Anniversary #12

So, it's here. Our 12th wedding anniversary.

A lot happens in 12 years:

Year 1- Married and living in a little Apartment (been torn down since and replaced by the city office buildings). Buy our first car, Toyota Tercel (still running). We went to CA 4 times that year including our honey moon. Soon we moved into an apartment above an older couple's garage--they became like grandparents to us. Went hiking all the time. Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, river rafting. Hiked to the top of Mt. Timpanogos.

Year 2- Still in same place. Hiking on the mountain behind our home. Snowshoeing and camping in the nearby canyons. Yellowstone trips. Family Reunion in Oregon. CA 3 times. Wanting a baby but no luck. Young Men and Young Women's counselors and advisors. Love our ward, making lots of friends. Our landlords are wonderful-we become like part of their extended family.

Year 3- Go snow-shoeing, hiking, camping, Glacier National Park for a week. Get pregnant. Buy a house in another town for $98,900. Get a dog. Enjoy callings in Primary. Make friends. Landscape Yard. Camping, exploring, fixing up our 1938, 12oo square foot home. Buy a truck.

Year 4- I go to Young Women's camp in Koholowo when I am 5 months pregnant. We have a baby boy 4 weeks early and still 6 pounds 14 ounces! Bless our baby. Go to California the first time with our new little one--interesting trip, but he was good. It is the first time for Marc's family to lay eyes on our new little one.

Year 5- Y2K scare! Anyone remember that? Start working as graphic designer from home full time. 8 gets RSVP at first of year and is in hospital for 5 nights. 8 has his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears. We find out he is delayed and he starts early intervention (Kids Who Count) at 13 months.

Year 6- This year is a blur of 8's Doctor Visits, hospital research, ER visits, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Play group, and teaching 8 how to walk, talk, sit up, play, respond, roll over, make eye contact. Oh, and by this time 8 has had his 2nd set of tubes in his ears. With money I got from a big design job I buy a Palamino Quarter horse for Marc as a surprise for Christmas--he was VERY surprised.

Year 7- We go horse riding, Marc more often than I, but we went a lot. Graphic Design at home is going very well. I end up getting design jobs for a local LDS movie filmmaker. I designed a book cover and movie poster that year (this started a long relationship with movies in this area. Our Tercel was too small and only a 2-door, so we sell our truck and get a Honda CRV. So nice to have 4 doors! Thank goodness we got a bigger car because our nephew 18 came to live with us in middle of summer, then his sister, 16 came at the end of summer. We all go to Oregon in our CRV for a family Reunion that Marc and I planned. Now I have one kid in Junior High and one kid in elementary school. Then 8 goes for his first time ever on a big, yellow school bus to his EI preschool at age 3!

Year 8- We give our dog away because he is just too big-sad day. 3 kids and 2 adults in a 12oo square foot home begins to get a little squishy, especially with the 2 older being 12 and 10at the time. We decide to sell the house. It sells to someone in our ward within 2 days before we even get the sign up. It sold for $107,000! (Those were the days, huh.) We lived with friends for 3 months while our new home was built. We have .5 acres and are able to have our horse there in a fenced corral in our back yard. Our house is 25oo square feet and we are spoiled--we bought it for $149,000! We are so excited because 8 is now talking. We love our neighbors and our ward--we want to be here forever. 8 breaks his shoulder when he falls off our horse, Golden. We buy another horse from a friend for $100. She was a 2-year old paint and she needed to be trained, we named her Puzzled Look, Puzzle for short. Marc trained her himself. He broke his hand when she kicked him. But, he still kept going and she is now the best behaved horse we own.

Year 9- We trade golden for her 2-year old foal Sparks-R-Flyin'. We call him Sparks. He was trained when we got him. 12 comes to live with us in the fall after a stay for the summer. We go to Glacier National Park for a Reunion and for fun. We now have 4 kids.

Year 10- We finally get pregnant with our next child. She is born 5 weeks early and weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces. We now have 5 children. Her time to come home was delayed because of jaundice. She comes home on the billy lights for a week. Then she ends up in the hospital again for going blue in my arms. We are there for a week as we try to figure out what is wrong. She comes home on oxygen and a heart monitor for a couple of months. We find out 8 has ADHD. Marc's mom and dad move a block away from us.

Year 11- 8 and 2 are diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome. 18 leaves to go live with Marc's parents. We now have 4 children. We go to Sacramento for research to be done on me, my dad, 2 and 8. We learn a lot and it is confirmed that I am the carrier and that my dad is also the carrier. Tough year but very informative. Marc and I go to St. Goerge for a work water conference. Marc's parents have the kids all this time.

Year 12- We buy a camp trailer. We go camping almost every weekend--or at least 2 times a month from April to October. We love it. 8 gets baptized--an amazingly spiritual experience for all who attended. I start working at Kids Who Count and become the Utah County Representative for the Utah Association of Fragile X Syndrome. 16 turns 16 and starts getting ready to date! Aah! 12 turns 12 and becomes a deacon and gets to pass the sacrament.

Wew! We have really had some fantastic experiences in only 12 years!