A Party of Five--THREE girls and two boys...

Welp. I'm now a mother of three. The baby held on until Wednesday morning when I had an appointment to be induced. Brian and I drove over to Eugene to the hospital and checked in around 5:00 a.m. Coincidentally, I was having light contractions about five minutes apart on the way there. At around 6:00 a.m. I was settled in my room,
and shortly after that I was started on patosin (anyone know how to spell that?). My doctor arrived a little after 6:30 and broke my water--he asked if there had been any action over the weekend to which Brian proudly replied that there HAD been just the previous night. Brian is seriously out of control. Anyway, we had really been hoping that things would go quickly because my doctor was having to leave town around 10 or 11 am, and we really didn't want to have another doctor deliver the baby. Well, quickly things went because by around 8 o'clock I was given an intrathecal (again, sorry for my spelling inabilities--not even spell check has any suggestions) and by nine I was ready to push. I started pushing at 9:11 and the baby was out before 9:14. That's right. Wham, whir. Thank you, sir-- And Dr. Green was free to go.

The baby was 7 lbs 11 0z and 19 1/2 inches long and nameless until today around noon, at which time we finally named her Danin Ellis. So there you go. Isn't she perfect?

Ten Years

Yeah, so like I said before, Brian and I graduated ten years ago. This last weekend we flew to Vegas for our reunion. People were surprised that I would be flying even though I am nine months pregnant, but the airline people never batted an eye about it. It may have helped that there was some sort of bomb scare or terrorist suitcase thing going on at our airport when we flew out--but whatever. We made it safely there and back with no baby coming out. Fabulous. Anyway, on Friday night, we got together at a park with Travis and Lila, Kenny and Ashlee, Alan and Megan, Tyson and Sandy, Meghan, and all of our kids, and it was really cool. It was cool to get together and feel like all of us have grown up and matured and are happy and living relatively similar lives--i mean chasing kids around and working hard to earn a living. Granted, it was just a small group of us, but I felt no pressure to look cool or act cool or compete for attention, etc. We were just all moms and dads making sure our kids were happy and safe and out of trouble. Totally laid back. Cool.

And the reunion was cool, too. There were not a ton of people there, but it was still fun to see those that were there and just sit back and people watch a little. You know what I mean? It's just super interesting to see what ten years has done to people. It was funny, too, to go walking into the reunion draped in tons of fabric while a good majority of the other girls had boobs and legs hanging out everywhere. I seriously couldn't have been more covered. In fact, I was probably mistaken for part of the black drapery a few times, but that's alright. So I felt a little out of place--no biggy. My options for a "cocktail attire" nine-month-pregnant-modest outfit were slim. Everyone is better off not having seen my big, white, vericose veiny body, anyway. And Brian said he was glad that his wife didn't look like someone he had ordered off a 1-800 number--and that's really all that matters.

But anyway, it was fun, and I'm glad I went. I feel happy and super, super grateful to have marked my ten-years-after-graduation milestone at a time when I am so happy. I really could not ask for a better life.

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Here it is

So here are a few pictures and videos of our spec house! Hope you like it! Not bad for a second timer!

My husband is so deep.

So today in gospel doctrine we were having this great conversation about offending people and getting offended and how not to offend and how not to be offended and all that, and after all of these loaded comments, Brian raised his hand to say, "If someone offends me, I just flick a booger at them." And you know, that's pretty good advice. (I wish I had a picture of a booger to post!)

This weekend was our tour of homes, which means that the house is done! (Now we just have to sell it!) Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures soon. The tour was super fun. People loved my color choices and my cookies--oh, yeah, and they liked Brian's stuff, too. Ha Ha.

We'll be flying into Vegas on Thursday, so I'm hoping I'll be able to see some of you Vegas bloggers this weekend. It's so funny because I feel like I know you all so well just from keeping up on your blogs. Yeah, so my social life exists only in the cyber world. Pathetic.

I love you all

Hey Guys.

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful comments about my family's letter-from-Scotty experience. In case you are interested--my mom was able to locate the EFY counselor who sent the letter and to email him to let him know what an unmatchable gift he had given us. His reply was wonderful... Here is the letter my mom wrote to him and his reply back to her:



Corey,
A couple of weeks ago, you sent our family an incredible gift. My daughter and I had stopped by the mailbox and there we found a letter addressed to our son, Scott Mitchell. I remarked to her that it looked just like Scotty's handwriting so we stopped the car and opened up the letter. It was a letter he had written to himself when he was at EFY several years ago, maybe 8 to 10 years ago. We couldn't believe it. It was like we were getting a letter from him from Heaven. Scotty died six years ago to the month, in a car accident. He had been fighting forest fires in northern Utah, earning money for his mission and had decided to drive home to Las Vegas to surprise us. He fell asleep at the wheel and was hit by a truck. Thank goodness, the driver of the truck only sustained a broken foot. But Scotty was killed instantly. It has been quite the ride for our family. The daughter that was just underneath him in age, was very close to him and I think it was hardest on her out of all the children. She was the one with me when we got his letter. I called up my husband at work and said that he would never believe it, but we got a letter from Scotty. He cried and cried. All the kids have felt that it has been such a gift for us. It was something that we got from him that was brand new. We got a little more of his thoughts and personality than we had had before. It was just such a gift. And another amazing aspect to this whole thing is that there was a man out there, who remembered to send those letters like he had promised. I don't know how you remembered, if it was the Holy Ghost whispering to you or what, but I am just grateful that you remembered. I want to thank you and my whole family wants to thank you for taking the time and remembering to send us this priceless gift. Thank you again so so much!!!!!

Love, Kathy Mitchell, mother of Scott Mitchell

Kathy,
I am overwhelmed. When I read your email I sobbed. Then I read what your daughter wrote in her blog and sobbed some more. I feel that I need to let you know that this has been a blessing and a gift for me as well. Thank you. I believe Scott is working behind the scenes to let you know he loves you. I am grateful that I was able to be a part of sending that message out. Those letters had been tucked safely in the bedroom closet in the house where I grew up until just over three years ago when my parents moved. I had long since moved from their home, but some of my things lingered. During the move the letters were packed into boxes and put in a storage unit where they were until I found them just over a month ago. I was living in New York City and had planned to move to Rhode Island for graduate school, so I went to visit my family in Utah where I bought a car and drove it to the east coast. Before leaving Utah I scoured the storage shed for the things that had belonged to me so I could get them out of my parents' hair. Even though my search was thorough, I left with a feeling that there was something missing, so on a weekend trip back to Utah at the end of August I went back to the storage shed and found one more box. The letters were inside. To tell you the truth I had forgotten all about them until that very moment. For a seocnd the thought crossed my mind that if I just tossed them in the trash no one would ever really know. I was pretty certain that the boys in my EFY groups had probably already forgotten about the letters too. But I dismissed that thought and decided I had better be true to my word and send them out. When I mailed them it was fun to think of how some of them would react to get a letter from themselves from so long ago. Only six of about 32 letters came back as mail unable to be forwarded. I didn't really expect to hear from anyone, so your email was a big surprise. So, if you had a vision of someone who had been consciously waiting to send those letters at just the right time, I am sorry to disappoint you. It sounds like the Spirit was working in my life in a very subtle way and I just happened to be available to give heed to it. I am amazed at how the Lord works in our lives! Thank you again for relating your experience of receiving Scott's letter. It really means a lot to me. I needed it too. Graciously we seem to have been able to bless each other's lives through your son whose influence continues to bless us here on earth. All this has helped me to realize even more than I had before that our relationships with one another, especially with the people we love, are the most important things in this life. God put us here on earth together and at the same time for a purpose, and I believe one of the reasons we are all here together is to bless each other through this mortal journey, even when our physical paths may never cross. By the way, I do recognize Scott from the picture on his sister's blog. He was a good kid, even as a fifteen year old :)Blessings and peace to you and your family. Thank you again.All my best regards, Corey Larsen

It's a wonderful life.

So it has been a good couple weeks... A week or so ago, my mom received a letter from Scotty in the mail. As many of you know, Scotty passed away six years ago, so receiving a letter from him was seriously something big. The letter was from fifteen-year-old Scotty and addressed to himself. Apparently, while at EFY ten years ago, Scotty wrote himself a letter which his EFY counselor promised to mail to him in ten years. The letter talked about the fact that he had felt the Spirit at EFY and about the changes he wanted to make in his life--including being more sensitive to others' feelings-- and about the person he wanted to be ten years down the road. The letter was so awesome because it was written in just the way Scotty always wrote--with funny words like "furthermore" and stuff. It was seriously the coolest thing ever to hear my mom read it to me. Do any of you know someone so amazing that he/she would stay true to his/her word to keep and then actually mail you a letter in ten years? IN-credible. What an amazing guy. My mom plans to write him and tell him of Scotty's passing away and of what an incredible gift the letter is.

I've considered the fact that missionaries all over the place are now aloud to receive emails, so there is a slight possibility that people in the spirit world get a few minutes here and there to surf the web--or atleast the blogs of their older sisters. Just in case Scotty is able to read this--Scotty, it was SO good hearing from you. We miss you and are working hard to see you again. THAT will be a family reunion like no other! Camp is growing up to be just like you--in the sense that he is already remembering and constantly quoting movie lines... Also, I was listening to one of mom's mix CD's and I was laughing because it had a rap song on it (which I have decided will be our official Family Night song) and mom and I got to talking about how you got many of us in the family hooked on a few rap songs-like Gangster's Paradise (is that the name of it?). That is seriously so funny...Anyway...write again soon...

Also, Sarah (my older sister) and her family came to visit for almost a week last week! It was so, so fun to have them. Sarah and I were not the greatest of friends while growing up, but we have since become very good friends--mainly because Sarah has always been a very good sister to me. She and I are polar opposites in many ways, but I realize more and more how amazing she is. She is the smart one, the loyal friend, the amazing mother, the one who has a true understanding of the gospel. She's a great example to me. And if that wasn't enough, she now dresses cuter than me, too. That is seriously pathetic considering the fact that she has never given a darn about clothes in her entire life. I have GOT to pull things together. Anyway, I love you, Sarah. Please come again soon...

AND...Camp started preschool today! I bawled upon hugging him good-bye--partly because I felt such a rush of love for him and partly because I was worried that he would not feel comfortable asking to go potty if he needed to go--but all went well, and he came out with a big smile on his face.

My life is good. Real good.