Where Did the Time Go?!

My son, Jed, just turned 20 yesterday! How did that happen? I just turned 20, didn't I? And last time I looked he was turning 1! Then I blinked and now he's 20? Where did the time go?
Jed has always been my sunshine! I can't remember what I had for dinner yesterday, but the memory of his birth is as clear as a beautiful AZ spring day! My mom and both of my sisters were there with me. My sister, Shannon, was supposed to be my labor coach, and my sister Erica, who was 9 and very curious, was there for the show. Mom was there to keep Erica calm. Well, we got to the hospital at about 11 p.m. on the 22nd. Shannon walked the halls with me all night. Sounds pretty typical of a birth right? Oh, it gets better. On the morning of the 23rd, there we were, in my room, my mom and both sisters, the doctor and the nurse, and a bunch of medical students. The anesthesiologist came in and I asked through gritted teeth who he was. The doctor, trying to be funny, said "That's the guy that made this all possible!" To which I replied, "No, that son of a gun (using cleaner language than I did at that point) isn't here!"
As things really got going, I could hear several things happening all at once. Erica started yelling "It's a boy! It's a boy!" The doctor was saying, "You can't tell her that yet! It's just the head!" Shannon was standing up by my head with her hands over her face saying, "Breathe! Oh my gosh! Oh gross! Oh my gosh!" And my mom was wrestling with Erica, saying, "Move out of the way so that doctor can catch that baby!" Had I not been trying so hard to remember how to breathe and not to push, I would have found it quite hysterical!
Then the doctor put this squirming little bundle up on my belly and he lifted his head up, looked around at the room and then looked up at my face and smiled! Yep, he actually smiled at me! He came into this world with a smile, and has always brightened the world for me ever since!
LOL! Later, some friends and cousins came to visit me at the hospital. They came into the hospital room with a boom box playing "You Pushed It" by Salt and Peppa, doing a dance, that they called the "Missy dance" where they walked to the beat of the music, with their bellies stuck out in front, hands on their hips and waddling like ducks (or big pregnant girls)!
After I got out of the labor room, into a regular room, a student nurse came in to see me. I asked her when I could have him casterated. She looked at me, perplexed, and said "They don't do that." I insisted that they did, that I had talked it over with my doctor and that we both agreed that if I was going to have it done, I should do it right away, because it would be better for him to go through it now, rather than later down the line. The student nurse was visibly upset and insisted that they didn't castrate boys here. A nurse came in at that point and asked what the problem was. I told her that I wanted to have my son castrated and that this girl kept telling me that they didn't do that. The nurse choked back a laugh and said "Honey, do you mean circumcised?" To which I replied, "That's what I said! Isn't it?"
All in all, Jed's birth was a pleasant experience for me, but now it may be easier to understand why he is so crazy! LOL

The Brilliance of Men...

This is a picture of my brilliant husband. I think he's handsome, but that's just me! Anyway, I thought I would write about how brilliant he is. Today, when he left work, he was hot, tired, and thirsty. He had a few groceries in the car and he grabbed the only thing that there was to drink, a bottle of sparkling apple cider. You know the type...the ones that people who don't drink alcohol get to open for celebrations such as New Years Eve, wedding receptions, etc. The kind that look just like bottles of wine! My husband, brilliant as he is, pops it open and tips the bottle up and takes a big ol' swig of it, while driving through the middle of town. Well, who do you think saw this? The police, of course! And what happens to guys who the police see driving down the street drinking out of what looks like a big ol' bottle of wine?...you got it! They get pulled over. Let's just say that, while I love my husband, I think my kids got their brains from me!

Surprise!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well! I got up this morning and when I checked my mail I had a big suprise. There were three emails from someone in Jed's ward at church that had scanned in letters from Jed and included a link to a page that had individal photos of the guys that are attending boot camp and are at Camp Pendleton right now. I thought that was so nice of them! They actually provide them a space to write letters home on the back of the ward bulletin that they hand out on Sundays. I am so grateful for the Church and the efforts that they make to keep families in touch with those that are in the military!

Anyway, Jed is doing well. In the first letter, dated March 30, he said that he was really excited to be at Camp Pendleton and that he was learning to "snap" (? Sorry, I am not really familiar with the terminology so I have no idea what that means. If anyone could enlighten me, please do!) In the 2nd letter, dated April13, He said they had just started field week. He just got done qualifying with his M16AZ and got "Marksman". He sounds so excited about this...'Yesterday, I got to paint my face, neck, ears, hands and anything else that was showing skin!...Well, I'm havin' fun and in pain! LOL So, I hope that all of you are doing well and can't wait to see you all, go home, and sleep without hearing "Lights! Lights! Lights!" (LOL that's how they wake us up!) So, love you all and I will keep pressing forward!"
I can just tell that he is sooo happy doing this! I can picture him crawling around with his gun and face paint and having a ball doing it! I can picture it because I have seen him do it, time after time in my mom's back yard armed with a stick! I miss him so bad!

Little Lords and Ladies

This past week has been one adventure after another! Mom and Shannon's family are here visiting from Indiana and we have been to see more of Arizona and it's tourist attractions than we have in the 10 months that we have lived here! Last Friday was Malachi's 6th birthday and we went to Erica's for cake and ice cream. Malachi helped Erica make his cake from scratch (he loves to cook) and it was very yummy!
Saturday we went to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. That was so fun! Ren festivals are my favorite places to go and this one was awesome!
While we were at the festival, Jabyn's honor was besmirched and Frankie came to her defense. When Frankie was brought before the king, who heard of Frankie's deed, the king decided to knight him. (Actually, they made all the kids knights and ladies of the court, but Frankie took it so seriously!) Then, the king and queen asked Frankie to come get me and bring me to meet with them. The king and queen had been very touched by Frankie and the king told Frankie that they knew that he had already overcome huge obstacles in his life and that he believed that Frankie was going to go on to do great things in life. It was very touching. The king and queen were very nice and amazingly kind people.
There were many things to see and do, but my very favorite thing was the music, especially the group called the Tartanics. They were amazing, and soooo much fun! I really missed Jed at the fair. He would have loved it and I am looking forward to sharing it with him in the future. I can't wait to see his face as he experiences it. A love of medieval times and Celtic music is one thing that we have always shared.
Sunday we drove up into the Tonto National Forest. I must say that my first impressions of the mountains here were so mistaken. They are more than just the piles of dirt that I first thought they looked like. They are majestic and filled with beauty when you drive up into them. Arizona is truly an amazing place to live.
While in the mountains the kids got to wade in a river, and then we went to a mountain lake with a beach. It was such a gorgeous day and, though the water was icy cold, the kids laughed and played in the water for quite a while. I enjoyed relaxing on the beach with Erica's baby.
This week started out with a couple of quiet days at home (which we needed to recuperate from the weekend), and then Thursday started a second busy weekend. We (Mom, Frankie, and I) spent the morning visiting the temple grounds in Mesa. It was beautiful! We went into the Mesa Temple Visitors Center and walked through the Reflections of Christ display. It was so touching and the spirit was so strong.
We went to the Deseret book store, which I could get lost in for weeks and be happy, and then we spent the afternoon relaxing with Erica, Shannon, and all the kids, by the pool in Erica's community. It was wonderful.
Friday, Jim and Bryan joined us all and we went to visit Rawhide, which is an old western town. The kids really enjoyed it too. They had a little petting zoo, with the cutest baby goats! Most of the kids got to ride burro's but Frankie was just a tad to big, so he got to ride a camel with Aunt Erica! Then we all went on a train ride together. We saw a gunslinger show and a couple of theatrical productions of old west tales, which the boys loved because they were full of fights and gunfire, and people falling off of buildings. Maggie wasn't so crazy about the gunfire. LOL
All and all, it has been an awesome time, but I am going to need a vacation after this vacation!

My Marine!

Here he is. Recruit Williams, Jedidiah D.
He has always, since the day he was born, been my sunshine, my reason for being, but now, he is my hero.
I miss him terribly but I am so very proud of him!
He got off to a rocky start, having pneumonia twice, and was moved to the MRP (Medical Rehabilitation Platoon) for a bit and then the PCP (Physical Conditioning Platoon) but has now been put into a new platoon and will be graduating on May 23rd. I can't wait to see him!