Big Sister

Grace has adjusted really well to being pushed out of the baby spot in our family. She is completely fascinated with the new addition. When we brought him home, she hovered close to examine him.

"He has a mouth too, Mom!" (shocked, as if this was the strangest thing in the world)

"He has eyes too, Mom!"

"He has a nose too, Mom!"

And her favorite, "He has belly butt too, Mom!"

She has taken upon herself the job of chief diaper-fetcher. And she is the first to notice when he needs one. "A stinky ba-by, Mom!!" she announces several times a day.

She also loves to hold him. "I hold it," she demands. Then she stares into his face and says, "Look, he smile, Mom. (giggle) Baby loves Grace."

Perhaps the most telling sign that she is happily settled into her new position as the girl surrounded by male siblings: She now calls everyone simply "Boy." Even Grandma.

To Daddy, she calls "Come here, Boy!" "Eat y'dinner, Boy!" "Sit down, Boy!" To get the full effect, you really must read that with an accent, like "Boy-eee" with a question mark on the end. It is hysterical.

Birthday Mayhem

{I know this is a little late. We've been very busy not sleeping around here.}



In our family, we do "real" birthday parties - meaning the birthday child can invite friends - at ages 8 and 12 (and maybe 16 - we haven't thought that far ahead yet.) So Jacob has been looking forward to this for years.


I don't have time to write a novel (and you don't want to read one,) so in summary: 4 friends, pizza, balloon swordfight, presents, kiddie go-karts, bumper boats - LOTS of times, miniature golf, arcade games, tickets = prizes = candy.

There you have it.



Jacob and Ashlynn in the bumper boats.

The aftermath of the bumper boats. You can't really tell from the photos, but Marty and I are soaking wet. I have to say, Lara, this was mostly Ashlynn's doing. :) She led the others in chanting "Get the grownups! Get the grownups!" And she has really good aim.

Grandma came along to celebrate with Jacob and to help wrangle our youngest two. She made it possible for Marty and me to have fun too. Grace had a wonderful time with her.

Well, that had better last him for the next 4 years!

Fun Run

Last Saturday, Jacob and Isaac participated in a local 1-mile children's race. Jacob ran it last year, but this was Isaac's first time. Both were very excited.

Front and center, ready to go. (Jacob and his friend Ashlynn had a strategy this year - start in front, stay in front.)

Jacob "trained" for a couple weeks prior to the race. Although personally I think he trains all year long - sometimes I wonder if he knows any other way of getting around besides running. Especially in the house.

We estimate he ran it in about 7 1/2 minutes. He definitely improved on last year's time. Way to go, Jacob!

Isaac ran a good race too. I'm proud of him for doing something outside of his comfort zone.

I asked the boys after the race if they had a good time. Jacob shouted in the affirmative. Isaac said "No, it was too tiring" with a roll of his eyes.

Quote of the Day

Grace: 'Matoes in my pocket!

{Guess how many cherry tomatoes can fit in a toddler's pocket? Answer: 5. Turns out they'd been there for a couple hours.}

Mommy: Grace, we don't put 'matoes in our pockets.

To My Firstborn

Happy birthday, Jacob!!

Eight years old and eager to embark on new adventures. Like Cub Scouts.

I am so very glad you are part of our family.

I love you!

Trailing Clouds of Glory

Dear Abram,

We've known for ten years that you were waiting for us.

We thought we were welcoming you two and a half years ago, on a rainy day in February. Imagine our surprise when your sister greeted us instead!

Perhaps out of chivalry you agreed to let her go first.

In the time since then, we have eagerly waited and prayed for you to come to us. Maybe you couldn't wait any longer either - you were nearly three weeks early!

In the hospital that night, as the sun set outside our west-facing window, we wondered excitedly when we would see your beautiful face. What would you look like? Would you be healthy?

The hours passed slowly and painfully, each more humbling than the last. We waited and prayed and endured.

Finally, the moment of your birth approached. You entered this world with a healthy cry one minute past midnight. We like to say you chose your own birthdate.

There is something deeply sacred about that hour when the veil is parted, just for a moment, and one of God's children bravely begins his earthly journey.

In that hour, a mother's love is pure and complete as she places her life on the altar for another's sake.

There is sanctification in her pain, and perfection in her sacrifice.

In that hour, there is peace to conquer anxiety, hope to replace despair, innocence to make up for agony, and glory to overshadow affliction.

In that hour, a mother walks with God.

I believe that angels keep watch at the threshold where a precious child of God crosses into mortality. I like to think that someone held you close and kissed you goodbye just before I held you for the first time and kissed your tiny wet head.

A bridge of love from one existence to the next.

You were never alone.

I hope you can remember heaven, little one, if only for a while.

"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!"

-- William Wordsworth

One Week Old

...and celebrated the occasion with his first bath yesterday.

And he actually liked it.

Abram Nathaniel

Born Thursday, September 3rd, at 12:01 a.m.

6 pounds, 11 ounces

19 inches long

I Wasn't Done Yet

It's that time again, and I wasn't ready! I mean, I had all the school supplies, the back-to-school clothes, the backpacks. We had met the teachers and memorized the bus schedule. And the boys were bouncing-off-the-walls excited.

But I wasn't done with summer! I wasn't done swimming, playing Monopoly, taking walks to the park, or eating watermelon. I wasn't done with afternoon movies or late-night reading or watching the kids ride their bikes. I wasn't even tired of having them home yet! How did three months fly by that fast??

But the bus came anyway, and off they went.

And I have the (kiddie) pool all to myself. Well, except for Grace.

Summer's Last Dance

Summer went by way too fast. The boys went back to school this week, and what better way to spend their last day of freedom than a picnic in the park and a long game of tag with Daddy.

And with a father's blessing and a loaded backpack, we reluctantly sent them back out into the real world.

Memory Lane

Once upon a time, I met a tall, dark, handsome man at a cabin in Sundance, Utah. It was my first weekend back at college after the summer. He happened to sit in the chair next to mine. We exchanged biographical information over the movie Men in Black.

"I'm from Idaho, where are you from?"

"Maryland." I made a mental note: too far away. I like Westerners.

"I'm 18. How old are you?"

"25." Another strike against him.

"What are you studying?"

"I don't know yet." Okay. Cross this one off the list. (Not that I had a list. I was only 18, remember?)


Yes, this sounds judgmental, but it worked out well because he didn't like me either. He was looking for someone else, and I did NOT fit the description.


So we went to church and FHE group together. I tutored him in calculus. He drove me to physical therapy and the grocery store. We went caving, out to dinner, for drives up the canyon and long walks along the Provo River. We hiked Squaw Peak and met for lunch at the WILK. We practiced the quickstep and the cha cha for our social dance class. We played ultimate frisbee and volleyball together. We attended football games, ward activities, devotionals, and Homecoming together. All with a strict "just friends" policy.


Every weekend, the conversation was the same:

"We're just friends, you know. I don't like you like that."

"I know. That's fine with me."

"Good. Do you want to go out for ice cream?"

"Sure."


Until one day, several months later, the unthinkable happened.






HE CHANGED HIS MIND.





We were engaged in June and married in the Salt Lake Temple in August.

And this month, we stepped back in time for a few days, revisiting the places of our past and reliving the memories. Marty planned the trip entirely by himself, and kept all the details a surprise. It was the most wonderful anniversary present ever.


Highlights:



A memorable walk along the Provo River.



A view from the lookout on Y mountain. Marty claims he arranged the fireworks show down below just for us.



Visiting my brothers and sisters-in-law and meeting my first niece Jade and nephew Ryan!

A drive up Provo Canyon. The night before we got engaged, Marty set up a candlelit dinner and Scrabble game on the top of this hill, overlooking Deer Creek Reservoir. It has been "our spot" for a long time.

Two nights at the Anniversary Inn, the same place we spent our first anniversary nine years ago.

A beautiful session at the Salt Lake temple. We spent the day touring the grounds and enjoying the atmosphere. (It was so quiet without the kids!) Oh, and a fabulous lunch at The Garden.

A viewing of the new Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy Theater.

Dinner at The Roof, serenaded by piano music. This was the view from our table. Marty took me here on the night he proposed, and I asked him to bring me back for our tenth anniversary. He remembered.

Thank you, Marty. For ten adventurous years, and the perfect gift to celebrate them.