Mr Seth (It's a long one!)

Since the desktop computer is still dead, I can't get to any pictures to post of my good-looking son for his birthday. But, you know how it goes, a day-late-and-a-dollar-short.

My pregnancy with Seth was interesting. Shelley was only 7 months old when I got pregnant with him. I remember it was Dan's birthday and Shelley finally learned to crawl, and Dr Schneider said congratulations!!
I got sick one night in January and the doctor said the baby had my stomach in a funny position. I continued to have stomach problems for the rest of the time. ( I should say I had problems again when he was a month old - - so much for the baby causing my pain!! It turned out to be my gall bladder. In 1972 they said I was too young to have my gall bladder out. I guess when I had it out in 1994, I was finally old enough!! Of course since then, there have been tons of women have their gall bladders out after giving birth)

Okay back to Seth. I can remember teaching Primary before he was born. I taught the Sunbeams and one precocious little girl said, "Teacher you wear the same dress every week" It was true. Sometimes if you have noticed the heat records being set in Phoenix , in March and April the year is 1972. We lived in an apartment that had central air conditioning. What I mean by that is, we couldn't turn the air conditioning on until the complex was ready for everyone to have it on. And they were not ready to turn it on. The manager did bring me a fan to use. Mr Daniel was working out of town, actually he was working in Holbrook for 6 weeks. I was worried he would not make it home for the birth. I remember telling my visiting teachers I wanted to have the baby on Saturday, the 29th, because I knew he would be home then.

Of course in those days we never knew what the sex of the baby was going be. In Mr Daniel's family and even extended family you only got one girl and the rest were boys. Some even had to adopt to get their girl. I had it in my mind that I was going to have a house full of boys. I was excited to have Shelley, because I knew that was my only chance at a girl. (We all know how this story turned out!!!)
On Friday, the 28th, Shelley and I went swimming. The apartment was clean, the laundry was done, everything was ready. This was the only time I ever had long hair, and it was curled in big rollers. I was having contractions and pains from my still undiagnosed gall bladder on Friday night. I actually couldn't tell which was which. I woke up Saturday morning at 6 am with contractions. They were not regular at all and I didn't think I was in labor. I did call the doctor and they said to call back at 11:00 if I was still having them. Since it was a Saturday they closed at noon. They had me come in and be checked. The doctor said "Can't you tell those are good contractions?" My answer was classic, "All I know is they are going to get a lot harder." Well, I was dialated to a 6 and he said to get to the hospital. Mr Daniel gave me a blessing in the parking lot. We waltzted into the hospital - remember my long curled hair!! We were laughing and talking and having a good time (we really were). The nurse came in and said the doctor must have made a mistake. She said nope you are now an 8. The doctor came and broke my water and after a while the laughing stopped!! Seth finally made his appearance a couple of hours later. He was born at Doctor's Hospital at 20th St. and Thomas. There were only 3 babies in the hospital with him and the other 2 were twins, so they thought Seth was huge. (8lbs 11 3/4 oz. ) They wouldn't let children in so Shelley got to see me through the window,as a friend held her up. She was 16 months to the day and she had no idea what was going on.

Mr Daniel called his Aunt Helen on the phone. She said as soon as he said "Aunt Helen" she knew I had had the baby and the baby was a boy.
Seth was all boy. He has been good in sports his whole life. He hit a ball into the alley behind our house when he was two. He had a deadly aim, ask the figurine that lost it's head in the living room. He played soccer, baseball, basketball, and football. He did some track and field and was on the swim team. He became an Eagle Scout, he went to Boy's State, and fulfilled a mission in Leeds, England.

He and Melinda were married in the Denver Temple. They have 2 daughters and 2 sons. He likes to hunt and fish. They love taking their boat out on the lake and going wakeboarding. He works at being a good husband and good father.

When I was having 6 months of chemo, he called me everyday on his way home from work to see how I was doing. He has always been a good son and taken good care of his mother. As a parent, I am not sure you could ask for more than that.

Seth, we love you as our son, and love the man you have become. Happy Birthday Son!! Pictures will come later.

LOVE vs. HATE

I just had to add to my blog since it has been so long since I did. Okay...

Here is my list and why it's on my list:

I LOVE my double oven. It makes baking so much faster. It is especially nice on holidays.
I HATE my double oven when it is broken! What gives, it isn't even 5 years old. There are times it may have died from lack of use, but not from over-use!!

I LOVE my laptop computer and I am so glad I have it. It is really handy and I can do more than one thing at a time.
I HATE computers when they don't work!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is with our Dell desktop computer?????????? This is the 2nd time the hard drive has crashed!!!!! Pray for my pictures, the hundreds of scanned pictures, and my Family History. Mr Daniel and Dell are "working" on it.

I LOVE my children.
I HATE that they live so far away.

I LOVE my grandchildren.
I HATE even more that they live so far away. By the time we begin to bond it is time for them (or us) to go home until the next time.

I LOVE my chemo doctor. He takes good care of me and he LISTENS. He also spends time with me.
I HATE that I ever had to meet him in the first place.

I LOVE that all my blood work came back perfect.
I HATE that my blood work came back normal. I was hoping there was something wrong with my thyroid and that was why I had gained some weight. Shoot, you mean I gained because of what I ate???????

I LOVE my garden and can't wait to eat more veggies from it.
I HATE that the birds think I planted it for them. I have CDs hanging and some other things to distract them.

I LOVE that I am not a teenager or raising children in these days and times. My hat goes off to those of you that are.
I HATE that it means we are now senior citizens!!!!!!! Mr Daniel has been diagnosed with a gall stone, 2 bulging discs in his back, a lump down where the sun doesn't shine, an enlarged prostate, and poly cystic kidney disease. The interesting thing is he didn't know he had any of them!!

I LOVE (for the most part) my blog. ( I love reading the blogs that belong to other people)
I HATE writing on my blog. I HATE even more that I have relatives that don't read my blog!!

I LOVE that we are having a family reunion in August.
I HATE that not everyone is coming :( :( :(

I LOVE winters in Arizona.
I HATE summers in Arizona.

If there are other things I love and hate, I plead old age and can't remember what they are!!

Just a Mom

I copied this from a friends blog and I thought it was great.


JUST A MOM?

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office, was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. What I mean is, explained the recorder, 'do you have a job or are you just a ...? ''Of course I have a job,' snapped the woman. 'I'm a Mom.'' We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it, 'Said the recorder emphatically. I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, 'Official Interrogator' or 'Town Registrar. ''What is your occupation?' she probed.. What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. 'I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.' The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. 'Might I ask,' said the clerk with new interest, 'just what you do in your field? 'Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, 'I have a continuing program of research, In the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,(any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money. 'There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mom. ' Motherhood! What a glorious career!Especially when there's a title on the door. Does this make grandmothers 'Senior Research Associates in the field of Child Development and HumanRelations? 'And great grandmothers'Executive Senior Research Associates?' I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts 'Associate Research Assistants.'

Not April Fools

This is where Mr Daniel and I went yesterday. You know how it is getting ready to go. I guess you might not know - no kids or babysitter. We planned the day, where to leave Mr Daniel's truck, what time to pick him up from work etc. Of course, I showered, did my hair, got dressed and had everything ready to go. I talked on the phone all the way to Phoenix and then kept talking all the way to Mesa. We were going to eat in the cafeteria and I was going to have chocolate pie for dessert. Well, imagine our surprise when we get there and the gates are closed and the parking lot is empty. The pageant hasn't started yet, but why were we the only ones in Arizona that didn't know the temple is closed for 2 weeks for maintenance??????????? We tried...do you get blessings for trying??