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Monday, October 18, 2010

Taking Tyler to BYU

First, we dropped off our three youngest kids at Grandma and Grandpa Child's house (thank you, Mom and Dad!) and headed to Utah in the mini van with our first-born and all his stuff for college.

It was amazing to be on the beautiful BYU campus once again, this time as the parents.  It seemed surreal.  How could it be possible that all these years have passed since David and I were there as students???  Tyler was a spunky three-year-old when we graduated from BYU.  I have sweet memories of Tyler as a little guy; rolling down the bell tower hill together was an activity he often requested when we had our weekly "Mom and Son" dates. Bowling and playing video games in the Wilkinson Center, eating ice cream at the Cougar Eat, and running hand-in-hand between the library and the bookstore in the rain are a few of my favorite old memories with Tyler at BYU.

Now it's my son's turn to experience late nights of studying and cramming for exams; living with room-mates; surviving on Pop-tarts, Oreos and tortillas; learning how to balance a social life, a part-time job, and academia.  I'm proud of the fine young man Tyler has become.  I'm proud of him for working so hard to earn the privilege of attending such an amazing university, and I have confidence in his ability to succeed in this new stage of life.

We immersed ourselves in the BYU orientation experience;  we attended a BBQ for parents and students, a luncheon in the Wilkinson Center ballroom for parents, and the Convocation at the Marriott Center.  The convocation was definitely a highlight for me.  The Spirit was strong as the opening hymn, Redeemer of Israel, was sung by the large congregation. It was a rare and precious experience.

David and I also attended classes for parents of freshmen, where we were given some valuable advice and information.  It's a whole new world, being a parent of a college student!

We helped Tyler get settled into his dorm on campus.  He is living in Carroll Hall with five room-mates, all freshmen.  He met each of them for the first time during freshman week.  We went shopping for all the essentials Tyler was lacking in his new home, and stocked the cupboards and fridge with food for him (he has a meal plan, but it gave me some peace of mind to know he could just grab something quick from his kitchen if he doesn't have time to go to the cafeteria).

The drive home in an empty mini van was both sweet and sad for David and I.  We are grateful that we had the experience of taking Tyler to BYU.  We know he is in a wonderful place, that he is in good hands.  We pray that his freshman year will be a year of learning and growth, of friendships and fun.  And most of all, that he will love it.  There is a lot to love about BYU!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Trent's 5th Birthday

Trent's 5th Birthday was Sunday.  It was the most perfect day to celebrate our little boy:  Tyler came home from BYU for the weekend, it was General Conference, and I got to stay in my pajamas most of the morning!  We had a family party, and didn't go anywhere --just enjoyed watching Conference, eating good food, and being together.  It was such a nice, relaxing change-of-pace day.




Trent requested an army tank cake, which I made on Saturday.  It truly taxed my creativity,  but I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.  The best part about it was that Trent loved it!

Baby Fix


Let me just start by saying that there is nothing as sweet as a newborn baby.

I got my "baby fix" last week when I went to Las Vegas to visit my youngest sister, Darci, and her baby girl.

My newest little niece, Kensie Marie, was born September 16, 2010 at 9:19 p.m. She was 6 lbs. 13 oz. (sooo tiny compared to my 9 pounders!) and 19 inches long. She is BEAUTIFUL!

I just loved every minute I spent with her -- holding her, rocking her, watching her sleep, and watching her cute and funny facial expressions. It brought back lots of sweet memories of when my own four "babies" were new.

I loved every minute I spent with Darci, too. She is a beautiful new Mommy, and she is a "natural" at mothering. It is so much fun to see her filling this new role. I joked with her that she came to help me when I had my first baby, Tyler, who is now 19. She was only six years old at that time, so she came along with Mom to stay for a few days and help after he was born. Now it's my turn to help her with her first-born! I really love how that works :)

Oh, the memories this experience brought back for me! First of all, how overwhelming and exhausting it is to care for a newborn amidst sleepless nights, the never-ending cycle of feeding, burping, and diapering, healing from childbirth, towers of laundry, full pails of dirty diapers, trying to solve the mystery of the different cries of the baby, adjusting to a new identity, juggling previous responsibilities that still need attention, etc, etc, etc. Yet, amidst all the chaos, the sweet miracle of bringing a new little person into the world has the capacity to turn the sheer exhaustion into exhilarating exhaustion; having a baby who depends on you for her every need, a little person who is very much a part of you, someone you love so much you cannot express it in words, but you feel it so powerfully that it brings tears to your eyes....these are a few of the sweetest blessings of new motherhood. Intense, yes. But "this too shall pass," and pass quickly it does!

I'm so grateful I was able to spend a few days with Darci and Niel, and that I had the opportunity to bond with sweet Kensie. Thanks to my family (especially my awesome husband) and my good friends who made it possible for me to take a few days off and enjoy this little gift from Heaven.