A long-awaited day

It's a GIRL!!!
Stephen and I were SO excited this past Monday morning for our doctors appointment. We woke up early so that I could drink 16oz of fluids an hour before our appointment. Although I was thrilled to find out the gender of our baby, I was also excited to see the little body parts and watch it move around.

When the technician started the ultrasound.... it was fun to see that our little one was in the exact same position as the last time we did an ultrasound. Our little girl loves being face down on her tummy. The technician tried everything to get her to roll over so that she could get one of those really cute profile pictures. We even went back out in the waiting room and waited for my bladder to get bigger.... thinking that might work. About 10 minutes later, the technician tried again and this time our little girl rolled over, but she was so low that we still couldn't get a profile picture. It was so cute to watch one of her little arms resting on her chest and then she would move her little fingers like she was tapping her fingers. One of my other favorite parts of the ultrasound was when we were looking at her feet. She crossed her legs at the ankles and then she was tapping her foot up and down, up and down. It looked like she was moving her foot to the beat of a song or something. Oh man, I love this little girl already!!

Halloween and Big Announcements

Hello Again!

I told you all that I would follow up on my last post and here I am. Tessa is at Sunday dinner with her family, and I'm home because I've got a little chest cold that I don't feel like passing around, especially with the H1N1 scare. Tessa and I serve in an assisted-living branch of the church, which is why I stayed home from church as well. If I felt like I was responsible for decimating half our branch with my illness I would never forgive myself. So it's been a great day for gospel study, general conference podcasts, a nap, and now blogging (aka recording my family history).

Halloween was a lot of fun! It became an opportunity to honor one of the greatest films in history, and one of my all-time favorites. Yes, it's true, I was Nachooooooooooooooooooo (Ignacio); and as an intro to Tessa's character for the evening, in the words of Hector, "She hails from the Juahaca Parish Convent of the Immaculate Heart Sisters Lady Mountains of Guadalupe.....Sister Encarnacion!" We really did have a great time and the costumes were a hit. Everything we needed for the costumes came to less than 35 dollars, thanks to DI, Savers, and Walmart. My robes were stinky so I wore my recreation clothes, complete with stretchy pants! I also think it was a little ironic that Tessa just happened to be a pregnant nun, her convent would not have been happy with her :)

While shopping for Halloween gifts to send to Stephen's brother in the mission field, we found the perfect costume for Granny Miner (who happens to be a Wendover fanatic). I think anyone would agree that the costume 'suited' her perfectly! She was ecstatic to get our costume and wear it! She giggled like a little girl when we gave it to her and couldn't wait to put it on! Granny, you old card-shark you!

-

One week prior to Halloween, on the 24th of October, we got the family together for a pumpkin carving contest, which was really a cover for our big announcement. Only the Jensens were able to attend the party because the Francis side was at the BYU football game, and elsewhere. We had the party planned for about a month and were so excited about it. In the middle of the get-together we decided to hand out Halloween gift bags that we had carefully prepared for all of the adults and kids in the family. The adult bags had a special 'Halloween Card' for each couple and future grandparent. Here is the card they received:

This one was the front of the card, then it opened vertically to reveal the inside pages below..

It took a few minutes for the realization of what the card was to ripple through the family, then it was a lot of hugs and crying and all that gushy stuff. The looks on faces were priceless.

After the pumpkin carving party we headed back to the Francis residence to give the news to Stephen's parents Gale and Joan, along with Carlee and McKay, Stephen's brother and his wife. Stephen's sister Ashley came for Sunday dinner on the 25th and she got her announcement then. Everyone was surprised and we were so happy that we had kept it a secret for so long!

It was so much fun to see the reactions and finally share our news with everyone! It was a roller-coaster of emotions that week, and I felt as much relief as anything when we finally got it all out in the open.

As much fun as it was to announce our news, it was also a deeply bitter-sweet evening. Tessa's brother Sam, and his wife Brandi, found out earlier that same week that their little baby boy was not developing properly. After many meetings with specialists and many tests, the baby has been given a very specific diagnosis that brings with it a poor prognosis. They don't expect their little one to live very long after birth, if at all. This doesn't mean that miracles can't occur, but preparations must be made emotionally and otherwise as the delivery date draws closer. It has been heart-breaking news and we have prayed and fasted along with them. I cannot find words that would help in any way, but we continue to pray with everything in our souls for their little baby, and them as a family. They have given their boy the name of Aaron Samuel Jensen, which is a beautiful and strong name for this little warrior! Sam, Brandi, Stockton, Preston, and Aaron, we love you. We pray for you and we know that the God of Heaven is aware of you in the most deep and personal way. There are never any guarantees that things will turn out perfectly with these little babies, and it's something that has kept, and continues to keep me awake many nights as I think about our own little baby as it develops. I cannot imagine facing the difficulties myself, but for those of us that are on the outside looking in we can pray with everything we've got, and I know those prayers will be answered.

-

As always, we love you and always look forward to hearing from you!

S & T

Better Late Than Never

The past month and a half has been filled with things to blog about. Because of my habitual neglect of our blog, our updates have suffered, and I will now make a somewhat feeble attempt to touch only on the major highlights. An exhaustive summary would be nearly impossible at this point.

Shortly after the last blog post Tessa and I attended the Jimmy Wayne/Dierks Bentley/Brad Paisley concert at the USANA Amphitheatre. We had an incredible time! There are some amazing songs by both Dierks and Brad that have special meaning for Tessa and I from our courtship and past experiences. Tessa had never been to the USANA facility and I was very excited to take her to a concert there at some point. This particular concert was the perfect opportunity with a dynamite combo of country artists. To me there is no greater experience than hearing great music on a warm summer night outdoors. The weather was fabulous with only a small burst of rain. We were also entertained by an incredible lightning storm that surrounded the north side of the Salt Lake Valley throughout the evening. It was picture-perfect. We literally loved every second of that concert and left feeling very satisfied.

If you have never hiked around in the mountains to call elk during the rut, you have missed out on a great experience. Tessa and I camped with her brother Billy in the Wadsworth area of the Wasatch Mountains. It happened to be the same weekend as the concert, but thankfully we were able to do both. The leaves had started to change color across the mountains and it was absolutely gorgeous! We did a small hike the first evening and spotted for elk. We saw quite a few cows the first evening and a few decent-sized bulls. One of the bulls happened to be in the sights of two hunters that we were watching. The hunter has his gun in shooting position for some time. We though for sure that we were going to see a kill, but the hunters never got a clear shot. It was pretty cool to watch, and it was a relaxed way to start the trip. We enjoyed a dinner of barbecue chicken, bratwurst, and mashed potatoes, then hit the sack.

The next morning we started out on the trail at about 5 AM and spent the day doing a good amount of hiking, occasionally stopping to call elk and see what we could draw in. I say 'we' but it was Billy doing all the calling, and Tessa and I just tried to conceal ourselves in the brush as well as we could. We were all in full camouflage. We saw some VERY big moose that took off and ran when we spooked them out of their resting positions, and we also got a spike elk to come in fairly close. We didn't get a whole lot of live action, but we enjoyed the hiking and the beautiful country nonetheless. We also saw some unbelievable rubs that were definitely from some extremely large bulls! Billy was very excited about the 'sign' we found all over the place and we got some great pictures of it all, just didn't get to the see the bull(s) that were responsible! Enjoy the pictures (including the one of me drinking from a watering hole for cattle). We also came across one of the biggest pine trees I've ever seen in my life. It had to be about 6-8 feet in diameter. One highlight of the trip was using our new sleeping bags that Tessa got for her birthday. The sleeping bags are HUGE and extremely warm! It was a great overnight trip.
















Last week we returned from a wonderful trip to California with the Jensen side of our family. We spent a week down there visiting Ryan and Holli (Tessa's brother and sister-in-law) and their little boy Rocco. The rest of the Jensen crew arrived mid-week, some flew and some drove. We went to Disney's California Adventure park for Mickey's Trick-or-Treat, spent time on the beach, ate some great food (which is a must on any vacation right?), spent time swimming at our hotel, and had a lot of relaxation time. It was a perfect time for a vacation and we really enjoyed decompressing after a very hectic last few months. Tessa and I dressed as Waldo and Wenda from the old Where's Waldo books and had a great time hearing comments from hundreds of people at the Disney park about how they 'Found Waldo!' (we also hand-made our entire costume with the exception of the glasses and Tessa's socks!). Our entire family dressed up for the event and we really had a fantastic time. We spent time on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, rented a cycle taxi, and tried to experience some of the highlights in Southern California. Our last day in California took the guys to UCLA football game in the Rose Bowl and the ladies spent the day shopping. A HUGE thanks to Vickie and Rick for an incredible vacation that will never be forgotten. It was such a blessing to have a great vacation in a beautiful place, surrounded by family.













We always have a little card that says "We Love Elder Francis" with us because we send those pictures to my brother Drew who is serving a mission in South Carolina. We take a picture with his sign at every major place we go, from St. George to Idaho to California so that he knows we're thinking of him and want him to feel involved in what's happening in our life.



Due to his dad's direct encouragement, our nephew Rocco may have a future in horror films ;)









Yesterday our intramural flag-football team (PT Dominators) won our third straight championship at the University of Utah! We won the league each of our three years of school and we have had an incredibly fun time doing it. Our cumulative record is 20 wins with only one loss. Our first two years were undefeated and we came within 6 points of making it 21-0! The team is made up of only PT class of 2010 members. The thing that makes it even more sweet is that we beat the medical school students in the championship every single year, the same year of med students the last two years. It's been a great run and it's hard to do any better than a championship!



And last but definitely not least...Tessa and I are on top of the world as we are expecting our first child!! We have known since early August that we were pregnant, but we just told our families this past weekend, then made it public. We are thrilled at the prospect of being parents (and very humbled at the same time) and can't wait for this addition to our family. I'm not sure we have any idea what we're getting ourselves into, but it feels great. It's pregnancy time for our families right now! My brother McKay and his wife are pregnant with a little girl that's due at the end of January, Tessa's brother Ryan and Holli are pregnant with a little boy and are due late February, Tessa's brother Sam and Brandi are pregnant with a little boy and also due late February, then our baby is due on April 6! We are just overjoyed about all of these little ones joining the family so close to one another, it will be an amazing time.

I will be posting more details of the pregnancy journey thus far, but for now I'm out of time. Tessa and I continue to be amazed at the blessings we enjoy and the incredible people we are surrounded by. I love my wife with all of my heart and I stand in awe of her strength and incredible determination. She keeps me where I need to be and continues to roll with whatever life brings her. Watching her grow (no pun intended, I promise) into the role of mother is absolutely awe-inspiring, and this little baby is infinitely blessed to have a mother like her.

We love you all and hope to hear from you!

Another rare post! I vow to improve on this.

09/09/09

Might as well update the blog since it's such a special day on the calendar! We'll never see a date like this again....well until 10/10/10 or 11/11/11....anyway, I don't mean to be too sarcastic (ok I really do) but I'm no numerologist and I get a kick out of the hype that occurs because of numbers.

Time is just flying by with the Francis family! Last week marked the one year anniversary of my asking Tessa to marry me, it's very hard for me to believe that it has happened so fast.

Two weeks ago I defended my doctoral project in front of my committee and a classroom full of peers and family members. I passed and it was a GREAT feeling to be done with it! Now I just have to find a way to get motivated and succeed during my last semester of classes!

August flew by, and now September is dissolving underneath us as well. We've been lucky to get to the lake with Drew and Stacy a couple of times and we're just trying to enjoy the tail end of the warm weather before we get hit with Mother Nature's misery. We saw the leaves changing around Jordanelle Reservoir on Labor Day and although it's pretty, it created a pit in my stomach because I know it means impending doom. Ok, maybe not that bad, but I REALLY dislike the cold and I dislike the snow even more so I can't wait for our move to Arizona at the end of December!

The next few weeks have some great things in store, and we'll be sure to keep you updated, more often than usual ;)

McKay and Carlee will find out the gender of their baby today and we are so excited for them! We have been guessing the gender, weight, and birth date of the baby, just for fun and a little competition for bragging rights among the family.

We are healthy and happy and would love to hear from all of you!

S & T

This video is a short clip of a sad scene we drove by in Parley's Canyon on I-80 on the way home from the lake. This poor family lost their RV as they approached the summit.

Been awhile...

Hello again! The last month has been a month of transition...scratch that, every few months we have a major transition! But we love it. We left our temporary home in St. George and made the trek back north to the Salt Lake Valley. Our last weekend in St. George was great! Tessa's family came to visit and we got to spend some time with two of our nephews and their little sister. Tessa's parents, her sister Stacy and brother-in-law Drew came down to play for the weekend before we relocated. We had a a great time with them and got the chance to show them some of the fun things St. George has to offer. Daylight hours kept us indoors mostly due to the mid-july heat, but we really did enjoy ourselves. From a wildlife museum to the farmer's market to a trip aboard a pirate ship, we had a good time!

Since our return to Salt Lake our lives have been fairly uneventful. My days have been filled with work on my doctoral project, and Tessa is back to work at the Salt Lake Clinic. She is now working 4-10's and loving it! We did make a trip up to Idaho to see my brother and his wife, and also to do some fishing with my former Bishop (Mike Peterson) and just relax. It was a great time to take in some fresh air and spend time with family that we don't see too often. Carlee graduated from BYU-Idaho's nursing program so we were able to attend her pinning ceremony which was a nice treat as well. McKay and Carlee also announced that they are pregnant! We are so happy for them, and look forward to the day that we get to meet that little squirt. It'll be the first grandchild on the Gale/Joan Francis side of the family as well as the Randy/Anna Stone family. We are so happy for them! We drove through yellowstone, test drove some sport quads, and met up with some old friends in Rexburg too. I love that place! (but not enough to ever move back)

With the encouragement of a good friend I summited Mt. Olympus last week and I still have the healing blisters to prove it. No photos unfortunately, due to my own neglect (which happens when your wife doesn't come along). It's been a month of fun here in Salt Lake, from demolition derbies, to NASCAR racing, to county fairs.




I present my doctoral project on August 26th if anyone is interested in coming, it's open to the public. I will be very relieved when I am done with it. This project has been a lot of work, but I have enjoyed digging into research to find answers to a very prevalent health issue of our day, obesity. So feel free to contact me if you'd like to attend my presentation.

School starts on the 24th and I'm happy to say it will be my last semester of coursework. I am slowly approaching the conclusion of my formal education and it is an exciting prospect.

We love the Summer and are VERY VERY discouraged about the cool nip in the air that can only mean Autumn is coming. As we see the geese headed South we are overwhelmed with a longing desire to follow them. We'll see them in January!

Enjoy the pictures from the last month or so! Love you all.

S & T

Tucks-n-Rolls

This is one of my ALL time Favorite Picture of Roxy, my sister's little girl. It makes me laugh everytime. She was happy to be trying on dresses when we were shopping. Just look at those arms.

CRAZY Weekend!

Where do I start....?

This weekend brought adventures in many shapes and sizes. I'll just start typing and give you the chronological version of the weekend. Here we go:

Last week I was invited to play in a softball tournament known as the 'Heat-Stroker' here in St.
George. I was invited by Jona Droubay, a therapist at the hospital and a friend from PT school. I had no idea what I was getting into but it sounded like a blast. Because it's so warm this time of year in St. George they play the tournament through the night for two consecutive nights. Even when they told me the plan, I was still thinking 'oh, maybe that means we'll have some games at midnight, maybe 1 or 2 in the morning...' or something along those lines. Friday night the adventure began. Our first game was at 8 PM, then we played another one at 11 PM. Thankfully that was all the softball for Friday night. Tessa and I went to Village Inn with some of the guys from the team and enjoyed some dinner and great company after the game (obviously disobeying the 'no food after 8 PM' rule by a long shot!)

By the time we got home after softball it was nearly 1:30 AM. As I was getting ready for bed, Tessa ran into the bathroom while she was brushing her teeth and started doing a little dance that told me she had seen something that DID NOT make her happy. After a small game of bathroom charades I figured out what she was so wound up about...she had seen a mouse in our kitchen! I was just laughing at how funny the situation was, and Tessa was petrified....and not very happy with me for laughing. I was then given charge of hunting down the mouse and killing it before we headed to bed, or Tessa wasn't going to sleep at all. The mouse was gone by the time I headed into the kitchen so there's not much I could do immediately. Thankfully we had a couple of mouse traps on hand from our old apartment, and I set them in the kitchen with bait. That was enough to put Tessa's mind at ease so we could get some rest.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed for Zion Ntl Park. We have had a goal to hike Angel's Landing before we move back to Utah, and that's exactly what we did. We didn't get up there as early as we would have liked, but we were on the trail by 10 AM. It's a popular hike so there were quite a few people on the trail with us. I hate the crowds, but we had a goal to make it to the top so we pressed on. We arrived at the top of the landing at 11:45. It was spectacular! Unfortunately our pictures and video will only give a small taste of what it was really like. Angel's landing extends out into Zion Canyon like a narrow peninsula thousands of feet off the canyon floor. It is a narrow piece of rock that has sheer cliffs on either side, really something incredible. You can see the precarious climb up the narrow ridge in one of these pictures. At the top we met an interesting fellow from Australia (the guy in the funny cowboy hat), I became an unofficial official photographer for several people, and we watched the ranger scraping people's senseless graffiti carvings off the sandstone. We made it to the top, enjoyed some time taking in the view, then headed back down...sweaty and jello-legged. On the way down we observed that we were not the only ones who had sore feet, one poor guy had to turn his hiking boots into 3/4 slip-ons after some nasty heel blisters ruined his day(picture included). So many fun things to see when you're people-watching! After a brief stop at the river to soothe our feet in the cold moving water, we headed home. We took a brief swim in the pool, cleaned up in the shower, then took a nice 3 hour nap in preparation for another night of softball.

Saturday evening at 9 PM marked the first of 5 games we would play through the night. It was a fun, but very exhausting night of softball. It was a wild and crazy evening that left us just one game short of the championship. We finished the tournament in 3rd place, got a trophy and some t-shirts, and got home in time to prepare ourselves for church and Sabbath activities. It was a great time, and something that I would love to do again at some point. It left me bloody, sore, and utterly exhausted..but was totally worth it! Tessa stayed with me through all the games and all the wee hours, she is a WARRIOR!! I love her so much and it was so great to have her there with me. She also took on the role of team photographer which was fantastic. She even got one of my homeruns on film!

Between two of the games on Saturday night we came home to grab some food and found a nice little surprise. The mouse was dead! My trap had worked like a charm and the brand name of the trap said it all: 'VICTOR' Indeed we were victorious and we have the pictures to prove it.

So you can see that between scaling one of God's magnificent creations, wearing ourselves out at the softball diamonds, and hunting rodents we have had quite the weekend!

S & T