Year End Review from Iowa

Year in Review from Iowa

2010 has been a busy and eventful year for us here in Iowa.
In February our little Pooka-shell (who isn’t quite so little anymore) turned 6 years old. She has lost all of her front teeth and is looking so grown up lately. Her favorite thing to do is read. She astounded us by reading “Charlotte’s Web” all by herself the summer right after kindergarten. She still loves animals, more especially wild cats and wolves or dogs. She is quite good at running on all fours and pretending to be said animals…so cute. She is a great big sister and has a knack for convincing Bubba-do to agree to almost any idea she has…quite the diplomat. She is now in 1st grade and doing wonderfully. She is becoming a great speller and writer. Her favorite subject in school however, is art.

Our strapping boy, Bubba-do has reached an all time record of 29 pounds. What a boy! He turned 4 years old this July, and has been enjoying preschool. He has the most charming disposition….always wants to help. He is mommy’s little gentleman…opens my car door every time! He still has a fascination and aptitude for mechanical things and buttons. He and daddy have recently found a bonding experience by playing Lego star wars on the wii…oh boy! He is starting to read a little and is very good with numbers and counting.

Hubby and I had been trying for another baby for quite some time…going through many procedures and even an emergency surgery for me. Then on the day of Bubba-do's 4th birthday party we got a wonderful surprise…a positive pregnancy test! We are all so excited and thankful to be expecting Savanna Blake Empey on March 7th 2011 (my 33rd birthday). I have been feeling pretty darn good. I even kept teaching Zumba until I was 20 weeks along. We are now at almost 29 weeks and are getting the nursery ready.

At church hubby is serving as a ward missionary and teaching the Gospel Essentials class. It is amazing to see all the missionary work out here. We have had the opportunity to go to Nauvoo (about 2 hours away) many times and feel the Spirit there. The pageant they do in the summer is something everyone should see, and the Temple is beautiful.

I was serving as a Relief Society teacher the first half of the year, but was then called to be the chorister in Sacrament Meeting! Yikes…I was scared of that calling. I can sing until the cows come home, but not so confident in anything involving music theory or rhythm. I am getting the hang of it and our ward is very forgiving :0)

Hubby is working so hard and becoming such an amazing OB-GYN doctor. He has been through month long rotations in reproductive oncology, endocrinology and infertility, labor and delivery nights, gynecology surgery, Clinic chief, and high risk OB. His typical work week is at least 80 hours, not counting the time he spends at home doing mountains of paperwork. At last count he had delivered over 300 babies! We are so glad he is training to do what he loves, but we will all be grateful when residency is over! He should start interviewing for positions back in Utah some time this coming spring or summer.

We have enjoyed many “typical Midwestern” things this year…from picking apples at our favorite orchard, to corn/hay mazes and catching fireflies. We have been camping and played at “Adventure Land” (an amusement park here). We visited Nauvoo and swam at the lake. It has been a year of joys and pains…we are learning a lot and stretching in ways we didn’t know we could. We are so grateful for the blessings of good health, a warm home, fabulous children, wonderful extended family, friends, the beauty all around us, and especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas to you all!

Love, The Empey Family