8 Months!

My baby boy is 8 months old! Actually, he's 8 1/2 months now, I am just super slow at posting updates.  He can roll pretty much anywhere he wants to go and it starting to scoot (he is on his belly but pushes with his toes).  He eats like crazy and is a whopping 20 pounds!  He's starting to learn to wave but hasn't yet mastered clapping.  He also LOVES to eat Cheerios.  

I still struggle with getting him to take decent naps as he feels 30 minutes is plenty of sleep.  But for the most part he is a super happy boy and I just can't get enough of him.  I already wish there was a pause button so he would stop growing so fast!  

5, 6, and almost 7 months!

I am so behind on my blogging - not that anyone even reads this anymore.  I guess it's a good way for me to journal and keep track of things for myself if nothing else.

Lincoln is three days shy of turning 7 months.  SEVEN MONTHS! I can hardly believe how quickly the time has passed.  I know I missed his 5 and 6 month updates so here they are in a nutshell, with pictures too.  :)

Five Months:  At five months Lincoln was able to roll over one direction - from back to tummy.  Apparently he likes to do things the hard way as it's actually easier for babies to roll from tummy to back first. He started becoming more aware of his surroundings and was doing much better at sleep training. We started him on solid foods at 5 months and so far he has loved everything he has tried. I hope that means he'll be a very good eater and not a picky one like his mama.

THis 

Six Months:  At six months Lincoln mastered rolling over both directions and rolls all over the floor but still only rolls right to left and always seems to get stuck and won't roll back the other way.  He's getting much better and sitting as well.  He loves to be upright either sitting or in his exer-saucer though he doesn't mind rolling around on the floor from time to time as well.  He's a mover and I have a feeling he won't be still much longer - at least not once he starts crawling. He still eats like a champ and went on his first vacation a couple weeks ago. He spent 3 days with  my family (all 40 of us) at a lake house with a private lake outside Logan - to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary!  He was a champ there as well.  

Seven Months:  Even though he is 3 days shy of being 7 months, this is the most recent pictures I have of him (who knows if I'll get around to posting his 7 month update).  He is in the process of teething and has the beginning of one of his bottom teeth starting to poke through his gums. This picture is very indicative of how he has been through the whole process.  Very happy and barely whiney.  I have been SO glad for that! He sleeps like a pro now and will put himself to sleep without even a fuss for both naps and bedtime. Sleep training was a killer on both Ryan and me but it has definitely been worth it! 

I cannot believe how quickly our little man is growing up. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.  He makes us laugh every single day and we can not imagine life without him.   He is our bouncing baby boy and we love him so much!!!

4 Months Old!

Lincoln turned 4 months old on the 3rd.  I can hardly believe this little guy has been part of our lives for 4 months already! He is getting so big and growing so fast.  I think he weighs only 3-4 pounds less than his 10 month old cousin - he is a little chunk!  But we love his little face and that precious smile. It is impossible for me to be frustrated with him (which usually happens when he won't nap or go down to bed) when he just looks up at me with his adorable little smile.  He is so full of love and I hope he stays that way forever!

He is getting much better at holding his neck up for extended periods of time. He enjoys his tummy much more now that he can lift his head up and look around. He also loves sitting in his bumbo and also going for walks in his BabyBjorn carrier.  He just loves to be up looking around. He gets bored on his back and often whines to get our attention.  He can roll to his side now and with a little help from us he can completely roll over. He just amazes us every day with all the new things he is learning.

We love you, Lincoln!  Thank you for brightening up our lives every single day.  :)

Three Months Old!

Our little Lincoln is 3 months old today! He wasn't a very happy boy today as he is going through a growth spurt. All he wanted to do today was eat, sleep and cry. But between a feeding and a nap I managed to get a few smiles out of him before it was back to the crying:

Lincoln is now swatting at things with his hands and tries to sit himself up. He has also found his voice and loves to "talk" as loud as he can. I have a feeling it will never be quiet in our house anymore.  :) He loves our attention and will fake cry just to get it.  We absolutely love him to pieces and are so glad he is part of our family.  Happy 3 months little man!

Introducing Mr. Lincoln...

On January 3, 2014, Ryan and I welcomed the newest addition to our family, little Lincoln, weighing in at 7 lbs 10 oz and being 20 inches long.  He was the perfect little lad and waited until his actual due date to make his grand entrance into this world.

 He had a little trouble with his oxygen levels shortly after birth because he had swallowed some amniotic fluid into his lungs. He ended up staying in the NICU for almost a week.  But he was a trooper and did amazingly well!

I came down with a head cold a couple of days before delivering, so I had to wear a mask every time I visited Lincoln in the NICU.  There was no way I was going to pass it on to my little guy or to any of the other tiny babies that were there.

Here is Lincoln in his prison stripes. He was so ready to bust out of that place that was holding him prisoner.

After six days tied up to wires and machines, Lincoln was finally set free! We were lucky enough to be able to room in at the hospital for a couple of days while Lincoln was there but once we got kicked out we headed home without our baby and it just didn't feel right! We were so excited when we were finally able to bring him home!

The day he came home.

Lincoln has now been a part of our family for 3 weeks and I already can't imagine my life without him. He has brought us so much joy. So far, being his mom has been absolutely exhausting and absolutely amazing! He came to us just a week before our 2nd anniversary and we now call him the most perfect gift we could have ever asked for.  :) 

A Picture is Worth...

... a thousand words.  Or so the saying goes.  Therefore, I will let this picture do all the talking.  :)

We told our family by wearing our blue shirts and it took them forever to figure it out! It was awesome.  We then pulled these out and let all the kids devour them:

When we first made our pregnancy announcement (a few months ago) my brother-in-law showed my 3 year old nephew the ultrasound and asked him if he knew what it was.  He looked it over real good and then proclaimed, "A SHARK!"  Therefore, we let everyone know that we are having a little blue (boy) shark. They thought it was so awesome!  

Our due date was January 3rd but has since been moved up to December 31st.  Here's hoping we have a New Year's baby and get to take home all the cool prizes.  As long as I don't end up on the news, that is.  :)

The Funeral...

Cliff's funeral was on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at Memorial Mortuary in Murray.  It was a lovely service and we couldn't have been more pleased with how it turned out. Ryan and his sister both gave a few remarks, his pastors offered prayers, and then we also had an open invitation for people to get up and share their memories of Cliff.  That was so nice because we heard so many wonderful stories about Cliff that we never even knew.  Cliff was also a part of many symphonies throughout the valley and so the conductor of the American West Symphony played a violin solo and then six other members of the symphony played one of the pieces that Cliff had composed (which was played over in Germany a few months ago).  There was a really sweet spirit there and I was so grateful for all who were willing to participate.  I am also grateful that his legacy will continue to live on through the music he wrote and the life that he lived.  He touched so many lives and  I hope that when it's my time to go, I will have made as much of an impact on others lives the way he had in his short 79 years on earth.

After the funeral service we had a little ceremony at the gravesite.  A prayer was offered and then military honors were performed.  They played taps and folded the American flag that was draped over his casket.  The flag was presented to Ryan "on behalf of the President of the United States"  and that was such an amazing honor.  Here are a few pictures of the occassion:

I just wish to share one final thought, which came from Ryan's remarks.  His dad wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Ryan joining the LDS Church because he didn't agree with the theology. But Ryan wanted to share a scripture in his remarks so he said, "I want to share a scripture but I'm going to stand over here a little (away from the casket) because it comes from the Book of Mormon. You all might want to watch the casket and make sure my dad doesn't roll over."   The place erupted into laughter and then he shared this scripture:

"...the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles, and from all care and sorrow".

I know that Cliff has returned to the God who gave him life and I know he is resting now from all his cares and sorrows. Though there was great sadness in the fact that we had to say goodbye to a wonderful man, the day was full of peace and comfort. A life was celebrated and honored rather than mourned and that's exactly how it should be. Thank you to all who helped make this day as special as it was.

Letting Go...

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013, after three months of being in a hospital or care facility on a ventilator, Ryan's dad passed away.  That weekend (Saturday - Monday) he ended up in the ER three separate times due to low oxygenation issues as well as needing a blood transfusion.  On the 3rd visit the ER doctor called Ryan and said they found a bleed in his GI tract and wanted to know how to proceed.  Cliff had told us that he didn't want any heroic measures to be taken to save him (such as if his heart gave out, etc) and since he could no longer communicate with us it came time for Ryan and his siblings to make a decision. If he was bleeding internally they would have to do intensive testing to figure out where exactly the bleed was. They may also have to do surgery to repair it.  In addition to the bleed the ER doctor also told us that he had a high buildup of carbon dioxide in his system (which possibly could have been contributing to his loss of responsiveness the past couple of weeks) and they had to put his ventilator settings on the highest settings to push that poison out of his system.

The goal at the beginning of this journey three months ago was to get Cliff off the ventilator and breathing on his own again but there was no possible way they could begin to wean him off if his body continued to required it. We knew at this point he couldn't breath on his own and it seemed that his body was slowly beginning to shut down.  So on Monday, January 21st, Ryan met with the doctors and his siblings and it was decided that the best thing to do was to let him go.

Though I say that was the best thing to do, that does not mean it was the easiest thing to do. Having to make the decision to end life support is very difficult. But Ryan and I and his siblings felt at peace with the decision and believed that it was what Cliff would want if he had to make the decision himself.  So the decision was made.  Ryan and his sister contacted Cliff's pastor and several of his friends and told them the situation.  Between Monday evening and Tuesday evening he had several visitors to his room who all wanted to say their goodbyes.  It was heartbreaking to see them with tears in their eyes as they expressed their love for him and said goodbye. A few of them told us they didn't know how we were handling it so well.  I have never been so grateful for the gospel and the peace and strength the spirit brings in times such as this. It was the only thing that helped us handle it.

Ryan's brother flew in from California and the three of us sat with Cliff most of Tuesday.  He could no longer respond to us and we weren't even sure he knew we were there but we hoped he could feel of our love for him and hear us when we spoke.  By 6:30 Ryan's sister and husband came along with his Pastors and another dear friend.  The nurses then came in to explain to us what would take place.

At 6:45pm they gave him some Ativan to help calm and relax him

At 7:00pm they gave him some morphine. This was to help open his airway and give him the sensation that he was breathing. They explained to us that he would feel no pain and everything would be very calm and peaceful. They said it would be harder for us to watch than it would be for him. They said his breathing would not be sufficient but how long it took for him to pass depended on when his heart would give out. I really had to brace myself.

At 7:15pm they turned off all the alarms and then unplugged the ventilator from his throat.  We all gathered around his bedside and expressed our love for him. The Pastors said a prayer and we told him it was okay to take flight and return home and that we would be okay. After a couple of minutes we could see the color drain from his face. His breathing went from somewhat rapid (as if he were trying to catch his breath) to only breathing about once every 15-20 seconds.  We cried, we hugged, we prayed.

At 7:30 the nurse listened to his heart and then said "I am so sorry for your loss."  He was gone.

It is hard for me to explain that experience in words.  I had never been around death at any time in my life and I thought I would be so terrified to be in the same room with a person who had died. But even though this experience was heartbreaking, it wasn't terrifying.  It was peaceful.  I felt blessed to witness such a spiritual event.

A few minutes after Cliff had gone everyone had, for one reason or another, left the room and I was left in there by myself with his body.  I took a moment to thank him for raising such a wonderful son and I promised him again (he already made me promise a month or two ago) that I would take good care of Ryan and he didn't need to worry.  I told him we would love him always and that we knew he was happy where he was and that because of that we would be okay.  I cried for only a minute before that peace came again and I was reassured that we really would be okay. Cliff may be gone from us for now but we will see him again. Of that I have no doubt.

I am so grateful the short time I had to get to know him.  May he rest in peace until the glorious day of the Resurrection.

Updates...

I swear every post I write these days is entitled "Updates". I need to be better at updating regularly so my blog posts can have more creative titles. But nonetheless, here are a few updates since I have blogged last.

Ryan and I are both a year older. Our birthdays are only 8 days apart. This year we decided to pick the day right in the middle of both our birthdays and take it off work. We had a wonderful day off to celebrate and it was awesome. We should celebrate this way every year because that extends both of our birthdays a little longer. :)

Two days after my birthday, Ryan's dad went to the ER because he had some pneumonia and was having difficulty breathing. Things progressively went down hill and he has been in the hospital on a ventilator for a month now. There are little improvements every day and we are hopeful that he will be able to breath on his own again, without the help of a machine, but it will be a long road. It's been a long month of visiting the hospital every day after work but we are choosing to remain positive and hopeful.

Ryan is also finishing up his first semester of grad school so he's been staying plenty busy. All the more reason it was nice to take a day off together. I am enjoying my evenings at home while Ryan is in school. Since we currently only have one car and he has it on school nights, I don't really get the chance to go out much. But the nights home give me time to workout and work on some projects that would otherwise be completely neglected. So I guess it's a win-win for both of us. I'm excited for Ryan and proud of him for pursing his education. One semester down, three to go. We can do this! :)

I hated the outcome of the presidential election and really struggled with understanding it for a day or two afterwards. I have no idea how we, as a country, can be in such a mess and people want to re-elect the guy who got us here. I know several people who would disagree with that statement and that's fine. This is just simply my own opinion. I do not like seeing the direction this country is headed but the day after the election as I battled with the many emotions I was feeling, I was reminded of a hymn that says, "We thank thee, oh God, for a Prophet, to guide us in these latter-days..." I know that no matter what this country goes through, if I follow the counsel of our latter-day prophet, and put my trust in God, I will be okay. Knowing that brings me peace of mind.

And last but not least, today, November 20th, is the two year anniversary of Ryan's baptism into the LDS Church. I cannot believe it has already been two years! He has made such a huge transformation in his life that it is impossible for me to even look at him and see the person he used to be. That person simply no longer exists. The gospel has changed his life and I am so grateful for the person he has become. It has been an amazing two years!

Who's Your Daddy?

See this little character? Oh my gosh, he is the funniest kid I know! There is never a dull moment around when he's talking. He's two going on 15 and talks like he's 30. I've been part of a couple funny conversations with him lately that I just had to write down. I know that stories aren't nearly as funny written down because you can't really document the facial expressions or tone of voice but for this first conversation, just go ahead and picture his face like it is in this picture...

~~~
Conversation #1:

Me: "Where is your daddy?"
Nephew: {Looks around the room and points to his dad}
Me: "Where is my daddy?"
Nephew: {Looks at Ryan and points} "Is HE your daddy?"

*Ryan and I burst out laughing but don't feel the urge to explain why to a two year old*

Me: {Through my laughter} "Nope, he is not my daddy. Do you know who my daddy is?"
Nephew: {Gives me a confused look} "Who?"
Me: "My daddy is your grandpa."
Nephew: "Grandpa?"
Me: {Pointing at my dad} "Yeah, see grandpa right there? He is my daddy."
Nephew: {Same confused look} "Grandpa is your daddy?"
Me: Yes. Do you know who else has grandpa as a daddy?"
Nephew: "Who?"
Me: Your mommy! Grandpa is your mommy's daddy"
Nephew: {With the look he has in the above picture} "GRANDPA is my mommy's DADDY?!?!?!"

*Entire room bursts out laughing*

Me: Yep! And he is also Aunt Tricia's daddy, and Uncle Derek's daddy..."
Nephew: {Pointing to his Uncle Derek} "Who's that?"
Me: "That is Uncle Derek"
Nephew: "Uncle Derek?"
Me: Yes. It's kind of confusing though huh because he {pointing to Tricia's husband} is also Uncle Derek. You have two Uncle Dereks"
Nephew: {pointing at one then the other} "He's Uncle Derek and he's Uncle Derek too!"
Me: That's right"
Nephew: "Same name, same shirt!" {They were both wearing white button down shirts}
Me: "That's right. Same name, same shirt."
Nephew: {Looking a little more closely at them both} "And same hair...And same FACE!!!"

*Entire room bursts out laughing again*

Two guys with the same name, same shirt, same hair and same face? No wonder the kid is confused!

~~~
Conversation #2

This conversation was more with my dad than me. In fact, it goes with this picture:



As you can see, he is sitting on the top of a giant box and my dad (sitting behind him) kept trying to pick him up and take him off. Finally he turned to my dad and said this to him:

Nephew: "Don't take me off grandpa! Don't you do it! You may want to, but don't you do it!!"
Grandpa: "Or what?"
Nephew: "I will put you in time out!"
Grandpa: "Do you even know what time-out is?"
Nephew: "Yes!"
Grandpa: "Have you ever been in time-out?"
Nephew: "Maybe... {then holding up two fingers}...this many times"

Playing Catch-Up...

I know, I know, I am the worst blogger ever! It isn't that I don't have anything to blog about, it's just that I can't seem to find any time to do it. So, while I happen to have a spare minute, here is what's been going on in my world. Sorry there are no pictures, I will try to include some later.

June 2nd I went to Les Mis with my parents and two of my sisters. After getting tickets a year ago, the time had finally come! It was the first time I have seen that play and though it does contain some material I didn't much care for, I thought the production was amazing! The acting, the singing, the staging and the costumes were all superb! We did have twenty minutes of technical difficulties which made the show seem extra long, but it was completely worth it to me. It's definitely one I would love to see again! Now I must patiently wait until September when I get to go see Mary Poppins!

June 4th was my niece's baptism. I can't believe she is already 8 years old. I was so glad she lives close enough that I could go celebrate her day with her! I was also able to take my boyfriend Ryan with me and he was able to stand in the circle when she was confirmed. He is a recent convert to the LDS Church* and this was the first opportunity he has had to use his Melchizedek Priesthood. What an amazing opportunity for him. I am so proud of him for how hard he has worked this past year to be worthy of that opportunity.

June 11th I went to the West Valley Symphony concert with Ryan. His dad composed a song that the orchestra decided to play. It was fun to go support his dad and hear his composition, which was awesome! They did an amazing job and it was also fun to see a co-worker of ours who plays with the orchestra.

June 12th was Father's Day for my family. My parents went to Arkansas over Father's Day weekend because a nephew of mine turned 12 and was being ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. So, we celebrated early! What a fun night it was with my family to honor the men in our lives who have made such an impact on us. My dad is such a great example to me in so many ways. I credit much of who I am today to the man that he is.

June 15th I ran 2/3 of a mile! That was without stopping. In all I ran 1.5 miles and walked 1.5 miles. That may not seem blog worthy to any of you, but I am not a runner and I have been working hard at being able to run a 5K this summer. I don't think I'll be able to run the entire thing, but if I can at least run a mile without having to stop I will be happy! :)

June 16th I went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pre-tour concert at the Tabernacle. The choir left on tour this morning at 3am and will be back East performing until June 27th. They put on a pre-tour concert for family and friends of the choir and so I went with Ryan to support my sister who sings in the choir. It was an amazing show! Every song they sang was perfect. Their arrangement of Come, Come Ye Saints had me in tears it was so powerful and so moving. I am grateful I was able to attend that concert and that they were willing to use one of their rehearsal nights to perform for us.

June 18th I went to Lagoon with Ryan and two of my sisters. Why is it that I can easily handle three days at Disneyland but nine hours at Lagoon about kills me? My feet were so sore, my throat was nearly hoarse from screaming and my entire body felt exhausted. It made me feel old. But, it was still an awesome day and the weather could not have been more perfect! It has been about four or five years since I had been to Lagoon and it brought back a lot of fun memories. Definitely a fun, fun day!

Well, those are the main things I can think of to talk about. Everything else I have done is probably not that blog worthy. I'm sure some of you might be curious to know more about Ryan and me. Some of you have asked me about it already and I thank you for taking an interest! It's a very interesting story that happened quite unexpectedly. Now that it's been one year since the story began, I will try and blog about it for the rest of you as long as there is ample interest in the topic. Just realize that since I haven't blogged about any of it for a year it will most likely take multiple installments to tell the entire story.


*Today, June 20th, marks the seven month anniversary of Ryan's baptism as well as the three month anniversary of receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood. More to come on that.

My Gentle Reminder...

Every day when I get on the train, I pull out a book to read. Today however, I became extremely distracted by a very loud woman who was literally yelling into her phone so as to be heard above the noise of the train. Within five minutes of this, I was completely unable to focus on the words I was trying to read and I felt myself becoming quite irritated. I finally decided to put the book away and pull out my MP3 player to see if I could drown out her noise with some music.

I put in my earbuds, pushed play, skipped the song that was nearly over, and this was the next song that started playing:



At first I just chuckled and silently said, "You've got to be kidding me". But as I began to listen, I noticed that I was trying extra hard to focus on the words of the song in order to block out the distracting voice next to me. When the song ended, I listened to it again. And again. And again. Before long I realized that even though I could still tell that she was yelling, her voice was muffled and all I could really hear were the words of this song. I also noticed the calm and peaceful change that was taking place inside me.

Two days ago I had made a promise to myself and to Heavenly Father (and in a way, to each of you as well) that I would try my best to be more kind and loving to those around me. This morning, I would have failed if not for Heavenly Father's gentle reminder to me of that promise.

"Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought. For these are the things Jesus taught."

I find no coincidence in the fact that this is the song that began playing when I put my earbuds in, and I will be forever grateful for it.

Oh the Terror!

Guess what! Guess what! I'm going on another vacation! As if Washington DC wasn't enough, my family is planning another getaway to Disneyland!

This has kind of become a little tradition for us. It started in 2005 when my sister and her family decided they were going to go to Disneyland. It didn't take long until a bunch of us invited ourselves to go with (perhaps some were invited, I don't really remember. I just remember that I invited myself). Before we knew it, there were 13 of us packed into two vehicles driving our little selves to the happiest place on earth. Two years later we did it again and now, we're planning our third trip!

I was telling a co-worker about this little tradition today and we got to talking about some of our favorite memories of Disneyland/California Adventure. I shared with her what I consider to be my favorite memory of all.

Now I'll share it with you.

When we went in on our trip in 2005, some of us wanted to go on the Tower of Terror. We tired and tried to get our dad to go on it with us but he was certain he'd have a heart attack or something. We eventually went on the ride without him, much to my disappointment. When we got off we went back and told him how much fun it was and that he absolutely had to go! Still, he refused. The next day we wanted to go again and during our weak attempts at trying to convince him to go with us this time, an old man with hair as white as snow was walking off the ride. Someone in my family said to my dad,

"See Dad, if he can do it then you can do it!" My dad took one look at that man and said,

"He didn't look like that when he got on the ride!"

We burst out laughing and then much to our surprise he relented and went on the ride with us. On this particular ride he sat by me and the two of us sat behind my sister and her four year old son who also wanted to go. The ride started, we all started screaming and for a brief second I glanced at my sister and noticed that she was clinging to her son for dear life!

When we went back in 2007, my dad made sure he got to go on that ride again. My sister? Not so much.

It Has Arrived!

I'm not talking about my sister's baby, though he should be arriving tomorrow and another post will be coming to discuss that arrival in more detail. Right now, however, I am talking about my beautiful new TV. After a week of waiting patiently for it, my dad finally called me this morning and said, "Your TV is here. Can you please come get it out of my front room?"

I guess the delivery man took it out of the box, plugged it in, put the batteries in the remote and tested the TV right there in the front room...just to make sure it was working before he drove away. Pretty awesome service if you ask me. But now my dad's front room is strewn with a giant box and all it's innards, not to mention the TV itself.

So that means I am off to get my TV and haul it to my place! YAY!

My Grandpa's Voice....

Just like everyone on the planet, I had two grandpas. But unlike many, I only ever had the chance to know one of them. My Grandpa B (my father's father) died of cancer when he was just 54 years old...and only a few weeks after my dad returned home from his mission. Therefore I never got to know him. Growing up, I often heard stories. My dad and his two sisters often talked about "daddy", there was always an 8x10 picture of him sitting on my grandma's piano in her front room, and I visited his grave every memorial day with my parents. That was all I ever knew of him.

I'd often look at that picture sitting on the piano and try to envision what life would be like if he were still around. Would he bounce me on his knee, sing me songs, read me stories? In my own little world, I imagined he would do all these things. And it made me miss him, a lot. I always wondered what his voice sounded like. Was it deep and strong, was it gentle and kind? But I knew I'd have to wait out my life before I got the chance to find out.

Flash forward to last Sunday. My dad handed me a flash drive and told me that he digitized a bunch of his old reel-to-reel tapes and cassette tapes and that I could have a copy of them if I wanted. I said "sure" not knowing what they were exactly. I took the drive home, turned on my computer and began to copy. There was my brother's missionary farewell, my Grandma B's funeral, my Grandpa J's funeral, my aunt's missionary farewell, my Grandpa B's funeral. This past week I have listened to them all, laughing and even sometimes crying. Yesterday I came to the last one, my dad's missionary farewell, and took a listen.

And then there it was. My grandpa's voice, as clear as if he were sitting in the room with me. Telling stories about my dad, talking about what a wonderful young man he was and how he was going to be a great missionary and how proud he was of him. Things any father would say to their son who was just about to leave for two years. Tears came into my eyes as I listened because I knew what would be waiting for them when my dad returned home: his father, sick and afflicted with cancer barely hanging on just so he could see his son again. I cried for them.

And then I cried for me. Because after 31 years I finally got to hear my grandpa's voice. And it was beautiful.

Dad's Birthday Car...

To celebrate my dad's inner youth we got him a remote control car for his birthday. He loves corvettes and he loves red cars. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a red corvette nor could we find a corvette this big. So, we ended up with a red Dodge Charger. It is still a pretty sweet car.


I can't wait for him to let me drive it!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Congratulations on 44 years! You are the best parents I could have ever asked for. Thank you for your love, your wisdom and your humor. I know I haven't always been the perfect daughter, but I thank you for your patience and your support. Thank you both for raising eight amazing children. We owe all we are to the both of you.

Mom, thank you for showing me how to be a woman of God, and a great wife, mother, and grandmother. And thank you for teaching me how to be a good sport in case my husband ever decides to use me as a human shield in a water fight.

Dad, thank you for showing me how to respect others and how to give unselfishly. Thank you for teaching me how to honor God in everything I do. And thank you for never using me as a human shield.

I love you both!