Boating

Having a great love of the outdoors, we love going boating. With the kids, we try not to do anything wild or dangerous, but more calm stuff.
We like to park the boat and swim around it.

Todd is so good with the boys, he will swim around and around with them

He even let Mikey "drive" the boat a little bit

Grant fell asleep while we cruised around

All in all, a beautiful day!

Audrey's Arival

Lyndee was due to have her first baby at the end of August. I was so excited for her, not only was this her first baby and the first baby in our family since Grant was born, but also because she was having a girl!!!! Lyndee had invited me (if I was able) to be there for the birth, so I had a flight scheduled for the end of August in hopes that i would be there when my niece arrived.

As luck would have it, after my mom and dad had both left the country at the beginning of August, Lyndee started having complications with her pregnancy. On August 9th the doctor decided to induce her a little early.

Lyndee was scared. Not only was she having health problems, but she felt very alone; my mom was gone and I was not there. Luckily my sister-in-law Tavia went down and was with her for a portion of the labour and that helped calm Lyndee's nerves.

Lyndee was a champ. She wasn't able to get an epidural until later into the labour because she was slow at progressing, but imagine the surprise when after the anesthesiologist left the room, Lyndee was checked and was at a 10, ready to push!

A couple of days later, on a Thursday, I was talking to Lyndee on the phone and she was asking my advice on who she should have come help her after she got home from the hospital. I know from personal experience that coming home, especially after your first baby, can be really tough.

When I had Michael, Todd's mom had just gotten into town. Todd and I had only been married a year and I had met his mom only a few times, so we didn't really have a comfortable relationship as of yet. My mom, assuming that I would have all the help I needed from my MIL was a no-show. Looking back now, I would have done some things differently.

Having your first newborn is incredibly overwhelming. I didn't feel comfortable asking Eve to do too much, also she was working full time, so this was her vacation and opportunity to spend time with her son she hadn't seen that much in the last couple of years. So, as I tried to figure out what to do with a newborn in the middle of the night (or the middle of the day), I felt very alone.

I remember feeling very deserted by my own mother, and bitterly realized that it was just a part of who my mom is, always having someone else to serve but forgets her own children. In my tears I promised myself that when Lyndee had her first baby, I would be there for her. I knew, first hand, how hard it had been and knew that things may not change. I would do what I could to make sure that she had help and support. (Of course Todd told me, "Ya, sure, that's just what Lyndee wants, you and your five children"….pretty close prediction)

While talking to Lyndee, I tried helping her to come up with some options of people to help her, especially since my mom was still out of town. I recommended Tavia, but Lyndee felt that she had already taken too much of Tavia's time seeing that she does have 3 kids of her own and goes to school full time. I suggested my other sisters, but Lyndee, understandably, wanted someone with experience. After a few more suggestions, we still had no clue and ended our conversation saying that we'd think about some other options.
  I felt badly for Lyndee. I knew that being a new mom is tough and to feel alone is even tougher.

Suddenly a thought hit me. Todd had both Saturday and Sunday off of work - which really doesn't happen very often. If I could enlist the help of a few friends, I may be able to go help Lyndee. I texted Todd right away and asked him what he thought. Of course he didn't like the idea of having to be away from me, but he was supportive of me helping my sister. I actually felt as though my wounds of feeling alone and unsupported when I had Michael were healed by Todd's willingness to do what he could so I could make sure that my sister didn't have a similar experience. For the first time I felt as though he truly understood how difficult it had been for me.

I called Lyndee up and told her that if I were able to get a ticket for the right price and if I could get some people to watch the boys for when Todd was working, I may be able to pull it off and be able to help her go home. She was surprised, thrilled and incredibly grateful.

Thanks to some amazing friends that were willing to help me out, I was able to leave Friday morning.
It was great flying without kids, though I did miss them. I arrived in Vegas in the late afternoon. Nathan picked me up and took me to the hospital, where Lyndee and the baby still were. It was great to see Lyndee and I know that she felt some relief in my coming. Because the baby had slight jaundice, she was kept under lights in the nursery and wasn't allowed off of them except for a 15 minute feeding every 2 hours (already I was realizing why I had chosen to have Grant at home).

Lyndee and I talked for about an hour before I got to see my new niece, which was fine for then I was able to talk to Lyndee and listen to the entire story-----which if you know Lyndee, you know you have to hear EVERY detail, even those that aren't relevant to the entire story.

When I finally met my niece, I was so thrilled. She was beautiful!!

We got to see her for a couple of minutes, then had to wait around for other things and doctor's orders to be done. It took forever. Finally, after they had been in the hospital for 5 days, Lyndee and the baby were finally given the okay to go home around 9 at night.

You think that after all of this extra time spent at the hospital, Lyndee and Nathan would have chosen a name for their child, but they are the most indecisive people, so as we were leaving they were literally flipping a coin to choose her name. They decided on Audrey Maud, which I think is so cute. The flipping of the coin actually fell on "Ellison", a family name of Nathan's, but after starting to write the name on the birth certificate application Nathan looked over at her and said that he thought she looked more like an Audrey. I had to agree. Plus I just wanted to get out of the stuffy hospital.

My stay was quite uneventful as all I was concerned about was helping with the baby. I tried to take Audrey whenever I could. The first day, Lyndee didn't seem to need me to hold Audrey, but after a day or two, Lyndee was feeling the typical first time mom feelings of "please don't make me have to deal with this child".  I knew this would happen, and assured Lyndee that it was normal as I took Audrey downstairs with me so that Lyndee could get some rest. Lyndee was grateful for the break and I was grateful to be able to be with a baby.

Lyndee and I of course got some conversation time in - if you know Lyndee you know you can't get away from spending some time with her and NOT connecting! It was great to be able to spend time with my dear sister.

And Audrey was just wonderful. I did have to put some bows on her, even though they didn't quite fit her tiny head.

I did take her outside for some natural ways to treat jaundice.

By the time I had to go home, I knew Lyndee (and Nathan) were prepared and would be okay with my going. The first night I was there Nathan woke me up in the middle of the night to help Lyndee, per her request, which I did tell her to do if she wanted the help. The second night I was again awoken, but by the third night, I was left alone. They had progressed and knew what to do.

I was so glad that I was able to help Lyndee. I was able to fulfill the promise to myself, help Lyndee in her time of need, and felt very supported by my husband. And I got to spend time with Audrey!!!

IronKids

When we found out that there was a kids' triathlon, we asked Michael if he wanted to do it. He not only accepted, but was excited about it. Roger wasn't old enough, so this was something that Michael was going to do on his own. 

I knew that Michael could do the triathlon without too many problems. It was only a 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike and 1 mile run. The day before the triathlon, I worked with him on the transitions and told him what to do between each event. He practiced several times, and was very particular about making sure he got his sunglasses on for the bike ride. 

The morning of the race, I wasn't quite sure of what we were going to do. It was a good 45 minute drive to the other side of Cleveland for the race, and we had to leave the house no later than 7:30 AM. Todd had worked the night shift at the hospital, "supposed" to get off at 7. If I didn't hear from him, I would just have to take all four boys by myself. I started backing up the car when Todd called to say he was on his way.

Then on the way to the race, there was an accident on the freeway, further delaying us getting to the race. Once we got to the race, Todd dropped Michael and I off to go register while he got the other boys out of the car. 

For being so rushed, Michael did great. He listened to the instructions and got ready. 

Being the youngest group, his group went first.

Michael swam very well, kept his face in the water. He swam with a lot more confidence than I ever have had at a race.

As he ran up the beach from the water, Michael looked toward me worried. There was something he hadn't thought of. "Mom...what about the sand on my feet!" I reminded him that he had a towel and just needed to wipe his feet off on it.

He did a good job getting ready for the bike, until it was time to put his shirt on. It was my fault, I should have either had him wear a racing belt or a bigger shirt. With his body being damp and his shirt fitting tightly, he had a hard time getting it on and unfortunately, since it was a USA sanctioned triathlon, he could not receive any outside help, meaning we could not touch him.

But he finally got things settled, and was off.

I ran alongside a short portion of the bike course (which was three loops, 1 mile each). Michael did really well, but at times he didn't realize the point of racing. He would peddle, but then he would put his feet up on the bar in the middle of his bike, enjoying the breeze and the ride. I had to shout to him to keep peddling the entire time.

T2 was good and quick

Then he started on the run. At this point he was hot and tired. I knew he was hurting and understood how he felt. I ran alongside him, giving him words of encouragement.

He had great support from his brothers and dad

and he finally finished. I was so proud of him. It was not easy, and he did get very tired, got a side ache, but he kept pushing to the end. Came in a finishing time of 35 minutes.

Roger was so proud of him, as were all of us

Roger even got Michael an extra couple of drinks to get re-hydrated

Good job Michael....so proud of you buddy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing on the beach. It was perfect weather and allowed the boys freedom to play while Todd got some rest. I think the younger three boys were just so grateful that this was not an all day race like they are use to sometimes.

Day in Old Nauvoo

After completing our biking journey, we went to take showers,get the kids, and eat.
Then we went and visited Carthage Jail. It was beautiful and peaceful.

 

This was the window Joseph was shot out of

I loved hearing about the love that was between the brothers Joseph and Hyrum. Makes me hope that my boys will always have a close relationship with each other.

 

I'm grateful for the close relationships I have with my sisters

My mom told the tour guide that 30 years ago, on that day, she had married my dad. Well, my mom also failed to tell the tour guide that they were no longer married. She claimed that she didn't say anything because the tour guide didn't ask if they were still married. Weird that the tour guide would assume that since they were together on the anniversary of their marriage, with their children, that they would still be married. Silly mom.

Then we went into Nauvoo. Todd and I were able to go to the temple, which was awesome.

After the temple and playing with the kids a little bit, it was late afternoon. My mom, dad, and sisters were leaving for they were driving back to Utah (in a car that had just lost the AC the day before...don't forget it was the middle of the summer) and wanted to get a good distance to start.
 So we had one last picture at the Johnathan Browning Guns Shop (my ancestor) and said good bye.

Todd and I were trying to decide what to do. We had a 10 hour drive home and Todd had to work the next evening. But, we didn't feel like we got to spend much time in Nauvoo, and there was a outdoor pageant performance that was going on in just a couple of hours. We weren't sure if we wanted to be more responsible or if we wanted to give the boys another experience. We decided that especially since we were this far, we may as well wait the two hours and stay for the show.
We decided to take the boys to the temple grounds for a bit while we waited for the show. It was fun to talk to the boys about the fact that we were married there.

By the time we made it to where the performance was taking place there was only about 20 minutes until it started, which I thought was great until I realized that there were all sorts of pioneer games and activities set up for people to do before the show started. The games were awesome and the crafts were fun (and all free), so the boys had a good time as we tried to get in all that we could.

The show was pretty good, but half-way through William and Grant had to go to the bathroom. Todd took them while I stayed with the other two boys.
Many minutes later Todd returned and asked me if I had William with me. Apparently while he was at the bathroom, he went in the stall with Grant and William had gone in a separate stall. When Todd came out, William was gone.
This made me a little nervous for there were tons of people around, it was dark, and William didn't know where we were. Todd handed Grant to me as he went looking for William.
While he was yelling out for William's name, a man (one of the helpers at the show) approached Todd and asked if he was looking for a little boy and told him that a lost boy had been found. Todd went with him to the information tent and found William standing there silently.
Relieved, Todd gave him a hug. Being grateful for the people that had helped, Todd asked William if he had told them his name so that they could help him. William answered with,
    "Dad, when they asked me my name I talked so quietly
     so that they couldn't hear me....because I'm not supposed
     to talk to strangers"

Glad he knows Stranger Danger, and impressed with his creative ways to obey the rules.
The rest of the evening remained uneventful, then after the show, we loaded into our car and set out for the long drive home.

I was planning on driving most of the way, stopping to sleep at a motel if needed, so that Todd could get some rest since we had not only just ended a long bike ride, but he had to work the next evening.
When we got into the car at 10 PM, Todd offered to drive first, let me get some sleep, then we could trade off when he got sleepy. I was planning on maybe an hour or two, so I quickly fell asleep.
Around 3 AM I awoke as Todd was putting on the brakes. We were on the freeway and he had just seen a car swerve to the left and run into the guardrail. Because it happened right behind him and because there was almost no one else on the freeway, Todd u-turned the car and parked right in front of the wrecked car.
In the wrecked car was a middle aged women who looked a mess. Todd helped her out and brought her over by our car as he called the local police to help the woman. The woman did not appear hurt, but the airbag had gone off and her car was undriveable.  As cars went past on the freeway, I was so nervous that one of them may clip the woman's car, causing her car to hit into Todd. But I was grateful to have such a good husband that was willing to help someone else in need.
As we waited for the police to arrive, the woman kept going through her trunk and car, looking for something. Then as the police car pulled up behind her, she threw something into the field. Todd talked to the police officer briefly then came back to our car and we left. Todd said that the woman reeked of alcohol - NOT COOL.
Still being willing to drive, Todd let me go back to sleep, which was probably good since I don't know if I could have stayed awake. About 4 hours later, Todd pulled over and switched me. It was about 6 or 7 in the morning, I had pretty much had a full nights sleep while Todd had stayed awake. I got into the drivers seat and Todd fell fast asleep.
Just shortly after, the gas light came on. This isn't a huge concern since it comes on when I still have about 35 miles of gas left, but I was also driving on the Turn Pike, where service stations are few and far in between. So, I kept my eyes peeled.
About 20 minutes later, I was still looking for a gas station. At this particular moment, I was in a crowd of early morning 18-wheeler drivers. It wasn't until too late that I noticed that one diesel was blocking my view of the exit signs for a service station. I had missed it! But I kept my hopes up that 1- we weren't that empty on gas, and 2-there would be another one soon to come.
A little while later, I still hadn't found a gas station, and was not particularly focused on it until I felt the car slowing down. I pulled off the nearest exit ramp and coasted until the car came to a stop.
I saw that about a mile down the road was a gas station, so I was going to grab my bike off the back of the car, ride to it, get the gas, put it in the car, and be on our way, all without waking up Todd or the boys.
Just as I was about to get out of the car, Todd awoke and in a worried voice asked what was wrong. I told him that I had run out of gas.  Very patiently and lovingly, he responded with,"That's okay, I'm sorry it happened to you babe. I'll go get some gas." He hopped onto his bike to get some gas.
While I was waiting, a police car pulled up behind me. He came to my window and asked what my problem was. After telling him, he said that he didn't like how far onto the road I was, especially since there were children in the car. I wasn't sure of how to respond when he told me to just stay in the drivers seat while he pushed my car (that was on an uphill) from behind. He got on the back and tried pushing, but the downward force from the decline was too great, but luckily a truck driver pulled up behind him and ran out to push with him. I felt incredibly awkward, but was grateful for their help and concern.
Todd made it back shortly and we were able to make it to our home an hour before going to church.
It was a very long 24 hours.