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.

Chicago Vacation

Last weekend we had the chance to go to Chicago for the weekend. Ryan worked several Saturdays in June and July, and he found out the week before last he had to use all his accumulated "comp time" by the end of the month, so we planned a few short excursions as a family. We had a great time.

Thursday

We drove up to Chicago (about 3 1/2 hours) after Ryan go off on Thursday night. Collin did pretty well in the car, especially while Baby Einstein played on the DVD. He fell asleep, but woke up as we arrived at 9pm. He was so hyper when we got the the room, but we let him crawl around,and check everything out before putting him in the crib. It worked much better than forcing him to go to sleep, like on our trip to Madison in June.

Friday

We woke up early, and Ryan went to the fitness room. Then we swapped, and he took Collin to the pool while I worked out.

Fun Story: I feel like I am becoming quite the Elliptical Snob. This hotel's was certainly not up to par with my favorite (in Baraboo, WI) which gave me a water break half-way through and said things like, "Good work!" and "Almost there." Loved it. I did get to select a route, and I enjoyed my "Alpine Hike." Then I headed to the pool to join the boys. Unfortunately, it was an outdoor - heated - pool, and it was quite chilly (yeah, in August!).

After soaking my feet in the cold pool, I put Collin down for his morning nap while Ryan went to the temple. Our hotel was about 1/2 mile from the temple, which was super awesome. Right as Ryan got back, our good friends from Madison arrived. We watched their 15-month old, and they headed off to the temple.

Fun Story: While they were gone, Ryan and I each took a stroller and decided to explore. We found a "rummage sale" and decided to stop by. We saw piles and piles of dirty, yucky junk. And then, like a little present just for us: there sat a hiking baby backpack. We have been looking for a hiking backpack since our hike at Devil's Lake and then to the waterfall in Washington. We thought since it was so clean and separated from the crap that someone must have brought their child to the sale in it, but we took it up to the register anyway. She told us it was brand-new, and it was for sale for $15. I had left my wallet at the hotel, and Ryan only had $10. So we offered her the ten to hold it for us so we could walk back to the hotel for the other five. "Oh no, that's silly. You have two babies! Just take it for $10." Score. Another successful steal.

We walked back to the hotel (two strollers AND the hiking backpack), and our friends returned from the temple. I put Collin down for his afternoon nap, and Ryan and I headed to the temple. Lucky them, Collin slept all but 15 minutes of the time we were gone.

We got Chinese take-out and put the babies to bed for the night. Then, like freshmen living in college dorms, we sat in the hallway between our rooms and played cards. It still makes me laugh to think what we looked like sitting in the hallway of the hotel - four grown adults kicked out of their rooms by their babies.

Saturday

On Saturday, after some additional workout time in the fitness room, we headed to the train. After some frustration with the Chicago Public Transit System (honestly, why would one-day passes not be sold at the station? and can they really close a section of the track and force everyone onto crammed buses?), we got to Navy Pier. What a marketing and commercialism trap! We did get to see some Tiffany stained glass windows, but $8 for two hot dogs? I mean, really...

After Navy Pier we headed down the Chicago Lakeshore Trail (highly recommend it) and saw the Chicago Yacht Club and gorgeous Lake Michigan. It was sunny and not too hot or humid. Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

We arrived at "the Bean" just as three wedding parties did, but... what a strange piece of artwork. We also got to take a peek at the fountain towers.

Then we headed back to deal with the bus and train transfers to our cars. Thank goodness Ryan can read maps. We had totally worn out the babies at this point, and they took the opportunity to snooze.

We got back to Peoria pretty late on Saturday, but it was a fabulous little family vacation. Collin was a real trooper. We loved seeing Jenn, Dave and Lane. Thanks for a great weekend!

8 Months

Wow, my baby is 8 months old. I know it's cliche, but HONESTLY: Time flies!

Crawling

Last Tuesday, just days before his 8-month mark, he started full-on crawling. For about a month, he would get up on his hands and knees and lunge. He would also go forward with his right side, then the left, but then he would come crashing down. That all ended early last week, and now he is getting everywhere.

Every room I go into, he follows - finding all sorts of things to get into trouble. Case in point: the toilet. How do moms use the restroom in peace? He also loves the fireplace (AHHH! We don't have glass doors, and he gets covered in ashes), the DVD and VHS shelf (Who would have thought they'd be such fun to dump out of their packages?) and the kitchen floor (which is awful because now I have to sweep EVERY day). He also found some artifical flowers on a basket I made my frosh year in college and started chowing down (hope they're non-toxic). He loves chewing on shoes and toes, and he puts every little crumb he finds on the floor into his mouth. He likes the door stops that vibrate up and down too. He is definitely trouble. I never thought he'd find so many things to get into. What a curious kid.

Skin Tone

So I was at my makeup store last month, and they discontinued my foundation so I had to try all these new products to decide what I liked best and which shade was right. I finally decided on the absolute lightest shade, and the makeup lady says, "I think your baby is darker than you are!" Now what do you say to that?

So Collin is super tan. It is funny because his ankles and wrists have a roll of fat on each, and if you point his toe or bend his wrist a bit, he has a perfect white tan-line. Silly dark-complected child. Must have gotten that from his daddy.

Hair

In case you are wondering, he is still bald, bald, bald. I put him in a hat most of the time we are out of the house. Then people don't see how bald he is, and I think he looks rather cute like that.

Napping

Collin is taking two naps each day now. He sleeps from about 10:30-12noon each morning, and then from 2-3pm each afternoon. He usually goes to bed between 6:30 and 7pm, and he wakes up between 7:30 and 8:30am. I know: I was totally blessed with the best sleeper ever. We count it among our Seminary Blessings.

Eating

I don't know if this is normal, but Collin would never stop eating if I didn't stop offering the food. He eats about 4 ounces of solid food each meal each day (3 meals per day), plus he is still nursing 4-6 times per day. He still isn't a fan of drinking water from his sippy cups (I've tried two designs) or from the bottle, so we'll have to keep working on that. He eats just about everything (carrots, squash, green beans, applesauce, pears, black beans, wheat bread, grapes, pickles, lettuce, rice, daddy's smoothie...). Yeah, he eats it all. No wonder the kid is in 12-month clothes!

Teething

Apparently I never posted that Collin got two teeth on the bottom less than a week after his 6-month birthday. I thought they'd keep coming rather regularly after that, but we haven't seen anything new since. He has been gnawing a lot yesterday and today, so maybe those top ones will make an appearance soon.

Car Seat

We did buy Collin a new car seat. He got the Evenflo Triumph Advance LX. He seems to like it, but it is HUGE. It is as tall as the headrests in both our cars (Volvo S70 & Toyota 4Runner) making it difficult to go in reverse. He'll have to remain rear-facing at least 4 more months, so I am starting to see why so many people opt for the mini-van so early. He sits in the middle, which is good since Ry and I have to keep our front seats all the way back for our long legs. It'd never fit on the sides while in rear-facing mode. I think his seat will fit much better when we can turn it around for forward-facing though.

I took this picture to show that the first time he rode in his new chair, he immediately had to play with the head rest. We picked the LX over the DLX because we like the angled head rest, and what does Collin do with it? Bat it above his head.

And that's a few of the 8-month feats of Collin. Next month is Collin's 9-month doctor's appointment, at which time we'll discover his new length and weight. My guesses: 30 inches, 20 pounds.

Car Seat Survey

We are now in the market for Collin's next car seat. We have been reading reviews online, but I wanted to poll my friends and family and see what they recommend. Please leave a comment if you particularly like or dislike your child's car seat.

Here are some things we are trying to decide about:

1 - Booster included: We need one that will rear-face and forward-face, but should we get the one that will also be a booster seat down the road? Is it worth the extra expense?

2 - Compact design: Are they as safe/comfortable? We would like it to fit behind the driver's seat in our 4-door sedan without Collin kicking the driver in the back, but does the smaller size work as well as the taller ones?

3 - Comfort: Are the more expensive ones really more comfortable? We take Collin on road-trips to St. Louis at least monthly, and I want him to be as comfy as possible, since a happy baby is a happy mommy and daddy, and therefore a happy road trip.

4 - Brand: What do you prefer? Graco? Evenflow? Eddie Bauer? Safety First?

Any other recommendations? What have you liked or hated? Collin is more than done with his infant carrier, and we want to get the best value for our buck. What have you learned from experience and/or your own research?

THANK YOU!

Trouble, with a capital T... And that rhymes with C, and that stands for COLLIN!

Q: What do all these items have in common?

A: Hours of enjoyment for... not mom. For my baby, who will pick them over a purchased "real" toy any day!

And what provides enjoyment for an almost-8-month-old?

sewing machine packaging

straws

plastic cups

cell phones

remote controls

shoes

a CD case

the computer power cord

his crib bumper

paper & cardboard

plastic bags (carefully monitored, of course)

laundry

So why do we bother to buy toys, when anything WE find interest in, he prefers over their own stuff anyway?

And yes, he does have toys of his own. I'm thinking I'll start trying to play with his toys when he takes mine. Will that fix him?