Jena wins a free photo shoot

The other night, just before I went to bed, I leaned of a contest to win a free photo package from Mirror Images Photography. To win, applicants had to submit an essay of why they or someone they knew deserved to win. I submitted the following on why I thought Jenalee should win. The next morning I got an email that said Jena had won the free photo shoot!

I love my wife. She is amazing. She is strong. She is beautiful. She is many things. But most of all, she is loving. And there isn’t anything she loves more in the world than her children.

About three months ago, my wife, Jenalee, gave birth to our son. There were complications during the delivery and he had to be born via an emergency cesarean section. Our son Owen spent the first two days of his life in NICU. Jenalee had to spend the first couple days of our son’s life separated from him. It was very hard for her to miss that time with him. Then, when the doctors cleared him to leave the NICU and be with us, Jenalee got very sick. She was unable to take care of herself and her children. We soon found out that she had contracted two infections from complications from the emergency c-section. She soon found herself back in the hospital for another week. It was another week away from her young son, who was growing and changing every day. I know that the pain and discomfort she felt from her infections, the I.V.s stuck in her arm, and the tubes that were stuck in her, pumping the infection out of her body, was nothing compared to the anguish she was feeling by not being able to be a mother to her children. She had to rely on our family and friends to take care of her kids, while she tried to get better.

Jenalee has finally healed completely. But she will never get back those first precious weeks that are so special to a new infant and a new mother. That is why I want her to win a free session from Mirror Images Photography.

One thing we have learned as parents is just how fast children grow. Our daughter, Baylee, is turning three in a few weeks, and our son, Owen, is already nearly four months old. Baylee is now nearly out of diapers, and Owen keeps growing into bigger ones. I want my wife to have some wonderful pictures of our children before they get any older and bigger. I want her to always remember our children as they are now, because we have learned that they won’t stay that way for long.

My wife missed out on happy memories with our son at a very special time of his life. But this time of his and our daughter’s life is special as well. And there is no better way to preserve and remember these times than by the power of photography.

Park City and Camping!

We went to Park City with Mark's family last week! It was lots of fun! Thanks Phil and Melanee for taking us we love you guys!This was us at the Olympic Park we rode the zip line and the alpine slide there but I don't have pictures of that.
Here is Mark, his mom, and two of his brothers, Micah and Philip.

This is the s'more fudge I got at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory it's on Main Street in Park City! Yummy!

Here is Owen having fun in Park City!

Baylee loved sleeping on the pull out bed!

I'm not sure how Owen feels about Baylee's kisses!

Mark and I did a devotional one night so we had everyone act out Lehi's dream.

Baylee is always up for some Ice Cream!

This is my cute nephew Beau! He saw that I was taking pictures of Owen so he came and stood in front of my camera!



After we left Park City we met up with Marks Aunt and Uncle and their families and spent one night at the Heber Valley Girls Camp.
Baylee got to work right away digging wood chips! I loved staying at this camp it is really nice and we had so much fun!

This is Mark's uncle Rex! We love this guy! He impressed the kids with his Donald Duck voice!

When we first got to camp Baylee and I went on a walk with Mark's brother Philip and found this little hiking trail.

We saw a deer and after that Baylee was determined not to leave so we could find "Bambi."

She was a good little hiker!

Later that day we went hiking with everyone (except Micah he stayed back at the cabins with Owen) we went further on the trail Baylee and I had been walking on. It went up to a nice little look out point!
Mark and I took turns carrying Baylee up the hill!

Here is everyone!

This is around the campfire! I had so much fun camping I hadn't been since before Baylee was born so it's probably been four years!

This was Baylee running around inside our cabin!

She loved the bunk beds!

Owen was a good little sleeper!

So was Mark!

And so was Baylee!




The Heber Valley Camp is owned by the church so when you first get there couple missionaries come around and do an orientation. They told us to always have a bucket of water by the fire. They also said that the campers before us had seen a flying squirrel and they thought it was a bat, so if we thought we saw a bat not to worry it was just a flying squirrel.
The morning after we had our camp fire Baylee had been wandering around and she came over to me and said, "mom, what's in that bucket?" I said, "Did you put wood chips in it? Is there water in it?" She responded, "No. Come on what's in that bucket?" I could tell she wanted me to follow her to the bucket so I walked over and I said, "See there is just wa AHHHHHH There is something dead in there!" There was a dead critter floating in the water bucket! Mark uncle had two buckets by the fire and only poured on out the night before. The poor flying squirrel drowned in the water bucket!

WARNING
dead flying squirrel picture below scroll fast if you don't want to see it!

Yucky huh!
This was me running from the squirrel! Ugh!

I went hiking to get away from the dead squirrel. Mark buried it while I was gone. Thanks honey! He said while I was gone Baylee said, "Mommy like squirrels when they are alive!" She's right!

On our way out of Heber City we stopped at this place called Dairy Keen Mark's aunt said that they have really good shakes. I got a raspberry peach shake and it was sooooo good! Yum!

fourth to the twenty-fourth!

Here is how we celebrated the holiday's in July! Owen was blessed on the fourth! Then on the 5th we lit some sparklers!



We went to the Ogden Rodeo!


Baylee loved this pink horse!
Me and my kidos!


Then we went to the parade on the twenty fourth!

Swimming Fun!

Baylee took swimming lessons for the first time this year!
She had lots of fun pouring water on Mark!

And Mark had lots of fun dunking her!

She was good at throwing rings!

There is nothing better than. . .

A BIG TOOTHLESS GRIN!!!

Owen Mark Berger's Blessing Day!

Owen was blessed today! He's so handsome in white!

Here is Baylee and her cousin Beau!

Here is our family minus Baylee we couldn't get her to stay in the picture!
Great Grandma Laird holding Owen!

Great Grandpa Mitchell holding Owen!

Our Family with Nana and Papa!

Our family with Grandma and Grandpa! (minus Baylee again!)

Bayleeisms

Baylee has been saying some funny things lately about going to the doctor/hospital so I decided I better write some of them down before I forget them.

On Saturday morning when Baylee woke up she asked me if I would carry her down the stairs. My stomach was really sore that morning so I told her I couldn't carry her and she could walk.

After her swimming lesson we stopped at a store and I ran in to get a few things. Mark said while they were sitting in the car Baylee said, "Maybe tomorrow we could go to the hospital." So Mark said, "Why do you want to go to the hospital?" Baylee said, "So the doctor can make mommy feel a little bit better."

Then after church on Sunday Baylee asked me if I could pick her up, so I picked her up, and she said in her most excited voice, "Are you all better? You can carry me! You can take a shower!" (I could always shower I just had to wrap saran wrap around my stomach when I had the drains before)

Then on Tuesday night I was making dinner and Baylee was helping me husk corn on the cob. One of the ears of corn had a little worm in it so I said, "That is sick!" Right away Baylee goes, "That is sick!" Then she paused for a second and goes, "That is sick! It needs to go to the doctor when it's bigger! It needs to go to the hospital then when it comes out of the hospital it will feel a little better!"

So funny! And sad! Poor kid I think it's hard for a two-year-old to have a sick mama! It's funny to see how her two-year-old mind processes the whole situation. The other day we were driving in the car and she said to me, "I hope daddy doesn't get sick like you were sick!"

Anyways I'm glad the whole sick thing is over!