Finally Starting a Blog

After weeks of pressure from my fam I am finally starting my blog. I really like the idea of an online journal, but I am not so good with the computer stuff, so my sister Rachel had to help me. So, I guess I will start by giving a current update on the Turpin Fam. Jay has just finished his third year of plumbing school and we a sooo excited! He works mostly on new construction in park city for a company called Harris Dudley plumbing. It is really difficult work, especially in the summer and winter seasons. But he really likes the men he works with and luckily he found an ethical company to work for. I am very thankful for his willingness to work so hard for us. He wears himself out to make it possible for me to stay home and I am grateful every day for that. (Okay, maybe not EVERY day. But even on the bad days it is worth it!) He enjoys toy collecting and he and our boys love to spend time together in his toy room. We have made it a family hobby, and one of our favorite activities is to wander the toy store and play with the toys. He also enjoys basketball, and loves watching the Jazz games.

I am a happy homemaker, and I try to keep myself busy. In the past couple of months things have changed a lot for me. I stopped watching my nephew Kaleb a couple of months ago, and then last month I was released from young women's and put back into primary. At first, I didn't know what to do with myself, but I have been able to follow the council from conference to make more time for myself! I have been walking and exercising a lot and have spent a lot more time studying. I have really enjoyed that. Then, a couple of weeks ago, we had another change. We discovered I am expecting a new baby. We are very excited, and though I haven't been feeling well, I couldn't be happier.

Jayden will be three this summer. He is still our fun and rambunctious little man. He is ALL boy and loves to be the center of attention. He is always showing off his transforming skills and usually is happy to perform whatever we ask. He is of course two, so he does have to feel like it. He is pretty stubborn sometimes! He loves to play with Daddy and as soon as he comes home, Jayden is right there to greet him. He particularly loves to wrestle, especially with daddy. He tries to get mommy to "attack me," but I am not as good at it. He will go up to Jay, make a tough face, get in a fighting stance and say "let's fight" in his most formidable voice. Or he jumps on Jay and says "let's go Prime" In those cases he is megatron, and jay is Optimus prime. But usually when he wants to play, he calls Jay Optimus, He's bumblebee, mommy is megatron, and Ethan is starscream. The funny thing is he came up with that on his own! I guess he thinks Ethan and I are the evil villains who take away his time with Daddy. If you can't tell already, Jayden is a huge Tranformer fan. He is such a sweet boy too. He can be wild sometimes, but he also has a soft side. I love when he comes up and says "I love you" and when he just wants to cuddle. He also does such nice things for Ethan sometimes. He will proudly tell me "I shared!" when he gives Ethan a toy he is playing with and seems to like to help him. He also likes to scold him when he is doing "naughty" things. He is actually helpful to all of us with that. Yesterday I said stupid and he said "naughty Mommy!" He also wants to do everything daddy does. Jay was on the roof yesterday getting our swamp cooler ready for summer. Jayden said he wanted to "get on roof and walk around" with daddy.

Ethan is our little sweety. He turned one last fall. As he gets older he really enjoys being one of the boys and spending time with daddy and Jayden. The toy room is his FAVORITE, or outside. He will squeal excitedly and say an exuberant yes if we mention either. His whole body seems to burst with joy. And recently, he likes to even get involved in the rough play and wrestling with daddy. He will laugh and laugh as daddy throws him up in the air or flips him onto our bed. He has had a few trials to deal with in his short life. First, he came to us six weeks early and had to spend ten days in the NICU. He spent a week in Primary's in march with the flu. Had ear tube surgery last summer after his ear drum burst four times. Then, about that same time, we noticed he wasn't moving around hardly at all. When we went to see the doctor, we found out he was severely iron deficient. We were thankful it was an easy problem to fix. He improved quickly when we started giving him iron. During all of this we had been to an eye doctor several times to have his eyes checked. They crossed and drifted a little and I never felt like he was really looking me in the eye. After several visits to one doctor who assured us nothing was wrong, my pediatrician advised us to seek a second opinion. We finally got in to see him at the end of January, and finally the diagnosis he gave Ethan seemed like what I had observed. The other doctor had said they just looked crossed but weren't really. But I knew there were times he was focusing on me with just one eye, and I never felt he really focused in on my face, it looked like he was looking at my forehead, or above me. After doctor Hoffman told me what was wrong he said the only way to fix it was with surgery on his eyes. I was shocked that he would need surgery and afraid too, but we scheduled the surgery two weeks later on Valentine's day. That first day was terrible. It was hard sending him away, but we trusted the doctor and the two hour surgery passed suprisingly quickly. Then when he woke up he was miserable and his tears were blood red. After a long 24 hours, he started feeling better. Though his eyes looked like something from a horror movie, he didn't seem to notice. In fact, after only a couple of days we saw more benefits from the surgery than we could have imagined. Ethan was a different boy! He never stops smiling. He seemed happier than we'd ever seen him, and it was VERY clear that he could see much better. I had thought he was just extremely cautious, because he would watch for a while and then slowly reach for toys. But now he would burst forward seeking the thing he wanted. And for the first time, I knew he was looking me right in the eyes. I can't tell you how grateful we are for the help this surgery has given to Ethan. We are so blessed to live in a time with skilled doctors and amazing technology. Since then he has had another developemental leap forward, and now we just need to convince him of the benefits of walking. He loves to stand up next to the couch and has even tried to stand up in the middle of the floor. And he crawls as fast as can be. But he flatly refuses to stand if we are holding his hands and coaxing him to take steps. He will hold up his feet and cry even. Oh well, I guess he'll get it in his own time. Ethan loves to eat and he would eat constantly if we let him. And he loves to read books over and over. We will finish one for the fifth time and he will say, "again!" He talks more and more too and its fun to understand more and more of what he says. He is also so enthusiastic. He will shake his whole body to say yes, just to make sure we understand him. And he LOVES his brother Jayden. He loves to play with him and follow him around. He also loves one on one time with mommy and daddy. On the rare occasions that Jayden goes to bed before him, he seems so happy to have our undivided attention.

Life is full of blessings, and some of my most cherished are the relationships with my friends and family. Many of you I rarely see, but I still feel so close to you and grateful for the times we have shared. It's amazing how those bonds don't seem to weaken even over time and separation. I would love to hear from any of you, and I hope you are all finding joy in your lives.

I cannot list the things I am thankful for without including my gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. It helps strive to be strong where I am weak, and slowly I hope I will become as He wants me to be. I am thankful for the peace I feel, and the protection from the storms and confusion of the world. I know that no matter what trials we face, if we put our trust in our Savior, he will make our burdens seem light. And as we strive for a relationship with him, we will feel his love for us. With that knowledge, we will KNOW we are important, no matter what anyone else says. I am studying the Book of Mormon with my primary class this year. I have enjoyed so much the time I spend studying for my lessons. It amazes me, the different impressions I get when I read. I think that is the most miraculous thing. You can read one sentence and the spirit speaks to your mind to help you understand something in a totally different way. I think that is the hardest thing to help people understand. I read them for a long time before I started to realize why it is so important to read. I have always loved the Book of Mormon and Bible stories and I know they in themselves can teach us how to make good choices. But the more we read, the more we feel the spirit. And as we feel His spirit, the Lord is able to communicate things to us beyond what is written on the page. Things that I have prayed about or sometimes just wondered about. And sometimes even things I need to improve on with my family or my life have come to me as I read. That helps me have direction in my goals and a feeling I am moving forward. I am so thankful for that. And possibly most of all, I am thankful for the peace I feel that surges within me as I read and stays with me after I close the book. I am endlessly thankful for Jay, my children, both of our families, and all of the people we are fortunate enough to associate with. I am thankful for the joyful moments life provides. I am thankful for our trials because they help us recognize our blessings. And most of all, I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ who made all of this possible. Who helped us overcome sin and death and makes the Plan of our Heavenly Father work for each one of us. I am thankful for the hope of eternal life with my family.