Laughing All the Way

Tender Mercies and 18.6 Miles

2011-09-22T15:46:00.001-07:00

TWO MONTHS AGO, I joined 11 other teammates and more than 2000 crazies in the Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay! It is nearly 200 miles from Blaine, WA (on the Canadian/US border) to Langley on S. Whidbey Island and these 11 other women and I ran the whole way. In two vans, we leap-frogged each other. Runners 1-6 would run while runner 7-12 rested, then vice versa. After Van 2 ran, Van 1 started over until each van’s runners had run 3 times. This was a major challenge and accomplishment for me. I’ve never counted myself much of a runner and all of a sudden, training for this race included regular 6 mile runs (3-4x week). Occasionally, I ran an 8 or 10-miler as well and in the final preparation, I ran several times in a day to simulate the lack of rest between runs in the Ragnar Relay. We ran three times in a period of about 24 hours with only about 3 hours of sleep in between runs. While this would never have been my original idea of fun, I am so thankful to the women I ran with, particularly my van who was so supportive to me personally in my training and runs. Thank you Robin, Megan, Angie, Bethany, Miryam, Shalise, Amy, Cami, DeAnne, Kimberly and Jenny!

Van 1 in reverse running order (I was runner 6).

The starting line! Only 190 miles to go!!

Robin and her GAME face. This girl is FAST! All these people had no idea what was about to hit them.

Way to go, Megan! She and I were among the novice runners and she did an excellent job!

One of Bethany’s legs in the race was extended by more than a mile. She’s still smiling!

Helpful AND cute! Love the running skirt, Ang!

Miryam was mad her legs weren’t longer. This is a world I’m not altogether familiar with…Also, have to love Miryam because her eating is so pure that 8 M&M’s was enough to have her WIRED! Pretty funny…

All the runners called them “kills” or “roadkills”—meaning, the number of people you passed while running. Robin pulled up our team average SIGNIFICANTLY. We would hear other teams say, “Where is that FAST girl? She has to be coming soon!”

Exchange point! They used a snap bracelet as the baton. AWESOME.

This was after my second run at the major exchange before Deception Pass. These are the ladies of my van all together—stinky, tired, and having a great time!

I felt blessed to have this experience. The Lord knows I need challenges (not just trials!) in my life to keep it interesting and I felt this was presented just for me.

My first run was through Bellingham and ended at Bellingham High School. Nothing too exciting. It felt like any other run through town. However, the second and third runs were special. My second run was at the very end of dusk and it was between two towns through farmland. I passed a barn and knew immediately this barn had chickens. I didn’t know my nose could tell the difference between manures, but apparently my childhood on “Chicken Patrol” stuck with me. The run was very flat until the last 3/4 of a mile which had a steep hill, but I felt strong. My pace was good and I finished running up that hill, arriving at a state park in the dark.

After some pictures and well wishes to the rest of our team preparing to run through the night, we laid out sleeping bags on a tarp and slept SOLID…for three hours. At such time, we received a text that van 2 was on it’s second to last runner and we needed to get to our next exchange so we could begin again.

Saturday morning’s run was quite foggy. I was feeling apprehensive about this run. The entire length of the run before me had been foggy and cold and I was not excited about the prospect of running without being able to see ahead. I felt anxious, but it was my turn, so I took the snap bracelet and took off. The blessing? Within about a mile and a half, the fog had burned off and it was a glorious day. I was on Whidbey Island by this point and could see the water, sailboats, wildflowers and greenery. That and the frequent hills were breathtaking! It was a very hilly course, but I knew this was what I had prepared for. This was my last run. Why hold back? I was determined that unless I had some major injury, I would not ever stop running. I would never stop to walk. I was conscious mostly of my own thoughts when in the back of my mind, I heard an indistinct, but unfamiliar screeching sound. When I heard it again, my mind registered the sound as unusual, so I glanced around for the source. And I stopped. About 20 feet from me was a bald eagle, spreading its massive wingspan landing on a tree. I gaped for about 5 seconds before it spread its wings again and took flight, but I was in so much awe of the majestic creature—one I wouldn’t even have seen in the fog.

My last run ended in a small town called Coupeville and I gave it everything I had. By this time I’d already run 13 miles and had very little sleep, but with nothing to lose, I set a PR for myself in pace. I ran my last run of 5.5 miles up and down many hills at a 8:58 pace. This won’t win any races, but given the distance, exhaustion and hilly terrain, I felt very proud of my effort.

So, being in the best running shape of my life, I knew this was my chance and since then I’ve been training for a half marathon that Jonathan and I are running on Saturday. 13.1 miles, here I come!

Thank you, DeAnne, for this fabulous video and the one cool running picture of me perhaps ever taken.

Bahama Mama

2011-09-19T08:39:00.001-07:00

The first time Jonathan and I really decided we wanted to go to the Caribbean, it was because we were reading together the book by Elizabeth George Speare The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Kit Tyler (heroine) moves from her native Barbados to Connecticut to escape an unwanted marriage and talks frequently of home throughout the book. Jonathan and I decided we would one day have to go to Barbados. Well, since then, we’ve talked to people who have been to Barbados and apparently the Barbados of the 17th century and the Barbados of today aren’t really the same place. Still, barring that, we’ve hoped for 5 years or more that we would go to the Caribbean. Two weeks ago, we had our chance.

Jonathan’s mama came up to watch Caleb and James and we took a 5-night cruise from Miami to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau, Bahamas. We LOVED it and got the sunburns to prove it. Get a load of this water!

Parasailing in Half Moon Cay…It shocked me a bit, but once we got in the air, it was the most serene thing I’ve ever done. It was silent and peaceful.Look at this unbelievable property in Nassau. If you look close enough, you’ll see these villas have beach front property in the front yard AND in the back. Nice.Look how HAPPY we are! At the end of the pier. This water is probably what? 15+ feet deep? I’m from CALIFORNIA! Are you kidding me?! I half expected California kelp to beat me across the face in our snorkeling adventure (waterproof 35mm camera. I’ll try to get those pics soon).

We also made friends with our dinner group! Thank you Jeremy, Kelsey, Jordan, Tiann, Andy and Katie for some good times!

We had a blast on the on-deck waterslide, laughed at the family friendly comedy shows, bust out one song in Karaoke, but more than anything we LOVED the water. It was the PERFECT temperature. It was cool and refreshing, but it took zero time to get used to. You could walk in freely and never get a chill. It was clean and amazing. We LOVED it. I could get used to swimming in the Caribbean every day.

Hot island get-away? Check. Happy belated sixth anniversary, Jonathan!

Changing of the Guard

2011-05-06T16:09:00.001-07:00

A wise friend wished me congratulations and condolences at receiving the word that this now belongs to me:

The Relief Society is the world’s largest organization for women, and I have been asked to accept the position of president of our local chapter. My Bishop (unpaid pastor/reverend) called me into his office almost a month ago to tell me he felt strongly that the Lord wanted me to be the new Relief Society president in our ward (congregation organized by geographical location). He said he had had my name on his mind for two weeks and had been praying and pondering whether this was a position right for me. I interpreted this to mean that Bishop had tried to get me out of it for two weeks before the Lord fully assured him that I’m it. I appreciate his efforts I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve the women and their families. My dear friend Jessica (who serves as RS president in her ward) told me it was a blessing to wake up every day knowing what you could do to serve the Lord and His people. I believe that. I also know I have two little children whose lives I cannot wildly interrupt just because I have this assignment. After all, my first priority will always be to my own family. I’m grateful, nervous, humbled and anxious to see what awaits.

Gardens and Kind Friends

2011-05-06T15:59:00.001-07:00

When it comes to friends in my life, I have been a lucky girl. Each time I move to a new place, I worry (why?!) that it will be lonely and I won’t have the close relationships I have had in places past. I suppose it’s because whenever I’m going some place new, it means I’m leaving some place familiar where I already have such loving kind people around me and I can never quite convince myself I’ll be so lucky again.

This latest move was no different. I worried and hoped we would have friends especially since we’ve moved so far away from family, and I can’t say the smallest part of how I feel about my friends here. I have been so blessed.

I was visiting teaching one such friend recently who asked me how I was and what I needed help with. I told her that I was trying to clear out the many thousands of tiny lava rocks from my backyard flower bed so that I could turn the space into a vegetable garden. It was taking HOURS AND HOURS and, because I didn’t have any proper tools for it, the work was just absurdly long. I said this because it was on my mind—not because I expected her to do anything about it. That weekend, I went to Oregon to visit some family and I came home to this:

This sweet friend had recruited her husband, another wonderful friend and all their tools to the cause of creating for me a beautiful garden space! When I saw it, I cried. I could not BELIEVE someone would do something like this. Blessed? Yes, I think so.

Now, it’s taken me a few weeks to add to the glory of this space now, but after a pretty seriously failed attempt at starting my own garden from seeds, I purchased these plants at a local plant sale and looking forward to a summer of salsa canning!

This last one is “Caleb’s Garden.” It’s got 8 strawberry plants in it. Caleb could eat strawberries all day if I let him, and I’ve heard they can get a little unruly if you don’t keep them tamed, so I decided this handy little box would be a great place for “Caleb” to grow “his” strawberries. The first green berries are starting to grow!! YAY!!

I’ve kept two children alive for 4 and almost 1 years (respectively). Why can’t I keep plants alive? Because they don’t cry? That’s a pretty sorry truth, if it is. Wish me luck!

Ma ma ma ma ma

2011-04-07T15:03:00.001-07:00

James loves me. When I was at the gym the other day, Jonathan was changing James’ diaper when James looked up, saw Daddy and said, “Mama!” Jonathan asked himself, “Did he really just say that?” when James said again, “MAMA!” Jonathan told me this story, but I didn’t really believe him. After all, I’ve never heard him say anything besides, “BA ba Ba BA BAAA!” which he does with great vigor. Well, yesterday morning, he bit his little finger trying to eat his breakfast. His subsequent grimace was heartbreaking. He looked for me, found me and said in a pouty voice, “Ma ma ma ma ma ma.” Because Mamas fix it. Yes, we do. He hasn’t said Dada yet, but he has said Mama. This is probably my only kid who will do that, so I gotta soak it up. I love my baby boy!

Ragnar Relay

2011-04-07T15:00:00.001-07:00

It’s craziness. How did I get talked into this? The power of peer pressure lives on, people. My lovely co-teachers in our Joy School have decided to jump off a cliff and I signed up to do so as well. July 22-23, I am running a total of 17 miles in 24 hours (yes, that includes through the night) in three legs of a 36-leg relay running from nearly the Canadian border to Whidbey Island near Seattle. We each run three of the legs in a non-stop relay. I know 5 of the other women fairly well and I’m sure that through a nearly sleepless/showerless night, I will get to know the others well. Am I a runner, you ask? No. Have I ever run? Technically yes, but does junior high school cross country when I almost always finished last and did 13 years ago really count? Let the Move-Free joint supplements and the excessive gym sweating begin! And wish me luck!!

SPRING!!

2011-03-22T11:02:00.001-07:00

My very own, very first daffodil. Love. It.

Also, I told Caleb to look out for buds and explained that there were flowers inside that would be coming out soon. He still looked confused, so I said, “It’s like when Baby James was in my tummy and my tummy got big, and then he came out. Soon, these buds will open up and the flowers will come out.” Now, Caleb looks forward to all the “baby flowers being born.”

Projects

2011-03-22T11:00:00.001-07:00

Being a homeowner is everything we had hoped it would be. We LOVE it. We work on the house every week, it seems, to make it our own, but we don’t really even mind the work and take pride in it being ours. We have made quite a lot of changes so far. We have painted the guest room, kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, entry way, stairs, upstairs hall and Caleb’s room since moving in. We still need to paint a downstairs hall and the master bed/bath. We’ve replaced the garbage disposal, kitchen faucet and fixed the kitchen pipes so they don’t leak (where was the inspection guy on THIS?!). We’ve cut down a hideous and dead tree that scraped against our family room window and pulled out the weedy front walkway plants and instead planted rosebushes. We’ve acquired and refinished an ancient piano (deserving of its own post). We’ve painted all the baseboards and trim in all the above mentioned rooms as well. We’ve had the torsion springs in the garage door replaced and changed bulbs and batteries throughout the house and mowed and raked many hours. And with each little thing, the house is a little more ours. It’s a little less the Melons’ house (names have been changed to protect the guilty of home neglect) and a little more ours with every time we actually take the outlet covers off to paint instead of paint the outlet covers to the wall (as the aforementioned owners may or may not have done). Or actually deal with the tree shoots growing in the back yard rather than just mow over them. GRRRR! In any case, we love our house. We love having a house. We love getting to make it our own. It’s lively, it’s different and we like it that way. We have plenty of changes that still need made, but here are some ideas for you, of our house. And don’t worry, I didn’t clean up just for the sake of photos. You’re getting to see our house as it really is. BEFORE

This is what the “Melons” house looked like with its kooky rug and over the mantle paintings… not to mention wires poking up out of the floor…

AFTER

Note: the sunflower yellow walls. Previously, the walls were yellow, but the same way that lemonade is yellow—only just. If you’re going to paint your walls yellow, paint them YELLOW! We love the gold glow that fills this room when the light pours in. We plan to get a large family photo to go above the mantel this spring when the blossoms are out. This is our family room—complete with children’s books and a laundry basket on the floor.

BEFORE

These pictures were taken last September. They include our furniture (pre-piano), but former paint and window hangings. I was also in the middle of a sewing project. Why was I compelled to take pictures at this time? I have no idea.

AFTER

This is what the space looks like today. We LOVE the green in this room. Delightful, sophisticated, soothing.

BEFORE

This is a before picture of the entryway/stairs. Again, our furnishings—their paint.

AFTER

Here it is with the gray and white trim rather than the original oak trim. We will be adding a server to go underneath the huge poppies picture as an entry way console table soon.

And, what the heck, here is the piano—which is its own before and after picture. The piano is the AFTER picture; the bench is the BEFORE picture. I’ll give you a few close-ups of the bench so you can see where we came from.

This piano had 5 layers of old paint and stain that needed to be removed to get back to the original mahogany wood that it is. At one point, this piano was baby blue. Please do not ask me why someone would paint a piano baby blue. My only answer would have to be excessive drug use. It took a couple of months, several containers of CitriStrip, more than one package of steel wool, heaps and heaps of goop that came off the piano after using the CitriStrip, mineral spirits, a new stain and varnish, an electric sander and a LOT of elbow grease to take this piano form looking like the bench, to looking like this:

I love it and while it does still need to be tuned, I have actually written a song on it. My first since I was 13-14 years old. You can expect another one when I’m 40. More about this later.

So, that’s life. I spend it doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, feeding kiddos, playing trains, doing projects on the house, and all those other mommy-ing things we all do!

Caleb Bug

2011-03-22T10:25:00.001-07:00

Caleb is smart as a whip. This kid NEVER ceases to amaze me with the insights he comes up with, his intuitive understanding of things and his MEMORY. Good heavens, his memory. Now, I’m his mom, I appreciate this, but the kid is bright. I try to explain things to him in a pure and real way, but also accepting the fact he is three. I try to explain things in ways he’ll understand. Last week in our Scripture study, we were reading in 1 Nephi of the Book of Mormon where it discusses how Christ will take away our sins. I was explaining this to Caleb. “So Caleb, when we do naughty, unrighteous things, when we make big mistakes, Jesus can take those away and help us feel better. You know how we feel bad when we make big mistakes? He helps us not feel bad anymore.”

At this point, Caleb has a pouty look on his face and says, “Sometimes I make big mistakes, Mommy. Like when I go pee in my underpants. That’s a big mistake.”

My heart is already breaking at this point when I say, “Well, Caleb, we all make big mistakes sometimes. I make mistakes all the time and I have to ask the Lord to forgive me.”

Caleb: “Do you go pee in your underpants too?”

What a reminder that we are to be as little children. It would sure be more obvious to the world what my BIG MISTAKES were if they showed up on my pants. Here he is, his “biggest mistakes” wetting his pants while I am proud, judgmental, pessimistic, unforgiving, slothful and hypocritical (not all at once and not all the time, mind, but still—all weaknesses I struggle with). While being a mother to Caleb is still tough, he is a bright spot in my life.

James-ee-peasles

2011-03-22T10:08:00.001-07:00

Where do nicknames come from? Sometimes there is a reason, other times, none at all. BUT, our little man James has changed so much since the last time I really posted any pictures of him, I figured it was high time. Meet Mr. Fat and Happy.

James is a doll. Regularly, he will just laugh, for no apparent reason at all. Often he laughs because his big brother pays attention to him, which is, of course, his very most favorite thing.

You can see the adoration on his face in this photo. James LOVES his big brother.

James is an excellent little crawler these days and LOVES the warmer drawer of our oven. He hopped in all by himself. Sylvia Plath has nothing on him when it comes to time spent in the oven.

I love this happy little guy.

a Mother Heart

2011-01-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting much lately because, I guess despite your kind comments, I can't get over the feeling that no one cares much what projects I'm working on in my house or how James has had the runs for over 2 weeks now and his teeth aren't out yet, or even how Caleb has started big boy primary at church. I love hearing about YOUR stories, but for whatever reason, I have difficulty imagining that anyone gives a hoot that I'm neurotic when trying to decide what shade of green to paint the dining/living rooms. BUT, when something really important comes along, I feel this blog is an opportunity to spread the word in a forum unlike most others. I just looked at this blog's "followers," and realized I don't personally know about half of you. Which is fine. Unexpected, but welcome and flattering that even people who don't know me would be willing to read my tales or are interested in my tangents. Perhaps there are others still who may occasion this blog. So, for anyone of you reading this, or any others who hear about it from one of you, I have something to say.

I met a certain woman named Rachel over 8 years ago when as an 18-year-old, her grasp of the world and her role in it dynamically shaped my life. She was the president of the relief society I belonged to in our church and I was her second counselor. Without knowing what relief society really even was, she lived it. She served others, she loved others. She became dear friends with a woman she was "afraid of" because of this service. She told me of summers spent working at "handi-camp," summer camps for people with disabilities. She spent many late nights studying in the library and would then come home and go on a midnight or later run outside because it was her goal to run in a half marathon. She's a doer. She's a leader. She's an example of integrity and virtue. She works hard for everything she does and does not hold back. She gives willingly and goes beyond the extra mile in thoughtfulness. She's handled heartache and suffering with grace and patience, always waiting on the Lord, sure in His promises that all will be well. She's sincere and genuine and would probably never tell you any of this herself. Whether or not she knows it, I have looked up to this woman for many years. This woman has a mother heart. And yet, she is unable to have children. Despite painful procedures and discouraging fertility treatments, she and her sweet, steady, hardworking husband have been unable to have a baby on their own. Undaunted, they were just as eager to adopt as to conceive naturally, but adopting has also had its obstacles and they have not yet received a child. I know of no one more deserving, or more ready to be a mother. In her heart, she is a mother already. If any of you need, or know someone who needs a mother for her child, I can think of no one better. Working together, perhaps we can bring a little more love and a little more security into the life of a precious child. Rachel and Ryan's adoption button link can be found on this blog. Check out her adoption profile. See for yourself and then, if able, pass this message on.

Love you, Rach.

Joy School

2010-09-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

Caleb started Joy School a bit over a month ago. I was a little nervous to let my baby (he says he’s a big boy…whatev) go to school. After all, once he starts in 2 years, he’ll be going to school for YEARS (who’s with me?) and why did he need to start now? Well, I went to the meeting to find out about it and felt strongly that Joy School was for me as much as for him. Now, I know what you’re thinking. I don’t mean that the 2 hours twice a week with only one child to manage was for me, though that is an appreciated fringe benefit. No, I mean that I needed to be associated with the other women whose children were also in this Joy School For the uninitiated, Joy School is a mother’s co-op preschool. Each child’s mother teaches Joy School for a week on a rotating basis. Five kids equals a five week rotation with each mother taking her turn at teaching. We have 6 kids in our little “school,” and their mothers are fabulous. I’m already impressed by these women, their skills and their ambitious drive to be stellar mothers to their children.

This week was my week to teach. On Tuesday by 11:00am, I was EXHAUSTED! Six children 4 and younger for 2 hours is even more tiring than it sounds! BUT! Today was better. We had a great time at the playground enjoying nature—and eating chocolate rice krispie treats.

Here are the kids in action.

Caleb’s first time ever playing Duck, Duck, Goose. Didn’t totally get it, but loved it just the same.

Why does Caleb have his pants down, you wonder? Well, after filling up the pockets of his jeans with gravel from the playground, his pants were weighed down and hanging off his booty. In an effort to remove the gravel FROM his pockets, he reached in, further pushing his pants off of his skinny bum. So, keeping them down around his ankles made much more sense than continually pulling his sagging pants up. It’s logical. Really. It was also broad daylight in the middle of a public park.

Caleb ADORES Joy School. He’s having a blast with the kids, making new friends and, despite this picture, learning more social skills. Now, if only we could keep his pants up.

Jonathan’s health

2010-09-08T15:40:00.001-07:00

Jonathan was in the hospital for a total of 10 days after one ridiculous discharge where we took him back about 7 hours after he was sent home. Ten days is so much shorter than the full month that he was in the hospital last time that we are counting ourselves grateful. Truly, last time’s experience has made this trial much easier because it is in the perspective of what COULD have happened and what in fact did happen three years ago.

So, he’s home and trying to regain strength. I think one of the biggest hardships about this illness is that it lingers. He wasn’t back to full health last time for a VERY long time. The pleuracy in his chest last time lasted almost until this episode hit—but last time he had pneumonia to boot, so I don’t expect his recovery will be quite that long this time.

He has been home for a week and a half now and has gone to work every working day since. He comes home exhausted and sore, but, bless him, feels strongly motivated to provide for our little family and makes the extreme effort to be there every day.

But, he is still ill. He hasn’t seen much improvement since his discharge. His homework this week with the rheumotologist has been to lower his medication doses, but he was unsuccessful in the attempt. The symptoms came on much stronger when he tried to lower. He has another appointment today, so hopefully the doc will have some alternative plans/treatments to try.

We want to thank each one of your for your prayers on our behalf. We know the Lord is mindful of us and are so grateful for the understanding that our afflictions will not last and will one day come to an end. Thank you for your support. Please let us know what we may ever do for you. We would be privileged to return the favor.

Relapse

2010-08-26T22:54:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know/remember, in the spring of 2007, Jonathan mysteriously got very ill. He was a healthy 25-year-old studying for finals when he began having severe unexplained muscle pain and weakness. Not knowing what we were dealing with, he was taken to a Quick Care facility and from there ambulanced to the worst hospital in these the United States of America (no joke. I’ve had better health care in rural Bolivia. Don’t let anyone you love or even don’t like go to UMC Hospital in Las Vegas). He was there in ICU for a week after the muscle pain spread to his respiratory muscles and was unable to breathe without an oxygen forcing mask. He had pneumonia. That much we knew, but we did not know what was causing the pain and weakness.

As I was days from delivering Caleb, we were more than anxious to have him discharged from the hospital and the doctors there were happy to oblige because they didn’t know what to do for him anyway. Ten days after admission he was released home. Three days later, Caleb was born and the night we took Caleb home from the hospital, Jonathan was re-admitted.

Needless to say, this was a very challenging, dark time for our family. Jonathan felt helpless and scared that he would not become well. He had had one attack so severe that if it had not been for the thought of his wife and baby he might have given up the painful struggle to breathe. Gratefully, he endured the pain until the pain meds came—one hour and 45 minutes after being in level 10 out of 10 chest pain. This shattered his confidence and terrified him that the doctors and nurses under whom he was receiving “care” would let him die—right there in a hospital bed.

For three weeks Jonathan received very strong antibiotics that made everything taste like metal. He received a “pericardial window” where a chest tube was inserted to relieve the vast amounts of fluid that was accumulating around his heart. Needles were used to remove the fluid from his lungs. Finally he was receiving treatment; however, the initial concern of the severe muscle pain and weakness was not being addressed and Jonathan was beginning to waste away. Nearing the end of his hospital stay, he was down 20-25 pounds of muscle. His muscles seemed to be melting and no one could explain it. He had a muscle biopsy and every possible blood test there is. We didn’t know the cause and therefore didn’t know how to treat. One of the most challenging days was when the hospital told him there was nothing more they could do. He would need to be discharged to a more advanced facility—the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. The problem? Mayo would not accept him as a transfer. What now? Where do you go when you’re not well enough to go home, the hospital is kicking you out and the better hospital won’t admit you?

Probably more in desperation than in inspiration, an infectious disease specialist determined that what Jonathan had could not be infectious. He had been on antibiotics for weeks and by then, any self-limiting virus would have worked its way through. His conclusion was that perhaps it was autoimmune. Autoimmune disorders come from the body’s own normal immune system response. The problem arises when the body begins attacking self instead of, or in addition to, foreign, invading cells. Therefore, the most common treatments are immunity suppressants that dampen the body’s immune system so that it will stop attacking self.

Jonathan began taking a corticosteroid known as prednisone immediately. We still didn’t know what he had, but finally we had a direction and a treatment worth a shot. Within five days or less, Jonathan was discharged and significantly on the road to recovery. He was down in the 130’s for weight, moved like a 90-year-old man and looked like a Holocaust victim the way each vertebrae in his back stuck out, but THIS was an improvement from his health in the hospital.

After a month in two different hospitals, two weeks as an outpatient at the Mayo Clinic and a visit to a specialist at the University of Utah, we still did not have a diagnosis for the sickness that nearly relieved us of my husband and child’s father. But, this was okay. As long as he was improving, I didn’t care what he had.

While the worst of the trial was over, this was a gift that kept on giving. After that, we were told we were denied for coverage and would have to pay the $250,000+ in medical bills ourselves. We very nearly filed bankruptcy. Jonathan was forced to take a year off from school because he could not continue in his courses until he had finished the prior courses—the very classes for which he was studying when the sickness began. It took him three months to have the strength enough to study for and take his semester’s finals and was too far behind to catch up. He would need to resume with the following year’s class. But perhaps worst of all, we didn’t know how to believe that good things could still happen. Believe it or not, this book you’re reading is the nutshell version of the events that went on. Even before this devastating sickness, 2007 had already brought us the death of a family member, a rollover high speed car accident (we left the freeway going over 70 and landed on the roof of the car), and the theft of my custom wedding ring among other challenges such as fears of our baby’s safety after he’d stopped moving in utero. After all of this and other things, we began to feel that only bad things could happen in our lives—that we should hope for good because it was only that much more heartbreaking when the inevitable trial persisted. This hopelessness lasted most of a year before we could finally begin to see the sunshine through the clouds.

Then, slowly, life began to turn around. Just because something went missing, that didn’t mean it was gone forever. Just because you felt a little anxious, it didn’t mean the worst possible thing really WAS about to happen. I began to see hopefulness and happiness again. Throughout all of it, I recognized Heavenly Father’s promises. I knew Jonathan would be well. I knew He must have had things He wanted us to learn through all of this. BUT, years later, I still wasn’t sure what.

Well, I’m still not sure of all He wanted us to gain through those darkest months of our lives. BUT, I do know some things and over three years later, I can honestly say I’m grateful for the lessons learned.

About a week and a half ago, Jonathan began relapsing. The muscle pain and weakness returned. After trying the steroids to suppress the symptoms, with no avail, Jonathan returned to the hospital. He has been there now since last Friday. They still don’t know what he has. His muscles are beginning to waste again. He is needing to endure pain and I am needing to step up things at home as well as with him to be the strength he needs me to be.

But, I can. I know now that I can. My perspective has grown immensely since those first dark days over three years ago. I know Heavenly Father did not simply lend us strength to endure, but in fact strengthened us. I know this time around is much easier to endure because the treatments of yesteryear—when administered in an IV and in connection with powerful pain medications--are working. It is easier—no question. But, if this had been the FIRST time instead of the relapse, I’m certain I would not be handling it as well as I am.

So, I’m grateful for growth. I’m grateful—not necessarily for trials—but for the opportunity and the integrity that develops in the hottest part of the fire. I know Heavenly Father’s promises are sure and do not doubt that though Jonathan’s condition may be chronic, he will endure and be healed. I know that the sealing power under which Jonathan and I were married is absolute and that we have used it to weld together in times of difficulty. I always loved my husband, but enduring trial together has made what was good and strong, enduring and unbreakable. This is but a small moment and I feel grateful to say that because we have been asked to endure much worse, this trial is very manageable. We are getting along fine and assured in the knowledge of God’s love, His power and His plan.

I know the strength of prayers and ask any who have read this verbose post if you would please add Jonathan and our little family to your prayers, we will all be blessed by it. Jonathan is improving and doing quite well on his medications, but is not ready to come home to us, which is of course where we would have him be.

In the meantime, I am so grateful. We have a blessed life. I’m grateful for the perspective enough to feel that as well as know it. And maybe this trial will reveal there was more to learn, but I’m thankful for some understanding that the last time didn’t break me, but did in fact make me stronger.

Newfangled

2010-07-28T14:40:00.001-07:00

So, I bought a computer today. A week and a half ago, the hard drive on our old buddy poofed and left us internet-less which, sadly, is a major loss. What do we do without internet? I’ll tell you. Phone calls. I have called so many organizations that I never would have directly communicated with if I had had internet. Here’s to anonymity! :) We now have a computer that has a link on the desktop directly to my blog. Woah. I don’t know how to use most computer features, but making writing on my blog one step simpler MAY (or may not) increase my blog posts. At any rate, I’m back in the 21st century if anyone wants to shoot me an e-mail.

The DOCTOR is in

2010-07-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Shortly after my last post, we went on our merry way to Las Vegas, NV so that the hubs could graduate. I was 8.5 months pregnant and we were all hopeful that Mr. James would not arrive in Sin City. Caleb and I spent much of the first week in my in-laws house while Jonathan prepared his presentation of research--his culminating project required for graduation. Later, I went to St. George to visit Adam and his family in their new beautiful house there. THEN, thank you very much Steve and Jen, we stayed with some friends in Henderson for the last week of the trip--me sitting and doing very little trying to avoid going into labor.

On May 7th, Jonathan presented research and did a magnificent job. Following the research presentation, there was a smaller, more intimate graduation of sorts for all of the program's graduates where professors issued "Cords and Awards." The cords were decorative to be worn at graduation and then the department had a few awards to be given out to exceptional students. There were 23 students in J's graduating program and only maybe a half dozen awards, so we were trying not to be too expectant of anything. Jonathan won two. TWO! He received, with his 2 other group mates (bless them, but in comparison, they did VERY little), the "Best Research Award." This was definitely appreciated, given how much Jonathan did for this project. Then, there was sort of a "Favorite Student" award. It was the "faculty recognition award" and it went to the student the faculty wanted to recognize for their overall success in the program. Jonathan also received this award. I had tears in my eyes as he accepted it. He has worked so hard, and it's nice to see that others have noticed.

The next day, Jonathan walked at the graduation ceremony and was hooded a doctor. Very exciting. He said it actually caught him off guard what a cool thing it was to be hooded by his department chair.

I am so proud of Jonathan. He has worked incredibly hard since I have known him, to make this accomplishment. He has woken up often before 5am to study so that he could spend time with me and Caleb after classes. He has sacrificed material things so we didn't go into excessive debt. He has given up study time on Sundays so that he could dedicate the day to the Lord and to his family. He has been a model student and tremendous husband and father. I could not be prouder of his accomplishments and that I am his wife. He is amazing.

He took his licensure exam and passed with FLYING colors. What a blessing it is to see such hard work pay off and to see so many blessings come from his diligent work and service for our family.

I love you, Jonathan!

P.S. In comments--if anyone could PLEASE explain to me how to add a picture that shows up as a picture that I can move around and know what it is rather than trying to figure out the html--PLEASE HELP! Thanks!

Then there were FOUR

2010-07-15T14:54:00.001-07:00

After arriving home from Nevada, I was antsy to have this baby! I was so grateful he wasn't born on the road and was now fully ready for him to arrive. I started having regular, somewhat strong contractions on Sunday, May 9th. They were between 3-6 minutes apart and would be regularly 3 mins apart and then shift and for a half hour be 4 minutes apart, etc. This went on for HOURS. I had my midwife appointment the next day and was hoping it would shake things loose, but, this didn't work either. My friend Kindra recommended coconut spice chocolate chip cookies from the Cookie Shoppe in town. They were amazing, but I can't say they brought James along either. Finally, on Friday, May 14th, I decided I'd run some errands with Caleb to finish final preparations for James. I went and bought a nighgown that I could wear at the hospital after the baby was born that would cover my backside. --Word to the wise--Modest nightgowns are ugly. Can we get someone on this major oversight, please? Anyway...

While in the store, I started feeling contractions--not unusual. I had been having them steadily and strongly since Sunday. HOWEVER, THESE contractions were different and I knew it. I wasn't timing them because I was running errands. :) I finished what I was doing, and when I got back home, I started making cookies to give to the nurses at the hospital because I was quite confident I would be heading to the hospital that night.

With cookies in the oven, I sat down to eat dinner, but really wasn't able to. The contractions were getting severe enough that they were what I needed to focus on.

We got Caleb in the bath and were hoping to have him down for the night before we left so our rush to leave and the pained look on my face wouldn't freak him out. We were unsuccessful in this as well. They were getting strong and I had heard a story of a woman delivering in the car on the way to the hospital and I didn't want to repeat this. The hospital was about a half hour away, so it was time to go.

We arrived at the hospital at around 8:40pm on Friday. My contractions were intense, but bearable. I "dressed down" and then the monitors were put on and the nurse checked my progress. I was at 6 cm dilated and fully effaced. Nice. The midwife was called and told it was legit, so she needed to come in.

DISCLAIMER: The following is MY story. It's my experience and my opinion for me and in no way reflects all midwives or all OB's or all deliveries with or without an epidural.

I had decided before I got pregnant with James, that with Baby #2, I would not have an epidural. I had been induced with Caleb AND had an epidural. It was great. I could NOT feel pain really at any point after 7 cm when the epidural was administered. How can pain free be bad?! However, for me, I felt that I needed to know the bitterest of the bitter in terms of labor pain to enjoy the sweetest of the sweet when my baby was born. It was would be worth the pain to experience that moment.

At a 6, I was in pain, but still holding up well pain-wise. My midwife came in around 9:30 and checked my progress. Slow--and steady. I asked her if I could get into the labor tub. I had not been cleared for (or had been planning on) water birth, but at this hospital, there are labor tubs where I can labor but have to deliver in the bed. I chose this hospital SPECIFICALLY for this feature. My midwife told me around 9:30 that there were hardly be any point in getting in because I'd have to get right back out to have this baby. This continued for 15-30 minutes or so when I had a doozy contraction that kicked things in to high gear. Up until now, we'd been laughing between contractions. A nurse who I didn't know and had never met waltzed into the room and we sort of had a laugh at the blase attitude of labor and delivery nurses. "Who cares that you're naked? Who cares that this is the day your son is born? All in a day's work for me." After this big contraction, it took everything I had to have this baby. It was the weirdest thing. During the middle of the contraction, I could not STAND talking. ANYONE talking. Hearing voices was like fingernails on a chalkboard. The nurses were asking Jonathan questions for paperwork and he would silently whisper back answers while holding me. This was our routine. Contraction would let up. I would rest and Jonathan would field questions, get ice, etc. The contraction would come back on within 30-90 seconds. I would say, "I need you!" Jonathan would rush to my side, hold me in a hug while I moaned and labored--no words--and the cycle would repeat.

I can't explain what it felt like. Enduring. I hate to be melodramatic. I had heard of women who would shout out, "I'm dying!" in the middle of labor and always thought this was way over the top. No, you're not dying. You're having a baby. Without this way analytical, Type A side to depend on in labor, I may have easily come to this same conclusion. I have broken a leg, had appendicitis and had a kidney stone and I had not had pain that could TOUCH the last bit of labor before pushing. I've never HAD to yell out in pain before. In this case, I could not help it. SO...to all you women not yet mothers who are right now wondering why they read this post--epidurals are available and they do work.

I was out of strength, but my water still had not broken. My midwife offered to break it for me, but I was already in so much pain, I suppose I was afraid of actual delivery. How could I handle more? In hindsight, I should have had her break my water. I digress.

Around 11:10-11:15, I agreed to have her break my water. I felt the gush of warm wet and then the "AAH! I HAVE TO PUSH!" feeling. Immediately I started going into shock. My arms and legs, face and everything not in my CORE started shaking and feeling like it was out of oxygen. I was trying to breathe as much as possible because this tingly feeling all over my body was frightening. I feared James wasn't getting enough to breathe and felt if I wasn't careful I was going to pass out. I have a history of fainting and was scared of passing out while I was supposed to be delivering a baby. However, pushing and breathing don't co-exist well. My midwife kept yelling at me to push--not breathe. Pushing was such a unique experience. The pain of pushing the baby out was actually significantly LESS painful than the "transition labor" I had just endured. However, I could feel my flesh tearing as I was pushing. Because of my frequent need to breathe, James started coming out, and then would go back in. Out, then back in (Cue Marlin :D) I know that's less efficient, but the shaking and tingling in my body was unexplained to me and very frightening. Following yells from my midwife and encouragement and reassurance from my husband, AND a need for labor to end, I pushed and pushed and pushed and out came a full head of goopy hair. I could feel my midwife holding my body trying to keep the flesh together as I pushed out his shoulders, but I knew the only way to get him out was through. Tearing or not, tingling or not, it had to come to an end. With another very intense pushing set, his shoulders and body were delivered.

My body shuddered as the rest of the blood and fluid gushed out. I began to cry in relief. The sound I didn't hear, however, was James crying.

The thing I had missed most of all about Caleb's delivery was him being immediately placed on my chest after being born. I wanted this so much. In James' case, they assured me he would go straight from delivery to my arms, but such was not the case. I'm grateful for the Spirit of God that assured me my baby was okay in those first moments. Although I hadn't heard him cry, I wasn't afraid. Within very few minutes, the nurses had him rubbed down, pink and perked up. In the nurse's words, "he was shockey." The intensity of his fast and furious delivery had been just as tough on him as on me. At 11:23pm, May 14, 2010, James Jonathan arrived. 8lbs., 1.5 ounces and 20.5" long. Perfect. He was beautiful right from the start.

I was not so pretty. :) It took about 50 minutes following delivery to be sewn up. I had broken blood vessels over my whole body from the intensity of pushing--most especially on my face, neck and shoulders. I'm sure I was pushing WRONGLY. I know. All I can say is--I did the very best I could.

My father-in-law opened up a tiny window of understanding for me--and hopefully not a sacreligious one--when he compared my experience to our Savior, Jesus Christ. I in NO WAY WHATSOEVER endured anything remotely like the extent of what our Redeemer endured in performing his infinite and eternal atonement, suffering the sins and pain and sorrow of all mankind. I can't stress that enough. That said, under the pain and pressure of what He endured, He bled from every pore. The pores over my face, neck and chin as well as shoulders and back each had dots of blood (under the skin--sort of like pin prick blood blisters) where the vessels broke from the pressure of delivery. That tiny insight and the understanding that even the most pain I have ever endured is not anywhere close to His suffering, has given me more appreciation for His sacrifice for me. His is a matchless gift.

The next day, Caleb came with Grandma A and Grandpa to meet Sweet Baby James. Caleb LOVES him. He is such a sweet big brother. I thought he would be extremely jealous, but it seems the one thing he has relative patience for, is "his" baby, James. We are so blessed.

So, the breakdown. Epidurals or not. Midwives or OB's. I've decided that these choices are ENTIRELY individual. I think my reasons for going completely naturally were good and valid reasons. I think having an epidural to avoid the pain of natural labor is also completely okay. It's great, even. I think OB's can be understanding, thoughtful, kind, and background to the more important person here--the patient. I think they can be cold and unfeeling and clinical. I think midwives can be nurturing and help each step of the way. I think they can be thoughtless and heartless when annoyed by their novice patients. I think if you have a good practitioner--whether obstetrician or midwife--stick with that practitioner! As for me, I think I'm going to shop around and see if I can find a practitioner I like regardless of letters and titles. I also think I'm really glad I delivered James naturally. I needed to know I could. I needed to know I could survive it and to not FEAR it anymore. I also think next time--epidural. Yes, please. :)

So back to James: we love you. You are joy in our lives. You bring greater balance, and greater love to our family. Thank you, for being mine.

OUR HOUSE!

2010-04-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

ADVISEMENT! This post is long, but awesome and full of awesome stories and pictures and WORTH IT! :)

As some of you may know, we recently went up to Richland, WA for house hunting purposes. We had 2 1/2 days to find a house, put in an offer and get the paperwork started on our first home. It was a lofty goal, but we'd done every ounce of research we could from 2 states away and we were READY for the challenge.

We arrived at the Tri-Cities Airport on Tuesday at about 2:30 and by 3:30pm we were looking at houses. We saw 13 HOUSES in one afternoon/evening. Our agent had snacks and water in the car and we just pushed it! We saw a lot of great houses, took a zillion pictures of each, pages of notes and kept it all neatly in our 3-rin binder with page covers. Our level of organization may have been unprecedented in the history of the Becca.

At any rate, 34 week preggers Becca was THOROUGHLY exhausted by the time we finished our search at 8:45pm. I went back to the hotel and collapsed while Jonathan got us something to eat. From there, we stayed up late and went through the process of narrowing 13 to 3. From henceforth they shall be dubbed, "Best House," "Best Price," and "Best Neighborhood." Now, this is not to say that each of the others was not a good house, price or neighborhood, but these were the things that most set apart each from the others.

In the morning, without our agent, we decided to go back through the neighborhoods and decide if we could get a better sense of where we wanted to be. Afterall, we've always said that neighborhood was VERY important to us. In doing this, we felt pretty strongly about "Best Neighborhood" house and concluded that unless we went to the other houses and felt very strongly about them, this would be our choice.

We met with our agent and started out the morning at "Best House." And, it was awesome. The house really was rad. 4 bed, 3 full bath with a large downstairs bed/bath perfect for guests. The laundry room was upstairs with all the bedrooms eliminating the need for carrying many loads of laundry up and down stairs regularly. The yard was FANTASTIC on (I think) something slightly over a quarter acre. The front of the house was adorable AND it had a "Bonus Room" (separate from a living/family/ or formal dining room, all of which the house had) that could be a play room or even an extra bedroom should the need for family or guests arise.

BUT, despite this house's awesomeness, it did not inspire, and so, we moved on. To "Best Neighborhood." This was the house I thought we would put an offer on--so why was I so irritated when we got there? I'll tell you why. The house had a hot tub. Did it come with the sale? Nope. It had a swingset in the backyard. Did it come with the sale? No, sir. It had a nice fridge, washer and dryer. None of which made the cut. YET, this house was the most expensive. As some of you know, I pay full price for NOTHING. I MUST have a deal, so to pay the most for something when they weren't even giving me the whole package was seriously disturbing to consider.

We went to lunch with our agent to mull it over.

To "Best Price." This one was one of Jonathan's picks and the day previous, it had been one of our last houses and I wasn't terribly impressed. So, when we got there and I was floored, needless to say, I was surprised. I LOVED the kitchen! It also had a great yard, but what's more, immediately behind the yard was a quiet street and then a large community park. So, when the kids are littles, they can play in the good sized backyard, and then when they're more school-aged, you put in a gate in the backyard which opens them up to an entire park for a backyard. All of which is visible from the kitchen window. Love. PLUS, as its title would suggest, this house had the significantly best price, which clearly is an advantage of its own.

Conflicted. I didn't know what to do. I thought I was pretty sure about the "Best Neighborhood" house, but now I had a new host of worries. Was it irresponsible to buy a more expensive house when this house was also good and at a lower cost? Where I thought I had a decision, I now felt like I was back at square one, but without any more tricks up my sleeve for coming to a better conclusion. BTW, Jonathan felt exactly the same as I did. We were worn out, frustrated, and afraid that after everything, we'd leave from this trip no sooner to finding OUR HOUSE than when we got there.

All of this had been done with a serious amount of prayer. We truly believed (and still do) that the Lord would guide us in making this decision that would affect our family in so many ways. Jonathan looked up phone numbers for the Bishops of the two wards (for "Best Price" and "Best Neighborhood") and called them, but was able to get a hold of neither in the middle of a workday on a Wednesday afternoon.

We went back to our hotel to weigh options while our agent nervously chomped at the bit wanting us to put in our offer before the end of the day (because we were flying out the next day). After much prayer, concern, a few tears and a LOT of confusion, we decided we would go back by the houses and talk to the neighbors; find out what kind of people lived there and if we felt like we could fit in to the neighborhood. I remembered once at BYU when I was looking for an apartment (incidentally, the apartment where I lived when Jonathan and I met and started dating), that I went to the complex even though I had been there before and had rejected it, so that I could talk to the residents and see if it felt like a right fit. Because I met the neighbors, I knew it was the right place for me. I bought a contract, moved in, met the sweetheart of my life and happily married well over 4 1/2 years later. BUT, I digress. My point is, we wanted to meet the neighbors. Then Jonathan asked, "What if we meet the only punk neighbors on the whole block?" I said, "Jonathan, if it's right, God will lead us to good people."

We decided to go first to "Best Neighborhood." We drove by the house, loved how cute it was with the pink blossomed trees lining the street in front of it and admiring that it was only about 4 houses down from an adorable community park when Jonathan spotted some people getting out of their car in the driveway and thought he preferred talking to someone outside rather than knocking on their door, so we pulled over. I was finishing some things in the car, so he jogged over alone to talk to the guy about the area. The guy was a guy about our age who said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't live here. I'm just visiting. This is my parents' place. I'll get my mom." A pleasant looking, middle-aged woman came out and started telling Jonathan how GREAT the neighborhood was and what a great place it was to live and raise kids. About this time, I walked up and almost immediately noticed a big block "Y" in the back window of the son's car. Almost interrupting I asked, "Are you LDS?" to which she said, "Yes. I was wondering if you were. Actually, my husband is the bishop of the ward here."

Seriously?!!

They invited us into their home and spoke of their WONDERFUL ward with a large active youth, primary program and 2 nurseries. They spoke of the wonderful young families who live right there on that street with children in similar age to our own. They said how excited they would be to have us in the ward if we chose to live there.

We left their house with joy in our hearts and gratitude for the Lord's tender mercies that led us to these good people and our obvious decision.

Jonathan asked if we should go meet the neighbors at the other place at which time I said, "Why tempt God?" We had already received our answer, our witness, and now even, our sign. :)

We put an offer in on the house.

The sellers were in England and it was already the middle of the night there by the time we put in our offer here, but we woke up the next morning to a counter offer which we immediately countered and they immediately accepted.

UNDER CONTRACT!!

Now, for some of you nay sayers, yes this house was the most expensive, but it was still CONSIDERABLY less than what we were approved for and is still a price range where we feel comfortable and will not overly strap our family for financial resources. AND, we didn't pay full asking price at that...in case you were concerned.

And it's almost ours. We LOVE it already. It's funny to think how trying it was to come to the decision when now we feel like it was so obviously the right choice all along. How blessed we feel to be able to get into a house, and even more so into a house that we love in an area we feel GREAT about (literally about a half mile away from the Columbia River Temple and in great school districts). We KNOW the Lord was with us and guided us and led us to wonderful things. Our hearts are full of gratitude.

Now, without futher ado--

OUR HOUSE!

28 days

2010-04-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

(This post was written 8 days ago and then I delayed posting it because I wanted to make sure everyone had seen the post about the house. Current status? T-20 days 'til due) And...OOPS... I had pics to go with but now I'm in Nevada and the pics aren't on this computer. I promise I'll post belly pics--eventually.

No, this is not a movie about rehab.

THIS! Is 36 weeks pregnant! I have 4 weeks from this day--28 days--until Mr. James is due to arrive. While it may or may not BE 28 days, my body, that feels like it's closer to 9 1/2 months pregnant than 8, will be more than ready to welcome little man into the world in 28 days.

I think it's all part of the divine Plan. We are BLESSED to be so supremely uncomfortable by the time the baby is ready to be delivered that we are willing to go through AN-Y-THING, even labor and delivery, to not be pregnant anymore.

So, I'm grateful to be uncomfortable. Maybe it will give me the strength to deliver this little guy. After all, this is the next great adventure--having a baby WITHOUT an epidural. Yup, you read that right. Assuming no complications or emergencies, I will be drug free (it's the way to be [a la many years of Red Ribbon Week in elementary school]). So, wish me luck. In 28 days (more or less) I will NOT be pregnant anymore. YAY!

Stressers

2010-03-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends.

WOW. So. You know those tests you can take that can determine your stress level based on what is going on in your life? For instance, check any boxes that apply to you:

Are you changing jobs? Check.

Are you moving? Out of state? Check. Double check.

Are you having a baby? Yes sir! Check.

Do you live with relatives? Check. Now, this isn't a cap on my folks. It's just a matter of fact that living with other people is more stressful than having a place of your own.

Are you making a major, life-altering purchase such as--your first home? CHECK!

Anyway, you get the idea. The good news is, at least they're all GOOD major, enormous changes in our lives. I mean, we don't have to check the box that says, "death in the family," or anything. We're actually extremely grateful and excited for all that is happening, but it sure is a little nuts. Here is how it's going down.

Jonathan finishes up his last clinical affiliation this week and then has a few weeks off to study and prepare to take his licensure exam before he's licensed to practice in the STATE OF

WASHINGTON!

Yep. But, I'll get to that.

Then, at the end of April we head down for the 10 hours drive to graduation with the woman who is nearly 37 weeks pregnant and the almost three-year-old in the car (yeah. Wish us luck!)

Then, Jonathan presents his research (which is currently under review for publication---way to go, hubs!!) and graduates and then we immediately bust a move back home, hoping that I do not go into labor at any time prior to returning home (at about 39 weeks pregnant). Here's hoping!

Then, baby happens!

(I'm down for the count after this, so insert me packing and preparing to move prior to baby happening.)

Jonathan takes his majorly huge, everything-rides-on-this, licensure exam (no pressure!!).

THEN, probably Jonathan will need to go up to WA, start working and sign documents on our house and the kids and I will be able to move up around the middle of June.

WHEW! As you can see, a lot of this is speculation because many of these things are not yet finalized (when we'll be in our house, when the baby is born, when J will be ready for the exam, etc.) but needless to say, the next 3 months are going to be a bit hairy. AND AWESOME!

We're working on pre-approval for a house, which our mortgage loan officer assures us should go through without a hitch and thoroughly enjoying looking at houses in our soon to be home---Tri-cities, WA! The three cities are Kennewick, Richland and Pasco, and while we're not sure which we'll end up in for sure, we like Richland the best. It is on the south-eastern side of the state and from what we hear, about 2-3 hours from Spokane. They boast over 300 sunny days a year, so don't think Seattle---this is a DIFFERENT side of Washington. We're VERY excited.

And, because you've been waiting 3 months for this post, I will spill the other beans. Our little boy has a name! Not a middle name yet--we're still working on it. BUT, little man #2 shall be known hence forth and forever as James Wright. He already seems like a good baby and we're looking forward to seeing him in the next 7 weeks or so (yup! 33 weeks along!).

As for pics. Please forgive. We did finally get a new camera, but our computer has issues hooking up to my parents' wireless connection, so we've been using my mom's laptop and I haven't wanted to upload all of the software onto this computer that is not ours. SO, look forward to pictures...later. For now, enjoy my magical story telling (BAH!) in word form only and I will submit pics as possible.

Now, suggestions for how to make all of these transitions smoother? Yes, please.

BOY!!

2009-12-31T07:18:00.001-08:00

Our internet access has been spotty at best on our delightful vacation and so I thank you for your patience. We had the ultrasound and it is most definitely a BOY! We're excited for Caleb to have a buddy and are grateful that the ultrasound suggests we'll be having him LATER instead of SOONER (since Jonathan's graduation is at an inopportune time). We had strong feelings this little guy was a a guy even though this pregnancy has been weirdo to the max (I've been able to feel individual kicks and movements since before 16 weeks! No joke!). So, there you have it. Man-child #2 on the way!

It's a---!!!

2009-12-18T23:12:00.001-08:00

Well, beautiful darlings, we know what we are having. We had a lovely time at the ultrasound office yesterday; we have pictures and even video that will be forthcoming. And now, I must apologize. I know I am such a tease, and honestly, this wasn't the plan from the beginning, but my dear hubs has a chance to see his whole family in a matter of days (what with Christmas happening again this year) and he would prefer to tell his family in person. As I cannot monitor that his sisters and parents will NOT be looking at our blog, I must keep the big news out of the public ether until then. I KNOW!!!! I'm sorry!! BUT--if you're dying to know (I know--I'm so vain), you may send me an e-mail or facebook message or SOMETHING, and I will personally inform you of the news--assuming you are not a relative of the hubs. Please forgive our mind games and look forward to the announcement next week.

Much love,

Mommy Becca

Time for the straw poll

2009-12-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm over 18 weeks along already and we have an early ultrasound scheduled for Thursday morning, so it's time to put your votes in NOW! :) Are we having Baby Man #2, or Little Lady #1? Put your votes in now! And watch for the big reveal on Thursday (or Friday)! :)

I'm not crafty or creative

2009-11-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

Being a stay-at-home mom with one kiddo affords me a fair amount of down time such as when he is sleeping, or even when he is playing I could be working on something. BUT, I'm not very crafty. I don't "get" scrapbooking; I don't peruse Pottery Barn catalogs for ideas. I am a terrible seamstress. I burn microwave popcorn and do NOT know how to correctly dip anything in chocolate. It always comes out weird looking. Yep, this is my confession. I'm not all that crafty, creative or handy. I make hearty food that tastes good enough and will fill you up, but it won't win awards. Sometimes I forget to dust. And I have no interesting way to tell you that I'm pregnant. Yup. I'm through the first trimester and due May 16. I heard the baby's heartbeat today and he or she was kicking the doppler, so yeah, it's Caleb's sibling all right. But, unfortunately, I have no interesting way to tell you. So there. :)

What's up in Reno, y'all

2009-09-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here's when we had been married for FOUR years and decided to celebrate it at this schmancy Italian restaurant. My dinner=AMAZING. Jonathan's? Not so much.

"Oh, Mom. Did you mean to keep these streamers ON the wall?"

Shakespeare at Tahoe also=awesome. We saw Much Ado About Nothing with costumes and music set in WWII era. Our super cheap seats were in the sand--yes--sand. There is STILL sand in those shoes.

Homes of the Reno Aces! Caleb had a great time until the mascot dude starting getting near us. "Home! Go Home!! All done!" He was not a fan of the weird lookin' furry dude.

Can you blame him? As one Aces fan said, "He's a cross breed between Jabba the Hut and Elmo." What IS this guy?

Not Awesome

Anyway, we're having fun in Reno. Wish you were here!

Proud of my Mama

2009-09-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hello READERS! My Mom, the amazing and talented Susan Aylworth, has just released her 8th novel, RIGHT CLICK, her first for an LDS audience. It is a sweet romance about a girl who's been jaded and needs to learn to find forgiveness before she can find true love. It's sweet without being cheesy and if you have some down time because you're nursing, or pregs and too sick to do anything else, or if you just want to read more than "Goodnight Moon," check it out. It's available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, through Covenant Communications and Deseret Book. Enjoy!
Deseret Book's synopsis

Four years, by Mrs. "Right"

2009-08-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

For the sake of anonymity, the "byline" has been modified...

Four Years

Four years of Silly
Four years of Play
Four years of Serious on those "important" days

Four years of Dates
Four years of Chores
Four years later and we're still not bored

Four years of weekends
Four years of School
Four years together and I still think you're cool.

Four years of kisses
Four years of Love
Four years of marriage isn't nearly enough.

Howdy, partner

2009-07-11T16:47:00.001-07:00

I'm not even going to tell you where this is, or when we were there. If you know, you know. If not, I'm not going to confess how old this is and how long ago I should have posted this. Jonathan is out with the Bug right now, so I have a minute, and I'm all caught up doing what I have to do. To my loyal followers...this one's for you!

This is one of Caleb's rare quiet moments playing with the "flower."

There were tractors of every color and C could NOT get enough of them. "Giddyapp!!"

I don't know what this actually is, but Caleb was having a blast playing this bongo drum.

Howdy, Buckaroo!

Warming up to this cow.

Did any of you new moms feel like this? "Somebody milk me!!! PLEASE!!!"

Birthday Boy!

2009-05-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Caleb had his birthday on Sunday and has been celebrating since Saturday. Grandma and Papa came to visit on Saturday. We played at the park for a couple of hours while the big kids played Bocce Ball:

And Caleb played with the umbrella stroller (seriously, pushing things around is how he wants to spend his time at the park).

Then we tried to go to a carnival, but it wouldn't open for a couple more hours.

Then Caleb man got spoiled--I mean LOVED--by many birthday presents (thank you Grandma and Papa Wright). And THEN he seriously needed a nap!

When he woke up he got to open his presents:

Tasting his gifts. "Not bad. Needs cheese."

He looks like he's playing silent football with his new little Caleb-sized ball.
He had a super fun Saturday.

Then on Sunday, I had made rice krispie treats for his nursery class, so he was very popular. After church, we had friends over and Caleb got to play and open even MORE presents. Then he blew out his birthday candle and had brownies and ice cream with buddies (thanks again for coming over, guys!).

I can't believe how much our little man has grown in the past year. Jonathan's mom did this for him and I just loved the idea, so each year I'm writing a snapshot letter to Caleb (and future children as they come) of what they were like this last year and what things make them special. Here's a look at Caleb at age 2.

Sunday, May 3, 2009
Dear Caleb,
It's a bit difficult to imagine that it's been two years since you joined our family. You have had your share of trials and more in your second year of life, but when you smile, or laugh, or sing, or skip, your joy is infectious. You've had recurring acid reflux, you've sprained your left knee, you've been to the ER for dehydration after you got your first terrible stomach flue, and, most recently, we've discovered that you're probably lactose intolerant. Nope; it hasn't been an easy year. But you know what, Caleb? You are a special son of God and He is always aware of you. He allows the Adversary to test you and try you because you are strong and He is preparing you for good and great things.

Caleb, you are so smart! You amaze me every week with the new words and phrases you come up with. You had a little delay in speech. You seemed to start catching on to what we were saying at about 15 months old and we took you to specialists who said you were 30% behind. You were just a late bloomer, but my have you blossomed! We get comments from everyone on how impressive you are. You have probably over 100 words. You're starting to really put together words. Your favorite phrase is, "Hold you?" meaning that you want me to hold YOU. Perhaps most impressive, you know the entire alphabet. You often sing the Alphabet Song to yourself. It's your favorite song because you know all the words. At the end you sing, "Now my know my ABC's..." You also can say and correctly identify all numbers from 1-10 and know most of the numbers from 11-20. You regularly count objects and we clap for you because you make us so proud.

You are so funny and make us laugh all the time. Another phrase you say all the time is, "I GOT you, Mommy (or Daddy)" and then you'll tickle us or tackle us. You love to tickle anyone or anything. You even want to tickle Grandma Wright's horse!

You LOVE babies! We tend baby Marshall and you still get excited to see him every day. Whenever we see babies anywhere, you want to hug, kiss and tickle the babies. You LIGHT UP and get super excited whenever you see a baby. We've asked you if you want to have a baby of your own in our family and you nod your head and grin. In fact, when we've asked, you've gotten excited and said, "Sis-dah" which we can only figure means "sister." We don't know how you even learned this word. You've made your prediction, so we'll see if your prediction (or wish) comes true.

You still LOVE music. You go to sleep listening to primary songs on CD and ask us to "SING!" all the time. You love to listen to songs in the car, or other times at home you'll ask for songs. You'll even dance (the wiggle dance...while saying "Wiggo-wiggo-wiggo"), you like to play ring around the rosies, and you'll sing your version of "Skip to my Lou" as you high step around the living room.

You LOVE Elmo and the movie "Cars." Anything that is like the "Mater-truck" you just adore. You love buses, trains, semi and pick-up trucks and planes. You also really love dogs.

You're still a Mama's boy, but you get excited when Daddy comes home. You love both sets of grandparents and love playing with "buddies" (when you see kids anywhere you say, "Hi buddies!"). You give great "squeeze-hugs" and kisses and love to read books while you sit on our lap.

We love you, Caleb. You are such a fun, sweet boy. You get more and more fun the older you get and we can't wait to see the boy and man you will become.

Love,
Your mother

Mischief

2009-04-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Note to self: never EVER leave Caleb unattended with crayons. Even for a minute! Note to everyone else: Magic Erasers are a life saver!

Also, Caleb has taken to caring for his own needs lately (for better or for worse). While I was finishing getting ready one morning, Caleb came into the bathroom and asked me for some milk. I told him I'd be happy to get him some when I was finished getting ready in just a few minutes. This was, apparently, unsatisfactory for Caleb who took matters into his own hands. He opened the fridge and from the top shelf pulled out a completely full, brand new gallon of milk (is anyone else thinking of Bam Bam?). Trouble was, once he pulled it off the shelf, he couldn't hold it anymore and it fell to the ground creating waves of 1% milk through the kitchen.

I love the look on his face. "What?!"

After several towels, removal of the refrigerator, and hands on knees scrubbing, I think I finally got it all. What a stinker!

Learning Emotions

2009-03-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

Caleb LOVES books! They often discuss deep topics such as dogs throwing a party at the top of a tree, or peer pressuring/annoying someone until they eat funny colored breakfast foods, saying good night to anything visible or Baby Goofy catching and losing the fish he and all his Disney pals were going to eat for lunch. However, on occasion, one book or another will mention concepts like "happy," "sad," or "surprised." We've been working with Caleb so he understands just what his favorite characters are FEELING. This is what he gets out of our mini-lectures:

Happy. He's wearing Dad's shoes, duh. What's not to be happy about?

Is it bad to say that my son's "sad face" is one of my favorite things?

And, of course, love. Though you can't see their faces, I assure you, Caleb LOVES baby Andlie (and all babies, but we won't tell Andlie that!). :)

Happiness

2009-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

My Funny Little Buddy

2009-02-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Caleb is getting more and more hilarious all the time! I do not know where he comes up with these things, but he is a sponge right now! All of a sudden, he knows several shapes, numbers and letters and will frequently point them out. He likes to count the number of items he has. How many sticks? "One...two!" He likes to collect sticks and pine cones on our trips to the park. I just love how big and fun he is getting. Some moms are Baby Moms. They love the baby phase of sleeping all the time, cuddling, dressing them up in their teeny things. Maybe it's because Caleb never slept or liked cuddling. Maybe it's because Caleb's teeny tiny baby-dom was sort of trumped by Jonathan being in the hospital and then post-hospital recovery. But, I'm pretty sure I like Caleb more and more as he gets older. He understands so much. He can communicate fairly effectively and he can be so sweet, helpful and affectionate. He gives the best hugs, the sloppiest zerberts (on your cheeks...or anywhere else he can find skin---your hands, arms, wherever), and he is super helpful. He puts things away, throws things in the trash, gets me a diaper when we need a clean one, helps me unload the dishwasher and generally just loves helping out. And though he CERTAINLY has a mind and certain habits of his own that we don't always love, he is really a pretty obedient child. I can ask him to come back toward me when he's getting too close to the road and he comes back. He folds his arms for prayer (for the most part), sits down and behaves. He still shrieks and isn't perfect. All I'm saying is that I'm grateful for my boy and how much more fun he is getting to be as he gets older and bigger. Babies just cry all the time! For no reason! They don't have any cool tricks. They can't give "high fives" or "rocks". They don't give hugs or kisses. They don't splash around all silly in the tub and have inside jokes with their daddies. The long and the short of it is: toddlers rule and babies drool. Am I alone in this? Does anyone else out there like toddlers more than babies??

Christmas #2

2009-01-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

The beautiful Christmas tree. We had to keep ornaments (especially candy canes) about 4 feet or higher due to the 9 children six or younger who were at my parents' house on Christmas day. Caleb was not too fond of the unavailable candy canes.

Caleb really got the handle on unwrapping things this year. "What next, Mom?"

This is our nephew Caden who is the cutest little construction worker we ever saw. The best part of this story is that everyone else was opening presents and no one could find anything with Caden's name on it. He kept asking where his present was and trying to remain calm I told him I was sure he had something under the tree. Most of the other kids had their presents unwrapped when we finally found his present (unnoticed before because it was actually humongous!). It was this huge black and decker set with something like 72 different pieces he can put together when he's building. He's definitely a little manly man.

Christmas #1

2009-01-26T08:09:00.003-08:00

Thanks, Mom and Dad Wright for the wonderful Christmas gifts and time together. Caleb loves his "kruck!"

Our amazing gingerbread house complete with sugar windows, icicles, awnings and a functioning door. Thanks, Marita!

Then, on the way from Hiko to Reno (on our way to California) there was a TON of snow! We had to drive slowly because apparently snow plows don't make the stretch of highway between Hiko and Rachel, NV a priority! :) Jonathan thought I was a dork for taking pictures of the cows, but literally we had to slow down to wait for the cows crossing. Could this be why the plows aren't busy here? There are more cows than cars?

'Member how Thanksgiving was two weeks ago?

2008-12-11T14:16:00.001-08:00

This was my first ever Thanksgiving where I was the boss and it was fun! I sort of expected to ruin at least one thing, but everything turned out, so I was really THANKFUL. Thank you especially to Barbara for all your Thanksgiving tips, to Jonathan for making a dynamite pie crust, to Marita for making the delish gravy, rolls and 2 pies....okay, so I know it doesn't sound like I actually did anything at all, but I promise I did. :) I just had good help. That's what a good boss does, right? It was also great to have Mom and Dad Wright as well as Mandy come visit us. Caleb LOVED having all the attention.

That's a good looking family!

That's a good lookin' spread!

That's a good lookin' bird!

And a good lookin' chef!

Thanks for coming! We loved having family come to see us. It meant a lot that you'd cram yourselves into our tiny little apartment just to share some time together. Love you!

More coming soon...

2008-12-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

I just downloaded all the pictures from Thanksgiving to the present, so more fascinating, adorable posts are coming soon. Until then--Christmas cards and more pressing, so if you haven't already sent me your snail mail address, you're going to want to do that. I have comment moderation on my blog, so you can put it right into a comment and I'll not post it, or you can e-mail me...either way. Send in your addies soon so I can get you our card. Love ya!

Famous

2008-11-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Friday. Yikes. Friday, I woke up early so I could drop off Caleb and be in line at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace by 7:30 to cash in on my standby tickets to see the Ellen DeGeneres show being filmed there on Friday afternoon. I was all ready to go. Dressed, looking cute---even did my hair people---BEFORE 7am!!! I had Caleb's things packed and ready to go, just needed to grab my wallet and move out. Wait, just gotta find my wallet. I know I had it yesterday. Let's see, where did I put that wallet? Is it in the car? Is it in my bags? FRANTIC. Is it in the dryer? The oven? Crisper? Under the bed? In the bathtub? When you have a toddler and something missing, that something can be ANYWHERE!!! But, after two hours of frantically searching and tearing up our apartment, the wallet was still very much missing and I did not know what to do. Keshia had been waiting in the standby line ALL MORNING (bless her) waiting for me to come so I could redeem the tickets...but if I didn't have an ID, I couldn't prove that I was the one who had ordered them. After about 2.5 hours of searching, something like 4 unanswered phone calls to Jonathan (he was working and had his phone off)and yes, a few tears, I finally decided that there was nothing I could do about the lost wallet, so I'd at least try to make the most of the rest of my day. Which meant I still needed ID to redeem my tickets. So, not having a driver's license, I started looking for my passport. I haven't needed my passport since our graduation cruise in May 2006, so it's been a while. A new search was on. I found Jonathan's passport, my international immunization record, money I had in China, a moneybelt...but no passport. Time was running out and I felt pretty defeated. Keshia called and said they were passing out tickets, so if I couldn't come right about NOW, she'd probably just better head home. But I still had no ID. Oh well. Life goes on. Just add on one more thing to this wretched day...but WAIT! Keshia called back about 5 minutes later with the news that her "schmoozer" mother-in-law had finnagled our tickets even without my ID, so, did I still want to come? Let's do it! Klisa drove so I wouldn't be illegal and we dropped off the Bug and headed to Caesar's Palace. We waited in line for about 4 more hours (nothing compared to the people who had been there since 3:30am) and were pretty sure we'd get tickets, but we had no idea we'd have some of the best in the house! We ended up sitting exactly in the center on the second row after the aisle. AMAZING seats! The energy was way up! Now, let me add a little explanation. I like Ellen's show. She's funny and she has a fun show and it's the first non-news, non-soap opera, non-judge show on all day. Since I don't watch the latter 2 at all, it's a nice change. I'm not a huge fan of her politics or her lifestyle, but as an entertainer, I think she does a good job. The show was a blast! They quizzed the audience on how to be an audience, practiced screaming and clapping, edited in activities that happened out of order, etc. etc. It was so much fun! The best was about 45 minutes after we entered the theater, we got to dance with Ellen and I am going to be FAMOUS! :) Ellen got RIGHT IN FRONT OF US when she was dancing, so believe it people, I am going to be on TV! Look for me in the purple shirt right behind Ellen about halfway through her dancing at the beginning of the show after the monologue. So fun! And then!!! Later when we were dancing during a commercial break, Ellen's little MC helper man threw me an Ellen shirt! I'll post pictures when I have time to take them and download them. So, it really turned my day around. I can't change the wallet, but at least I had a fun afternoon. Klisa drove us home (Caleb and me) and within a half hour I had a knock on the door. A neighbor I'd never met before HAD FOUND MY WALLET AND WANTED TO DELIVER IT TO ME PERSONALLY! This wallet had cash in it for groceries (quite a bit for Thanksgiving groceries) and every single item was exactly where I'd left them. I cried and hugged this beautiful person for returning my wallet. SO yes, there are good people left in the world. Without any other reason than because it was the right thing to do, this woman returned my wallet and saved me a lot of money, time, hassle and headache. Bless her. I have a lot to be thankful for!!!!!

'Cause Wakin' Up is Hard to Do

2008-11-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

Caleb puts off more heat than the sun at noonday when he sleeps. He woke up the other day from an apparently fitful nap. Note the size of his drool/sweat spot and the ensuing bedhead and chagrin....Poor little thing...

Belly Buttons

2008-11-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

The Nature vs. Nurture Debate

2008-11-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

Nature wins. Caleb is all boy. He is boy 100% through and through---from running so fast he trips himself up, biffs it and gets up smiling, to wanting to throw rocks and dig in the mud, to finally, loving buses and trucks with all his might. I did not teach Caleb to love trucks. I did not teach him to spot buses from a half mile away. This little boy KNOWS it is his boy-ly duty to LOVE buses and trucks! So, at the park the other day, Caleb's wildest dreams came true. A TRUCK drove into the parking lot PLAYING MUSIC! Can you imagine Caleb's delight that his two favorite things in all the world drove right into the park in which he was already playing? I didn't want the kid's head to explode by informing him that not only did this truck play music (Caleb's FAVORITE!!), but it also doles out ice cream and popsicles! Caleb had his first visit by the ice cream truck and he couldn't have been more thrilled about it. Get a load of his enthusiasm! Just wait until he figures out there's ice cream inside!

Note: His distraction in this video is explained by the fact that this park is located near a freeway and schools so he can see trucks and cars and the occasional school bus pass by. What more could a little boy want?

Finding happiness in ordinary things...

2008-11-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are not aware, up until recently, on a very regular basis, walking up our street is a man whom Jonathan and I have simply dubbed, "the happy guy." I can't say that this name is necessarily descriptive of his nature and temperment, rather, he makes us happy every time we see him. I have no pictures of the happy guy, but he walks on the sidewalk down the street dribbling not one, but two basketballs---through his legs, behind his back, in different rhythms. Why does he does this? No idea. How long has he been doing this? Couldn't tell you, but thank you, happy guy, for bringing a little joy into the afternoon errand outings. And since I left you bare on pictures of the happy guy, here's our little guy (on halloween) who would make anyone happy. Imagine you can see the matching sideburns too.

Crossing Guards

2008-10-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Brittany, for reminding me...

Every morning, Caleb and I go on some kind of walk. This is for exercise for me, but also so I can take Caleb some place a little more interesting than the 3x5 foot "patio" that also houses my bike and our BBQ. We'll have a backyard someday, but in the meantime, we go to parks. Anyway, in order to get around to our various locales, on some days we meet up to 4 school crossing guards. Two of these three I find particularly adorable. My favorite is the old man who packs in his own camping chair to hang out in while he's not helping youngsters safely cross. He has some kind of southern drawl accent and asks me, "Do you need help getting across, ma'am?" from said camping chair that is sitting in the shade probably a good 30 feet from the corner. I don't even mind so much the two in the middle who seem like they're not always sure what to say when I wish them a good morning. I don't blame them for this...they're used to kids who aren't always very polite. It's the last---and the closest to where we live that unreasonably gets under my skin. She also has a lawn chair, but is sprightly and hops up out of it while I'm still 20 feet from the curb. Now, let's also recall that I haven't been in elementary school in what? 13 years? I'm a full grown-up person with a kid of her own, yet somehow, this aged woman is supposed to have better reflexes in a car vs. pedestrian situation? Does she really believe that my garguantan red stroller is a little too subtle for your average mom driving kids to school and she must compensate with her neon yellow vest and hat? Is she afraid I'll forget to look both ways? Now, I know what you're thinking, "she's just doing her job. She's just trying to make sure everyone is safe". Well, the old timer in the other camping chair I completely adore. He's looking out for me, but doesn't expect that I am incapable of safely crossing the street. Is it wrong of me to be annoyed? I feel like a five-year-old. Maybe she feels like she shouldn't be getting paid without putting in her best effort. Maybe she's just trying to put in an honest day's work. So, my completely adult solution? I take the side roads and avoid the intersection altogether. :)

On a More Serious Note...

2008-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am fairly confident that the only people reading our blog know how we feel about this topic, but if not, I never want it to be said of me that I didn't make my stand. "Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and...the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." --The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Right now, I'm wishing I could somehow still claim Californian citizenship so that I could vote YES on Prop 8.

There are many reasons why marriage between a man and a woman needs to be protected, some of which I will elaborate on, but the fundamental reason why marriage should be between a man and a woman only is because that is how God, our Eternal Father in Heaven, has defined it. Through His eternal plan of happiness, He makes everything in life possible--therefore--He sets the conditions. If there were no other reason to keep marriage between a man and a woman, this alone would be enough. The Lord spoke to Moses and asked Moses to pass the word along to all the children of Israel that, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." (Leviticus 18:22). Likewise He said, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination..." (Leviticus 20:13). Our word today, sodomy, means "the homosexual proclivities of the men of the city in Gen 19:1-11. Copulation with a member of the same sex." (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition) It is the clear, then, the practices going on in Sodom, and the Lord's response to these actions is found in the book of Genesis 19:24-25,

"Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;
And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground."

I don't mention this account to suggest these calamities are sure to befall us if we do not protect marriage. That is His decision to make. I offer this example to illustrate that at the very least, the Lord feels strongly about this topic and to honor Him, I want to do what I can to help uphold His laws. Some will say that because a person is born with inclinations toward homosexuality, they are justified in acting on it. Again, the Bible teaches us this is a false teaching: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). The inclinations or temptations may be there, but temptation to sin never justifies the sin.

In my opinion, because it is the Lord's will that marriage is between a man and a woman is the most important reason why to protect marriage. However, other factors are applicable.

For a full exposition of the following, please see this link regarding the "End of Marriage in Scandinavia."

Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, etc. have tried the gay marriage "experiment" and the results are alarming. These countries legalized gay marriage and accepted gay unions throughout the 1990's. In parallel fashion, each country's marriage rates have sharply declined. For instance, in Norway, out-of-wedlock births between 1990 and 2000 increased from 39%-50%. By 2004, 60% of first born children were born to unwed parents. The acceptance of gay marriage brought about the separation of marriage and parenthood. Essentially, it taught that individuals could be married without being parents. Therefore, they can also be parents without being married.

No-fault divorces, beginning in the 1970's, taught that marriage was for the purpose of happiness of the individual and not for the greater good and happiness of the family as a whole. It was taught that a happy divorce is better than an unhappy marriage, while statistically, this is not the case. "The research identified happy and unhappy spouses, culled from a national database. Of the unhappy partners who divorced, about half were happy five years later. But unhappy spouses who stuck it out often did better. About two-thirds were happy five years later." See USA Today article This selfishness in marriage skyrocketted divorce rates. In a homosexual marriage, the union is categorically about the happiness of the couple, not the success of the family because intrinsically, a biological family is not possible. Studies also show that children are happier and psychologically healthier when raised by both biological parents (an impossibility in homosexual couples)(Judith S. Wallerstein, "The Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children: A Review," Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 30, no. 3 (May 1991): 358-9). See Catholic site on marriage

Homosexual marriage is a big hit against marriage altogether. In those Scandinavian countries where it has been legal for 10-20 years, marriage rates are dropping. The rates of children born out-of-wedlock are on the rise. The disintegration of the family including trends toward individuality over family is climbing. It isn't about being fair or unfair to individuals, it's about being responsible to our children and protecting them from the crumbling effects of the disintegration oft he family.

In my opinion, wanting to protect marriage between a man and a woman has very little to do with homosexuals. There are some who would claim it is homophobia to deny this "right." It's not. Homosexuals, as all children of God, should be treated with love, gentleness and respect. Tolerating and even loving them as people does not mean condoning and embracing their behavior. Rather than "live and let live", we have a responsibility to family, to commitment, and to God to see that marriage is protected. Please, if you are able to vote in California, vote yes on Proposition 8 and protect marriage and family.

Drowsy Caleb

2008-09-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

For any of you who know Caleb, you must know what an active little boy he is. This kid could beat the Energizer Bunny in a distance race, for sure. Well, recently I tried to convince him he needed a nap and he would have none of it, so instead, I figured he must just need a snack. This is the result:

Sorry about the shaky camera. I was laughing so hard I couldn't keep still!

Welcome to Exotic and Exciting PRIMM, NEVADA!

2008-08-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this just say it all?

For our third anniversary, Jonathan and I left the little dude with Grandma Wright and went to action-packed Primm, NV. I know, I'm goofing on it, but we actually had a really great time. It was an excellent deal because we were expected to gamble and drink and spend all kinds of money on debauchery, but instead we had a lovely time on the roller coasters inside of

Buffalo Bill's,
shopping at the Primm factory outlets (J. Crew capris for $9!!),

going OUT to see a MOVIE (as in a theater...not pausing to feed/clean/

bathe or put Caleb to bed),

watching the Olympics, and

eating baked potatoes, rice pilaf, roast beef and

raviolis on the same plate for dinner at the Buffet.

We had a ball!

It kind of has that Riverboat look...like the gambling boat in the movie Maverick.

Glamor shots by Deb.

Jonathan's "I-am-a-Greek-Statue" pose

Jonathan's senior photo. :)
Becca's "I-won-a-millionaire-dollars-playing-penny-slots" shot

Three years and still in love...

After Primm, on our way to pick up the little Man, we went to the temple an endowment session and sealings. It was on our actual anniversary, so it was fun to see Jonathan's face in the "eternity mirrors" again. Three years ago, I knew from others telling me that I would love Jonathan more and more and more as the years went by, but I can say now from experience that I didn't hardly know what love was the day I got married. Jonathan is so forgiving, and he loves me even when I'm not too fond of myself. He has bunked in the hospital room with me when I had to stay overnight and he didn't. He has stayed up with me when I couldn't sleep. He has calmed my fears. He has understood me when I don't know what to say. He has prayed with me, cried with me, worked with me, served with me and most of all, laughed with me. He is my very best friend in the world. He knows me completely and loves me anyway. When he was in the hospital and things weren't looking too good, he lived for me and for our son. I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with Jonathan. He is the answer to so many of my prayers. I've gotten sappy again, haven't I? :) Well, I just love him and three years hasn't been nearly enough!

It's tem-PE, not TEM-pe.

2008-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

We started in Phoenix where we got to see my brother Paul and his wife Carly. Paul and Carly got married the same afternoon in the same temple sealing room that Jonathan and I were married. Paul and I have been siblings since he was a little over 2 and have been friends since an East coast trip just after I turned 13, so it was good to see them again. My parents were also out to visit Paul and Carly, so it was a mini little Southwestern reunion for a third of the Aylworth clan.

Let's begin with the car ride. Jonathan and I have discovered how to use Caleb's love of music to our advantage. Before we headed on a 5 hour one-way trip with Caleb we purchased 4 CD's totalling over 160 songs just for toddlers. Did you know there were so many little songs? Oh, I know all about sailors going to see, what you do with a "silly" sailor, monkeys jumpin' on the bed and many other little wonders. After all, 5 hours of toddler tunes beats the banshee shrieking right behind me anyday. So, off we go! Here is Mr. Joe Cool himself taking a break in Wickenburg...

The escape artist.

"Let me down, Dad!!"

Then, other than historic and glorious Arcosanti (please detect my sarcasm as all it really was was a hippie compound about 2 hours north of Phoenix), Skittles Bowling was my favorite family activity of the trip. I learned this little gem of an activity on, I'm pretty sure, my very first BYU date. Thank you, Chris Miller. The rules of skittles bowling are simple. For each color skittle you pre-determine the method of bowling assigned to it. In our case, if I drew a purple skittle, I needed to spin around 5 times before letting the 10 pounder fly. We gave purple this designation after my dear mother assured me that purple was the most rare of skittles colors. Statistically speaking, our bag of skittles was, therefore, an extreme outlier as about one in three skittles pulled was a purple. Needless to say, I with my iron stomach was the only one who did not feel queasy at the end of our interlude at the lanes, but we had a memorable, even if dizzy time.

This is Jonathan bowling backwards as required by his skittle choice.

And this is my Daddy. Bless him. He is a man of his word. He drew a skittle that indicated he needed to bowl with his eyes closed. Look how tightly *scrinched* his eyes are!

And this is my Mama sportin' excellent form.

I regret to inform that the rate of motion of Carly's hair precludes us from seeing her face...But it looks like she dropped the bowling ball on her foot...

This is my bro Paul going for the backwards "granny." A popular favorite in this Skittles Bowling event.I can't be certain, but this may be my victory dance with Caleb after bowling a strike...probably left handed. I have to agree with my cousin David in this matter... If it takes no training and if you can just go ahead and do it with your non-dominant hand, bowling really cannot qualify as a sport. I think I got a higher score skittles bowling than when I normally bowl.

The morning we left each one of us unwittingly put on the same shirt as everyone else. Curious. Quality bed-head, no?
Then we headed off to the splash park that Caleb LOVED. It was hard even getting pictures of him because he was running around so animatedly. It was just the right amount of wet to cool off without being unsafe for a toddler...except when mom steps in. Okay, now I'm already aware I'm the worst mom in the universe as a result of the following picture, so please, no hate comments in the blog. But since I have the picture, you might as well enjoy it...and know that brave Caleb is doing just fine.
Yup. This is exactly what it looks like. Jonathan took him to the top, and me, only thinking I could get a sweet action shot of the kid on this fun water slide, sort of forgot about catching the toddler on the way down. Well, I was right about the sweet action shot at least...and Caleb only skipped once or twice on spongy splash park floor.
He's not so sure about going down this time. I can't imagine why. :) I promise I put down the camera and caught him after this shot.

More trips coming soon...

Rockin' Out

2008-08-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

For Caleb's birthday, Gramma and Grandpa Aylworth got him this rocking horse. He's really just starting to get big enough to use it. You can tell by the look on his face how he feels about it.

This video is only a few seconds long, but my favorite part is right at the end (our camera ran out of memory so it's kind of cut off). Look at our rodeo-in' little cowboy!

Messin' Around

2008-08-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

So I've been feeling bad for Caleb having to be inside in the hot hot Vegas summers. He gets bored out of his mind and there are just only so many things I can think of him to do, so I get bored too. I went on a couple of websites to find some ideas and I came across finger painting. Realizing I was in for a real mess, I decided to get some good footage of the event. The site suggested that with young toddlers you should home make the finger paint out of pudding with some food coloring in it so that when (inevitably) the kid puts it into his mouth, it's okay because hey, it's just pudding. That worked for about a minute. Caleb happily finger painted with his one little finger and it looked a lot like this:

As you can see he already has a little green on his mouth, but most of it is on the page.
Then he tried it.
Again.
And again.
And again. And he wondered why would anyone waste this stuff on paper! Just put it right in your mouth!

That's when he decided to go straight for the mother lode. When I wouldn't let him just eat straight from the bowl, he responded something like this:

My favorite picture. The whininess is so evident. I decided after this to go big or go home and let him play with the pudding.

One happy little boy.

SHARK REEF

2008-07-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

We decided that it's a little embarrassing that we've lived in Vegas for over 2 years now and hardly done any Vegas-y things, so recently we did the "Big Shot" on the top of the Stratosphere and last weekend we took Caleb and went to the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Resort Casino. We were glad Caleb actually seemed to enjoy it because usually he's just unimpressed, but he seemed to like looking at the fish and sharks.

"Are you kidding me, Dad? This crown looks ridiculous!"

"MOM! Don't take pictures! Dad put this stupid crown on me!!"

Stupid crowns? Count us in.

This is a golden alligator...or crocodile...

Ladies and gentlemen...the Komodo Dragon. But he doesn't spew fire. He should be called, "The surprisingly large Komodo Lizard"

The weird thing about this fish is that it totally looked like your run-of-the-mill living room aquarium fish...only about 100 times bigger...
This guy was moving pretty fast so we didn't get the best shots of him. I think he was in a Shark version of the Indy 500 because he just kept circling the tank at top speeds.
Not as disconcerting as you might imagine a shark swimming directly over your head would be. Maybe it was the 8 inches of probably bullet proof glass in between us that made the difference...

Sharks showing off.

This one is funny because it's like, "This sweet suburban family had no idea what was awaiting them behind the coral as they paused in their day's festivities for photos."

Caleb actually seemed to care sometimes that there were things behind the glass. This might seem funny, but most of the time he is just as interested in the toilet plunger as the kitty who hangs out under the stairs in our building as the plant in the corner of our room. He seemed to pick up that this place was different.

They removed the stingers...so they say...and allowed us to touch the stingrays as long as we only touched them with one finger at a time. Imagine what a dolphin feels like---kinda rubbery/kinda slippery and you have a stingray. Except for that I touched this dude right on his spine and was sure he was going to get ticked off and lash at me like a giant scorpion...P.S...I'm a wuss.

Sea Turtles! They were trying to hide, but I got this one shot that I'm pretty sure it of two turtles. Sorry, Matt. Better luck next time.

Me and my buddy.

Pool Time and Ideas if You've Got 'em

2008-07-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

These are at different times, in different states, but Caleb has been enjoying the pool lately. In fact, because we are indoors because it's so outrageously hot, swimming is the only thing that gets us outside! We're carless during the day, so if any of you have suggestions on keeping yourselves or your little ones entertained at home in the day, I would MUCH appreciate some advice! Please? :) Here's our little swimmer... Here's Caleb and his buddy Madelyn. You can tell Madelyn gets a bit more sun than Caleb does! :)
"I'm the King of the World!"
And just so our site isn't an entirely CALEB site, here is proof that Jonathan and I exist... This is us at our apartment complex pool and I am happy to report that this WICKED farmer tan I have going on is slowly fading away as Caleb and I get to the pool more.
My handsome boys!

Dance like nobody's watchin'

2008-07-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Caleb has an Elmo toy that he just loves. He bangs on it, it plays music. What's not to love? Well, he starts groovin' to the music and we tend to bounce along with him, but this time, we grabbed the camera and this is what we got. Sideways...but still cute...

He's got moves like his Daddy! :) Just kidding, honey! Caleb mostly just steps side to side in his dancing, so yeah, I guess he's ready for Stake Dances now! :)

Birthday Weekend!

2008-06-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

This post is a partial birthday blog and a partial shout out to some great friends, Bryan and Chandi Allen, for hosting us for a fun-filled weekend! We drove a few hours to Cedar City on Friday night and Caleb was so excited to be there among friends that he stayed up playing until past midnight! This kid IS the Energizer Bunny. Caleb is usually pretty standoffish around "strangers" and I figured that since the Allens had moved about 6 months ago, he would consider them strangers. I couldn't have been more wrong. He climbed right into their laps and played with them all weekend, reaffirming our previous assertion that the Allens really are family. Here's a look at Becca's birthday weekend:

Fun decorations!

Be the tree...BE the TREE!

The only partial picture I have of Chandi because all our group shots are on their cool new camera. She made cupcakes that said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEC". Bryan nearly burned himself trying to light candles, so we left it to Chand.

Before...
After...Notice all the smoke...it was a lot of candles this year. I'm going to have to start using 2 boxes of candles next year. I owned that wish, however, as you can see.
Bryan & Chandi's beautiful card and "Friends" picture frame. No one knows how to pick cute frames like the Allens.
We decided this was Caleb's present to me because he doesn't want to have an old wrinkly mom. It's a microdermabrasion kit. Look out world, here I come!
What a lovely hand model I make! This is a beautiful watch my handsome husband gave to me. He got it specifically so that someday when my ring is returned/replaced, the watch will match my ring. Isn't he a thoughtful darling?

We spent the weekend traipsing around SUU, getting the tour, going to dinner and then amazing ice cream (GranDee's...Cedar City...Check it out), playing games, watching movies, getting too little sleep, going to the park, visiting family, AND I got to see some childhood friends I haven't seen in probably six years. Thanks to the Hepworths for making the effort to come into town so I could see you again. I realized only after I'd left that I didn't take any pictures! What's wrong with me? If it hadn't been for Chandi whipping out her camera everywhere we went, we would have zero photographic documentation of this weekend. I'll post more pictures when I get them from her, or just see her website. :)

Thanks Allens! We love you guys and I'm so glad I could spend my birthday with family! :)

Our Father's Day

2008-06-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, so over a week late is still better than never. I hope Jonathan enjoyed his second-ever Father's Day. In the Wright Family, we get a little antsy and we tend to open presents first thing in the morning, so this is the Sunday morning of Father's Day when Jonathan opened his presents from me and Caleb. Well, actually, he opened one present the night before so he would have his new BYU-ish tie to wear to Church on Father's Day. Here's Caleb helping him open the present. Happy, sleepy boys.
Caleb liked the tissue paper. He's such a cheese.
This is Caleb's hand and foot...sort of. He touched the plaster and then smooooshed it between his fingers and toes, so I sort of painted/drew the outline of his hand and foot back in...close enough.
Here was our Sunday afternoon activity. We were impressed with how well we covered the board. And, don't worry, I didn't let Jonathan win just because it was Father's Day! :)

Mischief

2008-06-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Caleb has gotten to be one quick little dude. He always followed me around, but now he catches up to me and is practically my shadow all day...All day, that is, until he's doing something sneaky, and then he does it quietly so as I don't notice until things look like this:

You can almost see him scrambling for an excuse. "Well, Mom, I have this runny nose, see, so I needed about 100 tissues to take care of this runny nose, see? Aaaand...I just needed to make sure I had enough before I got started...see?"

This one is a little more unabashed. "Yup. I did it, and I'd do it again too!"
This is our bathtub. Note the objects that should and should NOT be in a bathtub. Hint: the little shrivelly orange thing is a baby carrot.
"Who me? Couldn't be!"

Look at that face!

2008-06-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Caleb doesn't totally get the concept behind the cell phone---that you're talking to someone through it who is far away---but he does understand what you do with it. After putting the keys on lock, I let him play with it and this is what he does:

Smart kid, huh?

I'm it?

2008-06-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Tag from Mrs. Spurgeon:
A. Attached or Single? Attached at the hip :)
B. Best Friends? Jonathan, Chandi, Kristin, Jenny, Jessica, Katie, Rachael, Jennifer and Lauren
C. Cake or Pie? Pie---all kinds. You should see Thanksgiving with my family.
D. Day of choice? Whichever day is date night!
E. Essential item? Burts Beeswax... and birth control :)
F. Favorite color? Lavender
G. Greatest Accomplishment? Getting Jonathan to want to marry me.
H. Hometown? Chico, CA baby!
I. Indulgences? Chocolate chip cookie dough
J. January or July? In Provo it was July, but here it's January
K. Kids? Yep. If you haven't noticed by now he's the short one in all the pictures.
L. Life is incomplete without? Jonathan and Caleb, of course...but also vacations and music!
M. Marriage date? August 12, 2005
N. Number of siblings? 6 brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? I love juicy oranges and when apples are sliced up.
P. Phobias or fears? I hate snakes
Q. Quotes? "Let us get out instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung. Let us not die with our music still in us." --President Spencer W. Kimball
R. Reason to smile? June is my birthday month!!
S. Season? Spring
T. Tag three friends? the Chand, Joseph (you know who you are) and my mama.
U. Unknown fact about me? I know the words to innumerable songs. Even now Jonathan will catch me singing some random song and say, "I have never heard you sing that before."
V. Very favorite store? Any place where I can get it for 75% off. I am a bargain shopper extraordinaire.
W. Worst habit? Losing patience.
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasounds of cute little babies!
Y. Your favorite food? Anything from Carrabba's!
Z. Zodiac? Cancer, but just barely.

Bounce Your Whole Face Off!

2008-05-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

The title is a little shout out to my dear brother Adam, so Ad, wherever you are, this one's for you :)

Last night, we got a call from a young woman I worked with in our Church before I got moved into being primary music chorister, that the kid fun zone where she worked was pretty much empty. That's bad enough, but they were holding a fund drive for needy families AND the news cameras were showing up....and no one was there. She needed my help, so I made 10 phone calls to other families in our Church with kids and we headed over there. Fun-ny! We thought Caleb would get a big kick out of the place. It's the kind where it has huge blow up playground equipment--- slides and mini-basketball, a huge "spiderweb" to get stuck in, a giant boxing ring with the huge gloves, etc. Caleb is a rough and tumble kid, so we thought he'd be all into it. Turns out--it's all a farse. He's just a huge sissy :) It didn't help, I'm sure, that it was nearing his bedtime and he'd never been before, but he was scared to death. After we'd been there a little over half an hour, more kids/friends from Church arrived and Caleb warmed up to it a little.

This is me cuddling and consoling Caleb after I took him on the giant slide. He was not a fan.

Jonathan's going so fast you can hardly see the look of pure joy on his little boy grin!

Caleb didn't mind the bouncy toys as long as neither he nor anyone else he loved was on one :)

Family photo by the "rock wall climbing/slide" race

Okay, other than the massive amount of blood that rushed to my brain, this was hilarious. It's a humongous "spider web" where you have to place your weight carefully to climb up the many many layers. Well, according to the girl who'd called in the first place, she said I climbed up there in record time for a beginner. We sat up there for a minute and were like, "What now?" Well, now you get down. And according to Asha, head first is the only way. Here I am slipping through the 5 story spiderweb, headfirst. Be glad this isn't video. Caleb thought I was going to be eaten by a black widow or something because he was screaming his head off at just about this moment.

Thanks for inviting us, Asha. We had a great time!!

Splashin' Around

2008-05-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

We had an opportunity to go to Southern California last week and couldn't pass it up. Caleb LOVED the beach. It was the biggest sandbox in the world! He liked to eat it as much as play in it, which was a bit of a problem, but we had a great time anyway. Again...still working on getting video uploaded, but here are a couple of pictures of our California adventure, from Camarillo to Santa Monica and back.

Not as cold as you'd think it would be...

Mighty Caleb footprints.

Becca's tree. They had the brightest purple flowers!

"No! Don't jump in Caleb! It's not worth it!"

"So this is what it's like in the front seat...Niiiiice."

Feeling sentimental

2008-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

This post is serving many purposes. I wrote this letter to Caleb on his birthday just as Jonathan's mom did for him growing up. Since I figured only about 5 of you actually read my blog (bless your hearts), I thought you might indulge me in keeping an extra record of this letter in case it is somehow lost or destroyed. I also decided this post was appropriate on Mother's Day since Caleb is my only little boy and this letter represents what my life as "Mother" is. And finally, Heidi tagged Caleb ages ago, so here it goes.

Dear Caleb,

Wow. My little boy is one whole entire year old today. I have had mixed feelings about this day. I am so proud of you, Caleb. I'm proud of your accomplishments. You have been walking for a month now. You have five teeth and one more coming in. You are sleeping through the night and learning how to be affectionate and give hugs. You love to play, climb and explore. You love the dishwasher, the refrigerator and cupboards. You're learning how to pull things off counters and tables. You give "high fives" and wave at your own reflection in the mirror. You love your new big boy car seat that lets you face forward. You love cell phones, remote controls and anything "grown up." You are good at sharing anything that you have and that will be such a good quality when you are a big brother. You LOVE when friends come over to play or when you get to go over to visit friends. Even if you're tired and worn out, if you are with visitors you are still in a good mood. You LOVE music. You will stop and listen to music almost no matter what you are doing. I like to sing primary songs and hymns before you go to sleep. You love to get down and play and explore whenever we go someplace new whether it is at a store or just outside. You love a good joke and seem to know that you are being funny sometimes. You have been a Mama's boy this last year, but you are already showing signs of being more of a Daddy's little man in the future. Everyone who meets you just loves you. You have a smile that brightens your whole face and everyone else's mood. You make friends out of strangers everywhere you go.

Caleb, your father and I love you so much. Today has been a day of mixed emotions because we are so proud of you and so look forward to the little boy you are going to be. At the same time, each day you become more and more a boy-- and not a baby. We miss our Baby Caleb and are sad to see our time with him is limited. We look forward to seeing all you will become as you grow into the boy and man you are meant to be.

All our love is with you. You are a special son of God and He loves you too. Remember that He has saved you and protected you for a special purpose.

Happy Birthday, my son.

Love,

Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB!!!

2008-05-08T22:18:00.001-07:00

Caleb had no idea this day was special. He woke up as usual. Didn't feel like taking a nap, as usual :), and was our sweet, adorable baby boy, as usual, but when the streamers went up and the balloons were out (thank you, Papa Wright), Caleb knew something was different. He LOVED it. He loved the visitors (thank you, those of you who were able to come. It meant so much to us to have you there), he loved the balloons and the new toys, clothes and shades he received and he LOVED the chocolate cake he had all to himself. Per tradition, Caleb got his very own cake and although he was dainty at first, he got the hang of it. Thank you, Grandma Wright for bathing him afterward so he could come back and join the party. It was a special day, and Caleb really enjoyed himself. Here's what it looked like:

The food took a long time, so I have to share! :)

It was a Sesame Street theme complete with Elmo,

Cookie Monster and Big Bird (sort of) cupcakes.

THE cake....Before.

Caleb, lovin' life.

Really getting into the groove now.

THE Cake...After.

Ugh...No more chocolate cake...

We took a lot of video too, so once we learn how to get it from the mini DVD onto the computer, we'll post that too. Anyone know how?

Somebody put some pants on that kid!!

2008-04-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Caleb is not so much good at letting you change his diaper, so successfully getting a diaper back on his naked behind alone is an accomplishment. This means that often enough he ends up without pants on because he crawled away before you could get them on...thus explaining the reason he's rockin' the diaper and shirt only. Anyway, Caleb's favorite things in life are: me, his blanky, his binky, an open refrigerator door, open drawers and cupboards and of course-- the dishwasher. Caleb loves everything about the dishwasher---from the mystery that it closes and he doesn't know what's going on in there to the drawers that pull out, to the silverware within easy reach, to the dishwasher detergent dispenser. In fact, he loves this so much, he climbed onto the dishwasher door all by himself to click the dispenser open and closed. I probably should have taken him down immediately, but who could resist taking pictures of this?

Showoff! :)

Look who's walking now?

2008-04-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

We thought it was Caleb's April Fool's Day prank when he took his first real, legitimate steps from Daddy to Mommy, but he's been pretty consistent ever since. His balance is improving and he's letting go here and there on his cruisings around the furniture. As soon as the balance and confidence are all there, Caleb will be off and running...and so it begins...

Note: No pictures because Caleb would have been far too interested in the camera to have focused on actually walking, but take our word for it. The kid's mobile.

Balloon Attack!

2008-04-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

"Follow me, Balloons! I know the way!"

"Heh heh heh... Devilish Laugh..."

"And, I'm done."

Baby's First Haircut

2008-04-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Jonathan has been trying to get me to cut Caleb's mullet hair for months and months and really, I can't blame him. His hair looked ridiculous...not to mention it was definitely not BYU approved coming over the ears and collar the way it was. So, after finally conceding that my baby boy is growing up, I cut the little man's hair. The outcome? Overall a success, though it might have gone better had their been a bit more in that bottle he's drinking.

Do you see how long it was?!

He likes it!

He's one pretty hip little dude.

Easter

2008-04-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

We tried over and over and over again to get Caleb to look at the camera AND smile, but of course, that was too much to ask for :) Here we are on Easter Sunday in our Spring digs. Might I mention that I made the skirt I am wearing in this picture. Yep, I figured I'm a Mom so I should probably start having Mom Skills.

Don't be a lurker!

2008-03-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family.
If you drop by our site, please let us know by leaving a comment! :)

TOYS!!

2008-03-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

The other day, Caleb was standing by his toy box pulling out toys and having a good old time, so I went out to the living room to get some other cleaning done. I heard him grunting and making some weird noises, admittedly, but no whining, no crying, so I didn't think much of it. A few minutes later, I walked in to check on him and this is what I found:

All on his own, he found his way into his toy box...and life was good.

My Boys

2008-03-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, a friend (thanks, Sarah) mentioned that she didn't even really know what Jonathan looked like, so here are my boys on a recent Sunday morning. Looking snappy, huh?

PROM!

2008-03-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so not really, but our Stake put on a Green & Gold Ball and it was basically Singles' Ward Prom, but Jonathan and I also got to go and, if I may say so myself, we're looking pretty pretty good.

And afterwards, back to real life... :)

Ya think he's lonely?

2008-03-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

Some little friends from our ward were visiting the other night while their Mom was out and Caleb couldn't get enough of it. My poor little guy just gets stuck with boring ole' Mom everyday and was ECSTATIC to have visitors. Don't let this fool you. Bored or not, he is NOT ready for a little brother...

Jabba the Hutt

2008-03-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when Caleb starts getting full, but still wants to eat, he pulls this face and posture that says, "Pull out the grape leaf fans and feed me from your hand. It's really not too much to ask." Well, what do you think?

Valentine's Cake!

2008-02-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest addition to my Personal Progress Project of decorated cakes. I'm officially done with the project because I've finished my 10 hours, but it's so much fun and the girls really love it, so I think I'll keep on doing it. What do you think?

Mama's little helper

2008-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

Caleb always wants to be doing whatever I am doing. At this minute he is pulling on my sleeve very curious as to why I'm staring at this lit up screen. This rule applies to all household activities including: dishes (the dishwasher is by far his favorite toy), making the bed, cleaning the toilets (let's just not even go there), vaccuuming--though he is scared to death of the vaccuum cleaner, and, of course, laundry. Here's Caleb "helping."

"Let's see...It says 'machine wash warm' then 'tumble dry,' Mom."

"Did you need any help taking pictures, Mom?"

Sleeping like a...

2008-02-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

Can you even imagine sleeping in a position like this? I guess not too long ago Caleb was in a similar position as this inside of me, so he's cool with it.

Gettin' Crafty...

2008-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes, just as a hobby, but I've never before have the time or motivation until I got into Young Women (I'm the laurels adviser in my ward). So, for a personal progress project, I make and decorate cakes once a month for the girls' birthdays. Here are all of the cakes I've made so far (except for November, which was devoured before I took pictures):

No, we don't get too many snowflakes in January....or ever...
Three layers!!
It sort of looks checkerboard, right?

Ever seen a nativity in frosting before? Me neither.

My first ever! It's just a cute happy little sunflower.

La-La-La!! Bath time is fun!!

2008-01-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

Caleb has this super long, yet really fine hair so most often he ends up sporting what we like to call the "Baby Bednar" 'do with the super part/comb over. He's looking good! So, during bathtime, his hair can get a little crazy. This is the porcupine. A couple of months ago we did the mohawk, which incidentally ended up lasting throughout the whole next day. Behold: Caleb's crazy hair!

It's SnOw COLD!

2008-01-22T14:55:00.001-08:00

For Christmas, Jonathan's gift to me was a trip just to spend time together. We went up to Hiko to spend the night before dropping off the adorable little man at Grandma and Papa's house. On Sunday after church we headed to Cedar City, UT to meet up with our wonderful missing friends, the Allens, and then Monday we braved the 24 degree (NOT counting windchill) slopes at Brian Head. Lots of layers, hot chocolate and my best friend made the cold mountain actually a lot of fun!

Okay, so we're finally Bloggers!!

2008-01-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family! We have finally succombed to the BLOG! I have been holding out because my life is full of small and simple things, but Caleb is getting older and cuter and more fun by the minute and I don't want it to pass all of you by. So, welcome to our new site. Drop in, stay a while, let us know what you think.