The Harrild Happenstance

We're Still Here!!!

2011-05-08T21:58:00.002-06:00

We are still alive and well...unfortunately we don't get to the blogging world all that often (definitely something for me to improve on :) Anyway, since we posted last we have enjoyed 5 wonderful months with our newest bundle of joy, 'lil Miss N, as well as our two other wonderful children. Murray has finished another semester at the University of Utah and we are anxiously awaiting the results...his grades. I'm sure all will be well and our efforts during the last few months have paid off. We are in the process now of training for a 10k run, the Deseret Morning News 10k to be specific. Murray is doing the training with me but I think he is planning on staying along the sidelines with the kiddos on race day. He is definitely biggest cheerleader in my goal to eventually run a MARATHON!!! I am so grateful for the wonderful husband and father that he is! Murray and I are also training with Tricia, Murray's sister, and I hope that she will be able to get the day off work so that we can run together...running with someone will definitely make the run more fun and probably a lot easier. So anyway there is much happening in our house and I will make a greater effort to post more often. --Georgette

She's Here!!!

2010-12-23T19:38:00.003-07:00

Baby "N" Harrild joined our family on December 22, 2010 at 6:04pm. She weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. She is beautiful and we are so excited that she is here :)

Family Pictures 2010

2010-10-16T20:36:00.013-06:00

We FINALLY got some family pictures done for this year! We went to a fairly new studio in the area called Fotofly, they are awesome!!! I would highly recommend them to anyone living in the Salt Lake Valley or nearby vicinity. They give a CD with the images of the photo session along with full rights to reprint the images for your own private use all for an incredible price!!! I'm very happy with the pictures and they worked great with the kiddos! Anyway, on with the pictures (or a small sampling at least :-))

One of All of Us

Sweet Little Miss E...

Munchkin A...

One of Baby R...

And last but not least my Sweetheart and I...

Random Pics

2010-08-23T09:16:00.003-06:00

Just some random pics of the kiddos...Enjoy!

Baby Harrild #3 Is a....

2010-07-20T05:45:00.002-06:00

GIRL!!!

We are so excited!!!

Huh, What time is it anyway?

2010-07-05T23:20:00.003-06:00

It is quite late for me to be up writing this, but from a little bit of caffeine here I am. There have been a plethora of tantrums thrown by both kiddos, but there have been many guffaws and chortles and snorts and laughter. Munchkin A's latest laughing spree is caused by the video on YouTube of a panda bear cub sneezing and making the parent jump out of her furry black and white hide... Well, almost. If he hears it from the other side of the room, he starts to laugh and hustles and bustles over to the laptop to watch and screech in laughter. It never gets old...

Miss E.'s been into books and any chance you have, she's pushing a book into your hands and saying please, in the most adorable little girl way of saying please. Her growth rate is phenomenal and I think we might take her in for some radiation testing. She is just growing way too fast and we aren't sure how it's happening... One downside to her growing up is that she has to eat anything that we adults are eating, perhaps in the chance that she could be like Alice, in "Alice in Wonderland" and magically grow to adult size. If she spots you, she charges over to where you're at in a crawl that might break the record for the 100 meter dash and begins to say "bite please," while crawling up your leg!

A and E both saw the fireworks show here and were both so tired, we're not sure how much they enjoyed it. Where we were at also had an echo with each explosion and the larger booming ones made A a little nervous. Tonight, we did a few of our little fireworks for the wee ones. A wanted out to run around, but with him in his pajama's and recreational detonation of explosives, we thought it better to keep him confined to his captains chair in the double stroller. E had a blast with the sparkler she was given while in grandma's arms while A was unsure. You can toss him in the air and there are no worries, but give him something loud, or fast moving and he shy's away from it.

They both had a blast on their first trip together in the wild outdoors. E successfully scared every piece of dust and rock in a... well... 30 feet radius. She also learned how to grow a dirt goatee quite successfully. A found it quite fun to walk all over the place, around camp, around Bath Rock and even down to the outhouses there. There was also his matter of safety for the tents and tarps. We believe he was concerned about a gust of wind taking the tents clear to kingdom come or somewhere else. In an effort to alleviate this problem, he took handfuls of sand from the tent area and proceeded to add the weight of the sand to the tarps and tents. Such a little genius he is, and so thoughtful!

The summer has been quite blissful as well for me. It's been going along nice and slow to allow some rest and relaxation and time with the family. I enjoy this time and not stressing over school and assignments bla bla bla bla bla... Next semester, I will have to do much studying and preparation and beloved practice in a scuba diving class. That will be the toughest 1.5 credit hours yet! I was taking a compass and map reading class, but the field trip day was overwritten by Gette's sisters wedding. I must admit, I've been studying a little on my off time. I just can't seem to get enough of it, and to top it all off, it's College Algebra, the story problems! DUH DUH DUUUUHHHH!!!!!

Gette's being uncreative when it comes to her, so I will add a little ditty. While experiencing much fatigue from running through my mind all day, she's still hard at work cooking a little one to arrive sometime in December. She also survived the camping trip and was quite a trooper too! We did a little star gazing one night and took turns chasing after and walking with the kiddos. There is a little growth in her midsection which is good and we've heard the little heartbeat a few times. While it kinda freaks me out wondering what it would be like to carry a baby, she's started to feel something wiggling down there. Right now, she's entertaining herself by doing a French braid in her hair without a mirror! She's going wild and crazy!

And on that note, I think it's been a day! Tomorrow brings more work... *sigh*

Wha? Five Months! Time for a Quick Update!

2010-07-02T00:23:00.003-06:00

Uh...yeah, I can hardly believe that it's been nearly five months since we have updated this blog. Oops! Andrew is now two years old and Emmalee will be having her 1st birthday on the 27th of this month. I am truly in awe of how quickly the time has passed! We are now also expecting our third little blessing on December 30, 2010. Murray is home on Summer Vacation and we are taking full advantage of him having his evenings and most of the weekends off. We went up camping in the City of Rocks near Almo, Idaho a couple weekends ago and had a blast! This last weekend we went down to Manti and thanks to Grandma Whitehead, Murray and I were able to go and take in an Endowment session at the Manti Temple...AWESOME!!! We spent the day in Manti and attended the Mormon Miracle Pageant in the evening. We were throughly exhausted by the time we got back home at 3am on Sunday morning, but it was well worth it. We are gearing up for a fun filled Fourth of July weekend complete with Parades, Fireworks and a BBQ! Should be fun! Any way it's late and I should get some sleep as I have two very active munchkins to keep up with tomorrow...and I will do my best to keep this blog updated! :-)

Where Oh Where Has the Time Gone!?!

2010-01-28T00:11:00.002-07:00

Goodness...I can hardly believe that the month of January in almost gone! Guess it's time to take down the Christmas background :) Many things have happened in the last several weeks, Murray is back in school again and Andrew and Emmalee are growing like crazy! Andrew is now 20 months old and has been attending the nursery class on Sunday and he loves it! Whew! Miss Emmalee is now six months old (pictures to follow). I can hardly believe that she is halfway to her first birthday. Not much else happening here, just wanted to do a quick update and make an effort to be more diligent in the blogging arena. With two kiddos, though, we'll see :-)

Little Miss Emmalee

2009-12-19T19:43:00.003-07:00

I was just snapping some pictures of our adorable little girl and thought I would do an update post about her before I forgot...So here is the Star of the post...

2 Months Old

3 Months Old

4 Months Old

Nearly 5 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is almost 5 months old...seriously! Where has the time gone to? Her first year is going oh so much faster than Andrew's first year! She is now rolling from back to front and from front to back and is working on traveling across the floor in that manner. So much for the days of laying her on the floor in the middle of a blanket and having her stay right where she is put, oh well! We love our little sweetie and glad that she is in our home!

In Memory Of...

2009-11-21T11:53:00.008-07:00

The month of October was a very eventful one, on October 8th my grandmother Donna Watters passed away unexpectedly in her home. She was nearly 80 years old, she was finally able to rejoin my grandfather who passed in May 2003. She and Andrew shared the same birthday and she often joked about how Andrew was her birthday present. She will be deeply missed.

1930-2009

Only a couple weeks after the passing of my grandmother, my dear Uncle Lynn Patterson was involved in a tragic hit and run incident. He was hit by a young man driving on a suspended/revoked license and under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The man hit my Uncle in his attempt to flee the scene because he was scared. The result is that my Uncle suffered a devastating brain injury and died a week later in the hospital. He was such an amazing man and a friend to everyone who knew him. During the holiday season he attended various Christmas parties as the guest of honor, he was Santa Claus. He even visited my house last year. I had hoped that he would visit us again this year...

...but alas it was not to be as he was obviously needed elsewhere. A true giant among men now walks with angels. He will also be deeply missed!

1950-2009

She's 2 Months and He's 16 Months

2009-10-04T05:44:00.002-06:00

Well I can't seem to get my computer and my camera to talk to each other so this post is about a week or so late. Unfortunately, there are still no pictures but I am working on it! Emmalee is now 2 months old, I can hardly believe how fast she is growing! Andrew is now 16 1/2 months old and getting into all sorts of mischief. We decided to do Emmalee's 2 month appointment and Andrew's 15/16 month appointment at the same time, it sure made things easier! The results are in and their stats are as follows:

Emmalee at 2 months:
Weight- 11 lbs 3 oz (70%)
Height- 22 inches (50%)
Head Circumference- 15.4 inches (70%)

Andrew at 16 months:
Weight- 27 lbs 5 oz (80%)
Height- 32 inches (80%)
Head Circumference- 19.8 inches (98%)

So two pretty good sized kiddos! Emmalee is starting to smile a lot, it is SO CUTE! Andrew tries to console her when she cries we just need to teach him how to be a tad more gentle with her especially when he is giving her a pacifier--he is getting a lot better. These two kids are so much fun to have and to watch. Fun times ahead, I can tell already :-) Well, when I can get technology to work for me I will post some pics of the kiddos but that's all for now!

She's One Month Old Already!

2009-08-28T04:48:00.004-06:00

We can hardly believe that our little girl is already a month old as of yesterday. Andrew is now 15 months old and doing quite well adjusting to his baby sister his favorite thing to do is to try and give her a pacifier which she really doesn't want most of the time. Emmalee is quite alert and aware, she loves being snuggled and absolutely loves being carried around in the Moby wrap. She hates being in her car seat for ANY length of time and frequently serenades us with her displeasure during our outings in the car...good times, especially when Andrew feels like joining in the chorus! Life is good and hectic at the same time, but we love being the parents of two of the most adorable children ever!

Emmalee-One Month Old

Sweet Little Lady

Andrew 15 months old--hanging out in the bouncer
(no jealousy here! :))

Andrew practicing his GQ pose!

Cute Siblings!

What is this world coming to?

2009-08-17T22:29:00.003-06:00

I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable with the events of this world before. I look up anything on the internet and the vast majority is death, destruction, politics and all their happenings, and much, much more.

In some ways I already feel quite inadequate when it comes to certain things socially. I feel a bit behind because I don't understand some of the ways people treat each other. I am a firm believer that we can all get along just fine if we choose to.

I feel so at odds with much of what is happening around the world, and right here at home. I want less and less to do with anything and anyone at times. Just give me some physics or something to learn and I'll be just fine. At least what I learn is, for the most part, stable and there are no social games being played. Although some of it is a little more time consuming to understand how things work, i.e. quantum physics or something similar... I don't have to worry about misinterpreting something, leading it to some offense and alienating myself or my family from different social groups and people. I just have to worry about any experiments I try out and the immediate and long term effects based on predictions and experimental expectations.

Why does it have to be seem so chaotic? Where can I turn for peace, where is my solace?

Some Random Andrew Sillieness

2009-08-02T21:45:00.015-06:00

Where in the world did that little boy go?

2009-08-02T16:43:00.002-06:00

We just got back from Temple Square taking some family pictures and it was pretty hot outside. When we arrived home, I took Andrew inside and changed his diaper and clothes. Set him down in his room and he walked into the kitchen with me. I showed him his sippy cup after I'd rinsed it out and got the milk out of the fridge. He stuck out his hand like he wanted it and after I gave it to him, he took it into his room. I went and grabbed a few diapers for Emmalee and put those near her bed. I went back into Andrew's room to put him down for a nap and low and behold, he was sitting in the comfy chair in there with his cup and a book! Evidently, he knows the routine!

I am just so amazed at his intelligence and how smart he is! He is growing up so fast and he's so HUGE in comparison to Emmalee!

Two Years Ago Today...

2009-08-01T22:06:00.002-06:00

...Our Happily Ever After began!

The last two years have been both amazing and eventful, I am excited to see where this journey of life will take us next.
Happy Anniversary Murray!
I love you bunches and bunches!

She's here!!!!

2009-07-27T10:52:00.006-06:00

After a short night of sleep and about a half an hour of surgery, Emmalee came into this world at around 7:03am weighing 7lbs 14oz and 19 inches long. WELCOME EMMALEE! Both mommy and baby are doing well and recovering normally! Here are a couple pictures of her, enjoy!

Wow! Pretty lights!

2009-07-25T13:52:00.003-06:00

This was Andrew's first official fireworks viewing. He thoroughly enjoyed it except for the part where his mean parents wouldn't let him play with them too!

From a kids point of view

2009-07-17T21:42:00.003-06:00

Here is Andrew in action.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

2009-07-04T07:27:00.003-06:00

Well we have an new official "Due Date" for our little girl. It's July 27th! And the date is solid because our doctor felt, and we do to, that if she doesn't make her arrival by the above date that she most likely won't and will need assistance. So we have scheduled a C-Section for the morning of July 27th, it's kind of exciting to know that we know the latest that she can arrive. I have changed the ticker to reflect an accurate count of how many days are left...23 days!...YIKES!!! But I am definately ready to take a break from pregnancy. So families, there you go, our little girl will be here no later than July the 27th! YEAH!

Nostalgia

2009-06-07T12:48:00.002-06:00

I was sitting here in the living room today and watching Andrew play with the piggy bank toy that he received for his birthday from his Grandma and Grandpa Harrild. The thought occured to me that not long ago, he was barely able to pick something up, or even to crawl to it. Now he's up and almost walking on his own. Turning on the TV, stereo and anything else with buttons on them. He also was barely able to reach up to the top of our entertainment center we found. He sure is growing up too fast.

We now can see more and more of his personality coming out. It's quite funny feeding him sometimes. We try to give him something he likes, and it's immediatly spit out. This will occur once or twice followed by something he does like. When it is something he does like, he will almost spit it out and then suck it back in his little vacuum. It is quite hilarious!

He sure giggles and laughs and gets all excited when he's walking with his walker. Sometimes he's giggling and laughing so much that he stumbles and almost falls.

Happy First Birthday Little Man

2009-05-21T22:20:00.002-06:00

It is officially Andrew's first year of experiencing mortality according to our reckoning. What a quick trip it has been for his parents thus far. I remember the day he was born, and all the effort that went into his delivery. The first look he had was as if he was saying, "What in the world are you doing? I was warm and cozy in there! Now it's cold and I'm getting prodded and so cold!" Then there was when I talked to him for the first time when he was out of the womb. He immediately stopped crying and looked right at me. It seems that he recognized who I was and was very awesome to me.

There have also been many, many, many diaper changes. Many giggles of laughter, more recent than not. He especially giggles and laughs when I chase him across the apartment and pretend to eat his belly and blow raspberries on his neck.

What an amazing journey it has been thus far, I am constantly astounded at how far he has come in only one year. Already he is independent in many things but fortunately for his mother he is still somewhat dependent and always wants to know that we are nearby should he need us. I love his hugs and hope that he will always remember how much his parents love him!

We love you Andrew!!! Happy First Birthday!!!

P.S. Pictures will follow later as we are having a family party on Saturday, so stay tuned!

Miracles Do Happen!

2009-05-06T19:52:00.006-06:00

Well, this draws to a close, another joyful and easy going semester of 16 credit hours. I am so sorrowful that it is over, the hours studying for classes is now defunct. What tears of sadness now flood my bloodshot eyes as I ponder the hours I will spend doing other things than studying and doing schoolwork during the summer. Oh, woe is me. What am I to do now that I am undone!?

Meh, who am I kidding?!!?!?!?!? MWAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! It's OVER, OVER, OVER, OVER!!!!! All I am waiting for now is a grade from my Conservation Biology class.
Drum roll please!

Course Title Final Grade
Intro to Photography A
Computer Essentials P
Bowling I A
Religious Diversity-US B+
Trigonometry A
Elementary Physics A-

GPA
Current Term: 3.79
Cumulative: 3.69
Overall: 3.69
Overall credits earned: 43

I have no idea how I did so well, considering how little school work it seemed that I did. The only classes I remember much from is Physics, Photography and Trig. With bowling, I bowled two games with a 183 score in a row. The highest I've scored ever!

I owe a big thanks to Georgette for the last week. When I didn't care anymore, you gave me so much assistance in finishing my assignments. There is an even larger thanks that goes to my Father in Heaven and Lord and Savior, Jesus. Without all They have blessed my life with, and the abilities I have been given, I wouldn't have been able to complete this.

I also challenged the computer literacy class that is a required class. You have to pass it with an 80% or better. I received a 79.74%, but I guess they gave it to me!!!! I should now be ready to head up to the U with my letter of completion. Oh happy day, oh happy day!

Never again will I complete a 16 credit hour semester and work full time, unless the Lord Himself comes down and tells me to. My lesson has been learned and I know my limit for school, work and family.

This definitely calls for a root beer float in celebration!

Employees

2009-05-04T16:40:00.001-06:00

How to Properly Place NEW EMPLOYEES

1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.

2. Put your new hires in the room and close the door.

3. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours.

4. Then analyze the situation:

a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department.

b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.

c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering.

d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.

e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.

f. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.

g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology

h. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.

i. If they say they have tried different combination's, they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.

j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.

k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.

l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management.

100 Days (and counting)!

2009-04-26T09:35:00.002-06:00

Well the little baby ticker on the side says that we only have 100 days until our little baby girl, Emmalee, is due to join us! It's crazy to think that I am almost six months pregnant, time is sure flying. I am hoping that Emmalee does come just a tad bit early (but not too much, of course!). We are just excited to meet her! Yeah for the 100 day countdown!

11 Months Old!!!

2009-04-25T01:08:00.003-06:00

We can hardly believe it!!! Our baby boy is a mere four weeks from his first birthday--how does that happen?!! Since last month Andrew has overcome his dislike of grass and promptly crawls away anytime he gets a chance. He has recently discovered the local park and playground and LOVES going headfirst down any slide he can get close to (picture a diver going off a diving board =) No walking yet but he is getting very close, we have a feeling that Andrew might skip walking altogether and go straight to running! He loves to EAT especially fruit and lets us know when we are not shoveling it into his bottomless pit fast enough! He definitely keeps us on our toes--Happy 11 month day Andrew!

It is official!

2009-04-17T19:01:00.003-06:00

Today was a great day for me. I went to my orientation for the U and registered for classes. My sexy picture for my UID is also taken, and all I need now are my books and a parking pass and I'm ready to go. I think I will only need one book this year, so that's a serious plus! Calculus I, and it's far less than my Trig book for this semester and MUCH thicker. It will also work for Calc II! So surprising! I also found out about the financial aid and what a relief that was. My tentative schedule is as follows:

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:00AM
9:00AM
10:00AM					Programming C Laboratory 10:45AM - 11:35AM WEB 226
11:00AM					Programming C Laboratory 10:45AM - 11:35AM WEB 226
12:00PM
1:00PM	Programming C Lecture 1:25PM - 2:45PM WEB 1250		Programming C Lecture 1:25PM - 2:45PM WEB 1250
2:00PM	Programming C Lecture 1:25PM - 2:45PM WEB 1250	LEAP 1501 - 005 Seminar 2:00PM - 3:20PM WEB 110	Programming C Lecture 1:25PM - 2:45PM WEB 1250	LEAP 1501 - 005 Seminar 2:00PM - 3:20PM WEB 110
3:00PM		LEAP 1501 - 005 Seminar 2:00PM - 3:20PM WEB 110		LEAP 1501 - 005 Seminar 2:00PM - 3:20PM WEB 110
4:00PM
5:00PM
6:00PM		Calc. I Lecture 6:00PM - 8:00PM JFB B-1		Calc. I Lecture 6:00PM - 8:00PM JFB B-1

I also have two online classes scheduled. Middle Eastern Geography and a computer programming lab. The total credit hours are 14.5. I feel so much more relieved with this schedule than this semesters schedule. 16 credits is far too many for me to work full time and spend time with the family. All of this stuff has happened so fast and really stressed me out when I was reminded of the financial aid I might have had to complete.

Acceptance, check.
Financial aid, check.
Orientation, check.
Meet with counselor, check.
Register for classes, check!

The Worlds Most Adorable Son

2009-04-10T23:51:00.009-06:00

What? 10 Months Already?

2009-03-21T23:42:00.003-06:00

We must be absent minded or just plain unobservant. It seems that 10 months has just slipped by without much notice. One minute Andrew was screaming his lungs out as he was rudely removed from Georgette's abode. The next, he is crawling like it's nobody's business, teething like a mad foolio (5 teeth and another on the way), squawking like a real hawk dive bombing on their prey, and devouring food like the grocery stores will have empty shelves at the rate he consumes food. He sleeps through the night, and when he does, you hear his parents sing "Haliejluah". Andrew is also a master of turning on and off lights now with his stellar clap! With a little flapping of the arms, he can wave hello and goodbye. There is also an abundance of skin slapping as he has learned from his cool daddio how to give people 5. We enjoy having him and seeing his happy smiles. He laughs quite profusely when he is given raspberries on his stomach and neck.

Here's to you, Andrew!

Andrew showing a little displeasure at the feel of grass on his hands. One day he will enjoy it, much to his parents chagrin.

Showcasing his latest bruise as he rediscovers his distaste for green, green grass.

"No pictures please! I am not modest! And I haven't even done my hair! Oh, I'm so embarrased!"

"Not only do I squawk like a hawk, I have eyes like a hawk!"

"Look at me do a one handed pushup!"

Some photos I've taken recently.

2009-02-27T18:09:00.002-07:00

Here are some photo's I've taken for my photography class. I really like them and thought I'd share. I was working on lighting and different types. I hope you enjoy.

We've Moved!!!

2009-02-26T04:50:00.003-07:00

We have moved from our apartment in West Jordan to another in North Salt Lake. This puts us much closer to Murray's job as well as to the University of Utah where Murray will be attending school come August, PLUS it's much less expensive (always a good thing, right?). It will take a bit of getting used to but We are excited for the new adventure! Pictures possibly later--after everything is clean and put away! :)

A New Cool Video

2009-02-22T14:39:00.002-07:00

Andrew seems to enjoy this new video and also makes faces while watching it. It is very adorable!

Here are some of his faces while watching it!

Introducing...

2009-02-22T00:04:00.006-07:00

Our Little Girl!!!

Her name is Emmalee Elisabeth Harrild! We are so excited!!!

Nine Months Old!!!

2009-02-21T23:12:00.003-07:00

Our little angel is nine months old today--I know I say it every month but I just can't believe how quickly he is growing. Andrew's newest trick is waving "bye-bye" to people. He is full of smiles and hands them out freely to friend and stranger alike. He is also cutting three teeth on the top all at the same time, needless to say he is in a bit of pain but I guess that also means that his teeth are coming in quickly instead of one at a time which will somewhat shorten his discomfort (hopefully!) Anyway on to the cute pictures of our amazing little man!

The Most Important Unanswered Question To Date

2009-02-17T21:20:00.003-07:00

Work went well for me today. There wasn't much excitement. Joe and I were on the Falcon lift doing the mirrors at the very top above the fountain in the Conference Center. We were unable to finish them because a contractor needed the lift to put up a few speakers. We could have finished it, but we were told it was going to be used at 7am. We moved it and around 9:30 they finally showed up. *much grumbling*

The best part of my day though was seeing Georgette and Andrew at lunch. It's become a tradition for them to come downtown to visit on Tuesdays for lunch. We had our usual hangabur's and "freedom fries". After work, we took Joe to school and went to our apartment to pick up a coupon for a free "peek at the goods" check at the hospital where we go for Georgette's baby checkups. Then a short trip to the hospital to use the coupon and a quick trip to Pixels to pick up some photos for my photography class.

We ran to a credit union and Andrew was starting to fuss and complain about his short incarceration in his car seat. Evidently, he complained that he never had a lawyer to represent him and thought it unconstitutional. I dropped them off at our soon to be former apartment and I went to my Religious Diversity and Photography class.

I missed Physics due to a small, minor, peanut checkup, but my teacher said it was ok and to remind him when I hand in my hand-in assignment on Thursday. Now I am getting ready to take a Trig test while Andrew is asleep and Georgette is hard at work on our second baby.

Where do the days go?

2009-02-15T14:10:00.014-07:00

Lately, Georgette and I have been wondering where all the time has gone. Each day, Andrew seems to be getting bigger and bigger and more developed.
He is learning so much now too. He's not quite walking yet, or talking, but he can open and close doors that are not closed completely. He loves to eat while we are eating at the table. We set him up with his Bumbo and the attachment to make it into a high chair and give him his food. He makes quite the mess most of the time with a little bit of food making it into his mouth.
I don't know how he grows so fast, there must be some miracle grow in his mattress or something and he absorbs it while he's sleeping. We think he's teething again because he keeps waking up during the night crying and all he wants is to be held.
This next Tuesday, we will find out what kind of baby we are having now. We are hoping for a human baby this time. Andrew seems to be from the primate variety with a tinge of beaver. Just kidding, Georgette is hoping for a girl and I am wanting a boy, mainly because a girl eventually turns 16 and starts to date. Then they have to go off and get married. Plus, it seems that boys are much easier to deal with in comparison. This comes from my, uh, plethora of experience with children...
I've been trying to teach Andrew to give me 5. I'll hold out my hand and take his hand and slap mine saying, "gimme 5, gimme 5, Yea, Yea, gimme 5!" Andrew laughs at it and seems to enjoy it, hopefully he will be as cool as his daddy someday...

Here are a few pictures that stood out to me while I was reflecting on Andrew's life thus far. Enjoy!

Look at this cupcake!

2009-02-09T20:43:00.008-07:00

We had a small party for Don on Wednesday last week. It was a good birthday party and Andrew had a chance to indulge in some chocolate cupcake bliss. These are the results.

Andrew's Favorite YouTube Video

2009-01-28T14:30:00.002-07:00

Murray introduced Andrew to this video a couple months ago and he LOVES it!!! He smiles really big everytime it starts playing. Enjoy!

Eight Months and Twelve Weeks!

2009-01-21T21:03:00.004-07:00

Andrew is eight months old today! I can hardly believe how fast this kid is growing. He now has two teeth on the bottom--he cut them both at the same time, I'm not sure if it's "poor kid" or "poor parents" probably both because the little guy was sooooo miserable for close to a week! Andrew is quite proficient at crawling and also enjoys pulling up on any thing that stands still or moves slower than he does--i.e. the dog while relaxing on the floor :) He is already cruising along the furniture and so desperately wants to walk. He follows mom everywhere she goes in the house, unless there is a block or the door gets shut-- then he just cries, sad! No distinguishable words yet, but there is a lot of babbling and screeching (oh my poor eardrums!). Andrew loves his bath and will crawl to the bathroom when he hears the water filling the tub. Also, we had his well child check early because he need to have a flu booster. So at 7 1/2 months old Andrew weighed in at 20 lbs 11 oz (80%) 28 inches long (80%) and head circumference 18.5 inches (98%) so he is quite big for his age. He is such a sweet little boy and we love having him. Happy eight month birthday Andrew!

As for the 12 weeks--well that's how old our newest addition is, yup we are nearing the end of the first trimester and are well on our way to meeting this little person who is arriving later this year! I am not too fond of "belly shots" but I did them with Andrew and I feel that my children might one day actually enjoy looking at them so for the record here is what my belly looks like at 12 weeks. All I can say is I am definitely showing a lot faster now even though I have actually lost weight since we found out that we were expecting again. Here we go...

Yay! and Yikes!

2009-01-17T04:00:00.002-07:00

I just looked up my current registration status for the U of U and it turns out that I am accepted! I will be going this fall and it is very exciting, but at the same time, it's a big school and they are the national football champs. I wonder what I am trying to get myself into now... Then I think about having one job to pay the bills for a family and the opportunity to be at home more frequently, and I feel good about it. Not to mention, a job that I will enjoy and look forward to go to. I guess I need to get some red and white face paint.

Feeling Blue

2009-01-13T04:45:00.002-07:00

Murray starts back to school this week, which means he is gone much more often :( I'm already missing him and it's only the second day into the semester! What's worse? It's the morning of his first day of on campus classes. By that I mean that we decided he would take a couple of online classes so that he could be home the evenings I work my job so that he could spend time with Andrew. Anyway, he left at just after four this morning and I most likely won't see him until somewhere between eight and nine tonight. But like I said the good news is that he only does that two days a week this semester rather than four!!! Yahoooooo! I have the most amazing husband in the universe and I am grateful for the sacrifices he makes to provide for our little family and I know that his time in school is only temporary and 'this too shall pass' but I still miss him. How many more days until the summer break??? :)

BUSTED!

2009-01-12T22:31:00.002-07:00

There is evidence that Andrew was up in his crib in the afternoon having a milk party. He seems to have a hard time holding his lactose though, as you can see.

I gave him a bottle and put him down because he was being far too squirmy. For those people out there who are parents, this is such a blissful sight!

Why is time not a great constant?

2009-01-11T19:03:00.003-07:00

I have no idea where the last two years have gone. It was about this time a few years ago that I was just about ready to give up on finding a companion to spend the rest of eternity with. I was working at Rocky Mountain Bolt and Stud, living with Tricia while she was going to UCMT and always studying. The warehouse was bitterly cold, especially with the metal and heat not working.

I was thinking about going back to school, but felt a little disheartened at how to go about it, being almost 30. I felt a huge lack in confidence in myself to actually complete school. The last time I went to college, I dropped out the first semester at finals week. I just stopped going. My grades were A's and B's, so I don't know why I stopped other than feeling like I didn't belong.

The feeling and route I had was one of an unhappy life doing what I really didn't want to do. Then a certain woman came into my life and interrupted my plans. I am married now, with a seven month old son, and another one on the way. I am back in school with two semesters behind me with a 3.65 cumulative GPA and working for the LDS church cleaning windows and exterior parts of buildings.

I sit back at the beginning of this next semester and dread having to leave Georgette and Andrew to work and go to school. School does provide a chance to have one job to provide for my family and spend more time with them. Vacations and other joys of life would also be great, and a better job may provide that. There is the fact too, that I can have a job I enjoy and wake up excited to go.

Looking back at the last two semesters, I wonder how I ever did it. I don't feel like it is real at times. The reason I was able to make it, was some strength and aid from my Elder Brother, and Father in Heaven. I couldn't do it at all without Their hand. It comes in many forms, like Georgette, who brings me back to why I am doing all this while I'm so stressed out. Andrew, part of the reason I am doing this. I want to live a comfortable(relatively speaking) with my family.

I am really glad to know that my father is going back to church as well. I honestly had no idea if I would ever see this happening and I felt really sad. That is not the case, and now I have an opportunity to go to the temple with almost all my family now. Ever since I went through the temple in 2006, my desire was to have my dad go to the temple with me. There are also many wonderful spiritual experiences that have happened as well. Many of them have come through giving blessings to those who ask.

Anywho, I feel like I'm rambling now. I am grateful for all I have. I can't wait till I can actually rest and enjoy learning to learn, the company of other people, and rest from the results of having a physical body.

-167-

2009-01-05T19:29:00.004-07:00

167 what, you ask?

Well...that is speed at which our baby's heart is beating (the bun in the oven, that is!). We went for our first appointment and met our new baby for the first time--we even got to hear the heartbeat, which is pretty cool for a first visit! We are 9 weeks and 6 days pregnant and are due to welcome our new bundle of joy on August 4, 2009! Here's the official star of the show--

We are VERY excited and wanted to share this wonderful news with all of you!

It's Almost Midnight--Final Words in 2008

2008-12-31T23:47:00.004-07:00

My last words for the year 2008 are:

THANK YOU!!!

I feel that these two words encompass the way I feel as this year draws to a close! I am in deep gratitude for all the blessings in my life--a wonderful husband, an adorable son, family who loves me unconditionally and all the other people I meet everyday that make life fun and interesting. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Have a Happy 2009 and I will see you next year! :)

Who? Wha? When?

2008-12-31T21:14:00.005-07:00

After some serious blog slacking, I have decided to make one post before the New Year.

I thought I would do a little reflecting on what this last year has brought. It started off with a semester at Salt Lake Community College. After the semester was over, a little baby boy came into Georgette's and my life. I've been working for the church now for a little over a year. It has been good, but a little overwhelming sometimes. Then a couple months after transitioning with Andrew, I went back to school again.

Some continuous things that have been going on is a real lesson in communication and learning different ways other people communicate. Mainly I'm talking about marriage. Patience is another wonderful lesson that I've been learning this year. Andrew had a really hard time for a while and all he would do is cry it seemed, unless he was asleep. It turned out to be acid reflux and we gave him some antacid medication for it. I felt so horrible as a parent because all he would do is cry all the time. It seemed so helpless and frustrating. With no communication of what was going on, we had to figure out what was causing the problem. When we did, and the relief came, OH WHAT A JOY THAT WAS! We really weren't bad parents!

This next year may prove to be even more challenging. With another baby on the way and Andrew crawling now, and army crawling at near the speed of light. I will be taking two online classes this semester. Trig and Conservative Biology.

And here I sit, falling asleep because of exhaustion. There is a cold kicking my tail end right now. It's 9:48pm and I feel really old going to bed this early. Yikes, I just nodded off again with some yellow haze 2009 sunglasses. Hmmm a song comes to mind about wearing some sunglasses after the sun goes down.

Anywho, Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Harrild Family Pictures

2008-12-26T04:35:00.004-07:00

I love these pictures...

Seven Months Old!!!

2008-12-21T15:30:00.003-07:00

This kid is growing so fast it's crazy. I can't believe another month has come and gone, but sure enough Andrew is seven months old. He has become quite mobile and is into what seems like EVERYTHING!!! I know, I know...I can hear all you mothers out there saying "just wait until he starts walking" I"m sure there are things left for him to explore once he reaches the 'walking/running' stage. Well here are some shots of our handsome little boy:

Happy Baby!!!

Stocking Stuffer???

Merry Christmas to All!!!

Happy Seven Month Birthday Andrew--We love you!

And the results are in!

2008-12-16T18:53:00.002-07:00

After much deliberation and time spent stressing far too much. (Paying for an education adds stress I never thought I'd experience with grades.) The latest results in the tally for my college education are in! *drum roll*

A Elect. & Modern Living (ID)

A ENGL 2010 Intermediate Writing (EN)

B MATH 1050 College Algebra (QL)

P MATH 1055 College Algebra Workshop

A SOC 1010 Intro to Sociology (SS)

Semester GPA: 3.69 Current GPA: 3.65

Coming to a college campus near you next semester:
Trig, Intro to Conservative Biology, Intro to Photography, Elementary Physics, US Religious Diversity, and last but not least, BOWLING!!!!

Elf-ed

2008-12-09T05:09:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A Special Announcement!!!

2008-12-07T21:28:00.006-07:00

I found this onesie on the internet the other day while I was surfing around and thought it would be really cute to buy for Andrew:

Because on Thanksgiving morning I took one of these:

And, as you can see, we will be having another one of these:

Sometime around the end of July or beginning of August of next year! And we are excited that by this time next year this:

Will be a little bit bigger!

Yes folks, that's right!!! We are expecting baby #2 at the end of next summer! Yahoo! We are very excited to see our little family grow! We have our first doctor appointment next month and will have an official due date at that time, until then it's just a guess!

Six Month Stats!!!

2008-11-24T22:15:00.003-07:00

Andrew went to the doctor today for his six month check up and his six month stats were as follows:

Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (60%)
Length: 27 inches (80%)
Head Circumference: 17.5 inches (80%)

I think the doctor was quite surprised by his huge weight gain, at four months he weighed 12 lbs 10 oz (10%) he has come a long way from that--he's shaping up to be a rather large kid!!!

One Lucky Fellow

2008-11-23T22:50:00.002-07:00

I have been quite busy as of late. I am almost finished with another semester of school and wondering where all the time has gone. I guess that must mean I've been having quite a bit of fun.... *COUGH* Well there is some fun I've had recently.

I have spent a little more time with my family as of late and remember how much I love them. I love to see my beautiful smiling wife's face and to hear her laugh. I enjoy holding Andrew and pretending to eat his belly causing a fit of laughter. It was really nice to hold him while he took a nap while watching "The Forgotten Carols". I sat there and wondered how it all happened that put me there with him in my arms. I wondered if that was really real. I thought back to my childhood and all I experienced. I sometimes don't feel like I've grown up. I still feel like I'm a little kid in a large world. I've learned more than I knew when I was a child, but in some ways, I don't feel like I've grown up.

I am grateful to say that work and school will only last for a finite amount of time. I only have a little bit left to go.(At least that's what I tell myself to look at my goal as a short term thing) I sometimes wonder if we American's are so concerned about going and going and going that we lose something in the hustle and bustle. I feel a little more productive when I am working and going to school, but I also am not nearly as happy as I have been the past few days.

Georgette and I went to the temple for an endowment session and it's been some time since we've been. It really was good to go again and there really is an amazing peace that you can feel nowhere else. The closest is at home.

I am so amazed at how fast Andrew is growing up. He's now over 16 pounds and putting on rolls like there's no tomorrow. He is developing so fast. The other day, Georgette saw him on all fours. In his bed, hanging out and working on his crawl. He's starting to get the Army crawl down and can maneuver across the floor to get to an object in his fancy. I don't doubt he will be crawling on his own within a month. Then walking, and running. I think I need to invest in a way to keep him from running off, especially if he's anything like his father...

I would like to also thank my wife Georgette, for all her love and support. I don't know where I'd be without you. I hope and pray that I will be able to return and be able to hold my head up when I give an accounting of my life with you. That I have been the husband you deserve.

Six Months Old!!!

2008-11-21T20:30:00.004-07:00

We can hardly believe that our "little" baby boy is six months old!!! It's crazy that we have been parents for half a year, time is flying so fast! Andrew's six month check up is on Monday so we will post his stats later. It's amazing how fast he is growing and developing-currently he is working on sitting independently (he tips over when he loses concentration or sees something he wants), just a couple of days ago when I left him in his crib for just a couple minutes I came back to find him on all fours (crawling position) and he's been doing that a lot! I fear that we don't have much time before our little munchkin is mobile-YIKES!!! Anyway, here are some pics of our adorable little angel on his six month birthday!

Andrew and Daddy

Looking Smart, don't you think???

Practicing his crawling moves

Just a cute, chubby, happy baby!!!

HAPPY SIX MONTH BIRTHDAY ANDREW--WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Birthday Murray!!!

2008-11-14T09:09:00.006-07:00

Today is my most wonderful husband's birthday! I am truly blessed to be married to such an amazing man. He is...

...still as absolutely adorable as he is in this picture!

...a phenomenal husband and my best friend!

...an amazing father!!!

...and if that isn't enough he is also loving, compassionate, forgiving, spontaneous, fun, creative, spiritual, intelligent, and just all around INCREDIBLE! Who could ask for anything more than that? I am blessed to have him in my life and he blesses his family on a daily basis!

We Love You Murray!!!
Happy Birthday!!!

Halloween Pictures--Better Late than Never!!!

2008-11-05T00:00:00.006-07:00

As promised in my previous post--here are some Halloween pictures (with minimal explanation). ENJOY!!!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T05:18:00.006-06:00

Well, to me today is unofficially the last day of the year as it seems that from today through New Year's day is nothing but a blur! In less than four weeks it will be Thanksgiving, which of course will be followed by the beloved shopping day known as BLACK FRIDAY at which point all reason flies out the window and chaos ensues until Christmas Day, after which pretty much everything is returned to the store from which it was purchased. One short week after that, there is yet another party, one that goes until midnight (or maybe a little later) and before anyone realizes what has happened, a new year is upon us! Whew! Now please don't misunderstand me, I LOVE the Christmas season! I love the smells, the music, the food, the wonderful opportunity to spend lots of time with family and friends, and most of all I love to remember the reason for the season- that my beloved Brother, Savior, and Friend was born on this Earth to glorify God the Father and to teach me what true unconditional love and mercy are all about. There is something truly magical about a season where a larger percent of people take the time to think about what they are thankful for and spend a lot of extra time and energy giving to others, sometimes I wish the season lasted longer for these reasons only--definitely not for the frenzied shoppers syndrome! So with that I look to the upcoming season with anticipation but for today I will enjoy carving pumpkins, making Halloween cookies (thanks for the recipe Amy!), dressing my cute son in a costume and enjoy watching other children in their costumes as well. Ah...life is good! I will be posting some Halloween pictures soon here after--probably some time later this evening, enjoy!

More nostalgia!

2008-10-28T23:15:00.002-06:00

I used to love watching this cartoon and listening to the music. It scared the carapace out of me!

Weekend Travels and Five Months Old (and another year older too!)

2008-10-22T10:16:00.010-06:00

Well the title pretty much says it all! We got the awesome opportunity to go to Boise to visit Murray's sister Kirsten and her little family--it was so much fun! Also, Andrew is officially 5 months old and is growing like a weed. I can hardly believe that another month has come and gone! As for the "another year older" (or younger as the case may be :-) ) That would be me, I had a birthday yesterday. To celebrate Murray and I went and saw "The Ark" at the Grand Theater, it was different that I thought it would be but well worth it nonetheless. I have lots of pictures of our weekend and such, so here they are:

Peaches, Peaches Everywhere!

2008-10-13T04:40:00.004-06:00

About a week ago Murray and I learned how to make peach jam from start to finish. Murray's mom came down from Idaho and taught us, or mostly me, how to can my own jam- here's the picture proof:

The peaches after they had been skinned
Murray stealing some peaches???
Mashing the peaches
Stirring the pot of soon to be jam.
Pouring the hot jam into the bottles
Ta-da!!! All done!

Picture Tag!!!

2008-10-13T04:28:00.005-06:00

My friend Liz (former mission companion) tagged me in a game of picture tag. The rules were to take my sixth picture folder and post the sixth picture in that folder. So here it is:

Burrr!!!! A picture taken last December 1st showing all the beautiful (cough, cough!) snow that fell overnight one evening. Unfortunately with the recent weekend snowstorms, things might look like that again really soon! :-(

I tag anyone who reads this post and would like to play along!

Random Sampler

2008-10-07T05:23:00.004-06:00

Here are some cute pics of our adorable little boy, Andrew (as well as some other people). No particular reason or occasion, just him in everyday life and happenings since our last post.

Andrew really enjoys a good bath as well as the quality time that he gets to spend with his daddy while taking it.

Daddy and Andrew taking a nap together

Andrew with his Grandpa Whitehead

Smiling for daddy again while getting ready to go out! (this one is unusual because he generally HATES being put in his carseat!)

Mmmmmm! Andrew has really taken to the taste of rice cereal mixed with anything but water! He likes to both eat and wear it as you can see :-)

Ice Cream Face

2008-09-30T04:45:00.003-06:00

So, Murray and I have recently discovered that our son is a fiend of ice cream. A trait which obviously comes from his daddy's side, as mom can only eat it in small quantities. How have we discovered this? Murray and I went down to the local Macey's (our local grocery store) where they sell ice cream cones for a ridiculously low price. I get my usual small cone while Murray gets his usual "Kong" size cone. I am holding Andrew and decide to see how he likes the taste by giving him a very small sample and the next thing I know he has wrapped his hands (yes, both of them) around my ice cream cone and shoves the whole thing into his little face.

Quite nice wouldn't you agree??? However, he managed to mangle my cone beyond use or edibility and it was promptly thrown away. Upon seeing this Andrew threw what seemed like his first public tantrum because he was denied that which he wanted. I'm sure that won't be the last time that will happen!!! (sigh!)

Four months old!!!

2008-09-21T20:18:00.007-06:00

Andrew is officially four months old (well, a little older as we are a bit late getting this post up!) The official stats are as follows:

Weight-12 lbs 10 oz (10%)
Length-25 in (75%)
Head Circumference-17 in (85%)

Still long and skinny but it might be getting close to time to do something about his weight (getting him to gain more of it, that is). Andrew really is a good baby unless it's time to either eat or sleep! He has started eating rice cereal and seems to like it alright, we usually mix it with some baby apple juice to give it some flavor. He is growing so fast we can hardly believe it, but more importantly he is growing healthy!

Here he is watching Grandma Whitehead while Dad is snapping pictures before church. This kid doesn't miss a thing!!! (That could certainly spell trouble later on!)

Oh the joys of learning a language!

2008-09-17T21:22:00.004-06:00

So.... just a forewarning for those non-math lovers out there. If you are reading this, you can consider this post ending here. The rest of this is about the wonders of math 1050 or College Algebra.

My math teacher is a really interesting cat. He has a wave for a hair do and it is always in the same spot each day. I don't think he ever washes it. He might, but he just puts on a special cap to keep it in place.

He is very good at math and really seems to have a passion about it, but I think he is truly in love with calculus. It is all he talks about. I wonder, once in a while, if he has a poster of all the calculus formula's up in his room, right next to some of the mathematicians who extended the realm of math into calculus. If he has pajamas with anything math on them. Ok... so I am a little overboard on my imagination. It really comes from the fact that I feel like I don't know what I am doing in math now. I have a hard time understanding what concepts he's trying to teach and all it seems I hear is about calculus and later on when you get into calculus...

We recently finished with quadratic formula's and the lovely and beautifully sensuous(?) quadratic formula...

ax^2+bx+c (for those of you who are wondering, ^2 is x squared or x to the power of 2)
I wanted to use Microsoft Word but it won't copy and paste like I want to...

There are other different flavors of this formula that are just too much fun for one person to handle.

a(x-h)^2+k

Quadratic

To make a long story short, I don't see an end to this use of the mathematics for quite sometime. I even had a dream about it last night. Sheesh! I guess it's a good time to eat, sleep, breathe mathematics. There are so many rules and letters and concepts in math that just learning it is a little overwhelming.

And on a side note... I found a really cool site with information on Astronomy.
Astronomy Cast. It has a podcast that I've been listening to for the past week or two at work. It is very informative and not in an overwhelming scientific jargan way.

Thank you servicemen! 9/11

2008-09-13T17:28:00.004-06:00

I don't quite know how to say it, but I would like to thank all those servicemen that give of their time and self to the defense of this country. I dislike thinking about the events that happened on 9-11-01. I remember sitting in my living room playing Sojourn on the computer. It was early in the morning and someone asked me if I had heard what was going on in the news. I said no, and turned it on immediately. It was about a minute before I saw the second plane crash into the Twin Towers. I don't have words to describe what I felt at that moment. Part of me wanted to vomit and another part wanted to scream out in rage at the loss of so many lives. I sat and watched and realized that soon those towers were going to fall. To make a long story short, it was an unfortunate day and I hope that we will never see another like it.

That being said, there were many men and women sent over to Afghanistan and later to Iraq to defend the freedoms and lives and liberties of this nation. I understand we are not a perfect nation and we have our problems. I do believe though, that when in righteousness, this nation is a country guided and directed by the hand of God. I may not agree with everything that is implemented by this government. I may not like how politicians work or what they say, but the fact that I can say what I think about someone says a lot for the freedoms here.

With a new family and the opportunity to go to school and increase my knowledge and education, I am grateful to live here in this day, and in this country in a wonderful family. I can go down to the grocery store and pick and choose what I want to eat for dinner, for a snack, for lunch, for whatever I have a hankering for.

I remember when Andrew came home. I was driving the car and felt like I wanted a presidential escort to clear the roads from all the crazy drivers that drive here in Utah. I wanted to protect him from any physical harm, and eventually protect him from some of the other dangers that are here in this world. Not by sheltering him, but from teaching him truth.

I am grateful for the men and women who have given of themselves to defend what I have today. For the picture below. It's of a father with two little girls at a field north of the Southtown Mall in Sandy. It was really quite a special thing. There were a ton of flags placed in rows upon rows in commemoration of 9/11. A father had his two girls running and playing and being little girls without much of a care in the world except for what food they detest, going to bed at a certain time and whether or not their parents spend time with them. You can see the girl on the right with a smile on her face as she runs laughing and not having a care in the world. I barely remember having such innocence and long for a day when there will be no innocence shattered.

I am grateful for the opportunity I have to go camping with my wife and son, and future children at some point.
I would also like to say thank you to my elder brother. Without Him, none of this would be possible at all. I would not have this family, I would not be able to live with them in the eternities.

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (1 Nephi 21:16)
For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent (D&C 19:16)
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa. 1:18)

I am grateful for His atoning sacrifice to make it possible for me to receive eternal happiness and joy forever. I am grateful for the peace that the companionship of the Holy Ghost brings. What a marvelous gift that is to me.

Adorable moments

2008-09-07T17:22:00.004-06:00

Some more recent moments that I have really enjoyed with Andrew. He loves to smile more and more each day.

I love putting him on the bed and bouncing him with my hands. It makes him laugh mucho!
I love just babbling nothing but baby talk to him.
I love talking to him and getting smiles.
He likes it when I lay down on my back and hold him up so he's standing and pretending that he is Godzilla or some large creature and make the appropriate noises that go along with it.
The best though is when he laughs and it almost sounds like a hiccup.

I feel like such a smile prostitute sometimes. I almost want to do anything to get him to laugh and smile.

The one thing that is really endearing to me is when he's tired and fussy. I take him and wrap him up and hold him in a rocking chair we found until he falls asleep. I don't quite get what it is that I enjoy, but it's great to watch him go through his falling asleep rigmarole. Andrew will fight and wiggle and squirm for a little while. "No! I'm not sleepy! I must stay awake! There is so much going on! I can't miss out on one precious moment!" Then his eyelids will slowly droop down for about a minute, then the squirm and fuss followed by a little bit longer on the rolling of the eyes and droop of the eyelids. I find it fairly humorous in his determination to stay awake, only to end up falling asleep in about 5 to 10 minutes.

Here is Andrew with his computer he's using for hacking. He mumbled something about taking over the world. We thought it was adorable and so we took some pictures.

Here is where he's mumbling something about getting Austin Powers, whoever that is.... Then he asked us if we'd seen Mr. Bigglesworth around somewhere. This kid sure has some imagination!

Show me love! Yes, that's it!

2008-08-31T13:09:00.009-06:00

Andrew is growing up so fast. He's now fascinated with his toes and hands and anything else that makes noise. A wonderful game he likes to play is how much I can chomp on his hands. Georgette and I wonder if he's starting to teeth. I let him chomp on my hand once and that kid sure has some jaw strength!

Another thing Andrew seems to love is when you set him down on the bed and push down in rapid succession on the bed springing him up a little bit. It sure elicits some wonderful smiles and a couple baby giggles. The best thing is his smiles. They come more often and are more adorable! It really is a great blessing to have such a wonderful child to remind us of the simple things in life.

Here are some pictures o' Andrew.

Everybody Loves a Good Laugh

2008-08-25T22:36:00.002-06:00

A horse walks into a bar and sits down and orders a drink. The bartender looks at the horse and says, "Why the long face?"

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch
the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot.
7) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
8) Puppies still have bad breath, even after eating a tic-tac.
9) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
10) School lunches stick to the wall.
11) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
12) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
13) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Insanity is my only means of relaxation.
3) You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoes and
wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking
chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) Perhaps you know why women over fifty don't have babies: They
would put them down somewhere and forget where they left them.
6) One of life's mysteries is how a two pound box of candy can make a
person gain five pounds.
7) I finally got my head together, and my body fell apart.
8) There cannot be a crisis this week; my schedule is already full.
9) Time may be a great healer, but it's also a lousy beautician.
10) The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then
your body and your fat are really good friends.
11) Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
12) Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.
13) Freedom of the press means no-iron clothes.
14) Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they
can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.

THE TWO MAJOR FOOD GROUPS:

A) Anything you can put cheese on.
B) Everything else you can put chocolate on.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Clause.
2) You don't believe in Santa Clause.
3) You are Santa Clause.
4) You look like Santa Clause.

Three Months Old!!!

2008-08-21T11:38:00.003-06:00

Our little man is three months old today!!! It's hard to believe its been that long and he is growing so fast! It's awesome to see all the new things he is doing everyday.

Isn't he adorable???

Back to School!!!

2008-08-20T04:34:00.005-06:00

Yes, that's right, the time has quite speedily (much too speedily, in fact) returned for Murray to return to the beautiful campus of Salt Lake Community College for Fall Semester classes! It's hard to believe that the time has come already but with as action packed of a summer as our little family has had I guess it's no wonder. As you may or may not have guessed this is Georgette speaking and making an attempt at my second official post ever! I'm not quite as clever and witty as my dear husband, however I do hope that you will continue to read our blog as I fill in part time to report the current happenings of our family. Thank you in advance! Well now, back to the aforementioned topic of school-- Murray is taking four classes and 13 credits in total and they are: College Algebra (Math 1050), Intermediate Writing (Engl 2010), Intro to Sociology (Soc 1010), and Electronics in Modern Living (Elec. 1010). Basically, he has two challenging classes and two that he doesn't consider quite as challenging-namely the Electronics class! He said it looks similar to a class he took in High School. Well here is the picture proof of Murray's latest adventure:

He is such a good sport to let me take this picture!!! The only downside to this whole adventure is the decrease in time that I will be have to spend with my husband (I have been so spoiled this summer!) but I know it's only short term. I am blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life! Way to go Murray! Have a great semester!

IT'S HERE AT LONG LAST!!!!!

2008-08-18T17:38:00.003-06:00

After many moons of famine. Years of destitute, and deprivation! After searching and searching and searching, for a bus that's never going to come! A search was placed on Amazon.com and there was much rejoicing! Yayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayaya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally found The Twelve Tasks of Asterix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and now own it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On DVD even!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA!!!!

Here is some proof of the blessed purchase! The cover is in Portuguese but the audio is in English with the same voices and audio that I remember when I was a kid....

Oh how sweet! WAHAHAHAHAHAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I am just a little excited! Now I get to wait for Georgette to get off of work so we can watch it together.... It is so tempting to watch it right now, but I told her I would watch it with her.... IT'S MINE MINE MIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Picture Day

2008-08-16T13:46:00.007-06:00

Here are a few pictures of Andrew we've taken over a little while. He sure is growing up fast. The other day Georgette and I decided to see if he liked music. We played "You can call me Al", by Paul Simon and in the first part of the song, he started to smile and turn away looking bashful. It was great to watch him smile and get into the music. Hopefully his musical tastes will stay away from rap music...

Here is a picture of him eyeballing his hand.

Andrew fast asleep on a lazy Sunday afternoon in his car seat.

Here is Andrew again looking at his hand and trying to use his tongue all at once.

Andrew trying to work his tongue as he looks up at Georgette.

That is him smiling his most adorable smile.

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-06T20:11:00.022-06:00

What a wonderfully strange trip it's been thus far. I never expected marriage to look like it has for us two. On August 1st, it was our first anniversary. We are still married and learning how to communicate. It sure has been quite educating for the both of us. I look back and wonder how I thought I had communication down fairly well. Hmmmmm... Not so much...

There also has been far more work put into our relationship than I ever imagined. It is all worth it though, especially when I see Georgette smile and know that she loves me. When I get a hug and a kiss or two is especially wonderful. I wish I had words to express how I feel about my adorable and beautiful wife.

We went to the Salt Lake Temple early in the morning to do a some sealings to remember or remind us of the covenants we've made and focus on why we were married. We didn't make an appointment because someone we talked to at the temple said we didn't need to make one. Well, on the way to the temple, I called and asked about the sessions. After being connected to the sealing office, I asked if there was room for a couple of us. The worker said that there was not room and the only session we could do would be after Georgenia would be working. Andrew would have no baby sitter if we were to go that late. Needless to say, we were a little disappointed. We decided to go anyway! The rebels we are... I had a feeling something would open up. It did! We dressed and while Georgette was waiting for me to show up, a sealing coordinator dragged her up and found out it was our anniversary and made room for us to do some service. I came a little late and they told me to head on up. I was met by Georgette and the coordinator who was FAR more excited about us doing some sealings than we seemed to be. We went to get a drink after the last end of a sealing session and she told us to go back up in the sealing room. We mentioned we were after a drink and she promptly escorted us to a fountain right near where we were at. We finished out the sealings and left outside quickly because Georgenia had braught Andrew and a camera for us to get some pictures.

It really was a good time and there seems to be so much to learn from temple service. It is such a joy to do ordinance work there. I really enjoy being in the presence of God and the cares of the world seem to fade by the feeling of peace and love that abounds there.

The pictures went well and Andrew let us know when he was done with the pictures. We started to go home, but Georgenia was having some problems with her van and it turned out to be her alternator. It had gone bad and left her without power to her vehicle. We stayed and gave her a hand for a few hours, but ended up taking her home and going off to the mountains on a hike. We went up Millcreek Canyon to the Dog Lake hike with Nilson, Andrew, Georgette, and I.

It really was a great hike and we wore Nilson out. So much so that for the next few days he was hobbling with a bit of skin missing on one of his paw pads. His hip was also giving him troubles. We went to take him out that night to go to the bathroom and his back legs collapsed underneath him. We thought it looked kind of funny, but felt bad because he had overdone it too much. He seems to be addicted to fetching sticks out of the lake. I went to give him a break from fetching to catch his breath and rest, but he would whine with a stick in his mouth. Andrew did really well also with the carrier we have. He fussed for a while, but for the most part, watched the scenery or was diligent at checking his eyelids for holes.

Anyway, that's a novel, and on to the pictures!

This is Georgette and Andrew on the way out of Dog Lake. It really was amazing watching the sun set across the mountains to the west.

Here is a look at the valley we were in. Notice the beautiful scenery! You can almost smell the pines. No, you really don't want to be a lumberjack... I promise...

Here is a picture of Dog Lake. It's not large, but the hike in sure is nice. Notice also... Nilson is in the picture twice. He sure is a talented dog, no?

Here are the two loves of my life. Notice the excitement on Andrew's face as he examines his onesie and Georgette's knee.

This is a sequence of pictures of Nilson fetching a stick.

Look at that face. It says, "Please sir, may I fetch some more?"

Fetching sticks! My favorite thing!

This is on the way up. Notice the lolling tongue and the glazed look in his eyes. One might think that he really likes hiking in the mountains...

Notice Andrew? If you can't see him, it's due to his camoflauge hat we put on him to protect him from the sun. He looks so tiny in his carrier, almost like we are smothing his face.

What a wonderful woman!

A picture of our little family thus far.

This is a sunset that we captured the other night. All of these pictures were taken at the same time. I just messed around with the aperature and shutter speed to get different effects.

Same sunset, believe it or not!

This is a picture of Andrew after one of his baths. He looks almost like a little Keebler Elf at times. He seems to enjoy a bath every once in a while.

Here is Andrew again trying to feast on Georgette's hand.

Silence

2008-07-30T23:29:00.003-06:00

It truly is amazing... The most amazing thing I can think of at this stage in my life is two things. Andrew gurgling a laugh and the sound of silence. (If silence is a lack of noise, is it really a sound?)

I feel like we have a kid that is "bi-polar". He is either extremely happy or just down right working his lungs for the Mo-Tab choir. The moments he is in a great mood and laughing and smiling make all the hassle worthwhile. Today, I think I had Andrew laughing for the first time in his life. I was laying down on my back and put him on top of me with him standing. I pretended that he was crushing me and made some strange noises. He sure seemed to enjoy that immensely.

Nostalgia

2008-07-27T14:59:00.002-06:00

What I enjoyed watching when I was a kid.

The Stats at Two Months

2008-07-25T09:36:00.007-06:00

Andrew had his two month appointment on Wednesday... We were not excited about it very much at all. So many horror stories about all the bad experiences people have had with their children. We had envisioned a whaling baby Andrew for a day and a night and a day.

Andrew's doctor had told us to get some children's Tylenol to ease some of the discomfort, which we did. Andrew really seemed to enjoy the taste of it and downed the dose we gave before going. Being a little tired and fussy, he was not happy to be in his car seat.

Once we arrived, he started to fall asleep which was nice, but he was woken up for all the torturous tests they perform on babies. His weight was 11lbs 3 oz which put him in the 40th percentile for weight. Height was 23 inches and 70th percentile for height. His head was 16.5 inches and the 85th percentile. He seems destined to be a basketball player or some sort of genius with all that noggin space.

There never really was much of a fuss when he received his immunity shots. He cried out a little at each shot, but didn't wail and gnash his teeth, erm I mean gums... Georgette fed him right afterwards too, so that helped. I was quite suprised at how well it went for him. His legs were a little sore the next day, but we moved them and he started moving them on his own.

This is the time when all the work and effort that Georgette and I did is starting to see some payoff. He is smiling more and more each day and also is attempting to laugh now. There is nothing in this world that makes your heart melt than to see your child smile up at you and attempt to laugh. It sure eases all the times when he screams his head off for hours and there seems to be nothing you can do to ease his discomfort, or whatever is causing him to cry.

The doctor said that Andrew is really healthy and there's nothing really to be concerned about. Which his a huge relief to both of us. Gabe, Aaron and Amber's baby, is a whopping 13.5 pounds and 5 days younger. Xander is a little over 12 pounds and has doubled his weight since birth. We both thought that there was something going on with Georgette's milk supply or that she just wasn't feeding him enough. Turns out that he is healthy, albeit a little skinny for now. I can see why with all the wiggling around he does. It's as if he wants to run a marathon now. He can stand up on his own two legs apart from a little issue called balance. He can whip his head around like it's nobody's buisness and even hold it up too!

Some of the funniest things he's done thus far is his snorting while he cries. His serious starvation mode feeding where he gulps so loudly. He will also wiggle and squirm so much, he deprives himself of the food he wants most and then starts to cry like it was a vicious trick to pry him from his food. You can also put a binky in his mouth while he is going nuclear and he will suck on it and make some of the funniest sounds while he is sucking. I've tried to capture it with the camera, but it's to no avail. It's like trying to capture footage of bigfoot or something.

Anyway, being married is something altogether new and challenging, but nothing like having a child. You take a little being that has no experience at life with a body, take away communication except for crying. Which crying seems to wreak havoc in the heartstrings of their parents at the thought of it's discomfort, pain, hunger or whatever ails the child and the many attempts to sooth whatever is causing the crying go unsuccessful.

After time though, you start to pick up on the little cues that prevent the absolute meltdowns known thus far and makes for a much smoother ride. Then there are those moments of reprise, where the child is asleep and the only noise you hear is the popcorn as you sit and type on a computer, or the silence apart from the turn of a piece of paper as you read a book, or whatever is done while the wee one is alseep. You pause whatever you are doing to look down at a peaceful face and relaxed body of one of the most beautiful things to ever look upon as sleep consumes such a little body. Every once in a while there is a smile, a twitch or a lurch, but just as fast as it came, it's gone in the little dreams that babies dream.

I wonder if sleep is a way for our Father in Heaven to have a little reprise from his spirit children living a mortal existance. If there is some other reason, it is beyond me and my finite understanding. I often relfect on the comparison that I make with Georgette and I being mortal parents to a loving Heavenly Father and the lessons I've learned in life. The goals and desires I have for Andrew to experience in life and the happieness I desire for him. I ache at the heartache that seems to be so inescapable in this moment of existence. The troubles and choices that will cause him grief. I look forward to the enthusiasm that little children have and wonder where I lost mine.

I cannot imagine how much love and longsuffering our Father in Heaven has for His children. I think of all the rash decisions I've made, all the poor choices I've made in my life and the consequences that coincide with them. I marvel that He still loves me dearly. Enough to send His beloved Son down to pay the price by my ignorance, pride, and emotional choices that seperate myself from Him and cause grief.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Here are some pictures of Andrew.

But they're cousins! Almost identical cousins! They sort of walk alike and talk alike... and sometimes even... hmmm perhaps this song isn't the right thing for them.

Evidently we need to enroll Andrew in anger management. He seems to be punching his cousin out at such a young age...

Poor Gabe...

Andrew enthralled by the ceiling fan.

Don't hate me because I'm extremely good looking!

Traveling with infants

2008-07-18T11:22:00.044-06:00

What an experience it is going on a small day trip with infants. Georgette, Georgenia, Donnetta (Georgette's aunt), Lynn (Donetta's husband), Katelyn (Lynn and Donetta's daughter), Ashley (Jennifer's [who is a cousin of Georgette] daughter) ((are you confused yet?)), Andrew, and I all went on a trip to San Diego on the 17th. It was a good trip but it sure was a test on patience at some points. Georgette, Donetta, Lynn, Georgenia and myself went to the temple to go through an endowment session at the temple there.

It sure was a very beautiful temple, but not quite as big as it looks in pictures. It is also easy to get lost in for your first time. There are hallways within hallways it seems. They all lead to the same place though. There is also an atrium on the outside of the celestial room that is gorgeous! It's on the roof, about the middle and has some amazing flowers. You can also see both spires from there as well.

Georgette and I were the witness couple in the session. It is a remarkable experience to go through a session as the witness couple. I have learned quite a bit in that role.

After the temple session, we went out to eat at a little Mexican restaurant off of Sea World BLVD. It was decent, but not quite what we payed for. The food was a little bland, but the portion sizes were good.

After that, we went to a small beach at the bay just north of the airport. It really wasn't all that great and we found a sign that said, please stay out of the water for 72 hours after runoff. Hmmmmmmmmmm interesting.

I am truly amazed at the number of people that can be found in one location. At that little park/walkway, there were probably several thousand people. The walkway itself was about 6 to 10 feet wide and every 30 or 40 feet or so was at least one person. Joggers were galore, and roller blading was pretty popular as well. I did feel quite claustrophobic with that many people in one area.

Housing and all the terrain was jam packed, and the roads were pretty tiny for the amount of people. I don't think I would ever like to live in California. Far too overcrowded for my blood, at least in San Diego. The drivers were quite a bit more courteous than here in Utah.

We also saw an aircraft carrier sitting in the docks, a Carnival ship sitting in the bay and quite a few other boats. There was a pretty large amount of graffiti over the buildings and signs. Some was very artistic while others were just gang tags.

Going to larger cities like this where I'm not familiar always leaves me in a bit of a panic. I think that if I take one wrong turn, I could wind up in a very dangerous neighborhood or area and with my family, that's not a cool idea. I guess I just feel stressed because I don't know the area and where I can go safely. I wish I could have the car that the president drives around in on his motorcade, or a tank. Yeah, I think a tank would do nicely!

A picture taken after takeoff from SLC.

Another picture shortly after takeoff.

Some clouds taken as we were climbing to our cruising altitude.

A cool looking cloud we saw up in the sky.

Up near the stratosphere.

Our cruising altitude on the way to San Diego.

Some desert mountains. It looks like their is sand for most of the terrain.

More sandy looking mountains in California.

Parts of the mountains near San Diego on the way back down to land.

Guess who?

Georgette and Andrew just outside the San Diego airport.

An aircraft carrier that was docked near the airport.

A steamboat that was docked near the car rental we rented from.

Andrew, who is having so much fun in his car seat as we are in route to the temple. Notice the pleading eyes he has to remove him from so much fun. He is definitely in fun overload there...

Carnival cruise liner near the airport.

The beautiful San Diego Temple. It's not nearly as large as the church pictures of it look. In no way does it deter from it's beauty.

Awwwwwwww, look at the adorable family! Too bad they don't look nearly as adorable as us!

The entrance to the temple.

A closer look at the doors.

The capstone.

A larger picture of the whole temple looking from the southeastern side. Click to enlarge.

San Diego firemen!
The temple taken on route to I5 at the on ramp.

The crew from JetBlue eating at a Mexican restaurant.

The adorable couple once again, and they have a kid with them still. I think they were following us or something...

Grandma and Andrew. Notice Andrew eying the real food for when he gets the chance to eat it.

Lynn and Donetta

Boy am I glad I'm not buying gas at that price... yet...

What up homez, are you dissin my pacifier? This is Andrew displaying his uh, happiness and joy in riding in the car seat for a while. Notice that he is definitely NOT sleepy.

Georgette at the small bay we stopped at to let the kiddies play in the water.

Georgette and I in the warmer water than is found in Oregon.

Picture of looking north across the bay.

Looking out across the bay.

The sun at the bay.

A cool tree that Georgette found. The blossoms were really gorgeous.

A close up of the blossoms.

The clouds over the ocean on takeoff from San Diego.

The sky and wing when we are going near Catalina island. The white are clouds and not water.

The sun as it's setting on the flight home. It really was an amazing golden color. Thank you different air particles and your scattering effect.

A Wonderful Day

2008-07-11T20:43:00.011-06:00

This last Sunday was an amazing experience and was very scary at the same time. Andrew was given a name and a blessing. Luckily it was the Fourth of July weekend so there were quite a few people out of town for church. That sure made it easier on me when the time came.

He had a total all day meltdown on Saturday which tuckered the little tyke out. Thank goodness he was tired. It made him so much more placid. He didn't fuss or make a sound while blessing him.

It really was a tremendous experience for me and one I hope to remember always. It was one of those moments when the words just flow and you can feel the spirit. It was a simple blessing, but a great one nonetheless.

Here are some pictures of him in his blessing outfit and the dressing process.

Here is Andrew thoroughly loving getting dressed for church. Notice the smile that is so smiling that it's turned upside down.

Here is Andrew with everything but his coat. Notice he's not nearly as excited in this one.

Mom, dad and Andrew after Sacrament.

Andrew and his little tux with mommy.

Gabriel, Andrew, and another of his cousins. Gabriel was born 5 days later than Andrew.

I also felt prompted to go up and bare my testimony during the meeting. I did and it's been years. Mine was simple and was that Christ will return to this earth.

I seriously cannot wait for that day when we can drop all the facades, all the dishonesty, all the heartache from the drama that seems to flood this world, all the heartache from a drunk driving accident, or an accidental killing of a child in a drive by, or any ailment of the body that we suffer now.

I so look forward to the day when locks will only exist to keep children out of things. The day when war will be studied no more. No more guns, no more nuclear bombs, no more missiles, no more weapons. Gaining a body that can glow in the dark... Perhaps learning how to float in the air like Moroni did when he visited Joseph in his cabin. Going hiking or outdoors to enjoy the beauty of nature and being able to approach animals of all kinds. Just think... these are but a few of the temporal things. I cannot even begin to imagine the spiritual events that will take place.

Laughter is the best medicine

2008-07-02T04:12:00.003-06:00

Oh how my sides do ache!

Enjoy! I nearly died from a lack of oxygen, so watch at your own peril!

Gratitude!!! (by Georgette)

2008-07-01T04:59:00.003-06:00

Well, this is officially my first time adding to this blog. Murray has been challenging me to post at least once for some time but I have been somewhat resistant to doing so. He is now gone to work for the day--so here goes!

This morning I was listening to some music and came across "Blessed" by Martina McBride and I began thinking of all the wonderful things that I have been blessed with in my life, so I thought that I would share with all of you!

First off I have been blessed with and I am eternally grateful for my husband, Murray. I am grateful for his love, compassion, strength, tenderness, and most of all his patience. He has been by my side for the last year and a half, or so (since we met) assisting me through various life experiences and challenges. He offers insight and perspective when mine tends to get quite skewed at times. He is firm in what he knows to be true, has a continuing desire to know and study the gospel and works to keep himself worthy of the Priesthood so that he may bless others on his journey through life. He is truly an amazing man!!!

Next, of course, is our adorable son Andrew whom you have seen many cute pictures in his last six weeks of life. Being a mother has been both more challenging and more fun than I thought it would be and I know that it will only continue to get better with time. Andrew brings a peace and innocence with him and I don't think I have ever seen anything quite as precious as the smiles that he occasionally shares with us. He loves to snuggle when he is sleeping but also keeps a keen eye on what's happening around him, his focus is amazing! He teaches me every day about the importance of little things, such as enjoying being near people you love and that love you back. Andrew is definitely a keeper!

A few other things I am grateful for are:
--Our pets (Nilson, Hobbes, and Penny) with their distinct personalities
--Extended family (both Murray's and mine)
--My freedom/liberty
--My opportunities in life to do and/or be anything I want
--Food to eat and clean water to drink, shower with, etc.
--Air to breathe
--Sunlight and warmth
--Rain and moisture
--A roof over my head
--A loving Father in Heaven and brother Jesus
--A knowledge of the Gospel
--Etc., etc., etc.

I'm sure that if I spent enough time I could come up with an indefinite list of all the blessings that I have been given. Life itself is also a blessing to be enjoyed and shared, thank you for allowing me to share mine with you! And who knows, maybe I will post again! :-)

The simplest things

2008-06-30T23:03:00.002-06:00

I finally had some success, (if you can call it that) with Andrew today. He was starting to fuss and act upset, when low and behold, the idea to raise him up in the air and say. "woooooooooooooo" and then kiss him on the cheek. It elicited smiles each time I did it. Eventually he started to look at my Napoleon Dynamite poster I have. Andrew must be envious of his sweet bow staff skills or something. Perhaps it's the affinity of boondoggle he made last year at camp.

Georgette is working on getting him on a routine and that seems to help a lot with his mood. Instead of putting out the fires of his wailing and crying, she feeds him a little earlier and plays with and then off to bed. He still thinks he has to be awake all the time for fear that he will miss something.

A baby haiku

2008-06-28T23:10:00.002-06:00

Cry, cry, cry, waah, cry
Food food food this is my want
Waah scream cry cry sob.

I don't know if anyone else out there can relate to this, but for me, it seems that eating is about all Andrew wants to do. It's a shame that his communication skills are not quite as good as Napoleon, GOSH! It would be so wonderful if Andrew could articulate...

Please mommy/daddy, I just soiled myself and would love it dearly if you would remove this diaper from my bum and wipe me clean then place a new diaper on me. I love the feel of a new fresh diaper, it is so wonderful!

Or... Oh wow, what is this new sensation that I feel in my belly? It feels like my stomach is going to sprout legs and walk off on hunger strike. I can see it now, with his little picket sign saying, 'Down with Georgette, she is starving us! Shame on her, we need food!'

Or... I'm hungry mother, really I am. (Movie trivia, what line was that in?)

Or... This position is sure uncomfortable, please hold me (this way) and I will rest peacefully.

Oh how effective that would be! Of course... patience is a virtue and so far I'm convinced that at this stage, kids are a wonderful teachers of patience. (Please forgive the grammatical errors, I am quite sleepy from a pretty long day. Also, I have a fine furry friend named Hobbes, who at this point is letting me know that it is time for me to give him love and attention. Even at the cost of gutting his slave with his claws. OUCH!)

Being a parent is worth it though. Those times when you look at him and do something utterly silly and he smiles back at you is about all I need to keep things in perspective.

One month old and already loving the outdoors.

2008-06-22T18:05:00.026-06:00

Andrew at one month old. I can't believe how much he's grown in just a month. Look at those chubby cheeks.

Andrew turned one month old today. As a celebration, what better way to celebrate than to go to Almo Idaho and visit the Green family reunion? Georgette and I went to the reunion this year. There was a pretty small turnout than in previous years. They said there was a little over 100 people. I knew everyone there, as always. I am such a nut at keeping up at the family and who's doing what... *cough cough* Excuse me...

This was Georgette's first time there and so far, she loves Almo... She has a strong desire to move there someday and do a whole lot of....... well, we'll find something to do there... We did climb up Bath Rock though, which is a tradition of this family.

The car ride down was pretty smooth. Andrew slept most of the way. The only time the dictator stirred was when he was hungry. That happened around the ATK exit in Utah. On the way home... We were blessed by his wonderful lung capacity and ability to reach glass breaking frequencies... or close. We think he was just suffering from a case of T.B. (tired bum).

We also took a four generation picture. Something that may only happen in a short little while with the health of my grandfather and grandmother.

A little plaque that has a bit of history in Almo

Cattle Roundup on the road into Almo

Castle Peak rocks, just on the north side of the city of rocks

Almo school

Larger picture of the school

Tracy's General Store. I guess they invented gasoline, ATM's and internet... Who'da thunk it's been around since 1894...

The cash register that has been in the store since it opened.

The temperature at The Outpost just across the road from the Homestead.

The homestead T. J. Green owned. The buildings are now torn down and they are putting up a stage and some other things for Almo days.

Castle Peak Rocks

Just some rocks and wild sage brush!

The old house that is at the entrance to Mickelson's Ranch. As you can see, the architectural design is phenomenal. Notice all the air conditioning there is!

Eagle Rock

Balance Rock

A close up of Balance Rock

Register Rock

Here are a few of the actual signatures on the rock that were signed in axle grease by the pioneers coming west.

Twin Sisters

Twin Sisters

Castle Rock

The dynamic duo(Twin Sisters)! Single granite rocks, (male in gender?), watch out! Rar!

This is the northern sister. Also known as the good looking sister. (I actually don't know that, it was all made up! It is the northern sister though.)
This is the southern sister. Also known as the uglier sister.

Twin Sisters

The northeastern side of the valley with Register Rock in the foreground

The northern part of the valley taken just south of Register Rock

The valley taken near Twin Sisters

The infamous Bath Rock! Notice the ape like face on the left hand side...

It's a goadie fro! Painted by the early Native American Indians. Just kidding, it's only some lichen that looks like a rabbit on Bath Rock.

A little lizard spotted on the way up to the back of Bath Rock.

The Bread Loaves

A random rock near Emery Springs

Rocks near the spring

Looking down the valley from Emery Springs

Some rocks again!

The valley taken from Twin Sisters (click on them to enlarge)

The Twin Sisters and western side of the valley

Bath Rock from a the parking lot in front of it

T. J. Green and Annie Scrivens Green's grave site just outside Almo

The plot of their graves

Here are a couple AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW how cute! pictures for those who have a tendency to gush when something cute is presented.

What a ride...

2008-06-19T20:02:00.002-06:00

I've had an insight come to me today thanks to my wonderful wife. I was in charge of watching/holding Andrew. He started to fuss after a little bit and it seemed that nothing I did could curtail his crying fury. I tried to swaddle him with my hands and normally he doesn't like people to touch his hands and legs. This really wasn't my most brilliant of idea's at all. His tirade became a full on nuclear crying bomb. His whole body was red and I felt so frustrated and bad.

I felt like I was a poor father who could only make his child upset. I thought of how Georgette can pick him up and hold him and he calms right down. I was wondering what I was doing wrong and just felt so inept. I put him down in his bassinet because I felt so frustrated and unable to console him. Georgette came in and took him off into his room for a minute. He stopped crying and calmed right down. I felt like I had the touch of discomfort and that he would always fuss when I held him. Dinner was ready and Georgette and I sat down for dinner. I didn't say much because I had no idea what to say being so frustrated. After dinner I took out the garbage and let Nilson go do his nature thing. I then sat down on the couch and stewed over the frustration I was experiencing.

Georgette came in and started talking to me and after a little bit of talking, she pointed out that he had gas, and also had soaked his diaper. That all his crying was from discomfort and not that I was doing anything wrong except missing his cue signs. It was a relief to me to know that it is only temporary. I don't know that I could survive parenthood if his tantrums were frequent and also with that same intensity.

I really felt silly and wondered how I seem to make things so different than reality sometimes. I took Andrew's crying for dislike and discomfort in my hands vs a dirty diaper and some gas. I felt like I took everything I did personally and made my way of thinking too complicated. I wondered if he could still see through the veil. I worried that he could see right through me.

Needless to say it was just discomfort and he settled right down.

Finally caught on camera!

2008-06-16T21:11:00.007-06:00

At long last! We have captured the infamous and quite aloof smile that Andrew has. He's been smiling like this for about a week now and we were finally able to capture it to share on camera. As you can see, this is "THE" most adorable kid on the planet that ever was and ever will be... I am so not biased though...

He has some other funny looks along with these smiles. We were able to catch a couple others here.

Georgette was able to get some sleep last night. She got about 6 hours of blissful sleep. After she fed Andrew, she gave him to me and I watched him for a little while. She put her head on the bed and that was about all she wrote. Sheer exhaustion finally overtook her and she doesn't remember when I came to bed with her. She had fallen asleep opposite of the pillows. While it looked adorable, it wasn't all that functional...

We also went to the Mantai Pageant on Saturday with a couple neighbors. The drive was fraught with dangers of getting pulled over. We saw about 5 or 6 policemen on the drive in.

There was also a group of protester's that had a huge prayer circle. They finished and began trying to convince people around of our errors and beliefs. I always find it fascinating that by concern for other people, we try and convince each other of the truth as we see it.

I wonder if we get so caught up in saving other people, that we forget that we are all God's children. That we can all get along and accept the practice of other's beliefs, barring abuse and the like.

I eavesdropped on two guys discussing doctrines. They were so caught up in each other's beliefs, they forgot to stop and look at what they have in common. They were also so adamant in convincing and proving their points that any feeling of brotherhood and kindness seemed to be lost.

I remember talking with a cousin about our differences and having a bible bash. It did nothing for each of us, except cause frustration and contention. It wasn't until I bore my testimony about the gospel, did it end the conversation.

The pageant was great, although I was so tired, I slept through about half of it. They changed a couple parts to it and I enjoyed the new insight it gave.

I was also nearly carried away by a certain insect...

I have about 8 bites or so and was so excited when the sun set and the temperature dropped, causing them to disappear.

Anyway, enough of the skin crawling stuff... On with the cute kid pictures!

How about a spot of tea Gov?

This has to be my favorite picture thus far. I think you can figure out why.

Contagiousness

2008-06-12T22:09:00.003-06:00

It seems that everything a baby does is very contagious. When you see a baby smile for the first time, it's all you can do to keep from smiling. When a baby cries, it's all you can do to plug up the tears before you start to cry. When a baby is sleepy and you are holding it in your arms, it's either the fact that you are getting about 2 to 4 hours of sleep at a time... or contagiousness.

Andrew is now three weeks old, and I don't know where the time went after we took him home from the hospital. It seems like a blur of about a week. It astounds me to look at him now. I am reminded when we had kittens growing up and how fast they grew and matured. His chin is getting a little double chin when he yawns or leans his head forward. His legs are getting pretty wrinkly along with his arms.

Sleeping through the night has been a bit of a nightmare. At first, the tyrant was calling all the shots and depriving us of some valuable sleep. Now that we have a few things under our belt, we are able to get him to sleep through the first part of the night until he is in total nuclear meltdown about eating.

He sure is adorable, at least to Georgette and I.

Pictures

2008-06-08T19:19:00.007-06:00

No! Not the flash! I am going to be a burnt baby if you keep that up!

If you stick that pacifier in my mouth one more time! POW! Right in the kissah!

I am not really asleep but I will pretend to so they don't catch onto my plan to take over their lives! Mwahahahahahahaahhaahahahaha ah hahahahahaahahahahahaha!

Best not step, cuz I will bus a cap or, I will unleash the fury of my fire hydrant! Thiz comin from the west siiiiieeeede!

Two Weeks!

2008-06-04T22:21:00.005-06:00

It sure does seem to make things interesting when your perspective of time flies by without much effort. I am not quite sure where all the time goes, but it seems to slip away ever so swiftly. I remember it seeming to take forever for Andrew to join us. Georgette was so sore and tired. I wasn't sure how to relieve her current situation and discomfort.

I also remember starting the semester at SLCC and that semester is over now. I remember when I was growing up and summers seemed to take forever. I remember having to fill out a small two page paper for 4H and the county fair. That was so torturous!!!! I wondered if it would ever end. Sure enough it has and about a billion years later (yes, I have a child now so I imagine I lived with the dinosaurs) I look at that and think that I had no patience.

It is now Andrews two week old period in his life. He seems to be awake and alert more and quite a bit more fussy than before. He seems to cry at the drop of a hat and Georgette and I think he's going out for choir later. There are quite the pair of lungs that this kid has. It is kind of fun to distract him while he's crying by bouncing him up and down enough to disrupt his cry. It reminds me of when I was a kid going down a bumpy road and making a noise, listening to your voice.

And now for some pictures of the newest member of the Mo-Tab!

P.S. I think I have a liking for the sepia setting for pictures, anyone else notice this?

Harrild Look-alike Meter

2008-06-04T11:07:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

I am definetly in the wrong business!

2008-05-30T23:55:00.003-06:00

I have come to the conclusion that I am in the wrong business. What a great amount of profit I could make in the infant diaper industry! I have been giving Georgette a hand with Andrew and his profound ability to mess up a diaper. I was cleaning him up and ended up consuming 3 diapers just for one change. Needless to say, I was a little shocked...

I had finished cleaning him up and had a new, clean diaper underneath him, when low and behold, more cleaning up to do! Then when I get him cleaned up again, he decides that there is a fire somewhere that needs to be extinguished NOW! Luckily, I brought my trusty, handy dandy, hand shield! Duh Duh duh DAAAAAAH!

I have been a participant in his random testing of his fire extinguisher system. The latest count of the safety testing was around 4 times. Man can that boy lay down a spread like nobody's business! Perhaps if I stuck his hand in something cold before changing... it would give me better timing than a random testing.

There sure are a bunch of adorable things he does. Right after he finishes eating, he will smile a little sly smile with his eyes closed. It's as if he is smiling because he has a full tummy. Anytime he sleeps is really peaceful and wonderful. I also like it when he stretches with one or both arms. There is a look of serious concentration when he does that.

Here is Andrew over at Georgette's brother's house. His wife had her baby 5 days after Andrew was born.

Here is Andrew and Gabriel. Evidently Gabriel is jealous of Andrew's cool pacifier and upset... Just kidding, he was just fussy because he likes to be held.

Another picture of Gabriel and Andrew. It was kinda funny... Every time Amber went to take a picture of the two, Andrew would throw his hand in front of Gabriel like he wanted all the spotlight to himself.

Here is the most famous pose of his. It's the I am getting hungry and you better feed me soon or I will start to fuss and cry.

Here he is asleep in his car seat. I was trying to get a picture of him with his pacifier hanging just outside his mouth with it still in his lips. He moved. He looks so tired and I still can't get over his red hair.

One Week Old!

2008-05-28T19:34:00.006-06:00

It is truly a miracle. Andrew is now one week old, and is in good health and seems to be gaining weight at a good rate.

Georgette is getting less and less sleep now, because she is feeding him. His sleep is pretty good and consistently sleeps around 3 hours before he wakes up to order some dinner at the Mommy Drive Inn.

I was holding Andrew and talking to him while he was awake and he was able to look at me and follow my movements. He is alert and able to focus on objects. There's also a picture of Christ behind where I was sitting on the couch, and he looked up at it for about a minute or two.

As I watched him look at the picture, I wonder what his memory is of our Savior. I wonder what he is thinking and what parts of the veil are still there and which are fading. (I also wonder why it is, when I am typing, it's the perfect invitation for Hobbes to jump on the desk and lay on top of the keyboard. Cat social norms sure are a mystery to me...)

Here are some pictures of him at one week old.

AT LAST!!!!!!

2008-05-25T11:24:00.007-06:00

After a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, (pauses to take a breath) long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long time and through much tribulation and happiness, Andrew was finally evicted from his comfy abode in the womb.

After our appointment with our doctor, we had a strange hankering for some carrots... Ok, not really... We did talk to the doctor and she seemed in favor of the decision to start to induce Georgette. We had decided to wait a week for Andrew to join us on his own, but he enjoyed it too much in there to leave his comfy abode.

We went out to dinner with Don and Georgenia and then came back home, picked up our hospital supplies, gave Georgette a blessing and headed over to the hospital. After checking in, they took us to room 236. She changed into those comfy gowns and started the barrage of vitals that would last the duration of the hospital stay.

We started the induction process at around 8:30pm, then started the Pitocin at 12:30. Labor continued really well until she reached around 5cm. That lasted a few hours before we decided to go for an epidural. Bringing Andrew into this world in the hospital was a pretty long ordeal, but things went really really smoothly considering certain events. After the epidural, it was recommended to go with a cesarean. His head just wasn't engaging like he should have.

They wheeled her into the OR and within 15 minutes had delivered Andrew. He was born at 5:52pm and was 8lbs 3oz and 19 inches long. I think his head weighed in at around 3lbs because it looked so big. They had trouble pulling him out by hand and he slipped out the first time with suction. I was so amazed that he was so alert and awake when he finally came out.

They started to clean out his lungs and mouth which he really thoroughly enjoyed... So much that he would scream about how much he liked it. I went over and started to talk to him. It was so amazing that as soon as he heard my voice, he looked right at me and calmed down instantly. I think my heart melted right then and there because he recognized my voice.

It really was a huge roller coaster of emotions for us both. It was so surreal to me when I heard him cry. I remember looking over the drape and seeing him come out. One of the first things I saw was his nose, it looked exactly like Georgette's and his strawberry blond hair. That hair comes from grandpa Harrild! I remember his hands were HUGE as well as his feet. Every time he cried, his whole body would turn a deep red with an orangeish tint to it.

After they finished with Georgette, they took us back to 236 where we waited there for a post-par tum room. The rest of the week was a huge blur for the both of us. Part of it still doesn't seem real. I remember thinking this is incredible, a new person has joined us and we are completely responsible for his wellbeing.

His temperature was difficult to maintain at first, but by the time we left, he was able to keep it up. The left ear failed the hearing test twice, but the third time he passed with flying colors. He really is amazing and in great health.

I am really amazed at how well that went. I truly felt the presence of our Heavenly Father and Savior with us the whole time. I don't know that I have ever felt so calm until we came home with him.

That first night was just too stressful. I had a hard time feeling comfortable with him sleeping on his own because of his difficulty of maintaining his temperature while we were in the hospital. Georgette was afraid she was starving him to death because he doesn't like to nurse very much at this time.

That's about all I remember at this point because of all that's happened, I'm still waiting for everything to catch up. And now on with the pictures!

Here is Georgette and I before we went to the hospital. Notice the round pregnant looking belly.

Here is a picture of Andrew shortly after he was cleaned off in the OR. Notice his look of extaticisim!(Is that even a real word?)

Here is a picture of his hand in comparison to mine. So tiny, yet so big.

Here is a picture of mommy holding him after her recovery. What a beautiful woman she surely is! I love you beautiful!

Here's a picture of daddy holding Andrew. Notice the weather system around Andrew's head. It's practically a planet!

Here is Auntie Tricia enjoying her aunt-hood!

Here are some random pictures of Andrew.

This is the after photo of Georgette. Notice the lack of round belly!

Andrew in his take home outfit on the day we left the hospital on Saturday morning to come home. Notice the remarkable resemblance to him being the most adorable kid ever.

The new family picture. It sure is amazing what's transpired in the past year.

Andrew, who once looked large at the hospital, in his crib. He is so tiny!

What a wonderful world it is.

2008-05-18T12:21:00.003-06:00

I have been thinking the past couple of days about quite a bit of things. I know it's a shocker that I actually think, but it is true!

I was at Mimi's with Georgette on Friday visiting her sister that works there. We were sitting down sharing a meal together and the thought popped into my mind that it is a tremendous blessing to live in a country where we can choose to go eat food and have it served very quickly. That we don't have to worry about going hungry and we have ample clean water to drink.

That in this country, when there is a natural disaster, the casualty rate is so low compared to other places. I look at the cyclone that hit Myanmar. The many people who didn't survive the event and all the aftermath. The earthquake in China and its aftermath.

That there is an overabundance of housing, despite the market. There are shows on TV of how people's lives are changed by a group of people that rebuild or build anew houses of people who may not have enough to do it themselves.

There is the the opportunity to go to school and become educated in whatever we want to learn. That there is SO MUCH to learn and has been revealed. Like Astronomy! There are so many cool things in space that we know about, and I can't even begin to imagine what we don't know about. I feel like a kid in a candy store almost all the time...

We can find a job with that career and for the most part, it is equal employment. That we aren't limited by censorship and propaganda.

Despite how much I may disagree with some people, I have the freedom to choose to agree or disagree and not worry about any political repercussions like jail. That we can disagree however heated it may be.

There is the freedom to move about when and where we want and not to have to account to anyone outside our sphere of responsibilities.

We have the freedom to practice our religion when where and how we may. We have an abundance of temples to go and worship in. There are a plethora of churches to go in and worship. There are people in this world that are genuinely doing good to all men.

One of the biggest things I'm grateful for though, is my wife. I am grateful for:

Her way of making me laugh hysterically.
For her support to me when things seem dark and dreary.
For her beautiful smile that gives me so much motivation.
For her support to me in going back to school, that is something I've really struggled with.
For her laugh, it seems to have a way of soothing me.
For waking up every morning to cook me breakfast and makes sure I have a lunch.
For her kisses!
For all the times she holds my hand.
For all the times she goes out of her way to make sure I'm not overheating.(Dumping cold water down my back! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!)
For her sensitivity and thoughtfulness that has been a great lesson to me when thinking of others.

Those are just a few things I have words to describe about my gratefulness for her.

Last but not least, I am grateful for my knowledge of the Atonement, for the testimony I have and the faith that has been built in Him who gave all He had for my eternal happiness. For a loving Father in Heaven who cared enough to institute the plan we follow now. For the priesthood and the opportunity I have to spend eternity with Georgette. I am grateful for the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I feel I could go on forever in gratitude, but I wouldn't get to spend time with Georgette if I sat and wrote for years and years of the things I'm grateful for. I guess I get to live my life to express that gratitude.

Day 1 of the Hostage Takeover

2008-05-16T21:04:00.002-06:00

This is the first day that Georgette is past due. It was a fairly difficult decision, but we decided to wait until Tuesday to see if Andrew will come on his own or if we will have to smoke him out(induce him). We spent most of Thursday discussing and talking about what we should do. After discussing the contract with our lawyers, we decided to give him another week's notice on his eviction. I am sad that it had to come to this, but there has to be boundaries.

We also went to a ring ceremony for our upstairs neighbors. It was a good time, and we even walked right in on the festivities. There was a door that came into the reception hall. The main door that is. Well, we were a little late and when we went to open the door Meggane, the bride, was walking down the stairs with her father and a bouquet. We had almost crashed their ring ceremony, and not to mention that everyone was looking right at us, including the bride. Otherwise, the rest of the evening went uneventfully. We watched them dance to the Rascal Flatts song "Broken Road". Then the father daughter dance with the song "I loved her first". There was many a moistened eye in the audience.

It is almost the weekend and I work tomorrow. I wish Andrew would hurry up and give me an excuse for me to take some time off of work... How silly is that? Then we can join the cool club of people who have babies. Yea, yea... Perhaps our next blog will have some cute pictures, even if we have to evict him from his living space. Silly freeloaders...

Alas, it is the end of this post, on this blog. Stay tuned till next time. Same blog time, same blog channel!