Life Update

It has been a CRA-A-AZY week!

On Monday, Isaac had his six-month Wellness Check (yes, one month late -- such is life). I asked the doctor to look at his leg because he was still favoring it quite a bit and not putting weight on it. Besides that, he had a few times in the previous week and a half since his fall at church that he had cried out in pain when someone touched it wrong or tipped him sideways or whatever. I was worried about a dislocated knee or something. So - the doctor said she didn't see anything or any cause for concern, but that the only way to be sure was to have an x-ray done. Translation: More money spent than you want to spend, but your love for your child and concern for his health and well-being drives you to just do it. So I drove him to Gritman and had an x-ray of his leg taken. The doctor didn't call the next day, but Grandma Gail held Isaac and bent his knee, putting pressure on something in it and causing him to cry out in pain, yet again. So I knew something had to be wrong, but who am I, right? Well, Wednesday morning I got a phone call from the doctor that HE HAD A FRACTURE and she had already contacted the Orthoped. Surgeon and scheduled an appointment for us to go and see him. Translation: I felt like an AWFUL mother and called Dave in tears about our son's broken leg! Oh, and she said to not put any pressure on it and keep him off it -- as I looked down and saw him trying to crawl around on the floor. AYYYYYY!!!!

So - Dave came rushing home and spent the rest of the day with us, taking care of Abby while I went to the doctor with Isaac, etc. Know what made me really mad? We got there at 2:35 for our 2:45 appointment, filled out paperwork, and I played with Isaac to keep him happy (since I had WOKEN HIM FROM HIS NAP to go to this doctor appointment, presumably to get a cast on his leg -- that's what my cousin [an Orthoped. in Burley] said would happen when I had the hospital fax him the x-ray report). 15 minutes later, they took us back into a VERY WARM room where I continued to play with Isaac for ABOUT AN HOUR, trying to keep him happy, his patience wearing thinner all the time. FINALLY, after around an hour and a half, the doctor walked in, cheerful as could be, and said, "So, he has a fracture . . . ." Got that --- AND? "And we aren't going to do anything because we find with infants that casts and things are more of a hassle and can cause more damage, what with blisters on their heels and things, than they are worth. The smaller bone is acting as an internal splint, so we won't need an external splint. So - watch him carefully, keep him from hurting it more, and we'll see you for a follow-up in three weeks."

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?! Did you just make me come in here, my husband missing class to sit with our other baby, charging me an office visit and making me sit in your HOT room for OVER AN HOUR with a TIRED, CRANKY infant? Just to tell me you are GOING TO DO NOTHING?!?!?!?!?! Is your phone broken, cuz I'm pretty sure that would have been easier all around, and you wouldn't have had to take time to show me the x-ray and try to make me feel better about you DOING NOTHING AT ALL about my baby's broken bone!!!!!!!

I'll tell you what -- when three weeks comes up, I'm going to call and see what their procedure is. If it involves us going, paying another office visit to be told we need to get ANOTHER X-RAY and then told to come back for a THIRD visit to READ the X-RAY, I'm going to tell him to just call the x-ray in and then give us a call with the results, NO OFFICE VISIT FEES ADDED to my already uncomfortable medical bill for the month of March. And if they don't agree, I'll simply have my cousin call in the order for X-rays and find out what is up. Honestly, folks!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, ABBY spent the end of last week THROWING UP and running a VERY high fever that WOULD NOT BRAKE. HERE -- we go -- AGAIN! But this time, I refused to take her to hospital or the doctor's office until it was ABSOLUTELY necessary. After the last time and the blood work, injection, x-rays, and ER visit, I am not going to make the mistake of going back and giving them another opportunity to make money on my child.

So - we sat it out -- and checked her temperature and gave her medicine all day . . . . . and all night . . . . . and tried hard to not get too worried as her temperature varied between 101.2 and 104.2. Then we called the pediatrician on call and got some really helpful feedback -- FREE OF CHARGE!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for restoring my faith in the medical profession.

When our home teachers came over that night, they told us what doctors and other medical professionals hadn't bothered to consider during round one of these symptoms a few weeks ago when they ordered x-rays, blood work, etc. HIS DAUGHTER GETS THE SAME WAY WHEN SHE'S TEETHING!!!!

So -- Abby handles teething with the usual high fever, runny nose, cough, and the additional THROWING UP and being just plain GRUMPY and a mommy's girl. I can handle most of the cuddle time; but I could do without some of the rest of it, not going to lie!

We also decided to start weaning them from needing to be swaddled to go to sleep. ANY SUGGESTIONS? The pacifier is next, which I think will have to wait until after the teething, cuz it's already a lot to deal with at once. But we're making progress with Isaac in the not swadling process, and I think Abby is slowly moving that way as well.

Then today, guess who else started the teething symptoms -- minus the vomiting? ISAAC!!! But he isn't handling it very well. So, life with the "two by two" continues. And it's more fun some days than others.

BUT then you go in at night when they are sleeping, looking so happy and peaceful and BEAUTIFUL that all you think of when you say your prayers is to offer gratitude for the MULTITUDE of blessings that come with your amazing little angels!

Some Firsts to Report

Well, I want to make sure I am getting some of the big things down that are happening in our lives. First of all, I have some "babies' firsts" to report on.

Yesterday we were at a friend's house, a house with new carpet in the basement. The babies were playing on the floor, and Isaac was rolling around, trying to get up on all fours (which he just started doing last week) and, for the first time, rocked back and forth while on all fours. We were so proud of him. And Abby looks on, trying so hard to figure out how he's doing it. They're both learning so much, so fast.

Today, again we were over at our friend's house. I took out some Ritz crackers and gave one to Isaac, first tearing a piece off and then putting it in his mouth. Well, then I decided to try to teach him that he can put it in his mouth with his own hands. So, I put the cracker in his hands and helped him guide it to his mouth. IT WORKED!!! He started eating the cracker all by himself. I ran into the shop to get Dave and show him what Isaac was doing. Before I got back, he had eaten all of the cracker in his hand and PICKED UP the other half on the tray in front of him (he was sitting in his swing because he had just eaten and I didn't want him throwing up all over the new carpet). It isn't quite development of his fine motor skills, but it is exciting progress.

Before he finished eating his cracker, Abby woke up. Always wanting to do whatever is being done, she also wanted to eat a cracker. So, I handed her the cracker and she immediately grabbed it with her hand and put it up to her mouth. That's a first for Abby as well!

So my babies fed themselves for the FIRST TIME today, without any help (well, almost no help) from mom and dad.

I can't believe how quickly they are growing up! It's unreal!

We're going to take some pics on Sunday; so hopefully I'll have some six-month pics to post JUST BEFORE THEY REACH THE SEVEN MONTH MARK!!!! ;-D

AIG Money and Obama

I was watching CNN tonight, and the Larry King Show right after it, and saw coverage regarding the $165 million in bonuses given to AIG Executives. They had interviews on there with various members of the Democratic Party who were on committees to draft the Bill giving them the money in the first place. Those Democrats said that they had been instructed by the Obama administration to leave a loophole in the bill that would allow for the bonuses, fearing that banning them would cause them to "lose talent on Wall Street." They also said that a second attempt was made to caution the administration about the possibility of using the money for bonuses, and they were instructed to do nothing to outline that they would not be allowed. The Democrat being interviewed -- I think he was from Oregon -- said point blank that he didn't think Obama knew about his administration's decisions (or something to that effect).

I saw Obama giving a speech somewhere and responding to various allegations that he is doing too much and not focusing on the economy like he needs to be. A Republican said that he needed to stop doing things like Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" and "come home" and figure out what went wrong with the AIG Bill, who was responsible, and what needs to happen to fix it and prevent future similar problems. Obama lightheartedly said that he had heard a comment was made that he should not do "The Tonight Show." "It seems," he said, "that they think I can't handle appearing on 'The Tonight Show' and tackle the economy at the same time." He laughed, the audience laughed, and then he used some fancy rhetoric to boost the people and commented on needing to address Health Care and Oil Prices and something else that I can't remember. He also said that we need to focus in this country on accountability and that ultimately he is responsible for his administration's decisions.

I'm not usually one to engage in political bashing. But I have to say that I was VERY disappointed and upset by what I saw tonight. It's great that he admits responsibility, but that doesn't change what happened with all of this. Some of the criticism against him is that he is focusing on too many things and not taking the problems facing this country seriously enough. I agree with that. What, was he too busy to READ the bill he signed into law and SEE that there were no provisions made to STOP something like BONUSES being paid to multi-millionaires when there are good, hard-working people losing their jobs every day whose tax money has gone to pay for these bonuses?

And he may think that admitting responsibility somehow removes responsibility from him. Like the people are going to say, "Oh, isn't that refreshing? He admitted that he made a mistake." But other than hearing him admit that he made a mistake, I didn't see any evidence or hear anything in his speech that said, "I am working to make this right." Instead, he re-directed the focus to health care and high oil prices. Why? When the conversations and criticism focused on the economy and the AIG bonuses, why did he bring up health care and oil prices? Because he wanted to distract people from the issue at hand by hitting a spot that is close to their hearts and raising hopes again that he is going to bring CHANGE. It's like not showing up to your child's soccer tournament and then saying, "I'm sorry. I admit that it was wrong; but don't forget that I got you that great toy for your birthday and bought you that new bike last summer." How sincere is that?

And the worst thing is that if he was, in fact, ignorant on what his administration was advising -- HELLO!!!!!! It's like he is admitting that he is incompetent and inexperienced, appointing people that he thinks are adequate enough to handle the problems, and then not checking back to see what they are doing -- maybe because he doesn't know enough to know what to look for, so he's just trusting what they tell him and signing things off and not giving it a second thought. So, his administration is doing the work while he is out being the public image of the work being done. And when something went wrong, when he didn't verify what was happening and just went along with the people he had appointed, he flippantly admits fault and then moves on and still goes around doing high school popularity-type things like appearing on national talk shows -- or would you call it a comedy act on stage? I don't really know what "The Tonight Showed" would be labeled. Still, if I had made a mistake with MY budget in my home and had to figure out a way to fix it, I wouldn't be vacationing in Disneyland with the attitude, "Well, the problem will still be there when I get back, so whatever." I would be rushing home and reviewing my bank statements line by line and looking at my budget to see where we overspent and checking what checks were cashed, what were still pending, etc. I wouldn't be able to sleep until I had it resolved.

So far, I don't like the kind of change we're seeing here. In the end, rhetoric is nothing more than fancy language used to persuade an audience to feel or think or act a certain way to benefit the one delivering the message. And rhetoric is not going to CHANGE America! I hope this is NOT a foreshadowing of things to come.

But I fear it is. He is using the same things that got him elected -- a call to "the people" to make change happen instead of recognizing that the people really can't do more than what they have done when the government and his administration make laws and directives like the one in question. The people have done what they can do -- now it is up to them. And I think he needs to realize that he is not a celebrity now, appearing on Jay Leno (the first president to do so, I might add), and trapesing around the country on his private jet to keep people passionate about him and his ideas and try to maintain popular support. A few more mistakes like this one with nothing more than TALK of responsibility and I fear -- I HOPE -- that even his rhetoric won't save his public face. He won't get a second chance to change things one multi-millionaire's pocket book at a time.

HBO and "Big Love" Exploit the Sacred

I have had a few people alert me to the fact that HBO's television show "Big Love" is about to air an episode where they reveal what members of my Church deem very sacred ceremonial clothing for sacred ceremonies. First of all, I looked into it. It seemed unreal to me that someone would have such utter disregard for what an entire people deem sacred. However, true to the century and year we are in, they are indeed airing a show and "revealing" what I find to be very private, personal, sacred things.

There are calls out there to write HBO and request/demand that they NOT air this episode. But I wonder what good that would really do. Not to say that you shouldn't act for righteous and just causes just because you don't think it will do any good. But I feel like these people are what the scriptures call "past feeling." And striking out with words, even requests that something very sacred NOT be revealed, will not do what those taking action probably hope it will. Does HBO need to be told that what they are doing is offensive? Is there, in fact, any word/written message that you could send to stop them from doing this? No. They know it's offensive. They know these things are sacred to us. They're banking on that fact to win over more popularity and get people to support their show. They've admitted to having gone to great lengths to get the information and re-create it for their television series. So, telling them we are offended doesn't really seem to be a course that is going to do any more than pat them on the back. In addition, the more we react like THAT, the more attention we will draw to their show, igniting curiosity in place of ignorance and increasing, if only in the number of people watching it, their popularity. I will not be watching it, even out of curiosity for what they are doing/how they will treat these things. I will not increase their numbers and serve as their audience, supportively or in opposition, for such disregard.

I think situations like these are better faught Ghandi style -- the peaceful, silent protest often hurts the most. And the one-on-one conversations and individual battles will add up to more than the television/internet audience they hope to attract.

What CAN we do to fight back? Well, if you are supporting them in any way that will contribute to their and related companies' financial success, you could withdraw your support and choose a different means of obtaining entertainment and/or information that comes from companies associated with HBO, Time Warner, AOL, etc. I don't already, so I don't need to withdraw anything. But that is one thing that some people are doing. And it's probably a good thing for them all around, since this type of entertainment is probably not worth watching and bringing into our homes and families anyway.

But I think that this speaks more about society than it reveals about some of the sacred aspects of our Church. Society is deadened to sacred things, choosing to exploit rather than respect, to scream for tolerance rather than take a stand on just and righteous principles and stand firm even in the face of unpopular opinions, persecutions, riots, etc. What we need to do more than anything else to fight this foe is to evaluate where we stand, what our actions and attitudes are towards other people and what they reverence as sacred and holy and are willing to protect with everything they have; even their lives, if necessary. And then we need to make sure that we return respect to them and honor their beliefs and deeply-rooted values. Let's not be hypocrites about these types of issues just because they are not personal for us.

At the same time, we need to make sure we are living close to the Spirit, that we are establishing a firm foundation in all that is right, good, and just. Then, when faced with the battles that CAN and MUST be won, the battles that MUST be fought outwardly and openly, the battles that may occur on a one-on-one basis with people who are NOT past feeling and who ARE open to truth and justice and the Spirit of the Lord, even if they do not realize it themselves, we will win! And by we I mean God and those who choose to be His children by following His will and keeping His commandments and responding in HIS way to those who would oppose and openly deface HIM. In the current situation, it may be as simple as requesting that our friends and family members NOT watch this episode and NOT support it with numbers that suggest popularity.

As I have read e-mails and other reports of this upcoming event, the one thing that keeps coming back to my mind is what Joseph Smith once said, what we refer to as the Standard of Truth. He said that "no unhallowed hand can stop the work [of God] from progressing; . . . the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

We must ALWAYS remember whose work this is! God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, are at the head of it and will guide it forward to touch the hearts of and gather as many of God's children as will listen and obey. It is their will that ALL people, everywhere, DO listen and obey. But they will not force anyone to do so. And we must continue to extend hands of love and invitation to those who would and DO follow Christ EVERY DAY.

We have a living prophet of God on the earth today who will lead and guide us and help us know what battles need to be fought, when. He may not come right out and tell us, "Fight this battle"; but he WILL remind us of God's will, he WILL guide us in principles of truth and righteousness so that the Spirit, if we are willing to follow, can and will guide us to know how, what, and when we should act.

And the unhallowed hands will fail; their work will be cut off; their purposes will be thwarted; their television shows or magazine articles or books or internet postings or whatever else they use against God and His work will falter, will be forgotten, will stand as witnesses against them and their works -- not only to God but to others who see what they are doing and recognize how wrong it is!

If we stand by God in all things and continue to do all we can to spread the "good news" that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored; that God is our Father and wants all of us to return to Him and has provided a means whereby we CAN do that if we WILL follow the example of Jesus Christ in ALL things and continue steadfast until the end of our lives, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!

Sir Belvis' First Publication

ssssssssK - wanna laugh at a corny story? You know you do! I found this in my e-mail the other day and decided it was time to pull it out and dust it off. :-)

Context: My friend Russell is quite possibly the sweetest guy in the entire world. He was one of my best friends when I lived in Virginia. He'd been wanting to make me his mom's famous brownies for . . . well, since I got there. So, the night of the Priesthood Session of General Conference, my roomie and I decided to throw a pajama party for all the girls that wanted to come. I asked Russell to make his mom's brownies, and he did. However, the recipe made like 60 - and we thought that we might get 60 girls. He worked on them for more than the two hours between sessions, and he was 20 minutes late to Priesthood Session because he wanted it to look just right and had them all cut up and laid out on a silver platter. I had offered to help - but he said his mom really didn't want anyone to know the recipe. We felt so touched by his extra efforts and so bad that he was late for Priesthood that I suggested we bag the girlie plans and heart-attack him. So, I wrote this story and the girls cut out hearts and wrote all sorts of crazy things on them -- they even came up with some REALLY great pick-up lines. Like, "If you were a library book, not only would I check you out, but I'd never finish paying the late fees." It was fun! I wish we'd written them all down. Then we snuck into his house, plastered the stairs and walls and bathroom and doors and everything with all of these hearts, and left the story on his bedroom door. What was really funny is that his dad came home before we were done. We thought it was Russell! So, we darted into the spare bedroom, but of course his dad had already heard us -- it's a really old farm-type house. I don't know whose heart beat faster -- his as he ascended the stairs to see what was going on or ours when we discovered it wasn't Russell and dashed out of there as fast as we could. I went back later to help with dishes - he left the kitchen turned upside down! Anyway - Russell told Lauren once that his middle name started with a B and was like a singer. So, she guessed things like, "Bolivia Newton John" and "Belvis." His middle name is literally "Beesinger," but Belvis stuck. . . and Sir Belvis was born. You don't get the great illustrations we made, but here's the story:

Sir Belvis' Daring Rescue

Once upon a time in Walnut Valley, there was a house full of girls, tucked between three English hills.

On Belvis Hill lived a true knight . . . appropriately dressed in balloon pants and a hoodie. But don't let his attire fool you. If this knight's heart was a food, it would be the most delectable brownies a girl could ever ask for.

One rainy afternoon, the girls in Walnut Valley were overcome by the mighty, roaring thunder clouds that had covered the valley for far too long to recall. They poured down unfathomable rain, the kind that strips trees of their blossoms and leaves nature lifeless.

Their hearts sunk deeper and deeper, like a bowling ball thrown from a bridge into a dark abyss of still water.

Their moans drifted from the valley to the top of Belvis Hill and woke up our fearless knight.

"What to do . . . what to do?" he thought. His first thought was flowers, but the rain had killed them all. His next thought was food . . . .

But what could possibly be potent enough to kill the pains the hunger cloud had left behind?

He opened his magic book of spells and secret family recipes, but nothing seemed to fit.

He searched the house - upstairs and down - and finally, beneath the century-old pixie dust and cobwebs in the basement, he found it: The Magic Chocolate Brownie Mix held secret in his family for generations.

He whipped and he stirred and he pureed and he mixed . . . words cannot describe the great sacrifice this knight put forth for these girls.

The sun set and rose; the day turned to four, and finally he rose from the basement with a silver platter filled with the magic brownies. He even managed to dig up a pink bow somewhere in that basement of forgotten treasures.

He mounted his . . . stairs, entered his blue Cadillac, and drove through the rain to the deep trench of Walnut Valley.

When he reached the house, he knocked seven times, but so great were the moanings within that the girls could not hear him.

"What to do . . . what to do?" he thought. It really was very Winnie the Pooh-esque.

Just then lightening struck -- figuratively speaking, of course.

He gently placed the brownies on the doorstep and dashed back to his Cadillac.

What do you think happened next? ------- No - he didn't drive through the front door. He's not a mean knight!

He honked his horn -- a magic horn, of course, that released the most beautiful melody ever heard in that valley.
So powerful was the tune that the girls immediately stopped their wailing . . .

And the rain stopped falling . . .

And ------ No, not quite. Not everything was restored to life; that would just be silly.

However, each and every one of the girls was left with an incredible smile on her face, smiles so bright and enduring that no hunger cloud could ever penetrate the valley again.

---- The End ----

So - I'm thinking I might start a children's book series some day: The Adventures of Sir Belvis. It might not get farther than my front door, but I think it would be really fun! And kids don't notice that things like this are corny! They're the most forgiving of all audiences. ;-D

I hope you all at least smiled -- even just one time.

Melinda :-)

Angel Isaac

Well, the flu finally caught up with us this week -- and overtook us! Isaac started getting sick on Monday, starting with the runny nose; then Abby caught up and passed his symptoms with an endless runny nose and excessive slobber EVERYWHERE!!!!

Her runny nose soon turned into the whole shebang: cough, fever, heavy breathing that keeps me up at night, watery eyes that leave water marks around her eyes from the dried tears that effortlessly and silently flooded over, etc.

On Thursday, Tracy brought Aliah over for me to watch her while Tracy ran to class (which actually turned into me watching her SLEEP while Tracy ran to class, which worked for me!). Before she left, I was holding Abby and noticed that she felt really warm to me. I gave her some generic Tylenol (I couldn't find our thermometer at that point and figured I'd rather be safe than sorry and her teething could probably use some medical soothing anyway) and put her down to sleep for a bit. When my kids are sick, sleep is my number one rule! Anyway, the warm-to-the-touch skin soon got hotter. Pretty soon, I felt like she was burning up; no matter where I touched her skin, it was VERY warm. I found my thermometer and took her temperature. 101.4 degrees. I got out the Tylenol and gave it to her and then tried again to get her to sleep. She woke up screaming all night long, didn't sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time when she did sleep, and was just miserable. I got her fever down to 99.4 at my lowest check, but it was mostly up in the 101-102 range all night long (even WITH medicine). At 7:00 a.m., I asked Dave to give her a bottle before he left for school (hoping that would buy me at least an extra 30 minutes of sleep). When he picked her up, he said, "Holy cow. She is REALLY hot!" I told him I already knew that but he could get the thermometer if he wanted to see where she was at that moment. He got a temperature of 103. We called the Family Birth Center at Gritman and were told to bring her in.

We opted to wait the 30 extra minutes and take her to Quick Care instead of the ER. What followed was a day of doctor's visits, x-rays, a blood draw, an antibiotic shot for the fever, a few oxygen tests, and a follow-up doctor's visit. The follow-up visit had originally been scheduled as their six-month wellness check and immunizations. But with Abby's high fever, she couldn't get the shots; and I opted to keep she and Isaac together with the shots and have the same fussiness to deal with, independent of other factors and extra fussiness. However, instead of canceling the whole thing, the nurse said we should just go ahead with the wellness check and come back in for the shots the following week, at our convenience. Cool! So we went ahead and had the doctor's visit.

Anyway, after the babies were weighed, measured, etc., while they were still stripped to their diapers, waiting for the doctor to examine them, Isaac started to get really fussy. I have to hand it to him, he had had a really long day! We woke him up early to go to the doctor with Abby; he sat in his car seat all day long while I ran in and out of offices, getting all of Abby's tests and things taken care of, and he was just hungry and tired. Abby had, of course, been fussy as well and, consequently, had received quite a bit of attention. Of course, she's sick; so I doubt she really noticed that much that she had the upper hand that day. But Isaac did notice.

So, I decided to turn the tables while we waited for the doctor to come in. I put Abby in her car seat and was VERY happy that she didn't scream at me. She just sat there. Then I picked Isaac up and sat down at the foot of Abby's car seat. I stood Isaac up at Abby's feet and said, "Look, Isaac; it's Abby! Say hi Abby!" He got so excited to see her. Quickly followed his high-pitched squeal that says he is VERY excited. Abby also smiled, looking sheepish and pleased to see him all at the same time. She even looked like she might be ready to play, her eyes flirtatiously saying to him, "Let's ditch Mom and go roll around on the floor for a while!" Well, as flirtatious as a 6-month-old will get with her brother, anyway!

I had put Isaac's pacifier in his mouth earlier (which they generally only get when it's time for bed, but the day's activities rendered it an exception). Anyway, he was smiling so big, mouth wide open, that the pacifier fell. I said, "Boom!" And Abby looked at Isaac and started to giggle!!!! It was a quiet giggle, but it was a giggle nonetheless, the first of a few giggles her brother was able to get out of her in those precious moments.

That little exchange made my heart smile! I had been trying all day long to get my little girl back, to get her to smile or laugh or even blow raspberry bubbles at me with her motor lips. All of my attempts had failed -- she was just not feeling well enough to play my games! But then her brother popped into her little bubble and just brought sunshine into her world! That day, Isaac was Abby's Guardian Angel; and he did a fabulous job! I may be mommy, and with that may come an undeniable bond; but he's her brother, the one that will be there with her through moments in her formative years that I can't be present for. And I really think they will be best friends.

It kind of reminds me of a little conversation I had with my niece, Alexis.

Alexis is three years old and the only niece I have been around from the day she was born (until Arimo took them away from me, that is!). Anyway, my other niece, Madison, is just 11 days younger than Alexis. Those two little girls absolutely LOVE each other! They will call and talk to each other on the phone (I can hardly get them to say three sentences to me on the phone!) and they look forward to any moment they get to spend together. They've kind of been raised as twins, with the exception of the miles between them. But they don't seem to notice or care!

Anyway, when my sister was visiting me this last year when the babies were born, Lexy and I somehow got off on the topic of marriage. Not in a grown-up way, but in a "I'm talking to a three-year-old about this" sort of way. She was telling me that when she grows up, she is going to marry Madison. Nique and I laughed and explained that girls don't marry girls; girls marry boys. She was undeterred, "No, I'm going to marry Madison because she is my best friend!" And that was the way it was in my adamant niece's little world!

She mostly had the story right -- you DO marry your best friend! She'll learn the folly of her thoughts in a few years; but what stood out to me is the bond these girls have. They may fight over toys when they get together. They may try to out-boss and out-run each other. They may get into heaps of trouble together that they never would have considered on their own. But at the end of the day, they absolutely love each other! They connect in a way that no grown-up can connect with either of them. They are each other's best friends! That's what I wish for my babies! And in that moment, I saw that my wish is coming true! ;-D

And, p.s., Isaac got up on his hands and knees today ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! No prodding or raising from me, no siree! And he scooted backwards as he was trying to get over to me. But, the important thing is, he STILL did it.

P.P.S. -- Isaac weighed in at 17 pounds, 6 ounces; is 27 inches long; and has a head circumference of 17.25 inches. Abby weighed in at 16 pounds, 2 ounces; she is 25 1/2 inches long; and her head circumference is also 17.25. The doctor said he was worried about their head measurements, since they have jumped from like the 25th-30th percentile to over the 95th in the last few months. Dave isn't worried, though; he just says it's genetics and a sign of their extra large brains! What else do you expect from kids who are destined to win all of the Nobel prizes, including the Nobel Peace Prize for their altruism and the Nobel Prize in Science for their amazing brains! ;-D

CALIFORN-I-A --- Here we COME!!!!

Well, just as I finished that last post, my sick baby woke up. I went down the hall to get her some medicine and his phone buzzed. I didn't answer it -- I hardly even answer MY phone, let alone HIS; but then I saw the number was a California number. So I did what any good wife would do and waited for them to leave a voicemail message and then listened to it! :-D It was the Air Force base calling to tell Dave that he got permission to have him as a primary candidate and that he thought he was a really strong candidate and really wanted him working for/with them and was glad that he is able to get him in! He also said something about not knowing if he had been contacted by anyone else and wanting to make sure (afraid of the competition he said he wanted to follow up and move on things as soon as possible to square this away for Dave). YIKES!!!!! Well -- now the test of my faith on that last statement and I resume the A to Z analysis of how I'm going to make it through living in California -- the Mojave Desert. Oh. Dear.

Oh -- and I guess I should probably find some way to let Dave know about all of this! ;0)

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Part II

Well, I apparently have a very computer-savvy daughter, because she woke up while I was writing that last post and when I went to get her a diaper, in the blink of an eye she changed the title, deleted some of the info, posted it, and saved a copy of the page to my desktop. Oh, and she somehow turned something on that made my o come out as a 6 every time I typed it and made a few other letters do goofy things. But I think we have it all straightened out now, I won't leave her by the computer again for a while (it takes too long to figure out what she did and un-do it!), and I'm going to finish my story about Dave's job search.

Anyway, like I said before, he was contacted by someone about his application to the SMART Scholarship Program through the Department of Defense. The placement location interested in him is the something and something Air Force Base in southern California. Stop. Right. There. Enough said for my part, just the thought of living in California makes me want to move . . . . well, nowhere at all, but I'd rather go anywhere than there. But the story continues. Obviously, right?

So he was contacted by two different people, one via e-mail and the other via phone. He later found out that they were part of the same team, but they had both independently been interested in Dave's application. The phone call was to set up a phone interview for last Thursday or Friday. The e-mail was basically inquiring as to his interest. He responded to both and set up a phone interview for Friday and got an e-mail interview, basically, of questions to answer before Friday from the other guy.

When I initially found out, I cried. Granted, I had just spent over eight hours in the car, driving by myself to Boise with two infants who were testing their lung capacity and endurance, irrespective of mom's nerves. But -- still, I cried. California?!?!?!?!?! California. Enough. Said.

But then I realized how great this was for Dave. It's an incredibly competitive program. If accepted, you receive ALL of your education expenses paid for IN FULL and an additional living stipend that almost matches what I was making working full time. It's unbelievable. And they'll pay for you to attend any school, no matter the cost, for your bachelor degree through your doctorate degree, if you want to go that far. Dave does. So it's an unparalleled opportunity. Dave has been looking at MIT for grad school, which costs like $36,000 a year in tuition alone. So it would really pay off if he got into this program. The cost to the applicant/recipient? A year for year trade -- you work for the DOD for one year for every year that you take the scholarship award. So -- guaranteed employment sounding good to anyone? Oh, pick me, pick ME!!!!!

I also realized that Dave is only considering his masters degree right now, though he plans on doing his doctorate later down the road, after he gets some experience. So that means that we could finish his masters, work off the time he took the scholarship, and still be back in beautiful Moscow, Idaho to live out the rest of our dreams/plans before our kids really even realize they're in school. And I think I would look into a private school before I would send my kids to public school in California -- but that's another topic for another day. And I'm jumping way ahead of myself here, but I tend to do that when I'm faced with a potential decision -- so now that A to Z is explored in my head, back to pre-alphabet: the interview.

Friday morning, Dave called me and said that he had decided to call the guy and tell him that it just wasn't going to work for him to do the interview that morning and thanks anyway. I said, "What? Why?" He said that he would have to miss class and he was struggling enough just getting the material down and didn't think he could afford to miss it. As a side note, he had spent the night and day and night before studying for a test he had Friday afternoon. He was exhausted, and I think he was feeling overwhelmed by it all and just didn't want to deal with one. more. thing. I listened to him, then I said, "Dave, I have been thinking a lot about this these past few days. Really, the only reason that this would come through for you is if the Lord needs us somewhere other than Moscow for a while. And I realize that maybe we don't know where He wants us and what He needs us to do for Him, so I really feel like the only way to figure out if this is it or not is to see it through and see what happens, what comes of it. And you can't do that if you don't have that interview this morning. Do you know anyone in your class that you can get notes from?" Two people: one of whom is the reason he has the Schweitzer internship right now. So he said he would just get notes, and I suggested he e-mail his teacher and explain what was happening and that he was getting the notes from his classmates and wondered if there is anything else he needs to know. He said he would do that. Then I stopped and asked, "Dave, do you really feel like this is okay? Or are you just saying that because I talked you into. Because really, you know better than me what is right for you and what feels right to you; so if you really think you shouldn't miss this class, then forget everything I just said and follow your instincts on this." He said, "No, Melinda, I really think you are right. I think I was just feeling really overwhelmed; but I need to see this through and see where it leads." I agreed, told him how proud I am of him, and waited to hear back about the interview.

The interview went GREAT!!!! They really liked Dave. One tender mercy preparation for him is that the phone interview questions mirrored the e-mail interview questions he had just responded to in writing earlier that morning. So he had already had time to really think through and articulate his thoughts, intentions, goals, experience, etc. It was really good! They also asked him about his family and about his hobbies and talked about how both of those would fit in with the area and the program; one guy even talked about his family and kids a bit. So that was also really positive. They said they would be making their recommendations later that day and be back in touch with him. And then we waited.

But the wait wasn't long. Monday (yes, just two days ago -- I can't believe this all happened in less than a week!), he got a message from them saying that they had a few follow-up questions for him. He called them back as soon as he got out of class and left a message. That was at 4:30-ish. Before 5:00, he walked in the door, told me they had called and he had left a message, and sat down to talk about the day. Before long, the phone rang. It was them. He scooted into the office and found out that he was . . . . the alternate! :-O They had narrowed their selections to four people and only had clearance to offer three awards. Dave is number four. HOWEVER, they told him that they had already contacted the SMART program to see if they could have permission to offer four awards, because they were so impressed with Dave. If that happens or one of the other recipients bails, for whatever reason, Dave is in! Yay!!!! HOWEVER, even if that doesn't happen, they told Dave they would still be interested in having him come and work for them/with them for the next few summers (possibly longer), it just wouldn't be with the benefits of the SMART program. But still, an internship is an internship, right?

So -- we're waiting. This could really go in many directions for us. BUT there is one thing I am just as certain of now as I was going into it all: If this is where the Lord needs us, it will come together. It may be at the last minute; but it WILL come through. If not, it still speaks volumes about the amazing person Dave is and I have no doubt that something better, for him and for us, will come along when the time is right -- and not a minute sooner! Gotta love it! Se la vid! :-)

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs=\[-p\-

I seem to find out every day lately that more of my friends are looking for jobs. It is SOOO hard! I feel so blessed that we have, for now at least, been so well cared for.

On Tuesday after I got to Boise, I called Dave and we talked for a bit. He said, "Melinda, guess what -- you'll never guess!" I tried, really I did. Then he said, "Guess who called me -- really, you'll never guess." Again, I tried -- but I'm not a very good guesser, I guess. Finally he told me that someone from the Air Force in California had contacted him about his SMART scholarship application.

Happy Manic Monday

I just thought I would write a little update. It seems that the past holds true and my theme song is still that one by the Cranberries that says, "Oh my life is changing every day, in every possible way."

I drove down to Boise this last week. My sister found out at the last minute that she was in charge of her ward's New Beginnings night for the Young Women (the program in our church for girls ages 12-18). Anyway, she called me and asked me if I would be the speaker for the night, since I HAVE had a lot of new beginnings in my life. I said okay and packed up the babies and drove down. WOW!!! I thought it would get easier to travel as they got older -- but they are NOT good travelers! I thought that maybe daytime travel would be easier than nighttime travel (after driving at night to get TO Boise and having them scream almost non-stop for hours three and four and hours six through -- almost nine). But it isn't -- not really, anyway. Oh, well. Se la vid, right?

Anyway -- I had a great time with my family. My mom was a little surprised to see that I "never leave the house because someone is always hungry, tires, eating, or sleeping." It's true! Welcome to my life! You just deal -- and daily shopping trips for anything other than the weekly shopping trip for the essentials just don't happen. And, p.s., I've grown to be very okay with that! Sometimes life just needs a little uncomplicating! ;-D

I also got to see Dave's sister while I was down there, which was a treat as always! And she watched the babies while we headed up to the church Wednesday night, so that was also a nice break and gave her time to experience the baptism by fire version of twins! ;-D She survived!

I came back Saturday and got to spend the evening playing games with some old friends, which was also really nice and a really nice break. Dave even made some delicious pumpkin bread with maple butter to go on top. Mmmmm . . . I think he might have found the recipe in Tast of Home, but I'm not sure. One of his hobbies would have to be cooking good food and collecting good recipes/books. Taste of Home is always a favorite, which is fun except that they seem to specialize in high fat, high calorie, mouth-watering, diet-blowing recipes! Someone forgot to send them the memo on recovering from having twins and losing the Mommy 15! ;-D

My new favorite game, in case I haven't mentioned it other than in e-mails to a few friends, is "Ticket to Ride." It's SOOOOOOO fun! Emphasis on the SOOOOOOO! Or maybe on the FUN, actually. :-D Either way, if you haven't experienced it, get it! You'll enjoy it! It's a 2-5 player game, which is kind of a downer for group date nights, but you can just couple up and make it a 2-5 people or couples game. It will work just as well.

While we were busy watching Isaac's obvious teething and trying to help him work through it, Abby actually teethed! Well, she got A tooth, I should say. Front and center, on the top of her mouth, I found a tooth on Thursday or Friday. Imagine my surprise. That might be why breastfeeding has gotten a little more tender lately -- I dunno. Maybe just my imagination. But their personality difference holds true. When Abby was sick, we propped her up, gave her medicine, rocked her a bit, and got her through it. Isaac kept me up almost non-stop rocking and pacing and trying to get him through it. While Isaac has been really whiny at times and just obviously in pain with his teeth coming in, Abby's tooth came in, almost without me noticing it. Then again, she has one on the top center; Isaac looks like a few are trying to come in all over his mouth at the same time. Poor kid! It hast to be tough experiencing all of these firsts!