2007 Monson Family Newsletter

Finally... It's about time!

Dear Family & Friends,

What happened to 2007? We’d typically say, “It seems like it was only yesterday that we were writing last years Christmas letter.” but it doesn’t. 2007 has been a long year full of challenges, heartache, joy, glorious blessings, and miracles.

The biggest surprise came just before the New Year when we found out that we were expecting another baby! Still, we were very excited at the prospect of adding a new little person to our family. Then the challenge came. In March we found out that our precious little baby had a neural tube defect called acrania-anencephaly and that she could not survive outside of the womb. It was recommended that we terminate the pregnancy but everything we know and understand about the precious spirits our Father in Heaven sends to us caused us to recoil at the very thought of it. We decided to bring our child into the world because it was her life and her right to live no matter how long or short of a time it would be. Riley Monson was born on August 31, 2007 weighing in at four pounds and nine ounces. Both sets of grandparents were present for her birth as well as her Daddy and big sister Kaia. Troy had the opportunity, with the assistance of his father, to give Riley a name and blessing immediately following her birth. After she had her bath, which she did not enjoy one bit, she got to visit with each family member. As she was passed from person to person, the most remarkable thing happened. She made a single little squawk when she found herself in the arms of someone new. It was very difficult for her to breathe so we all knew it took a great effort on her part each time she made that little noise. We also know that it was her special way of saying hello and I love you to each person she met. Once she made it around the room, she came back to her Mommy’s arms for one last time and then to Daddy’s where she passed silently into the next life only after being with us for a short hour and a half visit. Riley’s life was short but touched many hearts for good and in ways that no one else could. Her life was a miracle.

Kaia is now a rambunctious two year old. She is also a wonderful blessing in our lives and each day continues to be a new and different adventure with her around. She is now a happy, always running around, getting into everything, talkative, bright little girl. Whew, and as if writing that wasn’t enough... The day to day with Kaia always keeps us on our toes as I’m sure you can imagine. It is very hard to believe that she is already two years old. She loves to go to the park, play with her friends, go to church, and have books read to her, learn new words, and drive her parents bonkers. We are not very fond of the temper tantrums but we do our best not to give in. She also loves Disney movies. She typically watches a movie until she is sick of it but still goes back and forth between her other favorites. Currently, we are enjoying Mulan quite often, Dinosaur seems to be a staple all-time favorite, and I’m fairly certain that she has finally gotten sick of Finding Nemo. We are excited to see her growing and learning everyday and look forward to many more fun growing-up years with her.

Troy has had a good year at his job. He is still employed by The City of Goodyear in the civil engineering department. The city is growing like crazy and he has been super busy reviewing plans for many of the new developments and businesses going in. He enjoys the work as well as the people he works with. We are very grateful for his employment situation and for the opportunity it gives Jen to be able to stay home with Kaia. Troy also finds joy in serving the young men of our church as the Priest’s Quorum Advisor. He is a good example, we hope, to them and they enjoy having him as a teacher. Other than that he plays church ball on Tuesdays and Saturdays. A few of the wives, including Jen, have taken to calling themselves “church ball widows” because they think the boys get just a little too excited about playing basketball.

Jen is still operating her own business so she can work a little and still be a stay at home mom. She keeps busy and enjoys getting out of the house for work a few times a month. She’s even more excited because she actually gets paid to do it, unlike her daily non-profit stay at home mom job. She has a new website up if you haven’t already seen it. It’s www.pamperpartymassage.com if you’d like to check it out and see what she’s up to. Jen has also recently been called as the Primary President for our ward. She works with two counselors and a secretary to make sure that the spiritual development of the children is on track. It’s a scary position for her to be in since she never had the opportunity to go to Primary as a child but the understanding and ability are sure to come with effort and the help of the other presidency members. Jen has also joined our local Curves and loves it! It’s a great workout in just thirty minutes and she has already noticed a difference in how she feels and looks after just two months of membership.

We are still in Buckeye and don’t plan on moving anytime soon. Not that we could give our house away with the market like it is right now. We are pretty well settled in and have grown to really enjoy living out in the country. Although, at the rate that things are popping up the country part of Buckeye may not be here for much longer. We are hoping that the cotton field across the street doesn’t give way to more homes anytime soon since we have such a great view. This year, we hope to get some new paint on our walls, blinds, and more that dirt for a backyard so Kaia can do more than stand at the back door looking out wishing she could go out to play.

We are very happy out here. We have made several wonderful friends and we are grateful to have them in our lives. We are truly happy together and love being married. We love and miss you all and hope that your homes are filled with peace, joy, and happiness through the rest of 2008.

Love, Troy, Jen, & Kaia