The Cluff Family

Friday night we were festive and went to a Pirate Halloween Party. Tanner hates dressing up and therefor hates halloween but I love it, so sometimes he just needs to pretend he likes it... for me :). We had so much fun though. It was at the mansion of the guy who is producing my sister's movie "Unicorn City." The decorations were very elaborate and there were even pirates playing music. The food was catered from a nice restaurant and Tanner and I couldn't help but snatch the fruit tarts they had every time we passed the dessert table. The house was absolutely gorgeous and I loved walking through it. Someone said that the house cost 26 million! This was a legit Halloween party. I dressed up as a wench while Tanner was a handsome pirate. We were lucky enough to meet everyone in the cast of "Unicorn City" and also watch a screening of it (without the music and special effects). I really enjoyed the movie and am excited for when it comes to the Sundance film festival and even the theaters! At least Tanner and I can say that we celebrated Halloween... and had lots of fun!

Tanner and I feel extremely lucky to be surrounded by such amazing friends. Saturday night, we hung out with our close friends Todd and Maggie. We went and saw their cute apartment and watched an episode of "Dexter" (which I can say I'm not too fond of... too much blood for me). Then we played apples to apples in which I surprisingly did not win... I usually win every time ;). Then we ended off the night by going to Comedy Sports. I am always so impressed by stand up comedians and improvisation. It felt good to laugh really hard (so hard that it hurt) and my husband agreed. A night out with friends was just what we both needed!

Tanner and I try to have date night every week especially since our schedules clash a little bit. We ended up going to Chilies (Tanner's favorite place to eat) and then decided to be creative. I convinced Tanner to take us to Color Me Mine, its a paint-it-yourself ceramics studio. Tanner was embarrassed to be even in there but it ended up being really fun. Tanner didn't finish his mug so he had to come back in by himself and finish it... he didn't like that idea very much. We had so much fun and at the same time I saw how creative my husband really is! I must say that his Dr. Pepper mug looks like a professional painted it! And of course he would choose Dr. Pepper... :)

I finally had enough energy and determination to clean the apartment and after wards I wanted to take pictures :). My favorite part about our new home is the kitchen because it is big (for a Provo apartment). I love to cook and so does Tanner so there is just enough room for both of us to cook together. I also put up a few halloween decorations. This is my FAVORITE time of year so I love decorating, and filling the air with pumpkin pie smells. We have been extremely lucky in the fact that we only had to buy two pieces of furniture which were the kitchen table and chairs (75$) and our couch (200$). We received a lot of decorations from our wedding and I think it is because people knew I loved to decorate but it has been fun finding places for everything in our cute little abode. Now that Tanner works nights, I hardly see him and sometimes find it pointless to make a real dinner but yesterday I made the yummiest broccoli and cheese soup! The recipe is super easy and really delicious... you just have to pretend you don't know what your putting in it ;). Here is the recipe and ENJOY!

2 bunches (about 1 lb) fresh broccoli
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli just until tender. Do not overcook. Drain and cut into small pieces; set aside. Saute chopped onion in the 1/4 cup butter until tender; set aside. In a large saucepan or soup pot prepare a white sauce: melt the 1/2 cup butter over medium heat, then stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and salt. Stir constantly until mixture reaches a boil. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Add broccoli and onion. Stir in cheese. Cook briefly over medium heat. Avoid bringing to a boil. Serve immediately or keep warm over low heat. Makes 6-8 servings. DELICIOUS!! :)

I knew I had a high risk pregnancy with mono-mono twins but I never thought I was the 50% that would have to go through what I have the past couple of weeks. I guess that is what comes with an optimistic personality and a "Pollyanna" mom. I am grateful for the support that I have had from my family and friends. Tanner and I have been through a huge roller coaster that we pray we won't have to go through again.
We figured we should tell people the story so that everyone knows what is going on with us at the moment. The news came on my birthday September 24th, at our 1:00 appointment. I had two Dr. appointments that day, one in the morning with my regular OBGYN, and another one at the hospital later that day. The earlier one went normal, and everything was fine. The second one is where we found out that our sweet babies had a 2% chance of making it. As the doctor was explaining to us what she was seeing I couldn't help but spill emotion as I was trying to comprehend what she was saying. Baby A had a cist in it's bladder and umbilical cord causing the bladder to be huge, not allowing fluid to release. Baby B's heart was failing because it was not getting enough nutrients. They suspect that it could possibly be because they were wrapped around cords but it was hard to tell with the ultrasound. The next option was to wait for the babies inside to die while I went home and tried to live life normally. Two weeks went by and by this time I was supposed to be 14 (almost 15) weeks. At our doctor's appointment on Thursday October 7th we found out that their precious hearts had stopped beating and had measured at only 13 weeks. The doctor then explained our options and I don't remember listening to her which makes me grateful for Tanner who I like to think is much stronger than I am.
The next day (Friday October 8th), I went in for a D&C surgery at 7:30 AM. I left the hospital around 4:30 pm and the surgery went very well. 5 minutes after waking up from Anesthesia I was surrounded with love from my family and my amazing husband.
This experience has brought Tanner and I closer together as we have turned to each other for comfort. I am grateful for the gospel and every day I feel my Heavenly Father as he encompasses me with his love. I can't imagine going through trials like this and not knowing that I have him always there to turn to. I know that Tanner and I will be able to have a family and that now is just not the right time. We are looking forward to our time together to grow as a married couple.
Thank you for the support and tremendous amount of love we have received. Thank you for making our life easier. We love our family and friends so much.