What a Month!

December is pretty busy and crazy for almost every one. Well on top of the usual holiday fun we bought a house, sanded, primed, painted and then glazed our kitchen cabinets, painted two bed rooms, tiled the kitchen, dining room and laundry room and then installed hard wood through out the rest of the up stair (excluding bedrooms). Then we moved in. Christmas was some where in all that. Last week Randy and I had a great opportunity to go to Denver for a few days. It was Leadership Conference with that great direct Sales Company I work for (if I say their name I get an email requesting me to remove their name....rules) and since airfare was only $100 round trip I had to take Randy with me. So we got home late Saturday night and then Monday morning at 3 am we had to drive to SLC for Ashton's Heart Cath. BUSY!!! Monday was a tough day. THANK YOU to every one who remembered and called or texted. It meant so much to Randy and I to be reminded of all the people who love us. Ashton did great, ok he did amazing. He is 3 years old and had to lay in the hospital bed for 6 hours after his surgery keeping his leg straight!!! What 3 year old can do that??? Well he did great! They found his heart is strong enough for any surgery and they ballooned an artiery while in there as well as closing off a few abnormal blood vessels. Now we must wait. Wait to see if the balloon helps him at all. This week has been rough and we don't see positive change but the doctor told us we can not tell until next week. So we wait.
Thank you again for all your love and support. We are so blessed.

Heart Surgery here we come......

I guess when it rains it pours. Ashton had a routine echo at Primary Childrens last Thursday and his shunt has closed. We knew the shunt would close at some point and we are so greatful that he is not blue and we did not have to life flight him down to PCMC. The doctor wants to get him fixed in the next 6 weeks. So January 12 they will go into his heart with a cath and measure his heart and arteries to make sure they can with stand a major heart surgery. I have been preparing my self for the past three years for this..... and I am not prepared at all. Ashton is the strongest kid I know and he will do amazing through everything....I am sure of it. I have one big favor from everyone who loves us....say a prayer...say lots of prayers.

Randy bought me a house!!!

Amoungst all the sadness that has surrounded us with me not being pregnant there is some sunshine. Randy bought me a house!! Since I am unemployed Randy is the one buying the house!! I love it and I can't wait to make it my own. We are going to do some work on it before we move in, like new hard wood floors and some new tile and some paint. We will close on it right before Christmas and move in after the new year. Everyone is invited up next year to come and stay with us!!!!

So very Sad

Well I am not pregnant. I am so very confused because I felt like I was pregnant. All my love goes out to D and V. I really wanted to give you a baby. I don't know what we will do from here. All I know is I want them in my life forever as dear friends.

Baby Mama Tara

It all started about one year ago. Ashton had been struggling with PICA and had a blood transfusion, he was finally feeling better and this grateful mother wanted to give back in some way because I felt so blessed. So many strangers had helped Ashton, from doctors and nurses to the strangers that donated blood so my baby could get better. Randy and I knew we were done having our own children, (I had gotten my tubes tied six months before that time) and I LOVE being pregnant....I know crazy. So as I searched the wonderful world of the Internet I came across surrogacy. And as Randy and I talked about it we felt so good about it. I first applied with a huge company....#1 in the nation based out of Boston....well they were way too big for me...I felt like a number and this was kinda a big deal for me. I found this company based in Star, Idaho.....and it felt so right. I am an Idaho girl and I need a company who gets my simple yet busy crazy life. Well after I was cleared medically on paper it did not take too long for me to be matched. I spoke with D on the phone first. Then I had to get clearance from a therapist to make sure I wasn't crazy. And yes I did pass that! V and D flew me and the owner of the company out to sunny southern Cali to meet them and get physical medical clearance from the doctor, this was in June. When I met D I knew at that moment I was going to have her baby. It was a little overwhelming to have such strong feelings about people I had just met. I felt as if I had known them my entire life. Now I was invested so much in them....Giving them another child so they could feel the completeness Randy and I feel with our children. Well between life, vacations, jobs, moving, and just plain timing we finally had the transfer on Monday November 17. Randy and I drove our children to Boise to stay with their AMAZING Aunt Becky and Uncle Paul while we were on this adventure. It was so nice to have our kids with someone who loves them so much and took care of them so well.....we all know black eyes happen!! really they do when you are 2!! or 3 or 4.......
We flew to Southern Cali on Sat night, had an amazing time Sunday eating the best food we have ever had with the best company. D arranged the best massage I have EVER had. I felt so pampered. Monday morning was the transfer. It was so smooth and easy...quite amazing if I may say so. After the transfer I had acupuncture, and as I was laying on this bed with needles in my back and legs I had the most amazing feeling come over me. I was right where I needed to be, right there in that moment. and it felt so good. After a year of searching for that feeling I finally received it. I am pretty sure I am pregnant right now and I can't wait to hand a beautiful healthy baby to V and D. We will find out next week for sure but in the mean time if you pray please pray for this family, if you don't then sent good thoughts out into the universe for this amazing family.

Good times in a GREAT house!

This picture is almost 3 years old and our Kunkel Clan has grown by 2 soon to be 3. But it was taken in front of our house in Clinton, Utah. Randy and I bought this home in Sept 2003 and sold in 5 years later this past week closing on my birthday. It was a sad and happy day. We are thrilled to have our house Sold yet it was so hard because I painted every wall in that house, I planted every bush and tree and every flower, I love this house and we had made it everything we wanted. We have been half heartedly looking at houses here and nothing is the same. I am glad it is not the house that makes a HOME and I will have yet another opportunity to put my magical touches on another house and make it our HOME.

Hunting for the perfect Pumpkin

After searching far and wide for a pumpkin patch we finally found one in Chubbuck! And we thought that next year we should plant our own pumpkin patch here at Oma's house for next year.