there's no place like home

this was on the way to the redwoods. we are headed for another adventure.


i am home for about another 15 minutes. you can always reach me on my cell. i am headed for slc tonight to stay at scott and teresa's, then on to yuma sat. wednesday i go to san antonio for a couple of days, then dad and i are going to visit monterrey. les has wanted us to come down since they got married. then back to san antonio for a couple of days, then we come home on the 27th. email us at yahoo. i love all of your emails. i am even going to get to visit genny and spencer merrill in chandler, when grandma sees the game of a lifetime. i love all of you. xoxoxo mom/debby

can you believe it!

I AM GOING TO PHOENIX TO SEE THE ARIZONA CARDINALS AND THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. I KNOW IT IS ON A SUNDAY SO I HAVE ASKED GERALD TO SAY 2 HAIL MARY'S FOR ME. DEBBY WILL BE TAKING ME OVER AND SHE WILL BE IN CHURCH PRAYING FOR ME FOR BREAKING THE SABBATH. WE WILL BE SITTING IN THE SOUTH END, SO LOOK FOR ME. I WILL BE THE SEDATE GRANDMOTHER SITTING QUIETLY IN HER SEAT.
I LOVE ALL OF YOU AND I AM REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GOING. (CAN YOU TELL?)
GRAM

Finally...Naomi Sage

She's a big girl!

Her feet are huge!!
This is my midwife, Sara, she is awesome!!

Kind of looks like she has 2 shiners!!

Dad is checking out her feet :)

On our way home...

Naomi Sage was born Friday January 9, 2009 at 6:52 pm. She weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. The induction went fine, but in the past when I have been induced they have broken my water and started the pitocin at the same time. This time they started my pitocin and didn't break my water until my midwife came back on her lunch hour, at about 1:30. The pitocin on it's own didn't do much of anything except give me some mild contractions. Once my water was broken they got much stronger. I got my epidural at around 4:30 pm and she was born a few hours later!! The labor was totally fine, I pushed through 3 contractions and she was here. It was really cool because my midwife had me reach down right as she was coming out and let me lift her up and lay her on my chest. That was really cool. It kindof freaked me out, though, because she was really blue, the cord was wrapped around her neck. Luckily she wasn't in the birth canal long and she turned pink the minute she started crying. Her face looks a little beat up- it is hard being born!! When she was born her blood sugar was really low- it was 34 and they told me if they test her a second time and she is under 40 she would've had to go to the NICU. So they put a tube down her throat and gave her some sugar water. It only went up to 41, so they put a little tube in her mouth when she was nursing and gave her 1/2 and ounce of formula. It went up to 58 after that so she was good. She is such a good nurser, she latched right on and hasn't had any problems. My milk finally came in yesterday afternoon, so she is happy. She is a little jaundiced, like all my kids have been, but it isn't too bad, and is getting better now that she is getting milk. She sleeps a lot during the days, but last night she cried from about 10:30-2:30. I hope this is just temporary. She hasn't pooped since Saturday night, so I think her tummy is a little upset. But we shall see, we may have another Grace on our hands!! But she is such a sweet little baby. We love her so much, and the kids love her so much. Grace is such a little mommy to her. Whenever she is holding her and she starts to cry Grace says, "It's okay Naomi, your sissy has you". It is really sweet. Maggie is fascinated with her, she always screams "baby!" when she sees her and she is always trying to grab her. Elliot loves to hold her, but isn't as interested as the girls.

Anyway, mom and dad came on Thursday and have been such an amazing help (dad left on Sunday). Grace had a gingerbread house decorating party on Friday that they were supposed to have the Friday before Christmas break-when school was cancelled. Their dads were supposed to go to the party, so grandpa went with Grace. She was so excited, I'm sure their house was the best, knowing dad :) Mom is the best, she lets me sleep during the day and makes dinner for us every night. She even did all the laundry yesterday!! I'm dreading her leaving on Thursday!! That's when we have to go back to real life, whatever that is!

Also, today is Elliot's birthday-Happy Birthday Elliot!! We love you!! Grandma made a cake that Elliot and Grace decorated. We went to lunch at McDonalds and had pizza for dinner-not the most nutritious day of eating ever, but it's okay every once in a while!! We will have a party with his friends in a month or so, which may even involve a present from his parents! I'm glad he is young enough that he didn't realize the presents were missing :)

Where in the World is Naomi?

When do we get to see some pictures?!! You're killing us with the suspense!

Inauguration, anyone?

I’ve been told that I should tell everyone a thing or two about logistical nightmare that is the upcoming Inauguration, from a local point of view.  Am I going?  The jury is still out.  Here are some of the things I’ve heard…

First of all, let’s talk about traffic. Sometimes when I drive to school it takes me 45 minutes to go 12.5 miles, with sort of bad traffic and decent weather conditions in regular rush hour, with all bridges and roads open and the typical amount of people coming in and out of the District.  On a good day with optimal conditions it takes me a half hour. 

Now let’s fast-forward to January 20.  They’re closing ALL bridges going into DC from Virginia to all traffic except buses and public transportation.   Lots of taxi drivers aren’t even going to bother working that day, and I don’t blame ‘em.  They estimate that if you line up all the incoming tour buses end-to-end, they would be able to circle the Beltway, and then go on to Baltimore.  That’s 109 miles.  Where will they put all those?  The biggest parking lot in DC, the Nats Stadium, fits 6,000 buses.  They’re planning on 10,000.  

Okay, so what about the metro?  If you get to the metro by 6:00am, you probably won’t make it to the 12:00 Inauguration.  It’s suggested that you try 4:00 or 5:00.  Typically, metro cars hold 140 people, or 160 with relative discomfort.  For this day, they’ll probably be cramming in 300.  This is in the DC winter, where everyone will be bundled up and may have umbrellas and all the extras.  It brings images of Japanese trains to mind.  I hope no one is claustrophobic.  Can you imagine if someone passed out?  Would anyone even notice?  

There are estimated to be four million people coming.  The most we’ve ever fit onto the National Mall before is one million on July 4, 1976.  There was a six-hour gridlock when everyone left. And that’s in the summer, with no bad weather conditions! (Granted, at that time, the metro was about 4 months old.)  Now multiply the worst case by four, and put it in the dead of winter. What if there’s black ice all over the roads?  I’ve done a more “regular” July 4 when there were closer to 300,000 people.  They know what they’re doing to get everyone out – they implement an emergency exit traffic pattern that is really quite ingenious.  All roads turn into one-way roads that take you straight out of town.  Still takes awhile.

Speaking of the weather.  Remember, it’s January, and this takes place outside.  Average temperature for this day is 37° F at noon, but everyone will be standing around long before that time.  And after.  This is not dry Idaho temperature, it’s humid DC temperature, which feels like a lot less than 37°.  What if it snows?  Or, the more likely result in 37° weather, what if it sleets?  If you are watching from the ticket holder section, you can’t even bring an umbrella into the security area.  And by the way, the only restrooms are porta-potties (for four million people), and there are definitely no refreshment stands.  So bring your own food…just make sure it’s not in a backpack or big bag.  They’re not allowed.  Oh, and leave the kids at home if they can’t walk, because the stroller’s got to stay behind, too.

They’re bringing in police forces from DC, VA, MD, and PA for traffic and crowd control.  And you know the security’s got to be higher on this one than it has ever been before.  How is this all getting paid for?  They’ve appropriated $15 million for this thing.  Four years ago, with a crowd of 300,000, it was $17.5 million.  Huh.

A masochistic part of me wants to be there, just to see the mayhem.  If I've got nothing to do that day (and it's not raining) I think I might walk over...I mean, I live only 9 miles from the epicenter, and it is a pretty significant historical event.  Shouldn't I take advantage?

A trip down memory lane.

Hi everyone,

Becky wanted to see the recent picture of this, and suggested I post it on the blog. Anyway, here is how we used to be and how we are now. It is a blessing to have good friends.

Love,

Mom

A Unique Christmas Gift

So, on Christmas morning, I'm opening gifts, and I come to one from Dana and Jason that is small but feels kind of heavy. Tearing off the paper, I find a nice jewelry box, and I think, "what have those generous kids done for me now?"



Well, it seems that knowing how addicted I am to work, especially wood work, and having heard the stories of my childhood, they decided to give me a momento of both. As I open the jewelry box, expecting a watch or something, I find a buch of bent nails.




Accompanying the nails was a note, inscribed with the directive,
"Merry Christmas! Make your dad proud."
You may have heard the story of my youth that inspired this unique gift. Being Frank Frugal, a product of the depression, my dad would always scavenge used lumber for his building projects. We would pull the old nails out so he could cut the wood, and then he would assign me to straighten the nails -- hundreds and hundreds of them. You might think he gave me that job to teach me patience, or perseverance, or maybe just dexterity, but while it did have all those effects, I think they were only part of my dad's motive. Mainly, he wanted to reuse the nails. Like I said, he was Peter Provident - nothing went to waste. Actually, that fact made my menial efforts seem expedient -- It wasn't just busy work. There was a purpose, I was contributing. Remember that when teaching your kids - no busy work.

The fact that Jason had so many bent nails available from his remodel project indicates two things: 1. His aim is not very good; and 2. He's figured out the other lesson I learned from that childhood labor -- I swore I would never straighten nails nor fuss with used lumber again, because my time is worth more than that. That aside, I am still grateful for the other lessons learned, lessons I still apply, almost every day.

Actually, a little aside here, reclaimed lumber is all the rage these days, and is more expensive than new hardwood. You know, it gives the structure more... "character," more "ambiance." Hey, I wonder if we could convince people of the same value of straightened nails. With my valuable skill, we could get rich.

Anyway, if any of you think straightening nails would be easy, I invite you to give it a try. Here's a little technique instruction:

Bowed side up/hit the nail directly on the peak - continue until straight. Watch your fingers. For twisted nails, you're on your own.

PS: Jason, I'll have the straightened nails back to you this week, but you have to reuse them.

Just a few more photos

Alex really loved his gloves. He used them a lot shoveling snow. Thanks, Alex.

The photo of Grace, Elliot and Maggie was at Thanksgiving, at a thing here in Pocatello. We had an afternoon long camp fire at the cabin to burn lots of junk laying around. Grace and Elliot were troopers, helping for many hours. I showered for the first time ever before opening presents. It's possible when only adults are celebrating the day.

xoxo mom/debby

Happy New Year!!

Hi everyone,

Just a smattering of photos that indicate how things are here at home.

Some from the cabin, some from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the latest project. He is still working on the crib, but we have very little light in the kitchen right now. I wanted to put in a couple of New Year's thoughts. I really, really loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from the Relief Society Broadcast. Here are a couple of things he said about all of us:

"We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. Our birthright--and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth--is to seek and experience eternal happiness. " "...your spirit body is a masterpiece, created wtih a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination." "I believe that as you immerse yourselves in the work of our Father--as you create beauty and as you are compassionate to others--God will encircle you in the arms of His love. Discouragement, inadequacy, and weariness will give way to a life of meaning, grace and fulfillment." "As spirit daughters (and sons) of our Heavenly Father, happiness is your heritage."

What a message of hope and encouragement. I hope we will all work hard to make 2009 a year of creation, compassion, service and learning, and especially an increase of unity within our family. I love all of you so much and can't wait until our next visit. We will see all of you sometime this year. We feel especially blessed that Asher is feeling and sleeping better. I believe I speak for all of us when I say we have been praying for that to happen, and for you, Crystal to get some much needed rest as well. I hope you enjoy these photos.

xoxoxo mom/debby

My brothers new car seat

My brother got a new seat. it is very comfertable.  I love the box because I can fit in it.  My mom told matt to take it out side when i was in it and he could not pick it up. it was funnnnny.

I am putting my cat in it now.  

I want to keep the box forever.  It is more fun than a Wii. not really but it is fun.