Heather's update

Hello Webb clan! I love reading this blog. It's great to hear from so many of you and see what you're up to. I wanted to thank Brittney for the previous post. It was so thoughtful and sweet to share that experience with all of us. I also wanted to thank you for sharing the blog adailyscoop with us. I have learned a lot from the author and found a new appreciation for my precious girls.

And now for the Sharp update.... Jared and I live in Rigby, Idaho. (It's about 20 minutes away from both my parents house in Sugar City and Grandpa and Grandma's house in Idaho Falls). Jared started his own construction business recently. He has been working for Blaser Construction but decided to go out on his own. He mostly does framing and finish work. He is amazing at what he does. I love to walk through the homes he's worked on and see his work. I can't wait for the day when we get to build our own home because Jared has some great ideas. He loves what he does. He is also the best daddy (and husband) in the world. He loves his girls like crazy! They get SO excited when he gets home from work. Savannah really likes to call him throughout the day to inform him of what's going on at home and to ask him questions like "what do lady bugs eat?" Sheridyn can't wait to go hunting with him. Last fall she would cry when he left to go hunting and she had to stay home. She honestly loves to sit and watch the hunting channel with him or read his hunting magazines. One of her favorite songs is "If you're happy and you know it....clap your hands" but she changed the words to "If you're happy and you know it...shoot a buck!" It's crazy. And Katelyn has this super special thing for her daddy. He can hold her and put her to sleep or calm her down like nobody else. I can try for an hour to get her to go to sleep then I'll hand her to daddy and she cuddles right up to him and falls asleep. He is so good with our kids.

I am very blessed to be a stay at home mom with them. Sheridyn is three (she turns four in December). She is so fun. She is very bright and has amazed everyone with her talking and thinking skills since she was very young. She loves animals and often pretends to be one. Savannah is two and is hilarious. She pulls the funniest faces all day and makes me laugh constantly. She loves to sing and play with her sisters. She is currently in the process of potty training and doing quite well. I'm looking forward to the day when I only have one child in diapers. Baby Katelyn is 5 months old. She is such a sweet baby. She's full of smiles and giggles. She loves to watch her hands move and eat her feet.

I love being a mom! My girls (and my husband) are my life. I love hearing the funny things they think about and watching them learn new things. The older two love having a baby sister. They want to hold, hug, and kiss her all day. It's so cute. We have a lot of fun together.

We are in the best ward. Jared teaches a Sunday School class for the kids and both Jared and I are in the scout program. Jared works with the 13-14 year olds and I have the 8-9 year olds. Jared loves it and the scouts adore him. It took me a little while to figure out the boys (I'm used to dealing with girls) but it's fun. There are a lot of young couples with young kids in our ward and we have a lot of fun with them. Sheridyn loves her Primary class. She's a little shy and sensitive so sometimes it scares her, but she usually does quite well. Savannah has loved the nursery since the first time she went. She starts asking to go long before Sacrament meeting is over. We also love the new temple in Rexburg- especially since mom and dad got called to serve there. I love being in that sacred place and seeing my parents working there. I find a great deal of peace and direction from the church. I don't know what I would do without it in my life. Having kids has increased my testimony immensely. I know my girls are gifts from my Father in Heaven. I don't think anything gives you such a glimpse into Heaven as holding a newborn in your arms.

Well, that's basically what I'm doing in my life right now. I am very happy and I love my life. I would love any of you to check out my blog for more information about our daily adventures and to see tons of pictures of my family. The address is jandhsharp.blogspot.com

I hope everyone is well and happy! We should all figure out a time for a family reunion. It's been far too long since I've seen some of you. Keep in touch! Love ya, Heather (Webb) Sharp

The Greatest Gift.

Yesterday was my birthday and I received the greatest gift. I will touch on that later. The day started like a normal day in the Ortega household. Breakfast for the kids, changing clothes, naps, and so on. We bbq's ribs for dinner and had strawberry shortcake for our dessert ( a great weight watchers friendly idea!) We are in the middle of trying to find a new home and I told my folks and Joe I needed nothing for my birthday, just to know they were thinking of me was gift enough. Although Joe did treat me to a pedicure and getting my nails back on this weekend! As the night went on, Joe headed to bed and I spent my time with the kids before settling them in their beds as well. This is now when my "me" time begins. My friend Tiffany had blogged about another blog spot called A Daily Scoop, I have been looking at it for the past few day but tonight I started at the beginning and read the whole thing. I laughed and cried, and at some points sobbed while reading this blog. I recommend checking it out for sure. I drew so much inspirations from Stephanie's words. I only know her through her blog and she has already taught me so much. She suffered the ultimate loss, the loss of a child. I can not even imagine the feelings the has experienced in the past two months. I know her faith and close relationship with The Lord has gotten her through this. I have not been active in the church since I was 16, so 12 years now. I do have a relationship with my Heavenly Father and I pray every night, with my kids and alone. Recently my home teachers have begun to come over as well as my lovely missionaries who I adore! I feel I am getting closer to where I need to be but I still have a long way to go for sure. I do have a testimony and I hope it keeps growing with everyday. After reading Stephanie's words and realizing how strong she is, I have been inspired. Inspired to be a better Mom, sister, daughter, wife and friend. I cherish my life and everyday I have here, but she has reminded me to enjoy the small things even the annoying things in my hardest of days. Days when It is hard to smile and I have crying kids who wont obey. She has opened my eyes to things I thought I already knew. When I was done reading I went into Jersey's room and picked her up out of her crib and held her tightly in my arms as I rocked her. The nonstop flow of tears wet the top of her precious head and I had no control. A mothers love is like no other. I held her for an hour taking in each moment, each soft breath she took, each squeeze of her hand on my chest, each time she snuggled her head into my neck. I inhaled the sweet smell of my baby girl while having a broken heart for all those mothers who have lost their babies. I know it is all part of a master plan which we have no control over but I still wept for them. After I could finally pull myself together and lay her back to sleep in her bed, I moved on to Treyson's room. I watched him for a moment sleeping in his big boy bed the wrong direction and surrounded by pillows. I ran my fingers through his curly hair and told him how much I love him and how he has changed my life. How it makes me feel so good when he tells me he loves me, and how his humor brings me such joy in my life. I felt as though I couldn't leave the room again. I wanted to craw into bed with him and just snuggle him. I want my babies to always know how much I love them and how special they are to me. I then had to go to my room to my sleeping husband. He is my rock, my best friend, he is without a doubt my everything. I watched him sleep and the tears began to roll again. I am so blessed in my life. I am so in love and so happy. This my my great gift, a gift of thought. Time to recognize all I have in my kids and husband. This night was by far the most emotional one I have had in years. My heart swells today as I think about last night. The thought will stay in my heart and head for ever. I have learned so much about others and mostly myself lately. I am a work in progress but the final outcome will be awesome.