October 27, 2009

We have a new little man in our lives!  Weighing in at 8 pounds 1/2 ounce and 21 inches long, Liam was born at 2:53am on October 27th after a 26 hour marathon labor (more details on that to come).  He arrived with mohawk in-tact.  

Click on the adorable toes below to see more photos.  We're in love!

One Year (Plus a Few Months)

Wes and I celebrated our 1st anniversary this past June 14, 2009. I meant to write about it back in June, but I think I got distracted by a little guy named Liam... Everything they say about the first year of marriage is true. It can be difficult at times learning to adapt to someone else's living habits (yes, Wes leaves the lid up) and learning to mold two very different backgrounds into one, seamless, independent household. BUT, it is also wonderful. It really is an extension of the honeymoon.

And while I've often felt like I've been living some surreal life and at times "playing house," I've also appreciated every day that I get to spend hanging out with my best friend. I often wonder what I would be doing if I hadn't have married Wes. Grad school? Working for Glenn Beck? Beach bum? Honestly, there is nowhere I'd rather be. Every day, I find something new that I absolutely love about my husband that I didn't realize the day before and it just confirms that I made the right decision a year ago. I feel so lucky. Every day.

Although it took him a few decades to get here, I think Wes was made for marriage. He's just good at it, and he helps me be better at it. We want to be good for each other. Although I could probably come up with a million reasons why I love Wes, I'll share just a few:

1. He makes me laugh hysterically nearly every single day.
2. He is constantly trying to improve himself in every way a person can.
3. He thinks I'm most beautiful when I think I'm the least and tells me frequently.
4. He is encouraging and supportive of my interests and passions.
5. He likes to play and will forever be a kid at heart.
6. He has an incredible work ethic and hopes to teach the value of work to our children.
7. He sings with me, watches chick-flicks and plays Tetris endlessly with me just because he loves me.
8. He is open-minded and a critical thinker. We could talk politics for days on end.
9. He brings me breakfast in bed from time to time for no good reason.
10. He is quick to put others' needs ahead of his own (especially during my pregnancy).
11. He's really hot!

I love you, baby and I'm so happy we found each other!

Wes surprised me with a romantic dinner at The Roof in Salt Lake. I don't think I've ever eaten more in one sitting in my life. Check out the view!

After thawing out the top layer of our wedding cake, we reenacted our wedding day cake fight.

This time, Wes won.

Lydia cooked us a fabulous anniversary meal! What a great roomie.

June 14, 2008

The Cat's Out of the Bag

Well, the secret's out (not that we had anything to hide...)  A few friends of mine have hinted that if I don't announce this on my blog, then I'm not ACTUALLY pregnant.  I promise you, 

I am.  I am pregnant with a GIANT, big-headed baby boy (estimates of his head size are in the 95th percentile), and I'm already head-over-heels in love with him.

Liam Rawson Charles is expected to join the Wes and Rachael Charles family sometime in late October (I hear that babies can't read calendars, so no need to put down a due date, eh?)  Life is about to change forever, and frankly, it already has.  This little guy consumes my thoughts.  I mean, how weird is it that I'm MAKING a PERSON right now?  I just can't get over that humans have the ability to turn a tiny egg and tadpole looking thing into a living, breathing, thinking, laughing, independent person that could literally change the world (hey, if our country can be fundamentally changed into something unrecognizable in a matter of months, why can't little Liam fix it?  I don't have high hopes or anything...) 

Now, since I haven't really documented this pregnancy anywhere other than my personal journal (most entries begin with "Well, I still weigh less than Wes, but more than most of my guy friends), I'd like to share with the blogging world some tidbits about the past 33 weeks in the life of my family.  

Wes found out that he was going to be a daddy on a snow-shoeing/mountain top adventure on February 14, 2009.  Many of you also will remember that he proposed to me on a similar outing (using his Braveheart proposal, no less) which just happened to be almost exactly one year prior (February 16, 2008).  And so it seems we have a little tradition... I put the positive preggo test in a little pink box with a silver bow, and had him open it at a hidden, wooded amphitheatre behind our house in Bear Hollow.  I'm pretty sure he thought the test was a thermometer at first.  Sharing the moment of realization with him was divine.  (I caught it all on camera, but for some reason I keep getting error messages when I try to upload it to the blog.  Someone help!  I'm sure you can imagine- hugs, tears, laughing, inappropriate comments about how great his "swimmers" are...)

Here's how I looked the day I found out I was going to be a mamma.  Don't I look totally ready to take on the world?  You should see me now.  Overly-tired, overly-large, overly-emotional.  Yes, I think RADIANT is the word you're looking for.  I literally want to KILL all of the women who say "I've never felt more beautiful than when I was pregnant."  Lies.  All lies.  Pregnancy is NOT a pretty time.

We first got to see Liam (but we didn't know Liam was Liam) on April 6, 2009 when my doctor couldn't pick up the tiny heartbeat with the Doppler and had to resort to a quick ultrasound.  He looked like a bean pod at the time- half head/ half body.  He even did a couple of dance-moves for us (the worm).  I still didn't think 8 weeks was too early to tell that he was cute.

At 19 weeks (June 1, 2009), we found out that he was a he.  My parents, Lydia and Wes were all there to make sure the technician got it right.  There was really no question- the little guy was completely spread-eagle (I'll leave that picture out of respect for the future adult-Liam, who I'm sure values his dignity.)  I had a feeling he was a boy pretty early on (I have proof in my journal) and I know Wes was hoping for a he, so we couldn't have been more excited when we got confirmation.  One of my favorites below is his little foot.  Is it just me, or are his toes RIDICULOUSLY cute?

Our first family photos (Note that my mom brought one pair of girl shoes and one pair of boy shoes to the ultrasound):

I agreed to let Weston complete a list of his top five boy names and I would choose the final name from that list.  I should've known he would come up with this (June 16, 2009):

OK,  I've put a lot of thought into this, and here's our final 5 names from which you can choose:

1)  William Wallace Charles, "What will you do with that freedom?!!  Will you fight?"

2)  Aragorn - we can also call him "Stryder" from time to time.  He will be one of the last of the Dunadain, the rangers from the north, descended from the ancient kings.

3)  Maximus Decimus Meridus - "Death smiles at us all.  All a man can do is smile back."

4)  Starscream - evil cohort fighter jet of Megatron.  Has a really cool voice.

5)  Any of the names Bronco Mendenhall used to name his three boys - "Breaker, Cutter, or Raider".

Good luck in slimming it down, and I love you!

Wes

A few minutes later, I received this:

OK, the serious list (just because I know you wouldn't go for the others):

1)  My favorite it Liam.  It's not just because of Liam Neeson, or even because of Braveheart, I just love the name.

2)  Tristan - Love this name, although it can be a girl's name too.  Hard to make fun of, I like the sound of it, and of course, Tristan was a knight of the Round Table.  Hey, at least I didn't pick Galahad!

3)  Nathan - We would call him "Nate", probably - I love the name and he was my best friend in HS and part of college.

4)  Jasper - nothing to do with "Twilight", just think it's a great guy name.

5)  Still not in love with "Cole", but I'll include it since you like it so much.

Tell me what you think...

And so, Liam Rawson Charles came to be.  It just felt right, and I think our son will appreciate that we didn't end up with "Jasper."  (No offense to all the Jaspers out there- that's just not my boy's name.)

My first pregnancy has been...interesting.  I hear stories of women who were sick for nine months straight, and I thank the heavens that I wasn't.  I got "evening sickness" for about three weeks in my first trimester, and it went away in the second- but that was replaced by almost daily headaches.  I've never felt more tired and slow in my life.  I lasted about five months being preggo at work, and then threw in the towel.  Now, I go in and "consult" occasionally.  Much better.  Sitting in a cubicle nine hours a day is exactly NOT what preggo-women are supposed to be doing.  My hat is off to all of the women who stick with it or are forced to and am so grateful that I had a choice. 

I'm now well into my third trimester and am just at the point where I'm becoming permanently miserable.  I won't get into the specifics, because some are just, well…gross.  I take comfort in the fact that most women tell me it’s all worth it.  But now I understand what my mom was talking about when she said "I would have rather gone through natural childbirth every day for a week than go through nine months of pregnancy."  

Of course, it hasn't all been miserable.  There are times when I feel Liam playing in his little home, and I feel SO connected to him.  It's crazy- he has a sleep and play schedule already and he seems to have very little regard for day versus night.  I love to feel him react when Wes and I sing together or when I play piano- I think he wants to join in!  I’ve had extremely vivid dreams about him.  I remember one where he was lying on his back on the floor sporting a tiny mohawk, and I was on all fours above him giving him Eskimo kisses and nuzzling his face.  I remember feeling a kind of love for him that was SO powerful, it’s hard to even put into words. Wes had a similar dream involving Liam and a little girl (next in line?) playing at our bedside.  He told me that they knew he was their daddy and it was totally different than the way our nieces and nephews look at him.  I think that’s how it’s going to be, actually.

So, I apologize that I haven’t been more resolute in keeping up with the preggo-blogging, but there are definitely more to come before Liam arrives.  Look for one soon on why I’ve decided to try my very hardest to have an unmedicated, natural birth…

And since these seem to be in high-demand, enjoy some preggo-pics!

Summertime, and the Living is Easy

Now that the weather is allowing for time spent outdoors, my Dad and I are taking advantage of the beauty of Park City by doing a bit of hiking.  He loves to tell me all about the wildflowers, birds, and weeds that we see along the way...

Dangit, I can't remember what this one is called.

Oh!  What is that girl eating that is making her belly so HUGE?

Saturday, June 20, the Spanish Branch threw an "asada" for the Jensens who have moved to Bountiful.  We'll miss those guys!

Wyatt did a great job as the farmer in the Utah Dance Center's rendition of The Wizard of Oz at Kingsbury Hall on June 18. 

12th Annual JudgesRun 5K- June 13.  Bret's boss and our dear friend, Peter Stirba, formed the Judgesrun Foundation in memory of his wife, Utah Judge Anne Stirba who battled breast cancer and passed away several years ago while their daughter, Emily Stirba and I were at Princeton together.  Bret's family, Wes, Lydia and I were able to participate this year.

Lydia won a prize for traveling the farthest to get to the Judgesrun (all the way from New Jersey!)  I still think I should've gotten a Preggo-Prize!

We are so grateful to Peter Stirba for helping Lydia land her summer job at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.  We hope that she makes some great contacts while she's here so she can complete her residency in Utah.  While parents frequently tell their children that they can do anything, Lydia is really the only one I know who is actually working on finding a cure for cancer.  I guess she took her parents seriously.

Wes and Lydia finished the race in about 30 minutes and I walked it in 55, so they came back to see me through to the finish line.  Go team!

Wyatt is a little athlete!  He skipped his way through the race and finished with a great time.

Rachael and Lydia are for healthy breasts.

Wes's new best friend is 2 month old Peter Jackson, born to our dear friends, Molly and Vic who lost their precious little girl, Lucy last year in a tragic accident.  Molly and Vic are an inspiration to everyone who meets them and we feel so lucky to have found them.  

My last day at Zane Benefits, Inc and 2nd anniversary there was June 11.  While sad to say goodbye, I'm proud of the work we've done as a team to get the company where it is today.  From left to right: Ben Dilts/CTO, Debbie Graybill/Accountant, Sam Clarke/New Guy, Tyler King/Software Developer, Rick Lindquist/Health Benefits Specialist, Paul Pilzer/Founder & Chairman, me/Senior Benefits Consultant, Alison Wistner/CFO.

Isaac was featured in the Park Record last month after having participated in the Asian Occasion at the Summit County Library.  Wearing his authentic "hanbok", he was the sweetest little Korean baby ever.

I got skunked again while fly-fishing the Weber, but at least I got to see the munchkins!  I WILL catch a fish this summer.

First Mother's Day 2009

This year for Mother's Day, the moms got two days worth of spoiling.  Saturday evening, the Charles men got down and dirty and cooked their girls some great breakfast grub.  Four official mothers and one mother-to-be were present.  Sunday evening, all moms and pending-moms were required to fill out a dinner-request form and the Rawson (+1 Charles) men were to follow all instructions exactly so that their ladies did not have to lift a finger.  It's about time, right?  Thank you to all of the amazing, loving, kind, hard-working mothers in my life!  The world would not work without you.  I can't wait to be in the mom-club with you.

  

Shaken or Stirred?

There are benefits to having a husband with an office in the Bahamas.  Sometimes, he gets to bring his wife!  We spent a little over a week at the end of April exploring Nassau and Paradise Islands, soaking in some sun, and for Wes...working on an audit.  I didn't have a car during the day, so I wandered our little gated community, hung out on the beach across the street and soul-searched, and chilled in the company townhouse and watched a lot of "Baby Story" on TLC.  

One of the best parts of the trip was seeing all of the Casino Royale sites.  (Anyone who knows me knows of my...should we say...obsession with everything Daniel Craig.)  Here we are having an AMAZING pina colada at the "one-and-only" Ocean Club where several Bond scenes were filmed.

You may remember Daniel Craig walking up those very steps in the background to go book his ocean-front villa.

There's a reason they call this Paradise.

Note the bar where Solange waited for Dimitrius to finish his poker game (the one where he lost his beautiful Aston Martin.)  Dangit, I forgot to wear my hot pink, satin prom dress.

The one-and-only circular driveway...minus the Aston Martin.

Best sign ever.

I tried to get a free night's stay here, but to no avail.  Bloody Brits!

Most awkward picture ever.  We were struggling to take a picture of ourselves by holding the camera out, and a kind stranger took pity on us, but I'm not sure why we had to look like we were on a first date.

Much better.

We snuck into the most incredible aquarium I've ever seen at the famous Atlantis hotel.

Wes took this same picture long ago before we met, and it made me sad that he was having all of those fun experiences without someone to share it all with.  Well, move over babe.  

I'm with ya now.

Behold, Wes's office.  There are just a few people who get to enjoy this place on a full-time basis, but it's not a bad place to come back to every so often.  Wes accidentally set off the office alarm on a weekend when he was showing me around, and we couldn't get it turned off for a good 10 minutes.  At least now we know that cops won't come if someone actually breaks in...

Just because I can't eat grouper, doesn't mean we can't be friends.

Wes also made a friend!

If anyone is wondering, I have NO desire to go on a shark dive, and I happen to think my husband is CRAZY for doing so in the past.  I am quite comfortable on the other side of a glass wall, thank you.

Maybe someday we'll get to stay a night or two in the Atlantis instead of just walking around pretending we belong there.  What an awesome place!

Okay, this would not fly in the U.S.A.  There was a huge outdoor and unprotected pool that spanned the Atlantis that was teaming with sharks and large fish of all kinds.  And by unprotected, I mean, a kid just just take a dip if he felt like it and never be heard from again.

Controversy in the Capitol

This story is just too weird not to document. I hope I'm not violating any privacy laws by posting it for public viewing. About 2 years ago, one of Bret's coworkers left the firm. Among that guy's client base was a group of FLDS leaders (City Mangers and other officials of Hilldale and Colorado City, etc) who were concerned that other people at the firm would lack an unbiased approach to their case (regarding a land dispute that the firm believes will eventually go to the US Supreme Court over the issue of polygamy). The men were considering leaving Bret's firm, so Bret's boss told him that he'd better go make some friends.

The guys knew Bret was LDS. Most mainstream Mormons share a general disapproval of the practices of the FLDS and wish to distance their religion from the break-away group, so the men were less that optimistic about the new partnership. However, Bret is great at making friends and took on the challenge. In his pursuit, he expressed his personal doubt that polygamy is in fact "unconstitutional" and cited my senior thesis as evidence that he was not just paying lip service. He told them "my own sister wrote about this at Princeton".

My thesis title was "Separation of Zion and State: The Effects of the 19th Century Mormon Polygamy Controversy on American Constitutional Jurisprudence." Although I barely mentioned the FLDS in my thesis, my conclusion was that the Reynolds vs. United States decision which outlawed polygamy back in the late 1800's was based on illegitimate evidence and poor substance. Regardless, that one case changed the LDS church forever and set church-and-state court precedent that is still used today.

Bret emailed my thesis to the city officials and they ALL read it (Bret thinks they saw "Princeton" and assumed I was more important than I really am ;-). It circulated all around the FLDS communities and is still a topic of conversation. I suppose they see it as a contemporary work that is sympathetic to their cause, yet my arguments were strictly constitutional and less than emotional. There seems to be very little academic analysis of the century-and-a-half polygamy battle.

Fast-forward. About 2 months ago, I was at lunch with Bret and my mom in Salt Lake. We decided to make a stop at the State Capitol building so that Bret could avoid running into an obnoxious client back at the office. We walked inside, and Bret immediately saw one of his coworkers. Further inside, the coworker introduced us to their clients...the City Manager of Hilldale and the CM of Colorado City, and some other officials that I'm failing to remember. TOTAL coincidence. Bret introduced us as his mom and sister and one man asked "Wait, is that THE sister who wrote the paper?"

They all had read it and told me that I'm famous in the FLDS community and that someone had even sent it to their highest leaders. One of the guys mentioned that I included a picture in my thesis of his family and that the same picture now hangs in his house. They were VERY friendly and if I didn't know better, I would say they would've tried to recruit me if Bret hadn't been there or if I hadn't have had my wedding ring on!

I didn't think that thesis would be my claim to fame, but I guess you never know. It's a very very small world.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, it's not Christmas.  Everyone in the Rawson and Charles families knows that April is the best (and most expensive) time of the year.  The list of birthdays includes: me, my Mom AND Dad, Mike, Tracie and Papa John.  I'm sure I'm missing a few, but let's just say that if you have a "gift budget," it's totally blown out of the water in April.  With the exception of getting a migraine, my birthday was perfect.  Wes treated me like a princess and I spent some great time with family.  Below are some highlights from a trip to the zoo and a Rawson shindig.  I just can't get enough of my boys!

Easterland

One of my absolute favorite things is photography- specifically of children.  (I think this will come in very useful when I have my own.)  To date, I've never had the opportunity to take an official class and I haven't spent enough time with my Dad to know what's REALLY possible with my Nikon D40.  This will be one of my lifelong hobbies and hopefully I'll be able to commit more time to it very very soon.  Below are some of my favorite Easter 2009 moments with the little munchkins in our families!

Spring Adventures

Passover Seder with Emma, Jed and some of their good friends.  Okay, so we're not Jewish, but who says we can't celebrate??

The 2001 was divine...home-made grape juice, that is.

This kid is a happy eater.  Just like his daddy.

And this daddy is one great chef.

Bret and Jen misbehaving (again) at the dinner table...

I think I'm getting the hang of this fancy-camera thing. I'm obsessed!

Garrett is...apparently very serious.

The cousins like to zone out and watch movies together.

One day I'm going to eat those cheeks.

My mom and I took a weekend trip to Bend, Oregon to chill with some of our favorite people, Mr. Bruce and Ms. Nanette.

Bend has some beautiful scenery.  I would love to go back in the summer to get some hiking in.

The Catch-Up Post

Wes and I enjoyed the weekend getaway to St. George in late February.  It was warm, we got some sun and golfing in, we stayed in a great house that Kevin rented for the week and saw magnificent homes in the annual "Showcase of Homes."

Alex loved to tour houses with the grownups!  When she saw a particular design or aspect she approved of, she would yell "Oh, that's nice!"  A realtor in the making.

I tried to warn the guys not to underestimate my golfing (mostly putting) prowess because of my gender.  They didn't listen.  On the last hole during our Best Ball Showdown, my team was up 6 points and there was no chance of a comeback by the others.  To make things interesting, the other team decided that the last hole was worth a ton so that whoever won that single hole won the game.  It looked like we had it in the bag, but it came down to the put.  By that time, it was bordering on pitch dark outside and we were all freezing.  Mike went first and missed what I thought was the hole by less than an inch.  I went next and aimed for the spot Mike missed, only to find out that it was a patch of dirt.  I would've made it, though!  The guys decided that it was an honest mistake and let me have another shot.  This time, I aimed at the real hole which was AT LEAST 20 feet away and on an incline.  There was no way a human could make it.  Guess who won the game?  That's right.  And guess what chick is also winning her March Madness Bracket despite going up against about a dozen College BBall fanatics?  Yeah.  Never underestimate the power of pure genius.

The St. George Showcase of Homes had some AMAZING designs.  This particular house reminds me of the one where they filmed The Bachelor.

Wes and I were able to take a little weekend trip to visit the Travis Charles family in St. Louis, MO in early February.  Milli celebrated her birthday with some familiar faces and we got Avery all to ourselves much of the time.  Thanks guys, for being awesome hosts!

There was some serious bonding going on here.  They had the most fascinating conversation.

Travis and Milli wouldn't let us take Avery home with us.  I have no idea why.

We love these people.

Travis and Milli's neighbors threw us a Welcome BBQ the last night we were there.  Just kidding, it felt like summer, so everyone decided to take advantage of the weather.  There are a MILLION kids in their complex.  It's like a mini-Provo!  The Mormons have returned to Missouri!

Liberty Jail was one of the coolest stops in Independence.  The actual jail is partially reconstructed inside this building and staged.  The sister missionary/tour guide sang "Be Still, My Soul" a'cappella for our group after they played a recording of the history of the jail and Joseph Smith's experiences there.  

Happy little girl.  She was so well behaved on our little getaways!

Milli took us to see the RLDS (now called the Community of Christ) and LDS sites in Independence.  The RLDS temple is behind us and often referred to as the "Ice Cream Cone."  I mean, it did kind of look like one.  It was all very...strange.

Uncle Wes took Avery outside for some fresh 65 degree air.

Wes and I got to sing in this gorgeous cathedral with the Utah Chamber Chorale.  Sometimes I wish I could be Catholic just to get to go to church in places like this and sing cool chants in Latin.  

Top of the world with our buddy, Miss Anne Schleiffarth.

Thanks for the tickets and pointers, Dad!

I'm trying to convince Wes to invest in a less...imposing ski jacket.  Perhaps this pic will convince him ;-)

Oh, how spoiled we are living in Park City.  Free skiing at Deer Valley.  Not bad.

I like how Wes couldn't peel his eyes away from the game for 1 second.  Typical!  He's still cute.

White-out in Provo...(The Cougars lost that game despite the impressive show of support.)

The Rill Dill.  Beautiful little family.

Do we pull off the parent look?  Probably not yet, since I don't quite have the totally sleep-deprived thing going.

Avery got all the attention that night, and the other munchkins didn't mind much because they were so happy they have someone else to play with!

Proud Daddy!  Avery's blessing was beautiful and Wes and I couldn't be happier for her wonderful parents.

Princess Alex is going to have to fight the boys off by the dozens.

Introducing Shane Charles.  Up close and personal.  (I think he wanted to steal my chair.)

The Brothers Charles at Avery's Baby Blessing

Kaleb is practically an adult.  I can't keep up with him!

That kid knows how to work an iPhone.  I'm not sure what to think of that other than he's a Mac and he's one and a half.

At the Cheesecake Factory, Wes decided that Meal #1 just didn't quite do the trick.

A Christmas Story

Although I am now in my mid-20's and doing a lot of the pre-Christmas prep that my parents always did behind the scenes, Christmas has not lost one bit of its magic for me. I still have trouble sleeping Christmas Eve, wake up far too early for a vacation day and I still anxiously anticipate seeing what Santa has brought. I love the smells of cinnamon, molasses cookies, and peppermint that fill my parent's house and I have tried to recreate that heavenly atmosphere in my own home. (Note: Always have a fresh batch of cookies prepared.) I must mention that having a REAL Christmas tree is part of the magic in my opinion, so in that regard my parents have totally sold out. Although I feel I will never match the extent to which my mom goes "all-out" for holidays in decorating the house, perhaps I can infuse some of her flavor into mine. Someday, I want my children to cherish similar memories to the ones I have acquired over decades of magical Christmases.

It is miraculous that after 17 years of being separated by school and jobs, my entire immediate family is now within a 20 miles radius. I've been so lucky to watch my nephews (and neice) grow over the past few years! They're pretty neat people.

I wish I could remember what it was like to be unabashedly fascinated with something as trivial as a nutcracker. Isaac frequently tries to force everyone who is able to lift him to Steinbach eye-level so he can study every detail of each doll. These days, I only get that level of fascination watching The Bachelor.

"Rut der! Rut der!" (Pointing at the nutcrackers, of course.)

I'm sorry to my friends who have babies, but this kid takes the cake.

Sometimes, we pretend he's already ours. He calls me "AunTIE!", picks up after himself, and will fill in the words of his "Isaac, Isaac" song.

Half of the time I see Kaleb, he's partially clothed and waking up from a nap. This is a good thing, because where else would he find all of the energy to bounce off the walls? I love this boy!

Five out of the eight adults present at the Rawson Christmas have iphones (myself excluded.) The picture above was a common scene Christmas day as various iphone-users exchanged game app ideas, checked the weather in Ouagadougou and played pranks using a certain flatulence-inspired app (Wes has yet to get over this one).

This is another common scene on major holidays. Comatose.

The Brothers Charles on Christmas Day. We stopped by Kevin's house to make sure we saw the Travis Charles family for a few minutes before the Rawson shindig.

Jesse and I played "jail" with his new handcuffs. He's our buddy. We took Kaleb and Jess to "Walking with the Dinosaurs" in January for their birthdays and had such a great time hanging out with them! Wes and I highly recommend the show to kids and adults alike. It was like being IN Jurassic Park.

Uncle Wes loves Avery (and vice versa.) This is one of the reasons I'm head over heals in love with him...look how sweet he is with this baby girl! Melts my heart.

It truly was a winter wonderland in Park City on Christmas morning. Wes had to shovel the driveway just so we could get out.

This is my new favorite ornament. Lovebirds! The first official Christmas as husband and wife was absolutely wonderful.

On the Charles side, we are assigned one adult in the family for whom to shop. I LOVE this set-up. It completely takes the pressure off of finding that perfect something for an endless list of people. It turned out that Kevin was assigned me and Kimberly got Wes (was this planned?). During the gift exchange, some people got books, others cleats, and others framed picutres. Kevin sets a CHAIR in front of me. "Wow, Kevin...what a beautiful chair! I know the perfect place for it..." Next thing I know he's bringing out chair #2. After Kimberly and Mama Kath brought out chairs 3-8...Wes and I knew something was brewing. The guys left the party for awhile and then offered to help us move our new chairs into our house. Kevin said, "Something is missing. Let's go outside and see if we can find anything to go with these chairs." Sure enough, they start bringing in the table piece by piece. Wes and I were SHOCKED. What did we do to deserve this? Surely, getting married doesn't entitle you to beautiful home furniture. We thought we were perfectly happy with our old 4-seater with a giant crack down the middle. We can be sure that this table will be well-used. Thank you everyone for a lifetime of luxurious meals! And thank you CasaBella for great inventory.

Wes brought the gift of music into our home by surprising me with the news that a piano would be on our Christmas list this year. I was thinking this would either be a few years down the line OR that we would somehow inherit an old, out-of-tune upright. We ended up investing in a beautiful Yamaha Studio and met our future Utah Chamber Chorale director in the process. (Wes and I auditioned and both made it!) I envision tiny fingers plunking out first chords as I teach my children something I have loved since I was little. I envision jam sessions with friends playing/singing Coldplay songs at the top of our lungs. And I envision duets. Many, many duets. Our piano will never get rusty and neglected. It'll be a central part of our family.

Reason #547 why I love Wes: He thinks I look my BEST in the morning when I am convinced I look my worst. I can't imagine he was talking about this morning.

I love my Wes, so I bought him a Blu-ray player.

Santa brought us fun stocking-stuffers! Having just the two of us there on our first Christmas morning was perfect and it's a memory I'll treasure forever.

Not a creature was stirring...

Yes, we match. No, this was not planned.

Baby Avery's first Christmas! Lots of firsts this year. It was so good to see Trav, Milli and the newest addition to the family.

Prior to opening presents, Papa John explained the real meaning of Christmas to the munchkins and then showed them a video of the Nativity. I'm sure they were thinking about the baby Jesus the whole time they were tearing open their presents and arguing over toys...It's good to start 'em young.

The Spanish Branch Fiesta Navidad! We love partying with the latinos. They know how to have a good time.

Sometimes the sky is on fire in Parley's Canyon and I am always so glad I have my camera with me as I'm driving through. Seriously beautiful. (I am my father's daughter.)

First Christmas 2008

First Christmas Tree Decorating as a married couple!  Full of Christmas music, lights that stayed lit if one bulb went out, a tree stand designed by idiots and one stubborn, crooked tree.  I LOVE Christmas.

Christmas Card 2009, unless we can find one where Wes is not trying to strangle me.

It was right after this moment that we realized we forgot to put the tree in the bucket of water. 

Wes was shocked that I could reach all the way to the top to put the star on!

Wes had the honors of putting our very first official ornament on the tree marking the year of our marriage. Yay!

Our stubborn tree was dead set on leaning forward, so Mr. Fix-It spent a couple of hours trying to keep the tree straight by nailing fishing line to the wall and attaching it to the trunk.  If you're not careful and bump the tree, a nail may come flying out of the wall into your eyeball.

November/December 2008

Garrett?  14?  It's impossible...

Uncle Bret is one of Isaac's favorites.

Christmas Extravaganza at Anne's House!

I'm not sure what's going on here, but I look evil and Anne looks like she's in Show Choir.

Football player mug shot?  

The trifecta together again.

We took 7 Primary kids from the Spanish Branch to Temple Square after eating a pizza dinner in a parking lot.  (Fortunately, we didn't get mugged.) I'm hoping that Carlitos' mom won't mind if I adopt him.  

We looked a lot better the last time we posed in front of the temple.  I guess marriage does that to you...(or maybe just Primary Activities on Friday nights.)

Jenny Badger brought her new puppy, Champ over to our house and it was hard not to steal him and destroy all the evidence. 

Yeah, we hang out with David a lot and we LIKE it.  Notice David caught the corsage...hmm...

Ben Blake (David's brother) and Sarah Madsen were married on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.  Beautiful reception!

That beautiful apple pie was made BY HAND by Domestic God and husband, Wes.

Thanksgiving 2008

DELICIOUS Thanksgiving Dinner at the Rawson house.  After the main course, we headed over to the Charles house for dessert (I ate so much I couldn't move for days.)

Wes and I sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" a'cappella as our "talent."  We are taking requests for the Wes and Rachael Reunion Tour (for a price.)

After dinner, we had the Second Annual Rawson Talent Show.  Wyatt recited a poem and then he and Papa had a dance-off.

Some think that Wyatt is actually my child.  Check out our profiles...he's mine!

Oh, how I wish I could remember what elicited my expression here.  It was probably Lindsay's fault.

The Rawsons know how to make a big pile of dirty dishes.  And Wes is such a good helper!

Coldplay Viva la Vida Tour November 22

I've decided that I'm going to become a Coldplay cover artist when Wes and I finally get a piano.  I'm an obsessed fan!

Our seats were pretty far from the stage, so we were pretty stoked when the band came to sing in the audience.  Our friends, David and Elissa joined us for a memorable evening.

Possibly the most talented band of my generation...(they might even beat U2.)  The concert was worth every penny. By the way, those are little paper butterflies falling from the sky.

This concert was a psychedelic party for the senses and if Wes isn't careful, I may have to leave him for Chris Martin.  Move over Gwyneth and Apple!

Reasons to Celebrate

Forget the blindfold- it's hard enough just trying to figure out what a tail is!

Kaleb turned 4 last month and we celebrated with the traditional Texas Chocolate Cake and Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey.

My new brother-in-law achieved ultimate nerddom when he was named valedictorian of his Neumont University graduating class.  Way to go, Mike!

Happy 31st, Linda!

I think my parents are enjoying their retirement...

Halloween 2008

Sadly, I concluded Halloween night with a fever of over 101 and the chills.  I tried to last as long as I possibly could, as Halloween is by far the greatest of all work-day holidays.

We spent most of the evening with our wonderful, newly-married friends, Jed and Emma Briggs (Lennon and Yoko shown here.)  Libby threw a great couples party and we're sorry we couldn't stay longer!

Gotta love Anne, but you gotta wonder what she plans to paint with her wrench...

Yes, 2008 was an historic year.  Not only did America elect their first black President, but one of our best friends actually BECAME black.  He had a hard time going back to white (pity the fool!), but at least he won $500. Ah, David. 

Halloween in Park City is like no other.  The mountains and hills make regular door-to-door trick-or-treating a bit...tricky, SO all of the stores on Main Street open their doors for a one-stop-shopping sort of Halloween.  I think it's brilliant.

They even have a doggie-parade!  I think this one needs to be mine.

Everything was fine on Main St. until Uncle Wes showed up as the Evil Pumpkin Monster...(Try to figure out which pictures are the befores and afters.)  Random children on the street are doomed to have nightmares for years.  I tried to explain to them that I grew him in my very own garden and he obeys my every command, but they didn't buy it.

The Last Hike of 2008

Enjoying one of the last warm days of the year on a Spiro Trail lookout of beautiful Park City

It must hurt to be that incredibly good-looking.

Yoga on the Spiro Trail.

TELL me about it, stud.

A River Runs Through It...in Wanship

Flyfishing with my Dad is one of my favorite activities.  A river is a certain type of therapy.  I rarely catch big fish, but it's fun watching him reel them in.  He gets an undeniable twinkle in his eye and talks about every detail of the experience for at least the next week.  I hope I can learn half of his skills and I equally hope that I can see as well as he can when I'm 60+.  

Horsies and Hayrides

We had a few chances to take a normal picture with no luck.

I'm just trying to keep him in control, okay?

Canyons Ward Barn Party- Isaac wasn't too sure about the horsies.

Cute little family. Isaac and Kaleb's expressions are representative of their permanent ones.

Nice mamma!

How beautiful is this little girl? I pity Kevin when Alex gets a little older...

What am I doing on this bale of hay? These people are weird.

Come on, Auntie Rachael!

One reason I'm crazy about my Wes...he still gets me flowers for no good reason.

Sam Turns 10

You can't beat a full Rawson house.

This bulldog statue sat in my grandma's house (Nantita) for as long as I can remember. When she passed away, Bret inherited it and Isaac made a new friend (after being terrified initially.)

Nearly every birthday, the Rawsons put up a pinata for the kids in hopes of getting in touch with their Latin roots. Believe it or not, this kid is an 8th Puerto Rican.

I love that laugh.

Uncle Wes is very popular. I'm watching Japanese Human Tetris with the boys .

This is me telling Wyatt to go apologize to Uncle Wes for abusing him.

Congrats to little Isaac who just started walking this month...Life has a whole new meaning!

What are you looking at?

Wes is such a mean uncle. Notice the blatant lack of empathy!

I have a 16 year old niece! How the heck did that happen? And WHERE did all of these redheads come from?

Yesterday was my nephew, Sam's 10th birthday, so Wes and I went to celebrate in Sandy.

Life After the Honeymoon

Weston, Idaho! You'll know you're there when you can smell the potatoes!

Yellowstone Canyon. It was hailing!

Mystic Falls, Yellowstone Park. Wes is excited that there is a hot spring right next to the freezing waterfall.

Mystic Falls Overlook, Yellowstone Park

Quake Lake, Cameron, Montana

Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone Park

Mystic Falls Hike, Yellowstone Park- Wes is an abnormally large lizard.

Mystic Falls Hike, Yellowstone Park

Smith & Moorehouse, lovin' my hubbie.

Smith & Moorehouse Campground, Minutes before Wes's Motorcycle Accident...(he's okay.)

Cheeseballs.

The Grass Shot. Wes thinks he looks weird, but I think he's hot.

Kalai Concert, University of Utah. If you don't know him, you should.

No, he didn't shoot himself. It was just really loud.

Rachael's Score: 5/5

Bond.

Rachael's Score: 0

If I ever run for public office, this will be all over the net.

FHE on the Shooting Range, back when Wes was a redhead.

Bald Mountain Peak, Uintas. It was really...high.

Mirror Lake, Uintas

July Motorcycle Camping Trip in the Uintas

4th of July in Park City

Honeymoon in Costa Rica!

Amazing meal (perhaps best of our lives) at the Peace Lodge.

Jungle hiking on the La Paz Trail, Peace Lodge

Dinner at Tango Mar. Notice how I delicately hold Wes's hand. I'm not sure why I decided to the man in this picture.

Class 4 Rafting on the Pacaure River

Dinner at the Vista del Valle Plantation. Costa Ricans know how to cook!

Wes is king of the world...and sweaty.

Yes, only golf carst, por favor.

Goat cows! Wes thought these were giant goats when we first got to Costa Rica, so every time we would pass them, I'd go "baaa" to see if they would respond. They didn't.

One of the coolest spots of the trip...Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth!

Midget horses.

We hand-fed hummingbirds at the Peace Lodge. It was incredible. There were over 250 species there and at some points we had 3-4 on our hands.

One of the 7 magnificent waterfalls on the La Paz trail.

Zip-lining! Of the seven lines, the longest was 1/2 mile!

La Paz Trail, Peace Lodge

We had one of these Pina Coladas at nearly every meal. They were amazing. We put on 5 pounds each by the end of the trip.

Marital Bliss

I thought it might be fun to post excerpts from recent talks that Wes and I gave in church. There was some shocking and awing, but for the most part our talks were pretty tame (we like to shake Sacrament Meeting up occasionally.) I think we may have even injected a little spirituality into them, if you can believe it. A little background...the night before our Farewell to the Single's Ward addresses (Note: We were just released from the Single's Ward this past Sunday and were called to the Spanish Branch of all places...more on that to come), Wes warned me that he might throw some public jabs my way. Lucky for me, I was speaking first. Here's how it played out.

It’s a very dangerous thing, speaking before your husband. If he decides to blackmail you, you have no chance to respond, so I would just counsel Wes to remember that our actions always have consequences…In this case, I think I’ll just make a preemptive attack.

Being married is absolutely wonderful. The other day, my new father-in-law asked me what the toughest part of being married is, and I had little to complain about. There are a few things that no one told me that have been a bit eye-opening…for instance, I had no idea the number of hours Wes devotes each week to programs like Battlestar Gallactica and Stargate Atlantis. I just don’t see the attraction, (but we solved this by setting up separate DVRs.) Wes also has a tendency to keep perishable food in his frige for months past the expiration date, and then he EATS it. I’m pretty sure he had food in there from the 80s when I moved in. I had no idea how dire his need was for a wife to make sure he survives the next 10 years. Finally, it’s been interesting trying to keep track of Wes’s keys, wallet, cell phone, and wedding ring. I’m not sure that he has left the house with all of these items once since I’ve known him. As a matter of fact, just this morning, he sent me a text from Brantley’s phone that read, “Hey, this is your husband. Can you bring my ring and my phone? My phone is on the living room chair. Thanks.” It’s a miracle he makes it to any meetings on time. I’ve set up a little bowl that he can puts these things in every time he comes home. Fortunately, it’s getting better. Despite all of this, I couldn’t be happier. What fun would marriage be without these little idiosyncrasies to make life interesting? I’d get really bored if EVERYTHING were perfect.

To which Wes responded...

Ahh.. So my thanks to Rachael for that beautiful talk. If you don’t know Rachael, you might think from that talk that she is very eloquent and has wisdom beyond her years as well as a wonderful mastery of the English language. That’s not always entirely accurate…

For example, her parents will often repeat the story of when they once asked Rachael, then an 11 year-old, where she thought denim came from. “From denim trees,” she replied a-matter-of-factly. Or more recently when we were honeymooning in Costa Rica, and I stopped to give a couple of friendly workers a lift in exchange for some directions. She said, “my Mommy and Daddy told me not to pick up hi-jackers.” Lucky for us, we weren’t hi-jacked. Or when she wanted to know if something was from Holland, and she asked if it was “Hollish”.

Sometimes she’ll say the darnedest things – I’m going to make a quote book and blackmail her with it some day. When we went horseback riding, and she was assigned a horse that was pathetically small, she said, “you can always tell a good horse, cause it’s not a midget.” Deep thoughts by Rachael Rawson.

There is just a cute, loving side to her that not many get to see – and it’s definitely one of the things I love about her. So I guess Ryan North is thinking, “oh great, he’s going to bear testimony of Rachael again.” So back to the task at hand...

Believe it or not, we actually did eventually get into the meat of our talks on faith and humility. It just happened to be after our ritual pride-exerting exercise. Ironic? Perhaps.

Yeah, we blog.

Welcome to the Rachael & Wes Charles family blog! It seems that entrance into the Charles clan also requires the obligatory initiation into the blogging world, so I have appointed myself Commissioner. As our blog title implies, I recently changed my legal name from Rachael Erin Rawson to Rachael Rawson Charles. Some may have noticed that my new name can be conveniently abbreviated to “Rach Charles” or even…as a stretch…to “Ray Charles.” It could be worse. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining that my new last name is often mistaken for a first, or that my first name contains almost the same letters as my last, or that when said aloud in one breath, there seems to be an inordinate amount of “ch” sounds. No. It could be so much worse. In fact, I feel honored to carry the surname of such a legendary musician. So here’s to you, Mr. Charles. I can only hope that I will be able to bring as much honor and integrity to the name as the name itself deserves (minus the associations with drugs and other illegal acts.)

June 14, 2008

We made it official! Best day of our lives.