The Bedrest Bugle

Google

2012-01-22T14:50:00.002-07:00

Have you ever Googled yourself? In a strange moment of curiosity (and procrastination), I Googled myself the other day.

Not much showed up. A different person with the same name is on Facebook. (I am not.) Exciting. I thought this blog might pop up. It didn't. At least not as far as I looked.

What did pop up? Every picture that has ever been posted on this blog. I have no idea why the actual blog did not appear but all the pictures did.

There in front of me, with a simple click of the mouse, were my boys' faces, Ryan's birth, Colin's birthdays, Aidan's soccer games, and so on.

I started to think about why I am not on Facebook. The reasons are many, but the main reason is privacy. I work with a fascinating population of people and as I make my way through school, my clientele will continue to grow, and likely continue to become more interesting. I'm not really worried about anyone seeking out my children because they've seen their cute little faces online.

But, I admit, it still creeped me out a bit.

So...The Bedrest Bugle is going bye-bye. Besides, Ryan is over two years old. I think we all know how the bedrest turned out.

Oh, but do not panic. A new, private blog will be up and running soon. When it is, I will send you an email invitation if I know you read The Bugle. If you read The Bugle but don't think I know you do, and want to continue following our exciting escapades, simply send me an email or leave me a comment. If the idea of you looking at my kids' faces doesn't creep me out, I will send you the invitation.

I appreciate your understanding and I hope the privacy settings of the new blog won't make it more difficult to access. It shouldn't be a big deal. You will just have to put in a password.

Later taters.

Disappeared

2012-01-01T22:19:00.004-07:00

Did you think I disappeared?

Sometimes I wonder, too.

Life has been, shall we say...crazy. Yes, we'll say crazy. That is a good word to define the recent months. Here comes a brief update.

Mark has traveled a few times. He hasn't left the country since our trip to Paris, but he's been to Texas, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Colorado. He has been working hard with his schooling and has about nine months left until he will have his degree.

Colin is half way through his junior year of high school. This year has been a bit of a struggle in some ways. He continues to train hard in Taekwondo and seems to enjoy teaching his little brother.

Aidan is whizzing his way through third grade. He is picking up multiplication quickly and thinks it is absolutely fabulous that he can write his name in cursive now! The cast came off his arm after three weeks and he seems to have healed completely. He has his camouflage belt in Taekwondo which means he has started sparring. He participated in his first tournament a couple of weeks ago. Our meek and mild middle child shocked us by fighting like a champ and taking second place in sparring! He also took second place in his form. He was thrilled to get his first two trophies.

Ryan is talking and talking and talking. And talking. He speaks clearly and he speaks often. He is counting, learning his colors, and jumping. Steamed broccoli is one of his favorite foods. I know, weird.

I completed the first year of my master's program. Even through all the insanity, I have managed to maintain my 4.0 GPA. I am pretty damn proud of that! I have one more year of classwork and then a year of internship.

Work is busy, as always. In October I celebrated my 12th anniversary with Volunteers of America. It's a little strange to realize I've worked with the same agency for one third of my life. I love it, though, and so far haven't found anywhere I'd rather be.

I've been a vegetarian for a little over a year now. I had a physical a couple of weeks ago and I'm thrilled to report that my cholesterol has dropped nearly 100 points. Yes, it was that high. Even with that, it is still a little on the high side. One of my goals for this year is to start running again.

Well, kids, there is as much of an update as you are going to get for now. Here's to hoping that 2012 treats you all well.

Here are a few other pictures to get you through to the next update...

the cast

2011-10-13T20:42:00.003-06:00

Aidan got his cast on Wednesday. He is very proud of his color choice. I'm very proud of him for choosing what he wanted, despite what others may say about it.

He will have the cast on for three weeks. He is happy to have use of his elbow again. He is really not in any pain anymore.

Some Updates

2011-10-09T17:28:00.017-06:00

On Tuesday, October 4, Aidan broke his radius. He fell off the monkey bars at school. He gets his hard cast on Wednesday.

The two one-armed bandits

The last week of September, our yard was finally finished!

Isn't it lovely?

On August 31, Ryan turned two. Wow, I am way behind! We went to Wheeler Farm.

In September, Aidan tested for his yellow belt. Proud big brother tied his new belt on.

On October 7, the men had their birthdays. Colin turned 17. Mark did not.

What could it be?

University of Utah football tickets! Yay!

Ryan enjoyed his dinner a little too much...

The many faces of Colin...

He is taking theater next semester.

So there are three months of updates. Hope you liked them.

Sweet Koko

2011-09-27T16:27:00.006-06:00

We lost a family member today. Koko was our 15-year old Akita/Chow mix. Mark had Koko before he had the rest of us. After she vomited several times and then stopped eating, Mark took her into the vet. It was discovered that she had a large tumor in her abdominal area that had spread around her intestines. There was nothing they could do for her. Poor old lady.
Mark and I took Colin and Aidan to say goodbye.

Goodbye Sweet Girl.

Arches & Moab

2011-09-05T22:21:00.008-06:00

The first week of August we headed south to Arches National Park and Moab. Mark's brother and family joined us. We had a blast spending time with them (although it was too short) and are excited to see them next summer when my eldest niece will graduate from high school.

Because I should be doing school work right now, but I want to get some pictures posted of this trip, I'm not going to write much. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Southern Utah!

That time again...

2011-08-27T21:47:00.002-06:00

Colin's junior year of high school...

Aidan, third grader...

Wannabe...

Karate Kid, Part 2

2011-08-11T21:27:00.006-06:00

Look who finally decided to try Taekwondo!

After just 2 1/2 weeks, Aidan tested for his orange belt and passed!

He might have had a slight advantage because of some free at-home teaching from his big brother. Nevertheless, he did awesome and he is having so much fun! We are excited to have two karate kids.

Or maybe three?

Who needs a spoon?

2011-07-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

Aidan, 17 months

Ryan, 23 months

Friday-final day in Paris

2011-07-24T14:57:00.024-06:00

It was my last day in the City of Lights. It was my last opportunity to shop and see stuff and explore and take pictures. There would be no sleeping in! I was going to rise and shine and have a full day!

And it would start at 1:00 p.m. when I woke up...

I don't think my body ever really adjusted to the time change.

After my shower, I headed out for some shopping. A very important activity for the last day.

First agenda was lunch. I stopped at a casual deli down the block from the hotel. I wasn't sure what I would find there but I needed something. They had sandwiches, yogurt, salads, fruit salad, baguettes, croissants, and other on-the-go kinds of things. I settled on this for my lunch.

Hey, I was on vacation. I can eat a brownie for lunch if I want to! Let me give you another look, just in case you can't tell how amazing it was.

It was a brownie topped with caramel, topped with more brownie that was cut into squares, then topped with more caramel and walnuts. It was the most decadent, delicious thing ever. And just as rich and big as it looks. And I felt like throwing up for about an hour after. Some things are worth sacrificing for.

I took my very good for me lunch to the park that I've mentioned several times. I plopped myself on a chair, ate my brownie, and took a couple pictures.

See this? Blue sky! Never fear...it rained later.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent shopping. I didn't take many pictures of that. Sometime during the day I took this picture of the outside of our hotel. Looks pretty much like all the other Parisian buildings.

Mark beat me back to the room after work. I may have gotten a little carried away with my purchases.

We headed out to a neighborhood called Montmartre. This area came highly recommended by the concierge and one of the guys Mark had been working with all week. The neighborhood is also home to Sacre Coeur Basilica.

Look, Maura! They have limonade in Paris, too!

I have no explanation for the face in the wall.

See all the steps behind me? That is what you have to walk up to get to Sacre Coeur, which is the highest point in the city of Paris. Or you can take the tram up. Guess which one we did?

Sacre Coeur. Isn't she lovely?

View of the city.

Montmartre has cobblestone streets, artists all over, musicians in various areas, skinny roads, mimes, restaurants, etc. It's kind of more traditional Paris. Very, very cool.

We had dinner here. I felt very proud of supporting my Irish heritage by eating here.

It wasn't very Irish, though. Mark had quiche. I had French onion soup. It's not called French onion soup in France. It's just called onion soup. Weird.

This cat was hee-larious. He was running around on the ledges of the buildings, in and out of windows.

Some other sights around Montmartre...

Strike a Parisian pose...vogue.

Strike a po...er...something.

Evidently the steps of Sacre Coeur is the place to be.

This guy was playing his guitar and singing. He was quite good and really funny. Mark and I sat on the steps for at least and hour, listening to the music and enjoying the evening.

Montmartre was a fabulous area. I would recommend it for anyone going to Paris. I think it was my favorite destination that we visited together.

After our adventures, we took the train back toward the hotel, stopping for a crepe, of course.

Saturday morning, we took a taxi to the airport. I had a fantastic time in Paris. I had no reason to be nervous about being there alone. I saw amazing things, ate fabulous food, hung out with a pretty cool guy in the evenings, and absolutely pushed the boundaries of my comfort zone. Can't complain about all of that.

After a nine hour flight, we had a five hour layover in Cincinnati. Fortunately we had access to the Delta Sky Club. We got a little silly. Or delirious maybe.

When we finally arrived in Salt Lake City, we were surprised to find my mom and Aidan there to greet us!

Thanks for following along on our Parisian journeys. Auvoir.

Thursday Night

2011-07-23T14:35:00.022-06:00

Thursday night after staring up at the Eiffel Towel, we took a 60-minute boat tour up and down la Seine. It was a nice cruise with lots of information about the landmarks and their histories. Our boat was similar to these.

This is The Grand Palace. I don't remember who built it or lived there. Probably King Henry or George or something.

I don't remember what this is. But it's cool, eh?

This is another view of Musee d'Orsay. It was converted from an old train station.

Notre Dame Cathedral. It is much more grand-looking when you see all of the sides!

These are residential buildings that I just thought were cool. The tour guide described them as "mansions".

Mark on the boat, enjoying the scenery. And by scenery, I mean me.
( :

Some cool building. I think it had something to do with the French government. And I had more fun with PhotoShop.

Graffiti in Paris?! WHAT!?

Paris skyline...

And that, ladies and gents, concludes our boat tour.
Here is me chillin' with a cool dude. He was nice, but a little stiff.
Har har har.

A few random photos of that evening...

You can see the Arc de Triomphe waaaaaay far in the background.

I never took the Metro by myself, but we took it quite a bit in the evenings.

That was about it for Thursday. Right now we are sitting in the Delta Sky Club in the Cincinnati Airport. We arrived from Paris about three hours ago. Our connection to SLC is in about an hour. We are tired and very anxious to squeeze our boys. I will have to download pictures from Friday some time after we get home. We had a really super last evening in Paris.

Musee d'Orsay and Eiffel Tower

2011-07-22T16:20:00.009-06:00

Thursday was a busy day. I was too tired when I got back to blog about it.

Oh, woe is me...

I set off in the morning for Musee d'Orsay. This museum came highly recommended by a couple of different people. It is an art museum but is more contemporary than la Louvre. It highlights people such as Picasso, Monet, and Van Gogh. It was fabulous. I spent more time there than we did at la Louvre (despite it being about 1/16 the size) and I enjoyed it much more. This is a picture of the outside of the museum. Cameras were not allowed inside. Boo. Hiss.

After the museum, I wandered. I knew my time in Paris was coming to an end and I just wanted to take it all in. Here are a few pictures of other random things I saw around the city.

Most of the streets actually have no lanes. That helps explain why the scooters buzz between cars so much.

The traffic cops were fun to watch. They had their rhythms and got really angry when people ignored them.

I don't know what my fascination with these boats was, but I stared at them for quite a while. And then I had fun with PhotoShop.

While I was wandering, I had an exchange with an intoxicated homeless man that went something like this:
Him: "Madam, please, some money for me to eat?"
Me: "You don't have money for food?"
Him: "No, Madam. Please can you help me?"
I found myself in an odd mood and gave him 2 euro.
Him: "Madam, please. What good does this do? This will not buy me food."
Me: "That's all."
Him: "Please, Madam, please."
Me: "Do you want to give that back?"
Him: (looking shocked) "Huh?"
Me: "Do you want to give that money back?"
Him: "No, Madam. Ten euro please."
Me: "No more. Take that and walk away or give it back."
He turned and walked away. I was quite pleased with myself.

When Mark was finished with his work day, we headed toward the Eiffel Tower. It pretty much speaks for itself so here are the pictures.

We went for a 60-minute boat cruise. But this post is already long and the boat cruise produced a bunch more pictures. I guess that will get its own post later!

la Louvre

2011-07-21T00:33:00.009-06:00

We finally got in to la Louvre. The place is gigantic. I had no idea it was so immense. We could have spent three full days in there and maybe we would have seen everything.

What's the fuss? Why the crowd? The cameras? Is it Justin Bieber?

No! It's Monna Lisa, of course!

Something about this sculpture made me think of a gigantic pop-up toaster. With a head.

Mark was thrilled about standing next to this odd creation.

The African art was my fave.

culture

2011-07-20T16:16:00.014-06:00

today I sat in the park

watching the people

different colors

different beliefs

different dreams

different languages

different traditions

different ideas

different sizes

different thoughts

all beautiful

crème glacée

2011-07-19T12:11:00.004-06:00

(ice cream)

In case you were wondering, French ice cream tastes pretty much like American ice cream. The difference is they give you one little scoop. I finally figured out how the Europeans stay so skinny...

And yes, I bought myself a scarf today. I had to fit in to the local culture. Don't you think it's lovely?

Mark and I had dinner at a little place across from la Louvre. I had quiche (super yum) and Mark had an omelette. You don't get hash browns with your omelette. Oh no. you get French fries. And if you ask for ketchup? The snooty waiter rolls his eyes at you. And if you know my husband, you know he can't eat fries without ketchup.

Now we are livin' it up in our hotel room. We're sitting on the bed, each of us with a laptop. Mark is doing some work for tomorrow. I am blogging. Ah, the Parisian romance...

Gouttes de pluie

2011-07-19T05:52:00.009-06:00

(rain drops)

It has been pouring rain all day in Paris. This translated into me climbing back into bed after Mark left for work and sleeping until he came up for lunch at 1:00 p.m. It has been a highly productive day.

Now I am attempting to down my first ever espresso. I decided waking up for some of the day might help me have a better night's sleep. I'm not a coffee fan. I actually think the stuff tastes like mud. And espresso tastes like mud thickened with mud. And sugar. A whole bunch of sugar. Ew.

We Skyped with Colin and Aidan last night. Ryan was napping. It was probably good. I'm not sure what kind of reaction he would have had. Everyone on the home front is doing well. Colin has the week off football. He was excited to tell us that after hours of trying, he has mastered the Rubik's Cube. So proud. Aidan got officially signed up for Taekwondo last week. I believe he will attend class three days this week. He says it's weird to call his big brother Mr. Fry in class. Ryan is also doing well. Grandma says he goes to bed without any issues and seems to be well-trained to do so. Patting self on the back.

I managed to drink about half my espresso. I can do no more. Yuck. We'll see if it wakes me up at all.

I just think these roofs are cool. This was taken from our balcony. I kind of want to start singing "Chim chim-eny chim chim cher-ooo". Alas, not quite enough espresso for that.

Paris Adventures-Day Two

2011-07-18T09:23:00.011-06:00

Mark had to be downstairs by 8:30 for work this morning. We had room service for breakfast. We shared one egg and cheese omelette, three pastries, orange juice, and corn flakes. $75US. Luckily we didn't have to pay for it.

Shortly after Mark headed out, I began my exploration of the city. The hotel concierge had mapped out an entire walking route for me.

Most of the streets look like this.

I walked across La Seine. I could have stood on this bridge all day. Stunning.

I made my way onto some street in some part of Paris. I got myself lost. Somehow I missed the street that I was supposed to turn on. The good news is that I saw some cool stuff and interesting people. The bad news is that I missed the neighborhood that I was trying to find. Boo. A "neighborhood" is equivalent to a "parish" in New Orleans. They have names and vary as far as what you'll find in them.

After wandering aimlessly, I eventually found myself at Notre Dame Cathedral. I didn't go up to the tower but I did go inside to check things out. While the building was beautiful, it wasn't as immense or as extravagant as I expected for some reason.

After touring Notre Dame, I headed in the direction of the hotel. I had already walked for about four hours at this point and was pretty tired.
Some other things I saw on the way back...
This here is another little church that is near Notre Dame. I didn't go inside but it sure was purty.

All of the men wear man capris. I haven't convinced Mark that he needs some yet.

View from our balcony.

The scooters rule the road. They buzz around like worker bees, somehow avoiding collisions with pedestrians, cars, and each other.

Bumpers are actually used for bumping. How do they get in and out of those spots?

When I got back to the room I crashed. And by crashed I mean I fell into bed and slept for nearly three hours.

When Mark finished work, we took the train to one of the neighborhoods that the concierge recommended. It was quaint and definitely more of a locals area than downtown Paris. We ate at a little cafe. Note to my vegetarian friends: there are very few vegetarian options in Paris. It was lovely, though. These guys were singing on the road near the cafe. Cool.

Paris has a smell. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe food? Maybe all the meat being cooked? I don't know but I don't love it. Bleh.

Otherwise it's LOVELY!

bon jour de paris

2011-07-18T04:58:00.021-06:00

It's 1:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon in Paris. Mark and I arrived Sunday around noon. Although we were tired from a long flight and an 8-hour time change, we wandered around the city. Sunday was Mark's only day off so we weren't about to sleep the day away.

Our hotel is pretty amazing. It seems to be fairly centrally located, surrounded by high-end shops that I can't even afford to dream about. Our room is on the small side but beautiful. The hotel has been open less than a month so it is very clean. It is evident that the staff are still a bit nervous in the newness of it all. It makes me chuckle.

After checking into the hotel, we headed toward the Louvre. The line to get in was quite long so we decided to wait for another day. I did get some pictures outside, though. Parisian architecture is fabulous.
Yes, we did indeed stop at McD's for a "Coca Cola Light". I can't even stop drinking the stuff in Paris! Unfortunately, it doesn't taste like American Diet Coke and they don't believe in ice here. Sad.

Near the Louvre are some cool gardens to walk through. We meandered through and stopped for crepes. Yummmm.

We could see the Eiffel Tower from a distance. Hopefully I will get closer another day.

After our adventures, we went to bed early. We were worn out.

Things I've learned about Paris so far:
-People really do make out anywhere. They don't care who is watching. Mark was disappointed to learn this rule would not apply to us.
-Traffic is insane. I don't know how there aren't more crashes.
-Scooter drivers weave in and out of traffic as if they are indestructible.
-People are impatient and honk their horns a lot.
-Everyone wears scarves and berets, for real.
-Everyone we have talked to thus far has been very nice.

Mama's Boys

2011-07-02T21:48:00.007-06:00

Since I last posted, Ryan has started to say Colin, Aidan and Ryan clearly. Tractor sounds like tractor instead of fafa. He puts 2-3 words together and has started to ask questions. We were driving down the road and he said, "Are you, Tractor?" (Where are you, tractor) At dinner he inquired about the enjoyment of my meal, "Good, Mama?" He likes to walk up to us and declare, "Tease you!" and run away. Of course a chase ensues. He seems so big.

Aidan is enjoying his summer break. Our yard is still a mess from the Not So Grand Canyon. Aidan loves the pile of dirt that has been named "Mud Mountain". He spends hours daily digging, creating rivers, and watching the ants work. The poor child will be sad when the grass goes in at the end of the month. I need to take some pictures of him in his adventures.

Colin has been busy. His Taekwondo instructor has been out of town and helping at one of the other local schools. Colin has been getting lots of work hours in because of it. He has been working out with the football team.

School continues to excite me. I just finished a research class. It was less exciting than some others, but it wasn't as horrid as I feared. This week I started an ethics class which seems very interesting.

On July 16 I will be joining Mark on a business trip to Paris! Yes, the one in France. I've never been to Europe and I'm very excited. Mark's parents are coming to stay with the boys. I'm a little apprehensive about leaving them for a full week. I will miss my Mama's Boys! It will be an adventure for sure. Mark will be working during the day and I will be on my own to explore the city. Eeeek! A new city, different money, unknown language, and little ol' me. Should be an interesting experience. I'm determined not to let my fears prevent me from exploring. I actually expect that it will be a rare opportunity for some self-reflection.

I haven't shared any tidbits about myself lately. So...let's see. What is something you wouldn't all know about me already? Cooking and me...we're not friends. We actually don't get along well at all.

Ryanese

2011-06-12T12:38:00.007-06:00

Ry-nan-Ryan
Caw-yee-Colin
Ai-nan-Aidan
fa-fa-tractor (no idea how he gets fafa from tractor)
binty-blanket
boods-birds
tow-cow
ba-pa-grandpa
ba-pa-grandma (yes, grandpa and grandma sound the same...)
noo-noos-noodles
iPad-iPad (yes, really)
ay-pane-airplane
duty-dirty
hun-gee-hungry
ah-side-outside

Husky Iditarod

2011-05-21T12:13:00.009-06:00

Colin's high school football team did a 50-mile bike ride this morning. They went up and down a good portion of one of the canyons and all around town. The ride was a fundraiser for the football program and a way to build team spirit and self-esteem. They started at 5:30. Colin finished around 11:00. He was beat.

They had breakfast after the race for the players and their families.

Colin & his best friend Kaelan

The poor kid was so tired he had to get a piggy back ride into the house. Good thing his mom is so incredibly tough.

WAY TO GO COLIN!

Easter Morning

2011-05-17T20:02:00.001-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know Easter was like, forever ago...

A Mother's Day Letter

2011-05-08T15:11:00.004-06:00

written by Aidan

Mom,

I love you because you make yummy food, very yummy food. You work hard so I can go to school. You protect me. You make me happy. You buy a cake for me on my birthday. I know you will never sell me. You help me with my homework. When me and Kevin play you make things fair.

Love,

Aidan

a little clarification

2011-04-23T23:53:00.004-06:00

In my last post, I "confessed" that my children eat sugar cereal. It's not that I feel guilty because I buy Apple Jacks. I don't really feel guilty for anything, actually.

As I'm going through this period of self-discovery, I'm also working on being proud of who I am. I shouldn't tell one person that my kids only eat Raisin Bran and Corn Flakes, and honestly tell someone else that their cereal is usually loaded with sugar. Or that they didn't even have cereal for breakfast; they had Pop Tarts.

The cereal situation is a small example, of course, of the type of thing I'm trying to be honest about. My kids eat sugar cereal. So what? Is it your place to judge me for that? No. What I'm learning is that I am a pretty awesome person and that you will likely love me regardless of whether my kids eat wheat or white bread. White, by the way. They eat white bread. I fought a battle for a while trying to get them to stop eating sugar cereal and white bread. I eventually gave up on the battle, deciding there are more important things to focus on.

So my confessions aren't really confessions at all. They're more like informational tidbits that some of you will already know, and some of you won't. They are little snippets of information about who I really am; not who I am pretending to be.

Today's Tidbit: I'm a Democrat. Yes, I voted for President Obama.

Updates & Pictures

2011-04-09T14:22:00.010-06:00

Ryan picks up new words daily. He is very good at saying "please" and "thank you". He even insists on the rest of us saying "please" when we ask for a kiss! He was at the 40th percentile weight and 60th for height at his 18-month appointment. He is still a snuggler. He recently started at a new in-home day care at a friend's house three days per week. He seems to enjoy himself there and because we know the family, we know he is well-loved.

Aidan had his 8th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese a couple of weeks ago. He had a grand old time with his buddies. He is not playing soccer this spring. He is showing some interest in taking Taekwondo like Colin, but we have yet to pursue that further.

Colin continues to impress in Taekwondo. I wondered if he would lose some interest as he started to drive and have other activities, but he seems to love it just as much as ever. He just completed a mid-term test in which he did great. He has one more mid-term test as a 3rd Degree and then he can test for his 4th Degree! He has to be 18 to get his 4th Degree so that will be a bit, but he is well on his way. He has been working out with his high school's football team and is planning on joining the team. After some asthma struggles, we saw his doctor and he was put on two new preventative medications. So far they seem to be doing the trick. I hope it continues because he really wants to play. And because Taekwondo five days a week and football five days a week aren't enough, he is running for junior class president for next year. Tonight he goes to prom!

Mark and I continue with school and work. We are busy folk but it is all very satisfying.

Here are a few other random pictures from the last several weeks.

In my efforts to be proud of the real me, here is my confession of the day: My children eat sugar cereal.

Self-awareness

2011-04-03T20:54:00.009-06:00

In school right now I'm taking a class about multicultural awareness in counseling. Admittedly, I haven't been looking forward to this class. It sounded less interesting than developmental stages or personality theories and counseling models. Today I wrote a paper that got me thinking a little bit differently about the topic. The question posed to us was this:

How does one know when one is completely self-aware?

What do you think? Are you self-aware? Completely? How do you know?

Most of the research I did stated that you have to know what your ideas, beliefs, and values are in order to be self-aware. Do you know what your beliefs and values are? Are you sure? Maybe "your" beliefs are really those of people around you who have a strong influence on you. How did you determine what your values are? Are you confident that you really believe what you think you believe?

I'm not. I don't know what I believe. I've come to realize over the past several months that most of my ideas are not mine at all. I don't know what I value or why. These realizations are not a result of writing my paper. But writing about it today gave me internal permission to continue exploring it.

Most psychological theories state that a person can't be completely actualized unless she knows who she is, how she feels, and what she believes. I have a lot of work to do.

I feel so unsure of my ideas that I don't even know how to figure out what they are. There is such a constant barrage of external stimuli telling me what is right and wrong. How does a person push all of that aside to really explore what her own feelings and ideas are? And who do people think they are to tell me what I should think?

Who am I to let others tell me what to think?

I am a 30-something year old woman who had her first child four months after high school graduation, rushed through college in 3 1/2 years with very little of the typical "college experience", was married at 25, had two more kids, and works full time in a profession that is all about giving to others. I am a person who has given very little to myself.

I'm not complaining. I wouldn't take any of it back or do it differently. But in the midst of all of that, Meghan has been lost. Fortunately, I have amazing people in my life who are helping me realize that my thoughts are important too. My ideas matter. My values, whatever they are, need to be realized so that I can live a full life.

Holding beliefs simply because those around me hold them isn't showing myself the respect that I deserve. I deserve to know how I feel, what I think, who I am. It has taken me 30-something years to figure that much out.

So, how does one know when one is totally self-aware? I have no idea. I am far from it. But I'm finally on my way to figuring it out.

Look Who's Walking!

2011-03-22T20:25:00.004-06:00

It's DAD!

In this picture, he is at physical therapy. They recently started doing some stuff in the pool. He walks about 1000 feet a day (3 days/week) in PT down the hallways of the rehab hospital. ISN'T IT AWESOME?!?!

(I realize this picture is pretty small. It was taken with Mom's phone. Hopefully I can go watch him in action soon and take pictures with my camera...maybe even a video.)

Driveway!

2011-02-21T11:37:00.016-07:00

shoveling

smoothing

shorts wearing

more digging

ready

pouring

name writing

(this is me...in case you couldn't tell...)

driveway!

Sweethearts

2011-02-14T15:54:00.003-07:00

Colin and his "special friend", Bailey, went to the Sweethearts dance on Saturday night. Colin's reaction to this picture?

"Now that right there is a Christmas card!"

Bullet Points

2011-02-08T20:45:00.003-07:00

How lame is it that I am going to update you with bullet points?

Totally.

-Ryan has become a climber. He climbs on our kitchen chairs which sometimes then leads to climbing up on the table. He climbs on the couch. He climbs on just about anything he can.

-Aidan took his first taekwondo class last week. He thought it was very fun and wants to go again. His big brother thought that was pretty cool, too.

-Colin just registered for his junior year of high school. No comment.

-Ryan now says apple, book, nose, bath, night night, and several cousins' names.

-Aidan just finished reading his Children's Bible for the third time.

-Colin is doing great with his driving. I love that Utah has a law stating new drivers can't have friends in the car for six months after getting their license.

-Ryan points to several body parts when asked about them. I think he is our first right-handed child.

-Aidan is a math whiz. He can do multiple digit addition and subtraction in his head faster than I can. Admittedly that's not saying much, but still...

-Colin is going to Las Vegas in March for his next national taekwondo tournament.

-I'm adjusting to my new boss. My previous boss and I have found lots of excuses to "work" together. On Thursday I'm going to her office to help her write a letter. No, she doesn't need help writing a letter.

-My dad is doing outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapies now.

-Is it spring yet?

Stream of Consciousness

2011-01-23T17:35:00.003-07:00

I've come to accept the fact that I can't do everything. I know, I know. It's shocking. One thing that I am going to have to sacrifice while going to school is this blog. That doesn't mean I am going to completely stop updating. It just won't happen very often for the next three years or so. Heh. Please continue to check in on occasion, though.

Let's see. What's up with the Frys? We learned today that Colin is allergic to penicillin. He has been taking amoxicillin for a sinus infection and woke up this morning with hives all over his body. I called his doctor's office and they wanted to see him to confirm the allergy. It was confirmed. Fortunately he didn't have a major reaction like anaphylaxis.

He just finished the second quarter of his sophomore year and did quite well. Have I told you he wants to join the Air Force? I keep trying to tell him there are a couple little things going on called WARS. He wants to be a pilot. I suspect his asthma may prevent that. We'll see.

School for me is FANTASTIC. It takes a lot of time but I don't mind. The topics are things that interest me.

The Grand Canyon is no more. Now it is just a large pile of muddy dirt. When we have some warmer temps we'll pour the driveway and sidewalk. In the spring we'll re-landscape the entire front yard.

Ryan is saying more and more words. I think he tries to say his brothers' names, although they're not very clear. He also says Buddy and Koko now (the dogs). His most clear words are "mine" and "no". I'm so proud. He loves to dance and sing, especially when Colin is playing one of his instruments.

Work has been super stressful the last few weeks. My amazing boss will no longer be my boss starting on January 31st. She has been asked to move over to one of our other divisions. I'm glad she isn't leaving the agency, but devastated at the idea of not directly reporting to her. The person replacing her is great too. If she can't be my boss, I want him to be. But it won't be the same. She and I have been plotting new projects that our two divisions can work on together. I also look forward to finishing school and getting my license. She has already asked me to join her private practice. I have a lot to look forward to with her, but it feels very far away.

My dad continues to make progress. He has some movement in his right arm now and more movement in his leg. His speech is still improving, too. Good stuff. He will finish with home health and home therapies this week. He will then go to outpatient therapies a few times a week.

I have hungry children pulling at my legs now so I suppose I should go feed them.

Sledders

2011-01-06T20:43:00.004-07:00

Aidan and his bestie, Kevin, went sledding last weekend. It was snowing hard and cold. But those second graders loved every second of it! Aidan is in the red coat.

16 months

2010-12-31T20:14:00.003-07:00

Ry-Guy (as his cousins lovingly call him) is 16 months today. He is developing quite a personality. He is a bit mischievous, but very cuddly and loving at the same time. At his 15-month appointment, he was at the 50th percentile for height and weight. This is a decrease from the 80th-90th that he has been at. The pediatrician says he is probably finally falling into the curve that he is meant to be in. You mean the offspring of 5'4" and 5'8" parents isn't meant to be six feet tall? Weird! He is completely on-track with his development. He has started saying lots of new words in the past week or so. Some of the new ones are baby, bye bye, cracker, and one of my favorites...grandpa.

Cheerio(s)!

2010-12-29T15:45:00.001-07:00

Looking better

2010-12-25T00:39:00.002-07:00

not great, but better!

Poopy Plumbing Problems

2010-12-16T22:07:00.004-07:00

Today our Grand Canyon grew longer. Pipework was completed. Inspectors approved. Gravel was placed. Some dirt was put back in the canyon.

The Not-So-Grand Canyon

2010-12-14T22:11:00.008-07:00

Our plumbing issue is being repaired this week. They started late in the day on Monday. When I got home from work, there was a hole about 4'x6' and about 6' deep. I thought to myself, "This isn't so bad."

I was wrong.

About midday today, our yard looked like this.

By the end of the day, it looked like this.

The hole is about 10' deep and about 20' long, expected to grow another 8-10' in length. I lovingly call it our "grand canyon". Two large slabs of our driveway had to be taken out today. The sidewalk will be broken up tomorrow. The project will hopefully be finished by Friday. At least the plumbing part of the project. Later we'll have to re-pour all the concrete and in the spring re-landscape.

This is the stump of the guilty tree. Jerk.

Gingerbread Villages

2010-12-12T22:19:00.009-07:00

Mark and the boys put together gingerbread villages tonight. This was a first for us. Everyone had fun, although there was some frustration as roofs slid down and doorbells fell off!

There was an occasional licking of the fingers.

Even Ryan enjoyed the festivities...in his own way!

Colin Towne

AidanVille

Celery, Broccoli, Gotta be...

2010-12-09T21:55:00.003-07:00

Veggie Tales!

Is the song stuck in your head now too?

Sorry 'bout that.

I'm not actually posting about the Veggie Tales.

But I am writing about veggies.

Last week I went to the doctor. It was time to have the good ol' thyroid levels checked for the year. I asked him to check my cholesterol, too. It tends to run a tad on the high side. Or sometimes on the very high side. (Thanks, Dad)

It's high again. Although not as high as last year, which is good. But still too high.

The doctor said, "Because you are so young (grin) I think we'll take care of this with diet and exercise instead of medication." Super.

I've been very lazy lately and haven't paid much attention to my food intake since Dad's stroke. I didn't want to deal with it. I didn't want to think about it.

He went on to say, "You should be eating a primarily vegetarian diet. You can have lean chicken or fish once a week for a treat. Otherwise, fruits, veggies, whole grains."

My first thought was, "Chicken or fish for a treat? Ben & Jerry's is a TREAT!"
My second thought was, "Vegetarian? You have GOT to be kidding me."

I ignored him for a few days. I was mad at him. I didn't like that he said I was "asking to have a stroke" by eating this way.

On Sunday I realized he is right. I may not have a stroke at age 35, but I would really prefer to have one...um...NEVER.

I've been vegetarian for four days now.

I'm not saying that I will never eat meat again. I probably will. Or maybe not. I'm not sure. For now, though, my blunt doctor has put enough scare in me to make some changes.

It helps that two of my favorite people are vegetarian and vegan. Please note...if I told you about this blog, you are probably one of my favorite people. I have lots of favorites. Please don't feel left out.

These two favorites, in particular, happen to be veggie-sauruses. I can get ideas from them for food, recipes, etc.

I don't miss meat. I thought I would. I do love a good cut of cow. But I don't need it. I'm eating MANY more fruits and veggies than I was. I'm not sure how it correlates, but I'm drinking more water, too. Feeling a little bloated with the extra fiber, but not bad. And it will pass. Pass. Get it? Funny me.

Yes, the doctor said I can eat lean chicken or fish occasionally. But I think I won't for now. I like a good challenge. If I'm going to try the vegetarian thing, why not go all the way?

Mark has zero interest in trying the vegetarian thing, which is fine. I can make dinner for the fam and just leave the meat out of the spaghetti sauce for me or meat out of my taco. So far it hasn't been a problem. Overall, the dinners that I have made have been healthier. Meat or not, I think this will benefit everyone.

I'll update occasionally. For now, it feels good to be thinking about my body again and trying to take care of it.

Stream of Consciousness

2010-11-30T20:35:00.005-07:00

Life has been busy. Super busy. But it's good.

We have a plumbing issue. We have tree roots in sewer pipes. The offending tree was cut down on Friday. Next week the plumber will start digging up our front yard. Most of our front yard will be gone, some sidewalk, and potentially half of our driveway. We are so excited for this adventure! NOT. I'm sure I'll take pictures as the work begins so you can all follow along. I'm nice like that.

Tomorrow is week 3 of school for me. I heart school. Really. I get giddy about going. I'm even excited to do homework when I've been working all day and I'm exhausted. It's fascinating and interesting. I love it love it love it.

Dad is making awesome progress with his therapies. There is continued new movement in his leg. His speech seems to improve weekly. His sense of humor has returned.

Colin is now a licensed driver. It's a little bit scary. But tonight as I drove home from work I thought, "Oh man, I have to take Colin to karate tonight." (Mark is out of town.) But then I realized, "No I don't! He can take himself!" It's a beautiful thing in many ways!

Aidan is cruising right along in second grade. He loves the snow we've gotten lately. He spent several hours outside this weekend playing. I can't believe he didn't come in frozen.

Ryan is also cruising along. He pretty much never crawls anymore. He is getting steady on his little legs. His newest words are "boo" and "mine". He has also gotten very good at nodding his head yes and shaking it no.

Mark is in Florida this week. Yeah, it's probably 75 degrees or something. It was like 8 degrees here this morning. Whatever. He also got an iPad from his boss today for a Christmas gift. My boss said she is giving me silly bands.

I need to go finish final preparations for my oral presentation. I'm not a big fan of public speaking, but for school, YAY!

Walker

2010-11-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Champ

2010-11-04T20:41:00.005-06:00

a state champ

a happy state champ

Creature

2010-11-02T21:45:00.004-06:00

This odd creature was found digging in Colin's jack-o-lantern. We are not sure what to make of such a thing...

Luckily, we soon figured out what it was.

It's Time

2010-10-31T21:48:00.005-06:00

On July 4th, I blogged about "changes" that were coming. I asked if you were intrigued. Were you? Have you been waiting on pins and needles since then to find out what I was talking about? Have you been holding your breath? (I hope not.)

I'm going back to school.

It's been a long freakin' time.

Next week I start the three year journey toward my Master of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in Mental Health Counseling.

Wait a minute. I thought you never wanted to go back to school.
I didn't.
So...what happened?
Well, lots has happened.
Are you crazy? It's THREE years!
Right. And those three years are going to go by anyway. Why not work toward something that I really want to do?
But it'll be hard!
Probably. But I'm excited. SUPER excited. I haven't been this excited about anything for a long time.
But...but...there are so many reasons you shouldn't do this.
Really? I can't think of any. I can only think of a thousand reasons I should.

It's a three year program. The first two years are class work. The third year is practicum. Once I finish all of that, then I have two years of supervision before I can get my license. Then I will have fancy new initials behind my name...LPC. Licensed Professional Counselor.

Sounds cool, huh?!?!

Even though I DO think it sounds cool, I'm not doing it for that reason. I'm going back to school because individual therapy is something that I've always thought about doing. I've sort of thought about going back to school for a long time. I never thought I could juggle it with family and work. But it's time. It's time to do something for myself. It's time to have a goal to strive for in the chaos that is life.

I love my job. Truly. But I know I won't want to do it forever. There are other things out there for me. It's time to start figuring out what they are.

Let's go fly a kite

2010-10-12T18:54:00.011-06:00

Aidan and Mark played with the stunt kite the other day.

Aidan watched and learned.

Then he tried it out. Mark had to stay close. Otherwise Aidan would have blown away.

Ryan didn't care much for the kite. Or the grass.

Then Aidan got bored. So he played with his little brother.

I just watched it all. And smiled.

How did this happen?

2010-10-07T21:04:00.007-06:00

Colin is 16 today.

I don't know how it happened.
Yes, I am too young to have a 16-year old.

Today is also Mark's birthday.
He is not 16.
He is about 24 years older than Colin. Give or take...nothin'.

Happy Birthday Boys!

ravioli?

2010-10-02T14:37:00.002-06:00

or war paint?

Homecoming

2010-09-27T22:04:00.009-06:00

Colin went to his first homecoming dance on Saturday. He had such a great time with all of his friends. Here are a few pictures of our handsome son and his cute date...

Such a stud. Just ask him.

Colin and Mackenzie

Colin and his best friend, Kaelan

My personal favorite of the evening.

This kid...

2010-09-26T13:20:00.010-06:00

is a year old!

Ryan had his first birthday on August 31st. Time sure does fly when you're not on bedrest!

We celebrated with family at a local park. Ryan wasn't shy at all about digging into his cake.

We enjoyed time with family...

And some special friends.

At his 12-month check up, Ryan weighed 22 pounds, 13 ounces. He is 30.25 inches tall. He is healthy and developing great. In the last week he has started to take one or two wobbly steps on his own. He fairly clearly says mama, dada, baba (bottle), night night and hi. He loves to give big, open-mouth kisses. He thinks his big brothers are hilarious. His favorite song is B-I-N-G-O and will even clap along and say the "o". Cute.

two heroes

2010-09-11T13:03:00.002-06:00

School Makes Me Drool

2010-08-28T20:42:00.006-06:00

Colin and Aidan started school this week. It was a particularly big week for Colin who moved into the high school for his sophomore year. He tried to play it off like he was dreading the beginning of the school year, but the morning of he was giddy like a little girl.

He had a good first week and so far even likes all of his teachers. Miracle.

Aidan started second grade. He tried to say he didn't want to start school, too. I'm pretty sure those comments started after his big brother made similar comments.

Aidan also had a good first week. His best friend from across the street is in his class again so he has nothing to complain about.

Podunk, Wyoming

2010-08-21T23:01:00.006-06:00

I have a really good excuse for my recent lack of posts.

Really, a great excuse. It's a doozy.

My dad had a stroke.

A big, bad, nasty, life-changing stroke.

On July 12, my phone range around 4:00 a.m. It was my mom. I remember thinking briefly before I answered, "This can't be good."

"Mom?"
"Dad had a stroke."
"What!"
"Dad had a stroke. They are air lifting him and Colin to Idaho Falls."

Colin and Dad were in a motel in Podunk, Wyoming. No, that's not really what the town is called. But it is a pretty good description. They had just packed up from a rendezvous and decided to stay the night and drive home the next morning. They were tired.

Colin woke up to his Grandpa thrashing around in bed. It caught his attention. He asked if he was alright. Dad then fell off the bed, hitting his head on the nightstand on the way down. Colin jumped out of bed and flipped on the light. He helped Dad sit up, leaning him against the bed.

"Grandpa? Grandpa, what do you need? Do you need your medications?" Colin grabbed his bag of meds, hoping something so simple would help. "Do you need some water?" Pretty quickly, Colin figured out that Dad's right side wasn't working and he couldn't talk.

"Grandpa, I'm calling 911."

I wish to God Colin didn't have to see that. And I thank God that Colin was there.

The two of them were taken by ambulance to the clinic in Podunk. It was the only medical facility in the village. They knew right away that they weren't equipped to handle the situation. A nurse encouraged Colin to call a family member. He called my mom. She called me. She called my siblings. I called Colin.

"Colin?"
"Mom! Mom I'm so scared."
"I know you are. I'm so sorry you are going through this by yourself. Grandma and I are coming up to be with you, OK? We'll meet in you Idaho Falls."
"Mommy, I'm scared."
"I know, Colin. I know you are. I will get there as soon as I can. I love you."
"OK. I love you too."

Colin and Dad were flown by medical jet to Idaho Falls, Idaho. It is the closest major hospital to Podunk. Mom and I drove to meet them. It was by far the longest three hour drive of our lives. I've never longed to hold one of my children as much as I did that morning.

My mind kept bouncing around. Poor Colin. I hope Dad is ok. Poor Colin. Please don't die before we get there, Dad. Poor Colin.

As we arrived into Idaho Falls, I felt a sense of relief that I was finally going to be with Colin. I also felt terror, unsure of what condition we'd find Dad.

I texted Colin and told him to meet Mom and me at the ER door. He fell into my arms and the three of us hugged and cried and hugged and cried. My 15-year old son became a man that morning.

Eventually we made our way into a "family room" where we met with the doctor who had been caring for Dad. He gave us the update.

It was a massive stroke. It affected the left side of his brain. It is life threatening. If he makes it, he may never walk or talk again. He is in surgery already. They are attempting to open up his carotid artery and break up a clot in his brain.

Dad did survive. They were able to open up his carotid somewhat with a stent. They didn't have much luck breaking up the clot. Too much time had passed. Damn Podunk, Wyoming.

Dad spent eight days in the ICU at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. He then moved to a rehab hospital closer to home. He was there for 22 days. Just this past week he moved to a skilled nursing facility. He will be there for about 3 weeks.

Dad has daily speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. He is making great progress, considering the severity of the stroke. He can say some words, although limited. He has extremely limited movement in his right leg. He has no use of his right hand at this point. Mom spends several hours each and every day by his side, making sure he has what he needs.

Life for the rest of us goes on. I've heard the term "new normal" used for other people who've experienced a sudden, life-changing event. It's a very accurate term. I go to work every day. I tuck my kids in at night. We've been getting ready for school to start on Monday. But life isn't the same. It doesn't feel the same. It feels slower, harder. It almost feels like I'm stuck in a bad dream...a vivid, slow motion nightmare that won't end.

Don't get me wrong. I am EXTREMELY grateful that Dad is still with us. I just want him back. My dad. The guy with the great sense of humor who loved to embarrass us growing up. The guy who ate french fries in front of me when my jaw was broken and wired shut. The guy who would read "throw pillow" on a sign at Target and take it upon himself to THROW THE PILLOW. I want him to hug me with both arms. I want to hear him say, "I love you".

Is that selfish? I know there are people out there who don't have their dads at all. But right now, today, that's what I want. I want my daddy back.

Catching Up

2010-07-04T13:24:00.006-06:00

It's about time, huh? Hey, I've been busy. Cut a girl some slack!

So, let's see...what have we been up to? We'll start with the "most mature" of the Frys and work our way down.

Mark went to Orlando, FL a couple of weeks ago for a convention. His travels have been cut some as his work load is changing somewhat. We are frustrated in the lack of frequent flier miles being gathered, but otherwise it's a good change. His mom came to visit the same week. It was nice to have her here. I took a few days off work so we were able to play.

I've made a commitment to myself, my boss, and a few members of my family that I won't work as many hours as I had been. I was over-doing it. I love my job, but I love my family more. Sometimes the passion I have for my job keeps me there later in the evening than I should be. I get caught up in the moment of something happening and the time slips away. But not anymore. Barring any major emergencies at the Center, I leave by 5:15 every night now. One night last week I was a bit later than that because of some stuff that came up, but otherwise I've done pretty well with sticking to my promise.

I've been contemplating some changes in my life. What's next for me? I think there's another step to come. Stay tuned for more on that...(are you intrigued??)

Colin has kept himself quite busy this summer. He has been working a lot of hours at his Taekwondo studio. They've also been doing demos before movies that have come out recently. The were at the "Karate Kid" opening weekend and also at the special premier of "The Last Airbender" that came out this weekend. Colin thinks those types of events are lots of fun but also very exhausting. His social calendar keeps him busy when he's not showing off his Taekwondo skills.

Aidan spends many hours a week with his best buddy who lives across the street. Thank goodness they have each other so close by! The next soccer season doesn't start until August. He has been reading and practicing his flash cards. He loves flash cards. He'll ask, "Can we play a game together?" and show back up with them. Definitely has his father's love for math!

Ryan has been busy. Tooth #8 finally showed up today. He's had seven teeth for several weeks and frankly, his mouth looked a little lop-sided with three on the bottom! He has also started truly crawling on all fours and pulling up on everything in sight. He is active and it makes us oh-so-excited for walking! Ryan had surgery a couple of weeks ago. The surgery went amazingly well and he has recovered beautifully. Did you ever see such adorable hospital jammies?

We are all well. Just busy. We are excited for a Fry family getaway in a couple of weeks. I hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as we are.

9 months

2010-06-17T18:35:00.009-06:00

nine months

7 teeth

20 pounds, 14 ounces

29 1/2" tall

cuddly

waves bye bye

Take me out to the ball game

2010-05-30T19:08:00.020-06:00

The five Frys had the distinct pleasure of going to the baseball game today with my fabulous little sister and three of her kids. It was a little chilly in the shade for some of us, a little too warm in the sun for some of us, but overall lots of fun!

Colin really couldn't be bothered by photography. He had a game to watch.

Look at all those teeth! Ryan has seven of them now.

Aidan enjoyed his Coke.

One thing I love about our local ballpark is the other activities available for kids. Let's face it...nine innings is a long time for a young kid to sit. They have a train that drives around the outside of the outfield. All of the kids (under ten) thought it was very exciting.
Aidan and two of his cousins waited patiently for the their turn on the train.

Ryan rode the train with my beautiful sister.

One of the other groovy things is a playground. This is a delightful break for wiggly kids. And a good chance for Aidan to show off his monkey bar skills.

This gentleman was sitting across the aisle from us. He felt connected to one of my nieces because they both had tie-dye on. He was convinced that Mark was some kind of movie star. He insisted that I take this picture. Pretty sure that made his day.

Not a bad view from our seats, eh?

just kickin' it

2010-05-19T22:26:00.001-06:00

It's (finally) official

2010-05-14T20:30:00.009-06:00

Colin is a Third Degree Black Belt!

It is tradition to let the family of the new Black Belt tie on the belt for the first time. We sure enjoyed yanking on that thing!

Colin's good friend and fellow instructor gave him a big bear hug after receiving his belt.

And yes, he could kick your booty.

Look Who's...

2010-05-10T20:31:00.003-06:00

DRIVING!

That's right, Folks. Colin is an official (permitted) driver. Does the idea frighten you? It shouldn't. He's doing a great job. Although nervous. He won't drive other than on residential streets. That's A-OK with me for now!

Peek-a-baby

2010-05-08T13:36:00.004-06:00

Seated

2010-05-01T11:35:00.007-06:00

Ryan is quite obviously a prodigy. Sitting up for several minutes at a time now.

I thought this circa 1960's photo editing was appropriate for these shots. Considering the pilly jammies and the shag green carpet.

Just pretend the phone is a Fisher-Price, not a V-Tech. I'm pretty sure V-Tech wasn't around back then. Waaaaaay back then. Before I was even born.

From the Mouth of a First Grader

2010-04-30T21:23:00.002-06:00

Mark was tucking Aidan into bed.

Mark: I love you the most.
Aidan: I love YOU the most.
Mark: I said it first.
Aidan: I said it with more expression.

All About Colin

2010-04-24T21:33:00.018-06:00

This past week was exceptionally busy for Colin. Last Friday, he tested for his Third Degree Black Belt. This was a big deal. Not only had this test been two years in the making, but he had to test at a tournament, not at his local school. Once you reach that level, you have to test in front of two Fifth Degrees (or higher). He was nervous.
This is the whole group of people getting ready to test. For Colin's test, he had to pretty much the same stuff he does at his tournaments. He had to do his form, his weapons form, and sparring. My pictures aren't the best quality because we weren't sitting very close. While it appears that he did quite well, he doesn't actually know yet if he passed. The videotape of his test had to be sent off to the ATA headquarters in Arkansas. Hopefully he will know this week whether he is officially a Third Degree.
-----
Last Saturday, Colin competed in the tournament that hosted his Belt Test. He competed in the same events as he did in Vegas: Form, Weapon Form, and Sparring. He didn't get knocked out this time. In fact, he did extremely well. He sparred his friend and co-worker, Mr. W, in the first round. Mr. W was more aggressive than usual and beat Colin. Colin didn't place in sparring. For his weapons form, Colin did well. He placed third.

For his traditional form, Colin did the best he's ever done with a first place finish. He was thrilled about that because it will likely keep him in line to be State Champion!

Check out those cool medals.
All done with an exhausting weekend of Taekwondo.

-----
On Tuesday night, Colin participated in the District Honors Music Concert. The middle schools in the district selected people from their bands, orchestras, and choirs to represent their schools. It was a really nice concert and all of the performances sounded great.
-----
On Thursday night, Colin was in a dance with his school's Dance Company. Each of the girls in the Company selected a partner for a pirate-themed dance. Not only did Colin get to dance with one of his good friends, but he was selected to be the "Pirate King". He was proud to be the star and had a great time showing off his flexibility and break dancing skills!
Check it out! Colin is the one that waves the flag at the beginning.

Colin is quite a kid. We are so proud of how well-rounded he is. Karate chopping, singing and dancing...all in a few days.

Rolly Polly

2010-04-15T20:32:00.009-06:00

Thought it was time for an update on this rolly polly baby boy.

Ryan is 7 1/2 months now. He loves to eat graham crackers, black beans and avocados.

He has three teeth. I expect #4 to make its debut before too long.

Ryan can sit on his own for a few seconds. He does well as long as he doesn't reach for anything, turn his body, or slightly lean in any direction.

He has a contagious giggle.

And rolls all over the place. He is rolly polly in every way.

Hiiiiiii-Ya!

2010-04-04T13:03:00.014-06:00

We spent a few days in Las Vegas for the American Taekwondo Association Spring National Tournament. Colin has participated in this tournament for a few years now. Every year the competition gets tougher and the sparring gets more intense. This year was no exception. Colin participated in three events. His first event was Traditional Weapons Form. He looks awesome with his Double Sahn-Jabahn (nun-chucks). I can't figure out how he can move them so quickly, yet with so much control. This is the group of 2nd and 3rd Degree Black Belts that Colin compted with. See him on the right? The smallest one? Um, yeah. Colin did not place in this event.

His next event was Traditional Forms. Unfortunately, our camcorder battery was kaput and I didn't have the charger. Mark shot a video of this event on our regular camera. That means I don't have any still photos. And, unfortunately, I can't seem to get the video to upload to the blog. Boo. Colin took 5th place in his Traditional Form. Not too shabby considering he was up against older kids of higher rank.

Colin's last event was sparring. Every participant in his ring except for him and one other was either a state or national champion. They were also bigger, some were older, and several were of a higher rank than he is. In the regional tournaments, Colin is usually in the top three for sparring. That wasn't the case in this group. He was actually ahead for most of his fight, but then it came. A swift, hard kick to his head. A 2-point shot for the other kid, a momentary black out for Colin, and a mild heart attack for his mother. Colin was tough though. After a moment to breathe and get his wits about him, he came back and scored another point. Then another kick to Colin's head, another quick black out, and the fight was over. I wish I had the video to show you. Boo again.

Colin was pretty disappointed. His ego was bruised and he had a good (or, um, bad) headache for the day. We are so proud of him, though. By the next day, he was studying the video to see how he can improve for his next tournament (which is next weekend). He decided to use the harsh defeat as an experience to improve and learn. I think that makes him even stronger than fighting someone more experienced.

Next weekend is a big Taekwondo weekend for Colin. Friday evening he will take the final test for his Third Degree Black Belt. Saturday is his next tournament. It is a regional tournament so it won't be quite as big as the last one. He is pumped up and ready to have a different outcome than he did in Vegas.

Red Cliffs

2010-03-31T22:25:00.011-06:00

Last weekend we took a trip to Las Vegas for Colin's Taekwondo tournament. (More on the tournament later...) On the way home, we stopped at Red Cliffs Recreation Area. Beautiful! We hiked around and took lots of pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

Mark Meets the Jackhammer

2010-03-20T15:32:00.007-06:00

The previous owners of our house had a gigantic satellite in the backyard. One of those big ones that people had in the 80's before cable and the small satellites that are around nowadays. Last spring Mark took off the satellite but it left this lovely metal pole in our yard. The pole was placed in a good two feet of concrete. Mark got ambitious today and decided to jackhammer up the concrete so we could get rid of the bee-infested metal pole.

Aidan watched.

After an hour of chipping away at it, Mark didn't have a lot of success. His back is now sore and his ears are ringing like he's been at a rock concert. "Oh well," he said. "At least I met the jackhammer."

Smiling

2010-03-16T22:04:00.003-06:00

Irish

eyes

are

smiling

One Tooth Wonder

2010-03-14T18:06:00.001-06:00

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2010-03-13T11:53:00.007-07:00

Aidan and I went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade with my sister, Maura, and her five kiddos. It was c-c-c-c-cold and eventually rained on us. But our Irish spirits shined through and we mostly had a good time!

Sweet & Silly

2010-03-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Seven

2010-03-06T16:48:00.007-07:00

Our sweet

thoughtful

silly

middle child

is seven!

happy birthday Aidan!

Halfway

2010-02-26T21:10:00.006-07:00

Ryan will be six months on February 31st. You know, if there was such a thing. Regardless, our third child is nearly halfway through his first year. CrAzY!

Ryan and I paid a visit to our fabulously amazing pediatrician today for his six-month well check. He hasn't shrunk at all. He is 18 pounds and 4 ounces. He is 27" tall. Or is it 27" long? Anyway...he is about the 80-85th percentile for both. the doctor said, "It's pretty obvious he doesn't have any problems eating!" Must have taken many years of medical school to come to that conclusion. Heh.

Dr. R said that Ryan is too big for his infant carrier car seat. He is too long and the way the shoulder straps fit is no longer safe. I didn't think it would be real long before he would be too heavy to carry in it, but I didn't think he would actually outgrow it already. So different than our petite Aidan who was 25" and 15 pounds at six months. Colin was somewhere in between. I guess we'll be car seat shopping tomorrow!

Teething and a cold have messed up his sleeping habits. He was doing so well. Sigh. The last week he has been waking up every 3 hours like clockwork. I'm not particularly thrilled about this. His nose seems less clogged up today so hopefully he will fall back into a better pattern soon.

Not only did Ryan get his first tooth this week, he also rolled over from back to front for the first time. He has been a busy boy. It won't be long before he is truly mobile. I guess we better start baby-proofing. And teaching the dogs to hide under the table from the grabbing hands of a curious infant.

stream of consciousness

2010-02-22T19:45:00.012-07:00

Ryan has been experimenting with some new foods this past week. He had his first taste of apple at my sister's house. I gave him a slice the next day at home. He likes them a lot! They probably feel good on his teething gums, too.

Ryan has also had cucumber slices a couple of times. He seems to enjoy those as well.

Ryan isn't a big fan of baths. He goes through phases when he seems to think it's an okay idea, but he has never really enjoyed them. At least not until I stuck him in the bath with Aidan one night.

Now that was great fun! Aidan has been asking for Ryan to take a bath with him since the day Ryan was born. I have since bought a bath chair for Ryan to sit in so the two brothers can play, splash and giggle together. It makes bath time much more pleasant!

On Saturday, Colin passed his final mid-term Taekwondo test as a Second Degree Black Belt. He is now set to test for his THIRD DEGREE on April 17. He will test at a tournament here in SLC. You're all welcome to come out and cheer him on!

Mark left for Bermuda last night. We didn't go shopping for any shorts before he left. Probably not a bad thing. His legs haven't seen sunshine for a while.

We were walking through the grocery store together the day before he left. His cell phone rang. This is the conversation as I heard it...

Hello?
Hi Husssein. How are you?
Good, good. (chuckle)
Yes, yes. Tomorrow night at 11.
Great.
OK. Thanks Hussein. See you then.

Mark hung up the phone and I looked at him, puzzled.
"That was my cab driver, Hussein," he said. "He'll be at the house at 11 to take me to the airport."

Sheesh, Honey. Travel much?

Work is awesome. I loved my job before. Now I looove my job. I get excited in the morning. I get to work and enter into this weird organized, fast-paced, almost manic state. I make decisions quickly and confidently. I feel like I'm on top of the world. Too bad everyone can't love their job as much as I do.

Colin registered for his sophomore year of high school this week. Yes. I had him when I was five.

Aidan has pretty teeth again. His chipped tooth is all fixed and his very crooked top baby tooth was extracted. It was so ready to come out but just kept hanging on. He will have a nice smile for his 7-year old pictures!

Time to pick up the black belt from class. Then baths, bed for boys, and my nightly fix of the Olympics.

News Flash

2010-02-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

Ryan's first tooth came in today.

Just thought you'd like to know.

stream of consciousness

2010-02-15T21:23:00.003-07:00

Mark got home from Virginia yesterday. He was supposed to get home on Saturday but he was stuck because of the weather in the south and east. Don't feel too bad for him. He's going to Bermuda in a couple of weeks. Bermuda, people. Really. Don't feel too bad for him!

I think Colin has strep throat, again. He had it about two months ago. We'll be going to the clinic in the morning. Joy.

Ryan has started with his first consonant sounds this week. I've heard ma ma ma ma ma and da da da da da. My dad would tell you that he said his first word on the day of his birth. All of his grandchildren said "Grandpa" the day they were born, didn't you know?

Aidan is going to the dentist next week. He will get sealants put on his six-year molars and they'll fix that front tooth that he chipped on the playground a while back. It has grown in enough now that they think they can get it to the right length.

My knee hurts today.

Ryan has slept until 6:30 a.m. for the last several nights. He usually goes to bed around 8:30 p.m. I'll take that.

I'm tired of medical bills. I'm just tired. Good night.

Baby Steps

2010-02-13T11:29:00.008-07:00

No, Ryan did not start walking already!

I've had some major changes at work in the last couple of weeks.

Here's the story...

I started with Volunteers of America in 1999 at the Center for Women and Children (CWC). It's a detoxification center for homeless women and they can bring their children with them. I didn't even know what a detox center was at the time, but I was fresh out of college and they were willing to give me a shot. I worked there full time until 2003 when Aidan was born. I switched to just working some occasional shifts and helping out because I really wanted to be home with the boys. I remained an employee until we moved to Florida in 2005, at which time I (obviously) had to quit. I remained in contact with some friends in the company while we were in Florida. When we decided to move back, I called one of them up and asked if they had any openings. They were just thinking about creating a new position and thought I'd be a good fit. I was re-hired in February of 2006 as the Reports Analyst. I was located at the administation office. It was very different than CWC but I was enjoying my new duties and the different atmosphere. I worked at the admin office in various capacities (because they like to change my job description or invent new jobs entirely for me on a regular basis) until two weeks ago.

My boss started talking to me about moving back out to CWC. We were having some funding issues and they were going to have to eliminate the Program Manager position. She asked if I would take on those duties as well as continue most of what I was already doing in my director position. I told her no. I felt like my family had been through enough trauma and change (i.e. bedrest, new baby...you know, little things like that) in the last year and that we just needed some consistency. I didn't want to change my schedule. I didn't want to be on-call. I liked my life at the administration office. I have good friends there and my job was pretty darn cushy. I could spend time at the office or go out to the programs. It was flexible and I felt like I was just getting the position to a good place. (I had been promoted to Director of Outcomes Management for the Residential Services Division about a year ago. Another new position that I was trying to develop into something great.)

Even though I told my boss no, I kept wondering if I had made the right decision. CWC has always been close to my heart because I was there when it was brand new. I built the beds that are still in the client bedrooms. I put together several of the desks that are still around. I remember the very first client by name. I remember that she thought I was "mean" because I made her follow the rules. I remember the satisfaction when a client got clean and went on to treatment. I remembered the hard stuff too, like clients having seizures, calling DCFS because we watched a sick, detoxing mother hit her child, and hearing about past clients who had over-dosed and died.

I prayed and prayed. I waited for the big neon sign to appear before me to tell me what to do. I kept thinking about how nice my life was. At the same time, my heart was with the clients and I knew that's where I was meant to be once again.

My boss approached me again and asked if I would reconsider. She was out of options. I knew I was going to tell her yes, but I let her beg a little bit anyway. ( : And she did.

On Tuesday, February 2nd I "moved" back to the Center for Women & Children. I was nervous. I had supervised staff there before, but I hadn't been completely in charge of the entire facility. Because I hadn't been there on a daily basis for several years, I didn't even know who some of the staff members were. How would they react to the changes? How would I do? Could I handle TWO JOBS?

The first two days, admittedly, were horrible. I was overwhelmed and questioned my decision. By the third and fourth day, though, things felt better. By the following Monday, I knew I was in the right place. It felt busy, but right.

I love being back with the clients. The break from them was nice and needed. But it's where my heart is, where I belong. I'm impressed with the staff so far and enjoy working with them. I have a lot of support, too. My boss is really fantastic. I couldn't ask for anyone better to work with. The Senior Management team is great too. Our CEO and VP's have my back, for sure.

I do feel frustrated sometimes because I can't give 100% to the Center. I still have my "other job" to do. I have to leave CWC a lot for meetings and audits and other fun stuff related to the other duties. It's ok, though. I know I will figure it out and will get it balanced with a little more time. I constantly have to remind myself that baby steps are ok. I won't figure it all out in two weeks.

The one thing I have figured out is that I'm in the right place. It's busier. It's more stressful. But as long as I remember to take baby steps, it will all be good.

Because it already is.

A Letter

2010-02-10T21:27:00.004-07:00

This letter was written to Mr. B, the owner of Colin's Taekwondo studio. He was on a cruise this past week. Colin and another instructor, Mr. W, also 15 years old, were the lead instructors of the school for the week. This letter was written by a fellow adult instructor. I couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Mr. B,

I am writing in regard to the performance of Mr. Colin Fry and Mr. C.W. whom fulfilled the duties of head instructors during your absence for the past week. As you may be aware, in my training as a Master's level Social Worker and Licensed Mental Health Therapist in the State of Utah, I have had extensive experience in working with youth and implementing disciplinary programs.

On Wednesday February 3rd, during the Junior Leadership Class, I observed Mr. W and Mr. Fry instruct a class in which they delivered a mature, cognizant, and age appropriate speech regarding discipline. They did this linking discipline to the tenants of Tae Kwon Do, clearly laying out expectations for students, also laying out the benefits that would result of their discipline and as well as consequences. Mr. Fry and Mr. W successfully delivered the content of this discipline talk without instilling a sense of fear, making sure students knew the boundaries of discipline and fun.

Throughout the week Mr. W and Mr. Fry gently reminded students of the leadership talk and the fact that leadership would start with them and funnel down to the rest of the students in the school. This culiminated in the Leadership class last night. It was a great pleasure to observe two young men perform at their level. It is clear that the ATA (American Taekwondo Association) Black Belt values have come through with both Mr. W and Mr. Fry.

Yup. I did indeed cry when I read it. Pretty dang proud of that kid.

Diet Coke

2010-02-04T21:45:00.004-07:00

Dear Diet Coke,

Tomorrow will be two weeks since I've seen you. You just weren't good for me. I had to end our relationship. But I think of you every single day. I long for you, especially when I'm stressed. I wish we could be together but I realize that I am better off without you.

Meghan

Dance Picture

2010-01-31T22:03:00.002-07:00

Here is the picture we've all been waiting for. Well, I was waiting for it. This is Colin and Bailey before their dance last weekend. Love it.

Got Em!

2010-01-25T20:09:00.004-07:00

Remember this? Ryan discovered those toes but just didn't quite have the coordination to reach them.

This week he got 'em!

Colin's Dance

2010-01-24T11:03:00.006-07:00

Colin went to his first dance last night. He was asked by his friend Bailey. They know each other from Taekwondo. Colin was very excited and super nervous. He was going with Bailey and a group of her friends so he didn't know anyone but her. He didn't know what to expect for the evening, considering he had never been to such an event. It was fun to watch him get ready and ask questions.

Colin bought this corsage for Bailey. He had a little help from the florist, but I think he did a great job designing it.

Here he is getting ready to leave. So handsome.

The group met at Chili's for dinner so I didn't get to see him and Bailey together. Some pictures were taken by Bailey's mom so hopefully we'll get our hands on those pictures eventually.

Colin had a great time and came home with a big smile on his face! And I didn't even cry when he left!

Precious Moments

2010-01-17T20:17:00.003-07:00

Standing Tall

2010-01-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

stream of consciousness

2010-01-14T11:05:00.004-07:00

This is a style of writing that I've seen on a few blogs lately so I decided to give it a shot. Basically the idea is to just write. Don't worry too much about making sense, good grammar, or good punctuation. I tend to be very annoyed by bad grammar and punctuation so I'm not sure how I'll do. But there are a lot of little things going on so here we go!

I'm sick. I have some kind of infection in my lymph nodes. They are swollen enough that it's causing a bad earache on the right side. I don't like it. Taking antibiotics. Hopefully will feel better soon. I have some friends who are looking for answers and relief for some medical issue this week. I hope they find them. I hope they know I'm thinking a lot about them. Colin and Mark were sick last week, too. They both had strep throat. Both are feeling fine now. Did you know that your tonsils can degenerate? When I went to the doctor for my infection, she asked when I had my tonsils out. I told her I didn't. She said, "Sometimes as we age, our tonsils degenerate and disappear. And yours are gone." WEIRD! And she said "as we age"...really? That made me feel super old. And tonsil-less.

Colin got asked to his first high school semi-formal dance. Well, his first high school dance at all. It is a girl from Taekwondo that goes to a school with 9-12th grade. She is his age. She's not a cougar or anything. My sister asked if we were going to let him go. I told her, "Yes. She's a third degree black belt so she'll keep him in line." He is really excited and nervous. We'll have to go shopping for a new tie soon. Is it weird that I almost cried about this? Not the tie-shopping. The fact that he is going to a real dance. Growing up so fast. All of the boys are. Ryan is so much fun and smiley. We got his 4-month pictures taken this week at Kiddie Kandids. Before they went out of business. Obviously. They are super duper cute. Gigantic smiles. Love them. Aidan is doing great, too. Loves first grade. Reading like crazy. He is reading really well, lots of improvement in the last several weeks especially. Still has some issues when his routine changes. I had an early meeting last week so I told Aidan he would go to school with his friend across the street. Tears. His nice daddy walked him to school in the 15 degree weather instead. Because I had the car at my meeting. And we only have one.

Colin got his eyeglasses last week. They look great. He picked a very trendy, stylish set of frames. I should take a picture to post for you all. I expect his grades to improve now. A girl can hope. He tests for his third degree black belt in Taekwondo this year. Probably in the spring. He can't just do it at his regular school because once you get to that level, you need two 5th degrees to judge you. There aren't two 5th degrees at his school so he will have to test at a tournament. There is one in April. He is hoping to be ready by then. Did I tell you that he is currently the state champion in forms? It is based on a point system, so he will need to continue to place at tournaments until June to keep the ranking. If he does, he gets a new patch for the back of his uniform that says 'State Champ'. He loves that idea. I hope he gets it. He has been working so hard.

The air here sucks. We are expecting a storm tonight/tomorrow so I hope that clears things out. Colin has been struggling with his asthma a lot the last couple of days. Maybe we need to take him on a vacation. You know, for the sake of his breathing. To Hawaii.

I'm going to see a different orthopaedic doctor on Monday for my knee. It is not what it should be 20 months post-surgery. I mentioned it to my primary care doctor last week when I had my thyroid checked and she said it needs to be looked at. I hope hope hope hope hope I don't need another surgery. My thyroid levels were fine. I've been on the same dose of meds for several years now.

I need to get in the shower now and decide whether I have the energy to go to work for the afternoon. I need to meet with my boss. I really like my boss. She's great. I've been beyond lucky with bosses.

This "stream of consciousness" writing was kind of odd. But a little bit freeing. What did you think?

uno dos tres

2010-01-03T14:00:00.011-07:00

You know it's your third child when...

The dog licks the pacifiar that fell on the floor and you praise him for "cleaning" it for you.

Snot, poop, and spit-up don't gross you out in the slightest and are normal accessories on your clothing.

You bought a baby book with the intention of tracking milestones but after four months you haven't even written the baby's name in it.

When people hear that the baby slept through the night they say things like, "Oh! Did you worry and check on him all night long?" You nod your head and say out loud, "Oh yes! I had to make sure he was ok!" but you're really thinking, "Um, no. I slept all night long, too, thank you very much."

You allow toddlers with obvious colds to kiss the baby. Germs help build the immune system, right?

Your girlfriend tells you about changing out the bath water for her baby after he peed in it and you think, "You give him new bath water just because he peed in it?"

Firsts

2010-01-02T20:24:00.012-07:00

Ryan has recently outgrown his baby bath. That's right, Kids, he outgrew the baby bath by 3 1/2 months.

This one right here. (I'm not sure why this picture makes him look so orange...does anyone else think Oompa Loompa here?)

As you can see, he didn't particularly like baths as a newborn.

So this week he had his first bath in the tub.

He wasn't real thrilled with that idea at first either. While he wasn't crying, he didn't want to open his eyes.

He finally did open them and then seemed generally content.

Ryan had his first solid food last night. The pediatrician recommended giving him some rice cereal at night to see if it would help him sleep better. It took him a few bites to figure it out, but he ended up doing pretty well.

And YES he did sleep through the night following his gourmet meal!

Ryan spent several minutes in the exersaucer for the first time today. He thought that was just loads of fun!

Oh What a Year!

2009-12-31T13:52:00.029-07:00

The year in review, in no particular order...

+ Colin became more proficient at the guitar and discovered a pretty sweet singing voice.

+ Aidan graduated from kindergarten and started first grade at a new school with many fewer tears than expected.

+ Mark traveled to Barcelona, Florida, Las Vegas, Munich, London, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Virginia, Wisconsin...just to name a few.

+ Colin did better than ever at several Taekwondo tournaments.

+ Meghan had morning sickness for the first four months of the year.

+ Aidan has become quite the good little reader.

+ Mark saw Subway Jared on an airplane.

+ Meghan was on bedrest starting May 4 and became part-owner of the High-Risk Pregnancy Wing of University Hospital.

+ Colin badly sprained his ankle at youth group camp in June.

+ Aidan played soccer for the first time on a team and loved it.

+ Mark coached above-named soccer team.

+ Ryan Lee was born perfectly healthy on August 31st.

+ Colin learned that he needs eye glasses. We will pick them up next week.

+ Aidan lost five teeth.

+ Mark was extremely supportive, un-whiney, helpful, and amazing while Meghan was on bedrest.

+ After six months at home, Meghan returned to work full time.

+ Ryan lost most of his hair and seems to be re-growing dark hair like his biggest brother and mama.

+ Colin turned 15 and is legally able to get his driver permit.

+ Meghan has been reading "In Defense of Food" and is slowly changing the way the family eats.

+ Aidan learned how to ride his bike without training wheels.

+ Mark finished remodeling one of our bathrooms.

+ Ryan is working on his gross motor skills, grabbing things, putting them in his mouth, etc. He is also working on lifting up that noggin.

+ Colin attempted to play tackle football for the first time, but had to stop after three very serious asthma attacks.

+ Meghan is disappointed in how her knee is doing after surgery in 2008 but is determined to run a full marathon sometime in the future.

+ We all took a weekend trip to Bear Lake to celebrate the end of bedrest and hang out with the rest of Meghan's family.

All FIVE of the Frys are looking forward to a happy, HEALTHY 2010 and we hope you continue to follow us on our journeys!

Our Little (or not) Ryan

2009-12-30T11:40:00.013-07:00

Tomorrow, December 31, is a special day. Ryan will be four months old. It is also one year from when we found out we were expecting him. If we only knew what we were in for!

Ryan went to the doctor yesterday for his 4-month well check. He is doing fabulously well. He is 15 pounds, 12 oz, which puts him at the 70th percentile for weight. He is 26 inches, the 80th percentile for height. I'm convinced that his hugeness (is that a word?) is due to the fact that he was so well monitored while in utero. He DID get to see the doctor every single week, afterall. Considering all the scares he gave us, he baked up pretty well I'd say!

Ryan is a sweet baby. He is pretty laid back and likes to take it all in. He watches his big brothers with intensity, almost like he wants to jump down and play with them. He likes to sit up straight while on a lap, rather than lying back to relax. You can just see his little wheels turning, trying to learn everything and figure out what everyone is doing.

He smiles a lot and has recently started to laugh out loud. His happy nature makes it so easy to fall in love with him, even for strangers.

People who don't know us are surprised when they hear that he is only four months. Or, almost. I hear a lot of comments like, "Oh! He's a big one!" or "Wow! He's definitely healthy!" It's pretty funny, really. So different than it was with Aidan who was (and still is) always around the 10th-20th percentile.

I am continually thankful that Ryan is healthy and happy and here with us. It feels like he has always been part of our family and I can't imagine life without him. He still has a tiny bit of the new baby smell and (looooong sniff) I just love it! Such a yummy little (or not so little) guy!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T16:35:00.017-07:00

Christmas morning at our house was quiet and relaxing this year. Colin and Aidan slept in until almost 8:00. It was unexpected and excellent!

Here is the tree with all the loot.

Ryan enjoyed his new rattle from Grandma and Grandpa Fry.

Colin got a set of golf clubs. It was a combined gift from us and my parents.

Hot Wheels!

We were given a gently used Nintendo Wii from some friends which became our big family gift. Colin knew ahead of time that we had gotten it but Aidan had no idea. I love the look on his face as he realizes what's in this box.

Ryan wasn't very sure what to think but he did seem to like this musical book from Aunt Robyn.

Later in the day we went to my parents' house for dinner and, of course, more gifts.

How did you celebrate this year?

Concerned

2009-12-21T21:32:00.004-07:00

Have you been concerned about our little Ryan? Worried that he might not be growing or developing or gaining much weight after the rough pregnancy?

Don't be. He's doing just fine.

As for Aidan...

Um....not so much. We might need to be concerned about him. Just a little bit.

Union Choir Concert

2009-12-19T19:09:00.003-07:00

Colin had his Christmas concert for choir this week. The concert choir sang five songs and sounded great. They sound refined and well-practiced. Colin continues to enjoy choir and is considering a solo in their spring concert.

Saturday Morn

2009-12-12T10:18:00.007-07:00

I realize I haven't written much lately. Every so often I feel like I should update the blog so I post a few pictures and call it good. Life feels a little crazy busy right now with three kids, a full time job, and Christmas approaching. Mark is in the midst of a two week trip to Barcelona, Spain and Las Vegas. All three boys have had some kind of physical ailment this week. Thanks for still checking in once in a while. Hopefully the blog will get a little more interesting before too long.

On this cold Saturday morning, Aidan is busy counting his money to see what he can spend on Christmas gifts.

You know you are uber jealous of our groovy green carpet.

Ryan has been sporting bibs a lot lately.

He drools and blows bubbles. Cute. But makes for wet shirts.

Colin slept over at a friend's house last night, as is the norm on most Friday nights. It's only 10:30 so I'm sure he's just waking up after a late night of Rockband.

Ryan has slept through the night every night this week except one. It is a lovely thing. Hopefully this cold he has doesn't mess it up!

Off to shop now.

Oh, Aidan

2009-12-05T21:58:00.002-07:00

BOOM BOOM

FIRE POWAH!

Don't ask. I have no idea.

Love Them

2009-12-04T11:32:00.002-07:00

Football

2009-11-29T21:22:00.007-07:00

What's the best way to get out your frustrations during half time of the biggest rivalry game of the year when the QB of your team is playing like an idiot and the refs are obviously bleeding blue?

PLAY FOOTBALL!

I'm sad to say our beloved Utes lost in overtime. We love them anyway and had a great day with the fam despite the outcome. And we'll win next year.

Good Lookin'

2009-11-22T22:24:00.002-07:00

Footloose

2009-11-20T20:40:00.006-07:00

The other day, I propped Ryan up on a pillow. He was smiley and I was hoping for a good picture.

I got this one.

While he was "sitting" there, he discovered these.

And he wanted them! He moved his feet up toward his face, obviously with very little actual control of these new found gems.

But he sure tried! His little fists chased these strange things. He never did catch them. But he persisted and was irresistably scrumptious while he did.