A few random thoughts from a fairly random gal...

Baby boys can be beautiful!

This is something I have learned since Max was born. We are told all the time..."he is so beautiful"! One mom even told us that her kids were good-looking, but Max was just so beautiful - her kids weren't this good-looking. Of course we love to hear people say that; but what makes a little boy 'beautiful' instead of 'cute', 'adorable' or 'handsome'? Tell me what you think! I have seen baby boys that I would say are beautiful and others that are definitely so cute and still others that are very handsome. My take on it is that Max has really great eyes and long eyelashes and we usually equate that to beauty in women. Sometimes, though, I think Max looks more like a guys' guy and he's super cute or handsome instead.

Becoming Mobile!

I think it's interesting how every milestone varies from baby to baby. My nephew, Cole, who is 8 days younger than Max is rolling all over the place and scooting around. Max, who is sitting up, hasn't given much indication that he is ready to start scooting anywhere. When we put him on his tummy and a toy just out of reach, he will only do some scooting if it means getting his face off of the blanket so that he can suck on the carpet. He rarely gives that much effort for a lousy toy! And he's still just rolling from front to back, but not from back to front. Max is a much better sleeper than my sister's and friend's little boys of the same age; for that milestone I am very grateful! We'll see how things progress over the next months, but what I know is that it will be at the little dude's pace and that's just fine by me! I like how individual these little people are.

The Dating Days

Just in the past month I have been feeling the importance of dating my husband again. I feel like we make time for each other and have good, quality conversation. We spend all of our free time as a family. However, I have been feeling the need to be courted and to do some courting of my own. I am finally more comfortable leaving Max with a babysitter and have enough confidence in some of the young women in our ward to at least stay with him for a few hours. We have just been so darn busy the past 3 or 4 months! Now life is more calm and as the dust has been settling, I have felt an absolute NEED to go on a date with my man. We are not a family with a lot of means now that we have a mortgage...so tonight we are going to have a Costco dinner (big piece of pizza for $1.99 - and you can even get a churro!) and then attend an adult session of some EFY speakers on 'Keeping Courtship in your Marriage". It should be great! I just have to imagine Max laughing and smiling and playing with Amberlie Seader the whole time and then I'll be fine. He weighs about half as much as she does, and is about half as tall. She's really great with kids, though, and hopefully won't carry him around too much because I think her arms will just snap in half! :) She is really tiny, but very confident.

Life is Grand!

I am very grateful, very happy, very humbled by all that I have. I really am so blessed! Halloween was great; we're looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Holidays are that much more fun when you've got little ones, I've found. Even if they don't have a clue what's going on... :) I feel lucky to be a part of this family. Love to you all!

What will you do when life gives you lemons?

I just got an e-mail from a girl I met on my mission, Krisha Kai. She and her family live on the North Shore of Oahu. As most of you know, there was a pretty big earthquake that hit Hawai'i yesterday. I've been thinking a lot last night and today about my mission and the people that I knew there. I am grateful to hear that the fatalities were few and the damage was minimal compared to what it could have been. I loved Krisha's e-mail and her take on the experience - here is a bit of it:

I was awake when it happened and I was actually grabbing a can opener by the front of my house. As I searched through the basket of utensils in our kitchen, the windows started shaking and the walls were swaying pretty viciously. I didn't know what was going on, and as soon as that happened, I turned and tried to hold up a wall cabinet, like if my house fell I'd be able to hold it up. But while bearing my testimony of this I realized something, that in a world of hardships, trials, tribulations, and turmoil, we must all attempt to hold up our houses. We must try our best to keep the peace and become the cornerstone of our own houses while the Savior is the cornerstone of our lives. I love the gospel so much and I am grateful for this natural disaster that has happened. I knew that without t.v, the computer, or playstation, my family would have been forced to talk to one another. When I got home from church my family was sitting around a small table playing Majong. I was so happy when I saw that. Then for about an hour and a half, Jurrell, Kaizen, Jalen, Jordan, Tatiana, and I were playing hide and seek in the house. It was one of the best days my family has had for a long time. I know that through our trials the Lord will bless us.

I love people that can look at something like that and see so much positive. There was a lot of destruction that came with that earthquake, but there was also some construction that took place.

Tyler and I were talking a little while back about tragedy and faith and being prepared for hardships. We were discussing how we might react if something terrible were to happen to us or to our family. My mom has brought me up to look at the brighter side of life and I am grateful for that. I personally haven't faced much tragedy on a large scale, but I have had to face some difficult things that have helped to mold and build my character. I hope that when life knocks me down (I'm talking about the big kind of knocks), it will be a refining, faith-affirming time for me. I am of the belief that just on the other side of exquisite pain is equally exquisite joy & peace.

Easy to say when I have a wonderful husband, a healthy and beautiful little boy, a new house, a husband who is employed which allows me to stay home and care for Max....I acknowledge that I am very blessed. I just hope that there is enough character in me to face adversity in a positive, building way. I don't think that means to ignore sorrow or grieving, but to embrace the peace that follows. If the lot of hardship falls to me, I hope there is enough in me to grow through it. I hope that I make some sweet lemonade!

Nothing But Possibilities

I am borrowing the title of my handsome husband's blog for this post. We were talking the other day how it is at once both hopeful and dismal. Being an eternal optimist, I had never thought of the dismal aspect of the phrase. You can look forward and see that life is full of possibilities, but if you never act and do your part, then that is all that your life will be. The possibilities will never amount to anything on their own.

Lately I have been reflecting on my life as it is now, as it has been in the past, and I have especially been looking forward to what I see for its future. Greatness is the word that comes to mind. :) No, what I really feel is that I am thankful for what I have been able to do and I am sad for what I have not.

With hindsight, it is easy to see the amazing opportunities that I have had - some of them I've seized upon and others I have allowed to lay by the wayside. The thing that is not so easy is to have the foresight to recognize each opportunity as it arises and know (or at least trust) where it will take you if you embrace it. I was laughing when I signed up for e-harmony. I giggled every time I thought about it. Little did I know that in just a year and a half from that time, I would marry a man that I met on that site, move across the country with him, move back across the country and have our first child. I know I bring it up a lot, but really, it amazes me every time I think about it! Who knew?! Well, we know Who knew. And that's who we have to rely on to guide us.

So, what about the future? I have accomplished some of my greatest goals, but there are so many still on my list. I think that I am a great person, but I have not achieved my full potential. That's why we're all still here, right? I am going back to school to finish my degree. That's a good accomplishment, but it's what I want to DO with my degree that I get really excited about. I want to make a real difference in the world...and I think that means making a difference in a few lives. I will start with my husband, my children, my family, myself and I will branch out from there.

I love my son. I love him with a mother's heart and a mother's love...something I am only able to understand now that I have my own child. Tyler and I are able to provide for him and give him our full attention and our time and as much love as he'll ever need. I am so grateful for that! And no matter how many children we have, I know that we will have enough love, time and attention...and to spare!

It has made me think more and more, though, of the millions of children born to parents who are absent - either emotionally or physically. These babies and children and teenagers do not have the love, attention, or physical care that they need to make it in the world. They are abused, neglected, and many are given very little thought by the world. Nobody expects greatness from them - few people expect anything from them. That knowledge broke my heart before, but nothing like it does now that I am a mom myself. I have thought about these little people for a long time. My family doing foster care opened my eyes to a very sad world. I didn't know that things like that could really happen. There is so much that needs to be done about it! And I cannot, in good conscience, sit back and be grateful for all that we have without giving back.

So that's what I am going to do. Find Heavenly Father's broken and forgotten children and try to give them enough love, attention, time and ability to make it in the world. How am I going to do that, you ask? I am going to be a Social Worker, I am going to be a therapist, I am going to open a non-profit organization to help abused and neglected teens... I don't really know, actually. I just know that is one of my goals and one of my "callings". I will get my degree and then get to work once I have raised my own family. I know that just like the prompting came to pay the $39.99 and sign up for e-harmony, the promptings and opportunities will come to help these special little people. Life opens up for us in unexpected ways; we just have to be ready and willing!

I have been given a life full of possibilities - I think every child deserves that.

Oh, so thankful!

Well, the other day I spent half of an hour - or more - composing a really wonderful post...but in all of my excitement to get it posted, I deleted the whole thing. It was a terrible feeling. Especially since there was no one to blame but myself. Cyberspace was not to blame for my blunder. It was me, and me alone. So sad! I'm not even going to try to recreate what I wrote before. The moment is gone. So I'll just seize on this moment.

Life is good. Really, really good. I am the mom of a super good, cute, fun, easy-going little dude. I am married to the very best man - and, in my view, the manliest Foster despite Drew's somewhat shady win :). We live in a gorgeous area of the country that makes me feel close to heaven when I take a moment to look around and appreciate the beauty that is so abundant here. I am very blessed to be able to stay home and raise our son. We are in the process of buying our first home, which is very exciting and scary for us. More exciting than scary. We have callings that help us to reach out and teach others while learning and strengthening ourselves in the process.

I hope you all don't mind a little personal feeling here. I am extremely grateful for and to Heavenly Father. I am grateful for prayer and the personal connection I am able to feel with Him on a daily basis. I am grateful to know that He exists and that although there is heartache in the world, there will be a day of peace for those who are hurt and a day of reckoning for those who cause the hurt. A day of perfect justice and mercy. I know that He is real. I know that we will all see that for ourselves one day. I am so glad that He can be a part of my life in the meantime. I am thankful that He sent Max to our family. Max has changed our lives in many ways. What a special little man! I know that along with all of the care and concern that Tyler and I have for Max as his earthly parents, there are heavenly parents who have an even more perfect love and concern for his welfare. That's hard for me to imagine. I plan to live my life so that I can return to Him with my entire family...there to learn and work and live in His presence forever.

"My cup runneth o'er..."

4 Glorious Hours!

Last night I fed the little man at 9:30 p.m. (on one side) and then we gave him his bath and I finished feeding him. Afterward he was wide awake and wanted to play. I brought him into our room where Tyler and I hung out with him for a bit. We read scriptures and said our family prayer and then Tyler generously offered to put him to sleep while I slept myself. I was out like a light! This was at 10:50 p.m. I found out this morning that our little man didn't enter a deep slumber until about 12:20 a.m. I sure married a good and patient man, but I felt so bad since he has to get up and go to work!

Anyway, Tyler and I were both expecting Max to wake up around 12:30 since 3 hours is usually his max (no pun intended). You know, it is really amazing to me how right on his "inner feeding clock" is. I was awakened by a cry of hunger, as usual, and I looked at the clock. It read 2:43 a.m.! For a second I thought that I was misreading the clock because I didn't have my glasses on. Surely I was just missing the 1 in front of the 2...it couldn't be that late! But as I stared at the number and realized that it was, indeed, 2:43, panic began to set in. Had I not woken up when he cried earlier to be fed?! Tyler woke up because I leapt out of bed and in my rush to get into the other room, ran into the wall. :) I was so worried that I had starved my son.

I got him out of bed and started feeding him when I realized that there is no way he could have been crying to be fed without either Tyler or myself waking up to it. If Max is hungry, then Max will be fed. He will make sure of it. He will not stop fussing until his needs are met. Once I realized that I had not missed a feeding, but that my son had actually gone that long in between feedings, I was so happy and grateful! My pounding, worried heart slowed to a normal rhythm and a great peace and love for this little man set in. Now, I am not at all expecting a repeat in the nights to come, but I will not object if this was the beginning of a new sleep chapter in our lives. It would have been even better if Max and Tyler had both been sleeping all of that time. All in good time. For now I am grateful for the one night and the 4 continuous hours of sleep that I so enjoyed!

Also, yesterday morning and this morning have been very fun with Max! I have had some good play time with him that has included lots of smiling. :) He has also added some baby cooing and garble to his usual grunting. It is so fun to listen to his "stories"! He seems so intent on what he is saying and looks right at me to make sure that I am getting it all. That's when I've been able to get the smiles. Oh, he is so cute! I love this motherhood business. I am excited to meet all of the little spirits that will be sent to our home. And I hope that I can teach this one well since he will be the big brother of them all. What a sweet, fun, special little boy. We love him so much!

9lbs 1oz

That's right, folks! In a week and a half our son has gained more than one pound. If you'll recall, on May 22nd he was a measly 7lbs 6oz. He jumped from the 16th to the 41st percentile for weight gain. :) I was in shock, but oh so proud of my son and of myself. We are apparantly a great team! He is a happy, healthy, beautiful little man.

On the subject of happy...we have a very smiley son. Most of the smiles are when he is coming in and out of sleep. Our parents have seen a few awake smiles as well. But today I think that I got a glimpse of the first interactive smile. He had been awake for a while at his appointment and was still alert when we got home. I was talking to him and smiling as I was getting him out of his seat. He was looking at my face and when I gave him a big smile, I received one in return! I thought it may be a fluke, so I talked for a little longer and tried again...with the same result. I gave it a rest for a bit and then tried one more time and received the biggest smile in return! After that he let me know that it was time to eat, which brings out a very serious and focused side of Maxwell. :) I think that maybe it was just him trying to mimic his mom; I've read that babies at this age do that. Whatever the cause, it was so wonderful! I am excited for all of the levels of interaction that lie ahead. Now we just need Max to show his dad this new trick!

That's all for today, from this mom of a 9 pounder! He can gain all of the weight that he wants to now that he's out in the world. :)

The Loves of My Life

Oh my! It doesn't get any better than this! I have the two most wonderful men in my life and have embarked on the greatest adventure and calling that I will ever have. I love it, I love it, I love it!

Things are going really, really well. I have been so thankful and amazed at how smooth the transition to motherhood has been. I am especially amazed at how quickly I wake up to tend to him at night and how little sleep I am able to function on. Nursing has been exceptionally easy...I had a half of a day where I was a little sore (engorged possibly) while Margaret was here. I made the comment that I shouldn't complain too much because it had been so easy so far and Margaret quickly - and jokingly - agreed that I deserved to have a little discomfort. But maybe that's what 45 hours of labor buys you! :) Max and I are still learning about each other and his little personality is constantly evolving. I don't know if I do everything right, but it seems to work out and he seems to be thriving. I am also amazed at how quickly I am able to pick up on his little nuances - he likes to be gently bounced on your chest to be put to sleep while you "shh..shh...shh" quietly in his ear. That's during the day, after he has been awake for an hour or so. At night he puts himself to sleep and it's hard to keep him up to eat.

Anyway, the point is that I am in awe of this whole experience. I love Maxwell more than I ever knew that I would or could. I am so excited for the coming months and years! Like Mickey said on Angie's blog, everything is exciting because we're dealing with all of the 'firsts'.

And a comment on the love that I have for Max's dad...the labor & delivery, and now the raising of our son, has shown me a new side of the man that I already loved so much! He is so attentive and kind and compassionate. He was perfect during the whole hospital experience. And he has been such a great dad here at home! I feel like he is a complete partner and is very aware and grateful for all that I do. Max and I are so excited when he gets home every day. He helps me to be a better mom. Our love and relationship has reached a totally new and wonderful level. I am one lucky woman! I'm already looking ahead to the next little person and am excited to bring him or her into this great little family!

Thanks for all of the phone calls and support we have received from you all! Max is excited to meet everyone - Mickey, Adam and Megan will be new faces in just a week's time and then the rest of you mid-July! We love you.

SOLD!

Our car, Sonny Boy, is now under new ownership. Gone. We are, for the time being, a one-car family. I have to say that I expected to feel more sadness in seeing my car leave, but I am just so happy to have the whole thing over with!

Sonny Boy was my first big, albeit somewhat foolish, purchase as an adult. I loved the car. There were so many things that endeared me to it. On a nice sunny day, before the A/C was necessary, the sunroof could either pop up a few inches or open completely depending upon the level of relief one is seeking. Such a nice pearl white exterior made for a classy look while still being a cooler color for the Vegas sun (that's where I was living when I bought the car). The warranty made me sleep better at night. The trunk was oh, so spacious. The V6 engine allowed this lead foot to beat anyone off of the line and get ahead of the crowd. Some told me that it looked like a Jaguar...but I sure wasn't paying a Jaguar price!

Alas, those things are now to be enjoyed no longer by me, but by Linnea whose parents wanted her to have a safe, reliable car. Linnea who, apparently, has never been on insurance before and so we assume has not been driving very long. I hope that Linnea takes care of Sonny Boy and appreciates his finer sides.

As Tyler says, we are sacrificing today for a greater tomorrow. I will love a home much more than I ever loved Sonny Boy. While he'll be missed, I wasn't overly saddened to see him go. Goodbye to the car, but most importantly, goodbye to the super big car payment that we no longer have to make every month! Any sadness I do feel will be lessened and eventually erased when the 28th of each month rolls around without nearly $400.00 coming out of our checking account!

Looking Back

I have been thinking a lot about the reality of what is about to happen. There is no going back! This little person inside of me is going to want to come out and greet the world (hopefully!). Tyler and I are so anxious and excited, as we have mentioned many times. We both had dreams about him being born last night. In Tyler's dream I experienced no pain with the delivery and both myself and the doctor were surprised to see that the baby had already come out! I really like that dream. Ty also said that he was disappointed in the dream because Max wasn't very cute. In my dream, he came out HUGE! The size of a 3-year-old! I was trying to nurse him and just couldn't make it work because he was so big. He had a baby face, but a huge head and body; and again was not very cute. :( I don't think we're really worried about the "cute" factor, but it's funny to me because that seems to be a common theme in our baby dreams.

Even with the dreams and watching "A Baby Story" on TLC, I guess that this pregnancy is just so familiar that I feel like it isn't REALLY going to end. I have shed a few tears in the past few days, though, thinking about not being pregnant anymore. It is the most miraculous thing I have ever been a part of. It is hard for me to express how much I love not only the movements, but the spiritual connection that I share with this baby while he is inside of me. I don't think that I want to really try to express it because it is something quite personal to me. And yet, every woman who has ever been, or ever will be pregnant will have that same opportunity and very similar feelings. I know that there is so much more joy and wonder ahead, but I cannot help mourning the thought of being done with this time and these feelings. I love when he gets the hiccups and I feel him moving consistently for a few minutes. I love to watch the big rolling movements.

These feelings and thoughts have caused me to look back on the past 9 months...

• Back to last July when Tyler and I decided to start trying for a baby and the new level of importance that brought to our marriage.
• Back to late August and the two negative pregnancy tests that gave me the confidence to go to Six Flags New England. I was very relieved to find out that should not have any negative effects on the baby...he just might like roller coasters!
• And just a week later to have two more tests say just the opposite! Back to that day when I first found out and the way that I told Tyler and the state of shock/excitement/awe that we were in.
• Back to telling our families and friends.
• Back to the first ultrasound that caused the doctor to wonder if we hadn't miscarried and the very emotional week until the next ultrasound where we saw our healthy, growing baby for the first time. So tiny, but with a heartbeat and beginning to form!
• Back to the ultrasound just 6 weeks later that left us amazed! Legs and arms were flailing and the little 'gummy bear' we had seen previously had completely transformed and seemed to have quadrupled in size.
• Back to the nausea that I always hoped would get some relief by "losing my lunch", but that only happened two times. I don't know if bacon will ever again be a part of my life. Eggs were hard to handle for a little while, as was chicken.
• Back to the first time I wore a maternity shirt. It was much too big, but the regular clothes weren't fitting and I didn't have much of a choice. Plus I was excited about starting to show! I never thought that I would be big enough to fill in some of the clothes that my friends in New York let me borrow...now some of them are too small! I made Tyler go maternity clothes shopping with me and wanted him to be as excited as I was and react more like my mom or sisters would. Poor guy is so patient with me and was such a great sport.
• Back to the first time we heard the heartbeat. I hope that I never forget the look on Tyler's face when we heard it. It really is the most incredible sound; I love to hear it!
• Back to the December ultrasound with Doc Foster. It was the neatest ultrasound of my pregnancy! And the best ultrasound pictures that we have. I loved having my in-laws there and all of the time that Mark spent looking at our little one. I loved hearing the heartbeat at the same time as seeing him on the screen. And I really did love that month of preparing for a girl...we know that she is up there and we already feel a connection to her.
• Back to the first time I felt him move...I wasn't completely sure and so I called my sister and explained the feeling, which she validated. After that, Tyler would make me lie on my tummy on the floor while he put his hand on my stomach to try and feel the little flutters. It was never successful, but he said that he was the dad and should be able to feel it as well! :)
• Back to the ultrasound with Dr. Skory that showed something we hadn't previously seen - we were having a BOY! It took a little while for that to sink in, but we hadn't ever had a preference and were, of course, thrilled!!!
• Back to everyone around us being able to recognize that I was pregnant. We, and they, thought my belly was big at 6 months! That was the cute stage of my pregnancy. :)
• Back to the first time that Tyler felt him move. Again, I hope that I never forget the look on his face and all of his excitement!
• Back to the baby showers and the New York goodbyes. Lots of sadness that our friends there wouldn't be around to meet the little man.
• Back to meeting Dr. Zarnecki, the cute doc from Poland with a good sense of humor who will be the man to see us through to the end.
• Back to the moving into our apartment after nearly a month in a hotel and being so very anxious and excited to set up the nursery! We got the crib together and not long afterward had the changing table, glider rocker, stroller & car seat all set up and ready to go. And there they still sit, waiting to be used by Maxwell Tyler Foster.
• Back to the beginning of the BIG movements. The kind that change the whole shape of the belly and that Tyler can see, not just feel.
• Back to these past months of sitting in his room and daydreaming about what it will be like when he is here...walking past the room and seeing Tyler in there on the glider rocker doing the same thing.

And now, here we are. Down to weekly appointments (the last of which told us that I am 50% effaced, but not dilated), waiting any day for the big event! As you can tell by the length of this blog, I have a lot of time on my hands. I can't wait for those hands to be busy holding my son and changing his diapers and discovering what it is to be a mother! Soon enough. For now, I love this time to think back and try to cherish this miracle of pregnancy and all that I have physically and emotionally been through to get to this point.

I will never be the same...in many ways. And I am so glad.

On Motherhood...

I am defined by a lot of things...my religion, my calling at Church, my marital status, my friendships and family relationships, and right now I have a belly that pokes out far beyond my toes that is carrying my first child. I just can't help the tears from forming in the corner of my eyes as I type that last bit. I am overwhelmed by SO many feelings as I prepare for the biggest calling of my life! And while my responsibilities will differ from Tyler's in raising and caring for Maxwell, this is the greatest adventure that we have had together, and that makes my love for him (my dear husband) even greater.

I married Tyler, as you all know, coming up on a year and a half ago. It was a whirlwind romance and before we knew it, we were being sealed for time and all eternity in the House of the Lord. I felt that I knew a lot about him at the time, even for having such a short courtship. And, surprisingly, I really think that I did. I knew the most important things that allowed me to make that most important decision. Everything that I have learned since then has been a HUGE bonus! Tyler is even more than I ever could have hoped for. Truly. Last night I was thinking of how life has been with Tyler. (Again, the tears are flowing...what can I say? I've got a few extra hormones!) I am continually impressed with what a wonderful man he is. Our friendship grows stronger all the time. He is so very smart and intuitive. He is patient with his sweet wife. He has amazing ideas and ambitions that, when applied, are going to change the world. I absolutely believe that. He works hard and knows what it is to care for his family in every way. He is amazing in every calling he's given at Church and truly magnifies it. And now I get to see him as a father. He has been trying to wait patiently, but has been ever so anxious. From our conversations and preparations for the little man to be born, I have come to see another side of my husband. Tyler is going to be the kind of father and partner that I had always hoped that I would have in raising children. How was I to know that within our (almost) 3 month courtship? I couldn't have. But I know that Heavenly Father did and He who knows my mind and heart knew that I was getting the man I had prayed for and dreamed about. I am one lucky woman.

And what of my feelings on becoming a mom? I am unsure, nervous, excited, overwhelmed, and filled with more love in my heart than I ever thought possible. And I know that is only going to increase once Max actually enters the world!
As for the physical aspect of life right now...I have a hard time rolling over in bed and I am starting to get just a little bit of swelling. I have gone through bottles of Tums in the past few months. Last night it felt like the little guy was doing a gymnastics routine, or "the wave" with every part of his body, and I could not get to sleep until he calmed down. I am so darn HOT all of the time! :) I cannot imagine going through the late stages of pregnancy during the summer. I still think that everyone around me must be hot as well and I continue to ask them even though the answer is usually "no". I try to milk this time to get as many backrubs as I can from Tyler. All of that being said, however, I am not at all miserable. I feel extremely blessed to have had a healthy and relatively easy pregnancy. I love to feel him move and try to guess what body part is sticking out of my side. I love to imagine what he will look like and what his personality is going to be - will he be good and easy-going like his dad, or will he be spirited and throw tantrums like his mom? (I'm talking about as a child; I try not to throw tantrums anymore :) ) I think that my big belly is beautiful. It will be strange to have my body be only mine again. I am just weeks away from taking on the title and responsibility that I have been preparing for and thinking about for the last 10 or more years. I only hope that I can be the mom that Maxwell needs me to be and help him to become who he is meant to be.

The curtain goes up very soon, and although there has been a great deal of hope, prayer, and preparation, I go on stage without a single rehearsal. I am sure there will be critics, but the only opinion I value will be that of myself, my husband, children and Father in Heaven. I hope that I make them proud!

"Let's get it started, yeah, let's get it started in here!"

I am excited about this whole concept...and I hope that it will be used for even more than deep thoughts and such. I would love to see a blog from Liz that gives us updates on her life as a mom of those two wonderful kids and the goings on of life for them! That goes for everyone, actually. I hope that we can use this to keep in touch even more and tell fun stories about our day-to-day experiences that we normally don't get a chance to share. Our one or two times of seeing each other each year just doesn't afford us the time to hear about things like that. So along with sharing personal feelings and pontificating about life, I hope that we can also use this as a newsletter of sorts. My first such entry will be done shortly...