The Reinbold Family

10.30.2015 || Halloween Mantel

2015-10-30T14:48:00.000-06:00

10.27.2015 || Surprise!

2015-10-27T14:45:00.000-06:00

I received these flowers from one of my co-workers in Virginia. It was a total shock and made my month!

09.13.2015 || Walk With Mommy and a Sunset to Die For

2015-09-13T14:50:00.000-06:00

So thankful for this boy!

08.10.2015 || Aidan's Potty Prize

2015-08-10T21:30:00.000-06:00

Aidan got his Paw Patrol lookout for being completely potty trained!

03.27.2015 || Aidan's Early Birthday Celebration

2015-03-27T19:51:00.000-06:00

Triston was going to his mother's for the next couple of weeks because he was off school, so we celebrated Aidan's birthday a little early so he could participate.

03.10.2015 || Mr. Determined

2015-03-10T20:30:00.000-06:00

Aidan really wanted a bag of chips. He drug that big box all the way upstairs so I could help him open it. He didn't call for me from downstairs, he didn't beg me to come down, he just took matters into his own hands and got what he wanted.

We are so thankful for this determined, feisty boy!

10.31.2014 || Halloween

2014-10-31T22:30:00.000-06:00

10.01.2014 || Ivie's First Day of 7th Grade!

2014-10-01T15:34:00.000-06:00

06.29.2014 || Family Pool Day!

2014-06-29T21:21:00.000-06:00

This is how "tweens" do family pool day.

Aidan's 3rd Birthday!

2014-03-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to Me!

2013-12-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

I used some Christmas money to pamper myself. It was so relaxing and it felt good to do something for myself for a change!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas on Arkansas Ave.

2013-12-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving

2013-11-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

My Trip to Utah

2013-11-15T11:32:00.001-07:00

I got a window seat!

///Saturday///
I woke up around 5:15 AM, got in the shower, got ready, grabbed my stuff and went downstairs to dry my hair and finish getting ready. My friend Matty was at my house around 6 AM, and we headed straight to the airport. She drove my car home so Ryan didn't have to get up super early to take me. She gets up super early anyway, and she's an amazing friend.
I got through security with no problems or delays and had a little over an hour before my plane started boarding, so I went to the bathroom, and finished doing my hair. I got a little breakfast (things are 3 times more at DIA!) and then went to my gate to wait.
My plane took off on time, the flight was great, and as soon as I landed, I texted Katie
to tell her I was there.
She picked me up and I saw Morgan for the first time. She's so little and gorgeous! It was love at first sight! We went back to her house for about an hour, and then we went up to my hometown where we met Amy for lunch. We went to Crown Burger, and man was it good. I could barely finish it, but I tried! Oh how I've missed fry sauce! We sat at the restaurant for about an hour or so and talked, then Amy went home while Katie, Morgan and I went to the the cemetery where my Mom is buried.

"My Auntie Rocks."
Yes, I got that for her.

Everything about Utah reminds me of my Mom, but of course as soon as we pulled into the cemetery parking lot, I started getting anxious.

I truly love these mountains.

Katie and I sat near her grave, and I started to cry. It felt good to finally see her gravestone, and even though I know her spirit doesn't hang out in the cemetery, I felt her and I felt peace. I wanted to lay down on the grass next to her gravestone, and just sob, but since Katie was there, I held it in. I almost asked her to give me a minute alone, but I didn't. We talked a little bit about how everyone mourns differently and some of the events of the last year when we weren't exactly patient with each other's process.

We didn't stay too long, and when we walked away, I started to cry again, and said, "Bye Mom. I love you."

After we left, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. It's kind of hard to explain, but it almost feels like I have come full circle now. She is gone, and there's a solidity to it now. It's easy to avoid and deny when you're not faced with memories or reminders every day. I'll admit, I didn't want to return to Utah. I was afraid of how hard it would be and how painful it would be. But I did it, and feel more peace now than I have in the last year. I felt a sense of closure also.

The cemetery is close to my parents' house, so we went there next. Just my sister lives there now, (my father moved South) so after I went through each room in the house, Katie and I sat and visited with her for a little while. For some reason, I felt the need to take pictures of the rooms. I don't know why, I just felt like I had to.

There were a few things of my Mom's that I wanted to take home with me, so I gathered those up and then went through pictures of my children and took them out of the frames. I would have liked to take the frames, and gather up more stuff, but my suitcase just wouldn't hold it all.

Family Room

Storage room in the basement. I can't remember the last time it was this clean and cleared out.

This is what the carpet looked like when we first moved in the house in 1987.

Another view of the family room.

Upstairs bedroom. It was the room my Mom used before she passed away. It was my sisters' room, my brother's room, and my room at one time throughout the years.

This is one of the storage cubbies, that I haven't seen this clean since the day we moved in.
We used to play in them when we were little.

The outside.

Upstairs bathroom.

This is the storage cubby in the other upstairs bedroom. (My sister's room).
Again, don't remember it ever being this clean and empty.

Walking around my parents' house was hard. I'm not going to lie. I didn't like seeing everything so empty and changed. I'm not sure when my father intends on selling it, but he and my sisters sure have done a lot of clearing out and donating. I hope to be able to return soon, so that I can take some of the bigger things of my Mom's. I may drive out next month with the kids, but we'll see.

Me and Amy

Morgy Morg

After that experience, I was a little emotionally drained, so when we got back to my sister's house, I changed into my pj's and we ordered take-out for dinner.

///Sunday///
I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I had been hit by a Mack truck. My head was pounding, and when I tried to eat breakfast, I got really nauseous. I took some ibuprofen, and when that finally kicked in, I was able to eat and I felt better. I don't know what the deal was. I was exhausted the day before, and didn't sleep too well, so that must have been what made me sick.
We did a whole lotta nothin on Sunday, but I finally got my Maverik hot dog!

That evening, I tried to do Morgan's newborn photo shoot, but unfortunately, I only got a few shots before she wasn't having it anymore. We decided to try again the next day, and just go do their family pictures before it got dark. I'll share some of those pictures later. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, so once they're edited, I'll show them off.
Katie made the yummiest pot roast for dinner, so we scarfed that up, and watched TV and talked for the rest of the night.

///Monday///
I slept a lot better Sunday to Monday, so when I woke up, I felt rested and not sick to my stomach. Thank goodness!
I tried to get another shot at Morgan's newborn pictures, but again, she wasn't having it.

So, we packed her up in her carseat and walked over to Pace's Dairy Ann for lunch. They have the best tator tots and onion rings! I ate way too much, but it was so good! After I ate my meal, I got a Rainbow. It's a slushy with soft serve ice cream in the middle. Yum-o! Seriously!

Peach Rainbow

When we were done with lunch, my brother-in-law had to get ready for work, so I said goodbye to him, and then the girls all went to check out a thrift store near their house. I had only heard about it on Facebook, so I was really excited to see what they had. It was a small store, and it was filled with all kinds of fun things. A lot of antiques, and collectibles. I got a vintage pillowcase, an antique milk bottle, and 2 vinyls.

This is one of them.
I hung it above our bed in the Master.

After the thrift store, we went down to meet a friend of Katie's. She sells Scentsy, and has an inventory, so we got to smell them and pick out the ones we wanted. I used to sell Scentsy, and since I didn't buy the testers each season, I had to guess if I'd like them by the description in the catalog. I liked knowing what I was getting up front, she gave us a deal, and I didn't have to wait or pay shipping!

I was still full from lunch, so our plans to go to In-N-Out were thrown out, but that's OK. I can go next time. We stopped by Katie's house, got my luggage, took a few pictures and then we headed to the airport.

Me, Katie and Morgan (aka, Morgy Morg)

We said a tearful goodbye, hugged hard, I kissed my sweet niece and headed for security.

My flight was delayed a little bit, but once we boarded, I witnessed one of the coolest acts of kindness I think I've ever seen. The gentleman behind me was active military. Another guy came back from the front of the plane, approached him and said, "Sir, I'd like you to take my seat. It's not first class, but it's stretch seating. Thank you for your service. " I turned around and said, "Thank you for doing that, it was really awesome." And I shook his hand. There are still lots of awesome, kind people on this world. I too, am grateful for this gentleman's service to our country, and grateful he was shown appreciation and respect.
I sat next to a guy that was really sweet, and helped me put my suitcase up in the overhead bin. We talked for the last little bit of the flight, and then he helped me get my suitcase down. It was nice, because there was no one in between us, so I didn't feel

Ryan was waiting for me when I landed, so when I got to the passenger pick-up he was there just a few minutes later. I was very happy to see him, and grateful we had the drive home to talk and be alone. I was exhausted, but I needed to do some laundry, take a shower, and unpack a few things, so it was pretty late when I finally went to bed. I was SO happy to see my babies, and SO happy to sleep in my own bed that night!

All in all, it was a great trip. Hard at some points, but my relationship with Katie improved, I gained some peace and closure about my Mom's death, and I was able to have some of the foods I've missed since moving to Colorado.

Halloween 2013!

2013-11-01T10:34:00.000-06:00

She is such a good big sister!

The Garden

2013-08-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

This year I planted some vegetables, and unfortunately this was about the extent of the ~~fruits~~ vegetables of our labor. They sure were tasty though!

Pirate's Cove!

2013-08-12T16:36:00.001-06:00

This little guy found himself a nice comfy seat where someone else's stuff was. Oops!

Our happy family of 5!

Normally on the weekends, it's just the 4 of us. The way that Ryan and Triston's mother worked out custody, was that during the summer, he would be with us during the week and her on the weekends. Well, "something happened with her car," so she wasn't able to come pick him up this weekend. That's OK though, because we prefer him home with us, and that meant that we could go do something fun as a family!

Saturday was low-key. Ivie and I ran a couple of errands and then later that evening Ryan and I went on a date. We went to a local pub that has the best burgers. After dinner, we went to a local thrift store and did a little clothes shopping for the kids. Triston started school last week, and since he wasn't with us that much, he didn't have a lot of clothes to wear. Especially nicer stuff for school. But now that he's with us ~~almost~~ full time, he definitely needs more clothes! They were having a 99 cent kids clothing sale, so we were able to pick up quite a bit for less than 20 bucks! Thanks to my friend Karla and the thrift store, T should be good for a while. We went to get ice cream after shopping and then we heard tornado sirens, so we went home. Nothing to report, thank goodness. Colorado has just been having some crazy (or maybe it's normal. I'm still new here) weather!

Sunday we headed to Pirate's Cove, a little water park a few miles from our house. It wasn't huge, and it's not terribly expensive, so I would definitely call it a win. I also ran into a friend of mine there so it was a double win!

They had 3 larger slides, and I convinced Ivie to go one one of them with me. We're both claustrophobic, so we stuck to the slower one that was open. Being shot down a tube is not my idea of fun. Thankyaverymuch! She was nervous at first, and made me go first, but I told her not to chicken out. As soon as I got to the bottom and out of the pool, I saw her coming down with a huge grin on her face. Definitely worth the trip right there. Her smiles are priceless.

That evening we grilled out. I made a yummy potato salad, and a tomato cucumber salad and we relaxed for the rest of Sunday!

This morning I woke up to news that my sweet niece was born last night at 11:50 PM! I am so thrilled for my brother and his beautiful wife! They have been through so much in the last month, and this sweet miracle is just what their family needed.

Welcome baby girl! I can't wait to hear what your Mommy and Daddy name you!

Update on Jessica

2013-08-09T15:59:00.000-06:00

Ivie and Jessica

This huge dog was given to Jessica by the hospital staff. He is so big, his head hit the roof of my car!

I'll update soon, but for now, here are some pictures.

Thankful

2013-07-30T10:28:00.002-06:00

I know that some of you that read this blog of mine do not follow any type of religion or agree with my faith. However, I need to share an experience that I believe warrants it's own post.

As you've seen from previous posts, my brother and his children were recently involved in a terrifying car accident. This left them without a vehicle, and basically stranded in Nebraska. Thankfully, family living in Colorado were able to go pick them up, bring them here, and my niece who was hurt the worst, was flown here via helicopter.

My brother and his wife spent a week living in the hospital taking turns sleeping on a twin bed available in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. During this time, I was able to visit with my brother in the dark room of my sweet niece. He shared with me his concerns about his family, how they would get home, and various other things.

On Saturday evening, my sister-in-law came to my home, and shared with me the glorious news that my brother and his 5 children would be able to return home. This was made possible due to generous gifts from members of their current and previous Ward. They donated frequent flyer miles which paid for 6 plane tickets to Tennessee. Not only that, but they are providing meals, and various items needed for the kids to be able to return to school in the next week.

I know that they are extremely grateful for the generosity given to them, as am I.

I am very private about my beliefs and my relationship with my Heavenly Father, but please know that He is mindful of each of us. He loves us, and knows our hearts. He hears our prayers, and lifts us up, especially in times of trial.

Love,
Megan

Ivie's 11th Birthday!

2013-07-25T15:01:00.000-06:00

Courage

2013-07-25T08:47:00.001-06:00

Prayers and Miracles

2013-07-22T15:31:00.001-06:00

Friday evening I got a text from my sister Amy saying that my brother and his 6 children were in a bad car accident on their way through Nebraska. They were traveling from Utah, to Kansas City, and then on to their home in Tennessee.

The left rear tire blew, which caused the van they were driving to veer off the road and into a ditch, coming to a stop upside down. During this, my 12 year old niece Jessica was thrown from the vehicle and sustained the most severe injuries out of all of them. She was wearing her seat belt, but it broke from the seat resulting in her being ejected. My brother broke his right hand, my nephew is in a neck brace, but Jessica has a very long road ahead of her.

When I got the first text from Amy, Ivie, Aidan and I were out shopping. We were in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby and immediately stopped and said a prayer for them. As the evening progressed, the text messages from family members continued to come in, and the severity of Jessica's injuries were shared. She was paralyzed from the waist down, and was being flown from Nebraska to the Denver Children's Hospital. I live very close to that hospital, so I immediately went on standby. I called my sister-in-law and left a voice mail telling her that if she needed me to go there even just to hold Jessica's hand, I would.

Around 9 PM, my sister-in-law called and said that Jessica was at Denver Health Hospital, not the Children's Hospital. That hospital is still very close to where I live, and is actually where Aidan was born and taken care of in the NICU.

I knew my kids were in good hands, so I grabbed my phone and charger, and left for the hospital. When I got to the ER, they took me back to her room but said it would be best for me to wait outside for a little while. I saw a friend of mine that works there and said, "Hi Dusty! Oh, I probably shouldn't call you that here." He said, it was OK and then he asked me if I knew her, pointing to my niece's room. I said that she was my niece, and asked if he was taking care of her. He told me that he was, and what was going on with her back and spine. He's a Neuro Surgeon, and was in charge of her care that night. He told me how severe it was, and asked that I keep the information to myself for now, so they could tell my sister-in-law face to face in the morning.

I knew that he worked there, but I didn't put two and two together until I saw him. It was definitely nice to see a familiar face and know that my niece was in very good hands.

While we were in the ER, they were assessing things, getting vital signs, and moving her enough that it was causing more pain. All I could do was stand there and watch, and at some points, let her hold my hand. I told her to squeeze as hard as she needed to. She was so brave and calm through it all. I tried to smile and be positive so she wouldn't get scared, but when I knew she was asleep, I turned away and cried.

They were in limbo for a little while deciding whether or not to take her for an MRI for her back (which would take about 2 hours) or to get her into surgery for her arm. She had a deep gash at her elbow and one on her hand resulting in possible amputation of one or two of her fingers.

Finally it was decided that they would do surgery first, and they wheeled her up to the floor where she would be prepped for surgery. I stood by her bed and tried to just comfort her, and be there for her. I talked to the Doctor that would be performing the surgery, he explained the procedure, and let me know what their plans were. Part of the surgery would be spent cleaning out her wounds, because they were exposed to a lot of mud and debris. They informed me that this Doctor was one of the best in the country and had participated in one of the only hand transplant surgeries, so I knew he was good.

I answered a lot of questions and provided information about allergies and family history. They contacted my sister-in-law for consent, and then finally around 12:30 AM, they took me to the waiting room and she went into surgery.

The nurses took very good care of her, and were gentle and kind. They made sure I was comfortable and got me a drink before I went into the waiting room. They gave me two warm blankets, and I tried to lay down, but the chairs weren't that comfortable and I was still high on adrenalin. Plus, I was waiting for updates from the nurses, so I wanted to be awake. They weren't sure how long it would take, but guessed between 2 and 4 hours.

About 2 hours in, the nurse called me and gave me an update and let me know that it would probably be another 2 hours.

Around 3:30 or 3:45 AM, the Doctor came out and gave me the update and told me that the surgery went well. I called my sister-in-law and gave her the update and then let her get back to sleep. She had a 7:30 AM flight from Utah, so I wanted her to get as much rest as possible.

A little while later, the nurse came to get me and brought me back in to the recovery room where Jessica was. She was sleeping, and they said they would wake her up, but I told them to just let her sleep. At this point I was getting very tired, so I knew that I needed to leave then, or not leave at all. So, I asked the nurses if they thought it would be OK if I left and of course they said yes. I asked them to please tell her that I was there when she came out of surgery.

They gave me some cold apple juice and showed me how to get out of the hospital, and then I drove home. It was about 4:30 AM when I got home, and I cried myself to sleep at about 5:00 AM. I just kept thinking, 'Why do bad things keep happening to my family?'

I was able to sleep until about 1:00 PM Saturday. I talked to my sister-in-law and found out that Jessica was going in for her back surgery, and was asking for me. I told her I would be there whenever they needed me. It was a long surgery, so I wouldn't be going to the hospital until later that evening, after it was over and she was in the PICU.

That evening, Ryan and I went out to celebrate our anniversary. We went to Hacienda Colorado for the best fajitas in the land, and then wandered around Good Will for a little while. (Our typical date, which I love).

Around 7:30 PM, my sister-in-law sent me a text and told me that she was in recovery, and would be moved to the PICU shortly, so I headed out. I wanted to get her some balloons, and I needed to get gas, so I stopped on my way there.

When I got to the hospital, she was still in recovery, so I waited in her room until they brought her up. I sat with my brother and sister-in-law while they got Jessica situated and then we went into her room all together. My brother was exhausted and in a lot of pain, so my sister-in-law got him settled in one of the parent rooms (which had a bed) and then she and I sat and talked for a little while in Jessica's room.

I headed home and fell asleep almost immediately. All of us slept in on Sunday and then we cleaned the house a little bit in preparation for Ryan's sisters and their families to come over.

We had a little BBQ, and visited while the kids played, screamed, and reconnected, then we cleaned up and I headed back to the hospital. My brother needed dinner and a few other things, and I had washed Jessica's blanket for her so I wanted to make sure she had it for the night.

When I got there, Jessica was awake, but not feeling that great. She complained of a headache, and the nurse was pulling tape off her arm where she had deep cuts, so she was really uncomfortable. I could tell she was sad, and pretty much just wanted to be left alone to sleep, so my brother turned the lights off and he and I talked quietly while she slept.

He told me more about the accident and told me that they had let Jessica know why she couldn't feel her legs. I believe that's what was why she was so sad that evening. How could she not be sad? She didn't want to talk about it, so we don't really know how she's feeling about it all.

My brother told me that he felt God's hand involved in so many aspects of the accident. He said that it could have been so much worse, and no one else was involved in the accident. They could have been side-swiped by a semi, or been thrown into oncoming traffic. Miraculously none of them sustained any brain damage, and for the most part, are all doing well.

I don't believe it was a coincidence that the accident happened where it did, resulting in Jessica being flown to Colorado. Liz's brother lives in Fort Collins, so their other children are staying there and I am close enough to help at the hospital or have Chris and Liz come stay at our home if necessary. I also don't believe it was a coincidence that my friend was her Doctor. Knowing that, brought my brother a lot of peace, and that gives me peace.

They are all alive, and for that I am so thankful. Yes, Jessica has a long road ahead of her, but she's still here, and will have a good life. I just know it.

So, dear friends and family, if you pray, can you please say one for my sweet niece? She could use all the prayers and good thoughts possible right now.

Thank you.

3 Years!!!

2013-07-16T10:49:00.003-06:00

Not taken on my wedding day, but I loved these, so I had to share.

1 year anniversary

2 year anniversary

Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary!

On July 16th 2010, at approximately 5 PM mountain standard time, I married the man of my dreams. It was a very hectic day, and very warm, but I would only change a couple of minor things about the day.

I would have made sure I had time to get my nails/toes done, and as much as I liked my hair, I would have paid to have it professionally done. Just that little bit of pampering would have really been nice for my special day.
I would not have asked my friend (at the time I asked her, not at the time of my wedding) to be my bridesmaid. She isn't pictured, and when I could, I cropped her out of the pictures. She didn't do anything to ruin my day, but we weren't close at all, and really didn't deserve to be there. Is that mean? Maybe. But as soon as my wedding was over, I NEVER heard from her again. Ever.
I would have looked my sweet husband in the eyes during the ceremony. I was told to really listen to what was being said because it was important and usually forgotten. I was looking at my Bishop, not my husband, and I really can't remember what the Bishop was saying anyway. I do remember how Ryan was looking at me (from what people told me, a few glances I gave him, and from pictures). I wish I could have given him the same.

Do I look back on that day with anything but fondness? Absolutely not. It was a marvelous day, and one I will never forget.

The last 3 years have been the happiest and most difficult of my life. We were joyously able to get pregnant after only a few months of trying. However, preeclampsia stole the latter part of my pregnancy and led to a micro-preemie and a difficult 80 day journey in the NICU. We dealt with job loss, lay-offs, and struggles with sperm and egg donors. We had birthdays, anniversaries, and family visits. We dealt with love, and loss. The biggest being the death of my sweet, sweet Mother. The minute I found out she died, I called Ryan and told him. The sound that came out of his mouth is one I hope to never hear again, but I knew in that moment how much he loved me, and how much he loved my Mom. It made me fall even more in love with him. Especially when he dropped everything, drove to Utah, and held me as I cried the hardest I've ever cried in my life. Part of my heart was shattered, but with him by my side, I knew I could make it through.

Through it all, it has made our marriage stronger and our love deeper. Yes, the wedding is the start of it all, but today we celebrate our marriage. 3 years strong, and eternity to come.

Trying on My Wedding Dress

2013-07-10T19:41:00.000-06:00

It actually fits better than it did on my wedding day! A lot less snug for sure!

Ivie's 5th Grade Continuation

2013-06-21T18:39:00.000-06:00

Ivie and her Principal, Mr. Aritola