Happy Mother's Day!!

Yeah for Mother's!! I decided that I'd spotlight our own mother's today. They will probably kill us because of these pictures, but I think they are great! :)



This is a pic of me and my mom, Teri. I think this is my blessing day. Anyway...I am the first born of six kids, and that is pretty amazing. I say amazing, because my mom had SEVERE morning sickness during the entire 9 months of her pregnancies. Not only that, but at the age of 24, she had to watch while her 4 year old little girl had to undergo her first of 15 surgeries. My mom was 5 months pregnant at the time of my first surgery, and was pregnant during some of the others as well. So, not only was she very sick, she stayed in the hospital with me 24/7, never leaving my side, unless I had another family member to stay with me. Because of the nature of my surgeries, for a short time I was a four year old in diapers. So, there was a point in which my mom had 3 children in diapers!

My mom was a stay-at-home mom, which financially-wise, wasn't easy, but for us kids, was worth it. We may have been poor with money, but we never knew it! I had the best childhood! My mom was like our best-friend. She always had time to play with us. Whether she was getting us involved in her love or painting and crafts, or playing outside, she was involved. She is a great teacher. She taught most all of us piano, which I could never do!! She also taught me a lot about being patient and understanding.

But...most of all, my mom instilled in me early my testimony of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. My mom is one of the lucky few who was born with an inherent testimony of the Divinity of the Savior. Her faith, obedience, and diligence is a huge reason why Shayne and I are on our way to getting the miracle we have desired so strongly. She is the one who never gave up faith that I would have a child someday. We were told when I was 12 almost 13 that I would never have children. However, my mom never allowed herself to doubt I would have children. With her prayers, suggestions, encouragement, and love, Shayne and I are expecting our first child in October. She's not the only one who prayed and worked for us, but my mom was the one to helped me to realize that we needed more help than the medical community could offer. She's the one who helped coordinate the whole "create a miracle" that has been so successful for Shayne and I.

My mom has been one of my best friends my whole life. I'm so grateful I was blessed to be sent to a mother who was such an incredible example of what it means to have the true love of Christ. She truly is my hero! I love you mom!




This is a picture of Shayne with his mom, Jonette. I know she'll hate this picture, because I think she's about 6-7 months pregnant with his little sister. :)

Jonette's story as a first time mom is similar to my mom's, which is kinda crazy. Shayne is the first born of five kids. Jonette's pregnancies were pretty uneventful, which she is grateful for. However, when Shayne was one month old he was diagnosed with a severe congenital heart defect. They were referred to Primary Children's Hospital in SLC, which had not performed this particular procedure before, and had to consult with different pediatric cardiac surgeons across the country. So...Shayne had to wait until 22 months before he had this procedure performed. During this 22 months, he was a sick little boy. Jonette was only 20 when this whole ordeal started, and 22 when he had surgery. Shayne was constantly battling severe fevers in which he would have seizures, ear and upper respiratory infections, and so on. While his dad hated to see his little boy have seizures and would have to leave the room...Jonette always stayed with Shayne. She tells a story about how they were traveling and Shayne's fever was so high and would not break they literally stopped, pulled over, and put Shayne in a snow bank to cool off his little body. When if finally came time to have the surgery, they were told that he had a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgical procedure. Not only did she have to deal with the fact that her little boy had a 50% chance of not living through the procedure, she was pregnant again as well. I can't imagine going through that kind of emotional trauma. Well...we all know that Shayne was a little miracle. In fact, the picture is taken about 6 weeks after his one and only heart surgery. There were tens and even hundreds that were praying for Shayne, but I'm sure it was through the faith, prayers and obedience of his mother that Shayne survived.

Jonette has had to deal with a few trials in her life, and she has always remained strong in the gospel and her testimony of the truth. Her love of the gospel is evident in Shayne's unwavering testimony. She has been an incredible mom, and I know this because she has raised an amazing son who respects and loves me in ways I can't describe. She has been the most amazing mother-in-law I could ever ask for. I feel completely comfortable around her and in her home. She has so much love for her children and shows it every day. She has never referred to me as a daughter-in-law...to her I'm another daughter.

She has been a rock of faith as Shayne and I have gone through this ordeal as well. In fact, she has had to be a rock to two of her children, as Shayne's sister KayCee also dealt with infertility and is pregnant with twins. She has attended the temple every week, and has shared some incredible spiritual experiences as a result. She has been so instrumental in our success as well. She has been completely supportive, and I love the way she makes me feel so important. Even though she has a daughter there who is pregnant, she makes me feel like our pregnancy is the most exciting. I'm sure she does the same for KayCee, but I appreciate what she does for Shayne and I.

She is amazing because she had been completely supportive of Shayne as he has traveled around the globe living out his dreams. It had to be hard to let your little boy, that you were so close to losing, travel so far from home. But...she knows and understands Shayne and his need to be independent. I love her for that. I love her for all the ways she supports and loves Shayne and I.

I am so grateful for the blessing of having two incredible mothers in my life!! Happy Mother's Day!!