Life's Twists and Turns

I never imagined myself "BLOGGING"! With six children, I didn't have time AND, learning how to "blog" was more than I cared to know! But, thanks to my sister-in-law, Emily, whom started this blog page.... and now that all but one of my kids are at school all day, it left me with no excuses....And besides, this year has left me with a lot to write about.



So here is our story....






My husband Ed and I met through some mutual friends at a "Country Thunder Concert" in Queen Creek, Arizona not long after he returned home from serving a mission in the Philippines. We went to high school together our senior year, but due to the large size of our graduating class, we never really had the chance to meet. (He claims it was because I was a snob!) He hung around many of the same friends from my ward, but we still never officially met until that night of the concert. Here is the real kicker...We lived across the street from each other! Gilbert Road, one of the many busy streets in Mesa, separated our houses so that we never knew the other existed. Crazy huh?










Ed never officially proposed to me . I think from the beginning we both knew we were "in love" and so there was never really a need to propose. After 2 months of dating, we picked out a ring and set a date. On Friday, October 13, 1995 we were married and sealed in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. That's right, Friday the 13th...We have been told our whole entire marriage that we had jinxed our marriage by picking that date...maybe so, but we are still married and still "in love"!





In December of 1997, New Years Eve to be exact, our first son was born. Wesley has been a joy from the very beginning. He is a very kind and tender son. He is always concerned about others. He wants to choose the right and is a perfectionist. He loves art, soccer, music, and wants to have his own band someday. Currently he is learning to play the violin at school and seems to enjoy it. He is a wonderful big brother too.

Not long before Wesley was born, we bought our first home in Mesa. It wasn't a very large home, it was a 1200sq foot home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a modest family room, a small laundry room and a good sized kitchen. It did, however, sit on a larger lot in the neighborhood, about a 1/3 of an acre. We had a garden, chickens, a dog (Razzle) and a beautiful lawn for the kids to play on. It took us a long time and a lot of hard work to get it that way though. We knew when we purchased to home that it needed a lot of work, and excepted the challenge. By the time our 2nd son Wyatt came along in July of 1999, we had re-carpeted,tiled, painted, re- trimmed, replaced doors, and knocked out the main wall in between the family room and kitchen for a great room affect. We had succeeded making that little deprived house into a lovely home.



When Wyatt was born, we were thrilled that Wesley would have a little brother to play with. Wyatt was small and had more little rolls than Wesley, whom was very long and skinny. Wyatt has always had such a darling little baby face. He is responsible and a very hard worker, a trait that I am certain he gets from his dad. He is quiet but busy most of the time. He loves to be outside doing anything next to his dad. He loves to catch frogs, and snakes, and bugs. He is a very good wrestler (another trait that he gets from his father), and has been known to say that he would love to be a professional UFC fighter someday...Uh Oh!

In September of 2000, we put our darling little home on the market. Not really sure why, but we did. I think mostly for a change. We did not anticipate it selling for the price that we were asking and figured that it would be a while before it sold. We were wrong...to our surprise it sold and the buyers wanted us out before Christmas. We didn't have enough time to find another house before the closing date, so we moved in with Ed's parents for a few months. At that time, I was pregnant with our third son and due within the next few months. It was a challenge being under the same roof with 2 other families...(Erin, Ed's sister, and her husband and 2 children had moved back from Provo ,Utah, and were looking for a home too). Needless to say, a household of 2 (his parents) suddenly expanded to 10. Three sets of parents and 4 children under the age of 3. It was as fun as it was crazy, and quite a learning experience for all of us. One experience I am sure that none of us will forget.



On Valentines day 2001, Will Jaye was born, and 3 days latter we moved into our new home. Well, it was new to us...another fixer and in worse shape than the first house. We, however, were able to make it into another beautiful home by the time we were finished.



When Will Jaye was born, we were quite surprised at how calm he was. He was a much easier baby then the other two boys. He loved to suck his little thumb and it kept him quiet and content. He would spend hours observing his two big brothers and I know could not wait to keep up with them. That was until his little sister was born. He then found something that he could be really good at...TEASING! We love Will and his spunky little attitude. He is quite the comedian. He loves to tease and torment, but only out of good fun...he hates it when it gets out of hand and someone gets hurt. He especially likes teasing his uncles and Grandma Washburn. Will loves soccer, baseball, and jumping on the trampoline. He is great at swimming and just about any thing he puts his mind to. He is our fearless child when it comes to swimming and it sometimes frightens me. We took the kids to Sun Splash (a water park in Mesa) this summer and he went down slides even the older kids wouldn't touch. Willy has a mischievous look about him. You never really know what he is thinking. Rest assured though, he can be very sweet too...I have seen it.


As I said, when Will's little sister came along, he found that it was much more exciting to tease and torment her. She was born in August that following year, which made them only about 18 months apart. The day we brought Wylee home from the hospital, Will Jaye was never the same sweet, quiet, little boy again. What started out as jealousy soon turned into a love/hate relationship between the two of them. When they aren't fighting, they are brainstorming something up together that usually amounts to some sort of trouble. They are quite the pair. As I told my mother recently, they can be the best of friends or the worst of enemies.


Wylee, is as sweet as pie. She is very cute and little. She is as much a "tom boy" as she is a princess. She loves to dress up and dance. She recently told us after watching the gymnasts in the Olympics on TV, that she wanted to take dance lessons. She loves to get down and dirty with her brothers and has no problem catching frogs, bugs and snakes with them. Yesterday her brothers were helping her make mud pies at her request. She loves school (thank goodness... she is the only one of our kids that does), and loves to read. She loves her long hair, and having her picture taken. She enjoys drawing and cooking, (if mom would let her) but most of all, she loves to make mom and dad happy. She is our "little princess".


After Wylee's 1st birthday, we decided that we needed a change again, and so we decided after remodeling the house from top to bottom, and inside and out, that we would put the finished project on the market. It too sold in less than 2 months. Again, we were surprised at the sell, because of our high asking price, and the speed at which it sold. Once again, we had to find a place to move to fast. Some friends of ours in our ward had a house in Maricopa, which is where Ed's job with Engle Homes had transferred him. We rented that home until we decided what are next move would be. We found, in time, a 1 acre piece of property in Casa Grande that we fell in love with and decided to take a giant leap and build our own house.


About this time is when the housing market picked up tremendously and we began to receive offers on the house the we were building in Casa Grande. Also, about this time, Ed's Uncle Bob offered us a job at his ranch near Heber, Arizona (about 13 miles outside of Heber). Ed had just started his own contracting business building log homes in Northern Arizona, and so it seemed logical accepting the offer. It would allow us to be closer to each of the homes he was building, rather than driving 2-5 hours after working a full day with his job at Engle. After about a year of living in Maricopa, we excepted his Uncle Bobs offer, and listed the home that we never had the chance to live in. It too sold quickly, and that was a huge blessing and an answer to many prayers. During that first week of January, in 2005, we loaded up all of our belongings and moved once again. (This would be our 2nd move within a year.) We had no idea what we were in for when we moved. It has been a move that has tested each of us and has caused us to grow in ways that I never imagined.


We left for the ranch during one of the worst winter storms Arizona had seen in a long time. I had never seen so much snow, let alone driven in it. Needless to say, I got lost following Ed and the kids in the snow storm, and have never wanted to drive in the snow since. That was the first of many adventures to come....


When we arrived at the ranch (13 miles away from town), every thing was under about 3 feet of snow. Once there we didn't dare leave for fear of getting stuck....it was a blessing we got there to begin with. There was no power...the generator was not working. There was no phone...to far out in the middle of nowhere, and forget about getting a signal with your cell phone, (there were no cell towers close enough to get even one bar!) We only had the food that we brought up with us from cleaning out our pantry and refrigerator in Maricopa. We did have heat thank goodness...the propane tank was full. We hardly knew what to do with ourselves. No TV, No Phone, No Lights. We did find some candles and kerosene lamps thank heavens. My dad called us "modern day pioneers". Tell you what...it felt like it at times!


Within that week, we were able to drive into town for the basic necessities, get the generator running again, and call to let family know that we were alive and well...


We spent much of the time there learning about each other. There was no choice. We rarely had visitors, and we didn't have neighbors that lived there year round. The Gibson's whom lived about a 1/4 mile away were in the process of building a new home because theirs had burned in the Rodeo/Chediski fire. So they were only there every so often, but, when they were there, they sure made us feel like family... (Bonnie is one heck of a cook, and is as sweet as pie. We treasure the opportunity we had to get to know them). When we arrived at the ranch, there were a couple of ranch hands and their wives that spoke little to no English that remained there for about a month. Having them around, even though we couldn't communicate much, was nice. We cooked for each other once in a while and shared a few fun evenings BBQ'ing in the snow together.


I home schooled the two older boys for the last semester that year. The snow and the drive into Heber was about 30 minutes on a windy, dirt road...one that I was not quite familiar with, especially in the snow! I knew that there was a chance I would have to home school, so we went prepared with all sorts of school supplies before we moved to the Ranch...the majority sat it a box due to the simple fact that there was more for the boys to discover in their new world then I could ever possibly teach them from a book.


We spent a lot of time outside with the kids. For one of our "science projects", we watched one of the ranch hands, mama goats give birth to twins. Another time we hiked into the middle of the woods and went rabbit hunting. (Yes, we ate it! We didn't hunt just to kill.) The boys thought it was so cool. It was their first experience hunting. They found out too, that rabbit stew is pretty tasty! We discovered all sorts of new things. Our "Ranch Hand" friends, the ones that we could hardly communicated with, became our friends. They showed us how to make tortillas, tostadas topped with goat cheese (who knew that could be any good!) and even taught the kids a few Spanish words. It still amazes me that even though we could hardly communicate, how comfortable and safe it made me feel, knowing there was someone else around.


Ed bought his first horse...Char, after the sell of our home in Casa Grande was complete. She would be the first of many horses we would own...something that Ed has always wanted and thought about, but never really had the chance to have until we moved from the valley. He told me once that he was born in the wrong era. (He would've loved farming).

While we were at the ranch, we tried to raise chickens, but the coyotes, and raccoons kept getting them. Most of the animals that we were able to watch and feed, were part of Bob's ranch. The kids found wild cats that they tried to befriend, as well as an occasional squirrel. Sometimes, the llamas that Bob owned were nice enough that you could get close to pet them but, more often than not, we would get spit on.


When Bill and Jo (the original caretakers that tended the ranch for many years prior) returned from their mission, we moved out of the little cabin, and into an attached 800 square foot apt. Talk about too close for comfort. All of the kids slept on a hide-a-bed couch, right next to our bed for about 4 months while Ed finished building the apartment in the "Big Red Barn". There was a small rundown kitchenette and a large walk-in pantry/closet where we kept all of our hanging clothes, food, and other misc. things. Most of our belongings remained in boxes or totes. The apt. was just too small for extra things that weren't a necessity. (I imagine that the pioneers had much of the same dilemma with space). Our other coach sat right up against the end of our bed with a coffee table in front of it...this is where we ate most of our meals. Occasionally we would share meals with Bill and Jo and would eat at their table...it was much better than trying to cook in the little dirty kitchen with a stove that hardly worked. Anyone who had seen the place might tell you that they felt sorry for us, but honestly, it was a growing experience that I am grateful for. I learned that we can do without most of what we think that we need. I learned that we can live in "little homes" and still get along with each other. I learned the value of having good friends that share and help because they truly care. Thank you Bill and Jo! Most of all I learned that it can be fun to step out of your comfort zone and try something different.


I won't even begin to say that it was easy, because often I called my mother in tears (when we had access to a working phone) telling her that I wasn't sure we had made the right choice moving, and how much easier it would have been if we had just moved to Casa Grande.


I know that Heavenly Father's guiding hand is in our lives more than we know or understand. This move to the Ranch made us grow in ways that were not possible had we stayed in the Valley around family and friends. We had too much at our disposal that we took for granted. It helped us realize how blessed we really are. The conveniences that we so often take for granted were no longer available like they were in the city. Our relationships with our children changed because we had more quality time with them...our time was not spent watching a lot of TV, or playing video games. We spent a lot of time outside playing and working together.


We all began to recognize that to have heat in the winter, you have to have wood in the fireplace, and to have wood in the fireplace, you have to chop and collect the wood (that was a project that we all seemed to enjoy doing together). When we went places, we went together. When Ed went on his deer hunt, he brought home the deer, and we learned how to process and package the meat ourselves. It was a lot of fun. We were on our way to becoming a little more self-sufficient and actually enjoying it, as well as enjoying each other!


One Sunday afternoon, after church, in April, we were outside enjoying the weather, and Wylee (she would have been about two and a half) said "Mommy, you getting fat! You getting a fat belly! Mommy, you getting a baby in your tummy!" As a matter of fact, she was correct! We didn't know it, but Wylee did. She let us know that we would be having a baby and "HER" name would be "Eric". Well, she was wrong about the "HER" thing. We discovered that we would instead have another boy. We did however, name him Waylon "Eric" Ulrich. What a very wise little girl Wylee is!



That summer (June or July) Ed finished the two bedroom 1 bath apt in the "Big Red Barn"and we moved in. It was still part of the Legacy Ranch, and we didn't have to move far, but it was still a move and we still had to pack. Once we were in, it was like heaven! We could stretch our arms a little without bumping each other. The children were excited to have their toys out again. It was like Christmas! They were so excited to find their old trucks, dolls, dress-up etc. Although the new apt. wasn't much bigger, we found that even a few more feet and an extra room make a world of difference when there's 6 people sharing the space. We had a beautiful view of the Lodge, meadows, pine trees, lake, and creek from the second floor of the barn (which is where the apt. was). It bothered me having a lake so close to us, but the children understood how unsafe it was and did a good job of listening and staying away from it without an adult near.


We fished in the lake, caught tad poles in the creek, and planted a garden that summer. We harvested potatoes, onions, squash, and some beans if I remember correctly. In fact for Wyatt's birthday dinner one Sunday, we ate vegetables that we harvested out of our garden and some home grown meat from Ed's Uncle Bob's cows. It was enough for all of us and for our guests (Billy, Tina, their two kids, Leoni, and Natia). It's amazing how much better home grown food tastes. Maybe part of it's the satisfaction of knowing that we planted and harvested it ourselves.


Summer came and went quickly that year. Soon it was fall and we decided that it would be a wise thing to begin looking for our own place elsewhere. We had been to Snowflake/Taylor and really liked the small town feeling as well as all of the possibilites that it had. We found five acres and a little house, nestled behind some trees, on the very outskirts of town in Taylor that October. It was very run down, worse than the first two house we re-modeled combined. It was full of spiders and very dirty. When we started tearing into the house, we quickly found that there was no possible way to even attempt re-modeling the old thing. There was no foundation, bare wires hanging in the walls, poor plumbing throughout, as well as a handfull of other major issues that were not obvious until we started tearing down walls. So instead, we decided to buy a single-wide trailor and temporarily live in it until we could build our own home again. Within weeks of Waylons birth, we were the proud owners of our very own, single-wide trailer which we parked directly behind the old run down house that we eventually demolished. (I had to include the demolition of the house for my boys. It was loads of fun watching our friend tear the old house down!)





Waylon was born in Mesa, due to insurance issues. He came a few weeks early and I was grateful for that. He was our biggest baby of 7 pounds, 13 ounces. He was darling. My mother commented frequently how different he was. He smiled a lot even as a tiny little person. He also cried a lot! I remember getting frustrated because he was always hungry, come to find out that he was starving because I didn't have enough milk for him. But as soon as we solved that problem, he seemed pretty happy. He loved his mommy and daddy very much. Very rarly was there a moment when we could leave Waylon with anyone else. He always wanted to be held and loved to snuggle. Mommy didn't mind and neither did daddy!












After Waylon's birth, we officially moved into the little 2 bedroom trailor and began the process of building our new house. What an adventure! Without going into a whole lot of detail, life was busy!


Wesley, Wyatt and Will started their first semester of school in Taylor that spring. Which left just Wylee, and Waylon at home with mommy. It was odd just having the two of them at home.


Ed continued to stay busy with all of the building. Sometimes it was difficult to juggle it all.


In January of 2007, we were finally able to move into our new home.


Many wonderful memories have been shared in this home already. We love it when family and friends come to visit. People often ask if we ever get sick of the company. "Heck NO!" I tell them. We love having visitors. It's like Heaven on Earth to us.


Recently, we had the opportunity to have lot's of our favorite family and friends come for a visit...I wish that it had been for other circumstances, but I was grateful for the chance to see them all and have to them close. It truly was "Heaven on Earth" to me...In March, the 13th to be exact, of this year, our sweet little Waylon was hit by a car. That very evening he returned to live with our Loving Father in Heaven. I have wanted so badly to express my feelings and thoughts about this experience since it happened, but finding the time and the energy has been difficult. At the time of the accident, I was pregnant with our 6th little baby and heaven knows that energy is hard to come by for any expecting mother, let alone one whom was/is emotionally drained.






Waylon Eric Ulrich
"Little Man"
January 17, 2006-March 13, 2008

So, here we are. Our little family....complete? Ed thinks so. Now that little Winston Edward is here, Ed says we are done. Winston joined our little family on August 3, 2008. He weighed 7lbs 3 ounces and was 19 inches long. Our short little, chubby guy! He is perfect! He looks a lot like all of the kids. Sometimes I see a little of Wesley, sometimes Wyatt, other times I see him looking a lot like Will Jaye. Lana (my dear friend) thinks that he looks like Wylee and yes, I certainly can see a lot of Waylon in him.

We are SO blessed! I know that we are guided by a Loving, Heavenly Father. I know that our Father in Heaven guides us through the happy times, the sad times, the hard times, the growing times, the tragic times, and the sweet times. I am so grateful to know that my Father in Heaven loves me. I know that He loves all of us the same. I know that without Him, our hard times, really would be hard...I'm not sure that I would have had the strength to get through all of these adventures without knowing that Heavenly Father was there, leading, guiding and often times caring me through many of these experiences.

This "blog" is intended to help me journal some of the most precious moments...for my memory, and for my little families memory. I want my family to remeber all of the happy times together...and all though sad and tragic times may come, I hope and pray that they will remeber that the Savoir is near, and He does carry us when we need it most.

Our Sweet Little Waylon, he was an adventure all by himself. We love him and miss him more than words can tell.