Andrew and Michelle's Place

The Boys

2011-12-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few random pictures of me and the boys that I couldn't pass up sharing with everyone. These two kids are just the best kids ever and Michelle and I can't get enough of them. We hope that they will always stay close to each other and be the best of friends for life.

Christmas in a Home

2011-12-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has been wonderful having our own home and it has been especially great to have a little more room to decorate for Christmas. We didn't go all out this year because of the cost of lights and such, but we were able to get a few things for the inside of our house from various relatives along with a few new things and a few things that Michelle already had. Drew loves the lights and the tree and has done really well at not playing with the ornaments.

We couldn't resist but to get a few pictures by our own tree. We will be spending most of the holiday's out of town at my parents so we needed to take the opportunity now.

We make one good looking family. We can't wait for all of the holiday parties and being able to visit with all of our families in the coming days and weeks.

Andrew's 31st Birthday

2011-11-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

As it usually happens I had another birthday and when from being just 30 to being 31. When we woke up Michelle asked me when I wanted to open my gifts. It sounded like she wanted me to say right then so I did. We went down stairs and Drew helped me open up my present which was in a very lovely Winnie the Pooh bag. Drew pulled out the full 8 DVD set of Harry Potter. I hadn't seen the last one yet and hoped to barrow it from Michelle's mom, but hadn't gotten the chance.

My plan is to have a Harry Potter marathon and watch all of them in order within a two day period on my next week off.

Since we had set a budget for birthday gifts I wasn't expecting much else, so when Michelle told me I needed to go to the garage and then open the trunk of the car I was a little confused.

It turned out to be a 47 in flat screen. When I first opened it I just saw part of the box and thought it was just a small flat screen and was surprised by it, but when I finally noticed that it filled up the whole back trunk and seat of the car I was really surprised. It was the best gift and most surprising gift I had ever gotten for my birthday.

When I went to set it up I thought the box was missing a part for the base of the TV so since we were going to return it I started looking for other TV options since Michelle didn't do a lot of research before purchasing it and I decided on a different brand which was better, bigger, and cheaper than the original. We did discover the missing part was just hiding in some styrofoam, but it made us get a better deal. For the rest of the day I wanted to hang out with my family. We went out to eat together and then we went up to watch our friends perform Christmas music in Kaysville. It was a great way to spend my birthday and start the holiday season. Thanks Michelle, Drew, and Braeden for the great day and the wonderful gifts.

Thanksgiving With the Martin Family

2011-11-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

For the past few years the Martin family has made it a tradition to do a little serve to begin our Thanksgiving holiday feast. We go around to several peoples homes, usually older couples or widows, and rake their leaves and clean up their yards a little. This year was no different, but one of the homes we were going to do had been cleaned up in the day between the time Michelle's mom had chosen the houses and when we were doing the project. It cut our service project down a little, but when we returned to the Martin yard we found plenty of leaves to rake so we did them a little service.

One of the things we looked forward to when we have holiday parties at the Martin home are all of the games that Michelle's mom thinks of to play before we eat. We started off with the traditional pin the gobble on the turkey, but rather than use our chewing gum as the gobble we just used paper which takes all the fun, and disgust, out of it.

After the grand kids had their turn with grandma Martin it was time for the adults to give it a try and everyone had to participate. Perhaps the best part is watching everyone make a fool of themselves as they try and find where to put the gobble. Some people did OK and others were way off.

Drew tried his best to help people out by pounding on the garage door and yelling, but for some there just wasn't any hope of getting it in the right spot.

Michelle was really sad when she found that she wasn't going to win the first place prize of choosing a soda from the garage of your liking.

Our second game was like frisbee golf except we used a bow and arrow instead of the frisbee. Carol had placed hula hoops in various places in the yard and we had to see how many tries it would take us to finish the course. I almost tied for first with two others, but I missed it by one.

Our third game was throwing the large arrows through the hoop. These pool noodles turned arrows were harder to get through the hoop than expected, but a few of us got the hang of it, while the others kept on trying. It really came down to technique, but there was a little argument about which method was better and which one was harder.

The best part about the giant arrow game was that the noodles had words like idiot written on them. I assume they are for a lesson about how name calling is like throwing an arrow at someone, it hurts, or something like that. Who knows.

Our third game was drop the ball in the elephant poop. I know it sounds really weird and it was, but it was also a lot of fun. the purpose of the game was to get the ball in each of the three poops and then pass them to your next team mate until your team had cycled through.

The last game had something to do with a safari and hunting, but I was inside helping get things together for dinner. Either way the yard looked fun with all the animals and plants making it look like the plains of Africa. Drew loved the lion heads. When it was over we were all ready to eat and enjoy some good conversation.

It was another wonderful Thanksgiving at the Martin home full of fun, family, and food. I wish I had taken more pictures of the eating part, but the games and service were the best part of the day.

Visiting Grandma Woolley

2011-11-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago Grandma Woolley was admitted to the hospital because of fluid overload due to her failing heart. She managed to survive, but she had to spend a little time in a rehab center. Before going over to Michelle's parent's house for Thanksgiving we decided we needed to make a trip to visit grandma and grandpa Woolley. Drew just loves grandpa so much and couldn't wait to go sit on his lap while grandma held Braeden in her arms.

We were worried that the kids would be too much for grandma to handle, but as you can see she just loved the attention from her great grand sons and was enjoying a little rest time with baby Braeden before we needed to head out to our Thanksgiving feast in Orem.

The center had a beautiful tree in the lobby so we thought we would continue our attempt at getting a good holiday picture of the family. It was also a good way to take Drew's mind off of having to leave because he didn't want to go.

This visit was the perfect way to start our day of Thanksgiving. Thanks grandma and grandpa Woolley. We are so thankful to have you in our lives.

Big Helper Drew

2011-11-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

One of the downfalls of having a large yard with lots of trees is the need to rake leaves several times during the fall/winter months. If I had it my way there would be some button we could push to make them all fall off at the same time or better yet never make them fall off, but it just isn't possible. Lucky for us we have two boys that we will put to work as soon as possible and we are training them young. Drew loves to be outside so Michelle let him help out with the yard work. He loved using his little rake. I don't know how much help he really was, but he looked cute trying.

As a side note, an older gentleman was passing by while Michelle and Drew were outside doing this and he told her she should take pictures because these are the moments to remember because he won't always enjoy doing the yard work. We can always dream.

Braeden's Biggest Booger

2011-11-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

Early on we have learned that our boys get lots of boogers. This is especially true of Braeden. We suction out his nose at least two times a day and we wonder where all of this stuff comes from. When I got home from work Michelle couldn't wait to show me the following pictures of Braeden before and after he let out a huge sneeze. Michelle couldn't believe how big the booger was that came out of that small nose. I bet it felt good to have it cleared out.

Michelle had also found more of our pacifiers to try out with Braeden and Drew couldn't resist trying one out for himself. He never like them as a baby, which was fine because he was a very easy baby to begin with and luckily after this experience his feelings toward them didn't change and he had no problem giving it back to us.

Besides Drew is too old to have to have a pacifier. Braeden will most likely follow in his brother's footsteps and save us the hassle of trying to break him of a pacifier habit.

Grandma Cardon Visits

2011-11-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Just like when Drew was born, my mother was able to come to Utah to help us with the kids for a few days. It is nice to have Michelle's family around to help out the first few days after the baby is born and then it is nice to have my mother come a few weeks later to help out when we need it. to start things off we needed to get some pictures with the boys and grandma. She bought Drew that shirt and pants so we had to show them off.

My mom then had the privilege of giving Braeden a bath in the sink. It is so cute to watch his little body get washed. He gets so comfortable with the warm clothes. Drew loves baths and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in the tub himself.

Rachael was kind enough to be our photographer for the evening, but she started having a little too much fun taking pictures of herself in the mirror.

When my mom came to help with Drew in 2010 he was wearing this same rubber ducky outfit that Braeden has on, but it was a little bit bigger on Drew. We wanted to make sure we got another one with her and Braeden. It would have been even better if she was wearing the same shirt that she had with Drew.

Thursday night we decided to invite the Martin family as well as grandma and grandpa Woolley over for dinner. We decided on an Asian theme and had chicken stir fry with rice, egg rolls, and our favorite crab wontons made from scratch. We couldn't get enough.

We enjoy being so close to Michelle's grandparents and are glad that they are still able to come and visit every once in a while at our home. Any time we can we try and get pictures with the kids so we make sure they will have memories of them in the future.

Since it is my birthday month we decided to use my free birthday meal at Tucanos while my mom was in town. I think she plans these trips to coincide with mine and Michelle's birthday months because the last time she was in town it we went here for Michelle's birthday. As usual the food was great. Drew didn't want to be in the picture and was glad to be put on the ground so he could do one of his favorite things, push his stroller.

That same night our stake started its coed volleyball regional tournament. It was a lot of fun and we some how won enough games by enough points to move on, but I wasn't looking forward to having to wake up early to play on Saturday morning. Michelle hopes she can play next year.

For Saturday night dinner we decided to go Italian. I didn't use to make meatballs, but our friends Ben and Debbie always have them with their spaghetti dinners when we come over so I decided to do the same. I lost the recipe for the sauce and meatballs I used for my first time making them, but I found another one that came pretty close.

Braeden just hung out watching his crazy aunt Rachael make the meatballs. I wonder what goes through babies heads when they see all of these new and interesting things?

Drew on the other hand wanted to make some trouble. He somehow got a hold of one of the packages of pasta and decided to dump them on the kitchen floor. Of course he thought it was funny and it looked a lot like that pick up sticks game, but it wasn't as fun to pick up because they would break into little pieces. Don't worry we ended up getting a new package for dinner.

On Sunday Braeden would make his first appearance in church. Drew and Braeden looked so good in their church clothes. I mean who can resist little kids in either ties or argyle sweaters. People were amazed that Michelle was already returning to work, but like I have said before, she is amazing.

After church we got into our lounge clothes and sat talking and watching a movie. Drew was practicing using a regular cup and as you can see he still has a little trouble controlling how fast he should lift his cup. I would say he has problems, but I know plenty of adults that have the same issue.

As tradition goes we had to get a few group pictures before my mom headed off to the airport . Braeden wasn't in a good mood at the time. He must of just gotten woken up or something, but we managed to get a few good pictures to remember the moment.

Before walking out the door, Rachael wanted to get one more picture with my mom. While I had the camera ready they decided they wanted to see if Rachael could give my mom a piggy back ride. She got on her back, but it didn't last very long.

We were sad to have my mother leave, but she needed to get back to work. We appreciated all of her help and loved having her company. Thanks again for spending your vacation with us.

Braeden 2 Weeks

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Braeden had his two week appointment today. He stilled looked a little jaundice, but after checking his level it was still at a low risk level and the doctor deemed it to be breast fed jaundice, meaning the breast milk is causing the jaundice. They use to suggest that mother's stopped breast feeding, but found that the benefits of breast milk out way any harm that would be done with such low bilirubin levels as long as they didn't increase. We will take a level in a few days to see if it is staying the same or going down. With time it should resolve itself.

Here are his 2 Week STATS

Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz (19%)

Height: 20.8 in (51%)

Head: 14.4 in (36%)

We still can't believe how alert he is and how different he looks from Drew. He is still waking up too often during the night, but Michelle is a saint. He also gets fussy if he isn't being held. Michelle is wondering if he has problems with something that she is eating. She hopes it isn't dairy products because she isn't sure if she would be able to give that up. I hope this is just a phase and he will be a sweet little boy just like his older brother.

Meeting Cousin Olivia

2011-11-05T10:31:00.000-06:00

The Martin family has just exploded in 2011. Braeden was grandchild number 4 born this year and not far behind was number 5. Russell and Nicole had their baby girl, Olivia, exactly on her due date November 1st. We were excited to go see the family so we planned on having dinner with them and Michelle's parents. Tina and Ben were also invited so it became a party. Olivia and Braeden were very similar in size when born. We thought we would get a few pictures with the two of them together so they could remember this moment when they are older.

Drew had a lot of fun playing with his cousin Nicolas. Although it was cold outside we wrapped them in their coats and Russell was a saint and took them out to play in the backyard. Here are a few shots of Drew during the night. He loves to sit on steps or anything like that. He looks so cute.

Tina was definately a proud aunt being able to hold both small babies in her arms. When Ben is gone with work or other things she is planning on spending a lot of time visiting her niece and nephew. Carol then took the two boys down to the basement to see her carousel that plays music and lights up. Both boys loved it so much.

Michelle wanted to get a family picture before we left, but Drew had other plans for the evening. He was ready to go to bed. He didn't want to sit still and he didn't want to have his picture taken. Tina did her best and we are happy we got something.

It was fun to see the kids together and even better to get a great meal out of it. Michelle's parents and family have done so much over these past few days, weeks, and months. We have appreciated every minute of it.

Halloween and Bath Time

2011-10-31T10:30:00.000-06:00

Michelle couldn't wait to give Braeden his first bath at home. He had been sleeping pretty well in the morning and the rest of us were ready for the day, so after his mid-day nap Michelle got Braeden ready for his bath. Drew was so excited and ready to be a big helper in the process.

Drew couldn't wait to use the sponge scrubber we got while Drew was in the NICU. Don't worry we hadn't used it before. Michelle gave him his bath on his main body and then let Drew help out with the head and hair. He was being so gentle and Braeden didn't cry at all.

Drew loves to brush his teeth and has been doing very well. Michelle surprised him and bought him an electric tooth brush with Tigger on it. We want to make sure his baby teeth stay clean and in his mouth as long as possible.

Drew is the best big brother. He loves to give kisses to Braeden and is being very gentle with him.

Tina came to our house after work and surprised Drew with her crazy costume. Drew wasn't sure who she was and was a little hesitant to be by her. We then got Drew dressed up again to go Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. We added a black nose and freckles on his face to make him more real. You know the puppy that walks on two legs and has a face coming out of its mouth. Michelle's parents also dropped by and were nice enough to watch Braeden while Tina, Michelle, Drew, and I went around the block.

Our first stop was one of our neighbors across the street. Barbara and her family were the first people we met before we even purchased our house. They had a box on the table that you would knock on and a hand would come out and give you your candy. Drew didn't want to knock on the box and he didn't want to take the candy from the hand. I had to do it all. It might not have been the best place to start. Drew just stared at it and wouldn't move even when we wanted to go on. He warmed up to the idea after a few houses then got tired of walking so I would have to carry him from house to house and then put him down to knock on the door. He loved all of the decorations and even started walking into peoples houses when they opened the door. After a half hour he was done and so were we. I didn't want to carry him anymore.

We returned home with all of his candy and I snuck a piece or two for myself and enjoyed. Michelle then went on to show her parents and Tina how Braeden has been giving himself hickeys on his arm. They both showed up on the same day. He must have been extra hungry. We gotta watch out for this kid.

We had a fun second Halloween with Drew. He will get the hang of it by next year and we will have even more fun with both Drew and Braeden participating, but I will make sure and bring a stroller in case either one of them gets tired.

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-29T10:28:00.000-06:00

Michelle has been trying to take advantage of the time that Braeden sleeps so she can get a little rest herself. I thought it was cute to see them both asleep so I decided to take a picture of them without her knowing. I then took a few more during the day of Braeden in the natural light to improve my photography skills.

My sister Rachael and cousin Amy came over for a quick visit. Rachael had seen Braeden the day he was born, but then had to go out of town for work till last night.

Michelle was feeling pretty good by the late afternoon so we decided to take the kids, Nettie, and Aubrey to Dy and Brett's ward Trunk or Treat. We bought this cute monster outfit for Braeden to wear. We didn't plan on bringing him out except to feed during the festivities, but we wanted him to participate in having a costume. Michelle's dad bought a cute puppy costume for Drew at COSTCO. The first time he tried it on he loved it, but then when we got to the actual party he didn't want to put it on.

They had a soup potluck for the dinner portion of the event. There were a lot of chiles entered into the chile contest and then a bunch of other soups to try. I had three different bowls. It was so good, or I was just hungry. When the dinner was over it was time to get the kids ready. I had to force the costume on Drew knowing he might cry for a few moments, but then would be back to normal. We tried to get a picture of all three kids (Braeden was with his mom eating) sitting nicely together in their costumes, but they wouldn't sit still. Luckily the parade was about to start.

Drew was getting tired and had a hard time getting the hang of the trick or treating, but everyone thought he was cute and even if he wouldn't talk they still gave him candy. We almost finished all of the cars, but then he was ready to be done. We let him hang out in the car and eat a little candy. Dy and Brett decorated the back of their car with some fun decorations and the girls passed out a lot of candy to the kids.

It was a great evening a fun way to help celebrate Halloween in a safe way. I'm sure we will still go around our neighborhood on the real day, but what's wrong with going twice to get twice the candy.

Braeden's Progress

2011-10-28T10:27:00.000-06:00

Braeden had his appointment to check his bilirubin and weight today. We were hoping that his levels would be down enough and that he had gained a little weight back from the hospital. He had gone down from 6lbs 13oz on Monday to 6lbs 2oz on Wednesday in the hospital and they said if he lost any more weight they would have to have us supplement some of his breast feeding with fortified formula. We stop at the lab station to have his blood taken first and he didn't even cry. We then got to the office and the worst part of the visit was the rectal thermometer.

His weight had gone up by almost a half a pound at 6lbs 9oz. He is a growing boy. That is no surprise since Michelle thinks he eats all the time. Dr. Templeman did a few more checks on him and then told us he would give us a call with the results of his bilirubin test as well as the course of action we would need to take.

Once we got home we spent some time with the two boys. Drew warmed up a little more with Braeden and even asked if he could hold him. Not so much with words, but with his hands.

The doctor's nurse called and said they still wanted Braeden to be on his Bili Lights till at least Sunday and then if we felt he looked better we could return the lights, but if not he recommended we make an appointment and have his levels checked again. Here he is on the bed which was installed on my nightstand.

The Bili bed also came with a Bili blanket that you can use when Michelle is feeding him, but Drew thought it was more fun to play with. I have to admit I thought it was fun also. It would be like a really expensive night light or lamp.

Bringing Baby Home

2011-10-27T16:02:00.000-06:00

Day 4 - Final Day
This last night in the hospital was the best. We were hardly bothered at all until morning rounds. Dr. Brown said that Michelle's incision looked really good, but because of some low grade fevers she was having each evening for about an hour, she wanted her to stay till 6pm to make sure it didn't come back. We then went and visited the nursery to see Drew. Our normal pediatrician wasn't in today so a colleague of his was taking his patients for the day. They were still waiting on his bilirubin results, but they thought he would be OK to go home today. His bilirubin results came back slightly high again and they said they would send us home with a light bed and we would check his levels on Friday as well as his weight.

After breakfast I headed home to take as much stuff as I could that we no longer needed at the hospital and to turn off our sprinkler system and get it ready for winter since it is suppose to snow soon. As I was on my way back I got a call from Glenn saying that he was bringing his mother over to see Braeden at that very moment. After a quick visit and a few pictures they had to get going and Michelle and I enjoyed the last few hours we had left in the hospital. I made sure everything was put away and packed up so we wouldn't waste any time.

With an hour left before we could leave we got Braeden ready for the journey home. We bought this outfit especially for this day. We hoped it wouldn't be too small, but it fit just right. It might only fit him for a few weeks, but it was worth the money.

I need to find the pictures I took of Drew the day we took him home so I can compare their sizes in the car-seat.

At five minutes past 6pm we were out the door and ready to get on our way home. After driving off we remembered that we had some food I had bought that day in the fridge at the hospital. We hadn't gotten very far so I turned around and quickly snagged the bag.

Michelle's other grandparents hadn't been able to see Braeden yet because of their health so she was bound to stop at their place before we went home. Grandma Woolley was so happy to be able to hold Braeden. She loves all of her grand and great grandchildren. Grandpa Woolley was pulling out of his neighborhood when we arrived, but we were lucky to be able to stop on the street and give him a look. He gave me a slug on the shoulder and said I had done well with this one.

We were interested to see how Drew would react this time to the baby. He was hesitant the first day he met him and I think he still was today. He didn't mind holding Braeden, but after a few seconds he was done. He then began to crawl around the house like a baby, maybe in protest to our decision to have another child.

Drew is such a little stinker, but he is so cute we will keep him around and try to work out his issues. I know he will be a great big brother and I hope that the two of them will be the best of friends.

By the end of the visit we were ready to be home. We could no longer take the confined space of the hospital room, Michelle was tired of the hospital food, and I was tired of eating in the cafeteria. We just wanted to be in our own home, with our own beds, and our own stuff as one family back together again. We will see how Drew does these next couple of days.

The Hospital Stay

2011-10-25T16:01:00.000-06:00

Day 2
The first night in the hospital is always the worst. We didn't get a lot of sleep because Michelle had to have her vitals taken every two hours as well as feed the baby when he was hungry. Add all of that to Braeden's breathing issues that ended up getting resolved and you get pretty much no sleep at all, but it is worth it.

Right before Michelle went in for her c-section we found out that her cousin Amy had her baby the day before and that she was just one floor above us. After eating breakfast we headed up to her room for a little visit and to see their new son Zachary. After leaving their room they came down to our room and saw Braeden. It is so fun having all these kids so close to each other. Michelle is very close to her cousins and we hope that our kids will be as close with their cousins and 2nd cousins.

Dy and Brett had doctor's appointments for both of their kids today. Brett was already in town for a meeting so he arrived to the hospital a little early and came to say hi to Braeden.

Michelle's co-worker Emilee was in the area and came to say hi to Michelle and see Braeden. Michelle loves her co-workers and was glad to see her face. She is so nice and even brought us dinner a few times while Michelle was on bedrest. Emilee is really looking forward to Michelle returning to work. Tina and Ben also came by for a visit. Tina wasn't sure if she would be able to see Braeden while in the hospital because of a work issue, but everything was cleared and she couldn't wait to get to the hospital.

After they left we decided to have a little family time. Again, it has been so different this time around being able to hold Braeden any time that we want. He still seems so small and has changed so much in the last day. I think it takes babies a little while to fill into their actual body shape after being in such a small fluid filled sack for so long.

We just love all the hair on his head. Drew didn't have any for a long time and it was so blond that you couldn't see it very well. Braeden's hair is darker than Drew's, but we will see what color it turns out to be with time.

Day 3
Last night was a lot better. The nurses and CNA's didn't have to come in as often and having Braeden stay in the nursery until hungry has really helped. This morning they checked Braeden's bilirubin (for jaundice) results and found that it was higher than they would like. They put an order in for a light bed to help reduce the levels. These new beds are great because the baby is just enclosed in this little suit that is open and attached to the light. It doesn't heat up and it can stay in the patient's room. With the other lights they had to go to the nursery and get their therapy there. If his levels got too high then they would do that, but till then he could stay in our room. Braeden also had his you know what procedure done today. Dr. Templeman does a great job so we made sure he was here this morning.

When we had Drew I remember seeing this company that came down to take pictures of babies in baskets or outfits or whatever and always thought it would be nice to have some good pictures as a newborn. With Drew being in the NICU with all of his monitors and tubes it didn't look like a great opportunity and they actually never came around to see if we wanted any. When we checked in for the birth of Braeden they asked if we would like the company to take pictures sometime during our stay. We said yes, but knowing that they would charge an arm or a leg for the pictures we were sure we wouldn't buy any. The nurse last night asked if they had come by yet and we said no. She thought they would come today and told us she also thought they gave hospital employees some sort of discount or a free sheet of prints. When the company came to take the pictures Michelle didn't want to be in any and I said I would. We then asked if there was a discount for being an employee and she said we would get a free copy of the pictures taken on CD, a $135 value. We were excited to get the pictures taken and Michelle ended up wanting to be in them. We both happened to have black shirts that day and I think it made the pictures look great.

Braeden's Photo Shoot

We loved the pictures and the funny thing was she had pretty much the same camera as us. It all comes down to the lighting. If you have natural light then your pictures will turn out great. She was only with us about 15 minutes and then got our CD to us ten minutes later. I think I should just become a photographer because they could make bank with the prices they charge. The picture below is one that I took. Doesn't it look professional?!

We have loved how awake Braeden has been. Even in the pictures the photographer took he was wide awake. Everyone keeps on saying that he doesn't look like a newborn because of how alert and awake he is. I think he is very mature for his age.

Tina couldn't get enough of Braeden and decided to visit one more time while we were in the hospital. It is so nice to have family and friends so close to come visit

Just one more day before we are free. Michelle would have loved to go home today, but the hospital required either a 4 or 5 day stay for a c-section delivery. I guess we should take the help we are getting and get use to the idea that we will meet our out of pocket max for the year. Unfortunately it is near the end of the year and not like Drew in the first month of the year. I guess we will just have to make as many medical appointments in the next two months as we can.

Introducing Baby........

2011-10-24T07:40:00.000-06:00

Introducing

Braeden Glenn Cardon

10-24-2011 @ 1423

Weight: 6 lbs 13 oz

Height: 20 in

Head: 36 cm

How Things Went Down:

I woke up this morning around 7am. I could have went back to sleep, but I wantedto download a few more pictures so I could catch up on our blog before the babygot here. Michelle woke up about an hourlater. I was glad that she was able tosleep. Drew wasn’t very behind us atwaking up. He was happy. We lounged for a few hours before deciding weshould get ready. Grandpa Woolley andGrandma came over to help me give Michelle a blessing. It was so nice of them to come out of theirway. We were going to go over therebefore going to the hospital, but Grandpa’s dental appointment changed. After I cut my hair and we all showered wegot all of our bags packed and made sure we weren’t missing anything. We drove over to Laurel Nelson’s to drop Drewoff. We took a few pictures of the threeof us so we could remember how it was before we had a new addition. I don’t think Drew understands what is goingto happen today, but we hope he adjusts well.

Since I hadn’t eaten this morning we stopped atWendy’s for some food. Michelle couldn’teat because of the pending surgery, but I enjoyed my meal. She didn’t want me to faint in the OR. We arrived at the hospital a little beforeNoon. Michelle got registered and thenwe came into Labor and Delivery room 19. We had two nurses helping out. One was a normal floor nurse and the other was a new nurse in thatarea. Their names were Amy and Marianne. We took a few pictures of Michelle being pregnantsince we really don’t have many. Isn’tshe so cute?

We then took a quick picture of the two of usbefore she got changed into her gown. Wesat around for a while waiting for our turn in the OR. Michelle’s parents were able to make itbefore she went in. Carol was hoping shewould be able to go into the c-section since she is an OR nurse and promised tostay out of the way, but the anesthesiologist would only allow one other personand I got the spot. Our 1:30pm OR timewas moved back a half hour because our doctor was busy with another case in thenormal OR. When it was almost time to goI got into my white disposable jumpsuit and got our picture taken before theygot her out of bed to walk to the OR.

We arrived in the OR at 2pm. After we got Michelle onto the OR bed theanesthesiologist began to place her epidural. It seemed weird that they did it in the frog position sitting up, but Iguess it works. In no time she wasn’tfeeling a thing down below. Dr. Brownsoon entered the room and everyone started getting in their sterile gowns andgloves. A third year resident wouldassist in the surgery and a medical student would be watching with minimalparticipation. There were also severalnurses and scrub techs in the room.

The doctor got down to business prettyfast. The actual removal of the babydidn’t take that long. Before thesurgery Michelle told me I couldn’t post any pictures like I did lasttime. She thought they were a little toographic. I must obey her wishes and won’t,but to tell you the truth I didn’t get as many good pictures because thedoctors were in the way most of the time. Before I knew it the baby was coming out and being thrust in the air soMichelle could take a quick peek at him. He was born at 1423 (2:23pm).

He was then taken over to a bed were two NICUnurses wiped him off and assessed him. This was strange for us since Drew was taken away through a window intothe NICU and we didn’t get to see him right away after his birth. While they began to get her ready to be stitchedup I went over to watch as they cleaned him up and took his temperature.

He looked so much different than Drew. It must be the extra pounds he had on his body. We then took his measurements. His height was 20 inches, his weight was 6pounds 13 ounces, and his head circumference was 36 cm. He got an 8 and 9 for his APGAR scores, but his chest was retracting a little when he was breathing. The NICU nurses said to watch him and that it could just be some fluid in the lungs.

Once he was done with his quick cleaning it was time for him to be wrapped up and brought over to his mom so she could attempt to see him up close. Michelle loved being able to see him. She was tired, but it didn't take long for them to finish putting her back together and making sure that they didn't leave anything inside her uterus or abdomen. Michelle's hospital bed was pulled up next to the OR bed and she was transported back to our original room for monitoring.

When we got back to the room Braeden was ready to eat. He put his thumb in his mouth and was sucking. It was so cute. Glenn and Carol were in the room to greet us. They were so happy that everything went OK and that there were no complications. Michelle's blood pressure dropped below normal so the anesthesiologist had to come in and give her a shot increase her pressure. It didn't take her long to raise back up to normal. Braeden continued to show signs that he was hungry so Michelle did skin to skin with him and attempted to breastfeed him. He knew exactly what to do and it was a successful feeding. While we were waiting we found out that Michelle's cousin Amy had delivered her little boy the day before and was going to be staying one floor above Michelle. We were so excited for her. Since everything finally looked good for both mother and baby it was time to transfer to our permanent room upstairs.

Once we made it to our room on the second floor we enjoyed having Braeden be able to hang out with us in the room. It gave us a little more time to look him over and determine who he looks like. A lot of people say that he looks like me or at least has my nose. We don't think he looks like Drew, but I am just bad at playing this game. Babies look like babies.

The nursery needed to evaluate him themselves as well as do some paper work on him so I went with him to the nursery while Michelle stayed with her parents and rested. The nursery did all the same things as before as well as take a security picture and get foot prints for his record. We then got to go back to the room and watch him get his first bath. The CNA was so cute with him and very gentle. He wasn't too sure about the water at first, but then he began to relax. Once she was done with the body and had wrapped him up I was able to scrub/wash his head. I tried to be as gentle as possible. It is hard to get use to handling such a small child, but it came back fast.

We got him snuggled back up and I couldn't resister getting a picture with my handsome little boy. He sure did look happy to be all warm and protected in his blankets.

He was now ready for some more visitors. Nettie had been dying all day to come and see him. She hurried down from work and made sure she got some pictures with him.

In the middle of her visit the respiratory therapist came in to talk to Michelle about being able to clear her lungs and how to prevent her from getting pneumonia. Michelle did a great job with her exercises and we all thought it was a little funny. Nettie wanted to give it a try and had a difficult time herself, but I didn't get a picture. Chelsea and Darren soon showed up followed by my sister Rachael.

Glenn and Carol had left to go pick Drew up from the babysitter's house and feed him dinner over at Grandma and Grandpa Woolley's house. We were excited for him to arrive so he could meet his new little brother and see how he would react to it all. When he first came into the room he was looking all over the place. I am sure he was wondering why we were in this strange place. He was very mellow and hesitant when we showed him Braeden. He didn't know how to respond. I tried to have him give him a kiss, but he wouldn't do it.

The moment we were waiting for was to get our first family picture all together. Drew was still hesitant, but he was willing to put his arm around the baby. He wouldn't smile for us, but we got a small one after several attempts. We wish we could see Braeden's face a little more so you could tell there was a baby in there, but I think it is cute none the less.

Dy came by after her shift was over at the hospital, but I forgot to take a picture with Braeden. It was so nice for family to visit. Drew warmed up a little more to Braeden right before he left, but he still doesn't really have a clue about what has changed. It is even hard for us to believe that this morning we left Drew as a three person family and are now one little man bigger. Glenn and Carol took Drew down to Orem so they could watch him for the next few days while we are in the hospital. They are so nice to help out, but Michelle isn't sure she wants to be away from him that long. Rachael stayed a little bit longer before she had to go home and get ready to go to Logan for work the next day for the rest of the week.

Aubrey was the last visitor of the night. She was kind enough to make us a few items for the diaper bag with a few personal touches. With everyone gone we could spend some more time with our little one. It didn't last long. Dy had noticed that it seemed that he was breathing a little fast. Michelle took a moment to check his respiratory rate and it was above 60 so she let the CNA know and they took him back to the nursery to check his vitals. They said it would only take about 10 minutes and when he hadn't returned almost 40 minutes after I decided to go check on him. His breathing rate was increased and he was mildly retracting. His oxygen saturation had fallen several times, but they were able to increase it with a little oxygen. They called the on call pediatrician and he ordered some labs and a chest x-ray. I had been there during his last desaturation, but over the 30 minutes it took for the phlebotomist and radiology tech to arrive he didn't have a single problem. They took the x-ray and drew some blood and he didn't even cry once. The CNA gave Michelle an update and I stayed with Braeden a little while longer. He did give me a little scare when some chest fluid got him choked up and he started to turn blue while they tried to get it out of him and get his oxygen back up. Although it seemed traumatic it was good for him to get that junk out. The chest x-ray looked like he just had some fluid that hadn't cleared yet. He had to wear a monitor, but he was allowed back in our room. Michelle fed him one more time and then was so tired she decided to have Braeden sleep in the nursery and she would have him brought to our room when it was time for him to eat. We couldn't believe that all this had happened today. We love Braeden so much and can't wait to get him home in the next few days.

Pumpkin Patch Picking

2011-10-21T07:29:00.000-06:00

I have been dying to take Drew to a pumpkin patch. He loves life and especially loves doing newthings. Andrew was just going to takehim by himself since I was on bed rest but I really wanted to go. On Friday, since Dyana, Bracken, Leah,Chelsea, and my parents were here to help me with all of my housework, wedecided to go. The neighbor down thestreet has a huge pumpkin patch. For thelast few weeks, I have seen tons of people there picking out their pumpkins inthe field.

We walked down to the field. There were corn stalks, hay, and pumpkinseverywhere. You could pick one byyourself out in the field or you could pick one that was already picked. We got out wagon and out to the field wewent. Sometimes, actually most of the times,I think that the Martin adults have more fun then the kids. Drew and Bracken did have a blast. Bracken picked out his little pumpkin withinthe first few seconds of being there. Hewas so proud of it. Drew also picked outone but it was a little bit too big for him to carry on his own. Andrew and I also found us the perfectpumpkin. We were so excited.

Dyana bought hers and it was one dollar. In my head, I was like, what a great dealthis place is but then the girl told me that our 3 pumpkins would be 12dollars. I was blown away but handed herthe money. We had a great time pickingout our pumpkins and can’t wait to carve them.

Fun with the Ferrell's, BYU, and Witches Too!

2011-10-14T07:27:00.000-06:00

I know it seemed like they were just here, but Emily and Ryan made another trip up to Utah for their Fall break. For Emily's birthday Ryan bought her plane tickets to fly to and from Utah by herself. She was able to come up a few days early without the kids and then Ryan drove with the girls to and from Utah. I had to work some of the days they were here, but we were able to do a few things together. The day before Emily was leaving we headed down to Provo to hang out with Emily and Rachael.

Our first stop was at the Museum of Paleontology located just West of the Stadium. The first time I visited this place was a year after I graduated. I was taking a group of Japanese kids around campus for a trip they were on and we had a scavenger hunt that had us go to different places on campus.

It was interesting to see how they wrap the bones to be transferred and stored. Drew was interested in looking at the fake dinosaur located by the window. We had a hard time trying to keep his hands off of all the different bones, but it didn't help that I was just as interested in touching them.

The girls insisted that we take pictures on the Cougar located next to the football stadium. I don't know why we never did this when I was a kid visiting with my family. It makes for such a nice picture. The only other picture I have next to the Cougar is right after I graduated from BYU. We hope that bringing him to the Y at such a young age will persuade him to attend there when he gets older.

When we got to campus we decided to play a few games at the arcade. Ski ball is an easy enough game to play. Drew and Alexis can't quite throw the balls far enough to go in the holes, but it was fun to watch them try. I then thought I would go back in time to the days I could play DDR, but I failed terribly. I don't think the game was even working. Something was wrong with the sensors because I wasn't getting any of them right.

One of the girls favorite things to do when they visit BYU is to go bowling in the WILK. Drew had his first try at bowling. We let him have a turn a little later in the game because we were afraid he would want to keep bowling even when it wasn't his turn.

Before dinner we decided to visit Gardner Village to see some of the witches. We thought the girls would enjoy little shops and all the people in their witch outfits and other costumes.

To finish up the night we headed back to our house to have dinner. The time went by too fast, but that is how it goes. They were soon on their way back to Provo and then Arizona. We enjoyed the visit and will be seeing them in Arizona when we go down there for Christmas.

Bedrest Update

2011-10-05T07:39:00.000-06:00

At 30 weeks when I was put on bedrest my doctor told me Ionly had to go to 37 weeks before she would deliver the baby, unless he cameearly on his own. I wasn’t sure if Icould make it 7 weeks since it was hard enough for the week I was on it beforebeing admitted to the hospital with Drew. Well, I am happy to say that I am now 34 weeks and 3 days. I am surviving bedrest pretty well. I must admit that I have cheated a little here and there because it is so hard for me to sit still, as you can read in some of my other posts, but what I am doing is helping a lot. Last week we had a repeat ultrasound and thebaby is still growing normally. It wassuch a relief to hear the doctor say that everything looked good. They estimated that he weighed approx 4pounds 8 ounces (almost a pound bigger then Drew when he was born). I am scheduled to have the baby on:

October24th at Noon.

I will be 37 weeks and 1 day. The doctor is very pleased with my bloodpressure. She is always saying that mybody loves bedrest. I had to laughbecause the first week of bedrest I lost 8 pounds of water. Unfortunately since then, I have gained itall back. Andrew says it is from all ofhis good cooking. He does make wonderfulbreakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts. My family has been amazing during this time. They are so willing to help out in anyway. My house has never been so clean,thanks mom and dad. Drew loves all ofthe time he gets to spend with his grandparents, cousins, and aunts. My ward and co-workers have also beenbringing in meals which are so helpful. This relieves a lot of pressure. Thanks everyone for your love and support. I think I just might make it to 37 weeks.

Going up the Canyon

2011-10-02T07:27:00.000-06:00

Since it was such a nice Conference Weekend we thought it would be nice to enjoy the coming Fall weather and go up the canyon to see if the leaves were changing yet. We found this picnic are off the road that had a little creek. We decided to take a few pictures while we were there.

Tina wanted to show Drew the bridge and she also thought it would be a great place to take a picture. I wish I knew a little more about the different ways to use my camera. You would think I would know a little more after using it for over a year and a half, but I just haven't taken the time.

Drew was having fun playing with Nettie. She would make faces at him and he would laugh and get all excited. He also loved to pick up the rocks and throw them. He loves playing with dirt, sticks, and rocks whenever he finds them.

We wanted to get a cute little family picture and I was trying to get Drew to smile, but I think I only made him more mad. He got a little frustrated and then you can see in one of the pictures he tried to bite my finger. He is going through this biting phase right now. He doesn't really bite other people, but he does tend to bite himself when he gets frustrated. We hope he gets over that habit fast.

It was a great day and the weather was so nice. We should try and enjoy it more often when the mountains are so close to us.

Dinner at the Martin's

2011-09-17T07:26:00.000-06:00

Michelle's parents were nice enough to invite several of us over for dinner. Most of them had tickets to the BYU game and were in the area already. Since we didn't have any plans and we are always up for some free home cooked meals we decided we couldn't pass it up. We were joined by Chelsea, Darren, Tina, Ben, Dy,Brett, Bracken, Leah, and Nettie.

The boys had fun playing together. Michelle's mom tied a string with a tennis ball on the end to the jungle gym so they could try and hit it. Bracken is pretty good at these sport activities. Drew is still working on his coordination, but I'm sure, I hope, he will get it soon enough.

Drew has this habit of sticking his finger up his nose. I know it is something that most kids go through at some point, but he can get his finger up there pretty far. We tell him not too, but he doesn't listen all too well and he keeps doing it. It becomes a game to him.

After dessert we let the boys play in the pool. Carol thought sand was a little too messy so she bought a kiddie pool and filled it with corn kernels. I am not sure if it is any cleaner because Drew loves to fill up cups or his hands and throw the corn out of the pool. I think its a good idea.

Thanks Glenn and Carol for the good food and company. It is always fun to spend time with family and let the cousins get to know each other better.

The Utah State Fair

2011-09-15T07:26:00.000-06:00

Last year was the first year I had ever been to any state fair. Michelle, Drew, Nettie, and I went and we had a blast. Drew loved all of the animals so we were looking forward to taking him to the fair again this year. Unfortunately since Michelle was put on bed rest we thought we wouldn't be able to make it. Nettie talked Michelle into letting Drew and I go with her so she could enjoy watching him with the animals.

On our way to the next barn we stopped in at the pig contest. It was kind of funny because there were all of these high school kids dressed up in jeans and dress shirts and ties using these sticks to "control" their pigs. The would walk around the arena and look in the direction of the judge. It was actually quite funny. We didn't stay to see who won, but I don't even know what they are judging. Oh well.

To this point we hadn't gotten the reaction from Drew that we had wanted. We had just gone through one of the barns and we came across these large fans. Drew loves fans and sometimes he gets a little to close with his fingers. Next year we will know to visit the fans first to get him excited.

I couldn't help but let Drew take a ride on the pony. We waited patiently for our turn and I wasn't sure how Drew would do. He didn't get as excited as I had hoped, but I had a lot of fun.

We watched the sea lion show for over a half hour. Drew was on my shoulders for the whole thing so I couldn't see his face, but Nettie said that his face was just like this picture the whole time. When there was music I could feel Drew dancing on my shoulders. I think he liked it.

One of our last stops was to look at the horses. I think they are wonderful animals and I think it would be fun to own some one day. Drew was a little hesitant at first, but then he wanted to pet them. Near the end the horse would nudge Drew and make him laugh.

After last year all I wanted was a funnel cake, but with the high prices at the fair I wasn't sure if I would go for it, but I couldn't resist so I went for the cheapest one on the menu. It was alright, but I think it needed a little more sugar or a little more of the good stuff I passed up on. Drew also enjoyed it.

After we got our funnel cake we sat on this park bench by the free fall ride. Drew loved the ride so much he would just stare at it. We probably spent a good half an hour watching it go up and down.

We had a great time. Thanks Nettie for talking us into going to the fair. We will have to go again next year when Michelle can join us and we can all have fun together.

Drew Man

2011-09-10T07:34:00.000-06:00

Here are a few random pictures I found over the last few weeks that show just how cute our little boy is. He is so fun to have around and as Michelle would say he's just pure joy and makes us so happy.

Bedrest Again - By Michelle

2011-09-06T09:13:00.000-06:00

On the way home from California, I looked down at my feetand knew I was in trouble. They were soswollen and tight. Up until this point,things had been looking really good and I was very optimistic that things wouldbe different with this pregnancy. I hadonly had trace amounts of protein in my urine, and my blood pressure wasnormal. The doctor wanted to startseeing me every 2 weeks since it was during this time that Ideveloped pre-eclampsia with Drew. Thursday afternoon I left work a little early to go to my doctor’sappointment. My weight was upsignificantly (8+ pounds), and my blood pressure was borderline high. The doctor ordered a lot of tests. One of the tests is a 24 hours urine sampleand so I was not able to do that until the weekend. She instructed me to take it easy and rest asmuch as possible and to prepare myself mentally and emotionally forbedrest. It was Labor Day weekend and Idid take things easy. Tuesday morningthe nurse called me at work and told me that my urine protein was high and thedoctor ordered bedrest. I started tocry. I was barely 30 weeks along. Dr Brown ordered an ultrasound and non stresstest for that day to make sure that the baby was growing appropriately. He passed both tests with flying colors. My co-workersare amazing and took over everything I was working on and told me to just gohome and rest and not worry about anything at work. I work with such amazing people.

I'm Going to Disneyland - By Michelle

2011-08-26T07:31:00.000-06:00

My sister Jill and her family were going on a familyvacation to California. Luckily, theyinvited anyone in the family to tag along. Jill and Brian should know better by now that if they invite, wecome. Nettie, Dyana, Bracken, Drew, andI were able to fly out early (5 a.m.) Friday morning. Drew had a very hard time on the flight. He was so tired and just cried andcried. Luckily about half way throughthe flight, he fell asleep. My dadpicked us up from the airport and our adventures began.

We spent most of the day Friday being lazy. In the afternoon we went to Cameron andRachel neighborhood pool and went swimming. The kids played and played in thekiddy pool. Towards the end, Nettie tookDrew over to the hot tub. He absolutelyLOVED it. He did not want to getout. Every time he got back into theregular pool, he jumped out and ran towards the hot tub. It was so cute to watch.

Saturday was spent at the beach. We took over the only cabana on thebeach. It was perfect. The kids just played and played in the sand,while we sat in the shade. I could havestayed there forever-I just love watching the waves come in. Drew preferred digging in the sand and Brackenpreferred being in the water with his mom. He got braver and braver as the day went on and by the end would jumpthe waves without any help from his mom. That night we had a BBQ with my mom’s cousin Nancy and her husbandWade. I love that we are so close to ourextended relatives. While we were atCameron and Rachel’s, we ate like kings and queens. Rachel made the most amazing meals. Thanks for all of your hard work.

Sunday, after church, we all drove up to Anaheim, Californiato meet up with Jill and her family. Westayed in a hotel that was minutes away from Disney Land. We were all so excited to be with one anotheragain.

Monday and Tuesday were spent at Disney Land and CaliforniaAdventure. Monday morning we were at thegates before they opened in true Martin fashion. I am not sure what we were thinking but wehad 5 kids under the age of 2. The kidswere all amazing, only a few major melt downs the whole time. I have always told Andrew that I would nevertake my kids to Disney Land until they were 8 because I wanted them to enjoyevery ride. Well, Drew was not evenclose to being eight but he had a blast. I was amazed at how many rides he could ride. Some of his favorites were the tea cups, it’sa small world and the merry-go-round. Itis fun to see Bracken and Drew interact with each other. They get along so well. It is also fun to see their personalitiescome out. Bracken was definitely morereserved and hesitant about riding most of the rides. He did not like any of the rides that had any“darkness” to them. I was amazed that atsuch a young age, he could already sense that. They both enjoyed it’s a small world; they were both dancing to the musicand pointing to everything.

Both days, we came home around dinner time to eat and letthe kids swim and then went immediately back to the park until it closed. My parents, especially my mom cracked meup. They would come back to the hotelwith us, eat, and then immediately go back to the park. My dad was such a good sport and went with mymom. He even went on rides I know hedoes not prefer. We had a fantastictime. Everyone loved it. Thanks Jill and Brian for your kindness andgenerosity.

Wednesday we went to the beach with all of the kids. The weather was perfect. We did not have the luxury of the cabana, butwe did have one umbrella. I am surepeople thought we were crazy because we were all trying to get under theshade. It was one big clump of people. Cameron taught Andrew how to boggy board. I was amazed at their skill. This time, Drew thought the water wasgreat. He played and played in the water. Digging in the sand was definitely all of thekids favorite thing to do. It was ablast.

Unfortunately, all things have to come to an end and thatevening, we flew back to Utah. The kidswere great little travelers. Thanks forthe fun time and the many memories.

Friend Get Together

2011-08-16T07:24:00.000-06:00

Our friends Bill and Karen were in town from Idaho and they wanted to see the old gang so we decided to have a get together over at our house. We had a great time catching up on all the events of the past few months since our last get together and of course we had some really good food. Michelle has been friends or roommates with all of these girls and they have kept in touch pretty well over the years even with those out of state with their Friday emails. Can't wait for the next one.

Drew's 18 Month Appointment

2011-07-27T09:51:00.000-06:00

Drew had his 18 month appointment today. I have been able to attend all of his appointments, but today it was a little too busy at work and I wasn't able to get away in time to make it. Michelle said it went very well. He looked good and healthy so there isn't much to report other than his stats.

Drew's 18 Month Stats

Height - 33.25 in (77%)

Weight - 25.13 lbs (39%)

Head - 19.9 in (98%)

We can't believe he is growing up so fast. He is developing so much personality. He is becoming more of a little boy than our little baby. A couple of weeks ago Michelle took him to nursery and they were nice enough to let him stay even though he wasn't old enough. He seemed to like it and we hope that is the trend so we can enjoy Sunday school without having to worry to much about him. We hope this is his last doctors visit until his two year appointment. We will cross our fingers that he won't get any ear infections.

Who's Got Cabin Fever!

2011-07-21T09:48:00.000-06:00

My parents decided to try and get all of the kids together with their families for a little family reunion. One of our favorite places to go growing up was to our grandparent's (Mom's parents) cabin in Munds Park, Arizona, just about 15 minutes or so South of Flagstaff. We all enjoyed spending time up there and we have wonderful memories of being with our grandparents and the rest of our extended family at the cabin while enjoying the surrounding pine trees and mountains. A little while after the passing of my grandmother, my grandfather sold the cabin to some people that have made a few changes to both the inside and outside. Since then we haven't spent much time in that area except to pass through on our way to visit my parents, but I have only stopped a few times to drive past the cabin. Since it was such a fond place my parents thought it would be the perfect area to stay in. My sister Emily found a large cabin that was for rent just a block away from our grandparents cabin. On line it sounded like it would be perfect with plenty of room for all of us, but we wouldn't know until we got there.

Michelle, Drew, Rachael, and Steve all piled into our car on Wednesday afternoon after they had gotten off of work and we planned on driving half way down to Arizona. I had made a reservation online for a hotel, but then found out that it wasn't in the location I thought and had to cancel it. With no hotel plans and having got word that most places were full in most of the smaller cities we decided to just drive until we were tired and then press our luck at finding something. Luckily we found a nice little place with a decent rate for us to sleep. Thursday morning we took our time getting ready before hitting the road. We stopped in Flagstaff for a few last minute items, treats, and then made it to the cabin just a little after most people had gotten there.

The cabin was a great size. It had probably been a smaller cabin at one point and then doubled in size with a major renovation which most likely happened in the 80's since it had that vibe in terms of decor. It was all one story and had a huge backyard with a tennis course and a fenced in area perfect for the little kids.

It had two kitchens, two eating areas, two family rooms, two two car garages, two laundry rooms, six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a large back porch with tables. Everyone, but most of the grand kids had beds to sleep on, but they loved sleeping on the couch and in sleeping bags.

Christin's family was the last to arrive on Thursday. Scott and Megan along with Brian would come up on Friday after they were done with work. Most of the rest of the day we spent getting things situated and making sure we had all of the food for the rest of the trip. Friday we had a lot of fun playing in the backyard. The kids played a little baseball on the tennis course. Everyone was having a good time.

Jacob found a small snake that was hiding in some boulders near the play area. I tried to get a good shot of it, but it would always go back in the hole if I made any noise.

One of the kids favorite things to do at the house was to use the zip line. only the kids could use it or those adults that were the size of kids because if you were like me and tried to use it your butt would hit the ground and it would hurt, trust me I tried.

Friday night Scott and Megan arrived and all of the kids were excited to see them. They just got married two months ago and it has been great to have Megan in the family. Saturday was another fun filled day with lots of activities with the kids. The highlight of the day was our evening talent show. Each family had to participate in at least one thing and then any other members could do something extra if they wanted. There was whistling, drawing, and yoga by Taylor, Jacob, and Joshua.

Summer wrote a great script for a mustache growing infomercial that she wrote for school. It was amazing. She has a lot of creativity. The little kids even wanted to participate in the talent show, but got stage fright.

Ryan showed off his poetry skills by writing a few lymrics that we all thought to be pretty spot on and very funny. I wish I had them to share.

Michelle performed her popular pirate joke and even though I have seen it many times it is still so funny mainly because she always has a hard time remembering how it goes. Rachael, Steve, Michelle, and I showed the group how to become more limber with exercising.

Scott and Megan did a great rendition of "Poor Wounded Soldier" of which is a favorite of Michelle's family get togethers. I gave them the idea and taught them all their parts. I wish Megan was a little louder at the end, but Scott played a great Good Samaritan. Scott also had to show off some of his wicked rapping skills by showing off a little something he wrote himself. I think he could be the next Eminem.

My mom and dad both had to get up and give a little speech about how wonderful it is to have everyone together and how it make it a special time for them. You know all of the normal parent stuff. It was nice and we agree with everything they had to say.

At the end of it all we took a flash back to our younger days when we would perform as a family in our ward talent shows. We would also have little talent shows on the golf course across the street from this cabin when the whole Gaisford side of the family would come up for the forth of July and watch the fireworks. My mom insisted that we got up and sang this song from an American Tale.

Sunday was pretty relaxed. We did manage to get up and ready for church and headed up to Flagstaff for sacrament meeting. It was a nice group of families and a lot of students studying at NAU. After getting home we made sure to take a family picture in front of the cabin to help remember this trip.

The rest of the afternoon the kids played and the adults sat around and talked. Rachael brought airplanes for all the kids to have. We enjoyed the fresh air for a little while and let the kids explore a little then rested around the house and played card games.

In the afternoon a bunch of us decided to go visit the old cabin and get some pictures. It was fun to walk the old streets we use to as a kid and remember all the fun times we had walking to the "candy store" which was actually just a gas station, and going to the pool, or even hitting a few golf balls at the club.

At the end of the night we had to get a little more zip line time in and we thought that Drew would like to give it a try. Not by himself, but with a little help from Steve. The night was beautiful and the sky looked majestic.

We packed up much of our stuff Sunday evening and when morning came we made sure everything was cleaned up and ready to go. We had a wonderful time with the family up in Munds Park. It would be nice to have a cabin up there again. Emily and Ryan always talk about getting one there and if they did I think I might try and use it a little when they're not. It was a great weekend and I hope we do it again in the future. The drive went pretty well, but we were glad to be home at the end of it. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Emily for putting together this reunion.

Flying to Washington D.C.

2011-07-14T07:23:00.000-06:00

At the end of June I was offered the opportunity to go to Norfolk,Virginia for a very short trip. I was a little hesitant because it was all the way on the other side of the country. I haven't flown since May of 2006 and the last time I was in a plane was September of 2006, but I ended up getting off and not going on my trip because of some anxiety issues. Needless to say I couldn't get myself to fly since then and Michelle has been very understanding (I had told her my issue while we were dating, I knew she loved traveling and I wanted to make sure she would take me as I am, and she did.). When this opportunity came I realized I couldn't pass it up just because I would have to fly so I decided to see a new family doctor (I had seen one before, but he was terrible, I don't know how some people got into med school.). She gave me some options for help and although I was still reluctant I thought I would give it a try.

We left the family Bear Lake trip on Wednesday after the celebration. Michelle was nice enough to fly with me so we left Drew in the care of her mother Carol. We got to the airport on Thursday morning and I took the pill my doctor had prescribed and I waited for something to happen. I felt a little different, but I didn't get knocked out or anything close. I wasn't sure if it was even going to work.

Luckily when it was time to board I had no problems. I felt a little tired and hungry, but that was about it. Since Norfolk only has a small airport it is a little more expensive and there are only two or three layover flights available from SLC. We decided to fly into the DC airport and then drive the 3 hours to Norfolk and then we would also return to DC to visit Michelle's old roommate Amanda as well as do some site seeing. The 5 hour flight to DC passed fairly quickly and we soon landed without any problems.

The drive to Norfolk wasn't that bad until we had to go under some tunnels and the traffic got pretty bad. It was a port city and the Naval base was in the area. We got in pretty late and went to bed as soon as we could. We enjoyed the 12 hours we spent in the area, but I soon finished my business in Norfolk and we headed back to DC for the evening. We hit traffic again on the way out, but I managed to use my phone's GPS to find some back roads that got us past all of that and to Amanda's place just in time for some homemade pizza. Her and her husband were nice enough to let us stay the night. We visited for quite a while and then we were all ready for a good nights sleep.

Saturday morning Michelle and I were ready to conquer DC. Michelle had been there at least once and I never had. Our goal was to go to as many places as possible since I knew we really wouldn't have time to really explore with the few hours we had before needing to get to the airport. Our first stop was to see the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and The Constitution of the United States. The line was long and it was pretty dark. We then made our way to the Museum of Natural History.

Michelle has always wanted to see a moose up close. This has been the best she has been able to do. I don't think she will count it, but it was worth a try.

We then hit up the National Museum of American History where we got to see the huge American flag. I started to take video with my phone and one of the workers had to stop me. It doesn't even have a light on it and I didn't see the sign so those are my excuses for breaking the rules. I would have included the video, but you can't even see anything. We then saw or went to the Washington Monument.

The White House was exactly what I expected, a white house. It would have been cool to be able to go inside, but i don't think they do that like they use to. I did enjoy seeing the snipers up on the roof top. I was going to get their attention, but I thought it best not to bring attention to myself.

We stopped for a quick bite to eat and to get some bottles of water as well as a frozen lemonade since it was getting hot. Since I just brought up the weather I wanted to say that we must have been lucky while we were visiting because I didn't feel humidity at all. The weather was actually quite nice for most of the trip and until now it hadn't been that hot. Anyway, after finishing eating we made our way to the Lincoln Memorial. It was pretty cool to see it in person.

A lot of things are under construction this year in the area so the views weren't as spectacular as they could have been, but I will take what I can get. I am sure they will have them all done by the time I make it back here again.

We then passed through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and past a new memorial they were making for Martin Luther King Jr.. We then hit up the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and Theodore Roosevelt's Memorial

One of our last stops was the Jefferson Memorial. Again there was a little construction going on so it wasn't picture perfect, but again I can't complain. The day was growing short and I wasn't sure if we would have time to see anything else on our way back to the car.

I really wanted to see the capital, but there just wasn't enough time to get there and walk around. We decided to do the next best thing and just drive by. I got Michelle to take a picture of me with the Capital building in the background while we were stopped at a light. It was the only option we had. Oh well, there is always next time.

Before we knew it we had to get back to the airport. We had packed as much into the day as I think we could, especially with a pregnant woman by my side, but she was a real trooper. The trip home was even better than the one going to DC because it was a little shorter and I had eaten before I got on the plane.

The trip was short, but it hopefully paved the way for many more in the future. Since Drew is turning two at the beginning of next year we might not have the opportunity to fly with the extra expenses.