family. We were there last in November for Thanksgiving and Sedona was so surprised (I didn't tell her we were going there or I would never have heard the end of, "When are we going to Mimi's?!) and happy to get to see the family and her Gizzy dog.

As you can tell, she wasted no time getting dolled up. We were there for about 30 minutes before I snapped this picture. She LOVES "her" dog and was beyond excited to play fetch with him. They are a pretty cute pair!

 I love how this picture captures her personality. ALL of it!

 On Thursday night, Sedona started complaining about a stomach ache. You would never know it, but this picture was taken at about 3am, right after a bath. She got a 24-hour bug and it was rough. Poor kid. Luckily it was only a 24-hour thing and she was still able to enjoy most of her stay at Mimi and Jojo's house.

 Helping Jojo make Mother's Day crepes for Momma and Mimi.

 Mother's Day with my babies.

 The day before we left, we went to the Zoo in Boise. Her favorite thing there was of course, the Carousel. She rode it THREE times. 

 Feeding the goats with Jojo.

As I said before, Sedona LOVES "her" dog, Gizmo. She talks about him daily, and even has her own stuffed dog that looks just like him and is also named Gizzy.  In the past, I have thought people who had such special bonds with their animals were just kinda weird and needed to "get a life" or a hobby or something. I am still totally weirded-out by people who call themselves "pet parents" and even consider their animals their kids.  Totally weird to me. 

But....I have seen a bond between my Sedona and Gizmo that is real and irreplaceable. It will be a very very sad day when Gizmo is no longer with us.  I captured this little moment with Sedona and Gizmo and it kinda melts my heart.  

 "Hey Gizzy, buddy 'ol pal! Wanna play fetch?!"

(She threw the toy in her hand and he didn't respond. Not even a little.)

 "Awe. Okay. Guess what, Giz? I went to the Zoo today. I rode the Carousel free times! I even fed goats and saw the giraffes.  The baby giraffe peeped and the Momma giraffe licked it. It was keekee."

 "Oh Gizzy Boy, I just love you. You are so cuuuute!"

 "I give you kisses because I just love you!"

 And then she spotted me taking pictures and the "moment" was over. But I am telling you, it was pretty darn cute. The hardest "goodbye" for me to watch when we left Caldwell was when she said bye to Gizz.  Really. I was bawling like a baby. So tender. I wish I could get her a dog. She would just play with it all day long.

 It was a hot afternoon and she asked if she could play in the water. So, we put on her bathing suit and she played!!

After a week in Caldwell, we went back to Cokeville and stayed one more day. Tess is in AK for the summer and so we wanted to get one more day with her before she left.  Tessa is such a great Aunt!! She played with Sedona ALL day long. She probably gave her 100 under-dogs as well as played sidewalk chalk, jumped on the tramp, did puzzles, had a picnic lunch, and read stories with her.

It was such a great two weeks seeing family, but we were happy to get home to her Poppy-Dally and her bed. She loves her both of them!! We had great weather while we were gone and have had some pretty good sunny days since being back in Laramie, but we miss our family. Thanks for the fun visit, everyone! Hopefully we will get in some more family time after this baby boy gets here!