Wilkinson Family Reunion-Ensign Ranch 2014

This post has been sitting in our drafts for just over two years! We went to the Wilkinson family reunion right before we moved out to South Carolina.

Apparently Michelle has a mini-meltdown in the days leading up to the trip, as evidenced by this note :)

Wednesday

Drive, Drive, Drive...

Before the hike later that afternoon, we played a game called Allhambra with Ila, Glinda and Sabine and not to brag, but Michelle and I took first and second place (beginners luck, I think not; a little cheating?...ask Michelle :) ). So far day one of the reunion had gone perfect and reminded me much of my Stone family reunions...playing games, going on hikes, eating good food. By Friday night we realized the sub theme to Finding Joy in the Journey must have been: To have joy you must eat tacos; because just about every meal involved tortillas and variations of taco/burrito fillings. Despite the fact that the meals where similar, they all had their own unique, tasty spin and there was plenty to go around.

Thursday

The theme for the reunion this year was "Finding Joy in the Journey." This mantra came after sifting through a variety of other themes including its sister with a negative connotation "Endure to the End." I think we all agreed a family reunion was doomed to fail if we all felt we'd have to "endure" each other's presence for the few short days we were together. 

Michelle and I (one of the newer members of the family) got to share the opening message and introduce the theme. We shared a few thoughts from the scriptures and from President Monson's last conference message aptly titled "Finding Joy in the Journey." We focused on the idea that we were meant to have Joy in this life (see 2 Nephi 2:25) and that we could choose to be happy despite our circumstances (see Alma 62: 41; 3 Nephi 6:13). It was Abraham Lincoln who said "I reckon most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." And, President Monson who said "choose to find joy in the journey now" (emphasis added). 

Michelle highlighted some key points from the Monson talk. First, that we need to focus on the most important things in our lives--people--letting go of the past and prioritizing the present people in our lives. Secondly, she reminded us of the need to be grateful, to focus on what we have and not on what we are missing in our lives. As Elder Uchtdorf reminds us, we ought to be grateful in our circumstances not for things. 

After the thought, we tried to sort out the climbing wall and realized the communication and scheduling at ensign ranch had much to be desired (along with the good qualities of course--don't want to sound too whiny and cynical).  Climbing would be postponed until Friday so we could go on the hike to Franklin Falls. 

No matter how much I love the natural and unique beauty of Utah, the lush, green forests of Washington never cease to amaze me. The rich, clear pools of water, grandiose, cascading waterfalls and thick, exotic looking growth remind me of my time in the Australian rainforest or New Zealand back country. 

The hike, like most others I have done in Washington was gorgeous and Michelle and I took some time to explore off trail, to rock hop, and to jog along the dirt paths. We especially enjoyed the chatter in the car on the way to and from the falls with Mom Spencer and cousin Kara.

Here's our confession--Thursday night we definitely snuck away to our cabin to finish watching season one of the Legend of Korra series on our portable DVD player. Thank goodness for technology in the wilderness--bring on season 2.

Friday

Today we took advantage of the canoes on the lake. Although Michelle hates lake scum and we both quickly realized we'd need to communicate better to joyfully and successfully direct a canoe, we had fun. The lake was pretty nasty nast, but we enjoyed our jaunt and then watched the little cousins (and some of the big ones) slide down the slip n slide while enjoying our ice cream bars on the side lines. 

That afternoon we got to spearhead the climbing activity on the Ensign Ranch rock wall. Michelle was my bouncer and helped so much with preparing participants and managing the group while I trained belayers and supervised safety and climbing. We make a good team. Thanks again to Ethan, Uncle Kevin, and Cousin Rebecca for being my belayers and helping cleanup. 

We almost had a major problem about thirty minutes into our climbing when Larry (that name was thrown out like a title--commander in chief) showed up in a panic and said he didn't have any record of my climbing certification. I had an email that said I was good to go and got the go ahead from the front desk but somehow Larry hadn't received confirmation and was going to shut us down. We troubleshot for a minute or two and then thanks to borrowed smart phone technology (it slaps us in the face every day and reminds us we need to upgrade)  I was able to show him my credentials.  We belayed the whole family and had a blast watching the tiny tikes bravely climb the wall. 

Some of the kids had total trust, no fear or inhibitions and would have climbed a wall twice as high if we had told them they could do so safely. I sometimes wish I still had that kind of trust and courage and wasn't so paralyzed by fear, doubt, etc. All in all it was a really fun experience and I was able to confirm that I wasn't a certified fraud. Haha. 

That night we decided that rather than staying over one more night at the ranch we would pack up and scoot out early. We said our goodbyes and got on the road (after a few stops to pet horses and get gas---thankfully so considering what happened on our drive). On the way to Maple Valley we saw what looked like a terrible accident. At first I didn't notice it, we just drove over a spot in the road that had odd and unexpected splotches of red. These, we later discovered, or rather realized, were blood stains from the wreckage we had just passed. Michelle, as the passenger was able to see that a car was on its side and another overturned on the roadside. Though many others had stopped to see to this tragic accidents' victims, we quickly called those we loved who were travelling ahead of us and behind us to ensure they weren't involved in the accident and remained so (this was Michelle's quick thinking--I'll be glad to have her at my side in intense situations--second coming included). In addition to the cars, she saw what looked like smaller bodies or figures strewn across the edge of the road so we also offered a prayer in behalf of the victims. 

Our belief is the blood and bodies we saw were actually remnants of a deer that had been hit, causing the accident, and hope that there were no fatalities but the truth is yet to be uncovered.  After that, we were just anxious to get home as safely as possible. A little shaken despite having seen and been in fairly intense accidents prior to this one.  Again, though I sometimes roll my eyes when Michelle want to stop and pet a milk cow or coo at a horse, I was grateful to be a few minutes back on the road and to have avoided a potentially fatal and sorrowful night. 

Upon returning home we were able to laugh away our worries with Danny, Mom, and Ethan and fall fast asleep.

Saturday

Today the house turned into a construction zone. Michelle was patching holes and prepping for paint while I sanded railings and the hearth for staining. In the afternoon we wanted to go for a swim and decided to check out Ethan's place of employ "Angle Lake Park." Turns out the people of Washington like to go to the lake, and the city management of Washington does not like to provide parking. Rather than drive in circles competing for parking spots we took off early and ran some errands.

In the evening we decided that between the work and the heat we needed a good ole fashioned movie and the lot for choosing the movie fell with me. I of course made the obvious choice and picked a movie that would appeal to all (or not)--the magnificent seven, starring Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and a host of their famous contemporaries. Needless to say, the movie is longer than I remember and by the end of the flick I was the only one still awake in the room to watch. Oops. 

Sunday
We had a picnic in the park after church with Annie's family, and one of Annie's friends and her family. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially since the next day was spent sleeping and driving.

Ward Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat

Garrett and I like the idea of doing family themed costumes for Halloween each year, but the last few years have come down to tired crunch time and flopped. This year we began planning our costumes months in advance and decided to do scarecrows. Then I changed our minds and we did cat-burgler costumes. Then we were gifted a baby-dragon costume and we considered doing something around that. But, as shown in the picture below, despite being CUTE, it was a little too snug on little feller.

And then I changed our minds yet again and we went with pirates and a parrot. Turns out this was a win, since we have a lot of piratey things on hand, and Anderson's parrot wings were a big hit.

I took some leftover yellow sheet fabric, stitched some elastic to the wing tips, and safety-pinned it to his onesie between his shoulder blades. Garrett and I cut a bajillion feathers out of construction and crepe paper, and I zig-zag stitched them to the wing fabric. We also safety pinned some tail feathers to his pants.

In keeping theme with pirates, we borrowed a dynamite crate from Garrett's graduate advisor, along with a GIANT bottle of vintage 70's bordeaux that undoubtedly turned to vinegar a few decades ago. Using the "antique" world map from last year's Christmas gift to Garrett, some of my jewelry, borrowed kerosene lamps and old journals, we created an old-world themed trunk. In retrospect, while our trunk looked the coolest/professional, people couldn't really see what we did with it.

The festival was awesome. They had corn holes, bounce houses, and tastefully decorated the church parking lot. It was a pot-luck and smoked pork was provided. The smoked pork is always amazing, the potluck portion usually leaves something to be desired. Anderson has a blast running around barefoot on the parking lot and grass. We avoided the candy this year, since he won't remember it and he doesn't need a sugar high.

Overall, it was a successful Halloween celebration!

It's a Boy!

This is a belated documentation of the timeline of Anderson's conception, fetal growth, and delivery.
 
Michelle went off birth control on November 20th. While we had plans to have a baby as soon as possible thereafter, we had no idea if that was even possible or how long it would take. We had discussed the possibility of infertility and what we might do if that reality lie in our future. Because family is central to God's and our plans we knew that children would come into our home in one way or another (e.g. adoption, fostering, a large litter of pets). Knowing that some of our friends have struggled to conceive after years of trying and that this can be a very sensitive issue, resulting in a series of questions for God about why some can conceive with ease and others cannot, I say with all the sensitivity and love that Michelle appears to be quite the fertile myrtle.

The Birth of an Idea
We belatedly celebrated our two year anniversary over Thanksgiving of 2014, in Asheville NC. We stayed in the Willow Room at the Beaufort Bed and Breakfast and had a great time sight-seeing at the Biltmore, enjoyed amazing breakfasts, and did a wine tour. It is probably we also conceived around this time.

An Idea Becomes Reality

Michelle found out she was pregnant on Monday December 22nd and retested on the 24th to confirm. I had no idea! Rather than tell me immediately and since Christmas was fast approaching, Michelle decided to wrap up the positive test and give it to me as a Christmas gift. It was the greatest, most emotive gift I have ever received and as we knelt in front of our faux netflix fire and dimly lit, humble Christmas tree in the early hours of the morning, our hearts were filled with joy, expectancy, and gratitude. We both teared up of course and I knew in that moment that families were eternal and that although they can produce great heartache, they are one of the greatest sources of Joy.

Baby Bumps
Throughout the pregnancy, Michelle and I used a pregnancy App (something our parents never dreamt of) to watch videos and read information about how our baby was developing, what size it was etc. Apparently the universal baby measurement system consist of a variety of the fruits; e.g. our fruit, I mean baby, grows from a plum to a kumquat, to a melon...you get the idea.

The interesting thing is that until about week 25 no one could tell Michelle was pregnant even though friends in their 16th week were quite large. The midwife said this was mostly likely due to three things: 1. It is the first baby,  2. Michelle has great abs, and 3. Michelle has a long torso. This picture is the first sign that not only is the baby alive and well but growing too.

Heartbeats to Soothe the Soul
Any time we were worried, we'd hear the reassuring sound of a strong heartbeat...
Bleeding/Spotting- I did have a bit of unexpected bleeding probably around two months. I was really worried, but the midwife was pretty sure it was a clot from implantation.

Cravings
Surprisingly, Michelle didn't have too many new cravings, however, I am a big fan of the ones she did have. I think the first really craving came in response to morning sickness. When Michelle first started getting sick, we pretty much lived off saltine crackers and slept more in a day than I thought was humanly possible. My favorite cravings came later on when in the middle of the night, long after we had gone to sleep (so you know for us, that would be just before 10PM...we are early birds), Michelle would wake up craving chicken and biscuits. We rarely did anything so "late" or spontaneous at the time (we are planners and homebodies apparently), but we would get up, throw on our shoes and, in our P.J.s and race to Bojangles or KFC to grab some fried chicken strips and buttermilk buscuits before closing time. I looooovveee fried chicken and biscuits, so being the loving husband that I am, I obliged of course and acted chauffeur.   

In reality, those were the only real cravings I remember. However, I will say our grocery shopping experience changed drastically. I remember shopping at Aldi or one of the other local stores and sticking very tightly to our list. Occasionally we would "splurge" for that small tub of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia but more often than not it was the bare essentials. After Anderson joined the ranks we sang to a whole new tune and who was I to argue? As our cart spilled down the aisles, Michelle had become much more inclined to give me a big eyed, eye-lash twittering glance and slide in that extra box of crackers or the alluring chocolate bar. I just zipped my lip and enjoyed our new spoils.

The first Kick

Baby first kicked while were watching one of our favorite netflix series "Call the Midwife" (how fitting, I know). As would be the case for the next few weeks anytime Michelle felt a kick she would pull my hand to her belly and, like a dog whose learned a new trick and has been put on display, Anderson would shy away and I would miss it. When I first felt a kick I realized I thought the foot or hand would come right through the skin. It was hard and fast and I thought for sure Michelle must be aching all over. In fact, as we were talking to a friend of ours at church the other day, baby kicked so hard that it literally stopped Michelle mid sentence. He's particularly good with his aim and likes to take periodic pot shots at Michelle's bladder...one of the all to common side effects of pregnancy.

Seeing him kick is a whole other story. I officially saw Michelle's belly move because of a kick for the first time on Sunday afternoon May 31st. It was amazing. Now her belly moves like there is a little loch-ness monster swimming beneath the surface...and if you've ever seen a fetus...that's about what they look like for awhile.

It's a boy!

At week 21, on Thursday April 16th, we went in for the ultrasound and found out it was a boy (you can tell by the feet, haha).

The ultra sound was so surreal and was hands down one of the coolest things I (Garrett) had ever seen! We could see our baby moving, yawning, playing coy, and living inside Michelle. It was beautiful.

As you can see he is quite the exhibitionist...the sex of the baby was pretty easy to spot with or without the detailed annotations.

This picture took quite a while to capture. Baby seemed particularly intent on turning away from the camera or tucking his arm in front of his face. A little camera shy but he's likely going to have to be fighting off papparazzi the rest of his life, so might as well practice now...I hate being in front of the camera too so must be an inherited trait.

This was such a cool shot. It does look eerily skeletal but check it out, a yawning baby in a fetus. Woah! This same little arm came out next to his head during delivery and continues to work its way up during naptime.

What's its Name? 
So I know what you are thinking..."have you thought of names?" Of course! Though I am sometimes reluctant to tell and get either the queer eye or the "I knew a so-and-so once" or "where did that name come from?" or "ooh, that's a good name." (although I am guilty of all of these babyisms). Believe it or not we actually have lists of semi-agreed upon girls and boys names. Currently, the chart-topping boys names are Anderson and Clark. However, we are most strongly leaning towards Anderson and that is what we have been calling baby for the time being. Why Anderson? Well other than the fact that we like it and its nick-name varieties I could say that it is a family name (my middle name, prior last name, and the name of a great uncle or some such) but in reality I am geeking out a little and secretly hope to call him Ender for short (the name of one of my favorite book protagonists, and surprisingly Michelle does not disagree).

I think the funnest part about naming our child was sifting through all the names that were not candidates. I fondly remember our two hour drives to the temple where I would steal names off of street signs and billboards and Michelle would quickly return them to their rightful place.

In the end we settled with Anderson John Stone!

Maternity Clothes

Worse than morning sickness (granted hers was short lived and mild, thank goodness) and general fatigue is probably the fact that a pregnant woman soon comes to realize that her clothes do not continue to fit as they once had. Pants that once served their purpose well now require a little finagling and the occasional rubber-band to keep them on and appropriately loose. Michelle bought her first blissful pair of maternity pants at the end of April and looked pretty dang good in them too. I think I saw more sweet relief in her face after that shopping spree than at any other point during the pregnancy. I think I take for granted that my clothes fit.

Showered with Love and Gifts

The Utah baby shower happened on June 9th and was hosted by Chelsea Stone at the Stone Residence in Eagle Mountain Utah. Those in attendance included...

The South Carolina baby shower happened on July 18th and was hosted by Summer Merrell at the the green on the square, a little Bistro in Downtown Pendleton, South Carolina. It was a double baby-shower, favoring the other mother. Despite the slight awkwardness, it was fun to catch up with the ward friends who came!

Preparing for Parenthood
Michelle has always been an avid ready and seeks to know the most up-to-date information about the things that interest her. Her ability to consume, retain, and recall information she has acquired or read astounds me and is one of the many things that drew me to her. After becoming pregnant, her desire to read, know, plan, and prepare did not cease. She poured over book after book to ensure that she was ingesting what she should, catching danger signs, and meeting milestones. I read more than one book chapter on doulas and dads or "what to expect when you are expecting." That said, I still feel so unprepared and unsure of what to expect or what to do when the time of delivery arrives. 

The Birth Center
We had our orientation of the birthing center on Thursday June 4th, and it was a PAIN. Literally, those chair were so uncomfortable, especially considering their pregnant participants. But, the birth center was beautiful! Here is the link to the birthing center's site where you can "tour" the rooms: http://www.greenvillemidwiferycare.com/our-birth-center.php

Hypnobirthing
What...what was that...oh sorry, I was in by bubble of peace and couldn't hear you. Our first birthing class was a study-at-home hypnobirthing class that involved daily hypno-exercises, reading, and affirmations. While hypnobirthing was amazing for naps, mindfulness, and relaxation during pregnancy and up to transition, we will probably explore Bradley exercises for the next delivery. 

The birth

Baby is due on August 27th, 2015...
Memories and reflections of the birthing process, our panic, and the our first moments with baby are documented in another post :).

The Hardest Part About the Pregnancy for Him
Seeing that Michelle was as beautiful as ever but knowing that she didn't always agree.
Feeling like I couldn't provide the clothing or other necessities that would have made the pregnancy go more smoothly for her.

The Hardest Part About the Pregnancy for Her 
Morning sickness and fatigue the first several weeks. Clothes that don't fit!!!! Overall I think my pregnancy was pretty mild, and I was able to maintain a high fitness level up to the delivery, despite having gained almost 45 pounds.  

My Dear Little Man, 11/13/2016

Dear Goob,

For a long time I called you Little Man. And then another lady in our ward picked up on it and started calling her baby the same thing. So now I do not call you that anymore.

Boy, a lot has happened in the last few months! You are growing and developing so quickly. You took your first steps in the middle of August and were officially walking independently by the beginning of September. Just like you would practice crawling and "bulldozing", you practice running and stomping. And my child, you are one speedy dude! You've also started climbing things and pulling yourself up. Right now it's mostly your crib and the counters, but we'll wait to see what else you discover.

Words! You are starting to express yourself and your opinions, both non-verbally and verbally. Your first official word was probably "hot", since you like to touch the oven doors and I wanted to make sure you associated that word with the oven. Now anytime you feel something remotely warm you exclaim "hot!". Your second word was "cheese" and you sound so stinking cute when you ask for cheese. It also happens to be your favorite food. Your third word was probably "dad" or "teddy". They tend to sound the same and you get excited for both. Fourth word was "ball", fifth word is "apple", which you just said this week. Your comprehension is pretty awesome too, since you understand the concept of eating time, bath time, come out, shut the door, please stop, come here, read a story, and prayer time.

Speaking of prayers, we used to hold you during evening family prayer. You HATE this, and it ended up feeling like a nightly control struggle. We decided to pray behind the rocking chair, with dad and me on either side, hemming you in. You are now a rockstar prayer participant, as you sit quietly with your sippy cup while we pray. We usually say "prayer time!" and you go running to the chair. We love that you decide to come and sit for prayer, and manage your own behavior.

You are able to point or react with most of your body now. You blink your eyes rapidly when we ask where your eyes are, wrinkle and snuffle your nose, chomp your teeth, or make a "blaaahhhh" sound with your tongue. You point to your head and hair, elbows, knees, and you LOVE your belly button. 

We weaned you to one nursing every day/every other day. I think you are probably okay weaning completely, but my milk supply still gets sensitive every few days. I'm anticipating in the next few weeks!

We bought you some shoes yesterday. Your cute feet are so wide, they fit into size 7. However, your length is at a 4/5.

Lately you've been a papa's boy and get so excited to see him and have him play with you. I thought for sure we were transitioning to one nap a day, but it seems you still do best with a short 30-45 nap in the mid-morning and a 1.5-2 hour nap mid-afternoon.

I love how you enjoy learning and trying new things. You can sing with papa and I now, dance, and make elephant noises to your safari books. When you first try something new, you usually end up laughing and then crying afterward. I love that you try new things, even when it makes you  nervous or scared. Keep learning and growing, even when it's scary!

My Dear Little Man, 08/09/2016

Dear Goob,

It's been many months since I last wrote about your growth. You just hit the 11 month mark, weight about 26 pounds, are 11 inches in length, and are fitting nicely into 2T clothes and size 5 diapers. After your lower lateral incisors cut in May, you cut all upper incisors over the course of a month. You are currently working on canines, and they are a beast! I can see them slowly working downward, and you are a drooly mess.

You hair continues to grow! It's a pretty reddish/gold mix. The back and sides grow really fast, so we've given you several more haircuts. 

You began cruising in May and started consistently walking with assistance at the beginning of July. You are now able to balance independently on occasion, and have even taken a few independent steps! It's fun to watch you balance perfectly as you're distracted. As soon as you notice you're balancing without anything to hold to, you pitch toward the nearest standing object.

You are saying 'nana', 'dada', 'mama', 'dddd', 'ttthhhhh' and snuffle with your wrinkly nose. You sing along with us, high five, clap, and can point to lights and your tongue when asked politely. We are working on ears and nose.

You're eating solids regularly now and are down to four nursings a day and are doing well with a soft straw sippy cup. We will probably wean you soon. I decided that it would be wise to re-introduce your food sensitives in my diet prior to weaning you, just to see what your reaction is and to provide you with the food proteins in a secondary form. We've done wheat and walnuts, neither of which seem to do much. I'll do almonds and then pecans over then next week or so. Fingers crossed for good diapers, smooth skin, and a happy disposition!

Your favorite food is spaghetti. You also love cheese, bananas, and black grapes. You try almost everything and end up eating it, though we've had to reintroduce a few foods to help you acclimate. Peas, for example. And cottage cheese. You are hesitant about a lot of textures, and I've found it helpful to either mash or puree things at first. I did this with broccoli and avocado. 

Over the past few weeks you've begun playing constructively instead of deconstructively. For example, rather than emptying the legoes all over the floor when we put them away, you help to clean up. You help us unload the tupperware from the dishwasher, load laundry into their respective machines, and have started building things with legoes, rather than dissembling everything that papa makes.

You love bathtime and taking walks in your stroller. You LOVE books, especially the cozy classic style books, where classics are simplified to a single word and picture per page. For example, Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, and War and Peace. You love opening and closing drawers, cupboards, and doors. We've baby proofed the house up to your current level, although you opened the fridge for the first time this morning. We may need to get an adhesive belt, similar to one we have for the oven. You still persist in playing with the living room lamp, despite knowing it's a 'betise'.

Last week you scurried under the one of the futon style couches, continued all the way to the back near the wall, and carefully navigated out the side. It was pretty funny to watch. You also enjoy turning over the rocking chair footstool. You'll rotate it onto its side, then upside down, onto its other side, then right side up. Repeat.

You LOVE animals.

Your sleeping schedule is pretty awesome, although naps are still hit and miss. Right now, for example, you woke up from your morning nap after 20 minutes. I'm choosing to let you stay in your crib, even though you are upset. A typical, good day looks like 7am wake, 10-11ish nap, 3-430ish nap, 730 bedtime. You are sleeping through the night! And everyone is happy about this.

Some of my favorite things about you and your current stage: you have such a great sense of silliness and humor. You love to play peekaboo and chase. Your favorite spot is behind the rocking chair. Yesterday you crawled back there with a carrot to chew on (teething) and Teddy, and I joined you with my book. We spent several minutes snuggled up back there. You are also a hugger! You will often crawl up to us and wrap your arms tightly around our necks, especially if we ask for a 'hug'. You are so curious and so fast. You love learning and trying new things.

You especially love when Papa and I are in the same room with you, even if we are all reading or doing our own thing.

You are a lot of work and whole lot of laughter and joy!