Reflecting...

Every year on this day I take time to really remember my brother, Rus. I have a scrapbook filled with memories of his life and the things that followed his death- I went through it this morning and of course all the feelings of desperation & hurt came back as I read the newspaper articles & notes people left at the scene where he was found. Heartbreaking to remember, but what I'm thankful for (which is why I'm writing this, so I remember) is the peace & love I feel in my heart as I read thru the notes people gave to me & talks given at the funeral. My testimony of a loving Father in Heaven & the infinite atonement of His son Jesus Christ were engraved in my heart throughout this experience! Everytime I reflect on the loss of Rus, I am reminded of those things I LEARNED & am strengthend by my knoweldge that he IS better & I WILL see him again : ). For anyone who is going through a trial & needs some help, find strength in the Lord! The gospel is the only way to true happiness in this life!

Save the Date : )

We're going to be blessing Roman this Sunday, March 1st! Our ward meets in the church on University & Crismon (right by our house) at 8 AM- We're going to have a little brunch after sacrament, so if anyone wants to come we'd love to have you!

The Best & The Worst- all in 1 day!

1st the WORST- 'Nuf said, right?!

2nd the BEST- We FINALLY caught it on camera- made our day!!

All you need is love...

Our Valentine's Day was pretty low key this year, but special none the less :). Anthon had to work of course, so Roman & I took my mom to her physical therapy appointment (she's doing AMAZING with this shoulder replacement, by the way!) and basically just hung out together. I tried taking a cute picture of the 2 of us together to give to Anthon as part of his gift, but let's be honest it's hard to get a cute picture of me these days... this is what we ended up with though : ) (can you believe how WHITE I am next to my infant who has not even been introduced to sun light yet??)Once Anthon got home, we gave each other our gifts (he MADE my card & wrote me the sweetest poem inside- made me cry)! Then, we cooked dinner together which consisted of sirloin steaks, mashed potatoes, carrots, asparagus in a garlic cream sauce, rolls, & sparkling cider. After dinner we took a plate over to my mom & went to see Anthon's sister Sherry & her new baby in the hospital (Mom was kind enough to watch Roman so we didn't have to take him to that giant petri dish). To sum it all up, our V-Day was full of lots of love!

Oh, here's a Valentine quote to enjoy... my cousin made the vinyl for me & I hung it over our bed- Yeah, I LOVE it!! Thanks again Michele!!

Milestones

Roman got evicted from our room this week, since he spends the whole night grunting! We're all sleeping much better (& for longer chunks) now that we're in our separate rooms :).

He sat in his Bumbo for the 1st time, too- he took it VERY seriously!

He's been coo-ing up a storm lately, but of course as soon as I bust out the camera, he stops. The video is still fun though- at about 50 seconds into it, Roman notices Anthon making faces at him & gives him the stink eye... Check it out!

Funny story...

So Anthon & I decided to go get lunch at Subway together- Anthon stayed in the car with Roman & I ran in to get our sandwiches... This is how the conversation with the pimply-face, stoner, high school drop out employee went:

SubMan: Welcome to Subway. What can I get 'cha?

Ashleigh: Can I have a foot long & 6 in. on wheat?
(the whole time I'm asking, the kid is shaking his head no, so I continue to ask...)
Ashleigh: Oh are you out of wheat or something?

SubMan: No I'm just kiddin' wit-chu. What kind of sandwiches IS these?

Ashleigh: Uh, the foot long is a meat ball & the 6 in. is a club

SubMan: So, you like clubs, huh??

Ashleigh: Yeah (thinking, "Duh, retard that's why I ordered it)

SubMan: Wanna go wit me to one tonight??

Ashleigh: Umm... no. I don't think my husband would like that

SubMan: Well, maybe he doesn't need to know

Ashleigh: uh... no. He's in the car with our baby, I think they'd notice if I never came out.

SubMan: It's cool- you can bring the baby wit-chu! I like kids.

At this point I stopped making eye contact & responding. CLASSY employees work at Subway, huh??

Cousins- We love them!

We got the chance to go to Show Low last weekend & Roman got to meet some of his cousins for the first time...

Lilly

Halee

Evan

Lilly, Halee, & Crew

This week he got to meet a couple of his cousins from my side of the family for the first time too :)...

Lily
&
Ruston
It's hard to believe these guys are only 7 months apart based on their difference in size!

1 Month Old!

Roman had his one month check up today & here are his stats:

10 lbs. 11oz
22.5 in.

Dr. thought he still looked a little jaundiced (even though all his bilirubin tests have come back normal) so she did another heal prick to test his bili levels... poor kid! I hate how he looks at me when they're squeezing his foot, like he's pleading "Momma, make them stop!"- BREAKS MY HEART! Besides getting blood drawn, it was an overall good day & he was a happy boy :).