Jan in review

January started off with lots of driving -- kind of boring. We didn't do anything fancy for New Years. We didn't even get to watch the ball come down on TV. However, this year was better then last year. (At least Michael wasn't the only one up, because I was sick.) This year we played Rack-o with my sister Lisa and her husband until about 1 a.m. while my niece stayed up watching Disney channel. And when midnight rolled around we toasted and drank our sparkling cider and kept playing cards. We did liven it up a little when we went around the table telling about bad New Year's in the past.

Then we spent the next 2 days in the car driving home. That wasn't fun, but everyone did a pretty good job until about the last 3 hours.

Before I had even gotten home from vacation. I was hunted down and was asked to sing in church the first Sunday back. That was on Jan. 10. I sang with 3 other wonderful ladies. We sang "."

Some pictures:

Christina was feeding McKay and it was going pretty good until she got up from the table. Hit the spoon and baby food went all over McKay's face. 1/4/2010

MOM!! 1/4/2010

McKay was really fussy, so we put in his Bumbo. He was so happy! He just wanted to see what was going on! 1/11/2010

Dad teaching McKay how to make Chicken Enchiladas. 1/11/2010

Cooking with Dad! 1/11/2010

McKay is growing up so fast. He loves this little ball. (so does Bella) He's trying to crawl. 1/13/2010

Almost got it! 1/13/2010

We forgot to take 6 month pictures, and well this is what we have. This is just after we brought McKay home from the hospital. They couldn't get his IV, so they tried every limb he had. They were successful in his foot. I'm so glad he was put out when they were trying to get his IV in. 1/21/2010

I realized I never really explained what happened.

This was an e-mail we sent to family. 1/20/2010

Remember McKay in your prayers tonight. He is going to the hospital tomorrow to get an endoscopy (they are going to look down his throat). The procedure is pretty simple, but they will have to put him under and his daddy is having a really hard time submitting his child to a course of general anesthia when he is so young.

McKay was 16 lbs 15 oz on Monday. I don't know the percentile, but the doctor was concerned that his growth seemed to be slowing significantly, so he wanted to do the endoscopy. We are not sure we want to, but we don't want to miss something important, so we'll grit our teeth and get through it.)

Other happenings:

During the week of January 18-23 it rained and it rained and it rained. Bella didn't even want to go outside.

It rained so much last week, we had lakeside property out on the porch. The water was foot than a foot deep. Bella was swimming. (This is in the courtyard of our apartments.)

1/21/2010

Playing with Bella. Feeling good after yesterday!! McKay and Bella are so funny together. McKay just loves watching her. 1/22/2010

She loves sitting by him.

Big Blue eyes!!

Can I have your number??

And the grand finale of the month ended with me in the ER, my sister having a baby and Michael and I speaking in church.

To be continued.....

My Hurt Baby! 1/21/2010

McKay's boo-boos
This is how McKay looked when we brought him home from the hospital. They couldn't get his IV, so they tried every limb he had. They were successful in his foot.

2009 Reviewed

Christina has been asking me to write a short review of what happened in 2009. This would essentially be the little letter in our Christmas cards, if we had ever gotten around to actually sending Christmas cards...

2009 began and ended at the same place: at the Meiers' cabin in Island Park, Idaho. The journeys between reached much further.

We were living in Blanding, Utah, where I did research for Recapture Metals. Christina worked part time as a substitute for the elementary school and Head Start preschool, when she wasn't taking care of our new puppy Bella. We were still processing the news of our new addition, who popped onto the radar in early November, 2008.

Bella, January 2009

I was also in the process of applying to medical schools. This process took us to Denver in February, where I was accepted to Rocky Vista College of Medicine. Even though we didn't have anywhere else to go yet, it didn't feel right and we declined the opportunity.

Christina at the aquarium in Denver, February 2009

In March, we passed through Denver again, this time on the way to Des Moines, Iowa, and Kirksville, Missouri, for more medical school interviews. During the trip, we slipped over into Illinois to see the Mississippi river and briefly visit Nauvoo. This little detour meant we passed through eight states in a nearly-week-long road trip (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas). The results of the road trip (no acceptances) were more frustrating (especially considering the declined acceptance at Rocky Vista), is was a good bonding time for Christina and I, and the closest thing to a vacation we've taken since being married.

Michael and Christina at the Mississippi River, March 2009

My final medical interview didn't happen until late April, which meant I didn't hold out much hope, figuring most spots had already been filled. It was at Midwestern University in Phoenix, Arizona. We again loaded up and took a road trip, visiting my SUU friend Jeff David during our stay. I felt the interview went well, but the school's response came slowly, which meant only one thing: the wait-list.

Seeing that I didn't have seat in any school in the fall, we found a new apartment in Blanding and settled in for a longer stay than originally expected. We got an offer to attend a Master's of Public Health program in Philadelphia, with a scholarship, and that tugged at our conscience for a while, but again, it just didn't feel right.

We spent July getting ready for McKay's big debut, which came right on schedule: July 20 at 12:37 a.m. (and after only 6 hours of labor for his Mommy). He gave us a little scare at first, coming out looking limp and blue with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and it took Dr. Curtis Black a very long minute or two to get the little bugger to scream (and since then, he hasn't stopped... just kidding!)

McKay, July 2009

Other than an unexpected move from the Blanding birthing center to the Monticello Hospital (space concerns, not medical reasons), all went well and we packaged up our little bundle and headed home on July 22. A quick check of the answering machine changed our plans again: Midwestern University had offered me a seat for the upcoming school year.

This decision wasn't as easy as most people expect. We had a lot to comprehend at that time. We had just moved, and just settled in for more time Blanding, and we had a brand new baby on our minds. Nonetheless, after some startling quick deliberations (we had 24 hours to make the decision), we jumped in with two feet and accepted the offer. Class started less than two weeks from that day.

A few days later we loaded our tiny baby into our tiny car and headed to Phoenix. We didn't get far -- just far enough to be stranded -- when the car quit. Two hours, a car ride with a stranger and an awkward call to my parents later, my amazing mom and dad showed up with a trailer and we loaded the car and headed back to Blanding.

We were able to get the car fixed, but we didn't make it back to Phoenix before school started. We followed a recommendation from some new-found friends and landed at the Canyon Ridge Apartments in Surprise, Arizona.

As time can often do, the months slowly dragged by very quickly, and I finished my first quarter. I was proud of my performance and enjoying medical school more than I expected too. Trips to Utah for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then to Idaho for the week after Christmas topped off an eventful 2009.

I am still enjoying school, Christina is still trying to love Phoenix, McKay is still growing faster than the national debt and Bella is still chasing a tennis ball like a river chases the ocean.

We are health and happy and waiting for all the excitement a new year may hold.

Happy 2010!

Winter Break

Here are the pics from our Christmas break. We had a great time on our fast-and-furious two-week break that spanned three states.

I won't bore you with all the details, but here are the highlights:

Two days "enjoying the Phoenix weather" -- One day of family photographs in beautiful warm sunshine, one day at the Phoenix Zoo in a monsoon-like rainstorm.

Two days in Blanding in the deepest snow San Juan County has seen in years.

One evening in Salt Lake City and eight days in sub-zero temperature and waist-deep snow in Idaho.

Two points of interest:

1) Not many people load up the van and head north from the Valley of the Sun because they actually miss snow up to their belly buttons.

2) In five months of life, our little McKay has experienced temperatures as low as -15 F and as high as 118 F.

OK, OK, enough rambling. Here are the pictures:

McKay and his best dog Bella.

McKay with his toes in the grass.

McKay and Christina enjoying the warm weather.

McKay meets his first calf, who actually seemed interested in meeting him. This was at the Phoenix Zoo. It seems weird for us to meet a calf at the zoo (zoo means lions and tigers and bears to me), but we were hiding from the rain in the barn and the calf was feeling friendly, so we snapped some cute pics!

Merry Christmas!

McKay getting dressed for his first snow experience. (Doesn't he look excited?)

McKay in the snow. This is less than a week after the picture of McKay in the green grass. (notice the similarity in the pose)

McKay and Michael snowshoeing.


McKay all ready for his sled ride with Christina.


He spent the first stretch of the ride sitting up and taking in the sights, but at some point it got overwhelming, so...

McKay closed his eyes and enjoyed the ride in his sleep!


And, of course, snow means sledding!

I'm clearing the track.

And Christina is looking graceful on her trip down.

Long Departure

As I've seen many others do, I decided that the new year meant I needed to update our blog. Its been a long busy time since we last made an appearance.

November was a whirlwind. I had a quarter break plus Thanksgiving break at school, so it was off to Utah for two weeks. We spent a few pleasant days in Blanding with my folks before loading up and re-entering the Salt Lake Valley for the first time since May.

We spent time with Christina's family and then blessed our little blessing the evening before Thanksgiving. That made an awesome opportunity to see family and even a few long lost friends (Thanks Ben/Mikelle and Ashley/Preston!!)

Before the blessing, we also met my sister Caroline and her family on Temple Square for a little while before the cold got too cold for us Southerners. We did snap this cute picture of McKay in the brisk air.
Thanksgiving held all the usual fares, and we were fortunate enough take part in two! We first ate with my Dad's (nearly) entire family. This is a fairly rare occurrence, and it gave me the opportunity to catch up with uncles, aunts, etc., that I haven't seen for years, including my Uncle Steven and his wife Kaelin. This was important to me, as I lived with Steven and Kaelin for nearly a year before my mission, but like is prone to happen, our lives had diverged and contact had slipped away. I was excited to show off McKay and Kaelin told me how he reminded her of her first son Kyle when he was a baby.

We left the Nielson Thanksgiving just in time to make it to the Meier Thanksgiving at Christina's parents' house. The rolls were good. I was too full to taste much else (but I'm sure it was delicious!).

We returned to Phoenix Sunday night and my traditional check-in call became an unforgettable moment in my life. I was walking Bella to the mail box when my mom told me Aunt Kaelin had died. She had an undiagnosed brain aneurysm that ruptured without any warning.

Forgive me for a moment. My Aunt Kaelin actually played an important and significant role in my life. I often felt guilty because communication between us had slipped away. I was already grateful that I got to see her (and her family) on Thanksgiving. Now I can only attribute it to God's grace.

I am thankful for Thanksgiving this year. It means a lot more than a slice of turkey with the family. Kaelin was 38. She left three teenage sons behind. I remember those sons so well when they were small, and still am surprised sometimes when I see how grown up they are now. I can clearly remember Kaelin and the boys meeting me in the Salt Lake airport when I returned from my LDS mission in Jamaica. The boys were standing there, waving Jamaican flags and wearing these goofy knit hats I had sent them and smiling.

We returned to Utah in less than a week. Unfortunately, I couldn't make to the funeral in Hooper, Utah, but I did make it the graveside service at the cemetary in Blanding. I have a new memory of the boys. They aren't smiling now, but they aren't crying either. They are standing in the cold while their mother is laid to rest and they look, well, they look confident. They look grown up. They look amazingly faithful. They look more like men than I feel like. They look peaceful.

I have a tendency to be a bit more emotional than is fashionable for most men. My emotions must have shown through a little more than I intended, because after the ceremony, Kaelin's middle son Richard came a hugged me. "Are you OK?" he asks. "I'll be alright. I should be asking you. I don't think I could handle this as well as you are," I reply. "I believe in the gospel," he said, looking me in the eyes. "That's my comfort."

It isn't just in his appearance. He is more of a man than I am. Richard also wrote this poem and recited it at the funeral:

My Mother

My mother lying there so peacefully
All the memories I've shared with her
She was there to help very thoroughly
Everyday and all the time together

My mother lying in her hospital bed
Awaiting her journey onward, homeward
She has helped many, and left them in her sted
She was steadfast and very empowered

My mother leaving us physically
I need her more than you can imagine
She is here with me emotionally
She left us so fast so tragically

My mother I will see her again
I don't know how long that will be
I may not have showed it but she was my best friend
I will try to be the man she wanted me to be.

Unbelievable courage.

I didn't intend to spend this long on the funeral. I almost didn't even mention it. But once I started, the words seemed to fall uncontrollably from the keyboard onto the screen in front of me. Again, forgive me. I hope others can be as touched by the faith of Kaelin's sons as I have been.