Family time, music, and fireworks and dont forget the OREO'S!!!

*June 29th 2013 Driggs Idaho*

So a friend of ours told us about this celebration worth going to. So we packed up the car and headed out!

 You would think in the midst of all that stuff, we would remember to bring jackets?! Oops! Anyways, as we were walking into the park, a guy (who just happened to be the same guy Louis listens to on the Radio every morning to school, Sorry Shelly, it wasn't Dave Ramsey....) asked him if he would want to participate in an Oreo stacking contest for their "Minute to Win it" games. Louis accepted, only because he wanted to eat the Oreo's. 

Louis getting ready to compete in round 1 of the Oreo stacking competition. 

(There were 12 people total, 6 in each round) 

Little did he know he would actually WIN a year supply of Oreo's!!! 

More like "3 Month" supply, but still cool! (Don't pay attention to Mr. Photobomber... whatevs...) Needless to say my its VERY hard sticking to my diet!!! =/

  

                                                                                                 ROUND 1 (Top Video)

 ROUND 2 (Championship Round) 

So for winning the final round he also won a $100 gift card to our local grocery store! (Broulims)

WAY TO GO LOUIS!!!! 

My Proud Oreo Winner! Isn't he cute!?

We were so proud of him! As you can see in the end of the last video (if you watched it..) the weather got SUPER bad! So I had to hurry back to where we were sitting and bundle Lexington in her stroller and put pillows and blankets around it to keep her warm and protected from the crazy wind and weather! (What a good Mommy I am.. *wink*) No but seriously, we almost left because of the weather. Good thing Louis was too worried about getting his $100 giftcard, because the storm passed and we were able to enjoy the rest of our evening. 

They had to re-st up the stage, since the storm ruined most of it.. I was kinda bummed, because they were supposed to have dueling piano's play. Which if you don't know what that is, its basically like a battle between two people, and they take the audience requests and play whatever songs you want. I've
heard they're pretty amazing... oh well next time! 

 While we were waiting for "The Beach Boys" to set up, we were having fun playing with Lexi!

We happened to find 2 sweatshirts in the car. Isn't she the cutest Steeler fan ever?

Lexington was sooooooo good!
Despite the bad weather, she was a champ and slept through most of it!
She was so happy and friendly most of the day.
 Which made the day extra enjoyable to have a well behaved baby!

I found this skirt for like $5 (originally $12) at Kohls!
We didn't have time to find a cute shirt to go with it,
 so we found a cheapy one at Wal*Mart..
but it worked out great! 

This gives you a little idea of how many people were there.. THERE WAS A TON!!!
I was happy that Lexington wasn't walking, I would have been a nervous wreck! 

 Still waiting for those darn Beach Boys to start singing! 

I gave her Kisses..... 

She gave me kisses...
.(Dont laugh at my weird look I have I was too excited I caught her kisss on camera!)

FINALLY the show started! Lexington Loooooovvved the flashy lights and the music! I guess you could say it was her 1st concert! She even loved my off-pitched singing and funky dancing! It kept making her giggle, so I didnt mind looking like a fool! (Things we to to make babies giggle!) A babies laugh is seriously the best! 

He was too excited to take his name-tag from his competition off! =)

This is blurry, but Louis thought it was cool that our new phone had panoramic view so he was testing it out!  

The Beach Boys (Al Jardine & David Marks) 

 After "The Beach Boys" were finished they had the BEST firework show Louis and I have EVER been too! Seriously, it gave me chills and made me tear up at times! The Fireworks were synchronized to music. They started the show off with a small SUPER AWESOME movie with John Wayne ( I LOVE JOHN WAYNE btw, which is probly why I thought it was so awesome they played this movie!)

So beautiful!

This part was probably my 2nd favorite. I LOVE the song "God Bless the USA" even when its not July 4th, and I happen to hear the song, I tear up. (I get that from my Mom). But hearing it live by the artist himself was pretty awesome! Minus my singing, this video does a pretty good job at capturing the experience. All I could think of during this song was how grateful I am to live in such a great country! I was holding my beautiful daughter while cuddling with my husband! I pictured Louis running for Politics and thats when the tears started swelling up in my eyes, because I couldnt imagine my life without them! I thought of all those who are from other countries and the difficulties they face trying to come to America, and I am just so thankful that my family doesnt have to face that. I also thought of my Grandfathers who served in the military.... 

My Grandma and Grandpa Mortensen. Don't they look like they just stepped off of a Hollywood film? Fred Mortensen United States Army.

My Grandpa Belt. United States Air Force.

GOD

    BLESS
        THE
             USA!!!!!

 Part of the Grand Finale!!!

Out of Place

Have you ever that those moments where you stop and re-evaluate your life? Well I had A LOT of those moment recently and shed some tears with it. Louis and I moved to Rexburg Idaho about a year ago (may 2012) so that Louis can attend school at BYU-I. I cried the first Sunday here, thinking that I was just homesick and I would get used to it. Then Louis was called to be in the Bishopric, which was hard, but I couldn't have been more happier and supportive for him! Since then (and not just because he was called to be in the bishopric) I have tried my ABSOLUTE hardest to make friends and make some great memories here that I can remember forever.. But lately I feel so distant and such a bother to everyone. I hardly have any friends here. The ones I was closest too have moved away.. I mean I have a few, but its not like a friendship where I can say "Hey, wanna grab lunch, or lets go shopping?" And when I do ask them to hang out I feel like they're just being nice.. Haha, its horrible! I feel like everyone else has their cliques and their close friends, and I'm such a loner! Haha, It's probably my fault, or my insecurities getting in the way. But its also hard when people only live here for a few months then move, so its like..What's the point in even trying? I don't think I am a hard person to get a long with, I don't think I'm rude. but maybe that's how others see me? Who knows, all I know is that if I didn't have an amazing husband and a wonderful baby to spend my time with, I think I would completely lose my sanity..

I have stopped to wonder why the Lord sent us to Rexburg. Although its a challenge, I really am thankful for this time, I have met a lot of great people. It's been hard feeling so alone, but I also know that others feel the same way. I just wonder if we are doing our part of the deal. In a weird way I feel like we were sent here for a reason, but lately I feel like I'm just here, and I'm not really helping anyone or doing anything productive.. OH well! This time is short, and we will be leaving here shortly. Until then, I'll strive to keep a positive attitude and see where that takes me! In the meantime, I'm gonna clean and bake!! =)

Deep thoughts....

*WARNING*

 What I am about to write might offend some people or hurt their feelings. That isn't my intention. I don't want to come across as me complaining, but this was a HUGE struggle I had. So read the following with caution. 

So while I was trying to "wake up" from my surgery, I started to feeling guilty. To a lot of you, you may think this is absolutely ABSURD! But to me, I felt horrible, because I always dreamt that when I were to bring kids into this world it would be done the way that the Lord had intended it, a vaginal birth. You know, the beautiful perfect stories you hear about!? Not having to have their mother cut open layer by layer to be born. I mean seriously, how horrible and terrifying is that! I dread the day when my little girl asks me, "Mommy, How was I born?" (Or something to that effect) and me having to explain to her that you came through a 6-inch scar in my lower abdomen. HOW FRIGHTENING! Not that she will probably care, but I just felt (and still do) SO BAD for the way she was brought into the world. I came across this article and it put every feeling I was feeling into words....

Mourning My C-Sections

                                                                          Christie Tate  

I will never get tired of a good birth story. Never. I love every detail—the harrowing, joyous, and absurd journeys that we take to become mothers leave me feeling connected, weepy and nostalgic. However, I prefer to listen to birth stories than tell my own.

Because every time I tell mine, I end up crying and reliving both the pain and the ecstasy of those two incredible days of my life. It's embarrassing to have children who are 2 and 3-and-a-half and still feel sad that they were born via C-section.

I am grateful for modern science, which made it possible for my children to be born healthy without sacrificing my life. I certainly don’t fault medicine for how my babies were born. Rather, I credit advances in medicine for enabling my family of four to exist.

And still I am mourning that the way they came into the world was so different—so much more traumatizing—than I had planned. It's a secret mourning that I don't usually share because after hearing friends struggle with infertility or deal with seriously ill children, what right do I have to be hung up all these years later about the C-sections? It's a waste of time to think about something I can't change that ultimately had a very happy ending.

But every time I hear a birth story that includes "pushing" and "crowning" I feel a great sadness spring up from my core. The sadness comes before I can push it away with the rational thoughts like, "You have to get over this! You have two healthy children."

I'm supposed to be focused only    on the good parts—those beautiful healthy children.

So when the subject of birth stories comes up, I always feel like I have a secret. I'm supposed to be focused only on the good parts—those beautiful healthy children. But every time I think about those incredible life-changing moments when I first gazed at my babies, I also remember reeling from the shock of being strapped down, cut open and operated on in order to give birth.

Maybe this wound—of not having the birth experience I expected and deeply wished for—is yet unhealed because I've never allowed myself to grieve it. I rushed straight into mothering and healing. Well-meaning friends and family members urged me to focus on the healthy babies and forget about the C-sections, and I tried. But I never saved any space to grieve how traumatizing it was to have my body cut into—muscle, fat and fibers—and to have an anxiety attack on the operating table because I was scared I was going to die.

I want to give myself that space even though it's been almost four years. Grieving for an aspect of my birth experiences isn't meant to take away from the joy I felt about having my beloved children. My hope is that the grieving will make room for more joy and keep me from being tethered to a trauma that can and will heal, as soon as I let it.


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I know I shouldn't be embarrassed or feel less of a women by not having to have a c-section, but I still find myself changing the subject, being extremely silent, and fighting back the tears when other mothers share their  experience . THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY! I really need to learn to accept that. 

I know that I am forever blessed to be able to bear children. I am seriously FOREVER GRATEFUL for this blessing. I've been blessed to be raised by and marry into a family of wonderful strong women. I've learned that it doesn't matter how you become a mother, or how you give birth. All that matters is what kind of Mother we choose to be to our children. ;) 

*Meet Lexington Jo Stradling*

*~October 3rd 2012~*

 (Getting closer to being caught up!)

Wednesday October 3rd 2012, we welcomed our beautiful little angel Lexington Jo. 

She weighed 6lbs 9oz, and was 21 inches long! 

Perfect as they come! 

THE BIRTH STORY:

       That Wednesday was SUPER crazy! So the Tuesday before, I was having pretty regular braxton hicks, so I kept timing them and they were getting 6-7 minutes apart!! But I felt zero pain.. So I knew it wasn't "real" labor.. But I kept praying.. cause at 38 weeks, I was ready for her to come! I couldn't sleep all that night, due to nerves and just being so uncomfortable from the BH. Wednesday morning I just felt like something was wrong, and I didn't want to be annoying calling the nurse AGAIN.. (I swear they probably hated me, I called ALL. THE. TIME!) So I made Louis call.. They told me exactly what I predicted they were gonna say... "Why don't you just have her come on in and we will get her hooked up on the monitor and check the baby movement/heart-rate, but bring an overnight bag..just in case." I was pretty nervous at that point because my intuition was telling me something just wasn't right. So I called my mom that morning around 8:00 A.M. letting her know she might have to leave CO...but to keep her phone by her just in case this was the real deal... I did a couple laps around the complex, not by choice, Louis said, "You better walk as much as you can, because if we don't have this baby today I need you to be out of the doctors by 9:45 a.m. so I can make it to class on time!" What a gentleman...;) So I did.. I walked... I even walked up the hill to the Dr's office to make sure it would cause BH again, so they knew I wasn't making it up!

               They hooked me up to the monitor, and everything was going great! Our Dr was about to send me home after 10 min and prescribe me some benadryl so that I can sleep... I still didn't feel like things were o.k. so I pulled the "Priesthood" card on him (He is a bishop). I told him that I trusted his and my husband's decision, and since they were worthy priesthood/temple recommend holders I would trust their decisions. Apparently that did the trick, and the spirit told him to check the monitor again, and this time I was right...things weren't right. Without telling me what was going on, he sent Louis and I to the hospital right away to break my water, all he said was, "Meet you at the hospital in 10 min, we are gonna have this baby today!" YIKES! My nerves were sooooo crazy at that point, mainly because I knew something was wrong by the way he was running and acting.

               Louis and I got to the hospital at 8:30. I BARELY had enough time to call my mom, change, and have Louis give me a blessing before our doctor was changed and in our room ready to break my water. I didn't even have enough time to tease Louis for not being able to make it to class! ;) (Luckily I was already checked it, so all they had to do was show me what room to go too)... I would say the time was literally about 10 min, seriously it was fast! I could tell by how my DR was responding to the nurses that that he was in a hurry, not because he was impatient, but because he was worried about the baby too. He broke my water, and if you have never experienced that, its not as beautiful as they make it look in the movies. Louis was so pale watching him do it, and it didn't help that my DR said, "Jodi, I know it feels like I'm trying to touch the back of your throat, but hang with me here..." I could have smacked Louis for laughing,... but how could he NOT laugh! After he broke my water, the babies heart rate was dropping VERY fast! That's when I started to panic... The Dr couldn't find a heartbeat after trying with several internal monitors, and he next thing he said was "we need to get that bay out NOW, get her prepped for surgery...NOW"

      My heart sank, I couldn't hold back the tears, I couldn't stop my body from shaking. All I was thinking was, "What if this is it? What if my baby doesn't make it, what if I don't make it? Louis is by himself, Where is Louis I need to kiss him and tell him I love him....

I wont forget that kiss, because at that time I didn't know if it was going to the last kiss I would give him. (You're probably thinking I'm being dramatic... but things were happening sooo fast, you would be scared too! Plus, I already had a HUGE fear of c-sections, so that didn't help!)

After our kiss, I was wheeled into the surgery room, while my husband had to sit in the empty hallway by himself. =(. There were about 10 people in the surgery room running around, trying to get things ready. I cant remember much, other than the anesthesiologist yelling at me for my name, I was shaking so much I could barely think and respond, "Jodi Stradling" Then I was out. 9.10 a.m.

I woke up several hours later in an empty hospital room, not quite sure what had just happened. I kinda started to panic a little after feeling my empty belly and looking around the room for my baby girl. My thoughts were, Where is my baby? Where is Louis? Did she not make it? I want to see her...NOW! Louis came back and gently kissed my forehead and said, "Lexington is good, she made it... they are keeping her in the NICU... She's OK Jo, get some rest I'll be back soon." Relief swooshed over me, and I was able to breathe again.

*Daddy daughter love!* 

*~Lexington Jo Stradling~*
*6lbs 9oz*
*21in long*

*~Our first family photo~* 

*Oct.3.2012*