Happy Birthday Kerstyn!

Nine years old!

Blowing out the candles.

Nine years old today. I just can't believe it! You have been a blessing in our lives every day since we knew you were coming. In your blessing, it said many times about joy. You have certainly been joyous in many ways. You brighten up the room.


I want to write this, even though it is very personal, because I NEVER want to forget it! I February of 1998, Chris and I attended the temple together. We had gone with specific questions about attending law school, and we knew that we could get our best opportunity at an answer at the temple. So we went.

As soon as I set down in the room, I had the spirit tell me that it was time to have another baby. I thought to myself, "No, I already have a baby. Brennan is just 13 months old." And again, "It's time to have another baby, and it's a girl!" I just couldn't believe it. I was thinking, I know this and now I have to sit here for 2 hours before I can tell my husband. On top of that, I knew exactly what he was going to say. "We came here to pray about going to law school and having another baby doesn't fit into that very well." I agreed. We did feel good about going to law school too. However, I knew what I felt about having another baby, and he said okay.

About 4 weeks later, we went to some seminar put on at the law school for anyone that was interested in attending. After it was over, Chris and I had a talk, and decided that he should try to go and that I probably shouldn't get pregnant given the demands that would be placed on us attending law school. Well, the next morning, I found out that I was pregnant!

Nine months and 4 days after our temple trip where I felt that it was time to have another baby and it was a girl, Kerstyn Rebekah Shipley arrived! I could never and will never be able to deny that she was supposed to come at the time that she did.

P.S. We did go to law school, but we put it off until the next year.