Baby # 3

So about a year ago Cole asked if we were having anymore kids. To be honest, it was a confusing topic for me. I wasn't sure if we should keep our family of four just the way it was or if we should add another little one to the picture. I think most moms know when they are done or not. Me, on the other hand, I didn't have a clue. Every one that knows me knows that I can't make up my mind on anything. I go back and forth until I can't take it anymore. Anyway, Sadee was already going to be at least seven or eight years older and Aidan almost five so I needed to really think about this. When Cole and I got married, having a baby was probably one of the easiest decisions we've ever made. When I think about it the reason why it was is because Heavenly Father touched our hearts and we knew that even though I was only twenty and cole twenty-three (very young) it felt right. Aidan was a little surprise three years later and although times were the hardest for us then, he is my little angel and I am glad he is here to melt my heart( he has me wrapped around his finger).

It is so easy to get caught up in the worldly routine. Cole has always had a full time job and I know that he needs to provide and therefore will be gone most days. I love being a mom but I also love my career and job. The kids keep me way busy and I have two jobs so I was hesitant to add a baby to the picture because I wasn't sure if we should with how crazy busy our lives already are. After much thought and praying this is what I realized. I realized that Heavenly Father had bestowed upon me one of the greatest blessings I could of ever asked for... Cole Meldrum. I don' think I tell him enough how lucky I am to have him for a companion. Really. Not trying to be all " my husband is the best" but really, he is. Growing up, as young as eight, i remember praying that i would one day marry someone that would make me happy and treat me "special". Boy, did I get that and more. Cole is an amazing dad. I mean like AMAZING. Gets up at night with the baby, bathes them, changes diapers, feeds them, puts them to sleep. I mean like EVERYTHING. I just can't complain. Being a mother has been so easy because of the immense help I get from him. So I knew that if we were to have a baby, I could definitely count on him to help me ALWAYS... like he does now. I love him for that.

So this is baby # 3. Almost Five years after having Aidan. The first four months were horrible. Poor Cole. I'm surprised he didn't ask for a divorce. I was mean to him most of the time. I couldn't help it. This pregnancy took me to some weird places emotionally and mentally. Very strange. But now, that part of the pregnancy is over and I am much happier and can't believe at how soon we will be welcoming our baby girl. She's not due till mid October but i'm thinking she'll be here mid/end September. Sadee and Aidan were both a month early so I think the same will happen with this one.

At first I have to admit I had mixed emotions and being sick didn't really help me to be excited about it. But I am grateful that i am a mother and that I can bare children. So many women can't. It is such a blessing and I will forever be grateful that we have a family and that they are so special. I really have such great kids. And so now, we can't wait to be a part of this baby girl's life. We anxiously await her arrival.

Ragnar Relay Race 2011 (COLE)

On June 17th-18th 2011, I participated in the Ragnar Relay Race--Wasatch Back. It is a 192 mile relay race starting in Logan, Ut and ending in Park City, Ut. I ran with 11 of my friends from work and it was an incredible experience! Basically, you have two teams that leapfrog each other with one person running at a time. The twelve runners each take 3 legs, which vary from 3-10 miles in length with easy to difficult terrain. I was runner #11. The first six team members in van #1 run the first 6 legs and then the other 6 team members in van #2 run their six. Van #1 then takes over again and so on. The team that's not running has about 4-5 hours to eat, rest and get ready to run again. Ragnar's motto is "Run, Drive, Sleep? Repeat." So true. I didn't sleep at all and was up for about 40 hours!My first leg was 3.2 miles long and was classified as very hard. It consisted of running up Trapper's Loop at 4:00 in the afternoon. That was so incredibly hard! After I finished, I told my friends in the van that I think I'd rather run another half marathon instead of doing that climb again!! Supposedly there were some beautiful views of Pineview Reservoir, but I didn't see it. All I saw was more uphill road in front of me! Tough first leg, but I was glad to get it out of the way.

I ran my second leg at about 5:00 the next morning. 5.5 miles of rolling road next to Rockport Lake. I didn't know there was a Rockport Lake in Utah. I saw a lot of things on this trip that were only about a half hour from my house that I didn't know existed. How sad is that?! I was feeling pretty good despite not sleeping at all and ran this leg in 49 minutes. I

estimated about 55 minutes to finish so I was pretty proud of myself for that.

Leg #3 began at the top of Guardsman's Pass which is about 8900 feet above sea level. It was a 7.3 mile downhill run into Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City. Total el

evation drop of 1750 feet! I was so tired at this point that at first, I just wanted to get the run done with and go home. About 1/3 of the way through, I looked around and realized how beautiful it was and started paying attention to the scenery. I was on top of a mountain with a magnificent view of Park City and just wanted to take it all in. I forgot about racing, how bad I hurt and how tired I was and just enjoyed the moment. Funny part is, when I did that the leg went that much faster and before I knew it, I was done! I estimated

about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes to finish leg 3. I actually finished in 1 hour and 3 minutes!! Whoo-whoo! Our team joined our last runner when he completed his leg and we all ran to the finish line. What an epic moment!

I had no idea how taxing but also how rewarding this experience could be. During the race, I swore I'd never do this again. But now, I am already excited for next year! What a great sense of accomplishment and the feeling that you really can do anything you put your mind to. I always hated running, until I started doing it that is! Now I have the Ragnar sticker on my car that I always wanted and the t-shirt to go with it!

I'm so excited that not only am I more happy and healthy, but also that my family and friends are joining me. I've recruited a few family members to run Ragnar next year and hope to get a few more. Dixie would have done it this year, but she had to go and get pregnant! Our plan for next year, however, not only entails one Ragnar race, but two! We want to do the Wasatch Back again in June and follow that up with the Las Vegas race in October. Wish us luck!

Happy Father's Day

This year we decided that we wanted to treat Grandpa Meldrum to a little vacation for Father’s Day. He is so good to us and with so many kids and grandkids wanting all his attention, we thought that it would be a good idea to steal him for a couple of days and have Sadee and Aidan have some Grandpa time.

Cody, Jessica and Ammon came along too and it was so fun to spend some time with them. I don’t think grandpa really expected to get so spoiled on this trip. Cole and Cody didn’t let him spend any money which annoyed him a couple of times! That was pretty funny. Cole and I treated him to the hot pools and Cody and Jess to the aquatic center at Lava.

We camped at the KOA in Lava Hot Springs. It was only about two hours away which was really nice since my back isn’t doing so great due to my pregnancy and lack of exercise these days. We went the first week of June so we thought that we'd have really nice weather. Not too hot but not too cold. Umm... yeah. It felt like December the first two nights! Not only did it hail one night, but after going to bed I swear a tornado came through that night. The kids were loving it though. They never cared that it was so cold. Our last day there was the nicest of course. Still cold, but at least we were able to go to the pool. I hate being cold so I tried to stay out of the pool but the kids convinced me and of course you know how that goes. You have to make them happy right?

I have to say that I love Cole's family. I am so lucky to not only have him in my life but, although I never say it enough I love his sister, brothers and his dad. They are such a special family and I feel lucky to be a part of it. It was really nice to spend some time with Cole and the kids and Cody and his family and Grandpa. I think we are making this a tradition. The kids loved building memories with Mark. They enjoyed the ice cream he bought them, their time with him at the playground and the pool, making smores and especially playing Uno those cold nights.

Last but not least, for a final treat....Maddox. Grandpa's favorite restaurant. Cody and Cole thought we just had to stop on our way home and eat there for lunch. Needless to say that he "loved it".

Happy Father's Day!!!

Sadee's Big Desicion

Sadee turned eight in April. We have always talked to her about baptism and how daddy and mommy want her to do it because she wants to. Not because we expect her to. We have always let her know that it has always been her decision and when she is ready and feels that it is something she wants to do, we will be there to support her.

I remember when I was baptized twenty years ago. My mom, dad and I were converts to the church. Even at only eight years old I remember feeling something very special. I knew it was a good decision. I think I mostly wanted to join the church because I saw how it had united my mom and dad. I remember feeling that any gospel and church that had made that happen for them had to be true. So i couldn't wait to get baptized. Because for me, it wasn't just about joining a church. It was about realizing that I could be with my family forever and that most importantly we could always have love at home and be a family.

I want my daughter to feel this happiness. And she has let me know that she is ready for the responsibility that comes with getting baptized.