Happy Birthday Bre!!

Today, February 22nd 2010, my sweet little sister Breanne Nicole Wilde would have been 20 years old. She died a little over 15 years ago in an automobile accident just shy of her fifth birthday. So, although it pains me to try to think of what she would be like today (because in my mind and everyone that knew her, she will forever be 4 and a half), I still think it is a momentous occasion that should be celebrated.

Here is a little of how I remember my sweet sister:

There really was not more than 10 minutes that could go by in a day that you didn't hear her sweet laughter (this is one of the many reasons that Emarie reminds me of her)!

She and I were the best of friends and spent almost every moment together, going anywhere our imagination took us. Whenever I have a hard day, I still talk to her as though she were here, and I know she hears me.

She was beautiful in every sense of the word. From her gorgeous auburn hair (that made everyone jealous), big brown eyes and cute baby fat that completed her, to her infectious bubbly personality and endless affection.

Anyone who met her, instantly fell in love with her vibrant personality (another quality that Emarie shares).

She made friends with everyone she met, including animals.

There was never a dull moment with Breanne!

She loved so intensely and with all her might (those that knew her know what I'm talking about), for those that don't know what this means, it meant, hugging everyone and everything with her teeth clenched. Pinching those she loved on the extra skin of their elbows (because she knew this didn't hurt) while exclaiming, "Mushy, mushy, mushy!"

She was wary with things, yet very daring!

She was always happy, and the seldom times she was not, was when she was away from those she loved (yet another quality she and Emarie share).

There is not a day that goes by (I'm sure) that someone out there does not think of her in someway, because that is the explosive impact she had. I know there's seldom a day that goes by that I don't think of her, and that will always be true.

I know I made a lot of connections with her to Emarie. But, I full-heartily believe that they were great friends before Emarie joined us on Earth. Emarie has a sense of recognition on her face when she sees photo's or videos of Breanne. And I know there are many more connections than even we can imagine than just their names and the fact that they are related, seeing as Emarie is a lot more connected to the veil than most.

So, in closing, I just want to relay how much I miss this little girl! How much everyone that knew her misses and loves her, and will never stop!

So, I would like to share the videos that Steve and I put together over Mother's Day last year. Just know, they are not perfect. They both have holes, because we are still missing a lot of video and pictures because of all the tragedies that have befallen on our family. And, I know the music in the video slideshow is cheesy. But, it's fitting in more ways than one. One is obvious, for what the song is, the other is that Mariah Carey was Breanne's favorite singer. And, also, remember that this is the early 90's, so nevermind the bad clothes and hair!

Enjoy this little piece of Breanne, aka: Baby B, Bre, Chickster, etc.

Yes, that big guy towards the end is Mark Eaton, of the Utah Jazz!

Beware of the full moon in this one!

So simple a word, but so sweet to hear!

I can't even tell you the last time I heard Emarie utter the word "momma" or "mom." It took me a long time to get over the fact that word was now ceremoniously changed to "dada" or "daddy." It's really no secret that Daddy is Emarie's favorite and I've struggled with the fact for a long time. I'll even admit that it made me cry sometimes that I was not the one she wanted comfort from when sad, but have gotten to the point where I can actually joke about it now, and say to her, "Hey, I carried you for 9 months and went through 36 hours of excruciating labor to bring you here, you are supposed to like me best!" And she would of course laugh. This is something NO ONE can ever take away from me, that is the ability to make Emarie laugh better than anyone can! So, I'll take it, but I'll admit it still makes me sad sometimes.

Not this weekend though, Emarie wanted her "Mama" and voiced it! I was very busy painting, cooking and cleaning this weekend and kept walking past her playing on the floor, as soon I was out of sight, I would hear her yell "MAMA" and guiltily (since Steve was in there with her) be so happy! She even let me put her to bed two nights in a row! This is huge!

So, I'm going to take my few days of glory since I don't know how long it'll last. But I just needed to celebrate!!

A nice quiet Valentine's Day at home

So, Valentine's Day was not a big hooplah for us this year. First off being, we really don't have the money, second off being, neither of us really care that much.

So it began on Saturday (to keep the Sabbath holy :)) with Steve having to work in the morning, since they are down a secretary and very behind. So, I took advantage and went to the store to buy all the fixins to make Swiss Steak with baked potatoes and salad. I also ordered a special gift that is for both of us, but won't be here until next week, so I'll let you know what it is then. I had some small things and a card laid out for him when he came home and later I began the dinner. I tried with no luck to track down a good Valentine's movie on redbox, but could not find a good one, so we settled for watching Sweet Home Alabama, which is a classic! We were happy to spend the night with our wonderful baby girl as well, and it just went as smooth as possible!

The next morning (which was really Valentine's Day) Steve cooked me breakfast and then I took pictures of Emarie in her $3 Valentine dress:

Happy Valentine's Day Everybody!

It's about time some good things came our way!

I know I'm being a little dramatic about that. But, if you been around in the last little while, you'd know that things just haven't been the easiest for us the last couple of months. But things are finally looking good again, starting with home improvements that we got due to some plumping problems back in December. The insurance paid for us to get new carpet on the main floor up to the top of the stairs (we decided to have them do the hallway up there as well, so that it wouldn't look weird). We also decided to pay a little extra ($850 total to be exact, which isn't bad if I do say so myself) so that we could get really good carpet that will last a really long time and that we really like! We were glad for all of your opinions a week ago, but we believe we made the best choice and we are in love with it!

So here are some pictures of all the hard work that went in, and the end result!

This is after the restoration place came and ripped out half the carpet and baseboards to clean. This is in the Master bedroom

Still in the master bedroom, this is where most of the water damage was

This is the downstairs hallway. We took advantage of not having to worry about the carpet and finish painting (we had not finished this because Emarie was born in the middle of it, and after numerous surgeries, hospital stays, health concerns and doctor visits, I'm sure you can all sympathize with why we didn't get done until now!)

Steve and I both worked together so that we could get the painting done fast. This is Steve painting the stairwell

This is the hallway upstairs after we had ripped out all the carpet. We did all the moving and tearing out of the carpet so that we could get this hallway done for free (since the insurance would only pay to the top of the stairs)

Steve working hard and the living room now bare! Steve's brothers Mike and Cory were a big help with all of this, we really appreciate them for helping us!

The master bedroom bare

After the pad was all placed. It's funny because this pad alone is probably softer than the carpet and pad put together that we had before!

A close up of the carpet as it was being laid. I was hiding out in the guest bedroom upstairs since I had woken up that morning with the stomach flu yet again and the smell of the glue and such was not helping! So, Steve was being sweet and taking pictures so that he could show me the progress!

After the carpet was all done while Steve was waiting for his brothers to come back and help move the furniture back in, he decided to put Emarie down here, doesn't she look small!

Emarie really loves the new carpet, she even helped pick it out! You can tell mommy was sick that day by what a mess her hair is!

The beautiful new staircase!

The master bedroom

A different angle of the bedroom

And one more, sorry, I just can't get over how beautiful it is now!

And the living room all done!

In other good news: Our tv is now fixed (this is important!), our dishwasher is working well again, and we THINK we may have everything figured out with our insurance (but keep your fingers crossed on that). Also, everyone in the house is well for the moment (aside from my weekend stomach flu, but we mostly care about Emarie right?), knock on wood!

On to more home improvement. We have discovered that we will be getting a pretty decent tax return and are in the process of debating what to do with it. Top of the list would be to rip up the carpet in the dining/sitting area and do "do-it-yourself" wood flooring. If we chose this, then we would probably have enough money to go to the conference this summer as well. So, for the moment, that seems to be the best choice! On the other hand though, we could use all of the return to finish carpeting the upstairs (Em's bedroom and guest bedroom), but that seems a little wasteful when it's not absolutely necessary, so there's always next year for that! But, we will be finishing painting both bathrooms downstairs and laundry room. As well as, painting and really doing something nice with Em's room, since well, let's face it, she deserves it! And her bathroom (which seems silly since she doesn't use it, but we occasionally have guests that do). We also bought a bunch of new rugs for the entry way and bathrooms, as well as towels for the bathrooms too. We are way excited about all the progress we have made! Thanks for reading, sorry it was so long!

Go Cougars!

So Emarie was able to have her first live sports experience last night. We weren't sure about taking her at first, since it was going to be late, but it is her absolute favorite sport to watch on t.v., we thought we'd give it a try.

We got the tickets from our new home teacher Terry Nashiff, who you might remember as a point guard on the BYU basketball team a few years back. Now, he is on the coaching staff, and Steve could not be happier that he is our home teacher (he brings Steve nice BYU shirts all the time, and now court-side tickets)!

We were pretty close, only like four rows away from the court, so Em was in heaven seeing the basketball flying around so close!

You will notice that Emarie is wearing TCU's colors, however, this was not on purpose. That was the outfit she was wearing that day and she fell asleep right before we left, so that was what she stayed in!

See how close we were!

Emarie clapping for the cougars, a fan already! Good going Daddy!