Kids are So Much Fun!

My twin boys are so ingenious! They love to climb, so all our kitchen chairs stay in the laundry room until they are ready to be occupied at the table. That does not stop Ryan and Andrew! They pulled out the dish drainer, turned it over, and used it as a stool to pull the rolls and muffins down from off the counter. Then Andrew pushed it over to the fridge to try and get himself a drink of water! (And I would have had a picture of Andrew at the fridge, but Kimmie had too much fun with the camera earlier in the day--the camera shut off before I could snap the shutter!)

Not-So-Happy New Year

I had to return to make my return to blogging a happy one by posting about Mandi's baptism. This post is out of order some, but that's ok... cause this one wasn't as happy.

During the Christmas season, Ryan decided to play Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer all through December. He started by falling and scraping the top layer of skin off a nice chunk of his nose. Everytime it was about to heal completely, he'd fall again to reinjure it. The worst of the three episodes that made him suffer this symptom throughout December was when he was standing on a little toy basket we keep beside our couch. He was standing up to the arm of the couch on this basket, when he lost his footing and fell face first into the heater vent grate. All I can say is: "Ryan with your nose so bright... won't you guide my sleigh tonight?!"



It was all a precursor to a health nightmare that would begin on, you guessed it, New Year's Day. Why waste time when you can get an immediate start on the first day of the year, after all?

It began with Kimmie waking up on New Year's Day with Croup. After two visits to the instacare for Kimmie, we started getting her on the downhill; but Ryan and Andrew caught it before we could get Kimmie over hers.

If that wasn't bad enough, Ryan contracted an ear infection on top of it... so when we took the twins to the doctor, we were given Amoxicillin for both... a stronger dose for Ryan since he had the ear infection, and Andrew got his lower dosage just to make sure he didn't contract an infection too.

Well, when it rains, it pours. If that weren't enough, Ryan's little body decided to have an awful allergic reaction to the antibioitics.



Needless to say, Gwen and I rarely got sleep for the first three weeks of the new year, and it took its toll on our bodies. I ended up with Bronchitis bad enough to knock me out of work for three days, inducing some Pleurisy afterward, from which I was given steroids to try to make it go away faster, but that just started wigging my body out, so I immediately stopped taking that. Happy Happy, Joy Joy Joy!

Anyway, we're hoping we've had our fair share of illness for at least this half of the year. We're hoping for smooth sailing for a while, especially with Spring around the corner; cause we're sick of being sick. :)

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

So I'm driving out of my neighborhood this morning; heading to Bangerter Highway so I can get to I-15 and head to Happy Valley to my place of employment.

Along the way, I see two young girls walking to school. Well, one of them was walking. The other was stopped in somewhat of a crouching stance, periodically jumping as if she were practicing ollies on a virtual skateboard.

As I approached and past, I watched her jump a couple of times... one being right as I passed her.

Curious, I checked back in my rear-view mirror a couple seconds as I continued down the road... to see the girl hop a couple more times. Then it dawned on me why she was doing this.

Remember when you were young and you used to do really cool things like floating popsicle sticks down the gutter after a big rainstorm, pretending they were boats? Remember walking home from school on a cold winter day and taking 20 minutes at the end of your street to have contests with your friends to see who could slide the farthest on the ice? Remember walking to school on a spring/summer day and stopping to jump over shadows as if letting them touch you would induce a fate-worse-than-death?

That's the game this little girl was playing, my friends; and I was jealous. I remember hopping car shadows on my way to school... having to try to jump extra high on the ones that drove past slow or were extra big (like garbage trucks or semis with trailers...) Ah, good times... good times!

As if that wasn't enough to sweep me away, all the music cycling through on my mp3 player was stuff I loved in high school. That took me back to memories I have of other dorky things I'd do with friends from that era of my life, like: toilet papering someone's house, driving past a girl's house that I liked half-way across the valley (we won't mention any names... *Gina*), going for slurpees at 1:00am, coming up with silly "insider" code words for discussing things with your friends at school in public, but making sure only you understood them (donut gems and gold chains... *Ben*) :)

Why does life have to get so freaking complicated and laden with responsibilities when we "grow up?" Ok, let me rephrase that... when we get older and are labelled an "adult."

I've become this crotchety, ornery old fart (emphasis on the word "fart") and I want to go back to being the care-free, fun-loving, people-actually-liked-to-be-around-me guy that I was back in the days of pre-adult times... if not for anything else than to have my wonderful children see who I REALLY am deep-down.

My poor kids, they just see this man who is hustling in the morning just trying to get ready for work and with whatever spare time is left, trying to help Gwen get the kids ready for and off to school. Then I go to work all day (and sometimes night) and when I do get to come home before bedtime... am stuck just rushing to get dinner over with, homework finished, kids in pajamas, teeth brushed and whisked away to bed. It doesn't seem like much of a life with "Dad."

Of course, if I tried to go back to care-free with no responsibilities like I was back then, we'd have no house, food on the table, and most importantly to the kids... no video games/computers/TV... Dad becomes more of a loser.

So how do we win in this game called "Parenthood?" How does one "keep the child inside alive" whilst meeting financial obligations and other responsibilities?

I'd love to hear from my other friends in the same sitch and see what successes/failures you've had in trying to find the happy medium of having fun and staying responsible, without dying of ulcers, muscle tension and migraines from the stresses of the latter... because this kid wants to be a kid again!

I think I'm going to start by taking my kids on a walk... and we'll try jumping car shadows.

My Children Are Picture Purrfect...

... at least, Mandi is. We had our friends Mike and Jessica over for dinner and before they left (around the kids' bedtime...) Jessica discovered Mandi nearly zonked out at the top of the stairs to the office, wrapped up in kite string. She's our little Mandi-kitten.

I almost caught Ryan and Andrew smiling together, but coupling our camera's shutter-stutter and their quick grins, it's nearly impossible to catch them both at the same time. One day... :)
(Can you tell which is which?)

Here is Kimmie playing with Ryan. I can't believe how big and grown-up my baby girl looks compared to my baby boy.

Big Brother Brennan and his two little bros. Now THAT'S a size difference. 10 years does a body good.

Behold Our Little Ones; Blessed are the Children

We had the wonderful opportunity of blessing our twins in Church last Sunday. It was a very spiritual and amazing day; filled with family and friends who have been supporting us through the months of trial we went though to get them here.

And look at what a blessing they are; glowing, radiant, wonderful. Newborn babies are an interesting phenomenon. They can send you to relaxville simply by cuddling them (which is a problem when it's time for a late-night-feeding... they turn me into Jello-Head Bob); can bring so much peace and joy by their quirky smiles and cute cooing.

We're extremely grateful to have Ryan and Andrew in our lives; and to have strengthened so many bonds with so many people who have sacrificed of themselves to help us out. We hope you'll ever feel of our gratitude for you and your friendships.

It's like the scriptures say: "And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things."

Mommy's Laughing On Me...

I so love my Drama Queen youngest daughter. She's really at a cute age right now (when she's not copping 'tude.) She'll use any and every word that comes across her path, whether she understands it or not.

She's actually becoming quite the versed communicator for the most part, excepting the times where direction the communique is supposed to go gets reversed or incorrect prepositions are used.

Here are a few examples:
Kimmie talking on the phone:
"Can I talk to Daddy?" ... means ... "Would you like to talk to my Daddy?"

When asked if Kimmie would like to say a prayer on the food:
"Daddy help you?" ... means ... "Will Daddy help Kimmie?"

But nothing beats the one that happened today...

My ever-so-beautiful-and-on-the-road-to-C-Section-recovery wife and I were feeding our newborn twins this afternoon; when out of the blue Kimmie starts going spastica all over our bed.

Mind you, this is the daughter named after Kim Possible, so naturally, "She can do anything..." She tries to prove this using our bed as a prop in frequent, random splendor. Yesterday, for example... she commenced bouncing from the head of the bed to the foot with a foot-to-knee bounce right at the foot of the bed, topped off with an aerial-twist to the floor; landing her on the bum and rolling backward over her head to a stop just before smacking her head into a dresser resting against the opposite wall. (This, of course, whilst Mom and Dad are busy feeding babies and can't rush to the rescue in any quick fashion.)

Today's near-heart attack started with some rehearsal for the X-Games that we weren't expecting. As Gwen and I were feeding the twins, Kim climbed up on our bed and commenced to start Donkey-Kicking her legs up in the air... then letting her body fall to the ground, gracefully landing on her feet. This was repeated several times, much to the delight and gut-busting (almost literally for Gwen) laughter of her audience.

She was laughing with us at first too, or so we thought. She must have been so engrossed with her own glee that she hadn't noticed the audience watching and enjoying too. After about 10 rounds of "climb, kick, drop", Kim turned to see if we were paying attention.

We apparently were paying with the wrong currency as Kim immediately stopped, pulled the biggest pout I've ever seen... dramatically paused for a few seconds, then started to cry the most heart-wrenching, "Dad and Mom what kind of parents ARE you?!" cry I've ever heard... it seriously broke both our hearts.

That is, until she explained why she was crying...

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Mommy is laughing on me.... WAAAAAAAA!!!"

Then commenced the bladder-emptying try-as-you-might-there's-no-way-on-Earth-you-can-hold-it-in laughter that is the worst thing you can do to a child whose feelings you've already hurt because they think you've been making fun of them. Yes, the twins weren't the only ones who needed changing; and to make matters worse, we worried if Gwen had popped the incision made when giving birth to said change-needing infants. Luckily the incision wound is still in proper order.

Oh, from the mouth of the babes... I wish I could communicate half as well (and fully as entertaining) as my precious baby girl. She truly is an inspiration.

So remember... laugh WITH your children, not ON them.

Ryan and Andrew's First Fight

They didn't even make it home from the hospital before they had their first fight...

We had just changed them into their first outfits to bring them home from the hospital. Andrew had taken a pacifier for the first time since being there and Ryan hadn't. Andrew smacked Ryan in the face with it, and of course, he thought it was something to eat... so they commenced fighting for it.

Too cute...

An Ode to the Cottonwood Hospital Staff

Everyone knows that going to the hospital is a traumatic, sometimes horrific experience. You're away from home, out of your zone; and if you're the patient, not living in the most "wireless" world (IVs, monitors, blood-pressure cuffs, oh my.)

Well, we knew Gwen was in for that ride when it was time to deliver our twins via C-Section. While we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our twins and looking forward to holding and caring for them; we weren't looking forward to the things that make hospital stay something that isn't often equated with the excitement of, say, going on vacation.

But I have to admit, as hard as it is to sleep in those insane recliner/beds the fathers have the privilege of sleeping in whilst staying by the bedsides of their beautiful wives who have just visited the Valley of Death after sacrificing the past 30-40 weeks of their lives carrying and delivering their children... Cottonwood Hospital has always rocked at making the stay as pleasant as possible with the deliveries of all our children.

This time was no exception. In fact, it was the most memorable hospital stay I've ever been involved with, and a fitting last delivery for my wife and I. It makes the impending closing of Cottonwood even more bittersweet (heh, almost the same feeling I felt when Jordan High was torn down to build a newer, bigger, better one.)

Anyway, I have to blog about our stay there because the staff was so incredible. Our world never hesitates to point out the negative things we observe; but how often do we give positive feedback when it's most certainly due?

This entry singing praises and shouting accolades is completely dedicated to the amazing staff that was involved in the final stages of our bringing our blessed twin babies into the world.

This includes Gwen's OB-GYN, Doctor Lloyd - who has been with us throughout the entire growth of our little family. He's an incredible man we know, love and trust; who has always been professional, compassionate, skillful and accurate. Thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do for my wife.

Next, our pediatrician, Doctor Bean. Oh my heavens were we blessed with Doctor Bean. She is the greatest pediatrician to grace the Earth. We have complete faith, confidence and trust throughout the ten years we've worked with her... and have absolutely loved our association with her. We're not alone... as we talked to many of the nurses in the Women's Center at Cottonwood during our stay there; and they too couldn't stop bragging her up. She's an incredible woman and we thank her for all she has done and will continue to do for our family.

Now Doctor Lloyd and Doctor Bean, as mentioned before have been our friends for over 10 years... we also had the wonderful opportunity of making new friends and associating with old friends that happen to work at the Cottonwood Women's Center during the delivery and post-partum stay there.

They made us feel so at home and welcome and took such good care of us, that Gwen and I actually looked forward to each of our four days there. It was such a special experience, I finally started making the nurses take pictures with us so we could keep them in our baby books to save the memories. Thanks for being good sports about it (including Gwen)! (And if any of you hate having your picture in this entry, let me know and I'll promptly remove it. hehe!)

I wish we would've caught all of the names of the many nurses that assisted us during our stay there; we appreciate every one of you... but I will list the ones we spent the most time with recorded after I wisened up to doing so. :)

Thanks and praises go out to:
Shelley
Kristen
Trisha
Tami
Elsha
Susan
Renee
Vicki
Becky
Cheryl
Amy
Erica
Megan
Natalie
Lisa
Kira
Amanda
Marsha
Gigi
... and everyone else that helped us that I missed in the Labor & Delivery, Maternity Ward, Nursery and even Housekeeping staff!

Yes, I said housekeeping staff... Everyone that served us at Cottonwood was friendly, professional and loved their jobs... and we as patients could feel it as they worked with us.

It was nice to come home, but hard to leave a plethora of friends, many of which we know we won't see again, as they will either be going to the new IHC hospital, going to LDS Hospital or joining a "float pool" which will have them serving at a few different IHC hospitals after Cottonwood closes its doors.

I hope the same spirit of compassion and kindness will follow you all wherever you go. What you do means so much and it definitely left a lasting impression on us. I certainly hope that your administration will notice and appreciate the hard work you put into taking care of your patients and reward accordingly.

Incidentally, we're writing a similar letter to the Cottonwood staff; but feel the world should hear about the positive things that happen in our lives... especially ones that leave lasting impressions.

Again, thanks to all the fine staff at Cottonwood Hospital. We love you... and appreciate you helping bring our new angels into the world.

God bless as you all move into the next chapter in IHC history.

And Then There Were Seven...

That's right... the twins finally made their Earth debut early Friday evening; and praise God, they're beautiful... have all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and are doing fine. Mommy isn't doing too bad either considering she had to go through all of the body trauma that is a C-Section.

She and the boys are resting now so I figured I'd hurry and post some pictures of our newest angel additions to our family.

Ryan Timothy made his arrival at 5:17pm and weighed in at 5 lbs. 5 oz.
Andrew Jameson made his arrival a minute later at 5:18pm and weighed in at 6 lbs. 7 oz.
Both are about 20 inches long; and were expert trained in the art of kicking the crap out of their mother whilst still in the womb.

Both screamed the instant they were removed from the womb, which we were incredibly grateful for. Andrew had a little trouble breathing after that for the first hour or so, but seems to be getting enough oxygen to his body now.

We'd like to thank the incredibly talented staff at the hospital and especially Gwen's doctor for how wonderfully the procedure went. We also had the added blessing of having Shelley, a friend of mine I grew up with assisting the doctor with the delivery of our new babies. I forgot to get a pic with her without the mask, dang it... I'll be back for you. :)

We'd also like to express much humble gratitude for the countless people who have had our backs, fronts and all sides during the past 3 months. You've helped us through getting a house ready to sell, moving to a new home and getting our twins here without us stressing out so bad we'd meet our demise. You're all wonderful and we wouldn't have made it this far without you. God bless all of you.

And welcome, Ryan and Andrew, to the world and to our family. Of course, you know that you'll be called "Jim and Tim" and/or the "Tweebs" by your siblings, due to the nature of "the prophecy," and the fact that you're younger twin brothers to our own Kimberly Anne... We're so excited to have you in our lives and look forward to the adventures ahead.

Please don't follow after your father and stay up late EVERY night... ;)

Stay tuned... more pics to follow... the hospital's Wi-Fi connection blocks about every port known to man, so getting pics uploaded has been a harder chore than delivering the babies themselves... I'll post more when I get home... :)

Delivery Starts With the Letter "C"

... as in Cesarean ...

That's right, we found out today that if an Amniocentesis shows the twins are mature enough to make their debut into the world; we'll be delivering via C-Section this week.

My lovely wife, after what will end up being 12 weeks of bedrest is, needless to say, ecstatic to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Stay tuned, and hopefully by the end of the week, we'll have some good news and a small photo album to go with it! We're stoked and scared at the same time; but looking forward to the new adventures that await our family.

Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt

It's my current state of mind for several reasons:

1. In under two weeks, I'll be holding brand new twin baby boys in my arms, welcoming them into the world, then freaking out not knowing what to do with them... oh wait, I've done this before with 3 others newborns, just one-at-a-time. Reality is finally setting in and I'm already losing sleep over it (note time of this post...)
   
2. Still dealing with the Guiness record of life-altering events my family and I have gone through over the last couple of months.
   
3. Disney Channel has the nerve to end two of my favorite animated series ever during this time of great stress and uneasiness.

Let's start with number one...

Twin baby boys... who seem to have as much stubborn-ness and high-spirit as my already living son who will turn 10 next week, potentially on the day his younger brothers will be born (as if there wasn't enough stress surrounding twins... hehe) If the gray hairs weren't already here, they're certainly going to be here soon! We're going to buckle in and enjoy the ride... Come get us boys!

Number two... In the past few months, we've: learned we were pregnant with twins, prepped our home to sell, sold said home, purchased a new home, changed jobs, moved and are now preparing to nearly double the number of children we're used to having in our home... whew! I know I'll have plenty to talk about with the twins in the next week or so, so I'll save those chapters for the very near future.

In the midst of all this, we've lost what was our lifeline to the televised world... The Disney Channel. For nearly four years in our previous home, it was all our family watched when it came to viewing television programs. Now I didn't get to watch a ton, but as most of you know, I ALWAYS made time for the best show EVER made, Kim Possible.

There were a few others we watched much more casually, but have still kept a vested interest in; namely Phil of the Future, Hannah Montana and American Dragon: Jake Long.

Disney Channel cut Phil of the Future off way before its time, but at least ended it with a really cool episode; and did us the favor of teasing us with an open ending, in case they decide to bring it back (go SaveDisneyShows crew... it can be done, you've proven it with Kim Possible!)

Now they have the gall to pull the plug on Jake Long, in the midst of the raging hurricane that is my life right now... Last Saturday, the first of September, marked the final series finale ... which I'm quite perturbed about since it only got a half hour. The least they could've done was an hour long episode.... {Insert immense anger here} - But I do have to give them credit. The talented writers that work for Disney know how to send shows off in style; and the Am-Drag was no exception. I won't give any away, and you won't appreciate it much if you haven't been following the show... but if you're interested... check it out on iTunes. It's worth the watch.

Now, a week later, and with my luck the day we deliver our babies... they're bringing Kim Possible to an end for the second (and most likely final) time. I knew this was coming; but as mentioned before, I'm in a state of denial. It's been such a fun show to follow, I just don't want it to end.

However, the creators of the series have left Disney for new adventures with Nickelodeon, so there's really not much more I can do about that; 'cept help the SaveDisneyShows crew convince Disney Channel to release the DVD box sets... I'm still harboring hope that there will one day be a theatrical release for Kim Possible; we'll see... :)

I will admit, I'm pleased with the way they've planned to send Kim on her farewell voyage; with a spankin' hour-long episode, and they're pulling the coolest thing they could ever do for the series finale... they're running a marathon-to-end-all-marathons...

Disney Channel introduces, the "Kim Possible: Every Possible Episode Ever" marathon (click to see the full schedule - starting 05 September 2007!):

Ok, so it's not a straight-through marathon; they're stopping to allow Playhouse Disney they're normal programming time... but the rest of the time will so wonderfully be dominated by the creative genius that is Kim Possible. It will be the best 54 hours in a 3 day period the Disney Channel has ever aired... EVER.

Much anticipation has built up by fans across the globe over how they're going to end it... and I can't wait to see it, but at the same time... I'll go into a state of depression that there will be no more new episodes. *sigh*

Those babies better get here fast to counteract this most serious of letdowns... :) Stay tuned... to this blog AND to Disney Channel! :)

How Much Farther Now, Papa Smurf?

30 weeks and all is well... er, at least as well as could be expected for a very lovely and beautiful pregnant woman that is expecting twins.

That's right, we hit 30 weeks last Saturday. Gwen had a check-up on Monday and an ultrasound two weeks prior. We found out the boys are both growing at the same rate still and are both measuring on time for where we're at in the pregnancy.

Gwen has been handling herself EXTREMELY well (or doing an incredible job putting on a front) considering the circumstances.

In the last 6 months, we've:

1. Found out we are pregnant
2. Fount out the baby is really babies
3. Changed jobs
4. Sold our house
5. Bought a new house
6. Moved into the new house
7. Prayed everyday that the twins will stay in the Newborn Nook (womb) until at least 34 weeks so we won't have to do additional hospital stay.

Needless to say, fast life changes throw one through a loop. In this case, our whole family has ridden the life-change roller coaster for a few months now...

Thankfully, we haven't killed over from stress, thanks to a load of absolutely amazing people in our lives... namely my mother-in-law, my mom, two of my sisters and incredible neighbors and friends in both our old neighborhood and new neighborhood.

So many people have sacrificed their time, talents and all with which the Lord has blessed them with to help us keep our heads above water during these changes and their various stages. Wonderful friends from our prior neighborhood helped us pack our home while I was making the transition to my new place of employment and the 120-degree sun-bake commute home after the workday ended (that's right, I have no A/C in my car; but hey... it's paid for so sacrifices must be made. *cackle!*)

We had folks bringing meals every other weeknight to help with the lack of time to keep on top of handling dinner, getting the kids ready for bed, taking care of my beautiful pregnant wife's needs, getting ready for a move, etc.

Without the help of the village pulling together in our behalf, we would never have survived Hurricane Ka-Change-a... so to all that have and continue to help us...

WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!

May the Lord bless all of you for your infinite kindness and charity on our behalf. We hope we can someday repay all the kindness and/or pay-it-forward as we always try to do. You're wonderful and we're so grateful to have you as family and friends forever.

Here's to holding out for 4 more weeks! We'll keep you posted.

Boy oh Boys

I'm slothful. We had our twins' ultrasound last Tuesday and I'm just now getting around to scanning in the ultrasound pictures. I was hoping to video capture some of the video we got, but that's going to take much more time than I have right now; so it'll have to wait.

Anyway, we found out that the twins will be strapping young men (much like their father... er...)

We got to see them both very well and I'm happy to report that all appendages are present and the babies look completely healthy. God willing, they'll stay that way through delivery and beyond. We're grateful He's blessed them to be such thus far.

Baby B, lovingly known as Thing 2 (the one on the top bunk this round) was moving around like a cow in a tornado. We almost didn't get to discover his gender; but the skilled and cunning ultrasound technician outsmarted him. At one point, it looked like Thing 2 was trying to taunt us with a "Neener neener, you can't catch me and find out what I am!!!" His hand was up by his ear with mouth wide open in a mocking fashion." He must get his sense of humor from mom. :) The same shot also makes it look like he's a pirate... The screen captures don't quite do it justice, but you'll get the idea. And Thing 2 must've been prodding Thing 1, because it appears he was doing the same thing when we got his face shot from the front.

We thank everyone for their excitement for our new adventures. We'll keep you posted on how things are going. Until then, keep the name suggestions coming... the ones in the comments on the "Womb Raider" post were a hoot!

Being a Software Developer Versus Being a Child Developer

Sometimes I wonder if I picked the wrong profession.

Think about it. I spend all my work day trying to teach a computer what to do and how to behave. I come home from work and have to do the same thing with my children.

The difference is... a computer must blindly obey with exactness; a child gets to choose whether to accept your instructions and perform them, and can choose whether or not they'll follow some, all or none of them.

When the computer doesn't produce the desired outcome I can't give it a timeout, scold it or punish it (trust me, I've tried... it doesn't get me anywhere.) Instead I reword the instructions until it learns the correct way to produce that outcome. The cool thing about that is; I always know I've taught it wrong until I see the desired outcome.

When a child doesn't produce the desired outcome, I have to perform some analysis; decide whether or not I gave the instructions incorrectly or the child didn't perform the instructions correctly.

In Software Development, there are different types of errors... in compiled languages, you can get compile errors and run-time errors.

Compile errors are those that happen when the computer tries to analyze your instructions to see if it can even do what you've asked. If you've given instructions in a way the computer can't understand; it lets you know right away if your instructions have been such that it can't understand them, much less execute them. It's very handy. I wish God would've installed that feature in my children; it would save much time, contention and frustration.

Run-time errors occur when you've given instructions in a format the computer can understand, but there is a flaw in the logic/flow of execution. These errors rear their ugly heads when the computer is in the middle of executing your instructions and can't complete the task. Again, with computers, it's very easy to recognize that when the computer can't complete it's task, it's usually because the Software Developer failed to instruct the computer successfully.

As a Child Devleoper, I don't get that luxury... I can't know when my child displays a run-time error that it's the fault of the Developer. Of course, because of pride, I assume first that the child has encountered a "Memory Fault" error and commence and immediately execute the Child.Chastise(), Child.Scorn() or Child.Discipline() subroutines.

Instead, I should get smart and think like my Software Developer side... assume it's my fault first and look to reword my instructions. Maybe I'll have more and quicker success with reaching desired outcomes from my children.

Maybe I DID pick the right profession...

The Prayer of the Children

Listening to children pray is one of life's greater pleasures.

My youngest, Kimmie is very thankful in her prayers. She always makes it a point to thank Heavenly Father for everyone in our family (as of late, this occurs multiple times in the same prayer...) and then commences with speaking in tongues. Some sort of ultra-cool jibberish starts flowing from her mouth for a few seconds and then a pause, a sly grin, and then more thanking for family members. I don't know if she's just trying to emulate mommy and daddy's long-winded and boring-for-kids prayers, but whatever it is, it rocks.

Mandi, my second oldest who caught on to our prayers for protection started a tradition in the children's prayers to say, "Please keep us safe from harm and accident (and purposes)..."

Yes, the prayer of the children is glorious to be a part of. Most of the time they end up sounding like vain repetition, but kids are innocent and have no clue what that even means; so I'm convinced they really mean it everyday... that is until they're saying that same prayer so fast it sounds like they're speaking in tongues as well. Maybe that's where Kimmie gets it from.

The best is, those quiet moments during family prayer, when you know they really have some concerns on their mind; they pause for a moment during their prayer and then ask for something completely unexpected that touches your heart for good. It's those moments where you feel the Spirit touch your soul, and you know that Heavenly Father is hearing them.

Thank God for kids... (you never know, next time you're trying to have one, He'll give you an added bonus like He has with us!)

Womb Raider - Two Much Fun

It's official! They're twins, and they're housed in a bunk-bed equipped womb.
When this picture was being taken; the top baby (lovingly referred to by the radiologist as "Baby A") had a hiccup and we got to watch its body flail up-and-down in a "break dancing/worm" like movement for a brief second. "Baby B" was just casually kicking it on the bottom bunk (literally kicking the side wall)


They're fraternal and healthy and happy; as are we! We're grateful to know they're growing healthy and strong; and already sapping my dear sweetheart of all her energy ... and food consumption.

You'll note that it appears "Baby A" (aka "Thing 1") is looking face-down at the "bottom bunk" where "Thing 2" is crouched in fetal position, kicking the wall to your left. "Thing 1" looks to have a highlighted jawbone, but I can't tell for sure... this is why I'm a software developer and not a radiologist. "Thing 2" has a jawbone, it appears, as well; but not near as bright as "Thing 1."

Nothing like Dr. Seuss nicknames while they're preparing to enter into their journey into the world. Speaking of names, everyone has been having a ball coming up with what we should name them.

Among the top are:
(If they're boys...)
Jim & Tim (the "Tweebs" from Kim Possible)
Bill & Ted
Wayne & Garth
Mario & Luigi
Smith & Wesson
Bacon & Cheese

(If they're girls...)
Thelma & Louise
Blossom & Buttercup

(If they're a mixed bag)
Pat & Terry
Chris & Kelly

What names do YOU want to suggest?

Confessions of a Father in Training

Why is it that parenting doesn't come with a manual? It's because every child is different; their personality, their needs, employable tactics to help them understand that doing your bidding is best for their well-being (and yours...)

My son is a joy and a delight. He's a bright and clever young man with an incredibly creative imagination and sometimes an insatiable appetite for destruction. This demon side usually comes out when he's involved in an accident that inflicts pain on his person.

As with most children, the knee-jerk reaction is to get uncontrollably angry at the inanimate object that somehow reached out and tripped, punched, slapped, or otherwise committed a felony in attempting to inflict injury on said child. With my son (and now my youngest daughter who is the epitome of older sibling emulation) this is first conveyed by very loudly yelling and/or screaming at the inanimate object with phrases riddled with expletives like "stupid piece of crap" or "fetchin' bastage" -- of course none of which, he learned from me.

Once the yelling ceases and the child realizes there is no reactin from said inanimate object; realizing the purposes have not been fulfilled and that feeling of sweet revenge not yet achieved... he, like many, will commence clobbering the inanimate object in order to achieve that feeling.

Quickly the child learns that this only nets them more pain which then cycles into more anger, which is then... you get the idea.

In this particular instance, I was upstairs talking with a friend of mine after excusing my son to bed for the evening. I start hearing banging sounds emanating from the basement; and realizing we need to sell the house in order to acquire more room for our child count which is about to almost double its size in a few months, I immediately want to panic.

Excusing myself and heading downstairs, my son realizes I'm entering the room and stops cold and looks at me like he knows he's in trouble. Now, my knee-jerk reaction is to start laying into him about how he's destroying the abode that we happen to need to sell in the not-so-distant future and how that needs to stop before I'm forced to remove a potential line of future posterity for my family name.

In the midst of the yelling match that ensused neither I, nor my son, listened to a word the other was saying... except the cutting ones I heard about my son wanting to move out becuase I didn't give a crap about him and didn't care to listen to what he had to say.

Little did I know that he'd been bonked on the head by the ladder up to the bunk he sleeps on and was having a reactionary episode in light of that fact. I told my son I wasn't about to listen to him until he calmed down. My lovely, beautiful, nurturing, much more intelligent than I and wonderful wife had entered the scene by this time.

Despite her asking me to mellow out with him, I angrily then left the room to say goodbyes to my friend so I could focus on remedying the screamfest that my wife was now enjoying at several decibels above that of a jet engine. I have to imagine my neighbors were enjoying it too.

After my friend left, I calmly went down into my son's room - where he still esteemed me as his enemy. My wife must have said some special prayers, because my whole demeanor changed as I took a deep breath, climbed up on the bunk and laid down beside my son; and started to talk in a calm voice to him.

It's amazing how much more can be accomplished when both parties involved in the discussion are calm. And it's amazing how much love and forgiveness a child and parent can feel for each other during the calm after the storm.

I think the Gospel of Jesus Christ puts it best:
Doctrine and Covenants: Section 121 - Verse 43
"40 Hence many are called, but afew are chosen.
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death."

I wasn't moved upon by the Holy Ghost to reprove with sharpness - but I did reprove with sharpness... too much sharpness.

Luckily, like I forgave my son, the Lord will forgive me as I repent for yelling at my son and not taking the time to listen to and address his concerns the right way.

Thankfully, my son decided he doesn't want to move out after all, and that I'm still his bud... we had a wonderful chat about multiplication tables and other cool things he's doing at school. I even got to teach him the cool trick with the number 11 when multiplying by 10, 11 or 12.

It's those moments that make parenting worth it... when I can learn a lesson, my son learns a lesson and it's taught in the spirit of love, not anger. I'm just grateful my Heavenly Father is wiser than I and doesn't smite me everytime I make a dumb mistake... cause I make a lot of 'em...

And I'm grateful He has given us manuals to help us in our quest to become better parents to our wonderful children.

It seems children are here more to teach us than we are to teach them at times... God bless the children.

Twinnerpated

Gwen went to her first doctor appointment today since finding out we're pregnant.

This of course is to make it "official" since, while rare, the home tests can sometimes be inaccurate. Well, we not only found out we are for-sure pregnant; but we found out we've doubled our order! So my former post is now incorrectly titled... it should now read "And then there were five..." Here's to a full mini-van... :)

Needless to say, we're way excited and way nervous! Luckily we have a lot of family and friends who have been blessed with twins before us; so we'll be looking for advice from them all!

We thank our Heavenly Father for this wonderful blessing and new adventure in our family and hope that we'll be up to the challenge.

We've been looking for a new home, knowing that with the new addition we'd need more room than we currently have. My eye has been drawn to somewhat large homes... and now I know why! :) The house hunt is a different story and I'll blog about that soon.

And then there were four...

My radiant and extremely beautiful wife took a test Saturday that she couldn't study for... and passed with flying colors! The reward from this test should arrive sometime in September and our family is incredibly excited!

When we sprang the good news on the kids, we said, "Kimmie is going to be a big sister; do you know what that means?" Brennan quickly replied, "It means that mommy is going to have another baby?!" Kids rock.

It will be fun to see what adventures this new (and I'm sure high-spirited) addition to our family will bring. Each new child bringing their own individuality in the world, expressed through all their cute-isms (like Kimmie calling lemonade "mermade", Mandi's incredible ability to read nearly everything placed in front of her and Brennan's mad dance skills.)

We thank our Father in Heaven for blessing us with each and every one of these beautiful miracles in our lives... even when they test our patience limits on a daily basis; they're wonderful and teach us so much.

The Plague - 2007

There has been a nasty bug going around our neck of the woods, I not-so-lovingly call the "Stomach Gomboo."

Of course, this plague has to be something whose love is shared amongst the entire family. Luckily it hit our home full-bore all within a week's time. I think I'm finally showing symptoms as the last one in my family to have the illness.

The worst of it happened on Thursday morning early. I had gone to a Jordan High Alumni Association meeting the night before and had some programming I needed to get done on their site that night.

While finishing things up in my office, I started to smell a quaint, pungent odor that very much resembled the scent of a dead animal. My office is in the basement and has a window so I figured we must have some dead animal near my window and I'd just need to check on it later.

I wrapped things up around 3:00am and headed up to bed... neck and shoulder muscles tensed up over the last few days from a lot of stress from the last couple weeks. I stopped in the kitchen to take a muscle relaxant before lying down to sleep.

While in the kitchen, my nose started tracking the dead animal smell again... I couldn't figure out for the life of me where it was coming from, so I smelled around the most obvious places (the garbage can, the disposal, our neighbor's small gold-fish tank we had on our kitchen counter while they were away from home... but none of them were the culprit.

Giving up, I retired to my room. Not five minutes after laying down, I had the feeling I needed to get back up and go check all the doors to make sure they were locked; as I had forgotten to do so before I went to bed.

As I reluctantly got out of bed; I heard Mandi make a weird coughing sound from her room. I decided to peek in on her before checking the doors. I never made it to the doors.

As I entered the room, the dead animal aroma hit my nose like a fly on the windshield of a car doing 90mph on the freeway. It was more powerful than ever. Just as I was reaching Mandi... I hear her start gagging. I reach for her and felt wet all over the place.

After yelling for Gwen to get in there and turn on the light... I aided Mandi to sit up and realized that she had not only been sleeping in puke, but had also messed herself from the other end. I don't know how long she'd been that way, but it had to have been at least a half-hour or more.

Trying to hold down my own gag reflex, I got Mandi off her bed and rushed her into the bathroom where we spent the rest of the early morning cleaning her and her bedroom up and trying to keep her fluid intake matching her body's outflow (still coming from both directions.)

I finally made it to bed at 5:30am whilst my poor wondeful wife remained to finish the HazMat Disaster Crew duties.

Needless to say, I had to take half-the-day off work because by the time 5:30am had hit... the adrenaline had worn off and my muscle relaxant had taken over. Gwen could barely wake me up enough to call into work and I'm sure I sounded like a stoned druggie to my boss.

I finally woke up at 12:30pm, disoriented and not feeling like doing much of anything (neck and shoulder muscles still tense...)

The next morning, Kimmie and Brennan joined in the puke parade, but luckily had much milder incidents.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the exorcism of this plague from our humble dwelling. For now, we love you all, but please stay away.