Stegelmeier Teet-er-totter....

Hailee has loved this trailer since before she was one and could barely walk! It is a great, inexpensive way to entertain her. It is funny because she has just recently been able to make it go up and down with her weight.

You can just call us REDNECK!

If you want to come over and have a go on our teet-er-totter, you are more than welcome!!!

Sunday...

I love Sunday Mornings. For the past several months our Sunday mornings have always started out with a great breakfast provided mostly by Cathy. We enjoy chatting with our guests from all around the US and world. We have met some amazing people and learned a lot this summer. It is kind of bitter sweet to have things slow down this fall.
I also love Sunday mornings because Curt can just be home and we can just relax until church. I have really enjoyed this family time. Curt has been taking Hailee out in the farm yard more and more to "help" him work. On Sunday, Curt needed to grain a few of our new horses. He and Hailee both went out in their PJ's and boots to see the horses. I thought they were so cute so I too headed out-minus the boots- and took a few pictures. Curt made me jump in a few as well, but mostly it was the two of them.

This is how most of Curt's work gets done when Hailee helps. She has no fear, esspecially when she is around the horses. We have to watch or she will just start walking around through their legs. To save our worries Curt carried her around alot that morning!

Story Time! WOW!!!

I think we must say "WOW" a lot when we read with Hailee. She loves this book! It is one of our display books for guests with pictures from Idaho. The pictures are pretty amazing so I don't blame her for loving the book. I love how she finds her comfy chair and reads her book.

Only to me....

After debating about deleting the last post, I have decided to keep it. It reminds me of my joy and excitement that I felt at that moment.

Sometimes in life I can figure out exactly when my challenge is going to arrive. Yesterday I felt confident and SOOO excited for our new little one. Last night, I knew I had made a grave mistake. This morning I made an appointment. This afternoon I found out the little baby we were so excited for wasn't there anymore. I felt betrayed by my own self. I don't understand how for so long my body could encourage me and prepare me for motherhood yet again, when there was not a healthy growing baby within.

While I waited for the ultrasound to confirm, what I was already feeling, I prayed. I prayed for strength. It was then that I knew that I needed strength. I didn't pray for the baby, but for strength to handle the challenge the Lord was presenting me with. I watched as the technition searched for the baby, and I knew.

After the ultrasound I looked at the pictures of a developing fetus and new that my pictures didn't have anything close to those. I walked back to my doctors office and listened as he explained everything. I was tough, I had been given strength. I cried, I had made an attachment to the baby we were supposed to have. I cried a lot. I am still crying. I am reading, talking with others, and praying for strength.

It is now that I am even more grateful for the blessings I have been given. For Hailee because she is my baby and always will be. There are so many out there who have yet to experience one and I am grateful to have her first to help me move past this moment in my life.

I am grateful to have a supportive husband who took this burden as well. He has shared in my sorrow and I am grateful for his support.

I am grateful for family around me to love me and care for my feelings at this time.

I am grateful for encouragement and strength. For people who have experienced the same pain and still mourn for their lost babies.

I am grateful that I am young and that this is only a moment, and that there are many more moments in life to enjoy.

I have turned to the Lord for help in this matter. I need his advice and love. I am grateful for the church and for the blessings I have found from being a member. Below is a little exerpt I found in my search on lds.org. It was comforting even though the words are similar to that which I have felt myself through this experience.

While I was grieving, I found great assurances in the words of the Savior. On one of my loneliest, blackest days, I read in the New Testament: “I will not leave you comfortless. … Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:18, 27.)
I, too, have cried out in my dark nights, and He has been there. I don’t have all the answers, but I have peace, the peace that someday I will know and understand, the peace that only the Savior can give. And so I am content.
Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard

Life is still very good. I am ok. I have yet to experience the final moments, of which I am terrified to experience. It will be very hard. The Lord will bless me with the strength. My family will love me and let me cry. We are very fortunate. Thanks for caring!

Our little SUPRISE for Uncle AJ!

A few days before AJ left on his mission, Curt and I told him he would be an uncle. Well we sort of took his thunder by suprising my parents with the news while we were in Utah delivering him.
My parents loved walking into their motel rooms to find notes on their bed congratulating the new grandparents. Needless to say Hailee has been a TRUE blessing for them over these past two years. AJ is going to be quite suprised to see her so big when he never witnessed her really small.

After much deliberation, Curt and I decided the only true way to welcome poor AJ home would be to steal his thunder yet again!!

You guessed it folks....

WE ARE EXPECTING

BABY #2

April 4th

Actually it is a great blessing and I am sure AJ will be very excited. It is a secret to him so no talking !!!!!

A few of Hailee's funny/cute moments lately!

Here she is as of September 1st! Isn't she so big???? Man, she is literally growing up before my eyes. She is sweet and helpful. She is loving and funny. She is one hundred percent farm girl and has every man in her life wrapped around her pretty painted finger. The above picture is of her marching out to ride the four-wheeler with Grandpa Roy, in her absolutely adorable new outfit, courtesy of Grandma Lorelei!

This was captured moments ago. Excuse the chaos, but the moment is too funny. She loves her horse and rides it all the time. She is in the middle of one of the rare moments when she focuses her attention on one thing. You can't really tell but the horse is bouncing and she is blabbering away! Such a busy little lady....

OH SO CUTE!!! I love bath time with Hailee. She is so happy and loves to lotion herself up and help put everything on. After we get pajamas on we always do the pool jump off the changing table. It might be something I regret later, but for now it is such a great thing for both of us. She stands up on the table and we count "one, two, ....THREE" and she jumps to me. We both laugh and laugh at how fun it is. I know she looks forward to it because she always gets so excited once she is dressed.

Hailee is also started to get back into the camera taking pictures thing. The last few months she has been way too busy to slow down and say cheese. However the last few days she has taken a big interest in the camera and loves seeing herself on the screen. This picture was one we practiced saying "cheese" with.

Ok, this is my new favorite Hailee habbit. She crawls up into her shopping cart and reads something. This time it was the owners instructions to her potty chair, but she has brought books, pictures or other things up there to enjoy. Doesn't she look so comfy!!!

You probably noticed I said potty chair. Yes Hailee is starting the potty thing. She has been so interested in the potty and has been trying to change herself as of late. I took these and some other clues and decided to get the potty chair. Actually Aunt Cathy got it, but beyond the point. We are not pushing her, but I do have her sit on it at home and she has gone potty several times. One night she didn't even use the diaper at all, but went potty 3 times in her potty chair. I have to shut the bathroom door now or else she will strip down and hang out on the potty all night. She is loving it, but I really don't think she understands quite yet. I really think she will decide within the next few months to use the potty regularly, but until then it is just something fun for the "big girl" in Hailee.

August II

After a long weekend we decided to take a day and go swim, and play in Jackson Hole. We had so much fun. This is definately one of my favorite family day vacations. Hailee loved the slides as did Nic. We hit all the hot spots: The pool, candy store, the Harley Store, The Antlers, and Windys.

Hailee and Cheri came and helped in my classroom a little bit over the vacation. Cheri and I were constantly chasing Hailee around picking up after her. She was having a great time taking my room apart. I was pretty nervous that it would never come together, but it did. Here I am about 4 days into school and things are smoothing out.Curt also turned 25 this month. He had a pretty good birthday, he always does. I bought him Sirus Radio that he can use this fall when he will be working so much. He is going to be doing custom farming this fall and again in the spring. We are really excited and nervous about this job. I will miss him a lot because he will only be home on Sundays until November, but it is a better environment. He is also going to be able to work on our farm a lot easier with so much time off in the winter and summer. The Skype will be nice so he doesn't get bored!

Happy Birthday Babe!!!

I love you!!!

That is our August in a nutshell. Many things have kept us busy and Hailee is still our forever entertainment. We are back into school and Hailee is back to Misty's. She is already in the groove and loves Alison as much as ever.

Hope you are excited for a great fall and much more news to come from our wonderful life!