War Wounds: Liam's First Stitches

We spent a little time at Urgent Care on the evening of October 4, 2013. Liam had not been at his highly anticipated weekly "Let's Play Music" class with beloved teacher, Chrissy Coonradt, when he one-leg hopped his face right into the corner of a piano bench. Luckily, there was a doctor on the scene who triaged and quickly assessed the situation.  He told me Liam would need a couple of stitches and that he would probably have a black eye for 6-8 weeks (it only lasted about a week). So, after a Popsicle break, I rushed him to Urgent Care where I had to hold my straight-jacketed baby down while he got numbed and stitched back together. Amidst goose-egg tears, he kept repeating, "I'm so disappointed!"  I was just as traumatized as he was, but kept pretty focused under the pressure. I NEVER want to experience that again, but I have a feeling that with two boys, I probably will.  I keep replaying the scene in my head; it is literally a miracle that he still has both eyes. Liam is my brave little trooper, and he's 100% back to singing every song from Broadway's Tarzan at the top of his lungs. We feel blessed and thankful.  

Worst part.  This is a picture that will go down in the history of Liam.

Liam was so happy to return home that night and get a good sleep.  

Frankencheek.

Five days after The Incident, Liam returned to Urgent Care to have his two stitches removed.  He was very brave, even when the doc had to dig around in his cheek to find a lost stitch fiber!  

NO MORE faces meeting pianos!  Got it?  

Snow in September

These pictures need no further explanation other than this:  If you live in Park City or ever plan on visiting, realize that there are really only two months out of the year during which snowfall is highly unlikely, July and August.  All other months are up for grabs.  

We hadn't even put our patio furniture away because we thought we were at least safe until October 1!  

You can't argue that it isn't amazingly beautiful.  

Grammy's Scarecrow

Just in time for the autumn snowfall, Grammy came over and built a scarecrow for our front door.  This was supposed to be a Grammy/Liam project, but Liam mostly provided words of affirmation..."You're doing a great job, Grammy!"  We love that Grammy loves the fall and has passed this on to our little family.  Thanks, Grammy!

Mr. Scarecrow is still alive and kicking, despite being decapitated in a snowstorm.  Safety pins are wonderful things.  

Thursdays with Svea

Since Obamacare has made my health insurance agent job both miserable and obsolete, I picked up some extra work on Thursdays taking care of a darling 16-month old named Svea.  She's blonde.  She's sassy.  She's the easiest baby on the planet.  And it almost makes me feel like I might be able to handle three children one day.  We haven't ventured out of the house yet though, so I'll let you know how that goes.  We know Svea's parents from our single days and are happy to help them out, as Leif is working tirelessly on his doctorate and Jodi teaches music at McPolin Elementary.

Toddlers can be both territorial and possessive, and on the rare occasion, Aiden and Svea share some discontent.  See below.  

But most of the time, they sit quietly next to each other and parallel play.  Cate Coonradt comes to play sometimes as well.  These are three cute munchkins.

We love this little girl!  Can I have one please, Heavenly Father?  Pretty please?  Liam has been known to ask the same thing in his prayers.  I told him if he shows Mamma and Heavenly Father that he can be a good helper and friend to Svea, he might just be blessed with a baby sister one day.  (We'd welcome a brother too.)  Liam is rising to the challenge!  And so is Aiden, for that matter.  

Liam Visits the Theatre: Disney's Tarzan

If you've spoken to my eldest child lately, the topic of Tarzan may have come up in the conversation.  The boy is obsessed.  Thanks to Grammy, Wes and I got the opportunity to take Liam to his very first play (musical), Disney's Tarzan at the Hale Centre Theater.  We were unsure about a three-year old sitting through three hours of live singing and dancing, but he is a boy after my own heart and loves the theatre!

He was so excited to meet Tarzan and Jane in person, that when he got up to them after waiting in a long line, he did the splits and struck the most hilarious pose.  I thought Tarzan and Jane would bust a gut laughing so hard.  They loved him!  

Liam also begged to meet the Mamma and Dadda gorillas.  The tongue means he's really happy.  Ask him to show you his gorilla moves.  

Liam had a long conversation with young Tarzan.  When asked his favorite part, he replied, "the leopard."  That's the part where Tarzan's parents and the baby gorilla get killed.  I was sobbing during this part.  Another highlight was the "mean hunter."  Liam is a defender of our 2nd amendment rights.  

I'm so glad the Hale decided to add a performance especially for kids so that my boy could have this experience.  Plays have totally enhanced my life!  And finally, thank you to Phil Collins for writing spectacular music, because we've been listening to the original Broadway recording for weeks now.  Every.  Day.  MUST get Liam singing on video.  Classic.

Miracle Baby Eve

I haven't seen my cousin, Adrienne, in almost two decades.  We recently got the opportunity to reconnect and share an amazingly miraculous occasion.  Adrienne, who has been trying to have a baby for twelve years, is finally a mother.  On June 17, a beautiful, 7 pound 12 ounce, healthy baby girl, Evelyn Blacker, was born to Adrienne and Jared Blacker just after noon in Lexington, Kentucky.  But keep reading; the manner in which Eve arrived is the truly miraculous part...

The baby was delivered by a “gestational carrier”—an exceptional, married mother of two boys who agreed by contract, through a very reputable agency, to carry Adrienne’s and Jared’s implanted embryo that had been collected earlier through an in vitro fertilization (IVF) process in North Carolina.  In other words, Adrienne and Jared are the biological parents of this beautiful child.  After 13 years of marriage, three last-minute adoption failures and many failed IVF implantations that Adrienne was unable to carry much past implant, they sought out this agency and found an ideal gestational carrier. 

Below: My Aunt Carol (Dad's older sister), Adrienne with Evelyn, and me.  

She's got the trademark Hardy red hair! 

Adrienne seems like a natural mother and incredibly happy.  She has struggled with serious health problems (she had a heart attack last year) and we pray that her health will improve as she cares for this new little one.

This is a wonderful, miraculous event and we are so happy for Adrienne and Jared, who have been blessed with this precious child.  My cousin Rex Hardy and his wife Lisa, hosted a post-sealing reception at their home, after which Jared, Adrienne and Eve traveled back to their home in Concord, North Carolina (a suburb of Charlotte), where Jared has a brisk orthodontics practice.

Liam and Aiden had a great time playing with their cousins (Rawson, Camden and Elle) and meeting some of their distant relatives.