Family Togetherness

The Cougars won their first football game of the season!! :) It was an exciting day. Spencer, Maddie, and I all dressed up in our BYU garb to cheer on the cougars, and apparently it worked. They won their game 41-17. GO COUGARS!!!!

Spencer's family has also been in town this weekend which has been really nice. I always love having family close, and since both his sisters and brother will be moving up, we'll get to see them a lot. While we taped the game, the whole family went out to Kiwanas park for a picnic and had a blast. Spencer's aunt and uncle were down from Idaho with their three boys. They are such a hoot, especially the four year-old twins, Garrett and Kyle. We basically watched them run around and laughed at the cute things they did. It was pretty fun to spend time with the in-laws. Hopefully we'll get together often during this year. I think having them close will help me to feel a litle more at ease. And later on, Spencer's parents watched Maddie while Spencer and I went swimming at the downtown marriott. It was nice to have one on one time with Spencer. Don't get me wrong--I love spending time with both Spencer and Maddie an doing things together as a family, but I feel it is still very important to spend quality time with your spouse to strengthen the marriage relationship. Anyhow, tomorrow we have church at 9 in the morning, so i should probably start heading to bed. And now that Maddie's down and asleep, maybe i'll be able to sleep as well. A good night's rest would be the best thing for me right now...

Crazy Day...

Today was the first day of fall check-ins at the apartment complex I manage and WOW was it a busy one. I wasn't planning on going for very long since i'm still on maternity leave until Tuesday, but of course I had to go in for at least a little bit to see how things were going. That "little bit" turned into all day!! lol. Maddie and I went in around 9:45a.m. to see the LONG line of people that were waiting to be checked in. The line was at least two blocks long if not longer, and it took 5 of us about 3 hours or so to chop the line down. They just kept coming and coming. But, the dreaded day is now over, and we won't have to deal with another one of those until next year. :) I was a little worried about having Maddie in the office area (our owner was very concerned that she'd be a distraction), but it turned out okay. She was VERY good most of the day which is no real surprise because she's been good-natured since she was born. Later today, my in-laws came. My sister-in-law, Kelly, is moving to my complex for the fall/winter, so they were helping her move in. It's fun to have so much family around now, especially since Maddie's here now. ***FREE BABYSITTING*** Anyhow, we're planning on pulling at least another half day at the office tomorrow (Maddie was invited back since she was soooooo good). Hopefully these two days will help me transition back into the groove of things. Only time will tell

The Working Blues

This week is going by so quickly, and before I know it i'll be back at work again. Since Spencer has at least a year and a half more of his undergraduate to do, I will be the temporary provider for the family while he finishes up. I am the office manager of one of the biggest complexes in the area, and they provide very good benefits. We live on site for free, they provide health insurance, AND I get a salary paid position. I would love more than anything to be able to stay home with my baby girl, and I'm having a very hard time leaving her to go back. However, Spencer and I have worked our schedules around so that Maddie is with at least one of us all the time which will be a blessing. She'll always have someone who loves her close by. So, even though I feel very strongly that a woman should be at home with her children if she can, I must do this for my family. I tried going back last week for 2 days, but I was a complete wreck and couldn't make it through the day without having crying fits. So my owner told me I wasn't ready to come back and sent me home for two more weeks to be with my Maddie. The two weeks is almost up, and I go back on Tuesday, Sepember 2nd. I have a feeling I'll still have issues with being away from my baby, but I just have to remember this is temporary. Hopefully with that frame of mind, i'll make it through...one day at a time...

Madisen Brooke Empey

After two years of being married, Spencer and I welcomed our new little bundle of joy into the world. Madisen Brooke Empey was born on June 17, 2008, and what an entrance she made!!! About a week before my due date, we found out that "Maddie", as we lovingly call her, was breach and would not be delivered vaginally. Thus, we made preparations for a scheduled C-Section to take place about a week later. We were so excited to meet her, and having a scheduled C-section took the guesswork out of when she would come--this was quite a blessing for me because my biggest weakness is impatience--this way, I knew exactly when she would be arriving. At 11:33 a.m. Maddie's first cries were heard by both mom and dad who couldn't hold back their own tears. During my pregnancy, many people told me how our lives would change with that first little cry, but I didn't quite understand what they meant until it happened. The minute she was born, we began living (and worrying) for someone else. As the nurses took Madisen away to get cleaned off, measured, etc., all I did was worry about her and what was happening. To ease my worries, Spencer followed Madisen and never left her side. He took more pictures of this new baby than I have EVER seen before. And she has changed our lives completely, but in a good way! :) Aside from the sleepless nights we encountered during the first month (she's sleeping through the nights now at 2 months, thank heavens), we have loved every bit of the parenting journey thus far. Her bright eyes, little coos, and smiles are enough to warm our hearts for a lifetime. After praying for guidance, both Spencer and I knew it was time to expand our family, and the Lord blessed us with such an agreeable, beautiful girl. We are so fortunate to have little Maddie in our lives and even now we can't imagine life without her. Yes, there are rough times ahead as she grows up, but we're excited to be together as a family. :)

Why start a blog?

I guess everyone starts blogs for different reasons. So what's ours? With family and friends so far away, it might be nice for everyone to have an easy way to access what's happening in our lives. And with a new baby, there's a lot of special developmental moments ahead of us, and documenting them will not only be good for family to see, but this blog can also be a sort of "family journal" or a way to document the events in our lives. So...we hope you enjoy the entries.