Easter Sunday

Today is Easter Sunday and I couldn't have asked for any better Easter gift than the one I received...SUN!!! Yes, it is sunny and 60 degrees here! The snow is melting (leaving my yard quite flooded!) and the birds are back. Reiny wore her new Easter dress to church and looked absolutely adorable with her new sandals and freshly painted toenails...I haven't taken a picture of her in this yet. I'm hoping to get some professional pictures taken of her in this outfit before too long. Maybe I can get Catherine's photographer to take some cute Spring pictures of Reiny...ok, now I'm rambling.

Jordan even surprised me with a new Easter dress. I haven't had a new dress for years! It's brown and yellow...well, I'll just take a picture of me in it and post that later!

Yesturday, Reiny went to her first Easter Egg Hunt down at the Leadore Rodeo grounds. It was so funny watching her! She would pick up an egg, hand it to me, I'd put it in the basket, then she'd take it out of the basket and throw it on the ground! She did, however, learn how to unwrap suckers herself. I think she ate like 3 in 5 minutes! The Easter bunny also made an appearance. He was the scariest bunny I've ever seen! All that was missing was the big cigarette hanging out of his mouth! In any case, it was funny to see Reiny running from the Easter bunny and eating her candy.

This morning, Reiny woke up and came into the kitchen to find that the Easter bunny had brought her a basket of goodies! She ran right to the basket and grabbed the pink bunny and left. We eventually got her to see that there was more in there for her. It was so much fun to celebrate this holiday with her. Last year she was too little to care, and maybe she still is, but it was fun for me if nothing else!

Here's some pictures of our weekend.

Feeling Good...at last!

I'm sorry if this post seems too personal, but since this blog has sorta replaced my journal, I feel it important to document my feelings and major life-changing events. It's no secret that I've been pretty down this last year. I don't really know what it was, but I just felt so alone and beaten that giving up before I started seemed like the best option. I would read other people's blogs and think "what is wrong with me...they seem so happy." Perhaps it was the combination of a very busy and stressful lifestyle combined with becoming a new mom, but in any case, it seemed much bigger than me.

I've had to do something that my very nature has never allowed me to do before...I had to rely on other people. Daily calls from my sister and even unexpected trips became necessary. I cannot even describe how trapped I felt, and how scared and alone I was making Jordan feel.

This last week, Jordan took it upon himself to tell his Dad that we needed to leave the ranch, possibly for good. He said he was sorry, but he didn't know what else he could do to help me. He thanked his Dad for helping us get our start, but explained that I was the most important thing to him.

After I heard him say this it was like I had an out-of-body experience. I thought "NO NO NO! This is NOT what I want! I love this place. This ranch just defines me as a person. I feel good here. I feel important here. I feel needed here." In any case, something snapped! It's as if I just woke up from a bad nightmare and discovered that I'm actually in paradise. I appologized to Jordan, and that night went and appologized to his parents, and for the first time in so long, I feel good. I feel whole again, and I feel like my father in Heaven is here guiding me. I wake up happy. I go to bed happy. I look at my beautiful little girl and feel so so so happy. She tears my house apart, and I feel happy! I get run down by an old, mean cow, and believe it or not...I feel HAPPY!!! That's actually a funny story which left some very interesting bruises...Jordan says I bruise like a peach! I do, I really do! I guess that what I'm saying is...I'm so happy with my life. I'm so happy to feel like me again. I'm so happy to have a husband that loves me enough to sacrifice all of his dreams for me. He is such a good man and a great father.

I'm so excited for the future. Everyday I wake up, kiss my husband, and smile. I am so lucky to have what I have, the greatest family, friends, and home. Thank you to everyone who let me lean on them this last year when I didn't have the strength to hold my own weight. Thank you to everyone who kept up correspondence. Your messages meant a lot to me, and thank you most of all to Jordan, who never gave up hope that someday his wife would return. I'm home, I'm really home!

Side Note: I came across these pictures today. So so blessed...

Dancing Queen!

This is just my little prediction for the future...Reiny is going to grow up and be a professional dancer! You'll all be amazed when you see her on Dancing with the Stars in like 18 years...just you wait!!! This little girl does not stop dancing! If there is music playing, she has got to be bopping along. Jordan's concerned that perhaps she's "getting a little to sexy with her hips" and maybe needs some dance lessons from someone other than the 1980s version of Patrick Swayze. I think it's adorable and we can worry about the "dirty dancing" when she's 17 and dancing on top of the speakers at the school homecoming dance! In any case, enjoy the video clip of our little "dancing queen."

Salt Lake Trip

A few weeks ago, Reiny and I went down to Salt Lake for a much needed break. We stayed with Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jeff and got to play with cousins Malisia and Kate. Reiny, Malisia, and I all went to the Hoogle Zoo. That was a lot of fun! I'd forgotten how facinating animals are to Reiny. She loved the giraffes, but I think the highlight was the playground! Here's some pictures of our lovely trip! Thanks to Catherine for letting us bombard her home for a week!

We've been Calving!

Well, calving is finally starting to slow down, so I thought I'd post some pictures of the ordeal. If the snow would finally quit, we'd be in good shape. Unfortunately, even as I type the storms are rolling in...oh well, just pray these baby cows have really thick skin!

Reiny's come down to the sheds with us a couple of times. She really loves the calves and has finally learned that cows say "moo" and not "baa" like our little lambs we're raising. She even fell asleep one day when we were running the cows into the night corral on the 4-wheeler. I handed her off to Jordan and he laid her down next to a calf in the barn to stay warm. A little while later he hears "baa baa baa" and there was Reiny talking to the calf! It's pretty fun to watch her grow and change. She sure presents her challenges...but she's a lot of fun. We look forward to future calving seasons when she can be even that much more involved.

Hawaii...ahh, Paradise

Hawaii was just as I imagined...paradise in every sense of the world. The first morning we were there, Jordan got up at 5 am (time difference threw him off) and ran outside. He burst back in the room shouting "get out here! get out here!" It was the most beautiful morning I've ever experienced!!! The weather was a constant 70-75 degrees the entire time we were there (except the last day when it got to 80). The beaches in Kauai were relatively vacant, so peace and quiet abounded. We saw monk seals, humpbacked whales, spinner dolphins, sea turtles, and so many kinds of fish it would take too long to type them all. Jordan and I tried our hand at boogie boarding, and loved it!! Stay tuned for a clip of Jordan on the board. We also snorkeled most of the time we were there. Anini beach and Poipu beaches were havens for practically all sea life. We also went to Kipu Falls where there's a rope swing into a pool below some falls. I thought it was a lot of fun and refreshing compared to the salty sea water. Jordan on the other hand thought it looked like a scene from his worst nightmare. He never gave it a chance, but in his defense, I think I scared him. The falls had created quite a current in the pool that dragged you away from the safety of the cliff and ladder. Jordan's not the strongest swimmer, so that scared him. In retrospect, I'm glad he didn't do it. I would hated diving in to save his waterlogged bum.

In any case, we watched the sunset over the beach (very romantic) and talked non-stop about our little girl we left at home. The next time we go, we are definitely taking her with us!!! She would have loved the Luau we went to. The dancers were amazing, and the flame-thrower was awesome. Jordan kept saying "you need to take hula lessons!" I would look over and his eyes were glued on those girls' bums!!! I guess I will have to learn just to keep things interesting.

Jordan got 2 job offers while we were there. One as a welder on barges and the other to fix the one and only pivot on the island, which has never run a day since arriving from the mainland. I could definitely get used to island life. Especially since I returned to Idaho weather. Oh well...something to look forward to!

Some Cute Pictures of Reiny

Here's some cute pictures of Reiny we've taken over the last few months. She's in the tub with her adorable cousin Kate, demonstrating how she loves to climb on things (like the DVDs), wearing the goofest hat, and sitting with cousin Wyatt.

Whittaker Family Reunion

Well, I'm finally getting around to updating our blog...in January, Jordan's family had a reunion in Big Sky, Montana. It was great to get out and ski for the first time in so long. The last time I went, Reiny was 4 weeks old and Jordan said "you kinda look like one of our first calf heifers after she's calved...you're all wobbly in the back end!" Well, guess what...I WAS a first calf heifer who had just calved! In anycase, it was nice to redeem myself on the hill this year. Here's a few pictures of our event...oh, and the most exciting thing that happened, was a group of snowboarders went down the hill in their underwear. It looked mighty painful when they would wipe out! not to mention drafty in a particular area!

Leaving for Hawaii!!!

Well...Jordan and I are leaving for the islands of Hawaii!!! We are so excited but can't stop bawling over leaving our baby at home. So far she hasn't missed us at all...which I'll admit, makes me feel unloved, but at least she's in good hands and doing well. Stay tuned for the pictures from Kauai, Hawaii!!! Thanks to both our moms for taking good care of our most valuable asset!

Picture Update