Where is Everyone?

I have been faithfully checking the blog to see what all of your opinions are about the family reunion. Thanks Brad for your vote of confidence. The rest of you, write something! ;-) I actually logged onto the computer this morning to work on my graduate class. I must say, it has really humbled me! It is all online which in itself has been a learning curve for me. I have spent just as much time this week learning all of the tools and programs as I have reading my textbooks! My class has about 50 people in it, and there are many impressive resumes as we have been "introducing" ourselves this week. The first text we are reading is actually by a French philosopher (yes it is an English class, on discourse actually), and I think it may as well be in French because it is so hard to understand. Sigh...Hopefully as I start to exercise those parts of my brain that have been on vacation for 9 years or so, it will start coming back to me! Our home edition has been put on a brief hold as the temperatures have plummeted out west. I hear you easterners are having a balmy winter-lucky ducks! What other news do we hail from the other side of the country? I am sure I am not the only one who would love to hear more from our Virginia Rosses. Gideon looks great (as do the other two) and we're so glad to hear he is doing so well. That is about all for the Martin family. I hope you will catch us up on your news everyone!

Cute kids

Shrinking the Big Head

Nobody wants their kid to get a big head. Keryn and I were so serious on that point we put our kid under the knife! :-) It is the morning after the shunt surgery. Gideon had follow up x-ray and CT scans. Everything is looking very good.

One important measure has been head circumference. When he was born, it was 34.5cm. Over the following days it went to 35, then 35.5, 36, 37, 37.5, 38. Slowly but surely the size crept up. After one day of having the shunt in place, his head is now measuring 34.5cm. Since babies experience normal growth in head size, we guess that his head was already a bit fluid enlarged when he was born.

Yay for modern medicine and caring doctors, nurses, and a loving family and Father in Heaven!

Shunt Surgery

We had an appointment with Gideon's neurologists today and he had another CT scan. They've recommended that we have the shunt put in, so we'll go in tomorrow morning for the surgery. If all goes well, we'll only be in the hospital for one night after the surgery.

The shunt has been described to us as a tube the size of a piece of spaghetti that will run from the ventricle in the brain, under the scalp, and down into the abdominal cavity. There is going to be enough tube put in that he'll have enough to grow to full size with this one shunt. The surgeon didn't make it sound like it is very common, but certainly possible for a kid to go a couple of decades before needing a shunt revision.

Of course, the purpose of the shunt is to drain excess fluid away from the brain. Normally, the fluid would flow away from the brain through the same opening the spinal cord goes through, but because of things related to the spina bifida, a part of the brain is misshapen and isn't allowing the fluid to flow down like it normally would. The shunt will solve that problem. However, if the shunt breaks or gets kinked or clogged or whatever, it will have to be replaced in another surgery.

The doctor also tells us there is a risk of infection that hits between 5-7% of kids that get this surgery. In that case, the hospital stay is a few weeks long until the child is fully recovered. We are very confident in Gideon's general good health right now and I am praying we won't have any complications. He is eating and sleeping so well and I expect his mother's milk will prove to be a good shield.

Again, thank you for all of your prayers on Gideon's behalf.

re: Reunion

Keryn and I talked about your proposal and we think it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm not aware of any work plans that would goof up the 4th of July for me, but I'll need to check on that as well. Count us as a definite yes on the activity and a probable yes on the date.

a few thoughts on reunion

Wow. Everything sounds great!!! ... except for one little thing... the dates. Of course, by then Mom and I will be retired and have lots of time. However, the 4th of July could be pretty crowded in the mountains. Is this the only time we can all go? If so, let's go for it.

Dad

Test

Reuniting

Well now that the new year is upon us, it is time to start thinking about the reunion this summer! First and foremost, we need to settle on some dates. With the limited input I have had up to this point, we are thinking about the week of the 4th of July. That would probably be Wed. July 4th through Saturday July 7th. I need feedback on these dates! Do you love it, hate it, can't do it...put it out there.
Next, as you all know, we would like to try a camping reunion. For those of you who feel a little less hardy, the campsite that we are considering can accomidate trailers and RVs. They have dumping facilities, water pumps, bathrooms with sinks and flush toilets, and shower facilties. Our family has camped there for years, and we camp in our tent. We always bring bikes and fishing gear. There is a little fishing lake, lots of hiking trails, an area where we can play volleyball, or baseball; there is lots to do. Cedar City is also less than an hour away, and we often go down there once during our stay to grocery shop (they have a Super-Walmart) and sometimes see a movie. There is also a little village right down the road from the campground that has a gas station and a hardware store. Lots of people ride four wheelers in the area, and there are lots of trails for that kind of stuff. The weather is pretty warm during the day (shorts and t-shirts). The evenings require pants and jackets. We often get afternoon rain. We can easily make day trips to places like Bryce or Zion National Parks if that interests anyone. Brianhead resort is also minutes away.
I hope this gives you an idea about what to expect, and the information you need to give us some feedback. We realize this is something a little different than what we have done in the past, but we are so excited, and we know it can be so much fun! If anyone needs us to help them get camping gear, let us know. We have access to extra tents, sleeping bags, and the like. We are also equiped with most of the stuff we will need for cooking. Your family will most likely be assigned to be in charge of a meal during the reunion. More on that as we solidify plans.
I hope to read lots of your comments, positive or otherwise! (;

Christmas Eve

Steve got our family a portable fire pit and all the fixins for S'mores on Christmas Eve. It was so fun to snuggle together and have a quiet treat together on that most quiet of nights.

Expanding...

After a lot of talk, planning, more talk, and lots of thought, we have finally broken ground for our addition. We are planning to add a two car garage, a family room, and a fourth bedroom to our little house. As our boys get bigger by the moment, and as we continue to accumualte stuff, we seem to need just a little more room. Theo (known in some circles as the "Navajo Backhoe") has now drafted our plans, had them approved by the city, and excavated the area where our foundation will be poured. I still marvel at his industry even after seeing all that he has already acheived in the beautification of our home. He has done everything by hand and the sweat of his brow. What a worker!

christmas etc

well, i opened my christmas present today from my whole family. :) wow!! because i promised mom i would take some, here are a few pics:








i can't even begin to tell you...wow. i can't thank you enough for this amazing gift. it is so cool! the number of hours that you all must have put into this is just too much. it means so much to me to have received something so thoughtful from my sisters and mother. i especially love the personalized square with all the people, my family, on it.

i know i don't tell you guys enough how much i love and appreciate you, but i really do. i am so lucky to have such a selfless and supportive family. i know that you all don't agree with my decision on how i live my life, but you have been there for me and loved me nonetheless. i know a lot of people that can't say the same for their families. you all set such great examples for me and offer advice whenever i need it and i am glad for that.

thank you so much for this wonderful gift. it means more to me than i have the words to express.

love,
deb

Gideon Update

Oh man. I just take it for granted that word gets around faster than it does about what is going on. Nicole chided me for not keeping everyone more up to date, so here is the latest on Gideon. He was born on Monday, December 18th. He had his back surgery on Wednesday and we were able to come home with him that same Saturday. That meant we got to be home for Christmas which we hardly dared to hope for. All of your prayers and faith have really paid off thus far!

Since he has been home, he has been a lot like any other newborn. He is really getting into a groove with eating. He isn't very fussy and he sleeps well. The incision on his back is healing very nicely. We'll have to keep on eye on that part of his spine as he grows since there is always the chance that scar tissue will cause the spinal cord to stick in one place and not grow well with the rest of his body. But so far, so good.

The biggest concern we have right now is about his head. We have to watch out for the accumulation of fluid on his brain, called hydrocephalus. If too much fluid builds up in your skull, it could put pressure on the brain and cause brain damage. This is quite common in kids with spina bifida and about 81% of them will need to have a tube put in their head, called a shunt, that will drain the fluid out of their head, under their skin, and down into their belly.

Gideon's head is growing a little more quickly than we'd like to see, which is an indication of the onset of hydrocephalus. The soft spots on his head are also starting to bulge out a little bit. We're keeping a close eye on the situation and he may end up getting the shunt surgery next week. It is something we'd obviously hoped to avoid, but we've been so blessed already we could hardly complain.

Keryn's mom and sister have been staying with us since shortly after he was born, helping us to watch the other kids while we were at the hospital. Yesterday, Keryn's mom went back home to Las Vegas. She has a son and daughter-in-law and their two kids living with her right now and the daughter-in-law has some medical problems and was admitted to the hospital for reasons we're still not entirely clear on yet. She was more needed there than here, so off she went. She has been such a saint through everything that has poured over her this year.

Keryn's sister, LaDale, is still staying with us until the 13th when she'll go back home to Colorado Springs. She has been so helpful and we feel blessed that she is in a position where she can offer so much of her time to us. Keryn, particularly, appreciates the blessing of getting a bit more sleep than she might otherwise get with a husband at work and two toddlers running around the house.

I imagine that you are curious, as we were, to know what the myelomeningeocele on his back looked like. Here is a before and after picture. You can click on the picture to get a bigger version.

re: dad's kite story

hahahahahahhahahahaah!!! man, that story never gets old. i love it.

Perhaps a Darwin Award Winner

Well, if all of you promise to never tell anyone in Detroit, I'll tell you my story of how I virtually shut down the city with some kite string:

It was a blustery spring day. I had a new kite and was enjoying flying it at the school yard. The conditions were perfect and I wanted to fly even higher than my one ball of string would allow. So I went home and asked my mom for more string. She gave me a roll of "Christmas String." It was regular string with a strip of aluminum foil wrapped around it to make it prettier.

Out I went. I ran my kite as high as it would go with the regular string, then tied on the Christmas String. Up it went even higher. I was having a great time.

Then the wind started to die down. And the kite started to come down. Not wanting to give up, I kept trying to regain altitude... to no avail. So down came the kite.

The trouble came when the Christmas String made contact with the powerlines over the playground. It drapped from one to another and then "Bang!!!" With a loud cracking sound and a big ball of fire, the power lines came crashing down. They danced around like an out-of-control fire hose, shooting sparks instead of water.

I stood there all amazed. I threw the string down on the ground (probably saved my life) and backed into a corner of the playground. In what seemed like moments, sirens started to scream. Police and fire trucks came roaring to the scene. I watched in horror, sure that I would be arrested and executed by the next day. But no one seemed to notice the frightened little boy standing in the corner... watching.

Interestingly, every spring, around the time the kites began to fly, our teachers would warn us all about the evil little boy who killed power to the city by flying his kite with Christmas String. I never confessed (until now) but was sure that everyone knew I was guilty.

Dad (Darwin Winner)

Darwin and the Kite

You're probably familiar with the annual Darwin Awards. I was amused by this entry.

Kennon, 26, replicated the conditions of Ben Franklin's experiment, but sans safety precautions. He was flying a kite with a short string that he had extended with a length of thin copper wire.

The copper made contact with a high tension line, sending a bolt of artificial lightning down the wire towards the man. To cap the story off, Kennon's father told listeners, his son was an electrician and "should have known better."

Reading this story makes we want to hear dad's retelling of his own childhood kite story. What do you say dad?

End of a year and an era

As 2006 closes down, I have had a reoccurring memory running around in my head, perhaps it is old age. It was 1966 or early 1967 and Opal Allen was addressing the Relief Society, or perhaps bearing her testimony in RS, but it was in the RS room. I had on a red plaid maternity dress. She was talking about how many years she had been a visiting teacher and various other jobs, etc. I was thinking that the most I could say was that I had been a visiting teacher, for not even a year, had been a YW advisor for a year or so, was currently holding a couple of jobs with the youth, had taught high school English for two years, but that was about it. I had no credibility. At that time I thought it would be forever before I could say I had been a visiting teacher for 5 years, let alone 35 or 40. Needless to say, the time has come and I wonder where the time has gone.

Another time comes to mind, I had recently had my 5th baby and someone in the ward commented that I should cancel a scheduled tennis match because it conflicted with a time they wished to have an event, and this happened more than once. I am glad I didn't give in because tennis was an outlet for me, an esteem builder, as well as good exercise. I limited the number of times I would play during the week, as some ladies played every day and sometimes twice a day. It would have been easy to follow suit if I hadn't decided where I would draw the line. Soon dad was playing and we had several years of enjoyment from tennis with our friends. Had I listened to someone who said that I could do that when my kids were raised, I would have missed a very satisfying part of my life.

Tennis has not been a big part of our life in Page because of lack off partners and facilities.
In July, we will have been in Page 20 years. What an exciting and fulfilling 20 years! We came here with four children, as we were in the downsizing phase of life. We married off five children, gained five incredible sons and daughters, and had 20 awesome grandchildren (with a little help from our children). I went back to teaching, got my ESL endorsement, received my special education endorsement, and earned a master’s degree in administration.

There is a time and a season, and it is different for everyone. For recreation we played a little tennis, took up racquetball and golf and grandparenting. Of course, we didn’t do them all at the same time and some of them not very well. It has been a good 20 years here in Page.

2006 was rougher than usual on our family, each family unit has its own crises and trials with many prayers answered. My testimony has grown through it all. We did get two beautiful new grandchildren. 2007 is looming before us with new challenges and victories.

I am grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ and all that he does for us when we ask. I am thankful for a super marriage and a loving husband without whose support, I would not have accomplished half of what I have been able to do. I am very blessed.

I am almost ready for the next phase, leaving Page, going on a mission, etc.

I love you all,

Mom

fall semester project

well, i chatted with kim for a bit this morning online and she requested that i post some of my latest school stuff...since i haven't really been posting anything. for those of you that don't know, i'm in my final year (i guess its down to the final semester now) of my second bachelor's degree. the good news is, i have a much better grasp on what this degree is and what it entails. although i'm a little nervous, i'm applying all over the country and with any luck, i'll get a job somewhere and move.

so anywho. this project is actually a year-long one. we are sponsored by intel and have been asked to come up with products to improve the daily life of elders, specifically 45+. we spent the first semester doing research by reading books, journals, reports, etc, as well as interviewing people. we used this research to come up with numerous product opportunity gaps, or areas within the market where we felt there was a potential for a product. this led to hundreds of crazy ideas. we had to select 20 of these ideas and develop them a little further. out of the 20, we chose 5, then down to 3 for the final presentation of the semester. i'm not going to post all of the pages i had to show at my final presentation (there are approx. 25-30), but here are some of the pages of the most visually interesting things.

the forms are a bit rough...so forgive me. we spend the entire second semester developing the form and engineering the product, so this is just a preliminary step.



i know the text is small on here, and difficult to read, so i apologize. this is basically a system to track your nutrition intake. the piece that attaches to the silverware tracks calories, sugar, protein, and sodium and reports the information back to the main unit.

this page is pointing out the main features of this product.




again, i know the text is hard to read, but with a little understanding of what the product does, the pictures should tell most of the story.


this is the storyboard, basically showing how the product is used. again, i know the text is hard to read, but with a little understanding of what the product does, the pictures should tell most of the story.



the second product is to assist elders with difficulty remembering to take their medication. the pill storage device dispenses the proper medication at the designated time. the lights throughout the house then begin to flash slowly, to alert them to go take their medication.

this is the features and functions presentation board.



this shows the process of how the product works...the pills are loaded in and the device is programmed as to what medication to dispense at what time. when the medication drops, the user is alerted and they take the medication.

once again, here is the storyboard.



the third product is a glove that gives assistance to individuals with difficulty gripping things. it could help a 74 year-old woman with arthritis open a jar, for example.

this shows the features, which include a rubberized texture to reduce slippage and an open design for easy handling.



the process of this product is rather simple, but it has to be shown nonetheless.

this shows the process of having difficulty, putting the glove on, and opening the jar with ease.


so there is a peek at what i have been up to in school. sorry it is so giant and long. hopefully soon, i will be able to get a website of my work up and running so i can just put a link in here instead. :) until that day, thanks for taking the time to look at my stuff. if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask.

love you guys!

Happy New Year

2006 is nearly gone and 2007 looms wonderful on the horizon. So much has happened this year it is hard to digest it all. We are all thrilled to learn that Gideon is doing so well and we continue to pray for him. Mom and I will celebrate our 42nd anniversary tomorrow! It's hard to imagine! I continue to marvel that this incredible woman would have agreed to be my eternal companion. She is still breathtakingly beautiful, intelligent, caring, and capable (the best Relief Society President in the Church). When she retires this year, Page Schools is going to be in trouble. We are looking forward to our move, although we can't imagine how we will be able to live without the Martins being only a block away. We will have to visit often. We also learned that a flight to Richmond, on Jet Blue, only costs about one half what it costs on a major carrier. Get ready Skip and Laurene. And remember, we will have at least two or three extra bedrooms. Thanks to Kim, our new home's basement is turning into a real show-place.

Well, I shall stop rambling for now. I'm not even sure if this will be posted.

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad

Naming Gideon

Naming kids is a traumatic affair for me and Keryn. We put a lot of thought into the process because we believe your name gets to shape a little part of who you are. Keryn and I both liked Ezra Taft Benson as a prophet of our childhood and we know that Ezra was a good Old Testament prophet too who tried to bring Israel back to the true worship of Jehovah. While waiting in the labor and delivery room, just prior to his birth, we settled on giving the name to our first son.

When we found out we were having a girl, we tossed around a lot of names. She ended up being born on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. That is the traditional date of the crucifixion, the culmination of the ultimate act of mercy ever performed. Since we also like the different Mercys in church history, we were able to settle on the name of Mercy for our little girl, though we didn't really get there until 12 or 18 hours after she was born. The date of her birth really had a lot to do with the final selection of that name.

Naming Gideon was a different experience. We bounced through several names that we liked and Gideon just sort of rose to the top of the list. Shortly before he was born, one of the nurses asked us what we would name him. We looked at each other, and then answered that we would name him Gideon Michael Ross. Of course, the Michael is to honor Keryn's father who passed away earlier this year.

It wasn't until later, while talking to a social worker in Primary Children's, that the appropriateness of the name Gideon really struck me. She asked what his name was. I told her it was Gideon. She said it reminded her of a faithful Nephite warrior. I told her that Keryn too most associated the name with the Book of Mormon character. I mentioned that I liked the association with the biblical Gideon. She couldn't think of the story right off, so I started to tell her about Gideon raising an army to fight for Israel.

Many men joined the cause, but the Lord didn't want them to believe that they would be victorious on their own strength alone, so he reduced their number through various tests until only 300 remained. With such a small group, they wouldn't be able to rely on their own power, they would need the help of the Lord.

And then it hit me how similar that story is to my own little Gideon. He is facing his battle at a natural disadvantage and he will be required to lean on the Lord more than he otherwise might have. And that won't be a bad thing. We're so blessed to have him join our family.

Switch Your Account

I finally figured out how to switch your account from the old Blogger login to the new Google login so that you can post to the blog. Just visit http://www.blogger.com/migrate-login.g (there is a huge link to it on the homepage that I totally missed) and you will be able to sign in with your old Blogger account and then choose a Google (often gmail) account that you'd like to use to sign into the blog in the future. Let me know if you have trouble with it.

Welcome Gideon Michael Ross

For those of you who have not yet been lucky enough to meet our little Gideon, here are some pictures sent to you courtesy of the wireless internet access they provide in his hospital room.

This first picture is of Keryn just before Gideon's birth. She wasn't smiling this big during the birth, if you were wondering. The smile returned when she got to meet her little boy face to bruised face.


Gideon's life starts with a very bruised face. Keryn thinks of him as her little prize fighter. Apparently this sort of bruising is not altogether uncommon. In any event, I'm sure Gideon will enjoy showing this photo to his friends someday. This photo was taken a couple of hours after his birth just before he was transported from the Labor and Delivery area at the University of Utah Hospital to the Infant Surgery and Medical Unit at Primary Children's Medical Center. The two hospitals are connected by a bridge that makes it easy for mom to visit baby. They each have their own room. Dad gets to shuttle between them. :)


Keryn reports that Gideon was her most active child in the womb. Evidence of this can be seen in the complete flip that he completed at some point, leaving this perfect little knot in his umbilical cord. The OB said this happens once every hundred births or so. He was showing it off to all the residents, so of course I had to snap a photo.

We expect that his surgery will be tomorrow morning. Your prayers are already paying off. He is doing as well as we could have hoped. This back surgery is the next big hurdle where we hope we don't lose any of the abilities he currently has. We'll keep you posted as things progress.

Blog Changes Completed

After two days of Blogger not publishing correctly, I finally switched our family blog to the new version of Blogger. When you log in to publish, you will be prompted to switch your account to a Google account so that you can post. I think you have to sign in once with your old Blogger credentials. After that, you will just sign into the Beta version of Blogger and hopefully things will work a little better over here.

Thanks for posting, Skip. Looks like you squeaked in just before the switch.

Well, its been a while since we were able to complete a posting. We are here in Virginia in the new house, and still trying to get settled in. We are really struggling right now since we have no broadband internet available here. We are on a dialup account that is PAINFULLY slow. Therefore, we don't get online as much as we're used to. Hopefully in the next week or so, we'll be able to get either a satellite or wireless broadband connection set up.

We're pretty excited to be here all together now. We are slowly getting unpacked and organized. Our house in Colorado was packed and loaded on November 27-29th and then we flew out here on the 30th. We moved in to the house here on December 4th, and have been unpacking boxes ever since. The boys are enjoying the house and surrounding woods. They have lots of room to run and ride their bikes. We're starting to get to know some people here. Our ward seems great and we've met quite a few families who live out here near us.

Its great to be able to catch up on the news from everyone else. We think of all of you often and hope to do a better job at keeping in touch, even though we are farther away. We'll especially be thinking of Brad and Keryn over the next few days. We'll post again in the coming days and be looking for updates from all of the rest of you.

Defining Beauty

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this subject. First, you'll have to watch the video clip from Dove that simulates the process of taking a model from makeup to billboard.

Next is an article published by the Wall Street Journal opinion section. It is a defense of the beauty industry and takes issue with the notion that there ought to be such a thing as "natural beauty."

Any thoughts on the subject?

Checking Into the Hotel Hannay

Keryn and I have checked into the Hotel Hannay. Last night Keryn was having some strong contractions and this morning she had to call her sister over to watch the kids so she could lay down while I was teaching a class. I was planning to stay for the whole day at work, but I took off immediately after my class to help Keryn get packed and ready.

Keryn is still not sure if we're going to end up in the hospital tonight, but at least we're close to the right place so this baby will be in good shape. We called and left a message with the doctor that we'd like to induce on Monday instead of Wednesday (if we make it that long) but they never called us back. We'll call tomorrow and see if we can figure out what is going on.

In the meantime, Kim is already taking great care of us. Thanks so much to the Hannays for opening their home to us!

What about December 20th?

We finally have a scheduled induction date--December 20th. If the baby stays put that long, that is. He is definitely by far the most active baby of my three. I am so grateful for all your thoughts and prayers.

Hope you are all having a Merry Christmastime!

Blog changes coming

Some of you have noticed some flakiness getting your posts to "publish" occasionally. Google is currently in the process of moving all Blogger users (like us) from the old system to a new system that has fewer problems and more functionality. We'll be forced to switch eventually, so I thought it would be better if we did the switch on our own timetable.

The big change will be the login name for the site. You won't be able to use your Blogger login after we make the change; you will have to use a Google account. If you have a gmail account, you can use that. Otherwise, you will have to create a Google account to be able to post.

To create a Google account, check out the instructions here. You can use any email address to create a Google account. Your login will be that email address and a password of your choosing. If you'd like to get a gmail account to use for this purpose, let me know and I will send you an invitation to sign up for one.

We'll give everyone a week or so to create an account with Google and then we'll pull the switch to start using the new system. I'll put up another post when that actually happens. In the meantime, you can continue to post as you normally would.

Our family had a good experience fasting last Sunday and we look forward to more news from the Rosses of the impending addition to our clan. We are planning to go to SLC sometime during the week preceding Christmas and welcome any updates that would help us know the best time to be there.

We had a good trip to Mexico for Thanksgiving. We drove to Rocky Point and enjoyed the beach and sunshine on Turkey Day. We did have a liittle trouble on the return home, and we are very grateful this year for the miracle of modern antibiotics! I hope everyone else had a nice holiday too.

re: Christmas Fast

Thanks for the suggestion, Kim. Mom and Dad also called with the same suggestion around the time you posted this to the blog. We so greatly appreciate all of your faith and prayers as we approach this very precarious point in our little son's life.

To give the update on time lines, the baby is due on Dec. 28th. The plan has been to deliver him one week early so that it could be done in a very controlled environment up at the University of Utah hospital which is right next door to the Primary Children's Hospital. That put us up to the 21st.

Keryn's regular OB suggested that, since both of our other kids came one week early and because the last one was born so quickly, it might not be wise to wait all the way until the 21st. He recommended the 14th. That is at 38 weeks.

Since we'd rather let him cook as long as possible, we're going to try to have the baby as close to the 21st as possible without waiting for that date. Kim has graciously agreed to let us stay at her house for a few days so that we can wait a little longer to have the baby and still be close enough to get to the hospital if he decides to come on his own.

Keryn's mom and sister will be coming to stay with us for a month after our boy is born.

I spoke with our bishop during tithing settlement and he said that we can give our boy a blessing in the hospital without doing the formal "name and a blessing". So we will still do that probably a month after he is born. Knowing that some of you would like to be present for the blessing (you're all invited as always), we'd love to hear any feedback from you on dates that absolutely won't work for your family. If we have any wiggle room in timing, we'll try to accommodate everyone.

I love you all so much!

Christmas fast

There is no more special time than Christmas. There are no more special people than Brad & Keryn. Please join our family in fasting for them and their baby this coming Sunday. We are praying that the Lord will bless them with the strength they need to face their upcoming challenges and to let us know how we can best serve them at this exciting and difficult time.
WE LOVE YOU!