Welker's Life

On August 5, my sister Lorinda had her twin girls, Ella and Emmie. Ella weighed 4 lbs 13 oz, and Emmie weighed 4 lbs 9 oz. These little girls spent the first 2 weeks in the NICU in Provo. They are both now home and doing well. We are so excited for Lorinda and Ezra. I can't wait to see them and hold them. Congratulations!!





























On August 10, we moved from Ramsey MN back to Rigby, Idaho. This will be an adjustment for our family. We are excited to be close to family, but we will miss all of our friends from Minnesota. We are grateful for all of the help we received from our family, Kris and Danielle and their 3 month old Kynsley. We put them to work for 2 days, we couldn't have done it without them.






On August 14, my older brother Shawn and Alice Ann were married. We are excited for him and I can't wait to meet Alice Ann. She is still working in Utah until December. Congratulations!! We wish you the best!!









Tayler started school on August 20, she is attending Midway Middle school. She had a hard time adjusting to a different school, but things are getting better.


Mitch started high school on August 20, 2009 at Rigby High School, Mitch is such a great kids and even gets to finish school early this year, February 25 with be Mitch's last day of school.

I went with Serena to dollar days...............and it was crazy. Not really sure if it was worth the $40 we saved. How much is your time worth??? Why do I have to buy a lower quality product just because it's cheaper???? We really have to stretch our dollar further right now, but cheaper is not ALWAYS better...............

Serena waiting patiently in line....... She looks great. She has been feeling great too..

Lines, lines, lines..............

Yes!!!! We got the last package of bacon...... :)

This guy couldn't keep up with the ribs. Going like hotcakes............................

I'm glad we only have to shop for fruits/vegetables, meats, and dairy. We get everything else from our own store, and get cash back each month. Maybe someday a Grocery company can provide online services and make a profit. (Who misses Simon Delivers???)

Well, I wanted to put some stuff down about the last 4 months of the Welker's life. We have had some very exciting changes.

It has been a while since we posted. I thought I would talk a little bit about our trip to Idaho for my Mother's funeral.

We got the call from my Sister that hospice said she was in her last 7-10 days. I just decided to leave the next morning. We made arrangements with Mitchell's and Tayler's schools, and started driving. We hit snow just as we entered the Badlands of North Dakota. We had ice and snow from then on. Serena said she wanted me to slow down, but didn't say anything until a few days later. We didn't have a single problem with the van. Not once did I slide or lose control. It was a blessing.

We arrived in Idaho about 1am on Wednesday the 3rd of December. We spent the whole day with my Mother. Each of us got to speak with and tell her everything you would want to say if you knew it may be the last time to speak with her. Then on Thursday morning, my Father called and said I should come immediately. She passed before I got there. As I watched my Dad hold her hand, and caress her forehead, that was the most difficult time of any. He sobbed like only one other time I had heard him sob, when my brother was killed in a car wreck. It did turn out to be the best experience though, to comfort my Father at the loss of his eternal companion. We both felt the spirit confirm that it was just temporary, and that a power greater than all was going to bring us together again.

The next few days brought another experience I never thought I would be a part of, but also turned out to be very rewarding. The first day we arrived, my Dad said that he was making my Mom's coffin. I was shocked at first, but we visited with the family that was helping, and they had done this for two members of their family. They said it was one of the best moments of dealing with the loss of their loved ones. That turned out to be the same for us.

The funeral was the following Monday. On the viewing on Sunday evening, people were in line outside of the funeral stretching around the block. It was a wonderful experience to reunite with so many friends and family that I had not seen for 20 years. My Mother was blessed to have such good people who loved her. I spoke during the funeral. The Chapel, overflow, and gym was full of people. Only one other time had I seen the church that full for a funeral, and that was for Jeff Rhoads, who died of skin cancer at around the age of 30.

The next few weeks we spent with our families. Serena's Mom and Dad bless us so much by allowing us to stay with them. Their home is very comfortable and has plenty of room. We love them for how welcome they make us feel. We got to catch up with our brother's and sister's and their famillies. We went to Christmas parties, went on sleigh rides, and just enjoyed ourselves.




We had alot of snow. It was beautiful.











We went on multiple sleigh rides. My Dad has a very cool horse team, and a sleigh he built himself. This is my nephew, Lucas in the front, Tayler and my nephew Payton, and Mitchell in the back.











This was a perfect day to go on a sleigh ride. (Except the wind was at about -5 degrees)











Who is this good looking dude?









Overall, we had a life changing experience that brought our family closer together. We look forward to someday living in Idaho. We aren't sure when that will be yet. Thank you to all of you who sent cards and money to help with trip expenses. It was an answer to prayer.