Emerson's farewell part 2.

The day before Emerson left, we spent a good chunk of the morning getting all of his bags packed.
We made sure we had everything on the list and spent quite some time writing his name on his things.
It's quite the process getting a missionary all set to go!

Later that night, we headed to the stake center for him to get set apart.

The spirit was so strong.

One of the things our Stake President said that really touched me was that he believes that there are angels (family members/friends) from the other side that are completely invested in being there for us and guiding our every step. And that Emerson would never ever be alone.

I loved this because I felt like I could definitely apply this to my own life because there have been times  where I have definitely felt angels lifting me up and giving me the strength to move forward.

It's very comforting to know that we are never alone. 

After he was ordained, we went to Cafe Rio for dinner and then enjoyed a nice chocolate malt shake while watching The Best Two Years.

Poor Elder Farr...he didn't make it through the movie.

Wednesday February 24th came much to quickly.

We woke up and had a yummy breakfast of buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk syrup, and berry sauce. (Thanks Mickelsons for the recipe!)

We spent some time talking together and then headed to Provo.

Here's my cute brother walking out of our house for the last time for two years.

As you can tell he is a bit emotional.

I want to share a little part of an email we got from Winston just two days before Emerson left.

I know it was a huge comfort to him and definitely a huge comfort to me and the rest of my family.

"When we got to the MTC and we were saying our good byes, I wasn't crying. It was super hard and I remember the other Elder helping me with my bags. He was trying to talk to me and that was the last thing I wanted to do right then. Right when I walked in the doors it hit me, the most overwhelming feeling of loneliness and I already felt so far away from the family. I just broke down crying, I could not hold it in. I still cry when I remember the feelings I felt at that time. I said a quick prayer to myself pleading with Heavenly Father to give me strength and comfort. Almost immediately after, I stopped crying. I felt an overwhelming feeling of love and peace. I knew I was going to be okay and that I was an ordained representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the last time I felt like that through out my whole mission. I promise you man that the Lord will take care of you. You don't need to be scared or worried."

Saying goodbye to his good ol suburban.

(Who most likely won't be here when he gets home.)

Us at the Provo temple.

Olivia loves her uncle "ah ah shas" so much.

And definitely will miss him.

She walks around saying, " ba bye ya ah ah shas, see twooo ears (years)." 

Don't you think they kind of look alike?

I've had a lot of people tell me that they think that she looks just like him!

And I'm not going to lie I definitely see a resemblance.

As we pulled in to the MTC and saw literally hundreds of missionaries lined up to greet all the new missionaries that day, I felt the most overwhelming feeling of gratitude for each and every missionary and their sacrifice. And for their families and their support. I felt so honored to be a member of this church and to have two of my own brothers worthily dedicating two years of their lives to sharing the gospel. 

I'm one blessed girl.

And as hard as it was to hug Emerson and watch him walk off knowing that for two years I wouldn't see him. I felt comforted in knowing that he was going where he needed to go and doing exactly what Heavenly Father wanted him to be doing.

I also want to share a little tender mercy we experienced at the MTC.
As we pulled in to the MTC,  all of the sudden Emerson frantically rolls down his window and screams out "Caleb" (A boy in our home ward that Emerson has pretty much grown up with.) Caleb yelled back,  "drive to #14 and I'll take you in!" Well right after he said this, another man said, " no no you have to go where they tell you to and pull all the way forward." So we kept driving and next thing you know we find ourselves being directed right to #14 . Out of seriously 100 numbers we end up right at 14. So we pull in and Caleb comes running down. Emerson gives all of us hugs and of course is crying. But as we watched him walk off we couldn't help but notice him laughing and smiling. We know with out a doubt that that was no coincidence and that Emerson was definitely being watched over. I think having someone he knew so well be there to help him say goodbye and begin a new chapter of his life was very comforting and made things a lot easier.

I'm sure that was just one of the many little miracles Emerson will experience these next two years.

We are going to miss this boy so much but could not be more proud of his decision to serve in Boston, Massachusetts for the next two years. 

They're definitely getting one special boy.

I love you Elder Farr and look forward to sharing these next two years with you!

Emerson's Farewell part 1.

It is true, I now officially have two missionary brothers!

I feel so proud and so blessed.

Isn't he a good looking boy?

I definitely think so:)

Love this picture.

My parents were nice enough to fly Olivia and I out to Utah for 9 days to spend time with Emerson and be there for his farewell and such.

Sadly, Michael was tied up with school, so he stayed home. However, he was greatly missed.

When I found out we would be going to Utah I definitely had some mixed emotions.

I was beyond excited to see everyone, but at the same time very emotional about having to say goodbye to Emerson for two whole years.

I had been through it once with Winston and not to be negative or anything but it was awful and there are still days even 1 1/2 years later that I cry because I miss him so much.

(I come from an emotional family that definitely does not do well with change.)

 Here is us enjoying our "last" lunch for two years.

Michael and Ryan surprised Sophia and I with manicures for Valentines Day.

I was thrilled, mostly because I had never had one before.

However, I feel as though Michael may have made a mistake because I just might be addicted:)

(P.s those are my real nails, I know impressive:))

 "ah ah shas" and Olivia.

She loves cuddling with her uncle.

Meet the newest member of the Farr family.

Boston.

She's a little teacup Yorkie.

And even though I seriously hate dogs, I found her to be quite the cutie!

She's literally the size of a beanie baby ha.

The day before Emerson's farewell was spent baking 120 cupcakes.

60 red velvet and 60 chocolate. We also made 3 pans of Hello Dollies and an immense amount of chicken salad.

His farewell was at 9:00 am so we had everything ready to go the night before.

Emerson gave a great little talk.

Olivia was a doll the entire meeting mostly because she loved sitting on her uncle "fee fee's" lap and reading a book about dinosaurs.

We were so happy he came!

We had quite a few people over at the house.

It was mostly family and very close friends.

Our neighbors made us some homemade "nanner" puddin.

We were so excited about this because recently we got a phone call from a member in Atlanta who had Winston over for dinner and had served him this very same stuff.

Apparently it is a very famous southern dessert.

And after trying it, I can see why.

It was amazing!

Winston better be able to whip us up some of that goodness when he gets home:)

Olivia was obsessed was these teeth.

She seriously thought she was the funniest thing ever.

Which she kind of was:)

I just love my silly girl.

And her cute pigtails.

 Love this boy.

We had such an incredible day.

I know Emerson was so grateful for everyone who came down to support him.

More puppy time.

Olivia could not get enough of little Boston.

She was seriously the perfect size for her.

Boston was generally pretty good with her but a few times would go crazy and bite her.

Luckily, she doesn't bite hard and Olivia was very quick to say, "no no bite yiya (Olivia)." 

Olivia was so gentle and both her and Boston loved chasing each other around.

Olivia would absolutely love a puppy of her own.

But sadly that won't be happening.

So thankfully she can be little pals with Boston.

 Big luvs.

Sad, I think Boston is a little freaked out.

Every nap/bedtime "mama" would read 2 books to Olivia.

The "ruffy" book (Carl's Afternoon at the Park) and Baby Days.

Olivia loves these books and insists that only "mama" put her to bed.

Some nights she even fell asleep in her arms, which she never does for me.

Sad, I kind of feel rejected.

Just kidding, I love how much she loves my mom.

Every morning my mom would wake up bright and early with the little munchkin and feed her breakfast, change her diaper and any other diaper throughout the day, carry her around while she swept and vacuumed, take her outside to get a snowball to eat every 5 minutes and so much more.

I'm so grateful to my mom for being so good to my baby and giving me those needed breaks.

(I have not been sleeping well lately so to be able to sleep in was amazing.)
Since being home, every time we talk about 'mama" she lets out the saddest cry.  And when we ask her if she misses mama she just nods her little head.
So precious.

To be continued....

Her first FHE.

On Monday Michael announced that we would be having FHE with all of us.

(Usually Olivia is in bed.)

He said he had a special lesson planned for Olivia.

We started off by singing Popcorn popping on the apricot tree and of course with a prayer.

Olivia wanted dad to say it.

He read a short version of the story about Noah and the Arc while demonstrating with Olivia's toy boat and animals which she of course loved.

He then finished by explaining how important it is to always do what Jesus tells us to do. At which time she firmly said, "no." ha.

He asked her to say the closing prayer which was the cutest thing ever.

She folds her little arms, squints her eyes and whispers random words.

Some of the ones we caught were, icecream and santi tause (santa clause) we heard these ones at least 5 times.

I'm glad that she's learned that there is nothing too insignificant to pray about.

It was such a special night and we are excited to plan little family home evenings every night for all of us!

Pregnancy brain.

Lately, I have been having the struggles.

The other night I enjoyed a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and then headed to our room to get ready for bed. Well, when Michael got home from school a while later he came in to the room and asked why the ice cream was in the refrigerator.

I honestly had no idea but knew I had to have been the one to put it there. I mean I was the only one home and the only one that had had ice cream.

And then yesterday, I literally ate 3/4 a bag of Cadbury eggs. And when I went to look for them this morning they were no where to be found. I seriously searched everywhere. I thought Michael might have eaten the rest but he said he was trying to find them too. Well as my search continued because honestly who is going to let 1/4 a bag of those goodies disappear for good, I found them.

Inside one of my purses I never ever use.

What the heck ha!

I really am concerned about my state of mind and having no recollection of where I am putting things.

I'm laughing about it now but I sincerely hope I don't do something weird with like our keys or my phone.

I'm definitely going to have to blame this on the pregnancy:)

Little Olivia.

Our little Olivia is growing much too quickly.

And is learning new things everyday.

Some days are a bit rough (she can be a bit out of control) but her hilarious personality and cute little laughs make everything worth it! 

Here are a few things about her that I always want to remember:

* She is extremely loving and is always up for giving hugs and kisses. She also loves cuddling and will lay with me at any time of the day and just talk. Every morning when she wakes up she will call for either me or Michael and so we'll go get her and bring her in with us to cuddle for  a while. She will put her little arms around both of our necks and literally cuddle us both close. It's the sweetest and the absolute best way to start the morning. (Ta mom dad bed) (Cuddle mom and dad's bed) is what she says. I think she loves it just as much as we do!

*Her favorite movies are Winnie the Pooh's Heffalump movie, Finding Nemo, and Lion King. She really likes Simby. And will always say at the one part when Mufasa dies, "Simby da die. Simby soo sad."

*She has started naming her animals. She calls her little bunny "Fuffy", her little lamb"Betty," and her little kitty "pussies."

*She is obsessed with dinosaurs, sharks, and alligators. ("Di sors, sharts, ah ah dators."). She loves to watch videos of them and is constantly talking about them. She is obsessed with them biting toes and heads off. So sometimes she will throw one of her stuffed animals on the floor and yell out, " ah ah dators ta yiya's rooohhh, bite fuffy's toes head off. Bye bye ya ah ah dators."(In other words, alligators, come in Olivia's room and bite Fluffy's (her bunny) toes and head off. Bye bye alligators.) Ha oh my gosh you would think she is a boy or something. I of course blame Michael for all this.

*At the same time she does love puppies and horses. She's obsessed with my sister's horses River and Tinkerbell and Sissy. ("Riverbell Sissies"). We wish we lived so close so that she could ride more!

*She is extremely hyper and really is always running around like a wild banchee. Sometimes she gets so hyped out that she randomly runs face first into walls. 

*She loves being outside. Even in the pouring rain. She mostly loves to look for animals.

*She still loves dancing and singing. She is getting to be quite the dance and is super talented at getting low and shaking her little bum. She also loves to sing her famous "Money fall, saaad, die" song. (She saw the part from King Kong when the monkey falls and dies. She loves to sing "my ya po ahahahahahahah, dodedodedode." (My little pony song), and even loves to try and sing the hymns with us at church. It's mostly her ahahahahaing in a little high voice with a few occasional words! It's adorable.

*She loves her "pin tar" (pink car), "tards" (cards), puzzles (mostly just flinging the pieces everywhere), she loves to play "dottee" (doctor) and give shots and listen to our hearts.

*She loves to face time with my family almost everyday.

* Her favorite books to read before bed are: Chica Chica Boom Boom and The little crawler color book.
*She is such a good helper and loves helping me clean. All I have to do is give her a wipe and she begins scrubbing everything down.
*She is very excited to meet her baby sister Clara. If you ask her what her baby sister's name is she will say, "ta phophia moneya" (Clara Sophia Mickelson). She also will say, "see baby ta free (three) months!"
*She is kind of an interesting eater. Sometimes eating lots, other times eating hardly anything. Sort drives me crazy sometimes. But she loves icecream, m&ms, and her most recent favorite are the cadbury chocolate eggs. Oh and lets not forget pop. She loves that, but we rarely give her it.

All I can say is that Michael and I are very very blessed.

We love our little Olivia more than I can even begin to say.

She's our everything.

And being her parents definitely has to be the best thing ever!

(Stay tuned for more posts on our trip to Utah and other random things I need to catch up on.)

Just a quick short post.

It has been quite the week for us.

Definitely very emotional.

But we are home from Utah now, Emerson is safe and sound in the MTC, Michael is extremely busy with a 25 page research paper that he has to present to a real life judge, and we are planning some fun for Spring Break in 3 weeks!

I will give you all the details and photos on Emerson's departure and other fun things very soon I promise.

Today, I've got some massive cleaning and laundry to do, so perhaps tomorrow!

Also one more little piece of news that I was unable to share in my last post.

Two days after my ultrasound I got a call from my doctor telling me that everything looked great on the ultrasound, except for the fact that baby Clara is in the 20th percentile as far as growth goes. He said that this was totally fine and not to worry but that they would be doing more ultrasounds throughout the rest of the pregnancy. So to me this is a plus because I love seeing her as often as possible. And I am definitely not worried about her size. She's just like her big sister:)

Until tomorrow or maybe the next day!

Our baby Clara at 24.5 weeks.

 I know this is just an ultrasound picture but seriously she is a doll.

I am so in love with her little features.

She was moving around like crazy and loved having her little hands over her face.

Just like her big sister!

She even yawned for us which was adorable!

She is weighing in at 1 pound 3 ounces and seems to be developing perfectly.

Her little head is already down and ready to go so that would explain all the pressure and my constant need to pee.

This pregnancy has been very hard on me physically and emotionally and seeing her even via an ultrasound gives me that extra umph to keep going.

She is our precious baby Clara and I already love her more than words!

We truly are so very blessed.

Here's to hoping the next 15ish weeks or less fly by!

(Her little hand over her sweet face.)

Valentines Day.

For Valentine's Day this year we were lucky enough to have Pa (Mickelson) and Sarah with us.

Pa had work and dad had school so we got to hang out with Sarah!

We made homemade sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting and had a complete blast frosting and decorating them.

Olivia mostly just ate the frosting:)

They turned out so cute and if you can believe it they tasted even better than they looked!

Michael and I were able to go out just the two of us.

We originally wanted to go to Olive Garden but since we forgot to make reservations the wait would have been at least 3 hours. So we decided that Applebees would have to work!

Being pregnant and all sometimes I am grossed out with certain types of food, other times literally anything sounds good as long I get to eat it immediately. Tonight was one of those times. I really could have eaten anything!

It was definitely a treat going on a date.

Now that we live so far away from family we really never get to go out just the two of us.

Olivia sent out little princess valentines this year to a few friends and all of her aunts and uncles.

She also received quite a few!

We got super fun packages from my mom.

Even baby Clara got a few goodies:)

We definitely had a super fun Valentines!

I wasn't kidding when I said that she just ate the frosting:)

Aren't they cute!

Just a few happenings.

We've had quite the week here.

Last Thursday I woke up feeling extremely sick.

So sick I threw up.

I also was incredibly dizzy and really felt like I was constantly spinning in circles.

It lasted all day.

Luckily I was able to get in bed early, because at 1:00 am little Olivia woke up coughing.

She was coming down with something.

And I obviously was fighting something.

In the morning she just seemed so sick. She was coughing like crazy, had a runny nose, and was just super fussy. I wasn't all that concerned since it just seemed to be a typical cold.

However right before I put her down for her nap I heard what sounded like a whistling sound coming from her chest when she would breathe.

I had never heard this before so I put her down and immediately called the doctor.

They of course wanted to see her right away. So I had to wake my poor sleeping baby up and take her in. She got really excited when we got there because they have a Nemo and Dorrie fish tank.

But the second we walked back she started screaming because she thought she had to get a shot.

(The last time we were there she had to get 3, and apparently she did not forget!)

The doctor came in and checked her ears and listened to her heart for a while.

He said he could definitely hear the wheezing and wasn't 100 percent sure if she was doing it when she breathed out. Apparently that is a sign of croup. well since she was doing it when she breathed in, he prescribed this little mask with medicine that she needed to breathe in to help clear out her lungs.

As he was about to leave he decided just to be safe he would give her an oral antibiotic for the croup just in case.

And I'm so glad he did because turns out she has been coughing a lot less and hardly ever wheezes. 

We have hardly even had to use the mask.

I still have to suction her nose out a couple times a day which is so sad.

I literally have to sit on her to hold her down.

She hates it so much that every night when we are saying our prayers she reminds me to pray that she doesn't have to get her nose cleaned out anymore by saying while shaking her head, " no teen (clean) nose. Sometimes we even pray for this multiple times.

We are still recovering around here. Michael and I luckily haven't gotten it yet and really hope it stays that way.

 Pretending to take her medicine.

I'm totally in love with those big blue eyes!

So precious.

Michael and I seriously have a rule that you can't go in to check on her without the other person.

We love her so much.

 Experimenting with that cute hair of hers.

It's finally starting to really come in!

Little cutie.

 She can totally put her own shoes on now.

Even though sometimes they end up on the wrong feet:)

 Loving puzzle time.

She is getting so good at counting and putting the pieces in.

22.5 weeks.

Less than 4 months until our little girl arrives!
She is now weighing around 1 lb.

I can definitely tell she is getting bigger by her constant little kicks and flips.

I love it!

Oh and just a little story for the books.

The other day Olivia grabbed a pair of scissors off the desk so I obviously took them right away.

She got this little angry look on her face and whacked me right in the stomach while saying, "hit baby ta."

I had to laugh a little. 

Poor baby Clara!

We also are so very excited to be flying to Utah in just 2 weeks to spend 9 days with my family.

We will be there for Emerson's farewell and all that fun and very sad stuff.

It will definitely be a bittersweet vacation.

Oh and if you want to see a nasty picture look below.

Last week, my mom got a phone call from our cute missionary telling her that while playing basketball he slipped and cracked his chin open and obviously needed stitches.

No worries, he is totally fine now and could not resist playing basketball again on Monday.

On a happier note, today,  Winston has been have been out for 18 whole months.

Crazy!

6 months left!

Siblings.

(I know these aren't all my siblings but I just really like this picture.)

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." 

-Clara Ortega

Today, I've been thinking a lot about us Farr kids.

We're definitely a crazy bunch but you won't find brothers and sisters that love each other more.

I love each of them with all my heart.

Most of my very best memories include the seven of us.

Especially us older four.

We grew up so very close together and literally did everything together.

We definitely had lots of moments but it wouldn't have been possible for us to have had more fun.

It seems like yesterday that we were all small chasing each other around the house with bats, tackling and wrestling each other, yet playing endlessly together.

And now, I'm here in Salem (14 hours away) with my soon to be family of four, Sophia is married, Winston is serving a mission, and in just one short month Emerson will be as well.

It's hard to believe how fast time has gone. 

But I couldn't be prouder of us.

Prouder of the paths each of us have chosen to take.

And as hard as it is to be away from each other, we'll forever be close and cherish those sacred moments spent together.

And of course we'll see each other, as often as possible and many more memories will be made.

And I look forward to that.

Look forward to our kids being "best" cousins.

Cause they will be.

We have two years and 1 month until we're all together again.

And that day can't come soon enough.

Cancun 2015!!!!!

(Our last picture for 3 1/2 years of the Entire family taken Sept. 7th 2011. )

Here is a link to a video my dad made for my mom right before Winston left.

It might seem sort of cheesy to some of you but I honestly think it's the best video ever made.

Enjoy!
(And p.s. it is true that Emerson did in fact say boobies at the end of this video. Watch carefully and you will see it ha!)

http://vimeo.com/29069918

Blanket/nightgown fabric for baby Clara!

I could not be more thrilled with my fabric choices from fabric.com.

Oh my gosh she is going to have the cutest nightgowns and blankets ever!

The fabric is cotton so on the back of the blankets I will be using minky fabric.

I think it is time to get sewing!

(Oh and in case you didn't notice we have been calling her baby Clara for the past 2 weeks. Even Olivia, who calls her "baby ta." So I'm thinking that will be her name!)

Nesting like crazy/update.

Things have been a bit busy around here.

Especially since I have been feeling a lot better.

It has now been nearly 2 weeks since my last throwup!!!

I still have my days/moments especially when I'm in the car but I can not believe what I'm able to accomplish everyday.

It's quite amazing! I think I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good.

Good enough to shower, clean, cook, play with Olivia, tackle extra projects and such.

Since this relief my nesting instinct has hit with full force.

I'm not even kidding you when I say I am definitely the queen of it.

Since we have to fit two sweet baby girls in a fairly small room, the organization has begun.

We bought Olivia a toddler bed/mattress and will be hopefully making that transfer come February.

I am moving things out/in so that we are taking full advantage of the space in each room.

I've been shopping for a new dresser/changing table (online), a diaper bag/backpack, and lets not forget cute fabric for nightgowns, blankets, and burp cloths.

I still have not purchased any of those items I listed above but I'm keeping my eye out!

We've also tackled the task of weening Olivia off of her bottle.

It's been a bit difficult but I think we've made it through the worst.

The bottle was starting to become a problem for us because she would wake up 1-3 times in the middle of the night wanting another bottle which of course would cause her to pee a lot therefore her diaper leaked quite a bit, and to top it off she somehow managed to squirt it all over her bed quite frequently.

Needless to say I was done with the bottle.

So we went to the store, bought a bag of gum balls (she's obsessed with gum) and told her that if she slept without her bottle she would get two (her favorite number) gum balls in the morning/ or after her nap.

We would list off all her favorite people, aunt Rachel and Sarah, Elizabeth, Emmaline, Harrison, Matthew, Stephen, Emerson, Mama, Pa, Soph, Ryan, mom, dad and a few others who didn't have a bottle at night because they were so big! She obviously wants to be just like all of them so that really helped. She also found a lot of comfort in the fact that "santi tause" doesn't have a bottle either. (She came up with that one on her own!)

Our first night was hard and we really had to talk her through it. All throughout the night.

But each day got better and now here we are...bottleless and I'm thrilled!

Next up is potty training!!! But I might wait a while longer on that one:)

I've also been working on printing this blog off for our family scrapbooks.

I found a website, blurb.com that uploads your blog and then you pretty much have to go through and format every page however you want and then it prints it off as a book. It's been really time consuming and I still have so much to do but it will be totally worth it in the end. 

We've also had several play dates with a couple of Olivia's friends. Mostly her cute friend Mary who is a year younger. I'll have to post pictures.

Life is busy but so good. 

Here's a few pictures.

 Reading her Spanish books with dad.

Playing games.

She really loves her bunny game!

 Excited to eat lunch after 3 hours of church!

 I'm pretty sure our little girl has some curl in her hair:)

Belly shots are so awkward but it's fun to see the different stages of pregnancy.

So here we are at 20 weeks and 1 day!

I met with my doctor this week and he said that my ultrasound looked great and that she is developing perfectly!  She moves around all the time which is so fun to feel! Olivia is so excited and calls her "baby ta" (Clara).

Oh I would also like to say how proud I am of Emerson for going through the temple yesterday!

I was so sad that I was not there but could not be happier for him!