Melissa turns (gulp!) 18

January 24, 1992. A day we'll never forget (not a day that will live in infamy, just a day we'll never forget).

The day started easy enough, with Jason off to UNLV for classes and Yvonne, then seven-and-a-half months pregnant, trying to catch a few more z's before heading to work. Our baby (Mariah if a girl, Tyson if a boy) was due March 3. Life was good.

Jason got home from school just after 2 p.m. to find a note from Yvonne (this is before cell phones, people -- only salespeople and crack dealers had beepers, and Jason was neither): Yvonne's had some serious back pain, so she was heading to the doctor. Yawn.

Shortly after that he got a phone call: Yvonne was at the hospital, in labor. GET HERE NOW!

Jason made it in time. Melissa (let's face it, Mariah just didn't fit her) was born at 4:42 p.m. Six weeks early, five pounds and one-half ounce. We were young, scared about becoming parents and our little girl's health, but excited about the prospect of raising her as ours.

Fast forward 18 years.

As her parents, we're still young (in geologic terms), still scared at times by the choices she faces now and in the years ahead, but excited about the bright girl that she is and the bright future she faces.

While we've had our share of disagreements and frustrations and fights and challenges over the years (that's the parent-child dynamic, right? right?), we've also had more than our share of great memories watching Melissa grow up as a daughter, sister, and young woman.

And while we, as parents, have enjoyed raising her (or doing our best, anyway), it's her relationship with her four brothers that really stands out in our family. They're not her brothers, they're her boys.

We've enjoyed time spent together at backyards and beaches, ballparks and city parks, chapels and mountains, vacations and dinner tables, and many, many other stops throughout our lives together. Great, great memories that have caused the tough times to fade.

Now at 18, there's no denying that her life and ours are about to chart different courses. College applications are in the mail. High school graduation is four months away. Big decisions lurk ahead for her -- exciting, frightening times. Just like 18 years ago, we're a little scared, but she's not a little girl any more. She'll be fine.

Happy birthday, kid.

Levi’s prayers

A regular treat for us is listening to Levi pray with the family. His prayers are plainspoken, unpolished, heartfelt, and true reflections of his perspective on the world as a five year old.

He prays for his parents and his brothers and sister. He prays for our family and friends (if you’re reading this, he’s probably prayed for you at some point). Sometimes he prays for people we don’t know. He prays for hopes and dreams and everyday problems. And while his prayers generally touch our hearts, there are times we have to try not to laugh because his five-year-old perspective puts a humorous twist on things.

Just this week, he offered a prayer that was true Levi:

• After Colin, who has been fighting a cold, asked him to pray for those who aren’t feeling well, Levi prayed for Levi and dad to feel better (they had been sick together). After the prayer, he sighed and said he meant Colin, too.
• For some dear friends who are going through a rough time, Levi asked, “please bless them that they will feel better…and that they’ll have a good Christmas.” His logic: if you have a good Christmas, everything else is ok.
• And before concluding, Levi threw in this gem: “Please bless Melissa that she can shave every day.” 'Nuf said.

We often call him " little man," but in our house he is a giant.

2009...a final look back

As the year wound down, we naturally talked about the year that was...2009. We talked about a year full of high point and low points that were documented on our blog, including:

Dylan's baptism (January 3): A day he got to share with his best friend, Katie, who was baptized right after him. A great way to start the year.

Simplot Games weekend (March 7): Always one of our favorite weekends; Carson missed it so he could play in Clark County's flag football championship with his school...and they won!

The Clark County Fair (April 14): a cold, rainy morning didn't prevent a day for the ages with friends at Valley of Fire.

Over-the-fence home runs (May 3 for Colin; June 18 for Mel): after all the days and nights and weekends spent at ballparks over the years, our two oldest "went yard" for the first times. Great nights. Plus Carson had a solid year, and Dylan's team won a championship.

Big Daddy's Barbecue in Amarillo, Texas (August 5): We could have picked highlights from every day of our trip East. This was a great meal, with a great hostess named "Kay" who learned of our move and proceeded to treat us like rock stars. Between the "marj-a-reen", Dylan's new nickname (Big-Un), and free brownies for the road, it was our best meal on the trip.

Watching Albert Pujols in person (August 10): Sitting in St. Louis's Busch Stadium, we felt the surge of electricity swell through the stadium as 40,000 people stood to watch the greatest hitter on Earth, Albert Pujols, walk to the plate with the bases loaded, hear ZZ Top's "Got Me Under Pressure" blare on the loudspeaker, and witness a pitcher who wished he played football for a living. (Pujols lined out to left, but no one cared?)

First day in our house in Maryland (September 14): After all the nights in hotels, all the restaurant meals, and all the fits-and-starts that delayed our home purchase, finally having a place to call home was a sweet day, indeed.


BUT, after a hectic, crazy, too-full year, we found we missed writing about some great moments. There were five favorites that didn't make the blog, because we were busy...we were getting ready to move...we were unloading boxes...there was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts!!! Well, you get the idea:

Family dinner at Rubio's
Jason's travel schedule called for a lot of time away from home, so we tended to value the time we had together. After weeks of non-stop travel, he finally had a few days at home in early June just as the kids' school year was done.

For a treat, we went to one of our favorite restaurants: Rubio's, home of the world's best fish tacos, plus shrimp tacos, salmon tacos, mahi mahi tacos, etc.

It was a regular stop for Jason and Yvonne on the way home from the airport. As a family we grabbed a table outside and enjoyed a relaxing dinner of tacos and chips and guacamole in the hot, sunny Las Vegas weather (boy do we miss that now). Fresh warm churros were an exclamation mark on a great night.

San Clemente
It's no secret that our family developed a special bond with the Piets. As individuals, as couples, and as families, we just jelled. Over the years we've shared many experiences together, mostly small things that reinforced how much we trusted and cared for each other. Then we got to spend a lot of time together before we moved, and it was all great. While it made leaving more painful, it allowed us to bring even more great memories with us.

We could have picked several things to highlight over our last several months in Las Vegas, but a true high point of our time together was our trip to San Clemente, Calif., in mid-July, just before we moved. We got a great deal on a great rental house overlooking the ocean. It was four days of sun, sand, and surf. It was great food and great fun with great friends. It was...perfect.

We didn't want it to end. In our memories, it never will.


Photos and Iceberg
Before we headed East, we wanted to make sure we had a good family photo in the West. So we called Jason's cousin Hope, made the arrangements, and travelled to St. George to get some pictures taken in the land of red rocks and blue skies just a week before we left (and, if you notice the tans, a few days after the beach). The wind blew too much, and we had to stop taking photos when it started raining, but we had a great time.

It got even better when Hope's husband, Randy, and three children joined us for dinner at the Iceberg Drive-In in St. George. Jason and Randy shared a lot of experiences growing up, and as two families we all had a blast together sharing a big spread of hamburgers, french fries, and thick milkshakes.

Oh yeah, and we got some great family photos.

Dinner at Dutch's Daughter
You'll note that a lot of our posts have to do with eating somewhere. We have always made a point of having dinner together, and sharing meals is often some of our best quality time as a family. While we enjoyed a lot of restaurant meals, we also found that we got tired of eating out...but we didn't have a choice during our two months in hotels.

An exception came on the last Sunday in August. After church, not looking forward to another round of sandwiches in the room or being in a crowded restaurant, we drove to Dutch's Daughter, a "fancy" sit-down restaurant in Frederick. Our timing was perfect: about 2 p.m., after the lunch rush, before the dinner rush. There couldn't have been more than a dozen other people in the entire restaurant.

We asked for a table downstairs and ended up being seated around a large square table where we could all see and interact with each other -- and we were the only people in that area of the restaurant. We were all still dressed up from church (except that the boys had removed their ties). Despite the formality of the restaurant, it was easily the most relaxed our family had been in weeks. We talked and laughed and enjoyed each others' company. It was the first time since we left Las Vegas that we felt like "home."

Our waiter was excellent, and funny, and patient (and generous -- both Levi and Melissa got free desserts, because they're both cute, we believe). We milked the meal for almost two hours -- from appetizers through dessert. Great food, and great company. It was expensive, but the time together was priceless.

Breakfast at the Residence Inn
Living in a hotel has certain advantages. Fresh linens every day, on-call maid service, and no lawn care or building maintenance. But the best perk was the hot breakfast. While Embassy Suites have the best breakfasts, we grew especially fond of the breakfast at the Frederick Residence Inn during our two and a half weeks there. Eggs, toast, juice, and waffles (mmmmm, waffles) every day.

The staff there got to know us, and once school started they knew the kids' schedules. Melissa got breakfast really early, then left for high school. Colin and Carson were the next shift, then off for middle school. Finally, as Yvonne was shuttling the older kids to school and Jason was making sure everyone (including he) was getting ready, the two youngest would head to the breakfast area, get some help from the staff, and then sidle up to the snack bar for a hot meal. Breakfast hasn't been the same since.

So that's it. 2009 is done, and documented. It was a challenging year, full of change and stress and tears, but also full of hope and excitement and memories that will last a lifetime. Bring on 2010. We're ready...

Festival of Lights

The weather has been dreary (and well documented), but sometimes you just gotta get out.

We found a reason last night, going to the Washington, D.C., temple for its annual Festival of Lights. It was cold (around 25 degrees), damp, and windy. So we bundled up and headed out. We picked up burgers and fries for the drive (to stay warm, of course) and headed the 35 miles south.

It was well worth it. The temple grounds were a gorgeous mix of colors from all the lights. We enjoyed the life-sized nativity scene (as Levi put it, "Look, there's Mary and Jesus...and all that other stuff!" -- we were happy he recognized the important ones). And the temple...well, the temple is always an impressive site. We love being there.



To get out of the cold, we went inside the visitors center and saw a variety of Nativity scenes collected from around the world -- pottery from Peru, stone carvings from Kenya, textiles from Cambodia. One of our favorites was from Mongolia -- a small metal-carved Nativity, housed in the starry crystals of a geode.



Despite the weather, it was a great night together, and a good way to wrap up the holiday season and start the new year. While it was cold outside, we were all warm inside...