Preschool & Postpartum

NOT depression, well that is not postpartum at any rate (there is a level of depression previously discussed in association with the growing up of our sweet children) so get your negative heads out of the clouds and come along for the story of our week.

77777...........

It was a whirlwind trip to say the least with little James Christian coming along on his due-date with no more complications than taking his sweet time to exit the watery abyss (14 hrs).  Mom was a trooper and did the whole thing unmedicated.  I must say that I am impressed having recently participated in my first endurance type race, this was so much more mentally and physically demanding and truly an amazing experience (for you ladies who have done this do not in any way take the preceding sentence in any way that would indicate that me, a mere man, now has any idea what it is really like.  I don't)  What I am getting at is that at 7:57 a little 7lb. 7oz. boy was born to our family, and we couldn't be more thrilled.  So as our nurse wisely pointed out if he goes to Vegas we know his lucky number. 

He's in there I promise

On top of all that our sweet Lucy started preschool this week.  Who knew that getting a kid to school at 9:00 actually requires planing?  She is very keen on the whole school thing which we hope sticks:)

and not a bit excited either

All in all it will be a long remembered week for us with two substantial mile markers, our life is moving forward with or without us and we are doing our best to enjoy all of it.

8:45!!!

Oh yea!!

 8:45!!!  Is the rousing cheer we hear every evening as the fated time befalls us.  I have no idea where it started but there is no doubt that 8:45 is Lucy's favorite time of day.  Every night she makes us watch it change from 8:44 to 8:45 which then results in convulsive jumping and wiggling that is what we now refer to as "The 8:45 Party".  So while sleep is on the schedule this time of night more often than not she is in bed alert and waiting, and should she fall asleep, the fact that 12 hours await the next turn of the magical number causes a fair amount of distress.  One funny side note is that Lucy often will abscond with Andrea's phone and type the number 845 over and over so that what we find looks something like this

84584584584

58458458458

4584584584.

Yep that's our kid and we love the whole package even 8:45 yelled at the top of her lungs in our tired ears:)  Not to be missed is the bedtime ritual of "snugging all the way to her feet" and "Can I say my things"? Yes. "Don't lock the door and close the door, I love you , good night , see you in the morning, mwwwa (a blown kiss)".  So that's tucking time at our house.

ReRailled

  After a rather long stretch of working every feasible Saturday in effort to please the pied piper we have parted ways as I now dance to a different tune. To celebrate this momentous departure we loaded into the Trooper and made tracks to Moab. My first trip to Moab was last year and it was fantastic.

He hawwww

  Highlights of the last trip centered on Arches National Park with myself being the two kid pack mule (I insisted, a manly display of machismo) to get to delicate arch, a truly magnificent work of nature.

Beyond expectations

  So this time in preparation for new things I decided to get the old mission bike back on its feet. This resulted in the purchase of a used but excellent wheelset with a proper rear cassette.This unfortunately resulted in the complete dismemberment of my old rear derailleur.

Aww XT you were good to me

  Which then led to the procurement of a vastly better derailleur that finally put a great old bike back on the trail. The result, I road Slickrock trail Saturday May seventh for the first time in my life (and I'm paying for it today) truly intense about sums it up. Sorry no pictures I was far to busy hanging on for dear life=)


  Other highlights were the attempted uni. ride down the sand hill. Which was unsuccessful in terms of full length, yet exciting in short bursts of craziness.

Good thing the sand is soft

  Then of course while at the sand hill the kids had the time of their life. Dirty is an understatement, yet they seemed even happier than they were dirty

Seriously sweet sand, seriously sweet kid

Loved it so much he even took a bite

  All in all a fine way to spend a weekend with the fam.

Documentation Of Youth

SAY CHEESE!!

So it seams that not only are our young truants unwilling to listen to their parents these days, they feel the need to salt the wound by documenting it. In the following video filmed by the young Lucy who is NOT allowed to use the camera, the young Will is dipping his digger in the dog water that he is forbidden to touch. If they weren't so cute I'd turn them in.
Note the devious nature of this adolescent director. Lucy only turns it off after you hear Andrea inquire as to their whereabouts. 

  

Two Weeks, Notice ME!!!!!!!

The days of hanging suspended over a 30 ft drop are over.

So it would seem that the most essential part of submitting your two weeks notice is the part where people are thereby inflicted with the exuberant attitude that screams NOTICE ME!!  If you haven't come around to the precise angle I am getting at, I am now seeking more notice by declaring my intended departure from the arduous world of construction.  Long I have dreamed of severing the bonds of the blue-collar worker to apply my education to more challenging things, and the final countdown has arrived.  So here I stand on the tail end of two weeks notice and call for the world to notice me.  Do you care?  Who knows, but I can scarcely contain myself because as I sit here typing I can hear Lucy singing "I've got a dream" from Tangled and I, like the ugly thugs, have a dream.   

Easter Reading

Awww cute, here's to her loving Easter for better reasons some day!

Many years ago as a young missionary I read the remarkable work of James E. Talmage Jesus The Christ, and in my exuberant youth I resolved to read it every year around Easter to reflect on our Savior's most magnificent life.  The reality of that overzealous commitment is that about ten years latter I finally read it again.  While I failed in my resolve I do declare that this volume of inspired writing will surly impress on anyone who reads it a profound and wonderful feeling of love for the greatest man to ever walk the face of this earth.  Happy Easter to that!   

Fulfilling One's Purpose

Used and abused 

 The intent of the duplex (or double headed) nail is to temporarily fasten an object in place.  Such is the case with this poor contorted nail, it's job completed it was wrenched from a rather secure place yet so tenacious was it's grasp that this warped object was all that remained.  In looking upon this poor fella I wondered do we sometimes hold on too tightly to what was only meant to be temporary.  Am I being melodramatic about a nail?  I think so, but hey I construct therefore I deconstruct to give my mind something to do, therefore you suffer.

SPENT!!