Shields Stories

You scream, I scream we all love FREE ice cream!! My friend Melissa noticed Dairy Queen was giving away free ice cream cones today. I can't pass up ice cream, let alone FREE ice cream from a super yummy place, so we decided to meet up for a little ice cream date. I picked up Carson from preschool and off we went. Our kids get along so well, and I love sitting and chatting with Melissa. She's a tad older than me but I learn so much from her experiences and wisdom that I cherish our sweet friendship. And it doesn't hurt that she's always game for doing fun things!

This weekend was youth conference for our stake. The theme mirrored Embarking on the Service of God. For the last 2 youth conferences, the kids & I just supported Jordan and we've helped set up and did whatever he needed. This year I got to participate as a leader for our ward young women's. So, it was fun to be there with Jordan but in another capacity too, as a fun spiritual example to those sweet girls I serve. We have such a vibrant variety of backgrounds and personalities that it's great to interact with them in a different setting.

Thursday has become mommy& me day. I recently decided as if we didn't have enough going on already, I signed up Brynlee for the gymnastics class at the local rec center. As I thought, she's loving it!! The first week she was pretty timid and wanted my help with everything, but now after a few weeks she's become little miss independent and squeals when she does it all by herself.



Right after, we rush over to her Lets Play Music Sound Beginnings class with Miss Kim. This class is interactive for me & her together but she's super hit & miss each week whether she wants to sit in my lap or be my dancing partner. She'd rather venture around on her own. It's so eye-opening on how much her and Carson are alike but yet so completely different at these stages!

From music, we venture over to the local library for story time with Mr. Patrick, puzzles and checking out books with friends!

Garrett & Trisha have been wanting to start a family for the past several years. While she's been an amazing aunt and pretty much second mom to my kids, my heart still broke for her to experience motherhood too. I always knew she would be a fantastic mom, as well as Garrett a dad. We have prayed and fasted many times for them. Last fall they underwent unsuccessful fertility treatments that made my heart break for them again. It's hard to be so close to someone, yet have no idea what they are going through, and then continued to be blessed yourself with something they long for. I was nervous when we were pregnant with Brynlee, but then when we found out we were expecting again with number 3... it was something I really dreaded telling them. Not that I didn't think they would be happy and thrilled, but deep down I knew the pain was still very real.

During Christmas, our family prayed and experienced spiritual hope that this coming year would be THE year. They were going in for more fertility treatments and we just felt like this would be it. After coming home from our annual New Years' weekend to the cabin, I got a text super late one night from Trisha asking some questions about adoption (since I previously worked for an adoption attorney). The late night timing was odd, I told Jordan I wondered if they were thinking of adoption but answered her text back and left it at that. She later told us the exciting news of the opportunity that had been presented to them to adopt, and although there were a few hoops to jump through, they were going to jump at the chance that maybe this was the answer to their prayers. Not the answer they were anticipating but the same answer to become parents through a different avenue.
Fast forward 10 weeks, and an adorable little girl Harper Lynn Mireya Tucker was born on March 5, 2015. Trisha was able to be at the hospital shortly after her birth and take care of her in the recovery room for the next 72 hours while waiting for the paperwork to be complete. We were SO HAPPY and THRILLED for them. This little girl is our miracle baby, and we will be forever grateful for the selfless sacrifice and decision her birth mom made to give Garrett & Trisha the opportunity to become her parents and love her unconditionally.



We got to meet baby Harper on Sunday night when they were released from the hospital. Brynlee was on cloud nine! We'd been talking to her about baby Harper for a few weeks, so she could not wait to meet and hold her.

Las Vegas has a new landmark in town, the High Roller! Its a giant size Ferris wheel that has pods that make a 30-minute loop overlooking the entire valley.  It's been open for a little while and I've been really wanting to check it out. Jordan's had zero interest going the few times we've been extended invites so I was excited that my cousin wanted to go when she came into town for a visit. I took the kids with her and my mom. It was so fun!! We went on a week night, and had the whole bubble to ourselves for the ride!!! The kids loved seeing the lights, being so high and really enjoyed the fun attraction. Afterwards, we walked the Linq shopping district and stopped by Sprinkles Cupcakes for dessert. Las Vegas is such a fun tourist town, and it's weird that I've grown up surrounded by the glitz & glamour my entire life, but the Strip really is it's own little world in itself. I'm glad that we live in the suburbs far removed from the exciting times of Las Vegas Blvd, but close enough we can experience all its' coolness too!!

Jordan and I share one car. I know, that's crazy huh?! Well, we've been doing it over 2 years now and we haven't died yet... so for now it works. Usually our only dilemmas fall on Sundays, when he has a ward conference; or meetings; or youth committee; or firesides; or whatever else the case shall be. We often work it out or he typically can simply borrow an extra car of his parents. For whatever reason today the kid & I were stranded and walked to church.

Luckily, we only live a few blocks away. The weather was perfect, and they were super excited to take the stroller.

We are due with baby #3. It took awhile to come out with this bundle of joys' announcement. The timing just never really seemed appropriate under circumstances with our extended family. One sister had a miscarriage, and another was going through unsuccessful fertility treatments, and then an unexpected adoption opportunity that was so exciting, my third baby just didn't seem as important. I finally decided by 18 weeks I was getting fat and it was getting trickier to shield.

My mom started a tradition of taking the granddaughters to see The Nutcracker. This year she invited the daughters to go too! She made us a nice dinner beforehand, then we were headed off to the ballet at The Smith Center. It was a fun night dressing up and spending time with some of my Marx sisters.

This has been a great Christmas season, busy but good. I keep thinking we have so many activities going on and then remind myself my kids aren't even in school yet, so I can imagine it will only get worse.

Our annual "griswald" festivities commenced the day after Thanksgiving. Jordan added a reindeer and sled this year for me :) I wanted one last year, but Carson and his snowman won out. We let the kids decorate the tree... so the bottom half is super full!
 It always make me nervous when Jordan puts on the lights. But I'm grateful because I love seeing the lights so lite up and festive at night! It really does get you into the Christmas spirit.


Jordan & Garrett drove the young women's through the Speedway Festival of Lights on a trailer with hay for the combined activity. The girls really enjoyed it, and I'm glad that we can give them spontaneous activities like that! My kids loved the lights from the backseat too.

Carson had his preschool Christmas pajama party at preschool. And both the kids had their special fun music classes. Carson had his evaluation, and is doing really well in LPM, especially for being a year behind age-wise with the rest of the kids. Brynlee had her instrument day and enjoyed playing some strings on the harp for show&tell.


 Carson did so well. He sings his little heart out, and I love how enthusiastic he gets with everything.
 He is way into Santa, almost too much. He thinks that he can ask Santa, and he'll bring anything and everything on his list. Oi, vey!

Brynlee thinks Santa is scary. I made her sit on his lap for the picture, otherwise she stays far away and wants nothing to do with him! Poor, girl.