Trip to AZ! FUN FUN in the SUN SUN!

So we needed to get out the cold so we drove to Arizona to hit up some spring training baseball games and hang with family. It was so great and I always have a hard time leaving my home state! :( My body loves being warm and I love all the fun things there are to do there.

The first night there we went to a baseball game. Here are the boys posing on the "big baseball" outside of the stadium.

Jake and the boys sitting front row! These are my dad's seats. They are right by the dugout of the opposing team. The padre's and mariners play there in the spring.

My niece Bella, and nephew Lucas. So cute!

My daddy and his grandbabies piled on his lap! The players throw baseballs all the time, out to the crowd. Zach has caught 2 now! He razzes the players as they walk by. So funny!

The next day, we went to Encanto Park in Phoenix. It has the cutest little amusement park and the kids had a ball. This is Brady and Isabella riding the helicopter.

Zachy and Brady on the carousel. Love em.

On Friday we went to the Phoenix Children's museum in downtown Phoenix. It is so fun and interactive. This was the art room where they actually had a huge space ship the kids could paint. Zach also enjoyed doing the playdough center.

As did Brady, Bella and Lucas.

Have to squeeze some Easter Dying pics in, just to prove to my kids that I indeed did egg dying with them when they were little! :) And yes, I made them do it without clothes.

Zachy's egg

Brady's egg

Sledding and New Years

So I wanted to show some cute pics that we took sledding with Jake's family back in December. It was so much fun! We went up to Soldier Hollow in Midway and spent a few hours in the snow and then had a fun, fondue party after. It was a blast!

This is actually Christmas morning. :) Cute boys.

Zach, Tyler, and Garrett (cousins) getting ready to head downhill

Kayli and Ricky pulling on the cheesy faces!

Probably my favorite picture ever of Papa Shoff! Love it

Jake and Brady getting ready to head up the hill

Brady in his tube! He loved it, although he was soaking wet and frozen.

Bustling around, making the fondue dinner

Yummy, Yummy!

All the adults ready to rock the night!

Had to add a cute picture of my mom. She turned 60 and she is still smokin hot! Just Love Her to pieces!

Slacker! Slacker!

Well, I have been the biggest slacker! But I lost my camera and blogging isn't as fun unless you can post pics so I made Santa bring me a new one and hopefully I will be able to get on track again!

In August, Zachary was baptized. He was sooo excited and I know he will always remember this special day. I believe there were 9 kids that were baptized that same day, with him so the chapel was packed tight! Jake gave him a beautiful blessing and confirmed him. Alongside him were Grandpa Shoff and Criddle, Uncle's Ben Schmuhl, Michael Criddle, Josh Criddle, Ben Criddle, Nate Criddle, James Shoff and friend Justin Makin. The most special person standing in as well, was my grandpa, who will be 90 this year! Zachary was so excited that great-gramps could be there to help confirm him!



We took a fun vacation this summer to Arizona and went to the Grand Canyon...This was just one of the few family shots we took in all of 2011. As I said. I am a slacker!

Zachary started 3rd grade this year and is doing awesome! Although when he brought home his class picture, I asked him to point out the naughtiest kids in class.. He then pointed to two other kids and himself.....without hesitation. Oh boy!

One of the biggest reasons I was a slacker in 2011, was because I was in school full-time. In my Christmas letter, I posted that I had graduated with a B.A. in Psychology in October! This was my graduating group below me. Good people! SO glad to have that done and am grateful to all those who supported or helped me through it! Now onto bigger and better things!

Tragedy

Soooo, it's been a while. Yes, I have Slacked! For that, I am sorry! I guess I have just been moved today to write down my thoughts. I have noticed as of late that there is so much tragedy that surrounds us everyday, and yet, we still have to get up everyday and live our lives the best we can.

Recently, my best friend's little boy, who is also one of Zach's closest friends, fell from a slide and sustained traumatic brain injury. He has been in Primary Children's Medical Center for a little over 3 weeks now and is making great progress. It will be a journey for him and his family to get through this awful tragedy, but I know that angels are watching over them and that they will get through this trying time.

I also had a family friend pass away on Saturday morning from a drug overdose. I can't tell you the suffering that I'm sure his family has gone through the last 6 years of his life. He served a mission, got straight A's in school, and was a great athlete. But he suffered with Obessive Compulsive Disorder and so he turned to drugs to deal with his suffering.

I had a very close cousin die of an overdose when she was 21, and at her funeral, the bishop said that she could no longer progress on this earth, and that is why Heavenly Father allowed her to die. WOW. I don't want to halt my progression in anyway. I want to keep moving. But it makes me more compassionate to those who do struggle on this earth I guess. I look at what Josh Powell did to his family and I am so grateful I do not have to judge him, because it wouldn't be pretty. Why on earth would he do that?? Once again, grateful I am not the judge.

All of the people in my life that have experienced tragedy recently are all wonderful, faithful, latter-day saints. So lds are not immune to tragedy. It happens to everyone. No one can escape it. I guess it is how they are able to deal with tragedy is what differentiates them from others that do not share the same faith. I see miracles and great hope and faith in these people. The sadness is still very real, but they are able to be lifted up and comforted and somehow get through. I am grateful for my testimony, and although my trials have been very humbling and sometimes embarrassing, I am grateful for them. So grateful.

Our 2011 Christmas Letter

MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A
HAPPY NEW YEAR
2011
We have had a very eventful year with many wonderful blessings and new experiences that continually keep us on our toes and as you can tell we didn’t get the chance to take a nice family photo. We purchased an annual pass to Disneyland this year and were able to visit family and enjoy Mickey Mouse many times. We also enjoyed a Criddle Family Reunion in Arizona as well as a few other fun weekend trips here and there. Emily and Jake were a ma and pa for our stake trek this year and had an amazing experience. We also celebrated our 10-year anniversary in October. Jake thoroughly enjoys working at Alpine Treatment and with his partner, has built a wonderful business. Emily finished school in October with a B.A. in Psychology and would love to go on to get her masters soon. Zachary (8) is spunky, feisty, and fun as ever. He gets straight A’s, loves basketball, and sings in the Utah Children’s Choir. Brady (4) is in preschool, played baseball and loves his swim lessons. He has a constant smile and is a joy in our home! We feel extremely blessed this Christmas Season and are so very grateful for our friends, family, and loving Savior. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012.
Love, Jake, Emily, Zachary, & Brady Shoff

IT IS TIME

Hey all! It is time I go private. Leave your email address and I will send you an invite. There has just been too many random searches for us on google and weird sites coming up on my blog. Not that we are famous, but I fear there might be some old stalkers of Jakes :). Haha!

Ohhhhh the Answers!

A Beautifully, HEALTHY UTERUS!


So most everyone knows that we have been trying to have a baby for a few years and there has been no explanation as to why "IT" hasn't happened. After all it only took 2 months to get pregnant with Zachy but then took 16 months to get pregnant with Brady. All of our testing, (before we conceived Brady) came back basically normal and healthy. So we decided to go up to the "U" and see a fertility specialist last year. Well, the Dr. basically threw me on Clomid and did an IUI (intrauterine insemination) and called it good. Yes, I felt like a number there. We knew that we didn't want to go back. It didn't feel right. So we waited and decided to save the money for IVF. Well, I just couldn't figure out where I wanted to go to start the long road of fertility treatments. I had spoken to a couple different reproductive endocrinologists, both of whom I didn't feel good about. So I went to see my wonderful OB. HE referred me to a wonderful practice in A.F. Oh the difference was immediately evident in patient care and priority. Dr. Faulk, who Jake and I were both impressed with, instantly diagnosed my problem in a matter of 30 minutes. First off, I produce more LH than FSH, which is why I am so cool and not moody, HAHA! (Men produce more LH than FSH). Secondly, and more importantly, I have a 2 inch round endometrioma on my left ovary and stage 4 endometriosis! I have no predisposing factors other than my c-section, that would cause endometriosis. 2 months= Zach, 16= Brady, and the condition has worsened. So I started developing it after my c-section with Zach!

Oh, the answers are astounding and wonderful all at the same time! Here is what my uterus looks like! :)

Endometriosis (or unhealthy uterus)


My massive cyst!


So, I will be getting surgery soon and will need your prayers of course! Hopefully they can clean it all out and I will be good to go! You just never know what will come your way in this life, I tell ya. So grateful for an amazingly loving and supportive hubby that is so awesome! And Of course to a rock star Dr. that waisted no time in figuring out what was wrong and to get it fixed right away! Blessings, Blessings, Blessings! Too many to count!