Bubble Bath

So Ryan is doing some shift work now. In the words of my mom: "I thought someone with that much education wouldn't have to work funny shifts." Well, not a Caterpillar. Ryan's engine shares an exhaust system with the neighboring engine. The other engineer is working 10/4s (10 hours per day, 4 days per week) from 7am to 5pm. In order to maximize the time to run their engines, Ryan is now working 3pm to 11pm.

At first I groaned too and it is only Day Two, but so far I am really liking...
1 - Spending time during the day together.
2 - Not having to argue with him when I want to go to bed early.
3 - Running errands together as a family.
4 - Ryan getting to see Collin at "good times" and not just when he's grumpy and ready for bed.

On the other hand, there are drawbacks...
1 - Putting Collin to bed by myself.
2 - Being lonely in the evenings.
3 - Getting into a cold bed by myself.
4 - Getting woken up at 11:30pm when Ryan climbs in next to me.
5 - Eating dinner by myself.
6 - No more socializing with friends in the evenings for me.

We'll see how this goes. Obviously, we are going through some re-writing of how I spend my day with Collin. One such re-write is Collin's bath time. I have always given him a bath first thing in the morning after his breakfast and before Sesame Street comes on. Tonight I had NO IDEA what to do with him during his "grumpy time" from 4-6pm. After some webcam-ing with Grandma, she suggested a bubble bath. Of course, most moms do bath time before bed, so maybe this will become a new tradition for us. Until tonight, I had never given Collin a bath with bubbles; I guess I'm a mean mom. I've plopped him in with toys and scrubbed him up, but no bubbles.
Yeah, he wrote his own name. No, just kidding. But yes I do spend time talking to him about the letters. The teacher in me can't be silenced!
He usually just chews on his toys. Of course, he usually chews on everything, so I shouldn't be surprised this is how he spends his bath time too.
Look at those smiles. You probably don't believe that this is his grumpy time of the day.

He is such a daredevil. It freaks me out, but he reaches and grabs for everything. He definitely doesn't just sit and let the world go by around him.
He wasn't a big fan of the taste of the water with bubbles, but I appreciated the modesty they provided for my photo shoot.He doesn't really mind getting his face wet, which I'm sure will be nice when we go swimming again next summer.
And when he's all done (or if he has to pee), he stands up to let me know. What a cutie!

A Cold Fall

As long as we are living in Illinois, we plan on making a trip to Tanner's Orchard a fall family tradition. We went last fall when I was about 30 weeks pregnant, and now Collin is 10 months old. Here he is among the pumpkins. He is quite eager to walk, so Ryan holds him by the hands so he can get around. Collin is getting the hang of it quickly and is cruising a little around the living room at home. I, on the other hand, am not so eager for any more increase in his mobility and do not encourage such activities. I just can't get enough of how cute he looks in this little hat. He also hasn't figured out how to get it off yet, so that's a nice blessing.

Ryan decided to take Collin for a ride on the train. Collin, of course, wanted to make sure he got to drive! He already has oldest-child syndrome! I love these pictures with Collin amid the pumpkins. I also love the field in the background. Classic Midwest.

Collin always knows which gear or lever to hang on to. Ryan sat him on this tractor (I actually have no idea what it is; some kind of old-fashioned corn harvester?), and he immediately grabbed the handle.
We can't help hoping that one day Collin will no longer need us to change his pants. Hairy legs or not, we look forward to the days he can use "the outhouse."

A school bus! I'm sure Tanner's is a common destination for elementary field trips, so maybe one day I can chaperone for Collin's class.

We thought if we go back to Tanner's each year that it might be fun to see how tall he is each time. Unfortunately, he wouldn't stand on his own, and I think he is actually sitting on Ryan's hand. Whatever; we tried.This next picture was taken the same afternoon when we got home. My little baby is turning into a little boy!

I can't believe how gorgeous his big, blue eyes are. Since I have no idea how to use PhotoShop, I promise I didn't do anything to enhance them. They really do look like that in the sunlight.

It was another fun year at the orchard. Hopefully, we'll have a few more weeks of Fall weather before the bitter winter sets in.

Sarah's Big, Fat Greek Wedding

We had the chance to spend a long weekend in Ohio, and it was the best. Here are some highlights of our time in the Buckeye State...

Hocking Hills Chalets

We spent our first night away from home here. Quaint, huh?

We had so much fun at our little cabin. Collin was super hyper when we got there, but after dinner he went right to sleep.Collin slept in the bedroom on the first floor, so Ryan and I had the evening to sit in the private hot tub, watch cable tv, and relax. Then we slept in the loft upstairs. It was the best!

Old Man's Cave

Friday morning we headed to do some light hiking. I am so glad we got this backpack for Collin in September. He loves it!

It was much colder than we had planned for, so we didn't stay for as long as I would have liked, but it was beautiful.

Christy & Garrett

Saturday morning we got ready for the wedding, and then we headed to my good friend Christy's house. Her baby Garrett is exactly two months older than Collin.

They are nearly the same size, but Garrett hasn't quite learned the art of sharing. Collin held his own though.

The Macedonian Wedding

Now the reason for our little vacation... My friend Sarah married a Macedonian, and we were excited to see all the culture. They have been dating since October 1999 (our senior year), so this wedding has been in the works for TEN years! We weren't disappointed! The wedding party alone was about 30 people.

Some of the highlights of the ceremony... gold-wrapped candies and coins thrown into the audience mid-ceremony, crowns swapped back and forth between the bride's and groom's heads, hands being tied together with ribbon then walking around the alter three times, and ALL in the Macedonian language except "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" for 45 minutes.

The Macedonian PARTY!

After the wedding, we went back to my friend's home and put Collin to bed. Then we headed to the Hilton for the party. I know most people would have just called this a dinner and reception, but they would be mistaken. This was a party! And definitely the best wedding party I've ever been too! A few highlights of the party...

The Hog Dance

Before dinner was served, the men left the head tables and returned with a pig: a giant cooked pig with potatoes and carrots on a platter. The Best Man (with some help!) hauled it around the room while the 500 people in attendance stuffed money inside. The rest of the Groom's Men followed behind the pig in aprons and chef's hats clanging together serving forks and carving knives. Some even clanged together wine bottles. It was quite the spectacle.

Meanwhile, the Bride's Maids danced around the floor holding hands and shaking tamborines. I'll assure you that you've never seen anything like it!

The Bread Dance

We didn't get a picture of the bread dance, but just picture something straight from 'Fiddler on the Roof.' There was a wrapped box (I assume it held a fancy loaf of bread), and someone held the box and danced with it in the center of the floor. Everyone else (and I mean everyone; Ryan and I joined too!) danced in a huge line that looped around and around the floor. It was a traditional Macedonian dance with a live band of drums.

They continued this dance for 45 minutes with the bread box, and then throughout the rest of the night. The music would begin again, and everyone would pause their conversations to join the forming circle in the center. Awesome!

The Cake Cutting

There were a few American traditions sprinkled in, like a cake-cutting, bouquet toss and THREE American slow dances.

Here I am with my two best friends from high school.

And here I am with my forever best friend. Congratulations Sarah and Alex!

Tender Mercy

Elder Bednar has said, "The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord. The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence."

***

Six months ago Ryan was assigned to go out with the missionaries. He arrived at the appointed time and chatted in the foyer of the church as he waited for the elders. Thinking of our neighbors, he selected a pass-along card from the table and tucked it into the cover of his scriptures. When the elders finally appeared, they told him that they had planned on working with him the next day, so he took off for home.

The next evening as he prepared to leave to meet them again, he looked everywhere for his scriptures. With no luck, he decided to look at the church; maybe he'd left them there. Unfortunately, after a thorough search of the church on several occasions (including both lost-and-founds) and under the seats in the car, we gave up hope. I even asked a member of the bishopric if they'd heard anything about a set of scriptures, but they were gone. Lost for good.

For several months we kept hoping against hope that his scriptures would turn up again. We thought, "Who would steal someone's scriptures? It isn't like they can bring them to church: Ryan's name is right on the covers! A friend must have taken them home with the intent of giving them to Ryan at another time, right?" But as the time wore on, we decided that rather than continue to share my set, we should purchase Ryan new ones.

I've never seen Ryan so disappointed. This set were the scriptures he took on his mission, and he cherished the notes and insights inscribed in the margins. He enjoyed the system of highlighting he'd created - complete with sticky, colored tabs on the page edges. He could find anything in there, and now they were gone. He had always intended to give this set of scriptures to Collin as a gift when he turned 12 and received the Aaronic Priesthood. Just as his dad had gifted him his missionary scriptures on this important birthday, he too wanted Collin to enjoy his notes and highlighted passages. But it wasn't meant to be.

In May we finally purchased Ryan a new set. He started over with his highlighting, and in the process was able to discover new passages and enjoy new insights. With his call to be a seminary teacher, he decided to color-code the scripture masteries and pay more specific attention to counsel for the youth. He moved on.

Then last week while saying his personal prayers he thought again of his lost scriptures. He asked again for the Lord to see fit to allow his scriptures to be returned. It seemed like asking for a miracle, but it was truly the desire of his heart, and he pleaded for their return.

Two days later Ryan's cell phone rang while at work (the day after his birthday!). He couldn't really hear over the running engine, but the call went something like this: "Is this Ryan Williams? Did you lose a set of scriptures? I was at Lowe's today, and there is a set of leather-bound scriptures in their lost-and-found with your name on them. I am in the Pekin Ward, so I decided to look you up on the stake website and contact you."

What the ---?

Needless to say, we hurried over to Lowe's (the hardware store!?) that night, and there in their lost-and-found Drawer were Ryan's scriptures: no water damage, no tire tracks, no creased or folded pages... pristine condition. The only missing piece: the pass-along card.

If you are wondering if he went to Lowe's on his way home: no. If you are wondering if we drive by or even NEAR Lowe's between our home and the church: no. Have we ever shopped at Lowe's: once, but no where near the time of the aforementioned loss of scriptures.

***

In the words of Elder Bednar, "Some may count this experience as simply a nice coincidence, but I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them."

Yes, the Lord truly is there for us always... and especially in the so-called little things.

Happy Birthday Lindsey

I know what you're thinking. "Uh, Ryan...Lindsey's Birthday is TOMORROW." Don't worry, I didn't forget, I wanted to get this posted a day early because I have a request to make, and I wanted to give all of our readers out there a day to think about it.

So I was thinking that it would be really cool for Lindsey to hear from all of her family and friends on her birthday about why we love her so much (you know..to corroborate what I'm always telling her). I'm going to start off with a few thoughts, and my hope is that you all can reply with your thoughts, memories, stories, whatever. Please don't let me down.

What I love about Lindsey is her face. I know..LAME, generic answer, but trust me, I've thought this through. First of all, Lindsey has a very natural look. She doesn't wear (or need) much makeup, yet she is always simply radiant. Some of my favorite memories are of picnics and walks through the neighborhood, looking over at Lindsey, her auburn hair ablaze in the sunlight-dancing gently in the breeze, with a hint of color on her cheeks, kissed by the sun. Truly angelic.

Now, the real reason that I wanted to write the post, however, is not to tell you about another pretty face. The real thing that I love about Lindsey's is her expressiveness. Lindsey has a real knockout smile that beams from cheek to cheek when she's really happy; couple this with a pair of the widest, brightest eyes and a set of brows to match and you get a face that is capable of conveying the deepest of emotions without actually saying a word. Lindsey is one who wears her heart on her sleeve and her mood on her face, and I love her for it.

To demonstrate, I put together a little montage of some of my favorite of Lindsey’s expressions that I've managed to catch on film. I got the idea for this when I heard the song: "When You Say Nothing At All". I think that it sums up my feelings to a tee. ENJOY!

(Sorry the quality isn't that great. I had to reduce it to get the video down to a manageable size.)

The "Out of Business" Curse

The curse began when we were engaged. My sister, Ryan and I were talking around and around in circles about where to go to dinner. We couldn't decide and we couldn't decide, and then someone suggested Rosie's. The little mexican restaurant on Bulldog in Provo sounded perfect to everyone. My mouth watered thinking about their chips and salsa as we headed over. "Closed for Business," the sign read when we got there. No delicious cilantro salsa for me.

Fast forward about a year. Ryan and I are now married living in Orem. It was my 23rd birthday, and I selected the restaurant I wanted to eat at: Black Angus on University Parkway in Orem. It had been the the restaurant where our parents had first met each other, and over dinner, they planned our entire wedding and reception BEFORE we were even engaged. It held fond memories (and great steaks), so I called my sis and her husband to meet us there for my bday dinner. We both pulled in the parking lot at the same time to discover their sign had been removed and that the place was dark. Definitely closed for business.

Destitutely poor, one Friday night that following winter Ryan and I decide to splurge and go out to a real restaurant for dinner. I frequently drove by a restaurant on my way to work in American Fork called Chef Plex (State Street in Lindon), and I thought it sounded neat to have different chefs specializing in different cuisines of different countries. We'd been talking about going for months, and this seemed like the perfect time. Any guesses to the end to this story? We drove into the parking lot and... Out of business. Dark and deserted.

Our "restaurant" of choice in Orem was Panda Express: it was close, fast, and relatively cheap. So as soon as we moved to Madison, we googled it to find the nearest one. To our pleasant surprise, there was one listed across the street from West Towne Mall. We drove the 15 minutes to the location... Any guesses about what we found? The dirty, outlined shadow of where the sign USED to hang on the white stucco building. No more Panda in Madison.

Since having Collin, making it to the temple has become quite an excursion. Fortunately, my parents live close to the St. Louis temple so every other month we drive down there on a Friday night, and Saturday morning we head to the temple while they watch Collin. When we come out of the temple, I always call my mom to see if Collin is behaving himself and to see if we have time to go to lunch too. In May we called and everything was fine (at least that's what she ALWAYS says), so we started the food discussion. If you haven't noticed so far, it is hard for Ryan and I to agree upon a place to eat, so we got out the Garmin and started searching for a place that sounded good to both of us. After lots of bantering back and forth, we decided on PF Chang's. To our surprise, there was one at the very next exit. As we pulled in the lot, things didn't look good again. No sign. No lights. No other cars. No PF Chang's here anymore.

Today is Ryan's 28th birthday. Each week we go to lunch together. Sometimes I pick him up and we eat peanut butter and jelly in the park; sometimes we meet at a restaurant; sometimes we heat up leftovers in the cafeteria microwaves and eat at Cat. Today he wanted to meet me at ChiliWorks on Allen Road. We had seen it many times driving by, and we had been wanting to try it for some time. And since the high today was only 55 degrees, chili was sounding mighty delicious. I arrived first. From the road I could tell it wasn't good. I could see that the lights were off, and the tables we stacked on top of each other. "The last day of business for Chili Works will be May 31st" the sign on the door read. Uh oh. I'm pretty sure that's past.

So, are Ryan and I cursed? Does anyone else have this problem? Do you EVER pick a restaurant only to find it has gone out of business? If this has ever happened to you, has it happened this many times???

Anyway, happy birthday Ryan. Sorry we ended up at Hardee's. Maybe next time we'll have better luck... or maybe not.

Nine Months

At 9 months, Collin is...
Height: 29 inches (75%)
Weight: 19 lbs 15 oz (40%)
Head Circumference: 44 cm (17%)

And since a picture is worth a thousand words...

Give your hand at some captions. I'd love to hear your witty remarks.

Labor Day Weekend

Other than selling our car and being too cold for swimming, we had a great Labor Day weekend. Here are a few highlights...

New Friend
Chase is almost exactly one year older than Collin. They had a great time together, when they weren't beating each other up!

Bonfire, Smores & Chubby Bunny

Andrea and Austin played Chubby Bunny, a game taught to us by my Seminary students last Spring. We also roasted marshmallows and ate smores. Delicious!

Jubilee State Park

Chase looks so comfortable on his daddy's back, almost like a posed model. What a handsome little guy.

Collin finally got to ride in a REAL hiking backpack, and he couldn't have been more comfortable!

We played cards after the babies were asleep (gotta love a good game of Cover Your Bum) and ate lots of delicious food (spinach pizza, breakfast burritos, cheeseburgers).

Thanks for coming to see us, Andrea and Austin! We had a great weekend. Happy Labor Day!

Ode to Sven

Sven (our Swedish car) was our first major purchase after marriage, and he has been through many events with us. Here is my tribute to Sven as we parted ways on Monday after 5 years of faithful companionship.

***

Sven, you are the one who took me to and from American Fork in the I-15 traffic each day when I taught 6th grade. It was then that I discovered that if the headlights and turn signals went off after hitting a bump, all I had to do was jiggle your keys in the ignition, and your lights would begin working again. Silly Sven.

You were my trusty companion to and from Salt Lake. On one such outing (Tabernacle Choir Concert?), we had just finished eating at PF Chang's (mmm, simply delicious), and Ryan backed into a giant pickup. He sustained no damage, but your rear passenger tail-light forever more needed to be thumped from time to time in order to work again. I shall miss hearing, "Do you know your brake light is out?"

From the beginning of your life with us, you showed us what my teacher-friends in American Fork called your "personality." When it was cold and we needed heat, you emitted a pleasant maple syrup smell (we termed it "waffles"). Your dash rattles and squeaks, and last week I collected 3 more pieces of plastic from your floor for which no home can be found. Your electronics took some getting used to: the automatic lock on the driver's door never worked, the trunk release didn't pop the trunk, and the rear passenger window worked on the way down but not on the way back up.

Sven, you carried us from Utah to Wisconsin for graduate school. That first year we lived in the bitter north, I worked 3 jobs, so you had the privilege and honor to serve as my dressing room as well as my cafeteria (some days for all 3 meals!). The following year, you celebrated with me when I landed a full-time teaching position 50 minutes one-way from our apartment. And, ever the trooper, you took me both ways through 100 inches of snow that winter.

My favorite, also known as my least favorite, endearing quality of you was your creaking and rattling dashboard. We spent many vacations tucking folded pieces of paper into the space between the dash and the windshield trying to muffle and/or eliminate your mouse-y squeak. It's a wonder we weren't the cause of an accident!

You got to ride on a trailer to your new home in Illinois last summer, as we welcomed Yoda (our To-Yoda 4Runner) to the family. Here you've been spoiled rotten in an attached garage. I figure you've earned it.

We continued our relationship by driving to Seminary at 5:15 each morning. But when Collin was born, we found that his car seat was easier to lift from Yoda, and Ryan adopted you as his commuter. I fear you had become so attached to me that you never really were able to adjust to your new, male driver.

And tragically last Thanksgiving you, the trusty Sven, were brutally wounded in your hindquarter panels while returning from St. Louis. Fortunately the wound wasn't fatal, and you returned to Peoria "totalled." With little visual damage, and some begging on my part, I rescued from the junk yard for a mere $750. Of course, since then your trunk has needed much force in order to latch it securely.

And so ensued the search for a commuter car for Ryan.

Memorial Day we were in St. Louis, this time parked in front of my parents' house, and the neighbor backed into your front driver's side turn signal housing. Using the scattered pieces and tenderness, you were pieced back together like a jigsaw puzzle. The epoxy held for several more months.

But all good things must come to an end. Last Thursday, the search ended when Ryan found your replacement.

***

So welcome to the family Renn (short for rennwagen which means race car in German). We look forward to many years and many stories. We hope that you can fill the void that Sven has left.

Our good friends from Madison came to visit this weekend and after seeing all of Sven's endearing qualities, snatched him up. We wish him and them well in the coming years. We'll miss you and your quirks, Sven. May you enjoy many years (and many long winters) with the Rose's.