For Rocky’s second party, we went to the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA for a night.  It was SO much fun and so nice to get away with just our little family.  The water park is right inside the hotel, along with tons of other stuff to do.  Our room had a little “Kids Kamp” area w/bunk beds for Fischer and Leo to sleep in.  We brought a chocolate cake with us and had another party in our hotel room.  It was a great way to celebrate our little Rocky.

Here are my thoughts about Rocky’s first year of life…   Back in August 2006, Denton and I had gone to the temple to decide whether or not we should move to New Zealand with his employer at that time, PWC.  I came out of the temple thinking, “NO, but something was going to change.”  And Denton came out of the temple thinking, “NO, but we’re gonna have a baby!”  When he told me I said, well yeah we’re gonna have a baby, in a YEAR!  Denton had been interviewing at companies through out the east and a week later accepted a job at Circuit City HQ in Richmond.  Then a week after that, I took a pregnancy test and it was POSITIVE!!!  I was floored and told Denton, “Well congratu-freaking-lations!”  Needless to say, I was shocked. Rocky was born in Richmond, VA on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at 3:30 pm.  Denton was able to deliver him, front and center.  While I’ve never regretted having Rocky, for a long time I wondered, “WHY?”  Why did Heavenly Father have him come at such a “bad” time, according to MY plans?  When Rocky was born, we were not living in our own place, we had just moved and I left my best friends, my father had recently and unexpectedly passed away, and I was geographically as far away from my family as possible.  Because we were not living in our own home, I didn’t have my mom come out when Rocky was born.  It was hard enough adjusting to a third child while my other two were under four years old, much less with all the other hard things going on.  So you can see that I didn’t understand why things happened the way they did.  And that’s me… I always have to understand WHY!!!It’s been a year now… I think Heavenly Father sent Rocky to me when he did to help me forget about all the negative things that were going on in my life at the time, and focus on the positive.

Rocky has brought so much love into our home.  Leo is like his second mother, and Fischer loves to “baby wrestle” him and play cars and trains with Rocky.  He is such a happy baby and is always waving and smiling and “talking.”  I have learned so many things since having Rocky here – I have a MUCH greater appreciation for my mother and for my husband, for all they do/have done for me and my children.  There are so many other things I have learned, but I’ll save that for another post.  But mostly, I’m thankful that Heavenly Father had a plan for my family and that he sent us Rocky when he did.