Ayres Insanity

  I love Christmas! I love the sights, the music, the yummy smells, and the overall feeling of Christmas. It is over for this year but I never want to forget the overwhelming amount of blessings our family has received this year.   As September came this year, I felt an urge to be prepared for the rapidly approaching holiday, so I started paying a little extra on the monthly bills so as not to be burdened with them in December, I also started buying gifts a little at a time so by November the shopping was done. That's got to be a record! Usually I'm scrambling on Dec 23rd to get things done.   Consequently, my prompting was inspired. About mid December we had a huge $750 car repair, but we were prepared, what a blessing!   Also, on December 1st, we received the happy news of pregnancy! We had an ultrasound on the 23rd and everything looks great. We shared the news on Christmas.   It has been a wonderful season and a wonderful year, we are looking forward to ...

  Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and naturally, a good day to reflect on the many things in life we've been blessed with, so I'd like to take a minute and share them.   First and foremost, my Savior and my Heavenly Father who have given me everything in my life that is worth living for. My sweet husband who loves me unconditionally and has given me the greatest gift a girl could ever ask for, my two beautiful children. They enrich my life in ways I never thought possible. My home, my faith, a country where we have the opportunity to live and worship as we please and the service men and women who sacrifice so much to make that freedom possible. Modern conveniences, a great family (the one I was born into and the one I chose through marriage) a warm bed and the list goes on.   It is important to remember these things every day, not just the last Thursday of November.    

  We moved in and got pregnant immediately, Taevin was two and we were ready. I had decided on a home birth so I hired a midwife and was ready to move forward. Unfortunately things didn't work out according to plan, on November 5th, in the middle of the night, I had to call Russ home from work to take me to the hospital due to serious abdominal pain. The pregnancy was ectopic and we were both devastated.   We tried again and got pregnant in February. After a series of tests, ultrasounds, and even a surgery, we finally saw a heartbeat, and it was in the right place! A sigh of relief. This pregnancy was also good, more stressful than the last given my determination to have a uncomplicated natural birth (unlike the last one). A few days before my due date, my doctor went out of town. I called the Birthing Center and they were kind enough to take me in at the last minute.   I went into labor on Saturday, November 10th, 2007. I labored mostly at home before finally going...

  Just as we were getting settled into our new home, the big news came. My birth control prescription ran out in April and we decided not to renew it as we had agreed on waiting just a year to start trying. It happened sooner than we expected but we were thrilled, well at least I was. Russ was too once the shock wore off. To say that he was scared would be a serious understatement.   I had taken the pregnancy test while Russ was at work, two pink lines. I took two more just to be sure. When Russ came home, I had tied pink and blue balloons to the bed posts and had strategically placed an array of baby paraphernalia, along with the three positive tests on the bed.   It took a minute for it all to register, then he just stared at the wall all night, I was so excited I couldn't sleep.   The pregnancy was good, we both worked hard and did everything we could to prepare. On January 16th, 2005 we went into the hospital for an induction, we were nervous a...

  We met on December 4th, 2002. After 5 months of persistence from a mutual friend, we agreed to a blind date. We were instantly attracted to each other, (well look at him, can you blame me?) but after one look at his tricked out car, I assumed he was just another one of "those" types, I was sorely mistaken! It was a typical first date, dinner and a movie, but what made it memorable was the end. Anyone who's ever been on a first date knows how awkward the doorstep scene can be but Russ was a pro, He walked me to the door, told me he'd had a great time and gave me a hug. This wasn't just any hug however, he wrapped his arms around me, picked me up and swung me around, put me back down, said "I'll call you" and was gone. I was smitten... skeptical, but smitten nonetheless.   As promised he called me, the very next day even. By two weeks we were in love, by six weeks, we had decided on marriage, and started ring shopping and all of the other fun thi...

Due to much peer pressure and some curiosity, I have climbed aboard the bandwagon and started a blog, so here goes.   I am still a little unsure of how this all works, but I am determined to figure it out. The possibilities seem endless and I've even heard that you can have these things printed out so as to create a journal. Mind you, I suck at journals, but thanks to modern technology, I'll consider this the turning of a new leaf.    I suppose I should start by giving a brief history of our family, I'll start with Russ.   My sweet husband, Russell Edward Ayres III, was born on July 29th, 1978 to Russell Edward Ayres Jr. & Cindy Rigby Ayres. He is the oldest of six and his siblings are as follows; Josh, Jenny, Rachelle, Missy, and LuAnn. The first four are natural siblings and LuAnn was (lucky for us) unofficially adopted into the family.   It is obvious to me that Russ had a good childhood, given the pleasant and generally happy person that he is ...